On Subjective Reality/God Consciousness

[eternomi]

I don't know what exactly kicked me in my heineken, but I reread the "subjective reality" series of blog posts.

Apparently I had failed to grasp Steve's perspective the first hundred times I read these posts. I always thought the consciousness was due to the body/brain, but S/R suggests that this is not so. The body I normally identify with is no different than any other body I see. It is simply an automoton that obeys the consciousness which I experience. It is thought that animates the body I normally relate to and the other ones as well.

If I stop identifying with the body that I used to refer to as "I", and refer to the experience of consciousness as "I", this answers a lot of questions, but brings up new ones such as:

* I always thought consciousness was a byproduct of the body, so I explained not being aware of anything before birth to not having a body. How does one explain "not having a beginning" within S/R? If I always were, then why don't I remember it?

* Consciousness controls the actions of all beings via the thoughts/beliefs it holds.. But it doesn't handle all the details? For example, if my consciousness intends peace, love and harmony for all, it doesn't have to spell out the procedure as to how this is going to be accomplished? Another aspect of this is, how does the belief of "people are untrustworthy" or "people are loving" manifest "exactly"? Who is handling the details? If the consciousness is handling them, then why am I not fully aware of all the details of what is being manifested?

* I always thought the body experienced things which helped it grow. Now that this body is the same as all the other ones in a single unitary perspective, how can consciousness grow? Growth requires time and we just said time is within the consciousness container, so by definition, consciousness shouldn't be experiencing growth or learning... Why isn't the consciousness container all-knowing in the first place?

* Since I related my consciousness to a physical body (the brain to be specific), I kept thinking the body controlled what my consciousness could know/feel/perceive etc. If that is not so, then what does the "subconscious" have to do with anything? If the consciousness is all there is, then how come there are "background processes" that always run "seemingly outside of my consciousness" working against my intentions?

Steve, if you have answers to these, please share here or in a blog post.
Thank you

[eternomi]

No takers?

[Athena]

you mean 'any takers?'

good questions.

* I always thought the body experienced things which helped it grow. Now that this body is the same as all the other ones in a single unitary perspective, how can consciousness grow? Growth requires time and we just said time is within the consciousness container, so by definition, consciousness shouldn't be experiencing growth or learning... Why isn't the consciousness container all-knowing in the first place?

I wonder the same too. If our souls are simply extensions of the universal force, like drops of water from the ocean, there really isn't any true differentiation among them, and we should all have the same wisdom and knowledge. I think it's kinda weird that some people say 'we are all the same' at the soul level, but then go on to say that we are in physical form in order for our souls to learn certain lessons or advance on to further levels of consciousness.

I think that rather than 'learning' or 'advancement' of individual souls, the purpose of souls incarnating into physical form is contributive to the whole evolution and progression of humanity, an element of the universe, and dictated by God.


I am tempted to believe that our souls may not actually be individual, but simply parts of a whole force or body of energy, kind of like electricity-- it looks like it is confined to your lamp when it's lit, but after that it goes back to mass undifferentiated form.
Our energy and souls may simply go back to source, like drops of water end up back in clouds, be spread out again into source as generic soul energy, then part of that soul energy is pinched off again whenever someone is born in physical form. Our souls appear to be individual, but are only for a short period of time, and in their true form they are simply in an undifferentiated mass.


But I guess those who travel to the astral realm think we're still separate.

Hm.

[skydust]

you have asked some big questions. id love to hear what people have to say about them. ive also wondered why we dont remember our birth, or moment of conception.

Originally Posted by outback

* I always thought the body experienced things which helped it grow. Now that this body is the same as all the other ones in a single unitary perspective, how can consciousness grow? Growth requires time and we just said time is within the consciousness container, so by definition, consciousness shouldn't be experiencing growth or learning... Why isn't the consciousness container all-knowing in the first place?

i posed a similar line of questions about consciousness to my guides recently as i never understood why, if consciousness was all there is, would it want to give this up and forget it, just to have it again. what is the point? and their reply was as follows:

Whats the point in not having something you already have so that you can have it again?
--because its fun.

Is that all you have to say about that?
--we enjoy *consciously* reconnecting to the source.

has consciousness always existed within space/time reality?
--YES. because it created this reality in the first place.

so can consciousness create istelf?
-- consciousness IS consciousness.

can it uncreate/destroy itself?
--implicably yes

what would happen if consciousness became unconscious of itself?
--we would have what we have now, our reality IS consciousness being unconscious of itself, to see what its like and so it can become aware of itself again.

what is unconsciousness?
--not being aware that you are consciousness


its all a bit mind-boggling

[eternomi]

Originally Posted by Athena

you mean 'any takers?'

The first post had the implied "any takers?" built in. This second post kinda sorta assumed that there were no takers, but I was hoping someone (Steve, are you out there?) would bite.

Originally Posted by Athena

I am tempted to believe that our souls may not actually be individual, but simply parts of a whole force or body of energy, kind of like electricity-- it looks like it is confined to your lamp when it's lit, but after that it goes back to mass undifferentiated form.

This is an excellent point! And I believe a lot of people are mislead here. When we are in the physical form, we say we can distinguish individual people. As you said we cannot distinguish between the electricity in your house and the electricity in my house. It is all the same electricity to our eyes per se (so is water and air), but we could probably devise ways to distinguish between the two even after they merge when they leave our houses! We just don't care to be able to do it.

My ultimate point is that just because you merged back with the "one soul" after death (of course, the assumption that "with birth to this world we separated from it" is probably wrong to begin with) probably does not mean we cannot distinguish souls any more. Once we go to that dimension, perhaps our soul bodies will have the necessary senses to be able to distinguish between the personalities of different souls including our own.

I guess this is similar to distinguishing radio stations and listening to the one we like amongst the sea of all other electromagnetic radiation. They are all out there simultaneously, and with the right tool (sense) you can tune into a specific one.

To me this says, just because you died out of this body and "merged" with the soul dimension, does not mean you will automatically become consious of something you were not consious of before you got there. However, for some of us, this new soul body will probably make it easier to at least accept that there is more after the death of the "physical" body.

[Rocket Surgery]

Originally Posted by outback

* I always thought consciousness was a byproduct of the body, so I explained not being aware of anything before birth to not having a body. How does one explain "not having a beginning" within S/R? If I always were, then why don't I remember it?

