PRESENTING THE BLOG BOOK
CHAPTER TEN - FEAR, WORRY, DOUBT, AND RELATED MEME CONTROL
PART THREE - MIND CONTROL/CONTROL OF CONSCIOUSNESS
FEATURING THE FINDING GOD ON THE TRAIN BLOG STORY
NOTES ON
ENLIGHTENMENT -
Quest For A Positive, Personal,
And Contemplative Spirituality
THE CRYSTAL PATH
BY G. BRYANT
______________________________
Our mind control discussion continues with Chapter Ten – and what I refer to as the “masters of disaster” - where we explore how to effectively manage fear, worry, doubt, and related meme control. We will work to understand how our minds are often overtaken by memes that must be cleansed if we are to succeed in our spiritual mission.
PART THREE MIND CONTROL - THE CONTROL OF CONSCIOUSNESS
CHAPTER TEN – FEAR, WORRY, DOUBT, AND
RELATED MEME CONTROL – CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
THE WORLD FRESH - SPIRITUAL POEM
MEMES
POWERFUL NOTION - DAILY POST
FEATURING ONE POWERFUL NOTION - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
TOOLS OF THE EGO
TOP TEN GREATEST FEARS LIST
Listen On YouTube Whistle A Happy Tune link below.
IS FEAR A CHOICE?
FEATURING FEAR – A CHOICE - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
FEATURING CHOICES – AN AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
FEATURING FEAR LIMITS JOY AND LIFE - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
FEATURING FEARLESS - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
WHAT COURAGE IS – DAILY POST
FEATURING WHAT COURAGE IS – AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
NOTHING TO DREAD - DAILY POST
FEATURING NOTHING TO DREAD - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
WORRY AND DOUBT - NEVER VERY FAR BEHIND
CONFRONT WORRY - DAILY POST
FEATURING CONFRONT WORRY - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
MANAGING WORRIES – DAILY POST
FEATURING MANAGING WORRIES - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
BEYOND WORRY – DAILY POST
PART THREE MIND CONTROL - THE CONTROL OF CONSCIOUSNESS
FEATURING MASTER OF YOUR UNIVERSE - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
AVOID THE DOUBT
FEATURING CLEAR THE DOUBT - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
FEATURING THE WAY BACK - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
THE WAY PREPARED – DAILY POST
FEATURING THE WAY PREPARED – AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
BELIEF, FAITH, TRUST, AND MIND CONTROL
FEATURING BELIEF, FAITH, AND TRUST - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
FEATURING BETWEEN BELIEF AND FEAR- AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
FEATURING FAITH - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
LIMITLESS - DAILY POST
FEATURING - POWER OF BELIEF – MEDITATION GUIDANCE
FEATURING FIND BELIEF – MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Listen to Hear My Hear On YouTube
Below Or Download From iTunes
FEATURING USE YOUR FAITH - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
FEATURING SIMPLY BELIEVE
Listen to Over The Mountain On YouTube Or Download it From iTunes
FEAR, WORRY, DOUBT, AND RELATED MEME CONTROL REVIEWED
CLOSING NOTE ON ENLIGHTENMENT
FEATURING FORGIVE YOURSELF NOW -MEDITATION GUIDANCE
CLOSING AFFIRMATIONS - I AM SHIELDED MEDITATION GUIDANCE
______________________________
PART THREE MIND CONTROL - THE CONTROL OF CONSCIOUSNESS
CHAPTER TEN –
FEAR, WORRY, DOUBT, AND
RELATED MEME CONTROL
THE WORLD FRESH - SPIRITUAL POEM
Often, we must force ourselves
to see our world fresh – not from
preconceived associations and conditions
learned in moments of confusion or need,
but rather new, bursting with beauty and
wild wonder, like a morning glory
on a sunlit summer fence.
Often, we must clear our eyes and minds
to sense our life fully – wiping away
the sleep of our lethargic awareness,
until the dawn rips the horizon open,
and we, like the morning, allow the light
to anoint our senses with fresh possibilities.
Often, we must refuse to go on and, rather
stop in our worn tracks listening,
still at last, for the quiet voice of Divine
reason to catch our numb minds
and point us in a more vital direction.
POEM BY G. 2. 27.2012
MEMES
There are two worlds, and we can choose
which one we want to live in: the world of
awakening or the world of ignorance: If we
haven’t stopped our ideas; we live in ignorance.
Thich Nhat Hanh
In his best-selling book, The Selfish Gene, published in 1976, the popular evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, Ph.D., expressed the view that evolution is best understood as a competition between genes – with the most selfish genes ensuring they are passed on to the next generation. Along with this theory, he added another important component impacting human evolution: based on the large human brain’s ability to imitate, share, and carry thoughts.
It is our own species that really shows what cultural evolution
can do. Language is only one example out of many. Fashions
in dress and diet, ceremonies and customs, art and architecture,
engineering and technology all evolve in historical times in a way
that looks like highly speeded-up genetic evolution – but has
really has nothing to do with genetic evolution.
Dawkins initiated the concept of ideas and cultural phenomena having a life of their own, replicating, evolving, and coining the term "Meme" (rhymes with beam)—short for "mimeme" from the Ancient Greek meaning "imitated thing." With this, Dawkins introduced the conceptual foundation for understanding how these “Memes” evolved, propagated, and traveled from brain to brain.
With this concept, Dawkins actually created a meme about memes. And many others started spreading the word or meme. Richard Brodie, the original author of Microsoft Word and the international self-help bestseller Getting Past OK, contributed his book titled Virus Of The Mind, The New Science of the Meme, published in 1996, warning us all that many of the memes we are now living by, personally, and as a society, are negatively impacting our lives, and need to be confronted like a virus.
This is the most surprising and most profound insight from
the science of memetics: your thoughts are not always your
own original ideas. You catch thoughts – you get infected
with them, directly from other people, and indirectly
from viruses of the mind.
Brodie goes on to say that memes are not only the building blocks of culture, but on a smaller scale, memes are the building blocks of our minds, forming the programming of our mental “computers.” Once created, he warns, viruses of the mind evolve quickly to infect as many people as possible. According to Brodie, we are being infected in some new way every day via television, popular music, the Internet, books, and blogs like the Finding God On The Train Story, etc., but also in ancient ways, by education, religious teachings, even talking to our closest friends.
Our parents unwittingly infected us when we
were kids. Unfortunately, if you have children,
you are spreading the virus to them daily.
Brodie believes the impact of these unchecked viruses surrounds us, with many alarmingly directly impacting our children. Starting with the inner cities and quickly spreading, these mind viruses have propagated “hopelessness, single motherhood, and gang warfare.”
Accepting meme viruses as a given, Brodie encourages us to choose to “program ourselves” with memes that support our values in life rather than ones that support the agendas of viruses of the mind.
Consciously spreading ideas you consider important
is one way to combat mind viruses.
To do so, we need to accept and understand the science of memetics seriously. In a moment, I would like to return to this helpful advice regarding reprogramming our minds with a positive New Thought meme.
With a more psychologically-based perspective, Dr. Susan Blackmore, a Reader In Psychology at the University of The West of England, Bristol, where she lectures on the psychology of consciousness - proposes in her book published in 1999, The Meme Machine, that in actuality, we may exist, primarily, as a big-brained vehicle for these self-replicating and evolving memes; even suggesting, that our personality is formed by memes, which have found a life of their own within our minds, our society, and our religion.
The thesis of The Meme Machine follows Dawkins's original line of reasoning: that is, what makes humans different, in an evolutionary sense, is our ability to imitate. “We do it so easily even as an infant. We copy each other all the time. We certainly do not think of it as being something clever.” When we imitate someone else, something is passed on. This something is a meme and can be passed on repeatedly until it takes on a life of its own. To be a meme, this passed on something must have been copied. Everything passed from person to person in this way is a meme, including "our vocabulary, skills and habits; the games we like to play, the songs we sing, and the rules we obey." Blackmore makes the case that this ability to imitate is actually “fantastically clever,” differentiating us from all conscious life forms.
Blackmore has expanded or clarified the definition of a meme as - “instructions for carrying out behavior, stored in the brain (or other objects) and passed on by imitation. Imitation includes any method used for the "copying of ideas, or behaviors, from one person to another.” So when we hear a story and then pass it on to someone else, we have copied a meme. When we can’t get a tune out of our heads, we are experiencing memetics at work. Since the imitating machinery of the brain is so advanced, it provides an excellent environment for copying tunes. If a tune is memorable enough to get lodged in our brains and passed on, it easily will. Suppose the song is particularly singable, playable, or memorable. In that case, it will spread to other brains as we rehearse it in our heads repeatedly, referring to it with others when we hear it played or if those who are like me annoyingly hum or whistle the tune everywhere they go.
