January 2007

Creativity connects me with the source of all. Through creativity, I become acutely aware that everything in the universe comes from an unmanifested state of existence. You can call it our source of being, God, Brahma, or Allah. It doesn't matter to me. I just know that it is consciousness, unbounded oneness, from which everything comes and to which everything goes. Physicist David Bohm describes this process as an eternal unfolding and enfolding between an implicate order of formlessness and an explicate order of form. To participate consciously in this dance between these two worlds of form and formlessness is enlivening, to say the least.
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One Degree Fahrenheit
January 4, 2007

One degree fahrenheit seems so little yet it means so much. Here are two looks at its significance. The first one, a film, looks at one degree as a metaphor for personal development. It might be just the motivation you need to reach your goals in the year ahead. But if an extra degree can make such a difference in your personal life as you strive towards your goals, what about the impact of one degree on our planet and global warming? If we can increase our effectiveness as human beings can we also rise up to meet the challenge of saving Mother Earth? We have to reduce Earth's average surface temperature one degree Fahrenheit. If we can achieve that goal of one degree we can reverse the havoc caused by global warming.
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Endless Source of Power
January 5, 2007

If you had a choice between two cars, one with an endless source of power that would never run out of fuel, or a conventional energy type car that would, which one would you choose? Have you ever run out of gas in the middle of a trip? Do you ever feel like your life is running on empty? That's why I don't subscribe to the philosophy of drawing on willpower to reach my goals. If you are drawing upon willpower everyday to reach a goal, you will sooner or later find yourself depleted, like a car running out of gas.
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A 300-Year Lifetime
January 6, 2007

If I could show you a way to have a 300-year lifetime, would you be interested? It's important for you to know why you are interested. Do you have dreams and ambitions? If so, great. You can make the most out of 300 years. But perhaps you are afraid to die and you are simply looking for a way to postpone the inevitable. I can't help you in postponing the inevitable, but if you have dreams and ambitions, you can increase the effectiveness of your time management, perhaps increase it by a factor of more than four. And that, as far as accomplishing your goals, is the same as having a 300-year lifetime.
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Books on the Inner Life
January 8, 2007

Chances are, if you are on this site, you enjoy reading literature and books on the inner life. As a writer who focuses frequently on that subject, I get asked what books I read or recommend. Below is a list of books that have impacted me more than most; that have made their way into my permanent library. Some of these have had such an impact that I would call them life shaking, that have caused revolutions in the way my mind works; books that while reading keep me up all night lost in contemplation, pondering the mysteries of the infinite.
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What Ansel Adams Would Have Done
A New Model of Generosity
January 9, 2007

Ansel Adams, who was in the last year of his life, was busy with his autobiography and doing a lot of archival work, but invited David in to take a look at his famous studio, and asked him to stay for lunch, giving David a great deal of his time to talk about their passion of photography. David said he was so touched by the generosity of Ansel Adams on that one afternoon, that he decided that he would model his life on that same kind of generosity.
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Reincarnation Knowledge Complicates Things
January 10, 2007

Reincarnation knowledge has always fascinated me. This fascination became most intense 22 years ago when I had an overwhelming sense that I was home again when I arrived in India on my first trip there. The experience was so strong that it brought tears to my eyes. But what if I did have intimate details of past lives? Would it be beneficial to me? What are the pros and cons? There are some of each but it seems the negatives outweigh the positives.
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Effortless Mastery
January 11, 2007

Effortless mastery in holistic personal development means to become that principle which you are developing in yourself. It means much more than having an understanding of love-it means to become love. It's means to go beyond understanding poise and to actually become poise; It's one thing to understand the importance of living in the present moment; it's another to actually do it as consistently as effortlessly as you breathe. How do we go from having spirituality in our head to actually becoming spiritual? We might think we have all the answers to all of life's problems, but when life spins out of control in a crisis, even the most knowledgeable of people sometimes find their wisdom deserting them.
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A Rewriting of Life
January 12, 2007

Was it a rewriting of life that made Napoleon exhibit the boldness that was so characteristic of Napoleon? It was the story he told himself about himself. If he bought into the truth that he was an insignificant little man of five-feet-four, he might have been content to be a shoeshine boy. Here is part of his story: "My hand of iron was not at the extremity of my arm, it was immediately connected with my head." That is a story illustrative of firm resolve and bold leadership. No allowance in him of wavering decisions.
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Protecting Yourself from Toxic Energy
January 13, 2007

Toxic energy is hard to overcome. If you are trying to create something of beauty, or reach a goal, it is almost impossible to reach it in a toxic environment. Just ask any recovering alcoholic in the AA program. They will share with you of their constant effort to keep their focus on their higher power. They will also tell you that they don't hang around with the same old crowd of drinking buddies. They don't want to have their energy pulled down.
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Identity Shift to Joy
January 14, 2007

Making an identity shift was a key component in Steve Pavlina's recent and excellent piece on how to be a millionaire. For instance, instead of carrying $20 in your wallet, you would carry $400 or $500, because that is the mindset of a millionaire. The theory is if you are not open to the thought of carrying $400 or $500 in your wallet, then maybe you are resistant to the energy flow that comes with the package. It sounds like a good idea. And it raises a question: If making an identity shift is so crucial in reaching the goal of becoming a millionaire, then is it required to move into the higher realms of consciousness? How would we act differently?
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Rising from Ashes
January 15, 2007

Rising from ashes--what could be more uplifting in a film than that? Yesterday when I wrote about identity shifts and attractor energy fields, I mentioned the fact that the night before I watched a violent movie and the fact that it had a deadening effect on my consciousness. Well, tonight (Sunday night as I write this) my wife Maggie and I went to the local theatre and saw We Are Marshall -- the epitome of a movie raising one's vibrational energy. It is an uplifting true story about the rebuilding of a football program after the tragic plane crash that wiped out all but four players on the Marshall University football team in 1970.
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How to Have a Career with an Inner Life
January 17, 2007

