Navigating the Bizarre Realities We Live In #29 #cong23 #reality

Synopsis:

In this exploration of our reality, the article delves into the complexities of existence, combining personal experiences with broader societal observations. From discussing the mind-boggling nature of time and interconnectedness to addressing societal issues like colorism and the pursuit of self-acceptance, the piece navigates through various facets of the human experience with a blend of humor, contemplation, and relatability.

Total Words

1,157

Reading Time in Minutes

5

Key Takeaways:

  1. Weird Realities: The article begins by pondering the strange intricacies of our reality, touching on mind-bending concepts like the non-linearity of time and the interwoven nature of our past, present, and future.
  2. Social Complexities: Addressing societal challenges, the text sheds light on the pervasive and often unnoticed collective beliefs about colorism, sharing personal experiences to illustrate the impact of such biases on individuals and families.
  3. Self-Discovery and Inner Work: The author discusses the unexpected revelations that emerged while seeking personal growth abroad, highlighting the ongoing journey of confronting triggers, traumas, and insecurities and the profound impact this introspection has had on their life.
  4. Diverse Realities: Concluding with a reflection on the multifaceted nature of reality, the article emphasizes the varied perceptions and experiences each individual holds, underlining the necessity of embracing this diversity for a deeper understanding of our shared existence.

About Thabata Couto:

Thabata, a determined holistic therapist based in Ireland, is described as a force to be reckoned with. Her journey began at the age of 14 when she left her parents’ home, driven by a belief that the world held more than she could ever fathom. Always an avid learner, she pursued a career in civil engineering, yet something seemed amiss. Her focus was never profit-driven but rather centered on aiding people.

Amidst a bout of anxiety, conventional methods failed her, leading her to encounter Thetahealing® while studying under Michele and Marcelle. This pivotal moment transformed her life entirely. Within months, she found herself uprooting to Ireland, still grappling with a sense of being adrift. Despite securing a job in engineering, she recognized her true calling lay in holistic therapy, inspired by her own journey to help others in a similar way.

Thabata delved deeper into holistic studies and practices, pursuing courses in Reiki under Carlos Falcão, Access Bars with Janine Meira, Ho’oponopono with Joe Vitae, Yoga with Camila Reitz, and a myriad of others. Then, as fate would have it, a serious issue arose at her workplace, compelling her to resign. While the easier path might have led to another engineering position, she courageously followed her heart and established her own company to focus on holistic therapies.

Today, she finds deep fulfillment as a witness to genuine transformations in the lives of her clients, serving as a beacon of hope and change in the realm of holistic therapies. Thabata’s journey is a testament to her unwavering commitment to making a profound difference in the lives of those she touches.

Contacting Thabata Couto:

You can connect with Thabata on Instagram.

By Thabata Couto

When I decided to pen this article, I initially contemplated diving into Hermetic laws and the different planes of existence found in Thetahealing®. However, as I delved into these ideas, it struck me that our own reality is quite the puzzle without veering into the science fiction realm.

Thetahealing®, a holistic therapy that I hold close to my heart, gave me a fresh perspective on life’s dance between past, present, and future. But when I stumbled upon the concept that time isn’t as linear as we think, I couldn’t help but chuckle and put it on the backburner, thinking, “Hold on, my mind’s not quite ready for this.”

Then, one day, while traveling back to Brazil from Ireland and jesting about “going back in time” due to the time difference, it hit me. The present, past, and future all intermingle in our daily lives thanks to those time zones. How wonderfully weird is that?

Equally bewildering is the tenacity of unconscious and conscious collective beliefs about colorism in our society. Surprisingly, many people remain in the dark about what colorism really is. It wasn’t that long ago that I had my own “Aha!” moment about this. Even though my skin isn’t super dark, having some African features meant I faced rejection for years. Folks like me aren’t often considered for long-term relationships but are seen as suitable for more casual affairs. The truly astonishing part is that my own mom went through the same before my dad’s family fully embraced her.

A sense of not being good enough haunts not only me but many others. Part of this, I believe, comes from the “tough love” approach our elders thought would prepare us for life’s challenges. “I need to be stern now to toughen you up,” they’d say. This upbringing inadvertently shaped a society that doesn’t fully understand self-love or kindness, sometimes even mistaking kindness for weakness. Feeling like I didn’t quite fit in motivated me to seek myself out by moving abroad.

The funny thing is, my quest for self-discovery led to an unexpected twist. The very issues I was trying to escape intensified abroad, forcing me to tackle my own triggers, traumas, and insecurities. It’s an ongoing journey, but working on these aspects has genuinely improved the quality of my life. What’s amusing is how many people don’t even realize they’re carrying these unresolved issues into their relationships.

It’s also quite amusing that my preference for Banagher, Offaly, over Rio earns me the “crazy” label from friends here. But here’s the kicker: people in these parts are often oblivious to the constant undercurrent of feeling unsafe, even in the supposed comfort of our homes. Waking up to gunshots nearby or having to hunker down for safety isn’t an experience everyone can relate to.

The concept of “safety” itself is a curious one. As a Brazilian woman, I’ve come to accept that genuine safety might remain a distant dream. Our society grapples with mental, emotional, and physical issues. Many of us work tirelessly just to make other folks richer, dreaming of owning a home that, in reality, belongs to the bank.

During one of my yoga classes, my teacher pointed out the need for a certain level of denial to navigate life’s overwhelming aspects. It made me chuckle, but there’s truth in it. We can’t completely ignore reality, of course. The interconnectedness of our world may sound like something out of science fiction, but the COVID-19 pandemic drove home the fact that our actions can ripple across the globe and affect countless lives.

Ultimately, we all inhabit different realities, even when sharing the same physical spaces. Despite our shared language, our unique perspectives shape how we see the world. It’s quite a head-scratcher, don’t you think? Our reality is a rich tapestry woven from various beliefs, experiences, and viewpoints, and appreciating this diversity is the key to unraveling the complex layers of our collective existence.

November 13, 2023 2023 Reality No comments yet

The Absolute Truth #27 #cong23 #reality

Synopsis:

Reality is the truest perception you are able to perceive in that moment.
In the sense that we commonly use, I would say that the reality of each person is formed by all the real perceptions (which I call the “real” reality) and all the false perceptions (which I call illusion) that they have from all their experiences. Both build the world view of each person and the way they feel and act through life.
This vision changes at every experience, because every experience resignifies and amplifies our perception of the Truth. So the more we live and are open to see, the more our reality expands, or in other words, more realities we can embrace.

