My guess is that you want to say “yes” to these questions, but you are actually answering “no”. Why is this? Because institutions are deciding these answers for us. Yes it’s true! In all four of these areas of your life you have not and do not choose. You disagree? Let us explore.

When it comes to your health are you choosing what you put into your body or are you allowing the media, the supermarkets and even your family determine what you eat, or allowing your doctor decide what medications you should be taking? How many of those choices have you truly made yourself. In most cases I am sure you would agree you have taken the common route, the path of least resistance, and allowed society to tell you what to eat and what to do when you get a headache. And most likely if you were eating healthier you would not be having any headaches in the first place.

Making your own conscious choices about what you put into your body can have a positive affect on your health. Observe your body. How does it react and feel after certain foods? Avoid those foods that leave you feeling slack and without energy and choose the food that makes you feel good an hour after you eat it.

What about your time? Are you the master of your own time? Or are you the slave of circumstances and habit? How often do we conform to what others want just to keep the peace? It’s bad enough having an employer where we give our time for the money we earn, but what about the rest of our time? How much time do you take for yourself? It is important to pursue your own desires and dreams and satisfy your own pleasures. This is not to say you ought to ignore everyone else around you, particularly those depending on you. But it is important to get a balance and have time that is only for you.

I bet you think you have control of your money. Well apart from taxes (we’ll leave that one as we all enjoy the benefits of roads, transport and trade etc.) how much of your hard earned money do you spend voluntarily on things you actually want or need? Observe again how often you will buy something because the advertisement appealed to you, or the display in the store attracted you, or even because your friend said this is a must. After you buy it you wonder why or it lies around unused. How much food do you throw away becuase you fell for the big sales and specials and ended up buying much too much food?

So are you really in control of your money? Is your money serving you as it ought to? Are you treating your money with respect, because if you do it will return to you. Setting money aside for later is a big plus and a must. Small amounts mount up and you will be grateful for that years from now. I’m not saying to spend sparingly, that could stifle the flow, but spend wisely, and most of all, make your own choices.

One more thing – have you chosen what you believe in? Now when it comes to religious belief the answer is most likely not. You have accepted the beliefs handed down to you. The same is true about how you are currently looking at life, you got educated and got a job and pay into your pension fund because that’s what you were taught and what you subsequently believe in. But these things are nothing more than belief systems passed down to us. But are they the right things and are they serving us today? We need to take a close look at why we believe things and why we do things in certain ways today. Could it be that you are not meeting with success and not fulfilling your dreams because of restricting and limiting beliefs from the past?

We need to take control of our beliefs and choose what is beneficial and profitable for life and discard all that isn’t.

So are you free? Or do you need to make a few adjustments. Remember, everyone around faces the same challenge, so be gentle.

Think about what has got you where you are now. What is the one thing which is mostly responsible for getting you into your current circumstances? Is it the economy? Is the the government? What about your relationships? Maybe they messed up your life. Or it was the hurricane or tornado which destroyed everything you had. Or perhaps you were robbed or took ill or had an accident. Which of these do you blame for your current circumstances? And although there may be some blame here if that is the way you have been thinking then you have missed the real reason.

A few years ago my own life fell apart. First it was religious beliefs which were shattered. I was faced with a situation where my honesty and trust were abused and I was hurt and my image destroyed. Soon after that I lost my well paying  job. Two systems, the religious and the social, which I relied on had let me down. Now I could have sunk in the gutter of depression and blamed everyone and everything and make myself miserable. But I am grateful that soon after I discovered the REAL REASON for my demise. And it’s the same reason why you are in the situation you are in now. And it is the same reason why you will ALWAYS FAIL at setting new year’s resolutions or any kind of goals.

What is that one REASON why you will always FAIL?

It is your thoughts! If you were thinking like a millionaire do you believe you would be where you are today? You are where you are today because you have been thinking that way. You are broke because you are thinking “I am broke.” Your are sick because you are thinking “I am sick.” You are working for minimal wages because you are thinking “That’s all I am capable of doing”. You have failed at giving up smoking because you are thinking “I can never give up smoking”. You are failing at that diet because you are thinking “I can never lose weight.”

