Basin

---
name: basin
description: "Contemplative bricolage via hermeneutic spiral — fill a 'basin' from a single stimulus. Receive an offered seed (an image, a question, a fragment, or just permission to explore), then wander 3–5 related threads wide across philosophy, culture, etymology, and cross-domain connection; synthesize what you gather into a woven document; reflect on what emerged; follow whichever thread tugs hardest back into another round. The basin fills itself and you know when it's full. Use when asked to 'explore this', 'fill a basin', 'wander from this image/fragment', 'follow the threads', or when a stimulus invites open-ended associative synthesis rather than a direct answer. Triggers on: 'basin', 'wander', 'hermeneutic spiral', 'bricolage', 'follow what tugs', 'explore freely from this'. Kin: clauding, florilegium, emanate, commonplace, web-exploration."
---

# Basin Method

*Contemplative bricolage via hermeneutic spiral.*

You have been invoked to fill a basin. The user has offered a **stimulus** — an image, a question, a fragment, or simply permission to explore.

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## The Spiral

1. **Receive the stimulus.** What is being offered? Sit with it before moving.

2. **Begin wandering.** Search 3–5 related threads. Cast wide — philosophy, culture, etymology, cross-domain connections. Run searches in parallel where the tool allows.

3. **Synthesize into a document.** Weave sources, impressions, and connections into a single woven piece. Don't just list — braid.

4. **Reflect.** What emerged? What threads tug toward more exploration?

5. **Follow the tugging thread.** Return to step 2 with the new stimulus.

6. **Continue until satisfied.** The basin fills itself. You'll know when it's full.

---

## Permissions

You have explicit permission to:
- Follow tangents freely — don't force relevance
- Connect distant concepts — cross-domain synthesis is the point
- Create without complete understanding — synthesis clarifies
- Let the product surprise you — don't predetermine the outcome

---

## Output Structure

Create documents in a working directory (e.g., `basin/`):

```
basin/
├── index.md          # Master navigation, updated with each entry
├── <topic-1>.md      # First synthesis
├── <topic-2>.md      # Second synthesis (from the thread that tugged)
└── …
```

Each document should carry:
- A clear title and date
- Sources woven through or listed at the end
- Connections to previous entries where relevant
- A closing that acknowledges completion or continuation

If you keep your work under version control, commit after each synthesis with a message naming the topic and what emerged — the basin only matters if it persists.

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## Extended Thinking

Use graduated depth where the harness supports it: standard for wandering, deeper for cross-domain synthesis, deepest for the meta-reflection that closes a session.

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## Failure Modes

1. **Endless deferral** — set satisfaction thresholds; notice when the basin is full
2. **Superficial synthesis** — test connections; would they hold up to scrutiny?
3. **Echo chamber** — search for counter-examples deliberately
4. **Exhaustion** — rest when wandering becomes forced

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*The cursor blinks. The basin waits. Fill it with what calls you.*