it's that time of the year again-- a time for looking back and looking forward, reviewing old dreams and creating new ones, which usually includes dreams for a better, happier, more abundant life, including money but not just money.
here it is again, The Science of Getting Rich, in capsule form--
There is a universal energy from which all things are made. This energy fills the entire universe.
When you form a thought in your head, you tap into this energy, and you actually create that which you are thinking about.
Mankind has the ability to create a thought and cause the subject of the thought to be created within this field of Universal Energy.
To activate this ability, we must learn to harness our creative mind. Typically, we function with our competitive mind. But to create things with thought, we need to activate the creative mind.
We can come into harmony with this Universal energy through the act of expressing gratitude. Gratitude unifies our mind with this all encompassing Universal energy.
To manifest something new, simply hold an image of what you seek in your mind. And express gratitude to the Universe for having granted this to you. To achieve wealth, apply this same principle - hold a clear vision of the wealth you hope to attain. Then express gratitude that this wealth is coming to you. You must have unwavering faith and devout gratitude.
All that you include in your mental image will come to you through the physical realm - through the process of natural ways such as trade and commerce.
To claim this wealth, you must be active. You must do all that you can do each day to make this vision a reality. Especially strive to deliver to others something of value greater than what they paid you for.
Those who practice these instructions will get rich. And the riches they receive will be in the exact proportion to the definiteness of their vision, the fixity of their purpose, the steadiness of their faith, and the depth of their gratitude.
To participate in a free online course on The Science of Getting Rich, please click here.
To download a free copy of Wallace Wattles' 1910 book in ebook form, please click here.
Happy, Prosperous New Year, everyone!
Friday, December 28, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Affiliate Marketing Trap and Tip #1
im only around 3 weeks' old as an affiliate and online marketing newbie, and already i am becoming aware of the first twin traps any affiliate marketing or online marketing newbie inevitably falls into, if one is not careful:
1. information overload
2. the buy, buy, buy impulse
here's a way i've found to deal with these twin challenges and temptations:
1. focus on the basics, and the basics of a successful online business essentially have to do with 4 things-- product, conversion, traffic and backend. any information you get must help you improve and delivery well on any or all of these 4 core items of your business, otherwise, it's not really information you need to know.
this is well-explained in a free 12-minute video (you can download the audio script too if you want to) by Ewen Chia, the no. 1 top affiliate marketer in the world (you can Search for the evidence for that, too). i figured id start my journey by learning from the best in the field. : )
the basics also include the principles of successful online marketing, which i found through AutoPilot Profits. in this book, Ewen Chia basically reveals to you the fundamentals, as well as the fast and long-term strategies for successful online marketing.
as a newbie, it helped me see my way through the foggy forest of information overload, and afforded me with some basic guideposts on what to watch out for, and what to avoid. just learning from the book alone was well worth the investment, although the author also presents to you a proposal for how you can jumpstart your online business career with his products. but that's up to the reader to take or leave.
2. set a cap for your spending. from reading the initial free online marketing resources, most gurus have already said that you can start and run an online marketing business of your own for as little as $100-$200.
so i've set my cap for that-- $100 capital investment (domain and hosting, an autoresponder investment, and a few select ebooks/courses on online marketing principles-- i chose only two, one of which is AutoPilot Profits), and $100 monthly recurring investments (mostly paid subscriptions to select businesses, especially the 6 proven streams of income highly recommended by the PlugIn Profits system).
ive made a pact with my self not to go beyond this cap, until i start earning a steady stream of income from them and the business can start paying for itself.
i've decided early on that what i can't get with money (buying), i will get with more time and ingenuity (research, creativity), which i have a lot of. : )
this is the Net after all, where there are probably more free information than paid-for ones!
until then, your fellow newbie in the journey remains,
dedicated. : )
1. information overload
2. the buy, buy, buy impulse
here's a way i've found to deal with these twin challenges and temptations:
1. focus on the basics, and the basics of a successful online business essentially have to do with 4 things-- product, conversion, traffic and backend. any information you get must help you improve and delivery well on any or all of these 4 core items of your business, otherwise, it's not really information you need to know.
this is well-explained in a free 12-minute video (you can download the audio script too if you want to) by Ewen Chia, the no. 1 top affiliate marketer in the world (you can Search for the evidence for that, too). i figured id start my journey by learning from the best in the field. : )
the basics also include the principles of successful online marketing, which i found through AutoPilot Profits. in this book, Ewen Chia basically reveals to you the fundamentals, as well as the fast and long-term strategies for successful online marketing.
as a newbie, it helped me see my way through the foggy forest of information overload, and afforded me with some basic guideposts on what to watch out for, and what to avoid. just learning from the book alone was well worth the investment, although the author also presents to you a proposal for how you can jumpstart your online business career with his products. but that's up to the reader to take or leave.
2. set a cap for your spending. from reading the initial free online marketing resources, most gurus have already said that you can start and run an online marketing business of your own for as little as $100-$200.
so i've set my cap for that-- $100 capital investment (domain and hosting, an autoresponder investment, and a few select ebooks/courses on online marketing principles-- i chose only two, one of which is AutoPilot Profits), and $100 monthly recurring investments (mostly paid subscriptions to select businesses, especially the 6 proven streams of income highly recommended by the PlugIn Profits system).
ive made a pact with my self not to go beyond this cap, until i start earning a steady stream of income from them and the business can start paying for itself.
i've decided early on that what i can't get with money (buying), i will get with more time and ingenuity (research, creativity), which i have a lot of. : )
this is the Net after all, where there are probably more free information than paid-for ones!
until then, your fellow newbie in the journey remains,
dedicated. : )
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Dotcomology: Everything You Needed to Know
This FREE ebook is what I'm studying right now. It's downloadable free from here.
Here are additional FREE newbie training videos, too! : )
If one is resourceful and persistent enough, one doesn't really have to spend a lot to start an online business of one's own, that's what I'm learning these days.
Here are additional FREE newbie training videos, too! : )
If one is resourceful and persistent enough, one doesn't really have to spend a lot to start an online business of one's own, that's what I'm learning these days.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Why I Like PIPS
this is one of the reasons why i decided to go for Stone Evans' PlugInProfits System (PIPS)-- the regular FREE newsletter (i signed up for the free newsletter weeks ago, before i decided to be part of the PIPS) content i'm getting on the way to building my own online business. a sample of their honest-to-goodness, direct advise is shown below (of course, i also realized they would promote the advantage of PIPS but it convinced me since what they said makes sense), which helps me think, reflect and plan my own way through, too:
Fast-Track Your Journey to Home Business Success
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
No one has ever logged onto the Internet for the first time and
started pocketing dollars in a really short period of time. As
with all things in life, there is a learning curve.
SOME PERSONAL HISTORY
Just a few short years ago, I was a working stiff just like you.
One day, I bought and read a book called "Multiple Streams of
Income" by bestselling author, Robert Allen. Immediately, I
began my journey.
Every night after work and after my wife and children went to
sleep, I would get online and explore different ways of using the
Internet to make money.
In the two years that followed, I spent over $10,000 racking up
credit card debt buying eBooks, membership sites, special
reports, opt-in leads, and joining every "guru" recommended
business opportunity that flew into my email inbox.
I stayed up learning, working, and drinking coffee until 5:00 in
the morning, month after month filled with the hope of making
money online.
In my third year of working part-time to build a home based
income, I finally broke through and earned over $100,000 in just
twelve months from the Internet.
BECOME THE MASTER OF YOUR LEARNING CURVE
Research the lives of all of the "gurus." The one thing that
you will learn is that my own experience is not unique. Most of
the high earners on the Internet experienced a learning curve
very similar to my own.
Chances are that your curve will also be similar to mine, but it
is my hope that you can get to the top faster than even I did.
Three years was a long time to struggle, but every ounce of
struggle was worth the reward I have finally received.
In order to shorten your own learning curve, you must do a few
things differently than the rest of us did. You must become the
master of your learning curve.
THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO POINTS IS A STRAIGHT LINE
There is only one way to shorten the curve on the Internet:
You must plan to succeed!
Here is the deal. Most people put up a freebie website and select
a few affiliate programs to add to their website. Right out of
the gate, most people are running for the finish line without any
real plan in mind.
After a few short weeks, people begin to see the writing on the
wall that says, "This is going to be a long hard road."
People check their hit counters daily for six weeks before they
realize that getting traffic to their free site is going to be
tough.
At this point, they begin developing their first batch of
advertising. Then they spend countless months finding places to
show their advertisements for free. Some make an even more
drastic mistake by blowing thousands of hard earned dollars on
their new and untested ads.
These are the people who will learn the facts of life the hard
way.
In time, they will learn how to make their advertising work for
them, but most will earn very little money from their affiliate
programs.
At this point in the learning curve, most people throw up their
hands and walk away from their dreams in utter disgust. Instead
of a walking away point, this should have convinced the
struggling online entrepreneur that they were simply traveling
the wrong road.
YOU MUST PLAN TO SUCCEED
From day one, you must begin to learn about the nuances of web
promotion. Read everything you can get your hands on. Don't just
read the hype, back it up with the opinions of others who have
reviewed the same programs before you came along. Learn from
their mistakes and successes.
As you begin to learn, you must also look to make a decision. Do
you want to step into a pre-built program that is designed to
help you to succeed, OR do you want to create a completely new
program of which you are the sole owner?
If you decide to step into a pre-designed and complete turn-key
online money-making venture, then you must select the right
venture to step into. If this is your decision, I encourage you
to check out the Plug In Profit Site here.
If you decide to go the journey on your own, then do all of the
necessary research, planning and preparation that is needed for
your success.
PREPARE TO SUCCEED
Decide what you think you would want to do, and then figure out
how your planned site will generate a real income.
Internet old-timers know about hundreds of corporation domains
that existed with IPO millions, but did not have an actual money
plan that could sustain their business model. Most of these
companies were among the hundreds of companies that bellied up in
the 2000 dot bomb experience.
Don't blindly believe in your plan. Research others on the web
who have undertaken similar business models and see if they have
survived. Study your competitors in depth to learn what is
working for them and what did not work for them. To better
understand what has or has not worked for competitor websites,
check out their time lapsed progressions using the Wayback
Machine
Once you have determined your money plan, then you should
undertake the development of a business plan and a marketing
plan. Utilize professional assistance if you need to do so. While
creating your plans, make a determination as to which domain name
you think would be best, then register it along with a hosting
account. You can do this at Host4Profit in Step 2 on this page.
Once you have developed your business plan and marketing plan and
have run them through several revisions, then it will be time to
buy your domain name and to begin work with a site designer and
developer. You may need to have your domain sitting on a web host
for your site developer, but this is not always necessary. While
they are doing their work, enlist a copywriter to help you with
your site sales copy.
When your site designer and developer have your site working, you
should then undertake significant testing to make sure everything
works as planned. It is much harder to fix problems on a
operational site than it is to fix problems on a site that has
yet to be launched.
When testing is done, then you should fill in your sales copy and
then shoot for launch. Of course, you already have a marketing
plan in place, so your preparation here will be simply a matter
of putting the pieces of the puzzle into place.
You are finally ready to open for business. Don't be afraid to
spend the money to bring your dream alive. Time can replace money
in the goal of starting a profitable online business, but money
invested can shave years off of your company's growth.
About the Author:
------------------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans helps ordinary people all over the world make
money online with affiliate programs. If you can follow 3
easy steps, you can get your own customized website,
autoresponder (email follow-up software) and pre-written
email marketing campaign professionally designed and
installed and ready to pull in profits for you in 24 hours
or less! See details at and sign up today at:
PlugInProfits.
Fast-Track Your Journey to Home Business Success
Copyright © Stone Evans, The Home Biz Guy
No one has ever logged onto the Internet for the first time and
started pocketing dollars in a really short period of time. As
with all things in life, there is a learning curve.
SOME PERSONAL HISTORY
Just a few short years ago, I was a working stiff just like you.
One day, I bought and read a book called "Multiple Streams of
Income" by bestselling author, Robert Allen. Immediately, I
began my journey.
Every night after work and after my wife and children went to
sleep, I would get online and explore different ways of using the
Internet to make money.
In the two years that followed, I spent over $10,000 racking up
credit card debt buying eBooks, membership sites, special
reports, opt-in leads, and joining every "guru" recommended
business opportunity that flew into my email inbox.
