There was once a man who walked a winding path leading to the top of a high mountain. The man could see the mountaintop far away on the horizon. The path went through several villages, and at each one a curious thing happened. Several citizens gathered and threw ropes at him. In the beginning he took hold of the ropes, trying to be friendly; however, as soon as he did they attempted to pull him off his path.

The traveler soon learned to refuse the ropes. He saw through the tricks of the villagers. They wanted nothing to do with the path he was on. Furthermore, they wanted him to stop his journey and settle down with them.

From then on the ropes would flop right on the ground in front of him. Occasionally he observed himself reach down, about to pick up the rope, but he stopped himself just in time. He refused to pick it up! He learned to bear the wrath of those who threw them. They most certainly didn’t like it that he was independent.

The traveler made it all the way to the top of the majestic mountain. The vast view and pure air created the perfect home for eagles and other rare birds, who flew joyfully around its summit.  Here he found everything his heart longed for. And it all was his to enjoy because he refused to catch the ropes!

The Power of Self-Talk

Spiritual self-talk develops your power of choice. It helps you expand the brief moment of decision between stimulus and response.

And here is where the following 18 super-thoughts come into practice. They activate your power of choice! They keep you aware in those brief seconds of time just before you reach for the rope. They hold enormous power when applied.

The 18 most powerful things you can say to yourself:

1.All too often we slip into silent mental arguments with people. These mental movies create a huge energy drain. When you see yourself starting to drift into a mental argument with someone say to yourself, “There are higher things to think about.”

2.The book SuperWisdom often refers to the enormous power of instant recovery. You don’t have to be caught by the past, either recent or distant. Now is new! You need not obey five seconds ago, five minutes ago or five years ago. Say to yourself often, “I am new now!”

3.With the following declaration you catch depression, anxiety or any negative emotion when it first appears. It resembles a snowball rolling down a hill. Being small, at the top of the hill the snowball can easily be stopped. Likewise, negativity is very weak when it first starts to form. At the first sign of negativity from others, or your own thoughts, say “I need not let you enter my life and take over my mind.”

4. So much mental anguish gets generated when we defend ourselves over a mistake. If you are going to be a concert pianist or an airline pilot or a professional sales person, you most certainly will make mistakes. It is part of the learning process. What causes so much timidity in the spiritual search? People afraid to make mistakes never grow. Free yourself! Give yourself permission to make mistakes. And when you see you’ve made one be quick to say, “I am wrong.”

5. Just before a breakthrough to a new and higher level, the inner world becomes shaky and confused. A part of you wants to go back and settle down again in the seeming stability of past days. But you can’t go back. New and greater revelations lie just ahead for you. When you experience this healthy unravelling don’t try to hold things together. Say to yourself, “I wonder what will happen if I go a little further?”

6.Fear was once beautifully defined as an acronym for “False Evidence Appearing Real.” Anytime you feel fear approaching, follow this course and you cannot fail –  DO IT ANYWAY! Say to yourself, “I’m going to call the bluff and see what happens.”

7.We really have only one problem — we don’t remember our spiritual lessons! If we remember to apply what we already know, cheerful new wisdom follows. It can be very difficult to remember in this spinning, nutty world, but with the following you’ll see yourself remembering much more often. When you remember your lessons right in the middle of the challenge you take a giant step upwards. Say to yourself, “What do I need to remember?”

8.You can use the following statement whenever you see a rope tossed at you in an attempt to make you negative. You can use it with people, the media, your own thoughts, everything! With this statement you live in freedom! Nothing can touch you. Why? Because you do not react! You do not grab hold. You simply say to yourself, “I have nothing to say to that.”

9.We need a super powerful technique to overcome the spin of the inner world. Like a hamster in a cage, the mind wants to spin around and around. This is a giant waste of energy. But how do we stop it? Often, throughout the day, you can use the following statement to remind yourself of the present moment. Notice the contrast between the spin state and the awareness state. Which feels better? Say to yourself often, “I am here.”

10.The few people pursuing genuine self-transformation contemplate a truth that upsets many. Most people fear to see where the pain really resides, preferring to deny responsibility. Like a giant bulldozer, this truth pushes out of the way the old obstacles of fear and anguish. Say to yourself, “The pain is in me, not out there.”

11.The further we go on the spiritual journey the more a definite attitude begins to form — We see that challenging and demanding experiences provide nourishing food for our development. In the beginning we thought it was all about peace and comfort. But we come to see that we really don’t grow in comfort. We grow when things get rough. We learn the most by stretching our inner resources. This request exemplifies a true prayer heard in lofty spheres. Say to yourself, “More please of whatever I need.”

12.Sensitive gauges tell operators when their equipment reaches high pressure zones. Likewise, we too have super sensitive instruments inside of us. Like our ears and our eyes, they are organs already present. But they yearn for development. Their efficient operation releases abundant new energies. How do you bring them back to life? Ask yourself, “Am I in a negative state right now?”

13.If you could find a way to meet every challenge, a way that would guarantee spiritual success because it guarantees an inner victory, what would you do? There is such a method based on the supreme law of life, The Law of Growth. Human beings either regenerate or they degenerate. Nothing remains the same. When faced with any new challenge, any difficult person, any problem at all say to yourself, “Time to take the next step up.”

14.When you refuse to pick up the ropes, what happens? Well, the unaware person throwing them gets mad. “What gives you the right to refuse my demands?” they say by their brazen manner. Your freedom makes them very insecure. They get angry, try to make you feel guilty, threaten you, and when that doesn’t work they’ll flip flop into the nicest, sweetest person you’ve ever seen. When that doesn’t work they will go back to anger again. Claim your freedom! You have a right to your own life. Let them get mad if they must. Say silently to yourself, “If you know what is best for me, why are you so miserable?”

