The Illusion-Reality Barrier

Watch ya see is watch ya get. AN OLD TEXAN PROVERB.

The argument about existence may be too superfluous but if we examine the validity of senses we believe in, we will have great surprise coming to us. Let us begin by examining our most important sense-vision. The beauty may be in the eye of the beholder but what the eye holds may not be all truth. The most fantastic creation of nature, our eye, is actually quite imperfect, giving us all those optical illusions that take us away from reality, whatever that may be. Attempts to cross the boundaries between illusion and reality of the physical universe are clearly as old as the consciousness itself and our eye has played a key role in helping us get there or perhaps keep us from getting there. Today, though we are still not fully aware of the weaknesses of the human eye, we know enough to dispel many myths.

For long the simple sleigh-of-the hand act of magicians was revered. No more. Since human mind can interpret a new image at one-twentieth of a second only, any act faster than repeating at one-twentieth second will not appear visible; therefore, the tricks of the magicians or the moving picture of television that change more frequently than one-twentieth of a second, do not appear visible to the eye.

Brain shows unusual ability to coordinate visual images. It can assign a color to an object through the reflected wave lengths are continuously changing; it can decipher an object through it is continuously moving and it can ascertain true size of an object at distance. With signals received at retina brain continuously reconstructs the image. An excellent example is the Kanizsa triangle-wherein brain resolves conflicts of boundary line even though there is no boundary. Seeing is understanding and acquisition of visual knowledge is part of the consciousness which exists to expedite knowledge acquisition.

Many an optical illusions manifest imperfections of our vision such as the classic length of the line assessment where two lines of identical length appear different.

Our ability to perceive objects in two dimensions is also limited. Take any layout or objects in two dimensions. If you stare long enough you will begin to see different arrangements. In three dimensions we do a little better, yet still we flip our vision frequently as you will if you stare at the cube below.

There are also illusions of taste, for example, carbonated water always feels colder compared with plain water. The illusions of sound and smell are well appreciated. It should therefore not be surprising that whatever is conceivable is subject to considerable illusion. Compounding this illusion, the limitations of the human mind, we are unable to perceive many "parallel worlds." The parallel worlds is what we call extraordinary experiences.

Distortion (or perhaps more appropriately alteration) of our sensory apparatus through drugs, mental disorders, meditation, practice of rituals, etc., can easily make us more amenable to "visualize" other worlds. These worlds are not new but are not accessible to us through our normal sensory world. The parallel world is not a fiction of our imagination nor are the unconscious perceptions seen by someone with a special gift. It exists in everyone and it has lost most of its mystical value. What happens is that the data coming to us are channeled through two systems; one, the conscious rational system, the other, the unconscious system which is still quite primitive in human beings. The reality described by the unconscious channel is different from that described by the conscious channel, none being more valid than the other. A change in the balance of conscious and unconscious imaging, either deliberately through external means or through inadvertent internal changes can make us appear more or less illusionary. The threshold of our senses changes dramatically though external and internal stimuli. The power of subliminal perceptions is highly exploited in merchandise advertising. Drawing of a kite can induce dreams of flying; pictures of foods flashed briefly during a television program can make you hungry; sexual and death symbols evoke varied responses-all of them unconsciously. A loud noise waking you up leaves you bewildered where the sound came from because whereas the sound traveled quickly to the brain centers, the discriminating centers take longer to activate. Thus subliminal stimulation expose us to the world quite alien to our conscious world.

Eidetic perception, or ability to perceive a picture as if it were in front of you is a common phenomenon lasting for several minutes. The mystique of eidetic imaging was exploited by the Third Reich as a characteristic of the "master race."

Synesthesia

The extra sensory perception (ESP) is for real. Churchill and Cookwall are just two authentically reported extra sensory perceptions examples. Churchill saved his life by entering his car through the other door than opened for him for he was sternly admonished by a voice. We all have experienced the feeling of being "stared" at, only to turn around and find someone standing there. We also experience concentrating energy on someone to get our through often quite successfully. The Rosicrucians claim that thoughts have wings seems quite plausible.