Sunday, September 26, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Love Your Body, Forgive Your "Self"
Love Your Body, Forgive Your "Self" by Laura Turner
This may sound a bit odd coming from me, but I believe that regardless of what you eat - how many times each week you exercise or what particular diet you decide to try - if you do not have your inner life in order, it will be difficult to be at peace with yourself and your body.
In discussing ways to love your body, therefore, it is important to look at ways we can have peace with ourselves. Moreover, in this article, we will discuss an idea you may not have considered: forgiveness.
The Past Is The Past, Let It Go:
The most important process we can undertake for our health and well being is to make a conscious effort not to leave negative energy embedded in the past. In effort to move into present time, and be at one with our own body, it becomes essential to let go of all the hurts and struggles that have led us to this moment. There is only one road to this state of oneness, however: The act of letting go.
As it turns out, I'm not the only one who stands by the belief system of releasing the past in effort to improve the health of our minds, as well as our body and spirit. Carolyn Myss in her healing lecture series: Why People Don't Heal, makes the claim that forgiveness is the #1 way to move forward in health. And she can back it up. She has used the healing process of letting go to transform people from near death to glowing health. With this in mind then, ask yourself: Is there anyone or anything from my past which prevents me from moving forward? Said differently: is there something in your past that's holding you back?
Learn To Forgive Others, The Process:
This brings us to the next step in our progress of releasing the past: learning to forgive others. Keep in mind, most often others say and do things as a result of how they are feeling about themselves. In most cases, whether they are aware of it or not, unhealthy individuals inflict their wounds upon us to salve their own pain. This can no longer affect us if we make a full effort to do as Don Miguel Ruiz says in his book The Four Agreements, and "not take things personally." When we do take things personally, we really could gather up a lifetime of emotional baggage.
As it pertains to body image and self-esteem, however, is there anyone you need to forgive? Has someone knowingly or unknowingly inflicted a negative body view onto you? Here's my personal example: When I was in high school, I had a "friend" who was popular, pretty and blonde. As an introvert and troubled youth, I took everything most personally. Imagine my emotional baggage when any time I would so much as mention my interest in a particular boy, she'd make sure she would go out of her way to get his interest.
Needless to say our friendship wasn't long term. And later I learned she was living in an unstable home. Yet, when I was younger, her actions just plain hurt my feelings and gave me a negative self image. Now I realize my insecurities at the time were my wounds to heal, and once I'd forgiven her and not taken her actions personally, I could move forward without holding on to past insecurity.
Learn To Live In the Present, An Exercise:
When we can learn to let go of the past and live fully in the present, we are also growing. After all, how could we grow if we have negative energy lodged in the past? Moreover, there are many other active ways to learn to live in the present. Begin the process by taking a current inventory of your body. I like to do this by using my journal (you do have a journal, don't you?)
Here's how it works:
• Take a scan of your body. First take body part by body part and make a note of what you are happy about. Ask yourself: What do I love about me? At first this may seem awkward, but I cannot stress the importance of taking time to spend time with your self and learning to know "you."
• After you've noted all the positive aspects of your self, make note of those parts you'd like to change. Keep in mind your boundaries - are these changes within your control? If so, make notes to yourself as to how you may go about making a change for the better. If changes are out of your control - take time every day to consciously send love to those parts of your body. When ever possible, tell your mind that you accept your body and your self for who you are, right now.
• When you've finished, take a look at your list. What can you do right now that would make you love a part of yourself? Consider this your permission slip: Today take time to do something good for yourself. Better yet, walk to the phone right now and make an appointment to do something for your self. My favorite self-love activities? Here's a couple suggestions. Ladies: A manicure or pedicure? Gentlemen: A massage?
Today, take time to focus on all of your positive qualities. Make an effort to forgive the past and move into the present moment. Prepare to grow!
Journal Entries:
Make note: What do I love about myself?
What can I do for myself this week that is "just for me"?
About the Author: Laura Turner is a natural health practitioner and author. She publishes the New Body News and Wellness Letter, The Online Magazine Healthy People Read! ( http://www.new-body-news.com/ ) Subscribe for f.r.e.e. and receive her Special Report: "Take Charge of Your Health!" Visit: http://www.beauty-and-body.com/ and check out her latest book: Spiritual Fitness!
Article Source: NewAgeArticles.com
This may sound a bit odd coming from me, but I believe that regardless of what you eat - how many times each week you exercise or what particular diet you decide to try - if you do not have your inner life in order, it will be difficult to be at peace with yourself and your body.
In discussing ways to love your body, therefore, it is important to look at ways we can have peace with ourselves. Moreover, in this article, we will discuss an idea you may not have considered: forgiveness.
The Past Is The Past, Let It Go:
The most important process we can undertake for our health and well being is to make a conscious effort not to leave negative energy embedded in the past. In effort to move into present time, and be at one with our own body, it becomes essential to let go of all the hurts and struggles that have led us to this moment. There is only one road to this state of oneness, however: The act of letting go.
As it turns out, I'm not the only one who stands by the belief system of releasing the past in effort to improve the health of our minds, as well as our body and spirit. Carolyn Myss in her healing lecture series: Why People Don't Heal, makes the claim that forgiveness is the #1 way to move forward in health. And she can back it up. She has used the healing process of letting go to transform people from near death to glowing health. With this in mind then, ask yourself: Is there anyone or anything from my past which prevents me from moving forward? Said differently: is there something in your past that's holding you back?
Learn To Forgive Others, The Process:
This brings us to the next step in our progress of releasing the past: learning to forgive others. Keep in mind, most often others say and do things as a result of how they are feeling about themselves. In most cases, whether they are aware of it or not, unhealthy individuals inflict their wounds upon us to salve their own pain. This can no longer affect us if we make a full effort to do as Don Miguel Ruiz says in his book The Four Agreements, and "not take things personally." When we do take things personally, we really could gather up a lifetime of emotional baggage.
