The Exclusivity Bus

Note: (Source made it very clear that the dialogue in this article would be spoken with a thick English accent. For the bus driver’s character, it will help if you imagine him as a pirate of old–in contrast to our modern-day pirates. The young boy in this account, Oliver, is six years of age and about to begin Grade One.)

***

Oliver and his mum had just arrived at the curb near the front of their home when they saw The Exclusivity Bus round the corner and pull to a stop in front of them. The doors yawned open, and Captain Jack, the bus driver, peered toward Oliver. “What say ye, young lad,” he bellowed, “arrrr ye friend or foe of the state?!”

Nervously, Oliver adjusted the mask over his face and turned to his mum. “What does he mean, Mum? I don’t know what to say.”

Oliver’s mum leaned down and looked him softly in the eyes. “Say, ‘friend,’ Oliver. You know, the way that we practiced last night afore bed. And show Captain Jack your boarding pass, the one with the squiggly pattern on it.”

“Aye, Mum,” said Oliver. Reluctantly, he turned from her hug and boarded the bus. When Oliver reached the top step, Captain Jack leaned forward, scanned the pass card that hung from Oliver’s neck, and a large overhead screen flashed “ACCEPTABLE” for the rest of the students to see. As the bus lumbered ahead, Oliver made his way down the aisle and sat opposite another young boy.

“Today should be great fun,” said the boy. “We’re going to learn so much.”

Oliver looked at him and smiled weakly. A feeling deep within told him that something was amiss.

Onward the bus rambled through the streets of Oppressorville. At each stop, he repeatedly heard Captain Jack bellow, “Arrrr ye friend or foe of the state?”

A few blocks later, Oliver smiled and felt his heart gladden as the bus eased to a stop in front of his friend’s home. Janie and her dad were standing at the curb. Oliver and Janie had been best friends for three whole years, ever since they and their parents had met at a local playground.

As Oliver watched, Janie’s dad gave her a departing hug; and Janie approached the entrance to the bus. True to his training, Captain Jack leaned forward and bellowed, “What say ye, lass? Arrrr ye friend or foe of the state?”

“I’m just being me,” said Janie, with a broad smile. She felt excited and happy to be wearing her new knapsack for school.

Captain Jack rolled his eyes and raised his head to glare at Janie’s father. “Be she friend or foe?”

“She’s just being true to herself,” her father stated calmly. “Our family lives and let’s live.”

Captain Jack screwed up his face and sternly demanded, “Does the lass have a pass?”

“No,” said Janie’s father.

“Then, by the power of the state,” barked Captain Jack, “I, deem that she be UNNACCEPTABLE for this bus!” He then slapped the doors closed and pressed hard on the accelerator. Before the bus had pulled away, Oliver stared out the bus’s window and made eye contact with Janie, who was sobbing beside her father.

***

Seven hours later, the bus rolled to a stop in front of Oliver’s home. His mum was waiting to greet him. As soon as Oliver stepped from the bus, he broke into tears. Despite his mum’s best efforts, she could not calm him. He was inconsolable.

“What’s the matter, Ollie?” she asked, when they were back inside their home. “Didya no’ have a good day at school?”

“I’m no’ going back–ever!” blurted Oliver. Tears were rolling down his red cheeks. “I don’t like it…atoll!”

“Did they mistreat ya?”

“It’s no’ that,” snuffled Oliver. “It’s the meaness. They wouldn’t let Janie on the bus.”

Oliver’s mum’s spine sagged and her face went pale as she realized what had happened. She’d heard of such accounts. “Well, it’s just the way life is right now,” she said. “We must be good friends of the state and do as we’re tol’.”

“Even if it hurts our friends and family?” asked Oliver.

A brittle silence filled their living room, his mum initially uncertain of what to say. Finally: “But you want to learn, don’t you?”

Oliver’s chest quivered to a brief pause. He sat upright and turned to face his mum, his dark brown eyes shining with truth. “Not if this is what they’re teaching me, Mum,” he said. “It doesn’t feel right.”

“I know,” said his mum after a few moments of reflection, “but you’ll get over that in time.”

