What Is Really Good?: January 2009

Something Out Of Nothing

We are magicians by nature. As crazy as it may sound to some, we do magic on a regular basis and do not even bother to recognize it as such.

What do I mean by magic? I mean pulling something out of nothing. Just as the magician can pull a rabbit out of a hat, we materialize our life situations and the things in them all the time.

A quick example of this is the fact that any and everything surrounding you, for as far as the eye can see, which is not a part of nature, was a thought in someone's mind before it physically existed. The fact that the chair you are probably sitting on or the screen you are looking at right now was an idea in someone's head before it existed may not seem like anything that spectacular at the moment because we are so used to this concept. But when you can really appreciate this, you may see how very powerful a magician you can be.

A great song, an masterpiece of artwork, an inspiring book, a blockbuster movie, a cure for a disease; these are all things that come from nothing. In other words, they did not exist until someone had the vision to materialize them. When you look at the world in this light, anything seems possible. In order to achieve something that has never been done before, you must see things in this light.

From an even deeper perspective, everything comes from nothing. Everything that we know of today was at some point in time 'nothing.' It literally did not exist. Looking at the origins of the universe, there was nothing but a single point of matter that exploded (The Big Bang) creating the vast universe we are familiar with today. If you can accept and understand that the same universal consciousness that sculpted our world, resides in and animates you, then it is not hard to see how we can make something out of nothing.

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Everything Ok?

Really. How is everything?

Ever thought about what 'everything' means? When you stop and take a good look at it, it means something slightly different to most people. Of course there is the overall general meaning that is the same, but the difference is in the details.

What 'everything' is to Jack is the same basic concept as what 'everything' is to Jill. To both people 'everything' is all that they know of, care of, and can conceive of. The differences in their individual 'everything's are really in the depth and focus of their fields of awareness. It is the difference in what they are conscious of.

When we stop and look at our own concept or idea of 'everything,' we might realize that we create what our 'everything' is. Out of all that exists to be aware of, we each are aware of only a fraction of it. This fraction is our 'everything.' And yet, this fraction is a complete experience. It is whole unto itself.

This 'everything' is essentially us. It is a reflection our our awareness.

So the next time someone asks you, "Is everything Ok?"; you may see that it is a question on your perspective and a great reminder that it is only the way you see things that determine your life's experience.

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Says Who?

Are you the type of person who believes what most people believe? There is absolutely nothing wrong with this if it is your own experience that brings you to this conclusion. Many people are bound to experience the same things. But if it was your own perception and experience that led you to this belief, it most likely wouldn't be called a 'belief'. It would be a fact for you. It would be an undeniable experience.

This is all said to bring us to the point. Being a skeptic can be a great benefit to a person. I embrace being skeptical. Being a skeptic can save you a lot of drama, heartache, and disappointment in life.

Being a person who has always (as far as I can remember) seen the logic in the scientific method, I am always open to an "upgrade" in the quality of knowledge that I have. I also see it very necessary to test the knowledge I have with real or realistic experiments before I choose to accept it.

Being that I am not quick to trust every source of information and "believe none of what I hear and only half of what I see," I encourage you to do the same. The contents of this blog, my book, and what thousands of other people are saying about spirituality, "new age teachings," enlightenment, and the like are nothing to be believed. It's all hogwash unless it becomes your experience.

You will doubt everything I tell you unless there is a part of you that knows better. Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction. It is not until you put it to the test that you can truly say it is not true. Have you ever tried to silence your mind? Have you ever tried to feel your true Presence? Do you want to find out who you really are?

The only way to prove that it's all nonsense it to disprove it. The only way to disprove it is to give it an honest try. You have got nothing to loose. You have your infinite Self to gain.

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Practice Makes Perfect

In life, we have heard, "practice makes perfect," many times. It is true, even if "perfect" does not really exist.

'Perfection' is a concept that is relative to the person holding it in their mind. In other words, perfection for a Little League baseball coach is not necessarily what perfection is to a Major League coach. This is why "perfect" does not really exist. It does not exist in the universe alone. It is only the view and mind of man that gives rise to perfection.

Acceptance that there is no true 'perfection' means also to accept that there is no true 'imperfection.'

Just as with 'perfection', 'imperfection' is a construct of the mind. The true practice is in remembering that there are no imperfections.

The moment it is being remembered, "Practice is perfect."