As it pertains to body image and self-esteem, however, is there anyone you need to forgive? Has someone knowingly or unknowingly inflicted a negative body view onto you? Here's my personal example: When I was in high school, I had a "friend" who was popular, pretty and blonde. As an introvert and troubled youth, I took everything most personally. Imagine my emotional baggage when any time I would so much as mention my interest in a particular boy, she'd make sure she would go out of her way to get his interest.
Needless to say our friendship wasn't long term. And later I learned she was living in an unstable home. Yet, when I was younger, her actions just plain hurt my feelings and gave me a negative self image. Now I realize my insecurities at the time were my wounds to heal, and once I'd forgiven her and not taken her actions personally, I could move forward without holding on to past insecurity.
Learn To Live In the Present, An Exercise:
When we can learn to let go of the past and live fully in the present, we are also growing. After all, how could we grow if we have negative energy lodged in the past? Moreover, there are many other active ways to learn to live in the present. Begin the process by taking a current inventory of your body. I like to do this by using my journal (you do have a journal, don't you?)
Here's how it works:
• Take a scan of your body. First take body part by body part and make a note of what you are happy about. Ask yourself: What do I love about me? At first this may seem awkward, but I cannot stress the importance of taking time to spend time with your self and learning to know "you."
• After you've noted all the positive aspects of your self, make note of those parts you'd like to change. Keep in mind your boundaries - are these changes within your control? If so, make notes to yourself as to how you may go about making a change for the better. If changes are out of your control - take time every day to consciously send love to those parts of your body. When ever possible, tell your mind that you accept your body and your self for who you are, right now.
• When you've finished, take a look at your list. What can you do right now that would make you love a part of yourself? Consider this your permission slip: Today take time to do something good for yourself. Better yet, walk to the phone right now and make an appointment to do something for your self. My favorite self-love activities? Here's a couple suggestions. Ladies: A manicure or pedicure? Gentlemen: A massage?
Today, take time to focus on all of your positive qualities. Make an effort to forgive the past and move into the present moment. Prepare to grow!
Journal Entries:
Make note: What do I love about myself?
What can I do for myself this week that is "just for me"?
About the Author: Laura Turner is a natural health practitioner and author. She publishes the New Body News and Wellness Letter, The Online Magazine Healthy People Read! ( http://www.new-body-news.com/ ) Subscribe for f.r.e.e. and receive her Special Report: "Take Charge of Your Health!" Visit: http://www.beauty-and-body.com/ and check out her latest book: Spiritual Fitness!
Article Source: NewAgeArticles.com
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Invite A Flood Of Prosperity With Visualization
Invite A Flood Of Prosperity With Visualization by Wendy Betterini
Visualization is one great way to activate the Law of Attraction in our lives, but we often go about it in such a serious way. We meditate, we create our vision boards, we painstakingly create a picture in our minds of what we want our outer circumstances to reflect. This is a good practice overall, but one important component we often forget (or don't know how to generate) is infusing our vision with powerful emotions. Feelings like joy, love, excitement, and gratitude can emit powerful vibrations that act as a magnet to attract whatever we desire. But how do we generate these feelings over something that's "make believe"?
There's a very simple way to do this, and it involves one secret ingredient: FUN!
By making our vision fun and lighthearted, we automatically begin to feel corresponding emotions. Don't just visualize yourself with a new car; visualize yourself driving that new car and having a blast doing so! Don't just visualize yourself with the partner of your dreams; visualize yourself locked in a passionate embrace or laughing with your partner over something silly.
Just to get you started, I'd like to share a fun visualization I've been using to attract greater abundance into my life. It's very simple, but as you'll soon see, it can be incredibly powerful because of the feelings it invokes.
First, find a private place where you won't be disturbed for a short amount of time. Perform your usual relaxation techniques (deep breathing, mind quieting, etc.) so you feel calm and centered. Then visualize yourself standing in the center of your home. It's a beautiful warm day outside, so you have all the windows and doors open. Suddenly, off in the distance, you hear a deep rumbling sound. You cock your head and listen intently, wondering where the noise is coming from. It gets louder and louder, and the house begins vibrating and shaking all around you.
You know something big is coming, but strangely you don't feel frightened, only excited. The roar reaches a crescendo, and suddenly, in through your windows and doors comes a massive flood of dollar bills. Not just dollar bills but also hundred and thousand-dollar bills!! The money is rushing in so quickly that it causes a mini-hurricane over your head, greenery flying everywhere. The bills are accumulating on the floors, furniture, appliances. It's gushing in through the doors and windows, down the chimney and through the fireplace, coming up through the plumbing, even seeping through the walls!
As you see this unbelievable abundance swirling all around you, you suddenly let out a whoop of pure joy! You begin gathering up handfuls of money as if they were fallen leaves and tossing them into the air, letting them rain down around you. You laugh and laugh because you know you have created this flood of prosperity in your reality. You called it forth with the power of your thoughts, and you feel so proud of your accomplishment!
You raise your face to the ceiling and shout your gratitude to the Universe: "THANK YOU for this amazing gift! Thank you so much for the freedom, fun, and pleasure I will enjoy with this money!"
By now the bills have accumulated to chest-level, and you're wading joyfully through the rooms of your home, letting your hands trail along the surface of the money. You take a deep breath and hold it, then dive beneath the surface and swim through the green murk. You surface a few feet away, flipping over to do the backstroke for a bit. All the while, you're laughing and laughing, having great fun with your newfound wealth.
Suddenly you drop your feet to the bottom and stand up again, wondering just what you're going to do with all of this money. You recall the single mother who lives down the street, and you decide to send her a big box of cash, anonymously. You envision the beaming smiles on the faces of the mother and her children when they receive your gift of love. Then you remember the elderly woman who lives next door, she could probably use some help too. So you box up some more cash for her. You begin thinking about your friends and family members, and decide to bless them with some cash. Oh, you also know some great charitable organizations that could probably use donations! Finally, you remember a few things that you want to buy for yourself, so you stuff some bills in your pockets with which to go shopping.
