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Understanding Automatic Action: How It Feels to Act Without Doubt
I've been intrigued by the idea of automatic action lately. It's a fascinating concept that I've come to understand as taking action that aligns perfectly with your inner state. When you're in this mode, there's no room for doubt or confusion—just a crystal-clear clarity about what to do next.
What Is Automatic Action?
Automatic action is something we do without overthinking. It’s like when you’re thirsty, and without hesitation, you reach for a glass of water. You don’t stop to question whether you should drink water or think about alternatives. You just act. It feels natural, effortless, and exactly right in the moment. This kind of action is deeply connected to our instincts, making it almost automatic, hence the name.
How Does Automatic Action Feel?
When you're in the flow of automatic action, everything clicks. There’s no second-guessing yourself or worrying about whether you're doing the right thing. Instead, you feel a strong, clear sense of what needs to happen next. The action feels right and good, almost like it's the only thing you could do in that moment. It’s like a state of clarity and inspiration guiding you forward, and it feels amazing.
My Experience with Automatic Action
Last week, I had an experience that made me truly aware of what automatic action feels like in practice. Here's what happened:
I tried out a new video editing app.
I experimented with different effects.
I recorded a spontaneous, non-scripted narration.
I edited the video.
I opened a brand-new TikTok account.
And finally, I uploaded the video.
All of this happened naturally, with flow, ease, and a ton of fun. I wasn’t overthinking or doubting myself at any step. It felt like I was just doing what I was meant to do in that moment, and it was incredibly satisfying.
The Joy of Creation
One of the most rewarding aspects of this experience was the joy it brought me. I don't know where this new TikTok venture will lead, and I'm not worried about it. For now, I'm simply happy that I created something I love. The process filled me with delight, and that feeling of joy is something I'm holding onto.
Inspired Action vs. Automatic Action
It's important to note that while inspired action can feel similar to automatic action, they’re not always the same. Inspired action often starts as an idea—a suggestion that pops into your mind. You might think about it for a while before deciding to act on it. However, if you act on the inspiration immediately and without overthinking, it can feel just like automatic action. The key difference is that automatic action doesn’t involve any hesitation; it just happens naturally.
Conclusion: Embracing Automatic Action
Embracing automatic action means trusting yourself and your instincts. It’s about letting go of doubts and fears and allowing yourself to act with clarity and confidence. Whether you're trying out a new hobby, like I did with video editing, or simply making everyday decisions, automatic action can lead to a more joyful, fulfilling life. It’s a state of flow where everything aligns, and you feel completely in tune with what you’re doing. And that, to me, is a beautiful way to live.
—-
Peace. Want my writings in your inbox? I send SophiaNotes every Thursday morning with my words to inspire you along with success mindset insights from people I interview on the Be.Do.Have.Life Show. You can sign up here.
The Power of the Subconscious Mind: Mastering the "Congratulations Method" | Neville Goddard
In the realm of personal growth and manifestation, there are countless tools and techniques designed to help you achieve your goals. But what if you could harness the power of your subconscious mind in just three seconds? Welcome to the "Congratulations Method," a simple yet powerful technique that can help you manifest your desires with minimal effort. In this blog post, we will explore what the Congratulations Method is, how it works, and how you can apply it to your own life to achieve your goals.
Introduction: The Power of the Subconscious Mind
Have you ever wondered how your thoughts and beliefs shape your reality? The subconscious mind is the powerhouse behind our external experiences, driving everything from our decisions to our outcomes. By tapping into this incredible resource, we can create lasting change in our lives. The Congratulations Method, popularized by Neville Goddard, is a way to imprint your desires onto your subconscious mind, leading to real-world results.
What is the Congratulations Method?
The Congratulations Method is a visualization technique where you imagine a scene in which someone you know is congratulating you on achieving your goal. The key to this method is that the scene should imply that your desire has already been fulfilled. For example, if your goal is to get a promotion, you might visualize a close friend or colleague congratulating you on your new position.
The Origins of the Method
This method was first introduced by Neville Goddard, a prominent teacher, author, and lecturer from Barbados, known for his teachings on the power of the subconscious mind. Goddard emphasized the importance of impressing the subconscious with vivid, emotional scenes that represent the fulfillment of one's desires. By doing so, he believed that the subconscious mind would work to bring those desires into reality.