Have you ever wondered how to align your career with an inner life? Unfortunately, the inner life for many people is no more than a derailed train. Many people set off in pursuit of a career inspired by an inner life but quickly lose sight of their goal. The stress of working 40 to 50 hours a week, climbing the corporate ladder, commuting, paying bills, raising children, can derail even the most determined. With so much going on with careers, many of us have a tendency to rationalize our inattention to the inner. We are so busy putting out fires and racing to deadlines that anything else can go on the back burner. That's the path of least resistance.
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Gotu Kola and the 256-Year-Old Man
January 18, 2007

I have been a big fan of gotu kola for years but what I found out today motivated me to order four bottles (very cheap) of it. It also didn't hurt that I found some last night that I had never unpacked from our move seven months ago from Washington, DC. It contributed to me having one of the best nights sleep since I've been here. It put me in a great mood, too. It does some amazing things. For instance, if you would you like to give yourself an energy boost without caffeine, and at the same time improve your circulation, enhance your nervous system, sharpen your concentration, increase your intelligence, enhance your memory, purify your blood, fortify your immune system, clear up any skin problem such as psoriasis or eczema, balance your left and right brain hemispheres, dramatically extend your longevity, and to top it all off, awaken your crown chakra, then this herb is for you.
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Activating Intention as the Ultimate Attractor Energy
January 20, 2007

Activating intention is the key to unlocking the life of unlimited abundance. I remember when this first happened to me.. I had just turned 21. My energy and inspiration were operating non-stop. This experience of energy was so new and exhilarating that for three months I hardly slept. I would doze off at 2 am and get up again at 3 am to play my sax. My abilities as a musician skyrocketed over night. I discovered an inner life filled with ecstasy. I went back to school at the University of Cincinnati where I had dropped out a year before to join a band. For the first time I began writing poetry and short stories. I took an interest in the life of strangers and senior citizens. I remember listening to jazz on my stereo, playing my saxophone, and reading books all at the same time, such was my desire to learn and improve. This episode was the first time I had wholeheartedly said yes to life. What the shamans call intent became a reality within me. I didn't have any words for it at the time except bliss.
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How Thinking Can Change the Brain
January 21, 2007

The Wall Street Journal had a book excerpt two days ago on how thinking can change the brain. It was a self-evident truth to the Dalai Lama, but an impossibility, according to scientists. The excerpts were comprised of vignettes from the book, Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain,: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Power to Transform Ourselves. The book is copyrighted 2007 by Sharon Begley. It's classic, really. The Dalai Lama was observing a brain operation and asked the surgeons a question: "Can the mind shape brain matter?" I think he was toying with them. It was as if Einstein was asking a scientist (before he gave the world E=MC2) if time stands still at the speed of light.
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When to Buy Organic
January 24, 2007

When to buy organic is a question I frequently have to answer. Today I went grocery shopping. I had on my list broccoli, onion, sweet red pepper, apples, blueberry juice, bread, carrots, mushrooms, celery, potatoes and tofu. I chose organic on every item on my list except two. With most everything on the list I had an easy decision, but on two items, the broccoli and onion, I went back and forth as to what to do. I ended up making the non-organic choices on those two items. At the store I shopped, organic onions were only available if I bought a big bag. I didn't know if I could eat that many onions before they spoiled. The organic broccoli didn't seem fresh and it was quite a bit more money. But the deciding factor was the fact that broccoli and onions are considered two of the cleanest non-organic foods when it comes to pesticides. More on that later.
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HRT Debate Rages On
January 26, 2007

I know that the HRT debate is a hot topic for a lot of women. When my wife saw an article in today's Wall Street Journal about some important new research, she requested that I mention it on my blog to help get the word out.
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A Curry Cure for Alzheimer's
January 27, 2007

A curry cure for Alzheimer's? Could "add some curry sauce to your vegetables" become a recommendation from doctors of Alzheimer's patients if future research proves what current research is pointing to? That sounds like an enjoyable and tasteful way to keep the brain healthy to me. Nursing homes might get some new menus. Amazing information is revealed in the current Journal of Alzheimer's Disease issue. It states that an ingredient from the spice of curry and turmeric called curcumin could become instrumental in the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease. Research from UCLA shows that curcumin helps the immune system get rid of the protein called amyloid beta. It is amyloid beta that builds up to form the damaging plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
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Lessons from an Illness
January 29, 2007

Today I have concluded that it's no fun having a cold. Everything in life becomes an energy challenge. Sometimes I feel hot, sometimes I have a chill. It makes it much harder for me to have the enthusiasm to write. My brain seems like it's in a fog. I think my enthusiasm subsides because I feel so limited physically. I try to keep my thoughts on ideas that will increase my energy, but it's more of a challenge with all the interruptions of coughing.
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More Than Skin Deep
January 30, 2007

Years and years ago, in Cincinnati, Ohio, I was the only white musician in what was otherwise a 10 piece black band. And we played at nightclubs that had all black clientele. But the fact that I was white was as insignificant as an unnoticed accident. My consciousness wasn't focused on being white. It was focused on music. The consciousness of the band was focused on music--not on being black. The issue about my skin color never came up. We were doing what we loved, and we loved what we were doing. Only once, and far from the stage, did someone pay it any attention. I heard him yell out, "Hey, look at the sax player." And I guess then some people noticed that I was white. But the people who were enjoying the music never paid it any attention. They came for the music, not to look at skin color. The music was the end result, and ultimately, all that mattered.
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