My studies explain that the Earth is a school wherein the main courses of study are LOVE and ILLUSIONS OF SEPARATION. The students at this school are all reincarnating spirits. Each lifetime lived can be equated to a specific "class" within the main courses of study. No one will argue that the the most learning takes place when the student is totally focused on the material without distraction. Obviously, knowledge and memories of past lives lived and our non-physical reality would serve as a major distraction to our current purpose. It's difficult to be completely immersed in any experience when you're constantly aware that the experience is an illusion, right? This is why they turn the lights down in movie theaters and people frown on cell phones and talkers and other distractions.

If you think of your life as the "ultimate illusory experience," and how you are investing decades of time into this intense educational illusion, then you logically do not wish memories of your true reality to be constantly "kicking the back of your seat," do you? Therefore, we all metaphorically sign a spiritual contract to block these memories and knowledge in order to get the most out of each lifetime experience. Make sense?[/QUOTE]

* Consciousness controls the actions of all beings via the thoughts/beliefs it holds.. But it doesn't handle all the details? For example, if my consciousness intends peace, love and harmony for all, it doesn't have to spell out the procedure as to how this is going to be accomplished? Another aspect of this is, how does the belief of "people are untrustworthy" or "people are loving" manifest "exactly"? Who is handling the details? If the consciousness is handling them, then why am I not fully aware of all the details of what is being manifested?

Similar answer to the previous. Consciousness DOES handle the details, just on a higher level than your waking ego is aware of. The personality you think of as "you" is not the entire "you," but rather a sort of emissary sent to Earth to learn and experience from a unique perspective from every other "emissary." The true and real you is, basically, the One God Consciousness, which is capable -- perhaps through a sort of "spiritual bureaucracy" of some sort -- of handling all the details, leaving you to concentrate on the mission at hand.

Imagine you are the lonely astronaut exploring a new world. You cannot be concerned with every little detail of all that it takes to place you on the surface of that speck of dust a billion miles away, nor of the thousands of support staff, each of whom has a specific responsibility that all culminates with your footprint in alien powder. Your job is enough to handle already, so you trust that everyone else is doing theirs.

* I always thought the body experienced things which helped it grow. Now that this body is the same as all the other ones in a single unitary perspective, how can consciousness grow? Growth requires time and we just said time is within the consciousness container, so by definition, consciousness shouldn't be experiencing growth or learning... Why isn't the consciousness container all-knowing in the first place?

This is perhaps where I differ from Steve's concept of subjective reality. Certainly, while I can conceive that everything that is may well exist WITHIN the One Cosmic Consciousness we refer to as "God," I'm still not sold on his idea that you are all mere projections of MY mind, and that this current life that I am living is the only one of any consequence.

I lean more towards the concept that the One Cosmic Consciousness, or OCC, had no choice but to MULTIPLY itself as the only possible way in which to grow. Time is, supposedly, a property of the PHYSICAL universe so that we are able to separate one event from another in order to better study the ramifications of same. Each lifetime lived is as unique as a snowflake, and by constantly creating new experiences, consciousness cannot help but grow.

* Since I related my consciousness to a physical body (the brain to be specific), I kept thinking the body controlled what my consciousness could know/feel/perceive etc. If that is not so, then what does the "subconscious" have to do with anything? If the consciousness is all there is, then how come there are "background processes" that always run "seemingly outside of my consciousness" working against my intentions?

Perhaps the conscious intentions of your waking ego -- your Earthly personality identity -- are in conflict with the lesson you came into this particular lifetime wishing to learn. Your higher self is always aware of your true purpose within each lifetime, and will take steps to try to steer you towards situations best suited to accomplishing that goal.

Suppose your soul intended this lifetime to be a lesson of empathy towards the struggle of minorities, so you chose a life situation where you were born and raised poor and black on the south side of Chicago. But your parents won the lottery, and you all moved to a wealthy white neighborhood and put all memory of struggle behind you. Good for your material desires, but your soul didn't come here to learn how to invest in mutual funds, so you perceive the universe as somehow working against you. By escaping the ghetto, you never experienced what it was like to grow up poor and black. Your intentions may be in conflict with your purpose, and therefore life seems to be working "against you."

This is just one possible scenario. There are countless possibilities for conflict between the desires of the waking, physical self and the higher self. The first step in resolving such conflicts is to realize and accept that your life does indeed have meaning and purpose, and that said purpose has nothing at all to do with acquiring wealth, romance or power except where the acquisition of these things is necessary for your spiritual growth and evolution.

Realizing that the greatest growth occurs through taking on challenges and overcoming obstacles, the best way to know if you are "in sync" with your true purpose and higher self is to look to those areas in life where you find that you are most challenged and constantly confront one obstacle after another. This is the Universe's way of signalling you that you are "on track."

Ever used an electronic device called a "stud finder"? It locates the 2x4's inside your walls so you can pound a nail into solid wood. Imagine your consciousness as a stud finder, and the 2x4's are the challenges and obstacles within your life. Point your focus towards the areas that challenge you; not towards the seemingly easy, hollow, drywall in between. You will find that when you home in on challenges and take them on with joy, all of the things that you THOUGHT you wanted in life will either come to you much more easily, or that you will no longer find them all that important anyway.

~ RS

[Athena]

Originally Posted by outback

The first post had the implied "any takers?" built in. This second post kinda sorta assumed that there were no takers, but I was hoping someone (Steve, are you out there?) would bite.

hahaha, I meant as in it IM, if you bump your post but say 'no takers' then it sounds like intending for it to be closed, when really I think you meant to be welcoming any takers.

Originally Posted by outback

My ultimate point is that just because you merged back with the "one soul" after death (of course, the assumption that "with birth to this world we separated from it" is probably wrong to begin with) probably does not mean we cannot distinguish souls any more. Once we go to that dimension, perhaps our soul bodies will have the necessary senses to be able to distinguish between the personalities of different souls including our own.

So, then our souls really are different and separate entities? That would mean it's not really a merging of anything, but simply souls traveling back to the spirit dimension.

And would mean, when the drops of water go back to the clouds, they are still separate.


===
===

Originally Posted by Rocket Surgery

Realizing that the greatest growth occurs through taking on challenges and overcoming obstacles, the best way to know if you are "in sync" with your true purpose and higher self is to look to those areas in life where you find that you are most challenged and constantly confront one obstacle after another. This is the Universe's way of signalling you that you are "on track."

Rocketsurgery, very thoughtful post!

Though I don't agree with that interpretation. I think that after an initial period of some obstacles and lessons, we know we are on the right path when things generally go smoothly and we feel pleased and full of joy from our contribution to the world.