How the Congratulations Method Works
The Congratulations Method works by creating a mental scene that is so vivid and emotionally charged that it imprints on your subconscious mind. This scene should be short—about three seconds long—and should involve someone you trust and respect congratulating you on achieving your goal.
What the Method Is (and Isn't)
It's important to note that the Congratulations Method is not about visualizing yourself talking about your goal to others. Instead, it's about imagining someone else acknowledging your success. This distinction is crucial because the subconscious mind responds more powerfully to external validation in your visualization.
Personal Success Stories
Many people, including myself, have experienced significant success using the Congratulations Method. For instance, when I was working to hit my first $100,000 in my design business, I created a scene where my husband congratulated me on reaching that milestone. I could hear his voice, see his expression, and feel the pride in his words. This simple visualization helped me triple my business revenue in just one year, without changing anything externally.
Practical Tips for Using the Congratulations Method
Now that you understand the basics of the Congratulations Method, let's explore how you can apply it in your own life. Here are some practical tips to help you get started:
1. Keep It Simple
Create a short, three-second scene that involves someone you love and trust congratulating you on your success. The scene should be easy to remember and should evoke strong positive emotions.
2. Repeat the Scene Regularly
Practice the scene repeatedly, especially before bed or whenever you think about your goal. The more you repeat it, the stronger the impression on your subconscious mind.
3. Create Multiple Scenes
You can create different scenes for different goals. For example, you might have one scene for your career, another for your relationships, and yet another for your health.
4. Visualize the Present, Not the Future
It's essential to visualize the scene as if it's happening right now, not in the distant future. This helps to anchor the desire in the present moment, making it more likely to manifest.
Examples of Congratulations Scenes
To help you get started, here are a few examples of how you might use the Congratulations Method for different goals:
1. Career Goal
Imagine a close friend congratulating you on your promotion, saying, "I knew you'd get that corner office! You worked so hard, and it's paying off!"
2. Business Success
Visualize your mother telling you, "I'm so proud of you for hitting six figures in your business. You've come so far!"
3. Athletic Achievement
Picture a stadium full of fans cheering as you receive your gold medal, their applause echoing in your ears.
4. Academic Excellence
See your teacher handing you a test with an A+ on it, smiling and saying, "Well done!"
Conclusion: Embrace Your Power to Create Change
The Congratulations Method is a simple yet powerful tool that can help you manifest your desires by harnessing the power of your subconscious mind. By creating vivid, emotionally charged scenes of success and repeating them regularly, you can imprint your desires onto your subconscious, leading to real-world results. So why not give it a try? Create your own scenes, have fun with it, and watch as your dreams become your reality.
Thank you for reading, and remember—you have the power to create the life you want. Start today by imprinting your subconscious mind with your desires, and see how the Congratulations Method can transform your life.
—-
Peace. Want my writings in your inbox? I send SophiaNotes every Thursday morning with my words to inspire you along with success mindset insights from people I interview on the Be.Do.Have.Life Show. You can sign up here.
How to shift into your desired self | Niclas Upgrade to Life | Neville Goddard Student
Niclas from Upgrade to Life shares how he found the teachings of Neville Goddard , the mystic and teacher from Barbados and eventually went from CEO of a software company to a YouTuber sharing in his own way the Law of Assumption. He runs a community with the same name that has hundreds of students. Click the video below to watch or Watch on YouTube.
Stopping the freight train of the mind
It is not always easy to meditate in daily life. There are responsibilities and commitments that are so time-consuming.
But when there is a group of like-minded people who all want to train their minds in a conducive environment together, that's a golden opportunity. So finding a group locally in your area to meditate with is very helpful for your practice. Meditating together helps us water the good seeds within us - that's because your presence in the circle helps each one of us feel a sense of community and belonging, something we all yearn for.
If you cannot make it to a group meditation due to other commitments and reasons, or there isn't a group nearby, do take time to refine your practice, nevertheless. Use a guided meditation from YouTube or sit quietly in your room and gently bring awareness to your breath for 10 minutes.
These 10 minutes will go a long way, especially when done every day. And it is not about having the perfect 10 minutes - that's too heavy of an expectation for our practice. The only thing to do is - Show Up to our meditation practice. Even if those 10 minutes are full of a wandering mind, so be it. At least you showed up and made a meaningful effort to calm the mind.
