When we expand our thinking and beliefs our love flows freely. When we contract we shut ourselves off. Can you remember the last time when you were in love? Your heart went ahhh!! It was such a wonderful feeling. It is the same with loving yourself except that you will never leave once you have your love for yourself.Its with you for the rest of your life, so you want to make it the best relationship that you can have.

Buddhism

• What is Buddhism? Buddhism is a religion to about 300 million people around the world. The word comes from 'budhi', 'to awaken'. It has its origins about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, was himself awakened (enlightened) at the age of 35. • Is Buddhism a Religion? To many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or 'way of life'. It is a philosophy because philosophy 'means love of wisdom' and the Buddhist path can be summed up as: (1) to lead a moral life, (2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and (3) to develop wisdom and understanding. • How Can Buddhism Help Me? Buddhism explains a purpose to life, it explains apparent injustice and inequality around the world, and it provides a code of practice or way of life that leads to true happiness. • Why is Buddhism Becoming Popular? Buddhism is becoming popular in western countries for a number of reasons, The first good reason is Buddhism has answers to many of the problems in modern materialistic societies. It also includes (for those who are interested) a deep understanding of the human mind (and natural therapies) which prominent psychologists around the world are now discovering to be both very advanced and effective. • Who Was the Buddha? Siddhartha Gotama was born into a royal family in Lumbini, now located in Nepal, in 563 BC. At 29, he realised that wealth and luxury did not guarantee happiness, so he explored the different teachings religions and philosophies of the day, to find the key to human happiness. After six years of study and meditation he finally found 'the middle path' and was enlightened. After enlightenment, the Buddha spent the rest of his life teaching the principles of Buddhism — called the Dhamma, or Truth — until his death at the age of 80. • Was the Buddha a God? He was not, nor did he claim to be. He was a man who taught a path to enlightenment from his own experience. • Do Buddhists Worship Idols? Buddhists sometimes pay respect to images of the Buddha, not in worship, nor to ask for favours. A statue of the Buddha with hands rested gently in its lap and a compassionate smile reminds us to strive to develop peace and love within ourselves. Bowing to the statue is an expression of gratitude for the teaching. • Why are so Many Buddhist Countries Poor? One of the Buddhist teachings is that wealth does not guarantee happiness and also wealth is impermanent. The people of every country suffer whether rich or poor, but those who understand Buddhist teachings can find true happiness. • Are There Different Types of Buddhism? There are many different types of Buddhism, because the emphasis changes from country to country due to customs and culture. What does not vary is the essence of the teaching — the Dhamma or truth. • Are Other Religions Wrong? Buddhism is also a belief system which is tolerant of all other beliefs or religions. Buddhism agrees with the moral teachings of other religions but Buddhism goes further by providing a long term purpose within our existence, through wisdom and true understanding. Real Buddhism is very tolerant and not concerned with labels like 'Christian', 'Moslem', 'Hindu' or 'Buddhist'; that is why there have never been any wars fought in the name of Buddhism. That is why Buddhists do not preach and try to convert, only explain if an explanation is sought. • Is Buddhism Scientific? Science is knowledge which can be made into a system, which depends upon seeing and testing facts and stating general natural laws. The core of Buddhism fit into this definition, because the Four Noble truths (see below) can be tested and proven by anyone in fact the Buddha himself asked his followers to test the teaching rather than accept his word as true. Buddhism depends more on understanding than faith. • What did the Buddha Teach? The Buddha taught many things, but the basic concepts in Buddhism can be summed up by the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. • What is the First Noble Truth? The first truth is that life is suffering i.e., life includes pain, getting old, disease, and ultimately death. We also endure psychological suffering like loneliness frustration, fear, embarrassment, disappointment and anger. This is an irrefutable fact that cannot be denied. It is realistic rather than pessimistic because pessimism is expecting things to be bad. lnstead, Buddhism explains how suffering can be avoided and how we can be truly happy. • What is the Second Noble Truth? The second truth is that suffering is caused by craving and aversion. We will suffer if we expect other people to conform to our expectation, if we want others to like us, if we do not get something we want,etc. In other words, getting what you want does not guarantee happiness. Rather than constantly struggling to get what you want, try to modify your wanting. Wanting deprives us of contentment and happiness. A lifetime of wanting and craving and especially the craving to continue to exist, creates a powerful energy which causes the individual to be born. So craving leads to physical suffering because it causes us to be reborn. • What is the Third Noble Truth? The third truth is that suffering can be overcome and happiness can be attained; that true happiness and contentment are possible. lf we give up useless craving and learn to live each day at a time (not dwelling in the past or the imagined future) then we can become happy and free. We then have more time and energy to help others. This is Nirvana. • What is the Fourth Noble Truth? The fourth truth is that the Noble 8-fold Path is the path which leads to the end of suffering. • What is the Noble 8-Fold Path? In summary, the Noble 8-fold Path is being moral (through what we say, do and our livelihood), focussing the mind on being fully aware of our thoughts and actions, and developing wisdom by understanding the Four Noble Truths and by developing compassion for others. • What are the 5 Precepts? The moral code within Buddhism is the precepts, of which the main five are: not to take the life of anything living, not to take anything not freely given, to abstain from sexual misconduct and sensual overindulgence, to refrain from untrue speech, and to avoid intoxication, that is, losing mindfulness. • What is Karma? Karma is the law that every cause has an effect, i.e., our actions have results. This simple law explains a number of things: inequality in the world, why some are born handicapped and some gifted, why some live only a short life. Karma underlines the importance of all individuals being responsible for their past and present actions. How can we test the karmic effect of our actions? The answer is summed up by looking at (1) the intention behind the action, (2) effects of the action on oneself, and (3) the effects on others. • What is Wisdom? Buddhism teaches that wisdom should be developed with compassion. At one extreme, you could be a goodhearted fool and at the other extreme, you could attain knowledge without any emotion. Buddhism uses the middle path to develop both. The highest wisdom is seeing that in reality, all phenomena are incomplete, impermanent and do no constitute a fixed entity. True wisdom is not simply believing what we are told but instead experiencing and understanding truth and reality. Wisdom requires an open, objective, unbigoted mind. The Buddhist path requires courage, patience, flexibility and intelligence. • What is Compassion? Compassion includes qualities of sharing, readiness to give comfort, sympathy, concern, caring. In Buddhism, we can really understand others, when we can really understand ourselves, through wisdom. • How do I Become a Buddhist? Buddhist teachings can be understood and tested by anyone. Buddhism teaches that the solutions to our problems are within ourselves not outside. The Buddha asked all his followers not to take his word as true, but rather to test the teachings for themselves. ln this way, each person decides for themselves and takes responsibility for their own actions and understanding. This makes Buddhism less of a fixed package of beliefs which is to be accepted in its entirety, and more of a teaching which each person learns and uses in their own way.

