Transcending History

Anyone who has studied the Law of Attraction realizes that we attract according to our predominant thoughts and feelings. Positive thoughts and feelings attract positive situations and events; and negative attract negative. We are to realize that it’s possible to live from the center of our being and choose the thoughts we’ll entertain; rather than being subject to the whims of worldly experience.

Because feeling good and thinking positively–first–attracts like-nature manifestations, it’s easy to understand the importance of controlling our moods. For those who trust the teachings, we may logically conclude that permitting ourselves to wallow in negative emotions only leads to more negative experiences. Therefore, we strive to be happy, content, joyous, and thereby attract good circumstances that will bring even greater joy. How, though–given personal histories that may contain painful experiences–can we feel good? This may seem impossible, or challenging, at best.

One of the keys to feeling good now–in spite of our history–is to figuratively step back from the identity that we’ve accepted as self. For those who are strongly attached to self image–our name, age, physical attributes, role, nationality–this may prove challenging. It is possible, however, and doing so makes creating good circumstances that much easier. When we permit ourselves to just be–perhaps through meditation or time immersed in nature–we access a deeper part of consciousness that’s distinct and separate from the noisy mind chatter that often dominates our life. From this awareness–or knowing–we may transcend our history. Inner dialogue, which is often repetitive and negative, will diminish or even disappear; and therefore lose its effect. Experiences, which may have included death, divorce, and disease, will no longer define us without our permission.

Another technique that makes positive creation easier is to employ our history–in much the same way that we might hire a person–to work for us, instead of against. Rather than bemoaning our lot in life, we may consciously reframe our history and view it from a different perspective. We may ask: Did superficial failure actually contribute to a much deeper success? Am I rich, here and now, in ways beyond obvious scope and measure? Would my life without the painful experiences truly have been better? Am I now stronger in character due to the physical and emotional mountains I’ve scaled? Have I gained in ways previously unacknowledged?

With a fresh–and positive–perspective, it’s possible to put our personal history to good use; rather than letting it use us. It’s all in our point of view. Nothing is set in stone. It is we who assign meaning to life events. They need not define us, nor should we permit them to rob us of our happiness. A quote attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882) may also encourage, if not inspire: What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you. Is that not true? Is the purpose of this journey not, in fact, to learn more of our true nature? Along the way, we may also become wiser, stronger, greater. And therein lies our freedom to create an even better future.

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” 🙏🏻🧡

Make it a Habit

Our study of the Law of Attraction includes many truisms. In metaphysical teachings, one of the most important to understand, and remember, is this: Energy flows where attention goes. In other words, what we focus upon increases or expands.

So how can deliberate creators practically apply this information? By first not only believing, but actually knowing, that it’s true. A couple of questions may help to prove it. Have you noticed that when someone begins to complain about a particular situation, that someone else soon adds another complaint? Have you also noticed that a problem that’s given attention can assume dimensions beyond its original scope? There’s a reason: By focusing on the problem, we’re unwittingly directing our mind to create more of it!

To positively counter this habit, we can deliberately use this knowledge to our benefit. On a personal level, that requires focusing on what’s right with our life, not on that which we’ve deemed wrong! If the idea of financial stress crosses our mind, we may remind ourselves of the money we have, not the debt. Focusing on debt only creates more debt. The same holds true for our health. For every health issue, there’s–most likely–a degree of good health in other regards. Such positive-oriented use of our focus isn’t intended to blind us to the problems; rather to allow us to see our way through them with a solution-based mindset. When we develop the practice of praising the good we attract more of the good into our experience.

Old ways of thinking–if given the chance–will automatically direct our attention in habitual ways. If our habits are good, they will serve us positively. If bad, they will function to our detriment. To counter the negative, it’s imperative that we rise in consciousness. To understand this more easily, imagine that we have climbed to the top of a great mountain. Atop this mountain, there is a large telescope that swivels 360 degrees. Through it we may see the world. It’s our viewpoint. We may look in one direction and view world strife, political unease, pollution, family turmoil, and disease. But, as creators we possess the power to swivel the telescope in a different direction and view a newborn baby, a lush forest, a peaceful seashore, a glowing sunrise, and radiant health. All are happening at the same time. The point of this analogy is this:

The view is dependent on you.

To create positive change in our lives, please consider the following suggestion: For the next twenty-four hours, deliberately direct your attention to what’s right in your life: Praise your health, your friends, your finances, the roof over your head. Praise the air in your lungs, the blood in your arteries, the food in your belly, the shoes on your feet. And after twenty-four hours have passed, continue this positive focus for the next twenty-four hours! One week of this practice will lead to the next week, the next month, and the next year. And please remember this: A positive life doesn’t just happen; it’s created one day at a time.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

A Change of Attitude

My point in spreading the word about our true Self and the Law of Attraction is to help improve the quality of our lives. This isn’t something that can be done for someone else; as the process is unique for every individual. It involves personal transformation, which–by its very nature–must occur from within. Such change begins with the very thoughts we habitually entertain. While this may seem like hard work, it’s actually good news; for it means that we, not an external force, may govern the quality of our lives. There’s even better news: Such change does not require years; it can occur within minutes.

