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Cultivate Life!

March 14th, 2006

Create Links to Communicate at Your Best

Have you ever asked yourself how you can get others to understand you more easily? You thought: "This is so important, I don't want them to misunderstand my meaning!"

Have you ever said to yourself: "He doesn't understand a word of what I'm saying anyway!" with a feeling of disgust or criticism?

Let's face it, communicating is tough! It's like dialing a number, but dialing in the wrong order. I'm sure you have felt this. Try this out, as an example... On a scale from 1 to 10, ten being the best, how would you rate these?

1. Your communication with your spouse or partner
2. Your relationship with your children
3. Your ability to understand others and their point of view

The human potential is unlimited and good communication with your husband, your wife, daughter, son, friend or boss can definitively be achieved. It's a fact, studies show that 95% of unemployment is due to poor relationship and communication skills but only 5% is due to bad technical skills. Communication is vital to success.

Communication skills have tremendous value when seeking a leadership position, a manager's position or a successful marriage; they are priceless. Learning superior communication is the ultimate security in a very un-secure world. Your ability to achieve effective communication through the power of language is truly the equivalent of modern day alchemy. It's like transforming lead into gold.

When you master interpersonal communication skills and create links with others, you can accelerate a career, make better profits, attract more clients, build customer relationships of trust, gain expert recognition, produce high impact, avoid a divorce or deal with it toward a much more positive outcome.

So what kind relationship do you want to improve? And with whom do you want to create links? Imagine the feeling of confidence you'll have knowing how to create a positive impact on other people's life and get your ideas across the first time.

When I first understood that the first key to effective communication is to know myself, I couldn't believe it. You see, most people think that it's the other person's fault... "He doesn't understand! He's stupid or what? Didn't I already explain it to him twice? I can't believe how slow he is! He's too emotional."

The mistake most people make is that they judge others who are have a different style of personality and thus communicate inappropriately, thinking and feeling that the other person is wrong, inept, lazy, rude, sloppy, or tense.

Communication is the response you get. Wrong response? Then change your strategy. You just communicated the wrong way. Suddenly, the point of focus has changed. It is not about them anymore, it is about you!

When you integrate that and make it your train of thought, you begin to act and think like a master achiever and great communicator. Imagine being one of them. Trust me, they knew that key a long time ago. That's what enabled them to arrive where they are now. They know themselves and understand others, their needs, their wants, and are instantly capable of linking with them. So they got the sale, the raise, and the respect.

Knowing yourself is the number one key for effective communication. When you know your learning style and how you perceive the world around you, you are on your way to being a great communicator.

Discover secrets of superior communication to improve the relationships with your spouse, children, friends and co-workers. Get a Free Multi-Media Report on the cherished keys of the great communicators - keys that you can use to open the doors to your life's potential.

Copyright © 2006 Sue Otis, All Rights Reserved Sue Otis is Founder of LINK Interpersonal Communication System

Heart to Heart Coaching

There are three methods of Coaching available:

1. Instant Coaching at Coach Yourself to Success.

2. Public Coaching. Submit your Question to be answered here in the Cultivate Life! ezine.

3. Private Coaching at the coach's own website - a confidential service for purchasers of Wallace's book, Unfold Your Wings and Watch Life Take Off.

How Can I Set Myself up as a Counselor?

Question

I am the mother of 7. My oldest is 40 and my youngest is 19. I am having a hard time letting go and have feeling of worthlessness. I am 60 and am now a grad student in Community Counseling but I have fears of wasting my money because I am too old and no one will hear me. I could do my own thing, like retreats, which is what I would like, but I am not very good at self promoting. My grades are very good and my life experience is extensive. Am I barking up the wrong tree?

Wallace's reply:

I feel you definitely need a new purpose to your life to replace your role as a mother. It is impossible for me to tell you whether or you are barking up the wrong tree in seeking to be a Community Counselor – indeed it is unwise to even ask me this question because it is a matter for yourself. Learn to trust your inner guidance when it comes to making major decisions rather than rely on a stranger’s opinion.

However I can help you understand your situation. My advice to you is to see the Community Counseling as a hobby rather than the means of earning an income. If you need to work for money get a job that suits, is fulfilling and provides enough income. Then if you feel drawn to work as a community counselor and do retreats, ease your way into this role by perhaps running a retreat on a voluntary basis in aid of a local charity. Running retreats on this basis will help you attract help with promotion. This approach will take all the pressure away and you will enjoy seeing yourself develop as a counselor.

If you want help in learning to tune into and trust inner guidance consider ordering my book Unfold Your Wings and Watch Life Take Off.

Question

I'm currently in the job market and have had some responses to my resume (it was professionally written) but I didn't make a great impression during the interview. I currently had a response for a job that I would kill to have and I don't want to bomb the interview. I'm afraid that the jobs that I didn't get were because they ended up not paying enough (I suspect, but I'm not sure this is the reason) but this job starts at an incredible amount and I don't want to screw up the interview. Any suggestions?

Wallace's reply:

It is a paradox but your very desire to land a job with a big salary is the very thing that will make it difficult for you to do a good interview. When going for the job the payment you receive is an important consideration. However I want you to detach from the money aspect and go with a spirit of enquiry – remember you need to establish whether the work involved in this job suits, that you can make a meaningful contribution to the organization and that you will be fulfilled in your prospective role. If you go to the job interview with this approach you will be calm and relaxed and enjoy the experience. Learning to live a relaxed life is enhanced if we can glide through these paradoxical situations.

Question

I am having problems with trust. I am from a very dysfunctional family and I could never depend on them. I am engaged to a wonderful person, but I find myself reacting to things he says or does like I am dealing with my family. It upsets me greatly, because he is hurt that I can't just trust him. I know he wouldn't hurt me knowingly, but I still fear the bad things that always happen when I trust my family. He knows where this comes from, but it still hurts him. He treats me really good, so why do I automatically act with him like I do to protect myself from my family?

Wallace's reply:

The reason you are reacting to your partner the way you did with your family is that you are still carrying all the hurt of having been let down again and again as a child. You need to grieve and let go of that inner pain. You can find guidance with this in my book Unfold Your Wings and Watch Life Take Off. In particular read 'Your Calling is Elevated Through the Release of Pain' pages 66-73 and then read the examples of how I have released my own pain in the third part of the book titled 'Your Healing.'

We are able to learn to trust people when we are in relationships where those around us say what they feel intuitively, and then act in accordance with what they are saying. With people who are mature their intuitions, speech and actions all coincide. This is what love is.

Because you grew up in a dysfunctional family you may struggle to have you intuitions, words and actions concur. You may then be projecting this dysfunction onto others and find it difficult to trust them. So as well as learning to release your pain, the other task I want you to practice is to learn to have your intuitions, words and thoughts concur. Practice being a completely trustworthy person yourself and you will find it easier to trust others.

What I have suggested is a suitable first step, however you may wish to source some support in your journey back to trust by finding a good local psychotherapist or art therapist to help you in your journey into your pain or perhaps you could both go to a local marriage guidance counselor (it is important that your partner understands how you feel).

Spiritual Words of Empowerment
(Part 1 of an ongoing series)

1. Affirmations
Affirmations are used to reprogram the subconscious mind in a desired direction. This helps to empower you to move through emotional blockages which may be limiting your opportunities to experience life to the fullest.

Every time you make a mental affirmation, your subconscious mind hears it and adjusts towards the reality of that statement. The subconscious mind does not filter, it just acts on your statements. It is important, therefore, that you feed yourself positive thoughts about who you are.

Also, bear in mind that the subconscious mind does not understand the word "no." This means that if, for example, you affirm that you will eat NO more chocolate cake, your subconscious mind sees only a picture of more chocolate cake. It then obliges by preparing your taste buds to receive more cake!

A great way to start is to make a habit of using the classic affirmation, "Every day, in every way, I am becoming better and better."

Ignore any skepticism that arises inside you when you start doing this. That's just the automatic response which comes from resistance to change. Remember, for every action in life, there is an opposite and equal reaction. When you launch into an action which will cause change, resistance to change can manifest as the automatic, opposite reaction. Just carry out your action regardless. Keep going with your daily affirmations, and this will become a habit that constantly improves your life.

The phrase used in the Infinite Being Meditation is extremely powerful. "I am Infinite Being" is an affirmation of your oneness with the consciousness from which all life sprang. If you find issues arising from this, such as feeling unworthy to be aligned with All That Is, then just let those thoughts go and bring your focus back onto the phrase. You do not have to justify the words or settle any internal argument about them just because of some prior conditioning as to how someone said that you "should" think in this life.

Maintain the inner discipline to stay with the affirmation and let the issues fade away unchallenged. Your inner self knows the meaning of the words and resonates in joy with their exact and literal truth. Every time you repeat this affirmation, you strengthen your realization of your connection with Infinite Being. Any lesser thoughts then become healed in the light of the greater truth.

Owen Waters is editor and cofounder of Infinite Being LLC. He promotes a philosophy of spiritual empowerment through inner connection to the source of your ultimate potential. For more Spiritual Words of Empowerment subscribe to his free weekly newsletter. For the full picture, read Owen's book, "The Shift: The Revolution in Human Consciousness".

The Nuts & Bolts of Meditation

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Surviving the Spiritual Gauntlet

Center of the SUN ~ EQUINOX UPDATE
Having entered the first few days of March, it has become quite apparent that we have hit some really powerful energy. I have been watching Equinoxes over the past 12 years, and they just seem to be getting more and more powerful. I have been having powerful visions/dreams... and nightmares (unusual for me) where I see dark beings rising up from the underworld, and I fight to stop them. The last couple of nights I could not tell if I was still here, or if I had crossed over to the next world. I can feel my nervous system getting re-wired or short circuited . . . it is hard to tell which in this moment. Some of the pieces that I have collected over the last 20 years are just now coming together. All this makes me feel like everything is about to change. I wonder sometimes how we can endure the rise in intensity. But somehow we do.

The entire month of March, that surrounds the Equinox, will be an intense emotional roller coaster month. We will feel far more sensitive to the world. Things might seem so dark that we wonder if we can survive this time. Many people have been having unfounded fears of dying or that the world is ending. Will this shift be comfortable? NO! But will we emerge Masters of it? Absolutely YES! We are going to get really clear about what is not working any more to the point that we will be forced to make many shifts in our lives to continue on. The world is going to change. Our lives are going to change. We cannot tolerate the injustices and misuses of energy and power in this world anymore.

This month is beginning to really look like what I would call a Global Dark Night of the Soul. This sounds really scary, but it is not. "Dark Night of the Soul," by nature is deliberately transformative. It feels like death on all levels. While we may feel battered and worn in the transformation, realize that our Spirits are being tempered in the process. It is MOST IMPORTANT to surrender and trust the process. These unrelenting and intense times help us build spiritual strength by showing us our weak spots. It shows us where we are becoming Masters in our lives. This is a necessary step for our ability to evolve into the 5th Dimension. What a great opportunity for all of us!

It will be imperative at this time of powerful energy, coupled with the Equinox, to be helpful and cooperative with each other. Be good to each other. Love each other. Help each other. This is the beginning of the new world and the birth of a new community. We are the baby chicks struggling to get out of the egg, the caterpillar fighting its way out of the cocoon. The birthing process is hard, but well worth the effort. We are not going to give up. We are about to bust free of the limitations that we have tolerated for way too long. The time is so close now... the times are so powerful... We are letting go of this world...

This Equinox is going to be emotionally challenging for most all of us, but it will also prepare us for the entire year of huge transformation and spiritual awakening. This awakening cannot be stopped. I'll bet you have tried top stop it so you could be comfortable, at one time or another. It is not going to work this time. This is a time of breakdowns, losses and dissolving old paradigms on all levels. This is a time of great opportunity. We can't build a new temple without tearing down the old one. It is time to get brave... get out the spiritual work clothes and do the work. The two eclipses in the month of March will light up any shadows in your back closet that you have yet to clean out. Eclipses shine light into our own darkness. On March 14th there is a Full Moon lunar eclipse which will trigger even more emotional tidal waves.

In these most powerful times, it is very helpful to give yourself time in a sacred place in nature. Sacred places, like mountain tops and temple sites, hold and support higher frequencies, so the transformation comes much easier and with more clarity. If you can get away sometime in the month of March, especially around Equinox, it will ease the transition considerably. Also, high altitudes (over 7000 feet), forks in rivers, waterfalls, the oceans (silicone beach sand can elevate the issues), or deep deserts can clear our heads and lighten the heart.

This is a time where our Spirits are being tested to reach and maintain a higher level of impeccability and personal mastery. Becoming Masters is not about avoiding our feelings and emotions, but mastering how we react to them, no matter what the outer circumstances. Not feeling our emotions is flat lining. We are here to LIVE. So feel the issues, do not take them personally, and rise above them and help those around you. I send you Love and Blessings and will again while in the Maya Lands for Equinox.

Aluna Joy's Website

With thanks to The Cosmic Networker

Little Guide Set to Make a Big Difference

Far exceeding the expectations of its authors, Andy Metcalfe and Carl Munson, who wrote it for members of specialist search engine Holistic Local*, the guide has been the subject of requests from numerous websites as well as people in Australia and America who want to get involved with the idea. "We wrote the guide simply because we want to make the world a better place by sharing some simple ideas with a few friends and business acquaintances," says a surprised, but delighted Andy.

"The Natural Living Guide has ten sections and includes 100 tips on a range of subjects including natural health, healthy eating, going green, creativity and living your dreams," says co-writer Carl. "Our hope was that people would be inspired by our book's mix of inspirational quotes, information and web links for living a more natural life. We wanted them to read it and pass it on."

It seems the idea has caught on, as every day has brought further requests from individuals, publications and websites who want to give it away - challenging the old cliché that bad news travels round the world while good news is still doing up its shoelaces. "We're delighted about the guide's immediate popularity and are really pleased to be meeting so many other people via the web, interested in natural living, who want to share this information," adds Andy.

The Natural Living Guide is available as a download in Adobe PDF format and has a foreword by Janey Lee Grace, BBC Radio 2's unofficial 'holistic ambassador,' who says the guide is a "great way for busy people to get informed, get involved and take action." Download your free copy of "the little guide that's making a big difference"...

The Natural Living Guide (USA version)

The Natural Living Guide (UK version)

*Holistic Local is a search engine directory for holistic, green and conscious businesses which plans to offer social and community networking services for people who want to make new friends and connect with others sharing similar values. It can be used to find businesses, events such as workshops, retreats, lectures, expos and conferences as well as courses, articles and other holistic living information. Holistic Local is available on-line in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The Manta

It was one of those perfect days, when the sky and the water met in mixtures of blue and white and everything was alive. My three companions and I anchored our boat on the Maui side of Molokini, a small, horse shoe shaped island that toped an underwater crater in the Hawaiian chain. I was the first diver ready and I plunged over the side into the crystal clear wonderful world of tropical waters. As the bubbles cleared I saw three sharks ranging from 4 to 6 feet long. This is a rare sight in these peaceful waters, so I immediately swam after them. My companions splashy entrance sent the sharks on their way and undaunted, we began to swim leisurely across the bay.

