Perception

“Steps to becoming conscious are one perception at a time.”

Caroline Myss also said consciousness is about the task of refining our capacity to discern truth. We can discern what is true and what is not true.

Awareness is the needed ingredient. It helps us recognize from the tiniest perceptions when we are being led astray by ourselves or others. We will begin to recognize distorted information. When mastered, we can say: “I am being seduced by a thought form that has no truth to it.” 

We need to chop wood and carry water together. Yet many Americans say this is socialist, like it’s bad. I say it’s good because it is cooperation. I would like to form the Cooperation Party. Cooperation is not communism, though they both start with a C.

One slogan: “we don’t have time to fiddle-fart.” This means, procrastinate. 

What we do need is trust. We lost trust a long time ago and I wonder if I can be one of the people to help build it back? I will try. 

A man coming toward me spit at me yesterday and I’ll probably never know why. We were both riding bikes and I was having a really good day until then. It never feels great to receive insults, but also, it never feels great to relive and take it on and get more insulted about it so I didn’t. I dropped it because more important things are happening. 

I zoom prayed for a person sick with Covid last week. I’ve never done that, a new thing. It was mostly silent with about 14 of us and some people sang in support as was requested. Like I said, it’s not a normal thing for me, but I bent my normalcy for good. I want to bend norms toward love.

Back to truth and trust for a minute, I found an old mini workshop thing I did several months ago, and it’s about how to seek clarity with two or more people.

Here are the instructions:

Choose a speaker and listener(s).

Everyone sits silently together for one minute.

Speaker talks for four minutes, putting out what clarity or guidance they are seeking.

Listeners ask follow-up clarifying questions;  speaker answers questions (one minute).

Everyone stops talking. Silent intention goes toward speaker and topic (one minute).

Next comes a ten-minute period of time where the speaker says nothing and the listeners ask what or how questions, make thoughtful observations, while not offering suggestions or solutions. The speaker just absorbs. One listener can jot down notes to be given to the speaker to keep.

The wrap up? The speaker may request a blessing or prayer. This can be silent or spoken, or a song. It is usually an affirmation of their gifts. 

The listeners give their blessing. 

This is not expected to fix or solve problems, but a way toward finding a path toward some resolution, clarity, or healing.

(Exercise adopted from a 2014 Quaker retreat in Eugene from a model provided by Margaret Benefiel)

Build trust. Seek truth. Chop wood. Carry water. Ask for help. Give blessings.