May 2019, Claim Your True Power by Transformation Coaching Magazine

INSPIRATION & GROWTH Claim Your True Power Find Your Inner Switch The Best That Can Happen He Told Me No Unlock the Mystery of the Goddess The Ripple Effect Harness the Power of Your Subconscious Mind A Date with Nature My Cause, Because...

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FEED YOUR SPIRIT Annie’s Lesson

PUBLISHERS Natalie Rivera Joeel A. Rivera, M.Ed.

EDITOR Lisa Cedrone

CONTRIBUTORS Leon VanderPol, Rena Greenberg, Alan Cohen, Jo Mooy, Arielle Giordano, Mary Boutieller, Kate Pennell, Steve Priester, Terez Hartmann, Gregg Sanderson

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Claim Your True Power

All experiences you desire in the outer world have their origin in your inner world. By Leon VanderPol Today is a new day, a new moment in which to create the experiences you desire to experience.

Do you feel far away from having the experiences you desire? If so, what would bring them closer? What would bring the experience you desire into your living reality in this very moment? If you are saying that you don’t know how to do that, then you have not gone deep enough into the desire. What is at its core? What is the essence of the experience you desire? When you begin to see that the essence of the experience is always

something internal to yourself, you begin to realize that the experience you desire is never far away, but only a thought or perception away. All experiences you desire in the outer world have their origin in your inner world. But often you start believing that there is something the outer experience will bring you that you cannot create on your own. But this is a falsity. Your outer experiences are only virtual signposts to the inner experience you desire to have. A feeling, a sensation… Of course, this does not mean you should not seek desirable external experiences. Life was created in all its wonder just for that! However, it is erroneous thinking to believe that your outer experiences are necessary for you to have the inner experience you desire. That puts the power for your experience outside of you, and this is never the case. Oh, you might say, but I desire to have these experiences with other people, and that I cannot do it alone. But again I say, when you look at the essence of the

experience you desire you will see that it is a state of mind and being that arises from within you. You have put your faith in the external experience to create it for you, while failing to see that you can create the inner experience all on your own. This applies for positive as well as negative experiences. You might say, but that is an external experience I did not desire and it has given me this inner sensation that is not at all pleasant. Either way, it was you and only you who created the experience within yourself.

This is your true power. So as you go into this day, this week, this month with all your creative aspirations, with all your hopes and dreams for certain types of experiences to happen so that you can judge your life worthy, remember:

It’s all within.

Transformational Coaching with Leon VanderPol Leon VanderPol is an internationally-recognized coach mentor, master teacher, and founder and director of the Center for Transformational Coaching. He is the creator of the Deep Transformational Coaching training program, which now has graduates from more than 25 countries. Leon travels the world teaching people how to catalyze deep transformation in soulful, spirit-based ways. Visit http://www.centerfortransformationalcoaching.com to learn more about Leon and his work.

Find Your Inner Switch

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How to embrace the freedom of actually eating to live, and then enjoy every bite that you take. By Rena Greenberg No matter how much your body weighs, you are a beautiful light in the world. If you understand this, you know that you don’t have to “get down to a certain size” to be good enough. Rather, the journey to permanent weight loss is about discovering your innate attributes of health—living a

life of balance and happiness, free from mental anguish and obsessions, and finding inner peace. There are so many things going on around us that we simply can’t control. Why focus on them? Turn your attention instead to one of the few things you actually can control in this life, and that is the radiance of your inner light and how much of it you are shining onto yourself and others. Get ready to turn on your switch!

The quality of your light is dependent on your state of mind and the actions you take in every moment. Therefore, choose wisely and, if you find that a decision doesn’t lead to the results you are hoping to achieve, then make a new choice as soon as possible. It’s not about being “good or bad,” or “on a diet” or “off a diet.” Success should be measured only by the extent to which you achieve an inner state that actually makes you feel good, peaceful, and serene. Every food has a vibration that either brings you up or pushes you down. Before you eat anything ask yourself, “Is it worth it?” “How will this food make me feel?” “Will this food uplift me and the quality of my life, or will it fill me with toxic emotions such as guilt and shame?” You are beautiful exactly as you are because within you is the ever-lasting shining light that is your unique spirit. Therefore, the solution to being overweight is not starving yourself or punishing yourself for past mistakes. The truth is that you are worthy of health, happiness and freedom. Toxic foods create constricted thoughts and negative feelings—as well as physical discomfort, illness, and disease— and excess weight causes physical limitations and health problems. Healthy, lifegiving, real, clean, whole foods uplift you mentally, physically, and emotionally, and they lead you down the road to achieving optimal health in your life.

MAKE A SHIFT There is no better time than the present to shift your thinking and realize that judging yourself is wasted energy. Instead, focus on the results you want to achieve and believe that you are worth it. Each day, make a constructive dietary change that points you in a new, positive direction. This could be as simple as

chewing your food slowly or savoring the taste of healthy, unprocessed food. As you come to appreciate real food that comes from the earth—food that is filled with nutrients that nourish your body—you can make the transition from forcing yourself to eat healthy food for the sake of weight loss to actually enjoying and preferring the taste of real, clean, whole food that sustains and heals. When you look at processed food, it’s time to stop thinking about how “good” it will taste. Instead, train yourself to read the ingredients on the labels and ask yourself if this is what you want to feed your body and mind. It can become second nature to contemplate, consciously and subconsciously, the long-term health effects of the toxic substances found in processed foods. Also recognize that food industry advertising and marketing has a huge percentage of the population brainwashed into believing that unhealthy food creates pleasure in our lives. Food conglomerates would like you to think that fatty, buttery, sweet, and rich foods filled with simple, empty carbohydrates such as white flour and sugar are “treats” that you “deserve.” Their advertisements promote that they will bring you comfort and happiness. Ask yourself, “Has my personal experience proven these claims to be true?” When you start to make the connection that these foods cause massive levels of emotional, mental, and physical pain, you can choose to change your perceptions. By reinforcing the message over time, you will begin to find unhealthy foods unappealing before you ever take the first bite, rather than imagining how good they’ll taste, eating them, and then regretting the behavior until the cycle repeats. Making an internal shift by training your mind to think differently also is an effective form of self-hypnosis.

