Politics, Elections and The Law of Attraction

Philip F. Harris

Politics and the Law of Attraction definitely mix. When people think of the Law of Attraction (LOA) they tend to focus upon money, health, relationships, employment and generally personal issues. However, the basic tenet of the LOA is that it operates all of the time, in every situation and at every level of society. There is no time or place or issue that is not under the LOA. Gravity works on the planet for the rich and the poor, for the young and the old, for Republicans and Democrats as does the LOA.

 

On a societal level, the LOA has determined the course of history. It has brought peace or war, abundance or poverty, power or weakness, freedom or slavery to the world´s nations. The LOA basically states that form or reality follows thoughts. The more powerful the thoughts, and the emotions and intentions behind those thoughts; the greater the manifestation of those thoughts. This occurs either consciously or unconsciously. Nations whose people live with an underlying fear of neighbors are frequently at war with those neighbors. A nation that is confident of its goals, hopes and future tend to thrive. People, both individually and as a society attract what they either desire or what they fear.

With respect to the American election process, it is clear that it is adversarial; one party against the other. The “Secret” indicated that all too often, people fight against something, rather than for something. In this process more energy is often put into what is not wanted than what is wanted. Frequently, this results in the undesirable being manifested. The more energy, thought and emotion that goes into fighting against a candidate results in that candidate winning; form follows the thought. This is why those who teach the LOA try to get people to understand not to fight against something, e.g. war on drugs, war on poverty, war on terrorism, fight against cancer or obesity. This very mindset creates and attracts what is not desired. My new book, POLARIZING YOUR LIFE TOWARDS PERFECTION (soon to be released by Cambridge Book), shows how this process works and how to avoid this mindset.

In the current campaign for president, both Obama and McCain have fallen into the same old process of campaigning against each other. Debates are scheduled, the rhetoric is flying and ads attack the position of the other. Furthermore, supporters of these candidates tend to be ´against´ the opponent more so than ´for´ their desired the politician they support. Most discussion is centered on what is disliked rather than what is liked. The result is a polarized thought form that creates tension and discord. Perhaps Obama came closest to a proper understanding of a more correct process when he said that the election is not about him, rather, it is about the people. If the election process ran on this basis, we would not have debates, but rather forums. There would be no negative ads, but rather commercials that say what the candidate believes. We lean very little when debates are merely one politician attacking the other. A better system would be to have each candidate present their ideas, their record and their programs with audiences able to seek clarification, but not debate. In this way we attract quality discussion void of negativity.

The bottom line is that Americans must decide what they are for, not what they are against. In this way the LOA will create the desired result. When the focus is on the problem, even if you are seeking solutions, you still add energy to the problem. But if the focus is on what we want for education, health care, jobs, culture, and what we see as our role in the world, we have created a positive mindset that will create positive results. If you desire to consciously use the Law of Attraction in this election, give your thoughts, attention and emotions to what kind of future you want for America. Be ´for´ something and not ´against´ something. It is the only way to create a process with positive outcomes.

Ernest Holmes – Prayer For My Country

MY PRAYER for MY COUNTRY by Ernest Holmes 
author/founder of ‘The Science of Mind’

Believing in the Divine destiny of the United States of America

and in the preservation of liberty, security, and self-expression for all, I offer this my prayer for my country:

I know that Divine Intelligence governs the destiny of the United States of America, directing the thought and the activity of all who guide its affairs.

I know that success, prosperity, and happiness are the gifts of freedom and are the Divine heritage of everyone in this country.

I know that success, prosperity, and happiness are now operating in the affairs of every individual in this country

I know that Divine guidance enlightens the collective mind of the people of this country, causing it to know that economic security may come to all without the loss of either personal freedom or individual self-expression.

I know that no one can believe or be led to believe that freedom must be surrendered in order to insure economic security for all

The ALL-Knowing Mind (of God) contains the answer to every problem which confronts this country. I know that every leader in this country is now directed by this All-Knowing Mind and has the knowledge of a complete solution to every problem. Each is compelled to act upon this knowledge to the end that abundance, security, and peace shall come to all.

And I know that this spiritual democracy shall endure, guaranteeing to everyone in this country personal liberty, happiness, and self-expression.

Ernest Holmes is the founder of the spiritual philosophy called Science of Mind or Religious Science. He lived from 1887 to 1960. I haven’t been able to pin down the exact date this was written, but it seems to have been before the 1940’s.

Law of Attraction and the Large Hadron Collider

You may have heard on the news a few days ago that the world’s largest and fastest subatomic particle supercollider started up in Switzerland. It is called the LHC – Large Hadron Collider.

 

This was put together by the folks at CERN,  the European Council for Nuclear Research, and a consortium of 8 thousand physicists from 85 countries. It is in a circular tunnel 17 miles in diameter, under the border of Switzerland and France.

 

It went online Sept. 10^th  in test mode, and the intention is to eventually create the conditions present 1/3 of a second after the Big Bang. They are looking for, among other things, the Higgs Boson, which is often called the God-particle. This is the missing particle in the understanding of how energy acquires mass, or as one scientist put it, “How stuff becomes stuff.”

