Alin / Arcane Artwork - Cognitive Typology

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July 13, 2019 at 2:18 am #13837
Juan E. Sandoval
Keymaster
- Type: TiNe
- Development: l--l
- Attitude: Adaptive
- Once more, none of what follows needs to be accepted as 'true', nor does it need to be canonized as it represents nothing more than my subjective attempt to capture the Sacred in the form I understand it.
This is part 2 of 8. What I share here will be in low resolution, to preserve the copyright of the originals & allow for the possibility of producing an actual canvas set when complete.
It's my hope that something with wisdom beyond me will shine through these hands-- and anoint my gift to the world and to you. All works in this set are hand drawn by myself. Thank you for reading. 🙂

Alin ( /ah-lyn/ )
Spiritual Experience of – Ti
A woman with a crystalline void floating between her outstretched fingers. She has no face, but has long hair and a diadem with the moon in the center. Behind her is a throne made of lines converging towards the crystalline void. Outside the throne are seven faces each with a different expression, and dozens of other faces surrounding those seven. Behind that is a black field with a series of dots connected by lines.
Symbology –
I will leave this open to interpretation. What do you think the image means? What does it strike you as?
July 13, 2019 at 3:10 am #13845
Juan E. Sandoval
Keymaster
- Type: TiNe
- Development: l--l
- Attitude: Adaptive
Spoiler

*Quick note about these archetypes* -- They are, in a sense, transcendent of the individual. The individual is not synonymous with the archetype, so having the function is not the same as being the spirit.
In fact, one could say the individual is in a relationship to the archetype just as one would be in a relationship towards a 'deity'. (This can be a positive or negative relationship). There are some who come in contact with their deity, and so they come to channel some part of the archetype into their contemporary form. Others avoid their deity, and so it becomes an aspect of their shadow.

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July 13, 2019 at 8:57 pm #13853
bella
Moderator
- Type: TiNe
- Development:
- Attitude: Unknown
Love it <3
My interpretation..
The black field could be symbolic of the abiotic universe in its lifeless stillness and silence, and the detached and objective tendencies of Ti, also manifesting subjectively as an existential psychic void expressed in the hollow face of the woman.
The series of dots connected by lines seems like Ne, which are converged by Ti into a single paradigm symbolized by the crystalline.
I have no idea what is meant by the faces but my subjective interpretation - they seem like the masks covering the 'real reality' which Ti is trying to uncover; the illusion/'Maya' Ti is trying to pierce through.
July 13, 2019 at 9:13 pm #13854
Juan E. Sandoval
Keymaster
- Type: TiNe
- Development: l--l
- Attitude: Adaptive
Dear @bella,
I shall answer you with a story.

I have no idea what is meant by the faces

There was once a prince who lived in a palace filled with ceremonies and festivals. The prince was brought up with all the prince-like courtesies, and he knew all the musics and customs. He spoke every right word and was praised by the kingdom as an honest and just prince-- fit to take the throne one day.
Then one day as the boy was strolling around the park, he encountered a blind man. The blind man told him "move out of my way" and the prince said "don't you know who I am?"
And the old man said "you are a disrespectful young boy"
And the prince said, "I am the son of king Alerion"
"And if his crown was stolen, who would you be?"
"...I...I guess I would be the son of Alerion nonetheless"
"And if his name wasn't Alerion, but Stragos, then who would you be?"
"Well.. then I would be Avalin son of Stagos"
"Tell me boy, are you nothing more than your blood, the name of your father and his crown?"
"I am my father's son!"
"And if your father was not your father, would you disappear?"
"Well, no."
"I pity those who find their soul in material, blood, and crowns. They do not know who they truly are. Now move out of my way, for I have somewhere to be."

~~~

The next day the prince was at another ceremony and was greeted by a peasant woman saying "Hail, Avalin son of Alerion, the virtuous man of the land! You are the same, as you are your father's son."
And the prince was about to offer his graces back when he found himself hesitating. "How can I be virtuous on account of my father's virtue?" he asked. And he resolved that day to not take any compliments in the name of his father.
Next he resolves not to give courtesies, for they are not his own words of kindness he feels. His father became upset at him, and asked him why he is not playing courteously the role of prince.
"Those are not my words, and those are not my feelings" he said.
"All things we say are not our own things" the king Alerion said "They are things we must say to do well in society."
"Then I shall never speak again, lest I speak untruths" said the prince, and from that day on the prince spoke not another word.