Total Words

1,685

Reading Time in Minutes

7

Key Takeaways:

  1. . The absolute Truth is the summation of all possible realities and it belongs to the Transcendence, not accessible to human beings.
  2. Reality is a true take or perception of the absolute Truth, and it can modifies and amplifies the more we live, experience things, and are open to grow our awareness about ourselves and the world.
  3. Illusion is a false take or perception of the absolute Truth, but we can take it as our reality sometimes for a whole life, and although not aligned with our higher Truth, it’s part of it too and can be important for a while in the process of individuation and awareness.
  4. The best we human beings can do is try to amplify our perception every chance we have in order to be able to see more realities or a reality closer to the absolute Truth, so we have a vaster perspective. The Truth is probably formed by infinite, exponential and inclusive realities.

About Helena Angelini:

I was born in Brasil in 1981. I started my professional path studying Medicine . My father is a doctor and has a hospital in my city (Belo Horizonte -MG), so he encouraged me to be a doctor too. I was not sure but decided to do, planning to specialize in Psychiatry, since I’ve always been passionate about the human psyche. I studied a lot to be admitted, succeed and did it for 2 years, but then started to feel it was not for me. My world view, specially about spirituality and the interconnection between body and spirit, didn’t seem to have space there. Although everyone discouraged me to quit it after so much efforts, I was getting nauseas in my stomach when had to go to classes and understood that my body and soul was refusing to be there. I gathered the courage to leave, even knowing that my father would be upset with the decision. I just had to do it.

Months after I started Psychology and graduated in this course. I didn’t resonate with a lot of approaches that I studied in the university, but found the Jungian Psychology and started to study it on my own – since we saw very few things about his approach there. I read hundreds of books and kept trying to register and understand my dreams, a central point in Jungian Psychotherapy. Jung is open to the spiritual vision, and uses the artistic expression in the therapeutic process – which is why I felt a lot of affinity to him. In this meantime, I also learnt many complementary therapies – Reiki, Kinesiology, Naturopathy, Shiatsu Massage, Art Therapy, Sound Therapy & others. I was always a very curious spirit wanting to understand the universe and human being.

When I was 22 years old I discovered Ayahuasca. It was the most powerful experience in my life and I knew it would change me forever. I discovered that I had the ability to sing during a ceremony. In a moment, the plant literally brought out my voice, a voice that in the first moment I didn’t even recognize. It seemed like something that was stuck for years in my throat was suddenly removed, opening space for a clear, loud and beautiful sound. I realized that was a gift, and I should care and develop this gift. That’s when I decided to take singing classes.

My mother is a pianist and I played piano since I was very young, so music was ingrained in me, but I discovered the passion for singing just in this point. I started learning classical singing (Italian Arias, Operas), but as soon as I learnt the techniques I applied them to the songs that really touched me, the Celtic songs. I always felt affinity with Celtic culture, and somehow their art is very natural for me. But the Shamanic music also called me, so I was exploring both. I loved to improvise, just opening my mouth and letting sounds flow out of me, and realised how healing this was for me. I started to record some of these improvisations and that’s how my CD Hayeya! All Tribes with Evandro Lopes was born, a mix of electronic and tribal music. I decided to do a Celtic project too, which I named Celtic Seeds, recorded a CD and built a group to do presentations. We did many shows and Celtic weddings in São Paulo (Brasil), where I moved in 2011. Singing for me was always connected to healing, and I listened many times from people how transformed they felt after listening to me. But I wanted to connect even more my art and my healing, putting together both sides of me. At this point I had already completed a Sound Therapy course, but wanted to create something new, totally born from me. This was the origin of the work that I probably consider my biggest jewel: Living Singing – medicine music. I open myself to receive the sound that each chakra needs to be balanced and energized, combining my knowledge of these energy centers with my sensitivity as artist.

I was working as therapist and doing these celtic presentations in São Paulo, when I started to feel I needed to expand myself. In 2018 I felt it was the time to move to another country, something I had always dreamed about. I decided to move to a Celtic place, to be closer to this culture I love. I chose Ireland, and decided to come alone, with no acquaintances and no guarantees of work, literally following my dreams and my heart. I just felt it was my path, and trusted it. I arrived here with one bag and a temporary place to stay – all I had to rebuild my life. I started to work in a healing center in Galway, but as a new practitioner in Galway, I hadn’t enough clients, so I also went to show my art in the streets. It was a period full of learnings and beautiful experiences.

One year after I met my partner, and we decided to open a wellness center together – Emerald Wellness. He is a chiropractor and takes care of the physical part, and I take care of the psychological and energetic part – that’s how we integrate and address all human areas for complete health. We keep growing our center, I keep expanding my art learning celtic harp and celtic songs, and we now facilitate shamanic retreats, where I honor and put into practice everything that I learnt in these 19 years of Shamanism. Our next goal is to expand this healing to other countries all over the world, spreading our energy, passion and dedication for what we do. I have been living in Ireland for 4 years and I’m sure I took the right choice following my heart. I couldn’t be happier and more satisfied with life. Pure gratitude, happiness and love.

Contacting Helena Angelin:

You can see Helena’s work on Emerald Wellness, her personal site, Instagram Personal, Emerald Wellness and Celtic Seeds, check our  YouTube channel or send her an email.

By Helena Angelini

The absolute Truth is the summation of all possible realities and it belongs to the Transcendence, not accessible to human beings. We are limited by nature and, even making all efforts, it’s impossible for us to access the whole Truth about ourselves and the universe.

What I call Reality is the most accurate perception you have from the Truth. The more you live and experience things, the more you learn and expand this perception. I feel that the infinite inclusion of all kind of multiple and paradoxal perceptions is the closest path to the Truth. Something like: “This is a reality. This too. And this as well. All together at the same time”. Something close to the budist thought.

But what most people call reality is usually the sum of our realities and illusions, which are false perceptions of the Truth, although they are part of it. It can be difficult to understand, but let’s say that you had a history of feeling rejected by important people in your life. If someone that truly loves you tries to show it to you, although is true, you won’t believe it – you will believe in the false perception or illusion that they don’t love you. This is further from the Truth than the reality of the love they have, but is part of the multiple angles, narratives and possibilities that form the Truth. And somehow, our illusions play an important role for us, protecting us while we are not ready to see a bigger and deeper truth.

The best thing we human beings can do is try to amplify our perception every chance we have in order to be able to see more realities or a reality closer to the absolute Truth, so we have a vaster perspective of the universe.

For this, it’s very important to be able to break our crystallized perceptions, opinions and judgments about things. Be really open to see things in different perspectives, listen to different people, embrace different universes. Understanding that everyone will have a piece or a version of this absolute Truth, and the more you open yourself to include this version in your view the bigger you will be.

