Friday, January 31, 2014

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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Saturday, January 25, 2014

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.

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


Monday, January 13, 2014

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.