This reminds me of a story I heard one of the monks relay. There was a man who got a job and he showed up on Monday for work. At the end of the day, he returned home to his wife and complained that he didn't get paid and was thinking of not going to work the next day. On Tuesday, he did go to work but came home empty-handed. The next day, he did a whole day's of work yet no paycheck. He told his wife that he still didn't get renumerated for his hard work and was thinking of quitting. On Friday, he managed to bring himself to work and put in an honest effort.
As he was leaving, he was stopped by his boss. She gave him his paycheck! Delighted, the man went home happy to his wife.
Sometimes, we too, think of our meditation like this man. On day one we want a calm, peaceful mind and go into deep meditative states. Each day we think - ah, it's not bringing me any results, why meditate? But it is only after repetitive training of the mind that it learns to quiet down. How quickly it calms down has at least something to do with how long and how fast it has been running around all those years. Just like bringing a bicycle to a complete stop is far easier than bringing a freight train to a stop, bringing a mind habituated to wandering takes longer to slow down than a mind that has been practicing for a while.
Eventually, one day you will experience peace and serenity and delight of the mind that surpasses all other worldly pleasures and comforts. So let's help ourselves now by training our minds slowly and gradually.
Much love,
Sophia
How to Break Karmic Patterns: The Law of Karma
The word Karma has sometimes been understood in a way that scares a lot of people. Does Karma mean I will be punished for my "wrong" actions? I myself have thought: Do I have to think of all the consequences of my actions all the time so I don't experience the "wrath of Karma"?
Growing up in India, I heard the word Karma...
How to Break Karmic Patterns: The Law of Karma
We continue in our series of blogs that look in-depth at the philosophy and practical advice laid out in Deepak Chopra's book, Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. This edition is about the Third Law, The Law of Karma.
The word Karma has sometimes been understood in a way that scares a lot of people. Does Karma mean I will be punished for my "wrong" actions? I myself have thought: Do I have to think of all the consequences of my actions all the time so I don't experience the "wrath of Karma"?
Growing up in India, I heard the word Karma all the time. It was often referred to in casual talk and was as normal as talking about the weather. But in my experience it was not something we would go deep into, hence, the fear and misunderstandings around the whole concept. In the rest of the world, this misunderstanding and fear found a new dimension to it, even though the word itself has found itself a cozy spot in our English language lexicon. With the help of Deepak Chopra, I am going to share some ideas that will make the concept of Karma, a practical resource, something you and I can use in our lives to make our lives richer, happier and peaceful in every sense possible.
So let's dive in.
What is Karma?
Karma comes from the Sanskrit language which literally translates to "action". The Law of Karma as Deepak states in his book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, is:
“Every action generates a force of energy that returns to us in like kind...what we sow is what we reap. And when we choose actions that bring happiness and success to others, the fruit of our karma is happiness and success.”
So that's it in a nutshell. Whatever action we take (cause), we will experience a result (effect) that corresponds to that action. So in that sense, karma is neutral to the person. There is no such thing as "the wrath of karma". It just is. Like rain. Like sunlight. It is a structural element of life and even though it comes from spiritual traditions, like sunshine, the phenomenon itself doesn't belong to a single school of thought.
So the question to ask ourselves is: What do I want to create in my life? If I want to create a peaceful life with harmony in my relationships, I must sow peaceful seeds. If I want to create a life of happiness, I must sow seeds of happiness.
Understanding how our choices influence karma
Deepak Chopra shares with us that the best way to understand and maximize the use of karmic law is to become aware, consciously aware of each and every choice we make. Our life is literally a series of choices; some conscious, some unconscious. The more awareness we can bring to our choices, the more conscious we become of how we decide and take action, the more we can influence the karmic law to create what we want in our lives. Then, we can make conscious choices that lead to the result we are looking for.
Choices are key because everything that is happening in your life right now is a result of a previous choice you made. The past choices take shape in your life as present circumstances and result in how you experience your body, your physical environment, how you perceive your relationships with others and how the world appears to you. Sometimes we are surprised at how the present looks and we feel we did not consciously choose this result.
