Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Wealth Building Habits and Tips

If you want to be successful, you need mentors or in other words find people that have succeeded. These people can include the ultra rich like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, but don't forget about the people around you that have created good wealth building habits.

Some of the people have great advice and will need to be listened to very intently, while others need to be put on a list and never spoken to again. If you're going to be developing wealth building habits, you're going to need some advice from wealthy people. Let me make myself clear, when I'm talking about developing wealth building habits, I'm not talking about spiritual, knowledge, Biblical or religious wealth. I'm talking about making money, as much money as you desire or feel you need.

Wealth building habits start with you. Ask yourself this question "how bad do I want or desire wealth?" Really, really, really bad or are you the kind of person that would like to be rich, but that's as far as it goes. Developing any of these habits does not include sleeping in until 11 o'clock in the morning and then complaining the rest of the day about your finances.

Bill Gates used to work 16 hours a day. How many days a week did he do that? These are the questions you're going to find the answers to. If you're interested in making $50 million, you need to find someone who can teach you, how to make $50 million.

It won't be necessary to contact Warren Buffett but I would advise you to gather as much information about him as possible. Wealth building habits start with learning about wealthy people. If they get up at four o'clock in the morning and read the newspaper until six o'clock, then exercise for 30 minutes and start working at seven o'clock, you need to start doing this also. Developing good wealth building habits over time are what most successful businessman and women have been doing for years. Study their habits and start changing yours.

If you do something every day, it will usually become a habit within 30 days.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a self help video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Ted Andrews
Faith Belief Or Education

Monday, March 30, 2009

Beginning Through Awareness

Are you living your values, or has your life been hijacked by someone else's? Are you living your life through the eyes of someone else, or is it your own? Is this journey your truth or someone else's truth? Are you living the experiences they want you to or that you want?

Values are ideals that guide you through life. They help distinguish and inform you as to what is important and provide a way in making stronger choices that are in line with your heart. When you live by your values, life is fulfilling and joyful. There is a sense of calm, completeness and contentment. When you don't live by your values, there is a feeling of quiet frustration that drains your energy without even an awareness that it's happening.
Many of us go through life unaware of where we are headed. We

plough through the days must's, should's and have to's and don't stop to reflect and adjust according to our intentions or desires. It's okay to get side-tracked. Being sidetracked could be a form of relieving tensions or anxieties.

Getting side-tracked could also be a way of reminding us to reflect. To find out if where we are headed is the direction we really want to go. Is where I am going in alignment with my true heart's desire? For me, what I plan on doing, is being more aware when I do get side-tracked. And because of my awareness to what may occur, I will get back on the bus and begin the forward movement I initially intended earlier.

Most importantly, every time you feel like life is giving you a bad deal, or your wheels are stuck in the mud, ask yourself if you are chasing someone else's dreams and values or yours. Each one of us will make many different stops, turns and directions that are unique only to us. But there's one thing that we all have that is the same. Time. Being side-tracked is part of life, but how long do you intend to be side-tracked? The price you will have to pay is in the delay of your dreams or pursuing another's vision and finding out it was never yours all along.

You can begin anew with awareness to what is. Recognize your values. Values also change in priority depending on what is happening in your life. When a newborn arrives, your value of freedom and adventure may be restricted temporarily, but your value for commitment, care, reliability, provider and radiance is magnified.

Reflect and then adjust your intentions according to your desires. Make sure your values line up with your truth and not someone else's. Living with values that are a priority in your life will create a life filled with fulfillment and joy, and a sense of calm and contentment. Create a new beginning and strive to become the real you.

Discover the #1 Rule to Live By and 7 Life-Changing Steps to transform your life! Wake Up To Life is a monthly ezine for women in transition and of all ages who seek clarity, direction, meaning, change and purpose in their lives. Transform from mediocre and mundane to passionate and with more zest. Visit http://www.desireeleigh.com/ezine.htm and begin designing the life of your dreams!

Sunday, March 29, 2009

The Importance of Becoming Emotionally Self Aware

Emotional self-awareness is the foundational competency of the Emotional Intelligence (EI) model I have worked with for over a decade. This competency provides a solid base upon which to build and enhance Emotional Intelligence competencies including emotional self-management, emotional self-motivation, empathy and nurturing relationships. Yet many of us go through our day unaware and very accepting of the emotional roller coaster daily events evoke. And without recognizing where we are expending our emotional energy, it becomes difficult to progress to developing other EI competencies.

As we all deal with stress on a daily basis, we become accustomed to the pressures and hardly notice when the heat is turned up. Our stress levels rise when we experience negative emotions and are unable to cope with the challenges of our environment. We've all heard of the damaging effects of stress, but what's surprising is that many people don't realize they are experiencing negative emotions. If you don't know what emotion you're feeling, you don't have the information you need to decide whether to stay in that emotion or change or transform it.

Jane's Story:

One of my EI workshop participants, Jane (not her real name) worked in a technical field. It seemed far-fetched to Jane that emotions and emotional intelligence could be important to performance. The concept that emotions played no role in her work was reinforced by both the company culture and the extremely objective, rational nature of her profession. This impression also carried over into her personal life. When we had our goal-setting interview before the workshop, Jane told me that she didn't notice emotions and emotions played no role in her work. She also told me that her colleagues were difficult to work with. Disconnected from her emotions, Jane didn't see the emotional impact she had on others. Additionally, her boss perceived Jane as causing all her problems. He felt the difficulties Jane was having were due to her distant behavior and lack of emotional self-awareness and insensitivity to others.

During and after our first training session, Jane started practicing techniques to help her become more aware of her emotions. At our first coaching session, Jane, with tears in her eyes, revealed that she finally recognized that she did have emotions and those emotions, the negative ones, were hampering her work and home relationships. She realized that distancing herself made her peers feel that she was inapproachable. Jane confided in her boss about her revelation. Before this discussion, Jane's boss had no idea that she was clueless about her behavior and its impact on others. This understanding shed a new light on what was going on and, with this different perspective, the boss became more willing to listen to Jane and support her.

Jane's story is not uncommon. Many of us lack an awareness of our feelings and how those feelings may be affecting our work and our relationships. Disregarding emotions and focusing on getting the work done, especially in technical roles, seems to be a cultural predisposition. What we don't realize is that disregarding emotion is detrimental to effectiveness and productivity.

Without the awareness of the importance of emotions, we do not have insight into how our responses to negative feelings are affecting us and those around us. On a personal level, negative emotions spark a cascade of 1400 biochemical events, some of which result in physiological changes such as increased adrenaline, heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol (the stress hormone). This negatively affects your physical energy, mental clarity, and personal effectiveness. Experiencing these negative emotions, can cause us to become defensive, short with people and sometimes angry. And when others observe this response, we can loose their valuable suggestions, insight and help as they start avoiding us.

Even with the awareness of how important emotions are, people may experience a personal anxiety or hesitancy to openly advocate for developing EI skills. Some of my workshop participants have reported significant benefits from using the EI techniques I teach, yet, particularly in a technical field such as Engineering, are hesitant to promote an EI program for others. While there certainly is a bell-shaped curve of those who do or don't make a choice to benefit from the development of EI skills, not providing the opportunity is an opportunity lost for everybody.

What Can You Do?

Start by identifying typical situations at work or at home in which you feel negative emotions such as anxiety, frustration, anger, fear, or sadness. For example, you may feel frustrated when people who have important information don't show up for a meeting. Or you may feel angry when you see a certain person because he always wastes your time. Or you may feel anxiety when your boss approaches you about a particular project. Or you may feel depressed on Sunday night when you think about all the work facing you the coming week. Identifying these situations helps you realize those events that trigger negative emotions.

Next, pay attention to and name the emotions the identified triggers evoke. Also recognize and name the positive emotions you experience during fun times such as playing with a puppy, sharing dinner with friends, or just sitting in the sunshine. Start developing an emotional vocabulary and expand upon it as the occasion permits.

Create a baseline of where you are expending your emotional energy now. Draw a four-box grid, labeling the two right boxes as positive emotions and the two left as negative emotions. Label the upper two boxes as high-energy emotions and the lower two low-energy emotions. Recall the day's activities, interactions and events. For each, identify your emotion and write the emotion in the appropriate box on the grid, noting how long you were in the emotion. For example, hesitant would lie in the lower left box while anger would lie in the upper left box. Peaceful would lie in the lower right box and excited in the upper right box. Annoyed, depending on your level of annoyance, would lie somewhere in the left two boxes.

