"Consciousness Creates"
Learn To Create Your Reality with Conscious Intent

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Unit One: Laying the Foundation

Before you begin to do the learning activities and visualization exercises, it is important that you learn some basics about the mind and creative visualization. This will help you, as you go through the course, to better understand how and why the information and activities all work together to help you create what you want in your life. In this unit, you will lay the foundation for that understanding by learning why creative visualization and other “mind technologies” are becoming so popular as we begin a new century. You’ll also learn how creative visualization works and about techniques—such as working with beliefs and affirmations—that can enhance the effectiveness of your visualizations. Finally, you’ll be introduced to the five basic steps that make up the visualization process and be shown why it is important to be very relaxed when you are visualizing the achievement of a specific goal.

A New World View

Something very exciting happened during the last century! We—western civilization—prepared ourselves to enter a new period of human development. You may think I’m talking about the technology revolution, and that did happen, no doubt about it. But another revolution took place that you probably didn’t even realize was a revolution! This “quiet revolution” has led to a greater understanding of the human mind and will very likely have a greater and longer-lasting impact on human development than any revolution so far! I’ll call this the Consciousness Revolution.

Do you remember learning in your history lessons about an event called the Scientific Revolution? It took place during a period of time spanning the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in which great discoveries were made about the physical world and the laws which govern it. This was a very exciting time for the leaders of the revolution, which included names such as Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton and others. Through the work they did and the discoveries they made, they changed the world. As a result of the Scientific Revolution, we now have technology that allows us to experience many things that these great men and the people of their time couldn’t even conceive of.

The Scientific Revolution didn’t change the world overnight. In fact, for awhile, some of these revolutionary scientists were considered heretics because many of the things they discovered about the world went counter to conventional wisdom and, in some cases, the teachings of the Catholic Church (which was the existing authority on how the Universe worked). But given time, many of the “heretical” theories were proven to be accurate and were put to good use by those who were innovative and creatively inclined. The new laws described the Universe as functioning like what we now call a machine, and opened the doors for the creation of many different machines that have evolved into modern technologies. One example of this is the printing press, which has evolved into the computerized word processing we use today.

It helps to look back in history like this because the quiet revolution that took place in the last century (and continues today) will have at least the same level of impact (some say greater) on the future development of modern civilization as the Scientific Revolution did during its day. We can’t say what the historians will label the current revolution, but it may well be called the Consciousness Revolution because the exciting new discoveries being made today have to do primarily with not the physical world, but with the non-physical realms of mind—or human consciousness.

The Consciousness Revolution has arisen from the work of many individuals in a variety of fields of study throughout this century. Some are physicists whose experiments deeper and deeper into physical matter have led them to discover that at subatomic levels the laws of Newtonian physics do not apply. These physicists have formed a new discipline of study often called the new physics. Some of the theories of the new physics indicate that at subatomic levels there is a point of interaction and connection between physical matter and human consciousness. That’s very exciting stuff!

Another field of study that has contributed greatly to the development of the Consciousness Revolution is parapsychology. Parapsychology is the scientific study of the anomalous or things that depart from the norm. This study includes everything from ESP to the Loch Ness Monster to UFOs to poltergeist (mischievous spirit) phenomena. Some of the most important work done by parapsychologists has focused upon the paranormal abilities of the mind. These abilities include clairvoyance (seeing the future), telepathy (thought communication), psychokinesis (mind moving matter), and other forms of ESP or psychic ability. We have learned much about the capabilities of the mind by studying those who have demonstrated time and time again that they, using their minds, can do what Newtonian physics says is “impossible.”

Another arena through which significant changes have been made in how we view out world is a cultural movement most commonly called new age, new thought or new spirituality. This movement rose out of the desire of many to focus on and explore the richness of the inner, spiritual world. As a part of this, the spiritual traditions of the world’s greatest cultures have been studied anew, bringing to light many ancient teachings regarding spiritual truths. These ancient, spiritual truths often deal with the abilities of the mind to interact with the physical world and take dominion over it.

