"Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves."- Carl Jung
I have come across this concept several times in my personal journey: the idea that something that bothers me about someone else is a reflection of something in me that I need to work on. I have found this idea one of the more difficult to get a grasp on, but thank goodness the Universe keeps sending me opportunities to figure out exactly what it means.
This lesson is currently coming in the form of a couple of people that are bugging the living crap out of me. I find that our difference of opinion and our view on certain events is so far separated, it's almost as if we are talking about completely different things. I KNOW what I am talking about, but I have no idea what they are thinking or talking about. I truly cannot grasp how they see these events so differently then I do. It's almost twilight zone-esque. Baffling.
I have been trying to figure out what it means to see myself in them, to see their behavior, thoughts, ideas, etc as a reflection of something I need to work on in myself, but the concept is so inconceivable: that what annoys me the most about them is reflecting something inside me that is just like them. The first person is so blind to the second person's actions and attitude, and the second person is completely self-centered, selfish and condescending. I used to see said second person the same way the first person does, but a few years ago I began to see chinks in the armor, and eventually the entire facade fell apart and I realized the pedestal this person was placed upon was entirely made of bullshit. Now, that is not second person's fault...we cannot help what other's think of us, it is not our responsibility if other's see us as deities when deities we are not. It was very painful for me to accept the fact that this person was indeed a real person and not the golden child I had believed. But I learned to accept that person in this new light, and I moved on, or tried to. Now my dislike for this person is all based on this person's own merit, not on the opinions of others! It's very freeing! My question about this is: how is the selfishness, the self-centeredness, the arrogance, the uncaring nature of this person, how is THAT a reflection of me?
I am starting to see how fear of discovering what I have discovered about the this person may be keeping the other one in the cocoon of admiration: the pain of realizing someone isn't who they think that person is could be preventing them from seeing the truth. That helps me to let go of some of my judgement and frustration, but letting go completely has been challenging, especially after hearing the edited version of events as the first person sees them. Regardless of the differences in the view of events between this person and me, I am still pondering how the aspects of these two folks that I find so annoying, so disturbing, so grossly different from me could be reflecting a part of me that I need to work on. Oh, I have no doubt that I am just as annoying and disturbing to them. I'm alright with that, I am not worried about how other's see me anymore. I know that how they see me is on them and has nothing to do with me. I am searching for my own truth by way of the Universe's lesson that is being presented to me using these two people.
This weekend my daughter and I saw "The Host". It was an adaption of a book written by Stephenie Meyer. The concept is Earth has been taken over by an alien race that implants themselves into humans, essentially kicking the human soul out and using the body to save the planet. The alien race views themselves as peaceful, they do not lie, they trust each other completely, and they do not resort to violence. The aliens have eliminated most human souls and have saved the planet from all the damage we humans have done to it and it is now thriving, the ozone layer has recovered, air pollution is gone, all species (except human) are flourishing, etc. Of course there is a small band of rebel humans that are fighting to survive while hiding from the alien invaders. This movie resonated with me this way: you can't force anyone to do something they are not ready to do even if you think it is for their best interest or for the greater good, no matter how much it has helped you; and sometimes giving up the fight is the simplest thing to do to get someone/something out of your head. I felt grateful and peaceful after watching "The Host". It stirred up thoughts in my mind that eventually connected me to the answers I have been searching for in this lesson the Universe has been trying to teach me. When I least expected it, I realized that the aspects of myself that were reflecting back at me from the two people who I had found so baffling and completely disturbing were A) My need to prove myself right; and B) My need to defend myself against those that don't accept me. The things that annoy AND enrage me about these two people are things that brought these negative aspects of myself up to the surface so that I could acknowledge them and let them go. It isn't that I am like them somewhere deep inside...it's my reaction to them that needed to be addressed.
My need to prove myself right and my need to defend myself against those that don't accept me...I am very thankful to the people in my life that are helping me let go of these two needs, even if they don't know they are helping me. In their attempt to hurt me and prove me wrong, they have opened my eyes to answers that have eluded me. I can't force anyone to see the truth because it is my truth, and by giving up the fight I can quietly get them out of my mind. In knowing that I don't have to prove myself to anyone and there is nothing to defend, I have found peace.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Don't go to H-E-Double-Hockeysticks!
I know a young lady who is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. She has been through some pretty tumultuous times in her life, yet always finds a way to smile, and more often then not she is laughing, which usually makes everyone around her laugh! I get such incredible energy when I am around her. She is truly a joy to be near.
She recently posted on one of the various social networks: "Karma will always come back to bite you in the butt. And when that day comes Ill just sit and watch....:)"
My first thought was to agree with her. I didn't even know who she was hoping Karma would visit, I still don't, yet I was in complete agreement with her. Then I stopped for a moment and put aside what my instant reaction and thought was, and listened to my heart. This is how I responded to her post:
"i am very hesitant to say anything but i have to. please understand that this is just how I feel about the notion of karma and i am in no way, shape or form trying to make you feel the same way.
I, too, used to anticipate a time when I could witness a Karmic punishment being visited on someone whom i felt had done me wrong and i thought that person deserved it. i would think to myself, "You SOB, you hurt me, you think you know everything, you treated me like shit, i hope you get what you deserve!" etc and so forth for whatever I deemed as a hurtful act made by some person towards me. To be honest with you, the thought still crosses my mind now and then. But I see things differently now and I try very hard to release any ideas I may have about anyone deserving to be punished for their actions via Karma. Hoping that Karma affects someone is a form of judgement and it is a way of holding onto anger, hate, resentment, hurt, loss, pain...negative emotions. It is giving your power to that person. You have one of the most beautiful souls I have ever encountered. You are kind, caring, generous, hilarious, fun and strong. i won't tell you what to do or how to feel, but i just want to say one thing: forgive. When you forgive someone, even if it is in the silence of your heart and that person never knows, then you free yourself from their bondage, you take your power back and you open yourself up to love. don't worry about whether or not karma is going to be visited upon someone else. that isn't your job. your job is to live a full, beautiful, loving and abundant life and to be happy. that's just my humble opinion and it is the way I have chosen to live."