As you prepare to leave on your shopping excursion, you gaze back at the piles of money you attracted, and you are overcome with a feeling of immense gratitude. You've never felt so blessed as you do right now, and you know it will only get better in the future. Finally, you understand that true wealth comes from within, and you'll never again have to feel powerless or frightened. The prosperity you've called forth will continue to grow and multiply, whenever you choose it. With a radiant smile and a wink to the Universe, you close the door behind you and head off to the first of many exciting adventures waiting in your future.
Could you feel the emotions while you were reading that? Do you feel excited and eager to give it a try? Go ahead - I assure you it's a ton of fun!
By the way, I injected imagery that I feel is fun, but feel free to alter it to better suit your objectives (like replace the money with something else, if that's what you want).
Whatever you do, have FUN with it! The key point is to get your juices flowing and make you feel GOOD. It's all that matters in the end.
About the Author: Visit http://www.mindfulattraction.com/ for more great articles and ebooks about the Law of Attraction. Need some daily reinforcement? Sign up for our FREE Daily Align-ders - short and sweet reminders to help you get (and stay) in alignment with your intentions: http://www.MindfulAttraction.com/align-ders.html
Article Source: NewAgeArticles.com
Visualization is one great way to activate the Law of Attraction in our lives, but we often go about it in such a serious way. We meditate, we create our vision boards, we painstakingly create a picture in our minds of what we want our outer circumstances to reflect. This is a good practice overall, but one important component we often forget (or don't know how to generate) is infusing our vision with powerful emotions. Feelings like joy, love, excitement, and gratitude can emit powerful vibrations that act as a magnet to attract whatever we desire. But how do we generate these feelings over something that's "make believe"?
There's a very simple way to do this, and it involves one secret ingredient: FUN!
By making our vision fun and lighthearted, we automatically begin to feel corresponding emotions. Don't just visualize yourself with a new car; visualize yourself driving that new car and having a blast doing so! Don't just visualize yourself with the partner of your dreams; visualize yourself locked in a passionate embrace or laughing with your partner over something silly.
Just to get you started, I'd like to share a fun visualization I've been using to attract greater abundance into my life. It's very simple, but as you'll soon see, it can be incredibly powerful because of the feelings it invokes.
First, find a private place where you won't be disturbed for a short amount of time. Perform your usual relaxation techniques (deep breathing, mind quieting, etc.) so you feel calm and centered. Then visualize yourself standing in the center of your home. It's a beautiful warm day outside, so you have all the windows and doors open. Suddenly, off in the distance, you hear a deep rumbling sound. You cock your head and listen intently, wondering where the noise is coming from. It gets louder and louder, and the house begins vibrating and shaking all around you.
You know something big is coming, but strangely you don't feel frightened, only excited. The roar reaches a crescendo, and suddenly, in through your windows and doors comes a massive flood of dollar bills. Not just dollar bills but also hundred and thousand-dollar bills!! The money is rushing in so quickly that it causes a mini-hurricane over your head, greenery flying everywhere. The bills are accumulating on the floors, furniture, appliances. It's gushing in through the doors and windows, down the chimney and through the fireplace, coming up through the plumbing, even seeping through the walls!
As you see this unbelievable abundance swirling all around you, you suddenly let out a whoop of pure joy! You begin gathering up handfuls of money as if they were fallen leaves and tossing them into the air, letting them rain down around you. You laugh and laugh because you know you have created this flood of prosperity in your reality. You called it forth with the power of your thoughts, and you feel so proud of your accomplishment!
You raise your face to the ceiling and shout your gratitude to the Universe: "THANK YOU for this amazing gift! Thank you so much for the freedom, fun, and pleasure I will enjoy with this money!"
By now the bills have accumulated to chest-level, and you're wading joyfully through the rooms of your home, letting your hands trail along the surface of the money. You take a deep breath and hold it, then dive beneath the surface and swim through the green murk. You surface a few feet away, flipping over to do the backstroke for a bit. All the while, you're laughing and laughing, having great fun with your newfound wealth.
Suddenly you drop your feet to the bottom and stand up again, wondering just what you're going to do with all of this money. You recall the single mother who lives down the street, and you decide to send her a big box of cash, anonymously. You envision the beaming smiles on the faces of the mother and her children when they receive your gift of love. Then you remember the elderly woman who lives next door, she could probably use some help too. So you box up some more cash for her. You begin thinking about your friends and family members, and decide to bless them with some cash. Oh, you also know some great charitable organizations that could probably use donations! Finally, you remember a few things that you want to buy for yourself, so you stuff some bills in your pockets with which to go shopping.
As you prepare to leave on your shopping excursion, you gaze back at the piles of money you attracted, and you are overcome with a feeling of immense gratitude. You've never felt so blessed as you do right now, and you know it will only get better in the future. Finally, you understand that true wealth comes from within, and you'll never again have to feel powerless or frightened. The prosperity you've called forth will continue to grow and multiply, whenever you choose it. With a radiant smile and a wink to the Universe, you close the door behind you and head off to the first of many exciting adventures waiting in your future.
Could you feel the emotions while you were reading that? Do you feel excited and eager to give it a try? Go ahead - I assure you it's a ton of fun!
By the way, I injected imagery that I feel is fun, but feel free to alter it to better suit your objectives (like replace the money with something else, if that's what you want).
Whatever you do, have FUN with it! The key point is to get your juices flowing and make you feel GOOD. It's all that matters in the end.
About the Author: Visit http://www.mindfulattraction.com/ for more great articles and ebooks about the Law of Attraction. Need some daily reinforcement? Sign up for our FREE Daily Align-ders - short and sweet reminders to help you get (and stay) in alignment with your intentions: http://www.MindfulAttraction.com/align-ders.html
Article Source: NewAgeArticles.com
Monday, September 20, 2010
Smart Questions To Keep Handy
Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.
