So often we see spiritual leaders "fall from grace" when it comes to sex.  Whether it's priests getting into altercations with alter boys or gurus taking advantage of their followers, it comes down to the same thing:

How can we, as men, develop powerful yet loving sexual energy?

One of the big reasons this issue with male sexuality is never talked about is the fact that it's so rare to find a man that has really dug deep enough to find the answers.

For men (and women too), it can be very painful to look within at one's own sexuality.  With all the guilt, shame, and frustrations surrounding it, most guys wall off their conscious awareness of it and lend themselves to a diet of porn, strippers, and the occasional drunken one night stand.

This lifestyle, which is reinforced by the media and the typical macho attitude, leads the guy down a path where his energy starts to drop, he begins to experience sexual dysfunction, and little by little his overall quality of life begins to decline…I know because I've been there.

Eventually, after years or even decades of this kind of life, he reaches a point…

A point where he wakes up.

A point where he stops and he says, "Enough.  This is it.  I am not going to live another f*king second like this.  Today I change.  Today I choose to manage my sexual energy."

In that moment, his entire world shifts.  The energetic charge emitted by his soul changes frequency, and he begins to attract new people into his life; new friends, new teachers, and new women.

If he is especially lucky, he will find himself in the midst of learning from someone who is not only experienced, but that has also integrated both their human nature and spiritual nature into one cohesive blend of power, truth, and love.

Someone like my new friend and acquaintance, Sol Sebastian.

Sol has been teaching men how to cultivate and transform their sexual energy for over 15 years.  He balances both the higher truths about sex, relationships, and women, with the powerful and penetrating masculine energy within the human body.

The best thing about how he teaches is that he doesn't get too hung up on the mental side of things, instead he gets in there and practices. 

He currently offers workshops around the world where he gives men a working blueprint for, not only developing sexual energy, but to also bring that energy up into the higher centers so that the man can experience a true paradigm shift.

To get an idea of what I am talking about, check out some of his videos:

Male Sexual Energy & the Influence of the Media

How Sexual Energy & Tantra is Taught in the West

His Reason for Teaching Guys about Sexual Energy

What Guys Can Expect on the Path of Cultivating Sexual Energy

I recently had the chance to meet Sol and experience a shortened version of his workshop.  He is a really cool, down to earth guy that knows his stuff.  He doesn't promise quick fixes or cure-all techniques but emphasises practicing for the long term.

In just a couple of hours he taught me and the rest of a small group, some simple and powerful Taoist exercises that increase sexual potency, help release stuck energy, and promote sexual integration within the body and the mind.

I plan on bringing more of his material to Yang Town in the future (maybe an interview or something) so I figured I could give you a little taste of what he is all about so that you might get a few ah-ha's or some inspiration on your path.

Sol's girlfriend also gives workshops for women on how they can cultivate their sexual energy in a similar manner.  Her name is Saida Désilets, and she just finished a powerful and enlightening book called The Sensual Woman.  For women interested in discovering more about their spiritual and sexual nature, visit her website the Desilets Method.  

[FYI: For anyone in the Los Angeles Area, Sol is giving a 3-day workshop today (Friday November 5, and on through Sunday Nov 7).  Here are the details:

I'll be there so if you are in the area and feel like this could benefit you, give that number a call and come join us.] 

Here is one more video that gives you a bit more insight into the Alchemy of Man Workshop:

Our culture, as a whole, tends to value the “quick fix” - even in industries as “evolved” as the spiritual or personal development space.

A big part of it is likely linked to an almost instinctual need for instant gratification; it feels so comforting and relieving.

In my experience using various self-help programs, the results often do come but rarely as quickly as promised, and rarely in the form I had originally hoped for.

I think a big part of this challenge of trying to change (but having the results come slower than we hope), is due to the fact that many people put all their emphasis on changing the personality rather than evolving their spirit.

The irony, of course, is that the changes that do occur on the level of the personality are temporary at best and often unfulfilling.

The changes that occur on the deeper level of spirit, that of our soul, come about more subtly and are often overlooked, yet are everlasting and much more fulfilling.

The wisest of personal development “gurus” out there have figured out how to sell us on the level of the personality, yet deliver on the level of the spirit - where the real changes take place.

One such example is Bill Harris’ Holosync Solution.

Bill Harris, who was featured in the film The Secret, stumbled upon a certain audio technology, several decades ago, that enabled him to synchronize both hemispheres of the brain… automatically.

You may be wondering, “What exactly does that accomplish?”

Well, as you know, we have both a left and a right hemisphere in our brain.  In right-handed people, the left side is the logical, analytical, time-oriented thinking part of the brain while the right side is the creative, in-the-now, feeling part of the brain (in left handed people the sides are the opposite).

For the vast majority of people, in any given moment, one side is dominant over the other.  In fact, to the degree that one side is dominating the other, we will experience stress, anxiety, anger or any other negative emotions.

In those rarer moments when we are able to achieve left and right hemisphere synchronization, we experience peace, relaxation, clarity and other positive feelings.

Traditionally, this type of brain hemisphere synchronization has been available in those moments of “flow” or “being in the zone” in which we focus intently on the task at hand; a task in which our capacity meets our challenge resulting in our full engagement in that activity. 

This can be seen in sports, performances, meditation and other similar activities.

People usually describe this experience by saying “the personal me disappeared and I was absorbed in the moment” or “I had no thoughts, everything just happened on its own.”

To even taste this experience once, a person can be inspired to devote their entire life to a sport, career, or practice in the hopes of reconnecting with this state; this source of mind-less-ness.

So when someone like Bill Harris comes along and says that, not only can you access this type of state at will through technology, but that doing so will actually clear out all kinds of mental, emotional, and even physical junk from within, it seems to warrant a deeper look.

The way Holosync technology accomplishes brain hemisphere synchronization is through the use of specific audio tones going through stereo headphones.

As a soundtrack plays relaxing music and nature sounds, inaudible tones are simultaneously being played in the background. Each ear receives a tone of a slightly different frequency.

The brain, in an effort to balance these two frequencies, synchronizes the left and the right hemispheres.

Whereas, without this technology, a person could only achieve this type of synchronization through intense focus (and years of training).

In fact, this technology can instantly entrain the brain to the same degree (or better) than a monk who has spent over 10 years practicing meditation (according to the brain scanning tests they have performed at Centerpointe Research Center).

One of the nice side effects of achieving this hemisphere synchronization is that the brain begins to release a whole flood of good-feeling biochemicals such as endorphins and serotonin, while simultaneously reducing the release of harmful ones like adrenaline and cortisol (which are useful to us only in situations of extreme danger).

Many of us live in a constant state of stress - with all the work we have to do, all the bad news that we are bombarded with, and all the inner personal challenges, it’s very easy to get caught in a negative cycle of fight or flight in which our good hormones are depleted and our energy is totally drained.

Holosync actually re-trains your body’s nervous system to be stronger when faced with the “stresses” of modern life.

The other nice (and powerful) side effect of Holosync is it’s ability to go into the depths of our psyche and bring to the surface all the issues and emotions that we have avoided, repressed, or ignored.

This is why Bill says that everyone’s experience using Holosync will be entirely unique to that person - because what comes to the surface after using it depends on what is within you.

When Bill first discovered this technology, by his own account, he went a little overboard; listening to the audio 6-8 hours a day or more.

At first, he was literally “blissed out” all day, high as a kite off his own natural biochemicals…that is, until the next week when all the inner issues came flooding to the surface. 

He started getting bad diarrhea, vomiting, feeling on edge, having old memories and emotions arise, and more.

Through this experience, and through the testing of thousands of Holosync users over the next 10 years or so, he was able to create a schedule of how long a person should use each level of Holosync so that this process of personal evolution would be as smooth as possible. 

This way, you can enjoy the nice feeling emotions while minimizing the stress from releasing all the inner “junk”.

I have to admit, when I first heard about this program, I wasn’t that impressed.  I mean, I’ve heard about this “brain technology” stuff before and have even tried a few out without much in terms of results.

On the Centerpointe site, though, I noticed they offered a free demo, so I figured “what the heck, might as well give it a try."

When I finally did try out that demo with the Holosync going behind the sound of relaxing rain  and clanging tibetin singing bowls, man, within 20 minutes I was knocked out of this world and into another state of consciousness.

I really felt like this was something to take a deeper look at.  After a couple months of going back and forth on it, (since it’s a bit pricey), I finally gave in and bought it back in January of this year.

Within a few weeks of using it, I was so blown away with how deep of a state it kept putting me in, I started my whole family on it.

As I began using it, I felt clearer than I have in years.  I would take walks where I would have this sense of deep awareness and a feeling of being “high on life”, almost as if I was on a drug.

Also, during this time my dreams became crazy and very intense, as if I was releasing some deep psychological stuff (this actually continues to happen as I keep using it).

Of course, within a couple months I did have a few episodes where it felt as though my nervous system was completely fried from the power of this thing.

Holosync actually stresses the nervous system in much the same way that lifting weights stresses the muscles. 

After our body is pushed just slightly beyond its limit, it breaks down and then builds up again but stronger.  

So each time I reached a new threshold, I felt psychologically stressed, but I knew that my nervous system was rebuilding itself stronger than before.

During those times when I was releasing, I had to take it easy with myself, do less work, and reduce my interaction with others for a few days, then it was back to the normal routine of feeling good for most of the day.

So far, I can definitely say that it’s contributed to a higher quality of life and it’s another one of my tools for empowerment alongside the others mentioned on this site.

The Holosync Solution is actually divided up into over a dozen or so levels, each one taking between 6 months and 2 years, (of listening to it everyday), to complete.

I think it will take something like 13 years to finish the whole thing, which actually many people end up doing because they like it so much.

Looking back, the introductory “Awakening Prologue” program is a pretty good value at $179 or so because Bill throws in a bunch of added bonuses during the first 6 months of using it.

To start, there is the main program which consists of 2 tracks (called the Dive and Immersion) which total an hour in length.  These two tracks you listen to once a day to bring about all the changes we talked about.

Included with that are 2 bonus tracks, one for creativity and problem solving (called Oasis), and another that will help you focus when you are doing some activity like reading (called Quietude).

Then there are a couple other soundtracks, one that using silent affirmations to program your mind for longevity and health (called Super Longevity), and another one that helps you let go of resistance and inner stress (called Making Change Easy, which comes later).

Also included (but sent to you later) is the book Thresholds of the Mind by Bill Harris, which covers the various principles of personal evolution, as well as the concepts of how the ego is constructed (he calls it your internal map of reality) and how Holosync systematically breaks it down through the brain hemisphere synchronization process.

Lastly,  he sends (within a month or so) you a full 6 cd copy of one of his retreat seminars in which he fields lots of questions from users of Holosync and also goes more in depth into the 9 principles of growth that he introduced in his book.  

This program, even by itself, is quite useful for understanding the spiritual path since it lays out how to accelerate your progress by training your mind to be more allowing, rather than resisting, of the new changes that come about.

Overall, I would say that this is definitely the most powerful and consistent ways to speed up your own personal and spiritual growth since the actual "what to do" work is done for you by the audio technology.  

The important part that is up to you is, "how are you going to handle it when you start to change rapidly?"  That is the key where your own willingness and spiritual power comes into play.

Energetically speaking, it feels like this program is altering your brain in such a way that more energy or “chi” starts to flow into you, thereby accelerating the changes that were already happening for you (so whatever you are working on will manifest faster including the challenges that you have to go through).

Bill describes this process as more energy going through your “nadis” or “meridians” which in turn clears out all kinds of “karmic goop”, and also that because this process of releasing is stressful (in a good way) to the body, the brain releases all those good feeling biochemicals so that you feel good going through it.

Bottom line is, if you have the money, I would recommend getting it and seeing for yourself how it works for you.   I have been thoroughly impressed with Centerpointe as a company also.

At the very least, I would give the free demo a try and see how it feels and if it resonates with you.  Click Here to try or visit www.EntrainTheBrain.com

[Also, if you do end up using Holosync and decide to copy it to your mp3 player, be sure that you copy it using the right settings otherwise the mp3 compression process will cut out much of the Holosync technology and it won’t work right (or feel right).

The correct formats are Uncompressed Wave and AIFF only.  All other formats, including Apple lossless, Flac, and mp3 will cause the audio to lose some of the technology. ]

If you are a current Holosync user, feel free to rate it below and share your experiences with using it.

• Rate This Product: 5.9

We see it on the tv everyday: new cars, new clothes, new gadgets.  In magazines we see the ideal mate, the ideal body, the ideal social life.

It seems as though a wantingness arises within us automatically and we often find ourselves chasing a fantasy.

Punctuated between the moments of times when we actually get what we want (or what we thought we wanted), we may ask ourselves…Will this really make me happy?

If we have the courage to look deeper, there may even arise a realization that nothing we “get” can actually bring us happiness. 

So, naturally, the next question that comes up is, “What will bring me happiness?”  Or even, “What is happiness?”

The energy of desire…

It can fuel our deepest dreams or it can create a proverbial carrot on a stick that seems to always be just out of reach.

In my own life, I’ve progressed from being unconsciously driven by my desires to surrendering them to a deeper purpose (though it’s still an ongoing process).

Through this process, my understanding of desire has transformed.  Where earlier in my life I was enslaved by this energy, now I am empowered by it.

I’ve come to learn to differentiate the desire born out of our animal (or human) nature versus desire born out of our spirit (or higher self).

In this article I hope to share with you the differences between the two, as well as methods to release unwanted desires and instead create the space for inspiring desires to come into your life.

I call the desire that arises out of our animal/human side a Craving.

It’s a naturally occuring part of our evolution and maturation to move through this level of desire. 

Basically, a craving is a deep, often unconscious, extreme wantingness.

It is a powerfully emotional experience in which it seems as though the body itself has the wantingness.

It originates in the solar plexus (a couple inches above the belly button) and it feels like one is trying to “pull” that which it desires to itself.

This craving is actually born out of our human evolution in which our survival rested in the ability to “get” from the outside world - “get” food, “get” a mate, “get” territory, etc.