Blackmore agrees with Brodie - instead of thinking of our ideas as our own creations working for us, it is more appropriate to think of them as autonomous selfish memes working to get themselves copied.
Memes spread themselves around indiscriminately without
regard to whether they are helpful, neutral, or positively harmful
to us. A brilliant new scientific idea or a technological invention
may spread because of its usefulness. Some memes are positively
harmful – like chain letters and pyramid selling.
At this point, I want to be careful to reinforce that memetic science is based on an elaborate analogy. Blackmore is not actually saying that these memes are intentionally doing anything malicious. In the end, it appears to be the case, as our human minds provide fertile soil for growing, maturing, and copying them. Memes that are successful appear to spread and evolve, being perpetually copied in our big brain replication centers during their viable growth period.
Rather than visualizing "sociopathic memes" infecting our lives, I prefer to shift the onus of responsibility for the replication of memes back on us, their human hosts. Indeed, our chaotic, fear-based minds have encouraged and propelled this symbiotic relationship, or some may say parasitical. We, humans, do provide the ideal replicating environment for these memes, which, via memetic selection and human brain attention, appear to drive the evolution of ideas in the interest of the most successful memes continuing to replicate. As we will discuss in a moment, we may do this to understand and substantiate ourselves and the confusing world we encounter.
Memeplexes are groups of memes that come together for mutual advantage, according to Blackmore. We could also say they have had an advantage because they have been presented as a package of ideas. For example, religions, cults, and ideologies work as memeplexes. These memes survive better as part of a group rather than existing alone. When these "like memes" get together, they form a self-organizing, self-protecting structure for related memes - those that are compatible with the group, repelling other memes that are not. In The Meme Machine, Blackmore suggests we think of it as a filter, or boundary, dividing the memeplex from the outside world. According to Blackmore, the ultimate memeplex is our familiar self or selfplex.
The self is a vast memplex – perhaps the most insidious and
pervasive memplex of all. The selfplex permeates all our
experience and all our thinking so that we are unable to see
it clearly for what it is – a bunch of memes.
The selfplex is a great protector of memes, and the more complex the memetic society, the more memes there are fighting to get inside the protection of the self. This selfplex is strengthened the more we, as individuals, take sides, get involved, argue our case, protect our possessions, and have strong opinions and beliefs. When we do so, we bolster “the false idea that there is not only a person (body and brain) talking but an inner self with esoteric things called beliefs.” It may be helpful to understand the ego as the selfplex, with its cohort of memes doing everything possible to direct the show, keeping our thinking and behavior in memetic alignment.
Possibly, it is our innate human desire for safety, security, clarity, and predictability that encourages and motivates us to perpetuate this internal memetic ego charade, latching onto memes that fit some pseudo structure and, by doing so, effectively disguise the chaotic void that represents our consciousness. If so, we need to harness this aspect of consciousness and control our minds, using whatever memes necessary to lessen our debilitating fear, worry, and doubt, which we will discuss in the remainder of this chapter.
Memetic Theory, unintentionally, supports the NewThought notion, firmly held for over two hundred years – that our thoughts are powerful creations. Based on this memetic paradigm, we can think of them as "positive and negative memes,” which we can learn to harness and manage for our own personal, societal, and spiritual good. I would propose using this meme analogy to understand how - Fear, Worry, and Doubt - have mimetically taken root in our minds, possibly sparked by early parental infestations or existing in grander societal, cultural, or religion-based memelexes. As a result, we have been reinforced to incorporate it into our lives.
As we will see in Chapter Twelve – Mind Control Approaches and Techniques - New Thought, along with a number of related spiritual and psychological movements, offers a variety of useful solutions for establishing and perpetuating positive meme control, augmenting the mindfulness and meditation we have already discussed; including, positive thinking, learned optimism, affirmations, journaling, daydreaming, imaging, visualization, acceptance, and surrender – all establishing "positive memes" or thoughts we can learn to harness for our own personal and spiritual good, by giving them an internal life of their own through constant repetition.
In actuality, this entire book, the blog, and especially the Crystal Path are structured to accomplish this mind-clearing and reprogramming effort, enabling participants to live with joy, peace, love, and happiness. And as a result, they achieve their own uniquely personal spiritual enlightenment. Therefore, my posts on the blog are often geared to provide this positive meme generation. Below, I have provided a related post touching on this topic, hopefully setting the proper tone for the following discussion on the meme control of fear, worry, and doubt.
ONE POWERFUL NOTION
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
As we have discussed in the opening section of Chapter Ten, "positive memes” or thoughts are potent creations. Through constant repetition, we can learn to harness their power for our personal and spiritual good by giving them an internal life of their own. Coining my own descriptive phrase, we would do so by using a carefully crafted, positive "MemeMantra."
OK, I am reading a few books regarding Meme Theory. One is MEMES—Exploring New Religions, a free iBook by Andrea Diem-Lane, and the other is The Meme Machine by Susan Blackmore, who has popularized all things memes.
So you may be asking, what does this have to do with today's post? As I was transcribing the note below for Ann this morning, I grew in excitement, waiting for the special wisdom phrase that I was sure would be offered. Instead, I received instructions for creating my own personalized MemeMantra.
The note, which, when I think of it, is also a Meme, instructs us to listen and open ourselves up to the internal guidance that will assist us in building a personalized, affirmative mantra that hopefully will take on a positive meme life of its own.
ONE POWERFUL NOTION - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Today, let us allow a single thought
to inhabit our consciousness, to actually
take hold of our attention, invade our minds
knowing this one notion will set in motion
all the good needed for us to flourish –
to soar – to climb new heights.
Today, let us phrase this powerful thought
into a working mantra – simple but succinct -
delicate but profound – mystical yet
grounded in essential truth, enabling these
words to captivate our attention and
define our existence.
Today, let us listen closely, watch intently,
live heartily, connect ultimately, opening
ourselves up to the whispered message
on the faces of all we encounter,
the universal voice within, ready to share
our unique crafted wisdom, opening our hearts,
minds and Souls to this magnificent thought!
AT BY G. 4.19.2013
I would like us to keep Meme Theory in mind as we proceed on to discuss fear, worry, and doubt, which appear to have a meme-like grip on us, so firm that we assume they are a matter of brain physiology rather than learned or imitated behavior: often used by our chaotic mind to undermine our lives and our flourishing. At the center of our control of consciousness is the necessity to mitigate or reprogram the self-defeating nature of this “Big Three.”
________________________________
TOOLS OF THE EGO
Pleasure and pain, along with the associated
fears linked to each, are the tools of the Ego.
The announcer grabs the microphone, and with his deepest professional wrestling announcer voice, he shouts – “now entering the ring, the henchmen of the Ego, Psychic Entropy, and the Pain–Body, the big three of mental misery - home wreckers, life wreckers, and the true masters of disaster - FEAR, WORRY, AND DOUBT.”
Much of what I believe is successful mind and meme control entails managing our fears, worries, and doubts. Let’s face it: if we do not manage to win this contest with the big three, they will be managing our lives forever. So, who are these menacing figures of doom, and how do we prepare to win the next round?
We will start our discussion with the boss, FEAR, which, as we all know, is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or is a threat. Although notice that at the heart of this definition is the word “belief,” it does not actually have to be the case; it is a belief. When we fear something, we feel fear or anxiety; we are frightened, often expressed as being afraid that something undesirable will occur or be done. This fear response is because our bodies are hardwired to react to life-threatening or painful situations with fear.
Suppose you are alone at night, walking across a dimly lit parking lot, and a stranger is approaching. In this case, your HPA System, the Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal System, kicks in and releases the chemical hormones of dopamine and adrenaline, along with the hormone cortisol - which activates the Amygdala. This roughly shaped almond structure is part of the limbic system of your brain and causes your blood sugar and blood pressure to rise as your digestive system shuts down, allowing the energy boost to be used for fight or flight. As in this case, fear can be based on reality, acting as a basic survival mechanism - often occurring as a response to a specific stimulus – the unidentified stranger in the parking lot. You react to the threat, set off your car alarm as you jump into the car, lock the doors, and the menacing figure takes off.
As we all know, this physiological response aids in our basic survival. The brain's hippocampus stores this fear response experience in our long-term memory for future reference. Fears are usually classified into two types: an “External Fear,” which is caused by something outside of you, which you are strongly motivated to avoid – dark parking lots, snakes, wild animals, reckless drivers, spiders, etc.; or an “Internal Fear,” when the fear is based on a "threat" that is not actually occurring but is believed to be possible in the future. For example, number one on the “Top Ten Greatest Fears List” shown below - compiled by SelfHelp Collective.com, is the fear of flying, resulting in those who are afraid of air travel focusing on the negative possibility of a crash.