We feel that way because those choices that caused the unpleasant present were unconscious choices, decisions we made under the influence of ego (automatic trigger-reactions to people and situations), pride, unawareness of your higher self, disconnection from nature and the cycle of life; being under the influence of toxic foods such as fried, overcooked, extremely sweet, excessive food, and non-sacred/ non-ethical consumption of meat, alcohol and other intoxicants. (My definition of non-sacred/non-ethical consumption of meat is eating other living beings without asking their permission, without asking for their forgiveness, eating abused and mistreated animals, wasting meat and a few other specific criteria. Being a Vegan practitioner myself, I think of how the native people around the world used to consume meat with sacred ritual, love and respect for the animal species as exemplary of ethical consumption of meat.) Many unconscious choices we make are without a thorough understanding of what we are doing and these unconscious choices result in alienation with family and friends, physical illness and emotional pain and sadness and a life that is without peace, harmony and joy.
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Karma as a useful tool to break the cycle
This is where the law of karma becomes a tool, a useful resource to positively affect our life situation no matter how young or old we are, no matter how unconsciously we have led our life so far. Because karma is not restricted by time or space, you can influence your life path even on the last day of your life. This is the unlimited power of karma which we can use to completely transform our life and to transcend any karmic past stemming from unconscious actions. This is very encouraging - the sweet spot of the law of karma!
It all begins by becoming more conscious of our choices. So how do we go about doing that? This is what Deepak Chopra has to say:
“If you step back for a moment and witness the choices you are making as you make those choices, then in just this act of witnessing, you take the whole process from the unconscious realm into the conscious realm. This procedure of conscious choice-making and witnessing is very empowering.”
Spontaneous Right Action that brings peace
Just by witnessing ourselves as we make a choice, we are changing the game. That's the first step. Then we need to ask ourselves two questions:
1. What are the consequences of this choice? and
2. Will this choice that I'm making now bring happiness to me and to those around me?
There is only one choice out of an infinite number of choices that will lead to happiness both for you and for the people in your life. And when this choice is made, it comes from what Deepak calls, Spontaneous Right Action, which is essentially the right action at the right time. I often have an experience of knowing the right action at the right time and my term for it is, Inspired Action. Basically, as Deepak says, "it's the action that nourishes you and everyone else who is influenced by that action."
Body Clues to Spontaneous Right Action
But how do we know what is the right action to take? Well, there is a mechanism that the Universe uses to help us make these spontaneous right actions. It is the sensation of comfort or discomfort in our body. So when you are consciously making a choice, pay close attention to what your body is feeling.
“Only the heart knows the correct answer.”
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Find in your body a sensation that feels good or doesn't feel good. This sensation can be felt in the solar plexus (just above your belly button and under the rib cage) or you may feel it in your heart or center of your chest. Then consciously bring your attention to your heart and ask your heart what to do. Then, simply wait and listen to the response which you will get in the form of a sensation in the body.
“The heart is intuitive; it’s holistic; it’s contextual, it’s relational. It taps into the cosmic computer - the field of pure potentiality, pure knowledge, and infinite organizing power - and takes everything into account. At times it may not even seem rational, but the heart has a computing ability that is far more accurate and far more precise than anything within the limits of rational thought.”
The Simple Formula for using The Law of Karma
We can use the law of karma to manifest anything our heart desires: material abundance in the form of money and things, spiritual abundance in the form of inner-peace, harmony in our relationships and in our world and true inner-happiness.
The formula for using the law of karma is simple. First, you must become more and more conscious of your actions. You need to become aware that your future is a result of the choices you are making in every moment of your life. Just with this awareness, you will be shifting some energetic patterns in your life.
Second, as you become more and more aware of your choices, you will make more and more spontaneously right actions which will bring peace and happiness to you and to those around you. The more you do this, the more you will reap the benefits of the Karmic Law.
How to Resolve the Debt of Past Karma?
So, now you are focused on creating a better future by paying close attention to your present. But what about the results that are yet to come because of the past karmic actions which were potentially unconscious? Do not be afraid of past karma. Because Deepak shows us how we can diffuse the effects of old unconscious, negative actions.
When we do nothing about our past karma, it results in the form of karmic debt that needs to be repaid. When we are unconscious or unaware of how karma works, karmic law still works and we pay back for our actions sometimes in the form of great suffering. It essentially is a form of an energetic exchange.
But, there are two powerful things we can do about past karma.
Breaking the cycle by seeing the seed of opportunity
First, you can transmute or transform your karma to a more desirable experience. In other words, let us say you are experiencing something negative or unpleasant in your life. Somehow, either consciously or unconsciously, you caused this experience into your life. The past actions are done and now you are in karmic debt repayment phase. It is causing you mental anguish, emotional pain, physical illness or some other form of discomfort or suffering. This is how you are paying back the debt of your past actions. But this does not mean you are breaking out of it. You may do the same actions again unconsciously because you do not know which actions are causing these unwanted results; and not realize that you are sowing seeds for future suffering. So you need to break this karmic pattern.