This paradigm of “getting” creates the reality that one is inherently insufficient as one is, that one needs something or someone else to survive.

This process actually creates the illusion that survival depends on our ability to “acquire”.  Because of this, a person in this energy field is very fearful and competitive. 

Questions arise such as, “What happens if I can’t get enough stuff?” or “What happens if someone takes my stuff?”

It is a never ending cycle of neediness and fear - if one doesn’t have, they crave what they “need”, if one does have, then they are afraid they might lose it.

One is never at peace; they can never rest.

Not only that, this desire and this fear is actually arising out of one’s own consciousness or energy field (even though it looks like it is happening “out there”).

So when one “acquires” what they want, they may receive momentary satisfaction but they are not truly fulfilled and will immediately go back to craving something else. 

Happiness is always out of reach.

We see this type of craving all over.

One example is getting caught up in the search for social status.

Most young people, especially men, have never been taught how to actually love themselves on a daily basis (or even that it’s a worthwhile virtue).  I know because this is how I was. 

We often find ourselves falling into the culture’s path for us.

What does this path entail?  What does it say is the way to happiness?

My interpretation of it is this-

For a man, it is his job, no his responsibility, to accumulate a lot of money (now don’t get me wrong money is great in a different context, which I explain in a minute).  Not only that, he’s gotta be cool, a ladies man.  Now to do that, he’s gotta be a rough and tough badass.  This means he’s gotta be able to fight, drink, and sleep with as many hot women as possible.

To do that, being big and buff is a key part, as well as having the right “hook-ups” and a kickass social life.  Also, the guy better not show any of those “girly” emotions or show any weakness or imperfections.

Oh man, that whole scenarios is a total joke!

I was caught up in much of that for years.  I would go to the gym and take protein 5 times a week to “get buff”.  I would spend all my money on booze and partying on the weekends.  I would hook up with 1 or 2 or even 3 girls some nights out so that I could feel like a “cool guy”. 

How about emotions?  Ha!  Forget that pansy stuff.  “I like beer violent videogames and straight up logic”.

Ultimately, I began to realize the more I “acquired”, the worse my quality of life became.  The more social status I got, the less fulfilling my relationships became. 

The more beer I could “pound”, the worse my health became.  The more time I dedicated to kickass videogames, the more my life lacked purpose. 

It seemed like I wanted more and more, yet no matter what I got, my life didn’t change for the better.  (Keep in mind though, that none of these activites are “bad” or “wrong”, it’s simply how I was using them that was draining me - I was using them to fill a void within).

Slowly a new form of energy started to rise up within me - A new form of desire, one that I describe as a Calling.

This new energy seemed to work in exactly the opposite way as the craving energy that had consumed my life earlier.

Instead of trying to pull my desires to me, this energy was pulling me to it!

Instead of a driven, frantic wantingness, this new energy was relaxing, peaceful, and fulfilling.

Instead of overwhelming emotions coming from my torso, it was a subtle and all encompassing shift in awareness, as if I was being enveloped in a borderless ball of silent energy.

It didn’t seem to originate from the body so much as from the heart, or the soul.

The more that I tuned into this energy and listened to it, the more it began to take over my life…for the better. 

When I would drink beer with my buddies, I would feel this pull to let go of alcohol all together.  Thoughts such as “What would it be like if I did?” seemed to lovingly challenge me.

Questions began to arise such as “What could I do with my life if I wasn’t always playing videogames?” or, “What would a truly loving relationship look like?”

I soon found out that the way to use this energy to transform myself was to surrender to it and let it go to work.

I had to, (and still have to), continuously let go of trying to control everything.

I had to let go of old habits, old relationships, and old beliefs that limited me.

I had to open myself to doing things I never imagined myself doing, like doing healing work one on one with family members in need. (As a computer technician and web designer, I would have never imagined myself doing this type of work).

As this process unfolded (and continues to unfold), my quality of life has jumped so tremendously I am still amazed.

Throughout my studies, I have come to discover that this process literally changes one’s brain chemistry.

That by making the choice to actively love myself, mend my relationships, and hold my life to a higher standard of living, that my brain actually creates a very high amount of of biochemicals like endorphin and serotonin, resulting in feelings of peace and joy nearly all the time.

With that kind of stuff pumping through you (without the guilt or hangover of drugs), it’s pretty hard to stay mad at others or get in fights.

What I’ve discovered is that a calling is basically like having your soul suddenly evolve to a new level of consciousness, then having those changes transfer down to the personality. 

In this way, your higher self has already evolved, it’s simply a matter a bringing that new state into being.

I like to imagine this process like a parent helping a child to walk for the first time.  As the child stands up, the parent walks backward, while facing the child, urging it to take one more step towards them yet they are still within reach in case the child falls. 

