Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Thank You, Friend In Need


The other day, when I was thinking about how I would write this, I wondered what would be a good way to convey the message to you and express how I was feeling. I thought about it over and over for quite some time. Then, when I woke up in the morning this song came to me. I have been singing it ever since. It is a beautiful song. So even if you don't get a chance to read the whole blog, please click on the video link.

"I Need You To Survive"


 


This is just a quick update on my situation mentioned to you on Dec. 14, 2012.

I went to the eviction hearing on Dec. 18, 2012. I was completely overwhelmed by the suffering, pain, frustration and even anger that was displayed in the courtroom. I left there with a migrane headache!

I live in a very small town and I am sure that the Judge knows pretty much everyone. He was a kindly old gentleman and really seemed to be willing to help. It appeared he was more difficult with the Landlords/Realtors. He seems to respond to them as if he felt they should know the law and act accordingly. At times he was impatient with the way they handled their affairs and pointed out to them the several inconsistencies that they presented to him. He demanded that they get their act together and do better in handling their business.

Some of the cases were simply heartbreaking. One woman was left by her husband and she had just lost her job and had 4 children. She also mentioned that she had had two surgeries on her breast and had lumps removed, along with the fact that her son had fallen and broken his hip bone. Tragic! The Judge listened to her, but maintained "If you pay, you stay! If you don't you go!!" Simple as that.

He had probably heard more than enough stories to fill his library with. But he never ridiculed or severely chastised anyone in the court room like you might see Judge Judy or Judge Matthis do on television. I would put him in the over 60 year bracket if I were to give him an age.

Ironically, it seemed the Universe wanted me and my landlord to see the struggles of the others, because we were last to present. There didn't appear to be any order, and we didn't take a number, we all just had a time to show up to court.

With my case, he asked if I wanted to contest the amount, I said no, and it was resolved. A judgment was placed against me for the amount of $1730.00 plus court costs of $122.00. He closed my case by reiterating, "you pay, you stay. you don't, you go." He gave me to December 28, 2012 get it together. At this point, I am almost there, and I am ever hopeful that this will all work out especially with all the help and support I have received from you, others and my family.

He seemed to be sensitive to the time of year, particularly as it was Christmas and intimated that January was coming and while my landlord could start proceedings against me, if I did not "pay within 10 days" the actual proceedings would not really start till after the New Year. It felt like he was giving us all a few more days to pull a rabbit out of our hat.

Ironically, my case seemed to be the easiest and less traumatic compared to the others, and I am wondering if I needed to be there to see just how oppressed we are here in this home of the free, land of the brave. Everyone who was there was renting, not even buying or facing foreclosure, but all were being threatened with eviction. You could see the fear and trepidation in the eyes of the owners who were most likely in debt and were counting on rent to help pay them bills. My landlord even told me that he too was facing foreclosure. I get the impression that mortgage companies are not very tolerant these days. Or at least not with my landlord.

Before I went to court, I had to redirect my energy, it was starting to affect my health and I knew it was my own bottled up fear that was taking its toll on me. In that moment I began to realize that my Landlord's approach to me was the sum total of his own fears and his own needs and his own family pressures.

The so-called economic downturn is hurting the middle guy and the poor guy who holds the middle guy up. Sometimes people forget about the poor guy who holds the middle guy up, by paying rent in their properties so they can have another income to support the one they have. They too, are working with two parents out of the home doing 9-5, latch-key children and other financial issues. They depend on the poor guy who cannot purchase a home but that poor guy, when he can't pay the rent the whole house of cards come tumbling down. I thought about that, and I remembered, sending him healing energy, love and light energy, my help ease his burden and maybe, just maybe, release the blockages in my own life. Fear, hurt, pain, anger and frustration are emotional blockages, they hinder your progress, thus hinder the progress of others around you. We are not living in a vacuum and we are all connected, and while I may not be intimately involved with my landlord, on some levels I am, there is a dependency that he has on me, that makes me a significant other, so to speak.

All in all, I want to thank each and every one of you who were able to help in tangible ways and the rest of you were able to help in the spirit realm. That is what this so called Awakening is about, it is about owning our power and realizing that while we may not be able to pull off the monetary show of hands, we can send love, light, and healing energy to those who cry out for it, and even to those who don't.

I ask, that for those of you who wish you could have helped in a tangible way, if you still wish to do so, feel free. If you are still unable to do so, then by all means, provide a service to another person and send some of that energy my way. Do a random act of kindness however big or small, and tell the Universe that you are committed to service to others in anyway that you can. Sometimes we get so stuck in the material realm we don't realize how much healing we can do with a simple smile on a rainy day. Be kind to each other, embrace each other, love each other and that will be just fine.

Again I thank you all and I wish you the very best for you and for your family and loved ones.

SPREAD THE LOVE, SPREAD THE JOY, SPREAD THE PEACE, SPREAD THE JUSTICE.



Sincerely,
Nana Baakan

Friday, November 23, 2012

The Eviction Drama

CHAPTER ONE



Moving in my past has always been something that I had to reckon with. As a young child, we moved so much I think I developed an aversion to moving.

This prospect of having to move again, initially hit me with an overwhelming sense of dread. I could hear myself saying over and over again, "I hate Moving.!" Yet, I am aware at this point in my life that I am faced with this because I do "hate" it so much that the energy I put into hating it has come to haunt me. It is true that the thing you hate does haunt you. It lurks in the background of your mind and at your weakest point it reels its ugly head.

Knowing this about myself, I began to think very deeply about what it was about moving that caused me such consternation and dread. The idea was deep in my psyche that there must be something extremely traumatizing about moving that I need to uncover in order to deal with this next move. I began to go back into my history and check into those dimensional realities where moving was a part of the program for my existence at that time.
Not agian
As a young child I had little to no control of the circumstances, or even outcomes of what the "move" would entail. I remember horrible experiences, I remember moving in the middle of the night, or even moving across the street. I remember hearing my mother discuss moving with her friends over the phone but never really told us much. We would  just start packing and that would be it.



We hardly ever had the proverbial "moving truck" park in front of our house. We would move ourselves in shopping carts, wagons and bags. I am sure this experience was very embarrassing for me as a young child, especially when we would move around the corner, or across the street, and the neighbors would see us. I remember as a young child admiring my friends who lived in the same house for years and years, even to this day, I find that amazing.

After having my own family, I did not want to have the same plight of having to move from one location to another, year after year after year. But the one thing that would put me in that situation was the choices I made, from the beginning and the consequences of them.

Did I make those choices because I knew I would face having to move again? Did I have an inner sense that these new locations would not last forever, but would eventually have me facing having to move again. One thing that I have come to realize is that sense of powerlessness. Especially when you are being evicted or when someone has so much control over your life they can determine where you live! How is it that we live on a planet, where someone can control where you live, how you live or even if you live??

I came to realize that my mother faced eviction, constantly. I began to see that she would have difficulties with her finances and would have to move, again and again. In fact, she actually became accustomed to it and its challenges. At age 54, she numbered having moved 55 times! That was mind boggling to me. How could anyone enjoy moving that often? To her it was another challenge, another opportunity to do something different, another means to an end. To me, it is total disruption of my "comfortable" way of life. Maybe it was a way that I had just gotten used to and didn't want it to change. Maybe I have come to resist change so much when it comes to moving that I literally get physically ill. It's true, I remember the dust, and how it would be so much that I would get sick. As a child I had asthmatic bronchitis, so that dust wasn't cool at all. To this day, I don't even dust. In later years I realized that those feelings around dust for me were shrouded in the dread of that old feeling of getting sick every time we moved.

Moving is such an uprooting of an old paradigm on so many levels. Causing changes on so many levels, from addresses, to schools, to bill payments, to friends and family, to losses and disputes… to a big over the top dramatic change in your existence.

No, you may not be completely happy where you are, but to have to uproot yourself and settle down somewhere else is not easy, especially in this culture where so many things have to be decided by forces outside of your jurisdictions.

So I walked back to my childhood and took a look at what I must have felt as a small child. And a very abused small child at that. It always seemed to me from my perspective that my mother really didn't care about how we felt. I didn't get the feeling that she cared about how we would adjust to the different schools, neighborhoods and surroundings. Maybe she did in her own way, and quite possibly by the time I was 15, we had at least been in the same neighborhood, and didn't have to change schools. Maybe some where, someone mentioned to her that it would be good to keep us in the same schools. Maybe not. I know I needed that. Maybe for me, it meant a sense of stability. I was always being teased and the prospect of going to another school and being teased by another bunch of strangers didn't seem too happy for me. Maybe I was so much in my head and so busy trying to survive and also holding it down for my younger siblings that I just kept going.

 CHAPTER TWO

  Eviction

It hit me here recently, that that feeling of powerlessness is all pervasive. You are powerless when someone threatens to evict you. Your life and your destiny almost seems to shift gears and now your life is in the hands of someone else. I think that was key for me during this time of self exploration. I walked back past the times in my own adult life, when I had to move. That first edict came from my mother's husband. He said, "You are upsetting your mother too much with your decision to join the Nation of Islam. She is having a really hard time adjusting to this and really does not want you in the same house with her while you go through this. So, I am asking you to leave as soon as possible."

I am at this point in my life 19 years old, about to enter my third year of college. I was being transformed by the teachings I was receiving at Muhammad's Mosque #12C and by an old friend (whom my mother despised) who had just returned from prison. It is now the end of the summer and I am on my way back to school, and I am being told that I cannot return there. Didn't seem to concern them that I had no where else to go, as a college student in Scranton, PA, I was living on campus.. But it was said, do what you gotta do, just keep it moving.. I went back there and told him, I forgive you, and then I told my mom, I forgive you too.

We do crazy stuff in our lives, I mean really crazy stuff. Both of them are deceased now. He died of melanoma cancer, and she, recently of heart failure. I can look at that again now, and just give that up, forgive them cause hating to move is a big part of that, and I need to be free.

So, after that semester at school, I return home and am living in the home of my fiancé's mother. She too was and still is an interesting character. At this age, I am not cognizant, I am simply making choices. Living with her came with a whole other set of dramatic interludes that eventually ended up in another eviction. We were not exactly living the lifestyle she approved of either. I was staying in his tiny bedroom, we were Muslims living in sin!! The mosque forced us to get married under the threat of being kicked out, so his proposal was, "Let's get married then." Woow, I forgive you too Eric, what did we know then at 20 and 23 years of age?? Heck, we knew everything. So we moved out, into a tiny apartment, and I was thrust into the role of homemaker. WTH? As I look back, I can see the welling anxiety. Moving, again, and now because someone else said you had to. I am now pregnant, didn't know it, got married, and moved into a tiny apartment.

The marriage was tumultuous, to say the least. My first son is born. When he was merely 6 weeks old, I am running down the street in my pajamas, from my husband who had just threatened to kill me and kill himself. Really!! I go to the phone both and call the Mosque who's question to me was, "what did you do??" As I am explaining the situation, I look up and there is my husband running down the street looking for me with my newborn in his arms. I quickly forget all about my own safety as any mother would and run towards my husband to get my baby. We return to our new apartment and I begin to plot my escape.

