Бесплатный фрагмент - How to Hear Yourself and Start Creating

Acknowledgments

To the teachers who see children as they truly are — free, luminous, and not meant to be fitted in. To my children, and to the heroes of this book, who follow their spark wherever it leads, even when the world pulls the other way…

Preface

Hello, dear reader!

My name is Elena, and I’m a mother of two sons, as well as a former HR and career consulting professional. After a fascinating journey full of ups and downs and unexpected shifts in reality, I started writing — revealing and highlighting the opportunities that surround us.

I’m a trained psychologist, which no longer scares anyone the way it used to. Even schoolchildren and students now come to psychological sessions and training without embarrassment. It’s becoming just another form of understanding — one that allows you to face your fears, the “cockroaches in your head,” your beliefs, solve a problem, or look at a conflict from a different angle.

All we really want in life is to be happy, to feel lightness and joy as natural, basic states.

But how do we achieve that? No one told us. Unlike the constant presence of suffering, pain, and melancholy — all the shades of which are regularly fed to us through news, film, and literature. The phrase “Life is pain” has become a catchphrase for many, like a well-known meme.

The ability to dwell in a state of joy, happiness, and harmony is the first thing we should think about and learn. This — not the pursuit of success or the “hunger games” of survival that external pressure and other people’s narratives try to impose on us. They scare us into thinking that without chasing that “carrot,” life has no meaning.

Throughout my professional career, I’ve often asked myself: “Who am I, and what is my talent?” And if at first glance it’s not as obvious as, say, the striking talent of an artist or musician — something immediately clear — then it’s hard to decide. So, possessing seemingly standard qualities like “you’re quick-witted, cheerful, playful, a good communicator, and well-organized,” you start focusing on external influences and what the system tells you.

I’ve tried many things in my life: a corporate career as a top manager, consulting, working in startups, infopreneurship, and numerous other businesses and investments — including, for example, selling candles and perfumes through marketplaces. I’ve always eagerly responded to the various opportunities offered by trends and external tendencies. And I kept waiting for outside clues about what to do next, what skills and abilities the system and the service market would like me to acquire.

But in the end, I understood only one thing: no one outside will ever truly tell you what you need to do or what your talent — that very spark — is. Neither tests, nor guides, nor teachers, nor employers will tell you your place in this world.

You can only reach it by yourself and alone with yourself.

The system can “circulate” you as a clear participant in the social order — a waiter at a bar, a delivery driver, or any other position precisely defined by the labor market. It manages society’s needs based on supply and demand, fashions, and trends that suggest, for example, that there are enough financiers right now, so you should go into IT. It insistently recommends choosing a field that’s in demand, not one that comes from the heart. It forces you to listen to outside advice, analytical calculations, and statistics — rather than your own heart, natural talents, and gifts.

But another way is possible — the path of freedom and creativity in its broadest sense. Creativity from the heart. The spark you discover for yourself.

In this book, I will reveal the basic steps and possibilities for exactly that. I will draw closer to the treasured depths and the priceless core that resides within each of us. I’m sure this will reach you at the perfect moment — depending on your soul’s readiness and your ability to hear and respond. Just try to read and perceive with an open heart. And if something stirs active resistance, then it’s not yet time; don’t rush. Everything has its time…

A Few Words on Tomorrow

“What defines a transformer is not the cog in his chest but the spark that resides in their core. A spark that gives you the will to make your world better”. (Alpha Trion in Transformers One)

The world is changing at an incredible rate. And you, dear reader, are seeing this every day.

Technologies are taking over spaces where previously only humans were. Artificial intelligence is becoming ingrained into our lives and work, reminiscent of the plot of the movie “Terminator,” only without the apocalyptic ending. Schoolchildren and students are writing essays, theses, and term papers using neural networks, creating videos and photos, replacing human voices and faces with avatars.

Social networks have become a replacement for television, and we spend more and more time endlessly scrolling through TikTok and other feeds. We get our news from Telegram channels and chats. And our thumbs are so toned that any bodybuilder would envy them.

New professions entering the labor market are surprising with their popularity, widespread response, and taking top spots on the list of top specialties. YouTube bloggers and TikTokers are riding the wave and often earning more than other professions.

Fresh schoolchildren can become fascinated with cryptocurrency, delving into the intricacies of mining or working with exchanges. Young and young alike are actively exploring artificial intelligence, using it in social media marketing, copywriting, and blogging. My seven-year-old son is already creating 3D spaces in Roblox Studio, having previously learned Scratch as a more intuitive block-based programming language. Former actors are becoming quest or performance animators, embracing the trends of popular TV series like “The Squid Game,” “Game of Thrones” and other films that capture our hearts.

And maybe adults don’t like this (especially grandparents), but this is a given of the changes that are happening.

We’ve increasingly begun to think about our free time and hobbies. How can we make our hobbies profitable, so that work isn’t torture or boredom, but rather transforms into creativity as a natural part of our existence? A lifetime of employment from 9 to 5 until retirement is no longer the only option for a professional path and a living.

Numerous platforms for gig work and project-based work sites are popping up. And if you draw, write music or lyrics, code, or even play computer games, all of this can generate income, essentially replacing traditional work.

Do you feel like most of the old templates and settings are outdated and no longer relevant? Well, you’re right.

Although it’s possible that right now some adult is continuing to tell you that you need to:

— choose a profession once in your life and know exactly who you want to be;

— get a job with an employer, building a career only within their framework, receiving a salary and stability forever;

— to be someone, to define one’s status and calling, and not to waste time on nonsense or suffer through nonsense (insert any other overheard phrase).

All of this merely reflects anxiety and conveys outdated approaches, hidden beneath good intentions, care, and consideration. Anything that doesn’t fit into the familiar is immediately considered strange, incomprehensible, and therefore has no place.

Do you know of examples of people your age or adults earning money remotely and living a more free life than those around them? But this is possible; you just need to see the options and directions for growth and not resist the changes that are sweeping away everything old and no longer viable.

First of all, let’s take another look at the face possible stereotypes and limitations, which you encounter in one way or another when communicating with adults. What intuitively seems outdated or unworkable to you now, or perhaps you simply know that things can be different.

For example:

— It’s important to choose a job for life, one that’s useful and socially significant for others. Show up to work on time and leave on time. Take all-inclusive vacations to the countryside or the seaside. Slowly save for a mortgage and pension, so you don’t die of poverty in old age. Better yet, start your own garden and tend to it — then you’ll definitely never run out of food.

— You need to do something that’s understandable and useful to others, something tangible, like building houses or making bricks. Something you can touch and feel. Anything else (blogs, videos, and so on) is like selling air” and therefore, the devil.

— Stability and certainty are important in everything: today one way, tomorrow exactly the same.

— It’s best to be where you were born. A well-known proverb reflects this: “Where you were born, there you’ll be of use.” Live in one place, without thinking about other cities or countries. The key is to understand whether this is your own conviction or something imposed on you. After all, you can be happy anywhere; it’s just a matter of where your soul calls you, and that’s important, too.

— By the last grade in school, you should have already decided on your future profession. Focus on what’s fashionable, prestigious, pays well, and is rated by magazines. Once you’ve enrolled in higher education, stick to it, be consistent in everything, and be results-oriented. If you choose the wrong profession, endure it and reap the rewards.

