Yanni's Blog

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

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:

"Our Suffering Teaches How to Become Masters of Love, Podcast, Part III"


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(length 11:29 minutes)


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Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is Part VI of a six part blog. In order to understand and make best use of what follows, please see my previous entries of 02/12/07 for Part I, of 02/14/07 for Part II, of 02/19/07 for Part III, of 02/21/07 for Part IV and of 02/26/07 for Part V.

Be assured that if you follow anyone other than your Self, you will surely get lost.

Take the time to really “listen” to your Self and all will become crystal clear.

Below are a few phrases that will help you to keep your focus clear in this regard:

God/Goddess loves you no matter what because in doing so, He/She loves Him/Herself.

Don’t take your life’s experiences personally, these experiences are not who you ARE! They are just steps on your path to Awakening! You ARE so much more!

Hang in there! You CAN do it! And actually you ARE doing it!

Trust the process and Trust your Self!

Fear is the ultimate illusion. Empowerment the ultimate truth!

It’s all a series of conclusions about a series of delusions.

When you appreciate something, you allow yourself to fully receive it!

Rather than “making the best of it,” “make it the best!”

Love is being unconditionally present for yourself and another!

Make your Life a Meditation, not a Race; Proceed at the Speed of Grace and Trust.

In conclusion I would like to share a channeled passage from Kryon:

There seems to be so much sorrow on the planet. Can you work within the framework of the test before you? Can you put on your armor and shields of sacredness and walk through the sorrow, fear and disappointment of what other Humans have done, without
judgment of them or without being discouraged? The more light you carry, the more you will see that which is sorrowful on Earth. Only the masters can "see" these things as reasonable within the scheme of why you're here. It is important that the Lighthouses are not distracted by the storms as they shine their lights. Otherwise, they become useless.

So, it is so, so important to not let your ego determine the perspective you have on the experiences you or others are having.

Please remember to go into meditation regularly and quiet your mind and open your heart so that you might allow the wisdom, love and light of your Higher Self to illuminate and reveal the path before you!

May you dwell Peace!

The gift that suffering bestows upon us is that it teaches us how to become Masters of Love!

This is Part VI of a six part blog entry.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is Part V of a six part blog. In order to understand and make best use of what follows, please see my previous entries of 02/12/07 for Part I, of 02/14/07 for Part II, of 02/19/07 for Part III and of 02/21 for Part IV.

So, when you can unconditionally accept everything and everyone, you have learned the ultimate lesson of what Love is all about. It is in this state of acceptance that the illusions of lack, insufficiency, fear, and inadequacy all disappear and the reality of your beauty, majesty, wisdom, power and eternal value become very clear and bright.

All that you previously interpreted with your ego’s eyes as failure and “suffering” is now seen as just steps leadings you out of the illusion of your separateness and aloneness and instead into the realms of Oneness, Light and Love that your Higher Self or Soul dwells in eternally.

Even the Awakened One, the Buddha, proclaimed:

But once all this “suffering” is seen as the illusion that it really is, then the true Light of who you really are finally awakens within you and then you can own, know, integrate and embody it in a way that it becomes you and you become IT.

So, let go of your ego’s desire to have things always go your way, i.e. the way you “think” they should.

Let go of the need to hold onto things that are already as you desire so they will continue to be what you want. Believe me, they never will remain the same. The only constant in this universe is “change.”

Let go of trying to control others, you never will!

Let go of your fears, projections and defenses.

Let go of the need to make others wrong or right or to judge them.

Just dwell in the Light of your Soul by sitting in meditation and all will be revealed to you! “Be still and know!” Listen to the “still, small voice within!” It will lead you to your Self.

This is part V of a six Part blog entry.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:

"Our Suffering Teaches How to Become Masters of Love, Podcast, Part II"


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(length 10:11 minutes)


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Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is Part IV of a six part blog. In order to understand and make best use of what follows, please see my previous entries of 02/12/07 for Part I, of 02/14/07 for Part II and of 02/19/07 for Part III.

Love is not an emotion; it is a state of being. It is a state of acceptance and profound understanding. It sees all experiences with the heart of unconditionality and it knows that all is in Divine Order and that all is moving towards the Highest Good.

Love from the ego has emotions attached. Love from the soul, does not. That's what it's all about: learning how to develop the "detached," "impersonal," and "open" heart. The heart and mind that are free from the fears, illusions and false beliefs that distort reality.

Many equate the word love with the human emotion that many mistake as and for love. Unconditional Love is a state of being and not an emotion. It is a stable, harmonious and balanced state through which there can be no judgment, no fear, no indecision, and no uncertainty. It is a pure state of acceptance, trust and knowing.

This state of love is not a denial of reality, but rather an acceptance and true appreciation of it! It is an understanding that all of life is an eternal journey into a greater and greater ability to love, appreciate and embrace more and more of one’s experiences!

This is part IV of a six Part blog entry.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is Part III of a six part blog. In order to understand and make best use of what follows, please see my previous entries of 02/12/07 for Part I and of 02/14/07 for Part II.

Our purpose here on this planet is not to acquire information and “things,” but to learn how to really love. And so when we are at our lowest and yet are still able to reach up to love and reach out for love, we then truly will have mastered what Love is all about. For by reaching out for love, we shed light into the darkness. We turn chaos into order. We transform lead into gold. We truly tap into the essence of love and become the Master Alchemist! We turn all our “suffering” or our illusions into gold!

If in the depths of despair you seek Love’s guidance and surrender fully to its tender embrace, then truly you have learned what it means to have “Love” and that knowing will remain with you and continue to grow within you throughout eternity. But if, on the other hand, you just make love an intellectual exercise, you learn nothing about love and are left empty and unfulfilled.

So, when your body is not functioning well, but you can still love it, you have learned what it means to love unconditionally.

So, when your best friend or lover has left you and yet you can still love yourself, you have learned how to truly love yourself.

So, when you financial situation has bottomed out, but you can still appreciate the wonder and beauty of life and of yourself and still know that you are good and can thrive, you have learned what it means to love.

And when another has harmed you and you can still love them and yourself, truly you have learned what love is.

This is part III of a six Part blog.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is Part II of a six part blog. In order to understand and make best use of what follows, please see my previous entry of 02/12/07 for Part I.

We create our reality. Everything that “happens to us” is part of a master plan or blueprint that is helping us to “become,” grow and heal in ways that will truly allow us to develop and manifest all the potential within us. Truly, all is in Divine Order and Divine Timing and as we learn to look at our experiences through the eyes and heart of our Soul and not through the myopic vision of our ego, we get to see the bigger picture and put it all into proper context and perspective.

