Equating the ego with its illusions is a bit like saying “a computer is a virus.” I recently had a virused laptop, which was completely inoperable; I was unable to “see its contents for what they were.” Should I have just thrown the laptop out the window? Tempting, but after a de-virusing by Gehenna (for which she deserves a standing ovation) and a new, superior operating system later (Ubuntu for the curious), I’ve got back what almost feels like a brand new computer. It’s in perfect working condition, and in an even better position than before, to allow me to interface with a greater reality. How much more the ego?

The ego is not inherently “bad” or in conflict with spirituality; it is just addicted. “Addiction” is a great way to describe the situation, for what is an addiction but one thing falsely substituted for another, that sucks up an unhealthy amount of energy and resources in a futile attempt to gain the original object of desire?

I have already identified Power, Wisdom and Love as the three “primary colors” of creation – and the true object of all yearning. After spending a while working on my understanding of these, I began wondering if the ego’s errors could similarly be broken down into basic elements. I went back over all my experiences to pick out the common threads, and at the end of this process I had boiled it down to three primary addictions that most people identify themselves with and pour massive amounts of their energy into. These are fear of loss, need for control and need for approval, which play out in the primary areas of life circumstances, material possessions and relationships. Let’s explore them, shall we?

Fear of Loss

This one could also be called “fear of death,” as at the heart of it is the ego’s fear of its own impermanence. However, most people equate death with physical death, and since this addiction, as well as the Death archetype, encompass so much more, it would probably be more helpful to stick with “loss.”

The ego typically attempts to find security by attaching to “things,” believing that if it can find something permanent to identify with, its own immortality would be assured. This is an exercise in futility. Change is a given; everything in the universe is flowing; constantly in motion. When we make something part of our identity that can be taken away, great suffering can result. If your identity is your job title, and you lose your job, who are you? If your sense of self is tied up in a relationship, which ends, do you end with it? If your self concept is attached to the accumulation of “stuff,” and a natural disaster should strike, taking away all your material possessions, does your identity get taken away as well?

Most people pour heroic amounts of their energy into hanging onto what is, out of fear of the implications of change and loss. This can only end badly, as the universe does not respond well to hoarders. Since everything is being kept in motion, you end up trying to build a foundation based on this hoarded material, and keep it all static, while the universe is taking it back out again. The only possible result of this process is that at physical death, when all temporary constructs are revealed as such, the ego loses itself.

Unlike most sources I disagree that this necessarily has to be the case, though the fact remains that the ego will have to find something more enduring to identify itself with, and become capable of moving with the flow of change, if it is to survive physical death. This subject will be elaborated on in the future, though for now, Power, Wisdom and Love would be a good place to start.

Need for Control

The next primary method the ego uses to establish a sense of security and self-validation, is control. If we can just manage to exert enough control over our personal circumstances, and the people in our environment, we’ll be okay – so the very flawed (and usually unconscious) theory goes.

While appearances can be deceiving, and our attempts at control may appear to be working for a time, this approach is ultimately unsustainable. When we attempt to force some part of the world to conform to our ideas of the way it should be, we usually fail to see things for what they are. To get any person, thing or part of nature to do or be something to which it is not well suited, and would not be otherwise inclined, requires the continuing use of coercive force. This is a tenuous position, as demonstrated by the fact that those who are most in the habit of trying to control and manipulate others to conform to their version of “the way things should be,” otensibly in a misguided quest for security, are some of the most insecure people, completely lacking in self-control.

Unfortunately, crowbarring round pegs into square holes and then applying force to keep up the illusion that this is where they belong, just about sums up the entire MO of society, religion, education, occupation, technology and many human relationships. We essentially take parts of ourselves, each other, and nature as hostages, forcing them into slavery to do our bidding, and give this process names like “responsibility,” “progress” and even “love.”

The only possible outcome for all systems of control, is breakdown. Eventually one of three things happens: 1. that which is being controlled becomes so worn down by the force being applied to it that it is rendered inoperable, 2. the controlling mechanism runs out of available sources of energy to exploit, and breaks down, or 3. when speaking in terms of human beings, the person being controlled recognizes their status as a slave or a hostage, finds or cultivates a measure of strength greater than the control mechanism, and casts it off. In all cases the fact remains that it takes a whole lot more energy to force someone or something into a role it’s not suited for, and maintain the charade, than it does to simply allow and encourage things to do and be what they are. Often all that’s required is seeing what is, and the rest naturally falls into place on its own once the illusion can no longer be maintained.

Need for Approval

From an early age we’re socialized to view the approval of others as a measure of our sense of self-worth. This very primal need to have someone tell us we’re “good” starts with our parents, soon extends to teachers. We quickly learn that when our behavior and self expression meets the expectations of the authority figures in charge of much of our early experience, all is well with the world. Religion has pretty much cornered the market on convincing us we’re inherently “bad” and in need of fixing, enlightening or saving, though pop-culture science comes in close second on this front with its claims that rational self interest, which requires “civilizing,” is our default nature. I dispute both claims strongly, though that’s a rant for another post. The point is that all institutions that start with the idea that we’re somehow not “good enough” to merit approval, pave the way to instill an artificial need that can never be met (but sure makes a hefty profit for those claiming otherwise!)

Some then grow up, feeling as if they did not get adequate approval from those early authority figures. Others may have gotten too much (especially if they grew up during the “self-esteem” craze of the past few decades), and quickly find that the adult world is not quite so concerned with feeding their ego’s craving for positive reinforcement. Either way, the need for the approval of others becomes an addiction; something that is sought for its own sake, and we come up with endless clever ways to get it. The problem is that no amount of approval is ever enough to satisfy; the “high” is short-lived. This artificial “need” becomes just another misuse of our energy; a futile attempt to control the thoughts and actions of others, and a way for others to gain a measure of control over our self expression and behavior. This mechanism plays out in many, usually unconscious (though sometimes deliberate!) ways throughout our lives. In the same way as it was used to modify our behavior as children, positive and negative reinforcement is used to “keep us in line,” meeting others’ expectations and not straying from the status quo in many aspects of our lives. Every Scooby Snack becomes bait, luring us further and further away from our own integrity, genuine self-expression, and true fulfillment. “What would people think?!” becomes the mantra by which we shackle ourselves to mediocrity and hollow definitions of “success” that did not originate from within.

The simple act of exerting effort for the sake of gaining approval contradicts what approval actually is — which is freely given when merited. If you have to put energy into getting others to approve of you, what you get back has nothing to do with meriting approval — it just means you’re good at manipulation. Unless you can overcome the tendency to put the approval of others as one of your primary motivations, it is impossible to fully know, much less express your genuine self. This is because all attempts to gain approval are, in reality, a distortion of the genuine, natural desire for love. To tap into the universal source of Love, first by cultivating self-love, and then by learning to share it with others in a healthy and mutually beneficial way, is to find a sustainable source of connectedness and security that no addiction can satisfy.

All Things in Place

Just like the three prime virtues, the three addictions play out in our lives in a myriad of subtle ways, mix, match and overlap with each other. Before identifying them in these terms, recognizing and detaching from all my unhealthy patterns and addictions was slow going; “the enemy” an ever illusive foe that could shapeshift, disguise itself and hide with the best of ‘em. Much like the effect of creating a mission statement though, the effect of identifying the three primal addictions as such sped this process up dramatically. Once I recognized them for what they are, did work to detach myself from them and plugged into the universal source of Power, Wisdom and Love, they went from being addictions sucking up an endless amount of personal resources, to being useful tools to pick up and drop at will.

Without the drive to attach to things and attempt to keep them static, the fear of loss simply becomes a force of preservation. While the compulsion to hoard and hold things in place is counterproductive and ultimately unsustainable, there’s still a need to be able to hold onto resources, relationships and circumstances while we’re able to make good use of what they have to offer. I’m not so attached to my possessions that losing them would be a major emotional wrench to my very identity, but I still lock my doors at night. I need exert no force or coercion to keep my relationships intact, but I still try to make sure others know that I value having them around.

When freed from the attachment of addiction, control becomes more associated with self-direction and navigation. Since we live in a universe of probabilities rather than absolutes, we ultimately can’t force things to conform to our will and hold them in place indefinitely. However, when we learn the nature of the forces in which we operate, starting with the ones operating within ourselves; when we learn who we are, and be that, it becomes increasingly possible to chart our own course within the sea of probability. When we gain true security in who we are, we likewise recognize who and what we’re not, and can enforce our boundaries accordingly.

