The Law that goes bump in the night!

( With all the discord world wide at present, I thought it would be good to revisit a previous post to help remember what we're dealing with here - not the outer conditions, but our attention!)

Many people are enjoying their lives more and more.  Others are not.  Why is this?  There are many variations, but the common theme is attention.  People who give their attention to what they appreciate (in Life) will see more of it and have more of it in their experience.  Others give their attention to what they dislike (in Life) and they see more of it and have more of what they dislike in their experience.

The former, either consciously or not, practice creation - their experience is a result of their thinking.  The latter, either consciously or not, react to a perceived external universe, and thus can only have a better experience if the external world changes.  One is possible.  One is impossible.

The adage "knowledge is power" is true.  The contrary is also true - ignorance is weakness.  Many people are enjoying their lives more and more as they better understand, and practice in their daily life, the Law of Attraction.  Others, ignorant of the Law of Attraction, are still ruled by it.  Their world is a confounding place of capricious forces resulting in constant struggle.

The universal Law of Attraction is the way the Universe manages.  Similar frequencies cluster.  Birds of a feather, flock together.  It is self-evident.  In a curious paradox, the Law demonstrates itself to those people who reject it.  One who thinks "there is no such thing as a law of attraction" is, by Law, going to cluster similar thoughts and manifestations - more evidence that there is no such law.  Like gravity, the Law of Attraction operates whether recognized or not.  It is what it is and it does what it does.  Working with the Law (like gravity) is "going with the flow" or the path of least resistance. 

A popular practice utilizing the Law to create a more satisfying life is the "Complaint Free" concept.  The exercise is to become more aware of complaining - thinking and spoken.  One is often surprised at how much conversation is an exchange of complaints!  Next, the challenge is to stop complaining.  Now why on Earth would anyone do that?  The squeaky wheel gets the grease, right?

Back to worldview.  People complain when they see/experience something they do not like.  In order to feel better, the object/situation has to be removed or eliminated.  Someone or something has to do that.  That will take energy and resources, which the person gives up to get rid of the object of complaint.  Also known as struggle.  Yet what is the result?  More unpleasant conditions/situations are observed, which mean greater effort must be made to make the world pleasant so the observer can feel better about his/her life.  This is a materialistic approach based on the premise that the universe/world is a separate physical structure.  If you understand "people are a result of their environment" then you understand the materialistic approach.  The Law of Attraction will insure that you experience this materialistic approach if that is your intent.

People who spend less mental energy observing what they do not desire to experience and giving attention to what they appreciate in Life will, by Law, have more of what they appreciate in their daily life.  They will feel better and enjoy life more.  It's the same Law, but two different applications.  That's the difference between knowledge and ignorance.  Ignorance isn't stupid, it's the absence of knowledge and one cannot know what one does not know.  Ergo, those that get it, get it.  Those that don't, can't.

 The people who practice complaint-free notice the effects quickly.  They become very sensitive to complaining.  It is an unpleasant experience, one they do not wish to experience, and thus move their attention (and often physical self) away.  This shift in attention often means new friends, changes in relationships - birds of a feather flock together.  A person is not chained to a particular environment or condition.  Note:  The complaining/unhappy person will likely resent the complaint-free person.  Crab-bucket effect.

Releasing old/established relationships/patterns is often described as "following your heart" or dreams.  It is true.  Only you know what is best for you.  There are, of course, quite a number of materialists who know precisely what is good for you and will go to great lengths to "help you."  They believe they will feel better once you act right, so to speak.   You may choose to resist them, thus attracting (creating) more struggle, or you can direct your attention to what you wish to experience (appreciate) and supplant the struggle with desired experience.

 It's not a matter of right or wrong.  As Henry Ford is alleged to have said, "If you believe you can, or if you believe you can't, you're right."  Abe Lincoln is alleged to have remarked that "most people are as happy as they make up their minds to be."  Going back in time, we find similar observations:  "People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them," Epictetus.

"We inhabit a cosmos made real in part by our own observations…our observations influence the universe at the most fundamental levels.”   Physicist John Wheeler (coined the phrase "Black Hole.)  Observation = attention.  Attention = thinking.

Author Eckert Tolle put it nicely: "Complaining is not to be confused with informing someone of a mistake or deficiency so that it can be put right. And to refrain from complaining doesn’t necessarily mean putting up with bad quality of behavior. There is no ego in telling the waiter your soup is cold and needs to be heated up – if you stick to the facts, which are always neutral.

^'How dare you serve me cold soup!'. . . That’s complaining."

The Law of Attraction.  Use it consciously.  It's in play, regardless.

 

 

 

The MAGIC WORD (returns...

...for those who may have missed it before.)

I’ve discovered the magic word.  It’s not abracadabra, it’s not a secret.  It’s not a mystery wrapped inside a symbol.  The long sought magic word – the utterance of which brought immediate reward to the speaker – has been found.  By me.

 I’ll tell you exactly how I found it.

