4 STEPS TO LIFE MASTERY

Here are four essential steps to life mastery.  If you take them you’ll eliminate needless struggle, stress and suffering ... and create a life you love.

The first step is -- RECOGNIZING your Higher-Self.  If you have not taken this step yet, a great awakening is in store for you. For many people this may be the hardest step to take because identification with body, mind and personality has been so strongly established.  But meditation can help one get past this barrier. If you find meditation too difficult to do on your own, find a CD, a group or a teacher to help you.

Once you realize your Higher-Self, you’re ready for the second step -- REMEMBERING that this is who you really are.  The ego and urgencies of daily life make this easy to forget. So to meet this memory challenge, enlist every help you can get.  Place notes in your home and workspace, program your computer or iPhone alarm. Practice mini meditations throughout the day. Etc.  

All this prepares you to take the third step: LISTENING for the ‘voice’ of your Higher-Self.  Your Higher-Self is always trying to guide you, but its voice can’t be heard unless you actively listen for it. And you can’t do this unless you remember to still your mind and listen deeply for its prompting. This may take practice, but once you start to ‘get it’ you’re ready for the final step -- DOING your Higher-Self’s bidding.

The steps are simple and clear. If you choose to follow them they’ll take you -- step by step -- to life mastery and a life you’ll love. 

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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LIVING AT YOUR  PEAK

Many people believe that they’ll begin living at peak when they find a great love, gain professional success or get wealthy. But this is not necessarily so. Getting any or all of these (or anything else for that matter) is not going to bring anyone to peak.  Because peak-living doesn’t depend upon what we have or get, it depends on how well we respond to life events and circumstance ... especially the ones not to our liking!

Here’s the key:  to live at peak, the only thing we really need to ‘get’ is OUR BEST RESPONDING SELF - a self that responds more POSITIVELY, CONSCIENTIOUSLY, SKILLFULLY and OBJECTIVELY. The more effort we put into being this, the more we may live at peak and the better our lives can get.

Thus, to have a terrific life we don’t have to be or live like anyone else or even be the most capable human ever.  We just need to be focused at a higher level.

As you may know, setting a high-minded goal such as this can be done quickly and easily. But actually focusing our mind at a higher level is often the rub … and habitual daily practice may be needed. This is one reason I recommend practicing SELF-REMEMBERING – remembering to observe oneself many times each day and ask, “Am I being my Highest Self at this moment?”

This is an important technique of my Life Mastery Training. Try it! Each day, see how often you can remember to be your Highest Self ... and then be it. And then see how much better your life gets.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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A SUCCESS SECRET

A key for successful living may be stated in a simple short sentence.  But like any great wisdom, it’s fairly useless unless we regularly apply it. For those of you who are doers, here’s the simple secret:

FOCUS MORE ON GIVING INSTEAD OF GETTING.

Many people don’t seem to realize that life is a transactional process - the more good we give, the more good we get.

This works in various ways. By giving  positive acknowledgment, caring attention, emotional support and affection, we get solid friendships; by giving our best to our work, we get professional satisfaction and advancement.

However, if we try to get a lot while giving only a minimum, we may find that we end up only cheating ourselves. Just think: are you willing to be friends with those who want lots from you and give little back? Would you hire or promote someone who wants a big paycheck and gives little to the job and company success?  I think not!

Also, giving is not true giving if done with an ulterior motive. So it’s important to give freely with no expectations. Trust in the law of energy flow and exchange - what we truly give is what we get.

Also important is to give to oneself. How good a life can we build if we don’t give to ourselves by conserving, saving, investing and developing ourselves? 

In the end, all giving is a gift to oneself.  So give more and have a fuller and more successful life.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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UNREASONABLE JOY

As infants we spontaneously kicked our legs, wiggled our toes and squealed joyfully.  But as we get older we seem to express this great feeling of being alive less and less. Sure, we may have good times but we may not allow ourselves to feel joy as often and fully as we might; aging seems to stunt our happiness potential. 

Perhaps we become afraid to spontaneously feel joy or begin to think that you’re not entitled to feel so good without a specific reason.  If you've become captured by such ideas, my suggestion is not to let them stand in your way.  Allow yourself the freedom to experience joy, unconditionally – for no reason at all.

