Exchanging Paradigms

Changing Paradigms5

As defined in a previous article, paradigms are a collection of beliefs held in the subconscious mind that serve as a model or blueprint for our life experiences. Many of our paradigms are positive and serve us beneficially. Some, however, are negative and detrimentally affect the quality of our life. We can easily understand the importance of exchanging negative paradigms for the better.

How can this be accomplished? The first course of action is to realize they exist. Although it’s true that we cannot directly witness paradigms, we can definitely notice their effects. A useful analogy would be to think of paradigms as the wind–made knowable through a weather vane. We can notice our paradigms by observing how we navigate through life. When we pay attention, we’ll notice that we perform most activities in a predictable and habitual manner. For instance: After a shower, we begin to dry ourselves in a definite pattern–arms, chest, and then lower body? When brushing our teeth, we begin from right to left or top to bottom? When driving our car, we buckle our seat belt immediately or just prior to pulling away? Believe that there’s no such thing as paradigms? Then watch next time as your habits drive you to the same parking space, in the same lot, at your local grocery! These actions are due to the function of paradigms.

A useful technique to exchange paradigms–which is described in this article–was borrowed from a hypnotist’s internet presentation. In it, the hypnotist shared that we could conceptualize the subconscious mind as a glass container, perhaps in the shape of a carafe or flask. The flask is full of our subconscious paradigms–both good and bad. Fluid symbolically represents the paradigms contained within the flask.

For the purpose of learning this technique, we may imagine that the flask contains a belief system (paradigm) that’s producing a negative effect regarding a goal we desire to achieve. Perhaps we have a habit of procrastination that’s hindering us from completing our goals in a timely fashion. Next, we may imagine dropping a new and positive belief (conceptualized as a pebble) into the flask every time we perform our tasks on time. Initially this may not appear to make any difference to the amount of volume in the flask. But, when we drop pebble after pebble–day in and day out–our limiting beliefs will be displaced. They’ll simply spill away to darkness where they belong. The key with this method is mindful repetition. When we’re present, we’ll see that it’s actually possible to choose our habits.

So, please take an honest introspective peek. What paradigm needs exchanging? Anger? Defensiveness? Excessive consumption of food or alcohol? Fearfulness? Irritability? Jealousy? Tardiness? Is there a belief that’s preventing us from experiencing a healthier and happier life, or hijacking our degree of success? If we’re aware of a limiting paradigm, now’s the time to symbolically drop that first pebble and take inspired action toward the change we desire.

Dare to dream.

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. To view my ebook entitled Hold That Thought, please press here.

“Thank You” & Note to Publishers

Journey to a Coffee Cup

Journey to a Coffee Cup3

The most powerful and consequential conditioning in our life is that of which we are unaware. Such conditioning is broad and deep and hidden; consisting of layer upon layer of belief. It not only determines the quality of results we experience, but also how we experience reality itself. When innocent and fresh upon this world of opposites, we were informed of so much. This is that; and that is this. We were handed name after name for all shape, form, thing, and experience. Our mind–which arrived empty–was written upon with information that we would continue to read for many years. However…

At some point, we may have become curious about the nature of reality itself. The subject of the Law of Attraction brings this strongly into focus; for its very nature relates to what’s deemed possible and impossible. On a personal level, we question whether our dreams truly can come true. Most often, our rational mind strongly rebels; for it appears as though there’s no correlation between thought and what we actually experience in our lives. Adding to our confusion, Biblical passages and mystical teachings make claims that appear either miraculous or ludicrous. Such seem bizarre for one reason only: At the heart of our knowledge, we unquestioningly assume reality to be as we have been conditioned to believe. Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) shared his view about this subject through the following quote: Reality is merely an illusion, albeit it a very persistent one.

What if we questioned how we know–or truly experience–anything? As the title of this article suggests, we’re going to examine how we know a coffee cup. How does the coffee cup–which appears out there in our hand–get into our mind, where it becomes real in the darkness of brain matter enclosed within a skull? Let’s examine the mechanics of sight: When we see, the cornea and lens of our eyes focus light onto the retina, where it’s converted into neuronal signals that are ultimately processed–as in our example–into a coffee cup. Our programming is so pervasive, that we view–with absolute certainty–the coffee cup as existing independent of the consciousness through which it’s experienced, and out of which it’s made! To absorb this understanding more deeply, we may pick up a coffee cup and contemplate if we can possibly know it (experience it directly) by any means other than the thoughts, sensations, and perceptions of it. We will discover that such is impossible.

