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Word Gems exploring self-realization, sacred personhood, and full humanity
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“The purpose of life is to be restored back to Love, moment to moment. To fulfill this purpose, the individual must acknowledge that he is 100 percent responsible for creating his life the way it is. He must come to see that it is his thoughts that create his life the way it is moment to moment. The problems are not people, places, and situations but rather the thoughts of them. He must come to appreciate that there is no such thing as out there.” Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len
Dr. Hew Len
close-kin philosophies Before I comment on the inner-workings of Ho’oponopono, it's important, I think, for us to understand that this ideology shares philosophical kinship with a number of other "mind over matter," "law of attraction," thoughts are things" views of reality, that is, life-paradigms concerning how things work. Allow me to offer an incomplete list of major echoing belief-systems: Wallace Wattles, “The Science of Getting Rich” Napoleon Hill, “Think and Grow Rich” Rhonda Byrne, “The Secret” and “The Power” Esther Hicks, "Ask and It Is Given," "The Vortex," and other books based on the channeled teachings of a collective spirit-entity known as "Abraham" William Walker Atkinson, “Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World” Florence Scovel Shinn, "The Game of Life and How To Play It" We could go on. Consider the following excerpts from some of these works: “your life -- and everyone else in the Universe -- is playing the part that you have assigned to them. You can literally script any life that you desire, and the Universe will deliver to you the people, places, and events just as you decide them to be. For you are the creator of your own experience -- you have only to decide it and allow it to be.” Esther Hicks, Ask and It Is Given “much of your attraction is not done by deliberate intent, but rather by default…. It is important to understand that you get what you think about, whether you want it or not. And chronic thoughts about unwanted things invite, or ask for, matching experiences. The Law of Attraction makes it so.” Esther Hicks, The Vortex “Few realize that they can control the way they feel and positively affect the things that come into their life experience by deliberately directing their thoughts.” Esther Hicks, The Essential Law of Attraction “It Is Not about Controlling Thoughts, It Is about Guiding Thoughts.” Esther Hicks, Ask and It Is Given “think them into being; see them, visualize them, and expect them—and they will be. And you will be guided, inspired, or led to the perfect action that will bring about the process that will lead you to that which you seek.” Esther Hicks, The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham “If you want it and expect it, it will be yours very soon.” Esther Hicks, The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham “If something you want is slow to come to you, it can be for only one reason: You are spending more time focused upon its absence than you are about its presence.” Esther Hicks, The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham “A misunderstanding of the Laws of the Universe is at the heart of this conversation as the people of your society wage wars against the things they do not want: war against terror, war against AIDS, war against teenage pregnancy, war against violence, war against cancer—and every one of those things is getting bigger because attention to unwanted creates more unwanted.” Esther Hicks, The Essential Law of Attraction Collection “As you talk to others about what you know they do not want, you assist them in their mis-creating, because you amplify the vibration of attracting what is not wanted.” Esther Hicks, The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham “The longer you focus upon something, the more powerful it becomes; and the stronger that your point of attraction is to it, the more evidence of it appears in your life experience. Whether you are focusing upon things you want or things you do not want, the evidence of your thoughts continually flows toward you.” Esther Hicks, The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham “Nothing brings out the worst in another faster than your focusing upon it [i.e., their worst]. Nothing brings out the best in another faster than your focusing upon it.” Esther Hicks, The Astonishing Power of Emotions: Let Your Feelings Be Your Guide “When you want to attract something into your life, make sure your actions don’t contradict your desires.. Think about what you have asked for, and make sure that your actions are mirroring what you expect to receive, and that they’re not contradicting what you‘ve asked for. Act as if you are receiving it. Do exactly what you would do if you were receiving it today, and take actions in your life to reflect that powerful expectation. Make room to receive your desires, and as you do, you are sending out that powerful signal of expectation.” Rhonda Byrne, The Secret “Ask once, believe you have received, and all you have to do to receive is feel good.” Rhonda Byrne, The Secret “Everything else you see and experience in this world is effect, and that includes your feelings. The cause is always your thoughts.” Rhonda Byrne, The Secret “You are the one who calls the law of attraction into action, and you do it through your thoughts.” Rhonda Byrne, The Secret “Food cannot cause you to put on weight, unless you think it can.” Rhonda Byrne, The Secret “The only reason any person does not have enough money is because they are blocking money from coming to them with their thoughts.” Rhonda Byrne, The Secret “Many people have sacrificed themselves for others, thinking when they sacrifice themselves they are being a good person. Wrong! To sacrifice yourself can only come from thoughts of absolute lack, because it