WHO'S TALKING?

One day two frogs, Croakie and Aristoadle, were traveling in and out of a watering hole and accidentally fell into an extremely deep pit. They tried to leap out, but to no avail. So they began to yell and croak until other frogs heard them and came to help.

Seeing how deep the pit was, the other frogs yelled down to Croakie and Aristoadle that the hole was too deep for them to help. Leaning over the hole and waving their front legs, they began to yell to the frogs to just give up, there was no hope of them getting out; they were as good as dead.

But both frogs kept leaping and trying to get out of the hole. This went on for hours, and eventually one of the frogs, Croakie, taking heed to what the other frogs were telling him,  just gave up and died. However, Aristoadle continued to jump, even as the other frogs kept yelling and waving their front legs for him to stop and give up.

Finally, Aristoadle leaped so high that he was able to get to the top of the hole and use his back legs to push himself up and out. The other frogs were amazed.

When Aristoadle caught his breath, he went around thanking the other frogs for egging him on. “What are you talking about,” the other frogs asked? Aristaodle just smiled. The other frogs didn't know that this he was hard of hearing.

Life, death, encouragement, communication - what we say matters. What we hear and think matters.
Thoughts are things....in the long run. It's all in the words we speak and the language we bare.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ~Book of John

The personal self and the ultimate imperishable impersonal Self are one.  ~Upanishads

Not a part, not a mode of That, but identical That, that absolute Spirit of the World.  ~Vedanta, a Hindu philosophy taught by Sri Aurobindo and the Krishna Movement

Those are descriptions of the power of your word. You are identical to That Universal Power, the I am that I Am.

Don't freak out! You are the god of your thoughts, feelings, beliefs; not the whole world. Or, on a less spiritual note, try this explanation of you:

A human being is a part of the whole, called by us "Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. The striving to free oneself from this delusion is the one issue of true religion. Not to nourish the delusion, but to try to overcome it is the way to reach the attainable measure of peace of mind. ~Albert Einstein, 1950, condolence letter to Robert S. Marcus (Political Director of the World Jewish Congress)

If the energy of the Big Bang created all, than this energy lives in each and every one of us for us to use. That's quantum physics. We can't be afraid of this Truth, nor of the responsibility of what we experience and how we react to that experience. We especially can't be afraid of the conscious, mindful, intentional use of our Word, because that is where the power lives. Our actions may be powerful, however our word is most powerful and no action occurs without first the word in mind. This is science, gang!

A single word has the power to influence the expression of genes that regulate physical and emotional stress.  ~Andrew Newberg, M.D., neuroscientist and Mark Robert Waldman

Sometimes, we get frightened to speak truth to power. We fear some sort of slap-on-the-wrist because we stated our needs to the Universe or someone else, wondering if we are safe or worthy or if we have all the information required or the skills necessary to effectively communicate and declare our desires. This can happen on the outside, in conversation or protest with ourselves and others; and inside, in decision making, prayer, contemplation, visioning and visualizing.

I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word.  ~Emily Dickinson

Self talk is always about deciding...

 ...who we are

...what we are

...what our life is to be

What words are you using?  are they small and mumbly and without clarity? or full of fear and hesitancy? Or verbose? without much meaning? or distracted with pretty words or mantras that have no significance to you? or do you speak from reaction, instead of thoughtfulness?

When we move into a more mindful speech, we have much greater access to communicating in a fuller, multidimensional way with words that have depth, truth and purpose. Mindful speech, like all creation, is born and bred through the breath of intention and creativity. It is manifested through the word and the feeling behind it; a word that is conscious and from the heart, habitually spoken and which eventually takes root in the sub-conscious and our prevailing belief.

The word may be energetic vs. verbal, cosmic vs. vocal, or felt vs. spoken. The word may be found in the science of the Big Bang or the writings of the Tao, the Vedas, the Scriptures, the Torah, the Gnostics, the Quaran or the tales of Indigenous Tribes and Shamans and many others. Most importantly are the words we put into play that clarify our purpose, intention and declaration with bold, brave, wise, heart-felt language.

Language can spew love or hate, ethics or apathy, character or degradation, hope or despair, peace, prosperity, kindness, etc. We have the power to cause great harm or great healing with our speech to ourselves and others, as well, through our lack of speaking up. Silence is speech in itself, both inside and out. We could say the Lord's Prayer to plead or to require, talk to an outside Power or an inside Presence. We could sing “Amazing Grace” to condemn or to uplift. Mindful speech, felt speech, is the answer.

The Word of “expansion” created the Universe ... the quarks, gravity, the light, the atom.
The Word of “expression to be seen and present” created the planets and stars.
The Word of “experiencing life in a new way” created sentient beings...cells, animals, humans, flora and fauna.

God is intelligent Mind and Spirit, and there is a direct response from this Universal Intelligence to our intelligence. If we ask for bread, we shall not receive a stone. Be we are told we must ask believing, if we are to receive. …. Prayer is a mental, as well as a spiritual, function of intelligence. It is a certain manner of approach to the Spirit, a conscious act of the mind, a concrete experience of the knowing faculty. Prayer should be direct and specific, and should always be accompanied by a positive receptivity. God cannot answer prayers which have no meaning.   ~Ernest Holmes

Nor can your intellect answer without the desire to be answered. As creative agents we must put meaning and belief into our words, thoughts and prayers. It is the meaning, the conviction, the intentional mindfulness that is the root, the nexus, the fuel from which our words come to life.

All words are important. All words are thoughts. All thoughts are prayers. And all prayers steeped in the feeling, faith and gratitude of manifesting now, make it so. A song that is popular with the Unity teaching, words and Music by Lucille Olson, explains it this way:

Our thoughts are prayers, and we are always praying.Our thoughts are prayers; listen to what you're saying.Seek a higher consciousness, a state of peacefulness,And know that God is always there,And every thought becomes a prayer.

Our thoughts are prayers that Spirit resonates with.Our thoughts are prayers, the tools that we create with.Seek a higher consciousness, a state of mindfulness,And know that God is always there,And every thought becomes a prayer.