— Live for your conscience, not for joy. You can’t put joy in your wallet, but at least your conscience won’t torment you.

— Living in one place and owning a home is essential, just like having a personal car. Otherwise, you’re an outcast, and you could end up on the street at any moment, freezing to death under a lamppost.

— A hobby will never feed you, so you have to choose a recognized, normal profession and work in a factory/office/office, like everyone else…

I could go on and on; I think everyone could give their own example of an opinion or stereotype they’ve heard about life, work, and money that continues to hold them in the tenacious grip of its limitations.

Exercise: “Uncovering Stereotypes and Their Nature”

Here I suggest you stop and do this exercise yourself: Write down any limiting stereotypes you have ever encountered on a piece of paper and next to each one, note where they came from (parents, school, neighbors, relatives, a friend, someone said it on TV)?

In this way, you “separate” yourself from this belief and remember its source (“where the ears are sticking out”), which means you gradually remove the significance of these phrases for yourself. The important thing is simply to begin this process; gradually, you will increasingly notice how many limitations are “in the air.”

* * *

But there are other examples:

— The creator of Geometry Dash, a musician and programmer, combined his two passions into a new product that has become a favorite among many children and adults.

— An artist and director who created the animated film “Flow” using the open-source design program Blender. The film even won a coveted Oscar. Creativity knows no bounds.

— Authors of books with a narrow target audience, writing fantasy novels and becoming million-selling authors on Amazon (Alexey Pekhov is an example).

…you can take on lesser-known stories; you don’t have to be on everyone’s lips! But at the same time, you can maintain a lifestyle and format with much greater freedom than usual:

— a freelance programmer who writes code for several projects from home and earns money from multiple sources simultaneously. He can work from Dubai, Bali, or his dacha in the Moscow region;

— a gaming professional who earns money from competitions and tournaments, as well as from the creation and sale of skins and “virtual gaming equipment”;

— a game technician, a board game or quest story leader, who comes to board game companies as a presenter and expert, including uniting the geek community;

— an artist passionate about blockchain, who exhibits his works as NFTs and sells them to a wide audience. He also takes commissions for custom sketch projects;

— a young investor with an entrepreneurial bent, interested in the stock market, cryptocurrencies, and projects: bought a car, sold it for parts, bought a garage and rented it out, and so on;

— a dancer who leads his own classes or works in theatrical productions of young directors, a participant in youth dance projects;

— a gaming blogger who makes videos about popular games for schoolchildren has found his own style and flair, creating engaging content with humor and memes, monetizing it through video hosting platforms;

— a musician who writes electronic music — rhythms and individual melodies — and sells them on platforms for downloading background music for music videos and videos.

There are many such examples of self-discipline and self-paced creativity. It requires courage and perseverance, as well as a genuine love for one’s work.

That’s what this book is all about, because hearing your inner voice and what your heart desires is the most important thing. Everything else will follow…

First-hand: “What stereotypes about work, profession, or education have you personally encountered?”

Zakhar, 14 years old:

“Adults or peers in the yard say that work is necessarily boring, tedious, so no one wants to work.”

“That you have to go to college to get a job. As if you can’t work without a college degree…”

Ulyana, 12 years old:

“When people tell me, ‘If you cook something, you have to clean up all the time. If you don’t clean up, then you don’t have to cook.’ I just don’t really like washing dishes, but I love cooking. But when they tell me that, I just give up and don’t want to do anything.”

Polina, 19 years old:

“That work and a proper career are only serious things, where you sit and do something with an insanely smart and self-important air. And definitely not creativity. Because creativity and hobbies are just a pastime, a diversion, clearly not a calling or a lifelong career.”

Vika, mother and creative teacher:

“That you can only achieve a certain position through pulled strings. Even my grandparents always told me, ‘They’re rich and well-connected, they can afford it.’ A creative career, for example: singer, model — it all comes down to networking.”

“To earn a lot of money, you need to work hard and for a long time. I had this in mind even with some physical labor.”

“That work is some kind of reluctance, constant survival, it cannot be chosen according to your interests, hobbies.”

“That money is bad. Such a typical Soviet stereotype.”

“You need to choose a profession that’s currently trending and relevant. Those who earn a lot of money today should go to school there. In my time, it was cool to work as an accountant or manager and choose that specialty. For example, a friend of mine studied international relations at a very prestigious university and had a lot of English tutors. And how things turned out for her: she ended up opening her own optical shop. And she loves her business. And yet, she’s never worked in her specialty.”

“That a minimum foundation in every subject is absolutely necessary. So, you’ve chosen your list, you’ve figured out what you need and what interests you, so why bother cluttering your head with other subjects? For example, I don’t know biology and I’m doing just fine, and if I need something, I’ll find it and study it. Why waste energy and effort that you could be focusing on your passion, your interests, and, at the same time, passing exams? I’ll tell you a story about a group of 100-point students in literature who are currently studying journalism at Moscow State University. A professor gathered them together and asked, “Well, you’ve all read War and Peace, haven’t you?” They were like, “No.” Professor: “Then how did you pass the test?” The students replied, “Well, you see, to get a 100% on the Unified State Exam, you don’t need to read War and Peace…”

Author’s note:

In our age, when you can find any information you need, motivation and interest matter more. The ability to analyze, find what you need, try things for yourself, and gain experience — rather than simply copying memorized phrases and endlessly re-reading theory and rules.

In any lecture, when knowledge is being shared, the most important thing isn’t what the teacher says, but the state of mind, the experience, and the energy they bring. Think about how much you actually remember from lectures and lessons — and what exactly stays with you?

Let me give you an example: I’m approaching my forties, and I graduated from school long ago, but I still remember a biology lesson when my teacher demonstrated the structure and shape of DNA using a chalkboard wiper. She simply twisted the wiper into a spiral.

This is precisely why many educators today are radically rethinking their approaches to education and the way information is delivered — which is causing a storm of public dissonance among those who are used to the old ways.

The Faces of Creativity

“In the beginning God created heaven and the earth” (Bible).

We perceive creativity in a one-dimensional way. I propose a broader perspective.

From books and stories of others, we learn that creativity encompasses artistic works, music, art, and even crafts. In kindergarten and school, everyone created countless crafts from autumn fruits, origami, and other creative projects, including macrame. We remember signing up for clubs and sections on knitting, drawing, dancing, clay firing, embroidery, and so on. Some loved these activities, while others pretended to or wasted their time because their parents were forced to send them to the club.

Gradually, creativity came to mean only all of these activities. But this is one of the limitations our minds have created, and in response, we limit ourselves, for example:

— I’m definitely not a creative person, it’s not available to me.

— I don’t have any obvious talent like others.

— I can’t draw/dance/sing and so on, which means my place is somewhere shuffling papers or at the checkout.

— I can’t do anything with my hands; everything falls apart and falls out of my hands. I just break everything I touch.

— I find doing things with my hands boring, which means creativity is not for me.

Such phrases and thought forms can become ingrained in the conscious and subconscious of both children and adults, limiting their own search for self-expression. It’s tempting to give up and follow the established rut, following other people’s instructions, like a conveyor belt carrying out clear, routine operations.

But the magic secret is that everyone can be a creator. Creativity is all around…

The word “creativity” comes from the Latin “creatus” (past participle of “creare” — “to make, to bring forth”), which goes back to the Proto-Indo-European root *"ker-" — meaning “to grow, to cause spring into being, to bring to life.”

