THOUGHTS TO LIVE BY -- A Guide to Life Mastery

DEVELOP TRUE KNOWING

We rely on verbal thinking to understand our world, but we should recognize its limitations -- it can equally and convincingly shape false ideas and beliefs as well as truthful ones. This is one of the causes of so much ignorance and misdoing in the world (just consider propaganda, advertising, prejudice and bias).

And even when we attempt to use language to convey a concrete existence, such as a particular person, place or thing, at best it can only convey a general impression.  To know any object as it actually exists, we may need to carefully and directly examine/experience it, noting all of its specific characteristics and qualities.

Verbal communication can be even more difficult when we try to convey a new reality.  Consider how difficult it is to understand the writings of great thinkers who present new ideas about the nature of reality. Despite all their skill and best efforts, we may easily misinterpret their meaning. (This is one reason why the world often takes a long time to appreciate true genius.)

Verbal thinking can only provide a skeletal understanding of what exists and, at its best, only points us in the right direction. But for greater knowing we must go beyond the use of language. So while a picture may be said to be worth a thousand words and direct experience a thousand pictures, by experiencing intuitively and empathetically, our knowing can go still further. It’s from these deeper levels of knowing that genius derives its true knowing.

So, don’t merely rely on verbal thinking and sensory experience; seek a deeper and fuller knowing, and live more successfully.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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THOUGHTS TO LIVE BY -- A Guide to Life Mastery

THE POWER OF CORE BELIEFS

Core beliefs subconsciously shape our lives, often creating human failure. My life and observation of the lives of many others bear this out.

As a young man I strove to be a great artist. But no matter how hard I tried, I had little success. The truth was that I subconsciously believed that I was meant to be a struggling artist and like Van Gogh, my art would be appreciated only after my death. At my core, I was committed to playing out a romantic and tragic vision I had of being an artist. So that’s how my life went.

As long as I was unaware of this hidden core belief and allowed it to rule me, the art and life I created could not bring me happiness or success. I could only continue struggling and suffering the lonely and desperate life of an artist/martyr.

Years later, after studying with a Gurdjieff Master, I began seeing myself more objectively and everything changed -- I saw myself as a very different kind of artist, changed the kind of art I did, and my work was shown in major New York galleries as well as at The Indianapolis Museum of Art (alongside the works of Andy Warhol and other major artists).

As my awareness increased, my ability to produce fulfilling and successful life results increased. And while I didn’t realize at the time exactly what was happening, I sensed that I was onto something. So instead of continuing to create art, I began investigating the psychology of creating success. After many years of such investigations, it became clear that to create a completely successful life, it’s essential to root out any misdirecting core beliefs we may have.

So if you find you’re failing in some aspect of life, look deep within and you may find, like I did, that certain beliefs are causing it.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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AWAKEN TO YOUR HIGHER MIND

Your higher mind is your best resource for confronting life’s difficulties. Yet, unless you come to know it, you live without its great benefits.

Those who recognize their higher mind and live by it meet life’s challenges better; they can assert their creative will, exercise their intuitive higher intelligence, and enjoy better results in all aspects of living. So instead of life being a constant struggle or an unsettling melodrama, it becomes a constantly fulfilling creative process ... a higher quality life is produced.

Yet, until we make this great self-discovery, it’s just idle talk. The truth and significance of our higher possibilities can’t be validated by hearsay; we need to personally make the discovery. And before being willing to extend ourselves in this direction, we may need to have some sense of its presence.

For this you may consider some of your best moments: when you felt a secure confidence and were in full command; had an authentic intuitive insight or creative inspiration; felt deeply moved by great art or beauty; had a moment of great courage; or were exhilarated by the simple fact of being vitally alive. Whenever you had such moments, you felt a greatness of spirit unlike your usual self. Now just imagine who you would be if you constantly experienced yourself in these exceptional ways.

If you can relate to this, then you have some sense of your higher mind and what is possible. And there’s also a good chance that you already are, or will be, seeking a path to fully realizing this greater Self.

The path of life mastery leads to the greater life your spirit seeks. So don’t hold yourself back. Move along this path and discover a greater life and Self ... and fulfill your true spiritual needs.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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