When we pray or whatever you want to call that conversation with your highest self or optimized self or the activities in the temporo-parietal junction, we converse with the energies of the mind. Be it a conversation of questioning, pondering, arguing and eventually concurring with the idea of what we want to create, to reach a goal, action step, decision, answer, statement, new question, hypothesis, parking space or healing any dis-ease in body, situation or mind, we do so with the power and presence of our word, the language we speak to ourselves.

Call to Action

Slow down, breathe, step out of reactivity. 

Whether that reactivity shows up as shutting down or slapping back, stop yourself before it takes over. It is usually not pretty, the reactive reaction. Speak from a connection with your best self. That's when and where we speak a word of love, wisdom and power into being. Using your divine voice is crucial whether for the parking space or the healing of a nation, for yourself or the common cause.

How do you know your words are the language of inspiration, prosperity, peace, advancement and victory? Are they moving you toward your good? Are they positive, speak of your worthiness and enough-ness, tell the tale of you being the best you can be and stepping into more? Are they words that have deep meaning for you? Do they propel you to the state of mind of success and action? Are they bold and brave, inspiring you to step out of your comfort zone and into the mindset of success? If the answer is yes, you are on it, my friend. Keep at it.

This also works in the common cause, as well as the personal one. We are here to stand and deliver, shout out how unity is our birthright - unity in love of life and unity in a life of peace and prosperity for all. We can use our word, talent, time and treasure to participate in our our singular life or that of democracy. And democracy is participating in the life of these United States and beyond.

Your life is the life of a spiritual being in a spiritual universe rockin' out the spiritual laws with peace, joy, love, light, wisdom, beauty, prosperity and health. This Word...your word...is the word of the Divine in you.

Use it with imaginative, bold, brave and loving intention!

Use it to focus on what you want!

Do not focus on want you don't want or wish to remove, it's strength is diminishing to your purpose.

Focus on what you want with words that influence you!

Who's talkin'? You're talking...the powerful, sassy, succulent, inspired, loving, beautiful wise child of the Infinite Universe. You're talking!

Talk peace into action

...LOVE into action

...EQUALITY into action

...JUSTICE into action

...and HAPPINESS into action for all.

Use your word(s) wisely to soar into the greatest adventure you and the planet can ever have!





Affirmation
I speak life into being with an intention of love, oneness and peace.
I speak life into being with an intention of health, calm and wisdom.
And I speak life into being with an intention of prosperity, opulence and joy.
I speak my Word today with bold and powerful gratitude, knowing the Power and Light within me brings it all into my good life.
I speak this Word today and experience it for myself and the world...right now!

A Maverick of Intention

Be A Lion Not A Dog
A small boy was wandering in the woods and saw a monk sitting on a rock. He went up to the monk and asked him to impart a bit of wisdom.

The monk looked at the small boy and said, “My child, be a Lion, not a dog.”
Puzzled, the boy asked, “What does that mean, be a lion, not a dog?”
“When you throw a ball at a dog,” asked the monk, “what does he do?”
“The dog chases the ball,” the boy replied.

“Yes,” said the monk, “but if you threw it at the Lion, it wouldn't care at all about the ball. Its attention would be on you who threw the ball, not on the object....you. Now think about it:  if someone is throwing balls at a lion, what happens next when the lion turns to look?”
“The person throwing the ball better run away before he gets eaten,” the small boy said.

“Correct, my boy. The Lion stays put, focused on you, waiting to grab hold of you.
Confused, the small boy asked the monk, “that's a scary story, teacher, what am I supposed to learn from that other than don't throw a ball at a lion?”

“Like the lion, my friend, always focus on the source.... not the incidents, not the effects....go to the source.”

PENETRATING INTELLIGENCE

A Buddhist monk strode into a Zen pizza parlor and said, "Make me a slice with everything." When he got his order, he gave the proprietor a $20 bill, which the guy thanked him for, pocketed and started to walk away. "Hey," asked the monk, "where's my change?" The owner turned back and said, "Change, my friend...must come from within." 

Can We Talk to God?

Neale Donald Walsch made a career out of his conversations and Ernest Holmes wrote a book with that title based on a 1934 lecture, where he teaches the Law of Cause and Effect and affirmative prayer, what he coined as Spiritual Mind Treatment. I talk about it all the time...affirmative prayer and other spiritual practices.

Does It (God or whatever you like to call It) Talk Back?

Better yet, does It start the conversation?

Lately, I've been starting our Sunday celebration with a version of this affirmation:

I am an irresistible magnet, with the power to attract unto myself everything that I divinely desire, according to the thoughts, feelings and mental pictures I constantly entertain and radiate.  I am the center of my Universe.  I have the power to create whatever I mentally choose and accept.  I begin choosing and mentally accepting the highest and best in life.  I now choose lavish abundance for myself and for all mankind.  This is a rich friendly Universe and I accept its riches and hospitality now!!!  ~Vetura Papke

We're not only attracting experiences into our lives through the Law of Cause and Effect and other spiritual laws, we are also attracting wisdom that penetrates our mind and consciousness with ideas, tactics, answers and, sometimes, additional questions that take us deeper into solutions. 

How do we penetrate our own mind? We do it every day with our thoughts and feelings. We can do it so well, we are so smart that many times we talk ourselves out of our success and other times heal ourselves of dis-ease.

The human mind is really more of a process. It is not a completed thing, like an arm or leg, but a relationship and a process.   ~Jane Roberts, The Nature of Personal Reality 

Part of that process is the relationship and conversation that exists between the solar plexus -the gut- and the third eye -the brain. Now I understand that the head brain reigns supreme, but the gut is the older. Before you had a neo-cortex or the frontal lobes, you only had the gut and instincts to guide you. The "gut" or enteric nervous system consists of sheaths of neurons embedded in the walls of the long tube of our alimentary canal, which measures from the esophagus to the anus. It contains some 100 million neurons, more than in the spinal cord or peripheral nervous system, and uses more than 30 neurotransmitters, just like the brain. In addition, 95 percent of serotonin, the hormone and neurotransmitter that regulates mood and social behavior, appetite and digestion, sleep, memory, and sexual desire and function, is found in the bowels. The primary visceral nerve, the vagus, carries information from the gut to the brain and not the other way around; electrical stimulation of which has been used as a treatment for depression.

