A "Rosetta Stone"
December 28, 2007 | Leave a Comment
In 1799, Napoleon’s troops discovered an artifact with the same passage of text inscribed in three different languages. Because one of the languages was known (Greek), the other languages were easily translated — including the language of Egyptian hieroglyphics. This stone, called the “Rosetta Stone” because it was found near the seaside town of Rosetta, represented a two-thousand year old bridge between languages — the same thing said in different ways — that allowed the subsequent translation of a wealth of Ancient Egyptian writings (wisdom, technology, history, etc…).
In our world, people are separated by a vast array of languages. Some people are more “visual,” while others may communicate with more auditory focus, etc. Another language barrier between people who speak the same language is that some reference everything they say, or base all of their beliefs, in science, or linear logic; and others may favor religious, spiritual, or more neutral terms, to discuss the meaning of life, and the way the world seems to come into being, or operate. The fact remains that everyone is looking for what they believe is “the Truth;” some think it’s in a cloud, some think it’s in a test tube, and most just don’t think… But, whether the stories are about talking snakes, asses falling into wells, or protons, neutrons, and electrons, these are simply words different people use to talk about the same thing — where stuff (including us) comes from.
Cultures are made up of people. Religions are practiced by people. Political agendas are pushed by people. Wars are started and fought by people. And ALL people really want the same thing — to be happy. Different people, unfortunately, believe there are different ways to happiness (other than just deciding to be happy). These differences in opinion, on how to go about “getting happiness,” are the source of all wars. Some people think they need other people’s resources in order to be happy; and those people think they need to repel aggressors in order to be happy. Everyone wants what they want; and they are all saying the same kinds of things in different languages. As Alice Hurley said, “We are all speaking the same different language.”
The Belief Formula, in this context, is a sort of “Rosetta Stone;” in that it bridges the most basic of human wisdom in practical terms from several schools of thought — religious, spiritual, scientific, medical, philosophical, etc. The Belief Formula has the unique ability to help you understand what “others” are saying by saying it in many different ways — and demonstrating how any of these translations can be applied, faithfully, to achieve the desired result. Achieving our desired outcomes is the one desire ALL humans truly share — whether the desire is to meditate peacefully on a mountain, or become a decorated war veteran. And each receives what they most think about — that which they think about enough to act upon.
If you are human, you would presumably desire wellness over illness. If you are a human, wellness is achieved in the same “way” regardless of the language you speak, or the method you employ. One cannot truly understand this concept without considering the approaches used by other people with similar problems. But when you do understand this, you can take charge of your own health — and create your own wellness. “It is done to you according to your beliefs;” if you read that and think, “Yeah, yeah; I’ve read that a million-times,” then read it again — and contemplate what this means. The Belief Formula was designed to make you think about thinking, and to help you understand simple, old truths in a new and powerful way. It doesn’t matter how many wisdom teachings you have memorized if your life sucks. Wisdom is only wisdom if it is PRACTICAL — in other words, it should make your life better (you more peaceful or happier) in some way.
At the heart of every religion, every philosophy, and every culture’s wisdom teachings, is the simple truth: You are the result of your thoughts. Throughout history, music, nursery rhymes, and bedtime stories have hidden this truth in plain sight; and regardless of varying stories, claims, and assertions, all religions begin here: You become what you think about; it’s the thought that counts. The focus of this blog is to offer new perspectives while addressing some of the more common, or popular subjects and issues — primarily health (wellness, weight loss, etc…), happiness (relationships, work, family, etc…), and success (creativity, courage, etc…). If there are other situations you’d like discussed, or other areas in which you have questions, please email them to us.
The Belief Formula Guidebook (coming soon to Amazon.com) — along with this blog — are intended to provide practical guidance through the process of using what you know to get “whatsoever you desire.” “Judge not” what another desires; if you want a world filled with peace, and a body that radiates health and wellness — think on those things. Don’t look for exceptions to this Universal truth; look for a Rosetta Stone so that you might avail yourself of the power and freedom Jesus, and the other great teachers and healers and philosophers, have always tried to bestow upon you with their words — no matter what language they spoke.
Secrets for Turning Resolutions into Realities, part 1
December 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment
It is believed that the Babylonians were the first to make New Year’s resolutions. Many early religious traditions, including Christianity, used this time of year to reflect on past mistakes and set better intentions for the coming year. But no matter what time of year it is, you are still right there between your past and future — continuously learning from the past and creating the future. The middle of winter — the depth of the “death” season — provides the perfect setting and opportunity to reflect on what has been, and contemplate what is yet to come.
Humans are creatures of habit; we do what we are programmed or conditioned to do. Jesus said, “As a man thinketh, so it is done to him;” and we think about the things we see and hear and feel — unless we have incentive to think of something else. We are taught what to think; and then we do what we think about. We can program ourselves; or we can allow ourselves to be “programmed” by our environment — adopting the opinions and desires of others. Gandhi said:
“Our beliefs become our thoughts.
Our thoughts become our words.
Our words become our actions.
Our actions become our habits.
Our habits become our values.
Our values become our destiny.”
This is a sort of map for the teaching, “It is done to you according to your beliefs.” Your beliefs ultimately become your experience of life. Sadly, most people never come to fully appreciate what this means. You can change your life by simply changing your beliefs. Conversely, if you do not change your beliefs, you will not be able to maintain the charade of any temporary behavioral changes you might manage to make. In other words, if you don’t believe in what you have resolved to do, you will not think about it in such a way as to make it become a new reality; at best you will make temporary changes that may even rebound to become worse than before. We are all familiar with the phenomenon of losing weight with a diet or exercise plan, only to gain back what we lost — and then some!
In order to put adequate energy into a resolution, you simply need to believe in it. Believing is easier for some people than for others; most people seem to need incentive to believe something new, or even take the time to pray for it.