TOP TEN GREATEST FEARS LIST
- FEAR OF FLYING
- FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING
- FEAR OF HEIGHTS
- FEAR OF THE DARK
- FEAR OF INTIMACY
- FEAR OF DEATH
- FEAR OF FAILURE
- FEAR OF REJECTION
- FEAR OF SPIDERS
- FEAR OF COMMITMENT
As you review the Top Ten Fears List, notice that some of the fears listed, including flying, heights, the dark, death, and snakes, have some possible, although often remote, natural survival fear factors. But the fear of public speaking, the fear of failure, the fear of intimacy, the fear of rejection, and the fear of commitment have something else happening in this fear process. These “Internal Fears,” represent something inside of us that we link to a negative emotion; for example, fear that has developed from low self-esteem. With most internal fears, we fear an imagined situation that might evoke a painful response.
But in all cases, whether our fear is real or imagined, psychologists tell us we experience the same physical reaction, driving us into a “flight or fight” response. Along with this, our brains have developed a quickfire mechanism that will automatically react with a fear response to any potential threat. We become afraid of a situation where we “might have” a painful fear response. In his book Toward a Psychology Of Being, Abraham Maslow refers to this kind of fear as defensive, protecting our self-esteem. He goes on to state:
We tend to be afraid of any knowledge that could
cause us to despise ourselves or make us
feel inferior, weak, worthless, evil, and shameful.
I believe our egos, or our meme-based selfplexes, play an important role in maintaining the validity of these “self–esteem fears,” using the fear to keep us safe, protected, and most importantly, controlled. We have all experienced the voices in our heads warning us against doing anything that will result in revealing our essential ineptness: such as speaking our minds, being our true selves, asking for what we need or want, and expressing our opinions. These same voices chastise us, often making us physically ill, when we do take a step forward that is not successful or well regarded, always ready to remind us of our “limited place” in the world. Maslow continues to say that this same fear process tends to make us avoid personal growth because even the discovery of our greatness can bring a fear of the “dangers and responsibilities” associated with success.
In her book Fearless Living – Live Without Excuses and Love Without Regret, Rhonda Britten states it succinctly when she clarifies; “fear’s function is to keep you from getting hurt, but in so doing fear keeps you from becoming the best and truest you.” I have had the unique opportunity to attend two presentations by Rhonda Britten on Fearless Living. Rhonda is a dynamic public speaker who was featured as the Life Coach on NBC’s Starting Over and has been a champion in helping others make the journey back to fearless living by reframing their minds and reprogramming their response to fear. Rhonda Britten tells us that in the reality of our self-esteem, diminishing fear – is one central all-powerful belief – the belief that we are not good enough.
Fear’s number one job is to guard you against any
negative feelings that would confirm your worst fear –
that you are not good enough.
In its role as a psychic protector, the ego limits our lives and inhibits our growth by perpetuating these fears. But as Rhonda Britten and most psychologists agree – these fears that have been created by wrongly linked thought and emotion - can also be reset through our will to change our thinking, thus altering our conditioned fear response. Britten points us to our own “Wheel of Fear” - so we can understand what triggers our fear, creates our fear response, and brings out our negative feelings - and by doing so, aids us in avoiding the self-destructive behavior that occurs when our fear is out of control.
Britten; also offers us a way forward by using what she calls the “Wheel of Freedom,“ which starts with identifying our essential nature - the state of being that fuels our passion and gives us an abiding sense of purpose. To do this, we are instructed to choose proactive behaviors, work towards wholeness, and maintain this new state with self–affirming behavior. This approach corresponds with obtaining the ultimate facet of consciousness on the Crystal Path – F7: Live an Authentic Life – a life both fully alive in God and living, thus revealing our true authentic purposeful self, the self we were meant to be before the fear took over, accomplished, in part, by discovering our Divine Self or spiritual mind as described earlier in Chapter Nine.
We will see shortly that this is the same explanation suggested by the Flow research, reinforced by the techniques to be outlined in Chapter Eleven and the focus of the remainder of this book. The Wheel Of Freedom leads to obtaining your rightful joy, peace, love, and happiness, thus establishing – your unique version of heaven on earth.
If internal, self-esteem and fear-control issues are impacting your life, I would recommend all of Rhonda Britten’s books, including Fearless Loving, and her network of “Fearless Living” groups with local meetings around the country – http://www.fearlessliving.org.
IS FEAR A CHOICE?
As I delve into my meditation guidance, I believe the message being conveyed is that we are victims of our own Behavioral Operant Conditioning, usually with our egos mixed somewhere in the fear-creation process. If fear is simply a negative thought or meme we have allowed to take form, then we need to focus our control efforts on getting to the root of the initial fear and reconditioning our response to it. As outlined in this Meditation Guidance below, we also have a “Fear-Center,” which is referred to as our “Collective Fear.” Let’s look at the Divine advice that has been offered regarding approaching the problem of mental fear control, with the essential question being: Do we choose our fears, and if so, why?
FEAR – A CHOICE - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Fear is simply a negative thought accepted and charged with
emotion - allowed to take on a reality of its own through the
failure of our mental diligence and our choice to give it form.
Once formed, this fear expands and grows, feeding its
misinterpretation of circumstances and faulty thinking.
We not only have a Pain-Body, but we also have a “Fear-Center,”
a formal collection of all fears conceived or realized, a place
where each fear is given residence, credence, and a role in our
collective fear. This Center For Collective Fear is sponsored by
our egos, which adroitly use every stored fear as a weapon of
negative reinforcement, reminding us constantly that continued
action, of one sort or the other, will result in realizing one or more
of these fears.
The small group of hyper-vigilant cells leftover from our early
days create scenarios of fear – possibilities of fear – preparing
us for the potential mayhem and destruction, waiting if we are
not fully aware. Now, the fear has blossomed into a potential
nightmare, ruling our behavior, infecting our choices,
and resulting in an ever-present non-reality. Fear must be
attacked by pulling it out of its endless loop – its avalanche-like
growth - into the light of day.
Work to trace back to the original thought – the original cause –
document what it is in every aspect – every nuance – then set
about through positive thought, affirmations, prayer, and
meditation to reframe it and dissolve it. In the end, our fears
are our choices, our pebbles picked up in moments of
unawareness and allowed to fester into boulders – preempting
our abilities to obtain our heaven on earth, our rightful joy,
peace, love, and happiness.
It is never too late to begin to work on clearing away your fear.
NOE BY G. 7.7.2011 9:15 AM
The meditation guidance above directs us to retrace our fears back to the original thought or meme, the actual cause, refusing to accept fear as a given but rather as an end result of faulty conditioning that, with conscious effort, can be dissolved. I would like to underscore this with the Affirmative Thought below:
CHOICES - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Every day, every hour, every moment of our lives
is about choices – making choices between
positive or negative, strength or weakness,
belief or fear, and ultimately, love or apathy.
Let us understand the nature and motivations
of our choices and commit ourselves to those
that build and evolve our lives. Empowering
choices – fulfilling choices – loving choices.
Today let our affirmation and mantra be:
“I am fully aware of every choice and
choose to make only positive,
uplifting, and loving choices.” AT BY G.
As this section reveals, the topic of fear has been a frequent guest during my commutes, often highlighting what I need to do to either evolve through it or dissolve it. As outlined in the Meditation Guidance below, fear, as outlined in the Meditation Guidance below, fear is declared an expression of a lack of belief in myself, my potential, and in God’s support and assistance. This is a repeated theme of my guidance: succumbing to fear signifies our lack of faith. I will also propose that true belief, or faith, is the most potent form of mind control.
FEAR LIMITS JOY AND LIFE - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Fear, all fear, limits your capacity for joy and closes the circle of
opportunity for life. You narrow the options of your life and limit
your life when you fear. Fear inhibits positive cocreation and
removes pathways, opportunities, and possibilities that exist for
you and have been given to you.
Fear itself is a concrete expression of the lack of belief in
yourself and your potential, God’s support and assistance,
and the positive spirit of creation. With each fear, the vision of
your life and its growth close in, and opportunity is lost. Fear
steals joy and enthusiasm and replaces them with anguish,
anxiety, and at times, terror.
Fear is the legacy of parents, family members, religions, and
authority figures who have limited your action and growth by
instilling fear. If your parents’ feared water, they have taught you
to fear water and have passed on their fear. We have inherited
these fears, and now our ego keeps them alive as if they are the
truth.
For example, the fear of water has robbed you of the
beauty of swimming, feeling the cool water against your skin,
floating freely, and enjoying family and friends and experiences
of fun in the water. This fear has robbed you of the pleasure of
full life and the beauty of a physical being in the water. The fear
leaves you on the beach or beside the pool, looking at life
beyond your reach.
Every fear limits your perspective and vision until you see
only a small sliver of life, editing even what remains through
your fear. You need to step into your fears and ask where did
you develop this fear and who helped you build this fear,
create this fear. As a child, you were fearless – full of joy
and life until you were swallowed and devoured by the fears
of your parents, family, and society.
