The New Paradigm

I just completed an amazing six week teleconference class with Lynne McTaggart. Her books are worth reading - if you're not a reader, consider the audio version. I'm an advocate of listening and/or reading ideas that will help to change your thoughts and guide you to changing your life. If you're going through a rough patch, marinate yourself in higher consciousness teachings. Play a CD or MP3 of one of the many teachers that I have talked about - Jacob Glass, Abraham, Katie Byron, Lynne McTaggart and others. It will shift your perspective.

We simply must take responsibility for the thoughts we think in order to change our lives and change our world. We get involved in doing a million different tasks during the day until we fall over exhausted at the end of the night - then we wonder why our lives aren't changing. You must put yourself first if only for 5 minutes in the morning. Write lists of appreciation, how you want your day to be, where you got it right (it's so easy for us to focus on where we got it wrong). Deconstruct your disturbing thoughts by writing down beliefs in one column, and then in another column where you got those beliefs. You might be surprised about what you've been carrying around. Beliefs that you don't even believe! - And yet they are a creative force in our lives. Like the woman who cut off the end of the roast before putting it in the oven. When she asked her mother why they always did that, her mother had no good answer. She finally asked her grandmother who said, "I don't know why you girls do it. I did it because my roasting pan was too small to fit the whole roast." Where do our thoughts about our self worth, what we deserve, and what we seem to continually deny ourselves come from? Get them out of your thought generator. They are simply not true.

Lynne McTaggart is convinced that we as humans were not meant to be small, selfish and self serving. We were meant to "share, care and be fair." She is predicting a new paradigm of changes that come from the powerful thrust of group intentions. The change in our world is not going to come from the top down - as evidenced by all the political machinations and media corruption - the change will come from the strength of our focused intention, singly and in groups. As the Talmud so eloquently puts it, "A light for one is a light for a hundred."

I cannot stress it more strongly - question your thoughts, question your thoughts, question your thoughts! What we think affects our world. We are number one cause in our lives, unequivocally. You can never blame anything outside yourself. It's time to think differently. It's time to get what you want out of life while extending a hand to another - it simply feels fantastic! We hold ourselves back by the beliefs we hold on to and they create our lives; and yet we don't understand why we cannot change our circumstances. It then reinforces our beliefs in being a victim, which then becomes self fulfilling. The more we think and say, "that always happens to me" or "it figures" or "knowing my luck," the more we reinforce it. We have a compliant Universe that consistently delivers our beliefs. As the Buddhists say, "become mindful." Don't let your thoughts run amok with untruths and beliefs that make you unhappy. Take small steps, penguin steps by changing the words that you use on a daily basis. Lets deconstruct the barriers to our good. 

The world is changing simply because we are changing.  Let go of the beliefs that have you "creating with monotonous regularity the patterns of your past," and begin to live the life that you deserve. 

Amazing Power

We have the ability to change our lives through our beliefs, which are just thoughts we keep thinking. No surprise, right? We know that intellectually, but practicing it is another story. And yet, it's one of the most important things we can do in this lifetime and it can be argued that that is the very reason we are here. We are spiritual beings living a physical experience. The power we possess to alter our lives and create peace, happiness and joy is limitless. Scientists tell us that we only use a fraction of our brain. Who knows what more we can do with this physical apparatus, not to mention what we are capable of as we incorporate more of our spiritual selves into our lives.

I am currently taking a class with Lynne McTaggart, author of The Bond, The Field and The Power of Intention. If you get off on scientific data and studies that substantiate spiritual phenomena, then she's your girl. She has done wide spread study herself, and has investigated countless studies that back how our powerful thoughts can supercede the physical. Even our DNA plays second fiddle to our thoughts. We communicate constantly with the power that creates worlds - call it what you will - God, the Universe, the Field, our Higher Self, the Quantum Web or the Divine - it responds to what we think, feel and emit. Words are secondary, though they hold energy, our thoughts and our emotions are the vibrations to which that field responds. as A Course In Miracles states, we create what we think about, wanted or unwanted. Lynne says we are "leaky buckets" that constantly send out signals. That is why, as Ernest Holmes says, "We create with monotonous regularity the patterns of our past." Why? Because we are habitual thinkers and we focus too much on reality. We allow reality to dictate our lives because, after all, it's true, real and concrete, right? Wrong. Not entirely. We base reality on our five senses and on a past that we decide is true. Yet we forget that there is another, perhaps stronger, reality in play - an emotional, vibrational and energetic reality.

