Ch 6. Challenge Authority – Tinkering With the Bracelets
Gini enters the classroom and says, “Have you ever wondered why you think and act in certain ways? How you respond and feel can be a mystery at times. Today, in Lumera you will explore how who you give authority to has a big influence on your life.”
Genie Lesson # 48
Claim Your Power And Take Responsibility
Assigning Outer Authority
Most people do not realize that they give their authority over to different people, seamlessly and unconsciously many times a day. Almost every choice you make involves giving away your power, either to an inner source, (a piece of you), or an external source, (someone outside of yourself).
Just reflect on parts of your day to get the idea of how frequently this affects you.
What breakfast food do you eat and why?
Which cosmetics do you use?
What vehicle do you drive?
Or do you take the bus and if so, why did you decide this is a good choice?
Which newscaster or podcaster do you listen to?
Why do you make these choices?
Genie Lesson # 49
Find Out-Who is Your Boss?
Who do you choose to listen to and believe? This question unleashes a Pandora’s box of responses worthy of self-reflection.
Are you willing to become conscious about who you hand your authority over to? After all, if a Genie is to be free, they have to know, who is this boss they are ditching or choosing and why?
You are educated in your families and schools to think specialists know more than you do. In some cases, this is correct. In other situations, it becomes crazy-making. When you put a professional’s viewpoint above your intuition, you also assign them responsibility for the outcome. In effect, your inner adult leaves the room and your trusting but blaming child-self takes over.
In the book, Women’s Way of Knowing, the authors discuss how women often feel unheard even when they feel they have something important to share. They go on to say that the male-dominated culture has shaped ideas of what is knowledge and truth.
The way courses are taught caters to the way men learn, and relatively little attention is paid to the way women think or learn. Intuitive knowledge is judged as less valuable than intellectual evidence in these structures, affecting the way one embraces their sense of knowing.
When you become ill, it can be challenging to think clearly. You are trained to believe that if you decline treatment in the way suggested by a doctor, an authority figure, it is a sign of negligence. The subtext in this is, “if you don’t do as you are told you deserve to get sicker.”
In some situations, the doctor or other specialist’s advice might be spot on. But what happens when more than one doctor is involved, and they don’t agree with each other? What becomes your best course of action? Who knows the “right” way for one to proceed in such a case?
The example above is extreme, but not uncommon. This issue of inner authority creeps into most aspects of your life.
What diet expert should you believe?
Do you believe some people because they have an authoritative tone or speak loudly?
Do you believe in people because they are a part of your ethnic group?
Do you believe the person who is male, over a female?
One constantly and unconsciously chooses who they believe multiple times a day, from something as easy as selecting which breakfast cereal to eat, to who cuts your hair, to where you buy food. You have less choice when you act by rote. This is pertinent to all levels of genies who are trying to manifest more freedom in their lives.
Genie Lesson # 50
Know Who You Give Your Authority to
Gender
Who you give authority to is programmed into you early, before you are fully aware of what you are doing. Men and women are more likely to believe a message coming from a male voice. It is a result of being societally trained that God is a White male. The church, legal and educational systems are male-dominated and have instilled many of your initial belief systems.
Books often use “him” as a personal pronoun. Even though much has changed to promote female equality, some of these old tapes still linger.
Those of you who are older may have more of this gender-biased attitude. And consciously many of you know it is unfair and untrue.
I have also seen this manifest in sneaky ways, such as, after listening to a female politician, “I can’t stand her voice, it is so high pitched,” someone complains. Women’s voices do have a higher pitch and sometimes softer tone. This type of reaction is one way the feminine gets dismissed and booted from power.
Other Ways We Assign Outer Authority
Race and Color
Other biases or discernments that affect how you assign authority involves race. The ethnic group you grow up in holds a specific power for you, as does the dominant race in the culture in which you live. Sometimes the colour of a person may trigger a bias, and this may give them more or less power in your mind.
Age
One may assume those who are older hold more knowledge and maturity, up until old age, when one worries about senility creeping into their decision-making ability. One may believe those who are younger are more beautiful, or that there is only a single type of beauty.
Social Class
Another way you may give over authority to others is if you believe those who have money, responsibility, and assets also possess more knowledge. Often, you mistakenly conclude the master knows more than the Genie.
Profession
Those in more academic or skilled occupations may be thought to have more authority. This may well be true if the professional is speaking from their knowledge base. But it may be irrelevant, even counter-productive, if the expert is giving an opinion, not in their skill range.
Why Do Some People Claim Authority and Others Do Not?
Gini enters the classroom and says, “It can be frustrating to know a lot, but not be consulted or believed.”
“If you grow up in a time and place where the culture gives you power, it is easier to become a leader or authority. Or, if you learn what the power pieces of the culture you live in are, and collect and display them, this might be helpful as well, (i.e. degrees, health, money, beauty). Being a tall, white, professional male with a strong personality will give you a leg up. So, will having that certain charisma, lead gorillas, naturally high in serotonin display. Observe who the authority makers are in your life and how you give away power. It is also important to recognize you can’t always have your way in each situation and that there are times to compromise. It is a matter of being balanced.” Gini advises.