PRESENTING THE BLOG BOOK
CHAPTER ELEVEN - MIND CONTROL APPROACHES AND TECHNIQUES
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 CRONK
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______________________________
Our mind 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.
PART THREE MIND CONTROL - THE CONTROL OF CONSCIOUSNESS
CHAPTER ELEVEN - MIND CONTROL APPROACHES
AND TECHNIQUES - CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
UPSTREAM AGAIN - SPIRITUAL POEM
NEUTRON DANCE – POINTER SISTERS BREAK OUT YouTube LINK BELOW
FEATURING COMPLETE RADICAL ACCEPTANCE - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
ACCEPTANCE VS RESISTANCE
FEATURING ACCEPTANCE-MEDITATION GUIDANCE
SHOULD AND MUST
DR.ELLIS - RATIONAL EMOTIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY - REBT
UNCONDITIONAL LIFE ACCEPTANCE - ULA
FEATURING WAKE CLEAR - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
AFFIRMATIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE
A TOLTEC WAY TO AN AFFIRMATIVE ATTITUDE
FEATURING EVERY WORD - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
FEATURING RESTART/ RENEW/ RE-ENERGIZE - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
FEATURING ATTEND TO THE DETAILS - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
FIRST AGREEMENT – BE IMPECCABLE WITH YOUR WORD
SECOND AGREEMENT – DON’T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY
THE THIRD AGREEMENT – DON’T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS
THE FOURTH AGREEMENT – ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST
MUSICAL MEMES AND MIND CONTROL
AMOS LEE YOUTUBE VIDEO LINK FOR FLOWER BELOW
Steven Halpern with Silvia Nakkach In The Om Zone 2.0, Link Below
Steven Halpern Crystal Bowl Healing 2.0
Steve Halpern Gifts From The Angels (Wordless Angelic Choir)
Steve Halpern Chakra Meditation Music
French Taize Community, featuring chanting and choral movements
based on key Christian themes. YouTube Video Below.
Putumayo Presents A Jewish Odyssey - below
NEW THOUGHT APPROACHES AND TECHNIQUES
THE EFFECTIVE USE OF AFFIRMATIONS
ONE PHRASE OR THOUGHT – AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT - DAILY POST
YOU UNLEASHED AND READY – AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT - DAILY POST
AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHTS FOR ANN
POWERWASH AWAY – AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT - DAILY POST
POWERHOUSE AFFIRMATIONS
TODAY I AM – MEDITATION GUIDANCE - DAILY POST
CREATING A LIFE ACTION PLAN
G.’S AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PLAN AND CONTRACT FOR SUCCESS
NEVILLE ENVISIONING - NEW THOUGHT IMAGINING
FEATURING ENVISION LIFE – MEDITATION GUIDANCE
DAYDREAM PERFORMED ON THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW MARCH 1967BELOW
LISTEN TO DREAMED OF RAIN BELOW, OR DOWNLOAD IT FROM ITUNES.
LETTING GO AND LETTING GOD
FEATURING LET GOD - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
FEATURING LETTING IT GO – DAILY POST - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
FEATURING PRACTICAL AND MYSTICAL SURRENDER-MEDITATION GUIDANCE
FEATURING STEP INTO THE STREAM - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
GRATITUDE AND APPRECIATION
BE THANKFUL – DAILY POST - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
FEATURING THANK GOD - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
FEATURING POSITIVE ASPECTS - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
FEATURING MORE POSITIVE ASPECTS DAILY POST
SPIRITUAL CONTROL OF CONSCIOUSNESS
FEATURING DIVINE SELF BLOOMING - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
WRAP - UP FOR CHAPTER ELEVEN
______________________________
PART THREE MIND CONTROL - THE CONTROL OF CONSCIOUSNESS
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MIND CONTROL
APPROACHES AND TECHNIQUES
UPSTREAM AGAIN - SPIRITUAL POEM
Where am I in this?
Fighting the current –
ripping the skin from my fingers
as I frantically pull and tug
with the oars that cut the air
only to be washed by the spray.
The Golden Key hangs
from my neck like a noose.
Abraham, with the chorus
of non-physical beings laugh
as each drop of sweat
appears and joins the flow.
I pant, then laugh like
a mystic who has missed
the metaphysical point.
My fingers slip from the
oars, and I release and relax.
POEM BY G. 1.4.2008
Let’s take a moment and lighten up again as the commuters, tourists, and business travelers rush about the DC Union train station, locating trains, shopping, buying snacks for the ride home, or keeping track of the time as they dine at one of the upscale restaurants. It has been a hot and steamy city day, and no one seems to be in the mood to play. But a hip-looking teenager - hits a boom box and begins dancing as the station is alive with the Pointers Sisters singing their 1984 top-twenty hit - Neutron Dance. Suddenly, everyone pauses - even the station police – breathing a sigh of relief as they start to tap, sway, and finally, are all up and out dancing to an anthem of misery ending in acceptance and hope. Then, with the lyrics punching the air as the party begins, we are told the story of woe:
Watch the Neutron Dance Above On YouTube Or Download it From iTunes.
NEUTRON DANCE – POINTER SISTERS
I don't want to take it anymore
I'll just stay here, locked behind the door
Just no time to stop and getaway
‘Cause I work so hard to make it every day
Whoo oooh - Whoo oooh
There's no money falling from the sky
'Cause a man took my heart and robbed me blind
Someone stole my brand-new Chevrolet
And the rent is due, I got no place to stay
Whoo oooh - Whoo oooh
(chorus)
And it's hard to say
Just how some things never change
And it's hard to find
Any strength to draw the line
I'm just burning doin' the neutron dance
I'm just burning doin' the neutron dance
Industry don't pay a price that's fair
All the common people breathing filthy air
Roof caved in on all the simple dreams
And to get ahead your heart starts pumping schemes
(chorus)
Whoo oooh - Whoo oooh - I'm on fire - I'm on fire
(chorus)
I know there's a pot of gold for me
All I got to do is just believe
I'm so happy doin' the neutron dance
And I'm just burning doin' the neutron dance
I'm so happy doin' the neutron dance
I'm just burning doin' the neutron dance.
The Neutron is a subatomic particle with no net electric charge - a mass slightly larger than that of a proton - which physicists have fashioned into an enormously potent nuclear weapon, emitting neutron radiation no one can escape. So in our train station fantasy, the physicists we have been quoting join us, moving right along with the beat as the litany of lyrical complaints end with acceptance and hope – “I know there’s a pot of gold for me ... All I got to do is believe" so OK, everybody let’s sing – "I’m so happy doing the neutron dance! I’m so happy doing the Neutron dance!”
You may be thinking, “Hey, wait a minute, G., you have missed the point of this whole song. The Neutron Dance, clearly conveys that heaped on top of our day-to-day problems - lost love, crime in the streets, poor pay, overwork, and yeah, add in the two-hour commute. We also have to live under the constant threat of the Neutron Bomb, or one of its relatives, which I will remind you, that the spiritual physicists you quote developed the science to create.” OK, I would again have to agree, but refer you to the solution offered in the final stanza of the song – “All I Got To Do Is Just Believe.” I would add - all you got to do is accept your reality and work from there. Given the reality of most of our lives, it requires, what the Affirmative Note below describes as - “complete radical acceptance!”
COMPLETE RADICAL ACCEPTANCE - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Today, let us wake up and see our lives as they are –
perfect, abundant, and magnificent – releasing
the expectation of some other life by coming to terms
with what is now – through complete acceptance.
Today, let us, through radical acceptance, declare that we
are where we should be – want to be – and need to be
at this moment and be thankful.
Today, through full, complete, radical acceptance, refuse
to resist what is in our present and see the challenges
as tools for growing, resolving, and becoming more
authentic and healed.
Today, we shake off the illusion of discontent created by our
egos and proceed with complete and total intent.
Today, live purposefully and at peace! AT BY G.
_____________________________
ACCEPTANCE VS RESISTANCE (REBT)
The pursuit of mind control centers on our ability to fully accept the life we are living now: rather than resisting what is appearing in our day-to-day world. To “accept” is to say “yes” to what is happening, understanding its importance in our lives. Even when our life is not what we had planned or desired, it plays a crucial role in setting the contrast and showing us what we truly want to attract and manifest instead. This is not passive acceptance; of course, we will take this contrast and work diligently to change what is changeable, but for now, today, let us stop the rampage of our egos and accept what is! This current life will also provide insight into what mind control work we need to undertake, including fully comprehending and overcoming the fears and pitfalls the ego may be creating to sabotage our progress. The phrase “radical acceptance" emphasizes that this is not easy but takes tremendous strength and courage.
What is our usual chaotic mind response – “resistance” - the force of the ego fighting against what is - what exists – and telling us it is not what we deserve, that others have gotten more, and we have been overlooked. Resistance is dragging us through life focused on the negative, even as we continue to manifest the same or more negative into our lives. Acceptance allows us to accept the playing field – using it as a positive foundation for moving forward with cocreating from this point; rather than resistance, which culminates in frustration, disappointment, bitterness, turmoil, and constant stress inhabiting our minds and lives. Likewise, acceptance also nullifies the power of the ego, which is a viable first step towards obtaining joy, peace, love, and happiness – heaven on earth.
If our life is based on resistance or non-acceptance, we run the risk of sitting frustrated amid paradise: because, for the ego, there is never enough. We need to focus instead on appreciation, thankfulness, and gratitude. One way to do this is to keep a mental or written list of everything we appreciate and find positive, enjoyable, and wonderful about our lives - replacing thoughts of lack with thoughts of plenty – appreciating the positive aspects of all we have and encounter. This will ensure attracting more of what we love rather than the opposite. We need to move towards acceptance, non-resistance, and full appreciation of each thought.
I have found that during my commutes, God has echoed this message of acceptance and non-resistance, often responding to my ongoing battle with my ego and my desire to be some other me rather than this me I am at that moment. God, over the years, also has found me often resisting and fighting my actual reality, creating stress over not being or having or experiencing something else. For example, I transcribed this note below a week before my nine-hour lumbar reconstruction surgery. I was in pain and overcome with self-doubt and fear; as you can imagine, acceptance for me was not only radical but was required if I was to survive the ordeal.
ACCEPTANCE - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
You must strive to accept who you are, where you are,
and what you are, to find peace and learn that
these experiences in your life do not fully define your
life. These experiences are challenging, frustrating
and at times - appear insurmountable but are only
momentary – temporary – and your fear focus makes
them incomprehensible when they are really merely
a moment in time.
Placing your self-worth on these experiences is
foolish and leads you only to anxiety, frustration,
and hopelessness. You are not what you experience –
you are not less because what you are attempting does
not work out as planned. Living this way only leads to
turmoil and a roller coaster of emotions and self-doubt.
You cannot judge yourself by the success or failure
of your life, for these are short-lived – transitory – and
have no meaning. Use these experiences to practice
being above the outcomes and learn from the struggle.
Learn to understand that you contribute to these
experiences through mind action, self-doubt, and
self-recrimination. Ask what you will learn from
this experience and how you could have reacted
differently. Did you resist, did you not accept?
Acceptance and non-resistance are the keys to
surviving and growing as a spiritual being. Today,
take and react without ego – without emotion
and know all is as it should be – and life is on track.
NOE BY G. 4.19.2010 7:50 AM
I still wondered where this was coming from, and if I was self-creating this, I certainly had an overactive subconscious. I was attending Unity Church in Fredericksburg at the time and coming up to speed with New Thought concepts and had been reading Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now, so I had some frame of reference. I would record the meditation guidance and frankly not refer to it again for over a year.
Some may find it worthwhile or necessary to reinforce their mind control work with the assistance of a professional therapist or counselor. One of the many very effective therapeutic-based mind control approaches is Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy – REBT - developed by Dr. Albert Ellis – who introduced this first cognitive behavior therapy in his 1955 monograph titled New Approaches to Psychotherapy Techniques.
Over two years before his 1955 publication, Dr. Ellis reviewed more than two hundred systems of psychotherapy that were being practiced at the time. He also reread many of the ancient and modern philosophers. As a result, Ellis brought the mind control approaches of mindfulness and radical acceptance into the mainstream of psychological treatment. However, Ellis acknowledges that Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy was primarily based on Buddhist teachings that emphasized a hardheaded approach to enlightenment with a combined focus on thinking, feeling, and action centered on radical acceptance.
SHOULD AND MUST
Reflect today on every thought,
emotion, or action – singularly
or in combination – that you
believe you should or must do,
you should or must think,
you should or must feel and
realize each “should or must”
does your ego set a guideline –
so instead, today, reflect on what
you desire to do; you want to think,
you desire to feel.
Ellis went after the human tendency to see our desires, behaviors, and actions in terms of “shoulds” and “musts” when in reality, they were only “wants” and not required for functioning. This mislabeling of “wants” created anxiety, depression, and rage in his clients and was self-defeating thinking. According to REBT, our belief systems include functional or Rational Beliefs (RBs) and Irrational Beliefs (IBs), which tend to have “absolutistic musts, shoulds, and demands.”
Clients of REBT are taught to dispute their irrational beliefs using questions such as - if I really need it, what will happen if I don’t get it, and is it worth the negative feelings that may result? As the name implies, REBT uses rational thinking to impact thoughts and emotions in an attempt to change behavior.
UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE
Today, accept yourself, accept others,
and accept the world unconditionally –
not as works in progress needing to
be tweaked, adjusted, or changed,
but as perfect as they are – knowing
all is as it must be – should be –
at this point. BY G.
At the core of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy are the Buddhist concepts of radical acceptance and compassion, combined with a strong dose of the Christian ethic to love our enemies as ourselves - requiring that we revile the harmful or destructive behavior but not the perpetrator. First, REBT teaches Unconditional Self-Acceptance (USA). You accept yourself totally, whether or not you perform well or gain the approval of others; you totally and unconditionally accept yourself, even if you regret particular actions or misdeeds. Second, you offer the same unconditional acceptance to others - referred to as "Unconditional Other Acceptance (UOA)," which is even more complicated since it requires that others be accepted no matter what they have done in the world. In Christian terms, they might regard this as hating the sin, not the sinner.
An even more challenging aspect of REBT is Unconditional Life Acceptance (ULA): you totally and unconditionally accept life and the world, even when it provides adverse conditions and suffering - which you may lament and try to improve conditions, but gracefully accept, not condone - what you cannot presently change. Dr. Ellis describes this as follows: “when things go wrong in our lives and we have done little or nothing to make them bad – such as the death of a loved one, physical disabilities, hurricanes, and floods – we honestly hate these adversities, doing our best to rectify them, but still accept it when they can’t be presently rectified.” Ellis goes on to say, “we clearly see the difference between liking adversities – which is difficult – and accepting them which is still difficult, but doable.”