Your thinking has brought you to where you are today. Now if those thoughts do not change then your circumstances will not change. If you want to change your circumstances, if you want to keep your resolutions then your thinking must match the outcome and results you desire. Change your thinking and you will change your life. Think like a millionaire and you will be one. Think like a healthy, slim person and you will be one. Now, what was that resolution? Start thinking you have achieved it already and you will change.

So what are these four little things holding you back from success? They are:

Fear

Shame

Guilt

Pain

Think of your current predicament. What is really stopping you from reaching your goals and realizing your dreams? It is fear, isn’t it? In fact we could summarize all four of these obstacles with just this one – fear. You are afraid to step out and do what you know you must do. You are afraid to do something you have never done before. You are allowing this fear to keep you firmly fixed in your current undesirable situation. Fear is the one, big block standing in your way. But what is it exactly you are afraid of?

Shame of failure. That’s right. You are afraid of shaming yourself if you should try something and fail. You feel you would be ashamed to face your family and friends after failing to achieve your goals. Perhaps there is some shame in becoming successful because of the things you have been heard saying about the rich and successful. In this case you better start changing your tune and looking for why those people are successful. Maybe you can learn something.

What about guilt? Do you feel guilty pursuing success? Do you feel it isn’t your privilege to be successful? Are you allowing the guilt of leaving others behind to stop you from being successful? How are you supposed to be able to help those then if you don’t change your life? Won’t you then be in a better position to be able to help others in need?

It may not be physical pain which you fear, but the pain of remembering past failure or loss. Have you met with a painful loss and feel you have been disadvantaged? Do you convince yourself that if that hadn’t happened you wouldn’t be in such a bad state right now? Well you have a choice. Either you sink in your past pain or you rise to create new opportunities to make yourself successful and fulfill those dreams which you have been putting off for so long.

So you see how impossible it is to change your life as long as you allow these four silly obstacles to rob you of your dreams? It does not have to be that way! You can change your life if only you will decide to overcome these little fears, to forget the shame, to reject the guilt and to overcome the pain. Make these the four reasons why you must succeed and you will look back wondering why you hesitated for so long. Go for your dreams!

Get a FREE report: Change Your Life In Any Direction You Desire – the easy way

By Mabel Katz

In Ho’oponopono we learn that the intellect was not created to know, it was created to choose. That is the only function of the intellect. We are to let go or not to let go, to be

Mabel Katz

right or not to be right, to have the last word or not. We have a choice, to do it the intellect’s way or God’s way.

This trip to Israel made me more aware of how our ancestors knew that the only way to see and experience miracles was through faith, and that by staying united they would find the strength to confront whatever challenges came their way. They knew that the solution to their problems was going to come from the heavens. The answer was not on the Earth.

Unfortunately, as we evolved and became more educated, we separated more and more from the source and decided that we know better and that we are going to resolve it.

Somehow we have become confused. We believe we are supposed to fill our intellect with knowledge, but the intellect was given to us to choose between thinking and engaging or letting go.

We have become so entrenched in the belief that the intellect’s purpose is storing and understanding information, that we base our sense of identity on this idea. Our intellect thus tries to become something that it is not and is always pushing us to be something that we are not meant to be.

In order to break this cycle we need to realize that we are wise by nature, and that our wisdom does not reside in the intellect. Our creativity is not in our intellect either. Creativity is our natural state. It comes and works in ways that we cannot explain. In reality, our ideas and actions come only from Inspiration or memories.

Now, Inspiration can only come when you are empty and open. It cannot come when you are talking, thinking or worrying. In order to achieve your maximum potential, you must become like children again, wise children. You must trust that you are guided and protected when you are not thinking or worrying and be open to all possibilities. You need to go back to your roots, to the time before you became so educated that you lost track of who you really are.

We are the ones complicating our existence. We are the ones thinking we know what is good for us and we make lists of what we want to attract, how much and when, when in fact we don’t have a clue of what is good for us, and on top of that, who are we making the list for? We actually make lists for the Creator, who knows us better than anyone and knows what we need and when we need it. We are very arrogant, indeed.