To do that, while you are going through a difficult time in your life, Deepak suggests you ask yourself:
1. What can I learn from this experience?
2. Why is this happening and what is the message that the universe is giving to me?
3. How can I make this experience useful to my fellow human beings?
By doing this, essentially, you are looking for the opportunity in that situation. And then you tie this opportunity with your Life Purpose or dharma. (More on the Law of Dharma in this post). So what was a painful episode in your life now becomes the source of something positive that helps you and other people because of your very experience of that painful episode. You need to find a way that your life experience can in some way inspire or help other people
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This doesn't get rid of your karma, but you do create a new positive karma out of it.
An example he gives is of somebody breaking their leg while playing sports. They can then ask the three questions above to learn from it. The message they might need is to, perhaps, slow down and be more mindful. Or they need to write about their experiences and help others play sports safely. This way, they take what happened to them and transform it to help somebody else and create a benefit for humanity.
Transcending Old Karmic Patterns
The second way to deal with karma is to transcend it using practices of meditation. By doing this, by transcending karma, we become independent of karma and break its hold on us. By quieting our mind and experiencing the silence between thoughts, we can clear out old karmic patterns.
“The way to transcend karma is to keep experiencing the gap, the Self and the Spirit. ”
I would like to add to this discussion another way of cleaning the influence of old karma that comes from Buddhist philosophy. Geshe Michael Roach, in his book The Karma of Love, writes about cleaning the affect of old karma. He describes it in these steps:
1. We need to understand the concept of seeds. That everything is a result of seeds or actions we have taken.
2. We need to make the intention and the decision to stop the action that caused this karma. One way of doing this is to decide to not do the action that causes this situation for the next 24 hours. It is important to not break this decision because breaking promises to ourselves sows more bad seeds and creates negative Karma.
3. We need to take some positive action, sow positive seed as payment for the karma.
To learn more details, check out his book, The Karma of Love, which is written like a novel and is really fun to read, very practical and you can really use the information and apply it right away in your life.
So, in conclusion, all actions are karmic episodes, meaning every action generate karma. By becoming conscious of your actions, you consciously influence your reality.
“By becoming a conscious choice-maker, you begin to generate actions that are evolutionary for you and for those that are around you. And that’s all you need to do. As long as the karma is evolutionary - for both the Self and everyone affected by the Self - then the fruit of karma will be happiness and success.”
The Three Commitments
As in each chapter, Deepak Chopra offers us three commitments we can choose to make in order to put the law into effect. Here are the three commitments for The Law of Karma:
1. Today, I will witness the choices I make in each moment. And in the mere witnessing of these choices, I will bring them to my conscious awareness. I will know that the best way to prepare for any moment in the future is to be fully conscious in the present.
2. Whenever I make a choice, I will ask myself two questions: "What are the consequences of this choice that I'm making?" and "Will this choice bring fulfillment and happiness to me and also to those who are affect by this choice?"
3. I will then ask my heart for guidance and be guided by its message of comfort of discomfort. If the choice feels comfortable, I will plunge ahead with abandon. If the choice feels uncomfortable, I will pause and see the consequences of my action with my inner vision. This guidance will enable me to make spontaneously correct choices for myself and for all those around me.
Onwards
I hope that this presentation of the Law of Karma according to Deepak Chopra's book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, was useful to you. What I take most from this law is the simplicity of it. We can make it complicated if we want to but the simple message for me is that the more conscious I become of my actions, the better I can act, and the more conscious actions I take, the more flourishing and abundant my life situation will be. So all I need to do is to become conscious and aware in the moment. It is not that scary after all. And no, I do not need to fear the "wrath of Karma", as there is no such thing. There is karmic debt which can be painful but it needn't become a suffering. Pain and suffering are two very different things and suffering is entirely up to us. Even a karmic debt can be a source of something positive and useful for our fellow humans and animals and our planet. We can break free from old unconscious actions by helping others and by meditating. The Law of Karma really is a very practical tool in our every day life for creating peace, abundance and harmony.
Do share in the comments: how has Deepak's presentation of the Law of Karma now changed how you view karma?
