A projection experience

Mounting research suggests that much of our decision making is made well before we are aware of it, leaving some to wonder what exactly our consciousness is for beyond our own amusement and/or torment. I would posit that, among other things, our conscious experience is used (for better or worse) in long term planning, where our awareness gives our "old brain" the stimulus for which to make a decision. Novel experiences, moments where our bodies' associations are lacking, are the moments where our awareness is not much help and our "old brain" gives its best guess. Seeing an old friend give you a look of annoyance isn't projection, that is knowing your friend. Seeing a new friend not laugh at your joke and thinking he doesn't like you/is sad/is not funny is projection. That being said, horses are more or less novel experiences to me, and I found myself projecting a mood onto Dream yesterday. As she stood still while we struggled to put her saddle on, I thought I saw a resignation, the type of general malaise that would come with the territory were I to be subjected to a master/subject environment. The moment was fleeting as I quickly reminded myself that I have no earthly idea what a horse expression for resignation might look like...but my associations were just giving it their best shot. And as we sat for our debriefing , I happened to look over someone's shoulder only to see Dream, standing there, in the same stance she had while she waited for someone's left brain to tell someone's left side to do something. Same stance as before, same ears, same angle of the neck, same look on her face...different projection. I thought to myself, "ha, what a silly assumption, well, then again, that is projection, and now I have something to blog about."

-Alex

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