 

What does this have to do with law of attraction? Quantum physics has already shown us the effect an observer (intention) has on reality. I hope that some of what they find substantiates some of the science Seth spoke about: particles he called  EEs and CUs.

 

From Paul Helfrich’s website, link below: Electromagnetic energy units (EEs) – faster than light particles within the subtle field (Framework 2) earmarked for physical manifestation that “slow down” to form all matter, guided by the conscious mind and the pineal gland in the brain. Millions compose each atom. EEs are made up of the even “smaller,” more fundamental, consciousness units (CUs). Discussed in detail in The Seth Material.

 

Consciousness units (CUs) – the foundational “causal force” or Primal Cause within All-That-Is; Seth’s metaphor for pure source energy in the causal field. CUs are ubiquitous, faster than light, nested “units” of awareized, not humanized, energy imbued with a propensity for creating gestalts of action, energy, and matter. Their unique characteristics include dreaming and inner sensing. Discussed in detail in The “Unknown” Reality, Vol. 1.

 

Some scientists have expressed concern that crashing particles into each other could create black holes and particles called ‘strangelets’ that might swallow the earth or otherwise demolish the planet. There are arguments way too technical for me on both sides of this position. All I have to say is “remember Atlantis.” (They blew themselves up and sunk the island through the misuse of technology.) Some small consolation is that it will take from 50 months to 50 years (how’d they figure that out?) to accumulate enough black holes to swallow the planet, so it won’t happen immediately.

 

Here is what a couple of people had to say about black holes:

“If it creates black holes I’ll just escape to an alternate reality where the experiment never took place!”

 

And Chris of Canberra queried, “If the world does end, who will do the Wikipedia entry about it?”

 

What got me started on all of this was this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j50ZssEojtM

This is a 5 minute rap song by one of the scientists working at CERN. Its very funny and yet it explains what’s going on in a way that is easy to understand.

 

If none of this piques your interest, at least take a look at the video.

  

Sources:

Major artilce –  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Hadron_Collider

Seth definitions – http://newworldview.com/library/Helfrich_P_Seth_Jane_Concept_Overview.html#CUs

news and quotes – http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24320776-2,00.html

safety issues – http://www.lhcfacts.org/?p=70

 

Happy Manifesting!

Physicist brings theories to Monterey

QUANTUM LEAP

By LESLIE DUNN

Herald Correspondent

Sometime during the 1920s, science went haywire. As curious minds peered into the subatomic world of quarks and electrons, instead of finding “things” they found waves of energy that seemed to appear and disappear out of nowhere.

In fact, they seemed not to exist in a definite form at all until they were measured.

This was very upsetting to scientists. Einstein even quipped, “Does the moon disappear if I don’t look at it?”

Physicists still debate: Is it possible to draw philosophical conclusions from science? Are we creating what we see?

Arriving in Monterey with some startling new quantum theories is physicist Dr. Amit Goswami. Medical doctor and New Age guru Deepak Chopra calls him “one of the most brilliant minds in the world of science.”

Best known for his appearance in the metaphysical surprise indie hit film, “What the Bleep Do We Know!?” Goswami will speak at the Carmel Art Association on Thursday and at the Asilomar Conference Center this week through Friday.

“All the paradoxes of quantum physics can be solved if we accept consciousness as the ground of being,” is what Goswami theorizes.

It is a statement not many of his peers would dare to make. Yet Goswami is no New Age newcomer.

He earned his doctorate from Calcutta University in India in theoretical nuclear physics in 1964 and is currently professor emeritus in the physics department at the University of Oregon.

The author of a university textbook on quantum mechanics, he is also the best-selling author of “The Self-Aware Universe: How Consciousness Creates the Material World,” “The Visionary Window” and other books that deal with the intersection of science and spirituality.

The scientific community is split. Many physicists reject philosophically-oriented quantum theories as unverifiable.

Goswami’s response? “As long as we think that these prejudices are valid we exclude huge subjects of thinking.”

He spoke to us from his office at the University of Oregon.

Q: Why is there such a growing interest in this subject right now?

A: The materialist point of view has made people unhappy. People see this is not reality and they’re very interested in finding out about deeper reality.

Q: In “What the Bleep Do We Know!?” you said that “quantum physics is the physics of possibilities.”

A: Yes. It means you can be liberated from the materialist thinking that views you as helpless. You have the freedom to choose among the possibilities that life offers.

Q: Is this similar to the idea of “manifesting” (based on the Law of Attraction) that seems very popular right now?

A: Yes, but what people miss is that ordinary thoughts never change anything in the world and never will. Creative thoughts — thoughts from those moments when we become one with the whole, one with God — in those moments we do have creative power.

Q: Doesn’t the word “God” make scientists nervous?

A: I could call it “quantum consciousness” and never mention God. Some scientists are very sensitive. They don’t like the word “God.” On the other hand you lose a few who would rather have God back in science and not “quantum consciousness,” which seems very obscure.

Q: Is it true that our thoughts affect our outer world?

A: You can say that but you have to stretch a little. In ordinary states of consciousness our thoughts have no effect on reality. They are corrupted by memory. But through meditation and creative processes we can reach non-ordinary states of consciousness in which our thoughts affect our reality.

