Those words live in infamy across the globe. Some of the phrases above translate to “Don’t Forget.” Nevertheless, these words are solidified within the hearts, souls, and minds of billions of humans across the globe for different reasons.
I remember where I was that day when I watched the towers burn and crumble…many of us do.
But now 20 years later – what do the words “Never Forget” mean through my own interpretation, growth, learning, and internal development?
While many see war as a necessary means to an end – I no longer do. That said, I will never forget the millions of lives sacrificed around the globe for what these men and women believe to be the greater good, on all sides, not just from the standpoint of an “American.”
These brave souls stand, fight, and often die in the line of duty for their nations. As human consciousness continues to evolve, I can see a day in the not so distant future through which we do not solve conflict through acts of war and further violence.
War is an outdated belief system that can be un-programmed in the minds of our leaders. We need not resolve disagreements through acts of violence and murder. There are other, more spiritual and soulful answers against those actions that are more egoic and worldly in nature.
All of that said – I will never forget the tens if not hundreds of millions of souls across the globe that have given their physical lives for what they believed in. While I don’t find it necessary any longer, I acknowledge the “up to now” aspect of the human consciousness. I respect and appreciate all lives around the globe that have served their countries and died for their respective causes.
My hope, belief, and meditation is that all soldiers around the globe lay down their arms before their leaders and commit that they will fight no more.
For we need not sacrifice another human soul through the act of war if we choose not too listen to those calling upon us for more war. There are better ways – better solutions to resolving conflict and disagreement.
Love is the antithesis to hate as well as the overarching answer to solving it. Without sounding too “hippieish” – all we need is love.
This is a fact. As human kind moves up the spiritual levels of consciousness, love is where we begin to show more care, appreciation, and connectedness with the world. Above the levels of love are joy, peace, and enlightenment:
Human Levels of consciousness by Dr. David Hawkins
I will never forget that we are all human first. No matter our difference of opinion, political alignments, spiritual belief system; we are in this human playground experience together.
In this hyper-polarized world in which we live, I continue to work to observe the pendulum swing of the principle of rhythm.
As the power controllers of the world aim to stay within power, I believe it is often intended to generate more hate, division, opposition, and in-fighting. It is my opinion that this is by design to hold humanity back or slow our progress of collective consciousness evolution.
I will not forget that humankind is wising up to these Hegelian dialectic tactics:
Hegelian Dialectic Example in Politics
Thus, I will not forget to see you as a “human being first” over all other labels that we have given ourselves or have received from society.
Never Forgetting that United We Stand – Divided We Fall
Above all else…
I have learned in the last 20 years that we are connected on this planet not only through a physical nature, but spiritually as well.
We truly are all connected. There is no force on this planet that can stop us if we collectively bond together. Yes, there is work to be done. All of humanity is slowly waking up to the fact that there are manipulators abound that are trying desperately to hold us back.
Every tactic in the book of psychological warfare is being cast upon as globally. I believe the archaic operating system of power and control is crumbling around us. Thus it is why we are experiencing such extremes.
Never forget that we are many, they are few. Their intentions are to hold us back, retard our spiritual, collective conscious evolution.
Never forget that it is humanity’s destiny to push forward and reach it’s full potential.
Perhaps the pivotal point that took our breath away and caused our collective hearts to skip a beat twenty years ago to the day on September 11th, 2001 was the beginning of the outdated oligarchy beginning to crumble apart.
I will never forget those lives lost then, after, and continued.
For it is through them, that my then closed eyes – are now wide open…
As this blog continues onward and upward, I thought it might be helpful and beneficial to explain my definition of “ungraduated.” Yes, ungraduated is a made up word. It is a word that I have made up that beckons towards the search for truth and meaning. We live in a society that is very quick to tell us how to think, live, and believe. The meaning of living ungraduated is all about doing the work on oneself to remove so many of the limiting belief systems we operate within here in the modern world that often hold us back in life.
From a young age, many of us are taught how to conform, rather than think. We are given a set of criteria that ranges from history and sciences, to health and the arts. Within that curriculum, we are neatly cast. Failure to see things as society has taught, might garner us a failing grade. So instead, we are taught how to pass tests on the material we are taught. We are not taught to rationalize and form our own conclusions, but rather ensure we are keeping to the programming we are given.
Now mind you, some of this programming is necessary for proper function within society. I am all for that. We need to understand basic math, reading, and social skills. But beyond that, much of what is spoon fed to our youth is largely perspectives from those that wrote the books and the teachers that teach them.
Education, in my opinion, should be about exploration and question gathering. That is what real learning is. Not sitting in a building all day being programmed so that we fit into a nice neat ball that plays well in society.
There is so much education we have been given, not all of it correct or good, that there is a great need to ungraduate from it. We are not taught in school about how to attain real happiness, meaning, or purpose. No, we are schooled on how best to produce and function within the man-made hamster wheel of modern society.
How much trouble can come from something that is supposed to be so good? The bloodshed over religion is one of the greatest embarrassments to the human name. My god is right, no MY god is right. Whatever god does exist certainly does not want us killing in its name, or it is likely not a god worth dying for.
For the most part, we have passed through the darker days in which people killed in the name of their religion. We are certainly not 100% past those days, but at least past the days of starting all out wars over it.
Instead, we now bicker, fight, and call each other bad names over social media or in close family quarters when we don’t agree about ones faith. Still a lot of work to be done, in my humble opinion.
How about this for a novel idea? We stop searching for which religion is right and make our own personal search of truth in faith. We have enough information available to guide us and help us make informed decisions.
This is for those that care to seek for the higher good. Enough to help us understand where our souls may inevitably be heading one day. For those that care not about a higher power – more power to you! It matters not to me. I’m confident enough that life is going to continue on after death. I’m not seeking to prove it to you when I know you will find out when your day comes.
The meaning of living ungraduated when it comes to religion is about doing your own work towards God. Whatever you feel God is, is up to you. It is how you find God that matters and not through the forced nature or threats of another human being.
Perhaps one of the more understood reasons of needing to ungraduate, might come from the political spectrum we live in today. What a complete and total disaster it has become.
We can hardly speak to another person that has an opposing political view.
The meaning of living ungraduated in terms of politics is completely putting yourself on a “human level.” It is not about red versus blue or how to better balance the budgets. Living in an ungraduated way in terms of politics is realizing that politics is more of a facade, designed to keep us in lower vibration. Right and left are two wings of the same bird.
Perhaps at one point in time, politics was about “for the people, by the people. But we are a long way away from that point in time. Yes, the world functions on politics, I completely understand that. We need politics in order to “get things done” in the current modality of the world. However, we need not allow politics to bring our level of vibration down.
Despite our differences, our commonality is that we are human. By undraduating from the political spectrum, you are choosing to ignore the political hatred and banter, yet still stay in tune with the world. You look at the world with love, compassion, and concern for its betterment. We may need to still vote in order to get action done, but we need not hate the other side that wins or loses.
To sum it all up – the meaning of living ungraduated is all about being curious. It is about asking the bigger questions in life and finding your own way rather than walking in the footsteps of others. It’s about removing limiting life belief systems.