INCENTIVE
One of the first things you will need in order to experience the reality of your resolutions is incentive. What do you want? Why do you want it? What will it be like when you get it, or reach your goal? Why are you making this resolution for yourself and your life? You need to know the answer to at least one such question. Resolutions start with the desire for something new, or different. That desire came from your growing awareness of the difference between how things “are” and how they “can be.” If action is required on your part, you will probably need a reason, or incentive, for expending your energy. What, in other words, is in it for you?
The answer is simple: What is it you want? What’s in it is what you are asking for. The “payoff” for your energy expenditure, or efforts, is your goal or desire; because you shouldn’t do anything that you don’t believe is leading you in that direction. There should be no question that you are doing what you are doing so you can get where you want to be, or have what you want to have, or do what you want to do. So, what is it you want? This is your incentive; or it should be. If you need more incentive than simply reaching your goal, you should make a new resolution. Why do you want this thing? Is it worth doing anything you might have to do? If so, you have adequate incentive and your successful resolution is assured.
It is also important to identify whether your incentive is “positive,” or “negative.” Are you chasing something, or running away from something? In other words, are you exercising because you are afraid of how you’ll look if you don’t, or because you are excited about how you will look and feel when you do? Your incentive should be something you want, not something you don’t want. Seek health, for instance, rather than fighting, or running from, illness; and think “creatively” about money, rather than worrying about bills or debt. Put your thoughts — your mental energy — on what you wish to achieve, or accomplish; don’t give any of your valuable time or energy to what you don’t want — in any context.
Find a reason to reach your goal or resolution; and find a reason to spend time thinking about it — “As you thinketh…” As you think about “whatsoever you desire,” imagine how it will be to realize your dream, or fulfill your desire. This is your incentive; you are being pulled toward a feeling of completion, or fulfillment. It is important to clarify what you truly want to insure that you aren’t focusing on something you don’t want. For instance, if you hate exercising, don’t make a New Year’s resolution to start exercising if what you really want is to lose some weight. These are two different things.
Think about looking in the mirror and seeing yourself 20-pounds lighter and thinner; and take note of how you feel seeing yourself thinner. Now, think about starting an exercise program and notice how that makes you feel. I realize that you may think or believe that exercise is the only way to lose weight; but it isn’t. And the focus that makes you feel good is the proper focus — not the perspective that makes you feel weak or overwhelmed. If you are dreading your resolution, or getting started on your “new project,” then you have placed your focus in the wrong place and haven’t given yourself proper incentive to happily reach your objective.
Think about what you truly desire to change in your life. Whether it’s the start of a new year, or not, a resolution is a resolution; you can change any part of your life you choose — if you have a desire and the right incentive. “Whatsoever you desire, when you stand in prayer, believing, will be given to you.” If you truly want what you are hoping, praying, or resolving for the new year, then give your resolution the same attention you give your prayers, plans, or any area of your life where you are able to turn your thoughts into reality.
It’s almost New Year’s Resolution time again!
December 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment
It’s almost time to make those New Year’s resolutions again. One of the most well-known facts about New Year’s resolutions is that people simply don’t stick with them and, as a result, they don’t get that which they resolved to get. What’s the point in making a resolution you know won’t last? The point of all resolutions — like the point of all prayers — is to “formalize” desires in order to increase our chances of experiencing them in our reality.
But what exactly is a resolution? It is possible that people are not realizing their resolution simply because they don’t have their minds completely wrapped around the concept of what a resolution is — or what their resolution is. If you don’t really understand what you want, what you’re doing, or how to best do it, what kind of results do you truly hope to experience? You can learn how to make — and live — your New Year’s resolutions (no matter what day of the year you make them on).
I believe the definitions for, “Resolution,” which best apply in this context, are: “To find an answer to…;” “To deal with successfully;” and, “To declare or reach a firm decision about.” Of course, it starts with the declarations of our intentions to experience a certain kind of change; and then, perhaps, we reach our resolution and “successfully deal with” that which we wished to change. Essentially, a New Year’s resolution is our declaration of a specific change we wish to make in our life, and our intention to create it. It is a prayer, of sorts — perhaps one you wish to create on your own. As they say, “Declare a thing and it is so;” the best first-step to achieving anything is to make a resolution.
Most of the New Year’s resolutions people make have something to do with breaking old habits — or, changing old behaviors. “I resolve to quit…,” or, “I resolve to lose 25-pounds in time for…” In other words, most people resolve to change something about their body, or change some of the things their body does with “its” time. Honestly, if you knew how your body worked, you wouldn’t wait until New Year’s to let it be healthy and happy; and if you don’t know how it works, a resolution isn’t going to generate any real, lasting, positive changes — but it might start you thinking about something different for yourself. Enough of the right kind of thinking always inspires the right kind of action.
People wait until New Year’s, presumably, to join in the collective energy of millions and millions of people making resolutions on the same day — like a club, or a support group… Unfortunately, what most of them are doing is joining in an experiment in group failure — for the comfort, or safety, of being a part of a group. If I wanted something to happen, I wouldn’t go about asking, wishing, praying, or resolving, in the same way most people traditionally go about NOT GETTING what they want. Failed New Year’s resolutions are a cliche; they are so common, that the term, “New Year’s resolution,” has become synonymous with, “Something I don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of accomplishing.”
If you’ve been hit in the head with a hammer each and every time you pushed a certain red button, Don’t Push that Button Again. If your New Year’s resolutions typically fall by the wayside, don’t keep doing what you’ve been doing. Try and think differently about your resolutions, decisions, declarations, or prayers. Make a resolution you can keep; and then keep it. In order to keep it, you’ll need to think about it quite often, and in a certain way. Most people have casual interests — like fitting into a certain dress, or losing a few pounds, or giving up something they really don’t want to give up — that are so casual they haven’t really thought about them since last New Year’s Day. These are typically the things they resolve to do — maybe because they know they won’t have to change. After all, everyone knows New Year’s resolutions are doomed to fail…
A New Year’s resolution is a twist on the, “There’s no time like the present,” or, “The best place to start is at the beginning,” philosophies — both of which are true. But, unless you devote mental energy to your resolution, it will fail no matter which day of the year it was made. Resolve to do something that’s been on your mind for some time, and is likely to stay on your mind. Resolutions require changes in behavior — those require changes in thinking. Don’t resolve to do something that you have to REMIND yourself to think about. Resolve to do something you can’t stop thinking about. If you have to keep reminding yourself what you want, you probably don’t really want it too badly. And, if you do know what you want, you might want to think about it, or pray for it, every day of the year — or until you received it. If your goal is the acquisition of some thing, this is a good way to start.
Of course, if your resolution is to have a better memory, you might want to write that down and resolve to read it several times each day… Really. In fact, write your resolution in the form of an AFFIRMATIVE DECLARATION, and put it someplace where you can read it in the morning and before bed. The more you write and speak your resolution, the more you are thinking about it — and the more real it becomes. The whole point of a resolution is to make this “new thing” a part of you and your life; affirmations are an immediate way to start doing that. Affirmations should be like prayers of thanks for receiving what you want exactly as it should be: “Thank you for my wonderful new body, and for making it so easy for me to reach and maintain my ideal weight and Divine health!” If your resolution was something like: “I resolve to achieve my ideal body weight,” then that’s a good affirmation. There are many possible affirmations for every resolution.
Pay attention to other signs and opportunities to take steps toward your goal or desire. For instance, if you resolve to be in better shape and play with the kids more, then don’t tell the kids you’re too tired the next time they ask! Go find out what it’s like to play tired! Remember when you were a kid?!? I promise you that you will find ENERGY you didn’t know you had — if you look for it, that is. Think about it; you don’t wish for a strong, healthy, attractive body so you can sit in a dark room on a couch watching the television and eating the junk your body tells you to eat. DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT! In fact, do something kind of like people who already HAVE the same things you RESOLVED to get for yourself.
If you resolved to take control of your health and reclaim your wellness, then you can absolutely do that; but not by complaining about your health to anyone who is kind enough to not walk away when you start talking about your woes. Talking about problems makes them bigger, not smaller; and healthy people don’t sit around complaining about their health — or dramatizing it. Do one thing healthy people do; and then do another, until all of your time is filled with the activities of a healthy person and you have no time left for the activities of an ill person. Start your road to recovery by resolving to speak WELL of yourself; and, if you cannot make yourself believe that you are well, “fake it ’til you make it.” You will become what you think yourself to be. Speak well of your self and your health — until you believe it. Only then will it be so.
The truth is, most people simply don’t think about the idea of a resolution, or what it means; they simply “make ‘em and break ‘em.” The next few posts will be about “Secrets for Turning Resolutions into Reality;” but these “secrets” aren’t really secrets, and they aren’t just for New Year’s Day. The more you change the way you think, the more your life will change as a result. If you are experiencing things you truly want to change, then you truly need a new way of thinking about those things you wish to change. Stay tuned for some simple and effective ways to create the change you seek — in your mind, body, and life.
Enlightenment in the Mirror
December 21, 2007 | Leave a Comment
So, do you want to know how to make yourself really fat and miserable — and stay that way? It’s actually pretty simple; so simple, in fact, most women (and some men) already use this technique unconsciously. Here’s how it works:
1. Stand in front of the mirror.
2. Notice all the things about yourself that you do not like.
3. Hate what you see in the mirror — or what you look like.
4. Think about how overweight, fat, out-of-shape, or ugly you think you are — or think your body is.
5. (FOR ADVANCED STUDENTS ONLY!) Breathe life into your curses, foul-thoughts, and negative self-talk by speaking them out loud. Openly criticize yourself; and, for super-fast action, talk this way where others can hear you!
I told you it was simple. In fact, I bet you’re already doing it — or at least practicing some of these techniques. It only takes a few heavy, burdensome thoughts to make your body heavy and burdensome. Heavy thoughts = Heavy body.
Of course, to really let your body know how much you hate it, you could starve it, too. But don’t worry if a few pounds disappear as a result of your starvation; you will quickly gain them back — along with a few extra pounds to protect you in the event of future episodes of starvation. That’s how it works; so, don’t worry about getting too slim dieting. All you have to do to replace the fat is eat something — anything — and your body will do the rest based on your thoughts. One of the reasons your body produces fat is to protect you from starvation; so, by dramatically reducing your caloric intake, you are reinforcing this reason as a VERY REAL possibility. “See!” exclaims the body, “I knew we might starve! Now I’ll have to build even more fat to protect us from the next time this happens!”
I know many people who do this, or use this method; and it works perfectly for all of them. It really doesn’t even matter what you eat, as long as you hate yourself — or your body or appearance. Of course, there are always some people who want to go the other way; so, if you want to get “lighter” looking in the mirror, consider turning those thoughts around. Light thoughts = Light body.
Here’s the plan for those of you who actually want to be LIGHTER. Turn your thoughts around. Your body is a reflection of your mind. If you are holding a lot of junk you don’t need in your mind, then you will naturally hold an equivalent amount of junk you don’t need in your body. You may even choose to eat junk that is easier to store and hold onto. In fact, your subconscious will do this for you by directing your moods, feelings, and choices. In most cases, you can simply reverse your old way of thinking in order to reverse the trend your body is experiencing.
If you need it spelled out, here is how you gain “lightenment” by looking in the mirror:
1. Stand in front of the mirror.
2. Notice all the things about yourself you really like.
3. Love yourself and what you see in the mirror — AND what you look like.
4. Think about how perfect you are, how your body is a reflection of your thought-life, and how any part of it can be reformed simply by changing your thoughts.
5. Speak only of your desired reality (not judgments of an apparent reality). Affirm only what you want; “Declare a thing and it is so.” Your mind is powerful; and your words are one-step closer to reality than your thoughts.
You can use either of these methods. In fact, they are really the same method applied with two different kinds of energy: Negative; and Positive. The fact is that you are “formed and molded by your thoughts.” If you don’t get this, you have two choices: 1. Assume I, and all the great, wise men who have said this same thing, are wrong and that we don’t really know how we created and shaped our bodies; or, 2. Spend time in prayer (THINKING) coming to understand this. If you take the negative approach, you can preview your results by simply looking in the mirror and imaging MORE of what you see; while the more open, positive approach will gradually reshape your thoughts, body, and life.
Watch this video clip (it is the same clip from the post on “Shedding pounds by shedding Thoughts”), and realize that the latest scientific and medical research confirms that our thoughts, through a process that is “invisible” to the average person, shape our bodies and every experience we have.
Enlightenment in the Mirror (”What the Bleep do we Know”) clip
If you think, “I’ll love myself when I have a body worth loving,” or “I’ll love myself when I’m thinner,” or “I’ll love myself when I’m more lovable,” or “I’ll love myself when….” then you are lying to yourself. Period. Those are not your thoughts; they were given to you by a misguided, and misinformed soul who probably didn’t know what their words could do to you. It is YOUR CHOICE whether or not you keep them. If your thoughts are creating what you want, keep them; if not, change your mind about things.
It’s EASY to Love Fat — when you know what it is…
Everyone is born with body fat; it is a necessary — though fluid (changeable) — part of us. We all need fat in order to survive. Fat is our protector; our bodies only manufacture fat when they think they need to. Here are some of the ways fat helps us, or protects us:
1. Fat protects us from starvation by providing us with a way to store food for later use. By converting food to fat, we can use the energy and nutrients later — perhaps in times when food is scarce, or when we need extra energy…
2. Fat protects us from impacts, falls, and other trauma, by padding our bones and organs…
3. Fat protects us from the elements by providing us with a layer of thermal protection…
4. Fat protects us from attack by making us look larger, or more imposing, to potential enemies…
5. Fat protects us from unwanted physical contact by making us appear “unattractive” by some cultural standards…
6. Fat protects us from unwanted attention, failure, or possible judgment, by keeping us from seeking attention…
In addition to these things, fatty acids also provide the raw materials that help in the control of blood pressure, blood clotting, inflammation, and other body functions.
Fat is not the enemy; you want a good relationship with fat because you need fat — a good relationship will simply help you adjust and control the amount and location of the fat you carry with you. Love your body fat; after all, you created it. And all it’s trying to do is protect you from threats that you alone are perceiving. Besides, if you are doing anything but loving your fat, you are activating your stress response and creating more of what you don’t love. The ancient philosopher, Sophocles, said, “One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life; that word is LOVE.” Love thyself.
Besides the practical reasons for producing fat, your body produces fat whenever you are stressed (just in case…) — and hating what you see in the mirror, or thinking and talking negatively about yourself, are both good ways to turn on your stress response. Remember, fat is a very sophisticated, living, protective mechanism that responds to your thoughts; and you don’t need to be protected from the POSITIVE thoughts and things in life. So, if you want to continue being your own “science-experiment,” then keep on with the unchecked negative thinking; but, if you want to feel better about yourself, you can start right now by simply falling in love with YOU! Positively.
That’s enlightenment; and if you look with the right eyes, you can find it in your very own mirror. How cool is that?
The Mind-"Booty" Connection
December 20, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Lately, there has been a lot of discussion about the mind-body connection. Of course, this discussion has been going on for thousands of years; and the new consensus matches the old — there really is no “connection” — the mind and body are the same. The body is simply the visible repository for those things we hold in our mind; the body is the physical representation, or reflection of, the mind.
In a way, though, I still say they are connected simply because of this obvious RELATIONSHIP — which, to me, implies “Connection.” At any rate, the shape of your body — and the size of your booty — is intimately related to the shape of your mind and thoughts. If your mind is cluttered with old junk-thoughts, so will your body and life be cluttered with old junk. Keep your mind, body, and life fresh; change your mind often.
Here’s how the mind-”booty” connection works:
Your brain stores memories of all the things your body has experienced; and it is believed that your DNA stores memories of anything that IT has ever experienced — all the way back to the beginning of humanity. Now, your DNA hasn’t experienced everything everyone else’s DNA has experienced; but all DNA is “Original” and has been added to over the ages. Your DNA is in the middle of each of your cells; and it has never seen the light of day — no living DNA has. SO, your cells have lifetimes of “cellular memory” stored in them; and your brain and body has one-lifetime of memory stored in it — even if you can’t access or recall it easily.
It is with these memories that we form the filters of perception through which we see ourselves and the world in which we live. Any new experience is quickly compared to the old experiences stored in your memory; and a decision is made about your safety, or survivability, based on those past experiences and outcomes. For example, when you hear a loud “Boom!” and see a bright FLASH, your memory may tell you that you have seen and heard an explosion. Depending on where you live, your response could range from, “What was that?!” to “Oh no! They’re coming again and this time we’re going to die!” Explosions mean many different things to many different people.
If it was the 4th of July, and the explosion and flash was up in the sky, at night, during a festival, your memory banks — the stuff you “know” — will likely tell you that the purpose of the explosion is to entertain you rather than destroy you; but if you live in an active war zone, the nature and purpose of the “fireworks” is much more ominous. Your filters of perception, in other words, help your brain determine if your body is safe, or in jeopardy of non-existence. This is an “On-Off” or “Yes-No” decision; and if the verdict is “Possible danger,” your Stress Response is activated — much like we call the fire department when are in certain kinds of physical danger.