Move into your fear with God holding your hand – release
the fear daily in prayer and meditation – and move step by step
into the fear itself. Learn to swim if water is your fear. Put your
feet into the water and then submerge into your fear. Open the
closet and look for the fear; look under the bed and understand
that fear is just a mental illusion – ego created – to keep you
away from your authentic self.
If you are afraid to speak in public for fear of embarrassment or
ridicule – you lose the joy of expressing yourself – understand
the fear, look at the consequences, and understand the unreality
of this fear. Open yourself to speaking with others, communicate,
and prepare. Take a chance and move into the fear, and you will
overcome it. Know God is with you.
Being overcome by fear – the fear of failure, poverty, not being
accepted, embarrassment, death, illness - only makes these
consequences real and gives them power through the ego to
control you. Fear is the negative, the devil of your ego thought –
say to it
“Get behind me fear - for I walk with God
Who knows no fear - and with God’s strength
And love I will overcome. “
There is truly nothing to fear but fear itself.
NOE BY G. 7.26.2009 10:30 AM
I realize that this is a rather long passage, but I include it because it contains an essential message – the sheer loss of life that is stolen from us by our fears – unfounded fears – fears that, with the right effort, could be overcome. To be writing this book, I have had to overcome a number of my major fears, and this passage above has been an excellent guide along the way. Likewise, the passage underscores that God is our partner – assisting us with clearing away the debris obstructing our authentic, purposeful life.
When we conduct mind control, we are primarily controlling our fears, which our egos often use to direct our behavior and frame our consciousness. Mind control, for the most part, is fear control. Eliminating the impact of fear, you substantially gain control of the ego and regain one's life.
My guidance underscores the need to replace our fears with the belief - to be fearless, as suggested by the Affirmative Thought below:
FEARLESS - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Today, let us be fearless and move with strength, confidence,
and boldness into this day – ready to conquer our
own doubt and stand tall in the face of our challenges and
obstacles.
Today, let us be fearless and know with God, we have the Divine
power to mold the day and all events into our
masterpiece – our work of living art – smiling and self-assured
at every turn and for every step.
Today, let us be fearless and believe we will attract only good,
only positive outcomes, only success, and empower
all we meet and come in contact with – radiating an aura
of pure, productive energy.
Today, let us look this day in the eye and say –
“you are my vehicle for success and
accomplishment and I am ready to excel!”
Today, let us be fearless. AT BY G.
There are many ways to deal with fear:
- We can confront it.
- We can resolve it.
- We can forget it.
- We can just move forward with it in tow.
I would like to republish a blog post that touches on this “in tow” aspect of handling fear, highlighting those who just take their fear, tuck it under their arm, and move on. As the post conveys, perhaps this is the definition of courage.
__________________________________
WHAT COURAGE IS
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
I often thought that those who were courageous were also fearless until I had the chance to meet and work with some very brave people. What I found out is this – what they had that I was missing was the ability to move forward with their fear in tow – to move through their doubt and make their life happen.
Ann is dealing with a major life decision regarding her career, and I can feel her excitement at the possibility of change and new life, mixed with the fear and doubt – the fear of failure – the loss of a well–worn and comfortable old life – the unknown. Letting go of the bar and leaping into the future without a net takes courage, but once we release our hold, we often find we are now truly living and open to receiving our magnificence.
This morning, I meditated and transcribed this note for Ann, for me, and for any of us who are flying over our potential, needing to release our grip and soar.
WHAT COURAGE IS
Today let us realize that courage
is not the absence of fear but
moving forward through our
fear – pushing beyond our doubt
and stepping into the future
waiting for us to arrive.
Today let us realize that courage
is an act of will based on
our Divine knowing – our faith
in what is unseen but waiting
for us to simply reach out.
Today let us realize that courage
is supported by all who have lived
to show us how to rise above
fear and be reborn – to face
the worst only to find the best –
to ascend to our full potential –
our heaven on earth.
Leap and Live! BY G.
____________________________________
As I was preparing to put the finishing touches on this section and waking up Ann so she could go in early for a Manager’s meeting, I heard Ann whistling and singing one of my favorite songs from the King and I musical by Oscar and Hammerstein – I Whistle A Happy Tune, sung by Anna in this wondrous story of love overcoming cultural differences. Ann is using this song to help overcome her fears and worries, which, as we will outline below, have recently become an issue for her.
It is also a song that brings back heartfelt memories of my wonderful Aunt, who would take my sister and me when life became most challenging to her home and entertain us with an abundant selection of show tunes. This was one she often sang to us, dressing up as Anna and performing it as she danced through the house. Looking back, I think she was preparing two very traumatized kids with a song that would shield them going forward. As I write this, tears of thanks, joy, and sorrow stream down my cheeks as I remember this loving and courageous woman, my Aunt, my father’s sister.
Let us call this song forth to assist us in dealing with our fears; when afraid, let us just play the video below and whistle a happy tune.
Listen On YouTube Whistle A Happy Tune https://youtu.be/WGS029Peq7k
Whenever I feel afraid -
I hold my head erect – And whistle a happy tune –
So no one will suspect - I'm afraid.
While shivering in my shoes -
I strike a careless pose – And whistle a happy tune -
And no one ever knows - I'm afraid.
The result of this deception -
Is very strange to tell - For when I fool the people -
I fear I fool myself as well!
I whistle a happy tune -
And every single time - The happiness in the tune -
Convinces me that I'm not afraid.
Make-believe you're brave -
And the trick will take you far.
You may be as brave - As you make believe you are.
Oscar and Hammerstein - I Whistle A Happy Tune Lyrics
But as we all know, there are times when we need to work through a fear that has hold of us and will not let go. The blog post that follows addresses this very topic.
NOTHING TO DREAD - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
I wrote this Affirmative Thought below for Ann, who came home the other day and said that she was feeling a sense of dread as if something dreadful was about to happen. The very word makes me shudder since it carries, at least for me, such a negative vibration.
As we discussed the dread she was feeling, I thought of the Jewish Mystics who follow the Kabbalah and one of my favorite books; God Is A Verb – Kabbalah and the Practice of Mystical Judaism by Rabbi David A. Cooper. It is worth reading if you want to discover where a number of the key New Thought concepts originated. The Kabbalists recommend that whenever you feel estranged, negative, angry, sad, or in any way out of sorts, always ask for assistance. At the first opportunity, whisper to the universe (God) something like:
“I am feeling very fearful and could use
some help to feel better. Please help me.”
The next morning after our discussion, I wrote this note for Ann, and all of us, who sometimes feel a sense of dread at times and need some assistance.
NOTHING TO DREAD - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Today, wake up and know you are always protected
in the hands and heart of God – there is nothing
to fear, for with each step you take, God takes
an equal step, always with you – always enfolding
you in love and safety.
Today, wake and know you have nothing to dread –
God will ensure all problems, issues, or obstacles
will be easily met and overcome – always in your
favor – always with positive outcomes.
Today, in moments of doubt, remember all
who love you, letting God know of your doubt
asking for help – ask for assistance, then feel
as the loving protection unfolds, clearing away
your doubt.
Today, understand you are safe! NOE BY G.
______________________________________
WORRY AND DOUBT - NEVER VERY FAR BEHIND
FIND A BETTER JOB
Now
That
All your worry
Has proved such an
Unlucrative
Business,
Why
Not
Find a better
Job.
THE GIFT - POEMS BY HAFIZ THE GREAT SUFI MASTER
TRANSLATIONS BY DANIEL LADINSKY
When we “worry,” we, by definition, allow our minds to dwell on our difficulties or troubles, which gives way to anxiety or unease. To catch the full psychic meaning of worry, we need only to understand the original Old English meaning of the word, which is “ to choke or strangle.” That is an apt description when you think of it; for sure, when we allow our consciousness to be lost in worry, we are choking or strangling ourselves with this worry. Worry is a state of anxiety and uncertainty over actual and potential problems.
Worry, for many, has developed into a destructive habit. These “professional” worriers often consider their frequent worry sessions to be a constructive approach to problem-solving when, in reality, they are just listening to an endless loop of “what if” statements in their minds - often accompanied with full coverage of the “potential” dire consequences that may result. Ann’s mother was earnest about worrying, often forgoing an outing with the family to stay home and catch up on her worrying. But worry is not just a modern condition; it has been with us through the ages. Jesus dedicated a portion of the Sermon on the Mount to the topic of worry, clearly directing his followers not to worry about life and to trust that God would provide; offering the following beneficial advice:
Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to
your span of life?
So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow
will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is
enough for today.
I would like to highlight three blog posts published as I was writing this section of Chapter Ten on fear, worry, and doubt, which present a real-life example of how worry can infect our consciousness, like a computer virus or, better yet, a meme virus, feeding on our ability to live, and consuming our potential for basic stress-free existence.