This article is obviously not merely about a coffee cup. It’s a journey in which we peel away illusion and discover a new way of experiencing reality–intended as a pointer toward understanding how our greatest desires may manifest. In truth, the journey to a coffee cup occurs via the same process in which we journey to a rose; to a mountain; to the moon; to a pencil or a pen. All things–of which we’ve been informed by Buddha, great sages, and quantum physicists–have no intrinsic existence outside of consciousness itself. All of them are formed from perceptions…only. The way we experience the coffee cup is thus: Through the five senses–which inform us of the object through sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. We see the coffee cup–shape and colour. We feel the coffee cup–texture. We hear the coffee cup–clink of china. We taste its contents. We smell the aroma of the coffee. The coffee cup occurs in consciousness. We cannot prove it exists outside our direct experience; which is our consciousness of it. This way of experiencing the coffee cup is at 180 degrees from the way we assumed the world to be.

Does this imply that all we have to do to achieve our goals is believe? That out of no thing–from no where–what we imagine will come into being? No, far from it! However, our beliefs are intimately and directly connected with what we will experience. There are fixed natural laws to this game of reality we’re playing; perhaps the most important being this: Action is required! In fact, action is part of what makes life vibrantly alive! To not move–to not act–goes against one of the deepest truths of nature: That everything is vibrating and moving; even seemingly solid things.

What benefit is this knowledge? From the perspective of the Law of Attraction, this: to serve as a bridge of understanding via which we may achieve more of our important dreams. Perhaps we desire physical healing–to let go of the belief of disease and imagine our body whole, strong, perfect, restored, functioning in harmony. Perhaps we desire financial gain–to let go of the belief of lack, poverty, and meager earnings. Perhaps we desire success–to let go of the belief of failure, fated loss, and misery. Through greater understanding of the underlying nature of reality itself, we may more easily entertain new–more empowering–beliefs. From this vantage point, the following passage from the Bible (Mathew 17:20, English Standard Version) may potentially seem possible: For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Is the mountain–so seemingly real–not made of thoughts, sensations, and perceptions–which likewise made the coffee cup real? Now, what mountain–disease, poverty, failure–do we wish to move? A previously hidden system of beliefs may be the only obstacle in our way.

Dare to dream.

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. To view my ebook entitled Hold That Thought, please press here.

“Thank You” & Note to Publishers

The Awakening of Joshua

The Awakening of Joshua9

Joshua once lived in a house with many mirrors. They seemed everywhere he looked. There were mirrors in the bedrooms; mirrors in the bathrooms; mirrors in the halls; mirrors in the living room, dining room, and grand entrance. All about him, he saw reflections of whom he thought himself to be. The proof seemed inescapable, irrefutable, real. A glance in one of his many mirrors was all it took to reinforce his belief.

There he was–the business man. There he was–the husband. There he was—the father. There he was–through the faculty of memory–the little boy, brimming with innocence, joy, and enthusiasm. And here he was now–the forty-six-year old man, with the personal history of trials and tribulations; the one who was twice divorced, deep in debt, out of shape, lonely, isolated, a workaholic and near alcoholic; a man who was running as fast as he could to keep up with a world that was always changing, changing, changing. His identity was also reflected–and reinforced–in and through interactions with his family, friends, and acquaintances.

Joshua’s view of the world was this: Some people are fortunate enough to be born into a rich family, but most are not. Some individuals get all the lucky breaks, but for most–as in his case–this world is a dog-eat-dog experience. Some people will have healthy bodies most of their lives, but the majority will succumb to an infinite list of lurking diseases. On a good day, he could line up his ducks and–with unrelenting attention–keep them in a row. On a bad day, he couldn’t even find them. There was no sense trying to change this reality. It was just the way of the world.