Other contributions to the Consciousness Revolution have come from the field of health care. It is no longer news that health care is having to expand its parameters to include not only traditional western medical practices (based in Newtonian physics), but also alternative treatment approaches which take into account an understanding of the human being as being more than a machine. These treatments are often referred to as holistic, a modern term generally meaning “taking into account the needs of the whole being—body, mind and spirit.” Some of the most remarkable progress in medicine today comes from the work of pioneering doctors who have discovered that the recovery rates for individuals with cancer or other tragic diseases rise dramatically when the psychological and spiritual needs of the patient are addressed as well.

There are many other contributors to the Consciousness Revolution that are not so easily recognized as a part of this revolution nor are their contributions so clear. But they, too, are a part of the energy creating this New World View. Some of these include the environmental movement, the peace movement, holistic education, faith healing, natural health foods and health care, transpersonal psychology (i.e., Joseph Campbell’s work), the recovery movement, and UFO studies. No matter where you start from, an exploration of one subject area will eventually lead to others because, as the Consciousness Revolution proposes, all things are interconnected. In Appendix A, you will find a list of many terrific resources for exploring more deeply the foundations of this revolution and where it may take us.

The New World View emerging from the Consciousness Revolution differs from the Newtonian or Old World View in a number of significant ways, focusing around mankind’s relationship to the known Universe. For example, the Old World View breaks everything down into separate, measurable parts while the New World View focuses on the relationships between things that join them together. The Old World View regards physical matter as the totality of reality, while the New World View regards physical matter as an expression of a greater non-physical reality that exists beneath the surface of our three-dimensional perception. Perhaps the most significant difference in the Old and New World Views is that in the Old World View reality is objective—or separate and distinct from the observer, while in the New World View reality is subjective—or connected to and an extension of the observer.

By better understanding the New World View and the nature of the subjective Universe it describes, we can better understand the creative visualization process—how and why it works. Now that we’ve looked at the big picture (whew!), let’s focus in on one of the specific laws of the Old (mechanistic) World View and see how it has been rewritten to accommodate the New (consciousness) World View. As you read, you will begin to see how you can use your mind to create the day-to-day world you want to experience.

From Cause and Effect…to Effect before Cause 

One of the basic laws of the Old World View is the law of cause and effect. In essence, this law states that certain causes bring about certain effects. In many ways, the main intention of scientific research and study has been to discover the causes of everything. As we discovered what caused this and then what caused that, we were able to take control over this and then that. The goal has been to create a more comfortable, predictable and efficient world to live in.

We’ve discovered the law of gravity, for example, which causes objects to be pulled toward the earth. Understanding gravity has allowed us to develop air vehicles that can counteract the effects of this force and not be pulled to the earth until the pilot is ready. We’ve also figured out that germs can cause illnesses. Understanding the effect of germs has allowed us to develop substances that will destroy germs or prevent them from causing illnesses. The more causes we’ve identified, the greater control we’ve had over our world. This cause and effect Old World View has been very helpful to us! We’ve used what we’ve learned to build great cities, educate our children, heat our homes efficiently, and benefit ourselves in many other ways.

However, despite all its benefits this Old World View can also be very limiting—especially when applied to human experience. For example, we’ve all been taught to believe in the following causes and their effects, even though they aren’t always true:

If you go to college ® ® ® you will get a good job.

If you are attractive ® ® ® you will find a great mate.

If you work faster, better, smarter, and harder than anyone else ® ® ® you will become rich and successful.

The rules of the Old World View focus on explaining how what we do affects our lives in the world. If we are a bit (or a lot) inept at following these rules (a cause) we may come up short (an effect). Then we must deal with concepts like no can do, dream on, and get real when it comes to having what we want.

The New World View doesn’t carry this kind of limitation, however, because it deals with reality subjectively. When we operate within the New World View which emphasizes relationship and interconnectedness, and perceives the outer world as being an extension of the inner world, we can rewrite—in fact, reverse—the law of cause and effect. According to the New World View, we can now have effect before cause.

