Today it is difficult to overestimate the importance of communication. The criminal world also does not skimp on acquisitions the latest tools communications, fully understanding the role they play in life.

We must always remember that the criminal world is inventive - and sophisticated. Among the criminals there are quite a few very gifted people who, without any computers or sociological surveys, accurately calculate their surroundings and make accurate predictions. They are excellent psychologists, and the behavior of squad leaders in the correctional complex, operational unit workers and other law enforcement officers is expected and predictable for them. And God forbid, they find a weakness and collect compromising material on one of the people in uniform!.. The criminal world has a stranglehold on its victims and squeezes them out of everything that is possible and impossible. These unfortunates who are hooked are handed over to the remaining comrades by inheritance from prisoners leaving for the prison camp. So they are rushing, regularly dispatched from prisons, isolation wards, and other places of deprivation of liberty directly to the criminals’ camps, their little ones and little ones from behind bars...

There are other ways for convicts to communicate. This includes the elementary roll call of cameras through the windows (even fans specially installed for this cannot drown it out). And shooting from paper blow tubes glued together right there in the cell, into the windows of the cells opposite, and inscriptions prudently left on the floor, on the walls of the exercise yards, and much more.

Convicts and persons under investigation choose specialists from among themselves who study the possibilities of establishing communication, ensure it, and monitor safety.

Here is the most interesting story from an experienced prisoner:

“The road is the most valuable thing in prison. It's like the circulatory system. Each hut (chamber) must have a Road (connection). If it doesn’t, it’s a shame. Such a hut is called a lunar hut, it is believed that harriers and boys sit in it. There are usually several lunatics in prison, all the offended people gather there, everyone who broke out of their hut turned to the controller. The opera brings them together. However, sometimes even the sleepy ones have a way.

In general, for the prison, the so-called India is responsible for the existence and safety of the Road. She is in a pre-trial detention center in the first building (in this case we are talking about the Riga prison). This hut is strict, all the re-convicts there are gathered from those previously convicted. How do they manage to get into the same house? This is how the opera is specially collected so that there is no lawlessness. Basically, there is a lot that is unclear here. Here is the Road. This is a rope that is stretched along the outer wall of the pre-trial detention center. The administration cannot help but see her! Each hut has four roads: up, down, left and right, in short, ropes are stretched to all neighboring huts. Bags with ksivs, parcels, and so on move along them. The accomplices, separated into different cells, calmly negotiate with each other on joint testimony...

Yes, from time to time the cops organize raids and tear off the ropes, but all this is all rush work, although it is their responsibility to completely eliminate the existence of the Road.

In the huts, the first table bears full responsibility for the functioning of the Road. It is he who puts the horses (those who look after the Road) in a privileged position. By the way, horses are the name given to both the people chasing the bags and the bags themselves.

If it is created for horses extreme situation, then the whole house takes part in settling this matter. The horse is busy on the road and orders the duty officer: “Do Fedya!” The guard goes to Fedya, that is, he stands at the door to the cell. Let's say he heard someone approaching the door. He immediately commands: “It’s all tails!” The fourth and fifth tables react to this, create a crowd at the door and manage to close the window. Two people hold the door and do their best to prevent it from opening. At this moment, the horse can even order the first table - knock, for example, on the wall to warn the neighboring hut of danger.

About India. There are actually two of them. One contains those who are sitting for the first time, the other - those who are already new. India strict regime and is responsible for the isolation ward. It contains all the information, people go there for advice, and it has the last word in any conflicts. Warming products are always sent to India: lard, sugar, etc. The decision of the person from India is final for others and cannot be appealed. India resolves global disputes. If we're talking about about something not very important, then they ask the Prison for advice. This is a kind of game of democracy. It is also clear that they intend, for example, to paraffin a person or put him on a bucket. But to avoid a moment of personal involvement, they turn to the Prison. Yeah, a referendum!

It's done like this. The one who asks climbs out onto the bars and shouts: “Prison, what to do?” And any first voice that responds and expresses its opinion will be decisive. It's like supreme decision voice, the voice of the Prison! And even the first table is no longer able to cancel it. Although there is obvious arbitrariness here, everything will be carried out exactly. Even if the Prison decides to hang or cut the poor guy's wrists! But usually the Prison doesn’t respond...”

We must remember that various reasons methods of secretly transmitting information often change, but usually the old, proven, proven ones are still taken as a basis.

