Archive for October, 2008

Dreaming With Intent III

Friday, October 31st, 2008

In previous articles of this series, I simplistically outlined how awareness functions within the capacity of two distinctly different and necessary areas of the mind. The balance between the influences of the waking mind and the sleep or dream state of mind can drastically affect how we develop and utilize our faculties for dealing with perceptions of the world around us. Everyone uses both areas of awareness in varying degrees, but it is highly advantageous to exercise methods that open a steady two-way information exchange between these areas of the mind.

Like any other form of exercise, one can choose methods that keep both areas of awareness in tune and communicating, or they can simply neglect to do anything and settle for the results that develop from the kind of mental exercise life demands the most effort to maintain. Exercising complete awareness is like establishing a dialog between two completely different kinds of people. The waking mind is all business; logical, methodical, sensory oriented, and completely devoted to the premise that “Seeing is believing,” on all levels. The world of the waking mind is orderly, definable, and under the control of proven laws and statutes that command what actions should be taken under any circumstances. Depending on how much command this area of our mind is given, it will resist processing input from emotions, creativity, and new ideas in favor of executing repetitive proven actions to solve problems. The conscious mind is the disciplined soldier of the soul, giving and receiving orders according to established rules. It is the supreme commander of reality, ready to spring into action.

The sleeping or dream state of mind is completely free of limitations, ignoring the rules, but making up its own worlds based on what it knows about reality. Purely creative, sensitive, caring, and emotional, it has no fear of making mistakes, has little judgment, and a short attention span in dealing with troubles. This area of the awareness works on concepts and intuition, while defying logic and operating with what might be perceived as unpredictable random or chaotic impulse.

Though both these areas of mind are rolled into a single package, one is literal and one is symbolic and abstract, making a dialog seemingly difficult to establish with clarity. Using the methods and techniques that follow, it is possible to establish a real connection between these distinctly different elements of our internal entity, and come away with an exchange of information that utilizes the best aspects of both sets of qualities. These exercises will require varying degrees of effort and persistence to accomplish, but the rewards and personal insights are worth the effort.

Each night at bed time, take a few moments to relax while lying down preparing for sleep. Before you feel yourself becoming drowsy, take some time to step through some of the issues of highest priority from your waking day. Keep the concepts simple and limited to a short list of things you intend to work on while sleeping. Phrase your thoughts as if you are giving your mind a clear directive to follow. You might think about things like finding out why you are having problems at work, or how to come up with an idea for a new project on your job. Do not try to establish a complete meeting agenda, just say to yourself, “I’m going to work on ___ tonight, and I want to remember what I dream about this,“ filling in the blank with the topic of your desire. Use the same level of concentration you use when you are setting your internal clock to wake up at a specific time the next morning. After completing the exercise, stop concentrating and allow yourself to naturally fall asleep.

The next day, take some time to write down the dreams you remember right away before the thoughts leave your mind. It is important not to neglect this step. Describe your dreams as if you are telling someone a story about them, and be as detailed as possible in your description. If you do not normally remember any dreams, keep up with the exercise prior to falling asleep until you begin to remember something about what you dreamed while asleep. No matter how “crazy” the dream seems as you write it down; be as correct as you can about the details of the dreams you experienced. Before long, you may be surprised to find some completely different ideas flowing through your mind as your conscious thoughts begin to put an interpretation on the symbols and concepts expressed in the projection of your abstract dreams. Your conscious mind will naturally begin to translate these abstractions into meaningful information related to the subject of your sleep agenda, and you will find yourself gaining insights that seem to come as if by magic. By following these instructions explicitly, you will be establishing a functional two-way channel of communication within your complete awareness and perceptions.

John Dir
LittleTek Center
Check out our information channel and free softtware at home.earthlink.net/~jdir/ home.earthlink.net/~jdir/

Wonderful, Magickal, Mustika-Pearls Part 1

Friday, October 31st, 2008

Freaks and anomalies are found abound in Nature and her creations–if we would just look for them. “Mustikas” or “Magickal Pearls” having their origin in animals and plants are just some of Nature’s curiosities hardly known or mentioned in the literature of the Occident, accept perhaps in faerie tales. It is different in the East, however. Pearls, other than those originating from oysters are mentioned in the Hindu scripture, “Sri Garuda Purana,” where it explains the powers of several types of pearls derived from mammals, reptiles and even the natural conditions or specific events of Nature. In Indonesia, legends are found in which brave men died searching for these pearls–and when acquired they are treasured and valued as high as other family heirloom items such as kerises, spear heads, and other sacred objects. Almost all magickal stones mentioned in Arabian, Chinese, and other Eastern tales or legends actually refer to mustikas, or magickal pearls of an organic origin. Dragons, for instance, in Chinese lore, are known to guard pearls–these pearls are actually produced by them rather than acquired from some external source.

