Posts
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The Scriptural principle that we use when we feel any kind of fear (and we all do from time to time, as fear is a response of the lower nature in all of us) is that of First John 4:18, which says, "Fear and Love cannot exist together, for when Love is made complete, fear is cast outside."
So, each minute of each day, fear is our main enemy. It is Love's opposite; since God is Love, then the "devil" is fear.
In prayer and meditation, picture yourself filled with the bright light of God's Love. Imagine it as a bright gold flowing down from heaven and filling you, entering the top of your head. In time, if you repeat this procedure, Love will crowd out all fear from the heart and mind. Pray to the God of Love with the absolute certainty that He will answer you; for it is His will that all of his children be filled to overflowing with the Light of Love.
This might have no effect if practiced only once or twice; but if you make it a sound, reliable habit, doing it several times a day, with the passage of a little time, you will find the disease of fear starting to retreat. If you practice long enough, one day, the fear will be completely gone, vanished.
God loves you immeasurably, illimitably. His sweet Love is beyond all comprehension. So, add to the exercise discussed above actual acts of Love for yourself and others. Every day, find some way to express Love.
Write an email, visit a friend, do an errand, help an animal, a child, an elderly person, or a challenged person: These, and many other activities, will help you practice the "faith" of true worship, and will strengthen the Love-nature within you. As the Love-nature strengthens, the fear-nature wilts and retreats. Fear vanishes in the Presence of Love. And Love is irresistible.
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Showing posts with label visualization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label visualization. Show all posts
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Friday, August 10, 2007
"Select Thought" Cognitive Therapy
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The quality of happiness in your life often depends on the types of thoughts that you choose to emphasize and allow into your mind. This seems so obvious and selfevident that it almost seems unnecessary to mention.
Nevertheless, much misery is created because we neglect the process of thought-selection. We behave almost as if thoughts have a kind of "will" of their own, that if we begin a negative chain of thought, or thought-train, it has an inertia of its own. One negative thought leads to another, then, to another, and so forth, until we have an entire train or chain of negative thoughts.
But once we become aware of the very beginning of a negative thought-chain, we can arrest it at the start. We can then alter our conscious thought-content from the negative to the positive.
Here's an example: The thought, "No one loves me," leads to, "I'm unlovable," or, "I don't deserve Love," and several other negativities. Before we know it, we can fall into a negative thought-chain; later, this can lead to anxiety, stress, or even depression.
But with "select thought" cognitive therapy, here is what can happen: The inadvertent thought, an inertial and "automatic" one, comes into the mind, "No one loves me." If we are aware, we can immediately correct this thought with a more rational one: For example, "I do have one real friend. This is the best friend in the whole universe, and She loves me deeply, entirely, and unconditionally." This is the Goddess within the heart. She is the best friend in the universe, and is willing and eager, at any time, night or day, to surround you in her warm, sweet Love.
So, instead of allowing a negative thought-train to take off on its own, you "arrest" it as soon as you are aware of it. Take a deep breath, try to relax, try to sink into meditation, and then, replace the negative thought with a positive one. Visualize your body being surrounded and filled with a bright healing light, and visualize this healing light also filling your head. Feel its healing Love.
Here is the simple but often neglected secret of "select thought" cognitive therapy:
If you think about what you do not have, and what you cannot do, you will tend to drain yourself of positive energy, bringing yourself down.
If, on the other hand, you choose to think about the things that you do have, and the things that you can do, you will give yourself a positive boost. This can be astonishingly healing to our feelings and mood.
Even the richest person in the world can choose to think about what she does not have, and bring herself down. Even the poorest person in the world can choose to think about what she does have, and bring her spirits
up.
So, we need to cultivate the good habit of allowing ourselves to think about only what we do have, and what we can do. When you start to feel down, remind yourself of the following: You have a functional if imperfect body; you have a functional if imperfect mind; if you have any moments that are pain-free, feel gratitude for those, and remind yourself of what a blessing each pain-free moment is. If your digestive system works, celebrate the fact. If your nervous system works, celebrate. Do the same re your respiratory, muscular, and other systems.
If you have a place to live, remind yourself. Many, many people on this planet do not. If you have enough food, be grateful; again, many do not.
If there is a food that you especially like, give yourself a little treat, and eat it in moderation. If you enjoy bathing, take your time and bathe at a leisurely pace, again reminding yourself of what a great blessing this is.
If you have friends, remind yourself of what a treasure they are. If you feel betrayed or let down by a friend, do not allow yourself to "recycle," "rerun," or endlessly, exhaustingly to review the event. Instead, push it out of your mind, and replace it with only pleasant thoughts.