Time passed, until a year came when Joshua–inspired by a deep longing for a more meaningful way of Being in the world–quit work, sold his home, and moved to a cabin that he purchased on a small island. The island, which he nicknamed No Man’s Land, had no other residents. He lived alone there; free to come and go as he pleased. He rose early and stayed up late. He ate, slept, and communed with nature. On the third day, he forgot to wear his watch and never wore it again. Life seemed simpler without time. Soon after, he began a meditation practice and faithfully gave himself to it every day. One morning when he was heading outside for a walk, he noticed a small inscription carved into the back of cabin’s front door. He assumed it to be from the previous owner. It read: To find yourself, you must lose yourself. Its meaning was perplexing but raised a strange yet comfortable feeling within him.

Although the cabin was very different from the grand house in which Joshua had once lived, he soon became accustomed to it. The greatest difference was that it had no mirrors–not one. Nowhere in his humble home could Joshua see his reflection. That felt startling at first; for it almost seemed he wasn’t there. There was direct evidence, however, that he was! He was conscious; he was alive; he was living moment to moment on an island. As the days turned into months, Joshua realized he was happier than he had been in years. It felt as though he had shrugged off a heavy burden; for everything about himself and his experiences felt so much lighter–real but unreal. This way of Being felt natural to him, as though a birthright now remembered. The reason?

***

Simple, when we understand the mechanics of how this reality operates; and the nuts and bolts of how it’s constructed. When Joshua moved to the cabin with no mirrors–on an island on which he was the sole resident–there was nothing to reinforce the identity of the false self (the conceptual self, which exists only in the mind and is constructed from a multitude of beliefs and memories). In the light of a deeper reality, his real self–Spirit–had the space to rise up and make itself known. “Here I Am, it whispered, “the One you’ve been longing for.” What are the practical implications that relate to the Law of Attraction? First: That, as in Joshua’s case, the person experiencing the problematic life is conceptual…only; nothing more than a fabrication of the mind. Second: That we should continue to dream and create–as that is our nature–but from the wiser and detached perspective of our true self. By doing so, we gain access to an Infinite Well of power and knowledge.

Joshua’s awakening was a process of true recognition; not a single ah–ha moment. As his mind released its stranglehold on his identity, his true essence was free to shine forth. To Joshua, it felt as though he had shrugged off costume after costume after costume; all of which had been worn by a small actor who–in reality–had no true identity outside of the mind. As compulsive interpretations fell away, the awakened Joshua was left free to live and breathe and have his Being in this world; but with the intimate recognition that he was not–now or ever–of this world.

***

In time, as Joshua’s new way of living stabilized, he left the seclusion of the island and returned to the hustle and bustle of the world. Its hectic pace continued, changing from moment to moment; but he felt grounded in the Unchanging. He felt untouchable–safe, sound, secure. He started a new business and bought a new home. In fact, he fell in love and married again. Knowing what he knew, he chose to focus his attention positively and thereby create a better life. However, the most important change in Joshua’s life came through knowing his true identity. Thus: All painful longing and false belief of separation fell away.

Dare to dream.

With deepest love,

Art

P.S. To view my ebook entitled Hold That Thought, please press here.

“Thank You” & Note to Publishers

An Unscripted Life

The process of learning about the Law of Attraction is also the process of learning more about life. The two go hand in hand, always together, always reflecting each other. For many individuals, the Law of Attraction may seem to mean one thing–only. They may assume that everyone desires mansions, money, fancy automobiles, fame, family, and worldwide travel. This, however, is a fallacy that’s scripted in many cultures, whether or not it has anything to do with our personal reality.

The script of life–at least for people raised in Western-type cultures is often thus: grade school, high school, date, fall in love, get educated, get married, get a house, and raise a family–all while advancing in an absolutely fabulous career that ultimately leads to retirement near a golf course. This is not explicitly voiced, but the implicit message is often whispered through what we witness. Those of us who don’t live by such a script may feel left out, somehow wrong, or–worse–failures.

Through the Law of Attraction, we create according to our habitual thoughts and feelings. Such will be what moves us forward in our lives. For individuals who do not have the lifestyle described above–and who may be feeling somewhat sad that they don’t–I offer this question: Do you think it’s possible that we never–ever–truly wished to live in the manner I described? Think: Look back to when we were children, daydreaming about our future. Was there ever a mansion in our wildest dreams? Fancy cars? A wife? Husband? Children? The answers may surprise. Or…

Have we always embraced different dreams that are equally valid? To be free of the bondage of trying to live other people’s dreams, which may be neither relevant nor important to us? My point? This: Is it possible that we’re already living the life of our dreams? To realize that–and know it fully–we have only to awaken.

