Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Halloween
Yowser. My blog is still here. I've been away living a huge life filled with highs and lows. I'm glad I'm still around because not all of my love ones and friends are around.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Concentration
Mindfulness brings freedom, wisdom, and compassion, while concentration develops stability and depth. We need them both. Without concentration, mindfulness evaporates all too easily. Without mindfulness, concentration remains sterile.
Concentration refers first to the practice of focusing and holding the spotlight of attention on a single object of perception, most commonly on the sensations associated with breathing or on the repetition of some phrase. We train ourselves to direct and hold our attention, while staying relaxed. This affects both our will and our energies. Attention is one of the powers of our will. Through attention we will our awareness toward a particular direction. Energies are the medium of awareness. So our will, as attention, entrains our energies, as awareness. The net effect is that the longer we are able to hold our attention, the more our inner energies collect and stabilize. A session of concentrating on awareness of our breathing, of our body, or on a sacred phrase, leaves us centered and at peace.
There are stages or levels of depth in our practice of concentration. We begin at the stage of momentary concentration, where we can stay on target only for a brief time, measured in seconds, before our attention wanders off. The continuing effort of refocusing our attention whenever it lapses gradually opens us to the conscious energy, which offers a timeless stability leading to the next stage of concentration. That second stage brings the power to stay focused, while staying relaxed, for longer periods, measured in minutes. The second stage is the crucial one for mindfulness to be effective; it enables us to see what’s going on in us over more than a few seconds, to watch the unfolding and changing of our thoughts, emotions, and sensations. So in any session of meditation, we begin with some type of concentration practice, focusing our mind, our attention. Once we establish the relatively stable attention of the second stage, we can leave the concentration practice and proceed with the other parts of the meditation.
A good example of a concentration practice, this one from Zen, consists of paying attention to the physical sensations associated with breathing, while counting our breaths one to ten, and then starting again at one. The primary focus of attention is on the sensations, while the counting goes on in the background of our mind. At the start, we notice where our perception of breathing is strongest: at our upper lip and nostrils, in our chest, or in our abdomen. Then we choose to focus all our attention at that place for the duration of this part of the meditation. We do not intentionally change our manner of breathing. We just let our body breathe itself normally, while we sense the process. The counting follows the breath, not the other way around. When our attention strays off our breath, even for a moment, we begin the counting again at one. If we find ourselves counting eleven, twelve, thirteen, we know we have lost the exercise and again begin at one. When we can get through several sets of ten breaths without a break in our attention, we have reached the beginning of the second stage of concentration. At that point we can either continue the breath counting to increase our concentration further or we can shift to other parts of the meditation practice, such as the wide awareness of mindfulness.
Further stages of concentration practice can open us to the ocean of peace and stillness, the pure experience of the conscious energy. Beyond that we may find the cascading energies of the Sacred Light. And beyond that we may rest in complete equanimity and unity. These deep states of concentration profoundly affect our soul, nourishing us with a very high food. One difficulty is that these states are so blissful that we can easily become attached to them. And then our inner work becomes a chase after high states rather than the search for freedom, completion, and the ability to serve. So while there is great value in working toward the deeper states of concentration, we also work toward the full and liberating mindfulness in daily life. And for the latter, we need only the second stage of concentration: stabilized attention.
Concentration practice strengthens our will-to-be and mindfulness practice opens us to the whole of experience. Together they give us a more stable presence. Concentration practice also sharpens our major tool for spiritual inner work, our attention. And by sharpening our attention the practice sharpens us, for in a very real sense we are our attention. Strong attention enables us to practice energy breathing effectively to nourish our soul. If we so choose, a strong attention along with its stable energies can carry us into the subtleties of prayer, particularly contemplative prayer in which we focus our entire being on the Divine. The more we focus on the Divine, the more the Divine focuses on us.
Concentration refers first to the practice of focusing and holding the spotlight of attention on a single object of perception, most commonly on the sensations associated with breathing or on the repetition of some phrase. We train ourselves to direct and hold our attention, while staying relaxed. This affects both our will and our energies. Attention is one of the powers of our will. Through attention we will our awareness toward a particular direction. Energies are the medium of awareness. So our will, as attention, entrains our energies, as awareness. The net effect is that the longer we are able to hold our attention, the more our inner energies collect and stabilize. A session of concentrating on awareness of our breathing, of our body, or on a sacred phrase, leaves us centered and at peace.
There are stages or levels of depth in our practice of concentration. We begin at the stage of momentary concentration, where we can stay on target only for a brief time, measured in seconds, before our attention wanders off. The continuing effort of refocusing our attention whenever it lapses gradually opens us to the conscious energy, which offers a timeless stability leading to the next stage of concentration. That second stage brings the power to stay focused, while staying relaxed, for longer periods, measured in minutes. The second stage is the crucial one for mindfulness to be effective; it enables us to see what’s going on in us over more than a few seconds, to watch the unfolding and changing of our thoughts, emotions, and sensations. So in any session of meditation, we begin with some type of concentration practice, focusing our mind, our attention. Once we establish the relatively stable attention of the second stage, we can leave the concentration practice and proceed with the other parts of the meditation.
A good example of a concentration practice, this one from Zen, consists of paying attention to the physical sensations associated with breathing, while counting our breaths one to ten, and then starting again at one. The primary focus of attention is on the sensations, while the counting goes on in the background of our mind. At the start, we notice where our perception of breathing is strongest: at our upper lip and nostrils, in our chest, or in our abdomen. Then we choose to focus all our attention at that place for the duration of this part of the meditation. We do not intentionally change our manner of breathing. We just let our body breathe itself normally, while we sense the process. The counting follows the breath, not the other way around. When our attention strays off our breath, even for a moment, we begin the counting again at one. If we find ourselves counting eleven, twelve, thirteen, we know we have lost the exercise and again begin at one. When we can get through several sets of ten breaths without a break in our attention, we have reached the beginning of the second stage of concentration. At that point we can either continue the breath counting to increase our concentration further or we can shift to other parts of the meditation practice, such as the wide awareness of mindfulness.
Further stages of concentration practice can open us to the ocean of peace and stillness, the pure experience of the conscious energy. Beyond that we may find the cascading energies of the Sacred Light. And beyond that we may rest in complete equanimity and unity. These deep states of concentration profoundly affect our soul, nourishing us with a very high food. One difficulty is that these states are so blissful that we can easily become attached to them. And then our inner work becomes a chase after high states rather than the search for freedom, completion, and the ability to serve. So while there is great value in working toward the deeper states of concentration, we also work toward the full and liberating mindfulness in daily life. And for the latter, we need only the second stage of concentration: stabilized attention.
Concentration practice strengthens our will-to-be and mindfulness practice opens us to the whole of experience. Together they give us a more stable presence. Concentration practice also sharpens our major tool for spiritual inner work, our attention. And by sharpening our attention the practice sharpens us, for in a very real sense we are our attention. Strong attention enables us to practice energy breathing effectively to nourish our soul. If we so choose, a strong attention along with its stable energies can carry us into the subtleties of prayer, particularly contemplative prayer in which we focus our entire being on the Divine. The more we focus on the Divine, the more the Divine focuses on us.
Some signs and symptoms of inner peace:
A tendency to think and act spontaneously
rather than on fears based on past experiences…
An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment…
A loss of interest in judging other people…
A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others…
A loss of interest in conflict…
A loss of the ability to worry (this is a very serious symptom)…
Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation…
Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature…
An increasing tendency to let things happen
rather than make them happen…
An increased susceptibility to the love
extended by others, as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it…
<< WARNING ! >>
If you have some or all of the above symptoms -
please be advised that your condition of Inner
Peace may be so far advanced as to not be curable…
If you are exposed to anyone exhibiting any of
these symptoms,
remain exposed only at your own risk!
- Saskia Davis –
rather than on fears based on past experiences…
An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment…
A loss of interest in judging other people…
A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others…
A loss of interest in conflict…
A loss of the ability to worry (this is a very serious symptom)…
Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation…
Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature…
An increasing tendency to let things happen
rather than make them happen…
An increased susceptibility to the love
extended by others, as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it…
<< WARNING ! >>
If you have some or all of the above symptoms -
please be advised that your condition of Inner
Peace may be so far advanced as to not be curable…
If you are exposed to anyone exhibiting any of
these symptoms,
remain exposed only at your own risk!