I have to admit that at first I was a little butt-hurt when I didn't get a round of applause! Haha! I know my opinion on Karma is quite different from her's and quite contrary to most of the people in her life so it didn't surprise me when I received no acknowledgement of my brilliant dissertation on letting go of the thoughts of Karma exacting revenge for us. Being completely ignored doesn't change my opinion. I am not very knowledgeable on different cultures definitions of Karma. I only know what I know, and that is when some people use the phrase "Karma is a bitch" or "Karma will take care of them", they don't really know either what Hindu's or Buddhist's believe about Karma. "Karma will get you" when used by God-fearing Christians means "God agrees with me and is going to punish you for what I think you did wrong!".
Previously I've worried about Karma coming back to ME. I don't think I've spent much time contemplating how Karma will punish someone else for what I thought they did wrong to me, it's always been about how Karma was going to punish me for what I thought I did wrong to someone else. That stems from the idea that I deserved whatever had been done to me so I couldn't imagine Karma punishing someone else, especially on MY behalf. Don't call the self-esteem patrol! I don't feel that way anymore, I promise! Even before I awakened to my true spirit, I didn't like wishing bad things on people. I always had the awareness, or at least a sense of awareness, that wishing something bad on someone was actually wishing it on yourself. Even if I hoped someone would be punished, I quite often didn't talk about it because I knew they would have to pay their bill eventually, but it wasn't up to me to determine how or when. I don't remember the last time I told someone to go to H-E-double-hockey-sticks because I didn't want to go there myself (I don't believe in such a place, but that's a subject for a whole other blog)! My very best friend has a habit of saying "I hope _____ gets a cold sore." I think I have finally convinced him to stop saying that, especially when he starts to get that tingling feeling in his lip and he can't kiss his grandkids goodnight for a week or two.
It's the Golden Rule: Treat others as you wish to be treated. I have adopted the addition rule of "Think of others as you wish to be thought of" and "Feel about others how you wish them to feel about you". Let the Universe handle Karma and punishment. Forgive and let go. It makes everything so much sweeter!
She recently posted on one of the various social networks: "Karma will always come back to bite you in the butt. And when that day comes Ill just sit and watch....:)"
My first thought was to agree with her. I didn't even know who she was hoping Karma would visit, I still don't, yet I was in complete agreement with her. Then I stopped for a moment and put aside what my instant reaction and thought was, and listened to my heart. This is how I responded to her post:
"i am very hesitant to say anything but i have to. please understand that this is just how I feel about the notion of karma and i am in no way, shape or form trying to make you feel the same way.
I, too, used to anticipate a time when I could witness a Karmic punishment being visited on someone whom i felt had done me wrong and i thought that person deserved it. i would think to myself, "You SOB, you hurt me, you think you know everything, you treated me like shit, i hope you get what you deserve!" etc and so forth for whatever I deemed as a hurtful act made by some person towards me. To be honest with you, the thought still crosses my mind now and then. But I see things differently now and I try very hard to release any ideas I may have about anyone deserving to be punished for their actions via Karma. Hoping that Karma affects someone is a form of judgement and it is a way of holding onto anger, hate, resentment, hurt, loss, pain...negative emotions. It is giving your power to that person. You have one of the most beautiful souls I have ever encountered. You are kind, caring, generous, hilarious, fun and strong. i won't tell you what to do or how to feel, but i just want to say one thing: forgive. When you forgive someone, even if it is in the silence of your heart and that person never knows, then you free yourself from their bondage, you take your power back and you open yourself up to love. don't worry about whether or not karma is going to be visited upon someone else. that isn't your job. your job is to live a full, beautiful, loving and abundant life and to be happy. that's just my humble opinion and it is the way I have chosen to live."
I have to admit that at first I was a little butt-hurt when I didn't get a round of applause! Haha! I know my opinion on Karma is quite different from her's and quite contrary to most of the people in her life so it didn't surprise me when I received no acknowledgement of my brilliant dissertation on letting go of the thoughts of Karma exacting revenge for us. Being completely ignored doesn't change my opinion. I am not very knowledgeable on different cultures definitions of Karma. I only know what I know, and that is when some people use the phrase "Karma is a bitch" or "Karma will take care of them", they don't really know either what Hindu's or Buddhist's believe about Karma. "Karma will get you" when used by God-fearing Christians means "God agrees with me and is going to punish you for what I think you did wrong!".
Previously I've worried about Karma coming back to ME. I don't think I've spent much time contemplating how Karma will punish someone else for what I thought they did wrong to me, it's always been about how Karma was going to punish me for what I thought I did wrong to someone else. That stems from the idea that I deserved whatever had been done to me so I couldn't imagine Karma punishing someone else, especially on MY behalf. Don't call the self-esteem patrol! I don't feel that way anymore, I promise! Even before I awakened to my true spirit, I didn't like wishing bad things on people. I always had the awareness, or at least a sense of awareness, that wishing something bad on someone was actually wishing it on yourself. Even if I hoped someone would be punished, I quite often didn't talk about it because I knew they would have to pay their bill eventually, but it wasn't up to me to determine how or when. I don't remember the last time I told someone to go to H-E-double-hockey-sticks because I didn't want to go there myself (I don't believe in such a place, but that's a subject for a whole other blog)! My very best friend has a habit of saying "I hope _____ gets a cold sore." I think I have finally convinced him to stop saying that, especially when he starts to get that tingling feeling in his lip and he can't kiss his grandkids goodnight for a week or two.
