ARCHIVE https://www.somniaforum.net/thread/group-visit-attempt-june-28 Jun 29, 2006
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Group Visit Attempt - June 28

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NO
Noel
Thread Starter
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Posted: #1

We tried to repeat our success from the Festival of the Living Sea. It didn't go as planned.

The Setup

Five of us attempted a coordinated visit last night: me, Charlotte, Harlan, Anastasia, and Oscar (who's now in Providence). Martin and Lily were unavailable.

Target: Festival of the Living Sea, Year of Longing. Same temporal coordinates as our successful group meeting in July.

Preparation: We spent the evening on IRC, sharing visualizations, talking about what we remembered from last time. Everyone went to sleep around the same time, focused on the same destination.

What Happened

  • Anastasia and Harlan: Successfully arrived at the festival. Found each other immediately. Stable shared experience for several hours.
  • Charlotte: Arrived at the festival but in a different era - she saw the sea creatures but the city around her was different, older. She couldn't find any of us.
  • Me: Reached Ethel but kept slipping between time periods. Brief glimpses of the festival, then I'd be somewhere else entirely.
  • Oscar: Never reached Ethel at all. Had vivid dreams but nothing recognizable as the city.

Analysis

Three out of five reached the right place. Only two found each other. And those two are a couple who live together.

I think we're seeing the synchronization problem clearly now. Anastasia and Harlan can meet reliably because their minds are deeply attuned through constant physical proximity. The rest of us have built synchronization through online communication, but it's not as strong.

Charlotte and I met successfully at the Festival of Molten Light, but that required multiple attempts and intense preparation. Scaling up to five people made the challenge exponentially harder.

What This Means

Our ecstatic meeting at the Festival of the Living Sea was a lucky alignment. High synchronization from months of conversation, a particularly vivid temporal target, and probably just chance.

Replicating it consistently will require something more. We need to find ways to deepen our synchronization beyond what forum posts and IRC chats can provide.

Next Steps

I don't know yet. Charlotte has some ideas about in-person meetings helping. Anastasia thinks there might be techniques we can develop. Let's discuss.

8 Replies
CH
Charlotte_K
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Posted: #2

My analysis matches yours. The couples succeed because they share physical space and constant communication. The rest of us are trying to synchronize across distance, and it's not working reliably.

I keep coming back to one observation: the pairs who've met in person have better results than pairs who've only communicated online. There's something about physical presence that builds synchronization in ways text can't.

AN
Anastasia_M
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Posted: #3

Harlan and I have discussed this. We think intensive time together - not just a visit, but actually living in close proximity for an extended period - might be necessary to achieve the kind of group synchronization we need.

It's a big ask. But the alternative is accepting that reliable group exploration is impossible.

OS
Oscar_V
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Posted: #4

I'm frustrated but not surprised. I only arrived in Providence last week. I haven't built the relationships yet.

But I'm here now. I'm willing to invest the time. If we need to be physically together to do this, let's be physically together.

HA
Harlan_S
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Posted: #5

I've been thinking about space. My apartment has become increasingly dream-like over the past year - filled with art inspired by Ethel, designed to evoke the feeling of being there. I wonder if that environmental reinforcement helps with my ability to reach the city reliably.

What if we created a shared space like that? A place designed specifically to support dream exploration? Where multiple people could live and work together, building synchronization through constant proximity?

NO
Noel
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Posted: #6

That's an interesting idea. A dedicated dream research facility. Not just a place to sleep, but a place designed around dreaming.

AN
Anastasia_M
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Posted: #7

We should discuss this seriously. I've been thinking along similar lines. If we're really going to understand Ethel - really explore it together, not just as scattered individuals - we need infrastructure. Physical space. Committed time.

CH
Charlotte_K
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Posted: #8

I want to be part of this conversation. I can't commit to living somewhere permanently (I'm still in school), but I could visit regularly, especially over summer and breaks.

Whatever we build, it should account for people at different levels of commitment. A core group who lives there, and others who participate when they can.

MA
Martin_L
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Posted: #9

Lily and I are in. We've been talking about moving to Providence anyway. If there's a space where we could live and do this work... yes. Absolutely.

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