When we stop asking questions and take everything at face value we begin to limit ourselves. The human mind is an amazing device when we use it rather than allowing it to be programmed.
What are some aspects of your life where you have become ungraduated? What new perspectives have you gained through being naturally curious? How have you become more of your authentic self?
Would love to hear as many perspectives as possible on the topic. There is so much in life that we need to seek answers for. We may not find them all, but starting with the bigger questions is how we begin to find our way, through our why – our purpose. It’s how we begin to truly define the meaning of living.
Pam Reynolds was a songwriter and orchestrator. She lived in Atlanta and at the age of 35, she was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. This aneurysm was a particularly challenging one to address as it was located in her brain stem near the base of her skull. There was one procedure that she was told gave her very little chance of survival, but that it was her only hope at continuing her life. To address the aneurysm, part of the skull is removed, including the base of the eye. This creates a space that allows access to the base of the skull. The body temperature was lowered to 60.8 degrees Fahrenheit. Her blood was then drained to allow the aneurysm to flatten out. Upon clipping the aneurysm, blood was then pumped back into her body as she was warmed back up. While the surgery was a success, Pam was conscious during the experience. The following description is from Pam Reynolds herself and describes her actual death experience.
Doctor Robert F. Spetzler performed the operation, but there were more people in that room than I would have ever guessed to be in an operating room. They cooled my body down and my heart stopped. My brain waves stopped functioning. They tilted the end of the gurney up and drained my blood, like oil from a car, into a heart lung machine. I’m told that’s what happened but, understand, I was not there when this was happening.
I had been put to sleep. Dr. Spetzler has since assured me that I was nearly comatose. There was no way that I could have heard or seen anything. My eyes were taped shut and my ears had speakers inserted in them making a loud clicking sound. These speakers were used to monitor the response of my brain. Nonetheless, I began to hear a tone. It was guttural, it was unpleasant, I did not like it. It drew my consciousness like water from a well. And having done that, I sort of popped out of my head to see what this horrific noise was.
At first my vantage point was rather like sitting on the shoulder of the surgeon. In his hand, I saw the instrument that was making the offensive noise. I have heard the word “saw” all my life – my father used a saw, my grandfather used a saw, brain surgeons use saws. I had assumed they were going to open the skull with a saw. But this was no saw. This think was held more like a pencil. It looked like a drill and actually reminded me of an electric toothbrush.
This was the thing that was causing the noise that disturbed my very, very, very, deep slumber.
An Out of Body Experience like None Other
Out of body experience
The feeling of exiting the body was incredible. I’ve never weighted five hundred pounds, but if was as if I had and just lost all the weight. I could move around at will. My thought process took me where I wanted to go. I felt no pain, no more suffering, no more fear. I was free to wander around, at will, unobstructed.
I heard a female voice describing that my arteries and veins were too small.I thought they may be working in the wrong areas since they were doing brain surgery. Out of concern I tried to communicate with the female but she could not hear me.
It was indescribable but beautiful to know that I was no longer part of that thing lying on the operating table. “I” was outside of my body.
I began to sense a presence. The feeling was rather like having someone looking over your shoulder and yet there being no-one in the room. I turned around to look at it and instead of seeing a person, I saw a very tiny pinpoint of light. As I started focusing on the light, it started to pull me and the pulling had physical sensation with it. It was like from my tummy, going over a hill real fast. The closer I got to the light, the better I could see and discern figures.
The first figure I knew was my grandmother. I heard her voice calling me. But it wasn’t a voice made of vocal cords, it was something different. Therewere so many people there, many I knew, many I did not know, but somehow I knew I was connected to them. I didn’t know how I knew this, but I knew.
The people were wearing light, they seemed to be made of light. The ones I recognized, it’s as if there had never been a separation between us. There was love, warmth, and protection and I felt all of it.
I then saw my uncle, who had passed away at the age of thirty nine. He didn’t use his mouth to communicate. He did it in another way that I remembered from my early childhood. He had the look. He would look at me and I would understand. It didn’t take long to understand that this was how everyone here communicated.
I asked my grandmother regarding the nature of the light. My communication to her was, “Is the light God?” and there was great laughter and she said, “No, sweetheart, the light is not God. The light is what happens when God breaths.” That was the communication.
The landscape was nonexistent. It was as if the bodies were floating tin midair. There was light and shadow, but it didn’t seem to fall on anything. That’s what convinced me that I probably was not in “heaven.” It had colors like you wouldn’t believe. I was probably in an “in-between” place. Perhaps I was on some sort of bridge on the way, because, let us not forget, they would not let me into that light.
I became concerned as to whether or not I was really there. I looked at my own hands and held them up to my face. I saw something, I knew I was there, I could feel “me.” The odd thing was, I didn’t feel so very different than I feel here. And yet, there was no density in the flesh, but still, I held them up to my face to secure the knowledge that I was there.
There came a time that I knew I had to return to the body. My uncle was going to take me and that was fine. I was okay with that, until I saw the thing and I was not at all pleased. He told me, “Think about your favorite food…Won’t you miss your children?” And then he told me, “It’s like jumping in a swimming pool, baby. Just jump.” I looked down and saw the body jump with the first defibrillation. I definitely did not want to get in the thing then, because, to be honest with you, it looked like what it was — dead. I knew it would hurt. My response to him was – no. So then he pushed me.
I hit the body at the second defibrillation of the heart, and there I was alive and somewhat uncomfortable. Getting back into the body was kind of like jumping into a pool of ice water. It was shocking. I could feel the shock and it was very unpleasant.
I woke up in the operating room and was told I wasn’t supposed to wake up until I was in the recovery room.
Validating the Out of Body Experience
near death experience of Pam Reynolds
Afterward, Dr. Spetzler listened very closely to everything I said to him. On the following day, he very firmly explained to me that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, this was not a hallucination. He told me that what I described actually occurred. For example, they had to defibrillate me twice.
The voice I had heard was indeed female, and later my doctors introduced me to her. She was the head of the cardiovascular team and she was doing a “cutdown.” this is the methodology by which they drew the blood from my body.
I was able to eventually see the Midas Rex bone saw and indeed it did look like an electric toothbrush.
I was a believer when I left the hospital and I wasn’t the only one. There were several staff members there who said I wasn’t the only case they had seen that was unusual in this regard.
I know that consciousness survives the death of the physical body because I’ve had that experience personally. Beyond that, I cannot, in truth, know anything. In my opinion, what happened to me is evidence of an afterlife.
Having had this near death experience, I no longer fear death. I fear separation. I thought at first that I wouldn’t even fear separation, but there is no experience that makes the separation okay when you lose someone. But when my time comes, I will embrace death.
I find it extremely interesting that others from all over the planet, regardless of culture, religious bias, or political lean defy coincidence by reporting the same basic elements with their near death experiences.
She gives both sides to the arguments of consciousness and what happens before and after death. Actual death experiences are examined as well as cases of real life examples of reincarnation.
The soul and spirt that embodies us within the physical reality we call life deserves to be studied. Science likes to have concrete and absolute proof of existence so within these cases it is often difficult to lay claims to truth.
But there is documented proof out there if we want to find it. The evidence is mounting more and more. We can choose to deny these facts and turn a blind eye, or lean into the possibilities and form our own conclusions.
It may not take an actual death experience for us to discover more evidence. There are ways for us to work to discover the power of out of body experiences through focus, mental work, meditation, and other practices. I know this borders on the lines of speculation, but there are people out there who absolutely know that we continue life after death due to their experiences.
I am one of those people. Perhaps at a later point in time I will tell my story here in my blog posts. For me, it wasn’t an actual death experience, but rather the practice of daily focus and effort to experience an out of body experience. Upon that successful completion, my life was also forever changed.
My reason for being became clear – and I had to begin sharing my life experiences in hopes that others may benefit.
For more insight and information on Pam Reynolds, feel free to watch:
What are your thoughts, questions, or even experiences around all this? I would love to have you engage in the conversation.
To me, these are some of the most fascinating questions that we should be exploring in life.
My search for truth will never cease, and I welcome you all along for the ride with me.
What happens after we die? Do we have a soul that continues on? What exactly is spirit? Is there an afterlife? These are just a few of life’s greatest questions that mankind has asked internally and externally for millennia. For those with inquisitive motives around these topics, evidence of life before and after death is surfacing. We just have to know where to look for it.
For those of us born and raised in the western world, there has been a reoccurring dismissal or downright denial of reincarnation. That is all beginning to change as we are being forced to peel back the layers of some profound, real, and life-changing stories.
If you find yourself as a western world believer of “Yolo,” (you only live once), bare with me and keep an open mind. What you are about to embark upon in this reading may shake and challenge you to your very core.
James Leininger appeared on the surface to be like all other two year old boys. However there was one very troubling issue his parents Bruce and Andrea couldn’t figure out. He would have terrible dreams at night often ending with screaming and recounting a plane crash.
“Airplane crash on fire! Little man can’t get out!” Little James would scream these words while amidst his night terrors. His parents first believed he was suffering from “typical nightmares.”
The nightmares persisted to a point where Bruce and Andrea became increasingly more concerned. They would ask him about the specifics of his dreams. “Who is the little man?,” his mother would ask him. “Me,” James would reply. His father got more involved in the questioning.
“Son, what happened to your plane?” James replied, “It crashed on fire.”
“Why did your plane airplane crash?”
“It got shot,” James would reply.
“Who shot your plane?” James then twisted his head up at his father as if he should know, “The Japanese,” James replied with some discontent in his voice.
How does a two year old respond with such conviction? How could it be that little James seemed to be describing life before and after death? Either it was one wild reoccurring dream or something else was amiss.
Specific World War II Memories Recalled
Future occasions of these night terrors continued and James would eventually tell his parents specific details that continued to baffle them.
He explained that the type of airplane he flew was known as a Corsair. At that time, these aircrafts were the elite fighter planes that the marines and navy pilots would fly. He also told them that the plane took off from a boat called the “Natoma.”
Little James seemed to be describing the fact thathis plane he flew took off from an aircraft carrier. Lastly, little James was adamant that his plane was shot in the front engine, where the propeller was.
Upon hearing this information, his father did some research and found a black and white picture of the Natoma Bay, a small United States aircraft carrier that saw battle in the Pacific during Work War II.
Jame’s father Bruce was absolutely stunned. Convinced his son was making this all up in some way, he pressed on determined to disprove the evidence his son kept placing in front of him.
After all, Bruce was a devout Christian, taught that we live only once. What was happening before his very eyes threatened every belief he was raised under and within his faith. His faith taught that there was no physical life after death. Could his son actually have lived a previous life?
Further research from Bruce concluded that the USS Natoma Bay had been commissoned by the Navy in October 1943 and entered naval service in 1944.
By now Jame’s parents were on a serious case of conducting reincarnation research to either disprove or prove their son’s reoccurring dreams.
Jame’s began to refer to himself as “James 3.” This puzzled his parents as to why he would call himself “James 3.” He responded to them with, “I’m the third James.”
Through conducting tireless research, Jame’s father was able to connect with some family members of a friend that James began describing in his dreams. The name Jack Larsen came up and James would tell his parents that Jack was his friend and that he flew planes too.
They believed that Jack was likely dead, but to their astonishment they found that he was actually still alive at the time of doing their research and living in Arkansas. This information was divulged to them while Bruce was attending a veterans Natoma Bay reunion in San Diego, CA in 2002.
Within this reunion Bruce discovered that there was also a “James M. Huston Jr.” This James was killed during an attack of the island of Chichi-Jima, about 150 miles from Iwo Jima. The only details that were known were that James Huston was the only airman killed in that battle.
This explained why their son James called himself “James 3.” If he had been James Huston reborn, he would now be the “third James.”
Only one discrepancy now remained. Little James had said he was flying a Corsair when he was shot down. The documents shown that the plane James Huston Jr. was flying when he was shot down was an FM-2 Wildcat. But there was soon to be more facts that supported this life after death story.
For Christmas Jame’s parents bought him some G.I. Joe dolls which he named, “Billy, and “Leon.” He would play with them for hours and grew very attached to them. When he received a third doll, he named it “Walter.”
With such peculiar names, his parents asked him why he chose to name them those names. James replied, very quickly and precisely, “Because that’s who met me when I got to heaven.”
His father conducted further research and found that a Billie Peeler, Leon, Conner, and Walter Devlin all served on Natoma Bay. They were killed in 1944 and were already dead when James Hutson Jr. was shot down.
Through some census records Bruce found that James Huston Jr. had two sisters, Ruth and Anne. At the time of doing his research, Anne was still alive and eighty-four years old. Upon reaching out to her, she sent him some photos of James.
The first was a photo of the entire squadron with a plane behind it. The second showed James Huston Jr. standing alone in front of and airplane. The image clearly was that of a Corsair fighter plane.
Jame’s Huston’s military records show that before joining his squadron, he flew the Corsair and became quite good at it. When he joined his new squadron however they assigned him to fly the FM-2 Wildcat that he was eventually shot down in.
The evidence of life before and after death is there. We just don’t often hear about it. When we do, it often receives great criticism, at least in the modern western world.
There is plenty of documented research you can conduct on your own with this case and many others. I believe part of our journey on this planet is to do our own work to discover ourselves and our true nature.
Today James lives as a normal adult and has largely put his past life experience behind him. However it took him some time to move past the pain and trauma he was recalling.
Whatever energy his soul carried over to this next life of his was still highly effected from his last life. Perhaps it is the reason why most of us don’t remember our pre-existing lives. Sometimes they end traumatically. Or maybe we do remember at a young age until we grow older and begin to face the challenges of the world and adulthood.
Have you ever had reoccurring nightmares as a child? If so, it is quite possible you were re-expieriencing a past life…
In a way, I feel we do “only live once.” But just as this current body. I believe the soul lives on infinitely with the possibility to come back and learn more and grow through earthly experiences. The evidence of life before and after death is there for us to look at if we want to see it. It is life changing for some to discover this potential reality.
So even if you do think “YOLO,” you’d be correct…until the next incarnation with the same soul – in my humble opinion at least. Or perhaps we just keep at it until we become so experienced and “pure” of love and overall consciousness that we then do “join” back with our source or higher power.
Whatever your belief, I think you can at least attest, this is quite fascinating and exciting stuff!
What is that voice inside our heads? Is it our consciousness? How about our thoughts? Maybe it is responsible to play the devils advocate game with us? The human psyche can be a very peculiar thing. As humans have gained the ability to think and act independently over time, we have developed a self-identifying mechanism known as the ego. The ego has benefits, but also can be very crippling. Breaking free of Ego – the voice inside your head, can be a tall order. However, once able to see it for what it is, our world of limitations turn into super highways of open potential and possibility.
Our egos help define our character. It generates our personality. Without some ego, we would all be rather robotic in nature.
Most people when they hear the word ego envision the pompous, outspoken, overly-confident, rich person that can’t help throwing around their opinion. While this is part of the definition, it goes well beyond that often misunderstood interpretation.
The ego also impacts the quiet, bashful, recluse kind of individuals as well. It comprises our fears, insecurities, limiting beliefs, and self-doubts.
Everyone is impacted differently through their ego. As we grow up, we begin to believe certain stories about ourselves. These stories can come from our parents, friends, social culture, and surrounding environments. The ego begins to develop a sense “of self” through our life experiences. Before too long and often at a young age, we begin to form our personalities alongside the development of our egos.
For many, we begin to unknowingly identify with our ego. A type of entrapment often happens and we wake up at some point in our lives believing whatever it is that the voice inside our head tells us.
“A Course in Miracles” has become one of my greatest learning assets on what ego is and how breaking free of ego is so important in our lives. The Course teaches about our separation and splintering off from our higher power. Like our soul and spirt connects to this higher power, so does the ego connect with the physical world in which we live. ACIM, as it is known, teaches about our separation from our higher power and the guilt that the ego identifies with it.
To think and align with guilt is to fear punishment. The ego believes in and aligns with division since we splintered off from our Source. What we accept into our own minds begins to generate our realities. When thinking in a guilty manner, it automatically generates a feeling of fear. As many have come to understand – fear is one of the most crippling of all emotions we experience in life.
Choosing to live our lives through our empowered spirit and connection to our higher selves is how we overcome this feeling of guilt. When we choose to see in alignment with the ego, we are identifying with the physical realm and aligning with separation. In reality, we are always connected to our Source. Through using our spirit to allow our higher selves to live with us while in the physical world, we are choosing not to see ourselves as separate.
Many of us have become disillusioned in the belief that we are separate from our Source and that fuels the ego. Thus unconsciously, our guilt rises and begins to side more with the physical reality we see in front of us, rather than the empowering life-force we are still connected with.
While our ego is attached to this physical life we are living, we must discover that we are not our hierarchy, wealth, physical looks, among many other things.
Eckhart Tolle and his incredibly enlightening book “The Power of Now,” dictates the point of identification quite well. He explains the following:
Identification with your mind creates an opaque screen of concepts, labels, images, words, judgements, and definitions that blocks all true relationship.
Eckhart Tolle
It is through this “screen of thought” he describes that creates the “illusion” of separateness. We begin to believe that there is a “You” and a totally separate “other being.” Through this illusion we then can no longer see that we are really “one with all that is.”
We all hear the voice inside our head – that doesn’t make us crazy. That voice or ego we have is always commenting on what comes up in our minds. It makes judgements, comparisons, complaints, likes, and dislikes. This is not something that will likely change. However, we can gain some level of “impartialness” to that thought. Here are some ways that we can begin breaking free of ego and mindless chatter:
Pay attention to repetitive patterns of thought
Do not judge or condemn the thoughts you have
Listen to the thought impartially
Begin to “watch” and “listen” to the voice – become the observer of it
Do not think along with it – simply observe it without judgment
Playing the “watcher” of your ego and mind helps bring you more towards consciousness and becoming ever more present. This is how we begin to disengage from the mindless chatter. Therefore the involuntary mind chatter begins to lessen.
As Eckhart Tolle teaches, “Instead of watching the thinker, you can also create a gap in the mind stream by directing the focus of your attention into “The Now.” Each time we create a gap in the mindless wonderment of our thought stream, our consciousness grows ever more aware and powerful.
If the ego were to have its way, it would forever keep us living in the past and future. Stuck in our blunders and mistakes and forever fearful of how those errors will craft our misfortune of our futures.
Our liberation away from the mindless chatter and fear generation of the ego, is generated as we focus evermore intently into present moment awareness. “Thought cannot exist without consciousness, but consciousness does not need thought.”
We can begin to see that we are no longer “the emotions” of our lives, rather we are the watcher or observing presence.
It takes some practice, but with enough effort we can learn to see ourselves as never separate from our higher Source. We can “watch” our egoic mind and bring ourselves ever more into present moment awareness and happiness.
What is the difference between education and learning? Education is the process of being told what one needs to learn through the perspectives of society. Learning can be self-directed and often driven through the ambitions of the individual. It is often far more beneficial to the growth of the individual that they are empowered to seek learning and knowledge into aspects of life that most interest them. That was certainly the case in my life. I didn’t enjoy being “educated” in school. I much prefer to seek out information in life that intrigues me. There are certain aspects of life we need base education in, but I would much rather seek the learning that inspires and motivates me. With that in mind, here are the five books that impacted my self development the most in my life.
The Law of Attraction – How Life Works
In 2006 I came across the now renowned and infamous book, “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne. In this book the author speaks to her discovery of how the non-physical aspect of life works in conjunction to our thoughts.
Deep within I could feel this truth. At the time I was 26 years old and had begun successfully putting my life in order.
It was through the realization that our thoughts are connected energetically through our physical reality that hit home to me. The mind is truly more powerful than given credit for. It isn’t just responsible for intellectual intelligence and the functions of our body, it also acts as like a software program for the hardware of our lives. What we think and believe, eventually manifests itself into existence over time. Sometimes faster and othertimes times longer, but without a doubt we are programming our realities through each thought.
The Law of Attraction is real in my life and I’ve witnessed its authenticity so many times. As I often say, your truth will come through your own experiences.
Belief of a Higher Power – Or Not?
Shortly after discovering “The Secret” I began wondering more about the significance of a higher power. Does God exist? If so, what exactly is God’s purpose?
Did God just create us and then take a back seat in our lives, or is God more active in our everyday lives?
These are questions that we likely may not be able to 100% answer, but the point in asking them in my opinion is necessary.
In the book “Is Belief in God, Good, Bad, or Irrelevant?” – the lead singer Gregg Graffin, of Bad Religion, and his friend Preston Jones debate the terms of “God” and other religious aspects of life, their relevancy, and other big questions that many people ask.
This was one of the books that impacted my self development the most because it put into focus front and center, that our belief system doesn’t necessary matter. It opened my perspective to “Naturalism” and wanting to know more about “Universal Law.”
Non-Believer to Believer
Reading “Is Belief in God Good, Bad, or Irrelevant?” led me to “Proof of Heaven” from Eben Alexander.
The author is a neurosurgeon that was an atheist until he had a near death experience during a coma and bout with Meningitis.
While in his coma, he remembered specific awe-inspiring details of being reunited with his sister in the afterlife.
Eben Alexander awoke from his medically induced coma with a brand new “truth.” He had experienced the very real aspect of his spirt or consciousness leaving his body for a period of time. This differed in specific ways from a dream.
Because of this book, I began wanting to understand more about the non-physical aspects of life. What is the spirit? What is consciousness? Do either of these exist once the physical body ceases to exist? These are questions that demand more exploration.
Out of Body Experiences – Not a Myth
What Eben Alexander was experiencing during his coma was and OBE or “out of body experience.” People that have “near death” experiences often experience OBE’s. However, they are still very much alive, just not always in the physical sense. It is beginning to become more clear, that when the body dies, life continues. Just not in the way we are accustomed to.
In “Journeys Out of the Body,” Robert Monroe tells the story of his experiences of being able to “view” life while not “in” his body. Bare with me here…
This is not a new concept. During the Cold War, the CIA recruited “Mind Readers” to spy on the Soviets. The CIA declassified 12 million pages of records. The reveal from the CIA speaks to previously unknown details about a program, which eventually became known as Project Star Gate. The program was shut down in 1995. But the study revealed how psychics known as “remote viewers” took part in a variety of operations, from locating terrorists to helping free hostages.
This book led me to study how we get our minds and bodies into a meditative state that allows the consciousness to “experience” life in real time outside of the body. Through these practices, I have been able to discover the very real truth that our life extends beyond the physical realm we see each day.
Being Healthy in the Here and Now
Although there is much more to life than just the physical, we still need to tend to “our capsules” we refer to as bodies. Of all the books that impacted my self development, this one made the most impact in my health.
In “Super Human,” David Asprey brings attention to how important healthy functioning mitochondria are in our bodies. All the physical aspects of our bodies rely on healthy cells.
For all the attention we place on the outside image of our body, we neglect the internal workings. Much of the degeneration that occurs as we age is due to the cellular breakdown we endure. However, there are many natural supplements that aid our different cells in slowing the break down that occurs as our bodies get older.
When we learn how to supplement and eat a more balanced diet, we can begin to “age backwards” or slow the aging process. David has a life goal of living to be 160! In this book, he speaks to the many different tactics that can be put into place in practical ways.
With proper health, supplements, and modern science, the only thing that keeps us from living vibrantly past 100 is typically our belief and mindset.
We each are walking our own path and journey in life. The books that impacted my self development might not be the ones that you need the most to impact yours. The key in our individual journey’s are to pause and reflect with our intuition. Where does your intrigue lead you? What topics in life inspire you to learn more about?
So many people are simply “moving through” life. They often don’t pause to discover needed personal awakenings. When you do pause and generate the questions you seek, pay attention to what life puts in front of you. That is how it has worked for me. One discovery leads to the next, and then the next, and before you know it you’re well on your way to finding your specific answers.
What has been your path? What self-awakenings and discoveries have you had? Which of these left the biggest lasting impacts in your life?
I’d love to hear from you and your experiences in personal awakenings and self discoveries. All of us walk different paths, but all our paths are unique and beautiful in their own ways.
Let your intuition continue to be your life guide…if you pay attention, you will see it is taking you to the discoveries you need for your own personal awakenings.
The true meaning of Sovereignty is often misunderstood. The meaning of the word comes from Latin origins. Supra– meaning above or not below, and Regnum – meaning “kingdom” or “dominion.” This translates to “not being owned, or not being under rulership of any kingdom or dominion.”
To be a sovereign being literally means to rule your own kingdom. Sovereignty does not come from governments, Kings, Queens, Dictatorships, or other political means. It is granted by the Rights of the Universe or Natural Law to the individual to live as he or she sees best for themselves.
We as humans do have a sovereign right to do what we individually feel best for ourselves without direction from governments or other imposing powers. Governments exist to try and provide natural order, law, and direction for the masses. However, these individuals that make our rules don’t decide our freedom of choice – within reason.
The recent rise and push for globalization, further blends and muddies the waters of sovereign interests and continues to fuel the debate.
Man’s law consists of rules that we decide for society. These rules are ever changing and fit the needs of the time. They are largely “made up.” I consider them mostly an illusion or construct through which society functions.
Some of these rules are certainly necessary. We don’t want people texting and driving or running red lights and stop signs. Certainly laws exist for good reason, but they are made up principles from one group that feels they know best.
I believe that most people grow up understanding the difference between right and wrong. In my belief system, human beings are born innately good. This goes contrary to the belief of some that we are born in sin and innately evil or bad. It is largely our surroundings, upbringing, and conditioning that imprint upon us and help cultivate how we will view and live our lives – either for good, or for evil.
Mans Law is “Made Up” through Time
Let’s take prohibition for example. At one point in time a group within the ruling class of the U.S. decided that alcohol was more bad than good. It’s production and sale was outlawed from 1920 – 1933.
At some point in time, another group of rulers and law makers decided it would be better off allowing the sales and manufacturing of alcohol once again.
The previous law was abolished and the sale of alcohol was once again allowed.
As time continues on, lawmakers decide what they deem best for the public and then the people are typically forced to adopt and live within those rules of operation.
In many ways we have seen similar changes within the cannabis industry. Long looked at as forbidden, states have mostly completely adopted cannabis for medical use and some have made it legal recreationally.
Understandably, these rules and regulations are highly debatable. The principle of sovereignty and the ability to choose for oneself is at the center of the controversy. Mainly because there are possibilities of harming another underneath these substances. If it were simply only about “one human,” and their choice to partake – there would likely be much less debate. The other side of the coin argues alcohol and cannabis, when abused, can cause harm or worse to innocent bystanders extending far beyond just the sovereign being choosing to partake in the substance.
Natural Law is factual within principles of creation while man’s law is left to interpretation and dogmatic constructs of the mind. Natural Law is not left to interpretation – it either “is,” or “is not.” Natural Law is factual everywhere within the known universe – from one side to the other. It is always the same and constant and helps define the meaning of sovereignty in our lives.
We will always reap what we sow. “As above / so below,” as the principle of correspondence points out. Bad deeds done, will result in karmic outputs for those that conduct them. Contrarily, man’s law requires compliance through fear and punishment in failure to comply regardless of our sovereign right of personal choice.
Man’s Law is Fickle
Man’s law changes from city to city, county to county, state to state, country to country. If ever we populate other planets, it will likely change from planet to planet. Natural Law will exist for as long as the universe exists. The principles and facts such as gravity, as just one example, will always be. Whereas man’s law changes with time.
Many other examples of this exist around the globe as to what we accept somewhere, but not elsewhere. We seem to have no idea what is right for ourselves or what the lies at the center of the meaning of sovereignty. Why must we always think we have it figured out and decide what others can and cannot do? While I don’t expect much to change anytime soon – these are always questions worth asking and diving into. Nature and the universe has given us natural laws by which we can live, why must we always look to “man,” to guide us?