November 9, 2023 2023 Reality No comments yet

The Role Advertising Played in Turning Everyday Perceptions into Reality #26 #cong23 #reality

Synopsis:

Advertising used to be fun. My job was to come up with idea’s that people would want to look at. Maybe make them laugh. Anything to attract their attention and go out and buy a product.

Alas that all changed when they figured out that they could target people by what they were viewing on the internet.

It was a far more efficient way of reaching an audience (if a lot less fun)
Now the advertiser could connect almost directly with their customer because they knew what they were looking to buy.

Social media companies copped this and started to employ the similar tactics.

Giving people what they want.

That way they could get the viewer to stay on their website longer. And the longer they stayed on their site the more (programatic) advertising they could serve to the viewer. And the more money they could make.

The trouble is, by only showing people what they want to see, confirmation bias kicks in and they only believe one side of the story when it comes to conflict. What we percieve to be reality has become less balanced.

This causes conflict in society.

Advertising has a lot to answer for.

Total Words

1,263

Reading Time in Minutes

5

Key Takeaways:

  1. With the advent of the internet, algorithms became an effective route to target audiences.
  2. Social media Companies have learnt from this and use algorithms to push content that appeals from like minded individuals. They do this to keep the customer on their website longer so that they can, ironically, view more ads.
  3. This has created a bubble in which viewers see only content that concurs with their own. Their perceptions become reality with little or no room for other views.
  4. Because we spend almost 6 hours a day on the internet viewing content that is less balanced we as a society have become less tolerant of other peoples views, and this is a cause of conflict in the World.

About Donal O'Dea:

I’m an ex advertising Creative Director and have produced a stack of award winning work for brands like Volkswagen, Carlberg, McDonald’s and Bulmers down through the years. In between ads I co-wrote a few books on Irish culture which included ‘Stuff Irish People like’ and ‘The feckin’ book of Irish Slang that’s great craic for cute hoors and bowsies’ I’m now directing shot movies and producing an ‘advertising led’ cyber security programme

Contacting Donal O'Dea

You can connect with with Donal Twitter (x), see his work or send him an email.

By Donal O’Dea

When I started working as a Creative in advertising 40 years ago, our job was to change the way people’s thought about stuff. In a world where most products and services looked and behaved the same the single biggest competitive advantage brands had was its advertising.

If we could favourably change someone’s perception of a product we had a distinct competitive advantage.

In adland- perception was reality.

I think there were 2 TV stations and 2 (legal) radio stations back then.

And it was easy to influence people in the decisions they made.

Very often the advertising was more stimulating than the programmes they were listening to or watching.

So if you told people that a cheap cigar called Hamlet could make everything okay after a bad day (and you told them often enough) you could make them believe, perhaps that it’d be a good idea to take up smoking.

Jump forward 20 years Bruce Springsteen brought out a song called 57 Channels and there’s nothing on. He was right. People were flicking from one channel to another and were less inclined to engage with advertising.

It became harder to persuade people because markets were fragmenting. More TV stations, more radio stations more newspapers. We had to be more strategic about how we targeted the people who’s perceptions needed changing.

If we wanted to persuade people that Carlsberg was in fact, probably the best lager in the World, we’d now use researchers and media planners to identify who the best people were to aim at and then figure the best media to hit them with our message.

It was called ‘targeting’ and it was necessary because people were being exposed to more marketing communications than they could actually handle and an awful lot of advertising is wasted on people who are never going to buy our products.

Jump forward another 10 years and the internet has really taken off. A lot of people have stopped watching Television altogether. This was the era of laptops phones and tablets.

And targeting took on a new life of its own in this digital age. Now brands could look at what you were looking at online and target you with products they feel suits your buying needs. If they saw that you were looking at reviews for, say, a chainsaw, you’d be looking at Chains saw ads for a week. If you didn’t buy it you’d see ads for electric saws. If you didn’t want that…. how about a secateurs?

This was called programatic. And it was run by the computer geeks. They could write code to put consumers who wanted chainsaws in touch with people who made chainsaws. And while these ads could irritate, it was a very clever marketing tool because there was now less waste for the marketeer.

These algorithms were so clever that other industries began to sit up and take note.

Social media sites have taken a leaf out of our book. Instead of pushing ads at us, they push information that they think we’d like at us. The longer you stay on a social media site the more money they make. (Funnily enough, with programatic advertising!).

So if you’ve taken a stance on the Stormont Assembly in Northern Ireland, it’s likely you’ll get fed content that supports that view. Likewise with the way you vote… or your stance on issues on something like abortion.

If you feel something about anything the programming guys will try to target you with content to support that view. It’s all innocent enough. They just want you to hang around a little longer so that you can see some more ads in the background. Where’s the harm in that.

Now here’s the thing. 99% of the Irish population is online. The average daily usage is 5 hours 59 minutes. Business Plus August 2023

Now people are consuming more than just ads. They’re consuming news articles and opinions. And they’re only seeing ads for what they want and seeing articles and opinions that concur with their own.

With the result that a lot of people are now living in a bubble that contains only like minded individuals. People who think the same way vote the same way. Tolerance for differing opinion and voting habits is way down because it doesn’t have a voice in this bubble. And because of confirmation bias these views are unlikely to be challenged.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the ever increasing vitriol between the Republican tribe and Democrat tribe in America. It’s become difficult for their elected representatives to find common ground and run the country because the other persons opinion has played such a minuscule role in their media consumption. On each side of the divide there’s a different perceived reality.

These algorithms are causing conflict.

It’s playing a role in the Russian-Ukraine conflict

It’s playing a role in the Israel-Palestine conflict.

And I think Advertising has a lot to answer for.

God be with the day:-)

November 9, 2023 2023 Reality No comments yet

You Matter Most #25 #cong23 #reality

Synopsis:

For some people there is a very thin line (if any) between perception and reality. Because of this we tend to exert a lot of focus and energy on all the externals around us (what others think/say, judgements and opinions of me, etc.).

A much better use of this focus and energy should be to look internally at yourself – to determine what works well for me, what am I most happy with, what could I consider changing, what might success look like for me, and most importantly am I happy and contented with myself. Note that happy and contented with oneself doesn’t mean that there’s no room for improvement. It does mean that the power over what others think or say becomes significantly reduced or even removed.

So be true to yourself and your reality.

