Over the last few weeks I’ve seen more about this idea that the outer world is a mirror of the unconscious patterns of our mind. It’s something I’ve heard a lot during my spiritual journey and so today I thought I’d unpick my current understanding of it.
What is meant by the outer world?
When I say ‘outer world’ I mean anything that appears to be separate from this physical form. So that could be other people, situations, events.
As an example, this morning I found myself getting annoyed by a person. I perceived that they were taking advantage of me, not valuing me or taking me seriously.
For a while I got caught up in my mind jumping around and stamping its metaphorical feet.
Then I saw the invitation.
What if the outer world (or this person) is a representation of my thoughts, beliefs and conditioning?
Life works inside out
Before looking at that I just want to jump to life working ‘inside out’.
Those of you who are familiar with the work of Sydney Banks will know that what he shared with the world is often called the Inside Out Understanding.
He saw that everything we experience in life is created from the inside; from thought in the moment.
In other words, without exception, the world (everything physical including you) you see is entirely created from the thoughts you are having about it right now. And those thoughts have been acquired from beliefs, conditioning and experiences throughout your life (and are always subject to change).
An example for those of you living in the UK could be around queuing.
It is pretty well acknowledged, part of British society, that queuing is the polite thing to do. Nobody questions it; it’s learnt that this is what should be done from a young age. We watch those of influence in our lives and we learn this behaviour.
However, for someone who was brought up in parts of Asia this is not part of their reality.
When someone queue-jumps and your conditioning is such that defines queuing as important, there will be a reaction. Perhaps played out externally, perhaps just internally (in the mind).
If queing is not part of your reality the reaction will be entirely different.
Same line of people; completely different reaction. Based on the thinking of the person in that moment.
The person jumping the queue isn’t a problem; the thinking believed in the moment is what creates a reaction.
Inside out, not outside in.
Back to the mirror
Hopefully by now you are beginning to see how the ‘outer’ world is a reflection of what’s believed in the mind?
The apparent outer world is a creation of, or projection of, your inner most beliefs, thoughts, conditioning and experience. Mostly, I’d suggest, unconscious.
So back to the example of the person ‘not valuing me or taking me seriously’.
When I stopped I could see more clearly what was going on.
Due to unconscious thoughts (created I assume from conditioning/beliefs/ experiences I’ve had) I have a strong ‘story’, ‘narrative’ whatever you want to call it, that says people don’t take me seriously or value me.
The person’s apparent actions touched that familiar ‘button’ and triggered that story.
When I got quiet I could see that my reaction to them was coming entirely from learnt programming.
(It seems to me that we are born like a new computer. All the potential to be programmed to do anything. Over time we acquire a programme that consists of what we’ve been taught or experienced and we forget that we aren’t the programme, but rather the pure potential).
It allowed me to see an up-until-that-moment unconscious belief or pattern (habit) of thought.
Taking it a step further
To take this learning a step further I looked even more closely at what was going on…
“She doesn’t value me.”
And I asked myself the question – what am I resisting in them that I can see in myself?
Suddenly it became obvious to me that I don’t value myself.
And two things emerged from my exploration.
The first was the obvious next step with regards the person in question. As soon as I saw what was going on I was able to respond to them from a place of wholeness. From my ‘true nature’, rather than from the programme. And it felt good; free and unrestricted.
The second is still unfolding. I wonder how seeing that I don’t value myself fully will evolve.
Watch this space!
Connect with me
If you’d like help to see your own limiting beliefs and ‘programme’ to release your limitless potential book in a free exploratory call with me. In it we’ll figure out if we are a good fit to work with one another, you’ll get the opportunity to ask questions and, if appropriate, you’ll get a 15 minute experience of being coached and what that looks like for you.
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