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy teaches people thinking, feeling, and acting techniques to investigate their dysfunctional behaviors while working at changing them. It stresses insight, reasoning, and logic but holds that these “rational” elements are insufficient without strong emotion and action. It pushes us to act against our passive tendencies, “to do rather than stew.” REBT uses shame-attacking and fear immersion exercises, along with a disputing approach, which leads to developing new strategies for more effective living. For more about the benefits of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, I suggest reading Dr. Albert Ellis’ book The Myth Of Self-Esteem – How Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Can Change Your Life Forever.
The use of acceptance, rather than resistance, as a therapeutic practice underscores the enormous benefits of practicing acceptance and non-resistance in our efforts to control our thoughts and how we approach life. Therefore, I would like to close out this section on Acceptance Vs. Resistance, with a few excerpts from my meditation guidance over the years related to acceptance, has offered some suggestions for controlling consciousness. Since my guidance has been numerous, I have selected some key passages that most clearly express the mental insanity of non-acceptance. This guidance spans several years; I titled it Acceptance each time it was received.
Acceptance implies positive and willing action
that improves the situation when needed.
Positive efforts, or will, is your part of the
creation, but you need faith in God – God will
do its part to manifest your wants and needs.
Focus on the positive world you are creating
and stop creating a frustrating world.
Breathe - Release - Believe - and Move On!
Excerpt BY G. NOE 5.1.2008 7:45 AM
You must understand that the “now” that you
perceive is the manifestation of a thousand
previous desires, and is the foundation for your
current desires.
Breathe and release. Breathe and release. Each
negative thought quietly moves to its core – usually
fear, frustration, past pain, or lack of confidence,
focusing on these feelings. Let the feelings overtake
you – feel and comprehend their physical manifestation
in your body. You may be surprised by the depth and
strength of this negative emotion. Now, accept that it
exists, but deny its place in your spirit, saying:
I deny and release this feeling, this emotion,
fear, hurt, or pain. (Then say) - I release this feeling
into the world.
Repeat until you feel the absence of this struggle
and are free to accept your life.
Excerpt NOE BY G. 12.11.08 8:00 AM
Let us practice radical acceptance and non-resistance until we can - Wake Clear as outlined in the Affirmative Thought below:
WAKE CLEAR - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Let us wake clear this morning, knowing that today
brings with it a fresh opportunity not tied to the
missteps of the past, or the vague hopes of the
distant future, but a fresh, vibrant opportunity
to begin again – to live again.
Today, let us wake up and grab hold of this miracle
we call “now,” vowing to understand the gift,
vowing to live it to the fullest and truly
understanding the miracle of 24 hours of new
fresh life.
Know that God travels with you each step
of the way and be grateful for the clarity
of every now! BY G.
_____________________________
AFFIRMATIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE
As the rain comes down,
And the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud.
That it may give seed to the Sower
And bread to the eater.
So shall My word be that goes
Fourth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please.
And it shall prosper in the
thing for which I sent it.
ISAIAH 55: Verses 10 and 11
Learning to think, feel, and respond positively at all times is the first step towards effective mind control and a prerequisite for accurate self-awareness. It requires constant diligence, with an ongoing assessment of your thinking, environment, and lifestyle. I will raise the bar even higher by outlining a thought process that is positive and affirming, an “Affirmative Mental Attitude.” When we reach beyond the positive, truly achieving an Affirmative Mental Attitude, we not only say yes but how high. We are saying to life - Yes I Am! - Yes I Can! - and Yes I Will! This affirmative approach has no room for negative thoughts about you, others, or the world. An Affirmative Mental Attitude begins with complete affirmative thought.
As we discussed earlier, we must be fully aware of our local consciousness or mind's impact on our behavior and attitude. In Chapter Nine we have already been introduced to the Operational Mind, which focuses on our day-to-day activities. The Ego manages this Operational Mind and interprets our reality for better or worse, often worse. The Spiritual Mind is our Soul, or Divine Self, fully connected to the Universal or Nonlocal Mind.
New Thought proponents and most scientists would agree the Operational Mind is supported by a “Subconscious or Subjective Mind,” which is part of the Operational Mind but fully automatic, simply doing what needs to be done beneath the surface to keep us functioning and living, and aware without conscious thought. This Subconscious Mind keeps us breathing, our heart beating, blood flowing, and our cells generating without our focused awareness. We are often most aware of our Subconscious Mind when we enter a dream state.
Many New Thought advocates believe that the Law of Mind Action or Attraction works through the Subconscious Mind, with the impression imprinted on the subconscious, thus affecting our perception of reality. This Subconscious is ultimately impacted by all we say, think, do, or experience. For example, when you listen to a violent news story on TV or watch a violent movie, your Subconscious Mind reacts to it as if it were happening to you personally by reacting with fear, terror, turmoil, and grief - naturally eliciting physiological responses to prepare your body for the onslaught. As we covered in previous chapters, all affirmations and affirmative prayers are directed toward this quality of the Subconscious Mind, hoping to engage and utilize this automatic response.
A TOLTEC WAY TO AN AFFIRMATIVE ATTITUDE
The spiritual and life wisdom of the centuries-old Toltecs - Mexican shamans, healers, and mystics - whose spiritual practice is still actively followed today offers us an excellent starting point for developing this “Affirmative Mental Attitude.” We will again utilize Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements – A Toltec Wisdom Book we mentioned in Chapter Nine. Before starting, it is worth noting that Don Miguel Ruiz grew up in rural Mexico, where his mother was a Toltec curandera (healer) and his grandfather, a nagual (shaman), with his family, hoping he would carry on the spiritual tradition. Instead, he went to medical school, becoming a surgeon, only to be brought back to his spiritual roots after a near-death, out-of-body experience in 1970, which led him to leave medicine and begin learning and mastering the Toltec way, thus providing all of us the most precise translation of Toltec wisdom available.
Let us now review the four agreements. With The First Agreement – Be Impeccable With Your Word, Don Miguel Ruiz lays out what we must do to build a foundation for mind control and an affirmative mental attitude, pointing out that this is the most important and most challenging agreement. When I first read his book, I thought, OK, sounds easy – I can do this. As Don Miguel Ruiz makes clear, the word is a powerful creative force, and the misuse of the word against yourself or others is destructive. Let’s begin by reflecting on this passage:
Impeccability means “without sin.” Impeccable
comes from the Latin pectus, which means sin.
A sin is anything that you do that goes against
yourself. Everything you feel, believe, or say
that goes against yourself is a sin.
Don Miguel Ruiz goes on to say that you sin when you go against yourself by judging or blaming yourself - noting that self-rejection is the biggest sin you can commit, a deadly mortal sin in Toltec belief. When you use the word against others, you are using it against yourself, with the anger, jealousy, envy, and hate you spew, creating your hell on earth.
The use of unloving and untrue words cast spells on others, with the worst form of black magic being gossiping. When I put this First Agreement into practice, I was stunned at the number of non–impeccable thoughts I had about others and myself. The challenge was to harness my ego and chaotic mind, which the Toltecs call the “mitote” - the chaos of a thousand different voices trying to talk simultaneously. A wonderful definition, by the way, for the Psychic Entropy we discussed in Chapter Nine. Likewise, dealing with the ubiquitous gossiping prevalent at work, at home, and on every form of media in existence, I realized that most of what we call conversation is a formalized pattern of gossiping. So you see, if we can adhere to just this one agreement, putting it into full practice, we will go a long way to creating an Affirmative Attitude and thwarting the ego’s attempt to separate us further. I would like to offer the Meditation Guidance below titled Every Word that directly supports the adherence to this agreement.
EVERY WORD - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Every word you speak, hear, or think impacts your
reality, consciousness, and emotional well-being –
fostering growth and empowerment when positive –
or when negative, violent, or Ego driven –
destabilizing you - throwing you off balance, and
creating turmoil or anxiety.
The Subconscious Mind only reacts and cannot
distinguish real from fantasy, setting the emotional
protection system on high alert – readying your
body for fight or flight – even when the experience
is not real.
Every word you speak, hear or think should
be positive, affirming, and purposeful, rather
then toxic or mean. Avoid gossip and unkind
remarks regarding others and instead refrain
from commenting or thinking of your opinion –
know by doing this – you avoid the ego’s
destructive behavior – separating rather
than uniting yourself with others.
Protect yourself from watching negative
experiences on the news, avoid basking
in the pain of others, the perceived turmoil
of the few – avoid the pain created by the
the pleasure of viewing.
Make every word, every thought, and every
experience reflects what you wish to create and
make alive and attract into your experience.
Learn to reflect only on the joy, peace, love,
and happiness you encounter, and you will
obtain your heaven on earth.
NOE BY G. 5.30.2011 11:05 AM
Once we have mastered The First Agreement - Be Impeccable With Your Word, let us move to the next level of “mitote” control and work on The Second Agreement - Don’t Take Anything Personally. The Toltec wisdom instructs that nothing other people say or do to you is because of you. It is because of them. So if someone calls you stupid and you take it personally, perhaps you believe you are stupid. You end up eating their emotional garbage.
If they say how wonderful you are, they a
not saying that because of you. You know
you are wonderful. Don’t take anything
personally because you set yourself up
to suffer for nothing by taking things personally.
Dr. Wayne Dyer described this as being “free of the good opinions of others.” And, of course, the opinions of others are just that - opinions - and should be avoided when charting our lives. We are not what others say, good or bad, or indifferent, since these are distorted judgments and are not entirely based on truth. This allows us to neutralize the impact of our ego working on these outside opinions, either to beat us up for self-improvement purposes or to separate us by feeling special or better than others.
As we work to implement these agreements, it becomes obvious they set up a structure reinforcing positive thought while minimizing the impact of others' negative ego-driven chaos. The next agreement follows suit – The Third Agreement – Don’t Make Assumptions. Early in my business career, my boss taught me the true meaning of “assume” – “making an ass out of you and me.” Don Miguel Ruiz goes on to instruct:
The problem with making assumptions is that
we believe they are the truth. We could swear
they are real. We make assumptions about what
others are thinking – we take it personally –
then we blame them and react by sending
them emotional poison with our words.
These assumptions go on to wreak havoc on our lives, undermining our relationships and creating turmoil, anxiety, and sadness based on false assumptions. Countries have gone to war, and countless millions have died based on false assumptions. The Toltec wisdom would say that the irony of all this is that the big “mitote” - the chaos of a thousand different voices in our minds that cause us to misinterpret everything and misunderstand everything – creates more confusion by assisting us with creating assumptions. All prejudice and ethnic hatred are built on the “mitote’s” finely crafted web of false assumptions. This would include the assumptions we make about ourselves that create a lot of inner conflicts: such as; we are not smart enough, good-looking enough, strong enough, creative enough, etc., to do what we want to fulfill our destiny. As a result, we often give up based on our belief in these assumptions. What a pity!
Let me offer a personal example based on my assumption that I did not have a “good” singing voice. I assumed I could not sing, even though I grew up in church choirs. It all started when I tried out for chorus in junior high school - the music teacher said, in a room with most of my peers listening, that I did not sing well and would not be selected. I was devastated, and from that point on, I avoided singing in public altogether. Although I was a closet songwriter, I did not sing and instead chose to focus on jazz, which does not require vocal talents. Finally, one day in my early thirties, I faced this fear and learned how to sing. I joined a singing class at Temple University and went on to practice with a local Opera singer for over a year.
When I was ready, I sang two songs to a large audience and overcame my fear. This all started with someone’s powerful word, my taking it personally and assuming it was the truth. Now Ann said this would be a much better story if I had ended up a famous singer, maybe so, but what this assumption stole from me for years was the simple enjoyment of singing for my own pleasure – for my own enjoyment. Therefore, as part of our mind control efforts, we must recognize and work through every false assumption we have – by listing each, we will identify and know where to start working.
I hope you can see how these Toltec agreements provide a platform for creating an Affirmative Mental Attitude about ourselves, others, and life in general. The Fourth Agreement – Always Do Your Best allows the other three agreements to become deeply ingrained habits.
Under any circumstances, always do your best,
no more, no less. Keep in mind that your best will
never be the same from one moment to the next.
But, when you wake up refreshed and energized in the
morning, your best will be better than when you
are tired at night.
Again, this agreement to always do your best seems relatively easy to follow – all too simple to be worthy of consideration, but there is a catch, as with all Toltec approaches. The agreement requires you to do your best with enthusiasm, enjoy what you do, and be fully committed to the doing regardless of the rewards. You need to be ready to do it just for the pleasure of doing it. This excludes working on getting the reward, hating what you are doing, making do, and living for the weekend. In the quote below, Don Miguel makes this quite clear:
If you take action because you have to, then there
is no way you can do your best. So then, it is better
not to do it? No, you do your best because doing
your best always makes you happy.
Let us take a step back, realizing that Toltec wisdom refers to the condition of “Optimal Experience or Flow,” we referenced in Chapter Ten when discussing the Psychology of Optimal Experience. We agree to enter and commit to a Flow state, to be fully alive in the present moment: no matter what the rewards, no matter what the consequences, no matter what our ego is saying, no matter what our expectations of what we should have or do might be.
To adhere to Agreement Four – Always Do Your Best we would be fully alive, mindful, and at one with what we are doing and experiencing, and as a result, be happy. As we have said, this takes acceptance, non-resistance, and, as we will discuss shortly, “surrender.” So Agreement Four can be rephrased as – “Always Do Your Best Maintaining A Constant State Of Flow.” We now understand – what modern Psychology has recently discovered and what the ancient Mexican shamans have known for centuries – “living in complete Flow is happiness, with no better form of mind control available.” Hard to have a negative attitude when you adhere to Agreement Four.
I would like to report that adhering to Agreement Four has been easy for me to accomplish. Here is the Meditation Guidance from a hot and steamy commute on Friday, July 10, 2009 - when at least at 7:55 AM on the train in the morning - I was failing at finding my “Flow experience.” This is one example of numerous meditative wake-up calls I have received.
RESTART/ RENEW/ RE-ENERGIZE - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Accept and connect to your life and your job.
Stop resisting what is, what has been provided
for you, and stop dragging your feet through life.
You are in your job for a reason; you have your
current boss for a reason; you have your current
life situation for a reason.
You belong here; stop acting frustrated
because you cannot write. You can write – all you
need to do is make the time. Work on your book
as you live and contribute to the world. Apply your
principles to this life, and see if you can manifest
and change the world through God.
There is no rush. Savor the journey and learn from
it. Stop moaning, wishing, and resisting. Understand
the essence of your current mission and be thankful
you have been chosen for the position. Be proud,
enthused, and happy you have been given this
opportunity. Get into the game and play with fire,
emotion, and desire.
