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stress, or our bodily condition has nose-dived, that we feel unable to step back and trust our Self to handle the problem. In these situations we need to first orient ourselves to be able to receive help. One way of doing this is to first asking a question that our ego is unable to answer: By asking ourselves, "How can I be truly helpful here", we open ourselves to the realization that there is absolutely nothing that our true Self cannot happily resolve if we are simply willing to receive, by letting go of our expectation of how this ought to be resolved. From here our attention can turn naturally towards the stillness of our Self and rest, allowing the problem to be resolved. Maybe we need to remind our self of the power of our choice with words such as, 'In spite of my resistance, I can choose to let this be resolved happily and trust that in choosing it is done'. It takes no more than an instant.Remembering how to soarEfforts to make our lives more productive, more efficient and more safe remind me of the little story:The story is about eagle who got lost at birth and ended up being raised on a farm amongst a group of chickens. The gist of the story is that as the little eagle grew up amongst the chickens he lived as they did, and learnt to accept and make the most of his little chicken life as he competed with the other birds for the scraps of food that were thrown amongst them. Until one day when he saw a strange yet somehow familiar figure soaring magnificently above them.As he watched the wonderful bird soar and glide above him, the one in the sky called down and said, "I am your brother and you are an eagle just like me, you simply got lost but now you are found. You too are free to fly and roam the skies at will, just like I am; and you will do far greater things than these. Come and join me.' Being of chicken mind the other birds urged him not to listen. "He is not like us", they crowed, "think of your responsibilities, there are nests to make and food to be collected, you have no time for think of flying or freedom or doing your own thing".And so it came to be that the eagle lived his life as a chicken believing in what chickens do, but having now learnt that it's not good to look too long at the sky lest another eagle appear and unsettle him by reminding him of who he really Is.Just like the eagle in this little story we turn away in disbelief and recommit ourselves to making the most of our little lives and to being the best chickens we can be. Some of us have been known to write stories about the eagles that fly above us from time to time, we worship them as 'heroes' or 'chosen ones' or gurus and some hope that one
day they'll come back to save us, not recognizing that they are just the same as us and the way to freedom is simply to remember how to fly again.Our efforts to organise and manage our lives are sorry substitutes for trust in our innate wisdom and creative powers - a lack of faith that we might not know moment to moment what is needed, what to say and what to do, doubt in our natural ability to create whatever we truly want in our lives. When we plan and organize we set aside our natural creative power and hand over control to our limited 'thinking' minds and so constrain ourselves to outcomes that are by design limited to the beliefs, thinking patterns and laws of our culturally conditioned mind set. When we plan and organize we set up future expectations that blind ourselves not only to the countless blessings and opportunities to learn and grow each day but also to the awareness of the ever present creative genius that is our own Presence. We were created to soar and yet we peck around in the dust as if we were chickens.When we let our attention rest in this open receptivity our inner knowing knows exactly what to do with every so called 'interruption' or 'chance event', and without reference to the past or future. It uses all things for the benefit of everyone involved. In real Flow' we receive instead of plan, give instead of organize, because all of life bends to help us when we get out of our own way and invite it in. And best of all, there's an incredible ease and quiet confidence that comes from recognizing that once we've learned how to step back and allow our divine spark to shine, it's quite literally impossible to fail at anything we set our heart on.We don't need to organize our lives when we learn how to use the power of our intent for good because everyone and everything comes to serve us. Instead of trying to create the conditions for Flow we can learn to access it directly and bring it with us to transform any chaotic situation, bring peace wherever there is stress, bring light-heartedness to anything 'serious' and naturally resolve any problem for the benefit of all concerned.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter 8 Overcoming our resistance to FlowLife flows. This flow of consciousness is the stream of feeling, of energy, of Love that we are all a part of and immersed in. It knows no boundaries and knows no part as seperate form itself. But we don't know this until we stop resisting it and allow it to flow through us.As I said at the beginning, there is actually nothing to learn here. I am just attempting to point to that which is already radiant in the core of our being and inviting us to turn our questions and attention to That, so it can lead the way, do all our doing and live our lives. What we are is Love, and it's now time for us to switch
