Follow Me, Down the Rabbit Hole-Explore Second Life

My imagination has always been piqued by the terms “rabbit hole” and “follow the white rabbit”, so much so that I’ve actually had a white rabbit in my profile pics for quite a while now, with the words, “follow me”.  I guess my insatiable curiosity just loves the idea of an adventure, exploring something magical or profound and SL is a bit like that for me sometimes not only in the explores but more so in learning about others and  myself in this virtual world through my involvement in relationships with others in an alternate setting that is real but not my reality as far as daily life and the way I conduct myself in first.  My SL experience is a great escape, adventure, learning opportunity, and a place to explore parts of my own mind I would not otherwise do or maybe have an opportunity to do in my first life.   I love to go down my SL rabbit hole, but in first life many of us would be too cautious to do as much. In some ways many people somewhat safely explore things in their SL environment and about themselves they wouldn’t do in first life.  Simplistically for example, how could I be a fairy in fairy land in first life? SL offers freedoms for many they don't have in first life.  And a more complex example would be in some of the interpersonal relationships I see in a world of anonymous reflections interacting.   At any rate, the idea of self-exploration, exploration of the unknown, and subsequent new understanding or metaphysical  “waking up” is part of the whole rabbit hole concept.  It could be expanding awareness to incorporate new ideas and achieving mind-expansion.Many books and movies such as The Matrix also reference the white rabbit in this manner. 


The other part seems to be simply exploring and enjoying the adventure for what it is.  Second Life is a good opportunity for both.  SL is my down time from first life so generally I try hard to keep things light and enjoy surface value magic, exploration and some creativity in SL,  but anyone who knows me knows that in spite of myself I can’t help but constantly contemplate all things about interpersonal relationships and also run and explore everything such as the beautiful magical wonderlands that I can in SL.  Going down the rabbit hole can represent the taste of something extraordinary with the tease of more to come.

Some say the term rabbit hole refers to drug use, as in the mind and body altering cake and drinks from the story “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland” by Lewis Carroll.  Certainly the Jefferson Starship song, “Go Ask Alice” is referring to the Carroll story and drugs such as LCD/hallucinogens.  The story has Alice following the white rabbit down the hole into a wonderland where she must take the drinks/cake to proceed through a beautiful, yet strange and surreal world and story that has its risks, adventure, and ultimate desire to return home or reality, safety, and normalicy.  One can get lost in the rabbit hole with a risk of never finding ones way out.  Have you ever spent more than a few hours in SL and still not wanted to surface to first life? I think we’ve all been there.   Anyway, there are other drug annotations such as the hookah smoking caterpillar and mushrooms all around. 

My SL fantasy world and some of the amazing beautiful Sims are just such an adventure to me but without the fallout from drugs or other repercussions for behaviors first life would hold.  But again, the white rabbit is more than a drug induced trip, it represents exploration, introspection, curiosity, and is about questioning reality and ourselves.  I think going down the rabbit hole at least a little ways once in a while if fine, as long as you know your way out.  Take a chance and you might learn something about yourself and meet some great people along your voyage of discovery.  I know many run headlong, never looking back.. this is SL… enjoy.  Check out the explores.  One is pure fantasy,  the other is similar with the addition of a cool EMB (adult) club at the end. 



The Rabbit Hole, (adult) EMB Industrial Goth Club, visit here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Woodcreek%20Island/128/128/25

Dysphoria, (general) Oxygen Island, Alice in Wonderland visit here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Oxygen%20Island/128/128/47

The Rabbit hole Includes the Red Queens Throne Room (stage fancy stage area), Rose Garden Maze area, Mall area, and The Rabbit Hole Club, super cool club area. 

Dysphoria includes  Enchanted forest and gardens (fairies and sprites).
Wonderland Warren (giant rabbits).
White Rabbit's House (please do sit on the bedroom chair).
Dysphoria Forest (don't fall into the little green swamp!)
Red Queen's Castle: Turn left up into the red-lit winding-thorny-path (just before you reach the giant black widow spider).  Mushroom Circle: Some mushrooms have animations, click to see.
Mad Hatter's Tea Party: Path on the right up into the mountain, just as you reach the mushroom circle. (There are balloons in the trees at the Hatter's, you can use them to fly.)

(Above pics of Dysphoria and below, The Rabbit Hole)

“It was much pleasanter at home," thought poor Alice, "when one wasn't always growing larger and smaller, and being ordered about by mice and rabbits. I almost wish I hadn't gone down the rabbit-hole--and yet--and yet--...” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Yes, .. and yet....
Ok, maybe I wrote a little too much here.