The Reality of Illusion

[Awani]

There are two ways to look at the world.

One way is to see everything around you as real, but not only real… important. So important that if you do not do everything in your power to defend it you will go insane.

The other way to look at reality is to not see it as unreal, but as an illusion. Do not fall into the trap of thinking that everything is black and white. See everything around you as - not unreal - but instead as rendering; which is computer language that basically means to convert, for example, a file into visual form. Or instead of rendering think of it as in the process of becoming.

Reality is not an illusion, cannot be an illusion, if you simply investigate what the word reality actually means.

What does the word reality mean?

Reality is the state of things as they are or appear to be, and reality exists independent of human awareness. But a dream can appear very real and all things could possibly exists independent of our own awareness. How do we really know where our dreams go when we wake up? Everything is therefore potentially real.

Nothing is an hallucination. Everything is an hallucination. Everything an illusion. It is not the physical form that is the basis for reality. The illusion is the reality, but it is not an illusion. It is real. Or as real as you want it to be.

That is what the rendering process is all about. If you want shit to be rendered, shit will be rendering. If you want gold, then gold you will have.

If you want to render in VHS quality then render in VHS, if you want to render in Hi-Def then render in Hi-Def.

Only when the responsibility to perceive the reality of illusion is placed firmly in your own hands can you truly begin to shape the reality of your illusion.

 

[Awani]

So what does the word illusion mean?

Well there are many synonyms and most of them are about something false or deceiving, but how can something be wrong when nothing is right... when everything is an illusion... then everything must be right. Everything is the reality of the illusion.

One definition of illusion that I think works best is that it is an optical illusion that represents what is perceived in a way different from the way it is in reality. In other words our eyes see the illusionary world, but we don't see the complete illusion it resides in. Like seeing a ghost, but failing to see that the eyes that saw the ghost don't exist.

I find that this kind of thinking is very liberating.

 

[Ghislain]

Is that Jesus?

Do blind people see the illusion?

I Like your perspective...

It is like the separation we put between ourselves and nature...as if we are not a part of it.

Ghislain

 

[Awani]

I actually thought about the blind and the deaf whilst writing these posts. There seriously needs to be a study done with blind people and psychedelics (maybe there has been one done).

But I think it is the same for them. The blind see the sound (feel the texture) of illusion and the deaf use their eyes the same way we do.

 

[Andro]

I've had the experience of seeing with closed eyes.

It feels a bit strange, and everything was Black & White (for me), but the scenery was the exactly same as with the eyes open.

 

[Awani]

On Iboga I had the same experience, it wasn't black and white but more like night vision (greenish).

 

[Salazius]

I'd like to design special alchemical glasses for blind people and for night vision. Would be cool.

 

[Kiorionis]

Would these alchemical glasses be in pill form or tincture?

 

[Salazius]

I've heard that some gyus made glasses with glass of antimony or lenses for the work of the sun.

They'd be like normal glasses.

 

[Awani]

A while back I posted the above on Facebook and suddenly it got re-posted a lot... then here on the forums it kept being referenced quite a lot in various places... and all by different people. It was as if the concept of "there is no spoon" was the zeitgeist of the week... and that all our thoughts gravitated towards this one idea/concept.

The Matrix was the last great film of the 20th century (released in 1999)... and that is over 15 years ago... wow... it can be good to be reminded about such gems of our culture that transcends mere entertainment. May I be so bold as to call The Matrix infotainment?

While many people understand the concept of "there is no spoon", few people actually grasp it. Kind of like understanding the size of the universe as opposed to grasping the size. Although the size of the universe is, probably, in relation to whatever size we can grasp... which is an effect of fully grasping the concept that "there is no... universe"...

 

[psykopanther]

While many people understand the concept of "there is no spoon", few people actually grasp it. Kind of like understanding the size of the universe as opposed to grasping the size. Although the size of the universe is, probably, in relation to whatever size we can grasp... which is an effect of fully grasping the concept that "there is no... universe"...

your posts never fail to blow my mind.

 

[Awani]

It is my distinct honor to do just that.

 

[Ghislain]

Ghislain

 

[Andro]

I actually thought about the blind and the deaf whilst writing these posts.

Years ago, in my (then) line of work, I met one blind man who could see without functioning eyes. Active pineal gland, also very psychic. He could see everything just like me (or better?), but probably not exactly the same as with the 'normal' eyes. He also said that he sometimes experiences moments of 'not seeing', and that he trains himself to improve this ability. He was not blind from birth.