It would be appropriate here to explain the word “Mustika”: it is from the Kawi language, of an old Javanese origin and translates as, “magick jewel,” or “precious stone.” Some Indonesian occultists use the word to refer to any magickal object or power. That most western occultists and shamans do not mention animal pearls or pearls originating from plants is quite unusual in itself. One would expect this knowledge to be universal, especially among aboriginal shamans in all parts of the world–yet we find that this is not–as far as we can tell (if anyone can offer us some info on this regard we would greatly appreciate it). In contrast, the shamans of India, China, and South-East Asia are always on the look-out for these occult objects as they hold great power and magickal virtues–powers and virtues often employed in magickal work, mystical rites, spiritual development, and occult healings. In the past, kings, ministers, and noblemen sought for them and paid handsome rewards for those able to acquire them–many have died trying. Unfamiliar with pearls of origin other than oysters, westerners approach the subject with a good deal of skeptism–even those involved in the occult are somewhat surprised at the possibility. This shows that a good deal of work and investigation still lies before the seeker and average practitioner of the occult from the Occident in the probings of Eastern Mysteries. We also still have to hear what open-minded zoologists and botanists have to say about these mustika-pearls.

In Indonesia, a shamanic specialist on the animal kingdom called a “pawang” is normally the one that goes looking for these objects in the jungles and wilderness. Sometimes magickal pearls are acquired in an occult manner directly from the faerie realms where they are guarded by elemental beings–often with considerable psychological struggle. Pawangs are those who speak the “language” of animals, birds and plants. The pawang would meditate and sleep in the wilds requesting Nature for her gifts in the form of mustikas. In dreams or while in the trance-state he is guided by the spirit-dwellers and guardians of the forests and jungles as to where mustikas may be acquired, and sometimes what he has to do in order to acquire them. He is almost always directed to caves, nearby lakes or streams and shown the cadavers or remains of animals or plants and trees where they are found. Animals are never hunted for their pearls, as shamans and pawangs respect them. Nevertheless, pearls are also sometimes found in animals being hunted for food by native huntsmen. It is said that it is the senior members of any animal species or those displaying exceptional qualities that yields mustikas.

Occasionally, ordinary people in a rural environment would have visitations in dreams by the regional spirits. These intelligences would direct someone to accept a special gift from Nature lying at a certain spot. These dreams are often found to be substantially true as the object is located–objects which are normally mustika-pearls.

Why are mustikas so highly valued? Magickal pearls are held in great regard not only because of their scarcity, and sometimes beauty, but also because of the power that resides in them. These pearls are formed with the help of elementals spirits–gnomes, elves, and other etheric beings of Nature. That etheric spirits help to form gems is not quite unknown in western occultism. In the fairy tale, “Snow White,” for instance, we read of 7 dwarfs working in their “mines.” From the esoteric perspective, they were actually not mining at all, but forming gems and crystals. Tales such as hens laying “golden eggs” possesses some truth if considered in the light of magickal pearls. There are many such golden eggs available. Elementals are Nature’s handmaidens and are the hidden forces acting behind all phenomena and natural formations or creations. Elementals help “paint” the flowers and nourish them with prana and the necessary gases. Science calls the latter process osmosis, but behind the physical scene, in the etheric world, one may perceive fairies frolicking among plants, flying to and fro, entering and exiting the stem and leaves of plants taking the pranic globules from the air and into the flora.

Such similar work as the above are being done by elementals in the formation of mustikas. The difference with ordinary gems and crystals is that these elementals eventually make the pearl their dwelling place until released by the destruction of the pearl or for some other cause–thus sometimes we have genuine pearls without the elemental spirit present. Below we quote a paper, “Conversations on Occultism” by H.P. Blavatsky on elementals to give a greater insight on these beings (italics are ours) :

“Student.- If I understand you, an elemental is a centre of force, without intelligence, without moral character or tendencies, but capable of being directed in its movements by human thoughts, which may, consciously or not, give it any form, and to a certain extent intelligence; in its simplest form it is visible as a disturbance in a transparent medium, such as would be produced by ‘a glass fish, so transparent as to be invisible, swimming through the air of the room,’ and leaving behind him a shimmer, such as hot air makes when rising from a stove. Also, elementals, attracted and vitalized by certain thoughts, may effect a lodgment in the human system (of which they then share the government of the ego), and are very hard to get out.

“Sage.- Correct, in general, except as to their ‘effecting a lodgment.’ Some classes of elementals, however, have an intelligence of their own and a character, but they are far beyond our comprehension and ought perhaps to have some other name.

“Student.- Am I to understand that a clairvoyant or clairaudient has to do with or is affected by a certain special class or classes of elementals?

“Sage.- Yes. A clairvoyant can only see the sights properly belonging to the planes his development reaches to or has opened. And the elementals in those planes show to the clairvoyant only such pictures as belong to their plane. Other parts of the idea or thing pictured may be retained in planes not yet open to the seer. For this reason few clairvoyants know the whole truth.

“As to the moral character of elementals, they have none: they are colourless in themselves - except some classes - and merely assume the tint, so to speak, of the person using them.”

It is the presence of these elementals in pearls that give them an extra feel of power. Normal gemstones and crystals do not have any elemental spirits dwelling in them unless willed by an occult practitioner; mustikas, however, do have an etheric being living in them as a matter of course. Lacking a spirit dweller, a mustika-pearl is still more powerful than an ordinary gemstone or crystal as it possesses the energies of the Guardian Group-Spirit or Intelligences (Animal Totems/ Plant Devas) of the animal/plant species embedded in it.