What’s at stake is your full aliveness.  At core we’re beings with great loving and joyous capacities that need regular expression.  If we don’t express the full depth of ourselves, the experience of living can become very dry. We may feel a constant hunger for something which never comes, because we’re seeking something outside ourselves when it’s experiencing our own soul that we’re in need of.  And love and joy are two powerful ways in which we may experience our deepest soul-self.

To experience more joy, we don’t have to undergo years of psychotherapy or have a near-death experience.  We can do it right now - for no reason at all! Simply take a deep breath, and then as you exhale throw up your arms and jump toward the sky and squeal with total abandon. Any child feels free enough to do this, and so we should too; there’s no age limit for experiencing one’s joyful spirit.

If others are around and it seems inappropriate, you may still do it secretly in your mind’s eye – visualize yourself jumping for joy through a sunshiny meadow.  The effect will be the same.   

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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ANOTHER WAY TO READ

Most of us read volumes of words weekly, if not daily.  And for the most part our reading serves a good purpose.  It keeps us informed and helps us run our lives.  However, there's a special way of reading we may not often do that is contemplative.  When we read this way, we rapidly expand and grow.   

When we read contemplatively, we don't just read the material; we engage it fully and at our deepest level.  We read more deliberately and review material as many times as we may need to; we pause to more clearly visualize the material and to relate it to our experience; we ponder not just what was said, but also what wasn't said; we sense and examine our own reactions as well as an author's motives and intentions.  Further, we explore the many directions of thought that may arise from all these deliberations.

A contemplative reading approach allows us not only to absorb information more thoroughly, it also expands our capacity to perceive and think -- we have a high-impact-reading-experience that transforms as well as informs us.

With this approach, what matters is not how much we read or how fast we read, but how much we expand through reading.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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ACCESSING YOUR WISDOM

“A wise person does first what others do last.” 

When I discovered this quote I thought it was a brilliant insight.  It supports the belief that a wise person lives best.  For a wise person is one who chooses the best action to take right at the start and thereby lives most fruitfully.

Given this, the key to a great life lies not in all the many good intentions and goals we may have, but in gaining the wisdom to direct ourselves better.  Wisdom streamlines life and keeps us from wasting time and energy going down wrong paths.

Wisdom is a great legacy left to us by many wise persons throughout the ages.  But our most immediate source of wisdom resides deep within ourselves. And we can easily access it by learning to focus meditatively.

This doesn't mean that we have to practice meditation, although it helps. What is needed is to slow down our brain waves to 8 to 14 cycles per second, which happens when we sufficiently slow down thinking. This level of brain wave activity is THE ALPHA ZONE (one of four brain wave ranges we normally enter). In it we become alertly detached, and our objectivity, will, conscientiousness, intuition, and perceptual receptivity can increase. In it we can be more powerfully present and in control -- and live at our MASTER MIND LEVEL. 

At this level our higher mental powers are more readily available and we may live better. Train yourself to enter and live more in this zone. Then you’ll often access your inherent wisdom -- and do first what you might otherwise do last ... or not do at all.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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LIVE MORE CREATIVELY

Creativity is a key human capacity. Yet many of us don’t sufficiently utilize it … or even recognize that it’s one of our great human gifts. I’m firmly convinced that without utilizing our creative capacity, we don’t, and can’t, live at our best – even if we have all the money, success, love and friendship we might long for - for it’s through creativity that we experience a special quality of being alive.

I’m not suggesting that everyone create art or invent some great new product for the world; obviously this is not possible. However, I am suggesting that we can more often connect with ourselves and surroundings in an intentionally creative way that allows new life-enhancements to emerge through us on a daily basis; life-enhancements which may be fleeting as well as permanent and manifest wherever we are: at home, at work and at play.

For instance, a new -- wardrobe space … windowsill garden … recipe … product design … furniture arrangement … sales approach … efficiency or economy procedure – are some of countless tangible life-enhancement possibilities we may intentionally create at home or at work. Along with those tangible life-enhancements we may also intentionally create many fleeting life-enhancing experiences, like laughter and other good feelings.

