Forgiveness

Has anyone ever said or done anything unforgiveable to you?  Something so awful you know you can never forgive them?

Probably this strikes a bell with most of my readers.  It would certainly be rare to find someone who has never been mistreated, never misunderstood, never abused in one way or another.  In some cases the abuse may have been particularly nasty.  Something you would much rather forget, but find you cannot.

Does this person deserve your forgiveness?  Probably not.  Should you forgive them?  Absolutely!

Why do I say this?  If they don't deserve your forgiveness, why should you forgive them?  Am I trying to turn you into a saint or something?

No.  I am not saying this to make you a "goody goody".  And I am certainly not suggesting you should allow anyone to take advantage of you.  So why I am saying it?

The reason is that I believe you deserve to be free.  You deserve to be happy.  You deserve to be able to do whatever you wish in life and not be weighed down carrying a load dumped on you by someone else.

If there is anyone you have not forgiven for what they have done or said to you this means you are allowing that person to control your life.  You are giving them the ultimate victory over you.  Is that what you want?  If not, you simply have to find a way to forgive them.

Some of you may now be saying "it's all very well for you to say that, but you don't know how I have suffered!  You cannot understand just how bad this was!"

I agree I cannot know what it is like to suffer in the way you may have suffered.  To use a common Christian saying, we each have our own cross to bear.  The one you are bearing may be far heavier than mine.  But even though I cannot understand just how bad it was for you, what I do understand is that you are now carrying an unnecessary burden.  Just like "Christian" in John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress".  Christian was carrying a burden so heavy he could hardly move.  So are you if there is someone you have not forgiven.  Your happiness is marred because every so often you think of this unforgiveable thing that was done to you and it spoils what would otherwise be a lovely moment in a lovely day.  Why not simply throw that burden away?  It is not stuck to you with superglue.  You have chosen to carry it.  Now you should choose to throw it away.

There may be others who will say "but there is nobody I haven't forgiven!  Nobody has done anything particularly bad to me!"  If so, you are very fortunate!  But I would suggest there are probably some slights, some grievances, some humiliations that your conscious mind has forgotten but are still bubbling away somewhere under the surface.  You do not feel desparately unhappy, but because there are some unforgiven words and actions loitering in your unconsious mind what could be a really happy moment is, instead, just mildly pleasant.  These unforgiven things are stopping you reaching your full potential.  They are controlling you.

Would you like to free yourself of this burden?  Great!

The first thing you must do is find all the actions and words you have not yet forgiven.  Some may be easy to find.  Others will be hiding under the surface.  Sit quietly and let them come to you.

Now, for each unforgiven act or word find the person.  Picture that person in your mind.  Say to them "I forgive you".  At first you will probably feel silly. But don't worry about that.  Nobody is watching you.  Nobody is laughing at you.  This is something you are doing for yourself so you can be happier.

As you do this you will find a part of your mind will tell you that this person does not deserve your forgiveness.  You can immediately dispel that thought by saying "they may not deserve it, but I am forgiving them for me, not for them!"  This other part of your mind may say it was totally wrong of them to do this to you.  Respond by saying "I am not the one who will judge them for it, and I am not asking them or anyone else to do this again to me, I am just letting go so this act no longer controls me.  I forgive!"

If you are a Christian you should remember the phrase in the Lord's Prayer "Forgive me my wrongdoings as I forgive those who have done wrong to me"?  Whether or not you are a Christian this is a phrase I would like you to remember and use.  When you forgive others you will find that forgiveness of yourself comes quite naturally too.  But give it a helping hand anyway.  Add your own wrongdoings now.  See them clearly and then forgive yourself.  As long as you have forgiven others you should find you are now able to forgive yourself.  When you do you really should find you feel light and bouyant.  You have let go of your burden.

Try to perform this act of forgiveness every day.  I suggest you do it last thing at night before you go to sleep, as you should find your sleep will then be that much more refreshing.  Try it, let go, don't allow anyone to control you any more and see just how much difference this makes in your life!

Astrology and Horoscopes

What is astrology?  

To the majority of people it is a bit of harmless fun.  It is a daily horoscope.  A short parapgraph in the newspaper telling you what is going to happen to you today, but written in such general terms it will cover almost anything that does eventually happen.  Or a love horoscope in a magazine telling you who you should date or even marry, based on astrological signs and horoscope compatability.

These things, however, have very little to do with astrology and everything to do with pure entertainment.  If you consult and really believe in the daily horoscopes in the newspaper then you must believe that there are only 12 types of people in the world, and that all the people in each of the horoscope signs (one twelfth of the entire world population in each) will all face very similar challenges today.  Hardly likely is it?  But as there are only 12 star signs in Western Astrology that is the inevitable conculsion.

True astrology is very, very different from this.

If you are going to do it properly you must construct a proper natal chart.  In order to do this you will need to know the exact time and place of birth of your subject.  The more accurate you can be, to the minute rather than to the hour for birth time for example, and to the minute rather than to the degree for longitude for example, the more accurately you will be able to constuct the birth chart.  In most cases you will not have enough information to be this accurate.  You may not even have the exact hour.  Even if you do not have very accurate information, the chart you create will help you produce astrological advice that is far more accurate than anything you will ever have seen in a newspaper or magazine.

You will also need some basic tools - at the very least an accurate Ephemeris for the year of birth , a Table of Houses, a Gazetteer to determine the exact latitude and longitude of the birthplace (unless your subject already knows this, which is very unlikely), a table for converting Degrees and Minutes of Longitude into Longitude Equivalent in Time.  And you will need plenty of blank birth chart forms (although you can make do with blank paper once you really know what you are doing).  You can obtain a worldwide Ephemeris for all birth years from 1900 to 2000 here (or here if you wish to pay in pounds sterling)

In order to calculate the natal chart you will first specify the time of birth in Greenwich Mean Time.  From this you will determine the local sidereal time of birth.  From there you will calculate the positions of the planets and the planetary aspects (the angles between the planets) at the time of birth.

Once you have created the natal chart in this way you need to be able to interpret it.  At first you will find you need to keep referring to books in order to do this.  For as long as that is the case you will not really be an astrologer and you will not be able to predict anything very substantial or meaningful.  You will simply be learning your skills.  Eventually, though, you will find things start to stand out for you and have meaning without the need to refer elsewhere.  As that skill develops, so you will find the art of divination also begins to develop.  This is not a scientific interpretation of the chart, but a way for your inner self to find patterns that "strike a chord" for you in this particular instance.  This is true astrological divination, a skill that is completely unrelated to anything you read in the newspapers or magazines, and one which is unique to you. Another astrologer reading the same chart will arrive at a very different conclusion.  If you and the other astrologer have studied and practised long and hard, both interpretations will be meaningful, but will have different emphases.

If this brief introduction to astrology has interested you, the next step should be to obtain some good study material which will help you develop that interest.  One good astrological primer is "Llewellyn's Complete Book of Astrology".  The link for this is suitable if you wish to pay in US dollars.  If you wish to pay in UK Pounds Sterling you can find it here.

The Declaration of Independence

On 4th July 1776 the Continental Congress approved the final draft of the Declaration of Independence.

To achieve independance from Great Britain, the United States had to go through a lot of hard struggle and pain.  At times it must have seemed an impossible challenge.  But no matter how impossible it looked, they didn't give up.  They had a clear goal they were determined to reach, and reach it they did.  And the starting point was the Declaration of Independence.  Putting down on paper very clearly and precisely what it was they wanted to achieve, and particularly why they wanted to achieve it.

Putting down in writing exactly what you want to achieve and why you want to achieve it is a key step in achieving any goal.

Firstly, there is the "what".  Sometimes we think we want to achieve one thing, but when we commit pen to paper and our goal takes shape we realize that goal is something a little different from what we had imagined.  Fleshing out our goal this way is a very important step.  Otherwise we may find we are struggling to achieve something that later we decide is not so important - in which case we will probably give up the struggle.  Think very carefully about your "what".

Secondly there is the "why".  This is very important in providing the right motivation when things seem to be going wrong and the goal seems further away than we had originally imagined.  If this really is a key goal for you then I can pretty much guarantee you will face such crises.  Without strong motivation it would be so easy to give up at that point.  Read the Declaration of Independence and see just how much of it is about the "why" rather than the "what".  A lot of thought went into that "why".  Think really hard about your own "why".  Think about how much better life will be for you and your family when you have achieved your goal, and put that down on paper.

Imagine the founding fathers had decided not to bother writing the Declaration of Independence.  Without the power of that document providing inspiration and motivation, would Washington have managed to keep the militias fighting when supplies dried up and the challenge seemed impossible?  Perhaps, but it would have been a lot more difficult and perhaps he would not have succeeded.  

Make sure you have your own Declaration of Independence which shows clearly what you want to achieve and why, and you should find it much easier to achieve that goal.

With thanks to Thad Zajdowicz for the image of Thomas Jefferson signing the Declaration of Independence.

What is Divination

What is divination?

The word "divination" conjures up different images for different people.  Perhaps you imagined someone staring at the entrails of a freshly slaughtered animal (yuck!).  Or looking at the tea leaves in the bottom of their cup.  A clairvoyant staring at a crystal ball.  Looking at a set of tarot cards they have drawn.  Or even performing a magic ritual, invoking spirits from another world to help them prophesy.

Divination can, of course, be any of the above but it is certainly not limited to those images or to anything like them.

We each have a precognitive ability.  We can each be a fortune teller in our own right if we set about it in the right way.

Each of the above techniques can be a valid means of focusing precognition, although personally I would hope messy entrails will not feature in anything you may try!

We all live in three worlds - past, present and future.  It is obvious to most of us that we live in the present, but how about the past and the future?  Do you ever reflect on memories of the past?  If so, while you are doing so you are living in the past.  You also plan for the future in many different ways, and while you are doing that planning to a degree you are living in the future.  Many of the things we do involve a prediction of the future.  For example, if you make yourself fresh and sweet and head out to the cinema, maybe you are predicting that you will meet your boyfriend or girlfriend there - based on the very logical reason that you have already arranged this meeting with them.  Yes, it has been prearranged, but that does not mean it is not still a prediction - nor that the prediction may prove not to materialize (for example, they may change their mind at the last minute).

This last example illustrates a very important fact you must always be aware of when practising divination - there is no absolute certainty about the future.  There are varying degrees of certainty, and your divination will touch on the more likely eventualities, but there is never an absolute certainty.  Apart from anything else, the free will of many individuals will impact on the final result, and the further in the future this may be the more this may cause a change in the result you have forseen.

Far too many people think there is something mystical about divination and prophecy, and that it is something only available to a practising clairvoyant (or, if they are sceptical, not available to anyone at all!).  There are certainly mystical techniques that can be used to focus your power of divination, but the divination itself is not at all mystical - precognition is a capacity we all have in varying degrees.

All future predictions are based on sensing the causes that lead to the event.  Some of these are very mundane and not at all surprising.  We look outside, see large black clouds, and predict there is a strong likelihood it will rain.  We are on our way to work, see a big traffic jam ahead, and predict we will probably arrive late.  These are both still predictions, and cannot be stated with absolute certainty (for example, the traffic may suddenly clear and we may find the rest of the journey is so smooth we arrive early!).  But there are other, much more subtle causes, which we can sense if we clear our mind and spirit to do so, and of which others around us are completely unaware.  It is the latter which are more recognized as the source of divination and prophecy, although the reality is all such causes are simply somewhere on a scale between obvious physical causes and completely hidden, occult causes.

In order to become aware of the myriad of causes of future events we must still our mind and spirit and allow it to become sensitive to them.  Some people find they can easily and naturally do this.  Others need props of various kinds - for example a crystal ball or a bowl of water, in which they begin to see images as they clear their mind and spirit.

Over the next few months I will write about different forms of divination, some of which you may not have realized were divination techniques at all.  For example, in a couple of weeks time you will read an article by me on astrology.  Whenever you study a new divination technique like this, always bear in mind the true basis, the sensitivity of your mind and spirit to the unseen influences that are all around us all the time.  View it in that way and you are much more likely to develop the ability naturally and fully.

What is the Law of Attraction?

If you have spent any time at all in the personal development arena you must have come across the term "Law of Attraction".

This law was made popular in "The Secret" movie (based on "The Secret" book by Rhonda Byrne).  But it is not a modern idea at all.  Many of the basic concepts of the law were outlined in the early 20th century by both Wallace Wattles, in "The Science of Getting Rich", and Napoleon Hill, in "Think and Grow Rich" and other books.

It goes back a lot further than this, though, as "The Secret" makes abundantly clear.  In Matthew 7:7 Jesus says "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for", and in Matthew 21:22 "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for."

These two quotes go to the very root of the Law of Attraction.  Notice the two qualifications Jesus added - "keep on", and "believe".  Both are vital qualifications, especially the latter.  Without true belief you are not truly asking, and therefore it will simply not happen.  Persistence is also important.  Just asking the once and then forgetting all about it is not likely to achieve anything at all.

Much has been written on the subject of the Law of Attraction.  You will find references to it throughout my blog.  You will also come across many books and courses that are based almost entirely on this law, some of which I have tested and found to be excellent material and have therefore recommended to my subscribers from time to time.  But if you break down what all the gurus say, you will find much of it is focussed on ensuring you believe 100% and that you continue to persist in making your requests.

In order to concentrate that belief, and make it really powerful, you must invest it with real emotion.   Otherwise it will not be recognised as a true request and will just be ignored.  There are many different techniques you can use to create the right powerful emotions.  The starting point, though, is finding out what it is you truly want.  This might sound obvious, but for many people it is not.  They go through life never really knowing what they want and never having a real passion for anything at all.  Many others think they know what they want but identify the wrong things.  For example, they may think what they want is lots of money.  But do they really?  Or do they want some of the things that money can buy?  It is far better to identify in your mind what it is you really want, as you are much more likely to be passionate about those things than you are about money!

They may not be physical things of course.  You may want the freedom to do what you want when you want, rather than having to slave at a job you don't enjoy every day.  That is something that money could buy for you, but that is not the only way to get it - maybe a career change will bring you what you really want.  So in that case, focus your desire on that freedom - and at the same time, be more specific about what it is you want when you say "freedom to do what I want".  You may well be surprised at how quickly the Law of Attraction works for you once you phrase your request more carefully.  You begin by focusing on the kind of work you really want to do, and within days you see opportunities to do that work and take up those opportunities.  This is a great example of the way the Law of Attraction can work.  Not by magically making those things you said you wanted appear as if the Law were a genie, but simply by making you more aware of the opportunities that have been there waiting for you all the time.

In a short blog article I cannot teach you everything you need to know about the Law of Attraction.  There are some great courses out there which you should use to develop this much further.  Keep your eye on your inbox for recommendations from me about these (and if you are not yet getting e-mails from me about them, go to www.beallican.com where you can download 4 great personal development e-books and at the same time register for me to keep you informed).  But hopefully this has given you a taster and will encourage you to explore the Law of Attraction further.

Generosity

How generous are you?

When I ask that question, what thoughts pop into your mind?  It is important for you to analyze this, as for many people the question exposes the main reason their attempts at using the Law of Attraction fail.

Typically, I find this question generates a negative feeling.  Even an annoyance that the question was asked.  If that is you, then dig deep and find out why you reacted that way.  Usually it is a sign that deep down you don't believe the universe is able to provide you with what you need.  You believe there is a limited supply of money or time and that therefore you cannot afford to give it away to anyone.  You have to hold tightly onto it to stop it flying away.  Such beliefs form an impenetrable barrier to the proper use of the Law of Attraction.  You are focussed on the fact that the universe cannot supply you with what you need, so guess what?  The universe won't supply it.  This is not a failure of the Law of Attraction but rather an example of the Law operating exactly in the way it should.  But it is certainly not the proper use of the Law of Attraction.  As for holding it tightly to stop it flying away, well that means you are focussed on it flying away.  Which it will.  At your command!

Or you may simply have answered the question by saying "no!" and then justifying the answer to yourself.  No annoyance at the question, but the same end result.  Exactly the same!

If this sounds like you, clearly you have some work to do so that you can use the Law of Attraction properly.  Recognizing the problem is the first step, and it is a big step.  Next you have to change your attitude, your thought processes.

My suggestion is that you begin simply by becoming more generous.  Even if you still feel some of the negative feelings when you try to be generous.  Recognize they are there, and analyze them later - bringing them out into the light can often destroy them as they are creatures of darkness.  But at the time, just continue offering that generosity regardless of the effect it has on you.  Over a period of time you will find the combination of acting generously and exposing unworthy thoughts and emotions to the light will change you for the good.

Once you acquire the habit of being generous you will find generosity being returned to you at least tenfold!  Not immediately, and probably not from the people to whom you have been generous.  But without a doubt you will find this happens.  Successful practitioners give generously with joy, knowing that not only are they helping the person receiving their generosity but also that they are banking a considerable investment in the universe which will be returned to them with a very high interest!

For those of my readers who are Christian or Jewish, there are several Old Testament verses that illustrate the point I am making.  To me, one of the most powerful is Proverbs 19:17 (which I have to admit I had forgotten before I wrote this article) :

"Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done."

There is also the well-known quote from Ecclesiastes 11:1:

"Cast thy bread upon the waters, for you shall find it after many days."

In other words, be generous and kind to others, and at some point in the future you will find someone does the same to you.  Again, notice it is unlikely to be the same person.  Most Bible commentators interpret this verse as meaning you must do good without expecting any reward.  This is true, when you look at it in the narrow context of the relationship between you and the person you are helping, or in a limited time span between your good action and the reward you will receive.  But have no doubt - in the long term the universe will most certainly reward you.

I have quoted the Bible here, which will only have meaning for my Christian and Jewish readers, and I recognize many of my readers are neither Christian nor Jewish.  But I believe it would be difficult to find a religion that does not give the same message one way or another.  My Muslim readers will agree that generosity is so important in their religion that "Zakaat", or obligatory charity, is one of the five pillars of Islam.  There are countless quotes I could give, but here I give just one from the Quran (2:272):

"And whatever you spend of good - it will be repaid to you, and you will not be wronged"

Hindus and Buddhists believe in Karma, which is the same concept.  Sikhs do not believe in Karma as such, but the operation of Hukam.  The end result, though, is the same, and the Sri Guru Granth Sahib says:

"Whatever you plant you shall harvest."

Note well that generosity is not limited to giving money.  I have already mentioned generosity of time.  Generosity of spirit will encompass money, time, good deeds.  It is extending to others what we would want for ourselves.  The golden rule personified.  It is incumbent on us all to develop a generosity of spirit that will encompass far more than simply gifts of money.

Finally, let me ask the question again, but with one addition:

How generous are you to yourself?

Do not be stingy with yourself, as if you are this will then spread to the way you behave towards others.  Spend time on yourself - what we often call "me" time.  Reward yourself with treats.  Be generous with yourself.  The more you do this the easier you will find it is to be generous to others.

Generosity to both yourself and others shows your rejection of the concept that money, time, good deeds etc are limited.  They are limitless, and the sooner you recognize this through developing a natural generosity, the sooner you will find the Law of Attraction is freed to bring you what you really desire.

The Science of Dreams

Photo by Marcin Mycielski

If you have come here for a course in dream interpretation you will be disappointed.  I do believe dream interpretation is a valid and useful discipline, and I am sure I will write a blog on this some time, but that is not the purpose of this blog article.

I want to focus on the purpose of dreams.  Why do we have them?  What purpose do they serve?

Science now knows that dreams fulfil a very important purpose.  They are a way for your mind to experiment with many different scenarios in a no risk environment.  This goes right back to our primitive ancestry when we needed to find better ways to hunt for our food and at the same time to avoid becoming the food of our predators.  In a dream we could try out different techniques and see the likely effect of those techniques.  Our dream mechanism is very good at mimicking the environment we are testing and responding in ways that environment might respond in a real situation.  Our ancestors would test one set of techniques, recognize the weaknesses, and modify them to make them more effective and less risky.  All in the security of a dream world rather than the real world.

If you have a cat or dog you have probably noticed your pet dreaming.  Probably your cat is dreaming of chasing a bird or mouse, and your dog is dreaming of chasing a cat.  This is not simply play, or a memory of some "real" life experience, but your pet is testing different ways to chase its prey and seeing which ones are more effective.  This use of dreams as a kind of sandbox (to use a computer programming example) is not exclusively human but is common throughout the animal kingdom.

This continues to be the role of our dreams even today.  We face very different challenges from our ancestors, but can still use the same "sandbox" to test different responses to those challenges.  When we find what appears to be the best response, our subconscious notes this and then prompts us to use it in "real" life.  The challenges may, for example, be the best way to conduct a sales negotiation, or how best to convince our children to behave properly.  They may be how best to start that new business we have been considering starting over the past few months, how to convince that young lady or young man we fancy that they should go on a date with us, or how to achieve some other goal for which we have a burning desire.

Some notable scientific discoveries have arisen from this dream testing technique.  For example, the German organic chemist August Kekulé discovered the structure of benzene in a dream.  In that dream he saw a snake chasing its tail and suddenly realized the benzene molecule was ring shaped.  This might not seem an example of testing different structures in a dream, but I am quite sure that is what was actually happening below the surface.  All Kekulé remembered was the final answer, hidden within powerful imagery (which is often the way dreams give us the final answer to whatever we have been testing in them).  But there would have been plenty of other structures which he had tested in his dreams and which turned out not to be the correct answer.  As is very often the case with this very efficient system, the only dream he remembered was the one that gave him the right answer.

Is there any way we can use this knowledge of how dreams work in order to improve the system?  I believe there is.  Firstly, simply by being aware of it then it is more likely we will unconsciously send instructions into the dream world to test for what we really want to know or do.  Secondly, we can try to experience lucid dreaming, or being aware that we are dreaming, and then actively test out our concerns.

Linked very closely to the idea of lucid dreaming is the skill of astral travelling - experiencing something beyond the physical realm through out of body experiences.

The eminent American psychologist Dr Steve G Jones, who has extensively practised astral travel, has produced a fascinating 6 part free course on astral travel.  You can access it here:

Astral Projection

Eliminating the Blocks to Success

"I don't have enough money to do it!"

"I don't have enough time to do it!"

"I never get the right opportunities!"

"I am not good enough!"

"I don't deserve it!"

"If I get what I want it won't make me happy anyway!"

"It is selfish for me to want that!"

Have you ever said or thought any of the above?  The chances are you have.  Perhaps without even noticing it.

These are just some of the many reasons we give our subconscious mind, and the Universe, not to deliver the things we want in life.  And when we give reasons like this, especially when we repeat them enough, both our subconscious mind and the Universe listen and act accordingly.

So we are constantly setting ourselves up to fail.

Is it any wonder, therefore, that so many people fail to achieve what they really want in life?  The reason is not because life is unfair - it is because life usually gives us what we ask for, and we are asking for all the wrong things.

Along with many others in the Personal Development arena I refer to these mental states as "blocks".  They are blocks preventing you achieving what you want to achieve.  The only way you can move forward and get what you really want is to eliminate those blocks.  Permanently.  Once and for all! 

This is easy to say, but not so easy to do.

The first step is to recognize what blocks you have.  Sometimes that is quite straightforward.  You may have recognized and identified with one of the above blocks already.  If so, great!  Knowing which blocks are preventing you moving forward is a very good first step.  In fact, it may even be all that is necessary.  Bringing these negative reactions out into the cold light of day may be enough for you to see them for what they are.  Mental vampires as they are, they cannot stand the sunlight and melt away when you expose them.

The next step, if the block does not immediately melt away, is to affirm the opposite.  If your block was "I don't have enough money to do it!", replace this with something along the lines of "The money I need to .... is flowing towards me, allowing me to succeed in my ambitions".  If it was "It is selfish for me to want that", think about all the good things you can achieve, helping others around you, once you have acquired whatever it is you want, and then write and use an affirmation to express that. 

Some blocks, though, are hidden deep within you.  These are much more difficult to remove.  You may believe you do not have such a negative reaction and never recognize it - but it is still there, hidden away from the light of cold logic, resisting all your attempts to succeed.  Meditating on your goal can be very helpful in unearthing these hidden blocks.

A really good way to find and eliminate hidden blocks is to use the services of a coach who specializes in this area.  One I have found who is excellent at this is Christie Marie Sheldon.  Christie runs free online energy clearing sessions which help with removing blocks.  You can check here for the next available free session:

Free Online Clearing Session

Alignment

Are you fully aligned with your inner values?

What exactly do I mean by this, and why is it so important?

When two things are aligned they are going in the same direction.  This can create a very powerful force.  An alignment of two countries, for example, is usually far more powerful than each country acting on its own.  The alignment of the movement of electrons in a piece of iron creates a powerful magnetic force.

When they are misaligned, the power is greatly reduced or even disappears altogether.  For example, if a piece of material has "paired" electrons which counter each other by moving in opposite directions it is simply impossible to create any magnetic force at all.

Many people, perhaps even the vast majority of people, are not properly aligned with their inner values. When they are not properly aligned, everything will be a real struggle.  Not because the universe is opposing them (even though it may seem that way to them) but because they are opposing themselves!

This very often applies when someone tries to use the Law of Attraction.  They begin affirming and visualising.  Nothing happens.  They become disillusioned and complain that the Law of Attraction doesn't work.  The reality is that it does work, but the Universe is getting conflicting messages from them about what they want to achieve.  Outwardly they are saying "I want this!" but inwardly they are saying "No I don't!".

There are many keys to using the Law of Attraction properly, and if you are a regular reader of my blog you will already have read a number of them, but this is probably the most important key.  If you do not align yourself properly with your inner values you are most unlikely to succeed.

The first step is to find out what those inner values are.  Unless you know what they are, how can you possibly expect your day to day life and your affirmations and visualisations to be in alignment with them?

Don't make the mistake of assuming you already know what those values are!  Many of us have superficial values that are not in alignment with our inner values.  These superficial values may be the values you have "inherited" from your parents, values drummed into you at school, or values you have picked up from your church, mosque, yeshiva, temple etc.  Don't get me wrong when I say "superficial" here.  I am not denigrating the teachings of any religion or institution or your parents.  By "superficial" I mean "on the surface" rather than "deep inside".  It may well be the case that what you believe superficially is the same as what you believe in the depths of your soul, but start with an open mind ready to accept that may not be the case.

There are many ways of determining your inner values.

One way is to start with something you have decided you want to achieve and then sit quietly thinking about it and see how both your body and emotional state react.  Do you feel a tightening around your chest for example?  A kind of heaviness in your body?  If so, this suggests what you are thinking about is not aligned with your inner values.  You may be surprised by this and feel it cannot be true, but this kind of bodily reaction is rarely wrong.  If you feel a lightness and a sense of freedom, this suggests what you are thinking about is aligned with your inner values.  If you feel a sense of foreboding or unhappiness, you are probably not aligned.  If there is a sense of happiness, or even joy, and completeness, you probably are aligned.

This method doesn't specifically identify your inner values as such, but it does at least determine whether what you think you want is aligned with them.

Another way is to go into a meditative state with the specific purpose of determining your inner values.  Each of us is likely to have a slightly different way of doing this, but the key is to begin your meditation with that as your clear purpose.  One method I find quite helpful is to imagine you are walking down a path into a beautiful garden.  See what is planted there and how it is growing.  You may find some plants are withering; these are probably desires you have which are not properly aligned.  Others are flourishing, and these will be desires that are properly aligned.  Ask each plant what it represents.  Don't struggle to get an answer.  Simply ask the question and then let it rest and move on to the next one.  All will eventually be revealed, but probably not all at once and not necessarily in this initial session.  Make repeated visits to your "Inner Values Garden" and gradually you will begin to get the answers, either during the meditation itself or through a sudden realization afterwards.

What should you do if you begin to find your inner values are in conflict with your stated beliefs?  This is a tricky one.  I cannot dictate what you should do but only point you in a direction.  I hesitate to say this, but you may need to consider whether the beliefs you thought you had really are the beliefs you should have.  If you don't wish to pursue that, then I suggest you speak to your spiritual adviser, your priest, vicar, immam, rabbi or whoever and ask them for their help.  It may simply be that you have misunderstood the signals.  But whatever you do, if there is misalignment something must change.  Either a spiritual awakening that changes your inner values, or a change in the superficial values you hold.  Without this you will be unable to have a settled life and will certainly find applying the Law of Attraction very difficult if not impossible.

As you build up a better picture of your true inner values, make absolutely sure that not only your future dreams but also your daily life is in alignment with them.  This will impact on everything you say and do.  It could mean you need to change your job and what you do in your spare time - so treat this process with great respect and make sure you do it well.

As Above So Below

No, I am not talking here about the film of that name.  I am referring to a phrase in the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus, the father of hermetic or occult philosophy.

Here is the translation of that section of the Emerald Tablet as given by Isaac Newton (yes, the same Newton who gave us the laws of motion and an understanding of the law of gravity):

"That which is below is like that which is above & that which is above is like that which is below to do the miracles of one only thing."

One idea arising from this ancient phrase is that by making changes in yourself, in your mind and spirit, you can cause similar changes in the entire universe.  A heady and powerful concept!

This concept is the basis of astrology, ceremonial magic and alchemy, and for that reason has been rejected by many modern thinkers.  Personally I do believe in all three disciplines, although not in the way in which they are commonly presented (especially the case with astrology).  However, it is not at all necessary to believe in any of these disciplines to believe in the power of "as above, so below".

This concept shows you why personal development can be so important.  It is not just something that helps you have a better life, although clearly it does that, but also means you are literally making the world a better place.  How so?  Well as you make changes in yourself those changes become reflected in the world around you ("that which is above is like that which is below").  Those changes in the world around you then reflect in subtle but definite changes in other people ("that which is below is like that which is above").

This is the entire basis of the work a good ceremonial magician does. However, it is not necessary to believe in any mystical forces or the power of ceremonial magic to accept this principle.  Again, I DO believe in mystical forces, but even if you have no such beliefs you should still be able to accept some aspects of "as above, so below".  By changing yourself for the better you cannot but help to make things better for those around you, even if only by a small degree.

Within the Tablet there is a clue as to the way in which you can bring the power of the Universe into your daily life.  It says:

"It ascends from the earth to the heaven & again it descends to the earth & receives the force of things superior & inferior."

This is something I use in visualization and in other techniques to work improvements in myself and in the world around me.  I have referred to this in earlier articles, giving you a very solid clue how to work this magic in your life.

Here is the exact technique I use.  I begin by centring my mind and spirit.  I then "move" them upwards.  Whether you believe there is real or imagined movement upwards is actually irrelevant.  Personally I believe it is more allegorical than actual.  As they move upwards they merge with the Light that is at the centre of the Universe.  This is my "ascent from the earth to the heaven".  I then come back into my centre, but bringing that Light with me, "descending to the earth".  I now move this centred force into the centre of the world, become one with the world, and bring this oneness back to my own centre.  Now I expand it from my centre so my awareness encompasses the entire universe.  At this point I use this Universal power to achieve whatever it is I am trying to achieve at this time, be it a healing, an affirmation, etc.  I am "receiving the force of things superior & inferior".

Try it, and I believe you will surprise yourself with just how powerful a technique this can be.  It will be putting you in touch with a power that has no limitations whatsoever and which can achieve whatever you may wish to achieve provided you use it in the right way.

Confidence

How confident are you?  Say, on a scale of 1 to 10?

It is important to maintain confidence for a couple of very good reasons.

Firstly, if you lack self confidence this will be very noticeable to those around you.  Perhaps not consciously, but unconsciously they will quickly recognize this state in you.  Some will then use this knowledge to take advantage of you, and that is not a situation you want to be in!  Others will not exploit your weakness, but they may still not wish to be associated with you or with any ideas you are trying to introduce.  Sales people know both of this results all too well.  If they go into a sales situation lacking confidence the other party will either reject them completely or will be able to negotiate a far better deal for themselves than they are really entitled to.  But it is not just in sales situations that you will have these problems.  It will be just as problematic in, for example, personal relationships.

When people around you react in this way it will easily turn into a vicious circle.  You will know you are being rejected.  You will know people are taking advantage of you.  And this will cause you to lose even more self confidence.

Secondly, a lack of confidence will send the wrong message to the universe.  You will find you are using the Law of Attraction not to attract to you what you want and need but instead to take things away from you.  The Law of Attraction is a double edged sword.  It is a very powerful universal force and it can just as easily lead you into misery as it can into joy and fulfilment.

Imagine, for example, that you would like to date a prospective romantic partner.  Now imagine that before you approach this person you start to worry.  You worry that you are not good enough for them, that there are lots of far better people around they would find more suitable than you.  You approach this person with all those worries and concerns in your mind and then you pop the question.  What do you think is most likely to happen?  Almost certainly they will reject you.  They may not even know why they are rejecting you, but they do so anyway simply because they have picked up those negative vibes from you.  When you get that rejection it will confirm your worst feelings.  It will "prove" that you are not good enough, that you don't deserve to be with someone as good as this.  All this means that the next time you try to approach someone you will have even less confidence, and it is even more likely they will reject you.  At the same time you will be sending out a message to the universe that you should not be given the joy of forming a relationship with a lovely person.  Guess what?  The universe will act on this message.

Think of self confidence as a kind of muscle.  In many people it is a vastly under-used muscle.  This means it is very weak.

The answer, of course, is to begin exercising this muscle.  And just as with exercising your body you shouldn't wait until you really need it before you start exercising it.  If you wait until you really need it you are leaving it far too late.  Just as you wouldn't think of entering a marathon and doing no exercise to prepare for it, on the basis that the marathon itself will be enough exercise!

How should you exercise your self confidence?

Set aside some time each day to practice.  Just as many people do with physical exercise.  Use affirmations telling yourself how confident you are, how great you are etc.  Combine this with an exercise I have referred to in a number of other blogs - move your mind up into the Light you feel is above you, the Light of the Universe.  Merge with it, then slowly come back down into your body bringing that Light with you.  Feel the power of the Universe inside you, expanding way beyond your body.  Experience how good that feels!  Then use your affirmations.

Don't worry if the first time you do this it feels a bit strange, and maybe even you feel a bit silly.  That is quite normal.  Don't expect to obtain great results immediately either.  It may take several sessions before you feel it is really having any effect.  Again that is quite normal.  Just as you should not be surprised if you don't feel your muscles are stronger immediately after your first work out for many years.

Keep practising like this every day and you will start to notice the difference.  So will the people around you.  As your self confidence grows you will find people are no longer taking advantage of you.  They are not rejecting you.  You are starting to get good results.  Don't assume that you will always get what you are going after, as it might not be right for you (or for others).  But you will certainly find you are gaining a lot more than you did before.  And the successes you have will make you feel even more confident the next time, making it even more likely you will achieve what you hope for.

Mental Fields

If you are like most people you probably believe your mind is in your brain.  But is that really the case?  Many people (myself NOT included) believe the mind is simply a result of electrical activity in the brain.  If this is the case, then it is logical to assume it is centred in and around the brain.  Notice, though, my inclusion of the word "around".  Think of it more like a magnetic field, which expands beyond the physical magnet itself - sometimes well beyond.  My own belief is that as the mind is not a physical state at all there is no reason why it should be limited to a particular physical location at all, although I accept that much of the time we will tend to focus our "mental field" around our brain, if only because this is what we are conditioned to do.

Once you accept even the limited expansion of "around the brain" rather than "in the brain" this opens up many interesting possibilities.

Consider telepathy.

This is an ability which is often scorned by those who have not studied it deeply.  They believe it is completely unscientific to propose an ability to read someone else's mind.  I agree we do not yet have scientific proof that this ability exists, and perhaps we never will.  But that is very different from suggesting it is not possible for it to exist.  If the mind is like a magnetic field, extending beyond the brain, then it is not at all illogical to imagine the intersection of two such mental fields allowing an exchange of information between the two minds.

Have you ever felt your skin crawl and then turned to see someone staring at you?  Or stared at a sleeping pet that immediately opens its eyes and stares back at you?  Could these incidents perhaps be explained by the intersection of the two mental fields?

Or how about telekinesis?

Again, if the mind is like a magnetic field and extends beyond your body, why should it not be possible for it to have the power to move objects just as a magnet can do.  And as we are talking here of a "mental field" rather than a "magnetic field" there is no reason why this ability should be limited to magnetisable objects.

Telekinesis is, of course, rather a trivial power.  The mind has much more relevant powers than a party trick like this.

The power to connect with Universal power for example.  Check out my earlier article on healing for one way in which this can be used.  But the power is not, of course, limited to healing.  The idea of linking with Universal power and using it to achieve goals you have set yourself or simply to become a better person is, in my view, perfectly sound, and the method (moving your mind out of your body to merge with the Light of the Universe) quite naturally falls in line with this "mental field" concept.

Astral travelling is another concept that makes a lot of sense once you can accept that your mental field is not limited to one narrow physical space.

Acknowledging your mind is not limited physically can be a real paradigm shift.  Open up your mind today and see where this takes you!

Jihad

What is Jihad?

Bear with me for this.  Soon you will see why I am writing about Jihad in a personal development blog.  And you will also see this is very relevant whether or not you are a Muslim.  But first I need to clear up some gross misconceptions about the meaning of Jihad.

If you are a true Muslim you should know the answer.  I say "should", as there are many Muslims who have completely the wrong idea about what Jihad is, just as the vast majority of non-Muslims do.

Here are some of the things Jihad is NOT:

• It is NOT a holy war.  There is nothing in Islamic doctrine about holy war, which is a concept created not by Islam but by Christian Crusaders nearly 1,000 years ago.  War is vile and can never be holy, even if it is believed to be necessary.
• It is not about blowing yourself up.  That is a sin in Islam just as it is in most religions.  According to the Hadith, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said "A man was inflicted with wounds and he committed suicide, and so Allah said: My slave has caused death on himself hurriedly, so I forbid Paradise for him."  Certainly no suggestion here of many virgins waiting in paradise for a suicide bomber!
• It is not about killing innocent people.  That is a sin in Islam just as it is for people of other beliefs.
• It is certainly not about killing people simply because their faith is different from yours.  Christians and Muslims may have done this throughout history, but there is nothing in either religion that condones, let alone commands, it.

The greater Jihad (Jihad al-Akbar) is all about inner struggle.  Not fighting others, but fighting the demons within.  The inner fight of good against evil.

This struggle is almost certainly the greatest and most important struggle you will ever have.  It is a struggle that is ordained for all Muslims (Quran 2:216).  But it is also a struggle we all need to undertake, whether or not we believe in the teachings of Islam.

As Gandhi said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world."  Change yourself and you will change the world.  Make yourself a better person and you will make this world a better world.  Do not believe that you are too small or insignificant to make a real change in the world - you are not!  Work on improving yourself not just because you want things to be better for you, but because you want things to be better for others.  The Christian mystic John Donne knew this when he penned "No Man is an Island".

Change does not come easily.  There is a good reason Jihad is called "struggle".  It is a constant struggle.  There will always be voices inside telling you that it is too difficult, that there is no reason to do it, that it would be much better to sit and watch the latest soap on TV.  You must struggle against those voices and work your Jihad within.

I cannot tell you here what you must do for your own personal development.  How to work the greater Jihad will be different for each of us.  But don't give up at the first hurdle using the excuse that you do not know what to do.  Doing ANYTHING to improve yourself is far better than doing nothing.  So resolve now to begin that struggle by doing something, anything!

If you are stuck and simply cannot think of how to start your own personal Jihad, then go to http://www.beallican.com/, where you will be able to download 4 free e-books and to sign up to a regular newsletter which will help you develop yourself.  If you are seeking Muslim teachings you will be disappointed, as I am not a Muslim myself.  But whether or not you are a Muslim, this path will be the first step in your personal Jihad and give you many ways to improve yourself and thereby improve the world around you.

Serendipity or Synchronicity

Do you believe in serendipity?

My Oxford dictionary defines serendipity as "the occurence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way".  Clearly, just by the laws of chance, such events will occur, and they will occur quite frequently.

Carl Jung referred in his research to "synchronicity", which is very similar.  The definition of synchronicity is "the simultaneous occurence of events which appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection".  In Jung's research the linked events were generally not serendipitous.  They were not specifically "happy or beneficial".

Taking a leaf from Shakespeare's book, I am going to invent a new word by combining the two.  I believe in "synchrondipity".  My definition of synchrondipity is "the simultaneous occurence and development of significantly related events, with no discernable causal connection, in a happy or beneficial way".  I believe synchrondipity can occur other than by chance.  I believe this is one of the ways things are purposely arranged by "the Universe", or "God", "Allah" or whatever/whoever else you believe is in control.  I will refer to "the Universe" in the rest of this article, as I don't want to keep repeating "or God, or Allah", but if you are more comfortable using a different word, simply replace "Universe" with that word in your own mind.

This links closely to the Law of Attraction and is one of the main ways in which this Law works.  Many people think that the Law of Attraction is simply that you must project a belief that something will happen and then it magically will.  For example, you want to become very wealthy, so you visualize a million dollars in your bank account, and then just sit back and wait for the million dollars to appear.  If this is how you apply the Law of Attraction you will probably be waiting a very long time!  Not because a million dollars is too much for the Universe to provide.  Far from it!  Such a task is well within the capability of the infinite Universe.  The problem is that you are not ready to receive that million dollars.  The Universe will attempt to deliver it, probably in many small deliveries, but when it knocks on your door to deliver the package you don't answer the door!  It will attempt the deliveries through synchrondipity.

Events will arise which are intended to lead you to your desired outcome.  But you have to be open to the leading of the Universe and see those events for what they are - steps towards your goal.  Take advantage of those events by taking action.  It is the action you take that will lead you closer to your goal.  When you eventually receive your reward it will seem to all around you that there was nothing magical about it at all - it was the inevitable result of the actions you took.  They will admire you for having the courage to take some of those actions, and they will also probably feel you were particularly lucky to be in the right place at the right time.  But what they will not realize is that you were simply taking delivery of the packages the Universe sent you in response to your invocation of the Law of Attraction.

Think back through some of the things that have happened in your life and I am sure you will see many examples of synchrondipity.  At the time you probably did not recognize them for what they were, but you did take advantage and you did gain useful results.

Recognize that synchrondipity is a real and powerful force, and train yourself to recognize it so you can take full advantage.  Listen to that small, still voice inside you, which some people call intuition, and you will see and be able to take more advantage of more and more synchrondipitous events.  Do this and you will be well placed to realize your dreams and achieve your goals.

Goals and Dreams

Do you have any goals?  Not just dreams, but real goals?

You should actually have both.  As Napoleon Hill said, a goal is a dream with a deadline.  The starting point is therefore a dream.  You must always dream, or eventually you will run out of goals.

Some people feel that dreaming is a waste of time and energy.  The term "daydream" is used more often than not as a criticism.  But dreaming is most definitely NOT a waste of time and energy, it is something you must keep doing.  Not all the time, of course!  You don't want to spend all your time just dreaming, or you will never achieve anything.  But make sure you spend enough time dreaming to have a good supply of goals to achieve, or you will again never achieve anything.  You need to have the right balance between the two.

In my experience far too many people leave out this first step.  As a result they find they have no real goals, and wonder why life seems to have become more of a "grind" than a joyful experience.

Having dreams is a creative activity.  Turning those dreams into goals is a practical activity.  To use "Right Brain - Left Brain" terminology, the start of the process, having dreams, is a "Right Brain" activity and turning dreams into goals is a "Left Brain" activity.  You should be aware, though, that the concept of your right and left hemispheres of your brain having radically different functions is regarded by psychologists as a myth.  Psychologists say that both hemispheres work together to achieve most tasks. But perhaps another way of looking at that is the same as I am saying here - you NEED both hemispheres to be working together; you NEED both the creativity and practicality.

If you sometimes find life a bit boring I suggest you start by checking to see if you have forgotten to keep dreaming.  If you have, that is your problem.  Start creating those dreams again.  Don't worry about the fact that you cannot yet see how some of those dreams will be achieved.  Give the Universe more credit than that.  It has enormous power and that power can be harnessed to turn your dreams into reality - but only if you have those dreams in the first place!

Getting in touch with your inner child that wants to keep dreaming is therefore an extremely important step.  Don't allow the adult in your to squash that inner child!

Once you have made sure the flow of dreams is there you can move on to the next step - turning some of them into goals.  Notice I have said "some of them".  Do not try to turn them all into goals!  That is actually one way of eventually turning off the flow of dreams.  You will find many dreams cannot yet be turned into goals, and unless you watch what is happening carefully the "adult" in you will react by telling the "child" in you to stop producing dreams it cannot turn into reality.  The "child" will then follow those instructions, and the wonderful flow of dreams will diminish and eventually stop altogether.  But some of them MUST be turned into goals if you are ever going to achieve anything.  Turn them into goals by selecting the ones that most resonate with you and try to create some deadlines.  Those deadlines may be far in the future.  If they are, break down the dreams into smaller tasks which lead to achieving the ultimate dream, and apply deadlines for the first steps.

There is plenty of help online which you can tap into in order to follow both of these principles - dream more, and create more goals.  Make sure you DO tap into it, and your life will be far more exciting and far more productive.