When you sense stimulus that matches a past experience in which things went badly, or could have gone badly for you, the “packet” of sensory information is delivered to a part of the brain that compares and decides if you are indeed in danger. If there is the slightest chance that you are, a signal is sent from a part of your mid-brain activating what many people call, “the Fight-or-Flight” mechanism (stress response). Technically, this chain of events is often referred to as the HPA-axis, because the “danger-signal” is sent to the Hypothalamus, which triggers the Pituitary gland to release a hormone called ACTH, which then acts on the Adrenal cortex, causing the release of stress hormones — such as adrenaline and cortisol. Hypothalamus — Pituitary — Adrenals (HPA).
More simply, researchers look at the overall “domino-effect” as it goes from: Psyche (Mind), to Brain (Nervous System), to Body — hence, “Mind-Body Connection.” Yes, there are many “little pieces” to this system; but the bottom line is that you are either in a state of stress, or you are not. And, in either case, it is your thoughts — your perceptions of things — that cause what your body experiences. (And then, we judge those “feelings” and sensations; but that’s another story…)
Stress hormones are great when you are really in danger; but they are not so great when you are exposed to them for prolonged periods of time. Chronic stress — constant, long-term stress — is related to practically every known medical problem; and it is the cause of most unwanted, or excess, weight and body fat. Stress hormones increase your heart rate, respirations, blood-pressure, anxiety, and cause blood to be directed away from your vital organs and into your arms and legs. Stress hormones also cause oxygenated blood to be forced from your brain’s “reasoning centers,” in the front, to its “survival centers” in the hind-brain. When you are stressed, in other words, you are literally “dumber” than you are when you are relaxed.
The stress response also shuts down your Immune system, Reproductive system, and Digestive system; as they are not considered to be vital in a life-threatening emergency. Unfortunately, our perceptions have made it so that most people consider everyday events, such as noise, bills, relationship difficulties, etc, as threats; and even if they don’t do this consciously, their subconscious thoughts often trigger the stress response for them. Most people know when they are stressed. Most people don’t, however, understand this process or what it is doing to them. If they did, they’d surely spend more time learning how to manage their stress by better managing their thoughts.
How does stress make you fat?
Stress causes you to produce and store fat for many practical reasons. The way the body makes fat is really quite simple. First, you perceive your life; then you judge it as a threat — or inconvenience that has threatened your peace, or status quo. As your stress response is activated, your digestion is slowed, or stopped; this causes such things as: Indigestion; IBS; Crone’s disease; Diarrhea; Constipation; Gas; Acid-reflux; and other gastrointestinal problems. Since you aren’t digesting, processing, and eliminating food; you must hold on to it (kind of like the thoughts you are holding on to…).
As part of this process, your body produces Cortisol to help convert the food you are holding on to into fat for storage. Fat is a part of our stress response because: 1. We can’t leave the food in our digestive tract for prolonged periods of time; and 2. Fat provides many practical advantages for a person in stress (under attack, in danger, etc…). If you are chronically stressed — often angry, sad, depressed, grieving, worried, anxious, afraid, etc. — it doesn’t matter what you eat — or how much you eat — your body will try to protect you.
It may surprise you, but food doesn’t make you fat. Of course, fat is made out of food; but so is every other cell in your body. It is your body that decides — based on your thoughts and perceptions — what to do with the food you eat. Food, like every cell in your body, is simply combinations of elements — Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen, mostly. When you eat steak, for instance, it doesn’t stay intact and migrate to your biceps; and when you eat ice cream, it doesn’t stay intact and migrate to your hips. Your body breaks these things down and uses the raw materials to build whatever you need. Cows are made of muscle (meat); but they eat only grass. And they produce milk (cheese, butter, ice cream, etc…) without drinking milk. Where do cows get all the fat? They make it out of grass and water; and you can do that, too, if you are stressed.
Stay tuned…
Shedding pounds by shedding thoughts
December 20, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Your body is simply an extension and reflection of your mind. That statement took less than three-seconds to read, but could take lifetimes to fully understand. Nonetheless, it is a fact; and it is a fact that you would do well to try and understand. Of course, you don’t have to; but it will make your life happier and more rewarding if you do. Books and books — including the Bible — have tried to teach and explain this fact; but it is still up to each individual to come to understand it and apply it in their own lives.
The good news is that there is no time limit; so don’t get in a hurry and don’t be anxious about outcomes — or your current situation. Take your time and relax. Be patient with yourself, and be good to yourself as you try to understand how your body is created and re-created on a daily basis — actually moment-by-moment — to reflect the status of your mind. When things disappear from your mind, there is nothing to keep the physical reflection in place; and, in time, it will fall away on its own.
You see, the more old, stagnant thinking you hold onto — fears, worries, resentments, etc… — the more you are holding onto in every area of your life. There is what appears to be an exception to this, but it really isn’t. Some people who hold onto old grudges, etc, seem to waste away rather than put on the pounds. But the metaphor holds true: If you let your thoughts eat away at you, your body will be eaten away by your thoughts. These folks simply process those thoughts differently. Overweight people “stuff” their old thoughts and emotions, and “hold onto them” for some sort of protection, security, or identity. On the other hand, people who waste away don’t suppress the thoughts they are holding onto; they chew on them — and their minds chew back.