15.The book SuperWisdom says, and it is a quote from author Vernon Howard, “Always leave a nut with his own nuttiness.” You don’t have to pick  up nuttiness and reproduce it. What a relief when false sentimentality falls away! Sad but true, most people choose to dwell in the swamp and defend their right to stay there. But these swampy zones are lonely places, and the dwellers want company. Say to yourself, “That is your fear (or worry, problem, regret, etc) not mine.”

16. Many tools in this article apply to other people; however, ultimately the problem is never the actions of others, but the fact that we grab the rope they toss and yell, “Go!”   But since difficult people constitute this world’s most plentiful resource, effective tools to deal with them are quite necessary and valuable. Here’s another one. Say to yourself, “No, I am not going to behave back to you the way you behaved to me.”

17.When doubts swirl around you, when hostility seeks to enter and maul your good feelings, when vendictive people throw their darts, when your own thoughts accuse you and tell you their favorite lie — “you’ll never make it,” when all this happens you can win every time by quietly and firmly telling the negativity, “You’ve got the wrong (man — woman).”

18.False advice abounds about “self-esteem” and trying to see yourself withflattering, imaginary virtues. Pretense obscures self-observation. You don’t have to pretend. You can know! The book SuperWisdom instructs to simply see yourself as a learner. This viewpoint of yourself is true and places enormous spiritual resources on your side. Say to yourself, “I want to understand what it’s all about — I want to learn!”

Conclusion: Seeing negativity (from any source, including your own internal thoughts) as a rope that you do not have to grab, brings everything into focus. We begin to understand that we really do have the power of choice. We also begin to see how we’ve been careless with this power because we feared to displease negative people and our own negative thoughts. Yes, there may well be a protest, both from others and from our habitual nature. But so what! The lofty and delightful feelings you experience reinforce the fact that you’re on the right path at last.

And the affect on your daily life will be enormous. Since we must often deal with a hundred or more negative ropes a day, applying Wise Self Talk will place you in a commanding zone. Your Power of Choice will be reclaimed and placed at the center of your self-development efforts. From it will flow a thousand lively streams. You’ll know you’ve found the Master Key at last. And you’ll be delighted at how practical it all is.

© 2010 Tom Russell (Permission granted to reprint on your site or publication)

About the author: Tom Russell studied personally with author Vernon Howard for many years and conducts stress management seminars throughout the Southwest. His SuperWisdom website assists people in applying spiritual principles, for it is only in the application that understanding emerges. The website features the  “Time Out for Truth” podcast and a free monthly newsletter.

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By Tom Russell

The artist Michelangelo often stirred up the hatred of the contemporary artists of his day. Many of them envied his magnificent abilities. One example was the architect Bramante.

Pope Julius retained Michelangelo to build his tomb. Michelangelo spent eight months in a marble pit personally cutting and selecting perfect stones. When he returned, he found the pope had second thoughts. Bramante had convinced the pope that building the tomb before his death was a risky thing to do. Out of spite, Bramante turned Pope Julius against the project. It was canceled.

Later the idea for another special project entered the pope’s mind. Bramante saw the project as a time consuming trap for which there would be little public recognition. Bramante recommended Michelangelo for the job.

The great artist saw the trap. He knew what Bramante was up to. He wished to turn the project down but did not want to refuse the pope’s request. So Michelangelo went to work. He spent many years doing the slow and tedious labor the project required.

It was the Sistine Chapel.

The inspiration that flowed through Michelangelo can likewise flow through anyone. Inspiration WANTS TO FLOW. It cannot be stopped. A living and powerful river, inspiration circumvents all obstacles. When handed lemons, the river makes the most delicious and refreshing lemonade you’ve ever tasted!

However, it is a key point that Michelangelo SAW the trap. He knew what Bramante was up to. As a result, he collected his inner forces for a complete victory.

One more grand lesson from Michelangelo. He said once, “The more the marble wastes, the more the statue grows.” After he finished the statue David someone asked him how he did it. Michelangelo replied, “I released the statue from the stone.” He chiseled away all that was unnecessary, and David emerged.

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This article brings a viewpoint to your attention that may be entirely new to you. In the fast paced internet world of click and go, I invite you to slow down and linger here for awhile. Though concise, this article contains a secret with the power to change the entire direction of your spiritual quest.

How do you see yourself?

Life moves easily as we employ the right tool for the task at hand. Though an amazing tool absolutely necessary for life on this planet, the intellect/brain/head lacks the power to generate joy and happiness. Humans drive themselves crazy trying to do the impossible — find happiness with the wrong tool!

One amazingly effective tool is to see yourself as a sphere of luminosity. The sphere’s core inhabits the region of your breath, your Essence — what the wise Taoist call the Tan Dien and the Bible calls the Heart. YOU radiate from this domain in a 360 degree urge for life and exploration.

Joy, happiness and wisdom ebb and flow throughout the sphere, increasing the circumference in all directions. Yet, this ebb and flow loves to periodically concentrate in the center of the sphere in prayer and meditation. This brings a whole new level of understanding to the words “Collect yourself.”

Just as someone may have a second home, they have a primary residence. Likewise, you have the brain and intellect as a place to consider and plan. But where do you go when the need for thought concludes? Most people have nowhere real to go. Self-imprisoned in the second home, they turn to wasted mental meanderings when the need for practical thought ends.

A Much Deeper Glimpse of Healing

Your sense of being and presence springs from the dynamic region of your breath. Each breath nourishes the body –a temporary housing of the luminous sphere; but much more significantly, each breath energizes and relaxes the core. Vitality flows from geysers found inside this region as your perception of its value increases.