is saying, 'There is not enough for everyone, so I will go without.' Those feelings do not feel good and will eventually lead to resentment.” Rhonda Byrne, The Secret “You create your own universe as you go along.” Rhonda Byrne, The Secret “Start telling the story of your amazing life, and the law of attraction must make sure you receive it!” Rhonda Byrne, The Power “Your thoughts become things!” Rhonda Byrne, The Secret “If you are feeling good it is because you are thinking good thoughts.” Rhonda Byrne, The Secret “Remember that your thoughts are the primary cause of everything.” Rhonda Byrne, The Secret “Absolutely everything you experience in your life is a result of what you have given in your thoughts and feelings, whether you realize you have given them or not.” Rhonda Byrne, The Power “Life isn’t happening to you; life is responding to you. Life is your call! Every area of your life is your call. You are the creator of your life. You are the writer of your life story. You are the director of your life movie. You decide what your life will be – by what you give out.” Rhonda Byrne, The Power “The better you feel about money, the more money you magnetize to yourself.” Rhonda Byrne, The Power “When you are feeling happy, and you keep feeling happy, then only happy people, circumstances and events can come into your life. If you feel stressed, then only more stress can come into your life through people, circumstances and events.” Rhonda Byrne, The Power “Everything in the universe is magnetic and everything has a magnetic frequency. Your feelings and thoughts have magnetic frequencies too... Whatever you feel, whether good or bad, determines your frequency, and like a magnet you attract the people, events, and circumstances that are on the same frequency.” Rhonda Byrne, The Power “The game of life is a game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later with astounding accuracy… YOUR WORD IS YOUR WAND. THE WORDS YOU SPEAK CREATE YOUR OWN DESTINY.” Florence Scovel Shinn, Writings of Florence Scovel Shinn “Man can only receive what he sees himself receiving.” Florence Scovel Shinn, The Game of Life and How To Play It “Infinite Spirit open the way for great abundance for — —. She is an irresistible magnet for all that belongs to her by divine right.” Florence Scovel Shinn, The Game of Life And How To Play It “What man condemns in others, he attracts to himself.” Florence Scovel Shinn, The Game of Life and How To Play It “Make an affirmation immediately upon waking. For example: ‘Thy will be done this day! Today is a day of completion, I give thanks for this perfect day, miracle shall follow miracle and wonders shall never cease.’ Make this a habit, and one will see wonders and miracles come into his life.” Florence Scovel Shinn, The Game of Life and How to Play It “Whatever man feels deeply or images clearly, is impressed upon the subconscious mind and carried out in minutest detail.” Florence Scovel Shinn, The Game of Life and How To Play It “The horse-shoe or rabbit's foot contains no power, but man's spoken word and belief that it will bring good luck creates expectancy in the subconscious mind, and attracts a lucky situation.” Florence Scovel Shinn, The Game of Life and How To Play It “So we see, to play successfully the game of life we must train the imaging faculty.” Florence Scovel Shinn, The Game of Life and How To Play It “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Math. 21:22). “Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24).” Florence Scovel Shinn, The Secret Door to Success “Now is the appointed time. Today is the day of my amazing good fortune.” Florence Scovel Shinn, The Secret Door To Success “Nothing stands between man and his highest ideals and every desire of his heart, but doubt and fear.” Florence Scovel Shinn, The Game of Life and How To Play It
Editor's Review What are we to make of this riot, this mosh pit, of positive thinking? Multiple millions are convinced that this, the "health and wealth gospel," is the way the universe works. And an even larger group, while hesitating at the gate, wonder about these things. After all, for those who pray and believe in prayer, is it not common to “meditate over the files” and offer supplication for those we love, and even for the whole world, a “sending out” of positive feeling and good intention that all might find peace and happiness? What's wrong with that? Do we not experience the “law of attraction” in our lives? If we are friendly and smile at passers-by, do they not usually smile back at us? And if we are angry and churlish, do not others tend to respond in kind, mirroring our antipathy? Further, do not these thoughts, good or bad, “create a reality” for us, a world, for better or worse, that we must live in? Quantum physics seems to affirm that “thoughts are things,” that we influence the world with our thinking, and so, are not these popular self-help teachings in line with the best of scientific thought?
And didn’t Jesus say, to the effect, “If you can truly believe in your heart, it will be yours”? Isn’t this “The Secret” from the lips of the Great Teacher himself? And isn’t it good and right that the spiritually mature should help and “take responsibility” for the weak and infirm, those who oppose themselves in moral darkness? Isn’t this the self-sacrificial altruistic way?
a wild-west congeries of partial-truths, misperception, half-baked ideas and, at times, commercial hucksterism and even outright fraud Virtually all of the above material represents much error mixed with a grain of truth. There's so much confusion here, it's difficult to know where to begin. In a sophistry that counterfeits reality, they even use the phrase "wake up" as life's purpose, but then lead us into more darkness. Let’s carefully dissect this raging torrent of "self-help" tumult, perform the autopsy, to determine causal factors and to sort out fact from fiction. We'll do this one brick at a time. Let's bravely wade into the mosh pit.