Molokini, because of its natural beauty, has been set aside as a national park and the fish that swim there are protected in the basin of the old volcano. They wear every imaginable color and sport every imaginable shape. Needle fish are long silver tubules almost invisible against the white sand and the bright coral sun. Red Snappers and Yellow Snappers abound in little schools flitting in and out of hidden caves nestled in the coral. We glided through schools of Neon Tetras, Angel Fish, and Puffers who greeted us like little curious children. The underwater world is a completely different world from the bustling city. Here, with the sunlight rays dazzling us in ripples of color, I was wrapped in Nature's womb, safe and filled with awe. Peace and tranquillity prevailed.

On the outer edge of the crater the bottom drops away. Peering down through the clear water, you can see into the deep, dark, blue of the ocean abyss. It raised my caution flags. After experiencing three small sharks, I wondered what other creatures might be lurking in the darkness below. Suddenly Gary, one of my underwater companions, pointed both hands toward the deepest darkest part of the bottomless black. As I peered into the darkness, it took a few moments before I recognized an immense shape was moving toward us out of the depths.

Quickly calculating how long it would take us to swim to the land or to the boat, I realized there was no escape. This creature of the wild was big, very big and we were way too far from any safe retreat.

Black on top, the emerging shape showed a white underbelly and my fears were soon dissolved as it took on the shape of a large manta. It glided gracefully through the water, up toward us and over the ridge. As it began to circle the crater, my three companions swam after it, trying to get close enough to hitch a ride on its large wing-like fins. Realizing the manta was swimming too fast for us to catch, I chose a different approach. I decided to "become" the manta.

Closing my eyes and centering myself into a state of being at peace, and there, I relaxed, imaging myself as a manta. A thought flashed through my mind that, in some other world, I was a manta. Just for the fun of it, I took on that manta's state of being. In order to do this I have learned to first tune into my own Full Potential Self, the "I" that is the real me in hyperspacial reality, and align myself. Like the blink of an eye, I was aligned, sensed it was OK, relaxed and slipped into the state of being a manta. I began to move my arms imagining I was gliding through the water. I had only moved my arms up and down two or three times when a wave of water washed over me. I opened my eyes to see what could be causing such a wave at a depth of 30 feet under the water. Right there, in front of me, not two feet away, was a mouth about three feet wide!

It was the manta! It startled me. My first thought was, "What does a manta eat?" Its mouth was large enough to swallow me whole. Then a voice, somewhere inside me said, "Are you all right?" It was clear as a bell. There was a pause and then the voice said, "Are you a manta?" Startled, I suddenly realized the manta was communicating with me.

"I am all right", I said in my thoughts, although the scientist in me was amazed I could speak in clear English to a manta that hung suspended in the water right in front of me and, clearly, it could understand me just as well. "I am not a manta", I continued, "but I wanted to experience your world".

It giggled! It actually giggled. It seemed genuinely pleased. Without any further communication we were suddenly flying through the water, down and over the ridge right into the deepest, darkest part of the ocean. It took me right into the heart of the thing I had feared the most only a few moments before--the unknown darkness of the abyss.

An all-consuming peace pervaded throughout my entire state of being. I was so immersed in the experience it was as though I had become embedded in oneness with life itself. I never knew such peace could exist. There was no fear, even in the darkest corners or depths of the ocean. I experienced a feeling of total harmony, one I never knew was possible. The manta was sharing with me more than just its physical world. It was sharing its state of well being.

Understanding enveloped everything. It was as though I had become everything at once within my own being or everything within my being had become one with the world. I swam, not only in the depths of the ocean, but in the depths of all-knowing, seeing through the eyes of the manta and understanding all that it saw. I was linked to its mind and immersed within its universal field of information, and reveled in being beyond the limits of time without losing my sense of time. To travel was effortless for there were no confines to distance or physical shape. I was present everywhere without losing my presence in the now. We traveled as if on waves of thought. I was totally alert to everything, yet confined by nothing.

After a while, it became a little monotonous just swimming in the bleak darkness, although I could clearly see the algae and other little sea creatures in the water, and I asked, "Can we get a little color into this?"