How do we allow Divine Intelligence to penetrate our conscious and subconscious mind? By being open and aware of what Steve Jobs has called that which is "more powerful than intellect." It is a sacred gift from the Universe.

My brain is only a receiver. In the universe there is a core from which we obtain knowledge, strength and inspiration.    ~Nikola Tesla

Inspiration comes from the Latin, tueri, meaning to guard or to protect. The Hindus refer to as the Akashic River of Knowledge as inspiration. Biologist Rupert Sheldrake refers to inspiration as the morphic fields where all information floats and Malcom Glaldwell, in his book, "Blink," talks about “the power of thinking without thinking.”

Cracking The Intuition Code

I define intuition as the subtle knowing without ever having any idea why you know it. It's different from thinking, it's different from logic or analysis ... It's a knowing without knowing. ~Sophy Burnham, The Art of Intuition

It's a flooding of the brain with Divine penetrating intelligence, a “direct messenger of the soul” per Clarissa Pinkola Estes, author of "Women Who Run With the Wolves."

We all have hunches, sudden insights, that gut feeling or butterflies in the stomach. It is something which is not to be feared that you will become Doctor Faustus and make a deal with the Devil by listening and adhering to them. Those would be negative energy thoughts and easy to differentiate. O that you somehow are heeding the call of the mythological Sirens, luring you to crash and burn with their enchanting songs like sailors getting shipwrecked on the rocky coast of their island. Those will be destructive voices and ideas coming from your scared ego, lack and limitation self-talk or judgments masquerading as intuition. . We also do not need to buy into the judgment, prejudices or biases that rear their ugly head masking as intuition. In her book, "The Art of Intuition," Sophy Burnham tells a story about two women waiting in a doctor's office. Joanne, a brilliant journalist (an observer of fact) saw that the other waiting patient seemed to be an unkempt, disreputable-looking woman, the more off-putting for having the shadow of a dark mustache. She shuddered at the idea of talking to this woman. But time passed and boredom was setting in and they fell into a conversation. Joanne was surprised to find out the woman was a nuclear physicist and a captivating conversationalist. She mistook intuition for her judgments, prejudices and biases.

When any of those show up, evaluate their integrity - is it destructive? judgmental? bias-ridden? fear-induced? prejudicial? If so, ignore them or over-ride them with Truth, and tell them to take a hike. Take over and allow your intellect to discount them as the fear or judgment-centered voice they are.

You get your intuition back when you make space for it, when you stop the chattering of the rational mind. The rational mind doesn’t nourish you. You assume that it gives you the truth, because the rational mind is the golden calf that this culture worships, but this is not true. Rationality squeezes out much that is rich and juicy and fascinating.   ~Anne Lamott

Intuition is usually subtle and many times makes no sense. The key is of course, to stop and listen to that inner voice and the sensations of your body. What do you perceive is going on, being said, letting you know?

If courage is the penetration of mind through the fear which seems to overwhelm us then we can think of calmness as the penetration of mind through the anxieties which confront us, even including anger. …. Our mind need not be always passive; always like a sponge. …. If we don’t often use our mind this way we gain no strength with it—we get flabby.  ~The Zennist

How To Cultivate Our Intuition

1) Tune in and raise your vibration and take time for solitude. Solitude is a practice that does not equate to being alone, but to being at One with the energy and Light of the Divine.

If you want to find the secrets of the Universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.  ~Nikola Tesla

This energy, frequency and vibration is the universal power, as First Cause (initiator of  creation), is the original broadcasting station, extending Its wisdom out into all of Its creation.

2) Listen, allow, recognize and act. Allow your Spidey-sense to emerge as you pay attention to the goosebumps, the tingling in the scalp, the shudders, icky feelings or words you hear inform you.

3) Observe, be in the moment and not in a life drowned in rote.

4) Connect deeply to your feelings and emotions and those of others. This is not to indulge, soak or become the victim, but to listen to the messages, work through them and then let them go.

5) Visioning – directly or indirectly. Go inward, ask, journal your thoughts. Talk to your higher self on purpose. Here's an exercise:  focus on an event and pay attention to the thoughts that emerge while in contemplation. Write down in a 'stream of consciousness' mode what came to you. 

6) Pay attention to your dreams. Your subconscious mind is talking to you. Learn what that might be. 

7) Rest, meditate, sit in nature. Can't say it enough. And when you do, say to yourself, affirmations such as these:

I Am Intuitive, I Am Knowing

I Am Alive In The Now and Connected To My True Path And Purpose

True To Myself, I Am Connected To My Own Inner Vision

My Insight Is Strong and Can Be Trusted

I Have Strong Instincts From My Intuitive Self and I Am Listening

I Am Clearly Connected And Step Firmly Into the Unlimited Possibilities, Bringing Them Into My Reality Right Now

It is always with excitement that I wake up in the morning wondering what my intuition will toss up to me, like gifts from the sea. I work with it and rely on it. It's my partner.   ~Jonas Salk

Connect with your “partner in enlightenment;” call it God, Source, Consciousness, Wise One, Tao, Gnosis, Qi, Source, Muse...whatever. Open your gut and allow its Penetrating Intelligence to call you to your best and...

Listen for the nuggets of wisdom to bust through soar and zoom.

Affirmation

I have a powerful, creative and constructive mental acuity with  the acumen to accurately activate and accentuate the source of Divine Light in my life. 

I keep my mind alert and sharp, listening to my inner self and downloading the answers I require. 

I am savvy with the details that manifest exciting, love-filled experiences and I allow them to joyously ring loud and clear in my every thought, feeling and belief. 

I have the wit to speak my word with bold, brave, sassy, succulent and enlightened clarity. 

Perceiving and retrieving the brilliance of Divine Intelligence, I  perfectly conceive the best ideas and achieve the deepest insight; receiving great peace, prosperity, joyous love and abundant health in my life.