The law of effect before cause, as with cause and effect, requires us to determine a goal. But instead of having to figure out what the necessary causes to accomplish that goal are, we use the mind to focus on the effect we want and then allow the causes (whatever they turn out to be) to come into play. This is why it’s called creative visualization, because our act of focusing through visualization creates the cause(s) necessary to bring about the desired effect. It may sound too good to be true, at first, but it’s not! We know the law of effect before cause is legitimate due to what we’ve learned from the research done in the field of quantum mechanics—an important branch of the new physics. Quantum mechanics has shown us that physical matter does indeed respond to the human mind.

Now,

I am not a physicist and would do us both a disservice by trying to explain quantum mechanics to you as a part of this course! Fortunately, it’s already been explained very well by others (see Appendix A). I’m going to take advantage of some of their work to give you a hint of the exciting discoveries coming out of this field and show how they support the new, subjective worldview. Because most of us were raised with the old, objective worldview which respects (and in some cases reveres) science, it’s nice to be able to turn to science to prove what may sound like magic!

Michael Talbot explains the basics of the connection between the physical world and human consciousness in his wonderful book, The Holographic Universe:

Exciting stuff! However, my favorite quote to present to a visualization class explaining the mind-matter relationship comes from a book which, unfortunately, is no longer in print—Space, Time, and Beyond by Bob Toben and Fred Alan Wolf. In it, the authors state,

Every year, more and more books are published by scientists, researchers and other writers who are working in the field of the new physics or who simply are fascinated by it. These books help to explain to the lay public (that’s people like you and me) about this new field of study and the implications of the discoveries being made in it. It looks pretty likely that in the next 20 years the new physics will be universally understood and accepted. Tomorrow’s children will learn in school about the brave quantum physicists who went beyond Newtonian physics—which had reigned supreme for over 300 years—to discover a whole new dimension of reality!

The bottom line of what all of this means is that we have progressed to the point where we no longer have to struggle or work hard to get what we want or need. Just like the nomadic hunters and gatherers from centuries and centuries ago who figured out a better way to find food (stay put and plant it nearby), we, as a species, are recognizing that there’s more ways than the mechanistic way to make things happen. Now, at least for the present, we certainly still do need machines to make our cars and heat our water and mass produce our vegetables and get us on the Internet! These are tasks that primarily involve the three-dimensional physical world, and so Newton’s physical laws still serve us quite well by making these things happen.

However, we are recognizing that the model of a machine and how it operates simply isn’t adequate when applied to human experience. That’s why it seems to be so difficult to reach the goals of peace on earth, vibrant health, abundant wealth, and meaningful happiness for all on the planet. These are human experiences not mechanical ones! And many of the world’s problems have been created by trying to impose the mechanistic world view of cause and effect onto every system and structure—including those which involve human experience. Ouch! It’s a pretty confining squeeze don’t you think?

Well, you can take a deep breath and relax, now, because you are about to learn how to take the squeeze off. The law of effect before cause is easy to understand and easy to learn to apply. Here’s basically how it works:

1.      You think of the effect you want (or happy end result you are looking for), tailoring all your thoughts to it.

2.      Your thoughts interact with the quanta of the Universe, causing them to manifest into particles that join together and become the event or experience that matches your thoughts.

3.      As if by magic, opportunities come your way, ideas present themselves to you or conversations are overhead which lead to the achievement of the effect you’ve been thinking of.

 Your thoughts are a blueprint, if you will, which direct the quanta as to how they should organize themselves. In very simplistic terms, when you focus on a negative effect such as failure, you will direct the quanta to produce failure or a similar negative effect. Likewise, when you focus on a positive effect such as getting a raise, you will direct the quanta to produce a raise, or, as Shakti Gawain, author of Creative Visualization, says,  “something better.”

