Taken now from my Book of Shadows,original auther unknown
THE SENSES
"We do not see things the way they are but as we are".
Jewish proverb
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Most people possess five senses: Sight, Touch, Smell, Hearing, and Taste. These can be attributed to the five elements, hence; they also find their place in the points of the Pentagram.
There is a "sixth sense", which is believed to reside within us all. There is some indication that this sense is transmitted in the genes, as some strongly psychic people have had strongly psychic children. It is conceivable that this sense is made up of all the information sent to the brain by our other senses. They gather together in our subconscious to create a separate, independent sense which furnishes any missing data relative to any experience.
When humans were in the early stages of Evolution (before the use of language) we possessed a very powerful form of "Telepathy". It was the only way which one could communicate with another. As the use of language became more prominent, telepathy diminished as we slowly ceased to use it. The use of the senses is an evolutionary process designed to help the species deal with problems. Most of the parts of the brain of which science is familiar are dedicated to the methodology of processing electrical signals sent by our senses. If the percentage of the brain which is unused can be used as a scale in which to measure human evolution, it then becomes clear that as a species we've got a long way to go.
There are ways to exercise this forgotten "sixth sense" and regain its use. The method which I have used with great success has proved to be a wonderful way to do this. I call it "Isolation", it is a form of sensory deprivation.
The method is quite simple: You isolate all of the senses but one by focusing all your attention on the particular chosen one. You accomplish this by doing everything possible to prevent stimuli to the other senses.
You may notice, for example, that a blind man has an acute sense of hearing and touch; while a deaf man possesses an incredible sense of sight and smell. This is because the consciousness required to operate the lost sense has been diverted to the healthy ones. Thus making it possible for the brain to divide the energy once used on the damaged faculty the other senses.
Imagine how much we could heighten the senses by alternately depriving all of them! Deprivation of the five will surely make you aware of the sixth.
This is not a new method. Egyptian adepts would subject their students to a similar method by making them spend days inside of pyramids. There they would find no light, sound, odors, or tastes. This proved to be quite a dreadful experience to all but a few very well balanced individuals. Let me explain something which must be made clear: WHEN THE BRAIN IS DENIED THE STIMULI FROM THE SENSES IT WILL IMPROVISE WITH DATA WHICH HAS BEEN STORED IN THE SUBCONSCIOUS. VISIONS, VOICES, FLAVORS AND ODORS ARE NOT UNUSUAL WHEN PERFORMING THESE EXPERIMENTS. IT IS EVEN POSSIBLE TO FEEL THINGS ON ONE'S SKIN. IT WOULD BE FOOLISH TO ATTEMPT THIS WORK WITHOUT HAVING FIRST BECOME ADEPT WITH THE LESSER BANISHING PENTAGRAM RITUAL AND HAVING PREPARED YOUR MIND AND BODY WITH PRANAYAMA.
The single and most important objective in this exercise is to enhance the senses so much that you can take them with you on the Astral Plane; where you must exercise complete control over your Astral Body. Exploring the Astral is a beautiful experience when you can see it. It is much more enjoyable when you can touch it, hear it, smell it, and taste it.
It is theorized that the Astral and Etheric Bodies to be made up of "Protoplasm"; only in rare cases can this be physically seen by others. The more of yourself that you bring into the Astral the denser, stronger, and visible the Astral Body.
Another word of warning: IF AT ANY TIME YOU HEAR, SEE, FEEL, OR OTHERWISE EXPERIENCE SOMETHING UNPLEASANT YOU MUST MAKE IT STOP. THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY IS THE "STAR RUBY". REMEMBER: THESE IMPRESSIONS MUST BE WILLED AND MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO MANIFEST UNTIL THEY ARE CALLED INTO CONSCIOUSNESS BY THE MAGICIAN. IT IS ALSO GOOD TO KEEP IN MIND THAT ANY IMAGE WHAT-SO-EVER IS A PROJECTION OF YOUR OWN SUBCONSCIOUS MIND. THEY COULD NOT EXIST ANY OTHER WAY! These impressions when properly understood can lead to better Knowledge of your Self, and of course, this must always be our goal.
There are many things at your disposal which you can use to isolate your senses. Ear plugs, blind-folds, nose-plugs, etc.
Because our skin is so sensitive to pressure, temperature, and pain; I recommend the use of a flotation tank. Asana works moderately well but it is quite uncomfortable unless you have mastered it. There are places you can go to, which for a nominal
fee you could spend some time in a flotation tank.
There are just as many things to enhance your senses: Music, the sound of the wind blowing on the trees, or the sound of the birds at sunrise. The taste of fruit and the fragrances of nature. The texture of bark, earth and rocks, or the softness and temperature of the air as it caresses your body. The coolness of the water and the heat of the Sun.
When working with sight, start with a living thing such as a tree. Look at it; I mean REALLY look at it. Notice the different shades of green and brown. Try to see its Aura. Is it more visible on the trunk or on the leaves? Find the True Beauty in all things that you encounter, they are there for your pleasure. Also, keep in mind that no two people ever see the same object in exactly the same light. You will soon realize how much we normally don't see. How much we take for granted! Do similar things with the other senses, always depriving those except the one you are working with. Keep records in your diary.After some time you will have trained your mind so that it will be able to fix its energy on one sense while depriving the others, all without the use of the tools mentioned above, and this will help you even on the Physical Plane.
We begin "Programming" our senses at birth when we have very little experience in the Physical Plane, our limited knowledge feeds us false information. That is why the Sages of Ancient times have always insisted that all is an illusion. To illustrate this point try this experiment:
1. Take a glass of hot water and put it in front of you on your left side.
2. Take a glass of cold water and place it in front of you on your right side.
3. Take a glass of room temperature water and place it in front of you between the other two glasses.
4. Put the forefinger of your left hand and place it in the hot water and keep it there. (Naturally you will feel heat).
5. Put the forefinger of your right hand and place it in the cold water and keep it there. (Naturally you will feel cold).
6. Take both of your fingers out of the hot and cold glasses and put them both into the glass containing the water at room temperature.
The finger that was once cold is now feeling hot, while the finger that was feeling heat is now feeling cold, yet the water is neither cold nor hot but room temperature. We are experiencing an illusion.
This is why we have to reprogram our senses, using the knowledge we have today. The exercises given above will also accomplish this.
There is yet another illusion that we face on a daily basis:
The illusion of color.
When we look at a tree, we see the color green in its foliage because that is the color that is being reflected by the leaves. This means that all the other colors except for green have been absorbed. In reality you are not seeing the tree, but a reflection of the tree. Everything which we see is Light. We perceive light in the same manner that radar perceives sound; instead of picking up noise being bounced off of objects we pick up light being reflected from them. The true color of the leaves on the tree must then be every other color except green (which is not being absorbed but reflected).By working with color scales and using a little imagination we can "train our brain" to pick up the true colors. Once we see the true essence of things we have overcome the illusion. (We see things for what they are. This process is what the Alchemists call: "The First Matter".)