Anthony De Mello puts it simply, “When you become conscious and aware, you become wiser. That is what you call real self-growth. Understand your pride and it will drop – what results will be humility. Understand your unhappiness and it will disappear – what results is the state of happiness. Understand your fears and they will melt – the resultant state is love. Understand your attachments and they will vanish – the consequence is freedom.”

Think of nature. Look at the flowers for example. There is no way we humans can create such beauty. We need to admit there is a Divine intelligence. Think of your body. You do not need to think how to breathe or how to make your heart pump. We are surrounded by Divine miracles.

Return to the wonder and awe of your childhood. Use the intellect for its intended purpose instead of allowing it to drive you mad. Once you open your heart and cease trying to control reality, wonderful things will begin to pop up all around, and you will recover your sense of joy and freedom.

The truth shall set you free!

You’ll find more about practicing Ho’oponopono to improve your life at http://hooponoponoway.com Be sure to leave a comment on the blog. And while you’re there, you’ll want to sign up for my newsletter. You’ll get the “money” chapter from my book, “The Easiest Way,” too. Mabel Katz, Empowering you to live the life of your dreams with Ho’oponopono – http://mabelkatz.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mabel_Katz

http://EzineArticles.com/?Hooponopono-and-the-Intellect&id=3558846

The native Na’vi of the fictional planet, Pandora, are depicted as having a very close bond with Eywa, their mother of nature, and all life. This bond is demonstrated by a physical connection made either through their tails or pony-tails to other animals or to the earth itself. A spirit-tree which produces floating feather-like flowers, is their connection to Eywa. The flowers are attracted to innocence and an open heart. When a connection to Eywa is required the entire village gathers around the tree, tails connected to the earth, and holding each other they chant and connect in united spirit to Eywa. When they make a bond through their pony-tails to other animals these animals become their servants – a personal close bond is formed for life.

Throughout the movie the na’vi’s bond to nature is emphasized and made central to the plot. The Earth scientists also made the discovery that the trees of Pandora where somehow connected to each other, forming a intricate network of some kind of communication.

The story revolves around the “need” for the Earth humans to harvest a precious crystal power source which just happens to be in great quantities under the home-tree of the na’vi. Either the na’vi move or the military force them out.

What does this teach us? First of all there is the very strong message that the Earth humans have destroyed their own Mother, Gaia. Their planet is no longer green and now they proceed to destroy another planet in their hunger for resources. It is a reflection of the rape and destruction of our remaining rain-forests and other natural habitats. The movie, Avatar, gives us a strong reminder that we cannot continue to rape our planet and kill Mother Earth, for in doing so we will bring our own ultimate doom.

A second lesson to be learned from the Avatar movie is the connectedness everything has to everything. Everything is connected. I’ve said it many times and I believe it to be so. Everything is energy and we are energy and on the energy level we are, everything is, connected. You may refer to this energy connection as a spiritual bond. Even quantum science is beginning to prove this connection and the ancient teachings of the alchemists and mystics all speak of an underlying spirit or power which gives all things life and holds all things together. We are all connected to all things alive and inanimate and because of this if we harm anything we also harm ourselves. If we hate someone because of skin colour or creed we are in fact hating ourselves.

The third lesson to be learned from Avatar is the magnetic attraction of innocence and love, a pure heart and a giving soul. Nature is designed to be a giving force to create and support life in all of its abundance. This includes every need and desire of humankind. I believe that the “natural” disasters which we experience frequently are the result of the imbalance of natural energy flows caused either directly or indirectly by us humans, directly through our scavenging the earth and indirectly through our selfish hatred of our own kind – humans.

The underlying force of Nature is Love. Love is never selfish and always wishes the best for the other. This is Nature as it is meant to be. Love is the source of all life. If we humans have not love then we upset the balance of nature. The laws of attraction tells us this is so. Think of evil and evil will come upon you. Think of good and you will experience good. Fear bad things and that fear will upset the natural balance of love and trust and bad things will result. Avatar reminds us that we each have the power for our own good or our own destruction in our our own hands.

