Rewiring Neural Pathways for Higher Awareness
Those who study truth as taught by those who have become enlightened see the limitations of conventional psychology quite clearly. Studying the works of Freud is one thing, but a Zen master is on an entirely different level and can solve many more problems, and generally with greater ease because their understanding of the mind and reality is much deeper. Freud was still identified with being the mind, while the enlightened are identified with the Awareness that is able to silently watch the mind from an outside perspective. The first one thinks about what the truth might be, while the other is the Truth (with a capital "T"), and therefore truly knows the Truth. True knowing involves being that which is to be known, otherwise it's nothing more than mere speculation and intellection. This article is for those who are ready to go beyond the intellect.
The brain is basically a computer that automatically plays the programs (society's beliefs) that are put into it. The neural pathways, thought processes, and mental associations of the brain become ingrained and habitual, thus perpetuating the same behaviors and thought processes over and over again. Just as a drop of water will continuously and repetitively flow down the same pathway after the first drop originates the way, the energy flowing through the brain's neural network will do the same.
The good news however, is that we can change those neural pathways; first, by realizing that we can, second, by wanting to change the brain's thought processes, and third, by choosing to adopt different (more positive) ways of perceiving "reality". The only way to change those repetitive thought processes, and to create new neural pathways, is to let go of the mental concepts that one currently thinks are "true". In doing so, energy starts flowing throughout the brain in different directions to different parts of the brain, thus contributing to new neural pathways and new ways of thinking and perceiving. The more we purposefully think in a different manner, the easier it becomes, and eventually that becomes the brain's new way of automatically thinking. With this understanding it becomes quite apparent why Buddha said "What we think, we become".
When we focus on the negative, we perpetuate the negative. When we focus on the positive, we perpetuate the positive.
When a person says "that's just the way I am" or "I can't help it, I am what I am", that's not quite true. They are who they are because of what they are currently aware of, and because of the way they choose to think and perceive. Absolutely everything is a choice, but people don't realize it. The problem is that they simply aren't aware that they can change the mind's way of thinking, and that's because they identify those thoughts as being "me" or "important", when they're not.
The heart pumps blood all by itself without you doing it, the lungs breath air all by themselves without you doing it, and the brain associates concepts with other concepts all by itself. The mind is thinking completely on its own. It has nothing to do with "you". If you look inside even for a brief minute you'll see that words, thoughts and thinking are completely automatic. The brain works all by itself, which means that you are not the doer of deeds, nor the thinker of thoughts.
The body is a collective community of individually living cells that are all co-operating together to make a larger whole. The brain's neural network, and its thoughts and thinking are just another part of that overall cellular functioning. So if the mind and body are working all by themselves as a result of cells doing work, why do we identify the mind's thoughts and the body's actions as being "me"? Are we the mind and body, or are we the Energy/Life/Consciousness/Awareness within the body that is simply aware of itself as existing? Are we the mind and body, or are we the Awareness that is watching the body/mind's automatic functioning? Are we the physical doer and thinker, or are we the formless Silent Observer?
Out of being identified with the body/mind, we are being controlled by it. We are enslaved by it because we falsely identify it as being "me". But this is just a part of the evolution of consciousness that we all go through. The ultimate goal of life, and really the only one worth pursuing, is to set oneself free from this false identification that creates suffering.
You are the silent formless Awareness that is aware of the mind, its random babblings, and its irrelevant thinking. That thinking is irrelevant because Silence is all-knowing, which explains perfectly why people experience sudden epiphanies, insights, and intuition in moments of inner quietude. Epiphanies happen in the Silence of the mind, not because of the mind, but the mind likes to mistakenly take credit for those brilliant ideas that come out of seemingly nowhere. The mind thinks it "knows", but only Silence actually does.
As long as one thinks their current physical sense and brain perceptions of "reality" are "the truth", one will never come to realize otherwise.
Words, concepts, and perceptions have nothing to do with reality because they are only based on the interpretations of human anatomy. Every different species of animal on the planet perceives their reality differently because their physical senses and brain work differently. A dog's sense of smell will give it a completely different sense of "reality" than that of any other species on the planet, an elephant's sense of hearing will give it a completely different sense of reality than that of any other kind of animal, and a fly's sense of vision will be entirely different than that of any other type of animal. Every different dog or human will also sense and perceive things differently than every other dog and human as well.
To think that a human's perception, or your individual mind's perception, of "reality" is "the truth" would mean that every other living thing on the planet that has a different perception of reality is "false". That simply cannot be true. If it's all relative, all subject to change, and is only based on one's level of current awareness, then it's all irrelevant.
To think that the mental concepts in one's own brain are "the truth" is nothing more than the mind's egoic wishful thinking. The ego has a superiority complex. It likes to be "right", and it will try to perpetuate that notion in whatever way it can. Individual perceptions, opinions, concepts, and thoughts are not at all important, but the ego/mind/brain/intellect likes to think that they are, and it often sees this kind of information as a threat even though it's the solution to one's problems. There comes a time when we eventually realize that thinking is the original underlying source of all conflict, hardship, and suffering, and at that point we choose to start letting the thinking process dissipate as it arises, or before it arises.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder because of the mind's perceptions of, and beliefs about, so-called "reality". Things are only seductive, attractive, and tempting out of an automatic result of biology, anatomy, and unawareness of higher levels of truth. Without the mind interfering, everything just IS; nothing more, nothing less, and there's nothing wrong with that. Existence is perfect exactly as it is and it doesn't need the opinions of a faulty neural network running on autopilot to tell it that it is or isn't.
The brain/mind is faulty in that it can't decipher truth from falsehood, but at the same time it's perfect because it is what it wants to be. People think what they do because that's what they want to be "the truth". Everybody can believe what they want to believe, even if it means their own suffering.
"There is nothing either good or bad, but only thinking makes it so." - William Shakespeare, Hamlet
The only Absolute Reality is that Awareness Is, and as soon as the mind tries to conceptualize that "Is" into a thought form, it's already falling into error. All words and concepts beside "Is" are a mental distortion of Reality based on fantasy, fiction, and the wishful thinking of the mind. Actually, even "Is" is a concept that is best to be let go of in order to realize the ultimate in peace of mind. Why? Because silence of mind means peace of mind.
So "what is enlightenment?" you might be asking at this point. Well, it's the permanent cessation of all concepts, thoughts, and perceptions of the ego/mind/brain/intellect, and it's the full-blown realization that one's true identity is actually formless, shapeless, timeless, non-local, all-encompassing, all-knowing pure Awareness. And don't even think about trying to imagine that with the mind!
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Cloud Computing – The Element of Trust
In the IT business, one frequently see businesses and government entities fielding contracts to provide wireless capabilities for their facilities and personnel. As a security professional, the first question is always: "Why?" experience has shown that, businesses and government agencies tend to undervalue the sensitivity of their data-even their mundane, everyday data. They also tend to underestimate the vulnerabilities introduced by wireless connections points, even if secured, and their potential risk to expensive systems and business operations.
Recently, there has been a virtual explosion in the use of Cloud Computing to decrease security costs and increase accessibility to data. Once again, businesses and government entities are jumping on the bandwagon to place volume upon volume of proprietary and potentially sensitive data into the great wide open of "The Cloud." In this process, data owners are yielding broad powers of control over their data to external service providers for which an appropriate trust relationship may not be fully established, nor understood. Once again, I the basic question is, "Why?"
The Attraction of Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing utilizes internet web services from external vendors to provide companies an attractively-priced and scalable means to outsource infrastructure, software, and even technical expertise. The vendor provides these services en-masse, leveraging the efficiencies inherent in economies of scale to provide IT capabilities that would be more expensive, or even prohibitive, to build and maintain independently.
A company or government agency of virtually any size can invariably find some aspect of their operation, or even a total solution, that would realize reduced financial costs in moving internal systems and capabilities into the Cloud. In fact, ventures with limited or non-existent internal information security resources to begin with may greatly improve their security posture simply by making the move.
It all sounds so new, wonderful, and exciting; and to a certain extent it is. But even in an economy dominated by the bottom line, it is easy to overlook a simple truth: The real value of a piece of data to its owner cannot be fully captured by a dollar sign, alone. In fact, that data may be priceless.
The Element of Trust
Often times, the true value of a piece of data is not realized until it is compromised. We work with volumes of data every day, and it is easy to take it for granted. It is also easy to take commercial services for granted. So, let the buyer beware: When considering outsourcing resources into the Cloud, it is imperative to understand the value of data and capabilities being entrusted to the vendor, as well as the nature of the trust relationship-with both the vendor and their third-party business partners! After all, you may be giving them the keys to the kingdom. As a starting point, some simple questions to consider should be:
Where will the data be located, both physically and logically? Different states within the U.S., and certainly different countries, have widely varying laws regarding second-party responsibility-and liability-for handling of data.
Ironically, the U.S. has come under scrutiny from other countries due to the post-9/11 ease with which the federal government can gain access to foreign data. Logically speaking, is the data stored on single or multiple servers? Does it share space with data from other sources? Is it housed at one site or multiple, geographically separate sites?
Who will have access to the data, and how are they vetted and monitored? How does one control and gain access to your own Cloud data? How are vendor employees, contractors, and third parties restricted and monitored with regards to access to your data? What security policies are in place?
How will the data be secured on the server, and how is it backed up and/or replicated? Is the data encrypted on the server and/or in transit? How will encryption (or lack thereof) affect performance? How often is the data replicated, and to where? How long are backups maintained? What is the procedure and timeframe for gaining access to backups?
Is the vendor, and the storage site(s), controlling the data in compliance with applicable laws, regulations, governance, and best practices? Have they been cited or had unacceptable incidences in the past? What are the Terms of Service, contractually? What is the fine print, and what information is missing entirely regarding vendor responsibility and liability for data stewardship, loss, and compromise?
The answers to these questions, along with others particular to an individual situation, will define the level of trust required in a relationship with a potential vendor.
Evaluating Risk in Establishing Cost vs. Benefit
Once potential vendors' offerings are understood, there are a few industry-standard security topics to consider in establishing the level of risk involved in outsourcing data and capabilities. Once the risk is quantified, the cost of moving to the cloud can be considered not only in terms of monthly savings, but also in terms of expected fiscal expense over time due to loss or compromise of data or capabilities. These macro-security topics are:
Confidentiality: What is the potential for disclosure of data with each vendor, and what degree of damage would be experienced to revenue, ongoing or future business efforts, company image, operations, or security if data were disclosed inappropriately?
Integrity: What is the potential for data corruption or loss with each vendor, and the degree of damage (per above) if data were corrupted or lost?
Availability: What is the speed of data access and degree of system reliability for each vendor? What is their system availability rate; and how will change management procedures, system upgrades, and potential disasters affect accessibility to data or capabilities?
Accountability: What is the detection and forensic capability for each vendor if data is lost or stolen? Can unauthorized access, inappropriate disclosure, or loss be tracked so that potential damage can be prevented or mitigated?
Choosing a Solution
In making a decision whether to utilize Cloud Computing, and to what degree, the primary focus should be the criticality of the data and capabilities in question. Considering all cost and risk factors, internal secured data systems may offer higher value for critical data than entrusting an outside party with its control.
While service providers and various consortiums are beginning to address some of the security concerns inherent in Cloud Computing, uniform legal and industry standards are still many years off. Furthermore, security comes with a price: Higher degrees of security and performance than what is currently the norm will necessarily reduce the margin of savings and the overall value to business.
When the decision is made to utilize Cloud Computing resources, consider the following as "must-haves" in choosing a vendor:
1. Demand openness from the vendor on security-relevant details of their employees, systems, and operations.
2. Ensure control is not lost for access to sensitive information: Protect proprietary and intellectual property, privacy information of employees and customers, as well as financial data.
3. Ensure applicable laws and governance mandates are not violated by your use of a vendor, nor by the vendor's practices in handling your data (for example: FISMA, HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley...).
4. Ensure that the criticality of the data, and your liability for it, is not such that loss or release could severely damage or destroy yourself or others.
Virtual and "Cloud" computing are popular concepts in the search to better manage data storage and improve computing efficiency. But there is real and potential risk associated with these new concepts.
As a result care and planning is required to avoid the negative impact of a security breach.
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Some Significant Steps On How To Have Iphone To Work On Other Phone Services
Today, buying your iPhone makes it also necessary for you to learn how to get iPhone to work on other phone services because there have been numerous advances been made in the technology being used in cell phones including VoIP, and even cameras in your cell phones. Thus, service providers generally would like to keep their services different from those of their competitors and they may thus even specialize in certain aspects in order to gain a greater chunk of the market for such services.
Unlocking Your iPhone
Thus, after having bought your iPhone, you would then need to then figure out how to get iPhone to work on other phone services because when switching service providers, you may find that one service provider will have locked you out from using another phone service so that it is not so easy for another service provider to grab your business.
The two most oft used phone services offered today are the GSM and also CDMA with the latter having a major presence in the United States while the former is used in most other parts of the world. Keeping in mind that these two types of phone services are mutually exclusive, it is not hard to figure out just why you would need to understand how to get iPhone to work on other phone services.
However, unlocking the iPhone is not an illegal act because in fact you own the iPhone and thus it is considered as being your personal belonging, though of course the phone service companies would not go out of their way to let you know about this permission since they don't want to lose their customers to competitors. In any case, there are a quite a few ways that you can learn about regarding how to get iPhone to work on other phone services, and at the heart of this unlocking of the phone is the fact that an iPhone is identified by its unique serial number which has its own cell phone unlock code.
Thus, it is easy to figure out that when learning about how to get iPhone to work on other phone services, you only need to use the iPhone's unique unlock code, and you can also learn more about your iPhone's unlock code by paying between five and ten dollars to a website specializing in providing such unlock codes.
In fact, you may also need to learn whether what you have done with regard to how to get iPhone to work on other phone services has in fact succeeded, and so you may need to take the SIM card from a different iPhone to check whether it indeed works on your iPhone. Usually, if an error is shown it would mean that you were not successful in unlocking your iPhone and thus must go through the whole process all over again. If the phone does not work even after many attempts, then you will need to take the iPhone to the store that offers unlocking services to get it to work with a different phone service.
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Is Global Warming Caused By Greenhouse Gases Or By The Sun?
Most scientists believe that the current global warming is caused by man-made emissions of greenhouse gases and that the most important of these gases is Carbon Dioxide or CO2.
They also believe that the Sun's influence for this warming is very small. We now know that the irradiance or "heat transfer" from the Sun to the Earth has varied relative little during recent decades. Therefore the conclusion that most scientists have done is that the resent warming must be man-made, this is because they haven't found any other reasonable explanation.
However what we know over how much a specific increase of CO2 has on global temperature is poor. The reason in that the knowledge of how greenhouse gases affect cloud formation is mostly down to speculations. Cloud formation physics is quite a complicated process to explain with many factors.
So, rather than having a solid theoretical and measured basis for how much man-made greenhouse gases affect the climate, the made estimation is mostly down to deduction.
They argue: We know how much the temperature has increased so therefore we can calculate how much a specific increase in greenhouse gases will increase the global temperature in the future. We have done this through deduction as we already have attributed the known increase to be greenhouse driven.
However scientists who study the Sun have long noted similarities between solar activity and terrestrial weather patterns.
Also the weather changes the last century is not something unique. Given the relative small changes in the observed irradiance "heat emitted from the Sun", those changes in temperature during past centuries are hard to explain if you don't include some other types of influence from the Sun.
It was not until the Danish scientist Henrik Svensmark suggested that cosmic radiation could influence cloud cover that a plausible explains for this apparent correlation was given.
Here is this theory!
When the Sun is very active, as it is now, the solar wind and the solar magnetic field are both strong. This in turn shields the Earth from high energy particles coming from the cosmos, usually from particles which were once created in supernova explosions. This affects low cloud cover formation as the radiation create ions which seeds cloud forming water droplets. During times when there are many high energy particles reaching low altitudes there are more low cloud cover and the Earth cools. When there are few high energy particles penetrating to low altitudes then less clouds form and the Earth warms.
Usually clouds higher up in the atmosphere are almost always ionized from both low and high energy particles because both those types of particles penetrate high altitudes at all time.
The created variations are only in the low altitude cloud cover which is affected by very high energy cosmic particles.
Recently an experiment called SKY (Cloud in Danish) was made by Svensmark which conclusively confirmed this cloud forming mechanism experimentally and that this type of cosmic ionization has an important seed effect on clouds. Links between low cloud cover variations and high energy particles intensity have also now been confirmed by satellite studies.
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Divorce Recovery – Acceptance of What Was and What Is
The clients who come to me for help in letting go and moving on after their divorces discover that acceptance, a mandatory step in divorce recovery, comes in two stages. First we work to be in acceptance of the end of our marriage and then we move on to accept what our life is now, in the present. This second step in the acceptance process seems to be the more difficult hurdle to overcome but it can be overcome successfully.
Acceptance of the undeniable fact that our marriage is over must be fully integrated into our psyche for us to be able to create a new life. We need to look back over our marriage and see exactly where we have confused what actually happened with our own personal interpretation. All too often our interpretations of the events of our marriage are simply not true, not factual. Our deep hurts have a tendency to cloud our thinking and limit our perspective.
Separating the facts from our biased interpretations will allow us to stop blaming our ex as well as ease our resentments. We also learn how to see that any marriage, no matter what may have occurred, is a product of two people, a mutual creation. Even if one of the partners was unfaithful or deceptive, we must begin to see our part in the collapse of our marriage because only when we can stop blaming and take responsibility for our part, do we take back our power and our ability to move forward. If we are honest with ourselves, we know where we could have done things differently.
Now comes the even more challenging step in acceptance: acceptance of our new life. Once the fact that we are divorced sinks in, reality rears its so-called ugly head. We start to really understand what our life is now that we do not have a partner. All too often, we react with fear, anger and resentment.
There are many common issues that arise amongst my clients. The number one item seems to be the day-to-day responsibilities for the children. Why am I the one who has to handle everything and he gets to play with them every other weekend? I have to do it all: school, homework, discipline, doctors, dentists, conferences, carpooling, groceries, cooking, cleaning...you name it! Then Dad shows up once a week and every other weekend and it seems like its all fun and games. This is unfair.
The list goes on and on and on. No more regular outings on Saturday nights. There is no one to share household maintenance. Your finances now are solely under your control and for many of us that seems daunting. No more extended family. The holidays loom before us and we are lost. Mutual friends fall by the wayside. Need I go on?
This is where the real challenges arise and this is where we learn about our hidden reserves of strength and how much we have learned and grown from the entire experience. There is no doubt that it is hard and seemingly unfair. But guess what? That is the true nature of life. Life is not always a bowl of cherries, quite the opposite. Life is chaotic and there is constant change, oftentimes not to our liking. Life is not always fair. Life just is and we simply cannot control what life throws out way...we can only control how we choose to handle it. This is a fact of life that we must accept in the depths of our very being.
What to do? There are real choices in front of you. You can continue to fight against reality, a reality that you cannot change. You can resist what is for what you think should be and suffer immeasurably. You can remain rooted in your past, a past that no longer exists, and within that past you will continue to be in pain, blame and resentment. Just envision banging your head against a brick wall because that is exactly what you will be doing.
Either you resist what is or you accept this new landscape. You can surrender to the flow of your life's direction instead of swimming against the current. You can let go of all the things that keep you stuck and chained to your past. You can choose acceptance and with that choice, new possibilities will begin to open for you. You can choose to look for what might be right and what might be opportunities in this new world.
Take for instance the overwhelming responsibilities you now have. Perhaps you are one of the women out there who work and have kids. As an aside, I know that in most cases, you had the bulk of the responsibility during your marriage so things are not that much different. But that being said, start to prioritize. The house is no longer going to be sparkling clean. The kids may have to learn to do their own laundry. There won't be home cooked meals every night and guess what? Everyone will still survive and thrive. What is really important? The love and closeness of this new family unit.
