Session 1854

Pay Attention to Your Hesitations

Topics:

“Pay Attention to Your Hesitations”
“Exploring Preferences”
“Using ‘Extreme Imagination’”

Tuesday, October 4, 2005 (Private/Phone)

Participants: Mary (Michael) and Frank (Ulra)

(Elias’ arrival time is 19 seconds.)

ELIAS: Good morning!

FRANK: Good morning! Good to talk to you again!

ELIAS: And you.

FRANK: Well, let’s see. Where shall we start? I want to start with a dream I had last night, but I only remember a very, very tiny portion of it, so I’ll rely on you to ferret out the rest of it. The only part of this dream I remember is that I was on the phone with two of my friends, one that I do all the things in baseball with, and he was saying something that there’s a tournament or a playoff or whatever and so you need to be ready to play on certain days. I came back to him and said I never win any games in that tournament, so we’ll be out of it right away. His reaction was you shouldn’t be so negative or something like that. That’s as best as I can remember it.

ELIAS: And your impression?

FRANK: I guess it seems kind of obvious. I’m telling myself to not be negative about things.

ELIAS: Or rather, not to automatically discount yourself and generate expectations of yourself that you will not or cannot accomplish.

FRANK: Right, which is kind of the same thing.

ELIAS: In a manner of speaking, but it is not merely a matter of negative thinking, so to speak, but more recognizing how you generate expectations in manners that set you in a direction to fail.

FRANK: It’s interesting coming at this time, because as we’ve talked about in the last couple of sessions, it seems like everything is going really smooth and pretty much going the way I want it to go. So, why now? Why am I getting that message now?

ELIAS: Merely as a reminder. This is not unusual. Individuals may be generating a direction and movement that is successful in many different areas, and you may be generating considerable ease in whatever you are engaging, and in the midst of that movement, it is not unusual for an individual to insert either a communication through dream imagery or an actual experience that appears to be inconsistent with the movement that you are generating, but it is actually purposeful, for it is a reminder to you of different pitfalls that can occur if you are not paying attention. Therefore, you also may insert a communication or an experience that shall also challenge you in genuinely testing, so to speak, your awareness of what you are doing, testing your automatic responses, and in that, also reminding you that it is important to be paying attention to what you are doing and what type of energy you are projecting, for the familiar is never too far away.

FRANK: That makes sense. I’m a person that needs reminders. (Elias laughs)

Last time we talked, I think I told you that I was having back pains, and I had an injury to my leg that had come from baseball. I really thought all of this would sort of go away once baseball season ended and the pressure to play has gone away, but it hasn’t. It seems it’s continued on, and I’m wondering what’s going on with that.

ELIAS: And your impression?

FRANK: I guess even though it had ended, there were still some possibilities where I could play and maybe there’s pressure at work. Even though things are going well, there’s a fair amount of pressure, although I don’t feel like I’m feeling it that much. Those are the only two things I can think of.

ELIAS: That is partially associated with this. Also, another factor is, once again, this association with age and that you heal more slowly with age. Another factor is associated with allowing yourself to somewhat relax your energy and not be pushing yourself, which is not necessarily associated with the game but more associated with other avenues that you engage.

FRANK: I think I push my energy a lot less now than I ever did before.

ELIAS: Yes, you are correct, but this also is a reminder of certain associations that are familiar and that may be expressed quite easily.

FRANK: Next thing I wanted to ask you about, I’ve had some land out in the country from here for quite a long time. For a long time we’ve thought of putting a house on that land and didn’t do it, I think to a large degree because of financial considerations, but also because I just didn’t feel that I was ready for it. It would have required a commitment of time and that sort of thing. In fact, I think we’ve talked about it before. It was interesting, because a few days ago one of the people who wants to build this thing for us left me a message and said you should consider doing it now because lumber’s going to go up because of the hurricane and this and that. It got me to thinking about it again, and again I have kind of some of those same fears from a financial perspective, but I’m starting to think maybe I am ready for it and maybe I should do it. I’m wondering if maybe you can give me any help or advice on that.

