Muscleman Joe

Muscleman Joe was “the man” at his local gym, and knowing that filled him with quiet pride. He had dedicated a major amount of his time and energy to achieving that status. All of the other weightlifters and bodybuilders, both male and female, considered him as the epitome of their sport. He possessed the strength, bulk, and definition that made the majority of them stand back in awe. He was the king of the chest press, squat, and deadlift. He had lost count of the number of first-place trophies that he’d won at various competitions.

In Joe’s mind, he (not surprisingly) held a crystal-clear image of who he thought he was. In his mind’s eye, he imagined himself as a successful bodybuilder, a veritable physical legend. Unbeknownst to Joe, however, his mind contained various other images, which (having been unwittingly impressed with feeling into the subconscious mind) were creating their effects. Like the greater unseen portion of an iceberg, these contents were causing other areas of Joe’s life to sink like the Titanic. His personal relationships were filled with conflict; his financial debt load was heavy; and his career path always veered from success.

One night after leaving the gym, Joe got into his truck and attempted to start the engine. Instead of hearing the familiar sound of a cranking engine, however, all that he initially heard was silence. It seemed to envelope him and force him to remain still. Within a few moments, he became even more bewildered when he heard a soft voice utter the following words:

“You’ve been attempting to live a lie, Joe. Mistakenly, you believe that you are a physical bodybuilder. Given the conditioning of your environment, it’s understandable that you would believe that you are a person and, therefore, the doer; but such is an erroneous perspective. There is only one doer, Joe, and I Am That. Despite appearances to the contrary, I Am the One who lifts the weights…through you. I also beat your heart and breathe your lungs. To improve aspects of your life that you currently deem a failure, you must change the nature and quality of your thinking. There is no other way.”

When the message from the voice ended, Joe shook off his disbelief at what had occurred and pressed the starter button again. The car’s engine started without hesitation. Shaken with puzzlement, he then slowly drove home and soon fell into a deep sleep that lasted all night long.

***

In the coming months, Muscleman Joe began to flex spiritual government of his mind. Meditation and visualization became a regular part of his daily routine. Just as he deliberately chose which foods that he included in his diet, he learned to deliberately choose which thoughts he allowed entry into his mind. No longer did he dwell upon negative circumstances. It became his ingrained habit to remain strong in his true power; to seek opportunity in every situation. By embracing a new vision for his future (through persistent positive thoughts, imbued with the feeling of having already achieved his goals), he finally turned his circumstances around. In fact, in some circles he is now better known as Spirit Man Joe.

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 through this link. May the content of either or both help you along your spiritual journey. 🙏🧡

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Letting Go

The following is one well-known method to catch a monkey: A hunter makes a small hole in a coconut and scoops out the contents with a special tool. Afterward, some fruit or nuts is placed inside as bait, and the coconut is then tied to a nearby tree. The trap works because the monkey is able to insert its empty hand, but it’s unable to extricate its hand while holding the bait. Due to the monkey’s greed and desire to keep the apparent prize, it’s trapped. The monkey could easily escape, if it would only let go of the bait.

The human condition shares many similarities with the monkey and trap described. Due to ignorance of our essential nature, and desires related to the “person,” there is suffering. We want this to occur but not that. Based upon apparently outer circumstances, we habitually judge a day as good or bad, successful or unsuccessful. We conclude that if we get what we desire, and avoid that which we don’t desire, we will be happy. Because of our deeply ingrained belief that happiness is dependent on getting, we spend our lives competing for whatever we believe symbolizes success. For many persons, such might be a promotion, a raise, a spouse, or a beautiful house. We will, and often do, sacrifice our health, time with family, and years of our life to attain–what? Can our happiness really be guaranteed by acquiring a shiny trophy in a bookcase, or a bank account with a specific amount of numbers?

I am NOT advocating a desireless life upon a couch; for such a strategy would soon reveal itself as only a softer, but ultimately no less painful, trap. To do nothing is not the answer. The solution is to let go of our identification with the person who is adamant that things or achievements will ensure happiness. Through deepening awareness, we learn that we can set a goal and–quite remarkably–still remain happy in spite of the results. In a paradoxical twist, we often achieve more and experience greater fulfillment by letting go.

