What Is Being Valued Here?

Kris, as he is wont to do, recently made a startling statement which upon examination, turns out to be almost self-evident.

“Every belief and behavior has positive intentions at its source”

What is startling is to think that even my most limiting beliefs and egregious behaviors are rooted in positive intentions. [Back in a moment on the self-evident part.]

First some background information. Kris has upped the ante recently and is apparently expecting us to step up and actually do something in our lives in line with this material.

Perhaps as a result of this kind of provocative behavior on our part, our various universes, and Kris too, have responded with wider awareness, new perspectives, and even more amazing and useful ideas.

For instance Kris said at one point recently that value fulfillment was a done deal, no options. Whether we like it or not, we will fulfill our values, no matter what we choose in each moment.

This seems to fly in the face of our freedom. Can’t we decide we’re not going to fulfill a value? Apparently not, with a caveat tossed to our creativity...

We have the power to pretend that we are not fulfilling a value. We can even perceive that we are not fulfilling a value, thus causing some pretty paradoxical whimsies to be mirrored in outer experience.

The juggernaut of value fulfillment, is not fazed by this in any way. It simply incorporates any ‘negative’ choices or experiences into a broader, richer, more thorough-going fulfillment. [how often have you heard, ‘it was hell, but I’m a better person for having gone through it’]

Kris suggests we observe ourselves and notice when we are resisting something. What is our inner dialog? Can we identify the value behind this thing we are resisting? What is the positive intent at it’s source?

There is no escaping our value fulfillment, just as there is no escaping the immense self-healing processes continually rising up from source within us and informing our reality creation mechanisms. [This is why there is always a perfect solution hiding inside every problem. You can’t negate something with any effectiveness without having a pretty good fix on it first.]

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A friend suggested this reformulation of these ideas over lunch on Thursday...

“What is being valued here?”

This is sometimes a better question to ask instead of, “What is the positive intent behind this belief?” I have found this question to be very powerful. Often what is being valued will jump out as almost a feeling, rather than having to think about it.

For instance if your parents taught you the world was dangerous and you needed to be constantly on your guard, ‘what was being valued here’ was our ability to make choices to ensure our safety, health and well-being. Our parents attempted to teach us how to fulfill this value for ourselves, using the best understanding they had at the time.

As we connect to the intent behind this old belief, instead of continuing to react with chronic anxiety and protective behavior, we can join our energies with the valuing of safety, health and well-being and skip, if we choose, the habitual emotional influence and indicated behaviors of this belief.

The old ways of fulfilling this value are no longer helpful in our present lives. By aligning with the value being expressed, we can offer ourselves new ways to fulfill this value that don’t involve continual tension and negative expectations.

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Today I was thinking about my teeth. They are much better than a year ago, but they still bother me a little bit. Since my teeth were on my mind, I asked myself, “What is being valued here, in this gum irritation?"

The answer was immediate. This experience brings into sharp focus the value of healthy teeth and gums. Moving on to the next layer, I asked myself, “What is being valued in healthy teeth and gums?”

Here my understanding started to grope a little bit, but the answer was still almost immediate, what is being valued here is the power to eat things, which really means nourishing myself!

This was an ‘ah-ha’ moment for me and my teeth. Of course I value nourishing myself and have given lip service to this idea a million times, but my teeth are telling me I am resisting fulfilling this value. I am not nourishing myself properly. My imperative now becomes figuring out new ways to nourish myself. [thanks teeth, for being the willing messenger]

Just for fun, I asked again, “What is being valued here, in nourishing myself?"

Again the answer was immediate, so that I can grow and be strong, heal and repair myself, romp and play tirelessly, help others, and be fruitful and multiply... ;-)

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Recognizing the positive intent behind every behavior and belief...

Instead of being influenced by the particulars of an unwanted belief, align your energy with the values being expressed behind the belief, meanwhile appreciating this particular manifestation of your divine reality creation abilities. This only requires noticing and being willing to move your attention.

As you move your focus away from unwanted automatic responses, to recognizing and affirming the intent behind this belief, hitherto unseen choices will appear that allow you to fulfill this value in new ways more aligned with who you are becoming.