{"id":110636,"date":"2021-08-24T18:30:48","date_gmt":"2021-08-25T01:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/?p=110636"},"modified":"2021-08-24T18:30:48","modified_gmt":"2021-08-25T01:30:48","slug":"false-expectations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/archives\/110636-false-expectations","title":{"rendered":"False Expectations"},"content":{"rendered":" \u00a0 \n

John-Roger, circa 1981.<\/em><\/p>\n \"Spirituality is a very simple way of life.\u00a0It is not complex at all.\u00a0The simplicity of spiritual consciousness makes it very easy to go back to the primordial consciousness of Spirit and just allow it to be.\u00a0The complexity is the expectation we place on it and the levels of illusion that we project into it.\"<\/em> - John-Roger\n

\n

This article by John-Roger was first published in the Movement Newspaper, 1973.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many people deal in the levels of false expectation.\u00a0 Many people, when they meet me for the first time, say, \u201cI expected you to be a man about fifty or sixty years old, with long hair and a beard — but you’re not that at all.\u201d\u00a0 And I say, \u201cYou’re right.\u201d\u00a0 And it’s almost like they think I should defend the fact that I do not fit their expectation, that I should soothe their false expectation.<\/p>\n

When a person has a false expectation, there is nothing you can do for him.\u00a0 He has to handle it himself.\u00a0 If you try to make amends and bridge the gap between his false expectation and the reality of what is, you’ll find yourself getting caught in something that won’t be pleasant for you.\u00a0 Let me give you an example:\u00a0 If you go to a movie and you like the movie, you may tell your friends about it and tell them how good it is.<\/p>\n

Then they go to see the movie, and their expectation level is so high that the movie is a flop for them.\u00a0 So they come back to you and say, \u201cAre you the one who recommended that movie?\u201d\u00a0 And you say, \u201cYes, right, didn’t you think it was great?\u201d\u00a0 And they say, \u201cNo, we thought it was lousy.\u201d\u00a0 You say, \u201cBut didn’t you like the part when…?\u201d\u00a0 And you immediately start defending your opinion.\u00a0 They say, \u201cNo, we didn’t like that part either.\u201d (You can always come back with, \u201cDidn’t you like the part where you walked out?\u201d)<\/p>\n

If people are disappointed as a result of a false expectation, the feeling is theirs to take care of.\u00a0 If you talk about the Light and about MSIA, and they create illusions and then disappointments, you’re not bound to defend your position.\u00a0 You don’t have to defend anything, because they’re free to come and they’re free to go, and that’s the only level of honesty in which you can work.\u00a0 If you try to defend their illusions, can you see the problem you will have?\u00a0 You may have to come to the point where you sound rude by saying, \u201cSuit yourself.\u201d\u00a0 If they say, \u201cWell, I’ll listen,\u201d then you can say, \u201cGreat, then let’s go on.\u201d<\/p>\n

In other words, if they drop what they expect you to do and say, \u201cGo ahead and do what you can do,\u201d then you are free to relate to them.\u00a0 And if they lift in consciousness, then you both can be joyful.\u00a0 If they don’t lift, you are both clear in consciousness.\u00a0 Either way, you’re in pretty good territory if you do not try to defend their levels of expectation.<\/p>\n

If you want to have a happy time, then use this as a challenge:\u00a0 If someone says, \u201cOh, I thought that should have been better than it was,\u201d just say, \u201cThat’s an interesting point of view,\u201d and go on about your business.\u00a0 If you feel you have to \u201csell\u201d them, just go on about your business.\u00a0 People sell themselves.\u00a0 But you have to give them an opportunity to do that.\u00a0 All you do is present what you can do and what your particular service or idea or whatever can do for them if they use it the way it is designed to be used.\u00a0 If they use it another way and it doesn’t work, you have no responsibilities.<\/p>\n

