This lecture on Jnana Yoga was delivered by Swami Vivekananda in London on June 21, 1896, and is reproduced here from his Complete Works, 2: 70-87.

The Search for Reality and Happiness

Great is the tenacity with which people cling to the senses. Yet, however substantial they may think the external world in which they live and move, there comes a time in the lives of individuals and of races when, involuntarily, they ask, “Is this real?” To those who never find a moment to question the credentials of their senses, whose every moment is occupied with some sort of sense-enjoyment–even to them death comes, and they also are compelled to ask, “Is this real?” Religion begins with this question and ends with its answer. Even in the remote past, where recorded history cannot help us, in the mysterious light of mythology, back in the dim twilight of civilization, we find the same question was asked, “What becomes of this? What is real?”

One of the most poetical of the Upanishads, the Katha Upanishad, begins with the inquiry: “When someone dies, there is a dispute. One party declares that the person has gone for ever, the other insists that he or she is still living. Which is true?” Various answers have been given. The whole sphere of metaphysics, philosophy, and religion is really filled with various answers to this question. At the same time, attempts have been made to suppress it, to put a stop to the unrest of mind that asks, “What is beyond? What is real?” But so long as death remains, all these attempts at suppression will always prove to be unsuccessful. We may talk about seeing nothing beyond and keeping all our hopes and aspirations confined to the present moment, and struggle hard not to think of anything beyond the world of senses; and, perhaps, everything outside helps to keep us limited within its narrow bounds. The whole world may combine to prevent us from broadening out beyond the present. Yet, so long as there is death, the question must come again and again, “Is death the end of all these things to which we are clinging, as if they were the most real of all realities, the most substantial of all substances?” The world vanishes in a moment and is gone. Standing on the brink of a precipice beyond which is the infinite yawning chasm, every mind, however hardened, is bound to recoil and ask, “Is this real?” The hopes of a lifetime, built up little by little with all the energies of a great mind, vanish in a second. Are they real? This question must be answered. Time never lessens its power; on the other hand, it adds strength to it.

Then there is the desire to be happy. We run after everything to make ourselves happy; we pursue our mad career in the external world of senses. If you ask the young man with whom life is successful, he will declare that it is real; and he really thinks so. Perhaps, when the same man grows old and finds fortune ever eluding him, he will then declare that it is fate. He finds at last that his desires cannot be fulfilled. Wherever he goes, there is an adamantine wall beyond which he cannot pass. Every sense-activity results in a reaction. Everything is evanescent. Enjoyment, misery, luxury, wealth, power, and poverty, even life itself, are all evanescent.

Two Options: (1) Nihilism or (2) Seeking the Real

Two positions are possible. One is to believe with the nihilists that all is nothing, that we know nothing, that we can never know anything either about the future, the past, or even the present. For we must remember that one who denies the past and the future and wants to stick to the present is simply mad. One may as well deny the father and mother and assert the child. It would be equally logical. To deny the past and future, the present must inevitably be denied also. This is one position, that of the nihilists. I have never seen a person who could really become a nihilist for one minute. It is very easy to talk.

Then there is the other position–to seek for an explanation, to seek for the real, to discover in the midst of this eternally changing and evanescent world whatever is real. In this body, which is an aggregate of molecules of matter, is there anything real? This has been the search throughout the history of the human mind. In the very oldest times, we often find glimpses of light coming into the minds of people. We find men and women, even then, going a step beyond this body, finding something which is not this external body, although very much like it, much more complete, much more perfect, and which remains even when this body is dissolved. We read in the hymns of the Rig-Veda, addressed to the God of Fire who is burning a dead body, “Carry him, O Fire, in your arms gently, give him a perfect body, a bright body, carry him where the fathers live, where there is no more sorrow, where there is no more death.”

The Concept of “The Fall”

The same idea you will find present in every religion. And we get another idea with it. It is a significant fact that all religions, without one exception, hold that we humans are a degeneration of what we once were, whether they clothe this in mythological words, or in the clear language of philosophy, or in the beautiful expressions of poetry. This is the one fact that comes out of every scripture and of every mythology that we as we are now are a degeneration of what we were. This is the kernel of truth within the story of Adam’s fall in the Jewish scripture. This is again and again repeated in the scriptures of the Hindus; the dream of a period which they call the Age of Truth (satya-yuga), when no one died unless they wished to die, when they could keep their bodies as long as they liked, and their minds were pure and strong. There was no evil and no misery; and the present age is a corruption of that state of perfection.

Side by side with this, we find the story of the deluge everywhere. That story itself is a proof that this present age is held to be a corruption of a former age by every religion. It went on becoming more and more corrupt until the deluge swept away a large portion of humanity, and again the ascending series began. It is going up slowly again to reach once more the early state of purity. You are all aware of the story of the deluge in the Old Testament. The same story was current among the ancient Babylonians, the Egyptians, the Chinese, and the Hindus. Manu, a great ancient sage, was praying on the bank of the Ganga, when a little minnow came to him for protection, and he put it into a pot of water he had before him. “What do you want?” asked Manu. The little minnow declared he was pursued by a bigger fish and wanted protection. Manu carried the little fish to his home, and in the morning he had become as big as the pot and said, “I cannot live in this pot any longer.” Manu put him in a tank, and the next day he was as big as the tank and declared he could not live there any more. So Manu had to take him to a river, and in the morning the fish filled the river. Then Manu put him in the ocean, and he declared, “Manu, I am the Creator of the universe. I have taken this form to come and warn you that I will deluge the world. You build an ark and in it put a pair of every kind of animal, and let your family enter the ark, and there will project out of the water my horn. Fasten the ark to it; and when the deluge subsides, come out and people the earth.” So the world was deluged, and Manu saved his own family and two of every kind of animal and seeds of every plant. When the deluge subsided, he came and peopled the world; and we are called “man”, because we are the progeny of Manu.

Scientific Superstition vs. Religious Superstition

Now, human language is the attempt to express the truth that is within. I am fully persuaded that a baby whose language consists of unintelligible sounds is attempting to express the highest philosophy, it is just that the baby has neither the organs to express it nor the means. The difference between the language of the highest philosophers and the utterances of babies is one of degree and not of kind. What you call the most correct, systematic, mathematical language of the present time, and the hazy, mystical, mythological languages of the ancients, differ only in degree. All of them have a grand idea behind, which is, as it were, struggling to express itself; and often behind these ancient mythologies are nuggets of truth; and often, I am sorry to say, behind the fine, polished phrases of the moderns is arrant trash. So, we need not throw a thing overboard because it is clothed in mythology, because it does not fit in with the notions of Mr. So-and-so and Mrs. So-and-so of modern times. If people should laugh at religion because most religions declare that we must believe in mythologies taught by such and such a prophet, they ought to laugh more at these moderns. In modern times, if people quote a Moses or a Buddha or a Christ, they are laughed at; but let them give the name of a Huxley, a Tyndall, or a Darwin, and it is swallowed without salt. “Huxley has said it,” and that is enough for many. We are free from superstitions indeed! That was a religious superstition, and this is a scientific superstition; only, in and through that superstition came life-giving ideas of spirituality; in and through this modern superstition come lust and greed. That superstition was worship of God, and this superstition is worship of filthy lucre, of fame and power. That is the difference.