-- Anthony Robbins
Last time, we talked about questions to avoid. Today, let's consider some that are truly empowering:
- Is there a message for me in this experience?
- What's the gift in this situation?
- What can I learn from this?
- What's the most loving thing I could do now?
- What's the most important thing for me to focus on now?
- What would I do if I knew I could not fail?
- What would I do if there were nothing to fear?
"A prudent question is one-half of wisdom."
-- Francis Bacon
-- Anthony Robbins
Last time, we talked about questions to avoid. Today, let's consider some that are truly empowering:
- Is there a message for me in this experience?
- What's the gift in this situation?
- What can I learn from this?
- What's the most loving thing I could do now?
- What's the most important thing for me to focus on now?
- What would I do if I knew I could not fail?
- What would I do if there were nothing to fear?
"A prudent question is one-half of wisdom."
-- Francis Bacon
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
The Eyes Of The Soul
The eyes of the soul
Today, we want to share a passage from Martia Nelson's book, "Coming Home":
My greatest teacher was the experience of living in split realities: personality and true self. Personality is our daily companion, our conscious self that sees the world through the eyes of limitation and dutifully keeps us informed about what we can and cannot do. True self, on the other hand, patiently stands by, offering the unwavering knowledge that a state of vibrant well-being and unlimited possibility is our true nature, a birthright that can be lived if we choose to do so. True self simply refers to the aspect of our being that is completely aware of its expanded nature no matter what we may be experiencing at the time.
Whenever we feel constrained, fearful, unworthy, inadequate or anything we deem to be negative, we have identified with our personality. We can always choose to view the same situation from the perspective of our soul.
"As a Witness, you begin to discover that you are not that which you have been observing; you are not those things that you have been noticing about your body. Instead, you are the noticer.�
-- Wayne Dyer
Today, we want to share a passage from Martia Nelson's book, "Coming Home":
My greatest teacher was the experience of living in split realities: personality and true self. Personality is our daily companion, our conscious self that sees the world through the eyes of limitation and dutifully keeps us informed about what we can and cannot do. True self, on the other hand, patiently stands by, offering the unwavering knowledge that a state of vibrant well-being and unlimited possibility is our true nature, a birthright that can be lived if we choose to do so. True self simply refers to the aspect of our being that is completely aware of its expanded nature no matter what we may be experiencing at the time.
Whenever we feel constrained, fearful, unworthy, inadequate or anything we deem to be negative, we have identified with our personality. We can always choose to view the same situation from the perspective of our soul.
"As a Witness, you begin to discover that you are not that which you have been observing; you are not those things that you have been noticing about your body. Instead, you are the noticer.�
-- Wayne Dyer
Monday, September 6, 2010
Awareness Through Love and Fear
Awareness through love and fear
"There is nothing holier in this life of ours than the first consciousness of love -- the first fluttering of its silken wings -- the first rising sound and breath of that wind which is so soon to sweep through the soul, to purify or to destroy."
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Our inner journey takes us through the following stages relative to love and fear:
1. UNCONSCIOUS LOVE: When we are born, we exist as pure love but we are not conscious of our love.
2. UNCONSCIOUS FEAR: Our souls have set the stage for our evolution. As we grow, unconscious fears arise in our personalities that draw experiences to us that wound us.
3. CONSCIOUS FEAR: Our wounds bring pain and suffering that enable us to become conscious of our fears.
4. CONSCIOUS LOVE: When we've suffered enough pain, we are motivated to move through our fears to consciously experience the love that supports all.
"Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition."
-- Alexander Smith
"There is nothing holier in this life of ours than the first consciousness of love -- the first fluttering of its silken wings -- the first rising sound and breath of that wind which is so soon to sweep through the soul, to purify or to destroy."
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Our inner journey takes us through the following stages relative to love and fear:
1. UNCONSCIOUS LOVE: When we are born, we exist as pure love but we are not conscious of our love.
2. UNCONSCIOUS FEAR: Our souls have set the stage for our evolution. As we grow, unconscious fears arise in our personalities that draw experiences to us that wound us.
3. CONSCIOUS FEAR: Our wounds bring pain and suffering that enable us to become conscious of our fears.
4. CONSCIOUS LOVE: When we've suffered enough pain, we are motivated to move through our fears to consciously experience the love that supports all.
"Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition."
-- Alexander Smith
Saturday, September 4, 2010
"Stop Thinking"
Stop Thinking by Dave Dorgan
When taking a test, why do people always tell us to trust our first answer? Why do we remember some person's name that was elusively on the tip of your tongue earlier, in the shower or before we drift off to sleep? Why do we have some our greatest creative ideas in the shower? When we are doing a crossword puzzle and get stuck on a word for an eternity, why do people suggest that we put it down for a while? And, why is it that when we pick up the puzzle a little later the letters practically jump into the boxes? The answer to all of these questions is "because that is when we are not thinking" or "we stopped thinking so much".
The complete title of this piece should be "Stop Thinking and Just Know" or, even better - "Don't Think with Your Brain, Know with Your Soul". When you know that God is part of you - in your soul (what Hindus call Atma), you also know that God's infinite knowledge - or if you prefer, the infinite knowledge of the Universe - is also in your soul. Those moments when you are in the shower or drifting of to sleep or even driving you car, are moments when you are knowing with your soul. You are not consciously trying to think and in doing so, you brain is left out of the process. The great Yoga master Swami Sivananda put it in a very simple yet profound way when he referred to this as "knowing without thinking".
So, why is thinking and knowing so different?
