Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Setting New Intentions, Patterns, Habits, and Internal Attitudes That Lead To Self-Mastery, Podcast, Part III
(length 08:24 minutes)
Learning to act in ways that nurture and empower you
to be "True to YourSelf!"
This is Part IV of a four part blog.
New Internal Attitudes con't:
Asking for the inspirations, insights, courage, patience, and resources to create a truly
balanced, joyous, prosperous, fulfilled life in every way, right now. Be specific.
Creating new internal attitudes for work, relationships, prosperity, health, etc. Be
specific.
Inviting and expecting new energetic patterns and internal attitudes to be easily,
elegantly, and effortlessly established. Be specific.
Releasing all illusions: need, failure, disunity, lack, obligation, judgment,
condemnation, conditionality, superiority, and ignorance.
Fostering new attitudes of compassion, gratitude, forgiveness, surrender, and devotion
while at the same time releasing old attitudes based on fear, judgment, duality,
separation and ego.
Doing envisioning exercises for the things and experiences you want to experience in
your life. See my blog entries beginning on 07/27/09 through 08/31/09 for how to do the envisioning exercises.
Practicing this technique over just a period of a few months can and will radically transform the quality of your life. The greatest treasures we can acquire while on earth are the qualities of goodness and personal mastery that we learn. I have found that this technique is the fastest way to accomplish this.
We are remembered for who we are and what we embody and not for what we have done. So, why not develop all the best habits and qualities possible in this lifetime. If you want to be a Master of your Life, and live the best possible life, the highest quality life, this kind of intentionality and clarity will definitely get you there.
Peace and Joy be with you! Go for the Good!
This is Part IV of a four part blog. See my blog entries of 09/07/09 for Part I, 09/14/09 for Part II and 09/21/09 for Part III.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Setting New Intentions, Patterns, Habits, and Internal Attitudes That Lead To Self-Mastery, Podcast, Part III
(length 07:55 minutes)
Learning to act in ways that nurture and empower you
to be "True to YourSelf!"
This is Part III of a four part blog.
Some Examples:
New Patterns and Habits:
Spending quality time with yourself:
Meditating and praying;
Time in nature;
Reading inspiring books;
Writing in a journal.
Taking care of your physical needs:
Eating a healthful, balanced, appropriate diet;
Exercising;
Getting sufficient sleep;
Taking breaks from work.
EnJoying sufficient re-creation time; play; leisure.
Cleaning your home.
Spending quality time with your significant other(s).
Laughing.
Also, you can list patterns and habits you do not want to continue doing, e.g.,
procrastinating, watching too much TV, sleeping too much, etc..
New Internal Attitudes:-
Staying emotionally unattached to the results of your activities/work on all levels,
i.e.practicing discernment.
Often saying, "I have done my very best with what I knew today. I am perfect (i.e. good
enough) and complete. All my creations are perfect and complete."
Making only one real commitment: "to be true to the promptings of your Higher Self."
Learning to trust your feelings. For your feelings are your connection to your Soul and your only authority.
Remembering that you can always choose what you think and feel and, therefore, choose what you experience. You are not your fears, pain, and anger.
Releasing your fears, worry, doubt, anger, sadness, etc. towards whatever specific
situation(s) or individual(s) that limit you from stepping forth into the fulfillment
of your Soul's deepest, most authentic desires, and true, unique Divine purpose.
This is Part III of a four part blog. See my blog entry of 09/07/09 for Part I and 09/14/09 for Part II.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Setting New Intentions, Patterns, Habits, and Internal Attitudes That Lead To Self-Mastery, Podcast, Part II
(length 05:42 minutes)
Learning to act in ways that nurture and empower you
to be"True to YourSelf!"
This is Part II of a four part blog.
3. Create two grids. On the left side of the first grid list ten patterns and habits. On the left side of the second grid list ten internal attitudes. On the right side of each grid create thirty-one boxes, one for each day of the month. You now have two visual charts that will serve as daily reminders and will also provide structure to help you map your progress. You can hang these visual reminders on your refrigerator or any other prominent spot in your living space. [If you would like a copy of the grids I describe above in Word document format, please email me at yanni.maniates@verizon.net and I will send them to you gratis.]
4. Commit to one month of using these daily intentions, patterns, habits, and internal attitudes. Each day check off on the grids the patterns, habits and internal attitudes you achieved that day. Be Honest! Some days will be better than others!
5. At the end of the month objectively and lovingly review your lists and drop off any habits and patterns or internal attitudes that are now securely a part of your "way of being." Add to these lists any new intentions, patterns, habits, internal attitudes, or refinements of the ones you have been working with. These will now become next month's lists. Observe how you will continue each month to evolve into higher and higher degrees of clarity and Mastery.
This is Part II of a four part blog. See my blog entry of 09/21/09 for Part III.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Setting New Intentions, Patterns, Habits, and Internal Attitudes That Lead To Self-Mastery, Podcast, Part I
(length 05:12 minutes)
Learning to act in ways that nurture and empower you
to be"True to YourSelf!"
This is Part I of a four part blog.
How can you change your habits, both your external ones and your internal ones on a permanent basis?
Over the years I have worked with numerous techniques to accomplish this. What I would like to share with you in my next four blog entries is a process that I use which is a distillation of many techniques. I believe that this process is the most effective way for you to take responsibility for your life and to make the changes that will allow you to live your life to its highest potential. Here is the process in outline form:
1.Take time in a quiet place to reflect on your life. Objectively and lovingly review how you are living and identify the healthy intentions, patterns, habits, and internal attitudes you already have in place. Write them down--as many as possible.
2.Now ask yourself, "What are some additional intentions, patterns, habits, and internal attitudes that would further enrich my experience of life everyday?" Brainstorm! Make two lists. On the first list, write spontaneously as many new patterns and habits as you can, such as meditating regularly, eating healthy foods, etc., (more examples will follow in subsequent blogs) and on the second list write as many new internal attitudes as you can, such as letting go of worry, trusting your feelings, etc. (more examples will follow in subsequent blogs). Then narrow each list down to ten by either eliminating some or by combining some. Hint: Start with broad strokes that outline what you would like to experience in your life and then sketch out the intentions, patterns, habits, and internal attitudes that would help you to accomplish this.
This is Part I of a four part blog. See my blog entry of 9/14/09 for Part II.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"The Sacred, Ancient Art of Blessing, Part IV" Podcast
(length 4:13 minutes)
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This is part IV of a four part blog. Please see my last blog entry on March 23 for part III.
When you see someone who is ill, bless him/her and see them in their wholeness and perfect health, for even in their suffering, this wholeness is in their potential and waiting to be recovered.
When your eyes behold a person who is suffering from the vicissitudes of life, seemingly broken by life, bless him/her and see them vital, abundant and joyful: for what on the surface looks broken is really glorious and perfect when one looks within and sees with the eyes and heart of the Soul.
When you pass a homeless person, bless them for their goodness and see them smiling, whole and surrounded by the eternal, unconditional love of God the Parent and filled to overflowing with love, wellbeing and abundance.