off our dumb ass auto-pilots and trust in this power within us. This is the place where work stops and effortless creation begins. It doesn't matter whether we are presenting to an audience, performing neurosurgery, fixing the plumbing, updating our website or just walking the dog, when we let our attention rest in This we are at perfect ease and that ease infuses everyone and everything around us, infusing everything we do.There is absolutely nothing difficult or complex about this. Being our Self is the easiest and simplest thing in the world. It is us that makes life so complicated and difficult. Whilst ever we continue to deny our own natural creative ability we will continue to see ourselves as victims of a fickle world and, as Bill Shakespeare put it, 'suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune'. This is difficulty and complexity.We have seen how we can call upon the power of intent to bring our True Self into conscious awareness. Flow, and all the other wonderful attributes simply come as part of the package. It really is that simple. Simple but perhaps useless, because there are two impediments to realisation that we need to see and deal with. Lets look at these two one last time.The first impediment is that we pursue the sizzle and not the sausage. We want flow, happiness, miracles in our life, and all the other goodies without recognizing that they are simply a reflection of who we Are. We need to first learn how to recognize our Self, to recognize that this is its own reward, that everything else is trimmings.I have now reigned about 50 years in victory or peace, beloved by my subjects, dreaded by my enemies, and respected by my allies. Riches and honors, power and pleasure, have waited on my call, nor does any earthly blessing appear to have been wanting to my felicity. In this situation, I have diligently numbered the days of pure and genuine happiness which have fallen to my lot. They amount to fourteen. ......Abd Er-Rahman III of SpainYou see, anything we pursue that changes (or we think might change) can bring suffering. We first want something, then, when we think it might change or we might not get it, we get disappointed or fearful. We suffer. This obviously includes 'bliss' states, as they are also subject to change.Anything that can bring us disappointment is not worth pursuing. Who we really Are does not change and cannot suffer in any way. This is where our treasure lies. Find This and we find everything.The solution to this impediment is to just get started. Once we start to experience our Self and also witness the incredible transformative effect it has on everything in our life, there's no problem at all in wanting it. It becomes totally compelling and infectious. The trick is to get started in the first place, to get ourselves to value and give our attention to the white space between our thoughts, because this is where the awareness of our Self shines through.Trust is the
grease that makes this work and trust can only be built through using it and seeing the results. So, please don't take my word for it, try it and see; then take what works and adapt it to you.Please remember that what I have written here is what seems to work for me but the only right way for you is your way. I'd love to see you succeed so if you think I can help, or if you have a story to share, then please drop by my weblog at Life 2.0 (http://www.Life2point0.com) and post a comment or send me an e-mail.The second impediment is that this is totally counter intuitive to what we have been conditioned to believe. We have developed such faith in our good judgements and our intellect that it is difficult to grasp that our true potential lies in the space that's created when we lay these two aside. We've become so immersed and familiar with the world of our thoughts, beliefs and concepts; and so reliant upon them for direction, that we try and bring them with us here as well. This makes progress virtually impossible because a limited mind set cannot go beyond itself. Limitedness simply cannot hack unlimitedness. You cannot raise yourself up by pulling harder on your bootstraps. I guess Albert Einstein said it best when he told us, "You cannot solve a problem at the level it is created".The solution to this second impediment is to get ourselves to appreciate and use the power of your intent. This is a lot trickier than it would first appear, but only because our everyday thinking mind will do absolutely anything and everything to keep this incredible power out of our awareness. It's as if it senses that as soon as we recognize this power, and the rest of our innate natural qualities, then the ego will be no longer be needed, which is true. After all, to use a previous analogy, why would we want to scavenge around in the dust like a chicken when we've been given the mighty wings of an eagle? Why would we want to suffer from frightening beliefs in weakness and vulnerability when they are simply not true? Intention to allow our true Self to shine true, is where our real power lies - not in trying.The ego has us 'think' that we have to go looking for our Self but it's impossible to seek for what we already Are. Our Self is closer than our own breath and it is only thinking, our 'mind activity', that hides it from our awareness. So, the trick is just to appreciate and enjoy the white space between our thoughts, take the quiet time to step back from the world without agenda or anticipation and allow our Self to nourish us. Just enjoy this. And remember that we don't need to do anything to get here - it's our Self that knows the way into our awareness, we just need to choose it - trust the power of our intent. Choose it