When you finish you will have an emotional map of your day. You were in the zone of peak performance if the frequency and duration of your emotions lie on the right side of the grid. If they lie on the left side, you are in a stress zone. As you develop your EI skills, periodically recreate this map. Over time you will want to see yourself more frequently in the two right quadrants by choosing to transform negative emotions into positive, productive emotions.

Byron Stock guides individuals and organizations toward excellence by helping them develop their Emotional Intelligence skills as a powerful tool to achieve strategic objectives, lead change and create resilient, high-performing organizational cultures. Learn about Byron's quick, easy, proven techniques to harness the power of your Emotional Intelligence at http://www.ByronStock.com .

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Reading Feng Shui Books

Quite simply, a different style of living. If you're the kind of person who eats the same food week after week, shops and the same stores and only socializes with a few people, feng shui is probably not something you're going to be interested in. However, if you're someone, who wants to try something different, the Chinese philosophy of feng shui could be something that you, just might be interested in.

Where can you find feng shui books? Of course we all know you can find them at your local bookstores like Barnes & Noble, Amazon and other online sources. Here's something that might be a little new age or something that most people often forget about, how about going down to your local public library. Public libraries are a great source for books and if you don't like them, you never had to pay for them.

Feng shui books have become popular in the last 20 to 40 years and seems to create an environment out of your home. The Chinese have been practicing this for over a thousand years and it almost has a mystical power to it. If you're tired of the same old house and would like a little change in your life, I would suggest using some of the simple methods, suggested in these books.

One $20 book on home building or feng shui, can save you lots of money, if you're willing to do a little research and the labor to complete almost any home building project.

By the way, if you're interested in learning how to repair a roof, build your own house, interior decorating, structural engineering, building a deck, gathering some more information about home painting or even remodeling your bathroom. Our online home building bookstore can save you money if you're willing to do the work.

You can learn a lot by reading feng shui books and I would suggest, that if you're interested in interior design or even spirituality, these books will provide you with the information, you need to create a little change in your life

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building stairs books and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry

Cost Effective Stair Constructio

Solutions For Dealing With Know it Alls - Don't Let Anyone Push You Around Anymore

Over the years of dealing with people, at work or wherever I was, I have found some of these close minded people to be extremely hard headed and this often creates problems with anyone who doesn't agree with them. You probably know someone like this and they are often hard to relate to.

Some of these close minded people will offer their opinion on any subject at any time, whether you ask for it or not. I once had a man tell me something about my business that was wrong. I suggested that he contacted a government office to get the correct information, if he was even interested. He continued to tell me, that I didn't know what I was talking about and I should contact a government agency to verify his information. I believe he just wanted to argue.

This never has made any sense, if you have some facts and can show them the information and it actually makes sense, wouldn't this be a step in the right direction.

I've tried to figure out where these people were coming from and why they wouldn't take the time to gather factual information or at the least listen to what you had to say, sensibly, usually you have already listened to their opinion and when it's your turn to speak, they have no interest in what you have the say.

These people seem to live in a life of turmoil and confusion, while constantly trying to impress others of their intelligence and this often leads others to an impression of ignorance, not knowledge. While they are explaining to you something in your business or a subject in which you are what others would consider an expert in your field, they will spend hours trying to convince you that they are right and you don't know what you're talking about. Even though you have facts to back up your comments.

These people often create problems in your life and should be avoided if possible. I suggest you have fun with them and lead them to believe, what they truly desire in life and give them the illusion that you personally believes they are the smartest people in the universe.

I have done this more than once, to these hard headed geniuses and had a lot of fun with it. Most of them will talk about subjects they have no information about. Look something up in an encyclopedia or on the internet that you think most people wouldn't know anything about. Ornithology would be a good to have fun with.

Not to change the subject, but there's a great story called the cookie thief story, it's one of my favorites and really puts close minded people into perspective.

Don't let these people control or ruined your lives, either have fun with them or explain to them that your tired of listening to their superior closed minded and hardheaded ignorance of useless information.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. If you have problems and would like to learn more about Achieving Your Ultimate Goals, visit our website today

Greg is currently working on a personal development and self help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion

Lyman Jr Spitzer

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Law of Attraction - How to Activate

What is it?

The Law of Attraction Simply states that whatever we Focus on will be drawn to us.

But how does this Work?

Its best explained by briefly taking a look at Quantum Physics. Quantum Physics is the study of the building blocks of the universe. Quantum Physics has proven that everything in this universe is made up of atoms, and atoms are made up of sub-atomic particles sometimes called quanta. These sub-atomic particles are nothing but concentration of energy.

It has become clear that everything in this universe is made of energy. The only difference between an atom of Iron and an atom of gold is that the atom of iron has energy that is vibrating at a different frequency to the energy of gold. It is clear that the reason why the same particles grow together is because they are vibrating at the same frequency

Law of Attraction and Thoughts

In order to explain how the law of attraction works we need to understand what thought are. Thoughts are Vibrational Energy and a very potent form of energy. That means that it will be attracted to other forms of energy with the same frequency. when we hold a thought in our mind or a picture of an item we would like to attract then the picture in our mind (thought) is at the same frequency as the item we are attempting to attract.

How to implement the law of attraction

Step 1. Determine what it is that you would like to Attract

Step 2. Hold a picture in your mind. Hold the picture in your mind for as long and as often as possible

Step 3 See yourself enjoying the thing you would like to attract, e.g. If its a new car see yourself driving in the car waving to your friend.See yourself driving the car to a favorite place.

How to "activate" the law of attraction?

The simplest way to activate it is to hold a mental picture of what you desire as long as possible and as often as possible. Feel that you already have what you want with certainty; you will see it quickly in your real life. There are Self help books or motivation books which will explore this topic in greater details.

Discover How to Naturally Attract Abundance

http://www.bestselfhelpbooks.net

http://www.adrianasalmon.blogspot.com

Chosing Misery Over Happiness

I am not one to feel sorry for most people. They seem to have a unique ability to cause themselves the most damage during certain parts of their lives. I have met some pretty self destructive people in my life. Being raised by a mother that lived in misery and love.

My mother had a difficult childhood. It seemed as if every corner she turned there was a obstacle either right in front of here or waiting just around the corner. Her father died when she was 12 year old. He was a farm laborer and didn't make much money. In other words they were poor...... She got sent to live with a few foster families and according to her she was molested by one of the fathers she lived with.

Soon her older sister invited her to live with her. My aunt was married to the owner of a pottery business and had 2 children about 10 years younger than my mother. My aunt soon realized she had a live in baby sitter that allowed her to stay out drinking most of the day.

My Uncle was what you would call a drunk back then, now we call these people alcoholics. Well any way I think you are starting to get a picture of my mothers life up to this point. It is probably safe to assume that this isn't the ideal life for a young woman.

The next event to happen in my moms life was for my uncle to fall in the shower one night after tying one on that night. He died soon after but my aunt seemed to make a another good choice and ended up marring the owner of the bar that they spent most of their time in.
The Grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. Allan K. Chalmers

By this time my mom was in High School and met my future father. It wasn't exactly a marriage made in heaven. My dad was always an easy going man. He seemed to let most stuff go in one ear and out the other.

As you guessed it they had a few children. Nice one Dad and Mom. According to the books I have read on Angelic beings. People that believe in the after life and angels. They tell me I had a choice and was able to choose my parents....... What was I thinking...... I should have choose someone with some money and a couple of parents that were deeply in love .

How did I end up here in this situation.

I ended up loving my parents like most of us. They seemed to be doing the best that they could possibly do raising me, my bother and my sister. My mom and dad ended up getting a divorce and I went to live with my father.

My Father is remarried to a wonderful woman that seems to bring him a lot of happiness.
I haven't seen my mother for a while now. She lives with a life of excuses and misery. Her childhood was not the greatest but that doesn't give her the right to bring misery into other peoples lives. She has made a conscious choice to live what seems to be a painful life. Maybe her choices in life have made me choose happiness over misery.

I have always wondered what it is that motivates someone to live a life of true unhappiness when it takes the same amount of energy to live a life of joy. Life is meant to be full of joy and happiness so start today by making the right choices to live a fulfilling life of happiness.

If you are reading this and can't make up your mind what kind of life you truly want to live visit me at http://live.spiritualideas.com/ . Change your thinking and change your life.

Greg Vanden Berge will help you create a new approach to life and discover talents you never knew you had. We can help you get the most out of yourself all the time. Start developing your innate strengths and abilities to start enriching your life TODAY !

