Quick Overview

This idea was first synthesized by Dr. Timothy Leary, and has been further expanded and expounded by others, especially Robert Anton Wilson.  It is a model for understanding human consciousness, which says that there are (so far) eight distinct 'circuits' (sometimes referred to as subsystems, gears, mini-brains, levels, and a variety of other metaphors) which have evolved, each funtioning at a 'higher', more complex or more enlightened level of consciousness.    

Key to the model is the idea that our individual experience of reality (often called 'reality tunnels') is not necessarily representative of reality itself, but rather our perception of reality based on our own sensory input filtered by mental models.  Everything we perceive, we perceive in the mind, in the brain.  Everybody sees things from a different point of view, with a different makeup, a different set of experiences, so in effect, we're all living in our own little reprentations of the universe, which is not the actual universe.  

A Map of a Place Is Not That Place

Here's a good way to understand what is meant here, if you're not grokking it yet.  A map is a representation of a place, but every map is wrong in some way.  A map is not the place it represents, but a projection--a model.  Different projections excel and suffer in different ways.  Some show size well, but distort shape, others may be better for certain locales, some more accurate with distances.  Strengths and weaknesses determine applicability in each situation, and if you are able to switch maps for different places and purposes, then you gain much more adaptability.  The right tool for the right job....

Metaprogramming

By becoming aware of the disctinction between reality and one's perception of it, the possibility arises to change that perception.  If you think of your brain as a biological computer and your mind as the firmware being executed on your brain, then by changing that software, you could actually reprogram yourself to see or do things differently.  

Further Reading

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8-Circuit_Model_of_Consciousness

http://www.dedroidify.com/8circuits2.htm

http://www.dedroidify.com/8circuits.htm

http://www.erowid.org/culture/characters/leary_timothy/leary_timothy_8-c...

http://www.futurehi.net/media/Robert%20Anton%20Wilson%20-%20Consciousnes...

http://www.futurehi.net/media/Robert%20Anton%20Wilson%20-%20Consciousness,%20Drugs,%20Yoga%20And%20More%20II.mp3