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Watch Yourself

From moment to moment, if one thing can be maintained, we will watch our lives take on a very different tone. It will be a much lighter feeling than the usual serious nature. Even if you never took life to serious to begin with, you will gain an understanding as to why. This one thing to be done from moment to moment is to watch yourself.

"Watch yourself," has less to do with keeping track of how you look. It has much more to do with observing your being. Observe the way you are being. This means what you are focused on, what you are feeling, what you are thinking, who you think you are, and if you remember who you are behind it all.

This is watching of yourself will bring about a separation in who you think you are and who you know you are. You will realize that you are not the passing thoughts and feelings, but that you are what allow those thoughts and feelings to exist. You are not simply a character in the show, but the stage on which the show presents itself. You are more like the screen on which the movie plays as opposed to an actor in the movie.

There is a lot of power and freedom in recognizing the responsibility you have in putting the whole experience together. Even the way you choose to respond to it affects what comes next.

Watch yourself. It will only be a dull show if you want it to be. And you can make every moment a happier one if you choose to. The hardest part is to maintain this observant stance on your being. But it gets easier with practice.

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Why Worry?

Ever notice how useless and futile it is to simply just worry about something? Worry doesn't really have any benefits, does it? Has it ever gotten anything solved or made a situation any easier to deal with? Obviously not. So, why worry?

If we look at the 'good intention' behind worrying, we will see that it is a dysfunctional attempt at gaining peace of mind. The trouble is, it has quite the opposite effect. When you look at what worrying really is, you will notice that it has nothing to do with what is going on at the moment you are worrying, but more to do with another point in time and a situation outside of your immediate one.

If you could let go of the stress you are causing yourself by worrying, I guarantee you will be able to focus on a solution for the problem a lot easier than you could while full of worry. If you understand how visualization works, or if you agree that what you focus on expands; you can see how worrying works against you. Worrying actually puts you right in the middle of a worse case scenario rather than in the middle of a solution.

Worry is as useless a full on panic. The only difference is worry is at a slower pace and is usually more mental than physical. Panic will get you killed while keeping a 'cool head' will get you through most any situation. How do you keep a 'cool head?' Tune in to the intelligence that exists "outside of your mind." Get out the box.

For a lot more on this topic, read the book What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

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The Renunciate (The Monk)

Ever wonder why people on religious or spiritual paths consider renouncing their worldly belongings and positions to become monks? As a child, I never really questioned it. The way I see things now, the reasons behind it are a little more clear.

The general idea of becoming a renunciate is for a person to give up their identity and give up their desires. In doing this the person hopes to give up their pain and suffering. This is perfectly logical when you consider many spiritual and philosophical teachings. Buddha says that desire is the root of suffering. Naturally, if you eliminate your desires, you should eliminate suffering. Desires are rooted in ego identity. To eliminate your identity should also be a big help.

On the other hand, it can be said that the person is really only leaving their old identity behind for the new identity of a monk. The same can be said of their new desire to have no desires. So where does that leave a well intentioned renunciate?

Truth be told, whether or not you are a renunciate or a monk has nothing to do with how you dress and what you own. It has more to do with what's in your mind and heart. Corny as that may sound, it really does depend on how attached you are to the less important details in life. You could be a monk for fifteen years and not have learned how to really renounce and transcend the attachment to something. You could be a man living worldly existence and be unattached to anything and everything you deal with.

To become focused and one pointed on experiencing the true Self is to be free of attachment. At the same time you may enjoy what there is to enjoy and not be attached to it, and you may move through more difficult experiences knowing that, "this too shall pass." There is a middle ground to be attained. This is where true enlightenment takes hold.

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Field of Awareness

Your 'field of awareness' is much more than a philosophical idea. It is in fact your experience. It is the entire space that any and all experience you have takes place in.

Have you ever consciously taken notice of your field of awareness? You have definitely unconsciously taken notice of it. You can not help but to use it on a continuous basis.

Your field of awareness is unnoticeable until you decide to notice it. It is the five basics senses and the sensory experience they give us. It is also the greater sense behind those senses. It is the state of mind you are in. It is also what watches the differences in states of mind. It is what vision you hold in your consciousness. It is what feeling you feel throughout your being.

More than the physical description you may think you are; you are your field of awareness.