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Good People Get to Go to Heaven

I found a website that was recommended to me and it had the comment, is Jesus the only way to heaven at, Gotquestions, seems like your typical Christian website that replies with biblical quotes and simple to follow information. If I was lost, they will help me find a way. There's even a button at the bottom that states, I have accepted Christ today. I guess if I was to push that button, I get to go to heaven and be with Jesus. Hard to imagine, avoiding a life of burning in hell could be as simple as pushing a button and uttering a few simple words.

I found this question and began reading their comment. The first comment is from somebody answering as a nonbeliever in Christianity. It states something like, if I'm basically a good person and live a moral life, I get to go to heaven, right, only the bad people like murderers go to hell.

Now the answer that the website gives, seems to create fear if you do not belong to Christianity and provide you with hope if you join the group.

It mentioned Satan as the ruler of the world, and he can plant these thoughts into your head if you're not a Christian. He also controls your mind and let's you believe, that it would only make sense to any rational person, they get to go to heaven if they're good.

Now this is what makes sense to me but according to this information, I am doomed to rot in hell for eternity, even if I am a pretty good person. All I have to do is accept Christ as God and I get to go to heaven. That seems pretty easy and I wonder why more people don't do it. Just push the button.

I wonder if Satan is controlling, non-Christians minds and that's why there's brutality and war throughout the world. If everyone was a Christian, would our world be better.

Here's a quote from Wikipedia The Crusades were a series of religion-driven military campaigns waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents. Crusades were fought mainly against Muslims, though campaigns were also directed against pagan Slavs, Jews, Russian and Greek Orthodox Christians, Mongols, Cathars, Hussites, Waldensians, Old Prussians, and political enemies of the popes.

These Christian Crusades killed thousands of people. To give you an idea how many people were killed, all I had to do was type the word crusades into a search engine and it took me to the Christian Crusades.

I guess that rules that out, it seems like the Christians a long time ago were pretty aggressive towards their enemies, I wonder if most Christians would refer to these people as enemies today or are they just being controlled by Satan. Do these Christians from the Crusades get to go to heaven? If people like this get to go to heaven, may be hell is a better place anyway.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, Mere Christianity

Here's something to think about, go to heaven

Thought Provoking Religious Ideas on Christianity

Do you ever wonder what ever happened to the Wise men's gifts that were given to Jesus's parents? Nobody ever talks about it and it was never mentioned again in the Bible. If it was mentioned again I would love to have somebody e-mail me some more information on what Joseph and Mary did with the gifts, that were given to the newborn King or in other words Jesus.

I didn't come up with this idea on my own, I was reading a book by George Seaver called Albert Schweitzer "The Man and His Mind." I found the book in a thrift store near Seattle, Washington while on vacation visiting one of my relatives. I heard a lot about Albert Schweitzer from various personal development and spiritual books and thought this book would be give me some insight on the man.

I really had no clue, that I would find something like this within the first few pages.

Here's a quote from the book.

When I was eight my father, at my own request, gave me a New Testament, which I read eagerly. Among the stories which interested me most was that of the Wise Man from the East. What did the parents of Jesus due, I asked myself, with the gold and other valuables that they got from the Wise men? How could they have been poor after that? And that the Wise men should never have troubled themselves again about the child Jesus, was to me uncomprehensible.

Now this is coming from an eight year old child, not someone who has researched biblical scripture their whole lives. What else are we missing in the Bible that doesn't make sense but we were trained to believe in our religions without ever questioning your religion . It's definitely something to think about and the next time you're reading something or listening to the news on TV, try to figure out if it's fact or fiction.

You definitely cannot believe everything you read or hear from outside sources. I heard once that the only things that are truly real are the things that never change. If you think about it, most things change and therefore would not be considered real.

Ponder That for a While.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Here's a good website if you're interested in, religious classics and looking for evidence

Greg is currently working on a religious and motivational articles filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion

James Redfield

Monday, March 23, 2009

Find Out Why You Believe in Your Religion

Whenever I ask someone involved in a religious organization, the question, do you really believe in your religion? Most of these people will often answer would be yes and start their religious conversion. Some of these people can become very intrusive if I don't stop them soon, very few of these people listen with an open mind.

I have talked to quite a few men and women about their beliefs over the years and still find it hard to believe that most of them live a life of faith with very little understanding or education about their religion. Now some strong believers might take offense to that statement, while others will listen to what I said and start doing a little more research on their religion.

Most of these religions throughout the world make perfectly good sense to their followers and I understand the reasoning behind some of them, it's all they know, everyone around them believes in the same religion and they get some sort of happiness and joy from it.

It's not hard to imagine a young child, walking around with strong religious beliefs if their parents are strong believers in it also. These children grow up and eventually train their children to follow the same path of their parents. Our children should be able to choose, what they will believe in, by the time they are adults.

This is a natural process of life, your parents learned from their parents and whenever someone asked them a question that they really couldn't answer or were uncomfortable answering, they can always reply with, I'm living a life based on faith or you just have to believe. You have to believe that someone is looking out for you and taking care of you. Most of these people think that something else is responsible for the events that take place in their life.

Is it possible for people that live a life of faith to educate themselves about their religion, to find the origin and maybe the destination of their religions. Could these people actually assume responsibility for their choices, whether they're good or bad. It's often hard to listen to somebody tell me that some evil entity made them do something bad. These people are easily convinced by others who agree with them and support them with their statements and beliefs. This seems to be where the biggest problem lies.

Once the people around us support our beliefs, they soon become realities in our lives. These realities will be transferred to others around us and give them support eventually about their beliefs. It's like a vicious circle that never ends. One believe supports another belief, until it's a fact.

Education is the path to freedom and will soon deliver the students from religious bondage. Someone a long time ago said," Seek and You Shall Find, Knock on My Door and I Will Open It.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, Science Getting Rich

Greg is currently working on a religious education also visit our article library, filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion

The Law of Attraction - Let it Give You the Good Life!

The Universe is nothing but energy, the only differences are in the vibrations. The Law works on the principle of vibration and these vibrations create energy, then the generation of energy attracts energy that is in turn generated by an equal amount of vibration. The Law Of Attraction requires that we remain concentrated in whatever we want. So for example, if you want a brand new car, then concentrate your feelings, thoughts, emotions, vibrations and energy on a brand new car. If you concentrate on the same car you have now, then that's what you will get, more of your old run down car! You can ultimately create your world and the world around you.

Every person, every object and everything generates some kind of energy. The entire idea about being focused on positive things is to concentrate the energy so that it stays in your mind so to speak. The less power in your mind, the less energy, the less strength you have over things. When you bother to appreciate things in your life, even the small things, it appreciates and grows in value. When you are unappreciative, things start to lose their value. The point is, is to try to concentrate on the positive things in life. Even if things aren't positive, make them seem positive, turn them, twist them, tie them, it doesn't matter, just make it so your life is positive. Positive thinking, feeling, vibes, energy, etc. This will bring good things to you!

The Law Of Attraction is based upon creativity. The Law teaches you how to create the power of thought. The intellect possesses your constructive imaginations and attributes. It establishes your identity as a being. You are always in a state of vibration when the law of attraction works. This manifests your creative desires as if they are already present. This vibrational resonance is your mentality, which has all the constructive attributes.

Your emotions, play a huge role in creating what you want in life. As the law states; the energy present in your emotions will always pull you towards things that you always wanted. Both your thoughts and feelings are so incredibly powerful that they can actually make things fall apart despite all the effort of the other forces trying to keep them together. If you feel hatred toward someone, or if you feel sadness because you don't have this or you don't have that, all those negative feelings are going to result in is a lot of turmoil. You have got to change the way your thinking and feeling, it's the first giant step!

This author is a HUGE fan of http://www.envisionfreedom.net

You become what you think about most. Change your intention, change your results. I recommend http://www.envisionfreedom.net

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Secrets of Qigong Meditation

Qi ("chee": life energy) circulates through a network of meridians or channels in the human body. Qigong means "working with life energy." Through qigong training we can facilitate the movement of qi through the body. The movement of qi leads the circulation of the blood and other bodily fluids. The effects of qigong practice include: stress reduction, improved health and energy, emotional balance, mental calmness and clarity, and an awareness of the wholeness of life.

Qigong is a truly holistic philosophy and system of health care and self development. The primary principle of qigong practice is this: Where qi flows smoothly there is health, happiness, and well-being. Where qi flow is impeded, there is disease, distress, and conflict.

Smooth qi flow is regarded as a natural state of being. This natural state is affected by our responses to the demands of life. When we become sick or have dis-ease on any level of our being the questions in this system are: 1) Where is qi flow impeded? 2) What is impeding smooth qi flow? and 3) How do we facilitate smooth qi flow?