They can be roughly divided into two groups:

1. Methods of written communication:
   Writing using non-marking media.
   Writing with the help of auxiliary materials.
   Writing using ciphers.
2. Methods of sound communication - mainly using a special thieves' jargon, the so-called thieves' music.

Based on materials from L.A. Milyanenkov
On the other side of the law
encyclopedia of the underworld

Signs for the road: when is the best time to hit the road?

It’s better not to go on a long journey on Friday: there will be no road. - On Friday, it was not recommended not only to go on the road, but also to do some work, especially for women.

This is connected with the cult of Paraskeva Friday, which is often associated with Fate. And there is no need to test Fate once again. An interpretation related to fasting Friday is also possible (it is no coincidence that Wednesday, another fast day, is also mentioned in a similar situation).

Signs for the road

From the word “where?” the road will be unhappy. Those who, out of foolishness and narrow-mindedness, ask: “Where are you going?” must answer: “For the Kudykin Mountains.” - It has always been believed that if someone else knows your plans, then this is an unnecessary hindrance. Thus, a pregnant woman hides the fact of pregnancy from strangers for a long time.

Family members prefer not to tell anyone exactly when the birth is expected before the baby is born.

To say where you are going is to jeopardize the purpose of the journey. That’s why the word “mountains” arose: they say, so far away that you can’t even see it. At the same time, his word is returned to the questioner, which, thanks to this, no longer has force.

Going on a long journey in rain that came unexpectedly is a sign of a successful journey. - It was believed that rain (heavenly water) washes away all illnesses and sorrows.

Since pagan times, the perception of rain as heavenly milk feeding the earth and everything growing on it has also been preserved. In ancient times, the Earth was identified with the feminine principle, the Sky with the masculine, fertilizing. All this taken together remains in belief.

The soles itch - towards the road, the legs burn - towards the path. - Rather, this is not a belief, not a sign, but a joke. Although a person who already knows that he has a long journey ahead of him may well experience similar sensations.

If you stand on your left foot, there will be no way. - This superstition, like many similar ones, comes from the belief that a tempter, the devil, stands behind a person’s left shoulder, and a guardian angel stands behind his right shoulder.

That is why the words “right” and “truth” are so close. Even more ancient roots lead to the following explanation: praying to the sun in the morning, that is, turning his face to the east, a person on the left felt the cold of the north (evil forces), on the right, the warmth of the south (good forces).

In essence, all the signs, beliefs and superstitions associated with the left side are based on this: left hand not served upon greeting; You can’t start the day with a spruce leg; They spit over the left shoulder to prevent trouble from happening.

If someone sets out on a journey and suddenly it starts to rain, it means a safe journey. If someone is called by the name of a person who has left, then this person will be angry when he arrives. Do not sweep the floor when someone dear to you has left, so as not to block his path to your home.

What not to do before the road

Before a long journey, you need to hold on to the corner of the table - this is good luck. - Only an echo of a Slavic belief has reached us, which said: when setting off on a journey, you must kiss the table. This attitude is associated with veneration, which has existed for centuries and is reflected in folklore (“As many at the table, so many in the Kingdom of Heaven,” etc.).

The table was considered such an important symbol of the house that in the old days, when selling a house, they left the table in it (for the house and the table are inseparable). And when they set off and touched the corner of the table, they received the blessing of the house for a successful journey and a safe return.

Before a long journey, you need to sit down and be silent. This is a successful path. - Quite logical, because it is at these moments that a person once again thinks about whether he took everything with him? And silence helps you concentrate.

Before a long journey, if you don’t wash your hair, you’ll invite trouble. - Of course, the attitude towards hair is clearly expressed here, because, according to the beliefs of the ancients, life force lies in it.

The hair motif is reflected in all major events human life: a lock of a baby's hair is rolled up in wax; a child cannot be cut until he is one year old; on certain days, a pregnant woman is not only not allowed to cut her hair, but also to wash it, etc.

It was believed that thrown hair could cause damage and deprive one’s health, so they warned against throwing hair away anywhere. After washing your hair, some of the hair remains in the water, and some remains on the comb, which is not welcome before the road: all the hair should be with you.

Sewing up something before the road means no luck. - According to the ancestors, this is what “sews up luck.”