The Theory of Cycles

To return to mythology. Behind all these stories we find one idea standing supreme–that we are a degeneration of what we were. Coming to the present times, modern research seems to repudiate this position absolutely. Evolutionists seem to contradict entirely this assertion. According to them, we humans have evolved from the mollusc; and, therefore, what mythology states cannot be true. There is in India, however, a mythology that is able to reconcile both these positions. The Indian mythology has a theory of cycles, which states that all progression is in the form of waves. Every wave is attended by a fall, and that by a rise the next moment, followed by a fall in the next, and again another rise. The motion is in cycles. Certainly it is true, even on the grounds of modern research, that human beings cannot be simply an evolution. Every evolution presupposes an involution. The modern scientist will tell you that you can only get as much amount of energy out of a machine as you have previously put into it. Something cannot be produced out of nothing. If we are an evolution of the mollusc, then the perfect amongst us–the Buddha, the Christ–was involved in the mollusc. If it is not so, whence come these gigantic personalities? Something cannot come out of nothing. Thus we are in the position of reconciling the scriptures with modern light. The energy that manifests itself slowly through various stages until it becomes the perfect person, cannot come out of nothing. It existed somewhere; and if the mollusc or the protoplasm is the first point to which you can trace it, that protoplasm, somehow or other, must have contained the energy.

Force and Matter

There is a great discussion going on as to whether the aggregate of materials we call the body is the cause of manifestation of the force we call the soul, thought, etc., or whether it is the thought that manifests this body. The religions of the world of course hold that the force called thought manifests the body, and not the reverse. There are schools of modern thought which hold that what we call thought is simply the outcome of the adjustment of the parts of the machine which we call body. Taking the second position that the soul or the mass of thought, or however you may call it, is the outcome of this machine, the outcome of the chemical and physical combinations of matter making up the body and brain, leaves the question unanswered.

What makes the body? What force combines the molecules into the body form? What force takes up material from the mass of matter around and forms my body one way, another body another way, and so on? What makes these infinite distinctions? To say that the force called soul is the outcome of the combinations of the molecules of the body is putting the cart before the horse. How did the combinations come; where was the force to make them? If you say that some other force was the cause of these combinations, and soul was the outcome of that matter, and that soul–which combined a certain mass of matter–was itself the result of the combinations, it is no answer. That theory ought to be taken which explains most of the facts, if not all, and that without contradicting other existing theories. It is more logical to say that the force that takes up the matter and forms the body is the same that manifests through that body. To say, therefore, that the thought forces manifested by the body are the outcome of the arrangement of molecules and have no independent existence has no meaning; neither can force evolve out of matter. Rather it is impossible to demonstrate that what we call matter does not exist at all. It is only a certain state of force. Solidity, hardness, or any other state of matter can be proved to be the result of motion. Increase of vortex motion imparted to fluids gives them the force of solids. A mass of air in vortex motion, as in a tornado, becomes solid-like and by its impact breaks or cuts through solids. A thread of a spider’s web, if it could be moved at almost infinite velocity, would be as strong as an iron chain and would cut through an oak tree. Looking at it in this way, it would be easier to prove that what we call matter does not exist. But the other way cannot be proved.

What is the force that manifests itself through the body? It is obvious to all of us, whatever that force be, that it is taking particles up, as it were, and manipulating forms out of them–the human body. None else comes here to manipulate bodies for you and me. I never saw anybody eat food for me. I have to assimilate it, manufacture blood and bones and everything out of that food. What is this mysterious force? Ideas about the future and about the past seem to be terrifying to many. To many they seem to be mere speculation.

The Atman and Its Nature

We will take the present theme. What is this force which is now working through us? We know how in old times, in all the ancient scriptures, this power, this manifestation of power, was thought to be a bright substance having the form of this body, and which remained even after this body fell. Later on, however, we find a higher idea coming–that this bright body did not represent the force. Whatsoever has form must be the result of combinations of particles and requires something else behind it to move it. If this body requires something that is not the body to manipulate it, the bright body, by the same necessity, will also require something other than itself to manipulate it. So, that something was called the soul, the Atman in Sanskrit. It was the Atman that through the bright body, as it were, worked on the gross body outside. The bright body is considered as the receptacle of the mind, and the Atman is beyond that. The Atman is not the mind; it works the mind, and through the mind the body. You have an Atman, I have another, each one of us has a separate Atman and a separate fine body, and through that we work on the gross external body.

Questions were then asked about this Atman, about its nature. What is this Atman, which is neither the body nor the mind? Great discussions followed. Speculations were made, various shades of philosophic inquiry came into existence; and I shall try to place before you some of the conclusions that have been reached about this Atman.

The different philosophies seem to agree that this Atman, whatever it be, has neither form nor shape, and that which has neither form nor shape must be omnipresent. Time begins with mind, space also is in the mind. Causation cannot stand without time. Without the idea of succession there cannot be any idea of causation. Time, space and causation, therefore, are in the mind, and as this Atman is beyond the mind and formless, it must be beyond time, beyond space, and beyond causation. Now, if it is beyond time, space, and causation, it must be infinite. Then comes the highest speculation in our philosophy. The infinite cannot be two. If the Atman be infinite, there can be only one Atman, and all ideas of various souls–you having one soul, and I having another and so forth–are not real.

The Real Person, therefore, is one and infinite, the omnipresent Spirit. And the “apparent person” is only a limitation of that Real Person. In that sense the mythologies are true that the apparent person, however great he or she may be, is only a dim reflection of the Real Person who is beyond. The Real Person, the Atman–being beyond cause and effect, and not bound by time and space–must therefore be free. The Real Person was never bound, and could not be bound. The apparent person, the reflection, is limited by time, space, and causation, and is therefore bound. Or in the language of some of our philosophers, the person appears to be bound, but really is not. This is the reality within, this omnipresence, this spiritual nature, this infinity.

Every Atman is infinite, therefore there is no question of birth and death. Some children were being examined. The teacher put them rather hard questions, and among them was this one: “Why does not the earth fall?” He wanted to evoke answers about gravitation. Most of the children could not answer at all; a few answered that it was gravitation or something. One bright little girl answered it by putting another question: “Where should it fall?” The question is nonsense. Where should the earth fall? There is no falling or rising for the earth. In infinite space there is no up or down; that is only in the relative. Where is the going or coming for the infinite? Whence should it come and whither should it go?

Thus, when people cease to think of the past or future, when they give up the idea of body–because the body comes and goes and is limited–then they have risen to a higher ideal. The body is not the Real Person, neither is the mind, for the mind waxes and wanes. It is only the Atman beyond, which can live for ever. The body and mind are continually changing, and are in fact only names of series of changeful phenomena, like rivers whose waters are in a constant state of flux, yet presenting the appearance of unbroken streams. Every particle in this body is continually changing; no one has the same body for many minutes together, and yet we think of it as the same body. So with the mind: one moment it is happy, another moment unhappy; one moment strong, another weak; an ever-changing whirlpool. The mind cannot be the Atman, which is infinite. Change can only be in the limited. To say that the infinite changes in any way is absurd; it cannot be. You and I, as limited bodies, can move; every particle in this universe is in a constant state of flux, but taking the universe as a unit, as one whole, it cannot move, it cannot change. Motion is always a relative thing. I move in relation to something else. Any particle in this universe can change in relation to any other particle; but take the whole universe as one, and in relation to what can it move? There is nothing besides it. So this infinite unit is unchangeable, immovable, absolute, and this is the Real Person. Our reality, therefore, consists in the universal and not in the limited. These are old delusions, however comfortable they are, to think that we are little limited beings, constantly changing. People are frightened when they are told that they are the Universal Being, everywhere present. Through everything you work, through every foot you move, through every lip you talk, through every heart you feel.

Individuality

People are frightened when they are told this. They will again and again ask you if they are not going to keep their individuality. What is “individuality”? I should like to see it. A baby boy has no moustache; when he grows to be a man, perhaps he has a moustache and beard. His individuality would be lost if it were in the body. If I lose one eye, or if I lose one of my hands, my individuality would be lost if it were in the body. A drunkard should not give up drinking because he would lose his individuality. A thief should not be a good man because he would thereby lose his individuality. No one ought to change their habits for fear of this. The truth is that there is no individuality except in the Infinite. That is the only condition that does not change. Everything else is in a constant state of flux. Neither can individuality be in memory. Suppose, on account of a blow on the head I forget all about my past; then, I have lost all individuality; I am gone. I do not remember two or three years of my childhood, and if memory and existence are one, then whatever I forget is gone. That part of my life which I do not remember, I did not live. That is a very narrow idea of individuality.

