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Taken from KeelyNet BBS (214) 324-3501
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March 8, 1992
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Night.ASC
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This file shared with KeelyNet courtesy of Keith Idell.
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I am always interested in anything that expands human capabilities
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and human abilities. This artical in The Whole Earth Review (Fall
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1991) is extremely applicable to this end, that is; extending human
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perception. The artical is entitled "Nightwalking: Exploring the
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Dark with Peripheral Vision", by Nelson Zink and Stephen Parks.
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____________________________________________________________________
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It all began one afternoon a couple of years ago. We were talking
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about people who have the ability to see farther or more deeply or
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more clearly than the rest of us, those exceptional individuals who
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can easily master complexity and ambiguity and arrive at startling
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insights.
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We began to speculate on the possibility that these people weren't
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just smarter or more creative than the average person but perhaps
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literally saw the world in a different manner. As we looked for
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direct connections between the literal and figurative meanings of
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words like sight and vision, it slowly became apparent that we were
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onto something. We reviewed the physiology of sight and discovered
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that neural structures exist within the eye and begin which
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facilitate a way of seeing that is radically dissimilar from the one
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we're accustomed to using. We confirmed that there is, indeed, a
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neurological basis for a distinct "second" type of sight, and that
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this way of seeing is available to all of us all the time. (Usually
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we are so absorbed with our focused vision that we're unaware of its
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power.)
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Perpheral vision.
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Could peripheral vision possibly be related to Vision, to Insight,
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to all those capitalized powers of perception? Searching for
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references that might shed light on second sight, we found that
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while many individuals weren't particularly aware of how they
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accomplished their achievements, the reports contained eery
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similarities. We found a succession of texts from the Taoists of
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early China through the books of Carlos Castaneda that spoke of a
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certain kind of all-seeing gaze. It was often difficult to
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determine whether the authors were speaking literally or
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metaphorically, but it was perfectly clear in the case of Miyamoto
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Muksashi, the legendary swordsman of fifteenth century Japan, who
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had the clearest and most insightful description of the powers of
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peripheral vision we found.
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Page 1
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In The Book of Five Rings, Musashi refers to the two types of sight
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which he calls Ken and Kan. Ken registers the movements of surface
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phenomena; it's the observation of superficial appearence. Kan is
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the profound examination of the essence of things, seeing through or
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into. For Musashi, Ken is seeing with the eyes, Kan is seeing with
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the mind.
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The difference is akin to that of style verses substance. Musashi
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gives instructions for developing Kan sight: "It is important to
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observe both sides without moving the eyes. It is no good trying to
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learn this kind of thing in great haste. Always be watchful in this
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manner and under no circumstances alter your point of
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concentration."
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While Musashi certainly didn't understand the physiology of sight,
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he was acutely aware of the difference between cone and rod vision.
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We reviewed the science of vision and read that the retina of the
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human eye is composed of three distinct areas: the fovea, macula and
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peripheral region. Each area performs a distinctive visual function
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and contributes to the sense we call sight. Because these different
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functions operate simultaneously and blend into each other, they
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aren't normally differentiated.
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The fovea is a small circular pit in the center of the retina packed
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with an unbelievable concentration (160,000 cells per square
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millimeter, an area about the size of the head of a pin) of color-
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sensitive receptor cells called cones, each with its own nerve
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fiber. The fovea enables the average person to see most sharply
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within a cercle less than an eighth of an inch in diameter at a
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distance of twelve inches from the eye.
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Surrounding the fovea is the macula, an oval body of color-sensitive
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cells. Macular vision is quite clear, but not as clear and sharp as
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foveal vision, because the cones aren't as closely packed as they
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are in the fovea. We use the macula for reading or watching
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television, among other things.
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Moving away from the central portin of the retina, the character and
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quality if vision changes radically. The capacity to see color
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diminishes as the color-sensitive cones become more scattered. Fine
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vision associated with closely packed cones, each with its own
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neuron, shifts to a coarser vision in which two hundred or more of a
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different type of receptor cell - the rods -are each connected to a
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single neuron. The effect of the connections between rods is to
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amplify the perception of motion and light while reducing the
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capacity for distinguishing detail.
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For our purposes, we began to think of the retina as divided into
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two areas: the fovea and macula, both with high concentrations of
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cones, and the periphery, where rods predominate - in short, cone
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and rod vision, responsible respectively for focused and peripheral
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vision. A quick way of understanding the extent of these two
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regions of sight is to extend your fists directly in front, side by
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side. Your fists cover the approximate area normally seen by cones;
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the rest of your visual field is largely rod mediated. Thus it's
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apparent that only a small percentage of our total visual field is
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clearly focused. Attending only to this region results in what is
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commonly called tunnel vision - figuratively and literally, as we've
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come to believe.
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Page 2
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It became evident to us that many of the special perceptions we
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sought came from the ability to observe the world and ourselves from
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a "different point of view," in a broader, unfettered context.
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In time the obvious struck us, that the experience of insight, rapid
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learning, invention, creativity, intuition, and perhaps even
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personal change have a direct connection with second sight, a sight
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dependent almost completely on the brain's capacity for processing
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peripheral vision.