Likely because we see ourselves as the greatest power the world has ever known. We understand very little about the universe and the truths that exist within the Principles of Natural Law.
People like to debate what is right and what is wrong when it comes to the meaning of sovereignty. It could be over anything, (pick any subject). There always seems to be some form of grey area they define based on situations and certain rules. The fact is, Natural Law can very simply define whatis a right and what is a wrong – we don’t need man to decide it for us.
A “right,” is anything that a person does to or for themselves that does not inflict a “wrong,” on another. If a person wants to do something that is causing no harm to anyone else, they should be able to do so. This is anything and everything. It does not matter if “man’s law,” decries it or not. Natural law simply “is.”
The concept of morality under the Natural Law theory is not subjective. This means that the definition of what is “right,” and what is “wrong,”is the same for everyone, everywhere. The natural law approach to solving ethical dilemmas begins with the basic belief that everyone has the right to live their life without contradictions to infringing on Natural Law rights of others. Even if that action is something that another person thinks is dangerous for that person to do, it still should be the individual’s sovereign right to do whatever they want to do for themselves. This helps further clarify the meaning of sovereignty.
Allow the Universe to Handle it
If and when a persons’ actions cause inadvertent or purposeful harm to another, the person that made the decision will suffer karmic consequences. These can be in many different forms from mental anguish to physical struggles as well. Natural and Universal Law will always balance through the Principle of Correspondence. We as man do not need to decide that persons fate. Because we don’t understand Universal Law, we feel the need to “punish” the personal that committed the dastardly deed. To us, this is retribution. We don’t realize the Universe will handle it for that person, in this current life or their next.
A wrong is very easily described as any action that inflicts harm upon another individual. It is also the action of taking from another, of which does not belong to them. Even though technically we never actually “own” anything forever, while in our physical bodies, we incorporate items over time and we have rights to these belongings.
Human kind continues to try and set out to define “our laws,” and this is very likely the cause of imbalance we often experience in our lives. Humankind doesn’t seem ready for it today or anytime soon, but it is time we turn the reigns back over to the universe and follow its Law.
This is where we as humankind find our true meaning of Sovereignty…
How would you respond if someone told you chemicals you consume are causing physical and mental damage to your brain and body? What if you knew that these chemicals were affecting your children’s nervous systems and emotional development? Would you continue to consume these chemicals if you found they could cause and exacerbate conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Austism, Parkinson’s disease, and ALS? Paying attention to what we put in our bodies is important not only for physical health, but mental health as well. This post will detail the effects of excitotoxins on our brains, and thus the connection and impact to the body.
Not many people have heard of the term “excitotoxins,” let alone know their effect in our lives. However, most of us have heard the saying “we become what we eat.” Excitotoxins are additives in food and drink such as artificial sweeteners and monosodium glutamate (MSG). MSG is a taste enhancer that has been added to food in the U.S. since after World War II. Few suspected that “taste additive,” would cause any harm in humans, but by the end of the 1960’s, research data had begun to surface dictating the harm in the human body. Until this time, neuroscientists had believed that glutamate supplied the brain with energy.
Upon the learnings of the harm of MSG, food producers began adding a substance known as “hydrolyzed vegetable protein” instead of pure MSG. However this substance is proving to be even more dangerous than MSG, as it contains even more excitotoxins (glutamate, aspartate, and cysteic acid) in addition to added MSG.
A test in 1957, conducted by Lucas and Newhouse, tested MSG on infant mice. When they examined the eye tissue of the mice, they discovered that MSG had destroyed all the nerve cells within the inner layers of the retina. Ten years later, Dr. John W. Olney, a neuroscientist, also discovered that MSG destroyed parts of the brain in the hypothalamus after only a single dose. Despite the discovery, MSG as well as other artificial sweeteners continued to be added to food, cookbooks, and even recipes for baby food.
More and more diseases of the nervous system such as brain damage, seizures, and migraine headaches, are being linked back to excitotoxin build up in the brain.
How Excitotoxins Work
Excitotoxins such as MSG, NatruSweet, and aspartame increase the natural levels of glutamate and aspartate found in our brain and spinal cord. When these levels rise above natural levels, they become deadly toxins to the neurons in our brains and body.
These neurons then become extremely “excited” and if provided in large enough doses, the neurons can degenerate and die.
As these neurons break down, a destructive chain reaction process begins. Particles, known as “free radicals,” begin to form that damage everything they come in contact with. Our cells and genes within our body begin to be attacked and broken down from these free radicals.
The developing brain is one of the most sensitive and vulnerable of all the organs. While the baby is still in the uterus, it is facing the greatest levels of sensitivity.
The undeveloped enzymes that protect the developing brain are not yet in place while the child is in utero.
Could this be some of the cause of learning disorders such as autism and other psychological problems?
Based on experimental studies in animals, it can be assumed that when pregnant women eat and drink foods such as MSG, hydrolyzed vegatable protein, and other excitotoxins, they are passing potential risk onto the developing brain of their child that can last into its adolescence.
There are many contradictions in the testing involving of effects of aspartame and other excitotoxins. Before the official approval from the FDA in 1981 to allow aspartame in food and drinks, studies by companies such as NutraSweet aimed to prove there were no considerable harmful effects of aspartame in humans.
One such study conducted by NutraSweet, G.D. Searle, studied the effects in rats. 320 rats were fed a diet containing aspartame and 120 rats were fed a normal diet and used as the control. The results showed 12 of the aspartame fed rats developed brain tumors while none of the control rats did. This represented a 3.75% increase of brain tumors in the rats fed aspartame, which was 25x higher than the incidence of random brain tumors developing in rats. The test divided the rats receiving an aspartame diet into “low dose” and “high dose” groups. In the low dose group, five rats developed brain tumors. In the high dose group seven rats developed brain tumors. This showed the higher the dose of aspartame, the better the chance of brain tumors in rats.
When Dr. John Olney pointed the FDA to the test findings, he was told that the high incidents of tumors in the rats were the results of “spontaneous” development of brain tumors. The same way that humans randomly develop brain tumors.
Dr. Olney reviewed the rate at which rats spontaneously develop brain tumors and found that in seven studies using a total of 59,000 rats, only 0.08% developed brain tumors. The aspartame fed rats had a 47% higher incidence rate.
In 1975, the drug enforcement division of the Bureau of Foods investigated the NutraSweet G.D. Searle subsequent testing. It found “apparent irregularities in data collection and reporting practices.” The director of the FDA at the time stated that they found “sloppy” laboratory techniques and “clerical errors, mixed-up rats, rats not getting the drugs there are supposed to get, pathological specimens lost because of a variety of other errors – all to conspire to obscure positive findings and produce falsely negative results.”
It appears, understandably so, that NutraSweet was desperately working to protect their potential billion dollar payoff and ensure that the FDA gave them positive approval to sell to the market.
While these tests don’t 100% prove that aspartame causes brain tumors in humans, it is interesting to note that from 1973 to 1990 brain tumors in people over the age of six-five have increased 67%.