I stayed up learning, working, and drinking coffee until 5:00 in
the morning, month after month filled with the hope of making
money online.
In my third year of working part-time to build a home based
income, I finally broke through and earned over $100,000 in just
twelve months from the Internet.
BECOME THE MASTER OF YOUR LEARNING CURVE
Research the lives of all of the "gurus." The one thing that
you will learn is that my own experience is not unique. Most of
the high earners on the Internet experienced a learning curve
very similar to my own.
Chances are that your curve will also be similar to mine, but it
is my hope that you can get to the top faster than even I did.
Three years was a long time to struggle, but every ounce of
struggle was worth the reward I have finally received.
In order to shorten your own learning curve, you must do a few
things differently than the rest of us did. You must become the
master of your learning curve.
THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN TWO POINTS IS A STRAIGHT LINE
There is only one way to shorten the curve on the Internet:
You must plan to succeed!
Here is the deal. Most people put up a freebie website and select
a few affiliate programs to add to their website. Right out of
the gate, most people are running for the finish line without any
real plan in mind.
After a few short weeks, people begin to see the writing on the
wall that says, "This is going to be a long hard road."
People check their hit counters daily for six weeks before they
realize that getting traffic to their free site is going to be
tough.
At this point, they begin developing their first batch of
advertising. Then they spend countless months finding places to
show their advertisements for free. Some make an even more
drastic mistake by blowing thousands of hard earned dollars on
their new and untested ads.
These are the people who will learn the facts of life the hard
way.
In time, they will learn how to make their advertising work for
them, but most will earn very little money from their affiliate
programs.
At this point in the learning curve, most people throw up their
hands and walk away from their dreams in utter disgust. Instead
of a walking away point, this should have convinced the
struggling online entrepreneur that they were simply traveling
the wrong road.
YOU MUST PLAN TO SUCCEED
From day one, you must begin to learn about the nuances of web
promotion. Read everything you can get your hands on. Don't just
read the hype, back it up with the opinions of others who have
reviewed the same programs before you came along. Learn from
their mistakes and successes.
As you begin to learn, you must also look to make a decision. Do
you want to step into a pre-built program that is designed to
help you to succeed, OR do you want to create a completely new
program of which you are the sole owner?
If you decide to step into a pre-designed and complete turn-key
online money-making venture, then you must select the right
venture to step into. If this is your decision, I encourage you
to check out the Plug In Profit Site here.
If you decide to go the journey on your own, then do all of the
necessary research, planning and preparation that is needed for
your success.
PREPARE TO SUCCEED
Decide what you think you would want to do, and then figure out
how your planned site will generate a real income.
Internet old-timers know about hundreds of corporation domains
that existed with IPO millions, but did not have an actual money
plan that could sustain their business model. Most of these
companies were among the hundreds of companies that bellied up in
the 2000 dot bomb experience.
Don't blindly believe in your plan. Research others on the web
who have undertaken similar business models and see if they have
survived. Study your competitors in depth to learn what is
working for them and what did not work for them. To better
understand what has or has not worked for competitor websites,
check out their time lapsed progressions using the Wayback
Machine
Once you have determined your money plan, then you should
undertake the development of a business plan and a marketing
plan. Utilize professional assistance if you need to do so. While
creating your plans, make a determination as to which domain name
you think would be best, then register it along with a hosting
account. You can do this at Host4Profit in Step 2 on this page.
Once you have developed your business plan and marketing plan and
have run them through several revisions, then it will be time to
buy your domain name and to begin work with a site designer and
developer. You may need to have your domain sitting on a web host
for your site developer, but this is not always necessary. While
they are doing their work, enlist a copywriter to help you with
your site sales copy.
When your site designer and developer have your site working, you
should then undertake significant testing to make sure everything
works as planned. It is much harder to fix problems on a
operational site than it is to fix problems on a site that has
yet to be launched.
When testing is done, then you should fill in your sales copy and
then shoot for launch. Of course, you already have a marketing
plan in place, so your preparation here will be simply a matter
of putting the pieces of the puzzle into place.
You are finally ready to open for business. Don't be afraid to
spend the money to bring your dream alive. Time can replace money
in the goal of starting a profitable online business, but money
invested can shave years off of your company's growth.
About the Author:
------------------------------------------------------------
Stone Evans helps ordinary people all over the world make
money online with affiliate programs. If you can follow 3
easy steps, you can get your own customized website,
autoresponder (email follow-up software) and pre-written
email marketing campaign professionally designed and
installed and ready to pull in profits for you in 24 hours
or less! See details at and sign up today at:
PlugInProfits.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
my own, my first!
i have my own and my first business site up and going now-- Avalanche Of Blessings!
of course, the really first business site of my own is the author website inspired by B, and which content im still currently working on. then, the mother site for this site, Avalanche Of Blessings.com is something i'm also still currently working on, hopefully to be unveiled by Christmas Day.
it's just that, in the course of my research, i was also already itching to get some action done and see how it really is, like an on-the-job training even as i learn the principles of online marketing and keyword research and SEOS, etc.
so i found this site, PlugInProfits, and decided to invest in this test. they build your own site for you, set up your products and income streams for you, help you with responding to your customers, and many other stuff-- all you have to do is help market your site by generating traffic. in other words, it shortcuts all the other work of having your own internet business so you can just focus on generating income through effective marketing methods.
for an initial plunk down of only P60/day (that's just like eating one Happy Meal a day) for my first month and even much less in the suceeding months, i figured id take the tuition to learn more even as i already start earning. the alternative is to keep researching and learning,... and earning nothing yet. so, of course, im taking the more promising alternative.
anyway, im just on my second day now, getting familiar with all the resources PIPS (PlugInProfits System) provides, as well as contacting their helpdesk for every question that occurs to me. so far, they have been very patient and accommodating with me, even when i ask really stupid-sounding questions (hey, im a newbie, and im paying for this stuff! so i have that privilege :>) whose answers are either already in the FAQ or in some previous welcome email they sent.
and im having a lot of fun! : )
i question my self: what feeds my hunger for this new adventure? the money itself, which is the usual and most obvious reason? or something more?
hmmmm... in some ways, it is the money. it could sure help pay for a number of things the kids and i need and want... faster. but then, again, even without it, we're already happy as we are, and we'll either get those things we need and want eventually, or find we don't need or want them anymore somewhere down the line anyway.
i think it's something more. i've never been one to just work for money alone anyway. heck, i volunteer and help out in projects that fire my passion, even without getting paid!
i think it's about the challenge and thrill of conquering a new territory, a new as-yet unexplored world for me, and finding more about my strengths and gifts and limitations, too, in the process.
that's what's been missing lately from my previous work and even volunteer projects-- just more of the same. and i guess, i've been yearning for this new pioneer kind of feeling and challenge again.
more to update next time. i'm having a really interesting and fun time doing keyword research, too. heehee.... just for a taste of the interesting pieces of tidbits i'm discovering along the way-- i didn't realize "hot women" and "mature women" ranks way up there in the list of most often searched keywords more than "beautiful women" and "young women" are!!!
: ) : ) : )
of course, the really first business site of my own is the author website inspired by B, and which content im still currently working on. then, the mother site for this site, Avalanche Of Blessings.com is something i'm also still currently working on, hopefully to be unveiled by Christmas Day.
it's just that, in the course of my research, i was also already itching to get some action done and see how it really is, like an on-the-job training even as i learn the principles of online marketing and keyword research and SEOS, etc.
so i found this site, PlugInProfits, and decided to invest in this test. they build your own site for you, set up your products and income streams for you, help you with responding to your customers, and many other stuff-- all you have to do is help market your site by generating traffic. in other words, it shortcuts all the other work of having your own internet business so you can just focus on generating income through effective marketing methods.
for an initial plunk down of only P60/day (that's just like eating one Happy Meal a day) for my first month and even much less in the suceeding months, i figured id take the tuition to learn more even as i already start earning. the alternative is to keep researching and learning,... and earning nothing yet. so, of course, im taking the more promising alternative.
anyway, im just on my second day now, getting familiar with all the resources PIPS (PlugInProfits System) provides, as well as contacting their helpdesk for every question that occurs to me. so far, they have been very patient and accommodating with me, even when i ask really stupid-sounding questions (hey, im a newbie, and im paying for this stuff! so i have that privilege :>) whose answers are either already in the FAQ or in some previous welcome email they sent.
and im having a lot of fun! : )
i question my self: what feeds my hunger for this new adventure? the money itself, which is the usual and most obvious reason? or something more?
hmmmm... in some ways, it is the money. it could sure help pay for a number of things the kids and i need and want... faster. but then, again, even without it, we're already happy as we are, and we'll either get those things we need and want eventually, or find we don't need or want them anymore somewhere down the line anyway.
i think it's something more. i've never been one to just work for money alone anyway. heck, i volunteer and help out in projects that fire my passion, even without getting paid!
i think it's about the challenge and thrill of conquering a new territory, a new as-yet unexplored world for me, and finding more about my strengths and gifts and limitations, too, in the process.
that's what's been missing lately from my previous work and even volunteer projects-- just more of the same. and i guess, i've been yearning for this new pioneer kind of feeling and challenge again.
more to update next time. i'm having a really interesting and fun time doing keyword research, too. heehee.... just for a taste of the interesting pieces of tidbits i'm discovering along the way-- i didn't realize "hot women" and "mature women" ranks way up there in the list of most often searched keywords more than "beautiful women" and "young women" are!!!
: ) : ) : )
Monday, December 10, 2007
getting serious
i am getting serious with my new dream. (hmmmm... well, it isn't really new, but the method for achieving it is... i've always envisioned myself working from home earning multiple streams of income as the ideal work and life style for me, and im well on my way there now with my offline freelance writing and paid speaking/training projects and all).
this time, though, i want to try out earning online, for my self. (there's the online family business i've been working on for 4 years now as one-woman customer care, marketing and liaison person, which has trained me and taught me to see how exciting and challenging the global world is out there, and how i --we Filipinos, actually-- can be up to par in engaging it successfully.)
heck, im on the net so much and have been quite a good customer of so many (mostly info) products and services all these years, i figured i might as well get on the other side of the fence and start sending the money flow my way too, instead of my just sending it out from me. : )
for the past two weeks now, i've been sleepless doing intensive research. it is amazing how i can't stand 30 minutes in one stretch doing the data analysis for my project paper, yet sit for hours on end lost in my business research.
i am starting to see my way through the forest and the fog, and i am very careful to hold on to my credit card and not buy guides here and there just because of their impressive sales pitch and marketing hype. im quite the gullible and impressionable type and i've learned my lessons already (i should, by now!).
needless to say, i am excited, if only to see where this will lead me. if there's one thing this one year break from my regular work is telling me clearly, it's that i don't want to go back anymore, i feel i have achieved all that i have set out to achieve there, and i want to explore new challenges now, on my own, and being on my own.
my excitement is double this morning. a few days ago, i signed up FREE for this affiliate training site, and today, i just got an email telling me i've just had my first affiliate signing up under my account! : )
what i like about SFI is the training and support it gives, especially to newbies like me, and also the opportunity for me to train and help others as i also learn and grow. my education and training background comes in very handy, also my online personalized customer care experience from the family business. when one signs up, one is interviewed for one's background and goals, which helps them help you better. and so far, the assistance I've been getting is helping me ease out of my anxieties and confusion, at least.
it looks like it has a good track record, too, from the research ive done so far. it's been operating offline since 1985 and online since 1998, a member of the Better Business Bureau, as well as the International Association of Home Business Entrepreneurs (IAHBE).
anyway, baby steps. i'll share my progress as they come. : )
p.s. maybe, in a way, i have indeed been "dying" lately-- dying to an old way of life, of thinking, of perceiving possibilities, and being born to this new one, the world of endless, global possibilities!