POINTING THIS WAY OR THAT

Details, Details, Details

Did You know May is

Mystery Month

National BBQ Month

National Hamburger Month

National Salad Month

National Photograph Month

National Date Your Mate Month

National Re-commitment Month

and National Older Americans Month

How do you celebrate them all? I have a solution: 

So if you are of a certain age, take a selfie while on a date with your spouse to renew your vows...and celebrate by dining on BBQ Hamburgers, switching fries for a salad, of course – and you've got it all down....except for the mystery part. Where the heck are ya gonna be able to go to do all this during social distancing? aha, that's the mystery to celebrate!

Details, details, details...it's all in the details. It's true, to when manifesting...it's in the details!

In the last few weeks, I have read or re-read some great inspirational books...

The Game of Life and How To Play It by Florence Scovel Shin

The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles

...and a few others in my “New Thought Guy Reads” series I do on Facebook, M - F

at 5pm Pacific Time. They all, at one time or another, start saying that the details make

the design of your experiences.

What details are you playing on a loop in your mind? Are they full of der Teufel steckt im detail? Is fear & negativity on the agenda or giving up before starting? You could say that, in that case, the Devil is in the detail. Or is the cycle, as Flaubert indicated, Le bon Dieu est dans le détail. Full of joy, fun, a bevy of imagination, envisioning your best life; where the Good God is in the detail?

Now I am not prescribing to the idea of the devil versus angel going on in your thinking. I am talking about having a negative perspective versus a positive one going on the loop in your mind. Basically, I am wondering, what's your perspective? is it a life of mediocrity or greatness? a society full of the commonplace or exceptionalism? determined by your age and health coinciding in some deterioration or continued health and healing? What thoughts are you holding on to?

As of this writing, today is National Pack Rat Day

                                                                                      “calling all hoarders, calling all hoarders”

We are all hoarders of some type. Some hoard their time, talent, treasure; some their  feelings and emotions; others like to hoard their ideation of lack or limitation or not enoughness. This hoarding of ideas are the details the Universe uses to shape our experiences.

Such as are your habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of your mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts.  ~Marcus Aurelius

And so are our experiences - they are dyed, filtered, molded, sculpted, colored, patterned, and birthed from our habitual thoughts.

In Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, Dr. David Burns outlines common negative thinking patterns, or cognitive distortions, as he calls them, that create these habitual thoughts. They are:

 

All-or-Nothing Thinking

“I can’t believe I ate a handful of potato chips. I’ve completely failed at my diet. I may as well eat the entire bag now.”

 Over-generalization

  “I really thought I had that job. Now I’ll never land one and will be unemployed forever.”

 Magnification or Catastrophizing

“I fumbled over my words and the broadcast didn't work well. People must think I am the dumbest minister on the planet. Nobody will watch or listen because of this. My ministry is at an end!"  That one is a bunch of bullshit that's gone through my head and some others I've talked to during this use of online presentations.

Emotional Reasoning:

​​​​​​ “I have felt so anxious and stressed out lately, which must mean my problems are pretty major and near impossible to overcome.”

Shoulda /Woulda / Coulda Statements

You know them.

Also, in Psychology Today, Dr. Melanie Greenberg added these two:

Negative Rumination

Continuously focusing on negative outcomes.

Overthinking

Trying to think of and plan for every possible scenario, attempting to control what is out of your control, in an effort to avoid pain or failure. Now that is working too much in the 'how' zone, which is not your prerogative nor your problem.

So how do stop being a 'hoarder of negative ideas? 

There is, within ourselves, the answer to every question, and the solution of every problem; that Spirit makes the demand, and will answer that demand from within, when we allow ourselves to wait for the mental storm to die down. "Be still, and know" is the secret of guidance, as it is of every problem of life. A perturbed mind can never get the correct answer -- a stilled mind always can, because the answer comes from the God within.   ~Ernest Holmes, Power for Good Lesson 10

Of course, I was going to mention a deep spiritual practice and seeking allies, mentors, spiritual or cognitive counseling; in order to redirect those habitual negative hoarding thoughts. More usual reminders in turning off the news (please), reading something inspiring (you are), use affirmations when you wake up and when you go to bed (like the one at the bottom of this post), do Earl Nightingale's 30 day challenge or follow the concepts of Wallace Wattles in “The Science of Getting Rich,” etc. - create a respite from the constant knocking about of and getting knocked about from the negative ideas in rolling around in your head. 

 

Those hoarded negative ideas want attention. They want to remind you of their promise of ease and “normalcy” if you stick with them. It screams, "the devil is in the details, it's scary to change, be careful-it's difficult-watch out, stay here-it's easier in the norm, don't go breakin' the status quo, don't rock the boat or change the Holy order-for God's sake, stay the course...it works!"

It's all b.s. in your belief system. It's time to address your inner critic; challenge it, tell it to get lost or say “void” or “delete” when such junk shows up, or even thank it and bless it to its highest and farthest. Another great thing to do is change your environment when the yelling starts - take a walk, go for a run or a bike ride; anything to break the cycle by breaking the patterns. The more you do this, the more a new habit occurs and you take control of what is going on in your mind. 

Our faith comes in moments; our vice is habitual. Yet there is a depth in those brief moments which constrains us to ascribe more reality to them than to all other experiences.  ~Emerson, The Over-Soul

Ascribe to the reality of your faith! Make it constant. It is said, “When the vision is clear, the decision is easy.”  I say, when the details are clear, the manifesting is easy.

When you come up with a theory, you fall in love with the beauty the simplicity and elegance of it. But then you have to get a sheet of paper and pencil and crack out all the details. Hundreds and hundreds of pages. Because you have to prove it ~Michio Kaku, physicist

Translation:  fall in love with the idea, then write down the specifics - what does it looks like, smell like, sound like, feel like and even taste like. Get into the details, tell the story, and live the story in your mind. A physicist has to prove their theories to others, we only have to prove it to ourselves

As you listen to the Divine Wisdom within you, you will receive your inspiration and guidance.  As you speak your word, think your thoughts, or make your affirmations with complete conviction, you will discover that you are using a Power that actually is, and that actually does respond to you.  The Spirit within you is God, the infinite Source of your intelligence and wisdom and creative power.   ~Ernest Holmes, Power of Idea

God is in the details...so give the Universe some ... what's it look like, smell like, taste like, feel like when you are in it or have it? Envision it, live in it, soak in it!