Just what future the Designer of the universe has provided for the souls of men I do not know, I cannot prove. But I find that the whole order of Nature confirms my confidence that, if it is not like our noblest hopes and dreams, it will transcend them.

Friendships: Enrich your life and improve your health

Friendships can have a major impact on your health and well-being, but it's not always easy to build or maintain friendships. Understand the importance of friendships in your life and what you can do to develop and nurture friendships. What are the benefits of friendships? Good friends are good for your health. Friends can help you celebrate good times and provide support during bad times. Friends prevent loneliness and give you a chance to offer needed companionship, too. Friends can also: Increase your sense of belonging and purpose Boost your happiness Reduce stress Improve your self-worth Help you cope with traumas, such as divorce, serious illness, job loss or the death of a loved one Encourage you to change or avoid unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as excessive drinking or lack of exercise Why is it sometimes hard to make friends or maintain friendships? Many adults find it hard to develop new friendships or keep up existing friendships. Friendships may take a back seat to other priorities, such as work or caring for children or aging parents. You and your friends may have grown apart due to changes in your lives or interests. Or maybe you've moved to a new community and haven't yet found a way to meet people. Developing and maintaining good friendships takes effort. The enjoyment and comfort friendship can provide, however, makes the investment worthwhile. What's a healthy number of friends? There's no need to aim for a specific number of friends. Some people benefit from a large and diverse network of friends, while others prefer a smaller circle of friends and acquaintances. There are also different types of friendship. You may have a few close friends you turn to for deeply personal conversations, and more casual friends with whom you see movies, play basketball or share backyard cookouts. Consider what works for you. Overall, the quality of your relationships is more important than the specific number of friends you have. What are some ways to meet new people? You can take steps to meet people and develop friendships. For example: Take your child — or pet — for a walk. Chat with neighbors who are also out and about or head to a popular park and strike up conversations there. Work out. Take a class at a local gym, senior center or community fitness facility. Start a lunchtime walking group at work. Do lunch. Invite an acquaintance to join you for coffee or a meal. Accept invites. When you're invited to a social gathering, say yes. Contact someone who recently invited you to an activity and return the favor. Volunteer. Offer your time or talents at a hospital, place of worship, museum, community center, charitable group or other organization. You can form strong connections when you work with people who have mutual interests. Attend community events. Get together with a group of people working toward a goal you believe in, such as an election or the cleanup of a natural area. Find a group with similar interests in an activity, such as auto racing, gardening, reading or making crafts. Go to school. Take a college or community education course to meet people who have similar interests. Join a faith community. Take advantage of special activities and get-to-know-you events for new members. Above all, stay positive. You may not become friends with everyone you meet, but maintaining a friendly attitude and demeanor can help you improve the relationships in your life and sow the seeds of friendship with new acquaintances. How does social media affect friendships? Joining a chat group or online community might help you make or maintain connections and relieve loneliness. However, research suggests that use of social networking sites doesn't necessarily translate to a larger offline network or closer offline relationships with network members. In addition, remember to exercise caution when sharing personal information or arranging an activity with someone you've only met online. How can I nurture my friendships? Developing and maintaining healthy friendships involves give-and-take. Sometimes you're the one giving support, and other times you're on the receiving end. Letting friends know you care about them and appreciate them can help strengthen your bond. It's as important for you to be a good friend as it is to surround yourself with good friends. To nurture your friendships: Go easy. Don't overwhelm friends with phone calls, texts, instant messages or emails. Respect your friends' boundaries. Don't compete. Don't let friendships turn into a battle over who makes the most money or who has the nicest home. Adopt a healthy, realistic self-image. Work on building your self-esteem by taking care of yourself — eat a healthy diet and include physical activity in your daily routine. Vanity and constant self-criticism can be turnoffs to potential friends. Avoid relentless complaining. Nonstop complaining can put a strain on your friendships. Talk to your friends about how you can change the parts of your life that make you unhappy. Adopt a positive outlook. Try to find the humor in things. Laughter is infectious and appealing. Listen up. Ask what's going on in your friends' lives. Avoid talking about your own problems all the time. Try to only give advice when your friends ask for it. Don't judge. Give your friends space to change, grow and make mistakes. Encourage your friends to freely express their emotions. Respect privacy. Keep confidential any personal information that your friends share with you. Try not to ask questions that make your friends uncomfortable. Remember, it's never too late to build new friendships or reconnect with old friends. Investing time in making friends and strengthening your friendships can pay off in better health and a brighter outlook for years to come. Thank you, Mayo Clinic

Begin Your Day with Gratitude

Many of the simple things in life can be reasons for being grateful. These are often things that we tend to take for granted--our health, family, friends, our livelihood--until they are brought to our attention or taken away. Remembering to be grateful daily for one's health, family, friends, a job during a recession, having a roof over one's head and food on the table is a good way to start living with gratitude. As each year ends and a new one begins we have the opportunity to stop and reflect on the current state of our lives and remember to be grateful. Each New Day can give us the chance to start anew and is an excellent time to start keeping a Gratitude Journal, as a written reminder of for all that you have to be grateful. Begin Your Day with Gratitude If you begin looking at each breath as a blessing, then suddenly everything in an ordinary life becomes a miracle-delighting in the colors of the setting sun, feeling the rain on your face or smelling the amazing fragrance of a single perfect rose. Expressing Affirmations of Gratitude Living Life with Gratitude An Affirmation is "a positive short statement that you repeat to yourself to help you work toward a goal in a positive frame of mind" or on that "has been specifically worded for the purpose of reprogramming the subconscious mind with positive and spiritual thoughts." You can get yourself to feel more grateful about life and to live with gratitude, by practicing some simple affirmations. Simple Affirmations of Gratitude Affirmations to Live Life with Gratitude This is a series of affirmations that you can use to live life with more gratitude. Upon rising think: Today I am grateful for... Perhaps the simplest of grateful affirmations: Life is good.

The task is to recognize that you are uniquely special, have something to give, some talent no one else shares in quite the same way. This gift needs to blossom so we can appreciate and enjoy the benefits of it and acknowledge you for it. You owe this to yourself and to all of us to honor your gifts, for only when you share your unique joy with the world does the entire world benefit. Every advance humankind has known has come because of someone's effort. Don't let shyness rob you and the world of the power and the passion that lies within you. No one can be all that you will be except you yourself. Follow your passion.

To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.