Q: What’s the first thing we need to change?

A: It is imperative that people shift their worldview — that is the very first step.

Q: To what?

A: From the materialistic worldview that “matter is everything,” to the worldview that “consciousness is everything.” This materialistic world makes almost everything that we covet seem impossible: impossible to love, impossible to be just, impossible to appreciate beauty. Right thinking enables us to recognize that the world is full of possibilities.

Q: So is it our materialistic thinking that makes us unhappy?

A: There are two things that make us unhappy: one is this materialistic worldview. We’re separate. Not experiencing wholeness. The second one is that we have not dealt with our negative feelings. No matter how much right thinking we have it all goes down the drain and we become negative.

Q: Are physicists moving more toward the metaphysical?

A: If you converse with a physicist who has no ax to grind, and talk with him (or her) about the paranormal or spiritual, you’ll find they can be delightfully open-minded.

Q: What has been their reaction to your theories?

A: There is a saying, “Old paradigms never change, but they do die.” I think that a great number of scientists struggle to reconcile science and spirituality in their personal lives.

Q: What does your statement, “Consciousness is the ground of all being,” mean?

A: The statement itself is a Brahman statement I have seen in mystical literature. It means that the material world is contained in consciousness, instead of the other way around. The realization I experienced (as a physicist) was “I have nothing to lose… science can be done on the basis of this metaphysic science. “

Q: Were you a curious child?

A: What I remember from my childhood (Goswami grew up in a small town near Calcutta) are some very enchanted moments. Today children grow up with computers, which is a machine of separateness. Whereas in the olden days, my parents had a fruit garden in the backyard and a pond and all kinds of little creatures, so as a child I could be totally lost in imagination.

Q: What would be your highest hope for a change in our society?

A: I am convinced that we are evolving toward a world where love will be the going thing.

Q: When might that happen?

A: If we could be that today that would be nice, but we can’t. At this stage of our evolution it’s very tough. It won’t happen overnight.

---

If you go Dr. Amit Goswami will be speaking at the following events: • All week: Asilomar Conference Grounds, Pacific Grove. Call 372-8016 for details. • Thursday: Carmel Art Association, Dolores between Fifth and Sixth; 6:30 p.m.; free; sponsored by the Pilgrim’s Way Bookstore; 624-4955. After his talk, Goswami will be signing copies of his books “The Visionary Window,” “The Self-Aware Universe” and “The Quantum Doctor” at Pilgrim’s Way.

Rx Imagery: How to Use Your Imagination to Improve Your Health

This article was adapted from The Healthy Mind, Healthy Body Handbook by David S. Sobel and Robert Ornstein. Publisher: DRx, Los Altos, CA, 1996.

The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives.
- William James (1842-1910)

You may assume that "imagination" means "not real." But the thoughts, words, and images that flow from your imagination can have very real physiological consequences for your body. Your brain often cannot distinguish whether you are imagining something or actually experiencing it. (See "The Juicy Orange.")Perhaps you've had a racing heartbeat, rapid breathing, or tension in your neck muscles while watching a movie thriller. These sensations were all produced by images and sounds on a film. During a dream, maybe your body responded with fear, joy, anger, or sadness – all triggered by your imagination. If you close your eyes and vividly imagine yourself by a still, quiet pool or relaxing on a warm beach, your body responds to some degree as though you are actually there.

Your imagination can be a very powerful resource in relieving stress, pain, and other unwanted symptoms.

You can learn to use the power of your imagination to produce calming, energizing, or healing responses in your body. You can use imagery and hypnosis to reduce anxiety, fear, and panic; decrease chronic muscle tension; decrease pain and need for pain medications; improve comfort during medical, surgical, and dental procedures; reduce the length of labor and discomfort of childbirth; control bleeding; speed healing and recovery from surgery, injury, or skin conditions such as warts and psoriasis; ease sleep problems; improve management of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, asthma, lung, and heart disease; boost your immune function; increase sense of control and mastery; change bad habits and maintain healthy ones.

Practicing Imagery and Visualization
With guided imagery, you deliberately focus your mind on a particular image. While imagery most often uses your sense of sight with visual images, you can also include the rich experiences of your mind's other senses. Adding smells, tastes, sounds, and other sensations makes the guided imagery experience more vivid and powerful.

Some people are very visual, and easily see images with their mind's eye. But if your images aren't as vivid as a really great movie, don't worry. It's normal for imagery to vary in intensity. The important thing is to focus on as much detail as possible, and strengthen the images by using all your senses. Adding real background music can also increase the impact of guided imagery.

Remember, with guided imagery, you are always completely in control. You're the movie director. You can project whatever thought or feeling you want onto your mental screen. If you don't like a particular image, thought or feeling you can redirect your mind to something more comfortable. Or you can use other images to get rid of unpleasant thoughts (you might put them on a raft and watch them float away on a river, sweep them away with a large broom, or erase them with a giant eraser). Or you can open your eyes and stop the exercise.