Details, details, details
Get some and watch your life soar!

Affirmation

Divine Wisdom guides my every decision, lighting my path to greatness.

I follow Its lead to understanding my purpose and power.

I follow Its lead to the knowledge that I need to absorb.

I follow Its lead, staying awake and aware to all the signs, signals, red flags, cues, messages, lessons, hints, pointers, symptoms, inspirations, and ideas It presents to me.

I am lit by the Light of Divine Clarity and go forth educated, illuminated, joyous, grateful and ready to live an awesome life.

ALERT AND SHARP

We live in a world full of opportunities for distraction
...many have been seeking them in the last 6 weeks


What have you been listening to lately?
Something like this:

or this:

We get caught in the whirling dervish of daily life, away from the practice of listening to our true voice, the voice of Spirit – the heart.


Funny, we spend so much time looking for distractions to escape the silence versus attracting the wisdom in the silence

In the silence there is peace,
In the silence there is unspoken joy
In the silence there's release
From a world full of chaos and noise.

Do you remember the first sounds you ever heard?  It was something like this: 

One of the first acoustic stimuli we are exposed to, in vitro at 15 weeks, is the sounds of our mother's heartbeat. As fetuses, we have a great capacity for auditory learning and memory. The heartbeat (voice of the heart) is a primal experience. The heart is the empowering center of the intuition fired in the belly; the center of the power of feeling, which is vital in manifestation! It is always speaking, guiding, imparting Itself to/through/and as us; and when we listen and pay attention to what the hear speaks, we can hear the call, wisdom and guidance of the Universe / Divine.

We believe in the direct revelation of truth through our intuitive and spiritual nature, and that anyone may become a revealer of truth who lives in close contact with the indwelling God.  ~Ernest Holmes, Declaration of Principles

The heart is our intuitive neuro-electro-bio-chemical-mechanical organ which communicates with brain & body in 4 ways:
Neurological - nervous system
Biochemical - hormones
Biophysical - pulse wave
Energetic - electromagnetic fields

The heart is the seat of wisdom for the Jews, the hub of the universe for Hindus, the throne of God for Sufis, a fundamental quality for Buddhists, the essence of being human for Confucians, and where the kingdom of God lives for Christians.

God speaks in the silence of the heart. 
Listening is the beginning of the prayer. ~Mother Teresa 

 The Upanishads speak of the hridaya guha, the cave of the heart, in which the Supreme Reality resides

Go into the cave and you find the treasures of heaven. The sun and the moon and the stars, the very space and the clouds and the lightning and the rains—all this miracle of creation is within the heart of man. When it rains outside, it rains inside also, and the stellar regions shine resplendently within the heart of man.  ~Chhandogya Upanishad, Chapter 8 

The heart is the where the purest form of our Divine Power resides. 

Now most have the brain/head thing down.....the intellect and logic. The synapses are firing, the electro-chemical workings of the brain are at work. We get the idea of  “I declare this in my life!” and “I reveal that in my life!”

Some have gut stuff down....the intuition / imagination flourishes. It begins from a direct infusion from the Creative Force. We know what the idea looks like, smells and tastes like, what it sounds like, what its texture is; and it informs and empowers our manifestations.

However, the heart is main connection, the one that matters most. It is where the feelings lie, the home of the 'as if,' the feeling of the experience of the manifestation, the emotion felt of the having it, and the gratitude because it manifested into our experience. The heart is the regulator of our perceptions, creating an energetic / magnetic field to tell our brains whether we feel safe or not. In the heart, there are over 40 thousand sensory neurites or cells firing off, independent of the brain's neurons. Amazing!

It's time to re-awaken our heart intelligence! Here's a spiritual practice you can do to re-awaken that intelligence. It only takes 5 minutes or so.

1) Close your eyes and brings your awareness within
2) Put your hand on your heart!
        Heart is at center of the body, center chakra. It is the gateway to an Intelligence, harmonious and holistic and the touch brings a powerful awareness to this gateway.
3) Now become aware of your breathing and allow it to slow down. Breathe in for five seconds in, and out for five seconds
        This signals the body your are safe, frees you from any stresses and opens the body to healing.
4) Think or imagine someone or something that you care about or Appreciate or have Gratitude or  Compassion for and allow yourself to feel that appreciation. It could be a person, this community,  something you received, an insight you had.

Care, Appreciation, Gratitude or Compassion!

Sweet song of the Silence, forever singing in my heart!
Words cannot express, the tongue cannot tell;
Only the heart knows the songs which were never sung, the music which was never written.
I have heard that great Harmony and felt that great Presence.
I have listened to the Silence; and in the deep places of Life, I have stood naked and receptive to Thy songs and they have entered my soul.
I am lost in the mighty depths of Thy inner calm and peace.    ~Science of Mind

Now take another deep breath, inhaling with “God Is” and exhaling with “I AM”

Repeat this another time or two, then

Open your eyes.

That ancient and primal practice is easy, yet powerful. It consciously connects all three brains - the imagination/intuition from the gut, the feelings and intelligence of the heart and the logic of the brain. Each harmonizing, inspiring optimal decision making, creative discovery, learning, transcending and manifesting. This simple practice gives one resilience in this every changing and too often chaotic world, inspires a transformed perception of the chaotic to that of the cosmos, the helter-skelter to the harmonious. It also releases 1300 bio-chemical reactions which promote immunity and anti-aging.

In Proverbs 23:7 and a book by James Allen:

As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

I invite you to find the still point, the sweet spot; quieting the mind and listening to the heart - that primal rhythm of life. It is the sweet song of the Universe, singing just for you and revealing Its Wisdom through and as you.

I want to thank all of those that gave birth to and/or nurtured another human life. I am grateful for the continuity and the rhythm of Life Itself – the Universal Mother. I am grateful for the Divine Wisdom ever-present and available from and through It and grateful for that creativity that illuminates through my imagination. And I am grateful for that Inner Voice that never leads us astray.

Still your mind and open your heart and listen to the Divine Universal Mother calling you from within
And wish It a happy Mother's Day!