Driving to work one morning, one of those idiot motorists clustered around me, lane-hopped near my rear bumper.  The idiot then challenged other drivers as he (maybe she, it was dark) then darted back into my lane, inches from my front bumper.  My ego first impulse was to let loose a string of verbal (or at least mental) descriptions of the idiot’s clearly errant consciousness.

 But I didn’t.

Although suspecting the driver was an “accident looking for victims” I didn’t go there, so to speak.  This was a time when I was practicing these principles in my real-time daily living:

·         That there is One active Presence in the Universe and my Life – God;

·         Everyone and everything is the essence of God, and that’s Good;

·         I co-create my Life with God with my thinking;

·         Through thoughts, words and deeds, I live the Truth I know.

I was developing a habit to say and think what I desired in every moment, despite appearances.  Did I desire for the idiot to cause an accident?  Of course not.  Therefore I thought and spoke to him/her “May you arrive safely at your destination.”

I thought that pretty good, and felt a bit of relief.  A few more consciousness-challenged motorists wandered into my path, and I managed to send each along his way with the affirmation “May you arrive safely at your destination.”

Yet there needed to be a closing, an “amen” conclusion, to the thought lest I continue my attention on the behavior of the driver I’d rather not encounter.  Hey, I’m a slow learner, but even I understood that attention given = attraction to – the Law of Attraction.   I certainly didn’t want more distracted drivers on my drive.

Then flashed into my mind the magic word – the conclusion to that moment which would free my thinking and attention, and make it available for what I desired in my morning drive, rather than attract more idiots in my experience.  I appended the thought:  “May you arrive safely at your destination.  Ashalli.”  That was it.  End of drama.  The lanes cleared and I drove happily on my way.

I repeated the affirmation and magic word every time I drove and encountered idiots.  It was evident, after a couple of days, that there were less idiots on the road.

Ashalli.

The question was, naturally, would this magic word produce the same effect off road?  One  morning some staff were complaining about various ailments and such.  Not wanting to add my attention to their discomfort, I affirmed for them “may you enjoy good health and comfort.  Ashalli.”  That might not have assisted them at that moment, but I did tell them how I appreciated their doing their work for the benefit of the clients.

A few days later I picked up a couple of items at the neighborhood grocery store when a patron with a basket cart full of stuff beat me to the “10 Items or Less” express checkout.  What?  You’ve never had such an experience?  (Liar!)  Ego impulse was to scowl at the offending person (I had a flashback to the road idiots).  But, determined to practice what I preach, as it were, the thought was offered “may you move quickly with your tasks to your desired end.  Ashalli.”

The super clerk managed to scan the entire cart in record time – and with a quick payment from the person.  I liked this magic word.  Then the same super clerk struggled with the bar code on one of my items.  I could sense the glare from the fellow in line behind me.  The laser scanner finally behaved and I was quickly beyond reach of what I imagine were less-than-Unity invectives from the fellow.  Well, why not?  I thought for him “may you have a pleasant day.  Ashalli.”  I went on about my business.

I’ve used the magic word frequently and I like the results.  There is a caveat, however.  It works only as the conclusion to a thought desiring a positive outcome for a person or situation.  I say that because I desire to give my conscious attention, as best I’m able, to what I would like.  Nothing new about that – did someone say The Golden Rule?

Do I want others to condemn my goofy moments to hell?  Or, do I desire that they treat me as I desire to treat them?  That’s Ashalli.

Now, there is a difference between “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” and a variant that goes like “Do unto others as they would have you do unto them.”  Let’s examine these two approaches, which are 180 degrees apart.  “Do unto others as they would have you do unto them.”  It sounds okay on the surface.  It smacks of consideration and kindness.  Yet it requires that you adjust your behavior and interactions to please what others want from you.

We respect everyone and especially desire to interact with friends and loved ones to create harmony and joy.  Hmmmm…isn’t that how you would want to be treated?  To do unto others as they wish accepts the obligation to act according to their rules, which may or may not coincide with your values and feelings.  In effect, you focus on what others want you to do.  If they are satisfied, they may respond kindly.  If they are not satisfied, well, they’ll let you know, so you can try harder.

If you’ve ever spent time on that merry-go-round you know that it can’t be done.  You can never achieve joy this way.  But you can attempt to do so and work really hard to please others for five, ten, fifteen, thirty, fifty years or more.  It’ll never happen because you can only treat others as you wish to be treated.  Would your life be more joyful and less entangled if you focused on treating everyone as you wished to be treated?

That approach places creative power in your hands and you’re no longer dependent on the good graces from pleasing others.  It’s nice to be loved and appreciated – but there’s a huge difference between Love and Appreciation and conditional “love” and “appreciation.”  Checkpoint:  How do you reconcile demands to treat another in a way that makes you feel badly?  The bad feeling is your indication that you’ve got the equation skewed.  The best guide is to always treat others the way you want to be treated and in this you are more likely to feel good.  It’s not about what other people do or don’t do.  It’s what you truly desire for them – as what you would desire for yourself.

The more I practiced the magic word the more relaxed many daily tasks became.  Then, one morning driving to work, another idiot zipped around.  At once  I thought “May you arrive safely at your destination.  As Shall I.”

The Golden Rule…there’s a reason we continue to pay attention to it, even when we don’t quite “get it.”

As Shall I.  Ashalli.

Something for Thanksgiving - Don't Worry, be Happy!

Here's a re-post of a Thanksgiving essay from Habits, Patterns, and Thoughts That Go Bump in the Night.

“Yeah, riiiight…”  “If you’re not worrying, you don’t understand the situation…”

Okay, we’ve all been there – had some irritatingly cheerful soul spout some nonsense about “don’t worry…think positive” or some such grating platitude, when we’re tangled with a situation that scares us.  What’s wrong with the goody-goody unicorn rainbow person that he/she doesn’t get it!  I’ve got to worry about it, because if I don’t…”

Stop it right there.  “I’ve GOT to worry about it, because if I don’t…”  Then what?  What WILL happen should you STOP worrying about something?

• Is a loved one suddenly going to wreck their life because you stopped worrying?
• Is some situation going to crater or explode because you stopped worrying?
• Is someone going to think less of you if you stop your worry and suffering on account of someone else?

Well, maybe the latter, but that’s a relationship needing a re-set.

           

What IS worry, anyway?  Worry is creating something you do not want.  Worry is the action of focusing your thinking on something that you fear and do not want.  Now, how on earth does that thinking improve anything?  It can’t.  It only increases your awareness of what else is “wrong” or “un-desired.”  It’s very easy to worry about a mole hill - then find yourself with a mountain of grief.

The mental action we call “worry” is an energy launched at something that scares us.  “Oh, gosh, I sure hope Fred doesn’t eat too many sweets for Thanksgiving, it’s bad for his health.”  “The weather is terrible, I’m afraid Jane will have a wreck!”  Of course the mental activity can be more nebulous and manifest as a chronic dis-ease regarding certain people or situations.  I’ve even heard of physical manifestations – warts – in particular.  (Yes, worry-warts...)

Don’t Just Sit There, Do Something!

Calvin Coolidge got it right. “If you see ten troubles coming down the road,” he said, “you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you and you have to battle with only one of them.” With an outlook like that, it’s easy to understand why Silent Cal was seldom anxious. Unfortunately, many people see the ten troubles and leap into action ten different ways. 

Worry has been described as the interest paid on trouble before it falls due or actually arrives. Many people go through the day paying a very high interest rate on their perceived troubles.

Worry is a part of the natural response to fear. Worry is a mental activity that attempts to satisfy an instinct to do something.

You probably know someone who has said, “I’m worried sick about that.” But what did they mean?

·         “I’m worried...” Translation: I’m scared.

·         “...sick...” Translation: My stomach is in knots, I can’t sleep, eat, feel nervous all of the time, I can’t concentrate on anything.

·         “...about that...” Translation: There isn’t a thing that I can

           do about it, the situation is totally beyond my control.

What is the perception in that statement? How is the person reacting mentally and emotionally to “I’m worried sick about that?” The dread and fear are reinforced. Not only are ten troubles about to wreck my life, but they’ve got fifteen more behind them, “heading right for me!” The physical effects of the anxiety are reinforced and the lack of control is confirmed. Yet the worry continues. Something needs to be done about the “bad” things we observe.

Compound worry trumps other thoughts and feelings. The strong statement “I’m worried sick” is heard very clearly by every cell in the body. “Hey,” thinks the little cell, “the boss says I’m supposed to be sick.” What the boss expects, the boss gets.  Ouch!  You’re the BOSS!  Is this what you want?

There is a growing awareness of the connection between attitude, expectation, and health. Certainly some diseases and ailments are influenced by genetic factors, but attitude is very powerful. You’ve read accounts of “the will to live” working miracles in terminal cases. Conversely, gut-wrenching worry and complaining can screw up the heartiest of digestive systems. On the other hand...

Hank’s Curious Math

A lot of people worry about getting older, as if worry will somehow reverse the process. Perception continues to rule. You may know of someone who is “old” at thirty and others who are “young” at eighty. The difference? Perspective. A good example is Hank.

Jovial 60-year-old Hank is smitten with 30-year-old Bonita, who is equally enchanted with Hank. They become engaged. “Goodness,” Hank’s friends remark, in horror, that “she’s half your age!”

“She’ll catch up,” replies Hank calmly. “When I’m 90 she’ll be two-thirds my age.”

In Hank’s perspective, at some point in time, they may very well be the same age. It’s a curious math – but a great attitude!

People are going to do what they are going to do.  You KNOW this, you DO this.  Every two year-old will let you know “you ain’t the boss of me!”

Although we may not always understand WHY we feel anxious, we are very good at observing a situation, condition, or person that we believe is causing the problem.  We then leap into action to “fix” the problem.  Or, if we’re unable to do that, we WORRY.   We worry because we believe in some manner, that our concern ABOUT WHAT WE DO NOT WANT will somehow make it better.

