The mystery of perception

The key to working with the creation of undesirable scenarios is to change our perception surrounding them.

by John English — 

Did you know that mystics, sages and people of wisdom have been studying perception for eons? Despite all this time and effort, though, perception is still a mystery of almost unimaginable proportion. It involves consciousness, awareness, energy, power and duality.

Without duality there could be no perception. Quantum physics has even taught us that our perception assembles reality. Wow! Thank the Great Spirit that we can look to our own experiences to get some understanding about the power of perception.

Toltecs teach that perception is synonymous with power. This makes perfect sense as many of us have experienced an outcome by focusing on something to create it in our lives. We do this by channeling power through our perception in order to create what we hold in our minds.

Your light of consciousness, which is a part of The Light of Consciousness, is attracted to something. It then channels power through your perception into vision, which is a part of your awareness, and you focus on that something you are attracted to.

This process of perception can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, we use this power to create what we desire. On the other hand, we also can use it to create the very thing we don’t want. The key to working with the creation of undesirable scenarios is to change our perception surrounding them. In the Medicine Way, we adopt the perspective that we have created our life challenges so as to become empowered by them.

The magic of looking at challenges this way is that we can then channel power through vision to find out why we created the challenge. It becomes easier to determine what is really going on with us and to receive the gift of power from the challenge. This all leads to knowledge of the self, and leaves no room for victimhood. Our entire lives change when we quit using the power of perception to remain victims.

When you are in a relationship with someone, they are channeling power through their perception of you and the relationship, and vice versa. If you are in harmony, this relationship will be powerful and supportive for both of you.

If you are not in harmony, then you probably feel that you are living in different worlds. Since both of you are using increasing amounts of energy and power, you both will assemble each other’s behavior according to your respective perceptions. You have likely experienced the phenomenon where two people have completely different perceptions of an interaction that seemed black and white to you.

The good news is that humanity is coming of age, and with this comes power. This differs from the power so many people have settled for — power over something or someone. With real power comes responsibility. The next time you have a challenge, step back and change your perception. Use the power of your perception to see that you are an infinite being. With this new perception, find out what you need to change.

You will then assemble a different reality, without the challenge. In your interactions with others, try to remember that both of you are channeling power through your individual perceptions. If your perceptions are incongruent, step back and remember there is no right or wrong. You will then automatically shift your perception to seeing what you are both trying to learn from your experience. Use your perception to move into the power of your birthright, and our entire world will be one step closer to healing.

John English is a shamanic healer and award-winning author whose newest book is The Little Book on Relationship. He conducts private sessions and workshops about destiny and the dreamtime, shamanic healing, journeying and the medicine wheel. www.dreamtimeonline.com or 480-473-8957.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 28, Number 1, Feb/Mar 2009.