It is our Soul that is leading us into the experiences that It knows will help us to truly come to know who we really are in the quickest and, believe it or not, the least painful way possible. Whether we presently get it or not, what looks, to our ego, like a long and torturous path, is really the shortest route to a true understanding and picture of who we really are.

Seeing our experiences through our Soul’s perspective will lead us away from where our limited awareness is presently focused to an unlimited, eternal and infinite vision of who we really are and will put into perspective why we are experiencing what we are experiencing.

So, it is those who have experienced the greatest sense of loss and suffering in their lives who have risen to the greatest heights and depths of wisdom and love.

This is Part II of a six part blog entry.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is Part I of a six part blog,

The gift that suffering bestows upon us is that it teaches us how to become Masters of Love!

That which we call “suffering” is an experience we create for ourselves so that we can refine or increase our ability to love ourselves, love another and love the whole of the creation. When we “suffer” we ultimately feel abandoned and alone. As well, we feel that we are unworthy and unlovable. But all of this is just the ultimate illusion, an illusion that has us believing that we are somehow separate from God/Goddess and somehow undeserving of His/Her love.

We are meant to have dominion over all the creation. But that dominion is not one of “possession,” but it is a dominion of love. It is the dominion of one who is the caretaker and caregiver. It is not a dominion of “the hording of things,” but it is a stewardship of caring for all. And the way that we earn that dominion is to be more and more able to love, appreciate and embrace it all.

But how does one learn to “love/appreciate” it all.

Most of us believe that suffering is something that is inflicted upon us by an outside force. Whether it is illness, financial ruin, relationship issues, natural or human-made disasters, etc., we see ourselves as a “victim” of circumstances.

The problem with this way of looking at the experiences you are having is that by seeing yourself as a “victim,” you are giving away your ownership of the situation and are therefore, giving away your “power” to change it.

This is Part I of a six part blog.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:

"How to Reprogram Your Self Image, Part IV" Podcast


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(length 12:05 minutes)


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Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is Part VIII of an eight part blog. In order to understand and make best use of what follows, please go back and read Parts I, II, III, IV, V, VI & VII on 01/15/07, 01/17/07, 01/22/07, 01/24/07, 01/29/07, 01/31/07 and 02/05/07 respectively.

Some More Phrases to Read, Feel and Visualize, con’t:

XIX.
I am free.
I am whole.
I am one.
I am free to receive and give.
I am good.
I am worthy.
I release my limiting memories, fears, and feelings; I bless them for what they have taught me.
I am truly blessed.

So, work or “play” with these phrases. Certainly make up more of your own. As you do this you will be tilling the soil of your soul and planting and nurturing the “seeds of greatness” that are within you.

We are so much more than we “think” we are. In other words we are so much more than what our limited programming allows us to believe we are. We are “gods and goddesses in training” as Deepak Chopra has written.

Or as I am wont to say: “We are chips off the old holographic block called God/Goddess who have come forth to embody the Divine in finite, three dimensional form.” We are truly made in His/Her Image.
This is Part VIII of an eight part blog.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is Part VII of an eight part blog. In order to understand and make best use of what follows, please go back and read Parts I, II, III, IV, V & VI on 01/15/07, 01/17/07, 01/22/07, 01/24/07, 01/29/07 and 01/31/07 respectively.

Some More Phrases to Read, Feel and Visualize, con’t:

XV.
I am amidst a beautiful spiritual family.
Doors open easily and quickly for me.
I am who I AM in this current of time.
God/Goddess is pleased with me.
I am truly worthy of a fulfilling, loving, lasting relationship that is perfect for me.

XVI.
I ignore the Here
I ignore the Present.
I pretend There.
I fantasize my Dreams.
I pretend what I intend.
I Relax, Enjoy, Pretend, Trust, and Believe.
I always, without ceasing, intentionally and consciously INTEND any and every moment of my life. I never forget and always remember—ever being mindful of what my priorities and passions are.

XVII.
I want it!
I figure it out!
It’s easy!
The universe is on my side.
The universe is a friendly place.

XVIII.
This ______ is who I am, what I do, what I was born to be and do. [Fill in the blank.]
I struggle because I still haven’t come to terms with it.
As I do, a calming will come.
I am a channel for understanding and wisdom. When I get this, my fears will cease.

This is Part VII of an eight part Blog. See my blog entries of 01/15/07 01/17/06, 01/22/07, 01/24/07, 01/29/07 and 01/31/07 for Parts I, II, III, IV, V & VI.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:

"How to Reprogram Your Self Image, Part III" Podcast


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(length 11:31 minutes)


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Posted by Yanni at 12:04 AM | Permalink

This is Part VI of an eight part blog. In order to understand and make best use of what follows, please go back and read Parts I, II, III, IV & V on 01/15/07, 01/17/07, 01/22/07, 01/24/07 and 01/29/07 respectively.

Some More Phrases to Read, Feel and Visualize, con’t:

XI.
Nothing serious can or will be allowed to happen to me.
I feel the anger and fears and pain, but I joyfully live my life anyway. All this can do is to slow me down at worst, but it can never stop me.
I am safe and will succeed without pain.
Failure is impossible—even if I try to fail.
I can not fail; it will not be allowed.

XII.
I am gentle with myself.
I am a beautiful precious child of God/Goddess.
God/Goddess would let nothing happen to me.
I am eternally, lovingly held in the Embrace.

XII.
I can feel fearful, a failure, and unworthy, but it has no bearing on reality.
With regard to money, I always affirm: “In God I trust.”
Whenever I am concerned about money or whenever I am receiving it, I see three times as much.

XIV.
SHINE
It takes work to hide.
I confront, embrace and conquer my fears and shine brightly in the world.
I claim the piece of the Grand Puzzle that I AM.
I ease into my life—the true current—and surrender into it.

This is Part VI of an eight part Blog. See my blog entries of 01/15/07 01/17/06, 01/22/07, 01/24/07 and 01/29/07 for Parts I, II, III, IV & V.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is Part V of an eight part blog. In order to understand and make best use of what follows, please go back and read Parts I, II, III & IV on 01/15/07, 01/17/07, 01/22/07 and 01/24/07 respectively.

Some More Phrases to Read, Feel and Visualize, con’t:

VII.
I listen to my inner voice.
I respectfully and in a detached manner demand of the Universe what I want.
I am very clear about what I want.
I clearly and confidently claim and affirm my love-ability and worthiness.
I notice the negative judgments, but just treat them like another opinion that I don’t have to give any power to.

VII.
I AM SAFE
I am safe to live my truth.
I am safe to be a powerful spiritual person.
I am safe to have people honor and respect me.
I am safe to expand and go to more and more places.
I am safe to find others to help me in my work.
I receive love, blessing, support and praise.

