The Secret is confusing.

[MrJake]

I read "The Secret".

But... I dont understand it. What does it mean by universe, like the stars and planets and stuff?

Wait, was it the secret that talked about the universe?

I dont remember >.<

I read lots of books on manifestation, but I dont understand the terminology.

Whats state of being?

[cylon]

the Universe is everything that exists (and has, or could, exist). Normally when we think of the Universe we just think of outer space, but outer space is also IN the Universe.

The Universe is the container, everything else is the contents.

So when you hear something like "The Universe is orchestrating your manifestation..." it means everything that exists, or ever could or will exist, is literally bending itself based on YOUR intention. That's a lot of power at your disposal.

States of being is whatever dominant emotion/feeling/vibration you are sending out to the Universe. The more you resonate with a particular feeling/vibration, the more certain characteristics pop up in your life, based on that particular "state of being". Abundance mindset is a "state of being", so is a poverty consciousness, etc.

Those are my definitions at least.

[MrJake]

So... the universe is packaging and everything in the packaging? The universe is everything.

Now im more confused.

[cylon]

Packaging and contents, if you want to get really specific. I like to think of the Universe as the canvas, and the things we see and experience everyday as the paint on the canvas. You can choose your own favorite analogy or metaphor.

To make it easier to understand, just look at it this way: the Universe is All That Is.

If THAT makes you more confused, then I don't know what to tell ya.

[MrJake]

So... the universe is like a sandwich? And the sandwich wrapper?

And the fillings of the sandwich, is our experience?

[cylon]

Whatever works in your own mind. That's the nice thing about trying to describe the indescribable, as long as you feel you understand what you're talking about, doesn't really matter if someone else doesn't.

[MrJake]

Okay. Thank you for your replies cylon. They've been most thought provoking.

Another thing one talked about was, the universe isnt real. Or it is real, but not really. What the heck? It cant be both real and not real at the same time.

[cylon]

Yeah, that's one I really enjoy. I think it is realistically not-real as possible.

My belief is that when people say "real", what they are really (see how often we use the word in different contexts?) saying is that something is "stable and permanent."

That cat, snoozing by the fireplace, is "real", visually. We close our eyes, then reopen them, and the cat is still there. And the cat doesn't seem to change either, it doesn't change color while we're watching it, it doesn't start hovering above the ground, doesn't start speaking the english language like in a cartoon... it doesn't do anything non-cat like because it is a "real cat", duh.

But, the cat is NOT real. (My belief is) the cat is only there because your perception puts him there. Before you perceived him, he did not exist. Right there you've gotten rid of the stable and permanent part. And, time is an illusion as well. Which means, we think a "real cat" is born as a kitten, then over several years gets older and older. Maybe lives to be 17 or 18 years old if it's very very healthy. But there is only one moment, this moment, there is no time, so a cat's life-cycle happens in an instant. It doesn't grow to be 17 or 18 years old, it is born now, lives now, dies now.

So by the common definition of real, you could say considering all these factors that the cat is NOT real--not real in the sense we believe it to be. But, it might as well BE real, because despite knowing that the cat is an illusion, it's still there by the fireplace, snoozing, and we will still perceive it being born as a kitten and living for years and years. The experience will seem real, even if we realize (*) that it is not.

But it's still "real". Just a different kind of real. Whatever is in your experience is "real".

Just don't forget the quotation marks.

[MrJake]

So my cat is "physical" but not real.

So what does real mean?

[cylon]

Real means whatever the person using the word thinks it means.

What matters is what it means to you. To me, what is considered by others as "real" means permanent and stable, but I think both those conditions are illusions.

So my reality, is made up of things that appear to be "real" to others. And those things are still real to me, too, in my every day life.... my mental concept of what they are just happens to be a bit different than what someone else might think.

But at the end of the day, we're still looking at a cat. Whether it is "real" or not, doesn't actually affect the experience OF seeing the cat.

But understanding that reality is malleable might affect what types of things you see, and what types of experiences you might have.