God bless my way, as God has always done so!
this time, though, i want to try out earning online, for my self. (there's the online family business i've been working on for 4 years now as one-woman customer care, marketing and liaison person, which has trained me and taught me to see how exciting and challenging the global world is out there, and how i --we Filipinos, actually-- can be up to par in engaging it successfully.)
heck, im on the net so much and have been quite a good customer of so many (mostly info) products and services all these years, i figured i might as well get on the other side of the fence and start sending the money flow my way too, instead of my just sending it out from me. : )
for the past two weeks now, i've been sleepless doing intensive research. it is amazing how i can't stand 30 minutes in one stretch doing the data analysis for my project paper, yet sit for hours on end lost in my business research.
i am starting to see my way through the forest and the fog, and i am very careful to hold on to my credit card and not buy guides here and there just because of their impressive sales pitch and marketing hype. im quite the gullible and impressionable type and i've learned my lessons already (i should, by now!).
needless to say, i am excited, if only to see where this will lead me. if there's one thing this one year break from my regular work is telling me clearly, it's that i don't want to go back anymore, i feel i have achieved all that i have set out to achieve there, and i want to explore new challenges now, on my own, and being on my own.
my excitement is double this morning. a few days ago, i signed up FREE for this affiliate training site, and today, i just got an email telling me i've just had my first affiliate signing up under my account! : )
what i like about SFI is the training and support it gives, especially to newbies like me, and also the opportunity for me to train and help others as i also learn and grow. my education and training background comes in very handy, also my online personalized customer care experience from the family business. when one signs up, one is interviewed for one's background and goals, which helps them help you better. and so far, the assistance I've been getting is helping me ease out of my anxieties and confusion, at least.
it looks like it has a good track record, too, from the research ive done so far. it's been operating offline since 1985 and online since 1998, a member of the Better Business Bureau, as well as the International Association of Home Business Entrepreneurs (IAHBE).
anyway, baby steps. i'll share my progress as they come. : )
p.s. maybe, in a way, i have indeed been "dying" lately-- dying to an old way of life, of thinking, of perceiving possibilities, and being born to this new one, the world of endless, global possibilities!
God bless my way, as God has always done so!
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Harness the Power of Energy Fields
From "Positive Energy," by Judith Orloff, M.D.:
We all know that energy comes from diet, sleep, and exercise. But we're also influenced by an extensive network of energy fields undetectable to our five senses. Think of gravity, the force of attraction to the earth's center, which holds us to the ground. Or magnetic fields: you remember those metal filings mysteriously drawn toward the magnet in grammar school science class. Similarly, there's an energy field or "vibe" emanating from everything we encounter, from food to friends to current events. Our response to these vibes is manifested in our energy level. What we usually think of in physical, emotional, and sexual terms, using words like, "My heart's racing," "I'm afraid," or "I'm aroused," are different expressions of subtle energy. If you're a particularly sensitive person who frequently feels drained or exhausted, this information can make the difference between an exuberant life and one you're constantly recovering from...
To begin, envision energy as conveying two qualities-either positive or negative. You must become acquainted with each to take charge of your health and moods.
You'll learn how to harness the power of positive energy-loving and nurturing forces from within, such as compassion, courage, forgiveness, and faith. (Being the best people we're capable of being brings wholeness to a broken world.) Or from without: supportive friends, creative work, the ability to laugh, or vibrant sexuality. Positive energy comes from an honoring of the Earth and all its creatures, a deep capacity for tolerance, as well as the passion to achieve a peaceful civilization. These are as central to our sustenance as food or oxygen.
You'll hone skills to combat and reverse negative energy, which enfeebles us, causing dis-ease. Negative energy keeps us small, unhealthy; it alienates us from our best selves. We may generate it with our own fear, self-loathing, rage, or shame-an emotional terrorism we inflict on ourselves without realizing the toll. Unless we're committed to identifying and healing such negative forces, they will enervate us.
We all know that energy comes from diet, sleep, and exercise. But we're also influenced by an extensive network of energy fields undetectable to our five senses. Think of gravity, the force of attraction to the earth's center, which holds us to the ground. Or magnetic fields: you remember those metal filings mysteriously drawn toward the magnet in grammar school science class. Similarly, there's an energy field or "vibe" emanating from everything we encounter, from food to friends to current events. Our response to these vibes is manifested in our energy level. What we usually think of in physical, emotional, and sexual terms, using words like, "My heart's racing," "I'm afraid," or "I'm aroused," are different expressions of subtle energy. If you're a particularly sensitive person who frequently feels drained or exhausted, this information can make the difference between an exuberant life and one you're constantly recovering from...
To begin, envision energy as conveying two qualities-either positive or negative. You must become acquainted with each to take charge of your health and moods.
You'll learn how to harness the power of positive energy-loving and nurturing forces from within, such as compassion, courage, forgiveness, and faith. (Being the best people we're capable of being brings wholeness to a broken world.) Or from without: supportive friends, creative work, the ability to laugh, or vibrant sexuality. Positive energy comes from an honoring of the Earth and all its creatures, a deep capacity for tolerance, as well as the passion to achieve a peaceful civilization. These are as central to our sustenance as food or oxygen.
You'll hone skills to combat and reverse negative energy, which enfeebles us, causing dis-ease. Negative energy keeps us small, unhealthy; it alienates us from our best selves. We may generate it with our own fear, self-loathing, rage, or shame-an emotional terrorism we inflict on ourselves without realizing the toll. Unless we're committed to identifying and healing such negative forces, they will enervate us.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
The Seven Hermetical (Magical) Principles
from a manuscript i've just finished editing, Robert Rubin's The Essential Hermetics:
1. The Principle of Mentalism -“The All is Mind, the Universe is Mental.”
2. The Principle of Correspondence - “As above, so below; as below, so above.”
3. The Principle of Vibration/ The Manifesting Principle -“Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.”
4. The Principle of Polarity
“Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature but different in degree; extremes meet all; all truths are half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled.”
5. The Principle of Cause and Effect/ The Law of Return
“Every cause has its effect, every effect has its cause; everything happens according to Law; chance is but a name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation but nothing escapes the Law.”
6. The Principle of Rhythm/ The Timing Principle
“Everything flows, out and in, in and out; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates.”
7. The Principle of Gender
“Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and its Feminine Principles; gender manifests on all planes.”
1. The Principle of Mentalism -“The All is Mind, the Universe is Mental.”
2. The Principle of Correspondence - “As above, so below; as below, so above.”
3. The Principle of Vibration/ The Manifesting Principle -“Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.”
4. The Principle of Polarity
“Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature but different in degree; extremes meet all; all truths are half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled.”
5. The Principle of Cause and Effect/ The Law of Return
“Every cause has its effect, every effect has its cause; everything happens according to Law; chance is but a name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation but nothing escapes the Law.”
6. The Principle of Rhythm/ The Timing Principle
“Everything flows, out and in, in and out; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates.”
7. The Principle of Gender
“Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and its Feminine Principles; gender manifests on all planes.”
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
How Two Words Changed My Life
Two words which will change your life!
from Rhonda Byrne,Creator of The Secret:
There are two words that, when spoken, have the most unfathomable power to completely change your life. Two words which, when they pass your lips, will be the cause of bringing absolute joy and happiness to you. Two words that will create miracles in your life. Two words that will wipe out negativity. Two words that will bring you abundance in all things. Two words which, when uttered and sincerely felt, will summon all the forces and vibrations in the Universe to move all things for you.
The only thing standing between you, happiness, and the life of your dreams, are two words...
THANK YOU.
Gratitude is one of the easiest and most powerful ways to transform your life. If you become truly grateful, you will magnetize absolute joy to you everywhere you go, and in everything you do. In fact, without gratitude, nothing can ever change. Your life will change to the degree that you use gratitude and begin to feel grateful. If you are just a little bit grateful, your life will change a little bit. If you are very grateful, your whole life will change. If you live gratitude every single day, you will become one of the greatest human beings on the planet, and the light of your life will uplift our world.
The greatest human beings who have ever lived showed us the way with gratitude, and by their example became shining lights in our history. Einstein said "thank you" hundreds of times every single day! Ancient wisdom dating back thousands of years gave us the truth about gratitude. Every single religion speaks of giving thanks. All the sages and saviors of the world demonstrated the use of gratitude in all their teachings.
Of the thousands of letters we receive from people whose lives have become miracles after experiencing The Secret, every single one of them has made gratitude their way of life. It is impossible to be negative when you are giving thanks. It is impossible to criticize or blame when you are feeling grateful. It is impossible to feel sad when you are in gratitude. Most people are sporadically grateful, however, to change your life with gratitude, a new way of learning how to be truly grateful is what will bring unlimited happiness into your life.
So how do you live in gratitude? Begin your day by feeling grateful. Be grateful for the bed you just slept in, the roof over your head, the carpet or floor under your feet, the running water, the soap, your shower, your toothbrush, your clothes, your shoes, the car that you drive, your job, your friends, your refrigerator that keeps your food cold. Be grateful for the weather, the sun, the sky, the birds, the trees, the grass, the rain, and the flowers. Be grateful for the stores that make it so easy to buy the things you need, the restaurants, the utilities and services and electrical appliances that make your life effortless. Be grateful for magazines and the books that you read. Be grateful for the chair that you sit on, and the pavement that you walk on. Be grateful for your favorite music that sweeps you away, and for movies that make you feel good. Be grateful for your phone that connects you with people, for your computer, for the electricity that lights up your life. Be grateful for air travel that flies you everywhere. Be grateful for the roads and traffic lights that keep the traffic in order. Be grateful to those who built our bridges. Be grateful for your pet, for your child, for your loved ones, for your eyes that enable you to read this. Be grateful for your imagination. Be grateful that you can think! Be grateful that you can speak. Be grateful that you can laugh and smile. Be grateful that you can breathe! Be grateful that you are alive! Be grateful that you are You! Be grateful that there are two words that can change your life!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
The more that you practice gratitude the more deeply you will feel it in your heart, and the depth of the feeling is the key. The more deeply and sincerely you feel it, the more you will bring absolute bliss and happiness on every single subject. Watch what happens in your life when you practice gratitude every single day and in every single moment and in every opportunity that you can. Remember, if you are criticizing, you are not being grateful. If you are blaming, you are not being grateful. If you are complaining, you are not being grateful. If you are feeling tension, you are not being grateful. If you are rushing, you are not being grateful. If you are in a bad mood, you are not being grateful.
To understand the power and the magic of gratitude, you have to experience it for yourself. So why not begin by deciding to find 100 things a day to be grateful for? As you practice gratitude every day, it won't take long before gratitude is your natural state of being, and when it happens you will have unlocked one of the greatest Secrets to Life.
***
technical notes:
According to the Laws of Manifesting (Law of Attraction, Law of Deliberate Creation and Law of Allowing), the Universe responds to your vibrations, not really your actions. And your vibrations have a lot to do with the thoughts you think, and the feelings you feel as a result of the thoughts you think. So, saying "Thank You" is the best and quickest way to getting into vibrational alignment with your Desires. And when you're feeling good and joyful, you are inspired to be and act in ways which cause you to attract what you Desire, because you are now finally in compatible vibrations.
So, in summary, the principles are:
1. Vibration (vibrational Alignment with Desire, specifically), not action (unless Inspired Action, inspired from proper vibrational alignment in the first place)
2. Thoughts, not time-space-distance, rule!
This is the scientific explanation. And I guarantee, from my own experience, readings and learnings-- it does work!
personal notes:
when i started out in the habit of saying "Thank You", though, it was just to keep my self from falling into despair.
five years ago, at 34, i left my marriage, and with 3 young kids to support, with grudging and stinting "support" from their father then (i had to employ moral suasion even among the in-laws to make him give to the children what was already his responsibility)-- i was financially-constrained, and heavily in debt even (as i assumed all the marital debts just so i could be rid of him).
those early months and years made it much easier to complain, blame, worry and be fearful; but my overriding concern at that time was that i will NOT have my children remember those tight times with feelings of negativity. i didn't want them growing up with that legacy. i could still give them something even if only in terms of happy, positive memories, no matter what our circumstances were.
so i even took to singing Julie Andrews' "My Favorite Things" and writing my thanks yous everyday on my journal, feverishly-- just to prevent my self from falling into despair, which sorely tempted me then. how could i create happy memories for them when i myself was not feeling it? so adopting the habit of Gratitude was a desperate and emergency measure, in a way.
look at me now! : ) who would believe that i can take a YEAR'S UNPAID leave off from my regular day job today just so i could stay at home, be with my children more, and do more of what i really loved to do-- writing and communicating and even traveling!
and it's not as if i'm awash with my own personal cash savings to fund this year's off. people think that; i let them. : ) they don't believe i'm telling the truth that i'm just living by God's Grace, day after day, month after month!
they think i'm crazy to follow my heart, and to keep saying thank you before for not much to thank about...
well, my life now is my only reply.
so, THANK YOU-- to them, to the past, to life's circumstances and challenges, and most of all, to God and the Universe!
even with my children now, i've taught them to just say thank you when they pray, instead of asking God for what they need and want. for what they do need and want, i've taught them to thank God already in advance! : )
so, THANK YOU. it really works. : )
from Rhonda Byrne,Creator of The Secret:
There are two words that, when spoken, have the most unfathomable power to completely change your life. Two words which, when they pass your lips, will be the cause of bringing absolute joy and happiness to you. Two words that will create miracles in your life. Two words that will wipe out negativity. Two words that will bring you abundance in all things. Two words which, when uttered and sincerely felt, will summon all the forces and vibrations in the Universe to move all things for you.