We are not individuals yet. We are struggling towards individuality, and that is the Infinite, that is our real nature. Only the person whose life is in the whole universe really “lives.” The more we concentrate our lives on limited things, the faster we go towards death. Those moments alone we live when our lives are in the universe, in others; and living this little life is death, simply death, and that is why the fear of death comes. The fear of death can only be conquered when we realize that so long as there is one life in this universe, we are living. When I can say, “I am in everything, in everybody, I am in all lives, I am the universe,” then alone comes the state of fearlessness. To talk of immortality in constantly changing things is absurd. Says an old Sanskrit philosopher: It is only the Spirit that is the individual, because it is infinite. Infinity cannot be divided; infinity cannot be broken into pieces. It is the same one, undivided unit for ever, and this is the real individual, the Real Person. The apparent person is merely a struggle to express, or to manifest, this individuality that is beyond; and evolution is not in the Spirit. These changes that are going on–the wicked becoming good, the animal becoming human, take them in whatever way you like–are not in the Atman. They are the evolution of nature and manifestation of Atman.

Suppose there is a screen hiding you from me, in which there is a small hole through which I can see some of the faces before me, just a few faces. Now suppose the hole begins to grow larger and larger, and as it does so, more and more of the scene before me reveals itself and when at last the whole screen has disappeared, I stand face to face with you all. You did not change at all in this case; it was the hole that was evolving, and you were gradually manifesting yourselves. So it is with the Atman. No perfection is going to be attained. You are already free and perfect.

What are these ideas of religion and God and searching for the hereafter? Why do we look for a God? Why do we, in every nation, in every state of society, want a perfect ideal somewhere, either in human beings, or in God, or elsewhere? Because that idea is within us. It was our own heart beating and we did not know; we were mistaking it for something external. It is the God within our own self that is propelling us to seek for Him and to realize Him. After long searches here and there, in temples and in churches, in earths and in heavens, at last we come back, completing the circle from where we started, to our own soul and find that He for whom we have been seeking all over the world, for whom we have been weeping and praying in churches and temples, on whom we were looking as the mystery of all mysteries shrouded in the clouds, is nearest of the near, is our own Self, the reality of our life, body and mind. That is our own nature. Assert it, manifest it. Not to become pure, we are pure already. We are not to become perfect, we are that already. Nature is like the screen which is hiding the reality beyond. Every good thought that we think or act upon is simply tearing the veil, as it were; and the purity, the Infinity, the God behind, manifests Itself more and more.

The “Why” of Ethics

This is the whole history of human evolution. Finer and finer becomes the veil, more and more of the light behind shines forth, for it is its nature to shine. It cannot be known; in vain we try to know it. Were it knowable, it would not be what it is, for it is the eternal subject. Knowledge is a limitation, knowledge is objectifying. He is the eternal subject of everything, the eternal witness in this universe, your own Self. Knowledge is, as it were, a lower step, a degeneration. We are that eternal subject already; how can we know it? It is the real nature of every one of us, and we are struggling to express it in various ways; otherwise, why are there so many ethical codes? Where is the explanation of all ethics? One idea stands out as the centre of all ethical systems, expressed in various forms, namely, doing good to others. Our guiding motive should be charity towards fellow human beings, charity towards all animals. But these are all various expressions of that eternal truth that, “I am the universe; this universe is one.” Or else, where is the reason? Why should I do good to my fellow beings? Why should I do good to others? What compels me? It is sympathy, the feeling of sameness everywhere. The hardest hearts feel sympathy for beings sometimes. Even those who gets frightened if they are told that this assumed individuality is really a delusion, that it is ignoble to try to cling to this apparent individuality, that very people will tell you that extreme self-abnegation is the center of all morality.

And what is perfect self-abnegation? It means the abnegation of this apparent self, the abnegation of all selfishness. This idea of “me and mine”–Ahamkâra and Mamatâ–is the result of past superstition, and the more this present self passes away, the more the real self, or the Atman, becomes manifest. This is true self-abnegation, the center, the basis, the gist of all moral teaching; and whether we know it or not, the whole world is slowly going towards it, practicing it more or less. Only, the vast majority of people are doing it unconsciously. Let them do it consciously. Let them make the sacrifice, knowing that this “me and mine” is not the real Atman but only a limitation. But one glimpse of that infinite reality which is behind–but one spark of that infinite fire that is the All–represents our present reality; the Infinite is our true nature.

The Utility of the Knowledge of Our Real Nature

What is the utility, the effect, the result, of this knowledge? In these days, we have to measure everything by utility–by how many pounds, shillings, and pence it represents. What right has a person to ask that truth should be judged by the standard of utility or money? Suppose there is no utility, will it be less true? Utility is not the test of truth. Nevertheless, there is the highest utility in this. Happiness, we see, is what everyone is seeking for, but the majority seek it in things which are evanescent and not real. No happiness was ever found in the senses. There never was a person who found happiness in the senses or in the enjoyment of the senses. Happiness is only found in the Atman. Therefore the highest utility for us all is to find this happiness in the Atman.

The next point is that ignorance is the great mother of all misery, and the fundamental ignorance is to think that the Infinite weeps and cries, that He is finite. This is the basis of all ignorance that we, the immortal, the ever pure, the perfect Atman, think that we are little minds, that we are little bodies; it is the mother of all selfishness. As soon as I think that I am a little body, I want to preserve it, to protect it, to keep it nice, at the expense of other bodies; then you and I become separate. As soon as this idea of separation comes, it opens the door to all mischief and leads to all misery. This is the utility that if a very small fractional part of human beings living today can put aside the idea of selfishness, narrowness, and littleness, this earth will become a paradise tomorrow; but it will never be with just machines and improvements of material knowledge. These only increase misery, as oil poured on fire increase the flame all the more. Without the knowledge of the Atman, all material knowledge is only adding fuel to fire, only giving into the hands of selfish man one more instrument to take what belongs to others, to live upon the life of others, instead of giving up his life for them.

Is This Knowledge Practical?

Is it practical?–is another question. Can it be practiced in modern society? Truth does not pay homage to any society, ancient or modern. Society has to pay homage to Truth or die. Societies should be molded upon truth, and truth has not to adjust itself to society. If such a noble truth as unselfishness cannot be practiced in society, it is better for us to give up society and go into the forest. That is the daring person.

There are two sorts of courage. One is the courage of facing the cannon. And the other is the courage of spiritual conviction. An Emperor who invaded India was told by his teacher to go and see some of the sages there. After a long search for one, he found a very old man sitting on a block of stone. The Emperor talked with him a little and became very impressed by his wisdom. He asked the sage to go to his country with him. “No,” said the sage, “I am quite satisfied with my forest here.” Said the Emperor, “I will give you money, position, wealth. I am the Emperor of the world.” “No,” replied the man. “I don’t care for those things.” The Emperor replied, “If you do not go, I will kill you.” The man smiled serenely and said, “That is the most foolish thing you have ever said, Emperor. You cannot kill me. Me the sun cannot dry, fire cannot burn, sword cannot kill, for I am the birthless, the deathless, the ever-living omnipotent, omnipresent Spirit.” This is spiritual boldness, while the other is the courage of a lion or a tiger. In the Mutiny of 1857 there was a Swami, a very great soul, whom a Muslim mutineer stabbed severely. The Hindu mutineers caught and brought the man to the Swami, offering to kill him. But the Swami looked up calmly and said, “My brother, thou art He, thou art He!” and expired. This is another instance.

What good is it to talk of the strength of your muscles, of the superiority of your Western institutions, if you cannot make Truth square with your society, if you cannot build up a society into which the highest Truth will fit? What is the good of this boastful talk about your grandeur and greatness, if you stand up and say, “This courage is not practical.” Is nothing practical but pounds, shillings, and pence? If so, why boast of your society? That society is the greatest, where the highest truths become practical. That is my opinion; and if society is not fit for the highest truths, make it so; and the sooner, the better. Stand up, men and women, in this spirit, dare to believe in the Truth, dare to practice the Truth! The world requires a few hundred bold men and women. Practice that boldness which dares know the Truth, which dares show the Truth in life, which does not quake before death, nay, welcomes death, helps us know that every one of us is the Atman, that nothing in this universe can kill us. Then we will be free. Then we will know our real self, the Atman. “This Atman is first to be heard, then thought about and then meditated upon.”

Work and Thought

There is a great tendency in modern times to talk too much of work and decry thought. Doing is very good, but that comes from thinking. Little manifestations of energy through the muscles are called work. But where there is no thought, there will be no work. Fill the brain, therefore, with high thoughts, highest ideals, place them day and night before you, and out of that will come great work. Talk not about impurity, but say that we are pure. We have hypnotized ourselves into this thought that we are little, that we are born, and that we are going to die, and into a constant state of fear.

There is a story about a lioness who was big with young, going about in search of prey; and seeing a flock of sheep, she jumped upon them. She died in the effort; and a little baby lion was born, motherless. It was taken care of by the sheep and the sheep brought it up, and it grew up with them, ate grass, and bleated like the sheep. And although in time it became a big, full-grown lion, it thought it was a sheep. One day another lion came in search of prey and was astonished to find that in the midst of this flock of sheep was a lion, fleeing like the sheep at the approach of danger. He tried to get near the sheep-lion, to tell it that it was not a sheep but a lion; but the poor animal fled at his approach. However, he watched his opportunity and one day found the sheep-lion sleeping. He approached it and said, “You are a lion.” “I am a sheep,” cried the other lion and could not believe the contrary but bleated. The lion dragged him towards a lake and said, “Look here, here is my reflection and yours.” Then came the comparison. It looked at the lion and then at its own reflection, and in a moment came the idea that it was a lion. The lion roared, the bleating was gone.

You are lions! You are souls, pure, infinite, and perfect. The might of the universe is within you. “Why weepest thou, my friend? There is neither birth nor death for thee. Why weepest thou? There is no disease nor misery for thee, but thou art like the infinite sky; clouds of various colours come over it, play for a moment, then vanish. But the sky is ever the same eternal blue.”

That Which Is “Inside” We See “Outside”

Why do we see wickedness? There was a stump of a tree, and in the dark, a thief came that way and said, “That is a policeman.” A young man waiting for his beloved saw it and thought that it was his sweetheart. A child who had been told ghost stories took it for a ghost and began to shriek. But all the time it was the stump of a tree. We see the world as we are. Suppose there is a baby in a room with a bag of gold on the table and a thief comes and steals the gold. Would the baby know it was stolen? That which we have inside, we see outside. The baby has no thief inside and sees no thief outside. So with all knowledge. Do not talk of the wickedness of the world and all its sins. Weep that you are bound to see wickedness yet. Weep that you are bound to see sin everywhere, and if you want to help the world, do not condemn it. Do not weaken it more. For what is sin and what is misery, and what are all these, but the results of weakness? The world is made weaker and weaker every day by such teachings.

Men and women are taught from childhood that they are weak and sinners. Teach them that they are all glorious children of immortality, even those who are the weakest in manifestation. Let positive, strong, helpful thought enter into their brains from very childhood. Lay yourselves open to these thoughts, and not to weakening and paralyzing ones. Say to your own minds, “I am the Atman. I am the Infinite.” Let it ring day and night in your minds like a song, and at the point of death declare, “I am the Atman.” That is the Truth; the infinite strength of the world is yours. Drive out the superstition that has covered your minds. Let us be brave. Know the truth and practice the truth. The goal may be distant, but awake, arise, and stop not till the goal is reached.

Sources: http://www.vivekananda.org/readings.asp

Tags: Happiness, Reality, Reality and Happiness, Scientific Superstition vs. Religious Superstition, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Vivekananda Reading

The necessity of forgiveness to attain true contentment, fulfillment and harmony in life is as necessary as the air we breathe to survive. Practice forgiveness…”Unconditionally”

The Power Of Forgiveness is an incredibly powerful and self liberating principle which, when “consciously” applied, allows a sense of indescribable peace and overall well being to flow and permeate your inner most being resulting in FAR GREATER and more “pleasing” outcomes in your physical world.The importance of implementing this incredible power cannot be understated and can be much more easily understood by developing the awareness and understanding of how our universe operates in it’s precise, unwavering and perfectly constructed manner.

By developing an awareness and deeper understanding of the immeasurable, unwavering, and immutable power of the governing Laws of Creation, also referred to as Universal Laws, that govern the entire universe, you will become better equipped and empowered to begin effortlessly experiencing and consciously implementing the life transforming power of forgiveness into your day to day life and as a result, begin to personally experience the true sense of freedom and well being derived from it.

First of all let’s examine the definition of forgiveness so that you might gain a better understanding of what “true forgiveness” really is.

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary to forgive is….

A) to give up resentment of, or claim to requital for B): to grant relief from payment of 2) : to cease to feel resentment against (an offender) : PARDON intransitive senses : to grant forgiveness.

By developing a basic understanding of what you are creating by “holding resentment”, or by failing “to give up your claim to” or “refusal to grant relief of” the offender, you will have the ability to make an educated and conscious choice as to your future actions with respect to forgiveness and the limitless power which is unleashed as a result of choosing to do so.

By continually and purposefully exercising your ability to forgive, you will begin to understand and experience the true and life transforming power of forgiveness in your physical outcomes and will have discovered the ability to allow unrestricted and positive creative energy to continually flow in and through your life that is in harmony and alignment with all that you desire and deserve to experience.

Although I understand to an extent that forgiveness can seem difficult for some at times, utilizing and implementing the power of forgiveness, regardless of the circumstances iswell within your ability to implement if you make the “conscious” choice to do so. The power realized from doing so (or not) can mean the difference between a life of ease, harmony and overall wellbeing or a life of hardship, discord and illness.

These outcomes whether “perceived” as “good” or “bad” don’t happen as many “perceive” due to any form of wrath or judgment, but rather unfold due to a “perfectly constructed” and never changing process of creation based on “unconditional love” enabling us to experience life as we choose.

A choice to forgive or not is a choice that we have been provided the inalienable right of free will to exercise.

As has been expressed by many doctors, psychologists, scientists, clergy etc., at the core of the majority of illness and disease, there lies a deeply embedded issue of un-forgiveness, at either a conscious or unconscious level.

I have heard many say that “My un-forgiveness is justified”, and from a human perspective, although many may agree with them, I can assure you regardless of how justified you or anyone else may perceive it to be, a refusal to forgive, regardless of the situation will inevitably have an undesirable and “negative” effect on your outcomes in life whether physically, relationally, emotionally, and/or spiritually.

It is a little known fact that when someone makes the choice to hold resentment or un-forgiveness against another, they are NOT hurting the person that they are holding the resentment against, but instead only hurting themselves.

It has long been understood and proven that a prolonged state of un-forgiveness can have many negative side effects on the person that harbors and holds onto resentment and is proven to cause undesirable conditions, not only emotionally but physically as well.

Although the most commonly thought of form of forgiveness is in forgiving others that you “perceive” have wronged you in some way, equally as important is developing the ability to forgive yourself for what you might “perceive” to be past mistakes that you have made, and which many “choose” to hold onto resulting in “feelings” of guilt.

