Special Speech

Direct Answers - Column for the week of September 29, 2003

I am a 28-year-old Indian lady. I am in love with a 30-year-old Indian guy for the last four years. We share many interests in common and get along well. We are both Ph.D. students.

The problem is the different communities to which we belong. We have a very complex social system and are allowed to marry only the person who belongs to our own community (caste). He belongs to a higher community than mine.

My boyfriend feels he would never be able to convince his parents for the marriage, nor has he attempted this. He strongly believes he would not be happy if he hurts his parents, so two years ago he asked me to stop contacting him. It was very painful for me, but at the same time I realized I cannot force him into a relationship.

We live in separate towns now. Until two months ago we had absolutely no contact, then he started contacting me. I know from his letters he is frustrated and lonely. Even though I stopped communicating with him, I love him with all my heart and cannot think of life with another man.

I answered his letters, which are mostly about academics, and never asked him why he broke up with me. I haven’t discussed my future with him nor he with me. Things look so uncertain I am confused. Should I continue with him or not?

Reeta

Reeta, there are many reasons why people feel they are better than other people. A religious person might say we are full of pride, and our pride makes us want to feel superior. A scientist might say we are primates and primates arrange themselves in dominance hierarchies. But the reasons for social differences don’t matter.

What matters is that you are revisiting a round of pain this man caused you two years ago. You are a bright, educated woman worthy of a man’s love. Though you may care for him and he may care for you, he is letting something other than love make his choices.

He is not offering you marriage or apologizing for cutting you out of his life two years ago. He is wheedling his way back into your life in the same wheedling way he left it. He is coming back because he is lonesome, not because he is ready to defend you as the woman he loves.

When a person cannot swim, it doesn’t mean they can jump in the water two years later unless something has changed. You need to tell him that.

If he hasn’t changed, you are indulging yourself in something which can only cause you pain. If you give him a shoulder to cry on, all you are likely to get is a wet shoulder.

Wayne & Tamara

The Open Road

My name is June, and I have a friend, Mary. Mary is 45 and very overweight. We ride our Harleys together all the time. Mary wears her shirts tied up in a big knot, and her huge tummy sticks out. It is very, very unattractive and very embarrassing to me.

I watch people stare, I hear their comments, and I hate it. I’m five feet tall, petite, and I don’t even wear my clothes like that. How can I talk to her without hurting her feelings?

June

June, perhaps the essence of riding a Harley is freeing yourself from scripts of conduct and norms of behavior. We all long to be free of a closed caste system where everyone knows our place. We long to express our uncensored individual self. That is what Mary gets out of riding her Harley.

You can’t tell her what you feel without hurting her feelings. But letting go of the feeling that you are responsible for another’s actions will give you the feeling of freedom Mary feels as she rides her motorcycle.

Wayne & Tamara

About The Author

Authors and columnists Wayne and Tamara Mitchell can be reached at www.WayneAndTamara.com.

Send letters to: Direct Answers, PO Box 964, Springfield, MO 65801 or email: DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com.

If you hang around me for more than a few minutes, you’ll quickly learn that I love to read! Books are to me what a six-inch turkey sub is to Jared; something to be devoured! Fiction, non-fiction, biographies, classics, it doesn’t matter. If its in English, I’ll read it. Now, I’ve never actually lowered myself to trashy romance novels, but if that was the only thing available, yeah, okay, I admit it…I’d probably satisfy my literary addiction with something that has Fabio on the cover.

When thinking of all the reading I’ve done over the last year, two books really standout:

Stephen King’s “On Writing” and
A novel which shall remain nameless for reasons you shall soon see.

Stephen King has authored over 50 best selling novels and several screenplays. While he is most known for fiction, “On Writing” is an incredible guide that teaches practical literary techniques for writers. With a book of my own, several national articles published and a monthly newsletter, it shouldn’t be hard to figure out why this subject was so well received by yours truly. “On Writing” taught me more about the craft than any English class I’ve ever taken.

So, what does this have to do with you? Hang with me and you’ll see!

Last summer while reading “On Writing”, I was nearly shocked into speechlessness by how King opened himself to his readers. During one chapter, King assigned a writing exercise for the reader…then provided his personal E-mail address requesting the assignment be sent to him when the reader (soon-to-be writer) completed it. Right up front, King said that he couldn’t promise to reply to every message, but the reader should know that if they sent their short story, he would read it.

