Why Meditation Works
Topics:
"Compartmentalization Leading to Distraction"
"Why Meditation Works"
"The Mechanics of Setting an Intention"
"Shyness"
Session 20160401
"Compartmentalization Leading to Distraction"
"Why Meditation Works"
"The Mechanics of Setting an Intention"
"Shyness"
Friday, April 1, 2016 (Private/Phone)
Participants: Mary (Michael) and Jason (Spensar)
ELIAS: Good afternoon!
JASON: Hi, Elias.
ELIAS: (Laughs) And how are you proceeding?
JASON: Fantastic.
ELIAS: Wonderful! Do tell.
JASON: Okay. I think your comments recently in another session on compartmentalization and ultimately what we're paying attention to has led to a number of insights over the last few weeks that keep building and building. I won't say building; it's really just allowing things that I've known already to know those things in other time frames.
ELIAS: Yes?
JASON: So, let me see if I've got this part right. Compartmentalization strikes me as allowing the distractions that occur in certain areas of your life to lead you to project an energy that is not what you really want to be doing, but you don't realize it because you're distracted, where normally, in another part of your life, it may be very easy to recognize.
ELIAS: Correct. I would very much agree.
JASON: Okay. I've spent the last few weeks really making a significant turn in my attention towards myself and the frequency that it is focused on myself, and focusing in on all sorts of areas like what I'm paying attention to, how I'm paying attention, what is influencing me, what do I want to create more of, what I am creating. More recently, I've been working with allowing the actions and choices that will allow me to generate comfort, satisfaction and accomplishment. Beginning a few weeks ago, but more recently speeding up, things are flowing very, very well. I'm creating or getting or whatever it is. It’s just that everything is working again. Previously, when it had worked, I wouldn't know why—or I didn't necessarily know why.
ELIAS: That is a significant piece, for that is the piece that most individuals express and experience: that at times, their life is flowing and moving in a direction that they want it to, and it seems easy and they are satisfied, but they don't know why, and they don't know what they are doing to allow that to happen. That is the point of being aware, and actually being aware of what you are paying attention to, and therefore knowing what you are doing and why you are moving in a direction that is easy and that does flow and that is creating what you want.
JASON: Yeah, and I'm very excited by it. I knew that in the past if I did a lot of meditation, things would be more likely to flow, but not always, and I wouldn't know the difference or why it wouldn't. Now, I feel… in fact, I'm still very much amazed right now.
ELIAS: Do you understand at this point what influence the meditation has? What that does? Why that aids you in flowing more easily? Do you recognize what is happening when you do that?
JASON: I think I could offer a couple of reasons. One would be I'm simply distracting myself from paying attention to stuff that may be dissatisfying to begin with. Separately, there's something that is related to how I'm paying attention.
ELIAS: Very much so. Now, let me express a very simple explanation. The reason that that is successful, and the reason that that incorporates an impact on your day, let us say, [is] if you generate a meditation, partially you are correct that it changes what you are paying attention to, for it distracts you away from what you don't want or what you don't like or what is not right in your assessment. Therefore, that is one piece. But another piece is—which is connected with that piece—is that it changes the direction of your energy.
Now, let me express to you, I have used simple examples pastly in relation to how some action that is uncomfortable affects you, such as you injure yourself or you engage a conflict with your partner or with one of your children or with a coworker. Now, that action of injuring yourself or having a conflict may be expressed in, let us say, a matter of minutes; but what occurs in that, the mechanics of it in relation to energy and how it affects you, is that that one conflict that may merely have an endurance of a few minutes, or that one action in which you injure yourself—not severely, but enough that it is painful for a few minutes—that is enough to move your attention and to move your energy. And that is the most important factor, is that it moves your energy in a different direction. What it does for the rest of your day, that few minutes, influences your attention for the rest of the day.
It affects your body, how it functions in the capacity of your breathing. It affects your digestive system. It affects your heart rate. It affects your mood. Even if you think subsequently during the day that you have changed your mood and you have moved beyond that experience, there is a piece that is continuing to be affected throughout your day. You will be less motivated. You will likely be more inclined to be less patient. You will be less interested in positive directions. It will affect everything in what you do and the choices you engage throughout your day.
Now, in the same capacity, when you engage in meditation, it does the same action in the reverse direction. It changes the direction of your energy. Therefore, in that, it also helps to influence what you pay attention to. You are more inclined to be more patient, to be less reactive, to be more engaging, to be more motivated or more inspired, because you are more open.
