Perception: It’s Not What You Think, It’s What Your Senses Tell You
Topics:
“Perception: It’s Not What You Think, It’s What Your Senses Tell You”
“The Importance of Attention and Acknowledging All Feelings”
“A Dog’s Eating Choices”
Friday, October 31, 2014 (Private/Phone)
Participants: Mary (Michael) and Linda (Ruthanna)
ELIAS: Good morning!
LINDA: Good morning, Elias. Say hello, Brenda.
BRENDA: Hi, Elias!
LINDA: Brenda’s here and heading out to work.
Happy Halloween! We get to talk to a ghost on Halloween, a dead guy!
ELIAS: (Laughs with Linda) How appropriate.
LINDA: Yes, it is. Well, I’m going to do a short session today. I made a pact with myself or a game out of…for the fall and at least October, not looking forward and doing the “not enough” theme that I have a tendency to want to practice over and over. (Both laugh) So maybe the short session now will keep me more focused in the now than some of the questions I might ask you in November or December.
ELIAS: Very well.
LINDA: I’ve been kind of yo-yoing back and forth in what’s going on with me, in the sense that I’ll feel like everything is going really well and that my body’s doing well, I’m comfortable with my Dallas situation, my job and all of those things, and then just out of the blue, like literally the next day – sometimes it almost seems like the next moment – then it’s like my stomach goes crazy. It’s like I’ve gained weight, and nothing has changed and yet I’ve gained weight. The day before I could put my clothes on, and then the very next day it’s like I have this entirely different body. And I have these swings like between just feeling like I’m really getting it to, you know, I just can’t take this anymore, I’m done with this stuff, I don’t want to do it anymore and just being extremely frustrated. So I’m not sure what is going on, and I didn’t want to over-analyze it yet.
ELIAS: Ah.
LINDA: (Laughs) Maybe I already am, huh?
ELIAS: This is an excellent example of perception.
LINDA: Okay.
ELIAS: An excellent example, for this is how powerful perception is, that this is a tremendous example for perception is not what you THINK. And many individuals become confused in relation to the subject of perception, for they generate the idea that perception is what you THINK about: what you THINK about a situation, what you THINK about your body, what you THINK about yourself, or an action, or your surroundings. But in actuality, that is NOT a description of perception at all, for perception engages ALL of your senses. It is actually what you use to create your reality. This is the tool that you engage that creates EVERYTHING in your reality.
Therefore, in relation to perception, whatever it is that you perceive, your senses will validate. Therefore, even in relation to what you FEEL – not feeling merely emotionally, although that can be affected also – but even to the point of what you PHYSICALLY feel, what you SEE in the mirror, what you SEE around you. Your senses validate what your perception is creating, and your perception is very flexible. Therefore, you are literally correct that in one day, or even in one hour, you can perceive yourself in one manner, and in the next day or the next hour, you can perceive yourself entirely differently (Linda starts coughing). That…
LINDA: I’m sorry. I go into these places that my body responds very quickly, doesn’t it? (Laughs) I’m sorry.
ELIAS: Yes! And in that, what I am expressing is that your perception is very influenced by what you are doing, what you are feeling; for remember, I am aware that this may seem redundant (Linda continues coughing), but it is important that your feelings are signals. They are expressing to you an alert as to what you are doing.
And there are so many time frameworks in which individuals are not necessarily paying attention to what they are feeling, for what you do is, as I expressed in our group interaction, you pay attention to whatever the FIRST feeling that you generate is, and any feeling that you generate AFTER that first feeling you ignore, for you are paying attention to the most obvious feeling. Or, conversely, you may not be paying attention to feelings that you are generating FIRST, and you pay attention to a subsequent feeling for it is louder; it is stronger.