Six months and 25 books later I happened upon my second favorite book of 2003. While in a completely different genre, this work runs a close second to “On Writing”, but for totally different reasons. While the second standout book of the year was one of the most intriguing pieces of literature I’ve ever read, the follow-up events practically ruined the experience. As writers often use pseudonyms to replace their real names, I, too, shall provide the writer of the second book with a fitting pseudonym: Mr. Snooty.

As soon as I finished the book, my head still spinning with Mr. Snooty’s theories, I went straight to his web page and searched for an E-mail address to send fan mail. I just wanted to share with him how much I’d enjoyed his book and how intrigued I was with his ideas. Now, I didn’t expect a reply, but I thought there would at least be a button labeled, “E-mail the author.” Turns out, I was wrong.

I found E-mail addresses for his publishing house, web master and agent, but not a single way to contact the author himself. Furthermore, there was a note that specifically said any personal mail sent to the author via the publisher would NOT be forwarded. To me, it felt like the author was saying, “Reader, I really don’t care about you or your opinion, and do not care to hear from you for any reason.” Whether this was the intent or not is irrelevant. By making himself unavailable to his fans, I felt I was being snubbed; hence the name “Mr. Snooty.”

So, what do we have here? We have two wildly famous writers, both of whom enjoy a literary success that is enviable. However, that’s where the similarities end. Stephen King earned a huge amount of my respect just by making himself accessible to his fans. I did not bother sending in my short stories, but the fact he openly accepts communication from his supporters makes him not only an admirable writer, but a pretty darned good guy, too.

What does this all boil down to? Accessibility.

Think of an office environment where the boss implements an open door policy. Most employees rarely walk into the boss’s office. Still, knowing they have that access bolsters opinions of the superior. Does it break down the “us & them” dynamic? Absolutely!

This isn’t something exclusive to business settings and celebrities. Think of the nicest person you know; someone who is a virtual saint. Does this person have a wall around them? Or, would you feel comfortable going to them at any time and for any reason? Probably the latter is true.

Why is this? Simple: that person helps individuals feel as though they are important. Others know their opinion is so valuable that they are welcome to interrupt with whatever issue is at hand. People who openly receive others are more respected, liked and appreciated by nearly everyone; both equals and subordinates.

While writing this article, I went to Stephen King’s web site for the first time ever. There, on the home page, was a thank you note to all fans that have sent get-well cards during his recent hospitalization for pneumonia. Does this further reinforce his accessibility? Do fans feel even closer to King knowing their messages were received, appreciated and a word of thanks passed back to them? Well, would you?

Whatever your reasoning, learn from the words and actions of arguably the most popular writer in America: if you are approachable, accessible and open to others, chances are that opinions of you will rise and a flood of respect and friendliness will come your way!

Marcus Engel is a professional speaker/author who inspires audiences to achieve success by making intelligent choices. Blinded by a drunk driver at age 18, Marcus battled through two years of recovery and 300 hours of reconstructive facial surgery to reach his goal of returning to college. After graduating from Missouri State University in 2000, Marcus began sharing his story professionally to audiences nationwide. In 2002, Marcus founded his own publishing company with the release of his autobiography, “After This…An Inspirational Journey For All the Wrong Reasons.” His messages of empowerment and motivation have been witnessed by hundreds of thousands through his keynotes, his autobiography and his monthly newsletters. Marcus Engel is a speaker, a message, a story you will never forget! Visit http://www.MarcusEngel.com for more information!

The fourth step of Preksha meditation is perception of bright white colour on the Centre of Enlightenment.

Concentrate your mind on the Centre of Enlightenment, situated in the middle of your forehead.

Allow your mind to penetrate inside and perceive bright white colour there. You may visualise as if the bright white light of the full moon is spreading throughout the portion or visualise the bright white colour of the snow or any other white thing. Practice concentrated visualisation of bright white colour on the centre of enlightenment.

Perceiving the bright white colour, experience through auto-suggestion that all your passions & emotions are being pacified. All your excitations are subsiding. Your anger is waning away.

