The concept of self reception, or simply reception, is both known and unknown in the human psyche. It is known in the sense that the word can be found in the dictionary and most people have some sense of what reception means. For example, reception as a party or gathering, reception in the sense of "receptive" meaning "open", and reception in terms such as when you receive something like a gift. When we speak of reception of self, however, the meaning of this word needs to take on a deeper significance, and it is presently going through the initial phases of this process - a word taking on new meaning or deeper significance. So what is meant by "reception" when we speak of self-reception? To start, we are referring to a whole-body, energetic and emotional experience in which SELF "receives" that SELF is the creator of whatever experience SELF is having in the moment. Since this description may not be clear on the face of it, we will go into reception on the different levels of self-experience, as used in the metaphysical four-body model of humanity: mental, emotional, physical and spiritual.

     On a mental level of understanding, reception means the willingness to acknowledge and take responsibility for one's thoughts, feelings, behaviors, etc. as being the result or manifestation of one's own choices. However, there is more to reception than just that. One can do that, on the mental level (in your mind) and still be in a state which we call non-reception. A good example of this is when you can "allow" someone else to "have their opinion" while recognizing that it is different than your own, and you do not really receive what they are expressing. In order to understand and experience reception here, one needs to be willing to take the position that whatever one is seeing, hearing, experiencing, etc. is a reflection of self and has an effect on self, regardless of how much denial or separation one "believes" there is between self and one's experience. In other words, someone expressing or doing something that you yourself don't believe in or agree with, is actually mirroring to you something from your own unconscious, of which you are not aware. This follows from the first principle of manifestation which states "YOU are the creator of all you experience." Without this understanding, reception is very difficult to attain on any level other than the mental level. What other levels are there?

     The next level of reception is called emotional reception. This is an experience which takes place not in the mind, not in thought, but on an energetic level - usually in the belly area- when one receives the experience on an emotional level. Many people experience this with the movement of some emotion, which may or may not be identifiable, but may be accompanied by crying or some other emotional expression of self. Emotional reception is a very powerful experience, and opens up space in the emotional body for SELF, which can feel to the person like relief, relaxation, energy, openness, joy, aliveness, vibration - there are many different words to attempt to describe this experience, but here we get into an area similar to the attempts to describe Zen. It cannot be described in words, although many words are used in an attempt to describe it. Suffice to say that one knows when one experiences it.

     There are other, deeper levels of reception which can be defined and alluded to, however the vast majority of people are pretty much stuck at these first two levels. By stuck we mean that there is a lot of denial around both mental and emotional reception. This denial usually takes the form of either NO! or "this is not me" or some variation of "not" (see last page, "Indications Of Denial In Choices & Thoughts"). On the emotional level, non-reception takes the form of tightness or a knot in the belly, or the experience of being energetically not connected to one's body or others around you. Of course, since non-reception is the "normal" mode of experience for most people, these indications would not necessarily be easily noticed, or within the "normal" scope of awareness. However, increasing such awareness is possible and can be learned.

     Self reception means that you are experiencing, seeing, feeling, thinking, doing, hearing, whatever - only YOU. You are the one who is making the choices - consciously or unconsciously - which are the fundamental basis for your experience, whatever that experience may be. When you begin to take responsibility for this fact - that it is only you that you are dealing with - then you open yourself up to greater reception of self.

     Self-worth or "self-esteem" is a very elusive experience. Most people do not feel self-worth. What they feel is what they have labeled "lack of self worth" or "unworthiness." In fact, the feelings usually associated with these mental labels are the same feelings of contraction, tightness, etc. in the belly which are the emotional / physical symptoms of non-reception. Nevertheless, people assume that - through a process of polarized thinking - if there exists an experience of unworthiness then there also must exist within creation the experience of "self- worth." They seek to create this experience by several different paths. One path is to eliminate the experience of unworthiness. This is usually attempted by focusing on the creation of some sort of external validation or reflection of reception by others. For example "If I perform in a manner that I can feel proud of myself, or others applaud me or approve of, then this feeling of unworthiness will disappear". How many times does a person act with this internal agenda in mind, only to be disappointed that the feeling of unworthiness hasn't disappeared but is now joined with a feeling of anxiety that the performance was not ‘good' enough, that the praise received was not really sincere, that those applauding the performance are only doing so because they seek to appease you or they really do not know any better? Unfortunately, attempting to override the experience which comes from one choice with another choice doesn't work, because choices are additive, meaning that all choices manifest. If you are choosing to experience non-reception ("unworthiness") then you will have that experience even if you are also choosing to experience "worthiness", i.e., reception.

     Another approach to dealing with unworthiness is to focus on how worthy one is. This usually appears as a type of self-aggrandizement in the presence of others for the sole purpose of seeking approval of self. Generally this approach is also accompanied with a great deal of denial as to the presence of the "unworthiness" to begin with. Like the former approach, it too doesn't change the internal situation, because what is needed is self-reception. Which cannot be found in the choices associated with these concepts of worthiness, esteem, and attempts to overcome one's self-perceived "lack."

     Unworthiness is simply a state of non-reception of self. What does this mean? It means that whatever one is choosing to create - mentally through thought, emotionally through feeling, physically, spiritually, etc., - one is choosing to push away and deny that SELF is responsible for the experience. Why does one do this? Simply because one chooses it. Non-reception is actually the experience that is created when one chooses to experience self and then one pushes the experience away. This is non-reception. And the sensation that one then experiences as one pushes oneself away is the experience of non-reception. And it appears in many different ways.