IX.
I can tell and reassure my body that I am healthy now.
My body is my friend, it is just letting me know what is happening and if a healing is necessary.
I pay attention to my body like it was a baby.

X.
I can tell and reassure my mind that I am psychologically healthy and grounded.
The very fearful and angry emotions can continue to happen, but they are for my amusement only.
Life will go on and on and I will succeed at finding personal and professional mastery.

This is Part V of an eight part Blog. See my blog entries of 01/15/07, 01/17/06, 01/22/07 and 01/24/07 for Parts I, II, III & IV.

Posted by Yanni at 2:03 PM | Permalink

Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:

"How to Reprogram Your Self Image, Part II" Podcast


Click Here to Download MP3/Audio

(length 11:25 minutes)


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Posted by Yanni at 12:04 AM | Permalink

This is Part IV of an eight part blog. In order to understand and make best use of what follows, please go back and read Parts I, II & III on 01/15/07, 01/17/07 and 01/22/07 respectively.

Some More Phrases to Read, Feel and Visualize, con’t:

IV.
The trick is that I know the agenda; and the agenda is:
Steadily, step by step, I will connect with larger and larger numbers of people.
I will steadily and increasingly uncover my gifts and they will be appreciated and sought after by many.
I will enjoy what I do and it will all flow effortlessly.

V.
I externally put myself out there persistently.
Inwardly, I gently hammer away with positive self-talk, affirmations and visualizations in order to change the negative programs inside.
I am truly ready.
I am truly worthy.
I truly can handle it.
I am truly good enough.
I feel an inner grace, peace, and strength.
I am truly worthy of praise.
I am truly worthy of love.
I am truly worthy of attention.
I am truly worthy of _________. [Fill in the blank.]

VI.
I clearly call in what I want, not as a request but as a demand because I know I am worthy.
I want ________ income for my work.
I want to look forward to and always enjoy my work.
I want to feel good about myself.
I want to feel free to express my creativity and to be praised by others for expressing it.
I am ready
I can handle it; no problem.
I want it NOW.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is Part III of an eight part blog. In order to understand and make best use of what follows, please go back and read Parts I & II on 01/15/07 and 01/17/07 respectively.

Some Phrases to Read, Feel and Visualize:

I.
I invest in Faith, Hope and Love, but not in worry or fear.
I face my fears and embrace them.
It is my beliefs and interpretations of events that are the problem.
All is in Divine Timing and Order.
I see the wisdom of the situation(s) I am in.
I see my life through the eyes and Heart of my Soul.
I am Loved!

II.
Believe and Say:
I truly want this_________.
I truly deserve this_________________. [Fill in the blanks.]
It’s truly in alignment with my Soul’s purpose.
I am worthy and deserving of good!

[You get to fill in the blanks here. It can be something internal or external. Go for it!]
[See my blog posts of 01/01/07, 01/03/07, 01/08/07 and 01/10/07 for suggestions on what to put in the blanks.]

III.
I believe that I deserve only good and that all things come to me on a silver platter.
I am used to being praised, honored, and wanted.
Others see the treasure in me; they do not see the childhood distortion that I incorrectly “think” I am.
I am totally convinced of my value.

There is only Light and Goodness–Anticipate it!!!

This is Part III of an eight part Blog. See my blog entries of 01/15/07 and 01/17/07 for Parts I & II.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:

"How to Reprogram Your Self Image, Part I" Podcast


Click Here to Download MP3/Audio

(length 10:53 minutes)


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Posted by Yanni at 12:40 AM | Permalink

This is Part II of an eight part blog. See my blog entry of 01/15/07 for Part I in order to get the full context of what is in today’s blog post.

So, what follows is a series of phrases that you can repeat over and over again. Some may appeal to you more than others, so go with those that jump out at you first. Repeat them with feeling and visualization as often as you can remember in a day.

Work with each set of phrases for at least twenty-one days or until you feel you’ve “got it.” Some phrases may take a lot longer than twenty-one days to really sink in, so don’t try to rush any of this.

Work with up to three sets of phrases at a time, but not more. And keep doing it and keep doing it. At any point, please feel free to add any phrases you come up with on your own or modify any of the ones I have suggested.

Really get into this and “own” the process. By doing so, you will ensure your success. Trust that in time you will significantly have changed your internal terrain and your self-image so much that you will no longer recognize your (old) self.

In practicing this process you are becoming a master gardener of your mind. You are weeding out what no longer serves you and are feeding and nurturing yourself with what really does. Have fun!

Remember, you get to write the script of your life! You get to be the author or author-ity in your life. It doesn’t matter what old, dysfunctional programs you presently have running in your subconscious mind, this process will act like an anti-virus software and clear out of you all malicious, unwanted, stale, dysfunctional programs.

This is Part II of an eight part Blog. See my blog entry of 01/22/07 for Part III.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is Part I of an eight part blog.

I thought that I would share with you in my next series of blog entries further ideas and techniques that I have gathered and used over the years on how to change my internal terrain.

All change is an inside job! So, in order to change we must change how we feel and think about ourselves. But usually most of us are not in touch with what our own internal dialogue is nor are we aware of what our internal self-image is. In other words, most of us are not in touch with how we see ourselves nor are we in touch with how we think about ourselves.

Often, our estimation of ourselves is a lot less generous and accurate than what others see about us. Often we are our own worst enemy and our own worst critic. How we see ourselves, whether it is a conscious process or not, greatly determines how others see us and it also determines what we attract into our lives.

So changing all this is of paramount importance if we want to change how we experience life. What follows are a series of internal dialogue exercises or affirmations that I have used over the years to reprogram my self-image.

Please read through them slowly. They are meant to be savored and not swallowed. They are meant to be repeated over and over again not only as words, but also they are meant to be “felt” and “seen,” that is visualized.

Please go to my blog entry of 12/27/06 for an envisioning exercise that will help you learn how to really “see” and “feel” these phrases. The actual phrases will follow in Part III of this blog on 01/22/07. My next blog, Part II, on 01/17/01 will give more information on how to use these phrases.

This is Part I of an eight part blog.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Commencing, January 1, 2007 and going all through January and into February, I will be focusing on how to create the life you want from the inside out! So, stay tuned to my blogs and podcasts for all kinds of helpful hints and techniques.

Happy New Year!

This is Part IV of a four part blog. See my blog entry of 01/01/07 for Part I, 01/03/07 for Part II and 01/08/07 for Part III.

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 12/11/06 through 12/ 22/06 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 Gold! Happy New Year!