Now allow your mind to spread throughout the whole portion of your forehead and perceive the bright white colour there. Visualise that the particles of bright white light are permeating the whole portion of the forehead, covering the emotional area in the frontal lobe of your brain.

Continuously perceive bright white colour and experience complete tranquillity, complete mental peace and bliss.

Conclude the meditation session with two or three long breaths.

THE APHORISMS OF WISDOM

Appana Sachchamesejja, mettim bhuesu kappae.

Search truth yourself and befriend all living beings.

ahamsu vijjacharanam pamokkham

For emancipation from sufferings, practice knowledge and conduct 3 times.

‘I’ THE APHORISM OF TAKING REFUGE

arahante saranam pavvajjami

siddhe saranam pavvajjami

sahu saranam pavvajjami

kevali pannattam dhammam saranam pavvajjami

I seek refuge in the adorable ones.

I seek refuge in the emancipated ones.

I seek refuge in the saints. I seek refuge in the religion propounded by the omniscient ones.

Now adopt the posture of obeisance, that is kneel and bow, pay obeisance to truth. With folded hands first inhale fully and then during exhalation, pronounce the Aphorism of Faith —

“Vande Sachcham” 3 times

“I pay my obeisance to Truth”

by bowing down to ground. Repeat it three times. Meditation session concludes.

ACHARYA MAHAPRAGYA 10th acharya of terapanth.For More articles Visit our
site- http://www.articlesworld.com

Only those who see the invisible can do the impossible
—Alan Cohen

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams –Eleanor Roosevelt

No matter what anyone tells you, words and idea can change the world — Robin William

The secret of success is to find a need and fill it
—-Dr Robert Schuller

Things became better when you expect the best instead of the worst– Dr Norman Vincent Pearle

There is only one way to make a great deal of money; and that is in a business of your own
— J. Paul Getty

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality–Warren G. Bennis

The greatest investment a man can make is to invest in others– Zig Ziglar

Whatever your mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve– Napoleon Hill

Many of life’s failure are paople who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up
— Thomas Edison

No one else will have confidence in you if you don’t believe in yourself– Auspruger

Welcome problem for they are the real stimulants to success– Dr Robert Schuller

It is the courageous soul that believe and succeeds
— Sidney Bremer

If you cannot fly; run: If you cannot run, walk: If you cannot walk, then crawl. By all means, keep moving
–Martin Luther King Jnr

Everything comes if a man will only wait
–Benjamin Disraeli

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future
— John F. Kennedy

Those who keep on asking shall recieve, those who keep seeking shall find and those who keep on knocking shall find the doors opening– Don Cox

Achievers start were losers quit
–Prince Ben Mohammed

Love can fade away; Happiness can be forgotten; but memories of the passionate past are hard to dissolve
— Prince Ben Mohammed

No man has ever been successful without preparing himsel in advance–P.P Parker

Prince Ben Mohammed is award winning author, motivational speaker and publisher. He is the author of many life-changing books including the best - selling “SUCCESS IS NOW! PROVEN STEPS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.” Prince Ben is also the publisher of “SUCCESS IS NOW READERS DIGEST” a life changing magazine aimed at inspiring people to attaining greatness in life. For more information about His books, seminars, articles and events, call: 234-8037383767 or Email: usmanbashiru@yahoo.com

Have you ever wanted to do something really majorsomething stupendoussomething totally different and so down right incredible that the fact that you created the idea has you stimulated and excited?

Like, for instance, you decide to open your own business. You have the idea of exactly what you want to do and how you want to do it. You are so excited you can’t sleep because your mind is working overtime with thoughts and ideas.

But just as quick as the ideas come to you, a voice comes into your head that says, “Girrrrrrrrrrrrrrlllllllllllllll, just who do you think you are? You can’t do that. What are you, crazy? That’s just entirely too far out of your reach.”

Or, how about this one: (This is the one that always happens to me.) You start a diet and you see some cake or candy or piece of fried chicken, something that you KNOW you shouldn’t be eating if you are trying to lose weight. And that voice starts a-talkin’, “Go ahead. That little piece of cake ain’t gonna kill you.”

Or, what about this one: You have a dream of the perfect home for you, or the perfect career, or the perfect carsomething that you truly would like to have in your life. As you browse through a magazine or you watch “Cribs” on MTV, you see how the celebrities are living and you say to yourself, “Wow. I want to have that too.”

