Can We Really Affect A Change? Yes...No...Yes...No...
Written by Victoria Leal
I don't know what I'm feeling right now, or how to feel about what I don't know about how I'm feeling right now...in other words, I don't know nothing (and yes, I meant to say "nothing" instead of "anything"). Sometimes, I feel lost as to how to actually achieve the things I want in this life. There is no uncertainty as to exactly what I want, but how to get what I want is a completely different story. Perhaps, you've felt this way also?
The major question that I have is this: Can we really affect a change in our lives or is it that whatever is happening, at any given moment, was going to happen anyway? Because something happened at the precise moment that we asked for it or needed it to happen, was it because of something we did to bring it about or was it something that was going to happen anyway, at that exact point in time?
This is the Dilemma!
Is there really anything we can do to consciously bring about a change in our lives?
There are two schools of thought on this question. The first is the more popular one and according to it, the answer is "Yes", there is something you can do. One of the methods used in this school of thought is prayer, asking God to step in on your behalf and do something for yourself or for someone else. This method teaches that you, in and of yourself, have no power to change anything. This method also assumes that while you personally, do not have the power to change anything, you also have no creative powers. The credit for any changes that are made or for any creations in your life goes to God.
You are brought into this world to try and live the best life you can, based on certain teachings, and then you die with the hopes that you will be rewarded in the afterlife. In the meantime, when something occurs in your life that you consider to be "good", then you will feel blessed by God. If something that you consider to be "bad" or unwelcome occurs, then it must have been the will of God for it to happen that way. This method also absolves us of any personal responsibility for our lives. If something good happens, then it's of God. If something bad happens, then it's of the devil. But where is your responsibility in all of this? What responsibility do you have for your own personal life? For your thoughts and your actions?
Another method of the "Yes" school of thought is what some are calling "New Age". This method teaches that you are actually creating everything in your life. That you can affect a change in your circumstances, simply by changing your thoughts about something. There are a multitude of tools used in this method, but perhaps the most widely used is the Law of Attraction, as taught by Dr. Robert Anthony. The law of Attraction states that "like attracts like" and that anything and everything, including your thoughts, is made of the same vibrational energy, varying only by frequency. When your vibrational frequency matches with the frequency of whatever it is that you want or don't want, then this is what will manifest into your physical reality.
This is what "The Secret" is all about. If something "good" happens to you, then it is because you created it. It is because your thoughts about something were a vibrational match for what it was that you wanted to happen. The higher your vibrational frequency, the grander your creation is. So, utilizing this method, the lower your vibrational frequency the more you will be drawn to the things you don't want. But either way, you create whatever it is through your thoughts. This method places everything that happens to you squarely on your shoulders.
Now, I should point out that although you are solely responsible for what you have created, this method also teaches of a Higher Power or a Higher Self, but it also teaches that this Higher Power, this Spirit of the Universe, is also within you. Thereby, allowing you to have the same creative powers as the God above. But if you don't know how to access this power within, then you will never have the things you want; only more of what you don't want. You are creating all of the time, every minute of your life, but if your thoughts are not up to par, you will continue to receive exactly what you are thinking about.
By this method, the personal responsibility for what you want or don't want lies directly within you. Although, there is a universal Spirit, from which all things flow, there is no God, per se, to thank when things go right or no devil to blame when things go wrong. In actuality, the terms "good or bad," "right or wrong," "space or time," do not exist within this method, as all things are drawn from a field of infinite possibilities (the Quantum Field), the Spiritual Realm, where there is no judgment. Therefore, if you choose to create something or intend something, and it does not materialize in your physical world, then according to this method, your thoughts were solely responsible for the outcome.
The Other School of Thought
The other school of thought says "No"; there is nothing that you can do to consciously affect a change in your life or circumstances. That in fact, everything that happens to you happens according to the mission and purpose of your Spirit; your Higher Self. Did you get that? Not for your physical body's mission and purpose, but that of your Spirit. One person in particular who teaches from this school of thought is Robert Scheinfeld. According to Bob, everything happens exactly as it is suppose to. That everything you think, do, or say, has already been mapped out in your own personal holographic universe. In fact the universe, as we know it, actually consists of millions of individual universes. In other words, there is no power "out there" but all of the power resides within us, within our own individual universe.