It’s best to stay clear, to stay free in your consciousness, to know where you are, what you’re doing, and what your approach is.\u00a0 Then, if they start taking off to something else, you can simply tell them, \u201cSuit yourself.\u201d\u00a0 And step away into your own direction.\u00a0 When you allow them the freedom to suit themselves, to go on with their direction, and when you make it clear that you’re going to continue working the way that you’re working, it becomes a great security for everyone.\u00a0 When you say, \u201cI won’t allow you to interfere with what I’m doing, and I’m not going to interfere with what you’re doing,\u201d you will find great respect coming to you — not necessarily admiration or glorification, but just respect.<\/p>\n

SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS<\/p>\n

Spirituality is a very simple way of life.\u00a0 It is not complex at all.\u00a0 The simplicity of spiritual consciousness makes it very easy to go back to the primordial consciousness of Spirit and just allow it to be.\u00a0 The complexity is the expectation we place on it and the levels of illusion that we project into it.\u00a0 Because the spiritual form is so simple and pure, it’s malleable, and it can be molded into anything.\u00a0 It will allow itself to be molded into various levels of consciousness.<\/p>\n

You can, in a very simple way, reach into the spiritual consciousness by just saying, \u201cHere I am, Father — whatever…\u201d\u00a0 and letting the Light and the Spirit just flow in; that’s the most simple way.\u00a0 It is also the most direct way and the most complete way.\u00a0 But it can also be the most frustrating way, because not too many humans are going to let go and let anything come in.\u00a0 They’re going to reach out and try to yank it in, or attempt to control and create all sorts of things and then force other people into their mold.\u00a0 And when they’ve got you in the mold and they think they’ve won, then you file for divorce or leave your job, because you don’t fit the mold.<\/p>\n

On the mental level, you will often play all sorts of games, attempting to defend yourself and your position.\u00a0 You don’t have a vocabulary adequate enough to defend an illusion.\u00a0 It’s so much easier to say, \u201cOkay, I did it wrong,\u201d than to say, \u201cBut if the person down the street would have gotten up five minutes earlier and left for work fifteen minutes earlier…\u201d<\/p>\n

You parade the issue and defend your position to make yourself look good, until someone says, \u201cOkay, you look fine,\u201d but inside you’re still miserable because you’re not in a correctly balanced state mentally.\u00a0 I talk to people and I may suggest something to them, and immediately they go into a mental defense position like, \u201cDon’t disturb my mind; I’ve got my mind made up, so don’t give me any new information that might disturb me.\u00a0 I’m settled.\u201d\u00a0 You can do anything you want to with your mind.\u00a0 But if you’re busy defending your position, you really won’t be able to do anything with your mind.\u00a0 It’s okay if you feel that you need the defense level; use it until you can get past it.\u00a0 But don’t stay in that area.<\/p>\n

SPIRITUAL ONENESS<\/p>\n

As long as you try to separate yourself from other people, you will have difficulty.\u00a0 This does not mean that you have to reach out and join yourself to them.\u00a0 You’re already joined.\u00a0 That Oneness is already there; you don’t have to do anything, and that’s what’s so nice.\u00a0 But the difficulty comes when you try to separate yourself by saying, \u201cWho needs you?,\u201d and the voice inside says, \u201cMe.\u201d\u00a0 Then you think, \u201cWell, I can hold out longer than she can.\u201d\u00a0 So you back off, and then she backs off, and it’s miserable because you didn’t want her to back off; you wanted her to turn around and say, \u201cOh, I’m sorry,\u201d and come forward and beg forgiveness.\u00a0 But she expected you to do the same thing, so you have a standoff.\u00a0 Nobody’s going to move.<\/p>\n

