The Creation of a Consciousness Shift
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We all perceive reality different, according to our unique perception of that reality, from our personal position of awareness. It may be surprising for you to find out that our assumptions and prejudgments guide our perceptions, interpretations, and recall far more than may be envisioned. We will discuss the different ways in which our perceptions have a direct effect on our beliefs concerning what is and what is not.
Priming
Our memory system is a web of associations and priming is the awakening or activating of certain associations. Priming experiments have been showed to reveal how one thought, even if we are not consciously aware, can influence another thought or action. Oftentimes, our thinking and acting are primed by events that we are not even aware of. Consider the following examples:
- After watching a scary movie, a person will have a heightened sense of every little sound that she or she hears, with the impulse that it may be of some nefarious origin
- When someone is in a depressed mood, they will prime negative associations, such as, seeing others’ behaviors more sinister than they did before they were depressed
- Being exposed to seeing a large amount of violence will prime an individual to interpret something as someone accidentally bumping into them on the sidewalk, to being a purposeful aggressive action against them
Understanding priming is important because much of our social information processing is automatic, unintentional, out of sight, and without awareness.
Perceiving and Interpreting Events
Although humans have a remarkable tendency to being fairly accurate in their perceptions and interpretations of events and external stimuli (perhaps thanks to intuition or extra sensory perception), we also have a tendency to perceive events and interpret them according to satisfy our prejudgements and predispositions with which we live comfortably believing in. This could also be attributed to the ego, the false Self of the individual, trying to dominate and survive. An example of this in action would be when a sports fan perceives a referee as being partial to the opposing team. The assumptions we manifest concerning reality and the world around us can even make contradictory evidence seem supportive. This can be specified as the factor in the cause of so much conflict in the areas of religion, politics, and science.
Belief Perseverance
Research has shown that it is quite difficult to do away with a falsehood once an individual comes up with a rationale for it. An example of this would be when the first copies of bibles created by the newly-invented Gutenberg printing press went on sale, his partner that brought the bibles to a certain town was accused of being a witch, because only by black magic would it have been possible to so perfectly reproduce copies such as the ones he had, and that the printing press must be an instrument of the devil. Individuals will retain their invented explanations for their beliefs because of their ego not willing to surrender to the possibility that they are wrong and would have to shift their paradigm. Even after being thoroughly discredited, a firmly-instilled belief will be very difficult to change. Studies have shown that it is easier to formulate a belief than change a belief already formulated. This can explain why there are so many peculiar beliefs surrounding a myriad of things still today. The more we examine our theories and explain how they might be true, the more closed we become to information that challenges our beliefs. This is important to remember, so that we keep an open mind all the time and welcome different positions of awareness concerning a particular subject rather than keeping rigidly to one particular perception of an issue.
Confirmation Bias
Another demonstration of perception affecting belief is the tendency for confirmation bias, in which we search for information that confirms our preconceptions. Individuals tend to not seek information that might disprove what they believe. This may be a product of some sort of unconscious fear of “what if” scenarios, where we think “what if what I believed all these years turns out to be untrue, was I living a lie and wasting my life away?” or some similar fear-based thoughts. When Copernicus proved that the earth was not the center of the universe and that it revolved around the sun, there was fierce opposition among many who believed in earth being the most important creation in the universe, by using the Judeo-Christian bible as the evidence to back up their confirmation bias. We are eager to verify our beliefs but not seek evidence that might disprove them, as a result. A way to overcome the confirmation bias that we have is to be wary of dogmatic statements that someone claims as being absolute truth. In a quantum reality, there is no such thing as absolute certainty. We can not even prove for a fact that we exist and are not just some program in holographic sand box, to give an extreme look at this issue. Even when people are absolutely sure that they are right, they may be wrong. Another great way to overcome confirmation bias is to think of one good reason why a judgment you make might be wrong. This will make you consider disconfirming information and look from the “other side of the issue” from a different position of awareness. Just remember that these are not ways in which we should undermine peoples’ reasonable self-confidence or to destroy their decisiveness. Overconfidence may bring about negative consequences, but realistic self-confidence is very adaptive and helpful.
Attributing Causality
We, as humans, make misattributions from time to time, which make differ from what the reality of the issue is. We mistakenly attribute a behavior to the wrong source at times. An example of this would be when worker productivity declines, managers will attribute this to workers being lazy. The way we make attributions gives insight into our psyche. In the example given earlier, the managers who see the workers as being lazy would seem to have a negative view on reality and see the glass as being half empty. On the other hand, if the managers saw the glass half full, they would think of other plausible reasons why worker productivity declined, such as the workplace being inefficient, unjust wages lowering worker morale, and so on. Taking a doubletake before we make an attribution will provide us with coming up with a well thought out conclusion concerning a particular situation or issue so that we do not make a false attribution.
Our perception of reality will have a direct impact on our beliefs. What we should remind ourselves is how this occurs and what the remedies for carrying false perceptions may be. The outcomes will be astounding; varying from more tolerance and understanding, to empathy, reason, and shifts in consciousness.
