I decide to watch The Back-up Plan last night. Wanting a more intimate screening experience, I hit rainbow cinemas
For some reason the satisfaction was short lived leaving me in need of something a little more substantial to get me to sleep. Luckily, I have FLicKeR. A documentary about The dream machine invented by Brion Gysin. The actual documentary is pretty lame, but the subject matter throws me back into my teens when Jack Kerouac came with me everywhere and Charles Bukowski taught me everything I needed to know about WOMEN. The doc is about The Dream Machine; a stroboscopic flicker device that produces visual stimuli. Artist Brion Gysin and William Burroughs' "systems adviser" Ian Sommerville created the dream machine after reading William Grey Walter's book, The Living Brain. A Dreamachine is "viewed" with the eyes closed: the pulsating light stimulates the optical nerve and alters the brain's electrical oscillations. The "viewer" experiences increasingly bright, complex patterns of color behind their closed eyelids. The patterns become shapes and symbols, swirling around, until the "viewer" feels surrounded by colors. It is claimed that viewing a Dreamachine allows one to enter a hypnagogic state.
Firstly, I will be ordering a dream machine STAT. I can't believe through all my "teenage" experimentation I never heard about this magical machine. Brion thought that the dream machine's ability could replace LSD, Peyote and other mind altering drugs that cause a distorted experience of the senses, emotions, memories, time and awareness. Instead of taking a hit, you set up the dream machine, turn the lights off and let it spin. I think that I am so curious about the dream machine right now because as you get older you get further and further away from a desire to go outside your comfort zone. You can't use a weekend for mind expanding drug use; there is laundry to be done. Who is going to mow the lawn, pick up the dry cleaning or return the Eddie Murphy stand-up DVD? There is no time for mind exploration; I need to worry about keeping my job. I don't discredit the need to keep life moving, but I think there can be a fine balance met and something like the dream machine may help.
There are many levels of consciousness. We feel them at different points, sometimes not even realizing it. During an intense yoga session; when your whole body is still and not a thought is left in your ever moving brain. When you come off a run and you feel like your body is shaking and your thoughts are as light as a cloud. When you are on your third scotch and your frame of mind has shifted ever so slightly. These are all different types and/or levels of consciousness. The neurological levels are; conscious, confused, delirious, somnolent, obtunded, stuporous and comatose. Then the hierarchy levels of human consciousness consist of; shame, guilt, apathy, grief, fear, desire, anger, pride, courage, neutrality, willingness, acceptance, reason, love, joy, peace, enlightenment. The Shaman (intermediaries or messengers between the human world and the spirit worlds are said to treat ailments/illness by mending the soul) believe in seven levels of consciousness which are; personal, mankind, amphibious, spherical, crystal, light and lastly sound.
All of the above mentioned levels of consciousness can be attained in different ways. The easiest way has always been drugs such as; Marijuana, hashish, LSD, Extasy, cocaine, and Peyote to name a few. Meditation, yoga and other natural practices can supposedly take you to a higher level of consciousness, although I have never had the pleasure. That being said, I think it is possible. If the dream machine can help me in the natural pursuit of exploring my mind, growing as a person and experimenting with the beauty of light and perception of thoughts; I am in.
In truth the ability to do so is a somewhat frivolous pursuit. A personal quest that will become less and less a priority once I subject myself to long term copulation with a man and god forbid bare a child. But that is not now, that is the future. A future I don't know yet. Until then, I will buy my dream machine and set my sights on crystal consciousness. I could shoot for light, but I want to manage my expectations. I get disappointed enough in my day to day life, I'm going to keep it easy breezy on the heightened state of awareness front.—