Since my Mother never liked him, she was more than willing to help. Under the cover of darkness, we grab as much as we can, stuff it into her van and drive off. She allows me to set up residence in her new husbands property, which she had been running a day care center out of. Glad to have me on board, but soon found it was unbearable, she could not adjust to me following the dictates of the NOI, instead of being her daughter, the daughter she controlled so easily before. Where did I get the notion that I could live my own life the way I wanted to? Day after day she would harass me about my lifestyle, my diet, my style of dress and various other confrontational and unbearable discourses. So, again, I quietly planned my escape. It seems, that when you are planning it, you feel more powerful, than when someone says, "Git the Hell Out of my house." But in essence, it is really the same, if someone it making so difficult for you to live in their house, aren't they telling you to get the hell out? I mean, seriously.


 CHAPTER THREE

 So I got out, after 4 months, I was packed up and out. I did not tell my Mother where I was or even why I left, I just left. We did not speak again for a long time. My husband's Mother, had become totally terrified of her own son, who had commenced to threatening her and me. She was paralyzed to do anything, and felt so guilty about it all, but she was there for me to talk to about my journey and she was very concerned about her first grandson.

 Living with a Sisterfriend was great at first. In due time, even she became a bit agitated with me. She seemed to have some issues, mostly mental and some fears around my friendship with another Sisterfriend. Again another stealth removal of myself from another residence. Confrontations are not good for me. High anxiety and strong verbal congress is a bummer. I would rather write you a letter :)

My other Sisterfriend, found me an apartment. My husband is now roaming the streets with tales of his success in his business and what he had acquired as a result of it and how he was gonna get his family back, yadayadayada. It worked too, cause he got me back and he got me pregnant again. Within 7 months of the birth of my first, I am engaging with this father of my child and planning a renewal of our life together.

Maybe that is why my first Sisterfriend got so upset with me. Why would I do such a thing, go back to a man who had literally threatened to kill me, someone who care not about my safety or his, at least he acted that way. If you go through the whole process of reporting this abuse to the police, why are you back in his arms?? Good question, back in his arms because I needed security, and at that point I was not, I was alone with a child, a small child, no job and no place to live and living off public assistance. Who wouldn't make such a stupid decision as that? Sheeesh!!

I must admit, that it was a dumb thing to do, but it was all I had to do it with, little security and little hope and no support from the Mosque, I uprooted my life for. It was time anyway to get away from my controlling domineering paranoid fearful and overly anxious mother. But now the circumstances??? We lived in that second floor apartment for 2 months. That's right, 2 months, and off to jail he went, for murder! We never fought during that time, in fact, he was doing all he could to show me how wonderful he could be. Too funny, the many times men can re-invent themselves is phenomenal. Women should try it. Yep, back in jail and saying the entire time, he was innocent. Now, I am alone again, with a small child and a pregnancy. True story, you can't make this stuff up.    

CHAPTER FOUR

  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Peachtree-Pine_shelter.jpg/220px-Peachtree-Pine_shelter.jpg

 So now I am in the apartment, alone with my small son and another on the way. Too much of a familiar story. My Sisterfriend who is also a member of the NOI knows someone, a man, who is also a member, maybe we should meet, maybe we should get married, because Muslim women should get married and have a husband to protect them. Ha, ain't that nothing. Any man, just take any man, why, because he said he was Muslim, and therefore, that means he is a good man, doesn't it? That means he can do all them Muslimy things like take care of his family, pay the bills, put the trash out and live a righteous life, right?? Who knew, it takes more than a religion to make a man. But we got married, we moved again, and one more time. The last time was into our own home, our very own purchased off the block home. Haaa! When you are young and inexperienced, the vipers see you coming, they play on your ignorance and have you for dinner and then spit you out.

 The house was a wreck. Oh it look wonderful from the outside. Who knew?? We didn't. One thing after another began to break down. We are now two adults and three children and counting. In how long, oh about 2 years or so. We are not having happy wedded bliss by a long shot, and I want a divorce at 8 moths pregnant. I am superwoman and I can do this by myself. He left, he came back, we tried it again, it didn't work, he left again. I am 4 children later, but no more counting, this is it. NO MORE CHILDREN!! It was overwhelming, after a while, with no sizable help, I was facing eviction again. I had to move again. I forgive my second husband too. He didn't know any better either, tricked by the same society that tricked me, and dealing with the issue of being a broken man as I was a broken woman. We came out of severely dysfunctional households, we were trying to be good people, strong people, righteous people, but we just didn't know how. And how do you translate to being a parent???

It's December, 1985, my mother works for the Sherriff's office, she got him to give me a reprieve on the eviction to January, 1986. She had her own rental property, but alas, she would not offer that to me. It was bitter cold, I don't think that has been a colder winter day in Philadelphia since. We stepped out into the street after watching our belongings get packed into a big truck and sent off to the Storage Center. The children were very, very sad about all their toys, and while I was able to save 7 days of clothes for them, their books and a few other things in the house of a friend, they wanted their toys!!! Toys are so important to youngsters. You are thinking of survival while they are thinking about the next time they will be able to play.

We stayed in a shelter, overnight, one night, that's all, I could not bare it there. So I called my friend, a male friend, an intimate male friend, let me add, who did not offer to let me stay there, because, again, my lifestyle was not of his liking. I have since stopped practicing orthodox Islam and am now knee deep in African Traditional Spirituality. He is Buddhist, and while he was curious, he felt superior to me and my children and would not tolerate me or my children to live in his home with our false gods. Hmm, my false gods didn't dissuade him from partaking of my deliciousness but that's another long story. True though.

We stayed with him for 6 months and then we are off again, under the cover of darkness, avoiding confrontation, we leave and move into another harrowing situation that appeared on the surface to be legit, and ended up being a bit unsavory. Choices, we work them out, we come to decisions and then we do stuff.. We do stuff based on what??? Our inner sense of what we should do or desperation? I forgive that dude too. What the heck did he know about being a really good friend, a really good support person, a decent guy? He was just a Buddhist, and religion does not make you any of these things.    

CHAPTER FIVE

 Padlock

 Ironically, after the initial distortions of living in this new home, with my family, another crisis arrived. This time the owner of the property, full of his own right to do so, put my four children out and put a pad lock on the door!! Why, because he had been found by the Housing Authority in response to my inquiry. I had not paid him any rent for 2 years, why? I couldn't find him. So out of concern that this may be another eviction situation, I investigated and found that they were looking for him too. He was in violation, he was not supposed to be renting the home according to the agreement he signed. The police undid the padlock and let us back in and intimated that my relationship with him must have been more than Landlord-Tenant. Why? Why would that even be a consideration I asked? Because of his anger??

We lived here another 4 years, and by the way, Mike, you are forgiven. We lived here rent free… why, cause Mike disappeared and couldn't be found. The woman working on the case went out on maternity leave, two times, get that, two times, meaning that she let that case fall through the cracks.

Eventually, the house began to deteriorate and fall apart. While I did not legally own the home, repairs that need to be made were my responsibility. On welfare, with a part-time job and 4 young children, those repairs barely got taken care of. Eventually, we were confronted with plumbing problems and it became clear, we had to move, again!!! We lived out of boxes for 6 months till I was able to find another home for my family.

 One day, we get a notice, our electricity had been illegally connected. "Do you wish to pay the back bill or do you wish we turn it off and begin it again in your name? You will still be responsible for all the Electricity you have received, even though you did not know it was illegally connected. You have 2 weeks to vacate the premises." This time was a little different, nevertheless, the moving drama persists.


CHAPTER SIX


  http://www.democracynow.org/images/story/99/21399/original/FBI%20jackets.png

I am working now, creating a niche for myself in a community counseling program. I am saving money and I am in the position to get another home for my family. The real estate lady, who felt really bad about her negligence in another situation, strongly pushed for the home I came to live in for 13 years. The longest stretch I have stayed anywhere. It seemed it would work out perfectly, but within two years of moving in, I am being evicted from the community program I headed up. The entire company is under investigation by the FBI and we have to get out of the building, they are gonna shut it down!!

The move from this facility had me comatose. I sat in the midst of it all as the movers packed and stored all the materials. I had a great friend at the time, who seemed to understand my inability to function, he took over the move out of the facility and the move of the materials, furniture, etc. into my home. A home I had only been in for about 18months and am again facing the very real possibility that I may have to vacate, again. I was able to pay the rent for several months after that, and then it became a little more challenging. Wow! I remained in an animated "now what" stage for several months, approximately two years. Then I got it together, I am gonna start my own business. I got enough skills.

I met a Psychologist, who was willing to work with me, and we began to rise up out of the ashes. Dr. McNeil.. I forgive you too, man.. You were older and I am sure you had your sites on higher ground just getting your feet wet here in this area, but it would have been nice to know that you were moving on. Abandonment. How many of us are faced with that prospect? We are abandoned and then we turn around and abandon others. What is that all about? Is it really karmic or the resolution of drama in a dramatic play of unresolved issues and extenuating circumstances.

Business got slower and slower, folks left, some volunteered, others went for another paying job, and the business held on by a tiny sliver. Within a few years, I am facing the situation of inconsistency with paying the rent. My landlord of that era was really, really ready to through me out, but he saw how I transformed his house into a business and having experienced his own ups and downs in business he was a little more tolerant. Tolerant only to the point of having me there, but he made no repairs. In essence we came to the mutual agreement, that I would need to vacate the premises. I started my search, contemplated communal living, decided to move out of Philly proper and found the home I am living in now. I forgive you too, Mr. Williams. He held on to me because his father and I had a wonderful rapport. Whenever I would go over and drop off the rent, we would sit for hours talking. His father got really ill after a unfortunate fall, and never recovered. He eventually passed on, and was shortly followed by his wife.

Everything changed around us, the neighborhood changed with the promise of it becoming a Mecca of development housing for any city developer, all preceding the housing bubble bust. Mr. Williams was feeling optimistic that he could sell the property. Maybe at some point, it's been 6.5 years and still no buyers.

 CHAPTER SEVEN

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I was hobbling around with a cane, after having an acute case of rheumatoid arthritis. I had to move again, I believe my subconscious mind, collapsed under the pressure and pushed that collapse to my knees. I could barely walk, and certainly could not move, hold, pick up or pack anything heavy. I had to call on the resources of friends and family to help me move this time.

I guess he liked my style when he agreed to let me live here. I am an older woman, no children and only a couple of cats. Surely I would not be a risk. And initially, I was not. Now my payment record looks a little shady, we have had two actual court meetings and now he is threatening another. Coincidentally, his name is Mike, and this is the same time of year as my eviction from the home I bought with my second husband. I know there is a lesson, a story, a drama, that I must face and work out as it relates to my housing situation and my ability to maintain myself financially in such a way that I can secure my housing. How do I do this, how do I begin?

Well, I forgive, all them folks who hurt me, or cause my housing situation to be insecure. Whether they realize it or not, they too were acting out of fear. The fear of being able to maintain and sustain themselves and their situation.

 I know that my present landlord is overcome with fear about the fact that this source of income will not be consistent. He needs it to take care of his responsibilities and he has every right to expect me to take care of mine. That I totally understand, what I am uncovering is the housing drama and the many nuances that come with that. What is the lesson for me, and why does this happen over and over again. I am writing this down to see if I can find the common thread. I have thought of it much and much more.

I have come to understand that forgiving others is very important, but forgiving yourself is even more important. So I am forgiving myself for my "choices" and the circumstances that followed that lead to other choices that may not have been exactly what I would have liked. On this path of self discovery and owning of the Divinity within, it is coming clear, that this "Moving Drama" is a part of this journey as well.
    