The opportunities abound although it might be hard to see them. I know that when I divorced my kids took on more responsibility around the house and they not only rose to the occasion but they are the better for it. I marvel at how they adjusted and simply went on with their lives. Mind you, my ex and I made a pact to get along and do whatever we had to for the kid's benefit.
Our meals together were chances to bond. I learned to not sweat all the small stuff: I let go of my to do list and learned what was really important, which turned out to be one of the greatest gifts of my divorce. Our vacations together were wonderful and I have phenomenal relationships with my kids. I found a new career. I discovered who my true friends are and have made many new ones. I discovered reservoirs of strength that I did not know existed.
Of course, it isn't a bed of roses but neither is life in general, no matter whether you are married or divorced. I could go on about all the things within this new life that I am still wrestling with but hey, I wrestled with life when I was married! Life changes and you either go with the flow or drown in self-pity. It remains a matter of choice. It may take years, tons of effort and struggle but anything worthwhile in life takes time and effort.
You must drop unrealistic expectations that life should be a certain way and go with the way that life is. You must learn to change your perspective, embrace what is and choose to look at what the possibilities and opportunities are in this new world of yours. Remember that your perspective will not only change the way you think but it will actually change your reality.
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Loan Modification Can Save Some From Foreclosure
What is loan modification and how does it work? A loan modification is exactly what it sounds like: a lender and a borrower agree to restructure the entire loan contract between them. This generally involves the lender offering the borrower a significant reduction in their interest rate, more favorable repayment terms and sometimes even modifying the length of the loan so the borrower can have longer to repay the loan and can enjoy a lower monthly payment that will prevent them from experiencing a foreclosure. Modifying a loan can sometimes be forced by the government as in the case with the Indy Mac falloutwhere the government has stepped in and will be modifying as many as 25,000 plagued home loans to help the borrowers get back on their feet and avoid a foreclosure.
Why are so many borrowers seeking loan modification? Many borrowers who are stuck in higher interest loans that are costing them far more out of pocket than they can afford. Meanwhile the value of their homes have depreciated to below what they currently owe on their homes, and as a result they are seeking loan modification to try and lower their interest rate and monthly payment to make better sense of the whole situation. Truly, loan modification is nearly always a borrower's last resort to avoid a foreclosure. Many borrowers who are in home loans where they owe more than their homes are worth will seek loan modification because if they can get a lower interest rate than it will be more worthwhile for them to stay in the home and avoid a foreclosure.
Will most banks offer loan modification? While many banks are not fond of loan modification, most will ultimately offer it to borrowers who are struggling, but getting your lender to that point can be fairly difficult. Because a bank offering loan modification has to agree to new terms, a new contract and a lower interest rate, many lenders view this aspect as an absolute last resort for a borrower who is nearing foreclosure. And still, many may declineeven at the borrowers requestto modify a loan because they may factor the losses that they will incur from modifying the loan to what losses they may suffer is they follow through with the foreclosure process.
In the end getting loan modification can save your home from a foreclosure and secure your credit rating. However, actually being able to get your lender to the point of agreeing to modify your loan may be real headache that results in nothing but fruitless efforts. Nonetheless, for borrowers who have few other options, save perhaps a short sale on their homewhere the lenders loses nearly as much money as with a foreclosureit may be in the lenders better interest to modify the loan. But most lenders will only do so if they feel that their losses will be less than if they were to simply repossess the home and sell again to staunch the financial blood flow.
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Prisoners Receive the Deeksha Oneness Blessing
The Divine works in mysterious ways. A man incarcerated in Terminal Island Prison in Southern California had heard about the Deeksha Oneness Blessing from his brother, who, having received the Blessing a number of times himself, was adamant that it would be wonderful for the guys. So this prisoner asked someone from the Agape Ministry, which comes to give a program once a month, if they could bring someone into the prison to give Deeksha. The woman from the ministry somehow tracked us down and invited me and my husband to the prison to participate in the program! We have now been there three times, and it is amazing.
The Agape group is from Michael Beckwith's church, he the man with the dreadlocks in the new age movie about manifesting and abundance called The Secret, which touts that we get what we focus on, like it or not. The people from this group are such loving people and we are honored that we have been invited into this situation.