NOE BY G. 7.1.2009 7:55 AM
Likewise, the Guidance outlined below clearly points to always doing your best, now, with a sense of mission and purpose – saying “to respect the sanctity of your commitments and duties to do the best job possible.” The word “sanctity” refers to the state of being holy, sacred, or saintly, and it also means utmost importance and inviolability (never to be broken). According to Don Miguel, the ancient Toltec wisdom clearly states that the best way to say “I love you, God,” is to live your life doing your best, and the best way to say “Thank you, God” is by letting go of the past and living in the present moment, right here right now. The message conveyed to me from God during my years commuting on the train has constantly echoed this spiritual wisdom of the ages.
ATTEND TO THE DETAILS - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Attend to the details and complete what you have
agreed to meet – do the work and get it done.
Finish the project – close it out, and move on.
Respect the sanctity of your commitments and
duties to do the best job possible.
Move with energy, enthusiasm, and quality, and
ensure your success. You can meet all the challenges –
overcoming all obstacles as you cocreate with God.
Relinquish your negative thoughts and follow your intuition.
Move forward decisively with total commitment.
Today this is your mission – this is your challenge –
your purpose. Do what is on the list and do it
with joy. God has given you this assignment for
a reason – as a part of the plan for your future.
You must succeed and become one with it –
accept it thoroughly to evolve – to move on
and become more.
Work is sacred - a commitment more important
than any other commitment – your word is on
the line, and you must succeed.
Do it now – complete with joy.
NOE BY G. 1.21.2010 7:45 AM
My guidance from God has repeatedly underscored the power of every word and commitment with little sympathy for a job poorly accomplished. God, at times, reminds me of a former CEO I worked with who would enter a management meeting and silently write the word “EXCUSES” in large black letters on the whiteboard and then pick up a thick red marker and draw a circle around it and then a diagonal line through it – turning to face his audience bellowing “no excuses, please.” I believe that even for a loving God, our “inability” to control our minds and marshal the resources for our success is not a legitimate excuse for inaction.
Let us work on establishing our success through mind control and the control of our consciousness by fully implementing the Four Toltec Agreements as offered by Don Miguel and, as a result - overcome the big “mitote” - and ensure we approach life with an Affirmative Mental Attitude.
FIRST AGREEMENT –
BE IMPECCABLE WITH YOUR WORD
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Instead, use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
SECOND AGREEMENT –
DON’T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their reality, their dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.
THE THIRD AGREEMENT –
DON’T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you want. Communicate with others as clearly as possible to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.
THE FOURTH AGREEMENT –
ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST
Your best will change from moment to moment. It will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstances, do your best with enthusiasm - fully engaged, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret. Since this is only a summary of the Toltec wisdom, I would strongly encourage you to purchase and carefully read The Four Agreements and The Four Agreements Companion Book by Don Miguel Ruiz to improve your arsenal of tools for controlling your consciousness.
I would like to close this discussion on creating an Affirmative Mental Attitude as the foundation to mind control – the control of consciousness with the Affirmative Thought below:
YES! YES! YES! - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Start your day with a “Yes” –
yes, I am entirely right and aligned –
yes, I am without doubt and believe –
yes. I am ready to receive the joy,
the happiness of my perfect life –
my dreams fulfilled – my heaven on earth.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Start your day knowing that there
is only “yes” and “no” is an illusion –
a product of our minds in fear –
afraid to succeed – afraid to receive our
full life waiting – for fear we are not ready -
for fear, we will need to transform and fail.
Start your day with the perfect sound of “Yes!”,
clear, confident, and ready to move forward
with arms outspread and surrounded
by your abundance and overcome
by your rightful joy.
Today shout out to God –Yes! Yes! Yes! AT BY G.
_____________________________
MUSICAL MEMES AND MIND CONTROL
Before we continue our discussion on mind control approaches and techniques, I would be remiss not to mention the amazing power of music to refocus our consciousness and thwart even the most vigorous mind chatter when properly applied. Pick your favorite song with lyrics that have a special meaning for you, and when you need to redirect your spirits, let it replay in your mind. Let it replace the endless loop of chatter with an endless loop, or musical meme, of your selection.
One of my favorites, Flower, was published by singer, songwriter, and guitarist from my hometown of Philadelphia, Amos Lee, featured on his CD Mission Bell. The words I let run in my head in an endless loop when needed are listed below.
Watch Flower Above On YouTube, Or Download It From iTunes.
FLOWER by Amos Lee
My heart is a flower that blooms every hour
I believe in the power of love.
Well, in this lonesome meadow as soft as a pillow
Oh, I pray that we’ll go back to love.
I am going to reach on up over that fear
Whenever I am alone, please be near
I know that it’s darkest before the dawn
Tomorrow is coming; yesterday is gone.
Going to get my baby and head upstream
Going to sleep in her arms - and just do everything
Going to get out walking - in the morning light
I know my tomorrow is going to be alright.
You get the idea. I love the song and lyrical message, and my mind cannot override such a sensation. Since most of us are armed with mobile musical devices, consider creating your positive music playlist, and slip on the headphones when you need to stop the chatter or create a mental diversion. Develop your arsenal today and fight back with music.
Spirituality and music go hand in hand - whether it has been chants, hymns, symphonies, drum beats, crystal bowls, or just the sound of Om hummed over and over in meditation rooms throughout the world - music has been at the center of most spiritual pursuits and practices for centuries. All religious faiths have a musical accompaniment. I suggest you select a personal music playlist from the amazing variety of recorded music to assist you with your spiritual practices. Whether you meditate, pray, dance, read spiritual texts, or just sit and contemplate God, music will always add an element of beauty to your activity. This is because the divine always goes well with the music. The writer Kurt Vonnegut said, “Music is the only proof I need of the existence of God.”
To get you started in the more mystical arena featuring crystal bowls, Om chanting, angelic choirs, or drum circles, I highly recommend Steven Halpern - award-winning composer and recording artist – who has created a New Age version of most traditional spiritual music with exceptional authenticity, with CD’s titled In The OM Zone, Crystal Bowl Healing, Gifts Of The Angels, and Chakra Meditation Music, to name only a few. Often I just listen to one of Halpern’s CDs to relax and release my day. Below is a sample of Halpern’s diverse offerings.
Listen to Cyrstal Chalice, Angel of Healing, Om Zone, and Amazing Grace
on YouTube, Or Download Them From iTunes.
.
I also listen to meditation and prayer music from the ecumenical monastic French Taize Community, featuring chanting and choral movements based on key Christian themes. My playlist includes an exciting dose of traditional Jewish music, with my favorite being Putumayo Presents A Jewish Odyssey - music that will make you want to dance and celebrate all of life itself, as you will experience in the selected downloads below.
There is also plenty of great worship music available, as noted below in the download from Joel Osteen’s Free To Worship CD, performed by Israel and Melissa Houghton, titled We Have Overcome. You should check your pulse if you are not up and rejoicing when this plays. As you have noticed, my playlist samples all spiritual traditions. Create a personal playlist of what moves you, augmenting your spiritual practice while maintaining a positive mental attitude as you enhance your connection with God.
Listen Free To Worship Above On YouTube, Or Download It From iTunes.
Let us close this discussion with the two Sufi selections listed below, one featuring a traditional Sufi Hymn titled Ilahis Makam Hicaz and the other a sample from a live recording of Dervish Sufi Chants from a Zikir Ritual in Konya, Turkey. As you listen, be aware of the remarkable similarity of Jewish, Taize, Buddhist, Hindu, and Sufi chanting and spiritual music, knowing all emanate from one source.
Listen to Ilahis in Makram Hicaz Above On YouTube, Or Download it from iTunes.
Listen to Zikar Above On YouTube, Or Downloaded It From iTunes.
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NEW THOUGHT APPROACHES AND TECHNIQUES
New Thought, as I noted in Chapter Three – New Thought Positive Spirituality Yesterday And Today, has coalesced and synthesized the great teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, Sufism, Christianity, the Toltecs, and many other spiritual practices, to gleam a clearer perspective on how to frame a positive consciousness through rigorous mind control. This ability to control the mind or consciousness was crucial to the early New Thought movement because it was linked to their primary mission – spiritual healing.
Likewise, for the New Thought movement, living in harmony with our minds and controlling our egos is not just an approach to having a more pleasant life; but rather the lynchpin for cocreating our reality through the Law of Mind Action, better known today as the Law of Attraction. New Thought practitioners believe psychic chaos often leads to total life of chaos, as we attract our hell on earth rather than heaven. Mind control and a connection with God enable the knowledgeable to cocreate the life of their dreams rather than their ego-driven nightmares.
To do this, New Thought has focused on refining tools to maintain a positive state of consciousness – and, when necessary - retooling the conscious and subconscious minds. If you were to ask a New Thought practitioner the techniques they would recommend that you follow to gain control of your thoughts and manage your ego, the list would include mindfulness, meditation, affirmative prayer, acceptance, non-resistance, and, of course, positive thinking - all of which we have discussed in detail earlier in Chapter Nine - MIND CONTROL.
They would indeed highlight the other mind control approaches we have not covered extensively: (1) the effective use of affirmations; (2) visioning or imagining; (3) “Letting Go - Letting God” through Golden Keying and surrender; and (4) gratitude and appreciation. The hope is that each of these approaches will assist with controlling the mind chatter, directing our egos, and conditioning our Thalamus into accepting our preferred reality.
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THE EFFECTIVE USE OF AFFIRMATIONS
For me, the use of affirmations has become a habit, a central spiritual practice, whether used during prayer and meditation, recited out loud each morning, or incorporated in the daily Affirmative Thoughts I write for Ann and frequently publish on my blog. Throughout the book, I have often repeated that affirmations are a positive reframing of our desired reality, often not what appears in front of us - but what is desired within our Divine Self, reflecting the potential, the possibility, and the intention. Affirmations often set the stage for the actual conceiving of a mental equivalent, which can be fully imagined and experienced, to attract/cocreate it into our daily lives.
In a New Thought perspective, affirmations are emotionally charged, positive declarations which announce to God, the Universe, or Spirit - along with our subconscious minds: our cocreative intentions, expectations, and life preferences – clarifying what we want our lives to reflect and attract. The use of affirmations is now a widespread practice for millions who have adopted the technique to improve their lives, their performance, and, for some, their spiritual connection with God. The New Thought origins of affirmations are underscored by the following blurb below from Wikipedia, which provides a reasonably accurate description of the sources and use of affirmations:
Affirmations in New Thought or New Age terminology refers
primarily to the practice of positive thinking — fostering a belief
that a positive mental attitude supported by affirmations will
achieve success in anything.
The Wikipedia review even describes what an affirmation is and how to create one:
More specifically, an affirmation is a carefully formatted statement
that should be repeated to one's self and written down frequently.
For an affirmation to be effective, it needs to be present tense,
positive, personal, and specific.
Let’s take a moment and reflect on what a few key early New Thought champions have had to say about using affirmations, along with a few modern proponents.
Charles Fillmore, co-founder of the Unity Movement:
- An Affirmation is a positive statement of truth. By using Affirmations, we claim and appropriate that which is ours in truth. The “yes” action of the mind: the act of affirming, the declaring of Truth, the mental movement that asserts confidently and persistently the Truth of Being in the face of all appearances to the contrary.
Dr. Ernest Holmes, founder of Religious Science and author of the New Thought tome - Science Of Mind.
- To affirm anything is to state that it is so and to maintain this as being true in the face of all evidence to the contrary. Human thought can only affirm, for even at the moment of denial, it affirms the presence of that which it denies! Repeating an affirmation leads the mind to that state of consciousness where it accepts what it wishes to believe.
Dr. H. Emilie Caddy, physician and metaphysician whose writings such as Lessons In Truth provided the foundation for much of the early New Thought theology:
- We speak the word, we confidently affirm, but we have nothing to do with establishing it to pass. “You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you” (Job 22:28). So if you decree or affirm unwaveringly, steadfastly, we hold God by His unalterable law to do the establishing or fulfilling.
- The saying over and over of any affirmation is necessary self-training of a mind that has lived so long in error and false belief that it needs this constant repetition.
Louise L. Hay, New Thought champion, publisher, and author of You Can Heal Your Life, and I Can Do It, and numerous books regarding the effective use of affirmations.
- Learn to think in positive affirmations. Affirmations can be any statement you make. Continually make positive statements about how you want your life to be. Always make your statement in the PRESENT TENSE, such as “I am” or “I Have."
Jack Canfield, the cocreator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, featured in The Secret, whose book The Success Principles offers an excellent guide to affirmations.
- An affirmation is a statement that describes a goal in its completed state, such as “I am enjoying watching the sunset from the lanai on my beautiful beachfront condo.”
Sounds good to me, Jack! You get the point, so let’s discuss creating affirmations more deeply.
_____________________________
CREATING EFFECTIVE AFFIRMATIONS
So, an affirmation is a positive statement that describes a desire, want, goal, dream, lifestyle, achievement, financial condition, or emotional state as if it entirely exists and you are enjoying it in your life. Canfield, in his book The Success Principles, offers nine guidelines for creating effective affirmations: 1. Start with the words “I am;” 2. use the present tense; 3. state in the positive; 4. keep it brief; 5. make it specific; 6. include an action word ending with – ing; 7. include at least one dynamic emotion or feeling word; 8. make affirmations for yourself and not others; 9. add “or something better.” Canfield also suggests thanking God upfront if you feel so inclined. I often start my affirmations, especially during affirmative prayer, with “Thank you, God, for….
As noted above, affirmations can span an endless variety of life topics, as well as be constructed for different purposes or forums. Depending on the material covered, they may also be brief or more detailed. I often use short, punchy statements that I refer to as “mantra affirmations,” since their brevity makes them easy to repeat, which I do, often over and over, as an endless loop in my mind when I need to counteract my ego-related fears or the endless chatter directly. I would like to review a few shorter mantra-type affirmations I have found very effective for the chaos that often descends on my unoccupied consciousness.
I highlight below my absolute favorite and most productive affirmative phrase:
Today, I am a magnet for positive outcomes,
all good comes to me now.
During June and July of 2010, I was recovering from major back surgery and facing some complex career issues. This brief affirmative phrase pulled me through. I said it repeatedly and refused to allow my mind to contemplate the many potential negative outcomes it conceived for me. The ultimate outcome was extremely positive, more than anything I had expected or imagined. Even better, I came through it with less stress or added turmoil.
Let’s track its creation - highlighting several related blog posts that provide some context and additional historical insight into creating and using this type of “mantra” based affirmation.
ONE PHRASE OR THOUGHT –
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
Today, I am using an Affirmative Thought that resulted from the guidance offered by W. Clement Stone, the prominent businessman, philanthropist, and self-help book author who wrote or co-authored Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude (co-authored with Napoleon Hill), The Success System That Never Fails, and The Other Side of the Mind (co-authored with Norma Lee Browning). Stone suggested writing a life-changing affirmation and repeating it fifty times in the morning and fifty times at night. The following day, I tried my hand at writing the affirmation listed below.