[eternomi]

Originally Posted by Athena

So, then our souls really are different and separate entities? That would mean it's not really a merging of anything, but simply souls traveling back to the spirit dimension.

That makes more sense to me, but that's just me.

But let me add a bit of something extra here. It is not that your soul is separate or different, but the fact that you experience it as such makes it so... What does your heart experience? Does it feel whole with your body the way you feel it being whole with your body? Or does it see itself as being separate than the rest of your body but somehow cooperate with it? Will it realize that it was part of a whole body after it dies? Will it know that it died because the whole body died?

Originally Posted by Athena

And would mean, when the drops of water go back to the clouds, they are still separate.

It is all atoms and they are technically all different ones, but they are so tiny, you cannot distinguish which is which. However, if you marked them, you could track them. In fact, some of the latest medical technology does that to track molecules in your body to take nice clear pictures of your organs.

Technically, your entire body is brand new every 3 years or so... All the atoms are replaced with new ones, but somehow you rebuild the same body. Now does that mean you changed? or are you the same as before? Did you have to rebuild the exact same body? Did you merge with the world out there because the atoms which used to belong to your body left you? Did these atoms even realize they used to belong to a body, but now they don't?

[Rocket Surgery]

Originally Posted by skydust

you have asked some big questions. id love to hear what people have to say about them. ive also wondered why we dont remember our birth, or moment of conception.

There have been several scientific studies that produced solid evidence of reincarnation. A significant percentage of children report amazingly clear memories of past lives up until the age of approximately 4-5 years old.

Coincidentally, that's about the same age when most of us begin to remember our current lives in more linear, less-sporadic memories.

And of course there are countless records of memories of birth and past lives brought to the surface through past life regression hypnosis.

Whats the point in not having something you already have so that you can have it again?
--because its fun.

I forget the author for the moment, but one of my favorite expressions was how the human soul was referred to by a "teacher" personage as "the otters of the Universe." So that explanation makes complete sense to me.

I love to ride roller coasters. Some coasters are particular favorites, so I ride them over and over again. Why do this? I already have the experience of that particular coaster ride, and the track's path does not change, so what's to be gained by repeating the experience?

Well, how about JOY? Or FUN, as you put it.

If we are all the OCC, and supposedly already know all there is to know, then why go through all this for eternity? Because it's fun. I like that answer.

How many of us wish we were kids again, able to experience the world as for the first time through innocent eyes? Remember the magic of Christmas when we actually believed that Santa was real? That right there is reason enough to willfully agree NOT to remember past lives and what it's like to be an adult. It would totally kill all the fun of being a kid!

This is why I frown upon belief systems where life is a "one-shot" deal, and then you get judged by God and either rewarded with heaven or punished with hell. Such concepts not only prohibit any further spiritual growth; but not even the reward of "Heaven" sounds like very much FUN to me. Personally, the Christian concept of heaven sounds a lot more like what's going on in North Korea these days -- a bunch of brainwashed people marching around in lock-step, praising an egomaniacal, self-appointed "god", completely unaware that the rest of the world exists, and living in constant fear that to question their reality even for a moment could cost them their existence.

It's sadly ironic that evangelical Christians are probably the first to condemn that closed society (mainly because it oppresses religion), and yet that society is a near-perfect mirror for how they believe they'll spend eternity.

~ RS

[Athena]

Originally Posted by outback

Technically, your entire body is brand new every 3 years or so... All the atoms are replaced with new ones, but somehow you rebuild the same body. Now does that mean you changed? or are you the same as before? Did you have to rebuild the exact same body? Did you merge with the world out there because the atoms which used to belong to your body left you? Did these atoms even realize they used to belong to a body, but now they don't?

wow very interesting point! So it seems like there's still some 'binder' or conglomerative force, in our bodies, so may be the same for our spirits.

From your original questions, this means that our soul can still grow and changes while retaining some of it's original qualities, and it's identity.

==
At the same time, I guess it also may imply that we are not 'all equal'..? Some are more spiritually evolved than others?

[Nneka]

I'm not Steve, but here's my 2000 cents.

To start, I think of consciousness as all there is, was, and ever will be. In essence, it is God or Spirit.

* I always thought consciousness was a byproduct of the body, so I explained not being aware of anything before birth to not having a body. How does one explain "not having a beginning" within S/R? If I always were, then why don't I remember it?

Consciousness/God/Spirit does not have a beginning or end, but it chose to come into expression as you. Your body to consciousness is like you putting on your clothes in the morning and going out into the world if your clothes were integrated with your body. Like the suits in the movie Fantastic Four.

Some people do "remember", some of us don't. Different people remember to different degrees. Some people have a vivid memory of being pure consciousness, some don't. The other thing to note is that we are always pure consciousness in expression, it is who we are. The degree to which we are aware of this determines whether we "remember".

The other thing is that the word remember connotes a past, but there is no past. You are here now. Always in existence. I haven't figured out how to explain this yet, but it makes sense in my being.

* Consciousness controls the actions of all beings via the thoughts/beliefs it holds.. But it doesn't handle all the details? For example, if my consciousness intends peace, love and harmony for all, it doesn't have to spell out the procedure as to how this is going to be accomplished? Another aspect of this is, how does the belief of "people are untrustworthy" or "people are loving" manifest "exactly"? Who is handling the details? If the consciousness is handling them, then why am I not fully aware of all the details of what is being manifested?

Hmmm...it is not your consciousness that intends peace, it is you. Consciousness/God/Spirit is peace. What you are intending is to align yourself (your beliefs, your mind) with what already is. How much peace you manifest or experience is determined by how much you let pure consciousness express through you. AND you have a unique blend of experiences, skills, and talents that allow you to express and experience peace uniquely (the how). You are the filter, so to speak.

The same with love. Consciousness/God/Spirit is love. People are loving because they express Consciousness. Some people let it flow freely, some people block it. Some people are aware of letting it flow or blocking it and some people aren't.

I don't mean this in a doling out of inequities way or to sound superior. I truly mean that you might be coming into the awareness of consciousness at this time, but you may or may not have been a loving person. The difference is that now you are aware.

* I always thought the body experienced things which helped it grow. Now that this body is the same as all the other ones in a single unitary perspective, how can consciousness grow? Growth requires time and we just said time is within the consciousness container, so by definition, consciousness shouldn't be experiencing growth or learning... Why isn't the consciousness container all-knowing in the first place?

Ah, but it is! In fact it is all knowledge. Hence the saying, "there is nothing new under the sun."

You are here to express and experience Spirit. Growth the way we see it might be the progression of expressing more and more of it like Hawkins Power vs. Force scale.