- Saskia Davis –
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Dharma student's practices
Always keep your dwelling and environment clean and tidy. To take good care of your dwelling place and temple environment is to take good care of the body-and-mind of your Dharma student training. To take good care of the body-and-mind of your Dharma student training (purity of heart) is to transform this world into the land of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Cleaning and keeping our environment free from pollution is the Pure Land movement. Be on your guard and diligent. It is conduct unbecoming to a Dharma student to pick on others and blame them in order to build a self-defense or reinforce one's position. It is the downfall of a Dharma student to become jealous of the other people's prosperity and gloat over others' misfortunes. If such a feeling or thought arises you should perform prostrations right away and surrender your weakness, and renew your Bodhisattva vows and pray for the happiness of all beings.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
The 7 Steps to Developing Habits
1. Get clear on the end result of developing habits.
2. Develop strong enough reasons why you want the end result.
3. Educate yourself. Know what it really takes to form the habit.
4. Prepare to be attacked.
5. Get reinforcements.
6. Continue on the stairs until you reach the escalator.
7. It’s all maintenance from here.
Get Clear on the End Result
This may sound elementary but you must first know why you want to develop the habit in the first place. What is the end goal for having the habit? If the habit you want to develop is going to the gym every day, your end result could be to get down to a certain weight or be able to run a marathon or to reduce stress. Now the end result should be something that you can get excited about. Remember, a habit isn’t just something you will do a few times and never do again. It’ll be something you will consistently do until you decide to break it.
Develop Strong Enough Reasons
Once you know the end result, you must identify why you want it. You must have enough compelling reasons for doing this because if you don’t, you can easily become discouraged. Most of the time when people fail to achieve a goal they’ve set out, it’s because their reasons for achieving it wasn’t strong enough to help them endure the setbacks and obstacles. Therefore, it’s critically important that you have strong reasons for obtaining the end results because it will be the fuel that will drive your actions in forming the habits that will eventually make everything automatic.
Educate Yourself
You’ve got to know what it really takes. If you go into something blindly, chances are you will be faced with disappointment. Let’s say your goal is to lose weight. You set a goal to lose 50 pounds 3 months. Then you work on developing the habit of regular exercise and eating correctly. Problem is, you didn’t educate yourself enough to know what proper exercising and eating consists of.
Prepare to be Attacked
The greatest obstacle you’ll face in developing habits will come from your own “gremlins”. You know, the charming little voice in your head that comes up with about a dozen excuses to not take action. Persuasive little critters they are. Have you ever wanted to develop the habit of waking up at a certain time every morning? You know how it is right? The first few days might be a cinch. But about the end of the first week, you wake up at the right time, but on this day, something wakes up with you and starts a little sales pitch.
You know yourself best and you know the excuses you will come up with when you don’t feel like taking action. In those moments of weakness, if you’re not prepared, your gremlin will win. So here’s what to do. I’ve done this myself and it has worked very well.Take out a piece of paper and start writing down any excuse you can think of that you know will eventually come up. Things like, “it’s too cold”, “I’ll just do it tomorrow”, “I don’t really feel like it”, “I haven’t seen any results yet, what’s the point”, “I just have to learn to love myself just the way I am”, etc. You get the point.
Next, write down ways to overcome these excuses. Know that these excuse making thought patterns is a habit. What you need to do is figure out a way to break them. For each excuse you’ve come up with on your list, write down one or more strategies to deal with it. You’ve got to anticipate these excuses/obstacles in advance and figure out a way to overcome them or set it up where they never come up.
Get Reinforcements
Find ways to remind yourself why you’re trying to develop habits. Examples:
•Put your goal in writing where you can see it everyday.
•Put a picture of the body you want with your face on it in front of your refrigerator.
•Record a message to yourself telling yourself why you’ve got to keep going and listen to it daily.
•If you have songs that just pump you up and get you going, listen to it.
•Get support from friends and family members to help keep you accountable
The point of having reinforcements is that it’s so easy to get sidetracked. Having these things in front of you every day will remind you of your reasons why you must follow through.
Continue on the Stairs Until You Reach the Escalator
The hardest part of developing habits is the actual developing stage. When something isn’t a habit yet, it will take focus and work. Do you think the people who have great looking physiques have to force themselves to go to the gym and eat right? No. Those activities have become a part of their life. I know this from experience. Only about a year and a half ago, I had to force myself to go to the gym. But once I’ve done it long enough, it just became a part of my life. Now, NOT going to the gym makes me feel like I’m missing something. It’s become a habit for me and is no longer a struggle. That’s the point you want to get to with any habit you want to develop, when NOT doing it makes you uncomfortable.
How long does it take to form a habit? Conventional wisdom says 21 – 30 days. It really depends on the habit from my experience. How long it takes really depends on how fast you can get to the point where it becomes effortless, but for practicality sake, set a goal to do it for at least 30 days, everyday. So your goal is to do take action on what you want to develop into a habit for 30 days so that it becomes a habit. Regarding the 30 days, know that it’s okay to fail. You read correctly. Too many times people set a goal to develop a habit only to end up quitting just because on day 7 or whatever, they failed to follow through. It’s not all or nothing. If 30 days is too long, break it down. Do it for 7 days in a row, or 5 days, or 2 days. That’s not enough time to form a habit but it will give you confidence that if you can sustain the action for 2 days, you can do it for 5 days and 7 days and so on.
Once you’ve formed the habit, from this point….
It’s All Maintenance From Here
This is where you want to be at. This is what makes everything easy. Once you’ve developed the habit, it’ll no longer be a struggle. You will no longer have to force or motivate yourself to take action. It’ll be a part of your life. From here, all you have to do is maintain it. Depending on how strong the habit is, even if you stop say, going to the gym for a few weeks, your habit will eventually draw you back into going again. Now and then you might have to get back into a habit of doing something if you’ve stopped for too long perhaps due to some external circumstances like relocating and not having a gym near by, but don’t worry, the 2nd time around is a lot easier and takes less time.
2. Develop strong enough reasons why you want the end result.
3. Educate yourself. Know what it really takes to form the habit.
4. Prepare to be attacked.
5. Get reinforcements.
6. Continue on the stairs until you reach the escalator.
7. It’s all maintenance from here.
Get Clear on the End Result
This may sound elementary but you must first know why you want to develop the habit in the first place. What is the end goal for having the habit? If the habit you want to develop is going to the gym every day, your end result could be to get down to a certain weight or be able to run a marathon or to reduce stress. Now the end result should be something that you can get excited about. Remember, a habit isn’t just something you will do a few times and never do again. It’ll be something you will consistently do until you decide to break it.
Develop Strong Enough Reasons
Once you know the end result, you must identify why you want it. You must have enough compelling reasons for doing this because if you don’t, you can easily become discouraged. Most of the time when people fail to achieve a goal they’ve set out, it’s because their reasons for achieving it wasn’t strong enough to help them endure the setbacks and obstacles. Therefore, it’s critically important that you have strong reasons for obtaining the end results because it will be the fuel that will drive your actions in forming the habits that will eventually make everything automatic.
Educate Yourself
You’ve got to know what it really takes. If you go into something blindly, chances are you will be faced with disappointment. Let’s say your goal is to lose weight. You set a goal to lose 50 pounds 3 months. Then you work on developing the habit of regular exercise and eating correctly. Problem is, you didn’t educate yourself enough to know what proper exercising and eating consists of.
Prepare to be Attacked
The greatest obstacle you’ll face in developing habits will come from your own “gremlins”. You know, the charming little voice in your head that comes up with about a dozen excuses to not take action. Persuasive little critters they are. Have you ever wanted to develop the habit of waking up at a certain time every morning? You know how it is right? The first few days might be a cinch. But about the end of the first week, you wake up at the right time, but on this day, something wakes up with you and starts a little sales pitch.
You know yourself best and you know the excuses you will come up with when you don’t feel like taking action. In those moments of weakness, if you’re not prepared, your gremlin will win. So here’s what to do. I’ve done this myself and it has worked very well.Take out a piece of paper and start writing down any excuse you can think of that you know will eventually come up. Things like, “it’s too cold”, “I’ll just do it tomorrow”, “I don’t really feel like it”, “I haven’t seen any results yet, what’s the point”, “I just have to learn to love myself just the way I am”, etc. You get the point.