Believe in yourself and your ability to step into a new world of healthy living. Ask yourself, “Who would I be without the obsessions over my weight, food, and dieting?” How would your life change? What limitless possibilities could you fill your life with once you eliminate selfdeprecating thoughts and unproductive behaviors? Imagine the freedom of actually eating to live, and then enjoying every bite that you take.

There is a switch inside your brain that makes this inner change possible. Believe that you can find it, turn it on, and begin to move forward in your life instead of repeating the old, painful cycles over and over. Your future is a blank canvas. Learn from the past, but don’t be a slave to it. It’s time to release old ways of being and thinking that no longer work for you. Remember that the past does not equal the future. Believe in yourself and choose to not only shine your light but to live your life basking in it. Yes, you are beautiful exactly as you are, but until you free yourself from limiting thoughts and behaviors you will constrict the amount of beauty and happiness that you can experience in your life. There is nothing within you that you have to “fix,” so get ready to welcome the journey of letting go of what doesn’t work and embracing the new, real YOU!

Love Life, Live Happy, Live Healthy with Rena Greenberg Rena Greenberg, a Hay House author, can be reached at http://www.EasyWillpower.com. Her weight loss and gastric bypass hypnosis success has been featured in 150-plus news stories including USA Today, Woman’s World, The Doctor’s, CNN, Good Morning America and Nightline. PBS stations nationally aired Rena’s show, “Easy Willpower,” in August 2015. Her wellness program is sponsored in 75 hospitals and 100-plus corporations. She conducts hypnotherapy sessions with people all over the world on Skype.

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The Best That Can Happen

Either you are placing your canoe in the stream of love and trust, or you are placing your canoe in the stream of fear and protectiveness. By Alan Cohen My coaching client Andrea has struggled with issues of lack and poor self-worth for a lot of her life. Although she is smart, spiritual, and attractive, she has regularly feared that she would become impoverished and bereft. She told me, “Whenever I drive under a bridge, I check it out to see where I would set up cardboard boxes for myself and my kids to live in, in case we lose it all.”

I asked Andrea if she was in danger of losing it all, and she firmly answered, “No.” This dear woman has always been provided for, and even as a single mom she has manifested various means of support. But the fear of not enough has siphoned off her happiness. In coaching we underscored the fact that Andrea has always had enough for herself and her children, and there is no reason that would change. But fear is not based on reason. It is based on illusions. 11

I see the same tailspin fantasy in many clients, as well as myself. When faced with a challenge, our mind goes to the worst thing that could happen, and we start preparing for it. When I ask clients who face a difficult situation, “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” they usually have a well-prepared list of possible dark outcomes. When I ask, “What’s the best thing that could happen?” they usually take a while to think of an answer. They are so practiced in pessimism that optimism hasn’t crossed their mind. When we start to explore positive outcomes, the client’s demeanor changes radically, he gets excited about opportunities, and he begins to activate them by stepping in healthy, productive directions. It’s not just challenges that stimulate fear. So does success. The ego will take every opportunity to wedge itself into our experience and turn blessings into problems. When something wonderful happens, we may start to think about what could go wrong. United Airlines once sent me an unexpected gift of a free round-trip flight anywhere. I went to my travel agent and asked him if the award was for real. After reading the terms of the award, he affirmed, “Sure, you can use this anytime anywhere.” I kept doublechecking with him until I walked out of his office, the ticket he printed in hand. When I finally took that flight, it represented to me the reality of grace, and reminded me that I must let it in. When you think, “This is too good to be true,” immediately shift your affirmation to, “This is good enough to be true.” In the big picture,

only the good is true. Everything else is a warped perspective. A Course in Miracles tells us that only love is real and all else is a nightmare we have fabricated. Fears of lack and loss are part of the nightmare. Confidence in well-being and the presence of benevolence is the awakening. When things get really good, some people wait for “the other shoe to drop,” expecting that some threat or challenge is lurking around the corner. This is another trick of the fearful mind, a limiting belief calling us to transcend it. What if, instead, we decided that something good happening is a sign that more good, perhaps even better, will come? Inspirational author Mike Dooley says, “When something good happens, the chances of something equally good or better following it increase astronomically.”

Abraham-Hicks calls us to affirm, “The better it gets, the better it gets.” The motto of the Boy Scouts is “be prepared.” Good advice. The question is, “What are you prepared for?” If you are preparing only for disaster, you miss out on preparing for blessings. You cannot be preparing simultaneously for failure and success. Jesus said, “You cannot serve two masters.” Either you are placing your canoe in the stream of love and trust, or you are

placing your canoe in the stream of fear and protectiveness. A Course in Miracles asks us to remember, “In my defenselessness my safety lies.” The more we defend ourselves, the more we need to defend. The more we recognize we are protected by Higher Power, the more energy we liberate for creativity and healing. Do what you need to do to feel safe. Have insurance, lock your door, and choose a secure password if your find those acts helpful. Meanwhile, consider where your real safety comes from. Are you sustained by money, position, medicine, prestige, and possessions? Or are you sustained by the grace of God? Use the things of the world, but fall back on the Source of all good. A business mentor told me, “Act as if success is inevitable.” People who act as if success is forthcoming succeed more than those who worry about failing. A salesman friend of mine based his career on “the assumed close.” Treat all of your customers as if they are going to buy. They may not all buy, but more will buy than if you treat them as if they may not buy. The universe is created in utter enoughness. God is not stingy, but extravagant. Everything created contains the seeds of much more like itself. It is said, “A person can count the number of seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed.” When we recognize the riches within us and around us, we don’t have to size up freeway bridges as potential shelters. We can see bridges as symbolic of crossing the chasm from abysmal lack to lavish supply.

Get Real with Alan Cohen

Alan Cohen is the author of many popular inspirational books, including the bestselling A Course in Miracles Made Easy. Become a certified professional life coach through Alan’s transformational Life Coach Training beginning February 1, 2019. For more information about this program, Alan’s books and videos, free daily inspirational quotes, online courses, and weekly radio show, visit http://www.alancohen.com.

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He Told Me No

By Jo Mooy It was only 1970, but it feels like eons ago. It was a time when men were the “breadwinners” and women were “homemakers.” In those days, graduating from college was rare. Eighty percent of Americans didn’t go to college, and only 8 percent of women had college degrees. I was one of them, entering my first job in the corporate world. I assumed the degree would be my passport on a smooth glide path to a long career. Imagine my shock when a year into it, “He Told Me No. “He” was a senior executive at IBM, the corporate face to countless branch and regional offices across the country. These executives arrived with great fanfare, met with selected employees, documented their chats for headquarters, then went on to the next location. It was a plum job for long-term executives who were at the end of their careers and nearing retirement. I was an anomaly—a woman who was also a new college hire. So, of course, I was paraded out to meet with him. From the beginning, it didn’t go well. He had a notebook with a series of questions. We never got past the first one, which was, “What are your aspirations?” He didn’t like my answer because I wanted to be promoted to a first-line manager. He sputtered and fumed, telling me it was

impossible. When I asked him why, he said, “Because you’re married.” I said, “So are you!” The interview catapulted downhill from there. He informed me that being married and having a baby (my daughter was one year old) meant I’d have to relocate. He asked what would my husband do? “Come with me?” I suggested. He assured me that men did not follow women’s careers; rather, women followed their husbands. He tried to move on, then the conversation diverted to the Vietnam War. When I told him I was going to the March Against the Vietnam War in Washington, D.C., he practically convulsed saying no manager, much less an employee, should be seen at those events. My career was on the brink of being over before it began. I decided to resign. After the meeting, the branch office manager asked me, “My God, what did you say to the senior executive? I’ve never seen him have such a reaction.” After replaying the conversation the branch manager begged me not to resign. “Go to the march!” he said, which was followed by, “We need you.” I didn’t resign! And, I went to the march—in fact, many of them over the course of a 30-year career. When He Told Me No, I didn’t understand what was actually happening that

day. Eventually I realized I wasn’t just witnessing great changes across established opinions and beliefs, but I was actually part of the transition in consciousness. What was proper to him in the 1950s was being replaced in the 1970s by equality, civil rights, and the new roles of women. These were budding changes in human consciousness that would launch powerful social movements. I was at the forefront of women on the move in corporate America. Despite the fact that He Told Me No, I did get promoted to a management job a couple years after the interview fiasco. I had to move across the country. My husband followed me. When introduced to 200 people in a Pittsburgh ballroom as “the first female manager in the region” I saw many young women in the audience staring back, smiling and nodding. In that moment I made a vow to never tell them no. I spent many years in the corporate world witnessing great changes, including a woman who is now CEO of IBM. In those 30 years, I moved seven times. My husband followed me in every move. I eventually ended my career and retired as a third-level manager of managers. I kept my vow by promoting many women managers. Each one was told the story of the time He Told Me No.

Conscious Living with Jo Mooy

Jo Mooy has studied with many spiritual traditions over the past 40 years. The wide diversity of this training allows her to develop spiritual seminars and retreats that explore inspirational concepts, give purpose and guidance to students, and present esoteric teachings in an understandable manner. Along with Patricia Cockerill, she has guided the Women’s Meditation Circle since January 2006 where it has been honored for five years in a row as the “Favorite Meditation” group in Sarasota, FL, by Natural Awakenings Magazine. Teaching and using Sound as a retreat healing practice, Jo was certified as a Sound Healer through Jonathan Goldman’s Sound Healing Association. She writes and publishes a monthly internationally distributed e-newsletter called Spiritual Connections and is a staff writer for Spirit of Maat magazine in Sedona. For more information go to http://www.starsoundings.com or email jomooy@gmail.com.

Unlock the Mystery of the Goddess

When a woman is in her heart, she can embrace the deep hidden aspects of herself through the moonlight. By Arielle Giordano The “yang” of the world follows the sun and action, a masculine model; the “yin” follows the mystery of the moon, a feminine model, and the deep, inner flow of beingness. Busy schedules and active lifestyles move us away from the feminine focus, and we can become consumed by the outer world; but, when this happens, we have the opportunity to step back and reconnect with the goddess energy—regardless of whether we are female or male in nature. The sunlight represents the outer world, offering all that is obvious and expressing a radiant view. The moonlight presents what is unobvious, and often hidden in the subconscious. In the moonlight, we see what is just

beneath the surface, and it connects us with our deeper, pure being. A new subtle seeing begins to develop, and you begin to understand that your conscious self is not your true guiding light. Gently, and little by little, you begin to see your whole being coming into the light. When this happens, it changes how and what you see at all levels. Women generally are closer to their whole being than men, and they embrace the feminine fully when they resonate with their heart. A woman’s deeper “womaness” comes through the heart, and the movement of energy is the foundation of her mystery. She embodies the dance of yin and yang. When a man is really connected through his heart, he can closely connect to and enter a woman’s mystery. It is

easier for a man to realize a woman’s mystery then for him to realize his own. And, in the process, the man will move toward this own mystery as he explores the feminine in a woman. A woman’s mystery is how her being, her inner goddess, moves through her humanness. When a woman dances in the moonlight, she realizes that she is delicately experiencing with more levels of being than when she is moving through the sunlight. As a woman moves in her mystery, she awakens to a deeper knowing and a deeper sexuality. This sexuality offers the capacity to meet and commune through new levels of awareness that open the door to a heart-centered connection to the greater aspects of her being.

Dancing from the Inside Out with Arielle Giordano Arielle Giordano’s new book, Dancing with Your Story from the Inside Out, was released in March 2017. With a Masters of Arts and Masters of Education, Arielle is an author, professional dancer, inspirational speaker, certified Essentrics/Aging Backwards instructor, and workshop facilitator. She enjoys sharing her gifts and talents with an authentic style rich in the grace of dance, psychology, philosophy and the expressive arts. Her career includes: provisional psychologist, guidance counselor and substance-abuse therapist. As a Lead Faculty Area Chairperson and Faculty Member for College of Humanities at the University of Phoenix, she inspired students with her creative gifts. She also writes for Tampa Bay Wellness, We Woman and Transformation Magazine.

