The Tablets of Chartres Cathedral

A traditional tool for the expansion of consciousness

Abstract

French Gipsy tribes used a simple visual technique as an effective meditative method for expanding consciousness. Two similar but differently colored images of three geometric shapes (the “Tablets of Chartres Cathedral”) are fused by crossing one’s eyes, thus creating a third (virtual) image in their center. The gaze remains fixed on this virtual image throughout the meditation. The technique allows for an exceptionally clear observation of one’s own visual perception and mental and emotional processes, thus opening up the meta-level of consciousness. This initiates an autonomous therapeutic process in practitioners that is controlled by their own subconscious. The effects are long-lasting. The author discovered the Tablets in 1978 and explored their potential in depth for 16 years before publishing a handbook on them in 1994. In this article, he describes the impact of this practice on his own life. He emphasizes its uniqueness in that, unlike other traditional methods, the use of the Tablets is not tied to any tradition or ritual observance. He also points out methodological similarities to other techniques.