We’ve been strongly conditioned to believe that objects, people, and certain circumstances hold the power to grant us happiness. This belief is the bait of the human trap. From a wisdom perspective, it is well known that it is not objects, people, or certain circumstances that actually yield happiness–but the dropping of the state of desire! When we get what we desire, or avoid getting what we don’t desire, we are briefly happy. Through self investigation, we can realize this directly. How long did the new house, spouse, car, or promotion yield happiness, before another replacement desire arose?

This strategy is not some drummed-up belief system in which we pretend that we are not Jane or John Doe. It involves understanding the mechanism related to desire and self inquiry into the very nature of our Being. This is most often facilitated through periods of stillness. There, as Silent Awareness, we may witness sensations, images, feelings, thoughts and perceptions–which clearly indicates that we are NOT them. We are the eternal, immutable witness. We needn’t experience the suffering of monkeys; for we, unlike them, can investigate our erroneous and grievous assumptions related to identity. In short, we may ask–“Who Am I?”–and not relent until we directly know the answer.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

I Am ( _ _ _ _ _ _ _ )

With regard to the rather strange title of this article, I’m going to pose an odd question: “Do you dare?” That’s it, at least in part. Now here’s the question in full: “Do you dare fill in the blanks with the desire–most dear and important–that you hold in your heart?” At one time, I (as is the case with many others) was too afraid to claim what I most desired. As a result, it could not manifest. That was then. This is Now.

One of the teachers that can help us learn how to manifest our deepest desires was a man named Neville Goddard. Born in the Barbados, Goddard later moved to the United States. There, he met a mystic named Abdulah, who taught him many of the mysteries of the Kabbalah. In following years, Neville wrote several books and held lectures about spirituality and the law of attraction. The following quote is borrowed from one of his books entitled Feeling is The Secret:

“The dominant of two feelings is the one expressed. I am healthy is a stronger feeling than I will be healthy. To feel I will be is to confess I am not; I am is stronger than I am not.“

To understand this more deeply, it will help if we briefly examine the subject of time. Please become still with me NOW, and ask yourself the following question: “When but now, could you experience any event?” Last night’s dinner was eaten now. Tomorrow’s breakfast will be eaten now. When you get married, or graduate, or move into your new house, you will do so now. How can this be? Because any other time either past of future, is conceptual. This is why we must absolutely claim what we desire NOW. By gently and repeatedly claiming our desire as though achieved (through affirmations and visualizations imbued with feeling), we impress a clear paradigm (mould or example) upon the subconscious mind. Let’s go deeper via a quote from Proverbs 23:7:

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

The heart is the real YOU, beyond the “person” of name and form that you usually assume yourself to be. To manifest our dreams, we must claim–here and now–what we desire. To believe that our desire can be achieved in a conceptual future that doesn’t exist, is to doom our dream to remain unfulfilled.

So, I dare you (out of love): Please fill in the blanks (written in a few concise words) with the desire–already achieved–that you hold most dear in your heart. In private, quietly affirm it to yourself repeatedly, in a calm and relaxed manner. Write your goal on a card and place it in your wallet, pocket, or purse, and refer to it often. In your mind’s eye, see your desire fulfilled in every detail, from a personal point of view. Engage as many of your senses in the imaginal scene as possible. As doors swing open that lead to the achievement of your desire, step fearlessly forward. YOU, here and now, deserve this!

Dare to Dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

“The Heavenly Life”

James Allen was a new-thought author of several books; his most famous one entitled As A Man Thinketh. For more than thirty years, a framed quote from it has held a place of honour in my bedroom. It begins as follows: “Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream so shall you become. Your Vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your Ideal is the prophecy of what you shall last unveil.” In this article, I’m going to focus upon another of his works, a little masterpiece entitled The Heavenly Life. He originally published the work without copyright, so that its rich content could be enjoyed by as many readers as possible. The following are some of the quotations that leapt to my attention:

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“The toil of life ceases when the heart is pure.”

