We each have a machine that is running our lives. We wake up. Most of us have a caffeine ritual. If we have children, we get them off to school and welcome them home again at some point. Maybe there is an exercise routine. Then, there is a work element. At work, several repetitive rituals render results or not.
Most of the effort goes into deciding what to add to our life machine. Once it is in place, it runs. Ideally, there is incremental progress toward goals built into this machine.
What are these goals? I want my children to be physically, emotionally, and creatively integrated. There is a piece of the machine that leads them to play music and dance and sing most nights. I don’t want to be overwhelmed by chores, and I want them to learn to become responsible adults. I am building a piece of the machine for them to make their beds each morning. My husband and I need to be connected and feel the love. Our time rolling around and talking is part of the machine. Lydia edits and posts my videos. She is part of my work machine. I need to let people know what I do and think so they can find me. I write this blog each week. It has become a part of my machine.
The psilocybin journey temporarily melts our connection to the machine of our lives. Then we come back to it and wonder if it is doing what we want it to. We notice that some parts of the machine only deliver anxiety. We see that some transitions are full of friction. We wonder if we want to add a piece that is just about being with our kids or vibing with nature.
This is a creative act.
We set out to adjust the machine so it renders the results we now know will deliver more life satisfaction, love, and contentment. We notice that we are the engineers of this machine and that changes are possible. We take time to observe it in action. We see its workings. We adjust it. We observe some more. We make another adjustment.
We have gone from the hamster to the designer.