Some occultist believe that the beings living in mustikas are human spirits, but we feel this to be untrue. Human spirits do not return to dwell in animals or stones but live in the various realms of the astral and higher regions.

Elementals dwelling in pearls are not demonic; although some may be amoral. Some may assist the owner to gamble for instance–directed to do something negative by its master. The elemental would not know the difference between good and evil or the natural law of consequence. Elementals love to imitate human beings in clothings, names and titles. Thus, psychics of high-caliber have found that most elementals adopt the titles and names of saints and kings. These names and titles should not be taken too seriously, but when given by the elementals themselves, they do respond psychically to them. Acquiring the names and details of the elemental dweller is not an easy process, although once acquired and contact made with the pearl-intelligence, many things may be known about the origin of the mustika and its virtues. Yet, psychics who manage to contact the elemental spirit are probably 40-70% accurate in this matter. It should be noted that even without such knowledge, the powers and virtues of a magickal pearl may still be readily felt by those possessing it after a short period of time.

Undeveloped psychics may have trouble detecting and communicating with elementals. Interacting with human spirits and jinns may not pose a problem but elementals may sometime elude them. This is because elementals will not interact with humans that are spiritually unbalanced and have not harmonized their element psychologically within the psyche. For this reason, genuine mustikas or magickal pearls may be mistaken for fakes by psychics who know no better. Sometimes other factors fool people who think they know something about mustikas; two such factors are the color and form of a pearl. When shown a genuine pearl of a certain color and size, like one having its origin from a bamboo plant, for instance, they would search for further bamboo mustikas having only such characteristics–other genuine bamboo pearls of a different form and color would be labeled as “false.” This is unreasonable as there is nothing in Nature that are exactly alike. Oyster pearls, as an example, come in various colors, sizes, and forms. Oyster pearls are not always round, they may come in pear-shape forms, as in tear-drops, and even flat pieces resembling angel-wings. We personally possess bamboo pearls as large as a chicken egg, red in color. We also have blue and green, and black bamboo pearls of diverse shapes and sizes. Not all of our stock are presented on our web-site. The pearls shown are merely representative of what is available. Those ordering mustika-pearls from us are not always given the exact same mustika as seen in the pearl-pictures–mustika-pearls are one-of-a-kind.

Descriptions from ancient texts as to the color and shape of a mustika do not tell the whole story as not enough pearls were found at that time to make a proper comparison or a true statement. To put it plainly, mustikas or magickal pearls of the same animal or plant origin do not always have the same color, size or form. They may appear as an unworthy object or as a thing of beauty–their appearance should not be too much of an issue for the magickal practitioner, for their true value lies in their occult nature.

In their natural state most mustikas have rough textures. It is only after being tumbled and polished do they give a lustre. It is actually in their natural state that one may see that a mustika is genuine as they are unlike any crystal or gem stone in their uncut, untumbled, and unpolished state. Sometimes natural objects such as a grass or part of an insect may be found embedded within them–these magickal pearls often possesses additional power.

Pearls may be tested by the layman whether they are genuine or fake using the finger test; however, this method is not conclusive–it does entail having some psychic sensitivity on the person testing it. The method is to hold a pearl with the right hand between the thumb and forefinger. Inhale and hold your breath, then feel the energy flowing along the arms to the heart. Exhale when you need to. Repeat the breathing cycle–the more you do this, the more definite will the energy be felt. The arm holding the pearl would feel intensely heavy at one point–this effect is generally not felt with ordinary stones and objects. You may test this for yourself should you possess a magickal pearl. Some people make a mistake of stating that testing every object makes their fingers tingle and thus feeling this as a result of holding a magickal pearl is of no import. This is fallacious, and is not the effect sought. This tingling is the result of the blood pulsation as the fingers are pressed against the hard surface of the pearl. What we are actually after in this experiment is to feel the subtle energy flowing into the arms–thus the pearl should not be held between the fingers too tightly. When the energy flows, it accumulates in the arm before reaching the body–this makes the arm intensely heavy. When one’s subtle nadis or etheric nerves have been cleansed of psychic toxins and enlargened for a greater capacity of energy-flow, just holding a mustika-pearl for a few seconds is sufficient enough to feel the rush of the force.

In the days of yore, most men could only mention animal/plant pearls in their writings. Nowadays, magickal pearls are bountiful and readily available to a wider public–to those that seek them. The reason has partly to do with the Aquarian-Age that we find ourselves living in. It is, however, mainly because Nature wishes to offer humanity something that would help men embrace her and not destroy the platform where the other lower kingdoms have their place of evolution. Mustika-pearls are Nature’s gifts to humanity, it connects us directly to the Spirit-Intelligences of the mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms.
As alluded to previously, the reality of mustika pearls are to be found in certain literature. Below we quote fully the summary/translation of the Sri Garuda Purana by the gemologist , Robert S. Brown, regarding this matter. The commentary in square brackets are ours:

“Besides (natural) oyster pearls there are seven other types [In fact, almost every animal specie and perhaps plant-life may produce pearls--although rare] found in conch shells, wild boar heads, elephant heads, king cobra heads, bamboo stems, clouds, and fish heads.

