Coke Zero, Gaining Your Attention, Personal Responsibility, Perception
Topics:
“The Belief System of Roles”
“Artificial Sweeteners and Other Curiosities”
“Complementary Interactions and Friendships”
Wednesday, June 28, 2023 (Private/Phone)
Participants: Mary (Michael) and Ben (Sumarian)
ELIAS: Good afternoon!
BEN: Good afternoon, Elias! I'm back, quite quickly.
ELIAS: And what shall we discuss?
BEN: I have a few curiosities, and in the time that we have left I want to begin to discuss the belief system of roles, which is my core belief. And I want to get to know a little bit about how it affects my every choice. Okay?
ELIAS: Very well.
BEN: One thing that I've wanted to ask for quite a while: I drink occasionally in the summer these “zero” drinks like Coke Zero and Sprite Zero that have an artificial sweetener. I was thinking if the body is aware of that distinction and responds differently to that beverage or whether it assumes that I'm drinking a regular Coke with 10 teaspoons of sugar, which would be detrimental for me.
ELIAS: No, it recognizes the difference.
BEN: So it wouldn't create responses like it would when there's a big sugar spike from drinking a regular beverage.
ELIAS: Correct.
BEN: And are these sweeteners, when drinking in moderation, are they okay? Does the body dispose of them? Do they cause any damage?
ELIAS: I would say, in moderation the body will adjust and it wouldn't necessarily be harmful.
BEN: But would moderation be what? Once a day is moderation, or once a week? Or that depends.
ELIAS: I would say, first of all it depends on the individual. But in addition to that, I would say moderation would be perhaps once every other day.
BEN: Okay.
Another impression I got a few days ago about my focus in El Paso, Freddy the car collector: I got a family name of Lopez. Is that correct?
ELIAS: Correct!
BEN: Oh, wow. (Laughs) Thank you. Since you told me I have five concurrent focuses, I identified three males. Have the other two not been identified because they are women or because they live in areas which are less accessible, like Africa or third world countries?
ELIAS: Both.
BEN: Both. So they're both women?
ELIAS: Yes.
BEN: Oh, but I could connect if I wanted to; it just seems like there's more of an obstacle.
ELIAS: I would say that that is correct. That's your perception that there's more of an obstacle, but that's simply because it's less familiar to you in this focus.
BEN: Do I have one focus in Africa?
ELIAS: Yes.
BEN: Oh. A female focus in Africa, that's interesting. Okay.
Something else that's interesting: A few weeks ago I was strolling on the beach and I found this really, really nice stone. What is peculiar about it is that it has flat faces as if it's been polished, and it just doesn't make sense that that stone would be sitting there on the beach. It was definitely not the ocean polishing the rock to such an accurate degree, and I thought perhaps this rock is from another place or another time. What is with this rock?
ELIAS: From another place and another person.
BEN: Which means what? Which means somebody visited that area and dropped that rock, or another place entirely on the planet?
ELIAS: That it was originally from another place, and that it belonged to another person that yes, dropped it there.
BEN: Okay. So that would be another resident of the country in Israel.
ELIAS: No.
BEN: Oh. So who would this other person be?
ELIAS: A visitor.
BEN: Okay. That's interesting. Wow. A lot of history for one rock. Okay.
A few weeks ago in the middle of the night, my mother's painting that hangs over my bed fell crashing down and woke me up and startled me, which was really unusual. And I was wondering if this is some indicator of a change in her post-disengagement activity.
ELIAS: I would say it was her actual attempt to gain your attention, which was successful. (Chuckles)
BEN: Wait a minute: gain my attention? In what manner? In a manner that she's aware that she's dead?
ELIAS: No. In her imagery she was attempting to gain your attention, which also translated into an action that would gain your attention in YOUR reality.
BEN: Wow! That was efficient then. That was like a –
ELIAS: I would agree.
BEN: That's like a direct communication, each one translating his own imagery but the connection was made.
ELIAS: Correct.
BEN: Wow! That's great, I like that. So she's busy.
