Take a quick look at this playing card….
It’s a red six of spades, right? Or did you see it as something else?
There’s a classic psychology experiment18 where this red six of spades, along with other normal playing cards, is shown to a group of people who are writing down the cards they see. Many people cannot see a red six of spades the first few passes through the cards; some can never see it as a red six of spades, even when holding it in their hands.
“The conclusion is that our beliefs can filter and affect what data comes in through our senses. We can end up seeing and hearing only what we believe. The stronger the belief system, the more powerful will be its ability to filter out data that contradicts those beliefs. You were taught and you believe that seeing is believing. It should be the other way around. You have come to understand that metaphorically speaking, the eye is a camera that passively collects light and brings it in to record photographs of what is actually out there, with no alteration of the sense data going on. What I am proposing is that in actuality the reverse of that simple phrase is true: believing is seeing. What I am proposing is that the eye is a camera that filters out most of the electromagnetic spectrum to only record visible light, and that the camera is controlled by the photographer who chooses consciously or unconsciously what to photograph.”19
In this case, we start with a belief that a red six of spades doesn’t exist, so it’s difficult to see it for what it actually is; and for some with very strong and controlling belief systems, it’s virtually impossible.
* * *
I deliberated long and hard about whether to include this next example, because it is so controversial; but it is also the most perfect example I can think of to illustrate how our beliefs affect what we perceive “out there” and prevent us from seeing “what is,” and how those beliefs can contribute to so much pain and suffering in our lives.
Even if you are not a Christian, you probably know Jesus was crucified and died on a cross, to rise again from the dead three days later. Over the last 2000 years, many people have believed this and based their lives on it.
Here is the scripture from the Holy Bible on which this belief is based. (Even if you know this story already, please read it again now.)...
Luke 23:50 “And, behold, there was a man named Joseph….
52 This man went unto Pilate, and begged [for] the body of Jesus.
53 And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid….
55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.
24:1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye him that liveth among the dead?
6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
7 saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
8 And they remembered his words,
9 and returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
10 It was Mary Mag'dalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
12 Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.
13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
18 And the one of them, whose name was Cle'opas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?
19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done.
22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
23 and when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.
24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not….
28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.
29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.
36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.
41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
43 And he took it, and did eat before them.”20
But what if this were actually the account of a man who was taken down from his cross after just three hours, still alive, moved to a secret hiding place where he was treated for the wounds on his hands and feet and head and side, survived, left three days later under his own steam, and met his disciples on the road as he was walking out of Jerusalem.
In other words, I want to ask you to read the exact same Bible passages again, without the prior belief that Jesus died on the cross….
Luke 23:50 “And, behold, there was a man named Joseph….
52 This man went unto Pilate, and begged [for] the body of Jesus.
53 And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid….
55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.
24:1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye him that liveth among the dead?
6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
7 saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
8 And they remembered his words,
9 and returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
10 It was Mary Mag'dalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
12 Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.
13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
18 And the one of them, whose name was Cle'opas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?
19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done.
22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
23 and when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.
24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not….
28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.
29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.
36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.
41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
43 And he took it, and did eat before them.”
“Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.” I cannot imagine how that could be any clearer. Jesus is saying he’s alive, that this was his actual physical body, not a spirit; and to prove it, he ate meat with them.
There are even more telling phrases in the other Gospels. In Matthew,21 for example…
Matthew 28:5 “And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him.”
…and…
Matthew 28:10 “Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me….16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him.”
A resurrected body would not need to “go before” anyone else to any place. It would just appear there spontaneously. Nor would it need to tell anyone to go someplace to see it.
The Gospel of Mark22 says….
Mark 15:43 “Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. 44 And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead.”
The synonym for “marvel” is “wonder” – Pilate wondered how Jesus could be dead, because he had only been on the cross for three hours, and crucifixions normally would take a lot longer than that to kill someone. “The Romans used crucifixion as a prolonged, agonizing, humiliating death…. It is possible to survive crucifixion, if not prolonged, and there are records of people who did.”23
…and…
Mark 16:1 “And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.”