Thus, the word “creativity” itself is associated with the process of creating a form and giving it a new, unique one.

This means that any new form, whether material (objects) or immaterial (information, for example), is creativity. Wherever a person’s thoughts are, a piece of their soul is found. That which we truly love.

And there are no restrictions or accepted lists of places to be in order to meet the creative standard.

Beyond handicrafts, crafts, dance, music, and drawing, it can be any other intellectually creative endeavor. Projects, business, programming, copywriting, writing, blogging, organizing a group for a common cause — all of these are creative endeavors, and therefore possess a creative spark.

Creativity is creation from love, creation from the soul, any creative movement and thought from the heart:

— just an idea, in the form of an impulse that comes to mind, is already creativity. It’s up to you to bring it to fruition as the realization of the idea.

— a drawing, text, code, home-grown flowers, an algorithm, a program, a method, hand-crafted fruits or vegetables, an Excel spreadsheet, interior design, or even creating a cozy room.

— anything, starting with the material world, embodied in concrete objects — something that can be assessed, touched and handled with one’s own hands, physical achievements in sports, as well as what lies beyond the material world — information, meanings, ideas.

This is not easy for our minds (which are quite conservative by nature) to imagine and think about, especially if you are creating something that has not existed before.

You can even create a mood and a state (… and from this, your own reality).

Yes, yes, don’t be surprised, this is the very first creation, immediately available to us. We often forget this as life goes on, thinking that external factors, like bad weather, the exchange rate, or the neighbors’ arguments, affect our mood. This is absolutely possible, gradually tapping into our resources, establishing contact with ourselves, and tuning into the day, for example, by practicing in the morning.

When you create every day, being in a state of flow, it’s as if you are carried by an invisible force, because you are doing what you love.

Differences between creativity from the heart and activity from the mind (mental programs and traps):

— The mind is always focused on specific results, deadlines, indicators, and templates for how things should be done. For example, this is the only way to create a video, attract subscribers, and follow a pre-conceived script, deadlines, and regulations. One step to the right, one step to the left — you’re shot. This is exactly how our mind thinks and imagines.

— The mind is very fond of calculation and focusing on standards and external benchmarks. Success, perfection, being better than your neighbor — all this comparison can nip any creative thought and idea in the bud.

— The mind thinks in terms of fears, limitations it has placed itself in — you can’t do this, because… there can be a million explanations and arguments, the most important thing is that this prevents you from taking steps and manifesting from the heart.

— The mind is afraid of making mistakes, and of mistakes in general. It’s embarrassing to appear stupid or to make a mistake, because the inner critic will always judge and criticize just as loudly as external evaluators. This is the source of the fear of making mistakes and the expenditure of enormous resources on “digesting” these mistakes afterward. The psyche becomes so tired of this entire process that sometimes it’s easier not to take any steps at all, since the “inner punishment” from this feels akin to death.

Many adults and those around us devalue our creativity because they too can be stuck in mental programs, thinking in limited patterns and scenarios. Therefore, following your heart is always a path for the brave and courageous. But it’s worth it!

First-hand: “What is creativity, and who is a creator?”

Zakhar, 14 years old:

“A creative person can do anything they want. For them, there are no boundaries, it’s just a matter of time.”

“Creativity means making crafts, drawing, doing something with our hands, feet, or mind. Again, there are no limits.”

Vika, mother and creative teacher:

“We can’t do without creativity these days. At school, for example, when a child comes up with an assignment and text themselves, we use that text to analyze spelling, errors, and rules. The child understands that they are the author.”

“Creativity is about choice. When a person understands they can choose and create something of their own. What’s the problem with the standard system, like school? There’s no choice. But when you give kids a choice, they understand they can create and invent something themselves. And through it, they learn.”

“Creativity is also the creation of something with your hands. Not repetition, but creation. Inventing something new, no matter what.”

“It’s about flexibility and a holistic view of the world, when you look at everything from a broader perspective. Children say, for example, ‘We didn’t cover that in school,’ limiting themselves to a particular topic we’re studying or discussing. But really, who cares whether we did or didn’t cover it if it’s all around you? You can reflect, think, invent, and find an answer or solution.”

Reality Engine

“Everything is theater, and nothing is theater. We are certain figures, here and there. Sometimes against the backdrop of the stage, sometimes against a transcendental backdrop. But in any case, it is a game.” (Viktor Frankl, “Synchronization in Birkenwald”)

Why am I talking about a game? Imagine that your life is a game.

You’re looking at a computer platform, like a Roblox game. You log in, choose a game created by someone else, and play by its rules. You’re assigned an avatar (body, appearance, and outfit), roles, functions, limitations, and abilities.

There is another option — you can create your own game (like in Roblox Studio), then you yourself determine all your parameters, roles, rules and path.

For a long time, we’ve been engrossed in the system’s established order: “kindergarten — school — college — work — retirement,” “marriage and three children as a mandatory life plan,” and other generally accepted scenarios. For example, our focus is currently only on the external: material desires (a car, an apartment, a summer house, a yacht) or images of others, glimpsed on social media, of successful success and repeating other people’s experiences. This is neither good nor bad, because no one will judge us. It’s important for everyone to experience their own place and level of play.

But when we realize that everything old doesn’t work, or is no longer interesting, then we want to dig deeper, understand how the world works and find our own place in it.

Over 20 years ago, the Wachowskis’ film “The Matrix,” starring Keanu Reeves, was released. Since then, the idea that reality isn’t what it seems, but rather resembles software — software into which we’ve been downloaded and forced to see the world as real — has begun to gain traction in the media.

Terms like “simulation,” “virtual reality,” and “parallel realities” are beginning to be used. All of this was well demonstrated in the film “The Thirteenth Floor,” as well as in contemporary examples like “Don’t Worry, Darling” and “Ready Player One.”

If we take the very idea of a game superficially, we might limit ourselves to the influence of computer technology on life or the role of artificial intelligence, even to the point of taking over our will. We might become extremely frightened, ceasing to use technology and neural networks, going to the other extreme, or even physically retreating into the forest, shutting ourselves off from everything.

Concepts and ideas are emerging in the information field that there can be many different realities (or branches of realities), and we control them through thought and intention (all this is well reflected, for example, in the book and film “The Secret” or the works of Vadim Zeland).

Various techniques related to creating vision maps and affirmations are becoming popular in society, such as the famous quote from the film “The Most Charming and Attractive”: “I am the most charming and attractive. All men are crazy about me.” And that before creating a reality, you need to verbalize it, think about it, or create a collage from photographs and magazine clippings. The number of vision map creation services is growing every day. The very idea that reality can be influenced is no longer new; it is carefully ingrained in people’s minds and influences the emergence of various philosophical movements.

And gradually, concepts like “matrix,” which denote a certain program, a systemic role-playing game, or a quest, are becoming increasingly embedded in the foundations of the worldview (especially in the vastness of training schools or YouTube). In simple terms, it’s a reality simulator, just like in the aforementioned films. A complex quest with various levels and roles that can be assumed and played out within the context of one’s own life. And, of course, with rules of the game that cannot be broken, because any violation of the rules entails punishment from the matrix or system itself.