Qi flow is interrupted by the way that we handle internal and external stressors. Qi can be impeded by physical tension, emotional holding patterns, rigid thought patterns, and patterns of spiritual resignation. The more general pattern of impeded qi flow is experiencing yourself as a passive victim of circumstances that cause the conditions of your life. By contrast, in qigong we learn to experience ourselves as empowered participants in our health and self development.

This leads us to a second qigong principle: The mind leads the qi and the qi follows the mind. The term mind here means mental powers and spiritual intent. In qigong meditation, we learn to use powers of mind and spirit to feel, gather, store, cultivate, refine, and circulate universal qi. The circulation of qi leads the circulation of blood, lymphatic fluid, and nerve impulses along their respective pathways.

We lead qi in qigong meditation by following these cues: 1) Relaxing and aligning posture, 2) Smiling and breathing consciously, 3)Visualizing qi pathways, and 4) Imagining and feeling universal qi flowing smoothly along these pathways.

One further note on this principle: It may be more accurate to say we "allow" qi to flow smoothly rather than we "lead" it, because smooth qi flow is natural. We allow this natural process to occur when we stop restricting it. When we live in stress mode we restrict qi flow. When we center our awareness in universal qi, we allow a greater wisdom to work through us. We let go of ego control and allow higher powers of mind and spirit to come forth. Letting go leads us to the next qigong principle.

The third basic principle of qigong is active relaxation. The ability to actively relax is the first step toward a Core Energy State. When practicing, Qigong Master Tianyou Hao says "Don't forget, don't pursue." In qigong one is present and aware while being relaxed and calm. We learn to detach from our patterns of stress so we can recover the original joy and vitality which resides steadfastly ever-available at the core of our being.

What does smooth qi flow feel like? The classic signs of qi activity in the body are called the eight sensations. These are: heat, cold, pain, numbness, soreness, swelling, itching, and twitching. The less pleasant qi sensations occur when qi is blocked or when it is beginning to move in an area that has been stagnant. Most commonly the positive feelings of smooth qi flow are warmth, fullness, tingling, and a sense of overall happiness and well-being.

Now that you know some qigong basics, it's time to get to the most important part--practicing. Daily practice is the key to realizing the amazing positive effects of qigong meditation.

If you are interested in more articles in this series or my Learn Qigong Meditation Program visit: http://www.learnqigongmeditation.com

Copyright 2006 by Kevin Schoeninger

Kevin Schoeninger: M.A. in Philosophy, Certified Qigong Instructor, Personal Trainer, and Reiki Master. http://www.learnqigongmeditation.com

What is Hypnotherapy?

We all go into a trance every day maybe reading, or watching the television, and that imaginary world can become real in your mind, in the sense that it fully engages your emotions. As you get fully engrossed in the story, your worries fade away until all you are thinking about is the story - you become highly suggestible to the positive messages the therapist is giving you.

Some clients go into trance deeply even in the first session, whilst others only experience a light trance. However for hypnosis to be effective it doesn't matter if you go into a light trance or a deeper one. It is a truly enjoyable experience.

For hypnosis to be effective, it is very important you trust the therapist you are working with, and to feel comfortable with them, you are always in charge at all times during hypnosis. If you don't feel comfortable with your practitioner you might create resistance to your own success. This is why it is important to find someone you trust.

Some people think that they will lose control whilst in hypnosis. This is not so, they remain in full control the whole time. They cannot be made to do anything against their will (unfortunately this is probably because of the misconception of stage hypnosis). No one can get stuck in hypnosis, and no one can be made to say or do anything they do not want to do.

Hypnotherapy is therapy using Hypnosis to treat many conditions including stress, anxiety, panic, phobias, smoking over-eating, binge drinking, lack of confidence, fear of examinations, irritable bowel syndrome, and sports performance. It can also help with relationship difficulties, natural birthing and much, much more.

In fact hypnotherapy is pleasant and relaxing, and it is extremely enjoyable. So unlike a visit to the dentist, a hypnotherapy session can often be something to look forward to!

Thousands of people look for hypnotherapy in Plymouth for methods to improve the quality of their life every year. Increase your chances of having a happy, healthy life by contacting Lyta Humphris, an experienced counsellor and hypnotherapist in Plymouth at the Hypnospot website.

Living Life in the Divine Flow

How would you like every moment of every day to feel like one miracle happening after another? How would you like to accomplish your goals and realize your dreams without undue struggle or strain?

Its possible. Its called living life in the divine flow.

Whether you are consciously aware of it or not, there is a divine flow in your life that is continually guiding you toward the effortless fulfillment of your hearts desires. The trick is learning how to recognize and cooperate with that flow, instead of blocking or restricting your experience of it.

Fortunately, thats not a very difficult thing to learn how to do. In fact, there are two fundamental steps that you can take right now to begin living life in the divine flow.

Step one is to simply pay attention. The divine flow is continually guiding you toward the effortless fulfillment of your hearts desires . . . continually! But to take advantage of that guidance, you must be aware of the subtle ways that the flow is attempting to guide you.

Here are three ways that you receive guidance from the divine flow:

First, you are continually receiving direction from your own intuition. Your intuition is the most valuable and reliable source of guidance you have. It is the spirit of the divine within you. It is the spirit of the divine that is you! Your divine spirit always knows the next right step to take. And it is continually trying to tell you what that step is. So take the time to slow down, get quiet, and listen to that still, small voice. Honor it. Respect it. Follow it.

A second form of guidance comes to you through the wisdom of others. The divine flow often speaks to you through the people who cross your path. It is through their wisdomtheir intuitive guidancethat you are often led to your next right step. That doesnt mean that you have to accept and act on everything that everybody says to you. But you should at least be open and receptive to others, and willing to consider what they have to say.

A third way that the divine flow communicates with you is through signs, coincidences, and synchronicities. These occurrences are not mere chance or happenstance. They are meaningful. They are divinely designed to open doors for you and create opportunities for you in direct response to your desire. But you have to pay attention to those signs and synchronicities. And you have to act on them. You have to go through those doors and take advantage of those opportunities.

Which brings us to the second step for living life in the divine flow: You must let go of what you think you know. The divine flow often guides you to your good in a way that is far differentand far betterthan anything you would ever come up with on your own. But to take advantage of that guidance, you must be careful not to hastily dismiss it or overrule it because you know better.

That doesnt mean that you have to forget everything you have been taught, or ignore the conclusions you have drawn based upon your experience. It simply means that you must keep an open mindand realize that there is always more to know than you currently know. As certain as you are about something, if you are willing to admit that there could still be something that you just havent considered, you will leave an opening in your mind that is wide enough for divine direction to get through.

So there you have it. Let go of what you think you know. And pay attention to the flow. Stop trying to force things to go they way you think they should go, and be willing to move in a direction that is different from what you planned on or expected.

Do those two things, and you will begin to live a life that is dramatically more fulfilling, immensely more joyful, and, on top of it all, remarkably effortless!

Steven Lane Taylor is a spiritual author and speaker now living in Sedona, Arizona. Since the publication of his book, Row, Row, Row Your Boat: A Guide for Living Life in the Divine Flow, Steven has been sharing his message with congregations and organizations all across the country. For more information about Steven and his work, to see where he is speaking and conducting workshops, or to sign up to receive his free weekly inspirational email, visit http://www.rowrowrow.com

When Preparation Meets Opportunity - Creating Good Habits

You must be ready when an opportunity comes before you, opportunity often comes in the form of work and that's why most people seem to miss it. Most people are too busy looking for the easy path through life. They seem to lay around waiting for the opportunity of a lifetime,... to simply fall at your feet.

Why would you want to spend so much time complaining about something, or someone? Other people can help you along the way, if you let them, but it's up to you, ultimately, to become the most you can possibly be. I have had plenty of opportunities in my life and have took advantage of some, while letting most of them pass by.

I'm no different than most people but now seem to be aware of my surrounding opportunities, all the time.

How many times do you wish for an opportunity to come along? It's probably one that you missed already, at some point during your life. Are you going to be prepared for the next opportunity when it comes along? These opportunities seem to repeat themselves throughout our lives and if we're not in the right state of mind, we often overlook them and let them pass by, time and time again.

You need to prepare yourself in advance for the next opportunity. If you are prepared and have your eyes open, you will be able to see the next opportunity that comes your way. Preparation will increase your chances for success and good fortune always.

Opportunities come in all shapes and sizes. Be on the lookout, when you're walking to the grocery store, taking a break at work, reading the newspaper, talking to your neighbor, walking down the street or even while you are sitting alone, letting your mind wander away. Your chances for success could come while your in your quiet places, or relaxing. Be prepared.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Rethinking Christianity

The old testament mentions King Solomon as the wealthiest person that ever lived on the earth at that time and there would be no one wealthier than him in the future. Does this qualify him as a rich person?