Anguish and confusion have their roots in the sphere, not in the head! People have problems because of dark spots in the sphere. Awareness of the core brings light to these dark spots. As the sphere heals, so heals the brain. Increasingly you feel yourself making true strides at last as confidence in the head as the hub of your life diminishes. The sphere (YOU) makes itself known, and increasingly so.

Instead of fighting to make the mind quiet, simply let go and fall into the region of your Soul.  As the Bible hints, “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) Also, “Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.” (John 21:16).

There’s a sea inside, overflowing with ideas (fishes). It is wholly within your power to learn how to cast your nets here.

Two podcast discussions connected to this vital theme:
1. The Law of Attraction and the Ancient Tree of Life
2. Hara: The Ancient Secret of Radiant Life

(Please  feel free to share this article with your friends on on your website, with a link to www.superwisdom.com.)

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By Tom Russell

Visit the SuperWisdom Bookstores for either the hardcopy through Amazon.com, or the eBook edition.

Life’s Most Vital Discovery

Several people were on a walk with author and spiritual teacher Vernon Howard. While crossing a large paved parking lot, he called everyone’s attention to a little flower that had broken through. He pointed out its perfect relevance to our inner task. The seed’s yearning to express itself was so strong that a thick layer of concrete could not stop it.

People possess many different fears, but perhaps the largest one is unseen. It’s the fear that we’ll not be able to handle or contain the tremendous power of the awakened Heart. Therefore, we hold ourselves back. We live a life of reluctance. In this reduced state of energy all our problems “miraculously” appear.

Our inner difficulties are not what they appear to be. Worry, regret, fear, anger and loneliness are symptoms, not the cause. What is the real problem? It is a dormant Central Power Source. What is our purpose? To awaken this source and shatter the concrete of false beliefs and shallow thinking.

It is fascinating to discover that the location of the Central Power Source has been known for thousands of years. Throughout the Bible the power of the Heart is referenced more than 800 times. The dictionary defines Heart as: “The vital center and source of one’s being, emotions, and sensibilities, the central or innermost part of a place or region.” People often point to their physical heart as their spiritual heart, but ancient wisdom places this source in the region of our breath.

Different cultures have highlighted the Heart’s supreme value in life and spirituality, even health and well-being. The Japanese have long referred to this domain as Hara. The Chinese have named it Dan Tien. One of the Bible’s most interesting statements is in Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Shakespeare chimes in, “Go to your bosom: Knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know.” Buddha declares, “The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.”

At the turn of the century Russell Conwell wrote a great little book that illustrates this thought entitled Acres of Diamonds. The book opens with a story about a wealthy man who sold his farm and journeyed to foreign lands in search of diamonds. Some time later the richest diamond mine in history was discovered, and it was found right on the land he once owned! The good news for us is this domain is still entirely our own. We can rediscover the rich life we have in fact never lost.

Sufi mystic Al-Ghazzali declares the glowing Heart wisdom:

“The first step to self-knowledge is to know that thou art composed of an outward shape, called the body, and an inward entity called the heart, or soul. By “heart” I do not mean the piece of flesh situated in the left of our bodies, but that which uses all the other faculties as its instruments and servants. In truth it does not belong to the visible world, but to the invisible, and has come into this world as a traveler visits a foreign country for the sake of merchandise, and will presently return to its native land. It is the knowledge of this entity and its attributes which is the key to the knowledge of God.”

Flexibility Is Life

In this book you’ll learn how to stay energized through rotation and flexibility. You’ll never stay bogged down for long, but will quickly recognize the signal to make a change to a different inner development activity. Anyone who has walked the spiritual path in earnest knows this to be a major issue. Things have a tendency to get stale if we stay with them too long. The answer is not to desert them, but to move to something new for awhile. Later we can cycle back with replenished reservoirs of vitality and insight.

The old Tareyton cigarette TV commercial stated, “I’d rather fight than switch.” Well, in this book we learn a tremendous secret that’s just the opposite: “I’d rather switch than fight!”

This book reveals four primary areas of inner development activity, referred to as The Four Gardens. They are:

* Gathering Knowledge
• Daily Life Practice
• Quiet Time
• Rest and Recreation.

Cheerfulness blooms as you grow increasingly sensitive to the inner signal to make a change and work in another garden for awhile. You don’t try to take something past the point where it serves its purpose. You are free of the prison of “should.”

You’ll discover an amazing way to apply spiritual principles in Garden #2–your daily life. The method revolves around The Language of Awakening—a highly efficient form of spiritual self talk developed by author Vernon Howard. Right here, in your daily life, is where you can utilize and develop your seven secret powers of:

• Awareness
• Self-Observation
• Instant Choice
• Independence
• Forgiveness
• Efficiency
• Receptive Request

The Language of Awakening addresses a core challenge every seeker of wisdom confronts: How can I remember what I already know more often, and with greater intensity?

Wisdom seekers tend to have an idea of arriving somewhere, “enlightenment” perhaps. This destinationest mentality places our mind on the end and not the process. The wisdom we seek is on the way. It is in stirring the tea, walking to the living room or taking your next breath. It seems paradoxical, but the highest wisdom is found in the simplest acts. You’ll discover in this book how to mine the lofty wealth in the simple. The rich life of your purpose-filled Heart will be yours.

This work gets to the core of things. Though we feel the purity and rightness of this restoration, we also experience the desert at times. So proceed with persistence and intelligent diligence, but be patient and gentle with yourself. Let the powers of your Heart unfold at their own natural pace. We’re simply nudging them on with a friendly nod.

