Not surprisingly, we have another point to make about distortion, and the above quote illustrates it perfectly. When you become distorted, it alters your perceptions. You may see things differently, literally, but for certain you will interpret things in a different and twisted manner. Your mind will look for evidence to support its mistaken belief, and at times will go so far as to manufacture it.
That is, you may see and hear in such a way as to ascribe meanings that are slanted at best, and completely fabricated at worst. A person with a lot of distortions can end up responding to things as if they are in a carnival "fun house," only this one is not so fun. It is like they are in a different reality than you are, and this is exactly so, only they made it themselves and they don't know it.
You have seen it yourself: the person with a "chip on their shoulder" who always takes offense, feels insulted or slighted when no such thing was intended, or the one who always expects to be cheated or mistreated. Or the one who believes their rights supersede all others.
One of Orea's distortions, and she didn't realize it until we just now told her, is her belief that out of a crowd of wrongdoers who are, say, driving too fast or jaywalking, she is the one who will get caught and punished. This is silly, but even being told it's a distortion, she has believed it for so long that she is having a struggle to let go of it. (Orea's note: This is completely true! Intellectually, I can see it's silly, but my mind doesn't want to release it. Letting go feels threatening for some reason.)
The thing is, this goes back to a few things that happened in her childhood that she is not even sure she can remember, but the impression they made, and the conclusion she drew, are obviously totally out of proportion to whatever events caused them.
That is why self-caused distortions, the belief systems you created for yourself in an effort to help you survive, are so insidious and so powerful. And now you know the reason it feels so threatening to let them go. You were trying to survive. They were created out of fear, and the fear is still attached at this late date. Strongly attached. If Love is the most powerful force of the Universe, fear is a close second.
Because so many of these distorted beliefs are flying way below your radar, they are really hard to detect. You have so many of them creating a background in your mind, the backdrop for your stage of thoughts, you take them for granted and never remember to question them as they filter and shape your thoughts about the things happening in the foreground of your day.
This is why a practice that quiets your mind, like meditation, where you step back, quiet your mind's chatter and observe your thoughts, can be so very valuable. There would seem to be nothing dramatic about sitting in the stillness this way, but the results can be dramatic, indeed.
When you change what you see - what you think you see - everything changes. And, as we said, that is dramatic, indeed.
We love and bless you, even in your moments of your worst distortions!
Namaste.
Image: africa / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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