Whenever you see a prostitute or pimp, be they those of the physical body or those who slander and defame another with their ideologies and falsehoods, bless them, too, for their goodness, for "they know not what they do" and are, as we all are, "leaning out for love and will lean that way forever." Offer the hand of blessing to them and, therefore, allow them to come to their senses again. Help them to see the wholeness which is at their essence and at the essence of all.
And please remember that it is impossible to bless and to be judgmental at the same time. So continually have as a deep, holy thought the desire to bless, for truly then shall you become a peacemaker, and then one day you shall behold the very countenance and heart of God wherever you look.
This is part IV of a four part blog. Please see my previous three blog entries on March 9, 16, and 23 for parts I, II & III.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"The Sacred, Ancient Art of Blessing, Part III" Podcast
(length 4:18 minutes)
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This is part III of a four part blog. Please see my last blog entry on March 16 for part II.
As well, when something goes wrong in your day and some unexpected event ruins your plans, you, too, can remember to burst into a blessing. For life is teaching you a lesson, and the very event you wish had not occurred, you yourself asked for in order to learn the lesson you wanted to learn. Challenges are blessings in disguise, and only good follows in their path. As you learn to embrace and bless it all; it reveals its gold to you.
Also, to bless is to recognize the universal beauty and goodness which is ever present for those who can "see"; it activates the law of attraction which brings into your life exactly what you need to experience and enjoy.
By blessing another, you are acknowledging the good within them. You are seeing them with the eyes and heart of God/Goddess. You are seeing their essential nature and not just their surface.
So, when you see a person in shackles, whether they are physical shackles or mental ones, bless them for their unawareness and wish them their freedom, kindness, and forgiveness and a pardon from their ignorance; for one can only be imprisoned by one's image of oneself. For we alone create the iron bars that imprison us when we harden our hearts and stop trusting in and seeing the goodness or "god"ness in each other and in all of our experiences. It is only he/she who is free of judgments who can bless another and see the light in themselves and in others.
This is part III of a four part blog. Please see my next blog entry on March 30 for part IV.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"The Sacred, Ancient Art of Blessing, Part II" Podcast
(length 4:31 minutes)
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This is part II of a four part blog. Please see my last blog entry on March 9 for part I.
To bless means to wish, unconditional, complete, unlimited goodness for another from the depths of your heart and soul: it means to sanctify, to revere, and to see with pure wonder that which is a gift from God. The individual who is graced by your blessing is made whole and free and so are you as you release all judgments.
To bless is to bring into play the Divine upon another and to confer happiness and peace upon them. Though we are not the source of the blessing, by any means, we can be the willing instrument of God's Grace, Blessing and Love for them. And, of course, this then is a great blessing for us, too.
To bless everyone, no matter who they are or what they have done, without discrimination of any sort is the ultimate form of giving and service, because those who you bless will never know from what source suddenly and unexpectedly came a ray of hope that burst through the clouds of their negativity but they still will be eternally grateful for your generosity.
You can have a very profound effect on someone simply by the act of blessing them. And the ramifications of this blessing can and will exponentially grow as this wave of goodness that you initiate goes way beyond the intended receiver. Your simple thought of kindness can unleash a wave of goodness, blessing and peace that will cover the entire world.
This is part II of a four part blog. Please see my next blog entry on March 23 for part III.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"The Sacred, Ancient Art of Blessing, Part I" Podcast
(length 4:12 minutes)
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This is part I of a four part blog.
The ancient art of blessing is such a wonderful way to add sacredness and peace to your life. It is a great way to ground and stabilize your energies throughout the day. It is a magnificent way to grace your day and the day of another person with light, love and peace.
So, when you awaken, begin by blessing your day, for it is so full of goodness. Blessing your day affirms all the good that is everywhere present in the very fabric of all of life and which patiently waits for you to notice.
When you see people in the street, at work, on the TV or in their cars, bless them. Your blessing will silently and magically bring them peace and stay with them all day like a cool summer breeze, like a beacon on their path.
When talking to people, bless them regarding their dreams and aspirations, their health, their finances, their work, their family, and themselves. Bless them in every imaginable way, for such blessings not only grace the one you are blessing, but also bring grace, joy and peace to you.
Bless the nation in which you live, its government and infrastructure, its polity, its teachers, its children, its policeman, its firemen, its bankers, its priests, its doctors and healers and everyone that is a part of the community, whether they are young or old, rich or poor, firm or infirm.
Also, whenever anyone expresses the least amount of negativity or unkindness towards you, respond with a blessing: bless them fully, honestly, happily, for such blessing protects them from their ignorance, and allows you to step aside from the negative energy that was aimed at you.
This is part I of a four part blog. Please see my next blog entry on March 16 for part II.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Slow Down! Get There Fast! Part II" Podcast
(length 5:19 minutes)
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This is Part II of a two-part blog. See my entry of February 23 for Part I.
It was because my wife and I chose to "Slow Down! Get there Fast!" that we gradually began to realize that living in New York City with all the noise and frenetic activity was not a match for who we were.
As well, working in two high profile and high pressure professions was also not who we were and what we wanted to do with our lives. Even though we first thought that these jobs were our ticket to heaven; they really were quite the opposite!
So, after living in NYC for only three years; it became obvious to us that we had to leave. So, we made plans and in two years we were out of the City, no longer in those jobs and living in a lot slower paced and less urbanized environment. We moved to a setting that was so much more a match to who we were and not who we thought we should be.
As well, by slowing down, we began to get more and more of our real priorities straight. We took care of ourselves and explored all kinds of enriching avenues of personal growth. We deepened our meditation and other spiritual practices. As well, we started the study and practice of Chi Gung, a Chinese form of meditation and energy mastery.
This all lead me to have the courage to make my passion, which is teaching and writing about the spiritual and healing arts, become my vocation and my work. So, within just two years we moved out of the Big Apple and I began my healing and teaching practice.
Starting anything new always has it challenges and opportunities. So, there were many times when I doubted myself and my abilities. But every time I did, I remembered that if I would just "slow down" I could tune into that "still, small voice within" and there I would find my center and find my Self again and all would be clear. I would remember in this place of Silence who I was and why I came forth.
I would see where I stood on my climb up my mountain of mastery, redouble my courage and confidence and continue on, clearly knowing that I was now "getting there fast!" That is, I was getting there in Divine Timing and in Divine Order and All was truly Good!
So, "Slow Down! Get There Fast!" It works wonders!
This is part II of a two part blog. See my previous blog entry of February 23 for Part I.
My wife, Jaime, and I were living in New York City some twenty years ago. We were both working in very high pressure jobs in Manhattan. I was in book publishing and she was in insurance.
As well, we had a two hour commute back and forth to work every day. So, by the time we got home we were exhausted from all the stimulation. There was always something to "do" and it always had to be done fast! So, life was a series of unending tasks that seemed to just exponentially explode on us. It wasn't fun to say the least.
So, one day while we were taking stock of all we had to do, my wife, in total frustration, screamed out: "Slow Down! Get There Fast!"
It made us both stop in our tracks and first, laugh, but most importantly, it helped us to realize that we were like hamsters spinning around on a treadmill in a cage. We were going nowhere fast!
