For a few years I spent every Friday sharing timeless collective oracle readings to my platforms, but after Scorpio szn in 2024 I felt the need to pull back from sharing my spiritual insights.

The fall back was to not only recalibrate after loss but to simply preserve my energy that I felt others had become entitled to.

Today I wanted to share a little guidance on my own platform in regards to perception, here on MMLism.com.

All our lives we’ve heard how perception matters – in school, in the workplace, in public, even as social media platforms rolled out – how we’d be perceived mattered.

In some ways, I wholeheartedly agree that certain levels of perception matter but on the other hand, I feel it doesn’t matter at all.

I know, you’re probably saying I’m contradicting myself but walk with me for a minute…

Perception is a deeply layered spectrum.

On one hand we’ve been taught to think, believe, feel, & even do certain things a certain way that society would approve of.

As children, our perception is first shaped by our parents/ guardians, then followed by our families, schooling, friends, & outside influences.

As we grow & evolve, we start thinking freely & independently… sometimes critically.

The viewpoints you were once taught to have don’t necessarily align with who you’re becoming as a teen or young adult… maybe even as a middle-age adult, if you’ve come to this realization later on in life.

So now regardless of your age, your perception of life is changing & you’re coming into your own perspective.

With new perspective comes new views, beliefs, ideas, values, & even ways of doing things.

You spend time unlearning all the things that no longer align with your soul’s knowing & start teaching yourself a new way to perceive life that’s better suited for you.

Truth is…

Sometimes people grow up & never question the perspectives they’ve come to know.

Sometimes people get introspective & realize how much of their self-awareness & image have been shaped by their parents/ guardians perspective.

Sometimes people get extrospective & realize their parents/ guardians perception have nothing to really do with them at all.

Perspectives are often times just projections placed upon you & that is why I feel in some ways perception doesn’t matter.

Everyone’s perspective is different, with that comes unique & individual experiences.

We may come across many people who have similar perspectives as us but no one person is exactly the same.

We may share viewpoints, beliefs, ideologies, & lived certain experiences similarly, but we all have our individualism.

Even people who have shared the same experiences with you can have an entirely different perspective & interpret things completely different than you.

What’s interesting to me is, the fact that we’ve also spent a lot of time learning to not care what others think of us, our choices, or how we choose to express ourselves…

Does this perspective not challenge or contradict how perception matters?

I think as societal constructs change, so has the view of perception.

Progressive thinking created way for less judgment to be made while traditionalist often keep judgement & hate alive because anything outside of “tradition” is deemed unacceptable.

Truth is… some people dislike anything that disrupts their way of thinking because it either requires them to dig deeper or it challenges their entire life’s perspective & anything outside of that feels too exposing.

I remember growing up & hating certain societal perspectives, especially when it came to my style & how I chose to express myself.

I just always felt like those societal perspectives cramped my style & who I wanted to be, so I eventually stopped caring but I know that isn’t everyone’s reality nor is it easy to live carefree.

Here’s the thing though…

To me, perception & expectations are opposite ends of the same spectrum…

Perspectives are often projections placed upon us & expectations are expectancies placed upon us.

Both telling us how to be & what to do, just differently.

I feel society created both perception & expectation to keep people compliant in some ways.

Coming to this reflection early on in life hasn’t been easy…

I’ve always been a critical thinker & it’s what sets me apart from most but it’s also what keeps me apart from most because not everyone is as evolved or committed to understanding themselves or life deeper than surface level.

Again, people don’t like disruption or to be challenged in what they think they know.

Although it hasn’t always been an easy journey, I’m grateful for my tribe who do innerstand me & my isms.

Being disliked for existing in such a way that makes others uncomfortable speaks to the power I carry & I’ll never be ashamed of it because being able to communicate complex realities is a gift & one I don’t take for granted.

Having this ability allows me to share perspectives in a way that others can understand even if they don’t necessarily agree.

One thing about me, I’m never trying to sway the minds of others but if I can open someone up to a new perspective they’ve never considered before then I feel like I’ve done something special because not everyone has that ability.

A difference in perspectives doesn’t need to be disrespectful or disregarded, the more evolved you become the more perspectives you can make space for without feeling uncomfortable or threatened.

So… I’d like to ask, what are your thoughts on perception?

Do you feel differently about perception after reading this?

Do you feel people emphasize perception too much?

Do you think perception matters?

Do you feel perception & expectations are similar?

I’m curious to know what you all think & to further this conversation because believe it or not, perceptions play a major role in how we view not just things but how we view ourselves.

Correlating perception & mental health isn’t spoken about enough, if ever to be honest, so please comment your thoughts or tag me in your posts about it & let’s keep the conversation going.

Remember, how you perceive yourself matters more than how anyone else sees you & realistically how others see you is just a reflection of how you see yourself.

– MML