There is also the story of the talons. This story mentions a master who rewards one of his servants for using the money his master left him to make more money, by investing it. The slave that chose to bury his talons in the ground, to hide and protect them was considered to be slothful and wicked.

Does this mean that all men and women that invest their money and seek profits are good people? Why would these people be considered good and a rich man will have a hard time entering the kingdom of heaven?

Is there a difference between King Solomon's wealth and the rich person in the Bible verse, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

Now maybe these are just stories created by man and has nothing to do with what the Jewish and Christian God really thinks. But if there is a difference between King Solomon and the rich person, what's the difference? Does King Solomon really get to enter the kingdom of heaven?, or as Jesus mentioned, will it simply be harder for him to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Didn't King Solomon build God's temple and create a beautiful world for most Jewish people to live in? If you're not confused yet, you will be if you continue to read more of my biblical verses that just don't make sense.

If you're what I would consider one of God's ultimate believers in your religion but have no proof that it's true, but choose to answer with the simple statement," You'd Need to Believe or Have Faith." I would suggest you read other books about other religions or spiritual living .

This is just one example of what I would consider a story in the Bible. If you truly view the Bible as the ultimate guide for good living, do you get confused with certain statements or Bible verses. This really doesn't answer the question, whether or not someone like King Solomon actually gets to enter the kingdom of heaven. I used him as an example but there are many others that could have a life of riches on earth, but difficulties going to heaven if the statement Jesus made was correct about the rich man in the eye of the needle.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his latest articles, How Did You Choose Your Religion

Followers Or Leaders

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Take the Job Then Do it Right

If you have an older home there's a good chance you have one by six diagonal floor sheeting and some of the knots have fallen out by now. Some of these large knots can create safety hazards for your home. Performing major remodels or whole house renovations on older homes you can run into quite a few problems with these kinds of wood floors.

One of the first things I do is remove the carpeting and padding. This exposes the floor sheeting for further examination. By the time I am done with all the plumbing and electrical repairs underneath the subfloor it seems that some of the 1 x 6 has been damaged. Your first thought of course is just to replace the 1 x 6 that is damaged and be done with it.

This is one way to approach the problem, another is to repair the 1 x 6 that was damaged and install half inch plywood over the existing floor sheeting. Please make sure the floor is level and has no humps or dips in it before you start installing the new plywood over the existing floor sheeting.

I ran into a problem like this on one job where the contractor was in a hurry to finish the flooring and chose to go right over the existing floor that was out of level. The bad part about this is when the homeowner chose to go with expensive wood flooring throughout his home. When you walked in to the front of his house you felt like you were going out to a small wheelchair ramp for about 10 feet and then of course it felt like you were going down for another 6 feet.

In order to repair this properly it would've taken the other contractor about 24 hours to repair the floor. In this case the homeowner would have been glad to pay for the repair after the fact. Sometimes when contractors mention a potential problem down the road and how much it will cost to repair that problem, most homeowners cannot see the value in the contractor's opinion at that time.

I felt sorry for the homeowner because this was not what he wanted and he was upset with the contractor but the job was done. This is my warning to any contractor, handyman or home repair specialists. When installing a new plywood floor over an existing floor to strengthen it up, use some common sense and repair the floor correctly or don't do the job at all.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more Building and Remodeling Library and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry.

Visit us and get more information on building and remodeling your homes in Home Remodeling

Living Your Religion One Day A W

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Priming the Passion Pump

Clarifying your life purpose is a team effort between your rational and intuitive minds. The following exercise is an effective way to combine these two powerful resources to help you move forward toward a life on purpose. Engaging in the following questions utilizes your memory and your rational nature to prime the pump, making it easier to access the intuitive or creative nature. Write down your responses in a journal, adding whatever comes to you as you are writing. Asking people who know and support you what they see about you in regards to these questions will add grist to the mill.

What do you love to do? When have you felt most alive, excited, in love with life? What were you doing during those moments? Who were you with? Ask people who know you when theyve noticed you most alive and enthusiastic.

What kind of people do you love to be with? Answer this both specifically (specific people) and in general (types of people you enjoy). What are some of the things you could do in your life that would give you the opportunity to spend more time with these people?

If money, time, energy, and talent were unlimited, what would you do with your life and who would you be? If its difficult to imagine any of these being unlimited, make a note of this. Then, let go of that concern and continue the exercise.

Who are some people that you greatly admire? These may be celebrities, people from history, family members, or friends. What is it about them that you admire? Is it a way of being, or a set of values, or what they do in life? Be as specific as you can.

What values are most important to you? Its important to distinguish between the values you think you should feel are important and the ones you choose of your own free will.

2003 Brad Swift of Life On Purpose Institute, Inc.
This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and this resource box are included.

Dr. Brad Swift founded Life On Purpose Institute in 1996 with the vision of creating a World On Purpose by assisting people like yourself to clarify their life purpose & live true to it. Determine how on or off purpose your life is with the fun & insightful Self Test at: http://lifeonpurpose.com/_forms/self-test.php?source=ezart Inspire yourself with a fr.ee subscription to Purposeful Pondering Ezine: http://lifeonpurpose.com/index.php?dir=_ezines&task=view-ezines

Mark Victor Hansen

Success Starting Today

You're going to find it hard to believe, but very seldom does an individual peak with creativity until they reach the age of 40. The average individual usually makes the most money between the age of 40 and 60. This doesn't have anything to do with retirement. Most highly creative people keep producing until they die.

If you're 55 years old and looking for a new career or can't seem to find a job in the profession you have worked at your whole life, don't be alarmed or fearful. Do you think you could start your own business? Is there something, you have always wanted to do but have put it off until retirement, or until you had enough time to do it?

Why wait, if you can't find a job in a business you never truly enjoyed, maybe you can find a new job doing something you love.

I have worked in construction for 30 years and at 44 years old started to pursue a career in writing and plan to create award winning websites and best selling books, for the rest of my life. This doesn't mean, I won't work in construction ever again, but I will become a best selling author within the next 20 years.

Most people don't take the time required to learn a new profession. If you're sincerely interested in another career, and you're 50 years old, there is plenty of people out there to give you hope and inspiration.

If you would like some proof, here's a couple successful American businessman who succeeded after the age of 40. Henry Ford is probably one of the most popular and became extremely successful after the age of 40. Andrew Carnegie, an American industrialists who transformed the steel business and did not start reaping the rewards of his efforts until he was well past the age of 40.

I gathered this information from the book "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. There is a section in the book where he talks about people after the age of 40 with phenomenal success. Anyone who's interested in gaining wealth through spirituality or finances should read this book.

I've often heard the statement, "People Often Over Estimate What They Can Do in a Year and Often Underestimate What They Can Do in a Decade." If you want to accomplish something after the age of 40, I would advise you to start with a plan and then put that plan and the action. Your plan could take five to 15 years to achieve or longer but think about the rewards, whether spiritual or financial.

Gregory Vanden Berge is working to promote personal development ideas and spiritual reform. He has started a web site for videos and articles based on current information about subject he is very familiar with.

"Education has freed me, to pursue other ideas and release me from the bondage and fear of organized religion."

Gregory Vanden Berge

Amazing Sai Baba

The Secret - Just Take it For What it Is

The Secret, if you have not seen the DVD or read the book, I am sure you have at least heard of it. There has been a lot of discussion about the production. So is The Secret the much waited answer we needed, or was it just cleverly marketed?

Well yes it was well marketed but it's a lot more than just that. The Secret stands by itself, there was no smoke and mirrors needed to introduce it.

There have been a lot of comments made that the ideas are no good and none of it works. If you watch or read, you will see that your frame of mind is a big factor. Expecting instant or cure-all fixes is probably not a good frame of mind. Personally I work on frame of mind a lot and it does wonders for me.

So when do I get what I asked for? It's been a long time now. You have to realize The Secret is not like a physical product that works or does not; it is a process. The one responsible for this process is you, there is no 800 number or email for support.

The Secret is presented as ideas that are all put together. I don't think it is meant to be an absolute guide. Meaning you don't have to follow exactly or it just won't work. Yes use it as a guideline, but also feel free to try some things just a bit differently if that suits you.

One thing that really strikes me about The Secret is that even with all the scientific content, it is very much a work of faith. If you accept and believe, like I do, then the possibilities are immeasurable. If you cannot bring yourself to believe (which is not a bad thing) then you will not get the benefit out of it.

