Book One

The Dream Catcher's Dream

Chapter Seventeen

How the Universe Functions

Herbert Continues. "Based on my experience and the experience of countless others, it appears that The Universal Mind does not hear requests in the same way a human mind does.   For example, if you’re sitting with your family at the dinner table and say, ‘Please pass the butter,’ you expect someone else sitting at the same table will pass you the butter.   

The universal mind doesn’t work that way.   It does not hear requests.   It hears only statements of what is, and in this example, it receives a message something like, the butter is over there somewhere away from you, and it goes to work to give you more of not having the butter.

If this sounds silly to you, picture yourself sitting at a dinner table with family or friends and asking for the butter.   Where do you see yourself in relation to the butter?”

I say, “I see it somewhere away from me.”

“Then that’s the message the universal mind receives.   The universal mind does not function with words.   As best we can describe how it appears to communicate with us through pictures,  feelings,  experiences, and ideas that have been described as 'blocks of thought.'

Although your family and friends would probably think that your a bit strange, if you said, 'Thank you for passing the butter to me' the Universe would 'hear' a statement of gratitude for the butter you now possess and would focus on bringing you more butter.   The evidence also  indicates that the universe is quite literal."

"Please explain."

If you are intending for something to manifest in your life, be very clear about what you intend.   Here's a true story that demonstrates this.   A man wanted a new car and he regularly visualized a pink Cadillac parked in his driveway.   One day while he was sitting in his living room, he heard a tremendous crash outside his house.  He looked out his window to see that a pink Cadillac had driven too fast to make the curve in the highway in front of his house and had spun out of control, driven into his driveway and crashed into his car.   

"Are you saying that he got a pink Cadillac parked in his driveway, but because he was not clear on what he wanted, he simply got a literal answer that include things that he didn't want."

"Yes, be clear with the details of your intention, but not so clear as to limit your possibilities."

"Herbert, I don't mean to change the subject, but talk about creating brings up question that I have to ask.   Do you believe in God? "

"Before we can answer that question, we need to define what you mean when you say "God."     Are you talking about a fickle, angry, jealous, vindictive, wrathful, vengeful, super-human being sitting on a cloud somewhere?   Are you talking about a god who  (for reasons that completely escape human understanding and with what seems like arbitrary unpredictability)  heaps great good fortune onto some, horrendous misery onto others, and pretty much ignores everyone else?

Are you talking about a god with an ego so great that  he demands our worship and a self-image so small that he demands our obedience -- a god so weak that he needs our help to punish the unfaithful -- a god so weird that he murdered his own son as an expression of love -- a god so angry and unforgiving that he's still punishing people today because a long dead ancestor ate fruit from a forbidden tree -- a god so small He can be found only inside of just your religion -- a god so ridiculous that he abandons and condemns to never-never land literally billions of humans simply because they never got sprinkled with or immersed in water what by the correct holly man?   If that's your definition of God, then the answer is no.   I don't believe anything which fits the above description could possibly be God.   I'd sooner believe that the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny were living in my attic and having an affair with Miss America.

When you ask, "Do you believe in God?"  if you are talking about the infinite source of creation that transcends our understanding --  if you are talking about the sum total of all that is -- the source of everything we are and everything we experience  -- if you are talking about a God that neither rewards nor punishes, but rather offers a set of seemingly  invisible laws --  laws that are as immutable as the law of gravity, laws that we each can intentionally use to create our own personal experiences (or ignore at our own peril) -- a "God" that we are each an eternal part of -- a "God" that manifests itself in each of us as whatever we choose by our thoughts, beliefs, emotions, words, and actions -- a God that allows us complete freedom to unconsciously create pain and misery or to consciously create love, joy, and beauty in what we call the physical world?   If that's your definition of God, then the answer is "DEFINITELY YES,  I DO BELIEVE IN GOD!"

"Whew!   Most people simply say yes or no.   Obviously you've given this topic some thought."

"Stoney, teaching people to step outside their limited thinking is the essence of my life's work.   We can delve further into the answers to your question if you like.

"Yes but I interrupted your description of how the Universe functions, so please complete with that topic first."