The boy tossed away all his flashy clothes, removed his jewelry and abandoned the castle and went to live out on his own, journeying to try to uncover who he really was - outside of blood, name or crown.
Then he came to the lake and looked into the water as a mirror ...and realized "This face is not mine" ...and he saw that there was a seam across his neck. Curious, he picked at the seam and pulled it upwards and his whole face came off!
July 13, 2019 at 9:47 pm #13857
Bera
Moderator
- Type: SeFi
- Development: ll--
- Attitude: Seelie
Beautiful artwork !
And I wanted to tell you it reminds me of The House of Black and White. And of the Many Faced God.
Now that you told this story, even more so. But the solution might actually be to say "A girl is Arya Stark of Winterfell. And I'm going home." 🙂 I mean, to assume an identity and to choose a life path despite the fact that underneath there is the void and that in the end all identities are masks. But this looks more like what an Fi - Te user would do...maybe.
July 13, 2019 at 10:38 pm #13859
Juan E. Sandoval
Keymaster
- Type: TiNe
- Development: l--l
- Attitude: Adaptive
@bera - That's an excellent comparison. Yes, that is an expression of the Alin myth (in dark form) by NiFe George Martin. The main supernatural forces of his series coincide with his functions. Dragonic/Heroic/Fire (Fe), Shaman/Guru/Three-Eyed-Raven (Ni), Faceless/No-One's (Ti) ...and Ver in Aphroditic form is all over the show.
And it's hit me lately that the overlying theme of the show is a Void & Flame myth, with everyone struggling for heroic conquest (Je/Fe) amidst the understanding of "valar morghulis" / "all men must die", which is a nihilistic sentiment.
This is essentially the myth of Ale in one stark symbol:

Spoiler

"Valar Dohaeris" - All men must serve (Fe)
"Valar Morghulis" - All men must die (Ti)
This is not to say these philosophies are unavailable to any human being; of course anyone can believe or say this. But the juxtaposition of these two, and in relation to the whole way the myth is carried out in the books, speaks to Void & Flame. A pair of phrases like this does not seem indicative of Te/Fi.
The phrases are just proverbial shorthand to a wider phenomenology that the author wished to portray. At least, that is how I see it.

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July 13, 2019 at 10:41 pm #13861
Juan E. Sandoval
Keymaster
- Type: TiNe
- Development: l--l
- Attitude: Adaptive
A dialogue..

Spoiler

bellabella

🙂

complete detachment/unattachment.. just the pure essence of our being that is not tied to anything..?

Auburn

platonic idealism, perhaps?

all faces are contemporary expressions

bellabella

but not the essence?

Auburn

what is the essence?

bellabella

shrugs

Auburn

that is a good question

i think Ti is in search for 'it'

but does it ever find it?

how many layers are peeled off?

how many faces?

where is the bottom?

bellabella

right, its never ending

Auburn

the search for absolute truth is like trying to count to infinity

bellabella

nods

so the masks are...

or.. faces

the different expressions of the self/outer layers of truth?

Auburn

what is a face?

it is what identifies you to the world

it is what carries the emotions

(Ti neutralizes away emotions)

it is your humanity

the face is identity, expression, emotion, humanity

bellabella

and Ti aims to be a third party

outside observer

Auburn

yes. no-identity, no-expression, no-emotion, no-humanity

bellabella

right

'i don't matter when it comes to the question of truth'

Auburn

^

bellabella

'i am outside of it'

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July 13, 2019 at 11:11 pm #13864
Juan E. Sandoval
Keymaster
- Type: TiNe
- Development: l--l
- Attitude: Adaptive
Sharing a bit more...

Kaonashi "No-Face" (lit. "Faceless")

Character by TiNe Hayao Miyazaki

Spoiler

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Both Ji processes --when manifested in pure form-- are concerned with identity, but Ti's journey is different from Fi's. Ultimately, I think “A girl is Arya Stark of Winterfell. And I’m going home.” is the correct answer. But that is an answer that requires integration with Fe, and finding a place/home among the tribe.
Alin is able to return a person back to their true self, by the "purging" of all that is not-self. But if taken to the extreme, it can purge away everything --(including desires/meanings) --so one must be careful with this deity, and mitigate its life-negating aspects with life-affirming ones. All these archetypes have dangerous forms.