During World War II many parents and families were worried about their loved ones in the military or living in war torn countries.  What to do?  Tossing and turning all night, going through the day envisioning all of the terrible things that COULD happen, and engaging in endless conversation with equally worried people resulted in…

…loved one still in war torn countries.  Poet James Dillet Freeman composed a wonderful prayer for those families.  The idea was to supplant WORRY with an equal attention to what was DESIRED.  It worked very well.  We use it today.  It’s called the Prayer for Protection.

Wouldn’t you rather think, envision a loved one surrounded by the Light of God?  The Love of God?  The Presence of God?  Rather than using the same thought energy to envision a loved one surrounded by car crashes, sickness, crime, misery - whatever the hazard.  Which ever you do, you use the same amount of thought energy.  Which is fueling what you WANT?

What you want is to “follow your bliss” as mythologist Joseph Campbell put it.  Follow your bliss is not a myth, but an eternal and universal instinct that is never fully suppressed – that two year old again.

There’s only one person in the universe who knows what is good for you.  And that’s YOU.  Period.  End of story.  No more searching necessary.  No longer necessary to ask others what you should want or do. 

If one is unsure of their bliss, they may worry – a floating anxiety based on a lack of direction, so to speak.  In this situation a person may WORRY about WORRYING.  Compound worry!

The happiest people are those who delight in their Life and SHARE that delight.  Not everyone understands that of course.  As I wrote earlier…

Don’t Worry, be Happy!  Yeah, riiiiight!

Worried about someone’s health?  What can you do?  Be healthy yourself and envision them as healthy.   In the presence of such powerful vibration the dis-ease aligned with the EASE – and the person had what we consider an instant healing.  It CAN happen that fast.

           

People who are unhappy equally like to share their misery, or, in most instances, are so practiced in worrying and focusing on what they don’t like they lose their awareness of HOW they are thinking.  Adapting an old Russian (USSR) joke:

A Russian, an Englishman, and a Frenchman were walking along the road one day when they spotted a muddy lamp lying in the ditch. The Englishman picked it up and the Frenchman cleaned it. Suddenly, a Genie appeared in a puff of smoke. Greatly relieved to be free of her tiny prison, Genie offered to grant each of her liberators one wish.

            The Englishman thought for a moment. “Genie, I wish that I owned a great estate with a full staff to wait on me and my family.” Poof! It was done.

            The Frenchman thought for a moment. “Genie, I wish to be a famous poet and have hundreds of beautiful women clamoring to make love with me.” Poof! It was done.

            Genie turned to the Russian. “And what wish may I grant for you?”

The Russian thought for a moment. “My neighbor has a new car and I do not. Wreck my neighbor’s car!”

People think like that.  It’s the belief in a finite universe where there is a limited amount of everything including happiness and if someone HAS something, it is at the expense of someone else.  This is nonsense.  But it is an old and very entrenched belief.

If the Universe operated that way you could go to the hospital or wherever, get an injection of some terrible bacteria and become incredibly ill.  Once you became sick, then magically some sick person somewhere in the world would be cured.  You can try it.  In a fashion, many folks do.  But it doesn’t work.

Do I want to be happy?

Tommy liked his job.  Tommy enjoyed his job so much that he actually looked forward to going to work each day.  As the foreman of the shop he had a good crew to work with.  It wasn’t that long ago that Tommy became enamored with Suzette, one of the administration staff at the facility.  They married.  Suzette and Tommy were very happy with themselves, their children, their jobs, and their life.

That was his problem.

Generous by nature, Tommy permitted his brother, separated from his wife and out of work, to live with them while he looked for work.  Tommy’s father was ailing and he also joined the growing household.  Coming over for regular bar-b-que’s and holidays were Tommy’s other siblings and relations.  Their lives were filled with problems, resentments, illness, and legal issues.  Tommy was concerned for all of them.  He and Suzette felt blessed and happy while nobody else in the family did.

Tommy began to feel badly about feeling good.  One day he discussed with his boss how he felt guilty because his relations were having so much trouble and his family had it so good.  The boss understood, and was prepared to help Tommy.  “Tell you what I can do, Tommy,” said the Boss.  “You’re fired.”

Tommy was stunned.  His boss continued.  “Feel any better?” he asked.  Tommy was too flummoxed to answer.  “Now, as I understand it, some of your relations are jealous of your happy life and that bothers you.  So, to help out, I’ve fired you.  Now they’ll be happy, right?”

   

By that point Tommy was thinking more clearly.  “But it won’t change anything, except now I don’t have a job.”

“You felt guilty about having a good job didn’t you?” asked the Boss.

“Well, yes,” replied Tommy.

“So by losing your job, you’ll feel better?”

“I don’t know about that,” said Tommy.

“Won’t they feel better, now that you’re in the same boat as them?” remarked the Boss.

    “No.”

    “Doesn’t  losing your  job help them?”

    “No,” mumbled Tommy.

    “You mean to tell me that their lives aren’t going to get better just because you got fired?”

    “No.”

