“A farming community is facing one of the worst droughts in a decade,” writes Victoria Castle in The Trance of Scarcity. ”A few more days and the crops will be ruined, and everyone in town knows this will mean a very lean year for all of them. Someone decides the situation calls for desperate measures, and a town prayer meeting is called at the church.
“That evening, everyone shows up and squeezes into the sanctuary to pray for rain.
“Only one little girl brought an umbrella.
“You don’t attract what you want, or even what you deserve.” Castle concludes. “You attract what you expect.”
This book begins with a lovely concept: we all were born into a Circle of flow. In this Circle, we have satisfying relationships, meaningful work, inspired learning, laughter and creativity, plus endless resources and opportunities. “In the Circle,” she writes, “Life is not a series of obstacles to overcome; it’s a steady flow of possibilities.”
This is very similar to what the late Kent Budge wrote to me five years ago, after we met with him about a the idea of creating an expansive community. He drew this circle and said:
It’s also similar to what one of the most accomplished and highly spiritual people I know wrote to me recently, “After years of seeking...elders, sages, mentors, wisdom and more, I am realizing... There are no teachers. There are no teachings. There is no doctrine that can be given to us to awaken the experience of union with the Beloved because we have never been separated.”
To me, the Circle represents a basic fact that most of us forget before the age of five: we are born connected to everyone and everything. We inhabit a world comprised not only by the 3D material world, but also by connections and interactions that we can feel but seldom see.
To access the Circle, we need to unlearn much of what we have been taught.
We need to unlearn all the reasons why we “can’t” feel peace, love, compassion or kindness.
We need to unlearn all the reasons why we “can’t” feel 100% comfortable in our own skin.
We need to unlearn all the self-limiting beliefs about ourself and our society that simply are not true.
As Castle puts it, “There’s no way to earn your way into the Circle because you already belong. Stepping into the Circle isn’t determined by your worthiness. It depends on your consent.
Let’s get specific to you.
You need to unlearn the perception that you lack enough time, talent, money, relationships, opportunity or motivation. Your natural state is one of incredible connections within a friendly universe.
Contrary to what you have been taught, the only thing that stops your universe from being friendly is your perception that it is not.
A fundamental principle of Bend Reality is that the 3D world is a tiny percentage of the reality we inhabit. If you believe that’s all there is, it’s easy to get discouraged by the news and social media the perception they create that negativity surrounds us.
In fact, abundance surrounds us. Unlearn everything that has taught you otherwise.
Amazing piece… just what i needed today. To be and know I am ok exactly as I am.
What a wonderful uplifting piece to read on a morning, when I’d woken feeling fearful. Thank you Bruce. How do we unlearn it all though - is it through meditation?