So, let’s imagine that upon arriving on Earth, players — initially free and with their own purpose — gradually connect to the shared matrix system, perhaps with the help of their parents and others (and all this without the virtual reality headsets of “Ready Player One”). They begin to fulfill established roles, follow a routine, and, with age, acquire knowledge of all the rules and regulations of this quest.

The “guardians,” or rather the structures that ensure order and the functioning of this game, are numerous organizations. Each creates its own rules — for example, at an institute, a school, a state, a factory, a family, a bank, a store. Like honeycombs in a hive, they shape the rights and responsibilities of the players and contribute to the overall game’s control.

While a person plays this game, unaware that they are inside it, as if existing by inertia, in a dormant state, they are completely under its control. They experience a captivating dream, observing a reality that has been shaped for them, like in the film “Don’t Worry, Darling.”

The system controls and binds participants with powerful emotional hooks — fear, guilt, shame, resentment — and this keeps most from becoming aware and awakening. Even random glitches or system errors don’t bother participants until there’s a willingness within the soul to go beyond the rabbit hole.

Perhaps some of you, as a child or even as an adult, experienced the feeling during difficult, strange or incomprehensible events of unreality of everything that was happening, as if we were watching some bad movie, and we just needed to wake up.

In psychology, this phenomenon is attributed to the psyche’s defense mechanisms, such as walling off and repression. But these sensations occur not on a mental level, but rather in the memories of our souls. We all possess this memory in one way or another, differing in our ability and willingness to penetrate the layers of accumulated programming.

More often than not, unlike the pretty picture of a Californian town from a 1950s fashion magazine, typical life within the Matrix game can resemble an endless, joyless slog from work to home and back again. While the Matrix is strong, society is instilled with corresponding value systems, such as “build a house, plant a tree, have a son,” along with recommendations on what to do and what not to do while you’re alive.

The system can punish and take away everything. For example, from those who actively and openly fight it, from those who fiercely resist it, from revolutionaries. Or it can heavily reward those who perform the best, the so-called “high performers” of certain political and corporate structures, with special perks, power, and money. This takes away freedom of the soul, since any contract requires compliance with the rules and a contribution to the system. No one receives power and enormous sums of money from the system for nothing.

The structures themselves also change over time, some of them become obsolete and disappear into oblivion (for example, the Komsomol), some are simply transformed (the same institution of marriage is now completely different from what it was 20 years ago).

The metaphor of the “dormant state” was beautifully captured in the Disney cartoon “Soul,” where a stockbroker sat in his office, practically sleepwalking. He kept repeating the same mantra: “I need to make money, watch the stocks, money, money, money…” staring at his computer monitor. Meanwhile, his soul wandered through the depths of outer space, accumulating ever more layers of darkness and becoming some kind of monster. When the main characters accidentally tugged at this monster, it shed this ballast of darkness, and the broker awakened as if from a dream, throwing aside papers and stationery, shouting to the entire office, “I’m free!”

At the moment when the standard path of “graduated from school to go to college to find a job to buy an apartment… and so on in the same circle all the way to reserving a place in the cemetery” begins to raise questions and a feeling arises that something is wrong here, an understanding of the artificiality or limitations of this scenario comes.

A person reflects on their own purpose, tries to break free from established patterns and find their own. This process is often called “awakening,” or “waking up.”

But more often, a person is simply pushed out of their usual circle by extreme and difficult events, a series of resets, when matter and the entire surrounding space collapses. These painful events seem to signal and begin to scream: “Look deeper, go beyond, reflect on meaning!” We know examples of such events — from natural or man-made disasters to the bankruptcies of previously successful businesses, difficult divorces, deaths, separations, and military actions.

From the outside, it seems that a person is simply pushed out by the familiar environment, prompting him to become more aware faster.

The task is not easy, even for the brave, because the system actively resists its players’ exit, imposing numerous temptations and capturing the mental and emotional airwaves. Remember the “we’re all going to die” news stories. They divert attention from the truth to the matrix scenario. They continue to feed on people’s negative emotions and sway them into a reaction of fear or guilt (conspiracy theories, for example). They pull strings, pressing on those pain points — triggers — that distract attention for a long time. Or they test and tempt, offering ever new needs, desires, and ambitions (you definitely need a new phone, or another mortgage at 30%).

There’s nothing inherently good or bad about the matrix or its structures — it’s simply a system. One can only marvel at its complexity and be amazed by the incredible visuals of this game. And how seriously we all play it.

But when you recognize yourself as a soul, and not as the script, role, or function the matrix demands of you, you gradually free yourself from its grip and begin to live your own captivating life. This means approaching every interaction consciously, understanding how the system works and what its rules are. And now, instead of being subject to its actions and laws, you use it for your own benefit when needed.

As long as we don’t live in a remote forest or are alone in the mountains of Tibet, we still need to interact with the system and its structures (after all, sometimes we need to go to the Market center, use banking products, renew our passports, and so on). But on a different level: calmly following its rules in the present moment, without resisting or internally criticizing them. Don’t make the functioning of alien systems and structures the focus of your entire life, devoting energy, effort, and time to them.

And regularly asking myself: “Who am I in this?”

We learn from quests from childhood, deeply immersing ourselves in them.

Oddly enough, playing other people’s games is very exciting and interesting, but only up to a certain point. Until you get bored, or you’ve already “outgrown” the game, knowing all its tricks, levels, and prizes at the end. This can be clearly observed in children, as well as in anyone involved in various computer games.

Let me give you an example. Just recently, I participated in a walkthrough of the horror game Poppy Playtime with my son. He couldn’t get past the final stage of the first season, where the main character, with multicolored arms, runs through the ventilation system of Huggy Waggy, trying to reach the right door, navigating every nook and cranny and labyrinth. You run left and right, following the signs on the wall, and at any moment, a monster with a creepy sound and abrupt animation can jump out at you. This makes you jump in surprise every time, reacting to the jumpscare. My son became so frustrated with each failure that he started getting angry. His anger and irritation grew with each attempt and eventually spilled onto the surrounding objects, chairs, and, of course, me, as the cause of all the problems. I tried to explain to him that this game wasn’t worth such negative emotions. It was useless, since he was already one hundred percent involved and his body was reacting automatically.

Eventually, we found the instructions and suggested routes: where to go and what to do, and we sketched out the arrows in a notebook. I even started coaching him: “Right, left, down, bend over, don’t look back…” We learned about the coveted Shift key, which allows you to run fast rather than just walk. By pressing this key, my son navigated the ventilation labyrinth on his first try, reached the right spot, slammed Huggy Waggie with a giant box, and finished the first season of this game. Delight, happiness, euphoria, and… an increased number of gray hairs on my mother, along with frayed nerves.

How much does this reflect our entire life, which is essentially the same quest, a wandering game with many tasks, difficulties, and horror. The more we let’s get involved the more we play this game, the more we experience emotions of all ranks and scales: from disappointment, anxiety, anger, fear, to positive, yet still temporary, ones. In fact, it’s all just a game, and not ours, one we’ve immersed ourselves in. You can’t quit if your interest in it hasn’t waned.

And until you’ve had enough of these games, you’ll find yourself playing them over and over again. Career, house, loans, cars, mortgages, problems, jobs, expenses, everyday issues, constant fuss and achievement, and we get angry, afraid, anxious, looking for surrogate relaxation, and so on in a circle.

