Seeking the “Right”

Everyone who lives long enough can attest to the following: Life can deliver a multitude of challenges. They come in all shapes and sizes. They can be long term or short term, major or minor, critical or relatively trivial. We know this, too: When such challenges appear, it can be all too easy to slip into a victim mentality in which we believe that life is against us. This attitude must be avoided. Why? Because it not only disempowers us but also makes us dependent on circumstances which–by their very nature–are always changing. When approached with the right attitude, however, challenges provide opportunity for growth and greater awareness. What, though, is the key to living this way?

PRESENCE. By staying calm, aware, and alert; by remaining anchored in the here and now; by being with the very challenge that we instinctively want to deny. When we remain present, we stay connected to an Intelligence–Source–which is much greater than our own. The opposite–to allow our mind to be driven by old reactive thinking–actually prevents us from receiving inspiration that will help us solve our challenges. To be present is to be with Source. An example may help:

Our car is making strange noises, and we take it to be repaired. At the car dealership, we’re told that the problem doesn’t sound too severe, and that the repair shouldn’t take very long. We’re given an estimate of the cost, and we leave the car overnight. The following morning, the Service Manager calls and informs us that the mechanic has discovered several other problems, some of which relate to safety concerns. The cost of the repairs has increased by several hundred dollars, and the car will have to be left another full day. When we get off the phone, we realize that reactive thinking is running through our awareness. “How can this be!” we think. “They just want my money! What a rip off! I need my car now!”

Here is where seeking the right actually serves our greater good! The sooner that we seek and find the right in any situation, the sooner we reclaim our power! A few questions related to the example may help us understand this more clearly: Is it not better that the safety concerns were discovered? Are we not fortunate that the problems can be fixed? Is safe driving not worth the price involved in the repair? Is it realistic to expect that our car should never require such maintenance? Would it truly be better if the problems went undetected? Or, can we seek the right and rest easy–and grateful–that the problems are being repaired?

Although the example may seem oversimplified, or even unrealistic, the benefit of training our mind to seek the right should not be discounted. Right mental action has tremendous value that can be applied in countless situations! Are we dissatisfied with our career, our relationship, our health, or finances? A change of attitude–which is really a change in thinking–may help us find what’s positive right here, right now!

Life ultimately comes down to us, and our attitude toward it. To expect that the world will always unfold as we might expect, demand, or prefer is to be delusional. Our true power lies within. A scripture from Luke: 11: 5-13 may help us understand this teaching: Ask and it will be given; seek and ye shall find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Does this mean that a deity in the sky will deliver what we desire? No. And the scripture has nothing to do with being holy or deserving. It means that through right government of our mind, we may discover an improved state of consciousness. When we find the right within, we’re going to experience right in the world without. This change, as always, involves an inner transformation.

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”

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 (or create) positive situations and events; and negative attract (0r create) negative. We are to realize, also, that it’s possible to live from the center of our being and choose how we will think and feel; rather than being subject to the whims of wordly 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

“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. Expressed a different way, this means that what we focus upon increases or expands.

So how can we–as deliberate creators–practically apply this information? By first not only believing it’s true but also knowing it is. A couple of questions may anchor us in the truth of the statement: Have you noticed that when someone begins to complain about a situation, that before long someone else–a colleague, or even you–relates more about which to complain? Have you also noticed that a problem given attention soon takes on dimensions beyond its original scope? There’s a reason: By focusing on the problem, we’re unintentionally directing our mind to create more of it!

To positively counter such life situations, we can deliberately use our knowledge regarding focus to great benefit. On a personal level, that requires focusing on what is right with our life–not on what we have deemed wrong! If the subject of finances 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 troubling health issue, there is–most likely–a degree of good health in other regards. Such positive-oriented use of our focus is not 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 is 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: The view is dependent on you.

To create positive change in our lives, please consider the following suggestion: For the next twenty-four hours, direct your attention–deliberately–to what is 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 upon 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. Remember: 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

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

A Change of Attitude

The point in spreading the word about the Law of Attraction–at least for me–is to help improve the quality of our lives. This is not 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 a force external to ourselves–may govern the quality of our lives. There’s even better news: Such change does not require years; it may 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–not wishfully–change 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 challenged and re-framed within our mind–may repeat for a lifetime. Individuals may mistakenly believe they are inflicting revenge. The truth, of course, is that they are only harming themselves.

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–either through repetitive stories or vehement outbursts–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 is 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 in this regard: 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

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Deliberate Living

Frank is having a difficult day. He realizes it almost immediately upon waking, after tossing and turning all night. He feels physically and emotionally drained. Within a few minutes, his day only gets worse when he steps under the shower spray 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 the women in the office flirting with Doug, a new employee, who is 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 in which it blesses some and curses others. Life, in fact, isn’t favouring anyone. It is 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 just 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 few clothes that he has to his name. 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 feeling of poverty about his trip to Cuba, he is unaware that the average Cuban earns approximately $25.00 per month. And while Frank was belittling his own physique, a man named Richard–who has been in a wheelchair since a car accident four years earlier–still dreams of the mobility that Frank takes for granted.

The point of relating such different lives is not to make us feel better by contemplating the plight of others. Not at all! 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 may 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 are willing to welcome our own evolution–via lessons in the trenches of life–every down may yield an up; every detour may lead to a more meaningful destination.

A life master, if asked to share a technique to help us improve the quality of our days, might offer this: “Stay in the isness of life.” Stress, anxiety, and discomfort arise from resisting life, which is just another way of saying “I want life to be other than it is.” Such resistance robs us of the beauty arising in the present moment. It serves no positive purpose whatsoever. A wiser approach is to align–here and now–with the flow of life. When we do, we may thereby experience peace without demanding that life change to suit our needs.

Accepting life in the present moment doesn’t mean foregoing our dreams. Far from it! 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–be it improved health, greater wealth, or more success in various aspects of life–our task is to remain strong in our faith that a 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 will begin…in the time it takes to change our thoughts.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”

Think2wice

CONSCIOUSNESS, SPIRITUALITY, & LAW OF ATTRACTION

Tag: Attitude

Seeking the “Right”

Transcending History

Make it a Habit

A Change of Attitude

Deliberate Living

Menu