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“Heaven is in the heart. They will look for it in vain who look elsewhere. In no outward place will the soul find Heaven until it finds it within itself; for, wherever the soul goes, its thoughts and desires will go with it.“

***

“Heaven is here. It is also everywhere. It is wherever there is a pure heart. The whole universe is abounding with joy, but the sin-bound heart can neither see, hear, nor partake of it. No one is, or can be, arbitrarily shut out from Heaven; each shuts himself out.”

***

“If you have a trouble it is in your own mind, and nowhere else; you make it, it is not made for you; it is not in your task; it is not in the outward thing. You are its creator; and it derives its life from you only.”

***

“Think lovingly, speak lovingly, act lovingly, and your every need shall be supplied.”

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“Purify your thought-world until no stain is left, and you will ascend into Heaven, while living in the body.“

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“Herein lies the peace and patience and beauty of Love–it sees no evil.”

***

To help you mine the rich content of these quotations, I offer the following quote from The Law of Success, by Paramahansa Yogananda: “The mind is the creator of everything.” As challenging as this may be to accept, this includes our body-minds, all objects, and the “world.” None of them have existence independent of the mind that perceives them. The degree to which this seems impossible is represented by the thickness of the apparent veil of egoic identity. All body-minds (including our own) are only representational forms of various perspectives of the ONE, Consciousness. The quality of our life depends on the beliefs that we hold in our heart, true Self. It is from these deeply held paradigms (models, or patterns) that our apparent “reality” is formed. When better than NOW to ask ourselves what we’ve habitually been imagining?

Dare to Dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Understanding The Law of Attraction

The key point regarding a deeper understanding of the law of attraction involves an apparent major shift in our identity. I added the word “apparent” for good reason. Although we can only be what we actually are, it is possible, however, to hold erroneous beliefs regarding our essential nature. This is, in fact, the predominant situation for the majority of persons in the story of humanity. Until we directly recognize true Self beyond name and form, it is likely that we will believe the law of attraction is merely nonsense at best; and perhaps detrimental at worst.

A closely related point that is connected to deeper understanding is found as the first principle in The Kybalion, a book of esoteric teachings. The principle reads as follows:

“THE ALL IS MIND; The Universe is Mental.”

If your initial reaction is to exclaim that this is absurd, please know that you are not alone. My first reaction was one of incredulity–“this” just couldn’t be true! The reason for my initial doubt, and that of many other persons, is simple: we have been so strongly conditioned to believe that we are the physical person that to even contemplate being otherwise seems ludicrous! Most persons would probably agree that their mind is at least involved in observing their body as it interacts with the apparent “world;” but the numbers are few who know that Infinite Living Mind is actually creating their body-mind and the world. In fact, the thought of such has most likely never occurred.

If we maintain that our body-mind and all other objects have “existence” independent of the mind that perceives them, we will be forced to remain at the level in which we believe that we (as physical body-minds) must be the doers/performers of all tasks and goals. True to this belief, such will seem to be the case. If, on the other hand, we can open our mind to the possibility that Consciousness is fundamental (independent of the person), we will realize that Infinite Living Mind is the creator of all, including our body-mind.

Please at least contemplate some of the dreams that “you” have experienced. Were there not persons, places, and objects in them? Did they seem real? If so, could this not also be the case with what the masses claim to be reality now? What I’m asserting is that the so-called “matter” in this world is fashioned from the same “stuff” that apparently occupied our dream state–namely, Consciousness. It is upon this vantage point of understanding that the law of attraction becomes credible. To create from it, we habitually hold a feeling-imbued idea of our desire already achieved and watch (as the witness) as actions are performed via our body-mind. There is a detached and stress free feeling associated with this form of creation; for we know that our essential nature is beyond name and form.

Let’s end this article with a photo-passage from The Secret Door to Success, by Florence Scovell Shinn:

As we can readily understand from the message, Florence Scovell Shin is relating that it is our habitual heart-felt focus, empowered via Infinite Living Mind, that makes the difference in what manifests in our apparent life. I, and many other authors and teachers, agree. This seems possible when we understand more about our essential nature. Do you really believe that you’re the body-mind that “YOU” witness?