As soon as the interest wears off, you exit the game, or rather, you simply realize what’s happening, and you can breathe a sigh of relief…

Unpacking the Human

“When you look at the stars, think of one of them as my soul.” (Optimus Prime, Transformers: Age of Extinction)

Until we understand how our personality is structured, with all its conscious and unconscious aspects, we will continue to struggle with its manifestations. We will push things into the back of our minds, for example, negative emotions, refuse to accept all its parts, or take on unnecessary burdens and baggage.

The secret is in knowledge, and this is a great power.

You can continue to succumb to the influence of your own demons, fighting them, unconsciously tearing yourself apart, not understanding what’s awakened within you right now, or why you think and feel the way you do. Or you can begin to reflect and explore where we perceive everything from, and whether our thoughts and emotions are truly OURS.

Philosophical movements and practices, including, for example, yoga, view the human being as a broader system, not limited to the physical body. After all, we think and feel — but we can’t touch it, right? This means there’s a lot we can’t see with our own eyes, but it exists.

We won’t discuss the basic systems of human life learned in school (from digestion to respiration) here, but rather delve a little deeper into more metaphysical foundations. The body can be easily tangible, such as legs or arms, or invisible, like our thoughts, while still being a part of us. This is precisely what the term “subtle bodies” or levels, as we will call them in this book, explains.

Moving from denser bodies or levels to more subtle ones, let’s imagine the following order (in this book, I’ll only give examples of four of them; information about the other levels can be found in various sources if you wish). All of them are closely interconnected.

So, let’s begin…

Physical Body Level

The easily tangible and visible part of us. Appearance, height, constitution, how we are structured and built.

We can touch, feel, and stroke, sensing muscles or skin. Some processes in the physical body occur unconsciously, for example, the reactions of internal organs, while others we feel and are aware of. Tension in the chest, pressure in the abdomen, muscle fatigue, or, conversely, a lightness in the body when nothing hurts.

Connecting with the body is a very important moment, because often our thoughts take us to unknown distances, and now we are far removed from the body, losing contact with it.

Anxiety and fears about the future can so completely block certain areas of the body that we can’t even feel what’s happening. Panic attacks, the ultimate form of anxiety, lead to a complete systemic breakdown. Recall the scene in the cartoon “Inside Out 2,” when Riley experiences something similar during a hockey game: palpitations, hand tremors, shortness of breath. In such states, fainting can even occur; the body no longer simply tells us, but screams: “Something’s wrong, danger lies ahead!”

You’ve probably heard the phrase “grounding and connecting with the body.” What does this mean? In moments when your mind is particularly “flying off,” for example, when you’ve wandered off into the future, the past, fears, and various rehearsals of situations, you can return to the here and now through grounding.

Grounding is, literally, connecting with reality through contact with nature and our planet on a physical level. Walking barefoot on the earth or grass, going for a walk, listening to birdsong, experiencing your body through any practice — bathing, yoga, exercise, jogging. Inhale and exhale, simply breathe deeply for a while, or gently stroke your skin.

If we didn’t have a body, we might be able to fly in airless space like light whirlwinds, but that would be a completely different story. We are here on planet Earth and are in the body, which means we must use this connection with nature and life itself through it.

Take a deep breath and ask yourself: “What do you feel in your own body at this moment?”

Mentally go through every part of your body, starting with your feet and ending with your head and arms. How your body feels right now, for example, does it feel lightness, tension, or pain in any particular area? This simple daily practice is what makes up our lives. Yoga even has a separate branch called yoga nidra, where, lying in shavasana with your eyes closed, you focus your attention on every part of your body, trying not to fall asleep. Observe your physical sensations, focusing on them, rather than following your thoughts, which, of course, never go away.

If we constantly repress and fail to process negative emotions, this blocks our body and leads to psychosomatic reactions. This has long been known as a fact in psychology and medicine. There are numerous dictionaries and reference books on symptomology and psychosomatics, which describes in detail how the body reacts to long-term stress and health-destroying emotions.

Even a momentary thought that evokes the emotion of fear, for example, will immediately trigger a reaction in the body (the jaw tenses or a tightening of the chest). One can imagine the tension, immense blocks, and pain that chronic worry, stress, fear, and anxiety cause. This leads to problems with weight, skin, digestion, and a host of other consequences.

Energy Level (Etheric Body)

The body’s energy level, whether it’s energized or de-energized. How we feel in terms of our internal strength. For example, fatigue and a constant lack of energy: “I just woke up, got out of bed, and I’m already tired.” Or, when the body is on fire and ready for new feats and accomplishments, you feel like a charged broom or a bouncy ball.

The very name “etheric body” suggests that it is something that cannot be touched, but can be felt energetically, for example, with the hands.

There’s a good yoga exercise that demonstrates this level. Rub your palms together quickly and vigorously for half a minute or more, then move them slightly apart. You’ll feel a cloud forming around them, like invisible soft cotton wool or electricity encircling your palms, this warmth spreading up to 10 centimeters around them. Or when there may be red spots on the palms and even the soles of the feet — dilated blood vessels at the moment of an influx of energy, like after a long distance run, when your whole face glows. When your legs buzz, as if a wave runs through your body — all these are examples of how energy feels.

At this level, various healers and Reiki work- practitioners who use their hands to scan the body’s organs, directing energy to specific areas and alleviating the patient’s condition. Among practitioners and sensitive individuals, there is even manual reading of energy and information from photographs and books, including when choosing a particular food product.

And this isn’t some fantasy. Scriptures describe numerous instances of hands-on healing. Or recall the scene from the famous Doctor Strange film, where he could manipulate his hands to move energy — fireballs — performing incredible miracles. It’s just a metaphor, but it clearly conveys the idea of the etheric body and energy.

But, of course, energy isn’t just in our hands; the etheric subtle body envelops our entire body in an invisible layer. Physically, we can feel a charge and surge of energy in our chest, head, legs, and throughout our entire body. The quality, density, strength, and stability of the energy depend on our states.

And this is what we manage, create, and invent.

We can retain a large amount of energy for a long time if we do things that inspire us and give us even more energy, without wasting it on anything unnecessary. Or we can, in an energized state, “go out into the world” and waste all our energy in useless conversations, arguments, and conflicts. This is what’s called “de-energized.”

Emotional Level

All, what we feel at the moment, the emotions we feel. This is where our reactions are located, both situational and emotional programs ingrained over the years, for example, from childhood.

The emotional level often manifests itself even more broadly than the contours of our physical body (although emotions are invisible).

For example, we can observe how a highly excitable person, in a state of anger or other hysterical emotions, literally destroys everything in their path, even breaking equipment. Or a door opens before the person has even entered, but a current of negative emotions or, conversely, euphoria has already entered the room, sweeping everyone away.

When interacting with certain people, you may experience a powerful energy drain due to severe, draining emotions: irritation, depression, anger. You interact with such a person and feel drained of energy and soured, because these emotions have been transmitted to you. Even the colorfully described term “vampire” clearly describes a situation where your energy has been fed upon, and done so unconsciously.

On the contrary, when communicating with a person in a state of joy, you seem to be emotionally recharged by him and experience inspiration, joy, and lightness.

Here, the multidimensionality and interconnectedness of all levels of our body are easily traced. Whenever we experience an emotion, it’s reflected in the body — our stomach churns with fear, we get diarrhea, our hands start shaking, and so on.