So, we asked, "Why are we doing this?" And we realized that we were unconscious. We were just doing more and more just for the sake of doing more and more in the hope that it would make us feel better about ourselves. But it certainly wasn't helping!
So, at that point we recognized that we had to incorporate a conscious, consistent spiritual practice into our lives; that is, we needed to create a time of slowing down. We had been doing numerous spiritual practices for years on a haphazard basis, but it wasn't enough obviously.
So, we then decided to sit and meditate and/or pray for at least thirty minutes an evening. It was so refreshing and relaxing. And most importantly, it helped us reach our goal of feeling good about ourselves very quickly; and we no longer had to run around mindlessly exhausting ourselves to reach our goal!
By slowing down, we got to our goal of feeling good about ourselves very, very fast. The other way of going about it, by running around all over the place, was actually moving us further and further away from our goal.
So, no matter what your goal is: "Slow Down! Get there Fast!" It works wonders!
In my next blog entry of March 2, I will continue this theme and explain how this process of slowing down helped me to find my purpose in life and live my passion.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
""Think on These Things," Prayer?" Podcast
(length 5:52 minutes)
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"...whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and then the God of peace shall be with you."
(Philippians 4: 8-9)
Prayer
Be joyful always,
Pray continuously,
Give thanks in all circumstances.
1 Thessalonians 5, 16-18
In terms of increasing the quality of my life, I have found that prayer is such an incredibly valuable and precious tool.
When I refer to prayer I do not mean the repetition of rote phrases that no longer have any meaning. Prayer for me is seeing the good in all people, events and circumstances in my life and blessing and appreciating it all.
As you "think" or pray in this way, you are shining light on everything. And it is in this light and because of this light that the hidden beauty and brilliance of whatever you are focusing on is fully revealed.
As well, as you pray, you will continue to see your light grow stronger and stronger. And this light and this strength will be the attracting point and signal that you put out to others and to the universe. And as a result, you will attract even more light and strength to yourself. And in time all the darkness within you will be transformed into the light it always was. In this way you become the beacon on the hill, the lighthouse in the storm.
As you practice this you will be awed by all the good you will find within and without!
Quality is not inherent in an object or a person; it is created one prayer at a time; one kind word at a time; one noble action at a time; one positive thought at a time.
The great Masters still shine so brightly because they knew to constantly strengthen and brighten this flame within themselves with the fuel of prayer, love, service and good thoughts! And because of this, they no longer cast shadows any more! For they had become the Light!
Prayer is not an asking for, it is a becoming.
Yanni Maniates
Think or Meditate on These Things!
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"What is Quality?" Podcast
(length 4:52 minutes)
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Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Put Your SELF First" Podcast
(length 5:46 minutes)
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A number of years ago I read a book entitled "The Automatic Millionaire." In the book the author, David Bach, emphasizes how really, really important it is to make payments to yourself first if you wish to accrue financial wealth.
As I continued to read the book, I came to realize that the principle that he was espousing, "Put Your Self First," was a very profound one and one that was applicable in all areas of my life. It got me to start asking myself whether I was putting myself first physically, emotionally and spiritually. And, of course, it was crystal clear that I wasn't.
Then I asked myself, why I wasn't? And it became apparent that it was an issue of unworthiness. Everyone and everything else was more important or worthy than I was!!! I always paid myself last!
So, it became obvious that if I kept listening to my ego self, I would always be last in line. I had to learn to listen to my real Self. I could not keep doing what I really didn't want to do. That was a recipe for disaster.
It finally dawned on me that my Higher Self knew what was best for me and for all those involved with me; and if I would just slow down enough to get in touch with my Higher Self and act on its promptings, I would be much happier and much more fun to be with.
So, one must pay oneself first on all levels; not only financially so that you accrue wealth, but also in terms of the kinds of things you do to take care of yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually. This is where the real "wealth" lies.
You can live more of the life you desire and deserve once you learn to put your Self first. For, as I love to say in my classes: "If you follow any one but your Self, you will surely get lost."
So, it is all good. Learning how to listen to your Self is how you become a Master of your life and it is how you learn to leave behind being the victim!
So, slow down and get there fast. Trust, Relax and Listen to your Self! And remember and say often: "Life is good; I am good. Within me and around me I have all I need to fully feel happy, healthy, joy-filled, abundant, energetic, flexible, balanced, and full of passion in all aspects of my life."
You really do!
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Being "True to Your Self"--Live By Intuition and Inspiration" Podcast
(length 6:17 minutes)
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"Know Thyself!" This has been the clarion call of the Ancient Mystery Schools from time immemorial. The Schools have been meeting places for all who have wanted to come to truly "know" who they are and claim their personal Mastery. The profoundly transforming tools of Self-Mastery that were taught in the Schools have been "hidden" for millennia and up until recently available to only a select few. But they are now available to all who sincerely desire to learn them.
One of the great gifts of the times we are now living in is that we all can directly access this knowledge for ourselves. As well, we can each directly connect with the Masters that embody this wisdom/love and be guided by them into a deeper connection with our Selves/Souls. We can connect with a very powerful and a very real Internal Master Mind Group that really supports and loves us.
We can attain Mastery of our minds, emotions, body, and ego; and when we do, we can live a life that is constantly fed and inspired by the deepest levels of our Soul/Higher Self. We can live a life of Empowerment, Joy, and Love. We can be free of the limitations and myopia of the ego mind.
As Eileen Cady, the co-founder of The Findhorn Community, so elegantly stated:
Cease trying to work everything out with your mind.
It will get you nowhere.
Live your life by Intuition and Inspiration.
Let your whole life be a Revelation.
By claiming our Self-Mastery, we learn how to live in the divine flow of life--free of the fears, worries, and false beliefs that limit us. We can claim our Mastery and leave behind our old, false identities of being victims and powerless. We can directly access the wisdom of our Soul and live our lives based on its inspirations.
Self-Mastery and empowerment are the birthrights we are all entitled to. We are being called to accept our true inheritance, one in which we finally realize that we are divine Masters and co-creators of Joy.
You can uncover for yourself the mystery and majesty of who you really are. You can end your bondage to the old, false self-images and the enmeshments and entanglements of your past, and claim the power and freedom to "Be true to your Self."
You can enter the doors to the sacred temple of your Soul and find within all the wondrous beauty of Thy Self.
By learning to breathe, quiet the ego mind and listen, you, too can become a Master of your life and no longer a victim.
Small is the number of those who see with their own eyes
and feel with their own hearts.
Albert Einstein
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Putting your Self First-- Being True to Your Self" Podcast
(length 5:01 minutes)
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How can you be "true to yourself?" How can you live your life authentically connected to who you really are and not to who you think you should be?
The key is listening. That is, listening to your authentic Self or your Soul and following her promptings. This means that you must slow down enough to quiet your ego mind and view your self and the situation at hand from the perspective of your Soul.
Your ego will always "awfulize" and "catastrophize" everything. It makes everything a life and death situation when in fact there is no death, there is only life! It notices or fixates on irrelevant details and ignores the bigger picture.
Progress up your life's mountain of Mastery is not a linear progression. Progress in your life is a series of pieces of a puzzle that you experience over time which eventually helps you to see the bigger picture.
