Institute of Perception

**Check out our list of all hidden gems in Jacumba!**

From their site: The Institute of Perception is located 70 miles East of San Diego in the beautiful high desert (2,700 ft. elevation) within the town of Jacumba. The surrounding mountains form a natural interior bowl, created from a prehistoric meteor that also resulted in very low specific gravity for the area. The Institute building is situated at the base of the sacred mountain Jacumba peak, allowing a panoramic view of the entire valley below.

The natural landscape is a wonderland of unique rock formations scattered with desert fauna and abundant wildflowers.  The Institute of Perception is dedicated to the Evolution of the human spirit through the Arts.

We are forming an artistic family, magicians of the arts, to enhance, activate, and broaden perception for the individual and the greater community. We believe that achieving freedom of perception is essential to our human Evolution.

Our programs aim for participants to revitalize their artistic vision through Silent Knowledge.  The open land around the site is used for vision walks and inspirational meditation, promoting shifts in our usual assemblage point of Reason, and allowing an additional perspective: Pure Understanding or Silent Knowledge.

The founders of the Institute of Perception are Q and Noir. They are dedicated Artists of Perception using a variety of mediums.

Personal Experience: We originally visited this location because we wanted to look at the old trains and see what other remains were left in the area. While exploring the old train cars we noticed a white pyramid in the distance at the base of Jacumba Mountain.

Once we traveled across the railroad tracks, we saw a painted train car with the words Telemagica Galaxia on it. This was when things began getting more mystical. A little further on we came across the “Black River”. I will let the photos explain the river.

Next to the Black River was a labyrinth with a chakra monolith in the middle & a little further we found an outdoor room with 3 stone tubs used to cleanse yourself from hot spring water. We later learned that they are used for ritualistic energy cleansing.

We found a yellow purse next to one of the tubs and wondered who it could belong to. We took the purse and headed to the pyramid in hopes that it would solve our purse mystery. When we arrived we could hear muffled voices inside the pyramid.

After a small debate on whether or not to knock, I decided to knock on the door. No answer. About 5 minutes later we heard a male’s voice echoed by a female asking multiple questions about us. After they deemed us safe we were asked if we wanted to come inside. Of course we did!

They opened the doors and let us in. There were 4 people total, making 2 couples. There was immediately a shift in energy and it was obvious that we were amongst enlightened beings. We told them about the purse, which ended up being one of the lady’s, and she told us graciously that her purse brought us to them. We were asked by one of the men if any of us had a problem with claustrophobia or being locked inside.

Our friend immediately raised her hand and said “Yes! I do!” He said, “Good, perfect, you will lay in the middle”. He then locked us in. We were instructed to lay on a painted, stone slab & told to put our belongings at the base of our heads in these holes to not disturb the energy flow. This is when it gets interesting.

We laid down, and above us was a skylight. He tells us to stare at the sky and to not take our eyes off it. They begin circling us, shaking water bottles, and gliding what I believe were sticks along the pyramid, creating a textured metal-sound. They begin to walk faster and faster around us. A million thoughts that will remain private were going through our heads. We were then told to close our eyes and they continued circling us.

Once it was finished we were told that that was their gift to us and that it was to heighten our senses. They felt we had been brought to them and that we arrived at the perfect time. Any later and we probably would not have been welcomed inside. Perhaps there was a purpose because now they are on here.

We shot a music session with Garage Mahal and Many A Moon here.  Check it out!

!

Keep your eyes peeled for all the artistic details scattered around!

There’s the pyramid in the distance!

Their hot springs cleansing baths:

We finally made our way to the pyramid!

UPDATE: I came across this gem of a photo of us inside the pyramid! Creepy-cool!

Their “black river”: