Wednesday 30 August 2017

Manifestation and the Supernal Triad



If you really want to manifest your desires you need to use the principles expressed in the Qabalah as the Supernal Triad.

I hope you haven't switched off at this point.  Yes, I know that unless you have studied the Tree of Life what I have just written is probably Double Dutch to you!  But bear with me - the concept is both important and easy to understand.

Before I go any further let me reassure you.  I am not saying you have to learn the basics of the Qabalah in order to manifest properly.  Rather, I am just saying that the Qabalah neatly outlines what you must do in order to manifest your desires, even if when you do so you do not realize what you are doing has a Qabalistic interpretation.

In Qabalah, the Supernal Triad is the top three "Sephiroth" of the Tree of Life.  It is the way the Supreme Being begins creation.  And used properly it is the way we, too, create reality from our inner dreams.

There are three points in the Supernal Triad, as you probably realize from the name.  They are "Kether", "Binah" and "Chokmah".  Some describe Kether as the Soul, Binah as the Womb into which the Soul enters, and Chokmah as the force of Creation that results when the Soul enters the Womb.  But there are also other names for these three Sephiroth, and those names show you what you need to do in order to manifest properly.

Kether, the Soul is also known as "Desire".  Binah, the Womb, is "Imagination".  Chokmah, Creation, is "Visualization".

In order to manifest you must have all three in balance.  Miss out any one of the three and you will have, at best, a very lukewarm power to turn your dreams into reality.  More likely nothing will happen at all and you will walk away from the whole concept of the Law of Attraction complaining it doesn't work.

The work of Manifestation begins with Desire.  If you do not really desire whatever it is you are dreaming of it will remain as just a dream.  Your desire has to be strong.  Like a flame in a furnace you can stoke up your desire as long as there is a spark of desire there in the first place.  But make sure you are focussed on a real dream.  Too many people think they really want to achieve something, but the desire is not strong enough simply because they have not truly identified their real dream.

Once you have fanned your Desire into a passion, it is ready to act - which it does by entering the womb of Imagination to create through Visualization.

Imagination is important.  Too many people go straight from Desire to Visualization and miss out the step of Imagination.  You need to use your Imagination to begin creating the right Visualization.  Stoke up your Desire, and then begin using your Imagination to create the right scene.  If you use your Imagination properly you will find it automatically leads to a powerful Visualization.

If you find you don't have enough Imagination to create a vivid Visualization, such that it seems, when you close your eyes, to be as solid as the "reality" you see around you when you open your eyes, you should work on improving your Imagination.  To some people this comes naturally.  Those are the people who find the Law of Attraction works for them the moment they hear about the need to Visualize, as long as they are Visualizing something they truly Desire.  But it can also be a learned skill.  Like any other skill, you need to study it and then practise it.  One way to build your imagination is to read voraciously.  Pick authors who write powerfully, whose books are filled with descriptive paragraphs.  Read those paragraphs and then picture the scenes in your mind.  After you put the book down, re-visit the scene.  Try to see it in detail.  And don't just see it - use all your other senses too.  Hear it.  What do you smell?  What do you feel?  If, for example, you are reading a Joseph Conrad book with the setting in a jungle in Southeast Asia, imagine yourself in that jungle.  You are so hot!  The sweat is pouring off you.  There are the smells of strange plants around you.  This really works!

I have mentioned Joseph Conrad.  Yes, his novels are now very dated.  But they are also very powerful and a great source of scenes to improve your skills of imagination.  Or try Ernest Hemingway - another now perhaps dated, but very powerful author.  John Steinbeck, perhaps.  If you are into science fiction (or maybe even if you are not!) try Ray Bradbury or Brian Aldiss.  There are very many authors who are really great at building a scene, where you can visualize what they are describing as you read.  Just remember to keep practising re-creating those scenes even when you are not reading.

Once you have gained the skill of re-creating in your mind the scenes from the books, use that same skill to Visualize whatever it is you desire.  Again, use all your senses.  As you do so, fill the scene you are Visualizing with your deep Desire to make this dream a reality.  By doing this properly you will be using the full Supernal Triad which is the Universal force of Creation, and you simply cannot fail.  You are using a Universal Law, and Universal Laws never fail.

If you wish to source any of the writers I have mentioned, try your local library.  Certainly Conrad, Hemingway and Steinbeck should be there as their works are absolute classics.  One disadvantage, though, is that you will have a limited time to practise your imagination skills.  Also, some people find it helps to highlight or underline the passages they want to visualize.  Don't do that to a library book!

An alternative is to buy the book from a reputable source.  I have listed the particular books I think you will find the best for this exercise, and given you quick links to the cheapest copies I have found on Amazon.  Just click the link and it will take you to the right page to order it.  The first list is if you wish to pay in US$ and the second if you wish to pay in UK£.

US Versions:

UK Versions:

Finally, if you would like some help in using words, sounds and images to improve your Creative Visualization techniques, try using Mind Movies.  This is a brilliant way of focusing your Desire through Imagination into Visualization, and therefore using the Universal Law of the Supernal Triangle to create reality out of your dreams.  Click here to find out more.

Wednesday 23 August 2017

Visualization



If you have been studying personal development for long I am sure you have come across the concept of visualization.  My purpose now is to explore exactly what visualization is and why it is important.  How do you do it, and what difference does it make?

Visualization is imagining something so strongly, so clearly, that you almost feel as though it is really here.  Or, if you are very good at it, so that you really DO feel it is here!

Everything is energy.  Have you ever heard that before?  Well, it is true.  Absolutely EVERYTHING is energy.  The chair you are sitting on.  The floor you are standing on.  Yes, they are physical, they are material.  But what do we mean by physical and material?  Everything physical consists of atoms.  And atoms consist of sub-atomic particles - which are all simply energy.

When you dream of something, if you invest that dream with enough energy you will create the substance of your dream.  In order to do that properly you have to visualize it.  Really see it.  Close your eyes and imagine you are really there. 

Are you dreaming of a lovely holiday on a sunny beach in a hot climate?  Is that something you would like to turn into reality?  If so, do everything you can to feel as though you are really there now.  Prepare for this in advance of your visualization.  Begin by getting some photos of the kind of place you would like to visit.  Stick those pictures in an album.  Take some time to look carefully at each picture.  Burn it into your visual memory.  Are there any sounds that should be associated with this dream?  Maybe the sound of waves gently lapping at the shore?  See if you can find some recordings of this sound.  Search hard enough and you will find a recording like this somewhere online.  How about the sense of touch?  In the example I have given, there is the feel of sand slipping through your fingers.  You should be able to find some nice soft sand somewhere too.  Pick up a handful and let it slip through your fingers just as if you were sat on the lovely beach you have imagined.  Now close your eyes.  Bring back into your mind the pictures you put in the album.  Play the associated sounds - you can either literally play the recording now, or simply re-play it in your mind.  Feel that soft sand running through your fingers.  Smell the salt air.

How does all this make you feel?  It should, of course, make you feel happy!  Very happy!  Bask in that happy feeling.

If you do this properly, you are truly visualizing.  By visualizing you are creating an alternative reality.  Your visualization and emotion combined will have produced the right energy to turn your dream into a reality.  That reality has not yet turned into a physical reality, but it will at some point in the future if you allow it!

Do not underestimate the power of visualization!  It is a very powerful technique indeed.  Treat it, therefore, with some respect.

Never try to visualize something negative.  For example something bad happening to someone who has hurt you.  It is actually possible to create something very negative, something very bad in this way.  That bad thing may indeed happen to that unfortunate person, but whether or not it does, be certain of one thing - it will come back to haunt you and something at least as bad will happen to you.

Also, be careful in general about including real people in your visualizations.  It is one thing to dream of something you want to happen happening to you.  You may find when it materializes that it is not really what you wanted - but then you can simply change your visualization, fine tuning it so that it produces what you really want.  But it is quite different using the same technique to make something happen to someone else, no matter how good you think it might be for them.  Certainly hold them in love, with wishes for happiness, peace, and other positive states.  But don't be too specific.  Just as you can find you need to fine tune the dream you had for yourself, so it can be that the dream you had for someone else is not really right for them in their situation right now.  The difference is that they are unaware of what you have done and cannot therefore fine tune or ask you to fine tune it.  God gave us all free will, so don't try to turn yourself into a god and impose your own will on someone else, no matter how good you think it might be for them.

Wednesday 16 August 2017

Choose Happiness!



How happy do you want to be?  Very happy?  Moderately happy?  Or maybe miserable?

Yes, that's it, isn't it?  Miserable.  You want to be miserable don't you!

No?  Are you sure?  You don't want to be miserable?

In that case, why do you sometimes choose to be miserable?

Yes, that is what I said - you choose to be miserable.

We each choose how we want to feel all the time.  If you are happy, it is because you have chosen to be happy.  If you are miserable, it is because you have chosen to be miserable.

At this point I expect many of my readers are ready to disagree, to argue with me.  "I do not choose to be miserable!"  they say.  "I am only miserable because of ..." and you can fill that gap with many different things.  "... what has happened to me", "... the situation I am in", "... what so-and-so said to me", "... what so-and-so did to me", "... the terrible time I am having", etc, etc.

I don't want to brush aside whatever may sometimes cause your unhappiness, or what may even be causing you unhappiness right now.  Well, actually, I DO want to brush it aside, or rather want YOU to brush it aside, but I don't want you to believe that I am underestimating its importance and its power.  Yes, I know it has power.  A lot of power.  And maybe you have thought that there is no way past it and that you are destined to be unhappy more often than you are happy.  But I want you to recognize first that, no matter how powerful it is, no matter how dark it seems, it can only exert that power against you if you allow it to do so.  Your emotions are yours, and you have both the power and the right to change them.  If you don't want to be miserable, choose not to be miserable.  If you want to be happy, choose to be happy.

Have you heard of Nick Vujicic, the founder of "Attitude is Altitude"?  "Attitude is Altitude" believes that whatever our circumstances we each have the power to be successful.  If you have not come across Nick Vujicic before, then perhaps you are thinking "it is all very well for him!  He doesn't have to face what I face!"  True - Nick doesn't have to face what you face; only you have to face that.  What Nick has to face is having been born without arms or legs.  Not even being able to pick up a toothbrush to brush his teeth.  Is Nick miserable?  No!  He is happy!  If you have ever watched him speak you will have seen him filled with joy, totally inspired, and radiating that inspiration to all around him.  Despite his disabilities, Nick decided he wanted to swim, surf, and skydive, so that is what he did.  He decided he wanted to speak in front of thousands, inspiring them to achieve whatever they want to achieve, and that is what he does.  If you believe that circumstances, the situation you are in, is what causes you to be unhappy, then Nick should be very unhappy.  But he isn't.  Nick is happier than most people who are in good health and have all four of their limbs.

I am not saying it is easy to suddenly decide to be happy rather than be miserable.  Like all good things in life it requires practice.  But believe me when I say that practice is absolutely worth it.  Giving you the ability to be happy no matter what!

The first step to achieving this is to recognize where happiness and unhappiness come from.  They don't come from circumstances.  They don't come from your surroundings.  They don't even come from the people around you - although if you are surrounded by happy people it is much easier to allow that happiness to well up from within you too, and if you surround yourself with unhappy people it is very easy to forget to choose to be happy yourself.  So by all means do whatever you can to be surrounded by happy, positive people.  Do whatever you can to change your circumstances if they are not conducive to happiness.  But even as you do so, remember that ultimately the happiness you want has to come from within you.

Here is some advice from a person who has been dubbed "the world's happiest man" - Matthieu Ricard.

1  Stop thinking "me, me, me" all the time.  Not for ethical reasons, although I do believe it is far more ethical to think of others rather than yourself.  But the reason it is difficult to be happy if you just focus on yourself is because you will quickly see all the things that are wrong, that need to be changed.  You will tend to see what you don't have rather than what you do have.  And you will exhaust yourself trying all the time to find ways to change things.  I am not saying don't try to change things - it is always good to have targets you want to reach, things you want to achieve.  But don't spend all your time thinking "me".  Instead, think about others and how you can help them.  This has a double benefit.  Firstly, it stops you thinking "me, me, me", which is, as I have said, one of the easiest ways to make yourself unhappy.  Secondly, you will find as you help those around you so they will want to help you.  This should not be the motivation for helping them, but it will certainly over time change the circumstances you are in for the better.

2  Start training your mind to be happy.  Begin by setting aside just 15 minutes a day thinking happy thoughts.  Normally when you have happy thoughts they are ephemeral.  One minute they are here, and then suddenly they are replaced by unhappy thoughts.  In that 15 minute training period, focus on those happy thoughts and don't let them just melt away.  Other, less positive and less happy, thoughts will try to intrude, but brush them aside when they appear and switch your attention back to those happy thoughts.  If you meditate you will recognize that what I am suggesting here is a form of meditation.  But not "normal" meditation, which perhaps will just focus on your breathing or the light of a candle.  There is nothing wrong with "normal" meditation, and in fact I strongly encourage you to practise it (and using breath or the light of a candle is a very good way to do so).  But for this specific "happiness" exercise, focus on a happy thought.  Do this every single day, and in only two or three weeks you will feel so completely different.

Finally, remember to be grateful for all that you have.  No matter what your circumstances I can guarantee there is something to be grateful for.  Find that "something" and express your gratitude.  It may be something very small.  That doesn't matter.  In fact, it is good if it is small.  Learn to feel grateful for the small things, and the bigger, more obvious things will make you even more grateful.  And gratitude and happiness go hand in hand.

Recognize from now on that you have the right to be happy, that you can choose to exercise that right.

Decide to be happy from today!


Wednesday 9 August 2017

Dealing with Fear


Are you ever afraid?

I would be very surprised if anyone answered "no" to this question!  Apart from anything else, there is a purpose for fear.  It would not be very sensible to try to eliminate it.

The purpose of fear is survival, of course!  It is sometimes known as the "fight or flight response".  Fear is the natural reaction to dangerous situations.  It prepares you to remove the danger - either by confronting it to get rid of it (fight), or to remove yourself from the dangerous situation (flight).  In modern civilized society fear is much less needed than it was when man was a hunter-gatherer.  There are far fewer life-threatening situations which require you to fight or run away.  There are still many situations where you need to take action to prevent unpleasant consequences, but in most cases the fight or flight response is inappropriate.

What is the correct response to fear?  First, you should check what is causing the fear.  Second, you should decide how you should react to that fear.  Third, you should decide whether you literally need to fight or run, or whether a different response is required.  If you do need literally to fight or run, then leave the fear unchecked to allow you to have the necessary increase in strength and speed.  Don't let it get so strong that it paralyzes you, like a rabbit in the car headlights, but allow it to do its physiological job.  If you don't need to fight or run, then you may either "sublimate" the fear, or create a state change to remove it.

Here is an example where you may actually need the fear for its original purpose:

You are in the jungle and a lion suddenly appears.  Unless you are a very unusual person, at this point you will become very afraid.  My understanding is that you should not run in this situation, as that will encourage the lion to run after and attack you - and believe me when I tell you a lion can run rather faster than you!  My research tells me that a hunting lion can reach speeds of 50 mph or more, and I am quite sure this would be too fast for you!  So you shouldn't use the "flight" reaction.  Instead, use the "fight" response.  Make yourself appear threatening to the lion.  You could act this without the fear there to stimulate you, but it would not be anywhere near as effective as it will be if you use the physiological change to indicate you are ready to fight.  Raise your hands and yell at the lion!  Then walk away slowly, not running, whilst maintaining that threatening attitude.  In most cases, this strategy is likely to work and you may well get away completely unscathed.  But if the lion continues to attack, use that fear to push you right into fight mode.  Now you are not pretending you are going to fight - you actually are fighting.  Punch the lion in the face, aiming at its eyes if possible.  Without a massive flow of adrenalin into your system, your attack on the lion would no doubt be a very miserable attempt.  But allow the adrenalin to fulfil its purpose and you will be able to punch hard, causing quite a lot of damage.  In many cases that has been enough for the lion to decide this prey is too much trouble and to slink away.

A good example of sublimating fear is the way many actors use stage fright to give better performances.  They express that fear through the energy, emotions and passion they need to put into their performance.  But some great performers have been unable to sublimate their fear in this way, and the result has been catastrophic.  Barbra Streisand had a 27 year hiatus in her singing career, caused by severe stage fright.

If you find you have just the "right" amount of fear for the situation you are in, then don't try to do anything to remove it.  The negative emotion is fulfilling its purpose.  Don't let it paralyse you.  Instead, begin immediately to use it to improve your ability to run or to fight.  As in the above "lion" example.

But if fear is inappropriate for the situation you are in, which most of the time will be the case, you need a state change to remove that fear.  This is not the same as the way I have outlined in other articles for removing worry.  A good way to remove worry is to think logically about the situation you are in, recognize that worry is not going to change it, and then move on.  But fear tends to be an instantaneous response, and usually requires something much faster acting than logical thinking.  Hence my suggestion of a state change.

A good way to create a state change is to adopt a different body posture.  Posture and emotions are inextricably linked.  When you are feeling a powerful emotion you will find your body adopts a particular posture that fits the emotion.  But also, if you adopt a posture normally associated with a particular emotion you will find it creates that emotion.  It works both ways.  So think of a very different, positive emotion and try to adopt the posture that fits with that emotion.  Ideally you should prepare a set of postures in advance.  Work on creating a posture for joy, one for high energy, one for a relaxed state, one for inspiration, one for awe, etc.  Then work on creating just a small body movement that links to the full posture for the positive emotion.

This is, as you will realize, a long term project, and one that goes far beyond simply countering fear.  You can use it to counter any negative emotion.  If you have done a lot of work on this, then by all means create an appropriate state change by using one of the "positive postures" you have worked on.

But if you have not yet reached the stage where you have a portfolio of postures you can readily adopt, go for "high energy".  This is something you will already have experienced if you have been to any of the programs run by someone like Tony Robbins or T Harv Eker.  If you have not been to one of those programs you can still easily do this.  Stand up straight, as quickly as you can.  Jump up and down, if possible thinking about something that makes you feel really good.  Wave your arms in the air.  Imagine you can hear some really loud, pumping music, and pump your arms up and down in time to that music.  It will simply not be possible for you to maintain a state of paralyzing fear while you are doing this!  The adrenalin may continue pumping, but it will definitely be linked more to "fight" than "flight".  Of course, you may be in a situation where you cannot jump up and down, but try to do as much of this routine as you can without totally embarrassing yourself in that situation - maybe jumping to your feet and punching one arm into the air will be enough.  When you feel really energized, then try another state change for relaxation, peace, and happiness. Sit down, without slumping (that is very important), close your eyes, and recall an event where you were really happy.  At the same time smile broadly.  Really imagine yourself there, eliciting your happiness both from that event and from your broad smile.  Breath deeply and slowly.  Focus on that deep breathing, and relax.  Now gradually open your eyes and come back to your "reality".  You should find you now have a very different emotion.  The fear should be gone, and replaced with peace and happiness.

I hope you will never need to use the technique I have given you for dealing with a stalking lion, but if you do you will find this technique really is the best you can do and it could literally save your life.  I am, though, quite sure you will face other things in life which cause fear or even panic - use the state change techniques I have outlined and make that fear and other negative emotions a thing of the past.

If you feel you need help with any of the issues raised in this article, go here:

https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/stress/ 

Wednesday 2 August 2017

Everyone Makes Mistakes


Greeting and Salutations from Ari Mc Intyre!

I have been getting positive feedback from the last article so I wanted to continue with my next statement "everyone makes mistakes."  This is so near and dear to me as a Spiritual Life Coach.  We learn with challenges. Notice what I am saying: "With" challenges.  The only way we grow is with a situation that requires us to be the best we can be.

Most days I am researching, developing and listening to feedback from my Spiritual Coaching clients about what is working for them and what is not.  So when I say to you everyone makes mistakes I am speaking from experience.

You are your own worst enemy.  You will find faults where others would not even dare to look.

Why?

Because we need to learn how to trust, believe and support ourselves and others in our lives.  We are all connected whether you want to entertain that idea or not.  It's important to accept and understand that from the beginning so you can learn how you deal with life challenges.  Knowing yourself helps you to laugh at yourself and not take yourself so seriously.

You see, life is what we make it.  A part of life is making choices which can lead to mistakes.  This doesn't mean we will always make bad choices or keep making the same mistakes.  Knowing yourself is the key to not allowing every setback, every challenge and every bad turn of event make you shut down and stop trying to achieve your goals.

In my coaching I have seen many of my clients move from being average, everyday people to folks who are now running very successful businesses.  How did that happen?  By making a lot of mistakes and a lot of decisions.  That is how!

No-one can hurt you or help you more than yourself.

Here is an affirmation that has help me over the years to stay on the right path for me:

I, (state your full name) forgive myself for making bad choices.  I let go and let my higher power now guide me to my true path.  Under Grace in the Perfect Way!  And so it is!

I would suggest you light a Lemon Verbena Communications candle when you make this affirmation so you can set the stage for a relaxing mind set.

This is a really good affirmation.  Try saying it over and over again and you will see significant changes in your life.

Learning how to forgive yourself is the key.  Recognizing you have made poor decisions is hard, but the right affirmation, aromatherapy and lots of love can help you grow into the person you would like to be.  I have seen remarkable changes in people who do this.

Here are some suggestions on ways you can reduce the mistakes you make:

  1. Slow down.  Take a few moments to think carefully about what you are doing so you can be more certain you are not making a mistake.
  2. Talk to a trusted person.  It is always good to speak with someone who knows you and believes in what you are doing.
  3. Do a Pro and Con list before you make your final choice.


Making mistakes is a part of life.  Don't let your choices rule you.  Make informed decisions so you can continue till your reach your goals.

Please check out my website and if you have any questions, comments or suggestions please email me at candlesbyari@gmail.com.

Love and Light

Ari

Who is Ari Mc Intyre?


Ari Mc Intyre is a Spiritual Life Coach with a successful live weekly radio show (Spiritual Coaching with Ari Mac) that is carried by I Heart radio, a maker of affirmation aromatherapy candles, and a writer.

She has been working as Spiritual Life Coach for over 15 years.

Ari uses her gifts of intuition and clarity to tune into an individual's situation and assist them to make better choices.  Ari facilitates these changes utilizing affirmation aromatherapy candles, spiritual coaching and keen observation with her expertise in the study of human nature, reading astrology charts and tarot cards and using energy healing to help each individual achieve their goal.  She has successfully guided her clients from being single to marriage, through life changing career moves, processing grief and manifesting dreams with counsel and divine guidance.  Ari says that FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real and that is why we all need a little positive energy in our lives.

Ari uses affirmation aromatherapy candles to help a person tune into their higher power.  Once you have achieved what you want, you have to maintain it with daily meditation & prayers.  Acquiring something is one thing but maintaining it is entirely different.

Her goal is to help you learn how to control your balance, think clearly and make smart choices to help maintain that balance.  Her acute sense of human nature makes working with Ari a truly enjoyable experience.

Ari believes God has a sense of humor, which is why sometimes things are so ironic.  It's not funny when it's happening but when it's done, if you look back on it, you may find an ironic divine path that you never knew existed.

No one is perfect but we can all do a little better each day.