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One Love

Looking at all of the cultures, religions, and faiths of the past all the way to right now, there is a common thread that runs through them all. This common thread is part of the absolute truth that can never be denied.

The feeling of this truth is touched upon in so many different ways from so many different angles and yet, it is never quite captured in words. It is the quality of this truth that has attracted mankind to such concepts and institutions. It is because we are all beings of spirit and we can feel a connection to something bigger than us, even if this is not a conscious thought to us.

To be religious or to have any kind of faith in what is unseen is to feel the greater part of ourselves. Despite the differences in many cultures, the underlying fabric of being attracted to the peace within is always there.

Wars have been fought and people have suffered and died because of the differences, only because this truth has been manipulated for the purposes of ego identity. Once this ego identity has been transcended, all lines of separation start to blur. All that is left is the One Love that we all share.

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Out The Box

Most people live in a box. Many will go through their whole lives without making a conscious effort to get out of this box.

This box is made of identity concepts and past experiences. Within this box, all contentment and happiness is short lived. You are also subject to several levels of stress and suffering.

Outside the box there is only peace. This peace is expressed in countless ways. Joy, excitement, enthusiasm and freedom are a few forms of this peace.

To get out the box, you first have to notice that there is a box. This box is very real, although it is invisible to your five basic senses. Many times people confuse the box for who they really are.

When the box starts to get damaged, they believe that they, themselves have been damaged. Some times, it takes a box getting nearly completely destroyed before people start to wake up and notice that they are not their boxes.

Are you ready to get out of the box? If you have caught glimpses of being out, are you ready to stay out? To learn how, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

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Ride The Wave

A person who is totally in the moment; in tune with the movement around them; adapting to the current situation from moment to moment and enjoying the ride to their destination all the while. This can describe a surfer riding a wave. It can also describe anybody in this 'zone.' This is a zone without thoughts from the mind, but full of intelligence. It is pure inspiration and intuition.

The people who reach the most impressive of heights in life, are people who either consciously or unconsciously are able to get into this zone. There is an unspoken understanding of going with the flow, and at the same time channeling the flow to go with you. It is taking things as they are, and using things as they are to your advantage.

It's not exactly, "If you can't beat them, join them ," but it's more like, "embrace them, then there's nothing to beat or join". Ride the wave...don't fight it. Use it. As in the martial art, judo; you may use the weight of the situation in your favor.

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The Golden Rule

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Of course there are many other variations of this rule, and for very good reason. People from all walks of life all over the world have observed the truth in this concept for thousands of years. Here are a few examples:

Hinduism: Do not to others what would be disagreeable to yourself.
Buddhism: If one wishes to follow the Buddha’s teaching, he must not be egoistic or self-willed, but should cherish feelings of good will toward all alike. He should respect those who are worthy of respect, serve those who are worthy of service, and treat all others with uniform kindness. Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.
Taoism: Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain and your neighbor's loss as your own loss. He who will govern will respect the governed no more than he respects himself. If he loves his own person enough to let it rest in its original truth, he will govern others without hurting them.
Confucianism: Confucius said, "What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others."
Zoroastrianism: That nature alone is good which shall not do unto another whatever is not good for its own self.
Judaism: You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself. What is hateful to you, do not to your fellowmen.
Islam: Wrong not, and ye shall not be wronged.
Wiccan: Do no harm.
Christianity: So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law of the prophets.
Baha'i Faith: Lay not on any soul a load that you would not wish to be laid upon you, and desire not for anyone the things you would not desire for yourself.
Unitarianism: We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence, of which we are a part.

This idea of universal reciprocity is so widely accepted because it has been proven time and time again. We may not see it's effect all the time, but we have seen it. Realizing now, that the effects of this reciprocity are only felt by the source of them, it is increasingly clear why we may not see the effect all the time. In other words, a person creates their karma based on the mind state that they are in. Only the person will know what they can accept and what will bring them suffering.

It is this choice that we all make on a continuous basis. Once we realize that we have this choice and are continuing to make it, we can stop the karmic wheel and make every choice one of accepting and adapting. Becoming one with the moment and the situation allows you freedom from 'negative' reciprocity since you literally transcend that concept. At the same time, being that you will have higher spirits because, "there are no negatives," you will attractive a higher vibrational reciprocity. In other words, you will attract more of the things that you want.

Karma works both ways. Why not use this principle of reciprocity to the advantage of Self instead of at a disadvantage to yourself?