How can we improve the quality of our lives? Through a change in consciousness. When we change the way we think, we literally changes our lives. For many people, the greatest obstacle in creating a better life is their attachment to negative thought patterns related to painful memories, or deep emotional scars. Their interior dialogue might play similar to this: She did this to me, and I’m never going to forget it! He cheated me in business, and now I’m going to get even by hating him forever! They’ll rue the day they ever messed with me! Such thoughts, unless deliberately changed and reframed, may repeat for a lifetime.

Buddha, who was no slouch in the wisdom department, expressed this so well through the following teaching: Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. Please contemplate this logically with me for a few moments. Does holding anger benefit us in any way? Is any part of our body, mind, or spirit immune to the negative effects of anger, hatred, or revenge? But what, we may ask, is the alternative?

The answer: To change the way we think! And who benefits? All of us. When we figuratively drop the hot coal we’ve been holding the inner transformation begins immediately. Our mind knows, our body knows, and most of all our soul knows. We may drop the hot coal about the person who lied to us; drop the hot coal about the driver who cuts us off in traffic; drop the hot coal about a duplicitous business partner. By doing so, we create a space for the solution, which is love–for ourselves, for others, for all. There’s nothing to be lost, and everything to be gained. Through this practice, we become active, and conscious, participants in creating a better life.

An old expression offers additional wisdom: It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. The logic: Darkness doesn’t disappear by focusing on darkness. Pain doesn’t disappear by focusing on pain. Wrong doesn’t disappear by focusing on wrong. Anger doesn’t disappear by focusing on anger. Our wisest action is to light a candle, which really means to turn away from darkness (our negative emotions) and engage the power of love. It’s in us to give. And when we do, we create the the good life…together.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Deliberate Living

Frank is having a difficult day. He realizes it immediately upon waking, after tossing and turning all night. He feels physically and emotionally drained. Within a few minutes, his day gets worse when he steps under the shower before noticing that he’s out of soap. Later, at work, he bumps into Jim and Elaine and immediately feels poor when they share details of their recent trip to Fiji. He knows that his trips to Cuba the previous winter pales by comparison. The icing on Frank’s Day occurs when he notices women in the office flirting with Doug, a new employee, who’s young, athletic, and handsome. By his own definition, Frank is old, overweight, and out of shape. Why, Frank asks himself, must life be such a struggle?

What Frank doesn’t realize is that life isn’t out to get him. Life doesn’t have an agenda to bless some and curse others. It’s an impartial force, operating impersonally. Unbeknownst to Frank, his biggest problem is that he’s unaware that the quality of his life is directly related to the nature of his thoughts about his life. On the day that Frank knows with absolute certainty that his life is terrible, the following is happening outside of his awareness:

When Frank was getting out of bed, a man named George, aged sixty-seven, is waking on a city sidewalk grate, after spending the night shivering in the only clothes he owns. While Frank was muttering about a missing bar of soap, a young African girl named Nale, who has never experienced the luxury of a shower, is desperately missing her mother, who died of AIDS the previous day. Regarding Frank’s trip to Cuba, he’s unaware that the average Cuban earns approximately $25.00 per month. And while Frank was belittling his physique, a man named Richard, who’s been in a wheelchair since a car accident, still dreams of the mobility that Frank takes for granted.

The point of relating such different lives isn’t to make us feel better by contemplating the plight of others. I’ve employed contrast to help awaken us to a new way of thinking about our own lives; to experience the immediate benefits that occur when we govern our attitude. In doing so, we become masters in the art of living. Such is not reserved for a privileged few, and we don’t have to trek to a mountaintop to attain our degree. If we’re willing to welcome our own evolution, via lessons in the trenches of life, every down will yield an up; every detour will lead to a more meaningful destination.

There are tremendous benefits when we “stay in the is-ness of life.” Stress, anxiety, and discomfort arise when we resist life; which is just another way of saying “I want life to be other than it is.” Resistance robs us of the inherent beauty in the present moment. A wiser approach is to align, here and now, with the flow of life. When we do, we’re enabled to experience peace without demanding that life change to suit our needs.

Accepting life in the present moment doesn’t mean foregoing our dreams. In fact, when we’re at peace we become an open conduit to intuitive nudges that will help us fulfill them! Once we truly know what we desire, our task is to remain strong in our faith that the way will be revealed. For those who question whether this can actually help us create a better life, my suggestion is to “try it, and see for yourself.” The process of attracting what we desire begins…in the time it takes to change our thoughts.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Think2wice

CONSCIOUSNESS, SPIRITUALITY, & LAW OF ATTRACTION

Tag: Attitude

Transcending History

Make it a Habit

A Change of Attitude

Deliberate Living

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