Tom Russell

Visit the SuperWisdom Bookstores for either the hardcopy through Amazon.com, or the eBook edition.

Table of Contents:

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
INTRODUCTION 6
Life’s Most Vital Discovery 6
Flexibility Is Life 9

SECTION ONE 12
Early Meetings with the Wise 13
My First Great Lesson — Learning to Fly 13
Meeting Dr. Chapin 14
Aunt Ruby Discovers a New Direction 17
Go West, Young Man 18
Vernon Howard and His School 21
Self-Reliance – Catching the Gust 23
Heart Hints 25

SECTION TWO 27
The Four Gardens of Growth 28
Vitality Through Flexibility 28
Garden A : Gathering Knowledge 28
Garden B: The Language of Awakening 28
Garden C: Quiet Time 29
Garden D: Rest and Recreation 29

Garden A 31

Garden B 46
The Language Of Awakening
How NowFacts Originated 47
The 7 Energies of Your Awakened Heart 47
Vital Secret #1: Awareness 49
Vital Secret #2: Self-Observation 62
Vital Secret #3: Instant Choice 72
Vital Secret #4: Independence 83
Vital Secret #5: Forgiveness 99
Vital Secret #6: Efficiency 110
Vital Secret #7: Receptive Request 122
Master The Language of Awakening 134
The Healing Power of Voice Awareness 140
More Ways to Enhance Your Practice 141

Garden C 143
What are Silent Sessions? 144
Seven Tips for Silent Sessions 144
Summary 149

Garden D 151
Rest And Recreation 151

SECTION THREE 153
The Power of Vertical Thinking 154
The Self-Imprisoned Bird 154
Horizontal Thinking 155
Examples of Horizontal Thinking 156
Desert Thinking and Resistance 159
The Spiral Staircase 160
Horizontal Thinking vs. Vertical Thinking 161
The Value of Self-Improvement 166
The Superwisdom Dictionary 170
Grand Summary of the Greatest Journey 188
Resources for Your Journey 192

Visit the SuperWisdom Bookstores for either the hardcopy through Amazon.com, or the eBook edition.

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Taoism & Lao-tse

Art by Ruth Rand

Especially valuable in today’s hectic world, learning to flow with life heals stress and tension. In Pathways to Perfect Living Vernon Howard writes:

“The contrasting lives of two famous teachers show the difference between Forced Living and Easy Flow.

“Confucius was an advocate of correct public behavior. He taught good manners, social reform, and submission to man-made moral codes. He offered shallow formulas for getting through life, admitting that his platitudes were borrowed from other men. The inner life of cosmic peace was unknown to Confucius; he himself was a victim of Forced Living.

“Lao-Tse was the exact opposite. He cared nothing for the public parading of self-proclaimed virtues. He pointed out that human rules of conduct do not make men truly moral; to the contrary, they supply clever masks for hypocrisy and cruelty. As for living by popular slogans, they create mass misery and national neurosis. Lao-Tse stressed individual effort toward personal freedom, teaching that happiness lies in a spontaneous outflowing of one’s natural self. Lao-tse was himself a living example of Easy Flow.

“Confucius was in his thirties when he visited Lao-tse, then a sage in his eighties. We might picture what the wise man said to the young inquirer. For one thing, Lao-tse might have pointed out that human reformers never seek justice for their followers; they wish only to grasp the power of injustice for themselves. He might also have said that a formal education does not mean intelligence, for true intelligence is to live within the spontaneous rhythm of life, without cunning and deceit, and with sanity and naturalness.” — Vernon Howard

*******************
An imaginary interview between a modern day truth seeker and a wise Taoist (actual quotes from Taoist literature):
*******************

Q: May I have a basic principle of guidance for avoiding problems with relatives?

The Taoist’s Answer: Take precautions before the evil appears; regulate things before disorder has begun.

Q: How does an understanding of cosmic principles, like those taught by the mystics, help us in our human affairs?

A: He who knows the Tao is sure to be well acquainted with the principles that appear in the procedures of things. Acquainted with those principles, he is sure to understand how to regulate his actions in all kinds of circumstances. Having that understanding, he will not allow things to injure him.

Q: I am especially interested in understanding how inward victory expands itself to outward triumph. May I have a thought on this?

A: If you are inwardly free from fighting no one will be able to fight with you.

Q: I have heard the teaching about artificiality being the enemy of freedom. Will you please explain it?

A: Horses and oxen have four feet. That is natural. Place a halter on the head of a horse, or a rope through the nose of an ox. This is unnatural.

Q: Is there a way to maintain peace of mind in spite of exterior changes and disappointments?

A: Resign yourself to the sequence of things, forgetting the changes of life, and you shall enter into the pure, the divine, the One.

Q: That resembles the New Testament idea that we must first lose ourselves in order to find ourselves. It seems paradoxical.

The Taoist’s Answer: The truest sayings are paradoxical.

Q: Will you please supply an example of a practical esoteric truth which needs our sincere study in order to make its value our own value?

A: Without going out of doors, one may know the whole world; without looking out of the window, one may see the way of heaven. The further one travels, the less one may know. Thus it is that without moving you may know; without looking you may see; without doing you shall succeed

Q: But this seems to call for immense wisdom. The only thing I know is that I do not know!

A: The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

Q: Is it true that human beings actually live, work, play, marry, pass laws, fight wars — all in a state of psychic sleep?

A: While they dream, they do not know that they are dreaming.

Q: Can you provide an example of how a free and spontaneous mind rolls forward?

A: Perfect kindness acts without thinking of kindness.

Q: If I were to follow the example of men who have achieved steadfast confidence, what would I do?