CONFRONT WORRY - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
WORRY MANAGEMENT
The brain is hard-wired to worry -
a leftover from our start in the caves –
and like a loyal worker, it must do its job –
but we in management, who have
control of the mind, for the most part,
have a choice to stop responding to
this useless worry and retrain this
small group of diligent cells for more
productive and less painful pursuits. BY G.
I had planned to leave the subject of overcoming fear and the henchmen of fear, worry, and doubt to a later chapter in the book. After some reflection – OK, worry - I decided that without dealing with the big three of mental misery, it seemed as if I was addressing the solution without fully defining the problem. So this week, I decided to go back into what I had written and add a chapter on fear, worry, and doubt - as well as a companion section on faith, which I consider the ultimate and the most effective mind control technique.
As a result, this week has been centered on conveying the message I have received about fear, worry, and doubt during my commutes on the train. I even wrote the brief note above titled Worry Management, which addresses the actual reality of the handful of cells in our brain that keep our worry going, and that require strict management for our own sanity. I emailed this note to my son in Florida and posted it on my personal family Facebook page.
Last night, as we were driving home from dinner at a local restaurant, Ann admitted that she was overcome with worry. Her mind was consumed with worry, and it was making her sick. She would worry about her job, move on to worry about our kids, then to problems with closing her mother's estate, then to our second home, onto her future, then to her health, then my health, then back to her job, going around and around - a virtual rampage of worrying.
She noted that I did not seem to worry much anymore. I agreed but clarified that I worked on fear, worry, and doubt control every day - never leaving it to fester, go unattended, or sneak up on me. I reminded her that I used the New Thought techniques daily, especially affirmations, affirmative prayer, acceptance, and meditation. I also admitted that since accepting my spiritual life purpose, I rarely worry and have faith that all will work out as God has planned.
I suggested that she might want to go back to the basics and revisit the masters of mind control, such as Dale Carnegie and Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, along with key New Thought mind control experts: including Dr. Ernest Holmes, Louise Hay, and the Fillmore's - all of which she had read initially when we first discovered New Thought.
Last night, we reviewed some of the strategies proposed by these experts. Dale Carnegie, in his book titled - How To Stop Worry And Start Living - suggests that we confront our worries and outline what would be the worst thing that would happen if the worry, by chance, did come true, and if it did, was it something we could handle, and if so, why not accept the possibility and end the worrying. We discussed setting up a "Worry Box.” Each day we would list daily worries, release them, and put them in the box to revisit at the end of the week or month to see if any of them were still worries or actually occurred.
In his classic book, The Power Of Positive Thinking, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale suggests a daily cleansing of all worries by going into a meditative or prayer state, relaxing, and then clearing away the worries by throwing them out of your mind - one at a time. Then, just kick them out with your imagination. When finished doing the cleansing, use a faith-based affirmation to help keep the mind clear between sessions. Then, repeat this cleansing of the mind every day - morning, noon, and night until you regain control.
I believe that worrying needs to be controlled and shut down as soon as it happens by confronting each worry with a corresponding positive affirmation, refusing to allow your mind to be impacted negatively. This morning, I wrote Ann the Affirmative Thought below titled - Confront Worry to outline this technique.
CONFRONT WORRY - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Today reframe your thinking and
confront every worry with a counter
affirmation - declaring that the opposite
of your worry will actually occur.
For example, when financial worries
pound you, respond with this counter
affirmation:
“ I am financially secure – money
flows easily and constantly to me.”
For worries of potential failure,
counter with this affirmation:
“ I have, do, and will always succeed,
my success is guaranteed with
God’s help.”
Today reframe your thinking and
confront every worry with a counter
positive affirmation – leave no worry
unaddressed as you establish a counter
phrase for each – meet each worry with
a counter punch, closing each bout of
worry with this affirmation:
“ I am happy, healthy, wealthy
and successful – no worry will
steal my joy!"AT BY G.
__________________________________
MANAGING WORRIES - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
I would like to continue with the topic of worry management that I addressed in my blog post - titled Confront Worry, where I discussed Ann's bout of worry and reviewed some guidance from Dale Carnegie and Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. I also offered my own approach, which involves counterbalancing each worry with a positive thought, effectively replacing the worry loop with an affirmation meme.
Last night, Ann arrived home from work and told me she had read her Affirmative Note numerous times throughout the day to help her regain balance. I told her about my post, and she read it and wrote a response, which is listed below and also published as a blog comment. I commend Ann for her willingness to share her experience so we all can learn to overcome worry.
Ann said...
I am the infamous Ann. I have been overcome with worry.
I have imagined each situation in the worst possible way.
Even small issues have grown into gigantic catastrophes
in my very active mind. However, as G. noted in the
post, I am returning to new thought principles. With his
guidance, I have created some affirmations that I am
repeating each time a worried thought enters my mind.
I keep his daily note in my purse and pulled it out many
times today. I am feeling minimally better and plan
to continue to fill my mind with positive thoughts.
This works, but I must stay diligent in emptying my
mind of negative thoughts and replacing them with
positive ones. This has been a very tough time for me,
but I have faith in the power of positive thinking and
God's love and protection. I will keep you informed
on my progress.
MANAGING WORRIES - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Today consider taking those worries
that can be addressed and eliminated
through purposeful action and put in
place a plan to nullify or reduce
the impact – solve the problem –
clear the issue – and put your mind
at rest.
Today consider taking the worries
that cannot be acted upon and act on
these with acceptance – radical
acceptance – envisioning the worse
possible scenarios and saying:
“With God’s help, I will
overcome any outcome.”
Release the worry and move on
worry-free.
Today consider taking any worries
leftover and letting them go to
God for solving – offering them up
for divine intervention – and simply
wait for the solutions to appear.
Today work to live worry-free!
AT BY G. 9.2.2011
__________________________________
BEYOND WORRY - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
I would like to move beyond the topic of worry and do what all of us must do; just move beyond our worries. Ann has re-immersed herself in the mind control techniques offered by New Thought, focusing on using affirmations as a response to worry. I am putting the finishing touches on my chapter edit, which I am referring to as the "Big Three - Fear, Worry, and Doubt;" which I will publish with a rewrite of Part Three, Mind Control - Control Of Consciousness, including enhanced coverage of mind control techniques and approaches I plan to publish now in a separate chapter.
I have learned a few key points from this experience with Ann, along with the writing of this chapter on mind control. First, we must be diligent in our handling of fear, worry, and doubt, along with all of the related chaos generated by our Psychic Entropy. It requires constant work and the implementation of a mind control strategy that utilizes all the techniques available, including faith and finding our authentic life purpose.
Second, succumbing to fear, worry, and doubt is a choice that we make, although we often believe we may have no choice in the matter. As I have learned from the Psychology of Optimal Experience, we can live in a state of Flow - choosing happiness - just as we can do the opposite and choose a fear state and unhappiness. Again, as in all New Thought approaches, we must accept personal responsibility for not only our thoughts but also our emotions and lives. As the Affirmative Thought below conveys, let us each choose today, and every day, to be the "masters of our universe."
MASTER OF YOUR UNIVERSE - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Wake today refreshed, full of energy,
alive and ready to be the master
of your universe – the positive force
for proactive life that God intended
you to be, saying :
“I have all I need to make
the most of this day –
I will live it fully.”
Move through this day with enthusiasm,
grateful for this opportunity in life,
grateful for all you have to offer
the world – your creativity,
your confidence, your sense of
fairness, your ability to cocreate
good for all concerned.
Live this day with gusto – energy –
touching all you do, and all
those you meet, with your
affirmatively charged spirit –
powering the world with your
positive force!
Energize your life today.
AT BY G. 9.7.2011
__________________________________
Worry and doubt seem to tag-team us most of the time. With “doubt” we feel uncertain about something or someone, questioning the truth or basis in fact. Fear and worry are based on a belief, whereas doubt is based on the lack of belief that someone or something will live up to our expectations. I can doubt your credibility, honesty, sincerity, ability, or motives. Often this feeling of uncertainty, this disbelief, is directed at ourselves and manifests itself in self–doubt when we no longer believe in ourselves. As the note below recommends, doubt, like worry leads to nowhere since both produce little or no real, constructive action.
AVOID THE DOUBT
When things are not right
as you wish them to be
avoid the doubt
and second-guessing
which leads to nowhere –
move instead of encouraging
and recognizing all you have
accomplished and will achieve. BY G.
In the past twelve years, I have changed my life immensely. I have survived four major operations, logging more than 40 hours in life-threatening surgery. I have been disabled and have forged ahead to set up a blog and write a book about finding God. Yet, I have doubted not only my life but my sanity, and when finally understood my mission in life would be to type what I am typing here, I have had to face, daily, many of those fears I listed earlier in this section. Clearing away my doubt was my greatest challenge, requiring me to surrender my fate with full, complete unencumbered belief and commitment. This is expressed in the Meditation Guidance that follows, titled Clear The Doubt, from a Saturday meditation in February of 2010.
