What do you think?
Rate this book
Reality Boxes: And Other Black Holes in Human Consciousness
THE REALITY OF HUMAN REALITY BOXES
In this lucid and absorbing work, Ingo Swann opens up the continuing story about the fuller extent of human consciousness and limitations imposed on it by human reality boxes, a.k.a. "socially constructed realities" and "personal realities."
All cultures, societies, and individuals have fashioned reality boxes. Like language-making and other innate factors, this clearly indicates that somewhere in the motherboard of human consciousness there exists a versatile innate capability to do so.
As advanced researchers of consciousnesses are beginning to suspect, this means that behind all of the thousands upon thousands of reality boxes are the impressive factors of innate human consciousness itself -- the sum of which must be far, far greater than smaller "reality" versions of it found in limited reality boxes -- from which many seek to escape.
However, "getting out of the box" is something like escaping a prison, which one cannot really achieve unless one learns a great deal about the nature of the prison itself.
Most reality-box constructions omit mention of how awesome and wonderful the individual and collective consciousness of our species actually is. Even so, this magical aspect of ourselves can be retrieved from the many wreckages brought about via conflicting reality-box endeavors. After all, the panorama of innate human consciousness does survive, and is always "there" behind whatever reality boxes are superimposed on it.
In this lucid and absorbing work, Ingo Swann opens up the continuing story about the fuller extent of human consciousness and limitations imposed on it by human reality boxes, a.k.a. "socially constructed realities" and "personal realities."
All cultures, societies, and individuals have fashioned reality boxes. Like language-making and other innate factors, this clearly indicates that somewhere in the motherboard of human consciousness there exists a versatile innate capability to do so.
As advanced researchers of consciousnesses are beginning to suspect, this means that behind all of the thousands upon thousands of reality boxes are the impressive factors of innate human consciousness itself -- the sum of which must be far, far greater than smaller "reality" versions of it found in limited reality boxes -- from which many seek to escape.
However, "getting out of the box" is something like escaping a prison, which one cannot really achieve unless one learns a great deal about the nature of the prison itself.
Most reality-box constructions omit mention of how awesome and wonderful the individual and collective consciousness of our species actually is. Even so, this magical aspect of ourselves can be retrieved from the many wreckages brought about via conflicting reality-box endeavors. After all, the panorama of innate human consciousness does survive, and is always "there" behind whatever reality boxes are superimposed on it.
- GenresPhilosophy
236 pages, Paperback
Published September 2, 2018
39 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 8, 2022
Written by someone who helped develop one of the longest running C.I.A, programs ever. LISTEN!
I have followed this author for several years. I have read undisclosed C.I.A papers about the program he helped to develop. If he has something to say about what, is not common knowledge I suggest you at least try to understand. His recommendations for reading alone will send you on many quests for knowledge.
I have followed this author for several years. I have read undisclosed C.I.A papers about the program he helped to develop. If he has something to say about what, is not common knowledge I suggest you at least try to understand. His recommendations for reading alone will send you on many quests for knowledge.
January 20, 2022
I've greatly admired Swann as an artist and visionary thinker, so I was eager to delve into his writings now that they've become more widely available. 'Reality Boxes' operates on a tantalizing thesis: that the observing of reality is filtered subliminally through self-constructed reality boxes which determine the information one is consciously able to perceive and act upon.
And while the book does follow-through on this premise, there are some things I find issue with. First is that this book feels introductory. It seems to be fairly surface-level on the concept, but then gets mired in semantic discussions of the socially-codified definitions of weighty words like 'mind,' 'consciousness,' and the like. These semantic discussions felt very excursionary.
Further, the book needs an editor. There are many places where a rather glaring grammatical error rips you out of the text. Lastly, Swann devotes a not-insubstantial amount of pages to extolling other authors and books, which, great and all, doesn't add any value to the text, especially when he provides a dedicated list of further reading at the back of the book.
I will say that the book has a flow to it, and reading it (despite the grammatical landmines) was a breeze. The ideas are big and grandiose, and I applaud the spirit of them, though I wish the execution could've been more up to task. I'll definitely be reading more Swann.
Also, do check Ingo Swann's visual art out. It's transformative and stupendously transcendent.
And while the book does follow-through on this premise, there are some things I find issue with. First is that this book feels introductory. It seems to be fairly surface-level on the concept, but then gets mired in semantic discussions of the socially-codified definitions of weighty words like 'mind,' 'consciousness,' and the like. These semantic discussions felt very excursionary.
Further, the book needs an editor. There are many places where a rather glaring grammatical error rips you out of the text. Lastly, Swann devotes a not-insubstantial amount of pages to extolling other authors and books, which, great and all, doesn't add any value to the text, especially when he provides a dedicated list of further reading at the back of the book.
I will say that the book has a flow to it, and reading it (despite the grammatical landmines) was a breeze. The ideas are big and grandiose, and I applaud the spirit of them, though I wish the execution could've been more up to task. I'll definitely be reading more Swann.
Also, do check Ingo Swann's visual art out. It's transformative and stupendously transcendent.
November 28, 2025
SO THIS IS ON MY KINDLE AND I DID NOT GET TO FINISH READING IT.. I am going to buy it on Amazon or maybe used book. Alibris, I am a HUGE INGO SWAN fan....
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews