Stopping Panic Attacks - The 1 Step Solution

Stopping panic attacks is not easy. I know from experience; I lived with it for more than 17 years. During that time I was always on the lookout for ways to improve my condition and my quality of life. Most of the things I tried didn't help at all, but a couple of them did.

What I'm going to talk about next is one of the few things I found that really made a difference and helped in my recovery.

What I'm talking about here is a book. It's called "50 Self-Help Classics," and it's written by a man called Tom Butler-Bowden. What makes this book so different from most others I read in this area is that it's a book about other books. The author has read hundreds and hundreds of self-help books, looking for the handful that are excellent.

And he took the best 50 books on the subject that he discovered and condensed them all into this one little book. That means that by reading this one book you'll actually be learning the information from over 50 books. Pretty neat, eh? It's like stopping panic attacks on turbo!

The reason I recommend this book so strongly to people who are living with panic and anxiety is because so many of the self-help books out there are terrible - a complete waste of your time. But this book, which collects together the ideas and information from the best 50 books out there, contains nothing but great information. The author has done the hard work of reading the books that are terrible so you don't have to.

I believe you'll find dozens of nuggets of information in this book that will help you with your panic and anxiety. In fact, if stopping panic attacks is your main goal right now, then I recommend that buying and reading this book is your very next step.

Since overcoming a lifelong battle with many forms of anxiety disorder, Alex Taylor now devotes his time to helping others recover. He achieves this via his highly-acclaimed online course, "Beat Panic Today." So if you want to stop panic attacks right now you can access the course, free of charge, by going to Alex's website: http://www.PreventYourPanic.com

Your Hardest Day In Life

How to Greatly Improve Your Manifestations

Chances you are familiar with: The Power of Intention, Think and Grow Rich, The Secret, The Law of Attraction, or Ask and it is Given. Let's face it, these methods for manifesting your desires into reality teach much of the same methods, through different angles.

What makes up their bulk of their messages (instead of focusing on the important mystic essentials for one to directly change reality to their will) are hours of self-help, spiritual inspiration, and tools for personal and inner transformation. May just be me, but that sounds like another subject matter. Yet supposedly these are the real issues behind your ability, or lack thereof. It boils down to surrendering negative thoughts, re-remembering positive elements of life, and going through self-therapy until the results in your life follow the changes in your outlook. Once you can hold a positive outlook, the petty psychology that fueled what manifested in your life until now, will fade away, replaced by positive changes. Some schools even use generalizations in quantum physics to support their methods. The bottom line is by changing your thoughts, you will change your reality.

Why then, is it so impossible to achieve for the mass majority!?

If you are like thousands of others, you may be thinking sure it sounds logical, but why (despite how much you understand positive thinking), behind all the applied optimism, does it feel like everything is still a luck of the draw situation? That much like a domino effect, your destiny seems to have been set in motion by cosmic dice thrown at the moment of your birth? Pretty fatalistic right? What if there was a way to alter those dominoes? That is what Manifesting or co-creating is all about right?

It doesn't matter how many authors out there can explain away the logic, it doesn't automatically make them qualified to teach how-to achieve it. Sure, in order to teach how, you must do so from experiential success, but the other side is understanding the mind-state (not just the intentions) of the student learning it. So let's get to the heart of this article.

Most people automate. They are not in control of their thoughts. Hindu yogi's call it the monkey mind. The Higher Balance Institute calls it your "Babbler". The bottom line is, if you don't know how to control it, then it won't matter how much you grasp, your brain will still play thoughts like a broken record. No matter how clearly you've traced where your negativity originated from in childhood, figuring that out will only change "the content" your babbler uses to dilute your focus while manifesting.

Put positive and negative aside. If your mind is undisciplined, your attempts at manifesting won't generate enough "fuel" or energy to alter the cosmic dominoes beyond your awareness. But, if you somehow had enough fuel to "broadcast" your intentions out to God or the Universe, call it what you will, I guarantee it would add the missing link!

So how can you build this kind of fuel? There are several easy ways. No, I'm not trying to trick you, they really are easy if you put one daily foot in front of the other.

1. Learn how to control your thoughts. Learn an effective meditation and make it a daily practice. Never mind enlightenment (for now), just train your thought control. (make sure it's not a mantra technique, you don't want any triggered spoken or structured thoughts at all) I highly recommend the methods that focus on a chakra. Once you can hold a state of "non-thought" for 1 minute, you are VERY close to your goal.

2. Use this new skill in your manifestation sessions. Relax into a clear state of "nonthought", and instead of a ton of babbled-thoughts representing your intention, or representing what you are asking God, you will use your new meditative skill to isolate the emotional texture (behind the words) of what it is you desire. It cuts to the chase and amplifies the fuel!

3. Hold that emotion! Focus solely on broadcasting the feeling to the universe. Then broadcast it to the deepest part of your heart and mind. Use this fuel technique to program yourself too. Our bodies are electrical, programmed from birth by reality itself. This works far better than spoken or 'babbled' affirmations.

Having more fuel makes all the difference. But if you still have an undisciplined mind, just forget about it. Sure, your desires have an emotional fuel in themselves, but if your mind can only last 5 seconds before another thought comes in diluting it, it basically just evaporated whatever fuel was building.

Train your non-thought skill. Use it to enhance your manifestations and achieve the success you know you've earned. That's Direct Manifestation!

Matt Struve

Higher Balance Institute offers tools for meditation, spiritual development, enhanced intuition and sensory awareness in the world. Our mission is simple - to awaken the world one mind at a time. For more information and a free 1 hour Q&A Audio recording on Manifestation visit us at http://www.higherbalance.com

Searching For A Soul Mate

Change, Happiness, Success And Our Core Values

The saying that "change is the only constant thing in this world" holds profound meaning in every sense of the word. Backed by this universal truth is also the dictum that there is no such thing as 'forever'. However, amidst all these acclaimed universal truths, there are things in this world that stay eternal: One of them our set of core values the fundamentals that enable us to find happiness and success in our lives.

In his # 1 National Bestseller book that sold over 10 million copies, author Stephen R. Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1990 ed.) illustrates his own personal experience on change. As a parent, he claims that to change a situation, we first have to change ourselves, and to change ourselves effectively, we first have to change our perceptions. However, Dr. Phil argues that it's more complicated than that. Illustrated in his book Life Strategies - Stop Making Excuses! Do What Works, Do What Matters (1999 ed.), he firmly wants to instill in our minds the glaring truth about change that we can not change what we do not acknowledge. In similar fashion, I totally agree on his argument. It's like saying that the hardest thing to open in this world is a closed mind - therefore making change difficult to occur.

There are some people who have a mindset to make some changes in their lives and choose to be happy. Even the great Chinese philosopher Confucius would agree in his belief that "man must be wise and unafraid to live a happy life" - a philosophy similarly shared by his contemporary, Mencius where he enumerates three mature virtues of his 'great man' as wisdom, compassion and courage deliberated in Lin Yutang's book, The Importance of Living (1962 ed.) a must-to-read book for daily living.

Likewise, Stephen R. Covey focuses the "Character Ethic" as the foundation of success things like integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, simplicity, modesty and the Golden Rule.

In his book, he presented Benjamin Franklin's autobiography as the epitome of these values "a man's effort to integrate certain principles and habits deep within his nature", he explained. The Character Ethic, according to Covey teaches us that there are basic principles of effective living, and that people can only experience true success and enduring happiness as they learn and integrate these principles into their basic character.

In addition, Anthony Scire's dynamic and contemporary book The Power of 2 (2003 ed.) promotes building solid relationships over the long term and encouraging us to be "nice, kind and good" to everyone we know and meet. This highlights Henry James's core value of kindness:"Three things in human life are important", he said. "The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind." In the same book, then eminent Bishop Fulton J. Sheen admonished us to also take control of our emotions so that we may live a successful and happy life. He said: "Each of us makes his own weather determines the color of the skies in the emotional universe which he inhabits."

Change therefore is inevitable in our lives. If - and when it comes, our core values should help us adapt to the consequences of change. Hence, as exemplified by great and wise men of past and present generations, our happiness and success depend upon our core values and attitudes.

Letty R. Vendramini
http://www.7PowerWords.com/

Your Voyage To Happiness Begins Here. Learn how you can find real happiness in your life and how to live it to the full. Abandon unhappiness and achieve true lasting happiness. Discover the "real you" and unleash the joy within.