ONE PHRASE OR THOUGHT - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Today we take and consider one phrase or thought
that will result in a clear manifestation and prepare
us for the challenges of the day.
Today let us begin with this simple phrase and repeat
it fifty times in the morning and the evening:
“ Today, I am a magnet for positive outcomes,
all good comes to me now.”
Slowly say these words and feel the positive nature
of the universe respond, as it gives up all the good we
deserve attracting to us positive outcomes.
Today live, breathe, fully believe, and you shall receive! AT BY G.
_____________________________
YOU UNLEASHED AND READY
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
Incantation is a series of words said as
a magic spell, charm, or spiritual
ritual. In magic, occultism, or witchcraft,
an incantation is often used to cast
a spell on an object or person.
As a spiritual device, it is usually
intended to invoke or praise a deity.
Last week, we opened the new year of 2015, discussing the mind as a creative instrument, especially concerning the Law of Mind Action or Attraction. We highlighted the role of “a figment” of the imagination, using this term to represent the kindling needed to start a fire of intention that will result in tangible output in this law-based process of cocreation.
It is essential to note this cocreative law, referred to here, conveys that the universe is structured to create for us - whatever we hold in thought with strong intention and unwavering faith - with our minds, figuratively connected to a virtual 3D printer, replicating our thoughts, in a real-life, tangible matter. This is the good news.
The not-so-good news is that our minds suffer from Psychic Entropy and almost unmanageable mind wandering, as we just reviewed in Chapter Ten, the opening of Part Three – Control Of Consciousness. Even if we start with the best of intentions, often through this mental deterioration, we find our figment lost in a negative mindset or at least exhibiting far less than unwavering belief.
This is where using affirmations - affirmative declarations - may assist us with maintaining a conducive cocreative inner environment. Let’s consider the concept of “incantations,” to underscore the need for these positive mantra-based statements, to be repeated like charms or spells or chants - envisioning a shaman or medicine man or woman dancing and chanting in our heads, possibly shaking incense or some magic substance - creating an endless loop of positive thought, a spell of positivity, thus warding off the entropy and the wandering mind from establishing second-guessing or disbelief.
With this in mind, read the note below and consider crafting a workable charm or spell to support whatever figment of intention you want to cocreate. Remember, use your tailored incantation to avoid; second-guessing, minimizing your efforts, or criticizing this entire process.
One of my favorite incantations is:
Today, I am a magnet for positive outcomes.
All good comes to me now.
So, when you are unleashed and ready, with a personalized incantation, start intending.
YOU UNLEASHED AND READY
Affirm yourself, empower yourself,
with words and thoughts and visions
of strength, confidence, of skillful
capacity, realizing the true power
you possess to create, to accomplish,
to bring to tangible form to all you intend.
It is time to infuse your heart,
Soul, mind, and consciousness with
the beauty, the wonder, the splendor
of you – aligned and purposeful,
with you unleashed and ready for
positive action.
Today assess your inventory of natural
skills, abilities, talents, and potential
–knowing whatever you dream
will spring to life – unlimited,
unrestrained, without issue –
realizing and tapping into the
cocreative divine energy-generating
with you, through you, for you!
AT BY G. 1.8.2015
_____________________________
Here is another example of a mantra-type affirmation that has been, for me, very effective:
“I live with peace, power,
poise, and purpose.”
As you can see, using an affirmative phrase effectively controls the mind, especially negative chatter. Just pick one, or compose your phrase, using it every time you think of a subject that creates a life issue. For ideas, I suggest Louise L. Hay’s book I Can Do It - How To Use Affirmations To Change Your Life. Remember, for mantra affirmations, the shorter and simpler the phrase, the better - so it can easily be repeated over and over.
“I have planted the seeds of joy –
and they are blossoming now!
_____________________________
AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHTS FOR ANN
Over the past ten years, I have written my wife Ann short Affirmative Thoughts each morning, which arrive with her tea. These provide a daily affirmation or affirmative thought related to some actual life event occurring in her or our lives that requires a daily reframing or bolstering up. These notes are often more poetic than my usual matter-of-fact affirmations, bringing a bit of word art to the use of affirmations. As blog readers know, I frequently publish these thoughts, giving some background regarding how they developed. Here is a blog post below featuring an Affirmative Thought titled Powerwash Away.
POWERWASH AWAY - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT –
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
As I work on the finishing touches of Chapter Eleven of Finding God On The Train Story, titled Mind Control – Approaches and Techniques, I realize how essential it is that we all learn to control and reframe our thoughts effectively. Not only does this enable us to reduce our internal stress and turmoil, but also, it prepares our subconscious to cocreate with our internal God-Self and attract into our lives what we truly desire and want. Therefore, in Chapter Eleven, I suggest that we must effectively brainwash ourselves positively through the diligent use of affirmations and, as a result, take great strides toward creating our heaven on earth.
To fully convey the level of intensity we need to undertake in conducting this reframing regularly, I use the term - "powerwash" - to describe the force of these efforts in the Affirmative Thought below, which I hope will remind us how essential it is to write, recite, and review our chosen affirmations each day.
POWERWASH AWAY - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Today, powerwash away any negative thoughts,
feelings, emotions, or impressions about
yourself or the world you live in - replacing
them with thoughts of your success, abilities,
and power - affirming and establishing your
capability to excel at all you do.
Today, powerwash away the negative thoughts
and impressions of others - clearing your
mind of its ego-generated poison - their
misguided opinions and replace them
instead of the pure positive energy
of God's voice within you shouting –
Yes, you can! - Yes, you are capable! -
Yes, you are wonderful! –Yes, you are perfect! -
Yes, you are magnificent!
Today, powerwash away the doubt, the fear,
the anxiety, the worry, and let
the bright light of your dance exist
for all the world to experience and enjoy! AT BY G.
____________________________________________
POWERHOUSE AFFIRMATIONS
I frequently write more in-depth, comprehensive, “powerhouse” affirmations that fully cover the topic from many perspectives or angles, using a kind of rapid-fire approach - shooting a collection of four or five related affirmations combined into one powerful paragraph. I have offered many more comprehensive powerhouse affirmations throughout the book and will repeat some to provide a centralized reference point for all published affirmations. These powerhouse affirmations are great for redirecting our consciousness and a powerful way to use the Law of Attraction: framing our reality and setting positive expectations.
I prefer to start my daily spiritual practice by reading a unique powerhouse affirmation I presented in the Introduction to this book. I will again highlight the republishing of the original blog post titled Today I AM. This was the first and one of the few affirmations I have received through inspiration directly after meditation on one of my daily commutes. It has a unique power for me that is seldom matched by my hand-crafted affirmations.
TODAY I AM - MEDITATIVE GUIDANCE –
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
I have been looking for a way to structure all of the guidance I have received from God to provide a simple framework for conveying the message on the blog and in the book. I often use the Meditation Guidance listed below, titled Today I AM, which I received on a Friday, February 8, 2008, morning train commute to DC, as an opening affirmation to start my daily spiritual practice of reading out loud (if possible) a series of affirmations appropriate for the day.
This morning, as I was reviewing this affirmation, I realized it conveyed the entire message that had been communicated to me on the train. I would approach and embody the “I AM” within if I lived each element below. As you know, the phrase “I AM” signifies God and carries a unique power in and of itself. In his book, Your Forces And How To Use Them, Christian Daa Larson, a New Thought writer and pioneer of the early 1900s, underscores the significance of using the “I Am” statement in affirmations to signify our supreme self and our connection with God.
You should feel that you stand with the “I AM.”
at the apex of mentality on the heights of your
existence, and you should, at the same time,
realize that this “I am” is you – the supreme you.
Larson is connecting the “I AM” of the non-local, cosmic, or Divine Consciousness, God - and our individual, internal, personal, local, shared consciousness or Divine Self, the God within. As we have conveyed throughout the book, this connection provides our creative, God-based power. Larson goes on to state,
“Your supreme idea should be that you are above it all, superior to it all, and have control of it all.” Therefore, what has been said is the connection with the “I Am,” the soul and the individuality as being one, and as standing at the apex of human existence, is just as important as anything that may be said hereafter.”
Focusing our affirmation on linking this “I AM” with the attributes we wish to reinforce offers a cosmic connection, conveying that God, or the I AM, is linked, and as such, this shared I AM nature carries with it significant cocreative power.
TODAY I AM
Today, I AM the living spirit of God.
Today, I AM powerful.
Today, I AM successful.
Today, I AM loving, kind, and at peace.
Today, I can accomplish anything, be anything, create anything.
Today, I AM the anointed child of God.
Today, I AM confident, bold, and sincere.
Today, I AM connected to source, one with source, guided by source.
Today, I AM knowledgeable, valuable, and purposeful.
Today, I see the vision of my purpose.
Today, that purpose comes to life.
Today, I AM connected to my spirit guide.
Today, I AM the best spiritual seeker possible.
Today, I AM all I wish to be.
Today, I create a world of joy.
Today, I AM happy.
Today, I AM joyful.
Today, I AM blessed.
Today, I AM all these things and more.
NOE BY G. 2.8.2008 7:45 AM
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Notice that the “Today I AM” phrase provides an excellent opening or starting point for any affirmative thought you may wish to emphasize. So, let’s start with other powerhouse affirmations I have written, which support our mind control – control of consciousness efforts.
AFFIRMATIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE
I have a complete, constant, enduring, ever-present, and lasting Affirmative Mental Attitude at all times, growing stronger with adversity and stress and never wavering. An Affirmative Mental Attitude featuring Gitomer’s “YES attitude” encompasses all I do, create, handle, interact with, or touch. I am a model of Affirmative Mental Attitude, snapping back from any adverse reaction in less than five minutes. At all times during the day or night, sleeping or awake, my mind, body, and every cell reflect an Affirmative Mental Attitude – I am happy, content, satisfied, actualized, and capable of profound positive thought and action. BY G.
POSITIVE THOUGHT AND ACTION
Today my words, thoughts, and actions are positive, affirming, and true. Cleared away, forgotten, and cleansed are thoughts of lack, anger, resentment, or negative impressions – instantly replaced by thoughts of love, kindness, admiration, and glad tidings. Today my words reflect the perfect nature of all I meet or contact and the positive essence of all situations I encounter. My words, thoughts, and actions are positive, affirming, and empowering – aiding me and others I encounter in our spiritual growth and attainment of power and peace. BY G.
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CONFIDENCE
I am extremely self-confident and self-accepting, knowing I have the skills, abilities, talents, personality, and courage to succeed easily at any task I attempt. I am confident I am the best at what I do and will attain great success in whatever I endeavor to accomplish. I am proud of my past, accomplishments, and experiences and understand how they have led me to greatness. I am the best at getting better. I am proud. I am self-assured. I am a winner. BY G.
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I use the powerhouse affirmation below titl ed “Abundance” to underscore my belief that through God, the universe will not only provide what I know I need, want, or desire; but will ensure I receive even what I need, although I may be unaware of it at this time.
ABUNDANCE
Through God, the world supplies my every financial, spiritual, physical, and emotional need, want, or desire and, when appropriate, provides even what I am, at this time, unaware of but need to progress. The bounty of my life creates joy in knowing that if I ask, think, or dream; it will be given. Financially, I have an abundance of money, wealth, and assets. I pay my bills and obligations, provide substantial amounts to those in need, and have significant amounts in reserve. I can purchase the house, car, clothes, furnishings, and education that I want, need, or desire without concern. I am wealthy beyond my imagination. I am abundant. I am grateful. BY G.
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For those times when I feel the universe may need a little help manifesting my intentions, I can affirm my ability to cocreate and manifest what I need with the affirmation below.
COCREATION
I am able to manifest and cocreate into the physical world anything I want, need, or desire. I am able to do, be, or obtain anything I want to focus my thoughts on manifesting. BY G.
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I have learned to write affirmations to improve my professional or work-related habits in need of some tweaking, such as my organizational abilities. This affirmation featured below always helps. After using this affirmation for a few months, my office at work has become neat, free of clutter, and organized. When I would leave a file on the desk, I would hear a voice in my head saying – “All files are reviewed and stored properly.”
ORGANIZATION
I am organized in everything I do, say, manage, or come in contact with in my personal or professional life. My office at work and at home are neat, free of clutter, organized, and pleasant to see and use. I read each letter or document once and file or handle it as needed. I set up files that are easy to use and expand. Others who study and copy my approach are considered organized and efficient. My desk is free from paper and clutter. I maintain and update a To-Do List and Phone Log that is reviewed daily. All files are checked and stored correctly. I am pleased and happy with my organization. BY G.
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When I needed to enhance my ability to complete projects on time, I wrote this affirmation below, and I still recite it daily. In addition, I often use the last line as a mantra affirmation to describe my overall professional approach – Focused Action. Powerful Analysis. Inspiring Creativity.
COMPLETION OF PROJECTS AND TASKS
I have ample time to complete each project and task. I am a skilled task completer and do so with ease and efficiency. I complete tasks with great speed, accuracy, quality, and creativity. All tasks are completed effortlessly and without stress. I can accomplish anything I wish to do at work, home, or community. My success is guaranteed – complete and rewarding. I can make all my dreams come true without great effort or attention. Focused Action. Powerful Analysis. Inspiring Creativity.BY G.
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Here is another one of my business-related favorites. Try it if you ever need or want to improve your productivity.
IMMEDIATE ACTION/DO IT NOW
I quickly, easily, efficiently, and without strain complete assigned tasks, duties, projects, and day-to-day activities. I do all things that need to be accomplished now and do not delay or put them off. I maintain a list of all items in my business and personal life and review and complete them daily. I am completed and on time before any deadline. I pay bills on time, respond to emails when received, and follow the “Do It Now” approach when handling needed activities or projects. I am organized, punctual, and complete. BY G.
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I was having problems sleeping, so I wrote this affirmation below. I began sleeping through the night, and now, I can easily take a ten-minute power nap, waking refreshed.
SLEEP
I sleep soundly and deeply each night, sleeping all night without waking up, peacefully dreaming pleasant dreams that I remember. If I wake, I go back to sleep within five minutes. I go into deep R.E.M. sleep and awake completely refreshed and energized. I may sleep ten minutes during the day, restoring my energy and waking refreshed. I sleep worry-free, with a clear, unencumbered mind. BY G.
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Controlling my weight has been a lifelong issue, my top weight being 100 lbs more than I weigh today. I use this affirmation frequently to assist with my weight management:
PERFECT WEIGHT
I affirm and establish now that with each breath and step I take, my mind and body are moving in the positive direction of my ideal or perfect weight, and once accomplished, I will maintain this healthy well weight going forward for all my life. My perfect weight is attractive to others and myself, and I feel great, fit, and well. BY G.