ELIAS: Yes. (Laughs)
BEN: Okay. Something that's been happening for quite some time: I play an electronic drum kit, and the audio cuts out so many times that I stopped counting. I'm quite aware that I'm creating the interruption because my attention drifts quite easily when I'm drumming because it's a very repetitive and automatic action for me. I was wondering, first of all, is that correct?
ELIAS: Yes, that is correct.
BEN: Now, am I interrupting the audio for other reasons apart from my attention or not being present?
ELIAS: No.
BEN: Okay. It does become aggressive at times. I could do it five or six or seven times until the point where I have to get up. But it does work. It gains my attention, and it works.
ELIAS: (Laughs) Then I would say it's efficient.
BEN: Oh, yeah. That's like being punched in the face by myself.
ELIAS: (Laughs) That's rather descriptive and violent, but…
BEN: It's funny. It's funny.
Okay. Something else that involves the body: I had about two events where one time I was hanging laundry, the second time I was sitting on the beach, and it seems like I threw out my lower back, which never happens. And of course the intellectual explanation was, you know, I was bending over too much and I was sitting awkwardly on the beach, but that doesn't really make sense to me because I'm quite aware that in those times my energy was revving quite extremely in all kinds of imaginary directions, and it appears as if it affects the body to a degree that when I do a simple action I injure my back.
ELIAS: That is actually very possible, my friend. Actually, I would say to you, you can do that or you can injure yourself in many different manners other than actually physically injuring yourself in a capacity that seems logical. You can injure yourself in dreams or even in a meditation.
BEN: Oh, and come out of the dream state and meditation with a scar or a cut or pain or anything, right?
ELIAS: Or a bruise, yes.
BEN: You know, it is a bit misleading, because the back pain, for example, the first time was after I hung laundry, so I latch on to that explanation when I know that it's not that. But given my energy at those moments, I thought that perhaps I can affect the body consciousness to a large extent to create a weakness in that area, and then when I do that simple action, then I screw up my back. But it wasn't the bending over.
ELIAS: Correct. You are correct.
BEN: Because I’ve bent over a million times and my body's very strong, but not when my energy is affecting the body in that manner.
ELIAS: I understand. And what I would say to you is, that is something that you can also take as a communication in expressing to yourself to be careful at certain times.
BEN: Oh, be careful in very simple physical actions.
ELIAS: Depending on what you're doing and how you are manipulating energy, yes. Because you could actually considerably injure yourself.
BEN: Yeah, I could. These back pains, they usually take three or four days, but that's quite a long time to heal. That means there was some injury there.
ELIAS: Correct.
BEN: Okay.
Something about a guy at work that I sort of became somewhat friends with: There is something odd about his behavior. Many times when I encounter him in the office, he begins to do exercises and begins to box with me. And I don't know if that's being playful or these are signs of embarrassment, on his part or on my part.
ELIAS: And why would you express the idea of embarrassment?
BEN: Because it happened several times consistently when I came over to his workstation that he would start doing all these stretches and exercises, and I didn't understand why he's doing it as I arrived.
ELIAS: I would say it is playful.
BEN: Okay. He's a common individual, right?
ELIAS: Yes.
BEN: Okay. He will be leaving soon, which is unfortunate, but that's life. (Elias chuckles)
The cat had a coughing episode for a few weeks where I thought something was stuck in his throat. Is this another incident of him picking up energy from one of the tenants in the building? Or maybe from me?
ELIAS: I would say from another individual in the building, not you.
BEN: Okay. Now, the fact that I give him a lot of affection and a lot of attention and a lot of love, that gives him strength to overcome all of these events that he chooses to participate in. Right?
ELIAS: Yes.
BEN: That's good. He's a strong cat. I know he's strong. If he's as strong as I am, then he's okay. (Elias chuckles)
Okay, so that's all for these curiosities – oh, one more. Something that I've been noticing for quite a while: There are days where at around 3 or 4 in the afternoon I feel this energetic slump. I feel very tired. I almost fall asleep during my driving and then at home, and it's always about 3 or 4 p.m., especially days that I'm in the office or at home. It doesn't always happen, so it's not consistent. But I was wondering if that's just an overwhelm of energy in general.