Live a Life of Gratitude

“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.” – Meister Eckhart Post written by Leo Babauta. Many days, I try to humble myself and hold a 2-minute gratitude session. I simply sit or kneel, with no distractions, close my eyes, and think about what I’m grateful for and who I’m grateful for.I don’t do it every day, but let me tell you, on the days I do it, it makes me very happy.Why should that be? Why should the simple act of thinking about who and what I’m grateful for make such a big difference in my life? Just a few reasons: Because it reminds you of the positive things in your life. It makes you happy about the people in your life, whether they’re loved ones or just a stranger you met who was kind to you in some ways. Because it turns bad things into good things. Having problems at work? Be grateful you have work. Be grateful you have challenges, and that life isn’t boring. Be grateful that you can learn from these challenges. Be thankful they make you a stronger person. Because it reminds you of what’s important. It’s hard to complain about the little things when you give thanks that your children are alive and healthy. It’s hard to get stressed out over paying bills when you are grateful there is a roof over your head. Because it reminds you to thank others. I’ll talk about this more below, but the simple act of saying “thank you” to someone can make a big difference in that person’s life. Calling them, emailing them, stopping by to say thank you … just taking that minute out of your life to tell them why you are grateful toward them is important to them. People like being appreciated for who they are and what they do. It costs you little, but makes someone else happy. And making someone else happy will make you happy. What do I give thanks for, privately, in my little gratitude session? It varies every day. I thank all the readers of this site, for the encouragement you have given me, for the donations you’ve made that have made me that much closer to realizing my dreams, for the criticism you’ve given that has made this site better … for the time you’ve given me, just reading the articles when you have the chance. I thank my loved ones, for all they do to me. I thank strangers who’ve shown me little acts of kindness. I thank God, for the life he’s given me. I thank people around the world for the things they’ve done to make the world better. I thank myself, for things that I’ve done (it’s important to recognize your own accomplishments). How to Live a Life of Gratitude The thing is, simple acts of gratitude don’t cost you much (especially once you get over the initial discomfort some people feel with thanking others). But they can make a huge difference. If you’re interested in living a life of gratitude, here are my suggestions: Morning gratitude session. Take 2-3 minutes each morning to give thanks, to whoever or whatever you’re grateful for. You don’t have to do anything, other than close your eyes and silently give thanks. This one act can make a huge difference. Say thank you. When someone does something nice for you, however small, try to remember to say thank you. And really mean it. Call to say thanks. Sometimes you might think about something nice that someone did for you. Perhaps you remember during your gratitude session. When you do, pick up the phone and call the person, just to say thanks. Let them know what they did that you’re grateful for, and why you appreciate it. Takes a minute or two. If it’s too early to call, make a note to call later. Even better is telling them in person, if you happen to see them or if they’re on your route. Almost as good is a thank-you email — keep it short and sweet. Give thanks for “negative” things in your life. There’s always two ways to look at something. Many times we think of something as negative — it’s stressful, harmful, sad, unfortunate, difficult. But that same thing can be looked at in a more positive way. Giving thanks for those things is a great way to remind yourself that there is good in just about everything. Problems can be seen as opportunities to grow, to be creative. See the prayer below for more on this. Learn a gratitude prayer. There are many prayers, religious or not, that can remind you to be grateful. Find one you like, and print it out or make it your desktop wallpaper. Here’s a religious one, and here’s a collection from a multitude of religions. You can find many others on the Internet, or write your own. If you’re not religious, make one that doesn’t include the concept of God. A good one is below. Let me leave you with a prayer of gratitude that I’ve always found … well, perfect: Be Thankful Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire, If you did, what would there be to look forward to? Be thankful when you don’t know something For it gives you the opportunity to learn. Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow. Be thankful for your limitations Because they give you opportunities for improvement. Be thankful for each new challenge Because it will build your strength and character. Be thankful for your mistakes They will teach you valuable lessons. Be thankful when you’re tired and weary Because it means you’ve made a difference. It is easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks. GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings.

We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion.

"The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us."

I am a huge believer in giving back and helping out in the community and the world. Think globally, act locally I suppose. I believe that the measure of a person's life is the affect they have on others.

"The Power of Acceptance"

Have you ever been called judgmental? How about a gossip? Highly critical? A cynic? Or a pessimist? The odds were, if you were called that, you were probably displaying a non-accepting attitude. And, to be sure, the person who called you this was being judgmental. One of the key steps to discovering our purpose (or at the least a major block to living it) is learning to accept others. By acceptance, this does not mean that we condone nasty behavior. Nor does it mean remaining in a situation damaging to our self-esteem due to someone else's problems. Acceptance means recognizing and showing appreciation for our differences. If we hold up our hand we may glimpse an instantly recognizable characteristic demonstrating our uniqueness: our fingerprints. Each person has a unique thumb-print, no matter what race, gender, age or size. Respecting each person for their uniqueness is simply what we would like from them, so we must give it out first. The opposite of acceptance is judgment. Judgments leads to fear. Judgments lead to anger. Anger leads to conflict, which can lead to a battle or war. How many lawsuits would be avoided if people refrained from speaking ill of others? The word "libel" would no longer be relevant in our society. How many atrocities, from rape to genocide, have been committed because of differences in race, culture or religion? Yet, there are many races, cultures and religions. How many wars would be avoided if the people from both sides practiced acceptance rather than judgment? To live in the New World, we will need to accept these differences and send love, rather than judgment, to help build understanding of others. One method to track how often we judge is to keep an "anti-judgment journal." In the journal, note how often we pass judgment over the course of a week. Even if you do not verbalize the judgment, write it down. You might be surprised how often you judge others. I sure was surprised when I first did this exercise -- we can all stand to improve our acceptance of others and situations. In the anti-judgment journal, keep track of any negative or judgmental thought, including thoughts or statements about your current environment, your living situation, your job, your friends, your lovers or ex-lovers, and family. Include thoughts about politics or other events. There is an old saying that the first step to recovery is acknowledgment. Writing down these thoughts is your acknowledgment. Don't be discouraged, because this is the first step to learning to accept these things and remove the judgment. At the end of each day, write down the opposite thought (acceptance) for each of your judgments you wrote down, in a separate journal. By the end of the week, you may have identified 80% of the things you judge. Imagine what will happen in your life when you learn to accept those 80% instead of reject them. This will shine a light on the things you worry about, the people who bother you, and those who you need to forgive. Try it and then make sure to do the step of acceptance/opposite thought. You will then have a blueprint plan for improving your life. Simply adopt the acceptance journal comments as your new belief structure. When we are judging we have a hard time loving. Since love is a key to discovering and living our purpose, then judgment is a block. In accepting others, I do not mean accepting negative situations or being apathetic; on the contrary, accepting is simply freeing your mind of the negative thoughts that can distract you from living in authenticity. Some things were meant to be rejected from our lives, but in love, not judgment. In releasing others from judgment, it can be helpful to pray, forgive, or even ask for forgiveness from those who wronged us. Often, when we've been wronged, we also wronged someone else. How about releasing the judgment to God. It simply isn't our place to judge. Our ego may wrestle with the idea of asking another for forgiveness, by insisting we were right or justified to say or do what we did. Even if we failed to accept in the past, we can start to accept today. The path to acceptance may seem lined with thorns, but in reality it is the only healthy path to take. Sometimes, our biggest block to forgiveness is not anger, but guilt. So examine your own heart, too, and forgive yourself first, so that you can forgive others. Utilize acceptance to enable your path to success. Acceptance is the only path towards positive change. And, we cannot accept if we're too busy judging. Clear the judgment and you free the space to accept. The journey can begin today. If you have felt blocked regarding discovering your purpose, building a loving relationship, or finding a better job, or creating a life of abundance, then discovering the freedom in acceptance may certainly put you back on the path. You have all the power within you to judge or accept. The choice is yours. You are wonderful in who you are today. You are loved and accepted. Find the acceptance and you will find your joy.

