Think Yourself Thin

This is the title of a book I have been reading by Debbie Johnson. Debbie is a fairly prolific author who is a fellow member of the ECKANKAR community. I have read another book of hers that address Dreams and she has a clear writing style that communicates well.

In this book she applies spiritual principles to the problem of weight loss and I am finding it very appealing and making a lot of good sense. Most people who have tried diets and failed would appreciate her approach which contains no dietary prescriptions, no exercise regimes, nothing on that level.

Her approach is dealing with your self image and getting you to change the thoughts you think about your self. You have probably heard of the "As If" principle, she applies it. The idea is when your subconscious accepts a new thinner image of yourself, you tend to naturally change your life style to make this new reality manifest.

There is no doubt this approach works and perhaps anyone who successfully loses weight and keeps it off has somehow done this inner work anyway, regardless of what other behavioral modifications they have made.

I am finding that just in the few weeks since I started reading the book that this is exactly what is happening with me. I love the approach, so organic and natural.

Debbie had this book published in a regular trade paperback but it is currently out of print. She is offering it as an ebook now on her website but if you don't mind a used copy its actually cheaper to go to Amazon and buy it there, where used copies are still available. I think ebooks should be much less expensive than what she is asking.

But make no mistake, the information she passes on in this book is valuable and effective and worth the cost. Like any do-it-yourself book, the real work comes in actually conscientiously implementing her suggestions.

If you like the Law of Attraction and that approach, this will appeal to you. I recommend this book!

Google Friend Connect

Hello dear reader,

I just added a few widgets to this blog based upon some reading I've been doing about the future of social media networking. Chris Lang and other gurus out on the cutting edge are saying that Google will soon be rolling out a social media network that will blow all the others out of the water. It will be an expansion of the already existing Google Friends Connect.

Of course we always take this kinda hype with a grain of salt but we are talking about the 900 pound gorilla itself, and our kind hosts, so it will no doubt have some impact. Based on that thought, I added the widgets to invite followers to this blog. So please consider signing up.

I promise to enlighten you beyond your wildest dreams:)

Last light

Great model inspires great photo

The spectacular Ms. Diane Lien gracefully illustrates the principle
"As Above, so below."

Real Tweet

I've been exploring the Twitter phenomenon. Walking into my building today, I heard a real tweet that was mind-blowing. It was a sweet reminder of what is real and what is construct. It is easy to find websites with recorded birdsong. I don't know what bird I heard this morning, but here's a nice one, the spring song of the Rock Wren:


http://www.naturesongs.com/trogpeuc.html#trog

Smart commercial minded Tweeters are going to find a way to use this as a marketing tool, no doubt. Oh well, go for it. Just don't forget to listen to the real sounds:)

Its funny and apt that when I Googled for copyright free bird images the first one that came up was the mockingbird:)

Conscious One

I discovered a delicious new website with many treasures. The first thing that I saw was a very well produced little video on the subject of the Inner Child that really touched and moved me. They call these little videos WisdomFlash and I checked out several more that were very good, but not quite as profoundly moving as that first one. Here's the link to the site:

http://www.consciousone.com/

Cutting through to to the truth on the economy via R. Maybury

Richard Maybury is a remarkable author and speaker on the Economy. Here is a recent talk that he gave called "What Obama Does Not Know". Thanks to John Houlgate for listing this on Facebook!

http://www.chaostan.com/bulletin-050209.html

Evening view

Practice

I read two articles today on the theme of Practice and wanted to share them with you. The first was in a New Dimensions Newsletter. Thanks to Michael Toms for this. Here it is:


The Best Spiritual Practice: Does Practice Really Make Perfect?
by Jonathan Ellerby, Ph.D.

It seems almost silly to have to say it, but to improve at anything practice is almost always essential. Right? Even if you want to get good at doing nothing, you still need to do a lot of it! Most people know that if you want to be physically fit, you need regular exercise. If you want a university degree, you'll need to study and apply yourself. If you want to be an excellent musician, actor, doctor, parent, friend, boss, or carpenter, you have to be prepared for a process of trial and error, constant intention, and practice, practice, practice.

Why then do people not realize that this same rule applies to our spiritual life? These days I find that many people expect spiritual growth to come ease. Of course, I am more than happy to recommend my new book or my new CD set to help people on their spiritual journey –but, I'd be deceiving you and myself if I thought that one book, one CD program, or even an article or blog could change a person completely and forever. Could it make an impact? Yes. Could it make a change completely and forever? Not likely, you need to practice what you've learned for that to happen.

Did you ever notice how people who do yoga or meditation or even prayer on a regular basis call it a "practice"? That's because they know that while each individual session has power, a long series of individual sessions add up to more than the sum of the parts. We have "a practice," because in the moment we are experiencing it, it teaches us and gives us an experience of peace and connection. We also know that the real work happens when you get up and head into your day – that is when you practice what you learned in your practice! That's why we need to go back to the practice again and again. Athletes have the off-season to practice; that is their time out. Happy, balanced, loving people have a spiritual practice, and that is their time out from the busy demands of life.

Remember, spirituality is an experience – not just an idea or a belief. It is not enough to have the right concept, you have to be able to live it. That is spiritual growth. It's a way of being, and that requires a practice. A practice is a regular activity that helps you connect with your highest intentions: inner peace, compassion, a feeling of interconnectedness, joy, pure consciousness, or union with God. It could be prayer, going to church, meditation, Tai Chi, yoga, singing in a choir, walking in nature, helping others, going on retreat or studying with a master. In my book Return to the Sacred, I highlight and explain twelve practices that seem to be universal to all cultures throughout time.

This is where lots of people get confused. "How do I pick a practice? What if I don't like my religion of origin? What if my friends all love yoga and I hate it, what is wrong with me?" The best spiritual practice is the one that works for you. The foundation of my CD set "Your Spiritual Personality" is the idea that we all have different spiritual personalities. The same way some people love to read and others love to run; some love chocolate and some love vanilla; not every practice is for everyone. What matters is that you pick something that makes a difference for you, and stick with it! In time, a spiritual practice will not make you perfect, but it will give you the wisdom and grace to manage all that life presents.

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Jonathan Ellerby's work and training has taken him deeply into the worlds of Indigenous Healing, corporate culture, and Integrative Medicine. He has traveled the world to meet and study with spiritual teachers from more than 40 cultural traditions. With a doctoral degree in Comparative Religion, and ordination as an Interfaith Minister, he is the spiritual Program Director for the acclaimed Canyon Ranch Health Resorts and the author of Return to the Sacred: Ancient Pathways of Spiritual Awakening (Hay House 2009) and the CD set, Your Spiritual Personality: Finding the path That's Right for You (Sounds True 2009)

The second one was in a NY Times Opinion page recommended by Brian Johnson of Philosopher's Notes. Thanks Brian! I will just provide the link; the article is titled "Genius: the Modern View" Just to let the cat out of the bag, the author suggests that Genius is more likely due to extensive practice rather than inborn genetic gifts or talent or other factors. Its worth reading. I would love to read your feedback too:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/opinion/01brooks.html

Maverick Moneymakers

This young man by the name of Mack Michaels has made over 2 million dollars online and he has created a website to teach you how. His website has been number 2 on Clickbank in its category for quite a while, so they must be doing something right!

I have spent the last few hours checking into his methods; he does know his stuff, he is very thorough and enthusiastic. I do believe you could make some serious bucks by learning his methods. Check 'em out:



http://huzone.maverick66.hop.clickbank.net/