Wishing you lots of love, peace and Karmic freedom,
Sophia
PS: I do not have a video version for you as I am working on a project that is taking my complete focus - a project which you will hear and learn about soon if you are on our Happiness Lovers Family Email List. (Exciting!) If you would like to join the HL Family and receive free emails along with the exciting new announcement, click here. I am happy to have you join us!!
Gratitude and Creative Visualization
Have you ever wondered about the connection of gratitude and creative visualization? In our live visualization gatherings we often begin by sharing what we are grateful for. And it can be something like: "I am grateful to have a warm, comfortable home". Or "I am grateful to have a positive-attitude". Or something like, "I am thankful to have a nice night of rest."
Just becoming aware of what we are grateful for in our life, changes our energy, our vibration and uplifts our spirits. With this renewal of energy, creative visualization becomes even more powerful, effective and transformational. And to help us all to get into gratitude mode, I have created gratitude cards and a video introducing them.
So I invite you to begin your visualization sessions with a simple statement of gratitude or two. Just answer the question: In this moment what are you grateful for?
Visualize Your Life Story
Imagine you are writing the script of a movie. You draw up the characters. You think of the plot and the storyline. You also imagine how the relationships between the characters is going to play out in the movie. You spend some time on the overall plot and the storyline as well as the small details. It is all in the screenplay you are drawing up. You have protagonist who is hero/heroine of the film who has a goal to achieve or an obstacle to overcome. There is drama in the film to highlight this process of overcoming the obstacle. And depending on whether you want to uplift your audience, you find a climatic way to resolve the story that ends with the obstacle overcome and goal achieved.
Now, imagine you are writing the script of your own life. Which character will you be and what obstacles do you want to overcome? Are you the protagonist of your life story? Whose support do you need to achieve the goal of your life, to follow your heart? And what evolutionary changes will you undergo? What will your transformation story be? How do you live a life of contribution? How do fully express and enjoy yourself in this life?
This visualization can entail images, sounds, smells. You can imagine the textures, the tastes,
feelings, the ambiance, in all its facets and dimensions. Try it out. Explore. Experiment. Enjoy.
Do you have an Ideas Folder?
One thing I would like to recommend to you is to work with a place where you collect your new ideas, hints, dreams. If you prefer to have it in a journalist's notebook which you can carry around everywhere, that is great. If you like to have it all digital for easy sorting and finding key words, then absolutely make an ideas folder. This folder can contain one mega-file where you simply list your idea in a phrase or a sentence. Then each of these ideas can have their own file where you can expand and extend and stretch the idea at another point. These idea folders are essential for your creative growth and mind training.
Have Positive Expectations
Expect the positive. Positive Expectation is one more nuance in our positive-thinking tool box. Essentially, it calls us to only expect the positive. It is slightly different than setting positive intentions. Positive intention-making entails clearly setting out what is desired, what do we want to manifest in our day or in our life.
Positive expectation varies from it because of the open-ended factor. It is not predefined and all perfectly delineated. We allow for an unplanned, unscheduled resolution or development of a situation, yet expecting clearly that what happens next will be in the highest good of all involved.
Remember that the positive intention-making and positive expectations are not replacement for action. Infact, they are predecessors to any action. Conscious action is important and necessary for change. But it cannot begin making an impact for good without positive intention and expectations to begin the process of change.
So give it a try and see how expecting the good, the better and the best is a real gift.
Overachievers in a Community of Overachievers!
Have you ever overplanned, cramming in too many things to do into your day, week, month, year???
I have done that in the past leading only to feeling overstretched, out of time, rushed and completely stressed out. Looking back, I have come to understand that being part of the Indian American community has played a role in this pattern. I had allowed pressures to overachieve seep into my way of being and doing things and in the end did not feel satisfied at all. I am very happy that in the last few months and years, I have been able to streamline, focus and scale down.
Being focussed on one thing at a time, has greatly simplified my life. I am now very aware when there are forces that want to pull me in different directions and it is easier and easier to stay focussed on my path. This has allowed for many moments of peace, joy and a sense of well-being that feel refreshing and rejuvenating.
If you were raised in intense communities or families, watch this video below from the Daily Show. It is hilarious to me and hopefully, you can find a sense of humor in this all and make your own choices and decisions about how much you want to commit to. So here it is, a glimpse of this "overachieving" theme in Indian culture from a clip where Aasif Mandvi is portraying some common expectations among Indian families. Take a look:
Resolving negative emotions during meditation
Fears, doubts, annoyances, and other forms of negative emotions can be resolved during meditation. These emotional patterns are very important pointers for us. They serve as lighthouses to show us exactly what we need to resolve, release or let go. And once these are released from our bodies, from our emotional landscapes, we make room for receiving abundance in all its forms.
