Acting and Consciousness Transformation
One of the most incredible on-screen performances I have seen in a long time was by none other than the late Heath Ledger as the Joker in “Dark Knight.” Never before have I seen a villain so comfortable and secure in his own insanity. In the film, Heath Ledger effectively transformed himself into a maniacial anarchist, schizophrenic, and psychopath intent upon bringing chaos into the world.
In the process, he opened his consciousness into dark spectrums of reality that began to slowly change him. The character of the Joker began to seep into his reality, something that he was apparently unprepared for. Jack Nicholson said similar things about his experience with playing the Joker, and claimed that he ‘warned’ Ledger about the part. Ledger also stated that during the filming he slept only about 2 hours a night, and that “I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.” Prescription drugs also brought him no peace, and offered no solution.
Viewing the similar experiences of both Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger when both transforming into the role of a psychopathic, murderous clown, we see a connection. When analyzing the situation with an awareness of consciousness, a startling reality becomes apparent. Through the continued practice of being the Joker, they both began to transform into that character.
Acting is much more than taking a role and pretending to be another person. It is a process of self transformation, of changing and altering one’s own consciousness in order to personify a different being.
In transforming into a character, an actor redefines and changes their entire reality. They transform into a new person; one with a new history, one with new stories, and one with new motivations. When talking about his change into the character of the joker, Ledger stated that he “had a picture in his mind” and that he “went away, found it, came back.” In other words, he set an intent, focused upon a spectrum of being in the universe, and manifested a new reality for himself.
This is a very powerful and highly conscious practice, one that requires self-discipline and strength of will. During the transformation process, great actors will immerse themselves in the world of their character, expending massive amounts of time and energy molding and shaping their awareness into a different space. They learn how to operate from a completely new set of initial conditions when it comes to experiencing and perceiving reality.
This is the same journey as the expansion of consciousness, but with a very different intent.
While this is the process that many actors and actresses utilize in their experience, they may or may not be aware of exactly what it is they are doing. They may not be aware that they are changing the universe, expanding consciousness, or increasing their awareness. For many, it may simply be the means to the ends, how they accomplish what it is they need to do.
Our society believes that they revere and respect actors and actresses because they are beautiful, or because they are entertaining. The fact of the matter is that it is for a much deeper reason. As beings of consciousness, we are attracted to the power of these highly conscious beings due to their self-awareness and their ability to shift and mold their consciousness. It resonates in the depths of our being, reflects our innate nature as conscious creators, and our ability to change and alter reality.
But in this process, people can expand into very dark spectrums of reality. One can open to things that can be overwhelming, or that one cannot understand. Without any context or awareness of what it happening, it is easy for someone to become lost in the infinitude of the universe, and lose their basic grasp upon reality. If spend most of my time changing my nature and altering my consciousness, it’s possible that it can be done so many times or to such an extent that it may be difficult to return to themselves.
We hear of actors, actresses, entertainers apparently going ‘crazy’ or behaving erratically for apparently no reason at all. Well, I propose that there is in fact a reason, that they have expanded their consciousness into a space that they are completly unfamiliar with, and it scares them. Perhaps they start having waking visions, lucid dreams, astral traveling, hearing voices of spirit guides. With no context to understand these sorts of experiences, one can easily think that they are going crazy. How do many respond to these sorts of phenomena? Drinking, partying, drugs; anything to help it all go away.
This is the power of choice, this is the power of concentration, this is the power of our attention. This is our power as sovereign beings of consciousness. Whatever we choose to be, however we choose to define our reality, we then create this for ourselves. We become what we choose to become, what we choose to perceive. The law of attraction responds to all energy indiscriminately, both of the positive and negative nature. Our thoughts and our intents immediately begin to alter the universe and become manifest.
By practicing awareness, we can be conscious of the choices that we make and the energy that we emanate into the universe. The change we choose to be is powerful, so be sure that you be what it is you wish to see.
Why so serious? Breathe, relax, be easy, and enjoy the ride.