Also, with a deliberate shift in our mode of perception, we may intentionally create instant experiences of beauty, charm, meaning and uniqueness by extracting these essences from all that exists around us. For example, with a creative shift in perception we can find: sacred presence in an old building; imaginative creatures in shifting clouds; a charm of unique personality in each person’s manner; perfection in an egg; infinity in an inch of space; and so on.

Once we fully awaken to the limitless transformative power of applied creative intention, we may find ourselves producing many unexpected new life-enhancements effects, maybe even creating some form of art.

One final point to stress -- the creation of all life-enhancements requires three steps – first, connect with the energy of pure goodness within you; second, choose some form by which to give it living existence; third, pour your good energy freely into manifesting your creative intention, sparing no effort.

So there you have it. So now please create more forms of goodness to enhance every day of your life; it’s the best way to spend your energy.

Goodness and joy to all, 

Joseph

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THE ONE TRUE PATH FORWARD

The brain’s Prefrontal Lobe (PFL), which sits behind the forehead, is the most recently evolved area of the brain. Many creative, executive, and other higher mental functions are coordinated or take place there. It provides the basis for a HIGHER FUNCTIONING MIND AND SELF.

Developing this higher level self is the next step in human evolution and exactly what’s needed for improving life. It’s the key to awakening and evolving authentic spirituality and the means for achieving TRUE LIFE SUCCESS … the true aim of all great spiritual teachers and practices.

We have this inherent possibility, but it requires belief in it … and intention … and daily effort to actualize it.  Absent these, we default to a lesser and usual level of self -- regardless of intelligence and talent.

At its default level, the mind largely operates re-actively and is subconsciously driven by ego, inappropriate or irrational emotions, physical urges, biases and mindless habits – which often lead to less favorable results ... and at times, lead to harm to self and others.

Such failures are essentially caused by not recognizing the limits of one’s default mental functioning and thus make no effort to practice more mindful living. Until this is done, personal and human progress remain stalled; greater possibilities go unfulfilled no matter how great are our desires, good intentions and efforts may be -- we may dream, plan, scheme and struggle in vain … and still be less fulfilled in the end.

This is a key fact of human life!

Thus we owe it to ourselves to develop a higher-conscious level of mind – i.e., practice mindfulness, self-awareness, conscientiousness, introspection and meditation. Developing a higher functioning self is the only true path forward.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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YOUR HIGHER CREATIVE MIND

No one really knows what consciousness is or how it comes to be -- it’s a mystery.  Creativity is also a mystery.  Of both realities there are many theories … yet little comprehensive understanding. So over time I’ve formed this basic view.

Consciousness and creativity are bound together like two sides of a coin.  Consciousness is of itself creative in that it’s the process by which we create experience; every perception and thought is a creation forming our sense of reality, and it happens instantly and automatically.  

But this doesn't mean that we’re automatically creative in the usual innovative or artistic sense or that we’re automatically actualizing our best possibilities.  These are quite another matter. To be creative in these ways, one must deliberately shift to another mental gear in which we better set and maintain creative intention; perceive more openly and clearly; sense more intuitively; more freely and easily discover and explore new possibilities; and better regulate behavior.

I believe that, on a brain level, all this happens due to our becoming more able to utilize our Prefrontal Lobe (the brain’s seat of higher mental functioning). And I also believe that, to deliberately make it happen, one essentially learns to enter a kind of ‘self-surrender’ state – a momentary ‘letting go’ of one’s ordinary thinking ego-self; this allows one to connect with a higher, freer and wiser level of self.

So the key lies in learning to surrender one’s usual ego self, at least temporarily.

Creative people may be accused of have big egos driving them to accomplish great results, and this may often be true. But at the moments of actual creative insight or impulse, I believe they slip into a non-ego blissful state, something similar to ‘no mind’ meditation. Then they become receptive to flashes of divine inspiration.

This is what I believe is often not understood – most of us have the capacity to slip into this higher creative consciousness state. We’re always just a blink away. But we need to learn to relax, let go, and momentarily transcend our ordinary ego consciousness state. Then we can truly live creatively.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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EXPLORING MIND POWER

Thoughts trigger electrical ‘storms' in the brain and produce chemicals that regulate our state of being.  They also guide our choices and actions, which lead to the results we get.  Our thoughts are very powerful indeed.  

