Releasing Fear and Growing in Joy and Happiness

By George Lockett

As we move more in to the New Energy and expand our awareness of life and living we are growing in love and releasing fear.
Just allow yourself to smile; you do not need a reason. As you smile feel the depth of that smile with your feeling. Start with the smile on your face and feel the warm of its energy expanding to take in the whole of your body. Consciously take a few deep breaths.

Feel the depth of the smile as you become aware of all the organs in the body smiling, feel the cells within the organs start to smile and express their love. Feel all the molecules within the cells start to smile and feel the atoms that make up the molecules beam a really big deep smile.
Feel your energy balancing with the warmth of this love just connect to that feeling of love that underlies our atoms; feel the neutral energy, which is hidden from science because it has no qualities.

Become aware of the vacuum or void that underlies this physical Universe, that eternal continuum, which is never changing, yet is the source of all change. Just be in awareness of who you are.
You are the life force of creation you are the non-changing, which flows out into this field of constant change. As you open up to this field of love deep within your heart allow your awareness to connect to it. Feel your vibration rise as you start to merge your awareness with life itself.

Allow this love to flow through you from the finest layer of your being out through your body. Balancing and bringing all the layers of energy of your body into perfect balance and harmony; visualise all the finer particles merging and forming the atoms, the atoms merging and forming the molecules, the molecules merging forming the cells, the cells merging forming the organs and bones, see all the layers and all the parts forming in the whole of you.
Feel your whole body being at peace with the world. Your awareness fully alert and awake to who you are. As your energies come into balance see all your life flow freely without resistance. What you need is already flowing to you even before you have thought of it.
You are apart of a much larger system. See and feel your energy grow in awareness, know that you are living a synchronous life, where what you need is in your space at exactly the right moment.

Have faith in the system of which you are apart. Allow your energy to expand and flow freely. Use your imagination, your dreams and aspiration to guide you to your field of joy. Wake up to who you are. You are life itself ever flowing eternal; there is no separation between you and God. You are God creating and flowing, feel your love and your connection to the whole universe and live in peace and harmony with other aspects of yourself.

Spiritual Thinkers of Life

Traveler Tips

by: Puripong Koomsin Important general tips • Always buy your tickets online because online tickets are cheaper (as it doesn’t include the agent’s commission) and you can easily compare the prices offered by different airlines. • If it’s your first time to a particular country, then cracking a deal with some of the best tourism agents and companies like SOTC, Thomas Cook could be a good idea and in first place you can bargain as well. • Always plan your journey and book tickets months in advance that could save a lot on money. • Never forget to bargain if you carrying extra luggage, although packing less and packing right is highly advisable.

• Always read about the weather, history and people of the place you are traveling to that could really make you comfortable. • Possibly, carry along a credit card because most credit card company offers cheap interest rates and easy repayments on international transactions. Make sure with your company about the transaction rate. • Always carry more travelers’ cheque rather than cash money because it is safer and easily exchangeable at most of the banks. • Never forget to carry some cash in case of emergencies they might work your way out • Also, get an insurance done if you going for long vacations because many insurance companies cover theft, minor law breaking and accidents.

• Also carry regular medicines for cough, cold or fever. Packing Tips • Let’s have a quick summary of what you should carry. Packing could be the most tedious job of all. But, when your destination is Europe you don’t really have to worry a lot. In short, Pack less and relax. I m sure you want to enjoy more and not sweat most of the time. • Also get the roadmaps and hot destinations flyers and small booklets with you that wont waste time and I am sure you know that time is money. • Always remember to take a camera or a handy cam, for that is what will keep the sweet memories. • The first thing you have to bear in mind is, what time of the year you want to go because most of the countries are cold during winter and most of the people prefer anytime between March and September. • First of all organize your passport, money and all essential documents in a single pouch or bag that you would be carrying on your hand. • Multi-purpose clothing must be a good idea like the ones with many pockets (remember pockets will load off all your worries) and the lower legs can be zipped off.

• Also, learn about money stashing in clothes that’s the tip of the day. • Never carry food as it consumes a lot of space, unless you are the cant do without sort of. • Flip-flops and light shoes are best way walking and big boots could do well if you go in mountains • Just carry two-three jeans and a couple of tees, take sample size toiletries like toothpaste, toothbrush, soap etc. • It’s better to carry big rucksacks, those can be mounted on your back and easy to go about. • Never forget about the things back home, always remember things have to be safe back home so if you have someone trusted hire him/her for home sitting. One of most safest idea is leave some or the other lights of your house on ( that’s a million dollar tip) • Well that’s most of the thing you need to look for, rest you smart people can work out. • I wish you a happy and a safe journey.

About The Author Puripong Koomsin is the owner of Travel Europe Guide - Europepathway.com Traveler Tips is one of many useful articles from http://www.europepathway.com.

Budgeting For Prosperity

by: Paul Goldner
Budgeting For Prosperity Seven Steps to Follow To Achieve Financial Freedom Without a sound financial plan, a business is doomed to failure - managing your personal finances is no different. A sound personal financial plan is crucial to both your financial and emotional well being. We have prepared a simple and easy to use budgeting process for you. This budgeting process will show you how to thoroughly develop a financial plan and lead you on the road to financial freedom. Make a complete list of your monthly income. The budgeting process always starts with a monthly income; one's income will show how much one has to spend each month.When developing your monthly income, make certain to include take home pay from your job, any bonuses that you receive, dividends and interest income from investments, tax refunds from the government, gifts from other family members, and any other type of income you may require during the particular month. If you would like a comprehensive income budgeting tool, please call your credit counselor at American Debt Solutions.

They can be reached at 1-800-246-4019. Or, you can visit our web site, www.adshq.org, and complete one of our online credit counseling applications. One of our credit counselors will be happy to help you complete your income budgeting worksheet. Make a complete list of your monthly expenses. Just like the complete list of an income, one must make a comprehensive list of his/her expenses.When you make your list of expenses, it is important to break them into three distinct categories, fixed, flexible, and discretionary. Fixed expenses: expenses that do not change from month to month.Good examples of fixed expenses are your mortgage or rent payments, a car payment, insurance premiums (such as life insurance, car insurance, or health insurance) or any other expense that does not vary from month to month. Once you have gathered all of your fixed expenses, you need to make a total of your fixed expenses for use a little later in the process. Flexible expenses: expenses that vary from month to month.Typically, you can control your flexible expenses to a certain extent.

Flexible expenses include items such as groceries, utilities, clothing, restaurant expenses, haircuts, fuel and other items that change from month to month. You should be able to see that you do have at least some control over your flexible expenses. Again, total all of your flexible expenses; we will also use this later in the process. Discretionary expenses: Discretionary expenses are clearly not necessary for your survival and may be the cause of many of your financial problems.Good examples of discretionary expenses are entertainment, vacations, movies, alcohol, and club memberships. Again, total all of your discretionary expenses. Put your expenses in order of most importance. If your expenses exceed your income, you will be in a position where you will need to use credit cards to pay for your income's shortfall. This is how most people get into credit card debt. It is important to monitor your use of credit to pay these expenses. The long-term effects of borrowing to pay for your current expenses can be very hazardous financially.

Your credit counselor at American Debt Solutions will be happy to provide you with a credit card worksheet to help you track your credit card debt. When you have totaled the monthly payment on all of your credit card debt, make sure to include this total in your total of fixed expenses discussed in point 2a above. Subtract your total monthly expenses from your total monthly income. By subtracting all of your monthly expenses from your monthly income, you will clearly see if you are going to have financial difficulties. If you have more expenses than you do income, you will have a negative expense-to-income ratio. In lay terms, this means that you are spending more than you are making. This is the typical cause of excessive credit card debt. Since you are spending more than you are making, you must finance your budget shortfall with a source of credit such as your credit cards. If you do not stop this trend, your credit card debt will grow and grow until you no longer have the ability to use your credit cards. If you do have a negative expense-to-income ratio, you need to consider which of your expenses you can reduce. First, start with your discretionary expenses and then move on to your flexible expenses to see what expenses you can eliminate or diminish.

f you would like a comprehensive expense budgeting tool, please call your credit counselor at American Debt Solutions. They can be reached at 1-800-246-4019. Or, you can visit our web site, www.adshq.org, and complete one of our online credit counseling applications. One of our credit counselors will be happy to help you complete your expense budgeting worksheet. At the end of each month go over every expense that you incurred. Look for additional ways to curb unnecessary spending. There is nothing more impactful in life than holding yourself accountable for your goals. If you hold yourself accountable, you will always reach the goals that you set for yourself. If you don't hold yourself accountable for reaching your goals, you'll find that you never reach them. This is probably the most important element of a debt management or credit counseling program. There is no secret to financial success (see point six below for the secret) and there is no secret to getting out of debt (see point four above for the secret). The beauty of a consumer credit counseling or debt management program is that you are held accountable for the goals that you set for yourself in terms of becoming debt free. When you are reviewing your expenses at the end of each month, remember to set spending limits and goals that that are attainable. You did not get into debt in one day and you will not get out of debt in one day. Any worthy goal takes time to achieve.

Once you get the hang of the budgeting process and see that you are making real progress, you may want to go through the budgeting process quarterly, instead of monthly, as long as you continue to make progress. Try to put 10% of your monthly income into savings (401k and IRA savings plans have additional tax benefits). By saving 10% of your income you will learn one of the greatest secrets to financial wealth, the compounding of interest. If you save 10% of your income each month, your money will start to work for you in short order. It was Albert Einstein who said that his greatest discovery was the compounding of interest. When you consider your savings plans, first make certain that you completely fill your 401k and IRA savings plans. This will allow your savings to accumulate tax free. This will accelerate the growth of your assets by 20 to 40%, depending on your tax bracket. After you have filled your tax deferred savings plans, any additional savings that you can make should go into a regular savings account. This could include a money market account at a bank (a very secure but low yielding investment) or some type of investment account (a much less secure but typically higher yielding asset over the long run). Also, remember that any reserve that you create will help to insure that you do not have to live paycheck to paycheck.

If you would like to learn more about how to build wealth in your life, please call your American Debt Solutions credit counselor. They can be reached at 1-800-246-4019. Make sure you ask them about our ADS Wealth Building ProgramTM. This program will show you the secret to building wealth in your life. Or, you can visit our web site, www.adshq.org, and complete one of our online credit counseling applications. One of our credit counselors will be happy to help you with our Wealth Building ProgramTM. Divide all of your expenses by the number of paychecks you receive each month. By dividing your total expenses (obtained by adding your fixed expenses, your flexible expenses and your discretionary expenses) by the number of paychecks that you receive, you will see whether your paycheck is sufficient to cover your expenses If it is, you should be in good shape. If it is not, you may have to rely on other sources of income or you will need to reduce your expenses. Again, if you need to reduce your expenses, you must look to your discretionary expenses first and then your flexible expenses second. If you cannot reduce your expenses, you may want to call American Debt Solutions and speak with your credit counselor. We will help you develop your budget at no charge.

Or, you can visit our web site, www.adshq.org, and complete one of our online credit counseling applications. One of our credit counselors will be happy to help you complete your income and expense budget worksheet. We, at American Debt Solutions, hope you find this article both informative and helpful and wish you the best in securing a debt free future. If you would like to speak with one of our credit counselors today, please click here now or call us toll free at 1-800-246-4019. American Debt Solutions, 2003, All Rights Reserved. American Debt Solutions is a 501(c)(3) Not-For-Profit Organization dedicated to providing a debt free future for our customers. American Debt Solutions is a member of the AICCCA and has certified credit counselors on staff to serve your needs.

http://2easycredit.com/

About The AuthorPaul S. Goldner is a noted author, entrepreneur and professional speaker. Paul has written numerous articles in the area of Financial Management, Consumer Credit Counseling, Financial Acumen and Debt Management. Paul’s company, American Debt Solutions, is a market leader in the area of consumer credit counseling and education. Paul can be reached at 914-646-9591,1-800-246-4019, PGoldner@adshq.org and WWW.adshq.org .

The Power of Feeling

Are you stuck on the road to nowhere?
Are you too busy to enjoy life?
Are you not getting the results you want?

By: George Lockett

We see all the top Scientist and Physicist and Business People, all using their mind to try to understand life and the world around them. What they find is that the more they look into a subject the more they realise how little they actually know.Yet the true process of knowing is not in understanding, it is in being. It is through your feeling and releasing, relaxing and centring your energy that you can truly know whom you are.

Take a deep breath and stay conscious of your breathing as you reach out with your feeling. This works best with your eyes close using one’s imagination, creating images with your feelings and expanding your consciousness outwards. You can imagine your energy field connected to the Earth and being as one with the planet. As you do this you may realise that your consciousness is margining with that of the planet and you are helping the planets own consciousness to wake up and become aware of its’ Self.You can expand again and feel the connection to the Sun and Moon and all the planets of our Solar System. Astrologers have known for years of this connection and influence. It is time now for us all to wake up and put our energy in tune with planet Earth and the Solar System. Just allow yourself the freedom to dream and feel the connection. We should not limit ourselves to imagining that we are just connected to the Solar System.

We are part of a much bigger system and we should feel the connection to all the stars and planets in the Milky Way and the Whole Universe. Then expand further and feel all the Dimensions and the Parallel Universes and the Whole Omniverse. There is truly no limit, but the more we feel connected the more support we will have in our daily lives. I have made some meditation recording to help with this if you would like to try them. Just follow the link and instructions on the page: http://www.healergeorge.com/guided_meditation.htmI would recommend listening to the second one first; “Connecting to Earth and Universe - Guided Meditation” as this is a good general meditation and will balance and align your energies with both the Earth and the Universe.You can email me at healergeorge@ntlworld.com if you have any questions or requests.

About the Author
Message channelled by HealerGeorge (C) Copyright 2005, All Rights Reserved.Visit our website for more information and previously published ebooks to read, Guided Meditation CD or MP3 file. Request Absent Healing at: www.healergeorge.com

Manifest Your Dreams

By: Jason Johns

For each of us, the universe is different. A homeless man may view the universe as unfair, hard and tough. A rich man may view the universe as a lovely place full of luxury and pleasure. Both of them are viewing the same universe, it is just different because of their perceptions of it and their life experiences. This is a fundamental key to understanding, to know that how you perceive the universe is how it is to you. If you feel it is full of fear and hatred, then it will be. If you think it is full of love and happiness, it is. Using some of the techniques discussed in this, and other articles, you can start to reprogram the way you perceive the universe and change your life! Think about how many times you have feared something happening and then it has. For example, you might be worried that you are going to bump your car, and then you do. Was it a premonition or did you create it? Compare this to the amount of times you have looked forward to something and then it has happened. Usually the fear is a much stronger emotion and focus, which causes the object of that fear/thought to manifest much more quickly. Of course, thought and belief does not just create the universe on an emotional and psychological level, but also on a material level. We may fear that we are not good with money and hence we are not. You can use your will and focus on manifesting items that you want to further your life with. Remember that you can only manifest things you believe you can have.

You may wish for a million dollars, but unless you really believe you can have it, you will not get it. You need to be aware that things are not just going to fall out of the air and land on your lap, though on occasion they may well do so, literally as well as figuratively. It sometimes takes a little while for what you want to manifest to appear. Sometimes it requires faith and patience on your part. It might be the Universe is testing you to see if you really want it and will really dedicate yourself to getting it before you get it. You cannot sit back and wait for what you want to manifest. There is a saying "God helps those who help themselves". This is true. When you are manifesting it is essential that you listen to your intuition and follow your instincts. It often also depends on whether what you are trying to manifest is in tune with your life's purpose or not. If it is not then you have an uphill struggle to manifest it. Also, if you manifest for selfish needs and with your ego then it is not likely to work. It works best when you manifest for the greater good, selflessly, and from your higher self. When working on manifesting remember to keep your mind open as to how it is going to appear in your life. For example, many of us may want to manifest more money. We have a mental program that says, "more money means I have to work more". This is not necessarily true.

You might manifest more money from a promotion, a raise at work, a change of job or career, from a competition win, an inheritance, and many other ways. You need to be open to this because if you mentally limit the ways the Universe can provide to you then it is going to be much harder for what you want to come into your life. Listen to your intuition too because it will help guide you. You might get the urge to buy a newspaper suddenly. You buy it and notice the exact car you want for sale in it. Our intuition is from our higher self and will guide us if we listen to it. You can use decrees, affirmations, and positive visualisation to help you create what you want in your universe. This does not just have to be limited to material items, but you can work on bringing more love, more joy and many other things into your life and the lives of those around you. When you are working on manifesting things such as these into your life look to the root cause of what you are lacking. For example, you might feel you are lacking love in your life. Examine the cause and you might see it is because of a lack of self-worth or self-love, or because of something in your childhood. Once you are aware of why you can work on dealing with the issue and healing yourself. Then you will find it much easier to bring, and to keep, what you desire in your life. Another exercise you can do to help you manifest is to realise the abundance of the universe.

Abundance will be the subject of another article, and is dealt with fully within the course, but take a walk outside some time and look at how abundant nature is. See how freely nature gives and how much is given. Think about this and how abundance can be a part of your life. You can use affirmations such as: I am worthy of love and respect from others and myselfI have an abundance of money in my lifeI am good with money and spend it wiselyI open myself to the abundance of the universeI am in tune with my higher selfI accept that I am a good and worthy personFinally, remember these points: Believe in what you are trying to manifest Listen to your intuition Manifest from your higher self and in harmony with your life's purpose Manifesting is not just limited to material items. You can manifest more love, happiness, peace, and much more Manifest for others, not just yourself That YOU create the universe you live in, so changing your perceptions of it, changes the universe Believe in yourself and what you can achieve. You can manifest anything you desire in your life, good or bad. Harness the power of your sub-conscious mind in manifesting your desires through the Manifestation Audio CD at http://www.stateofhypnosis.com/audio/abundance/ma/php

About the Author
Jason is a personal coach, dedicated to achieving success for his clients. He products a wide variety of audio programs and courses on everything from weight to confidence to abundance to past lives. Visit his website, http://www.stateofhypnosis.com, for more information and to discover how he can help you live the life of your dreams.