In order to be able to achieve a true state of forgiveness, it is also necessary to develop an understanding of your true nature of self. This self awareness allows you to see the true perfection of “the real you” at the depths of your inner most being and has the power to overwrite and replace the negative thoughts and emotions which empower you to release and shift the emotion of guilt, thereby changing the negative energies that may very well be keeping you from realizing your “birthright” to experience EVERY desire held and allowing unlimited Abundance and Happiness to flow into your life.

Let’s look at how and why a state of forgiveness as well as un-forgiveness has the ability to affect your external reality in a “physical” sense and plays an essential role in what you see manifest in your life.

First, let’s look at it from a scientific perspective…

First of all, as you have discovered in the Law of Vibration , all things, both seen and unseen, broken down and analyzed in their most basic sub-atomic structures consist of pure energy, or vibration. These vibrations, which are determined by the specific formation or structure of these subatomic particles which make them up, resonate and broadcast a specific frequency or rate of vibration.

As an example Love creates and emanates a much different vibrational frequency than does hate. Forgiveness resonates and emanates a much different vibrational frequency than Un-forgiveness.

Regardless of the frequency or vibratory rate which results and is projected, based on YOUR individual choices, these vibrations or frequencies that you choose to experience are sent out into the universe at an unseen, spiritual or metaphysical level and attract and/or are attracted to energies of a similar or harmonious vibratory pattern or frequency.

The result is that these patterns or projections of energy join together with patterns that are harmonious with these projected energy patterns and form what you come to see and experience in your physical world. (For deeper insight and understanding, See the Law of Attraction and Quantum Physics )

As we have discovered in the power of thoughts article , your thoughts, more specifically the emotions that those thoughts create also consist of, resonate and broadcast a specific vibratory frequency based on and determined by the kind and quality of the thought, and attracts into your life, without judgment, the events, conditions, and circumstances that you see manifest in your physical world every minute of every day.

 

So What Does All This Have To Do With The Power Of Forgiveness?

Absolutely Everything!

By failing to make a “conscious choice” to forgive yourself or someone else that may have wronged you in some way, you are actually creating and projecting a vibratory frequency through those thoughts of un-forgiveness and resentment that are being broadcast out, attracting to them harmonious vibratory patterns or frequencies which are, through the unwavering process of manifestation creating the events, conditions, and circumstances which form in your physical world, based on YOUR choices which determines what it is that you are sending out. In this case resentment and un-forgiveness.

To take it a step further, if you are not only holding on to resentment or un-forgiveness toward another, but also “hoping or wishing” that some negative experience be inflicted on them, you are in reality asking and will receive the outcome of that desire in your own life in some form.

How is that possible? Because the energy that you are creating and projecting is being internalized in you…by you…and as a result you will attract additional energies to you which support those outgoing thoughts.

Just as a mirror can only reflect back at you an image based on what you choose to project or place in front of it, the Universe, God, 1st Cause only reflects back to you what you choose to project which determines the outcome or effect.

Consider how it is that you tune into your favorite radio or TV station. The channel that you “choose” to tune into happens as the result of a personal choice to set the dial which creates a frequency that is projected outward and harmonizes with existing frequencies which results in the creation of the image or sound being received on the TV or radio enabling you to “experience” it.

The process NEVER fails or wavers!!

You can’t expect to tune into channel 9 by choosing to place the dial on channel 4. To “experience” channel 9 you must choose to place the dial on channel 9.

To provide additional clarity and deeper insight, let’s look at the how the process unfolds in nature……

If you made a choice to plant an apple seed you certainly couldn’t or wouldn’t expect oranges to be produced from the original seed!

No more than you would expect to receive a harvest of oranges by planting apple seeds, can you expect to receive pleasing and positive life outcomes based on planting and nurturing seeds of resentment and un-forgiveness.

By planting seeds of un-forgiveness and resentment, it would go against and violate every physical, scientific and spiritual law if you were able to produce any result that is in opposition to the original seed that was planted.

In Other words…….

 

It’s an IMPOSSIBILITY!!

The principles that govern creation and the physical outcomes received as a result of each of these above examples are identical regardless if your choice is to develop this understanding of them based on the latest in scientific discoveries, through various spiritual teachings and writings, or through the simple observation of nature.

The unwavering and inevitable end result is that you are going to receive back…in “physical form”…in relation to the seeds that you plant…receive an image based on the reflection that you choose to project…receive an outcome based on the energy that you choose to project…reap a harvest based on the kind and quality of “the seed” that you choose to plant.

From a more human perspective, if you plant what you “perceive” to be “negative” seeds you will reap negative results. If you plant what you “perceive” to be “positive” seeds, you will reap positive results.

 

Un-forgiveness Toward Yourself or Another Can NEVER Produce What Are “Perceived” As Positive Outcomes!

Another important point to understand if you are to fully grasp the power of forgiveness and develop the ability to effortlessly apply it’s healing power in your life is this….

All things that are happening in our entire universe, regardless of how good or bad you might perceive them from your individual human perspective, are actually happening at any given moment to assist the Universe, as a whole, in it’s ultimate growth and sustainment of itself!

You, being an integral part of the whole, (universal) means that all things, regardless of what they are and no matter how you perceive them, are also working for YOUR good!

So how is it that undesirable events, conditions, and circumstances that you may experience as a result of un-forgiveness in life be good? From a common and traditionally established human physical understanding and perspective they’re not, but at a deep spiritual level these “undesirable conditions” whether recognized or not, serve as a red flag or warning sign that you are not operating in harmonious resonance with what you claim that you desire, and as a result, the immutable, unwavering and perfectly constructed laws of nature, (Universal Laws) will provide you with all the physical proof needed to substantiate it.

This understanding enables you to recognize and correct what is creating the challenge, whatever it might be, and either brings you back toward the path of “Higher Truth” or enables you to continue with the same experience until the intended message is learned.

When recognized and in order to begin experiencing harmonious results, it is necessary to initiate the “inner change” required to realign or harmonize yourself with the “desired” outcomes in order to create and experience the harmony that you desire in your physical world.

This is why The Power Of Forgiveness is so crucial to develop an awareness of and continuously implement in your life.

When you fully recognize and allow this inescapable truth to be fully absorbed, and take the necessary action to surrender any animosity that you may hold toward yourself or another, you will have discovered the means to begin experiencing an incredible and overwhelming sense of inner peace, comfort and overall wellbeing that, absent this understanding, you have been unable to tap into and experience to this point.

Through an increased understanding of the immutable and life transforming truth of this principle, you’ll become empowered to make the necessary mental shift which can and will enable you to eliminate disharmony and discord in your physical world, enabling you to begin effortlessly attracting and experiencing your most cherished and heartfelt dreams and desires.

Through properly, consistently and “consciously” implementing the power of forgiveness into your life, absent judgment and choosing to exercise an attitude of gratitude for “whatever” experiences you may encounter, you will begin to realize and personally experience your personal ability to purposefully and consciously attract and create your life by design rather than by default.

There is no judgment or condemnation at the level of Source or 1st Cause, only a perfectly constructed system based on “Unconditional Love” which determines the process of creation…each and EVERY event, condition and circumstance in YOUR life with unwavering certainty and without fail based on the choices that YOU choose to make.

The following ancient wisdom isn’t based on law as many perceive, but serves as “profound” and life changing direction that IF consciously and consistently “applied” can and will change the entire course of your life.

What is this ancient wisdom?

 

“Judge not and you will not be judged”

Unconditional Love and forgiveness is the essence of our Source, (Creator) whatever you may perceive that to be. By developing the ability to forgive and eliminate judgment unconditionally you will have made tremendous and powerful progress in your ability to begin experiencing a life of ease, harmony and overall well being physically, financially, relationally, emotionally and spiritually.