Total Words

1,007

Reading Time in Minutes

4

Key Takeaways:

  1. Be contented and kind to yourself
  2. Beware of judging others – unless you can walk in their shoes
  3. Control what you can control – you determine how you show up
  4. Life is short – have no regrets

About John Murphy:

John works with clients at or approaching a crossroads in their life to determine the best answers to “What’s next for me?” to have a fulfilling and successful life – finding the preferred re-balance of business, family and self in the next chapter(s) of your life.

Contacting John Murphy:

You can connect with John on LinkedIn or send him an email.

By John Murphy

“You Matter most”

When I was in my late teens I was “volunteered” to go with my Dad on a pilgrimage with the Ferns Dioceses to Lourdes as a Brancardier/helper to assisted pilgrims. At the time I thought I had problems, be it worrying about exams, coping with peer pressure, often trying to be something I wasn’t, trying to impress others, etc. Being there among the assisted pilgrims I got a real “reality check” in a very short period of time – here were people who were facing very different and challenging futures, in some cases for those with terminal illnesses their future was extremely limited indeed. The amazing thing I noticed was seeing how bravely and unselfishly most of them accepted and just got on with living for today while they still had the opportunity.

My Dad had warned me not to be inquisitive about what others were facing, but be present to assist them in anyway way I could, or just to chat with them about stuff in general. The big no, no, was never to judge or assume the challenges that someone else is living – just because someone could walk, looked or behaved “normally” does not mean that he or she was in perfect health or mindset. The only way to understand someone else’s reality is to walk in their shoes for a sufficient period of time to then appreciate their internal turmoil or demons.

So let’s now look at our internal reality and what that means for me. As an executive coach I regularly work with leaders whose perception comes to the fore more frequently than reality. Some might say that perception and reality are the same, but I beg to differ. For example high-achieving leaders and mangers that have been promoted to newer and bigger roles often face the challenge of “imposter syndrome” where there is self-doubt of intellect, skills or on accomplishments. It’s like that little voice in your head that keeps saying that people are watching you, you’re not good enough for this new role, or that they expect more from you than you can deliver. The person often has no data or facts to confirm these perceptions but their focus is only on looking outwards and not inwards at themselves.

Once a person can accept themselves for what they are and be content with their lot, then all of a sudden what others might think of them becomes significantly less impactful. Bear in mind that if you’re not happy with yourself then why should you expect others to think any differently of you.

A mantra I find useful that relates to Emotional Intelligence is as follows:

“The way you show up …..
….. determines the way people feel,
and the way people feel …..
….. determines the extent to which they can engage,
and that impacts pretty much EVERYTHING …..
…..about the outcome of the relationship.

So instead of focusing on things that are totally outside of your control (what other’s think, say or do) put your energy and focus into what’s within your control – don’t point the finger of judgement on others but judge what you say and do, and don’t spend time worrying what others are or are not doing but hold yourself accountable to what you’ve committed to and look to meet or exceed what’s expected of you. At a minimum seek clarity of messages, ask questions and don’t ever leave space for assumptions. People are not mind readers and “assumption is the mother of all mistakes”.

And as a final reflection on reality, I am going to defer to “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying” – A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing is a 2011 book by Bronnie Ware inspired by her time as a palliative carer.

According to Bronnie Ware, the five most common regrets shared by people nearing death were:
1. “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”
2. “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.”
3. “I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.”
4. “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.”
5. “I wish that I had let myself be happier.”

These are examples of facing reality by people who were no longer in a position to do something about it. Please don’t let yourself make the same mistakes, while you still have the opportunity to alter and positively impact your reality.

November 9, 2023 2023 Reality No comments yet

reality feedback loop (montage) #23 #cong23 #reality

Synopsis:

reality is a construct . a glorious fiction . in continual construction . through the corroboration of other thinking and knowing subjects . with language an important tool . to structure nature and control destiny

Total Words

955

Reading Time in Minutes

4

Key Takeaways:

  1. To what extent do our mental models become more real than the world they model?
  2. Are our thoughts have a stronger structuring effect on our experiences than external forces?
  3. Is it therefore possible to alter reality by changing our minds?

About Jeffrey Gormly:

i use my creativity to make space for yours.

Contacting Jeffrey Gormly:

You can connect with Jeffrey by email..

By Jeffrey Gormly

/ Reality is a construct of thought that desires continuity.

/ Since there is no phenomenon or thought process which is permanent, there is nothing which can be identified as a permanent self: realization of this therefore promotes right understanding.

/ Actually the expectation of continuity is a glorious fiction. Reality depends on our choices of what and how we choose to observe.

/

/ ‘The mind organises the world by organising itself’ The cognitive organism shapes and coordinates its experience and, in doing so, transforms it into a structured world.

/ Form is previously sound before it actually ‘freezes’ into what we call static form.

/ …content is form …you can see only as much as your model permits you to see …the methodological starting point does more than simply reveal, it actually creates, the object of study.

/

/ Reality depends on our choices of what and how we choose to observe.

Our understanding of such a universe comes not from discovering its present appearance, but in remembering what we originally did to bring it about.

/ What we ordinarily call reality is the domain of the relatively durable perceptual and conceptual structures which we manage to establish, use and maintain in the flow of our actual experience.

This experiential reality, no matter what epistemology we want to adopt, does not come to us in one piece. We build it up bit by bit in a succession of steps that, in retrospect, seem to form a succession of levels.

Repetition is an indispensable factor in that development.

/ “What then remains is a construction as such, and one sees no ground why it should be unreasonable to think that it is the ultimate nature of reality to be in continual construction instead of consisting of an accumulation of ready-made structures.”

/

/ One of our basic assumptions is that the living organism in the struggle to generate and maintain its equilibrium tries to establish regularities in the flow of experience.

 

…’intersubjective’ … [is the] highest, most reliable level of experiential reality. As the term implies, this uppermost level arises through the corroboration of other thinking and knowing subjects. …

It is obvious that this second-order viability, of which we can say with some justification that it reaches beyond the field of our individual experience into that of others, must play an important part in the stabilization and solidification of our experiential reality. It helps to create that intersubjective level on which one is led to believe that concepts, schemes of action, goals and ultimately feelings and emotions are shared by others and, therefore, more real than anything experienced by oneself. It is the level on which one feels justified in speaking of ‘confirmed facts’, of ‘society’, ‘social interaction’, and ‘common knowledge’.

/

/In the face of our terror before the uncontrollable chaos of the universe, we label as much as we can with language in the hope that once we have named something we need no longer fear it.

/ …language is of course an important tool. It serves in many ways and one of the most powerful is that it can provide instructions for experiences that one has not yet had. …This is the way that you have built up, through linguistic communication, a vast number of models that you could then use in your actual experiential reality.