We’ve all heard the expression like attracts like. This is a principle we will be working with. The first “like” is your thoughts. The “like” that gets attracted is your experience. Attention to joy brings joy. Attention to success brings success. Attention to peace brings peace. How these things are achieved is not our concern! “How’s” are only important in the Old World View. When using the New World View, you determine the effect you want and let the Universe, through the responsive quanta, take care of the “how’s”—i.e., the causes.

Mind Technologies

If you are over 40, you probably heard a great deal in the ‘80’s and ‘90s about mind machines, subliminal programming, the power of the subconscious mind, and the like. This is because our knowledge of how the mind works—especially the subconscious mind—was dramatically expanded during these decades. And one of the things we have begun to understand about the subconscious mind is how it stores information almost like a computer!

The subconscious mind has been identified as the mind’s data storehouse. Our thoughts automatically arise out of this infinite storehouse of information. For example, if we see a black cat we will automatically think of bad luck—if we have stored that information about black cats. Some people have stored the information that wealthy people are snobs. These people will think “snob” when they meet someone who they believe is wealthy.

The data that is stored is given to us throughout our childhood and storage continues into adulthood. It is what we have been told about life and the world around us by our parents, teachers, the media, and others in our environment. The more the information is repeated in our presence, the more deeply implanted it becomes in the subconscious mind.

As the connection between what we think and what we experience becomes more clearly established and understood, we (smart creatures that we are) are figuring out that we would benefit from changing some of the things we habitually think! Mind technologies have been developed to help with this change process, retraining the mind to think in new ways, giving greater attention to new thoughts, and helping us to release (i.e., no longer focus on) old thoughts which we don’t want or need anymore.

These mind technologies use specific sounds (tones) and sometimes flashing lights to entrain or guide the brain into a more relaxed, focused state of awareness. As our consciousness is able to become more centered within, we become more receptive to the new positive statements which we want to begin to think on a regular basis.

For example, let’s say that Peter has a lot of fears and anxieties. He habitually thinks thoughts (data) such as: The world is not safe. People will take advantage of me if I let them. I never get what I want. Peter would benefit from changing these thoughts (data) to thoughts such as: The Universe supports me. Things always work out. One way or another I always get what I really want. As Peter uses one of the many different mind machines or mind tape products now on the market, he is being “fed” these positive statements over and over again, at both conscious and subconscious levels. The positive statements are planted in his mind, replacing the old data with new. As Peter uses these aids repeatedly, the data is increasingly accepted and his mind begins to habitually think the new thoughts. In time, Peter will find he is seeing and experiencing the world in an exciting new way!

It’s also possible to consciously change our thoughts without technology. We can do this by paying greater attention to all of our thoughts to discover and then change those that don’t create what we want. This process can be difficult sometimes, because the conscious mind may argue with the new information, while the subconscious mind will simply accept it without judgment.

For example, if you want to change the thought men are no good to men can be delightful companions, your subconscious mind will simply say, okay, men are delightful companions. But the conscious mind might well say Whoa there! After the way that man used me, I’m not gonna go along with this men are delightful companions stuff! At first, the conscious mind will tend to argue with you and this makes it more difficult to work with than the subconscious mind. However, changing your thoughts consciously is more powerful and brings results more quickly than changing your thoughts at the subconscious level only, so it’s definitely something you’ll want to learn to do. You will receive special guidance for learning how to do this in Unit 7.

How Creative Visualization Works

If changing our thoughts is so effective, why bother to learn to use creative visualization? Why not just focus on changing our thoughts? Because for many people, working with images is more effective than working with thoughts alone. We are, by and large, visual beings. The predominant way we perceive the world around us is through our eyes. We respond strongly to visual stimulation, to colors, shapes, sizes, distances, and other visual details that transmit meaning to the brain.

One of the most effective ways to think about creative visualization and how it works is as follows: Imagine that there is a large screen right in front of your face. As you turn your head, this screen turns with you. On this screen is an encoding of all the pictures and other data that you have stored in your mind.

