Factors That Shape the Future

This section introduces the mechanism of how the future is formed.

As explained in How the Soul's Memory Manifests, what creates the subjective world is the soul's memory inherent within the soul.

You can think of it like the frames in a flipbook (animation).

The subjective world you perceive in this moment is like the currently displayed animation cel.

In contrast, the materials and tools to draw the next scene are equivalent to the memory of the soul.

Each time, the materials at hand are gathered to complete the next frame, thereby manifesting the next reality.

Therefore, the yet-to-arrive and uncertain future exists as “material” deep within oneself.

These materials are the factors that create the future—in other words, the memory of the soul.

The accumulation of information as factors is constantly happening through interactions with the subjective world.

The things most likely to become factors are, generally, in the following order:

1. One’s own words and actions toward the subjective world
2. One’s own emotions, thoughts, and preconceptions

Why is the self the basis for accumulation? Because the focus of self-awareness is strongest on oneself.

Everyone has probably had experiences like these:

• Your own emotions are easier to feel than others'.
• Your own experiences are more vivid than others'.
• Events close to you affect your feelings more than those far away.

These feelings are not just because it's “your business and not someone else’s.”
It’s also because self-awareness is most focused on the self.

In truth, your body, emotions, and thoughts are all just part of the subjective world, like anyone else’s.

Yet, you tend to consider your body, emotions, and thoughts entirely your own and feel them strongly.

This happens because self-awareness is so intensely focused.

Here is a simple explanation of causality.

Soul memory: “I hit someone because I got angry”—this information is recorded.

1. The destination for projected information is always the subjective world.
2. The protagonist of the subjective world (the one self-awareness focuses on most) is always oneself.

Result: You get hit by someone when they are angry at you.

Soul memory: “I felt sorry for someone crying and comforted them”—this information is recorded.

1. The destination for projected information is always the subjective world.
2. The protagonist of the subjective world (the one self-awareness focuses on most) is always oneself.

Result: When you are crying, someone comforts you.

A more complex example:

Soul memory: “I lied to gain pleasure, making others pity me to get money.”

1. The destination for projected information is always the subjective world.
2. The protagonist of the subjective world (the one self-awareness focuses on most) is always oneself.

Result: Even when you try to interact with others in good faith, you get betrayed, deceived, or your wealth is taken.

In reality, things don’t always manifest in a 1:1 ratio as in these examples.

Just as dreams can be chaotic, factors mix and become more complex within the soul’s memory, so the original pattern rarely appears exactly as it is.

However, when information that is internalized manifests quickly, it is more likely to appear in a 1:1 way.

This is a key feature of the relationship between internalization and projection of factors.

Once something has been projected into the subjective world, that part of the soul’s memory—the information acting as a factor—disappears.

However, projection means something happens to you, and it’s rare for someone to have no reaction or emotion about it.

Thus, new factors are reproduced.

That’s why we live, and why we will continue to live—continuing to build the subjective world.

This is the structure that self-awareness holds.

Still, what if you had no reactions or emotions?
What if you simply let things pass, without forming knots in your heart?

In that case, the factor disappears.

However, few people can live that way.

Naturally, only those who have entered the process of returning to cosmic consciousness can live that way.
Or, it could be said that you can live that way only after entering the process of returning to cosmic consciousness.

So, how can you normally overcome unpleasant factors?

You must turn the factors of suffering into factors of joy.

How to do that is explained in How to Overcome Soul Challenges.