You can also treat yourself to aromatherapy. Many find that floral fragrances (hyacinth, rose, lilac, etc.) are mildly euphoric (contributing to a positive mood or feeling). Many use sage specifically for this purpose, including clarey sage.
Count your blessings, literally. If you have a hobby, celebrate it. If you have employment, be thankful for it. This applies to any interests that you might have-- sensual, intellectual, artistic, scientific, spiritual, or other. Consciously, deliberately distract your mind from your problems by focusing all attention on your hobbies, interests, or passions. Never just allow your mind to "drift" into the negative thought-chain.
You can also sing. It matters not at all if you have the world's most "terrible" voice; the act of singing is itself therapeutic, whether you are "good" at it or not.
So, next time you start to feel "down," sit down, take some deep breaths, and remind yourself of all that is good, or positive, in your life. Your mind, in its illness, might even tell you that you have nothing positive. This is simply a symptom of the illness. Ignore this message, and continue to search your mind. Look for positive memories, for these exist in the now, and even if they come from the past, are parts of your life-treasures in the NOW.
Nature, God, our friends, our families, and our own hearts all contain beautiful jewels that can help us to make it through the rough times. Also, feeling "bad" once in a while is not a disease; it is normal and natural, and does not require drug-therapy. So, if you start to feel "down," don't panic. Instead, take a step back from your life, and look for the positive. Insist on thinking only positive thoughts about positive events, situations,and things. Demand this of yourself! Do not compromise, or allow the mind to drift into the negative! Try "select thought" cognitive therapy! You will be glad that you did!
*******
The quality of happiness in your life often depends on the types of thoughts that you choose to emphasize and allow into your mind. This seems so obvious and selfevident that it almost seems unnecessary to mention.
Nevertheless, much misery is created because we neglect the process of thought-selection. We behave almost as if thoughts have a kind of "will" of their own, that if we begin a negative chain of thought, or thought-train, it has an inertia of its own. One negative thought leads to another, then, to another, and so forth, until we have an entire train or chain of negative thoughts.
But once we become aware of the very beginning of a negative thought-chain, we can arrest it at the start. We can then alter our conscious thought-content from the negative to the positive.
Here's an example: The thought, "No one loves me," leads to, "I'm unlovable," or, "I don't deserve Love," and several other negativities. Before we know it, we can fall into a negative thought-chain; later, this can lead to anxiety, stress, or even depression.
But with "select thought" cognitive therapy, here is what can happen: The inadvertent thought, an inertial and "automatic" one, comes into the mind, "No one loves me." If we are aware, we can immediately correct this thought with a more rational one: For example, "I do have one real friend. This is the best friend in the whole universe, and She loves me deeply, entirely, and unconditionally." This is the Goddess within the heart. She is the best friend in the universe, and is willing and eager, at any time, night or day, to surround you in her warm, sweet Love.
So, instead of allowing a negative thought-train to take off on its own, you "arrest" it as soon as you are aware of it. Take a deep breath, try to relax, try to sink into meditation, and then, replace the negative thought with a positive one. Visualize your body being surrounded and filled with a bright healing light, and visualize this healing light also filling your head. Feel its healing Love.
Here is the simple but often neglected secret of "select thought" cognitive therapy:
If you think about what you do not have, and what you cannot do, you will tend to drain yourself of positive energy, bringing yourself down.
If, on the other hand, you choose to think about the things that you do have, and the things that you can do, you will give yourself a positive boost. This can be astonishingly healing to our feelings and mood.
Even the richest person in the world can choose to think about what she does not have, and bring herself down. Even the poorest person in the world can choose to think about what she does have, and bring her spirits
up.
So, we need to cultivate the good habit of allowing ourselves to think about only what we do have, and what we can do. When you start to feel down, remind yourself of the following: You have a functional if imperfect body; you have a functional if imperfect mind; if you have any moments that are pain-free, feel gratitude for those, and remind yourself of what a blessing each pain-free moment is. If your digestive system works, celebrate the fact. If your nervous system works, celebrate. Do the same re your respiratory, muscular, and other systems.
If you have a place to live, remind yourself. Many, many people on this planet do not. If you have enough food, be grateful; again, many do not.
If there is a food that you especially like, give yourself a little treat, and eat it in moderation. If you enjoy bathing, take your time and bathe at a leisurely pace, again reminding yourself of what a great blessing this is.
If you have friends, remind yourself of what a treasure they are. If you feel betrayed or let down by a friend, do not allow yourself to "recycle," "rerun," or endlessly, exhaustingly to review the event. Instead, push it out of your mind, and replace it with only pleasant thoughts.
You can also treat yourself to aromatherapy. Many find that floral fragrances (hyacinth, rose, lilac, etc.) are mildly euphoric (contributing to a positive mood or feeling). Many use sage specifically for this purpose, including clarey sage.
