9 Images and the deep, deep damage they do

From practically the time we were born, we have been creating our own impressions about this thing we call life. The only problem is, most of the time our conclusions are wrong…They are based on a certain limited child logic, but they are nonetheless in error. As we grow up, these wrong conclusions and the attitudes they spawn sink out of our awareness where they set in and start molding how our life will look…The word the Guide uses to refer to these wrong conclusions is an “image”…

When we form conclusions about life that are free from error, our positive, healthy beliefs are flexible and relaxed; they flow harmoniously and adapt spontaneously to life’s changes. An image, on the other hand, is stuck in the mud and congested; an image won't zig when life zags…

Since images don’t entirely make sense, they can’t stay in our conscious mind. But the more hidden they are, the more potent they become, because then there’s absolutely nothing pushing back on them. They have free reign…The list of damages caused by an image is practically endless…Ding, ding, ding—here’s another way to know an image is in the house: when there’s a repetition of incidents we didn’t ask for and don’t want. Images always form patterns…We draw people and events to us like bees to honey on account of our images…

It’s entirely possible to have a legitimate desire that we speak out into the world, but we have a polar-opposite image that blocks it…The spiritual aim of all personal self-development is purification, and we can’t become purified if we don’t understand and gain some control over our own unconscious…We won’t find our way through the maze of this inner landscape if we ‘just try harder’.

Listen and learn more.

Bones, Chapter 9: Images and the Deep, Deep Damage They Do