First, thinking with your brain is not a bad thing. In our daily lives, we use our brains all of the time to do analytical thinking, to store and recall names and dates, remember the size of our paycheck, to do basic problem solving, and to do our taxes - ugggh. The soul, on the other hand, provides answers to things that we may not have stored in our brains - no matter how many analytical processes we draw on to attempt to connect the dots. The soul provides us with solutions that we never even would have considered with our brains. The soul gives us creative ideas and what we call "thinking outside of the box". It is an always open door to God's infinite knowledge, which is really in our soul. The soul points out that we already had the answer, but our brains stomped right on it by over-analyzing. When just one strand of lights goes out on the Christmas tree, the brain tells us to run to the hardware store and buy some more, but the soul tells us how to fix the problem. If we just ask for the solution (true story).
Second, you need to realize that knowing with your soul is instantaneous and thinking with your brain takes time. Think of your brain as a computer that you ask a question and it does some processing - some analysis - and gives you an answer. No matter how powerful the computer is, there is still some amount of time elapsing between asking the question and having the answer. That wee bit of time, now matter how brief, is the problem. Even one millisecond allows the destructive ego to slip in and muddy the waters with its various forms of doubt, second guessing, and pride. Some people like to distill this phenomenon down to cutesy clichés like "paralysis by analysis", but these phrases do nothing to explain why this occurs.
Our souls always have – or have access to - the infinite knowledge of God, the universe. When we come back into the physical world as babes, our souls have all of that knowledge and our brains are virtually empty except for our basic survival instincts. This explains the sometimes extraordinary spiritual abilities of children – even the very young. There is lots of knowing and very little thinking. Our brains start out as empty sponges and as we grow, our brain fills with all kinds of knowledge, experiences, societal values and dogmas. As our brain fills with these things, the ego also grows. Gradually, our ego draws us to the thinking side – often destructive thinking – and we are drawn away from knowing/listening to our souls.
I have been a computer programmer and system designer for over 20 years and know all too well that the best designs or a fix to a nagging bug come to me in the shower or when throwing a ball around for 15 minutes at work.
Throughout time, many great artists have known the powerful role that knowing plays in the creative process. It has been described in many ways, the inner voice, listening to God, and divine inspiration, to name but a few. And, in the end, it all distills down to the idea of knowing/listening to the soul.
"When I am traveling in a carriage, or walking after a good meal, or during the night when I cannot sleep; it is on such occasions that ideas flow best and most abundantly." - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The great jazz guitarist, Pat Martino, on the topic of improvisation, once said, "Try to learn everything you can, and then forget it." i.e. stop thinking with your brain. Great improvisation is instantaneous - from the soul. Sometimes you might just be noodling around on an instrument. You look up unknown minutes later not even remembering what you just played and your friend is just staring at you. One of you eventually says what the other one is thinking, "Where the hell did that come from?" That, my friends, is a beautiful moment!
When things in your day are clicking or flowing, when there are truly no problems and just solutions, you are knowing with your soul. This is sometimes referred to as “just being” or the “I AM”. God has already provided the answers for you. You don't "access" them. They are already there - you just have to know it. When you are consciously aware of this, you can readily apply it to any aspect of your life. More and more it will just happen, and you will be aware of it. You will observe it happening. You will become fearless, because you will know that all of the answers are inside of you.
In your spiritual endeavors, be willing to try things you've never done before. You grow by taking chances and not worrying about making mistakes, the outcome, or what others will think. Whether it be astral projection, healing, talking to Gautama or God or and Archangel (true stories), just know that there are no right or wrong ways. Any real truth or skill can be distilled down to the exquisitely simple.
The trick is then to take the concept of knowing from the conceptual to the experiential. To listen to what is inside of you or to believe that you have it all inside of you is daunting for most people. Our egos, thinking, put the doubt, second guessing, etc… inside of us. We find it easier to look outside for answers.
Here is one little exercise to use to nudge you in the right direction. It will help you get comfortable with knowing that you have access to the infinite knowledge of God/the universe. Over time you will start to realize that it is all inside of you. When you have a question or problem, visualize the question being written down on a fine piece of square parchment. Say the question in your mind. See the four corners of the parchment folded in to meet in the middle and then sealed with red wax and a stamp. Now visualize the sealed question being sent floating off into the universe. Then forget about it – let it go from you mind so that you are not thinking about it. At some point – often very quickly – an answer will come to you in some form. It may just pop into your head, or be triggered by a song, a TV add, or something someone says. Don’t be looking for it to come, but when it does, you’ll say “Ohhh.” Don’t second guess it or doubt it. Go with it and thank God/the universe for the blessing i.e. express gratitude. Practice this often and over time you will transition to just asking the question in your head without the need of the visualization. You will know that the answer is inside of you.
The reality is that you don't need me or anyone else to help or tell you how to do this. Be your own guru. Just know that you are already doing it. So start thinking less often and start knowing more often.
Dave has been studying and practicing numerous forms of spirtuality and new age disciplines for over 20 years. His first book, Time and Space Stand Still, will be published in February of 2008 by Chalani Resources. Dave's spiritual blog is Be the Guru.
Article Source: NewAgeArticles.com
Stop Thinking by Dave Dorgan
When taking a test, why do people always tell us to trust our first answer? Why do we remember some person's name that was elusively on the tip of your tongue earlier, in the shower or before we drift off to sleep? Why do we have some our greatest creative ideas in the shower? When we are doing a crossword puzzle and get stuck on a word for an eternity, why do people suggest that we put it down for a while? And, why is it that when we pick up the puzzle a little later the letters practically jump into the boxes? The answer to all of these questions is "because that is when we are not thinking" or "we stopped thinking so much".
The complete title of this piece should be "Stop Thinking and Just Know" or, even better - "Don't Think with Your Brain, Know with Your Soul". When you know that God is part of you - in your soul (what Hindus call Atma), you also know that God's infinite knowledge - or if you prefer, the infinite knowledge of the Universe - is also in your soul. Those moments when you are in the shower or drifting of to sleep or even driving you car, are moments when you are knowing with your soul. You are not consciously trying to think and in doing so, you brain is left out of the process. The great Yoga master Swami Sivananda put it in a very simple yet profound way when he referred to this as "knowing without thinking".