Yet consciousness and thoughts are nowhere to be found in our physical universe.  But still we know they exist.  And like all things that exist, they must be a form of energy; a form of energy, as I see it that is free of time and space.  I say this because there are so many unusual life events that seem best understood in this way, such as the following:

Have you ever tuned in to the exact words a person was about to say and spoken them first?  Or have you gotten an e-mail or phone call from someone soon after thinking of them?  Or do you frequently tune in and pluck creative ideas ‘out of thin air’?  Or have you had a sudden inexplicable awareness that a loved one was in trouble ... and later found it to be true? 

Most of us have experienced these kinds of events; ideas seem to be picked up across distances. Further, scientists have noted that separate societies, with no contact, have simultaneously come up with the same inventions and ideas ... seemingly telepathically.  Animals also have demonstrated this ability.  It’s been observed that after a species in one part of the world has learned a new behavior, like making a tool, the same species in another part of the world suddenly knows how to do it, too.

These examples don’t prove anything of course.  They’re merely thought- provoking observations.  Yet put together, they suggest, if we’re open to it, that the power of consciousness and thought may be much greater than we can prove.  Perhaps some truths can never be proven and we’ll always have to rely on intuition and observation to judge what is true.

So put the need for proof aside and make this experiment: intensely focus on a person in your life and keep having positive thoughts about them.  Then see what happens.  You may find that your mind has much more power than you presently believe.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.                                                             

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HOW TO MANIFEST YOUR DESIRES

Have you tried Creative Visualization and found that it didn't work? What many don’t realize is that Creative Visualization is much more than picturing what we want in our mind, it’s our consciousness state that makes the crucial difference.

When visualization is driven by feelings of lack, neediness and non entitlement, we reinforce the negative experience of not getting or having. This then becomes the expectation of our subconscious, undermining our ability to manifest what we seek. Thus we may only partially get, or not get at all, what we seek.

Because Creative Visualization is a creative focusing technique designed to guide us subconsciously as well as consciously, for it to work well we need to be energized by spirit and highly charged with confident feelings, i.e., an inner sense or knowing that one is on course to getting what’s sought.

When operating from spirit we’re more aligned with truth and sense what’s clearly most feasible and fitting for ourselves and don’t waste time visualizing what’s inappropriate or unrealistic for us. Operating from spirit also makes us more intuitive, leading us to the right places at the right times, and gives us a more focused will to stay on track.

So the key to successful creative visualization lies in being positively charged and attuned to spirit – thus we’re intuitively as well as consciously and subconscious guided toward manifesting our visualized goal.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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ELIMINATE DISSATISFACTION

I think we've all been dissatisfied with our life at times. We may not have realized that our thoughts of dissatisfaction produce and perpetuate the very state of dissatisfaction we’d rather not be in. 

Ironic, isn't it?!

So the first step to dealing with these feelings is to accept things for what they are, at least for the moment.  Once we do this we immediately improve how we feel and make it easier to see what we need to do to improve the situation.

Here, rigorous and objective self-examination is vital for discovering what is at issue needing change. Is it an old habit or belief? Or how we’re communicating? Perhaps it’s fear of embarrassment or ridicule? Whatever issue we find and address properly can open the door to better results and satisfaction.

So, while dissatisfaction can be a barrier to progress, it can also be a good thing if not held too long. If we get caught up in casting blame, complaining or regretting past actions or in-actions, we only keep our feelings of dissatisfaction going; this wastes time and energy and leads to self-defeat or even depression. Dissatisfaction serves us well when we use it as a wakeup call or an impetus for taking constructive action. So the sooner we move past feelings of dissatisfaction and deal with the issue at hand -- the better!

REMEMBER: Life conditions, as distasteful as they may sometimes be, are always an opportunity to bring our best self forward and grow stronger. And as we keep growing, we eventually become quite extraordinary – A HIGHLY EVOLVED INDIVIDUALIZED SELF, EXPERIENCING GREAT SATISFACTION ON A DAILY BASIS.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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REMEMBERING YOURSELF

Remembering Yourself is a key self-awareness technique. If you use it regularly, you might be surprised at the results you can get.

You may think that you are continuously aware of yourself and that you don’t need this practice. But if you practice remembering yourself you may soon discover that you often get ‘lost’ in your thoughts and the day’s events and that you can be more conscious and alert then you normally are.

