Ardzýn | Self-Examination
Ardzýn (pronounced ardzeen) literally means "seeing the ardt" (the inner-self). It is best understood in English as 'self-knowledge' or 'self-examination'.
It is the examination of one's heart and mind, the contemplation of one's thoughts, the consideration of one's relationship with oneself.
It is the taking of the awareness away from the worries and concerns of one's body and external reality, and drawing it inwards, allowing oneself to be aware of the internal reality: the feelings, emotions, thoughts, and desires which intermingle themselves constantly within us.
Explanation
Allowing ourselves to be aware of these things enables us to understand where we are in our inner-journey (our ardyürna), and how this affects the state of our ardt. This enables us to understand what it is that we project (ütbaden) onto others and onto the atmosphere (ihre) around us.
Ardzýn also helps us understand how the circumstances that we find ourselves in affect the ardt. Circumstance is compared to weather in Kibtisk philosophy, and in the same way weather affects the earth, circumstance affects the ardt. How the situations of life in which we find ourselves affect our inner-selves and the feelings, emotions, and thoughts which dwell therein is something we ought to be in tune with constantly, and this can be achieve through ardzýn.
Theory
Definitions
Whilst Kibtisk philosophy does not delve into the realm of psychology all too deeply, it does acknowledge that there are multiple components at work with us. There are:
the ardt (the heart, soul, mind/psyche, the subconscious, inner-self),
the myndt (the nous, the intellect, that which concerns itself with day-to-day mental processes: i.e. what is usually conveyed by the English word 'mind'),
and the irzýe (the awareness; the consciousness; our inner-sight; that which enables us to 'see' our thoughts and feelings).
The ardt has been fully defined in its own article, but when referring to the myndt and irzýe the English words 'Intellect' (myndt) and 'Awareness' (irzýe) will be used from now on.
It ought to be noted that the proponents of the Kibtisk Way are not psychologists or psychiatrists. The words used here which would otherwise belong to the field of psychology (e.g. 'Intellect', 'Awareness' etc.) are defined in the way that Kibtisk philosophy understands them, and those definitions are not intended to be carried over into academic psychology and vice versa: the vocabulary of academic psychology with its nuances and definitions is not intended in the discussion below. What is presented here is a hypothesis of what takes place during the process of ardzýn. It is not a psychological discourse advocating a beneficial meditative practice based on research undertaken by professionals, but is rather a theory of what happens during the practice of ardzýn as defined below, expressed using words which are easily accessible to the reader and are defined below.
The 'Awareness' and the 'Intellect'
The theory behind ardzýn is that the 'Awareness' dwells within the 'Intellect'. The two work together to keep things functioning. The 'Awareness' is the part of us which picks up on things and communicates them to the 'Intellect'. The 'Intellect' is the thought process which is sparked based on the information from the 'Awareness'.
For example, when we are hungry we become aware of our hunger, and thus the 'Awareness' communicates this to the 'Intellect' which then begins the thought process regarding eating: what we are going to eat, how we are going to prepare it, what we need to do etc. This is how we all function everyday. The 'Awareness' tells us/makes us aware of how we feel or what is going on, and the 'Intellect' triggers the appropriate response: the phone is ringing, we answer/ignore it; we feel cold, we get a blanket; the alarm goes off, we wake up and hit snooze etc.
The theory behind the process of ardzýn then is to move the 'Awareness' away from the 'Intellect' for a time and towards the ardt. It is taking the 'Awareness' deeper within ourselves. Of course, the 'Awareness' never entirely leaves the 'Intellect', since during ardzýn we are still aware of our surroundings and bodily functions, but our focus these things is diminished. Our 'Awareness' has gone deeper within ourselves. We are deep in thought, contemplating, examining ourselves.
The 'Awareness' and the Ardt
The 'Awareness' may be compared to a person, who descends onto the landscape of the ardt and surveys it and journeys through it. Each time this person descends they land wherever they left off. Similar to a computer game, where you log in after some time and find yourself where you last saved, so is ardzýn. If the 'Awareness' has not gone into the ardt for some time, then there will be parts of the ardt of which we are not aware. There will be parts of the map we haven't discovered yet. There will be parts of our selves left undiscovered.
Upon returning to its usual realm of the 'Intellect', the 'Awareness' is then able to communicate the state of the ardt and the 'Intellect' can then begin thought-processes based on what was uncovered. If the 'Awareness' saw negative things, the 'Intellect' may trigger thoughts on how these things can be resolved or healed. If the 'Awareness' saw positive things, the 'Intellect' may trigger thoughts on how to benefit oneself and others from these. If the 'Awareness' saw how the ardt was being affected by circumstances, the 'Intellect' may trigger thoughts on why this is the case, and what to do about it.