Now, in both scenarios, you are not thinking about any of that throughout your day. You are not necessarily actually noticing how those two different actions are affecting your energy and changing it, but they do.
JASON: As far as how you would recognize that, you mentioned the word "openness," and I assume you're speaking about the angle or the degree of your attention?
ELIAS: Yes.
JASON: That's how this started, as far as precipitating insights. Actually, I shared this with Mary earlier, but I started working with the exercise throughout the day of “how am I paying attention right now?” because I could feel obviously that in some ways there's more tension and stress in just holding the attention a certain way.
ELIAS: That is an excellent expression and description. Yes, for that is a factor also, if you are allowing yourself to be aware. It is not only what you are paying attention to, but you are correct: how you are paying attention. I would be tremendously acknowledging of you.
JASON: It's interesting, because while it's moving in a direction of more awareness of what I'm doing and seeing the depths of what I'm doing in a moment and all the actions that are involved—or more of the actions—and then interacting with other people and getting sucked into that energy and trying to maintain. It's nothing bad about it; it's just very interesting.
ELIAS: Now, also, when you are doing this, it aids you in being more present, for it aids you in being less reactive, for you are more aware of choices. That does not mean more aware of choosing, but being aware of choices. Not even thinking about choices but merely being aware of choices by not reacting, it allows you to observe each situation rather than being absorbed in each situation.
JASON: Yeah, I could see that happening. Certainly, there are times where it's easier and times where it's not as easy.
ELIAS: Yes, but even in that, even in a moment in which you may be absorbed in a situation, there is enough awareness that very quickly after you realize what was occurring and you see what was occurring and what you were doing and what you were participating in, it also gives you a greater opportunity to observe and to be aware of when you are involving yourself when it is not necessary.
That is a significant component, for this is an action that individuals do automatically for many reasons. There are many constructs that are attached to that automatic action of involving yourself in any given scenario; but in that, you can be more observant in time frameworks in which you are involving yourself when it is not necessary. In many time frameworks, individuals are involving themselves, motivated by the idea—even though they are not thinking about it—that they are being supportive, or that they are expressing to another individual that they understand or that they are commiserating. Even if it's not what they are thinking, that is what they are doing.
JASON: That's what specifically I was talking about this morning, where I get sucked into it and then recognizing it at some point and saying okay, and I walk away.
ELIAS: Yes, and that is what I am expressing. That even if you are engaging that action of involving yourself when you are not actually involved or when it is not necessary, the factor that you are aware of what you were doing relatively quickly after is also significant and an accomplishment. For the more you are aware, even after the action, the more you become aware when you are either engaging it or before you engage it. Well done.
JASON: Thank you, thank you. Thank you so much for the help with this. This is a very exciting time right now. What's interesting also is how, I guess, through much of last year I have started going the other way with my energy, which created some of the things that we have talked about. I wasn't aware of it certainly at the time, but I'm a little bit more aware of it, how it's not just one area of your life, like it's not compartmentalized, like I could keep my work separate from my family life or my health or… You know what I mean? It's all intertwined.
ELIAS: Very much so. That is tremendous, that you are more and more becoming aware of that; for that is very important, that everything you do is not compartmentalized as you think it is. It is all interconnected, and it is all affecting just in the same manner that we were discussing in relation to if you engage a conflict or if you engage meditation, how it is influencing throughout your day. Whether you are thinking about it or not and whether you are aware of the connections or not, it is affecting, regardless.
JASON: I want to ask you, what I've been using as a guideline more recently, and I think gets around the need to necessarily focus too much on your associations or the yes-and-no question, which is simply this action leading me towards more comfortableness, more satisfaction and accomplishment or not.
ELIAS: Excellent, which in its essence is the no-conflict game, and that is tremendously beneficial. It is a matter of what is comfortable and what is not comfortable.
In this, genuinely, I would express to you, my friend, that I have always engaged the statement to all of you that even in relation to this shift in consciousness, you are not creating utopia. You are emotional beings, and that includes the entire spectrum of emotional expressions and communications. But I would also express that you can avoid so much conflict and discomfort intentionally by merely paying attention and choosing what is most comfortable for you. That is not what you think of as selfish or unaware of other individuals. The more comfortable you are, the more comfortable everyone around you is also. It is not a matter of "I want to do this, and this is comfortable for me, and I do not care how it is affecting of any other individual." No, that is not genuinely moving in a direction of what is actually comfortable for you, for you do exist in a reality, in a world, with countless other individuals. Therefore it is affecting, that when you move in directions that are discounting of other individuals, you do that in discounting yourself first, and when you dismiss other individuals, you are dismissing a part of yourself also. Therefore, when you are actually, genuinely moving in choices and directions and expressions that are genuinely comfortable for you, they will be more comfortable for the individuals around you also.