Included here are basic scripts for several imagery exercises. Scores of other scripts and tapes are available. You may want to tape record yourself (or someone else) reading the script so that you can concentrate fully on the imagery. Feel free to change, modify, and personalize the script any way you please. Make it your own.

Skill, Not Magic
To practice these imagery exercises you will need 10 to 30 minutes of quiet, undisturbed time. You may need to put up a "Do Not Disturb" sign and turn off the telephone. Wear loose, comfortable clothing. Sit in a comfortable chair or lie on a pad or carpeted floor with a pillow under your head. Do whatever you can to enhance your comfort. Dim the lights. Put on soft music if you like. You may wish to use a guided imagery audiotape (see below).

Don't expect miracles. Some relief may come immediately, but often these skills take time to acquire. You may need several weeks of practice before you really start to notice benefits. Practice the techniques once or twice a day, or if that's not possible, at least three to four times a week.

Watch Out
Imagery techniques are generally very safe. However, if you have symptoms such as pain, diarrhea, dizziness, nervousness, or depression, make sure you first have an appropriate medical evaluation. These imagery techniques may also change your need for certain medications, so be sure to check with your doctor. Don't practice imagery or self-hypnosis while in a car or in any situation where your safety requires full alertness and quick responses. If you experience very distressing sensations or feelings while practicing these techniques, stop and get professional help.

The Juicy Orange
You are standing in your kitchen. Imagine the time of day, the color of the countertops, the appliances, the cupboards. You hear the hum of the refrigerator. You notice a large, plump, juicy orange lying on the cutting board. You pick it up and feel its weight. You feel the texture of its dimpled, glossy skin. With a sharp knife, you carefully cut a large slice.

As you cut into the orange you notice the rich, liquidy, fragrant juice trickle onto the counter top. You see the bright whiteness of the pulp in contrast with the orange flesh. You see the small drops of orange juice forming on the cut surface. Now imagine lifting this dripping slice of orange to your mouth, and smelling its sweet, fresh scent. Your mouth begins to water as you slowly bite into the orange. It releases a flood of sweet tangy juice into your mouth.

This juicy orange imagery exercise causes most people to salivate. Just the words and multi-sensory images are enough to trigger a physiological response.

In this case it's the flow of saliva. You can learn to use the power of your imagination to control other body functions.

Rx Create Your Special Place
The purpose of this guided imagery exercise is to help you imagine a special place where you feel safe, comfortable, and relaxed. This place can be anywhere.

It might be somewhere you have been, or a place you know well. It could be a place you create from scratch, or by taking bits and pieces from places you know. You may choose to put a dwelling in your landscape: a cabin, a castle, or a cave. Here's what to do:

• Begin by closing your eyes (or if you prefer, keep your eyes open). Take several slow, deep breaths, exhaling completely after each.
• Now see if you can imagine a place where you feel completely comfortable and peaceful. It might be real or imaginary, one from your past, or someplace you've always wanted to go (it doesn't really matter, just so long as this place feels very safe and peaceful to you).
• Allow that special place to take shape slowly (there's no rush).
• As your place begins to take shape, look around. Look to your left, to your right, and all around you. What do you see?
• Enjoy the scenery: the colors, the textures, the shapes.
• Listen to the sounds of your special place – perhaps waves gently lapping at the shore, the call of a distant bird, the sound of the wind in the trees.
• Now just listen to the sounds of this wonderful place – a place that is so comfortable and peaceful to you.
• Perhaps you feel a breeze touch your face, or warm sun gently soothing your skin.
• You may feel the crunch of gravel or soft sand beneath your feet, or the comforting support of a favorite chair.
• Now touch or pick up some favorite object from your special place. Allow your fingertips to gently explore its surface (Is it smooth or rough? Wet or dry? Warm or cold?).
• Now take in a deep breath through your nose, and notice all the rich fragrances around you. Perhaps your favorite flower is in bloom. Or you may smell the pungent scent of a pine forest, or the tangy salt sea air, or the aroma of your favorite food.
• Relax and enjoy the peace, comfort and safety of your special place.
• This is your place, and nothing can harm you here. Relax, feeling thankful and happy to be here, in your special place, at this moment.
• Begin to sense that something wonderful is about to happen. Feel the tingling sensation of expecting something good.
• Know the sense of certainty. Everything is right, just as it should be.
• Now notice a soft glow of golden light from above. It begins to bathe your body. A tingling, shimmering, vibrant energy surrounds you, energizes you, soothes you, heals you.
• You are washed in bright goodness, and draw everything you need to you, as a powerful magnet. Good wishes and kind thoughts come. This goodness and healing energy seeps into your body, infusing you with a generous, boundless energy and sense of well-being.
• Feel it move through the layers of your body, deeper and deeper into each and every organ, down to the bone.
• Feel it in each and every cell, dissolving any blockages, correcting any imbalances. Enjoy this free-flowing, healthy energy sweeping through your body. Now you are relaxing; healing.
• Your body remembers how to be well, and savors this feeling of well-being. You feel peaceful and easy in your special place – a healing place – one that is always here. You know it's a place you can visit anytime, and feel this healing energy and peace. When you are ready to return, take a deep breath and exhale fully. Open your eyes and spend a few moments savoring this relaxed, healthy, comfortable feeling.
• You may want to explore different special places each time you do this exercise, or one special place may emerge as your favorite. Remember, you can visit this place any time you want to, in your mind.

