Intention and Attention

Choice is the act of deciding upon or picking between two or more possibilities.

I remember, as a child, choosing between 31 flavors of ice cream and it was tough. My child’s pallet however, gave me only three choices: vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. The point is a long time ago, 31 flavors represented an obscene condition for choice.

Times have changed. Now, the list of options is almost infinite in cars, houses, clothes, phones, food, the list of choices for everything in life is dizzying. Of course, stuff…

material things, are different from the vast array of decisions required for career, relationship, location to live, as well as all the possibilities for physical and mental health and well-being.

So, how do you do it, i.e., “…make the choice”?

I create for a living. Looking back, it doesn’t feel like much of a choice. I remember my earliest memories centered around visualization, you know, make believe. I was never short of any tool necessary to empower the thought. A stick became a gun, my bed became a car I would slide under to work on, the tree felt just like the power pole I saw the phone guy climb. It was from this practice of pretending that I discovered principles which served me in my adult life as a creator.

Yes, “fine”, you say, “what’s this got to do with choice?” Everything.

The ability to see what you want or need, even if you do not “believe” you can get it is the first step of creation. It is out of this act that you “Intend”. Intention is, “…conceptions formed by directing the mind towards an object”. This is the point at which choice enters the picture, for now you will be faced with a direct confrontation with your belief system and out of it you will choose your course of action, to either proceed on the path toward your vision, or to chuck over your shoulder as a mere pipe dream.

Belief is huge, but the choice you make out of it is final and that is sobering. What if your belief is inaccurate? What if your belief is based upon what you had for breakfast and you are experiencing heartburn and are not in the clearest frame of mind.

The “choice” you make is probabilistically final. Why?

“Out of sight, out of mind”, remember that one?

If you are not thinking about it, not feeling it in your heart or gut, then it’s not happening.

Ok, you are zeroed in on your vision, now what? If desire is the birthplace of vision, and vision (seeing it or feeling it) is married to your belief system of possibility, the final action is “Attention”. Focus is the magnet which draws both you and your vision into your reality. It is very important to remember that this works for positive as well as negative thoughts. Neither is right or wrong, but if you are feeling like a victim and do not like being one, then poll your overall thought process.

Are you the “glass half full” or “glass half empty” soul. If you want or desire an object or experience or chance, but your first thought is “… I could never have it” you are absolutely right. The trick is to realize you are a victim of your mind, not your circumstance or environment. The sobering reality is your choices have got you to this moment.

There is a universal law which goes something like this:

“You are a living magnet, you invariably attract into your life the people, situations, and circumstances that are in harmony with your dominant thoughts. You can change your life because you can change your thoughts.” Brian Tracy “The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success”

Beliefs and False Beliefs – how do our Beliefs affect us?

Belief is defined as “1. an acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof or 2. trust, faith, or confidence in (someone or something)”.

This feels a bit woo woo to me, because I regard the first principle thinking of physicists and mathematicians as belief in universal empirical certainty not just wishful belief. So - what is belief for the person in the incarnated physical body? I am far from certain, but here is what it is for me.

“Belief” is the cognitive fiber upon which I build my existence. There is nothing, for me, which exists outside my “belief” in its reality, certainty, or deductive possibility. I have worked diligently to ingest Kant’s Critique of Reason, and from it got the jist that truth exists not only empirically, but in an “a priori” fashion outside empirical reason. What does truth have to do with belief you might ask? As near as I can tell, not a thing. So, what is the big deal then?

Belief is what each of us uses to create our lives and without belief in whatever you are creating, there is no creation. Disbelief is as powerful as belief, if you do not believe a matter is possible or achievable, then it is not going to happen.

Culture indoctrinates humans with the possibilities and impossibilities from our biological beginning. It is this ingrained, day in day out “belief” system we each become completely unaware of and out of this unconscious living arises a host of “belief systems” we are completely blind to. Many are false beliefs.