So, why is thinking and knowing so different?
First, thinking with your brain is not a bad thing. In our daily lives, we use our brains all of the time to do analytical thinking, to store and recall names and dates, remember the size of our paycheck, to do basic problem solving, and to do our taxes - ugggh. The soul, on the other hand, provides answers to things that we may not have stored in our brains - no matter how many analytical processes we draw on to attempt to connect the dots. The soul provides us with solutions that we never even would have considered with our brains. The soul gives us creative ideas and what we call "thinking outside of the box". It is an always open door to God's infinite knowledge, which is really in our soul. The soul points out that we already had the answer, but our brains stomped right on it by over-analyzing. When just one strand of lights goes out on the Christmas tree, the brain tells us to run to the hardware store and buy some more, but the soul tells us how to fix the problem. If we just ask for the solution (true story).
Second, you need to realize that knowing with your soul is instantaneous and thinking with your brain takes time. Think of your brain as a computer that you ask a question and it does some processing - some analysis - and gives you an answer. No matter how powerful the computer is, there is still some amount of time elapsing between asking the question and having the answer. That wee bit of time, now matter how brief, is the problem. Even one millisecond allows the destructive ego to slip in and muddy the waters with its various forms of doubt, second guessing, and pride. Some people like to distill this phenomenon down to cutesy clichés like "paralysis by analysis", but these phrases do nothing to explain why this occurs.
Our souls always have – or have access to - the infinite knowledge of God, the universe. When we come back into the physical world as babes, our souls have all of that knowledge and our brains are virtually empty except for our basic survival instincts. This explains the sometimes extraordinary spiritual abilities of children – even the very young. There is lots of knowing and very little thinking. Our brains start out as empty sponges and as we grow, our brain fills with all kinds of knowledge, experiences, societal values and dogmas. As our brain fills with these things, the ego also grows. Gradually, our ego draws us to the thinking side – often destructive thinking – and we are drawn away from knowing/listening to our souls.
I have been a computer programmer and system designer for over 20 years and know all too well that the best designs or a fix to a nagging bug come to me in the shower or when throwing a ball around for 15 minutes at work.
Throughout time, many great artists have known the powerful role that knowing plays in the creative process. It has been described in many ways, the inner voice, listening to God, and divine inspiration, to name but a few. And, in the end, it all distills down to the idea of knowing/listening to the soul.
"When I am traveling in a carriage, or walking after a good meal, or during the night when I cannot sleep; it is on such occasions that ideas flow best and most abundantly." - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The great jazz guitarist, Pat Martino, on the topic of improvisation, once said, "Try to learn everything you can, and then forget it." i.e. stop thinking with your brain. Great improvisation is instantaneous - from the soul. Sometimes you might just be noodling around on an instrument. You look up unknown minutes later not even remembering what you just played and your friend is just staring at you. One of you eventually says what the other one is thinking, "Where the hell did that come from?" That, my friends, is a beautiful moment!
When things in your day are clicking or flowing, when there are truly no problems and just solutions, you are knowing with your soul. This is sometimes referred to as “just being” or the “I AM”. God has already provided the answers for you. You don't "access" them. They are already there - you just have to know it. When you are consciously aware of this, you can readily apply it to any aspect of your life. More and more it will just happen, and you will be aware of it. You will observe it happening. You will become fearless, because you will know that all of the answers are inside of you.
In your spiritual endeavors, be willing to try things you've never done before. You grow by taking chances and not worrying about making mistakes, the outcome, or what others will think. Whether it be astral projection, healing, talking to Gautama or God or and Archangel (true stories), just know that there are no right or wrong ways. Any real truth or skill can be distilled down to the exquisitely simple.
The trick is then to take the concept of knowing from the conceptual to the experiential. To listen to what is inside of you or to believe that you have it all inside of you is daunting for most people. Our egos, thinking, put the doubt, second guessing, etc… inside of us. We find it easier to look outside for answers.
Here is one little exercise to use to nudge you in the right direction. It will help you get comfortable with knowing that you have access to the infinite knowledge of God/the universe. Over time you will start to realize that it is all inside of you. When you have a question or problem, visualize the question being written down on a fine piece of square parchment. Say the question in your mind. See the four corners of the parchment folded in to meet in the middle and then sealed with red wax and a stamp. Now visualize the sealed question being sent floating off into the universe. Then forget about it – let it go from you mind so that you are not thinking about it. At some point – often very quickly – an answer will come to you in some form. It may just pop into your head, or be triggered by a song, a TV add, or something someone says. Don’t be looking for it to come, but when it does, you’ll say “Ohhh.” Don’t second guess it or doubt it. Go with it and thank God/the universe for the blessing i.e. express gratitude. Practice this often and over time you will transition to just asking the question in your head without the need of the visualization. You will know that the answer is inside of you.
The reality is that you don't need me or anyone else to help or tell you how to do this. Be your own guru. Just know that you are already doing it. So start thinking less often and start knowing more often.
Dave has been studying and practicing numerous forms of spirtuality and new age disciplines for over 20 years. His first book, Time and Space Stand Still, will be published in February of 2008 by Chalani Resources. Dave's spiritual blog is Be the Guru.
Article Source: NewAgeArticles.com
When taking a test, why do people always tell us to trust our first answer? Why do we remember some person's name that was elusively on the tip of your tongue earlier, in the shower or before we drift off to sleep? Why do we have some our greatest creative ideas in the shower? When we are doing a crossword puzzle and get stuck on a word for an eternity, why do people suggest that we put it down for a while? And, why is it that when we pick up the puzzle a little later the letters practically jump into the boxes? The answer to all of these questions is "because that is when we are not thinking" or "we stopped thinking so much".
