What is Reality

The dictionary defines reality as the quality or state of being actual or true. Even though there are there are certain facts generally accepted by most people as being true, so much about life and the world around us is open to interpretation. Our language and our perceptions both contribute to the way that each individual defines their reality. Due to the subjective nature of reality, it is possible for an individual to change their reality by changing their perceptions and the language that they use in their lives.

The words we use in speaking and in our thoughts define our reality. If a person were to spend a day paying attention to the words they use when speaking to others, they would be amazed at how often they use negative phrases such as “I can’t” or “something is difficult”, that is just a fraction of the words they use in their thoughts. Think about how often you say to yourself that something will be a hard to do. By being aware of our language, we can make small changes, changing our reality. Take the following example about reading non-fiction. If a person prefers reading fiction to nonfiction you might hear them say “I have a hard time reading non-fiction because I can’t see the story I my head like I can with fiction.” The inherent negativity of the statement changes the energy and makes the reality of the task difficult. If we change the language that is used to “I need to take my time reading non-fiction so that I give myself enough time to process what I am reading.” The overall energy of the statement has changed and suddenly the reality is that the task is now a positive experience.

Our perceptions also define our reality. If we perceive the world around us as a dark and frightening place, then the reality of our world becomes terrifying and we danger around every corner. However, if we perceive the world around us as beautiful place, then the reality of the world becomes beautiful and we see the beauty in mundane.  The use of the psychedelics can create a fundamental shift in the way a person perceives the world by stripping away the barriers our subconscious mind puts in place. They may find beauty in simple things, experience temporal distortion, or experience strong feelings of fear or anxiety. By transition of the lessons learned through psychedelic experiences into our daily lives, we change the reality we live in. We realize that we can find beauty in small things, experience a moment of joy that seems to last much longer, even times of fear or anxiety now become opportunities to experience these emotions without allowing them to overwhelm our lives.

How do you define your reality?