Spiritual Consciousness

Spiritual approaches to consciousness involve the idea of altered states of consciousness or religious experience. Changes in the state of consciousness or a religious experience can occur spontaneously or as a result of religious observance. It is also maintained by some religions and religious factions that the universe itself is consciousness.In shamanic practices, changes in states of consciousness are induced by activities that create trance states, such as drumming, dancing, fasting, sensory deprivation, exposure to extremes of temperature, or the use of psychoactive drugs. The experience that occurs is interpreted as entering a real, but parallel, world. In many polytheistic religions a change in emotional state is often attributed to the action of a god, for instance love was ruled by Aphrodite and Eros in Ancient Greek polytheism.

In Hinduism the change in state is induced by the practice of yoga. Yoga means "union" and is intended to produce a state of oneness between the practitioner and the divine. In Islam and Christianity, the change of state can occur as a result of prayer or as a religious experience.The change in state of consciousness in Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam is reported to be quite similar. The pursuit of yoga and the Buddhist Jhanas involve feelings of oneness with the world that give rise to a state of rapture. This is also reported by those undergoing some forms of Christian (or Islamic) religious experience; for instance, James (1902) provides the following report:I cannot express it in any other way than to say that I did "lie down in the stream of life and let it flow over me." I gave up all fear of any impending disease; I was perfectly willing and obedient. There was no intellectual effort, or train of thought.

My dominant idea was: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it unto me even as thou wilt," and a perfect confidence that all would be well, that all was well. The creative life was flowing into me every instant, and I felt myself allied with the Infinite, in harmony, and full of the peace that passeth understanding. There was no place in my mind for a jarring body. I had no consciousness of time or space or persons, but only of love and happiness and faith.

What is the "Blasphemy Challenge

A Response to "Blasphemy Challenge"

by Maria Seferou

I was utterly shocked when by chance I came across the "Blasphemy Challenge" in "YouTube", a few days ago. Seeing and hearing hundreds of young embittered ex-"Christians" to vehemently and indignantly blaspheme God, believing that this is clever, notable, liberating and heroic, grieved my spirit as no other experience had done before. I strongly felt that I should write something about this unprecedented irrational human behavior, in an attempt to outline the most negative effects of such an antisocial and uncivilized adventure.
For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, let me tell you a few introductory words. The "Blasphemy Challenge" is the ill-conceived project of "Rational Response Squad", a group of atheists who have taken up the mission of irreverently confronting Christians by insulting what is most sacred to them. Little do they know that by doing this they utterly discredit atheism, the very "ism" they want to promote, while they fanaticize even more those whom they attempt to bring to their senses, i.e. Christian fundamentalists. The "Blasphemy Challenge" is a savage phenomenon that has been going on in the cyberspace during the last couple of months, having made even national television news in the USA. Where else?
What is the "Blasphemy Challenge"? It is the making of a "YouTube" video by an atheist, whereby he/she verbally denies the power and the existence of the Holy Spirit. As a "reward" for this, the lured into the trap participants receive a free DVD of "The God Who Wasn't There", the work of a deluded ex-"Christian", namely Brian Flemming, who tries to prove that Jesus of Nazareth never existed! What a cheap "reward" for such an ignorant, indignant and self-destructive denouncement!

For this social predicament I primarily hold responsible "Christian" Fundamentalism, i.e. the organized, militant Evangelical movement that originated in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century, and passionately propagated the big lie that the Bible, all of it, commas and dots included, is the infallible "Word of God", plus the ridiculous ear-caressing and of pagan origin belief in the instant "salvation" by faith in the blood of Jesus! Before them, I equally hold responsible all the so called Christian Fathers, who, instead of concentrating and expanding on the actual teachings of the great prophet called Jesus Christ, they made him "God", inventing the irrational doctrine of the "Holy Trinity", and promoting the idea of an eternal hell, where all infidels would be tortured for ever and ever! It is all the above that honest young atheists are revolting against, although in the aforementioned videos they do it in an indignant and unintelligent manner.
As regards the organizers of the outrageous "Blasphemy Challenge", i.e. the "Rational Response Squad", oh, well, they are just after publicity and converts to atheism, while deluded Brian Flemming is obviously after fame and money. Just another atheist Jesus monger; that's all! Please don't be deceived that the only Jesus mongers are the clergy, "Christian" theologians, professors of Divinity in Universities and Colleges, Evangelists and Televangelists, Bible scholars, publishers of Bible stuff and "Christian" books, etc. Oh, NO! There are also many aggressive atheists who are Jesus mongers. Writing about Jesus, whether in favor or against him, and making films about this poor guy, is extremely profitable, especially in the great land of the USA, where all the "isms" flourish.

Before I proceed to explaining why I consider the denial of the Holy Spirit as a self destructive act, let me tell you in a nutshell what I currently believe, although I don't like the word 'believe' as it sounds rigid; In any case, the last thing I would want to happen is to create yet another religious cult with my beliefs. On the contrary, I am a life-long seeker of Truth and always endeavor for fresh knowledge and evolution of my perception of Ultimate Reality. For this reason, wherever I need more revelation, I shall enclose the word 'believe' in single quotation marks, and please do not consider it as false humility, or lack of courage to strongly defend what I believe. It is simply the awareness that I don't know it all, and perhaps finite human mind is incapable of ever containing, comprehending and expressing with words the infinity of Ultimate Reality. I consider as tragedy the fact that the so-called monotheistic religions have propagated a model of a separate personal "God" out there, unmoved by humanity's pains and sufferings, or unable to intervene, thus pushing millions of rational individuals to atheism.
I personally have come to 'believe' in an ever evolving and impersonal God, Creative, Intelligent, Spiritual Energy, neither good nor evil, a Causeless Cause of everything that exists, that is not separate from its creation but one with it. I 'believe' that human beings consist of three components: body, soul (mind, will, emotions) and Spirit, the latter being a part of the Great immaterial Consciousness that permeates all matter. The human spirit, i.e. the divine essence of man, is the link between man and the harmonious whole called Cosmos, whereby it gets illuminated and empowered.
I believe that the Bible is the work of men, a historical account full of contradictions, atrocities, and inaccuracies, blended with pagan myths, where, however, the sincere and unbiased seeker of Truth may also find passages and verses with spiritual value, profitable for soul edification and wise guidance in everyday life. Such spiritual "germs" are common to all major religions of the World.

I believe that Jesus was a great anointed prophet and he spoke mostly in parables and allegories. Some of the words attributed to him (I haven't heard him speaking) have esoteric meaning but they have been deliberately misinterpreted or ignorantly misunderstood, and hence the irrationality of the Christian religion. Further, I know nothing for sure about afterlife, nor does it seriously concern me, and I definitely don't believe in the nonsense of an eternal Hell with lakes of fire.
Now, having briefly outlined what I believe, it is easy to guess why I consider the "Blasphemy Challenge" as utterly self-destructive, apart from ridiculous and self-humiliating, of course. When one denies the existence and power of the Holy Spirit, the same in effect denies his/her own spiritual essence. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is in fact blasphemy against oneself! It is as simple as that! In my opinion, this is why Jesus said, "Whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit has never forgiveness" (Mark 3:29). Naturally, if one denies the existence and power of the Spirit within, i.e. one's own Higher Self, there is nobody there to convict one of sin and "forgive" his/her transgressions, i.e. to wipe away the guilt from the violation of unwritten and sovereign moral principles, after repentance. When the inner Spirit has been deliberately denied and "locked" away, then communication with the soul has been severed, and the result is negative for the wholeness of man, regardless of any punishment or absolution from the external laws that society has established.

It is worth mentioning here the context in which the above words were attributed to Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus had been accused by the scribes and Pharisees that he was casting out "demons" - negativities, destructive habits, addictions, passions, etc. - with the help of "Satan", the so-called "prince of the demons". By his answer above, Jesus was in fact saying that he was doing it by the power of his Higher Self, the Spirit within, the very essence of the Holy Spirit abiding in every human being. In another passage of the Bible this is confirmed even further: "But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." (Mat. 12:28) Jesus was referring to his spirit, i.e. the spiritual component of man, his inner Higher Self, which is present in everyone of us, manifesting as conscience, intuition, Higher Consciousness, love, wisdom and power.
Elsewhere in the New Testament it is even clearer that Jesus considered the inner Higher Self as being the "Kingdom of God" within man. Here are the relevant verses: (Luke 17: 20-21) It is worth mentioning here that in another version of the Bible, the ESV, the last two words of the above verse have been mistranslated by Christian scribes, and it reads "the kingdom of God is in the midst of you", to obviously imply the Church. By the way, this is not the only mistranslation (distortion) of the original Greek that I find in an English version of the New Testament, always to suit popular "Christian" beliefs.