In turn, since this level is much more extensive and voluminous than, for example, the etheric body, emotions can linger for a long time, as if stuck in the body, and it is impossible to “digest” them.

So it turns out that for years we have been carrying a heavy burden of suppressed or unprocessed blocked emotions, which are reflected in the body.

Mental Level

All our thought processes and thought forms themselves, as well as information that flies into our “head-computer” from the outside, which is then digested internally.

There are such phrases: “Fools think alike” — or: “X“Good ideas come to smart heads at the same time” — in fact, reflecting the existence of an invisible information space — a field. It’s filled with a multitude of thoughts, ideas, insights, discoveries, and also a great deal of informational garbage. You can fill your head completely with it, without a chance to find a place for your own ideas, or you can consciously filter it out.

This is our dear mind that is constantly processing and engaging in internal dialogue. The so-called thought-chew If left unchecked, it becomes a restless mind. It brings suffering on a sensory level: “My head is already swollen.” And yet, sometimes you really want to turn off your head and relax.

Here lies a more complex construct known as the ego — the entire hodgepodge of things we recognize and think of as “I”: our character traits, characteristics, and desires. However, this isn’t truly the “I,” but merely a superstructure.

Ego is our “picture of ourselves”. Toh, what we think about ourselves: “Am I worthy or unworthy, good or bad, better than everyone else or worse…” — what we want for ourselves and constantly think about: “I urgently need this phone to be happy and to win the lottery, I lack love, I want recognition…”.

Whether this is true or false is irrelevant; it is simply “our mind’s interpretation of ourselves.” More often than not, it is distorted by numerous layers and bears little resemblance to the truth.

More often than not, it’s the ego and mind that lead us away from a state of peace and joy. They prevent us from experiencing the here and now. Because both the ego and mind “voice” so loudly, they constantly wind us up, leading us either into the future or the past. It’s at this level that most of the programs — the persistent constructs discussed below — are entrenched.

There is a fine line between the voice of the raging, unbridled ego/mind and the inner voice of the soul.

What our ego wants is always very much needed, and without it, as it seems to us, life has no meaning. A painful or obsessive idea that will drain you of all your energy just to achieve it. You can conduct a thought experiment and imagine internally what will happen if you don’t achieve your desire. If you experience terrible suffering, akin to the panic and frustration of a small child, it’s most likely the voice of the ego:

— I want a new iPhone (insert any other thing here), I can’t live without it…

— I urgently need to go to the Maldives, to America, to the Market, to escape from reality and forget myself…

— If you like that guy or that career peak, you have to achieve it, no matter what…

The voice of the soul is lighter and more subtle, difficult to hear if you’re not used to it. It never pushes or shouts loudly, never imposes or confuses. It doesn’t frighten you with the notion that without achieving something, life is lost and meaningless. And even if you don’t take a step, but remain at that point here and now, your soul will be at peace (which means now is not the time, it will come later, no need to fuss). Unlike the ego, which pushes you to run ahead of the locomotive for a phantom, illusory future out of fear of not making it in time.

The ego’s desires are neither good nor bad, simply a given that we must recognize. If you really want to “feed” your ego, you can take this path and gain this experience. With time, you’ll learn not only to recognize them but also to manage them, so you don’t always follow your ego-monster’s latest craving.

* * *

You may ask, why is it necessary to know how a person is structured and all these levels? To understand and see more broadly.

Very often we don’t even realize how clogged we are inside with excess, polluted with the unnecessary and alien, which prevents us from living a full life, creating and hearing ourselves.

To be able to clear your space and thoughts in a timely manner, feel more in touch with your body, and observe your emotions.

And most importantly, know that each level: body, energy, emotions, thoughts and ego are not YOU, but only a part of you!

The broader your consciousness, the broader the picture you see, observing situations from a distance and gaining control over your state and life. You’ll learn to view and evaluate life from a different perspective: many events, the role of people in them, your place, and the lessons you need to learn. Why a particular situation and space is created. This more complex and multidimensional perspective is a consequence of expanded consciousness.

Over time, you will also see that reality is formed from your state. And the broader your consciousness, the greater the possibilities for its creation. Thus, we live as if in a multiverse, parallel realities, each in their own picture, created from our states and consciousness.

What is the Soul?

Remember the very good Disney cartoon on this topic: “Soul”, which clearly shows the soul as something more than our body, emotions, thoughts and mind.

The very connection with spirit, the universe, light, something greater, is depicted in the cartoon as a huge ball of light to which souls flock, as if returning home. It can be called by different names, but the meaning remains the same: the power of the Cosmos, the Universe, God, the Source, Home, the Absolute. The invisible support of the Higher Powers, which is always with us, the feeling of being loved unconditionally, recall the images of mentors who treat every soul kindly, even “number 22.”

The experience of living in the Highest is described in numerous books, sacred scriptures, songs and parables, for example, the metaphor of the “Golden City” in the song of the same name by Boris Grebenshchikov.

This cartoon also vividly shows the mechanism of souls’ incarnation on Earth, how they choose one or another “suit” for the next life — right down to appearance, character, mental characteristics, intellect, habits and interests.

The concept of “soul” is often associated with the heart. Phrases like “warmth in the heart,” “a warm-hearted person,” “I love you wholeheartedly,” and “from heart to heart” merely illustrate the deep connection between the soul and the heart.

Many concepts and movements consider the heart to be the seat of the soul; it’s very easy for us to feel the fire in our chest. It’s at the heart level that the most powerful energy release occurs; we hug someone when we want to show how much we love them. We learn to listen to our hearts (and therefore our souls), to feel the warmth and light within our chests. People also say, “The soul sings,” usually indicating how much warmth, joy, and lightness you feel in a moment, as if butterflies or birds were jumping out of your chest, and you yourself were flying.

The warmth and purity of our heart is the greatest power that works miracles and provides protection from any darkness and evil.

You can consider this something from the realm of fantasy, believe it or not, and look for arguments for or against it. This book does not aim to convince the reader of its correctness, but rather to examine and see something from a different perspective. Each reader has the right and choice of their readiness and willingness to accept this or that information and perceive something new.

Just as we feel and learn to hear our soul, the warmth of our heart, our connection with the Source, we also notice support from above.Perhaps as a child, you felt the presence of your invisible guides (some call them Guardian Angels), who steered you away from trouble or provided support. With age, this feeling fades. But the more you return to yourself, the stronger this connection and support from the Higher Powers becomes.

Personally, I clearly remember two striking moments from my childhood, when the Higher Powers saved me from disaster with absolute certainty, and everything happened as if by magic. But throughout my life, of course, I notice their presence, although I understand that the experience I must undergo, even if it is difficult, I will overcome it.

This kind of support or attention feels like subtle, light sensations, literally at your fingertips. There are many examples, but here are a few:

— you constantly notice synchronicity in time and numbers around you (11:11 on a clock, phone, repeating numbers on buildings, cars, checks, in general, when you observe beautiful symmetrical combinations of numbers, and this is often repeated);

— at the sensory level, you feel a light touch, literally on the hairs on your skin, warm, pleasant, which feels like incredible support and love, this can happen in those moments when mentally you need this support and ask for help;

— easily find the answer to your question, for example, by picking up a book and opening the page to the quote, phrase, or topic you need. Similarly, seemingly by chance, you find books in the library that are waiting for you, and they’re exactly the ones you need as cues in your daily activities;

— “as if by chance” you find the film that gives the desired answer and support as you are ready to hear and receive it;

— you receive the information you need or people with answers to your questions. The conduits of answers and information can be anyone and anything, even advertising posters, signs on buildings, or labels on packages;

— you begin to notice interesting details around you, especially in the sky, the combination of shapes of trees, grass, and surrounding natural elements. For example, if you pay attention to the clouds, you’ll see whimsical images of angelic aspects: wings, a whale, a heart, a smile, a rainbow. Everyone will see something unique. The most amazing thing is that during moments of change, you’ll begin to pay more attention to the sky, and it will reveal itself to you in a special way.