Dare to Dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Shooting Rapids

When Daniel began kayak racing at the age of thirty-one, he trained incredibly hard. His strategy was to win by might; to force the rivers and obstacles to yield to his skill and will. Due to this, he spent countless hours in the gym and most of his free time on weekends shooting rapids. He assumed that this was the way to win races and outperform his competitors.

Daniel loved the sport of kayak racing because it allowed him to focus his powers of intention and attention in an ongoing, dynamic manner. He preferred individual timed runs, over mass starts. If he lost focus for a split second, a race that had been going smoothly could suddenly go awry; the patches on his kayak attested to this.

Despite his best efforts, Daniel didn’t manifest first-place finishes until he read a book entitled Thought Power, by Swami Sivananda. The information from the following four quotes inspired him to make changes from within:

“Thought creates the world. Thoughts bring things into existence.”

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“Whatever you see outside has its counterpart in the mind.”

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“Mental actions are the real actions.”

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“You can determine your fate by force of thought.”

Daniel, of course, has also realized the importance of applying the practice of envisioning to other aspects of his life–to his health, wealth, and relationships. His strategy is to apply sight-power, instead of might. To accomplish this, he habitually imagines his goals as–NOW–already achieved, until he can feel the desired reality. What about you? Do you dare to shoot through the rapids of life by deliberately focusing on your vision of success?

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 through this link. May the content of either or both help you along your spiritual journey. 🙏🤍

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Sneaking Past God

When Troy Hooliman was six, his parents told him that God was always watching and that he should, therefore, always try to do his best. They assured him that if he did, his life would flow more smoothly. After hearing this news, Troy had at first been so frightened that he strictly toed the line. About two years later, however, he accidentally pocketed a toy from a department store–and guess what? Nothing happened. A wrathful God didn’t appear in the sky and wag a finger at him; and he wasn’t suddenly zapped by a bolt of lightning. Troy, thus, concluded that God didn’t really exist or that he had been able to sneak one past Him/Her. This lone incident led to a few more “found” toys being stashed for safe keeping under his bed.

In the case of Troy’s life, it definitely seemed true that one action leads to another. When he entered the dating arena in his late teens, he gave little or no thought about lying to Angie, the first girl that he knew physically. She desperately believed that she loved him; and he, in an effort to get what he desired, simply lied. He rationalized that no real harm was being done. This again proved to him that he had sneaked one past God without getting caught. Therefore, it didn’t seem to matter when he also lied to the second, third, and fourth girlfriends he dated.

Years later, in business, Troy repeatedly proved that his parents didn’t have a clue, at least with regard to how the “real” world operated. In his business, which was oriented to sales, sneaking past God was the order of the day. Lies abounded; and ethics proved empty of any real meaning. He rationalized that everyone realized this and secretly played by the rules of deceit. The world in which he functioned was competitive by nature; you were either a big dog who got the treat, or the small dog who got eaten.

All apparently went well for Troy…until it didn’t. In his mid forties, hard times came in his personal and professional life, accompanied by grief and a steep learning curve that left him desperate for answers.

***

What Troy didn’t realize was that the true Knower of “his” experience wasn’t a little “him” buried somewhere behind his forehead or deep within his chest. “That” which is the real Knower of his experience is actually God, aka Universal Consciousness, Itself. It turns out that there’s a good reason why Source is described as being Omnipresent–because It is! Troy is now learning new and improved ways of being in the world. He’s filled with a positive energy and wishes only to do good. The wonderful lesson he has learned is that the more good that he shares with the world, the more good that returns. Hmmm, someone should write that down somewhere (Galatians 6:7 ring a bell?)

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Lucky Charms

It was Saturday afternoon, and Randy and Ananda, who were nine and ten, respectively, were out for a walk in the backstreets of the small town in which they lived. They were headed nowhere in particular, but there was a high probability that the local playground would magnetically attract them to its swings. The days of September were winding down, signalling that another summer was about to pass away. As they turned onto Revelation Street, an empty pop can caught there attention; and they took turns kicking it back and forth.

When they arrived at the playground, they sat in the swings and lazily traced patterns in the sand with their shoes.

