Let me pose a silly question. Would you dig a ditch with a spoon, use a hammer to paint, or wash your hair in a washing machine? Not too likely, although it could be done with much effort and stress. But it wouldn't be the most efficient method.

As the human species, we have developed many tools, from the simplest to the complex. Why have we done this? We apply these tools to help us do work, play, and entertain. So essentially, we use tools to create. And we've come a long way in this development of tools for creation; witness the medium used to read this.

Now what about our experiences, our realities? We all know we create our own realities. So what tools are being employed to do this? Beliefs, of course.

The Seth material stresses the concept that we create our own realities through our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. To change our experiences, all we have to do is change our beliefs -- find out what they are and change them. And it is generally taken for granted that the old belief is gone or destroyed. That is, it no longer affects or influences us (if we did a good job on our belief work, that is <grin>) and so we believe it's gone. However, I think those beliefs are still with us; we just no longer hold onto or activate them.

What we have really done is recognize and accept those beliefs as JUST beliefs, as something we once believed in as fact or truth. The Elias material mentions this idea of accepting one's beliefs as just beliefs about reality -- a specific perception about reality, a lens, so to speak. Once beliefs are recognized, accept them for what they are. If we accept them fully they will no longer hold influence in our reality, unless we choose for them to do so. At this point, we can look at them and see that them for JUST what they are, JUST a belief... fundamentally, a tool that automatically creates a specific kind of reality for us. Like any belief, it is a tool for a reality creating purpose.

So here we have two methods of dealing with beliefs to alter one's reality, Seth's and Elias's -- and they both involve choice. Now let's combine these two methods and look at beliefs as the tools we use to create our realities. The same basic principles apply -- ferret out the beliefs and then treat them as tools. Use or choose the proper tool to create what you desire in the easiest and most beneficial manner. Look at your belief and determine whether or not you are digging a ditch with a spoon.

Now you may discover that you've always used a spoon to dig your ditches. It seemed such a natural thing that you hadn't noticed the effort and stress you were creating at the same time. To you, this was the way it has always been done -- and there you have an example of an unexamined core belief.

Here is an example of what I've been saying. As a child, most of us believed in Santa Claus and the whole related story -- really fell for it, hook, line and sinker, right? <grin> Then comes the time, as you grow older, where you start doubting that 'Santa' reality -- reasoning takes over the magical. Some sort of struggle ensues during the belief change resulting in you no longer believing in Santa Claus adulthood, at least, not in the same way as you did as a child. Now, the question: Have you actually changed that belief, or eliminated it? I say no; that belief is still with you. However, it no longer affects you as it once did. So what you have basically done is  recognize that Santa belief and accepted it as just a belief, a belief for children, a belief for Christmas. The reason I say it is an 'accepted' belief is as follows.

NOW - as an adult, you conveniently USE that belief in Santa as a TOOL. You consciously choose to apply that belief to create a reality for your children and yourself. Yes, you feel you are pretending - AND THAT IS EXACTLY IT! We all pretend. Every one of our beliefs is something we are pretending is real.

You could also consider your beliefs to be like musical instruments. You play them and create a spectacular reality. Or beliefs as a musical composition, each chord, harmonic and/or discordant, a specific instrument, creating one's reality, with the tension and release that makes life so interesting.

Or for a painter, the type of brush and color/tint of paint blending into a unified picture of one's beliefs. As creative artists, such as we all are, in creating our very own realities, the tools we use can be within our conscious control rather than set on automatic. And sometimes we don't realize which tools we are using until our experiences tell us so.

Changing the whole perspective of just having beliefs as a part of who you are, to a more dynamic concept of consciously choosing and using specific beliefs, gives a much nicer feel to your creating. It puts you in the driver's seat of your own conscious choosing. It puts you at the piano, not the automatic player piano.

What is it about beliefs that they have such a hold on us, that we become so attached to them, that they can even appear invisible? Have we been using the same tool so often that we think (believe) it is a part of our self? Certainly we can change our beliefs about beliefs, right? For instance, I have a Sethian belief about beliefs -- now I could also have a belief about this Sethian belief about beliefs. Beliefs are generally nested.

Can we learn how to don new beliefs as easily as we change the clothes we wear? Have you ever dressed up so differently that you almost feel that you have a new set of beliefs, that you act differently, etc? Play with it!

The main point is that beliefs are just beliefs.  They are creative tools that are powered by our thoughts and emotions in creating our realities/experiences -- as simple as plugging in the correct power tool for the job. Since we all create our own beliefs, how much effort and energy is involved in creating a specific belief for the experience you desire?

All of our beliefs are tools that are used to create the reality we each experience. The question that now appears obvious to me is why are we letting the tools control us -- why don't we just take control of these tools and use whatever belief we require to create the specific reality we want to experience? Aren't we humans known for using tools? Well, here is one tool we have let run on automatic for so long, we don't recognize it as a tool. Time to get back in the driver's seat, don't you agree? <grin>

Let's revisit that Santa belief -- you use that belief as a tool. The reality behind that belief is created when you put energy into the belief - thought, emotion and intent and voila - it's Christmas and Santa reality for those kids. And by Jove that reality really does influence you too -- you get into it, you feel the Christmas spirit -- because you chose it. You are creatively using that belief as a tool! You practice this every year in what ever tradition you follow.

I think the true acceptance of beliefs, as Elias mentions, is the recognition that we are, or can be, in the position of power over our own reality. That we can use beliefs as tools, that the beliefs do not necessarily have to blindly or automatically influence us, unless we so consciously choose.  To me, if beliefs can be considered in this way, that the beliefs are not us, the same way that we can consider thoughts and emotions -- then we can recognize and acknowledge these as processes and we have the choice to allow them to influence us as we wish.

Beliefs are our reality creation tools and our thoughts, emotions and intents are the power behind these tools.

Pick your tool. Are we not here to learn how to use the tools with which we create?

©1998, George Garner. Printed in the August 1998 Issue of the Conscious Creation Journal. (Feel free to duplicate this article for personal use - please include this copyright notice.) http://www.consciouscreation.com/

You can contact George Garner at yzrwo4@ebtech.net, through ICQ Chat at UIN: 4187778, and you can visit his web site at: http://www2.ebtech.net/~yzrwo4/welcome.html

For more info on Elias see: http://www.t0.or.at/~gfuchs/elias.html

For more info on Seth see the Seth Web ring at: http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=sethring;list