Many of the times these callings will ask you to do something that makes absolutely no sense…to the mind.  In fact, I think a big part of it is to help you develop your spiritual backbone because you will have to listen to the voice within rather than the voices of your friends, family, and society. 

A perfect example of this is in the movie “A Field of Dreams” in which Kevin Costner’s character hears the inner voice, (his soul), calling on him with “if you build it, they will come”.  Of course, it makes no sense, but he follows it and the miraculous unfolds magically.

That is what starts to happen when you surrender to your calling. 

One question that may arise is, “How can we differentiate between the voice of our soul and the voice of the mind?”

This is a crucial one, since you don’t want to be listening to those voices that judge you, belittle you, or lead you off to activities that waste your energy.

The thing with spirit is that it doesn’t compete for your attention.  It is the softest, yet strongest, voice within you. 

The voice of the mind, and that of instinctual emotions, rise up with a force that demands you listen to it and all its power is in the short term.  The voice can say one thing today and the complete opposite tomorrow. 

It is chaotic and frantic, going in all directions and is influenced by others and by its environment whereas the voice of spirit is consistent, ever present, and infinitely compassionate.

The best way to hear spirit is to become clear.  

How do we do this? 

I’ve done this in many different ways.  The easiest way was to start to let go of all unnecessary media sources:  tv, music, news papers, blogs.  I only consume the media that I know is good energy. 

I used to always be reading sites like digg, and staying up to date with the latest happenings in the paper and on tv but I realized that I actually didn’t need any of it.

I forgot that news is a business and their top priority is not necessarily my well-being.  As I stepped back, I could begin to see how often each headline was crafted to engage my emotional survival system.

Now, I hardly read any blogs, almost never check the news (except occasionally reading Ode or Enlightenment Magazine), and mostly only watch a few tv shows or baseball games.  I’ve found that all those voices within, the ones that were driving me all over the place, have begun to quiet down. 

Now I am driven to a much higher degree by my callings rather than my cravings.

When done in this way, it doesn’t matter so much about the activities, because now the attitude toward them is healthier. 

This means I can work out and develop a healthy body, build wealth, or do any of those other actions that I had given up, and it will be in a way that supports me rather than drains me. 

The reason is because it will be within a context in which the source of fulfillment is in the process rather than the end.

I can find joy in working out because the working out itself is the end (the healthy body and other benefits are just a bonus).

When I would be doing something I didn’t like for what I would supposedly “gain” at the end, I was selling out my spirit for an illusion.

The more we can reclaim our spirit from these journeys down the path of illusion, the more integrated we become. 

All our power becomes aligned within us; it’s a great feeling.

So how does one let go of cravings and allow one’s calling to arise?

Of course, I first recommend things like EFT, TAT, A Course in Miracles, Holosync, Yoga or Gi Gong, and The Work of Byron Katie.

Another very simple technique that I am now starting to use is as follows -

When a craving comes up such as seeing a “hot chick” and feeling that caveman-like urge of “I want her”.  Feel into it, let go of any and all resistance of this cravingness.  Let the sensations come up, even welcome it and ask for it all to be brought up.

It will often feel like a pulling sensation in one’s gut or solar plexus - a neediness.  Let it flow through you without judgement and just observe it.  Notice where it is happening and what it feels like.

This energy is coming out of our animal/human nature and as such it is limited, so eventually it will run out.

As you continually do this process of allowing and observing with awareness, you will begin to transcend the desire itself.  It will literally unlatch itself from your energy field and you will fee freer, lighter, and more alive.

As you keep releasing, you create space within you for your true calling to surface and began to pull you in the direction of your highest potential - which I guarantee, you will be in for the ride of your life.

You will find life a continuous and joyous ride of exciting and unexpected twists and turns.  Sort of like your own amusement park. 

How have you tapped into your deeper calling? 

Feel free to share your experiences in the comments section.

Can we be both spiritual and successful? Or are the two mutually exclusive?

I remember growing up I started developing ambitions about the future of my life.

I fantasized about having a successful business, having lots of money, and being cool and confident in social situations…the usual aspirations for a young man.

Yet deep down, I felt a small and subtle but ever-present longing for becoming more "spiritual".

Whenever that feeling would come up, I would usually brush it off and say to myself, "I'll study spirituality when I'm older" or "Once I get my life together and achieve most of my goals, then I can spend time on spiritual stuff."

I've come to realize the irony in it all because without the "spiritual stuff", it becomes pretty tough to achieve anything in life and truly be happy.

Sure, you can achieve anything without being spiritual, but in my own experience, to truly find fulfillment, one must begin to focus inward and reconnect with their source.

At that point, everything changes quality and fulfillment is experienced not through achievement but by alignment.

Because of this, many of the old ambitions fall away and are replaced by new ambitions, ones that are created out of a new paradigm of reality; a new understanding of the world.

