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Click play below for a reading of today's intentional session from Matt.
If the door of perceptions were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite.
– William Blake
Things that seem true and universal are often just our own unique experience of the world.
What we perceive in any given moment is not only determined by sensory input, but by our past experience, physical abilities, energy levels, feelings, social identities, past conditioning and more.
Even though perception is not reality it can certainly appear and feel like it is real. Perception can become a person’s reality. It certainly has a potent influence on how we interpret our reality. That is one reason that we have to dig so deep to unearth our conditioning. After years of habitually using our perceptions and imagined beliefs to validate or protect ourselves we have convinced ourselves that they are fact.
Keep that in mind as we move through our journey (and when dealing with others). Compassion and courage, for ourselves and others, are needed as we travel this path.
Here is a practice I learned in meditation class that really quiets my mind by giving it something to do:
🧘 Find a seated position, back straight, chin slightly tilted downward.
👉 🙄 Inhale through the top of your head (count of four) … hold for a moment.
👈 🦶 Exhale through the bottoms of your feet … hold for a moment.
👉 🦶 Inhale through the bottoms of your feet … hold for a moment.
👈 🙄 Exhale out the top of your head … hold for a moment.
🔁 4️⃣ Repeat four more times.
I understand how my perceptions shape my reality.
I pause before I take action.
Bring yourself into this moment and provide twelve endings to this “sentence”:
- I feel beautiful when _________________
- I feel beautiful when _________________
- I feel beautiful when _________________
- I feel beautiful when _________________
- I feel beautiful when _________________
- I feel beautiful when _________________
- I feel beautiful when _________________
- I feel beautiful when _________________
- I feel beautiful when _________________
- I feel beautiful when _________________
- I feel beautiful when _________________
- I feel beautiful when _________________
😚 💨
Without pausing, reading, or judging use your breath to bring yourself into the present moment …
📓 ✍🏼
… and complete the endings to the ten following “sentence” fragments:
Sometimes I make it difficult for others to understand me by …
As a teenager I …
I see woman as …
I see man as …
My perception of humanity is …
If I don't understand I …
I perceive relationships to be …
When I am alone I …
I am becoming aware that …
If any of what I am writing is true …
Today, let's reflect on the sentences we completed in our JOURNAL session.
Sentence completion is becoming a bit more understandable. By now you may be able to make a few observations about the way that you are perceiving reality.
Take your time with the reflection (even if that is longer than a day) and remember to leave your judgments about what you have written behind. Sentence endings are meant to bypass the conscious thinking mind. They don't have to make sense or “be true”. Judgment will give our perceptions and subconscious mind a reason to resist our growth and return to “old” patterns of behavior.
Document any areas of self-discovery that you find curious, amazing, or questionable.
Today, let's choose three of your favorite colors in whatever medium you choose and create something that feels like BEAUTY.
With curiosity, we face our own thinking, as well as the thinking of others.
This is how we ensure that our perceptions remain close to the reality we prefer to inhabit. Becoming curious, asking questions without expectation, and becoming good listeners create alignment and connection. This alignment is essential for us to live in the “real” world and find common ground with others.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Don’t assume that your perceptions are “reality” or “truth”
- Be respectful of others’ perceptions (they may be “true”)
- Don’t hold your perceptions too tightly; they may be “untrue” (admitting that takes courage)
- Recognize the conditioning within you that may affect your perception (observing your conditioning will better ground your perception rather than shading it with thoughts that may not be true).
- Challenge your perceptions (like we are doing with our exercises)
- Be open to modifying your perceptions if the evidence suggests there may be more to the story. Being unable to change your mind creates more chaos than being “wrong”.
Part of self-discovery is knowing when our perceptions are affecting our reality.
They do that more than we realize. We have an excellent start to releasing or altering what no longer serves us.
How about you?
What is one thing you discovered about yourself today?
Feel free to come back and share it with us in the comments below or on our private online community »
Today's intentional session is an excerpt from The “Art” of Self Discovery Online Self-Guided Journey – JOIN FOR FREE »