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I truly believe I have effectively improved my average memory skills with the repeated use of this affirmation:
MEMORY
I remember and easily recall everything I hear, see, or experience when needed. I am especially good at remembering names, faces, phone numbers, directions, instructions, and passwords. I remember every word, phrase, and concept I read, and when desired, I am able to recall every word I have ever read, heard, or written. BY G.
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Since being able to live with love and kindness is one of the most effective ways to overcome our egos, I recite this affirmation titled Loving to keep the concept front and center in my mind.
LOVING
I love with a deep sense of feeling, profoundly connected to the force of oneness, kindness, joy, and sensual pleasure that arrives. I love my life, job, music, spirit, and romance with my (term of endearment for the one you love). Love is the center of my soul and an expression of my connection to God and all creation. All I come in contact with can sense my spiritual nature and have strong feelings of love towards me. BY G.
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Given my medical adventures in the past decade, I wrote this affirmation for Health.
HEALTH
My body and mind reflect the perfect well state when God created me. Healing powers surge through my bloodstream, nervous system, brain, and every organ and cell keeping me in a constant state of wellness with both physical and mental health. BY G.
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Sometimes I write affirmations for others upon request. For example, I wrote one for Ann when she had problems finding things and thought she needed a powerhouse affirmation to get back on track. She keeps this affirmation on her desk and uses it when she has trouble remembering or finding something.
HAVING EVERYTHING I NEED
In my world today, everything I need, have needed, or will need is currently ready, available, and easily accessible to me: including names, passwords, documents, files, data, memories, objects, tools, or any other item not mentioned but needed. To find an item, I simply state the name of the required item, and it will appear or be located with ease. No item is beyond my grasp. BY G.
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I have four typed pages of these “powerhouse affirmations” written on a variety of subjects. I choose to recite my affirmations out loud each morning, usually focusing on about six a day, although there are times when I do the whole list if needed. I will stress again that the writing and reciting of affirmations is a key part of my spiritual practice and, of course, what I believe is a successful mind control approach, and I am sure will enhance your efforts if you are not already using them. Next, let’s explore incorporating the use of affirmations in our goal-setting and long-term planning.
CREATING A LIFE ACTION PLAN
Philosophy Drives Attitude.
Attitude Drives Actions.
Actions Drive Results.
Results Drive Lifestyle.
Jim Rohn – Leading Positive Attitude Consultant and Author
Let’s consider expanding our use of these powerhouse affirmations by directly incorporating those we wish to reinforce into our long-term goal planning: creating what I refer to as an “Affirmative Life Action Plan:” I adopted this from my business career, where we used an annual goal development process, generically referred to as – “Management By Objectives.” We just called them MBOs for short. So when MBO time rolled around, all managers, from the CEO to the lowest level manager, spent time clarifying and framing these objectives, knowing they determined both corporate and individual incentive bonuses. So every manager in the organization had to clearly outline their objectives/goals for the upcoming year – clarifying what they planned to achieve.
As part of my spiritual quest, I have also spent considerable time working on my career and life goals, visualizing my future, and defining my existing approach. Since I was commuting on the train, I had lots of time to read related goal-setting books and write repeated drafts. I discovered a book titled Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle - A Guide To Personal Success published in 1991 by Emanuel James “Jim” Rohn (1930-2009), entrepreneur, author of over 25 books, and motivational speaker who, during his life shared his message, focusing on the fundamentals of human behavior that most affect personal and business success, with over 6,000 audiences and over five million people. In this book, Rohn describes what he considers the five components of success:
Philosophy – how you think;
Attitude – how you feel;
Action – what you do;
Results – measure often to see if you are making progress;
Lifestyle – the kind of life you can make for yourself out
of the first four pieces.
Let’s expand on our opening quote above from Rohn.
It is our personal philosophy that establishes our individual attitudes.
Our attitude determines both the quantity and quality of our level of activity.
That activity produces proportionate results, and the results provide
the lifestyle we seek.
To accomplish this, Rohn underscores the need for each of us to develop a life philosophy, doctrine, and a cohesive set of goals, and in turn, as stated above, these will determine our actions and our results. Rohn goes on to explain:
Long-range goals serve as milestones. They are the points of achievement
along the way that give us cause to celebrate the fruits of our efforts.
But the most important part of planning and goal–setting is to see in
our “mind’s eye” the major objective that we are pursuing…,
This is the very nerve center of our ambition.
Jim Rohn, The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle - A Guide to Personal Success
As outlined below, I have framed my personal philosophy, doctrine, and long-term goals into a cohesive document for ongoing review and tracking. I have simply merged the MBO process with my powerhouse affirmation format, coming up with my Affirmative Life Action Plan, which I also consider a contract for success.
I wanted to start out the day with something positive, so I borrowed W. Clement Stone’s “reverse paranoia” concept, where rather than saying - we expect something bad to happen to us, we reverse it, and we expect something good to happen to us, today, instead. I followed it with an almost child-like exclamation – “I can’t with to see what it is!” – with the intention of adding the emotional energy needed to positively charge this opening statement.
The first section, I called my Doctrine and Philosophy - all conveyed in the present tense, which captures my approach to life with surprising accuracy - leads off with an affirmation that frames the way I am when I am the most successful. My doctrine amplifies the belief or principle, I have followed throughout my life, centered on the one gift of positive encouragement, or feedback, my father offered me growing up, as I shared in Chapter Five. My father would shake his head in wonder when I had surmounted some challenge; he was sure should have stopped me in my tracks, saying, “you always go down in s _ _ _ and come up smelling like a rose! “ He believed it, I began believing it, and now I expect it, and it always happens. So my Doctrine underscores this ability to turn any challenge into an opportunity for further and future continued success. A little classier than the “come up smelling like a rose” phrase.
My philosophy statement clearly focuses on leading a value-added life while empowering myself and others to self-actualize, thus attaining success and happiness. This was actually my focus as a business professional, but it is equally applicable to my current spiritual efforts and has become the major motivational force behind my blog and this book. I end my philosophy with a line that I expect and deserve success and will turn any situation in my life into my positive advantage – searching for the “pony” and uncovering opportunities.
The pony reference refers to a popular story about an optimistic young boy. Note there are a number of versions of this story, so please be understanding if mine does not match your favorite. This one features the optimistic young boy who wanted a pony for Christmas, so his mean sister in the story decides to test her optimistic brother by gift-wrapping horse manure in a box and putting it under the tree. The optimistic brother opens the box on Christmas morning and gleefully searches through the manure, saying - “there must be a pony in here somewhere.” This was Ronald Regan’s favorite story, and it is also mine. I always believe, with enough digging, I will uncover the pony, or maybe even something better: and eventually, come up smelling like a rose.
The next section of my Affirmative Life Action Plan is a series of powerhouse affirmations, clearly outlining in a series of affirmative statements what I want or need to happen in my life, starting with Love and Family, and ending with Travel, hitting most of the major goals I have decided to focus on at this time. You will notice my goals are more focused on improving the quality of my life in each specific area rather than the completion of specific tasks or projects. I often add one or more short-term goals to help me focus on specific actions I need to attain at a particular point in time. For those who may be interested in applying this form of affirmative goal planning, I have provided my basic personal document as a framework for getting started. I want to emphasize that the objective here is for each of us to create our own individualized action plan to fit our unique life needs.
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G’S AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PLAN
AND CONTRACT FOR SUCCESS
I BELIEVE THE WORLD IS PLOTTING
TO DO ME GOOD TODAY!
I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT IT IS!
DOCTRINE AND PHILOSOPHY
I am elated and thankful to God that I am a creative, strong, wise, happy, loving, wealthy, competent, considerate, stress-free, self-confident man who can turn any challenge presented by life into an opportunity for further and continued future success.
I am ecstatic and grateful that I lead a value-added life by directly empowering myself and others to self-actualize; attaining personal and professional success as well as happiness; leading by example and coaching with love, support, kindness, and positive reinforcement. I am a force for proactive creative change, personal evolution, and self-actualization. I expect and deserve success and will turn every situation in my life into a positive advantage, searching for the ‘pony’ and uncovering opportunities.
GOAL-BASED AFFIRMATIONS
Love and Family - I thank God I have a happy, healthy, trusting, romantic, joyful, sensual, and loving long-term relationship and marriage. A life where we help each other grow and develop and enjoy growing together and growing old together. A love that grows stronger with each day. A strong relationship with my children, grandchildren, and our families.
Relationships – I thank God that I develop, foster, and maintain significant, meaningful, lasting, and sincere professional and personal relationships at work, home, and community.
Health - I thank God for my complete physical and mental health, where my body is free of any ailment or medical issue, where my legs, hands, and back are strong, and I grow healthier every day. Where I can walk great distances without resting and run when desired. Mental health, where I am stress-free and able to cope with any issue.
Spiritual – I am joyful and thankful to God for a lasting, deep, sincere, and personal ongoing relationship with God, for having found a connection with God through a spiritual approach that fosters abundance and self-actualization, with faith a strong component of all that I do and think - keeping God informed of what I want and need to be happy.
Creative/Artistic- I praise God for the opportunity to be a creative force in all that I do - as a professional or as an avocation, and/or as an area of personal interest, including writing, publishing, presentations, coaching, blogging, website development, social media, enhancement, podcast development, interactive video programming, music, recording, arranging, singing, songwriting, and musical performance
Career – I thank God that I am an expert in my field, a leader in my profession, and highly regarded in my current pursuits. always considered as a valuable asset, top contributor, trendsetter, and sought-after collaborator. I am elated that I am known for peak performance, creativity, productivity, and people involvement. I am known for creative and value-added performance worthy of high compensation and rewards.
Financial – I have been blessed with financial abundance and material wealth that comes frequently and easily. I use my creative output, productivity, talent, and skills to create professional and artistic opportunities, reaping significant financial and personally fulfilling rewards.
Growth and Development – I thank God that I have become a writer, publisher, producer, creative artist, educator, and sought-after speaker with numerous best-selling books, CDs, Podcasts, blogs, and related products or services as a result of this success - I am the CEO and President of my own company with its efforts focused on a positive mission.
Education and Learning – I thank God for my advanced degrees in spirituality, focusing on psychology, religion, and metaphysics. I am thankful as well to have direct access to the learning and instruction needed to prepare for whatever endeavor I am planning. I thank God I learn all things quickly and without effort, understanding all issues and utilizing my knowledge easily for all benefit.
House/Living – I thank God for the family home Ann and I have been able to decorate, furnish, and renovate. We are also thankful for the funds needed to design and build a spiritual retreat with an adjoining conference center located in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains of western Virginia, complete with landscaped meditation gardens, fountains, and walking paths, designed to train and service up to 100 participants fully. Ann and I are also grateful for the abundance that allows us to offer a sanctuary to farm animals to live out their lives in peace and with complete safety, highlighting the benefits of the humane treatment of animals and the possibilities of vegetarianism.
Travel – I thank God for the opportunity to travel through the US, Europe, and Asia, visiting and assisting spiritual communities throughout the world.
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I have carried various versions of this action plan with me for fourteen years. Since this document reflects current goals, I have updated and revised it when needed. Each morning, as I read my affirmations, I have tried to review them. Every year, I get closer to accomplishing these goals and fully attaining what I wanted when they were originated.
By creating this Affirmative Life Action Plan – my Contract For Success with its philosophy, doctrine, and list of goals - I have established what I want to accomplish for my ego, clearly laying out my intentions and effectively steering my consciousness in the proper direction. As the years have gone by, my ego has become increasingly more supportive, assisting with my imagining efforts as I envision all the details of my life with these goals completed. Likewise, I believe the Law of Attraction is working to ensure each aspect listed becomes a manifested reality. I will keep you posted with an update on my progress.
Since we have our goals sketched out, let’s explore the New Thought Technique of visioning or imagining, so we can fully attract them into our lives.
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ENVISIONING - NEW THOUGHT IMAGINING
When we “envision,” we form a mental picture of something not yet existing or known; an image that we contemplate or conceive of as a possibility or a desirable event. The word “envision” combines the French “en” – “in” plus vision – to view or see, basically seeing it inside. Most New Thought proponents and many sports trainers would call this “visioning.” Others might refer to it as “imaging,” which was the term used by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale; or “imagining,” the name so effectively used by Neville Goddard, who propelled his version of imagining to a New Thought art form in the mid-twentieth century.
You will also recall that Dr. Csikszentmihalyi recommended what he referred to as daydreaming as a mind control technique – “playing out a sequence of events as mental images." Yes, in fact, what we are marshaling here is the power of purposeful daydreaming, which Wikipedia tells us is a visionary fantasy, especially one of happy, pleasant thoughts, hopes, or ambitions, imagined as coming to pass and experienced while awake.
Daydreaming is not only productive, but it is also fun to do. So let us kick off this discussion with one of the few songs written about daydreaming – written by a popular sixties songwriter, John Sebastian, whose hit song Daydream, recorded with his group Lovin’ Spoonful, touched a chord in the souls of the 1966 populace, driving Daydream up the Billboard charts to the number two slot. So let’s all sing – “what a day for a daydream, what a day for a daydreaming boy or girl, and I am lost in a daydream, dreaming about my bundle of joy, and even if time ain’t really on my side, it is one of those days for taking a walk outside….”
Watch Daydream Above On YouTube, Or Download it From iTunes.
Since there are many terms used to describe this imagining, I will use the term “envisioning” to describe this technique, which I believe is a combination of daydreaming, imagining, imaging, and visioning all in one – mentally creating an emotionally charged imaginary vision of what we hope to achieve, as if it already exists: with every detail and nuance fully fabricated in our minds. When we envision, we not only imagine but live as if what we imagine is fully real - suspending all disbelief.
In his book Positive Imaging, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale tells us of a powerful and mysterious force, a deep tendency in human nature to ultimately become what we imagine ourselves as being. Dr. Peale tells us that an image formed and held tenaciously in the conscious mind will pass to the unconscious mind, and once accepted firmly, it will be activated. One does not just think about a hoped-for goal; one “images” it with tremendous intensity, reinforced by prayer, bringing about astonishing changes in the life of the person imagining. “So powerful is the effect of imagination on thought and performance that a long-held imaging of an objective or goal can become determinative.”
In his New Thought text – Science of Mind- Dr. Ernest Holmes refers to this phenomenon as “visualizing” – mentally seeing the things you wish to have or do. Dr. Holmes informs us that when we see the things we desire clearly, we present the Universal Mind with images of thought. We need to see the complete outcome of the desire in a mental picture, in every detail. If it is a house we wish, we are to make it as real as possible. We should enter it, sit down in it, and say, I am now living in this house. By doing this, we have set the word in motion; through the Law of Attraction, we will realize the house. Per Holmes, we are to continue this every day until the house appears. Dr. Ernest Holmes goes on to say:
Man’s mind should swing from inspiration to action,
from contemplation to accomplishment, from prayer
to performance.