ELIAS: I would agree. Yes.
BEN: And that would depend on my actions during the day at work and during my driving and where my attention is and how excited I get and all of that.
ELIAS: Correct.
BEN: So it's not any deficiency in vitamins or anything like that.
ELIAS: No.
BEN: Okay.
Now, what I want to do with the rest of the session is to start to talk about the belief system of roles. And if you would ask me what is this belief system and how it affects me, I would tell you I haven't got a clue. And if it's my core belief system, it probably affects most, if not all, of my choices. And that's interesting that I cannot point to anything, because it's so transparent. So maybe I'll give you an example of one of my behaviors which is very annoying, and perhaps we can connect it to that belief system.
ELIAS: Very well.
BEN: Probably my most annoying and exhausting behavior is assuming personal responsibility for others: other people, other animals, other situations. And how that translates for me is that I accommodate people and animals and situations sometimes to an extreme, thinking that this is the way to go and I should be, you know, accommodating, I should be understanding, sometimes to the point of nullifying my own agenda. And it pisses me off, and then I react aggressively by judging the other person and sort of pushing them away. And this goes on all the time, nonstop. Sometimes it lessens, sometimes it's more. And that's the behavior. Now, is that an attachment that is connected with this belief of roles?
ELIAS: It could be, because it depends on how you're defining your role in different situations. Therefore, if you are defining your role as being responsible for other individuals, then yes, then it would translate in that manner of taking personal responsibility for other people. And in that, it's being expressed in a manner that is... hm... not genuine.
Taking responsibility for others is not a genuine translation of a role. The factor that you might be in a position of a particular role doesn't mean that you automatically have to take responsibility for other individuals. In actuality, I would say that there is no role, even a parent, in which you have to take responsibility for another individual.
BEN: So, what I don't understand is how to maneuver my energy. I meet many, many people in many situations. Some of the people I meet are complaining of some personal issue or cannot accomplish something at work – or even my father, there are things that he can't do or doesn't want to do. So, I can choose to not help them, or I can choose to rebuff them and tell them that it's their choice, but that doesn't sound very friendly. Or I can be an asshole, which I can do quite easily, and tell them to fuck off.
ELIAS: And I would say that none of those answers are necessarily what you would identify as beneficial answers. In this, it's not necessarily a matter of rebuffing someone or expressing that it's not your responsibility and that they should be taking responsibility for themselves. It's not your job to instruct them, and that would be what you would be doing in that situation.
It's a matter of looking at the situation and then discerning what is the greatest benefit for you, and then how is that to be expressed in a manner of cooperation, which is honoring you and honoring the other individual.
Rebuffing someone is not honoring them. Expressing to them that something isn't your responsibility and that you are expressing to them to do something themselves, that's also not honoring them because you are instructing them. And in this, it's a matter of looking at the situation and using your imagination and being creative and expressing in a manner that honors both of you.
BEN: Okay. That's interesting, because I know what triggers some of these nasty answers is differences. And I'm aware of the differences, and for some reason automatically I assume that why is this other person not able to do what I do, which is that's what differences are about. And honoring the other person is understanding that he may not be able to, he may not want to, and that's not really the point. How do I cooperate with that?
ELIAS: Correct.
BEN: Hm. I have done it a few times, and it was surprising how well the collaboration was. It was totally out of the blue. Rather than arguing or rebuffing the other individual, I actually sat with them, and all of a sudden we had a really nice understanding.
ELIAS: Ah! And that is something to remind yourself of, instead of simply moving in a direction automatically and not thinking about it.