Then here comes that voice again, “How are you gonna have that? You can’t sing. You can’t act. Who’s going to pay you that type of money to do anything? You will never have a house like that - or a career that you love.”

Don’t you just HATE that voice?

It’s always so negative.

You’ve worked for months on trying to find God’s purpose for your life. You’ve done the exercises, listened to CD’s, read the “How to Discover Your Life’s Purpose” ebook, and you are now positive about your mission here on earth.

But that voice won’t leave you alone.

It keeps telling you that you must be crazy if you think you can make a living doing THAT. Who do you think you are? You can’t do it right now. It’s impossible. What if you fail? What if you make a fool out of yourself? Oh, NO, we can’t have that!

Eventually, if we don’t do anything, that voice we hear will beat us down, wear us out, cause us to be defeated, allow us to quit, give up and throw in the towel.

Let me introduce you to that voice. That voice is actually your EGO.

Believe it or not, your ego is only here to protect you. Although he might seem, at times, like a negative pest, his job is to protect you.

See, as a small child, you were fearless. You did things that most adults would be afraid to do. I see it all the time in my son. Even before he could walk, he liked to climb on the couch and flip himself over, backwards. Now, he’s four and he loves to flip. He is constantly flipping off of anything that’s higher than he is. This, of course, brings a lot of stress into my life because I’m always afraid he’s going to fall and “bust his head.” (Isn’t that what our mothers told us would happen if we jumped off of high places? “Boy, you better get down before you fall and bust your head.”)

He hasn’t “busted his head” yet, and somehow I don’t believe he ever will. He’s fearless. And it’s because he hasn’t developed an ego as of yet. Some people develop egos early–like my daughter, for instance. When she was first learning to walk, she fell down and hit her head on the table. It didn’t leave a mark or anything, but she cried like her life was about to end. It took her several months before she would even THINK about trying to walk. Her ego was telling her that if she tried that again, she was going to fall and hurt herself. And since our egos are here to protect us, it wouldn’t allow her to even try to walk. So, she didn’tfor a long time. Even until this day, if it looks as if she may fall and hurt herself, my daughter simply won’t do it. She watches in awe as her brother flips off of beds, sofas, walls, monkey bars, whatever. She gets really excited for him. But if you think she’ll even try, think again. She’s experienced the fall, and in return has developed an ego.

Our egos are designed to protect us. Like, for instance, when you were in high school and you met a girl that you were really attracted to, but you were very afraid to approach her because your ego told you that if you did, she would reject you and you would be the butt of all the jokes from the guys during gym class. So, you never bothered to approach her. You simply admired her from a distance.

Your ego wasn’t trying to be mean, or nasty or negative. No, not at all. It felt that it was doing the best thing for you. It doesn’t want to disappoint you. It doesn’t want you to be hurt. In fact, it has a very useful function. For instance, the first time you touched a hot stove when you were young, you immediately withdrew your hand. The next time you came near a stove, your ego kicked in and says, “Hey, GET BACK! Remember what happened the last time?” You didn’t touch it and you started to depend on your ego to protect you.

Sometimes the ego takes its job a little too serious. It’s so protective and its biggest fear is that you will get hurt–destroyed in some way. So, whenever you try to do something like step out of your comfort zone, your ego will try to stuff you back in.

Well, how do you get around that ego?

It’s simple. You can’t. It’s going to do its job because that is why it is here. The same way if you ever worked in sales, and you are making cold calls, trying to get in touch with the decision maker at a particular company. It’s really hard to get around the secretary or the gatekeeper, as sales people like to call him/her. No matter how many times you call, and no matter how many situations you create to try to get that phone call through to the decision maker, the secretary will NOT let you through. Why? Not because s/he hates you or has something against you, but because that is his/her job. It’s just not going to happen.

But, as with everything, there is a way to get around it.

• You have to listen to it. Hear it out. Let it finish whatever it has to say because it’s going to finish regardless. Might as well get it over with.

• Come up with STRONG points that will counter the points that your ego has thrown out to you. These points MUST BE STRONG or your ego simply won’t listen.