It's the Golden Rule: Treat others as you wish to be treated. I have adopted the addition rule of "Think of others as you wish to be thought of" and "Feel about others how you wish them to feel about you". Let the Universe handle Karma and punishment. Forgive and let go. It makes everything so much sweeter!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Sadness for another isn't a negative emotion
I started down a new road in my life back in January. I came to a fork in the road, so I took it! (Not too sure how many people will get that...moving on) I woke up and looked in the mirror at the negative, hating, envious, self-pitying cry-cry baby I was becoming and said, "I'm done. I am done with all this negativity eaking out of me like the stench from a broken sewer pipe!" And I was done. I picked up where I had left off many years ago on my investigation into the Law of Attraction and spirituality and it's been one incredible manifestation after another. But that isn't what this is about, well, not entirely.
Since Easter 3 families I know or have known in my past have been touched by the death of a loved one. Father, husband, son...I haven't seen him in 30+ years but hearing of his death brought back memories of growing up on Lester Avenue; Barton Ave Elementary School, Saxton Middle School...seeing the names of kids I had in class that I hadn't thought about since I left in 1983 and they are all grown up now, kinda like me... being so far separated by both time and space his death didn't necessarily affect me in a personal way but I still feel for his wife & kids, his parents, his siblings and I hope that they are able to find comfort in their faith. Not to sound uncaring, but his death didn't make me take pause in my journey to a life of fulfillment and happiness. I send my love and hopeful thoughts to his family and allow the memories to fade back into the past.
Then a wonderful woman I work with lost her daughter to addiction. This hit much closer to home. When I found out about it I started feeling this sense of guilt for trying to be happy while she was just starting down a path of grief and sadness. I began to feel more grateful for my life and that brought on even more guilty feelings and questions; are my feelings of gratitude for my life a judgement of her daughter's life? What is this sadness trying to take over my good, positive emotions? I thought, I can't allow myself to feel sadness for my friend because that will derail MY effort to have a better life! I must remain happy, cheerful, optimistic! I can't cry! I can't feel sorry for her or her grandchildren that she is raising, and I certainly can't feel sorry for the young woman whose life was cut short because of her own choices! Stop crying, start laughing and charge through the barriers in the way of my life of abundance and happiness!
Fast forward one week...another death, another life cut short. Another woman, equally as wonderful as the first, I work with's husband. You've got to be kidding me, right? How can this be possible? I never met him but I love her! The details don't matter, all that matters is another family is going through an unimaginable tragedy and will be affected by that one moment for the rest of their lives. The loss of a child, the loss of a husband...I think about these two ladies that I have come to love and my heart hurts. I can't stop the flow of tears that push at the dam I have built to block negative thoughts from entering into my mind and my heart. Then I realized something; feeling sadness, feeling heartache for another person, this is not negative emotion. It is love. It means that I care about them, I care about their families, I am so incredibly sorry for both of their losses, and I feel so grateful for the life I have and the things I have experienced, ALL things, good & bad, easy & hard, ugly & beautiful. Feeling sadness, feeling empathy for another human being whose life has been forever changed by a tragedy is not negative...it's what a loving person does.
Celebrate your life. I know this is a cliche, but live your life as if today is your last. Don't put off telling those that you love that you love them! Don't make a bucket list of things you want to do before you die...DO THEM!!!! Don't feel guilty for being happy when others are sad. Everyone has their own journey to take, don't belittle someone else's journey by making yours less. We all deserve to live full, happy, abundant lives and it is our choice to do so. About 7 1/2 years ago a dear man was walking to his truck after a long day of work, I am sure he was looking forward to going home to see his boys and his wife, to settling down in his chair and eating dinner, maybe calling his Dad and bs-ing with him while watching his favorite TV show until bed time...as he walked across that open space from the barn to his truck he was struck by lightening and killed. That still makes me cry to this day. I think about that man more then I thought. I let his death affect my life so much...it's a guilt thing, ya know? How can I continue to try to make my life better, how can I continue to be happy when he's dead and his family is suffering? The truth is, it is dishonoring to someone who has passed away to NOT continue to have a good life, to NOT continue to make your life better. In expanding your life, in increasing your happiness, your abundance, your love, you HONOR those who have passed away. It is right to feel sadness for the families that have been affected by their loved one's death, but it isn't right to use that as an excuse for your life sucking.
To Steve's family, to Kim and Dani: I am so sorry for your loss. May you find comfort in your faith.
Kim and Dani, I love you both. It truly has been a pleasure getting to know both of you. I will honor you and your families by living my life to the fullest, by allowing good into my life, by loving completely and without fear. I send my loving, positive thoughts to you. May the Universe embrace you with love and comfort. These tears I shed for you are tears of joy for I know in my heart that your loved ones are safe in the true love of God. I love you.
Steven, Katie and Jimmy: Have a good journey home. Infinite love and peace is there, where we all will be someday. Rest in Peace.