***

Dear Readers: A prayer that we’ll reach for the best that we have to offer our world. We’ll know that we’ve achieved it by the accompanying good feelings.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. Please share this article if you enjoyed it. If you’d like to view my latest book (This Taste of Flesh and Bones–released September 8, 2020), press here. May it help you in your spiritual journey. 🙏🤍

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Are You Watching?

The great Lao Tzu (ancient Chinese philosopher, founder of Taoism, and author of the Tao Te Ching) is attributed with having written the following famous quote:

Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

For anyone who is seeking a logical understanding of the way to achieve better results, I know of no better method than to examine this quote in greater detail–and apply it! In a few words, simply and beautifully expressed, we are given a formula by which we can achieve our goals. The formula is concise, powerful, and effective. Please contemplate it with me for a few moments.

Lao Tzu is basically advising us to pay attention. We are to watch. We are to assume our rightful place above, or somewhat remote to, whatever is occurring. In our thinking, actions, and habits, we are to remain in the place of the witness. By doing so, we are practicing deliberate awareness. Conversely, if we are unaware, we may unintentionally create negative and troubling consequences.

To live in this manner enables us to realize the difference between reacting and responding. When we react, we allow old neural pathways to automatically govern our actions; but when we respond, we create space for choice, which gives rise to inspired ways of being. This difference can vastly change the results that we experience. So, what do you desire? Do you desire better health? Watch. Do you desire greater wealth? Watch. Do you desire more success? Watch—from the perspective of the true YOU.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. Please share this article if you enjoyed it. If you’d like to view my latest book (This Taste of Flesh and Bones–released September 8, 2020), press here. My YouTube videos may be found via this link. May the content of either or both help you along your spiritual journey. 🙏🤍

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Get Your Motor Running

When I was a young boy between the ages of four and six, I used to drive my car in the basement of our home. Yup, you read that correctly, my “car.” My car was nothing fancy–no power windows, no heated seats, no surround-sound stereo. My car was actually a cardboard box, with a slot into which I could insert one of the dozen keys that I kept on a ring in my pocket; and it had a steering wheel of some sort (most likely a plastic disc with a nail in the center), and a gear shift. It was a pretty basic daily driver (🙂) for a child with an active imagination. At that time, if any adult mind had attempted to tell me that I wasn’t really driving my car, I would probably have gotten into my car and left them behind in the dust.

For persons who are eager to manifest more of what they desire in life (not “want,” because to want literally means “to lack”), it’s vitally important that we get our motor running by visualizing the life that you truly desire. Do you desire improved health, greater wealth, loving relationships? If that’s the case, then I suggest committing a few minutes each day (preferably right after waking, and just before drifting off to sleep) to visualization. Experience your desire in as much sensory fullness as possible; as though you–already–have it. The important point it to feel your desire as being true now. To be most effective, it’s important to visualize a scene from the first-person perspective that implies the successful achievement of your goal Now. Why should we visualize our goals as achieved Now? Because when other than now can anything occur? If you visualize your goal as being achieved next week, its achievement will ALWAYS be one week away.

To add some more credibility to the content of this article, let’s draw on a quote from Andrew Carnegie, who was no lightweight when it came to manifesting great wealth and success. Many of you realize that he was the man who commissioned Napoleon Hill to write Think and Grow Rich; which some readers still consider to be the granddaddy of all law of attraction books:

“Any idea that is held in the mind, that is emphasized, that is either feared or revered,

will begin at once to clothe itself in the most convenient and appropriate form available.“

Let’s add more weight to the importance of visualization and the power of our words (whether you think you CAN (✓), or you think you can’t (X), by reading the following passage from Job 22:28:

“Thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee;

and the light shall shine upon thy ways.”

Perhaps the following quote from The Science of Getting Rich, by Wallace D. Wattles will resonate more strongly with you:

“No thought of form can be impressed upon original substance [consciousness]without causing the creation of that form. A human being is a thinking center and can originate thought.”

You might find even more reason to believe in the power of visualization through the following short article that relates a well-known study performed by Dr. Blaslotto at the University of Chicago in 1996. Press here if you’d like to read it. You “know” the manifestation of your desire is inevitable when (as Neville Goddard, the Barbadian mystic, proclaimed) you feel the “naturalness” of the wish fulfilled. The feeling is as certain as driving my “car” was to me as a young boy.