no human being has the authority, the right, or even the ability, to take "100% responsibility" for the moral condition of another sentient individual While the scientific evidence for the afterlife offers a wealth of information concerning "life in the world unseen," there are many things over there that we cannot know until we take up residence on the other side. This limitation acknowledged, there is at least one principle beyond dispute, absolutely clear, relative to natural law, the way things work, in the astral realms. We might call it "the prime directive" of Summerland. It is this: No tells us what to do on the other side; no one leads us about, requiring us to live this way or that. There is no authorized and approved collection of "one true holy doctrines" to believe in. There is no thought-police to regulate politically-correct words or deeds. You are free, each person is free to do or not do; for better or worse. Each man and woman decides for him or herself how to live life. But it goes deeper than this. Father Benson often speaks on this subject. He says that the moral economy in Summerland operates on a principle of "strict justice." By this he means to describe what Jesus terms "paying the last penny owed"; that is, each person -- each person for him or herself, and no one else -- must take 100% responsibility for one's own life, and bear the consequences of one's own actions, good or bad. Does a policy of “strict justice” sound harsh to you? It probably does as, all of our lives, we’ve been force-fed a junk-food diet of error by Big Religion. They speak of “grace” and “mercy” and “washing away sins” by the magic wand of a BlackRobe’s absolution. But this is all terrible parody of reality. Father Benson – himself, in the afterlife, having repented of leading people astray as a priest during his Earthly time – goes so far as to say that “God has no mercy to offer us”! This too will sound harsh to our religious ears, accustomed to cheap grace. But our disquietude is based upon an ignorance of natural law and how the universe truly works. Father Benson assures us that God, who, of course, loves us, cannot be offended, wishes only happiness for us, and always seeks our greatest good, has no abracadabra incantation to instantly give us a total make-over, transforming us into a perfect person; if such were to happen, we wouldn’t even know ourselves and, in no meaningful sense, could it be stated that our consciousness might survive transition to the next world. Who would we be? We wouldn’t even recognize this newly-minted super-person, a product of God’s presto-chango. Here’s why the cheap grace of the instant make-over cannot work: Our every thought, deed, and intention is written on the molecules of the brain, our spirits, our personal aura. What we do, what we allow to take up residence in the mind, changes us, from the inside out. And how will a priest or minister’s “blessing” deal with the molecules in the brain, the aura of one's spirit? Trash-talk religious prevarication like this becomes one more candidate for the circular file. Billions of people have been sold down the river with this kind of ecclesiastical hoodwinking. Everybody, every last person who ever lived, has to work his or her way into godly perfection. There are no shortcuts. Everybody, as Jesus used the analogy, must pay “the last penny’s worth” of fallout from his own thoughts, words, and deeds. And this is why in the Gospel of John Jesus is reported to have said, “every thought, word, and deed will come to judgment.” This does not mean that there’s a “hanging judge” God up there, a “thought-policeman in the sky,” keeping track of each particle of our behavior. It’s doesn’t happen that way, and it wouldn’t even be necessary. Why? – well, as we said, every thought, word, and deed becomes registered in the molecules of one's brain and spirit. Our very aura, the kind of light we emit, is changed by what we allow for ourselves. And this is why, in the afterlife, others instantly know what kind of person we are. There's no hiding anymore from what we ourselves have made of ourselves. We wear what we are as a badge, an aura of light, for all to see, with differently colored phosphorescences instantly telling everyone what we are on the inside. Editor's note: There's an atom of truth to the old idea of the "halo." And we have to work our way out of this internal corruption. We help ourselves by beginning to live a life of selfless service. And this is why, as Father Benson reports, God has no “mercy” for us. We have to do it ourselves. This is our glory as a human being: we can change, we can do better, we can become more. But we, ourselves, have to do it. The fabled magic wand of a cleric’s so-blessing -- which does not exist; more fodder for a “tinker’s damn” -- quickly devolves to gross immorality. Contravention of natural law here – the law that says that we, ourselves, are 100% responsible for our own lives and destiny -- would lead to a kind of existential injustice, in that, people could do wrong and get away with it “on a technicality.” This doesn't happen over there. No one on the other side (on this side, too, if we have eyes to perceive), gets away with the smallest infraction, the tiniest "penny's worth" of malfeasance. Why? -- it's those unforgiving molecules in the brain which "tape" everything we think and do. You cannot "get a good lawyer" in Summerland and plea-bargain away this fate. That's a big horse-laugh...
By extension, you cannot seek for a third-party other, a divine scapegoat, who will take responsibility for your life's actions. This is absolutely, strictly, not allowed; indeed, impossible. You will not be able to plead for a "savior" to take your sins upon his shoulders. It doesn't work that way, though the churches, deceiving billions, have built an entire fortress of mythology, in their "pomp and revenue" ways, upon this broken and bankrupt precept, as they play upon the masses' terror of death and judgment. Far from any "blesssing," the Nice Young Man at Church and his "divine scapegoat" mythology represents one of the greatest obfuscations of reality to ever to befall civilization. Why is this so? essentially, we damage and set ourselves back, greatly, by entertaining "victimhood" theology, a shifting and shirking of responsibility. Each sentient being, each creature with a soul, in a perfect system of moral education and natural law, must personally face the music of what he or she has done with one's own life. The more we corrupt ourselves, the more "homework" we'll have to turn in before we get to enjoy the real life in Summerland. We write our own tests, and the difficulty of these exams depends 100% on us and the choices we make. Again, it's part of the glory of being human -- we did it, we own it, now enjoy it, or work your way out of it. There are two broad paths of choice: We can make a mess of ourselves, stewing for many years in our victimhood or hate-filled juices in the Dark Realms, or we can embrace a program of apotheosis, embarking upon a plan of self-development to become veritable gods. It's our call. And no one, no matter how high up the food-chain we go in the afterlife, will be able to interfere -- not a penny's worth -- with this sacred process of spiritual evolvement, based on 100% personal responsibility. Much can and should be said on this most important subject of cosmic moral law. You will want to read the other Word Gems articles on this topic (for example, the four articles on "spirituality") and, I would say, the books by Father Benson. This member of the "Edwardian literati" spares no one in his eloquent frankness.