Script adapted from Belleruth NaparstekRx Create Your Inner Advisor
You can use this type of imagery to explore the meaning of your symptoms or illness, and what you can do to improve your health. This imagery is a means of two-way communication between your mind and your body.

Begin with a general imagery exercise such as Creating a Special Place. Once you have entered your special place, invite an inner advisor to come and visit you.

Use all your senses to watch for your advisor, as the advisor may take any shape or form. Or you may have several inner advisors. They may be a person, a voice, an object, or a symbol. If you are not comfortable with what emerges, send him/her/it away, and invite another advisor.

Once you are comfortable with your advisor, ask questions. Feel free to ask anything, such as:
Are you my inner advisor?

How can I relax?

What is causing my tension? Pain? Symptom?

What do I need to do to feel better?

Who can help me?
Then wait for the answers. Be patient. They may come in any form: a picture, image, sound, word, phrase, feeling. They can come at any time. Think about what they mean to you.

Sometimes you may be surprised at the directness and clarity of an answer. In response to "What is causing my anger" one person heard back, "You need to learn to say no." If the meaning or usefulness is not clear to you right away, don't worry. It may become clearer in the days or weeks ahead.

You can use a similar technique to have an inner dialogue with a symptom you are having. For example, if you are in pain, give it a color, shape or form. Then ask your pain questions:
Why are you here?

What can I learn from you?

When will you go away?

How can we live more peaceably together?

How can I get better?
Wait for responses. This dialogue can be done with any symptom or problem.

You have untapped knowledge, insight, and wisdom which is often drowned out by the incessant chatter of a busy mind. You can use imagery techniques to give voice to your inner wisdom, and consult your own inner advisor. There is nothing mysterious or magical about it. Simply by quieting down and bringing your mind into a focused and receptive state, valuable insights can emerge. These include suggestions on how to improve your health and well-being.

Adapted from Martin Rossman, MD and the Academy for Guided Imagery

Rx Imagine Yourself Well
You have the ability to create special imagery to alleviate specific symptoms or illnesses. Use any image that is strong and vivid for you (this often involves using all your senses to create the image), and one that is meaningful to you.

The image does not have to be physiologically accurate for it to work. Just use your imagination and trust yourself. Here are examples of images that some people have found useful. Use any of these images, or make up your own.

Remember, the best ones are vivid and have meaning to you.

For Tension and Stress
A tight, twisted rope slowly untwists
Wax softens and melts
Tension swirls out of your body and down the drain

For Healing of Cuts and Injuries
Plaster covers over a crack in a wall
Cells and fibers stick together with superglue
A shoe is laced up tight
Jigsaw puzzle pieces come together

For Arteries and Heart Disease
A miniature Roto Rooter truck speeds through your arteries and cleans out the clogged pipes
Water flows freely through a wide, open river
A crew in a small boat all row together, easily and efficiently pulling the slender boat across the smooth water surface

For Asthma and Lung Disease
The tiny elastic rubber bands that constrict your airways pop open
A vacuum cleaner gently sucks the mucus from your airways
Waves calmly rise and fall on the ocean surface

For Diabetes
Small insulin keys unlock doors to hungry cells, and allow nourishing blood sugar in
An alarm goes off and a sleeping pancreas gland awakens to the smell of freshly brewed coffee

For Cancer
A shark gobbles up the cancer cells
Tumors shrivel up like raisins in the hot sun, and then evaporate completely into the air
The faucet that controls the blood supply to the tumor is turned off, and the cancer cells starve
Radiation or chemotherapy enter your body like healing rays of light; they destroy cancer cells

For Infections
White blood cells with flashing red sirens arrest and imprison harmful germs
An army equipped with powerful anti-biotic missiles attacks enemy germs
A hot flame chases germs out of your entire body

For a Weak Immune System (Immune deficiency disorders: HIV, AIDS, and others)
Sluggish, sleepy white blood cells awaken, put on protective armor, and enter the fight against the virus
White blood cells rapidly multiply like millions of seeds bursting from a single, ripe seed pod

For an Overactive Immune System (Allergies, asthma, arthritis, etc.)
Hyperalert immune cells in the fire station are reassured that the allergens have triggered a false alarm, and they can go back to playing their game of poker
The civil war ends with the warring sides agreeing not to attack their fellow citizens

For Pain
All of the pain is placed in a large, strong metal box, closed, sealed tightly and locked with a huge, strong padlock
You grasp the TV remote control and slowly turn down the pain volume until you can barely hear it; then it disappears entirely
The pain is washed away by a cool, calm river flowing through your entire body

For Depression
Your troubles and feelings of sadness are attached to big colorful helium balloons, and are floating off into a clear blue sky
A strong, warm sun breaks through dark clouds
You feel a sense of detachment and lightness, enabling you to float easily through your day

For Behavior Change
If you are somewhat shy, imagine a vivid, detailed picture of yourself walking up to people and chatting with them confidently
If you want to be more physically active, see yourself walking in the park, riding a bike, taking a dance class, or joining a sports team

Part Two – 9 Attitudes that support you in moving through change

The Truth is, change IS going to happen. Change is a part of life. Staying stuck is NOT going to make change from happening. In Part One I gave you nine attitudes that may be keeping you stuck. When you are willing to give up “managing stuck” here are nine attitudes that will support you in moving through change.