Next, write down ways to overcome these excuses. Know that these excuse making thought patterns is a habit. What you need to do is figure out a way to break them. For each excuse you’ve come up with on your list, write down one or more strategies to deal with it. You’ve got to anticipate these excuses/obstacles in advance and figure out a way to overcome them or set it up where they never come up.
Get Reinforcements
Find ways to remind yourself why you’re trying to develop habits. Examples:
•Put your goal in writing where you can see it everyday.
•Put a picture of the body you want with your face on it in front of your refrigerator.
•Record a message to yourself telling yourself why you’ve got to keep going and listen to it daily.
•If you have songs that just pump you up and get you going, listen to it.
•Get support from friends and family members to help keep you accountable
The point of having reinforcements is that it’s so easy to get sidetracked. Having these things in front of you every day will remind you of your reasons why you must follow through.
Continue on the Stairs Until You Reach the Escalator
The hardest part of developing habits is the actual developing stage. When something isn’t a habit yet, it will take focus and work. Do you think the people who have great looking physiques have to force themselves to go to the gym and eat right? No. Those activities have become a part of their life. I know this from experience. Only about a year and a half ago, I had to force myself to go to the gym. But once I’ve done it long enough, it just became a part of my life. Now, NOT going to the gym makes me feel like I’m missing something. It’s become a habit for me and is no longer a struggle. That’s the point you want to get to with any habit you want to develop, when NOT doing it makes you uncomfortable.
How long does it take to form a habit? Conventional wisdom says 21 – 30 days. It really depends on the habit from my experience. How long it takes really depends on how fast you can get to the point where it becomes effortless, but for practicality sake, set a goal to do it for at least 30 days, everyday. So your goal is to do take action on what you want to develop into a habit for 30 days so that it becomes a habit. Regarding the 30 days, know that it’s okay to fail. You read correctly. Too many times people set a goal to develop a habit only to end up quitting just because on day 7 or whatever, they failed to follow through. It’s not all or nothing. If 30 days is too long, break it down. Do it for 7 days in a row, or 5 days, or 2 days. That’s not enough time to form a habit but it will give you confidence that if you can sustain the action for 2 days, you can do it for 5 days and 7 days and so on.
Once you’ve formed the habit, from this point….
It’s All Maintenance From Here
This is where you want to be at. This is what makes everything easy. Once you’ve developed the habit, it’ll no longer be a struggle. You will no longer have to force or motivate yourself to take action. It’ll be a part of your life. From here, all you have to do is maintain it. Depending on how strong the habit is, even if you stop say, going to the gym for a few weeks, your habit will eventually draw you back into going again. Now and then you might have to get back into a habit of doing something if you’ve stopped for too long perhaps due to some external circumstances like relocating and not having a gym near by, but don’t worry, the 2nd time around is a lot easier and takes less time.
More Quotes...
"The moment a man ceases to progress, to grow higher, wider and deeper, then his life becomes stagnant."
~Orison S. Marden~
"Self-discipline begins with the mastery of your thoughts. If you don't control what you think, you can't control what you do. Simply, self-discipline enables you to think first and act afterward."
~Napolean Hill~
"People who consider themselves victims of their circumstances will always remain victims unless they develop a greater vision for their lives."
~Stedman Graham~
~Orison S. Marden~
"Self-discipline begins with the mastery of your thoughts. If you don't control what you think, you can't control what you do. Simply, self-discipline enables you to think first and act afterward."
~Napolean Hill~
"People who consider themselves victims of their circumstances will always remain victims unless they develop a greater vision for their lives."
~Stedman Graham~
Do More
By William Arthur Ward
Do more than belong: participate.
Do more than care: help.
Do more than believe: practice.
Do more than be fair: be kind.
Do more than forgive: forget.
Do more than dream: work.
Do more than belong: participate.
Do more than care: help.
Do more than believe: practice.
Do more than be fair: be kind.
Do more than forgive: forget.
Do more than dream: work.
Why Not You?
By Steve Maraboli
Today, many will awaken with a fresh sense of inspiration. Why not you?
Today, many will open their eyes to the beauty that surrounds them. Why not you?
Today, many will choose to leave the ghost of yesterday behind and seize the immeasurable power of today. Why not you?
Today, many will break through the barriers of the past by looking at the blessings of the present. Why not you?
Today, for many the burden of self doubt and insecurity will be lifted by the security and confidence of empowerment. Why not you?
Today, many will rise above their believed limitations and make contact with their powerful innate strength. Why not you?
Today, many will choose to live in such a manner that they will be a positive role model for their children. Why not you?
Today, many will choose to free themselves from the personal imprisonment of their bad habits. Why not you?
Today, many will choose to live free of conditions and rules governing their own happiness. Why not you?
Today, many will find abundance in simplicity. Why not you?
Today, many will be confronted by difficult moral choices and they will choose to do what is right instead of what is beneficial. Why not you?
Today, many will decide to no longer sit back with a victim mentality, but to take charge of their lives and make positive changes. Why not you?
Today, many will take the action necessary to make a difference. Why not you?
Today, many will make the commitment to be a better mother, father, son, daughter, student, teacher, worker, boss, brother, sister, & so much more. Why not you?
Today is a new day!
Many will seize this day.
Many will live it to the fullest.Why not you?
Today, many will awaken with a fresh sense of inspiration. Why not you?
Today, many will open their eyes to the beauty that surrounds them. Why not you?
Today, many will choose to leave the ghost of yesterday behind and seize the immeasurable power of today. Why not you?
Today, many will break through the barriers of the past by looking at the blessings of the present. Why not you?
Today, for many the burden of self doubt and insecurity will be lifted by the security and confidence of empowerment. Why not you?
Today, many will rise above their believed limitations and make contact with their powerful innate strength. Why not you?
Today, many will choose to live in such a manner that they will be a positive role model for their children. Why not you?
Today, many will choose to free themselves from the personal imprisonment of their bad habits. Why not you?
Today, many will choose to live free of conditions and rules governing their own happiness. Why not you?
Today, many will find abundance in simplicity. Why not you?
Today, many will be confronted by difficult moral choices and they will choose to do what is right instead of what is beneficial. Why not you?
Today, many will decide to no longer sit back with a victim mentality, but to take charge of their lives and make positive changes. Why not you?
Today, many will take the action necessary to make a difference. Why not you?
Today, many will make the commitment to be a better mother, father, son, daughter, student, teacher, worker, boss, brother, sister, & so much more. Why not you?
Today is a new day!
Many will seize this day.
Many will live it to the fullest.Why not you?
Friday, May 15, 2009
The Power of Intention
Four Steps For Setting An Intention Marcia Wieder, America’s Dream Coach. It’s time to change the way we think and speak about our dreams. Transforming a conversation, just like manifesting a dream, begins by setting an intention. Your intentions will assist you in taking greater control of your life. A working definition for intention is: “to have in mind a purpose or plan, to direct the mind, to aim.” Lacking intention, we sometimes stray without meaning or direction. But with it, all the forces of the universe can align to make even the most impossible, possible. My intention is to transform the conversation around dreams from fear and doubt, to hope and possibility, followed by action and results. Some might say this is not the right time to dream. The media and masses say, “It’s time to be realistic.” Consider this. Without our dreams all we have is our present reality. Reality is not a bad thing. We have to know where we are so we can design the appropriate strategy for getting to where we want to be. The challenge is our attitude around “reality” and being “realistic” and what being realistic has cost us. Often that’s our passion and joy, our hopes and dreams. Given the unknowns and sometimes craziness of life, there’s never been a more important time to dream and setting your intention is the first step. When should you set an intention? You could set an intention every day. Your intention could be to work less and make more, or to find a new career that you are passionate about. It could be to get healthy and physically fit, or to spend more quality time with loved ones or alone. It can be specific and about something in particular or more like a quality, such as to be more relaxed or involved with life. At seventy, Bessie set an intention to become a world famous photographer. Although many thought she was too old, she didn’t. She entered a photo contest where she won the first prize of $10,000. Her prize-winning photo toured around the world with a Kodak exhibit. She told me, “We’re never too old to make a dream come true.” People set intentions on all kinds of dreams; to get married or have children, to get a job or make a career change, to write a book, lose weight, or move to a foreign country. When you set an intention and then act on it to demonstrate your commitment, amazing things occur. Intention can also give us fortitude for dealing with tough times. I am currently rebuilding my home. I simply wanted to add on a new bathroom, but with all the surprises an old (and charming) house can offer, every turn has been a shock, sometimes even a nightmare. It looks like the entire building may need to be rebuilt. My intention is to live through this process with dignity and grace. I am tested daily. It’s often not easy, but this intention has helped me maintain composure, sanity, and on a good day, a sense of humor. Intention can be used for community or social issues, global events or (literally) in your own backyard. For example: Before you get out of bed, you can intend to have a fun or productive day. · Before you leave the house, you can intend to have quality time with your family or roommate. Before you start your car, you can intend to have a safe ride to work. Before you enter your workplace, you can intend to learn something new or be helpful. Before the meeting begins, you can intend to be brilliant or calm.