“Pearls from elephant heads, bamboo stems, boar heads, fish mouths, and conch shells are lusterless, even though possessed of other auspicious qualities [Not all crowns of animals are lusterless--some have clear crystalline-structures and do give forth a sheen; some bamboo pearls also have lustre]. Pearls from conch shells are usually the size of a large kona (the large end of a drum stick), and they possess a color similar to their host shell.

“Fish pearls are perfectly round and symmetrical. They possess a yellowish hue like the scales of the pathenam fish which often inhabit the mouths of deep sea whales [Again, not totally true, we have seen shark pearls white in color.]

“Boar pearls [we have this pearl available in our collection] are colored like a boar’s tusks and are found only in remote parts of the world. Such pearls are auspicious symbols of the Varaha boar incarnation of the Supreme Lord, Sri Vishnu.

“Pearls derived from bamboo appear like hailstones in color, and they are found only within bamboo that has grown in a region populated by religious people [Lots of bamboo pearls in our collection--they mostly come from Ujung Kulon, Java, which secret sources say is one of the remote places where the Indonesian Spiritual Masters regularly convene].

“Pearls from the cobra’s hood are perfectly round, like fish pearls, and they radiate a natural effulgence. By repeated washing, a snake pearl becomes as lustrous as a polished sword blade. Anyone possessing such a naga-mani attains piety, rare good fortune, and eventually becomes illustrious as a leader of men, complete with a great collection of all precious gems [Cobra-pearls are not always round, they may also come in other shapes].

“Upon acquiring such a snake pearl, the owner should have the rite of installation performed by a priest who is learned in religious formalities. After hearing from the owner how the pearl was obtained and conducting the benedictory ritual, the priest should formally install the jewel inside the owner’s house. On such an auspicious occasion, the sky becomes filled with dark and heavy rain clouds, thunder, and flashing lightning, such as exhibited at the time of universal dissolution. A man in possession of such a snake pearl will never be troubled by snakes, demonic beings, diseases, or disturbances in any form.

“Cloud pearls [this could possibly be a "dew pearl" or a variation], being naturally effulgent like the sun, illuminate the sky in all directions and dispel the darkness of cloudy days. Glowing brighter than the combined light of the moon, the twinkling stars, and fire, a cloud-born pearl dissipates even the darkest night exactly like the sunrise. A cloud pearl is so priceless that the entire earth, with her oceans filled with countless jewels and covered in layers of gold, would not be equal in value. Cloud pearls rarely reach this earthly world, because they are usually taken away by the demigods.

“Even a low born man would become supreme ruler of the entire world if, as result of some past pious actions, he were to come into possession of such a pearl. The appearance of such a man on earth who obtained a cloud pearl during his lifetime would bring good fortune not only to himself, but to the entire human race as well. No form of evil could even touch the land within an 8,000 mile radius of his birthplace.”

THE “OTHER” PEARLS By Richard S. Brown, Gemologist (G.I.A.)

How do animal/plant pearls differ from ordinary gem stones and crystals? Mustika-pearls contain energies of the Totem Animal/Plant Spirit-Guardians (Power-Animals/Plant Devas) of the species under its care. During its construction, an elemental spirit appropriates these energies to actually construct every line of force within the pearl and to actually dwell within it after it is fully formed. The energies of the Totem-Animal/Plant Spirit and the presence of the elemental are the two occult factors that differentiates mustikas from ordinary crystals and gems.

Extraordinary mustika-pearls are sometimes found. These are the crowns and horns of animals that normally do not possess them. In this category are also the fossilized-eyes and other parts of animals and creatures. Crowns are normally lusterless as described in the Sri Purana Garuda. There are, however, crocodile-crowns that are crystalline in nature. Most crown-pearls come from snakes and centipedes. These crowns normally have a spiral, conic shape. Horns/crowns of animals such as horses (unicorn) and cats do exist, though they are scarce.

Copyright © 2006 Luxamore

Luxamore

Metaphysical teacher, counseler, healer and merchant of occult/magickal items of Indonesia.

indotalisman.com/ indotalisman.com/

bezoarmustikapearls.com/ bezoarmustikapearls.com/

Reach Your Potential

Friday, October 31st, 2008

Many of us are unaware of what our possibilities are. We often sell ourselves short believing we haven’t much to offer. We think. “if we were smarter or prettier or more handsome, life would be so much better.” We look up to others and wish we could be like them. We don’t understand God’s plan. He made each of us just the way He intended. He gave each of us a mission to fill and He gave us all of the things we need to to fulfill that mission. He provided opportunites for us to learn and to grow. He gave us trials to overcome so we can discover our strengths and he provided ways for us to discover who we are.

My life’s experience has taught me the following truths. I know they are true in your life too!
One day this inspiration came to me and has been such a help in how I look at myself and life and I believe these words can be an inspiration to you also. They are true to all of us.

I hope they will help you look at yourself and your life in a more positive way and that you will get excited about your life and it’s many possibilities. God has great plans for you!