For someone who has released the addiction to approval, approval can be a valuable tool. I don’t require anyone’s approval to know that I believe in the material I post on this site for instance, though valuable feedback from my readers lets me know when I’m speaking my mind in a way that others can relate to more readily. Being true to one’s own self is integral to any path of self-mastery, but it can’t all be about the individual self. Living in a world of six billion people, and a multiverse full of interesting characters of varying descriptions, refining one’s approach for a greater likelihood of harmonious coexistence couldn’t hurt. I have known people (including myself, at one time) who went the other way and completely disregarded the opinion of others – this tends to cut us off, which is no more healthy than being addicted to their approval. While we shouldn’t need anyone’s approval to be ourselves and pursue our own individual path, I’ve found that there’s a pretty wide range of possible ways to be me without compromising my integrity. In that sense, I can find creative ways to be true to myself – but within the context of interconnectedness.

–Palehorse
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In the process of creating my own personal mission statement (and by extension, that of this site) I realized that there are three prime forces that operate at the foundation of our very reality. Aligning one’s living strategy and approach with the foundation of reality does wonders for its effectiveness I figure, so today I’ll tell you what those are and what I know about how they work.

My thoughts on this are greatly influenced by Gnostic tradition. Gnostics had various cosmologies which were misinterpreted as literal creation stories, though the cosmologies were meant to say more about the people who designed them, their understanding of reality and their relation to it. That said, I suspect they all had at least a piece of the puzzle that is objective reality itself. All of these cosmologies started with a single Source, from which emanated original primal forces, known as Aeons. The interaction of these forces were thought to make up the very fabric of existence, and give rise to everything else.

My own cosmology is much more complex than I’ll be going into here, but for the purpose of my Mission Statement, the primal forces I recognized at the foundation of all things are Power, Wisdom, Love and Mind. (What I’ve written on Mind is not as relevant for this article I’ve decided, so it will be expanded on and moved to a future post.) These four Prime Movers, as I understand them, are not dualistic; they have no opposites. They are fields of energy that permeate all things, and while we can be more or less attuned and aligned with their influence, even plug into them directly; all things exist in relation to them, and all virtues are various combinations and quantities of these. Recognizing and aligning with them gave me an extremely solid baseline by which to measure all other energies, entities, information, people, situations, desires and all other influences that make up my experience. So without further ado: here’s my statement of purpose, which I’ll then break down into its parts.

I intend and choose to keep growing, learning, experiencing and expanding in power, wisdom, love and service in the way that is most fun and enjoyable for myself.

Power: All Things in Motion

“Power” is a bad word for many people, especially spiritual people. We’re told not to seek power, because, as the saying goes, “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” I’m also reminded of the opening monologue in one of the Lord of the Rings movies, where the voiceover is talking about how Sauron’s rings were given to Elves, Dwarves and “Men… who above all things (music gets ominous; voice drops to a tone of obvious disapproval) desire power.” Strictly speaking, Galadriel’s got a point there – desiring to accumulate power above all things leads us into problems, and the only place it can take us is to a rocky end. The reason for this is not that the use of power is, in itself, bad – but rather, seeing it as something to accumulate and hold over others is a misuse of the way that the very laws of the universe operate. If “might makes right” is your game, then you’ll eventually have to come to terms with the fact that you’re up against an entire universe which is, in fact, a lot bigger than you. The transformation of both Bilbo and Frodo into almost possessed, demonic versions of their former good-natured selves, is a pretty good picture of what Power can do without the balancing effect of the other two virtues. The condition of Gollum; obsessed, addicted, and completely divided against himself, possibly the most disempowered character in the storyline who ultimately chased power to his own death, shows what can happen when we desire power “above all things.”

Power, as a virtue, is not something to accumulate or hoard; in purest form it is a force that we exist in relation to. Everything in the universe is constantly moving, flowing and changing; forces are always acting on other forces. When we learn how to harness some of those forces and flow with the changes, starting with the forces operating from within ourselves, we have power. When we resist the natural flow (and likely get pretty bruised and battered in the process), when forces outside ourselves take control of our internal forces, we are disempowered. As a Spirit having a human experience, you are, by definition, a tremendous natural source of power and energy. In most cases though, our power is scattered in all directions, and being dumped into black holes that don’t serve us, rather than being put to its best use. It is also worth noting that most of what we think of as “power” is actually status – or the illusion of such – based on success within “The System” as it stands. This condition is, however, dependent on the system remaining as it is – which no system ever does — and as such is fleeting. True power, or rather, plugging into and harnessing the universal source of Power, is adaptable and not dependent on external conditions. For the truly powerful, the appearance of status and the ability to influence are not something to be sought for their own sake. Status is simply a useful tool for gaining greater visibility, and thus being able to speak your truth to a wider audience. Influence is one of the tools useful for navigating your own ship within the context of all the other forces it is subject to. Universal Power doesn’t make anybody inherently “special” because we’re all harnessing the same source, and are part of that source. Although harnessing it in your own unique, creative way, and getting more proficient at doing so, can have a way of putting you in awe of your own special place and purpose within All That Is.

Wisdom: All Is Information

Information is everywhere; much like the other two virtues, we’re swimming in a field of the stuff. I would define the virtue of Wisdom as an ability to tap into this information, process it into something you understand, putting it to use, and continually improving on your ability to do all three. For those who have seen the Matrix trilogy, it may help to think of Neo suddenly gaining the ability to view the code behind the Matrix itself in raw form. Everything in our reality is made up of information; Wisdom comes with being able to not only process information, but put it to creative use as well.

Most people are not efficient processers and users of information. This is not usually something inherent in the person, but rather, because they’re misusing their tools: namely, the conscious and subconscious minds. Expanding on this theme will be the subject of future articles. Suffice to say that most people use their conscious mind to do all the gathering, processing, analyzing and application… while the subconscious mind, a living creator with the abilities of a supercomputer that never sleeps, and is intricately networked with All That Is, goes mostly unused and unnoticed.

Wisdom Relates to Power in that along with tapping into the force of motion, tapping into the flow of information is also a source of Power; or as the saying goes “knowledge is power.” Those who are able to advance in the fields of business and politics are adept at combining wisdom with power; information with influence. The problem is that in many cases, they leave it at that – and as a result, it’s framed as “every man for himself”; every man an island, in a fierce, cutthroat competition with everyone else to hoard information and resources for the greatest personal gain, typically in terms of money and influence over others. What they leave out of the equation is the third virtue, which has a balancing and uplifting effect on the others.

Love: All Things Are Relational

I covered the subject of Love in depth in a previous article, so I’ll keep this part short and mostly leave it at “go read that one.” In the interest of covering ground that I haven’t already, I’ll say that as a virtue, Love keeps us ever-conscious of the fact that everything in the universe exists, moves, operates and maintains its being in relation to everything else. At a certain quantum level it has been said that “there are no objects, only relationships” – every Thing that exists, is defined in relation to Other Things.

When the self begins to realize the interconnected and interdependent nature of all things, it brings us to the awareness that the way to gain is not by taking away from other selves, but through cooperation within the forces in which we all exist, and with other selves who support our ambitions. Two selves in conflict will never accomplish as much as two selves sharing resources and pushing each other to ever greater heights of individual and collective achievement (which even leaves a place for friendly competition!). On a broader scale, when humanity learns how to share and pool resources and innovation rather than warring over them and restricting their use with legal code like dogs fighting over scraps, we will transcend the limit of our self-imposed doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction, and enter into a paradigm of Mutually Assured Creation without limits. This is not some fluffy, hippie-dippy New Age sentiment, but rather a practical and objective observation of the very nature of the reality in which we find ourselves. By plugging in and orienting yourself toward the universal source of Love, especially with the forward-moving and informing influence of the other two virtues, you can get a taste of that reality right now.