When MSG and other excitotoxins were first being added to foods for taste enhancements, glutamate receptors in the brain had not been discovered or fully understood. It was not known or understood that side effects could cause the death of brain cells.
Just as the market within the United States was becoming more health conscious, companies like NutraSweet were aiming to bring sugar substitutes into the markets. It was perfect timing. Americans and many others around the world began throwing back sodas they believed to be healthier with sugar substitutes rather than actual sugar. It wasn’t until later in time with more research, the harmful effects of MSG, aspartame, and other excitotoxins began to become known.
We live in a world in which there are so many contradictions and “pay to play” deals. It can often become hard to distinguish fact from fiction and right from wrong.
I have learned one thing in my self-discovery and search for truth and meaning in life – there is often so much more than lies beneath the surface. We need to do our own research and form our own conclusions. Much of the content of this post was pulled from the book “Excitotoxins – The Taste that Kills.” For much more insight, I highly recommend reading the book.
I believe the research shows the effects of excitotoxins on our brains has a far more harmful impact than what most major institutions want us to know.
Feel free to make your own conclusions upon doing your own research.
Please feel free to drop a comment, ask a question, or offer your perspective. There is much to gain from some “healthy” dialog in relation to this topic.
For now, please think twice before you reach for that diet soda or the “Equal” sugar substitute for your coffee. Your brain and your body will thank you in the long run.
The universe, and us within it, are made of energy. Where our attention goes, our energy flows. And where our attention goes is how we manifest our lives and all moments within them. Using the Law of Attraction to our benefit can yield very productive outcomes for us and those in our lives. Understanding the concept behind the Law of Attraction is a rather simple concept to grasp, but not always easy to master. It comes down to becoming more mindful and “watchful” of our thoughts. This blog post is a deeper dive into how we manifest our life realities.
The Law of Attraction has really come into being in the 21st century through the book “The Secret” written by Rhonda Byrne. The wild success of that book really helped bring the Law of Attraction to the forefront here in the modern age. However the concepts really date much further back in history.
The origins of the Law of Attraction date back hundreds of years ago to ancient Buddhism. It is believed that the Buddah taught ‘what you have become is what you have thought’. This belief is deeply interwoven within the teachings of the Law of Attraction.
As the teachings of the Law of Attraction made their way to the western world, the concepts became mostly known as “karma.” This belief on Karma largely is what you give, you get back. That applies to both the good actions and bad actions that one takes in their life.
These teachings are very recognizable throughout other religions as well. The Bible has many versus that can point to the Law of Attraction. Proverbs 23:7 reads, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is.”
This simple and easy to comprehend teaching has been with humanity for some time. It has just rather recently been tied to the “New Age” perspectives largely from some of the more current lessons being taught today.
Whether we realize it or not, we live within an infinite field of energy that we are constantly reacting with. This universal field of energy can be thought of as a “Universal Consciousness.” We interact within this field of energy every single moment of our lives. I compare this “field of energy” to water for a fish. If you could ask a fish, about the “water” they live within, how would they respond? It would be likely they would say, “what water?” To them, they don’t “see” water. It is just “there” as part of their existance. This is what the field of universal consciousness is to us.
Let us take a moment to digest this. Within the universe, exists particles. These particles consist of energy and when they interact on some levels with each other, they form molecules and atoms that then make up physical matter. Our physical bodies are made up of atoms that consist of 99% hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. These atoms combine to form other complex molecules. They key point to understand here is that these atoms, molecules, and particles that make up our brains, cells, and other organs in our bodies all come from particles that exist in the universe. We literally are comprised of pieces of the universe.
If you believe in a higher power of any type, could not this higher power be connected to us through this “energy” within the universe? Even if you do not believe in a higher power, there is evidence that we initiate direct responses in our lives through this universal field of energy. You can either choose to believe a higher power of some sort designed this energy structure, or you can simply accept that these are the laws of life that we operate within. Whatever your belief system is, understand that we are all using the law of attraction in our lives. Taking notice of it is how we can improve our lives for the better.
Become the Watcher of Your Own Movie
Becoming mindful our thinking is how we begin to take advantage of the Law of Attraction. With positive or negative thoughts, we are attracting back what we think. Our thoughts are like the radio waves always broadcasting out to the universe, and our brains play the role of antennas through which they bounce back. I liken it to a literal radio station. You may not hear the music playing until you turn on the radio and tune to a specific station. Once you do, you hear the music. But when you turn off the radio, you no longer hear the music, but the radio waves very much are still broadcasting.
This is how it works with the Law of Attraction. We may not always be aware what signals we are drawing back to ourselves until we attune to what we are broadcasting. Once we attune to our broadcast, we can get more of what we desire out of life. We can get our outcomes we desire by literally thinking ourselves into those realities.
It often is not on an instant basis, but over days, weeks, months, and years – what we dwell on and how we set up our mental state is what we bring back into our lives.
In 2012, science made one of the most significant discoveries of the modern era. Scientists rejoiced at the news that it had been proven there are particles of energy that interact within empty space with other electrons. These particles that interact within the quantum space within the void of physical matter, are known as the “Higgs Boson” particles. The name of the field of energy, that was previously thought to be empty, has been dubbed the “Higgs Field.” Note the similarity here to what I am calling the “Field of Universal Consciousness.
In quantum physics, entangled particles remain connected so that stimuli performed on one affect the other, even when separated by great distances. This even perplexed the father of modern physics Albert Einstein. So much so that he called it “spooky action at a distance.” What Einstein didn’t know then, we are beginning to find out why through studies in quantum mechanics and physics. Einstein couldn’t point to any tangible evidence at the time. It was simply out of his range of visibility with the technology of the time. But today, we are slowly beginning to see that our thought energy, can stimulate particles, that we then react with in everyday life.
In one experiment that proves this theory, two particles were separated miles apart from each other. When one particle was stimulated, the other particle showed the exact same response in real time, proving that those particles were connected, even though separate. To this point in time the largest distance through which this test as been conducted is 310 miles apart or 500 kilometers.
Every wonder why you sometimes are thinking of someone and miraculously they call you minutes later? More and more “coincidences” in life are beginning to show that they aren’t coincidences at all, we very well may be stimulating our life to occur before our very eyes.
Becoming mindful of your thoughts and beginning to use The Law of Attraction to your benefit improve your life in the following areas:
Love & Relationships
Money & Wealth
Mental & Physical Health
Increase Self Confidence
Lower Anxiety
Lose Weight
Attract Success & Abundance
There are likely many more benefits to using The Law of Attraction in your life. The above mentioned are just a few. How to begin attracting more of what you want in life and less of what you don’t begins with your thought process.
This is where the glass half full people typically excel over the glass half empty people. Your mindset matters. How you approach and view life matters. Do you constantly put yourself down in your own thoughts, or do you empower you way to abundance in knowing you deserve more?
Correct Use of Affirmations
Many people have heard of positive affirmations, but most don’t truly understand the specificity necessary when using them. The Field of Universal Consciousness is very literal and responds back to us exactly to what we broadcast outward to it.