You pay attention to whatever the strongest feeling is, and you generalize – such as, you may be expressing a FEELING of excitement, or you may be feeling comfortable and content. You may identify that feeling, for it is the stronger feeling, and evaluate that you are satisfied with what you are doing in that particular day. There may be other feelings that you have been generating throughout the day and you may be ignoring them or not paying attention to them, and in that, you generalize and express, “I was feeling very good, and then these different actions began occurring, and it was very confusing.” But in actuality you may have been generating other feelings throughout that time framework that were not as loud and therefore easier to not pay attention to or to ignore. And in that, it seems that you are generating these alterations very quickly and randomly, and they become confusing. But in that, as I expressed, your feelings are a contributant; they are not the entirety, but they do contribute to what you generate in your perception.
Therefore, you may be engaging, let us say hypothetically in a particular day, several actions or interactions or situations that seem in your estimation small – that you cannot find a particular blouse that you want to wear, and you may be slightly annoyed but you move on, you choose a different outfit and you forget. And perhaps an hour later you engage a family member, and they are expressing in a manner that, in your estimation, they are not hearing you and you become frustrated, but you express to yourself it is not important, and you continue on. And then perhaps you generate several actions that you ARE satisfied with, and you evaluate that this is a good day and you feel good, and you have forgotten about the frustration or the annoyance. Then another action occurs in which you become annoyed again, but it seems small [inaudible], therefore you quickly dismiss it by expressing it is not important, and you attempt to maintain that good feeling and that this is a productive day and this is a good day. And therefore, what you are paying attention to are any actions during the day that validate it is a good day, for that is what you have chosen to primarily pay attention to.
Now; in your terms, how does this work? In this, it is not bad that you are primarily paying attention to the day being a good day and being satisfied and moving in a comfortable direction, but each time you ignore one of those other feelings and dismiss it, rather than acknowledging it – remember our container that you place energy in and it begins to spill out. That is what occurs. Each time you dismiss one of those OTHER feelings rather than acknowledging it in the moment, you place it in that container, and the next day you may begin the day with some annoyance, and that may trigger that container to spill. And now your attention is in a different direction and therefore that influences your perception, and now your perception is creating an entirely different picture in which, when you look in the mirror, you will see yourself in a manner in which you have, overnight, gained ten pounds, and to validate that, your senses will express in like kind.
Therefore, your sense of touch is more than merely touch. Your sense of touch is your entire sense of physical feeling, how you feel your body. Therefore, in that, your sense of touch will validate in that you will attempt to dress yourself in certain clothing and it will feel tight. You will look at yourself and you will SEE a larger form. Your senses will validate your perception. In this, this is the reason that I have expressed so many times, repeatedly, how important perception is, for it LITERALLY changes your reality.
Now; in practical terms, the question would be, “Very well, if my perception changes and I am perceiving in a manner that I DISLIKE, how do I change it again?” The first action is to acknowledge, “This is perception.”
LINDA: Okay.
ELIAS: In similar manner to identifying when you are dreaming, or when you expressing imagination, and you can express to yourself, “This is imagination.” Or, you feel and remember a situation and you express to yourself, “Ah, I did not do that in waking reality; that was a dream.” In the same capacity, it is a matter of expressing to yourself when you notice, “How is this possible? Yesterday I was fine. Yesterday I was ten pounds lighter. How is it possible that today my clothing is tight, I look at myself in the mirror and I see a different shape, and I feel frustrated, exasperated, annoyed, and I feel that I cannot do this?”
When you notice that significant change in your reality, that is a signal. Stop momentarily and recognize: This is perception. Reality is only real IN THE MOMENT, for it is very changeable. As soon as you change your perception, your reality changes also. Therefore, when you STOP and express to yourself, acknowledge to yourself, “One moment, this is my perception. I am perceiving this in this manner. Very well, this is my perception; I can change it. And, WHY am I perceiving in this manner?”
Now; I am aware that you, in like manner to most individuals, are not very comfortable with this subject yet, but it is important. This is the opportunity to express the question, “What was I saying yes to and what was I saying no to? I was saying no the signals that were uncomfortable. And I was saying yes to only paying attention to one TYPE of signal.” Which is not bad that you were paying attention to or saying yes to paying attention to that type of signal, but at the expense of NOT paying attention to any of the other signals, and they will be expressed; energy is ALWAYS expressed.