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We decided to try to develop a technique which would effectively
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stimulate which would effectively stimulate this special way of
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seeing. After some trial and error we originated an exercise and
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designed a simple piece of equipment which seemed to enhance our
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access to decond sight.
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On the bill of a baseball cap we mounted a metal rod welded to
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a binder clip, extending about a foot in front of our eyes. On the
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tip of each rod we glued a small bead of plastic resin about the
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size of a baby green pea. This created a fixed point on which to
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focus. We reasoned that with our focused vision on the bead, any
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physical activity would necessitate the use of peripheral vision.
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We chose hiking.
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We drove out into the countryside near our homes in northern New
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Mexico, found a place where we wouldn't be interrupted, donned our
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caps and set out. In the beginning, disoriented and functionally
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blind, we made our way cautiously along an old jeep trail. Soon we
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noticed that our feet seemed to know what to do. We stepped over
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and around obstacles on the ground without consciously being able to
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see them. It became apparent that our non-conscious minds could see
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the ground directly on front of us perfectly well.
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Within an hour our field of vision began to clear, and we both
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became engrossed with the phenomenon of seeing double. Walking
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behind, one could watch two identical people moving up ahead,
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walking side by side, each making identical movements. A sort of
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Zen paradox arose as to which was the real one. We later understood
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that the solution to this and other "reality" paradoxes was an
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important part of learning to use and trust second sight.
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As we walked we began to notice that other senses such as hearing,
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balance and touch naturally expanded and became more acute, as if
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we'd gradually become conscious of the peripheral regions of these
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senses too. Concurrently, the perception of "weight" shifted lower
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in our bodies, to the hips and on down to our feet.
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After a couple of hours of walking along the road we began to
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experience a deep sense of relaxation. We noticed our hands had
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warmed considerably, an indication that stimulation of the
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parasympathetic nervous system was somehow related to the experience
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of second sight.
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Each time we have walked (probably a hundred times by now), a sense
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of deep calm has been experienced. It took a while to understand
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what was going on, but our theory is this: Walking while relying
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only on second sight requires that the conscious mind trust the non-
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conscious, and this inter-mind trust is the essence of relaxation
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itself.
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Page 3
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On the next few outings we picked steeper grades and rougher
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terrain. We found we could easily control fatigue and pain by using
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an application of will - focusing attention on the tired body part,
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for instance, and moving the discomfort off to the edges of
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awareness, virtually the same process as moving our attention about
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in the great field of peripheral vision without moving our eyes.
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In our reading we had been reminded that in darkness, peripheral
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(rod) vision is far superior to focused (cone) vision. Night vision
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relies almost entirely on rods, which because of their neural
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connections and physical makeup are very sensitive to light. Rods
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need about thirty minutes of dark or dim red light to activate
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fully, and then, it is claimed, they have the capacity to detect a
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single photon - the equivalent, in clear air, of detecting the flame
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of a candle that is ten miles away.
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In the dark, cones are for the most part visually useless, and so we
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figured that walking in the dark woukd force us to become even more
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dependent on peripheral vision. It was time to up the ante.
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We modified the headgear by painting the beads with luminescent
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paint and increased our daily intake of Vitamin A (necessary for the
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formation of visual purple, a substance which enables the eyes to
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adjust from bright light to darkness) to 50,000 IU for a week to
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make sure we weren't deficient.
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We picked an area where we hadn't walked before and started out
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around sunset. For the first hour of walking we noticed all the
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familiar inner shifts and sensations. And then something strange
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happened: we entered the night. We really don't have better
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description. When it became apparent that we could see perfectly
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well, the night became alive. Rabbits hopped by, nighthawks and
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bats flew past to check us out. Our steps got lighter, walking was
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approaching the status of flight. We felt like we'd fully entered
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the experience of second sight.
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Other senses expanded even more than we'd experienced before.
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Balance became much more sensitive. Later we developed a very slow-
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waking kind of Tai Chi just to enjoy this exquisite sense of
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balance. Our skin started to feel peculiar, more "solid" perhaps,
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and we found we could walk comfortably in quite chilly air without
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any clothes. Probably due to our increased ability to concentrate
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and the air qualities of night, hearing and smell were vastly
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improved. As we became proficient at seeing in the dark, we found
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that we could run down arroyos and climb steep banks in the dead of
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night, all the while focusing on the luminescent beads. With the
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calm of Nightwalking, we discovered that anxiety and fear of the
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dark, so common in our culture, are effectively eliminated.
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Fear, anxiety and even physical pain are seemingly associated with
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focused vision, while peripheral processes engender relaxation and
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delight, a state we have half-seriously dubbed Sense-Surround.