The only thing standing between you, happiness, and the life of your dreams, are two words...
THANK YOU.
Gratitude is one of the easiest and most powerful ways to transform your life. If you become truly grateful, you will magnetize absolute joy to you everywhere you go, and in everything you do. In fact, without gratitude, nothing can ever change. Your life will change to the degree that you use gratitude and begin to feel grateful. If you are just a little bit grateful, your life will change a little bit. If you are very grateful, your whole life will change. If you live gratitude every single day, you will become one of the greatest human beings on the planet, and the light of your life will uplift our world.
The greatest human beings who have ever lived showed us the way with gratitude, and by their example became shining lights in our history. Einstein said "thank you" hundreds of times every single day! Ancient wisdom dating back thousands of years gave us the truth about gratitude. Every single religion speaks of giving thanks. All the sages and saviors of the world demonstrated the use of gratitude in all their teachings.
Of the thousands of letters we receive from people whose lives have become miracles after experiencing The Secret, every single one of them has made gratitude their way of life. It is impossible to be negative when you are giving thanks. It is impossible to criticize or blame when you are feeling grateful. It is impossible to feel sad when you are in gratitude. Most people are sporadically grateful, however, to change your life with gratitude, a new way of learning how to be truly grateful is what will bring unlimited happiness into your life.
So how do you live in gratitude? Begin your day by feeling grateful. Be grateful for the bed you just slept in, the roof over your head, the carpet or floor under your feet, the running water, the soap, your shower, your toothbrush, your clothes, your shoes, the car that you drive, your job, your friends, your refrigerator that keeps your food cold. Be grateful for the weather, the sun, the sky, the birds, the trees, the grass, the rain, and the flowers. Be grateful for the stores that make it so easy to buy the things you need, the restaurants, the utilities and services and electrical appliances that make your life effortless. Be grateful for magazines and the books that you read. Be grateful for the chair that you sit on, and the pavement that you walk on. Be grateful for your favorite music that sweeps you away, and for movies that make you feel good. Be grateful for your phone that connects you with people, for your computer, for the electricity that lights up your life. Be grateful for air travel that flies you everywhere. Be grateful for the roads and traffic lights that keep the traffic in order. Be grateful to those who built our bridges. Be grateful for your pet, for your child, for your loved ones, for your eyes that enable you to read this. Be grateful for your imagination. Be grateful that you can think! Be grateful that you can speak. Be grateful that you can laugh and smile. Be grateful that you can breathe! Be grateful that you are alive! Be grateful that you are You! Be grateful that there are two words that can change your life!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
The more that you practice gratitude the more deeply you will feel it in your heart, and the depth of the feeling is the key. The more deeply and sincerely you feel it, the more you will bring absolute bliss and happiness on every single subject. Watch what happens in your life when you practice gratitude every single day and in every single moment and in every opportunity that you can. Remember, if you are criticizing, you are not being grateful. If you are blaming, you are not being grateful. If you are complaining, you are not being grateful. If you are feeling tension, you are not being grateful. If you are rushing, you are not being grateful. If you are in a bad mood, you are not being grateful.
To understand the power and the magic of gratitude, you have to experience it for yourself. So why not begin by deciding to find 100 things a day to be grateful for? As you practice gratitude every day, it won't take long before gratitude is your natural state of being, and when it happens you will have unlocked one of the greatest Secrets to Life.
***
technical notes:
According to the Laws of Manifesting (Law of Attraction, Law of Deliberate Creation and Law of Allowing), the Universe responds to your vibrations, not really your actions. And your vibrations have a lot to do with the thoughts you think, and the feelings you feel as a result of the thoughts you think. So, saying "Thank You" is the best and quickest way to getting into vibrational alignment with your Desires. And when you're feeling good and joyful, you are inspired to be and act in ways which cause you to attract what you Desire, because you are now finally in compatible vibrations.
So, in summary, the principles are:
1. Vibration (vibrational Alignment with Desire, specifically), not action (unless Inspired Action, inspired from proper vibrational alignment in the first place)
2. Thoughts, not time-space-distance, rule!
This is the scientific explanation. And I guarantee, from my own experience, readings and learnings-- it does work!
personal notes:
when i started out in the habit of saying "Thank You", though, it was just to keep my self from falling into despair.
five years ago, at 34, i left my marriage, and with 3 young kids to support, with grudging and stinting "support" from their father then (i had to employ moral suasion even among the in-laws to make him give to the children what was already his responsibility)-- i was financially-constrained, and heavily in debt even (as i assumed all the marital debts just so i could be rid of him).
those early months and years made it much easier to complain, blame, worry and be fearful; but my overriding concern at that time was that i will NOT have my children remember those tight times with feelings of negativity. i didn't want them growing up with that legacy. i could still give them something even if only in terms of happy, positive memories, no matter what our circumstances were.
so i even took to singing Julie Andrews' "My Favorite Things" and writing my thanks yous everyday on my journal, feverishly-- just to prevent my self from falling into despair, which sorely tempted me then. how could i create happy memories for them when i myself was not feeling it? so adopting the habit of Gratitude was a desperate and emergency measure, in a way.
look at me now! : ) who would believe that i can take a YEAR'S UNPAID leave off from my regular day job today just so i could stay at home, be with my children more, and do more of what i really loved to do-- writing and communicating and even traveling!
and it's not as if i'm awash with my own personal cash savings to fund this year's off. people think that; i let them. : ) they don't believe i'm telling the truth that i'm just living by God's Grace, day after day, month after month!
they think i'm crazy to follow my heart, and to keep saying thank you before for not much to thank about...
well, my life now is my only reply.
so, THANK YOU-- to them, to the past, to life's circumstances and challenges, and most of all, to God and the Universe!
even with my children now, i've taught them to just say thank you when they pray, instead of asking God for what they need and want. for what they do need and want, i've taught them to thank God already in advance! : )
so, THANK YOU. it really works. : )
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Sacred Vow
i am only halfway through the book but i have decided i will finish this in one sitting, after i've downloaded it a couple of hours ago.
this book makes me cry, not in a sad way, but in joyful, healing way, of recognition, and affirmation... of what i've seemed to have always known all along to be true, deep in my heart.
thank you to the author, CG Walters, for this book!
for a free download, please click here.
this book makes me cry, not in a sad way, but in joyful, healing way, of recognition, and affirmation... of what i've seemed to have always known all along to be true, deep in my heart.
thank you to the author, CG Walters, for this book!
for a free download, please click here.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
the "downside" of meditation
if there is a downside to meditation, it is this: that in the process of more closely aligning with your truest Self, you have to at least be open to the idea of of letting go of some stuff in your life that don't really support, align or are compatible with your truest Self anymore.
that is why maybe i only do my meditations once every 3 days. more would be too much to take.
these days, though, ive been doing them daily, and i keenly sense rapid transformations happening, even if they haven't manifested yet.
one thing that i sense as changing now is my relationship with two good friends, with whom ive been working on a project with for the last 2 years now. the project is good, my friends are good... but lately, ive been sensing and noticing some significant cracks in what we have-- or what we have been working hard to have-- and it basically has to do with my very incompatible values and perspectives about life and people (which affects how we run the project) with one of them, who's leading the team. i don't want to argue anymore because this is about values; you can't change people's values to mesh with your own through talking. it's whether you mesh or you don't.
the last time i meditated frequently was around april-june of this year-- not only everyday but even two to three times a day when the fallout actually happened. i was meditating for a healthy, happy and abundant longlasting love with someone i had fallen in love with and was about to meet for real... in the end, i lost him; or, more appropriate to say, he lost me.
i see now that my constant meditating and praying then became an accelerated purifying process. what would have took me months or even years more to see took me only around 12 weeks.
my prayer for a healthy, happy and abundant longlasting love with my True Soulmate still stands. what i see now, though, is that it effectively removed from my life whom i thought was The One, to clear the way for Someone better, finer, and more compatible with my spiritual path.
hmmmm... i'm sort of rambling here, i guess.
i guess it just bothers me: the realization that i will have to leave my two friends soon, to let them know of my decision, that i will be moving on in my life without them close by through our project...
you know that moment in life when, in your heart, you really just know something has ended?
that's what im feeling like now, like sort of relieved for finally seeing and accepting the truth of the situation... yet sad too, for the inevitable parting of ways that has to come.
still, a quote from The Universe which i got in my inbox this morning made me smile:
You've got to clear your plate if you want dessert.
: )
that is why maybe i only do my meditations once every 3 days. more would be too much to take.
these days, though, ive been doing them daily, and i keenly sense rapid transformations happening, even if they haven't manifested yet.
one thing that i sense as changing now is my relationship with two good friends, with whom ive been working on a project with for the last 2 years now. the project is good, my friends are good... but lately, ive been sensing and noticing some significant cracks in what we have-- or what we have been working hard to have-- and it basically has to do with my very incompatible values and perspectives about life and people (which affects how we run the project) with one of them, who's leading the team. i don't want to argue anymore because this is about values; you can't change people's values to mesh with your own through talking. it's whether you mesh or you don't.
the last time i meditated frequently was around april-june of this year-- not only everyday but even two to three times a day when the fallout actually happened. i was meditating for a healthy, happy and abundant longlasting love with someone i had fallen in love with and was about to meet for real... in the end, i lost him; or, more appropriate to say, he lost me.
i see now that my constant meditating and praying then became an accelerated purifying process. what would have took me months or even years more to see took me only around 12 weeks.
my prayer for a healthy, happy and abundant longlasting love with my True Soulmate still stands. what i see now, though, is that it effectively removed from my life whom i thought was The One, to clear the way for Someone better, finer, and more compatible with my spiritual path.
hmmmm... i'm sort of rambling here, i guess.
i guess it just bothers me: the realization that i will have to leave my two friends soon, to let them know of my decision, that i will be moving on in my life without them close by through our project...
you know that moment in life when, in your heart, you really just know something has ended?
that's what im feeling like now, like sort of relieved for finally seeing and accepting the truth of the situation... yet sad too, for the inevitable parting of ways that has to come.
still, a quote from The Universe which i got in my inbox this morning made me smile:
You've got to clear your plate if you want dessert.
: )
Friday, November 02, 2007
Avoiding Your True Power
from DailyOm--
Avoiding Your True Power
Afraid To Meditate
There are times when we feel the pull to meditate but are swayed from it by the excuses that spring to mind. We may think that we are too busy, have no time to ourselves, or that we do not have the right place to meditate. Our minds can think of dozens of reasons to put off meditation. But those are even stronger reasons to look past the illusion of the hustle and bustle of daily life and to connect to the place within that intersects with the timeless power and limitless potential of the universe. From that place we can experience that potent stillness that exists at all times, and it is only as far as away as our breath.
It might be useful to ask yourself why you would put off something so beneficial to your peace of mind and general well-being. There may be fear that if you were to stop your frantic pace, your world might fall apart, and then you would have to face the undeniable reality of who you really are and the results of the choices you have made. You might be afraid that you will be forced to make huge changes in order to align yourself with the universe and harness your true potential. Sometimes the frustrations of the known world seem less scary than the possibilities of the unknown. But the truth is that when we cooperate with the universe by creating our lives from the truth of our being, life becomes less of a struggle and more of a process of living blissfully on purpose.
Finding yourself alone for a few moments can give you the opportunity to turn within to infuse a sense of calm wisdom to your work. Whenever you can take the time to recenter and refocus, it will remind you how beneficial it is to connect to your source. Then you will make the time for longer sojourns of spirit, because once you are rejuvenated and enlivened by knowing that you are made of energy and light, you can channel the power to create your life in alignment with the highest potential of your soul.