Visit http://www.BestSecretsToHappiness.com/ and receive Your FREE Happiness Report Worth $47 On How You Can Find True Lasting Happiness In Your Life. Click now to download. Alternatively Letty regularly writes articles on How To Sustain True, Lasting Happiness available to view at http://www.BestSecretsToHappiness.com/blog/

Letty R. Stevens Vendramini acquired two degrees in Bachelor of Philosophy (Ph.B) Minor in English and Bachelor of Social Work (BSocWk). Letty teaches subjects in Philosophy, Psychology, Public Speaking, Argumentation and Debate, English Grammar and Composition, Research and Thesis Writing and Business Ethics. Letty is a part-time Private Practitioner in Social Work-Counseling. She is also a writer, a newspaper columnist/correspondent and an editor.

Motivational Speech Review

Over Deliver in Your Business Or Someone Else Will

When you decide to undertake a new business or internet enterprise or if you already have a business be prepared to deliver the goods. That is over deliver. If you want to stand out amongst the countless mediocre businesses that are out there, give of yourself and share all the resources you have at your disposal. This is not only a good philosophy to adopt, but it is mandatory.

There is way too much competition and too many alternatives available in todays' marketplace to offer some run of the mill product or service and expect people to be satisfied. Others may get away with it, but that doesn't make it alright to perpetuate this practice. Make it your mission to blow your customers away with the value you offer. You may fear this will exhaust you or overwhelm you, but I can assure you the opposite is true.

Outside forces tend to come into play when they are truly necessary. If your mission is to help others and offer a business, service, or program that is of value it will get noticed, and as such others will rally behind this system and actually contribute to and multiply your efforts. You will find this reaction energizes you and inspires you to offer even more value. Also the concerted effort behind this cause will gain momentum.

So few people actually make themselves available to spend the time assisting their newly recruited clients or customers and offering them the assurance and support they need. By simply going the extra steps and taking the time to answer questions, offer training, return phone calls, return emails, and show your concern; you are fostering more trust and a stronger bond that will pay off in the long run. You're establishing long term relationships and ties that carry on.

Learn a lesson from the top businesses or noted personalities who are among us today. What are the commonalities? What qualities do they share? Above all they are givers. They blow people away. Disney World does this, Walmart does this, McDonald's does this and even Brittany Spears. All in their own way, they offer something and they don't hold back. Fan or not, this is undeniable. Walmart has teams of marketing experts seeking out name brand goods to offer at lower prices. Disney always surprises us with the latest in animation and technology. And yes, Ms. Spears may take a detour or two, but she ultimately shares her talent and is rewarded because of that.

If this sounds foreign to you or like unnecessary baloney, I would encourage you to reexamine your intent and your expectations for success. A customer can always buy from someone else or a new client can always seek a service elsewhere. Don't let them. Don't be concerned with "the how" as much as the effort. If you put forth more effort, even more than you think you possess, you will most assuredly enjoy the rewards, and in most cases more than you can gauge by a bank account.

If this has been helpful and you'd like to learn more Go Here for more marketing tips.

James Broadfoot is an entrepreneur, web publisher and online marketing specialist. Take a Look Here to see what else he's up to.

Hypnotic Writing

Salvation in the Age of Grace

We are saved by grace. The following is the great hymn, Amazing Grace. Look at the words carefully.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.

And Grace, my fears relieved.

How precious did that Grace appear

The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares

I have already come;

'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far and Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.

His word my hope secures.

He will my shield and portion be,

As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,

And mortal life shall cease,

I shall possess within the veil,

A life of joy and peace.

When we've been here ten thousand years

Bright shining as the sun.

We've no less days to sing God's praise

Than when we've first begun.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

John Newton (1725-1807)

John Newton was the captain of a slave ship before he was saved and before he became a preacher. On one trip to America transporting slaves, Newton went down into the belly of that slave ship and was moved to tears when he saw those people, who were in bondage, singing in spite of their obvious misery. In 1772 Newton wrote the words above and delivered them in a sermon. The music was added later, but not by Newton himself.

Wherever Amazing Grace is played, it is instantly recognized. It is often played on a bag pipe in funeral possessions for police and firemen.

Look at these words carefully.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

What is the meaning of the words lost and found?

If you are a Bible reader or if you have ever attended church on a regular basis, you will probably remember the story of the young man who asked his father to give him his share of his inheritance and he left home. After all his money had been spent and he realized the error of his way, he went back home, willing to work as a servant if he must.

When he arrived at home he told his father "I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight and am no more worthy to be called thy son" (Luke 15:21).

The father was overjoyed at his son's return and he said to his servants:

Luke 15:22-24: ...Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

In Christendom, this is known as a parable; and a parable is comparing one thing against another or an example of biblical truth explained in a simplistic format. In this case it mirrors Christ's feelings toward the lost. We see evidence of this in Luke 19:10: For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. So in a biblical sense, the lost are any who do not acknowledge God as Lord and Jesus Christ as their Savior.

The words "found" then, would mean the lost have come to their senses, realized their sin and recognized God and Christ for whom and what they are.

When Newton penned the words, I once was lost but now am found, he was admitting he had recognized he was a sinner (lost) and that he had trusted the faith of Christ for salvation (being found).

The Gospel that Saves Today

In our Bible there are verses which tell someone how they can be found, i.e. saved. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians he tells them how they can be saved. Look at 1 Corinthians 15: 1-4: Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Paul reminded these Corinthians of the gospel (good news) he preached unto them. He also reminded them they had believed what he preached and they were standing steadfast in that gospel. He then proceeds to tell them in the 3rd and 4th verses what they had believed: Christ died for theirs sins, was buried and rose again the third day.

That is the gospel or good news of salvation. It is the only way anyone who is lost, a non-believer, can be found - saved.

In another letter Paul wrote to the Corinthians he said, 2 Corinthians 4:3: But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

Simply stated, Paul says if you cannot see the truth of the gospel he preached then you must be lost.

The Gospel According to Paul

I want you to look very closely at 1 Corinthians 15: 2 again: By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain (Underlining added). Notice the words I have underlined. Paul says you are saved if you believe what he preached unto you, and if you do not believe his teaching concerning salvation, you could believe in vain.

What does that mean, you have believed in vain? Simplistically, it states if you do not believe the gospel Paul preached, you would have failed in your attempt to be saved; or you effort was unsuccessful. Why? We are living in a period of time that the Bible refers to as the dispensation of the grace of God (Ephesians 3:2). In this dispensation, salvation is by grace and not by works.

Ephesians 2: 8-9: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

What this says is a person who simply trusts in what Christ did at Calvary, died for our sins, was buried and resurrected the third day, he will be saved. In a prior dispensation, know as the dispensation of the Law, salvation was by works. A person was not saved by grace but by the works of the law, i.e. repent and be baptized. In this case baptism was considered a work, and if you were not baptized you could not receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

The Gospel according to Peter

Unlike Paul's gospel, the gospel of Peter and the twelve is a gospel with works for the remission of sins.

Acts 2:38: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

However, we are no longer under the law. We are not being led by the conditions the law imposed on believers at one time; we are led by the Spirit. And Scripture tells us if we are led by the Spirit, we are not bound to the Law.

The Gospel of Grace

Galatians 5:18: But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

I want you to look closely at Ephesians 2:8-9 again: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

The words "ye are saved through faith" are very important. The question I pose to you is; by whose faith are you saved? It is your faith that saves you or was it Christ's faith that saved you?

Look at Galatians 2:16: Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified (Underlining Added).

The verse says we are not justified (saved) by the works of the law. In other words, baptism for the remission of sins will not save you today. Then what will? Simple: the faith of Christ is what saves you.

What was the faith of Christ? Christ was willing to go to the cross and shed his blood for our sins. The very act of Christ shedding his blood for remission of sins was the work which replaces baptism for remission of sins. Now, in this dispensation of the grace of God, we who believe in Jesus Christ will be justified (saved) by the work of Christ (he died for our sins).

There are far too many people who want you to believe that if you are not water baptized you will not be saved. Those people cannot give you a good answer to Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Baptism is a work that you do, and to believe that by being baptized you have remission of sins, nullifies the work that Christ did at Calvary. You have prostituted grace.

1 Corinthians 15:3-4: For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures (Underlining Added).

If you do not believe this gospel, you are lost. If you want to be found, believe the Gospel of Christ as seen in the Scripture above. It is God's grace that saves you, not a work in which you can do.