The woman who works in the prison is a huge blessing for these men. She is running the drug rehab program there and is teaching meditation as a way for the men to rehabilitate themselves. They are also learning kundalini techniques and reading spiritual books. I saw one man carrying around The Disappearance of the Universe by Gary Renard. And since the inception of the Deeksha Blessing inside the walls of the prison, there are a number of men who are reading Kiara Windrider’s Fire From Heaven - Dawn of Golden Age. This book is about coming into Oneness as the true meaning of Enlightenment.
The particular group of men who attend the gatherings with the Agape Ministry are all on spiritual paths of one kind or another. They come to these beautiful meetings by choice, as this is a minimum security prison, and are discovering that the Presence of God, whatever that means for them, lives inside of them.
Giving the Oneness Deeksha to these men is a beautiful gift - for them and for me! One American Indian man told me that he’s very angry… angry because his mother is incarcerated, angry because he’s incarcerated, and angry because he doesn’t get to be part of his daughter growing up. Then he said that when my hands were on his head, it was the first time in his life that he had felt peace.
Another man told me that it felt like a lot of something was being pulled out of him like with a vacuum cleaner, like a purification. Last night a man said that he can feel the Deeksha getting deeper. And the man who requested Deeksha Givers for the prison confessed to me that he’s realized his purpose now is to be of service. We are so blessed to be there as channels for Divine Love. And the men who come for Deeksha are grateful that we are there.
Thank you, Creator, for this opportunity to be a Deeksha Giver in the prison!
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Tarot – Myths and Misconceptions
Tarot – myths and misconceptions
A Tarot deck is a pack of 78 picture cards – yes, that simple. However, the pictures on these cards are worth more than a thousand words – they paint a picture of life. A Tarot deck can also be thought of as a Book of Life but every time you read this book, the pages are rearranged and it tells a different story.
Over the years, some strange myths have grown up around Tarot and Tarot reading. However weird and outdated these ideas may seem today, there is often some truth in their origins.
• One of the first Tarot myths encountered is that it is bad luck to buy your own deck. - it should be bought for you by someone else. You could wait for ever for this to happen and then it may be one you don’t like. Choose and buy your own first deck, examine the images carefully and make sure you can relate to them i.e. don’t buy a dragon deck if you are frightened of dragons.
• You have to be psychic to be able to read the Tarot. Many who read the Tarot are psychic and this will lead to a different type of reading but not necessarily a better one. Anyone can learn to read the tarot although, as with anything, some will have more of an aptitude for it than others.
• The Tarot cards must be wrapped in black silk to protect them from “negative forces?” That is entirely up to you although personally I feel that dust and children’s fingers may be a greater danger. By all means take the necessary precautions to keep the cards clean and in good condition. They are, after all, your tools.
• Never let anyone else touch your cards. This is another personal choice. In a face to face reading situation it can be beneficial to let the querent (questioner) shuffle the cards in order to impart some of their energies into the deck.
• You should not read your own cards. Some say this is unlucky, I say it can be difficult to read ones own cards objectively. By this I mean it is easy to see what you want to see in your own cards.
• The “Death” card means that someone around you is going to die. Theoretically, this is possible as we are all going to die but it is highly unlikely that this card on its own will prophesise someone’s death.
• What the Tarot cards say is always right. Nothing is set in stone – more like written in sand. We all have our free will and the Tarot gives us guidance along with choices that we can make in our lives. It is up to us to choose our paths. If we see something in a reading that we do not like then we have the choice to do something about changing that thing.
• Tarot is evil. Also described as the “Devil’s Picture Book”. It is human nature to be afraid of something that is not fully understood or what is viewed as threatening. True, some of the images may be a bit scary in some decks but so are some great works of art – they aren’t thought of as evil.
At the end of the day, they are your cards for you to do what you wish with them. If performing a ritual before a reading makes you feel better – then do it. Just use your common sense. As long as it harms no one else – do what you wish.
