We are influenced all the time… on the surface. Or, perhaps more accurately, influences seem to attach themselves to us. It’s only natural that we encounter books, CDs, and films which we really enjoy. After all, our lives are filled with a constant stream of entertainment. Some works leave an impression on us. But don’t impressions usually affect only the outer aspects of who we are and nothing more than that? In a few rare instances we internalize an impression, allowing it become an essential part of us. Such influences, those which are projected straight into our core, occasionally escape our attention. However, even though we may not consciously acknowledge the change, it usually seeps into our vocabulary, references, mannerisms, and perception.
There have been times I’ve looked back at something I read or listened to or watched in my youth only to suddenly realize how deeply I had connected with that work… how much I internalized it. Impressions that strong color our entire reality – that’s how powerful they are! Human beings are the filtration system for reality. A sepia tone or greenish hue can distort, clarify, or illuminate how we see the world. Such profound changes are important to our development. But how much clearer would it be if we were conscious of all those core influences? I seek that kind of transparency.
I recently bought Anthony Robbins’ book Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny! for the second time. Originally, I purchased the paperback in the early 1990’s. During the intervening years, his book brought me fond memories; guidance. It was my introduction to Neuro-linguistic programing, motivational coaching, and the field of self-help. The years passed and it seemed I was able to recall less and less just exactly what had grabbed my attention back in High School.
A week ago, I decided to order a hardcover version from amazon. The seller had it priced at the lowest possible amount just this side of free. Aside from shipping costs, I paid one cent for Awaken the Giant Within in hardcover and very good condition. One cent! That fact alone puzzles, amazes, and yet reassures me all at once. Treasures are forged, dismissed, desired, horded, discarded, collected, forgotten, and re-discovered all in the fullness of time. It’s cyclical, I suppose. But I digress.
Yes, that book changed me… or I should say it re-programed me. Apparently, I had incorporated an incredible amount of Robbins’ invaluable instruction into my own quest for personal progress. His understanding of beliefs, in particular, made me smile. It seems that Tony Robbins “got” something that has been one of my essential principles since founding the Cult of Cthulhu. He understood me because I understood him. Of course, Awaken the Giant Within had influenced the Cult of Cthulhu just as it had made a lasting impression on me because everything that is truly transcendent emanates from the same source… a wellspring of formless, black essence. Given a humanistic structure, we call it the Left Hand Path: a systemic need for Autonomy, Power, and Self-Deification.
Now, let’s talk about that central tenet of our emerald religion, that belief is reality. I modified this adage from the chaos magic saying “belief structures reality”. Basically, I just wanted to go a bit further. And that, for those interested in such things, is really what my whole life has been about – doing one better, overcoming the next hurdle, going a little deeper.
Belief is reality. That key statement or focal point has allowed me to worship Lovecraft’s deities as real Gods (when I desire to do so). Not only that, it gives me the ability to shape the world any way I choose. But let’s get back to Tony Robbins. His definition of belief is a feeling of certainty. In an example between two diametrically opposed beliefs, he goes on to make this profound statement. “The question is: which one of these beliefs is the true belief? The answer is that it doesn’t matter which one is true. What matters is which one is most empowering.”
Wow! For some of you that notion might be a complete paradigm shift. And for me? Robbins’ sentiment comes across as total validation of what I’ve been preaching for years. There is something I like to call Greater Truth! Instead of judging on a false scale of accuracy, Greater Truth depends on a subjective understanding of that which is fruitful. Greater Truth is transcendent; it is above those smaller, petty truths which so often fail to stimulate us or evoke our imaginations or push us to the next level. Discovering the most empowering beliefs and using them to create a new and better reality has been my goal all along. It’s the difference between blindly stumbling in the direction of Godhood and confidently, purposefully completing our evolution.
Later on in the chapter, Robbins makes a distinction between degrees of certainty. Allow me to quote Robbins again. “Often the best thing you can do to create mastery in any area of your life is to raise a belief to the level of conviction. Remember, conviction has the power to drive you to action, to push you through all kinds of obstacles. Beliefs can do this as well, but some areas of your life may require the added emotional intensity of conviction.”
Just as differences exist between efforts and super-efforts, so it is with beliefs and convictions. A conviction is like a super-belief, one usually reserved for religious zealots and fanatics who have experienced some sort of trauma or life-altering vision. Sometimes, this gnosis is referred to as an Awakening… individuals bathed in fire, galvanized with enough emotional intensity to take action and create change!
If belief is reality, then conviction manifests reality. Let’s pause a moment to digest this game changing maxim. Beliefs definitely shape how we perceive and interact with the world, but it appears that convictions force the world to flow in a certain direction, an intended current. A belief can be ignored, but not a conviction. Convictions are disregarded at our peril. They’re too large, too powerful, too incessant.
Of course, a conviction, like a belief but to a lesser degree, is a double edged sword. The ability to influence reality should not be taken lightly. An individual can do a lot of damage to themselves and others with irresponsible certainties. The right conviction in the wrong hands or the wrong conviction in the right hands will not bring beneficial change but, more often, senseless destruction.
Convictions are held by those who have crystallized. Crystallization (initiation) is not a transitory state but the accumulation of essential ‘I’s (inner selves, like facets of our persona) who have formed a working government, if you will. Magnetic Center is the recognition and collection of ‘I’s that wish to work. Crystallization is putting them in order, giving them power and authority.
Wrong crystallization is a danger, of course. Such is the case if an individual allows negativity to rule. When such a formation occurs it is necessary to shatter and re-crystallize. The assistance of a school or, at the very least, a Master is usually required.