"OK.   Another factor to keep In mind is that The Universal Mind does not hear negative statements.   It does not hear the opposite of an idea.   It hears only statements of what is and then goes to work to reproduce those statements as physical things or as physical experiences in our Earth-plane reality.”

I ask, “What do you mean by negative statements?   Can you give an example of how that works?”

“Certainly.   Here’s a well-known example.   How many billboards have you seen with the words, ‘Don’t drink and drive’?”   That sounds good on the surface, but the message that comes through to the human subconscious mind is ‘Drink and drive'."

I ask, “Why do you say that?”

“Because the Universe doesn’t respond to the opposite of the idea you are intending.   You must focus on what you intend to be, do, have, or experience and not on what you want to avoid.   The war on drugs promotes drug use.   The war on poverty promotes poverty.   All the anti-“anything” campaigns promote what they are fighting against because they focus on the opposite of what they intend.   Not only that, most of them use fear and other negative emotions as the prime motivators to promote their causes.”

“Are you telling me that all those billboards that said ‘Don’t drink and drive’ were actually promoting drunk driving?”

Herbert simply replies, “Yup.”

“And you’re saying that we, as a society, have actually spent millions of dollars telling people to drink and drive.”

“Yup.”

“And probably caused thousands to die at the hands of drunk drivers.”

“Yup.”

“And all the while, patting ourselves on the back and thinking we’re such good guys.”

“Yup.   Actually we are the good guys.   Ignorance is the problem, not people.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because there really aren’t any bad guys; only people experiencing in different circumstances with holding different beliefs and different understandings of how the universe functions.   We have social conflicts because millions of people have been programmed to believe things that just aren't true.  

"Can you give us an example?"  

"Easily.  God is a super-human being who lives in the sky.   Newtonian physics tells us that the universe is made out of physical mater  -- Matter that is controlled by a specific and exacting set of rules."   

"Millions of people believe both of these stories are true, even in the face of overwhelming contrary evidence." 

"Ninety nine point nine percent of people do what they thinks is right.   Given their beliefs, their backgrounds, their circumstances, and their choices, most of us would do exactly as they did.   So again I say,  ignorance is the problem, not people.

I’ll share another example with you.   If I were to pray,  ‘God, please don’t let that bad man harm my daughter,’ the statement that reaches The Universal Mind  is ‘God, please let that bad man harm my daughter’.”

"Are you telling me that if want to drive sober, I need to use positive language and say something like ‘Drive safe and sober.’   And to keep my child safe, I would pray,  ‘Dear God, thank you for keeping my child safe and healthy.”

"Yes, that’s it.”

“So, Herbert, how would I speak a very powerful prayer to God or to The Universal Mind, if you will?”

“If you have something in your life that brings you joy and you would welcome more of it, the most powerful prayer you can make is to say thank you while holding a powerful feelings of gratitude in your heart.   Why?   Because you would be making an emotion-laden statement about what brings you joy.   You can also see, hear, taste, smell, touch and feel the answer to your prayer already.   That’s a very powerful manifestation statement to which The Universal Mind responds rather quickly.”

“Can you give us an example of that?”

Herbert smiles and says,  “May I be so bold as to again use the two of you as my example?”

“Yes, please do,” says Jazbell.   I nod "Yes,"  and Herbert continues.

“OK, Stoney, here’s a prayer for you.   ‘Blessings Be,   Jazbell is in my life.   She is such a delight.   She brings me great joy.   I am grateful that my life is truly blessed.”  

I’m somewhat taken aback and don’t know how to respond to that, so I say nothing.   Jazbell is also silent.   She just smiles.   Herbert, aware of my reaction, shifts the topic of conversation.

“So, Stoney, if you choose (intend) to shift your thoughts from wanting to having, your job is first, to know that you already have what you want and second, to clearly state your choice using positive, personal, present-tense language, and speaking from your heart with a attitude of gratitude."   

"Say Blessings Be  and follow those two words whatever you choose to be, do, have, express, and/or experience.  For example, say, 'Blessings be, I have great joy in my life'.“

“But, why would I say thank you for something I don’t have yet?”

