Unexpected Dimensions of Vision

I wear glasses for distance vision, but really Im still not seeing clearly. I’ve noticed glasses are ineffectual to the real issue at hand. They deliver crisp outlines to what I see, but the deeper issue is im only actually seeing, which is to say acknowledging the presence of, about 20% of what’s actually in view. Im overlooking the vast majority of that which is very directly in front the eyes, in reasonable proximity, with nothing physical impeding my witnessing it. It feels like the 80% directly in front of me is selectively invisible to me and no pair of specs will address this.

So as I understand it, I don’t know what Im not seeing — its hidden from sight and therefore effectively doesn’t exist in my world view. Only through the contrast of occasional glimpses into an altered state of quite spectacular vision, I sense my capacity to see is restricted to what roughly feels like a 2 dimension field, as opposed to a 3D field of vision. 

The gift of this awareness comes from working through eye exercise to improve sight (the Bates method is one of many). And one month in, whilst my eyesight has yet to improve, the more pertinent gift has obviously been the window into my own framework for how I perceive life. 

Brief openings in vision reveal a vastly different full bodied, experientially deeper experience. One rich in vibrancy, depth of texture and colour. But what makes the altered state so profound is not the physical aspect of the content in view, it’s the sense of inherent aliveness, of thriving vitality that emanates of harmony and elegance, heralding a world in beautiful communion as I gaze upon it. The comparison is stark, what I thought was true for that which I saw, seems in comparison so dull, grey, lifeless, and somehow lacking an essential dimension of life. 

Whats interesting is that this basic setup is true for my hearing as well. Ive come to see I equally don’t hear what’s really going on around me either… clever huh. And just with vision, its the obvious, close proximity sounds im completely overlooking. Again what Ive presumed to be the truth of sounds around me is actually a slimmed down, diminished subset of the truer, much broader cachophony of sound that bathes me in every moment. 

In a state where I see a fuller gamete of reality in front of me, or hear a greater depth of sound around me, the world feels richer. I feel im engaging in a reality of much greater depth.