Since Easter 3 families I know or have known in my past have been touched by the death of a loved one. Father, husband, son...I haven't seen him in 30+ years but hearing of his death brought back memories of growing up on Lester Avenue; Barton Ave Elementary School, Saxton Middle School...seeing the names of kids I had in class that I hadn't thought about since I left in 1983 and they are all grown up now, kinda like me... being so far separated by both time and space his death didn't necessarily affect me in a personal way but I still feel for his wife & kids, his parents, his siblings and I hope that they are able to find comfort in their faith. Not to sound uncaring, but his death didn't make me take pause in my journey to a life of fulfillment and happiness. I send my love and hopeful thoughts to his family and allow the memories to fade back into the past.
Then a wonderful woman I work with lost her daughter to addiction. This hit much closer to home. When I found out about it I started feeling this sense of guilt for trying to be happy while she was just starting down a path of grief and sadness. I began to feel more grateful for my life and that brought on even more guilty feelings and questions; are my feelings of gratitude for my life a judgement of her daughter's life? What is this sadness trying to take over my good, positive emotions? I thought, I can't allow myself to feel sadness for my friend because that will derail MY effort to have a better life! I must remain happy, cheerful, optimistic! I can't cry! I can't feel sorry for her or her grandchildren that she is raising, and I certainly can't feel sorry for the young woman whose life was cut short because of her own choices! Stop crying, start laughing and charge through the barriers in the way of my life of abundance and happiness!
Fast forward one week...another death, another life cut short. Another woman, equally as wonderful as the first, I work with's husband. You've got to be kidding me, right? How can this be possible? I never met him but I love her! The details don't matter, all that matters is another family is going through an unimaginable tragedy and will be affected by that one moment for the rest of their lives. The loss of a child, the loss of a husband...I think about these two ladies that I have come to love and my heart hurts. I can't stop the flow of tears that push at the dam I have built to block negative thoughts from entering into my mind and my heart. Then I realized something; feeling sadness, feeling heartache for another person, this is not negative emotion. It is love. It means that I care about them, I care about their families, I am so incredibly sorry for both of their losses, and I feel so grateful for the life I have and the things I have experienced, ALL things, good & bad, easy & hard, ugly & beautiful. Feeling sadness, feeling empathy for another human being whose life has been forever changed by a tragedy is not negative...it's what a loving person does.
Celebrate your life. I know this is a cliche, but live your life as if today is your last. Don't put off telling those that you love that you love them! Don't make a bucket list of things you want to do before you die...DO THEM!!!! Don't feel guilty for being happy when others are sad. Everyone has their own journey to take, don't belittle someone else's journey by making yours less. We all deserve to live full, happy, abundant lives and it is our choice to do so. About 7 1/2 years ago a dear man was walking to his truck after a long day of work, I am sure he was looking forward to going home to see his boys and his wife, to settling down in his chair and eating dinner, maybe calling his Dad and bs-ing with him while watching his favorite TV show until bed time...as he walked across that open space from the barn to his truck he was struck by lightening and killed. That still makes me cry to this day. I think about that man more then I thought. I let his death affect my life so much...it's a guilt thing, ya know? How can I continue to try to make my life better, how can I continue to be happy when he's dead and his family is suffering? The truth is, it is dishonoring to someone who has passed away to NOT continue to have a good life, to NOT continue to make your life better. In expanding your life, in increasing your happiness, your abundance, your love, you HONOR those who have passed away. It is right to feel sadness for the families that have been affected by their loved one's death, but it isn't right to use that as an excuse for your life sucking.
To Steve's family, to Kim and Dani: I am so sorry for your loss. May you find comfort in your faith.
Kim and Dani, I love you both. It truly has been a pleasure getting to know both of you. I will honor you and your families by living my life to the fullest, by allowing good into my life, by loving completely and without fear. I send my loving, positive thoughts to you. May the Universe embrace you with love and comfort. These tears I shed for you are tears of joy for I know in my heart that your loved ones are safe in the true love of God. I love you.
Steven, Katie and Jimmy: Have a good journey home. Infinite love and peace is there, where we all will be someday. Rest in Peace.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
How to Attract Success by FW Sears, Chapter 6
The following is an excerpt from How To Attract Success by F.W. Sears, written in 1914. It can found free on the internet. Just google it. It's basically Chapter 6.
"In the beginning God gave us all the power and faculties through which to use it; He also gave us the power to use these faculties in any way our desires might lead us. God never used the Law of Force in our lives. He never told us that we must, or must not, do anything. His hand has never been laid on our lives in any way; we have been free agents all down the ages past and gone and will continue to be free agents all along the ages yet to come to express ourselves in accordance with whatever causes we may set in motion. No one has ever enslaved us in any way but ourselves; no one has ever set a cause in motion but ourselves for which we are in any way responsible; no one will ever set a cause in motion but for ourselves for which we will ever be responsible.
In this material world our responsibility begins and ends in the Intellect, the Mental plane of consciousness. When we use our Intellect, consciously or unconsciously, to generate thoughts in the physical brain which in any way lower our vibrations or retard or repress our ability to express, we are using the Universal Energy destructively; on the other hand when we use our Intellect to generate thoughts in the physical brain which are harmonious and constructive, and so increase our vibrations and enable us to relate with more harmonious and constructive currents on the unseen side of life, we are using this Universal Energy constructively.
The Universal Energy--this one substance which pervades the universe, this One Life in all and through all--is neither "good" nor "bad" in itself; it simply IS. It is like fire which in itself is neither constructive nor destructive; it is the use of the fire which determines its effect. When we use fire constructively it runs the commerce of the world both on land and sea; it heats our homes and our business places and keeps us from freezing in the winter time; it cooks our food, and in fact becomes one of the most beneficial agencies known to man. When we permit fire to get out from under our control and run riot it destroys our commerce both on land and sea; it destroys our homes and business places; it destroys our food, and it even destroys us, and so becomes one of the most devastating agencies known to man; but in itself it is neither "good" nor "bad".