CHAPTER EIGHT

  http://www.nationalurbanmedia.com/clientfiles/image/homelessness.jpg

It seems that we are stuck in a relationship frequency around home and shelter security. It is set up on land that was stolen from the First peoples who were here, and it has been carved up and divided among the masses who are presently here for profit, pleasure and desecration of mother Earth.

While we may not directly participate in this we indirectly participate in that we are beneficiaries of this in some way. Each of us, having our personal drama, saddled with our community drama and our Nation's drama around real estate, buying up and dividing up Mother Earth as if she has not given the Earth to all, freely.

We also make more profits building upon her and selling our building projects to others for profit. Of course if you are not a great land developer but merely a person attempting to secure your family in this drama, you may become a landlord yourself, while being a leasee as well. The damage, hatred, fear and consternation is passed down to all the underlings who we all are in essence but whom we seem to feel more superior to or better than. That was the essence of the letter I wrote to Mike and his wife. We do not live in a world, where communities are designed by mutual aid and assistance to help other members of the community. We are all here, doing for our own immediate self and family and barely pay attention to the plight of another human being.

We walk over the homeless. In order to do that we have to desensitize our selves so as not to feel the pain of another's misfortune. So I forgive you as Mike. I know you are doing what you are forced to do. Surely you would do it differently, but you too are overwhelmed with your need to be secure in your own home. So the Ferris wheel goes around, we each take a turn getting on and getting off, but we are not free of it, until we decided to not get on.

 Today, I am identifying my own "housing drama." I have never faced it, resolved it or released it. It's an exercise in self empowerment and self determination. While I must admit that I do live on a planet that has been used to dominate others, I am getting closer to how that dominion effects me from various sources and how this oppression has played itself out in my own housing drama.

 I choose to claim myself and my dignity. That there is no situation that can reduce me to less than that unless I allow it. If I give myself over to fear, anxiety and defeat, then the housing drama, or any drama, will overtake me and render me defenseless. Knowing that I have made every positive effort within my given station of awareness to do my "fair share" within this housing drama, I am resolved of any guilt or ill feelings or misrepresentations. It is impossible to misrepresent a Divine Being experiencing itself in this corporal world.

My beingness is realized in all that I express. My Soul, in Divine Character is the Motivator and Sustainer of my Physical Body. Without it, this physical body would cease to exist. But while she is in the driver's seat of this Expression of the Divine, I am Faithfilled & Fearfree, I am Protected. There is a Divine Partnership going on Between My Soul & My Physical Body. As we travel these many life stories, these many life dramas, we come to know more and more about Divinity and how it Expresses itself in all manner of circumstances, in all manner of Being.


 CHAPTER NINE

 

So, after several long talks with myself, I asked Soul to give me a sign. Let me know what my next step should be. Is it really time for me to move on? Am I in a better state of mind to do this? I asked that something wonderful happen, that day, each day. I commanded that something wonderful happen, before I rose from my bed. And it did!! I wondered what it would be, all the way to 3 O'clock in the morning. Then, while watching a YouTube video, a man talking in a monotone said, "Living in My Van." That hit me like a ton of bricks. I was just about to turn him off right before he said that. In those few seconds of listening more to him, the words came, loud and clear!!

 My heart raced, my mind raced, I went to bed to see if there was a dream to back this up. I could not sleep. I kept having visions of this place being empty of my things. While I attempted to see if I would be staying here, the flashes came, one after another, I was not. I was packing, things were gone from here and all I could think of was how that would happen and it occurred to me again, "Living In My Van." I could move to a trailer. Absolutely!!! I kept imagining how that could take place, I could see it, feel it, smell it, sense it. And of course the doubts would come in too. So I asked for a dream, a dream that would help me to see if this was my next move. And they did come, two nights in a row. I asked for signs throughout the day. I wanted to see a trailer home or RV while I was out. Haven't seen that yet, but did have two dreams that seem to be pointing me in that direction.

Somehow, I feel I have my power back! I feel excited about getting out of here. I feel vindicated. Did I learn my lesson, or have I just taken the ball out of his court and placed it in mine? Am I excited because I no longer feel victimized by this situation, or I feel more powerful than Mike, cause I am making my own choices? I wish him and his family well, and thank him for allowing me to stay here, under these circumstances, it has been difficult for us both. But this time, I will leave, with love and light in my heart, not pain and uncertainty. My many travels have brought me to this juncture. I embrace my life and my housing drama. I have learned from you. I look forward to being that turtle again, whose house was right on his back.    

CHAPTER TEN
http://www.worldtrans.org/pic/eagle.gif
Living on this planet, particularly in the industrialized world, we as, humans are faced with the issue of survival. It is challenged, given and taken by Overlords and Masters who feel they can determine how we survive. They can persuade us in any number of ways to give up our individual sovereignty and dangle fallacious opportunities to us, under the guise of showing us a "better way of life." In the position to easily take from us, they can create all manner of needs and fears. This insures they will never be without, or so it may seem. Pressing us into manifesting through our lower chakras we grapple with survival and wanting to be one of the "haves." We subject our children to their food, mentally, educationally, emotionally and spiritually; and replicate the illusion of one person's dominion over another. We become completely divorced from our soul center and waddle around looking for some one to save us. We become even more easily controlled as we hand our children over, day after day, to this system, this program, this survival drama. We have become powerless victims. If we were so powerless, there would be no battle for our power, our energy. When we regain our personal power, our personal sovereignty, we no longer need to fear them. They have become powerless to control us anymore. It is a journey, an uphill climb, but we must do it. Mother Earth and the Universe is watching and expecting us "Home" for dinner.    


The Eviction Drama can also be viewed here: http://yourstoryclub.com/uncategorized/the-eviction-drama/

Sunday, November 18, 2012

The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield


The Celestine Prophecy
by James Redfield
Warner Books, 1993
Outlined by Laura Bryannan

First insight

  • A reconsideration of the inherent mystery that surrounds our individual lives on this planet.
  • We experience mysterious coincidences which show us that there is another side of life we have yet to discover--some other process operating behind the scenes.
  • A world transformation is taking place now because the number of individuals conscious of such coincidences is growing dramatically.
  • Once we reach a "critical mass" of such individuals, the culture will begin to take these coincidental experiences seriously, and we will wonder, in mass, what mysterious process underlies human life on this planet.

Second insight

  • History is not just the evolution of technology; it is the evolution of thought.
  • By understanding the reality of the people who came before us (what they felt and thought) we can see why we look at the world the way we do, and what our contribution is toward further progress. The world is about to identify a particular preoccupation that developed during the later half of this millennium (the Modern Age).
    1. The Middle Ages (1000 BCE): the reality of this time was defined by the Christian Church.
      • The world the church described as real is, above all, spiritual.
      • Life was defined as having one solitary purpose: to win or lose salvation.
      • Churchmen were there to interpret the scriptures and tell you whethe you are in accordance with God or Satan; if you followed their advice, you were assured a rewarding afterlife.
      • Every aspect of the Medieval world is defined in other-worldly terms.
      • All phenomena of life is defined either as the will of God or as the malice of the devil.
      • All people took for granted that the world operated solely by spiritual means.
    2. Fourteenth-Fifteenth centuries: the previous world view begins to fall apart.
      • Improprieties on the part of the churchmen cause rebellion; Martin Luther calls for a complete break from papal Christianity.
      • The men who defined reality for centuries lose their credibility.
      • The clear consensus about the nature of the universe and humankind's purpose here collapses.
      • Scientific discoveries proved that the realities about our world as maintained by the Church were incorrect: the Earth is not the center of the universe, for ex.
      • All ideas about the world taken for granted now need new definition, especially the nature of God and our relationship to God.
    3. Modern Age: a growing democratic spirit and a mass distrust of papal and royal authority.
      • Definitions of the universe based on speculation or scriptural faith are no longer automatically accepted.
      • To avoid some new group stepping in to control reality as the churchmen did, a method of consensus-building (the scientific method: testing an idea about how the universe works, arriving afterward at some conclusion, and then offering this conclusion to others to see if they agree) was developed.
      • Explorers were sent out to the world, armed with the scientific method, to find out how it works and what it means that we find ourselves alive here.
      • We sent these explorers out to bring back a complete explanation of our existence, but because of the complexity of the universe they weren't able to return right away.
  • When the scientific method couldn't bring back a new picture of God and of mankind's purpose on the planet, the lack of certainty and meaning affected Western culture deeply.
    1. We needed something else to do until our questions were answered.
    2. We shook off our feeling of being lost by taking matters into our own hands, by focusing on conquering the Earth and using its resources to better our situation.
    3. This focus became a preoccupation. We lost ourselves in creating a secular society, and economic security, to replace the spiritual one we lost.
    4. The question of why we were alive, of what was going on here spiritually, was slowly pushed aside and repressed altogether.
    5. We've forgotten that we still don't know what we're surviving for.
  • It is time now to wake up from this preoccupation and reconsider our original question: What's behind life on this planet? Why are we really here?

Third insight

  • A new understanding of the physical world: humans will learn to perceive what was formerly an invisible type of energy.
  • The basic stuff of the universe, at its core, is a kind of pure energy that is malleable to human intention and expectation in a way that defies our old mechanistic model of the universe--as though our expectation itself causes our energy to flow out into the world and affect other energy systems.
  • Human perception of this energy first begins with a heightened sensitivity to beauty.
    1. The perception of beauty is a kind of barometer telling each of us how close we are to actually perceiving the energy.
    2. When something strikes us as beautiful, it displays more presence and sharpness of shape and vividness of color. It stands out. It shines. It seems almost iridescent compared to the dullness of other objects less attractive.
    3. The next level of perception is to see an energy field hovering about everything.
  • Plants which have the most direct conscious human attention are more potent and grow faster than plants which do not get conscious attention.
    1. Plants grown in this way, when ingested, increase the body's efficiency dramatically.
  • Two periods of the day most conducive to seeing energy fields: sunrise and sunset. How to begin:
    1. Touch the tips of index fingers together, with blue sky in background.
    2. Separate the tips about an inch and look at the area directly between them.
    3. Take eyes out of focus a bit and move the tips closer, then apart.
  • Once humans learn to observe energy fields, our understanding of the physical universe will quickly transform.
  • We would become conscious that certain localities radiate more energy than others, the highest radiation coming from old natural environments, especially forests

Fourth insight

  • Eventually humans will see the universe as comprised of one dynamic energy, an energy that can sustain us and respond to our expectations.
    1. We have been disconnected from the larger source of this energy; we have cut ourselves off and so have felt weak, insecure and lacking.
    2. In the face of this deficit, humans have always sought to increase our personal energy in the only manner we have known: by seeking to psychologically steal it from others--an unconscious competition that underlies all human conflict in the world.
  • When a person engages another in a conversation, one of two things can happen: that person can come away feeling stronger or weaker.
    1. We prepare ourselves to say whatever we must in order to prevail in the conversation.
    2. Each of us seeks to find some way to control and thus remain on top in the encounter.
    3. If we are successful, if our viewpoint prevails, then rather than feel weak, we receive a psychological boost.
  • When we control another human being we receive their energy. We fill up at the other's expense and the filling up is what motivates us. Most people are in a constant hunt for someone else's energy.
    