1. Get clear about something you want and write it down.
2. Share your intention with someone in a way that will supportively hold you
accountable to taking action.3. Do something today to demonstrate your commitment to your intention.4. Acknowledge that you did what you said you would and then, take the next step.5. By setting an intention, you make it clear to yourself and others, just what you plan to do. Set an intention to redefine what it means to be serious about your dreams.Bless your life with intention... ;)
THE WORLD OF THE HEART
As you walk through this world in these times, beloved ones, let your hearts show you the world, not your minds. This is the cusp upon which the world stands, the transition through which the world progresses. It is the shift between the world of the mind and the world of the heart, between the human reality and the reality of Love.
HEART PERCEPTION - The world that the heart will show you will be so different from the world in which you are used to living that it will be as if you were the Phoenix risen on gilded wings in the new dawn. Everywhere around you where others might see destruction, your hearts will show you new life, real life awakening, rising into the Light of a new day -- a new Age and a New World that builds the bridge between the old world of duality and the truth of unity.Everywhere your heart touches, it blesses. What the single eye of the heart sees, it also loves with a Love that moves straight through you from All That I Am within you and All That I Ever Shall Be, as the world is encircled in grace and brought Home.Thus, step-by-step shall your heart free the world from the illusion of suffering. Moment-by-moment shall your heart unfreeze all that was held in bondage. Since your heart lives only in the glorious present, the world of the heart is the world nourished by Me, perfectly. It is fed upon the endless Light of life and blessed by the warmth of Real Love, limitless and yet, intimate.THE DIVINE FAMILY - As each heart opens and the world is seen and loved through it, then each person is showered with Love, more and more Love, from all the hearts that surround it. Soon all those who once were lonely have been drawn into the wonderful human family that through the heart becomes far more than human. It becomes divine. It is the divine family of sharing, caring and elevating each other continually. The divine family lives each day dancing in faith in My abundance. The divine family lives in a world of Nature restored to its pristine glory as it was ever meant to be - a doorway to the truth of God, every tree whispering the truth of each beloved heart's eternal nature; every flower showing you your potential to be the expression of perfect beauty; every step to the dance orchestrated by the Angels who watch over you and every movement guided by My voice, as I whisper within you.FROM THE HEART - This is the world you are entering, when you make this all-important choice to live your life from the heart rather than living from the mind. The mind, beloved ones, is the instrument of the world that is fading away. The heart is the instrument that perceives only Love and only Light. The heart sees beauty in everything, a kaleidoscope of colors, luminescent, a mandala created out of humanity that expresses the divine pattern of worship. What the heart sees, it multiplies, for it sees only the truth of Love and Love is the substance from which All is made. Love is ever expressing more and more of itself. So when you love and you live the heart's reality, then what you love creates effortlessly. Thus do you know the secret of the loaves and fishes and the secret to your prosperity. When you see the Love of which All is made, and you love it, you multiply it. Every particle of Love creates more of itself instantly and the basket of your life is a cornucopia of blessings.THE DANCE OF CREATION - Truly, like the lilies in the fields you can dance through the life created by the heart knowing that every good thing is multiplied in your presence. I AM the endless truth of Love, vibrantly alive in All That Is. It is ever and has always been the heart's jurisdiction to multiply the particles of Love, to dance the dance of Creation, to join truth with beauty, to move together as the masculine and feminine to multiply.AMPLIFY AND MULTIPLY - Only Love and Light create. Only the living particles and waveforms of the universal element of Creation will bring true abundance to you. Not thought forms, not the little mind's desires. Not the needs of the old world situation. I whisper deep within you, beloved ones, remember! Only Love creates and Love is a movement of feeling. Love is endlessly present in all dimensions. Love is the substance of which your heart is made. I AM the heart within you as you are the heart in Me.Let My Light, My voice, inspire you and direct the creative power of your heart. Do this and you have the melding of the forces of Creation right here within you. Instantly before your heart perception, Good shall multiply and bless you and all that you need will be provided, as you amplify, multiply and give more Love.THE LIVING WHOLE - A life lived from the center, from the heart, moves only where I lead, and listens to the Will of the living Whole, the endless all-encompassing expression. It is the perfect Will of Love to give openly and completely touch and ignite creative energy, bringing more and more Love to you in answer to the Love you give.
Thus, as I have said to you before, trust Me. I will provide. And as you have seen and known for eons, you can multiply the loaves and fishes by loving them. Not with the ego's goal of getting - getting something that makes the little self happy - but rather just to be this Love, giving forth more and more blessings. Love every symbol of your life, even those things the ego judges, because every particle of everything is made of only one substance and that is Love. Love even those things that appear as shadows, those things judged as darkness by the mind. When seen by the heart, they are dancing particles of Love enlivened with the Light I Am. Beloved ones, there is nothing else. Everything else is like a dance by finger puppets held up before a light beam. The dance of the old world of ego has just as little substance as this. It disappears when you see it with the heart that is the single eye that Jesus mentions. If your eye is single, your whole body, your whole world is filled with Light for that is all there is.OVERFLOWING JOY - Lead with your heart and a new world will reveal itself instantly to you. You will find yourself living in overflowing joy, awed by the abundance and the beauty. While at first there could be a small delay while the old world leaves your perceptions, that which you allow your heart to love will quickly come to bless you. You shall become the heart of Love I Am, pulsing out this message to everyone, not through the words that you speak or the ponderous thoughts the mind entertains, but rather, through the moments of your days spent loving everything and everyone.A WORLD OF LOVE AND BEAUTY - This is what will change the world, beloved ones, and change it quickly. You have always known it will, for deep inside your purpose always sang and even brought your mind into its vision of a world of only Love and beauty. It is here. It is yours. It is simple. It is just a matter of changing the channel, changing your instrument of perception and listening for My guidance on where and how to use your heart to multiply Love's blessings effortlessly.Practice, beloved ones, every day. If you cannot instantly make the shift, practice living through your heart. Practice seeing with only heart perception. Build your ability to be the heart of Love I Am and you will find Love's momentum, then, will catch you up and suddenly you are living in grace. Your heart will be open and giving. Your whole being will be a doorway to the Real of Love and every moment will be truly lived in ecstasy. Are you ready? I Am.
Thus, as I have said to you before, trust Me. I will provide. And as you have seen and known for eons, you can multiply the loaves and fishes by loving them. Not with the ego's goal of getting - getting something that makes the little self happy - but rather just to be this Love, giving forth more and more blessings. Love every symbol of your life, even those things the ego judges, because every particle of everything is made of only one substance and that is Love. Love even those things that appear as shadows, those things judged as darkness by the mind. When seen by the heart, they are dancing particles of Love enlivened with the Light I Am. Beloved ones, there is nothing else. Everything else is like a dance by finger puppets held up before a light beam. The dance of the old world of ego has just as little substance as this. It disappears when you see it with the heart that is the single eye that Jesus mentions. If your eye is single, your whole body, your whole world is filled with Light for that is all there is.OVERFLOWING JOY - Lead with your heart and a new world will reveal itself instantly to you. You will find yourself living in overflowing joy, awed by the abundance and the beauty. While at first there could be a small delay while the old world leaves your perceptions, that which you allow your heart to love will quickly come to bless you. You shall become the heart of Love I Am, pulsing out this message to everyone, not through the words that you speak or the ponderous thoughts the mind entertains, but rather, through the moments of your days spent loving everything and everyone.A WORLD OF LOVE AND BEAUTY - This is what will change the world, beloved ones, and change it quickly. You have always known it will, for deep inside your purpose always sang and even brought your mind into its vision of a world of only Love and beauty. It is here. It is yours. It is simple. It is just a matter of changing the channel, changing your instrument of perception and listening for My guidance on where and how to use your heart to multiply Love's blessings effortlessly.Practice, beloved ones, every day. If you cannot instantly make the shift, practice living through your heart. Practice seeing with only heart perception. Build your ability to be the heart of Love I Am and you will find Love's momentum, then, will catch you up and suddenly you are living in grace. Your heart will be open and giving. Your whole being will be a doorway to the Real of Love and every moment will be truly lived in ecstasy. Are you ready? I Am.