Salvation is simple, but that does not mean it is easy.

Romans 1:16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

The gospel of Christ is Christ died for our sins was buried and rose again for our justification. That is the simple part. Everything has been done by Christ for your salvation, but you have to trust that what he did, he died for you.

Romans 10:17: So faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The word of God for salvation is seen in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. You have read it; do you trust that what it says is true? If you do, then you are saved; again, that is the simple part.

The part that is not quite so easy to do is to admit that you need a savior. Too many people rationalize they must be saved because:

1) they were brought up in a church,
2) they attend church services regularly,
3) Momma and Daddy were Christians, so I must be too attitude,
4) they think they are a good person.

None of those things will save a lost person. Believing the gospel is what saves. Have you done that? You say: "I walked down an isle and gave my heart to Jesus when I was a teenager, so I am saved."

So, you took a walk down a church isle, what for? Was it because your sweetheart said "I'm going down and give my heart to Jesus, why don't you come with me?"

Was it because your mother said you ought to go down?

Salvation comes to the person who recognizes they are lost and realizes they need a Savior and then trusts in the work of Christ to save them. Have you done that?

If you walked down an isle but did not believe the gospel, you took a walk for nothing. You do not need to go to church to be saved. You do not need to walk an isle and have a preacher shake your hand and commend you for having done so. You can trust Christ as Savior at home, in the woods or in your car.

Salvation comes to those who believe Christ paid a debt for their sins. Have you done that?

Remove the blinders and see the truth of what Christ did for you and you will be saved. Recognize you are a sinner and you need a Savior and God will save you, right where you are.

Will you do that right now?

If you do that, you are a child of God and will spend eternity with God in heaven. If you don't trust Christ, you are a child of the devil and will spend eternity in Hell.

The choice is yours. What will you do? Which path will you take?

There are many people who have postponed trusting Christ as their savior, saying I have plenty of time to. Do you?

The following lyrics were written by Connie Smith.

Got up on Sunday morning, went to the church at ten, I listened to the words I'd heard time and time again.

The preacher spoke of sinful lives, Lord it seems he spoke of mine, But I was young I had plenty of time.

Plenty of time to decide where I'm bound,

to eternal darkness or to a Heavenly crown oh, oh

I'm just a young girl not yet in my prime, so I'll

just wait I've got plenty of time.

I walked on down life's pathway living as I chose to live. Out to beat the other fellow how to get what life could give Making money isn't sinful Lord having fun is not a crime. So I'll just wait I've got plenty of time

Plenty of time to decide where I'm bound to

eternal darkness or to a Heavenly crown, Oh! Oh!

I'm just a young girl not yet in my prime so I'll

just wait I had plenty of time

Before I knew what happened life scenes had passed away;
and millions stood before God's throne for it was judgment day.
Now eternity beckons and the name it calls is mine
But I thought that I had plenty of time.
Eternity waits I've got plenty of time,

To think of all the days that Christ could have been mine,
Now my chance is over, earth's days are left behind,
And here am I, I've got plenty of time.
Now I've got nothing but plenty of time.

Time is a precious commodity. None of us knows what tomorrow has in store for us. You could go to the doctor tomorrow and be diagnosed with a terminal illness.

You could wake in the morning, get in your car or truck and be killed in an accident. You could be eating in a restaurant and get choked and die before someone could give you the Hymlick maneuver.

Fact is: no one knows when they will breathe their last breath. Why don't you simply trust what Christ has done for you - right now?

If you'll do that, you can make the words of Amazing Grace your own words.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

Obed Kirkpatrich was a Pastor/Teacher in Baton Rouge, Louisiana from 1975 to 2000; at that time he moved to Franklin, Tennessee to be near three of his six grandchildren. He and his wife Linda have been married for 48 years. Obed is an author and still teaches Bible classes in the Middle Tennessee area.

Recommended Teen Reading List

The Last Days Of Christianity

Book Review - Mixed - My Life in Black and White

"I hate covert racism. I always hated guessing whether someone is being mean/rude/nervous because they hate my race or because they are having a bad day. As I got older, I noticed that covert racism is like depression: You know it when you feel it, but it's hard to explain to someone who has never experienced it. It's like a sixth sense that God has given people of color that white people don't believe in. We just know."

In her memoir "Mixed: My Life in Black and White" (2006), Angela Nissel writes of the struggles she faces while growing up biracial. Nissel's name may be familiar to fans of the NBC comedy series "Scrubs." She has been a staff writer for the show for four years and is now consulting producer. As a starving artist (a.k.a. freelance writer), Nissel sold some goods on eBay for extra cash. The winning bidder for one of those items was a television executive who had read her first book "The Broke Diaries" (2001), which was about her days as a broke college student. The eBay winner introduced Nissel to a television literary agent who sent copies of "The Broke Diaries" to shows hiring comedy writers. Nissel had numerous job offers, but chose "Scrubs."

Her knack for sarcastic, quick-witted humor that is a driving force in "Scrubs" is what makes "Mixed" a must read. When Nissel is in the fourth grade, two of her classmates, Jimmy and Michael, call her a zebra. (That isn't the humorous part.) Nissel's father finds out and goes to the boys' houses with Angela. Jimmy's parents scold their son. However, Michael's father slams the door in Angela's father's face. That father's dog has been using the Nissels' yard as a bathroom, so Angela's father concocts a hilarious scheme involving an Ex-Lax pill. Angela asks her father whether the Ex-Lax will hurt the dog. "'No, just Michael's father's carpets,'" her dad replies.

Later, though, Angela discovers that her father has been cheating on her mother, but even this situation is steeped in humor. "I already knew my parents were having problems and she suspected my father of cheating. (Note to parents: Trying to have cryptic conversations by spelling words out no longer works once your child is reading.) Then later, "Ever since the first argument about my father c-h-e-a-t-i-n-g with w-h-o-r-e-s, my mother had started working a lot...."

The thing about this book is that the comedic moments are also sad ones. And this is Nissel's strength: She makes you laugh, but she also makes you think. Comments from people about her looks teach her that there is "good" hair and an "ugly" nose. The features people consider pretty are from her white father.

She went to all-black schools, all-white schools, public, private, schools associated with different religions-yet she never fit in. She was never white enough or black enough, so she was the target of merciless teasing. "Being a mixed child, you get used to people staring at you," she writes. She immediately follows with humor: "I learned that rolling my eyes or sticking out my tongue was the quickest way to get people to avert their gazes." She learns that being biracial is no easier in the dating world. She notices that of six black male coworkers at a production company, "five had white wives and one was dating an Asian girl."

The book is filled with Nissel's struggles, but she doesn't want you to feel sorry for her; she is explaining how her experiences (good or bad) made her who she is. She makes you care about the people in her life, particularly her mother, who let her daughter change schools and religions-almost as often as she changed her clothes-in an attempt to find herself. Nissel doesn't censor herself-or anyone else-which makes for brilliant dialogue and unapologetic honesty.

http://www.whitneybrennan.info

Creating A Habit

Find Out Why You Believe in Your Religion

Whenever I ask someone involved in a religious organization, the question, do you really believe in your religion? Most of these people will often answer would be yes and start their religious conversion. Some of these people can become very intrusive if I don't stop them soon, very few of these people listen with an open mind.

I have talked to quite a few men and women about their beliefs over the years and still find it hard to believe that most of them live a life of faith with very little understanding or education about their religion. Now some strong believers might take offense to that statement, while others will listen to what I said and start doing a little more research on their religion.

Most of these religions throughout the world make perfectly good sense to their followers and I understand the reasoning behind some of them, it's all they know, everyone around them believes in the same religion and they get some sort of happiness and joy from it.

It's not hard to imagine a young child, walking around with strong religious beliefs if their parents are strong believers in it also. These children grow up and eventually train their children to follow the same path of their parents. Our children should be able to choose, what they will believe in, by the time they are adults.

This is a natural process of life, your parents learned from their parents and whenever someone asked them a question that they really couldn't answer or were uncomfortable answering, they can always reply with, I'm living a life based on faith or you just have to believe. You have to believe that someone is looking out for you and taking care of you. Most of these people think that something else is responsible for the events that take place in their life.