    

    Fifth insight

    • Humans must learn to gain energy from the universal source, not other humans.
      1. Food is the first way of gaining energy, but in order to totally absorb energy in food, the food must be appreciated, savored.
      2. Taste is the doorway; you must appreciate taste; this is the reason for prayer before eating--to make eating a holy experience--so the energy from the food can enter your body.
      3. After personal energy is increased through conscious eating, you become more sensitive to energy in all things, and then you learn to take this energy into yourself without eating.
      4. To be open to universal energy, you have to connect--to use your sense of appreciation, as in seeing auras--but you take this one step further so that you get the sensation of being filled up.
      5. When you successfully appreciate something, you allow the love that underlies all to enter you.
      6. When you appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of things you receive energy. When you get to a level where you feel love, then you can send the energy back just by willing it so.
    • Even though an alternative source of energy exists, we really can't stay connected with it until we come to grips with the particular method that we, as individuals, use in our controlling, and stop doing it--because whenever we fall back into this habit, we get disconnected from the source.
      1. This habit is always unconscious at first; the key to letting it go is to bring it fully into consciousness.
      2. This is done by seeing that our particular style of controlling others is one we learned in childhood to get attention, to get the energy moving our way.
      3. Our parents and siblings operated in a drama themselves, trying to pull energy out of us as children. We had to have a strategy to win energy back.
      4. This style is something we repeat over and over again. It's called our unconscious control drama.
      5. Each person must reinterpret their family experience from a spiritual point of view, and discover who they really are. Once we do this, we can go past these control dramas and see what is really happening.
    • General control drama styles. Everyone manipulates for energy either aggressively--directly forcing people to pay attention to them, or passively--playing on people's sympathy or curiosity to gain attention.
      1. Aloof: in order to get energy coming your way, you withdraw and look mysterious and secretive. You hope that someone will be pulled into this drama and try to figure out what's going on with you. When someone does, you remain vague, forcing them to struggle, dig and try to discern your true feelings. As they do so, they give you their full attention and that sends their energy to you. The longer you can keep them interested and mystified, the more energy you receive.
      2. Interrogator: sets up a drama of asking questions and probing into another person's world with the specific purpose of finding something wrong. Once they do, they criticize this aspect of the other's life. If this strategy succeeds, the person being criticized is pulled into the drama. They find themselves becoming self-conscious around the interrogator and paying attention to what the interrogator is doing and thinking about, so as not to do something wrong the the interrogator would notice. This psychic deference gives the interrogator the energy he desires. Interrogators pull you off your own path and drain your energy because you judge yourself by what they might be thinking.
      3. Intimidator: someone who threatens you, either verbally or physically. You are forced, for fear of something bad happening to you, to pay attention to them and so to give him energy. This is the most aggressive kind of drama.
      4. Poor Me: someone who tells you all the horrible things that are already happening to them, implying perhaps that you are responsible, and that, if you refuse to help, these horrible things are going to continue. Someone who makes you feel guilty when you're in their presence, even though you know there is no reason to feel that way. Everything they say and do puts you in a place where you have to defend against the idea the you're not doing enough for them.
    • People use more than one drama in different circumstances, but most of us have one dominant control drama that we tend to repeat, depending on which one worked well of the members of our early family. A person goes to whatever extreme necessary to get attention energy in their family.
      1. Interrogator parents tend to create aloof children. When someone continually asks you questions, only to find something wrong with your answers, you must get vague and distant, to try to say things that will get their attention, but not reveal enough to give them something to criticize.
      2. Intimidators tend to create poor me children (or another intimidator). If someone is draining your energy by threatening you with physical, mental or emotional violence, being aloof doesn't work; you can't get them to give you energy by playing coy; you are forced to become more passive, and guilt-trip them about the harm they are doing. If this doesn't work, then, as a child you endure until you are big enough to explode against the violence and fight aggression with aggression.
      3. Aloof parents tend to create interrogator children. If you were a child and your family members were either not there or ignored you, playing aloof would not get their attention. You would have to resort to probing and prying and finally finding something wrong in these aloof people in order to force attention and energy.
    • To find your true self you must go back to your family experience and review what happened. Once we become conscious of our control drama, we can focus on the higher truth of our family that lies beyond the energy conflict. Once we find this truth, it will tell us who we are, the path we are on, what we are doing.
      1. Look past the energy competition that existed in your family and search for the real reason you were there.
      2. Ask yourself the question, "Why was I born to this particular family? What might have been the purpose for that?"
      3. Ask yourself what each of your parents stood for. Each parent will try to claim your allegiance to their particular point of view. Every human being, whether they are conscious of it or not, illustrates with their lives how he or she thinks a human being is supposed to live.
      4. Each of us must try to discover what our parents taught us about this and, at the same time, what about their lives could have been done better.
      5. What you would have changed about your parents is part of what you are working on.
      6. Every person begins their spiritual life in a position between their parent's truths. That's why you were born there: to take a higher perspective on what they stood for. Your path is about discovering a truth that is a higher synthesis of what these two people believed.
      7. If you look closely at all the things that have happened to you since birth, if you view your life as one story, you'll be able to see how you have been working on this question all along.
    
    

    Sixth insight

    • Getting clear of our family control drama opens the way for us attune to our particular mission in this life.
      1. Each of us must look at the significant turns in our lives and reinterpret them in light of our evolutionary question.
      2. Try to perceive the sequence of interests, important friends, coincidences that have occurred in your life. Where were they leading you?
      3. We must all spend as much time as necessary doing this process of clearing our pasts. Once we transcend our family control drama, we can comprehend the higher meaning of why we were born our particular parents, and what all the twists and turns of our lives were preparing us to do.
    • We all have a spiritual purpose, a mission, that we have been pursuing without being fully aware of it. Once we bring it completely into consciousness, our lives can take off.
    • The truth we pursue on our particular spiritual mission is as important as the evolution of the universe itself, for it enables evolution to continue.
      1. Humans are born into their historical situations and find something to stand for. They form a union with another human being who also has found some purpose.
      2. The children born to this union then reconcile these two positions by pursuing a higher synthesis, guided by coincidences.
      3. Each time we fill up with energy and a coincidence occurs to lead us forward in our lives, we institute this level of energy in ourselves, and so we can exist at a higher vibration.
      4. Our children take our level of vibration and raise it even higher. This is how we, as humans, continue evolution.
    • The current generation is ready to do this consciously and accelerate the process. No matter how scary, there is no longer any choice in this matter. Once you learn what life is about, there is no way to erase the knowledge. If you try to do something else with your life, you will always sense that you are missing something.
    • How to help this process of maintaining one's path:
      1. Insure that your energy level is high by focusing on the unique beauty and shape of everything, especially nature.
      2. Try to experience a feeling of closeness, the feeling that no matter how far away something is, you can touch it, connect with it.
      3. Breathe in this energy by taking deep conscious breaths, holding each about five seconds before exhaling.
      4. Visualize that each breath pulls energy into us and fills us like a balloon; experience becoming lighter and more buoyant.
      5. After you breathe in the energy, check your emotions. Do you feel love? This is the true measure of whether you are really connected. Love is not an intellectual concept or moral imperative. It is a background emotion that exists when one is connected to the energy available in the universe.
      6. Once you are connected with the energy, examine your thoughts.
        • The words you habitually will through your head in an attempt to logically control events stop when you give up your control drama.
        • As you fill up with inner energy, other kinds of thoughts enter your mind from a higher part of yourself. These are intuitions. They appear in the back of your mind, sometimes in a kind of daydream or mini-vision.
      7. When you have acquired enough energy, you are ready to consciously engage evolution, to produce the coincidences that will lead you forward.
        • Remember your basic life question--the one your parents gave you--because this question provides the overall context for your evolution.
        • Next you center yourself on your path by discovering the immediate, smaller questions that currently confront your life.
        • These questions always pertain to your larger question and define where you currently are in your lifelong quest.
        • Once you become conscious of the questions active in the moment, you always get some kind of intuitive direction of what to do, of where to go.
        • The only time this will not occur is when you have the wrong question in mind. The problem in life isn't in receiving answers. The problem is in identifying your current questions. Once you get the questions right, the answers always come.
        • After you get an intuition of what might happen next, the next step is to become very alert and watchful. Sooner or later coincidences will occur to move you in the direction indicated by the intuition.
    • Always remember to stop as often as necessary to reconnect your energy. Stay full, stay in a state of love. Once you achieve this state of love, nothing nor anyone can pull more energy from you than you can replace. But you must stay conscious of this process in order for it to work. This is especially important when you interact with people.
    
    

    Seventh insight

    • Certain objects will jump out at us; our thoughts, dreams and daydreams often come to us as guidance.
      1. Dreams can be interpreted by comparing the story of the dream to the story of your life. Bad dreams have the most important messages.
      2. Daydreams show us a scene, a happening, and this is an indication that this event might happen. If we pay attention we can be ready for this turn in our lives.
    • We have many more of these kind of thoughts than we realize. To recognize them we must take an observer position. When a thought comes, we must ask why. Why did this particular thought come now? How does it relate to my life questions? Taking this observer position helps us release our need to control everything. It places us in the flow of evolution.
    • Fear images should be halted as soon as they come. Then another image, one with a good outcome, should be willed through the mind. Soon, negative images will almost never happen; your intuitions will be about positive things.
      1. When negative images come after that, they should be taken very seriously and not followed.
      2. Example: If the idea comes to you that you're going to have a wreck in a truck and someone comes along and offers you a ride in a truck, do not accept it.
    • Build your energy and center yourself in your situation, in the questions you have; you will then receive some form of intuitive guidance, an idea of where to go or what to do, and then coincidences occur to allow us to move in that direction. Each time these coincidences lead us into something new, we grow, we become fuller persons, existing at a higher vibration.
    • We must assume that every event has significance and contains a message that somehow pertains to our questions. This especially applies to what we call bad things. The challenge is to find the silver lining in every event, no matter how negative.
    