JASON: Makes sense. The next step as far as my personal movement, not to mix up the terminology, but it strikes me as continuing to get more clarity and awareness on what I'm doing, and then as I get confidence in this process, I guess, take it in new directions and explore new areas.
ELIAS: I would agree. In that, you have a never-ending supply of opportunities. Every moment of the day is an opportunity for you to experiment, explore and practice.
JASON: Going back to the individual, Lester Levenson: We have spoken about him in the past, and he had recommended using the question "What am I?" continuously until it kind of quiets of your mind down, and then the answer would become obvious. In his terminology, the answer was “Your infinite self” and having that experience or realization. Is what we're doing, or what I'm doing right now, leading in that same direction just by, I guess, that moment-to-moment awareness?
ELIAS: Yes, definitely.
JASON: It's not something separate that needs to be…
ELIAS: No. You are doing that. They are merely different words or different methods, but it is all the same.
JASON: And the benefit of doing it this way is you could do it all the time, where if you have a methodology, you usually devote certain periods to it and then the other period you just revert to…
ELIAS: Correct. I would agree.
JASON: The other thing he talked about a couple of times was that when he was living either by himself or with just a few individuals, that he got so far away from how normal people were living that everything he wanted simply just came to him. He was completely outside of using money, needing supplies, stuff like that, and eventually when he wanted to go back out into the world it took a readjustment period, or he had to do something in order to help his ability to communicate. In other words, where he was living, at or the awareness he had developed, it was difficult to communicate so that other people would understand him. Does that make sense?
ELIAS: Very much so. I would express that…
JASON: Is that what you do when you talk to us?
ELIAS: (Laughs) No. What I would express to you is that for some individuals, perhaps many individuals, in their own journey in self-discovery and expanding their awareness, their perception becomes that they either cannot or it is too difficult for them to do that with all of the distractions of your world, as you engage it in your usual manner with all of the constructs, all of the situations that you engage. Therefore, some individuals choose to move in a direction in which they somewhat retreat from their world, which you use this concept of retreat in many philosophies, and it is encouraged.
I would express, in certain capacities I have advocated that type of action with many individuals, recognizing that their situation as it is may present such significant difficulty for them to alter their direction that it can be considerably beneficial and much easier for them to change certain aspects of their reality in sometimes dramatic manners temporarily to allow them to move away from all of those constructs and associations that are so strong and that are continuously affecting them and are continuously onslaughting them. But in that, the challenge with that in the manner that this individual and many other individuals have chosen is that they remove themselves from the usual expressions and functions, or world, for such a time framework and to such an extent that it does present a difficulty if they choose to re-engage with their world.
Now, some individuals never do. Some individuals choose to move in that direction and remain in that direction until they disengage. Those individuals that choose to reinstate themselves in society, so to speak, do experience somewhat of a challenge and difficulty in readjusting and then translating what they have learned and translating their awareness into a functioning capacity with their world. That is the drawback, so to speak, is that it does present that difficulty and that challenge. For many individuals, what occurs is they automatically begin to generate more of a separation, which is contrary to what they were accomplishing to begin with.
JASON: And you mean separation…
ELIAS: They separate themselves from the rest of the world in their perception of their awareness and their ability in comparison with the rest of the world. Therefore, they generate more of a separation, which in some capacities isolates them and does not allow them to fully assimilate back into their society, which in some capacities is somewhat defeating of the point of what they wanted to accomplish. It does not discount what they learned and their experience, but it somewhat nullifies it in the capacity that it stops their expansion of their awareness in generating that additional separation; whereas the prize, in a manner of speaking, would be to incorporate that expanded awareness, move back into the flow of society, use what they have learned and experienced to express more interconnectedness, and therefore present that contribution of an example to other individuals.
JASON: It sounds like from Lester's writings he was able to do that.
ELIAS: I would agree, but I would express that this is a considerable pitfall for many individuals.
JASON: Interesting. The other thing he mentioned was that after his realization, without necessarily developing it or working at it he developed what was called some of those tricks, being able to levitate small things, like that, but it wasn't as a result of any intentional effort—these things just spontaneously showed up.