Five Principles
In order to utilize the power of authenticity in your life as a way to enhance your relationships, increase your fulfillment, and empower yourself,
here are five key principles:
1) Know Yourself -
Make a commitment to your own personal growth.
Discover more of who you are.
And, seek out and allow the support,
honest feedback, and guidance of others.
2) Transform Your Fear
- There's nothing wrong with having fear,
it's the resistance and denial of fear
that is the real problem.
When you admit, own, feel,
and express your fear,
you have the ability to move through it,
transform it, and utilize its power
in a positive way.
Taking action in the face of fear
is courageous and empowering.
3) Express Yourself
- Have the courage
to speak your truth boldly.
Deal with conflicts directly.
Express your emotions fully.
Be vulnerable and real
about what you think
and how you feel.
While on the surface
you may worry t
hat this will be seen as "weak,"
in actuality expressing yourself completely
gives you access to real freedom and power.
4) Be Bold
- Live, speak, and act with courage,
passion, and truth -
- even if it's difficult or scary.
Go for what you want
in your work and in your life.
And get back up
when you fall down,
which you will.
5) Celebrate Who You Are
- Appreciate and honor who you are,
what you do,
and the gifts and talents
that you have.
Celebrating yourself
is not about being arrogant.
It's an awareness
of your own power
and it's the key
to self confidence, fulfillment,
and authenticity.
Being your authentic self
is not for the faint of heart,
but once you're willing
to truly engage and do
the work to become more real -
- your life, your work,
and your relationships
will be more exciting,
meaningful, and fulfilling!
Mike Robbins
here are five key principles:
1) Know Yourself -
Make a commitment to your own personal growth.
Discover more of who you are.
And, seek out and allow the support,
honest feedback, and guidance of others.
2) Transform Your Fear
- There's nothing wrong with having fear,
it's the resistance and denial of fear
that is the real problem.
When you admit, own, feel,
and express your fear,
you have the ability to move through it,
transform it, and utilize its power
in a positive way.
Taking action in the face of fear
is courageous and empowering.
3) Express Yourself
- Have the courage
to speak your truth boldly.
Deal with conflicts directly.
Express your emotions fully.
Be vulnerable and real
about what you think
and how you feel.
While on the surface
you may worry t
hat this will be seen as "weak,"
in actuality expressing yourself completely
gives you access to real freedom and power.
4) Be Bold
- Live, speak, and act with courage,
passion, and truth -
- even if it's difficult or scary.
Go for what you want
in your work and in your life.
And get back up
when you fall down,
which you will.
5) Celebrate Who You Are
- Appreciate and honor who you are,
what you do,
and the gifts and talents
that you have.
Celebrating yourself
is not about being arrogant.
It's an awareness
of your own power
and it's the key
to self confidence, fulfillment,
and authenticity.
Being your authentic self
is not for the faint of heart,
but once you're willing
to truly engage and do
the work to become more real -
- your life, your work,
and your relationships
will be more exciting,
meaningful, and fulfilling!
Mike Robbins
Monday, May 11, 2009
You have come to know that it is the mind that causes you the greatest difficulty, the greatest challenge, the greatest grief – for it is the mind that holds you in the past and keeps you stuck in what you do not desire. It is the mind that creates the only living hell there is, and yet it is also the mind that can get you out. Because the big story of humanity is the evolution of consciousness, the mind is a primary participant in this transformation. And so if you all commit to being ardent stewards of your own minds, therein the great revolution occurs!
The most important thing to consider in relation to your mind is that you alone are its programmer and its pilot. What goes in and what perpetuates and what it generates is solely within your conscious control…no one or thing or higher command is in charge. This is the great gift of free will. The love that pulsates in your heart is the great Divine Gift – it is like the electricity, when your mind is the central processing unit of your body that is the computer. And so your ultimate ticket to freedom is governed by your own choice of what you allow your CPU to process.
Make deliberate, conscious, strict, refined, aware decisions about what you allow into, within and out of your mind. This is the purpose of the spam filters! Do not even allow the effluvia past your fire wall. Do not download or run any program that does not serve your highest good or that of your family of consciousness. If ever a bug gets into your system, eradicate it immediately – just press the delete button and shift your focus to what you desire.
The critical importance of this self responsibility to the whole cannot be stressed enough at this time. Be airtight in your diligence and you will be doing the greatest service to yourself and your brothers and sisters on the planet. This is the separation of the wheat from the chaff…the conscious sorting that is creating The New Earth. You each have a key to the outcome, you each have an important role to play in its creation, and this is all governed by your mind.
The greatest rule is this: focus only on that which is imbued with love. If it is expansive and beautiful and uplifting and colourful and meaningful and joyous and rich and awe inspiring…these are all signs that you are on the right track. Many have experienced these attributes but imagine that they are occasional or sporadic…but these are the attributes of the paradise of The New Earth and you are creating them by what you choose to focus upon! Imagine that everything in your experience is magical and intricate and interconnected and peaceful and absolutely amazing…and it will be thus.
Remember above all else at this time that what is falling apart no longer serves, so do not focus for one moment on it or the power of your mind will recreate more…and there is no greater hell than the one that is created consciously, when freedom is just a thought away. Do not allow yourself to be a prisoner of your own mind when you can choose freedom in any now moment.
Do whatever you can to support your mind…choose not to watch the news, choose to focus on love in every now moment, choose to release all unhappy thoughts of the past, surround yourself with life-inspiring people, focus on the sunshine and the miracles of nature, be in nature as much as possible, rejoice in the beauty of art and music, relish water, laugh as much as you can, dance, sing, breathe, celebrate, be at peace, do not judge, trust that all is well, focus on what you desire, know that you are never alone, and above all, that you are love at your core. Love always overcomes. Love always wins. Love always, always, rises to the top.
So if there is anything unlike love in your life, first throw as much love at it as possible. If it continues, then choose otherwise. In this way, you will always be traveling the right path at the right time and all will be well. For by the power of your mind, you ensure that all is always well for yourself, your home, your community, and your world.
The most important thing to consider in relation to your mind is that you alone are its programmer and its pilot. What goes in and what perpetuates and what it generates is solely within your conscious control…no one or thing or higher command is in charge. This is the great gift of free will. The love that pulsates in your heart is the great Divine Gift – it is like the electricity, when your mind is the central processing unit of your body that is the computer. And so your ultimate ticket to freedom is governed by your own choice of what you allow your CPU to process.
Make deliberate, conscious, strict, refined, aware decisions about what you allow into, within and out of your mind. This is the purpose of the spam filters! Do not even allow the effluvia past your fire wall. Do not download or run any program that does not serve your highest good or that of your family of consciousness. If ever a bug gets into your system, eradicate it immediately – just press the delete button and shift your focus to what you desire.
The critical importance of this self responsibility to the whole cannot be stressed enough at this time. Be airtight in your diligence and you will be doing the greatest service to yourself and your brothers and sisters on the planet. This is the separation of the wheat from the chaff…the conscious sorting that is creating The New Earth. You each have a key to the outcome, you each have an important role to play in its creation, and this is all governed by your mind.
The greatest rule is this: focus only on that which is imbued with love. If it is expansive and beautiful and uplifting and colourful and meaningful and joyous and rich and awe inspiring…these are all signs that you are on the right track. Many have experienced these attributes but imagine that they are occasional or sporadic…but these are the attributes of the paradise of The New Earth and you are creating them by what you choose to focus upon! Imagine that everything in your experience is magical and intricate and interconnected and peaceful and absolutely amazing…and it will be thus.
Remember above all else at this time that what is falling apart no longer serves, so do not focus for one moment on it or the power of your mind will recreate more…and there is no greater hell than the one that is created consciously, when freedom is just a thought away. Do not allow yourself to be a prisoner of your own mind when you can choose freedom in any now moment.