And so with this Universal Energy. We can use it to materialize an abundance of supply for ourselves, or we can use it to create poverty and lack. God does not attempt to tell us how we must use it any more than He attempts to tell us how we must use fire.
The question is then, "How shall we use our Intellect in order that we may build consciously for permanent success?"
One of the very first things to do is to displace in our consciousness every thought which will in any way relate us with this Law of Force; that is, all anger, hatred, worry, fear, envy, jealousy, impatience, intolerance, resentment, resistance, condemnation, criticism, etc., everything that creates the energy which relates us with this Law of Force. We should displace such thoughts with those of kindness, patience, tolerance, love (not simply the personal kind), peace, poise, harmony, etc., these generate a constructive energy and relate us with the currents wherein are contained the atoms of which will produce in material form the harmonious and constructive things we want.
When we first attempt to train our minds to displace these old negative, destructive thoughts we find it necessary to continually and persistently affirm our oneness with the thing we want, no matter how far away from its materialization objectively we may seem to be. We must fill our thought world with the thought of the thing we want, displacing again and again the thoughts which come to us of the thing we do not want, and in accordance with our persistency in displacing them will we materialize the thing we do want soon or late.
Our work should be done without worry, fear, strain, effort, or tenseness of any kind. These old negative thoughts will come back again and again until we have formed the new habit of filling our thought world with the thoughts of the things we want.
When night comes and everything turns from light to darkness, as it does every night since the beginning of the world, we do no fret and fuss and fume and cry about it and say "Oh, what's the use of trying to get rid of this darkness: I have tried it again and again but I cannot get rid of it and there's no use of trying any more," but we just take the darkness as a matter of course and turn on the light.
We should use our Intellect to do this same thing in our thought world and no matter how often thoughts of poverty, lack, and failure come to us, no matter how often we look into our pockets and find them empty, no matter how poor and poverty stricken our environment may tell us we are today, no matter how often we have failed to succeed in the past, no matter how dark the future may seem to us today, these are, one and all, like the "darkness" which comes to us every night and we should give them no more attention than we give to the night's darkness, but "turn on the light" by making strong powerful affirmations, such as "I have wealth now, I have an abundance of money now, I am wealth now, I am success now."
Should we start to go down Broadway from 100th Street to the Battery and turn off Broadway at 99th Street, wander around for a while but finally return to Broadway, continuing on to 98th Street, turning off again and wandering around awhile on that street but finally returning to Broadway and continuing our journey, we could turn off Broadway at every cross-street we came to and it would not affect our ultimately reaching the end of our journey did we return to Broadway and continue our journey down town every time we recognized that we had gotten off Broadway. Our turning into the side streets would only delay our arrival at the Battery, not prevent it.
So with these negative, destructive thoughts of lack, poverty, anger, hatred, etc., which come to us from time to time; they will not prevent our ultimate success, but only delay it a little, when we learn to recognize that they create a destructive energy and we continuously and persistently displace them with constructive thoughts and affirmations every time we recognize that they have returned to us.
The length of time it will take us to arrive at our journey's end, that is form the new fixed habit in our lives of thinking constructively, will depend upon how often we "get off Broadway" and how long we stay off it on these side streets, that is how often we relate with the negative currents and remain in them -- in their darkness -- before we begin to displace them with the constructive thoughts."
I picked up on the Law of Attraction several years ago, probably closer to 6 or 7 years now. I got a copy of The Secret and read it from cover to cover, then lost interest in it when money wasn't falling out of the sky into my lap.
I've tried to be as positive a person as I can be but the last couple years had brought me down and I was getting to the point where I didn't like myself very much. One morning in January I woke up and decided, I'm done, I can't continue down this road that is leading me to a dark, yicky place. I've hit rock bottom before and I am not going there again, no thanks. That morning in January I made a conscious decision to stop with the negative self-talk and to stop talking negatively about other people. It started me on a path that has been incredible and I have so much to look forward to!
Recently I have read several books that were written in the late 1800's to early 1900's, for instance The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles, The Conquest of Poverty by Helen Wilmans, The Secret of the Ages by Robert Collier, etc. I have read a couple books written in this century as well like The One Command; Six Steps to Attract Wealth with the Power of Your Mind by Asara Lovejoy and The Divine Matrix by Gregg Braden. I have gotten something out of every book I have read and it is all sinking in to the core of my being in a way it never did before. I think it's because I wasn't ready for the material that was being presented to me previously. It did help me to pull myself off the floor at the time I was looking into the subject 6 or 7 years ago, but this time I JUST GET IT.
When I read this chapter in How to Attract Success this morning, it just made so much sense to me. (I have not included a paragraph that I personally agree with on the subject of religion so as to not offend anyone.) In addition to just loving the eloquent way the various authors wrote over a hundred years ago, the way F.W. Sears relates his thoughts on what he refers to as the Law of Harmonious Attraction and the Universal Energy, AKA God, to FIRE and to DARKNESS was very enlightening for me. And I absolutely love how his trip down Broadway and the many detours on the way to the Battery (he's talking about Manhattan for my friends not familiar with New York City)is a perfect example of how it's okay to get off track now and then, as long as you recognize that you are getting off course and consciously return to the course you set for yourself, you will still reach your destination; you will get the result you desire. It is when we get off course and get completely lost and have no GPS and have forgotten how to read a map that we can fall victim to the old negative thoughts and limiting beliefs, and we can give up hope.
Most of the older books I have read can be found online free. They are very well written and forward thinking for their time. This particular chapter struck a chord with me enough to where I wanted to share it with you. I hope you enjoyed it!
