Reality and evidence in qualitative research

What is reality?

What follows are just random paragraphs about what shapes my reality.

Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. This phrase is from the Heart Sutra, a Buddhist text. It represents a big paradox to me and, yet, it is about reality for me. I find myself thinking about an “empty cup.” What makes it empty? Is the cup real? The cup exists, but its function is to hold something. Is it in fact holding something that we can’t see? All of these questions make reality a question for me.
I believe in magic. I believe in multiple realities/realms. I work in realms not of this human world. I have allies who are ancestors from the realms of the dead. I have dragon allies, plant allies, rock allies, animal allies, divine allies and faery allies. And then there is the plain ole realm of the mysterious. All of these realms are real to me. My current spiritual practice, as a witch, is to continue to tune into the messages from these other realms.

In The Art of Living (2001) the 14th Dalai Lama says, "As your insight into the ultimate nature of reality is deepened and enhanced, you will develop a perception of reality from which you will perceive phenomena and events as sort of illusory, illusion-like, and this mode of perceiving reality will permeate all your interactions with reality.”

I believe that we construct reality and can shape reality with our own intent. That is the beauty of magic. When we open to possibilities beyond this human form, we open to something that is both scary and wonderful. We open to the divine in our lives.

How does it shape how I do research?

As I begin to answer this question, I think about what I’ve written above and I find that my data collection right now is incredibly limited. I’m relying on my own humanness to collect the necessary data for my dissertation. It seems like having these allies help me along the way would be totally cool. They can see things from different angles and perceive things that I can’t perceive. The key is to stay in communication with them; to work to align my own energies with the energies of the forms from other realms that I work with.

When I think about some of the things I do on a day-to-day basis, like facilitate meetings, I have allies around me working with me. Who are the allies who are helping me facilitate that meeting? I’m an observer. Who are the allies helping me observe? There are things at work that are more than my humanness. It is not just me. When I receive what appears to be criticism that is directed at me and my work. Someone protects me so that I can hear the words. Sometimes my immediate response is one of defensiveness, but that is my human reaction. I believe that my defensiveness would be greater without my guardian allies. I want to say it is my friend the “Green Dragon.” He regularly rests on my left shoulder, at least his nostrils. He’s a big guy. But does he surround me with his wings?

I’ve been doing lots of training these past few months. Other people in the class have come up to me and asked, “How did you handle that?” Usually they were referring to an emotional outburst that was a result of “not knowing the entire answer,” or “that’s not what has been told to us before.” For some reason, I’m able to work with that energy that is sent directly at me. However, I’m clear that it is not about me and I believe there is someone who has their wing around my body reminding me that I’m in a safe place and that words can not harm me.

Some other questions that I’m contemplating as I think about reality and my allies, guides and guardians are:

Who are my allies as I write? Ganesha and Brigid.
What role do my ancestors play?

What role does Wolverine play?

Morgan Le Fey, as the priestess of Avalon, what role does she play?

My dragon friends, the black dragon of justice and the Green Dragon.

My friends the rock people and tree people have lots to share with me, but it is rarely in words that I can understand. I’m lucky if I get concepts.

Is it any coincidence that I’ve had black walnut on my mind for the past few weeks? What is the black walnut in terms of an ally?? It has something to do with my childhood and the memory I have of the black juice covering the work gloves. I remember filling the pickup bed with walnuts for daddy to take to be sold. It has to do with the smell. Black walnut has something to do with professional development and money making in a way that is natural and healthy.

What constitutes evidence in my reality?

Evidence in my reality, which consists of multiple universes, is nearly everything. Certainly, everything I experience on the sensual level can potentially be evidence. The messages and evidence I receive from allies, guards and guardians are also evidence. I have to be able to listen and open to the experiences they bring to my life.

This situation requires me to develop not only my own humanness to observe, but psychic/communication skills with my allies, guides and guardians from other realms. It requires me to discern what can be brought forward from the realms of mystery to the human realm. To present my evidence requires words. Sometimes I do not have those words, and while it is evidence to me, it would not be considered evidence by other humans.

As I think about observing a group. I think about the need to not only read nonverbal skills, but examine layers that are a bit deeper. As I learned at Witchcamp this summer, attuning to psychic energy bodies, might be important. Not from the standpoint of healing. It is not necessarily my business to do that work. However, it is important to discern what might be going on and how that can shape the evidence that comes through into this human realm.