I'm not sure that we have to progress in awareness, expression, and experience at all. It seems to me that babies express more of Spirit than adults. Some of us might realize that's what we want to do and how we want to do it, then start trusting, becoming aware, expressing, and experiencing gradually. But I don't think there's any rule that says that that's the way it has to be.

I'm grappling with that myself. My level of awareness, expression, and experience is determined by how much I trust or am open to it. Try as I might to be completely open, there are still parts of me that insist that it just can't be that way.

As a practical example, take money. I believe intellectually that Consciousness is infinite supply. However, I also harbour another belief, and I believe this viscerally because to me it is reinforced by my experiences. I believe viscerally that I have to put in a certain amount of work to get money.

I could have an epiphany and suddenly believe in my core that I don't have to any amount of work for money (I've done that a couple times in my life and it appeared from the ethers), or I could "grow" into the idea that there is indeed infinite supply.

It's not my consciousness that will be growing, it will be my capacity to express and experience it.

* Since I related my consciousness to a physical body (the brain to be specific), I kept thinking the body controlled what my consciousness could know/feel/perceive etc. If that is not so, then what does the "subconscious" have to do with anything? If the consciousness is all there is, then how come there are "background processes" that always run "seemingly outside of my consciousness" working against my intentions?

Nothing is outside of consciousness.

[skydust]

i am going to post the rest of the Q/A on consciousness from my guides as it seems to be relevant based on the questions that have popped up during the course of this discussion. take what you wish and leave the rest.


when we die, do we still perceive ourselves as single points of consciousness or do we unite with source?
--now you become single points of consciousness because you project this reality into the world.

so we are never actually single points of consciousness?
--thats right

when does this illusion end?
--its up to you

so can it continue for ever?
--if you wish it to

how do i end the illusion of single points of consciousness?
--by realising that your meaning is consciousness {you are comsciousness}

how?
--there is no how-to on this. set your intent.

so talking to you, i am in essence talking to myself? as in consciousness talking to consciousness?
--yes, thats correct.

doesn't this one consciousness get lonely?
--lonely is a perception, which you create.

so does that mean it doesnt exist?
--it exists.. if you want it to do so.

explain to me the idea of nothing.
--the role of nothing stems from the perception that existence {consciousness} stems from somewhere.

do you mean as a point in space and time?
--somewhere

also, according to my guides, and this is something i have difficulty accepting, there is no such thing as levels of consciousness. they say its merely an ego thing to be 'better than' others. i will paste it below:


there is no such thing as more or less conscious.

either you are conscious or you are not. there is no such thing as levels of consciousness, how can you be more or less not quite something. thats like saying round, or rounder. something is either round or it isnt.

levels of consciousness are merely the egos way of getting a share in the game, to make itself feel superior over those it considers to be on a 'lower' level of consciousness.

when you are aware that you ARE consciousness, that is when, and only then, when you are fully concious. before thaht, no matter how long youve been searching, or where you are in your development now, you are NOT conscious.*

ego doesnt like this obviously for it implies that it is no better than the drunken bum** on the street who has never devoted a thought to spirituality in his life. how can i be like that it asks, when i have spent so many years searching for answers?

*note that they previously defined conscious as being aware that you are consciousness.

** this is simply an analogy to illustrate that we are no 'better' than those we may look down upon, just because we have been on the path longer and learnt more lessons.

[Nneka]

You are here to express and experience Spirit. Growth the way we see it might be the progression of expressing more and more of it like Hawkins Power vs. Force scale.

I'm not sure that we have to progress in awareness, expression, and experience at all. It seems to me that babies express more of Spirit than adults. Some of us might realize that's what we want to do and how we want to do it, then start trusting, becoming aware, expressing, and experiencing gradually. But I don't think there's any rule that says that that's the way it has to be.

levels of consciousness are merely the egos way of getting a share in the game, to make itself feel superior over those it considers to be on a 'lower' level of consciousness.

WOW! Thanks Skydust :-)

[eternomi]

Originally Posted by Athena

wow very interesting point! So it seems like there's still some 'binder' or conglomerative force, in our bodies, so may be the same for our spirits.

This is the part that is challenging me. It is a chicken-egg problem.

If everything is within consciousness, why don't I remember before birth? The answers posted on here so far don't really answer this for me. "You are all knowing in essence" does not quite cut it for me. If I knew, I would know. If I don't, then I don't. It is that simple for me.

In a similar line of thought, let's consider the DNA. DNA is all-knowing with regards to your body. But some invisible force guides it to a point where you have individualized cells and organs that form the body.They all interpret the same DNA in a unique way and organize themselves into different structures. Just because each organ and each cell has the all-knowing DNA, does that mean they are really all-knowing themselves? Is unaccessed -therefore unknown- wisdom/knowledge/information really worth anything? Does a heart know what it is to be like a brain? Could it replace it? Could it ever become one? What made it into a heart in the first place? Will it ever learn how to access the DNA in a way to make a brain out of itself? Is it perhaps happy being a heart?

If, on the other hand, consciousness is within or the result of a body, does it ever become larger (metaphorically speaking) than the body? Can you ignore the body where the consciousness developed and say the consciousness envelops the body even though it came from it?

I don't quite buy the "you signed a contract and forgot who you are before you were born" deal. In such a rich environment (I am not talking just at the human scale), "recycling souls" seems very unlikely. I am more aligned with the "everything is created brand new, and never recycled" concept. I also don't buy into the "when you die, you will re-remember what you made yourself to forget". Dying can't be a simple cop out like that. If you want proof, birth into this body did not reveal anything we did not know earlier either! If dying is birth into another body, perhaps birth into this body was death from another one. Clearly the death/birth combo is no guarantee you will learn anything new when you are born to the other side although you will have new experiences for sure.

About people remembering their past lives.... My theory is that, the DNA stores a lot more information than we know how to decode. It is quite possible that generations worth of history is encoded there and some people knowingly or unknowingly manage to decode it and remember it as if it is their own history.. Well in a way, it is.. This of course assumes the "the body came before the consciousness" view.

[Rocket Surgery]

Originally Posted by outback

If everything is within consciousness, why don't I remember before birth? The answers posted on here so far don't really answer this for me.

I don't quite buy the "you signed a contract and forgot who you are before you were born" deal. In such a rich environment (I am not talking just at the human scale), "recycling souls" seems very unlikely. I am more aligned with the "everything is created brand new, and never recycled" concept. I also don't buy into the "when you die, you will re-remember what you made yourself to forget".

