There is an awesome little description in Ken Wilbur’s book “The Spectrum of Consciousness” that says everything you see outside of yourself is an image of your own mind, a projection/a mirror of your thought system, which is also what A Course in Miracles states.
These images do ONE OF TWO THINGS – they either INFORM YOU or AFFECT YOU. If the image is informing you, you aren’t projecting, but rather you are in observation, not reacting. Aware. But if it AFFECTS you, then you are a victim of your own false projection
So let’s say for example a wife says to her husband, “The garage is a mess. It’s needs to be cleaned.”
The husband then has the option of merely being informed (the garage is a mess. It needs to be cleaned) Or he is affected by this statement (that bitch. she doesn’t appreciate me. why doesn’t she clean the frigging garage if she thinks it’s a mess) – thus he has become a victim of his own projection.
I read about this INFORMING vs. AFFECTED idea last night and all day today I was aware of whether something was informing me or affecting me.
Another example, 2 weeks ago I brought a whole stack of movie videos back to the library and specifically asked the librarian to check that I had returned all of them. I had taken the videos out for my B & B Inn guests and I was afraid they might have mixed them in with house videos. The librarian looked, counted, and said yes, that was all of them. Well, today, 2 weeks later I get a notice by email that says I have an overdue video, first notice. !!!!!! What!?!?! I’m never overdue! I’m totally responsible! How can this be happening! I specifically asked the librarian!!! How much is this going to cost??? I am a responsible upstanding library card-holding citizen!!
Ha. Immediate unconscious reaction. Affected.
And then I remembered Ken Wilbur. If I’m affected by anything it means I’m a victim of my own false projection. I realized the library email was simply INFORMING me that I had a video lying somewhere that needed to be returned. I found it in a stack of other videos. I brought it back to the library – half expecting to get charged for it, or having to explain my story. But she immediately the librarian remembered me, and she remembered our encounter 2 weeks previous and said: Oh, sorry. this is my fault. You won’t be charged.
But how amazing. I was being informed that I had library video that needed to be returned. And there I was thinking I was a victim. LOL.
I love practical little mind tips like this that I can use in my daily life. Informed or Affected.
From Ken Wilbur:
“What I see in other people is more-or-less correct if it only informs me, but it is definitely a projection if it strongly affects me emotionally.”
Facebook comments:
Lisa
okay so if you keep doing this then I’m gonna hafta signup for the daily posting … so stop it, okay! Wow it is impossible for me to share how appropriate this blog was for me, today. Keep up the good work, and thank you.
Clive
Good morning Lisa, This is amazing, does it affect me or inform me… Yes!! If I have a reaction to it … good or bad, it is my projection. I get to see that the things that I used to hate about myself I projected onto others and the world. I so could not stand to see it in me that I had to give it away and that way I could judge others… Oh look at that bitch manipulating her husband. And I was the Queen of manipulation in my own life. Who was I kidding, myself.
And what I loved in others I couldn’t see in myself and either way I was creating ‘idols’ of my own making. Neither one is true. And now the word of God comes to take their place. And God’s will is seen in place of my old drama.
Yippee!!!!!
G4G has freed me from the ‘ bondage of self ‘.
And vision comes to take its place.
You pulled the curtain back to see there was no one there and that all fear was of my own making…wow.
I love that I have stopped scaring myself to death…literally.
I love that what you and ACIM Promises is true for me now.
Once the veil is lifted there is only the Love of God for His Son.
Me.
wow, this Course works!
But only once I committed fully to not dodge anything, to not pull the covers over my head one more time. to start telling the truth here, To allow myself to be wrong, completley wrong about everything and to give up any idea that I knew anything. That was the thing I was most afraid of … if I don’t know anything how will I know how and what to do to protect myself.
It is in the not defending myself that God comes in. And in not defending myself Heaven is all around me.
Lisa, thank you for always and all ways being here for me. Through everything. No one loved me the way you did while I was in the world struggling and fighting with everything and everyone… and you were the Light I prayed for.
Thank you…
God rocks.
Lisa rocks.
I love you,
gem.
How have you been my dear dear friend?
I’ve missed you sweetie.
Your post always inspire me.
God bless,
Lance
http://www.lancessoulsearching.com
thank you! thank you! this sou nds like an easy projection litmus test – I am excited to try it out today!