Instead of the cycle of reaching for a goal and suffering until it is reached, one aligns oneself with a deeper purpose and all action arises out of that purpose.

The fulfillment comes from the purpose itself, rather than in the achieving of any particular goal or action.

In this way, one is happy when they start a new project or goal, they are happy while it is in progress, and they are happy when it comes to fruition.

This way one lives in a state of constant fulfillment - every moment is full and complete just by the fact that it is happening.

Sounds good doesn't it?

This is the basic premise of Wayne Dyer's first feature film, entitled "The Shift" (originally it was titled Ambition to Meaning: Finding Your Life's Purpose).

Wayne Dyer is a widely known and well respected author and speaker in the area of personal development and spirituality.

He has created many video programs centered around his various concepts but this is his first full-on movie with actors, a plot, and more.

I really like the way they created this film.  It's a new and unique approach to film making. 

The movie follows 3 separate story lines that all weave together at a retreat center in Northern California.  One story follows a woman as she handles the pressures of being a loving wife and mother while coming to terms the feeling that something is missing from her life.  

Another story follows an ambitious young filmmaker who is on the verge of making his breakthrough film that will launch his career into the big league.

 The third story follows a young corporate executive who's drive to succeed at work has taken a toll on his relationship with his wife, and with himself.  

Interspersed throughout the movie, Wayne Dyer narrates with words of wisdom that describe the transition from the ambition phase of our life, where success is "out there", to the meaning phase of our life, where success is "in here".

Wayne is also part of the movie, since the filmmaker character is supposed to film Dr. Dyer as a mini project before his big movie deal.  So in this way Wayne is actually a character in the movie, even though he plays himself.

As the 3 story lines start to culminate, the various characters start to see parts of their lives breakdown or transition as they make the critical shift.

Although to them it seems confusing and frustrating, when viewed from the context that Wayne provides, we see that life does have a deeper meaning and when we connect with our own inner calling and align ourselves with this purpose, we find an unending source of joy, love, and guidance.

I especially liked this film because it sheds new light on one of the biggest sources of suffering and misunderstanding in the western world - the confusion between a needy, longing desire for something and the steadfast, accepting path to actually realizing it. 

So many of us, myself included, confuse wanting something really really badly as progress toward attaining that thing.

As discussed in the post, Fulfillment is Found Not Through Attainment but by Letting Go, we can see that by letting go of something we want in advance, we actually make it much easier to bring into our lives.

Another reason I like this film, besides the powerful body of wisdom presented throughout, is the living and breathing example of a man who has integrated his yin and yang side (his masculine and feminine parts), which is Wayne Dyer of course.

Wayne Dyer creates out of a deep connection to his innermost purpose and lives life with an open heart.

Rare is a man who expresses both truth and love in such a way as him.

Here is an excerpt about the movie:

Best-Selling Author and Renowned Spiritual Teacher, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, Presents His First Feature Film—The Shift (formerly titled Ambition to Meaning).

What is The Shift? It’s the story of the most important moment of your life—when you stop striving and start arriving! It’s the choice you make to move toward a life that gathers up the pieces of your best, most fulfilled, most loving self. It’s the moment when you start living a life rich with meaning and begin playing the music you came here to play!

Are you ready to make the shift that changes everything? When will you find the joy, the peace, and the love that you came here to give and to receive?

In this inspiring new movie, you’ll enjoy an engaging, heartwarming and humorous tale of transformation on vacation. You’ll marvel at the beauty of the windswept ocean scenery. Share the characters’ delight as they receive the most precious gift—permission to follow their hearts. Hear Wayne say, “Don’t die with your music still in you” and see everyone set free to join the orchestra!

Early in life, we follow the path mapped out by ego, a path of ambition, competition, and striving. When midlife dawns, we too often find ourselves stranded in a lonely and desolate place we never intended to visit. Our feelings of sadness and frustration tell us we took a wrong turn. Like a shift in the wind or a change in the tide, the yearning we feel at midlife is a call to renewal. The Shift shows us the path home, the path to rediscovering our true self, our purpose, and the life of meaning that is our true calling.

“When you get it—that you don’t do things because of what somebody else is going to do for you, but you do them because you’re living your life’s purpose—you can light up the whole world with that kind of love. That’s how it works for me.”
—Wayne Dyer 

To view the trailer and view or purchase the movie, visit Wayne Dyer's The Shift: Ambition to Meaning

Who is God?  Or better yet, What is God?

I know for me, the meaning of this question has changed quite profoundly in the past few years.

Like many in the west, I seemed to have this notion of a judging, watchful, man in the sky who would dole out punishment to those who did "wrong" and help those who did "right".

I can understand when people question "if there even is a God" or reject the ideas that were handed down to them earlier in life.