This is Part IV of a four part blog. See my blog entry of 01/01/07 for Part I, 01/03/07 for Part II and 01/08/07 for Part III.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Commencing, January 1, 2007 and going all through January and into February, I will be focusing on how to create the life you want from the inside out! So, stay tuned to my blogs and podcasts for all kinds of helpful hints and techniques.

Happy New Year!

This is Part III of a four part blog. See my blog entry of 01/01/07 for Part I and 01/03/07 for Part II.

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 01/01/07 for Part I and 01/03/07 for Part II.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Commencing, January 1, 2007 and going all through January and into February, I will be focusing on how to create the life you want from the inside out! So, stay tuned to my blogs and podcasts for all kinds of helpful hints and techniques.

Happy New Year!

This is Part II of a four part blog. Please see my blog entry of 01/01/07 for Part I.

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 01/01/07 for Part I.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Commencing today, January 1, 2007 and going all through January and into February, I will be focusing on how to create the life you want from the inside out! So, stay tuned to my blogs and podcasts for all kinds of helpful hints and techniques.

Happy New Year!

This is Part I of a four part blog. See my blog entry of 01/03/07 for Part II.

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 01/03/07 for Part II.

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This is Part II of a two part blog entry. Please see Part I on 12/04/06

It wasn’t until I realized that “I was looking for love in all the wrong places” that I began to look within. It finally dawned on me that by not looking within I was not allowing myself to come to know who I truly was (am) at the core. I did not know how to go within and be present with the bedrock of who I really was and to stand on that foundation and not stand on the shifting sands of my temporary ego-based personality.

By going within I finally began to identify with that part of me that is eternal and true, i.e. my Soul or my Higher Self. My Soul knows my inherent goodness and value. All I ever need to do is to touch in with its understanding of who I am and then I am whole.

In other words, I finally began to know what it meant to have Self confidence (that is confidence in my Higher Self or Soul) and not be concerned about developing confidence in my little self, that part of me that only wants to be validated by another and wants to feel control over its circumstances.

As Rainier Maria Rilke wrote, “How deep is the reservoir from which your life flows?”

We are so much more than our current personality. As we learn “to be present” with our Higher Selves/Soul, we will come to know who we really are and then we will totally and completely love and embrace ourselves. This will then bring a “peace that passeth all understanding” to us.

Then we will know how majestic and astounding we really are. We will realize how great a blessing it is to be in our own “Presence.”

This is Part II of a two part blog entry.

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This is Part I of a two part blog. See my next blog post of 12/06/06 for Part II.

What does it mean to love oneself or another person? As I have journeyed through my life, I have come to the following understanding of what it means to truly love:

But what does it mean “to be present for yourself,” to just be there for yourself?

As far as I am concerned, you are your most “significant other.” So, in order to love yourself, you must be fully present for yourself. You must be “listening” to your self. You must be honoring yourself. You must be accepting and appreciating yourself unconditionally. This is love: “Being totally present for your self” with no judgments, no analysis, no preconceived beliefs, concepts or ideas of what you “should” be or do.

Giving this kind of love and presence to yourself, whether someone else is “present” for you or not, is the key to Self-mastery and happiness; it is actually “the key” to life. “Being present,” in this way, I believe, is the answer to the perennial question of “How do I love myself or another person?”

As for myself, I know that in the past I did not think that it was possible to love myself. I did not appreciate or understand my value. All I ever did was look at what was “wrong” with me and judge and reject myself. So, all I was doing was playing an old script of “I am not good enough” and “I am not worthy.” I had adopted a false belief system about myself.

As well, I was always looking for validation outside myself. I was looking for others to affirm me. I was “looking for love in all the wrong places,” so to speak.

I had no idea how majestic and miraculous a being I really was. I did not know how to be in my own “Presence.”

This is Part I of a two part blog entry. Please see Part II on 12/06/06

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This is Part IV of a four part blog. Please see my previous blog entries of November 20, 22 & 27 for parts I, II & III.

The reason most people achieve very little in comparison to what they are capable of is because they have no vision for themselves or their future, whatsoever. They feel that they are at the whim of others or at the whim of some outside force like of the Lords of Karma. But they definitely are not!

You are the captain of your ship! You are the Master of your fate!

So, create the Vision, i.e., the Vibration, and the Universe will match it. It already is doing this, whether it is happening for you consciously and volitionally or whether it is happening by default!

So, what is your dominant Vision or self-image? Release your old, worn, stagnant, crystalized, and mutated visions and Embrace the New You!

You are made in His/Her Image! Learn to reflect your Divinity, your True Image!

“Without a vision, the people will perish.” “Without a vision, you will perish.”

So, take the time to both write down a general vision for yourself over the next five years and then go into meditation and get a picture and a feeling of how you would look and feel when you have already achieved all that you have written down; and then come back to that image and feeling whenever you think about your life.

You are the artist who is now creating your own self-portrait. You are the author who is writing the script of your life.

Take the time to create the most beautiful and satisfying portrait and script that you can imagine. Then keep refining and defining it. And then hold that image of yourself in the foreground of your awareness all the time. This is what creation is all about.

Peace and Joy be with you! It is your birthright.

For more information of this topic, see my book: Magical Keys to Self-Mastery: Creating Miracles in Your Life.

This is Part IV of a four part blog.

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This is Part III of a three part blog. Please see my previous blog entries of November 20 & 22 for parts I & II

So, you must first honestly and lovingly “Face” yourself (i.e., your thoughts and feelings) and then “Embrace” them (accept what you find) and then you can begin to gradually “Replace” them with a clear vision of who you really are and what you really want to create in your life and with your life.

Every time you have a thought or a feeling you are creating or drawing to your self something new from the universe and bringing it into your reality. You do not have to base your expectations for the future upon your past experiences, your perceived weaknesses, or anything else that reinforces your present, limited self-image. You no longer need to use your past as your frame of reference for your future, unless, of course, your past is filled with good.

By creating a clear vision of your desired state and putting energy (i.e. focus) into it regularly, you are using your mind (i.e. vibrational) power to shape the very stuff or essence of the universe into what you want.

So, to summarize, you hold this “imagined reality” in your mind to the point where your subconscious actually believes it to be so real that it goes about making it manifest in your life. Once you have this clear image in your mind, your subconscious will then attract the circumstances, people, and opportunities you need to bring about the vision you have “imagined.”

Or, on the other hand, if you are not connected to a clear positive image, and are in a negative default mode of thinking and feeling, you will then attract the nightmare you dread!

This is Part III of a four part blog. Please see my next blog entry of November 29 for part IV

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This is Part II of a four part blog. Please see my previous blog entry of November 20 for part I

So, one very important thing to do is to have a crystal clear vision of your life as you want it to be; one that is completely independent of the conditions of your present or your past.

Lack of absolute clarity about your desired future is the number one reason why people struggle in life.