ELIAS: I would express to you, my friend, that this is a matter of paying attention to your preferences and what you actually want, not succumbing to pressures from other individuals or from yourself of what you should or should not do, but rather genuinely paying attention to what you are communicating within yourself, recognizing your hesitation and paying attention to that, and also acknowledging your own preferences. It is not a matter of what you should or should not do or what you have to do or not have to do, but more so with what you want and what your preferences are and not overwhelming yourself. You are generating this hesitation for a reason.

FRANK: So, would it be fair to say that on a decision like this that unless you feel pretty much whole-heartedly that this is what I want to do, like there’s just no question about it, then there’s a message in that hesitation and maybe you should consider not doing it.

ELIAS: Correct, especially in this time framework. You are engaging many new avenues which are occupying considerable amounts of your energy and attention, and to engage in another endeavor that would require considerable attention in this time framework, there is a considerable potential for you to generate overwhelmingness, and that incorporates a considerable potential for conflict.

In this, it is a matter of genuinely paying attention and listening to yourself and that hesitation, for you are preventing yourself from moving in a direction that could quite easily be overwhelming and move into considerable conflict, and that is unnecessary.

FRANK: I should have seen that. Next — I think you just answered my next question, but I’ll ask you anyway — the baseball team that I play on is currently leaderless because the individual who was in charge of it decided that he didn’t want to be in charge of it anymore, as has every other individual who has ever been in charge of it. So, there is a movement to try and have me be in charge. I guess I’ve pretty much decided not to do it, because I’m not sure what I want to do, but I don’t think there’s any doubt that it’s probably the same answer that you gave me before. Why is this sort of being thrown at me right now?

ELIAS: You are presenting different avenues such as this and such as the scenario with the property to yourself to be aware of yourself, listening to yourself and offering yourself specific examples of engaging additional actions that require more of your attention. In this, you are presenting these scenarios to yourself to genuinely allow yourself to evaluate what you are doing, what your preferences are, what you want, and also being aware of your attention and what can potentially generate conflicts within you, recognizing that these types of choices create unnecessary frustration and potential conflicts, and they also invite you to be pushing yourself more.

Therefore, this is an element of your process in becoming more objectively aware of what you present to yourself and your choices and your preferences, what you are willing to engage and what you are not willing to engage, listening to your own hesitations, listening to your own communications, and not succumbing to the expectations or pressures of other individuals or circumstances, prioritizing your responsibility to you and allowing yourself to intentionally move in directions that you want and that are comfortable. This is the point, to be objectively, intentionally creating what you want in being aware of yourself to the point that you recognize certain potentials and listen to your own communications and respond to that.

FRANK: Which is where, since the beginning that we’ve talked, I want to go, to be more objectively creating what I want.

ELIAS: Correct, which you are doing, and you are introducing different scenarios to yourself to offer yourself examples of genuinely paying attention to yourself and generating choices that are intentionally moving you in the direction that you want.

FRANK: Now, last time we talked, we sort of talked about the fact that at this point in time my preferences are changing. I understand that because in some ways lately I feel... I don’t want to use the word “lost,” I don’t know, just not sure of what do I want to do with a lot of things. I come home at night and I’m not sure what I want to do, things like that. Can you give me any indications on that, where that’s going, how to explore that? I do feel like I want to do something different, I don’t know, learn to play a musical instrument, I don’t know what, whatever. But right now, it’s just not coming together, I think because my focus is largely on the business.

ELIAS: Yes, but also this is a time framework in which you may allow yourself to relax and perhaps engage playfulness with your own communication of imagination, and allow yourself to relax and engage a time framework of patience in which you may inspire yourself.