What is God?

For one thing, God is subjective; a little different to each person.  To some it is a silly fantasy, while to others, a lifelong companion.  

For most of Western man's history, the way to know God was through a middleman - a priest, rabbi, or otherwise holyman.

For the average person, the experience of God was just not a possibility, let alone a part of their life.

Because of this setup, most men had to rely on their designated holy man to guide them in spiritual matters.

Of course, in their humanness, there were some who misunderstood or misused their position and overtime this notion of God became a mixed bag of ideas, agendas, misunderstandings, and wisdom.

Soon a dogma formed around "God" and many positionalities became entrenched in some of the organizations and people.

(A dogma, in my opinion, is a strict adherence to an idea of which the person does not have any direct experience regarding.  A positionality is the state in which a perspective is skewed to one polarity, or side, of the mind, which blocks out a large, opposing, part of reality).

Fast forward to today and we see a new definition of "God".  As we stop relying on outside sources to tell us what our own personal spirituality is, we begin to take our power back.

No longer is God an idea or a belief system…rather God becomes a direct experience.

What is God?

To me, when I sit quietly, close my eyes and calm my mind, I allow my awareness to fade out.  I let all that is going on in the world drift out of my mind and I become open.

Soon I feel a presence, a feeling within me yet also encompassing me.  I feel a connection, a communion is you will, with an intelligent field of pure love engolfing my being.

My awareness extends beyond my personal self and I begin to feel as if I am going up, not up as "in to the sky" but more "back" as if I were drifting out of this dimension of existence.

In these moments, it feels as though all is well, and a powerful peace encompasses my awareness.  I feel a deep and personal love; a 2 way love going out and coming in. 

I am the giver and the receiver all at once.

Waves of blissful energy pulsate through my body and for a moment, I am home.

Then I return to my world, but this time, I bring more of that loving state of peace with me.

And every once in a while, during my day to day life, I will run into someone who says "God doesn't exist" or who "Isn't sure about God".

And I smile, knowing that they are really just releasing an outdated concept; a belief system.

I know that as they search for their own truth, they will come to experience that same presence as I have.

With this awareness, there is no longer any question about it.  There is nothing for me to argue or defend.  Instead, I just allow…and trust.

All IS well.

I know that this question of "what is God" is a reflection of our relationship with our own inner masculine energy. 

Do we deny it?  Or do we realize our own true nature?

I know that as our culture finds what true masculine power is and begins to heal it, it will come face to face with this question of "What is God".

 For God is the ultimate masculine, the unmanifest, the silent presence…"The Father".

As we heal our relationshiop with God, through direct experience, we begin to integrate true masculine power.

As we do that, we also begin to integrate our deepest purpose and, simultaneously, start to live from our authentic, loving, and joyful Self.

What role does our peer group play in our ability to choose?

How do we manage our energy in such a way that each choice strengthens us and improves our life?

I recently had a chance to see the movie "Yes Man" with Jim Carrey and I gotta say I really enjoyed it.

It's good to see him back doing comedies again and it's also good to see a movie with an overall positive message and uplifting vibration.

One thing that amused me during the film was the whole concept of being a "Yes Man" and how Jim Carrey's character seemed to empower himself and improve his life by saying "Yes" to more and more requests from others.

It was funny because, in my experience, it has been the complete opposite.

Don't get me wrong, there is definitely a good side to being open to life and to be able to give a full yes with all of our being, yet I've come to learn that this is only possible if we can also give a full no if the situation calls for it.

"No" is one of the most empowering words in the human language. 

Every time we take back our power, we say "No" to something we are no longer choosing and in that moment we are becoming conscious.

In those times when we say "No" to something that we have unconsciously said "Yes" to for all the years past, we are waking up and reclaiming a part of our spirit.

In every full "No", there is the seed of a full "Yes" to something else.

When we have the inner strength to say "No", it is because we have decided what we are no longer willing to accept in our life, and instead, we have figured out what we do want in life and we will not compromise our spirit in the meantime for anything less.

Many of us fall into doing things because they are easy, comfortable, and safe, even though they are not what our soul longs for.

We often do things because that's how everyone does it in our social group and we've never consciously chosen these things for ourselves.

Other times we do things because those we depend on choose for us and we may not be strong enough to withstand their disapproval or rejection.

In all of these situations, when we gather enough courage to break free from these outside authorities and consciously choose for ourselves, often it is in the form of a solid and unwavering "No".

Saying "No" is like a tool for inner energy management, a door that we close to all things that are not in alignment with our inner being.

It is the guardian of our inner integrity; a way to silence the cries of need that come out of fear and insecurity.

What you say "No" to in life determines how you use this divine currency known as choice.

Let me give you an example to illustrate this idea.