To “anoint” means “to smear or rub with oil or an oily substance,”24 which even today is a common medical treatment for the wounds of a body that is still alive.
…and…
Mark 16:9 “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10 And she went and told them that she had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. 12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.”
“And when they heard that he was alive”!! How can that be misunderstood?
…and…
Mark 16:14 “Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.”
And in the Gospel of John25…
John 19:39 “And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes.”
Nicodemus was “a wealthy and popular holy man reputed to have had miraculous powers.”26
Myrrh and aloes were not just used for embalming, but as medicine for wounds. Myrrh is currently used in some liniments and healing salves that may be applied to abrasions and other minor skin ailments. In alternative medicine, it is said that mixing myrrh gum into vinegar increases its ability to relieve pain.27 The Greeks and Romans used aloes to treat wounds,28 as we also do today.
…and…
John 20:6 “Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, 7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.”
The cloth around Jesus’ head where he had wounds from the thorny crown was in a different place than the rest – not likely if his body resurrected and left his “linen clothes” lying there.
…and, finally…
John 20:19 “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.”
I need to add that it’s quite likely Jesus’ disciples really thought he had died on the cross, so I can understand their astonishment to find out he didn’t. But even the Bible, when read without a prior belief, is quite clear that Jesus survived his crucifixion.
For 2000 years, Christianity has been based on the belief Jesus died on the cross (many say "for our sins") and rose again from the dead. Think of the impact this one belief has had on the world, and on many of us personally. Wars have been fought, millions have died, and millions more have lived lives of guilt and shame based on this belief.
But there is ample evidence this belief is not true,29 and even the Bible does not say it happened that way, unless you read the Gospels with that belief already in place; and then you still have to make some very big assumptions. (Remember Occam’s Razor, that the best answer is the one with the fewest assumptions.)
So we start with a judgment that we are all, as human beings, innately defective (the Roman Catholic church calls it “original sin”); we form a belief – despite the evidence – that a Son of God has been resurrected from the dead in order to save us from our sinful nature; and we are of the opinion that anyone who doesn’t believe in Him cannot make it into Heaven.
It makes for a very interesting game!
* * *
Here’s another quick example of how this judgment-belief-opinion cycle happens….
Let’s say you judge prostitution to be “wrong,” for whatever reason. You then form a belief that the government should do something to stop it, and you hold the opinion that any man or woman who engages in prostitution is acting immorally.
And let’s say your Infinite I creates an experience for you in your cocoon where you come face to face with this, such as your husband or wife or lover or son or daughter or good friend – someone you love and respect and admire – gets arrested on charges of prostitution, either soliciting or selling sex for money.
I can imagine this might cause you some discomfort, severe discomfort if it were your husband or wife, I’m sure. So this is your chance to run Robert’s Process first, to take the “heat” and “discomfort” and “reality” out of the situation, and then run Jed’s spiritual autolysis to discover the false belief, false information, and layers of ego that resulted from this judgment.
Most of the time you can simply follow the discomfort – the emotion or pain, for example – to uncover the judgment. In this example it should be fairly easy to find the underlying judgment, that you consider prostitution to be “wrong,” and to use spiritual autolysis to ask, “Is that true?”
But sometimes it’s not that easy; the judgment is not so readily available, buried more deeply, hiding from your awareness. So instead you can follow the emotion to find the belief, and then follow the belief to find the judgment. Or, if the belief is also hard to get at, follow the emotion to find the opinion, then follow the opinion to find the belief, then follow the belief to find the judgment. You get the picture.
Remember what Jed McKenna said…
“All attachments to the dreamstate are made of energy. That energy is called emotion. All emotions, positive and negative, are attachments.”
…so consider every emotion you have that is less than total joy, excitement, and enthusiasm to be a signpost – a red flag – leading you to your opinions, beliefs, and judgments.
In fact, you can do this for any opinion or belief at any time, without needing your Infinite I to create a catalytic experience for you. If you hear yourself offering an opinion – any opinion – look for the belief that led you to that opinion, then look deeper for the judgment that led to the belief.