The two-man music masterpiece that is Boards of Canada is in a category all its own. Spawning dozens of admiring artists in recent years (it’s even inspired me to create my music project Turquoise Memories), Boards of Canada has redefined what musical harmonics can be experienced like. Stepping outside the natural boundaries of contemporary music with it’s steady 4/4 beat and superficial lyrics, this group attempts to grab someone, pick them up and sweep them away to a parallel universe that could be described as being a warm and fuzzy 70s era boreal landscape with peaceful and serene ambiance, coupled with a type of sunshine that you wish to taste and savor the experience forever.
The rich sound of this group’s musical frequencies makes it feeling very natural and yet altered ever so compellingly that it takes one to a reality that does not exist in ours but has just been manifested thanks to the music of Boards of Canada. We are able to traverse this newly-created reality where all is peaceful and all is blissful. Childlike happiness and joy are experienced inthe core of our very being. The theme of childhood is often repeated in BoC’s music and certainly opens up the larger theme of childhood worriless innocence that each one of us can re-experience and relive if we are willing to do so, and the music by this artist will help facilitate that. The wonderfully altered vibrational tones that BoC uses is absolutely mesmerizing. The music ranges from beatless ambient works, like Skimming Stones, to nostalgic psychedelic downtempo grooves, such as the beautiful Dawn Chorus. Boards of Canada has been around since the 90s and they have several albums out, which are relatively easy to find.
The success of Boards of Canada is perhaps most evident in the online community Twoism, where several artists discuss everything related to Boards of Canada and can get quite complex in their discussions (such as mysterious mathematical codes embedded within BoC’s music). It is also a place where music artists who have been inspired by this legendary band come to showcase their BoC-inspired musical sounds…many of which are as impressive as Boards of Canada themselves. The magic surrounding Boards of Canada, from the duo’s mysterious personas to their unique sound, captivate young and old alike. Listen to the sounds that will take you back to an earlier time…a time that feels like it may have existed, although it never has, but does now and will forever more.
The year 2009 comes with a will by people for ‘change’. Although we might not know exactly why or how, the wish for social transformation is arguably seeing its largest promotion since the 60s movement. The variables that may be attributed to this greatly-increased wish for massive changes range anywhere from cosmic events in the multiverse that we have yet to understand, to the feeling that there needs to be an end to the tyranny that has been increasing in recent years. Now that there is a great will for people to create change they wish to manifest, it will become quite realistic for a global shift in consciousness to occur on a large scale.
There are a number of ways in which each one of us can do our part in the shifting of the global consciousness and facilitating social transformation that is so desperately needed right now. There are things, both great and small, that each person can do. With the advent of the internet, this has never been easier. The possibilities are endless. I will provide several ways in which each one of you can do your part in this most-exciting project. As a wise man once said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Here are some suggestions on social transformation projects that each one of us can create:
- Write a book concerning personal/self/spiritual growth, Self-realization, etc.
- Create a blog on matters of a higher consciousness
- Make a website about a social transformation project
- Post on forums on matters concerning higher states of consciousness
- Organize a spiritually-centered or peace and love oriented festival or event
- Spread awareness of the wonderful healing properties of plants
Since I am writing a book myself, I wish to share with any prospective authors some helpful points that may be of benefit to you in your writing process.
- Create a web page with info on the book
- Give people extra incentive to buy the book
- Create a compelling story in order for people to want to buy the book
- Demonstrate value and urgency
- Pick a day for a book promotion to begin
- Give away e-books for the first chapter or another selection for exposure
- If you can’t afford a website or a publisher, copy an e-book version onto CDs and distribute them for free or for a price
- Get excerpts of your book on another site to get people to go to your website
Instead of relying on others to bring a ‘change we can believe in’, let us have our consciousness create our reality to give birth to the beautiful child of peace, love, and happiness. May you have the highest success in your endeavors, since they will benefit us all.
As part of a new installment of blog entries, I have decided to create reviews of music artists whose music is particularily unique in that it shifts the listener’s consciousness to a higher level, where a feeling of the higher echelons of reality may be experienced. As with the films reviewed in this blog, the music reviews will cater to a very specific niche of manifested creation in the form of musical harmonics. As will become evident, the majority of the music artists reviewed in this blog can be said to revolve around the IDM, Downtempo, Ambient, and similar electronic genres. With that said, I present to you…
Lone
Although only debuting his music in the summer of 2008, the young artist known as Lone has been getting the attention of many individuals, particularly those who love the sounds of Boards of Canada. What makes Lone so unique? Well first of all, his album entitled Lemurian is unlike anything you have ever heard. Although it may be compared to the likes of Boards of Canada or Flying Lotus, Lone is on a whole different level. His music, which can be referred to as a mixture of Boards of Canada, Flying Lotus, Casino versus Japan, and Black Moth Super Rainbow, has the nostalgic sounds of the 70s and 80s nature and educational programs that existed, combined with a very upbeat and feel-good vibe of the ocean breeze on a summer day.