Feel Undefeated!

How do I feel? I feel undefeated!

To feel undefeated is an awesome feeling and it serves so many more purposes than just feeling good. It is an affirmation of life. It is the 'YES' to your reality. It is total acceptance. It is an attitude that makes life and all situations with in it, your friend. It is an attitude of gratitude. It puts the wind at your back and a pep in your step. It is a feeling that can't be bought with any amount of money; but ironically, it is free.

Whether or not you actually ever lost is up to you. You are the author of your life story. What you feel determines your experience. If you feel undefeated, you in fact are undefeated! People often loose, even when they win. Being of a pessimistic perspective, they always see the down side of things. When you really realize that even the "losses" and "bad" things in life are actually moving you toward greater states of being and greater situations, you can not help but to feel undefeated.

To still be here right now after any and every difficulty you have experienced is already a tremendous feat to acknowledge. Even more, you have the spirit to be reading this. That is something to congratulate yourself about.

Getting a little deeper; it is impossible for you to be defeated. The true essence of who you are can never be defeated. It is only the identity that the ego upholds that can ever take a loss. You are shatter proof. You are the spirit of a winner. You are the soul of a champion. You are the heart of undefeated consciousness.

Feeling undefeated is such a high. Why not acknowledge that you are undefeated on a regular basis?

To get more in touch with this unbeatable feeling, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

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Stillness and Motion

Do you ever notice that all there really is, is stillness and motion? The stillness is always there. The motion rises and subsides within it. There is even stillness in motion. Motion always has stillness as part of it.

It takes a conscious intention or effort to bring your attention to this stillness. Stillness does not attract your attention. You must choose to acknowledge it.

The way the mind works before you take notice of it, is to be attracted to motion. You can confirm this yourself from your own experience. If all is still, you may notice something moving even in your peripheral vision. This is also true for silence and sound. To be attracted to a change in your surroundings in natural for your mind as it serves as a survival tool. Evaluating your surrounding conditions is in the best interest of your safety.

On the other hand, elevating to a higher state of consciousness requires you to transcend this "default" state of mind. Being able to become aware of the stillness around you will actually make you more alert and more at ease. It literally helps to still the mind.

For more on realizing the benefits of stillness and how the mind works, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

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Made In His Image

They say that God made man in his image. I agree with this saying, but at the same time, the reverse is also true. Turning the saying around is actually more of our everyday experience. 'Man made God in his image.' I know that for some people, this may sound blasphemous, but take a good look to realize how it is not.

'God' is a concept or idea to most of mankind. For most people, He is a concept that we learned about as a child and continued to carry with us. Just as any other concept, it does not exist in the universe outside of the minds of humanity. Just as the concept of beauty is in the eye of the beholde r , so is the concept of God. If God is simply a concept to most people, and man formulated this concept, then it stands to reason that man made God in his own image.

Throughout the history of the concept of God, what was thought to be God has changed many times. There are many faiths and cultures that have thought of not a single God but many gods, all with different traits. Many of the descriptions of God are of a being who takes on the personality of a man and not of a benevolent being of love. Even now, there are writings of a "jealous" God who would not like to see anything else besides Himself worshiped. This concept of a God punishes those who have gone against His wishes. He will even damn a soul to hell for eternity.

God is not a person. If he is a person, then he is every person. He is neither male nor female, and both, at the same time. God is the universe, just as you are all the cells in your body. There is nothing that exists that is not of this Universal Intelligence. This Consciousness is the force that expresses itself as the laws of nature and reality.

I do not want you to take my word on any of this. Most people will believe this to be my personal opinion. That is fine. What I do want from you is to be totally objective in what you have been taught or told to believe. What I have stated here is not a belief of mine, but my personal experience. I invite you to experience it yourself.

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Your Worst Enemy/Your Best Friend

Most people have heard the saying, "I am my own worst enemy." Not only is it true; the truth with in it is monumental. Let's explore why.

A person in an adversarial situation with a dualistic or ego mind perspective might consider their opponent their enemy. This goes for any kind of situation where there would be a winner and a loser. For any kind of situation, from a debate, a friendly game, or any kind of competition, to an all out hand-to-hand combat brawl, a life or death struggle, or a full scale war; if the situation can only have a single person or group as the victor, the vanquished would be considered the enemy. Even a person with this perspective might recognize that any mistakes on their part will give an advantage to their opponent. They might agree that if they are evenly matched with their opponent in every aspect they could be their own worst enemy if they slip up and their opponent does not.

