The evidence for this, below, is absolutely everywhere… if you look for it:
(If you read that and are like, WTF Giles?! then have a go at this little video Daily Reminder, it explains all.)
Case in point
I’m in the kitchen with my daughter, as she decides to start making ice cream from scratch, for the first time ever, with no special equipment at 20:15 on a school night (let’s not go there).
She’s got music on—her music—and I’m sitting at the table, doing some work and generally being around for the bits of the process she might struggle with (not that I’ve ever made ice cream from scratch with no special equipment, either).
😬
I’m totally not listening to the music—not actively, at least—because all my attention is on sorting through emails and messages.
And then I read one that ‘makes me’ smile.
So for me, as well as for you, situations and circumstances still look like they are the cause of my felt experience of life, even when they’re not.
It’s a trick of the mind and it’s not an illusion you can see through… you can just be wise to it, which makes all the difference.
With the music pumping and a positive message in front of me, I’m fully (and harmlessly, I might add) inhabiting this very ‘outside-in’ experience. And my hands just happen to be tapping out the beat of the song, on my legs.
(I do this. I apologise if you’ve ever had to sit in a room with me for any length of time.)
Which prompts my daughter to ask, with a little surprise,
“Hey Dad, do you like this song?!”
All of a sudden, I ‘wake up’ and find myself stumped.
It depends
The only honest answer is,
“I don’t know,” or maybe
“It depends.”
Because it does.
Mood—or level of consciousness—always comes first. That’s what we mean by the 🔑 Key Message at the top: we’re not experiencing music, or home-made ice cream or late bedtimes or other people, we’re experiencing a Thought-created perceptual reality!
And that ‘reality’ we experience in the moment is brought into form by Consciousness – by our current frame of mind.
So the answer she gets is:
“Well, I’m in a good mood right now. So your music’s not bothering me. My mind’s picking out the bits it likes—to match my mood—which is why I’m tapping along to the beat. But ask me when I’m feeling less cheerful and no, it’ll be annoying crap and I’ll ask you to turn it down.”
And I bet you’re glad you don’t live with me, am I right?!?!
🤓🥴
Anyway, thank you to the person who sent the message that sparked this ‘outside-in’ journey, because I maintained my good humour, patience and understanding (not to mention flexibility in helping to follow a fairly tricky recipe) until its conclusion at 22:15 on a school night.
And the result, the next day, was delicious!
🍦😋
Giles
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