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Sometimes I get asked how we can tell which thoughts are our own and which are thoughts, images, or feelings from others. And it's true, we do pick up on other people's thoughts and ideas. The trick is how to clear all that static out.
Written in stone over the ancient city gates of Delphi were the words, "Know thyself." When we know who we are, we can better recognize our own thoughts. We are naturally influenced by lots of early subconscious programming. This is how we become socialized into our culture. Unless we change them, these thought patterns will be with us throughout our lives.
Years ago I saw a film where a newly married couple was in bed wearing their pajamas. As the camera panned further back you could see that beside the husband was his mother and then his father, and beside the wife was her father and then her mother. This was a wonderful graphic image showing how we all have other people's ideas present with us even in the most intimate of times.
There's a simple exercise that I like which children instinctively do several times a day. For this exercise you just sit by yourself, and simply be who you are. This has a very unique, signature feeling to it. It is the, "I am." This exercise helps us recognize who we are and identify our own thoughts as distinct from the thoughts of others.
At 4 am there are very few thoughts in the air because most people are asleep. This feels different from a busy street corner in the middle of the afternoon. Perhaps you would like to practice seeing what it's like to observe the thoughts of others whizzing around and compare that to the quiet night air.
Another exercise that I like to do is to imagine a clear, bright, white light right in the center of my head. I let that bright white light begin to expand until it fills my entire cranium, moving just a little bit beyond. As it does, I let it push out all the thoughts of others, leaving only room for my own thoughts inside my head.
One of my mentors, Jana Massy, taught me a lovely sound healing exercise for eliminating other people's thoughts from our aura. We do this by clearing the psychic collar. This is the space below the jaw and above the third rib. Make the sound of a bee. Part your lips and place your teeth lightly together and BZZZZZZZZ. This light vibration dusts off any thoughts that may be lingering. And so does a nice hot shower. That's part of why they feel so good.
One more thing you can do is to imagine a golden disk or a golden halo over the top of your head. Let this halo be a filter. Your thoughts can come and go, but all the thoughts of others are naturally sifted away. This lets us really focus on being who we are in accordance with our original blueprint, our natural self.
I'll leave you with these few exercises to enjoy this week. They have served me well in learning how to distinguish which thoughts in my head are my own and which thoughts belong to others.
I wish you all insight, wisdom, and magic as you pursue the journey of inner knowing.
Love,
Josephine
© Josephine Laing, 2014
