"We each must become like fishermen, and go out onto the dark ocean of
mind, and let your nets down into that sea.

"And what you're after is not some behemoth that will tear through your

nets, foul them, and drag you and your little boat into the abyss. Nor
are
what we looking for a bunch of sardines, that can slip through your net

and disappear, ideas like 'have you ever noticed that your little
finger
exactly fits your nostril' and stuff like that.

"What we are looking for are middle-sized ideas that are not so small
that
they are trivial, and not so large that they are incomprehensible, but
middle-sized ideas that we can wrestle into our boat and take back to
the
folks on shore, and have fish dinner.

"And everyone of us, this is what we should be looking for. It's not
for
your elucidation, it's not part of your self-directed psychotherapy;
you are
an explorer, and you represent our species.

"And the greatest good you can do is to bring back a new idea, because
our world is endangered by the absence of good ideas. Our world is in
crisis because of the absence of consciousness.

"And so, to whatever degree, any one of us can bring back a small piece

of the picture, and contribute it to the building of the new paradigm.
Then we participate in the redemption of the human spirit."

- Terence McKenna

Q&A on another way to perceive your reality...

This is an excerpt taken from the book by Rob Brezny: *PRONOIA IS  THE ANTIDOTE FOR PARANOIA: How the  Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings*

"Dear Beauty and Truth Laboratory: Help! My old Buick's transmission is   dead, my credit cards are   maxed, my kid's got to see the    dentist real  bad,  and the       one-speed bike I ride everywhere is about to collapse. I'm  working  two low-paying jobs already,     although I just applied for a more  lucrative  gig as a strip-club  dancer, only I'm having so much    mysterious pain in  my  joints   I'm not sure how sexy my gyrations will be. Please clue me in to    some tricks that will help me keep a pronoiac attitude in the midst of  the  mess that is my life.    —Pickled"  

Dear Pickled: Here's the first    thing I want to tell you: Pronoia does  not  assume that material   comfort is a sign of divine favor. The universe is  an  equal-      opportunity provider, conspiring  to shower blessings on every one   of us in the same abundance. But while the blessings may come in   the  form of money and possessions, they're just as likely to       consist of  other  gifts that     aren't as concrete.  

Here's a hypothetical example. Let's say you have the gift of       feeling  at  home in the world no matter where you are. The universe has determined  that it's the    exact skill you need in order to  fulfill the specific  purpose you  came to earth to carry out.      Having a prestigious job and big  salary, on  the  other hand, might be exactly what you don't need.   The question of what gifts are   essential revolves around your    precise  role  in the universal   conspiracy to perpetrate blessings.  

The second meditation I'll offer  you is a passage from the Gospel  of  Matthew: "Whoever has, shall  be given more and more, while     whoever has  nothing, even what he has will be taken away from him."   Pronoiac translation: Whatever you choose to focus your attention on,  you will get more of it. If you often think of everything you lack and  how  sad you are that   you don't have it, you will tend  to receive prolific  evidence of  how true that is. As you obsess on all the ways your life  is       different from what you wish it   would be, you will become an      expert in  rousing feelings of    frustration and you will attract  experiences that  assist  you in  rousing frustration.  

If, on the other hand, you dwell  on the good things you have       already  had  the privilege to    experience, you will expand your appreciation for  their  blessings, which in turn will amplify their beneficent impact on your  life.  You will also magnetize yourself  to receive further good things,   making  it  more likely that they will be attracted into your sphere. At the very  least,  you will   get in the habit of enjoying      yourself no matter what the       outward  circumstances are.   Bear in mind that you are a great     wizard. You can use your powers to  practice white magic on yourself instead of the other kind. The   most  basic  way to do that is to concentrate on naming, savoring, and feeling  gratitude for the     blessings you do have—your love   for your kid, the  pleasures of   eating the food you like, the     sight of the sky at dusk,  the    entertaining drama of your unique fate. 

Don't ignore the bad stuff, but   make a point of celebrating the beautiful stuff with all the        exuberant devotion you can        muster."