Of course, you realize that this article is not just about a child who once pretended that he was driving a car in his basement. My intention is to offer information that can help you manifest improved health and a greater degree of success (however you define success). Isn’t it time to head out on the highway?

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

The Good We Seek

To live is to experience a wide range of circumstances. No one is excluded or given a “Free Pass.” There will be ups and downs; triumph and tribulation; exaltation and despair. In any given moment, on any given day, we may feel as though what we seek is beyond our reach, or worse–an illusion. The world can seem against us; our life filled with struggle. The achievement of our desires may seem an impossible dream. If such seems the case, it may help to know that the good we seek is closer than we think. It is, in fact, our very nature. To experience more of it, it’s important to know the following: When we change the way we think, we literally change our world.

How may we find the goodness we desire? Through a shift in consciousness directed by True Self, which is That beyond name and form. Of all of our wonderful abilities, one of our greatest is our power of attention. Contrary to popular misconception, we don’t have to let our mind gallop like a wild horse. With practice, we may figuratively grab the reins and ease the mind to the left, to the right, or slow it down to a trot. By taking a few slow breaths, we can calm our mind and redirect our attention; which, thereby, shifts our experience. To deliberately shift us to a favourable point of attraction (which, according to the Law of Attraction must attract more goodness), please join me on a journey of gratitude. The following are a few suggestions about how to feel better…NOW:

Put on a T-shirt, fresh from the dryer. Feel the warm embrace of the fabric against your skin.

There is the goodness of life.

Phone a relative or long-time friend and let the sound of his or her voice elevate your spirit. Think of how truly rich you are for having such a person in your life.

There is the goodness of life.

Listen to a selection of music that never fails to raise your spirits. Let the rhythm and sounds transport you to a realm of reverie.

There is the goodness of life.

Take your parents out for a tea or coffee. If such cannot be the case, invite an alternate caregiver or teacher who gave of his/her time, energy, or heart and asked for nothing in return.

There is the goodness of life.

While walking down the street, guide your attention to a mother or father with a young child. Perhaps the child is holding the parent’s hand, or being pushed in a stroller. For just a few moments, let your mind sense the world through the child’s innocent perspective.

There is the goodness of life.

Look at your hands–truly look. Spread your fingers wide and feel the stretch of your palms pulling taut. If there are scars or digits missing, be grateful for the fingers you still have and what they enable you to do. Pick up a pen–as though for the first time–and feel the wonder of every cell, nerve, and fiber.

There is the goodness of life.

Place your attention upon nature, even if you are living in a large city. Sit upon a park bench–if only for a few minutes–and let your eyes find the birds, butterflies, squirrels, and insects that are having their day. Feel their aliveness, and imagine the journey that they, too, are having.

There is the goodness of life.

While eating your next meal–however humble or extravagant it may be–place your attention upon the food before you. With soup, salad, or sandwich, be with each mouthful. Be mindful of the taste and texture of the food. Be grateful for the innate wisdom of your body, and how it performs the function of digestion without a word of instruction.

There is the goodness of life.

Go for a walk, even if only in the halls of your apartment. Marvel at the wonder of your feet and legs and hips that allow you to do so. Feel the aliveness that is stirring within them. If this cannot may be the case, use walker, cane, or wheelchair to move; the distance matters not. Be present, mindful, alive.

There is the goodness of life.

Perform at least one good deed daily for someone else–be that person a friend, relative, or complete stranger. From the depths of your heart, ask nothing in return, not even acknowledgement of your kind deed. Know that giving–sincerely–is your reward. Tell no one; in doing so you’ll begin to disengage from the conceptualized self (ego), which is the root of all suffering.

There is the goodness of life.