Fun: Increasing What’s Enjoyable

While possibly more a personal value than a universal principle, I would argue that all things and people have a vested interest in either being enjoyed, or getting as much enjoyment as possible out of their experiences. While it’s not realistic or even desirable to have every minute filled with all sorts of fun and bliss, that’s not my aim here. What I have found is that by making “fun” part of my mission statement, it orients me in such a way that if there’s a way to make something more enjoyable for myself, I’m more likely to find it. Not only does holding this intention help me to make unavoidable tasks easier on myself; it also raises the chances of steering myself away from situations I’d rather not be in, and toward more of those that I would prefer. It also has a way of putting things in perspective such that I don’t take myself, or most other things, more seriously than they actually warrant. Aside of weaker areas I’m still working on, this has done wonders for my stress level, and even allowed me to design the “playing field” some of my own life lessons.

Paradoxically, I take fun very seriously, since realizing how important and beneficial it truly is. All too often fun and responsibility are seen as being at odds with each other – we do the “responsible adult” thing (which usually means “hand over control of our time and energy for someone else’s personal profit”) during the week, and have our fun on the weekends. Most peoples entire lives are structured this way: trudge through your “responsibilities” now, have fun later… maybe.

As with most things: I reject your reality, and substitute my own.

I challenge myself and stretch my creativity by trying to bring as much fun and enjoyment as I can, into as many areas of my life as possible. This does not necessarily mean that I try to make things “easier” on myself; I do that as well in many cases, but that’s a separate concept. I enjoy struggle for the sake of a good challenge (and then there are times when I’d prefer to relax and be on autopilot)… but the important distinction I came to recognize is that we have a tremendous degree of choice in the matter of whether we make progress through painful struggle, or fun struggle (or, as some people prefer, dispensing with struggle entirely and simply “going with the flow”). Why should work have to be difficult or tedious, and fun reserved for playtime? Why not find ways to play for profit and work for fun? Whose life are we supposed to be living here, anyway?

Far from decreasing my productivity or turning me into someone who veges out and floats through life without accomplishing anything meaningful; when I’m enjoying myself, I learn better, have more motivation to keep challenging myself, produce more, and the product of my efforts radiates the energy of my enjoyment. That should probably go without saying, though a brief glance at the corporate world betrays the fact that most people would probably need to be grabbed by the ears and shaken vigorously for this concept to sink in. This, in turn, allows me to produce a greater amount of value for others, which segues nicely into…

Service: Broadening Your Perspective

As I said in a previous post, I have recognized great value in orienting all my systems toward the concept of service. In contrast to the way “service to others” is usually portrayed though, like most things, I spin it in my own way. While it pleases me very much to have others gain value from anything I’m able to offer, my direct focus is not on “serving all people at all times, indiscriminately.” I’m a big fan of the philosophy encapsulated by the airline safety rule “secure your own air mask first, and then help the person next to you.” My concept of service starts with myself, and works its way outward, first to my immediate family, then to what I call “extended family,” which includes some friends and others I have strong previous-incarnational ties with, and then to everyone else who can be served by what I’m able to offer. Simply put: service starts in my own house. I’m not saying there aren’t times when putting others before myself isn’t advisable, there definitely are. But as someone who has lived with my focus on “others first” for quite a few years, I find my current approach to be a much more sustainable and fulfilling use of my resources.

I proceed in this way because I find that it puts me in the strongest position to focus my energy and provide the greatest amount of service. When I’m careful to take care of myself, I’m more likely to be physically and mentally healthy and content, which makes me more productive. I serve my family next, not out of obligation to the concept of “family,” but because 1. I value the people that I call family, and 2. this small group provides me with a strong, mutual support network, from which everyone in it draws a degree of security and a boost to each individual’s ability to serve how they will. I realize that not everyone’s biological family members fit this definition, but I would recommend to anybody that you find a way to cultivate this sense of “home and family” in whatever way you can make it happen, no matter how far “outside the box,” before trying to be of service on a wider scale.

While I’ve said before that I reject the idea of “service to self vs. service to others” as a false dichotomy, I do make a distinction between service and gratification, or even personal security. I enjoy those things, same as anybody, but holding them as something to seek for their own sake is a dead end. Orienting your systems toward gratification and security, programs you to take in energy and focus it only on the self without putting any back out again. The universe likes to keep things flowing and doesn’t respond well to hoarders – so you end up trying to secure your foundation on this hoarded energy that’s being broken down by the universe trying to take it back out again. Orient all systems toward service of the self and others, as someone who takes in what they need in order to find new, better and more enjoyable ways to use it as well as hand it back out again, and you’ll find that personal gratification and security take care of themselves in abundance.

While I encourage everybody to create their own individual statement of purpose, I suspect that the strongest ones will be aligned with these elements in some form. When I began working with them myself, I also suggested them to my brother, who is very new to self-development and metaphysics. For privacy’s sake I won’t say much about his personal struggles at the time, though I will say he had tried a lot of things to overcome them already. Within about a week’s time after specifically focusing on Power, Wisdom and Love, he came back to excitedly report some pretty drastic, positive changes. So, try it, see what you come up with and share your results with us!

In my next post I’ll take a look at the three primal addictions the ego is conditioned with from birth, that obscure, distort and block us from aligning ourselves with Power, Wisdom and Love.

–Palehorse
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Consider and compare two different corporations.

The first consists of a bunch of people strictly sealed in cubicles. Each person knows there are probably other people working for the company, but they never have any contact with those people. They only receive their individual assignments each day from “the boss,” who they’ve never met, but they don’t even know what the company is trying to achieve. The company exists and operates at the random whim of a boss that simply decides who does what and when, and that’s how it is.

The second corporation consists of departments, but the people within those departments are free to interact as they please, and each individual’s role in the company is defined solely by their own strengths and interests. The company has a specific mission statement that all employees are not only aware of, but believe in strongly and are excited to be part of. Within the goals of the mission statement, the only orders from the boss are for each employee to help make it happen in whatever way they’re best suited to.

So riddle me this: which setup is more well suited to the business of creation?

Both of these corporations represent ways of being. The boss is your conscious mind; everyone working for the corporation are the various aspects of yourself; your energetic and subconscious systems that work together to create your experience. Most people are in the position of the first example — the conscious mind doesn’t know what most of the parts are well suited for, if it even knows they exist, the parts are assigned functions they aren’t necessarily designed for, and none of them are working together in harmony.

The corporation in the second example, and the hypothetical Self it represents, is a powerful, harmonious, well oiled machine. Simply put: having all your systems pulling in the same direction, gives you a whole lot of pull. With all parts of yourself clear, functioning in the way they do best, and focused on a single unified purpose that you’re passionate about, you’re a force to be reckoned with indeed! All companies and organizations have a short, concise Statement of Purpose for this reason — and so should you.

How to Form a Mission Statement

When I started thinking about what my personal mission statement should be, I realized that I needed to find something that is enduring, as well as integral to who I am. I already know that operating against the natural flow of the universe is a good way to get squished flat (and it makes no exceptions for ignorance of how it operates), so I had to account for that as well. I strongly believe I have identified three of the most basic, primary forces operating in the universe itself, as well as every human being – three things we’re all looking for, and subject to, yet have distorted and mistaken for pretty much everything else that are NOT those things. Until then, I’ll leave you with a few questions to chew on that you will need to ask yourself when forming any mission statement.

What do you want? No, not what others say you should want – what do you really want?

What are your values?

What pursuits do you pour the majority of your time and energy into? Are they what you would choose to pour them into if you felt you had that choice?

What are your fondest hopes and dreams?

What excites you?

And the most important question of all…

Who are you?

I think that should be enough to keep most people busy for a while, so I’m off to work on the follow-up post!

–Palehorse
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I’m not militant about my status as a television non-owner; I don’t think tv is inherently evil or that I’m “better than YOU!” I’m writing this blog to share my experiences, thoughts and the benefits I perceive to being free of this ubiquitous device.

I removed the television from our house in January of 2008. My primary motivation was that here in the UK, we have to pay a yearly license fee of £142.50, or risk a hefty fine. I don’t agree with the cost or the requirement of a licence to watch TV, as I believe it to be a tax on television ownership and the thin end of a very big wedge. Along with my satellite subscription, TV was costing me over £40 a month! That’s a big chunk of money for something I barely had time for.

Finances aside, these are my gripes with television:

The cultural impact of television advertising: I don’t like subliminal advertising, or advertising that outright demands that I live a certain way. TV adverts do exactly this, bombarding us with popular lifestyle choices for music, clothing and attitude. Of course adverts are designed to cater to the most profitable demographic; they are driven by revenue.