Here’s the most basic form of this exercise: simply remember yourself as often as you can in a day; and each time that you do, just notice your body and its movements --  i.e., how you’re sitting, standing, posturing yourself or gesturing -- and keep a running count of how often you remember to do this each day.

Challenge yourself to get higher total counts each day.  But don’t be surprised if you remember yourself fewer than five times the first few days you try it.

This is a very simple exercise but it can produce profound results – after a few weeks of practice it can awaken you to a new level of consciousness. But in order for this to happen you must be diligent. And, at some point you may have a great AHA! moment -- you may realize that a higher overseeing Master Mind Self is emerging and you’re getting a new level of control of your thoughts, feelings and actions and getting much better results.   

You may find that this Self-remembering practice has launched you to a new level of conscious awareness and control of your life. But you can only know this for sure if you make this practice part of your daily routine. And to help yourself do this, post little reminder notes in strategic locations to catch your eye as you move through the day.

This is helpful to even to experienced practitioners and can make a big difference – I guarantee it.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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DEVELOPING AUTHENTIC INTUITION

Those with intuitive foresight have a great advantage in life; they avoid many problems and prepare better for what lies ahead. What allows some to do this while others cannot?  As I see it, it’s a matter of developing five key abilities which produce authentic intuition.

The first is the ability to be CALMLY DETACHED.  Consciously or subconsciously, any strong wishes, hopes and fears that we have will tend to mislead us, resulting in incorrect expectations. Thus, until we learn to calmly detach from such biases, we can’t correctly sense what lies ahead.

True intuitive awareness comes by ‘hearing’ the subtle prompting of an intuitive ‘voice’ that our usual mind-chatter otherwise would normally block out. So to perceive true intuition, we need to learn to QUIET OUR MIND. This is the second ability. These two skills allow us to be extremely clear and perform the third -- FOCUSING RECEPTIVELY.

These are three essential abilities.  But in the early stages of intuitive development, usually two more are also needed -- RECOGNIZING INTUITIVE AUTHENTICITY and TRUST.  This is because as soon as we receive an intuitive flash, often a fear, hope or wish may immediately jump in and undermine our confidence in it.

Here’s where practice and trial and error play important roles. The more we practice this process and test the truth of our findings, the better we get at sensing, recognizing and trusting our authentic intuitions. And the more we develop authentic intuition, the more successful life can get.

 

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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COMBATING FEAR

Fear runs deep in us.  It touches many aspects of our lives and is perhaps our greatest problem.  It often controls us without our even knowing it's there.  So how can we successfully deal with it?

Obviously, we must first become aware of our fear -- face it, then look to see what's behind it. This may be difficult when fear shakes us to our core or when it hides beneath another feeling such as anger, contempt, jealousy or aversion.  But if we do recognize and confront our fears and go through them, they become doorways to self-knowledge and inner freedom ... and ultimately a better life.

Here are three fear-fighting techniques: First, imagine radiating love energy toward whatever causes you fear.   As you do this you'll see your fear disappear because love and fear are opposites that can't coexist.  The more we love, the less we fear. This is one reason Jesus taught us to “love thy enemy”. When we can love even our enemies, we conquer fear, become stronger spiritually and more able to act wisely.

Another fear-fighting technique: don’t believe all the calamitous stories you tell yourself.  Often fear is the result of something we imagine or expect will or won’t happen. But if we recognize that we don’t really know, once again we dispel fear. 

And consider this: most of the things you fear never happen. Realizing and reaffirming this is a third way to combat fear.

With these tools you can master much fear and clear the way to live more peacefully and joyfully.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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HOW AND WHEN TO PRAY

We know why people pray … it’s our direct outreach for divine assistance. But what is less known is the true purpose of prayer and how to pray effectively.

Whatever one’s concept of God is or isn't (even many atheists have prayed), when done wholeheartedly one may feel enveloped in God’s radiant love and protection. This can quell fear, strengthen confidence and help us face whatever is to come.