All things are subject to interpretation whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth.

“I keep the telephone of my mind open to peace, harmony, health, love, and abundance. Then, whenever doubt, anxiety, or fear try to call me, they will keep getting a busy signal-and soon they’ll forget my number.”

Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage. Maya Angelou

The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises.

Five Ways To Get A Life

Shorten your workday by 30 minutes. I promise you'll get more done than if you put in your usual nine to ten hours. That's because committing to leaving earlier gives you a deadline and forces you to eliminate the little time wasters (silly interruptions, procrastination, perfectionism) that eat up your day. Avoid multitasking. Recent studies show that it can take the brain twice as long to process each thing it's working on when switching back and forth between activities. By learning to focus fully on one project at a time, you can regain the extra hour or two you crave. Just don't squander it on mundane chores! Break the habit of total self-reliance. Insisting on doing everything yourself burdens you and prevents others from feeling valuable and needed. Delegate more at home and at work, and free your time for things you love and excel at. Capture all your to-dos in one place. People who haphazardly write lists on stray notepads, Post-its, and backs of envelopes waste time wondering what to do next and worrying that they're forgetting something. Choose only one tool (planner, Palm, notebook) to track everything you need to do, and prioritize from the top down. Start every morning with the most important item, not the many small, easy tasks. You can always squeeze the little things into the gaps. Conquering the big to-dos gives meaning to your day. Schedule one purely joyful activity each week. Think of an activity—dancing, reading, playing guitar—that you haven't done for a long time and that brings you instant happiness. Put it in your datebook as a nonnegotiable appointment with yourself, and watch the quality of your life transform.

“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

Affirmations and Positive Thinking

Affirmations are small but key positive messages to the self. They are used as reminders, helping to keep positive messages at the forefront of our consciousness. Not only is it important to regularly think these affirmations, it is a great idea to leave them lying around the place, where you will occasionally notice them. Some are very powerfully reinforced by looking at yourself in the mirror as you speak them Affirmations are a very powerful tool in supporting positive thinking and are very effective in changing life patterns and perspectives. I have produced 2 Affirmation CDs Heal Your Life - Chants and Meditations Heartfelt - Affirmations to Release the Past The benefit of positive thinking is medically well established. Affirmations allow you to consciously harness the power of positive thinking and direct it to specific areas of your life that need attention or where you want to bring about change. The great news is that affirmations really work and can transform your life! Affirmations and positive thinking are very powerful tools that can bring about healing and change. But BEWARE, negative thoughts are just as powerful and can be very self-destructive. Whilst we have no real control over the world and certain aspects of our lives, we do have control over the way we interpret and react to it. If you suspect you may have a lot of negative thoughts running through your mind subconsciously then it is worth doing some clearing work whilst dropping new positive affirmations in, this can be done on a weekend workshop, with a practitioner or by using techniques such as non-dominant hand work and guided meditations. "The thoughts we think and the words we speak create our experiences" You experience your interpretation as an internal dialogue. Thoughts, judgements and feelings are ceaselessly swirling through your mind. Thoughts like: I like this; I don't like that; I am afraid of this; I am unsure about him/her. This internal dialogue is not random, it is generated from a deep level by your beliefs and assumptions which have been formed and accumulated from the time you were born. It is worth remembering that a lot of these assumptions and beliefs were formulated as a child and have never been re-examined and therefore may be highly inappropriate to you as an adult or just simply wrong. When someone's interpretation changes, a change subsequently takes place in their reality. Thus we can make big changes in our lives by changing our thinking. "When your interpretation changes, so does your reality" Making Changes in our Thinking Awareness - Firstly, it helps to become aware of your thoughts and meditation can help us in the process of getting back in touch with ourselves. Just stopping and taking a second to think about why we are reacting to something or someone can also help us to get back in touch with what is really going on inside. Alternatively, we can just accept that our thoughts, whilst probably helping us in the past, may not be serving us now and just choose to re-programme ourselves with positive thoughts that heal and nourish us. The process of doing the new affirmations will start to release the old negative messages whether or not we are aware what they are.

Louise Hay

Louise Hay is a famous author and pioneer of self-healing guidance. She has written many books, including the original 'Heal Your Body' and 'You Can Heal Your Life' books; and these have become international best sellers. The teachings of Louise Hay have helped thousands to heal their lives and find a better way of living. Enabling them to realise that the power to change their lives, lay within themselves. By identifying and resolving issues from the past, releasing negative thoughts and behaviour patterns and finally embracing the healing effects of love and forgiveness, she has mapped out a path to life transformation. Her work encompasses many well established disciplines including meditation, positive affirmations and the development of self approval. As a metaphysical counsellor she has devoted her life to assisting others in discovering and using the full potential of their own creative powers. It could be said that all the wonderful works that Louise has done over the course of her life could be put down to the traumatic time she had in childhood. She was raped at the age of five and experienced abuse in various forms for most of her formative years. Having had a successful career as a model and coming out of a marriage after fourteen years she began working with and learning from, the Church of Religious science. Out of this work she produced the first version of the "Heal Your Body" book which was then more of a list of physical ailments and the likely emotional/mental causes. When Louise was subsequently diagnosed with Vaginal Cancer, whilst obviously a shock, it came as no real surprise as she had already learned of the effects of anger and resentment on the body and with her background she knew this was a likely cause. Having focused her attention on reading, learning and in some cases trying just about every kind of alternative treatment and cleansing programme, Louise realised that the key lay in loving herself. Six months later doctors confirmed what Louise already knew, that there was now no trace of cancer in her body. What more proof did she need In hindsight it is easy to see the wonderful progression that Louise made and that without that initial traumatic childhood we may not have the valuable gifts that Louise has shared with us. Louise now has a successful publishing house "Hay House" which she created herself , through which she publishes her own and other similar authors books. Whilst not involved now, for years she ran the successful "Hayride", a regular gathering for those with Aids which still carries on today. As she enters the next stage of her life Louise has tended to focus more on her "Elders of Excellence" development work, encouraging people approaching their later years to take their rightful place in society as teachers of wisdom.