 

1. You have a clear sense of Self, with a capital “S.” You have an intimate relationship with our inner soul.

 

2. You have confidence in solving problems as they arise. You have developed the ability to see above the problem to discover the solution.

 

3. Your personal identity is not in success or fail. Failures = feedback.

 

4. You strengthen your ability to change because you are able to build on your past successful changes.

 

5. You know that not changing is no option. Change equal evolving, evolving is good.

 

6. You know how to invest your life’s energy in creating a life that rich and full.

 

7. You have a solid support system that gives you honest feedback and “hold the space” for you as you move through change.

 

8. You have a sense of adventure and you are OK with playing outside the comfort zone.

 

9. You believe in a Divine Purpose and a Divine Plan for your life.

 

When you begin to realize that you are stuck in your life, and make a commitment to change, begin to embrace these nine attitudes that will support you through the process of change.

Why People Get Sick

by Deepak Chopra

Most people assume that germs and genes cause disease. The germ
theory has brought us a long way, and genetic theory promises to
take us even further. But there is still a mystery surrounding
why certain people get sick while others don't.

For example, studies show that if cold virus is placed directly
into a person's nose, the chance of getting a cold is about 1 in
8; being exposed to chill, damp, or a draft doesn't increase
these odds. Also, when the Black Death wiped out a third of
Europe's population in the 14th century, no one knows why the
other two-thirds, who were certainly exposed, didn't die.

Every day each of us inhales or ingests enough germs to cause a
variety of diseases we never contract. Some sort of "control by
the host" seems to be at work. This refers to the body's ability
to live with disease-causing agents without getting sick. Germs
aren't the only factor. Statistics show that severely ill people
often wait until a significant date has passed, such as
Christmas or their birthday, before suddenly dying. Studies
going back to the Korean War showed that young soldiers in their
early twenties had serious blockage of their coronary arteries,
yet the disease doesn't show up until middle age. Not everyone
exposed to HIV contracts the virus, and in a few rare instances,
those with AIDS have reversed their viral status form positive
to negative.

Why, then, would you or I get sick when someone else equally at
risk doesn't?

The best way to get sick is to suffer from as many of the
following conditions as possible:

–Unsanitary conditions: massive exposure to germs remains a
major factor
–Being poor: poverty degrades life on all fronts, including
health.
–High stress: physical and psychological stress damage the
immune system.
–Depression and anxiety: untreated psychological disorders
weaken resistance to a wide range of diseases, perhaps even
cancer
–Lack of coping mechanisms: stress by itself is a negative
factor, but the inability to bounce back form it is more
important.
–Lack of control, victimization: all stresses become much worse
if you feel that you have no control over your own life.
–Inertia, sedentary lifestyle: if you are inactive and have no
outside interests, you chance of getting sick rises sharply
–Feeling alone and unloved: emotional deprivation is as
unhealthy as deprivation of good food.
–Sudden loss: the sudden loss of a job or spouse, a reversal in
finances, or finding yourself in the midst of a war or natural
disaster all constitute a state of loss and lead to higher risk
of getting sick.
–Growing old: once considered a major cause of illness, aging
is now known not to be a direct cause. Being healthy into your
eighties should be your expectation, but if you neglect yourself
in old age, the body becomes vastly more susceptible to disease.

None of these factors comes as a huge surprise, since public
health officials have drummed into us that most illness in
modern society is a "lifestyle disease" born of stress, lack of
exercise, and other factors external to germs. But I think most
people still assume that being fat, for example, is worse for
you than stress, which certainly isn't the case. Outside of
diabetes and joint problems, it's hard to find a serious link
between moderate overweight and any disorder, while stress and
its offshoots are major risks. they exaggerate the effect of
aging. Yet in the absence of high blood pressure and artery
disease, most people will live a very long time, probably in
good health until they contract their final illness.

But the mystery of who specifically gets sick remains unsolved,
in part because there are subtle factors that few experts have
adequately examined.

–Some people get sick because they expect to.
–Some people get sick, or sicker, after they are diagnosed with
a disease.
–Disease brings certain benefits, known as "secondary gain,"
that make it positive. The classic example is a child who
pretends to be sick in order to get more love and attention, but
adults find secondary gains of their own, such as not having to
take responsibility for their lives or finding an escape from a
situation they can't cope with.
–Some people get sick because they want to give up, or even
die.
–Some people have nothing better to do than to get sick.

You’re NOT here to learn lessons

You're NOT here to learn lessons

by: Andrea Conway

The idea that Earth is a school for our spiritual evolution – a place where we are given lessons to master – is a popular one. It's also inaccurate.

"The Universe is sending me another lesson about standing up for myself," we say after the fourth time in a year that we lose money on a project because we were too timid to bid it at a profitable price.