Count your blessings, literally. If you have a hobby, celebrate it. If you have employment, be thankful for it. This applies to any interests that you might have-- sensual, intellectual, artistic, scientific, spiritual, or other. Consciously, deliberately distract your mind from your problems by focusing all attention on your hobbies, interests, or passions. Never just allow your mind to "drift" into the negative thought-chain.
You can also sing. It matters not at all if you have the world's most "terrible" voice; the act of singing is itself therapeutic, whether you are "good" at it or not.
So, next time you start to feel "down," sit down, take some deep breaths, and remind yourself of all that is good, or positive, in your life. Your mind, in its illness, might even tell you that you have nothing positive. This is simply a symptom of the illness. Ignore this message, and continue to search your mind. Look for positive memories, for these exist in the now, and even if they come from the past, are parts of your life-treasures in the NOW.
Nature, God, our friends, our families, and our own hearts all contain beautiful jewels that can help us to make it through the rough times. Also, feeling "bad" once in a while is not a disease; it is normal and natural, and does not require drug-therapy. So, if you start to feel "down," don't panic. Instead, take a step back from your life, and look for the positive. Insist on thinking only positive thoughts about positive events, situations,and things. Demand this of yourself! Do not compromise, or allow the mind to drift into the negative! Try "select thought" cognitive therapy! You will be glad that you did!
*******
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Masculine and Feminine Love
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I by far, by many lightyears, prefer the Goddess over the God. Both are necessary, and good. But I've been saturated with a negative Godimage since way back, and I've had it up to here with the ridiculous "monstergod," as I call him. I long for, and need, the tender side; I love the Love of men, but need much more the Love of women. Not sexual, you understand. But a woman's Love has a completely distinct and different "flavor" than Love between males. Both can be real, but the gentle flower of feminine hearts has a sweetness and delightful fragrance lacking in the harder, more logical, Love of males. The soft receptivity in the Goddess is very welcome and welcoming. To sink deeply into that yielding heart, filled with warm Love, is to taste of spiritual ecstasy.
I have always preferred even the company of women-- partly because of the terrible ways in which males are socialized in our society. You know, the old "sex, sports, tools" mindset. Women, by contrast, are fascinating, compelling, powerfully attractive, and profound. They exhibit the spiritual variety of butterflies or roses, and the same glowing beauty. They are not terrified of their emotions, however deep these feelings might be.
In visions and visualizations (call them "spiritual fantasies"), I also prefer vastly the mindpicture of the Goddess over the God. This is only a tiny bit sexual -- due to the attractive physical form of the Goddess. The greatest percentage, by far, is psychospiritual. A woman usually forms a deeper and truer friendship, with more understanding, forgiveness, and loyalty. This is based, in part, on earth-friendships.
But it also arises from deeper spiritual principles.
The very touch of a Goddess -- in the form of a human woman, or in the form of a visualized supernormal Goddess -- is healing. And, again, there is a very special and unique form of Love that blossoms -- non-sexually-- between a man and a woman in friendship. It is one of the great joys of this life.
*******
I by far, by many lightyears, prefer the Goddess over the God. Both are necessary, and good. But I've been saturated with a negative Godimage since way back, and I've had it up to here with the ridiculous "monstergod," as I call him. I long for, and need, the tender side; I love the Love of men, but need much more the Love of women. Not sexual, you understand. But a woman's Love has a completely distinct and different "flavor" than Love between males. Both can be real, but the gentle flower of feminine hearts has a sweetness and delightful fragrance lacking in the harder, more logical, Love of males. The soft receptivity in the Goddess is very welcome and welcoming. To sink deeply into that yielding heart, filled with warm Love, is to taste of spiritual ecstasy.
I have always preferred even the company of women-- partly because of the terrible ways in which males are socialized in our society. You know, the old "sex, sports, tools" mindset. Women, by contrast, are fascinating, compelling, powerfully attractive, and profound. They exhibit the spiritual variety of butterflies or roses, and the same glowing beauty. They are not terrified of their emotions, however deep these feelings might be.
In visions and visualizations (call them "spiritual fantasies"), I also prefer vastly the mindpicture of the Goddess over the God. This is only a tiny bit sexual -- due to the attractive physical form of the Goddess. The greatest percentage, by far, is psychospiritual. A woman usually forms a deeper and truer friendship, with more understanding, forgiveness, and loyalty. This is based, in part, on earth-friendships.
But it also arises from deeper spiritual principles.
The very touch of a Goddess -- in the form of a human woman, or in the form of a visualized supernormal Goddess -- is healing. And, again, there is a very special and unique form of Love that blossoms -- non-sexually-- between a man and a woman in friendship. It is one of the great joys of this life.