Also, remember, you can engage a choice to incorporate some action and you can always change that. You are not locked to any choice, and it is not necessary to focus your attention singularly but to allow yourself a flexibility and an openness to be experimenting with many different new activities and adventures. That is the key. This is a time framework in which it may behoove you to be flexible and to be not necessarily moving in one definite direction with choices but to express an openness for experimentation, which also may be fun and somewhat exciting in generating new adventures.

FRANK: What I was going to ask you is should I be looking more in terms of more physical pursuits or more mental pursuits, though I’m sure you’ll probably say try them all.

ELIAS: Correct.

FRANK: I thought you’d say that. Let’s go with something else. I think this is probably a Sumafi thing, but I have this tendency to be in a rut with things like that. How do I move past that or do I want to try to move past that?

ELIAS: It is dependent upon on what you are viewing as a rut or repetitive actions.

It is a quality of this family to be generating repetitive actions. In that, some repetitive actions are generated in patterns that are not necessarily efficient, but some repetitive actions are actually efficient to an individual that is belonging to or aligning with this particular family.

For example, an individual may recognize that they engage a particular action repeatedly and may perceive that engagement to be somewhat frustrating, or that the individual generates the perception that they should be moving beyond a particular engagement that they express, but in actuality, that subject may be one that offers the individual considerable information, without the distraction of the subject itself.

As an example, an individual may engage challenges with relationships, and they may express this repeatedly. What they view is that they seem to continuously be challenged with issues concerning relationships, when in actuality the relationships are the vehicle, so to speak, or the avenue in which the individual offers themself information.

You engage this yourself in association with your game. You repeatedly generate different challenges in association with your game and your team members, but the game and the team become the secondary factor. It is the mode in which you present information to yourself without distracting yourself with the vehicle, which is the game.

Another individual may be generating repeated experiences in association with healing. Perhaps they generate similar challenges with similar scenarios, but they offer themselves consistently different information through that mode of that vehicle. That is one direction of repetition, which is beneficial and a natural movement for individuals associated with this family of Sumafi.

Now; if you are speaking of a repetitive action that has become habit but is not necessarily offering yourself any information, it is merely an action that you repeatedly engage for it is familiar and it has become habit. That is a different situation.

FRANK: Yeah, I’m talking more about that.

ELIAS: And what do you view as repetitive actions that you generate that you would express as habit that...

FRANK: Well, playing games on the computer, playing video games, things like that.

ELIAS: And this action generates distress within you?

FRANK: No, it doesn’t. Actually, what I think about it is partly I think it’s habit and partly I think I have a need for excitement, almost for pressure and tension, and within a pretty narrow and safe environment, it creates pressure and tension. For some reason, I think I find that relaxing or I have some need for that.

ELIAS: What you are generating is a manner in which you can express excitement but with an element of challenge. That motivates you to excel, and it motivates you to expand and to explore further. You can also constructively channel that energy in other manners if you are so choosing, not that engaging these games is bad. It is not. You already recognize that it purposefully allows you to engage your energy in certain manners. You can also express that challenge and that motivation to excel in allowing yourself to explore some new avenue of creativity.

FRANK: Can you give me any advice or hints on that? Just as an example, a couple weeks ago I decided to start learning to play the piano. As is my natural way, I have a book where you can teach yourself, but I think it’s just, for me, too boring, not exciting enough. One thing I think I know about myself is that I do crave excitement and pressure and things like that.

ELIAS: I am understanding.

FRANK: So maybe I should just say well, gee, that’s the wrong thing for me. I need something that does have these elements in it.

ELIAS: Or perhaps to engage challenging yourself and rather than instructing yourself. Engage interaction with another individual, which may challenge you more, or perhaps engage a different musical instrument. I may express to you, the piano may be quite challenging but perhaps not in the manner that allows you to express the type of excitement and physical energy that you prefer.

FRANK: So what should I do — drums or something? (Elias laughs with Frank) No, seriously.