…the process of tuning and accommodating the meaning of words and linguistic expressions continues for each of us throughout our lives.

The ‘object’ on which the aesthetic reader concentrates is not ‘verbal,’ but experiential; the ‘object’ is the cognitive and affective structure which the reader calls forth and lives through. /

/ “The significance of words isn’t their superficial ability to relay information but rather to structure the self-programming quality that’s inherent in language itself”

/

/ Knowledge functions as a tool. How good a tool is, or how much better it could be, comes out when a group of people work together at the same task. When no one can suggest a further improvement, the tool will be called ‘truth’.

/ ‘Truth is what works.’

/

/ One’s thoughts mould one’s nature and control one’s destiny. Sometimes a single thought can destroy or save the world.

Bogart / Abidhamma / Gimbel / Bogart / Piaget – Von Glasersfeld / Frederic Jameson / Bogart / Spencer Brown / Von Glasersfeld / Piaget / Von Glasersfeld / Bogart / Von Glasersfeld / Rosenblatt / Ghost in the Shell / Bogdanov

Anne Bogart, A Director Prepares

Abidhamma Papers

Theodore Gimbel, Form, Sound, Colour and Healing

Piaget, J. La Construction Du Réel Chez L’enfant (The Construction Of Reality In The Child), in EVG

Ernst Von Glasersfeld, Radical Constructivism (EVG)

Spencer Brown, G. Laws Of Form, in EVG

Piaget, J. La Structuralisme (Structuralism), in EVG

Rosenblatt, L.M. ‘Viewpoints: Transaction Versus Interaction – A Terminological Rescue Operation’, in EVG

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Episode 2, Manga DVD

Bogdanov, A. ‘Nauka I Filosofia’ (Science And Philosphy), in EVG

November 7, 2023 2023 Reality No comments yet

Does my Bum Look Big in this Reality? #22 #cong23 #reality

Synopsis:

We spend our lives acquiring knowledge and facts. At each stage of our lives we are judged on our ability to retain knowledge and have valuable skills to trade in the world.
2023 seems to have changed our reality and machines can hide our inabilities and lack of skills? is this a good thing?

Total Words

725

Reading Time in Minutes

3

Key Takeaways:

  1. .Reality is a very competitive landscape.
  2. We can spend our lives trying to keep up.
  3. We can choose to delude ourselves instead
  4. AI, Botox and Bots are distorting our reality and helping us play the game of delusion.

About Ailish Irvine:

I deliver workshops for Businesses and Community groups by day. By night I’m a mother of 3 on the side of a pitch wishing I had a warmer jacket and more money to move to Italy.

Contacting Ailish Irvine:

You can connect with Ailish on Twitter (x), LinkedIn and Facebook.

By Ailish Irvine

Let’s face it Reality can sometimes be a bit of a let down. For the first four years of your life you spend it in a place where your family thinks you’re entertaining, smart, fun and clever. You manage to dazzle them in play school with your ability to make great items from morla (I can’t say playdough it doesn’t sit right with me.)

Then you go to Big School and you discover that counting to 10 is not quite the superpower that you imagined it was, this place is filled with kids who’ve mastered this skill. You better get more skills quickly, could you learn one to ten in Irish?

You cruise along merrily for a few years until multiplication and long division seem to weed out a few of the competition. After you master long division you’re convinced that world domination is definitely just around the corner, Then you go to secondary school.

No No No, there seem to be clever people here too. You could keep learning stuff, there will be a few facts that sit well with you that you’d like to bring into the real world, things like consumer rights, how your body works and enough French to get you to chat up a tourist a few years later in college. Maybe college will offer something different. Oh crap the really clever ones are here.

You get to face a few harsh realities along the way, you’re not the smartest, prettiest, funniest, richest most energetic soul out there and these things can get you places.

You find a job and realise that the college education didn’t quite prepare you for it, you’re going to have to learn more stuff.

In the world of 2023 everyone is playing a game, filters, fillers and botox and avatars have given people the tools they need to navigate the world a bit more smoothly. Reality can be masked and hidden and camouflaged. Knowledge though, my thirst for you has been satiated this year like no other stage of my life. I have been given the tools to change my reality.

Reality is nearly always based on your perception and perspective, if you’re feeling confident nobody can rain on your parade. If you’re feeling unsure and sorry for yourself you will see evidence everywhere as to why you should be. If you want to believe something because it helps you get through the day then I think reality is hugely overrated. Delusion all the way I say. If you can’t do something, find a tool that will help you do it.

If you can’t draw Ai can help you and tools like Ideogram and Midjourney can help you bring ideas to life. ChatGPT and GithubCopilot can help you write code. All of these baffling until I came across PI, your personal AI assistant who can talk to you and offer life advice.

She’s quite like ChatGPT, just got a friendlier tone and she’s great for giving little pep talks.

If you ask her if you look ok she’ll probably be quite gentle.

When you sign up, this is your welcome message.

She wants to talk about whatever is on my mind, Oh poor poor PI.

So I told her about what was on my mind and asked her for a little reassurance.

Here is how I got on.

 

November 7, 2023 2023 Reality No comments yet

You Fillet my Senses, Like a Magnetic Greyfield #21 #cong23 #reality

Synopsis:

Our senses keep us alive, but they don’t tell the truth. And can diverge to hold different realities in the same body.

Total Words

1,219

Reading Time in Minutes

5

Key Takeaways:

  1. Reality is shaped by our perceptions and can be easily confused.
  2. Evolution has given us the ability to see things that aren’t there.
  3. Our perceptions are subject to alteration, influenced by factors like evolution and sensory variations.
  4. Splitting the corpus callosum can lead to differences in perception and even personality between the brain hemispheres.
  5. This suggests that reality is subjective and can vary, even within the same body.

About Will Knott:

A nerd who usually asks questions and changes things.

Contacting Will Knott:

You can contact Will via Bluesky, Mastadon and LinkedIn.

By Will Knott

Reality is an agreement based on our perceptions, barely. But we can confuse our senses.

The image above is a “Necker Cube”. It’s a simple line drawing of the edges of a cube. But is the square on top the front or the back? Look at it, and watch it flip to the front and the back over and over while you observe it. Your experience changes, but the image does not. Which one is “real”?

The ability of your brains to see non-existent monsters hiding in a bush is an evolutionary advantage… The cautious monkey survived better than the reckless one. Just ask the mice (1). The effect is seeing things that are not there. Also our perceptions are incomplete and can be altered.