"In the beginning God gave us all the power and faculties through which to use it; He also gave us the power to use these faculties in any way our desires might lead us. God never used the Law of Force in our lives. He never told us that we must, or must not, do anything. His hand has never been laid on our lives in any way; we have been free agents all down the ages past and gone and will continue to be free agents all along the ages yet to come to express ourselves in accordance with whatever causes we may set in motion. No one has ever enslaved us in any way but ourselves; no one has ever set a cause in motion but ourselves for which we are in any way responsible; no one will ever set a cause in motion but for ourselves for which we will ever be responsible.
In this material world our responsibility begins and ends in the Intellect, the Mental plane of consciousness. When we use our Intellect, consciously or unconsciously, to generate thoughts in the physical brain which in any way lower our vibrations or retard or repress our ability to express, we are using the Universal Energy destructively; on the other hand when we use our Intellect to generate thoughts in the physical brain which are harmonious and constructive, and so increase our vibrations and enable us to relate with more harmonious and constructive currents on the unseen side of life, we are using this Universal Energy constructively.
The Universal Energy--this one substance which pervades the universe, this One Life in all and through all--is neither "good" nor "bad" in itself; it simply IS. It is like fire which in itself is neither constructive nor destructive; it is the use of the fire which determines its effect. When we use fire constructively it runs the commerce of the world both on land and sea; it heats our homes and our business places and keeps us from freezing in the winter time; it cooks our food, and in fact becomes one of the most beneficial agencies known to man. When we permit fire to get out from under our control and run riot it destroys our commerce both on land and sea; it destroys our homes and business places; it destroys our food, and it even destroys us, and so becomes one of the most devastating agencies known to man; but in itself it is neither "good" nor "bad".
And so with this Universal Energy. We can use it to materialize an abundance of supply for ourselves, or we can use it to create poverty and lack. God does not attempt to tell us how we must use it any more than He attempts to tell us how we must use fire.
The question is then, "How shall we use our Intellect in order that we may build consciously for permanent success?"
One of the very first things to do is to displace in our consciousness every thought which will in any way relate us with this Law of Force; that is, all anger, hatred, worry, fear, envy, jealousy, impatience, intolerance, resentment, resistance, condemnation, criticism, etc., everything that creates the energy which relates us with this Law of Force. We should displace such thoughts with those of kindness, patience, tolerance, love (not simply the personal kind), peace, poise, harmony, etc., these generate a constructive energy and relate us with the currents wherein are contained the atoms of which will produce in material form the harmonious and constructive things we want.
When we first attempt to train our minds to displace these old negative, destructive thoughts we find it necessary to continually and persistently affirm our oneness with the thing we want, no matter how far away from its materialization objectively we may seem to be. We must fill our thought world with the thought of the thing we want, displacing again and again the thoughts which come to us of the thing we do not want, and in accordance with our persistency in displacing them will we materialize the thing we do want soon or late.
Our work should be done without worry, fear, strain, effort, or tenseness of any kind. These old negative thoughts will come back again and again until we have formed the new habit of filling our thought world with the thoughts of the things we want.
When night comes and everything turns from light to darkness, as it does every night since the beginning of the world, we do no fret and fuss and fume and cry about it and say "Oh, what's the use of trying to get rid of this darkness: I have tried it again and again but I cannot get rid of it and there's no use of trying any more," but we just take the darkness as a matter of course and turn on the light.
We should use our Intellect to do this same thing in our thought world and no matter how often thoughts of poverty, lack, and failure come to us, no matter how often we look into our pockets and find them empty, no matter how poor and poverty stricken our environment may tell us we are today, no matter how often we have failed to succeed in the past, no matter how dark the future may seem to us today, these are, one and all, like the "darkness" which comes to us every night and we should give them no more attention than we give to the night's darkness, but "turn on the light" by making strong powerful affirmations, such as "I have wealth now, I have an abundance of money now, I am wealth now, I am success now."
Should we start to go down Broadway from 100th Street to the Battery and turn off Broadway at 99th Street, wander around for a while but finally return to Broadway, continuing on to 98th Street, turning off again and wandering around awhile on that street but finally returning to Broadway and continuing our journey, we could turn off Broadway at every cross-street we came to and it would not affect our ultimately reaching the end of our journey did we return to Broadway and continue our journey down town every time we recognized that we had gotten off Broadway. Our turning into the side streets would only delay our arrival at the Battery, not prevent it.
So with these negative, destructive thoughts of lack, poverty, anger, hatred, etc., which come to us from time to time; they will not prevent our ultimate success, but only delay it a little, when we learn to recognize that they create a destructive energy and we continuously and persistently displace them with constructive thoughts and affirmations every time we recognize that they have returned to us.
The length of time it will take us to arrive at our journey's end, that is form the new fixed habit in our lives of thinking constructively, will depend upon how often we "get off Broadway" and how long we stay off it on these side streets, that is how often we relate with the negative currents and remain in them -- in their darkness -- before we begin to displace them with the constructive thoughts."
I picked up on the Law of Attraction several years ago, probably closer to 6 or 7 years now. I got a copy of The Secret and read it from cover to cover, then lost interest in it when money wasn't falling out of the sky into my lap.
I've tried to be as positive a person as I can be but the last couple years had brought me down and I was getting to the point where I didn't like myself very much. One morning in January I woke up and decided, I'm done, I can't continue down this road that is leading me to a dark, yicky place. I've hit rock bottom before and I am not going there again, no thanks. That morning in January I made a conscious decision to stop with the negative self-talk and to stop talking negatively about other people. It started me on a path that has been incredible and I have so much to look forward to!