Affirmation
I am nurtured with the deepest love of Divine Universal Mother
Through Her, I see the truest of myself reflected in all I think, feel and do.
I am guided by the Divine Mothers in all cultures and easily turn away from all conditions of hurt or fear,
My dreams are supported, my victories
hailed in pride, and my celebrations feasted.
I am held in the hands of grace, listening to the mother-load of the highest Self
speaking in my heart.

Ain't Life Keen?

During this first year, we explored our Origins...  

THERE IS but one hand in the universe. It is God's hand. Whenever you have felt that your hand was empty, it has been because you have believed yourself something separate from God. … Your hand is God's hand. My hand is God's hand. [It] reaches out through these, [Its] only hands, to give [Its]) gifts.  ~Emilie Cady, “How I Used Truth, God's Hand” 

We discovered that the Big Bang and Genesis stories are the same, though they explain the event in their own vernacular. We also presented our Statements of Principles. Our Purpose:  

We are Here to Reveal Our Divinity

Our Vision, what you see in your mind's eye for your life is imperative.

Vibrating at the Speed of the Divine with love always being the answer and then optimizing your greatest Self by being a clear, luminous and dynamic force for Good

Mahatma Gandhi reminds us:

Your beliefs become your thoughts,

Your thoughts become your words,

Your words become your actions,

Your actions become your habits,

Your habits become your values,

Your values become your destiny.

Our Mission statement concluded the hows we will succeed in our vision?

To Use The Principles and Tools of The Science of Mind and Spirit, Neuro-Science and 

Ancient Wisdom To Bust Through, Soar and Zoom Into Our Greatest Life and 

Sharing That Gift For the Common Good 

Later, we re-imagined and refreshed many traditional ideas. We discovered the back story and true meaning of "Amazing Grace," that our thoughts create the wretch, not our True nature. We took back the New Thought trope, "Perfect, Whole and Complete;" recognizing that those words illustrate our spiritual foundation and we should always begin there. We regained the use of “Hallelujah, ”which means joyous praise in the song of God. We know Law is always at work and Love fuels It in all things. 

Then we re-discovered the 10 Commandments. We took them apart, using a translation from the Aramaic. We found that they are directions, guiding us on our journey, not 'slap-your-wrist' commands. The first five were about recognizing and unifying ourselves with the Presence and Power within, honoring the relationship between ourselves and the Universe through our parents, our community and our world, and to remember to take time to rest / reboot / reconnect at least once a week. The second set of five are about not taking or hoarding things in your life. There is no reason to take, that is evidence of a lack consciousness. To give and share is the Law of Circulation:  what you give returns to you multiplied abundantly. When we develop a have consciousness, there lies the best opportunity to tap into the Infinite possibilities in the Universe.

We took a deep dive into That prayer...The Lord's Prayer. I interpreted from the Aramaic translation, based on the cultural references of the day:

Our beloved parent, Mother-Father-Mind, which is everywhere in the Universe.

That which is the pure, indestructible, omniscient, omnipresent, all-knowing, and all-loving power; the singular energy which created all and is All, quenching the thirst for life in all...the great I Am.

I take this moment to call upon and reveal your Divine Council and unify with It's beauty, power, light, joy, peace, understanding and wisdom.

Let it be your desire on this planet, as it is in the Universe, to flow into my consciousness, like the movement of the celestial bodies in the cosmos; filling my life with your blessing of love, health, harmony, and prosperity. I now intentionally receive those blessings and acknowledge my Good.

Provide me bread, the meals which my soul feeds from day to day.

For you are the source and substance which nourishes my body temple and my mind, brings abundance into my pocket, Light into my heart, and joy into my experiences.

Your power and love surrounds me with the kindness, respect and compassion of others, and the knowledge of Truth, and the understanding of who I am.

Empower me to forgive all my offenses and mistakes, as I forgive any and all who has offended me; untying, releasing and setting me free from the burden and bondage of anyone and anything that I believe has done me wrong; and canceling those ideas in my mind and my heart, forgiving myself and removing all judgment in my life.

And do not let me enter into any temptation that separates me from my best life and the perfection of your creation.

Yet, do separate me from any mistakes and troublemakers entering my life.

Keep me from any thoughts or feelings of lack or limitation, dis-ease or despair, narcissism or entitlement, addiction, selfishness or fear and anyone who may lead me to such actions and beliefs.

For I know your Divine Counsel, power and energy, which has come forth in songs and praises throughout the ages, now lovingly guides and inspires me, through It's indwelling presence, to speak my word, which I now faithfully seal and release, backed by my belief in and gratitude for its fulfillment; right here and right now.

I am powerful and I am blessed! ... and so it is. Amen. Hallelujah.

This is not just the Lord's Prayer. It may be called the Namaste Prayer or the Christ Consciousness Prayer. It is Your Prayer. My Prayer...The Truth Prayer

In this first year, we've declared and decreed our independence from lack and limitation. We re-treated into our roots to reveal our Divine factory settings, learned to bend reality by having our brains on God and living a life of gratitude, gracefully and prosperously. We studied the Divine Matrix we all have working for us.

We see the world, not as it is, but as we are.  ~Talmud

We studied the elements – earth, air, water, fire; how the simple act of breath is a spiritual practice, receiving and sharing the Divine within. And grounding and earthing are spiritual practices from just putting your bare feet in the grass and connecting to Mother Earth.

Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.  ~Henry David Thoreau, Walden 

Life is about buoyancy, focusing on where you want to go and seeing the biggest picture. We heard the story about the Master and his student discussing life pains.

The Master sat beside this troubled young man and said, “The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount we taste the ‘pain’ depends on the container we put it into. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things. Stop being a glass. Become a lake.”

In this last year we discussed fanning the Divine spark, staying ablaze with the glory of Spirit in everything you think, feel, and do. As we dived into studying perception in 2020, we discovered how to see God in everything, use foresight to not just see ahead, but to be in that future in consciousness right now and attract what we desire in our lives. We talked about how to dress for success, in mind as well as body, and that no matter what is going on to stay on Principle, and when you speak your Word to be consistently sassy and succulent.