The need for action, which Dr. Holmes refers to above, is often overlooked in the modern-day literature and guidance focusing on the Law of Attraction. The early New Thought pioneer Thomas Troward so aptly describes this need for action.
The creative process brings the materials and condition
for the work to our hands; then we must make use of them
with diligence and common sense – God will provide the food,
but He will not cook the dinner.
I will offer you a personal example of intense envisioning that involves my Ann, who, in my opinion, is a powerful cocreator because of her innate ability to fully breathe life into her imaginary desires, readily attracting them into her life. Ann credits this to her childhood shyness, which led her to live within her imagination, fantasizing about the life she wished to lead had she been able to. Ann and I worked together for many months before we dated, and during this time, Ann would fantasize that we were a couple, imagined having dinner together, going to the movies, discussing current events, talking on the phone, spending quiet time reading - all as if it were actually happening. She would even walk down the street with her hand outstretched as if she were holding my hand. Her powerful envisioning would last for months before my similar but less intense envisioning brought us beyond the barrier of our work relationship and into each other’s lives. When I told Ann that I would use this as an example, she reminded me to tell readers that all of this must be done with strong feelings of love or passion to be effective.
You may be thinking to yourself that this envisioning or imagining would be better placed in a chapter focused on the Law of Attraction, and you would have a point, except that even if you do not believe in the power to cocreate or manifest per the Law of Mind Action, better known today as the Law of Attraction - envisioning is a powerful technique to coalesce the conflicting components of our minds - the Operational Mind, the Ego, and the Spiritual Mind or Divine Self. To envision, we need to gain the cooperation of the ego, overcome the nagging objections concerning reality from our operational mind, and incorporate the spiritual self. To truly envision, we must be in perfect internal harmony, with our doubt and fear far behind us. I believe there is truly no more powerful tool for effective mind control than envisioning.
Neurologically, Newberg and Waldman in How God Changes Our Brain tell us that “nurturing a fantasy is the first step in the neural process of achieving success in the world. It begins with creative imagination, a process that takes place in the frontal lobe, the area in the brain that has the unrelenting capacity to dream up virtually anything.” They go on to say that you cannot figure out how to make a dream come true if you cannot imagine a specific goal. They further suggest that harboring an optimistic belief of success will inhibit the limbic system, which generates doubt and fear. They warn that anxious people have more difficulty suppressing negative thoughts. This is why all-out envisioning is an excellent mind-control technique for those who cannot stop their negative thoughts.
NEVILLE’S ENVISIONING – NEW THOUGHT IMAGINING
At seventeen, Neville Lancelot Goddard left Barbados and his Anglican family of nine to study theatre and begin what would be a successful career as a vaudeville actor and dancer. Neville met an Ethiopian-born rabbi named Abdullah, who introduced him to Hebrew, the scriptures, and the Kabbalah. Neville grew convinced that the scripture directed humankind to “think from the end.” He called it the I AM - the mystical translation of the name of God. Neville firmly believed that by using the I AM a man could attain any goal. (Just as a modern update, James F. Twyman’s book titled The Moses Code – The Most Powerful Manifestation Tool In The History of the World - is based o`n the use of the I Am – the translated Hebrew name of God, as a tool for accelerating the Law of Attraction).
Neville dropped his last name, Goddard, taking his spiritual Law of Attraction insights on the road as just Neville, and by the late 1940s, through the 1950s, and into the early 1960s, Neville was packing major auditoriums and church pews throughout the country, instructing others on connecting with their dreams by simply “Imagining” what they wanted from life with feeling. He even had his own inspirational television show in Los Angeles in the mid-1950s.
His best-selling books – the Law and The Promise, Prayer: the Art of Believing; Feeling is the Secret; Resurrection; Freedom for All; Out of This World; and Seedtime and Harvest – are all now available in one paperback under the title The Neville Reader – full of guidance and testimonials. His book The Law and The Promise published in 1961, is overflowing with letters from his followers who successfully used his Imagining technique primarily to gain material wealth. In all of my reading on the Law Of Attraction - over two centuries of New Thought writing - I have never encountered such an abundance of documented support for any related approach.
Let’s review what Neville offered as the proper approach to “imagining” or “envisioning” through a series of his quotes. I start with my favorite Neville quote that serves as a basic guide for our mind control and affirmative thinking.
- One of the most important discoveries that man can make is the ability to mentally move from things as they are to things as they ought to be.
- Men pay too little attention to this priceless gift – The Human Imagination.
- All men possess the power to create reality.
- To attempt to change circumstances before you change your imaginal activity is to struggle against the very nature of things.
- How do you do it? Self-abandonment! That is the secret. You must abandon yourself mentally to your wish-fulfillment in your love for the state and, in so doing, live in the new state and no more in the old state.
- Every image cannot be embodied unless you enter the image and think from it; it is incapable of birth.
- Life is a romantic adventure. To live creatively, imagining novel solutions to ever more complex problems is far nobler than restraining desire or killing desire.
- If an imaginal activity can produce a physical effect, our physical world must be essentially imaginal. Proving this would require merely observing our imaginal activities and watching to see whether they produce the corresponding external effects.
With this final quote, Neville reveals that -
Imagining is a spiritual sensation. Enter into the feeling of your wish fulfilled.
Through spiritual sensation – through your use of the imaginal sight, sound,
scent, taste, and touch – you will give your image the sensory vividness
necessary to produce that image from the outer shadow world.
These imagining tools offered and clarified by so many who have followed Neville - and all the modern prophets of the Law Of Attraction – are not solely about manifesting what we want from the cosmos; it is about preparing our minds and actions to fully engage and support what we desire, by taking the first step and clarifying our true intentions, determining what we really want, then empowering this desire with our love and sincere feelings. Maybe Newberg and Waldman are correct when they say that:
The true magic comes when other people feel and see
your optimism and excitement about the project, which
makes similar circuits in their brains resonate with yours.
If they have the time, energy, and mutual interest, they
will be neurologically inclined to join forces with you.
Or maybe Neville and the experience of his followers - actually point to the validity of the Law of Attraction – we will never know unless we take the first step and begin envisioning - Neville style. To assist you with your efforts, I recommend an available Neville audiobook, Awakened Imagination, based on the unabridged reading of Neville’s book Search and Prayer: The Art of Believing. I find that when Neville’s words are read out loud, they seem to carry a mystical force, which I believe must have been some of the original oratory genius of this gifted speaker and spiritual master.
So, let us start by fully envisioning our philosophy and goals, making them come alive in our minds, breathing life into them until they become the reality we desire. Along the way, we will provide an optimal experience based on purpose, occupying our thoughts and creating an optimal lifestyle for us – happiness and the foundation for an authentic, purposeful, and, who knows, enlightened life.
But let us not stop at merely personal envisioning, and instead put this powerful tool to work for all of humankind, as the song featured below so aptly conveys, - let us dream bigger, more profoundly, let the dream be of heaven on earth for all the inhabitants of this world. No song better conveys this sentiment to me than I Dreamed Of Rain, written by jazz singer, songwriter, and spiritualist Jan Garrett and performed by her husband, hit songwriter JD Martin, on their CD of the same name. I have all of their CDs and love their progressive spiritual message. This song is enchanting and can also be used as background music to set the stage for any envisioning or meditating you are planning. Below, I offer the beautiful poetic and hypnotic lyrics, which I take the liberty to paraphrase:
Listen to Dreamed Of Rain Above, Or Download From iTunes.
I DREAMED OF RAIN
From the CD “I Dreamed Of Rain”
Jan Garrett and JD Martin
I dreamed of rain and the rains came,
soft and easy, sweet and clear.
I dreamed of rain and the rains came,
and peace spread over the land.
I dreamed of summer and the winds changed,
and the green was easy and rivers ran clear.
I dreamed of summer and the winds changed,
and peace spread over the land.
And the flowers bloomed in the desert,
and the air was fresh and clear.
I dreamed of rain and the rains came,
and peace spread over the land
I dreamed of freedom and the moon rose
and the way was easy and the path was clear.
I dreamed of freedom and the moon rose,
and peace spread over the land.
And the guardian stars were shining,
and the night is bright and clear,
I dreamed of freedom and the moon rose,
and peace spread over the land.
I dreamed of heaven and the earth sang,
and the sound was easy and the song was clear.
I dreamed of heaven and the earth sang,
and peace spread over the land.
And the ancient pain is forgotten,
and the father’s debts are clear.
I dreamed of heaven and the earth sang
and peace spread over the earth.
I would like to wrap up this discussion on envisioning. The meditation Guidance below, which I recently transcribed, summarizes quite nicely the message I wish to convey here.
ENVISION LIFE - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Think it, feel it, see it, touch it, be it fully in your
imagination and cocreate your dreams through
God’s infinite love and power. Imagine every
detail, every aspect with the fuel of your love
and desire. Live within your imagining until
it feels real and becomes your reality. Breathe
in the life air of this new creation until your
envisioning takes shape like a sculptor’s art –
caress its lines, memorize its movement, fuel
it with life – a living, vibrant envisioning, clear
and perfect in its power.
Every moment you have moved back into your
envisioning, you’re imagining and resume
your life within, savor the sensual experience
and believe in its reality, never question, never
doubt, only believe in the possibility – envisioning
until it takes form in the reality of your life.
Envision through imagining the new life, the new
purpose, the new goals never doubting - only
experiencing fully. Envision with love – strong desire –
feel the emotion – the happiness and joy this vision
gives you until it is completely framed in the reality
of form – given life by your empowered loving vision.
NOE BY G. 7.21.2011 7:15 AM
_____________________________
LETTING GO AND LETTING GOD
We have all experienced times in our lives when we have had to deal with some event, issue, or problem that is bigger than we can handle: we just need relief from the turmoil in our minds; a chance to find balance again and live without stress while we catch our breath. These are the times when our strong faith in a positive, loving God offers an alternative and effective form of mind control, known as “letting go and letting God.”
There is a small pamphlet titled The Golden Key that I highly recommend, written by New Thought spiritual leader and healer Dr. Emmet Fox, which provides a practical guide for handing a problem over to God. Emmet Fox, a fascinating New Thought character, is best known for his weekly church services at the New York Hippodrome, attracting thousands of worshippers. The Golden Key is an excellent technique for clearing your mind of larger problems, and as a result, you may be surprised to find these problems actually being solved by God as well. Here is some instruction from the Golden Key pamphlet:
All that you have to do is this: Stop thinking
about the difficulty, whatever it is, and think
about God instead. This is the complete rule,
and if only you will do this, the trouble, whatever
it is, will presently disappear. Work by rehearsing
anything or everything you know about God.
God is wisdom, truth, inconceivable Love;
God is present everywhere; and has infinite power;
knows everything; and so on. It does not how
well, you think you understand these things;
go over them repeatedly.
Often Ann and I use this technique when we need God’s assistance with solving a problem. I find it effective to clearly outline the problem, saying to God that I need divine help solving this issue, so I am Golden Keying it. This allows me to inform both my mind and God that I am letting it go. When the problem reappears in my thinking, I use the instruction above, thinking intensely about God instead. Ann and I have been impressed with how most problems are solved quickly when we finally step out of the way.
Golden Keying is a way to hand a problem or issue over to God effectively, especially if it is adversely impacting your life or at a crisis point. But “Letting Go And Letting God” can be used to allow God to work miracles through your life. Here is some of the guidance I received during my train commutes. In the Meditation Guidance below titled Let God, the advice is to let God assist as I move through the day. I need to harness the conflicting forces in my mind to accomplish this, having these voices acquiesce. My day goes much smoother when I do, and my stress is reduced considerably.
LET GOD - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Today let go of the reins of your life and let God take
your hand and lead you through the day – through life.
Focus on the moment now and not on the expectation
of the now. Breathe and release the resistance, the strain,
and allow the flow of the river to surround you and gently
redirect your life into the perfect current of your life.
Float through the day and allow the day and life to happen.
Try to see the flow and feel the presence of God surrounding
you. God knows your deep desires – your path and also
knows your destiny that awaits. Release, let go, and let God
move you along to the place you are going. Allow yourself
the time to check into the moment and enjoy the experience
of life – its ups, downs, changes in course, and with
the flow and the current, you will always arrive at your
destination.
All things are meant for your good and your better life.
Open your heart and look for love as the answer.
NOE BY G. 3.2.2010 9:55 AM
At one end of the mystical continuum is the concept of letting go of a particular problem or issue to God, referred to as “Practical Surrender” in the blog post and related meditation guidance, which I am republishing below titled Letting It Go. On the other end of this continuum is ”Mystical Surrender,” where we fully understand and accept our spiritual mission and are ready to dedicate our lives to God. Let’s take a preliminary look at both before we dive into the depths of full mystical surrender.
LETTING IT GO - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
LETTING IT GO
Sometimes the best way to
solve a problem is letting it go –
laying down the search for
solutions and simply letting
the solutions find you. BY G.
I have been thinking about the New Thought concept, often referred to as "letting go and letting God," as I write a section of the book about surrender. For me, this has been one of the greatest challenges in my own personal spiritual development. I started small and began to Golden Key when I had an issue, but as time progressed and my spiritual mission became clearer, I flirted with what my Meditation Guidance below refers to as "mystical surrender." All of this takes a spiritual leap of faith - the letting go of the reins of your life to God.
PRACTICAL AND MYSTICAL SURRENDER - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Surrender - "Letting Go and Letting God" is a powerful
mind control technique useful on a practical level - where
we release our control of an issue, problem, or crisis
and hand it over to God for resolution. This is "practical
surrender" and can also entail releasing a difficult day,
or experience we are encountering to seek guidance
and direction. The technique is often used for practical
surrender is to Golden Key the problem – a method
to let God take charge of an issue and then occupy
our minds with the thought of God whenever we feel
compelled to ruminate on the problem or possible
solutions.
As our faith builds and our ego learns to cooperate,
we master surrender and progress to a higher level.
At the pentacle is "mystical surrender," where we
understand and trust in God's will and direction,
including our role in this spiritual journey.
As Jesus declared – “not my will but Thine be done.”
This requires total acceptance of our individual,
Divinely-inspired mission, and the willingness to let
go of the reins of the ego and follow instead God's
direction and guidance.
Mystical surrender is often an essential step, requiring
the full acceptance of the ego in our Divine mission -
leading us to a point where all aspects of the mind -
the Operational Mind, the Ego, and the Spiritual Mind
merge as one force ready to unite with the Universal
Mind of God. Mystical surrender is a time of peace,
without resistance – being fully accepting and spiritually
whole.