YOU WERE BORN WITH INTELLIGENCE - GIFTS - TALENTS - ABILITIES

YOU CAME TO EARTH TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE FROM EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

YOU MUST LEARN WISDOM WHILE YOU ARE HERE BY DISCOVERING TRUTH AND MAKING RIGHT CHOICES

IF YOU DO THIS YOU WILL REACH YOUR POTENTIAL - DISCOVER YOUR PURPOSE - FULFILL YOUR MISSION AND FIND “HAPPINESS”

Eva Fry’s mission is to help others become better and happier. She is an inspirational author, singer/songwriter/ motivational speaker and seminar leader. Eva has published three books -
“YOU MUST HAVE A DREAM” -for seniors,
“BE A WINNER IN LIFE”-for good kids, troubled kids and their parents.
“LETTERS FROM JUVENILE HALL, KIDS HELPING KIDS” (Actual letters from kids at Juvenile Hall, intended to save other kids from destroying their lives)
She invites you to use the FREE ARTICLES she has written for: at- risk kids
Also FREE ARTICLES of inspiration to help meet life’s challenges. evafry.com evafry.com

She has produced 7 Music CD’s

“Remember” (new music for seniors),
“Oh What Joy Christmas”
“The Little Things” (inspirational country),
“I Love Living The Teachings of The Lord” (Gospel/Christian)
“Savior of Mine” – (Christian)
“God Gave You Intelligence” (for children)
“Classical Style” (instrumental)

Her music and books can be purchased at evafry.com evafry.com

Her books can also be ordered at any bookstore. Her articles have been published, all over the world.

Do What You Love and Love What You Do!

Friday, October 31st, 2008

Doing what you love is a very good start towards, loving what you do. This might be anything at all from work to play or emotion related. You need to listen to the music from your heart if you want to be fulfilled. Try to pick an issue you just don’t enjoy. Ask yourself why you are doing it. You would see that you are not doing it because of yourself. So why are you still doing it. Without passion, how can you make your dreams real, how would you put live into the stories you want to sing, how could you want to transform your ideas into a successful discovery! You are not a robot with a brain; you are human with a mind and soul. You deserve nothing but the best. “If you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work.” — Khalil Gibran

It might seem abit hard to get use to something new in the beginning but, that doesn’t mean you don’t love it. Be open minded and remember that to be good at anything you would usually undergo countless hours of study and practice. Pick one or two famous people you know or someone you want to be like. You would see that they went through such stages too. Sure it may seem very frustrating, but with time, you’ll see that as you become better, your enjoyment will also grow. “Even when you are in the dark room and you concentrate enough you would see the whole room in a dim way.”

When you love what you do doing you would be able to love what you do enough to; create a place of caring, or find a way to heal, or have the courage to take a risk. For you to face your fears, you need to love what you do. Why do you think soldier go to war? Do you think patriotism is all that make them lay down their lives? Certain that is not all. Loving what you do also means that you have to deal with the cynicism and apathy, the greed and hypocrisy. But, do not do what others are doing, nor do what other expect of you to. I will keep saying this people’s opinion change with time. Am sure you are not the person you are ten years back. So, do things that would bring you happiness. Focus on your goal.-A penny will hide the biggest star in the universe if you hold it close enough to your eye.

Some people derive happiness from helping people. You can find a job that deals with helping people- for example retailing telephone recharge card won’t be what you need. You should consider being personal coach, nurse, teacher, Lawyer, virtual assistant or anything else. They you would love doing by seeing the impact of your effort on others. -The trick is this; you can not be teaching people what you don’t know. You would then develop yourself and learn better ways to live your life. After all James M. Barrie said “Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves”. If you’ve been thinking that you would like a job in the any other field here is your opportunity to do something about it.

I do what I love doing too. Like Mind Juice is what I love doing and I get paid for it but I just don’t get paid money. I get paid when I get feedback, when I know have added value or helped situation or I get a pat on my back saying well done. It normally feels like receiving huge some of money. Before I leave you today, I want you to do yourself a favour. Take a good look at all the things you do. And bold out those that you don’t love. Then, think about how you can love them, if you can’t .Strike them out of the things you do. “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, pave another one.”– Dolly Parton.

This article is brought to you by Ola Olabimpe. A creative motivational writer for a FREE motivational self improvement ezine. She is a lover of quotes and would find lots of it in her writings. You can read and enjoy our weekly ezine on mindjuicezine.com mindjuicezine.com Mind juice is sent via email and the site is regularly updated with absolutely free and just about anything that has to do with self development! SO kick start every week with a handful of inspiration visit mindjuicezine.com mindjuicezine.com Now!

Control Your Thinking, Manage Your Life

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

Make a choice of something that you would like to have different in your life. Choose to focus on how you would like it to be different. Notice what that difference would mean to you, how you would know it was different, how it would feel. Notice how it feels to just consider the possibility. Spend thirty seconds or more enjoying it in your imagination.

Most of us consider thinking to be a passive thing, a time of doing nothing (or perhaps “not much, just thinking”). Yet, just the opposite is true; thinking is your most powerful activity. For most of us, most of the time, thoughts and life just happen, and then we deal with it, or we don’t. John Lennon’s famous comment, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”, describes how most of us really feel about it. Consider instead the possibility that all of your life experiences are dictated by your thinking.