The Ripple Effect

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How we think, feel, speak, or act in one situation ripples into other areas of our lives. The invitation here is to be present. By Mary Boutieller What a beautiful time of year! As cold winter months come to an end and make way for verdant spring, there is a sense of busyness in the air—a ramping up or calling to do more. As the momentum shifts toward more light, maybe we can pause long enough to notice the subtle and not so subtle changes happening all around us. I’ve been playing with the idea of “being” versus “doing.” Maybe you’ve heard the saying that we are human beings, not human doings. Yet as human beings, we are wired to work and do and achieve. Many of us seem driven to close the gap between here and there, to improve upon our circumstances, make a better life, be happier, and get more of what we think will complete us. For me, I sometimes find myself filling my day with activities, yet not being fully aware of what I’m doing in the present moment. Then I’ll notice that I’m on autopilot and I’ll pause to recollect myself. Interesting to me that one definition of “recollect” means “to bring oneself back to a state of composure.” Recently, I worked with a student who was in Savasana (corpse pose), yet I could tell from the tenseness of her body that she wasn’t really in Savasana. She was doing the shape of the pose for sure—body stretched out, lying on the floor—but her thoughts were active, her breath was short, and she was nowhere near the state of Savasana. I wondered how often we perform a yoga pose, get all the details correct in our brains, but never really sink in and love the pose or love our bodies in the pose? And although the details are important—at 20

some point in each pose, we just have to be in the “soft animal” of the body. We have to move from knowledge to wisdom, from thinking state to feeling state, from the thing outside of us to an inward understanding of what is happening in the here and now. As most yoga lessons do, this one translates beautifully to life in general. Almost anything we do in life creates a microcosm for the big macrocosm of our lives. The small lesson begets the bigger lesson. The tap of a spider web on one end affects the entire web; nothing happens entirely in isolation. So how we think, feel, speak, or act in one situation ripples into other areas of our lives. The invitation here is to be present. Be present with your thoughts, your body, your judgments, your discomfort, and your bliss. Imagine being fully present just 10 percent of your day! What would you notice? Take a moment now and try this experiment: As you sit (or stand) here reading this article, how are you feeling? Are you in a hurry and hoping I’ll get to the point? Are you also eating, standing in line or side-shifting your gaze as the pings come in on your phone? Can you feel the unnecessary tension created by thinking and doing and multitasking and rushing and trying to stuff one more thing into your already overcrowded, breathless day? Now, start over. Pause just long enough to take a nice deep breath and smile as you notice what part of your body is touching whatever it is touching. Is it your feet, your back? Is there a breeze blowing across your cheek or do you feel the warmth of the sun? Is your belly soft or drawn in? Maybe look away from your phone or computer. What do you

see? Can you take in the green of the leaves or the face of a loved one, just for a second? Let yourself BE in this one moment. Feel the tension start to release? Each time you become distracted—each time your mind takes you from here to there—pause, breathe, relax, and then continue.

Dr. Zendel Sigel, PhD, who works with mindfulness and depression, said that the doing mode is “goal oriented… and motivated to reduce the gap between how things are and how we think we need them to be.” The being mode, on the other hand, is characterized by a “direct, immediate, intimate experience of the present.” Wouldn’t that be preferable if we want to live this life? Going numb or tuning out is simply a habit. Burying our faces in computers or blankets or the ego’s need for one-upmanship is a lousy

way to lose our connection to what is happening on the inside (and on the outside). Quietness, non-doing and single moment awareness all help us reconnect with ourselves and the world.

From his book The Mindful Way Through Depression, Dr. Segal and friends also said this:

“For most of us, a typical day involves hurrying from task to task, forgetting that there are other possibilities for us. Even a tiny bit of mindfulness, brought to any moment, can wake us up, thus subverting the momentum of doing for at least one moment—and that’s all we need to be concerned about. We don’t have to stop what we are doing. We simply bring greater moment-to-moment, non-judging, wise awareness to our unfolding moments. The solution to our mood problems may not require heroic attempts to change our inner feeling world or the outer world of people, places, and jobs. Rather, it may simply involve a shift in the way we pay attention to all of them.”

I’m not saying that doing is somehow wrong. It’s important and necessary to do all those things that are needed or desired to move through this wonderful life of ours. Otherwise, we might all become blobs in the grass gazing at the flowers. But in excess, we can lose ourselves. We can forget how to feel, how to trust, how to know if we are content or happy or in balance— whether we are in a yoga pose, a relationship, or a life event. There is a Zen saying: “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” Tom Barrett explains on his blog Interlude Retreat, that it’s all about being in the moment: “When we are able to be in the moment, we no longer feel compelled to watch the clock. Whatever your work might be, bring all of yourself to it. When you are fully present, you may find that your labor is no longer a burden. Wood is chopped. Water is carried. Life happens.” Indeed, life happens to all of us if we are lucky. How life happens is a choice-by-choice, moment-bymoment adventure. There will be barriers and dead-ends, and shortcuts along the way; the bottom line is, if we sleepwalk through it all, we’ll miss the whole point of being here! The question is: Can we release the need to stay busy doing busy work, lest we spend time with ourselves? Can we lighten our emotional, mental, fictitious loads and let the light of spring move us forward? Let’s all take a nice deep breath and say “Oh Yeah!”

The Yoga of Life with Mary Boutieller Mary Boutieller is a Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance. She has been teaching yoga since 2005. Her work experience includes 22 years as a firefighter/paramedic and 10 years as a Licensed Massage Therapist. Mary’s knowledge and experience give her a well-rounded understanding of anatomy, alignment, health and movement in the body. She is passionate about the benefits of yoga and the ability to heal at all levels through awareness, compassion, and a willingness to explore. She can be reached at: SimplyogaOm@gmail.com.

Harness the Power of Your Subconscious Mind

A step -by-step gu ide to unleashing you r most innovative brainpower . By Kate Maria Pennell Our rational, conscious mind is a wonderful thing. But sometimes when we are looking for a solution, it can be a limited resource. I’m always looking for ways to work smarter, not harder. What if I could come up with answers in my sleep? I discovered that it’s possible to do just that. To the outsider, it can look as if someone were literally dreaming up solutions to situations. What’s really happening, though, is people who are skilled at this are first removing their overeager conscious mind temporarily from the equation, and then mobilizing the power of their subconscious minds through the power of a specific question. It’s not half as complicated as that last sentence suggests. Questions are the key. I learned how to make this work for me, and I’ll show you how to do it, too.

HOW DOES IT WORK? To understand better how the mind

works, we’re going to look at an analogy from science fiction: the Starship Enterprise from

Star Trek—partly for its shape, and partly for the way the different departments interact. The “bridge” of the ship is the place where most of the action appears to happen—it’s the control center. Captain Kirk stands manfully on the bridge of the Enterprise, making decisions and giving orders—with an ego the size of a nearby planet. Captain Kirk is, in fact, the perfect example of “ego” from the point of view of psychology or personal development: He’s our self concept or the representation of the constructed self. The Oxford dictionary defines ego as “the part of the mind that mediates between the conscious and the unconscious and is responsible for reality testing and a sense of personal identity.” Despite what he gets up to in the series, Captain Kirk’s job is to ensure the success of his mission and the continual wellbeing of his crew and ship. It is up to him to receive and evaluate information, weigh options, and decide on the best course of action.

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Our conscious brainwork is like our own Captain Kirk, standing on the bridge of our mind, taking control and trying to make all the decisions. Any problems or situations to be reviewed come here first to the bridge, and our conscious mind is very good at making those decisions. However, like Captain Kirk, our ego, can be a little too full of its own importance and over eagerness to solve issues. It often doesn’t notice all the possible solutions, or make use of resources better suited to finding those solutions. The bridge is only a small part of The Enterprise, however. Supporting everything happening on the bridge is engineering. The bridge and Captain Kirk may look like the center, but without engineering, no one’s going anywhere. Engineering is where the warp engines lay, and where all the data is stored from every mission and available databank. The WILL to boldly go may be on the bridge of the ship, but the POWER to get there is in the engineering bay. The engines and the supercomputers in engineering never stop, never sleep—unlike Captain Kirk. They receive instructions, then keep processing and working away until a solution is found.

In The Enterprise of our mind, the engineering bay is our subconscious mind. Always processing, it doesn’t sleep like the conscious mind.

want to change our job, find a course, meet a new partner, or discover a way to change an area of our lives. We can set an order to search and scan. The data comes in, and the amazingly powerful subconscious connects and compiles it, even when we are not consciously thinking about it.

were positive and specific. The five or 10 minutes I spent weighing the question until it felt right and in line with what I wanted was worth it in results.

GET YOUR EGO TO LET GO THE PROBLEM-SOLVING When we hold on to our issues POWER OF THE in our conscious mind, it can cause stress HOW TO GET IT TO and frustration. It’s not surprising really: SUBCONSCIOUS MIND It needs options and space with which to Max Maltz likens the subconscious WORK FOR YOU consider decisions or have that insight. mind to a supercomputer or autoserver We know that asking the right mechanism in his work (and subsequent book), Psycho Cybernetics. Maltz originally published this back in 1960, but his methods and ideas are still prevalent, and relevant, today. You can see the influence of his work in that of thought leaders such as Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins, and Benjamin P. Hardy. He explains that in the same way that a machine does not reason or judge, rather it just follows the task set it, so does the subconscious mind. A really simple example of this is when you’re trying to remember someone’s name. It bugs us, doesn’t it? The simple question of “what is that person’s name?” is sent back from the conscious to the subconscious mind, where our search engine works away until three hours later, while washing up, we think “Jane!” The original situation has passed, but the subconscious “engineering” has been working away to find an answer while our conscious mind has been doing other things. Now while we’re doing something that doesn’t involve high levels of brain power, the message can get through, “Hey, you on the bridge: Jane!” Another example of the play between conscious and subconscious is how they work together when we need to make a decision. For example, let’s say I want to buy new shoes. As I go about my daily tasks, I now start noticing people’s shoes. The file is still open on “Which shoes do I buy?” so my data collection devices (eyes and ears) send information back into the control center (conscious mind) which does a quick evaluation (horrible color/looks comfy). Did I notice people’s shoes before? Not really. Were people wearing shoes before that? Of course! I just didn’t have a “scan and search” order set for “shoes.” Buying shoes is a simple example, but the same principle is in action if we

questions are the key, and that we need to get the Captain Kirk of our ego to release its hold on the situation and take a break. So now we can look at how to practically do that and set up our brains for finding creative solutions and success. Questions are the key. A question is better than an opinion or affirmation for finding creative solutions. Positive affirmations can be very effective for changing the programing in our subconscious, but it doesn’t send the command to do anything: to search and connect. I’ve been consistently working on this idea of setting my subconscious a question for nearly a year, and I have noticed differences in my results. Here is what I’ve learned, through trial and error, and some corresponding research.

ASK QUALITY QUESTIONS Good questions invite action and

expansion. The subconscious loves making connections and having something to do, and it loves good questions. Secondly, the focus of the question makes a difference—a big difference. If I send the question “How can I feel less tired all the time?” it’s a negative question. The focus is on feeling tired, so that’s what you are telling your computer to focus on. The resulting thoughts and feelings will reflect this focus. “Tired” in, “tired” out. By rephrasing the question to: “How can I reenergize myself this week?” the focus is positive, on energy and feeling energized, and the results will follow suit. By setting a specific time frame of this week or tomorrow, you are also setting nice manageable parameters for your subconscious to play with. I found that it was worth spending a little time phrasing my questions so they

Essentially, you need to take a break! It might sounds surprising to say that to find the solution, you should stop consciously working on it. Remember: Archimedes didn’t have his “Eureka” moment until he had his bath. Sherlock Holmes, although a fictional character, would play chess or the violin when wanting the answer to something that had him stumped. I wonder how many times Arthur Conan Doyle did something similar as he allowed his mind to percolate his stories and ideas? Personally, I find taking a break allows me release the build up of pressure in my thoughts, meaning that the only head banging that I do is to music.

TAKE A BREAK TO BE MOREItPRODUCTIVE. is an effective short-term

solution. It gives “engineering” time to sort through data and make connections, send the results back up to the bridge and…”Eureka!”

NAP TOThomas RELEASE THE EGO Edison would regularly

take a nap when faced with a problem. He is famous for taking a nap in his chair while holding two metal balls in his hands, which would drop and wake him if he fell into a deep sleep. The answer or insight would often be there upon waking. Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla were also famous for their napping habits. Did you know that famous British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had a bed in the Houses of Parliament, and was convinced that his regular siestas and power naps were part of the success of his governing? I used to laugh at the idea of a power nap—they’re for grannies, right?

But I found I was wrong and that sometimes a brief bit of downtime refreshes my energy levels, and allows my subconscious mind to shine. The subconscious doesn’t sleep, remember, so a brief bit of shuteye effectively releases my conscious mind’s hold on a subject so that “engineering” can do what it does best.

SLEEP, PERCHANCE TO DREAM ... Napping is good, but what I find to be most effective is to ask a question at night, right before sleeping. In bed, nice and relaxed, I like to review my day and send a question to my subconscious to play with while I recharge my batteries. I’m literally working in my sleep. One article on neural plasticity published in the Frontiers in Neural Circuits journal explains:

"Du r ing sleep, new synap tic connections are for med , and old connections are 'c leaned u p '. This can allow you to see patter ns w here none existed before." Edison is said to never have gone to sleep without first setting his mind a question. Those patterns mentioned in the article are what give us the solutions and insights the next morning.

WRITE YOUR PRE-SLEEP QUESTION DOWN Writing the question down

before sleep helps me twofold. It helps me to think about, and carefully form, the best question to give me the best answer. It also reminds me in the morning what I’d asked. Writing it down at night to review the next day keeps me on track. This has become a part of my nightly routine—a sort of mental hygiene. In the same way that I brush my teeth at night as part of my dental health, I also review my three wins and set my question in my journal as part of my mental health.

JOURNAL IN THE MORNING The technique of setting your

question at night before sleep works really well in conjunction with morning journaling. I’m not talking about the what I had for breakfast and my back aches type of journaling, but rather a form of writing where we move ourselves into a peak state of focus and set our most valuable priorities for our day, sculpting our future before it happens. Some use the habit of “morning pages,” where they brain-dump first thing in the morning, as they write without specifically filtering ideas. Nedd Herrmann in his work on brainwaves confirmed that there is something special about capturing your mental state upon first waking: "During this awakening cycle it is possible for individuals to stay in the theta state for an extended period of say, five to 15 minutes − which would allow

them to have a free flow of ideas about yesterday's events or to contemplate the activities of the forthcoming day. This time can be extremely productive and can be a period of very meaningful and creative mental activity." This creativity is vital. It allows us to think from a different perspective and see what we couldn't see before. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that writing morning pages is just for, say, creative writers. It can be used by everyone wanting to access their full range of brain power.

YOUR OurBEAUTIFUL MIND mind is amazing. What I see in my personal experience and research on this topic is that it is possible to maximize our potential and productivity through a simple habit. • Create a question. • Let that question resonate. • Trust your subconscious mind to come through for you. • Go do something else, like sleep. • Be ready and aware for the answer. Promoting greater balance and cohesion in my mind is important to me, as is working smarter—not just harder— to create what I want. I'm no Einstein or Churchill, but by emulating their habits, I can better my own, and then let those habits improve my life. I also have fewer headaches now, and I'm having fun playing with this simple technique to increase my creativity, insight, and productivity. After all, that's not something that I'm going to lose any sleep over, right?

Permission to Launch with Kate Pennell

Kate Pennell, English and slightly geekish, is a coach and dream catalyst who lives in Spain with three kids, various furry creatures and a patient husband. She loves nature, creativity and seeing people discover what truly makes them come alive. Kate provides the people she works with permission to launch and helps them begin to fly as they were made to. She teaches, encourages and connects with fellow travellers across our global village. Find out more at https://permissiontolaunch.website/.

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Barbara Montavon

Annie’s Lesson

Acceptance is the path to peace. By Steve Priester This is the story of Annie. She is a special dog. She is also my teacher. Several years ago Annie injured her back while running on ice and her hind legs are no longer working. Her owners, Jim and Bonnie, made a harness with wheels that allows her to go for walks and get around. Annie is special because of all the dogs in our retirement community, she is the only one that barks and lunges at me when I run by. As a runner, I know that most dogs pay little, if any, attention to me. However, the smaller the dog the greater the chance that one will be the “ankle nipper.” Annie is that dog. My history with Annie goes back several years to the first time I ran by her. She barked and lunged at me, to the surprise of her owner. Annie extended her leash with her front paws up off the ground. When this happened every time I ran by, I stopped and asked Jim if she barks at other runners or walkers. He replied, “No, only you.” Why was Annie barking only at me? I thought that I would try a few tactics to see if I could change her reaction to me. When I saw Annie ahead, I quit running and started walking. I thought perhaps Annie also wanted to run and knew that she could not. This did not work. I took off my sunglasses and made eye contact with A nnie. Again no success. I even tried giving her a doggie treat. Jim

and Bonnie’s other dog, Dolly, who always walks with Annie and never barks at me, ate all the treats while Annie continued to bark and growl. I was baffled. The next time I saw Annie, I stopped and asked Jim if he had any idea why Annie barked at me. Jim told me the only thing he and Bonnie could think of was that I resembled the veterinarian who treated Annie immediately after her back injury. While this explanation did not feel quite right, I thought perhaps the underlying issue with Annie was forgiveness. Whenever I stopped, I could see the anger in her small brown eyes. It was time to ask Annie to forgive me for what I did not do. Ho’oponopono is the Hawaiian practice of forgiveness. Certainly this strategy would work with Annie. I even recited the mantra on days when I did not see her while running. The next time I approached her on the sidewalk, I started my forgiveness mantra:

Annie, I’m sorry Annie, please forgive me Thank you Annie, I love you As I neared Annie, as soon as she saw me, the barking started again. I tried this strategy several times with no success.

