Have you ever stopped to consider how attention works?
Pause for a moment and wonder where your attention comes from…
Now, choose a dot or a specific point on a wall in front of you on which you can focus your attention. Give yourself at least 30 seconds to totally focus on that point, then shift your attention back to your computer screen.
Easy enough, isn’t it?
Now, let’s try something different…
I want you to put your eyes on the same point once again except this time, while keeping your eyes tightly locked on that point, I want you to look at the room around you. Give yourself at least 1 minute to do the exercise, then shift your attention back to your computer screen.
So, what happened?
Did you notice the completely different state this exercise generated in you?
Welcome to your unconscious attention, my friend.
In these exercises, we shifted your attention from your foveal vision (with which you focused on a specific point) to your peripheral vision (with which you noticed everything around your focal point). The one you generally use least becomes your unconscious attention. It opens up a whole new world to you, one where you begin to notice details of the world that have passed you by for years, sometimes your entire life.
Playing with these qualities or skills you possess that have been dormant for years will initially be a trippy experience. Go for it full tilt! This will expand your consciousness beyond what drugs could do for you, and without the negative side effects.
In his works, Carlos Castañeda lists a great many of these exercises, which his master Don Juan prescribed for him to loosen his model of the world in order to access and/or create a different reality.
These exercises are incredibly useful to you as they will stimulate your flexibility and your ability to shift elegantly between various models of the world.
In upcoming posts, I’ll discuss in greater detail the conscious/unconscious distinction as well as a few of the exercises listed in Castañeda’s works to help you penetrate the recesses of your unconscious.