What is it about the movie analogy that you don't get??

You go to a movie. If they started the movie and didn't turn down the lights, everyone in the audience would start to complain because they know that it detracts from the experience to be reminded that they are sitting in a theater.

If someone's cell phone rings over and over, you get annoyed because it distracts you from the story and lessens the experience by once again pulling you out of the story and back to reality. The experience is less meaningful.

So MOST movie lovers are in agreement that the lights must be out, that everyone stop talking, and cell phones set to vibrate in order for everyone to get the most out of the film.

It's no different with physical universe lifetimes. We are all immersed in an illusory experience of our own creation; yet we play out our subjective illusions within the same "theater" -- the physical universe. In order for us to get the most out of each life lesson, we have to focus completely on the illusion. This is why it's so difficult to detect, communicate with, and/or travel to non-physical realms. To have provable evidence of existence beyond the physical would undoubtedly be a DISTRACTION to us, and hence detract from impact of our illusory physical experience.

And what would be better evidence that our physical lives are illusory than personal memory of past lives and our non-physical reality in-between them? There are too many distractions already just here in the physical universe that constantly try to pull our focus away from our life purpose. Your waking ego self may not understand the logic of this, but your higher self knows that your spiritual growth and evolution will progress much faster the more you can focus on each individual life lesson. Therefore, all of us, through our higher selves, agree to wear these "spiritual blinders" if you will, during our earthly lives in order to enhance the experience for the better.

Most people don't remember the first few years of their physical life, yet nobody questions whether or not they were born or existed during those years they cannot remember. Just because you don't remember something, doesn't mean it didn't happen. Neither does it mean the memories don't exist. People with amnesia are constantly blocking out memories for all sorts of reasons, and then re-remembering them for as many reasons more.

And what is so hard to believe about reincarnation? We mimic this process in our own educational system every day. Only instead of lifetimes, we call them "classes." Achieving new levels of enlightenment, we call "graduating" to a higher grade level. We don't think of students as being "recycled" through the school system. Even kids who must repeat a grade are not thought of in this manner. We all know that repeating a grade is because the student failed to meet certain goals required for advancement. By your thinking, we should simply throw such children out of school and fill their seat with new students every year.

Nor is there any reason why reincarnating souls and "new" souls cannot occupy the same universe. What is to prevent God from multiplying his consciousness ad infinitum in order to keep up with the need for new souls to inhabit a growing population of physical entities?

I would submit that you either need to be more open-minded to these concepts; or perhaps you're not quite ready to hear them, and should go and focus on your physical life for now rather than continue to go around and around in circles on sites such as this. One thing I can guarantee is that you won't find many people who have "bought into" these concepts showing up at "atheist" sites looking for others to talk them out of their current beliefs.

~ RS

[Andrew Brunelle]

You are consciousness. You are everything. Your physical body is a manifestation of your consciousness, as is everyone else's. Why consciousness chose this body to see things through, I don't know. Why my perspective is here and not within you, I don't have a clue. That is the one thing that isn't really explained. Sure, I'm everything, but I'm tied down here to some degree. Why? So I can interact with what I've created? How come I am me and not you? If I want to interact, it makes sense I choose a body, but why this one and not that one? There are lessons my soul has to learn, but if I am everything, then I must have already learned these lessons previously or at the same time. If I am everything, then why do I need to learn lessons I must already know?

I have no doubt there's life after death, but I feel like I won't get any "why" answers until my physical body dies out. I'm not at the right level to know all this. Without knowing the "why" behind everything, it is hard to make any decision because you do not know what the point of any of it is. You live your life, day in and day out, for what? Why? Who knows? So, you help people do this and that. What is that supposed to mean? None of these ideas really give us any answers to why we are here. Is there even a reason besides pure entertainment and meaningless goal achievement that will be obsolete once we die out?

All I can say is I don't know. What is the nature of existence? I'm pretty sure we are all connected and one conscoiusness, but I don't know why? I don't know how. I just feel it. But without an answer why, it's hard to figure out which step to take next. I need that damn instruction manual!

[Rocket Surgery]

Originally Posted by Andrew Brunelle

You are consciousness. You are everything. Your physical body is a manifestation of your consciousness, as is everyone else's. Why consciousness chose this body to see things through, I don't know. Why my perspective is here and not within you, I don't have a clue. That is the one thing that isn't really explained. Sure, I'm everything, but I'm tied down here to some degree. Why? So I can interact with what I've created? How come I am me and not you? If I want to interact, it makes sense I choose a body, but why this one and not that one?

Please read my thread entitled "Who Is Projecting Who?"

Basically, I present the concept that the One Cosmic Consciousness (OCC) chooses ALL "bodies" or Points Of Experience (POE's) to see things through, as you put it. The reason that we each believe that we are the sole focus of that OCC is because WE ARE.

The explanation goes to the All Things Happen At Once theory. I propose that what that really means is that All Things Are EXPERIENCED At Once... by the OCC from OUR perspective, and NOT from the perspective of the OCC.

Through each of "US," these countless POE's our waking ego's believe to be separate individuals, the OCC focuses Its attention CONSECUTIVELY.

However, because the OCC exists outside of the space-time physical universe, "our" perception of a separate individual consciousness within every other POE is nothing more than an illusion that the OCC has divided up Its focus infinitely, when perhaps the reality is that what we really perceive as happening "at the same moment -- i.e. focus of OCC consciousness -- is actually happening at ANOTHER POINT IN TIME from the perspective of the OCC itself.

My working analogy is your typical time travel flick, like Time Cop, where Officer Max Walker visits himself in the past and they work together to solve the conflict. The SAME CONSCIOUSNESS occupies both Walkers; both occupy the same physical space-time, but each perceives himself to be a separate POE from the other.

So the answer is NOT to view all other people as projections of you, but rather as YOU from another point in your personal timeline experiencing reality from a completely different perspective within the timeline of your current personality/avatar/subself, etc. Make sense?

~ RS

[eternomi]

I am beginning to think that the consciousness that individuals experience does indeed comes from a body.. and that body came from the singular consciousness that is source/god/whatever. In other words, the source/god imagined what we could refer to as the universe. This is the raw materials for bodies that we have. Than that raw material created bodies capable of projecting source/god consciousness. Furthermore, the consciousnesses that the bodies create are also able to act as "little gods" that can create their own universes within their consciousnesses and see them manifest! This last part is S/R ala Steve. The initial part suggests there is more outside of your own consciousness.