But it is only your Soul that can help you see your experiences from this broader perspective. And if you ignore or don't even know that there is such a perspective through which to interpret and understand yourself and the experiences you are having, you are lost.
So, I often find myself asking the question: "What does my Soul or Higher Self think of this situation? How does my Soul feel and see it all?" These are the questions I want to always be asking and this is the way in which I want to learn how to see and interpret everything in my life. I know that by doing it this way, everything is softer, easier and clearer. And it allows me to be more relaxed and at peace.
So, take the time to learn how to "see" again. Take the time to breathe, quiet your mind and pause before you act or react from your ego's perspective.
Learn how to put your Self or your Soul first and leave your ego behind. Always, always, breathe, pause and ask: "How does my Soul see this?" And then trust what you receive! Then you will be putting your Self first!
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Who Do You Think You Are? A Meditation" Podcast
(length 4:56 minutes)
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In the Katha Upanishad, the sages of ancient India describe
the source of the limitless potential within us in the following manner:
There shines not the sun, neither the moon nor star,
nor flash of lightening, nor fire lit on earth as bright.
The Self is the light reflected by all.
He shining, everything shines after him.
And as the Sufi mystics write:
He whom the galaxies can not contain, he is in my little heart.
It is so hard for the ego mind to wrap itself around who you really ARE. The ego mind is only capable of remembering the conditioning which it has been fed since birth. It knows nothing about the Divine plan that you formulated before it came into being. It has no clue regarding your infinite potential; and it certainly has no idea about the incredible mysteries and majesty that lie within you.
So, why do we keep relying on the ego mind to help us get to know ourselves or to understand what our purpose is? The ego mind is meant at best to be a servant of our soul. It is not meant to be our master.
So, let us learn how to access this clear, pure essence by learning to quiet our ego mind and listen to our heart/soul. Then we will discover who we ARE.
Meditation is the key to this way of perceiving.
Whatever arises is not Self.
It is not I;
it does not belong to anybody;
it is just conditioning.
Jack Kornfield
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"The Mind is a Lot Less Important than We Think It is: a Meditation" Podcast
(length 4:44 minutes)
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Look! This little finger covers the eye and prevents the whole world from being seen.
In this same way this small mind covers the whole universe
and prevents Reality from being seen.
Ramana Maharshi
The mind is a lot less important than we think it is. In our Western rationalistic society, we have given pre-eminence to the cognitive processes. Of course, the mind has its place and value in the scheme of things. But the mind is not meant to be the primary way we experience reality. As Carl Jung said, "All of reality is not thinking."
Feeling or sensing is. The mind judges, analyzes, compartmentalizes and this causes a sense of separation and duality. The heart or the intuitive faculty embraces or becomes one with its object of attention. It feels it from the inside out.
The heart knows an object from the inside out and not from just the surface, outside appearance. So, to really get to know someone or something, learn to quiet your mind and feel and then identify with and become one with that which you are focused on.
In other words, "lose your mind and come to your senses."
Meditation is the doorway to this way of perceiving.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"The 'Embrace,' Part II" Podcast
(length 6:10 minutes)
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This week I am sharing with those of you who read my blog, why I do the work that I do. Please go back to my post on December 15 for Part I.
Within each one of us lies a limitless well of living waters brimming with wisdom, love, inspiration, creativity and strength. We just need to find the key that opens us to these treasures.
This key lies in learning how to quiet the mind and open the heart (i.e. meditate) in order that we might learn how to experience and process life through the heart-mind and no longer through the myopic vision of the ego mind.
Herein one will find a profound place of freedom and joy from which one can truly "live life." Herein one becomes the author/authority of his/her life and learns what it means to truly be a Master of her/his thoughts, emotions and life experiences.
Herein one truly learns to be "true to thy Self." As well, one comes to understand that if you have not yet learned to "know thy Self" that life will feel and be incomplete.
So, I wish that my work can be a road map to that divine, blessed place of peace and the "Embrace" that lies within each and every person, a place that all those who truly aspire to Mastery have found, a place where there is a peace and a love that "passeth all understanding."
It is here that the initiates of the Ancient Mysteries Schools endeavored to arrive. In my work, I intend for the "mysteries" of this process to be removed and so, too, the "ancient" trappings! We are living in a time when the ancient keys to the Kingdom are, in fact, fully accessible to every modern man and woman who desires to access them. The Divine Feminine has returned!
The subject tonight is Love
and for tomorrow night as well.
As a matter of fact,
I know no better topic
for us to discuss
until we all die!
Hafiz
All a sane man
can ever think about
is giving love.
Hafiz,
Sufi Mystic and Poet
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"The 'Embrace,' Part I" Podcast
(length 6:16 minutes)
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The subject tonight is Love
and for tomorrow night as well.
As a matter of fact,
I know no better topic
for us to discuss
until we all die!
Hafiz
All a sane man
can ever think about
is giving love.
Hafiz,
Sufi Mystic and Poet
I would like to take the opportunity now to share with those of you who read my blog, why I do the work that I do.
I would like to introduce you to what I refer to as the "Embrace" and how it is at the core of all that I do and be.
It is through the "Embrace" that "all things are made anew." As well, it is through the "Embrace" that we all are made whole and healed. And it is through the "Embrace" that we can listen and learn from each other.
What follows is a brief story that may put this is a broader context for you:
Some twenty years ago I was participating in a series Intuitive Development classes. During the classes we would meditate and quiet our minds and go into a very profound place of peace where we would access a deep, deep connection with extraordinarily loving energies.
I had been participating in these classes for about a year and had really enjoyed the warmth and camaraderie that had formed among all the class members. As well, I had very much enjoyed the peace that the experience of the classes brought. So, too, the class facilitator, Philip Burley, was a truly excellent channel and the messages that came through him were very profound and healing.
Then one night as I was "tuning in," an overpowering sense of peace and pure Love just cascaded all over and through me. I had never felt this before and it just kept growing and growing and getting deeper and deeper, wider and wider, fuller and fuller. Truly for the first time in my life I knew what it meant to have "my cup runneth over."
It was there and then that I "knew" that I had found "it." I had found both my connection with Source/God and had also found my vocation or calling in life. I "knew" that my life had been leading me to this moment so that that I could really "get" what was important and then help others experience that same "Embrace."
So, on that day it became clear to me that my raison d'etre (reason for being) was/is to continue to deepen that connection with the "Embrace" for myself, and, in whatever way possible to help others to find "It" for themselves, as well.
So, all my work up to now is dedicated to this purpose.
See my blog post on 12/22 for part II.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"STRENGTH, Part II" Podcast
(length 4:59 minutes)
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A boy and his father were walking along a road when they came across a large stone. The boy said to his father, "Do you think if I use all my strength, I can move this rock?"
His father answered, "If you use all your strength, I am sure you can do it."
The boy began to push the rock. Exerting himself as much as he could, he pushed and pushed. The rock did not move.
Discouraged, he said to his father, "You were wrong. I can't do it."
His father placed his arm around the boy's shoulder and said, "No son. You didn't use all your strength - you didn't ask me to help."
From Teaching Your Children About God
Do you believe that the Universe is a friendly, nurturing place or not?