That is why it is so, so important to take the time to get in touch with what you actually feel and think about your life and yourself. If you find some of it to be critical and uncomplimentary, then begin to change it.

The best way I know of to do this is to simply sit in meditation and listen to the predominant thoughts and feelings that arise. By the way, you can’t just sit one time to get the full picture, but if you sit consistently with yourself, within just a few weeks, you will get a pretty clear picture of what your predominant thoughts and feelings are. Then because of this awareness, or “mindfulness” as the Buddhists call it, you will now be more conscious of what you are vibrating and, therefore, more able to change it.

After you have taken the time to really see your patterns, it then becomes easier for you to create a clear vision about your future and a practical plan for success.

But until you have taken the time to look within, you literally are in the “dark” about yourself. And in the dark it is very difficult to see or create a vision for your self. You really do need to shed light on the darkness within in order to create something new without.

This is Part II of a four part blog. Please see my next blog entry of November 27 for part III.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is Part I of a four part blog.

The essence of all things and experiences is vibration. All our thoughts, feelings and actions have their own particular rates of vibration. These vibrations set up a resonance with whatever has a similar or identical frequency.

This is why it is so, so essential to be a very close observer of your thoughts and feelings. The way you think, feel and act creates the primary vibration of your being, i.e., your “energy signature.” This fundamental “energy signature” then creates resonance with similar vibrational frequencies in the universe wherever they may be. The result is an attraction of experiences, people, challenges and opportunities that are in vibrational resonance with your own dominant frequency.

The fundamental law of “like attracts like” is immutable and eternal. Therefore, your dominant positive patterns of thought and action or your dominant negative enmeshments, entanglements, and projections are what you are living.

Thus, to draw what you want into your life, you begin by being very aware of your thoughts and feelings, i.e., your vibration. And then you make a practice of raising your vibration to match the desire or experience you want, no matter what. Most people do things the other way around. They come up with practical techniques to generate their desires and then go out and try to force them into manifestation.

However, when what you are seeking is not really in agreement deep down inside you with your dominant vibration, then you will have great difficulty making the desired result come to pass. In other words, if you want to have more money in your life, but you feel deep down inside unworthy, undereducated and unskilled, you will never attract more money into your life because you inherently do not believe it is possible for you.

This is Part I of a four part blog. Please see my next blog entry of November 22 for part II

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This is part II of a two part blog. Please see my last blog entry on November 13 for part I.

On the other hand, if you went to “hell,” you would see that there is very little of the light of God there; and the inhabitants tenaciously still hold on to their warped earthbound ego-centered personalities. Actually all the negativity of the lower self is amplified in these realms. All the fearful, angry thoughts, self-centered traits, and controlling and manipulative ways are heightened. It is a very low energy, ugly place. Surprisingly those in these “hells” gain a certain pleasure in sustaining their infringing, restrictive world. Actually, they are so self-absorbed that they notice no one but themselves. It is a very lonely existence.

For instance, the miser remains in the corner of his room endlessly counting his money and zealously guarding it to make sure that no one can have any. Those from the higher realms visit regularly and project love and light to those in “hell.” And occasionally one of those in the lower realms notices and gradually follows the Light to the next higher realm. And this continues until that individual has released his/her self-centered traits. The forces of Love and Light continually project their goodness and Love and gradually all will be drawn back into the Light.

A human being on earth is usually protected from these lowest of realms, but sometimes that protection breaks down either because of drug and alcohol abuse or extreme illness or emotional trauma. Also, some choose to dabble in these energies.

So, “we reap what we sow.” Our life in the spirit word is not determined by Peter at the gates of judgment, but by our cumulative thoughts and actions while on earth. We are our own judge and jury. We determine our fate. We determine our experience. We determine our destiny.

Actually, we either live in “heaven” or in “hell” on earth, too, purely by the company we keep and the thoughts and emotions that are our most predominant. That is why it is so important to be conscious of the company we keep, be it in our thoughts or in our relationships.

We get to choose the realm we inhabit. What we see and experience is a vibrational match to what we think, believe and feel.

This is Part II of a two part blog. Please see my previous blog entry of November 13 for Part I.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is Part I of a two part blog.

There are all kinds of realms or dimensions in the spirit world. These realms are divided by levels of consciousness. The population of one world is totally unaware of the inhabitants of the other worlds. The higher dimensions are filled with the Light and Love of God and are affirming and joyful. Other worlds are gray or very dark and permeated with evil, jealousy, anger and repression. These worlds are really low. As well, there are all kinds of other worlds that are somewhere in between these two.

Actually this mirrors the many different “worlds” that human beings inhabit on earth. My wife and I have often commented when we have visited a “foreign” country or an area of the United States or our neighborhood, for that matter, that we have never been to before that it certainly seems like we have entered whole new planet. Similarly those in spirit congregate according to similar interests and lifestyles. Like attracts like both in the physical plane and in the spiritual planes.

When you pass over, you go to whatever part of the spirit world that you are a vibrational match to. So, if you sincerely are a loving, giving and serving person, you will go to a dimension filled with like hearted people. If you are the opposite, you will join your comrades in negativity in some rather nasty place. I might add here that it is not what you say that determines where you go, but what is in your heart determines it.

So, let’s say you went to a more “heavenly” area. There you begin to see yourself more and more in the Light and Likeness of God and gradually your view of yourself begins to change. In time you no longer identify yourself so much with your present personality and its characteristics and beliefs, but rather, as your ego identity fades in the Light, you begin to see yourself more and more as a part of the Divine whole, as Divine. You still have an individualized identity. It is you! But you now truly know yourself to be a part of the Whole and no longer a separate, disconnected entity.

This is Part I of a two part blog. Please see my next blog entry on November 15 for part II.

Please see my Meditation CD: Peace of Mind is a Thought Away for more on how to master your thoughts and feelings.

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Posted by Yanni at 12:40 AM | Permalink

This is part IV of a four part blog. Please see my last three blog entries on October 30, November 1 & 6 for parts I, II, & III.

It is in meditation where you can connect with the essence of your object of attention. It is in meditation where you can eavesdrop on your Self and on the God/Goddess within. It is in meditation where you can come to truly “Know ThySelf.” Why not learn how to experience this sweet ambrosia of the gods? Why not learn how to experience your “Godness?”

As Yogananda wrote:

Meditation or consciousness focused upon itself is the ultimate revealer of who you really are, and what you truly are. You can discover an inner guidance within yourself, and that inner guidance will guide you to the destination you need to go. You have already been guided to many things which are opening you to be aware, but the greatest tool for self knowledge is Meditation.

Also, as Ramana Maharshi wrote:

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.

