July 23, 2023 Seeing the Future
Can we really see the Future? Or is it an undetermined unknown that does not exist until we reach that future point in time? We think we know the present, and the past is something that once occurred that we could reflect upon. But most people think the future is not yet written and does not exist. To further explore this train of thought I think it will be helpful to consider what it means to see the present.
Do we really see the present? Are we aware of the world around us, both the physical and mental environment? First, consider the physical environment. We think we see the world as it is. Our vision shows us a multitude of objects with a broad spectrum of colors. Wide agreement exists among humans about these objects and the details of their structure and appearance. However, people exist who have a different view of the physical world from the one the majority of us see. But they are considered exceptions with a physical abnormality. In addition to conditions such as color blindness, there is a condition called synesthesia in which wiring in the brain appears to be crossed: sights may appear as sounds and colors as taste. The stimulation of one sense crosses over to another sense, and sometimes both senses are triggered.
Ignoring these exceptions, what about most humans? Do we see the world as it exists? Let’s examine the process of seeing. Light emitted or reflected from objects in the form of electromagnetic radiation impinges on the retina of our eyes. Photoreceptors in the retina generate electrical signals that are sent to the brain via the optic nerve for processing by the visual center. The brain generates, based on these signals and other sense information, what we call a visual image. The image or what we “see” is a construct of the brain. The colors we see are a result of three types of receptors in the retina that are sensitive to red, green, and blue light. The light or electromagnetic radiation we see consists of energy at specific wavelengths. The electromagnetic radiation doesn’t have color. The R, G, B sensors in the retina find the proportion of red, green, and blue wavelengths received and the brain constructs the image based on that information.
The visual spectrum that the photoreceptors in the retina are sensitive to is only a tiny part of the entire electromagnetic spectrum that includes high energy gamma radiation, x-rays, ultraviolet waves, the visible spectrum, the infrared, and radio waves. A quick Google search (e.g., see https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Electromagnetic-Spectrum.svg) retrieves several sites with images showing the wavelength and frequencies of the electromagnetic waves for each part of the spectrum. Every day we are bombarded with radio waves, tv signals. Infrared radiation, visible light, and ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. We see only a fraction of the energy that surrounds us, and which supplies information about our world. If the person who is unnecessarily out in the hot sun in the summer during midday could see the UV, they might schedule their activities differently.
Among the mammals, humans’ vision is quite good with a large range of color perception (theoretically millions, see https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/how-humans-see-in-color.) As a comparison, dogs have two color receptors instead of three. They are missing the red and see primarily in the blue and yellow. And no, bulls cannot see red either. To dogs and bulls, red would just appear as a dark or gray shading. But some animals can see better than humans do. Bullfrogs and salmon can “see” in the infrared, and bees and butterflies “see” in the ultraviolet. Butterflies and mantis shrimp have more color receptors than humans and are believed to have the broadest visual range. Our visual resolution is decent, but hawks and eagles have a far superior ability to see details at a great distance. (For references see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_vision, https://askabiologist.asu.edu/colors-animals-see, and https://www.colormatters.com/color-matters-for-kids/how-animals-see-color.)
What about the other senses? We know from experience that many animals such as dogs can hear better than we can (especially higher frequencies, see https://ncraoa.com/dogs-hearing-range/), and dogs experience a different world through their heightened sense of smell as well as hearing. If you are in bear country, do not leave food out or in your car. Bears can smell food miles away (https://hikingandfishing.com/bears-sense-of-smell/). Some animals have night vision far superior to a human’s vision. The retina has rods and cones for photo receptors. The cones manage daylight vison and colors, and the rods are more sensitive to light levels and give us our vision in the dark. Familiar animals such as cats have a much greater density of rods giving them superior night vision (https://excitedcats.com/cat-vision-vs-human-vision/).
At this point you may wonder why I am presenting this information when the title of my post is Seeing the Future. My purpose is to make clear the limitations in our ability to see the physical world as it exists. Our brains construct a picture based on data from the photoreceptors in our eyes. What the brain constructs is limited by the information these receptors can capture. We do not see the world; we see the brain’s interpretation of the world based on what our physical sensors can capture. It has been good enough for humans to survive and prosper, but we have had to turn to technology to supplement what our eyes cannot show us. When you leave your house and look upon the world around you, you are only perceiving a limited version of that world. You are seeing the brain’s interpretation of reality. What actually exists is electromagnetic radiation with certain wavelengths transmitted or reflected from objects.