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It’s Time to Check Your Thank Tank
Ever feel like you are stuck going round and round on a race track being driven by obligations, responsibilities and promises to keep? And the Holidays seem to be looming ahead in a dreadful, foreboding way rather than the happy, joyous events that you wish they would be? If you feel like you're running on empty emotionally, maybe now would be a good time to break away from the pack, stop in your tracks and check your "Thank Tank," because gratitude is the fuel that ignites your spirit and sparks your soul to create something different-to create your heart's desires.
All analogies and puns aside, it's in Present Moments that we think clearly, that we appreciate freely and that we really see, with an almost childlike perception, our surroundings, our circumstances, our life. The object here is to improve the way you feel, even if that improvement is ever so slight. For instance, if you are stuck in a traffic jam, notice those abbreviated vanity license plates around you and try to decipher what they mean. Make a game of it. When you've broken the code, appreciate how quickly you did it or how clever the author of the plate was. Or cast a glace around your vehicle and thank it for providing you with safe and comfortable transportation. If nothing else, you can always
be grateful that you are out of the cold and will soon be on your way.
Changing your mood from frustration or irritation to appreciation and thankfulness feels better and increases your vibration-the way you communicate your desires to the Universe. Quoting Abraham (through the wonderful works of Esther and Jerry Hicks), the "Universal" Law of Attraction says that "like attracts like," so by changing your focus, and more important, the way you feel, you will literally be magnetizing better things into your life (like missing traffic jams!). Test this law for yourself. We've all had those days when you would swear that a little black cloud was hanging over your head and everything that could go wrong seemed to be going wrong. You can "right" yourself simply by taking your attention off of what is and filling a moment-a present moment-with gratitude and appreciation for what you have. Even if it's the smallest, most insignificant thing that you can come up with, focus on that and radiate love and appreciation for it. Then do it again for another moment, and another, and another, and soon your cloudy outlook will have a new, improved forecast.
But why not start or end every day with a full Thank Tank? Every morning when you wake up or every night before you fall asleep, acknowledge that for which you are grateful. As you put your attention on the people, circumstances or things that you appreciate, really feel how happy and blessed you are to have them in your life and open your heart to receiving more. Gratitude is the key that unlocks your ability to receive. The more grateful you feel for what you have, the sooner you will receive more of what your heart desires.
As we, as a nation, turn our attention to gratitude-with turkey and all the trimmings-at the end of the month, reaffirm to yourself your commitment to Giving Thanks each and every day of the year.
And since you're getting off that race track, maybe you should check your oil, too!
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3 Simple Tips For Spotting a Good Bankruptcy Attorney
These days many Americans face the unfortunate necessity of having to declare bankruptcy because they cannot pay their overwhelming debts. Hiring a good bankruptcy lawyer is a must, especially when you consider the recent changes in the statute and how much more complicated the law has become. But how do you know if you are choosing a good bankruptcy lawyer?
Here are three simple steps to finding a good bankruptcy lawyer:
1. First of all, you need to realize that bankruptcy lawyers have to make money just like everyone else. Unfortunately, this may cloud a person's judgment, especially when the lawyer only makes money if you file Chapter 7.
Let's say that you're looking for a law office to provide a free initial consultation in order to save some money. After all, if you're considering filing Chapter 7, you don't have much extra money to throw around. If the lawyer is willing to give a free consultation, he may be more likely to push you in the direction of filing because that's the only way for the law firm to receive a commission.
You may be better off paying the lawyer for the consultation so as to get the best advice possible.
2. Make sure that the bankruptcy attorney is listening to your questions and addressing your specific needs. Every case is different, and you don't want someone who is treating you as a statistic or a run-of-the-mill case.
Make sure you feel comfortable asking questions and try to find out what is the best route for you.
3. Lastly, pick a law firm you're comfortable with. If it seems like the lawyers are too busy to speak with you and instead relegate you to a paralegal, you may want to look elsewhere. You deserve to receive some attention, especially if you are paying for the consultation as we suggested above.
We also recommend that you continue learning as much as possible about the bankruptcy process to make sure you're making the right decision. If you do this, you will be better equipped than most consumers and can expect (or demand) closer attention from an experienced lawyer.
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