Do whatever you can to support your mind…choose not to watch the news, choose to focus on love in every now moment, choose to release all unhappy thoughts of the past, surround yourself with life-inspiring people, focus on the sunshine and the miracles of nature, be in nature as much as possible, rejoice in the beauty of art and music, relish water, laugh as much as you can, dance, sing, breathe, celebrate, be at peace, do not judge, trust that all is well, focus on what you desire, know that you are never alone, and above all, that you are love at your core. Love always overcomes. Love always wins. Love always, always, rises to the top.
So if there is anything unlike love in your life, first throw as much love at it as possible. If it continues, then choose otherwise. In this way, you will always be traveling the right path at the right time and all will be well. For by the power of your mind, you ensure that all is always well for yourself, your home, your community, and your world.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Ten Useless Matters
There are ten useless matters:
1. Knowledge that is not acted on
2. The deed that has neither sincerity nor is based on following the righteous examples of others
3. Money that is hoarded, as the owner neither enjoys it during this life nor obtains any reward for it in the Hereafter
4. The heart that is empty of love and longing for Allah, and of seeking closeness to Him
5. A body that does not obey and serve Allah
6. Loving Allah without following His orders or seeking His pleasure
7. Time that is not spent in expiating sins or seizing opportunities to do good
8. A mind that thinks about useless matters
9. Serving those who do not bring you close to Allah, nor benefit you in your life
10. Hoping and fearing whoever is under the authority of Allah and in His hand; while he cannot bring any benefit or harm to himself, nor death, nor life; nor can he resurrect himself.
However the greater of these matters are wasting the heart and wasting time. Wasting the heart is done by preferring this worldly life over the Hereafter, and wasting time is done by having incessant hope. Destruction occurs by following one’s desires and having incessant hope, while all goodness is found in following the right path and preparing oneself to meet Allah.
How strange it is that when a servant of Allah has a [worldly] problem, he seeks help of Allah, but he never asks Allah to cure his heart before it dies of ignorance, neglect, fulfilling one’s desires and being involved in innovations. Indeed, when the heart dies, he will never feel the significance or impact of his sins.
Al-Fawa'id
1. Knowledge that is not acted on
2. The deed that has neither sincerity nor is based on following the righteous examples of others
3. Money that is hoarded, as the owner neither enjoys it during this life nor obtains any reward for it in the Hereafter
4. The heart that is empty of love and longing for Allah, and of seeking closeness to Him
5. A body that does not obey and serve Allah
6. Loving Allah without following His orders or seeking His pleasure
7. Time that is not spent in expiating sins or seizing opportunities to do good
8. A mind that thinks about useless matters
9. Serving those who do not bring you close to Allah, nor benefit you in your life
10. Hoping and fearing whoever is under the authority of Allah and in His hand; while he cannot bring any benefit or harm to himself, nor death, nor life; nor can he resurrect himself.
However the greater of these matters are wasting the heart and wasting time. Wasting the heart is done by preferring this worldly life over the Hereafter, and wasting time is done by having incessant hope. Destruction occurs by following one’s desires and having incessant hope, while all goodness is found in following the right path and preparing oneself to meet Allah.
How strange it is that when a servant of Allah has a [worldly] problem, he seeks help of Allah, but he never asks Allah to cure his heart before it dies of ignorance, neglect, fulfilling one’s desires and being involved in innovations. Indeed, when the heart dies, he will never feel the significance or impact of his sins.
Al-Fawa'id
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Minimalism in today's times
Lots of headlines are popping up predicting a US or global recession. I don’t claim to understand economic theory at more than a basic level - I took a few economics classes in college and manage our family investments, but that’s about it. We might go into a recession this year (my guess) or we might not. Either way, it is a fine time to re-examine how it would impact you.
Don’t count on the media to help you figure out what to do. On the one hand, there are lots of articles about stimulating spending in order to avoid recession, including giving people money in the hope that they spend it quickly and NOT use it to pay down debt. Yet personal advice columns are exhorting individuals to examine their spending carefully and reduce their debt, warning of job losses in a recession. So what should you do? Don’t be fooled by any rhetoric that you should feel good about spending because it “helps the economy” even if it puts you into debt that you might not be able to manage if things go south. The economy exists to serve you, and not the other way around - it isn’t some separate thing that we need to feed at our own expense. Spend money only if it is good for you. Decouple your spending from your earnings as much as you can so that the volatility and uncertainty in the world, which you can’t control, will not yank you back and forth as it rises and falls. I wouldn’t be foolish enough to say that a recession won’t hurt many people even if they have stripped their consumption to the bone, but hopefully living below one’s means whenever possible will limit the pain.
There is no better time to be a minimalist than right now - and that is always true, whether a recession is looming or not. If you’re personally at risk in a recession, learning what is essential to your happiness will help you through any bad times to come, whether they happen this year or a decade from now.
from theminimalist.net
Don’t count on the media to help you figure out what to do. On the one hand, there are lots of articles about stimulating spending in order to avoid recession, including giving people money in the hope that they spend it quickly and NOT use it to pay down debt. Yet personal advice columns are exhorting individuals to examine their spending carefully and reduce their debt, warning of job losses in a recession. So what should you do? Don’t be fooled by any rhetoric that you should feel good about spending because it “helps the economy” even if it puts you into debt that you might not be able to manage if things go south. The economy exists to serve you, and not the other way around - it isn’t some separate thing that we need to feed at our own expense. Spend money only if it is good for you. Decouple your spending from your earnings as much as you can so that the volatility and uncertainty in the world, which you can’t control, will not yank you back and forth as it rises and falls. I wouldn’t be foolish enough to say that a recession won’t hurt many people even if they have stripped their consumption to the bone, but hopefully living below one’s means whenever possible will limit the pain.
There is no better time to be a minimalist than right now - and that is always true, whether a recession is looming or not. If you’re personally at risk in a recession, learning what is essential to your happiness will help you through any bad times to come, whether they happen this year or a decade from now.
from theminimalist.net
Friday, August 15, 2008
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Creating PSI Balls of Energy
All life is sustained by means of the Life Force, which pervades the entire universe, and is evident in all dimensions of life and reality. There are many names for this Life Force but it is still fundamentally the energy from which all things are made and are integral aspects. Once we can accept this we can begin to learn energy control.
To begin with, your mind and thoughts must be focused entirely on the task at hand. Put aside all the mundane things of daily life and have confidence that you have the ability to create a PSI Ball. Without this belief you will not succeed and with failure comes the belief that these abilities are beyond your reach.
1. Completely relax. It is important that you are able to achieve a state of complete relaxation as quickly and deeply as possible. It would be very helpful to learn meditation and relaxation exercises to help you get into this state quickly.
2. Close your eyes and imagine a glowing white sphere of white light on the top of your head. Hold the white sphere of light in this position at the top of your head.
3. Now imagine this light beginning to travel down your body; through your neck to your shoulders. As the light gets to your shoulders the light divides in two, half the light travels down your right arm and half the light travels down your left arm.
4. As the light reaches your wrists notice how bright and powerful the light is. Feel the energy and know that it will respond to your every thought.
5. Place your hands about four inches apart and fingers slightly cupped as if you were holding a grapefruit. Imagine the brilliant white balls of light traveling from your wrists to the palms of your hands and then emerge from your palms to form a brilliant white ball of light between your cupped hands.
6. Focus on the ball of light and feel the warm glow of energy coming from the ball of light. Picture the ball of light, as it increasingly gets hotter and hotter. Feel the pulsating power and know beyond all doubt that it will respond to your every wish.
7. Finally, move your hands closer together and feel the energy as it resists you and fights your efforts to compress it. Move your hands apart and notice how the energy releases with your movements.
With practice you can learn to manipulate this energy and know that it is at your will and will react the way you want it too. Give thanks to the Universe for the powers that have allowed you to accomplish this and appreciation for the understanding that we are all part of the Universal Life Force. There really is no such thing as separation; it is a construct we must break free of. When you can really understand that, creating a PSI ball of energy is just the tip of the iceberg.
To begin with, your mind and thoughts must be focused entirely on the task at hand. Put aside all the mundane things of daily life and have confidence that you have the ability to create a PSI Ball. Without this belief you will not succeed and with failure comes the belief that these abilities are beyond your reach.
