About Brandon West

My name is Brandon West. I am a writer, scientist, physicist, historian, scholar, musician, linguist, mystic, yogi, martial artist, wanderer, and, perhaps, a spiritual teacher. But what does that say about me? Everything, and nothing at all.

“Nobody knows who I am or what I do. Not even I.”
– Don Juan

One thing that I have realized is that focus, presence, along with the honing and refinement of knowledge, skills, and ourselves, arises from simplicity. Simplicity in the sense of coming to a place of peace, silence, balance, and a space within us where we are not distracted, obstructed, and deluded by our thoughts, and the preconceptions of the world and ourselves upon which they are founded. It is this clarity born of simplicity which enables us to recognize our true selves, resulting in self-realization.

A very serious and profession picture of the author. One of maybe 10 that he has of himself at present.

Therefore how could I tell you about who I am, when I cannot describe this experience, and when I cannot even define myself to myself? I have enough trouble just listing the arts and disciplines I study and practice daily, let alone when I frequently discover, experience, and embody new awareness of myself in talent, emotion, perception, passion and curiosity, inspiration, and self-expression. I do not believe it can be done. The only thing I can say with certainty is that I am Consciousness. As we all are.

What I can tell you is what I seek, what I know, along with what I perceive and experience – to some degree at least. As such this entire website is an expression of who I am. Everything from spiritual writings, to physics, history, yoga, meditation, taiji, and music – among other elements which will come in time. These things are all a part of me, and to a degree you can see who I am through my work. Yet none of these things define me. These arts and disciplines are just the mediums I have found which adequately how I express who I am, my intrinsic nature. But as I stated above, we can never fully know ourselves, let alone with any definiteness. I know a great deal about who I am, certainly a great deal more than I used to. However the frequency of experiences where what I thought I knew of myself is dramatically transformed makes it clear to me that I know very little within the greater scope of all that is, within the scope of all that I am. That thought excites me to no end.

“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise.
Seek what they sought. ”
– Matsuo Bashou

What I seek is knowledge: to know and understand the truth of what is and what I am, and to embody and live in perpetually higher consciousness. Both of these pursuits are processes, which require both a study of science and history, and an internal study of the self through meditation and yoga. I cannot do one without the other. For without a clear and balanced mind living in heightened awareness, truth cannot be recognized. And without a deep determination to know things exactly as they are, with no preconceptions or delusions, objective truth cannot be known and higher consciousness becomes a realm of fantasy because it has no basis as a definite expression through us in action, and is thus detached from reality. In other words, it then has no practical value.

Above all else, I am a practical person. If I cannot use or apply a thing, then I will not do it because it has no value to me. As such I learn everything that I learn through action and application, thus through my own experience. I seek to learn directly wherever possible. All of my spiritual knowledge and understanding I have learned directly through experience. Using intuition and reason, deduction and analytical thought as a guide. This is how I seek to learn all things. The one possible exception is history, because it cannot at this time be learned directly. Although there are certain aspects of history that are deeply relevant and meaningful to me, and which I am irreverently curious about. That is reason enough for me.

Though I may not, like them, be able to quote other authors,
I shall rely on that which is much greater and more worthy:
on experience, the mistress of their masters.
– Leonardo da Vinci

I really don’t have anything to prove anymore. I just desire to freely express all that I am. I am not trying to convince anyone of anything, because I do not believe that people can be convinced of anything. We cannot force people to change, nor should we, because they would not genuinely grow or gain anything from the experience. All change and personal transformation must be directed from within, chosen, in a sense, and decided on by the individual.

I do this work, I write, learn, and create because it is the expression of who I am. That is the primary reason. I have a few aspirations that I am working towards, because I am deeply inspired to do so. Yet I will not tell you what they are. If I succeed, then one day you will see them. But otherwise I do this work because I absolutely have to. It is the expression of who I am, and all of these different aspects of knowledge, art, and skill are intrinsic to the expression of what I perceive, feel, sense, and think deep within me, and when I look out through these eyes of mine.