There is one other lesson in the Avatar movie which may have gone largely unnoticed. It is the importance of gratitude. When Neytiri kills some wild creatures in order to save Jake she weeps because the animals did not need to die, but they died because of Jake’s carelessness. Later as Jake was trained in the art and ways of the na’vi he also learned to be grateful even for the prey he just killed for food. He very deliberately thanks the animal and releases its spirit to return to Eywa while it’s body stays to become a part of the na’vi.

How often are you grateful for the smallest blessings? Are you aware of your connection to nature, to your car, your money and your neighbour? Are you sensitive to the fact that whatever you give out will return to you, whether that be hate or love, or selfishness or generosity, rudeness or kindness. Have you been grateful for 2009? Stop and think now and give thanks for all the good that your life has received in 2009. And if you only think of bad things give thanks for that too, perhaps you have missed something.

Be blessed and enjoy your connections in 2010.

I believe in our spiritual nature, that we are made up of body, soul and spirit, or the physical, emotional and that something other which constitutes the real you and me, what I call our spirit. It is the connection to a greater Divine Spirit at this level which I believe is the source of all of our power and capabilities.

Think of everything as energy. Ask a physicist and they’ll tell you this is true. Everything in this world, the entire universe is only energy. Matter, the stuff we call physical – the stuff we can touch and sense with our physical senses, is also only energy. Everything vibrates at different frequencies; a rock vibrates a lot slower than water, and water is slower than air, and air is slower than light and light is slower than spirit. The rock, made up of atoms and electrons, like everything else, is really in constant movement. But to us it feels like it is not moving at all, but still and hard.

Even our thoughts are energy. When we think we are in fact sending out signals at a certain frequency. Anything vibrating at or resonating with that frequency will pick up that thought-signal, or resonate with it. This is the basis of the Law of Attraction. Like attracts like. So when we think bad and fear the worst we are in fact drawing those things towards us.

When we think positive thoughts and dwell on our desires which should benefit mankind in some way, we are resonating at spiritual frequencies. We are connecting with the Divine. This is why meditation is so helpful; it gets rid of all the noise of distracting and negative thoughts and allows us to focus our intention, our spiritual frequencies, on the single idea of our desire.

What do you think? DO you have an experience with this inner, spiritual power? Comment below.

What is holding us back? What is stopping even President Obama from taking action? It is companies like Shell and other oil concerns. They fear to lose their massive profits. The pressure they place on our leaders is enormous. And Shell say they are working hard to produce efficient burning of fossil fuels with lower CO2 emissions. This is commendable Shell, but there is an even better solution on your doorstep. There exists today the technology to tap into the ever present and powerful zero-field of energy. This is the kind of stuff that can make our cars silently hover and our rockets take off and land safely without polluting our atmosphere. A major company like Shell has it in their hands to adapt to providing such energy devices, probably creating many new jobs, and at the same time save our planet.

I think it is significant that these meetings are taking place almost 24 months before the much publicized 21st December 2012. With movies creating a fear of the worst and the climate doomsayers predicting sudden deterioration of our atmosphere, this self-induced fear can be put to good use. We have now the opportunity to change our world. With the exclusion of fossil fuels for energy, the climate will be saved, our air will be cleaner, people will be healthier, wars are no longer needed, and our governments can finally stop being afraid of each other. The message these people bring in the video below cannot be ignored. The evidence is too demanding. I post it here to help raise human consciousness that we be aware of a brighter future and put our energies, not into resisting current trends, but in intentionally believing that those who can will change things.

Have a look at The Global Coherence Initiative

The Global Coherence Initiative is a science-based initiative to unite millions of people in heart-focused care and intention – to shift global consciousness from instability and discord to balance, cooperation and enduring peace.

Amanda Knox

Who murdered Meredith Kercher? This may seem a strange topic for this blog, but this is not so much about the trial and verdicts as about finding out the truth. As in any public tragedy the public want to know the truth. And giving a guilty verdict, although pleasing to the victim’s family, is not always a representation of the truth.