A by-product of targetting the mainstream is that viewers don’t realise there are alternatives, and so they buy into what advertising tells them without a second thought. They do not question what is presented onscreen. Consequently, there are hordes of people who don’t express themselves, and instead like what they are told to like, believe what they are told to believe and wear what the fashionistas tell them to. They find safety in numbers; non-conformity is seen as something freakish to be mocked, rather than an interesting diversity.

Women (and some men!) make themselves ill trying to emulate the style and looks of bulimic actresses and impossibly-sculpted actors. Adverts hint that we are somehow worthless if we do not conform to their ideals of youth and beauty. One anti-cellulite cream featured the thighs of a twelve year old boy, and shampoo adverts regularly use models with hair extensions.

Television advertising has played a large part in creating a generation where few can think for themselves. *Disclaimer* -not everyone who watches tv is a drooling vegetable.. like with anything else, an awareness of it’s effects and a degree of moderation work wonders.

It’s called television programming for a reason, kids

Television’s use as a “soundtrack for life”: Too many families turn the television on as soon as they wake up, and do not switch it off until the last person reluctantly goes to bed. That’s around sixteen hours of noisy mental bombardment. I do wonder if these people are so afraid of having an original thought that they drown them out in this way.

As an empath it is anathema to me not to have some quiet time each day; to read, to lay and think, or simply to enjoy the silence. The loss of television had a profound effect on my two young daughters; if the “box” was on, I had to fight to gain their attention.. without it’s influence their attention spans increased and they began to engage in creative, imaginative play.

Walks to school became nature trails as they took more and more notice of the world around them, asking questions about creatures we saw; snails, slugs, birds, ladybugs and even the dreaded spider.

The News: Political news is mostly speculation, and by definition mostly imaginary. I find little truth or value in current affairs because of it’s skewed facade.

If news programmes aren’t the easiest way of manipulating the public, then I’m at a loss as to what is! With their doom, gloom and often outright hatred of those on the fringe of society they draw our focus to everything we don’t want in our lives. Plenty of people have an aversion to those who draw welfare benefits. “Cheats!” “Scum!” “Parasites!”.. again copying sentiments they hear on the news. The key word is aversion, aka negative manifestation.

By focusing on something, or on a group of people, by blaming it/them, you bring it into your experience. Public opinion, and thusly experience, is directly related to news stories. The horrific death of a child at the hands of an abuser makes headlines; and for months after our industrious journalists bring us more and more harrowing stories.

The power of the media is truly frightening. (that’s another potential blog!)

One can cut out these downsides and still enjoy some quality entertainment! “Then why throw away your TV?” I hear you ask, “Why not watch what you enjoy and turn it off?”.

Well, I didn’t find the few programmes we enjoyed worth the monthly expense. Along with that.. if you have young children you will be aware of their capacity to nag.”Muuuuuuuuuum, I want to watch Peppa Pig!” would soon become “..and I want to watch this, and that, and that….”. Children aren’t great at moderation and I’m a lousy disciplinarian. Removing the tv was the best choice for us as a family.

Within a week of getting rid of our tv, I had increased energy and clarity of thought. My creativity increased and I felt happier. I worried less about the future, which I believe was down to being news-free. I felt less irritable and stressed and more laid back about life in general. Visitors often commented on the pleasant atmosphere in our house, and that it was lovely to be able to chat unhindered.

When I see television in use outside of the home, I am very aware of it’s presence. I am irritated when I see it used in waiting rooms, shops and even the post office! In these situations it is spouting inane streams of “info-mercial” crap which only seems to put the patients and customers into a benign and glassy-eyed trance.

We still enjoy watching DVDs and streaming videos on the computer; the children appreciate selecting their viewing and see it as just one more form of entertainment rather than a necessary component of existance.

It’s a big leap of faith to make; television is deeply ingrained in our collective psyche and culture. A compromise I’d suggest is buying a cabinet to house your tv. Choose to watch, rather than have it on in the background. To use television consciously is to snap out of it’s control.

–Gehenna

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Discernment and intuition are two of the most useful traits we can possess. The two are easily confused, but understanding what they both are, and how to cultivate them deliberately, is crucial for any seeker of truth and self realization. For that matter, it’s crucial for anyone who wants to be a good judge of character in others, and who wants a healthy navigation system for sailing the sea of information we’re bombarded with on a daily basis.

When you begin (or find yourself suddenly plonked onto) a spiritual path, you will encounter a wide range of ideas, and it would probably be fair to say that 1. the vast majority of them are sketchy at best and toxic at worst, and 2. most of it will be presenting itself as “The Truth.” It is also common for spiritual seekers to gain sensitivity, either through deliberate practice or spontaneous opening of latent abilities, which opens them up to contact from various nonphysical energies, influences and entities. As I’ve discussed previously, not all of these entities are going to have your best interest in mind. Much like people, nonphysical entities are a pretty diverse bunch, running the spectrum from dangerous adversaries to valuable allies, to those who mean no real harm but can still divert your path with their craving for attention. Entities with shady intentions posing as divine figures is also one of the oldest tricks in the book. So how do we tell the difference between a true spiritual ally, and the hissing lizard-creature in the Virgin Mary mask that may not be who it says it is? Let’s get acquainted with the two friends who will let ya know, once you know how to work with them.

What is Discernment?

Discernment is the process by which we evaluate incoming information and either accept it as it is and incorporate it into our personal “operating system,” revise it, or reject it. This is mostly a mental sorting process, which measures new information against what we already hold, and uses the support of our emotional center to let us know what “feels right” vs. not. Using our discernment causes us to ask: is this information logically consistent? Does it fit with what I already know to be true? The trick with that second question though, is not to confuse “knowns” with “beliefs.” A belief can and should be challenged, and changed, in the face of new information — a known is what is left after all beliefs are stripped away.

In an ideal world, the disciplines of logic and critical thinking would be taught in schools as a basic skill… but unfortunately, in this world, that would conflict with the purpose that schools were designed for to begin with. Nonetheless, doing some study on subjects like logic, and recognizing logical fallacies, can be very helpful here. I did once take a college course on it which, while mind numbingly tedious at times (those times being the sections that involved proofs in the form of math equations *groan*) it was one of the most valuable classes I ever took, and I’d highly recommend it if you’re currently at a school that offers it. If not, Google and/or your local library are your friends.

At this point I should say that I realize there’s a tendency in many spiritual circles to react against the over-reliance on logic in other fields, and shy away from it entirely. I would also be the first to tell you that not all spiritual experiences are logical. Where logic does (or should) come into play, is evaluating the information we gain from our most abstract, wild experiences; our interpretations of those experiences, and where we choose to go from there. While there are no absolutes, information and interpretations that are logically consistent are generally more likely to be closer to the truth than that which is full of holes and contradictions. This gives us a framework for keeping ourselves grounded, even while having experiences that will “blow your mind, man.”

The usual approach to cultivating discernment is through hard life experience; sheer trial and error. You have some good experiences, and you get knocked around enough times, so you start getting some idea of how to increase the former and decrease the latter. The problem is that most people have no real system by which to process and organize the information that makes up their worldview, and don’t bother to consciously evaluate what’s already there, much less what new information is permitted to come onboard. This leaves us with a worldview that is scattered, disorganized, full of contradictions and epic leaps in logic. It is most often founded upon the ideas that were socialized into us from parents, religion and society about what is “good” and “bad.” Even those who have begun questioning their programming are left with the dilemma of what standard to measure the programming against. With a mind full of conflicting ideas, trying to find its way in a world to match, how do we begin to chart our own course? I’ll tell you how I did it, but first I’d like to talk about the faithful companion of discerment: intuition.

What is Intuition?

Intuition is in a sense, the opposite yet complimentary process. There’s no sorting or even much thinking involved here; our intuition provides an immediate sense of “knowing” about the truth of a given situation or piece of info; it immediately gives us a sense of What Is. This process takes place mostly in the emotional processing center of the navel chakra; the source of “gut feelings.” Intuition uses the support of the conscious mind in that we have to be aware enough of what our feelings are telling us, to act on them.

After finding themselves in a range of sticky, screwed up situations, many people claim that they either don’t have intuition, or that theirs is “broken.” I’m here to save you a lot of trouble by telling you that your intuition is always functioning perfectly, exactly as it should. “But Horse!” you might say, after (hopefully) setting aside the urge to pop me one, “how can you say this, if I keep ending up in situations that aren’t good for me?”

