Blog 7

Blog 7

I have a real interest in understanding the human minds need and ability to form its reality the way we (or an individual sees fit)... This class has surely given me much fuel for that fire and has gotten the wheels turning. I realize that when a person holds an opinion or belief, that that person is more often than not inclined to skew facts into a direction that either validates their assumptions, disputes the opposition or both. That being said... as a sub-section of my overall fascination with the shear magnitude of human possibility and ability, I really like to look at religious beliefs that people hold and try to understand what it is that makes them feel so fervently about something that they cannot fully grasp or understand. I digress a bit here so let me get back on track. Maybe it is because I hold this opinion of religion as being a tool of humanity to understand and feel at home in the world around them... instead of being a way or path or idea that is superior to all others and the only true "real" way to get to my eternal goals. I see every path that people take to be relevant and just as justified and real as the next. So, coming from that perspective I am starting to see a theme in all of what we are reading to be that 1) there is something greater than ourselves... whether we understand it as god, a teacher, another world, whatever... there is something out there other and greater than what we know and are.
2) there is no right way of getting to that level of happiness with ones self or no special way that all must follow to be enlightened or one with God...
There was a quote in Don Juan (roughly transcribed) that rang true to me. It said that any path is just a path... there is no affront, to ones self and others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you to do. I truly believe that. Belief is something to be comfortable with, to be questioned and challenged. To lull ones self into a world void of continuous thought, observation and scrutiny... we are all liable to be taken for great suckers, or in this case... go mad and die.
There is just such a deep rooted connection between the minds of people the world over... while they may all apply their own creative devices to understand and interpret... we are all essentially getting or are privileged to the same root information... the same symbols, architecture, archetypes, ideals, facial expressions, etc. We are all fundamentally connected and it shows in our cultures, if only deep under the surface of our differences. The relationship between altered states of Consciousness and Religion have a long standing albeit smudged up history. It seems, like the film hinted at, that religions were mostly founded on the visionary experiences of its creators. Prophets, Seers, Saints... all had experiences dealing with other-worldly knowledge that they returned with to share with the masses and to lead them on a path of righteousness... notice the use of the word a and not the...eh? eh? What I am trying to get at without boring you all to death is that this world is filled with amazing connections of ideas, ideals, rituals, visions, etc. that, whether we know and accept this or not, it is there. We are starting to see in science and fact what people like shamans and prophets have known for thousands of years. It is time that we stop trying to separate and compartmentalize the different parts of our lives and be comforted in their separation... instead we should be striving to pay attention to and working toward understanding their connections.

On an interestingly personal note... I was talking to my (unnamed relative) last night about the movie we watched and this book that we are reading and he shockingly (to me) felt that I had grown old enough to know some other side of him... another part of his reality. He told me about his experiences living with a Nez Perce Indian in college and the times that he had spent with his Indian friend both at school and with his family in the break months. This friend of (my unnamed relative) did the same as Don Juan did, he carried a small satchel of peyote buttons tied around his neck. He told me about how (without giving much in the way of details about his visions) that the experience he had with his Indian friend and these buttons "changed his entire world view and his life." This experience led him to leave college, move out into the middle of nowhere Minnesota, built a two room cabin on 10 acres of land with no electricity or plumbing. He lived there in nature for nearly two years. He did not remove himself completely from society as an anchorite would have, but ventured into the small, dingy logging town that was my mothers home. The two found something in common in this off beat existence and... add up the chips and here comes another life into this world. Its funny the things that you find out about your life when you least expect it! (this is the slightly edited and abridged version for those who see a lack of flow or consistency to my story).

http://www.curtis-collection.com/curtis/The%20Peyote%20Cult.htm
This is an article I found on the relationship between native and western religions... please reference for class on Wednesday