A: Use the light that is in you to recover your natural clearness of sight.

Q: It is only a small stream of insight at the present time, but I do see the absolute necessity for building my life upon spiritual and psychological foundations.

A: To see small beginnings is clearness of sight.

Q: By what method does a mystic master keep himself in strong and spontaneous activity?

A: The sage attends to the inner, and not to the outer.

Q: I am puzzled by the esoteric teaching about inaction. The mystics state that the right kind of inaction is authentic action which transforms everything into its naturally healthy condition. But how can doing nothing produce something?

A: Who is there who can make muddy waters clear? But if allowed to remain still, it will gradually clear itself?

Q: In other words, self-change makes everything else all right?

A: The partial becomes whole, the crooked becomes straight, the empty becomes full, the worn out becomes new. Who is there who can make muddy waters clear? But if allowed to remain still, it will gradually clear itself?

Q: I have the bad habit of trying to force people and events to conform to my personal wishes, which usually backfires against me. What esoteric lesson can help me blend with events, instead of fighting them?

A: Leave all things to take their natural course, and do not interfere.

Q: I still do not see how anything real can be achieved without effort?

A: It is the Way of Heaven not to strive, and yet it knows how to overcome; not to speak, and yet it knows how to win a response.

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By Tom Russell

    Several years ago my wife and I were in Colorado for a speaking engagement. We had an afternoon free and visited the local zoo, sauntering back to the exotic bird section. There we saw a circular fence, probably 18 feet high and some 60 feet across. It was very odd to us that the fence had no top to it.

    We observed a rare bird over in a far corner. I reasoned that the keep¬ers must have clipped its wings so it could not fly away. Then suddenly the bird went into full flight to a tree on the other side of the cage. Obviously I was wrong. The bird’s wings were fine.

    I found a zoo attendant and asked him why the bird didn’t fly away.

    “The reason is very simple,” he said. “This bird was raised in captivity. When it was young it was placed in a cage with a top on it. Every time it tried to fly away it would hit the ceiling. Now, the bird never tries to escape. It is convinced the top of the cage is still there.”

What limits do accept without knowing it?

    The cage probably seems tranquil, even cozy, to our self-imprisoned bird; likewise, our familiar mindsets seem right and natural. Though change to a happier, more productive life draws interest, change unsettles cherished routines. The familiar lurks in the background to lure us back to the familiar, back to the cage.

    Could it be that authentic inner life success, success as a human being, grows out of a willingness to feel uncomfortable or wrong for awhile, not right?

    The Alexander Technique provides an ideal example of how change at first feels wrong. At the turn of the previous century F.M. Alexander pioneered a practical method for postural improvement. Today it is part of the core curriculum at Juilliard’s School of Music, allowable as therapy in England’s health care system, and widely practiced around the world by professional performers and self-awareness enthusiasts. One day a mother brought her young daughter to see Mr. Alexander. She suffered from severe postural misalignment. Mr. Alexander helped the girl find a vastly improved posture, but when the session concluded she ran to her mother and said, “Mommy, look what he did to me. He bent me all out of shape!”

    Though the young girl’s physical muscle patterns objected to the change, don’t we have well-worn mental patterns of at least the same intensity? How do we break through this resistance, so the changes we want in our lives really come about?

Daring the Wrath of the Familiar

    After any decision to modify our life, even something as simple (and productive) as the resolution to watch less Television, frazzled feelings, an inner ache, a confusion and/or emptiness soon surface. The cage wants us back!

    Why do we go back, often without much of a stand at all? The answer is not really fear of change, I’ve found. The answer is fear the change might cause more upheaval than we can handle. Picture our self-imprisoned bird hearing gunshots outside his cage – gunshots from hunters poised to pick off any creature that flies free. The shots though, are blanks, duds, not real bullets though they sound like it. The guns look real and even smoke after a “shot.” So the bird stays put out of fear of consequences that can never exist.

    Dare the wrath of the familiar patterns, and what happens? Things get worse for awhile. Does this upheaval have real power? Millions read that it has no power, but that’s about all most people do. Unless we risk it, and do so over and over again, we’ll never know from ourselves.

    Society, in almost every sphere, teaches by words and deeds to seek happiness, seek comfort, and do what “feels” right. Yet, the truly right never feels right at first. It feels wrong for awhile. Think of the power of this nugget of wisdom when applied to your life! No, the glamor and wordiness of popular self-enrichment programs goes lacking here, and the simplicity of this nugget may have more power than presently realized. Wisdom sprouts from principles applied.

A Fictional Twist

    Let’s get back to our self-imprisoned bird. In addition to the bluffing hunters and their popguns, let’s add another twist. Imagine we have other birds in the cage with our friend — perhaps his parents, his school teacher and his religious instructor. If our friend makes some feeble yet sincere efforts to test the top of his cage, what will be the reaction of his fellow birds? Probably words like “Who do you think you are?” and “Why aren’t you happy in here, like we are?” But if our friend keeps trying, and if he gets more daring, moving from one inch above the imaginary boundary to perhaps twelve, well, hold on. The elders swing into action.

    In our fictional twist here, the elder birds each have a rope. Taking turns as needed, they toss the rope up to our friend just as he infringes on his make-believe boundary. Our friend catches the rope and the elders pull him down; however, one day, ah yes, one day our friend refuses the rope. He makes it up five feet over the “ceiling” and terrified, plunges back down. The elders go berserk. How will they stop this renegade who now dares to refuse their ropes? Stop him for his own good of course since it’s dangerous out there!