You can e-mail me your “Yeah, buts” and “What abouts” later; but for now, if you haven’t figured this weight thing out yet, don’t simply assume I am wrong, crazy, stupid, etc, because I am saying something different. What you are looking for is something different, is it not? A different body, perhaps — or a different life? I promise you there is a book coming that will give you more foundation; but, right now, I’m just trying to give you the FIX. If you’ve read any other posts on this blog, you have read all the applicable quotes — from a variety of authorities — over and over. I kind of beat the “As a man thinketh…” thing into the ground; but, if you are overweight, I bet that’s what you think. And I bet you think about your weight a lot — and in a not-so-positive light. And so it is done unto you…
There are two basic things you should understand about fat: 1. It is not bad, it’s your friend and protector; and 2. Food doesn’t make fat, and it doesn’t make you fat — your mind does. And it does for very good reasons — mostly. For starters, understand that your body makes fat, and without it you’d die in any of a number of ways — depending on your circumstances. That’s the main reason your body makes fat — to protect you from dying. Thanks to our DNA, our fearful, stressed-out, overweight ancestors were even able to pass some of these tendencies down the line; but the underlying reason is, nonetheless, the same — protection. So, even if you blame your weight on your genes, you’ll be happy to know that those “codes” are pre-programmed tendencies — a sort of default setting, if you will — and they can be overridden — or rewritten. Even when you were dealt a bad hand, in other words, you can discard and draw again. You can even choose which card you will draw — if you are able to adequately understand the first sentence of this post, that is.
There are also two basic ways your body decides to manufacture fat. The original process begins with a perceived threat, or a reason the body needs protection. The reasons are usually pretty simple: Starvation, Climate, Falls/Impacts/Trauma, and Attack. That pretty much covers the threats on this planet — and fat protects us from all of these things in a variety of ways. Brilliant! We’ll talk about some of those ways and reasons later; for now, on to the other way fat is created — it is “copied.” Indeed, it is done unto you as you “thinketh;” and, even after you have lost your reason for needing protection, you may still have an image in your mind of you with too much weight. Focusing on your weight, listening to others comment on your body, staring into the mirror with any emotion other than love, and talking negatively about your weight or body, are just some of the ways we re-create fat we no longer need.
So, your body is a masterpiece — a work of art. It was created from an idea — according to a plan. Now that you have an image, however, you can continuously change by copying what you see and adding to it. This is not unlike drawing a picture and making a photocopy of it — then drawing new elements on the copy. Of course, you can add to the original, as well; and where the body is concerned, that is indeed what you are always doing — adding to the original. Even if you are “photocopying” fat, or ideas about being fat, the copies are being used to change the original. How? Because being fat, seeing yourself as fat, thinking you’re fat, or worrying about your weight, are all enough to stress you out. When the body is under stress (fear of attack, starvation, injury, or the elements, for instance) it naturally slows or stops digestion and releases the stress hormone cortisol to convert undigested food into fat which will keep us warm, pad our bones and organs, give us reserve energy, and make us look bigger, or unattractive, to anyone who may want to act aggressively towards us. Stress is stress; and even if you are just stressed about your weight, the stress response is still on. And when you are in the stress response, you are producing fat.
So, there is really just the original reasons for making fat; but our culture and our ways of judging ourselves have just added to the list of things we need protection from — like judgment and rejection, for instance. It is an unfortunate truth that the judgment and rejection is usually coming from ourselves — as the result of our thoughts. We can change this as easily as changing our minds. Even when the judgment and rejection comes from an outside source, it is still our choice whether or not we dwell on such things — and whether we “spin” things in a positive direction, or a negative one. “Sticks and stones,” as they say; your judgments can’t hurt me if I don’t really care about them. And I don’t; and neither should you. Let go of all judgment — even the judgment that there are judgmental people in the world. Seriously, that’s their problem. There are worse things to be than overweight; and being harsh and judgmental is certainly on that list. If being afraid causes fat, just imagine what the acid of anger and hatred do to people. You don’t really have to imagine, by the way; just find someone who’s been that way a while and look at the reflection of their mind.
If you can let go and free your mind of excess baggage, you will free your body of excess baggage. Release all that no longer serves you; release all that you are no longer enjoying. Any time you think a thought that makes you unhappy in any way (angry, afraid, worried, mournful, sad, etc…) use your powerful mind to choose a different thought — one that makes you happy. It is just like changing the television channel with a remote control; channel surf in your mind for a happy thought — and then stay there. Continue to affirm what you want, regardless of what you see in the mirror. Time doesn’t stop; and change is continuous. We shape change — gradually and instantly — with our thoughts. And we can even change our perception of outcomes and situations: “I guess that wasn’t so bad after all…”
You have to do this for yourself; you have to take control of the thoughts you choose. I promise you the thoughts the television provides you with are not helping; start choosing your own thoughts. Stop picking up magazines in the check-out lines, stop watching and reading bad news, and remove yourself from commercial programming; all of these things are specifically designed to make you discontent and stressed-out. If you have to write down a list of good thoughts and memorize them, then do it. But if you want your outer world to change, your inner world must change first.
So far, I have been speaking of thoughts and fat in a very physical, clinical context – about the very tangible relationship between your thoughts and your body. But what about prayer? Can you pray to lose weight and have it magically disappear. Read The Belief Formula. You cannot pray without thinking; the physiological effects of thought are just part of the way your desires are made real and your prayers are answered. The simple fact is that you just have to wake-up to the fact that your thoughts create your experience — including your experience of self — and you first have to change your thoughts to change your experience.
Below is a brief (9:11) video excerpt from the movie, “What the Bleep.” There is some discussion about the very real, immediate, and observable (thanks to modern science) relationship between your thoughts and your health; but the part you’ll want to watch is at about the five-minute point. If you haven’t seen this movie, the woman in this scene has been struggling with depression (and taking medication) since she caught her husband cheating on her. In this scene, what I would say is pretty typical female mirror-self-talk comes to a boiling point before she “gets it.” The point where she stops hating herself and falls in love with herself is what you are looking for in your own life. It will probably look different for you, but you want this moment of enlightenment, or realization. As you watch this clip, realize that we are all essentially the same; and although it looks quick and easy on-screen, this moment came after much struggle and soul-searching.