A person with a more holistic view will agree that they can be their own worst enemy, though the depth of reasoning is further. A person recognizing the fact that their own perspective can and will sabotage their own efforts if it is in resistance to circumstances, recognizes the potential for their worst enemy to be something that they created themselves.

Looking at life with the attitude of making it your best friend eliminates all enemies. Whether you perceive the enemy to be external or your own self, an attitude of acceptance and adaptation will turn the situation in your favor. Embracing a situation as a reflection of yourself allows you greater power to change it.

The Best Things In Life Are Free

Most of us have heard this saying many times. Some of us agree with it and some do not. Let us take a good look at the validity of this saying.

Many people believe that the best things in life can be bought. If you have huge sums of money; you can, in fact, have anything you want in the material world. You can have the best things the material world has to offer. This brings up the question: Is the best that the material world has to offer the best that life has to offer?

Considering the fact that life is not a material thing, how can something material be the best it has to offer? To clarify; you, yourself are life. You do not have a life. You are not living a life. You are life! The true essence of your being, the consciousness that animates your body; it is life itself. It is who you truly are. Realizing that you are of spirit and not material; how can something material be the best you have to offer yourself?

To put it even more clearly; consider the fact that experience and not material is what dictates the nature of life. To illustrate: what would you rather do? Would you rather have the experience of having and doing what ever you like, when ever you like, with who ever you like and never actually own anything; or would you rather live a stress filled life knowing full well that you are among the wealthiest people in the world? The key word here is experience.

The best things in life are intangible. That is why they are free. The best thing in life is life. You can not reach out and touch experience. You can not buy experience. Money does not allow you be in high spirits all the time. Only your perspective can allow you this luxury. Your perspective is free. It is only a matter of choice.

To learn how to maximize your experience and get more of the best life has to offer, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

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A Crown of Thorns

Jesus Christ was a being of higher consciousness. Whether or not you are a Christian is irrelevant. If an objective person takes a good look at his words and teachings, they will find absolute truths.

Personally, I was not raised as a Christian but I was taught many of the Christian teachings and morals. After the profound shift in my consciousness, I can now see these teaching with the true depth they possess. You may also see them with new clarity.

One such revelation that came to me was the meaning of the crown of thorns. About.com says this of the crown of thorns:

The crown of thorns represents the sin and suffering carried by the King of Christianity. In the Bible thorns often represent sin, and therefore, the crown of thorns is fitting—that Jesus would bear the sins of the world.

Because true meaning and experience often get lost in the translation to words (Words Can Not Express...) many of the things Christ said have been misinterpreted and a less accurate meaning has been passed down. I, like many others, have gathered that the true meaning of sin is far from what we have been lead to believe. True sin is to forget our true nature. True sin is to be bound by the perspective of the ego mind. True sin is to forget about your divine essence and to wallow in the mire of attachment and false identity. When you stop and take a good look at what the root cause of all suffering and pain in the world today stems from; the ego mind perspective is the seed. This is the root of all sin.

The crown of thorns is an appropriate symbol of what it means to sin. Just as stated in the related posts below; it is your own mind that presents to you all the thoughts that are the source of pain and suffering. Your own mind can be a crown of thorns. It takes a being of higher consciousness to illustrate to the world how everyone is the source and the bearer of their own suffering in this way.

More on this in future posts.

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Death and Heaven

Many people through out mankind's history have speculated on the afterlife. There are many religions and cultures that place a tremendous value on the eternal afterlife of man kind. Whether or not you believe in an afterlife is irrelevant to this discussion. Your beliefs, or lack there of, in such things does not contradict or nullify what we are speaking of here. This message is all inclusive.

Whether or not there is an unseen kingdom of heaven in the clouds is not within the realm of our current knowledge to totally prove or disprove. What is infinitely more important is the life and experience we have in the present moment; right here, right now.

Believe it or not, heaven can be attained on earth. Heaven can be attained in your very life right now. Even so, you must first die to enter this heaven. How can this be? What am I talking about? I am referring to a major shift in your perspective.