By altered, I’m not speaking about imbibing interesting chemicals (not even on unusual mushrooms found on a geology tour), I’m talking about evolution.  You cannot see in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum. At least most of you can’t. Aphakia (2) is a condition in which the crystalline lens is absent from the eye, which results in blurry vision, and ultraviolet light not being filtered from the eye. So some people have something in common with insects and reindeer (3). Others of you are colour blind. Either way, the agreed definition of “red” can be disputed for varying degrees of red apples.

Perceptions are not reality. “Red” is a convention that gets disagreed with the further you drift away from the central FF0000 point. There is no agreed edge to hot, cold, bitter or sweet.

And you can experience a world of no colour. Hemi-achromatopsic via transcranial magnetic stimulation near the V4 area of the left hemisphere to cause temporary impairment, will cause your red apple you are looking directly at, to have the colour drained away from its right hand side and fade to grey until you stop the impairment. (4) (If you stimulate it, things just get trippy).

Our senses have evolved to tell us what we need, not to tell the truth. It’s not unfair to think that our senses speak to us in metaphor. It’s a desktop interface hiding the command line processing that exists in the microscopic and the macroscopic fields, while we toil in the emotional ones. However we still need to treat the interface seriously.

Bitter exists to inform us of potential poison. Fitness beats truth, because it lies enough to use proxies to keep us alive, even if you like lemons. And colour interpretation is an indicator of ripeness, or warnings.

Brain mappings, or mis-mappings lead to synesthesia. This is the “condition” where your senses are mixed up due to overlapping brain processing areas. Sounds have shape or colour. Numbers have flavour. These people have different interfaces to reality, but its not an impairment. (interesting for brain mappings, the part of the brain that processes nerve feedback from the genitals are beside the area that processes nerve feedback from the toes 5). We do not have a formula to calculate our experience of tasting an apple. But butchers can sometimes discover things, frequently the discovery of the brain control areas occur while the brain is open for other reasons.

Joseph Bogen and Philip Vogel earned the nickname “the West Coast butchers” as they intentionally, and with care sliced the brain of Bill Jenkins in half in the February of 1962. And Jenkins quality of life improved. In the decade that followed, they split brain after brain. Each person they operated on suffered from severe and intractable epilepsy. Their logic was that the seizures were due to a car crash of signals in their brain, and by performing a corpus callosotomy the collision of neural activity was halted.

When the callosum is cut, the hemispheres can no longer consult themselves and come to an agreement. If Bill closes his left eye and is shown the word “key” and is handed a bowl of objects to pick with his left hand and is told to pick out the object he read, he could pick out a key. With his left hand however, no idea. Show only his right eye the word “ring”, and we would pick out a ring with his right hand, even if he could have picked up the key. The left brain keeps secrets from the right brain. (6)

So one half of the brain is determining reality differently. It can continue to the point where each half develops personality differences. This can reach the point where one side is an atheist while the other is devout. (7)

If reality is able to be distinctly perceived in one body with the same history and genetics, then the closest we can have is just an agreement.

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasma_gondii

Toxoplasma gondii makes mice bravely reckless

2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphakia

Usually caused by a cataract operation, or trauma. However it does occasionally occur during foetal development.

3 https://www.brainfacts.org/thinking-sensing-and-behaving/vision/2017/what-can-animals-sense-that-we-cant-071317

What Can Animals Sense That We Can’t?

4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_cortex#V4 The V4 area

Desimone, R., Schein, S. J., Moran, J., and Ungerleider, L. G. 1985. “Contour, color and shape analysis beyond the striate cortex,” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4024463/#:~:text=The%20corticocortical%20pathway%20from%20striate,inferior%20temporal%20cortex%20(IT)  Vision Research 25: 441-52; Desimone, R., and Schein, S. J. 1987. “Visual properties of neurons in area V4 of the macaque: Sensitivity to stimulus form,” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3559704/  Journal of Neurophysiology 57: 835-68; Heywood, C. A., Gadotti, A., and Cowey, A. 1992. “Cortical area V4 and its role in the perception of color,” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1403100/  Journal of Neuroscience 12: 4056-65; Footnote taken from “The Case Against Reality: How Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes” by Donald D. Hoffman.

Desimone, R., Schein, S. J., Moran, J., and Ungerleider, L. G. 1985. “Contour, color and shape analysis beyond the striate cortex,” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4024463/#:~:text=The%20corticocortical%20pathway%20from%20striate,inferior%20temporal%20cortex%20(IT)  Vision Research 25: 441-52; Desimone, R., and Schein, S. J. 1987. “Visual properties of neurons in area V4 of the macaque: Sensitivity to stimulus form,” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3559704/  Journal of Neurophysiology 57: 835-68; Heywood, C. A., Gadotti, A., and Cowey, A. 1992. “Cortical area V4 and its role in the perception of color,” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1403100/  Journal of Neuroscience 12: 4056-65; Footnote taken from “The Case Against Reality: How Evolution Hid the Truth from Our Eyes” by Donald D. Hoffman.

5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantoms_in_the_Brain

“Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind” by  V.S. Ramachandran and Sandra Blakeslee

6 http://people.uncw.edu/puente/sperry/sperrypapers/70s/173-1973.pdf

Sperry, R.W. 1974. “Lateral specialization of cerebral function in the surgically separated hemispheres”

7 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvf4seEFtnY

The Curious Case of the People With Split Brains

8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFJPtVRlI64

Split brain with one half atheist and one half theist

November 7, 2023 2023 Reality No comments yet

Reality Musings #15 #cong23 #reality

Synopsis:

Reality has been defined as a fixed thing that exists whether we believe it or not. There are other aspects to reality which inculde the subjective and the personal experience of people. Science has brought us further in understanding what reality might be but it has also opened us new avenues. I think that reality may be a communal creation, built on communication and sharing.

Total Words

1,038

Reading Time in Minutes

4

Key Takeaways:

  1. The desire to understand reality is part of human nature.
  2. Reality has become yoked to other words like alternate, augmented, virtual to explain new concepts and ideas.
  3. Reality can be defined in a realist (objective) way or an antirealist(subjective) way.
  4. Reality for me is best understood as a co-operative and collective creation.

About Catriona Healy:

I am a recently retired special educator with particular interest in challenging behaviour. I spent most of my career working with students with moderate-severe/profound disabilities. I have really enjoyed my first year of retirement and I look forward to doing more of the stuff that fills me up in the future…(writing/painting/ potteringh etc).
I just adopted a puppy called Oscar and he is amazing!

Contacting Catriona Healy:

You can connect with Catriona via email

By Catriona Healy

We humans have a bit of a problem with reality. We experience it all the time, but struggle to define it, let alone understand it.

