It's About You

I have to admit I was initially somewhat reluctant to review It's about you (which is part I of a trilogy). I started with good intentions but after about 100 pages I was distracted by other more immediate pursuits. In fact I was in China, a particularly good excuse as I also was hunting dinosaurs, enjoying what my daughter's friend calls every seven-year-old's dream job! Nonetheless, I was later reminded of my obligation and with a slight prod from the editor, resumed the task, soon to find I was well rewarded. Initially, in that first 100 pages of About You I had learned that author, Chris Johnson, an SMN member, sets great store by channeled information such as is abundantly available from the Seth Library and similar sources. Having familiarised myself with some of this material, admittedly some years ago, I was receptive to Chris' description of it as "the bedrock wisdom upon which a new understanding of our Selves is constructed." But somehow, on my initial encounter, I was reluctant to embrace the message fully. Chris anticipates the caution of some readers who may regard channeled sources as "unsound." However, the proof of the pudding (and perennial wisdom) is in digesting it, not in whether the delivery system respects the known laws of physical science. It's about whether the message resonates with our inner intuitive senses, our "inner selves." It's about you, me, the human condition and what Seth calls the nature of the psyche. The mystery of the medium is another matter. If the homeopathic remedy works, 'tis good. I often find myself rather astonished at how young the science of psychology is in relation to the millennia-long and turbulent history of the human psyche. In referring to our gut or intuition, we only very dimly recognise how much we depend on our inner senses, and how little we proactively and consciously, approach getting in touch with them. Nevertheless, while there are relatively few spiritually mature gurus (Jesus, Buddha) to guide us to develop these inner senses, we still hanker after wisdom, even if we are lazy in the practice of obtaining it. As Chris notes, Rudolph Steiner referred to these extra senses we rarely engage as our "organs of supersensory perception" and, like Steiner, Chris (and Seth) remind us that it takes practice, and a willingness to recognise, and avoid being ruled by, our more unruly psychic forces. In the tradition of an instruction manual (as in some of Steiner's books) Chris embellishes his text with exercises and reminders to repeat the message [in little boxes entitled; say that again]. The first of these reminds us that Consciousness with a capital 'C' refers to "the primal cause of all creation, the religious equivalent of God," that which patterns energy into representations of Itself. [Lots of original emphasis]. Your individual consciousness with a small 'c' ('sciousness' if not shared!) is a non-physical expression of Consciousness –called a psyche. How does this play out in practice? We each develop worldviews based on what society and other small 'c' consciousnesses say again and again into our impressionable consciousness. So…? say it again differently for a shift in consciousness. Capital 'C' Consciousness embodies the principle of Divine Love (say that again) and the principle of panpsychism in which all entities down to protons and electrons are 'conscious.' Following this introduction much of the remainder of the book deals with what might be called the structures of Consciousness and their relationships to the physical and non-physical you, exploring intent, purpose, identity, essence, various inner senses, the Natural Powers of Divine Love and Attraction, natural guilt, ego, personality, the mind and your conscious mind, thoughts, beliefs, truths, feelings, emotions, perception, fear and human love as a translation of Divine Love. It's all about your complex make up and the potential one has to navigate and explore these inner labyrinths. Jean Gebser said consciousness was an "ever present" wellspring. Chris says "The Source is always with you." It is the source of pure positive energy and intent driving all your actions so as to grow your consciousness, expand your Self-awareness and encourage your personality's full expression. In this sense our non-physical inner identity, essence and empathy for all being-ness is created as a potentiality before we come into the physical world. There are, Chris says, four areas within Consciousness (objective, subjective, subconscious and transitional) the first two corresponding to the physical and spiritual worlds, and the latter two bridging these two areas by transfiguring non-physical into physical energy and vice versa. [The last, transitional, relates to death and is dealt with in books II and III of the trilogy]. To understand the non-physical you, the subject of part I of book I , we must recognise that Consciousness is ubiquitous and that there are ultimately no boundaries between self and non self. We are like cells whose membrane walls are the surface of transformation to all outside or beyond. "We have yet to realise that …Source Energy, the equivalent of Consciousness Itself… transforms from non-physical…into physical states." This seems intuitively reasonable if consciousness is the primary datum, but nevertheless Chris acknowledges that "the natural principles underpinning all existence are notoriously difficult… to understand." [You can say that again]! So as our inner selves organise inner sense information about probable realities, our ego-self filters override them through perception, thereby creating unintended realities that have little to do with our inner intent or potential. Our current belief systems do not encourage the involvement of these inner senses. We are not in touch with our subtle bodies, and so remain fettered by restrictive beliefs. These are our ego-self wants that lead to contrasting experiences relating to awareness of the desires of the inner self for more meaningful expression. Chris explains thought is an electromagnetic vibrational signature, destined by the Law of Attraction to seek out "similar resonating frequencies." As Consciousness is the foundational primary datum of all things, it generates in Itself, and in each of us, various creative intents that we dimly recognise as propensities, callings or destiny inclinations as teachers, spiritualists, innovators, reformers, exchangers, artists, healers, imagers or nurturers. Getting in touch with one or more of these intentions is often a healthy exercise in "finding your alignment." A little beyond 100 pages in Part II, (still book I) the subject turns to the physical you. We learn that the outer self has three central psychological aspects, ego-self, conscious mind and personality, all ultimately in need of integration. Your ego specialises in interpreting what you perceive in the physical world, often over-identifying with itself to the detriment of the whole, and inner self. Next, personality is defined as "an electrically encoded counterpart to your ego-self," but capable of releasing itself from the physical field. Conscious mind, in turn, is just one of several minds chosen by your ego to deal with situations in the physical realm. Part III, a major part of the book, deals with your creational keys to your physical experience. It first describes thought as a means for conscious mind to interpret information gathered by both inner and outer senses. But thoughts should not be taken too seriously: as Aristotle said "it's the mark of an educated mind to entertain a thought without accepting it." Nevertheless thoughts are powerful and can make you feel good or otherwise. Thus the psyche is a complex flux of integrating and disintegrating forces. Chris explains how thoughts grow (in personality) into beliefs, attitudes, values and truths. Using a garden metaphor these can be cultivated. Feelings (which consume energy) and emotions (which supply energy) are a powerful part of the mix and, especially as they always point to important information. But too often our egos tell our conscious minds to ignore our feelings, leading to "abject confusion." Thoughts, feelings emotions and beliefs are independent, but complexly interacting, living systems. The ego cannot rebuff the power of emotion, even if it may attempt to repress and thereby warp it. Thus "the entire subject of feelings and emotions is currently a very confused one in western thinking. But as Rudolph Steiner reminded us, human destiny involves facing problems. Human consciousness cannot know itself and what is preferable for existence "without the contrast provided by un-preferable creations." But there is a larger picture in the shift of consciousness underway to remember "that Divine Love is the fundamental principle." We've only been pretending it is not there to see where our free will might lead us. So "all creations are there for a reason." And this alone is reason to appreciate our existence. Conversely, when you condemn anything, enemies, ideological adversaries, the world, it is not about the world, it is about you! [G.K Chesterton said the same when asked what was wrong with the world. He replied "I am."] This surely is perennial wisdom, channeled or otherwise. If we glean such wisdom from Book I, we may look forward to the potential of books II and III to help better know that "notoriously difficult" subject – ourselves.