CLEAR THE DOUBT - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
First, you must move back to your thoughts and clear away the doubt
that is overtaking you. Know the way has been prepared, and all things
will be as they are meant to be. This is the next step in preparing for
the mission ahead.
Do not waver but move forward with complete faith in the Divinity
that guides you. Why do you doubt - have you not received the
message directly – have you not been given the insight to convey –
to understand and to share?
All things wait for your alignment – do not let doubt and lack of
belief consume you and reset the direction already prepared.
Overcoming doubt is your part of this – belief is your contribution –
the ability to work hard is your share of the partnership.
Move beyond fear, set aside the doubt, and embrace the reality
of your relationship with them all – with God and the world
of the Souls.
In challenging and dark times, you must always see the vision –
the mission and heal yourself. Then, you and only you can heal your
mind, clear away the doubts, and move into the destiny that
awaits – has been prepared – set in motion.
Your job is easy, just convey the message - the connection
with God - and share your notes and feelings. As you do,
the path will be in front of you – just take the next step.
You will survive and prosper.
NOE BY G. 2.27.2010 9:30 AM
As this message conveys, our part in reaching and securing our purpose, our mission, and our authentic life is to clear our doubts and beliefs. This takes focused mind control – focused fear, worry, and doubt control – meme control.
Let’s end our discussion on fear, worry, and doubt with the Meditation Guidance below titled The Way Back, using the guidance offered whenever we lose our way when dealing with our fears and worries and need to find our way back to our heaven on earth.
THE WAY BACK - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Find your way back to peace, love, and joy, for you have lost your
way to the fears and worries, and challenges created by the ego's
desire to triumph. Alter your approach and stop resisting what is
and react to each situation with strong negative emotions.
Let go of your resistance, your frustration, and your need to make
the outcome work, and simply do what you are called to do.
The rest will follow as it is meant to follow.
Continue on and trust God that the way has been prepared –
the cocreation is underway, and all things good and meaningful
are on the way in your life. Understand that your thoughts and
negative emotions are holding you back, your need to please,
to be loved, and to be perfect, are creating interference.
Approach each moment with peace and with love to find
the joy that waits for you. Stop trying to maneuver with action and
simply maneuver with thought. Clear–loving thought - expecting
the best for others and yourself. Breathe in peace – let out love –
find joy. Only by letting go of love and visualizing with love
will you progress.
Know all things are as they should be. Your negative emotions
are impeding progress – let go – release – love. NOE BY G.
I have been blessed while writing this book, frequently coming across a message in my day-to-day life that will support my thinking and serve as an unexpected example. Some may consider these coincidences, but I know they are Divine directions, lending a hand to bring a point home with added significance and gravity. When these small miracles occur, I am often both stunned and thankful for the opportunity to be writing this book with God as my partner. I think you will agree that the blog post below, titled The Way Prepared, provides the final installment of Ann’s journey in the desert of fear, worry, and doubt – landing her and all of us back to the only true solution – faith.
__________________________________
THE WAY PREPARED - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
This month, a significant focus of my writing and my life has been on how to survive the harmful effects of fear, worry, and doubt, with an emphasis on overcoming these "masters of disaster,” what I call the “Big Three,” by utilizing mind control approaches and techniques, many developed over the past two hundred years by New Thought practitioners. I have finished a section on the "big three," and it is being added to a rewrite of Chapter Ten now titled Controlling Fear, Worry, and Doubt, and will be followed up with Chapter Eleven, which will focus on mind control approaches and techniques. Both are soon to be published on the blog.
Those who have been following my posts will know that as I was writing this material, Ann has been having a major bout of fear, worry, and doubt, which has been detailed in three posts this month, one titled Confront Worry, the next titled Managing Worries, and a then final post titled Beyond Worry. In these posts, both Ann and I describe what was happening, the techniques she was using, and her progress.
Over the past two weeks, Ann has re-immersed herself in affirmations and prayer, reading Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, Dr. Ernest Holmes, Dale Carnegie, and Louise Hay's book I Can Do It, along with my notes, to stem the tide of confusion and gain control of her mind. As a result, we have avoided focusing on these issues in our daily talks and have centered our discussion on other, more positive topics as she does the mind control work needed.
Last night, we went out to eat after Ann's all-day manager's meeting, and all seemed well, never mentioning any problems. Although Ann's sleep was a little more fitful than usual, she seemed to be sleeping well. Actually, she was suffering and spent two hours in bed praying to God, asking for assistance with her mind control issues, telling God she needed a sign that assistance was on the way, that God and all the angels were prepared and had a plan for her life.
When Ann woke up this morning, as she was showering, she reminded God that she needed a sign today showing that the way had been prepared through God’s grace. When she got out of the shower, she saw a white object on the bathroom floor and thought it might be a feather, considered by many as a sign from God and all the angels that they are on the job. It was not.
I wake Ann up every morning with her tea and an Affirmative Note that I write for her each day. Today I was up at 5:30 AM since I am now practicing an hour-long meditation using a popular program, which promotes deep meditation. I finished up just after 7:00 AM, got my coffee, and sat down to write Ann's note. When I begin Ann’s note I usually pray to God for assistance, letting God know this note is for Ann. Often I get a clear response, but sometimes I have to write it on my own.
Today I heard a clear line in my head - "trust in God's plan for you, knowing the way has been prepared." I thought, oh no, sounds like another generic note that Ann may not relate to. I asked again and got the same line, and again, and the same line came. I gave up and said OK, I guess this is the note, and wrote the first line down and then waited for the next line. I transcribed the note in about ten minutes after debating some wording.
I usually write a line at the end of the note, I start with Ann's nickname - "Scrunchie," and then a line came to me - I wrote, "Scrunchie - trust the way has been prepared through God's grace." I wasn't sure why I wrote it, but I was running out of time, and it looked like it fit. So, I copied the note on the printer for my files since I often publish better notes on the blog. Then, I made Ann's tea, and I remember thinking as I woke her up - this note won't hit the mark - and I left it with the tea on the night table.
Ann finished her shower and went into the bedroom to dress, and although she usually reads the note after she gets dressed, she grabbed the note to read. A few moments later, Ann was in the doorway of our library in her rob with tears in her eyes and the note outstretched in her hands. She held up the note and asked, what were you thinking when you wrote this? I thought to myself, OK, maybe it's a lame note but why the tears? I answered that I always pray, and meditated before writing her note, asking for God's assistance. I admitted that I was a bit disappointed because I just got this same line over and over about preparing the way for her. I said I know it's generic, but that's what I got.
She smiled through her tears and said, you don't understand - this is my sign! This is what I asked God for last night - for two hours, I prayed, asking for a sign that God had a plan and had prepared the way. Then she said, the last line you wrote at the end of the note for me about grace - I asked God for his grace! The goosebumps and tears overtook me, and I began to cry with her, and we hugged.
I said, Scrunchie, you have gotten your sign, and I guess I have been given one too! Although she was late for work, we talked about every detail conveyed in the note and discussed how God has a plan for each of us if only we believe. Here is the simple note that has restored Ann's faith and left me in awe.
THE WAY PREPARED - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Today trust in God’s plan for you
knowing the way has been prepared –
the seed has been planted
to enable you to grow towards
your full potential and blossom
into the perfect being of love.
Today trust in God’s partnership
with you – the powerful cocreative
force working to align with you and
attract into your life the joy, peace,
love and happiness, you are meant
to achieve – the magnificence you
deserve – the heaven that has
always been prepared.
Today trust in your connection with God –
reaching into your breathing God
within – becoming one with your
true Divinity – opening your life
to the waiting splendor –
your perfect life alive.
Trust the way has been prepared
through God’s grace.
AT BY G. 9.22.2011
With this message, I believe it is a perfect time to close this second chapter of Part Three – Mind Control - The Control Of Consciousness with a discussion of the importance and impact of belief, faith, and trust on our mind/meme control efforts.
BELIEF, FAITH, TRUST, AND MIND CONTROL
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen. – Hebrews 11.1
I turn from all fear; turn joyously and resolutely to faith,
realizing that light is immune to darkness - Ernest Holmes
Although I will offer a full chapter on the topic of mind control approaches and techniques, coming up next - nothing will be as effective in controlling the Psychic Entropy; nullifying the Pain–Body; dissipating our fears; ending our worrying; overcoming our doubt, and weeding out the unproductive memes that leave us frightened, often in despair: as the pure power of actual belief. Personally, above all, adding faith back into my life has accomplished wonders to reduce my fear, worry, and doubt, as my trust in God becomes stronger. The antithesis of fear, worry, and doubt is belief, faith, and trust. Believe in a God and a universe plotting to do you good rather than harm. A belief in “pro-noia” rather than “paranoia.” I have selected the following Meditation Guidance to start off this discussion and clarify what I mean by the terms belief, faith, and trust.