The next thing I knew, we were flying over corral reefs as beautiful as anything I had ever seen -- vivid colors, swarming fish of every imaginable shape and form, and bright sunlight streaming over everything. There was a sound, made of everything in motion, the combination of a thousand orchestras, playing in harmony with a million birds, and countless other life forms. A sound, more profound and beautifully engulfing than I had ever experienced. Everything, the water, the fish, the coral and the sand, was in harmonic motion. But it was deeper. It was as though the very molecules were dancing together. No matter where I focused, the picture became clearer, my realizations deeper and the music more ecstatic. I was so overcome with the ecstasy of this dance, I reveled even more in it, savored it and was smitten by my love for this dance of life I was experiencing.

This amazing realization continued for some time until I was becoming used to this panorama of ever changing beauty until, quite unexpectedly, we were flying among the stars. I could see galaxies, nova, all forms of planetary systems as though we could swim through time and space uninhibited from any restraint.

"How can you, a manta", I asked, "who are confined to the water in the ocean, swim among the stars?"

The manta scoffed as though to say, "Don't you know anything?" I began to realize that, with all my education and learning, with all my experience, my understanding of life was far more confined than that of the manta. I opened myself completely to more fully take in the experience.

Time stood still for me as we winged our way through a universe continually emerging into time and space and flowing back into a field of complexity that was so amazing, so beautiful, so alive and so pervasive that the realizations never left me. Life is a fantastic tapestry of multiple dimensions, so magnificent it defies description. We are all part of an indescribable dance - the dance of life.

During my entire journey with the manta, my scuba companions had watched my encounter with the manta as we hung suspended in the water facing each other. Amazed at the connection between me and the manta, Gary swam back, across the bay, climbed aboard the boat, dug his underwater camera out of his gear bag and swam back again. As he approached us, he was adjusting his camera when the camera made several loud clicks.

A wrenching sensation went through my stomach. Torn from my reverie, I realized I was back in the water again and I opened my eyes. I saw the manta turning its gaze back toward Gary. I followed its gaze as it went from Gary to each of the others. One diver (Tina, Gary's wife) was positioned at the end of one of its wings. Marlene, my (now past) wife, at the end of the other wing, me in the front, and Gary, swimming up behind making noises the manta had never experienced. It realized it was surrounded. I could sense its feelings of apprehension about these other "strange" humans and their clicking noises.

"I must go now," was all it said as it dove over the ridge and down into the depths again.

The manta left me with the vivid realization that the most vital part of the dance of life is that everything is connected and, through Presence, we can experience it all.

Dr. Woolf is Founder and Director of the International Academy of Holodynamics. He is a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Russia where his scientific approach "Holodynamics" has been granted a special department in the Academy. His "Unfolding Potential" Seminars, which began in the United States, have now expanded world wide. Having taught seminars around the globe, he has just finished the book "The Dance of Life: Living in a Conscious Universe" and six manuals that bring new clarity to the research done over the past four decades.

Kicking a Dead Horse

Does your past history control your life today? How can you tell if your past is having a negative effect on your life today? Try this: Would you kick a dead horse, then get mad when it would not get up and pull your cart down the road? I don't think so! But if you're not achieving the lifestyle you truly desire, it is probable that painful old memories are in control of both your present AND your future.

The painful experiences those memories are based on are dead and gone alright. But the minute you bring them back into the present, they also take control of your future. So your cart (your hopes and dreams) just sits right there and does not go anywhere.

One certain sign that's happening is if certain situations seem to always trigger the same out-of-control emotional reactions. Many of us just 'fly off' if an old 'pain button' is pushed. You might break into a cold sweat and lose your voice at the mere thought of challenging your superior at work, even though he or she is taking advantage of you. Or you may fly into a rage if someone questions your ability to complete even the most insignificant task.

Chances are all of the logical approaches to changing such out-of-control reactions have failed. That is because old memories like these cannot be accessed or controlled using logic. The fact is, they can only be accessed using the power that memorized them in the first place - emotional power. It takes focused, passionate desire to get stuff like this out of your way. Here are some steps you can take to help neutralize the negative of painful past events:

• Reclaim your power.
  The fact is, the past IS PAST. You do not have to deny any unfortunate things that have happened to you. But why would you choose to re-create and re-experience them in the present? You have ALREADY survived those challenges and come out on top. Let it go!