Note: I did not go into the book or the DVD themselves as there is no way I could have done them justice. I can only hope someone will get something out of this.

Ross Charette has been online over 10 years now and is fascintated with the exchange of information. His first and so far only web presence is at http://weloveebooks.com

Mitch Albom

Monday, March 16, 2009

It's a Great Day

So what defines a "great day"? Everyone has their own personal definition so allow me to share how I define a great day.

For some a great day is when:

You come into a large sum of money

You finally got the person's attention you were longing for

Your partner said "yes" to marry you

You finally got pregnant

You or some one you love recovers from an illness

You finally paid off your mortgage or car loan

You won an all expense paid trip

You met your fat loss goal

Your funds are on the up swing with a good return

Those are a handful of what we would label a great day, because something good happened to us or someone we're connected to. Though each of those events are warranted to be labeled a "great day", they do not (in my opinion) really convey the true essence of the greatness of that day.

Shouldn't a great day be defined not by the events of what occurred, but by how you handle yourself throughout the day?

Someone cuts you off while driving and you hold your cool; you receive less than excellent customer service care and you don't flip out, you find yourself at peace as you go about your day even though all your life's events aren't lining up exactly the way to want it to just yet. The cheque you were expecting is a bit delayed, and your personal bill payments are coming due in 5 - 10 days, but you are still unflustered and at peace knowing that it will all work out.

If my great days are based only on the successful outcome of the events of my day, then I could very well be in for a rough miserable day or days. This means that every time something doesn't go my way it erodes the potential of me having a great day. Now when we look at it that way, doesn't that sucks big time?

It's a great day -when you're at peace, where there's no urgency to rush, to get up tight, to struggle and fuss. A day regardless of the events good or bad, you're at peace, content, resting in knowing that you have full control of chartering the course of your emotions, and when events do manifests in ways you're expecting that would be an added boost to your already great day.

I am the music, the song, and the dance. My life is the whatever expression I choose to give it. I decide how fulfilled or not I'm going to be; my faith or lack thereof, the positive or negative attitude I decide on embracing or rejecting. I am given "today" to live, so I'm going to give it my all and live the best I can for today.

Mitch Albom

Christianity Vs Works Based Religion

Over the centuries Christianity has grown immensely in popularity. I feel that why this has come to pass is because it is the only religious doctrine that is based solely on us praying in the name of Jesus to God to ask forgiveness for our sins, and forgiveness being granted by God. In John 14:5-6 (NKJV) Thomas said to Him, Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. These two passages clearly instruct each of us to ask forgiveness of our sins in Jesus name.

Our Father in Heaven knew that no matter how hard mankind tried, because of our imperfections, we would always be sinners; and sinners are not permitted to enter His kingdom in heaven. In the Old Testament we can read how mankind, in general, kept falling short of Gods commandments, and how even when led by Moses, the people had weak days and could not sustain these commandments of the Living God on a continual basis. My conception of the Old Testament and other major religions portray to me that they are works based. God bridged this gap from the works based type in one sole act. He sent forth to earth His Son for all of mankind. This is best summarized by Jesus disciple John in the New Testament; John 3:16 (KJV) which says, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. This is also reinforced by The New Testament in 1 John 2:1, 2:2 (NCV) which says, But if anyone does sin, we have a helper in the presence of the FatherJesus Christ, the One who is right. He is the way our sins are taken away, and not only our sins but the sins of all people. In my mindset only the New Testament of Christianity offers mankind the only feasible alternative.

The unique posture that Jesus Christ offers mankind in the New Testament of Bible is His covenant that He made with God, and is expressed by Jesus at the Last Supper, in the New Testament in Luke 22:19, 20 (NCV). Then Jesus took some bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to the apostles, saying, This is my body, which I am giving for you. Do this to remember me. In the same way, after supper, Jesus took the cup and said, This cup is the new agreement that God makes with His people. This new agreement begins with my blood which is poured out for you. From this point forward Christianity was born, and mankind truly had the way to enter heaven.

Jesus, during His crucifixion, said in Luke 23:34 (KJV), Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. Alone, this selfless statement by Jesus, thinking only about us, in His ultimate anguish and pain of taking on all on the mankinds sins past, present and future during the crucifixion portrays the truest love that He had for all of mankind, and set the example for His Fathers second greatest commandment, Love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Family-eStore will try to provide you with articles of interest to a Christian and patriotic way of life. The articles are written by Steven Coffman (Owner) of Family-eStore.com, (National Essay Contest) winner 1969. I am a person with strong Christian and patriotic beliefs. Tenacity, faith, and a belief in God, Country and Family are key components to success in life.

The Christian articles are only intended to bring you closer in your relationship to our Father in heaven. The Patriotic articles are only intended to show pride and patriotism to our Land of the free and home of the brave, (The United States of America). I hope that you enjoy and are enlightened by them.

Christmas - The Birth of the Christ Consciousness Within

The Christ is not just one person. The Christ is an "office" or "position" we ALL attain to. The word Christ means, "the anointed one." Jesus came to show us the way to be a vessel for the Love of God to manifest.

When the Christ Spirit entered Jesus he had perfected His soul in many lifetimes to be a worthy temple for Love incarnate. Edgar Cayce said that Jesus was Adam. In the "fall" was the promise of full redemption.

The Christ Consciousness is part of the Trinity, known by different names in many religions. The Father is the Will and Power of God, the Son or Daughter, the Christ, is the Love of God, and Holy Spirit Mother is the Thought, Wisdom, Understanding, Truth, Faith and Wisdom of God Goddess.

Where did the concept of the Christ come to mean just one person? Was it a matter of control?

The Christ of our time was Jesus. In every age the Christ Spirit enters an advanced soul to bring higher learning to the people of that time. Moses, Abraham, Buddha, Krishna, and Mohammed, have all come to teach their people a more advanced connection to the Great Spirit. There is always a great teacher who comes to show us the way and the great possibilities of us as Human/Divine beings.

The biggest secret is that God is within each one of us, and also in every atom of space and in every form we see.

This Christmas, let us pray to truly forgive anyone who we may be angry with, including forgiving self. Let the power of Love heal all wounds.

Enjoy Christmas and observe the 12 Holy Days December 26-January 6, as a dedication to the 12 months ahead. Let this devotion bring you ever closer to the possibility of the Christ of Love being born within.

Let this sacred season bring us joy, peace and healing of all conditions. Let the Christ Consciousness of Love be born within each one of us so that we may usher in the 1,000 years of peace!

2008 Merry C. Battles

Merry C. Battles has worked in the healing arts since 1977. She has practiced the art of massage, Jin Shin Jyutsu (an ancient form of Japanese Acupressure), CranioSacral Therapy, Reiki, and foot reflexology. Merry is the author and illustrator of Christmas Meditations on the Twelve Holy Days December 26-January 6 Merry's book is a compilation of her 26 year meditation journey with the twelve holy days. Her book can be used all year as we travel through each sign of the Zodiac.

Merry has been a student of the ancient mysteries for as many years. Her greatest joy in life, along with her grandchildren, is to learn about the spiritual. This is reflected in all of her work.

http://merrybattles.com/

http://walkingthespiritualpath.com/

Breathing Your Troubles Away - The Way You Breathe Can Heal and Transform Your Life

The breath has the capacity to ease pain and soften tension.When you concentrate on breathing, your mind is able to gather together all its scattered energies. Your mind becomes much more focused, quiet, and clear. In fact, when you focus on your breathing, you are in the present, in the here and now. You are able to truly shift from one state of consciousness to another.

The Breath Moves Consciousness

Some great thinkers have actually said that the breath has the power to actually move matter and consciousness to new states of being. The breath is the life force.. When you focus on breathing, you focus on directing the life force within you This focuses and quiets your mind and helps you move energy. That's why it's so powerful to breathe into your difficulties. It moves them, shifts them, transforms them.

Rapid, Anxious Breathing

Notice your breathing when you feel anxious and uncentered. It's high up in your chest, and it's shallow and rapid. Some people feel as if their feet are going to leave the ground. Others break out into pronounced sweats. Rapid breathing and fear thoughts can create the perception of anxiety.

By breathing more deeply and bringing your breath down into your belly, you'll feel a greater sense of peace. You pay attention to what's bothering you, then breathe into your issues and breathe them out deeply transforms your life experiences.

Constricted Breathing

When you open and relax your breathing, you're able to release and transform old habits of mind with greater ease. The Buddha said, "Being sensitive to the whole body, the yogi breathes in; being sensitive to the whole body, the yogi breathes out."

