Time Travel

Transitions between one parallel universe to another are not slow but abrupt. Parts of you will die and that's okay - it's called evolution, sometimes even time travel. How different would your reality be if you just realized it's always fleeting?

enlightened or insane?

I don't know what's been happening to me, but recently I have been experiencing random bursts of short-term memory loss eversince I have started meditating on a regular basis. It's not so much as memory loss as it resembles the feeling of awareness and alertness. I find difficulty in describing the experience but you will know what I am talking about if you've ever smoked good sativa, it resembles that sensation. Trying desperately not to sound new-agey, but I find no other group of words to describe it besides, "a feeling of now".

It has not been the first time I have experienced such a "natural high", but I find them increasing in progression and sometimes, I even find myself being able to trigger the high in certain situations. Whenever I feel it kicking in, what I do is gently touch the right side of my face, then I scratch my ears. When it feels like someone else is scratching, it starts and sometimes it can last a whole day.

I remember the first time it happened, I was waiting for a jeepney on the corner of our street. I looked at the stranger behind me (who was also waiting for a jeepney). Somehow, the slight shift in visual perception triggered the effect. For a second I didn't know where I was or what I was doing there. Then, I remembered that I was waiting for a jeepney, then carried on. The high lasted for most of the day until it started dwindling off.

I remember another incident when this happened, I was listening to an audio book of Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now". If you have listened to that book, you will know that every chapter begins with the sound of a chime. Well, I was falling asleep, half awake when a new chapter began. The sound of the chime triggered the effect again. Much like the effect of THC (atleast for me), the sensation does not carry on after sleep. I have also not noticed any unusual differences in my dreams.

I have also noticed that listening to this beautiful Hare Krishna song will sometimes trigger the effect, but only when I also sing along to the Maha Mantra: (You can try it out and let me know if you feel anything similar.)

The thin line between insanity and enlightenment

In one of Duncan Trussell or Joe Rogan's podcasts, they compare the difference between a madman and a yogi. I can't remember the exact words, but it goes something like this: If enlightenment was the ocean, then the difference between a yogi and an insane person is that the yogi is wearing diving gear. It makes quite an interesting point and I have been thinking and playing with the thought that what I am experiencing may either be insanity or enlightenment, and I am slowly starting to come to terms that there might not be any difference between the two. If you have ever smoked weed before, or any psychadelics, then you know that the trip will depend upon your environment and/or the state of mind you are in. Fear builds fear. The paranoia that comes from weed comes from the very thought of paranoia, which might possibly explain why most first-timers experience bad trips. If you relate this to enlightenment, then enlightenment will be totally dependent on your intent and how you wish to approach it. If you believe you are going insane, then you most probably are. ( I do not recommend anyone checking themselves into any mental institutions. ) That said, I think what we can take from this and possibly contemplate on is how powerful perspective and visualization are and how important they are in attaining the best possible paths for our lives.