Dare to dream.

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. To view my ebook entitled Hold That Thought, please press here.

“Thank You” & Note to Publishers

The Good Ship “Excelsior”

The Good Ship Excelsior

The good ship Excelsior is a fine ship; she has weathered many storms. From stem to stern, she’s still strong and true. In spite of some rust and a multitude of scrapes and dings and dents acquired from her many crossings, she always arrives at her precise destination. Always. Not sometimes; not if she’s lucky; not by accident; not if the weather holds and the seas remain calm. The good ship Excelsior confidently sails to her destination each and every time. The reason?

When she was first launched from the dockyards where she was built, her captain had the good sense to program her properly, with the coordinates toward which she would faithfully sail. The captain was precise and positive. Exact. Longitude this; latitude that. And from the first time she set sail, the good ship Excelsior became more and more confident that she would always arrive safely at the shore her captain had plotted. Storms were many. There were delays and disappointments. There were high tides and low tides. Unfailing, however, the good ship Excelsior sailed on toward her programmed destination.

Of this subject, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, a poet and New Thought author ( 1850 – 1919) expressed her thoughts through her following well-known poem:

The Winds of Fate

One ship drives east and another drives west
With the self-same winds that blow;
‘Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales
That tells them the way to go.

Like the winds of the sea are the winds of fate
As we voyage along through life;
‘Tis the set of the soul
That decides its goal
And not the calm or the strife.

Now, we the good ships–Robert and Sophie, Ivan, Anna, Stefan, Yiang, and Lucas—may ask ourselves if we, too, have programs. Yes, most definitely we do! They were given–unbidden–by our parents and teachers and siblings and friends; and we in our naivety most often believed that the shore they sailed toward must be the self-same shore for us. In truth, however, we were always free to change our destination; free to plot our own coordinates; free to realize our own way. And what is our ship as we sail this sea called life? Our Excelsior is our body/mind; and our higher self–our spirit–its captain.

Dare to dream.

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. To view my ebook entitled Hold That Thought, please press here.

“Thank You” & Note to Publishers

I AM…

I AM...

If we pay attention to the language we habitually use–often subconsciously–to describe ourselves, we may learn an interesting point. It’s this: Every word or phrase that follows the great “I AM,” (which according to many spiritual texts and teachers expresses who we actually are) limits, expands, or in some other way defines our human experience. A few examples may help us consider this in more depth:

I AM…a loner.
I AM…outgoing.
I AM…a homebody.
I AM…adventurous.
I AM…successful.
I AM…a failure.
I AM…happy
I AM…sad.
I AM…confident.
I AM…shy.

To examine this train of thought further, let’s imagine that Jane is a woman who often uses “I AM a homebody” to describe herself. It may roll off the the tip of her tongue as though she’s stating nothing at all–just facts of life. By doing so, Jane is claiming that she prefers to stay at home; that she likes the tranquility and safety it provides; that she neither needs nor desires a more exciting, adventurous, and extroverted life. She may believe this was fated, as though decreed by a deity on a distant cloud; or she may never question the origin of her own traits. All is good. The truth–at least from a Law of Attraction perspective–however, is this:

Every time Jane states I AM a homebody, she is actually creating more of that reality! The very moment that she repeats her self description, she is also simultaneously preventing a different reality from becoming part of her experience. Thoughts of being a homebody do not lead to actions of jet setting around the world. To be a homebody is fine; that’s not the point. What matters deeply–even poignantly–is if Jane actually yearns for more–perhaps being capable of visiting the Great Pyramids of Egypt, climbing to a Base Camp on Mount Everest, running a successful travel business, or learning to ride a motorcycle. In most cases, it is our identification with the false self (the conceptual identity) that prevents us from reaching for our dreams. What would people think? says the false self; or I can’t do that!–something inconceivable to the great I AM.