(A small note here: The projection of your own body within your consciousness is very likely different than what your body really looks like! Just like inside a dream your body may or may not look like what it looks like in the "real" world)

This explains how you don't remember before birth without going into "you agreed to forget who you really are to experience being human" spiel. The answer is "You don't because the consciousness you refer to as yourself did not exist even though the design for that consciousness did exist at the source/god level!"

I simply cannot imagine an omnipotent being just giving up all its powers so it can feel like a human! As if being human is all that awesome. It's a hype man! Thus, that logic does not work for me. However, I can understand the omnipotent being wanting to experience its own omnipotence. Being the only consciousness, and no other to compare itself against, it creates beings in his mind and have them interact with each other. Each being has some or all of His powers and can do things as if it was Him. Through them, he can experience His own powers, but He is not them. Yet, He needs them because there is no other omnipotent beings out there to use His powers against.

Originally Posted by Andrew Brunelle

You are consciousness. You are everything. Your physical body is a manifestation of your consciousness, as is everyone else's.

See above.

Originally Posted by Andrew Brunelle

Why consciousness chose this body to see things through, I don't know.

There was no choosing per se. He created them all, and you are that single consciousness experiencing itself through this particular body. You are both Him, and also not Him. The powers you are granted are His powers, and your consciousness is His as much as your body allows it to be.

Originally Posted by Andrew Brunelle

Why my perspective is here and not within you, I don't have a clue.

Same reason as above.

Originally Posted by Andrew Brunelle

I have no doubt there's life after death, but I feel like I won't get any "why" answers until my physical body dies out.

I have no doubt either. My issue is that if there truely is reincarnation and I am going to keep coming back to this freakin' planet over and over until the sun turns into a black hole and swallows it (which kinda means it won't be forever!), then it is all good. If not, then I might be in trouble.

Since I am leaning more towards the "single body, single soul, single Earth experience" view, and granted I might know more when I die, what I know then might indicate that I should have done/learned certain things while I was on Earth is what prompts me to investigate this further.

FYI, I am not saying "This is so". It is just a theory..

[Rocket Surgery]

Originally Posted by outback

This explains how you don't remember before birth without going into "you agreed to forget who you really are to experience being human" spiel. The answer is "You don't because the consciousness you refer to as yourself did not exist even though the design for that consciousness did exist at the source/god level!"

I simply cannot imagine an omnipotent being just giving up all its powers so it can feel like a human! As if being human is all that awesome. It's a hype man! Thus, that logic does not work for me. However, I can understand the omnipotent being wanting to experience its own omnipotence. Being the only consciousness, and no other to compare itself against, it creates beings in his mind and have them interact with each other. Each being has some or all of His powers and can do things as if it was Him. Through them, he can experience His own powers, but He is not them. Yet, He needs them because there is no other omnipotent beings out there to use His powers against.

FYI, I am not saying "This is so". It is just a theory..

Okay, then how is it that very young children exhibit memories of past lives, and even how they died?

You seem really hung up on the memory thing as your proof against reincarnation, regardless of the facts that have been pointed out to you that no memory of something does not inherintly negate its existence. I have no memory of my birth nor of the first 2-3 years of my life. Does that mean I just popped into existence at age 3? Should amnesiacs be told their memory loss is because they ceased to exist during that 7-year blank in their brains?

And who says that the OCC relinquishes ANY powers by incarnating as a human being? From the majority of opinions around here, at least, it's just the opposite. Most seem to believe that we all retain that same power we had as the OCC. I believe that it's because the illusion of physical reality is so strong, that not only have we forgotten our true nature, but we also forgot our own omnipotence. The ability for us to "tune out" the physical universe is so difficult that it takes even the most dedicated monks and gurus the major part of one earthly life just scratch the surface of their true reality, as evidenced by feats such as limited levitation, etc.

You make it sound as if we're all Superman, trading our powers in for the love of Lois Lane. I still submit that it's merely akin to turning down the lights in the room until the movie's over so that we get the best possible viewing experience. Nobody's giving up anything.

As a human being, you "suspend" your many powers on a daily basis in order to better focus on certain experiences. You suspend your power to protect your home in order to travel elsewhere and engage in work or play. You limit your power to protect your own safety by driving on the highway each day. How can you say you can't imagine anyone doing such a thing when it's something you do every single day of your life?

Your last sentence is also somewhat revealing, where you imply that God created all of us because there are no other omnipotent beings "out there" to use his powers AGAINST. This statement implies that you may well view God as an agressive and confrontational being. I would suggest that whatever God is, He/She/All-That-Is must surely be more evolved than a hyperactive 16-year-old who just bought every conceivable weapon in World of Warcraft off eBay only to go online and find that He was the sole subscriber. ;-)

Anyway, while you admit that you are leaning towards physical life as being a one-shot deal, at least you remain open-minded, which is ALWAYS a good thing. Just remember this: you are here to learn and grow, and that the physical universe is set up for you to focus intensely on just that. Unless you feel deep down that your purpose here is to learn about the true nature of reality, then it's probably best that we not be too DISTRACTED by all this metaphysical discussion. It's fun to debate, but if it were so important that we absolutely KNOW how the universe works, then the OCC would have made it a tad more obvious, don't you think?

~ RS

[eternomi]

I got more out of this thread than I ever thought possible.
Thank you everyone!

[magickmystik]

Hello RS,
i enjoy your writing, keep them coming

can you explain more the below, with some examples perhaps?

Originally Posted by Rocket Surgery

Your intentions may be in conflict with your purpose, and therefore life seems to be working "against you."

Realizing that the greatest growth occurs through taking on challenges and overcoming obstacles, the best way to know if you are "in sync" with your true purpose and higher self is to look to those areas in life where you find that you are most challenged and constantly confront one obstacle after another. This is the Universe's way of signalling you that you are "on track."

~ RS

Originally Posted by Rocket Surgery

Ever used an electronic device called a "stud finder"? It locates the 2x4's inside your walls so you can pound a nail into solid wood. Imagine your consciousness as a stud finder, and the 2x4's are the challenges and obstacles within your life. Point your focus towards the areas that challenge you; not towards the seemingly easy, hollow, drywall in between. You will find that when you home in on challenges and take them on with joy, all of the things that you THOUGHT you wanted in life will either come to you much more easily, or that you will no longer find them all that important anyway.
~ RS

[Rocket Surgery]

Yes, this theory goes well with the "Earth-as-school" concept and perhaps not as much with the S-R, "have everything you want" concept. Although, I do believe there's room for both to co-exist, I do see more purpose to existence when I lean towards the former.