I say this because your intuition, as the more unconscious part of your navigation system, is always guiding you exactly where it’s told to. Intuition simply tells you What Is — but it’s your personal collection of information, programming and old buried emotional material that you’ve got stored in your subconscious mind and energy centers, that determine how you respond to its signals, or whether you even recognize them at all. Refer back to what I said above about holding a scattered, disorganized worldview, and the picture becomes more clear. Whatever direction your entire mental, energetic, emotional and subconscious systems are most oriented in, is what your intuition will guide you toward. More likely, if your system is full of all sorts of mutually contradictory programming, intuition will seem harder to spot… not because it isn’t there, but because it’s leading you erratically in all directions, and you have to figure out and calibrate which of those directions you actually prefer in order to hone your relationship with your own senses. If, to use a common example, you were raised with a version of Christianity that taught you that you’re a sinful being who deserves to suffer, your intuition says “right boss!” (quite possibly in the Bronx accent I’m hearing in my head), iceberg suffering, dead ahead!”

Most people are stronger in either intuition or discernment, and sometimes there’s a tendency to downplay the weaker area. Women are often said to be better with intuition, while men are assumed to be more proficient in logic. In reality there is nothing inherent in either gender that makes them automatically better in either area; this has more to do with the fact that logic is a more mental process, intuition is more emotional, and our cultural conditioning categorizes men and women into the two separately. I started out much more logical than intuitive, but once I got rid of everything that was interfering with my intuition, and figured out how to use it, it began to feel just as natural. Among people who are better at logical discernment, intuition is often thought to be too “warm and fuzzy,” and among the intuitively gifted, logic is viewed as “cold.” It’s natural to gravitate toward what we’re already good at, but the best use of these two skills are as a complimentary, balanced whole. After all, information can be logically valid, while not being beneficial to incorporate in our daily lives, and conversely, something might feel right, but on closer inspection, not lead us in a direction we would want to go. Logic gives intuition a framework within which to focus itself; intuition provides our logic with a sense of direction.

In order to discern or intuit the nature of any person, entity, information or situation, you first have to be intimately familiar with YOUR nature. Who are you? What are your values? By what set of standards do you measure what’s good for you vs. what isn’t? You’re already doing this, probably largely unconsciously, but you’re doing so with a set of standards that you’ve been programmed with over the course of your lifetime, rather than ones you’ve chosen deliberately. When you have a clear sense of self, things that conflict with it will naturally begin to feel very dissonant, and things that synch up with your internal compass will feel comfortable and “right.” So how do we change our programming and begin choosing values that are truly our own?

Meet the Bouncer

There is a part of the subconscious mind I call The Bouncer, because it fulfills a function similar to a person with that job – it’s the part of you that operates at the border between the conscious and subconscious, and decides which information passes the threshold. The information that gets through becomes your personal programming, and holds a degree of influence over your experience and worldview from that point forward. Additionally, in contradiction with most of the “law of attraction” material I’ve ever read, I’ve found that simply changing a belief on the surface; deciding not to believe it anymore; doesn’t necessarily alter the influence it’s having over your life. When a piece of information gets past the bouncer, you’ve basically installed it as mental software. If you’ve reinforced it in various ways over time, it will be buried deep. Changing your conscious beliefs and actions is a bit like deleting a shortcut from your computer’s desktop – but if you want the program fully gone, you still have to uninstall it. Changing beliefs on the surface will condition the subconscious mind eventually, in an indirect way, but there are ways that are much more efficient.

Fortunately, working with your bouncer doesn’t require any fancy hypnosis techniques or deep trance that most people typically associate with subconscious work (although reading up on self hypnosis and familiarizing yourself with the methodology wouldn’t hurt). He operates close to the surface, but can “run errands” at deeper levels if you ask him to, so working with him doesn’t require much more effort than getting relaxed, addressing him directly and telling him what you want to achieve. I’ve even named mine and developed a specific way that I address him, which means that at this point he’s only taking information from me and sources that are aligned with my values, rather than absorbing it willy-nilly. If you realize that a belief or piece of information you’ve been hanging onto is limiting or unhealthy, simply ask your bouncer to remove it and all its influence from your system at all levels, and if you wish, replace it with something else. More information about changing your beliefs at the subconscious level can be found in my post, Beliefs Create Experiences. The recent guest post Coralie’s Manifestation Manual also has a great section on sorting through your belief system.

I assume most of my readers probably know themselves at least well enough that they can get a good start on sifting through their internal archives. However, if we take into account that the packages of information offered by all religions, politicians, societal institutions and especially modern advertising and media, are deliberately designed to bypass your bouncer and head straight for the depths of your subconscious mind, it starts to become more obvious that we need to give our bouncer some “rules of engagement” by which to accept or reject the constant flow of information. After peeling away so much of my own programming like layers of an onion, and realizing that there would probably be no end to the process in this lifetime if I didn’t find a way to blow through more programming in a shorter period, I began to recognize the importance of giving my bouncer a specific, concise Mission Statement to operate with. I’ll pick it up there in my next post.

–Palehorse
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Anyone else have moments like this during childhood? Maybe that’s just me.

This isn’t the topic I had planned to write on next, but I’ve just had a pretty cool experience and wanted to write it up while it’s still fresh in my mind. It involves a conversation with Gaia, the living spirit of planet Earth herself. Coolness aside, I almost hesitate to post this one, because the last thing I want is to be lumped in with the overwhelming volume of “channeled” fluffy gibberish posted online about what various entities have to say about the human condition; Gaia of course being a lightworker favorite. So let me preface this by saying that I’m not a channeler; for that matter I’m still working to regain clairvoyant and clairaudient abilities (i.e. audio and visual nonphysical sensing) that I lost a long time ago. I’m just someone who has figured a way to use the tools I do have, to gain some information, and it seems like info worth passing along for the discernment of my readers.

Although I’ve lost some of my original abilities due to negative interference and bad coping mechanisms, while working to regain them I’ve gained a high sensitivity to energy, and a degree of proficiency in working with my subconscious mind. I’ve further found that these two skills can be used to communicate with nonphysical entities. I feel around for the energy signature of someone I’m familiar with (sometimes because they’ve gotten in touch first), explain my current lack of audio/visual sensing, and ask that they give their side of the conversation to my subconscious mind, to be later turned over to my conscious awareness. Then I simply say what I have to say, thank them for their time and move on. Before long, their side of the conversation tends to show up, whether in synchronicity, a flood of insight or something similar, but it always manages to be unmistakeable for what it is. I’ve interacted with various intelligences in this way, but a few days ago, I was compelled to carry out an experiment along these lines, to see if 1. the planet has its own consciousness, and 2. if it could, and would, give me some information. I had attempted to connect with her energy in the past, and did get a strong sense of it. For those familiar with elemental energies, it felt like earth element (go figure) but with a strong sense of a very pleasant personality.

Background

For quite a while, I’ve been saying I’m done with this whole “Earth” experience. The dominant paradigm on this planet is one that makes very little sense to me, and makes it extremely difficult to accomplish and experience one’s desires. Religion has responded (to a problem it helped create) by faulting “desire” itself — but the real cause lies in our basic programming. The most guilty offender is what I call the “carrot on a stick programming.” This would be the one where most of our time, energy and effort is poured into things that we gain relatively little from — in order that someone else gains most of the profit. This single “meme” operates everywhere, from your schooling, onto your soul-sucking 9-5 job, to your religion, and beyond. I have seen evidence that this is going on at the energetic and spiritual levels as well. Does the donkey EVER get his carrot? Well… not until he stops being an ass (rimshot!), releases the programming that places the carrot off in the perpetual future, and stops diverting his energy into everything BUT enjoying it.

Thing is — good evidence seems to indicate this is not the case everywhere, and does not even have to be the case here for that matter. There’s a whole multiverse full of opportunities, and different ways to “play the game” — many of which make a lot more sense than the current one. From where I’m sitting, it’s starting to seem a lot easier just to find somewhere that runs on principles that make sense, than it would be to change a pattern that has been in play here for all of known history. So, all my spiritual work and preparation as of the past few years have been geared toward the intent to move on after this lifetime.