One can definitely appreciate his musical abilities to produce such warm and enchanting harmonics that truly do make a person feel like they are in a fantastic mythical land like Lemuria, which is the premise of the album title. Indeed, one can definitely see the Boards of Canada inspiration for his music but I perceive that is an extremely good thing. The music Lone produces does not produce the same states of consciousness as BoC does. I feel Lone’s music is more etheric and of a higher level of consciousness that transcends petty and minuscule daily events and allows one to venture into higher dimensions of being.
When applying Lone’s music in a meditation session, I felt a monumentally-greater connection to the higher dimensions of reality than I would with most other music. It was even quite a surprise to me, since I did not expect for these elegant side-chained and breakbeat harmonics to create such a profound consciousness shift. Inner Peace and radiant joy emanate from you while you listen to the music and I certainly would recommend it for someone who would plan on listening to his music during a meditation session, combined with whatever other enhancements you feel would transform the experience into one of absolute spiritual bliss.
Since Lone is very new to the commercial music scene, his music may be a bit difficult to acquire, but I have found that you can buy his CD directly from the music label here, as well as an alternate online music store here.
His music Myspace can be found here
Feng Shui is the Chinese art of placement that is thousands of years old. In Feng Shui, your surroundings or environment can be a reflection of your life. You can thus influence your life in positive ways by making appropriate changes in your environment and surroundings.
If I were to summarize what feng shui is in one phrase, it would be this:
Feng Shui is the practice of decluttering one’s life to bring balance and positive energy into it.
Below is an outline of several things you can do to start applying Feng Shui principles to your home. These are very basic and even seem logical to do, without knowing anything about Feng Shui.
Clutter: One basic and important principle in Feng Shui is clearing your clutter. Clutter is our home symbolizes clutter in our lives. It can present itself as procrastination, feeling overburdened, or avoiding things or tasks that need to be addressed. It can also drain your energy, and leave your feeling fatigued. By cleaning our clutter, we are making room for new experiences in our lives. For example, by cleaning your desk, getting rid of old papers, organizing the drawers; you are making way for new experiences in your business life.
Energy Enhancers: You may consider using items known as energy (chi) enhancers. Chi enhancers are items to place in your home that will attract energy. Chi is the vital life energy. We want to attract more chi in our homes to provide harmony and balance in our lives.
Crystals are beautiful chi enhancers that can be used anywhere in your home. By placing the chi enhancer in a certain bagua area of your home that needs uplifting, it will contribute to bringing harmony and balance to that area of your life and home.
Water features are another type of chi enhancer. Water features include fountains, fish tanks, birdbaths, etc. In Feng Shui, water brings good luck and wealth. Wealth can be financial wealth, or spiritual and emotional wealth or fulfillment. Water features can be placed inside or outside the home and can contribute to a soothing and relaxing environment. One key point, the water features, of course, must be kept clean to promote positive chi.
Plants are also good chi enhancers for the home. Plants must be kept healthy and in good shape for chi enhancement. Silk or real plants both work well. Avoid dried flowers. Since the plants have already died, they will not attract chi.
Animals and pets are also good chi enhancers. Their life and presence is a powerful attraction for chi. The animals must be well looked after and their homes or special areas kept clean and cared for.
Anything moving and flowing also contributes to bringing chi into our homes. Wind sculptures, wind chimes, flags, etc are examples of some items that can be used to encourage chi. Placed on the front porch or entrance attracts the chi though the door and into the home.
As you can see, there are many things you can do to begin applying Feng Shui principles to your home. Consider Feng Shui as a way to improve your home and life.
While looking for a rational explanation as to how feng shui works, I came across a book that had this to say:
“It is suggested that for a rigorous Feng Shui or geomancy of a place, we take the sonic and magnetic resonance signature of the space. These are established by the (wave) lengths of the structural or topological components of the shape or body whose feeling is being tested. This is very much like an organ master testing the resonance of the church, preparing to shape the frequency response of a cathedral organ to its designed space. The magnetic ELF (extremely low frequency) envelope, the volumetric ratio and angular progression, and the tectonic and gravity grid map as a face upon faces. A specific emotional intention can be identified by the harmonic character of a space.”
Remember that trying to use feng shui does not hurt, it can only help. There is absolutely nothing to lose by trying. If you are skeptical, which is certainly understandable, keep your mind open enough to allow for the ability to process the idea that in a quantum reality, anything and everything is possible. Below is a comment from a Chinese individual about what Feng Shui is.
“I am chinese, I do not practice feng shui to the letter, it is impossible to accomodate every type of bedroom and situation, the feng shui rules are not set in stone, they are more like guidelines. feng shui is really about alleviating clutter in your life, you can see how easyly you can apply this to your home when organizing furniture, etc, just dont create clutter, clutter=chaos, can’t you see? keep spaces open, make sure you dont have to climb over stuff to walk around your bedroom, the more space the better, think clutter-free, that’s all you have to do really. And to apply it to other areas of your life: just keep it simple, no complications. get rid of stuff you do not need in life, think open spaces, lots of room in your life and home, etc.”
Feng Shui will prove itself, once you follow the simple guidelines put forth in this blog. Start with decluttering your house and progressively work your way towards enhancing the energy flow around you by having water, crystals, plants, and animals in your environment. May you benefit as much as possible from Feng Shui.
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