• Stop Blaming.
  The minute you blame someone or something else for your problems or challenges - you literally thrown your own power away. Release your habit of blaming anyone (including yourself) for current frustrations or unhappiness. Blame is unnecessary baggage. It just prevents you from moving forward and findings solutions to your challenges. You can kick that dead horse until you break your foot -- but it still won't get up and pull your cart down the street.

• Forgive and Move On.
  Oh? You made some mistakes? Actually a big part of our intelligence (our all-important associative emotional intelligence) ONLY learns by making mistakes. So stop beating yourself up for your mistakes. This is truly just part of the learning process. No mistakes = zero personal growth. And zero personal growth = more of the same in your life. Just straighten up your tie (or sling your purse over your shoulder) and press on.

• Pick a New Theme Song.
  If you are stuck in a rut in terms of how you feel about yourself and your potential - it's time for a new theme song. This is not a light-weight issue. Become aware of the repetitive thoughts that run through the back of your mind (or the song you are humming to yourself). You'll discover your theme -- the message your subconscious mind is sending you -- based on your past memories. Pick a new, more positive message or theme song. Replace the old one with something more positive and empowered.

• Stop Looking Over your Shoulder.
  You will never rise above your past as long as you compare your present situation and challenges to the past. Actually that is a great way to be sure you repeat the same old mistakes. Focus on how you want your life to be right now and in the future. Keep your eye on the road, instead of on the rear view mirror.

Copyright © 2006 Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler, Brain/Mind Researcher, All Rights Reserved

Living Your Life Purpose

You are on purpose and your existence matters. Without you, there would be something crucial missing from the universe. Without you the universe would not be the same. You may only feel like a drop in the ocean, but I tell you this, you have the power of the ocean inside of you ... and the ocean knows you, even if you have forgotten the ocean. When you find the ocean in you, you will feel like the river the runs towards the sea, not trying to climb hills but simply flowing in accordance with the deeper calling that draws you nearer to fully merge with your greatest self.

Have you ever had that annoying experience of going to a room to fetch something only to stand there wondering what you went there for? Standing there wondering, "What am I here for?" - that annoying feeling of having forgotten what you came here for - sounds a lot like life doesn't it? You wake up one day with that same annoying feeling - having forgotten what you are here for in the first place. Why did I come here? Like it's on the tip of your tongue but you just can't seem to grasp it, "what am I here for?"

There are 2 primary goals in any lifetime. The first and most important is BEING. The 2nd goal is dependent on the first. The 2nd goal is DOING. Most people believe that they are here to DO something and so they spend time worrying about whether they are doing what they are here to do. Many are even hoping that they can just get the doing part over so that they don't have to come back again. I can't tell you how many students have asked me, "What am I here to do - what is my purpose, I want to know so that I can do it and not have to come back!"

If you focus on DOING you may miss the point entirely. BEING is the priority, DOING is just bonus.

Let's explain this crucial point further. Which provides more growth? Being and feeling worthy or doing what worthy people do? Being a creative person or doing what creative people do? Being soul or doing what spiritual people do?

Painting a picture does not mean that you FEEL and know yourself as an artist. Giving to charity does not mean that you FEEL and KNOW yourself as charitable. Lighting candles and burning incense does not mean that you KNOW yourself as SOUL.

It is the BEING, THE KNOWING and the FEELING that we are after. If your soul has struggled with self worth over many lifetimes it is not here to do worthy things, it is here to BE worthy and know WORTH. This is the difference between belief and knowing.