More recently though, I was reminded of the concept of this planetary spirit that I had briefly connected with before. I began to wonder — does she have a say in all this? Is anything going to be changing anytime soon in any way that I could get behind? Or does she condone the way things are as they stand? Are there any good reasons for me to hold off on writing this place off entirely while I’m still here? Maybe even a reason I’m here to begin with, that ties into her plans for the near future? Is the spirit of the planet itself, with all its powerful forces, unwilling or unable to have any influence over what goes on here, or is there another factor in play?

She Speaks!

I carried out the process I outlined above, to ask her these questions, and forgot about it. The next day I happened to think back to this, and promptly received a flood of information that surprised the hell out of me, both because of its content and the way it hit me like a VW bus full of hippies. The gist of it was:

“I’m awakening, same as you are.”

This was followed by a flood of impressions on the parallels between my own experience, and what might happen when a planetary spirit goes through the same process. I’ll summarize, but keep in mind that we’re getting into inherently speculative territory here.

My own process is one of self-becoming. The spirit is becoming conscious of all its parts; everything it’s currently operating with, and has previously been using in a largely unconscious and reactionary way. I have done a lot of work to question and purge all the programming I’ve been saddled with, and deliberately chosen what kind of self-designed programming I want to retain. I have created a “mission statement” and aligned with a set of basic principles. I have done a lot of work on personal boundaries, to define which energies, entities, influences and ideas are permitted into my space, and which are not.

So what does a planet do when she awakens? Well… anything she wants to, apparently. I got that like us, she goes through cycles of unconsciousness, and consciousness. In the unconscious phase, the earth’s processes were on autopilot, operating according to predictable scientific rules, and partly subject to the will of whoever were the most conscious beings here at the time. The shift in her case is toward all these processes “waking up” and being operated consciously, by a mind making its own choices. Don’t tell Al Gore, but all the weird and inexplicable weather patterns going on over the last few years may not be down to too many SUVs after all.

What will those choices be? That’s the fun part — free will is not something that can be predicted by any scientific computer model. I am under the further impression that much like human spiritual awakening, she will be examining everything she’s been saddled with in her unconscious phase, and choosing what energies, entities and influences she does and does not wish to permit to remain in her space; maybe even changing a few of the rules by which her processes operate. For practical purposes though, this means that if she decides that she rejects the effect a given paradigm is having on her experience, then you’d better find yourself a new paradigm or a new planet, pronto.

This does of course contradict a view that’s common nowadays, where “mom” is patiently waiting around for us all to come to our senses while we completely trash her house in the meantime. Near as I can tell it would be more accurate to say that mom was asleep, and the house was overrun by a bunch of spiritual teenagers having a kegger with the money they found in her purse. But it’s not to say I believe in some sort of “nature’s revenge” doomsday scenario where she simply shakes everything living off like fleas, though that would certainly make for some good epic movie fodder. From connecting with this personality I get that she holds love as one of her values, which would of course influence any choices she makes in the near future. You can read my post on what “love” actually IS, and extrapolate from there. I can also say that as I go through my own awakening process, I feel a natural affinity for, and a strong desire to encourage others who are following their own. Would a planetary spirit share this affinity? That’s the impression I got.

I don’t want to engage in too much idle speculation on the implications of all this. I realize I’ve probably raised more questions than I’ve answered, but if you have questions, why don’t you figure out what tools you have, and use them to ask her yourself? In any case it seems that I have my reason for not writing off this ol’ rock just yet; there may be a show in progress that’s worth sticking around for. In the meantime, I’ll be writing a post on the subject of discernment, which is a crucial skill for anyone who wants to engage in any sort of nonphysical communication.

–Palehorse

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<———- It’s over thataway.

There are quite a few newer posts that have moved up in the ranks fairly quickly, so if you’re a newer visitor to the site, you may find something you haven’t seen yet.

If you have a favorite post that’s not on there yet, send it to all your friends and it probably will be by the next time I make the list!

Thanks for all your feedback and ongoing support!

–Palehorse

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Until I figure out how to get a caption under an image: Image used in this post is “Undecided,” © Stefano Bonazzi. Used with permission.

The ego gets a bad rap in most spiritual circles.

When I began exploring various spiritual traditions and started hearing so much about how the ego was supposedly the source of all my woes, I recognized that before I would be able to figure out what to do with this part of myself, it would probably be a good idea to try and reach a more clear understanding of what the ego actually IS, and what its functions are. Far too many times I have been down the road of trying to get rid of part of myself that I felt was the source of problems, only to later realize I was only doing damage to something that had legitimate, vital functions. This never ends well, and I have long since abandoned that approach. If part of myself isn’t functioning in a way that I consider healthy or beneficial, I don’t try to cut off the part — I simply have it release whatever it’s doing that I find detrimental, and give it some healthier functions to operate with. This basically sums up my approach toward the ego.

So what IS the ego?

My views on this question stem from an odd situation I found myself in early on: my ego wasn’t always functional, much less tyrannical as it’s usually portrayed. I had very little sense of self. Few, if any, personal boundaries. Very little definition to my sense of personality or identity. My mind was “quiet” most of the time, though it would probably be more accurate to say that my thought process consisted more of abstract concepts and impressions, than words or pictures. I had a very difficult time translating thoughts into words in order to communicate with others. I had very little desire to do anything other than “go with the flow” and seldom made judgments about anything or anybody — I simply wasn’t very attached to anything going on outside myself. When I came across the idea of universal oneness, I had no problem accepting it, because I had very little concept of “me” as an individual to begin with! From all descriptions of “enlightenment” that I’ve come across — you might say I was enlightened before I started “seeking” anything. Be that as it may, it wasn’t a state I was happy to remain in, and I eventually found out why.

The cause of all this was major, verifiable damage to my energetic anatomy — the spiritual equivalent to a debilitating physical injury.

Namely, my throat chakra was completely disconnected from my other chakras. In other words, it was isolated, and unable to exchange energy and information with the ones above or below it (and by extension, any of the others). After fixing those connections, the changes resulted in a flood of information on what a functioning ego is supposed to look like.

The throat chakra is the seat of self-expression, communication, and by extension, our concept of individual personality. It serves the dual role of processing and interpreting information taken in by the other chakras and physical senses. More recently I have found that it also does a lot of “data storage” — i.e. it holds all the data that makes up our self-concept. To the extent that absorbed information from one’s outward experiences and interactions gets retained in the subconscious mind in the form of socialization, conditioning and belief, it creates our definition of who we believe ourselves to be. It apparently does not take in much information on its own however; those functions are tied into other chakras and sensory organs. Being isolated in this way, the part of myself that was supposed to be interfacing with the physical world was largely unable to do so, and existed in a state of detachment and sensory deprivation.

After repairing the damage to this part of my energy body, and paying attention to the specific and rather dramatic changes it quickly brought about, I would have to conclude that what most people are referring to with the word “ego,” is an integral part of our basic anatomy. It is the part that interfaces the physical with the spiritual; the inner with the outer. Its functions, and physical location, are heavily tied into the throat chakra.

But the ego is still bad! My guru, religion and/or some guy who wanted me to hand over my personal sovereignty said so!

Granted, the ego inevitably takes on a lot of strange, distorted and demonstrably false beliefs about who “I” am. It tends to attach to things that are fleeting; trying to find a stable sense of identity in temporary states that aren’t likely to last throughout a single lifetime, and will definitely be left behind at death. It creates a rigid sense of itself and then dumps most of your energy into maintaining it, against the flow of an ever-changing sea of probability that is the universe in which we exist. But is the problem the ego per se, or its false beliefs and bad habits?

Blaming the ego for its beliefs and habits, and using this as a valid reason to do away with the ego itself, makes about as much sense as observing that fingers are prone to hangnails, and concluding that we’d all be much better off without fingers.

When I reconnected my throat chakra I at least had the advantage of knowing already that “I” am not any of the transitory constructs, circumstances and relationships that the ego typically identifies “me” with. I was also excited to finally have use of all these functions that I had been trying to live without (and not doing a very good job of it) before then. Was I to then say to this aspect of myself “yeah, sorry about all the mangling and sensory deprivation — but now that you’re able to function, I have to kill you.”? Are we to become whole by doing away with a part of the whole?

I realize that most approaches toward dissolving the ego are a lot more passive than what I have described here. As it has been explained to me, once everything falls away that can fall away, you’re “supposed” to find that there is nothing left at the core. The implication is that “you” and “I” don’t exist.

