Category Archives: Spirituality

Energy, Healing, Inspirational, Spirituality, Thoughts

11 Things Your Soul Wants You To Realize

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Our souls are so much more than the sum of all other aspects of ourselves. Let that statement sink in. Our soul is more than the totality of our minds, hearts, chakras, energies and thoughts. It will always be like this as well. Inherent to your soul is the potential for growth and connection to others. People have infinite possibilities and abilities in them.

With today day and age its hard for us to hear our inner voices. Multitasking is about to become an Olympic event, or so you would think the way everyone is constantly training for this eventuality. If you can’t take the time to listen to your soul right now, we have taken the privilege of passing along the general notes and desires of the soul.

Be Kinder

Your actions and intentions have far reaching effects. Your soul can sense the rippling effect more than you can mentally conceive. Every act of compassion and kindness will cascade through your community. Spread it around and help others deal with their situations. Your soul knows better than your other aspects of self that we are all in this together.

Stuff Won’t Make People Happy

Your soul doesn’t care about that fancy gadget or a flashy sports car. Don’t let society’s enticements make you lose focus on the needs of your soul. The happier you make your soul, the better positioned you’ll be to combat negativity in the other aspects of yourself.

You Need To Release The Past And Future

Holding on to past experiences and expectations of the future not only fatigue your mind but are damning to your soul. Stop procrastinating on this practice.

Value Your Perceptions More

Perception is reality. Develop and open your perceptions up every moment you can. If you have difficulty examining, isolating or communicating with aspects of your self, a poorly developed perception could be a major factor.

Life Is Hard And Tough

Life is hard, full of trials and obstacles. All suffering is an important part of growth and compassion. Every element of life can be turned into a productive and pleasant end. Your soul has the terms of the infinite in it, so don’t be afraid. Have faith that even if you can’t see the development of a solution in yourself, it only because you have so many possibilities locked away.

It’s Alright If You Don’t Succeed At Everything

Success is over rated. Donn’t be one of those people that when you are winning your ego flourishes. When you’re not doing ass hot then your ego suffers. Your soul’s opinion of your ego probably follows that is that it is like a spoiled child. We learn more in ‘failure’ than in ‘success’. Don’t let your ego make you feel any sort of crazy way. Your soul is simply happy that you are trying.

Don’t Waste Your Time Trying To Please Everyone

The same that is true of you is true of others. We are more than our egos. Don’t bring anymore attention to the egos of others than necessary. Even if making everyone happy was a productive goal (and it definitely isn’t), it could never be achieved within reasonable means.

Fear Is A Necessary and Pertinent Part of Life

‘Fear is the mind killer.’ This is an exaggeration, fear is what keeps our perceptions relative to our situations and desires. It is necessary to live a truly productive life. It keeps our ambitions in check. Like every emotion, it will come to pass. Fear has no truly truly long lasting harmful effects.

Be Impeccable With Your Word

Our words have a different influence than our actions or intentions but they are just as powerful. Don’t use the truth as a weapon to harm or check others. Don’t dissect it for anyone’s advantage. Speech is the second stage of intention before it becomes action. If you aren’t careful abusing your words will skew the results of what ever you are doing. Keep your speech clear and honest to ensure that there is room for your soul’s intentions to compete with the other aspects of yourself.

Blending Into the Crowd Isn’t Good For You

You are disrespecting your soul and your distinctive nature by attempting to fit in with the social ‘bell curve’. You will always succeed more thoroughly if you play to YOUR strengths and weakness.

Don’t Let Loss Stop You From Loving

Your heart is built to experience and create emotions. Don’t let its sometimes maddening range of feelings stop you from pursuing your goals. All emotions will fade and morph with time and awareness.

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20 Mind Expanding Quotes From Dr. Carl Jung

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Doctor Carl Jung was a revolutionary Swiss psychiatrist, from the early 1900’s  who founded the field of analytical psychology. While mainly  noted for -his work as a pioneering psychiatrist, he was well rounded, forward thinking student of philosophy, anthropology, archaeology, literature and religious practices. He was a very talented writer as well, though many of his works were not published until after his death. The new branch of psychiatry he developed is still practiced to this day. It focuses on the importance of the individual psyche and the personal quest for for ‘wholeness’. In the process of developing analytic psychiatry he branded concepts such as the archetype, the collective unconscious, (a) complex and extroversion vs introversion.

Dr. Jung was concerned with individual development in relation to society. He developed the now common place concepts used to describe different personalities and their make up. Personal growth had priority of his studies that he sought to quantify and qualify. He realized that, when talking about such personal elements of life, they were very subjective. By studying people as individuals he sought to make the human experience less mysterious. He wanted to make it easier for people to relate to one another.

One way Dr. Jung sought to bridge the gaps between people, was with the term ‘archetypes’. It can be used  to bridge many abstract elements to each other or ground them to  real world issues or culture. Archetype is a very typical example of a person, place, thing or situation. It can also refer to an original work that has been imitated or refer to a recurring symbol or motif in literature, art or mythology. By explaining these very abstract concepts in plain and easy to understand terms, Dr. Jung was a forward thinking man. Many philosophers, doctors, scientists and politians have used the platform Dr. Jung created to build on.

25 OF THE MOST THOUGHT PROVOKING CARL JUNG QUOTES

1. There is no coming to consciousness without pain.

2. The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.

3. The word ‘happiness’ would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.

4. In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order.

5. The healthy man does not torture others – generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers.

6. A man who has not passed through the inferno of his passions has never overcome them.

7. It is a fact that cannot be denied: the wickedness of others becomes our own wickedness because it kindles something evil in our own hearts.

8. Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.

9. Neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering.

10. It all depends on how we look at things, and not how they are in themselves.

11. Mistakes are, after all, the foundations of truth, and if a man does not know what a thing is, it is at least an increase in knowledge if he knows what it is not.

12. The collective unconscious consists of the sum of the instincts and their correlates, the archetypes. Just as everybody possesses instincts, so he also possesses a stock of archetypal images.

13. Dreams are the guiding words of the soul. Why should I henceforth not love my dreams and not make their riddling images into objects of my daily consideration?

14. The greatest and most important problems of life are all fundamentally insoluble. They can never be solved but only outgrown.

15. Shrinking away from death is something unhealthy and abnormal which robs the second half of life of its purpose.

16. For a young person, it is almost a sin, or at least a danger, to be too preoccupied with himself; but for the ageing person, it is a duty and a necessity to devote serious attention to himself

17. Understanding does not cure evil, but it is a definite help, inasmuch as one can cope with a comprehensible darkness.

18. Our heart glows, and secret unrest gnaws at the root of our being. Dealing with the unconscious has become a question of life for us.

19. All the works of man have their origin in creative fantasy. What right have we then to depreciate imagination.

20. Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain.

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How This Tibetan Monk Became The ‘World’s Happiest Man’

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Matthieu Ricard is a Tibetan monk with the title of the ‘worlds’s happiest man’. The 69 year old media icon got this title from the University of Wisconsin’s neurology department. Ricard participated in a 12 year study of meditation and compassion. This research pertains specifically to a field known as neuroplasticity; an umbrella term for changes of the brain over the course of an organisms life. This field is attempting to show that the brain can undergo continual and permanent changes through conscious and unconscious means.

Over the course of 12 years, 265 sensors were placed on the heads of hundreds of participants. While the sensors were attached scientists had subjects interacting with stimuli and meditating. In their free time with out the sensors attached they were instructed to practice meditation for 15-20 minutes a day. All the participants showed marked increase in the areas of the brain pertaining to empathy, positivity and general cognitive abilities such as learning abilities, focus and memory.

Ricard’s brain scans showed the most impressive results. His brain, while meditating showed production of gamma waves at levels, ‘never before reported in the neuroscience literature’.  Scans also indicated an excessive amount of activity in his left prefrontal cortex when compared to his right counter part. Researchers surmise that this difference is a  physical indication of the capacity for happiness and the negation of negative emotions. Ricard’s was shown to be much higher than any other subject tested for this in this manner.

The experiment showed that long time practitioners had permanently modified their brains to be better geared for happiness and compassion but even people who were not ‘consistent practitioners showed massive increases in joy, focus and compassion.

After the university claimed him to be happiest man in the world the internet ran with the title. Riccard tours the world giving dharma talks on the benefits and applications of meditation. He uses the publicity handed to him in a very productive manner. His talks have similar themes no matter who he speaking to.  Long time practitioners and new comers alike can benefit greatly from his points of interest.

Stop thinking ‘me, me, me’

If your meditative practice is centered around you it is bound to not succeed. The broader the focus, the more benefits you will reap. There is a line of thought in mountain biking that if you can’t stop yourself from focusing on the rock you want to avoid then you will eventually hit it. Even if your every thought about the rock is bent on avoiding it, you are building the negative potentials up.

You are pouring energy into the problem instead of the path. A productive way of looking at this example is to not make the obstacles a prevailing element. Think instead of the journey, the grit of the path, the breeze that is cooling you. There is so much else going on in your ride, it would be a shame if all you focused on was rocks.

“If your mind is filled with benevolence, you know — the passion and solidarity … this is a very healthy state of mind that is conducive to flourishing,” Ricard says. “So you, yourself, are in a much better mental state. Your body will be healthier, so [it] has been shown. And also, people will perceive it as something nice.”

Start Training Your Mind Now And At All Times

Ricard points out the infinity that is your mind. There is unlimited potential for both productive and unproductive thoughts.  For instance, your mind has the tendency to focus on the negative or unchangeable aspects of your life. These elements are troubling and always effecting us and our plans in ways we’d rather it not. The brain will fatigue or injure itself in trying to sort them out. There is nothing to sort out though, something that is beyond our control is beyond our control so that energy would be better spent elsewhere.

The mind has to be trained like any other muscle we have. It needs to be trained to not react full force at every stimuli we encounter. Learning how to consciously redirect energy and focus is difficult. Just like physical training methods you need simply start where you are. Build on what you have not what you want. Keep your goal in mind and find that push.

15 to twenty minutes a day of seated mediation is a tall order. Society encourages multitasking on ridiculous levels. This is one of those ultimately fatiguing exercises. Prioritize your time and start with five minutes a day. If you have to take breaks then do so. Stand up, stretch, laugh go for a walk but get an accumulative time set that you force yourself to reach every day. This is how Ricard started and now he’s the world’s happiest man. The method works so give it a try.

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10 Fascinating Stories Children Told Their Parents About Their Past Lives

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Kids say some pretty bizarre and insightful stuff sometimes. Other times they are just hard to understand or outright creepy. I wrote an article about a kid overseas that found his pasts life’s killer, body and murder weapon. It got me thinking about other instances where very young children were able to know things from their past life.

Below are my summaries of some of some of the more interesting or creepy stories revolving around this concept. They scary stories get better with every retelling. Whats the most startling his how these stories start around the age of two to three. Whether your bag is reincarnation, spirits, or something more deeply personal, I guarantee these stories are going to entertain!

“And This One is Mine”past-life2

There was a little boy around two or three years old. He used get upset when people called him by his name. He would yell out that his name was Austin.

Once, while picnicking in a park the kid bolted off with no patience for explanation. His brother and Father gave chase, finally catching up to him in a cemetery.

The kid had uncovered an headstone that simply read, ‘Here Lies Austin’.

“We Avoid Firefighters”

A family lived in the city and was used to seeing various emergency vehicle flitting by. The youngest boy,one day after seeing a firetruck passing by, he recounted that, ‘used to be a firefighter, and we got called to a fire. There wasn’t any family inside the house, so we just put the fire out. Then the fire truck caught on fire and I died’.

He later elaborated that he died in the hospital. Continue reading →

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This Nurse Shared The Top Five Regrets From People on Their Death Bed

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Bronnie Ware was a palliative care specialist for many years. For those who don’t know these are the amazing people who specialize in treating and maintaining individuals with severe diagnoses. Many of their patients pass away in their care. As Ms. Ware would see them for up to 12 weeks before they passed, moments were bound to be shared.  Ms. Ware shared the most oft spoken regrets.  Ms. Ware summarizes the sum of experience with,

“People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.”

I’ve taken some highlights from Ware’s website and followed with my understandings of the information shared.