All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives.

Exercising to a New You

Starting a fitness program may be one of the best things you can do for your health. Physical activity can reduce your risk of chronic disease, improve your balance and coordination, help you lose weight — even improve your sleep habits and self-esteem. And there's more good news. You can do it in just five steps. Step 1: Assess your fitness level Your pulse rate before and after you walk 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) How long it takes you to walk 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) How many push-ups you can do at a time How far you can reach forward while seated on the floor with your legs in front of you Your waist circumference as measured around your bare abdomen just above your hipbone Your body mass index Step 2: Design your fitness program t's easy to say that you'll exercise every day. But you'll need a plan. As you design your fitness program, keep these points in mind: Consider your fitness goals. Are you starting a fitness program to help lose weight? Or do you have another motivation, such as preparing for a marathon? Having clear goals can help you gauge your progress. Create a balanced routine. Most adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity — or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity — a week. Adults also need two or more days of strength training a week. Go at your own pace. If you're just beginning to exercise, start cautiously and progress slowly. If you have an injury or a medical condition, consult your doctor or a physical therapist for help designing a fitness program that gradually improves your range of motion, strength and endurance. Build activity into your daily routine. Finding time to exercise can be a challenge. To make it easier, schedule time to exercise as you would any other appointment. Plan to watch your favorite show while walking on the treadmill, or read while riding a stationary bike. Plan to include different activities. Different activities (cross-training) can keep exercise boredom at bay. Cross-training also reduces your chances of injuring or overusing one specific muscle or joint. Plan to alternate among activities that emphasize different parts of your body, such as walking, swimming and strength training. Allow time for recovery. Many people start exercising with frenzied zeal — working out too long or too intensely — and give up when their muscles and joints become sore or injured. Plan time between sessions for your body to rest and recover. Put it on paper. A written plan may encourage you to stay on track. Step 3: Assemble your equipment If you're planning to invest in exercise equipment, choose something that's practical, enjoyable and easy to use. You may want to try out certain types of equipment at a fitness center before investing in your own equipment. To stretch your exercise dollars, consider buying used equipment. Or get creative. Make your own weights by filling old socks with beans or pennies, or by partially filling a half-gallon milk jug with water or sand and securing the tops with duct tape. Step 4: Get started Start slowly and build up gradually. Give yourself plenty of time to warm up and cool down with easy walking or gentle stretching. Then speed up to a pace you can continue for five to 10 minutes without getting overly tired. As your stamina improves, gradually increase the amount of time you exercise. Work your way up to 30 to 60 minutes of exercise most days of the week. Break things up if you have to. You don't have to do all your exercise at one time. Shorter but more-frequent sessions have aerobic benefits, too. Fifteen minutes of exercise a couple of times a day may fit into your schedule better than a single 30-minute session. Be creative. Maybe your workout routine includes various activities, such as walking, bicycling or rowing. But don't stop there. Take a weekend hike with your family or spend an evening ballroom dancing. Listen to your body. If you feel pain, shortness of breath, dizziness or nausea, take a break. You may be pushing yourself too hard. Be flexible. If you're not feeling good, give yourself permission to take a day or two off. Step 5: Monitor your progress Retake your personal fitness assessment six weeks after you start your program and then again every three to six months. You may notice that you need to increase the amount of time you exercise in order to continue improving. Or you may be pleasantly surprised to find that you're exercising just the right amount to meet your fitness goals. If you lose motivation, set new goals or try a new activity. Exercising with a friend or taking a class at a fitness center may help, too. Starting an exercise program is an important decision. But it doesn't have to be an overwhelming one. By planning carefully and pacing yourself, you can establish a healthy habit that lasts a lifetime. Thank you to The Mayo Clinic for resources!

Color, and your Mood

Color is more than just decoration. In nature, insects, fish, birds, flowers and more have color that camouflage them, facilitate mating, and guide them to what they need for survival. For humans, we decorate with colors and dress with colors that we express ourselves with. How many of us consider also that when we choose colors, we're also concerned with how we feel, especially when we're at home? Probably many of us do without even thinking about it. You know how when you're picture shopping for a den and a play room, well when you pick a nature scene and a hot air balloon, the color scheme is as important as the subject. That's because colors affect your mood instinctively. Research has shown that different colors have different effects upon us psychologically, emotionally and even physically. So if you are suffering from stress and its effects, you might consider changing the colors in your environment. You can select colors to surround yourself with and to wear as a stress management tool. Did You Know? Color helps us understand the world around us, and they give us a way to express ourselves. In art therapy, the color choices are as important as the images drawn when a person is expressing how he is relating environment. Your preference for color has a psychological affect on your mood. Some hues have a very calming effect. The Colors and How They Affect Your Mood We respond to color on a non-conscious level. And that is part of the reason that they are a great tool to manipulate the way that we feel. This form of addressing health issues is recorded as far back as ancient times. Variations of it exist in various cultures around the world. Today, people who practice Feng Shui, acupuncture and other types of adjustments for better living will introduce colors. These practitioners will employ tools like gemstones, colored fabric, candles and prisms. There are many color charts that you can find on the internet and in libraries. Generally, you will find that they share similar evaluations about the effects of specific colors. Below we have included a color chart. See if you can recognize some of the feelings that they describe for each color. A good idea is to just try it out if you haven't already. Think about it: If you ever went to your closet and dressed for the day and chose colors based on how you felt or what was ahead of you, then you practiced a bit of "colorolgy." Colorology is another name for chromotherapy. This is considered to be an alternative medicine. It uses color and light to balance energy wherever a person's body is lacking, whether it's mental, emotional, physical or spiritual. If you are feeling overly stressed, you can use color as a stress management tool. As we have seen, the calming effect of color can help you relax and let your worries go for a while. In the information below, notice the colors that have positive stress management qualities. Colors can be great tools in your efforts to manage your stress and feel better and more in control. Review the color chart below and consider your own reaction to certain colors. To use them to relieve stress, wear them and decorate with them to relax and revitalize yourself. Red: This color is not one to use for stress management. It is an exciting and stimulating color, usually associated with passion and vigor. You might want to use this color when you want to lift yourself out of an emotional slump. Pink: This color is seen as soft, tranquil color. It's peacefulness promotes balance of your energies. Orange: Like red, orange does not exhibit the calming effect of color. Instead, orange is a stimulating and intense color. It can work to invigorate you when you are feeling low. Yellow: Yellow is softer than red or orange and is seen as sunny and cheerful. It's a great color to lift your spirits and when you live in a positive state you are well-equipped to combat stress Green: Green restful and quiet color. It's a soothing color that invites harmonious feelings that can diffuse anxiety Blue: Blue is tranquil, peaceful, and calm. This color has a tremendous stress management quality to it, making us feel cool and calm. Violet: Violet represents strength, peace and wisdom. It can give you feelings of inner peace when you wear it. Decorating with it can give your space a peaceful feeling, relieving stress internally and externally. White: White is symbolic of clarity and freshness. It really needs to be a clean, bright white because once it gets dingy and dull, your emotions can mirror the dullness. Black: This color can be overpowering at times, as it exudes a feeling of power and elegance. And it can also represent submission. It's one that can impact your world either way so you need to be careful when decorating with or wearing black.