That's not a lesson. It's merely a reflection of our current vibration. Lesson or reflection — its there a difference? Yes. And it's worth examining.

"Lesson" implies there is something we are supposed to learn, based on a spiritual curriculum that energies higher and more evolved have decided on for us. The vibration around lesson is: I am not good enough until I master these lessons. The vibration of "I'm not good enough" is one that will limit you at every turn.

"Reflection" carries no self-limiting vibration. Energetically it is truer to how Law of Attraction works: impartially and with love. A reflection is your feedback on how you are vibrating around a particular topic.

One theory of human development says that we get better at a skill, even something as basic as learning to read, by noting feedback on our early, imperfect attempts and making corrections.

Feedback is always available to us, because this is an attraction-based universe, and Law of Attraction can't help but reflect our vibration back to ourselves. OK, maybe that's depressing if you aren't happy with the reflection!

But here's another way to view it. This beautiful feedback system is designed to offer us – in any moment – the opportunity to choose anew. In each day we have 86,400 seconds available for exercising free will.

It's time to stop using Law of Attraction to judge ourselves and our lessons. Instead, let's use it as a divinely designed feedback system for opening our awareness and expanding our choices.

http://www.successfulselfemployment.com

Part one – 9 Attitudes that Keep You Stuck

Have you become proficient at “managing stuck?” Have you given up on “plan A, B, C and D, abandoning dreams of what you thought your life would be like? Are you stuck in managing stuck?

Picture this: you’re in a rowboat anchored in the middle of a river. You watch as objects float down the river and pass you by. When it rains, you put up a tarp. When the current changes, you keep your paddle in the water so you don’t tip over. When a log comes your way, you swing the boat around. Pulling up anchor and heading around the next bend in the river or going ashore requires more energy than you think you have. All your energy goes into “managing stuck.”

The Truth is, change IS going to happen. Change is a part of life. Staying stuck is NOT going to keep change from happening. Here are nine attitudes that may be keeping you stuck.

1. You do not believe you deserve, or are entitled to, something different or better than you currently have.

2. You have negative thoughts about yourself and in your ability to change. Making a change may be too embarrassing, too hard, or it’s always the wrong time.

3. Life is chaotic. In the past, problem solving creates chaos. Making plans to change becomes elaborate, which raises your level of anxiety. When you feel overwhelmed with anxiety, you shut down, or worse, revert to old patterns that got you stuck in the first place.

4. You feel alone. You lack a support system to help clarify your plan and feel connected with others as change happens in your life.

5. You are a perfectionist. If you are unable to come up with the “perfect” plan, no plan will ever work.

6. You repeatedly make the same choices without seeing results, so you stop.

7. You lack a sense of identity within yourself. Your self identity is reflected in your relationships, the roles you have (i.e. mother, wife, partner, friend, etc.) your education and external conditions. A strong internal identity requires a strong internal core.

8. You feel guilty about how making a change in your life will affect others.

9. You are so proficient at “managing stuck” that any change takes you too far outside your comfort zone.

Do any of these nine attitudes sound familiar? The good news is that when you recognize you’re stuck, you have already begun to become unstuck.

Next week, Part Two – 9 Attitudes that support you in moving through change. 

Sharon Marquart

web: http://www.Livingatyes.com 

Don’t bring me down

Negative moods are highly infectious, but you can protect yourself 

By ERIC ADLER 

The Kansas City Star 

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/living/13476128.htm 

Psychologists call it “emotional contagion.” But you can think of it as Scroogeology or Grinchonomics. 

Better yet, think of it as the woeful friend, the crabby boss, the depressed party guest whose moods are so melancholy that, despite your good cheer, they suck the joy from the season. 

The effect is far from imaginary. In the last five years, a growing body of psychological research — much of it focused on the emotionally negative or positive boss — is bearing out the power one individual’s mood can have on others. 

“It is one of the most robust phenomena I have ever seen,” said University of New Hampshire researcher Richard Saavedra. “And it’s all unconscious.” 

Fortunately, he said, just as Bob Cratchit and Cindy Lou Who refused to let Scrooge or the Grinch dampen their spirits, modern and age-old strategies can combat the draw of your own Debbie Downer. 

As University of Michigan psychologist Christopher Peterson said, “That’s why we have eggnog.” 

Recent evidence is consistent. 

In the March issue of The Journal of Applied Psychology, Saavedra and colleague Thomas Sy at California State University at Long Beach examined the effects of a leader’s mood on a group. 

They took 189 volunteer undergraduates, divided them into 63 groups of three and told them they were going to take part in a team-building exercise: putting up a tent. 

Before the exercise, a “leader” chosen from each team was shown one of two video clips — “Saturday Night Live” skits or a vignette on torture — designed to induce a positive or negative mood. All team members’ moods were measured before and after the task. 

Result: The leaders’ moods ruled, and negative moods ruled most. If a leader was up, some team members’ moods also rose. But if he or she was down, everyone was down. 

In May, Purdue University psychologists presented similar results in Chicago at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association. 