Is it possible for people that live a life of faith to educate themselves about their religion, to find the origin and maybe the destination of their religions. Could these people actually assume responsibility for their choices, whether they're good or bad. It's often hard to listen to somebody tell me that some evil entity made them do something bad. These people are easily convinced by others who agree with them and support them with their statements and beliefs. This seems to be where the biggest problem lies.

Once the people around us support our beliefs, they soon become realities in our lives. These realities will be transferred to others around us and give them support eventually about their beliefs. It's like a vicious circle that never ends. One believe supports another belief, until it's a fact.

Education is the path to freedom and will soon deliver the students from religious bondage. Someone a long time ago said," Seek and You Shall Find, Knock on My Door and I Will Open It.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, Science Getting Rich.

Greg is currently working on a religious education also visit our article library, filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Goal Planning For Success

The Importance of Women's Spirituality

A friend recently asked me why I felt it was so important to focus specifically on spirituality for women. Isn't the point of spirituality, she asked, to move to an understanding that transcends distinctions like gender? Does it really serve the process, she wondered, to imply there is a separate spirituality for men and for women?

As part of my response, I referred her to a recently published book called Taking Back God: American Women Rising Up for Religious Equality. The author, Leora Tanenbaum, explores the role of women within Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The author interweaves religious history with interviews of contemporary women who care deeply about their religions, and derive great knowledge and sustenance from them, but are unhappy with the restricted roles of women within them. Many of these interviews are very moving, because these women have really struggled with this issue.

One of the biggest problems for these women is the restrictions placed on their access to teachings and official roles. Many of their religions restrict women's rights or abilities to read certain scriptures, or to teach or preach. Since scriptures are often considered the word of God, or a conduit to enlightenment (in the East), this sends the message that women are 'further' from God or enlightenment, and that they don't have the right to communicate directly, or to learn, teach, or preach on their own. They have to get everything secondhand. Contemporary American women don't accept this in the office, and are increasingly uncomfortable with it in their houses of worship.

While Taking Back God focuses on the official role of women in Christianity, Judaism and Islam, things aren't altogether different in the New Age or self-help communities, or in many Buddhist or Yoga centers. Although there are more women spiritual teachers, authors, and religious leaders in America than elsewhere in the world, they are still vastly outnumbered by men (just check out the Amazon bestsellers list). This despite the fact that according to book marketing surveys, women outnumber men as the purchasers of spiritual and religious books by as much as 4 to 1. In other words, women would appear to be more interested in spirituality in general, but the majority of books, teachers, organizations and resources out there are male-dominated. What is the message sent by this?

So, my answer to my friend, the reason focusing on women's spirituality is important to me, even though I am wary of over-identifying with gender issues, is that I think it really matters how many women religious leaders and spiritual teachers there are out there. And I think full access to scriptures, and leadership roles, and teaching positions - within every tradition - is imperative. Women's access to spirituality, their relationship with God/Tao/Nirvana/Brahma (or whatever you believe in), can't be secondhand. In a way, changing this is the most essential form of change that can occur, because our spiritual and religious beliefs define our organizational view of the world. If we see women as 'lower down' the totem pole, even subconsciously, we are denying ourselves our full power.

Lisa Erickson is a mom, meditation teacher, and writer. Visit her blog http://www.MommyMystic.wordpress.com for spiritual book reviews and information on meditation and spirituality.

Overcoming Difficulties Talking

Light Workers video

This video tells of the estoic wisdom between the three types of light workers and how they are going to bring the earth into a new earth full of love and light.

Life of Jesus

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a spiritual help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Don Miguel Ruiz
Dan Millman

Does God Exist and If So Who's Right

Would you stake your life on your beliefs? I'm asking this question, hoping that you have an answer. Would you be gambling with your life or are you that sure about your religion. Do you live your life without a doubt that your religion is right and other religions are wrong or are you one of those people that hopes you are right and hopes that the other religions aren't.

If you are a Muslim and follow Islam, is the Quran the Word of God? Is this text flawless and without error? What's going to be going through your mind when you go to heaven, if you go to heaven, only to find out that the Hindu religion is right. Are you convinced without a doubt, 100% that your religion is right or are their errors and mistakes in your religious text.

Is your God going to be merciful and understanding to other religions or other people who have lived what you would consider to be a good and moral life. Is your god going to let them enter heaven or is he going to turn them away or possibly send them to burn in an eternal lake of fire.

Imagine, if you can, standing near a cliff and there was a long line of people and you were slowly working your way towards the front of the line, watching someone who was glowing with radiant light asking people questions, and pushing some of the people off of the cliff, while others walk away unharmed. You're going to be ready to answer any questions that the glowing person is going to ask you.

When you arrive, he simply says do you believe in your religion 100%. What's your answer going to be? What's going to be going through your mind? Are you that sure, that you're right.

So I ask you again, are you positive and without a doubt, 100% sure that you are right about your religion and the other religions are wrong. If you're not 100% sure, do a little research about your religion and your beliefs will either get stronger or weaker but try to keep an open mind, either way.

Most religions around the world have certain things in common. Seek the truth and the truth shall set you free. You've got to know what you're looking for though, so pay attention.

Choose Your Religion

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site.

Greg is currently working on a self help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Spiritual Awakening - Truth in Ancient Teachings

Eckhart Tolle is a gifted spiritual teacher. In the opening chapter of his book, A New World, he identifies two common themes shared by mankind's greatest religions and spiritual teachings. The first is the idea than our normal awareness is flawed. In our normal state we are missing the mark, or missing the point of reality. Given our history of war and violence, it is hard to argue with this first theme. We seem to be always on our way somewhere, often unhappy with someone or something over perceived wrongs. So much of our lives are spent looking for the next person or event to make us happy. Seldom do we find what we are looking for and when we do it seldom lasts.

The flaws in our normal awareness are not hard to see. It is not to say we do not have our moments of great joy. It is the point that joy seldom lasts. I love Tolle's example of the unhappy guy who wins the lottery and lives the same unhappy life in more luxurious surroundings. Spiritual wisdom teaches that true joy comes from within.

Eckhart Tolle says that the world's great religions share two common themes. What then is the second? The second is the possibility of transformation. Redemption, salvation, awakening, or enlightenment - all refer to one core idea. The idea that man has the capacity to change his normal state of awareness and to wake up. Waking up is the clear goal of most spiritual seekers and the hidden goal of most of us who just want to be happy.

Paths to truth are varied, but there is likely only one absolute truth about our reality. Tolle believes he found it through unbearable pain. Others have found it though near-death experiences. My humble suggestion is not to wait for intense pain or a brush with death. If you agree our normal state leaves something to be desired, look for a way to wake up.

In the end we are together. If a path teaches you to blame or find causes of suffering outside yourself, avoid it. Change the world by changing your own mind.

Spiritual awakening is within anyone's grasp. Visit my website http://www.beapasserby.com where we uncover the insights of the world's greatest spiritual teachers and healers.

Adult Pier Pressure

Nothing In This World Is What You Are Being Told - What's a Commoner to Do?

I asked him, he being a retired CIA agent whose path and mine crossed briefly in this life, "If you can't tell me what you did, can you at least tell me what you learned?" His reply woke me up to what I already knew and suspect most humans know in their hearts who live on this planet, but don't want to know. He said, "Oh yes, I can surely tell you what I learned...Nothing in this world is as you are being told."

Nothing in this world is what you are being told. That's one of life's bottom line statements if there ever was one. NOTHING IN THIS WORLD IS AS YOU ARE BEING TOLD. Let that sink in. If that is so, and I suspect it is, how can this help us go inside for a personal spirituality that works for us and does not need to be based on the illusions that others wish for us to believe.

Humans, by nature, are creatures of opinions and views. It is these opinions and views we adopt or reject that form the basis for how and what we think about all day. It is opinions and views that divide us up into groups, organizations, denominations, factions, parties and religions. Somewhere, there is the simple truth of what really did happen in the past or is happening in the present, but it is made into an illusion by opinions and views or by those who need to use what happened to an advantage of some kind and turn what happened into what did not really happen. They need to turn a real reason into one less than real and accurate.

In my life, I have come to see that in the world of Christian belief, "Nothing in this world is as you are being told." This is true of so many topics we just know are the way we personally believe them to be..or we would not believe it surely!

The bible is not a seamless whole without spot or blemish. It contains many many mistakes, contradictions, myths and scientific absurdities.