It must be remembered though, that the 'Intellect' is as much the "self" as the ardt is. This is why the ardt is translated as 'inner-self'. The 'Intellect' is not an automatic, impersonal and infallible function. It is still a part of us, and the thoughts that may be triggered may be more of a reflection of the state of the ardt than a consideration about it. For the 'Intellect' to think in a beneficial way, the Kibtisk Virtues of stillness (ihra), graciousness (zeva), and love (vira) must be sought after and applied to the ardzýn process and the thoughts which come from it. The thoughts of the 'Intellect' must be informed by something good and healthy to avoid an unhealthy response to self-examination.
Methods
There are multiple methods which may be employed in order to conduct the process of ardzýn. Below are the three main methods which have been understood and appreciated by the Kibtisk Way, there may be others.
The methods below can be mixed and combined according to what benefits the practitioner. No method alone is perfect, and so using multiple methods as a process or combined act may be beneficial.
Method 1: Journaling
Journaling about our ardt and where we are in ourselves and in our journeys is a great way of allowing and making ourselves aware of what is going on within, and then moving into careful consideration about it.
During the journaling process, the 'Awareness' is brought into the ardt and allowed to examine the state of the ardt. Upon returning it communicates this to the 'Intellect' which then considers what should be done in light of this information.
Writing out the observations of the 'Awareness' and the thoughts of the 'Intellect' is a great and healthy way of practising ardzýn, as it fulfils the process whilst also objectively letting the thoughts out in a collected and constructed manner. Once the thoughts are on the page, how to enact them virtuously is something which can be considered, allowing the practitioner to emerge from their practice with a fuller understanding of themselves and where they are, and also how to move forward on their journey.
Method 2: Being in Nature
Being in nature is another method of doing ardzýn due to the etymological relationship between the ardt and the yarda (the earth). Seeing how nature responds to different seasons and climates can cause us to reflect upon how our inner-earth of the ardt is affected by what we're going through in life, in addition to the extant psychological benefits of being in nature.
Being in nature gives us a place free from distraction wherein the 'Awareness' can deepen into the ardt and we can reflect on ourselves and life-journeys. We may return from our time of being outdoors having attained more understanding of our selves and a sense of peace. Many people go out into nature to 'clear their minds', and we believe it is the state of the 'Awareness' traversing the ardt and being free from the 'Intellect' for a small while that gives nature this effect on our mental states.
We may follow up our time of nature-soaking with a time of journaling, allowing ourselves more opportunity to practise ardzýn, deepening our self-awareness and understanding.
Method 3: Mindfulness Meditation
Practising mindfulness meditation can also be a great method for taking the 'Awareness' deeper into the ardt. A lot of mindfulness practice is about being aware of the present moment and of the breath, moving the 'Awareness' away from the 'Intellect' and its thoughts to those things instead.
Ardzýn as mindfulness uses the practice of focusing on the breath and the present moment in order to draw the 'Awareness' away from the 'Intellect' for a time, but then shifts the focus onto the ardt. Ardzýn as mindfulness is more about mindful self-examination and less about dwelling in the present-moment, although the Kibtisk Way does advocate for that practice as well.
As with the method of being in nature, this method may be followed by a time of journaling. Similarly, this method may also be combined with the method of being in nature as well as journaling, allowing for a more reflective and meditative time of ardzýn in nature, followed by the constructive time of journaling.
Summary
Ardzýn then is simply the practice of deepening the 'Awareness', drawing it away from the 'Intellect' and its day-to-day external and physical concerns and drawing it towards the ardt with its life-long emotional and soulish concerns. It is the practice of being aware of our inner-selves.
This practice is achieved through various methods, three of which are listed here. Each method is designed to draw the 'Awareness' out of the 'Intellect' through contemplation, reflection, or meditation, allowing it to travel into the ardt. The methods above may be combined or undertaken sequentially in order to facilitate a fuller and deeper practice.
The method of journaling allows for a contemplative and constructive approach, whereas being in nature facilitates more of a reflective and considerate technique. Mindful meditation encourages a spiritual and mindful method of the practice, and each of these methods allows for a different approach to the practice.
As mentioned, the practitioner may wish to combine methods, or do them in sequence, or even undertake different ones on different days. The goal in each case is simple though: to be aware of the inner-self; to see the ardt.
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