There will be more on this subject later…
Enjoy the video!
***The clip I was going to put here was really only a 5-minute clip; but I couldn’t make it work. So, I found this 9-minute clip on YouTube — and it won’t upload right now, either… At any rate, it gives a good graphic representation of one of the core issues discussed here, so try this link to view the video: Enlightenment in the Mirror
Or, simply go to YouTube.com and search this video title (copy and paste this title in the search box):
What the bleep do we know? Down the rabbit hole. part 12
I’ll get the player up here as soon as possible…
Bless them All
December 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment
My last post [”What luck for rulers that men do not think.”] was about thinking — actually, it was just as much about not-thinking. Really, all my posts are, in one way or another, about thinking; but there were parts in that last post that could have seemed “anti-media,” or “anti-government.” It was actually nothing more than an invitation for US to wake-up; talking heads is not my term for the people who read the news prepared by other people and approved by others still. The point was simply this: If you don’t think for yourself, others are more than willing to do it for you; and they will. And it will cost you money, cause you suffering, and you will not get what you want, but what they want you to have. That’s all.
As for the media, government, and the heads of organized religions around the world, Bless you all. There is indeed darkness in the world; and it doesn’t settle to [or for] the bottom — it does whatever it needs to do to reach the top and stay there. But being anti-anything is never the answer. Leaders who start wars are the real victims, though they would smirk at that statement; they need our love and blessings. A leader who bends to the greed and ignorance that starts wars is a leader in need of positive energy — not more negative energy. Pray for these men to find wisdom; do not curse them.
The average person will never meet the people who are really behind governments and corporations such as drug companies or broadcasting companies; and the people we do come in contact with are simply trying to get by in life doing what they know how to do and thinking what they have been told to think. These are not bad people; and they deserve no contempt or ridicule. Likewise, the most arrogant and violent leaders in the world have much more ego than they need; and too much ego to recognize that they were denied something vital as a child. But they were all children; and they were all taught to be what they are today. This isn’t their fault; and cursing them, or criticizing them, will not hasten their enlightenment. It will only slow your own.
Bless them all; all of the people who seem to be such easy targets for blame truly need blessings. Blessings, or the direction of the positive energy of love to infuse the recipient with Divinity, are simply a way of praying for a person to shine with Divine love and light. Can you imagine being hated by hundreds of millions of people? Just think about how uncomfortable it is to be in a room with one or two people who just don’t like you; and then multiply that by several hundred million. Now, imagine being the recipient of prayers of love and wisdom from several hundred million people. There’s nothing like love to help a person become lovable. Bless the leader of China; bless G.W.; and bless the pharmaceutical companies and food companies and petroleum companies and anyone else who appears to be going to great extremes to make money — regardless of the human cost. These people would not be doing such things if they weren’t very deeply troubled and afraid. They need love; they need your blessing. Bless them all.
Bless anything in your life that isn’t how you want it. If your house needed painting, you could stand and curse the old paint, or you could bless your house with a new paint job. If your spouse isn’t kind and loving, bless them; give them a constant example of what a loving spouse might look like. And if your children are making bad grades in school, bless them and help them — don’t just yell at them and make them feel small and dumb. We are all human; we all need love. We all have the capacity to love; so we don’t necessarily need love from external sources — but it sure is nice! Bless those you love; and bless those you hate. Your hatred isn’t hurting them, it’s hurting you; and it isn’t helping to raise that other person up, either. Blessing, however, will help people become more than they are right now. Love them all; and bless them all.
*Recently, a friend suggested I check-out an interesting site; and he sent me the link to “The Blessing Experiment.” I went to www.BetterToBless.com; and I was pleased to find such a wonderful site with such a positive approach to changing the world for the better. Kate Nowak, writer and creator of several inspirational movies (available at BetterToBless.com), has created a community with a powerful message: “It’s always better to bless.” Visit www.BetterToBless.com and take the “blessing challenge,” or sign-up for Kate’s FREE Monthly E-zine, “The Blessing Way.”
"What luck for rulers that men do not think."
December 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Jesus said, “As a man thinketh, so is he.” You may not be religious (I’m really not religious, either…); but the truth does not stand or fall because of the reputation of the speaker. Truth is always truth. This saying isn’t true because Jesus said it; Jesus was quoting when he said this — these words appear in the Old Testament, and in every other religion on the planet. Buddha said, “What we think, we become,” for example; and Gandhi (who was neither a Jew, Christian, nor a Buddhist) expressed the exact sentiment thusly, “A man is but the product of his thoughts; what he thinks, he becomes.” What a gift this is! I wonder why so few use it…
It doesn’t matter what we think; thoughts are the seeds and we need only think (plant) them in order for them to grow into something. And we reap in our bodies and lives the physical fruits of those thoughts we sow and cultivate in our minds. Unfortunately, most people simply don’t think — they memorize and repeat things. If your opinions, for instance, match those of a “talking head” on any national television news show, what makes you think those are your opinions? “Opinion,” said John Erskine, “is that exercise of the human will which helps us to make a decision without information.” H.L. Mencken wrote, in 1925, “The average man never really thinks from end to end of his life. The mental activity of such people is only a mouthing of cliches.”
If you think for yourself, you can do anything; indeed, “all things are possible.” Gandhi said, “Those who know how to think need no teachers.” Could this have been what Jesus was referring to when He said, “I have access to all knowledge.” He didn’t say, “I know everything…;” He said that He had access — He knew where and how to get it. Consider that prayer is focused thinking; and it is often used to ask questions from a higher power or source. Voltaire wrote, “No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking;” and, when asked how he discovered the Laws of Gravity, Sir Isaac Newton replied, “I thought about it all the time.”