BEN: Right. Something about interactions and friendships: I was recalling this week [that] many, many years ago I had many, many, many friends, most of them younger friends that would come over and we would play music and talk and have food together, and all of that has vanished. And I look at myself and I more or less perceive myself to be the same person, maybe more aware, and I'm wondering what happened to that period where today I can't really create any friendships or I don't create friendships of that sort, and what has changed to the extent that most of the time I don't have any really good friends, which is really unusual for me.
ELIAS: And what would you say that you notice is different? You are not expressing in a particular manner; therefore, what is it that you are doing differently?
BEN: You gave me that word once, “hermitizing,” but it's like I'm focusing on my own agenda, and it's like I don't see place for other people in that agenda unless they're a perfect match or complement, which I don't find. So I say, “You know what? I'll go it alone.”
ELIAS: And I would say it's a matter of also what you're making important. And in that, you're not necessarily making it important or a priority to move in a direction of creating these relationships.
BEN: That's because I'm having a great time, so it's almost like I don't really need this right now, I don't really want this right now. I'm not even sure if that's accurate.
ELIAS: I would agree.
BEN: I know that something that always influenced my connections with people is that I have a strong appreciation of form, almost like an obsession. I think it's really interesting. It's an aesthetic attraction, and I know that that's almost like the number one factor in forming any connection with somebody is their form, their appearance. And sometimes my relationships are based on that, which creates a situation where I connect with people who are not necessarily complements to me or don't have the same values but they have the look.
ELIAS: I understand, and that's something that many individuals share with you. And I would say that this is one of those expressions that leads people and directions of distracting them from actually paying attention and noticing whether someone is a complement or not.
BEN: And that would not necessarily involve the sense input like what they look like and what they wear, but things that are more meaningful in their energy.
ELIAS: Well, I would say it's a combination of both. It's not that you don't incorporate ANY aspect of another individual's appearance; that does factor into your expression of being attracted to someone and also interacting with them. Therefore, it's a piece; it's simply not the ONLY piece.
BEN: Okay. So it's not what is sometimes said in society that it's superficial, and it's part of the energy of the individual is their form.
ELIAS: Yes!
BEN: Great. Okay. So I have to... I don't know. It's a big change. It's not a bothersome change, but sometimes I look back and I say I would like to have at least one or two people that I know that are really close friends, and at the moment there aren't any.
ELIAS: And I would say that when it becomes important enough to you, then you'll change that.
BEN: All right. That's interesting.
You know, today I was looking at the computer screen, and the idea of a computer screen for me is that it's square. But when I move my attention slightly away from that idea, I notice that the screen is not necessarily square. Now, this happens also with photos that I look at them on the computer screen, and sometimes I can see three-dimensional aspects in the photo. Now, I was wondering, since perception is creating everything, is this a matter of attention moving in certain manners and aligning with certain aspects that create the screen to be either square or perhaps a different type, different shape?
ELIAS: Yes. Yes. Your perception can create many different expressions, including changing shapes.
[The timer for the session rings]
BEN: That's why sometimes I see lines on the computer and some of the colored lines appear above the other ones.
ELIAS: Correct.
BEN: Oh. So perception is actually creating the geometry? So perspective is an element that can be changed dramatically by perception?
ELIAS: Correct. Correct. This is the reason, my friend, that I have expressed many times that this is the point in relation to your sciences, and that also your science wave will be continuing until your scientists realize that perception is the center of everything.
BEN: Wow. So sometimes, for example, I have a very tiny apartment and there are days when it feels really large and roomy, and this is the same thing about perspective being influenced by perception.
ELIAS: Yes. Yes.
BEN: Wow. That's fantastic. There's a lot more to go with this wave.
ELIAS: I would agree.
BEN: All right, Elias. It's been very interesting, and we're going to hang it up because the time's up and we will continue futurely.
ELIAS: Very well. I shall greatly be anticipating of that, my friend, and I express to you tremendous support in all that you are… contemplating. (Chuckles).
BEN: All right. Thank you.
ELIAS: You are very welcome. Until our next meeting, in tremendous love and affection to you, as always, au revoir.
BEN: Bye-bye.
(Elias departs after 33 minutes)
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