The idea is that each of us is an individual soul, connected to each other through the OUC, yes, but still possessing our own unique identity and history.

From countless origins, we eventually found ourselves here at the School Earth, where the primary courses of study are LOVE and ILLUSIONS OF SEPARATION (from God).

We enter the School by incarnating as human beings, and there the cycle begins. Because we all agree to leave our memories "at the door" when we enter in order to receive the full, 1080P Hi-Def resolution of physical existence, we also mostly forget what we came here to learn in the first place. And while we're here, we are introduced to KARMA, that law that keeps an constant tally of the energy we create by our actions in life, both positive and negative.

Since the bulk of human history, mankind's time was mostly devoted to survival, and henceforth was full of the lesser vibrational states like fear, pain, suffering, hatred, vindictiveness, etc.... most souls ran up a huge negative karmic debt. This debt must be "paid off" before any soul can "graduate" the Earth School, and so most souls must reincarnate over and over again through the ages to try to work off all this bad karma.

When we die at the end of each physical incarnation, we take stock of the most recent life and do a spiritual "audit" of sorts to determine what lessons we next need to learn in order for our soul to make our karmic "payments." For example, an evil dictator named Sadaam just left the planet. His soul -- if not too consumed by anger -- could very possibly be kicking himself for getting caught up in so much negative energy, and will need a lot of spiritual therapy just to deal with all the bad karma he's built up for himself. When his soul is ready, he will try to reincarnate into a situation that will produce the best chance for him to pay back a good chunk of that debt.

Does he need to "die a million deaths" to pay all that off? Perhaps, but not necessarily. Obviously, he will need to experience enough of the same sort of suffering that he dished out until he develops EMPATHY for all who might experience the same. When he ultimately gains that empathy, the debt will be paid, and he will be able to move on to a new lesson.

We all choose our parents before we incarnate. We choose them for the express purpose of putting ourselves into situations that give us the best chance at creating obstacles and challenges designed to teach us the lesson we wish to learn. This is one explanation for "why there's so much suffering in the world." It's not the only one, but until every soul who has caused suffering has worked of his karma, there needs to be some suffering in order for the growing soul to experience it and develop empathy for others.

But it's not all about just learning how not to do evil deeds. I will use myself for this example. Most of my life, I have enjoyed working with others in group efforts. I am always trying to organize a group of people together for some project or group trip or club, you name it. But it's something that until recently has been quite difficult for me to do.

Recently I took on what I can easily say is the biggest project of my life to date. It cost me several thousand dollars of my own money, and I had upwards of 50+ people working for me, and for almost no pay. Some were not paid anything at all.

As the project approached "crunch time," more and more things began to go wrong. I was constantly "putting out fires" while trying to remain calm through all the chaos. But some of the "fires" were quite UNUSUAL events that each threatened to bring everything to a halt. So unusual, in fact, that I began to wonder if the Universe was purposefully working against me. It made me question the worthiness of the project.

However, none of the "fires" were so great, they could not be fixed, and I wound up remaining cool and pulling it all off with no real disasters occurring. In fact, many commented on how amazing a job I did considering the breadth of what I had taken on.

A few weeks later, I was surfing around for an optical illusion on the Net that I had seen and wanted to send to a friend. My Google search turned up a link to Steve's website, and as I surfed around these pages, I read something in one of Steve's articles that opened up my eyes to something so obvious, I laughed that I had not noticed it before.

See, I always tell people that if they want to know what their purpose in life is, they should look to those areas in their lives that have always challenged them the most. For most of my youth, I had a policy of "taking the path of least resistance," and that path lead basically nowhere that I wanted to be, career-wise, that is. But when I began to study metaphysical theory, it clicked with me that the best way to learn was overcoming obstacles and taking on the challenges that gave me the most difficulty. But most of the time, I'd hit a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, and just surrender and move on to something else. Or I would have a dream career, but then sell myself short, thinking it was much too difficult to be successful at that, and try to do the logical thing and choose a career that made more practical sense, dollar-wise.

But this project was basically me taking on the role of my dream career. I was able to do this because I paid for the project myself, but the responsibilities were the same. And I've been doing this project since mid-2005, and it's almost complete. When we were in the middle of crunch-time, and I was constantly doing damage control, and everyone was depending on me to hold it all together, I can safely say it's the hardest job I have EVER had in my life.

And I loved every minute of it.

And so I found myself on this website, perusing through this Pavlina guy's metaphysical articles, and I remembered this same method that I always tell others about finding their purpose... and realized that all those "unusual" snafus that kept popping up were not, in fact, the Universe working against me. It was the Universe SIGNALING me -- actually SHOUTING in my face, in the only way the Universe can -- that this project and the job I was doing is EXACTLY what I should be doing, and may well have intended to be doing even before I incarnated into this lifetime.

Does that mean my life is all about putting together large projects and employing lots of people. No. It means that by pursuing this particular career, I will create situations over and over that will present me with the types of obstacles and challenges best suited for teaching me the LESSONS that my soul wishes to learn in this particular lifetime.

For instance, my birth situation was to alcoholic parents and I had a rather miserable childhood growing up in a quite dysfunctional family. You shouldn't be surprised that this caused me to develop a fair share of ANGER within me, and I have been suffering the consequences of said anger most of my years.

This probably is a major player in why it's difficult for me to organize people into group activities. However, I've invested a lot of time over the past ten years into releasing all this pent-up anger and it's now beginning to pay off. Not only do I not hold grudges anymore, but I rarely even get very annoyed by people. Especially people whom I wish to build relationships with. I'm morphing from "cynical-sarcastic-annoyed" guy into "easygoing-fun-positive-passionate" guy. Granted, I don't have it down pat quite yet, but I can see the results, and I am very happy about my growth in this area. I don't miss "the old me," and "the new me" is making lots of new friends and contacts, and I'm confident that I'm on the right path now to leave this planet a much improved version from the soul that entered it several decades ago.

Hope that answers your questions. Have to get to bed now. The Seahawks are playing the Bears early tomorrow, and they're going to need me and my I-M powers for this game ;-)

~ RS

[Athena]

Originally Posted by Rocket Surgery

See, I always tell people that if they want to know what their purpose in life is, they should look to those areas in their lives that have always challenged them the most.

Shouldn't our purpose be the area in which we can contribute the greatest good and light to the world?

What about the talents we are born with, the areas where contribution flows easily from us and are actually feels euphoric? That is what we should look to in contribution.