Enhancing Your Spirituality

When was the last time you leapt out of bed in the morning, excited about the day ahead? How about the last time you stopped to smell the flowers? Danced in the rain and jumped in puddles? Or felt totally at peace in your world? To reconnect and enhance your spirituality essentially means rewiring those inner channels of excitement, wonder and joy. Tapping into this energy creates wholeness, peace and a renewed sense of meaning in life. It is so easy to do, enjoyable, and the results are instantaneous! Firstly, let's look at the word `spirituality.' What does it mean and what meaning does it have for you? We have two definitions in the Webster Dictionary: `1. pertaining to the soul or spirit,' and `2. relating to sacred things.' The definitions of soul and spirit include: `the inspiring principle or dominating influence,' `the essential part of anything,' and `the essence or real meaning.' Such ambiguity inadequately explains a force which is easily and readily available to all who wish to savour it. On a practical, mundane level, spirituality is an awareness and appreciation of the energy or life force which moves us - yes, spirit! What it means to an individual varies according to their degree of awareness and focus. What is spiritual is what inspires us, lifts us and somehow broadens our senses. What inspires you? It could be a beautiful place in nature, a painting, music or uplifting literature. A dear friend can lighten you, an invigorating conversation or an unexpected happening. Achievement or successfully crossing our boundaries can also bring about a heightened sense of aliveness. By consciously appreciating life and aligning yourself with these finer aspects, you become more in touch with your spirituality automatically. So how does developing an appreciation of life enhance spirituality? Modern science has proven what the Eastern mystics knew all along that everything is energy at varying rates of vibration. Recognized also is the existence of energy fields. Crystals, for example, have a measurable energy field, as does the activity of our brains. Robert Sheldrake coined the phrase `metamorphic resonancy' which refers to energy which has built up enough charge to form a field. Most people can sense the energy in a church or temple, or can sense the mood in a room full of people. We can consciously become sensitive to our own energy fields, and we can manipulate this energy to increase our sense of pleasure and enhance our spirituality. When we admire something, our energy expands to encompass the object of our desire. We are more open and receptive. Now imagine getting a fright - can you sense how your field reacts? It constricts close to you, as if protecting you. It is possible to visualize and sense our energy fields expanding and contracting, as well as being compact or diffuse. It is an interesting experiment to try this for yourself -fill a room with your energy, imagine it in whichever way suits you. Make the energy thick like a fog, the diffuse like soft mist. Expand outwards, cover your house, town, country to the universe itself! Then constrict it into a tiny point of awareness inside your body. Your ability to perceive your energy field will develop as you practice noticing how you react on an energetic level. By consciously expanding energy fields (and you can use whatever inspires you to facillitate this) you can tune into t he pleasure and sense of well-being it evokes. During conflict, a challenging time to practise this, expanding your energy field will certainly have a calming, healing effect. By raising our energy fields, through 'feeding' them with positive input (this includes appreciation of beauty, visualization, meditation, healthful diet, etc.) we become more aligned with our spiritual or higher selves, as well as our sense of purpose in life. Once we begin to consciously participate in raising our spiritual awareness, an amazing and remarkable thing starts to happen... A stronger sense of life direction will emerge through the medium of guidance. This guidance can take many forms - co incidence or synchronicity and through the avenue of dreams. Jung was fascinated by synchronicity. A chance encounter changes the course of a life, a dream becomes real through a n amazing series of events, or thinking about someone just before they call are all a part of this. Many cultures have believed in omens or messages from spirit, and were aware of the many forms this guidance takes. Guidance is an answer to a question, it gives direction and shows you a way. To receive this guidance, you must have a clear question in mind, and be 'open' to read the answer. The answer will manifest through coincidences in life - it may be part of an overheard conversation, or a casual remark made by an acquaintance. You might open a book randomly and see the answer there. Forms of divination such as the I Ching or Tarot may give you answers, even your idle daydreams could hold a key. It is a matter to be alert and to expect an answer or confirmation. To expect that life will offer guidance in this way may see m incredible. In fact, many philosophies believe in the importance of omens and unusual events - the Hawaiian Kahunas, the American Indians and many of the self-help therapies including affirmations (Florence Scovel Shinn), Science of the Mind (Eric Holmes, U.S. Anderson), Theosophy, A Course in Miracles and many others. The essential, underlying principle behind all these (and it's mentioned in the Bible) is that if we are open, and ask, we shall receive. And it may not be in quite the way we expect! Dreamwork is a fascinating and vast subject. Dream interpretation relies upon a perspective that can relate your life to the thoughts and emotions the dream images invoke. Dream s which are very intense or emotional, and those dreams that leave a lasting impression contain important messages - t hey have such an impact it seems as if they try to force you to take notice. Be aware of this, keep a dream diary and look closely at your dream symbology; it is the language of guidance. The Australian Aboriginal people, American Indians and many other indigenous cultures analysed their dreams and acted upon them. The Bible also talks about dreams, particularly in the First Testament. The plethora of books available today on this fascinating topic is a reflection of the interest it generates. The oldest known book on dreams dates back to the second century AD, so it isn't really a recent attraction! It appears we are currently experiencing a spiritual Rennaisance. This is evidenced by the increasing interest in energetic forms of treatment (ie. acupuncture, Reiki, flower essences, homeopathy and so on), channelling, meditation and other alternative practices which aim to heal ourselves from an energetic point of view. People are becoming more aware of the need to acknowledge their spirituality, especially now after generations of material distraction. Spirituality and science are finding a common ground in the arena of energy dynamics. It is here, perhaps, we will see and experience a mass transformation that will have its collective origins in the personal lives of individuals. As more 'tune in,' the way is made easier for others, like the hundredth money effect. The analogy of the ripples which result from a pebble tossed into a still pond is quite apt here. So, to enhance your spirituality, it is important to cultivate an awareness of what heightens your perception, of what lifts you out of your normal consciousness. Allow spirit to touch your soul! This creates a certain energy (like brain waves or magnetic force) which attracts guidance in the form of synchronicity and dreams. There is a new sense of direction backed by affirmations in the physical world in the form of guidance. Your spiritual awareness, when enhanced and acted upon, can only lead to a more fulfilling and enriched life! by Donni Hakanson

Letting Go

 Select a few of your favorite quotes and let their meaning circulate in your mind over the next day or two. Give them a chance to really sink in and make a difference in your own life.
By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go.  