   

The Boss smiled.  “Well, if losing your job isn’t going to help them, then you might as well keep it.”  Tommy sighed relief.  “However,” noted the Boss,  “You can’t keep feeling guilty.  Your having a job doesn’t keep them from doing anything.  They’ll be just as miserable regardless of how happy and Suzette may be.  That about right?”

Tommy scratched his head.  “I hadn’t thought about it like that.  My good life doesn’t mean they can’t have a good life.  It’s up to them.”

“Bingo.”

So, don’t worry.  Be happy for this Thanksgiving!

Who to Believe?

A man of peace

cannot bring harm

to another.

A man of liberty

cannot trample

the rights of another.

It is totally impossible

for such to happen.

I was confused about politics and government. 

The Gnome set me straight. 

We are vibrational Beings.  Our existence on a three dimensional Earth is governed by our five senses interpreting various frequencies.  This is most often illustrated with the visual spectrum, the range of energy vibrating captured by our eyes and sorted in our brain.  Same for touch (perception of texture determined by the frequency of the object), sound, smell, and taste.  The sum of these produce our current “moment” in time.  We also have the ability to sense, and for many, interpret, frequencies outside of the “normal” five.    The universe is a maelstrom of vibrating energy.  Much of it can’t be handled in the three dimension process – the range of vibration that, say, allows a cell in your body can be disrupted (harmed) when in contact with a wickedly fast wave/particle.  Thank you magnetic fields!  And hide behind that lead during the x-ray.

If our current time seems a bit confusing (especially for those who’ve been around for a while) it’s likely due to the mind-boggling array of electrical energy frequencies encountered every second.  The old analogy of a radio dial is still valid – don’t like the music/content of one channel (AM or FM or other) then move the dial to tune into a different frequency – channel.  Changing the channel doesn’t obliviate other frequencies/channels, they’re still there but you are no longer participating – tuned in – to them.  And there are a whole lot of channels!

Just as the proliferation of frequencies are zipping and zapping around, in and through you (cell phones, satellite transmissions of all manner, trains, planes, automobiles, Netflix, Prime – you could stay up all night listing the additional sources of transmissions!) so the volume of radiations from the galaxy and beyond are increasing.  The planet has entered a portion of the galaxy that is more robust.  There are new frequencies present; more familiar vibrations are receding.  It’s the ebb and flow of creation.  And it can be disturbing.

The human ability to create habits is a wonderful thing.  But there can be a downside.  To be very simple, imagine that Fred had a routine he established for starting his day.  Let’s say Fred set the alarm early enough to allow him sufficient time each morning to enjoy coffee, a bagel, while reading the newspaper delivered to his house near dawn.  Over the years that routine became a habit – Fred was no longer aware of the routine (which freed his mind to pursue all sorts of things each morning.”  But, when the newspaper ceased publication, and there was no longer a paper on his porch each morning, he was disturbed.  Because of the habit, he wasn’t aware of his disturbance based on not having a newspaper. 

That discomfort is his clue that change is afoot.  In this case, Fred adjusted his morning routine to coffee, bagel, and a scan of trusted web sites.  After a while, no more discomfort.  Habits can be replaced (you don’t  break a habit – ouch!)

 Now imagine the introduction of a multitude of “new” frequencies falling in, around, and through all aspects of  our three dimensional Earth experience.  Some people have the ability to recognize what is happening and adjust/adapt.  Great numbers, however, are clueless why they are feeling out of sorts, confused, agitated and so forth.  I suspect that it is particularly uncomfortable for those who cannot/will not grasp the vibrational nature of Life.

So, when observing what I call unhappy people, you are likely seeing someone very uncomfortable within his/her skin, so to speak, and has no idea why – other than to blame someone else, something else.  (Please don’t spend too much time giving your attention to unhappy people, your attention won’t do them any good and you’ll be calling out to creation to give me some more of this!)  Yeah, that Law of Attraction thing.

When in doubt about someone, something, use an age old tool to learn the truth:

¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

            Matthew 7:15-20 New King James Version (NKJV)

I find it sad that the “tools” provided us by the great teacher Jesus are often overlooked or rebuked.  They were not meant to be a religion, so to speak.  One does not have to be “religious” to benefit from such enlightened instruction.  Granted, a lot of folk are religious, and very happy with their belief, something unhappy people can’t get their head wrapped around. 

What does a person, an institution, a political party, business, anything – PRODUCE?  The fruit matches the intent, despite the advertising, propaganda, meme...

In a time of great change, which we are experiencing, choose to recognize and enjoy others of similar frequency.  It’s natural.  There is no obligation otherwise.  As you adjust and change you become more aware of others doing the same. 

Or, you could throw a fit, throw rocks, scream, curse, and rend because there ain’t no stinkin’ newspaper on the door step anymore.

ASHALI

What if those old stories are true?  Well, in the case of "The Magic Word" it is.  There IS a word, which when used properly, can result in almost magical results.  Really.  Click here for an earlier post that explores this magical word.