Recently I have read several books that were written in the late 1800's to early 1900's, for instance The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles, The Conquest of Poverty by Helen Wilmans, The Secret of the Ages by Robert Collier, etc. I have read a couple books written in this century as well like The One Command; Six Steps to Attract Wealth with the Power of Your Mind by Asara Lovejoy and The Divine Matrix by Gregg Braden. I have gotten something out of every book I have read and it is all sinking in to the core of my being in a way it never did before. I think it's because I wasn't ready for the material that was being presented to me previously. It did help me to pull myself off the floor at the time I was looking into the subject 6 or 7 years ago, but this time I JUST GET IT.
When I read this chapter in How to Attract Success this morning, it just made so much sense to me. (I have not included a paragraph that I personally agree with on the subject of religion so as to not offend anyone.) In addition to just loving the eloquent way the various authors wrote over a hundred years ago, the way F.W. Sears relates his thoughts on what he refers to as the Law of Harmonious Attraction and the Universal Energy, AKA God, to FIRE and to DARKNESS was very enlightening for me. And I absolutely love how his trip down Broadway and the many detours on the way to the Battery (he's talking about Manhattan for my friends not familiar with New York City)is a perfect example of how it's okay to get off track now and then, as long as you recognize that you are getting off course and consciously return to the course you set for yourself, you will still reach your destination; you will get the result you desire. It is when we get off course and get completely lost and have no GPS and have forgotten how to read a map that we can fall victim to the old negative thoughts and limiting beliefs, and we can give up hope.
Most of the older books I have read can be found online free. They are very well written and forward thinking for their time. This particular chapter struck a chord with me enough to where I wanted to share it with you. I hope you enjoyed it!
Friday, March 8, 2013
Conversation with my ego
Conversation I had with my ego today (yes, that is a kind of way of saying I talk to myself!):
Me: "Hey ego, what's up with you today? Can't you see that I'm becoming a much more positive person, I'm actually looking forward to the future while appreciating everything I have right now? Why are you trying to ruin my mood, bring me down? Why are you dredging up all this negative garbage from the past? Don't you think we deserve a better, more abundant life?"
My ego: "Of course we deserve better! But we don't have all the things you are wanting because of other people and what THEY think of us! We don't own our own home because your Mommy and Daddy made you feel like you didn't deserve it! You ARE a decent writer but you'll never get published and you'll certainly never make money writing because your family made you feel like you'll never amount to anything, so of course you won't! WE don't have what WE deserve because of EVERY ONE ELSE! It isn't OUR fault! No, wait...it isn't MY fault! I love you. I've always been here for you. Well, most of the time. Sure, I may have said "I told you so" a few times but I was just being truthful! I can't help it that you're so sensitive and believe every negative thing I say! No, it's everyone else's fault, including YOURS! I like things the way they are. I'm comfortable. If all these so-called wonderful things start appearing, you're going to leave me behind. You won't need me anymore. When you consciously choose what to think and how to feel, I feel left out and alone. I can't let that happen! I won't!! I will block EVERY GOOD THING from coming to you! I don't care that you deserve it! I am more important then "GOD", I'm bigger then your "Universe"! Please don't leave me, I promise I'll be good..."
Me: "I love you(me). I forgive you for being scared and trying to blame everyone else. But sweetie, I am responsible for exactly where I am right now, I am responsible for everything I have and don't have, no one else. It's ok. It's going to be wonderful! Trust that!"
disclaimer: my parents and family are amazing! i love you guys! :D
Me: "Hey ego, what's up with you today? Can't you see that I'm becoming a much more positive person, I'm actually looking forward to the future while appreciating everything I have right now? Why are you trying to ruin my mood, bring me down? Why are you dredging up all this negative garbage from the past? Don't you think we deserve a better, more abundant life?"
My ego: "Of course we deserve better! But we don't have all the things you are wanting because of other people and what THEY think of us! We don't own our own home because your Mommy and Daddy made you feel like you didn't deserve it! You ARE a decent writer but you'll never get published and you'll certainly never make money writing because your family made you feel like you'll never amount to anything, so of course you won't! WE don't have what WE deserve because of EVERY ONE ELSE! It isn't OUR fault! No, wait...it isn't MY fault! I love you. I've always been here for you. Well, most of the time. Sure, I may have said "I told you so" a few times but I was just being truthful! I can't help it that you're so sensitive and believe every negative thing I say! No, it's everyone else's fault, including YOURS! I like things the way they are. I'm comfortable. If all these so-called wonderful things start appearing, you're going to leave me behind. You won't need me anymore. When you consciously choose what to think and how to feel, I feel left out and alone. I can't let that happen! I won't!! I will block EVERY GOOD THING from coming to you! I don't care that you deserve it! I am more important then "GOD", I'm bigger then your "Universe"! Please don't leave me, I promise I'll be good..."
Me: "I love you(me). I forgive you for being scared and trying to blame everyone else. But sweetie, I am responsible for exactly where I am right now, I am responsible for everything I have and don't have, no one else. It's ok. It's going to be wonderful! Trust that!"
disclaimer: my parents and family are amazing! i love you guys! :D
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
I wanted to be a Marine Biologist because I liked dolphins
I don't think I had any real aspirations to BE anything in particular as a child, except for maybe a horse or a dolphin. I loved animals more then people but I never really dreamed of being a veterinarian. Instead I wanted to BE a dog or a tiger or a horse, sometimes an eagle. I even wanted to be a humpback whale. When we would go to the beach I would splash around in the tide pools pretending to be a mermaid. I remember diving over the waves as they came in and I could feel my flippers propelling me forward out to the deepest part of the sea....ah, I can almost feel them now.