     This appears in the emotional body as the feeling of contraction, pressure, sadness, shame, "unworthiness." It appears in the mental body as self-judgement, self-criticism, un-supportive thoughtforms, doubt, fear, blame, victimization, etc. It appears in one's physical reality as others not acknowledging you, abandonment, rejection, loss, lack, etc. It appears in the spiritual experience of self as separation and fragmentation from Soul, God, spirit, etc.. Unworthiness is eliminated when one begins to recognize and change their compulsive, unconscious responses of non-reception of self. It is not eliminated by attempts to ‘love oneself' or attempts to prove one's worthiness. Covering the unworthiness with loving intentions or glorified deeds does not transform it into self worth. This approach would be like attempting to cover black paint with white paint. No matter how much white paint you use to cover the black paint, the black paint still exists. You can make it look like it's white, but underneath the black is still there. You can ‘forget' or deny that it is present as you look at the white paint, but it is still there. In the psyche, feelings exist because they are chosen and until you change the choices they exist whether you deny them or not. Unworthiness exists because you choose it, you play with it until you choose not to. It is not eliminated by any other choice other than reception of self.

     You choose to think what you choose to think - no one else "makes" you think anything, nor can anyone else do anything which "makes" you think something. You choose to feel what you choose to feel, and regardless of what you believe about where your feelings come from and what causes them, they are your feelings and they come from your choices, no one else's. It is the same on the physical level and the spiritual level. Your experience is your creation, and is created through your choices. Many - in fact most - of these choices are being made unconsciously, which is why it appears that they are coming from something, someone, someplace else other than you. This is also what makes the denial of this fact "reasonable" or "understandable" to the mind, and why the mass consciousness of humanity hold onto this denial so steadfastly. But denial is denial, and all the systems of thought and systems of education and systems of law and systems of therapy to support these denials don't change the basic fact that, when it comes right down to it, there is no other explanation which really makes any sense, other than it is all coming from you. That is, after all, the point of greatest power, is it not? For what can you change, other than yourself?

     When one is grappling with reflections of self which are showing you your unconscious choices, it will automatically appear to your mind that it is "someone else", in other words, "not me." And one can go on believing this and acting as if this were the "truth" of reality, and this choice will keep certain experiences from ever reaching the point of reception where you have the power and the ability to change them. Eventually, when you get tired enough of the inevitable victimization which comes from this approach, and you then seek another approach which goes beyond what you "know" and beyond what the mass consciousness "says" is true, you will find that this approach - starting with the very first principle "You are the creator of all you experience" - is what leads to the freedom, the change, the transformation of SELF you are seeking. Many are already on this path, and many others seek it. It is available to all, when they - when you - are ready to receive it.

     You may have heard it said, "when the student is ready, the teacher appears." Translating this into the "language of choice" we would say that, when you are ready to receive something different than what you have always created, you will create for yourself the experiences necessary to show you what you are choosing to create NOW. It is then up to you to receive your experiences as your creations, and through this reception, to then make some different choices.

     Reception is the key to change, for without it there is no space inside of self to make different choices. Without reception, the choices one is already making are "locked" in place, in the unconscious, in a "frozen" state - outside the realm of "free-will choice." It is through reception that one unlocks this frozen state and brings to self the experience of "freedom to choose" whatever you desire, and have those choices manifest without delay. Reception is the key to change. If you remember nothing else, remember this. And practice reception, for it is in the practicing of reception that one becomes comfortable with the energy of reception, which at this point in time is actually a very uncomfortable experience for most people. The experience of non-reception is so widespread, so common, that this is what people consider to be "normal." So when you begin practicing self reception don't be surprised if it feels funny at first, because it will. It will also make you more aware of how little reception you actually allow into your daily experience. This is one of the things that "motivates" people to desire to change their experience into one of greater reception for self.
 

INDICATIONS OF DENIAL IN CHOICES AND THOUGHTS

* Any form of NOT
      e.g., don't, won't, can't, doesn't, shouldn't, wouldn't,
      without, but, "un-", "dis-"

* Any form of COMPARISON
      e.g., greater, more, less, deeper, highest, better, very, "so"

* Any reference to the PAST or FUTURE (denial of the present)

* Any other forms of TIME COMPARISONS
      e.g., never, always, sometimes, before, after, when, longer, sooner, later, etc.

* Any reference to OTHERS, whether people, animals or things (denial of reflection)

* Any FEAR (denial of what one is choosing to think)

* Any indication of JUDGEMENT, SHAME, GUILT, VICTIMIZATION or BLAME

* Any LINKAGE among choices
(blaming the presence of one choice on the presence of another choice)
      e.g., "is," "because," "unless," "cause," "if", "however", "what", "that", "for", etc.

* Any indication of POLARITY or opposites (denial of reception, i.e., non-reception)
      e.g., right-wrong; good-bad; positive-negative; all morality & legality; etc.

* Any indication or use of "WHY"
     e.g., "why?", "because", "then" (as in "if . . .then"), etc.

* Indications of DENIAL OF CHOICE:
     Any indication of lack, "have to", "should", expectations, "inability", etc.