NOE BY G.7.26.2011 7:25 AM
_____________________________
You may be thinking, OK, G., this is getting a little too deep for me. Yes, I would love to be enlightened, but I have no desire to live in a cave on the mountain, praying and meditating all day. My response would be that, in reality, mystical surrender is not an escape from life but rather living a spiritually connected life while going about our day-to-day activities. I am in complete agreement with the great Sufi Masters who quietly and discretely practiced their spirituality, immersed in real life with real jobs, and who made this comment about a religious recluse.
He has established himself upon a mountain
So he has no Work to do,
A man should be in the marketplace
While still working with true reality.
Sahl – The Way Of The Sufi
We will all find the level of mystical surrender that is most effective in our lives; my purpose here is to point to the possibilities simply so you know the options.
My meditation guidance often focuses on water and submerging as an analogy of complete surrender – informing me that I progress along the path only through letting go of my ego attachments to life. In the Meditation Guidance below, titled Step Into The Stream, the concept of giving yourself over to God is addressed in the form of a poetic total immersion in the stream of life. Frankly, I get about waist-high and swim for shore. I sometimes wonder what would happen if I went in all the way.
STEP INTO THE STREAM - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Step into the stream of life – feel the crystal water –
cool – soothing - wash around your feet and legs –
understand the pleasure of life – all that has
occurred to bring this stream to you – lush – full –
abundant. Step deeper and lose the control you
have built up to guide you – feel the water wash
and splash over and onto your arms and chest
and shoulders – breathe deeply and trust the
full spirit of God.
Quell the fear that surfaces – breathe deeply
and trust the full spirit of God. Move deeper,
step by step, until your face and mouth are
within the stream – fear not for God is with
you – is you. See the world through open eyes
beneath the surface – wonder at the beauty –
the depth – the crystal water.
Fully within the stream, now open your mouth
and suck the water into your mouth – nostrils –
and fill your lungs with the clear fluid and
the substance of God. Understand you do not
choke but swallow the clear stream until you
are living and breathing the pure water.
Feel the energy, the thrill, and the joy of life’s
stream. Become the stream, let go and float
with its current – move with its flow. Be alive
in its water – submerged – but living. This is
the wonder of oneness with God. Step into
the stream of life and live renewed – reborn –
refreshed.
Step into the stream.
NOE BY G. 3.28.2009 9:50 AM
Now, let’s take a look at another effective New Thought mind control technique, expressing gratitude and appreciation for the life we are currently living.
GRATITUDE AND APPRECIATION
Today focus your thoughts
on the positive aspects
of your life, listing each
and reminding yourself,
and the universe, what
you want more of today. BY G.
A key New Thought mind control technique is constructing an “attitude of gratitude” – living with a feeling of thankful appreciation to God for favors or benefits received; pure thankfulness. If we were able to establish an attitude of gratitude, where we focused on thankfulness for what we have now, we would clear away much of the Ego-driven mental confusion, which is focusing on lack and limitation. New Thought folks are known for keeping a daily gratitude journal, listing at least five things that occurred to them during the day that they are grateful for. One way to accomplish this attitude is to focus your thinking on the positive aspects of your life, returning to your list of positive aspects whenever your mind slips back into its negative pattern of lack.
I would like to start out our discussion with a blog post that I published that expresses these sentiments well.
BE THANKFUL - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
“If the only prayer you said in your whole
life was 'thank you,' that would suffice.”
I start this post today, focused on gratitude, with a quote from Meister Eckhart (1260-1327), a renowned German theologian, philosopher, and mystic whose real name was Eckhart von Hochheim. Meister (meaning Master in German) Eckhart helps us understand the true significance of saying thank you to God for all we have received. I wrote this Affirmative Thought below for Ann and me yesterday when I assessed all of the blessings in our lives. Take a moment and inventory your own life; I am sure you will have a great deal that might also be worthy of gratitude.
BE THANKFUL - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Today let us realize and be thankful
for the abundance of our lives, flowing
to us without obstacle or interruption –
our beautiful home, our wonderful
children and grandchildren, our
purposeful and productive work,
our connection to God and the universe.
Today let us realize and be thankful for
our love - our chance to live this joyous
life together - to pursue our dreams and
create our heaven on earth - growing -
exploring - becoming - together hand
in hand.
Today let us realize and be thankful
for every breath, every step, every
movement in our lives, we are capable
of easily making and sitting in awe and
gratitude - alive in the magnificence
of life.
AT BY G. 6.24.2011
________________________________
Gratitude and appreciation have been major components of my meditation guidance during my commutes on the train, as God has worked to get me to let go of my thoughts of lack, not enough; this could/should be a better attitude. I was preparing for the surgical removal of my pituitary tumor and was still trying to muster the strength to go through with it at the end of the month. I was scared; better put, I was terrified, and the fears of death, or worse, loomed heavy on my mind. Here is God’s response.
THANK GOD - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Thank God for what is happening to you now,
what surrounds you, what is causing you joy,
but more so, for what is causing you confusion,
frustration, pain, and even agony.
Thank God for the tumor on your pituitary,
thank God for your son’s arrest; thank God
for the conflict – the turmoil - understanding
that the good and the bad or difficult are
simply the movements of the river of your
life. That all events – all positive and
negative – have a reason, have a purpose.
To most, this would be the time of
bewilderment, consternation, screaming
why and moving in frustration. But what if
these events lead to the magnificence –
the magnificence that awaits down the road.
What if this painful event spares you from
a worse fate down the road that would have
destroyed you? What if the issues are needed
for you to learn the lessons to prepare for
the next stage? What if this event is key to your
living an authentic life? What if your reaction
will further your mission to be the hands and
feet of God? You must thank God every step
of the way - every movement – every joy, and
every negative event.
Thank God always, and understand, through
God’s love, God has your best interests at heart.
Thank God unceasingly and prepare
for the magnificence.
NOE BY G. 4.18.2009 9:15 AM
As you see, this message goes much deeper than just being thankful; it is expressing gratitude for even those events in our lives that do not appear to be blessings and would naturally assist us in diving headfirst into our pain-bodies and never returning. When I first received this guidance, I was aggravated. I thought, yes, “thanks for nothing.” But the more I focused on this note, the more I turned my negative and potentially life-threatening attitude around. I walked with courage and confidence into the operation, and over the next year, as I recovered, I worked to aid my son with his legal issues. Anytime I feel I don’t have a great deal to be thankful for, I just go back and reread this note. I can only say, from today’s vantage point, thank you, God!
Focusing on the positive aspects of our lives, coupled with this attitude of gratitude, allows us to withstand any onslaught from our egos. All it takes is being aware of our current surroundings as we assess the positive nature of the experience we are now living. Let’s start when the alarm clock rings and our ego starts pointing out the negative aspects of our life - in response, we can drown out this voice of doom by focusing on the positive aspects at that time: the comfortable bed, the sun coming through the window, the sound of our lover’s breathing next to us, the rustling of our pet on the floor, the color of the drapes, the art we have in plain sight, the smell of the coffee brewing in our automatic pot, the music on the radio, just being alive and well and able to face the day with someplace to go and something meaningful to do.
Use this positive aspect technique anytime you need instant mind control. Here is Meditation Guidance that outlines the possibilities of celebrating the positive aspects.
POSITIVE ASPECTS - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
Celebrate the positive aspects of life and be grateful
for the joy and the gifts that have been given to you.
What are positive aspects? These are feelings,
thoughts, experiences, or encounters that make life
worth living. All encounters, all manifested experiences
are the result of your vibrational frequency – and are
responses to your desires. In every moment there is
a positive aspect, a moment of enlightenment, a lesson.
What are the positive aspects of your experiences?
It may be sensual or of the senses – beauty, harmony,
a smile, an opportunity, an opening, or even an obstacle.
Positive aspects bring positive emotions and feelings
to the surface, bringing you pleasure.
Look, record, list, savor, and recount each positive
aspect and understand why these are positive to you.
In this, you align with gifts and manifestations life
is preparing for you, and you set in motion
the attraction of more of the same.
Fill your mind and Soul with positive aspects and
set your desires in motion, and by doing so, clearly
define your wants and needs.
NOE BY G. 3.12.2009 8:00 AM
As with the use of affirmations and envisioning, this use of gratitude and the focus on positive aspects sets the Law Of Attraction in motion for more of the same. Since your thoughts are now focused on those things you love in your life, your emotionally charged desires will attract more of the same and, at the same time, align you for receiving what has already been attracted. Ester and Jerry Hicks, whose work with the Law of Attraction has emphasized the essential nature of focusing on positive aspects, suggests we keep a list, or a journal, of all we have identified. The Hicks have coined the term “rampage of appreciation,” which I use here to refer to a rapid-fire, hyper mix of gratitude and positive aspects that are done with high-intensity and fervent emotion.
I would like to close this discussion with a blog post summarizing what we have discussed here, offering us an Affirmative Thought titled More Positive Aspects.
MORE POSITIVE ASPECTS
DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT
After our mini-vacation in New York City, where we celebrated Ann's birthday, Ann and I are back home, We stayed in Times Square; went to see Spiderman and the Adams Family musicals; dined at Sardi's and the Blue Fin, and toured the city. We had a great time! Now, back to my topic of mind control, as I write a section for the book highlighting two very effective approaches for controlling our thoughts - practicing an "attitude of gratitude" coupled with a companion technique, where we focus our thoughts on every positive aspect of our lives.
When you wake tomorrow morning and are confronted with the usual Ego shortlist of problems, issues, and potential failures, refuse to participate and instead focus on every positive aspect of your current experience. If you really want to combat the negative thoughts, go on what some call a "rampage of appreciation," where you only think of the positive and purposeful aspects of your life.
Under this kind of positive barrage, I have found that it is next to impossible for my internal chatter and my doubting ego to combat such a maneuver. Here is an Affirmative Thought, titled simply More Positive Aspects, that I wrote for Ann today as she prepares to reenter her hectic business career and maintain the positive glow from her mini-vacation in New York City.
MORE POSITIVE ASPECTS - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT
Today, let us focus only on the positive aspects of our lives, listing each facet
that enhances our daily living, our creative experience, our emotional well-being,
our spiritual journey - fully appreciating each sensation, each interaction,
each movement that offers happiness.
Today, let us dwell only on the positive aspects of our work - clearing through
the day-to-day issues to find what we enjoy, what empowers us, creates our
enthusiasm and excitement in the simple act of using our skills to master
our contribution to all existence.
Today, let us go on a rampage of appreciation, reminding ourselves and letting
the universe knows we expect and desire more of the same - to fill our lives
and overflow our every moment of living.
AT BY G. 8.3.2011
_____________________________
This ends our discussion of the New Thought approaches and techniques developed to assist us with mind control – the control of consciousness. New Thought has developed a religious science of pursuing, developing, testing, and refining these practical applications, approaches, and techniques for controlling our thoughts, borrowing freely from the great religions and religious thinkers throughout time. Thought control - whether through meditation, affirmative prayer, mindfulness, an affirmative mental attitude, affirmations, envisioning, or the ongoing focus on gratitude and positive aspects – impacts every aspect of existence, including our physical and spiritual health, our happiness, our pursuit of enlightenment, and in the end the obtaining of our heaven on earth. From a New Thought perspective: there is no more essential task than the control of our minds – which leads to the spiritual control of consciousness, which we will now discuss briefly.
SPIRITUAL CONTROL OF CONSCIOUSNESS
LET THE SOUL RULE THE EGO
The senses are higher than the body; the mind
higher than the senses; above the mind is the
intellect, and above the intellect is the Atman.
Thus, knowing that which is supreme, let the
Atman rule the ego. Use your mighty arms to
slay the fierce enemy that is selfish desire.
The Bhagavad Gita - Translated By Eknath Easwaran
The ancient Hindu text, The Bhagavad Gita, states - “Let The Atman Rule The Ego” - with the Atman being the innermost soul in every creature, also known as the Divine Self. This ancient advice reveals a very effective spiritual approach to the ultimate control of consciousness, focusing the ego and all personal consciousness on the pursuit of spiritual growth. In fact, Enlightenment may simply be obtaining a state of consciousness organized around our positive, affirming spiritual pursuits - allowing the Spiritual Mind – or our Soul - to take control of the Ego and the Operational Mind. I could not convey this any clearer than the following Meditation Guidance I received on September 23, 2010.
DIVINE SELF BLOOMING - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
The Divine self, like an ocean of spirit within
your consciousness evolves, grows, matures –
connected and one with God – fully present –
the Spiritual Self – the Soul within. This is your
indwelling God – your perfect you, always present
in the mystery of infinite intelligence.
Open your mind and heart to this Divine self,
allowing it access to your life and the freedom
to evolve into you. Enlightenment truly is the
Divine self - the Soul - becoming fully conscious
and with ego in tow like an errant child - moving
through consciousness to claim its Divine right,
a perfect place.
Search no further than your heart, for here is
the sound and fury of your liberation – your
becoming – one connected and whole in
Source. Tear off the rags of physical form
and walk without armor – with eyes closed –
ego in check – move to the essence of your
Soul – God within – God without.
This is the time to hold the Crystal Heart –
to see the Heartlight and realize it all has
been with you all along – the Divine self
blooming.
NOE BY G. 9.23.2010
Yes, with this meditation guidance, we may be closing in on a working definition of the mystical term “ENLIGHTENMENT.” Perhaps it is just the divine self blooming—a state of consciousness where the Divine Self—the Atman—the Soul—Holy Spirit—call it what sounds most appropriate for you—or as I refer to it, the Spiritual Mind—steps up to control all consciousness in the pursuit of a spiritually authentic, purposeful existence.
Some, known and unknown, have found the way, and I believe they have moved beyond the chatter of the mind, taken control of their egos, and become one with their own Divinity—living as God would live on earth. Namaste!
WRAP - UP FOR CHAPTER ELEVEN
MIND CONTROL APPROACHES AND TECHNIQUES
Thank you for joining me on this rather comprehensive review of Mind Control – The Control Of Consciousness, a central and repeated message of my meditation guidance from my commutes on the train to DC. As you have read, the chaotic state of our thinking, combined with the control tactics of the ego, makes the study of mind control an essential first step, not only for obtaining spiritual transformation but, on an elementary level, managing our day-to-day existence.
It was startling for me, as I am sure it is for most people, to realize that “Psychic Entropy,” as it is referred to in the Flow research; or the “Mitote” as the Toltecs have called it for centuries, or the “Monkey Mind” - as it has been characterized by the Eastern religions - with its endless loop of often malicious chatter and negative fear-based thinking - is actually the plight of every living soul on the planet. I believe most parents, teachers, counselors, and spiritual advisors consider their chaotic minds a unique personal problem, so few of us have ever received counseling or instruction on how to control our thoughts and transcend this mental nonsense. The simple truth may be that the human mind is still evolving, and this negative aspect of our thoughts is leftover from ancient times when constant vigilance was required for daily survival. An organized global approach towards positive mind control may help hasten the evolutionary change process.