A couple pages later, I see Robbins make reference to the book Meetings with Remarkable Men by G.I. Gurdjieff. That’s not surprising when we consider the similarities between deliberate personal progression and the Fourth Way. As I mentioned before, these things come from the same source. It feels as though I’ve come full circle. Arduous but synchronous is the righteous path! The Left Hand of God is darkness towards illumination; a journey of a thousand steps towards Autonomy, Power, and Self-Deification.
Additionally, the idea of “continual progression” or “change for the better” is perfectly captured by the Japanese word kaizen. Robbins mentions this too. Because the concept of subtle, never-ending progress is fundamental to everything being discussed, I’ve entered kaizen into Viridian, our Cult language.
Re-reading Awakening the Giant Within has been a revelation. Not only am I glad to have entered Anthony Robbins’ world anew (reborn?), I’m glad for the opportunity to share his insights through my own filter. Harnessing these moments of being more Awake than asleep… it’s what the Cult of Cthulhu is all about. Along with the writing of LaVey, Nietzsche, Crowley, Grant, Hine, Carroll, Gurdjieff, and Ouspensky, I wholeheartedly recommend Anthony Robbins. His vast, sorcerous tome, Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny!, should not be overlooked.
Does this stuff really work? Can you convince yourself of something by re-programing your computer using pleasure, pain, and new associations? Once you convince yourself, how easy is it to act upon these new thoughts and feelings? For demonstration purposes, assume for a moment that this message is of the utmost importance to humanity. By extension, this entire post, website, and religion are vital to man’s continual evolution. Believing this (it takes a little more energy to convert this into a conviction), what steps should you take in order to spread enlightenment?
Let us enjoy, rather than endure, that Greater Truth which is ours to wield. Live to the hilt, all aspects, every facet! Our blood is the blood of Gods. Their will, our hands… our will, their tentacles!
If you suspect, even for an instant, that I may have the power to guide you, then consider my motivational life coaching. Above these words you’ll see “I Am The Way”, the drop-down menu will reveal my services.
Belief is reality; conviction manifests reality!
Venger As’Nas Satanis
Ipsissimus
Cult of Cthulhu
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Do what works because it works.
Interesting, I suppose, in order for a person to consider you a qualified life-coach they might want to see tangible results in your own life. To see your evolution, attributed to praxis of this knowledge. Its rather easy to trade one program for another, in fact – its clear to me that people do this all the time. They have momentary awakenings, and then continue slumber. The hypnagogic state, in which they believe they are fully awaken, but they are dreaming within a dream. There is no question in my mind, you have conviction but compelling what, is dubious at best. Perhaps, it is the belief, that you may affect mass consciousness; however I am not seeing the success. Rather, I see more conviction into your convictions. I like to think of it, as bearing witness to your process. While I find that fascinating at times, as the aesthetic appeals to me in many ways, delusions of grandeur enslave the mind. Liberate yourself, and perhaps you can lead a revolt in the sleeper cells.
Who are you? Really?
I am successful in my own life; I feel fulfilled on multiple levels. My contribution to human evolution might not be readily apparent, but it is there nevertheless. Of that, I am sure. Such a conviction rests upon the testimonials I constantly receive, as well as, my own experiences working with individuals who want to succeed.
Some of my critics find themselves standing in their own way. Perhaps illumination will lead to transparency?
VS
As I finished reading Cthulhu Cult earlier this week, this thought somewhat came into my head. The act of cognitive dissonance combined with religious fanaticism creates en masse distorted reality. I would have once assumed that these combined would simply be a disillusion, a symptom liken a schizophrenic believing his or her alternative reality. But now I see those are not necessarily bad things. With conviction in hand and a mind moulded towards a higher purpose… these not only shape the reality but cement it in the fabric outside of our personal reality and into the lives of those around us.
In the mind there is no wrong answer, no wrong belief, no impossible until you assume it is wrong or impossible. Even if it defies all logic, science and common sense, it exists because you subjectively created it. Subjectivity is the core of reality; the self is the core of reality.
Now, while these could be bad, such as having a firm fervent belief that GOD is going to kill you, in chaos there is opportunity…
Cthulhu will walk the Earth! Free at LAST
In some regard, reality is something you should overcome. In creating new realities, this is a tool, for seeing a success in something you aspire towards. In that regard, I would agree. It can also be a danger, to those who delude themselves so much, that they lose touch with all reality. Residing in a false reality, self-created, can be self-defeating, in that regard. There must be some way, to create new realities, but not lose touch with all reality. On that note, you should also account for the unstable human, with a volatile psyche. There are a countless number of cases, in which the unstable human, takes knowledge, creates a new reality, then commits atrocity in its name. Self-sacrifice, being the biggest atrocity of them all.
That reminds me of something an old mentor used to drill into my head. She used to say that reality is made up of what you know. She distinguished between knowing and believing as “You believe what you know might be false, but you know what has to be.” She had absolutely no use for what she called “simple belief.” She taught that the only way to manifest anything was to know that the manifestation was possible… to know that you could do it. She said that if you knew beyond all doubt that you could fly, then you would be able to levitate all over the place. One of her favorite things to say over and over again was “Do not believe, but know and learn more.”
She shaped who I was in ways I never noticed until I started teaching what she taught me. As I watch someone change and become more like what my former mentor created, it makes me realize just how much of who I am was programed by her. Reading what you wrote just made that realization hit home that much harder. Thank you, VS.
All influence is programming. I think awakening is knowing when to change the channel.
This essay neatly delineates between genuine and so-called “armchair” occultists. One can theorize ad nauseum about how “language creates reality” or “belief programs thought,” the other can show you. Thank you.
Robert Anton Wilson said: “Convictions cause convicts.”
He didn’t say, however, that they may also lead to liberation. Perhaps he was looking at the cell half-full.
You recommend spreading enlightenment and talk about the power of conviction. I’d agree, as long as the conviction was lined up with something real.