‘I Wish I’d Had the Courage To Live A Life True to Myself, Not The Life Others Expected Of Me’

This was the most frequently and readily realized regret. People faced with death are well known for seeing through the densest bull. Many realized how many dreams they differed and left in the sun. Ware noted that, ‘Most people had not honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.’

Don’t disrespect yourself or intentionally deprive yourself of the love you deserve.  If you are the kind of person to let fear hold you back, you are the kind of person who will have a hard time forgiving yourself for the choices you’ve made.

‘I Wish I Didn’t Work So Hard’

“This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.”

Simply put there is more to life than money. Streamline your life to include people and events that matter to you. Are you going to remember and be proud of your toaster or the summer eves you spent with your friends and family? Jobs always bind me down by inflating my sense of pride. Look how many tables you can wait on! Look at all the dirt you shovel! Again is this something you’ll remember fondly? We need money to play society’s twisted game of resources, but keep it a game and don’t let it rule you.

‘I Wish I Had The Courage To Express My Feelings’

Ware points out,

“Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.”

We all try and compromise with the people around us. There is a difference between compromise and surrender. One’s happiness DOES NOT have to come at the cost of another’s joy. Any person I would want to share my life with would never even ask this of me. If I knew that my friends were paying a personal cost for me to be happy that would upset me greatly. So I communicate honestly with the people in my life so we can maximize happiness and personal growth. Stop paying for what should be free!

‘I Wish I Had Stayed In Touch With My Friends’

Ware’s summary of her patients feelings brought a tear to my eye,

“Often they would not truly realize the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.”

This understanding saddened me the most of all five. For people to die thinking that no one thinks of them or remembers them makes me feel cold inside. Treat your friends well is the moral of this story. Don’t EVER hesitate to tell someone you love them. They will appreciate this more than they may ever say.

How hard is it to keep in touch with friends in this day in age. Even if it’s a little blurb or hello, send it. That message carries powerful intentions that will stay with the recipient.

‘I Wish That I had Let Myself Be Happier’

“This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives,” Ware commented. “Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.”

This fills me with potential. I view happiness as the goal that as long as your trying, you can’t loose. There is no ‘ultimate’ happiness to chase after, only the feeling we can share with those we love. We get caught up in the idea of the ‘perfect world’. When those impossible parameters can not be met we settle for something that is a far cry from what we deserve. Keep trying. Keep fighting. Most importantly keep loving.

 

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What Happens To Indigo Children When They Grow Up?

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I first heard about the Indigo or Crystal children when I was camping in Utah with members of the Rainbow Family. They were called Rainbow children or warriors in the camps I visited. Online I found references to star kids, light children and other meta physic titles. I’d like to point out the similarities in most of these names and themes and talk about why this generational phenomenon is amazing.

For the simplest explanation I will be referring to this group as the indigo children, and it refers to millennials with characteristics I would be happy to see in my own children. Members of this generation are singled out for extraordinary intelligence (in and out of the classroom), intuitive spiritual understandings, and uncharacteristic levels of empathy. In essence, our highly connective and intertwined society are singling out people they believe can change the world.

They are highly resistant to manipulation and insincerity.  They rebel against authority and can have anti-social tendencies; though they have respect and can have great social connections. They gravitate towards older ideas and people: they will oppose many new social forums.  They are the game changers, the generation that will make a decisive difference.

I’m not devaluing the change these young people could unleash upon the world. If nothing else, we need to support youth in their search for their truths and not just Indigos. Every generation has all stars, and with encouragement and protection they have been known to change the world for the better. We have singled out individuals before, for their excellence, in the past. I want to bring this up as a lesson, look back on the triumphs and failures of those who have tried to lift their children to the level gods and saviors.

If you see a really cool young person that you start thinking of them as “hippies,” “hipsters,” or some other demotion, stop. This is a person and while you could very accurately predicting what could or even ‘what should be’, it isn’t your place to dictate their life.

The newest generation is bound to have some personality combinations we’ve never seen. They are the NEW generation after all. The massive amount of information and the on going dissection of every social formation around us has opened our eyes enormously. What did we expect of our children? That they would be fluoride loving, cable watching hapless twits?

We wished for a better future and now it looks at us through the eyes of millennials.