“The illusion holds power over you when you are not able to remember that you are a powerful spirit that has taken on the physical experience for the purpose of healing.”
Gary Zukav
Brandon:
Starting with the first significant point I digested was on pg. 195, where Gary says even a personality that lives in light and love can see the illusions, be in the middle of them, and still not be consumed by them. I was really entertaining this as him saying these illusions are either inevitable and/or necessary. Say that again?? Illusions are inevitable or necessary? For the most part, I think that everyone tries to adhere to the mandates of reality by not engaging in too much fantasy or abstract wondering, or at least professes out of their mouth that they “keep it real” despite watching every movie or series on every streaming service and practically living on the alternate universe that is Instagram and Facebook(but that’s another story). So people respect reality, and for Zukav to say that illusions are just a part of our existence goes against what we are taught, but not really. We have so many built in illusions in American and Western culture, from religious illusions, academic illusions, familial illusions, etc. So we are wrapped up in a whirlwind of make-believe, while we think we are in full-blown actuality. But the necessity angle is something astonishing, where in the Hindu tradition, which Gary seems to be heavily influenced by, it is said that all physical reality is an illusion, that is named Maya. In addition to this, on pg. 196 Gary says that every situation will serve you, whether directly or indirectly, to help your soul heal. So we start to see why, very early in this chapter, illusions are dare I say “valuable.” As divine beings, we can use any circumstance to project truth and love. What better circumstance is there to make truth and reality distinctive than an illusion? How can we show truth without contrasting it with falsehood? How does the day become so beautiful without the thickness of nightfall? We need illusions, not to disorient us, but to serve as footstools for us to grab veracity and knowledge. Reading this reminds me to embrace illusions, no matter what form they may come-fear, hate, segregative thought-as opportunities to display truth. This is counterintuitive to say, but yes, I do need illusions. The more the better!!
Alexandra:
I too was meditating on how none of this is real. These systems, rules and regulations and ways of being that we operate in may feel real but it really ain’t. I like when Gary references that “the illusion is a learning vehicle” at the beginning of the chapter because although we may not like the illusion, it is definitely here to teach us something and show us ourselves at the same time. Like for instance, let’s look at the illusion of ‘needing’ to work a ‘steady job.’ Many of us are told that we need to go to college in order to get a “good job” yet this entire structure is fueled by fear. Fear is drilled into us as ‘being able to work to afford a house, a car, etc.’ yet as we go through the monotonous ritual that often times comes with 9-5’s that people aren’t truly passionate about there is a nudge on our soul that if we listen, allows us to remember what it is that truly excites us. Participating in that illusion makes room for us to recognize the divinity that we are through feelings and intuitions. Participating in the illusion of the ‘American diet’ and the food industry’s marketing tactics make room for us to understand our health, now that may come after experiencing a health issue, but nonetheless we are given the space to learn what our soul truly needs. We can see this through so many of the illusions that are currently in practice, whether it be our environmental systems, communication systems, border systems, etc.
“When we experience fear or anger or jealousy, we are in an illusion that is designed to bring to awareness those parts of the soul that require healing.”
Gary Zukav
Brandon:
Furthermore, there is a point in this chapter on pg. 200, that says the personality will begin to create its own experiences and perceptions as certain emotional energy builds. In the context of talking about ruses and illusions, I think it is so important to keep the mindset that any talk of someone being thrown into socioeconomic circumstances and them not having agency as a result of being in these conditions is foolishness. The illusion is that we do not create our experiences and perceptions. We are existential beings, and we determine how we structure our existence. The intrinsic and extrinsic value of our views, ethics, and encounters comes from us. There is no two ways about this, and while Gary said it rather subtly, it still should not be downplayed by any means. This may be the biggest illusion going right now. Just as Gary speaks about powerlessness and fear on pg. 202, he does say on pg. 197 that “illusions have no power over a personality aligned with its soul.” The illusion is that we don’t have power over our minds, spirits, and purpose, as we are removed from being absolutely self-determined individuals. But this is so far from the truth. The more aware we are, the less the “scary movies” of indifference, isolation, and inadequacy make us shiver under our covers at night, and we actually can watch them with detached and empowered eyes and minds.
Alexandra:
This chapter also made me think about ‘what purpose the illusion would serve for an individual to choose to see it as reality?” Because we can be aware of it, participate in aspects of it but also know that it’s not real but what part of ourselves is it serving to believe the illusion is reality, as if things just happen this way and are part of a ‘natural order?’ The simplicity of Love and Fear is also very striking to me, so much so that when I feel certain emotions or am offended in certains ways I ask myself ‘is what I’m feeling, about to say, or intend to do coming from fear or love?’ and I swear the more I do it the more I notice how much fear has played a part in my life journey and my interactions with others. The more I notice how I thought moving from fear was just a natural response. And still at other times I recognize how fear was passed down in the form of tradition, conformity and performing. When we understand the actions that result from love and fear we can easily detect its source.
“Each personality draws to itself personalities with consciousness of like frequency, or like weakness.”
Gary Zukav
Alexandra:
Now I have been experiencing exactly what Gary speaks about on pg.198 about personalities drawing other personalities to us with like-frequencies. This is also why I believe when your frequency is vibrating in an alignment of love with another person or groups of people there is this natural feeling of pure bliss at times, because you both are reflecting each other and not so much the other person giving you something so great and grand; they are giving you what you already are! And when you’re in an alignment of very low vibration frequency with others there is chaos, drama, arguing and fear always present because that is what y’all are providing for each other.
“Learn to distinguish your real needs, what you truly need as a human being and a soul, from the needs that you have adopted for reasons that are based on external power and do not emerge from the needs of your soul.”
Gary Zukav
Alexandra:
I love the continual reminder that we have choices. For everything we experience, for every emotion we feel, for every decision we make, we have choices. That is something that I’ll add to the list of things that are integral parts of our life journey, Choices and Change both are at the top of my mind right now. Moving a couple pages ahead to Gary’s thoughts on non-judgemental justice which he’s mentioned in a previous chapter, I question how we see the soul of others reaching for love. His definition in this chapter makes me think of the ways in which we all judge people and their circumstances. We see people everyday who are making choices and behind those choices is their soul reaching for the higher parts of itself but because of how we’re raised, the ways that we’re taught what’s right and what’s wrong, causes us to miss seeing the desire to evolve in others, even when they don’t know that’s what they’re doing!
our agreements 