This is part of my series about the Seven Hermetic Principles and the 12 Universal Laws. Visit my post Diving into the Universal Laws and Hermetic Principles to find the links to all of the Laws and Principles.
We’ve now covered seven of the Universal Principles and the one that may just blow your mind is the the Law of Relativity. It’s easy to understand, but sometimes tough to implement. However, with practice, I think it’s the easiest one to transform into a habit, which we as human beings can most definitely manage.
The Law of Relativity is all about perception. Wayne Dyer said it best, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” So simple, sweet and directly to the point. Here’s another great illustration, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Perception is EVERYTHING!
Imagine that you hop out of bed in the morning, ready to begin a new day with a happy attitude. Before you even make it around your bed you trip over your dog or stub your toe on the corner of the bed frame. Then, you go to brush your teeth, only to find out that you’re out of toothpaste! Your favorite shirt has lost a button, your coffee pot wasn’t empty and now it’s overflowing…Good gravy, it’s a nightmare morning! Add to that, you are now on the road hitting every red light on your way to work and are now ten minutes late- the day is a bust before 9:00am with no light on the horizon.
See how easy it was to quickly spiral into the void of mental despair? Now, imagine if you were able to stop that spiral or at least curb the acceleration of it right around the time your coffee started spilling all over your countertop. That would be super handy, yes?
The key to the Law of Relativity is to redirect your attention and energy. To stop your brain in its tracks before it goes to cranky town. It’s very different than the Law of Perpetual Transmutation, because that law is all about shifting your energy and allowing it to flow through your body naturally. With the Law of Relativity you just have to change your mindset and retrain your brain.
This law can be life changing on its own. How many people can you think of that are completely ruled by their emotions and perceive themselves as victims in their lives instead of active participants?
Is it easy to change our perspectives after they’ve become mental habits and crutches for years? No, of course not! It’s a task that requires constant vigilance and daily (sometimes hourly) upkeep. Good news though, it’s totally manageable and can be fun if you find the right formula.
Other tips to sync up with the other laws are completely applicable here, they are all on the same team after all! However, here are a few more to add to your tool box that you may find helpful.
1. Strengthen your mental game. Have you ever had a personal trainer or athletic coach? Each one I’ve ever encountered has said some version of, “Get comfortable being uncomfortable.” It’s not a phrase I enjoy hearing as I’m doing endless squats, but there is definitely something too it.
Our brains are wired to protect us and keep us in our comfort zone. That is the entire point of the ego, and we should all be grateful for that. Our ego is the reason we’re still alive! There does come a point though that we need to step back and push our ego aside so that we can grow, in other words, we need to do some things that are uncomfortable and unpleasant. The best way I know how to build this muscle, is to pair it through some kind of physical endurance.
A couple of years ago I did one of those 30 day plank challenges. It started out easy enough. By the end of the first week I was required to hold the plank position for roughly two minutes, and by the end of the month I was supposed to hold it by five minutes. As all challenges are designed, you start off easing into things and have to not only build up your physical endurance, but your mental endurance as well.
Unless you are already in good physical shape, your ego may start talking to you, saying things like, “You’re doing great! I know you’re supposed to stay like this for three minutes, but there is only 30 seconds left on the timer and our legs and arms are on fire-let’s stop! After all, you’ve never held this pose for this long and you can just add an extra day on here or there. OUR LEGS ARE ON FIRE! You know, you just made cookies yesterday, why don’t you go eat one of those as a reward. PLEASE JUST STOP!” The ego knows all your weaknesses and will exploit them, sometimes it’s a big jerk.
The point is, in order to get stronger mentally, you have to do things you don’t think you can do. You have to do those things over and over again so that you have the willpower and confidence to push forward when you face something that scares you, but is standing right in the way of your dream.
2. Change your physical perspective. We all know that a change in perspective can do wonders, but sometimes it’s super easy to forget that we can actually walk to another place in a room and get that new perspective. There is surely some scientific or psychological term and deeper meaning as to why walking to another area in the room helps, but I think it all comes down to energy.
Even though energy is constantly moving through our bodies, sometimes it just likes to take a rest and slow down when we are sitting down or in the same position for a long time. When you feel an emotion rise inside of you, quickly take a check and see if you’ve been in one position for too long and then move to another position, across the room if possible. It seems simple, but we’re creatures of habit, so it’s easy to forget that we don’t have to do one thing in one place all the time.
3. Take a big whiff. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we are stuck in one location with no break in sight. Maybe at work finishing a report, in the car on a long trip or any other place where you are unable to get up and move around and shift your energy physically. During these times, it’s good to have something to shift our brain’s focus so that it can take a moment of reprieve before our feelings can start to run amuck.
By nature, I’m not attuned to fragrances. Smells must be brought to my attention before they are noticed. However, I have found that when I take a break and breathe deeply, certain smells can calm me down and give my brain something to focus on and redirect my attention and thus vibrations.
Consider keeping something close by that you can breathe in when feeling stressed or anxious. There are all kinds of essential oils with necklaces or bracelets that can be infused if that is something you enjoy. As for me, I like to take a whiff of fresh or dried rosemary when I have the chance. Carrying a spice jar or twig with me may look strange, but my brain appreciates it.
Do you have some other tips on how to shift your perspective? If so, I’d love to hear them!