Gaining control, or sometimes even awareness, of your thinking is a perennial topic with no shortage of teachings about the value of harnessing your mind to produce great results. The term “positive thinking” has become a cliché. New programs or methods show up in every year’s new book lists. Movies in general release explore the importance of expanding your thoughts and increasing the ratio of positive thoughts to negative ones. What the *Bleep* Do We Know and The Secret are two recent and very successful movies of that sort. Literally millions, actually many millions, of books describing the benefits of controlling your own thoughts have been sold. The concept that controlling your thinking can work to your enormous benefit is a concept with lasting power; it has been around for centuries; there are entire religions built around it, and variations on the theme show up in large numbers every year. The big question is, How do I do that? And it’s a great question! It has been answered in virtually every culture throughout history.

It’s safe to say that when will-power and imagination come into conflict, will-power always loses. Discipline suggests you make yourself do something even though you may not want to do it. Imagination allows you to escape that; it’s your path to freedom.
(You know what this is like if you have ever tried to meditate.) So discipline may not be the most productive way to change habits of thinking.

What happens for you if you consider thinking as your art form? After all, it’s something that’s completely under your control, it’s a talent and skill you already have, it’s the most creative act possible (because thinking, itself, is generative), and making it do what you want it to do requires attention and improves with practice. Well developed thinking can require finesse and control. And like most arts, it usually doesn’t perform well in response to being forced; it likes to be elicited, coaxed, nurtured, allowed to blunder or make mistakes, and learn from its previous efforts.

In any art form, you don’t start as an expert. (Even prodigies have to learn how the form works.) In painting, for example, you begin by putting some color on paper or canvas, and “push it around” until you either have something you like or you learn something. You allow yourself to make “mistakes”, and you have fun with it. You experiment a bit, you enjoy it, you check out how others you admire do it. But mostly, you do it over and over, paying conscious attention to it, until you get results that satisfy you.

The issue in managing your thinking probably isn’t that you need to be convinced to do it, it’s more likely to be that your don’t know how to do it. The issue is moving from reflexive, habitual thoughts to thoughts that support you feeling and experiencing the things you would prefer. (If you don’t already know that what you think is what you get, it’s unlikely that you would be reading this in the first place, so that’s probably not the issue.)

Teachers are right when they say you can have anything you want, or that you can realize your dreams, or that you can raise your consciousness, or that you can change any part of your life you want to change. And they all agree that it begins in your mind. What comes up is this: How do I do that? How do I change my habits of thought? How do I manage them? How do people get great ideas? My thoughts just happen, so how can I control what they are, and who knows where they even come from? And the answer is much simpler than people think.

Read the first paragraph again and add this idea. (These are the “don’ts”) Don’t compare what you want with what you have. Don’t justify, or make it okay, or rationalize that you would like something. Do not think about reasons for wanting it. Don’t worry about what anyone else would think about it. Don’t worry about deserving it. Don’t bother with how it could occur. Let go, entirely, of everything except your desire, and hang on to that for at least thirty seconds.

Then notice that spending that little bit of time on something you chose to think about made you feel better. When you think about things that make you feel better you are changing more things than you can think of, because your body chemistry changes (really!), your mood improves, your energy is more attractive, your creativity increases, your physical health can actually improve, and your life will feel more satisfying. And you have just created a piece of living art. It’s internal to you, it’s private, it’s not going to hang on a wall, but it is your own creation, your own small piece of art.

If you’ll do this several times a day, you will begin to feel that you are a practicing artist, and thinking will be your art form.

Malcolm Campbell has been an alternative therapist and teacher for more than twenty years. He is a Master Practitioner and Trainer of NeuroLinguistic Programming, an ordained minister, and is trained in several other energy therapies. He is the developer of Yoga of the Mind ( yogaofthemind.net yogaofthemind.net) and is a past Director of Counseling for the Stress Management Center of Marin (California).

Personality Tests

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

Personality tests can be used for various purposes. For example, they can prove to be a useful tool for finding out the type of your personality, your skills, values etc. Or, you can use them just for the sake of assessing what type of person you are. Personality tests are, however, now frequently used to determine your aptitude for a certain type of occupation or career. Most business houses now use personality tests before hiring their staff. People even use them to make an assessment of their dates and spouses. Salespeople, lawyers and college students - everyone tries to make use of them for their own specific purpose. From the fun Color Quiz to the top-ranked Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a wide variety of personality tests are now in circulation. Different types of personality tests apply different methods, and they are chosen according to the needs of the users. In the five-minute Color Quiz, your choice of colors indicates your personality type, while the MBTI helps you choose the job or career suitable for your aptitude and personality.

Through the use of aptitude tests, you can have a measure of your ability to acquire a skill or perform a particular type of job. No wonder these tests are applied by business houses for short-listing job seekers. Although there are tests on just about every topic you can think of, career tests are by far the most in demand. They can give a fair indication of which job or career will best match your ability and personality. Intelligence tests or IQ tests use specially designed procedures to measure your mental skills. It is quantified as intelligence quotient that is found by dividing your mental age by your chronological age and multiplying the result by 100. Many of the personality tests are available online for free. If you are unable to interpret these tests on your own, you can consult an experienced counselor to help you.

e-PersonalityTests.com Personality Tests provides detailed information on Personality Tests, Free Personality Tests, Funny Personality Tests, Career Personality Tests and more. Personality Tests is affiliated with e-CoverLetters.com Free Cover Letters.