BELIEF, FAITH, AND TRUST - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Belief is trust - trust in God - trust in life - trust in yourself - trust
in others that you feel deeply, emotionally, and thoroughly.
Belief centers on knowing what you think and cocreate with God
will manifest and become real. It is trust that positive consequences
will result in the end, even if they are less than apparent now.
Belief is trust in yourself - that you have the skills, abilities, and
talents to make it happen. Belief based on trust is the essence of
faith. For to have faith you must suspend disbelief and fully trust
in the positive outcome.
Faith is empowering and overpowers any obstacle, challenge,
or dis-ease that you are experiencing at the moment.
Faith is truly the elixir of God and it will intoxicate you with
power, poise, and purpose. In addition, faith will quiet your ego
and fears and allow you to securely take whatever leap of faith
is required at the moment. In the end, fear is merely faith in negative
consequences.
Belief with trust is faith in the infinite, the ultimate, the always present,
and the potential good that awaits.
Trust in God – Trust in Life - Trust in Yourself and your faith will
make you whole!
NOE BY G. 2.12.2010 8:25 AM
As the Affirmative Thought below suggests, the struggle between belief and fear is an internal mind control struggle, and we are advised to snuff out fear with belief.
BETWEEN BELIEF AND FEAR - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
As our minds move between belief and fear –
which is the only true struggle between good and evil –
we must look to God for assistance and support.
For God is within us and will help us align
our thoughts - or, if needed – take the burden on for us.
First, take your fear and smother it with full belief –
snuff it out by turning it over to God
and moving on. Affirm your belief by saying:
"With God, I have the power to overcome all
obstacles and create a peaceful, fearless life."
I know intuitively if I were to really believe – fully believe – I could literally move mountains, heal myself, and manifest any desire into creation. All this requires faith as described below – those positive outcomes are our intended and only viable destination.
FAITH - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
It is faith that is the foundation of belief –
faith that positive outcomes are our intended
and only viable destination, faith that we are
destined to receive our greatest good if we
are willing to let go of the reins and trust
that the momentum of God’s grace will lead
us there.
Have faith today in the magic that surrounds
us, the order of natural laws including the
law of God’s love set in motion to carry us
through even our darkest hours, our own
doubt, to carry us to the dream waiting
but yet realized.
Let us quiet our minds today and return to
our abundant faith, letting the worries
dissolve, and the fears dissipate as we return
to our core belief in the greater good and love
of the universe – God’s love continually unfolds.
AT BY G. 5.25.2012
LIMITLESS - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
Last week I went to see the film, Limitless, dubbed an American techno-thriller starring Bradley Cooper, who portrays Eddie Mora, a demotivated Sci-Fi writer living in New York City, who is offered an illegal drug, NZT-48, which promises to expand brain capacity from the usual 20 percent used by most of us daily, to a full 100 percent. Although Eddie is quickly addicted to NZT, he moves from rags to riches with spell-bounding speed. I enjoyed the film even though I could have done without a few of the intensely violent scenes.
Limitless seems to appeal to our modern-day cultural bias towards curing all that ails us physically or mentally with medication. But, just take this pill, and it will all be better. When I discussed the movie with my son, he quickly commented on how he really wished there was a real drug like NZT–48 and how much his life would certainly improve by taking it.
I began to think about the New Thought belief that we already have limitless powers through the Law of Mind Action and Attraction if we would only recognize and learn how to use them properly. Mastering these powers may not be as impactful, or as quick as medication, but the side effects are surely less dangerous. What if we truly believed it would change our lives by controlling our own thought processes? Would we be limitless?
As I do with Ann each morning, I often write my son a brief Affirmative Thought via email, and this morning I could not resist making this point. I do believe we have the power to change our lives through the actual interpretation of our lives. I also believe my son could create the life of his desires if he would believe it was possible. I haven’t heard any comments from him but I am sure he will say, “oh great, but I would rather have the pill."
LIMITLESS
Today realize you have the power to be limitless –
to live your life with vigor and intensity – to excel
at all you do and utilize your capacity to the fullest
simply by committing to do so without question –
without a doubt – fully believing in your potential
with all your heart, mind, and soul. BY G.
_______________________________
Except for a handful of great mystics, few have touched and harnessed the full power of belief. The Meditation Guidance below takes us into this world of the total capacity of belief, offering us a definition of belief and insight into the internal battles that wage within us as we approach its power.
POWER OF BELIEF - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Believe, and it will be true – it will be created – manifested into full
form – a full life. Simply believe. Belief is a full alignment of all focus
and vibration – of your energy – your creative Soul energy - it takes
a tremendous act of clarity and focus. Belief requires that competing
forces in your mind and soul do not question but fully support the
effort – totally – completely.
Otherwise “doubt” splits the focus like a wedge and impedes the
movement to total belief. What is “doubt” but the competing
ego-driven voices of fear and insecurity? The ego shouts –
“How could this be true – how could you move the mountain.
You are crazy! You need help!”
It is your job and in your self-interest to re-indoctrinate the ego –
soothe it and retrain the voice in your head to seek the safety of
total belief and clarity in pursuit of the prize of enlightenment.
Utilize the ego and team with the ego in the pursuit of full and
total belief. Belief in yourself and your capacity for cocreation –
your capacity to harness the power and create your heaven on
earth.
NOE BY G. 11.7.2009 9:20 AM
As we all know, the challenge is finding and holding onto a belief, especially as the conflicts and chaos of our minds - generated by Psychic Entropy, the Pain-Body, the Ego, and our fears - often distort and confuse reality and our potential. In the following Meditation Guidance, titled Find Belief, we are given some additional pointers, noting again that without belief there is only doubt, fear, and imbalance. We are to foster; nurture, and become belief itself.
The focus of this guidance is on wellness – in direct response to the symptoms I was experiencing from my brain tumor that was creating havoc in my life. This guidance aided me in surviving these bouts of fear and doubt, and along with intensive prayer and meditation, I was able to move forward, deciding to schedule the surgery that I had delayed. It is just this level of belief that we will need when we consider spiritual healing.
FIND BELIEF - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
If you do not believe it will not be. Without faith in God - without a
spirit of belief – and fully knowing what you want will be received -
then there is no manifestation. Foster, nurture, and become belief
itself. To become well – and return to God's complete and pure physical
form and creation – you must believe it is possible.
Without belief, there is only doubt, fear, and imbalance. To be well
you must believe in wellness with all your heart and Soul –
expecting wellness and the return to the pure, clear crystal form
of your authentic self.
Belief is not simple. The ego has a thousand reasons why you
will not obtain what you want. Belief is the ego's enemy,
which promotes logic and wants you to believe that your
world is out of control.
Believe - have faith – know that all you desire – health,
wealth, and an authentic life has been delivered and awaits for
you to receive. Watch your ego that works against receiving.
Entirely focus on love, acceptance, joy, and abundance; you will
then be prepared to receive. Align your emotions and tune into
the receipt and you will receive.
Release your fear – for, at times of poor health, fear can be
consuming. Believe in wellness, and you will be healed.
Imagine only your healed whole state – visualize – fantasize
and experience the emotions of wellness you will receive.
Live by the light – the Heartlight.
NOE BY G. 1.30. 2008 7:30 AM
Believing when we are in the midst of great suffering takes exceptional focus and faith, but it is precisely at this time that we need our belief most. I turn for help from my favorite bluegrass gospel duo, Jeff and Sheri Easter, whose exceptional CD Expecting Good Things – was written as Sheri recovered from breast cancer and personifies this level of belief. The closing song of this CD, Hear My Heart, written by Sherri at the height of her trials with cancer, clearly demonstrates her faith during a period of tremendous pain and suffering, overcoming her doubt and asking God to simply hear her heart.
Listen to Hear My Hear On YouTube Above Or Download From iTunes
HEAR MY HEART
Sometimes I feel no one’s ever been in this place before
This is hard – And I’m not sure that I can do this anymore
I know someday I’ll look back all of this won’t seem real
But lord right now I need you to know just how I feel
Chorus:
When there are no words to say – And no prayer I can pray –
Hear my heart – When I don’t have the strength to try
And I’ve cried all I can cry – Hear my heart
Cause you know every fear – And every doubt I cannot speak
You know all the ways I need you – And all the ways I am weak
So I’ll be quiet so you can hear my heart.
Every now and then I recall a simple phrase or melody
It comforts, and it quiets, lifts me up, and then it carries me
Far above the pain and hurt, I think will never end
The song speaks words I cannot and calms the fears within
Repeat the chorus-
Lord, I’ll be quiet so that you can hear my heart.
At these times, we must literally use our faith as the Affirmative Thought below suggests.
