Reality Vs Reality

I'm often amazed these days at what the word "reality" means. At one time I understood the word to mean being real or the state of being real. Yet, today the word has been stretched to mean perceived to be real or perceived to in a state of being real. Notice the slight play on words there of the word perceived. The lines have now been blurred and so what is real today may not actually be real. Is that a bad thing? It all depends upon how you look at it and let me explain.

My mind is a very creative one in which I can create scenarios and story lines and images that are more colorful than any movie I have ever watched. I can do these in a quick moment without much though or hesitation. In fact, I live in a world of creativity and my mind is constantly engaged in creating all that is available to my mind. So am I living in reality when I do this? One could argue I am not but then on the other hand, I know that I am able to come back to reality or that which grounds me in current life. My creativity isjust one part of my life but to come back to a place of being grounded is where my life rests.

Throughout a day, I notice that there is a perceived reality around us. Whether it be through TV reality shows or "live news coverage" or the advertisements we watch in any given TV experience. All of these events are not reality no matter how many times the word "reality" or "real" is put out during these events. They are not reality no matter how many times the images suggest that what you are watching is just as real as if you were there yourself.

Take for example reality TV shows that we've all watched and most likely have heard from the participants after taping was over that what the viewer got to see was hardly reality. Or take the advertisements where the paid actors appear to be real life individuals proclaiming how much money they made or how much more beautiful and skinny they have become. Take the online internet forums where you interact and get to know other "screen names" thinking that you really know the person on the other side of the screen, when all you know is the screen name and what they type. While it is possible, these things could be real, often the images, words and scenarios you see are perceptions of reality but not really reality.

The examples could go on forever and if you take a moment in your day and observe these, you will see many more than I have even mentioned. Of course, one could ask is it wrong to engage in perceived reality around us in our every waking moment of the day. It all depends. Are you able to step back out of these perceptions and see them for what they are. No, I'm not saying that you can verbally say this but you can be very honest with yourself and see through the perceptions as they are being played out in front of you. At some point, our minds get so bombarded with these things that while we may be able to do this initially, we soon lose track of reality and begin replacing it with the perception of reality.

Maybe the moral of the story is we need to take the perception of reality in small doses and make sure we mix in with it true reality. True reality could include things like touching the earth, the plants, feeling the sun and the wind, hearing the birds and the nature sounds around us or just holding someone dear to us in our arms. For these things are the true essence of life and the perception of reality is but a momentary trek in to a world of creativity. If we keep both things in perspective and in balance, than our lives will be much more full and richer as a result.

The Reconnection by Dr. Eric Pearl

This has been a wonderful book that I've been reading. While I don't necessarily agree with all the premises that he makes in his book, he has a lot of wonderful insights that are not necessarily part of the general knowledge base in our society. Dr. Pearl went through a major transformation in his life which he details in the first half of the book and is interesting to read and understand. I'm sure there is a lot he didn't share and for my inquiring mind, I would have like to see more about how he actually developed that which he does. If you are interested in healing work of any kind or learning more about healing takes place, this is a good book to read. If nothing else, it will broaden your horizons and understanding about things which may seem foreign to you at this moment.

I feel like I need to make the point as well that this is just not about healing but the human evolution and growth in life. It is a spiritual path but note that I did not say a religious path. It is about becoming more aware of one's self and the role we play in the collective society of humankind.

Anyway, here's a few quotes from the book that I really liked.

1) Pg 109: When most people think about "healing," they focus on the notion of someone suffering from an ailment or injury who "gets better." But what does it mean to "get better?" Better than what? Better than they were at some moment in their past? Better than someone else is?

2) Pg 109: Healing as we often tend to think of it, may well be about the alleviation of symptoms, diseases, infirmities, and other noticeable hindrances to full functioning. Healing is also the restoration of the person to spiritual wholeness. In essence, healing is this: the release or removal of a block or interference that has kept us separate from the perfection of the universe. Yet healing is about our evolution, and also includes the evolutionary restructuring of our DNA and our reconnection to the universe on a new level.

3) Pg 132: Never is fear so insidious as when it cloaks itself in the guise of love. Fear is the only thing standing between you and anyone, you and anything.

4) Pg 133: We cannot come from love while we reinforce the concept of fear. As a culture we decorate our fears with rituals, and then we fool ourselves into thinking that these rituals are expressions of love. We diminish prayer when we use it for protection, for what are we using prayer and these other rituals to protect us from? Nothing more than the amorphous nature of our fears. We spend so much time protecting ourselves from something that doesn't exist, its no great wonder that we have so little time left over for what does.

5) Pg 209: If nothing seems to be happening during a session, it's either because you're trying too hard or the patient is.

6) Pg 209: People often ask if it's possible to use these energies for healing yourself. Of course it is. Self healing is very simple. Almost too simple. Just like distance healing, if you try to make it more complex, it will be less effective.

7) Pg 217: So don't interpret, don't analyzed. Just be. And know that you carry the gift of healing - in whatever form that may take.

8) Pg 219: People ask me if everyone has the ability to carry these frequencies and become a healer. My answer is, "Yes. Everyone can reach this level but eyes are blind. It is only a few who dare to open their eyes and often those who do are blinded by what they see."

For more information on Dr. Eric Pearl, www.TheReconnection.com

10 Things I’m Thankful For

1) That I’m taking care of myself more and more and really continuing to discover all there is about myself. No more do I go through life just as a human but as a human that is evolving.

2) Having a partner that cares so much about me, that loves me unconditionally and puts up with all my faults, heartaches, fears and quirks. I’ve never had that in my life until I met Jeff and I’m so thankful that we met and are spending our lives together as we just marked our 9 year anniversary.

3) Having a house that stayed dry through the hurricane and not losing everything we owned like many in our areas did.

4) Having a home which we just love and enjoy and gives us a nice quality of life.

5) Having two new kittens that are so adorable and fun to be around along with snuggles who is the ruler of the kittens and the house or so she thinks.

6) Getting enough income this year to make it through the year without completely falling on my face. In addition, I was able to make some purchases that I badly needed and had put off for many years.

7) A new president being elected who is down to earth, a common person and hopefully one that will truly be a President of the people. It is refreshing to see the President elect embrace those who are gay instead of bashing them and for that I am truly thankful.

8) All that is growing in my garden and the great vegetables that I get out of it.

9) The things that I as well as many others take for granted. Things that appear to be necessities when in fact they are luxuries. It wasn’t that long ago in my life that going to be on a full stomach was quite an accomplishment for a day.

10) Friends far and wide who I know in person or online, who have moved away or we moved away from them, for some that I speak to frequently and for some it feels more distant.



What are you thankful for?