• You must be passionate about your convictions and determined to not allow your ego to have its way. It’s going to fight you on this, over and over, so you MUST stand firm.

• Compromise with your ego until you win it over to your side.

Let me give you an example:

You’ve discovered that your purpose is to open a school of dance where you teach children between the ages of 4 and 12 how to ballet dance. All of your life you’ve loved ballet and have been dancing since you were four years old. Of course, it’s just a hobby, something you like to do. You spend your days as a bank teller for Wachovia Bank.

However, you’ve reached the point in your life where you feel there has to be more to life than what you are presently doing. You stumbled on the Your Life’s Purpose website. You subscribed to the Your Life’s Purpose newsletter. You’ve read the “How to Discover Your Life’s Purpose” ebook. You are at the point where you believe that sharing your talent as a dancer is why God put you here on earth. So, you entertain the thought of opening a dance school.

EGO: “How are you going to open a dance school?”

YOU: I’m not sure right now, but I believe that if I pray on it hard enough, God will send me the information.

EGO: “You’re a bank teller? You’re not a “real” dancer.” How are you going to open a dance school?”

YOU: I am a real dancer. I’ve been dancing for 25 years now. I dance all the time. I may not be making a living as a dancer, but I AM a dancer. And I have made up my mind to live my dreams, my passions. And that is to live my life as a dancer. I want to share my talents with others by teaching young children how to dance the ballet.”

EGO: “This is just too big for you to handle. You are going to fail. You will waste all of your time and energy and it won’t work.”

YOU: “What if I got someone to help me? What if I found a person who is presently working as a dancer and is willing to help me out, perhaps even become a partner? What do you think about that? Does that sound like something I could do? And what if I took my time and didn’t rush into it but did a lot of research first? What if I started off really small and took baby steps? I’m not going to quit my job or anything like
that, at least not for now. Does that sound like it can work?”

EGO: “Ok. That sounds a little better. At least we have someone with more experience helping us out and you won’t go and quit your job and leave us to starve to death. I think this might work.”

See how it works. Instead of totally ignoring your ego and hoping it will go away, or instead of listening to it and letting it continuously hold you back, you simply talk to yourself until you find a solution that both you and your ego are comfortable with.

ACTION POINT: If you haven’t really noticed it before, take some time today and listen for that “other” voice that’s in your head. If you are fully aware of that voice, make a note today to NOT let it have its way. If there is something that you desire to do but you talk yourself out of it, make it a point to remember that the voice that is talking you out of doing whatever it is you desire, is the voice of your ego. Talk back. In your most convincing way possible, talk yourself into making a compromise. Perhaps simply taking things slowly might ease your ego. Oh, and make sure when you are talking to yourself that you are alone.

© 2005 http://www.dawnfields.com

Dawn Fields is a motivational speaker, author, and spiritual life coach. Visit the web site for tons of motivational material at http://www.dawnfields.com Tune in each Thursday at 9 p.m. as she hosts Your Life’s Purpose Interactive Internet Radio Show at http://www.dawnfields.com/radioshow.htm. Be sure to sign up for the motivational and inspiration newsletter, Your Life’s Purpose by sending a blank email to dawn@dawnfields.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

How heavy are the burdens you’re carrying? Are you weighed down with a load of guilt, financial woes, an abusive husband, or the death of a child? Jesus says: “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mat. 11:30)

That almost sounds like a nice cliché, eh? You may be thinking: “Yeah right! You don’t know the problems I’ve got!” I do know where you’re coming from. In fact I used to have a mental picture of oxen with heavy wooden yokes strapped across their necks attached to iron shackles, pulling heavy machinery. Even a light yoke seems like a heavy contraption! Slaves burdened with yokes were forced into heavy labor, directed where to go, and kept on a tight rein by their masters.

Then I got a revelation! My husband Jack used to complain out loud about any problems he faced. I was the quiet one in the family. I would pray about them and go about my day bowed down under the weight. But, Jack? Oh… how he used to infuriate me! First he’d aggravate the situation by his mutterings. But then, after his daily morning walk with the dog, he would come home refreshed, laughing and in a great mood! The problems were still there, so how could he suddenly be so happy? You know, I hate to divulge this - even to myself now - but it literally took me years to figure it out.

