Refrain from thinking negative thoughts about yourself; it only makes matters worse and keeps you in a gloomy state. Look at yourself with fresh eyes and point out to yourself all the ways you excel, all the ways you are good, all the positives—and there are many indeed! No need to stay mired in the shadows. Time to come out into the light, little by little proving to yourself that you are beautiful in so many ways, that you are worthy and acceptable, and that you belong here, that you too came to make your mark.
Refine your attempts to evolve and grow each day by facing what keeps you away from your goals, addressing your concerns with honesty and an attitude of absolute truthfulness. Evolution and growth may at times come in slow steps, for with you, just as with nature, there are dormant times. But even during dormant times tremendous things are happening out of sight. Those are the times of inner work and contemplation, perhaps the most important and unique strategy in human evolution, the ability to go within and contemplate the self on a deeper level. If you can change yourself on the inside by deep contemplation and study you will naturally change on the outside as well. What’s going on inside you today? That’s the question to ask, to face, and to work on within.
Let not fear, complacency or habit keep you from greater exploration, experience and expression of life. Find a happy medium where nothing rules or overrules you but everything has its place. Turn inward more often to achieve the balance you so desire. Turn on your creativity and allow it a place in your life so that you are actively participating in a way that is nurturing to your soul. You have so much you want to do, say and create. Why not just do it? What have you got to lose? The only loss is to yourself, in the loss of your self-expression, and such loss inhibits your growth and explorative possibilities. It might just be time to go full force into that which you really want to do, for your own sake this time.
Wipe your mind clear every morning and begin anew as if you knew nothing. Greet the world with the eyes of a newborn babe and sniff the air as if for the first time. Marvel over the sunrise. Feel rain and wind and sunshine on your skin. Revel in being alive and let the day shower you with its gifts, for there are many and many experiences to have for the first time.
Theoretical physicist Tom Campbell likened the relationship between mind and body to that of a video game where mind is the gamer with the controller and the body is its chosen avatar on the screen. This analogy accomplishes two points: 1) Mind exists beyond the brain of the physical body and 2) Mind, at some level, is completely in control of its physical body.
In spiritual terms, mind is Soul, that which exists in its own energy body and lives on after the death of the physical body. The Soul is ever-present and interactive with its physical avatar yet lives simultaneously in transpersonal dimensions beyond the physical world.
The Soul contains what we identify in psychology as psyche, which includes the ego as the center of the conscious personality, the subconscious mind, which houses the programs that essentially run the physical body, and the unconscious, which includes personal and collective dimensions.
The physical body is so linked to the operations of the subconscious mind that the two have been identified as synonymous. One need only observe the physical materialization of hypnotic suggestion by a subject in trance to see how powerfully the subconscious controls the body.
Of course, the precise manipulations of a surgeon will greatly shift the movement of the physical body, as will pharmaceutical interventions that alter chemical balance and affect healing of a disease. But, at the most subtle energetic level, where thought meets matter, the subconscious can completely transform the condition of its avatar, the physical body.
This is completely evident in the placebo effect. If we believe a sugar pill will cure us, it will. Belief is a strong suggestion presented to the subconscious mind that produces the expected change. Discovery of this positive effect having been caused by a placebo will often cancel the suggestion to the subconscious and reverses its miraculous effect.
Belief systems restrict the subconscious to stick to pathways that conform to their rules. For this reason, though I am driven to learn and experience, I personally try desperately to avoid any system that insists on its set of facts as the one and only unchanging reality. Infinity is, as I experience it, an endless adventure into ever-deepening paradigm shifts. Best to follow the shaman’s dictum, Suspend Judgment, when approaching any new learning.
Nonetheless, we can operate within the state of our present knowledge, as long as we understand that our facts will ultimately be washed away by future discoveries. Nothing is sacred; nothing is permanent. Hence, we can talk to our avatar and see what happens.
When we do some form of progressive relaxation, we suggest to each body part that it release and let go. As we deepen this practice, we will notice the body lighten to a state of pure energetic relaxation. If we visualize our hands being penetrated by the sun, we will experience our hands getting warmer. In both cases, our suggestions and imagination instruct the subconscious to change the condition in the body.
If we state a healing intent to the body with calm but enduring perseverance, the subconscious may eventually be persuaded to enact the called for change. Again, suspend judgment. Limiting beliefs may impact the flow of our intent, but don’t argue with them; simply let them go. Simply persevere, without attachment to the outcome.
Talk to your avatar in a state of loving kindness. This magnificent vehicle we are granted for our physical lifetime should be loved and cherished. Be accepting of the state of the body, at all times, even if great changes are desired. The subconscious has programs that can compensate for, and override, errant programs. Instruct it with love and clear intent.