Lastly, this lovely sentence from “The Cloud of Unknowing” an anonymous medieval spiritual classic, sums it all up so beautifully:

So, learning how to still the mind through meditation helps one to learn how to truly listen to one Self and to another. It is in meditation that we access the essence and the heart of the matter, instead of getting all caught up in our heads and in the illusory surface appearance of things.

It is in meditation that we “see things clearly” and come to “know” ourselves and another. It is in this Silence where we can truly be present and Listen!

To learn more about meditation, please check out my Meditation CDs posted on my blog.

Also, to learn a lot more about Listening and Meditation please feel get a hold of my book: Magical Keys to Self-Mastery: Creating Miracles in Your Life.

This is part IV of a four part blog.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is part III of a four part blog. Please see my last two blog entries on October 30 and November 1 for parts I & II.

In order to learn how to Listen as I have described in my two previous blog entries, one must learn to quiet the mind through meditation. Meditation is the key to learning how to listen to your Self and to another.

The best passage that I have come upon to help one to understand what the state of meditation is and how it allows one to truly be able to Listen was written by Krishnamurti. In describing meditation he wrote:

Thought comes to an end. Then there is that sense of absolute silence in the brain. All the movement of thought has ended. It has ended, but it can be brought into activity when there is necessity in the physical world. Now, it is quiet. It is silent. And where there is silence, there must be space, immense space because there is no [little] self. The self has its own limited space; it creates its own limited space. But when the self is not, which means the activity of thought is not; then there is vast silence in the brain because it is now free of all its conditioning.

And it is only where there is space and silence that something new can be that is untouched by time or thought. That may be the most holy, the most sacred—may be. You cannot give it a name. It is perhaps the unnamable. And when there is that, then there is intelligence and compassion, and love. So life is not fragmented. It is a whole, unitary process, moving and living.”

It is in this state of being that Krisnamurti describes above where one can be present and listening. It is a profound state of unity with one’s object of attention; and it is a profound state of the heart. It bypasses the mind and all its myopic judgments.

This is why I have for years taught and promoted the sacred art of meditation. When you learn how to meditate you can truly focus on someone and truly listen because you are totally present. You are not in your head, but you are in your heart. You are sensing things from the inside out rather than just skimming the surface by thinking about them.

This is part III of a four part blog. Please see my next blog entry on November 8 for part III.

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This is part II of a four part blog. Please see my last blog entry on October 30 for part I.

There are seven kinds or aspects to “Listening:”
1) “Listening” to another.”
2) “Listening” to nature.
3) “Listening” to Spirit.
4) “Listening” to your physical body.
5) “Listening” to that part of us called the little self or the ego? That part that we often do not want to own or acknowledge, that we often wish to disinherit, despite the fact that it is has some very valuable things to say to us.
6) “Listening” to our Higher Selves.
7) “Listening” to the God/Goddess within.

All these aspects of Listening require the same skill, namely learning how to be quiet. Listening actually is not a cognitive process, it is not something we do with our minds; but something we allow or open up to with our hearts.

Listening is a receptive, open, allowing, feminine state; it is not an assertive, active, masculine state. When the mind is quiet, the heart can be open; and then it can “hear;” and then, as well, it can lead the way. The mind is meant to be the servant of the heart. The heart is meant to lead.

Don’t analyze anyone or anything. When you do, you are using your mind and creating separation by judging, analyzing and compartmentalizing. Instead feel first.

Don’t listen to words, instead feel their energy.

Don’t judge a person; get a “feel: for them first.

Don’t measure anything; just “feel” its energy.

Use your heart first and then let the mind help you integrate what the heart has felt. Feel first, think last! Then you will “know.”

Stop thinking and start feeling! Leave your mind behind and put your heart first!

No longer think your way through life; feel your way through life.

Listening is a communion—a joining or merging with. It is not analysis or judgment.

This is part II of a four part blog. Please see my next blog entry on November 6 for part III.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is part I of a four part blog.

In order to come to “Know Thy Self,” one first must learn how to “Listen.” For it is only by really knowing how to “Listen” that one can get “a handle one’s ‘Self.’” And it is only through “Listening” that we can be true to our Selves and live an empowered, passionate, fulfilled, joyful life.

Usually all we hear or listen to is the noise and static that our fearful, angry, worried ego mind produces; this noise effectively blocks out our ability to hear what is really important, what is at the core of who we are.

It is only by learning how to embrace the Silence, that we can hear anything important. It is only by being quiet that you can “hear” your Self, “hear” another, “hear” nature, “hear” Spirit, and “hear” the God/Goddess within. One must quiet the fretful ego mind in order to hear one Self and come to “know” one Self.

Silence is the language of God. Everything else is bad translation.

Silence is ancient. Silence has been in the space you are this very moment for longer than anything else. It will remain after you leave and exist long after all other things have faded.

This is part I of a four part blog. Please see my next blog entry on November 1 for part II.

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This is part IV of a four part blog. Please see my last blog entry on October 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 October 16, 18 and 23 for parts I, II & III.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is part III of a four part blog. Please see my last blog entry on October 18 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 "have the eyes to 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 the 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 October 25 for part IV.

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This is part II of a four part blog. Please see my last blog entry on October 16 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, yet they still will be eternal 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 October 23 for part III.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

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 October 18 for part II.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:

"Slow Down! Get There Fast!" Podcast


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(length 07:22 minutes)


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Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is Part II of a two-part blog. See my entry of October 9 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 October 9 for Part I.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

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 of 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 October 11 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.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:

"A Life of Quality and The Art of Prayer" Podcast


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(length 08:42 minutes)


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Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

“…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.”

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!

Think on these things!

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

We create quality. We create a quality life.

We give life its meaning, substance and value by the way we choose to interpret events. All of life is good and working towards the Highest Good. Everything we experience is from the Good and for the Good though we may not know how to “see” it that way sometimes.

Quality can not be measured by the quantity of material things we accumulate, the number or status of the people we know or the types of experiences we have; it can only be determined by the value we give to the experience.

So, to have a quality experience; go out there and give value to all you see and experience; especially give value to yourself. You determine the quality of your experiences by the way you choose to value them. You determine the quality or value of yourself by the way you choose to value yourself.

So, take the time to quiet your mind and go within and listen to that “still, small voice within.” And ask it to help you to learn how to “see” yourself and everything and everyone in your life with the eyes and heart of your Soul and then you will see all things “anew.”

You will “see” how precious and valuable you are and how precious and valuable every person, place and experience is in your life. They all are steps up your mountain of mastery. Everything and everyone is leading you to your Highest Good.

By listening to that “still, small voice within,” you will learn how to live your life in Grace and Trust. You will see the bigger picture and know who you truly are from the depths of your being and how blessed life really is.