If you seem to struggle with the ability to forgive yourself or others, it is most certainly effecting your outcomes in life and hopefully you now have a deeper understanding as to why and how.

Developing a keen awareness of the importance of The Power Of Forgiveness in your life, combined with the deeper understanding and correct implementation of that knowledge with focused intent, will enable you to begin experiencing what you may have previously perceived as “miracles” to occur.

While it’s impossible within a single webpage to address every aspect of The Power Of Forgiveness you would be well served to delve more deeply into expanding your awareness regarding it’s importance.

I have found and utilized an incredible program called The Sedona Method which is highly effective in releasing negative thoughts and emotions on the spot. Hale Dwoskin, the founder of the Sedona Training Institute utilizes and teaches an extremely simple yet powerful method called the Release Technique, which when utilized, provides an incredibly freeing experience and removes not only the conscious thoughts and emotions that adversely effect your life, but digs down and releases the subconscious blocks and emotional baggage as well. The Sedona Method program is incredibly effective and easy to use as well as providing excellent and unlimited customer support after the fact, should you need it.

By developing a deep and correct understanding of the power of this truth, it will become much easier to implement the Power of Forgiveness into your life, which, may very prove to be the missing link, enabling you to begin attracting and experiencing a life beyond your wildest imagination.

Only you can choose to utilize The Power Of Forgiveness in your life or not. If you hold onto any unforgiveness issues it is most certainly effecting your outcomes.

Whether or not you may currently realize or believe it, you were intended to experience all that life has to offer. The Power Of Forgiveness can help you achieve it.

Whatever choices you choose to make both today and in the future, it is our sincere and heartfelt hope for you that those choices lead you to a life filled with Love, Joy, Harmony, Fulfillment, Profound Inner Peace and Limitless Prosperity.

Sources: http://www.abundance-and-happiness.com/sitemap.html

Tags: Abundance, Forgiveness, Happiness

Developing an attitude of sincere gratitude for your current blessings unleashes the power for receiving many more. Every Day Give Thanks.

Consciously utilizing The Power Of Gratitude is an extremely important aspect of attracting to yourself the Abundance and Happiness that you desire and deserve in your life.

First, let’s explore how sincere gratefulness works from a strictly scientific perspective and how, through our individual choice to develop a consistent habit of expressing heartfelt gratitude enacts the unwavering power of Universal Law to draw more to be grateful for.

As we’ve discovered in the Law of Vibration , everything within our universe broken down into it’s purest form is a vibrating mass of atoms and subatomic particles. (Energy) Through the Law of Attraction , the energy (vibrations) that you resonate and project based on your thoughts, feelings, and emotions determines your “vibrational frequency” which broadcasts that frequency, attracts to it energy or vibrational frequencies that harmonize or resonate with it which determines the events, situations, and circumstances that you attract and eventually see manifest into your life.

What does that have to do with the Power Of Gratitude?

Absolutely Everything!

When you are in a sincere state of gratitude your energy (vibrational resonance) is one of acceptance and harmony. You resonate and as a result project a much higher vibrational frequency which is exactly what attracts to you the events, conditions, and circumstances that you desire.

To provide more clarity on the resonance created and projected by gratitude consider the following analogy…

Think of yourself as a giant magnet. Whatever you are feeling, whether it be love, fear, anger, happiness, anger, joy, gratitude, resistance etc. you are in essence creating a magnetic force that attracts and draws to you events, conditions and circumstances which are in direct correlation to what you are feeling. Fear of something creates a magnetic force that will attract more of what you fear. Expressing Gratitude for any situation projects a magnetic force that draws to you more of what you are expressing gratitude for.

In other words gratitude puts you in a harmonious vibrational resonance which attracts additional energies

At any time that you are NOT expressing gratitude for an outcome you are in essence resisting the outcome which places your focus on NOT WANTING that outcome. When this happens what are your thoughts and emotions fixated on? What you DON”T want, correct? That focus of NOT wanting creates a “magnetic force” which only serves to draw to you more of that which you are NOT WANTING or resisting.

 

Let’s look at the difference between expressing gratitude and resistance in your day to day life…

When you experience an outcome that you find displeasing and you choose to fight orresist whatever is happening in your life at any given moment you are actually creating resistance, which puts you in a disharmonious vibration, or a lower vibrational frequency, and we all know what begins to happen then, don’t we? You resonate with and begin to attract the dis-harmonious events, conditions and circumstances into your life that you are resisting. As mentioned above, you are drawing to you or attracting through your “magnetic force” the polar opposite of what you have a desire to experience.

Resistance is placing focus on what you would rather NOT have happening which is in essence creating and projecting a magnetic force which is drawing to you what it is that you are placing your predominant focus on (resisting) or DON”T have a desire to experience. This focus can only draw more of that which you are focusing on.

Gratitude on the other hand is an acceptance of things just the way they are which correlates with acceptance which in turn resonates and projects a much different resonance of energy creating a magnetic force that is conducive to attracting the “desired” outcome.

 

A common question that comes up is……

“How in the world can I be in a state of gratitude when everything seems to be going wrong? Let’s dig down a bit deeper, analyze this a little further and you’ll have a crystal clear understanding of what is actually happening.

First of all it’s important to recognize the importance of accepting responsibility for whatever is going on in your life. As we’ve covered in The Power Of Thoughts , the events, conditions and circumstances that you’re currently experiencing are manifestations based on thoughts and emotions that you’ve chosen at some point in the past. It’s due to those thoughts and emotions which represent the seeds, that you are experiencing whatever outcome you currently are. Remember, you are the one that thinks your thoughts. Your thoughts do not think you. In the same way, the emotions experienced serve as a gauge and are a reflection of the quality of thoughts that you are thinking.

Since your current outcomes are based on what you have thought and felt at some point in the past and those outcomes are now being experienced in your life, guess who created them? YOU did!! Although that may not make you feel any better about them just yet, consider this…

Since it is you that is responsible for attracting and creating “undesirable outcomes, then isn’t it also possible to change the thoughts and emotions responsible for creating them which will produce the desired result? Absolutely!!

Simply recognizing the fact that you brought them into your life in and of itself provides you with an understanding of your creative power which in and of itself should instill a sense of gratitude that you’ve been provided the choice as to what you will create for your life.

Although prior to understanding how this process works you were in essence “unconsciously creating”, now you can begin to “consciously create” more to express gratitude for.

Once you fully grasp and understand that your current experiences here and now are merely guideposts showing you that you are either on the right path of creating your desired outcomes or that you need to make some adjustments in your thought processes that created them, you will become empowered to express heartfelt gratitude for whatever is currently happening in your life recognizing the fact that YOU created it.

Sure…you could get mad at yourself and choose to be upset but what energy are you resonating through that choice? NOT the kind that will attract desired outcomes for sure.

Your perception of something going wrong is only your perception, that is all. A misguided perception based on false beliefs and a lack of understanding that EVERYTHING unfolds in your life perfectly just as you choose and instruct.

In the bigger scheme of things, Nothing EVER goes “wrong.” It is only based on a lack of deeper understanding concerning the process of creation that you “perceive” something as going wrong. The process of creation NEVER wavers. It is, has been and always will be perfect, precise and unfailing 100% of the time.

It is only wrong thought and wrong perceptions that are responsible for igniting emotions that attract creations that show up in your life in the form of events, conditions and circumstances that you perceive as “going wrong.”

It’s important to recognize and express gratitude for the fact that EVERYTHING in your life is a miracle, a creation that YOU created.

Creation, regardless of how you might perceive it is ALWAYS 100% of the time a miracle. Learn to recognize that fact and express gratitude for EVERY miracle in your life and you will begin to see the life changing power that gratitude holds in creating MUCH more to be grateful for.