May I take this opportunity to say that this profound and simple truth is never preached in the "Christian" Churches by the present-day Pharisees. Why? Because if the sheep discover that the Holy Spirit is inherent in them, and that when the soul consciously yields to the gentle guidance of its Higher Self, then the miracle of regeneration - "new birth" - happens and the person is self-enlightened and transformed, often beyond recognition, they will run out of business! They will have no longer a Creed to defend, a "Trinity" to speculate upon, a "God" who supposedly gave his blood to save sinners; they will no longer need to invite people from the pulpit, through the TV or radio to "receive" Jesus as their savior - as if Jesus were a pill - and boast as to how many they "led to Christ"; last and more important, they will not be able to further milk their "sheep", making fortunes out of terrorizing people with an eternal hell described in the New Testament by deluded writers and, supposedly, kept for those who deny Jesus!
The reaction to outrageous "Blasphemy Challenge" by Christian fundamentalists was equally childish and ineffective, as one would imagine. They launched a "Praise the Lord Challenge" also on "YouTube", confessing faith in the "Holy Trinity" and thanking Jesus who saved them from hell, securing a seat in heaven for them! Naturally, since Christian fundamentalists are deaf to reason, no one would expect them to "hear" the cry of their brothers and sisters, the atheists, through their blasphemous proclamation, and come up with something clever and effective. What an irrational world we live in!

About the Author
Maria Seferou was born in an agricultural family of Dendron, a small village of Peloponnese, Greece. She studied Civil/Structural Engineering at National Technical University of Athens and had a successful 20-year professional career both in Greece and in England. For the last 21 years she has been a writer of non-fiction books and articles on religious, philosophical, political and social issues.

The Buddha, born 550 years before Christ

No Soul
by E. Raymond Rock

, rejected his Hindu roots and proclaimed his No Soul, or Anatta doctrine. This doctrine became the crown jewel of his teachings, and diverged not only from Hinduism, but from all other religions as well.
Anatta is part of the Buddha's original teachings and quite opposed to present Buddhist beliefs most popularly and conveniently pursued. Anatta is the real deal, practiced by serious Theravada meditation monks in Thailand and Sri Lanka, and because of its genius, authenticity, and truth, has persevered for more than 2500 hundred years. But few understand this confusing No Soul -- Anatta concept, especially here in the West, home of the super egos! Nor do we want to understand it. The interesting thing, however, is that it's the only ticket to authentic freedom, freedom from dependency on an outside source.

Hinduism suggests that we should do as God commands, and that we should fulfill our duties even if it means killing our literal brothers if need be, and that killing is okay, because our brother's eternal souls will continue to exist eternally. Neither the soul kills nor can be killed -- so no one has really killed anything! (The Bhagavad Gita).
The Buddha rejected the idea of God, as well as the idea that we should mindlessly conform to a structured caste system of duties that was so prejudicial at the time, and also that some kind of soul continues on. He rejected it all flat out. To the Buddha, these were no more than fairy tales.
Now, before you throw your hands up and fearfully object, "No God! No soul? What is to become of me?" let's look a little deeper why this idea of Anatta has persisted for almost three millennia.
The Buddha was not nihilistic. He rejected any mention of metaphysical oblivion; actually, he avoided all talk of metaphysics with a noble silence. Questions such as "Is the universe eternal, am I eternal, will I continue, am I just an accident of nature to disappear eternally when I die," weren't addressed. What he did address was the here and now. And it wasn't that he was a bumbling simplistic idiot, he was beyond genius. The Abhidhamma, comprised of enough books to fit on two or three feet of a bookshelf, represent his philosophical and metaphysical teachings, and are so complicated that only dedicated scholars can decipher the texts.

Einstein said, "The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend a personal God and avoid dogmas and theology. Covering both natural and spiritual, it should be based on a religious sense arising from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual and a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description. If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs, it would be Buddhism."
The Buddha rejected metaphysical questions because they served no purpose. He concentrated on only the things that would set people completely free. One day he showed his monks a few leaves in his hand, and asked, "What are greater monks, the few leaves I hold in my hand, or the leaves in the forest?" The monks, of course, answered the leaves in the forest. The Buddha then said that what he teaches is likened to the few leaves in his hand, because those few leaves are the ones that lead to freedom, whereas all the other leaves in the forest don't lead to freedom. So maybe it's not how many facts we can cram into our heads and remember, but how we can get in touch with our hearts, and that doesn't come from learning, it comes from living life with awareness.

There are many ideas and beliefs about the afterworld, such as: We merge with God, we sit at God's right hand, we merge with universal consciousness, we do this, we do that, but the Buddha instead remained steadfast in shunning beliefs. He insisted that his monks instead see exactly what was going on in each moment. He made them look at the exact "self" that supposedly transmigrates after death. And guess what? They couldn't find one! All they could find was a construction of the mind that represented an ego identity, but it was a fiction. And only the monk's deep meditation revealed this. (The Buddha did teach his monks how to meditate; meditation was one of the leaves he held in his hand.)
So now we are faced with a dilemma; if we don't exist, why should we worry about what happens to us? Maybe we don't have to! Great! Maybe we can live freely in the present and not worry about the after life. But wouldn't that encourage an irresponsible existence? After all, if no God was judging us, and we didn't have to worry about hell, why not pillage and plunder? Simply because, pillaging and plundering brings eventual destruction to the marauder herself . . . or himself! So we have to look a little deeper at happiness, and how happiness is attained and maintained.

How long can you remain happy? Not long. Something always comes up to bring you down. Back to work on Monday after the super bowl or something. Everything changes and therefore we can't sustain anything, happiness included. Changeability (Anicca), another doctrine of the Buddha.
But if it were true that our "self" was a mere construction, and that we didn't have to worry about it, kind of like it never existed for the billions and trillions of years before we were born, (and that wasn't a problem). And when it ceased to exist, that wouldn't be a problem either, kind of like; when the lights go out, time will no longer exist and therefore a billion million years would be a nanosecond. Then we could relax a bit. And guess what, when we stop worrying about what will happen to ourselves, we begin to see the needs of others! Isn't that amazing! We actually begin to love our neighbors. Wow!

After the shock wears off that we don't exist eternally in the form of a wispy soul, we come down to earth, where we belong. We become responsible and sensitive to what we do and how it affects others. We . . . actually become happy! We become happy in helping others and not worrying about ourselves. Happy. A strange word, but it's possible.
And it all can begin by sitting every evening for 15 minutes in meditation. You see, after some time, meditation instills courage, and courage is necessary to understand what and who we truly are.

Copyright © E. Raymond Rock 2007. All rights reserved.

About the Author
E. Raymond Rock is cofounder of SouthwestFloridaInsightCenter.com. His twenty-eight years of meditation experience has taken him across four continents, including two stopovers in Thailand where he practiced in the remote northeast forests as an ordained Theravada Buddhist monk. His book, "A Year to Enlightenment" (AYearToEnlightenment.com) is now available.

How Anyone Can Manifest Anything!

By Saleem Rana

My mother taught me how to teach others about the power of the mind. By learning how to teach her, I learned how to communicate essential wealth-building ideas to others.Many years ago, she worked as an employee in an insurance company. Her low salary pinned her to a fixed income. Trapped in her cubicle, she held little hope for change.With Christmas only a month away, she was upset. Normally, a generous soul, she did not know how to face the season of giving. She could barely pay her many bills, let alone buy everyone in our family presents.I asked her what she would do if she could attract $25,000 for Christmas. I told her that it is possible to create anything with the mind.

I told her that she could create wealth. I told her that she had the power to create miracles if her faith was strong enough.After much skepticism, she humored me by telling me all the things she would buy.I then talked to her about how the great religious teachers of the past taught the principles of manifestation.Jesus Christ spoke about it in the Sermon on the Mount.The Buddha spoke about it in the Dhammapada.Krishna spoke about it in the Bhagavad-Gita.I pointed out how many of the esoteric traditions also mentioned it. In the Kabbalah teachings, in Sufism, and in Shamanism many rich illustrations hinted at the power of mind over matter.

Today, the science of quantum mechanics mathematically and experimentally demonstrates how thoughts influence matter.During my enthusiastic exposition, her eyes glazed over as I spoke.Finally, out of desperation, I focused on keeping things very simple, and very practical.Since she is a great cook, I gave her specific, doable instructions in a recipe book format.At Christmas time, when I showed up at the house, everything looked different. Signs of affluence colored the room like a rainbow. I saw a brand new Persian carpet, a big fish tank, and a whole assortment of kitchen gadgets. Everything on her list was now in the house! And, yes, she had plenty of presents for everyone.This was her remarkable story:She practiced the ideas I taught her. After a time, they made her feel better. She did them because it gave her hope. As she did them, she noticed no change in her mind or her life. Still, she persisted (if only to prove her pedantic son wrong!)One day, she felt an urge to invest in her company’s stock options. Suddenly, the market went bearish for a few weeks and she made a modest fortune.