So, slow down, quiet your mind and listen so that you can ease into a life of real quality and value!

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:

"The Art or HeArt of Listening, Part III Podcast"


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(length 09:12 minutes)


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Posted by Yanni at 12:04 AM | Permalink

This is Part VI of a six part series. See my five previous blog entries on September 11, 13, 18, 20, and 25 for Parts I, II, III, IV & V.

Too often when we interact with others, we are not listening, we are not silent. So, we get caught up in an ego draining interaction, or we get caught up in our own fears and we miss the opportunity to commune on a heart to heart level. We walk away feeling drained instead of being uplifted.

What also happens is that some people often initiate an interaction because they need energy. They are in the interaction solely for the purpose of drawing in energy from someone. I call these kinds of people “parasites.” Not a very nice way to describe someone, yet we all do it at times. And we all have certainly experienced feeling totally drained after a conversation.

If you are not at first quiet and listening silently, you will not know what is going on energetically in an interaction. You will not know that you are about to be drained in a major way. But if you are silent and really listening, you will realize whether an interaction is for your Highest Good or not. You will know whether the interaction is an enmeshed and entangled one and whether a stagnated, mutated energy is flowing forth from that individual or not. This is not meant to be a judgment of that individual, but it is just an objective appraisal of the energies.

At this point you can make a decision about whether you want to continue to engage in this interaction or not. If you are really listening, then you can really hear where the interaction is going energetically. You then can make a choice to be with that person’s energy or choose not to be with their energy. It is within the silence that you can know what they are really saying, what their real fear is, and what their real issue is or what their real passion is. Often what someone is saying out loud has nothing to do with what is really going on within them.

If what they are saying is energetically off and you are conscious of it, then you can offer them a compliment or a comment that comes from your heart that makes them stop and take notice. Then, if you have said the right thing, all of a sudden, it is as if the spirit that possessed them is gone and now you find yourself in an uplifting interchange.

What is most important here is that you did not take that energy into yourself and get engaged in a whole sequence of negativity and then wonder why afterwards you felt so awful? But if you are not really “listening” from within, you are not going to realize whose presence you are in or what kind of energies you are in and you will wonder how this all happened to you.

So, then, how does one listen? You listen by being silent!

For more on “The Art or HeArt of Listening,” see my upcoming book: Magical Keys to Self-Mastery: Creating Miracles in Your Life. There I offer many more insights on how to “listen.”

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is Part V of a six part series. See my four previous blog entries on September 11, 13, 18, and 20 for Parts I, II, III, & IV.

I soon began to realize that it was so much more enjoyable being with those who were present and listening. Those who were constantly talking about how great they were or how brilliant their intellectual theories were, got rather boring; and, interestingly, those same people never asked me a question about myself. I did not exist on some level other than as a sounding board.

But it was these “laughing Buddha” types who would not only ask me about me, but they would “listen.” I just felt embraced by them. I felt “one” with them.

Even though it was 1985 when I left this job, still to this day, there are two dozen or so of these “laughing Buddhas” I still communicate with. [By the way, many of these people were Westerners!]

I really learned through all this that it was so important for me to be silent in order to really be listening. It did not matter what the issue was or whether I was in a planning meeting discussing practical things, having dinner, or just hanging out. In order to hear, I had to be still and listen quietly. It was only by doing this that I was able to hear and respond from a place of connection.

It was not that I did not speak up at times, I did; but I learned not to talk a lot in these settings. I chose to listen. I learned to just be present and just witness what was going on. I learned to go beyond words and appearances and sense the “essence” of the interchange.

I listened in the silence and to the silence, not only to my own silence, but also to the silence between their words. And it was there that I got to “know” them. It was there where I got to know who they really were and what they were really saying.

It was from this place where I could make a comment that could move the discussion into an area that was more productive; or I could sense that the interaction was going nowhere and I knew that it was time for me to excuse myself. I was not judging them, but I could sense when their energies did not match mine. I learned not to “lean into” conversations or situations where I did not belong and which did not serve my Highest Good or the Highest Good of all concerned.

To be continued on 9 27 06

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:

"The Art or HeArt of Listening, Part II Podcast"


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(length 08:34 minutes)


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Posted by Yanni at 12:04 AM | Permalink

This is Part IV of a six part series. See my three previous blog entries on September 11, 13 and 18 for Parts I, II & III.

Here I was thirty years old and the “head honcho” of the whole enterprise while the participants were at least in their early 40’s and went all the way up to their 80’s. Also, most of them were rather eminent in their communities or internationally. So, my position as their junior was clearly to serve them all. I had to make sure that the organizational aspects of the event went smoothly and that they were all well cared for. In addition, I had to make sure that the topics that we chose had thematic coherence and that it all came together smoothly. I learned an enormous amount doing this.

One of the most important things I learned was that I had to be “listening” all the time. I had to be a “good listener.” Whether I was running a large meeting or just a small planning meeting; I had to be listening. I had to be listening, too, to mundane complaints such as someone’s room was too small or perhaps the glass of water was not placed correctly on the podium, I had to always be listening.

So, given my age and the position I was in; I had to listen. All I did was “listen.” As well, when I wasn’t at an actual conference or formal meeting, I was meeting with people at my office or talking on the phone all the time. When I was at an event, we would have breakfast, lunch, and dinner meetings. When we were on the beach on Maui; I was in meetings. At six in the morning, I was in meetings. At 11 at night, I was in meetings: Listen, Listen, and Listening.

As time went on I began to see that there were three kinds of people that I was listening to. First, there were the “holier than thou eminences,” as I called them. When they talked about the paper they wrote, or their tradition, or themselves, it was all ego; it was all “look at how great I am”.

The second group of people was incredibly brilliant intellectually and had wonderful things to say, but they were only interesting up to a point. After awhile what they were talking about would give me a bad headache or a severe case of mental diarrhea. They were so caught up in their heads.

Lastly there were the Buddhist monks and other wonderful souls like them who came to these events simply to enjoy themselves and to enjoy the company of others. They just laughed and smiled and greeted you warmly all the time. They were there just to enjoy, to listen, to learn, to just be present.

To be continued on 9 25 06

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is Part III of a six part series. See my two previous blog entries on September 11 and 13 for Parts I & II.

Listening to another is a skill that so few have.

So, what does it mean to “listen” to another? I have found that most us most of time, myself included, are in a place of self-absorption. Therefore, we are not listening. We are so caught up in projecting a certain impression about ourselves or getting our point across or being heard or being “right” that we pay almost no attention to the person right there in front of us.