All death can be considered the ending of an identity. Death in the traditional sense is not the end of life, but only a change in location of your perspective. It is the transformation of your identity. The death that I am referring to is not the end of your life here in this physical realm. It is the death of the grip the ego identity may have on you right now. Every time an attachment is broken, a little death takes place. It is a death in the ego. It is the releasing of a bond that was formerly part of your identity.

When your ego has died to the point of being able to see past it; when it has been weakened enough that your perspective is able to shift from it to that of the objective Observer, you will be able to enter heaven.

What is this heaven? It is exactly what your definition of heaven would be. In the traditional definition of heaven, there is no pain or suffering. There is only the good life. Realizing that we as individuals can control the source of pain and suffering in our own lives gives us the ability to eliminate it. Becoming the master over your ego mind can give you the freedom to enter heaven at any given time.

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Only Your Thoughts Can Upset You

Life is all about your own specific experience. Your experience is the very definition of your life.

Ever thought about the fact that your experience is all determined in your mind? No matter what actually happens, it is the way you interpret what happens that creates your experience.

A man loses his job. He can take it as the worst thing that could possibly happen to him, or he can take it as an opportunity to get involved with something greater. His experience will be dramatically different depending on the way he chooses to interpret the situation. Even if nothing happens or changes, the same rules apply. The same man has the job he's had for years. He may see it as a dead end that he is miserable at every single day, or he may see it as a stepping stone he is grateful to have in order to get where he truly wants to be. The perspective that we see life from determines our experience of life.

In the former examples and in all of life in general, it is the thoughts that we have about life that determine if we are enjoying the ride or if we are having a horrible time. The fact that our own personal life experience does not happen 'out there' but only happens 'in here' is something almost completely overlooked most of the time. Because our life interpretation and experience really only happens 'in here', it is pretty obvious why only our own thoughts can upset us.

Becoming aware of our own awareness and the way the mind works will lead to freedom from stress filled perspectives about our lives. Recognizing that in order to be in a bad mood, or upset about anything that you can not change is a self sabotaging attitude that will only cause yourself unnecessary pain and stress.

Don't take my word for it. Look at your own experience. If you have been upset or are upset about anything right now, look at what the cause of it really is. Is it the situation alone, or is it how you view and feel about the situation? Is it possible to feel a different way about it? If so, why not feel better about it? If that sounds too difficult, I can show you how. It is always good to feel better.

This topic is further explored in the book, What Is Really Good? Stay tuned!

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Making Room For More

Loss. It is a hard pill to swallow. As stressful and painful as it can be, it is also a common occurrence for most people. The loss of a clean bill of health, the loss of a specific freedom, the loss of a loved one; the list is as long as there are things to be attached to. Going through life, we are bound to loose some attachment. After all, nothing lasts forever.

Looking at this forceful breaking of an attachment through the eyes of the ego's perspective is where all of the resistance comes from. Resistance to what is, is pain and stress.

Looking at the loss through the eyes of the objective Observer, we can experience this change with acceptance. We can adapt. We actually did not loose anything at all. We have merely dispelled the illusion that what was lost is a part of our true identity. Who we really are is the space and awareness that allows our minds to recognize a loss. We existed before the attachment was made and we will exist after it is gone.

Looking at situations of loss from an even wider and more cosmic view; since we can only have one total experience at a time, we are actually having a space opened in up our field of experience or perception. If we say that your field of experience consists of your entire sensory perception in a given moment, then loosing something actually creates more possibilities. The more space in your life, the more possible ways to fill it. When things get lost or eliminated, it really just makes space for more.

To illustrate; a person can't sleep in more than one bed at a time or live under more than one roof at a time. If a person looses their home to a circumstance or situation; a space has been opened in their lives for something even greater to come along. They must sleep somewhere. Who is to say that they will not acquire better living conditions from the situation? The point is the possibilities become available when that space opens up.

Accept any loss you may suffer from as an opportunity to make room for more.

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Is Anybody Home?

I am continuously learning about how amazing the intangible spark that is human awareness is. I came across this article while further looking into the phenomenon that is our consciousness.

It was written by Robert Burton about fifteen months ago. Check it out and see for yourself that consciousness exists outside of the physical world and actually creates worlds in it of itself.