Experiments show that prayers’ miraculous power is a true mysterious fact … many times we will thankfully find our prayers answered. However, if we pray only when desperately in need, we reduce prayer to a last-resort call for help instead of utilizing its greater possibilities and purpose – i.e., to affirm and strengthen our divine connection and to increase our sense of well-being, serenity, self-worth, goodness, constructive and creative life-purpose, and to help us become more God-like and experience our oneness with God.

Prayer serves us better as we more fully utilize it. So pray often each day. Acknowledge your gratitude for all the goodness provided and affirm your connection to God again and again. Also, express your desire to be guided in becoming more courageous, loving, compassionate, wise, generous, kind, and all that would better bring your Godly-self forward.

So, from this day on, instead of perhaps thinking of prayer as a 911 call that one may occasionally and urgently make, think of it as a chance to drink from a gloriously nurturing spring many times a day.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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BE YOUR GODLY SELF

Have you ever heard that God is who you really are?

For many this may seem ridiculous and taken as a sign of foolishness, grandiosity or megalomania. Yet we may all have experienced our Godly self many times and in many ways. But due to misconceptions about God and ourselves, we may have misinterpreted these experiences.

If we believe God is a super being outside ourselves, and that we’re weak and sinful creatures separate from God, and need to fear, obey and worship Him, we keep from knowing God and ourselves as one. However, if we can see God as a primary universal creative force manifesting itself in an infinite number of ways -- including as us -- then we may recognize that, just as an ocean drop is always one with the ocean, we’re always one with God; God is all there is … and we’re all God.

Not all existences have sufficient consciousness to recognize this or the ability to deliberately choose to express their divine nature. However, upon spiritual awakening, all humans do. And until we become spiritually awakened we remain ego-driven and sleepwalk through life, dreaming of a greater life in the future. But this greater life doesn't come until we become spiritually awakened. Then it occurs immediately -- HERE and NOW.

During these moments, we transcend our usual ordinary selves and feel a sense of timelessness and inexhaustible energy; we become profoundly inspired … or deeply peaceful … or extremely patient … or magnificently courageous … or incredibly skillful … or greatly compassionate … or unusually playful … or totally accepting … or extremely kind … or miraculously healing … or ecstatically blissful … or wisely insightful … or unexpectedly creative … or hugely thankful … or extremely giving … or eagerly helpful … or truly forgiving … or unconditionally loving … or exquisitely joyful.

For however long or short we may experience it, when spiritually awakened we may express our Godly nature. So keep this in mind: your Godly self is always close at hand. Just divinely attune within and let your Godly self spring forth.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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MAGICAL MEDITATION

Meditation is often misunderstood. Yet it’s a vital key to living a more successful and enlightened life. If our society were to grasp its true value, we’d teach it in school and make it central to daily life.

The practice of meditation has many proven positive biological and psychological effects – reducing stress, sharpening mental focus, increasing effectiveness and creativity, improving physical health and extending life, as well as paving the way for consciousness developments that further human evolution and create a better world. But to gain all these benefits, it helps to have a clear understanding of what meditation is … and how to practice it most effectively.

Essentially, meditation is a method for shifting to a deeply peaceful and sublime consciousness state that temporarily weakens reactive mental mechanisms (sub-wills). It ‘lifts’ us from our usual ego-biased state to a purer, more objective and intuitively open state … whereby we can perceive reality more truthfully and fully, feel more positive and compassionate, act more constructively and wisely, live at a highly inspired and energetic level and know our true creative nature and great potential.

Some meditators are unable to fully achieve all these benefits because they use a limited meditation technique, or they don’t meditate regularly or deeply enough or they treat meditation as an isolated ritualistic practice separate from everyday living.

To overcome some of these limitations, I recommend practicing OPELI MEDITATION and applying the higher consciousness state it produces to every aspect of daily life.

OPELI is a five-part soul-focusing technique (see my 8/12/12 posting); it not only focuses and quiets the mind, as do other meditative techniques, but it also focuses our intuitive energetic body (soul) – the true locus of spiritual empowerment.  

As we bring this more fully focused self to bear in daily life, its wondrous ‘magic’ takes hold, concretely manifesting and fulfilling true soul desires.

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THE SECRET OF TRUE FREE WILL

You may now know that your mind is a mechanism for directing behavior, primarily run by sub-personalities (sub-wills). But did you know that before you’re aware of having a thought, a sub-will has already initiated it ... that your sub-wills are always a step ahead of you? 

