Do We See the World as it Truly Is?

Human Brain Image

When we open our eyes, do we see the world as it really is? Do we see reality? The answer is that we don't see reality, according to new neuroscience research. In Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently, neuroscientist Beau Lotto tells us it is the human mind that imposes meaning on our perceptions. He thinks our perceptions terminate at the boundaries of our brain. According to Lotto, we function with versions of reality that have nothing to do with what is actually out there -- what exists in the real world.

Neuroscience studies show that perception is not what our eyes and ears tell us; it is what our brain makes us see and hear. Your personal reality isn't the perception of what is "out there," but an observation of what is going on inside your head. The senses are similar to the keyboard of a computer: they provide access, but the real job is done in the brain. Your brain takes in the information from your senses, but your reality isn't made up of the atoms of the "real world." It's made up of the atoms of your brain. Perception is just an illusory product of our mind. The world we see around us is ultimately no more real than a hologram.

New research demonstrates that we do not see the real world; we only see what helped us to survive in the past. As Lotto puts it, "We don't see reality -- we only see what was useful to see in the past." Much like a road map, our perceptual brain doesn't offer an accurate spatial representation; rather, it helps us to navigate in a safe and efficient way. The world revealed by our senses is not the real world, but an imperfect copy of it. In our conscious mind we see the world through a distorted perception system. The world we live in does not exist in the way we perceive it. Because of this flawed information collection system we can never see the world as it truly is. Lotto astutely observes that, "Our species has been so successful not in spite of our inability to see reality but because of it."

Perception underpins everything we think, know, and believe. Yet if our perception is a manifestation of our past, how is it ever possible to step outside the past in order to live and create differently in the future? Lotto believes that deviating from the way we currently perceive will lead to future innovations in thought and behavior in all aspects of our lives. This is why the book is called Deviate. Lotto argues that perception includes a lot of assumptions which contribute to preconceived ideas that keep us stuck in a narrow perspective on our personal and social reality. By revealing the startling truths about the brain and its perceptions, Beau Lotto shows that the next big innovation is not a new technology: it is a new way of seeing. Look inside Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently (paid link)

Thanksgiving in all Things

Celebrating a bountiful harvest once a year is a wonderful tradition. But giving thanks should be more than just a yearly event. Rather, the expression of gratitude ought to be a daily practice. Giving thanks and being in a state of gratitude opens our heart, allowing our indwelling presence of being, our Spirit, to rise forth unimpeded. Gratitude, like any other spiritual practice, is something we do, not just something we feel. And it's something we need to practice.

Try to cultivate a spirit of gratitude in all things. Even in situations that seem difficult to give thanks for, just remember that you are on the Earth to experience, learn and grow. An "attitude of gratitude" in all things helps connect us to our core values and purpose for being here. Foster a reciprocal relationship of meaning to the Earth. Take time to honor and respect the reciprocal cycle of give and take, for Mother Earth provides everything we need to live and flourish. Express your gratitude through prayer and offerings. Give thanks also for the things you are praying for. Giving thanks before needs are met is a way of making space to receive them. Expressing gratitude for something before it actually appears in your life develops trust and confidence in your ability to create. In this season of gathering in, let us bring forth the spiritual fruit of thanksgiving in all things.

Drumming the Tree of Life

My Rolling Thunder Drum

In the shaman's world, the drum is a most sacred instrument. The double-headed drum is believed to embody the sacred forces of the cosmos through its sounds, structural features, contents, and connection to shamanic trance. The various parts of the drum also symbolize the structures of the world. Cosmologically, the drum depicts a microcosm of the universe with its three zones -- the Upper (sky), Middle (human or social realm), and Lower Worlds (earth). The two drumheads symbolize the Upper and Lower Worlds.

The rim of the drum symbolizes the Middle World and is connected to the Tree of Life (World Tree) through the wood of the frame and its association through all trees back to the First Tree. Like the Tree of Life, which links the earth and sky, the rim links the two sides of the drum -- the yin and the yang. A double-headed drum unites the sacred feminine and masculine aspects of the universe within itself. It restores the balance of these polar, yet co-creative elements.

The two drumheads also symbolize the two states of existence -- unmanifest and manifest. When a double-headed drum is vibrated, it produces dissimilar sounds which are fused together by resonance to create one sound. The drumbeat is the tuner sound, the sound that fuses the unmanifest and manifest aspects of vibration into one resonance. The sound thus produced symbolizes Nada, the cosmic sound of AUM, which can be heard during deep meditation. 

From a shamanic perspective, caretaking the drum and playing it properly during ritual fulfills the destiny of the human spirit -- to sustain the order of existence. In the rapture of ritual drumming, the shaman brings the Tree of Life into existence, opening a path of communication with the world above and the world below. Materialized in the drum, the trunk of the tree goes through the Middle World; its roots plunge to the nadir in the Lower World, and its branches soar to the zenith in the highest layer of the Upper World. The drum becomes the axis mundi or central axis through which the shaman maintains the world's equilibrium. To learn more look inside my book The Shamanic Drum.

