In cultures where shamanic experiences are respected there is no distinguishing between ordinary states of consciousness and shamanic states of consciousness (what might be termed reality and fantasy in the West). Symbolism in everyday life is not explained as such in conversation since the context suffices. For example, in India if one came across an elephant in a forest one night being ridden by someone brandishing a burning torch, it could be seen as a dragon. Upon returning to one's village there would be no need to discuss whether a dragon had *really* been seen or not. Only the significance of "a dragon" would be relevant. Just as in a dream only the significance of the symbolism is important. In the west I might go for a walk and be passed by a car with loud blaring techno. It would be acceptable to discuss intellectually how symbolic this is of the way we are moving closer to UFO technology. It would even be acceptable to say I had ingested LSD and imagined seeing a UFO. How about working a metaphor around my walk and equating the car with a UFO during that particular scene? Perhaps in a dramatic way that gave a nice twist of enlightenment to my playfully self-constructed fairy-tale? I could get away with that too. But when will our culture allow me to just say I saw a UFO and just leave it to the listener to do something/anything/nothing *personally* with the comment? Does it matter if I was speaking figuratively? Or if my listeners voiced their thoughts? For now it seems easier to label the gifted as SchizoPhrenic. ______________________________________________ Nutted out for the Undesirable Propagation Unit.