What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly.  Who decides normal, the spider or the fly?  Our frame of reference determines our reality.  If we increase the bandwidth of this frame of reference, will it change our reality?

Can We Escape The Illusion of Reality?

Most people go along with the boundaries set by their culture.  It is the dominant culture that determines what is acceptable.   To be successful in any given culture, you must learn to live within the boundaries they set, within “the illusion of normal.”

Experiences and ideas outside the cultural benchmark threaten those who control cultural folklore.  Believe it or not, the general cultural narrative was more inclusive in the past than today.  Can we learn how to escape the illusion of reality?  Yes, we can.

We know previous cultures were more inclusive.  They accepted those who were unusual or gifted.  These are what people today call primitive cultures, but are they primitive?  Who decides what is expected in our modern world?

The Illusion of Normal

“The possibility of stepping into a higher plane is quite real for everyone.  It requires no force or effort or sacrifice.  It involves little more than changing our ideas about what is normal.” — Deepak Chopra

Recent scientific studies prove that we can’t fix the harmful elements of society by fixing our genes.  (1)  Our DNA only contributes a fraction of what results in behavior.  Ninety-nine percent of what controls our perceptions and values comes from the dictates of our dominant culture.  They make defining your own reality impossible.

Who Decides Normal?

Whoever is programming the dominant worldview gets to decide what is normal or abnormal.  The question is, did you choose what values to adopt after doing unbiased research, or are they simply a reflection of what the dominant culture wants you to believe?

“Anyway, what does wrong mean? Who decides what’s wrong and what’s right?” —  Hiroshi Ishizaki

But we are only stuck with the template we are given if we accept it and let it become the template for our worldview.  One of the most important choices we can make is questioning what we believe and why.  Defining your own reality begins with this question.

We can use a process like compared comparison, a structured form of comparative religious study, to analyze what we think.  More often than not, you’ll find that religious beliefs have deep roots in mythology and superstition that are inherently harmful, biased, and prejudiced.  Who decides normal?

“Every decision in your life is controlled by your beliefs and values.  You may not realize it, but you have the power to choose what you believe about your life, people, money, and health.  You can either choose beliefs that limit you or beliefs that empower you to move toward success.  Your beliefs energize you to create the world you want to live in right now.  The key is to be aware of them because what you value determines what you focus on.” —  Tony Robbins

What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly

The analogy of the spider and fly tells us that normal is relative to your perspective and worldview.  The dominant entity is who decides normal.  If we are the fly, can we escape the illusion of reality created by the spider?  No.  Not if we live in this world.

It’s the same for people and their cultures.  The definition of “normal” is enforced by those who write the rules.  It’s why people who don’t follow the dictates of popular culture are outcasts.

In every culture, people are born with the natural ability to traverse different states of consciousness.  Every culture has some guidelines about how to handle these gifted individuals.  Many ancient cultures valued these Seers, Shaman, and Healers.

In generations past, these gifted individuals were seen as the providers of great wisdom, knowledge, and healing of mind, body, and soul.  For them, non-ordinary reality or the paranormal is simply another vantage point of existence.  Their community was much more inclusive.  They don’t need to learn or use any techniques.

These gifted individuals teach others how to tap into these other realities.  They understood how different paradigms could benefit society.  They understood that what is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly.  An inclusive culture makes room for and values those who could see things differently.  This inclusive philosophy is something we are struggling to reinstall.

“The problem with the stigma around mental health is really about the stories that we tell ourselves as a society.  What is normal?  That’s just a story that we tell ourselves.” — Matthew Quick

Remember the world of the spider and the fly?  Who decides normal, the spider and the fly?  It is the spider, of course.  In our world, who represents the spider?  Organized religion is the spider.

The Illusion of Normal

What’s stopping you from defining your own reality?  The inclusive culture outlined above became taboo when the Abrahamic religions took control.  These are Semitic religions (2) of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  They are the renamed versions of the mythologies that dominated the Medditrainian in the 1st Century.  They are comprised of the so-called mystery religions from Egypt, Babylon, Persia, and Assyria.  Here’s where you find the original stories of rebirth.