I was now ready to surrender. The next time I talked with Jim, I told him I was at a loss as to why Annie reacted to me with barking and anger. I mentioned there must be a reason that triggers her reaction. What Jim said next changed everything about my approach to understanding Annie. He casually mentioned that Annie was a “rescue dog.” The second I heard him say that I knew. I could feel it—a wave of knowing hit me. There was no doubt in my mind that Annie had been mistreated, either by a man resembling me or by a man who had forced her to run. Everything made sense now. Annie still harbored anger for the man who had mistreated her. It was now time to ask for guidance on how to address and ultimately heal Annie. That evening in meditation, I asked for assistance from my Guides. What came into my mind was surprising. I was told to sit on the grass in the lotus position, close my eyes, quiet my mind, and focus all thought on saying “I love you, Annie.” I was told to tell Jim to wait a few seconds, and then let Annie go, to no longer restrain her with the leash. Finally, I was told to trust what would happen next. It was several months before I saw Annie again because Jim and Bonnie had taken a summer trip. We met again on the boulevard shortly after their return. As expected, Annie started barking as soon as she saw me coming. I stopped

my run, asked Jim if he had a minute, and then told him about my plan. After checking the narrow strip of grass between the street and sidewalk for fire ants, I assumed the lotus position, closed my eyes, and proceeded to send thoughts of love Annie’s way. I thought the flow of adrenaline from running might impair my concentration, but I was immediately able to relax and focus. What happened next was amazing. At first Annie continued to bark, then the bark turned to a growl, and then the growl ceased. It became very quiet— no sound at all from Annie. After a minute, I opened my eyes. Annie and Dolly were both sniffing around as dogs do, but neither was paying any attention to me sitting on the grass. I got up and talked with Jim. During this time, Annie never barked or growled. She also did not bark when I resumed my run. During that evening’s meditation, I asked my Guides for an explanation of Annie’s behavior. What came to me was: “Anger cannot exist in the presence of Love.” Was it really that simple? Could all the anger that Annie had

e xpressed over the years be resolved so quickly? I would have to wait until the next time I saw her. Two weeks later I saw Annie again. I stopped my run and approached her. Jim did not restrain her, so she was at my ankles, barking and growling. I immediately sat on the grass and offered her my palm. Annie sniffed my hand, growling, but was not as aggressive as before. I thought in my mind, “I may look like him, I may run like him, but I certainly don’t smell like him!” Then I reached over and touched her head. She immediately backed up, but her barking and growling was now more subdued. Was I making progress? When I asked my Guides why it was taking so long, I heard: “Just like humans, she doesn’t want to give up her story.” It would be another month before I saw Annie. I immediately sat on the grass, but Annie was barking and growling at me again. Any headway that had been made in the past was certainly gone now. Jim handed me a doggie treat, which Annie promptly rejected and knocked from my hand. On my run

home, quite discouraged from the encounter, I again asked my Guides. However, this time I heard nothing. It would be over a month before I saw Annie again. When I did, she was back to her barking and growling. Then, unsolicited, in the “quietude” of my next run, a realization came to me. I was so caught up in my attempts to “heal” or “fix” Annie that I had missed her lesson for me—the lesson that I was to accept Annie just as she is! If Annie barks at me – so what? If Annie doesn’t like me—so what? The part of me that wanted to change Annie is far different than the part of me that knows that acceptance is the path to peace. I have now chosen to honor Annie just as she is, barking and all. When I see her while running I still tell her she is “special” and say “I love you Annie.” If she wants to bark at me, that is okay because that is who she is. If she were to stop barking, that would be okay, too. It really doesn’t matter. The lesson has been learned; and for that I will always be thankful to my teacher and special four-legged friend.

Steve Priester’s spiritual journey has included A Course In Miracles, Zen, and mediumship. He teaches Choosing The Spiritual Path at Fairy Dust Crystals and Such in Belleview, FL. He has been a runner for over 50 years. Steve can be reached at stvpriester@yahoo.com.

A Date with Nature

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Hisanari Kunimoto

A Challenge to create and feed consistent clarity, serenity and joy. by Terez Hartmann

THE DECISION—AND THE GIFT

I stopped to hear only the whisper of the wind through the trees and faint birdsong in the distance. As I sat to breathe with intention and listen longer, I was able to detect a small lizard (ooh – and then an armadillo!) moving stealthily through dried grasses. Then, the sound of moving water. Then, the buzz of a dragonfly—and a honey bee! Soon after, my vision came alive and I felt a prompting to look at just the right leaf in just the right moment to spot a gorgeous caterpillar that looked as if the patterns it carried on its back were a maze of intricately crafted Native American beadwork! And then in my peripheral vision, I glimpse a butterfly dancing among the flowers, which, to the caterpillar, unconsciously transmitted a message of the expanding world and mobility that is yet to come. As I continued to gaze outward, it was as if the trees and multi-tonal greens were becoming more vibrant with each passing minute. Quiet, unassuming, small flowers that would

have gone completely unnoticed, and possibly even fallen underfoot, beaconed me to reach for my camera to zoom in and capture the essence of their delicate and intricate petals. The natural world is ablaze with color, beauty and LIFE, and each time I give myself permission to engage the magic and constancy of “Great Nature,” I again discover the clarity, serenity, and joy that dwell eternally within my spirit. In February, 2019, I knew it was time to re-engage with nature and beauty in a more intentional way, and that doing so would be great medicine for my soul. But along with giving myself the opportunity to unplug, recharge, and immerse myself in an environment of flow, this decision brought benefits and new pathways that were FAR beyond the original scope and expectation I had set in motion (the details of which I will continue to share via future articles, social media, in my next course and beyond!) …But the largest gift of all? An abiding sense of peace that has become a constant companion and touchstone, even in the darkest of circumstances. Below is my original Facebook post from February (with small changes for the sake of relevance). May it ignite a fire in YOUR soul to get to discover the power and magic of YOUR Human-Nature.

FEBRUARY 4, 2019

My friends—as many of you know, I have one HECK of a mega-schedule filled with shows, many projects in process amd “family support” time (like many of my entrepreneurial sisters and brothers, or those caring for a parent/loved-one). Well, today I made a decision to take a powerful step to amp up MY well-being, create greater balance, and start a new Monday tradition, and I’d love to have you join me if the spirit also moves YOU! After a particularly intense few days, I knew I needed to do whatever it took to “loosen up & vibe right,” as nothing good is EVER accomplished (or done WELL) from a state of stress or feeling overwhelmed. Watching the Superbowl and yelling at the TV (yep, I REALLY get into the game!) with some fab peeps helped to an extent, but I knew I definitely needed to shake things up before jumping in to my week, so last night (Sunday), I decided to put my well-being first and take myself on a “date with nature” the next day. After an EPIC day at Lettuce Lake Park today in Tampa, FL, USA, I came away feeling SO clear, blessed, happy, and ready to rock, that I decided to start a new weekly tradition, designating Mondays as “Human-NATURE Day.” So, here’s what I’ll be doing/sharing: Each Monday, I will be visiting a beautiful natural space for at least two hours and post/share photos and any special insights/gifts that flowed during that time. If you also love nature, feel like a change of pace could help you allow a new groove, and you’re ready to experience greater clarity, serenity & joy, I’d like to challenge you to: 1) Visit a beautiful natural space for at least an hour EVERY Monday (or the day of the week that works best for you)— rain or shine! Sunset time and stargazing totally counts! 2) Post your fav photo/s and insights in honor of #HumanNATUREMonday 3) Include nature time—or at least one activity that brings you joy—in EVERY day.