If we only see a limited subjective version of the physical world, what about our awareness and understanding of other humans: family members, friends, coworkers? Do we “see” the mental world: our thoughts, emotions, and social interactions correctly? Or maybe I should ask what the limitations are in this area. Now we are dealing with the world of thoughts: our thoughts and the thoughts of everyone else who makes up our world. Every day we make judgements about ourselves and those we meet. Based on our beliefs, beliefs they espouse, comments they make, how they dress, the friends they have, their occupation, politics, all lead us to form our opinions about them. Of course, we are limited by what we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch; the physical senses supply the information that our thoughts use to reach their conclusions. And we do not know other people’s thoughts—only what they tell us. But is that the whole story, the entire picture? For the physical picture of the world, we clearly are limited by our senses, which are enhanced to some degree by technology. Is our mental world also limited in any way other than our lack of ability to know another person’s thoughts?
Here we must differentiate between two major aspects of mind: the conscious and unconscious (often referred to as the subconscious, although they are not identical). Our daily conscious activity is based on the information from the senses that feeds into the conscious mind. The subconscious mind is the great reservoir of power that makes our physical movements seamless and manages automatic functions such as blood flow, cell reproduction, digestion, and breathing. But it does much more than that. Paranormal research has made it clear that communications can occur between individuals beyond the normal senses. Many still doubt the psychic, but at this point I believe the evidence is overwhelming that it exists. I do not want to debate this here. I have gone into this in detail in my dream books, which have been my own primary source of communication on a psychic level.
The subconscious is the receiver and generator of communications on a vast level that for the most part is not perceived by the conscious mind. These communications can be seen in dreams and during meditation or other altered states. Our dreams filter most of what inundates us and focus on what is important for us to know in the conscious state to help our lives.
You can think of the subconscious as being bombarded with an uncountable number of signals (the form is unknown). The subconscious filters out all but information that may be of interest or benefit to us. What is related in dreams is strongly influenced by our conscious motives, ideas, and interests.
Unfortunately, the vast amount of helpful information supplied nightly in our dreams is ignored by almost all people. Most are unaware of the nature and purpose of their dreams and make no effort to remember them. As a physical analogy, it would be like shutting off one, or more, of our senses and pretending it doesn’t exist. Our dreams show us a present that greatly expands on the present we see and know from our conscious awareness, which only shows us a a physical world limited by our senses and a mental world that is probably much more distorted and limited than the physical because of a lack of direct contact with other people’s minds and our own subconscious mind.
Earlier I commented on seeing colors and specific human limitations. The objects we see appear to us to be solid. However, science has shown that they are anything but solid. They are formed of molecules and atoms with a great amount of space between them. But our vision cannot show us that level of detail. To us most objects appear solid. If we want to see what objects are made of, we must turn to technology to extend our visual perception.
Hypersensitive individuals exist who claim to see auras or color patterns around other people. They may see layered energy bodies enshrouding the person. Sometimes psychic healers claim to perceive physical health issues from the appearance of grays or dark colors in the person’s aura. In New Age literature various energy bodies are described, which appear to owe their origin to Hinduism and other Eastern religions. Most scientists refute those psychics’ claims, but since even a normal image is a construct of the brain, I question how they can say a psychic is not seeing what they claim. However, they might argue that the construct is totally within the individual and is not because of any emanations from the person whose aura they claim to see. I do not believe that this is the case as my own psychic feelings have shown.
Clearly, we do not see things in any complete sense, even if you reject psychic perception. We build our personal world based on imperfect feelings of the world we inhabit. Both the physical world we see and the mental world we inhabit are created by our brains and conscious minds. Certainly, there is considerable agreement among people about the nature of the physical world because we all have the same kind of sense apparatus. There is much less agreement in our mental worlds, partially because of the exclusion of the subconscious mind as a source enlightenment and the fact that our mental worlds are personal, individually created.
If you want to see the future, then begin to really see the present. Pay attention to your surroundings and the details in your life. Wake up to the body language and moods of those around you; they are conveying nonverbal messages that may be more important than what they say. Examine your own feelings and try to understand what generated them. Become aware of yourself: your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.
Begin to record and study your dreams. Learn the language of your subconscious and you will find an entirely new level of perception and understanding. The world you see will be greatly enhanced and you will wonder why you didn’t see that world before. You will begin to see the future and discover it is contained within the present. You will understand that you create the future. In a real sense it already exists, and if you want to change it, you must begin with the present. Your future is not unknown; it just may be unknown to you. Your mental world is completely your creation and is unique to you. You can continue to live in the one you created or create a new one that removes barriers and opens new channels and opportunities.