With that being said, I do also create and publish this work in order to serve as many people as I possibly can, to liberate them and all of humanity, if it is within my power to do so, assisting to usher us all into a world and level of consciousness that is presently not comprehensible or clear to the majority. I genuinely believe that we can change this world, and that we can solve the problems our species faces as we evolve spiritually as consciousness, intellectually and emotionally as a result, as this understanding for me has been born of profound spiritual experience and long training which has drastically changed how I see, understand, and experience reality.

Above all, what I am seeking to express to you is that the world is not as you have been lead to believe. You are more than you know, and far more than you think. And the world – reality – is not as it has been portrayed. There are some fundamental revisions that must be made in many fields of knowledge which, together, change much of what we think we know. There is genuine mystery and magic to be experienced in every moment, in every place, in every action, and in every way. Our potential is beyond reckoning, because we are infinite beings of consciousness, with boundless and startling potential for growth, transformation, creativity, and achievement. Actualizing this heightened level of energy-consciousness is what I seek to do a little bit every day, and I will do so throughout my entire life.

On this site I will give you the knowledge, ideas, practices, and skills for you to realize this for yourself. I will not interact or converse with you directly, because I do not believe it will do any good. That just involves the ego and makes it about me, when in reality it is about you, what you want and who you can become, along with us, the entire world together.

I fully recognize that I have no control over what you do with this knowledge, nor how you take it in. I cannot convince you of anything. For when we are each ready to grow, to understanding something, or to learn something new, we will. As such I am working on these ideas and this research, and publishing them in a coherent vision for everyone to see, in a comprehensive, organized, and single source because it is in my nature to do so.

This is what I love doing with my time. But I also know that this knowledge and these practices are immensely relevant for most of us to understand, in order to grow, awaken, and understand. Thus if I can make this body of knowledge even slightly more refined towards truth, beauty, and simplicity inherent within, hopefully a little bit more extensive and thorough, and certainly with more clarity for the next person who comes along ready to learn, grow, and awaken, then I will be satisfied. For if I succeed, then you will be able to learn, grow, awaken, and understand so much faster than I have. And thus progress further in less time than I have.

But even with the beginning stages of the path more clear, the road is arduous for us all. Because my portion of the path will only lead you to the unknown once again! We each inevitably will have to figure things out for ourselves as we walk our own path of discovery. As such others will certainly be able to add much to this work that I cannot add, because I am limited only by the time I have each day to do this work, and by the infinite breadth of what there is to learn, do, and discover.

I am speaking to the people who are listening. To the people who have come across this work along their own journey and who resonate with it – for now. I am speaking to the people who have just been forming the questions about themselves and their world, and forming doubts about what they have been told to believe. To those whose eyes have just begun to open, and to those just forming their ideas about the world, and thus don’t need to be told, just guided, or rather, presented with all of the essential information at the highest quality so that they can take what they need and leave the rest, and so continue on their journey.

I am even speaking to those who already know, and who aren’t reading, but can hear me anyways. For they hear it in the fiber of their being, every moment of their existence. They already live what I am saying, as I am seeking to do the same.

My only intention is to describe the path and the directions to the path as clearly as possible. This is the spiritual path, the path of awakening, the path of discovering, expressing, and actualizing our deepest talents, greatest dreams, and our highest potential. The path of true freedom and liberation. I just want to make the direction to that path as clear as possible, and give some indication of the terrain, because in my experience, once we are on that path, that path towards freedom where we are living our truth and our passion, everything that we do is for the enjoyment of it. Because then we are free. That freedom and liberation is my greatest dream for both myself, and for all people.

There are few throughout history who have been truly free, which has nothing to do with monetary wealth, or talent, or intelligence. These are not even indicators of true freedom.

“To seek freedom is the only driving force I know. Freedom to fly off into that infinity out there. Freedom to dissolve; to lift off; to be like the flame of a candle, which, in spite of being up against the light of a billion stars, remains intact, because it never pretended to be more than what it was: a mere candle.” – Don Juan / Carlos Castaneda