If you don't like what you are attracting, make a conscious, concerted effort to change your beliefs, question your thoughts and move yourself into a better feeling place step by step. As thinking, creative human beings we have the ability to offer a vibration that is different from what we are observing. Reality does not have to be the dictator of our lives, especially if we don't like the reality that we are living. This is powerful stuff and yet it takes practice - as one of my teachers (Terry Cole Whittaker) used to say, "It takes a lot of work to live an effortless life." But we can do it, especially as our awareness becomes more acute - you will become less tolerable of misery.

Some time back, I was having a conversation with my best friend - an advocate of baby steps -  and I told him that I was proceeding in steps even smaller than baby steps, "I am moving in penguin steps." Those critters walk as if they have their pants down around their ankles and yet they traverse continents, and so can we. One penguin step at a time is all it takes to change thoughts that have us living circumstances that are unwanted. We are one hundred percent at cause in our lives. Once we fully understand that we become a powerful source for change.

I've offered lots of tools, teachers and books that can assist you in taking those small steps. Check out my resources here. Become mindful. Question your thoughts. Have the courage to be happy - it is not vapid, without contemplation or lacking erudite thought, quite the opposite. It is perhaps the most important thing you can do for your life and for others.

In keeping with our penguin stepping theme, here is a video of some mighty powerful, amazing birds who achieved the seemingly impossible.  

How's that working out for you so far?

If you feel like there is an area in your life where you are particularly stuck, take yourself out of the equation. Stop trying to fix it, change it or figure it out. If it's an area that has been a concern for you for sometime - relationship, career, finances - chances are you have a lot of the past accumulated which bares negatively on forward movement. It's easy to say, let go of the past, it's another thing to do it. Instead, don't hold on to the thoughts that move through your brain as habitual reminders of lack. Remember, beliefs are just thoughts that we keep on thinking. It's important to question those beginning thoughts - Is that true? How can I know that that true? This is the brilliant work of Byron Katie. Do not let these thoughts, that have you stuck, that hold you back, continue to hijack your emotions. Once thoughts have been met with emotions, they become solidified making them seem more real. They are not. They are just thoughts that we keep thinking that make us feel bad. "I can't change jobs because it means....I can't move because...I can't leave my mate, date someone else because..." These are stories we tell ourselves based on a past that does not feel very good. The evidence we have gathered serves us not.

Remember, the stories that we tell ourselves about who we are, based on our past - frequently a past that we do not even like - become the basis for our lives. Dare to let go of those thoughts and create a different story - even if you have to make it up! Lynne McTaggart, author, researcher and lecturer tells us that our brains cannot differentiate thoughts from reality. If we're thinking or imagining something that makes us happy, our brain does not know that this is not our current reality. It perceives it as real and creates neural pathways that become familiar. We now have an experience of having done it - Powerful stuff!

This week, do not be hijacked by thoughts that make you feel stuck - reasons and excuses for not living the life that you desire. Become aware and stop any thought that negatively affects your gut. Create new thoughts - begin with the end in mind and hold on to the wonderful truth that...Lots can happen.

Wisdom from Louise Hay

I couldn't have said it better myself, Louise!

"This month, I celebrate my own independence. I choose to be free of all negativity, anger, fear, insecurities, jealousies—and any thought that makes me feel “less than.”

I no longer choose to live in the prison of my mind. I choose thoughts of love, joy, prosperity, and unlimited creativity and opportunities. What I focus on is exactly what I attract.

Joy brings joy.

Let’s affirm: I am totally free to choose thoughts of joy."

For more of Louise Hay, log onto her blog - You Can Heal Your Life

Here's a picture of me, Louise Hay and Esther Hicks (Abraham) having some fun.

Choose Again...