Or is it a neutral or perhaps threatening place?
Do you believe that there are energies and beings that are just waiting to help you, if you just ask for their help? Or do you believe that you are all alone and basically just a spiritual orphan?
Do you believe that if you ask for support and believe and expect that it will come to you, that it will come to you?
These are the questions and beliefs that this parable is asking you to explore.
So, just take some time to explore and meditate on these questions. By doing so, you will come to better know yourself and then you will be better able to draw upon the sources of strength that are available to you.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"All Change is an 'Inside Job,' Part II" Podcast
(length 5:21 minutes)
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Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.
Tolstoy
In order to change anything in your life, you must first make a change within your self. Every change is an "inside job." Change is not about controlling or changing another person or situation in your outer life so that it suits you better. It is about changing you, internally.
So, for example, if you want to experience peace in your life, you must first seek to create peace within yourself no matter what. The level of peace you experience in your external life is solely dependent on the level of peace you feel within. Then as you attain this internal peace, you achieve a peace that the world can not take away from you.
You, thus, have achieved a peace that is rock solid and deep. Then you know what it means to stand on solid ground.
So, whatever you wish to change or achieve, you must first go within, honestly evaluate your thoughts, beliefs, fears, etc. about the issue, release the ones that do not serve you and then embrace the ones that do. Then things will really change for you.
It can and likely will be a challenge to be so honest with yourself, but it is the only way to really effect significant change in your life.
Try it with anything you would like to change in your life. It really works.
Meditation is the primary tool I use to access this level of myself. It is the best way I know of to get in touch with my underlying beliefs and thoughts. And it is the most effective method with which to create the changes I want in my life.
If you are distressed by anything external,
the pain is not due to the thing itself,
but to your estimate of it; and this you
have the power to revoke at any moment.
Marcus Aurelius
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Dedication, Discipline and Intentionality; the Keys to the 'Good Life,' Part II" Podcast
(length 5:44 minutes)
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This is a continuation of my last posting on November 17.
The ancient Masters were profound and subtle. Their wisdom was unfathomable.
There is no way to describe it; all we can describe is their appearance:
They were as careful as someone crossing an ice-covered stream.
Alert as a warrior in enemy territory.
Courteous as a guest.
Fluid as melting ice.
Shapeable as a block of wood.
Receptive as a valley.
Clear as a glass of water.
Lao Tzu
Intentionality and dedication is the Master's prayer and gift to him/herself. With clear intentions, one can manifest one's dreams, purpose and goals and live in great peace. If you are half-hearted, the Universe responds half-heartedly. If you are clear, the Universe responds clearly.
To attain the Mastery that is your birthright, you must be very purposeful in all that you do. No breath, thought or action is ever wasted. Everything is clear and on target. You know who you are and where you want to go or "be."
Please be assured that this is not a process that is rigid and dogmatic nor is it mental in nature. Nor is this a process that has as its primary focus the accomplishment of external goals. Rather it is a process of being in touch with your Self and, therefore, by being in touch, you become so true to your Self that your every breath, thought and action is inspired from the depths of your soul.
Thus you learn to live a life of impeccable clarity and ease and are no longer buffeted by the whims of the ego. Instead you live in a constant state of inspiration and revelation and flow from one experience to another.
So, to access this state one must take the time to look within and listen to one's Self by employing the sacred tools of meditation, prayer and contemplation.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Dedication, Discipline and Intentionality; the Keys to the "Good Life," Part I" Podcast
(length 5:46 minutes)
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In whatever way works for you, it is so, so important daily to take the time to make connection with your Source. If you do not, then you will not be in touch with your Self. And, if you are not in touch with your Self, you can not "be" your Self.
You are your "most significant other." If you do not spend time with this most significant part of who you are, you will never be true to your Self nor will you know your Self.
So, some form of meditation, prayer or contemplation is essential in order to connect with your Self and to live the "Good Life." Hence, in order to become one with your Self, dedication, discipline and being clearly intentional are so important.
One of the fastest ways to become one with your Self is to be disciplined---that is to take time to meditate, pray, as mentioned above and to also exercise, eat well, fast, read uplifting literature, etc.---in other words to take time to develop "order and clarity" in your life and to "be" with your Self.
The word "discipline" and "disciple" come from a Latin root that means to grasp or to comprehend. So, to be disciplined means that you steadfastly focus on something so that in time you truly understand or master it. What could be more important than learning how to be a Master of one's life?
Very few people have the patience and discipline to apply this kind of focus in their lives. I dare say that most adults have a shorter attention span than children.
When you know who you are:
When your mission is clear and you burn with the inner fire of unbreakable will;
No cold can touch your heart;
No deluge can dampen your purpose.
You know that you are alive
Chief Seattle
See my next posting on November 24 for more on this theme.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"When You are Quiet, You Can Eavesdrop on God" Podcast
(length 4:44 minutes)
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Take the time every day to touch into this Reality and you will find the Peace that is at the core of your Being.
The above is a brief dialogue from Theophane the Monk's, Tales of a Magic Monastery. Please meditate and reflect on it.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Contemplate the Infinite Potential and Possibilities That You Are" Podcast
(length 5:42 minutes)
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Conversation
God and I in space alone
and nobody else in view.
"And where are the people, O Lord," I said,
"the earth below and the sky o'er head
and the dead whom once I knew?"
"That was a dream," God smiled and said,
"A dream that seemed to be true.
There were no people, living or dead,
there was no earth, and no sky o'er head;
there was only Myself -- in you."
"Why do I feel no fear," I asked,
"meeting You here this way?
For I have sinned I know full well--
and is there heaven, and is there hell,
and is this the Judgment Day?"
"Nay, those were but dreams,"
the Great God said,
"Dreams that have ceased to be.
There are no such things as fear or sin;
there is no you -- you never have been--
there is nothing at all
but Me."
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
You are an invisible fullness, a field of latent possibilities from which all things emerge.
Behind the universe moves this unnamable mystery. It is a pregnant state of love, energy, and intelligence, ready to continually give birth to new forms and absorb old and wasted ones in order to give them rebirth in new form again.
This invisible, unnamable mystery and fullness is infinite possibility. The processes of change, transformation and rebirth are the very fabric of the universe and they occur in this field of potential and latent possibilities.
Contemplate the infinite potential and possibilities that you are. The well of living waters you have to draw upon is unlimited. You can not and are not defined or limited by any role, experience, or lifetime you have had or are having. Allow yourself to experience/feel the full promise of who You ARE. Embrace the Mystery and Majesty of Your Self! Enter the Silence! Meditate! Embrace the Unknown! Embrace Your Self!
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"The Unity of the Soul and the Inner Life: A Meditation" Podcast
(length 4:31 minutes)
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In order to fully and completely come to "know" ourselves and fully express ourselves in this life, we must go within. For within us is the storehouse or the treasure trove of our soul, that which is laden with an infinite number of gifts, love, power and wisdom.
There within, the richness and riches of who we are can be found. And once found will easily find a way to be expressed and manifested in our lives.
As we go within, we will be inspired to "right actions" and have revelations about who we really are. Again, only meditation can open this door to our inner treasure and inheritance and help reveal our true nature.
