Mind/Body/Spirit V: Positive Energy flow- meditative states

Most of us live busy lives, scurrying about doing stuff. We are in the Rat Race, responding to “triggers” at work, at home, and sometimes even in our off-duty pleasure activities. Our brain wave pattern reflects this frenetic trigger-to-trigger time: it is called the “Beta” brain wave pattern with matching frenetic up and down movements. It looks stressful, and it is. The meditative states, up to and including sleep, are typically smoother and even look calmer! See this informative and entertaining ten minute “Ted Talk”: http://blog.ted.com/2013/01/11/4-scientific-studies-on-how-meditation-can-affect-your-heart-brain-and-creativity/

Scientific/medical studies have shown that these meditative states indeed have physical and chemical effects on their practitioners; their blood chemistry shows increased levels of de-stressor hormones. These studies show meditators to be significantly happier and healthier. We will consider four of these meditative states: Prayer, Traditional, Guided, and Brainwave entrainment meditative states.

Prayer: There are many accounts of the positive effects of prayer, and prayers being answered. Most people, at least in the United States, pray and believe in the healing power of prayer, even in the absence of “scientific”, explanations for how this occurs. The traditional medical establishment has refused to consider the possibility of spiritual healing, but that is now changing. The site: http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/can-prayer-heal gives us an update: even the NIH is now studying this possibility.

Barbara Bradley Haggerty, author of the book Fingerprints of God, has spent a year researching the connection between science and spirituality, and reports that there is strong evidence for the healing effect on those who pray, but the “scientific” evidence is mixed when the effect on the recipient of prayer is being tested. This is summarized in her interview with NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104466652 . The jury is still out, however; the traditional scientific method and measuring instruments may not be equal to testing in the world of the Spirit. Time will tell!

Meditation techniques

Meditation has been practiced since five thousand years ago, in India. Meditation spread further throughout the eastern world at the time of Buddha, who espoused meditation. Still commonly practiced in the east, about fifty years ago it spread to the west, and popularized as Transcendental Meditation. It has become commonly accepted as a mental and physical stress reducer, with proven health benefits. The Mayo Clinic provides information at: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/meditation/HQ01070 Now there are new, Hi-Tech meditation techniques that involve inducing meditation-type (alpha and theta) brainwaves that produce similar effects and health benefits. It is not clear if the mechanisms that produce the benefits are identical, but current studies are confirming that these “brain wave entrainment” techniques offer promising results. See more information, and a free sample of this at the website: http://www.omharmonics.com/ Yoga and biofeedback are also known to similarly affect brain wave patterns. All of these methods appear to help reduce stress-produced cortisol, and increase the production of health enhancing hormones. The evidence points to an almost universal benefit of meditation; it appears advisable for everyone to include meditation into their daily regimen. Finally, prayer is similar to meditation in many ways, in that it too has been found to reduce the physiological effects of stress. And of course it has the advantage of seeking God’s guidance and assistance. Prayer, it would appear, is the “technique” of choice to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.

The Law of Attraction: Getting Beyond the Box

The Law of Attraction: Getting Beyond the Box As we become clear of the negative forces (incorrect, negative fear programs) that are keeping us trapped in our box we become empowered to attract to ourselves the desires of our heart. The shell of the “bubble of reality” that we have formed (in a way, this is the reality that we have created for ourselves) vanishes and we gain access to the infinity of reality that lies beyond. From this positive place, we begin to manifest our desires into our reality. What we ask for will be given to us. There are some rules... What we ask for must be positive, imbued with our own positive feelings. The Greatest Miracle Worker ever, Jesus Christ, taught us how to ask: Therefore I say unto you, whatever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you will receive them, and you shall have them. (Mark 11:24, KJV) If you are not congruent in your request, or if you have doubts or fears interfering with your belief that you can receive your request, you may need to do more clearing work by subtracting negative programs, in order to congruently believe in your request.

The Law of SUBTRACTION, Think "Outside the Box" and the "Bubble of Reality"

Our past thoughts and experiences create a “Bubble of Reality” within which our consciousness is constrained to remain. This is the “box” we need to think outside of in order to overcome obstacles that we run into. The shell that boxes us in is the negative fear and limiting belief programs that we have mistakenly collected over our lifetime. THESE ARE THE NEGATIVE PROGRAMS that we subtract in order to expand beyond the limiting shell of our bubble. In the previous posts we discussed EFT and NLP fear and negative program removal techniques. There are other “energy” techniques helpful in overcoming negative emotional states such as meditation, and binaural brainwave stimulation. Perhaps most effective of all is prayer, and belief in a Loving God (“I will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.”) AS WE SUBTRACT EACH NEGATIVE PROGRAM a crack in our limiting shell appears, weakening the negative energy forces that hold us back. We then reach a new level of consciousness, as Einstein recommends. Continuing down this path will enable us to progress into new expanding positive areas, eventually breaking free of our shell into a reality of infinite possibility.

The Power of Now, Purpose and Prayer

As we discussed in the previous post, we can become trapped in our past. Our stream of consciousness can become an instant replay of past life experiences, and we relate everything to the past. We begin to relive past painful experiences. We develop a negative outlook and focus on avoiding pain. We can become negative thinkers.

We become empowered when we raise our level of consciousness from the past to the present and future. Therein resides the power of positive thinking! There is no power to be had in the past; there is Power in the Present, in the Now. In the Present we are able to accomplish things. How do we get there?

There is Power in having Purpose. By finding a purpose that we wish to pursue, we focus on something positive, beyond our own self. We point ourselves toward the future, not the past. But not just a purpose-- a Purpose! Something that will draw us and keep us oriented forward over the long haul.

Finding a Purpose is an adventure in itself. This Purpose cannot be something within your grasp. It must be impossible at present. And BIG. Something outside your power, that will require a Higher Power to accomplish. Consult your Higher Power to discover your Higher Purpose.

There is Power in Prayer. Pray for guidance to discover this Higher Purpose. Ask God to reveal to you what His plan for you might be. And listen. Hopefully it will strike you as absurd for you to contemplate such a grand Purpose. That’s how you will know you are on the right Path.

A New Level of Consciousness

We have spent our life up to this point in time, creating the person we have become. We have likewise created the reality we find ourselves in. Our consciousness itself- our “egoic mind”- is largely dependant these experiences of the past. Our stream of consciousness (see previous entry about the 7 +/- 2 bits of information) is often lost in this past, becoming awake in the NOW only occasionally.

This power of NOW that Eckhart Tolle and others find so miraculous creates in us a New Level of Consciousness. We become empowered because we are no longer trapped in the dead past. Here are some suggestions for ways to break free from the past:
• Prayer
• Meditation
• Self-observation/self awareness
• Goal Setting

Perhaps you have other ways of breaking free. Please add them to the list.