Musing on Spooky Thoughts

  Recently spent some time musing on spooky things.  And what were once spooky things.  For your musing pleasure:

   A spooky concept for many is that superstition and magic may be real.  Or, more precisely, the phenomena that superstition and magic attempt to describe or portray is real.  Take prayer for instance.  Superstition and magic would describe a situation where certain persons, perhaps priests, would “pray” or call for the action of the gods upon another person for benefit, such as healing.  The person gets well.  No one may know why or how, just that it happened.  If it can’t be explained, then it’s magic – the action of a capricious god or strange force.

   Arthur C. Clarke once noted that a person encountering an advanced technology for the first time would consider it magic.  That is true.  If someone has no idea what prayer is and how it works, it appears magical.

   There is a tremendous burst of knowledge occurring where many “magic and superstitions” of old are recognized as a reality event – an occurrence explainable by the known laws of the universe.  For instance, there have been replicated studies on the impact of prayer on healing.  These studies support the concept that prayer does in face have a healing impact (or certainly comforting) on the target person – even when those praying are distant and not acquainted with those they pray for.  Prayer, then, is no longer magic or divine intervention, but an energy transfer, a syncing of vibrations, as real as a radio broadcast.  The question then, is how we can direct this power.

   Another spooky concept was contained in the November 2005 issue of National Geographic.  It contains an article on letters from wars.  The feature has a photo of the mother of a son killed in Iraq.  She had vivid dreams where her son clearly tells her that he is all right.  This observation is a matter of fact.  There are dreams of exceptional clarity that are not the dross of brain and thought activity coursing around, but are instead more direct links with specific vibrations – tuning in, if you will.  You’ve had a dream like that.  Everyone has.  It’s not superstition.  The Ancients placed great stock in such connections.

   Moving out of dreams and into waking experience are the stories of spooky concepts a.k.a. ghosts and apparitions.  By day and by night many people sense a presence, a vibration, that may provide a visual moment or other sensory event that is associated with a geographic location.  Ghost hunters prowl the old houses and haunts.  Once again, rather than a supernatural event, what is experienced is more a frequency-tuning.  Not everyone is on the same frequency thus may have a different experience or none at all while someone else present is fully tuned in.  An interesting book, “Speaking with the spirits of the old Southwest,” presents a trio of investigators conversing with former residents of Arizona ghost towns and historic sites.  One is a sensitive medium, one a pendulum dowser, and the third a paranormal researcher and animal communicator.  Each perceives the presence of a person (deceased) in his/her distinct manner.  Very often the three are in sync with the vibrations offered and literal conversations are possible (sometimes recorded.)  Something is occurring.  A piece of a grand mosaic of energy.  Demonstrable, if not fully explainable.  Yet.

   Anyone desiring a more pleasant, comfortable, happy life will, sooner or later, conclude that a change in thinking (frequency) has to occur before anything else.  That’s not superstition or magic, it’s a reality.  The impact of thought (thinking) on the mental, physical, emotional and astral self is evident.  Self-evident.  Thinking creates life experiences. 

   Quantum physics studies the actions of incredibly small forces.  This writer only grasped a concept of vastness after peeking at the enormous amount of “space” contained in the extreme realm of micro.  The relative distance between measurable components of an atom is on a scale of our solar system.  There’s a whole lot of “nothing” making up our physical universe.  What’s spooky is that most of this universe consists of, well, we don’t quite know, yet.  Termed “dark matter” it’s stuff we can’t see but can notice its effects on what we can see.  This is truly a realm for magic and superstition.

   It’s curious how some cling to superstitions and magic rather than seek to understand the force that is in play.  Natural Selection.  Intelligent Design.  Two phrases that attempt to describe the same process.  The process is the improving manner of a life form, a.k.a evolution.  The process is so keen that it must be an observation of an intelligence at work.  Nature.  Natural.  Intelligence.  The difference is a curious mine-field.  Intelligence is a characteristic of Consciousness.  For nature to “select” the best process implies some degree of intelligence, at least to this writer.  Treating consciousness as a superstition insulates an awareness that “natural selection” is a conscious process.  I wonder how this debate would exist had Darwin titled his magnificent observations “The Evolution of Species” or “The Development of Species” rather than “The Origin of Species.”

   A really spooky concept for many is that their thinking (and in turn decisions and actions) actually influence what they experience.  It’s often easier to rely on superstition and magic as external forces that make things happen (good things to bad people, bad things to good people.)  If it’s Good, then God did it.  If it’s bad, then the Devil did it.  Or someone else did it.  Anybody, or anything, other than self.  This manner of thinking creates the realm of the victim.

   Medical Intuitive Caroline Myss has a theory why some people will not, or cannot, get well or improve their lives.  She calls it woundology.  This is a situation where a person suffered a loss – perhaps an illness, death of a loved one, and such.  People are instinctively sympathetic to another who’s rebuilding from such a devastating change event.  Yet some folks simply refuse to rebuild, or, get well.  What Caroline noticed is that the person received a lot of power and control by keeping alive the old wound.  To heal the wound would be to lose the power of victimhood.  It’s not a happy place.