Try it out. Take your meditation time to dissolve your fears. One absolutely amazing method that I highly recommend is that of Byron Katie called, "The Work". You can go to her website and download the questions that make up The Work and go through them during your meditation. Or for starters just take a look at some of the videos of Byron Katie using her method to resolve negative emotion in people. Absolutely Amazing!
Prepare for 2013, now!
With the changing of the calendar each year, we are given a fresh start to steer our lives, enjoy our time and make a contribution. How will you harness the momentum, the dynamism and the impulses of a fresh year to transform your life?
There is a wave of thought that has a catchy phrase: Thoughts become Things. It is because of author and speaker Mike Dooley that this has become more and more popular. The idea is simple. What you think of, becomes your reality. So, if whatever we think about becomes a reality, then let us choose our thoughts wisely. As the new year approaches, let us set our intentions for our lives. Let us choose our thoughts and set them into motion.
I am a firm believer of taking action. What precedes action is reflection and conscious choices. This is where your time in introspection is necessary and extremely important. Because what you learn during your introspection session is what will help you become clear about what is really important to you and what you want to intend into your life. Next, this clarity will guide your action plan and you taking the action steps.
This is what I recommend:
1. Set aside a block of time for deep introspection. Take a day for this if you have been done this before. If this is your first time, allow yourself the luxury and the gift of three days. This is the time where you go deep into every aspect of your life and explore your values and your desires.
2. Meditate. Begin your introspection with a meditation exercise. Do a 25 minute silent meditation. Or pick a guided meditation to get you into your space. In your meditation, you can ask your subconscious this question: What is it that I want to create and intend in my life? Let the answers come to you. Write, paint, record in anyway you can, the information that you reveal. Do not judge. Just record.
3. Identify your Rocks. Rocks are your most important goals and desires in your life. Take each important area of your life and note down your important rocks. Look at your Physical, Emotional, Mental, Spiritual parts of your life. Look at your roles as a husband/wife, son/daughter (in-law), brother/sister, and so on. Look at your career/business life and your financial life.
4. Select 3 important goals in each of your roles that you want to intend and create in your new year.
5. Set you intentions. Write out in sentences what the completion of these goals feels like. And write these with a sense of gratitude. For example, you want to set an intention for your Emotional Life and you are a single person. Your intention may be something like this: Thank you for sending me a loving partner with whom I share my joy, who is a solid support to me and who makes me laugh.
Remember to write these intention in a positive tone and in present tense. Write it out as if what you asked for has already happened. So in other words, you are thanking the higher power for the manifestation of what you desire as something that has occurred.
Take this opportunity for a fresh start and go for what you desire. Your daily practice and regular introspection will help you in the manifestation of these goals.
And then visualize!!!
Keep a Calm Mind for a Healthy Life
Meditation is essentially a training camp for the mind. It builds our concentration and focus. It also has a beneficial impact on the rest of our body, both emotionally and physically. As the Dalai Lama mentions in this video, keeping a calm mind is very important because we are not influenced so much by "disturbances". If there is an emotionally wrenching situation, we are more capable to sail through it strongly. If you are exposed to a virus or disease, our bodies are more likely to be immune to them or recover from them.
Listen to this short video straight from the Dalai Lama from Dharamsala, India.
“the benefits of a calm mind”
http://youtu.be/OFn0AX4oZsc
Music for Meditation
Not only for relaxation, also for our meditation practice, music can play an important role. Along with lighting a candle, burning incense and having fresh flowers in the space of our meditation, beautiful music composed for meditation can be a great way to transition into a meditative mode. Surely, you feel refreshed and rejuvenated after only 15 minutes of this treatment.
I have come across come sources for accessing meditation music. www.soundstrue.com is one really good source. Also take a look at Deepak Chopra's website for music. And also www.thedailyom.com is a good source.
These are some hints besides amazon.com.
Plus, you can get Cristof's meditation music CD coming soon!
Visualizing Abundance
I am so excited to share with you that we are releasing a new visualization CD. At this time, we are in the production phase. We have recorded the vocal tracks and added in music by Cristof !! The cello tracks are rich and soothing. I am so happy that he is bringing his sacred cello sounds to the visualizations. It is a real treat.