Are thoughts things? Do we sculpt environment by what goes through the head? Do we attract, and virtually create, abusive people in our lives by our own negative thinking? Can we manifest money in the bank by willpower and intention? Will shiny new bicycles appear on a front porch, or will the romantic mate of our dreams be summoned by focused and directed thought? We need to talk about this. There's an element of truth here, and that's why it's confusing. Here's the deal. It's part of our destiny to create things with our minds. It's what our family, the divine God-family, does, and we are sons and daughters in the family. But this "super-power" of fiat manifestation is a perk for advanced spiritual beings and not available, to measureable degree, to the immature and greedy little egos of our world. Here's what we know on this: On a far-away plane of being, a mode of existence, beyond Summerland, we'll be able to create, as need or desire requires, whole worlds, pressed into service that we might explore personal happiness. We'll be able to pursue whatever our good hearts incline toward. And we'll create these worlds with our minds. Several afterlife teachers speak to this, and I shared my research in an extensive article. You'll want to read one of the most important writings on the entire Word Gems site: "How We'll Find Healing From the Traumatic Losses of This World." I say "beyond Summerland" but, even in Summerland, in small ways, this developing ability of the advancing spirit-person to mentally modify and shape environment begins to manifest. I address this issue, as well, in the above article. quantum mechanics affirms that consciousness creates reality We need to be careful here. Just as "pop psychology" offers an unduly abbreviated and tilted view of human interaction, so too is there danger in a "pop quantum-physics" reference. This area is complicated, great caution is advised, but the purveyors of the "health and wealth gospel" are not concerned. They will unwarrantedly cite some finding of quantum mechanics and then proclaim, "See, The Secret is true," or "The Law of Attraction is real." This is rubbish, more half-baked notion, and we need to go deeper for a truer picture. At the time of this writing I am working on a major research and writing project, a determination of how biological evolution is affected by quantum mechanics. I fear that this will take me a few years to produce. And then, as I begin to perceive, all of this study of the quantum nano-world leads me to new insights concerning the nature of romantic love, to be shared in the fourth "Love In The Afterlife" installment, "Soulmate, Myself: Omega Point." But I can't write this latter book until the "evolution" book is written.
However, for our purposes at the moment, allow me to offer a few insights provided by Dr. Amit Goswami, who'll be featured in the evolution writing and the forthcoming book. He's one of the world's premier authorities on quantum mechanics; not only a former university professor, for decades, in that field, but a writer of textbooks on the subject. His testimony for us is no shallow New Age "pop quantum-physics." And he would guffaw at the "health and wealth gospel's" disingenuous assertions. The following must, of necessity, offer only outlines of the facts, lest I attempt to create a new book right here. Brevity must rule for now. See my other references to Goswami. Here's what we know -- the facts -- about "thoughts are things" and "minds create reality," courtesy of Goswami's writings and research.
it is the "higher self," linked to Universal Intelligence, not the needy little-me ego, that creates the world Goswami speaks of repeatable scientific experiments demonstrating that consciousness, indeed, shapes reality. However, with no help to the "health and wealth gospel," the evidence indicates that it is the "higher self," the "true self," a more altruistic level of consciousness, that molds reality, not the grasping, needy "little me" ego, which doesn't get to vote. Two examples are given by Goswami indicating that the ego of the "lower self" shapes little but its own perverted viewpoint. (1) Picture two drivers approaching an intersection. As both are rather pressed for time, each mentally wishes, sends out strong intention, for the light to be green. But one of them is going to be frustrated. All the focused intention in the world will mean for nothing to these clashing egos.
(2) Do you know about the famous "Schrödinger's cat" experiment (1935)? When the box is opened, will the cat be alive or dead? Maybe it depends on the disposition and "intention" of the lab-worker opening the box. But let's change the experiment. Now two workers, one a cat-lover and the other a cat-hater, open the box concurrently. What happens now when two concurrently offer intention? We might notice that this is but the "green traffic light" experiment in another form. Goswami says that the evidence indicates that whether one or two open the box, the intentions of a "little me" ego will not affect the cat. Only a higher, universal consciousness gets to play the game of fiat manifestation.
(3) As we consider these examples of clashing, antithetical interest, and purpose, many other illustrations might come to mind. What about the stock market with its mutually opposing positions? – one person praying for prices to go up as to capture a better sale, with the other side of the trade hoping for lower prices in order to steal a bargain.
In fact, virtually all business deals, by anxious buyers and sellers, are conducted on this cross-current basis. Usually, somebody is going to be disappointed. And no amount of focused visualization, by needy "little me's" on either side of the transaction, will morph a loss into a win. Good luck to us on that. Hope is not a strategy, whether in politics or in business. As they say, "How's that hopey-changey thing workin' out for ya?" But I can come up with a few other object-lessons highlighting the common fallacy "thoughts create reality." (4) Studies have indicated that, possibly, three-fourths of the world's population suffers, to various degrees, from depression. And guess what, on a bad day, and there are many bad days, many of these people wish to be dead. But there's no help for them in that intention. The "little me" ego isn't allowed to set policy in this. If it were allowed its wish, most of the world's population would be gone in a week. But we're not that lucky. (5) Ann Landers, for decades, offered advice to her millions of readers. After such period of time, reviewing their pleas for help, she famously spoke of the miserably married and summarized their requests as, "The poor wish to be rich, the single wish to be married, and the married wish to be dead" -- another class of unanswered "prayers"; and therefore we witness hundreds of millions biding their time to "run the clock out." (6) British Pastor Dr. Leslie Weatherhead also commented on this question. He points out that tens of millions of British subjects offer well-wishes and good health to the Royal Family. And yet, he reminds us, there is no evidence that the Royals, on average, live longer than the commoners.