Through the deliberate practice of seeking goodness, we reap yet another–even greater–benefit: We attune ourselves to our deeper nature, which is God within. It is here that we will find the Source of all Goodness, for that is God’s nature. It is also ours. When we realise this, we may go through life with strength, courage, confidence, and poise. Such goodness of life is that close.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

The Decree

As its name implied, Trouble Town was experiencing more than its fair share of trouble. The town’s jail was packed with offenders; homelessness was rising; the majority of politicians were corrupt; and the unspoken motto of “Greed, More Greed” was prevalent. The residents had endured the atrocious conditions for so long that such seemed normal to them. In desperation, Mayor Marjorie Wisdom called an emergency council meeting. She concluded the meeting by standing and reading the following decree: “By unanimous vote, I hereby decree that as of midnight this coming Sunday, the residents of Trouble Town will magically begin to awaken to true Self.” Raising her tear-filled eyes, she then somberly said, “May recognizing God help us all.”

During the following week, a gradual awakening to Truth did, in fact, occur. As a result, many wonderful changes occurred in Trouble Town, not the least of which were the following:

***

On Sunday, at 06:04, Joey and Tom were about to steal their neighbour’s car when they suddenly realized that stealing Mr. Hampton’s car would be stealing from themselves. As a result, they quietly turned and walked away, never to steal from anyone again.

On Monday, at 21:09, Jack, with intent to rape, was about to attack the young lady who was walking alone through a local park when he suddenly realized that both he and she were aspects of God. As a result, he could not possibly lift a hand against her or anyone else.

On Tuesday, at 10:02, Harvey, who owned an appliance store, was about to accept payment from Mrs. Newman for her new refrigerator when he suddenly realized that to cheat the elderly lady of $200.00 by inflating the bill would be to cheat himself. As a result, he wrote a new contract that reflected a fair price.

On Wednesday, at various times in multiple locations, one hundred residents suddenly realized that God was the only power in the Universe. As a result, they immediately became more humble and grateful. One resident was heard to say, “Thank you, God, for the beat of my heart.”

On Thursday, at 12:31, the Deputy Mayor, Mr. Snider, was having lunch with a local businessman who was looking for favours with regard to a major building project. As a result of his awakening, Mr. Snider found it impossible to accept the bribe money that would have ultimately resulted in the construction of an inferior and possibly unsafe building.

On Friday, at 23:02, Fred and Lisa Delaney, who were owners of a chemical factory, were about to discharge dangerous toxins into the river that flowed through Trouble Town when they realized that by polluting the river they were actually polluting themselves and their neighbours. As a result, they returned to their factory and arranged for proper waste disposal the following day.

On Saturday, at 13:39, Mike Dempster was about to pull the trigger of the loaded handgun that was pointed into his right ear when he awakened to the Truth of his Being. As a result, he was able to see that he was neither his body-mind nor the painful story attached to it. Weeping, he unloaded the gun and later arranged for treatment through qualified professionals.

***

This, of course, is a fictional story. It relates some of the potential benefits that could be expressed through humankind if we, by some magical occurrence, suddenly recognized our shared divinity. What would occur if we listened to the still voice of God instead of the blare of our self-centered egos? What if we realized that “thy will be done” reflects infinite wisdom and that “my will be done” reflects ignorance? Would we not literally create a New Earth that was filled with love, compassion, and kindness? What but the belief in our egos is hindering us from experiencing that world NOW? We’ll close this article by repeating the parting words of Mayor Marjorie Wisdom: “May recognizing God help us all.”

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

P.S. Please share this article if you enjoyed it. If you’d like to view my latest book (This Taste of Flesh and Bones), press here. My YouTube videos can be found at Think2wice@I-Am-Aware. May the content of either or both help you along your spiritual journey. “Thank You” & “Note to Publishers” 🙏🏻🧡

Johnny’s Mean-Looking Truck

Johnny Duggan had lived a coloured life–at least so he thought. He had been married thrice; filed for bankruptcy twice; and done a stint in jail once. The story of “him” was always uppermost on his mind; it was the mean-looking truck that he drove everywhere he went. At the gym, out on a date, dining at a restaurant–there it was: Johnny’s mean-looking truck. It continuously spewed fumes about itself; and it was so full that Johnny had to beef up the suspension and build up the rear racks to contain all of the dark mental stuff from his past.

One day, Johnny was talking to a guy who claimed to know a little about meditation and the powers of the mind. Johnny told him that he had tried to meditate during his stint in jail (he had certainly had time enough for it) but that it hadn’t done him a lick of good.