    

    Eighth insight

    • All the answers that mysteriously come to us really come from other people.
      1. Not all the people you meet will have the energy or the clarity to reveal the message they have for you.
      2. You must help them by sending them energy; consciously projecting energy into a person helps them see their truth. They can then give this truth to you.
    • We must honer this interpersonal ethic and treat others in such a way that more messages are shared. This insight is about using energy in a new way when relating to people in general, but it begins with children.
      1. Children need energy on a continual basis, unconditionally.
      2. The worst thing that can be done to children is to drain their energy while correcting them. This is what creates control dramas.
      3. These learned manipulations can be avoided if the adults give them all the energy they need no matter what the situation.
      4. Children should always be included in conversations, especially about them.
      5. Adults should never take responsibility for more children than they can give attention to.
        • Any one adult can only focus on and give attention to one child at a time.
        • If there are too many children for the number of adults, then the adults become overwhelmed and unable to give enough energy.
        • In this situation, children will begin to compete with each other for the adult's energy and time.
        • Adults often glamorize the idea of large families and children growing up together, but children should learn the world from adults, not from other children. In too many cultures, children are running in gangs.
        • We should not bring children into the world unless there is at least one adult committed to focus full attention, all of the time, on each child.
        • All the energy does not have to come from the parents alone; in fact, it is better if it does not. But whoever cares for the children must provide this one on one attention.
      6. Give children energy and always tell them the truth of every situation in language they can understand. Much damage is done when adults create distortions on the spot because they want to have a little fun, or because they believe the truth is too complicated for a child to comprehend.
      7. When children experience continuous sincere attention, they will assume they will continue to have enough. This makes the transition from receiving energy from adults to getting it from the universe much easier for them to grasp.
  • When one first learns to be clear and to engage one's evolution, any of us can be stopped, suddenly, by an addiction to another person.
    1. When love first happens, the two people are giving each other energy unconsciously and both people feel buoyant and elated: "in love."
    2. Once they expect this feeling to come from the other person, they cut themselves off from the energy in the universe and begin to rely even more on the energy from each other--only now there doesn't seem to be enough.
    3. They will then stop giving each other energy and fall back into their dramas in anvattempt to control each other and force the other's energy their way. At this point the relationship degenerates into the usual power struggle.
    4. Because of the energy competition in families, most of us were unable to complete an important psychological process: integrating our opposite sexual side. We become addicted to someone of the opposite sex in able to access this energy.
    5. The energy of the universe we can tap is both male and female. We can eventually open up to it, but the process takes time. If we connect prematurelyvwith a human source for our female or male energy, we block the universal supply.
    6. Example: We are walking around "incomplete" like the letter C. We are susceptible to a person of the opposite sex who can complete the circle, giving us a burst of euphoria and energy that feels like wholeness that a full connection to the universe produces, a letter O.
      • The problem with this completed person, this O, that both partners think they have reached, is that it has taken two people to make this one whole person.
      • This one whole person consequently has two heads, or egos. Both partners want to run this whole person they have created.
      • Both partners what to command the other, as if the other were themselves. This kind of illusion of completeness always breaks down into a power struggle.
      • In the end, each person must take the other for granted or invalidate them so they can lead this whole self in the direction they want to go.
    7. We must first stabilize our channel with the universe. After we do this we will attract a higher relationship, one that will not pull us from the path of our individual evolution.
  • Resisting "love at first sight" feelings is a good way to avoid this kind of entrapment. Learn to have platonic relationships with the opposite sex.
    1. Have these relationships only with people who will reveal themselves totally, telling you how and why they are doing what they are doing--just as what might have happened with the opposite-sex parent during an ideal childhood.
    2. By understanding who these opposite-sexed friends really are on the inside, one breaks past one's own fantasy projection about that gender, and that releases us to connect again with the universe.
    3. This is not easy, especially if one must break away from a current co-dependent relationship. We are all co-dependent in some way.
    4. The idea is to begin to experience that sense of well-being and euphoria experienced in the first moment of a co-dependent relationship when you are alone. You must get him or her in the inside.
    5. After that, you evolve forward and can find that special romantic relationship that really fits you.
  • How we approach other people determines how quickly we evolve, how quickly our life questions are answered.
    1. How open are you to the messages other people may have for you?
    2. Whenever people cross our paths, there is always a message for us. Chance encounters do not exist. How we respond to these encounters determines whether we're able to receive the message.
    3. If we have a conversation with someone who crosses our path and we do not see a message pertaining to our current questions, it does not mean there was nomessage, it only means we missed it for some reason.
    4. We should stop what we're doing, no matter what, and find out the message we have for that person, and that he person has for us.
    5. Once we grasp this reality, our interactions will slow down and become more purposeful and deliberate.
    6. When you encounter a group of people--too many to engage with all individually--how do you know who has the messages you need? Look for signs:
      • Sudden, spontaneous eye contact is a sign that two people should talk.
      • A sense of recognition, someone who looks familiar, even though you know you've never seen the person before.
      • A person that seems "highlighted."
  • When we appreciate the shape and demeanor of a person--really focus on them until their shape and features being to stand out and have more presence--we can then send them energy, lifting them up.
    1. The more we appreciate their wholeness, their inner beauty, the more the energy flows into them and, naturally, the more that flows into us.
    2. The more we can love and appreciate others, the more energy flows into us.
    3. When you give someone more energy than they would have otherwise, you can see your truth and more readily give it to them. When you do that, they will have a sense of revelation about what you're saying. This will lead them to see your higher self even more fully and so appreciate it on an even deeper level, which amps up the cycle even more.
    4. Two or more people consciously doing this together can reach incredible highs as they build one another up and have it immediately returned.
  • Consciously interacting in a group:
    1. As the members of a group talk, only one will have the most powerful idea at any one point in time.
    2. If they are alert, the others in the group can feel who is about to speak, and then they can consciously focus their energy on this person, helping to bring out their idea with the greatest clarity.
    3. Then, as the conversation proceeds, someone else will have the most powerful idea, then someone else, etc.
    4. If you concentrate on what is being said, you can feel when it is your turn; the idea will come up into your mind.
    5. The key is to speak up when it is your turn and to project energy when it is someone else's turn.
    6. Some people get inflated when in a group: they feel the power of an idea and express it, then because the energy feels so good, they keep on talking, long after the energy should have shifted to someone else.
    7. Others are pulled back and won't risk expressing an idea, even when they feel the power of it. When this happens, the group fragments and the members don't get the benefit of all the messages. The same thing happens when some members of the group are not accepted by some of the others.
      • When we dislike someone, or feel threatened by someone, we tend to focus on something we dislike about the person.
      • When we do this, instead of seeing the deeper beauty of the person and giving them energy, we take energy away and actually do them harm.
      • Humans are aging each other at a tremendous rate with these kinds of violent competitions.
  • What if the person we are speaking with is operating in a control drama and trying to pull us into it?
    1. If you do not assume the matching drama, the person's own drama will fall apart.
    2. Each drama needs a matching drama to be fully played out. Example: an intimidator needs either a poor me or another intimidator.
    3. Naming the drama the other person is playing will usually dissipate it.
      • Control dramas are covert strategies to get energy.
      • Covert manipulations for energy can't exist if you bring them to consciousness by pointing them out. They cease to be covert.
      • After that, the person has to be more real and honest.
    
    

    Ninth insight

    • How will human culture change in the next millennium as a result of conscious evolution?
      1. Lost of rainbows and unicorn stuff I didn't feel like copying!
      2. Our destiny is to continue to increase our energy level. As our energy level increases, the level of vibration in the atoms of our bodies increases.
      3. We will get lighter, more purely spiritual.
      4. Whole groups of people, once they reach a certain level, will suddenly become invisible to those who are still vibrating at a lower level. It will appear to the people on this lower level that the others just disappeared, but the groupthemselves will feel as though they are still right here--only they will feel lighter. When humans begin to raise their vibrations to a level where others cannot see them, it will signal that we are crossing the barrier between this life and the other world from which we came and to which we go after death.
      5. This conscious crossing over is the path shown by the Christ. At some point, everyone will vibrate highly enough so that we can walk into heaven, in our same form.
      6. Vanished civilizations, such as the Mayans, accomplished this transfiguration.
    
    

    Tenth insight..........

    
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    Last Updated: 1 feb 99
    Laura Bryannan
    LauraBryannan@hotmail.com
  • http://homestar.org/bryannan/celistin.html 
  • Sunday, May 6, 2012

    100 Ways To Become More Conscious: How To Raise Your Consciousness

    100 Ways To Become More Conscious: How To Raise Your Consciousness1. Connect with nature– Go for a walk in the forest, jungle, field of daisies, or wherever you feel like getting a connection with nature. It is possible to feel at deep sense of peace and oneness when you attempt to connect with nature. As you learn to connect and appreciate nature, you allow your consciousness to rise up.

    2. Get your body moving – Exercise and dancing will raise your consciousness by promoting healthy brainwave patterns, healthy neurotransmitter levels, and great circulation throughout your nervous system. Help yourself rise up and break the pattern of not exercising by going for a friendly walk with one of your friends or even going to the club to dance. Both examples are: easy, fun, and empowering.

    3. Simple meditation - Whether you are an advanced meditator or a beginner, the benefits are tremendous and will allow you to tap into your highest state of conscious functioning if you stick around long enough. It is an act that will definitely raise your conscious awareness and allow you to attain greater focus, discipline, and develop a deeper joyous connection to life.

    4. Spending time with true friends - Find only friends that align with who you are, your beliefs, and your values – they will make you more conscious. These are your true friends, and though they can be tough to find, they should definitely be cherished. Give some of your true friends a call and make it a habit to spend more time with them.

    5. Have the intention to “raise your consciousness” – If you have the intention to raise your consciousness and state of awareness, you are on the right track. Having the intention alone will make you more focused on finding ways to raise your consciousness.

    6. Tell the truth - Anytime you tell the truth, you raise your level of consciousness. Why do people tell lies? To protect themselves in lower states of consciousness. People in higher states of consciousness don’t lie because they want to be true to themselves, others, and make relationships in humanity more conscious.

    7. Find and live your purpose - Searching for a purpose will help you find your true purpose here on Earth. When you find your purpose and are able to share it with the rest of the world, you will continue to raise your level of consciousness.

    8. Take conscious control of your decisions - When you take conscious control of all your decisions, you are actually activating certain neural pathways in your brain that help promote self-control, calmness, and inner peace. Every time you allow others to dictate your decisions or you don’t take full conscious responsibility for your decisions, you become slightly conditioned to be less conscious when making choices.

    9. Always be open-minded - Being open-minded is a key aspect in the process of becoming a more conscious individual. When you haven’t accepted the diversity that our planet has to offer: ranging from different cultures, religions, wildlife, and beliefs, you will stay in your same state of consciousness or drop to a lower state. Being open-minded doesn’t only need to be for beliefs either. It can be having an open-mind to try something new such as: a new exercise routine, spiritual practice, or trying a new food.

    10. Pursue higher intelligence - There are many ways to become more intelligent. Not everyone is intelligent in every area of their life. Some people are more emotionally intelligent, some have a higher I.Q., while some are more spiritually intelligent. All forms of intelligence increases and enhancements will help you on your journey towards expanding your awareness and becoming a more conscious human being.

    11. Treat yourself with respect - Having respect for yourself and your actions will ultimately boost the amount of love that you express towards yourself and others. Make wise, respectful decisions that reflect your values and have strong respect for your personal beliefs. Treating others with respect will help you become a more conscious human being too, but before you can respect others properly, you must first learn to show the utmost respect towards yourself.

    12. Practice forgiveness - Forgiving yourself can be very difficult sometimes: especially if you are operating in a lower state of consciousness. Realize that in order to rise up, advance, and become a more conscious person, you must be compassionate and forgiving towards yourself. Any hateful thoughts or pent up negative emotions that you may be holding towards yourself need to be released. Negative thoughts and emotions can easily lower our level of consciousness if we do not practice compassion and forgiveness.

    13. Cultivate a “high-performance mind” - Cultivating a high-performance mind is a very fun, invigorating process that involves consciously accessing the brainwave state that you consciously choose, whenever you feel it is appropriate for a certain situation. Since their is no single best brainwave state to live life in, it helps to train our mind to consciously be able to “switch” states upon command. For those who want to understand more about developing a high-performance mind, I recommend that you go check out the book The High Performance Mind by Anna Wise.

    14. Connect through prayer – The act of simply closing your eyes, folding your hands and saying a prayer will raise your level of consciousness. There are many different ways to practice prayer and there are many different practices, that when combined with prayer, enhance the power of your conscious message. Overall, prayer is a great experience that has potential to aid in your conscious awareness.

    15. Challenge your belief system - This one can be difficult for many individuals due to the influence of imprinted beliefs by their parents or guardians during childhood. Some examples of beliefs that you could change include: dietary (changing to a vegetarian), spiritual (from Christianity to Atheism – or vice versa), emotional (from sadness to happiness), etc. By changing your belief system and experimenting with new beliefs, you make yourself more conscious of life’s endless possibilities.