and trust that in choosing it is done. Trust our Self to give us certainty.In times of stress and uncertaintyBut what to do in the times when we are really troubled and under great stress, when we need this stuff the most? How do we relax into our Self then?Here are a few words given me that may help...... But what about responsibility you may ask? What about the worn and tired world ravaged by winds of fear and suffering? How can I rest here and 'choose to be happy' when our world is crumbling around us? Well, just for once, stay and rest a little while. Lay down these questions and your troubles and leave them here in trust. Simply let your attention rest in this feeling of your own Beingness and see what happens. Soon enough youll start to notice different things begin to happen in the world around you. Perhaps a bird with broken wings begins to sing, a dry and dusty brook begins to bubble and flow, an ancient hurt forgotten and friendship returned, or an intractable problem magically disappears. Savour and take joy in these things but dont let them seem strange to you, for you did this. Such is the power of your Love."--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Chapter 9 Allowing quantum principles to work in our lifeThis is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes......Morpheus talking to Neo in the film 'The Matrix'. As we have already seen we can, at will, stand back and take a moment of pause and respite from our thoughts and the world they picture. In doing so we can also recognise the mistake we make in believing our self concepts. We can see that who we are is the one that is doing the observing and not the one we thought we were - the one that appears a victim in the drama of the 'human condition' - the world of thought, bodies and the physical world that I am watching. There's immediate benefit here. In simply stepping back like this we are free of any recurring fear, habitual behaviour or debilitating addiction - no therapy, no drugs, no process, no effort - WE ARE FREE!When we do this we are faced with a similar situation to Leo in the film 'The Matrix. We can 'take the blue pill' and return to the linear, separated, Newtonian world that we have become so familiar and comfortable with; or, as Leo did, we can summon the courage to 'take the red pill' - to welcome the world of the unknown and see what is really going on. This is the choice for free Will - to escape the mind that tells us what to think and let our own Will be done, to let our Divine Spark into our conscious awareness and
trust This to nourish us and live our Life. To do so is to enter the amazing quantum world where everything changes. When we allow this to happen, what now seems extraordinary and miraculous is seen simply as the way things are; and the world that now appears to be so fixed and capricious we see for what it is, a 'bad dream' where we once imagined ourselves split off from the rest of life, and so things seemed to be happening that were beyond our control.We use electricity every day and yet when we ask some of the most eminent scientists what electricity is they have great trouble explaining it. Just as we don't need to fully understand electricity to use it, so too we can readily apply the principle of quantum physics in our lives. I've already introduced you to these principals, but what I'd like to do here is tie them all together so we can apply them as one. Let's briefly review the three principles.Attention - whatever we give our attention to expandsThis is how we determine; out of all the possibilities in the field of potentiality, what gets brought into manifestation. This is the quantum 'observer effect' in action. Unfortunately, for the most part, it's what we think we want that drives our attention; and as we've already seen, what we think we want is driven by a 'separate' self concept that is by definition weak, fearful and troubled.We never stop creating. The principle of attention has always been at work, we just have never recognised it. By bringing our attention into conscious awareness we gain control over what we are moment to moment creating in our lives. When we've looked at a world that appears untrustworthy, chaotic and full of separate beings, we have looked at a world that simply and perfectly reflects our current state of mind - the 'human condition' - the mind-set that mistakenly thinks itself separate, weak and limited.So to recap: Who 'we think we are' generates our beliefs and our thoughts; which then focus our attention, creating the world we perceive. When we bring our attention into conscious awareness we begin to see that the problems and confusion in our lives, and in the world at large, are merely the effect, the end point of this little 'chain-of-hell' that starts with a mistaken self concept.The way out is not is not to try and resolve our problems directly (this would not only exacerbate the problem by feeding it with our attention but also reinforce the belief in powerlessness - the need for effort' - which is the central belief in our mistaken self-concept, and the cause of our problems) but to give our full attention to what we really what, and create that. This leads us nicely to the second principle - 'Trusting Intent'.Trusting Intent - getting out of our own way to allow our true Self to flow.So, the question is now, what do we want to create?We have already seen that what we think of as choice is a