Drumming for Mindfulness and Healing

Chöd Practitioners

A significant number of research studies have documented both drumming and mindfulness meditation as effective therapy for everything from stress to depression to supportive cancer treatment. This is not new science. Since the time of Buddha (about 2,600 years ago), we have known about the stress-reducing benefits of both drumming and mindfulness meditation, which focuses on nonjudgmental awareness of sensations, feelings, and state of mind. Combining these two ancient practices -- drumming and mindfulness -- can be life-altering. Even one session of meditation, focused on a drum's beat demonstrates how powerful this meditation method can be in our stressful modern lives. The powerful and compelling rhythm of drums can still and focus the mind -- the quick path to mindfulness and well-being! Read more.

Buffalo/Bison Medicine

Buffalo/Bison symbolizes prayer, manifestation, and abundance. Buffalo's medicine includes creativity, feminine courage, abundance, knowledge, generosity, hospitality, sharing work, protection, strength, challenge, survival, and giving for the greater good. In Lakota Native American spirituality, Tatanka, the Buffalo, is seen as a living prayer and manifestation of the wisdom and generosity of Wakan Tanka (Great Mystery). Buffalo shows us the importance of prayer and gratitude for all we have. An "attitude of gratitude" in all things opens our heart and helps connect us to our core values and purpose for being here.

Buffalo teaches us to foster a reciprocal relationship of meaning to the Earth. Take time to honor and respect the reciprocal cycle of give and take, for Mother Earth provides everything we need to live and flourish. Express your gratitude through prayer and offerings. Give thanks also for the things you are praying for. Giving thanks before needs are met is a way of making space to receive them. Expressing gratitude for something before it actually appears in your life develops trust and confidence in your ability to create. To manifest abundance through prayer, you must eliminate all doubt, detach yourself from the outcome, and trust in the creative power of the universe to provide what is needed. To connect with Buffalo, listen to my recording of the "Buffalo Chant."

Dignity of Earth and Sky

She casts her peaceful gaze across the waters of the Missouri River. During the day, the South Dakota wind brushes the diamonds in her star quilt, causing blue shades to twinkle in the sunlight. At night, she stands illuminated and strong. She is Dignity. Dignity (a.k.a. Dignity of Earth & Sky) is a sculpture on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River near Chamberlain, South Dakota. The 50-foot high stainless steel statue, by South Dakota artist laureate Dale Lamphere, depicts an Indigenous woman in Plains-style dress. She holds outstretched a quilt featuring 128 stainless steel blue diamond shapes designed to flutter in the wind. According to Lamphere, "Dignity represents the courage, perseverance and wisdom of the Lakota and Dakota cultures in South Dakota. My intent is to have the sculpture stand as an enduring symbol of our shared belief that all here are sacred, and in a sacred place. My hope is that the sculpture might serve as a symbol of respect and promise for the future."

What is Shamanism?

 Oroqen Shaman

According to the Encyclopedia of Shamanism, a shaman is a practitioner who has developed the mastery of "accessing altered states of consciousness" and "mediating between the needs of the spirit world and those of the physical world in a way that can be understood by the community ...." Shamanism is the intentional effort to acquire and nurture ongoing relationships with personal helping spirits by journeying into realms where the spirits dwell. The reason for developing personal relationships with spirit helpers is to gain wisdom, healing techniques, and other vital information that can benefit the community. It is this intimate relationship with spirit and the use of trance states that distinguishes the shaman from other practitioners.

Shamanism represents a universal conceptual framework found among indigenous tribal humans. It includes the belief that the natural world has two aspects: ordinary everyday awareness, formed by our habitual behaviors, patterns of belief, social norms, and cultural conditioning, and a second non-ordinary awareness accessed through altered states, or trance, induced by shamanic practices such as repetitive drumming. This second-order awareness can be developed over time or appear all at once, but once it is discerned the world is never the same. According to shamanic theory, the ordinary and non-ordinary worlds interact continuously, and a shamanic practitioner can gain knowledge about how to alter ordinary reality by taking direct action in the non-ordinary aspect of the world.

Shamans employ methods for altering consciousness so that they can send their souls into the non-ordinary reality of the spirits who become their friends, guides, guardians, instructors, and allies. These helping spirits might be the spirits of nature, animals, plants, the elements, ancestors, gods, goddesses, or teachers from various religious traditions. The act of sending one's soul into the spirit world is called the soul flight or shamanic journey, and it allows the journeyer to view life and life's problems from a detached, spiritual perspective, not easily achieved in a state of ordinary consciousness.

The shaman's trance is an intentionally induced state of ecstasy. Shamanic trance is characterized by its flexibility, ranging from a light diagnostic state, to spirit flight, and to full embodiment by spirit. Shamans use intention and discipline to control the nature, depth, and qualities of their trance states. The shaman may progress through a range of trance states until they reach the level that is necessary for healing to occur.

The capacity to enter a range of trance states is a natural manifestation of human consciousness. The ability to enter trance states makes us a human - not a shaman. What makes shamans unique is their mastery over an otherwise normal human trait. It requires training, practice, and devotion to master any expressive art. Shamans master the art of ecstasy to see the true nature of the universe.