Happy New Year! 2012 is going to be full of exciting things.
Now that the craziness of Christmas is over, I can go back to pondering how the universe works.
Lately, I've been very curious to try to understand the extent that we create our reality. Having studied social science, I know that our perceptions of ourselves and how we fit in the world affect how we behave. Our perceptions of others and their behavior also affect how we behave, and in turn affect how we see ourselves and how others see themselves. It's a giant cause/effect loop of perception and feedback. So, in this way, our perception affects much of our reality.
Also, I believe that instead of just allowing ourselves to be passive creatures who succumb to instincts such as reacting with anger when someone says or does something negative, we are evolved enough creatures to be able to make a choice about how we're going to react to create a different outcome. If we are conscious beings who can understand that certain behavior creates certain outcomes, and we choose to behave in certain ways as to create a desired outcome, aren't we creating our reality in a way?
We all know our perception of why someone behaved the way they did can be wrong. Maybe someone you met at a party was quiet because they weren't feeling well, or because they're shy, or because they're stuck up, or because they don't like you and don't want to talk to you. These are all possibilities. (Which option would you choose btw?) The reality for the person you met may be different than the reality you perceive, but regardless, your perception seems very real to you and you assume it is real unless you're told otherwise. Ever notice how people with low self-esteem have distorted perceptions that would choose the last possibility above. If you would talk to them, however, they truly believe that it's reality - that no one likes them. People tend to perceive things in a way that are consistent with and therefore confirm their prior beliefs. We're stubborn creatures. Have you ever tried to talk to a friend who has a very low self esteem and tried to convince them that they're smart, pretty, people do like them, etc...? It's almost impossible because they've told themselves this "fact" (that they're not smart, pretty, likable, etc..) so much that every opportunity they can to prove themselves right, they do - even if it means distorting "reality".
We all do this and the more conscious we are of our thoughts and perceptions, the more we can make choices to create a better reality for ourselves.
So, to what extent do we create our reality? I just watched one of my favorite shows on the science channel - Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman. It pondered something interesting: does something exist if no one sees it? Now we're getting into quantum physics (something I would love to study in another lifetime). Quantum physicists believe that if we perceive something, it validates its existence.
However, we are all different and one person might feel compelled to understand how something works in order to use it, whereas someone else might not care how it works, they just want to use it/do it. We need both of these types of people. It makes me realize though, that just because I don't quite understand how something works and just trust it does and go ahead and use and apply it, it doesn't work any less than if I were to understand exactly how it works. Knowledge of something doesn't always affect application of it. Most people I know don't understand physics but it doesn't affect how well the laws of matter and energy work in daily life. They just work. That's how I look at the law of attraction and other laws of the universe. It also nicely explains things like this: just because our science is not advanced enough to measure the spirit, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I've noticed as we have evolved, especially in recent years, more and more people are becoming better able to tap into senses that science is not yet evolved enough to measure.
Sorry, I digress (but this blog is as much for myself to look back at my thoughts and journey, so I do what I want ;). If you're still with me...
the thing I've found to not be completely true with the law of attraction and creating your own life is that I think as much as we have free will, there are forces greater than us that have either some control over us and/or strongly guide us toward a path, calling, or destiny (I have heard all of these terms used but don't know if I agree with all of them). What happens if what you currently want isn't aligned with your greater purpose, path, calling or destiny? I think this affects whether or not you will be able to use the law of attraction and manifest those desires. Also, what we think we want at one point in our lives can greatly change. What if what we think we are passionate about now changes when we later discover something totally new that we realize we are even more passionate about that? These are all possible blocks to the law of attraction and this year I intend on exploring these and more.
I've just started reading Caroline Myss' book Sacred Contracts. It makes a lot of sense so far. I'll let you know when I'm finished.
As usual, I love to hear others' comments, so feel free to let me know what you think about any of this.