"First, because your thoughts have already made it real in the non-physical realms of reality, and second, because once you have clearly stated your choices, your next job is to act as if your goal is already a physically-manifested reality.   Remember, the universe gives you a physical mirror image of your thoughts, feeling, emotions, and beliefs, so if you’re still focused on not having your desired goal, then you get more of the not having."    

"There's still one factor that has been forgotten until very recently   Knowing empowered by strong, positive emotions plus gratitude (saying thank you before the manifestation shows sup) is the most powerful form of prayer.  Actually it's not a prayer.   It's a declaration by a God Being, that's you, stating what you choose / intend.”

“I get the definite impression you’re suggesting a fake-it-till-you-make-it way of behaving?”

“Yes, you could label it that way.”

“But that’s not only phony; it’s hard to do, and it denies what is."

Herbert responds, “Denial is a refusal to acknowledge what actually is.   What I’m suggesting is quite different.   I suggest that you acknowledge everything you are presently experiencing, and at the same time direct the bulk of your attention onto what it is that you choose to be, do, have, express, and/or experience.   

You’ve already created what you are presently experiencing in our life, so if you find yourself in a situation that requires your attention and that requires some physical actions be taken, by all means, take that action.   Whatever the problem is, acknowledge its existence, and promptly deal with it.   Take whatever steps are necessary to resolve it.   Get it behind you as quickly as possible.

And along with dealing with what is, I suggest that you adopt a thought process and a behavior pattern that focuses primarily on what you choose to be, do, have, express, and/or experience.

The Law of Thought, tells us that focusing only on what-presently-is brings more of the same.   If you choose the continuation of something you presently have, that’s fine, however, I’m inviting you to create a grander vision of who you are and out of that vision, a new future -- a future based on your dreams and desires, based on your choices and requirements and not on what is, or what was -- and definitely not on fighting what you don’t want “

How many people have you met who focus their thoughts on what used to be, or on what they fear, or on what’s wrong, on what’s painful, or on what’s not working in their lives?”

I say, “Too many to count.”

“And in what direction do their lives go?”

“My childhood friend’s mother immediately comes to mind.”   I sing out loud a few words from an old Marvin Rainwater song I often heard her playing: “Pain and misery, grief and woes, debts and taxes, and so it goes, and now I’m gettin’ a cold in my nose.   Life gets...”

At this point, Jazbell cuts me off.   “Yuck!   That’s a song to forget!   Stoney, here’s an example for you —a role model for simply saying thank you.   Look at the way we are told Jesus prayed.   With absolute confidence, he merely said, ‘Thank you!’ and it was done.”

Herbert continues, “That’s right, Jesus was a master at this.   He never asked.   He simply said ‘thank you’.”

“But,” I say, “he was special.   They say he was the son of God.   Well, he said so too, I guess.”

To that Herbert responded with,  “And who or what do you think you are, an inherently-evil-accident from hell?   Didn’t he also say, ‘Anything I can do, you can do and more?’   What do you suppose he meant by that statement and what are the implications of it in your own life?"

“Until Jazbell quoted that statement a few minutes ago, I really never gave that idea any thought.”

“And neither have most people.   Stoney, imagine yourself doing miracles like Jesus did.”

Herbert and Jazbell sit silently looking at me.   I’m quiet for a moment while I try to picture myself doing a miracle.   Then I say,  “Herbert, I can’t do that.   The thought of my doing so sounds almost sacrilegious.”

“And, just like that, you limit your creative potential.   Think about it.   Was Jesus lying when he said you could do anything he did?

“Well, no...”

“So you think he was telling the truth, but you still don’t believe him?”

Hesitantly, I say, “That’s right.”

“Do you sense that there’s a conflict in beliefs here?”

“Yeah, I guess there is.” 

Herbert then says to me, “Stoney, I’m pointing this out neither to put you down nor make you wrong.   What I am doing is inviting you to wake up to who you are and to what you can be and do, but only if you so choose.”

I say, “Yes, I understand.”

He continues, “Would you like to resolve that conflict?”

“Yes, of course!”

“OK, let’s think of the difference between you and Jesus as a difference of degree and not a difference in kind.”