According to this school of thought, we are all unlimited beings who decided, in Spirit, that we wanted to experience being limited; living a limited existence. Therefore, all of the things we experience as a hardship are actually necessary to make the experience of being limited seem more real. We tend to blame ourselves when things don't go the way we planned, but in actuality, with this school of thought, you can't make a mistake, you can't mess your life up, you can't think the wrong thing or do the wrong thing. In effect, the physical body that you are can't do anything of your own will. Everything that you say, think, or do is being guided by the mission and purpose of your Higher Self within you.
However things happen, you should trust that they are happening for the greater good of you, no matter what's happening, and you should be grateful for the experience. In this school of thought, there is absolutely no judgment. Therefore, there is no right or wrong way of doing things. There are no good or bad thoughts or actions. Since your physical body is simply a means to experience, there is no punishment at the end, only love. The primary force behind this way of thinking is that since we in fact, created these circumstances, meaning you, (and I'll explain "we" in a minute) that we should just enjoy the experience.
Remember, you are not actually who you think you are. You are in fact an unlimited Spiritual being who is having a human experience. You have the power and presence of the universe within you. In this school of thought, you are reactive instead of proactive and everything is based on how you feel, not what you think. Consequently, the goal in this life is to be the unlimited being that you are, having a limited experience, which you are grateful for, and gradually learn to live an unlimited existence, removing all barriers to your desires, while on this earth...not in some afterlife.
According to this school of thought, the concept of "We" that I mentioned above is a myth. It would appear on the surface that the you, that you know yourself to be, is all there is. But then there is also the you that is your Higher Self, the unlimited Spiritual being that is housed in your physical body. The premise being that the more the Spiritual you can reclaim its power from the physical you, the more your Spirit being will shine through. This would tend to make one believe that our physical self and our Spiritual self are in fact, two, thus creating the "we." When in essence, there is no separation between the two. You are solely spiritual. The physical body was created for the purpose of the experience, but it is not the real you. The more you reclaim your spiritual power, from the physical realm, the more you will begin to live an unlimited existence, as the unlimited being that you are. When this happens, your desires will become visible, in your physical, made-up reality. Thus allowing you to live an abundant life.
So, there you have it. On one hand, the answer is yes, we can affect a change in our lives and circumstances and on the other hand, everything that happens to us is out of our hands and is happening exactly as it is suppose to, according to the mission and purpose of our Spirit. Therefore, if I were to receive $10 million, is it because I harnessed to power of the Law of Attraction and drew it to me; or prayed for it and God answered my prayer, or is it that according to the mission and purpose of my spirit, I was destined to receive it? I'll never know, even after I receive it. And I honestly don't know who would know the answer to this. Of course, there would be those who would bet their life that they know the correct answer. But that's a bet that I would not take because while, I don't know the answer, I have this nagging feeling that anything is possible! Consequently, can anyone actually prove or disprove any of it?
So, here we are, in effect, right back where we started, with no answers and only more questions. Some days I feel one school of thought more than the other and vice versa. This is evident by some of my other writings. There is something within both of them that resonates as true within me. But the one thing that I do know is that there is obviously a Higher Power or Greater Existence at work here. Whatever name you give it, matters not. I know that, at times, my feelings, thoughts, and desires are so strong that they can't be for nothing. I do believe that it is better (relative term) to live in love rather than out of fear. I do know that it is embedded within me to want to help others, even when I can't help myself.
What does it all mean? Why are we here? How will it all end? More questions to which I do not have the answers. However, I do believe, with all of my being, that we should strive to forgive others and ourselves; that we should do no harm to one another; and that we should love ourselves and strive to feel good about ourselves, whenever we can. These are the things that I feel most deeply about. Regardless of which school of thought you tend to follow, it would appear that by doing these things, you can't go wrong.
Thank you for taking this journey into the unknown with me. It is my hope that all of your desires come true, as well as my own.
About the Author:
Victoria Leal is the Owner of Reality Check.bravehost.com. To find helpful information on how to live the kind of life you deserve, please visit: http://realitycheck.bravehost.com This article is copyright 2007 by Victoria Leal and may be reprinted in it's entirety as long as this byline and copyright statement are included.
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