You live in a perception bubble.
What I mean is that the eyes, made up of the world, can only see the world.
The ears, made up of the world, can only hear the world.
The brain, made up of the world, can only think about the world.
It’s all a bubble, and a damn good one.
This begs the question,
“how on earth could you possibly know this?”
You have a subtle and infinitely flexible “hand”. It’s called awareness. As it turns out, the “fingers” of your awareness is fine enough to slip past these gatekeepers of the world.
There have even been times in your history, when you were relaxed and innocent enough, that you’ve slipped out of the perception bubble spontaneously. Statistically speaking, most likely when you were young.
The experience was grandly expansive, delicate, content, peaceful, and yet it dissipates when trying to grasp onto it, name it, remember it in order to describe it to someone in the future. Then the mind kicks in and discounts and doubts it. Not helping matters, we were not brought up with a vocabulary to describe being “out of bubble”.
Some psychedelics can certainly force the experience. It is like punching your “awareness hand” outside your perception bubble. But drugs are scattershot, too unreliable, too unhealthy for the long-term, and there’s always a chance for a “bad trip” that you can’t exit whenever you want. A single bad trip could turn you off to self-exploration, which would be a shame.
“But how do you know there’s a perception bubble?”
I can’t make a machine to measure this “out of bubble” experience and prove it to you. Like some kind of cosmic measuring tape. The refined experience is completely subjective, but that doesn’t make it less real.
It’s just that you have to experience it for yourself. And not just once.
Like exercise for the body, “going beyond” is a lifestyle to be done regularly. One off's are nice, but you really need to anchor the experience to trust that it is real and see the effects ripple out into your daily life and through your relationships.
“How would it even be possible to get out of this perception bubble? And if so, what’s the point?”
Oh, it is possible. Even desirable.
Getting glimpses of awareness “beyond the bubble,” you may find that you’ve been suffering and haven’t even known it—the suffering was so interwoven with who you thought you were.
Like your constant thinking that you cannot shut off, and thereby assume that thinking is you.
(It is not. You are much more than your thoughts. So much more.)
For example, imagine who you’d be with a spacious, clear mind where the majority of your thoughts were creative and connective.... Hmm.
The nuts ‘n bolts of breaking the bubble are related to meditation. Though just like anything else, some forms of meditation are more suited to the task, and some are a waste of time. (Sorry to be so blunt, but honestly did you think all meditation is the same?)
Even in the realm of religion, tucked away, there are those who advocate for a religious-themed meditation to help loosen awareness past its perception bubble.
I can think of The World Community for Christian Meditation in Christianity, for example. Those Christians who do practice meditation in addition to their faith will experience their Teacher’s words at a deeper level. “The kingdom of heaven is within” is not only poetic, but a perfect hint toward a larger, experience-able truth. The key is that those words were meant to be experienced internally, not hung on a wall.
The point again?
In your most private moments, you have felt like something is missing in life. That buying another thing... or traveling to another locale... or starting another relationship... just isn’t going to fill you up like it once did. Likely you felt this when you were alone with yourself for an extended period. Or when life was going horribly sideways.
If you follow that feeling of disconnect back to its source, that “something’s missing” feeling will also take you “beyond the bubble”. There are anecdotes of such intense, focused suffering being the catalyst to breaking the bubble permanently. But make no mistake, it is an incredibly painful route. Meditation is much, much more gentle and comfortable—when taught properly and sustainably.
The point of all of this is that you will not be enjoying the fullness of who you are until you begin to touch this larger part of you “beyond the bubble”.
There is a fantastic peace waiting for you, waiting to return you to the inner state you once had as a child.
It is there always, waiting for you to loosen the grip of your untrained, misdirected “awareness hand”.
Soothe your heart and mind
Take time at the dawn of your day to go within. Meditate. Go within.
(Or find a competent “perception bubble bursting” teacher. One that will empower you.)
Because life is too short to be locked in a pretty bubble, looking out, pretending to be satisfied.