The God if the Bible is not all that loving nor much different than the humans who want to rule the planet with an iron fist. Jesus returning with a "rod of iron" does not inspire me nor endear me to this imagined event. We have had enough bullying, coersion, threats to obey, or else, and beatings administered on the planet to think that this is a good thing. How about returning with a hug?

The New Testament books may be and may not be written by the people we have been told wrote them, nor for the reasons we have been told they did write them.

The Gospels are not harmonious and the stories of Jesus life are not eyewitness accounts.

The birth narratives of Jesus are not coherent and whenever Jesus was born, it was NOT on Xmas!

Precious little is known about Jesus outside of these Gospels as Jesus is not really much of a figure of real history as reported by outside historians of his own day. They simply seem to never have heard of him.

The history of the "True Church" is not as true as one might believe nor as simple.

The characters of both the Old and New Testaments may not be as real as one has been lead to believe.

The events described in both the Old and New Testaments may not be as accurate, historical or real as they have been portrayed to be.

The relationships between the characters of the New Testament were not as loving, kind and cooperative as the text would have us believe.

The motives, honesty and tactics in spreading the "Gospel" of early church fathers might not be as pure and true as one is lead to believe.

The lives of pastors, priests, apostles, popes, true believers, evangelists and all assorted gurus are not as they might have us believe.

And on and on and on it can go.

In the world of politics, "Nothing in the world is as you are being told."

I have no idea who really killed John Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King or Malcom X, nor why, but it is not as simple as you and I have been told. One comes to understand in time that whatever the accepted story of any political topic is, that can't really be it.

I have no idea if Senator Paul Wellstone, John F. Kennedy Jr., Senator Carnahan or Hale Boggs died in accidental air crashes but there is lots of evidence things are not as they appear. There is lots of evidence that Waco, Flight 007, 800 and the Oklahoma City bombing are not what they appear to be.

Watergate, Iran-Contra, Vietnam, the Gulf of Tonkin, Pearl Harbor and alas, 911 all, perhaps, are not at all what they have been portrayed as being nor their reasons, causes, perpetrators and motives as simple as they have been portrayed to we common folks.

Why did WTC 7 really collapse, and why, for that matter, did both World Trade Centers collapse? I don't know. Why no black boxes or video of the plane that hit the Pentagon in a city covered with cameras? I don't know. Why did the best air force in the world fail to respond for hours, much less minutes to four obvious commercial deviations? I don't know. Why did the President say he saw the first plan hit the tower and think to himself.."that guy sure isn't a very good pilot," when there was no video of the first plane hitting the tower. Why does nothing appear to be as it is? I don't know.

Now we are mired in a war, whose motives, benefits, perks and intentions are not as we have been told. It might not be just that we are stopping terrorists before "they come over here." We have been told that the reasons we went to war were to stop a crazy dictator from unleasing WMD's on us poor folks, and yet, not finding any, the reasons for going to this war keep changing and the average person just keeps saying "whatever you say George, whatever you say."

Speaking of which, we seem also to have a President, whose family ties, intentions, background, beliefs and motives may be a whole lot less glorious than we poor commoners have been led to believe. We have a President whose own willingness to serve during dangerous times in his youth, is suspect and tells one story, while the facts seem to tell another. In fact, when we look at the presidency as a whole and the men who fill that spot throughout history, "nothing in this world is as you are being told." Perhaps Presidents are not ELECTED, but rather SELECTED after all by the gang. These presidents and politicians are not who they appear to be, doing the jobs they appear to be doing, for the motives they appear to be doing them for. What's a commoner to do? Do those who rise to rule over others simply know that lies work and the average man is a fool when it comes to being controlled and herded into beliefs and practices that others deem good for them? It appears so. Nothing in this world is as it appears to be.

Gulf War Syndrome, prescription drugs safety, Democrats, Republicans, the Left, the Right, Christian Politicians, Jerry Falwell's, Pat Robertson's. Benny Hinn's and the 700 Club...no one is who they appear to be, and nothing done is for the stated reasons given for doing it. Perhaps Forrest Gump was right..stupid is as stupid does.

And on and on and on..makes a guy want to join On 'n On Annonymous!

So, since I seriously doubt I can ever really know what is going on in this world and yet suspect and research well the idea that it's not what one might think and certainly is not what one is being told, what's a commoner to DO?

1. Be willing to recognize that when any side in any issue gives any explanation or reason for any answer to any problem, question, statement or practice, they are not telling you the whole story. Basically when their mouths are moving, keep an open mind.

2. Never stop looking to find the simple truth of any matter. We live in an age where the information is out there on that which one might wish to pursue. Sure, you might come up against another idea, view or opinion, but keep looking anyway. It still is a good idea to search out a matter rather than believe the lie. The perspective and information available to those who want to know more than what they are just being told is more available now to the common man than at any time in history.

Use your internet well. In time I suspect you will see the powers that be wanting very much to limit your access to that which opens the mind to other possibilities in the world of social, political and religious ideas. As the early corporate church was not very happy when books became available to the commoner, and thus books not to be read became a popular form of control, the internet is not the best news for those who lie and deceive even themselves.

3. Develope a spirituality that does not despair of nothing in this world being as you are being told. Birds come home to roost. Truth rears it's beautiful face in time. What goes around comes around...just ask Trent Lott, Newt Gingrich and Tom Delay, or CEO's who stash their millions and destroy the lives and careers of the commoners working for them. Read about any Caesar who acted like he was God. Ask the Apostles, Evangelists and Popes who live their lives of intrigue, power and manipulation at everyone elses expense. We're all just people and those who bluster and bully their way to the top of whatever mountain they think they have to conquer seem the weakest and most insecure of them all. The higher you go, the more of your rear end you expose. How thou art fallen, oh Lucifer, thou son of the morning...An oft told tale. Every ladder goes up AND down. Every shenanigan pulled has a price exacted upon the puller and every mountain will be made low in time. Everyone dies and life goes on just fine, without them or us.

Men protest too much about the things they really want to do or, in fact, are doing. Every pastor I have ever heard habitually ranting about homosexuality was wrestling with it. People pass laws they would not keep if they had a need for it not to be a law in their case. Others expect you to believe and do what they do not believe or do themselves. A spirituality that takes these truths into consideration will keep your own body, mind and spirit in tact. We can address what kind of spirituality can do another time. Hint. Fundamentalist Christianity is not designed to lesson anxiety levels. After all, it demands you be right about every topic under the sun, or burn in hell. It demands you know what God is really doing and demands of you and you better be busy doing it, especially tithing :). Not exactly a formula for peace of mind.

So, "since nothing in this world is as you are being told," let's grow up and keep searching for the simple truth of all matters so this is less and less true. I don't want to live in a world of illusions and lies as scary as that also might be.

Changing Bad Habits

The Magic of Yoga - Inspiration For Beginners

As you practice Yoga, you begin to notice changes in the way you react to events at work and situations at home. With aches and pains no longer nagging you, with your nervous system in a state of calmness, and with your mind not congested with frantic thoughts, you find that you are able to respond to life quite differently from the way in which you once did. Suppose someone swerves in front of you when you're driving along the freeway. Previously, you may have felt threatened, angry, or frightened. However, since you just emerged from a Yoga class, calmness pervades your being and you are able to react quickly and avert an accident! Also, instead of typical angry responses, you can be slightly humored by the driver's behavior and by our cultural obsession to get everywhere in a hurry. In addition, with the spacious feeling in your mind, you have room to entertain other thoughts. You are able to think, "Maybe that person's wife is seriously ill in the hospital, and he needs to get there in a hurry." You maintain your calm focus, and then drive safely home.

Suppose that a family member says or does something that might make you defensive and upset. As you practice Yoga, especially combined with meditation, you develop inner awareness and the presence of mind to catch these emotions before they manifest as angry, hurtful words. You are able to ask yourself, "Is there some truth in what they are saying?" After all, whenever you open a box, the only thing that can come out is that which is already inside. Ask yourself why anger would be in your box, and why does it come out so easily? Now you are able to go inside and look at yourself so that, next time, a similar situation does not evoke a similar reaction.

There is more to Yoga than poses. As you progress along the path, you learn how to use the calm feelings and wise philosophies that underlie Yoga in all aspects of your life. You carry yoga in your mind, in your words, and in your heart.

Life is designed to be joy, not sorrow; fulfillment, not punishment; abundance, not deprivation. Yoga is about finding bliss, our very nature, in all the minute, meandering movements of our lives. When you do this, you live Yoga. Then you have a smile in your heart and sleep more at peace when the sun has finally set on the day.