myth; - how all the choices that appear to be available to us are in fact just us following the dictates of this limited mind-set that seems to tell us what to think. Freedom comes from stepping back in our mind and letting our attention rest in our true Self, our true nature that is grounded in nothing but Love. Changing the source of our thought in this way allows us to follow our own Free Will and attain anything our heart desires, by trusting This to answer all our questions and do all our doing.When we step back and get out of our own way so our true Self can take the driving seat there's also another benefit. Not only are we coming from a place of Love within us and creating that in our lives, but we are also aligning our will with that of the Universe - and so all of life bends to support us. In stepping back with a trusting intent to let our true Self take control, serendipity replaces the need for luck, our innate 'in the moment' intuitive wisdom replaces the need to organise and plan, and our natural flow state replaces the need for effort.Allowing our true Will to flow through us in this way is to follow our Free Will rather than a life driven by many goals. Let's review the differences between these two:A Goal driven life versus a life following our Free Will Life driven by many goals Having a single purpose of allowing our true Self to shine true Driving force: fear of what I dont want (under the guise of pursuit of what I think I want) Driving force: the Love within - the expression of what stirs my soul Believes that I will not receive what I want or need unless I strive to get it Trusts that in exercising my true Will I share the same purpose as the universal life force; and so all of life turns to support me. Perceives a separate me - my needs, my life, my likes, my concerns, what I believe is right and wrong Recognises that our creative power, the resolution to our problems, and our happiness, comes from the healing this illusion of separateness. Scarcity thinking - if I give to you, then you have more and I have less Quantum thinking the more I allow to flow through me the more there is to flow. Modus operandi of good judgment , goal setting and effort Modus operandi of intuition, allowing and effortlessness Intellect - thinking and believing Intuition - feeling and knowing Planning, organising and managing events Trusting and listening to our innate intuitive knowing and allowing all things to serve us. Techniques, methodology and accumulating knowledge are our tools of choice The 'flow' that comes from trusting in our true Self is the only tool that's ever needed Results are constrained by all the laws of this world - space/time, economic, social, medical, physical etc etc Results are not constrained Discipline is required to stay focused and
filter out whatever doesn't serve our goals Relaxation required to be aware of our own Presence and receive the gifts of everything around us Fear in all its forms (procrastination, guilt, unworthiness, jealousy, anger, frustration, apprehension etc) is to be overcome. Any fear that arises is best experienced directly to recognise and let go of the underlying causal mistaken self-concept. Worthy goals: self development, growth and enlightenment The belief that we are not already whole, omnipotent and perfect is what keeps us seeking, and it is seeking that keeps the true nature of the seeker from our awareness. Therefore the only worthy goal is to give up worthy goals and in the stillness that follows welcome the recognition of our true Nature. Purpose: to find our unique role in life and the work we were meant to do. Purpose: to let our Divine Spark shine in everything we do, knowing that in doing this our 'unique role' and the 'work we were meant to do finds us. Life requires choosing between trade-offs and multiple competing goals whilst trying to keep a sense of balance between work, play, community, family, friends etc Requires relaxing and enjoying the perfect synchronicity and support of everyone & everything in our lives when we choose this one life affirming purpose (see 'Purpose' above). Rewards are in the future, fleeting and transitory. Rewards are immediate, cumulative and permanent Attentive Defencelessness - allowing life to highlight and heal the thoughts that holds us back We already talked about this in the chapter, A miraculous way of getting things done. This is allowing all things to take us deeper into our natural 'flow' state. Life has a way of freeing us from the fears and beliefs that hold us back, and when we recognise this we can use every single thing in our life that perturbs us as a mirror to the thought that created it.We have become so accustomed to trying to get rid of 'negative' thoughts and feelings that we are oblivious of the gifts that each of them brings. We try to 'think positive' and focus on the solution, blinding ourselves to the message and learning that our thoughts and feelings are desperately trying to tell us. Each one is a stepping stone to where we want to be, showing us how and where we still resist these principles - our own miraculous capabilities. When we allow all things to teach us, we create a virtuous circle of learning and accomplishment that builds a natural path of least resistance to our nirvana.Putting it all togetherI thought all I had to do was ski fast to the bottom. I wouldn't make it any more complicated than that ... Sometimes that's all it takes. Sometimes, everything takes care of itself.....skier Julia Mancuso after her unexpected Olympic gold medal win.Attention is the psychic energy that moves the world and creates the world we see. By bringing our attention into conscious awareness we gain control over what we are creating in our lives.Trusting Intent is getting out of our own way