Structural Typology 21631b

A Structural Typology of Ayahuasca Visualizations The secret is: Close your eye and roll your eyeball. Those colours that shine and glow will be revealed. Permission to see is granted only with eyes concealed . The Zohar In the upward movement the horses that draw the chariot change into birds, into swans. The Rig Veda In this chapter I present a systematic typology of the structural types that Ayahuasca visualizations may take. Paradigmatically, the types surveyed are expe rienced when the eyes are closed. However, all the structural distinctions introduced here, as well as those pertaining to interaction, semantics, and narr ation which are introduced in the next chapter, can also apply to visualizations exper ienced with the eyes open. As indicated in the previous chapter, full-fledged visions are less likely to be experienced when the eyes are open; yet, this does happen. In fact, when the intoxication is strong the closing of the eyes may make no differ ence and the same visualization may be experienced both when the eyes are closed and when they are open. Thus, again, while the paradigmatic cases in which the distinctions in the present typology apply are most likely to be encountered wit h closed eyes, in principle, these distinctions apply both to closed-eye and openeye visualizations. In contrast, the patterns surveyed in the previous chapter are specifically associated with visualizations experienced when the eyes are open. An important qualification should be made before we begin. Naturally, the different types will be introduced in a particular order. In several respects th is order corresponds to the order in which types of visualizations usually appear i n the course of a session. Yet, this need not necessarily be the case. Conceptuall y, the question of types and the question of order are distinct. In this chapter, we sh all be dealing with the former, not the latter. ittedly, the progression traced here does reveal various patterns of development. At this stage of the analysis, howe ver, I shall keep the issue of development in abeyance; I shall turn to a focal exami nation of it later, in Ch. 18. In the following structural typology six main categories are noted: visualizatio ns without any semantic content, visualizations consisting of primitive figurative A Structural Typology of Visualizations 87 elements, images, scenes, virtual reality, and visions of light. An early, parti al analysis of the topics presented in this chapter and the next appears in Shanon (2002*). Visualizations without Semantic Content In the literature, it is common to characterize the first stages in an Ayahuasca session as containing a variety of visual elements devoid of content. ReichelDolmatoff (1978*, 1991) describes these as small, brilliant, star-shaped or flow ershaped elements that flicker in repetitive kaleidoscopic patterns. These luminous patterns alternate between bilateral symmetry, grid patterns, and zigzagging or

undulating lines. Also encountered, he reports, are well-defined geometric motif s, multicoloured concentric circles, and endless clusters of brilliant dots. To my mind, Reichel-Dolmatoff lumps together several types that do not constitute one homogeneous group. Some finer distinctions seem to be needed; these are the subject of the following discussion. Bursts, Puffs, and Splashes First among the visualizations without content are what I shall refer to as burs ts, puffs, and splashes of light. These may be white, yellowish, or in colour.1 Burs ts are local, discrete foci of light. They are akin to the patterns one sees when one's eyeballs are pressed. In the psychophysiological literature these are known as phosphenes (see Oster, 1970; Siegel and Jarvik, 1975; Horowitz, 1978; Tyler, 1978; Glicksohn, 1986/7; B. Jacobs, 1987; and Lewis-Williams and Dowson, 1988). When the bursts gain momentum, they turn into puffs. Splashes are generat ed when the foci of light begin to move; with this, the visualized elements become elongated and endowed with spatial extension. The splashes are like nebulous sprays, and they lack precise boundaries. In the earliest stages of the Ayahuasca intoxication the elements of fight appea r sporadically, they do not extend across the entire inner visual field, and they do not form well-defined patterns. Later, the various elements of light multiply and extend throughout the inner visual field. Together, they may form undulating clusters and concentric circles, and may generate a rhythmic, pulsating presence . Repetitive Non-Figurative Elements None of the elements of light indicated above has distinct boundaries. For me, t he simplest patterns exhibiting such boundaries are usually ones in which the same element appears many times. Examples are colourful round elements arranged in concentric circles, mango-shaped items ordered along a large arc, star-like form s extended as if on an invisible sphere throughout the inner visual field, and 1 The term 'colour' here, and throughout the present discussion, denotes colours which are other than the white and yellow of natural light. 88 A Structural Typology of Visualizations rainbows. Typically, the atomic elements are well formed and well denned. Each has an inner structure with distinct parts and various colours, and within a pat tern, like beads in a chain, all elements are identical. In their totality, the elemen ts define a pattern that extends throughout the entire inner visual field though it need n ot necessarily fill it up. Geometric Designs and Patterns More structured are full-fledged geometric designs and patterns. The geometric patterns are always composed of well-formed designs. Unlike the repetitive eleme nts described in the previous subsection, these designs are not isolated atoms but rather they comprise the basic parts of a geometric whole. Paradigmatically, the contrast is like that between a bead in a chain on the one hand, and a square in a grid or a basic pattern in a carpet on the other. Typically, the designs are of wonderful fluorescent colours. The geometric patterns may be two- or three-dimensional. In the former case they are like arabesques; these compose tapestries that entirely cover the inner