Of course, most people believe they are thinking. Alas, mentally reciting the thoughts and words of others is not thinking. When people think their own thoughts, they can do anything; when people think the thoughts of another, they can be made to do anything. A king wrote, “Now the people are as one and nothing will be restrained from them that they seek to do.” Later kings discovered that power could be harnessed by directing the thoughts of those “unified” people. Through laws, religions, and mass media, people are told what to think from cradle to grave — people who do not find a way to think for themselves, that is. And we believe what we are told for many reasons. People can be made to not kill each other, for instance, by telling them God said not to do it, or that something bad will happen to them if they do; and those same people can then be made to kill people by telling them it is their legal, moral, or patriotic obligation to do so. The common denominator: Being told what to do and believing you have to.
Wisdom teachings protect us from such traps — if we have been taught, of course. Following the teaching to “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” could keep you from “doing unto others what someone else told you to do to them.” Listen to your heart; this is where true wisdom lives. Anthony De Mello once wrote, “People mistakenly assume that their thinking is done by their head; it is actually done by the heart which first dictates the conclusion, then commands the head to provide the reasoning that will defend it.” Think for yourself and follow the guidance of your heart. Much of your stress and illness will disappear when you figure out how to do this.
When you think for yourself, you can easily discern your thoughts and desires from someone else’s agenda and control. We all have the power to do this; our ability to choose our thoughts, in fact, is our only true free-will. This is our birthright and most people simply hand theirs over to those they perceive to be “smarter,” or more powerful. When you can make a bunch of people believe what you say, you can direct a tremendous amount of energy. Buckminster Fuller said of belief, “Belief is when someone else does the thinking.” Belief is actually an energy that people put into thoughts in order to make them happen. If you don’t think for yourself, others can convince you to give them that greatest of all human powers — your belief. “What luck for rulers,” said Adolf Hitler, “that men do not think.”
Think about that.
Practical Prayer: She got a better job with a Prayer
December 18, 2007 | Leave a Comment
A friend of mine called last night and it was obvious that she was very upset. She had recently broken her wrist and told me that her team leader at work was trying to get her fired for missing work. Apparently her team leader had spoken with several other people concerned (human resources, personnel, etc…) and, for whatever reason, she had convinced them that my friend just shouldn’t come back to work. My friend didn’t think she was being treated fairly, and called to ask if I knew if it was legal for them to treat her that way; after all, all she wanted was to meet with the head of human resources to discuss how soon she could return to her job after breaking her wrist.
You might say that there’s two sides to every story; but it really doesn’t matter. All that matters is what you want and what you think about. Unfortunately for my friend, we live in a right-to-work state and anyone can be terminated at any time for any reason. But that doesn’t matter either if you know what you want and know how to think about it.
I told my friend to forget what was going on and think about what she wanted: A meeting with the head of human resources and to go back to work. I suggested that, when she went to bed, she mentally rehearse what she would say to the head of human resources. I told her to lay down and close her eyes and think about the person she wished to speak with; then, send him her best intentions and imagine the meeting going just as she hoped it would. In other words, pray about it — pray about how she wanted the meeting to go. Ask for what you want and imagine it is real. I told her to be upbeat and positive and expect to get everything that she wants and even more — and then go into the meeting with a positive attitude and love in her heart.
The next day she did indeed get her meeting; and she called me afterwards to give me the good news. She was well received by the director of human resources and her records were adjusted to reflect that her leave time had indeed been handled properly and the people who gave her a hard time were informed that my friend was in fact entitled to what she was asking for. My friend was also told that she could come back to work the next day if she wished, and that she could immediately begin an advanced training class that she had missed due to her injury. Not only that, she was given a better job, and a better desk — with a NEW team leader. Everything she wanted — and more!
Problem one day; prayer that night; solution the next day; and a new, better reality the day after that. That’s quick; but it can be even quicker than that. So don’t worry about the problems you are faced with; imagine the solution, or resolution. What you think about you get. “Ask and you shall receive.”
More Stuff about STUFF
December 18, 2007 | Leave a Comment
There is nothing wrong with, or bad about, stuff — or wanting stuff. Wrong and bad are judgments that are simply too easy to make. All STUFF, however, does have hidden costs and consequences for us and our world. We could all be a bit more conscious of STUFF rather than being so STUFF-conscious. By this I simply mean that we could all think a little more about our impulses before we simply act on them.
True, leaving the lights on and doors open probably won’t destroy the planet; but many of the things we are currently doing are creating more and more suffering for humanity — and could eventually leave our home unsuitable for human habitation. I’m not suggesting that you rush out and change things you are doing; that probably wouldn’t really work anyway. But I am suggesting that you start thinking about these things — and even consider different ways of thinking about them. When you’ve found a better way, the change will be natural and automatic.
For instance, you don’t have to make yourself stop watching television; but if you found more productive things to do — things that you enjoy more than watching television — then you’d stop watching t.v. and it wouldn’t be a matter of stopping something you like doing. It would be a matter of spending your time doing something you’d rather be doing. All you need to do is consider something new and look for an incentive to do it; the rest comes naturally. Watch this video about STUFF and you’ll see how easy it is to get swept up by something — and how difficult it can be sometimes to realize that you are on “the wide path” to a time and place you really won’t enjoy (even though you think you are enjoying the ride to that place).
The earth will survive. Humans, however, are just another species — just like the millions of species that have already come and gone from this planet. We have hunted, fished, and harvested countless species to extinction; and, not only will we probably suffer the same fate, but our actions are making it increasingly likely that we will probably suffer extinction at the hands of the same foe — humanity. Don’t think yourself bad or wrong; just start thinking. And start thinking positively about your health and the health of the planet. As you think, so it is done. Let the change begin in your mind.
This is a great video, and it is free; so be patient if the page takes a couple minutes to load — enlightenment is always worth the wait!
The Story of Stuff
Awesome Video That is Important to See Before You Start Holiday Shopping