    16. Befriend like-minded individuals - On your journey towards becoming a more conscious individual, befriending like-minded people can be extremely helpful. If you are going through many spiritual, emotional, and mental changes without the company of others, the process can be much more difficult and confusing than when you have a guide, guru, or some friends that are traveling at a similar pace to you. Not only is being around like-minded individuals healthy, and optimal for your consciousness, it will ultimately give you more joy in life!
    100 Ways To Become More Conscious: How To Raise Your Consciousness17. Pursue a path of spirituality - Pursuing a path of spirituality and becoming more spiritual will aid you considerably in the process of becoming a more conscious human being. Never be afraid to add a new spiritual practice to your arsenal – you never know what may be most effective or a life changing experience.

    18. Express gratitude - Expressing gratitude on a daily basis is a very positive, fulfilling exercise to practice. Ways to express gratitude on a daily basis include: giving thanks for your food, expressing gratitude for yourself and others through prayer (as discussed earlier), complimenting others, and letting another person know that you are thankful for having them in your life. By sharing and expressing gratitude, you feel extremely satisfied and will become more consciously aware of the things that you truly appreciate in life.

    19. Make yourself happy - What sort of things make you happy? The answer is usually different for everyone. You can do yourself a favor right now by making a long list of everything that makes you happy in life and acting on your listed items. Feeling and experiencing happiness in your life also will give you the powerful drive that it takes to make yourself more conscious.

    20. Act on your desires - Simply having any form of desire will raise your consciousness. Desire encourages us to take action to advance consciously. The state of apathy, or not caring about your consciousness, will naturally lower your consciousness. Desire is a powerful way to raise your consciousness.

    21. Boost your brain power and functioning - There are many helpful exercises that you can do to boost your brain power and overall level of functioning. One of my most popular articles, 50 Ways To Boost Your Brain Power, should get you on the right track if you are currently confused about the topic. Raising your level of consciousness will naturally boost your overall brain power, and boosting your brain power will raise your level of consciousness; both affect each other in equal proportion.

    22. Take full control of your lifestyle - Are you living the lifestyle that you feel is most beneficial for your mental and physical wellbeing? Maybe there are certain bad habits that you need to get rid of or certain good habits that you’d like to implement in your daily routine. Don’t be afraid to act now and make necessary positive changes in your lifestyle to help you take full conscious control.

    23. Choose empowering beliefs - In the process of changing beliefs, choose beliefs that are empowering to your soul. A good way to know what belief will be empowering is to simply ask yourself how you feel about adding the new belief. If you feel a strong connection with a new belief, such as feelings of excitement, it will probably be a very good choice of a belief to implement. Make a conscious effort to purge all beliefs that are less than satisfying. Understand also that as you become a more conscious human being, changing your beliefs will become a much easier, more natural process.

    24. Avoid physical fighting and abuse - Physical fighting stems from emotional misunderstandings, hatred, and negative emotional expressions. Fighting can be described as the opposite of peace. Physical fighting and other forms of abuse can really do a great job at distracting us from becoming more conscious human beings. Anything that you can do to stop physical fighting and abuse will ultimately make you and the individuals involved more consciously aware.

    25. Be aware and accepting of your emotions - No matter your current emotions, you will profoundly help yourself if you are accepting of them. Going through life resisting your emotions and trapping them inside yourself makes life much more difficult. Trying to escape from our emotions lowers our awareness. When you accept what you feel and consciously understand why you feel a certain emotion, your level of consciousness rises.

    26. Speak compassionately - When having conversation with others, do you choose your words wisely? Or are you the type of person who could care less what you say? The truth is, people who choose their words wisely and consciously think during conversation are the ones who show greater respect for themselves and more compassion for others. Make a conscious effort to speak compassionately and positive results will follow.

    27. Think positive, act positive, be positive - Being a positive influence sets a good example for others and for yourself. Positivity and states of being positive are direct effects of raising your consciousness. I highly recommend trying to be a more positive person in all areas of life; you will notice and feel the beneficial changes in your awareness.

    28. Have sex with your partner - Having sexual intercourse is a great way to spread and share your love with another person. The best way to have sexual intercourse is with another positive, healthy, person in which you fully love and trust. Having sexual intercourse is a loving way of transferring and sharing energy with another person. No matter who you have sexual intercourse with, there can be significant conscious benefits.

    29. Identify with your soul - Realize that at your core, you are a spiritual being who is living in a physical body. In lower stages of consciousness, this concept may seem unrealistic and may be very difficult to grasp. As you become better at identifying with your soul, you become better at working your way up the mountain of consciousness.

    30. See perceived faults as a “mirror image” - When you look at the faults of others and identify faults in other people, use them as a teaching tool for yourself. The people that are in your life weren’t put there by mistake, they were put there to teach you something about yourself. By being able to take personal responsibility for what is being displayed by others into your conscious focus, you can take the information and make very positive changes.

    31. Expand your horizons - Trying something new can pertain to any area of your life. Maybe you want to try to add a new healthy habit to your daily routine, shop at an organic store, or even host a block party for the first time. Having courage raises your consciousness and by constantly trying new things, you boost your cognitive ability to adapt and push through any lower states of fear.

    32. Face your deepest fears - Are there any fears that you’re holding inside that are prevent you from making conscious advancement? At certain stages along the ladder of consciousness, it can be extremely difficult to face your fears. With that said, facing your fears will equip your consciousness with more empowerment and energy. Healthy fears include: giving a speech, singing in front of others, or throwing a party; this would be a great list of fears to go out and conquer! The choice to face these will help you considerably in your ability to make conscious advances.

    33. Use powerful incantations - Incantations are simply words or phrases repeated over and over with emotional intensity for personal or spiritual benefit. They have commonly been used in religious practices to praise certain Gods or deities, but they have also be used for personal development and in the process of becoming more conscious. No matter what way you choose to use incantations, they can be very helpful and a powerful catalyst for helping you become more conscious.

    34. Practice positive affirmations - Affirmations are a bit different than using incantations, though the concepts are very similar. Affirmations are used to change beliefs and thinking patterns. Examples of positive affirmations include: “I am healthy,” “I am positive,” and “I am intelligent.” The primary goal of using affirmations should be to replace unhealthy beliefs and thought patterns with healthier ones; making it easier to scale the mountain of consciousness.

    35. Be aware of your state of consciousness - Unfortunately, many people aren’t aware of their current state of consciousness or what even defines consciousness. You may not even be consciously aware of the many diverse possible states of consciousness due to the fact that you may have only experienced one primary state of functioning throughout your lifetime. If you are a person who hasn’t experienced other states or most importantly cannot seem to understand your own state, you are definitely missing out some important aspects and understandings of conscious perception.

    36. Set a positive example for others - Setting a positive example for others can pertain to any area of life and is highly encouraged. Setting a healthy, positive example for others to follow spreads a direct positive image into the lives and minds of others. Trying to consciously set a good example for others, will further raise your consciousness. Setting a bad example, or unconscious example, will slow, halt, or reverse your current conscious development.

    37. Guide others interested in raising their consciousness - There are many ways to aid others in the process of raising their awareness, especially if you are a more consciously advanced individual. Chances are good that you’ll need to do some personal work with raising your own consciousness before you can put yourself in an effective position to help others raise their consciousness. What you may want to do, though, is encourage others to practice some items in this article or others on 4 Mind 4 Life.com.

    38. Share your unique insight and wisdom - Everyone has a different perspective based on their personal experience, purpose, and personality. Therefore, each individual has a unique form of insight that they can share with others. There are endless ways and opportunities for you to express and share your knowledge with others. All that you need to do is take action towards finding a medium most effective for allowing you to share your insight.

    39. Gain wisdom from others - No single person holds all the wisdom of the universe in their brain. For this reason, it is important to study the wisdom of others and try to apply their wisdom to your life. As mentioned earlier, everyone has a unique perspective and knowledge-base to bring to the table. Studying the wisdom of others can be done in many ways. Examples include: meeting face-to-face with a more consciously advanced individual and ask them for life advice, reading positivity and personal development websites from several different sources, or maybe attending different personal development seminars.

    40. Keep your ego in check - The more aware you are of your ego, the easier it is to become more conscious. With that said, as your awareness increases, so does your state of consciousness. The reverse also applies: as your consciousness increases, so does your awareness. Letting our ego get out of control and take the driver’s seat in our consciousness has potential to quickly lower our state of functioning. Taking full control and responsibility to keep your ego in check when faced with adversity will allow you to consciously advance in a much healthier manner.

    41. Practice personal development - Taking action to better your life through the concept of personal development is an extremely effective way to make yourself a more conscious human being. Think of personal development as the act of upgrading every area of your life to function at the highest possible level: health, finances, relationships, etc. Virtually all aspects of personal development lead to greater conscious development in one way or another.

    42. Shift your conscious focus - Being preoccupied with thoughts of past events and of the future has potential to lead your consciousness in the wrong direction. Focusing your attention on this exact moment (commonly referred to as “the now”), however, is a great way to raise your level of awareness. By learning techniques that allow you to shift your awareness to this exact moment, you can work wonders in the process of conscious advancement.

    43. Be energetic - Being energetic can be very powerful for advancing your state of consciousness and for inspiring others to become more consciously advanced. Your body can become energized and your brain can become energized. When both are operating in at maximum intensity and energy, you are said to be in a state of peak conscious performance.

    44. Make healthy dietary changes - Making healthy dietary changes means searching to find the best possible diet to fit your mental needs, physical needs, spiritual needs; to fit your needs. Are you fully conscious of what you are consuming? In order to boost your own level of consciousness, it is important to be fully aware of the food in which you are consuming in your diet and to be respectful and accepting of the diets of other individuals without making negative judgments.

    45. Accept others for who they are - As mentioned above in being conscious of what you eat, it is important to be accepting of the diets that others choose to use. Whether they make a conscious decision to have an unhealthy diet or unconscious decision, accept their actions. Accepting others can apply to every area of life. No matter if you disagree with another person’s actions, disagree with their personality, or disagree with their perception of life, it is important to accept them for who they are and not try to force changes upon them. Settle your disagreements with other individuals by purely accepting them for who they are.

    46. Accept and love yourself for who are - Life’s journey becomes much easier and significantly enriched if you can learn to accept yourself for who you are. Depending on your current state of consciousness, it may be difficult to love and accept who you are. Take the time to count your blessings, be accepting of yourself and your level of consciousness. Realize that at this current moment you are doing the best that you know how to do in order to advance consciously.

    47. Understand your own thought process - An extremely effective way to become more conscious is to take note of your thought process and understand it to the best of your ability. I’ve seen many people run themselves in mental circles due to an ineffective understanding of their own thought process. Being consciously aware of your thoughts and why you are thinking them is a key step towards creating an accurate understanding of your reality.

    48. Bless everything that happens - There are times throughout life when amazing things happen to us and other times when upsetting events take place. Just like accepting who you are is a great habit to get into, you should also learn to bless everything that happens in your life. No matter how bad an event, it has potential to make a positive impact on your life in the long run. Your ability to bless and appreciate, even what may be initially perceived as a worst case scenario, will ultimately provide you great conscious satisfaction.

