In esoteric and metaphysical thought, vision has long been understood as more than a mere physiological process. The eyes, often regarded as “windows to the soul,” serve as conduits for both physical perception and spiritual insight. As someone deeply immersed in Quantum Healing, I find it important to understand the message sub conscious/spirit/total awareness has for the unconscious mind (body).

My eyes have experienced astigmatism and also converge at different points, meaning it at times takes my eyes 10 to 30 seconds to fully align. As consequence, I experience double vision, I do bump in doors and walls, due to the delay in spatial awareness sometimes. This is my attempt to understand these visual conditions and what unexpected access to non-ordinary states of consciousness they offer.

This article explores the intersection of astigmatism, visual convergence challenges, and esoteric awareness, revealing how these conditions may provide profound insights into the nature of reality and multidimensional consciousness.

Astigmatism and the Symbolism of Distorted Perception

Vision symbolizes our ability to perceive and interpret both the external world and our inner truths. Could it be that Astigmatism, a condition where the curvature of the eye’s cornea or lens distorts vision, may carry a deeper, symbolic meaning. The nature of the symptoms suggests that our perception of reality when experiencing Astigmatism is not as clear or coherent as we believe. This distortion aligns with philosophical traditions like Buddhism and Hermeticism, which propose that physical reality is an illusion, inherently fragmented by the mind’s limited ability to grasp the whole truth.

Astigmatism: Astigmatism which impacts our eyes, can metaphorically affect the Third Eye Chakra (Ajna) because both involve issues of clarity and perception – one on the physical plane, the other on the spiritual. The Third Eye governs our ability to see beyond immediate appearances, providing intuitive insight, inner vision, and spiritual awareness. When the eyes experience astigmatism – where the cornea or lens distorts vision – the perception of the external world becomes blurred or fragmented. Could this reflects an energetic imbalance that may manifest as difficulty accessing inner clarity, confusion in decision-making, or clouded intuition, as above so as below?

The Third Eye Chakra also symbolizes the ability to perceive deeper truths, access higher wisdom, and integrate dualities (like logic and intuition). Astigmatism, in a metaphysical sense, can point to a disruption in one’s ability to “see” beyond the physical, contributing to mental fog, spiritual misalignment, or disconnection from intuitive guidance. Healing this chakra often involves practices like meditation, soft gazing, or visualization techniques, helping to align both physical and inner vision, restoring a sense of clarity on both levels.

Illusory Reality: Just as distorted vision skews external appearances, fragmented inner truth reflects the difficulty many people face in aligning their personal reality with universal spiritual principles. In esoteric thought, the way we perceive the external world often mirrors our inner state, and when vision is unclear, it symbolizes the disconnection between individual experiences and higher truths. This misalignment can lead to confusion, a sense of separation, or attachment to illusions of the material world. Overcoming this challenge involves shifting from limited perception toward inner clarity and spiritual alignment, helping individuals recognize the deeper connections between their personal journey and the universal flow of consciousness.

To me however, both these condition acts as a symbolic invitation to realign with inner truth through practices like meditation, visualization, or energy healing, helping individuals access deeper layers of awareness.

Eyes Diverging: Split Perception as a Pathway to Dual Consciousness

Eye convergence issues – where each eye struggles to focus on the same point – can also reflect deeper spiritual and energetic dynamics. Rather than a flaw in physical function, this visual divergence may serve as a bridge between multiple states of consciousness. Esoterically, each eye can symbolize a different level of perception – one rooted in the material world, the other attuned to subtle or non-physical dimensions.

• Navigating Duality: Divergent vision reflects the dualities we frequently encounter in life – such as the interplay between mind and spirit, material and immaterial, or logic and intuition. Just as the eyes struggle to align their focus, individuals may find themselves divided between these opposing forces, creating tension between practical reasoning and spiritual insight. This visual fragmentation symbolizes the personal challenge of harmonizing dual aspects of existence, inviting us to move beyond conflict and achieve a sense of balance. True alignment emerges when these polarities are integrated, allowing for a more unified perception of both inner and outer realities.
• Non-Dual Awareness: Many esoteric traditions, such as Zen Buddhism or Advaita Vedanta, emphasize the importance of transcending duality to embrace a unified state of being. In this state, opposites such as material and spiritual realities are no longer seen as separate but as aspects of a single, seamless existence. Vision challenges, like fragmented or misaligned sight, may symbolize a deeper invitation to move beyond divided perception. These conditions encourage individuals to shift their awareness toward non-duality, where the boundaries between physical and metaphysical dissolve, fostering a harmonious integration of both realms into wholeness and inner peace.

In practical terms, eyes converging at different points might encourage the brain to adapt to multi-layered perceptions, opening the individual to an expanded awareness of reality that goes beyond ordinary sensory experience.

Robert Monroe’s Second Body: The Non-Physical Self and Diverging Vision

The work of Robert Monroe, a pioneer in out-of-body experiences (OBEs), adds another dimension to this discussion. Monroe described how the “second body,” a non-physical energetic form, separates from the physical body to explore other realms. Diverging eyes or convergence issues could metaphorically represent the loosening of the mind’s attachment to physical sight, creating an opening for awareness to shift into the second body.