You may naturally wonder to what extent everything we see and notice in these small details and clues is reality, and not a figment of our imagination. The answer is always within. If you feel light and warm inside, if you feel joy, it’s a touch, help, and guidance from the Higher Powers, even if you’re not yet entirely sure.

When you mentally reach out to your mentors, Higher Powers, or Guardian Angels, don’t expect to receive answers in the form of recommendations from Google search results or GPT chat. We think we should see a vivid image before our eyes or a clearly formulated answer, at least a diagram from a Mind Map, but this isn’t the case. You’ve likely seen something similar in programs about fortune tellers and soothsayers, where precise answers are given “according to the script.” This is the source of a different nature and simply the work of the director. Higher touches, whatever their nature, are always light, like a breath of wind, without pressure, pressure, or insistence. They can be fragments of phrases, perhaps color images, an intuitive feeling, or even lines from a poem or song as an association. If you don’t hear or understand an answer or clue right now, further attempts to “get through” and signals may not be made. This means the readiness and opportunity to listen will appear at another time. We will not be left without support.

The Peak is True

What our soul ultimately strives for is joy, lightness, and a sense of flight. Such states are often called elevated, more likely to indicate their level compared to more mundane and difficult ones such as pain, bitterness, melancholy, or despondency.

How do high states feel in our body?

Remember those childhood moments when you literally wanted to fly, to leap for joy while riding amusement rides. The slide would lift you up, and you’d practically soar into the sky. Everything inside you, in your chest, seemed to rise, evoking a gentle feeling of elation and weightlessness. This is only a small part of what can be implied by elevated states.

Such states can be experienced during moments of inspiration, joy, love, and oneness with nature and the entire world. These are not the frantic peaks of euphoria that follow emotional swings, but rather truly elevated states. Many surrogates we encounter in life are designed to temporarily produce something similar, but in a highly distorted form, causing terribly painful consequences and addictions.

High states are when you are simply walking in peace, rejoicing, enjoying nature, feeling the wind on your face, feeling lightness.

In contrast, anything that weighs down, compresses, squeezes, tenses, or creates discomfort is fear, anxiety, doubt, conflict, and argument. Many people can live with such heaviness their entire lives, practically never experiencing elevated states, and consider this to be normal.

But, recalling the cartoon “Soul” and the images of light, teachers and mentors who interacted with the characters, we come to the observation that kindness, joy, unity, and lightness are precisely what is more natural for the soul.

The more often you experience high states, the more clearly you see and discern what brings you heaviness and discomfort. And this isn’t about that extra piece of cake, although diet plays a role too. It’s just that you already know what doesn’t suit you on a sensory level. So in the future, you can avoid and discourage similar situations, companies, information, and even thoughts.

First-hand: “How do inspiration and high states feel in the body?”

Vika, mother and creative teacher:

“Firstly, it’s a lightness in the body, and secondly, it’s such an open radiance. You walk, and it’s as if everything is flowing through you: light and radiance.”

“And this state, when you are burning with light, with energy — you can move mountains!”

“What prevents this state?”

“Difficult programs, for example, related to money and survival. How much will this or that action, project, or creation bring? My heart immediately drops.”

“The comparison program. As a child, people told me why I was so sensitive, even bruising my skin constantly, but what can I do? It’s just my nature. And it always hurts me. I’m a very sensitive person, so any misunderstanding immediately shuts me down. My grandmother, though loving, compared me to others, saying, ‘She doesn’t hurt, but yours hurts and immediately gets a bruise.’ I cried, I was so hurt, but I replied, ‘I can’t do anything about it. I can’t influence the appearance of a bruise.’ My grandmother didn’t understand this. As an adult, I still react acutely and painfully to any comparison.”

Each Unique

Despite the universality of the general levels described above (in fact, there are many more of them, forming a whole multidimensional system like a beautiful pattern), each person has his own characteristics and individual differences.

For example, physically, we all differ in height, weight, build, and outward appearance. Even though, under the influence of many programs, we try to fit a common standard or look like others.

Energetically, some people have a more sensitive nervous system and receptivity. They can hold and channel large flows of energy and, for example, “command entire stadiums” with their voice and energy, like Tony Robbins during his performances. Or they may be more vulnerable in terms of energy expenditure and interactions with different people.

Emotionally, we all have different emotional spectrums and ranges. This explains the different temperaments (sanguine, choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic) and their manifestations. Although all types of emotions are accessible to us, only the dynamics, frequency of occurrence, speed and velocity of their flow, and so on, vary. Some people are more likely to “get stuck” on resentment, self-pity, and despondency, while others are hyper-excitable, instantly becoming irritable and angry. This is partly due to the combination and predominance of hormones in our bodies, but it is not the sole root cause, much less an obstacle to experiencing peace and joy as basic states.

At the level of the mental body, the characteristics of our mind and the ego itself as such are distinguished. Thought processes can be very fast, with thoughts jumping from one thing to another in a lightning-fast and chaotic manner, or more orderly and calm. The ego can be overloaded (“give me some pills for greed, and more of them!”) or more flexible and pliable (“I don’t need much to be happy”).

It is worth remembering this — there is no similar human energy structure!

Each person is unique, and our task, first of all, is to recognize our own characteristics, accept and acknowledge our individuality in order to live our own path, and not try to “put on someone else’s suit.”

I’ll give a personal example to demonstrate how long it took me to discover such unique characteristics, and to discover for myself the concept of hypersensitivity of the nervous system.

For as long as I can remember, since childhood, I’ve always strived to be and look “normal, or even better.” I have quite a few qualities: strong will, enormous ambition, big-picture thinking, a high level of speed in everything, and the “A” syndrome (I’m a Komsomol member, an athlete, and simply a beauty). It’s a situation where the ego “sticks out” more than anything else. Outwardly, I had the image of an “iron man,” at the very least, but something just didn’t work out; I couldn’t fully live up to it. External events showed me otherwise; for example, I wasn’t achieving success in sports competitions. Building a career was very difficult for me, as was business, public image, and PR.

The thing was, I always experienced emotions more intensely. The level of worry, reflection, and self-reflection was off the charts. Various social events and public speaking were difficult. Long conversations or being in a crowd were a challenge. That’s why I always preferred being alone, and I even enjoyed traveling alone. I found my differences in the concept of “hypersensitivity of the nervous system” — a characteristic of the functioning of neurons and the nervous system as a whole. Physical characteristics, volitional regulation, and thought patterns can be completely different.

What are the signs of such hypersensitivity?

— extremely strong/extremely deep experience of any kind of emotion, both positive and negative. A wide range of physical manifestations: goosebumps, hand tremors, voice changes, motor impairments, and so on. I have all of this and it manifests itself in a variety of situations, from impaired motor function during sports competitions, to an inability to adequately explain or even express myself during a conflict or argument, or complete “shaking” during public speaking.