This has simply not been my experience. I have stripped away aspects of myself, shut down other aspects, experimented with changing everything about myself that it’s possible to change, and spent years without a functioning ego. At the end of it I found myself with a lot of fragmented and damaged aspects who did not cease to exist; they were just waiting around somewhere in the astral (literally) for me to pull my head out of my arse, stop trying pretend there is no “I” and start reintegrating them. Hypothetically, I could have probably continued along that path until there was nothing left of this conscious self, leaving me an empty shell that would eventually die and be no more. But from what I’ve seen, those parts I stripped away would simply go off on their own evolutionary track, and the higher self that this incarnation is part of would continue to exist, probably saying to himself “damn, lost another one to that whole “enlightenment” fad.”

When I got my ego back up and running, I found a pre-existing core “essence” that flourishes and successfully coexists with others when I’m true to myself, and protests loudly when I engage in self-betrayal. It has preferences, desires, goals, ambitions — and finds the process of figuring out how to achieve them as fun as the end result is gratifying, before transitioning on to a new adventure. I’m free to experience what I want without feeling like I’m “suffering” if I don’t get it, because I view life as a game, and one that I don’t take particularly seriously at that; it’s all just experience. One of my guides (I use that term for familiarity, but I prefer “nonphysical allies”) once half-jokingly referred to the popular notion that “desire” itself is a problem to overcome, as “Sour Grapes Syndrome.” I would have to agree with this assessment.

Given my experiences, it’s not surprising to me that “enlightenment,” and with it the extinction of the ego, is traditionally achieved in silence and isolation. Without much external stimulation, input or interaction with others, the perception of individual self-hood, and the parts of our anatomy that sustain it, atrophy and disconnect. If that’s what you’re seeking, I could save you the trouble by pointing out that you could achieve the same effect much quicker by cutting connections and walling off your throat chakra until its health declines beyond your ability to repair it — but I wouldn’t recommend it.

To each their own. My preferred approach to my ego is to get rid of my socialization and conditioning — a collection of usually conflicting and mostly dysfunctional constructs imposed from without that I did not choose — and turn what’s left into my own creation. I am in the process of releasing everything I may have believed myself to be, and replacing it with whatever I choose to be. Far from losing my sense of self, if anything I am gaining one that is self directed, co-created, fluid, evolving and ever-expanding. In a word: free.

In my next post I’ll explore the three primary errors of the ego that we are conditioned from birth to accept and identify with — and become trapped in.

–Palehorse

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First of all, this is a manifestation manual. It’s not about the ‘why’ or ‘why nots’ of manifestation- it’s a how-to. I’m sure you can find many other articles about why it works or why someone may believe it doesn’t. This is not for that.

The methods that I will explain are methods that I have learned from various sources, and I will illustrate them the way I have put them to use. They have personally worked for me- because I ‘knew’ they would. If you want to derive some benefit from it, one thing to do is to believe it will work, or at least to believe it can- and to follow the steps in order. This is important- to not do it would be like to cleaning up your closet without throwing anything out- unless you already dispose of excessive things in your daily life it just won’t work.

Catalogue and List

Find out what you really want.

Do you really want an object, or the way it makes you feel? Ponder this, for it is very important. Once you have identified what you want, remember how it makes you feel, for that is very important for the process.

Denials, False Beliefs. Things that Stand in your Way

Why can’t you have it? Make a list of the reasons why you don’t feel you have it. Can you afford it? Is money the problem? Do you not feel deserving of the object? Is there something about the object that makes you stop and doubt why you can’t have it? List as many reasons you can for not being able to have it- from the inconsequential, ridiculous to the very serious.

Put this list aside for later.

Now you will get into your psychology. Your ideas, where they came from, and how to verify them. If you were born into a religion, you need to make a list of the beliefs about yourself and the world that come from it. Next put down the ideas about the world you got from your parents, no matter if they are ideas you no longer believe. It is irrelevant at this point- you heard it from them, so it goes into the list. Next, make a list of ideas you have gotten from your peers (friends, coworkers, etc.) For example, if you work in an office you may hear jokes like “another day another penny” etc. Then, lastly, write about the ideas you have obtained from society at large: What you see on TV, what your political party of choice tells you about society, etc.

The past and how it affects you

Now, here comes the longest, most tedious part, the part that may be painful, but must be dealt with: Take the first ‘worldview list’, the one from your parents and religion, and ask yourself how to reconcile those ideas with what you want. If you grew up in a religion that preaches poverty as a good thing, then wanting a big fancy car may be incompatible with your wish. If you grew up in a family in which privation was the norm, in which people with money were looked down on, then you becoming one of them may cause internal conflict. It is at this point in which you must decide where your desire is coming from. If you desire something that is incompatible with your deeply held beliefs, it will not come into fruition until it is reconciled. At this moment you must decide- is this desire ok for me to have? Is it selfish, will it deprive someone else? It is this moment when deep introspection is necessary: If you wish for a harmonious family life then it wouldn’t seem to cause an internal conflict- if you wish for a million dollars so you can have some sort of revenge on someone (negative need) then the results can backfire on you. If you recognize that some of the beliefs you grew up with are no longer what you believe now, then this is the moment in which you must challenge them, because plainly rejecting them isn’t going to work. This is where some of the homework is. At this point, you have to:

Take the list of beliefs you made, and disprove them.

If you believe that “money is the root of all evil” then you must look it up: It’s (for example in this case) “the love of money is the root of all evil”. This is a very important thing to realize; both sentences don’t mean the same thing, and the first one (which is incorrect, but the one you hear most repeated) can make you make unfortunate choices when it comes down to handling it. This may be painful, but you have to do this process with all the beliefs that are not in line with your goal. If this is not possible then you need to get another goal. It’s that simple.

When you have gone through all your lists, (which could take a while), you will then make a list of the beliefs you have discarded, and a list of the beliefs you have kept or substituted. You will then, make a ceremony and burn down the discarded beliefs, and flush them down the toilet. You will then keep your new list of beliefs for later.

No, you’re not done. This is the one that is most painful. Make a list of all the people who ever have hurt you (I mean cause you pain, not unimportant things), and write what they did to you. Then find a way to forgive them. I don’t mean ‘pretend that it was ok’; that is not forgiveness, that is denial. One way is to revisit what happened, see what part you had in the situation, and then forgive them for what they did to you, and ask (mentally) for forgiveness for whatever part you had in the situation.

Once that is done, and it may take a long time, you may then decide who stays in your life and who doesn’t, and emotionally let them go- I don’t mean leave your wife/girlfriend/husband, etc. I mean do a severing ritual/meditation and emotionally let them go. That way even if they are there they won’t have a hold on your emotions. Do this as many times as possible. This is extremely important because in manifesting, you must claim your God-given power, and a victim is a person who has given away their power to someone else. So victimhood must go. If you feel a sense of nobility in victimhood, it’s time to go back to your lists of beliefs-and find out where it came from, and go through this ‘debunking’ process before you continue.

These steps may have to be taken more than once, because sometimes in your life stuff comes up that you thought was resolved. It is ok to ’start all over’- There is never finality in this process. While we exist in this three-dimensional existence things do and will come up.

At this point your list of ‘why I can’t have/do this’ should be empty.

On to Manifesting

Now you are ready to do some manifesting. Realize that manifestation is what we are here to do- We (and I mean everything and everyone) create this existence. This is our job, and what we do every day. You either do it subconsciously (another day, another dollar) or consciously: “The Universe is an unlimited source”. It is important that we realize we are not talking about money or objects only- in fact money and objects are the result of our manifested emotion. So the emotion better be positive and constructive. This has to be very clear, and it not up for debate. We can discuss until the cows come home about this, but if you don’t believe this, then this manual isn’t for you.

To improve the quality and effectiveness of your creative power, these are the steps:

Cultivate gratitude.

Be grateful for what you have. You are the product or expression of the Universal creative principle (one of the attributes of God, for those religiously inclined) and it is essential that we recognize the source- gratitude opens up channels for more creativity. So thank your God for everything you have, and when you get something, thank God (the Universe, Spirit, the Creative principle…) for it. That doesn’t mean you don’t thank or feel gratitude towards the person/organization your good came from- Wherever it came from is an actualization of this principle. So if Grandma gave me $20.00 I must feel grateful for the fact that she thought of me and wanted me to have it, and also thankful for God for bringing her to me for this good thing. Love and Gratitude.