Therefore, in that, it is a matter of evaluating, “What am I saying no to with myself?”
In this, everyone likes to feel good, but even feeling good, even being excited, even expressions that you deem to be positive require balance. And without the balance, even expressions that you deem to be GOOD can turn and be uncomfortable if there is not that balance.
When you are annoyed, or when you are frustrated, or when you are uncomfortable, or when you are mildly irritated, there is a REASON that you are expressing that. It does not require considerable analyzation, but it does require acknowledgement. And in that, it is important to recognize how affecting perception is. It can change your reality in a minute.
LINDA: Which is very empowering from one direction, and it’s rather scary from another. (Laughs)
ELIAS: It is very empowering from the direction that you have choice.
LINDA: Yes.
ELIAS: And that YOU are directing of it. It can be distressing from the other direction if you are not paying attention. Therefore, attention is very important, which I have also expressed, for attention is the single most influencing factor in relation to your perception.
LINDA: And I guess what a piece of it – I don’t think it’s all of it, but a piece of it for me has been wanting to stay in this place of which I’m not living in “Not Enough Land” and I’m satisfied, acknowledging what I’m doing. And so when I get these moments of discomfort, it’s like I don’t want to give energy to them, and so maybe what I’m doing is I’m skipping the step of acknowledging that I am uncomfortable and I just want to push it away and say, “Yeah, but I’m not giving energy to that. I’m not going to go to ‘not enough.’” But I’m having that moment, and…
ELIAS: That is an excellent point, and it is an excellent example, for this is a very common expression, not only with yourself but with many individuals, is that you automatically begin thinking, “I do not want to lend energy to anything negative. Therefore, I will not pay attention to that.” But in that, you THINK that you are maintaining the positive, and you are actually not.
LINDA: Right. (Laughs)
ELIAS: And in this, let me express conversely, for this occurs VERY frequently also: You may BE in a comfortable situation, you may BE engaging precisely what you want, and you may stop yourself from being present and enjoying it and appreciating it by anticipating leaving it.
LINDA: Right, right.
ELIAS: And therefore, you are AGAIN reinforcing the direction that you are attempting to ignore.
LINDA: Yes. I think I’ve been doing that, I’m embarrassed to admit, in many, many, many dimensions. And I think Brenda and I both experience that in regard to the regeneration.
ELIAS: Yes, I would agree. Now, in this also, let me quell the idea for you that if you acknowledge a discomfort, the idea is that your attention will shift, you will begin paying attention to negative directions or expressions, and it will ruin your day.
LINDA: Yeah.
ELIAS: No. If you ACKNOWLEDGE what you are feeling, it stops it. If you acknowledge that annoyance or that irritation or that [inaudible], it frees you to STOP holding onto it, to STOP rethinking about it. For, when you ignore it or you attempt to NOT be paying attention with the idea that it will ruin your day or it will encourage bad actions to occur, no. For in that, throughout your day while you are not acknowledging it and you are ignoring it, the subject continues to resurface, and you have to continue to ignore it.
Whereas, when you acknowledge it, you stop thinking about it. You stop paying attention to it. It is not a matter of having to continue to push it away ; it stops. For, you acknowledged that message, and in that, it is not necessary to continue to PRESENT the message to yourself. Therefore, you can continue in your day, be present, and genuinely enjoy yourself, and move in directions that ARE beneficial to you.
[The timer for the session rings]
LINDA: Well, I’ve been giving myself kudos as I go through the day because it’s like, “Yep, I had that thought, but here I am, I’m on track,” so apparently… (Laughs)
ELIAS: And that is, in your terms, good; that is a positive expression. But to balance that with also acknowledging the moments in which you may not be feeling that, and to recognize that you are complex, diverse creatures. You do not incorporate only one feeling throughout an entire day.