ELIAS: Which is also very natural. I would express that, using your words, that is the trick in itself. Generally speaking, that is the reason that most individuals don't do those actions, or perceive that they can't do them, is that they are concentrating on them and trying to such a degree that they block the flow and they block the allowance. Whereas if you are not concentrated on trying to engage those actions, your energy flow will do those actions automatically.
JASON: Is it any different from creating anything else that you wanted? I mean where you just normally… Like if I wanted to develop some client interactions, and I have confidence that that's going to occur and that they occur, and so I just let it occur.
ELIAS: Correct. In that, what I would express to you is simply, yes, that is correct. Realistically, the mechanics of it is that without thinking about it, you are naturally moving in those expressions in everything that you do. Therefore, that is that interconnected piece.
JASON: I only noticed it when it's something that I would consider unlikely to occur.
ELIAS: Correct, yes.
JASON: Then I call it "Oh, I drew this to me" or "I created this situation." It's actually been working again, I talked about that, and being able to create spontaneous encounters. I know it definitely works best when you don't think about it afterwards.
ELIAS: But you are also doing actions in other directions or with other expressions that are all moving in that same energy, that are all moving in that same direction, regardless that the imagery seems very different.
JASON: Yeah, that's a huge piece, the interconnection.
ELIAS: The energy is the same, and you are naturally doing that. Therefore, yes, you surprise yourself, and you create what you want, and it seems effortless and that you did nothing. This is the point that I have expressed many times previously, in which I have expressed to all of you, once you set an intention it already exists.
Now, if you are to explore the mechanics of that, what that means is once you generate an intention, regardless of what it is, the energy is already projected. The manifestation of that is determined by time. Time is an integral factor in any physical manifestation, whether it be matter or action or even ideas. All of those are objective. They are all physical manifestations in your physical reality. Anything that is a physical manifestation requires time to actually create the manifestation. Without the factor of time, there is no physical manifestation. Therefore, time is an important component. It is an actual factor that binds different components of energy together to create matter, physical manifestations.
Now, in that, when you project energy by expressing an intention, all that is required to project energy is that intention. You do not even have to be objectively aware of the intention to be projecting the energy. Once that energy is projected, whatever the intention was already exists. It now exists. In that, now it is merely a matter of combining that energy with the factor of time, which creates the binding together of the energy to generate an actual manifestation.
Now, that being expressed, this is the reason that I have expressed that whenever you are observing an intention and you are contemplating the manifestation of that intention and how much time, therefore the quantity of time becomes a factor to you. The quantity of time is not actually a factor. The component of time is the factor that creates physical manifestation.
JASON: By me concentrating on that time, it then…
ELIAS: Extends it. And if your energy is scattered, therefore if you set an intention and your energy in what you are doing in every other direction is different or contrary to that intention, including your concentration on time, then what that does is it interrupts that configuration, it interrupts the process and the mechanics of the time binding the energy to form the physical manifestation. But when you are focused and you are moving in a particular direction… Now, when I say "focused," I do not mean that you are thinking about it continuously.
JASON: Understood.
ELIAS: Rather, when you are focused by moving in a consistent direction and everything that you do within your day is in harmony with that, that intention materializes considerably quickly, for all of the energy that you are projecting is all moving in the same direction.
JASON: As far as the energy being in harmony with the intention, I think we've cleared this up in the past. I don't need to worry about different energy for the different intentions that I have, correct?
ELIAS: No, no. In this, it is merely a matter of being aware of what you are paying attention to and what you are doing. Therefore, simple example, you want to purchase a red car, a specific type of red car. There is one of that red car at a particular dealer that you have passed as you go to work. In that, your idea is, or your evaluation is, that you do not quite incorporate enough money to purchase that red car, but you are aware of that. Therefore, you are expressing to yourself the intention that you will purchase that red car regardless of the money factor.
Now, you have set that intention; it already is. Now it is a matter of how quickly it actually forms into the manifestation, and that is dependent upon what you do and whether your energy is focused in the direction of that intention, not thinking about it, but your energy, which has to do with what you do.
Now, in that day that you set that intention that you want that red car, you decide to engage lunch with a friend. You go to lunch at a restaurant with your friend. During the course of the meal, you are expressing to your friend and perhaps to the waiter that they did not give you enough of a particular aspect of the entrée; they did not give you enough water; they did not give you service that was adequate enough. And you are complaining that the experience was what? Not enough. You are having lunch with your friend; you are not buying the car. They are two different subjects, or so it seems.