Editor's note: A friend, wondering about Weatherhead's observation, offered that, maybe the well-wishes to the Royals were done in a perfunctory manner and that, if more fervency were injected, the result would be different. I don't think so. Consider the above examples of those suffering from depression or enduring a loveless marriage or betting in the stock market. No one is more sincere or speaks more fervently than the person in pain, even wishing to die. But these "prayers" never achieve lift-off. (7) And here’s one that I like, mainly because it’s part of a favorite song:
See my article on the “Consciousness” page featuring the Celine and Elvis “If I Can Dream” duet: “why, oh why, can't my dream come true?” that is, why is world peace so elusive? The song expresses a wonderful sentiment. Untold millions of people wish for this, and even pray regularly for utopia, but we’re no closer today than when Cain ruined Abel’s day. In fact, there is a famous incident from the early twentieth century concerning a purported materialization of a major religious icon who instructed true-believers, in their many millions, to pray for world peace. But not even this “printed invitation,” sent directly from heaven, so we are told, has furthered one iota of good will among Earthlings. Concerning these seven examples, we find that the common street-wisdom of "thoughts are things," sold by the naive, and sometimes hucksters, to suffering ones, is a terrible parody and caricature of reality. The cheap warning, "be careful what you say, your words will bring calamity, or worse, on you," is just superstitious rubbish. We're not allowed to "cut class and go fishing," to opt out of the difficult, assigned lesson-plan of this world, so easily. And sprinkling the air with the stardust of good intention, while a pleasant past-time, cannot bring to us, without something else, that which we require and crave.
quoting, in a misleading way, famous people from history, encouraging you to infer, "see, they believed in The Secret, too" To say a bit more about the Mark 11 writing: While the "health and wealth gospel" contingent presses into service many of history's notables, quoting them out of context, probably the big example in this area are the words of Jesus, "if you can believe in your heart, then you shall have what you wish for." Well, it's cut and dried, they say, it's open and shut -- what could be clearer? Obviously, Jesus was teaching "The Secret." The "health and wealth gospel" stands affirmed. But Jesus also said a few other things about denying yourself and taking up your torture-stake and following him. This could be hazardous to your health and wealth. But let's set that aside for the moment and focus on the fantastic "if you can believe" claim. As it happens, I've written a lengthy article offering the context, before and after Jesus' famous words, along with better translations of the original Greek, and I will tell you this, Jesus would have a big horse-laugh at the accusation that he somehow promotes a materialistic "health and wealth gospel." You must read the entire discussion of Jesus' words here.
“Life isn’t happening to you; life is responding to you. Life is your call. Every area of your life is your call. You are the creator of your life. You are the writer of your life story. You are the director of your life movie. You decide what your life will be – by what you give out.” This is the health-and-wealth gospel's proclamation. Some of these quotations featured herein are merely buffoonish, simply the vapid and vacuous ramblings of a grandstanding ego. But other claims border on the sacrilegious and the insulting. These people love to quote Gandhi. "See," they purr, "Gandhi spoke of love and good intentions. This means that he believed in The Secret." But then one day Gandhi got himself assassinated. But, it was Gandhi's fault, you see. He drew that assassin to himself by some failing of negative thinking. Gandhi must have had a bad day and let his mind wander. He just didn't know how to play the game of life. Look at this particularly offensive statement: “What man condemns in others, he attracts to himself" -- and also -- “Many people have sacrificed themselves for others, thinking when they sacrifice themselves they are being a good person. Wrong! To sacrifice yourself can only come from thoughts of absolute lack, because it is saying, 'There is not enough for everyone, so I will go without.' Those feelings do not feel good and will eventually lead to resentment.” Shall we be overwhelmed by the great wisdom here? I guess some of the martyrs of history, those who followed and promoted the truth in the face of adversity -- people like Gandhi, Jesus, Martin Luther King, Thomas Paine, and so many other unwise -- just didn't get the memo in time from the self-help mosh-pit crowd. Those who thought they were giving their lives for the greater good, in fact, were deluded about the efficacy of sacrifice. "Sacrifice" is "wrong"! don't you know. To sacrifice is to say "there's not enough" and represents thoughts of absolute lack... But that's not the end of it. These heroes of history were so "wrong" in their condemning of evil in society, and the leaders thereof, that, by their wrong-headed opposition, they themselves were 100% responsible for the resultant resentment conjured in others, as they drew to themselves a torrent of negativity, and so naturally they got themselves killed. It was their fault, you see. Life was just "responding" to them. They did it to themselves. These famous heroic servants created their own harsh reality by negative thinking and focusing on lack. They just didn't know how to play the game of life, how to mentally mumble the right script, how to start their day with the right affirmation pinned on their bathroom mirror, how to use the law of attraction, the secret, and the power. So, that's what you get.