Remember that all judgments, beliefs and opinions were formed inside the movie theater and are based on incorrect premises; so they are all untrue.
This may be difficult for some people to accept who have become very attached to their opinions with multiple layers of ego for each one, piled on top of each other. But it is exactly these attachments, and letting go of them, that are the point of this whole process in the cocoon.
* * *
“Okay,” you might say, “I can see living without judgments; I can even imagine living without beliefs; but living without opinions? Isn’t that kind of… boring? Do you just accept anything and everything that is put in front of you in your hologram without question or discrimination?”
Yes, and no. Yes, you accept anything and everything that is put in front of you, since your Infinite I created “anything and everything” for you it wants you to experience, down to the smallest detail. It’s true I no longer live with judgments and beliefs and opinions, except those occasional times when one might pop up for me to identify and process. But, no, life is far from boring, and I do have my preferences.
Jed McKenna started off Book Two of his Enlightenment Trilogy saying, “I hate L.A.” I never could figure out whether Jed was expressing a judgmental opinion, or just using some literary license for effect.
I don’t “hate” anything; but I “prefer” a lot of things.
What’s the difference? It can be very subtle and tricky at times, but I’ll try to explain.
An opinion, based on a belief and judgment, includes resistance to the opposite opinion. A preference has no resistance, but is merely an expression of choice.
I prefer not to play Tic Tac Toe, unless I am engaged with a very young child. I find the game very boring for me, since it’s unwinable when playing with anyone who has even the slightest clue of what’s up. Now that I know a game like backgammon exists, I prefer to play it instead. I have no resistance to playing Tic Tac Toe, no judgment about it, no beliefs about it, no opinions about it as a game. I just prefer not to play it under most circumstances.
Likewise, I prefer not to play the judgment game, the belief game, the opinion game, the fear game, the first half of the Human Game inside the movie theater. I have no resistance to playing any of it if the appropriate circumstances were to arise and it was clear my Infinite I was creating that for my experience at the moment; and I have no judgment about it, no beliefs about it, no opinions about it other than how perfect a game it was at one stage of my metamorphosis, and how perfect it is for other people who still want to play it.
But I also prefer not to spend a lot of time with people who are playing the first half of the Human Game. I enjoy living in a way that I’m not surrounded with the constant noise of other people’s drama and conflict. I prefer not to talk about Tic Tac Toe. I prefer not to listen to Tic Tac Toe players who spend the vast majority of their time talking about the game, rehashing prior games they played, accusing someone of cheating in a game they seem to have lost, describing in detail how much of a victim they are when they lose, or even discussing new strategies of how to win a game that’s unwinable. But I don’t judge them. In fact, I totally support them to continue doing exactly what they’re doing; I just don’t find it at all interesting or fun to be part of that myself.
I prefer silence to the sound of motorcycle engines. I prefer not to drink alcohol because of the way it makes me feel. I prefer to sail than motorboat. I prefer to eat protein and vegetables rather than carbohydrates. I prefer warm weather to cold, sun to snow, the beach to the mountains, and less (or no) clothes to more. I prefer watching a movie to small talk, a concert to a cocktail party, a solitary walk listening to good music in my earphones to a dinner party. I prefer diving forty feet deep in the ocean to walking on land.
Those would be my choices if I could choose. But I will be wherever my Infinite I wants me to be and experience whatever my Infinite I wants me to experience with full joy and without hesitation or judgment or resistance, because I totally trust my Infinite I, and that is my job as its Player in the Human Game.
I would caution especially those who are new to their cocoon to be very wary of this opinion-preference thing. Judgments are sometimes hard enough to spot for processing without making it any harder; and it seems so easy to say, “I prefer not to be around that kind of person,” and think it’s a statement of preference when in fact it’s a statement of judgment.
I found it a lot easier in the beginning to simply assume that any preference I wanted to express was in reality an opinion based on a judgment and belief, and process it accordingly. After about a year, when I was more comfortable with letting go of my judgments and beliefs and opinions – when I felt fairly secure I could spot when my ego was trying to slip something by on me – I allowed myself to have preferences again.
But I remain very vig