JASON: Right. Just thinking about this in a broader picture, as we're new to this, it would make sense that as you're starting out, you're going to have these hiccups, and you're going to learn to recognize them and your habits, your automatic reactions. You're going to learn to recognize them and gradually smooth out your energy over time so that relative to where I am today, that maybe ten years from now, things will be happening much quicker and quicker over time as I get better at this. Is that…?
ELIAS: Yes. I would express that it will not require ten years.
JASON: Yeah, the last few weeks is quite a movement.
ELIAS: That is a tremendous component. Once you begin moving in this direction in which you are actually paying attention and you are validating yourself and you are observing how well you accomplish and you become more trusting, you believe it more. You are more confident. That reinforces it, and it moves more and more and more quickly.
JASON: For areas that I still have doubts about, I don't need to worry about that. I just let them go, and they'll become less frequent, I assume.
ELIAS: Yes. I would express to you, when you have doubts not to fight with them. When you have doubts, acknowledge them. [Inaudible]
JASON: But I don't need to fix that or to change.
ELIAS: That this is a doubt, that you are uncertain, that you are not entirely believing in that direction yet: acknowledge that. For when you acknowledge it, you deflate the power of it. When you attempt to ignore it or push it away or argue with yourself by expressing to yourself, "No, that is incorrect," when you do that, you add power to it. Whereas when you acknowledge that thought or that feeling for what it is, you lessen the power of it. It becomes less important.
JASON: Question about an experience I created a couple of weeks ago, where I think at the time I had been playing around with trust and openness during my commute, and I was feeling pretty good. Subsequent to that, walking across New York City… We've talked about how when you're very present or when you're present, other people notice you more often. It was a very heightened example of that, more so than I can ever remember in my life, where in some instances people will just stare and look at me and not turn away, and I feel uncomfortable in a couple of circumstances. Or I'd be getting in the elevator, and someone in front of me would immediately turn around and just look at me for a couple of seconds before turning away, which isn't normal behavior. I don't know what that was, what led to that.
ELIAS: That was being more present and allowing yourself that experience now. What I would express to you in that, I acknowledge to you that it is unfamiliar, and therefore it can be automatically somewhat uncomfortable, for you do not know how to respond or if you should respond. What I would express to you is a very simple action, which incorporates a very big energy and a considerable meaning to you, is when you are being present and you notice other individuals paying attention to you or watching you or responding to you, smile. When you do that intentionally, what you are doing is you are projecting a connected energy to the other individual rather than awkward or uncomfortable, and what you are doing with yourself is validating your presence.
JASON: It was a mix of like really exciting, and at the same time you have certain things that you don't expect to happen and you have certain anxieties.
ELIAS: Yes. Or it can be awkward, for you are unaccustomed to that type of response from individuals. When you smile, you are validating that presence to yourself, and you are also validating to yourself you are deserving this.
JASON: Interesting.
ELIAS: It is excellent practice in relation to your deservingness, to stand in your own presence, to be comfortable in your own existence, and that other individuals can be observing you, watching you, aware of you, and that you are comfortable being in that position.
JASON: That's not my normal reaction. Normally, I've been fairly shy.
ELIAS: This is also the point. It does not require an actual interaction.
JASON: Right, right. It's just getting comfortable with yourself.
ELIAS: Yes.
JASON: Which, I guess, is the opposite of shy, though.
ELIAS: What I would express to you in that is some individuals are naturally observers, and that is not actually shy. That is what you identify as shy, but some individuals are merely naturally observant and not necessarily automatically participants. In that, it is not wrong, bad or a defect. It is a natural expression, and it does not mean that it is better to be engaging. That you can allow yourself to be a natural observer, and in that you are not required to be engaging; and in that, that smile is not for the other individual's benefit. It is for your own.
JASON: I could see that. That is a nice reminder that, in fact, I think part of the problem or where you even get the shyness from is to feel that I have to or I should do something, or I should go spark up a conversation or…
ELIAS: Correct, and it is not required.
JASON: Right. Okay. All right, Elias, this has been great, a lot of fun. Thank you very much for your help.
ELIAS: You are very welcome, my dear friend. I am greatly anticipating our next meeting. I am tremendously encouraging of you as always, and congratulations in what you are accomplishing.
JASON: Thank you very much.
ELIAS: Till our next meeting, my dear friend, in wondrous lovingness, as always. Au revoir.
JASON: Goodbye.
(Elias departs after 1 hour, 1 minute.)
©2016 Mary Ennis. All Rights Reserved
Copyright 2016 Mary Ennis, All Rights Reserved.