In our last article, we have seen how universe responds to our subconscious impressions to create our current reality. We have also seen an example of how any strong emotional experience creates an imprint in our subconscious. But that is just one example. There are countless ways we keep creating subconscious impressions from our daily experiences. It reminds me of continuous clicking of the latest high resolution cameras we get these days. We are on a click mode right from our childhood and we continue the same even now as adults. What more, we even use these same images to project repeatedly into our daily lives like movie projectors.

So universe is continuosly reflecting back to us what we captured and what remained as a strong imprint in our subconscious. That is not all. Imprints also act like lens through which we see and experience life. Did you ever see those funny, colorful spectacles kids used to play with? World looks in blue, green or red when we look through these funny things. Our past experiences color our perception of life in a similar manner. They color the lens through which we see or experience our world. Whatever we perceive as a limitation in our life today, it is created by these colored lens. Entire life we spend thinking it is all a sad blue or a violent red. If we just remove the colored spectacles and look at life, it is all bright and colorful!

There are several ways we have been creating our own lens since we were a little kid in short pants (or little frock). As children, we are constantly trying to understand the world around us. In this process, strong impressions are made in our subconscious by what we have observed in our environment, from the conditioning we received from parents, from the feedback we received from our friends or elders and so on.

From the time we were born, there is so much of conditioning that happens, we believe all of it to be true. It becomes a part of reality for us today. Most of the times, these imprints are the basis that make us feel life is full of limitations or challenges. They form the colored lens through which we see life. We keep wondering why life is tough. Why I cannot experience abundance? Why no one loves me? Why life is a constant struggle? We fail to recognize all of it is just a lens we have formed in our childhood. All limitation exists in our lens of perception. As grown up adults, we don't try to break these limitations that were formed when we were kids. In fact, we don't even realise these limitations are like false chains that we can easily free ourselves from.

When we go to any big temple, we are sure to see an elephant standing in the premises. It is usually tied with a small not so strong rope and a small stick is kept in front of its legs. When I was a child, I was so curious to ask Mahout how he manages to handle such a mighty animal. I used to wonder how such a small rope can stop the elephant, if it goes wild or if it wants to run away. Why is a small stick kept in front of it and why it always stands behind stick.

Mahout told me that the baby elephant or the calf, would be tied with strong steel chains for months together. Initially, the calf would try to break the chains but fails to do so. It starts believing it's not possible to break the chains. So it gives up trying to break free. Now, the mahout releases the elephant from the steel chains and ties up with just a small rope. The wonder is, it is not the rope that holds the elephant but it's belief that it cannot break the chain holding it back. The little stick also acts in similar fashion. The stick reminds elephant of the sharp tool, ankusham, that mahout had used in past when it was a calf. Now the elephant is so grown up to such proportions, it can just crush the stick and mahout if it wishes to run off!

There was a client who came to me for some physical health issue. All through our discussion, stress about finances and financial insecurity was a constant theme. After speaking to him for a while, I was surprised to learn he was earning very well, had abundant properties and no financial obligations. Inspite of it, he always felt he doesn't have enough money and constantly worried about tomorrow. While doing one of the exercises with me, he suddenly recollected that in his early childhood, they were very rich but his father lost all his money, gold, land and property in legal cases. My client was very young then. He was close to his mother who told him to be cautious while spending money. He observed his mother to think a lot before spending anything and she was worried about money. But as any good parents, they did their best to shield him, to get him good education and ensure he had an easy life. When he grew up, he secured a job with good compensation, invested into property, his children are now settled well, they don't depend on him financially. But he continues to experience the same lack which he perceived in childhood and in fact the same stress led to his health complications. Even when his wife and children urge him to relax now and have an easy, retired life, he cannot stop worrying about future. Although he had ample means for a comfortable life, due to his 'sense of lack' from childhood, he could never enjoy or even experience his abundance in his entire life.

How different it is from the baby elephant! My client started looking through the same lens which was formed in his childhood. He never even realized that he is still experiencing life through the same lens inspite of the changes that have come in his life. That is the power of strong imprints in our subconscious. I am sure if the elephant just realizes it can easily break loose of the chain and mahout, it shall do so. Even for us humans, all it takes is awareness.

Clearing our lens of past imprints is certainly a must. However, the first step is realizing where we are using an old lens. Whenever we face any unhappy or challenging situation, it is mostly colored by our past imprints. These old lens color and create our limitations - like not having enough money, not being happy in our job, not being good enough, or any other limitation we can think of. If we just stop and reflect for a moment, ask what lies at the root of this unhappy experience, we will become aware of some memory deeply buried in our subconscious. Till then we may not consciously recognize the past experience that is coloring our experience of life. Once you start reflecting, you may be surprised to see how free and magnificent you are underneath all your imaginary limitations. Suddenly, life looks very beautiful and sounds like a very well orchestrated opera.

-Ramakrishna Maguluri
Engaging with Life
ELAI