Man's word is his wand filled with magic and power! Yeshua emphasized the power of the word; “By thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned,” and “death and life are in power of the tongue.” So man has power to change an unhappy condition by waving over it the wand of his word. In the place of sorrow appears joy, in the place of sickness appears health, in the place of lack appears plenty.   ~Florence Scovel Shinn, Your Word Is Your Wand

Staying awake during this pandemic, we allow a transmutation to occur...our butterfly is emerging and change is a-comin'. What will that change look like? Well, that's the beauty about being awake, you can choose with eyes wide open.  

Happy first year, my friends. I am blessed to have you in our beloved community. 

Affirmation

Divine order surrounds my every move.

I am one with Infinite Intelligence and learn everything I need to know,

when I need to know it.

Always under direct inspiration, I make the right decisions, quickly.

I am blessed...

Blessed with the guidance of Infinite Spirit.

Sassy and Succulent

Holy month is coming to an end. We have talked about freeing ourselves from the bondage of limited consciousness, cracking the egg of past limiting beliefs and emerging, transmuted, revealing our Divine nature, and that our future is written by us through our choices...to choose Light, love, peace, victory, and gratitude. Holy month is the perfect time for "lock-down." It's a good month to come to a complete stop. 

As we wash our hands, we can wash our brains.
As we social distance, we can get a bigger picture

It's a good time to decide who I want to be? What do I keep? What do I release?

How do we answer those questions? We stay awake. We stay aware and awake to the insights and inspiration showing up, to the anger you are feeling and speak to it, to all that suffer and do what we can, and to Spirit - to reveal the greatness that we hide.

Last Friday began Ramadan, an Islamic holy day where one fasts daily for 30 days, from sunrise to sundown. No food, water, cigarettes, gambling, sex, gossiping, lying, or judging others can take place. And you thought Lent & Yom Kippur were hard!

When the brain and the belly burn from fasting, every moment a new song rises out of the fire. ~Rumi

Muslims see Ramadan as a purification process when the Fire in the Belly causes a purging in the mind. When reflection, revelation, and restoration occur and a re-dedication of one’s life to Spirit is made, a re-commitment to spiritual practice is engaged. It is a time that provides clarity. Like spiritual mind treatment or affirmative prayer, it's a call to rise up, inspired by the fire in the belly or Divine urge or the passion one has for an idea, to declare and reveal our best life and our Divine purpose.

Do you have a fire in the belly? 

what's yours?
Do you remember?
Have to search for it?

Maybe it fell between the cushions of the couch, got folded into the divorce papers, left it at the office before the lock-down, or lost in the years gone by? Well, it's in none of those places, as much as you'd like to blame it being there. It's in you...waiting for you to look sharply and pull it out of the cracks of your consciousness.

There is a place within us that lies open to the Infinite…                     ~Ernest Holmes, SOM

That “fire in the belly” that is stirring within you, calls you to be a part of something, connecting to something divine, something purposeful. You are here to define yourself by experiences or conditions, for while these are tools you can use, they are not who you are.

You are spirit – a fiery, heavenly intelligence created by God and unlimited in nature.    ~Sonia Choquette, “Soul Lessons and Soul Purpose” 

It's time to be sassy and succulent in your consciousness and life. First, let's start with succulence.

We can all be succulent in consciousness....tender, juicy, tasty, rich in desirable qualities, ripe to give mental nourishment (like the plants hold water for their nourishment). We call be luscious, moist, yummy, divine, rich, and heavenly. Some us just require some tools in doing so. How do you take of your succulents and your being succulent? your succulence within? We shall, with help of an Architectural Digest article, do so for both our plants and ourselves.

Make Sure Your Succulents Get Enough Light and Rotate Succulents Frequently
Succulents love direct sunlight and need about six hours of sun per day, but if yours is sitting in the same exact spot day after day, it's likely that only one side is getting enough light. Succulents will lean towards the sun, so rotating them will help them stand up straight.
You have got to get outside, bring light into your life. And, when we pray, don't say the same prayer or affirmation in the same way, have fun, get sassy.

Water According to the Season and Water the Soil Directly
Just like us, succulents need more energy when they're in a period of growth. During the spring and summer, the plants are thriving and drinking up much more water than when they're resting in the fall and winter. Don’t use a spray bottle to water your succulents—misting can cause brittle roots and moldy leaves. Overwatering can kill your succulent, so make sure you let the soil dry between waterings.
Hydrate yourself, not just with water, but by drenching yourself in spiritual practice. A sprinkling of spiritual practice is nice, but it can cause a brittle attitude as not being specific and clear very often tends to not enact changes in beliefs or creates moldy ideas. You don't want to manifest moldy ideas.

Keep Succulents Clean and in the Right Soil
Succulents need soil that drains, so regular potting soil—or dirt from your yard—won’t do. Choose cactus soil or mix potting soil with sand, pumice, or perlite. Wipe off the leaves and spines gently with a damp cloth.
I know you hear this a lot, but wash your hands, then wash your mind with self talk that is sassy, bold, direct, and specific. The right soil is the foundation of the best demonstration of life. And the right soil is right thinking. Beliefs in your divine nature and the power to be your best.

Get Rid of Bugs
Pests shouldn’t be a problem for indoor succulents, but occasionally you may have to deal with bugs. To get rid of eggs and larvae, spray the soil with 70 percent isopropyl alcohol. 
Those old beliefs and habits may sneak in now and again, so spray them down with affirmations, yoga, meditation or prayer - pick your spiritual medicine. Remember who you are...."the greatest miracle in the Universe."

When you are doing all of the above, be sassy.... audacious, bold, brassy, brazen, and smart. You know, we shall eventually emerge without the masks on our faces; let's also emerge without the masks over our True identity working in consciousness.

We all believe this great philosophy, but do we all know and practice it? It is time to take our belief and take it into the know! K-N-O-W! Know who and what you are....a spiritual being, living a spiritual life as a human Being, empowered by the Love and Light of Divine Intelligence and a Law of Cause and Effect that always says 'yes.'

Be sassy, be succulent and know you are the God of your experience...awaken to your power!