• Binocular Disparity and Multi-Dimensional Awareness: When the two eyes focus on different points, the brain is forced to reconcile conflicting visual information. This sensory “disruption” can reflect the ability to perceive multiple dimensions simultaneously – one focused on the physical, the other on the non-physical realm. This shift is much like the transition described by Monroe when moving between ordinary waking consciousness and the second body.
• Inner Sight Activation: Misaligned vision may disrupt the brain’s dependence on physical sensory input, creating an opportunity for the emergence of “inner sight” – the ability to perceive subtle energies, other dimensions, or non-physical realms. By shifting attention away from ordinary visual data, individuals may become more attuned to intuitive perceptions and spiritual awareness. This inner sight allows access to realms beyond the material world, offering insights that transcend logical understanding and connect with energetic flows, astral spaces, and higher consciousness. In this way, visual misalignment serves as a catalyst for deeper spiritual perception and multi-dimensional awareness.

Vision as a Gateway to Out-of-Body Experiences

Robert Monroe’s research shows that OBEs often begin with a sensory shift – a transition from physical sensation to non-physical awareness. This sensory shift may manifest through visual anomalies such as blurred vision, double vision, or distorted perception. From this perspective, the difficulty in aligning the eyes could be a precursor to OBE states, where the second body takes over as the primary vehicle of experience.

• Disrupting the Filter of the Physical Mind: Visual misalignment may confuse the thalamus – the brain’s sensory “gatekeeper” responsible for filtering and prioritizing sensory input. This disruption can bypass ordinary sensory filters, allowing information that would typically be ignored to enter conscious awareness. As a result, individuals may experience non-ordinary perception, gaining access to subtle insights, energetic impressions, or even glimpses of non-physical realms. By interrupting the brain’s habitual reliance on structured sensory data, visual misalignment offers a gateway to expanded states of consciousness and a deeper connection to intuitive and spiritual realities.
• Encouraging Non-Physical Travel: By relaxing or softening visual focus, similar to techniques used in meditative practices, individuals may enter the vibrational state – a pivotal phase that often precedes an out-of-body experience (OBE). This state is marked by sensations such as buzzing, tingling, or energetic waves, signaling the gradual loosening of the physical body’s grip on consciousness. Softening the eyes shifts attention inward, helping bypass ordinary visual input and fostering a deeper connection to non-physical realms. In this state, the mind becomes more attuned to subtle energies, facilitating OBE journeys and exploration beyond the boundaries of material reality.

In this sense, vision challenges could serve as natural entry points into altered states of awareness, facilitating spontaneous OBEs or intuitive experiences.

Training the Brain for Multi-State Perception

Monroe’s Hemi-Sync technology – which uses binaural beats to synchronize brain hemispheres – offers a practical tool for shifting between physical and non-physical states. Similarly, consciously working with divergent visual focus may help individuals train the brain to perceive multiple realities at once.

• Soft Gazing and Detachment from Physical Sight: Some spiritual practices use “soft gazing,” where practitioners allow their vision to blur and diffuse, shifting attention away from the material world. This mirrors the effect of eyes converging at different points, which may naturally enhance sensitivity to subtle energies or non-physical dimensions.
• Tuning into the Etheric Plane: Esoteric systems like Theosophy suggest that altered vision can unlock access to the etheric or astral plane, where energetic forms and subtle bodies reside. Diverging vision may reflect a partial alignment with this non-physical realm, signaling the activation of inner sight or second-body perception.

Visual Divergence as a Tool for Expanded Awareness

Rather than viewing astigmatism or eye convergence issues as physical impairments, they can be understood as metaphysical tools for awakening multi-dimensional awareness. In both esoteric traditions and Monroe’s framework of the second body, these vision conditions offer a unique opportunity to transcend ordinary sight and access subtler planes of consciousness.

Whether through soft gazing exercises, chakra work, or energy healing, working with visual divergence can unlock deeper levels of spiritual perception. The struggle of the eyes to converge might symbolize the human journey toward integrating dualities, aligning inner and outer vision, and ultimately expanding beyond the physical world into the non-physical.

I’ve found that consciously embracing these vision anomalies can enhance one’s ability to navigate altered states, perceive subtle bodies, and tap into the second body’s full potential. When we release the need for perfect physical vision and open ourselves to inner sight, we may find that the fragmented pieces of our perception coalesce into a unified, multi-dimensional reality – one that is far more expansive than the one we see with our physical eyes alone.

This perspective offers a reminder that vision, in all its forms, is deeply symbolic. Our eyes do not just show us the world as it is – they guide us toward what lies beyond. In learning to see with more than just physical sight, we may awaken to a reality that is richer, deeper, and far more profound than we ever imagined.

By Aima Being, Level Two QHHT Practitioner, Consciousness Expansion Specialist and Quantum Being Coach. Aima Being Expanded Awareness Podcast