However, the Semitic religions don’t want you to question their lineage or the cultural narrative they are pushing.  If you are a customer of these religions, they dictate your beliefs.  So, who decides what is normal for you?  They do.  How to escape the illusion of reality they present is a challenge for the modern world.

In the analogy of the spider and the fly, which are you?  If you are a follower of these organized religions, you think you are the spider, but you’re the fly.  You are the resource, the cash flow for the spider.

The illusion of normal is simply a set of Western cultural standards.  Even if you don’t believe in their superstition and mythology, their reach still affects you.  The Abrahamic religions force their values, bias, and prejudice on the culture.

We are products of the cultural narrative we spend our formative years.  If we are lucky, we grow up around open-minded freethinkers.  However, a large portion of the world is still inherently harmful and morally corrupt.  It’s easy to spot.  It’s a cultural narrative that promotes sectarianism, genocide, and racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination.

If you want to know how to escape the illusion of reality, you must have the courage to ask hard questions.  It starts by escaping the entity that controls the cultural narrative.  The religions which govern this are the Abrahamic religions, with nearly 4 billion members worldwide (3).

There was once just one source of this cultural programming, namely religion.  As civilization progressed, religious mythology took root within the culture.  It reflects society’s backward, regressive, and repressive values through all media.  It infiltrates the government with its discriminatory ideas.

We grow up in society thinking this is supposed to be.  Our skewed reality is the illusion of normal.  It is nothing more than an arbitrary benchmark that supports a delusion.  It’s an illusion created to maintain control of our values and behaviors.

How to Escape the Illusion of Reality

This illusion is easy to see if you travel to a foreign country where the paradigm differs vastly from yours.  Most people can only perceive what we expect to perceive.  Their beliefs limit their perception of reality.

“People live their lives bound by what they accept as correct and true.  That’s how they define reality.  But what does it mean to be “correct” or “true”?  Merely vague concepts… Their reality may all be a mirage.  Can we consider them to simply be living in their own world, shaped by their beliefs?” ― Masashi Kishimoto

What people call the paranormal is normal for the Witch and Shaman.  These people “see” through the veil separating normal from non-ordinary reality.  So, they threaten the status quo of the dominant cultural frame of reference.

In the past, indigenous cultures knew how to care for and cultivate those with these gifts.  They helped facilitate the use of these natural talents.  Many cultures developed some form of Shamanic Journey.  It provided access to the realms we call non-ordinary reality or the paranormal.

Defining Your Own Reality

The Shamanic Journey is available to everyone.  The beginner should always prepare and proceed with proper instruction by a qualified teacher.  It’s a “best practice” to work with others who experience this inner work.  It is true even if the solitary path is your calling.

So the Witch or Shaman brings great value to others’ lives.  They assist and guide in the healing of spiritual and physical trauma.  Sometimes this is a significant risk to their health and well-being.

Joseph Campbell (4) is a good source for understanding your worldview.  He was a researcher and teacher of comparative religious studies.  In his work, the Hero’s Journey, he outlines the pattern found in many ancient traditions for the cycle of the spiritual quest.  You’ll find this pattern in many religions, including the fictionalized lives of the leaders of the Semitic religions.

What are the implications?

We know those who control maintain the “illusion of normal.” However, it is an artificial construct of values.  So, we must learn to see beyond this construct to “see” reality.  The first step is admitting your current view of reality is an illusion.

Please realize that we are programmed to judge.  Then you will remove the layers of the cultural narrative that are obscuring reality.  Believe it or not, the study of logical reasoning is one of the best tools for any spiritual explorer.

In Conclusion

Who decides normal?  Is it you or someone else?  Who is stopping you from defining your own reality?  It is you.  You get to choose.

“Normal is an illusion.  What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly.” ― Charles Addams

If you want to know how to escape the illusion of reality skewed by religious sectarian biases and bigotry, stop supporting them financially.   Speak against religious extremists attempting to return our culture to the dark ages.

References

(1) What is Normal anyway?  
(2) Abrahamic Religions.
(3) List of World’s Religions by Population.
(4) Joseph Campbell’s book The Hero with a Thousand Faces.