Another Perspective On Perception

I have discussed perception a lot in these messages. I do that, in part, because it is so central to A Course In Miracles (ACIM). In fact, ACIM defines our change in perception as our Atonement. It is effected by the Holy Spirit – not by an act of willpower on our part – only when we are truly open and willing to see things, events and people differently. Perception is also very central to recovery and the achievement of serenity in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Members of the AA Fellowship will not talk about how you go about changing your old-thinking perceptions. Rather, they will tell you, as they told me, to focus only on today – don’t drink, go to a meeting, share openly and honestly, talk to your sponsor, work the steps, pray to your Higher Power, and the rest of your life is none of your business. Doing this earnestly, you will come to discover that your compulsion to drink has melted away, serenity and joy have begun creeping into your life, and your perception of the world is changing.

In a small book given to me by a friend [What Color Socks Does God Wear, Doug Bennett, 2015] the author discusses, among other things, how we developed our perceptions and why they are so difficult to change. He comes at this from the perspective of science and logic. It was very interesting reading.

“How do we learn from our reality? Isn’t reality just what is ‘out there,’ the stuff that we walk around in and bump into once in a while? Let’s look at how that works.

“We perceive our environment, what we think of as reality, with our senses. [Karl Pribram, eminent neuroscientist, psychologist and philosopher, who postulated that we humans think in holograms] proposed that the process we … use to perceive things involves memory of learned experience. In Pribram’s model we take in information from our environment through our senses and convert it to holograms. Those little holograms are taken to our memory, where we retrieve something from our memory that matches the input information. That retrieved information is projected back out of the receiving sensory organ and forms what we see or otherwise perceive.

“This means that everything we perceive is learned,” [p. 35]

So, what if I haven’t learned it yet? Does that mean I wouldn’t “see” anything? The answer is “yes!”  I remember reading of the Spanish explorer’s conquest of the Aztecs of Central America, who maintained constant “watchers” for potential enemies. Why didn’t they “see” or report the square-rigged sailing ships of the 16^th century Spanish ships as they moved close to shore? The Aztec watchers had no frame of reference for these massive forms “floating” on the sea. Early reports indicated they had reported large, slow-moving clouds floating above the ocean. That’s all. When they began to see men disembark, they thought they were gods who came from the clouds. The watchers simply didn’t see “traditional” enemies. There was nothing alarming to report.

We know what eventually happened.

Bennett goes on to describe how, as we learned these initial experiences, it wasn’t just the physical perception that we learned. Each physical perception was accompanied by meaning and feeling reactions, as well. When we “see” something, the meaning and feeling reactions occur at the very same time as the physical perception. When you see a snake out of the corner of your eye, the registering of the sight of the snake, the fear we learned from that initial experience, and the jumping-out-of-the-way all occur simultaneously. They were all learned together. In Bennett’s words, they form a perception packet of information – the object itself, the feelings, and the associated physical reaction. It is this “packet” we recognize, project outward, and then respond to.

“There are several apparently different aspects to our learned responses. To give them all a convenient handle I have invented something I call a perception packet. I am not proposing that such things really exist. This is just a way to explain the process. Imagine that for each situation in our life we have a little packet, a perception packet. Every time we encounter that situation or that person or thing, we look up the packet for that situation, open it up and it tells us what we have encountered, how to feel, and what to do in that situation.” [p. 38]

ACIM and AA alike teach what I see reflects primarily only who I think I am. If I am essentially angry, I will perceive anger in almost every situation or person. I will be wary, fearful, untrusting, or tentative. If I am essentially open-minded and trusting, that’s what I will perceive. If I’m on the lookout for a quick mark, I will see everyone else looking to take advantage of me. ACIM states what we perceive is merely a reflection of our own thoughts. AA says it much more simply: If you spot it you got it.

As I’ve stated before, “I have to understand, on a visceral level, who the “Me” or “I” really is when I am speaking or thinking. The “I” that says to myself, “I really need a newer, more reliable car” is a different “I” than the one that says to my Holy Spirit, “I can’t do this anymore; help me perceive things the way You see them.”

Although these messages are mostly for me, thanks for listening to me and getting to know me – warts and all. As always, feel free to forward this message to your friends, family, and those accompanying you on your spiritual journey.

Don

#1 Sep 2016

Copyright 2016

When I Help You – You Are Helping Me

From my friend, Michael Z, [www.thewisdomoftherooms.com] who writes about ACIM’s concept of Oneness using AA’s English: " Before recovery I did everything I could think of to get better on my own. I'd try to stop drinking during the week; … I'd join a gym and exercise a while, or I'd go on a healthy diet. I went into therapy to work on myself, and I started journaling. At the end of all of this, though, I'd find myself alone, depressed and drunk.

 When I entered the program, I thought I might finally learn how to help myself. Instead, I was given direction that made no sense. "Wash the coffee cups after the meeting," I was told. "Get a commitment to get to a meeting early and set the chairs up." "Become a greeter and ask other people how they are doing." What about me? I thought. How am I going to get better if I'm focused on helping others rather than myself? Even though I didn't understand it, I was desperate, so I followed your direction.