Signs for protection on the road

Protection on the road: Wormwood

Take wormwood with you - the path will be prosperous. - In this case, wormwood is recommended as one of the effective means of protecting against the evil eye. The smell of wormwood itself has a positive, cleansing effect. In some places they make brooms from wormwood and sweep the house with them, “so that the witch cannot enter and so that the sorcerer is afraid.” Almost all plants that have a pungent odor are used for the same purpose as wormwood: dill, garlic, onion, oregano, coriander, violet, caraway, thyme, mandrake, mint, etc.

Protection on the road: Thistle

If you take thistle with you on the road, it will protect you from temptations. A decoction of thistle stems is good to rub on your sides and back when you have a cold.

Thistle protects the house from witches and people from damage. - Thistle, also known by the names: murat, sow thistle, thistle, turnip (cirsium and carduus species) is a prickly weed. Repellent properties are attributed to it because of its thorns.

It is believed that anything piercing (needles, pins), pointed at an evil person, deprives him of the ability to cause damage, since his gaze stumbles upon a sharp one. The grass got its name because people believed that it was the best way to drive away devils. A respectful attitude towards thistle as a talisman is recorded not only among the Slavs, but also among other European peoples.

Protection on the road: Elderberry

If you set off on a journey with an elder staff, you will not be afraid of either evil people or wild animals. -This attitude towards elderberry has been recorded by researchers not only in Russia, but also in England, Germany, Scotland and other countries.

This is based on its healing properties and beneficial smell. An infusion of elderberry flowers cures fever. They carry a branch of elderberry with them against the evil eye. Naturally, these features are transferred to the staff, which can also physically protect the traveler.

Signs about meetings on the road

If a dog runs across the road, there is no harm in that, but don’t expect much good either. - Whatever the sign, so is the explanation: on the one hand, the dog looks like a wolf, on the other, it is a friend of the house.

If a black cat crosses the road, there will be no luck that day. To get rid of this, you need to: turn around your axis, that is, start the path again; break the rod, that is, open the road closed by the cat; cross your fingers; grab the button.

If you meet a bald horse or pig, don’t expect good luck on the way. - A “bald horse” is a horse with a long white patch on its forehead. The belief is based on the negative consequences of any meeting with the “marked” (including people).

About the pig folklore researcher SV. Maksimov writes that this superstition among the people has completely disappeared and “only crayfish sellers are afraid of meeting a pig, convinced by experience that the smell of pork kills them, that is, they fall asleep.”

Meeting a monk is unlucky. When you meet a monk, immediately make a fig in your pocket, otherwise trouble awaits. - Kukish (gesture mat) serves as a talisman.

S.V. Maksimov in his “Winged Words” explains this as follows: “It was considered unkind to meet a priest, and a deacon, and beggars much earlier than the teachings appeared, and has remained so until our living times.

A meeting with clergy has been considered unfortunate since the times when pagan Rus', not always by exhortation, but more often by violence, converted to Christianity and was baptized in water and herded into church... Time has changed this superstition: a meeting with a monk is now considered one of the happy ones.” .

Meeting a man first in the morning means good luck, and a woman means bad luck. - One of the reasons lies in the fact that it was believed that a woman (especially an old one) can cast the evil eye much more often than a man.

Another reason lies in the talkativeness of women, who will then talk about who they met, how he was dressed, where he was going

Meeting a man first in the morning means good luck, etc. And this will certainly affect what you have planned (in the worst case, it will reveal a hidden secret).

If someone comes towards you with a full bucket, give way to them.

The mystical meaning of this: you cannot cross the path of your own luck, which is thus communicated from above. It does not matter what is in the bucket: water or milk, berries or sand - the main thing is that it is not empty.

Someone comes towards you with empty buckets - to an empty day, empty chores. A priest, a girl, and empty buckets towards you - bad news.

This belief, like many others associated with the concept of “meeting” (“Take the first person you meet as your godfather,” etc.), is based on the fact that a meeting is given to a person from above and determines his fate.

This means that every meeting is a sign of Fate, which cannot be avoided. In the second belief, “girl” (maiden) is added to the previously mentioned butt and empty buckets.

It was a meeting with a girl, a maiden, an unmarried woman that was considered unfavorable, and a meeting with a pregnant woman and those who were carrying something filled was considered extremely favorable.

Accordingly, empty buckets in the hands of anyone they meet are perceived as a warning from above about impending failure or misfortune.

When you leave the house, any meeting on the porch is not good. - It is believed that the oncoming person crosses the path of the intended business in a certain way, cutting off the path.

