Why did so many people get hooked on the movie The Matrix? I mean the first one, which came out 20 years ago. I think people don’t fully realize why. I don’t believe many people seriously consider the threat of machines taking over our world. Besides, there have already been quite a few great sci-fi films about the takeover and enslavement of humanity by robots and artificial intelligence. But none of these films had as much impact on us as The Matrix. I remember that after this movie was released, many computer clubs were named The Matrix, and many establishments and stores were named Neo, Trinity, or Morpheus.
I remember constantly discussing the philosophical message of this film with my friends. Many agreed that we all live in some kind of matrix-like world. But everyone understood this in their own way. Some called the complex social structure of the modern world a matrix. Others began to refer to the internet as such. Although at first, the internet was seen by many as an unconditional good and a space of freedom, in today’s world, it’s no longer so clear-cut.
From the very beginning, this film became a metaphor for the awakening of consciousness for me. I viewed the world we know as an illusion in the sense understood by ancient Eastern teachings. For me, this didn’t mean that this world doesn’t exist. It’s a bit more complex. This world is illusory because it is temporary and one of an infinite number of possible realities. But not in a physical sense. It’s not about this world being destroyed one day (though that is inevitable too). It’s about the fact that for eternal consciousness, this world is a temporarily manifested reality. And since consciousness is eternal, this is just a moment and one of billions of possible forms.
From my meditation experiences, I was already concluding that our true «self» is connected to infinite consciousness, extending beyond personality, brain, and body. For it, all of this is merely tools, clothing, a spacesuit for this part of the Cosmos. Back then, I had glimpses of such understanding in deep stages of meditation. But I was able to fully see it during shamanic ceremonies in the Peruvian Amazon.
But who created this matrix—the reality we live in? The brilliant Elon Musk speculated that it might be a computer simulation created by beings more advanced than us. Maybe by aliens or representatives of previous advanced civilizations on Earth? Many ancient thinkers believed it could have been gods. In monotheistic religions, the world is simply created by a single God. He, too, is understood very differently by many, depending on their culture, education, and level of intellectual development.
I believe that we ourselves created the world—or more precisely, we are creating it ourselves. We, as infinite consciousness, refracting through our individual consciousness, as well as through our brain and body. We are doing this right now. Because despite the appearance of completed forms, reality is being created now.
But why do we create the same world? In reality, it’s slightly different for everyone. Each person lives in their own unique, unrepeatable world. But we share a lot in common. And not just among people. We have a lot in common with other biological species on the planet. We intersect in the same physical world with animals, plants, and insects. Carlos Castaneda tried to answer this question in his books. He called it an ancient agreement that we no longer remember. The memory of this lies in our unconscious realm.
To be precise, this idea was something Carlos Castaneda heard from a professor at the University of California. My friend studied at that university a bit later than Castaneda and also encountered this professor. As I understand it, Castaneda refined this idea and tried to describe the mechanism of how we perceive the world. But not from the perspective of brain function. Rather, from the standpoint of more subtle mechanisms of consciousness. This, of course, goes beyond science and enters the realm of mysticism. As I understand it, Castaneda received many of his insights during shamanic ceremonies in Latin America.
Having now undergone about one and a half thousand authentic shamanic ceremonies in Peru and Mexico, I understand where he drew his understanding of the structure of the world. Based on my experience, I would not take it upon myself to create a doctrine or an alternative description of reality. And there are several reasons for that. The main one is that I generally consider it wrong to do so.
Everyone should have complete freedom in discovering their own understanding of the universe without falling into the traps of someone else’s descriptions. I’m not referring to physics here. The laws of physics, like those of biology, are useful for everyone to know. I’m talking about philosophy, especially that which relates to consciousness or the soul—to what can be conditionally called the spiritual realm. That’s why religions or sects don’t resonate with me. They impose a certain «correct» description on a person.
My experience is that a person awakens on their own at some point. And in that moment, they know everything. It doesn’t fit into words. It is beyond all words. At first, this lasts for only a short time. In deep and powerful ceremonies, it can last longer than in meditation. Then it starts to happen in dreams or at special moments in life. But there is no way to hold onto it. I don’t know of anyone who lives in this state. And I don’t think such people exist. Unfortunately, there is a lot of speculation on this topic. People who call themselves enlightened and so on. There are those who enter this state more often. There are those who remember it better, who have established something like a bridge between this state and the ordinary one.
What’s the difference compared to the movie The Matrix? There, this awakening was portrayed as painful. The characters in the film discovered with horror that they were not free, that they were enslaved and living in an artificial reality. In ceremonies and deep meditation, there is no such thing. When you enter a state of heightened consciousness, you easily accept that you were asleep before. You don’t judge yourself or others. Just as we don’t blame ourselves upon waking up in the morning for having slept. And you don’t regret it. You might only be slightly surprised at how you forgot it all once again.
Pain only comes in ceremonies when you wander in the unconscious realm, encountering what you yourself created as an obstacle to this natural state. And it seems that most people cannot bypass this stage. There you realize that there are no villains enslaving us from the outside. We ourselves create the reality we live in. But again, this is about the reality of the inner world. In the outer world, there are villains, oppressors, and wonderful people. But the external world, as I’ve tried to describe, is a reflection of the sum of all our inner worlds combined. That’s roughly how I see the formation of The Matrix.