Jack’s all-time favorite scripture verse is: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4: 13) He stood on that verse, spoke it every day, and during his walks he would give Jesus all his burdens. So simple! I had the faith to believe that God would solve everything, some time. However, I had trouble handing my problems over to him, saying, “Jesus, here is my burden. Would you please carry it, as you promised you would?”

The proof is in the pudding, they say, right? So.. Jack would come back happy, but how about the problems? They did go away? We discovered that God is the God of plenty and that He is never late! A lot of the time we were barely hanging on by the skin of our teeth up until the last moment. But…God! He always came through! He is bringing to mind an incident that happened years ago when the bottom literally fell out of the market my husband’s business was involved in. Where there was great demand merely a year before, suddenly there was nothing. Being self employed, it was difficult to make the transition into a different field instantly. One night, in the twilight zone of falling asleep, Jack exclaimed: “there are two huge angels sitting on our roof! One on each side… I see them clear as day!” He had lifted the situation up to the Lord, asking Him to protect our property during this time of unforeseen upheaval. The Lord in His mercy gave him a vision of the guardian angels He had assigned to protect us! What total peace came over us! He supplied total assurance of His protection.

Yes, His yoke is not a heavy cross to bear. His yoke simply means that whatever you need to go through, no matter how extreme. If you lift it up to Him saying: “Lord, I don’t know the answer. I can’t bear this any longer,” then you will also discover that His Grace is sufficient for you as His strength is made perfect in weakness. (2 Cor. 12:9) When you are weak, He is strong. When you let go and let God, you open the door to miracles and wonderful testimonies of His goodness in your life.

Take off your heavy burdens. Let Him take care of them for you. It’s His Promise, and He never fails! “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me: for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Mat. 11:28-30)

Ann Stewart is the author of “With Wings As Eagles,” It motivates, inspires and encourages others to stand victoriously in their trials.
http://www.lifealteringwords.com/with-wings-as-eagles

Her inspirational newsletter:
http://www.lifealteringwords.com

It has been said that a man is what he eats. Someone else said that a man is what he reads. Still another has said that a man is what he thinks. The proverbial writer said, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” What the editor is saying is that you are not only what you consume physically or what you conceptualize or internalize mentally, but you are also and foremost, what you believe in your heart.

If you believe you can, then you can. If you believe you cannot, than you cannot. Everything we do from the simplest acts to the most complex tasks require we believe in ourselves and in our ability to perform. You may not have given it much thought, but before you can get out of bed, or lift a fork to your mouth or speak a word; before you can memorize a poem or drive a car or learn how to use the internet; before you can quit drinking or overeating or any other habit - you must first believe that you can and have enough faith to believe in God and in the power of Jesus to help you through. We are what we believe.

You probably recall the story of the white man who sold ice in the black community. A young black man observed what the white man was doing and decided that he could go into business and do the same thing. He produced a quality product at a lower cost and even gave better service. Soon all the black folks were buying their ice from him - except one old lady. Try as he might, he just could not persuade the old lady to buy his ice. Finally, in exasperation, he asked her why she refused to give him her business. And she responded, “Son, it has nothing to do with you personally, but I believe the white man’s ice is just a little bit better than yours.” As long as we believe that other’s ice is colder we will never achieve our goals.

What we must realize is that there is power in belief and powerlessness in disbelief. Remember when Jesus went home to Nazareth? He did not perform any mighty acts there as He had in other towns. It wasn’t because the power that had worked elsewhere would not work there; it was not because the people there did not need the healing power of Christ and it was not because Jesus doubted His own abilities. It was because of the people’s disbelief.

Abraham was a great man because he had a great faith. Scripture informs us that Abraham believed God. He did not kill any giants like David; he did not write any proverbs as Solomon did, he did not confront any pharaohs or dispense any laws as Moses did, he was not a learned scribe as Ezra or a great builder Like Nehemiah, but Abraham believed God. He did not have Samson’s strength or Mordecai’s political insight; he did not command the sun to stand still as Joshua did or defeat any armies as Gideon did. Abraham did not walk through the fire as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; he did not spend any time in a lion’s den as Daniel did, but Abraham believed God. He did not dream any dreams like Joseph, see any visions like Ezekiel and he did not proclaim the Messiah’s coming as did Isaiah or call forth fire from heaven as Elijah did. Abraham just believed God.