It is no surprise that our thoughts create. The world we live in is exactly the one that we have designed and we are 100% responsible for it. Hardball metaphysics - no blame, no victim, no martyr. It's our energy and vibration that is calling circumstances to us so that we might learn from them - learn how to better control our energy, learn deep soul lessons. They are not good, bad or indifferent, they just are circumstances to which we are a vibrational match. With that knowledge, we must be ever diligent in watching our thoughts. Our mind is like a puppy that needs training. We have millions of thoughts in a day and some come and go without regard, some make us happy. It's the thoughts that are charged with negative emotion, anger, hate, fear, self-righteousness and degradation. Those are the thoughts that we cannot afford to take a foot hold in our lives. As the book says, "You Can't Afford The Luxury of Negative Thought." Some thoughts become habitual and then they become a "story" that we begin to live by. The Universe will do everything to make you right and if you're telling a story of lack, limitation or one of being a victim; you cannot be surprised when your life is not working out the way you want it to. It's self perpetuating and yet we often proceed as if we are at the effect of our circumstances - complaining, frustrated and overwhelmed.

We are so powerful - beyond measure - let's be more vigilant in which thoughts we allow to take root. Stop the negative buzz and chatter during the day. Stop bitching and complaining. Take deliberate moments to compliment someone, even if you can only find one thing that is worth complimenting in them. Appreciate more and let the bitterness take a back seat. As Abraham would say, "Wag more and bark less." It will change your life. The better it gets, the better it gets. Let's look for "the better" in our lives this week. 

Scaredy Cat

A Course In Miracles talks about the fear of the will of God as being one of the strangest notions that we hold. Somehow if we follow God's plan for our lives we won't get want we want. We might end up like Mother Teresa or some poor Monk who has taken a vow of poverty - that somehow we won't get our heart's desire. Unfortunately, that powerful guidance has been co-opted by religion and everything we think God is - judgmental and vengeful. What ever happened to the notion of a loving God? Thank goodness we have a guidance system that tells us better - that has driven us toward spirituality and the notion that we are all God, sharing the Universal force of love that makes us all one. It's like that joke about the two waves on the ocean. One wave says to the other, have you heard about this thing called the ocean that everyone's been talking about?"

The will of God is our higher selves plan for our lives. We have no greater joy than when we are following that plan. That's why Abraham says, "Nothing is more important than that you feel good," because that's when our higher selves, our guidance system is engaged. Don't fear it, it doesn't come from some outside strange entity. It comes from our higher self. Remember, we are spiritual beings living a physical existence. It is our own wisdom and we can trust it. Learn to trust your intuition and follow that path that brings you the most joy and you will be directed. As Howard Therman says, "Ask for what makes you come alive and do that." 

Do Unto Others...

If you're feeling particularly stuck or in a rut or just plain blasé, the antidote is giving. It can be a simple gesture - a smile, holding the door open for someone, letting a car in in traffic instead of speeding up and then cussing them out for "cutting you off." Extend yourself just a little bit today - a kind word to someone can often do more for you. We are all one and as the bible reminds us - and I paraphrase here - the least we do to another we do to ourselves. The energy of kindness and compassion carries with it strong vibrational attraction for good. Your return on investment is high here. Beat the Monday blahs by extending yourself where opportunity presents itself. It will make a difference in your day and will send a ripple effect that contributes to wellbeing. Simple acts of kindness, they are profound.

One by One, Thought by Thought

We are all one. There's no denying it. Quantum physicists will tell you about the field - God, Source, The Universe - that responds to, not only everything we do but from everything we think. You've all had that experience of thinking about someone and then they call. Spiritual teachers will tell you that we are spiritual beings living a physical experience and that we are all connected at the level of source - much like the waves upon the ocean - we are all the ocean. Everything you do or think not only effects you but also effects your world. For some fascinating research read Lynne McTaggart's The Field or the Intention Experiment.

The most important thing you can do today is to find your own peace, which will naturally radiate to others. Let go of the buzz, the chatter, the voice of dissent in your own head. Change the internal racket, change the story that has you stuck in living out the same patterns. As the masters have said, 'We are the architects of our own fate,' begin by changing one simple thought about yourself today and then watch as a new path begins to unfurl.

Enjoy this video, which is a perfect example of people connecting at the level of the heart through music.

I've Been Thinking...