    49. Take time for internal reflection - In my opinion, taking time for internal reflection is the single most effective way to learn more about yourself and your current state of consciousness. Internal reflection will certainly help you better understand your thoughts, emotions, spirituality, and provide clarity in your current life situation. If you don’t currently take time to internally reflect, you could very well start up a 20 minute meditation routine each morning and observe the difference it quickly makes in your state of consciousness.

    50. Focus on advancing consciously - In the process of conscious development, it’s important to focus exactly on what you are trying to accomplish: the act of becoming more conscious. During this process, it is important to tune out all unhealthy distractions such as: negative relationships, abuse, fighting, illicit drugs, etc. If you allow yourself to become distracted with unhealthy, unconscious habits, then act of advancing consciously will become a much more difficult or slower process than normal.

    51. Be aware of your breathing - Being aware of your breathing means being fully conscious of your breathing pattern. Being aware of how you are breathing is important. Unfortunately, many people are unaware that there is actually a proper way to breathe. A way of breathing that is optimal for your body and brain. Proper breathing involves inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth upon every breath. The process of becoming more aware of my breathing through exercises like meditation and conscious breathing have significantly helped me increase my overall level of focus, emotional stability, and level of consciousness.

    52. Spend more time with yourself - In the fast-paced lifestyle of the 21st century, it is very common for people to spend time with others, yet never take personal time to spend with themselves and focus on their own life. If you are an individual who is currently not taking enough time for yourself each day, try starting up a personal routine. Examples of ways that you could spend time with yourself, contributing positively to your own life include: taking time for internal reflection (meditation), letting yourself know how much you love yourself, going on a walk to listen to your own thoughts, giving gratitude for everything that you have in your life, or getting involved in a hobby that inspires you.

    53. Listen more often than you speak - In this day in age, it seems as though there is always someone that wants to be the center of attention; conversations easily become viewed as egoistic competitions. While being the center of attention can feel great and can be a rewarding experience, it can become consciously dangerous to your consciousness if it is motivated by your ego. By practicing the act of listening more often than you speak, you can train yourself to be more consciously aware of others, while still holding the conscious ability to politely contribute to a conversation.

    54. Muster up some courage - Being highly conscious means doing what you want to do, saying what you want to say, and living how you want to live at every moment. Somewhere along the path towards developing a highly conscious mindset, you will need to be courageous. Developing a sense of courage is an integral step, possibly a phase that may last several years, on your journey to become more conscious.

    55. Always act with compassion - Having complete compassion for others is a direct result of becoming more conscious. Unfortunately, there are few people here on Earth that are honestly able to make the claim that they always act with complete compassion for others. Compassion meditation also allows you to learn how to shift your mental focus from any state into a perspective of pure love for others. As you may have already guessed, practicing compassion can be one of the single most powerful exercises for boosting your level of consciousness.

    56. Improve your mental focus - Improving our mental focus helps us get a better understanding of reality and provides us with more inner clarity. As we enhance our level of focus and clarity, concepts that had previously seemed very difficult to understand become general knowledge. We get a better sense of understanding within ourselves and of the world around us. As your level of focus increases, so will your level of consciousness.

    57. Think rationally and logically - Being able to think rationally and logically allows you to positively interact with your reality much easier than being irrational and illogical. In fact, being irrational and illogical will actually lower your current level of awareness. Rational thinking is a byproduct of a high functioning brain, particularly the high activity within your left-prefrontal cortex. One great way to increase your ability to rationalize is to strengthen your brain’s level of functioning by boosting your brain power.

    58. Purify your body - One great way to become more conscious is to purify your body. You can help purify your body by going on a specific diet, by cutting certain substances from your diet, by decreasing stress and learning to deeply relax, by cutting certain substances from your diet, by sitting in a sauna to sweat out toxins, etc. While following a detox routine, be conscious of what you are doing to your body. Be fully aware that you should choose a detox routine that has been researched and proven effective in order to avoid risking bodily damage in the process. With that said, choosing to purify or cleanse your body can really work magic for your current level of consciousness.

    59. Start a personal journal - Starting a personal journal or blog is a great time investment that will allow yourself to become more conscious of your: thoughts, feelings, actions, philosophies, beliefs, etc. Writing entries in a daily journal or on a personal blog can be extremely helpful in the process of understanding your current state of awareness. What is nice about keeping tabs on yourself is the fact that you can watch your progress as you undertake a conscious journey. No matter your strategy for keeping a journal, understand that keeping tabs on yourself and events in your life serves as a great way to develop a deeper sense of understanding, knowledge, and conscious awareness.
    100 Ways To Become More Conscious: How To Raise Your Consciousness60. Make others laugh - Being funny and making others laugh is a great way to ease stress and create a more positive outlook in life for yourself and for others. Though you may not be an expert comedian, being able to make others laugh is extremely rewarding and satisfying. Making others laugh and smile shifts all attention away from pain and negative emotions, towards one of pure enjoyment and happiness. Jokes and the ability to laugh can really change your entire perspective from what may seem like a grim, serious situation, to a happier, more positive outlook.

    61. Practice a religion - Practicing a religion is a phenomenal way to become a more conscious person. As you raise your current level of awareness, you will discover that there is really no best religion or Utopian religion to practice. What matters most in conscious advancement is getting a feel for what practices actually make you become more consciously aware. You need to personally determine what works best for you. One of the best ways to do this is via experimenting with many different religions. (or not :) )

    62. Respect the beliefs of others - At no time is it loving or respectful to criticize the beliefs of others. No matter how consciously advanced another person is or isn’t, it is important to respect their thoughts and actions. When you try to force others to adopt your lifestyle, beliefs, and force them to become a more conscious human-being, you are indirectly expressing negative emotion towards that individual; you are getting your ego heavily involved. Forcing others to consciously change is not truly accepting them for who they are. If you feel like you should force others to raise their awareness, perhaps you need to raise your awareness some more! It is important to realize that everyone will have their time to advance consciously and will eventually reach the “top of the mountain” on their journey to their higher consciousness.

    63. Ask questions about your life - Attempting to learn more about life each day is a great way to increase your overall knowledge base and a great way to become a more conscious person. Nobody “knows-it-all” in life, that’s why asking questions about life and about certain situations in life, will really help you out on your journey. The idea here is to learn as much about life as possible. This will allow you to make your lifestyle more conscious, your choices more conscious, your actions more conscious, and yourself a more knowledgeable person. If you don’t feel like asking others questions, a great way to learn more about life is to ask yourself internal questions. Often times we don’t realize that within ourselves, we hold the answer to every question about our life. Meditation is highly recommended as an exercise for learning more about our inner-self.

    64. Understand that everything changes - Whether you realize it or not, everything and everyone is in a constant state of change. Change is undeniable and is happening to yourself and others as you are reading this. There is no way to prevent change, but there is a way to consciously control your change. Be the change that you want to see on this Earth and please: make it a positive, conscious one!

    65. Realize that you are not alone - On your journey towards becoming a more conscious human being, it is important to realize that you are never alone in the process. Someone, somewhere is going through the same process and many have already gone through the process. There are likely many individuals that are more consciously advanced than you are: which is a good thing. Look to these individuals for guidance along the way. We can always look to more conscious individuals for personal guidance and advice in life.

    66. Push your personal limits - Pushing your personal limits to become the best person that you can be is something that everyone should strive for. Pushing your personal limits is something that you can do in every area of your life: relationships, exercise, consciousness, spirituality, finances, etc. Pushing your personal limits in the areas that you feel most soulfully-connected with are the areas that you should probably put the most work into in order to feel the greatest sense of fulfillment.

    67. Invest in yourself - When you make money, do you invest it in stocks? Have you ever thought of investing it in yourself – your purpose, vision, values, and goals? Besides money, we can also invest time in ourselves. In my opinion, investing time in yourself is one of the most effective ways to become more conscious. Investing time in yourself will allow you to discover your true purpose and become a more conscious human being.

    68. Be open to exploring consciousness - There are many ways to be open to exploring your consciousness. Several methods to explore your consciousness include: brainwave entrainment, meditation, raising your consciousness, trying new activities, exploring spirituality, exploring different social groups, changing your environment (by traveling), trying neurofeedback, etc. If you don’t know of any healthy ways to expand your consciousness, start with the ones that I’ve listed. No need to unnecessarily kill your brain cells and lower your consciousness by using illicit drugs to “expand your mind…”

    69. Develop a deep relationship - Developing deep, trustworthy relationships with other people are not only great for helping you to become more conscious, they are a great way to share love and joy with others. If you haven’t already done so, develop a deep, personal relationship with at least one individual. It could be a good friend, spouse, boyfriend / girlfriend, it could be a good therapist, it could be anyone that you feel is on-the-same-page as you in life, or at the same level of consciousness. Having another person to discuss your personal inner-thoughts with and share your turmoil, joy, and all other emotions with, will actually make you a happier, more conscious person.

    70. Call upon your spirit guides - Everyone has spirit guides – whether they believe in them and want to communicate with them or not. Before we are born, we are assigned spirit guides to do just what their name implies: guide our spirit. They can often provide us with valuable advice and some forms of intuitive connection that most of us never imagined was possible. The best way to connect with them is to learn proper meditation. The job of spirit guides are to help guide your spirit in the right direction and they really want to connect with you to help you raise your consciousness. So consider learning ways to connect with them on a personal level, or finding an advanced spiritual seeker / psychic that knows about spirit guides and how to connect with them. It seems as though Erin Pavlina has gotten great reviews discussing her ability to help you connect with your guides. Though her readings are somewhat expensive, getting one could prove to be a great investment in order to accelerate your personal growth and conscious development.

    71. Clear emotional blocks - Nearly everyone has some form of subconscious emotional blocks that they have suppressed within their subconscious. Emotional blocks can develop in childhood and can be forgotten by the time a person reaches adulthood. They can drain your conscious control over life if you don’t learn to properly release them. It is not advised to attempt to deal with very powerful emotional blocks or repressed traumatic memories by yourself. Consult a trained therapist or psychologist to help you work through your past powerful emotion. Realize that when you are able to work through your past emotional blocks, you naturally allow yourself to reach a higher state of consciousness.

    72. Clear out subconscious “cobwebs” - What exactly are subconscious “cobwebs?” I refer to subconscious cobwebs as any unfulfilled beliefs and emotions that have been carried around in your subconscious mind for too long. Many times, our subconscious mind is carrying around extra negative emotional baggage and limiting beliefs that need to be released or replaced. If you want to clear out your subconscious “cobwebs” and take conscious control of your subconscious mind, consider trying meditation. Meditation takes your consciousness to a deeper level and makes reprogramming your mind a much easier process.

    73. Turn off the T.V. - Depending on your current level of consciousness, watching T.V. may actually be a good thing. For those individuals operating at an extremely low level of functioning, watching T.V. gives them hope, satisfaction, and a boost in consciousness. With that said, to permanently elevate your consciousness, it is recommended to refrain from watching T.V. If you think about the act of watching T.V., it doesn’t reflect your life’s purpose nor allow you to be fully productive. The time that you currently spend watching T.V. could be put to better use by allowing you to accomplish a personal goal, providing you with extra time for exercise, or even giving you time to boost your brain power!

    74. Read a good book - Whether you enjoy reading fiction or non-fiction books (or both), reading books is a phenomenal way to help you boost your conscious brain power. Reading books provides you with knowledge, creativity, and allows you to fully expand your intellect. Reading books will also help you become a smarter person, with a mind that is full of new thoughts and ideas. The more credible information that you are able to read, the more information and knowledge your consciousness has to consciously create with.