Janice Kelly and Jennifer Spoor took 43 pairs of undergraduates and asked them to complete a task. One was designated the leader, the other the subordinate. The leaders, again, were shown movie clips, this time of the “choice” scene in “Sophie’s Choice” or a scene from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” 

Bad moods ruled again, with negative proving much more contagious than positive. 

Other studies show that the effect goes beyond leader-subordinate relationships. Separate studies of college roommates, dating couples and spouses all show that when one gets depressed, the other also becomes more depressed. Studies in Britain of groups of nurses and accountants showed that, within the same work group, individuals tended to share the same up and down moods. 

“The idea is, you go to a holiday party and you’re happy until you enter into an encounter with someone who’s down or depressed,” said Sy of Cal State. “The next thing you know, your positive mood no longer exists. It has been hijacked ” by this other person’s bad mood. You go off wondering, ‘What happened?’ 

Explanations abound. One is evolutionary, harking back to our animal selves. 

People possess a vast range of troubles. But despite even grave concerns, humans in cultures worldwide generally report themselves as feeling fairly upbeat and positive, said Hope College psychologist David G. Myers, a scholar on happiness and author of The Pursuit of Happiness: Who Is Happy and Why? 

Positive moods, therefore, are the norm, making negative moods stand out like an emaciated Santa. They’re cause for alarm. Something’s wrong. In the animal world, those that don’t instinctively notice and react to such warning signs do so at their own risk. 

“The original form is the contagion of fear and alarm,” said Frans de Waal, a psychologist and primate expert at Atlanta’s Emory University. “You’re in a flock of birds. One bird suddenly takes off. You have no time to wait and see what’s going on. You take off, too. Otherwise, you’re lunch.” 

In other words, getting caught up in another’s negativity is hard-wired, unconscious and powerful. 

“I have often noticed how primate groups in their entirety enter a similar mood,” de Waal said. “All of a sudden, all of them are playful, hopping around. Or all of them are grumpy. Or all of them are sleepy and settle down. In such cases, the mood contagion serves the function of synchronizing activities. The individual who doesn’t stay in tune with what everyone is doing will lose out, like the traveler who didn’t go the restroom when the bus stopped.” 

Now toss in empathy. 

Although each of us may think of ourselves as individuals with our own emotions, we’re not, said University of Virginia psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of The Happiness Hypothesis, published this month. 

“We are fundamentally hive creatures, like bees and ants that have evolved as ultrasocial creatures,” he said. “We are exceptionally influenced by what is going on around us.” 

When we encounter a Grinch or Scrooge or wearisome gloom monger, a) it captures our attention, and b) if we don’t feel attacked, we’re apt to empathize. People don’t say, “Hey, you’re down; I’m up! So who cares about you?!” Myers said. 

“We take on the other person’s pain to some extent,” he said. 

We sit. We commune. Research has long shown that we respond in like ways. They frown; you frown. They smile; you smile. They furrow their brows in conspiratorial disgust; you listen and furrow yours. 

Natural and unconscious, the phenomenon is called “facial mimicry.” Coughs, yawns and laughter are contagious for the same reason. 

“Acting as another acts helps us feel what another feels,” Myers said. 

And feel it in very real ways. 

Research shows that being exposed to someone cheery makes you cheery, but not as much as being exposed to a spiritless grump makes you depressed. As British researchers showed in work published last year, the phrase “I feel your pain” is more than a saying. 

At London’s University College, psychologist Tonia Singer and colleagues used brain scans to explore empathy in 19 romantic couples. The experiment was simple. Both individuals were hooked to brain scans. One was given a slight electric shock while the other watched. Scans showed identical brain reactions. One partner was shocked, but the other partner’s pain center lighted up as if he or she had also been jolted. 

So it goes with the holiday killjoy. 

“Everyone wants to be civil, but unfortunately he draws your attention. You can’t help it, because that somberness stands in contrast to your generally pleasant life,” Saavedra said. “But before you know it, you’re drawn in and the ” only thought is, ‘I wish I could get out of here!’ 

Strategies exist. 

“In general, the key is awareness,” said Sy of Cal State. “The most insidious aspect of a negative mood is that, often, it infects you unconsciously. If you realize, ‘This person is depressed. I’m catching his mood. That is why I’m depressed,’ you can manipulate it. You can control it.” 

The controls vary by person and situation. All of them come under the heading mood lifters. 

Whereas, for some people, that might mean jogging or music or surrounding themselves with positive friends, for others it might mean an hour at the gym slugging a punching bag or kvetching with colleagues or a raucous night out. 

Shopping. Movies. Family. Eggnog. 

“There are lots of tricks we use. We do it every day, pump ourselves up,” Sy said “Why do we eat chocolate when we know it’s going to make us fat? Because it makes us feel better.” 

Then there is this hopeful note. 

Spirit-sapping Negative Nellies are powerful, yes. But research out of Stanford University and elsewhere also suggests that the moods of people who feel their emotions intensely — whatever they may be — are also highly contagious. 

In other words, in the presence of merry spirits like Ol’ Fezziwig, the Scrooges of this world don’t stand a chance. 

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To reach Eric Adler, features reporter, call (816) 234-4431 or send e-mail to eadler@kcstar.com.