A sign that is very disturbing to suspicious natures: based on the belief that any meeting is destined by Fate, a person then, against his will, spends a lot of energy on unraveling the meaning of this first meeting, which actually has an effect.

A meeting when leaving the house is both a possible forbidden question, “Where are you going?”, dooming your plan to failure, and a simple unplanned delay, leading to being late.

Accidentally meeting a funeral procession on the road means good luck. - This strange belief took root on the basis that it used to be customary to give the first person you met on behalf of the family of the deceased the so-called “dormitory”: a piece of canvas, bread, a candle and a coin.

It was believed that the one who accepted all this symbolically absolved the sins of the deceased. In gratitude, the deceased in the next world will be the first to meet this person and will be his guardian, protector and mentor.

This is where the belief came from that the one who goes first to meet the funeral procession is lucky: he has already provided good attitude to yourself in the next world. However, in some areas there is a diametrically opposite belief.

If on the day of the exam you meet an old man with a stick on the street, you will be in big trouble.

If someone else follows in your footsteps, then he takes away the strength from you, who is walking in front. - The trace left by man and animal has always been endowed with mystical power. It was believed that from the trail left behind one could not only learn a lot about the person walking, but also, following in his wake, damage him and take away his strength.

Physically, this is due to the fact that those walking along the beaten path spend much less of their own energy than those who pave the way.

The mystical explanation is that by deliberately trampling down traces, a person is deprived of his own trace and made unprotected (analogous to a person without a shadow). In some places, especially in Ukraine, there is an even darker belief: if you follow in someone’s footsteps, someone in that person’s family will soon die.

Dream about the road

If a patient in delirium imagines a road, it means he will soon die. - Of course, the essence of the sign is based on a simple association of the road and the “last path” that the patient thinks about or anticipates.

Signs for the road: if you had to return

If you come back halfway for some reason, before going out again, look at yourself in the mirror and stick your tongue out at yourself. You can look under the rug, the doormat also helps. - Mystically, the sign is based on the fact that the returnee must certainly deceive or frighten the evil spirits (and it nests just under the rug or looks over the left shoulder into the mirror).

At the same time, make it clear that they are not afraid of her. Some symbolically change something in their clothes or appearance: they put on a different tie, comb their hair again. Thus, it turns out that this is already a different person.

Signs for the road. Return

Anyone who stumbles while returning home will quarrel with his family. - Stumbling is generally not a good omen, because it is interpreted as third-party interference.

Signs for the road. Items on the road

Finding a nail or something sharp on the road means trouble. - The original meaning is in relation to amulets and damage. If a person himself wants to protect himself from damage, from misfortune, he directs everything sharp against the supposed enemy (for example, needles stuck in the door; a knife at the threshold with the tip outward).

If something sharp is directed towards the traveler, it means that he has been mystically “pierced” and deprived of strength. True, almost all folklorists have heard the clarification: trouble awaits the traveler only if the object is pointed at the person, and if, on the contrary, it is away from him, then this is to the memory of loved ones about him.

Signs for the road. Uninvited Guest

An uninvited guest in the yard - and trouble in the yard. Beware of the uninvited guest. - A belief that is difficult to understand at first, because the Russian people have always had a friendly attitude towards guests. The roots of the belief go back to the time when Rus' was under the yoke of the Mongol-Tatars.

Enslavers (“uninvited guests”) behaved like masters, entered any house and took away everything they liked, most often girls. Naturally, this remained in the historical memory of the people and became a stable belief.

As for the “uninvited guest”, apart from these difficult pages of history, the attitude towards him still remains difficult, with a bias towards the negative, since he disrupts the plans of the owners and puts them in an awkward position.

Signs for the road. To return

If you want to return to the area you like, throw a coin into the nearest body of water. - Water in Slavic legends is characterized by mystical symbolism, primarily purifying and life-giving (“dead water” - purification, “living water” - creation anew, revival).