July 13, 2019 at 11:18 pm #13867
Supah Protist
Participant
- Type: SeTi
- Development: ll-l
- Attitude: Directive
Reading that last post, made me think of the danger that resides within. Most people are apt to label their environments as potentially dangerous, but less apt to label themselves as potentially dangerous to themselves and others.
Also, you've mentioned in the past that all of the functions can be focused on developing self knowledge. What's the distinction between the self knowledge that can be pursued by all functions and the identity that specifically Ji develops?
July 14, 2019 at 12:38 am #13875
Juan E. Sandoval
Keymaster
- Type: TiNe
- Development: l--l
- Attitude: Adaptive
Please pardon the multi-posts.. I'm just gonna keep dropping off references I have to support the constitution of the image.

Kakashi the Copy Ninja

In another mythology (Naruto) that relates directly to the question of Fe-Ti, we see Kakashi. Kakashi Hatake is the master of Naruto Uzumaki (FeSi), and is the counterpoint to him in many ways throughout the show. Naruto has seemingly inexhaustible chakra but is headstrong and lacks calculated reasoning, while Kakshi has low stamina and is easily fatigued but has exceptional analytical abilities. Naruto is loud, expressive and emotional, while Kakashi is soft-spoken, stoic and emotionless. Kakashi's personality is Ti, while Naruto's is very Fe.
His Mask + Black White Colors
Kakashi has white hair and a black mask which he wears at all times. The mask, in this iconography, is analogous to facelessness. He shows no emotion and he also keeps himself veiled. He is the "moon" to Naruto's "sun."
The Copy Ninja
Kakashi is also known as the "Ninja who's copied 1,000 Jutsu", a prestigious title given to him by the fact that he can copy the moves of his enemies. This parallels with No-Face and Miyazaki's motif of taking on other's identities, and also with the many faces of the Alin artpiece.
July 14, 2019 at 12:45 am #13877
Juan E. Sandoval
Keymaster
- Type: TiNe
- Development: l--l
- Attitude: Adaptive
Although faces are not a central aspect of Ti/Alin, and indeed have nothing to do with Ti-- they relate to the narrative of having Ti, by proxy of the consequences of having the function.

Japan (Ti-heavy) & Wearing Masks

There is a double-meaning to Japan's wearing of masks. The first 2:36 minutes of the video are people giving the superficial reasons (to protect from cold/flu) while the latter part of the video shows deeper reasons for why it's caught on as a national phenomenon:

Spoiler

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It has become socially acceptable in Japan to cover one's face, without being asked why, since there's a ready-made technical reason (cold/flu) to allow for a more embarrassing truth -- that people are shy, don't wish to show their expressions, and/or don't wanna put on a social face.
The medical mask functions as a "barrier" between them and the world. It also functions as a release from obligation to need to cooperate with Fe placid smiles and niceties. In this way, one is actually more themselves when wearing the mask, than when not wearing it --which would require them to put on a social 'mask' rather than to present themselves without one.
This is a direct result of how Japan is also a heavily Fe country, with a lot of honorific elements, emphasis on social rapport, etc. The population is simultaneously built upon this social rapport structure, and is also manifesting a taxation by it, and retreating behind masks. It is very fascinating to see.
P.S. - I mention Japan because I like to ground mythology in real-world examples, and this is an example of Alin's influence at a national level. It also shows the reality of these myths in a way that is tangible and not just a conceptual endeavor but an exploration of sociology.
July 14, 2019 at 4:40 am #13890
Bera
Moderator
- Type: SeFi
- Development: ll--
- Attitude: Seelie
Oh, right ! I thought maybe an Fi user would rather respond in this way simply because it seemed logical to me, but integrated Fe would certainly do the same.
I loved Spirited Away, though there are at least 2 pretty spidery characters there, which made it a bit of a challenge to watch. :)) I can see the Ti and Fe story arc but the themes in this video can also be seen as relevant for 5 disintegrating to 7 (losing yourself in greed/consumption). It is beyond me how 5 integrates to 8 though. I have an idea but I want to first check if it is correct.
I honestly tend to not really believe there is an inner essence (like the Fi inner essence). I am rather a believer in the Void, which is strange from a CT perspective.
Anyway for me this is the truth, so, the closest archetype to what I would call God. This is the reason I never really opposed atheism, because it is just a way of saying there is nothing underneath, taking away the mystic aura around Nothing/Emptiness...just a slightly different view, to be honest. 🙂 I can soften this perception and say the void might be a mirror (pure consciousness mirroring itself over and over again and all that jazz that is a bit closer to Fi, I suppose, though still miles away from inner essence) but at times I even doubt that emptiness necessarily has a reflecting quality to it.
