Change in Perception
”Perceived reality eventually becomes manifested reality.”
Thought has creative power.
Your attention is what gives strength to a thought.
Wherever we put our attention, that object or idea grows, since it receives energy.
That is why it’s so common to feel anxious before speaking to a crowd. All these people's concentrated attention on us makes our energy experience a peak.
The same applies to the life we manifest. Some people seem to be able to create the life they want, while other people seem to be always struggling with the same challenges, even a decade later.
Why are there certain problems that do not change?
It has to do with our perception.
It’s very common to stop questioning the perceptions that we consider "normal" even if they are not auspicious. Much of this belief system we have was learned in our childhood • even unconsciously programmed in the womb by being deeply affected by the thoughts and feelings our mother had at the time of pregnancy • and we lived a lifetime perceiving reality in a limited way.
The perceived reality is the manifested reality, that’s why having had experiences that proved our perceptions true, they became patterns or programs difficult to overcome in time. They have already created neuronal pathways in the brain that have to be rewired.
Once your perception changes, your manifested reality changes.
You can change those perceptions in different ways, sometimes some approach does not work and we have to move to try others or a combination of them.
1. Questioning the Perception: Contemplating in greater depth about something limiting will bring more light on the subject. Naturally, as your understanding expands, your perception changes. For example, let's say you're a fan of Elvis Presley. Listening to his music as a teenager, you had a certain perception of him. But as you listen to stories about his life, his struggles, the challenges he had to face and overcome, how he managed to create a new musical genre, etc. It will bring a change of perception. The more we contemplate on something, greater the change in perception will be.
2. Moving to ‘expanded states of consciousness’ where in a matter of seconds we see the same problem from a completely different angle, instantly generating new pathways in the brain. This can occur in a state of deep meditation, or through repeating a mantra for prolonged times, in certain cases pranayama can be used to concentrate vital energy through breath-work, or even through rituals that aim to concentrate a lot of energy in some particular aspect of life.
3. Liberation of Ancestors: our life is not independent from the moment we are born. We are connected with a lineage of beings from which we have inherited our bodies, our psychological and emotional tendencies, cultural conditioning, education and moral, material goods, among many other things. Our life is linked to their evolution in the subtle planes where the journey of life continues after leaving their physical bodies. We see the value of honoring our ancestors in all ancient cultures, as an essential part of being able to live a life in peace and overcome obstacles. It’s important to express our gratitude for the efforts they made to make us who we are today. Asking for forgiveness if we have hurt them consciously or unconsciously will help, since that affects their journey in the subtle realms and also making sure that what we are doing in our lives is in harmony with them. The blessings of our ancestors are very important for a life of progress. One way to offer our love is through performing rituals according to your culture. The lack of their blessings creates all kinds of insurmountable obstacles in our lives.
4. Suffering: The role of suffering has been belittled in many seeking a spiritual path. We believe that a spiritual life is one where we can live in a state of permanent connection, unconditional love, positive thoughts and constructive emotions all the time, but the reality is that life is full of contrasts. One day you are happy and peaceful, the next day you can be sad or angry. No matter how much you have advanced along the way, these things will still be there. The emotions of suffering are part of the ‘Collective One Mind’ that all humanity shares, and this one mind has certain characteristics. Mainly the mind measures, compares, analyzes, contrasts, takes opposite positions, denies, existing in the world of duality. It’s in this constant comparison that suffering arises. Life is a paradox where opposites coexist. Where there is Oneness, there is no suffering.
As we embrace these seemingly opposite experiences that create us suffering we are pushed to recreate ourselves, shaping our personality and emerging even stronger. It is known today at the scientific level that the end of emotional development happens when we stop confronting our inner suffering.
Dr John Douillard explains “It is said in Ayurveda that pain is directly across from the bliss, and the reason for the pain is to get our attention so that we can go through the pain and experience a deeper, more real aspect of the Self and let a more loving and powerful version of ourselves out. According to this perspective, experiencing the pain is essential for emotional and spiritual growth. Once you have taken away the pain you have taken away the road map to mental and emotional maturity.”
Emotional maturity stops when we begin to avoid pain through physical escapes, such as alcohol for example, or psychological escapes like avoidance, or suppression and blaming ourselves or others; or even we escape spiritually through philosophies and theories that disconnect us from the truth at that moment, waiving to experience how we are feeling during that difficult time.
5. Relationship with Parents: We know that the relationship with those who assumed the role of our parents in the child's eyes is the relationship that has impacted us the most and affects our lives profoundly. If we have received much love and respect, then we tend to recreate the same conditions in all other relationships. If instead we carry unconscious suffering from our childhood • unless your parents have been living in a high state of consciousness and love, we most likely have felt hurt in one way or another • then those unresolved problems tend to become obstacles along the way.
How do we know if our relationship with our parents is healthy?
Well, the first feeling that comes to your heart when you think of them individually can be a good indicator. When a relationship is healthy, you receive energy every time you think of that person. When the relationship needs to be set right, then, when thinking about that person there is a feeling of apathy, or there are feelings of hurt, or there is no feeling at all. That is, we lose energy by thinking of that person. Sit in contemplation and meditate on those unfinished emotional charges, allowing them to be expressed internally with the gift of your attention, opening up to the opportunity to free yourself from old hurts and get to the root of the problem. This will lead you to discover inner peace.
There are other points of contemplation that can help us change our perceptions of life that we will contemplate in future publications.
Contemplation
What perception should you change to overcome the obstacles you are having at this time?
Is this problem old and recurring?
Which of these 5 points applies?
February 1st, 2020 • Written by Daniel Bellone.