    Finally the great day comes. We knew it would. Our friend refuses the rope yet dares to leap high enough to unravel his mental ceiling. He shatters forever the make-believe boundary. He holds out his wings to catch the natural currents, lifting him higher and higher. The vast sky of the whole earth welcomes him.

Why Others May Fear Your Change

    Yes, others (especially those closest to you) indeed feel threatened by your changes. In their mind resides a carefully constructed picture of you. They have you pegged. When you act outside the settled picture, it unsettles them.

    Some may think these points at least somewhat cynical. But are they? We can discern the attempts of others to control, to disapprove, to hint at what we “should” do, and we can see it all without a touch of hostility. They are free to live their own life and think their own thoughts, and so are you! And it’s rarely necessary to tell them anything about it. Your new found love of the sky is sacred and blooms best when kept to itself.

Where Real Freedom Resides

    Hence, it is indeed vital to refuse the ropes thrown from our environment. They abound. In fact, the evening news could be viewed as one giant rope tossing session. Yet, our inner domain, the place of our own thoughts, dwarfs environmental influences. Does anyone really treat us worse than we treat ourselves? Worry, guilt, fear, jealousy – aren’t these ropes tossed within our own mind? And don’t we cause our own punishment by catching them?

    The more we inwardly observe these inner rope tossers in action, the more we see there is no real need to try and stop them from doing what they do, which is to toss ropes. There is only a need to let these tossed ropes fall to the ground inside, unclaimed! If we simply refuse to catch them, the life at hand charms us with joy and vigor.

    The day of freedom, then, is not the day when the rope tossers disappear. It is the day we know their ropes have no power other than what we grant when we catch them. Oh yes, not only will these inner rope tossers get upset, it is likely they’ll stage a riot! If you deny them energy, they might fade away! So they brazenly claim that YOU are fading away. No, they are fading away. You have reclaimed your life now, and YOUR life has nothing to do with THEM.

The Royal Life is Yours

    We find ourselves increasingly feeling good with an abundance of energy and zest for life. The simple things, like the next breath or the next conversation, recover their delight. You dared to break through by daring to feel uncomfortable, even disoriented, over and over again, as you came smack up against more than a few self-created barriers.

    Like the childhood fairytale Humpty Dumpty, “All the king’s horses and all the king’s men could not put Humpty Dumpty back together again.” Nothing has the power to convince us to pick up those ropes back up, just in order to prevent the cage from rioting. “Oh, don’t hit me” is gone and in it’s replaced with the bold, “Is that the worst you can do?”

    When a resolution turns us in a new direction, so much genuine good flows from daring to feel uncomfortable, or wrong, or whatever you want to call it, perhaps even for days or weeks. Knowing in advance this is going to happen, and even intensify as you continue to make your stand, is the great secret of change.

    My first mentor was an old Osteopathic physician. I met him when I was just 18 and he was 80. We chatted (as he called it, though he did all the talking) from time to time for several years. Dr. Chester C. Chapin perhaps said it best, “Tommy, it won’t hurt you to hurt.”

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Enjoy more from SuperWisdom: Seven Vital Secrets for a Rich and Purpose-Filled Life, by Tom Russell
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By Tom Russell

The prsent moment flows with Awareness. We receive awareness more than we generate it. Awareness unites your spirit, mind, emotions, and body. It grows whenever you grant it the opportunity. Therefore, awareness constantly probes the edges.

J. Krishnamurti told a story about a man who came to see him to discuss his problems. A beautiful butterfly flew into the room and circled several times. The visitor was so self-absorbed that he never saw the butterfly. This shows how self-absorption runs rampant.

Methods to develop awareness in your daily life

Awareness is your power to live in the now–the connecting point of God/Truth/Reality and the doorway to a rich and purpose-filled life. Vernon Howard defines awareness as having your mind present with your body during the activities of daily life.

So how do you develop awareness? There are many ways! Weave the following exercises into your day to help you achieve awareness. Each exercise expands effortlessly into all areas of your life. Think of it as working a garden. You may only till the surface on the first day, but as you tend the garden daily over time–planting seeds, watering, and weeding–eventually it flourishes.

A ringing phone can be your wake-up call

When the phone rings, let it be a signal to wake up. Be aware of yourself walking toward the phone and lifting the receiver. Notice any anxiety or expecta¬tion. Be alert to the tone of your voice as you say “hello.” Don’t expect anything in the phone call to fulfill you. Let the expe¬rience remain pure. Remember that awareness is always strong, poised and intelligent. Awareness knows what to say and how to act.

Enjoy dining

Don’t let your mind be carried away by daydreams that want to use breakfast, lunch, or dinner as a time to escape. Stay awake during your entire dining expe¬rience. Be aware as you lift your fork from the table. Taste the food. Use this experience as an opportunity to discover your rich and purpose-filled life.

Turn off the driver’s auto-pilot and tune into the moment

Even a routine drive is an opportunity for a newness. Feel your hands on the wheel. Have interest and affection for the moment. Roll down the window and smell the air. Take a fresh, new look at the sights along your way. Your commute to work may never be the same!

Remind yourself to “Wake Up Now”

Write the letters WUN–Wake Up Now–on a piece of paper and post it in your home or office. Let these letters remind you to drop all racing thoughts, come back to yourself, and suddenly be awake and aware.

Walking with awareness wakes up your mind and body

Walking is even more energizing when accompanied by awareness. Feel the air on your face, see the colors come alive, and feel the weight on your feet. As you become aware, you’ll bring together your spirit, mind, emotions, and body.

Do mechanical work consciously

A spark of awareness can be present when you’re doing daily work, conversing with others, making plans, or enjoying recre¬ation. Vernon Howard explained this perfectly in his book Esoteric Mind Power:

“Mechanical work supplies the visible rewards of food and other daily necessities. Mechanical work, whether that of a carpenter or a professor, is work done without an aim of self-awakening. Conscious work provides the invisible rewards of self-harmony and other spiritual necessities.