*******
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Silver Healing Meditations
Our energic protocol has changed. While we were, previously, working with silverblue visualization, we will now be working with the pure silver only. (Silver is the Hermetic color symbolizing elemental water, or cleansing and purification.)
So, in your healing-visualizations, will you please join us in imagining the area of the right kidney glowing with a clean, clear, pure, bright, luminescent, shimmering, glittering silver? This is the most likely to trigger some cooperation from the Unconscious.
Thanks again, in advance, my dear friends of the heart, for all that you do, and shall yet do.:) Your tender expressions of compassion are welcomed with a heart full of gratitude.:)
So, in your healing-visualizations, will you please join us in imagining the area of the right kidney glowing with a clean, clear, pure, bright, luminescent, shimmering, glittering silver? This is the most likely to trigger some cooperation from the Unconscious.
Thanks again, in advance, my dear friends of the heart, for all that you do, and shall yet do.:) Your tender expressions of compassion are welcomed with a heart full of gratitude.:)
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Pervasive Meditation
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For thousands of years, deeply spiritual people have longed and yearned to get in touch with the Soul, Spirit, and Unconscious generally. They have developed, over centuries, various forms of meditation or "silent prayer."
You must still the busy-ness of the conscious (thinking) mind and open yourself to the deep Love-nature (Christ-spirit or Buddha-nature) profoundly in the mind of all people. To clear the mind, many use a mantra, a simple phrase repeated. Some effective ones include: "God is Love and..." "Jesus Christ and..." "I am at peace," "aAhmitabha" (Lord of Light), "Loving Mary," "Gentle KwanYin," "Does not matter," etc.
There are literally hundreds of variations and possibilities.
A phrase of four syllables falls very easily into a rhythm, and that is why it is used in "pervasive meditation" (acognitive therapy). As this name for meditation indicates, clearing the mind is very therapeutic and healing to both mind and body.
Whenever you have a spare minute or two, start to "run" (repeat) the phrase in your mind. Relax as deeply as possible, centering your whole being on pure Love, and excluding everything else. Gently push all other thoughts and mind-pictures out of your mind. Take some deep cleansing breaths, and you might also want to visualize your body surrounded by a beautiful blue or golden light.
Do this as often as possible during the day. This will get you in touch with the Lovemind, Coremind, or Godmind within. In time, without any effort, your thoughts, words, and actions will begin to change for the better. You will find yourself happier, more joyful, more contented, satisfied, and fulfilled. You will find yourself speaking, thinking, and acting with greater patience and Love. You will express healthy and healing compassion, goodness, and kindness. You will find self-forgiveness pouring from the interior "Fountain" of God (Love)inside you.
Do not give up. Keep on trying. Keep returning to your phrase, no matter how many times the mind gets distracted. For you are opening the interior "door" to the Holy Spirit, your highest Self or nature.
*******
For thousands of years, deeply spiritual people have longed and yearned to get in touch with the Soul, Spirit, and Unconscious generally. They have developed, over centuries, various forms of meditation or "silent prayer."
You must still the busy-ness of the conscious (thinking) mind and open yourself to the deep Love-nature (Christ-spirit or Buddha-nature) profoundly in the mind of all people. To clear the mind, many use a mantra, a simple phrase repeated. Some effective ones include: "God is Love and..." "Jesus Christ and..." "I am at peace," "aAhmitabha" (Lord of Light), "Loving Mary," "Gentle KwanYin," "Does not matter," etc.
There are literally hundreds of variations and possibilities.
A phrase of four syllables falls very easily into a rhythm, and that is why it is used in "pervasive meditation" (acognitive therapy). As this name for meditation indicates, clearing the mind is very therapeutic and healing to both mind and body.
Whenever you have a spare minute or two, start to "run" (repeat) the phrase in your mind. Relax as deeply as possible, centering your whole being on pure Love, and excluding everything else. Gently push all other thoughts and mind-pictures out of your mind. Take some deep cleansing breaths, and you might also want to visualize your body surrounded by a beautiful blue or golden light.
Do this as often as possible during the day. This will get you in touch with the Lovemind, Coremind, or Godmind within. In time, without any effort, your thoughts, words, and actions will begin to change for the better. You will find yourself happier, more joyful, more contented, satisfied, and fulfilled. You will find yourself speaking, thinking, and acting with greater patience and Love. You will express healthy and healing compassion, goodness, and kindness. You will find self-forgiveness pouring from the interior "Fountain" of God (Love)inside you.
Do not give up. Keep on trying. Keep returning to your phrase, no matter how many times the mind gets distracted. For you are opening the interior "door" to the Holy Spirit, your highest Self or nature.
*******
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