 And that's when the miracle took place. Over time I came to see that alone I couldn't, but together we could recover. I learned that the solution began when I got out of myself and helped you. … Ultimately I learned that when I was helping you, you were helping me and that was the solution I could never find by myself.

When I can actually understand the emotions of fear, anxiety and distress that are behind another’s comments or attitudes, I am able to empathize and relate because I, too, have those same emotions. In those brief moments we are communicating on the same wavelength and all superficial differences between us seem to disappear. I say “seem” because that’s the way I think. In reality the differences actually have disappeared.

That’s the miracle A Course in Miracles explains – the miracle of Oneness.

In AA that same miracle is expressed in the experience of discovering – as Michael Z stated – that when I am helping you, you are helping me.

I know this is a very short message because I am in the middle of trying to maintain my peace, serenity and joy in the midst of trying to get our house and property ready for selling. My, oh my – the stress, worry and expectations become very difficult for me to deal with appropriately. I just need to remember that I am a work in progress. I’m no longer who I was, but I’m not fully who I am going to be.

Although these messages are mostly for me, thanks for listening. As always – feel free to forward this message to your friends, family, and those accompanying you on your spiritual journey.

For those of you who have asked me for guidance on how to change, I hope this helps.

Don

#2 Apr 2016

Copyright 2016

The Power Of The Genuine Reality Of The Pope

Slowly I am coming back around to a place of quiet assuredness – rather than the frenzied whirling Tasmanian devil of old cartoons. Thank goodness! Selling a house is not for spiritual sissies.

The headlined message in the recent issue of The Holy Encounter [September / October 2015, Miracle Distribution Center. www.miraclecenter.org] is entitled The Gift of Salvation by Beverly Hutchinson McNeff. It is excellent. She writes:

“A Course in Miracles tells us truth is true and only what God created is real. What God created is eternal and can never change. Right there you can see that truth and reality have nothing to do with the world or our bodies [both of which] are constantly changing. It does, however, have everything to do with our spirit and our loving thoughts, which are eternal and the only things that are true about any situation in which we find ourselves.

“This does not mean, though, that we deny the world or our bodies, for to deny them is to give them more power than they deserve. If the world is not real and the body is not who we are, our focus should be on who and what are real rather than on denying an illusion. We spend way too much time talking about our problems rather than focusing on the solution. As the Course tells us, ‘To be in the Kingdom is merely to focus your full attention on it.’ [T-7.III.4:1]

“The world will be transformed as we focus our attention on what is true. This takes practice; not because truth is hard to learn but because we have become so comfortable with the lies. Peace is possible here, forgiveness is the key to happiness, and God Himself shall wipe away all our tears. It’s time for us to stop thinking the Course was written for the other guy to follow. It was written for us! That’s why the only question God’s Voice asks each one of us is: ‘Are you ready yet to help Me save the world?’ [C-2.9:1] 

“[Why would we not say ‘Yes, I am ready?’] … probably because we see ourselves and others as guilty; after all, look at this world! It’s a mess. And from our current perspective, we see no way out. But if you look for the ‘mess,’ you will see the mess. Jesus’ time was just as hateful and chaotic, and he still came to bring us the message that love is stronger than hate and peace is more powerful than attack. His entire life was a testament to this shift in perception and that is exactly what a miracle is!”

I think that’s what I saw as I watched Pope Francis these past several days. I saw mine and other’s perceptions shifting and bending and twisting. Here was a powerful man surrounded by police motorcades, armored cars, bulletproof glass and armed, alert “protectors” of all stripes. Well, where was he in all this? In his little black 4-seater Fiat or in his converted Jeep pope-mobile. It was like watching a pod of orcas, dolphins, and 40-ton whales swimming around in order to protect a trout.

His openness, inclusiveness, and unbridled desire to be, not with the powerful but with the “least of these” – reflected, as well, in his words as he addressed White House guests, Congress, and the U.N. General Assembly – spoke volumes. His beaming smile was infectious. It was a true reflection of his joy – as he embraced children lifted to him by their parents or his bodyguards and as he sought out and embraced the infirmed. He beamed. The children beamed. Their parents beamed.

What he did, the joy with which he did it, and the words of his straightforward addresses were all simply facets of the same message: “I’m here. I’m overjoyed to see you. I love you. I care for you. You are not alone. Be happy with each other. Love and serve each other. That’s what Jesus did. That’s what we are to do. It will change the world”

The impact of his open, honest, straightforward and joyous Self was palpable. I could see it ripple through the crowds. I could see it in the face of the Speaker of the House. I could see it the dazzling smiles of the President, the Vice President, as well as their families. I could see it in conservative and progressive politicians alike.

It was transformative. It was a glimpse of the reality A Course in Miracles is trying to teach me.