She sold her stocks for exactly $25,000!This weird story changed both our lives. She practiced the principles of manifestation from then on, and I worked on refining them and teaching them. To this day, I still don’t understand the stock market. My mother didn’t fully understand it, either. She was just happy to follow her intuition.Incidentally, today, my mother runs her own insurance company. (And, yes, she is an even better cook now that she has an army of culinary robots working for her.)This was the beginning of my teaching others to make money simply by thinking about wealth in a specific way. Through this incident, I accidentally stumbled upon a method to teach anyone how to manifest what they needed.Later on, I manifested a scholarship that enabled me to follow my dream of going to graduate school for psychology.And today I have enjoyed the materialization of this website to share my knowledge with others; although when I first started I didn’t have a clue about web design or marketing. I just manifested the right people and technical education and software tools to make it happen.


How To Improve Your Spirituality

Jerry and Esther Hicks

Excited about the clarity and practicality of the translated word from Abraham, Jerry and Esther Hicks began, in 1986, disclosing their Abraham experience to a handful of close business associates. Then, recognizing the practical results being received by those persons who began plying Abraham with meaningful personal questions regarding their finances, bodily conditions, and relationships... the Hickses made a conscious decision to allow Abraham's teachings to become available to an ever widening circle of seekers. And that circle continues to expand—even as you read this page. Jerry and Esther have now published more than 600 Abraham-Hicks books, CDs, cassettes, DVDs, and videos, and have been presenting open group interactive Art of Allowing™ workshops in up to 60 cities a year to those who gather to participate in this progressive stream of thought.

The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent: Living the Art of Allowing

Life Is A Test?

by: John Perry

I rarely ever remember a dream. Even when I can remember what I was dreaming about when I have to get up for a drink or bathroom break in the middle of the night, I have forgotten all about it by morning. However, last night I had a dream that made me analyze my life and my thought processes on a day to day basis. I was dreaming about taking a test. I am not sure the subject of the test. I do remember feeling under pressure and I was struggling a bit with the content of the test. Now, I have taken my share of tests in the past and can recall having these types of dreams while in college; but, why now? I jotted down a few notes before going back to bed and did my best to decipher this brain spark this morning. I am into several projects right now in which I am under the microscope, so to speak. But, am I? Is this all in my head? Do I bring all this pressure on myself? Probably. I try to be the best I can be; mentally, physically, and financially.

I try to learn as much as possible to improve my abilities in these areas. This is great as long as I don't spend so much time trying to improve me that it harms my life in these same areas; i.e. stress, family, friends, health, etc. We all see the "burn-out" in the self-improvement entrepreneur; the sacrifices made in the "important things" in life such as relationships and peace of mind. Peace of mind should be a top priority for mental, physical, and financial success. Living life as some sort of constant test will hamper this process. Realizing that progress is a "you vs. you" phenomenon and that you don't have to please someone else on a day to day basis is a great start. Bryan Tracy, in his audio series from Nightingale Conant entitled "Action Secrets for Personal Achievement," talks about the need for certain people to get the approval of others. He calls this a symptom of Type "A" behavior. Here are some of the other type "A" symptoms: Having a sense of urgency to do more and more in less and less time. Volunteering for more and more work at the office.

Feeling under pressure to get activities accomplished. Being obsessed with your performance and having high standards for such performance. The type "A" personality can't relax and enjoy an accomplishment, they feel like they have never done enough. Compare self with others. More concerned with things than with people. Brings home work. Talks about the boss, what the boss said, what the boss did… wants to please the boss at all times. Has a sense of hostility towards those he or she feels to be competing against. Type "A's" cannot admit that they are not in control. If you fall into any of the above categories, making a decision to change may be a great first step. This decision involves trying to relax and still be productive and effective without the added stress we type "A's" like to impart. There are two things that have worked in the past for me (and my clients) that I am going to focus on after this "wake–up call." One is a daily exercise plan.

Even when I am on the road, I usually do some exercise daily, but, there are times I get in a rut and don't focus on my planning and execution of a said workout. A daily routine helps relieve stress and will bring out creativity and problem solving abilities like no other activity! It is a "reality check" for me as well. Things are brought into a better perspective after a good workout, no matter how long the workout is. This is Stephen Covey's take on exercise (from his book The 8th Habit): "I am convinced that exercise increases our own sense of self-control and self-mastery, which enhances the totality of our lives and truly enlarges the space between stimulus and response." The second concept is practicing daily solitude. This could be a twenty minute walk, a power relaxation/almost nap, hanging out on a park bench, etc. This is a time to let your mind "go" and let your subconscious work on goals, problems, and/or ideas that are filling your head - a "mind-cleansing" if you will. I try to do two, one-hour solitude sessions per week to let my subconscious mind take over and do its thing for me. This is a time when I just sit back and take in the world, usually outside in a fairly secluded place without interruptions. I sometimes think about a couple of goals or issues in my life ahead of time, then sit back and let my brain work on things.

I tend to find some answers to problems as well as some pretty great ideas to take back to work with me. They not only help me achieve goals, but relieve stress at the same time. These two activities alone have probably added years to my life and helped me through some potentially stressful times. Thus, the reason for my dream. I have been in situations recently in which I feel the need to "prove" myself. I am living my life as a series of tests… daily. I have felt out of sorts, not myself, lacking confidence. All brought on by myself. Life is not a test. To me, it is a series of learning experiences. My goal is to strengthen the area between stimulus and response (see quote above and The 8th Habit by Stephen Covey) on a daily basis; mentally, physically, and financially. As that space continues to grow with experience and knowledge, my life and dreams will put a smile on my face. Thanks for letting me think out loud today. Sweet dreams.

About The Author
John Perry Would you like to know how to fit exercise into your already busy schedule? How would you like to learn a time-efficient routine that can be done anywhere? Go to http://www.hiptobefit.com/ to find out how.

12 Steps To Turbo-charge Your Visualisation

by: Colin Joss

1. Every night, half an hour before retiring, go to your room, where you can be entirely alone and as remote as possible from noise and distraction.

2. Seat yourself in a wide and comfortable chair, or, better still, lie down on your back at full length. See that your clothing is loosened, so that you will suffer no distressing annoyance on this account. Compose yourself as if for sleep, assuming a position of restfulness, abandon and utter relaxation. Close your eyes, letting the lids rest lightly on your cheeks.

3. Shut your mind resolutely against every form of bodily sensation. Forget for the time that you are encumbered with a body.

4. Bar out of your consciousness every memory, every thought of the past.

5. Build a mental picture of the thing you want to have, to do or to be - the one thing that you immediately desire first and most of all. By this we mean nothing indefinite. We do not refer to ultimate aims that can come only as the result of long periods of effort. We mean something specific, something that can be yours tomorrow, something that in itself constitutes the next step in your chosen career.

6. See yourself finding the ways and means of realizing your desire, overcoming obstacles one after another, all the obstacles that can possibly arise. See yourself called upon to display, and displaying, alertness, promptness, courage, confidence, resourcefulness, patience, push, enterprise, expert knowledge, insight, shrewdness, tact, self-control, decision. See yourself face to face with the situation that confronts you in real life and manifesting the qualities and doing the things necessary to your purpose. Put yourself body and soul into this picture. Multiply details. Rivet your mind upon it.

7. Advance step by step, logically, wisely, consistently, to the climax of the drama. See yourself winning out. See yourself solving the problem, getting the thing you want, acting the part you desire to play. Detach your spirit from the flesh of this world and incorporate it in the mental image of yourself. Live the victory mentally until a sense of its reality permeates your soul.

8. Make your dream picture as delightful as possible. Dwell upon it with joyful satisfaction. Warm your heart with a feeling of thankfulness that that which you have so long desired is really yours. This feeling of gratitude, this emotional element, will bring forth associations that will give life to the picture and will animate your faith. Keep yourself tight shut in this dream world for at least fifteen minutes.

9. Arise and make your preparations for the night. Then upon retiring once more close your eyes and let your mind dwell upon your vision for five or ten minutes or until you fall asleep. Let it be the last thing in your thoughts as you become unconscious.

10. Every time you are awake during the night call the mental picture before you and keep it in consciousness as long as you remain awake.

11. In the morning, immediately upon awaking, repeat the procedure set out in the third, fourth and fifth instructions.

12. The more of your spare time you spend in this way, the more promptly will you actualize your ideals. By repeated concentration, every detail of the image of your desire will be so deeply engraved upon your mind as to exert an influence throughout the day. It will inhibit wasteful emotions and impulses. It will give you poise and self-possession. It will so inspire you with its promise as to awaken an energizing response in the profoundest depths of your

subconsciousness.