“Conscious work, whether that of a carpenter or a professor, is work performed while using it for inner dawning.

“You can do mechanical work without receiving payment, but you can never do conscious work without payment, though at times it may seem delayed. You can learn to do mechanical work consciously, and when succeeding, you have overcome the world.”

Awareness makes you more capable in whatever task you undertake. It infuses a mother with tenderness while caring for her children. It lifts the business executive to new levels of effectiveness. The carpenter works with greater efficiency and skill. Awareness enhances a salesperson’s ability to communi¬cate. Whatever your work, these principles work wonders. You can transform your daily life when you discover how to do mechanical work consciously.

Being aware keeps you in the oasis of the present moment

I attended a large public lecture by Vernon Howard in 1982. At the end of his talk, he gave the audience this assignment: “Know you are walking through the doorway as you leave the hall.” I walked out of the hall with¬out being aware. Then, remembering that I forgotten to be aware, I paused by the doorway to observe others as they departed. It was clear that they weren’t being aware as they were walked through the door, just as I hadn’t been aware. Their attention was elsewhere. That day, I understood how advanced these exercises are, in spite of how simple they appear to be.

These awareness exercises help us see when we’ve drifted away from the oasis of the present moment. Regard this detection as a cool drink of water that enhances your life.

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Stress is amazingly persistent, even seductive. We get used to feeling tight and tense. Though positive thinking has its place, unless it is backed up by practical wisdom it tends to get overwhelmed and fade away. Practical spirituality is for living stress free.

Here are seven proven ways you can get a new handle on stress.

1. Control your REACTION with these 7 simple words.

The first step is to remain alert when people try to weigh you down with their nervous comments and attitudes.

The next step is to reply to the attempted attack: “I have nothing to say to that.” This cuts off the contagious effect of the stressful assault. It blocks the tendency to accept and imitate depressing words from others. Your nature does not fall down to the level of the anxious remark, but remains high above it.

Negative people WANT to get you involved with their defeat, and this is a major method they use to do it. Your reply: ‘I have nothing to say to that’ prevents them from drawing you in as their victim.

Inner life author Vernon Howard writes, “An attitude of defeat in another person cannot touch you unless you carelessly accept it as yours. And there is no need at all for you to accept it. A quiet refusal to enter the battlefield is the perfect reply.’

2. Let go of painful grudges by living in the present moment.

Hating someone is like drinking poison yourself and hoping the offender will die from it. We must grant to others the same opportunity for change or we shut the door on our own development. Therefore, it is our responsibility to release those who have caused harm to the providence of a higher power, while simultaneously realizing they will be held accountable for their actions.

The secret to living stress free is to realize your newness in the present moment many times each day. NOW is so alive and energetic, so tangible and real, that painful grudges cannot “live” here. Grudges can only stay around when fueled by unaware and unproductive mental visits to the past.

3. Observe negative thoughts with the aim of understanding them, instead of trying to suppress them.

Self-Observation is a master key to stress-free living. Instead of claiming stressful thoughts and feelings as our own, we can observe and understand them. This understanding sets us free!

Self-observation is practical spirituality at its best. Marcus Aurelius, the ancient Roman Emperor said, “Those who do not observe the movement of their own minds must of necessity be unhappy.” (Marcus Aurelius)

4. Pause often and enjoy a deep breath.

People are often so tense with stressful thinking they barely breathe!

We can do something highly beneficial and intelligent. We can take brief breaks many times a day, even if for only 30 seconds! We can pause, take a deep breathe, look around and relax.

Suppose you feel tempted to give in to someone when you know you should not. Instantly fall into internal relaxation. Breathe away your tensions. Your habitually anxious and resentful attitudes will fall away like leaves from a tree. They will be replaced by a clear mind that reveals what is best for you.

5. Realize you have far better things to think about!

The old way of thinking has its favorite grooves; for example, negative mental film clips that pull you away from the present moment. When you detect yourself involved in one of these internal movies, pause and say to yourself, ‘There are better things to think about.’ This instantly snaps the spell and moves you to higher ground.

You’ll feel like your living stress free and an abundance of new vitality as you reclaim the energy once consumed by these negative mental film clips. Suddenly wake up and come home to yourself by enthusiastically declaring, “There are better things to think about!”

6. Stay clear of negative zones of influence.

Our society is rampant with negative influences. They come from so many places, like frantic people, advertising and untruthful politics. Never forget: Unaware people want you to vibrate on their stressful level.

It is your duty, your noble mission in life, to live in harmony with your Heart — YOUR AUTHENTIC AND INTELLIGENT SELF. Though physically you may be in a stressful place, once you connect with your Heart you have the spiritual power to stay free inwardly. No law says you must fall under stressful zones of influence.

7. Refuse to make stressful or angry comments.

Stress spills out into the world. It is like a snowball rolling down a hill that starts small then gathers size and momentum. Therefore, we must stop stress in its infancy, and the best place to do so is BEFORE it leaves the mouth.

Here’s a wonderful way to dissolve stress in your life:

This insight exercise is called SELF-SURPRISE. Here’s how it works. You are about to say something angry or hurtful to another person. The statement has left the dock — it is traveling at the speed of light toward the mouth. Your AWARENESS steps in and a higher choice is made; a switch is thrown and you do not say what you were about to say. You say something helpful and cheerful instead!