Some of the self descriptions we use aren’t truly that important. However, many are. This becomes more relevant when we consider the following example: I AM sick. If Jane had the capacity to create a homebody experience for herself (by precluding a different reality), is it not logical to conclude that by repeating I AM sick that a person could only be creating more sickness? How could health become? Are we who study and practice the Law of Attraction asking individuals to deny sickness? No, of course not! Wishing a condition away is not the same as creating something new–possibly a cure or improved state of well being! A person who is experiencing sickness is wise to seek every possible avenue for healing. That very healing, however, will begin by stating a new affirmation; something that breaks the cycle of current conditions and circumstances that such a person may have believed fated. The words to begin such a process might include: I AM…healed, I AM…well, or I AM…getting better each and every day. The way will be revealed.

An important point regarding the deliberate application of our words: To state our new affirmation in a lifeless and monotone manner is not enough. Our words take on power and creative vibrancy when we imbue them with feelings connected to images in our mind. For the man who feels crippled, that would require imagining himself flexible, pain free, and walking with ease. For the woman who feels poor, that would require imagining herself surrounded by ample signs of abundance. It’s wise to initially stretch our beliefs by small increments, by envisioning goals that seem plausible for us.

Lastly: A creator is a creator is a creator! Not only on Thursdays when the sky is blue and we’re content with what we’ve created in our life. Every day, every hour, every moment! Our ignorance of our deeper nature–our I AM-ness–does not prevent us from creating, nonetheless. It’s in our nature to create–we cannot escape it. How do we create? Through our thoughts, words, feelings, and actions. The process always begins, however, with thought. Our words are merely thoughts given verbal expression. And our actions are intimately connected to what we think, believe, and speak. This truth may be worth considering the next time we’re tempted to casually attach a word or phrase to the great I AM.

Dare to dream.

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. To view my ebook entitled Hold That Thought, please press here.

“Thank You” & Note to Publishers

The Agreement

the-agreement

It’s been expressed repeatedly in numerous books about the Law of Attraction: Ask. It’s the first step in the creative process; and we fulfill it when we know what we truly desire–what powerful magnetic goal draws our attention. Prior to knowing, we are much like dust in the wind, being blown about by the vagaries of life. We yearn for more, though; for we are creators! We desire to have our deepest longing fulfilled.

And what is The Agreement to which I allude in the title? It’s an agreement between God (Source, Divine Intelligence) and everyone who has ever lived, is living, and will ever live. It may be summarized thus: When we fully, completely, and faithfully commit to a goal, Source will communicate the way for its achievement. Pure and simple and true. A condition applies, but it has nothing to do with being blessed or cursed by a personified deity. To believe so is a misconception, for God does neither. The only condition we must fulfill is to ensure that our goals are for the good of all–for God is in all, through all, and working for all. To ask God to work against Its own nature, which is only good, would be illogical. The agreement may also be expressed as a promise: God is always with us, and we will never be forsaken or forgotten. Ever.

We live this truth by placing a demand upon the Universe–by daring to believe that our expectations could actually be fulfilled! For many individuals, this may seem impossible to believe. Why? Because we’ve been conditioned to believe that the very Source of our being could potentially be against us! If this is our belief, we should know this: Demand precedes supply! Until we Ask, Source (which is an impersonal force) does not possess an impetus to create. Think: Regarding the building of physical strength, it is only when we place the demand upon our muscles–by lifting greater and greater weight–that more muscle and strength is supplied. We trust and Divine Intelligence delivers. Do we manage the actual increase in muscle, or does that occur as though by magic?

That same magic is available to us in every aspect of our life. No demand is too great; no desire too grand. All that’s required is our faith (belief) and action based upon intuitive nudges that we receive. Want greater love in our life: Ask! Want greater health? Ask! Want greater financial wealth? Ask! A new home, a new car, a new career? Ask! How, literally, could we ever receive what we desire until the Source through which we live and act and have our Being knows what we desire?

Dare to dream.

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. To view my ebook entitled Hold That Thought, please press here.

“Thank You” & Note to Publishers

Think2wice

Law of Attraction: Insights & Inspiration

Exchanging Paradigms

Journey to a Coffee Cup

The Awakening of Joshua

An Unscripted Life

The Good Ship “Excelsior”

I AM…

The Agreement

Menu