It seems so solid and yet, when we examine it closely, it melts away like a mirage. We don’t know when it began, how big it is, where it came from and where it is going, and we certainly have no clue why it exists.

Nonetheless, the desire to understand reality seems part of our nature, and we have come a long way. What was once explained in terms of divine creation is now in the purview of science, Through science, philosophy, religion metaphysics and mathematics, we have tried to peel back the layers of reality, even if we are still not entirely sure what we have revealed.

If anything, the mystery has only deepened.

We are now at a point in human history where we have alternate reality, augmented reality and virtual reality along with “regular” reality. Not only that but “Reality TV” provides us with entertainment that is anything but!

It’s quite possible that for the human race, reality has never felt so unreal.

In the debate about reality across multiple disciplines, author Philip K. Dick offers a helpfully succinct definition: “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.”

It’s a solid starting point — even if you don’t believe in gravity, you’ll still fall down if you trip.

Neuroscience, on the other hand, tells us that our brains create our reality. It takes in input from our senses and creates a model of the world we experience.

This model can be called reality.

Philosophy tells us that while reality is something that exists independent of our minds, it can be known through reason and observation.

Our perception of reality is not an exact representation of the objective truth but rather a combination of sensory inputs and the brain’s interpretation of these signals. This interpretation is influenced by past experiences and is often predictive, with the brain creating categories of similar instances to anticipate future events.

One might say that “truth,” or “reality,” is relative and subjective, and that would be correct in the sense that everyone’s “truth,” “reality,” or “world” does come from within, from his or her own mind, which is then projected outside, which he or she then observes.

The basic idea of realism is that that things which exist are independent of us; antirealism denies this. Most people find it natural to be realists with respect to physical facts: how many planets there are in the solar system does not depend on how many we think there are, or would like there to be, or how we investigate them; likewise, whether electrons exist or not depends on the facts, not on which theory we understand or subscribe to.

However, it seems natural to be antirealist about humour: something’s being funny is very much a matter of whether we find it funny, and the idea that something might really be funny even though nobody ever felt any inclination to laugh at it seems barely comprehensible.

The saying that ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ is a popular expression of antirealism.

An obviously controversial example is that of moral values; some maintain that they are real (or ‘objective’), others that they have no existence apart from human feelings and attitudes.

Einstein (who knew more than I about this topic) suggested, “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

However, I feel that in some ways the opposite of what is real is not illusion, but the fake, the counterfeit, that which can’t be trusted and has no inherent value.

Theatre, television, art and literature all deal in illusion but can be very real in the sense that they can nurture and edify us, help us to make sense of our experiences. When they fail in this, they feel unreal, they don’t ring true. They fail as art and as reality.

How real does something have to be, in order to be? Is reality definitive? It seems to me it is more a collective sharing of the same beliefs? You alone can not totally and accurately define reality, because you have nothing to compare your reality too. That is why we need each other so that we can communicate and listen to others to form a more complete version of reality. The puzzle of reality may never be finished, we learn new things all the time about the world we inhabit.

There will never be an end of our efforts to understand reality. Consider the ongoing discussions about dark matter, dark energy, string theory, quantum mechanics and worm holes — just when we think we have unlocked the secrets of how the universe works, it turns out we have only peeled back another layer, and what’s inside may upend the reality we think we know.

November 3, 2023 2023 Reality No comments yet

A Reality Journey through Science, Subjectivity, and the Wisdom of Age #14 #cong23 #reality

Synopsis:

In exploring the concept of Reality, my perspective has evolved to encompass both scientific objectivity and personal subjectivity. I’ve found that reality is a multi-layered construct, shaped by measurable facts but deeply influenced by individual experiences and emotions. This nuanced understanding, further enriched by ageing, drives me to continuously examine life’s complexities, from the tangible world to the intangible aspects of human perception and beliefs. The Reality, as I’ve come to define it today (yes, today, as it’ll most certainly change again in the future), is an intricate tapestry of fact and feeling.

Total Words

819

Reading Time in Minutes

3

Key Takeaways:

  1. Reality is multi-dimensional
  2. Reality is best understood when scientific truths are interwoven with philosophical insights
  3. Perception shapes reality
  4. Understanding of Reality deepens with age

About Stan McGowan:

Branding and Digital Marketing Don Quixote turning the marketing industry on its head with a revolutionary Pay-On-Performance model. I enjoy spending time with my family & kids, making music, photography/videography, cooking, and swimming.

Contacting Stan McGowan:

You can connect with Stan via email or LinkedIn.

By Stan McGowan

In my years of grappling with the concept of Reality, my understanding has deepened, shaped mainly by the passage of time and the accumulation of experiences. The perspective I’ve gained isn’t easily confined to a single line of thought, as it spans the scientific and the subjective, the measurable and the intangible, bringing me to recognise that reality is a tapestry stitched with intricate threads of fact and feeling.

My grounding as an agnostic means that I have a profound respect for science and what we can objectively observe in the universe, yet life has taught me that pure objectivity doesn’t entirely capture the essence of reality. Consider pain. Science can chart the neural pathways that light up during physical pain, giving us readings and measurements, but the realm of emotional pain, such as the agony anyone can feel during loss, failure, or disappointment, is far more elusive. What unit could possibly measure the despair one feels when grieving the loss of a loved one or the intensity of betrayal? The paradox here is that while science can give us objective metrics, the subjective experience of each individual adds layers of nuance to the definition of reality.

This blending of subjective experience with objective truths extends to how we interpret our surroundings. The physical universe exists, measurable and concrete; however, our mental states, such as our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, act as prisms through which we view this physical reality. Our subjective minds influence how we interpret and react to objective events, creating a complex overlay where science and philosophy intertwine. While science offers the tools and metrics to understand the “How”, philosophy grapples with the “Why”. One tells us how the world is, and the other tells us what it might mean, but in my eyes, you need both for a full-spectrum understanding of reality.

But perception is the real game-changer in the narrative of what we consider to be Real, and I’ve come to realise that what we see, or choose to see, is often just a fraction of what is truly there. Take a simple object as an example. Viewed from different angles, the same object can look entirely different. Now apply that metaphor to life itself. The gif below demonstrates there could be multiple angles and points of view to a single thing or event, and all of them make perfect sense when reviewed under the same perspective.

Think of how social media and marketing present curated snapshots of other people’s lives, often projecting a facade that rarely mirrors the full reality. Or how media can choose to tell a story, shaping public opinion and, in a sense, creating a ‘shared reality’ that may not align with individual experience.