So, spend some time making a list of your beliefs. I undertook the exercise years ago and was staggered to find a yellow legal pad with eight pages of single-spaced beliefs. Next, beside each write: true, false, or don’t know. The truth of the matter comes from recognizing that those eight pages were just the beginning of “belief” in stuff (for which I gave up attempting to catalogue). What was equally appalling was half of the eight pages I designated as “false”.

I often find myself thinking “I don’t know what I don’t know”. This belief quest is such a concept. I habitually find that immediately after I surrender resistance to some matter which is new or outside my “belief system”, that a whole new arena of possibility unfolds. And once again a belief lies in plain sight which evokes the question, “Why do I believe this?” and the answer is a maddening “I don’t know”. Most of these uncovered beliefs are grounded in fear. Maybe that is the place to begin the search for what you believe. It certainly would be rewarding to eliminate a fear landscape with a simple review of the “belief” supporting each fear.

As you explore your beliefs, it’s amazing and sometimes overwhelming to discover how many beliefs are false and where that belief originated. Once you’ve accomplished that process, turn to whether it is currently serving you in a positive way or not. If not, then you may want to explore why you are holding on to it.

The outdated saying of you can’t teach an old dog – isn’t true (another false belief or statement). Our beliefs usually change as we grow through experience as well as gain knowledge and wisdom. If we don’t alter our beliefs and update them to coincide with our knowledge and wisdom – have we really grown at all?

Meditation: What It is and Why Do It

Meditation is a practice of focused concentration. It has also been described as clearing your mind using a combination of mental and physical techniques.

Meditation can produce a state of being relaxed or tranquil. It has been scientifically proven that meditating can reduce stress and anxiety, and some research shows it helps with your mood, better sleep, and boosts cognitive skills.

So why meditate?

For me it has brought forward clarity of thought as well as allowed me to better focus when tuning into various deities, angels, and other divine entities.

I remember many years ago when I took a class learning how to meditate. My understanding had been that mediation meant you had to clear or empty your mind. Knowing that I have constantly had numerous thoughts running simultaneously, my belief was that meditation would be challenging - if not impossible for me. To reinforce that doubt, my husband was of the same mindset.

The instructor was very patient and thorough in explaining that meditation was “like cleaning out your closet”. We’ve all cleaned the closet on occasion and know the process - you look through to see what is a keeper, try on things questionable to see if they still fit, and then create a pile to give away or donate. Makes sense, right? She further explained that when thoughts bubble up you need to recognize them – determine if it’s useful and a

“keeper” or if it’s something that needs to be resolved or worked on. If it’s nothing still benefiting you and outdated - then thank that thought for coming forward and return it to the universe to be transmuted into something positive such as love, light, or compassion. Once the thought has been let go of - it will not come up again in meditation just, like the pile of clothes you’re giving away.

The thoughts that need attention are usually unresolved issues that you’ve been avoiding and need to be addressed. Once that is done, those too should not be present in future

mediations. Obviously, this is a process and takes time. It is amazing how many outdated thoughts we have just tossing around in our head. After several months of guided meditation, I finally had success in going into a deep state of peace seeing myself flying over the ocean, and watching as a whale emerged from the surface to look directly at me overhead. It was incredible!

Over the years my style of meditation has changed, and I rarely find the need to sit to do a deep meditation. Occasionally I will sit and find resolve or clarity with a more troubling matter. But as I mentioned, it is not often.

Meditation has taught me how to immediately focus and tune into my “higher self” or state of being. This allows me the opportunity to get information much faster while dealing with daily challenges or issues that arise. Meditating helps my memory, relaxes my physical body, and releases stress. If I find it difficult to let go of the day and fall asleep - a quick five

minute meditation gets me there.

I can't think of any reasons why someone wouldn't meditate given all the wonderful benefits you can attain from just learning how to tune into yourself. Give it a try and be patient with the process – clean out your closet. You deserve what the end result will give you.