Water is the border between this and this light, all of it ultimately comes from heaven. Throwing a coin into the water means to appease it, to pacify it, to show your respect so that it does not interfere with its return. And at the same time, it’s as if you were leaving a part of yourself in this place (let’s remember the belief about something forgotten in someone else’s house: you will definitely return there).

word meaning road in explanatory dictionaries of the Russian language:

Dictionary Ozhegova.

road

- course of action, direction of activity
Example: Work is the key to success. Be on the good (right, bad) road. Go your own way (along your chosen path).
***
2. - travel; stay on the road
Example: Tired from the road. Take food for the road. There were a lot of interesting things along the way. I slept the whole way (during the whole journey).
***
3. - a place to go or pass, a route to follow
Example: On the way to the house. To go astray (also translated: == to go astray). Give way to someone. (to let someone pass, pass; also translated: to give someone the opportunity to grow, develop). Open the way for someone. somewhere (translated: to give the opportunity to act, move in some area). Stand on someone's road or stand across someone's road. (also translated: interfere, hinder someone in something). Cross (cross) someone's path. (also translated: to prevent someone, to get ahead in some matter; colloquial).
***
4. - a strip of land intended for movement, a route of communication
Example: Asphalted, highway, dirt village. Bolshaya village (dirt road between large or distant from each other settlements; outdated). Roadside

Efremova T.F. Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language.

road

and.
1) a) A strip of land intended for movement; message path.
b) The terrain on both sides of such a strip.
2) a) Place, space for passage, passage.
b) transfer decomposition Access to something, the ability to penetrate somewhere.
3) a) transfer. Movement, travel, trip.
b) The time of such a trip, such a journey.
c) A segment of someone's route. on such a trip, such a journey.
4) a) The route to follow.
b) A trace in the form of a stripe left by something. when moving.
c) transfer Direction or path of development.
5) transfer decomposition Remedy for achieving something.

S.I.Ozhegov, N.Yu.Shvedova. Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language.

road

, -i, w.
1. A strip of land intended for movement, a path
messages. Asphalted, highway, dirt, country roads. Bolshaya village.
(dirt road between large or distant settlements
points; outdated). Side of the road. On the road (near the road).
2. Place, by
which one must pass or drive, the route to follow. On the way to the house. Don't know
roads. Ask about the route. Lose your way (also translated: the same as
go astray). Give way to someone. (let pass, pass; also translated:
give someone the opportunity to grow and develop. Open the way for someone. somewhere
(translated: to give the opportunity to act, to advance in some area).
Stand on someone's road or stand across someone's road. (also translated:
interfere, hinder someone. in something). Cross (cross) the road
co-mu-n. (also translated: to prevent someone, to get ahead in some matter; colloquial).
3. Travel; stay on the road. Tired from the road. Take food for the road. IN
There were a lot of interesting things along the way. I slept the whole way (during the whole journey).
4. transfer Mode of action, direction of activity. Labor is the key to success. be on
good (right, bad) road. Go your own way (along your chosen path). *
Whose paths diverged - about those who took different paths in life.
The road of life (high) - the path through Lake Ladoga, along the Krom during
siege of Leningrad in 1941-1943. communication with the city was maintained. On the way
- 1) during the journey. On the way I saw a lot of interesting things; 2) with whom, by
in the same direction, along the same path, along the path (in 1 value). Let's go
together, we are on our way; 3) with someone, about the coincidence of goals, tasks of some kind.
activities, along the way (in 2 meanings). WITH

Having completed half my earthly life,
I found myself in a dark forest,
Having lost the right path in the darkness of the valley
(Dante. The Divine Comedy. Translation by M. Lozinsky)

The road is a universal metaphor for a person's life path. In my consultations, I have often encountered the fact that people spontaneously begin to describe their current or past stage of life as a kind of road. And often this metaphor turns out to be more accurate than many words. This metaphor is convenient to use as a way to understand a person’s life path. And sometimes I invite my clients to imagine the main stages of their lives in the form of different roads. This can be done both in the imagination and through special cards. This view often helps to see some general patterns and trends. This often opens up a lot of possibilities for understanding the current problem. This can be especially useful in situations where a person feels lost and disoriented - he does not know where to move next. This is an important question, one of the main ones in life, and to answer it you often need to look into the past: where did a person go before that? Where has he already been? How satisfied is he with the path he has taken?

In this article I would like to give a quick overview of the symbolic meaning of the road.

In the most general sense, a road connects various points in space. Today, archaeologists date the very first roads to the fourth millennium BC and associate their appearance with the development of wheeled and pack (that is, using the resources of people and animals) transport. Look at one of the surviving Inca roads to Machu Picchu (the territory of modern Peru):

It is clear that this road was of very high quality for its time. Before the construction of such roads, there must have been more simply equipped routes between different villages. That is, roads have accompanied humanity for many thousands of years. And everything that accompanies the lives of all people for many thousands of years gradually becomes something deeply internal for every person; Carl Jung called such images archetypal. And the image of the road is also an archetype, that is, a theme that all people encounter long time. Then the road, on the one hand, can be a connection between different points, and on the other, reflect deeply internal experiences.

