Something most people don’t understand is that we create our own realities. That life doesn’t ‘do’ to us, life is a reflection of our beliefs and how we view reality. That life is actually closer to the film The Matrix and what we perceive life to be is the science fiction.
It sounds fantastical, I know. But the simple fact is we are not an accident of nature in our birth and we are not here simply to exist for a number of decades (hopefully), be at the mercy of the slings and arrows, and then shuffle off into oblivion as though we never existed. That isn’t what it’s about at all, there is so much more to life that in having that approach, is missed. What life is about is a series of learnings for our soul. And if we don’t open up to that, we will repeat our lives until we do. I have no idea how many lives I’ve had where I have been unawakened but I guess there’s been a fair few like many others!
Life is a wonderful thing. We have more chance of winning the lottery than we do of being conceived, the odds are that impossible. And yet, there are literally billions of humans on this planet. While I doubt very much we are the only planet in our galaxy let alone the entire Universe that has life on it, the fact that we are almost certainly the only one in our solar system heightens the miracle that is life. And the fact that everything on our earth is connected to everything in our solar system, our galaxy and the Universe makes it even more amazing. And yet many if not most people just don’t look at it that way. They see life as some form of drudgery to be endured rather than seen with a sense of wonder that they are here at all. That there is an amazing ecosystem that they are a part of which is designed to keep us all alive, every species. An ecosystem they are intrinsically linked to, connected to. Most people somehow see themselves as being separate from nature, some even see themselves or the human race as having dominion over it. When in truth, we are as much a part of it as the trees, the oceans, and every living creature are. That there is a collective conscious that we all feed into whether we are aware of it or not, a collective conscious that if we were tapped into it would show us that there is only pure love. That is the only thing that matters.
Most people aren’t aware that if we did tap into that collective conscious, as a collective, there would be no need for fear or anxiety or hatred because those feelings don’t exist in the presence of pure love. There is no room for bigotry of any kind – animals are never racist, are they? And animals (except humans) are entirely in tune with the collective conscious. Because they live entirely in the present moment. Have you ever seen a dog on a walk? The sheer joy it is feeling in that exact moment? It’s not thinking about how far the walk is, what they’re going to have for breakfast (unless you have a labrador, of course!), they’re not thinking about anything other than the fact they are having an inordinate amount of fun in nature and that they’re with you. That’s it, that’s all. Purely in the moment. Whenever I’m walking my dog, I make it a point to really get into his thought process as well and just admire where I am and what I’m doing. I’ve stopped listening to podcasts and music as we walk, and just enjoy my surroundings because wherever we are, there is always something beautiful to see or hear and enjoy. That’s when you hear the birdsong, hear the wind rustling the leaves, hear the little animals scurrying in the hedgerow, and find the peace inside yourself. I’ve had some of my best aha moments doing that, some of the most profound realisations about myself and about life. Because I have made my egoic mind take a back seat and allowed my soul to come forward and be heard, and I have tuned into the marvel that is the collective conscious. That is nature.
Most people don’t realise that the world they are seeing is a projection brought about purely by their own mind. That the Reticular Activating System (RAS) in our brain is presenting to us the images we expect to see based on our subconscious programming, our values, our prejudices, and external programming such as the media. Most people don’t realise that what our five senses are telling us is driven by that RAS and that what is our reality, is not everyone else’s reality. That if we expect to see lack and pain, our RAS will dutifully display it to us, but that doesn’t mean that that is THE reality, just that it is OUR reality. There is no THE reality. And that we can create a reality that we would prefer to see by being more aware of our thought processes, our limiting beliefs, our perceptions and the fact that we are creating our reality. The price to pay for that, though, is taking responsibility for ourselves. For knowing that nothing is happening ‘to’ us, that nothing external is to blame for the way our life is, that we are wholly responsible for our lives. It is difficult, don’t get me wrong. It’s tough when your life isn’t the way you want it to be and you wake up to the reality that it is entirely down to you that it’s like that. But the most empowering thought about that is that if your life is in the toilet, you can change that. Put in the effort, and you can shift your perceptions. The fact that you choose to worry about things, to be fearful about things means you can choose not to be. The fact that you can, instead of seeing the rubbish, choose to see the positive aspects of your life in that exact moment. That in all probability, in that moment you have absolutely everything you could need. That the likelihood is, fundamentally, the Universe/God/Source provides you with what you need in that present moment. Most people are unaware of this.
Take if you are in a job you hate but you tell yourself you have to stay there to pay the bills but you hate every minute of being there and struggle to get out of bed to go to the office or wherever to do the job. I’ve done it, there’s no judgement here at all. But the truth is, you don’t have to stay there. You don’t have to live in the place where you live, chances are you could find somewhere cheaper to live for a while. You don’t have to have the TV package you have or shop in the supermarket you shop in. You could drive a cheaper car. There are other choices. But if the lifestyle you have is important to you, it’s how you can reconcile working in a job you hate until you can find something different to do that still gives you the lifestyle you enjoy. It’s all a choice. No one is doing it to you, you’re doing it to yourself. And you can choose differently. And this is something most people miss. You have the choice to see things in a different way, in a more positive rather than negative way.
Because the other thing most people don’t understand is that if you focus on the negative, it is all you will see. It is what the RAS will perfectly deliver for you. I read the other day a beautiful definition of the RAS – that it is the point where you meet the Universe/Source/God and everything you expect to see is placed before you. It is the creator of your reality, and your reality is based on what you expect. Whereas if you shift your perspective, over time your RAS will deliver that to you. I always say this, but here’s a RAS exercise – choose to see something you wouldn’t think to ordinarily see. The first time I did this I decided to really challenge it and see purple butterflies in February. I thought I’d foxed the whole thing. Until I pulled a notebook off my shelf that I hadn’t used in months and saw that there were two purple butterflies on it. You don’t have to see it ‘in person’ as it were, but you will see it. Because your RAS will deliver it to you as soon as it can. I honestly never knew there were so many green and purple cars on the roads as there are. Previously, my brain’s filtration system had filtered them out as unimportant until I had challenged myself to seeing them. So the filtration system filtered them in. And I see them very often now.
Fundamentally the thing most people don’t understand is that they are in charge of their reality because their brain is a superpowered instrument of magic. That it is connected to the collective conscious, whether they are consciously aware of it or not, and that the collective conscious is connected not just to everything on earth but everything in the universe. It is one giant organism. And we are a part of it. We are never alone, we are never unloved, we are never victimised. Only if we choose to be which for me is a far more empowering than upsetting thought.
Life is a miracle, it is utterly amazing. It’s just that most people don’t understand that it’s down to them to see it that way. Imagine how much happier we could all be if we did.
Louisa Simpson 