I hope my efforts have accomplished at least a small step towards this transformation. More importantly, my objective has been to introduce readers to the full array of existing mind control techniques and approaches that they may not have been exposed to in more traditional spiritual orientations, including mindfulness, meditation, affirmative prayer, acceptance, non-resistance, positive mental attitude, the effective use of affirmations, envisioning, surrender, and a focus on gratitude and positive aspects. While doing this, I have intended to set the stage for achieving the ultimate mind control technique - living a fully authentic, purposeful life - a Flow-based life - as introduced in Chapter Nine and in more detail in upcoming discussions.
Mind control requires daily diligence; if left unattended, it will dramatically impact our lives, most prominently through establishing an infrastructure based on fears and doubts that can easily undermine our ability to obtain our heaven on earth – our rightful life focused on joy, peace, love, and happiness. We all need to comprehend and master the techniques and approaches offered and strive to incorporate each in our lives today
._________________________
CLOSING NOTES ON ENLIGHTENMENT
earnest (adjective) - resulting from or
showing sincere and intense conviction.
(noun) a thing intended or regarded
as a sign or promise of what is to come.
OUR EARNEST EFFORT - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
We are mobile creatures in search of our origin, our primal essence,
the first cause of our very existence; this search ignites our creative
center, as we conjure gods, rulers, myths, magic, wizards, and/or
shamans to interpret our place, our possible situation, perhaps
to connect with our creator, to return to where we originated,
once more
This molten force of will has formed a conjoined intention, given
life to this distant, passionate pursuit, overwhelming, unwieldy,
forging a consciousness of human longing, a continual cry for
our lost place, our desire to be spiritually comforted by our universal,
ancestral Mother – Father – the formulator of our beingness.
From this earnest effort, we, humankind, manifested a presence,
a conscious response, the hoped-for overseer, a gentle, engaged
strength – a God – a tangible consciousness, a combined Soul
evolved through and by conflicting views, this presence finds
being, and provides love, peace, joy, and happiness –
our combined intention.
NOE BY G. 5.18.2017
So, what if the note above is tenable? Would the following conceptual
foundation be supportable:
Our Universe is continually evolving in order to fulfill our unique
desires – at its core, at the root of its very essence, hardwired
into its firmware, an algorithm existing for growth through
conscious creation – a creation engine of sorts, a 3D printer
producing thought into being, being that is tweaked and altered
into a better being, then into an evolved being – often appearing
to take even our sketchy thoughts, dreams, and visions -
for good or ill - seriously - working beneath and beyond
our understanding, to make them appear. All this with
consciousness as its medium, strong intention as its catalyst,
tangible reality as its exhibition.
So, if this first proposition is supportable – then the creation
engine referred to above would certainly qualify as a potential
Godlike presence, yet one that is founded in natural Law,
or possibly better put algorithm-based, rather than love
and kindness-centered.
Although God provides an existence that attempts
to give us what we desire, for the most part, does seem
rather loving to me. We, humankind, each of us, our world,
our reality would be the result of this continual creative
force – given that we, each of us, would be mobile creative
creatures, fully designed and connected with this universal
consciousness, capable of bringing what we wish into being.
Thus, all of this, every human-adapted thing we see and
touch: our human world, manifested by us, for us, in less
then a few hundred thousand years. So, with this creative
power, the combined consciousness of humankind fuels
the emergence of all its surveys, a communal force so potent
it can change the very underpinnings of reality, enabling all life
to flourish in virtual heaven on earth – or, as we sometimes
do, create a virtual hell on earth that unknowingly speeds
humankind, all of us, towards our extinction.
Perhaps, within our combined creative reach – is a God
of worth, a God of merit, a God of love and hope, a God
of our creation – or maybe altering. The note above
seems to suggest that we collectively, unknowingly, through
the millions of prayers, pleas, and thoughts over thousands
of years of struggle, suffering, and hard-fought existence,
that we, we may have created, manifested a God of meaning,
a God of purpose, a God of goodwill, a God that we deserve –
through our vested power of creation.
As often occurs when writing these posts, my original
objective to present this speculative concept of an emergent
God, created from our conjoined human consciousness, has,
over a few paragraphs, itself evolved into a fuller, and I guess
for me, a more fascinating and plausible concept - that through
our spiritual-based intentions, we all created a more engaging,
loving, useful, caring God, enhancing the universal creative
engine with a heartlight.
A God of the heart as well as of natural law. However it
happened, this is the God I am going to keep empowering
and fostering through my prayers, my gratitude, and my love.
Thanks for speculating with me as I continue to attempt
to fully understand the guidance I receive. BY G.
As we prepare to move on, I would like to offer the following poetic meditation guidance, which provides additional insight into how our minds are impacted by and interact with the large and grander - Divine consciousness.
CONSCIOUS EXTENSION - MEDITATION GUIDANCE
You are consciousness within a greater consciousness,
a subset of a universal or God-consciousness – the power
and force of all eternal existence alive in its knowingness –
immersed in its potential – more than alive – the edge
of conception forming, becoming, being – beating with
a pulse of silent thunder – breathing life in and out with
waves of clear, fresh, fragrant existence.
You are the living essence of this consciousness – its voyager
in the world, its experiencer, its sensor of consciousness alive –
able to cocreate, propagate, and procreate more tentacles of
conscious awareness – capable of extending and reforming
the boundaries of perfect life alive. You are part of the flesh,
the cells, the sentient fabric of God-consciousness – an extender
of God in form – a God all its own.
NOE BY G. 7.7.2011 10:20 AM
______________________________________
I would like to close our long but productive journey into Mind Control – Control of Consciousness with the words of one who certainly was a master at reaching into his mind and revealing his true Divinity, Hafiz, the Sufi poet. The poem featured below is titled Stay With Us, from the book The Gift – Poems By Hafiz The Great Sufi Master – Translations By Daniel Ladinsky. Hafiz wrote a poem daily expressing his love for God and His creations. This is one.
STAY WITH US
You
Leave
Our Company when you speak
Of shame
And this makes
Everyone in the Tavern sad
Stay with us
As we do the hardest work of rarely
Laying down
That pick and
Shovel
That will keep
Revealing our deeper kinship
With
God.
That will keep revealing
Our own divine
Worth.
You leave the company of the Beloved’s friends
Whenever you speak of
Guilt
And this makes
Everyone in the Tavern
Very sad.
Stay with us tonight
As we weave love
And reveal ourselves,
Reveal ourselves
As His precious
Garments.
__________________________________
A rather extensive Summary Of Key Points in Chapter Eleven is listed below to assist us with this effort.
SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
MIND CONTROL APPROACHES AND TECHNIQUES
Mindfulness
1. Being mindful and focused on the “now” helps us manage the turmoil in our minds and is the clear pathway to God, who only exists in the present.
2. The pursuit of mindfulness and living in the present has been discussed in-depth in Part Three of Finding God On The Train. When we enter a mindful state - by focusing our attention on the present - the ego is nullified and cleared away temporarily. This state was referred to as - Spiritual Flow – a significant element of enlightenment.
3. The primary goal of the meditation guidance offered in Part Two, and all of New Thought, has been to teach a straightforward lesson - we all have the power to interpret our reality and frame our consciousness for our greater good and the greater good of all humankind.
Acceptance VS. Resistance
4. The pursuit of mind control centers on our ability to fully accept our lives and stop resisting what is appearing in our day-to-day world. To “accept” is to say “yes” to what is happening, understanding its importance in our lives now.
5. Even when our life is not what we had planned or desired, it plays a key role in setting up the contrast and showing us what we truly want to attract and manifest instead.
6. Resistance is dragging through life focused on the negative and, as a result, manifesting the same, or more, negative, into our lives.
7. Acceptance allows each of us to accept the playing field – using it as a positive foundation for moving forward with cocreating from this point and, as a result, eliminating frustration, disappointment, bitterness, turmoil, and constant stress inhabiting our minds.
8. Acceptance also nullifies the power of the ego and is a first step towards obtaining joy, peace, love, and happiness – heaven on earth.
Affirmative Mental Attitude
9. Learning to think, feel, and respond positively at all times is the first step towards effective mind control and a prerequisite for true self-awareness. It requires constant diligence and ongoing assessment of our thinking, our environment, and our lifestyle.
10. With an “Affirmative Mental Attitude,” – we say yes to life - Yes I Am! - Yes I Can! - and Yes I Will! There is no room in this affirmative approach for any negative thoughts about ourselves, others, or the world.
TOLTEC WISDOM
11. The spiritual and life wisdom of the centuries-old Toltecs - Mexican shamans, healers, and mystics whose spiritual practice is still actively followed today, offers us an excellent starting point for developing this Affirmative Attitude. Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements – A Toltec Wisdom Book is used as a guide.
12. The challenge is to harness the ego and chaotic mind, which the Toltecs call the “mitote” - the chaos of a thousand different voices trying to talk simultaneously. An excellent definition, by the way, for Psychic Entropy.
13. The First Agreement – Be Impeccable With Your Word. Don Miguel lays out what we must do to build a foundation for mind control and an affirmative mental attitude. The “word” is a powerful creative force, and misuse of the word against yourself or others is destructive. The use of words that are unloving and untrue cast spells on others, with the worst form of black magic - being gossiping.
Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.
14. Don Miguel goes on to say that you sin when you go against yourself by judging or blaming yourself, noting that self-rejection is the biggest sin you can commit, a deadly mortal sin in Toltec belief.
15. The Second Agreement – Don’t Take Anything Personally. The Toltec wisdom instructs that nothing other people say or do to you is because of you. It is because of them. We are simply not what others say, good or bad, or indifferent, since these are their distorted judgments and are not fully based on truth.
Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.
16. The Third Agreement—Don’t Make Assumptions. The problem with making assumptions is that we believe they are the truth. These assumptions wreak havoc with our lives, undermining our relationships and creating turmoil, anxiety, and sadness—all based on false assumptions. The big “mitote” creates even more chaos by assisting us with making these assumptions.
Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama. With this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.
17. The Fourth Agreement—Always Do Your Best: Under any circumstances, always do your best, no more, no less. But this agreement requires you to do your best with enthusiasm, enjoy what you do, and be fully committed to the work regardless of the rewards. You need to be ready to do it just for the pure pleasure of doing it.
Your best is going to change from moment to moment, it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstances, simply do your best with enthusiasm - fully engaged, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.
18. The Toltec wisdom in the Fourth Agreement supports and amplifies the condition of Flow, which we outlined when discussing the Psychology of Optimal Experience. By adhering to the Fourth Agreement, we enter and commit to a Flow state to be fully alive in the present moment. We could rephrase The Fourth Agreement as – Always Do Your Best Maintaining A Constant State Of Flow.
The Effective Use Of Affirmations
19. An affirmation is a positive statement that describes a desire, want, goal, dream, lifestyle, achievement, financial condition, or emotional state “as if” it fully exists and we are enjoying it in our lives now.
20. “Mantra Affirmations” are short, punchy statements that enable us to easily repeat them over and over, like an endless loop in our minds, allowing us to overcome Ego-related fears and mind chatter.
21. “Powerhouse Affirmations” are in-depth, comprehensive affirmations that fully cover the topic from various perspectives or angles, using a kind of rapid-fire approach, shooting a collection of four or five related claims combined into one powerful paragraph.
Creating A Life Action Plan
22. The Powerhouse Affirmation format can be merged with the MBO process for annual business goal setting to create a personalized Affirmative Life Action Plan or Contract For Success, which includes a life philosophy, doctrine, and a cohesive set of goals.
23. By creating this Affirmative Life Action Plan – A Contract For Success with its philosophy, doctrine, and list of goals – we establish what we want to accomplish for our egos, clearly laying out our intentions and effectively steering our consciousness in the proper direction.
Envisioning - New Thought Imagining
24. When we “envision,” we form a mental picture of something not yet existing or known, an image we contemplate or conceive of as a possibility or desirable event.
25. The term “envisioning” describes a technique that is a combination of daydreaming, imagining, imaging, and visioning all in one – mentally creating an emotionally charged imaginary vision of what we hope to achieve as if it already exists with every detail and nuance entirely fabricated in our minds.
26. Neurologically, Newberg and Waldman, in How God Changes Our Brain, tell us that “nurturing a fantasy is the first step in the neural process of achieving success in the world. It begins with creative imagination, a process that takes place in the frontal lobe, the area in the brain that has the unrelenting capacity to dream up virtually anything.”
27. Envisioning prepares our minds and actions to fully engage and support what we desire by taking the first step and clarifying our true intentions, determining what we want, and then empowering this desire with our love and sincere feelings.
Letting Go And Letting God Using The Golden Key and Surrender
28. The Golden Key is an excellent technique for clearing our minds of more significant problems and handing them over to God for solving. The Golden Key pamphlet instructs us to do the following: stop thinking about the difficulty, whatever it is, and think about God instead. We should hand a problem or issue over to God, especially if it is adversely impacting our life or is at a crisis point.
29. Letting go of a particular problem or issue to God is referred to as “Practical Surrender”. On the other end of this continuum is ”Mystical Surrender,” where we fully understand and accept our spiritual mission and are ready to dedicate our lives to God.
30. In reality, Mystical Surrender is not an escape from life but instead living a spiritually connected life while going about our day–to–day activities. We will all find the level of Mystical Surrender that is most effective in our lives.
Gratitude And Appreciation
31. A key New Thought mind control technique is constructing an “attitude of gratitude,” living with a feeling of thankful appreciation for favors or benefits received; pure thankfulness.
32. By focusing on the positive aspects of our lives, coupled with this attitude of gratitude, allows us to withstand any onslaught from our egos.
33. As with the use of affirmations and envisioning, gratitude and a focus on positive aspects set in motion the Law Of Attraction for more of the same.
34. A “rampage of appreciation” refers to a rapid-fire hypermix of gratitude and positive aspects that are done with intensity and fervent emotion.
Spiritual Mind Control
35. Thought control - whether through meditation, affirmative prayer, mindfulness, an affirmative mental attitude, affirmations, envisioning, or the ongoing focus on gratitude and positive aspects – impacts every element of existence, including our physical and spiritual health.
36. The ancient Hindu text, The Bhagavad Gita, states - “Let The Atman Rule The Ego,” with the Atman being the innermost Soul in every creature, also known as the Divine Self. This ancient advice reveals an efficient approach to the ultimate control of consciousness, focusing the ego and all consciousness on the pursuit of spiritual growth.
37. Enlightenment may simply be obtaining a state of consciousness organized around our positive, affirming spiritual pursuits - allowing the Spiritual Mind to take control of the Ego and the Operational Mind.
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