By Colin Joss © 2006

About The Author
Colin Joss is the founder of Back Roads Marketing and publishes a free 'On the Back Roads' newsletter at http://www.colinjoss.com/.

Florence Nightingale who came to be known as The Lady with the Lamp, was a pioneer of modern nursing.

Florence Nightingale

(12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910)

She was also a noted statistician.
Florence Nightingale was born to a wealthy, well-connected British family at the Villa Colombaia in Florence, Italy. She was named after the city of her birth, as was her older sister Parthenope, named as the Greek name for the city of Naples). Her parents were William Nightingale and Frances Nightingale.Inspired by what she understood to be a divine calling, experienced first in 1837 at Embley Park and later throughout her life, Nightingale made a commitment to nursing. This demonstrated a strong will on her part, and also a rebellion against the expected role for a woman of her status, which was to become an obedient wife. In those days, nursing was a career with a poor reputation, filled mostly by poorer women, "hangers-on" who followed the armies, and nurses were equally likely to function as cooks. Nightingale would announce her decision to enter nursing in 1845, evoking intense anger and distress from her family, particularly her mother.

Nightingale wasn't particularly concerned with the appalling conditions of medical care for poor and indigent. In December 1844, in response to a pauper's death in a workhouse infirmary in London that became a public scandal, she became the leading advocate for improved medical care in the infirmaries and immediately engaged the support of Charles Villiers, then president of the Poor Law Board. This led to her active role in the reform of the Poor Laws, extending far beyond the provision of medical care.In 1846 she visited Kaiserswerth, Germany, and learned more of its pioneering hospital established by Theodor Fliedner and managed by an order of Lutheran deaconesses. She was profoundly impressed by the quality of care and by the commitment and practices of the deaconesses.

Nightingale was courted by politician and poet Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton, but she rejected him, convinced that marriage would interfere with her ability to follow her calling to nursing. When in Rome in 1847, recovering from a mental breakdown precipitated by a continuing crisis of her relationship with Milnes, she met Sidney Herbert, a brilliant politician who had been Secretary at War (1845 – 1846), a position he would hold again (1852 – 1854) during the Crimean War. Herbert was already married, but he and Nightingale were immediately attracted to each other and they became life-long close friends. Herbert was instrumental in facilitating her pioneering work in Crimea and in the field of nursing, and she became a key advisor to him in his political career.

In 1851 she rejected Milnes' marriage proposal, against her mother's wishes.Nightingale also had a strong and intimate relations with Benjamin Jowett, particularly about the time that she was considering leaving money in her will to establish a Chair in Applied Statistics at the University of Oxford. (For original documents an commentary see John Bibby HOTS: History of Teaching Statistics).Nightingale's career in nursing began in earnest in 1851 when she received four months' training in Germany as a deaconess of Kaiserswerth. She undertook the training over strenuous family objections concerning the risks and social implications of such activity, and the Catholic foundations of the hospital.

While at Kaiserswerth, she reported having her most important intense and compelling experience of her divine calling.On August 12, 1853, Nightingale took a post of superintendent at the Institute for the Care of Sick Gentlewomen in Upper Harley Street, London, a position she held until October 1854. Her father had given her an annual income of £500 (roughly $50,000 in present terms) that allowed her to live comfortably and to pursue her career.

More on Great Women at http://heros4u.com/

Finding Ways To Save Time And Accomplish More Toward Goals

by: Connie Limon

A definition of time management might be a process of gaining flexibility and cutting back time. The advantage to having a time management plan is that we are loosing something that brings us reward and gaining something that brings us bigger rewards. We end up with a “no loosing” situation if our time management plan is right. To develop a successful time management plan we must first evaluate our time. We must sit down and ask ourselves how long does it take us to eat? How long does it take us to get dressed and groom for work? How long does it take us to prepare the meals we have to eat? Everything we do takes a certain amount of time. You might start out by writing down just how much time it takes to do each of your very have to tasks each day. Then sit back and evaluate your list. Are you wasting 10 minutes here and there on those have to items that could be used for something else? Where our time goes is an essential element to determine for our entire time management plan if we want to begin spending more quality with the most important people of our lives and less wasted time on some routine task. This is the absolute first step of creating your own personalized time management plan, a time management plan that will allow your more time to do the things in life that are most important to you. You must determine where you are wasting time and then decide how to use that time more effectively. Once that time is lost, there is no calling it back.

Another important element of creating a successful time management plan is to be sure and finish tasks before moving onto another task, unless you are at work, in a job that requires doing multiple tasks at one time (multi-tasking). Once you finish one task, move onto the next task and follow in pursuit of finishing all tasks. Once you finish the last task, sit back for a moment in a comfortable position and think of what you accomplished. How much time did it take you to complete task? Don’t forget to be keeping down your start time and end time. Of course this type of listing time of tasks works best for those things you do as routine each day. You want to work on completing the tasks in as little time as possible so you that you have to add in the unexpected tasks of the day or…….much better…….so that you have time to do something you really, really want to do, something that is not routinely required of you to do. For example, like visit on the phone with a favorite friend, your daughter or mother, or whoever, read some in the books you want to complete at some point or another in your lifetime.

A successful time management plan provides us with a source for more flexible schedules. When we have flexibility we have more time for ourselves. Once you have determined your priorities for time usage, then you can start adding tasks that you been putting off because you just don’t have the time to do them. So….you now need another list of goals and plans of tasks and things you want to do but never have the time to do. One of the best ways of keeping these lists is on your computer where you can quickly erase and add to. But then again, paper in a notebook is also good, perhaps a special book. Time management is the process of working to succeed. When we work to succeed we reach our goals. We first have to decide what those goals are, of course, and then work toward them using our time management plan. You will probably have to sit down and really ponder on what is needed to reach each goal of set of goals, and of course, decide how much time each step of the way you will need. Some people like to set short term goals, reach that goal and then set a long term goal. It might be a better plan to try and set short and long-term goals in the same time management plan. Whichever way works best for you, however, is what you should do. Time management is essential since it demands that a person plan, act on those plans and stay focused on those goals with motivation. You must also keep reality in mind, and plan for the things out of your control that could go wrong and therefore steal time from your time management plan. Some examples would be computer failures, family illness, personal illness, inches and inches of snow and ice, horrible sudden tornados and hurricanes. It is always wise to include elements of your time management plan in accordance to what could happen out of your control.

You may want to have a plan ahead of time of using your time in some other manner if your computer fails. Catch up on your paper filing or something. Right now for me, I am experiencing an internet outage. I have groomed many more Shih Tzu than the usual today in the time I usually spend answering e-mails and working on my websites. Time management is working to succeed. If you want to succeed then you must work hard every day to meet your goals. I recently cut down my preparing and eating breakfast time by about ten minutes. Instead of my usual meal, I now mix up a Zone Shake and drink it while doing some other chore like adding to or emptying out the dishwasher, or even while opening up my daily e-mails. In reality here I am using ten extra minutes to work on my goals, rather than preparing and eating a regular breakfast.

About The Author
Connie Limon. Visit us at http://www.selfimprovementbook1.com/ and sign up for our newsletters. Self Improvement Book is a guide to information about self improvement, personal growth and self help tips. It is an organized directory referencing information in other websites on the World Wide Web.

Interpret Your Dreams

How to Interpret Your Dreams By Nicole Rivera

As many different people there are on this planet, that is how many ways in which a dream can be interpreted.
When I first started exploring the world of dreams I fell upon Edgar Cayce (1877 -1945). Cayce was known as the "sleeping prophet" because of his ability to decipher individuals dreams while in a trance state. He had a seventh grade eduation, was a seer, a clairvoyant and is well-known for predicting such events as the World Wars and the Great Depression. I studied and used his methods for quite some time and they were my starting point into the world of dreams. Later, I became fascinated with the complex works of Carl G. Jung (1875 - 1961) which, for me, took the meaning of dreams to entirely new and exciting levels. His ideas about how dreams are the gateway to the individuation process motivated me to look deeper into their meanings and to hold them in a special place.

If you decide to start your journey with Edgar Cayce you will find that he offered techniques for deciphering dreams. Carl Jung, on the otherhand, does not offer a set method of interpretation. Either way, once you start paying attention to your dreams you will undoubtly come upon your own unique method of deciphering them.

The first thing you should do is start writing down your dreams. It does not matter whether you remember bits and pieces or whole chunks of information, each part is important and none should be discarded. You may also want to invest in a dream interpretation book but always keep in mind that your own interpretation of an image is just as relevant.
One method I have used to interpret dreams is to first write out the dream, collect your dream interpretations and then replace each symbol with its meaning. For example, below is a dream written out and next is the replacement of each symbol and then a simple interpretation:
1. Dream - "I am driving a car down a bumpy road. Before me are two tunnels and I have to choose which one to enter. I choose the right tunnel."

