iAhuasca
1. Pick a new release movie that is playing at a local theater, preferably an action/adventure movie that will most likely be heavy on visuals and special effects, and preferably isn't more than 100 minutes. Avoid reading reviews and seeing extended previews as much as possible as the less you know of the plot the better. In reality, it can be any film.
2. See the film at a time when the movie theater will be crowded. Friday night, Saturday matinee or night, or opening night are the best options. There is a certain adrenaline that is more accessible while trying this in a crowded theater as opposed to an empty theater. Trust me, it's the best way.
3. Select an album of music that you plan on listening to on repeat for as long as the duration of the movie. I suggest Dark Side of the Moon because it is a cinematic album, and contains very universal themes, but really, use your intuition, and select any album that you enjoy.
4. Bring an iPod or any mp3 player and set the repeat option on.
5. DO NOT BRING ANY EXPECTATIONS OTHER THAN BOREDOM. ACCEPT THAT THIS IS AN EXPERIMENT AND THAT THE RESULTS VARY.
6. When the movie starts, understand that the burden of the storyteller is completely on you. Pay attention to all of the available information on the screen and construct your own narrative. Try to anticipate where the story is going to go based on your intuition. If you think this is something too strange or weird, understand that this is a very natural process, one that is pushed into the subconscious of the heavily literate programmed man. It is what young children do every waking moment of their lives. A two year old is constantly inventing a narrative to explain the world they inhabit, and this is precisely the nature of the un-programmed mind. Trust that any questions you have will be answered, and that it will all make sense eventually.
7. At the end of the film, take notice of the energy and emotion you are feeling, and see if it matches the energy and emotion of the theater. Observe the audience with the same lens that you have been observing the movie.
8. Now that you have your own experience of the film, you can read the reviews, and see if your experience of the film matches the experience of the programmed minds of the reviewers. See if there are themes that you missed, or themes that they missed.
9. After a few days or a week, or when the movie comes out on DVD, watch the movie as it was intended. Try to see how much of the story matches with the story you created on your own.
I first tried this myself in 2009. The idea arose during a walk to the movie theater. I knew the idea was absurd, but the idea that somehow this could ruin a Hollywood movie, or that I could lose out on important experience was equally absurd. The only thing to lose was the $9.50 for the ticket.
So I walked into the Friday night showing of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and pressed play on Dark Side of the Moon. I had not read the Harry Potter books, and to be honest, even though I had seen the previous films, I remembered very little. They were all very long and to be honest quite boring. I knew the characters, but I wasn't really in tune with where the story was going.
So I walked into the Friday night showing of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and pressed play on Dark Side of the Moon. I had not read the Harry Potter books, and to be honest, even though I had seen the previous films, I remembered very little. They were all very long and to be honest quite boring. I knew the characters, but I wasn't really in tune with where the story was going.
The two and half hours raced by and I was caught off guard when the credits rolled. I was in an absolute state of shock. I could hardly move. As I turned to look at the crowded theater, almost every single person was already standing up, putting on their coats, and racing for the doors. I wondered, did we see the same movie? Had they even processed the experience?
This is modern magick that is legal, safe, and available to anyone with an mp3 player and $10. Most people who read this will dismiss it as too bizarre, or can convince themselves that they get it, they understand it, that it can't teach them anything new. Don't be that asshole. I should know. Most of the time, I am that asshole.
TRY THIS. JUST ONCE. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE.
A good movie to try this on is "Chronicle" which is in the theaters now.
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