Those miracles (creations) which show up that aren’t in harmony with your intended or desired outcomes are merely signs that YOU need to make adjustments within yourself. When you fully grasp and internalize this truth you’ll learn to express gratitude for the sign that you mis-created it and that you have been provided with the evidence that will enable you to change the thoughts, emotions and perceptions which brought it into your life.

Your perceptions regarding any event, condition or circumstance are only based on a memory of something in the past that is stored in your subconscious mind and can be consciously changed if you discover that it is not in harmony with what you have a desire to accomplish.

For example, let’s look at two people with totally different perceptions regarding the same situation, and see first hand what an attitude of gratitude is, and isn’t.

This analogy will validate the old saying that “There’s a silver lining in EVERY cloud.” That’s MUCH more true than most understand.

Let’s say that you wake up on a Saturday morning after a good nights rest. You’ve worked hard all week and you’re really looking forward to getting outside and playing in a golf tournament that you had entered, and enjoying your weekend of R&R. You’re feeling pretty good about the day ahead of you. You make your coffee and head for the window to open the blinds. You get them opened up and look out the window. ARGGHHHHHH, it’s raining outside!

Next, your self talk kicks in and it goes something like this. “Oh man, my whole day is ruined. I was planning on doing this and that and now I can’t. Why do things always have to happen like that? Another weekend shot! I can’t ever get a break!”

Obviously your perception is that everything went wrong and your whole weekend is ruined. Based on your thought pattern and perception, your right, it is. Unless you are able to change that perception, you’ll allow yourself to have a less than desirable weekend. In fact, by remaining in this state, you will literally attract additional events, conditions, and circumstances to you that will make Certain that you have a less than desirable weekend!

This is a classic case of resistance, or ungratefulness. No silver lining here right?

Now let’s take a look at the neighbor down the street who always seems to have things going his way. Let’s imagine it’s the same scenario. He has worked all week and made plans to play in the same golf tournament that you were entered in.

He walks to the window, opens the shades and sees exactly the same situation that you did when you opened them except, although he initially has a little disappointment because he can’t go to the golf tournament he was planning on, he decides that there is nothing he can do to change the situation and begins his habitual thought process and self talk which goes something like this…

“Boy I sure was looking forward to that golf tournament. Oh well, I’ve got a few things that need to get done around here today anyway. That means I don’t have to water the grass for a few days and that will sure save a little on my water bill. It’s been a few weeks since it rained and we sure needed it.”

Although the person in the second example was a little disappointed initially, a conscious decision was made that wouldn’t allow it to ruin the entire weekend and shifted the focus to something more positive and productive.

This is a classic case of remaining in gratitude, regardless. No resistance, no allowing undesired emotions to ignite and the end result is a harmonious vibration.

Do you see what I mean about perception? Same situation, different people, different perception, different outcome.

Although that’s a “physical” example, it conveys from that perspective how varying perceptions can create completely opposite experiences.

When you have developed a crystal clear understanding that all things work for the greater good no matter how seemingly bad things may appear, it becomes much easier to stay in a state of gratitude.

When you are able to fully develop that awareness, (and with a little practice, you will) not only is it an extremely freeing experience, but you are setting your self up for a much greater flow of Abundance and Happiness being attracted and coming into your life…EVERY area of your life! When the Universe sees that you are grateful for what you have, it will send you more.

This is exactly how Universal Laws operate. The universe doesn’t perceive anything as good or bad, it only sends outcomes to you based on your vibrational resonance, and your attitude concerning any given thing is exactly what determines that vibrational resonance.

 

God, Universal Consciousness, Super-Conscious Mind or whatever you perceive Source to be, loves each person unconditionally exactly the same and only delivers to each precisely what we are asking for, based on our individually chosen vibrational output. If that output resonates anger, fear, doubt, worry etc. the vibrational resonance that you’re projecting communicates and the universe perceives that you are asking for outcomes based on that output, and that is exactly what you’ll receive!

As spiritual text states it…”As you sow, so shall you reap.”

 

On the other hand, by learning to consciously control the emotions that determine that output, and developing the ability to remain in a state of Gratitude regardless of what the situation may temporarily consist of, your vibrational output or magnetically attractive force is conducive to attracting outcomes that are in vibrational resonance with Gratitude and you can only attract to you the events, conditions and circumstances that are in alignment with Gratitude. Positive and Desired Outcomes!

We can’t possibly control everything that is going on around us in the world but we can most certainly control ourselves and how we perceive what’s going on.

 

The unwavering systems (Universal Laws) have been put into place, and you only need to learn to operate in harmony with them, which will allow you to attract the Abundance and Happiness that you desire.

Developing an attitude of gratitude is one of the most important things that you can dofor attracting and manifesting the things that you desire into your life. In fact, if you have a desire to consistently attract desired outcomes, it’s essential that you do!

“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.” — Eric Hoffer

Action Steps To Develop Your Attitude Of Gratitude

Ok, now that you have a feel for the importance of expressing gratitude in your day to day outcomes, regardless of what they are, let’s explore a few ways to develop an attitude of gratitude that will positively effect what you see manifest in your life everyday.

By focusing on and compiling a list of the things that you are grateful for in your life actually accomplishes a few extremely effective things at the same time.

#1 It allows you to bring into your conscious awareness the good things that are happening in your life on a day to day basis, and with repetition, will take your focus off of what you perceive as the negative aspects of any situation.

It’s purpose is to put you more into a mindset of finding that you really do have good, positive things happening to you in all areas of your life, and shifts the focus off of what you perceive to be negative.

In essence it is a conscious choice to focus on gratitude rather than choosing what the mass majority does which is “unconsciously” allowing their thoughts, emotions and focus to run wild all the while believing that their a victim of circumstance rather than a creator of circumstance.

It’s no secret that life can deal what “appears” and is often “perceived” to be a bad hand sometimes, but if you will look hard for it, you can find the good in any situation. Sometimes the answer isn’t readily available, but just the knowing that all things happen for the greater good, is enough to keep you from falling into resistance, and keep it from getting worse.

#2 By shifting the focus off of only the negative aspect of a situation, you are able to see more clearly the positive things that can come out of this situation, which in turn puts you into more of a vibrational state that will attract the things that you desire.

#3 While you are doing this procedure, it is automatically rewriting the negative script that through repetition, you have allowed to be written in your subconscious and replacing it with positive and productive scripting that will deliver to you, more positive and productive outcomes.

 

Technique #1 : The Mental Gratitude List

By developing the discipline to practice this technique every day, you will find that it becomes easier and easier to do, and the results, meaning the attraction of more to express gratitude for, will be dramatic.

There are actually several ways that you can do gratitude exercises. Personally I find what works best for me is to mentally go over my list of things to be grateful for as Imeditate . The reason this is such an effective method is because during meditation, your brain wave activity is lowered dramatically into an alpha state, which allows the affirmations to penetrate deeper into the subconscious portion of your mind, and has a quicker, deeper, and longer lasting effect with less effort.

If your not into the meditation thing, you can also go over a mental list as you do the things that relax you, such as working in the garden, walking in the park, going fishing, or whatever relaxation activities that you do.

It’s not nearly as important precisely how you do your gratitude exercises as it is that you make certain to do them.

You’ll find that doing your gratitude work consistently delivers results more quickly, and is much more effective if you can do it while you are in a more relaxed state of mind.

If you are at a place where you are totally unable to quite your mind and anxious most of the time, you may find the next method to be more effective, initially.

 

Technique #2 : The Written Out Gratitude List

This method is equally as effective and actually accomplishes the same end result as the first technique.

Just take out a piece of paper and make a hand written list of the things that you can think of that you are grateful for. Think deeply about each area of your life and begin to write in detail the good things that come to your mind as you write.