Nature is such a magnificent teacher and has SO many gifts to share with us—including remembering that we are connected to something FAR bigger. It gives us perspective, beauty and inspiration. Why not partake of her many great gifts? ...And BTW: EVERY end result, dream, vision, goal, and intention is linked to feeling good (or at least better) with the hopes that we will eventually get to do what we love...so imagine how rich life can be if we stop waiting to live and decide to love our lives NOW? (And, interestingly enough—Law of Attraction/ Allowing peeps know this: Feeling good now invites MORE feelgood experiences later!) You’re worth it, and you deserve it! Let’s play and remember our true Human-NATURE. Author’s Note: To view photos from the experience described above, visit this link: https://www.facebook.com/ TerezHartmann/posts/10218795183780525 For photos of recent experiences, visit my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TerezHartman And/or search (inside of Facebook) for #HumanNatureMonday

THE BOTTOM LINE: #HUMANNATUREMONDAY

May you stand firm in your resolve to reach ever upward and outward like the mighty oak. May you rise above to ride the winds and discover ever-expanding perspective like our winged b rothers and sisters. May the waves of the ocean sing serenity to your spirit and remind you of the good that is eternally in motion. May you always know that even when you cannot see it, the sun absolutely, positively continues to shine for you, and ALL who call this planet home. …And whether you choose to engage, share, or simply observe the power of nature in your own unique way, I believe that if you’re willing to listen and to look closely, you too may find your center—and the best of YOUR Human-Nature.

ALLOWING YOUR SUCCESS with Terez “Firewoman” Hartmann

Terez “Firewoman” Hartmann,“Your catalyst for all things Fab-YOU-lous,” is the author of Allowing Your Success!, a proud contributing author of Transform Your Life! book one and two, a professional Keynote Speaker/Workshop Facilitator, Singer-Songwriter/Recording Artist, “Allowing Adventures!” & “Savor Vacation” Facilitator, and true Renaissance Woman, and Visionary. She keeps her fire lit by embracing and promoting a lifestyle of “Allowing,” and by using creative expression to elevate and ignite the human spirit, a passion that she shares with her husband, soul-mate and creative partner of over 15 years, John Victor Hartmann. Together they share “Allowing TRUE LOVE” workshops and experiences designed to help others attract, allow, and maintain extraordinary relationships, and create custom jingles and voice-overs in their studio, THE Creativity Express. Visit: http://www.TerezFirewoman.com

Listen on our website or your favorite podcast app or watch the video version on our YouTube channel.

My Cause, Because...

My Cause,

Because...

Most of the social history of the Western World, over the past three decades, has been a history of replacing what worked with what sounded good.”—Thomas Sowell By Gregg Sanderson There are figuratively gazillions of noble causes clamoring for our support, and every one of them wants to make the world a better place. Each of us is an expression of the power that created everything, which I like to call BOB, the Being of Bliss. Since that’s true for all at different stages of realization, here’s how I decide to direct my energy. I favor any cause that respects the individuality and diversity of all BOB’s expressions. Anything that promotes fear (“We’re going to hell in a hand basket.”), scarcity (“There’s not enough to go around.”), uniformity (“Everybody must be like us.”), or exclusivity (“We know what’s good for you.”) doesn’t make the cut. Then I ask, “What do they stand for?” Ernest Holmes said, “It would be wonderful indeed if a group of persons should arrive on Earth who are for something and against nothing.” Our challenge, as we play BOB’s games, is to avoid the RACE trap. (Righteousness and Approval Complicate Everything). Do you support a cause because all your friends do? That’s seeking approval. Do you then spend most of the time and effort putting down those who have a different point of view? That’s righteousness. Ever notice how it’s always somebody else who’s greedy? That’s SELF-righteousness. Your cause can let you feel noble, and it doesn’t matter if what they seek is totally ineffectual, or even makes matters worse. Too much of the clamor is about feeling good rather than actually accomplishing something.

That’s the RACE trap, folks. And beware. It can play havoc with your consciousness. Wouldn’t you rather feel good about yourself if you get behind something that works? Of course you would, but how can you tell? Sometimes it’s painfully obvious. “Stop doing what I don’t like,” is the credo of many, and they never consider what would happen should somebody obey. There is a term for that. It’s called “unintended consequences.” It’s just another way to say, “Ooops. I didn’t think of that.” Beware of those who speak of unintended consequences. It says more about them than they realize. When leaders fly in private jets to a luxury resort area to talk about pollution, I tend to question their sincerity. When demonstrators for peace go on a rampage of destruction, can I help but wonder if they have their heads screwed on straight? I used to live in lumber country, where people would demonstrate against the industry with wooden signs and never notice the irony. Bless ‘em all as they do their respective dances to enlightenment, but I dance to a different tune. My song is Personal Freedom and every other individual on Earth is entitled to his/her own choices—and the consequences thereof. So I will never proselytize for folks to live their lives as I do. I’ll just keep on living by my own choices and celebrate your right to do the same. Have a nice day—or not. It’s your call.

Happiness is BS with Gregg Sanderson

Gregg Sanderson is author of Spirit With A Smile, The World According To BOB. He is a licensed practitioner in the Centers for Spiritual Living, and a Certified Trainer for Infinite Possibilities. His earlier books were, What Ever Happened To Happily Ever After? and Split Happens—Easing The Pain Of Divorce. His latest project is the New Thought Global Network, where subscribers can enjoy the best in New Thought presentations from anywhere at any time. You can see it at http://www.newthoughtglobal.org.