The trampoline point from which to begin to understand the source of all of your ills and woes is that 'consensus reality' is pre-packaged: you are born into it and it is powerful enough to dictate your life via economic systems, government control, media manipulation, educational indoctrination...and so forth. It is naive to believe that these systems are escapeable; they have influenced and continue to influence your life in dramatic ways. And allow me to let you guys in on a little secret that I suspect most of you will regard as blasphemy: you do not, I repeat, YOU DO NOT CREATE YOUR OWN REALITY!
To borrow the language of physics the entity that has the greatest mass/energy warps the space-time continuum and dictates its reality to all else. You are a cog in a machine that has existed long before you; and until you understand the workings of this machine, and direct your energies to altering your relationship to it, then a cog is all you will be.
Essentially, the thoughts you think and the desires you intend are not actually your own at all - you are contributing to someone else's reality: those that wield the most power in society.
THE BITTER TRUTH IS THAT YOU ARE A SLAVE IN A SYSTEM DESIGNED BY YOUR OVERLORDS.
You need to first know exactly from where your thoughts are derived and are coming from, and only then can you undertake the task of liberating yourself from these thoughts; so as to subsequently succeed in the attempt to introduce new thoughts and manufacture new structures for yourself, and in so doing create a life that is freer of stress and anxiety, more purposeful and fluid, with a mind that is calmer, clearer, and more powerful.
Now, there is a way, probably the only way, that you can begin to liberate yourself and learn to create your own reality - by entering the silence between thoughts and learning to hold this space ritually for extended, unbroken periods. In effect, to silence the mind at will. If you do this well, and not a thought enters your head for say 6-8 hours at a time, and you practice this daily, for at least 6 months, then you may begin to influence your reality in accord with the will of the Universe. Until you master this, and you continue to think habitually without cease, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE SOMEONE ELSE'S BITCH!
The benefits of stilling the mind are manifold, and difficult to describe in words; it is like attempting to tell someone what an orgasm or an LSD experience feels like. Yet, these benefits are expounded upon by every evolved system of thought on this planet and every teacher with a mystical bent; Buddhism calls stilling the mind 'entering the stream' and it is the fundamental tenet of their practices. Eckhart Tolle calls it 'finding the now' ; Carlos Castaneda calls it 'stopping the world' ; Krishnamurti argues that as long as thought exists there can be no love and no truth. Deepak Chopra calls it entering the 'place of pure potential'.
I was inspired to begin meditation as a practice while reading Krishnamurti’s writings. He was offered the reins of power to the Theosophical Society and was being trained and regarded as a Messiah, but instead turned his back on it all to live a humble life of meditation and teaching. His reiterations that 'thought' IS THE PROBLEM, and that the mind itself needs to be transcended hit me like a bombshell.
Over time my entire experience of reality shifted dramatically - my intuition grew: I began to feel an incredible, all-pervading sense of peace, as well as long periods of bliss and joy. And magical things began to occur - new encounters; new adventures and experiences and connections with people I had never conceived existed. And I was then able to create my reality with greater success.
I believe this is due to the fact that when we are habitually thinking our intentions are scattered and in conflict. But when you learn to still the mind, and then you throw a thought into it like you would a stone into a calm lake, it has no other thoughts or intentions to weaken it - in effect that thought/desire/intention is akin to a rocket aimed at your destination!
I have done many things throughout my journey, and disciplined myself through various and manifold esoteric practices, but nothing transformed my life as intensely as this practice.
For a bootcamp in meditation and if you can find 10 days to spare you can check out www.dhamma.org for a retreat near you; they provide food and shelter and teach you to still the mind in exchange for a donation. I found this also to be an excellent experience.
Good luck in your endeavors!
“There is no reason why good cannot triumph as often as evil. The triumph of anything is a matter of organization. If there are such things as angels, I hope that they are organized along the lines of the Mafia.” (Kurt Vonnegut).