    75. Expand your creativity - There are many ways for us to expand our creativity and abilities to creatively think. Developing ways to creatively think not only boosts brain power, it boosts your consciousness. The use of brainstorming, creative visualization, Zen koans, and meditation have all been known to increase creative thinking skills. Creativity is an important trait to develop when dealing with your reality. Having creativity allows your mind to easily solve even the most difficult of problems. If your creative-side is currently lacking, think of ways to step-it-up a notch to reap the conscious benefits!

    76. Develop strong people-skills - Developing strong people-skills will allow you to become more conscious in many different ways. Having strong people skills allows you to be comfortable expressing who you really are in any social situation. Without developing strong people skills, you may be stuck in a state of fear around others in social settings or even worse, you may feel completely uncomfortable expressing your true beliefs, values, and discussing your lifestyle in front of others. Cultivating a strong set of people-skills will allow you to become a more conscious individual and will allow you to share your love with others.

    77. Allow yourself to be inspired - Allowing yourself to be inspired helps you to take passionate action. In order for us to be inspired, we usually need to have some sort of emotional connection. Maybe you are deeply inspired by a song that you recently heard on the radio, maybe you are inspired by Barack Obama, maybe you are inspired by Hilary Clinton, maybe you find Pablo Picasso’s artwork inspiring. Everyone is different and everyone is uniquely inspired by different things here on Earth. Inspiration can really work magic in your life if you let it. Taking actions based off of positive inspiration will ultimately guide your consciousness to a higher level of functioning.

    78. Be courteous towards others - Being courteous to others is a great way to share love, positivity, and a great way to set a good example for others. Each time that you set an example, you have some influence onto others. Each time that you practice a healthy habit or put courteous actions on display for others to see, they will be much more inclined to follow suit. When you are able to be courteous to everyone that you meet, you are raising your consciousness through compassion.

    79. Attend a spiritual retreat - There are many spiritual retreats and spiritual opportunities that can quickly boost your state of consciousness. Meditation retreats and gatherings with your religious group are two of many ways to raise your consciousness. The act of going to church is yet another form of attending a spiritual gathering. Going to an event like a Holosync retreat may also be a great way to connect with a fun, positive group of individuals that could prove to be lifelong friends. You will never truly know nor understand the possibilities of conscious transformation that a retreat has to offer until you actually make it a point to attend.

    80. Form a mastermind group - Forming a mastermind group is a great way to help you become more conscious and complete your goals. To participate in a mastermind group, you must first gather up some trustworthy friends. Next, schedule times that your entire group will meet to discuss personal challenges, goals, accomplishments, etc. Meet with each other and discuss your goals. Be as positive and encouraging towards one another as possible. Offer suggestions and serve as a motivation for the rest of your group. Mastermind groups are a form of conscious, positive support that allows you to accomplish your goals much easier. And, social support (i.e. a positive group of friends) is always great to have when working to become more conscious. Do whatever you want with your group, have fun, be positive, and realize that you are raising your consciousness in the process!

    81. Be a mediator - There are many situations that arise from negativity in this world. One way to break up these situations in a peaceful manner is to be a mediator. A mediator is a person that is able to resolve conflict between two parties and think of a peaceful solution to a problem that both conflicting parties agree upon. In the end, the best part about a mediation process is the satisfaction that you can derive from helping bring peace to the world. Helping others is a great way to create a true sense of happiness in your life. Anytime that you bring peace, the collective consciousness of humanity takes a step in a positive direction.

    82. Build an accurate model of reality - Building an accurate model of reality is a great way to explore the endless possibilities that life has to offer. Gaining conscious control of your thoughts will aid you in the process of creating your reality. When you are able to take control of your focus, building an accurate model of reality becomes an easier task.

    83. Be a leader Being a positive leader is an awesome way to raise your level of consciousness and that of others. If you are able to become a leader who is able to influence large groups of people in a positive manner, you will naturally develop a lot of conscious power. Each person that supports your message, adds to your ability to share your purpose. If you haven’t thought about stepping up and becoming a leader in some way, now is the best time to start thinking about it!

    84. Travel the world - Traveling the world most definitely has potential to change and expand your state of awareness. As you travel to different places, you are able to learn about unique: ways of life, ways of thinking, religions, customs, values, etc. This is why it is extremely common for huge changes in perception to occur. Traveling to many different parts of the world is one way of exploration that allows you to experience life on a larger scale.

    85. Be empathetic - Advanced empathetic abilities can be cultivated by accessing the lower brainwave states: both the theta and delta brainwaves. Making a conscious effort to become a more empathetic person means trying to understand and relate to others and their emotions in as an effective method as possible. Being empathetic is a great way to spread love and compassion in the world. And spreading love and compassion are great ways to help you become a more conscious person!

    86. Set goals and accomplish them - Setting positive goals and working to accomplish them is one of the single most effective ways to advance consciously, without even having the intention to advance consciously. For example: you may set the goal to exercise everyday for one month in order to improve your health. By setting and completing a goal like this, your main focus is improving your health, however, you are also indirectly improving your consciousness.

    87. Try brainwave entrainment - Though brainwave entrainment seems like a new-agey, experimental technique, it is a great tool for advancing consciously that actually works. Not only does brainwave entrainment work well, it is an extremely effective way to develop a powerful brain and advanced state of consciousness. By practicing brainwave entrainment, your brain becomes more flexible in the process of shifting to various brainwave states. You can always give brainwave entrainment a trial and evaluate how effective it is at helping you advance consciously! Check out the software featured in my recommended products section and give one of those a trial run.

    88. Try self-hypnosis - What many people do not realize is that the act of self-hypnosis is very helpful for achieving states of complete, controlled relaxation. During self-hypnosis you develop full, complete control of the beliefs that are implanted in your subconscious mind. Self-hypnosis relaxes your body and takes you into a state of highly-focused, deep relaxation. No matter whether you enjoy self-hypnosis or meditation more, they are both exercises that will allow you to elevate your consciousness. Give self-hypnosis a shot if you haven’t already – it is a perfectly safe, exercise that will benefit your consciousness greatly!

    89. Develop your chakras - Learning to clear and cleanse your chakras could prove to be one of the single best investments that you’ve ever made for yourself. Chakras hold the key allowing you to tap into your higher-self and connect with energy from the Universe. Working directly with your chakras will help you become a more conscious person, making you more aware of your body’s energy centers and how they can affect your entire life.

    90. Release your Kundalini energy - My definition of Kundalini: a (usually latent) energy force that is coiled at the base of our spine. We’ve all felt Kundalini from time to time during extremely emotional moments, when a certain song plays, or when we have a powerful experience. What does Kundalini feel like? Kundalini the energy that makes our spine tingle. We get goosebumps throughout our body and our entire spine tingles with emotional energy. Kundalini is a completely healthy and powerful method to advance consciously. It is not recommended to go into a Kundalini experience blindly, though. Do some research on “Kundalini energy” and consider working with a guru or a person who has been through the entire process if you hope to release your Kundalini energy.

    91. Appreciate your surroundings - To further allow yourself to develop consciously, it is important to be appreciative and thankful for everything in your environment. Each day and every day, the little things that we may be taking for granted are often some of the most amazing forms of beauty. Simple things like the sunset, a field of flowers, or the face of our neighbors are all beautiful expressions that we may not be taking the time to appreciate. When we are able to realize that everything is connected and that we were truly meant to love and appreciate one-another, we naturally become inherently grateful for our surroundings and what the Earth has to offer – and thus, more conscious.

    92. Bring new life to Earth - Each time that you are able to make a contribution to life here on Earth, you bring forth another brilliant expression of our universe. Each time that you bring human life, plant life, animal life, etc. here on Earth, it is something to be truly proud of. Ways that you could contribute to bringing life to this planet include: raising children, adopting a child, planting a flower, or raising an animal. The inner feelings that you may feel as a result of bringing forth new life are perfect for finding true happiness and taking yourself to the next conscious level.

    93. Lead a flexible life - Flexibility is a key part of gymnastics… it also is a key part of life and the process of becoming more conscious as a human being. Leading an overly-structured life often becomes overwhelming and unpleasurable. You need to take time to appreciate the moments of spontaneity and spur-of-the-moment type events. Being flexible is a great attribute to cultivate in your life. Though learning to be flexible is just a small habit that will make you more conscious (by opening up your life to new opportunities), it is a highly important principle to implement into your life and reality.

    94. Learn from “consciously advanced” individuals - More consciously advanced people have a lot to offer those who are less consciously advanced. They often provide us with great discoveries, insights, and guide our lives in a positive direction. If you happen to know someone that is at a higher cognitive level of functioning than yourself, spend some time with that individual. Ask them questions about their life, questions about your life, or any questions about life in general. See how these individuals feel about raising consciousness and how they can help you work to increase your conscious awareness.

    95. Live a well-balanced life - Keeping a balanced life can be very difficult at times. However, keeping activities in proper balance is a great way to become more aware and involved in many areas of life. Make a conscious effort to focus your energy towards what inspires you most, but don’t forget to be flexible and take time for important people and activities like: friends, family, expression, and exercise. Being well-balanced with activities in life provides us with greater conscious satisfaction.

    96. Consider taking health supplements - Supplements have long been known to help aid in mental processing and boost physical functioning. I personally have taken a multivitamin in combination with 3.6 grams of fish oil on a daily basis for almost 2 years straight. Overall, I feel that the combination has worked phenomenal for helping my physical functioning and mental processing. Always be open minded: consider taking supplements if you aren’t already. Do a personal experiment to see what supplements work best for you and how various supplements affect your consciousness. In the end, you may decide that all supplements are ineffective and that they were nothing more than placebos.

    97. Celebrate your accomplishments - Celebrating your accomplishments is a form of self-praise and self-respect. When you value yourself and appreciate yourself, you are likely to celebrate your accomplishments – and actually have accomplishments to celebrate! Celebrating is a fun and rewarding activity to do to make yourself happier. It increases your levels of overall self-love and respect: both of which are key factors in the process of raising your consciousness.

    98. Always have positive intentions - Positive intentions often arise from having a positive mindset. Having a positive mindset and forming the habit of holding good intentions is a great way to boost your level of conscious awareness. When you intend for positive events to happen in your life and always have positive expectations – your life will naturally attract positive people and will result in happiness.

    99. Read and recommend 4 Mind 4 Life dot com to others - Remind yourself of ways to become more conscious by re-reading this series and other articles here at 4 Mind 4 Life dot com. I always try to provide you with the most valuable advice to help you boost your level of consciousness. Though the main focus of this website is boosting brain power, your level of consciousness goes hand-in-hand with how powerful your brain is; the more powerful your brain, the easier time in raising your consciousness you will have. I can only promote my message to a certain extent. Each time that you help me by recommending my website or this series to another person, you will be helping guide others towards positive change. I send blessings to everyone who reads this series, recommends this series, recommends this website, or applies advice from this website to better themselves.

    100. [This space is intentionally left blank for you to fill in] - Nobody knows and understands what works best to help your consciousness better than you! Be creative, fill in the last blank already! Choose an activity that you enjoy that renews your sense of wellbeing and resonates congruently with your soul. Blessings to everyone that made it this far down the list!
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