LINDA: Right.
ELIAS: You are creating choices continuously in every moment of that day. Some of them you enjoy, some of them you do not. Some of them you like, some of them you do not. And in that, it is not a matter of one feeling CONTROLS your day and therefore you must concentrate upon one feeling and ignore all the others – no. You move between many feelings throughout your day, but they are MOMENTARY. And in that, it is a matter of choosing to acknowledge and also concentrate your attention upon the expressions and the experiences that you do enjoy, and choosing to say yes to that direction, which you are in part by expressing, “No, I will not allow this to change my day. I will continue to concentrate upon what I am accomplishing and what I am doing, and this is good and I am satisfied.” Yes, that is an accomplishment and that is important, but it is also important not to ignore the other feelings, for they WILL be expressed.
Therefore, the next day may not be so satisfying. The next day you may be suddenly, as it appears to you, feeling entirely different and perceiving entirely different. And in that, all of you incorporate a tendency to hold that more strongly and to express that more consistently.
In this, you are, in your terms, learning. You are practicing. You are generating it to be more automatic or familiar by concentrating more and so much in directions that you DO enjoy, that you DO like, that you DO want, and practicing maintaining that and not allowing it to be interrupted. But this is the area in which balance is so important, for it will not be interrupted if the other feelings are acknowledged.
LINDA: That’s very, very helpful information. I’m not going crazy. That’s very helpful.
ELIAS: No, you are not.
LINDA: I will share the session.
The timer went off, and Brenda had asked me to ask very quickly – if you can answer it quickly, I’ll ask it. Colleen is not eating. She’s gone through probably 100 different things that she feeds Colleen, and she will eat them once and not again, and she just wanted to know if you had quick advice for something she might eat.
ELIAS: And what is she offering presently?
LINDA: Oh, she has offered everything from getting up first thing in the mornings, making her puff pancakes to buying her rotisserie chicken, every kind of canned dog food, every kind of meat, chicken, bones. I literally don’t think there isn’t anything she hasn’t offered Colleen.
ELIAS: What I would express is to stop worrying, once again.
LINDA: Okay.
ELIAS: Reiterate that to her, for the more she moves in that direction, the more she encourages what she does not want.
LINDA: Okay.
ELIAS: But I would also express a reminder: These are her choices. These are the dog’s choices. She can continue to offer, but not move in the direction of concern if the dog chooses not to engage. If she does not want to eat, she does not want to eat, and it is her choice. And in that, forcing is futile and useless, and becoming worried merely reinforces what she does not want.
And in that, once again, it is a matter of perception. It reinforces HER perception of wrong and bad. In this, reiterate to her a reminder: These are Colleen’s choices, and she is not generating choices in OPPOSITION to her; she is merely generating choices that she deems to be the most efficient in the moment.
LINDA: Okay. All righty, I will pass that on to her and move into Halloween. I haven’t figured out what I’m going to do for fun today, but I will definitely try. (Elias laughs) I will definitely practice.
ELIAS: You have already begun – engaging a ghost.
LINDA: Yes, I engaged a ghost. Not many people are going to get to do that this Halloween, so I shall consider myself very special in having done that. (Both laugh) It’s been great to talk to you, and I look forward to talking to you just before Thanksgiving. I’m going to hit all of the holidays with you.
ELIAS: Excellent! (Laughs) I am greatly encouraging of you, and express my encouragement to your sister also.
LINDA: I will. She will appreciate it.
ELIAS: I express tremendous lovingness to you, as always. Remember those yeses and nos.
LINDA: I shall. I will have fun with them.
ELIAS: Yes to allowing, no to worrying.
LINDA: Yes, that’s sounds like a good idea!
ELIAS: I shall be projecting my energy to you in fun also.
LINDA: All right, thank you. I will accept it.
ELIAS: Until our next meeting, my dear friend, au revoir.
LINDA: Au revoir.
Copyright 2014 Mary Ennis, All Rights Reserved.