Aadil Palkhivala 2008

And now I invite you to claim your Free Instant Access to an excerpt of my new book, Fire of Love: Chapter 5: Feeling, from Fire of Love

To buy a copy - click on this link: Yoga Centers Online Store

Five Things You Should Know

Increase Your Creative Thinking Ability and Reduce Your Stress by Using the Brain Dump Exercise

Introduction

Very often in business leaders fight so many fires and don't give themselves the opportunity to think and act strategically.It is my humble opinion that senior managers are paid higher salaries because of their ability to think. So what happens if that skill is inhibited or impeded?Very obviously not only will the manager suffer but so will their business and their team.We only have to look at recent events in the world economy to see what happens when smart people stop thinking.

This exercise is simple and straightforward and is designed to help you to achieve clarity in your thinking.One of the main blocks to this clarity is the amount of information that we hold in our heads.This exercise helps you get a better perspective on your thoughts which should lead to actions that are thought through which will improve your own effectiveness and performance.

In addition to clarifying your thinking this exercise will help you to:

you organise your thoughts
clear space for creative thinking
prioritise your thoughts
get a better/different perspective
improve your way of thinking
reduce stressful thinking

The Brain Dump Exercise

Give yourself 30 minutes to start this exercise.You will come back to it on a regular basis. You will need three different coloured pens or pencils

1. Get yourself a new reporters notepad and sit at your desk
2. Ask yourself this question: "what's on my mind in relation to my work" (this question can be changed to suit whatever may be blocking your thinking at any one time)
3. What ever comes to your mind write it on a blank sheet of the reporters pad in one of the colours (keep this same colour for each idea)
4. Flip over the sheet and repeat steps 2-4 until you have everything that has been on your mind now on a blank sheet of paper.Don't try and save paper by writing on the back - the rule is one idea to one sheet
5. Find a clear space, a clear table for instance and rip out each of the sheets of paper.

Steps 6 to 11 are optional as they are to help you prioritise your thinking

6. Arrange each of these sheets of paper in order of importance.

7. Start with the least important item and with one other the other coloured pens write in the bottom right hand corner the number 1.Take the next least important item and write in the bottom right hand corner a 2.Repeat until all of the bits of paper have a number of the same colour in the bottom right hand corner.They should now be numbered 1 to X where is the total number of bits of paper.

8. Now re-arrange the bits of paper in order of urgency.

9. Start with the least urgent item and with the remaining coloured pen write in the bottom left hand corner the number 1.Take the next least urgent item and write in the bottom right hand corner a 2.Repeat until all of the bits of paper have a number of the same colour in the bottom left hand corner.They should now be numbered 1 to X where is the total number of bits of paper.

10.Now add up the two numbers.

11.Arrange the bits of paper in descending order (highest number to the lowest).

12.Starting with the piece of paper with the highest number, or whichever feels most important for you, write down what comes to you.This can be anything, a thought, a feeling, an action to take, whatever.If nothing comes then use de Bono's six thinking hats.Simply ask yourself:

a. White hat: what are the facts and figures about this thought?

b. Red tat: what's my intuition telling me about this idea?

c. Black hat: what are the difficulties/problems/challenges with this thought?

d. Yellow hat:what are the benefits/positive aspects of this thought?

e. Green hat: if I were to be creative about this, what would I say/do/feel/change?

f. (Optional, maybe not appropriate) Blue Hat: what's my thinking about my thinking?

13.Once you have written down anything to do with that idea move onto the next idea.

14.Review the sheets either at the start or the end of the day or you can come back to this exercise whenever you want to add more thoughts to a particular idea or to start on an idea.

15.Keep the sheets of paper with you for the next few weeks and as your thoughts evolve maybe you will let go of some of these ideas because you have acted on them or maybe they no longer have any valid substance.

Start to notice how much clearer your mind is becoming and how much more you are better able to structure your thinking.What other changes do you notice as you do this exercise?

Mark Buchan is one of Britain's most sougt after coaches. He works with executives and business leaders from a wide range of business sectors. His ability to facilitate change and assist his clients in overcoming their obstacles to growth is fast earning him the reputation of Worlds Best Coach.

Mark founded New Thought Leader, a speciliast in change management in 2008. To Learn more about Mark and his team at New Thought Leader go to http://www.newthoughtleader.com

Mark is currently helping his clients to deal with change and make their businesses more agile and flexible to change during this current worldwide recession.

Eliminating Negative Media From

The Heretic's Daughter - Religion, Fear and the Salem Witch Trials

The Heretic's Daughter is author Kathleen Kent's first novel, and it is a stunning debut. It takes place in and around Salem, Massachusetts during the 1690's, before and during the infamous Salem witch trials. The narrator's mother, Martha Carrier, is based on the real woman of the same name, who was one of the first woman to be tried and hung in the trials. Ms. Kent is herself a tenth generation descendant of Martha Carrier.

Ms. Kent has done her research, and she does a beautiful job of depicting the harsh realities of life during this time. While the initial Puritan settlers had come to this land to escape persecution, and hoped to found a new religious community, they were besieged by plagues, crop failures, and attacks by indigenous tribes. The child mortality rate was so high, we are told in the first pages, "that some families did not name their child until the child was past twelve months and more likely to live. And in many households if a baby died, that same baby's name would be passed on to the next born. And to the very next if that babe died as well."

This is from the novel's narrator, Sarah Carrier, Martha Carrier's daughter. If Sarah sometimes seems distant and unfeeling as she describes horrific events, it is no wonder, based on the climate in which she was raised. In fact, Sarah's voice and attitude was at first a put-off to me, making her difficult to relate to or feel for. But as the novel progresses, her voice becomes one of the book's greatest strengths, because it provides such a vast contrast to our emotion-laden, Oprah-fueled times. Sarah helps us to see what a stark and difficult existence does to people, and as she does mature - through watching her mother's trial and surviving her own incarceration - her growth and new-found wisdom is that much more evident.

As the novel begins, Sarah and her family are on their way to live with her grandmother, and, unbeknown to them, are bringing smallpox with them to their new community. This fact, along with Martha Carrier's headstrong and outspoken nature, will ultimately lead to the family becoming a target when the terrible accusations begin. Those accusations, as presented in The Heretic's Daughter, gain traction in the community because of the lethal combination of fear and damnation-based religion. The community, facing so many challenges to its existence, cannot fathom why they are being targeted by God for such wrath. Surely there must be some offense, some sin, that they are being punished for? In their desperation, they seek out the 'sinners' amongst them, literally demonizing their own neighbors for the smallest of offenses. They seek to scapegoat and purge - as so many have done in the name of religion throughout history.

From there, the paralysis of fear takes over, with each new charge silencing more people within the community, all seeking to protect their own lives and families. Children as young as four are taken into custody - since the 'devil' is behind it all, and can take over anyone's mind, no one is considered innocent. Quite the contrary, during the trials the defendants are most definitely considered guilty until proven innocent. And their innocence is in the hands of several hysterical, adolescent girls no less (I'll let you read the book to learn more about this.)

One of the most touching aspects of the book is how Martha gets Sarah to save herself, helping Sarah to realize that behind her mother's stern exterior lies the greatest of maternal loves. While Sarah at first despises her mother's difficult personality, wishing she would just capitulate to others, she comes to realize her mother's seeming obstinance is actually born of tremendous faith and wisdom. This is exactly the opposite of what her community elders teach - that strict obedience is the foundation for faith. As Sarah observes, that obedience, along with fear, is what allows the madness to continue for so long.

And so The Heretic's Daughter works on at least three levels. First, as a gripping historical novel that masterfully depicts a certain setting and time period. Second, as a personal story of a mother and adolescent daughter struggling to understand each other. And third, as a cautionary tale about how religion can be twisted when a society is ruled by fear.

Lisa Erickson is a mom, meditation teacher, and writer. Visit her blog http://www.MommyMystic.wordpress.com for spiritual book reviews and information on meditation and spirituality.

Spending 15 Minutes Each Day

Spirituality and Mysticism

Most of us have a dual outlook on life. On one level, we simply do all the things we must do every day-work, eat, play. . . . But on another level, we hope there is more to life-something that feels deeply real, a goal worthy of any effort, a grand overarching scheme. This hope is usually pushed into the background because it is so strongly discouraged by the materialistic values that prevail in our culture.

