Would You Believe It?

Beliefs, Myths, or Old Wives’ Tales?

 

I was reflecting on the expression “Would you believe it?” and how often I’ve used it, sometimes with sarcasm and sometimes to express pleasant surprise. That phrase got me thinking about my own beliefs and where they come from.

It is said that a belief is essentially an acceptance that something is true or real, often without requiring proof. It’s often said that our inner experience (or programming) follows a sequence like this:

Belief → Thought → Feeling → Behaviour → Result

My perspective is that thoughts and feelings are interchangeable. I can see how this chain of cause and effect has led to outcomes that have shaped my emotional well-being—and even my physical health.

We all live by beliefs, but how often do we stop to question them? My friends Bil and Cher Holton talk about there being a “13th power”, which is the process of questioning unquestioned answers and this came to mind, when I realized I could apply this directly to my own life and long-held assumptions.

Anthony De Mello once said:

“There is only one cause of unhappiness: the false beliefs we have in our heads, beliefs so widespread, so commonly held, that it never occurs to us to question them.”

I know that many of my beliefs are inherited—from family, culture, religion, and countless external influences. Over time, they’ve become so entrenched in my subconscious that I rarely see them as beliefs at all; they feel like unquestionable truths.

Byron Katie offers another perspective: “A thought is harmless until we believe it.” She suggests that nothing we believe is absolutely true, and realizing this is freedom. After all, a belief is just a thought repeated until we accept it as reality.

This realization brings me mixed feelings. On the one hand, I’m relieved to know I can let go of beliefs that no longer serve me. On the other, I feel saddened—almost betrayed—because many of these beliefs have been with me since childhood, and perhaps even before. Letting them go feels like peeling away part of my own identity.

In my quest for truth, I’ve come to accept that truth is, at least in part, an individual experience. While universal principles and spiritual laws may exist, even these have been questioned, reinterpreted, and refined over time by evolving minds.

For example, I can no longer accept certain Christian dogmas when I view them through the lens of metaphysical interpretation and sometimes common sense! I believe we’re not the only intelligent life in the Universe(s). On a more practical level, I’ve learned that my happiness is not determined by the thoughts, beliefs, or opinions of others—or by external markers of success such as money, status, or possessions define me.

Yet I still hold on to beliefs that harm me. When I’m struggling with a bad flare-up of inflammation and unpleasant body symptoms, my ego sometimes whispers, “This will kill you.” However, there is no current evidence that this is true…

Other limiting beliefs I’ve uncovered include:

I’m not good enough.

I’m too old for new opportunities.

I’m isolated where I live without a car.

I won’t find another loving relationship.

I’m no longer attractive or physically capable as a man.

I’m certain there are other deeper beliefs buried in my subconscious that I haven’t yet uncovered that are directly affecting outcomes in my life.

“Reactions are unconscious beliefs” – Peter Dziuban

I know that my limiting beliefs are reactions to thoughts and situations. I’m aware that reactions are triggered by inner beliefs and are like the Autopilot or Satnav that keeps me on a definite path, even if it is no longer suitable or beneficial to me. Yet it’s a set of programmes that I run, like a video. 

The characters in a film, play or video are just following a script and whenever I continue to react in similar circumstances or situations, my beliefs are running the show!

Confirmation Bias and the Belief Cycle

I know that confirmation bias—my mind’s habit of seeking and remembering evidence that supports my existing beliefs while ignoring what contradicts them—has only reinforced these erroneous beliefs and ideas.

Surrendering Beliefs

Frances Lucille advises: “Surrender everything you believe. You have to sooner or later. You cannot take your belief systems with you when you pass away, so why not surrender them now?”

Much as I want to follow this advice, I also wonder if it’s like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. When I let go of most of my belief in Christian dogma years ago, I made sure to keep the valuable parts—the timeless gems of wisdom, rather than rejecting everything outright.

Spiritual Teachings Reinterpreted

For example, I appreciate the original teachings attributed to Jeshua. In John 14:2, we read:

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” In newer Bible translations, “mansions” is adjusted to read as “rooms” or “dwelling places,” from the Greek Monai, meaning “abodes” or “places to live.” I can see this as pointing to the existence of countless realms, dimensions, and Universes and the potential for us to have lifetimes in these areas, so maybe he was alluding to Reincarnation?

The quote from John 3:16 once marked the beginning of my shift away from conventional Christianity. I now believe that many Avatars, Prophets, and wise beings have come to “show the Way,” and no single figure holds a monopoly on showing us the pathway to enlightenment.

We all contribute to collective awakening in our own ways. Everyone experiences fleeting moments of awareness or channels wisdom at some point in life.

Moving Forward

I know I must continue to evaluate my beliefs individually. My best approach is to allow them to surface, examine them with open eyes, clear lenses and unbiased filters, replacing those that harm me with perspectives that are grounded in love, freedom, and truth.