I actually believe all myths are not only deities in general but depictions of God. Like different avatars / reflections of the same principle. And then the Void is just one of 8 depictions. But it seems to be one of the closest to the essence. If not the closest. Which makes sense, since the aim of Ti is to find the truth/core principles.
July 14, 2019 at 5:19 am #13894
Juan E. Sandoval
Keymaster
- Type: TiNe
- Development: l--l
- Attitude: Adaptive
yea @teatime also said she lacks belief in the Fi core/essence. I wonder what's up with that? I'd like to learn more about Fi "atheism." Though I also don't entirely think Alin = atheism, but the correlation is fair.

edit: hey y'know while we're at it, it'd be cool to have a general survey on religious questions including things like "do you think we have a soul" and see what we find?
July 14, 2019 at 2:02 pm #13898
Bera
Moderator
- Type: SeFi
- Development: ll--
- Attitude: Seelie
Great idea !
I would really appreciate the questions to be as...open ended as possible. And I think others might too.
I always change my beliefs. I wouldn't even call them beliefs, they are rather theories. Somewhere in the hypothetical realm.
Luckily (or not) I don't need to completely believe in order to try out every fun little thing from astrology to tarot to praying to all saints that my plane doesn't crash. ?
So, belief is one thing and practice another. I can't have a perfect or even acceptable alignment between them, but I can work around it to create the feeling of faith despite actually lacking faith. That's why it's very easy for me to go all woowoo and then when it's not practical anymore to say oh, this is nonsense, let's slowly but surely walk away. :))
Woo might not be true. 🙂 I don't even think it must be true, it's an emotional and energetic and creative thing.
More about the challenge in fitting in any type of religious or atheistic group while remaining completely honest and transparent in the following Religion thread you want to open.
July 14, 2019 at 5:06 pm #13902
Tea
Participant
- Type: NeFi
- Development: l--l
- Attitude: Seelie
The Fi myth is actually alive and well in me; it’s the framework for my morality. Even pre-atheism, my definition of “good” was “that which causes life to flourish.” Very qualitative, Fi sounding IMO. My concept of “life” wasn’t limited to the biotic but also emotional and spiritual worlds.
It may not seem like the due-hard Alin myth because just not rigid; it’s very nuanced and grainy. It allows for a ton of variation, with the goal always being the best for persons and groups.
I may expand more on this later.
July 14, 2019 at 5:26 pm #13904
Faeruss
Participant
- Type: FeNi
- Development: llll
- Attitude: Directive
For those interested in the issue of masks and Japan, I refer you to Kobo Abe's masterpiece, The Face of Another.

I have been thinking about Ti and Fe and how they relate to the issue of identity and meaning a lot recently. It seems that Ti starts with the intuition of form and identity and meaning and goes on to arrive at the position of emptiness, of formlessness. Fe inversely starts with the intuition of emptiness, of meaninglessness and arrives at the position of chosen meaning and fought-for identity. While one can see the Void surrounded by Faces, one can also see a golden and majestic God-like face emerging in a sea of Emptiness and Chaos. Let there be Meaning.
July 14, 2019 at 10:41 pm #13916
Bera
Moderator
- Type: SeFi
- Development: ll--
- Attitude: Seelie
The Fi myth is actually alive and well in me; it’s the framework for my morality. Even pre-atheism, my definition of “good” was “that which causes life to flourish.” Very qualitative, Fi sounding IMO. My concept of “life” wasn’t limited to the biotic but also emotional and spiritual worlds.
It may not seem like the due-hard Alin myth because just not rigid; it’s very nuanced and grainy. It allows for a ton of variation, with the goal always being the best for persons and groups.

I completely agree, @tea. For me it's the same but I don't think I managed to integrate the Fi myth in a general belief system - it's just how I naturally act. My values are in complete alignment with it, but if I think about what there is behind the scene of life, I rather picture something like the Void. My life affirming actions are a way to aVoid it :))
I think all these archetypes are reflections of something real, so everyone has some contact to them. We just have preferences in manifesting one or the other. Not sure if I am right though.
July 16, 2019 at 6:41 am #13977
Juan E. Sandoval
Keymaster
- Type: TiNe
- Development: l--l
- Attitude: Adaptive
@faeruss - i love your post. well said. incidentally, that's not too far off from my concept of the Fe/Aler artwork. you beat me to it.
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