This has been shown scientifically -- that the activity of a thought occurs in the brain a split second before we’re actually aware of having it. So our thoughts are formed and actions decided before we actually know them; thus we never really know what we’re going to think or decide before we do it. Even if we make an action plan, the moment we go to execute it, our sub-wills may react to an unexpected event and send us in a different direction.

Yet, we maintain an illusion of free will and control because we usually take ownership of whatever emerges from us, just because it did.  However, when what emerges from us is very out of character with our self-view, we may become aware of our lack of control – that something has gotten hold of us.

This can happen to us in the middle of a fierce argument – in an outburst of rage our lack of self-control can so stunningly confront us that it ‘awakens’ us to self-awareness. At such moments, time may seem to slow down and we can see our behavior more objectively.   

Ironically, at such out-of-control moments we may also unintentionally touch upon the secret of true free will – ACTING IN A CALM SELF-POSSESSED STATE OF AWARENESS.

At this level we perceive more options for action and can exercise free will. Also, at this level we may intuitively sense our soul’s best inclinations and act more lovingly, creatively and constructively.

Self-possession is the key to exercising true free will, and we may achieve it more consistently as we practice meditation and mindful living; the two essential practices of life mastery.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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SHAPING YOUR FUTURE

As we become aware of our sub-wills, we may begin to see how they often keep us from accomplishing what we intend. 

We may intend to lose weight, but a Sensual sub-will can keep us eating more than we need. We may intend to have a successful career, but a Lazy Child sub-will will keep us from making the necessary effort. We may want to have close friends, but a Critic sub-will may cause us to say and do things that keep friendship from blossoming. And so on.

And what’s worse, if a sub-will with a strong biased belief is very dominant, it can consistently rule us and set our fate.

For example, if we have a dominant sub-will belief that it’s evil to be rich, it’ll continually lead us to keep ourselves financially wanting.  Or, a dominant sub-will belief that we’re not worthy of love will continually keep us from having true lasting love.  Or, a dominant sub-will belief that we can’t depend on others will continually keep us from seeking the help and support we need to realize our best successes.

So here’s the main point: to truly create the life we intend, we need to be aware of and oversee our sub-wills – we need to rule them instead of being ruled by them; then we’ll have a real chance of becoming master of our fate.

Make it a daily practice to recognize sub-will activity and choose not to be ruled by it. As you do this, you’ll become more in charge of the results and future you get.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

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HOW TO MASTER LIFE

According to science, self-determination is an illusion. This is because we tend to live on autopilot, driven by subconscious sub-wills – i.e., conditioned tendencies and beliefs that automatically determine what we think, feel, choose and do.

This is an unfortunate human condition that we’re all subject to. But the surprising fact is that the moment we become aware of this we can begin living in a more consciously self-directed way … and shape better results. I call this LIVING AT OUR MASTER MIND LEVEL.

HERE’S THE KEY: true self-determination depends on making a mental shift from superficial self-awareness to profound self-awareness.

The shift occurs when we observe ourselves from a position of calm detachment; this reveals and disempowers automatic sub-willed action, while it clears the way for more creative and effective action.

While we’re responsible for all of our automatic behavior (which tends to define who we are), it’s not really who we are; we have a greater and more creative Self hidden beneath it which emerges as we make the shift to profound self-awareness and more mindful and loving action.

To do this can be a great challenge. It requires us to vigilantly live at a higher consciousness level. We’re also challenged to become non-defensive and non-judgmental about our reactive thoughts and actions when they occur, noticing and accepting them for what they are -- and then choosing to replace them with more constructive thoughts and actions.

With this approach we can master our destiny; this is the path of life mastery and spiritual evolution.

A SPECIAL NOTE: Once on this path, don’t be discouraged if the greater life you want doesn't suddenly appear. Remember: creating a magnificent life is like weeding a garden. It’s a gradual process. If you focus daily on one small patch at a time, a year or two from now when you step back and take a broader look, you’ll see that your life has become more glorious than you thought. And you’ll joyfully thank yourself.

Goodness and joy to all, Joseph.

SPREAD AWARENESS ... FORWARD THESE THOUGHTS TO A FRIEND.