1. Completely relax. It is important that you are able to achieve a state of complete relaxation as quickly and deeply as possible. It would be very helpful to learn meditation and relaxation exercises to help you get into this state quickly.
2. Close your eyes and imagine a glowing white sphere of white light on the top of your head. Hold the white sphere of light in this position at the top of your head.
3. Now imagine this light beginning to travel down your body; through your neck to your shoulders. As the light gets to your shoulders the light divides in two, half the light travels down your right arm and half the light travels down your left arm.
4. As the light reaches your wrists notice how bright and powerful the light is. Feel the energy and know that it will respond to your every thought.
5. Place your hands about four inches apart and fingers slightly cupped as if you were holding a grapefruit. Imagine the brilliant white balls of light traveling from your wrists to the palms of your hands and then emerge from your palms to form a brilliant white ball of light between your cupped hands.
6. Focus on the ball of light and feel the warm glow of energy coming from the ball of light. Picture the ball of light, as it increasingly gets hotter and hotter. Feel the pulsating power and know beyond all doubt that it will respond to your every wish.
7. Finally, move your hands closer together and feel the energy as it resists you and fights your efforts to compress it. Move your hands apart and notice how the energy releases with your movements.
With practice you can learn to manipulate this energy and know that it is at your will and will react the way you want it too. Give thanks to the Universe for the powers that have allowed you to accomplish this and appreciation for the understanding that we are all part of the Universal Life Force. There really is no such thing as separation; it is a construct we must break free of. When you can really understand that, creating a PSI ball of energy is just the tip of the iceberg.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
HAPPINESS IS FREE -Hale Dwoskin
We spend most of our time looking for happiness in all the wrong places. If you simply look within, you can discover the source of unlimited happiness now. Also, if you examine those things that you think make you happy, I think you will find this pattern inside. When you satisfy a particular desire, even temporarily, your mind gets quieter and the happiness that is your natural state is able to shine through a little more. If you allow yourself to catch this process as it unfolds inside of you, you will learn to take happiness directly from it's source within you and you will enjoy everything that you have or do more fully.
Stop rushing past life
Have the attitude of, "I have all the time in the world," even when working on a deadline. You will not only feel happier but you will get things done more easily and quickly. If you catch yourself rushing, simply let go of pushing yourself as best you can and allow yourself to take one step or one action at a time.
Let go!
This is the core of the Sedona Method! Most of us spend way too much time holding onto what was. If you let go of what was, and stop dragging it into the present or projecting it into the future, you can enjoy what is now.
Accept what is
When we want to change what is, we suffer. If you just let go of wanting to change what is as best you can, even for a moment, you are immediately happier. Plus, you no longer have to hold onto your problems in order to change them, and they often change or clear up all by themselves.
Give from your heart
The giver is truly blessed. Whenever you give without wanting anything in return, even if it is just an understanding ear, you are instantly happier. The key is in not expecting to get anything from giving. If you want to get something back, you are not truly giving and you miss the blessing of happiness that true giving brings.
Give love instead of trying to get it
If you look for others to give you love, you will often be unhappy. However, if you allow yourself to be as loving as you can for no reason at all, you will instantly feel happier. As Lester Levenson used to say, "Love, love, love and you will always be happy."
Be present with what is
If you are simply present with whatever you are experiencing now, as opposed to what was or what might be, you will find there is no end to your happiness. As best you can, take breaks from trying to assign meaning and a history to the sounds, sensations and pictures that arise in your awareness. Another way to say this is to welcome whatever arises in your consciousness as best you can.
Live life wide open
Even if there are supposed threats around you, when you close off from your environment, you are only locking in suffering and holding away happiness. The more you simply open inside you let the pain you already have out and you become transparent to the pain that appears to be coming from outside of you. When you are truly open the pain can't stick to you.
Pick agreements
If you look for things to agree with just as they are, you can find them, even at your darkest hour. Every time you pick an agreement with what is in your experience, you experience more happiness.
Expand your awareness
As you expand your awareness, you expand your ability to feel happy. You can do this quite simply by allowing your awareness to be as contracted as it is and as expanded as it is. The more you embrace both sides, the more you can recognize the vastness that is your basic nature.
Accept the possibility of happiness now
Most of us are waiting for something to change in order to give us an excuse to be happy. If we decide it is possible to be happy, whether or not that something ever changes, we can become happy now.
Hold the Best in Mind
Most of us, when we think of the world, do not have particularly positive pictures. All you have to do is watch or read the news to see what I mean. In fact I hear from many people that the news is a significant part of their daily stress. Yet most of us feel compelled to watch, read or hear the news so we can know what is going on. I have also noticed that many people simply stop watching the news in order not to be influenced by what they view as its negativity. I do not recommend that you obsess over the news however I also do not recommend that you cut off from it. What I do recommend is that as you hear or see the news allow yourself to let go of the feelings that it stirs up in you. And if there are things in the news that cause you to feel anxious and resistant let go of the resistance and fear and let go of your expectation for those things to happen as best you can.
Allow yourself to picture the world the way you would like it to be and let go of all the feelings inside of you that say it cannot or will not happen. At the same time do your best to accept it as it is by letting go of wanting to change it. The more you can accept the world exactly as it is the more you will be projecting love to the world. By doing this you can stay informed and at the same time you are contributing to the solution even if you do not take any outward action. And if you are going to take action.
Be for the Solution
Many of us, even with the best intentions, find ourselves being "anti" towards what we do not like in the world. Yet if we are "anti" something, we are still holding it in mind, sometimes even more strongly then those who are for it. From my perspective all the anti-war sentiment during the Vietnam War for instance did not bring about a quick end to the conflict it only prolonged it. Whatever we hold in mind we are sending energy to and are supporting its creation. Here are some practical examples: Instead of being against pollution, be pro-environment. Instead of being against discrimination, be pro-equality. Instead of being against war, be pro-peace. Hold in mind the solution as opposed to the problem and you will get a lot more done with a lot less effort and naturally be more constructive in the process.
Stop rushing past life
Have the attitude of, "I have all the time in the world," even when working on a deadline. You will not only feel happier but you will get things done more easily and quickly. If you catch yourself rushing, simply let go of pushing yourself as best you can and allow yourself to take one step or one action at a time.
Let go!
This is the core of the Sedona Method! Most of us spend way too much time holding onto what was. If you let go of what was, and stop dragging it into the present or projecting it into the future, you can enjoy what is now.
Accept what is
When we want to change what is, we suffer. If you just let go of wanting to change what is as best you can, even for a moment, you are immediately happier. Plus, you no longer have to hold onto your problems in order to change them, and they often change or clear up all by themselves.
Give from your heart
The giver is truly blessed. Whenever you give without wanting anything in return, even if it is just an understanding ear, you are instantly happier. The key is in not expecting to get anything from giving. If you want to get something back, you are not truly giving and you miss the blessing of happiness that true giving brings.
Give love instead of trying to get it
If you look for others to give you love, you will often be unhappy. However, if you allow yourself to be as loving as you can for no reason at all, you will instantly feel happier. As Lester Levenson used to say, "Love, love, love and you will always be happy."
Be present with what is
If you are simply present with whatever you are experiencing now, as opposed to what was or what might be, you will find there is no end to your happiness. As best you can, take breaks from trying to assign meaning and a history to the sounds, sensations and pictures that arise in your awareness. Another way to say this is to welcome whatever arises in your consciousness as best you can.
Live life wide open
Even if there are supposed threats around you, when you close off from your environment, you are only locking in suffering and holding away happiness. The more you simply open inside you let the pain you already have out and you become transparent to the pain that appears to be coming from outside of you. When you are truly open the pain can't stick to you.
Pick agreements
If you look for things to agree with just as they are, you can find them, even at your darkest hour. Every time you pick an agreement with what is in your experience, you experience more happiness.
Expand your awareness
As you expand your awareness, you expand your ability to feel happy. You can do this quite simply by allowing your awareness to be as contracted as it is and as expanded as it is. The more you embrace both sides, the more you can recognize the vastness that is your basic nature.
Accept the possibility of happiness now
Most of us are waiting for something to change in order to give us an excuse to be happy. If we decide it is possible to be happy, whether or not that something ever changes, we can become happy now.
