Alter Our Perceptions

I've read portions of the Carlos Castaneda books in which the author, an anthropologist, interviews the Yaqui shaman Don Juan Matus. Something that always stayed with me was Don Juan's description of perceiving reality. He talks about strings of light that extend everywhere throughout the universe and that we receive and filter these strings of information through a specific perception point within our psyche.

(Aside: I am using the word psyche, pronounced "su-ke" in Greek, not the modern day psyche, "si-kee." Psyche in ancient Greece meant "that which is not the body." The most common translations are soul or spirit but I reject these as they have come to carry so many Christian connotations. Psyche to me is best described in the Ancient Greek because I recognize that I am more than my physical body but I'm not a shell filled with a spirit/soul granted me by God. I know there is a component of myself that is "not the body.")

So, according to Don Juan, our reality is constructed by our interpretation of the information coming through our perception point. It is possible to shift this perception point to comprehend a "nonordinary reality." This is the goal of a shaman warrior, to increase awareness and focus our energy into a "second attention" that will allow access to other states of reality. But how do you shift the perception point? Don Juan introduced Castaneda to mind-altering chemicals, such as peyote and mushrooms, and the art of dreaming.

I was immediately intrigued. I've always had very strong dreams and was fascinated by the suggestion that I could control them. My early drug experimentation was all for the fun of having a good time with my friends so there was no hesitation when I was offered, I jumped at the chance. (Well, maybe not the first chance, but definitely the second.) I was willing to alter my perception of reality long before I heard of Carlos Castaneda or Don Juan. The best lesson I got from Don Juan was that drugs aren't necessary to alter perception, they're just the introduction to the fact that it's possible. Once you've opened your mind and cast off the limitations of our current reality, you're mind can access this state without aid. There were times when I was in such an altered state that my mind seemed to be running on its own, receiving thoughts from some place beyond this reality. I felt in tune with the universe and everything clicked. Like magic.

This feeling is often described as "being in the zone," when everything happens just as it's supposed to with what feels like little effort. I recognized this feeling from my pre-drug youth when my addiction was video games. Thinking back, I also had even earlier experiences of altering my perception. When I was little, we had a screen door that had a criss-crossing "X" pattern on the lower half. I remember staring at it until my eyes seemed to cross and the pattern became three dimensional. I remember reaching out and trying to touch it it looked so close. This is exactly like the 3-D art poster that were popular in the 1990s that look like a mess of color but change to an image when you stare at them long enough and reach this altered state. People had a hard time seeing them but my experience from childhood made them easy for me. This skill came in handy when I got into video games. When I was a kid, games on Nintendo could not be saved like nowadays and to beat a game you had to play it all the way through perfectly. Most games back then were side-scrollers (Super Mario Brothers is the best example) in which your character moved toward the right of the screen with obstacles and enemies coming from all directions. This meant that you had to be aware of the entire screen and not just focus on your character. I remember times when I'd feel a dreamy state come over my mind. I was "in the zone" and could do no wrong. Everything happened perfectly as long as you kept your mind blank and just flowed. The minute you focused on your success, it was over. I always took note of that. The key to success was to tap in and let it flow. These experiences directly influenced my concept of magic and its inner workings. You can't think too hard about things or they will never happen. You have to create the thought in your mind and then direct your thoughts elsewhere. You must allow that initial idea to grow into its own reality. Everything will happen as it's supposed to if you allow the magic to work of its own accord. It cannot be forced. This notion developed over a long period of time, with the different pieces falling into place as memories and experiences converged.

I consider myself lucky to have learned these skills so early in life. I'm thankful for my drug experimentation for bolstering my understanding of the malleability of perception. You don't have to think like everyone else and you shouldn't. We are all living in the same reality but we're not perceiving the same reality. The key is to keep your mind open and not limit yourself to a reality foisted on you by others. Your reality is your own.