As I’ve aged, this kaleidoscopic view of reality has only become more acute. Where once I might have been content with surface-level understandings, I now find myself contemplating the complexities of life more deeply. In my youth, the realities of mortality, responsibility, and the consequences of my choices were often background noise and easy to ignore. But age has brought them to the forefront, making me acutely aware of their weight. And I don’t think I’m alone in this. It’s a stage in life when the abstract becomes concrete, and the distant becomes immediate. So these are the layers of reality that age unearths, underscoring the importance of recognising life’s complexities and acknowledging that reality is indeed a multi-layered, multi-sided construction.

Reality, as I’ve come to know it, is a multi-dimensional concept, a blend of science and subjectivity, facts and perceptions, the concrete and the abstract. And as the years continue to roll by, I find myself more engrossed in its intricate tapestry, eager to explore and learn every weave and thread. At least, that’s how I see it.

November 3, 2023 2023 Reality No comments yet

The Illusory Nature of Reality #12 #cong23 #reality

Synopsis:

The nature of reality is fluid, perception is subjective. We depend on fictional constructs to add meaning and structure to the infinite array of phenomena that surrounds us. A recent psychedelic experience gave me an unexpected perspective which has had a significant impact on my current view of reality.

Total Words

1,217

Reading Time in Minutes

5

Key Takeaways:

  1. The perceptual nature of reality
  2. The importance of fictional constructs
  3. Experiencing reality as an illusion
  4. Living in presence and acceptance

About Zanya Dahl:

I am a visual artist, working primarily in oils and specialising in figurative painting.
My focus is around the theme of connection – the absence and discovery of it. I am fascinated by how we connect within, with each other and with our environment.

When I’m not painting, I’m playing hockey, engaging in comedy improvisation, and mothering two little people. I rely on yoga and meditation to still my mind and loosen my limbs.

Contacting Zanya Dahl:

You can connect with Zanya via email, Instagram and LinkedIn

By Zanya Dahl

I was recommended an excellent book recently by Will Storr called “Selfie”. He introduced me to a wonderful new word: “confabulation” which he explains as follows:

“Our narrator is just observing what’s happening in the controlled hallucination in our skulls – including our own behaviour – and explaining it. It’s tying all the events together into a coherent tale that tells us who we are, why we’re doing what we’re doing and feeling what we’re feeling. It’s helping us feel in control of our thrilling neural show. And it’s not lying, exactly. It’s confabulating.”

The more I accept that reality is completely unpredictable and that my version of events is my own confabulation, I feel my attachment to opinions, events and memories loosen.

It’s harder to be righteous and judgmental when you know that the world as you see it is a neural construct rather than the absolute truth. Knowing this makes it easier to be more accepting of contrary views. My own views change all the time.

Thoughts come and go, feelings come and go, events come and go – nothing stands still.

We are constantly adapting and redefining our responses in every moment, sometimes consciously, mostly unconsciously.

Reading ‘Sapiens’ by Yuval Noah Harari, I was blown away by his assertion that the greatest difference between humans and animals is our ability to collaboratively buy in to fictional constructs such as money, nationality, and religion. Even though they are merely concepts, they are collectively endorsed on a global scale and have enormous power over us.

After listening to a lot of teachings on non-duality, I remember struggling to wrap my head around the idea that time is also a fictional construct.

What would my reality be like if time didn’t exist? Would it be so bad to be freed from its shackles and live in a random unstructured flow of happenings? It’s hard to even imagine. And yet, this question was somewhat answered a couple of years ago after I intentionally ingested a large dose of handpicked Liberty Caps in the comfort of my own home.

I was looking forward to journeying into unexplored realms of psychedelic insight. Initially, my brain was dazzled by a kaleidoscope of visual effects. I could feel my whole being becoming the music I was hearing – I was no longer human but simply a wave of sound. Eventually, as the special effects began to fade, I felt the trip was coming to an end. I was sleepy and I walked to my room to go to bed. As I did so, I became aware that time had somehow evaporated. I vaguely wondered if I was 80 or my current age or if I was in an afterlife, haunting my own home. I didn’t know if tomorrow was going to come. I couldn’t feel the solidity of my arms or legs. Nothing felt “real”.

With creeping horror, I had a realisation that everything in my reality is an illusion – my partner, my children, my friends. None of them are real. It was like an experience of being God – everything in my life that I took to be real is a manifestation. I didn’t feel like an all-powerful creator. I felt very alone – like the last person left alive in the world. I also feared that in that moment, if I attempted to go beyond the illusion of Zanya for even a second, I’d disappear too. I felt my brain trying to claw its way back to the reality it knows, desperately trying to preserve my Self. I wanted to go back to being the oblivious character in a dream and not the character who’s wide awake in a dream knowing that her world is not real but a dream. I didn’t want to be the solitary godlike Dreamer either. I wanted to return to my illusory reality. With every fibre in my being.

I felt a wave of nausea and rushed to the bathroom to throw up, relieved to clear the mushrooms and all their filter-altering psilocybin out of my system. I just wanted to get to sleep and wake up to a stable tomorrow.

Ever since, I’ve steered clear of any plant medicine. I’ve no further desire to chase after the ‘authentic truth’ of life. To find it, I would have to be willing to disappear. If I choose to exist, then my version of reality is still a projection of my mind.

The great Indian philosopher and spiritual teacher, Jiddu Krishnamurti put it nicely,
“If I do not know reality, the unknown, how can I search for it? Surely it must come but I cannot go after it. If I go after it, I am going after something which is the known, projected by me; by my own mind.”

I am now paying more attention to my existence with a clearer, upgraded lens – keeping my two feet on the ground and enjoying the magic of living rather than disregarding it or trying to uncover the mysterious force behind it.

And yet, as I gratefully feel the solidity of my existence, my mind still pulls me into hypothetical scenarios – dreaming of positive outcomes, re-living pleasant memories, planning my response to imagined obstacles or worst-case scenarios. Every time I do this, I disappear from the present moment and enter yet another confabulated virtual reality.

There’s so much to explore in the present moment. Why do I keep jumping out of it?

When Krishnamurti offered to share the secret of his life in his later years, his audience held their breath in excited anticipation. His reply was this:

“I don’t mind what happens.”

It sounds flippant and simplistic on first hearing, but it’s so deeply profound. Imagine being ok with whatever may or may not occur in your reality, be it a missed opportunity, a disagreement, a falling out, an unexpected loss, a rejection, a failed attempt at something, an unfulfilled dream.

Oh to be free of fear and desire – the two states of mind that cloud our view of everything.

Every time I catch myself worrying about an outcome, I say those words to myself:

“I don’t mind what happens.”

Imagine accepting reality like that.

.

November 3, 2023 2023 Reality No comments yet