But suppose we do not wish to settle for a materialism that dulls our vitality. We might look for wisdom in conventional religion, or for self-knowledge in psychology and the workings of the brain, but these do not aim high enough. We might look to science with its hope of unraveling the secrets of the universe and providing for the material well-being of all, but these, too, are ultimately not satisfying. Where, then, are we to find what we long for? Nasrudin, the mythical Middle Eastern jokester-sage, asks the same question:

It's 4:00 A.M. Nasrudin leaves the tavern and walks the town aimlessly. A policeman stops him. AWhy are you out wandering the streets in the middle of the night?@ "Sir," replied Nasrudin, "if I knew the answer to that question, I would have been home hours ago!"

To find what we desire, we must dig deeper. We must discern the essence of spirituality; we must see what is beyond psychology and the workings of the brain; we must see what physics can tell us about the nature of existence.

And we must fly higher, until we have such an encompassing view that we can see the connections between spirit, brain, and physics, and ultimately discern the structure of all existence. When we can see this, and when we can begin to see why existence was brought into being, then we will find a goal worthy of any effort.

PHYSICAL & NONPHYSICAL
The pivotal issue, at least in the beginning of our search, is the nature of existence, particularly human existence. In this scientific age, we are led to think that existence is strictly physical. If that is so, then it seems to me that life is indeed full of sound and fury, but signifies nothing. However, as we will see, science does not imply that existence is strictly physical. In fact, one of the basic themes of this book is that our existence here on earth has both physical and nonphysical aspects. The division is sharp, but the two aspects are closely intertwined in our lives. Strange as it seems at first, we will find it is this division that leads to a unified view of existence, a view that will allow us to make deep, satisfying sense of our lives.

These two aspects of existence have been explored by very different methods and disciplines. The experimental probing and mathematical description of the physical aspects are the province of physics, while the study and experience of the nonphysical aspects of existence are the provinces of mysticism. Spirituality, or mysticism, in its various guises provides the core of all religions. The aspiring mystic is one who fervently hopes there is a nonphysical aspect to existence where worthy goals for our lives can be found. One purpose of this book is to nurture that hope by showing that science does not preclude mysticism, and by delineating the basics of mysticism in a clear and useful form.

Note: The terms "spirituality" and "mysticism" are used pretty much interchangeably in this book. But spirituality usually implies an orientation closer to the major religions, while mysticism is meant to imply the study and experience of nonphysical existence in all its forms, including phenomena like mind reading. For lack of a better term, the word "mystic" is used here both for those on a more spiritual path and for those on a more "mystical" path.

QUANTUM MECHANICS AS THE BRIDGE TO MYSTICISM
If the nonphysical aspect of existence is to be of interest or use to us, then there must be some connection between our familiar physical world and the nonphysical world. The all-important bridge between the two is found in quantum mechanics, the theory that physicists use to mathematically describe the physical universe. (Rest assured that you will not need to understand anything about mathematics to read this book, nor do you need any prior knowledge of physics.) Physicists have a high degree of confidence in quantum mechanics because it gives a highly accurate, wide-ranging, and unified description of nature.

Quantum mechanics, however, has one astonishing "flaw." Although it is an accurate description of physical reality, its mathematics implies there are many versions of reality that exist simultaneously, rather than there being only the single reality that we actually perceive. For example we will see in chapter 8 that the mathematics of quantum mechanics appears to allow Schrdinger's cat to be both dead and alive at the same time. To get around this "flaw," most physicists assume that quantum mechanics is an incomplete theory of the physical universe and that it needs to be supplemented by the presumed existence of particles-electrons, atoms and so on-to become complete. We show, however, that there is no evidence for the existence of particles and convincing evidence that there cannot be particles. In that case, quantum mechanics strongly implies there must be a nonphysical aspect to existence!

Further, quantum mechanics tells us something about the nonphysical aspects of existence. It implies that each of us, in addition to having a physical brain and body, also has a nonphysical Mind (or soul in traditional language, or consciousness principle in Buddhist language). Your nonphysical Mind, through its connection with your physical brain, can freely and intelligently choose your thoughts and actions. This is the bridge between the physical and nonphysical aspects of our existence.

The split within us that I stress-a physical brain-body and a nonphysical Mind-gives a dualistic existence. This may seem jarring in a book on spirituality, where one might expect the unity and connectedness of all things to be stressed. But although it is true that in the end the duality disappears, the journey to the full experience of that unity is long. And on the journey, particularly in the beginning, the structure of existence is made clearer-both conceptually and experientially-if one stresses the dual nature of existence. This dual view is also consistent with that great duality none of us can escape-the difference between the physical existence we experience while alive, and the nonphysical existence we experience after death.

WHAT FORM OF SPIRITUALITY OR MYSTICISM?
There are many grades and types of mystics, from healers to psychics to whirling dervishes to the Dalai Lama to rishis living in caves in the Himalayas. And there are different systems of spirituality that have been developed over hundreds and even thousands of years in religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Sufism, certain branches of Christianity and Judaism, and so on (although most of these systems contain historical accretions as well as vital spirituality).

The system I will use is based on a modern form of Sufi mysticism1 that incorporates the wisdom of other systems, but it is modified to be consistent with the insights we will glean from physics and neuroscience. Sufism is an ancient way of knowing that does not correspond exactly to any of the better-known religions. It might be described as the religion of experience. The Sufis, ideally, are those who accurately understand and experience all levels of existence, particularly those associated with the deepest emotions. A more traditional definition of Sufism would be that it is the mystical, esoteric branch of Islam, a branch that started with Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law Ali, flowered in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and continues today.

It is my hope that making spirituality-mysticism consistent with science will clarify it so it is both accessible and appealing to many more people than it has been in the past. In fact, despite the materialistic bent of our society, I believe it is an advantage for the aspiring mystic to be living in the age of science, for as we will see, physics can help to clarify the metaphysical structure of existence, and neuroscience can help in distinguishing between physical brain-body effects and nonphysical insights, and in understanding spiritual practices.

BELIEF VERSUS EXPERIENCE
If you are not familiar with the mystical point of view, it may appear simply as a belief system. But if you have the feeling it could be correct, if you think these ideas might serve as a useful guide for some period of your life, and if you do the mystical practices with your full attention on them, then I think you will begin to see that the mystic=s view of existence may be experienced, rather than being just a belief system. You may begin to appreciate the possibility that awareness doesn't end with death. And you may begin to see that the potential exists for a radically different, much richer life here.

From the early age of 7, Casey Blood was interested in spirituality, math and science. His parents encouraged him to become an astronaut or aeronautical engineer, but for Casey, physics was obviously the best choice. In his local Presbyterian church Casey always acknowledged the pull of mysticism upon his soul, but found no information to guide him. Casey followed his love of math and science into academia, earning a PhD from Case Western University and tenure as Professor Emeritus of Physics at Rutgers University. He has pursued his fascination with spirituality in over thirty years of studying mystical and meditative religions such as Sufism, Shamanism and Buddhism. He has also traveled extensively to gain firsthand experience in these traditions as practiced in India, Turkey, Bali, Israel, China, and Peru.

When asked ,Why physics and spirituality?, Casey replies, "I always want to know what is behind or beneath everything, to understand the roots of everything. In my view, physics and spirituality are the most basic systems. For that reason, it seemed they had to fit together. I made the search for this bridge my life's work." The Way From Science to Soul: Integrating Physics, the Brain, and the Spiritual Path, represents the results of Casey's search . He says, "I hope the reader will never see the world the same way again...that they will discover that mystical religion is less an esoteric thing and more like the way life is, more wondrous than most people realize." Casey's book is available on amazon.com and more information is available at: http://www.quantummechanicsandreality.com

Are There Buddhist Nuns?

Yes, there are Buddhist nuns. They are called bhikkhunis. Nuns were an important part of the early Buddhist community. The monastic practice of women continues to be significant in the Buddhist community today. We may have some problems with the story about the origin of this community of nuns because of our presuppositions, but let's look at it anyway with an open mind.

The Buddha's aunt, Mahapajapati, asked him if he will be willing to ordain her as a nun. Until this time, only men were accepted into his monastic organization. The Buddha refused. She pressed him again and again. He finally agreed to do it, but with a couple of restrictive stipulations.

One was that the nuns would have to abide by an additional series of regulations, over and above the regulations that applied to the monks. One of the most important and controversial for us is that even the most senior nun would be junior to the most junior monk.