post a new affirmation today: Better yet, and here's the truth -- allow the inner wisdom of your own soul, long sequestered and mired in the propaganda of this world, to rise to the surface of personhood, to lead you, to be your constant friend and guide, and then you'll never again need to post anything on your bathroom mirror. We'll say more on this. 'tweaking probabilities' Editor’s note: As with many falsehoods, there might be the smallest grain of truth to it, which is why it gains some traction among believers. Positive affirmations, like drinking water, said Mark Twain, can do you no harm; and, in fact, there is some correlation between intention and manipulating matter – see the scientific experiments conducted by Dr. Dean Radin; further, as mentioned, we are headed toward future worlds in which our minds will direct objects in our environment. However, all this acknowledged, right now, we do not have the ability to materialize a new Cadillac in the driveway simply by wishing for it. Dr. Radin said that the force of our intentions, in this world, has the effect only of “tweaking probabilities,” of making certain outcomes very slightly more probable; what was a billion-to-one chance but now improved to 999 million-to-one still isn't going to happen. It’s best to make no plans for that shiny new Cadillac just yet. but here's The (dirty little) Secret With all of this nauseating, self-righteous drivel about "we create our own opposition" and "we can draw to ourselves as much money as we care to focus on," we find that the very leaders of this "health and wealth gospel" cult are attacking each other, fighting over property rights, trying to cut each other out of deals, grasping for more... From Wikipedia: Esther Hicks narrated and appeared in the original version of the film The Secret, as well as being a central source of the film's inspiration. The footage featuring Hicks was removed from the later "Extended Edition" after the film's creator Rhonda Byrne, who has been involved in contractual disputes and litigation regarding the film, rescinded the original contract covering Hicks' participation, and asked that Hicks relinquish her "intellectual property rights in these areas forever." In an open letter posted on the internet, Hicks stated that she had been "uncomfortable with what felt to us like a rather aggressive marketing campaign," and that ultimately Abraham gave her the following advice: "Whenever you are given an ultimatum that says, 'if you don't do this, then we will have to do such and such,' it is best that you just let it go and move on. Otherwise there is always another, and this, and this, and this." The letter doesn't condemn Byrne, but clarifies why Hicks no longer appears in The Secret. Hicks has since posted a video on YouTube further explaining her discomfort with The Secret and finally, her decision to discontinue involvement with the film. Why all the fighting? Why not just focus on your bank account and cause more money to magically appear? Well, if they could really do this, they wouldn't be scuffling for your "$29.95", now would they? The only money materialized by any of these self-help hucksters is the cash generated, for the authors, drawn from your bank account, into their bank account, by selling books and movie rights to a too credulous, superstitious, and uncritical audience. a special award for avarice Dr. Hew Len strikes me as a good and sincere man intent upon serving others. However, some of those around him have commercialized his teachings, and this, to an egregious level. One huckster, whom I'll not name, boasts in his lectures that he charges many thousands of dollars an hour to teach the rich of the world about the ancient Hawaiian wisdom. He meets them at the airport, picks them up in his stretch-limo, trucks them around for a couple of hours as he talks about universal goodness and high-mindedness, returns them to the airport, now having substantially lightened their moneybelts. I find this one particularly disgusting.
an honorable mention to Big Religion's "pomp and revenue" We should not leave this sub-section of the article without pointing out that Big Religion sells its own "thoughts are things" propaganda. With a religious spin, it comes out as "if you have enough faith, then you will be healed/find a job/get a mate" or whatever ails you. And when the sought-for object of desire fails to materialize, the BlackRobes will blame you with, "Well, you just didn't have enough faith." It's an old game -- not the real game of life, but the huckster version of it.
Spirit-Guide Abu informs us that, in this world, we do not control environment. That's not why we came here. Allow me to excise a section from another article. Spirit-Guide Abu, on the other side for 3500 years, gives his perspective on why things go wrong in our world. The following is transcribed from a tape-recorded direct-voice-medium testimony: The Earth-plane is not a school of learning to prepare you for your future life in spirit... [the Earth] is the plane of individualization. As far as I am aware only upon the Earth-plane is this process of individualization carried out. And therefore, largely therefore, it is an evolutionary plane to a much greater degree than the others. Editor's note: See the introduction of "Prometheus Denied" for further discussion by Abu concerning the Earth as a specialty-world for individualization. For upon other spirit-planes, subsequent to the Earth, evolution will mean transition [to a better, more beautiful world], for as your spiritual status shall improve, so shall you find yourself in changing conditions and circumstances -- but that is not the case upon the Earth.
Editor's note: Abu is saying that, in future worlds, our environment, good or bad, will directly reflect our spiritual advancement or lack thereof. It's not that way on Earth, however. Here "bad things happen to good people." Our purpose in coming to this difficult planet is not one of attaining material prosperity; some will, some won't, even if they're good people. We came here for a different reason. There are many philosophies, religions, and self-help movements which preach that we, our positive thinking and good intentions, might surmount any obstacle here on Earth. I call this the "health and wealth gospel." There's an element of truth to it, but, fundamentally, it's flawed as we did not come here to be happy and materially successful, as such; we came here to "wake up," to individualize, to become an individualized person. Becoming a "good" and successful person is step two, largely to be realized in a future world. In other words, no amount of positive thinking per se will prove efficacious in terms of controlling the vicissitudes of this life. It wasn't made to work. It was designed to jettison us into a higher level of consciousness. the world was not worthy of them I am reminded of an inspiring verse in the Book Of Hebrews, chapter 11. Notice the haunting transitional phrase, "There were others..." 32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning;[e] they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. Yes, those "others," the ones who missed the train for material prosperity, the "health and wealth" in this life. Look at this lop-sided record of the heroes of faith! Some lived a charmed, rich life in palaces; "powerful in battle"; escaping "the mouth of lions"; "their dead raised to life again." But wait. "Others" "faced jeers and flogging, even chains and imprisonment"; were "put to death"; lived as "destitute, persecuted, mistreated"; seeking refuge "in caves and holes in the ground"! Are we to believe that God loved these "others" less than the worldly successful? Worse, if we believe the hucksters, the persecuted were "wrong" to sacrifice for the greater good; they drew to themselves, it is charged by the vapid "teachers", attackers by their own negative thoughts of lack. These "destitute" "others" hadn't learned "the secret" of how to materialize money in a bank account -- First National Bank of Babylon, of course, with chariot drive-up hours. Editor's note: The following inset box was written for the "surrender and acceptance" page but also well addresses the precept that we cannot be assured of happiness in this world.
