Acceptance

The key to moving through this shift in consciousness is acceptance. We do not change or eliminate belief systems, as this is what drives this reality. We accept them. Acceptance, a lack of judgment regarding good/bad, better/worse, neutralizes the belief and allows different choices. Choice is freedom, and consciousness abhors a lack of freedom. Automatic responses are those that are generated because we think there is no choice and are generated most often without thought. A woman’s response of sadness to the creation of her husband’s forgetting an anniversary is an automatic response. It rises up instantly without thought. The fact that it was an automatic feeling indicated there was no choice and therefore no freedom. The other point to be made is that once the woman accepts all aspects of herself – what she considers good and what she considers bad –then there is nothing to be hurt. Every aspect of the reality she interacts with is herself interacting with herself. What is there not to accept? It is only when we don’t accept ourselves that what we create causes conflict and pain as a communication. We know we have accepted a belief when we realize in the moment of the emotional signal that we have other choices. In session 683 of the Elias Transcripts, Elias says:

“You are accepting of self so that you may be widening your awareness and offering yourselves the opportunity to vaster exploration of your physical reality, and in like manner, you are moving into acceptance of your beliefs, that you are not continuing to be incorporating limitations upon your perceptions, which is the instrument that creates your reality. You are eliminating the obstacles that block your exploration within your physical reality by accepting your belief systems, and in this and in the acceptance of self, you may also be turning your attention to your emotional expressions and allowing yourselves to be accepting of these also.”

What does Elias mean when he tells us to be accepting of our emotional expressions? This goes back to the belief system of duplicity. Good is as much a judgment as is bad, and better is as much a judgment as worse. We feel we are being judgmental only when judgment is cast upon what we believe to be an unacceptable behaviour or action. Rarely, when we approve of a particular behaviour, do we think we are being judgmental. Good is good. What is there to judge? To be accepting of our emotional responses we must let go of judgment of both good and bad. If we believe anger is bad and happy is good we remain non-accepting of both. We may prefer one over the other, but it is in the judgment that intensity is lent to the feeling. Acceptance does not mean liking and it is nothing like fatalism. It means non-judgment. Acceptance does not mean a lack of action. We always move toward our preferences and we always have opinions that align with our preferences. When we accept the belief system of duplicity then either our own or another’s emotional response “Will Matter Not,” as Elias tells us over and over.

“It Matters Not” is not the same as “it doesn’t matter.” The latter suggests non-caring and a lack of compassion. “It Matters Not” is completely different than not caring and is based on an understanding that every individual is already their highest self; that every individual creates all of his or her reality; that there is no separation within consciousness. It Matters Not what any other individual is creating within their own reality. What matters is how we receive and configure another’s projected energy, for we shape that energy based on our own beliefs. Your reality is your reality and mine is mine and when we understand that we recognize that in each moment we have choices.

Automatic responses are those that are based on unaccepted and often unrecognized beliefs. Sally is not a victim of her husband’s forgetfulness. She holds the choice not to be a victim, but doesn’t realize it. She responds automatically. The following Elias quote is from session 455 of the Elias Transcripts. I use it as a possible response to Sally. “What shall be the determining factor is how YOU choose to be receiving and how YOU incorporate that energy, and recognizing – key words! Recognizing, identifying – recognizing that you hold choices, that you are not a victim, that you are not dictated to, that other individuals do not choose for you; that YOU create your choices, that YOU create your responses, YOU create your reactions, YOU create your thought process, YOU create your emotional expressions. ALL of your physical reality is created by you and no other individual.”

Our non-acceptance of difference and our penchant for comparing ourselves to others results in the experience of many intense human emotions. CG Jung once used the metaphor of a large jar full of pebbles to describe the problem with statistical analysis as it pertains to humans and our individuality. He said that if you measured and weighed every pebble in the jar you could find the statistical average of shape, size and weight of all the pebbles. Yet, there might not be a single pebble in the jar that fits exactly the statistical average. We are so afraid of differences, of being our authentic selves that we try to squeeze who we are into a statistical ideal that is shaped by our culture. Each one of us is a one-of-a-kind jewel, unlike any other jewel in the universe. There will never be, nor has there ever been, an exact replica of us. So, why do we try to squeeze ourselves into moulds we were not meant to fit into? It is because we are non-accepting of difference in ourselves and in others. We feel safe with sameness. This is the wide way that Jesus speaks of that most of us travel. Few go through the strait passage that leads to our authentic selves.

Our children strive to fit in, and when they don’t they feel sad and mad. The emotional communication is that they are non-accepting of self. Those that do fit in are glad. The communication from the emotion ‘sad’ more often than not is non-acceptance of others, and since there is no separation within consciousness it is also a communication of non-acceptance of self.It is also an expression of our belief in loss. Elias tells us, “Each of you expresses a unique exhibition of energy which is unlike any other expression of energy, in any other form, in any other area of consciousness, throughout any dimension or time framework.” If we are unique why do we compare? The act of comparison linked with judgment automatically discounts our authentic selves. It is an act that says that who we are in the moment is not good enough or that we are better than someone else. Holding our attention outwardly creates much of our emotional conflict. That is not to say we do not strive for change, for consciousness is movement, but in the striving we let go of judgment. I may accept who I am in the moment, while moving toward creating change.

We may admire another and what they have created, and be joyful for them in their creation. In this case the key is to accept and understand our own emotions of admiration and joy without the movement to compare. On the other hand we may feel compassion for an individual in conflict while realizing it is their choice and that there is nothing wrong with their creation of conflict. The other individual is merely creating differently than us and the key to lessening our own conflict is acceptance of differences. Be clear, however, that acceptance does not mean we stop having opinions and preferences. It does not mean we stop caring or stop helping. It is the judgment that must be let go of, the judgment that another is creating wrong and our tendency to "fix."

I like vanilla ice cream. It Matters Not that you like chocolate. One is not better than the other. I believe in non-separation. It Matters Not that you don’t. I am a procrastinator. It Matters Not that you believe procrastination is bad. Procrastination is my creation. To not procrastinate is yours. If I feel I must sway you to my point of view then I am both non-accepting of my point of view (mine is better than yours and needs to be defended) and yours. That I believe I am right and you are wrong are both judgments. When we accept a belief system it is no longer necessary to convert anyone to our position for we realize that our reality is our reality and their reality is their reality. There in no THE REALITY. In Non-separation there are no differences, for another’s reality is yours also. It is important to point out that we don’t accept a belief and then never have to address it again. This would eliminate choice. Acceptance occurs in each and every moment.

In this particular physical focus we individually choose to manifest certain beliefs and preferences in alignment with our individual intent and value fulfilment. Therefore, in not participating in our proclivity to compare we allow a free flow of our energy and move more directly within our intent. Elias reminds us that everything we do, whether in conflict or ease, moves us toward our intent. The analogy he uses for creating in conflict brings what we do into clearer focus. He paints the picture of an individual standing on a street corner whose intent is to cross to the other side. When we create in ease we move directly across the street. When we create in conflict it is similar to circling the country just to get to the other side. Both get you to the other side, but crossing directly is much easier. Comparing and holding to differences is like wandering around the country to get across the street.Acceptance is the Key!
Bill Marshall