Realize that you are part (an essential part) of everything that is. Realize that everything you do is good (and if it isn’t, then it’s time to change that) for the greater whole. So apply this feeling of positive contribution to the whole to everything you do. Even if you don’t love it, you are doing somebody good. So when you pay your light bill, remember that your money is part of the money that one of the people working there might need to feed his/her family, and they can do it because of people like you. And God working through you for that/these person/people.

Tithe.

I don’t mean to a church or religious organization, but that’s ok too, provided that you feel that it’s for the benefit of others. Tithing applies to anything or anybody. If there is someone who is hungry, feeding them is tithing. Reading to the blind is tithing. You get the picture. Your prosperity is for the good of the universe. You deserve to be prosperous.

Why all this giving? Three answers: One: You are the manifestation of good in this world. Giving out of Love, or the desire to do good puts you in harmony to the highest part of yourself. Two: You are part of the greater picture: The more good you do, the more good there is to come back to you. Three: The universe abhors a vacuum. If you give, you give the Universe a chance to fill the empty space. And since the Universe is always creating itself, you will probably get more than what you gave. (The universe is always creating itself? Yep, that’s why it’s inflating).

It has been said that Love is the only thing that’s real, and I agree with this. I don’t mean what is popularly thought of as love (lust, wanting to possess, etc.) but what is known as the drive to want the best for someone else, the desire to protect someone else, in the material sense. Without getting into mythology, it has been reported by people that have had NDE’s that the only beings (people) that existed or they thought about were the people (animals, etc.) that they loved- nothing else seemed to exist in the state they were in. So let’s take that into consideration: When you want to manifest, what is the most important part of it is how the object of manifestation is going to make you feel. When you think of this, you need to recall that emotion- you have to make the emotion happen when you think of the object. So, if I want to manifest a pool, when I think of this pool, instead of thinking “I want this pool” which is a big no-no I have to think about the good times I am going to happen in it. The feeling of love has to be tied to it: (Love as in: Having fun with your family/friends that you love, etc.).

Visualize and Realize. (I know, it sounds cheesy, but it rhymes)

Always visualize what you want in the present as if you have it already. Realize you are putting positive energy in manifesting something that already exists in the astral- What you are doing is helping it manifest in the actual (material,time space continuum, yadda yadda…). This may take time in the actual, but if you think about it as something in the future, you are pushing the deadline forward- permanently. Remember that in the astral, it is always now. Only the actual takes time. So you think of what you want as if you have it already- because somewhere you have it already- you just want it in the actual- already. When you think of something as being in the future, you are affirming that it is not here now. So if you want something, you have to affirm it is here now. Just ’cause you don’t see it yet doesn’t mean it’s not here at all. It’s here, you just haven’t seen it yet.

The last part of the journey towards manifestation:

Affirmation.

This is the part many (including me) have made fun of, yet it works. It helps undo the damage that negative programming has put in your understanding. And it can help if you apply yourself to it. Depending on what you want to manifest, affirmation can be tedious or easy. This is how I do it, and it’s easy for me. (Started out tediously, but I trimmed it into what worked for me)- so here it is:

Remember the list of pro’s and cons for what we wanted to manifest? We got rid of the cons, now we turn the pro’s into affirmations. In the present tense, as if you have it now.

In the original example, I wanted a car. So I wrote: “It’s going to help the economy if I get this car”. This turns into: “My beautiful new car is good for the economy.” This is an affirmation. Do this with each of your pros. Then look around your life and see if there is negativity in places you wouldn’t expect, and write affirmations that deny the reality of this negativity. I do this in my home office, where I open the mail, and go in the internet. All kinds of negative programming flood the mail daily, so I have stuff dispersed in places I can see them where I do most of this type of activity: Kind of a self-styled subliminal programming. For example, amongst my daily-use envelopes I have a few that say stuff like “God is my Supply”, and “Only Good things Happen to me.” All my files say “Trust God” on the inside. Other general things like “There is no limit to God’s Good” and stuff like that. So when I open a piece of mail trying to sell me “help with my financial problems” I am counteracting with “God is my Supply=No limits”. It’s sneaky but I can be sneaky right back.

Of course, this is how I do this- if you are opposed to the idea of God for whichever reason, you can use “The Universe” “The Creative Principle” or whatever resonates with you (i.e. ‘floats your boat’). The idea is to continue to feed the inner creative power that you possess. Of course, if you don’t believe you possess it then you probably stopped reading this a while ago, and if you didn’t, then try it for kicks and giggles.
It’s just a matter of where you want to focus your mind.

Affirmations should be done before going to sleep, and should be at first written and read aloud to yourself, and later on in your process you can do them in your head. But they should be done for at least a month at first, and then tapered down to ‘as needed’. As I said before, they should be told in the present “I love my new car” and as simply as possible. For example, the above affirmation would be how I tell the one I was previously describing in the description.

I just want to add that this is a simple manifesting manual, it can be used for anything provided you have the ability to focus to this degree. It’s not meant to substitute whatever religious doctrine you subscribe to and works for you, and it definitely shouldn’t be substituted for any medical treatment you may be having- but it can be used in conjunction with whatever form of healing you have chosen. Not being a healer, I will stay away from that, and leave it to the experts, energetic and otherwise.

Cheers and giggles, C.F.

Written by Coralie Ferrandiz.
This article cannot be copied by anyone other than Experiencing Psi (where the original publication was issued), Beyond Within and Astral Dynamics, which is a very important part of my life.

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So! Without further ado…

Kathleen Gage presents Getting “hooked” helps you grow spiritually posted at Daily Awareness, saying “It is during the times life offers up incredible challenges that the greatest test of our level of gratitude is experienced.” Gratitude, fortitude, it’s all relative really…

Kaushik Chokshi presents How to Release Big and Small Emotions (Release) posted at Beyond Karma. Definitely sounds like a technique I’ll be experimenting with.

Floid presents Raw Garlic for Your Health posted at Branches Of Health, a great article about the medicinal uses of garlic. I’m a big garlic fan, so thanks to Floid I now have several more valid excuses to go around with dragon breath.

Joshua Seth presents Hypnosis for Pain posted at Joshua Seth Blog, saying “I just had a laser surgery enhancement done on my right eye. Using only very light Self Hypnosis I was able to go through the entire process with no painkillers or Valium. I’m still amazed.” Many of the techniques I use for various things are variations of self-hypnosis, though I haven’t gotten to the point of using it to help me ignore someone shooting lasers at my eyeball. Much respect, Joshua!

ChristianPF presents Make your own natural toothpaste posted at Natural Health Ezine saying “One of the best ways to avoid the chemicals put in most toothpaste is to make your own!” I’ve done a lot of reading on the adverse effects of fluouride, especially on what it does to the pineal gland and 3rd eye, so I’m all for DIY toothpaste! Good call, there.

Chris Cade presents It?s All Fun And Games Until Somebody Loses An I posted at Chris Cade’s Blog, offering a technique for reprogramming the ego’s need for control. I can’t let it go without saying that I respectfully disagree with the statement “the root of all control is love,” but I can definitely vouch for the effectiveness of the technique.

Gina Loree Marks presents Yi Leading the Qi posted at Grace in Gravity. Qigong has been on my list o’ things to look more into for a while; interesting read.

Kara-Leah Grant presents Am I a bad yogi because I want to eat steak? posted at Prana Flow NZ saying “You’re practicing yoga and you want to eat vegan, yet every time you go out to dinner all you feel like eating is steak. What to do, what to do?.” I’m totally with Kara on there being no universal “Right Way To Live,” only individuals walking their paths. And… now I want steak.

Isaac presents Do You Know How To Cry? posted at Boy Louie saying “You must face your emotions and fears with fire in your eyes, or curiosity on your face - but for you to understand or learn anything about yourself, you must acknowledge and face what you feel.” This article is perhaps a timely one for me, as my own emotional processing is something I’ve been exploring and trying to come to a greater understanding of lately.

…And that wraps up this week’s edition. Thank you all for your submissions!

Last issue: #185 - April 18 2009: hosted by Pearl, Interesting Observations

Next Issue: #187 - May 02 2009: hosted by Kaushik Chokshi, Beyond Karma

Carnival of Healing Archive

–Palehorse

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