The achievement of Dr. Hew Len: how did it happen? For some time I’d been vaguely aware of Dr. Hew Len’s story, but the fantastic claims eventually prompted me to seek for more information. First impressions? On a personal level, I like Dr. Hew Len quite a bit. His youtube lectures and interviews reveal, what I feel to be, a genuine and solid person. He believes what he says. He's retired now, getting older, and, it seems, no longer involved in the work of teaching Ho’oponopono. I don't believe it was ever about the money for him. Others, however, as I've indicated, have engaged in a commercial hucksterism, selling the wares of the ancient tribal arts. The facts of the “miraculous” Hew-Len case are not in dispute. While the inmate-healings occurred some decades ago, there are still large numbers of people around who witnessed these events, and no one has come forward saying it didn’t happen. Questions, for me, concerning Dr. Hew Len’s stellar achievements relate not to “what” but “how.” The issue of causation here, I think, is rather murky. However, not many would agree with me on this. Many are very certain that they know how the inmates were healed. In this certainty by true-believers, a very large marketing organization has grown up around the good doctor’s work. Ho’oponopono is now “bottled and sold” as a commodity – Madam Ruth will mix it up right here in the sink for us. While the merchandisers harbor no doubts concerning how the inmates were healed, the closer I look at the philosophical underpinnings of this “miracle,” the more disillusioned I become.
David Hume: the deceptive nature of events habitually conjoined in time and space A good place to begin a discussion of Ho’oponopono is to pay a word of homage to the great philosopher, David Hume. We’ve addressed Hume elsewhere, but it’s helpful to remember that 2000 years of thought concerning causation, going back to Aristotle, were overturned by the portly Scotsman.
"Constant conjunction" differs from "causation" - but people get these mixed up and unwarrantedly jump to inference. Hume pointed out that, despite our prejudices relative to what we think we know about why things happen, necessary causation is not something we can see or come to know. It's something that the brain infers. If A happens and then B occurs soon after, the mind connects the dots for us and tries to convince us that the two events are necessarily “conjoined,” as Hume used the term. Think of the rooster crowing at 6 AM, convinced that his early-morning bellowing has prompted the sun to rise.
We would say that there's no necessary connection between the crowing and the rising, and I would impolitely extend this, in that, there is no necessary connection, no causal agency, between meditating over files and subsequent healings. Praying over files offers a "feel good" sense of religiosity, but let's see the actual results. Father Benson from the afterlife joins me in my contention to say that general prayers of good feeling and positive energy toward others, while certainly producing no harm, offer little tangible benefit to an intended recipient. We can't "sprinkle the air with stardust" of good intention and meaningfully help people that way. It's not the way the moral universe works.
Editor's note: See my article "Stars And Midnight Blue" for many examples on how our senses deceive us, how we commonly infer causation regarding many events of the world, but, in fact, we are mistaken.
praying or meditating or visualizing or chanting or accepting 100% responsibility for another will not change or heal anyone, not an atom Editor's note: I am aware that healings sometimes do take place, a result of psychic abilities. But that's another story.
There are many concepts here, major concepts, demanding attention all at once, and I want to address this properly. We have the issue of prayer and how it works, if at all. I would direct you to my lengthy article on prayer. Prayer, properly understood, is not meant to be primarily an exercise of asking or forcing God's hand to do something -- in this attempt at manipulation, puerile ones demand, "my will be done." Father Benson gives the best discussion on this; but, in brief, (1) we don't know what is best for ourselves or for others; we don't have a clue; but, when we do ask for a benefit, (2) the Spirit-Guides have no magic wand which might issue as immediate grant; God is not some genie-in-a-bottle supplying devotees three wishes, nor Santa Claus allowing us gifts because we've not been "naughty but nice" -- this is just toddler-thinking and we should smile at it; further, (3) people are helped, or help themselves, when they are ready to be helped, that is, of a mind and disposition to be helped, and who's to say that present suffering is not working a long-term good in one's life?
These are difficult issues; difficult, because people are complicated and the soul has its own timetable for learning and coming to realize certain things. We cannot impose our will on another, even if we deem our actions to be beneficent. The recipient needs to be open and ready to receive; moreover, is required to be 100% responsible for his or her own life. Spirit Guides "pray over the files" all the time, but with zero effect A prime example: Father Benson informs us that in the Dark Realms millions and millions of suffering persons reside. They could leave today, but they do not, because they are not ready to leave. Working with these miserable ones are a vast host of Spirit Guides who attempt to encourage, lead, persuade, or otherwise prompt these citizens of darkness to emigrate to better climes. You might say that these "missionary" Guides "pray over the files" of ones in their care. But all of the "praying" and "good intentions" and "mind over matter" and "law of attraction" doesn't mean a damn until the angry or despondent wretch-in-darkness is willing to change his or her own circumstances. Some of these denizens of detention have lived in their squalid conditions for scores or hundreds, even thousands, of years, and no amount of praying or positive thinking by the Guides has effected an ounce of healing. The inmates of the Dark Realms themselves have to choose to better themselves or it's all a non-starter. It's the "prime directive" over there, you know.