As you go about your day, many things take place in the world around you. Everything that matches the pictures and other data on your screen is allowed to pass through to you for you to experience (see illustration below). Everything that does not match is not able to enter the screen—like the square peg that cannot pass through the round hole. Everything that does not match bounces off your screen and remains invisible to you. (Remember this is just a way of thinking about how it works, we really don’t have invisible screens in front of our faces. At least, I don’t think we do…)

You may find it difficult to believe that it’s possible for something to be happening in front of a person yet remain invisible to them! To help explain how this is possible, I like to share an old but well-documented story in my classes.

Back in the days when Darwin was traveling around the world gathering data for his scientific research, he anchored his ship, the Beagle, off the Patagonian coast. His crew got into small rowboats to make the trip from the Beagle to the shore. Amazingly, the Patagonian natives were unable to see the Beagle, only the small boats approaching. From the natives’ perspective, suddenly out of nowhere, white men in boats appeared in the water!

Now the natives had seen small boats before, but had never seen a ship as large as the Beagle and did not have the data—the mental constructs, if you will—to recognize one when it was right in front of them! For them, the horizon was unbroken. I like to think of it this way: the stimuli (data) entered the brain via the eyes, but found no matching nerve endings to “twang” in recognition. So for the natives, nothing along the lines of a huge ship registered. At least not until the shaman—the magic man of the tribe with expanded powers of perception—taught them how to see the Beagle.

I love this story. It illustrates beautifully how we don’t see what it doesn’t even occur to us to look for! And we don’t realize we’re not seeing something unless someone tells us that they do see it. We probably won’t believe they’re seeing it, either, unless they are able to teach us how to see it too. They must help us to create the mental constructs that resonate (twang!) with the stimuli being sent by whatever it is they are seeing. In the Patagonians’ case, they needed the data of “A REALLY, REALLY BIG BOAT” to be planted. Then, well, of course! There it was. How the shaman planted that data and taught the natives to see the Beagle, I can’t say. Fortunately you don’t have to be a shaman to know how to teach yourself to see something extraordinary or new because today we’ve got the simple yet powerful technique of creative visualization. The process of creative visualization plants specific pictures of what you would like to see and experience on the screen in front of your face. The more deeply implanted onto your screen the pictures and data are, the easier it becomes for the matching experience in the outside world to pass through for you to recognize and experience. This process does take a little time, but like the seed that grows into a plant, with patience and repetitive nourishment, you will indeed see “out there” in the world that which you have been visualizing “in here” in your mind.

Holographic Theory

For those of you who want a little more scientific explanation of how visualization works than “there’s a screen in front of your face,” you might want to do a bit of reading about the holographic theory of reality. This theory goes a long way in explaining how the connection between the quanta of the universe and human consciousness might take place in the brain. In his book, The Holographic Paradigm and other paradoxes, Ken Wilber summarizes this theory as follows:

In her essay from the same book, Marilyn Ferguson writes,

And finally, I want to share another quote from Michael Talbot’s wonderful book, The Holographic Universe:

I believe that holographic theory is an important piece of the “what is reality?” puzzle we are attempting to solve during this Consciousness Revolution. And it certainly will explain more about the Universe than simply how and why creative visualization works! Several excellent books on the subject are listed in Appendix A. I encourage you to take a look at these when the time seems right. By reading about this theory, you will, at the very least, expand your mental constructs (like the natives), enabling you to perceive more on your horizon!

Please be assured, however, that it’s not necessary for you to understand this theory or any of the information I have presented in this chapter in order for your creative visualizations to work. Some people understand intuitively how and why creative visualization works, without ever being able to explain it to another. Others like to have a little supportive data before they are willing to take something this new and revolutionary seriously—and that’s just fine too!

Supportive Exercises

You realize by now that creative visualization is more than just working with mental pictures. It is also working with thoughts, beliefs, emotions, attitudes, expectations, and desires. Because of this, there are additional supportive exercises that will help you to be a more effective visualizer than you’d be if you worked with mental pictures alone. Some of those activities include

¨      getting clear about what you want;

¨      uncovering and exploring deeply held beliefs that you may not even realize you hold;

¨      making affirmations, or positive statements about your goal which will charge your visualizations with greater emotional energy;

¨      discovering and removing blockages and barriers to your success;

¨      developing “inner” listening for insights and intuitions which will guide you; and

¨      getting out of the way and allowing whatever it is that you are creatively visualizing to manifest for you.