Avoiding Your True Power
Afraid To Meditate
There are times when we feel the pull to meditate but are swayed from it by the excuses that spring to mind. We may think that we are too busy, have no time to ourselves, or that we do not have the right place to meditate. Our minds can think of dozens of reasons to put off meditation. But those are even stronger reasons to look past the illusion of the hustle and bustle of daily life and to connect to the place within that intersects with the timeless power and limitless potential of the universe. From that place we can experience that potent stillness that exists at all times, and it is only as far as away as our breath.
It might be useful to ask yourself why you would put off something so beneficial to your peace of mind and general well-being. There may be fear that if you were to stop your frantic pace, your world might fall apart, and then you would have to face the undeniable reality of who you really are and the results of the choices you have made. You might be afraid that you will be forced to make huge changes in order to align yourself with the universe and harness your true potential. Sometimes the frustrations of the known world seem less scary than the possibilities of the unknown. But the truth is that when we cooperate with the universe by creating our lives from the truth of our being, life becomes less of a struggle and more of a process of living blissfully on purpose.
Finding yourself alone for a few moments can give you the opportunity to turn within to infuse a sense of calm wisdom to your work. Whenever you can take the time to recenter and refocus, it will remind you how beneficial it is to connect to your source. Then you will make the time for longer sojourns of spirit, because once you are rejuvenated and enlivened by knowing that you are made of energy and light, you can channel the power to create your life in alignment with the highest potential of your soul.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
How I Meditate
i've been meaning to write and post this here for weeks already, around two months now, i think. but i never got around to it. still, the promptings come, and they are especially strongest when i meditate.
i don't know why; who am i to presume someone would want to read me explain how i meditate? but i guess, if the urgings come still, after all this time, then i am being called to do just that. maybe this will help someone out there who's reading this.
a major part of my hesitation is because explaining how i meditate is a very private, intimate matter. it's almost like explaining how i take a bath and then inviting the reader to watch me do it!
come to think of it, meditation is like that for me: a bath, a spiritual bath, more especially. it's also like a spiritual charging session, just like how we charge our cellphones when the batteries run low, although in meditation, you don't have to wait for the batteries to run low. the more you meditate, the more you amp up your energies and expand your capacity for more power, actually.
ohhh i don't meditate everyday; i find that an hour's good and focused meditation today lasts me three good full-energy and feel-good days. so i seem to have developed a rhythm of my own, this 1 hour-to-3 days pattern, although i basically just meditate on demand, not to a fixed schedule.
one time, last first week of June, when i was falling out of an almost-relationship which still broke my heart so bad anyway, i meditated like three to four times a day (!) just to keep my self from spiraling down into despair. although, outwardly, my world was crumbling and my heart was breaking, strangely, inwardly, it was also my strongest, most peaceful experience. i re-discovered a "me" which was untouchable, indestructible by externals, and i re-discovered a most intimate, most loving, most comforting relationship with my God again, a sense of intimacy i only had a glimpse of in my teens, when i started developing a more personal prayer life, in preparation for what i thought i wanted to be: a nun (!). : )
anyway, enough rambling now.
please note that my meditation practice as i practice it now is the result of around two years' intense spiritual searching, in the guise of learning the ways of manifesting desires and the powers of the mind, on and off, by trial and error, until i have come to a place where it is more on than off now. although i have become quite adept at my magical manifesting powers (yes, it exists, for all of us! : > ), my main focus and desire now is just really to stay in touch and keep in touch with my God/Goddess within, with my spiritual center and core, so to speak.
i would like to credit The Meditation Society of Australia, which offers a free guided online meditation course, in helping me get into and stay with my meditation practice now.
since i was 17 or 18, i've read many books on meditation, and tried quite a number, but eventually lost steam along the way. maybe i wasn't ready then and i'm ready now; or maybe, it's also the fact that in The Meditation Society, there is not a lot of mumbo-jumbo stuff, no elaborate exercises to do, and you can start with only 5 minutes to spare a day. it's simple and it mixes the best of all meditation disciplines.
***
okay, so here goes. here is how i meditate:
1. i take out my "portable meditation altar" composed of a cloth on which to place my meditation candle on, my meditation candle, my box of matches, my birthstone (Amethyst) and a special little bottle on a necklace chain which contains sand from the Holy Land, both given to me by my good friend Antonia. the birthstone and the bottle are, for me, sort of my "amulets", or just some physical objects that hold special meaning for me and which i use to pump up with my special intentions, my two remaining dreams in life.
it's "portable" because i place all these things in a special pink-colored beauty case which i only use for this purpose, and i carry it around with me, even when i travel. so it's like i can build my own personal altar and meditation space anywhere.
2. i sit cross-legged, but not rigidly so like in some Yoga positions. sitting down cross-legged is the best position, ive found, to keep my self both alert and relaxed.
so i calm my self down and center my self by doing deep breathing, using a mantra ive coined my self-- "Love, Joy, Peace, Abundance" -- the qualities i basically just want to live in my life. i breathe in Love, Joy, Peace, Abundance; i breathe out un-Love, un-Peace, un-Joy, un-Abundance. i say this to my self as i breathe in and breathe out.
sometimes, it takes just 3 deep breaths, sometimes 7, sometimes more. it depends on how initially stressed and unfocused i am, but i use the spiritual numbers of 3, 7 and 9 to help me calm down and focus.
3. then, it's a prayer and blessing session for me. i've incorporated my Catholic prayer traditions here because they mean a lot to me and they help me.
what i do is instead of thinking about all my and other people's problems, i just take each thought/concern/need one by one, imagine the person or the concern basked in golden-yellow light, and ask God to bless and heal and transform them as God sees fit. i also pray the prayer of the Holy Spirit ("Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful and enkindle in them the Fire of Thy Love...") for each one, while imagining small fires burning in the person's heart, then mind, then both fires raised up Above.
after i've gone through all the concerns and other people's concerns i can think of, or am prompted to think of, i imagine raising them all up Above, like gathering them all together and offering them all up to God Above, all the time also imagining them being burned by the Violet Fire of healing, transformation and wholeness, and praying the Violet Fire prayer:
"We are beings of Violet Fire, the purity that God desires."
i say this to my self, sometimes aloud, sometimes silently, while imagining all the concerns and people i prayed for being burned and transformed by the Violet Fire, that God is taking all of them as my offering, that they are like incense being burnt, and im offering them all up to God to take care of... so that what is finally left is just me, empty, ready, expectant me-- empty, ready and expectant for my time and communion with my God, alone, at last.
4. at this point, my mind is cleared, and worrisome thoughts don't keep coming back, because in my mind, they all have already been raised up. so it is just between me and my God now.
it is now that i do my own Violet Fire prayer--
"I am a being of Violet Fire, the purity that God desires."
--as i slowly imagine each of my chakras, from the 7th (bottom) up, vibrating first as a circle in that area, and then filling my whole being with its color, and then fading back into its area. this is my chakra (spiritual centers) cleansing exercise part.
there used to be a time when the colors that would come up were dull and murky, especially in the 7th (bottom of the spine area: survival) and 6th (the gonads area: creativity, sexuality) chakras, but over time, with more meditation and also the physical changes i was naturally prompted to make in my life, they have gotten clearer and brighter now, in the healthy colors that they are meant to be.
5. after my chakra cleansing, this is now the time that i "bring down" the powers/energies of Heaven to me by imagining my self basking in White Light, while i just slowly chant to my self each of my mantra qualities.
i say "Love" and i imagine a pink heart touching down on the crown of my head as it infuses my whole being with pink, glowing, loving energy. i stay with this for a while and just enjoy the feeling of Love, flowing to me, and flowing out through me.
i say "Joy" and i imagine a light yellow smiley face floating down to the crown of my head even as light yellow light infuses my being and i feel Joy. i stay with this for a while and just enjoy the feeling of Joy, flowing to me, and flowing out through me.
i say "Peace" and i imagine a white laser light beaming down from above to touch my crown and infuse my entire being with Peace. i stay with this for a while and just enjoy the feeling of Peace, flowing to me, and flowing out through me.
sometimes, i also pray St. Francis' Prayer ("Lord, make me an instrument of Your Peace...") to help me along, and i imagine each of my chakras being activated by this light (by the way, i do the same for Love and Joy, too, imagine each of my chakras being activated by their lights).
i say "Abundance" and i imagine a golden-yellow light beaming down from above to touch my crown, infuse my whole being, and activate my chakras with Abundance. i stay with this for a while and just enjoy the feeling of Abundance, flowing to me, and flowing out through me.
sometimes, i also say a non-denominational Abundance prayer i've found a year ago (you're supposed to write it down 10 to 20 times a day, and see your life change; it uses "I" but i use "We"/"Our" to include my children, other loved ones and i):
"God's Wealth is circulating in our lives. God's Wealth flows to us and through us in avalanches of Abundance. All our needs, desires and goals are instantaneously met, because we are one with God, and God is our Infinite and Abundant Supply, and God is everything."
6. after this, i just sit still and stay there, chanting to my self my final self-coined mantra:
"I am in the Heart of God.
I bask in God's Love and Abundance."
and i just stay there and bask in God's Love and Abundance.
this is my favorite part. i am just there, one with my God, my Father/Mother, and all is right with the world. i need to do nothing; i just be me, and just be there.
many times now, i experience moments of bliss in this phase. and sometimes, i feel like i want to stay here forever.
i just stay here and bask and wait. sometimes, i ask specific questions. sometimes i just ask for a general message or advice as guidance for my day. and always, i get answers. if not in meditation itself, it's during the course of the day.
the answers mostly come as simple words in a still, strong voice that comes through. most often too, i get images. sometimes, the meanings are immediately clear. sometimes not, so after meditation, i go to Google to search for them even! : )
during the course of the day, they come as messages to me from other people; some words some people say to me strike me as suddenly very meaningful. sometimes, they come as certain "coincidences" that happen.
what i love about this experience is that it has taught me to just be still, and watch and wait with God. it has carried over to how i behave in my daily life now. i am not as easily troubled or stressed by the daily demands or disruptions of my day. i know, from experience now, that at core, i am still, and everything is alright.
i am also learning to be more sensitive to my body's signals, as well as to intuitive insights, and to the natural flows of energies within and without, to discern the natural rhythms and cycles of life and relationships, and it helps me in my daily life to be more attuned to Life this way, to just go with the flow... and i am happier, more successful and productive and joyful in every area of my life this way.
most of all, i am learning to be patient, and to trust, in the ways of God and Life, even if many times, i do not understand and i do not know what lies ahead. somehow, i know, from this intimate experience with my God, i am loved and taken care of, whatever happens anyway. so i do not worry much anymore. even if a worry comes up these days, i am quick to recognize them as such and am able to quickly dissipate them too. it's like a quick toxin-recognition mechanism i've developed now: the best antibiotic of all, stopping the toxin before it even gets in! : )
7. there comes a time in my meditation when i'm feeling full/well-fed, and am urged now to move out, move on and go ahead with the rest of my day. i close it with a thank you prayer that covers everything:
"Thank you God, for all the blessings we have received, all the blessings we are receiving, and all the blessings coming our way!!!"
i usually repeat this three times while extending my arms outward to receive all the blessings, and then "wrap them up" by closing my hands together in prayer.
oh, i also "pump up my amulets", too, : ) by holding each of them over the candle flame, turning them around 7 times for each item, and praying my thank you mantra for my only two lifelong dreams now:
(holding the Amethyst) "Thank you, God, for my True Soulmate and I and our healthy, happy, abundant Love, Friendship and Marriage for the rest of our lives!"
(holding the bottle with the sand from the Holy Land0 "Thank you, God, for my being an internationally-published, best-selling, critically-acclaimed and well-loved author of children's and other books, whose stories touch and transform people's lives, and live on long after I do!" : )
why say thank you before it happens? in manifesting principles, it's best to state your intents as if they are happening now, because the Mind does not recognize past-present-future, and when you state them as happening now, or already happened, the Mind creates it for you as happening now, or already happened. i mix in the thank you, because i have found that saying thank you for whatever helps me get into a quick feel-good, feel-right place (hard to say thank you to to God for something mean and petty and disempowering of other people...)and the feel-good part is a necessary ingredient of successful manifesting, to raise one's vibes and to make one's vibes align with the vibes of one's desires, if you really want to be technical about this.
all in all, i just like saying thank you to God. it makes me feel good, and it makes me feel good about my dreams already coming true as i thank for them.