So, how exactly were the hospital inmates healed? In an interview, Dr. Hew Len offers a good clue. He said that the inmates were not his only problem but that the hospital staff too was suffering from great loss of morale. Many of the staff would call in sick, not show up for work. They did not like dealing with the sullen inmates and were becoming increasingly hostile toward them. he had to heal the hospital staff first Dr. Hew Len said that he knew he had to help the staff change their attitudes toward the inmates, as this staff-hostility was causing and intensifying problems.
generally speaking, the attitudes of employees will reflect the spirit of top management I've seen this happen quite often. It happens all the time in corporations. It happens in churches, too. If the head of a church is cynical, money-grubbing, and manipulative, most of the field pastors will tend to emulate this diseased frame of mind. It works the other way, too. If top management is conscientious, service-minded, and sacrificing, there will be a positive trickle-down effect for most employees. I think this is the reason why the inmates were healed. Dr. Hew Len as Director set a new tone in the hospital and the staff was healed first by his positive and cheerful approach. As a result, the inmates were treated more respectfully, more considerately, and, of course, they would begin to show improvement in their mental health. And here's why I think what I say here is very likely to be true.
Ho’oponopono philosophy, via books, videos, seminars, private consultations, and online writings has now influenced and taught millions of people. But where is this race of supermen-healers who surely by now should be emptying all hospital beds? I hope you see my point. Dr. Hew Len healed the inmates of one hospital. This is wonderful, to be sure, but -- why stop there? Why didn't he effect healings all over Hawaii? And then, why not on the mainland? Why not all over the world? Yes, why not? Can we not "pray over files" from a distance? And if this were too much for one man, we now have a vast horde of students, a whole army of believers, schooled in the runic ways of Ho'oponopono, and so why are they, too, not emptying hospitals in their own right? is this vast legion of instructed others not also capable of sincere mantra-chanting? -- the "I'm sorry, forgive me, I love you, thank you"; are we to believe that, among these millions of disciples, there is but one man able to pray a proper prayer? -- if prayer is what's required Why did this dramatic healing occur only once? - and this, decades ago now. I will tell you why. Ho'oponopono, as popularly taught, doesn't work. What works -- and even this but imperfectly -- is loving and caring human-to-human contact, and that's what Dr. Hew Len provided, beginning with the medical staff, in one situation, one hospital, over which he had direct influence. He had no influence over other hospitals because this good man didn't work at other hospitals, and therefore "praying over files" long distance wouldn't work. And it wouldn't work for the hordes of Ho'oponopono students, either, because they probably aren't directors of hospitals.
there is something seriously wrong with Ho'oponopono philosophy In his lectures, Dr. Hew Len, quite vigorously, emphasizes the need to "cleanse" the negativity from one's spirit. On the surface, this could appear to be reasonable. Shouldn't we all try to improve ourselves and rid ourselves of the heart of darkness? Is it not right and proper to focus on self-improvement and moral perfection? Should we argue with this? It depends. The more I learn about this teaching from the lectures of Dr. Hew Len, the more I perceive that Ho'oponopono views the human condition as fundamentally and utterly flawed. This is a serious error and, eventually, leads to all manner of dysfunction. There is a difference between seeing one's soul as (1) essentially impaired, needing "salvation," a total make-over, a deep "cleansing"; as opposed to the truth, which is, (2) we were made perfect in God's image, in need of nothing...
... with our only requirement that of "waking up," of coming to know the inner riches of the soul.
Editor's note: You will recall the earlier allusion to "waking up" by Dr. Hew Len in reference to Ho'oponopono. However, when he uses the term he means "waking up" to the fact that we're innately corrupted and base rather than innately perfect and sacred.
This is a great chasm of difference, indeed. As such, Ho'oponopono takes its place as one more religion of the world preaching the primal corruption, the "original sin," the constitutional depravity of man. When you do that you will soon slip into a mode of searching for ways to be rid of what Hoffer called "the spoiled self." This is the impetus toward cultism, people wanting to lose themselves in an organization, under the protective shield of a father-figure. Recall that Dr. Hew Len spoke highly of the virtue of "zero limits," a seemingly misapplied term by which he meant "zero identity," a total washing away of individuality, the spoiled self. You will notice, as well, in these teachings a constant drumbeat of "you are the problem." This invitation to self-loathing and self-disrespect quickly becomes father to many dysfunctions.
Editor's note: See my important research on the "500 tape-recorded testimonies from the other side." Over there, many are still plagued with a desire to be rid of the "spoiled self," a wish for "zero identity," leading them into egoic insanity.
And it's the hidden reason, too, as we discussed earlier in this article, why Ho'oponopono is associated with reincarnation, which is just one more attempt to jettison "the spoiled self." In every one of the above many "self-help" philosophies it is often repeated and emphasized that our problems are caused by negative thinking, and that if we could just learn to control and guide our thoughts into better thinking, we shall attain success in life and moral perfection. This view is fundamentally flawed, on a number of levels. (1) As we've discussed, our task is not so much to become perfect, to enhance or to add something to an impaired self, but to know, to perceive, the inner riches of the soul "made in the image"; (2) Thinking is but part of our intelligence; the lesser part. There is a greater intelligence to be tapped, deep within, our linkage to Universal Intelligence, which is awareness without thought, a wordless perceiving. Most of the thinking by the "little me" is not creative, positive, and service-oriented but repetitive, destructive, self-centered, banal; and so our task, oftentimes, is not to direct, improve, or lead thinking so much, but to find the "off switch" for thinking, this incessant egoic "chattering in the head," the "monkey-mind" as mystics call it, a "static on line," which diminishment will allow a rising, to the surface of personhood, of a deeper, inner wisdom of the soul. Affirmation reminder-notes on a bathroom mirror, or any external teacher, religion or guru, will no longer be necessary. Universal Intelligence itself will be our constant friend and guide. This is the real game of life and how to play it. These books will advise you concerning the meaning of these mysteries:
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