When we inhale, the air comes into the inner world. When we exhale, the air goes out to the outer world. The inner world is limitless, and the outer world is also limitless. . . . Actually, there is just one whole world. -Shunryu Suzuki, The Enlightened Mind

Want to learn more about life transformation, spiritual growth, and healing? You can download our 100 page free ebook, Extraordinary Healing at http://www.thewisemind.com. You can also subscribe to our wonderful free monthly newsletter, "The Transformation News." Marilyn Gordon is a board certified hypnotherapist, teacher, speaker, healer, school director, and author with over thirty years of experience. Her latest book is The Wise Mind: The Brilliant Key to Life Transformation and Healing.

Understanding the God Consciousness Gestalt and Evolution of the Soul

Two words we will be using often in this discussion are (Hierarchy and Gestalt). For our purposes, Hierarchy will mean the stratified organization and layering of consciousness based on it's abilities, maturity and development. Gestalt will mean an organized and united whole that equals more than the sum of it's parts, and cannot be defined by knowing and categorizing the totality of it's components. When we think of consciousness in light of what we know and see in our everyday activities, we are presented with evidence that some living forms seem to possess more developed abilities than others.

This leads us to the assumption that we are the living epitome of consciousness expressed in human form. We assume that we are the top of the pile of living consciousness, with all other living forms below us. Of course, the word "living" itself is arbitrary, as we all tend to draw our own line of demarcation between what is "alive" and what is not alive. We attribute consciousness to things that are alive, that move, that think, reason, etc. In other words we like to consider ourselves and some animals as possessing consciousness.

If we were able to trace the evidence of consciousness downward on the scale of "living things" we would be amazed to learn that birds, insects, flowers, grass, bacteria and even the cells that compose the human body have their own and value oriented type of consciousness. Their consciousness is not equal in egotistical development as ours, but it is not less in quality, it simply has not developed in the same way as our reasoning mind consciousness. The natural instinctive consciousness of the animals serves them well for their necessary interaction with nature and the environment. We humans are part of a beautiful tapestry of consciousness composing a system of reality rising out of need and developed with a purpose. All consciousness contained within our realty has it's purpose and that purpose is to BE. What we don't understand as yet is that EVERYTHING possesses it's own type of consciousness.

Consciousness is even somewhat aware of itself in the ubiquitous electron, the atom, and even the cells and molecules are aware of their motion within a life form. The American Indian knew only a few hundred short years ago, that there is consciousness in the tree, the rock, the river and mountains. It is rather easy to accept this premise in light of other spiritual enigmas that confound us. Unfortunately with the evolution of our precise physical manipulation in a three dimensional reality, it became necessary for us to focus intently on physical performance of the biological form and we lost some of the intuitive truths that were inherently ours from the beginning. These truths are not lost, they just became buried deep within our psyche waiting to be activated again, to bring about the natural blending of the physical reasoning mind and the inner knowledge that still awaits activation.

So if we were to attempt to stratify and categorize consciousness, we would probably put ourselves near to top of the ladder with a huge gap between ourselves and God. Why would we assume that there are unending gradations of consciousness below ours but seemingly none above ours until you reached that ultimate "God Reality"?

The truth is that there are countless gradations of conscious entities above us of such psychic sophistication that we could only contemplate them as godlike psychological structures and their reality would not be translatable in words. There exist countless very mature, sophisticated entities that we cannot perceive and never will be able to perceive. These are the entities, some of which have experienced Earth reality at sometime in the distant path, have evolved through Earth reality and gone on to other more challenging worlds. Because we cannot perceive these entities with our Earth tuned senses does not mean they do not exist. They exist more assuredly than you or I do in an actuality that is so evolved that even if I were able to explain it, you could not understand. To these "super entities" Earth reality was once their kindergarten just as it is now ours. Earth is the beginning playground for new consciousness. We are here to learn, create, experience, yes, make mistakes for sure, but to learn from our mistakes and create again and again, improving all the while.

Now finally, there is therefore a PYRAMID GESTALT of consciousness with newer consciousness on the lower levels, evolving and moving upward within the pyramid structure as they progress. Of course the very top of the pyramid is ALL THAT IS (GOD). This Prime Being is composed of all consciousness below on the pyramid structure. Conversely speaking if we were to carry that thought to it's logical conclusion, in some very real way, your existence NOW on the lower levels of the psychological pyramid structure speaks of your very real connection with Top of the pyramid. Everything is connected and part of another everything.

Everything is part of something else. Nothing in the Universe stands alone. You are a part of this Pyramid Gestalt, this Hierarchy of consciousness that and between you and All That Is are unimaginable sophistication that you can hardly envision. The fact that you are part of countless entities above and below you as they are part of entities above and below them. "I use the term above and below, when the meaning is more advanced in consciousness development". I am saying that within this Hierarchy, you are part of something else, that is itself part of something else and so on forever. In entity development there is no better or best, there is just more advanced, mature, developed, but all are of the same quality, as they came from the same Source.

This kind of psychic oneness should not in the least bother you or make you in any way feel insignificant. It is quite like the following analogy. You live within your family at the same time you live within your city or county. You also live within your country and live on your continent and there is no contradiction, no jealousy of one above the other even though you are part of all simultaneously. The entity of which you are a part, scarcely notices you, but it's development depends on the structures upon which it rests and give it strength. You are a part of grander entities, and you don't even notice it. You are evolving in that direction yourself, and as your position on this pyramid of consciousness increases in depth and awareness, so will it increase maturity and psychic sophistication.

If you have been anxiously awaiting your unification with God, forget it. You are already as closely connected as you will ever be. As you increase and become more, All That Is increases multitudinous amounts multiplied by the number of all consciousness on this earth. From this you can see that as you increase, All That Is increases exponentially. As an example, as you progress an inch, All That Is progresses a million miles in terms of distance as an analogy. All That Is experiences through all entities beneath itself including you, as you to are also an entity of considerable worth and always becoming more. All That Is doubles itself in nanoseconds. So as there are countless layers of consciousness below yours, there are more above yours also. There is no huge gap between yourself and God and there are others that have gone before you. The more sophisticated and evolved the entity, the more entities involved with it and a part of it.

An entity can perceive dimensions of reality that are not yet as not as developed as it's own, but cannot perceive dimensions that are more evolved.

My name is W. Allan, single male 62, a resident of Naples Florida. I graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and have in the past, written a column called SECRET REALITY which was carried by spiritual and metaphysical magazines. I have recently started a blog to publish my work with the intent of incorporating expanded versions of my blog in book form. You can contact me any at my e-mail address: beachinguy@hotmail.com You may also read other articles at my blog at: http://answersbygod.blogspot.com and have a small company recording and selling CD's of the sounds of nature from my web site at http://www.naturesong.net Published author and writer of Spiritual columns (Secret Reality) and books. Owner of a Naure CD company (NatureSong), recording and distributing nature sounds CD's to retail outlets including a wide variety of bird song CD's and over 36 different sounds of nature. All of our nature sounds and bird songs are continuous, ambient sounds of nature without music.

Bible Scriptures Mirror Prosperity On You

James 1:22-25 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. KJV

This Bible scripture shows us that bible scriptures are mirrors we need to be looking into every day and then we will see ourselves in this new life in Christ Jesus. We look differently in these Bible scripture mirrors then sometimes circumstances in our lives; because they reflect a whole new realm, the Kingdom of God, we are living in or should live in and out of as Christians.

Bible scripture prosperity manifests in our lives as we continue to look, not forgetting what Bible scriptures show us. That continual observing of the reflection of Bible scriptures will bring the revelation to our minds and then comes manifestation for all others to see. That is the power of the Word of God. First we have revelation and then we have manifestation. That is why the importance of meditation of Bible scriptures day and night as Joshua 1:8 tells us.

Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success. AMP

So lets get started on looking into some Bible scriptures that will show us in the prosperity of God.

3 John 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. KJV

Did you notice Father God wished above all things that we prosper first of all? This is speaking of financial prosperity. Father still wishes that you prospered above all things today.

2 Corinthians 8:9 For you are becoming progressively acquainted with and recognizing more strongly and clearly the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (His kindness, His gracious generosity, His undeserved favor and spiritual blessing), [in] that though He was [so very] rich, yet for your sakes He became [so very] poor, in order that by His poverty you might become enriched (abundantly supplied). AMP

This scripture is all about financial matters and not spiritual matters. Looking into this Bible scripture, we see Jesus became so very poor coming to this earth from a lavish Heaven so that we could financially become enriched abundantly supplied. So keep looking into this mirror and see yourself becoming enriched abundantly supplied then at the time when Jesus left Heaven for your prosperity.