It is not about dogma. It is not about perceived biblical truths. It is not about ecclesiastical polity or programs. It is not about cerebral, structured theology.  It is about joy. It is about peace of mind. What I witnessed was how our loving thoughts – expressed as joy and peace – can be used by the Holy Spirit to change the world.

What a week!

Although these messages are mostly for me, thanks for listening. As always – feel free to forward this message to your friends, family, and those accompanying you on your spiritual journey.

Don

#2 Sep 2015

Copyright 2015

All My Fears Are Between My Ears

With all that’s happened over the past several weeks, I found myself just reeling:

•         The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) putting the healthcare issue to bed for good;
•         SCOTUS resolving the same-sex marriage issue;
•         SCOTUS resolving the gerrymandering issue;
•         The white supremacy massacre in Charleston, SC
•         The President’s magnificent eulogy at the funeral of one of the victims;
•         The South Carolina decision to consider taking the Confederate flag off the capitol grounds and moving it to a museum;
•         The corresponding decisions by corporate America and other southern states to follow suit.

My mind was in overdrive and it wasn’t all very good.

At first I was overwhelmingly elated... then my egoic thoughts took over:

•         South Carolina would never vote to remove the flag. Neither will the other states;
•         Some angry white supremacy group will make an overt attempt to assassinate Mr. Obama;
•         After all the hubbub nothing real will have been accomplished;
•         Lawyers will scour and find loopholes in the Supreme Court’s decisions – it’ll all go back into court;
•         Don’t get too excited, Donnie, soon some ‘other shoe’ will drop.

Secondly, I found a small piece of paper while cleaning my office in preparation for some guests coming over. It contained a small verse that I wrote although I have no recollection of writing it, nor where it came from. It said: “Between the ears lies all your fears.”

Finally, I received a message from the author of Wisdom of the Rooms, Michael Z, whose message was entitled, “I’m glad that what’s happening in my head isn’t happening in my life.”

He opened his message with the following: “I don't know why, but my perception of my life is always different - and worse - than the reality of my life. I can be in line at Starbucks, and that's what's happening, but in the storm in my head I'm thinking the line is so slow I'll be there forever; the coffee won't be hot enough; the traffic will be horrible; I'll be late; I'll miss that big deal, and then I'll lose my job and join the rest of the world of the unemployed in the 2nd Great Depression. And this is all just in line at Starbucks!”

I couldn’t help but laugh as I read this. That’s exactly what I had been doing with all the recent news.  Just like Michael Z, my thoughts are not positive. Why don’t I get overwhelmed from inner thoughts that are uplifting? Hopeful? Loving? Peaceful? But they’re not. They’re dire, foreboding, dark, or negative.  

I believe they are that way because they are thoughts from Felix, my egoic self. Felix thrives on fear and all its associated emotions – anger, hate, separation, frustration, anxiety, envy, exasperation, and resentment. Those are the emotions that I have learned to associate with being alive, being alert, being critically knowledgeable, and being mature. That’s what I’ve been taught.

That’s hogwash! – and I know it.

Still, those are the first and very powerful thoughts that I sense. Then I begin to remember the lessons I’ve learned in A Course in Miracles (ACIM). My ego thrives on fear. It hungers for it, but it cannot stand being recognized as the source of my fear. So, it must blame you for it. My anger, hate, separation, frustration, anxiety, envy, exasperation, and resentment are your fault. My problems are out there somewhere. I would be better off and happier if the Supreme Court had kept its big mouth shut. I’d be better off if Obama weren’t the president. I’d be more relaxed and serene if….. I’d be more at ease and able to live more happily, more joyously and more freely if only you would change.  Change what? Well, most everything about yourself.

Why can’t folks seem to get that? Why must they fight, argue and resist my wonderful unsolicited suggestions? “My intentions are honorable,” I say to myself while Felix grins, rubs his hands and chuckles. After all my intentions are to get you to assume you ARE responsible and try – hopelessly – to make me happy.

What does really begin to make me happy is to realize what I’m doing to myself. I realize, release and relax. The 3 R’s: Realization: I understand the game Felix plays (fear) and the images (or perceptions) he creates. I fully begin to realize it when my serenity, calm, and joy are flying out the window. Releasing: I know I cannot will myself to think differently, so I forgive myself for projecting these false perceptions and believing them while, at the same time, forgiving the perception of you I have created. Then I ask the Holy Spirit to provide me with a new way of seeing the situation or person. Relaxing: I still myself and continue my training in learning how to listen for the whispers of God – the small voice I hear behind the raucous cacophony of the boisterous committee that is clamoring in my head. I don’t try to stop those voices. I can’t. I simply continue to learn how to ignore them and listen for the whispers.

I understand, most assuredly, you cannot relate to any of this. However, I thank you for allowing me to crystalize my thoughts for my continued growth.

Although these messages are mostly for me, thanks for listening. As always – feel free to forward this message to your friends, family, and those accompanying you on your spiritual journey.

Have a happy 4^th of July.

Don

#1 Jul 2015

Copyright 2015