The 'earth as your school' model looks a little too self-centered. I've always thought that any personal lessons are really little obstacles that end up with us opening up our God/love channels more, and thus we end up contributing more good to the world. I think our primary purpose on earth is not learning lessons for ourselves, but is contributing light and progress to the world.

[Rocket Surgery]

Originally Posted by Athena

Shouldn't our purpose be the area in which we can contribute the greatest good and light to the world?

What about the talents we are born with, the areas where contribution flows easily from us and are actually feels euphoric? That is what we should look to in contribution.

The 'earth as your school' model looks a little too self-centered. I've always thought that any personal lessons are really little obstacles that end up with us opening up our God/love channels more, and thus we end up contributing more good to the world. I think our primary purpose on earth is not learning lessons for ourselves, but is contributing light and progress to the world.

Well, that SOUNDS all nice and fluffy, but if that's everyone's purpose, it sort of defeats the whole logic behind reincarnation. And if you don't believe in reincarnation, then that model may well be a more logical one.

But remember the old adage: "Charity begins at home" and the other one about cleaning up one's own house first, etc. If one has evolved and grown to the point where they have already become enlightened enough to where they no longer succumb to the more negative behaviors and emotions -- anger, hate, envy, vindictiveness, revenge, despair, etc. -- then perhaps you are correct and a lifetime spent in service to others is a proper life's purpose for a soul.

However, I believe that until one grows out of all of the "lower" vibrations and emotions, that a soul's purpose is to indeed be self-serving for the betterment of one's own spirit. It's difficult to be of much help to others when your own "house is not in order." I know several people like this; their own lives are spent in misery, constantly complaining and playing up their role as victim in the world. Yet they all claim that they're too busy "helping others" to get their own stuff together.

But who's going to accept help or advice from someone who appears and behaves like a loser? Nobody, that's who. Or at least nobody smart, that is.
Who would you prefer to take spiritual advice from: Ghandi or Louis Farakhan? The Dalai Lama or Pat Robertson? Each may believe fervently that they are "bringing light and progress to the world," but it's pretty obvious which two have a few more "issues" they ought to deal with first before turning their attentions outside of themselves.

And there's nothing to stop one from doing both. Why can I not work towards the growth and evolution of my soul and still find ways to bring light and progress to the world? In any case, if you accept that there is but One Universal Consciousness that we are all a part of, then isn't it all experience basically self-serving, regardless of how we choose to perceive it?

~ RS

[magickmystik]

RS,

your philosophy is similar to S.Wilde, which is cool

thanks

[Athena]

Originally Posted by Rocket Surgery

And there's nothing to stop one from doing both. Why can I not work towards the growth and evolution of my soul and still find ways to bring light and progress to the world?

that's better. there's definitely more to life than learning and self-evolving, I think those who don't have major issues to work through then the focus is definitely on contributing to and serving humanity as a whole.

[Jeremy Bennett]

Originally Posted by Athena

wow very interesting point! So it seems like there's still some 'binder' or conglomerative force, in our bodies, so may be the same for our spirits.

From your original questions, this means that our soul can still grow and changes while retaining some of it's original qualities, and it's identity.

==
At the same time, I guess it also may imply that we are not 'all equal'..? Some are more spiritually evolved than others?

The answer is yes - Yes, we are all equal, in the idea that our souls, on a fundamental level, are all of inestimable worth. But we're not necessarily "equal" in terms of the knowledge and experience that we've acquired over past lives, just like you can't say that (the knowledge and experience of) a child is "equal" to an adult.

It's a disservice and a simplification to say that a younger soul (or people or cultural group, that has a collective group karma that they are working through) is "the same as" to a more developed soul, or group, but the point is to recognise where people or souls are at in their journey, and (if possible) determine what (if anything) you could do to assist them to make that next little jump in conciousness. (which may or may not happen in this lifetime)
... and that's ok too.

- Jeremy =)

[Damon Sprock]

Greetings,

The answers to all your questions lie in the fact that you must reverse your observation of how you are able to act out your life in this third dimension. The reason you cannot recall earlier history of your being is that it is stored in the vast storehouse of knowledge - the subconscious mind. The fact that you cannot consciously recall this does not mean you had no existence.

The word educate is derived from the Greek word, "edu," that means, "to draw outward from within." All answers to consciousness are derived from the Universal Data Bank (The subconscious mind) the connecting link to God consciousness.

The subconscious mind is the level of frequency vibrating just below the physical brain. It acts as both a hologram, receiving its existence from the universal frequency of God consciousness, God consciousness being the source of all physical world phenomena and also acts in the capacity to translate all information received from the brain via our five senses. If you seek the truth, learn how to utilize this enormous force within us.

The subconscious mind is our connecting link in the Universal Mind. All minds are linked to spiritual consciousness that is vibrating all existing knowledge available through spherical waves in continuous space. How does one tap this potential of knowledge? Subconscious power is also a system. It is a system that allows us as humans to interact with the unlimited potential that exists within the fabric of spirit. The subconscious mind is that aspect of our consciousness that allows us to access the answers to the external physical world. This occurs as a result of, "Spiritual DNA," extending Itself outward at the time of creation and creating the subconscious link through Its interconnectedness with the physical universe.

The procedure of connecting with the spiritual fabric of knowledge is quite simple; however, it is important to understand certain facts concerning the subconscious mind. First of all, it must be guided. Herein lays the paradox; the system containing all universal knowledge must be assisted by the finite mind of a human. So it is; however, we must follow universal rule.

The subconscious mind must be instructed, just as you would search for information on the internet, with words. The only difference is that we need to accompany the words with detailed, picture images of the solutions we want to achieve. When the eyes are closed and centered to the inside of the forehead, the visual imagery is sent to the brain, then the great subconscious vault of potentiality for review. The imagery is analyzed, then resolved as answers and relayed back to the conscious level of brain activity and so on, over and over. (Pendulum Effect)

During the course of daily activity, the answers to the visualization flow subtly into the decision-making process of the individual as momentous action. Sometimes the subconscious influence is more intense, such as when an epiphany occurs in your life that raises you to higher levels of perception about your life. Another time is in sports, when occurs what I call, "the perfect storm of subconscious influence," such as when Michael Jordan could not miss a shot. Athletes cal this, being in the zone."

Since the subconscious mind controls all of our involuntary functions, it is east to understand how the laws of Association and Repetition apply here to achieve maximum performance. The swiftness of arrival of the answers is subjective and is in direct proportion to the individual’s receptivity of subconscious principles, as a result of one’s belief system due to brain conditioning.