You may say, \u201cI don’t see you coming forward and saying that it was your fault.\u201d\u00a0 And she says, \u201cNo, because it was really your fault.\u201d\u00a0 And then more separation takes place.\u00a0 It’s much easier to say, \u201cIf you thought it was my fault, maybe you could show me how to correct it.\u00a0 The way you see it, what is it that I’m supposed to do?\u201d\u00a0 That can become pretty interesting.\u00a0 But if you were really smart, you might say, \u201cIt was probably my fault, too,\u201d and then you have probably corrected the imbalance.\u00a0 As soon as you can say, \u201cI’m sorry if I’ve hurt you.\u00a0 I’m sorry if we’ve separated ourselves,\u201d that is not reestablishing, but it does stop the separation.\u00a0 It stops the push that is attempting the separation; underneath it is still together.<\/p>\n

Even though physically we incorporate different corporate bodies there is still a Oneness in the physical body.\u00a0 We are still connected together.\u00a0 You might wonder how this is so.\u00a0 You can walk into a room where somebody has a headache; you sit by him and pretty soon you start picking up the headache.\u00a0 You turn around and ask, \u201cDo you have a headache?\u201d\u00a0 He says, \u201cYes,\u201d and you say, \u201cI’ve got it, too.\u201d\u00a0 There is a connection there, but it is a connection physically.<\/p>\n

But the emotions are where we are really connected.\u00a0 It took me quite some time to realize it, but it was brought home to me very heavily one night when I saw a movie that showed the Indians being massacred — women and children and all.\u00a0 And to express their grief and pain, they threw dirt in the air.\u00a0 And I thought, \u201cWe don’t throw dirt in the air physically, but we do it in other ways.\u201d\u00a0 And there is something about expressing the emotional hurt this way that is very real and right.\u00a0 There’s something about getting into the dirt where you can release the frustrations and start moving your body around.<\/p>\n

But we’re not too smart these days.\u00a0 We might hit someone in the nose instead of going back to some of these old rituals that are universal, workable ideas.\u00a0 Getting down to the dirt level and throwing things around on that level releases the emotions without inflicting or hurting anyone else.<\/p>\n

Sometimes when you think you’re not hurting somebody — when they’re being hard — you hit at them even harder to get in.\u00a0 But way too often, you’re in way too far and stomping way too hard, and the other person is doing everything he can to get out of it.\u00a0 He’s backing off so fast emotionally that he causes you even greater pain.\u00a0 When people do this to you, when they come toward you in emotional turmoil, just tell them, \u201cI understand what’s happening.\u00a0 You’re in.\u00a0 I can feel what you’re going through.\u00a0 You don’t have to stomp any longer; I can feel it.\u00a0 You don’t have to yell.\u00a0 I can hear you.\u00a0 You’re in.\u00a0 Now let’s come into a calmness and solve the problem…\u201d<\/p>\n

It takes quite a bit of wisdom to tell a person, \u201cYou’re in on the level of my hurt.\u00a0 You’re in a level that’s going to hurt me, and I’m going to be shutting myself off to you.\u00a0 That means that I’m going to shut myself in; but lest I do that, I’m going to turn and give this expression to someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you don’t let the emotions flow in some direction, you become locked in.\u00a0 If someone can’t understand you intellectually, you can find people that can, if you’re on a mental level.\u00a0 If you’re on an emotional level, you find those people that you can relate to well with on that level.\u00a0 You can flow into those levels where you can work and relate and grow.<\/p>\n

Most of us have just about had our fill of separation and hurt; so we’re moving into the ultimate level of conscious spiritual awareness.\u00a0 We flow toward those people who are seeking the same thing — so we don’t lock ourselves in from the rest of the world.\u00a0 And we can then help each other in moving through the levels of hurt and despair and move into the joy of accomplishing.\u00a0 We start having the courage and the ability to very carefully speak up and tell other people what our areas of concern are and what our areas of concern are not.<\/p>\n