***
these 7 steps might sound like they take a long time, but actually, it is only step 3 which, for me, seems to take a long time these days, because i find my self praying more and more for others than for my self, and there are many loved ones and concerns of others on my list!
a full session like this usually takes me around 40 minutes to an hour, although i must remind you, don't let this scare you: i started with only 5 minutes a day using The Meditation Society's step by step course lessons... until i started developing my own "program" that fits my own particular needs, preferences and tastes, and which feels the rightest for me. : )
so, this is it.
this is how i meditate.
i started meditating because i wanted certain things and certain relationships to happen in my life two years ago. but now, i end up meditating just because i love most communing with my God...
and surprise, surprise, i got the "certain things and certain relationships"-- and more!-- ive always dreamed about, now! : )
i can understand better now that biblical injunction: "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His Righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you."
when i started i thought i was using New Age principles and techniques to make my life better. i end up now actually being more closely rooted in my faith, even appreciative of my religious tradition, and my life is so much happier, more peaceful and abundant, not because i did anything much to acquire or achieve them, but because i just settled into being me, being still, and being one with my God, as much as i could. all other things and activities just flowed.
i hope this sharing helps.
God bless you as you go on your way.
i don't know why; who am i to presume someone would want to read me explain how i meditate? but i guess, if the urgings come still, after all this time, then i am being called to do just that. maybe this will help someone out there who's reading this.
a major part of my hesitation is because explaining how i meditate is a very private, intimate matter. it's almost like explaining how i take a bath and then inviting the reader to watch me do it!
come to think of it, meditation is like that for me: a bath, a spiritual bath, more especially. it's also like a spiritual charging session, just like how we charge our cellphones when the batteries run low, although in meditation, you don't have to wait for the batteries to run low. the more you meditate, the more you amp up your energies and expand your capacity for more power, actually.
ohhh i don't meditate everyday; i find that an hour's good and focused meditation today lasts me three good full-energy and feel-good days. so i seem to have developed a rhythm of my own, this 1 hour-to-3 days pattern, although i basically just meditate on demand, not to a fixed schedule.
one time, last first week of June, when i was falling out of an almost-relationship which still broke my heart so bad anyway, i meditated like three to four times a day (!) just to keep my self from spiraling down into despair. although, outwardly, my world was crumbling and my heart was breaking, strangely, inwardly, it was also my strongest, most peaceful experience. i re-discovered a "me" which was untouchable, indestructible by externals, and i re-discovered a most intimate, most loving, most comforting relationship with my God again, a sense of intimacy i only had a glimpse of in my teens, when i started developing a more personal prayer life, in preparation for what i thought i wanted to be: a nun (!). : )
anyway, enough rambling now.
please note that my meditation practice as i practice it now is the result of around two years' intense spiritual searching, in the guise of learning the ways of manifesting desires and the powers of the mind, on and off, by trial and error, until i have come to a place where it is more on than off now. although i have become quite adept at my magical manifesting powers (yes, it exists, for all of us! : > ), my main focus and desire now is just really to stay in touch and keep in touch with my God/Goddess within, with my spiritual center and core, so to speak.
i would like to credit The Meditation Society of Australia, which offers a free guided online meditation course, in helping me get into and stay with my meditation practice now.
since i was 17 or 18, i've read many books on meditation, and tried quite a number, but eventually lost steam along the way. maybe i wasn't ready then and i'm ready now; or maybe, it's also the fact that in The Meditation Society, there is not a lot of mumbo-jumbo stuff, no elaborate exercises to do, and you can start with only 5 minutes to spare a day. it's simple and it mixes the best of all meditation disciplines.
***
okay, so here goes. here is how i meditate:
1. i take out my "portable meditation altar" composed of a cloth on which to place my meditation candle on, my meditation candle, my box of matches, my birthstone (Amethyst) and a special little bottle on a necklace chain which contains sand from the Holy Land, both given to me by my good friend Antonia. the birthstone and the bottle are, for me, sort of my "amulets", or just some physical objects that hold special meaning for me and which i use to pump up with my special intentions, my two remaining dreams in life.
it's "portable" because i place all these things in a special pink-colored beauty case which i only use for this purpose, and i carry it around with me, even when i travel. so it's like i can build my own personal altar and meditation space anywhere.
2. i sit cross-legged, but not rigidly so like in some Yoga positions. sitting down cross-legged is the best position, ive found, to keep my self both alert and relaxed.
so i calm my self down and center my self by doing deep breathing, using a mantra ive coined my self-- "Love, Joy, Peace, Abundance" -- the qualities i basically just want to live in my life. i breathe in Love, Joy, Peace, Abundance; i breathe out un-Love, un-Peace, un-Joy, un-Abundance. i say this to my self as i breathe in and breathe out.
sometimes, it takes just 3 deep breaths, sometimes 7, sometimes more. it depends on how initially stressed and unfocused i am, but i use the spiritual numbers of 3, 7 and 9 to help me calm down and focus.
3. then, it's a prayer and blessing session for me. i've incorporated my Catholic prayer traditions here because they mean a lot to me and they help me.
what i do is instead of thinking about all my and other people's problems, i just take each thought/concern/need one by one, imagine the person or the concern basked in golden-yellow light, and ask God to bless and heal and transform them as God sees fit. i also pray the prayer of the Holy Spirit ("Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful and enkindle in them the Fire of Thy Love...") for each one, while imagining small fires burning in the person's heart, then mind, then both fires raised up Above.
after i've gone through all the concerns and other people's concerns i can think of, or am prompted to think of, i imagine raising them all up Above, like gathering them all together and offering them all up to God Above, all the time also imagining them being burned by the Violet Fire of healing, transformation and wholeness, and praying the Violet Fire prayer:
"We are beings of Violet Fire, the purity that God desires."
i say this to my self, sometimes aloud, sometimes silently, while imagining all the concerns and people i prayed for being burned and transformed by the Violet Fire, that God is taking all of them as my offering, that they are like incense being burnt, and im offering them all up to God to take care of... so that what is finally left is just me, empty, ready, expectant me-- empty, ready and expectant for my time and communion with my God, alone, at last.
4. at this point, my mind is cleared, and worrisome thoughts don't keep coming back, because in my mind, they all have already been raised up. so it is just between me and my God now.
it is now that i do my own Violet Fire prayer--
"I am a being of Violet Fire, the purity that God desires."
--as i slowly imagine each of my chakras, from the 7th (bottom) up, vibrating first as a circle in that area, and then filling my whole being with its color, and then fading back into its area. this is my chakra (spiritual centers) cleansing exercise part.
there used to be a time when the colors that would come up were dull and murky, especially in the 7th (bottom of the spine area: survival) and 6th (the gonads area: creativity, sexuality) chakras, but over time, with more meditation and also the physical changes i was naturally prompted to make in my life, they have gotten clearer and brighter now, in the healthy colors that they are meant to be.
5. after my chakra cleansing, this is now the time that i "bring down" the powers/energies of Heaven to me by imagining my self basking in White Light, while i just slowly chant to my self each of my mantra qualities.
i say "Love" and i imagine a pink heart touching down on the crown of my head as it infuses my whole being with pink, glowing, loving energy. i stay with this for a while and just enjoy the feeling of Love, flowing to me, and flowing out through me.
i say "Joy" and i imagine a light yellow smiley face floating down to the crown of my head even as light yellow light infuses my being and i feel Joy. i stay with this for a while and just enjoy the feeling of Joy, flowing to me, and flowing out through me.
i say "Peace" and i imagine a white laser light beaming down from above to touch my crown and infuse my entire being with Peace. i stay with this for a while and just enjoy the feeling of Peace, flowing to me, and flowing out through me.
sometimes, i also pray St. Francis' Prayer ("Lord, make me an instrument of Your Peace...") to help me along, and i imagine each of my chakras being activated by this light (by the way, i do the same for Love and Joy, too, imagine each of my chakras being activated by their lights).
i say "Abundance" and i imagine a golden-yellow light beaming down from above to touch my crown, infuse my whole being, and activate my chakras with Abundance. i stay with this for a while and just enjoy the feeling of Abundance, flowing to me, and flowing out through me.
sometimes, i also say a non-denominational Abundance prayer i've found a year ago (you're supposed to write it down 10 to 20 times a day, and see your life change; it uses "I" but i use "We"/"Our" to include my children, other loved ones and i):
"God's Wealth is circulating in our lives. God's Wealth flows to us and through us in avalanches of Abundance. All our needs, desires and goals are instantaneously met, because we are one with God, and God is our Infinite and Abundant Supply, and God is everything."
6. after this, i just sit still and stay there, chanting to my self my final self-coined mantra:
"I am in the Heart of God.
I bask in God's Love and Abundance."
and i just stay there and bask in God's Love and Abundance.
this is my favorite part. i am just there, one with my God, my Father/Mother, and all is right with the world. i need to do nothing; i just be me, and just be there.
many times now, i experience moments of bliss in this phase. and sometimes, i feel like i want to stay here forever.
i just stay here and bask and wait. sometimes, i ask specific questions. sometimes i just ask for a general message or advice as guidance for my day. and always, i get answers. if not in meditation itself, it's during the course of the day.
the answers mostly come as simple words in a still, strong voice that comes through. most often too, i get images. sometimes, the meanings are immediately clear. sometimes not, so after meditation, i go to Google to search for them even! : )
during the course of the day, they come as messages to me from other people; some words some people say to me strike me as suddenly very meaningful. sometimes, they come as certain "coincidences" that happen.
what i love about this experience is that it has taught me to just be still, and watch and wait with God. it has carried over to how i behave in my daily life now. i am not as easily troubled or stressed by the daily demands or disruptions of my day. i know, from experience now, that at core, i am still, and everything is alright.
i am also learning to be more sensitive to my body's signals, as well as to intuitive insights, and to the natural flows of energies within and without, to discern the natural rhythms and cycles of life and relationships, and it helps me in my daily life to be more attuned to Life this way, to just go with the flow... and i am happier, more successful and productive and joyful in every area of my life this way.
most of all, i am learning to be patient, and to trust, in the ways of God and Life, even if many times, i do not understand and i do not know what lies ahead. somehow, i know, from this intimate experience with my God, i am loved and taken care of, whatever happens anyway. so i do not worry much anymore. even if a worry comes up these days, i am quick to recognize them as such and am able to quickly dissipate them too. it's like a quick toxin-recognition mechanism i've developed now: the best antibiotic of all, stopping the toxin before it even gets in! : )
7. there comes a time in my meditation when i'm feeling full/well-fed, and am urged now to move out, move on and go ahead with the rest of my day. i close it with a thank you prayer that covers everything:
"Thank you God, for all the blessings we have received, all the blessings we are receiving, and all the blessings coming our way!!!"
i usually repeat this three times while extending my arms outward to receive all the blessings, and then "wrap them up" by closing my hands together in prayer.
oh, i also "pump up my amulets", too, : ) by holding each of them over the candle flame, turning them around 7 times for each item, and praying my thank you mantra for my only two lifelong dreams now:
(holding the Amethyst) "Thank you, God, for my True Soulmate and I and our healthy, happy, abundant Love, Friendship and Marriage for the rest of our lives!"
(holding the bottle with the sand from the Holy Land0 "Thank you, God, for my being an internationally-published, best-selling, critically-acclaimed and well-loved author of children's and other books, whose stories touch and transform people's lives, and live on long after I do!" : )
why say thank you before it happens? in manifesting principles, it's best to state your intents as if they are happening now, because the Mind does not recognize past-present-future, and when you state them as happening now, or already happened, the Mind creates it for you as happening now, or already happened. i mix in the thank you, because i have found that saying thank you for whatever helps me get into a quick feel-good, feel-right place (hard to say thank you to to God for something mean and petty and disempowering of other people...)and the feel-good part is a necessary ingredient of successful manifesting, to raise one's vibes and to make one's vibes align with the vibes of one's desires, if you really want to be technical about this.
all in all, i just like saying thank you to God. it makes me feel good, and it makes me feel good about my dreams already coming true as i thank for them.