Relaxation means releasing all concern and tension and letting the natural order of life flow through one's being.
Donald Curtis

Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn't you - all of the expectations, all of the beliefs - and becoming who you are.
Rachel Naomi Remen

Living in the moment means letting go of the past and not waiting for the future. It means living your life consciously, aware that each moment you breathe is a gift.
Oprah Winfrey

  People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.
Thich Nhat Hanh

Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.
-- Oprah Winfrey  

Hanging onto resentment is letting someone you despise live rent-free in your head.
-- Ann Landers


Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is therefore the means for correcting our misperceptions.
-- Gerald Jampolsky

Let go. Why do you cling to pain? There is nothing you can do about the wrongs of yesterday. It is not yours to judge. Why hold on to the very thing which keeps you from hope and love?
-- Leo Buscaglia




 Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny. And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it's all over.
-- Gloria Naylor


Think about any attachments that are depleting your emotional reserves. Consider letting them go.
-- Oprah Winfrey

Truly loving another means letting go of all expectations. It means full acceptance, even celebration of another's person-hood.
-- Karen Casey

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.
-- Lao Tzu

You have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by. Yes, but some of them are golden only because we let them slip by.
-- James Matthew Barrie

You never leave someone behind, you take a part of them with you and leave a part of yourself behind.
-- Author Unknown

Venice: Click Below Picture For a Virtural Tour

Venice

St. Marks

  Rialto

Empowering Thought

Although I speak from my own experience, I feel that no one has the
right to impose his or her beliefs on another person.  I will not propose
to you that my way is best.  The decision is up to you.  If you find some
point which may be suitable for you, then you can carry out experiments
for yourself.  If you find that it is of no use, then you can discard it.
Dalai Lama

Pavarotti "Nessun Dorma

The Camino A Journey of the Spirit By Shirley MacLaine

There is a famous pilgrimage that has been taken by people for centuries. It is called the Santiago de Compostela Camino across northern Spain. It is said the Camino lies directly under the Milky Way and follows the ley lines that reflect the energy from those star systems above it. The Santiago Camino has been traversed for thousands of years by saints, sinners, generals, misfits, kings and queens. It is done with the intent to find one's deepest spiritual meaning and resolutions regarding conflicts in Self... On my journey westward along the Camino I felt I was traveling backward in time to a place that began the experience that made me and the human race what we have become today. My book, The Camino: Journey of the Spirit was published by Simon and Schuster and can be obtained at your local bookseller, Amazon.com, Simonsays.com. or on-line using the menu on the right. This is what they had to say about it: The Camino A Journey of the Spirit By Shirley MacLaine This is the story of a journey. It is the eagerly anticipated and altogether startling culmination of Shirley MacLaine's extraordinary - and ultimately rewarding - road through life. The riveting odyssey began with a pair of anonymous handwritten letters imploring Shirley to make a difficult pilgrimage along the Santiago de Compostela Camino in Spain. Throughout history, countless illustrious pilgrims from all over Europe have taken up the trail. It is an ancient - and allegedly enchanted - pilgrimage. People from Saint Francis of Assisi and Charlemagne to Ferdinand and Isabella to Dante and Chaucer have taken the journey, which comprises a nearly 500-mile trek across highways, mountains, cities and fields. Now it would be Shirley's turn. For Shirley, the Camino was both an intense spiritual and physical challenge. A woman in her sixth decade completing such a grueling trip on foot in thirty days at twenty miles per day was nothing short of remarkable. But even more astounding was the route she took spiritually: back thousands of years, through past lives to the very origin of the universe. Immensely gifted with intelligence, curiosity, warmth, and a profound openness to people and places outside her own experience, Shirley MacLaine is truly an American treasure. And once again, she brings her inimitable qualities of mind and heart to her writing. Balancing and negotiating the revelations inspired by the mysterious energy of the Camino, she endured her exhausting journey to Compostela until it gradually gave way to a far more universal voyage: that of the soul. Through a range of astonishing and liberating visions and revelations, Shirley saw into the meaning of the cosmos, including the secrets of the ancient civilizations of Atlantis and Lemuria, insights into human genesis, the essence of gender and sexuality, and the true path to higher love. With rich insight and humility, and her trademark grace, Shirley MacLaine gently leads us on a sacred adventure toward an impressively transcendent climax. The Camino promises readers the journey of a thousand lifetimes.

"Every day I open my mind and my heart, as a child does, and I discover new ways to understand what?s happening around me and within me. Louise Hay

Gary Zukav/ Finding Meaning and Purpose in Your Life

Do you wonder your life's purpose? How do you become happy? How do you find inner peace? Align your personality with your soul. Until that happens, you won't be able to give the gifts you were meant to. Remind yourself daily of the following: You are a soul first and a personality second. You are worthy. You are not on this Earth by accident. You have a reason to be here. There's a difference between accepting that in your mind and accepting in your heart. It's not an "it" that you're looking for—it's your life that you're living. You are here to create an authentically empowered life. There is no guarantee you will do it. It's up to you. Open your heart to your feelings. Be aware of what you're feeling, because your feelings are the force field of your soul. Use the following techniques to embrace your feelings: Experience everything you are feeling, even when it's anger, sadness or jealousy. Underneath anger, for example, if you stay with it long enough you will find pain. If you feel it, you can deal with it! Let the feelings go, but use your will consciously. When you feel depressed, jealous, sad or angry, understand that these are the things that you must heal in order to go where your wholeness is calling you to go. Conquer your fears. Allow yourself to consider this possibility: There is no tragedy in life, and there are no victims. In this consideration lies your own empowerment. How can there not be tragedies? In many ways, your enemies can teach you much more than your friends. You can't have control over what happens to you in this moment, but you do have control over your response to it, and over the context in which you put it. In the case of rape, there are many people who will go through traumas and see themselves as victims. And others who will find compassion and understand that anyone who is doing violence is hurting very much. Get in touch with you. Learn the four things every soul needs . 1. Harmony. The perception of power as external that separates nations is the same that exists between individuals. The love, clarity and compassion that emerges within the person that aligns themselves with the soul is the same that will bring harmony to other people's lives. 2. Cooperation. We are together because we want to be together, not because we have to be. Realizing together, co-creations emerge. 3. Sharing. Share what is important to you—not possessions. Give yourself. 4. Reverence for Life. Reverence is a level of protection and honor about the process of life so that while a person is maturing toward the journey and through the journey of authentic empowerment, he or she harms nothing.