Affirmation
I have a fire in my belly. 
The fire in my belly is the Divine urge.
This Divine urge propels me  to live my passion with intention.
I am guided by the energy, intelligence, and infinite possibilities of the Creative Power in the Universe.
This power wires my brain, inspires my imagination, and awakens my heart to bring Light, love, joy, beauty, and wisdom to my every experience.
Today I renew my life’s purpose, allowing the fire in my belly to guide me to my greatest life.

LET'S BRIGHTEN UP THIS PLACE

Happy Easter....again! Whaaaat? In the Eastern Orthodox and Coptic societies that follow the Julian calendar vs. Gregorian April 


Egyptians celebrate spring and the festival of Sham El Nessim, which means inhaling the breeze (love that). This has been happening for almost 5000 years as a vernal equinox tradition of new life and new beginnings, using the symbol of egg.

Speaking of the egg, the word “Easter” comes from the pagan goddess of fertility. It was from a feast that was celebrated for  'Ostara' or 'Eostre.' So....I'm just going to use last weeks blog again. Just kidding. 

Also this week (depending on when you read this), we celebrate Earth Day, which was founded by Wisconsin U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson. Motivated by oil spill in 1969 Santa Barbara, along with Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican Congressman, who served as co-chair, Sen. Nelson wanted to infuse the energy of the anti-war protests with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution to force environmental protection ideas onto the national political agenda. He wanted this day to be a national teach-in on the environment. On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans (10% of population at the time) rallied the streets, parks and auditoriums, achieving a rare political alignment between Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, urbanites and farmers, and business and labor leaders. Because of this attention, after the first Earth Day, the government created the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air Act. Two years later, the Clean Water Act was signed and a year after that, the Endangered Species Act was passed.

The pandemic has caused slight environmental improvement. And I think it is also the time to take advantage of our inability to go out, to clean up the environment within...to wash our hands and wash our brains. We are the Co-Creators of our life; the authors, the sculptors, the choreographers, directors, producers, managers and the CEO. You have probably heard this before. Daily, we get to choose to hold onto our sucky thought patterns or exchange them for constructive loving ones; to repeat or remove and improve them. As we transform ourselves, we transform the world. The current global situation challenges us to find ways to restore balance, calm, harmony and stability of the outside....from the inside.


I read an article in Elle Decor: " 15 Designer Tricks For Brightening Up A Dark Room:  No Major Renovations Necessary" by Monique Valeris and Kelsey Kloss

Just because a room lacks an abundance of natural light .... doesn't mean you have to settle for living in a dark space around the clock. Believe it or not, this is a fairly common dilemma that top interior designers solve for all the time. While a major renovation can certainly correct the issue, thankfully, it's not the only option you have. .... A well-lit space isn't just more inviting—it can also improve your overall well-being.

From this article, I have developed the 5 Rev Jay Tricks For Brightening Up A Dark Attitude

#1  Surround yourself with great smells, good music, nutritious yummy foods
...aromatherapy, clean the house with great music, yummy does not mean it is not. nutritious.

#2  Have a high gloss ceiling and accents of metallics and mirrors, double amount of sunlight by allowing it to bounce off reflective surfaces that are across from it, shimmery gold or silver accessories ... have a way of reflecting light and making a design scheme feel more luxurious.
Our reflections are from where our experiences come from our affirmations, thoughts and feelings...beliefs, and our spiritual practice. They bounce off that reflection from imagination, inspiration, and spiritual communion.

#3  Be sure to trim the trees, have translucent shades, good lighting, and clean windows
If light can't reach your window, it certainly won't brighten your room. Make sure any bushes or trees cushioning your windows are trimmed regularly, and avoid planting trees on the southern side of your home.
We need to trim our self talk, in the sunshine. The combo of some good vitamin D and cutting out the negative inner dialogue is a major way to brighten up this place.

When we opt for translucent shades that allow sunshine to spread throughout the room.
So too, when we open the shades of our heart and mind to commune with Spirit and each other.

Indirect lighting aimed upward .... can make up for lack of light on the ceiling as daylight dwindles.
If we always aim high in attitude, perception and consciousness, we are looking upward and forward, seeking the highest ideals.

The less dirt, dust and splatters on your windows, the more sunshine can peek into your room.
My friends, we must clean up our thoughts and environment, radically forgive ourselves and others, and clean up dirt on our inner window - our perspective on how life works.


#4  Use light wood flooring and colorful area rugs. When a space is in need of additional light, it's best to choose light wood flooring to brighten up the room
So too, our inner space needs light. Our core beliefs require a good, bright look. Are they working a perspective of a 'woe is me' or 'wow is me?' Are we living a life that is pessimistic or optimistic?

...colorful area rugs are used to define specific areas and to inject personality and show off your aesthetic.
Take a look. Are you living freely, boldly and authentic? Do you show your God Self to all?

#5  Paint matte walls with bold accents, but be mindful of paintings. ...glossy walls can create glare (rather than reflect light equally). Matte surfaces, on the other hand, reflect light in every direction.
Going for a bold accent wall and a palette of daring hues can energize a room and make it appear brighter. If you cover a wall with paintings or posters, they will absorb the little sunlight streaming into your space rather than reflect it.
We don't need flash to shine. There's nothing wrong with some flash, but that cannot define you.

Remember, the future is unwritten. We decide how to paint the walls or plant the trees, what the curtains look like, the use of accents and furniture, the amount of darkness and the amount of light we have in our physical rooms and our internal one.

Choose Light, choose Love, choose Peace, choose victory, choose gratitude, choose Life and

Lets Brighten Up This Place

Affirmation
(to the tune of "Put On A Happy Face" from BYE BYE BIRDIE)
My mind has gone and cleared up, I put on a happy face
My winning streak is set up, so I put on a happy face.
I gotta face that's full of happiness, joyous is my style.
I look so great, everybody says my smile shines for miles.
I've got a pleasant outlook, no matter what has been.
I've wiped off the fear and doubt look,
I've slapped on a happy grin.
I spread sunshine all over the place.
And it's me that brightens up this whole darn place....oh, yeah!
'Cause I put on a happy face!