***
these 7 steps might sound like they take a long time, but actually, it is only step 3 which, for me, seems to take a long time these days, because i find my self praying more and more for others than for my self, and there are many loved ones and concerns of others on my list!
a full session like this usually takes me around 40 minutes to an hour, although i must remind you, don't let this scare you: i started with only 5 minutes a day using The Meditation Society's step by step course lessons... until i started developing my own "program" that fits my own particular needs, preferences and tastes, and which feels the rightest for me. : )
so, this is it.
this is how i meditate.
i started meditating because i wanted certain things and certain relationships to happen in my life two years ago. but now, i end up meditating just because i love most communing with my God...
and surprise, surprise, i got the "certain things and certain relationships"-- and more!-- ive always dreamed about, now! : )
i can understand better now that biblical injunction: "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His Righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you."
when i started i thought i was using New Age principles and techniques to make my life better. i end up now actually being more closely rooted in my faith, even appreciative of my religious tradition, and my life is so much happier, more peaceful and abundant, not because i did anything much to acquire or achieve them, but because i just settled into being me, being still, and being one with my God, as much as i could. all other things and activities just flowed.
i hope this sharing helps.
God bless you as you go on your way.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Effortless Effort
from Ralph Marston's "The Daily Motivator":
The direction you're headed will determine how easily and
gracefully you make progress. When you're moving toward your
most authentic desires, the going will feel almost
effortless.
Sure, there will be effort involved, and indeed it may be
quite complicated and challenging. Yet when that effort is
applied in a direction that's in harmony with who you are,
it won't feel like effort at all.
It will feel like adventure and it will feel like
fulfillment. Because that's exactly what it is.
If your efforts do not feel effortless, if you struggle
against them and resent them and avoid them, something is
surely wrong. Look closely and carefully at where you are
headed, and make sure your actions from moment to moment are
in line with the things you value most.
Even the most difficult challenges, even the most demanding
efforts can bring real joy as you work through them. When
you're serving a purpose that has real meaning for you,
every step is something to be treasured.
Choose a path that leads toward where you truly wish to go.
When the effort feels effortless, you'll know you're moving
in a direction that's right for you.
Ralph Marston
............................................................................
This is the Daily Motivator email edition.
Copyright (C) 2007 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All rights reserved.
Visit The Daily Motivator web site at http://greatday.com for an
archive
of more than 3,000 daily messages, inspirational photos and more.
The direction you're headed will determine how easily and
gracefully you make progress. When you're moving toward your
most authentic desires, the going will feel almost
effortless.
Sure, there will be effort involved, and indeed it may be
quite complicated and challenging. Yet when that effort is
applied in a direction that's in harmony with who you are,
it won't feel like effort at all.
It will feel like adventure and it will feel like
fulfillment. Because that's exactly what it is.
If your efforts do not feel effortless, if you struggle
against them and resent them and avoid them, something is
surely wrong. Look closely and carefully at where you are
headed, and make sure your actions from moment to moment are
in line with the things you value most.
Even the most difficult challenges, even the most demanding
efforts can bring real joy as you work through them. When
you're serving a purpose that has real meaning for you,
every step is something to be treasured.
Choose a path that leads toward where you truly wish to go.
When the effort feels effortless, you'll know you're moving
in a direction that's right for you.
Ralph Marston
............................................................................
This is the Daily Motivator email edition.
Copyright (C) 2007 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All rights reserved.
Visit The Daily Motivator web site at http://greatday.com for an
archive
of more than 3,000 daily messages, inspirational photos and more.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Achieving A High Vibration
from www.dailyom.com
All matter is made up of energy, and that energy is in motion continually. Everything in the universe, from the smallest molecules to the most complex living beings, has an optimal rate of vibration to keep it healthy. We reach this high vibrational level when we are whole, healthy, and fulfilling our potential. Human beings are able to consciously control these vibrations within themselves using a variety of techniques. We know when we have reached a high vibrational state because we feel good and can sense that we are aligned with all that is. We find we are capable of healing and have good intuition and perception that are a result of our resonating closer and closer to our ideal frequencies.
Thoughts, emotions, intentions, choices, and actions contribute to our vibrational state, as do the environments we inhabit. Affirmative activities that leave us feeling joyous, appreciative, loving, and peaceful raise our vibration. Constructive, creative, and expansive thoughts do the same. When we cultivate habits that contribute to our physical health and strength, our vibration is likewise raised. Certain mantra meditations, breathing exercises, and chants are designed to increase vibration. But simply practicing gratitude and forgiveness, surrounding ourselves with loving high-vibration people, eating whole foods, and spending time in nature can also help us transcend our current vibrational limitations.
When your desire for change is strong enough, you will find yourself gravitating toward what can help you achieve and maintain a high vibrational state. A positive outlook will then become the most important tool you possess, and this outlook will sustain you when the path leading toward transformation is wide and winding. As you evolve, your vibrational frequency will also evolve, aiding you in the creation of an even higher reality. Consciously and unconsciously, you will attract auspicious circumstances and positive people that will help you continue exploring the scope of your higher self until you move beyond the earthly plane.
All matter is made up of energy, and that energy is in motion continually. Everything in the universe, from the smallest molecules to the most complex living beings, has an optimal rate of vibration to keep it healthy. We reach this high vibrational level when we are whole, healthy, and fulfilling our potential. Human beings are able to consciously control these vibrations within themselves using a variety of techniques. We know when we have reached a high vibrational state because we feel good and can sense that we are aligned with all that is. We find we are capable of healing and have good intuition and perception that are a result of our resonating closer and closer to our ideal frequencies.
Thoughts, emotions, intentions, choices, and actions contribute to our vibrational state, as do the environments we inhabit. Affirmative activities that leave us feeling joyous, appreciative, loving, and peaceful raise our vibration. Constructive, creative, and expansive thoughts do the same. When we cultivate habits that contribute to our physical health and strength, our vibration is likewise raised. Certain mantra meditations, breathing exercises, and chants are designed to increase vibration. But simply practicing gratitude and forgiveness, surrounding ourselves with loving high-vibration people, eating whole foods, and spending time in nature can also help us transcend our current vibrational limitations.
When your desire for change is strong enough, you will find yourself gravitating toward what can help you achieve and maintain a high vibrational state. A positive outlook will then become the most important tool you possess, and this outlook will sustain you when the path leading toward transformation is wide and winding. As you evolve, your vibrational frequency will also evolve, aiding you in the creation of an even higher reality. Consciously and unconsciously, you will attract auspicious circumstances and positive people that will help you continue exploring the scope of your higher self until you move beyond the earthly plane.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
The Typical Cycle of Relationships
(please click on the title above for the link to the full article.)
Unless and until you access the consciousness frequency of presence, all relationships, and particularly intimate relationships, are deeply flawed and ultimately dysfunctional. They may seem perfect for a while, such as when you are "in love," but invariably that apparent perfection gets disrupted as arguments, conflicts, dissatisfaction, and emotional or even physical violence occur with increasing frequency. It seems that most "love relationships" become love/hate relationships before long. Love can then turn into savage attack, feelings of hostility, or complete withdrawal of affection at the flick of a switch. This is considered normal. The relationship then oscillates for a while, a few months or a few years, between the polarities of "love" and hate, and it gives you as much pleasure as it gives you pain. It is not uncommon for couples to become addicted to those cycles. Their drama makes them feel alive. When a balance between the positive/negative polarities is lost and the negative, destructive cycles occur with increasing frequency and intensity, which tends to happen sooner or later, then it will not be long before the relationship finally collapses.
It may appear that if you could only eliminate the negative or destructive cycles, then all would be well and the relationship would flower beautifully - but alas, this is not possible. The polarities are mutually dependent. You cannot have one without the other. The positive already contains within itself the as yet unmanifested negative. Both are in fact different aspects of the same dysfunction. I am speaking here of what is commonly called romantic relationships - not of true love, which has no opposite because it arises from beyond the mind. Love as a continuous state is as yet very rare - as rare as conscious human beings. Brief and elusive glimpses of love, however, are possible whenever there is a gap in the stream of mind.
The negative side of a relationship is, of course, more easily recognizable as dysfunctional than the positive one. And it is also easier to recognize the source of negativity in your partner than to see it in yourself. It can manifest in many forms: possessiveness, jealousy, control, withdrawal and unspoken resentment, the need to be right, insensitivity and self-absorption, emotional demands and manipulation, the urge to argue, criticize, judge, blame, or attack, anger, unconscious revenge for past pain inflicted by a parent, rage and physical violence.
On the positive side, you are "in love" with your partner. This is at first a very satisfying state. You feel intensely alive. Your existence has suddenly become meaningful because someone needs you, wants you, and makes you feel special, and you do the same for him or her. When you are together, you feel whole. The feeling can become so intense that the rest of the world fades into insignificance.
However, you may also have noticed that there is a neediness and a clinging quality to that intensity. You become addicted to the other person. He or she acts on you like a drug. You are on a high when the drug is available, but even the possibility or the thought that he or she might no longer be there for you can lead to jealousy, possessiveness, attempts at manipulation through emotional blackmail, blaming and accusing, fear of loss. If the other person does leave you, this can give rise to the most intense hostility or the most profound grief and despair. In an instant, loving tenderness can turn into a savage attack or dreadful grief. Where is the love now? Can love change into its opposite in an instant? Was it love in the first place, or just an addictive grasping and clinging?
. . . If in your relationships you experience both "love" and the opposite of love - attack, emotional violence, and so on - then it is likely that you are confusing ego attachment and addictive clinging with love. You cannot love your partner one moment and attack him or her the next. True love has no opposite. If your "love" has as opposite, then it is not love but a strong ego-need for a more complete and deeper sense of self, a need that the other person temporarily meets. It is the ego's substitute for salvation, and for a short time it almost does feel like salvation.
But there comes a point when your partner behaves in ways that fail to meet your needs, or rather those of your ego. The feelings of fear, pain, and lack that are an intrinsic part of egoic consciousness but had been covered up by the "love relationship" now resurface. Just as with every other addiction, you are on a high when the drug is available, but invariably there comes a time when the drug no longer works for you. When those painful feelings reappear, you feel them even more strongly than before, and what is more, you now perceive your partner as the cause of those feelings. This means that you project them outward and attack the other with all the savage violence that is part of your pain. This attack may awaken the partner's own pain, and he or she may counter your attack. At this point, the ego is still unconsciously hoping that its attack or its attempts at manipulation will be sufficient punishment to induce your partner to change their behavior . . .
The reason why the romantic love relationship is such an intense and universally sought-after experience is that it seems to offer liberation from a deep-seated state of fear, need, lack, and incompleteness that is part of the human condition in its unredeemed and unenlightened state . . .
excerpt from
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
- Step One: "The Catch"
Going through life. Someone catches your eye. Thought: "They can make me happy!" "This is what I've been waiting for all of my life." Promise of fulfillment. The future is bright, and bursting with potential.
"Love is what happens to a man and a woman
who don't know each other."
- W. Somerset Maugham
- Step Two: "Courtship"
You display your best features, hide the bad ones. At this point, either get painfully rejected several times and return to Step One, or if the courtship is successful, fall in "love."
"When two people are under the influence of the most violent,
most insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions,
they are required to swear that they will remain in that excited,
abnormal and exhausting condition until death do them part."
- George Bernard Shaw
(Editor's Note: Marriage may occur at this step, or after any any of the following steps.)
- Step Three: "Romance"
Time moves on. Swell of passion begins to fade. He/she is still perfect . . . mostly, well except maybe for this one little thing . . .
"The duration of passion is proportionate
with the original resistance of the woman."
- Honore de Balzac
- Step Four: "The Honeymoon Has Ended."
A wide assortment of minor problems emerge, usually each party blaming the other, either loudly or secretly.
"Men are April when they woo,
December when they wed;
maids are May when they are maids,
but the sky changes when they are wives."
- William Shakespeare (As You Like It, Act 4, Scene 1)
- Step Five: "Rude Awakening"
Problems, issues, and troubles.Infatuation fully fades away. You realize that this other person is just another normal, flawed, breathing, scratching, coughing, fearful, complicated human being, just like yourself, more or less. They find out the same about you. Guys begin to think "Why is she like that?" Girls begin to think, "He'll never change." Often this is accompanied by feelings of betrayal, of having been wronged, let down, disappointed, or hurt.
"Love is something that hangs up behind the bathroom door
and smells of Lysol."
- Ernest Hemingway
- Step Six: "This isn't what I expected."