For many years during college and afterwards, I would party with my friends at bars, clubs and other events.  We drank a lot of alcohol, of course.  In fact, it didn't matter as much where we went so long that we got drunk and had a good time.

I had many good times doing this (though my health was suffering), yet I don't really remember there being a point where I said "Yes, I'm choosing this drinking/partying lifestyle" (from a deeper level, that is).  I just sort of fell into it since this is how everyone in my social group did it.

Only this past year did I start to question this pattern of excessive drinking and start to separate myself from it.  I soon realized that almost everything revolved around drinking and that there were many "issues" under the surface that pushed one to drink. 

As I healed these "issues" within me through constant use of things like EFT, TAT, Holosync, and other spiritual practices, I started to not feel so driven to drink.

I also realized that I was not honoring my body, my physical tool for bringing divinity into physical form, by drinking so much.

Eventually I realized that I felt so good normally (both physically and because of the self-love), that drinking actually made me feel worse without any of the "high" that I used to get.

After I realized this, it became time to strengthen my backbone…by saying "No".  

I began to turn away drinks, or spend nights out with friends at bars and clubs completely sober.

Sure, I would get flack from the guys about not drinking and at the beginning I would sometimes cave and drink a few, but eventually my inner "No" became more powerful than their outer "Yes".

(In fact, I think that sometimes our friends will put a lot of pressure on us if we try to improve our lives  because it subtly means that they will have to face all the issues they have been avoiding or denying in themselves, but that is another story).

Now it's at the point where any outer "Yes" is so quiet, if someone throws one out there or tries to pressure me in anyway, I either laugh it off or don't even give it a second thought.

One thing that I notice as I hang out with my friends while embodying this choice to not drink, is that just by my example and presence, something in them is waking up.  They are starting to question this need to drink, yet now they have someone who can anchor this reality for them.

I truly believe the most powerful catalyst for change comes from living the change yourself.

Your example, as communicated by your presence alone, is potent enough to wake up the hearts of those around you (even though their minds may resist you at first).

The way to embody your powerful presence starts with consciously choosing "No" to all things that drain you.

This applies not just to addictions but also to relationships, thought patterns, habits, and any area of your life where your power of choice resides outside of you.

Keep in mind, also, that I'm not saying "No" to alcohol itself, but rather to a tribal belief system or the way in which alcohol is used.

We never say "No" to the specific substances, person or activity at hand, we are saying "No" to the energy field which determines the role these things play in our life.

In my case, I was not saying "No" to the alcohol because "it's wrong to drink alcohol" or anything like that, I was saying "No" to the underlying energy field that subconsciously says that alcohol is the way to have fun and is the answer to life's problems.

See, this is where people get caught up.  They think that breaking free of an addiction means never using that drug again or never seeing that person to whom they've given away their power.

So they avoid that specific substance or person and think they are healed or "clean", until one day they find a new substance or enter a new relationship and they find themselves in the same addictive power struggle all over again.

The root cause is never the outer substance or person (they are just a trigger), it's the underlying energy field that we have not yet evolved out of; the context of how one relates to the world.

Make one conscious choice to let go of a type of addiction and you've let them all go, for good.

Two people can be having a beer in the same bar, yet be in two completely different worlds on the inside.

The path of empowerment comes to us as a process of waking up to this inner world and using this awareness to make better choices; one's that lead to peace, happiness, and self-love.

I've been a big fan of the many incredibly talented digital artists over at the DeviantArt.com community, (in fact the Yang Town design was inspired by a dozen or so of various deviant art peices), so it only made sense to submit Yang Town as a new deviation (a deviant art creation) and make it available as a print.  

This means you can purchase a print of the Yang Town header design through deviantart.com and have it framed if you like as well.  

I've been intending to do this for and finally got around to printing one for myself to see the quality, and also to anchor the energy of Yang Town in my room.

You can view print here.  There are many sizes available, ranging from small postcard size prints to large 20 x 30 inch prints.  The quality is amazing, especially if you order what's called "Lustre" (Simply click on the word 'Matte' to change between Matte, Glossy, and Lustre). 

Lustre is a new printing technology described like this:

"Lustre is wonderful for both, capturing the best qualities from Glossy and Matte and combining them into one beautiful finish. The Lustre finish has more saturated inks which can sometimes result in a darker image. The quality this finish adds to your artwork is beyond description. You must see it to believe it!"

Check out the pics below to give you a size of the scale (the pic below is the 20×30 print w/ frame):

Having the print serves as a reminder of the Yang Town Mission of developing masculine power, emotional strength, a sense of purpose, personal integrity, and an open heart.

If you like the design, you will appreciate the quality up close (it looks really good).  So once again, here is the link to buy the Yang Town Print.

I would also encourage you to checkout all the amazing artwork at deviantart.com, there are tons of incredibly innovative and provocative creations.  

Sat Nam.