SPIRITUAL LOVE<\/p>\n

To be spiritual is not to be wishy-washy.\u00a0 Spiritual people are kind and they have hope and charity — which has sometimes been mistaken for weakness.\u00a0 Spiritual people are strong, because it takes great strength to break away from the people who would pull you into the muck and the mire of where they are.\u00a0 You may have to say, \u201cI love you and I never thought I could exist without you, but I am now going to exist without you.\u201d\u00a0 If they say, \u201cThere must be something terrible happening; you’re pulling away from me,\u201d you can say, \u201cNothing is pulling me away from you; you are pushing me away from you.\u201d<\/p>\n

But you may come together and say, \u201cWe can walk together and share what we can share.\u00a0 If we can sit and talk about herbs as a common meeting ground, then that is the level on which we will share.\u201d There may be special loves with whom we want to share on more levels.\u00a0 And we will move into a greater and greater union of Oneness with them, so that we enter into that love which is the greater spiritual consciousness.\u00a0 And we may become dynamos as we allow the greater energy of Spirit to be transformed down through our consciousnesses and out into the rest of the world, to all the other levels.<\/p>\n

The Holy Spirit will use us when we clear ourselves to allow It to flow into our consciousnesses and out into the other levels.\u00a0 Many times when we’re not sure about our actions, we say, \u201cfor the highest good of all concerned,\u201d and the Holy Spirit can then choose the level on which to flow with us that is clear.\u00a0 We then walk in a divine consciousness that says, \u201cWhatever happens is okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you shake a person up, it is just possible that that is the level that has to be altered in him at this time, and you’re the one bringing in the Spirit that is going to alter him into a greater awareness and clear out that thing that has been blocking him.\u00a0 If something you hear or see shakes you, whether it’s physical, emotional or mental, that is then your area to look at, because it is blocking you from reaching yourself.\u00a0 Go at it with a great devotion and fervor and, if you will, be fanatical about it.\u00a0 Don’t give in until you can handle this thing in a neutral consciousness, not in just a capable or competent one — but where you have mastered it.\u00a0 Then it’s easy to master the second area and the third area, because they’re already in line to be mastered.\u00a0 But it can be really rough to master that first one.<\/p>\n

THE PROMISED ONE<\/p>\n

The truths are all universal.\u00a0 \u201cSeek ye first the Kingdom of God.\u201d\u00a0 That is really the most profound message we can give you.\u00a0 Seek ye first the Kingdom of God; the Kingdom of God is within.\u00a0 The Father resides in this heaven.\u00a0 You are that spiritual being that you have been waiting for.\u00a0 You are the Promised One.\u00a0 You know it.\u00a0 That’s why you have\u00a0 a difficult time reaching out there into the world to make things work.\u00a0 That’s why you have a difficult time reaching out to other people or teachers to make things work.\u00a0 You are the Promised One to yourself.\u00a0 You have to reach into yourself to make it work.<\/p>\n

No matter what I do, I do, and it may not work for you.\u00a0 But what you do, you do, and no one can take it from you, no matter what their levels of expectation are, for or against you.\u00a0 This physical realm isn’t perfect.\u00a0 There is no one on this physical realm that is perfect.\u00a0 Perfection lies in Spirit.\u00a0 You can more perfectly learn to do things here, but as soon as you think you’ve achieved perfection, somebody will come along and \u201cnail you to the cross\u201d or they’ll step on your ingrown toenail or slap you on your sunburned back.<\/p>\n

Issue yourself a challenge — don’t let your anticipation levels get beyond what’s going on.\u00a0 Don’t defend yourself against other peoples’ opinions, misunderstandings, or expectations.\u00a0 Just be yourself and keep yourself clear and honest in your relationships with all things and all people.<\/p>\n

Baruch Bashan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article by John-Roger was first published in the Movement Newspaper, 1973. Many people deal in the levels of false expectation.\u00a0 Many people, when they meet me for the first time, say, \u201cI expected you to be a man about fifty or sixty years old, with long hair and a beard — but you’re not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":103076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,260],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-110636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-john-rogers-current-story"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110636"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110636\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}