GOING ON THE LOOKOUT

At first, i couldn't understand how animals used their panoramic vision, because as soon as i tried to be aware of something at the side, i started automatically focusing on that point.

So i fixed my eyes on a point straight in front, and then directed my attention to a point on the periphery, at about 30° up on one side. I immediately realised i could see points on the peripheries at 30° up on both sides simultaneously, still physically focusing on a boring focal point in front.

And it was interesting: it often changed my mood, even after just 30 seconds – so i wanted to do it more and find out what was happening.

Slowly, over a period of around three weeks, i chose different angles and looked over all the points of the compass.

Then, one day i realised that if i looked at a blank space in the sky, i could see the whole oval shape of my field of vision with multiple things moving.

It was amazing, a whole new world opened up. It's a totally different way of using the eyes... a completely different perspective on life.

It's a feeling of the direct sensory connection with everything which is happening all at the same time. It's panoramic.

It's not surprising that at times it feels like oneness. It's the whole picture, and it's wholesome.

First, go outside where there is movement, sit down for stability, and if you wear rimmed glasses, take them off.

We need to develop trust in our panoramic awareness. Otherwise, as soon as something moves or starts flashing we will automatically focus on it.

To overcome this habitual response, fix your eyes on a boring, neutral, and motionless focal point straight ahead, a mark on a post or the corner of a building, anything which isn't interesting and doesn't move – fix your eyes on it, but be aware of, and on the lookout for everything else. Pay special attention to the peripheries.

Then find a blank featureless wall, or a large monotonous area of sky, any area which has no focal point – look directly at it, but be aware of everything. Again, keep watch especially at the peripheries.

See everything without looking directly at anything. Wait until it all becomes the oval shape of your field of vision, then look at the whole picture.

The panoramic experience is strongest when lots of different things are moving, and then just notice them all, but never focus directly on anything.

The sensation is as though i'd always been looking at life as if i were looking at a T.V. screen, and now instead, it feels as though i'm right up inside the screen. The normal feeling of a subject looking at an object is considerably different. This is an intimate connection.

Panoramic awareness is a 'being with' what i'm seeing – instead of looking at it – immediately and directly connected with all that i sense.

And the quicker and more sudden the movements are, the more noticeable they are.

This is my experience and it just seems so logical and appropriate that animals would need to sense in this way in order to survive.

By using our eyes in this panoramic way, we can feel this amazement, without having anything awesome or beautiful to sense.

This is such a fundamental part of life that there are any number of ways to unlock the feeling and speed up the re-learning process. These are described in Warm-up Exercises. But first...

Please continue with Pre-Emptive Listening

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