Begin with a daily affirmation such as this:
“I am healthy, my body is strong, my cells are full of growth and vitality.”
This can change towards all the different categories mentioned above. Another example would be:
“I am full of abundance and thankful for the continued streams of money and income that I continue to receive.”
Notice the subtle difference in the above statements from “I wish I had more money” or “I want to be healthy.” We need the term”I AM.” Bring it into the present moment. Even if you don’t have these things now, you need envision yourself presently with them.
The universe responds instantaneously and literally. Thoughts of want puts outcomes into the future. The universe very literally will respond with “ok – you wish things things in your future, but you won’t get them now.” We don’t live in the future — we liveNOW.
In order to use The Law of Attraction to the fullest benefit we need to begin seeing ourselves with what we desire now.
Choosing positivity and living in a positive way makes a world of difference. “Pay attention,” to where you place your attention. Be aware of your mental state. Are you living in fear or peace? Contentment or jealousy? We don’t need to settle if we are not happy in our present state…we just need to better our frame of attention and mindset. Then we can and will attract more of what we want into our lives.
That is the beauty in using The Law of Attraction to our benefit.
There are only two mistakes on the path to truth – not starting the path and not going all the way to the end. But where do we begin? Learning how to discover your purpose in life can lead you to a new and invigorated point of view on life. This post is aimed to help guide you towards your North Star.
At the core of our lives, whether we realize it or not, is our purpose. Why do we exist? For what reason are we here on earth? These are some of the big questions in life that require a lot of introspection. Sadly, some people don’t make it to the point in their lives where they are deeply pondering on these questions. But for you, congratulations – you’ve not only in the game, you’re playing to win!
When our purpose is discovered, everything in life seems to “synchronize.” If you know your purpose, then the next step is to set up the discipline so that you begin to support your deepest “reason for being.”
When you discover your purpose, your core desire in life, every moment of time you spend on it becomes a full expression of what you are seeking. As time goes by it doesn’t feel like work anymore and we enjoy the time and energy invested into the end goal.
Each purpose or mission is meant to be fully lived and experienced. When we seek to understand our purpose, we need to deeply put the intention out into the universe. Then pay attention. It won’t always happen immediately. Often weeks or months may pass, but if we are genuine in seeking and wanting purpose it will be revealed.
When we engage in our true purpose in life, every moment, every instance is filled with the power of your heart and mind purpose. No longer are you simply going through the motions hoping for a means to an end – instead you are living the “truth of your life.”
Lean Into Life With Curiosity
Since I can remember, I’ve always been a curious individual. Throughout my life I have pushed, poked, and prodded to understand “Why.” Our Why – is what should make us get out of bed each day. It should be the center of our purpose and what motivates us to push onward. Even when we hit apparent roadblocks and difficult times, it is the fuel and empowerment that can bring us back toward our calling.
All of us have it – some just know it with deeper conviction. “The Why,” is our power – without it we have no meaning. We have to put out the intention and do the work. Those that seek truth in earnest will be rewarded. Those that look for the quickest and most readily available sources are often misguided. There are repercussions for closing one’s eyes and hoping the world passes by, while we just simply live our lives. Ignorance is not bliss…
Many of us have a hard time finding what our purpose is. In a previous blog post, I helped try to search deeper in your discovery of self.
The key is to find the sweet spot where we can:
Do what we are good at for a profession
We happen to love what we do for that profession
What we do meets the needs of the world and others around us
And we can monetize this profession to keep bring more to those in need of our services
There are numerous books dedicated to ikigai, but one in particular is considered the most definitive: Ikigai (What Makes Our Life Worth Living) published in 1966.
The author, psychiatrist Mieko Kamiya, teaches that as a word, ikigai is alike to “happiness” but has a subtle difference in its meaning. Ikigai is what allows you to look forward to the future even if you’re miserable right now. The key is to keep pushing onward, sending out mental intentions of wanting to have your focus and reason for being brought into light.
THE JAPANESE PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THE SUM OF SMALL JOYS IN EVERYDAY LIFE RESULTS IN MORE FULFILLING LIFE AS A WHOLE
Ikigai – A reason for Being
As you work your way around the diagram you can see some examples of where many of us often times fall into places of comfort, but lacking fulfillment of some sort. When we recognize these shortcomings, it can tee up the possibility for some self-exploration and search for more meaning in our lives.
Where the needs of the world and your talents intersect, therein lies your vocation
Aristotle
I love this quote from Aristotle. It challenges us to seek our truest purposes in life based off our passions and levels of impact they can make in the world. When we can effectively bring our life into focus in this manner, we will feel more purposeful and the truths that we need to discover in order to continue to keep our lives in alignment with our purpose will continue to be brought before us.
I have found this to be the case in my life as I work closer and closer to my passions and my purpose. There is a certain type of synergy and synchronicity that I discovered when I bring my life and work into alignment to my purpose and mission. It is also very invigorating and motivating to watch this process happen because it is reaffirming that you are on the right journey.
I like to think of three main areas of focus when we are aiming to discover our life purpose and mission. These three buckets are what we can use to help us frame up our purpose, Ikigai, or reason for being. It correlates purposefully to our W.H.Y. – our reason for being:
World needs this
Heed your talents
Your passions in life
Make a rough draft at least – y0u can refine it through time. Once you feel you have a good rounded out purpose statement, print it and post it somewhere you’ll see it everyday. Or print a small copy to keep on you daily. It will keep you reminded and grounded in your goals and daily work.
Make a rough draft at least – y0u can refine it through time. Once you feel you have a good rounded out purpose statement, print it and post it somewhere you’ll see it everyday. Or print a small copy to keep on you daily. It will keep you reminded and grounded in your goals and daily work.
Next ask yourself if you can find a way to make a living while your work to discover your purpose. If you are not in a position to earn a living doing this, seek ways through your current employment to see what possibilities may exist. If your passion is the earth and environment – see how you can bring this awareness into your employer. If your passion is around empowering the youth of the world – see if you can get involved with an organization of your employment. If one doesn’t exist, see if you can start one.
You will be surprised how often you can bring your passions and purpose into your day job and make significant impact. If all else fails you can certainly look for new careers in which you could begin to fulfill your purpose. Just don’t allow fear to creep in – it will tell you all the reasons why you shouldn’t explore new opportunities if you allow it.
Remember the teaching of Japanese Ikigai and even if you find yourself within a career or position where you feel you do not align with your purpose, look for ways to still make impacts that do align with your personal truths. Perhaps you find that new doors within your company open up for you to better align with your purpose. Maybe new positions will be brought before you that you can take up. There is always the possibility as well that you find yourself in a career or job change for the better.
While venturing down your path, just know you can only make two mistakes. If you have begun down the path, you are well on your way. The only other mistake is giving up. There are no other rights or wrongs – simply take the step and never stop. Keep seeking your passions.
When you turn your life over to your higher self and allow the flow to take place, you begin to see the magic take place. You begin to discover your purpose.
Keep living with an “ungraduated” mindset as you seek to find your way – through your why.”