— sensory sensitivity — very strong perception of pain, smells, sounds, high stress during constant communication, difficulty withstanding crowds, any gatherings of people. Differences in perception of stimuli are possible: some people cannot tolerate smells or sounds, while others are generally more tolerant of pain. In any case, there are peculiarities in perception. The range of perception is broader or differs from the norm.

— high sensitivity to criticism, feedback, other people’s emotions, any kind of disputes, conflicts. All of this is perceived as more difficult than usual, and the typical advice: “Don’t worry about it, calm down, be cool” — leads to an even greater state of internal self-flagellation.

And these aren’t just qualities of an introvert, a person prone to solitude, but a way of perceiving and processing nervous impulses. Outwardly, such a person may appear completely normal, but inside, a storm is raging, and this can periodically be observed in trembling hands, lips, or voice.

For me, this realization was a revelation — acknowledging my own unique characteristics and not trying to fight them, something I’d done my whole life. When I was constantly being hounded by external voices and advice like, “Why are you so worried/taking everything so personally? Don’t be afraid of public speaking, stay calm,” I scolded myself for being overly emotional, learned to control my emotions (and always failed at it) and appear normal. Excessive tension and emotional control could lead to the opposite consequences, such as “freezing” or blocking my feelings and body.

Now I see that this isn’t just a characteristic, but a gift that can be harnessed to one’s strengths. After all, the superpower of such people lies in their developed intuition, reflection, empathy, and deeper perception and vision.

We are all different — we must acknowledge this within ourselves, and not push away or hide our differences. By exploring and discovering our sides and unique characteristics, we must learn to treat ourselves with care. Accept all parts of ourselves with love and respect…

The Child Who Knew Early

I recently heard a phrase from my son that literally illuminated for me an important fact that we often forget.

Something happened to his arm, a small bump and a bruise. He reacted violently, and I, reassuring him as usual, said, “It shouldn’t hurt that much, it’s nothing serious.” My seven-year-old son looked at me reproachfully and said, “I decide how I feel! It’s my body.”

And I started thinking, he’s absolutely right. How many times have we suppressed feelings and emotions, blocked them out and hid them in the deepest corners until we’re completely frozen and unable to feel anything at all? We’ve listened to societal and family mantras: “Don’t whine! You can’t cry! These tantrums again! Be patient! Get back into a good mood quickly!” and so on…

And then all of us, adults with an unloved child inside, go through life with our fears and blocks, trying to unravel our past or retreating into illusions. But we simply need to start embracing and loving our inner child, allowing ourselves to feel. Reclaim the right to sensations, emotions, and thoughts. It’s never too late to do this.

How Do We Know What Fits?

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.” (Albert Einstein)

We can test any information coming from outside, thoughts arising in the head, communications and interactions for truth, consonance with our own inner nature, the so-called synchronicity.

Synchronicity as a correspondence to the current state, level of consciousness, psychotype, stage of life you are at and all the inner layers of your personality, including the deepest ones as the movement of your soul.

This applies to everything: a YouTube video you watch, a job posting on a job site, information you gather from people, sources, books, and even what you’re currently reading. Everything they try to feed us on news channels. Any type of advertising, text, posts in the feed, job descriptions.

You ask: “How to do this?” It’s very simple.

An inner feeling, intuition, or so-called instinct at your fingertips. Most importantly, it’s unmistakable; it comes from the heart and bodily sensations. Much is hidden within us, which we uncover and unpack throughout life, as if remembering what we already knew or suspected from the start.

When faced with any new information that affects your life, you should check it not with logical conclusions like “prove it to me or demonstrate it right now, then I’ll believe it,” but with your inner vision, as if passing it through your filter-prism. Everything we can’t touch or sense, including knowledge and information, exists as a potential for cognition only through its own content, through our own self-perception. And if no active resistance arises within you, and you feel calm and acceptance, this is a signal that the information resonates with you. Or that you are currently ready for it.

Let me explain with an example. While listening to a video or reading a book, you might understand intellectually that the information presented is generally accurate, but something unconsciously triggers you, or discomfort arises in your body. Your mind, meanwhile, “forces” you to continue watching or reading, coming up with arguments: “The information is useful, I need to learn and discover new things, someone recommended this video to me, and so on.” Most likely, at the moment, this video or book is out of sync with you, your current state, and may never be. There are many reasons for this: the author’s state of mind, nonverbal cues or visuals, the energy behind the content — all of this may be inconsistent and even harmful to you. In this case, don’t follow your mind; trust your feelings.

Even if something specific (a favorite blogger, author, advertisement) previously resonated with you, it may become outdated over time, no longer relevant, and that’s perfectly normal. You evolve, discovering new things. Any information that resonates with you in the present moment will bring something useful and important. And if it no longer resonates, it means you’ve moved on to a different level, and there’s no need to fear that.

You can process all information and knowledge in this way — processing it internally, determining what resonates with you and what doesn’t. The more often we access our inner vision, the stronger our connection with ourselves becomes.

But let’s take a reverse approach. To avoid falling into traps, it’s worth remembering the typical triggers that can surface in your consciousness and at the sensory level while reading or viewing any type of information or communication. These are cases where a situation becomes a source of manipulative influence on you, for example:

— Pride and arrogance caused by the feeling of “you are exceptional, above everyone else,” or “exclusivity and exclusiveness of information.”

Which immediately evokes feelings and thoughts like, “Well, now I know better than anyone, now we’ll live together, I won’t tell anyone and I won’t share,” as in Grigory Oster’s “Attention! Everyone’s a fool! Except me.” Or, conversely, a rise in fears, anxieties, and tension from a sense of one’s own inadequacy: “You’re not what you need to be, you lack this and that.” It’s all part of the same program of comparison, devaluation, or self-aggrandizement. The same thing arises when theories and teachers are compared, others are criticized, and blame is assigned. It’s not very pleasant to witness such comparisons when one expert, master, or teacher actively elevates themselves at the expense of others by producing exposés or videos. And while such formats are usually enthusiastically received by the audience, significantly increasing views, they serve no practical purpose. This is a manifestation of the comparison scenario and the appeal to fear or pride. Usually, various concepts of chosenness based on some group or national principles like to “make a living” in this way.

— Focus on delay, the future, the state of expectation: “You still have to wait, try harder, it’s not time yet, you’re not ready, and so on in any other forms and meanings.”

This is also a common program, both expecting the best and the worst. Hope can sometimes be worse than any poison, fear of the future, or the saving phrase: “Tomorrow will be better, you just have to be patient.” This program itself is destructive precisely because it takes a person’s consciousness and focus away from the here and now. Many concepts and movements are aimed at this future that will never come. For example, “we’ll wait until the Age of Aquarius, and then we’ll live well.” Any news feed hooks viewers in anticipation: “Just wait, just a little longer and the castle will collapse.” Shifting from the here and now to the future has practical survival value only in extreme situations, bordering on life and death (for example, in a concentration camp), when this forward focus becomes the sole meaning of existence. In our everyday lives, such a delay will be nothing more than a constant phantom goal, a mirage that is impossible to reach. After all, life can only be lived now.

— And of course, any direct intimidation, manipulation of fear, anxiety, guilt or shame is a sure sign that something is wrong here.