“When you meditated,” asked the guy, “did you take your mean-looking truck with you?”

“I sure did,” spat Johnny. “My mind was piled high with all of the junk in my truck. Couldn’t concentrate on nothing else!”

“Uh, huh,” said the guy, as he scratched his chin. “No wonder you’re still having such a hard time.”

“What do you mean?” asked Johnny.

“I mean,” said the guy, “that you’d be wise to check the load that you’re carrying. If you want your life to improve, you gotta offload all of that yuck from your truck!”

“What difference is that gonna make?” asked Johnny.

“Seriously?” said the man. “You really don’t know?”

“Know what?” asked Johnny.

“You don’t know that what’s impressed into the your mind on a habitual basis is going to be expressed as the circumstances of your life? By concentrating on everything that’s bad, you’re actually impregnating your future with more of what’s bad!”

“Well, I’ll be a monkey’s Chihauhau!” exclaimed Johnny.

“If the shoe fits,” said the man. “You have to find the good within before you’ll experience it without. By continuing to rehash the negative events of your life, you’re creating more of it. You’d be wise to focus on what’s good for a change. Andrew Carnegie, who commissioned the book entitled Think and Grow Rich, summed up the principle this way:”

“Any idea that is held in the mind, that is emphasized, that is either feared or revered,

will begin to clothe itself in the most convenient and appropriate form available.”

The last we heard, Johnny was at the local dumpsite for toxic waste. He was shovelling off a big load of yuck from his truck before settling into his regular meditation session–hint, hint; nudge, nudge. By offloading the “bad stuff,” he made room for all of the “good stuff” that had previously gone unnoticed. Oh, and Johnny has also improved the quality of his life by practicing gratitude on a daily basis. He discovered that the more grateful he is, the more he attracts circumstances for which to be grateful. Probably just a coincidence–not!

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Willing To Change

Every–and I mean every–motivational speaker who knows what he/she is talking about stresses the necessity of changing within if we desire to improve the apparent conditions and circumstances without. Bob Proctor, who has been studying and teaching the Law of Attraction for almost sixty years, informs persons that they must change their paradigms (a collection of subconscious thoughts and beliefs about every aspect of our life) before they can expect to see what they desire. Why? Because apparently outer circumstances are actually a reflection of our inner beliefs. In short, the results that we achieve are directly connected to our self image. As noted speaker and author Dr. Joe Dispenza states: “To change our personal reality, we must change our personality.” In support of this, I offer the following quote from William Blake for you to contemplate:

“In your own bosom you bear your heaven and earth,
And all you behold, though it appears without,
It is within, in your imagination,
Of which this world of mortality is but a shadow.“

Perception “is” the world. Period. Without knowing it, the majority of persons are steering around in a subjective world, which they erroneously assume to be objective. This is quite understandable because the illusion of time, space, and causality seems incredibly real. I’m not saying that it doesn’t exist; I’m just stating that “reality” is not what it appears to be. It’s made of Consciousness–the only reality that is. This explains why the Bible has an abundance of passages intended to guide us toward better life experiences. I offer you the following passage from Philippians 4:8, which clearly advises us to focus positively:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

***

A short quote that supports this is found in The Kybalion, a book of esoteric teaching related to the Law of Attraction:

“As within, so without.”

***

Truth is shared, yet again, through the following quote from the noted spiritual healer and teacher, Joel S. Goldsmith:

“No circumstance or condition can be experienced unless it first be found within our own consciousness.”

***

Still more is offered through some of the first lines in The Master Key System by Charles F. Haanel:

“Would you bring into your life more power?

Get the power consciousness.

More health?

Get the health consciousness.

More happiness?

Get the happiness consciousness.

Live the spirit of these things until they become yours by right.”