You will learn about these and other supportive exercises as you complete this course. (NOTE: A copy of supportive exercises which provide blank lines for writing and listing are included in Appendix B. You may photocopy these for your personal use.)

The Five Basic Steps of the Creative Visualization Process

In this course, I am going to teach creative visualization to you as a five-step process. Some writers on the subject might present it as having four steps; others may offer six. The steps are basically the same, however, no matter whose book you read or approach you study. I have found, through my experience and through teaching the class to so many, that the five-step process offered here is a very simple and workable formula for anyone to remember and follow.

Here are the five basic steps you will learn:

1.      Determining a goal—your vision

2.      Picturing what it will look like when you get it—your happy end result

3.      Focusing on it often—regular visualization exercises

4.      Charging it with energy—bringing in the emotional content

5.      Allowing it to happen—letting go and receiving

You will be guided step-by-step—in slow motion, I like to say—through this five-step creative visualization process. By the time you finish this course, you will be able to apply the same process and techniques to any goal you want to achieve and know how to go about creating it.

The Role of Relaxation in the Visualization Process

The mind is much more receptive to taking in new information when it is in a relaxed state. As the body relaxes, it becomes easier for the mind to ease out of Beta—the brainwave frequency for normal, waking consciousness—and into Alpha, a slower brainwave frequency. When in Alpha, the mind is still awake and aware, however it is also more open and receptive. The “chatter-chatter” of normal thought patterns and fully awake activity is calmed; the mind is not pulled in different directions by things going on in the outside world so you can more easily focus in a clear, centered way upon whatever’s going on in your inner world. (The mind technologies discussed on pages 14-15 help move you quickly into the Alpha brainwave state.)

BETA (faster than 13 cycles/second) Alert, eyes open.   ALPHA (8-13 cycles/second) Eyes shut, relaxed   THETA (4-7 cycles/second) Deep relaxation/light sleep   DELTA (1-3 cycles/second) Deep sleep

(NOTE: Some people are comfortably able to move into the deeper level called Theta. Others fall asleep when they get that relaxed! All you need to do is find the state of relaxation that works best for you.)

Some people associate this relaxation process with meditation and even prayer. And, in some ways, they are very similar. However, in meditation one clears the mind to receive information. In prayer, one speaks mentally to God, communicating desires, worries, asking for guidance, etc. In creative visualization, we will be clearing the mind to make way for specific pictures of what we want to achieve or experience. This time of focusing on the pictures only takes a few minutes, and then we go on about our day. You are certainly welcome to use the relaxed state to then move into meditation or prayer, or if you are ready, to go on to sleep. (However, sometimes you may find the imaging so stimulating that you will not be able to sleep. If this happens often, do not do your imagery right before bedtime.)

Unit Follow-up Activity

Look at your schedule and plan time to be alone and undisturbed to do your creative visualization exercises. You will need a minimum of four 10-15 minute blocks of time spread out over each week. You may want to experiment with different times of the day to determine when is best for you. For some people, the morning is the best time. Others tend to fall back asleep too easily in the morning and find the late afternoon or evening to be the best for them. You can even use your lunchtime if you are able to lock your office door and remain free of distractions while you do the exercise. Whatever time works best for you is the best time to do it.

When you have scheduled this time, you may go on to Unit 2, where you will learn the technique of progressive relaxation. You will regularly be using progressive relaxation to move into Alpha just prior to visualizing your goal. If you have had prior training in progressive relaxation and feel comfortably familiar with this technique, you may skip to the end of Unit 2, read “Unit Follow-up Activities,” and then continue on to Unit 3: Setting A Goal.

Unit One, The Art of Creative Visualization: A Self-Teaching Workbook
Patricia F. Hare, Copyright © 1995, 2003

Go to Unit Two