ELIAS: Percussion may be an avenue which may be more satisfying, or you may also incorporate more of a challenge and an excitement in engaging brass.

FRANK: Did you say brass?

ELIAS: Yes.

FRANK: You mean like horns and trombones?

ELIAS: Yes, for that also allows you to engage a physical energy, which allows you to express a physical excitement which you can translate with the instrument, but you can also engage physical movement yourself. The piano is an instrument that is more suited to preciseness and discipline.

FRANK: Which isn’t me.

ELIAS: A horn would be more in keeping with your preferences, allowing you to express creativity but also allowing you to engage free form, more individual interpretation and more of an intensity in energy in a physical expression.

FRANK: That all makes sense. Let’s talk about this thing, because I guess it’s just a preference, but I don’t know if there’s more you want to say more about it. I do seem to have this need for pressure or tension or excitement. Things that are slow and dull, my attention just goes and is not there. So, what is that all about? Is that just that I’ve chosen to have that be part of my psyche for this focus?

ELIAS: Yes, an element of your personality and what efficiently motivates you. You each have different qualities that you express that are strong and efficient motivators that spur you and inspire you. That encourages you to challenge yourself, to explore further, to expand, to experiment and test your abilities. This is a quality within your personality that generates those expressions.

FRANK: So the important thing is, I think, is for me to understand this, which I think I do...

ELIAS: Yes.

FRANK: ...and to try to put myself in situations or create situations that fit in with that and to avoid situations that don’t.

ELIAS: Yes, and allow yourself to incorporate that free flow of energy.

FRANK: Mary and I were talking about this before we got started with this session. Is that why I sort of like to make up stories and joke around and things like that?

ELIAS: Yes, for that challenges your creativity.

FRANK: I have so much fun doing that.

ELIAS: It is a manner in which you engage in a playful manner, challenging your imagination and challenging your creativity, exploring and experimenting.

FRANK: I have fun with that. That’s probably why I also like to meet new people?

ELIAS: Yes. Perhaps you may engage your friend in his suggestion to be incorporating lumber now for the supply has been depleted somewhat in association with the hurricanes, and express that it is unnecessary to incorporate this action with your property for you have already agreed to offer it to extraterrestrials for a landing strip. (Elias laughs with Frank) I’m aware of your humor, my friend!

FRANK: Yeah, that’s the kind of thing I would come up with. The problem is that some people have absolutely no sense of humor and they don’t recognize the joke, although sometimes that’s more fun that way.

One last thing here on this subject. I wonder a little bit how much I really want to continue playing baseball. I think I do, but I guess we talked about this last time, too, but maybe with a little less involvement. Does that seem...?

ELIAS: Yes.

FRANK: Which is another reason why I don’t want to get involved with being in charge of this whole thing. The other question I’ve got for you is what am I trying to tell myself with this whole situation with this team, where it’s in sort of a state of turmoil in terms of no one’s in charge, no one wants to be in charge and certain people don’t want other people to be around any more? What am I telling myself here?

ELIAS: You are merely offering yourself imagery, in a manner of speaking, to offer yourself a slight push in the direction you already want to move in, which is to engage this action less and to not be generating the expectations of yourself, and allowing yourself to move into new avenues of exploration and challenge.

In this, if you are generating somewhat expressions of conflict, not necessarily extreme, but if you are generating some conflict or some disarray in association with this particular direction, it is more of a reason or an excuse, which becomes a viable excuse for you to back away and engage new and different explorations that are more unfamiliar to you and therefore present more of a challenge.

FRANK: But I don’t want to get rid of it completely.

ELIAS: I am understanding.

FRANK: That’s my problem. Sometimes I want to do it and sometimes I don’t.

ELIAS: Which we spoke of previously, allowing yourself the freedom to express your own flexibility and not moving in the direction of expectations in association with shoulds or should nots.