Our “world” functions according to spiritual laws. Despite appearances to the contrary, nothing happens by chance. Do you now see why it’s imperative to sustain the vision of your desire (through afffirmations and visualization) as though you–already–have it? Until you do, you will continue to be blown about like dust in the wind. Say no to that; and yes to your vision for a better life.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Bob’s Dream of Coffee

At precisely 7:00 a.m., Bob Dingaling heard the sound of the alarm on his bedside table and slowly wakened from his slumber. He shut off the alarm, stretched his arms wide, and ambled to the washroom. A few minutes later, he groggily joined his wife, Helen, in their rustic kitchen. The room was aglow with the warm sunlight that was shining through their kitchen’s eastward-facing window.

“Coffee?” Helen asked, as he approached her and kissed her softly on the cheek.

“You know it,” said Bob, with a grin. He added milk to the coffee and assumed his favourite position in the glider chair next to the window. The first few sips of his coffee tasted like morning nectar.

Holding her own cup of coffee, Helen moved into a chair directly across from her dream guy. Twenty years earlier, when she had first learned that Bob’s last name was Dingaling, she had wondered if she could ever bear to take it; but now couldn’t imagine being anything but a Dingaling, albeit by marriage.

“You know,” began Bob, “last night I dreamed that I was drinking coffee that tasted every bit as real as this.”

“Tell me more,” said Helen.

“Well, I was holding my favourite mug, the one you and boys got me for my birthday. I could feel its weight, the heat of the coffee, and even smell the aroma of the freshly-ground coffee beans. Strangely enough…just like I’m doing now.”

Helen took a few sips of her coffee and looked around their kitchen. “It’s incredible, isn’t it,” she said, “how the mind can replicate reality in our dreams.”

“It definitely is,” said Bob, “even to the point of fabricating skyscrapers, mountains, and people.”

“Truly amazing,” said Helen.

Lost in thought, Bob seemed to freeze momentarily. “You know,” he said, with a puzzled expression, “it almost makes you wonder if the mind could be rendering this, right here and now.”

“What do you mean?” asked Helen.

“You know, dreaming us, drinking coffee in our kitchen.”

“Well, that’s preposterous,” said Helen.

“Is it?” said Bob.

Helen smiled and softly pinched her cheek. “I feel pretty real to me,” she said.

“But we feel real in our nighttime dreams, too,” said Bob. “When we dream that we’re skiing, driving a car, or eating a meal, it all seems very real.”

“Oh, you–you crazy Dingaling!” exclaimed Helen.”Don’t be so silly. Enjoy your coffee and then get your butt into the shower. “Our backyard lawn really needs to be cut today.”

Bob smiled and slowly sipped the remains of his coffee; but as he showered and, later, cut the grass, the question about the nature of reality kept begging his mind for an answer. As Helen washed the breakfast dishes, she also found herself pondering the following question: “How would we know if our lives were a dream?”

That afternoon, Bob was rummaging through papers on his desk when he came across the following quote by T. E. Lawrence. Given what Helen and he had talked about earlier that day, it gave him pause to contemplate the issue more deeply:

“All men dream, but not equally.

Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind,

wake in the day to find that it was vanity;

but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men,

for they act on their dreams with open eyes,

to make them possible.”

***

From The Final Truth, by the great Ramesh S. Balsekar:

The manifested universe is therefore simultaneously dual and non-dual. Time, space, mind, ego, etc. have acquired illusory reality although they have not been created at all. Nothing has been created as a separate thing, though it may appear so.

***

Awaken, dear spiritual brothers and sisters, you’re dreaming. When you realize this, a new and exciting world full of possibilities opens up before you. It’s the reason behind the following verse from Matthew 6:33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” You are Spirit eternal.

Dare to Dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Ego-Bean Salad

I first heard of the following account this morning, through Source. I have no way of verifying if it’s true. I’ll leave that up to you to decide:

***

Once upon a time, there was a quaint little village named Eedon. It was named after A. & E. Eedon, the first couple to settle there in 1802. Nestled in a picturesque valley, the village consisted of seven-hundred kind souls. There was peace in the valley because everyone showed compassion to their neighbours and were generous of spirit. No one knew anything about bragging, boasting, and pride; in fact, they’d never heard of such behaviour. When a family was experiencing a challenging time, all of the eighbours got together and humbly pitched in to offer help. They built homes and barns together; helped educate one another’s children; tilled the soil and harvested crops together. All of the residents knew that they could count on one another. Until…

One day, at a town hall meeting, the Mayor, Mr. I-Come-Up-With-Bad-Ideas, suggested that they should hold a celebration in the center of town. They would have a feast. Everyone would contribute an ingredient from his or her pantry.