“It is?   How is that?”

“Because you and he are both the same.   You’re both sons of God.   You’re both creators who create by thoughts, words, feelings, beliefs, and actions.   You both have the same potential.   The difference is in how each of you uses your creative powers.   Thus, each of you is expressing a different level of the same thing.   I’ll use an analogy and perhaps that will make it simpler to understand.   Assume that both you and Jesus are tennis players.”

Jazbell starts to laugh and Herbert looks at her with a puzzled look.   Jazbell speaks, “Sorry, Herbert, I’m not being rude.   It’s just that I’ve been using the tennis analogy with Stoney for some time now.   You and I are obviously operating on the same wave length.”

“He responds with,  “I’m pleased to hear of our invisible connection, and, of course, no offense is taken.”   He returns his attention to me.   “Stoney, you’re a tennis player who rarely ever gets on the court and hardly knows how to hit the ball.   Jesus, on the other hand, is one of the greatest tennis players who ever walked the Earth.   So the difference is in how you play the game, a great difference, mind you, but nonetheless, the same game.   The difference is in your levels of mastery, and that difference is one of degree and not of kind.

“Thank you Herbert.   That really makes sense to me now.   So I, or anyone else for that matter, actually could do anything that Jesus did.   It’s just that he has mastered the game, and I and most other humans hardly even know how to play.”

“That’s it!”

I say to Herbert,   “OK, so I have the potential to do anything that Jesus did.   Obviously, I’m not, so using your tennis analogy, how do I improve my game?”

Herbert replies, "That brings us back to answering your earlier question about how to shift your thoughts from wanting to having.   I’ll share with you an ten-step process for increasing your level of mastery in the game of life:

1)   Love -- Love and accept yourself exactly as you are -- love and accept everyone else exactly as they are.   That's The Law of Allowing we just talked about.

2)   Self Confidence -- Believe in yourself and your goal.   Trust yourself.   Trust your internal feelings -- feel good means yes -- feel bad means no.   Trust that you really do know best what's right for you.

3)   Self Responsibility --  Accept complete responsibility for everything that manifests in your life.   There are no victims, only unconscious creators.   You created what you are presently experiencing, which means you  also have the capacity to create something else.  

4)   Gratitude -- Be grateful for everything you experience no matter what the experience is and no matter how uncomfortable it may be.   If something comes to you and you don't like it, consider it a Buddha Gift. 

5)   Action -- Take appropriate actions in a timely manner.   Let that action be based on what feels right in your own heart.

6)   Awareness -- Be aware of what actually manifests in your life.

7) Corrections -- Making any necessary adjustments in your thoughts, your statements of intention, your words, and in your actions.

8)   Vision -- Persistently hold a clear vision of your intentions until they area physical reality.   Write you visions on paper.  Create a vision chart  for three days from now, for two weeks, a month, three months, six months, a year three years, ten years.   Update that chart regularly.

9)   Quiet Time --Sit quietly for a few minutes each morning and each evening and focus your attention on:

a)   Being grateful for everything you are presently experiencing and

b)   Clearly visualizing what you choose your life to be like.”

10)   Take Small Steps -- Regularly, consistently and persistently take small, easy-to-accomplish steps that appear to lead you closer to your goal.

I ask, “Why should I be grateful for a painful experience?”

“Because it’s a ‘Buddha Gift,’ which means its a gift in disguise.   We simply do not have enough information to know the long-term outcome of our experiences.   If you look at everything that feels uncomfortable and ask, ‘Where is the blessing in this?’ you’ll be amazed at what the result will be.   Most people are too busy crying and complaining to see the gifts in their painful experiences, and so, they often miss them.”

I say, “OK, this sounds pretty straight-forward, like a formula, or a recipe for baking a cake.”

“The principle is the same, but because the intended outcomes are different, the ingredients and the steps are unique to whatever the intended outcome is."

"What you’re saying is just pretty much common sense.   Doesn’t everyone know these principles?”

Herbert answered with, “It's Sense, but it's not that common.   Most know about these principles, but rare is the person who understands their power, and rarer still is the person who actually applies them to his/her life on a day by day basis.   Do you intentionally apply them to your life on a daily basis?”