   In a lesser extent we may find a spooky tendency to devote attention to negative situations – conditions and situation we do not want.  Yet how often is the conversation between people a lively account of current and past aches, pains, and misery?  “Your back hurts?  Well, let me tell you how bad I felt last night...”

   Now we know that what we hold in our thoughts (mind) is what we create (and experience.)  “The more I thought about it, the angrier I got!”  Dwelling on anything increases its effect.  It doesn’t even have to be real.  Running an imagined slight (insult, wrong, disrespect, etc.,)over and over, replacing sleep, replacing focus on the task at hand, does what?  The mole-hill slight is now a mountain, blocking any relief.  Wouldn’t we really want to hold in our mind a thought/situation that makes us feel good, and have that be our experience?  Duh.  Unless one is so wrapped in victimology .

   Dwelling might be considered the goblin of our past thinking that can lure our here-and-now thoughts back to the earlier state, which fires up the mental engines of creation to restore the former condition (or certainly emotional state reacting to the condition.)

   What about considering our thoughts as a form of prayer?  I suspect they could be synonyms.  If prayer establishes a vibrational “link” with Divine Intelligence, then each and every thought, regardless of intent, is a vibrational transmission whatever supreme consciousness is called.  At the very least, our thoughts are elevated if considered prayers.  That can be a spooky concept – every thought is a prayer.

   What’s in play is the Law ofAttraction.  Birds of a feather flock together.  Many ways describe it.  Like attracts like.  It’s fundamental.  Lets go back to our friend who talks constantly about his/her ailments.  Who listens?  Who is there?  Who is he/she spending time with?  Why, other people who are speaking of their ailments.  Unless you’re interested in sharing health war stories, you’re unlikely to hang around (there’s not much interest, or attraction.)

   We know this universal law so well.  Is there a parent who hasn’t expressed concern to a child about his/her friends?  We know that if the child spends time around children who are up to no good, shall we say , the probability of the child engaging in sad behaviors is high.  Think trash, speak trash, live trash.

  The converse is also true.  The Law of Attraction is totally neutral and answers every prayer (thought) with YES!  If the prayer is trash, then, yes!  More trash.  The Law is totally fair.  Isn’t it strange that we comprehend the negative easily, but find the positive, spooky?  What?  You mean that the way I think has something to do with what I experience.  Duh.

   Do you wake up each morning expecting a good day?  Or, a “see what comes” day?  Which wake up thought is more likely to be a bedtime reflection “what a good day...”  Caroline Myss observed two types of people seeking health.  When given a sure-fire plan to restore health and improve like, people will receive that plan with one of two responses:  That’s all I have to do?  Or  I have to do all of that?  The response predicts whether the person will enjoy life more, or less.  The first response is positive, optimistic – healing is an inside job.  The second response is fearful, overwhelming – healing is an outside job.

   A spooky concept that many have difficulty turning loose is life is meant to be hard.  This frightening concept often has deep roots.  It’s found in such fundamental thinking as:

            I am a sinner by birth

            Life is hard

            I am supposed to suffer

            Suffering is a virtue

            If I don’t do what they say, God will punish me

   These demon thoughts are being cast away in this millennium.  Once, such thoughts served a useful purpose.  But We (human beings) have, on the whole, moved above that (meaning that such thinking is less attractive now, meaning that such beliefs will become extinct for most people.)  Things once considered superstitious or magical are more and more found to be genuine.  How much more comfort could the mother of the slain soldier have, than for her son to personally reassure her that all is well.  And for her to know the communication was real.  That’s not spooky.  It’s a sample of the wonderous things that are part of our total life.

   There’s a whole lot f something going on in that a whole bunch of “nothing” that seems to be around us.  It doesn’t matter what we ask for, the answer is always YES. 

   That isn’t spooky.  It isn’t superstition.  It isn’t magic.  It’s exciting.  And you’re a part of it.

Thoughts on Thinking

Habits, Patterns, and Thoughts That Go Bump in the Night recognizes thinking as the important activity of Mankind.  Thinking is important because nothing can occur prior to a thought.   Thinking is the activity of consciousness.  I think, therefore I am; I am, therefore I think.  Well, yes.

In the most basic structure, things not thought never come to pass.  The flip side, of course, is the belief that “all that is” is the result of random movements of particles in a capricious universe.   Because of the Law of Attraction, either belief is valid – the thinker/believer will experience the results of such belief.  The difference is between living a managed life and one bouncing around the chaos of other peoples thinking, i.e., victim of external forces.

Is it safe to assume (risking ass-you-me!)  that any person, anywhere, anytime, prefers to feel good rather than feel bad?  Good is relative, granted, and the range of  a “good” feeling is vast.  Someone’s “good” feeling may be witnessing another suffer.  That’s hardly the same “good” feeling of someone providing assistance to another.  There are degrees of every feeling and experience.  Feeling angry is an improvement on feeling hopeless.  I suspect most people aspire for Joy. The Life experience is about moving to a better feeling existence.  A mental move to a better feeling experience is not an accident.  It is a choice - a decision, a thought, an expectation.