"Sept. 25, 2007 | In a recent article in the Archives of Neurology, a team of British and Belgian neuroscientists describe a clinically unconscious accident victim who can, on command, imagine herself playing tennis and walking around her house. By showing that her functional brain imaging studies (fMRI) are indistinguishable from those of healthy volunteers performing the same mental tasks, the researchers claim that the young woman's fMRI "confirmed beyond any doubt that she was consciously aware of herself and her surroundings, and was willfully following instructions given to her, despite her diagnosis of a vegetative state."

Their extraordinary conclusions are beyond provocative; they raise profound questions about the very notion of consciousness. What's more, they could throw thousands of families and doctors into utter turmoil. As with the Terri Schiavo controversy, patient advocacy groups, self-serving lawyers and politicians with personal agendas could use the study's stamp of certainty as a given.

Yet the study's conclusions are not beyond a doubt. There are plenty of questions about whether this young woman is conscious and capable of choice.

Let's briefly look at the study. In mid-2005, a 23-year-old woman sustained massive head injuries in an auto accident. Following multiple brain surgeries and five months of rehabilitation attempts, she remained unresponsive. According to her treating physicians, she could open her eyes but could not respond to any commands; she could not voluntarily look in the direction of a voice; there was no evidence of orientation or emotional response. They determined that she was in a permanent vegetative state -- a neurological categorization of patients who emerge from coma, appear to be awake, but show no signs of awareness of self or environment.

Before the recent advances in functional brain imaging, most neurologists, based upon their bedside observations and brain wave studies, would have agreed that the woman, though "awake," was extremely unlikely to have a significant private mental life -- either in terms of personal awareness or willful mental activity. (This failure to differentiate between awake and aware was a major feature of the Schiavo affair.) But new tools bring new opportunities; her doctors wondered if the fMRI could provide additional understanding of the clinically unresponsive brain. What if the fMRI could demonstrate residual consciousness and self-awareness, perhaps even the ability to respond to commands?

Their proposed study was quite simple. While inside an fMRI scanner, the unresponsive woman was asked by the researchers to perform three mental tests: relax, imagine playing tennis, and imagine walking around the various rooms in her home. The tasks were chosen because of their ability to activate different areas of the brain. Imagining playing tennis would light up the supplementary motor area, a region involved in imagining as well as performing coordinated movements. In contrast, imagining moving from room to room in a house activated those regions, such as the posterior parietal lobe, that contribute to imaginary or real spatial navigation.

At first glance, the results are startling. The patient was able to activate the same general brain regions as conscious volunteers serving as controls in the test; according to the authors, the images were statistically indistinguishable."

To read the rest of the article, see the original article, The light's on, but is anybody home?

To delve deeper into this and similar mind boggling topics, stay tuned!

Attachment and Identity

Ever take a good look at what personal attachment really is and what gives it it's power? This is a topic that is mostly overlooked but has a tremendous effect on our everyday lives. It holds one of the keys to happiness or lack there of.

Attachments are, in all reality, thoughts and concepts. They are bonds that we have formed in our minds with people, places, things, and ideologies. We maybe attached to the relationship we have with another person. We maybe attached to our house, our car, our country, our freedom, an idea about the past, an idea about the future, or any number of other things. We may even be attached to the way we feel about ourselves physically. When you really get down to it; these are all constructs existing in our minds alone. If you could wipe clean a person's memory of any particular attachment, the person would be able to be just as happy without it as they were with it. Even if the person had to adapt to a new scenario, the pain and suffering of losing an attachment that they never knew they had, would not exist.

Don't take my word for it. Take look at your own life. Look at what you hold near and dear to your heart. If you do not feel this way about anything in your life, then congratulations! You have no worldly attachments. However, the truth is that this does not describe the vast majority of people alive (myself included).

So how did these attachments get so powerful in our lives? We were not born with any of them. The reason these thoughts and concepts are so powerfully ingrained in us, is because they have literally become part of our identity. They have become part of who we think we are. They have become ego identified meaning they have become absorbed by the ego helping to broaden our ego identity. (See Why So Serious?)

Think about what identity theft is and how it affects the victim. Essentially, the person who has been "robbed" is physically in the same state before and after the crime. What has changed for them is totally psychological. They feel violated because of the breach of trust. The concept of their financial status and security may be diminished. The concept of the well being of their identity has been tarnished. This is to illustrate the difference between our identity (who we think we are) and the true essence of our selves. During the time the person was unaware of the theft, they felt exactly as they had before. It is only the concept of being robbed that causes any pain or stress.