Doing can be done from belief or knowing. Knowing comes from being. An apple tree does not think, "Gee am I here to do apples!" The apple tree says "I am an apple tree", so anything that the apple tree does is an expression of being an apple tree. If the apple tree doesn't know it's an apple tree it may spend much time trying to make oranges. If the apple tree stumbles across making apples - it may feel in that moment a sense of peace, energy, joy or inspiration (all signs of the doing that is an expression of the true self) but if it still is out of touch with who it is it may easily go back to doing oranges.

So align with your life purpose by focusing on BEING the truth of who you are. Focus on transforming all of the fear inherent in your body about BEING who you are born to be. Then the doing becomes a natural expression of who you are, as easy as an apple tree making apples.

Another point to think about here is that you are not actually trying to change who you are. An apple tree who has forgotten who he is, is not trying to turn into an apple tree. He is trying to become conscious of who he is already. And he is trying to free himself to BE true to himself. Are you being true to yourself?

When you go looking for life purpose - you are trying to do the same. To live your life purpose look for the apple tree within, release it and let your true self grow to the full stature of your being.

From the office of Colleen-Joy Page, The Academy of Metaphysics. Colleen specializes in training others in powerful tools like intuition and dream work. To find out about her InnerLifeSkills interactive CD and workbook home study course, visit Inner Life Skills.

Intelligence vs. Intellect

Spirit has many descriptive names in New Thought. Divine Mind, First Cause, God, Universal Intelligence. Universal Intelligence is the everywhere-present all-knowingness of Spirit. Universal Intelligence knows all things and everything because it knows only itself, which is everything.

Because we are individualized centers of Spirit, we have that Intelligence too. Our Intelligence is our connection to Divine Mind. We are consciously and subconsciously connected to Universal Consciousness and Subconsciousness. When we think, we are connecting with Universal Consciousness. When we use our intuition, for example, we are connecting with Universal Subconsciousness. We have a "knowing" inside of us we need to take heed of. When we have decisions that need to be made, we can connect with Universal Intelligence and know that our decisions will be correct. When we do a Spiritual Mind Treatment, we are consciously connecting with Spirit, that all-knowingness of the Universe that can guide us in whatever conditions we need to address. The Intelligence that keeps the planets in alignment, that keeps the Earth rotating, that keeps the Sun shining is at our disposal.

Then there is the Intellect. Intellect is our human reasoning, limited to our five senses and our interpretation of our surroundings.

We need our intellect. It performs a very important job. It allows us to observe what is happening in our lives and deduce the cause -- which is what we are habitually thinking and feeling. Once we know the cause, we are at liberty to change our thinking (the cause) to something better for us.

The sticky part comes when we only use our intellect and not our Intelligence (which is what the human race has been doing in its evolution up until now). When we only use our intellect, we get the "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude toward life. It becomes a tether that keeps us from soaring to our highest Spiritual Growth. It keeps us limited to living a life of perception only. Reacting instead of acting.

When has the "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude ever created something or made something happen? Did the first carpenter who made the first chair say, "I'll believe there is such a thing as a chair when I see one"? Did Thomas Edison say, "I'll believe there is such a thing as the electric lightbulb, when I see it"? Nothing would ever have been invented with an attitude like that. I will go as far as to say every inventor, every artist has tapped into the Creative Mind of Spirit at those moments. We can all tap into Creative Mind. Universal Intelligence knows all potentiality.

We are at a very exciting time in our evolution. We are moving beyond our Human Intellect. We are connecting with our Spiritual Intelligence as we come to believe there is more to Life than just what we experience with our senses.

Continue your Growth, trust in your Divine Nature, be open to the guidance of Spirit.

Copyright © 2006 Tina Montalto
Tina Montalto is the founder and president of Conscious Kernels, Inc., an ePublishing company specializing in spiritual eBooks. She is the author of "You are What You Think" available for free at the company's website. She has also created and serves as instructor for a 7-week eCourse on Spiritual Mind Treatment also available at the website. In addition to providing a selection of original eBooks, Conscious Kernels offers a free monthly eNewsletter, a community-building discussion board, spiritual retreats, and e-greeting cards.

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