Nothing can improve without a thought for improvement.  Some people understand that.  Some can’t.  One of my favorite thinkers, Emmet Fox, noted that People are trying to change outer conditions but leaving their consciousness unchanged, and it cannot be done.  I think Fox was emphasizing that until consciousness changes it’s not possible for anything else to change.  Consciousness is an awareness of thinking and there are degrees of consciousness as with everything.  The higher degree is characterized by a greater frequency or vibration.  Higher frequencies, in a word, rule over lower frequencies.

Contemporary with Fox was Charles Fillmore, who summed up the mental process:  If you’re unhappy with your life, change you thinking.  In essence, it’s not possible to “fix” your life until you are able to “change” your thinking.  Thinking precedes everything.

Yet how do you change thinking?  Simply by giving attention to something else that evokes an improved feeling.  Simple is not synonymous with easy.  Many of us aren’t aware that we’re thinking, let alone how we’re thinking.  As one wag noted, consciousness is a terrible thing to waste.

Quick check:  On most days are you planning your activities/experiences?  Or, are you reacting to whatever you’re sensing around you – 24 hours news, FB, other people’s opinions, etc.?  Many people bounce around their thinking, reacting to what they see and experience going on around them.  They give attention to the news, gossip, what others say and do, and make note of the differences between people (especially themselves.)   They focus on every injustice when the “bad guys” get away with it.   Or, when some people have all the luck (leaving less “luck” available for others!)

A change in consciousness is not necessarily a Road to Damascus moment with blinding Light and Voices from the Cosmos.  Most often an elevation of consciousness (thinking on a higher frequency) is more a “Eureka!” or “Aha!” moment when something is suddenly clear.  “I get that!” is often a response.  Finally learning to “follow” your hunch/intuition is a good sign.

Perhaps the finest illustration of a change in consciousness involves a very old and very widespread teaching about humans relating to one another:

            Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.  Buddhism.

            This is the sum of duty; do naught onto others what you would not have them do

            unto you.  Hinduism.

            What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellowman.  Judaism.

           

The teaching is direct – don’t inflict on others what you don’t want to experience yourself.  We’ve got a long history of showing that this guiding principle is effective.

Take a look at the essence of the thought:  What’s emphasized?  Something painful or undesirable.  “I don’t want this to happen to me.”  Therefore, I won’t inflict this on someone else (and maybe they won’t do it to me.)  It is a sort of truce among people – let’s agree not to harm each other.  The agreement works very well.  Over time it becomes codified and passed along to each generation.  It is a belief, a faith, if you will.  It becomes a state of consciousness – individual and collective.

Take a look at the general concept expressed on a higher level of consciousness:

All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye so to them. 

However one may consider Jesus, he is first a profound teacher, guiding consciousness with a shift in perspective.  This application, known as the Golden Rule, puts attention on what you desire – how you wish to be treated.  And places the responsibility for that desire on you!  Treat others as you want to be treated.  That’s a significant evolution from the old teaching.  Now as over 2,000 years ago, not everyone “gets it.”

Happy Intentions!

Happy New Year 2017!

Do you mean it?  A happy 2017?  It’s not a wish.  It’s a matter of intent.

I never worked a day in my life.  It was all fun!  -  Thomas Edison.

The great inventor was spot-on - if it's fun, it ain't work (presuming one equates work as undesired labor.)  Semantics aside, intent is the key.

One simple declaration will make all the difference.  Attach this declaration to the beginning of every thought and you’ll be astonished.  Okay, ready?

“It is fun to ________________________________.” (You know, fill in the blank.)

Simple.  Uncomplicated.  Heck, it’ll even make pleasant those traditional dreaded New Year’s Resolutions:

“It is fun to plan to lose weight.”  It’s not necessary to “wait” until the weight is lost to have fun.

“It is fun to choose what I eat.”  If a healthier diet is in the plan, then have fun with it now.

“It is fun to de-clutter the office.”  Think about how much better it is without the mess rather than         fixating on the mess.

“It is fun to have the car serviced.”  It’s fun to be able to drive where I want to go.”

“It is fun to pay more attention to_____.”  (Fill in the blank.)

“It is fun to be around healthy, happy people.”  Duh.

“It is fun to pay the bills.”  Why? For each bill you received some desired service or item.

You get the idea.  The more you do it, the easier it becomes.  In fact, if you really intend to have a fun 2017, and you begin using this declaration January 1, by the beginning of March you’ll think this way automatically.  You won’t pay much attention to that fact because you’ll be having such a good time.

Of course, if you don’t really believe that you could/should/ought to have a continuous good time, then you won’t.  It’s the intention that rules, a.k.a. expectation.   If you look for the fun in anything, you’ll find it.  If you look for something else, you’ll find that.  What is consistent is that you will find and experience what you expect, what you look for, what you give your attention to.

Happy New Year!  (If you want it.)

If you truly want a fun 2017, use the magic word as well.  Go whole-hog – complaint free!

How much delight can you have in 2017?  

All you want.

Those who get it, get it.  Those who don’t, can’t.