Eckhart Tolle Quotes

“The past has no power over the present moment.” ― Eckhart Tolle “Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.” ― Eckhart Tolle “Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” ― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose “The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.” ― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose “To love is to recognize yourself in another.” ― Eckhart Tolle “Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on.” ― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose “Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at the moment.” ― Eckhart Tolle “Give up defining yourself - to yourself or to others. You won't die. You will come to life. And don't be concerned with how others define you. When they define you, they are limiting themselves, so it's their problem. Whenever you interact with people, don't be there primarily as a function or a role, but as the field of conscious Presence. You can only lose something that you have, but you cannot lose something that you are.” ― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose “Life isn't as serious as the mind makes it out to be.” ― Eckhart Tolle “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.” ― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment tags: carpe-diem , live-in-the-moment , realization “You can only lose something that you have, but you cannot lose something that you are.” ― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening To Your Life's Purpose “Life is the dancer and you are the dance.” ― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose tags: dance “You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.” ― Eckhart Tolle “Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it.” ― Eckhart Tolle “Anything that you resent and strongly react to in another is also in you.” ― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose “Being spiritual has nothing to do with what you believe and everything to do with your state of consciousness.” ― Eckhart Tolle “A genuine relationship is one that is not dominated by the ego with its image-making and self-seeking. In a genuine relationship, there is an outward flow of open, alert attention toward the other person in which there is no wanting whatsoever.” ― Eckhart Tolle “Death is a stripping away of all that is not you. The secret of life is to "die before you die" --- and find that there is no death.” ― Eckhart Tolle “Whatever you fight, you strengthen, and what you resist, persists.” ― Eckhart Tolle “This, too, will pass.” ― Eckhart Tolle “The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but thought about it. Be aware of the thoughts you are thinking. Separate them from the situation, which is always neutral. It is as it is.” ― Eckhart Tolle “Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose” ― Eckhart Tolle “Is there a difference between happiness and inner peace? Yes. Happiness depends on conditions being perceived as positive; inner peace does not.” ― Eckhart Tolle “All true artists, whether they know it or not, create from a place of no-mind, from inner stillness.” ― Eckhart Tolle “Accept - then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.” ― Eckhart Tolle “Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time—past and future—the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.” ― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment “All the things that truly matter, beauty, love, creativity, joy and inner peace arise from beyond the mind.” ― Eckhart Tolle “You do not become good by trying to be good, but by finding the goodness that is already within you, and allowing that goodness to emerge. But it can only emerge if something fundamental changes in your state of consciousness.” ― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose “Pleasure is always derived from something outside you, whereas joy arises from within.” ― Eckhart Tolle “When you don't cover up the world with words and labels, a sense of the miraculous returns to your life that was lost a long time ago when humanity, instead of using thought, became possessed by thought.” ― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose “Living up to an image that you have of yourself or that other people have of you is inauthentic living.” ― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose “Being must be felt. It can't be thought.” ― Eckhart Tolle

Eckhart Tolle on "EVIL"

Q: If Being, or God, is the creative source of all energy and thoughts, and thoughts from the ego are a negative form of energy, don’t these negative thoughts originate from Being? In other words, did God create evil? A: That kind of question has been asked and talked about by many philosophers and it has remained a kind of stumbling block in the Christian religion. So let’s see what the intuitive answer is. In this sense-perceived universe, if you want to use anything here to compare God to, the most appropriate thing would be the sun. The sun is the source of seemingly inexhaustible energy, and the giver of life. The very heat in your body comes from the sun indirectly. The sun of course is not eternal, but compared to the human life span it can be considered virtually eternal, it’s so much vaster. And it gives freely of itself, millions and millions of years of pouring out energy. Now let’s say the sun is in a process of becoming conscious of itself, because my intuition is the Universe, or rather that which underlies the Universe, or the One behind the many, is in the process of becoming conscious of itself in the dimension of time. The One also exists in the timeless dimension, where there is no past and future. So God, to use that word for a while, in the timeless, God is already complete and perfect. But it seems that in the realm of time, God is becoming conscious through all these life forms. Now if that were the sun, then in the process of becoming conscious, the sun continuously emits zillions of photons, light particles. Let’s say the individual photon is part of the process of becoming conscious for the sun. Now in that process, the individual photon would undergo a change of consciousness arising. Temporarily, the individual photon, as it becomes together with the sun, as consciousness arises it mis-perceives itself as a separate entity. It no longer realizes its oneness with the sun. There’s a continuum, it never really loses connection with the sun. So temporarily, as part of the process of becoming conscious, it believes itself to be separate. It’s a temporary thing. While it believes itself to be separate, it creates all kinds of illusions that reflect the basic illusion of separateness. That’s basically where we are at, where humanity is at. The human being is the photon, the sun particle, so to speak. The consciousness within is the consciousness of God, there’s only one consciousness. And that consciousness, in the process of the whole becoming conscious, mis-perceives itself temporarily. And that creates the illusion of separateness in the individual human. That creates the illusion of the identification with form, which is the illusion of separateness. That’s seeing oneself as a separate entity. The stronger that illusion is, the more that gets reflected in its actions outside, which then become deluded. And that’s called evil. Ultimately in evil, nothing is destroyed. The essence of all life forms is eternal. But on its own level, it’s not pleasant. From the point of view of the larger whole, it’s only a brief dream episode that takes place as the One is becoming conscious. So that is the answer to “Did God create evil?” So the teachings that say that evil ultimately is not real, of course that is correct. But it’s a question of levels. If you look at it from one level, it has a certain reality. The fact that it ultimately is not real does not mean that on this temporary level it does not appear very real. But it must be recognized as deluded. Evil can be defined as complete identification with form – that is the illusion. The more an entity is identified with form, the more evil the entity seemingly creates, and the more suffering is created. What’s the answer? The answer of course is why we’re here. We are the arising of the answer. The answer is not just the answer, it is the end of the illusion of separateness and the end of so-called evil.