USE YOUR FAITH - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Use your faith to guide you and see you through –
to clear the path, make the way – open the door
to a clearer vibration – a whole and abundant life.
Know in your heart and Soul that your highest
and the best life is being prepared for your living.
Use your faith to marshal your mind and
overcome fear, worry, and doubt - replacing it
with the power, purpose, and poise -
your transcendent belief has been created for you
to embody – to energize and propel you
to your rightful and ordained heaven on earth.
Use your faith as a compass to draw you back
to full balance – peaceful existence –
aligned with all the good and wonderful life
God has in store for you – keeping you on
a steady course to your magnificence.
AT BY G. 2.5.2010
__________________________________
I would like to close this discussion regarding belief, faith, and trust with an Affirmative Thought titled Simply Believe, knowing full well we will return to this topic many times before we end this mind control discussion and this book. The main ingredient of true enlightenment, in my opinion, is belief – belief in God, belief in joy, belief in love, belief in peace, and belief in happiness – belief in our ability to obtain heaven on earth.
SIMPLY BELIEVE - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Simply believe, and it shall be. Belief based in
love is the true power of the universe,
providing the strength to move mountains
or clear away the fears of your ego –
the power to create your
heaven on earth.
Simply believe and your vision of a full life
will unfold and become a reality –
your purpose will be clear
your mission revealed.
Simply believe in yourself and the assistance
of your divine guidance, and you will
move forward easily and
without strain.
Simply believe and live this day knowing
the way has been prepared
and all is well.
Simply believe! BY G.
___________________________________________________
As we bring this second of three chapters of our Part Three Mind Control - Control of Consciousness discussion to a close, I have included one of the upbeat numbers featured on the Expecting Good Things CD, Over The Mountain, for when you have met whatever challenge you may be facing through your belief, faith, and trust and you are headed on over that mountain.
Listen to Over The Mountain Above On YouTube Or Download it From iTunes
FEAR, WORRY, DOUBT AND
RELATED MEME CONTROL
I have introduced the theory of Memetics in this chapter because it offers us an excellent analogy for understanding our own internal “big-brained” thought environment, one that has the capability to create usable languages so we can better understand the life instructions we are expected to copy or emulate. Whether it is the physiology of the brain, or the motivational desire to emulate, our human internal worlds have been created one potent meme at a time. But for many of us, we have overlooked our systems programming responsibility, possibly overcome by the most destructive meme virus of all time – simply put - "if we think it, it must be true, viable, correct, and worthy of doing or following."
As I hope you have discovered in the first two chapter offerings of Part Three, nothing could be further from the truth, especially when we are plagued with the “Big Three of Mental Misery” – Fear, Worry, and Doubt - which must be managed in order to obtain successful mind control. Here are some key memes that we might want to incorporate into our memeplex.
- Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous. There are two types of fear.
- External Fear is caused by something outside of us, which we are strongly motivated to avoid – dark parking lots, snakes, wild animals, reckless drivers, spiders, etc.
- Internal Fears, such as the fear of public speaking, the fear of failure, the fear of intimacy, the fear of rejection, and the fear of commitment, represent fears of something inside of us that we link to a negative emotion; we are being afraid of an imagined situation that might evoke a painful response.
- The HPA System – The Hypothalamic – Pituitary – Adrenal System provides a physiological response to fear that aids in our basic survival. The brain's hippocampus stores this fear response experience in our long-term memory for future reference.
- Abraham Maslow, in his book Toward A Psychology Of Being, refers to Internal Fears as defensive, protecting our self-esteem. “We tend to be afraid of any knowledge that could cause us to despise ourselves, or to make us feel inferior, weak, worthless, evil, shameful.”
- Fear is simply a negative thought that we have allowed to take form, and we need to focus our control efforts on getting to the root of the initial fear, and reconditioning our response to it.
- To catch the full psychic meaning of worry, we need only to understand the original Old English meaning of the word, which is “ to choke or strangle.” When we allow our consciousness to be lost in worry, we are basically choking or strangling ourselves with this worry.
- Worry and doubt seem to tag-team us most of the time. With “doubt,” we feel uncertain about something or someone questioning the truth or basis in fact.
- Fear and worry are based on a belief, whereas doubt is based on the lack of belief that someone or something will live up to our expectations.
- Based on the guidance, fear is a direct communication to God that we do not believe the way will be prepared. Fear is the lack of faith. Fear comes from lack and not from abundance, hope, or trust. No love or kindness can be emitted by fear - no Soul thrives or expands.
- Nothing will be as effective in controlling the Psychic Entropy, nullifying the Pain–body, dissipating the Fear Center, ending our worrying, and overcoming our doubt as to the pure power of actual belief. We are advised to snuff our fear with belief.
Using the memetic paradigm as a guide, we are instructed that the ego is a large collection of related memes that team together for joint survival, giving us an appearance of a consistent self, referred to by Dr. Susan Blackmore in her book The Meme Machine, as a “Selfplex.” This selfplex, as we know, takes on a life of its own, intertwining an assortment of key fears, worries, and doubts to maintain credible existence, memes we have learned through parental, societal, cultural, or religious memeplexes, through meme imitation, or what I will call “memeitation.”
Along with the techniques and approaches to be covered in Chapter Eleven, Mind Control Approaches, and Techniques, offered next, we must use the tools of meditation, affirmative prayer, mindfulness, and positive thinking - supported by our faith, belief, and trust in God - to reprogram our errant selfplex and rid ourselves of this needless and disruptive fear, worry, and doubt.
___________________
CLOSING NOTE ON ENLIGHTENMENT
Looking directly into your fears, worries, and doubts takes courage because often teamed with these sentiments is the deep well-spring of what I call “the unforgiven” – a collection of self-considered atrocities, mistakes, or missteps that your ego, or selfplex, has learned to use to bring you to your knees when you stray too far from central control. Take some time and make a thorough list or inventory of every issue that comes to mind now or when you are most vulnerable that would benefit from self-forgiveness. To avoid the guilt, shame, or remorse card from being waged against your effort, you surely need to have completed this self-forgiveness work as outlined in the meditation guidance below.
FORGIVE YOURSELF NOW - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Forgive yourself for not being perfect – for not doing, saying, acting,
or thinking as you think you should - or as the controller in your
mind wishes you to behave.
Forgive yourself for all the mistakes you have made in the past –
all of the missteps – the wrong directions - all the blunders
that appear today to be so clear and avoidable.
Forgive yourself for all the pain you have caused yourself and
others – the pain you have caused your children – and free
yourself of the guilt and turmoil.
Forgive yourself for the missed opportunities - for the poor
choices - for the things you have done, if better thought
out, you would not have done.
Forgive yourself for any evil that you think you may have
created and/or caused - and free yourself from the anguish
of these deeds.
Forgive yourself as God has forgiven you - knowing each step
was essential for your growth and understanding.
Forgive yourself and love yourself again – knowing you have
done your best and always had the best of intentions in mind.
Forgive yourself and release all the pain, guilt, and anguish
now and forever.
Now, breathe the fresh breath of a clear Soul.
NOE BY G. 7.2.2010 8:55 AM
________________________________
CLOSING AFFIRMATIONS
As we discussed, affirmations are positive statements announcing to God – the universal mind – and to your own subconscious mind how you view the world and what you expect to occur during the day or in your life. It is a powerful way to use the Law of Mind Action or Attraction to frame your reality and set positive expectations.
It is essential to have a handful of effective affirmations to use when combating fear, worry, and doubt when they manifest in your consciousness, often at your least guarded moments. Many of the affirmative thoughts I have already offered in the chapter are useful in this effort; including the following,
“I am fully aware of every choice and
choose to make only positive,
uplifting, and loving choices.”
“Get behind me fear - for I walk with God
who knows no fear - and with God’s strength
and love I will overcome.“
“With God’s help, I will
overcome any outcome.”
"With God, I have the power to overcome all
obstacles and create a peaceful, fearless life."
“ I have, do, and will always succeed,
my success is guaranteed with God’s help."
I wrote the affirmation below as a self-reminder of my inner Divine resources, which, when teamed with the pure power of belief, provide a personal shield from the effects of fear, worry, and doubt.
I AM SHIELDED
No fear, worry, or doubt can impede my progress for
I am shielded and protected by the pure power of
triumphant belief in my inner Divine resources,
living and breathing through me and with me,
propelling me safely forward and beyond, instilling
my every cell with amazing strength, fortitude,
and inspiration. BY G.
__________________________________
Our minds control discussion continues with Chapter Eleven – with a comprehensive review of the essential mind control approaches and techniques, including positivity, learned optimism, music-based mind control, acceptance, and non-resistance; maintaining an “affirmative mental attitude,” along with a review of popular New Thought mind control approaches and techniques: - the effective use of affirmations, envisioning or imagining, surrender, Golden Keying, and gratitude.
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