The complete title of this piece should be "Stop Thinking and Just Know" or, even better - "Don't Think with Your Brain, Know with Your Soul". When you know that God is part of you - in your soul (what Hindus call Atma), you also know that God's infinite knowledge - or if you prefer, the infinite knowledge of the Universe - is also in your soul. Those moments when you are in the shower or drifting of to sleep or even driving you car, are moments when you are knowing with your soul. You are not consciously trying to think and in doing so, you brain is left out of the process. The great Yoga master Swami Sivananda put it in a very simple yet profound way when he referred to this as "knowing without thinking".
So, why is thinking and knowing so different?
First, thinking with your brain is not a bad thing. In our daily lives, we use our brains all of the time to do analytical thinking, to store and recall names and dates, remember the size of our paycheck, to do basic problem solving, and to do our taxes - ugggh. The soul, on the other hand, provides answers to things that we may not have stored in our brains - no matter how many analytical processes we draw on to attempt to connect the dots. The soul provides us with solutions that we never even would have considered with our brains. The soul gives us creative ideas and what we call "thinking outside of the box". It is an always open door to God's infinite knowledge, which is really in our soul. The soul points out that we already had the answer, but our brains stomped right on it by over-analyzing. When just one strand of lights goes out on the Christmas tree, the brain tells us to run to the hardware store and buy some more, but the soul tells us how to fix the problem. If we just ask for the solution (true story).
Second, you need to realize that knowing with your soul is instantaneous and thinking with your brain takes time. Think of your brain as a computer that you ask a question and it does some processing - some analysis - and gives you an answer. No matter how powerful the computer is, there is still some amount of time elapsing between asking the question and having the answer. That wee bit of time, now matter how brief, is the problem. Even one millisecond allows the destructive ego to slip in and muddy the waters with its various forms of doubt, second guessing, and pride. Some people like to distill this phenomenon down to cutesy clichés like "paralysis by analysis", but these phrases do nothing to explain why this occurs.
Our souls always have – or have access to - the infinite knowledge of God, the universe. When we come back into the physical world as babes, our souls have all of that knowledge and our brains are virtually empty except for our basic survival instincts. This explains the sometimes extraordinary spiritual abilities of children – even the very young. There is lots of knowing and very little thinking. Our brains start out as empty sponges and as we grow, our brain fills with all kinds of knowledge, experiences, societal values and dogmas. As our brain fills with these things, the ego also grows. Gradually, our ego draws us to the thinking side – often destructive thinking – and we are drawn away from knowing/listening to our souls.
I have been a computer programmer and system designer for over 20 years and know all too well that the best designs or a fix to a nagging bug come to me in the shower or when throwing a ball around for 15 minutes at work.
Throughout time, many great artists have known the powerful role that knowing plays in the creative process. It has been described in many ways, the inner voice, listening to God, and divine inspiration, to name but a few. And, in the end, it all distills down to the idea of knowing/listening to the soul.
"When I am traveling in a carriage, or walking after a good meal, or during the night when I cannot sleep; it is on such occasions that ideas flow best and most abundantly." - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The great jazz guitarist, Pat Martino, on the topic of improvisation, once said, "Try to learn everything you can, and then forget it." i.e. stop thinking with your brain. Great improvisation is instantaneous - from the soul. Sometimes you might just be noodling around on an instrument. You look up unknown minutes later not even remembering what you just played and your friend is just staring at you. One of you eventually says what the other one is thinking, "Where the hell did that come from?" That, my friends, is a beautiful moment!
When things in your day are clicking or flowing, when there are truly no problems and just solutions, you are knowing with your soul. This is sometimes referred to as “just being” or the “I AM”. God has already provided the answers for you. You don't "access" them. They are already there - you just have to know it. When you are consciously aware of this, you can readily apply it to any aspect of your life. More and more it will just happen, and you will be aware of it. You will observe it happening. You will become fearless, because you will know that all of the answers are inside of you.
In your spiritual endeavors, be willing to try things you've never done before. You grow by taking chances and not worrying about making mistakes, the outcome, or what others will think. Whether it be astral projection, healing, talking to Gautama or God or and Archangel (true stories), just know that there are no right or wrong ways. Any real truth or skill can be distilled down to the exquisitely simple.
The trick is then to take the concept of knowing from the conceptual to the experiential. To listen to what is inside of you or to believe that you have it all inside of you is daunting for most people. Our egos, thinking, put the doubt, second guessing, etc… inside of us. We find it easier to look outside for answers.
Here is one little exercise to use to nudge you in the right direction. It will help you get comfortable with knowing that you have access to the infinite knowledge of God/the universe. Over time you will start to realize that it is all inside of you. When you have a question or problem, visualize the question being written down on a fine piece of square parchment. Say the question in your mind. See the four corners of the parchment folded in to meet in the middle and then sealed with red wax and a stamp. Now visualize the sealed question being sent floating off into the universe. Then forget about it – let it go from you mind so that you are not thinking about it. At some point – often very quickly – an answer will come to you in some form. It may just pop into your head, or be triggered by a song, a TV add, or something someone says. Don’t be looking for it to come, but when it does, you’ll say “Ohhh.” Don’t second guess it or doubt it. Go with it and thank God/the universe for the blessing i.e. express gratitude. Practice this often and over time you will transition to just asking the question in your head without the need of the visualization. You will know that the answer is inside of you.
The reality is that you don't need me or anyone else to help or tell you how to do this. Be your own guru. Just know that you are already doing it. So start thinking less often and start knowing more often.
Dave has been studying and practicing numerous forms of spirtuality and new age disciplines for over 20 years. His first book, Time and Space Stand Still, will be published in February of 2008 by Chalani Resources. Dave's spiritual blog is Be the Guru.
Article Source: NewAgeArticles.com
Stop Thinking by Dave Dorgan
When taking a test, why do people always tell us to trust our first answer? Why do we remember some person's name that was elusively on the tip of your tongue earlier, in the shower or before we drift off to sleep? Why do we have some our greatest creative ideas in the shower? When we are doing a crossword puzzle and get stuck on a word for an eternity, why do people suggest that we put it down for a while? And, why is it that when we pick up the puzzle a little later the letters practically jump into the boxes? The answer to all of these questions is "because that is when we are not thinking" or "we stopped thinking so much".
