Hyper-Dimensional Exploration

I see it as a way of improving my perceptive abilities. The clearer we see the world, the easier it is to navigate through our problems. A hyper-dimensional model of the universe can explain, predict, and help us control how thoughts, emotions, ideas, and sensations flow around and in us. Consciousness is another dimension (or set of dimensions) distinct from but relating to the 3D + time we are familiar with. We are, in fact, constantly moving in hyperdimensions though we are unconscious of it.

The five senses imprison us in ways that are unconscious and invisible. Years ago, I read accounts of congenitally blind people who were given sight overnight thanks to innovative surgery. On being exposed to light for the first time, they were often completely disoriented. They wondered why people dragged black patches around with them wherever they went (we call them shadows). If asked how big a cow was standing a hundred yards away, they’d guess three inches tall; stairs were frightening two-dimensional ladders climbing straight up the wall. Sometimes these bizarre perceptions were so disturbing that the newly sighted preferred to sit in the dark with their eyes closed. Aren’t we doing much the same by clinging to the world of the five senses? (Deepak Chopra on Forbes.com)

There are techniques, ancient and new, that allow one to consciously move in hyperdimensions. For example, in a lucid dream, one is aware that one is dreaming and thus may have some degree of conscious control over the dream environment and body. Lucid dreams are good practice for seeing the how much we are responsible for our perceptions even in waking life. There is a kind or cousin of lucid dreams called out-of-body experiences or etheric projection where you actually perceive the same world that other people see but with things added or subtracted depending on what your mind is attuned to. I can go out-of-body, but I'm not sure how well my perceptions correspond to consensus reality.

Indigenous shamans use altered states to help their tribesmen heal from life threatening diseases. They do this by going into the spirit realm (a dimensional shift) and imploring their helper spirits to reintegrate their client's soul or to remove a spirit parasite.

The Buddha cautioned practictioners from becoming attached to what he termed the deva realms. I can imagine how easy it would be to get intoxicated with power and sink to the lower realms. In many sutras, I remember the admonitions to notice these states and let them pass so that the meditator can move on up to full enlightenment. Well, I'm a curious tourist. :) I'm going to stay at some spots, soak in the air, and take a lot of pictures before moving on. Plus these altered states have overtaken me unintentionally since I was a kid. Only now that I've practiced them can I control them a little.