Again, I had to answer, “No.”

“Neither do most people.   They go about their lives as though they can simply ignore these basic, universal principles.   Their religious or spiritual beliefs place the power and control over their lives into something outside of themselves — into something that on a whim, will give or not give them the objects of their desire.   They believe if they’re good —good by someone else’s definition of good — this outside power just might give them some of the things they desire.   They’re still each creating their own personal reality.   They’re doing it through false beliefs and by default, and there’s not much joy in that.   There’s also no control, no power, and no clear direction.”

“Well, they survive, don’t they?”

“Is just survival the way you choose to live?   You could also ignore gravity, or traffic lights, or ‘Danger!  High Voltage’ signs, and where would that get you?   Reality is whatever reality is.   Ignore it at your own peril.”

“OK, Stoney, let me ask you another question.   Why do you think so many people experience screwed up lives?”

“I see only two possibilities.   Either the principles you just spoke of are false or they’re not being properly applied.”

Herbert Continues, “Thousands of people have used these principles and created fantastic successes; so, I no longer question the validity of the universal laws.   Based on my experience, I would say that proper application is the key to success.   There is, however, a third major factor.”

“And what is that?”

“Belief.   You can believe that a certain experience is possible for you or that it is not possible for you.   In either case, you are right.   Again, I defer to the master role model.   Do you recall these words, ‘According to your faith, so be it unto you’?”

“Of course,” I say.   That’s another line attributed to Jesus,” and then I ask, “How would you say that same thing in present-day language?”

“Beliefs and expectations dictate experience.   Thoughts come first, and experiences come later.   Most people have it backwards.”

I ask, “What do you mean?”

“Most people base their beliefs on their past experiences.   In doing so, they, in effect, expect more of what they have previously experienced, and so the Universe comes along and gives them more of what they expect and believe in.   Then they look at their new experiences and say,  ‘See, this proves that I was right’.”

“Is that’s how people get stuck in negative cycles?”

“It is!   Remember, the faith, the beliefs, and the dreams that people have about their lives are simply aspects of thought.   Unfortunately, most people over 30 have given up on their dreams and live in the context of ‘What I want is impossible for me to have.’

Some even carry that theme to extremes and believe things like  ‘My life can’t be any other way’  or  ’Misery is inevitable’  or  ‘Life sucks and then you die.’   Back in the 1800’s, Henry Thoreau stated it quite well when he wrote that most people live lives of quiet desperation.”  

"What if the “Universal Laws” as you've just described are wrong or incomplete?”  

"That is certainly possible.   I like to say: ‘These are the assumptions upon which I base my facts’.”

I say, "Wait a minute?   Facts based on assumptions?   This is new to me.   What do you mean?”

“I mean that I base my logic and my deductive reasoning on assumptions.   I assume that the three principles I’ve just shared with you are true even though I can’t prove that they are.”

“So why base your life on these assumptions?”

“Because all life is based on assumptions and because all life is based on leaps of faith.   I’ve chosen these three particular assumptions because the circumstantial and experiential evidence points overwhelmingly to their validity.”

I ask, “What about other assumptions?   What about all the religious assumptions that most people believe in?   Why don’t you base your life on one of them?”

“Because there's no conclusive proof as to which, if any, of any the religious assumptions are true, and none of the traditional assumptions  come even close to being as strongly supported by the evidence and by experiences as does the three Universal Laws which I just shared with you.” 

I say, “So is everything everyone does based on the perceived validity of his or her own assumptions?”

Herbert responded, “Yes, human life is not base on reality.   It's based on perceptions about reality.   If the perceptions are inclusive enough and accurate enough so that the resultant assumptions are true, then everything’s fine.

    But, if someone is receiving only a partial picture of reality or a false picture of reality or is making false assumptions based on his or her perceptions of reality, then the resulting logic, the deductive reasoning, and the person’s life itself, are all based on a false foundation.”

“OK, I think I’ve got it.   To use logic and reason that is based on false assumptions, is like building a house on a sandy beach with no foundation.”

“Right again,” he says.   “If the assumptions upon which we base our facts are wrong, we would simply be living in an illusion.”