visual field. Unlike the two-dimensional geometric patterns, the three-dimension al ones usually define structures positioned in space; hence, they need not be full y coextensive with the inner visual field. Often the patterns are like multicellul ar honeycombs whose cells are usually pentagonal or hexagonal. The total constructi on may be linear-polyhedral or oval-circular; it may be static, or it may be pulsating or vibrating. At times, the geometric patterns may seem to defy ordina ry real-world Euclidean geometry; some persons that I interviewed made reference to higher orders of spatial dimensionality. A characteristic worthy of special mention is that of symmetry. ReichelDolmatoff (1975,1990) notes that at an early stage of the intoxication the patte rns manifest bilateral symmetry and that at a later stage this symmetry is broken. M y experience confirms this. Finally, let me note that the patterns surveyed above are reminiscent of those defined by Kliiver (1928, 1966), in his study of mescaline. Kliiver distinguishe s between four kinds of what he calls form-constants, that is forms that appear in practically all mescaline visions. The first type comprises gratings, lattices, honeycombs, and the like. Second are cobwebs. Typical of the third type are tunnels, funnels, and cones. The fourth type consists of spirals. As with Ayahuasca, Kluv er notes that the forms are frequently repeated. For subsequent research employing Kluver's distinctions see Horowitz (1975) and Siegel and Jarvik (1975) as well a s the review by Siegel (1977); in Siegel and Jarvik (1975) several pertinent artis tic renderings of hallucinations are presented. Primitive Figurative Elements The simplest figurative elements, those to which I shall refer as primitive, are characterized by a lack of either independence or permanence, or both. A Structural Typology of Visualizations 89 Rapid Figural Transformations The nebulous splashes may gain form and generate a multitude of rapidly transfor ming figures. I would liken the transformation of the figures to sequences of photographs taken in time-lapse filming, such as the progression of stages of a growing flower and the transformation of shape a cloud undergoes. A terminological point is in place here. In the literature, the rapidly transfor ming figures are usually characterized as kaleidoscopic (see, for instance, ReichelDolmatoff, 1975, 1978£). I take issue with the use of this simile. On analysis, th e images of a kaleidoscope exhibit two features: first, a multitude of identical elements; second, rapid transformation. The patterns described here exhibit the second feature, but not the first; for this reason, I prefer not to call them kaleidoscopic but rather characterize them as rapid figural transformations. The term 'kaleidoscopic' will be used to refer to a type that will be defined in the next subsection. Designs with figures Another type is that of primitive figurative elements embedded in the geometric designs or emerging from them. Reichel-Dolmatoff (1960, 1990) characterizes these as constituting the second stage of visioning. He further notes that in th