For a resident of a certain ancient village, going along the road meant leaving his native village and going to another. Hence one of the main symbolic meanings of the road - the road is the border between one's own and someone else's world. And a border is something that connects and separates at the same time.

Human life, the path we follow, is also a certain border (space, territory) between our own and someone else’s world. When we talk about two worlds, we can think about the path from birth to death. And almost all religious traditions consider the soul's journey to the afterlife.

Within the framework of his life, a person has the opportunity to make another “journey” from his world to the world of another. It is a process of separation from one's parents, in other words, it is a process of growing up. Modern society offers more and more opportunities to increase the duration of childhood. Perhaps this is a reaction to modern stage development of society – consumer society. Maybe that's why in modern world rites of passage (initiation), which existed in all cultures, lost their power. In the very general view These rituals assumed that a growing member of the tribe must leave his tribe at the appointed time and for some time, while in this “other world,” he had to go through a series of tests, and the elders of the tribe introduced him to the mythology of their tribe. An important component of these initiation rites was a symbolic encounter with death. During this rite of passage, great changes took place in inner life man, for him initiation was the path that takes him from childhood to adulthood. Therefore, upon completion of initiation, the person returned to his village completely different, adult and ready to create his own family. Therefore, initiation rites well reflect another important symbolic meaning of the road - it is a symbol of transformation, overcoming, realization and liberation. Roots here famous aphorism“When you return from a trip, you will never be the same again.”

In the culture of many peoples one can find a common universal mythological plot, in which a certain hero, often the most ordinary person, begins his journey and in the process of this journey he faces various trials and miraculously transforms his inner qualities and views on the world. His life becomes more conscious. Joseph Campbell called this mythology the “hero’s journey.” This plot is found in many myths of the most different nations, for example, in a series of stories about Buddha. But this plot is found not only in myths and fairy tales, but also in the works of modern authors. It can be traced in the plots of the films " Star wars", "The Hobbit", "Harry Potter", "The Lion King" and many others. In these stories we are faced with the symbolism of the road as a life path, a symbol of transformation, formation, the road as a metaphor for finding one’s place in life. From the point of view of Joseph Campbell, this other world where the hero finds himself corresponds to the unconscious. In this sense, as soon as the hero overcomes the first threshold, he enters the territory of his own unconscious and begins to find allies in this world, transform something, overcome something, fight with someone, find something. From this point of view, for a hero who has gone through his own path, his own unconscious becomes more studied. If successfully completed, he becomes the ruler of two worlds. And here we come to the symbolism of the road as the path to oneself, the path of self-knowledge. Therefore, in many fairy tales the hero sets off on a journey.

When talking about the road, we are faced with an existential theme. The road we follow often offers us a choice of where to go next. And the kind of person we become will depend on which path we choose. In this regard, every time in a situation of choice, we are faced with a choice between different versions of our Self, potential versions of the Self. And when we choose and walk the path, we will translate this potentiality into reality. Some of these potential selves will become real, while the rest of the selves will remain unrealized. And here we are faced with the theme of not only freedom (which road to take?), but also responsibility. Responsibility to myself (whichever road I take, so I will become), but also social responsibility (by deciding to follow a certain road, I make it more well-trodden, and it will be easier for others to follow it too). From this position, the road is a good metaphor for denoting the basic existential facts of being: awareness of finitude (the road of our life will end someday), lack of meaning (we are not told what the meaning of this or that road is, we ourselves give meaning to which path we choose ), freedom (we can choose any road or make our own), responsibility (deciding to take one road, at that moment we cannot take another; by choosing one, we refuse another), existential loneliness (since we we are formed in the process of our path, then in order for someone to understand me completely, he must go exactly my path the way I did. That is, he must live life the way I lived it, and this is impossible. In this regard, we can be understood by others only to a certain extent).

It turns out that the road, with its symbolism, sends us to questions of our existence. And then this image can help us in finding answers to both life important issues, and in orientation of how we want to develop further. Communication with a psychologist through the image of a road can be surprisingly fruitful for working with the topic of psychological maturation, overcoming crisis periods, to work with existential themes, to model your future.