Hold the Best in Mind
Most of us, when we think of the world, do not have particularly positive pictures. All you have to do is watch or read the news to see what I mean. In fact I hear from many people that the news is a significant part of their daily stress. Yet most of us feel compelled to watch, read or hear the news so we can know what is going on. I have also noticed that many people simply stop watching the news in order not to be influenced by what they view as its negativity. I do not recommend that you obsess over the news however I also do not recommend that you cut off from it. What I do recommend is that as you hear or see the news allow yourself to let go of the feelings that it stirs up in you. And if there are things in the news that cause you to feel anxious and resistant let go of the resistance and fear and let go of your expectation for those things to happen as best you can.
Allow yourself to picture the world the way you would like it to be and let go of all the feelings inside of you that say it cannot or will not happen. At the same time do your best to accept it as it is by letting go of wanting to change it. The more you can accept the world exactly as it is the more you will be projecting love to the world. By doing this you can stay informed and at the same time you are contributing to the solution even if you do not take any outward action. And if you are going to take action.
Be for the Solution
Many of us, even with the best intentions, find ourselves being "anti" towards what we do not like in the world. Yet if we are "anti" something, we are still holding it in mind, sometimes even more strongly then those who are for it. From my perspective all the anti-war sentiment during the Vietnam War for instance did not bring about a quick end to the conflict it only prolonged it. Whatever we hold in mind we are sending energy to and are supporting its creation. Here are some practical examples: Instead of being against pollution, be pro-environment. Instead of being against discrimination, be pro-equality. Instead of being against war, be pro-peace. Hold in mind the solution as opposed to the problem and you will get a lot more done with a lot less effort and naturally be more constructive in the process.
20 Questions to Ask Yourself every Sunday
At the cusp of new beginnings many of us take time to reflect on our lives by looking back over the past and ahead into the future. We ponder the successes, failures and standout events that are slowly scripting our life’s story. This process of self reflection helps maintain a conscious awareness of where we’ve been and where we intend to go. It is pertinent to the organization and preservation of our dreams, goals and desires.
If you would like to maximize the benefits of self reflection, I have 20 questions for you. These questions should be reviewed every Sunday morning or sometime during the weekend when you have some quiet time to think. Remember, reflection is the key to progression.
1. What did I learn last week? – If you have trouble answering this question, it’s time for a change. It doesn’t matter how old you are, you should learn something new every week.
2. What was my greatest accomplishment over the past week? – Reflecting on your accomplishments is a healthy way to raise self confidence and contentment. It’s also an effective way to track your progress.
3. Which moment from last week was the most memorable and why? – It may open up your mind to new passions and goals, or simple pastimes worth revisiting.
4. What’s the #1 thing I need to accomplish this week? – Everything else is secondary, and should be treated as such. Nevertheless, this question will also shine light on other noteworthy tasks.
5. What can I do right now to make the week less stressful? – Set reminders in your calendar, get your laundry done, fill the car with gas… organize yourself.
6. What have I struggled with in the past that might also affect the upcoming week? – The idea here is to learn from your struggles and better equip yourself for future encounters.
7. What was last week’s biggest time sink? – Steer clear of this in the future. Setup physical barriers against distractions if you have to.
8. Am I carrying any excess baggage into the week that can be dropped? – Physical clutter, mental clutter… eliminate the unnecessary so the necessary may shine bright.
9. What have I been avoiding that needs to get done? – Pencil in a time to get these things done. For any 2-minute or less tasks, consider scheduling them first thing Monday morning.
10. What opportunities are still on the table? – If it’s still available and you want it, make a concrete plan to go after it this week.
11. Is there anyone I’ve been meaning to talk to? – Regular communication can solve problems before they fester. Always keep an open line of communication to those around you.
12. Is there anyone that deserves a big ‘Thank You’? – Take time each week to thank the people who have helped you. Your kind gesture will not go unnoticed.
13. How can I help someone else this coming week? – The easiest way to get what you want is to help others get what they want. If you help them, they will remember you when you need help.
14. What are my top 3 goals for the next 3 years? – You’ll never make any progress in life if you don’t setup realistic goals for yourself.
15. Have any of my recent actions moved me closer to my goals? – If the answer is no, something needs to change.
16. What’s the next step for each goal? – Knowing the next step is the key to accomplishing the whole.
17. What am I looking forward to during the upcoming week? – The answer can act as a great source of motivation. If nothing exists, schedule something to look forward to.
18. What are my fears? – Consciously address your fears each week and slowly work on resolving them. It’s all about taking baby steps.
19. What am I most grateful for? – It’s a smart way to keep things in perspective, and something you should never lose sight of.
20. If I knew I only had one week to live, who would I spend my time with? – Another helpful reminder… Life is short. Spend more time with the people you care about.
Take 30 minutes every Sunday and give yourself the gift of self reflection. It has worked wonders for me, and I am confident it will do the same for you.
Personal Business
Everyone is the CEO of Their Own Corporation
What most people don’t realize is that you never really work for anyone but yourself. The only question is: What are you selling, and to whom? Even when you have a full time, salaried, “Corporate America” position, you are still running your own business. You are selling one unit of your existence (an hour of your life) at a set price (the associated fraction of your salary) to a customer (your employer).
Good Business vs. Bad Business
Selling hours for dollars is a flawed business plan. Let’s take a quick look at the components of a good business plan vs. that of the standard hours for dollars routine.
A good business plan:
Multiple Products – Providing multiple options to your customers.
Product Development Growth – Innovating and expanding the core capabilities of your product.
Multiple Customers – Your total income revenue is acquired from several sources. The loss of a single customer will not jeopardize your sustainability.
Scalable – Your business can grow naturally without disproportionately increasing costs. Also, it cannot be shutdown by the absence of a single worker.
Inventory Expansion – Inventory can be expanded to meet increasing customer demands.
The business of strictly selling hours for dollars:
One Product – A single hour of your life.
Static Product Growth – You can change your level of productivity within an hour, but you can’t change the dynamics of the hour itself (which is the metric you are being paid by).
One Customer – Your employer. If you lose your one customer, you lose your business.
Single Point of Failure – If something happens to you (injured, ill, etc.), your business suffers.
Ever Declining Inventory – Life has a limited inventory of hours. They cannot be reproduced.
The Silver Lining: You Must Find Your Passion
There is, however, a silver lining. When you are passionate about your work, even in an “hours for dollars” environment, you open the floodgates to a world of accelerated personal growth and contentment. Suddenly, you are working to learn, mindfully indulging in the task at hand. This passion is the byproduct of interest. You have to be genuinely interested in the subject matter of your profession. In other words, dollars cannot be the primary source of motivation. Once you find your passion, here are some ideas for maximizing your career growth potential:
Learn as Much as You Can – This becomes a natural process when you are truly passionate about your work. Obviously, the more you know the more valuable your time will be to others.
Pursue Unpaid Growth Opportunities – Get out of the “hours for dollars” mindset. See if you can barter your skill set with others in your industry. You educate them as they educate you. Knowledge is worth far more than money.
Provide Value from Within a Black Box – This is how you increase your level of impressiveness. Your efforts must make someone think, “Wow! How does he/she do that?” They can easily see your inputs and your results, but aren’t 100% sure how you got from point A to point B.
Innovate – If you think there might be a better way, try it. The worst case scenario is you’ll have to revert back to the way things are now.
Help Other People – The best way to get what you want is to help others get what they want. This will also aid you in establishing strong professional relationships.
Market Your Visibility – Don’t be bashful. Take credit where credit is due.
Avoid the “Hours for Dollars” Mentality
Even when working in an “hours for dollars” environment, you can avoid the “hours for dollars” mentality. Find something you’re passionate about and take it to the next level. Become a guru. This should help you to strategically position yourself as a “go to guy/gal”, someone your superiors (and industry insiders) see as a vital asset.
Doing so will ultimately free you from the bounds of an arbitrary hourly rate, because you (your business) will become entwined with the future objectives of your employer (and maybe even the industry as a whole). This typically translates into big raises, bonuses, etc. You’ll start getting paid based on the tangible value you provide. Eventually, this position of power can be leveraged to start a company of your own.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Choices
My character is forged by my choices. You will see it in my manner and my confident optimism. It is how I stand and talk, laugh and listen. Use my honor and integrity as the example. Give me work to do; point me to my neighbor in need. Choose me to go first or last. Let me challenge myself to do more. I know what is right. I pledge to improve myself and help others.
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