The mind masks this from us. Meditation reveals it! It's all an inside job! Let your intuition lead your way!
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Ah! To be a Child Again! A Meditation" Podcast
(length 6:54 minutes)
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Before we were indoctrinated to the rules of the word, with its entire do's and don'ts, we were actually very receptive. We were willing to try new things, go into forbidden places and take risks without hesitation. We did not believe in unhappiness, defeat, rejection or lack. We asked for what we wanted and were willing to demand that it be provided. We thought the world existed to respond to our needs. It might do us well to revert back to the ways of childhood if we want to bring some good into our lives. It's not the temper tantrums or childish outburst we want. It is the openness and freedom from limitation we need. We have been taught to accept fear, lack sorrow and restriction as a part of everyday life. We are afraid to make demands of life because we believe we can't have what we want. We no longer feel free to express what we feel, when we feel it. Now, we want to be everyone's friend. If only we would think like a child again, there's a good chance we would find the freedom we gave up to become adults.
Just read through these words a few times in a meditative state. They are food for your soul. Then just sit in meditation and see, sense or feel whatever impressions, thoughts, feelings or images arise for you about you. Be receptive, objective and open!
Reading an inspiring passage and then just sitting with it in meditation is another form of meditation you may want to put into practice.
Besides this passage, find any inspiring passage you resonate with, read it and then just sit and see what happens! There are many ways to meditate and connect with your Source. Meditating on an inspiring passage is one I love to practice regularly especially when my mind is overly active.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Meditation is Spiritual Food" Podcast
(length 5:42 minutes)
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Recently someone wrote me the following question about staying in balance. So, I thought I would share my response.
Yanni,
I really want to invest in what matters. I no longer want to be side-tracked by thoughts, projects, or people who are not on my path. I am a unique soul with a very unique focus and I really want to explore my interests to the fullest. How can we live in the 5th dimension or higher right here and now?
Meditation helps me to stay calm and peaceful and feel connected to God and others. When days pass and I have not had the chance to meditate I find my self rushing and getting crazy and upset with how fast life is moving and with how much there is to do.
Mary
My response:
You've answered your own question, Mary. Just as fish can not live out of water and a physical body can not live without air, a spirit (which is what you and I are in essence) cannot live without meditating or connecting with our Source on a consistent, regular basis. This connection or communion with our Source is our spirit's food or air. Without it, we literally starve or die of asphyxiation. Yet many are living or should I say dieing in this way.
As well, by staying connected, you will find answers to all your questions regarding what to do next, where to do it, when to do it and with whom. By staying connected you act from a place of inspiration and newness rather than from your old place of stagnant default patterns. When you are in a place of connection, you open to allowing new thoughts, people and experiences into your life that are truly for your highest good.
Life can be new, fresh and joy filled moment to moment and day to day, if you keep yourself in a place of connection! So, do your best to slow down each day, take a few deep breaths and no matter what is going on get in touch with your Self. Then you will have found the key to living the "Good Life," staying in balance, and making choices in all aspects of your life that are for your highest good.
Hope this helps! Blessings! Peace be with you!
Yanni
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"You are an Emperor, not a Beggar: a Meditation," Podcast
(length 5:30 minutes)
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You are an emperor, not a beggar. You possess the untold wealth of the universe, unimaginable riches. Don't beg for enlightenment, don't plead for it. You are the Self, don't assume that you are impoverished. Give up that yearning and be quiet and the treasure will be self-evident as your very nature.
Author unknown
"We are all gods and goddesses in training," as Deepak Chopra wrote.
We have come forth to explore and manifest the god/goddess potential within us.
We have come forth to be a god/goddess in finite form and to anchor and embody an aspect of that infinite Love that is our Source.
We are here to unravel the mystery of who we are.
We are here to discover the majesty of who we are.
We can never fail; we have success written all over us.
It is encoded in our DNA, in our eternal, hard wired template.
We are chips off the old holographic block, often called god/goddess, and are made in his/her Image.
When we enter the Silence, deep from within us rises up a feeling, a "knowing" of who we really are.
And in this place of clarity, we "know," beyond any doubt, fear or limiting belief system who and why we are.
We know that we are of noble stock and heirs of all that is great and good!
Be still and ye shall know!
The strongest tree has the deepest roots. Dig deep, deep within and you will find and know thy Self!
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Believe in Your Self! A Meditation," Podcast
(length 6:30 minutes)
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I find the above advice from the Buddha rather amazing given that it was written over 2,500 years ago. Nowadays with the advent of the internet and the incredible amount of information that is so readily available to us, his guidance is even more essential.
An old adage goes: "No shoe fits all sizes." So, too, no teaching or teacher is the proper fit for everyone. I have learned over the years to practice discernment and really go within to make sure that whatever teacher or teaching I am studying really rings true for me.
I have found over the years that the only way to know for sure is to initially, of course, take the time to study and research the teacher or teachings; but ultimately I have learned not to use my mind and not to do an intellectual analysis. What I have learned to do, instead, is to quiet my mind, go into the stillness and just "feel" what is right. And then if it "feels" right, I "accept it and live it."
As well, I periodically go within and check again and again to see if it still "feels" right given that I am constantly evolving and changing.
What I am not saying here is to keep shopping around and never settle on anything. No, not at all! What I am saying here is to always go within to make sure you are still on the right path, namely your path and not anyone else's!
A path is not a static experience. It is something you travel upon; it is a journey. Yes, at times you stop to rest, but then you get up and continue the journey moving through an ever changing landscape. Your life, your dreams are constantly evolving! So, too, are your belief systems!
Every teacher/teaching is a step up your mountain of mastery. But each step leads to another step. No step is an end in and of itself.
One of the things I love to repeat over and over in my classes is: "If you follow any one but your Self, you will surely get lost!" You must be "true to yourself." And the only way to do that and to know your path and to come to "know thy Self" is to go within regularly and listen. Then you will stay on your path.
Meditation is the key that helps you to go within. It helps you to find and follow your Self and to truly know and believe in Your Self.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Believing the Impossible! A Meditation," Podcast
(length 4:27 minutes)
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What is possible? Whatever you believe to be possible is what is possible! The impossible is impossible because you believe it to be so.
We create our reality by virtue of what we believe. Within each one of us is enormous potential, but often we do not manifest it or even realize it is there. In Latin the root for the word "potential" is the same as the root for the word "potency."
Within each of us is such great potency or power or potential to create, but because we think small, we create and experience small. The Universe/God is infinite potential waiting to be actualized. And, we, through our thoughts and feelings, can draw in this infinite potential and make it manifest. This drawing in of that infinite potential via our thoughts is precisely what qualifies us to be co-creators made in his/her Image.
But if your thoughts and beliefs about what is possible for you are small, you will never dream or create or experience "big." Why not get out of the old box and dream and think big, since you dream and think all the time anyhow? Think big, not small and all things are possible.
Take a few minutes each day in meditation to observe how big or small your thoughts and dreams are and then adjust in whatever way feels right.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Living Today's Dream and Not Yesterday's, a Meditation," Podcast
(length 5:51 minutes)
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Remember to look within. For it is only there that one can really find who one truly is and what is most important.