The article was written by psychologist Roman Levykin (Register for consultation:
)

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RED ROAD AND BLACK ROAD

Thunder Horse

There are many roads in life, but there are two that are the main ones - the Red Road and the Black Road. They correspond to the good and bad in life, and these are choices people have to make repeatedly in life. The red road is a good road, a good position and the right choice. This road is difficult because of the dangers and obstacles that make our journey through life difficult. The black road is a bad road, a bad position and a wrong choice. The black road is wide and easy to follow. The Red Road and the Black Road appear to us in life not as roads, but as the personification of right and wrong, good and bad, light and dark.

The Lakota had no desire to accumulate material wealth. They never had a desire for acquisitiveness; the Lakota collected resources to survive difficult periods or help those in need. Generosity has its rewards, and its lack has its consequences. It was impractical for a nomadic people to accumulate too much, as it would only mean lugging more stuff when moving camp - three or four times a year. The more you had, the more you had to carry.

Truth serves as a guide along the roads we walk in life. There are many signs along the Red Road. But if you choose the Black Road, there is only an illusion of truth. We can be influenced by the truth or its illusion. Sometimes the truth is like breathing, you can't see it, but you can see its consequences. Truth is also like the rising and setting of the sun. We see the sun rising above the horizon in the east in the morning and setting below the horizon in the west in the evening. Because globe rotates, in appearance it seems that the sun “rises” and “sets”. In reality, the sun does neither one nor the other. By living a humble life and helping others, one walks the Red Road.

Truth is the conclusion from trial and error in life, the lessons we have learned. For example: “Without evil, goodness would be more difficult to realize,” or “There is no war without losses,” or “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” We received some benefit from the previous illusions. In some cases, the truth can be painful, but without it there is only an illusion. The truth is that the Lakota still walk the earth. And the truth is that the Lakota survived this traumatic change, becoming wiser and stronger. And the illusion is that the Lakota were defeated by stronger, better and more moral people who have great rights given to them by God. It is true that the Lakota were overwhelmed by numbers - a large number men better armed and more and more hungry and eager to deprive the Lakota of everything they had. But the illusion is that the Lakota are a conquered people.

Life goes on, still moving in circles. The sun rises every morning, and with it comes a new opportunity, a new hope. No matter what the day was and no matter how many victories are achieved, each new day is a chance to put everything in its place, correct a mistake, achieve a new goal and take another step on your path. Every new day is a chance to be reborn, renewed and get another opportunity to become part of the circle of life, knowing that this life path, not a race, and that one does not go through it alone.

In order to walk along the Red Road, one must experience hardship and suffering, so one must comprehend humility. This is an opportunity to stand naked before the Great Mystery in everything that concerns one’s misdeeds, cowardice, inability to compassion and pride. Because walking the Red Road means realizing that you can achieve more. And you understand that when you do something good, it happens with the help of the Great Mystery, and therefore you are grateful... In order to walk along the Red Road, you need to know that you are in an equal position with all living beings . It should be understood that if you were born as a human, this does not give you any advantage or superiority over other beings. Every creature has spiritual knowledge, and the river knows more than you. The wind is more aware than you. The animal nations (Buffalo People, Eagle People, Beaver People, etc.) have the greatest wisdom, and YOU can learn from each of them because they have something that you do not have. They have no evil thoughts. They do not seek revenge, but seek justice. You have the right given by the Great Secret to walk along the Red Road: you have the right to pray; there is a right to dance; have the right to think; there is a right to defend; there is a right to have a concept of Mother; have the right to dream; there is a right to vision; have the right to teach; have the right to study; there is a right to grieve; there is a right to happiness; there is a right to correct mistakes; there is a right to the truth and there is a right to communicate with spirits. In order to walk along the Red Road, you should know and honor your Ancestors and call on them for help. We must understand that there are good and evil miraculous forces. We must understand that evil exists, but it is cowardly and often disguised. Remember that there are evil forces that are constantly looking for a way to become stronger at your expense.

Walking along the Red Road, you are less afraid of making mistakes, because you know that life is a path, a continuous circle, a sacred hoop. You can make mistakes and correct your mistakes if you have humility, because if you cannot be humble, you will not know where and when you made a mistake. If you walk the Red Road, you know that any sorrow leads to better understanding. Not everyone is terrible tragic events can be explained, but they can be beneficial. In order to follow the Red Road, you must be able to find beauty in everything. In order to follow the Red Road, you need to understand that one day you will move into the world of spirits and will not be afraid of anything.