Related: When I'm 'out of body', I can often see with much greater clarity and focus than I could ever imagine doing with the physical eyes.


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[Aaron]

I've had the experience of seeing with closed eyes.

It feels a bit strange, and everything was Black & White (for me), but the scenery was the exactly same as with the eyes open.

On Iboga I had the same experience, it wasn't black and white but more like night vision (greenish).

Wow I've had the same. Never told anyone because I thought no one would believe me. But for me it wasn't black & white or geenish. It was more like someone reduced the contrast of the colours around me to a minimum. It happened to me in my first year of meditation. Unfortunately it didn't happen again since.

 

[Eshai]

reality exists independent of human awareness

This is the fundamental belief of science. When reality is viewed as subjective, instead of absolute, the scientific method is no longer fully applicable.

I believe that reality is absolute, and it is only us who are limited in our means of observing reality, making reality appear subjective. Reality is, IMO, not subjective--our minds, and our abilities to perceive reality, are subjective. So, in my view, it may not be that we are viewing illusions... instead, we have illusory visions of reality which some of us, in our arrogance, call absolute reality.

If we collectively view the same illusion, is it not fitting to call it reality?

 

[Ghislain]

Many years ago we had some friend around and we partook of some recreational drugs.

On the wall was a picture of a woodland scene with a path into the woods.

While staring at this picture I saw a building deep in the woods with people moving about it, so I explained what I saw asked my spaced-out companions if they could see it too. To my surprise they could, I was very excited, but then I asked them to explain what they saw and it was not the same as what I saw.

I had made the suggestion and their minds created their own reality for them.

I would not be surprised if this is what we all do all of the time, each of us living in our individual reality; at least a perceived individual reality.

Ghislain

 

[Aaron]

I would not be surprised if this is what we all do all of the time, each of us living in our individual reality; at least a perceived individual reality.

Ghislain

That's what I believe. In the end, everything is just information and our senses and our (prejudging) subconscious are part of the perceiving process.
For (very exaggerated) example:

When a person could hear only deep or basslike sounds, and he would always look up to the sky, he could walk through a world full of crying/screaming children behind fences to his left and right without even knowing it. For him, the world would be beautiful. Not hearing the children and always seeing the blue sky.
On the other hand, a man who could hear those high pitched sounds would hear every scream and cry, and look towards them. He would see thousands of children in pain and fear behind fences. For him the world would be hell.

While staring at this picture I saw a building deep in the woods with people moving about it, so I explained what I saw asked my spaced-out companions if they could see it too. To my surprise they could, I was very excited, but then I asked them to explain what they saw and it was not the same as what I saw.

I had made the suggestion and their minds created their own reality for them.

That's even more impressive. The fact that we are able to adjust others perception towards what we see. At least in a very rough way.

By telling them what you saw, you made them see the same (at least roughly) as you. UNTIL your "story/explanation" ended, and they started to perceive their experience completely subjective again.
That's very interesting.

 

[Eshai]

I had made the suggestion and their minds created their own reality for them.

I would not be surprised if this is what we all do all of the time, each of us living in our individual reality; at least a perceived individual reality.

I agree, this is very interesting; something I had not considered. For me, this reflects the first law of Hermetics, and makes a great deal of sense.

 

[Ghislain]

Ghislain

 

[Ghislain]

Ghislain

 

[Awani]

Never told anyone because I thought no one would believe me.

Six years ago I would have my doubts. Now I don't!

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Yeah those videos are nice examples. Many floating around.

Re-reading this thread (which is a year old now) I am amazed. I usually never toot my own horn, but it's a new year so why not? LOL!

Quote myself from earlier in this thread:

"In other words our eyes see the illusionary world, but we don't see the complete illusion it resides in. Like seeing a ghost, but failing to see that the eyes that saw the ghost don't exist."

I think this is a perfect description, not sure how I could formulate it so well IMO. Ha ha.

 

[Awani]

I have been on a certain philosophical path for many years, and in the last ten years this path has become more and more focused. I feel like I am, for me at least, getting to the very core of the matter. As always uncertain if it makes any sense whatsoever to anyone else... however recently the rabbit hole just got a bit deeper for me. So here goes...

Water does not ask itself: am I wet? Water is only wet if experienced by someone/something that is dry.

So with that, how can anyone know if someone/something is real (wet), unless they are unreal (dry) themselves?

 

[elixirmixer]

Thats deep Awani. Are we each the only real thing in our own personal Universe? Ive always wondered...

 

[Kiorionis]

IAO