We live our lives addicted to our identities; addicted to attachments. We cause our selves undue and self inflicted stress as a result of seeing life through the perspective of the ego. Learning to live relatively free of attachment is not as hard as it may sound at first. It is more of a matter of becoming self aware. Freedom from stress is the result.

For more on this, read the book, What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

Are Your Lights On?

Are your lights on?

This is not a literal question, but abstractly it may be considered one. It does not refer to the lights in your house or the headlights on your car being illuminated. It is referring to your sense of awareness.

The question itself is a reminder and can be used as a tool to direct your attention to your awareness in general. Noticing your awareness you can determine if you are aware of anything at all, and if so, what your awareness is focused on. The answer points to your awareness, and this alone forces you to take notice or become aware of your awareness. This is, in my definition, consciousness or self awareness.

The moment you are aware of your awareness, it is as if you are looking in opposite directions at the same time. You are looking out at the world or wherever your initial sense of focus is, and you are simultaneously looking in at yourself and the amazing phenomenon that is consciousness. You are observing yourself be the observer.

It is from this type of perspective that we may become aware of ourselves separate from the everyday identity that we at times confuse ourselves with. In other words, we may see our selves through the eyes of the Self and recognize that we are more than any attributes of our ego identity. It is from this perspective that we may separate ourselves from our thought and still the mind from it's constant thought processes. It is from this perspective that we may feel the underlying stillness, peace, and joy that is often covered by the ego mind which fuels the mind chatter and the resulting self induced stress.

For more on this, read the book What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!

Good Sense

There isn't a person alive who does not have sense. If it can be argued that they do not have sense, then it may also be argued that they are not truly alive.

Everybody has sense. I'm using the word 'sense' here as in able to perceive. It is not necessarily intelligence in the form of logic, deduction, and analytical skills; but more in the form of able to perceive any type of change in their environment or themselves and to be able to respond to stimulus. 'Sense,' in the way I'm using it, can almost be synonymous with awareness or consciousness. Plants have been proven to have sense.

That being the case, it is no huge jump from that premise to the fact that we may all have more senses than we are used to acknowledging. Beyond the five sense that we are all quite familiar with (seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting); we have senses that are often overlooked. The way we are able to pick up on another person's energy or "vibe" is a good example. Even something as seemingly obvious as knowing what type of feeling a previously unheard of piece of music without lyrics is meant to convey, is a sense that goes far beyond simply hearing.

Although it is not in the usual definition of extra sensory perception (ESP), these senses that we have that go beyond our five senses are exactly that. They are extra in the way that they are beyond those particular modes of stimuli. Intuition is another form of this extra sense that is often overlooked or dismissed as coincidence.

Why do we all have this ability to sense beyond what we take in with our five senses? Because everybody is a spiritual being. We all have the ability to pick up on things outside of our physical selves because there is really nothing beyond our true Self. We are all connected. We are all one. The only reason why this is not our everyday experience is because of our identity, our point of view, our past experience, and where our attention is focused.

To get more in depth with this and similar topics, stay tuned!

Blinding Light and Blinding Darkness

Light is often talked about as the solution to darkness. This perspective does, however, buy into the illusion of opposites. (See Illusion of Opposites) As discussed in The Power of Light/Love, it is all really of the same thing. In other words, there is really only light. Everything else is varying degrees of light or a lack of light. Darkness is often vilified because of the illusion of opposites and the duality that is created as a result.

To illustrate this; take a good look at the relationship of light and darkness and the way we need both of them equally. A person could not use light to see without darkness. To have an over abundance of light would leave us in the same condition as having no light. Definition of any kind could not be observed. Total light is blindness just as total darkness is blindness.

It is the varying degrees and resulting shades of light that give us the opportunity to define our world. Our surroundings vary in color and shades of light allowing us to give definition to what we see. The same may be said for sound and silence, matter and space, and movement and stillness. One could not exist without the other. As a result, it stands to reason that they are one in the same; utterly indivisible.

Leaving behind the idea that light is good and darkness is evil is to transcend the old and relative paradigm that is ego based. The ego thrives off of duality. There must be another for the ego to be relevant. If there is only oneness, the ego loses it's identity; it loses it's purpose. It loses it's power.

Logic will agree that if something is indivisible, then it must be one. It is all one. It is all good. It is all light.

What Is Really Good?