Quiz Yourself About Your Moneymaking Abilities

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

Some of us become very rich. They began very humbly and today they are amongst the richest in the world. Many of us try many ventures, but never make money. Is it only fate? Or the people who make lot of money have some qualities that are responsible for their success? Let us find out.

Type Of Business - what is the future of the business you are doing right now. Will it grow beyond a limit, or what ever you try, it cannot. For example, you are dedicated manufacturer of a product, which finds very limited use. Whatever improvement you make and price manipulation you do, the sales will never go beyond a certain quantity. For example, a soap manufacturer finds that every person in the world is his/her potential consumer where as for a manufacturer of skiing equipments, only a limited section will ever be the buyer.

Risk taking ability - Unless you risk, there will be no gain. Risk taking is important part of every business. Most of us shy away from this. All right, at least take calculated risk. Take risk only for a small amount that you can afford. But think of the possible results and take some risk. No big business can be developed without risk.

Planning and management - Have you conditioned your mind and developed abilities to manage a large business? Imagine yourself on the seat of the Chairperson of a very large corporation. Now imagine of the kind of decisions you will be asked to make. They will require big amount of planning and management ability. Have you developed that? Do you read books that teach this? Do you think about various scenarios and possible decisions? Please develop those abilities.

Quiz yourself about these essential requirements and improve where required. Success, rather very big success is waiting for you.

CDMohatta writes articles, advice and quizzes on different topics. Quizzes are a simple tool to find out more about ourselves. You can take many fun quizzes to learn more about yourself and your friends.Try quizzes and tests from -

The Courage Within You

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

Dear Loved Ones,

Welcome to Spirituality Inside and Out and the Daily Universal Insights.

Welcome to the world of Oneness as we invite the Unity of Love and Compassion into this community.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

Enjoy this breath as the breath before and the breath after as you take a deep breath and exhale with an “Ahh” and smile. The Courage Within You
The courage within you where is it? Where was it?

And now you shall give your Courage energy. You shall give your Courage energy to move forward in an area of your life where fear has been the power instead of you. You shall give Courage the energy which it so deserves instead of the heartache which has taken all
of your time, some of the time, in time. You shall give Courage the respect it so deserves as it has been forgotten and hidden way underneath the Love and Truth within.

Where are you lacking Courage in life?

Some may say that they are very Courageous in life and in fact they are fearful of asking someone out on a date. What do you have to lose? You may hear a No and then “So What”! Is a No the end of the world? Or does hearing a No tell you that you are Not good enough? This is all an illusion.

Some may say that they have all the courage in the world and when an opportunity comes up to make a difference in people’s lives, all of a sudden a rush of sweat fills their whole face and body and they evaporate in shame and disbelief.

We all want Love and Compassion. We all want to be taken care of somehow. We all want to care for others. We as human beings innately care for others when we are Not manipulated and then we fall into the trap of the Ego and our False self. Like a quicksand we are pulled into the unwanted as we let others overpower us with harmful beliefs. You have all the Courage within you to make a difference in your life and in the lives of the children of God. We are all Divine Beings.

Some may say that they have all the Courage and in the midst of overwhelm what happens is Overwhelm and then one decides to resign from what is most important to them. Fear, Doubt and Worry take over and one feels doomed. Remember one is Not doomed. One thinks that they are doomed as they forget about the Power of Courage within overriding the short circuit of weakness and defeat.

With Love, Compassion and Courage openings into the Truth of Oneself takes place.

You have the Courage within you (period). There is No room for argument even though you can give all kind of reasons as to why you have Not done anything about your Passion in life.
There is No room for argument for the purpose of being alive.

Wish your wish. Desire your desire. And move forward with the God given Courage within you. For truly with your will to create all things are possible.

And so it is. Bless you.I love you. I love you. I love you.

Please feel free to forward and share these Insights with your family, friends, associates, helpers, boss, teachers, students and enemies to create a space of openness to create Oneness.

May the love and light of God and the Universe surround, protect and heal you, your loved ones and the planet earth.

With Love, Gratitude and Respect,
Michelle Morovaty
Truly, With God All Things Are Possible

ABOUT MICHELLE
Michelle Morovaty is an Intuitive Spiritual Teacher and Healer. She has healed herself from many challenges including Lupus CNS, a car accident and divorce. She uses her intuition and universal guidance to assist people through the healing process.

For more about Michelle and her healing sessions see
spiritualityinsideandout.com spiritualityinsideandout.com and for her guided meditation CD’s see
insidenow.com insidenow.com

Do You Just Think About Doing Things Or Do You Do Them?