Listening can not occur when the mind is preoccupied. “Listening” can only occur in the silence and receptivity of the heart. It can only occur when the little self, the ego, the self-absorbed part of us is silent.

What often happens, too, is that we are so full of “hubris” or false pride that we just want to hear ourselves talk and we are not interested in what another has to say. We are not there to listen, we are only there to make another see or hear us. This happens because we have a lack of real Self-confidence, that is, we lack confidence in our Higher Self and lack an understanding of what our Higher Self is and who we really are; and are, instead, trying to build up our little self’s self-confidence, that is, our ego’s delusion of confidence or personal superiority.

By doing this we just keep putting up one barrier of separation after the other. Eventually, it becomes very difficult to bring these walls of separation down in our relationships.

For myself, I really got to understand this when I was about thirty years old. At that time I became the Executive Director of an organization that planned ecumenical, inter-faith conferences all around the world. The people that attended the conferences were academics in religion and philosophy as well as religious leaders from all over the world. Many very fascinating people attended from all walks of life.

Some of the conferences were as large as 1,000 and some of the events were small groups of twelve to twenty attendees. I did this for about seven years and literally went around the world numerous times doing it.

To be continued on 9 20 06

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:

"The Art or HeArt of Listening, Part I Podcast"


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Posted by Yanni at 12:04 AM | Permalink

This is Part II of a six part series. See my previous blog entry on September 11 for Part I.

There is the event in the Judeo-Christian tradition called “The Fall.” From my point of view that event describes the time when we as a race chose to stop “listening” with our hearts and, instead, began to judge with our minds. We ate of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, that is, we entered the world of judgment, analysis and separation.

We no longer experienced life from within, but, instead, we experienced it as “other” than us or outside us. We started judging and analyzing instead of feeling and that created the sense of separation that we feel from each other, nature, Spirit, our Higher Selves and from God/Goddess. This is what cast us out of the Garden of Eden.

Vine Deloria, PhD, a Native American scholar so aptly wrote in this regard:

“For primitive people the presence of energy and power is the starting point of their analysis and understanding of the natural world...primitive people felt power, but did not measure it. Today we are able to measure power, but do not feel it.”

Rene Dubos, celebrated microbiologist and author wrote:

“Sometimes the more measurable, drives out the most important.”

In another vein, Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote:

“Earth is crammed with Heaven, if we but listen.”

Heaven is everywhere and in everyone. Each one of us and everything that we could possibly interact with is simply an entryway, a portal to our Higher Selves and to the God/Goddess within if we could “listen” to it, if we could “see” it. Everyone is an opening to your Higher Self, even your enemies, even your tormentors. If we could learn again to “listen,” we all could reenter that Garden.

To be continued on 9 18 06

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is Part I of a six part series of blog posts.

Listening is the most important skill that one can develop; but it is not a cognitive function as most believe. It is a function of the heart.

Listening is not an active, assertive state. It is not a state that judges, understands, or analyzes. It is simply a state of “being,” a state of silence, a state of openness, receptivity, and allowing. It is quiet and still and does not pay attention to words or appearances; instead it senses the “essence” of things. It looks into the Soul of people, experiences and all things. It is a state of simply being present and just “knowing.”

It is a surrender, a merging with, a communion; it is just being present with no agenda.

One of the gifts of learning to listen is to realize that there is no “other.” There is only One; and the only way to “listen” is to merge with or become a part of that which you are listening to. There is no other way to “listen.”

Otherwise, all you are doing is judging and analyzing with your mind, and, by doing so, you separate yourself out from what you are listening to and experience it as “other” when it is not “other.” This is what creates all the conflict within our selves and with “others” and also all the conflict in the world. We see things as “other.” But really, how can anything or anyone be “other”?

To be continued on 9 13 06

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:

"SELF-Confidence"


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(length 08:26 minutes)


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Posted by Yanni at 12:40 AM | Permalink

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!

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Below is a letter that I received recently regarding SELF-Confidence and my response.

Yanni,

I am in such a tizzy I wish to ask you a question; any help will be appreciated.

I am on my spiritual journey. I have asked to be a pure channel for god's love and healing for others. God and my higher self are helping me put things in order. I am learning life lessons daily and working to keep peaceful and loving which is not always easy. Business challenges me on a daily basis as does my relationship with my husband. I realize that I attracted all this and asked for the growth and development that would come from it, but when can you say, "Respect me!" I do not wish to be a doormat for clients and agents or for my husband at times. I DO want peace and love, but how do I tell the UNIVERSE/GOD that I want respect and appreciation for all I do?

Thanks for your thoughts. Being raised Catholic I have a saint-martyr thing. I want to serve and am thankful to serve. Am I asking too much to ask for respect and appreciation?

Mary

Mary,

First of all, you must learn to love, appreciate and respect yourself first. That begins by knowing that what you feel is important. And it also includes knowing that you are important--actually you are of paramount importance!

Respect is only given when it is asked for and expected. So, you must ask, however difficult or awkward it may be for you. For starters you must create a clear internal intention that you wish to be respected and then also create a clear internal intention that you will notice when you are not being respected. Keep repeating these intentions morning, noon and night.

Because you are used to being a door mat, you don't realize, until way after an interaction, that you were not being respected. So, as you become more in touch with what is happening in an interaction, you then can speak up from a grounded and centered place and communicate that you do not feel that you are being heard or respected.

Those who are not used to you speaking up in these circumstances may ignore you at first or try to put you down, but just be persistent and patient. The important thing here is not so much that they acknowledge you, but what is important is that you assert yourself. In time, they will hear you. It's a gradual process of listening to your feelings, honoring them and then learning to assert and express your self.

So, you must first learn how to listen to and respect yourself before you can expect anyone else to listen to and respect you!

Hope this helps a bit. Blessings and Love and know that you can do it!

Yanni

FYI, There is more on this topic in my next post on 9 06 06

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:

"Putting your 'Self' First"


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(length 10:41 minutes)


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Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

“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:

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.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

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 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!

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

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.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

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.

Meditation is the doorway to this way of perceiving.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:

"Spiritual Guides, Mentors, Masters, Angels and Ancestors, Part I"


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Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:

"The 'Embrace'"


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(length 8:46 minutes)


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Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

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 July 31 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!

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

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 eighteen 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 08/02 for part II.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:

"Change and Strength are an 'Inside Job.'"


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(length 10:01 minutes)


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Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

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."

Do you believe that the Universe is a friendly place or not?

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 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 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.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

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.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

Life Mastery's Friday Weekly Podcast:

"Dedication, Discipline and Intentionality; the Keys to the 'Good Life'"


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(length 10:44 minutes)


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Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

This is a continuation of my last posting on July 3.

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.

Posted by Yanni at 4:00 AM | Permalink

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.