Take some time on a regular basis to slow down and go within. Suspend for awhile what you "think" you "should" be doing and instead just listen to the Silence within and allow its "voice" to speak to you.
Slowing down and taking inventory of who you presently are and where you are headed is sooooooo important. The word inventory comes from a Latin word which means "to come or go within." So, by slowing down your overly active thinking mind, you can go within and in the Quiet hear your Self rather than your ego mind's never-ending prattle.
So, take a few deep breaths now, quiet your mind and go within and gently and without too much focus ask, "What dream am I living now? Am I living the dream I had five years ago? Can I be happy and fulfilled living yesterday's dream or someone else's dream? What is my dream today?"
Gently allow these questions or similar ones to float out there and then just sit back and "listen." No, do not seek to hear your mind's ruminations, but actually just be still and sense, see and feel whatever impressions, feelings or images arise. Just "be" with them and with your Self.
You will be surprised at what comes up for you, if you leave your mind behind. Don't strain or "try," just allow the process to come to you. Be open and receptive. In time, as you practice this, a clearer and clearer vision will come to you of you.
Actually, as you practice this, you learn that being conscious of who you are is a moment to moment process. It is a process whereby you learn to "feel" first rather than "think" first. It is a process whereby you lose your mind and come to your senses.
It can be a bit of a stretch to ignore your mind and, instead, listen first to your heart/Soul or your intuition/feelings, but it's a good stretch. I suggest you try it for awhile because by doing so, you will find your Dreams and Your Self!
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"It's All New: A Morning Meditation," Podcast
(length 5:30 minutes)
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A new day, a new beginning! It's all so new, if we but stop and look. Nothing is the same as we left it. And even though our daily routines make us think it is all the same, it never is or can be.
So, we can exult in the "newness" of every moment of every "routine" and know that it is all fresh, new and joy filled. And as we see the "newness" and freshness of every moment, we come to appreciate and adore it all.
Thus, you may want to say to yourself: "I really want to bring this sense of newness and freshness into all I do from now on. To just stop, breathe and appreciate; to savor. To just 'be' present for each moment's gift, for each moment's 'newness'."
There can be no greater joy or fulfillment than to be filled with the richness of each moment. If one reaches and strives for the hoped for fulfillment in the future, one will always come up empty handed. There is only the present. Let us seize each and every moment and be filled to overflowing with all it has to offer. LET IT ALL COME TO YOU! Be present and it will!
In order to allow yourself to experience the "newness" of a moment, experiment with the following. Whenever you can, just stop; take a couple of deep breaths; then become aware of your body by doing a brief body scan from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. This will bring you into the present.
Then focus on your inhalation and just imagine that you are breathing in "newness," "freshness," and "joy." And on the exhalation, imagine that you are releasing the old, stagnant, and mutated energies. Then continue focusing on your breath and your breathing. Breathing in all that is new and fresh and joy-filled and releasing on the exhalation all that is old, worn and stagnant. After a few moments of doing this, all will be made fresh and anew!
Remember, you only see what you are looking for; you only get what you are asking for!
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Emotional/Mental Fitness: A Daily Routine; A Meditation," Podcast
(length 6:12 minutes)
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Besides working out in order to stay physically fit and healthy, I would like to suggest that you may want to also practice an emotional/mental fitness regimen.
Below is a workout that you might want to incorporate into your daily routine.
1) Regularly, during the day, be aware of what you are feeling and if you are caught up in fear, anger, worry, etc, let them go and choose something else to focus on. Negative thoughts wreck havoc on you physiologically and emotionally.
2) Seek to experience happiness no matter what is going on. Rather than making the best of it, make it the best!
3) Appreciate all the good in your life from the littlest to the largest. When you appreciate something, you allow yourself to fully receive it! And in doing so, you feel "rich." And in feeling "rich," you attract more "richness" or abundance.
4) See the good, even in a difficult situation. Everything is leading you to your highest good!
5) Trust the flow of life and know that all is in Divine Order!
6) Create thoughts, words and actions that only produce joy. The world is filled with unhappiness. Be different! "Follow the road less traveled."
7) Let go of narrow, inflexible belief systems. Create space so that you can learn and grow and be open to new possibilities, people and ideas. Every thing is possible!
8) Genuinely listen to others instead of forcing your own agenda. Knowing how to listen is one of the most valuable "arts" to master.
9) Let go of trying to "control" everyone and everything!
The more you practice, the better you get; and the better it gets!
I
Most of us habitually try to control all aspects of our lives: our relationships, our work environments, our health, our finances, etc, but usually we don't succeed. We do this to feel safe and secure. We do this so that we can be happy. But the irony is that in tenaciously holding on so hard, we waste most of our precious energy in trying to control things. We exhaust ourselves trying to anticipate what may happen and we squeeze all the joy, creativity and spontaneity out of life.
By spending so much energy trying to make sure that everything and everyone follows a specific script that we have in mind, we miss a myriad of opportunities to really enjoy and experience Life. We never allow for Life to simply come to us! We are constantly trying to force it to "go our way." We leave no room for wonder and magic.
We always want to know what is going to happen next, but by doing so we limit the boundless possibilities that are available to us. Life isn't a script to be followed word by word, but a new, fresh potential waiting to be expressed or actualized, moment to moment.
It is only when we allow for the unexpected and unknown to happen that "magic" or "real Life" can happen. All that is new, fresh and joy filled can only be found in the "unknown." The "known" is stagnant, old and calcified.
Embrace the "unknown" and there you will find Life! Tenaciously hold on to the "known" and there you will find stagnation!
Allow for the mysteries of life to delight you! Learn to live in the moment and be free! Learn to trust that it is all there for you! Each moment will take care of it self! Become a Master of the mysteries of Life.
In order to allow yourself to be in the moment, to experience the mystery and magic of it all, experiment with the following. Whenever you can, just stop; take a couple of deep breaths; then become aware of your body by doing a brief body scan from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. This will bring you into the present.
Then allow your attention to be simply in the present only focused on the rise and fall of your abdomen as you breathe in and out. Suspend all thought and then just feel. Don't think! Feel! And ask and allow for an insight or an inspiration to reveal itself to you! And then sit back, with your mind disengaged and then absorb and enJoy whatever insight or inspiration you receive! It may come as a thought, an impression, an image or a feeling.
In this way you can live in the moment and allow the mystery and magic of Life to enter your experiences. In this way you can live Life to the fullest and be a Master of your Life and no longer a slave of circumstances.
If you haven't already, feel free to join my membership area and get a free audio talk on meditation and a free 6 minute guided meditation. As well, my meditation CDs go into greater depth regarding how to make this connection with the core of your Being and with your Self. If you have interest, my CDs can be found at: http://www.learnmastery.com/AudioTapesByYanni.htm
Also, my book and audio package, Magical Keys to Self-Mastery: Creating Miracles in Your Life, is a primer on Meditation and Intuition: http://www.MagicalKeystoSelfMastery.com
The one thing that we cannot get enough of, the one thing that there is no possibility of ever overusing; of ever over receiving or of ever over giving is Compassion or Love. As the saying goes; "No matter what the question; Love is the answer."