If you are wondering how you can keep on believing when everything is turning against you. If you are wondering how you can go on when you can barely make ends meet. If you are wondering how you can hold your head up when your world is falling apart.

I recommend you that you keep on believing in spite of your circumstances. Keep on believing in spite what people say or do. Keep on believing even when like Abraham, you do not know what is happening or why it is happening. God always has another ram in the bush for those who exercise faith in Him; those who love Him enough to believe Him in spite of everything and through it all.

I am reminded of the story of a ship that was caught in a storm so fierce the passengers had to put on life jackets. One of the passengers scurrying around found a little boy sitting by himself and playing with a toy truck. He seemed totally oblivious of all that was going on around him. The concerned passenger ran up to him and said, “Son, you must put on your life jacket, we are in a terrible storm.” The little boy looked up at the passenger and said, “Thank you sir, but I’m not worried because my daddy is the captain of the ship.”

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available in July.

How do YOU meditate? What works for you? What do you feel in your body? I know I’m not the only one to admit that I have a difficult time meditating. Here are some answers I received from the above question on an interactive Conscious Evolution site last year. I hope one of these methods will help you on your meditative journeys.

Method #1:
Ritual is very important to my meditation practice. In my practice that includes meditating at the same time every day: incense, a lit candle, acknowledging the four directions and an opening prayer and music. I have been influenced by Zen meditation, yoga relaxation and breathing practices, visualization techniques, mantra repetition and even dancing techniques to name a few. My meditation experience changes from day to day as sometimes it is very contemplative of my life; some days I feel connected to nature or I find myself praying for peace, compassion and love. At times my meditation takes me into a void where there is no thought or it can be very visionary where I receive insights about my life and that of others around me; sometimes I even see things far into our future. Every once in a while, I am BLESSED with feeling an all-loving presence that permeates my whole being with happiness and love. What is constant and most important about my meditation practice is that it has become as essential to my life as breathing air is for all of us. Best of all, I have seen how my behavior in my everyday life has become (for the most part-who is perfect?) a mirror of the peace and compassionate feeling I tap into when I meditate. I have been meditating for 20 years. May you have a blessed journey. From Pablo (Evolve Community Café)

Method #2
Good question. I use a very unstructured approach, working toward the goal of making all my waking and sleeping moments meditative. If I am walking (or cycling), I develop a rhythmic cadence of affirmation around some issue (health, harmony, love, etc) and pace the affirmation to my pace. For instance, I like an eight-step pace and this harmony affirmation works well for me, “I am one with the universe and all things in IT. Not my will, but thine be done.”

My hypnosis/hypnotherapy training has taught me that trance induction is easy. I use the following sequence of statements repeated sub-vocally (and paced with normal breathing cycle) to induce both trance and meditation: “Relax now. Release now. Renew now. Refresh now. Live now. Love now. Heal now. Grow now. Peace now”.

I try to be in nature everyday, whether it is watching ants in my backyard or fishing on the local rivers and lakes. That is meditation to me. I also use spontaneous free-associative journaling as part of meditative practice. I picked this up from Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way.” She calls such discipline “morning pages” and there is no doubt that this approach has great power to center one in meditative action and intuition.

I guess what I am seeing from what I am saying is that I am highly kinesthetic and prefer action meditation to passive meditation…and if you hadn’t asked the question, I would not have realized this. Bravo. Hope that makes some sense. Nick (Evolve Community Café)

Method #3
I meditate early in the morning — it’s a big part of my life. About four years ago I went on a weekend retreat in Oxford to the Brahma Kumaris and learned to meditate by Raj Yoga which means meditating with your eyes open. At first it was difficult but Discipline is the key. It calms my working mind and psychologically-wise, I am more at peace. Molly

Method #4
I read this in The Evolution Angel by Dr. Michael Abrams and liked it, so will share it with you.

The angels believe that we lost the ability to communicate with God directly when the churches put in a go-between for communication. These angels give us permission to use God’s name, which is Yahweh, in meditating with God to connect at a deeper level and on an evolutionary plane. Yahweh is the name referred to in the Lord’s Prayer. It is the name in the Judeo-Christian tradition that is said to be so sacred that it is never to be uttered aloud.