I continue, “And what if the ocean of truth comes along and washes the sand out from under our beliefs by proving our assumptions to be false?”

Herbert says, “Then, the logic, the deductive reasoning, and the beliefs based on those assumptions would have to be reassessed.   The logic and beliefs would not necessarily be wrong, but they definitely would need to be re-evaluated.   Perhaps, in the new context, the same beliefs would take on some very different meanings.”

“What does that mean?   How can the same thing have different meanings?”

“This requires a discussion of what a context is.   That’s too involved to get into now, so I’ll just share an ancient Sufi story with you, and, if you’re really interested, we can make discussing contexts another story for another time.”

“OK, the story, please.”

“A farmer had a beautiful stallion which was the pride of his family.   One day the horse ran away and the family was extremely sad about its misfortune.   Three days later the stallion returned bringing with him a beautiful white mare and the family became ecstatic about their good fortune.   The farmer’s son, while training the new mare, fell off the horse and broke his leg, and the family became sad about its misfortune.   A week later, the king declared war on a neighboring kingdom and drafted all the young men into the army where they went off to war.   All were killed except for the son with the broken leg who had to stay home, and the family was overjoyed about its good fortune.”

“Are you saying that the broken leg in one context was a misfortune and in another a blessing?”

“Precisely.  Hundreds of people have gone through what, at the time, seemed like awful events only later to say those events were a blessing in disguise.”

I ask still another question. “What if I refused to see that the foundation for my beliefs has been washed away?”

“That could create serious limitations in your life, and, potentially, it could get you into deep trouble.”

“How?   This is too abstract.   I need specific examples.”

“Sure.   What would be your chances of getting a communications satellite into Earth orbit, if you believed the Earth was flat?

What would happen to your religious assumptions if God actually is too big to fit inside of just one religion?”

What if each different religion is simply another valid pathway back to God?

What would happen if you suddenly believed that stopping for red traffic lights was no longer necessary?

What would be your life expectancy if you denied or ignored the law of gravity?”

“Come on!”  I say.   “Gravity is obvious.   Only a fool would step off the roof of a tall building.”

“Yes, gravity is obvious, but what about those truths that are not so obvious?   It was not so many years ago that the Earth was believed to be flat, that the existence of microorganisms was denied, that space flight was mocked as a foolish fantasy and that running a mile in four minutes was considered impossible.   Are you aware that billions of human beings are still living the vast majority of their lives based on fantasies and illusions?   And worse yet, they deny the reality of anything that does not fit inside their illusion and refuse to look at any evidence that might challenge those beliefs.”

I look at Herbert with an expression of disbelief on my face and say, “Billions of humans living in illusion?   You’re talking pretty far outside of reality.”

“Am I?” he says.   “Am I outside of reality or am I just outside of your present perceptions and beliefs about reality?”

“Now you are confusing me even more.   Please explain.”

“First, let me distinguish reality from a belief about reality.   Then I’ll explain why billions of humans are presently living in a grand illusion.

Reality is the universal truth about something.   A universal truth is true at all times and in all places.

A belief about reality is a story we tell ourselves about something.   These stories are creations of our minds.   They are our attitudes, our opinions, what we claim to know about something.   Our stories may or may not express reality.   They are often incomplete, inaccurate, conflicting and/or confusing.   They vary from time to time and from place to place, and are often distinctly different from what actually is so.”

“So you’re saying that reality is what reality is, regardless of what you or I or anybody else actually believes.”

Herbert replies,  “Yes, and a fantasy illusion is still an illusion even if billions of people believe that it is true.   Most humans would like that unknowable indefinable something we call ‘God’ to fit neatly into one of their intellectual boxes.   Well, The Source of All That Is doesn’t not fit into any of our human boxes.   God, or whatever you choose to call that source, is a wonderful mystery that transcends our wildest imaginations.”

“OK, so how does that relate to your statement that billions of humans presently living in an illusion?”

End of Chapter Seventeen  -- 

How the Universe Functions -- A Probable Reality

Take me to Book One -- Chapter Eighteen 

These Are the Assumptions Upon Which I Base My Facts

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