“I’ve gotta get better grades in school this year,” said Randy. “My mom and dad say that I have to study harder.”

“Yeah?” said Ananada.

“Uh, huh,” said Randy, “but I already do work hard.”

“You can do it,” said Ananda, “just really have to believe that you can.”

Abruptly, Randy leapt up from the swing and dug deep into his left pocket of his blue jeans. “This is going to help me, too,” he said. He was holding a rabbit’s foot lucky charm outstretched in his left hand.

“How is that gonna help?” asked Ananda, as he moved closer for a better look.

“It’s going to bring me good luck.”

“Hmm,” said Ananda, “I guess if you believe it’s going to help, then…maybe it will; but the charm itself doesn’t have any power.”

“No?” asked Randy.

“Uh, uh,” said Ananda. “My mom and dad have been teaching me stuff about the mind since I was six. Last week, they read a passage to me from a book called “Thought Power,” by a guy named Siv…ananda.”

“Like your name,” said Randy.

“Close, at least, said Ananda. “He said that the type of thoughts that we carry around with us is what’s really important. Good thoughts, that are believed with feeling, lead to better stuff happening.”

“Are you trying to say that I could do better in school if I just believed I was getting better grades?”

“Yup,” said Ananda, “as long as you can really see it in your mind.”

“Hmmph,” said Randy, shaking his head, “I don’t know. This sounds kinda weirdo to me–about my thoughts making a difference in my grades.”

“I can prove it,” said Ananda.

“How?” asked Randy.

“When I first moved to town, I didn’t have any friends at all,” said Ananda. “I was feeling really lonely. Mom and dad said that I should put my mind to work, and imagine that I had the best friend, ever.”

“And…?”

“I’m looking at him!” exclaimed Ananda.

A smile, as broad as the prairies, swept across Randy’s face; and with that the two boys left the playground and headed home.

***

For readers who are interested in making their own luck, here’s the quote from Thought Power, by Swami Sivananda, that was referred to by Ananda:

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Willy Newsman

Willy Newsman liked to think about warts, every chance he got. He liked to talk about warts, study warts, categorize warts, photograph warts, and watch television programs about warts. One fall, he even attended night school and took a course entitled World of Warts 101. He received top mark in his class and proudly hung his diploma in his office. He was a self-proclaimed expert when it came to warts–he knew the Latin names for big warts, small warts, and irregular-shaped variant warts. He was fortunate, indeed, to have like-minded friends who owned worldwide media outlets; for this allowed him to promote his interest upon others, who might otherwise be happily ignorant about warts. Coincidentally, a lot of persons who came into contact with Willy Newsman and his message experienced more than their fair share of warts. “Life,” they would tell themselves, “what can you do? It just is what it is. Some people get warts, and some people don’t. Just luck of the draw.”

***

To those who believe that the effects of life occur randomly, it might appear that warts and any other negative circumstances occur because they have been cursed by an unfeeling ruler of the universe. Conversely, those same persons might believe that persons who are wart free have been blessed. Neither view would be in line with the teachings of Sri Swami Sivananda (1887 – 1963), who wrote many books about religion, the mind, and our essential nature. Here, I offer you three quotes from Thought Power, one of many books he wrote:

“Whatever you see outside has its counterpart in the mind.”

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“As you think, so you become.

As are your thoughts so must be your life.

Improve your thinking. Better thoughts bring better actions.”

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“Carry any kind of thought you please about you with you and so long as you retain it, no matter how you roam over the land or sea, you will unceasingly attract to yourself knowingly or inadvertently, exactly and only what corresponds to your own dominant quality of thought.”

Lissa Rankin, MD, author of Mind Over Medicine, also realizes the incredible power of the mind. Please press here to view her presentation at Ted Talks about the placebo effect.

Persons might exclaim, “Surely this cannot be so! The world and all of its terrible diseases and variants, thereof, must exist independent of the mind! Are you certain of that? Or, is it possible that you are being conditioned (intentionally, or unintentionally?) to nurture those effects by placing a great degree of your focus upon them? I know what I believe. What beliefs do you hold? More importantly, what do we know for certain about your Self and “the world?”

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”

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.