When I was in high school I still had no real idea what I wanted to do when I grew up. I'm not sure where or when I came up with the idea of being a Marine Biologist. We used to watch Jacques Cousteau and Nature a lot. I think I was a Senior when I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Well, I like dolphins so I guess I'll be a Marine Biologist." It didn't dawn on me that by that time I had already dropped Physics (or was it Chem?) and I wasn't a huge fan of Biology 101, and I avoided math like the plague. No one, including myself, noticed that I had quite the talent for writing term papers the night before they were due and getting the best grade in the class. So off I went to college with the brilliant idea of becoming a Marine Biologist because I liked dolphins. I would have had better luck had I chosen to actually become a dolphin.
I've had the vague desire to be a writer but I never had the confidence to do it. I'm not one to follow grammatical rules and I don't know a lot of fancy synonyms for common, ordinary words. But I love to write. I have had great success in college writing classes. I remember being absent from an English 121 Comp class one day and upon returning to school a classmate told me that the Professor had read my story out loud to the class. All I could think was how grateful I was that I hadn't been there to endure the attention. I think my self-esteem was hiding under a rock somewhere. Anyway, I have started several stories that sounded pretty good, but as soon as I would allow myself the thought that hey, this story IS pretty good, I've walked away never to explore that story again.
I've been reading The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles. He writes at great length about becoming who you want to become and that it is our duty to advance as humans by making the most of ourselves. He says "Desire is possibility seeking expression." I, for whatever reason, have downplayed my desire to be a writer since the first time I copied Clifford The Big Red Dog into one of my composition notebooks and showed it to my Mom as if I had written it myself. I remember how impressed she acted and told me it was a wonderful story. Somewhere between then and now my desire has been hiding, trying to fly under the radar, not wanting to be noticed or expressed. Or maybe it was my diminished ego that was choking it down, telling it to shut the hell up, not wanting my desire to become real for fear that the scared, selfish little ego would be left behind.
I forgive myself for denying my desire to be a writer. I forgive myself for not giving myself the chance to live up to my potential. I love to write! I stammer and stutter when I try to verbalize my thoughts, sounding more like a blathering idiot then an intelligent woman. But when I write, while I may be rather long winded, I can articulate my thoughts plainly and in a way that people just get it, they know what I'm talking about.
In 1910 Wallace D. Wattles wrote, "Man must form a clear and definite mental image of the things he wishes to have, to do, or to become; and he must hold this mental image in his thoughts, while being deeply grateful to the Supreme that all his desires are granted to him." I desire to write. I desire to become a published, paid author. I am very grateful for what talent I do have, and I know that if I keep this desire in my thoughts, my talent will increase in such a way that I will become what I desire to become. Thank you Mr. Wattles. For a dude born in the 1800's, you got it goin on!
When I was in high school I still had no real idea what I wanted to do when I grew up. I'm not sure where or when I came up with the idea of being a Marine Biologist. We used to watch Jacques Cousteau and Nature a lot. I think I was a Senior when I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Well, I like dolphins so I guess I'll be a Marine Biologist." It didn't dawn on me that by that time I had already dropped Physics (or was it Chem?) and I wasn't a huge fan of Biology 101, and I avoided math like the plague. No one, including myself, noticed that I had quite the talent for writing term papers the night before they were due and getting the best grade in the class. So off I went to college with the brilliant idea of becoming a Marine Biologist because I liked dolphins. I would have had better luck had I chosen to actually become a dolphin.
I've had the vague desire to be a writer but I never had the confidence to do it. I'm not one to follow grammatical rules and I don't know a lot of fancy synonyms for common, ordinary words. But I love to write. I have had great success in college writing classes. I remember being absent from an English 121 Comp class one day and upon returning to school a classmate told me that the Professor had read my story out loud to the class. All I could think was how grateful I was that I hadn't been there to endure the attention. I think my self-esteem was hiding under a rock somewhere. Anyway, I have started several stories that sounded pretty good, but as soon as I would allow myself the thought that hey, this story IS pretty good, I've walked away never to explore that story again.
I've been reading The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles. He writes at great length about becoming who you want to become and that it is our duty to advance as humans by making the most of ourselves. He says "Desire is possibility seeking expression." I, for whatever reason, have downplayed my desire to be a writer since the first time I copied Clifford The Big Red Dog into one of my composition notebooks and showed it to my Mom as if I had written it myself. I remember how impressed she acted and told me it was a wonderful story. Somewhere between then and now my desire has been hiding, trying to fly under the radar, not wanting to be noticed or expressed. Or maybe it was my diminished ego that was choking it down, telling it to shut the hell up, not wanting my desire to become real for fear that the scared, selfish little ego would be left behind.
I forgive myself for denying my desire to be a writer. I forgive myself for not giving myself the chance to live up to my potential. I love to write! I stammer and stutter when I try to verbalize my thoughts, sounding more like a blathering idiot then an intelligent woman. But when I write, while I may be rather long winded, I can articulate my thoughts plainly and in a way that people just get it, they know what I'm talking about.
In 1910 Wallace D. Wattles wrote, "Man must form a clear and definite mental image of the things he wishes to have, to do, or to become; and he must hold this mental image in his thoughts, while being deeply grateful to the Supreme that all his desires are granted to him." I desire to write. I desire to become a published, paid author. I am very grateful for what talent I do have, and I know that if I keep this desire in my thoughts, my talent will increase in such a way that I will become what I desire to become. Thank you Mr. Wattles. For a dude born in the 1800's, you got it goin on!
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