2. Replacement - "I am driving a (journey) down a (challenging) (path). Before me are (choices, conflict) (paths) and I have to choose which one to enter. I choose the (consciousness) (path).

3. Interpretation - From the above you can decipher that you are being asked to make a decision which up to this point has been challenging for you to get to. But you have made it. You must choose and your choice was consciouness. This means you have chosen to become aware of a certain aspect of yourself, your life or situation, knowledge etc. The next step would be to find out what's at the other end of the tunnel. That will be revealed in the next dream :)

The more you tackle your dreams the more intuitive you will become about what they mean.
Happy Dreaming!

Are you familiar with the “Attraction Model” of living

Putting the Action Into ATTR-ACTION

By Ken Donaldson

Essentially, it means that when you live your life with very specific intention, and in integrity with that intention, then you will attract to you what it is that you are intending.
Being intentional means to be clear and specific about what it is that you want. It also means to be purposeful and to “live on purpose”.
Having integrity means being congruent with that intention, and it is your “walk” matching your “talk”. Your “walk” in this case means going into action, which is also the last five letters of attrACTION.

Yes, you will have to go into action to get what you want.
Want to start or add to a business, start a new relationship or enhance an existing one, or add to your personal growth?
Regardless of what “It” is, “It” will happen if you follow this formula, and only if you go into action.
Start by getting clear about what you want. Write down specifically your goals and objectives. Make a time line that directs you to take actions steps. Know exactly what your intention is.
Then put the action into the attraction.
If you are passive, you will get passive results.
Push the “luck factor”. Someone (I think it was Oprah) once said, “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” Be prepared with your intention and create more opportunities.
In fact, the more opportunities you create and follow-through with, the more results you will attain. That is all about staying in the ACTION.

Use your support system to help you. Ask them to hold you accountable to your commitments and goals.
Use the expertise of your life coach to help you get clear about your intentions, and to help you be accountable as well.
If you feel uncomfortable, insecure, vulnerable, or “weird”, know that you are most likely right on target.

In order to get anything new, you have to create new strategies, approaches, and systems. Most anything “new” might feel strange until you get used to it
So, live the ATTR-ACTION model of life. Remember, there is very little ATTR-ACTION without the ACTION. Be a magnet and draw towards you all your dreams of the most fulfilling life possible...and then go into ACTION!

We Become What We Think About

Millionaire Mindset: By Dennis Parmelee

In studying wealth, we learn the power of using our mind to attract either success or failure. By visualizing what we want to happen - or conversely what we fear will happen - we employ a mental magnet that helps to manifest our thoughts. To get rich, the first step is to make sure you have a millionaire mindset."
Many wealth counselors stress the importance of positive thinking— and we agree with them. Whether thoughts of poverty or wealth, you can be sure that your "magnet" is working perfectly. The results of your present thinking will soon be seen. If you have a millionaire mindset, those results will probably be everything you've hoped for.

In The Psychology of Achievement, success trainer Brian Tracy has distilled the essence of Napolean Hill's classic advice in Think and Grow Rich with this concept articulated as well as we have yet seen:
"Any thought, plan, goal, or idea, held continuously in our conscious mind must bebrought about into reality by the Super Conscious Mind… Do you have the discipline, the control, the perseverance, the persistence, and determination to hold your goal or ambition clearly in your mind long enough for it to come about into reality? This is one of the most important summaries of the Laws of Success that you will ever identify."

What's on your mind today?

The Power You Possess

By Maren Cruickshank

What you need to understand is that there is no barrier to what is possible. It doesn't matter what it looks like. Everything that you desire is possible. Everything! The force of creation that you possess allows you to create anything you desire even though it doesn't exist as yet. You possess the power and no one can take it away from you. The force of creation is working within you at all times creating your life from your beliefs. Your beliefs affect your attitude, actions and your results.

For you to give up on your dream is dumb because no one else can create them for you.
You are the creator. You create your life. You are in the drivers seat. You make the choices. And you enjoy the rewards or suffer the consequences of your creations.
What are you creating? What tools of creation that were given to you are you using? Are you using them to their fullest potential to benefit your life?
What are your beliefs? Are you holding strong to the fact that you are the creator and there is nothing that can stop you? Do you really believe that?

Believe this:
You are the creator. God gave you the powers and permission to experience reality on this physical earth in a physical body and you have everything that it takes to create anything you want. You possess the powers. You are the creator. All that is needed for you to create things on this physical plane is for you to desire it strong enough so that it presses through to this physical plane.

If you were purely spirit (with no body) you’d have anything instantly with just one thought, because once you conceive it in your mind then it becomes a reality. All thoughts are 100% reality on the spiritual realm, but the physical plane slows things down and causes it to take time to manifest. To get it from a spiritual plane to a physical plane takes focus. Focusing your energies will bring forth any spiritual reality unto the physical realm. For you to doubt is to negate your desire. Fear will negate your desire. You need to keep that in mind.

Once you dream it, it exists.
Once you focus on the dream it becomes reality on the physical plane.
The choice is yours.
Repeat:
I will not doubt and I will not fear. The power is mine.
Maren Cruickshank www.myjourney2success.com

Lincoln is often praised for his work as a wartime leader;

his public statements, most notably the Gettysburg Address, defined the war issues and helped redefine America's self image. He proved adept at replacing mediocre generals with better ones until he finally found a winner in Ulysses S. Grant. In leading the Republican party he kept all factions together and added new support from War Democrats, even as his Copperhead enemies were lambasting him as a ruthless dictator. Lincoln had to negotiate between Radical and Moderate Republican leaders, who were often far apart on issues of slavery.

He personally directed the war effort, in close cooperation (1864-65) with General Grant, who in April 1865 accepted the surrender of Robert E. Lee's main army.His leadership qualities were evident in his first diplomatic handling of the border slave states at the beginning of the fighting, in his defeat of a congressional attempt to reorganize his cabinet in 1862, in his many speeches and writings which helped mobilize and inspire the North, and in his defusing of the peace issue in the 1864 presidential campaign. Copperheads criticized him for violating the Constitution, overstepping the bounds of executive power, refusing to compromise on slavery, declaring martial law, suspending habeas corpus, ordering the arrest of 18,000 opponents including public officials and newspaper publishers, and killing hundreds of thousands of young men who were soldiers in the war.

Radical Republicans criticized him for moving too slowly in abolishing slavery, and not being ruthless enough toward the conquered South.Lincoln is most famous for his roles in preserving the Union and ending slavery in the United States with the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Still Not Quite Getting It Right?

By Thea Westra
“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.” (Mark Twain)
“A man should not strive to eliminate his complexes, but to get into accord with them, for they are legitimately what directs his conduct in the world.” (Sigmund Freud)
“As is our confidence, so is our capacity.” (William Hazlitt)

“Be yourself and think for yourself; and while your conclusions may not be infallible, they will be nearer right than the conclusions forced upon you.” (Elbert Hubbard)
You are all you really have for sure.
What kinds of things do you say to yourself each day that demeans the miracle of you and your life?

What are the things you could be saying to yourself that build you up?
Can you be truly honest enough to acknowledge that all you have accomplished and not accomplished is a direct result of decisions that you made and actions that you took?
When you can really see that you are the source of all that is (and is not) in your life then you will also see that you have much more control over your future than you could possibly imagine.
Dwelling in the past is a way to avoid responsibility for moving forward. How long will you cling to those thoughts?

Take a look at any of your regrets and resentments.
Are any of these issues related to people in your life currently? Are there people with whom you need to have conversations? Are there people you need to thank? Are there people from whom you need to ask forgiveness? Are there people who you need to forgive (include yourself)? Are there things that you could simply choose to let go? Are there new ‘rules’ for your life that you can develop from looking at your past?
Where and how will you record these ‘rules’ so that you consciously remember that you choose to live by them?

List all your talents and unique abilities, do an inventory on yourself. Use a dictionary if you have to. Come up with a list between 50 to 100 items. Sure you can!
List the people in your life and next to each name record 5 words that they would most likely use if they were asked to describe you. Your opinion of yourself is only one opinion. If you want to expand this exercise, ask these people for their input.
You can try the reverse – next to each person write 5 words they would never use to describe you!

Make an exhaustive list of the things for which you have absolutely no talent and that will never be included in your list of unique abilities, then laugh a little when you see your list of the things at which you will never be ‘perfect’!
If all fails, ‘fake it till you make it’ and take some actions that you already KNOW will lift your opinion of you.

A couple of good web sites: www.more-selfesteem.com and www.self-confidence.co.uk

Florence Nightingale

(12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910)

Florence Nightingale who came to be known as The Lady with the Lamp, was a pioneer of modern nursing. She was also a noted statistician.
Florence Nightingale was born to a wealthy, well-connected British family at the Villa Colombaia in Florence, Italy. She was named after the city of her birth, as was her older sister Parthenope, named as the Greek name for the city of Naples).