Whenever you find your self caught up in your negative thought patterns, or your negative emotional states, being self-critical or critical of another, or enmeshed in your negative imagination or worry; sit back and drink in Compassion. As you drink in that Compassion all the tension and negativity will start to release. And then you will remember and accept that your natural state of being is that of feeling and being in the Embrace, of being at Peace, of being in Love!
It's quite easy to do, actually! Find a quiet place and moment, close your eyes, take a few deep cleansing breaths and then just imagine someone you love, be they a loved one or an esteemed spiritual teacher/master, and "see"/imagine them right there in front of you. Look into their eyes, the mirror of their soul, and then just feel their love flowing to you. Open up your heart to feeling their care, compassion and unconditional love for you. Hold this image and feeling for a couple of minutes. And in just a few minutes, you will feel so refreshed! You can do this a couple of times a day, too!
Compassion is at the heart of meditation because it connects us with who we really are and what is truly at our core. I would urge you to give yourself at least one dose of this daily, even for just a few minutes. You deserve it! Please try it. You will be very grateful you did.
If you haven't already, feel free to join my membership area and get a free audio talk on meditation and a free 6 minute guided meditation. As well, my Meditation CD "Peace of Mind is a Thought Away" goes into greater depth regarding how to make this connection with Compassion.
If you have interest, my CDs can be found at: http://www.learnmastery.com/AudioTapesByYanni.htm
Also, my book and audio package, Magical Keys to Self-Mastery: Creating Miracles in Your Life, is a primer on Meditation and Intuition: http://www.MagicalKeystoSelfMastery.com
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"All is in Divine Order and Timing! A Meditation," Podcast
(length 7:14 minutes)
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Give yourself the benefit of believing that the Divine hand is leading you. And accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.
All is in Divine Order and Divine Timing. There is a rhythm and rhyme for all that we experience. If we just allow ourselves the opportunity to slow down and go within and listen to the Silence that is there; there we will see the "bigger picture;" there we will find the answer to all our questions; there we will know that we are "Good;" there we will know that we are held in the "Embrace;" there we will know that "All is well."
There, too, we will know that the Universe is a supportive, nurturing, friendly place and that it is on our side. It is rooting for us.
The "still, small voice" within is your most trustworthy ally! Learn to "listen" to your most "significant other," that is, this "still, small voice" within. Learn to listen to your Self!
By taking the time to slow down each day and go into meditation, you can enter this place of Silence, of Magic, of your Essence and come to truly know Your Self and where you really are in your life. Please try it. You'll be grateful you did!
If you haven't already, feel free to join my membership area and get a free audio talk on meditation and a free 6 minute guided meditation. As well, my meditation CDs go into greater depth regarding how to make this connection with the Silence and with your Self. If you have interest, my CDs can be found at: http://www.learnmastery.com/AudioTapesByYanni.htm
Also, my book and audio package, Magical Keys to Self-Mastery: Creating Miracles in Your Life, is a primer on Meditation and Intuition: http://www.MagicalKeystoSelfMastery.com
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"How to Get Things Done! A Meditation," Podcast
(length 5:18 minutes)
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Whenever something comes up to be done, before you jump headlong into doing it; Stop and ask yourself, "How can I make this easy?" "How can this be easy, enjoyable, effortless and elegant?"
And keep asking and asking and asking!
And keep believing and believing and believing that it can be!
And keep expecting and expecting and expecting that it already has been done!
And, lo and behold, this will help you to release the intensity around what needs to be "done" and will allow you to slow down enough so that you can recognize, find and take the easy, enjoyable, effortless, elegant way.
Whatever you consciously ask for, and consciously look for and consciously expect, you will receive.
So, remember to always ask for the "easy" way and you will find it! You no longer need to choose struggle and feel overwhelmed!
"Seek and ye shall find, ask and ye shall receive."
Slow down and try this technique the next time you feel in a hurry. Create the intention that you can make things happen in a way that is easy and enjoyable for you. You deserve it!
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"How to Fly? A Meditation," Podcast
(length 5:48 minutes)
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How can you fly?
You create your own wings!
How can you create your own wings?
Keep dreaming and dreaming and dreaming!
Your dreams are what create your experiences.
And as you keep dreaming and believing in your dreams and in your self,
all your dreams will not only come true,
but they will give you the wings to fly.
And if you dare to let go of the nest, these wings will catch the wind.
And if you allow, the winds will embrace, support and transport you
and carry you not only to all your dreams,
but even beyond to the full potential of your Self!
Yanni Maniates
Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating your self.
George Bernard Shaw
Our beginnings never know our ends.
T.S. Eliot
In order for you to create anything in your life, you must first dream or imagine it. Whether you are aware of it or not, you constantly use your imagination. You either continually "awfulize" and "catastophize" and dream up your worst nightmares through worry, fear and anger. Or you use your imagination to aspire to the highest of your potential through faith, hope, love and dreaming big.
Since you are always imagining or dreaming about something anyhow, why not make it a dream that is truly big, worthwhile and of greatest value to you and to others.
You get to choose what you focus on and what you get in life. You choose whether you learn to glide and fly or whether you struggle and crawl through life! You get to create your own wings or your own crutches!
And the real "neat" thing about all this is that once you learn to fly you learn that, "the sky is no longer the limit," only you were!
So, take some time now to quiet your mind and just listen to what you are thinking about. Are you dreaming big and bold or are you caught up in a negative loop of thoughts. Are you creating something exciting and noble in your mind? Or are you rehashing old, stale scenarios? You get to choose.
Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"What is the Present? A Meditation," Podcast
(length 7:19 minutes)
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Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:
"Whenever Your Day Seems, Cloudy, See the Silver Lining in Every Cloud! A Reflection," Podcast
(length 6:16 minutes)
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See the silver lining in every cloud in your life; and welcome the rain that comes from these clouds because they provide the moisture that allows and encourages the new seeds you have planted to grow into full bloom.
Constantly plant new seeds of hope, joy and success and know that when the times seem to be cloudy or stormy that they are in fact just times of great creative potential and new internal growth about to burst forth into your life. They are not obstacles; they are opportunities.
Trust in the rhythms of the seasons for they are just as much in your life as they are in nature. We need the rain and the storms so that our seeds might grow, so that we might grow strong, so that we might become clear and intentional in our lives.
Just trust! The Universe is on your side!
Everything replenishes and re-grows itself.
Just know that that is what you, too, are now experiencing.
All things are always changing and flowing! The only constant is change!
Tomorrow is another day filled with potential, filled with potency, filled with all that is fresh and new and joy-filled!
Envision, feel, see, and say: "Good things are always happening to me. Good things are unfolding within me now!" And by doing so, you will notice "good" all around you and attract more "good" into your life.
And as Annie reminds us:
The sun will come out tomorrow.
Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there'll be sun.
Just thinking about tomorrow clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow, till there's none...
From the musical "Annie."
Just try doing what I have suggested above the next time a challenging situation comes up for you in your life.
You get to give meaning to the experiences you have. You can either choose the "high road" or the "low road." You get to see the cup half-full or half-empty.