"There is no more self-contradictory concept than that of "idle thoughts." What gives rise to the perception of a whole world can hardly be called idle.  Every thought you have contributes to truth or to illusion; either it extends the truth or multiplies illusions . . . There are no idle thoughts. All thinking produces form at some level." -A Course in Miracles

The laws of the Universe or of creation are as indiscriminate and powerful as the laws of physics. They don't care who you are, they just work. Gravity doesn't discriminate, it applies to everyone. Every thought you think, every emotion you give power to and dwell upon has power. The good news is that you can change the course of your life in an instant. Don't like your life or the circumstances you've created? - Change your thoughts. Start by concentrating on things that make you happy and feel good. We have thousands of thoughts each day - it's just the ones that we focus on, make a story out of and give power to that become habitual ways of thinking. Feel your way into a better feeling thought by focusing on what's going right, what's working and imagining your dreams as being true right now. It takes a lot of work to lead an effortless life, in the beginning, because you are training your mind. It gets easier because you become more mindful and because it starts to feel better. Release the mind chatter and the underlying thoughts that make you feel bad - the little day to day annoyances - and choose a better feeling thought right now. It will change your life.

Choose Again

I've been thinking a lot lately about fear and reaction; especially in light of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Granted the news is not good, but so many people seem to be running around hysterically buying into fear, fear and more fear. Earthquakes predicted in California, tsunamis, tragedy, nuclear annihilation and despair. This kind of thinking does nothing to help the cumulative consciousness, nor does it foster inspired action, which actually does help promote the common good. We must now be even more diligent of mind chatter and fearful thoughts that erode our good and rob of us of our personal happiness.

All the upset we're now experiencing in the world is bringing invaluable lessons with it. It gives us reason to be even more diligent with our thoughts in order to bring more light into our own lives - it has an exponential effect - it serves everyone. I'm reminded of someone who lived in the most horrific of times and circumstances and who refused to give into his mind's agreement of pain and despair;  Viktor Frankl. He was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, as well as a Holocaust survivor.  One of his most famous quotes is, "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." Even while he was being tortured in a concentration camp, he held on to the truth that he was still free in his mind - no one could take that away from him. 

The world has, for many people, become a very scary and hostile place. And while I by no means downplay the tragic circumstances the Japanese are now facing, I want to remind everyone that holding on to a higher truth and being even more mindful of our thoughts is of utmost importance. We are all connected; there is no distance in the heart. If we are freaking out in the safety and security of our homes and buying into all the dire predictions, we are of no good to ourselves or others. Remember the acronym for F.E.A.R - False Evidence Appearing Real? Viktor Frankl had all the evidence of physical horror and yet he refused to let his mind fall into agreement. He knew that that would certainly seal his fate. He remained free, and so can we.

We are so powerful. Every thought we think lays the groundwork for our future. We must be hyper-vigilant of our thoughts, especially in these fragile times - it serves to engender peace in your moment, sets up more of the same for my future, and lends itself to inspired action. All action taken from a place of peace acts to serve everyone - it's for the highest good for all concerned. Listen less to those thoughts of fear, listen less to the news, and subscribe to those thoughts that bring peace and joy so that it might be extended to others. Your prayers for the victims will be more powerful, your donations or any inspired action that you take will be compounded when it comes from a place of peace. My husband, who is an avid information gatherer and listens to all kinds of news, has been coming to bed at night with inspiring stories of heroics, generosity and love coming out of Japan. You will not hear those from your nightly news. Look for those stories. They will give you so much hope for the future, as well as inspire and encourage you.

Look for the good news stories; stay away from predictions and admonitions that leave you scared and feeling hopeless. Let's adopt Viktor Frankl's advice to choose our responses. Let's be inspired instead of scared so we can be effective in our own lives and in the lives of others. 

These times are helping us shed old skins - skins of shame, guilt, fear and separation. It's time to let go of those false beliefs about ourselves and really understand the truth of who we are so that we might live more joyfully.  


I remind you, once again, of all the teachers and tools listed on this page. They will help you let go of the past so that you might move boldly into the future you desire. Each one of those teachers are wonderful and offer special gifts. Choose the one that pops out at you - they will have the very thing you need for this moment. Don't stop reading, listening and marinating yourself in the positive information your soul longs for.

One teacher that especially comes to mind at this time is Daisaku Ikeda. He is a Buddhist philosopher, peace builder, educator, author, poet and President of the SGI Buddhist lay organization. He currently lives in Japan. I leave you with his words, "Nothing can destroy the treasures of the heart. Every adversity is but a trial for us to overcome so that we can attain eternal happiness. Nichiren Buddhism, our practice of faith in the Mystic Law, enables us to transform all poison into medicine without fail."