At this time, we are aiming to release the CD this month itself. But we will know exact dates soon based on when the CD's return from publishing. You will then be able to purchase the CDs here and also download digital versions.
Thank you for all your support and encouragement. Something really delicious is emerging and I know that this CD will serve you in your visualization journeys.
Much Love,
Sophia
Visual Journey And Evidence That We Are Connected To a Field
The more I see people connecting with themselves, the more I am convinced about the power of visualizations and the mind and heart. And when it feels like I am fully convinced, I am even more convinced, to yet another degree.
Yesterday, there were four wonderful human beings that I was blessed to have in our Wednesday evening class. They are truly beautiful people from the depths of who they are. We all went on a Visual Journey together. When I began guiding, images came to my mind's eye that were clear like water. A clear, solid image of a golden rock appeared. I began seeing its details. Golden. Glistening. Water from an unknown source flowing down its smooth and craggy surface. I could hear the trickling sounds of the waterfall and then saw a tiny pool of water that collected below. The rock was touching the ground on only one single point, balanced in the most unusual way. On one side there was an opening and on other a shade from the sun.
We entered the Rock through the opening. Just floating up into the hollow rock and arriving at a landing. Then we lay there and looked at the ceiling of the hollow rock which was a beautiful dark night sky. As if we were in a planetarium, we could see the stars and shooting stars and comets, all in action. Then a giant Sun, hundred times bigger than our Sun, called us to visit. In the next moment, we were on the Sun and experienced the unusual desgin of it. The Sun was a three-dimensional structure with different layers. Each layer was a different landscape and one could navigate it like the different slices of pizza pie. First layer was Earth-like terrain, the next layer was moon-like terrain and the third layer was our Sacred Garden.
And then in the Sacred Garden magic happened for the people in the class. The Sacred Garden is a special place that is unique to each one of us. It exists only for us and we all have it and can create it. It is a place of peace and healing and love, where nothing but the highest good of all happens. We connected with the garden, listened for any messages from the trees and flowers and animals there. We also removed items that we no longer wanted to be there and added things we wanted there. Then we met with our Tree. This tree represented an intention we had set before going into the Visual Journey. We saw the current state of the tree and started giving it attention. We poured water, hugged it and gave it a lot of love. Then we saw the tree change and react to all the love and attention. After this, we called for our Spiritual Mentor or Animal Spirit or Ancestor or Higher Self to appear. We then listened in silence to their message.
This was such an amazing experience for me as a guide. All images and signs came to me with ease. I was picking it up from the participants and it became clear from the things they shared with me. They shared that they would visualize or think of something and the next moment I would say that same thing. One participant had listed 7 or 8 items which were what she had thought about or visualized. This kind of reports happen in almost every sharing part of Visual Journeys and it is evidence for me that we are connected in an invisible field and we can pick up information from this field as easily as closing our eyes. Sure, it takes some practice, but this is something we can all do. It is not something we need to learn, because we already know it. What we do need to do is to learn how to uncover the layers covering us up from these natrual, innate "skills" or ways of being.
I am so blessed to bring the Visual Journeys to people and I am so grateful for all the participants who make it happen for me. Thank you so much!
I invite you to come and join me on a Visual Journey. If you cannot make it in person in Asheville, call or email me and we can do one via video skype. I will also be hosting a monthly free Visual Journey Potluck at the Pond Center starting this month, that will be for beginners and for old-timers alike. So if you are a beginner, you can connect with other meditators who have been there in the early stages and you can ask some of your questions. If you are an old-timer, you can help and assist the newbees on this path of quieting the mind and deeply connecting with self. So let us visualize, meditate and manifest the very highest good for us all.
Email me at sophia@reflectionpond.com.
Love y'all!
Sophia
Affirmative Meditation: Create Your Dream
A quick inspiring meditation reminding us that we can create all we want and sharing the simple steps to live your dream. Take a listen and share.
Affirmation Meditation: You are Brilliant
To be in your flow, listen to these words, reminding you of your brilliance. Bring in the high vibration of these affirmations into your very being. Listen to it to start the day, to close the day or anytime when you want to refresh and reenergize into your bliss.
Meditation Video is just in: Morning Meditation Blessed Day
Enjoy this meditation video, to calm your mind, to begin the day.