You’ll instantly feel the trueness of practicing this exercise. Anger or stress did not succeed in dictating your speech. Your power of choice lifted you above its arrows. This is not the practice of phony niceness. It is the expression of true strength and authentic self-command It can only occur when your awareness is active, like the presence of a lighted lodge in the dark forest.

Conclusion:

TMany of the tools available for you at SuperWisdom Foundation, including the new book SuperWisdom–Seven Vital Secrets for a Rich and Purpose-Filled Life focus in on amazingly effective things you can say silently to yourself to instantly reconnect with your calm and intelligent Center. Subscribers to the free weekly Ezine receive the eBook edition! A professionally bound hard copy edition of the book is available in our Life-Success Bookstore.

Try these seven stress solutions and you’ll see a huge difference in your life. You’ll have LOTS of energy!
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Here is a wonderful selection of quotes from the
wise on all dimensions of relationships.

“So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it.” (J. Krishnamurti)

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“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” (Carl Jung)

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” (Ralph W. Emerson)

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“Let me tell you something: If you ever let yourself feel good when people tell you that you’re O.K., you are preparing yourself to feel bad when they tell you you’re not good. As long as you live to fulfill other people’s expectations, you better watch what you wear, how you comb your hair, whether your shoes are polished — in short, whether you live up to every expectation of theirs. Do you call that sane?” (Anthony de Mello)

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“The person on a quest for wisdom and spirituality always has a choice facing him: Is he to live in the way others live in order to please them or is he to live in the way his own standards call for? If he lets them pull him down he loses what has taken him many, many years to develop. Somewhere at some point he must take his stand, must plant his feet and refuse to budge any farther.” (Dr. Paul Brunton)

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“A man must consider what a rich realm he abdicates when he becomes a conformist.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

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“If a foolish man is associated with a wise man, even all his life, the foolish man will understand truth as little as a spoon understands the taste of soup.” (Buddha)

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“There is one thing that, more than any other, throws people absolutely off their balance – the thought that you are dependent upon them. This is sure to produce an insolent and domineering manner towards you . . .they soon fancy that they can take liberties with you, and so try to transgress the laws of politeness. This is why there are so few people with whom you care to become more intimate, and why you should avoid familiarity with shallow people.” (Schopenhauer)

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A singular strength of mind is therefore required to enable a man to live among others consistently with his own ideas and convictions, to be master of himself, and not fall into the habits or exhibit the same passions as those with whom he associates.” (Spinoza)

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A disciple confessed his bad habit of repeating gossip. Said the Master, “Repeating it wouldn’t be so bad if you did not improve on it.” (Anthony de Mello)

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“It was once the authority of the priest that held us, and now it is the authority of the expert, the specialist. Have you not noticed how you treat a man with a title, a man of position, the powerful executive?” (J. Krishnamurti)

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A Man interrupted one of the Buddha’s lectures with a flood of abuse. Buddha waited until he had finished and then asked him, “If a man offered a gift to another but the gift was declined, to whom would the gift belong?”

“To the one who offered it,” said the man.

“Then,” said the Buddha, “I decline to accept your abuse and request you to keep it for yourself.” (Buddhism)

*******

“Everything great and intelligent is in the minority.” (Johann von Goethe)

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“If everyone were nice and pleasant, I would have no opportunity for practical training; so I should be glad to have people to practice on.” (G.I. Gurdjieff)

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“As you acquire more and more spiritual light, a wonderful thing will happen by a definite spiritual law. What happens is people in love with darkness will move away from you. They want absolutely nothing to do with you. The torment of being unable to pull you back into the mud is too great for them.” (Vernon Howard)

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“So long as men praise you, you can only be sure that you are not yet on your own true path but on someone else’s.” (Friedrich Nietzsche)

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“Take another example – a roomful of guests in full dress, being received with great ceremony. You could almost believe that this is a noble and distinguished company; but, as a matter of fact, it is compulsion, pain and boredom who are the real guests. For where many are invited, it is a rabble – even if they all wear stars. Really good society is everywhere of necessity very small. In brilliant festivals and noisy entertainments, there is always, at bottom a sense of emptiness prevalent. A false tone is there.” (Schopenhauer)

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“If anyone can show me, and prove to me, that I am wrong in thought or deed, I will gladly change. I seek the truth, which never yet hurt anybody. It is only persistence in self-delusion and ignorance which does harm.” (Marcus Aurelius)

*******

“Spirituality is awareness, awareness, awareness, awareness, awareness, awareness. When your mother got angry with you, she didn’t say there was something wrong with her, she said there was something wrong with you; otherwise she wouldn’t have been angry. Well, I made the great discovery that if you are angry, Mother, there’s something wrong with you. So you’d better cope with your anger. Stay with it and cope with it. It’s not mine. Whether there’s something wrong with me or not, I’ll examine that independently of your anger. I’m not going to be influenced by your anger.

“Only a very aware person can refuse to pick up the guilt and anger, can say, ‘You’re having a tantrum. Too bad. I don’t feel the slightest desire to rescue you anymore, and I refuse to feel guilty.’” (Anthony de Mello)

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“Make not a close friend of a melancholy, sad person. He will be sure to increase your adversity and decrease your good fortune. He goes always heavily loaded, and you must bear half.” (Francoise Fenelon)

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“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured and far away.” (Henry David Thoreau)

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“Condemning others makes a man oblivious to his own faults, which therefore flourish unrebuked. Many individuals hide their own serious flaws behind a critical spirit. . . They cannot stand the painful operation of being themselves corrected. Such persons expend their energy and intelligence on superficial activities and so have neither time nor vitality left to concentrate on essentials.” (Paramahansa Yogananda)

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“To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive.” (Robert Louis Stevenson)

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“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” (Buddha)

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