The complete title of this piece should be "Stop Thinking and Just Know" or, even better - "Don't Think with Your Brain, Know with Your Soul". When you know that God is part of you - in your soul (what Hindus call Atma), you also know that God's infinite knowledge - or if you prefer, the infinite knowledge of the Universe - is also in your soul. Those moments when you are in the shower or drifting of to sleep or even driving you car, are moments when you are knowing with your soul. You are not consciously trying to think and in doing so, you brain is left out of the process. The great Yoga master Swami Sivananda put it in a very simple yet profound way when he referred to this as "knowing without thinking".
So, why is thinking and knowing so different?
First, thinking with your brain is not a bad thing. In our daily lives, we use our brains all of the time to do analytical thinking, to store and recall names and dates, remember the size of our paycheck, to do basic problem solving, and to do our taxes - ugggh. The soul, on the other hand, provides answers to things that we may not have stored in our brains - no matter how many analytical processes we draw on to attempt to connect the dots. The soul provides us with solutions that we never even would have considered with our brains. The soul gives us creative ideas and what we call "thinking outside of the box". It is an always open door to God's infinite knowledge, which is really in our soul. The soul points out that we already had the answer, but our brains stomped right on it by over-analyzing. When just one strand of lights goes out on the Christmas tree, the brain tells us to run to the hardware store and buy some more, but the soul tells us how to fix the problem. If we just ask for the solution (true story).
Second, you need to realize that knowing with your soul is instantaneous and thinking with your brain takes time. Think of your brain as a computer that you ask a question and it does some processing - some analysis - and gives you an answer. No matter how powerful the computer is, there is still some amount of time elapsing between asking the question and having the answer. That wee bit of time, now matter how brief, is the problem. Even one millisecond allows the destructive ego to slip in and muddy the waters with its various forms of doubt, second guessing, and pride. Some people like to distill this phenomenon down to cutesy clichés like "paralysis by analysis", but these phrases do nothing to explain why this occurs.
Our souls always have – or have access to - the infinite knowledge of God, the universe. When we come back into the physical world as babes, our souls have all of that knowledge and our brains are virtually empty except for our basic survival instincts. This explains the sometimes extraordinary spiritual abilities of children – even the very young. There is lots of knowing and very little thinking. Our brains start out as empty sponges and as we grow, our brain fills with all kinds of knowledge, experiences, societal values and dogmas. As our brain fills with these things, the ego also grows. Gradually, our ego draws us to the thinking side – often destructive thinking – and we are drawn away from knowing/listening to our souls.
I have been a computer programmer and system designer for over 20 years and know all too well that the best designs or a fix to a nagging bug come to me in the shower or when throwing a ball around for 15 minutes at work.
Throughout time, many great artists have known the powerful role that knowing plays in the creative process. It has been described in many ways, the inner voice, listening to God, and divine inspiration, to name but a few. And, in the end, it all distills down to the idea of knowing/listening to the soul.
"When I am traveling in a carriage, or walking after a good meal, or during the night when I cannot sleep; it is on such occasions that ideas flow best and most abundantly." - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The great jazz guitarist, Pat Martino, on the topic of improvisation, once said, "Try to learn everything you can, and then forget it." i.e. stop thinking with your brain. Great improvisation is instantaneous - from the soul. Sometimes you might just be noodling around on an instrument. You look up unknown minutes later not even remembering what you just played and your friend is just staring at you. One of you eventually says what the other one is thinking, "Where the hell did that come from?" That, my friends, is a beautiful moment!
When things in your day are clicking or flowing, when there are truly no problems and just solutions, you are knowing with your soul. This is sometimes referred to as “just being” or the “I AM”. God has already provided the answers for you. You don't "access" them. They are already there - you just have to know it. When you are consciously aware of this, you can readily apply it to any aspect of your life. More and more it will just happen, and you will be aware of it. You will observe it happening. You will become fearless, because you will know that all of the answers are inside of you.
In your spiritual endeavors, be willing to try things you've never done before. You grow by taking chances and not worrying about making mistakes, the outcome, or what others will think. Whether it be astral projection, healing, talking to Gautama or God or and Archangel (true stories), just know that there are no right or wrong ways. Any real truth or skill can be distilled down to the exquisitely simple.
The trick is then to take the concept of knowing from the conceptual to the experiential. To listen to what is inside of you or to believe that you have it all inside of you is daunting for most people. Our egos, thinking, put the doubt, second guessing, etc… inside of us. We find it easier to look outside for answers.
Here is one little exercise to use to nudge you in the right direction. It will help you get comfortable with knowing that you have access to the infinite knowledge of God/the universe. Over time you will start to realize that it is all inside of you. When you have a question or problem, visualize the question being written down on a fine piece of square parchment. Say the question in your mind. See the four corners of the parchment folded in to meet in the middle and then sealed with red wax and a stamp. Now visualize the sealed question being sent floating off into the universe. Then forget about it – let it go from you mind so that you are not thinking about it. At some point – often very quickly – an answer will come to you in some form. It may just pop into your head, or be triggered by a song, a TV add, or something someone says. Don’t be looking for it to come, but when it does, you’ll say “Ohhh.” Don’t second guess it or doubt it. Go with it and thank God/the universe for the blessing i.e. express gratitude. Practice this often and over time you will transition to just asking the question in your head without the need of the visualization. You will know that the answer is inside of you.
The reality is that you don't need me or anyone else to help or tell you how to do this. Be your own guru. Just know that you are already doing it. So start thinking less often and start knowing more often.
Dave has been studying and practicing numerous forms of spirtuality and new age disciplines for over 20 years. His first book, Time and Space Stand Still, will be published in February of 2008 by Chalani Resources. Dave's spiritual blog is Be the Guru.
Article Source: NewAgeArticles.com
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