Take the assassination of JFK, the murder of OJ Simpson’s wife, the cause of Michael Jackson’s death. All leave us with a mystery – who did it? Who was responsible? And the case of whether or not Amanda Knox is innocent leaves just such a mystery. For many it is clear, yet the evidence is not conclusive.

So how do we find out the truth? Quite simply, ask your sub-conscience. David Hawkins, author of Truth vs. Falsehood: How to Tell the Difference, has spent decades researching the accuracy and results of testing truth and levels of consciousness using a technique called Kinesiology. This basically is the use of muscle tests to determine facts. It was originally developed to determine the cause and source of pain and illness. But Hawkins saw something else.

The muscle test, there are many but the basic test uses an outstretched arm, indicates either a strong response – resistance to pressing, or a weak response - giving way to pressing. The strong response indicates a positive answer to a statement, the weak response indicates a negative answer. The tester, the one adding the pressure to the outstretched arm, can simply think of the statement or object and test for a response. The tested person is unaware of what is being tested yet the response received is known to indicate the truth. In this way Kinesiology therapists help their clients release the cause of stress or pain, which often lies somewhere in the emotions of past experiences.

There are variations to this basic test, as my wife, a trained Integrative Kinesiologist, will tell you. Her primary testing involves the conscious participation of the client, so the statements being tested are always known.

But what Hawkin’s saw in this method was a way to tap into the sub-conscious mind. He knew that if he could directly ask the sub-conscience that he would get true responses. The perfect lie detector, the ideal truth analyser – the human body and human consciousness.

Meredith Kercher

I am sure we will see this in the future. Court trials will be reduced to independent teams muscle testing to determine the truth. The only requirement is something we could wish more of in our courtrooms – integrity. To get a clear answer the channel, the tester, must be free of prejudice.

I have seen other methods where the tester can use a simple unadulterated pendulum to get similar responses from his own sub-conscious mind. Again, integrity is essential.

Let us not be too quick to judge. It is amazing how many will jump on the band wagon to shout murder and hang them. They don’t know all the facts, no one does, yet they follow along with the media selling their stories to a revenge hungry public. As in the case of the recent deaths at a James Ray event in Arizona, many unleash their hate as if they are themselves immune from such happenings and they are God the judge. As I have seen in both these cases, the accusers (those unattached to the affected families) reveal their own weak, hateful  hearts. The accuser always shows what is in his own heart.

If anyone has done such testing post your responses below. I wish the Kercher family a peaceful letting go and Amanda and her family truth and justice.

I want answers. I want to find meaning to what is happening in my life. I am looking for direction. Or, what is it, that word, purpose!

Is there really a purpose to life? Can anyone truly say that they are here on this planet living in this body to fulfill a specific purpose?

Wow! That raises a bunch of questions. If I have a purpose, then who gave me that purpose? Who decided that is what I should be or do? And where and when was that decided?

Right, so let me get this straight. If this was decided before I got here then someone must have known I would be born. And if that is so then I must have known them. This is crazy. This is way out there. This is Moon and Mars stuff. So I had an existence before this life? So maybe I decided, or at least agreed, on what my purpose should be.

Then I was born and forgot all about it. Hmm. That means this was intended to be a journey of self discovery. But something in me, something about my make up, perhaps my DNA, would guide me towards that purpose.

But wait a minute. What if I can’t hear that inner guiding? What if I am totally unaware of any inner anything? Like what I am now. Hey, wait another minute. If I’m not getting the guidance then all this mess, this turmoil in my life right now, must be because I am off track, out of purpose. Oh my God! So getting back on track, getting the mess sorted out is to hear the inner guidance.

Great! Super! Just one problem. How on earth do I hear my inner guidance? That must be intuition, right? Whatever that is. So, there’s a part of me which knows what I am supposed to be doing here. And there is a part of me which doesn’t know. Now all I need to do is to connect the two parts and have the one communicate with the other.