FRANK: When you were talking before, when I asked you about changes in my preferences and all that, one of the things you talked about is to be playful with my imagination. Could you elaborate on that a little bit?

ELIAS: Offer me an example of what you would express as an expression of imagination.

FRANK: Sometimes I’ll be out for a walk at night alone, and I’ll engage my imagination in playing a baseball game, what I’d do in certain situations and what happens and things like that.

ELIAS: What I am expressing to you is to be more playful, engaging imaginative imagination.

Now; how would you define that? How would you engage that?

FRANK: I would imagine maybe some really way out things like the aliens did in fact land on my property and set up a lemonade stand.

ELIAS: (Laughs) Yes! That is what I am expressing. Or inventing unusual creatures that within your reality do not exist, or creating colorful and imaginative scenes or scenarios that are entirely foreign to your physical reality.

FRANK: How does that help?

ELIAS: It encourages flexibility. It encourages allowance for unknown and unfamiliar information to be received. It encourages you to be generating more of an openness to the unexpected, which allows you more freedom.

Also, in generating this type of playing with imagination, many times that will also translate into new inspiring ideas that are creative, that you can incorporate into actions that you engage within your physical interactions, such as with family members or with your business.

It may appear initially that if you are engaging a time framework in which you are allowing yourself to be imagining some colorful creature that incorporates sixteen appendages and glows and shoots sparks from each of its appendages and devours rocks, that that would incorporate no bearing in association with your business at all; but in actuality, engaging this type of imaginative action actually inspires you, for it generates a creative outlet of energy.

In that, you may be incorporating some imaginative visualization, and it would not be unusual that perhaps in a brief timeframe subsequently, without re-engaging that visualization, you may be engaging conversation with another individual concerning your business and an element of that imagining shall inspire you in some new creative manner with your business that you would not necessarily have incorporated the idea for. But in engaging imagination in a playful manner, it allows you to generate more flexibility and more of an openness to new ideas, to new inspirations and to new inventiveness.

FRANK: That makes a lot of sense. I ought to be good at this.

ELIAS: (Laughs) I suspect so!

FRANK: I envision a world where, I told a friend, that if I were God, everybody would get better looking as they got older. That way we’d all have something to look forward to.

ELIAS: (Laughs) And perhaps you can even engage this playfulness and this game with imagination with your daughter. You may be becoming, rather than merely rocks together, perhaps you may be becoming other quite creative manifestations together.

FRANK: Which maybe will lead us to something else we’re really doing?

ELIAS: Perhaps.

FRANK: That’ll be fun. I’ve been practicing that exercise; I guess you’d call it the appreciation exercise.

ELIAS: Yes.

FRANK: It seems to have worked quite well, to the point where I received an award from the Youth Baseball Association. I got it and I thought wow, this must have come from this exercise I’ve been doing.

ELIAS: Yes, and I may express my congratulations to you.

FRANK: Yes, it was nice. It was surprising. It seems like more things like that are happening. Business-wise things are moving very fast, but in a generally very good direction.

ELIAS: And I am acknowledging of you in that, also. Surprise is often a welcome expression.

FRANK: Yes, for me it is. I guess that’s about it. I’ll work on the imagination thing. We’ll call that “extreme imagination.”

ELIAS: Very well, and I incorporate no doubt that you shall be quite successful with it. Perhaps at our next meeting, you may also be incorporating interacting with a new adventure with a horn.

FRANK: Okay, we’ll see about that. Maybe a clarinet. It’s not brass, but... Well, as usual, it’s been a pleasure.

ELIAS: And with you also, my friend. As always, I shall be continuing to offer playful energy with you and encouraging.

FRANK: Thank you.

ELIAS: And I express, as always, also my tremendous affection to you and my appreciation in our interaction in friendship. To you my friend, au revoir.

Elias departs after 55 minutes.

©2010 Mary Ennis, All Rights Reserved


Copyright 2005 Mary Ennis, All Rights Reserved.