“What will we have for the meal?” asked Gwendolyn, one of the oldest residents in town. “Pork? Ribs? Potato salad?

Another man, Jed (who incidentally, barely kept his family fed) said, “No, let’s have fish. We have plenty of fish in the Eedone River, especially at this time of year.”

The polite discussion continued until the mayor proposed that they should have a special dish: Ego-Bean Salad. “Why, everyone’s got some degree of ego,” he said. “That way everyone can contribute to the meal. We’ll set up the cauldron in the town square, people will throw in their stash of ego-beans, give the mix a stir, and then step aside and make way for the next person. After the salad marinates for several hours, we’ll dine like royalty.

Although a few of the seniors doubted the wisdom of the planned menu, the mayor’s proposal was seconded by the deputy mayor, and the vote carried. A date was set.

On the day of the celebration all went well initially. People brought their families and musical instruments, and there was great merriment. The menu went over gangbusters, too. Bowl after bowl of Ego-Bean Salad was consumed. “More, please, more,” was the common remark as people lined up for seconds, even thirds. It’s rumoured that Jed consumed eight servings.

As dusk fell, a man known as Sparky casually sauntered into town. He almost always had a half-finished cigarette dangling from his lips. As he approached the town center, a flash explosion was suddenly set off. From miles away, people assumed it was a dazzling display of the northern lights. The first explosion was followed by several others and aftershocks that shattered windows in neighbouring towns. The cauldron still hasn’t been found.

***

And the moral of this tale? Why, this is just a little story about the hazards related to eating too much salad. Right?

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

As Though By Magic

For individuals who are curious to learn more about the teachings of the Law of Attraction, a book entitled The Secret of the Ages by Robert Collier may be of interest. Mr. Collier was a leader in the New Thought movement in the early to mid twentieth century. A short account from Chapter Three (under the heading The Philosopher’s Charm) is worth noting; as I believe that it has the potential to help you achieve your goals. As strange as this may seem, it relates to the word “Abracadabra.”

Mr. Collier shares the account of a magician who informs a king that he has discovered a way of turning sand into gold. Naturally, the king is quite interested and employs the magician to do just that. The king listens attentively while the magician tells him the method, which seems plausible. The magician cautions the king that for the method to work, he must not think of the word abracadabra. Try as he might, the king cannot keep the word out of his mind.

And the point? It’s actually based in logic, especially for those who understand the correlation between what we’re thinking and what we’re experiencing in life. When we desire success in a certain aspect of our life–perhaps in health, wealth, career, or relationship–it’s imperative that we keep our focus on what we desire; not on thoughts related to doubt, fear, or failure. These are the equivalent to the king’s experience with the word abracadabra.

While this may initially seem like hocus pocus, there are real implications. Do you believe that a business owner creates a successful venture by concentrating on everything that could go wrong? Do you believe a world-class high jumper sets a new record by envisioning a crashing bar? Do you believe an opera singer sustains that high note by imagining a faltering voice? Do you think that healing occurs by focusing on disease? Do you believe that thinking “I can’t do this” will yield the positive results achieved by persons who’ve trained themselves to think “I can” in every circumstance?

Although the word origin of abracadabra is uncertain, there are two translations that add to the importance of what we’re telling ourselves, through thought and/or word. The first is from Aramaic: I create like the word. The second is from the Hebrew: It came to pass as it was spoken. We might remind ourselves that words are merely the outer reflection of inner thoughts. The word abracadabra literally means that thought (imbued with feeling in mind) matters, or apparently becomes “real.”

Please let the positive message of this article seep into your Being. You might also remind yourself that you’re a spiritual child of the Most High. As such, you have neither been forsaken nor doomed to failure. In fact, you’re endowed with the greatest power–the power to choose the thoughts that you entertain. That, in itself, is the real magic that allows you to manifest your golden desires.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Think2wice

CONSCIOUSNESS, SPIRITUALITY, & LAW OF ATTRACTION

Category: Behavior

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