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For a long time I've had a sticky on my desk quoting Ellen Langer--"Notice New Things."

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I love the lantern metaphor!

Most of the times that I've experienced this have been during or after physical experiences outdoors, for example, trail running in the mountains, high-speed sailing in San Francisco Bay, flying my paraglider in the mountains, ten thousand feet above the surface of the earth. But also, now that I think about it, in the liminal space between sleep and waking, and also sometimes, during creative collaboration. I have had hints of it, moments even, during meditation, which is why I've been practicing that again recently. I can't always be out in the water or up in the sky.

Scott Britton's post about meditation as a sport https://scottbritton.substack.com/p/if-you-struggle-to-meditate-or-stick helped me to start to see that perhaps meditation is as to consciousness-raising as running is to exercise. It doesn't have to be seen as any kind of magic. It's simple, effective and accessible any time, and can deliver results as just as dramatic as things that are _much_ more involved, expensive and time consuming.

I've written about this a bit here https://bowendwelle.substack.com/p/getting-stronger

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Really enjoyed this.

It really is all a matter of attention. The ways in which see and the ways we can see diffferently.

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I better understand the two times in my life that what I perceived as a distortion, might have been clarity. The first experience resulted from a near death experience early in life. Time was distorted and I viewed events from outside my body. Later, I explained this away with logical answers of having created the experience through dreams or imagination. The second event occurred when being gassed at a dental appointment where as the oxygen tank became empty and straight nitrous introduced me into a 5D world with an accompanying voices that showed me equations and fabulous things to life’s answers (including a cure for cancer, when asked). Of course years have passed and by moral pressures I have not taken the advice of that voice when I asked how I could revisit this ‘voice of knowledge again’ and it answered, “simply take LSD and you will find me,”. I am too cowardly to take a drug like that and be banished from moral acceptance of those dear to me. But, at least this ‘lantern consciousness’ might better explain the events might have been real.

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I love this post! I’ve done opening awareness life affirming meditation as taught in my practice community for some time. I notice my sense of moments having more potentiality, in ways that have surprised me in relationship w my wife for example, creativity in love. The lantern metaphor/ image is a great scaffolding for opening awareness.

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Such a joy to find new metaphors that capture thoughts or experiences I'm already familiar with!

Indeed, I have been able to go into lantern-mode many times since my childhood years, albeit with an unreliable and unpredictable frequency. I'd love to be more deliberate about it, because it's such a special experience. I feel like it's great way to pay tribute to my inner child, slow down and really connect with the world around me, not just rush through it like a high-speed train.

Speaking of children and their perpetual state of awe, I wrote a little piece today that sort of touches on what you said here. About our eyes being the part of us that never really grows up; they stay innocent and awe-seeking. And our adult minds that just come in and mess everything up. :)

Here it is: https://theyearofobservance.substack.com/p/colors-on-a-gray-canvas

Thank you for sharing this piece - I look forward to reading and learning more from you!

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