Her parents were William Nightingale and Frances Nightingale.Inspired by what she understood to be a divine calling, experienced first in 1837 at Embley Park and later throughout her life, Nightingale made a commitment to nursing. This demonstrated a strong will on her part, and also a rebellion against the expected role for a woman of her status, which was to become an obedient wife. In those days, nursing was a career with a poor reputation, filled mostly by poorer women, "hangers-on" who followed the armies, and nurses were equally likely to function as cooks.



Nightingale would announce her decision to enter nursing in 1845, evoking intense anger and distress from her family, particularly her mother.Nightingale wasn't particularly concerned with the appalling conditions of medical care for poor and indigent. In December 1844, in response to a pauper's death in a workhouse infirmary in London that became a public scandal, she became the leading advocate for improved medical care in the infirmaries and immediately engaged the support of Charles Villiers, then president of the Poor Law Board. This led to her active role in the reform of the Poor Laws, extending far beyond the provision of medical care.In 1846 she visited Kaiserswerth, Germany, and learned more of its pioneering hospital established by Theodor Fliedner and managed by an order of Lutheran deaconesses.



She was profoundly impressed by the quality of care and by the commitment and practices of the deaconesses.Nightingale was courted by politician and poet Richard Monckton Milnes, 1st Baron Houghton, but she rejected him, convinced that marriage would interfere with her ability to follow her calling to nursing. When in Rome in 1847, recovering from a mental breakdown precipitated by a continuing crisis of her relationship with Milnes, she met Sidney Herbert, a brilliant politician who had been Secretary at War (1845 – 1846), a position he would hold again (1852 – 1854) during the Crimean War. Herbert was already married, but he and Nightingale were immediately attracted to each other and they became life-long close friends. Herbert was instrumental in facilitating her pioneering work in Crimea and in the field of nursing, and she became a key advisor to him in his political career.



In 1851 she rejected Milnes' marriage proposal, against her mother's wishes.Nightingale also had a strong and intimate relations with Benjamin Jowett, particularly about the time that she was considering leaving money in her will to establish a Chair in Applied Statistics at the University of Oxford. (For original documents an commentary see John Bibby HOTS: History of Teaching Statistics).Nightingale's career in nursing began in earnest in 1851 when she received four months' training in Germany as a deaconess of Kaiserswerth.



She undertook the training over strenuous family objections concerning the risks and social implications of such activity, and the Catholic foundations of the hospital. While at Kaiserswerth, she reported having her most important intense and compelling experience of her divine calling.On August 12, 1853, Nightingale took a post of superintendent at the Institute for the Care of Sick Gentlewomen in Upper Harley Street, London, a position she held until October 1854. Her father had given her an annual income of £500 (roughly $50,000 in present terms) that allowed her to live comfortably and to pursue her career.

Famous and successful people are just people

Life Champions

In 1998 I had the luck and skill to qualify for the biggest event in the Magic: The Gathering calendar, the World Championships, that year played in Seattle, USA. I had played well, was lucky and made some smart choices at the Australian Nationals to land second place and a spot on the Australian World Championship team. By this time Magic had become a big deal, with three million dollars distributed as prizes each year (first place at the world Championships that year won $36,000 USD).

The level of professionalism had increased greatly as a result and there were people playing the game competitively for a full time living. Magic even had superstars, players you read about in magazines, watched on ESPN and cheered for during live web coverage of the big events. In many ways a regular Magic player admired these superstars as special people, people that were very successful in life and possessed a gift or some form of unique talent, much like a young golfer might admire Tiger Woods or an entrepreneur might look at Richard Branson.

Olle Rade, a young guy from Sweden, enjoyed tremendous success at Magic, winning a Pro Tour and at that point with lifetime earnings well over $50,000 USD and he wasn't even 20 yet. I really admired Olle. Then there was John Finkel, who back then was known as the best Magic player with well over $100,000 in career earnings. These guys were superstars, overachievers and in my mind sitting on a pedestal above everyone else.

Heading to Seattle I had my first chance to meet and play these superstars of Magic. I'm not one to gush over celebrities but sometimes you can't help but feel a little in awe of people you've read about in the media. Since I knew so much about these famous players and they knew nothing about me I felt I wasn't on equal terms, I wasn't confident and in no way did I consider myself one of them.

By the end of the tournament I was exhausted. The little sleep I got didn't help me play the best cards but the experience I gained was amazing. During the tournament I played Olle Rade and I beat him. It was just like any other match and he was quite upset by the end of it, celebrities don't like losing either. I lost to some other big names and during our non-playing periods enjoyed getting to know many famous players.

By the end of the week I had completely changed as a Magic player. Despite not performing well I left Seattle with confidence in myself as a player and a new perspective on celebrities. Every superstar Magic player I met was no different from me. Sure some had natural talents that I didn't, perhaps strong mathematical abilities, but I had strengths in other areas. Magic being a game of skill rewards those that practice and study, luck and natural ability play a part, but in the end it's people playing people and Magic stars were stars because they had done two things - they worked really hard at what they did because they loved it and they had experience from winning and loosing a lot of matches.

How to be confident at any age

If the myself of now sat down with myself at 21 and tried to explain the secret to becoming confident and attaining success I probably would have a lot of trouble getting through to him. It's hard to be a believer without experience and in hindsight faith is a lot easier, but I'll do my best to help along all those other people struggling to have faith in themself.
There is only one thing you need to understand, and in fact this is more a faith based decision about your future more than it is a tangible truth if you are young and/or inexperienced.
Your success will be determined by your personal congruency, your courage of conviction and faith in your own abilities.

If you don't have experience, you are young and just starting out in life, you don't have a history of events to draw conclusions from. Books, videos, podcasts and education in general are a good starting point but you will never have success, you will never get true confidence in yourself without experience, without taking actions and learning from the outcomes.

The beauty of experience is that it comes from both success and failure. While one makes you feel great and the other makes you feel lousy, the end result is still experience and a new framework of perception you can apply to your future life. This is what experience is. This is what you draw on to create success and this is the essence of your personal congruency.
In many ways I'm very successful right now. In many other ways I'm far from it. I'm not a millionaire, in fact I have very few assets at all. For now lets avoid a discussion of the determinants of life success and I'll simply state that I have a hell of a lot more I want to achieve and I bet you do too.

Getting What You Want

By Lesley Cordero

1. Recognize that you are the source of everything that you want.
Stop waiting to inherit it, win it; marry it, or expecting it to come from any source other than you. You can have anything that you want, all it requires it working with thoughts, feelings and intentions.

2. Understand that the process of attaining what you want (the how) is more important than the end result (the what).
It’s really a matter of personal growth, changing your thinking and expanding your beliefs about what you deserve to have. Once you have mastered the how, you can have what you want when you want it. It is the old adage about teaching a man to fish in order to feed him for a lifetime.


3. Don’t underestimate the power of your thoughts, emotions and intentions.
Your thoughts are the model of what you want. Everything that was invented in this world began as a thought in someone’s mind first. Emotions energize thoughts. The more passionately you want something, the more rapidly you bring your thoughts into form. Intention acts to direct you thoughts and emotions. The clearer you are as to your purpose or intention the more likely you are to get what you want.


4.Think about what you do want as opposed to what you don’t want.
I want a loving relationship is a far cry from; I don’t want to be alone for the rest of my life. I want an abundant life is not the same as; I don’t want to be poor. I want to be healthy is not I’m tired of being fat. Your thoughts form the model of what you want. Whatever you focus on is what you are likely to receive, as your energy follows your thoughts. We work perfectly to produce the results that we are getting, so choose to intentionally program the results that you really want.


5. Ask yourself what you think, having what you want, will give you that you don’t have now.
If you had more money, or a relationship or children or a better job, or were thinner, what needs or desires would be satisfied? Usually the underlying answer to this question is something like security, freedom, love, happiness or inner peace. Dig down until you get right to the essence or core of what you really want in your life.


6. Determine ways that you can bring the essence of what you want into your life right now.
Don’t wait to get what you want, how can you be happier, more secure, have more love or inner peace right now? Ask yourself what it would take to feel and believe these things now. If you think that being thinner would attract more love into your life, how can you attract more love now? Perhaps you can be more loving towards family, friends, people in need in your community. Perhaps you can start by loving, nurturing and pampering yourself more.


7. Act like you already have what you want in your life.
If you want a successful business then act as if you already have one. Visualize what you would look like, feel like, and think like, if you were already running a successful business. Each morning just before you get out of bed imagine you running your successful business; start a picture scrapbook showing your perfect life as you are running your successful business. Where will you operate it from … your home, an outside office? Who will work with you? What services will you provide and to whom? What kind of income will it provide? What will you be able to do with this income for yourself, your family, friends, for your community? Put together an action plan that will move you in the direction of your dreams. Each night as you slide back into bed, ask yourself, “What did I do today that moves me in the direction of what I want?”