This tradition of nuns thrived in this early community and was an important part of the expansion of Buddhism on to South East Asia and into the rest of the world. There are now active communities of nuns, particularly in China, but the traditional practice of Buddhist nuns has died out now in South East Asia, although there are in some places attempts to reestablish that lineage.

If you want to be active communities of nuns today, you should look in China, Taiwan or Tibet.

What should we think about these additional stipulations that the Buddha imposed on this early community of nuns?

It is important not to characterize the early Buddhist tradition as diminishing the ability of women to achieve awakening. The possibility of monasticism for women has been an important part of the Buddhist community, and it represents the commitment to the possibility of Nirvana for women within the community.

It is true that there had been these additional restrictions on the status nuns can acquire in the Buddhist community. They reflect, I suspect, the restrictions on the behavior and the status of women in the context of the time.

To learn more about Buddhist teachings, traditions and practices, you might be interested in this site by author Pablo Antuna.

• Buddhism Through Buddhist Eyes: Here author Pablo Antuna explains Buddhist doctrine in his articles in a clear and easy to understand style.
• The early community: Learn more about the history of Buddhism and the early Buddhist community.

The Times They Are Changing

We live in a very interesting time in world history. The evolution of getting to this point has never been so dynamic. Even though all the events that have taken place prior to this point in time have great significance, and the fact that it is what brought us here, our current world environment has been propelled into the 21st century with lightening speed. The advancement of technology in communications, information, and the internet has created the instant information age. And with that our conscious minds have become more inter connected with the world than ever before.

What is interesting is that this phenomenon is the staging ground for all of us to become more enlightened. We are, and always have been connected to the entire universe. We all have roots in the universe because consciousness affects our physical world, which includes all living things right down to the individual cells. Our minds have a great influence on our health and well being and on how we view the world. Our existence in the universe is born of a sense of participation and kinship with all others and all matter. The basic oneness of the universe is the central characteristic of the mystical experience, but is also one of the most important revelations of modern physics, (i.e. quantum physics). But I don't want to talk about quantum theory; I want to talk about the human connectedness, and what I detect as a shift in the thinking of more and more people.

Because of the information age, a fast paced lifestyle, what's in it for me attitude, and a win at all cost mentality, too many people began losing sight of the connection we all have with each other and the universe. The ideal of we are all in this together was fading, and taking responsibility for the common good of all, had begun to disappear. Over the last decade, an exponential amount of negative actions and the pursuits of an ideology of egotism have brought us to this juncture. But there is hope because I see the beginning of a change in the minds of many people.

Now, more than ever people are placing an increased importance on relationships. Taking stock of what really matters, like family, friends, and community. There is a new awareness that we are all connected to the universe, and that human consciousness and the physical world are intertwined. The realization is that there is a profound interaction that exists between conscious mental activity and the physical world itself.

We cannot separate our own existence from that of the outside world. We are not only associated with the earth that we inhabit, but with the furthest reaches of the cosmos. We affect all of those about us, so events such as caring, loving, and confiding exert profound consequences on the universe.

Following the Laws of Attraction, the universe gives us what we want if follow our dreams and our passions, but it also takes away if we lose sight of that connection that exists between us all. I believe that there is a change in the winds of time because there is the beginning of an understanding of this relationship. Maybe, just maybe it could be the start of the new Age of Enlightenment.

http://www.enerchilivingspaces.com/

Owner : EnerChi Living Spaces & Gallery. We are a unique Home & Garden decor store. Specializing in Feng Shui design and consultation. We offer one-of-a-kind gifts and personalized ideas for decorating your home, garden and office. We offer workshops in Feng Shui decorating, meditation, journal writing, and manifesting your dreams. We support our local artists and musicians with shows and vignettes. Our merchandise is selected from all over the world with an emphasis on Asian Western design. The store exhibits a unique blend of products in a tranquil peaceful setting. We have just launched a home staging service for our local market. We have just completed an expansion to over 2,000 square ft. and our new website has launched. http://www.enerchilivingspaces.com

Compassion - A Powerful Doorway to Personal Growth

What if there was one choice you could make that would change everything in your life for the better? Actually, there is. Its the choice to move out of judgment and into compassion for yourself and others.

Compassion is defined as a deep caring for the pain of others, often accompanied by a desire to help. There is nothing that feels more wonderful and comforting than experiencing anothers compassionate response to our painful feelings and experiences.

However, its interesting that compassion is never defined in terms of oneself. Yet, compassion is one of the greatest gifts we can give to ourselves. In fact, when we give compassion to others but not to ourselves, we often end up feeling alone, worn out, and uncared for.

Jackie is a good example of a person who has compassion for others but not for herself. She is a very caring mother and wife. She listens compassionately to her husbands work problems and does all she can to help him, even when she is having her own work problems. She is always there for her children, helping them with whatever problems arise, as well as for her co-workers. Everyone sees Jackie as a very loving person and she is. So why is she often unhappy? Why is she often so fatigued and depleted? The problem is that Jackie is completely out of touch with her own feelings.

Jackie is so focused on meeting everyone elses needs that she never tunes into herself and her own feelings and needs. She doesnt know when she is tired or when she needs time for herself. She doesnt know when she is feeling sad, lonely, or anxious. Because she has no compassion for herself, she finds herself using food to fill the inner emptiness that is the result of not taking loving care of herself.

Richard, on the other hand, lacks compassion for both himself and others. While it may seem as if he has compassion for himself, he also is not tuned into his own feelings. It seems like Richard has compassion for himself because he does what he wants buys what he wants, goes after what he wants, spends time the way he wants. But his choices are coming from his fears and his addictive need to fill up from outside with things and approval rather than from love and compassion for himself. In addition, he is usually unconscious regarding the effect his behavior has on others. He keeps people waiting, doesnt do what he says he is going to do, and becomes judgmental rather than compassionate in the face of anothers difficulties. Instead of caring when his wife is tired or needs help, he gets resistant and resentful that she isnt there for him or is asking something of him.

A lack of compassion for oneself and others is a major cause of inner and relationship unhappiness. In terms of personal growth, if you were to just focus on making compassion your highest priority both for yourself and for others you would find yourself progressing toward happiness, peace and joy more rapidly than you can imagine.

We move into compassion for ourselves when we know that we have very good reasons for our feelings and behavior, and into compassion for others when we know that others also have very good reasons for their feelings and behavior. These good reasons are the fears and false beliefs that we have absorbed from our growing up years that create our painful feelings and our defensive behavior.

Moving into compassion is a process that takes time and practice:

1. Moving into compassion for yourself starts with noticing your self-judgment. Judgment is the opposite of compassion. When you judge yourself, you are telling yourself that you are wrong or bad for your feelings or behavior, rather than that you have good reasons. Each time you realize that you are judging yourself, consciously open your heart to compassion for yourself. When your intention is to be compassionate rather than judgmental, you will discover that it is not as hard as you think to shift from judgment to compassion.

2. Moving into compassion for others is similar. Begin to notice your anger, irritation, judgment, resentment, or resistance toward others. These negative feelings are the opposite of compassion. Once you notice these feelings, you have the choice to open to caring, understanding to compassion.

3. Each time you find yourself in judgment for yourself or others, instead of judging yourself for judging, move into compassion for the judgmental part of you. If you judge yourself for judging yourself or others, you will stay stuck. If you embrace with compassion the judgmental part of yourself, you will find yourself gradually becoming less judgmental and more compassionate.

Each time you are compassionate with yourself and others, it becomes easier next time. You will discover that focusing on compassion for both yourself and others will move you toward the peace and joy you are seeking. It all comes from your intent to protect against pain with your controlling behaviors, such as anger, blame and judgment, or to learn about loving yourself and others. When your deepest desire is to become a loving human being, opening to compassion is a powerful doorway to that path.

The preceding article is offered for free use in your ezine, print publication or on your web site, so long as the author resource box at the end is included, with hyperlinks. Notification of publication would be appreciated.

For other articles which you are free to use, see http://www.innerbonding.com

Copyright: 2004 by Margaret Paul

About The Author

Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is the best-selling author and co-author of eight books, including "Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By You?" She is the co-creator of a powerful self-help, 6-step emotional and spiritual healing process called Inner Bonding. Learn Inner Bonding now! Visit her web site for a FREE Inner Bonding course: http://www.innerbonding.com or mailto:margaret@innerbonding.com