Geometry Video Script
Hey there! In this video I am going to comprehensively discuss, describe, and document the specific visual subjective effect which is known as psychedelic geometry.
This will be in accordance with the terminology laid out within our comprehensive Subjective Effect Index and will be done without resorting to metaphors, analogies, or personal trip reports. To give you a better sense of the experience, I've also done my best to accompany each aspect of these descriptions with as many relevant examples of pre-existing replications and visionary artwork from across the internet as possible.
As for the effect itself, Psychedelic Geometry is defined as the experience of a person's field of vision becoming partially or completely encompassed by ever-shifting, colourful, and incomprehensibly complex geometric patterns, form constants, phosphenes, shapes, fractals, and colours. This effect is extremely common at moderate to heavy dosages of almost any psychedelic compound. And It's also this particular effect that has likely had the biggest influence on the aesthetics which we have come to associate with psychedelic and visionary artwork.
Geometry is rarely motionless and is generally continuously moving and constantly self-changing in its shape and style. During this process, the geometry naturally drifts across the visual field while fluidly transitioning through many distinct states and forms.
In terms of its complexity and vividness, this effect is capable of manifesting itself across seven approximate levels of increasing intensity. These levels of intensity primarily increase in a manner which is proportional to the dosage of the substance consumed, but can also be impacted by a wide variety of external factors such as a person's set and setting.
At the lowest and least interesting level of intensity, geometry is at it's baseline complexity and has not yet taken form. It is thus only perceived as faint visual noise, snow or static. This is usually seen primarily with closed eyes or within dark environments.
At this level, the visual snow and static begins to form into unstructured regions of moving colour clouds that are also usually seen primarily with closed eyes or within dark environments. These are comparable to a more distinct version of the common phenomena known as phosphenes, which can easily be experienced during a sober state by simply rubbing or applying pressure onto one's closed eyes.
At this level, relatively complex two-dimensional shapes and patterns with a vague and somewhat blurred structure begin to form.
Geometry at this level is smaller in size with a darker colour palette that typically limits itself to only a few different shades, such as blacks, reds, and dark purples.
They are also visible with eyes both opened *and* closed as a flat overlay upon the visual field. However, at this level they still remain significantly more detailed with closed eyes or within dark environments.
At this level, the detail in which the geometry displays itself becomes profoundly complex and fully structured, but still remains mostly two-dimensional. The geometry also becomes larger in size and extremely intricate in its detail, with a nearly limitless colour palette.
These patterns are displayed across a flat veil of geometry that floats directly in front of a person's vision, still remaining slightly more visible with the eyes closed, or in dark environments.
At this level, the geometry has become fully three-dimensional in both its structure and general positioning throughout the external environment.
This adds a new layer of visual complexity and leaves the geometric forms sprawled out across the surfaces and objects of a person’s environment, instead of merely displaying themselves across a basic and flat veil in front of one’s visual field.
At this level, the geometry has become so intense, vivid, and bright that it has started to block out and replace the external world. The visual perception of a person’s environment begins to be replaced by geometry, with objects and scenery either transforming into complex geometric structures or simply being blocked out and covered by them.
This occurs in a manner that drastically impairs the use of a person’s normal vision. From this level onwards, it is also possible to experience geometry which is interpreted as ineffable, non-euclidean, or impossible in its shape and structure.
At this level, the geometry continues to become even more intense, vivid, and bright as it begins to block out or replace the external world, completely impairing a person’s sense of normal sight. Often to the point where the user will often become incapable of telling whether their eyes are open or closed.
This creates the perception that one is no longer within the external environment, but has “broken through” into another reality of extremely complex and otherworldly geometric forms.
Outside of any specific levels of intensity, the more intricate and pronounced psychedelic geometry becomes, the more likely it is that these geometric forms will become structured and organized in a manner that presents genuine information to the person experiencing them, far beyond the perception of meaningless (although complex) shapes and colours.
For example, the geometry may begin to condense itself into complex internal hallucinations which are usually comprised entirely from the psychedelic geometry itself. These internal hallucinations will have to be covered in more detail within a future video, but can include anything from complex settings, scenes, imagery, autonomous entities, and much much more.
Along side of this, psychedelic geometry can also form into extraordinarily detailed and innately understandable structures that feel as if they convey or represent specific concepts and neurological processes that occur within the brain. Unfortunately, however, due to it's inherently cognitive components, this particular aspect of high level geometry is completely impossible to accurately replicate via any traditional means.
Style Variations
Depending on the person and the specific substance consumed, psychedelic geometry can manifest in an incredibly wide variety of aesthetic styles that are often subjectively interpreted quite differently between people.
However, despite these differences, there are definitely certain themes and descriptive terms that people commonly use to describe them. For example, many people will claim that LSD geometry looks synthetic and digital in style; however, psilocybin geometryon the other hand, is often said to look comparatively organic and natural.
Along side of this, in terms of geometry's less subjective potential stylistic differences, the patterns experienced during this state can be broken down into a wide range of approximate stylistic variations, which include but are certainly not limited to the following examples.
Personal Commentary
Now to wrap this video up I'd just like to make a few points. So I think it's worth noting that while they definitely get very close, there is actually not a single replication or example of visionary artwork shown in this video that quite fully captures the true complexity of psychedelic geometry. I used to think that doing so was simply an impossible goal, but at this point I'm certain that it could be done with todays technology using high budget 3D modelling.
While there are definitely examples of traditional visionary artwork such as these ones which do genuinely capture the essence of at least one single frame of psychedelic geometry, when it comes to animating the continuously moving and shapeshifting manner in which geometry manifests, i think it's going to take a very deliberate and concerted effort from within the replication community to truly get there.
On an entirely different note, this effect was probably the one particular aspect of the psychedelic experience that most quickly convinced me that these substances are incredibly profound and essential tools for humanity. Almost a decade ago as a young 17-year-old undergoing my first couple of hallucinogenic experiences, I found myself immediately fascinated by the sheer incomprehensibility of the beautiful patterns which my mind was producing.
Since then and based on countless personal experiences, I have come to the conclusion that this effect is not simply another form of hallucination, but instead a result of neurological signals and processes from various regions of the brain bleeding into the visual cortex and being reinterpreted as complex geometric forms in a manner which is comparable to that of synaesthesia. I obviously cannot tout this assertion as fact or anything, but to me this would explain multiple aspects of geometries behaviour, such as the way in which geometry commonly feels as if it is an innately understandable visual representation of one's emotional state, sensory input, and even complex concepts or thoughts. If this is true, it also implies that psychedelic geometry is the profound experience of being able to indirectly see the hidden architecture and complex programming of human consciousness.
If you've made it this far into the video, thanks so much for watching! I just want to thank all of the replicators and artists that helped create the content used within this video. If you liked what you saw, please go check their social media handles within the links in the description below. You'd probably also enjoy our website at effectindex.com and our subreddit at /r/replications.
If you could also like this video and subscribe to the channel, that would be super cool and such.
Thanks again for watching, and have a lovely day.
Josie Kins~2017–2021