If you dwell on this name in your mind over and over, day after day, month after month, all good things will come to you. Do not use the name in an empty, mechanical manner. Repeat the name silently within. Saying the name over and over helps you to overcome that inner chatter.

Here’s how it’s done:

1) As you say the name your thoughts should gradually slow and lengthen. Repeat each syllable rather slowly. Saying each syllable in about a second and then lengthening it to 3-4 seconds with a little rest between syllables. It will feel good when you hit the correct cadence for you.

2) To further enhance the technique, breath in on the “Yah’ and exhale on the “Vay.” Your breath should be smooth, peaceful and in a leisurely fashion.

3) When you get that part down, add in the heartbeat. Visualize and feel the sounds, along with your breath, flowing in and out of your heart.

The Angel’s say that this mediation will fix everything in your life and put it back into balance. You start developing in ways you never thought possible and at an astonishingly rate–with less pain.

Yes. This sounds like the meditation for me.

Dr. Denice Moffat is a practicing naturopath, medical intuitive, and veterinarian working on the family unit (which includes humans and animals) through her phone consultation practice established in 1993. She has a content-rich website at http://www.NaturalHealthTechniques.com and free monthly newsletter.

Astrology is a type of prophetic look into the future using the solar system and bodies in the sky. There are various types out there and by far most of the astrology that you’ll find done is anything but real. Yet, true astrology is very perplexing because it can be very real. The celestial bodies can do many things like provide you with the ability to understand, to organize the knowledge, and to interpret the world around you. Often, it is said that the location of various bodies means something.

Traditionally, astrology is based on the relative positions and the movements of the celestial bodies (both real and non existent.) One of the main things that astrology claims to provide is an understanding of personality traits. It is believed that the positions of the celestial bodies in the sky influences many things such as your personality traits, your physical characteristics and even important things that will happen within your life. Some astrologers believe that each person has a predestined life and that that life can be reflected and told from the sky above.

Where did astrology come from? It is believed that the Western form of astrology originated in ancient Babylon and then spread to other nations and to other lands. It was found to be in Greece in the middle of the fourth century BC and then hit Rome before the Christian era began. From there, it spread throughout the world with the Roman Empire.

But, is it real? That is the question that many people want to know. While it is a controversial subject, there can be something to it. For example, for many people, by instilling in them a sense that something is going to happen almost makes it happen. And, for others allowing them to believe today will be a good day that it will be just that. But, often, even without any scientific proof, we can find that astrology is right on the money. While it is likely that astrology will not be able to prove that is works in a controlled study, those that have had astrology work for them believe none the less.

This article was written by T. Potter. You can visit Genuine Astrology for further information and astrology resources.

The process of mediation used to calm your mind and lead to inner-peace is centuries old. The driving force behind meditation is that if one can attain a peaceful mind, they will be free from anxiety, worries and negative forces. Ideally, they will be in complete control of their mind - controlling thoughts, feelings and anxieties.

One of the most important aspects of meditation is breathing. For beginners, control and focus on breathing does not come easy. Many let their minds wander to things that preoccupy their days and lose focus. Mastering your breathing pattern is the first step towards mental wellness as it helps lay the groundwork for a calm mind.

A good seat and comfortable posture are ideal for meditation. Certain aspects to aim for include: straight (but not tense) back, head floating naturally above the shoulders, chin turned slightly down and pelvis tilted slightly forward. Most meditate while sitting down; sitting cross-legged is the most popular positioning. If you cannot get comfortable with these positions, try shifting around, but the main keys are to be relaxed with a straight back.

Many will often try to meditate while lying down. Be wary of this as it is easy to fall asleep. Though that can be relaxing in its own right, it does nothing in the process of bringing inner peace as you will find yourself waking up to the same mental disarray.

Meditation is a great way to promote personal wellness. Stress and anxiety derive from thoughts (usually negative) racing through the mind, destroying any sense of relaxation of contentment. Take time to meditate whenever you can. It doesn’t need to be everyday, or for long periods at a time. But every chance you get to clear your thoughts and focus on your inner-self will clear your goals and ambitions and put you on your way towards mental wellness.

Greg Mauro is a staff author at Health and Wellness Facts as well as Help For Health and its conglomerate sites.