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A friend heard what we were doing and tipped us off to Alexandra
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David-Neel, who for some years studies and toured in Tibet. In
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Magic and Mystery in Tibet, she describes her encounter with and
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investigation of Lung-gom-pas, Tibetan spiritual walkers of
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extraordinary ability. According to David-Neel, "The walker must
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nerther speak, nor look from side to side. He must keep his eyes
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Page 4
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fixed on a single object and never allow this attention to be
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attracted by anything else. When the trance state has been reached,
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though normal consciousness is for the greater part suppressed, it
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remains sufficiently alive to keep the walker aware of the obstacles
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in his way and mindful of his direction and goal." We felt in good
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company.
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Nightwalking became one of the most consistently relaxing and
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exhilarating experiences either of us had ever had. The reports,
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ancient and modern, turned out to be true - employing second sight
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did facilitate a distinct change in perciption and sense of
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wellbeing. Not only were we learning to travel freely in the dark;
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it was becoming apparent that this capability connected us more
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directly to the non-conscious. Far from being a storehouse of fear,
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we found it an incredible protector, dedicated to our safety and
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happiness.
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Just to make sure we weren't doing something that might cause undue
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eye strain, we thought it might be wise to take an optometrist on a
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Nightwalk. We contacted a respected Santa Fe pracitioner who
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initially sounded sleptical but agreed to join us.
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Not only did he give us a clean bill of health, but by the end of
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his first walk he was speculating about the possible value of
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Nightwalking in treating myopia.
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We began wondering whether Nightwalking would prove as exciting and
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useful for others as it did for us. So we planned a training which
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was divided into four sessions of about three hours each, covering
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varions terrains and their attendant challenges.
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The first group of a dozen trainees assembled shortly after sundown
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in the dry stream bed of the Rio de oa Truchas, on Bureau of Land
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Management land between Santa Fe and Taos. Hats and rods were
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passed out along with simple instructions: Watch the rod tip and
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keep it up near the horizon, walk slowly and start to notice the
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scenery to the sides as you pass by. With a sense of mystery and
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excitement this first group set out, walking single-file into the
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twilight.
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Musashi had given instructions for a particular kind of stance to
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practice while using second sight. We had fiddled with it early on
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but found that the stance came naturally while engaging in second
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sight. We wondered if people would automatically adopt this stance
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as they became more proficient at Nightwalking. They did, and we
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found we could tell if a particular person was using second sight
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just by watching their walk.
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After the third session everyone could run over the rocks and gravel
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in dry stream beds in the dark using only second sight. By the
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fourth session members of the group could take the lead and find
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their way unerringly on the darkest of dark nights. After twelve
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hours of practice, virtually every one in the group could enter
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second sight at will, which had taken us about a year to figure out
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and master. After the training we queried participants about the
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lasting effects of the experience. Most of them reported shifts in
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their worldly perception and daily lives. Several commented on
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their increased ability to quiet "brain chatter." Virtually all
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walkers said their awareness of the world around them was broadened,
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Page 5
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and they were less "stuck" in their heads. As someone in a later
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group aptly pointed put: "This is really about convergence. It's
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about taking a whole bunch of things that are semi-clear and
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converging them into a single crystalline vision."
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TIPS ON NIGHTWALKING
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For people living outdoors, peripheral vision is critical for
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staying alive. It may be time to rediscover it. Here are a few
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tips. Fix yourself a modified cap and adjust it so the rod tip is
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directly in line with your nose at eye level. Focus on the tip as
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you walk around your house. Then try walking around the yard.
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Avoid places where there may be traffic or drop-offs. In the
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beginning your vision will seem blurred. Pay attention to the total
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field of vision, far to the sides and up and down. Slowly you'll be
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able to perceive a fairly clear field of vision with only the center
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(cone vision) blurred, doubled in fact. As your field of vision
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begins to clear take it as an indication that you're switching over
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to second sight.
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Later you can begin to examine elements in your field of vision by
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simply moving your attention to them. Notice that we say attention,
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not eyes. Your eyes should remain constantly on the tip of the rod.
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This is really what second sight is about, using just peripheral
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vision and the mind to gather and process visual information. The
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first part will take about three hours, the second about the same
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length of time.
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By keeping your eyes focused on the rod tip while walking, you will
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eventually break two strong visual habits - relying only on cone
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vision and moving the eyes to new points of interest. Find a place
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to walk in the dark which is out of the range of artificial lights.
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Pick a night with little or no moon; take a friend.
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Because of the rods' extreme sensitivity to light, you may see
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unusual light phenomena. Some of this is imaginary, caused by
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"overcharging" of unused optic nerves, the rest results from natural
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or bioluminescence. Over time Nightwalking sensitizes the eye and
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brain, so some of what you see may surprise you. We've become aware
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of light-emitting bacteria in rotting logs and along the veins of
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certain plants. Fireflies seem like strobe lights. Glow worms are
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blinding. A quarter moon rising on a clear night can bring tears to
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your eyes with its brightness.
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Enjoy, Keith Idell
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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If you have comments or other information relating to such topics
|
||
as this paper covers, please upload to KeelyNet or send to the
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Vangard Sciences address as listed on the first page.
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Thank you for your consideration, interest and support.
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Jerry W. Decker.........Ron Barker...........Chuck Henderson
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Vangard Sciences/KeelyNet
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If we can be of service, you may contact
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