2 Corinthians 9:6-11 [Remember] this: he who sows sparingly and grudgingly will also reap sparingly and grudgingly, and he who sows generously [that blessings may come to someone] will also reap generously and with blessings. 7 Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, "prompt to do it") giver [whose heart is in his giving]. 8 And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].
9 As it is written, He [the benevolent person] scatters abroad; He gives to the poor; His deeds of justice and goodness and kindness and benevolence will go on and endure forever! 10 And [God] Who provides seed for the sower and bread for eating will also provide and multiply your [resources for] sowing and increase the fruits of your righteousness [which manifests itself in active goodness, kindness, and charity]. 11 Thus you will be enriched in all things and in every way, so that you can be generous, and [your generosity as it is] administered by us will bring forth thanksgiving to God. AMP

This is how the Kingdom of God operates, seed time and harvest. This allows the abundance of Gods grace to cause us to experience every favor and earthly blessing, possess enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance to continue to be a giver. Do you see yourself in the mirror of this Bible scripture? If not, then keep looking.

Galatians 3:13-14,29 Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom) of the Law [and its condemnation] by [Himself] becoming a curse for us, for it is written [in the Scriptures], Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified); 14 To the end that through [their receiving] Christ Jesus, the blessing [promised] to Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, so that we through faith might [all] receive [the realization of] the promise of the [Holy] Spirit. 29 And if you belong to Christ [are in Him Who is Abraham's Seed], then you are Abraham's offspring and [spiritual] heirs according to promise. AMP

July 4th of every year the United States of America celebrates its independence from her mother nation. As Christians, we need to continue to look into this mirror of Galatians 3:13 and others that reflect back to us our independence from the law and from the curse of the law because of Jesus fulfilling that law of Moses and taking the curse of the law for our independence.

It might be good for you to go back and look at Deuteronomy 28 where the blessing that came by keeping the law and the curse coming from not doing the law are listed. Dont pay any attention to the curse other than to give thanks to Jesus for fulfilling all of this Law of Moses so that you could experience through Him the blessings. Then your time, meditating on the blessing and see a reflection of yourself walking and living in the blessing. It will come upon you and over take you is the promise. I like to be overtaken by the blessing, dont you?

Now that we are in Christ Jesus, Bible scriptures will reflect back to us being in the blessing of Abraham. We have the spiritual blessing of Jesus Christ and we have the financial blessing of Abraham.

This last Bible scripture mirrors us in prosperity provided for by Heavens blessings.

Ephesians 1:3 May blessing (praise, laudation, and eulogy) be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual (given by the Holy Spirit) blessing in the heavenly realm! AMP

We must not be waiting on our financial prosperity any more. Every spiritual blessing contains your material blessing. All material things came out of spiritual substance. The spiritual blessing of your new birth was waiting on you just to receive it. Your financial blessing is waiting on you to see yourself in it and take it.

Lets make this confession looking into the mirror of these Bible scriptures of prosperity:

I see from these Bible scriptures, I am blessed because I have the blessing of God and the blessing of Abraham, my Father of faith. I have received the spiritual blessings by Jesus and I have received financial blessings by Abraham. I will continue to look into these Bible scriptures, my mirror, reflecting back to me who I am in Christ Jesus, and I will not forget what I see. As a result of this I will be blessed in all I do.

My Father God wishes above every thing else in the earth that I prosper in my finances. My mind is prospering as I continue to look into the mirror of Bible prosperity scriptures. I therefore identify with Jesus sacrifice, leaving lavish Heaven and becoming so very poor so that I now am abundantly supplied in my finances. This is just part of my salvation that Jesus provided for me.

I will continue to remember the operation of the Kingdom of Gods financial increase comes by my generous giving. I do not give out of law but my giving will be as a result of a hearts desire, being prompt, joyous and cheerful. Then I am expecting the results of the Kingdom of Gods guarantee of my Fathers grace and favor bringing earthly blessings to me in abundance. Then in all circumstances, I am assured I will be prospering so that I do not have to get any kind of aid or support, no kind of debt; but I am giving continually out of my abundance to every good work and needs of others. Then Father God provides more seed for me to sow and I get greater harvests. In the process Father provides my every need, and I continue to be generous and this brings thanksgiving to my Father.

Christ Jesus has purchased my freedom from the curse of the Law of Moses by fulfilling the law for me. In this liberty I am experiencing the blessing of Abraham. I also receive the manifestation of financial blessings that come from every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm through Christ Jesus.

These Bible scriptures bring liberty to me in my finances so I continue looking into them, seeing and experiencing the reality of them in my life.

Janie Baer has just produced a CD called Gods Spoken Word and her new website http://www.godswordalive.com offers products to help Christians use Bible scriptures in every day living, finding the secret power of gods word and help find the unconditional love of Father God. Janie also has a blog, http://www.godswordalive.com/blog

From Pain To Power: Suicide, Part One; The Big "Why?"

Just last week, I heard of another friend who committed suicide.

I can think, offhand, of about five people, not including him, whom Ive been somewhat close to, whove made that choice in my lifetime of 55 years. Sad to say, but my immediate thought when writing this was, That aint bad, considering the state of the world and the challenges of living!

Corey (name changed) was special to me in that I had been a part of a healing ceremony with him where, essentially, he was baptized by fire. I believe I witnessed his physical transformation from a man hounded by personal demons into a man willing to face life squarely. It was a phenomenal experience that happened in an instant. Youd expect someone like Robert DeNiro to pull an instantaneous, visible, change like that off, but the actor would be doing it so we could see it, whereas what we witnessed in Corey was the choice to be it.

Transformations like that happen all the time. We say to ourselves, Well, in Coreys case, it didnt hold very well, did it? But who are we, who keep on going, to say?

What I havent mentioned is that Ive been an integral part of one or another stage of two hundred or more suicides. I was in emergency services as an ambulance paramedic for twelve years, and I doubt theres a phase Ive missed in whatever process there may be. In those and subsequent years, Ive counseled many on the brink. Of those whom Ive counseled, I dont know that any have followed through on the act. Usually, the encounters were flashes of despair that dissipated over time (more on this, later).

But the first thing I say to someone whom I counsel is Yes, suicide is an option.

I come from the point of view that it happens enough, it is such an integral part of the experience of being human, that it could not be otherwise than an option. No matter how much you may try to regulate it, you cannot stop it. You cannot even stem its tide by promising eternal damnation. Its something we do, and some of us more happily than others.

Yes, I said more happily. In conversation, Im sure youve heard of the term shit-eating grin. In the ambulance trade it refers to a look of complete relief and contentment on the face of a dead body. I have encountered these kinds of facial expressions most often in suicides.

With most everyone else, if there is any clearly definable expression at all its in the vein of What the Hell? Get me outta here! The grins of these suicides, however, speak, Ive made it!

Generalization is a trap, of course, and by no means am I saying that suicides are a happy thing. The point I wish to make is that suicide can be as much a vehicle of personal empowerment as it appears to be evidence of resounding defeat.

To live is to get scarred. No one gets out alive -- in the form we have right now, anyhow. The only difference for any of us is when. There is not a one of us who isnt doing something to hasten our own deaths, if nothing else than clinging to a belief in it.

What we do with our lives is a function of choice, which is so sacred even God doesnt mess with it. Free will has no limitations, which means even causing our own deaths (which happens all the time) is a gift offered by life.

What our impressions of life are what our interpretations of our circumstances are is what our lives become. If we interpret our lives as intolerable, with the only outlet remaining to be death at our own hands, then that is exactly what it will be. To the person who commits suicide, it is a by-product of their considered, not casual interpretation of their circumstances.

By no means am I advocating suicide. I am just suggesting that those who are left behind make room to see the world through the eyes of the person who has cashed in his or her chips. If you begin from the place that, for the individual, her world-view was valid, under the circumstances you may be able to grasp that taking her own life was appropriate.

Its funny how we use phrases like, those who are left behind, or, we, who carry on, or, the ones remaining to describe who is left after the dying go and these not being specific to suicides. The implication, as Buddha says, is that life is suffering. We all know and experience this. Perhaps the wonder is not that so many people commit suicide, but that so many more of us dont.

Next, walking in the others shoes.

Russ Reina shares over 35 years of experience in the healing arts through his web site http://mauihealingartist.com. It is a potent resource for those wishing to deepen their abilities in connection and develop their powers as healers. For a powerful free tool to explore your inner world, please check out his adjunct site http://thestoryofthis.net

(Permission is granted to reprint this article, unedited, provided proper attribution is made and the signature line -- the above resource paragraph -- is kept intact)