Right, but how do I do that? Meditation! Now that sounds like a good way. But there are so many different forms of meditation. Now what is it that they all have in common? Stillness. Getting quiet. Quieting the mind. Getting the thoughts to shut up, or at least to be able to ignore them. Yes, then I will be able to hear my inner voice, that inner, spiritual part of me. Then I will have direction. I will know what is my purpose and I will receive inspiration and knowledge in order to begin pursuing my life’s purpose.

The unwillingness to explore alternative options creates the need for competition. As a competitor, intolerance is inevitable. You discriminate against those you regard as competitors, those who, in your opinion, have what you want. You are so focused on your opponent, new and better methods are ignored. If you treat your competitors this way, how do you think they’re treating you? Everyone wants a piece of the pie regardless of the cost. This mindset condemns the weak and timid in society. They’re viewed as indispensible and unworthy by the highly successful and competitive individuals.

When there is only one way, the path crowds with people trying to push themselves ahead of the line. A good analogy is a sale the day before Christmas. Time is limited and everyone wants the same item, so lines form and tempers flare. The moment the door opens, people push and shove to get what they want. Competition is a truly a selfish activity. The competitor wants to win and do so at the expense of all opponents. When you compete you are not thinking of the success of the others, but only of your own success. So often we want to take away from our competitor in order to gain more for ourselves. We see no other way. This comes from the mind set of limitation – there isn’t enough to go around.

In order to make profit we must also take the business away from our competitor. The story of the sale before Christmas is a simple example; a more subtle form of competition is among leadership positions. No matter the business or organization, whether it is a hospital, church, or sports team, it has a leader. Acquiring a leadership position is difficult and therefore these positions are coveted and treasured. This role brings with it an air of importance. In many instances, this new attitude changes their true self and creates a mindset of the need to protect their position. This mindset of competition creates an environment where anyone who demonstrates better qualities or has a better relationship with the staff, congregation, or team becomes a threat to the leader. This need to guard against potential threats causes the leader to treat their subordinates unkindly and with suspicion. As a result, every moment they’re fighting for their position by competing against those around them.

So it is in the interest of the leader, even if his job is to help others improve and advance, to prevent anyone else from gaining too much experience or too much influence, so as not to be a threat to the leader’s position and authority. Therefore they prevent promising individuals with productive and innovative ideas from advancing with the organization making sure they cannot break out and reach a higher level than them. They even convince them that it is a privilege to work for them. This is common tactic used to manipulate others into a false belief. In a religious setting, this is particularly dangerous.

It may not be a deliberate act to keep others in their place. But because of the competitive mind set there is the fear and thus the automatic reaction to keeping others in their place: “I am the leader, you are the follower”, “I get paid for this, you don’t”, “I know what’s best, that’s why I am the leader.” Most may not be so outwardly arrogant, but in the sub-conscious mind these thoughts linger and cause the feelings of fear of survival, thus producing the result of enforcing subordination.  These thoughts result in manipulating the people into submission. The majority of society honestly has faith in their leaders. Leaders know this and misuse their position as they rule their flock.  These leaders view themselves as deities and expect you to surrender your ego and give your devotion only to them. When this happens, you no longer control your life and your happiness is ruled by others.

This is a destructive path.  Competition suffocates creativity, love, and kindness. In fact if you display any of these gifts you are looked on with envy. Is it any wonder that some just take a defeated surrender? They live in a grey existence, caring less about their life forcing them to live on a survival basis with no hope in sight. Feelings such as Uniqueness, importance, and worthiness are buried deep within. This absence of emotions pits every one against each other. How can there possibly be peace and friendly productivity in such an environment? This attitude permeates not only the business world, but also in sports, media, and religion. Why do so many different denominations of the same religion insist on evangelizing the areas dominated by other denominations? Competition! Competition is based on a lack of love. If you win the other loses. Your profits mean the other’s loss.

Leadership does not have to be like this. A leader should be leading people on and not holding a position to keep others back. A true leader will benefit when others rise to their level or even beyond – then the leader has fulfilled part of his position. A leader who hinders advancement for fear of his position is not leading but ruling. A ruler only has subjects who obey; a leader has fellows to show the way.

- An extract from Wings of Change by Jim & Katharina Murdoch