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

There is a big distinction between people who: try, think about it - and do it. Here are a few:

1. Fear: Some people are afraid to fail.
2. Failure: Some people hate the idea of not succeeding.
3. Acceptance: Some people are afraid of what other people will think about
them if they fail.
4. Self-esteem: Some people need lots of validation and strokes rather than
experiencing the continuing sense of frustration, anxiety and uncertainty.
5. Some people are too scattered to complete anything.
6. Some people lack the focus, concentration and the will to DO.
7. Some people are great starters but poor finishers.

That’s enough of this list. Know anyone who is a talker and not a doer? Do they fit into any of the above categories?

Thinking about doing, planning and setting goals are important mental activities. But they get you nowhere if you don’t act. Action (not success or failure) is the true measure of accomplishment. Many people fail often on the highway of life. They fail because they stretch, believe and desire more. These people do not measure themselves by their failures or successes, but by their will and desire to move forward – to act.

Life, in my opinion is not a scorecard of accomplishments or failures, but has its value and joy in the pursuit of better, wiser, and stronger.

What are you thinking about doing? Trying? What is preventing you from starting and continuing along the path towards a better life and a better you? You will never arrive. Life is a process of becoming, learning and growing not getting somewhere. Many people who – get somewhere – tend to: stop, rest, spend too much time patting themselves on the back, and any number of self-sabotaging activities. I am NOT suggesting that rewarding yourself or feeling good about your accomplishments is not a worthwhile exercise, but that the relentless pursuit of more - for the sake of more - may leave you unfulfilled. I am suggesting, however that you evaluate your intentions, dreams and desires compared to your actions and deeds. Ask yourself a simple question:

Am I happy with my life now (today) - its direction, focus, and outcomes. Be careful you don’t mortgage your present for a future you can’t guarantee you will ever have!

Tim Connor, CSP is an internationally renowned sales, management and leadership speaker, trainer and best selling author. Since 1981 he has given over 3500 presentations in 21 countries on a variety of sales, management, leadership and relationship topics. He is the best selling author of over 60 books including; Soft Sell, That’s Life, Peace Of Mind, 91 Challenges Managers Face Today and Your First Year In Sales. He can be reached at mailto:tim@timconnor.com tim@timconnor.com, 704-895-1230 or visit his website at timconnor.com timconnor.com.

A Life Touched

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

Direct Answers - Column for the week of February 17, 2003

Back when I was in grammar school, every once and awhile I would meet up with a girl my age and talk. Lisa never was around much, but she was always very sweet and nice. In 5th grade she was assigned to my class.

She was absent a lot, and one day I had the courage to ask why. She told me she was sick, and she explained she wore a wig because her medicine made her lose her hair. We left it at that. Anytime Lisa came to class–a rarity–I would hang with her on the playground.

I received much ridicule from my friends for this because they thought I was snubbing them for Lisa. My family upbringing taught me to be nice, and I felt Lisa’s needs were much more important than others I knew.

It had been months since Lisa was in class, and one day our teacher was crying. She explained Lisa died the day before and would no longer be our classmate. She told us Lisa fought a battle with leukemia for years.

I was stunned and shocked. Lisa never spoke of her illness as if it could kill her, and I was a very innocent girl in these matters. Well, all those years I have kept Lisa in my mind and heart. When I pass milestones in my life, I reflect on Lisa and say a prayer for her.

I’ve had strong feelings of late to locate her mother and father. I’d like to tell them that though they never met me, their daughter had a sweet, profound effect on my life. I have no idea what her parents’ first names are and don’t have money to hire a detective. I read you column and realize you are not detectives, but hope you can point me in the right direction.

I pray regularly and believe something or someone is encouraging me to make this connection. I hope my connection would not hurt or upset. Lisa was such a lovely girl. Maybe her parents would be comforted that after all these years they are not the only ones who remember her.

Cynthia

Cynthia, start with the school. You may get a lead from a former classmate, alumni group, teacher, or the parent and teacher association. Don’t overlook the newspaper of record where you used to live. It probably published birth and death records including parents’ names. Former neighbors may also help.

Reference librarians are invaluable. They can steer you to public government records and genealogy groups, the experts at tracking families. From among these sources, you will find someone who can help. Our lives are our relationships, and sensing a deep purpose is natural.

Tamara

Another Victim

When I read Esme’s letter, it immediately took me back to my own childhood when my mother would warn my brother and me, “Your father is on his way home, and he is in a bad mood today.”

What she called a bad mood was the effect of drinking, and we would actually hide in closets from him. Growing up in that volatile environment has affected me, even today. I relate intimately to the grown-up children you describe: people pleasers who judge themselves harshly, with constant feelings of dread and a need to be secretive.

I want to tell Esme that not only did this impact my relationship with my father, but with my mother as well. I will never understand why she didn’t see what staying with my father did to my brother and me. I will never understand why she didn’t protect us.

Sometimes understanding “why” an alcoholic drinks can lead to excusing it, and I would stress to Esme how detrimental this can be. If she does not leave for herself, she should at least leave for the children.

Beth

Beth, thank you for caring enough to share your story.

Wayne

About The Author

Authors and columnists Wayne and Tamara Mitchell can be reached at WayneAndTamara.com” target=”_new www.WayneAndTamara.com.

Send letters to: Direct Answers, PO Box 964, Springfield, MO 65801 or email: mailto:DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com.