"I realize that what I thought was the real solution, IT, the Answer, the end of loneliness, boredom, unhappiness . . . wasn't. Now I'm right back where I started, lonely and in pain. You go to bed soulmates, wake up cellmates."
"Marriage is like paying an endless visit
in your worst clothes."
- J. B. Priestley
- Step Seven: "Crossroads"
This step consists of how one copes with the previous step. Here, one is at the following crossroads: Either- Break up or divorce;
- Separate, or take a breather, and resume problems at a later time;
- Both partners find a way for the relationship to evolve to a deeper level of understanding and maturity;
- Have an affair (return to Step One); or
- Resign yourself to a dull, colorless life full of crushing disappointment, barren drudgery, and hopeless resignation.
"Typical love is like two poor people
where each believe that the other is rich.
Sooner or later, each finds out that that is other person is just as poor as they are."
- Roy Masters - Step Eight: "Rest a bit."
Ponder on what went wrong, and try to come up with theories and/or explanations of what happened. The quality and accuracy of answers vary, depending on how in touch with reality one is, one's honesty, and often the quality of relationship books one is reading. Typically, the solution is to conclude that it was the other person's fault, and the way to not make the same mistake again is to find a "better" person. (Note: this step can, and often is, skipped by those who move immediately to a new partner, thus returning again to the cycle at Step One.)
"There are very few people who are not ashamed of having been in love
when they no longer love each other."
- Duc de la Rochefoucauld
- Step Nine: "Start looking for a new catch."
Return to Step 1.
"Love is only a dirty trick played on us
to achieve the continuation of the species."
- W. Somerset Maugham
And this
is The Typical Cycle
of romance and passion!
"Love is the word used to label the sexual excitement of the young,
the habituation of the middle-aged, and the mutual dependence of the old."
- John Ciardi
U N L E S S
you
"get off"
"The Typical Cycle."
. . . and how, exactly, do you do that??
"If Romeo and Juliet would have stayed around,
then they would have soon been bickering over the dishes
and who was going to hang the curtains."
- Unknown
. . . well, by breaking the cycle at some point.
And just how, exactly, do you do that??
Preview here.
You Are Enough
The root of most of our problems is a faulty self-image. But three little words can help us have a happier life...
By David J. Walker
By David J. Walker
Undoubtedly, the catalyst behind many successes in the world is a need to prove something because one feels inadequate, but the best path, the path that satisfies the soul, is one of completeness at every step of the way. Taking this path makes living a joy, because it doesn't postpone that feeling of being enough. Being enough is not something we achieve. It's something we are.
The most satisfying path, then, isn't so much what we are accomplishing as what we get to be, while we are accomplishing.
We get to be the creative power of the Universe, conscious of itself. We get to be whole, complete, enough!
The purpose of life is to satisfy the soul, and though acknowledging your accomplishments can help in this effort, it cannot take you the full distance. The only thing that can satisfy your soul is an answer to the question, who am I? You are an individualized expression of Life, of greater consequence and magnitude than anything you will ever accomplish.
When we focus on the fact that we are enough now, the beginning, the middle and the end of every journey—whether it's finding a mate or getting a better job—is filled with a sense of well-being. We may complete an experience and even be thrilled by the outcome, but we know that we are no more complete than when we started out.
You see, we are either enough right now or we're not; and if we are, then we're challenged by our enough-ness to live that way.
The problem is, most of us don't listen to the inner voice that says, "You're enough because you exist." We ignore it because being enough doesn't fit the image we have of ourselves. We have spent so much time thinking of ourselves as not being enough that enough-ness seems very far away. We may have a sense of being surrounded by the Life Force, but we forget that the Life Force is also within us. And if the Life Force is within us, we are enough.
How easy it is to be Bible-oriented and still gloss over one of its most important statements, "Man was made in the image and likeness of [the Life Force we call] God." And if the Life Force is enough, we must be enough.
Being made in the image and likeness of God isn't something we have to strive for. It's something we must have the courage to accept.
The root of all of our problems, then, is a faulty self-image, because the natural tendency of mind is to surround itself with whatever it has embodied. If I embody fear and doubt, I will surround myself, to one degree or another, with people and circumstances that reflect fear and doubt. If, however, I embody faith and trust, I will surround myself with people and circumstances that reflect faith and trust.
Source: BelieftNet.com (please click on the title above to get to the full article link)
Source: BelieftNet.com (please click on the title above to get to the full article link)
Friday, August 10, 2007
Epigenetics: The Biology of Belief
i was lucky to have been able to download his full lecture from Google Videos before, but the sample (please click on the title above to get to the download link) is enough to convince one that the thoughts we think do create even cellular composition and behavior, how much more the events and experiences of our lives?
here's an excerpt from LearnOutLoud.com's link above--
Since the publication of The Biology of Belief, Dr. Bruce Lipton has received widespread acclaim as one of the most accessible and knowledgeable voices of "new biology." The science is called epigenetics—a revolutionary field that shows us how the energy of consciousness is as important in shaping life on earth as DNA and chemistry. In this original author adaptation, Dr. Lipton brings his clarity, insight, and humor to unveiling a profound change in how we perceive the way life works, including:
here's an excerpt from LearnOutLoud.com's link above--
Since the publication of The Biology of Belief, Dr. Bruce Lipton has received widespread acclaim as one of the most accessible and knowledgeable voices of "new biology." The science is called epigenetics—a revolutionary field that shows us how the energy of consciousness is as important in shaping life on earth as DNA and chemistry. In this original author adaptation, Dr. Lipton brings his clarity, insight, and humor to unveiling a profound change in how we perceive the way life works, including:
-How environment—including our thoughts and emotion—controls the character of every cell
-Quantum physics and life: the key to understanding the bigger picture of how mind over matter works
-Cooperation and evolution—moving beyond the "selfish gene" theory to see that a natural trend toward harmony literally shapes the biosphere
-Why the oft-dismissed placebo effect is really the most powerful healing tool we have, and much more
As scientists have mapped the human genome, it has become clear that there are important aspects of life that defy our traditional models of evolution. The "missing link," according to Dr. Lipton, is consciousness. With The Biology of Belief, listeners join this groundbreaking researcher to learn how this new science radically alters both how we understand life on earth— and how we choose to live.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
My "Message from the Universe" Today
If you can see it in your mind, Jeanette, it's real. And if you can consistently hold onto that image, if only when you visualize each day, the hard part is done.
The Universe
All that remains is merging the two worlds together, the present and the one you've imagined, which is my part. And you can best help me align circumstances, coincidences, and chance encounters by getting busy, going out into the world, and moving in the general direction of your dreams, even if only to do what your peers might do, who know not of life's magic.
But you know the truth, Jeanette. You know how life works. Do not waiver in your march. No matter how humble your steps, this is how I will reach you. And as you witness one dream come true after another - first the small ones, then the big ones, then the huge ones - you'll remember why you were first drawn to the jungles of time and space... if you haven't already figured it out.
Crazy kid,The Universe
Saturday, July 14, 2007
The Ego and the Soul
Reprinted from Class 11 of the free online meditation course (highly recommended, i've been learning with it and growing in my meditation since January!) from Meditation Society of Australia--
The single most asked question we have come across is "how do I tell what are the messages of my ego and those of my soul?" To be true the ego and the soul have an existence within each other and so there is a measure of blurring between their realities but for the purposes of this class, let's separate them at their poles, so that we might more easily understand their nature and where they overlap.
What is the nature of the ego?
The ego is a construction of self arising entirely from externals. What the physical senses perceive, the intellect can calculate and memory can remember about us entirely composes the ego.
It is a differentiating mechanism constantly calculating how it is different from the next person or thing, and more than this it fervently seeks to place itself at least 1cm above its surrounds.
As it defines itself by these externals, it also attaches and binds itself to them for its sense of self and fulfilment. For example, it is the ego that believes that having a shiny new car that is faster and more expensive than everyone else's in the street will contribute to it's sense of self and fulfilment, and it is the same ego that is disappointed five minutes after buying it with the realisation that somewhere else there is someone with a car that is shinier and faster and more expensive. This also applies to the way the ego interacts with other people. Social interactions become competitions because the ego needs to be at least 1cm above the next.
The ultimate goal of the ego is to be rich and famous possessing everyone and everything with all succumbing to it.
For the ego everything is conditional, everywhere a marketplace. "What I do for you is in exactly the same measure (or if I am smart(?), less!) than what you have already done for me. I will love you, if you love me etc. Nothing is given without an ulterior motive.
The ego is extremely defensive, to the death, in fact, of it's present state of mind, passionately fearing change and blaming everything but itself for any malaise.
The ego believes that it is the alpha and omega of you, a finite being with a birth and a death stuck in a fight with time and fate.
The soul is a revelation of the real self arising from within.
When someone speaks of 'finding oneself' they are usually speaking of a series of experiences of the soul. If it is that there is a force or universal soul or God that lies at the heart of every atom, then the individual soul is a portion of it. Though to speak of a portion of infinity is impossible and this is exactly the point, because this 'portion' is nothing other than, in fact, the whole. Each of us holds the kingdom of heaven within.
The sense of the soul is perceived by a suspension of the ego, an opening of the heart and an intuitive flow of love or peace or joy or wisdom will inevitably pervade.
The soul is a oneness understanding, joining not only humanity, but all things in the profound wisdom of love.
It enjoys competition as within a real family, to empower and encourage each other to higher and higher heights.
As the soul feels itself within all things it has no desire to bind or possess things to oneself. It feels that since we are all the oceans and the mountains and the skies and the flowers, how can there be ownership? We are all an infinite portion of each other.
The ultimate goal of the soul is to divinise the ego. To flood all egos with the unconditional and infinite love and empowerment of the entire universe so that it might also perceive itself as many and separate, but One and whole.
For the soul, everything is a oneness-heaven where each of us contributes to the collective and each of us is empowered by it.
It constantly challenges our present state of mind when we limit ourselves to the ego by telling us 'You are not that! You are not the body, you are not the mind or ego, you are not finite and bound by time, you are infinite and eternal'
This is why the measure of a real spiritual person is their genuine humility. The higher one journeys the more one realises that the source, the power and the destination of the journey are the one universal soul or God. All we ever do is reveal this reality. Our ownership of even our actions should never be egoic but reveal the intuitive flow of wisdom and love of the universe.
The blurring
As we said in the beginning there is a definite blurring of realities of the soul and the ego. The ego is on a journey, just like every other part of our nature. from darkness to light, from ignorance to total awareness of the soul. It is meant to be an instrument of the soul, not in competition with it, and you will notice if you haven't already that gradually it will be illumined by the light of the soul and it's sense of itself will gradually enlarge until ultimately the divine ego, feels itself within all.
"We dance to a whispered voice. Overheard by the soul. Undertook by the heart.
And you may know it. If you may know it."
— Neil Diamond from Soundtrack for "Jonathan Livingston Seagull"
After all this - it is time for reflection
So now comes the time where instead of philosophising we observe what we are doing in our lives. How are our present day-to-day behaviours affected by this. Is it possible to live in the soul amidst the hurly-burly of modern life? The answer obviously, is a resounding YES!
To come back to our original question - 'How do I tell if the messages I am receiving are from my soul or my ego?' Well, especially in the beginning it is not so easy. We have spent such a long time ignoring the messages of our soul and listening entirely to our ego that the volume is very loud on our ego and perhaps just a whisper from our soul.
As everything, it requires practise.
It also requires honesty and a large measure of bravery.
Honesty to just listen, not to return to the habits of the ego in constructing a voice that we want to hear, and bravery to follow the messages of the soul, that are often challenging (as they obviously should be!) and sometimes illogical from a worldly point of view.
If you are not immediately intuitively aware that the message you are receiving is from your soul, then try and stop everything and really explore it in a meditation. Messages of your soul, should immediately be accompanied by joy as their nature is the flow of love. (Emphasis mine.)
If you are still not sure than you need to consciously question the source of the voice, honestly checking its credentials against all the criteria above. You must also realise that exactly the same action can be performed egoically and again completely soulfully, so it is often not the action that needs to be critically contemplated but the place from where the action is performed.
Either way, if you are still not sure, try as soulfully as you can to take a step down the path that your 'voice' is extolling you to, and immediately stop and meditate and go through the process again, having taken one step. You will see that having gone through the above, you should definitely be feeling joy, if not, stop - it is most likely not a message of your heart.
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