is stage symmetry breaks down, the overall geometric aspect of these visualizations disappears, and figurative pictorial images emerge. Specifically, large blobs of colour are seen and from them emerge different shapes looking like people, animals, or all sorts of unfamiliar creatures. As described in the Prologue, my very first Ayahuasca-induced visualization was of lizards popping out of arabesques. The lizard images were repetitive and embedded within the geometric pattern. Patterns that are very similar to this ar e seen in some Escher drawings. The figures indicated here differ from those described in the previous subsection in several respects. The figures emerging from the geometric designs always consist of many tokens of the same type,2 they have well-defined boundaries, and they exhibit relative temporal permanence. In contrast, the figures emerging from the splashes are single tokens of one type, they are not always well defined, and they change rapidly. In time, the figures embedded in the geometric design may gain independence. As this occurs, the design may become part of a larger picture composed of both geometric forms, typically three-dimensional, and figurative elements. Furthermore, the design may serve as a kind of scaffolding along which the figures climb. One such scene that especially stands out in my memory is that of a huge pulsating greyish-purple sphere around which all sorts of beings were dancing. 2 Tokens are the actual occurrences of items pertaining to a type; for instance, in the word David there are two tokens of the type d and one token of the type a. 90 A Structural Typology of Visualizations Images The primitive figurative elements surveyed in the previous section lack either i ndependence or permanence, or both. The simple images to be described in this section are independent and relatively permanent. Yet, in various respects they are still constrained and do not constitute full-fledged, stable, and independent vi sions. Kaleidoscopic Images The arabesque may change from a purely geometric pattern into a multitude of figures. This results in fast-moving kaleidoscopic images that usually consist o f many items of the same kind. Patterns of this sort which I have seen several tim es are lines of semi-naked dancing women and of flowers. My experience has been that while in movement, images of this type are not subject to rapid transformat ions. Further, these images are independent in that they are neither part of a geometric design nor a nebulous pattern. Figuratively, the images are well defin ed. Yet they exhibit two features that differentiate them from standard pictorial images. First, they are always comprised of multitudes of the same basic figural element. Second, while not subject to fast transformation, they always appear to be in motion. Presentations of Single Objects Presentations of single objects consist of images seen in isolation, without the ir being placed in a setting. These images are single rather than multiple, they ar e stable, and, unlike the images of the cartoons or the animated movies, they are threedimensional. The paradigmatic case of such images are faces. Serial Images

Images of single objects may also appear in succession. In some of these cases, the different images may be interrelated. Two types of relationship may be noted. Th e first is that of variations on a topic. These consist of several images all of w hich pertain to one common topic. For example, a European with no previous experience with Ayahuasca reported seeing so many mosaics that eventually, she said, it was just too much. Some of the mosaics could be associated to various cultures i n history, others seemed to be of types this individual had never seen or imagined . All were exceedingly beautiful. Several other persons told me of serials that concerned autobiographical themes. The second type of serial image is that of serial transformation. In these, one image of a single object changes into anoth er which, in turn, may change into still other single images. For instance, one informant told me of a vision in which he saw a liana (an Amazonian vine, as Banisteriopsis caapi is), changing into a snake and then into a woman. Another informant saw a snake's tongue undulating and thus turning into a woman who in turn changed into a dancing fairy. Interestingly, exactly the same sequences appears in indigenous myths related to Ayahuasca (see Gow, 1988; Lagrou, 1998). A Structural Typology of Visualizations 91 Scenes In the present context, a scene is an entire, progressively developing visualize d scenario that the drinker sees. In the following discussion, I distinguish a sub set of scenes which I label 'full-fledged'. These consist of full-scope, contentful visions that present veritable narratives as in a film or in the theatre. In add ition to full-fledged scenes, I present two other types of scene snapshots and glimpses. These lack some features of full-fledged scenes and may be regarded as protoscen es. Snapshots Snapshots are single shots that present themselves before the person under the intoxication. There is movement in these shots, but no further development beyond that. It is as if just a single shot in a video clip was made. Among the snapshots that I have seen are views of forests and riversides, scenes of animal s, views of ancient and futuristic cities, and all sorts of human social activities . Glimpses Glimpses are similar to the snapshots, except that they seem more distant. It is as if a hole was opened and a remote scene is perceived as when peeping through a keyhole or a periscope.3 Unlike snapshots, glimpses are not single shots: the th ings one sees change and develop. Characteristically, the glimpses seem distant not o nly in their texture but also in time. The feeling is that the scene has happened in the past, or will occur in the future, and the drinker has the privilege of transcen ding the confines of time and watching it. The glimpses often appear in advanced stag es of intoxication, as a prelude to further stages of visioning. Full-Fledged Scenes As noted, full-fledged scenes consist of clear visualizations that are seen in t heir

totality and that occupy the viewer's entire visual space. They extend continuou sly in time and present narratives exhibiting rich semantic content and well-defined thematic structure. As such, they are similar to the scenarios seen in a film or in the theatre. It is as if a curtain is lifted and the viewer sees something th at is going on, happening before his or her eyes. In contradiction to what is perceive d with snapshots and glimpses, the scenario is full and is taking place right ther e in front of one. Even though chronologically the time of the scene may be distant ( for instance, the scene depicts a ritual in ancient Egypt), the feeling is that the viewer sees it as if at the time of its occurrence.