Don’t fight it or strain attempting to come up with things, just “allow” them to flow.

Depending on your particular situation, you may find that it’s hard to come up with things to be grateful for initially, so dig deep and things will begin to flow. Make sure though that you are finding and writing things that you are sincerely grateful for. If the emotion isn’t there, the result won’t be either.

To give an example, let’s say that your working on a relationship issue. You and your significant other have been at odds for some time and you are feeling really hurt and angry over the situation. Although your state of mind is telling you how angry you are, think about the good that you saw in this person that attracted you to them initially. Begin to write down what comes to mind and more will follow. Write in as much detail as you are able regarding each item on your list. If it is hard initially, that’s OK, just do the best you can. It will become easier and easier the more you practice at it.

Utilize this technique in whatever area of your life you are working on, regardless if it’s money, health, relationships, or all three. It is extremely powerful and with practice and persistence you will begin to see circumstances begin to change almost magically.

 

Make a commitment to yourself that you will do this at least once per day and stick to that commitment. It doesn’t have to take a long time. Even 5 minutes is better than not at all. Put into it the time that you can spare, but make sure you do it every day.

You’ll be pleased with the results.

There are a few quotes that come to mind with regard to gratitude and the power that it has.

One is…

“When you are grateful fear disappears and abundance appears” -Anthony Robbins

Another is…

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer

And an even more powerful one that provides VERY specific instruction with regard to gratitude is…

 

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” -The Bible-Phil 4:6-7 NKJV

Ok…just one more and I’ll stop…

“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” -Brian Tracy

The bottom line is that gratitude plays an extremely important role in beginning to consciously and intentionally create desired outcomes in your life…EXTREMELY important!!

It’s my hope that you’ll think about this and choose gratitude for yourself. It will make ALL the difference.

I would encourage you to develop your understanding with regard to the importance of gratitude and how from a “deeper perspective” it does serve to mold and shape a far more pleasing quality of life.

The following are some personal empowerment tools that I found personally beneficial and perhaps they will serve you as well.

 

Powerful Tools For Developing An Awareness Of The Power Of Gratitude

Although we try to cover as much as possible in developing your ability to attract Abundance and Happiness into your life, it is necessary for some to explore further to enable themselves to establish a better understanding as well as a firm belief in the material presented.

The following tools are extremely effective not only in assisting you to develop an attitude of gratitude, but to dramatically raise your awareness regarding how our universe operates in relation to attracting the Abundance and Happiness that you desire into your life.

Sources: http://www.abundance-and-happiness.com/gratitude.html

Tags: Abundance, Gratitude, Happiness, Law of Attraction, Law of Vibration, Life

Discover The Dramatically Life Changing Power Of Accepting Responsibility For The Current Conditions In Your Life

The Power Of Accepting Responsibility. Unlock doors to blessings and opportunities never before realized or imagined.

1. Are You TRULY Ready To Experience All That Life Has To Offer You?
2. Are You Finally Ready To Discover The “TRUTH” Concerning Who And What You Are And Your Personal Ability To Mold And Shape The Outcomes Experienced In Your Life?
3. Are You Open To Developing The Awareness That Will Enable You To Experience Fulfillment And Indescribable Peace In EVERY Area Of Your Life?

The Process Begins By Accepting Responsibility

Accepting Responsibility for the current conditions in your life that you find yourself experiencing from day to day is of major importance if you are to ever become empowered to begin to create and experience a life that can be truly defined as fulfilled at some point in the future.

The really great news is that you can once you begin to understand how. It’s our hope and intent that The Power Of Accepting Responsibility article will provide you with that understanding.

Most people understand and agree that accepting responsibility for ones actions is an all important first step in dealing effectively with and changing any situation, and necessary before any type of noticeable change can occur.

What most don’t understand is that this understanding must be looked at an analyzed from a much deeper perspective than just the physical outcomes which are experienced as a result of physical action.

What the majority isn’t aware of is the fact that they are, as individuals, many times unknowingly and unconsciously, creating the events, conditions, and circumstances which are being experienced. To be able to fully grasp and comprehend the truth, it is necessary to look beyond the surface actions which many believe to be the cause of their outcomes in life and develop an awareness of the “True Cause” or the source from which these physical actions originate from.

Due to previously established beliefs and subconscious programming they are not even aware they are creating these conditions, and that they actually do have control over them! The majority believe that many aspects of their lives are completely out of their personal ability to control, or left to “chance” or “fate.”

This couldn’t be further from the truth!

It is exactly these types of self limiting falsely established beliefs, that so many have been taught throughout their lives and have allowed to be established as truth, that keep so many seemingly stuck in lack or continually remaining in unfulilling situations, and circumstances. This fact combined with a lack of awareness as to how the events, conditions and circumstances in life are derived are precisely why so many experience limited outcomes throughout their lives.

Most believe that in many areas concerning money, health, and relationships, that it is beyond their individual control to do anything that could possibly change the less than desirable situations that they find themselves in and experiencing in life everyday.

These previously established beliefs couldn’t be further from the truth and is one such form of “common knowledge” that keeps the masses from actually experiencing the kind of lives that they are capable of, and were created to enjoy.

Many of these “common beliefs” established as truth in societies worldwide are the exact reason that so many in our world suffer needlessly from conditions such as hunger, homelessness, and a number of other life altering conditions.

I’m NOT implying that by accepting responsibility that when some event condition or circumstance in life that is “perceived” as bad happens that it is your or anyone else’s individual fault.

Although consciousness is the cause or seed for ALL things physical, there do exist varying levels of consciousness for which some things do happen that “appear” to be beyond our control. But the fact is, they’re not. Even if an event condition or circumstance happens, say as the result of the collective consciousness , although you may not have been individually responsible, accepting responsibility for how you “allow” and choose to let it effect you now, and as a result the physical outcomes you’ll experience in the future, IS still within your control.

Accepting responsibility is about the ability to respond in the proper way so that when things that are “perceived” as bad events do happen, which they no doubt will, that you don’t stay stuck by focusing on the bad and take conscious action in such a way that will enable you to quickly move through the lesson that is intended to be gained from the situation. In other words you have the ability as well as the choice to choose how you will respond.

You have 2 choices to make when a situation arises…respond or react. Accepting responsibility is responding. Allowing negative emotions to surface and make the experience worse than is necessary is reacting.

Response-ability is responding to the events, conditions and circumstances in life with gratitude, with the understanding that “all things “truly do” work together for good, regardless of how you might perceive them at the time.

A response of gratitude resonates at much higher vibrational frequency than does anger or grief and will move you through the inevitable challenge much more quickly than remaining fixated on the loss, anger or grief will. ( See The Law of Resonance )

Let’s look at a situation that most will recognize and accept as personal responsibility.

In the case of alcoholism, or drug addiction, all of the major institutions that treat such conditions agree that the first step in effectively overcoming these life altering situations is first of all, the willingness of the patient to recognize and admit that a problem exists. The second step is solely accepting responsibility for the creation of the existing situation, so that it can be properly treated, dealt with, and eventually overcome.

It’s not that they are expected to beat themselves up or establish low self esteem due to their current situation, although in this type of situation personal choices were made which created it.

Without that initial recognition, or awareness, in the mind of the patient, it is impossible for them to accept personal responsibility because they believe that someone or some circumstance outside of their control caused them to fall into the addiction.

As long as this belief remains, and they deny personal responsibility, it is impossible to effectively treat the condition and likely that the same addiction will resurface at some point in their life if external events or conditions are repeated which they based those choices on.

In the case of addiction, unlike some situations, it is essential for a person to accept the fact that they are experiencing the outcome based on choices that they freely made, and that they have the individual power within them to “respond” in the proper way to overcome the current condition and remain free from it in the future. Until that awareness is realized and established as belief, nothing can be done, long term, to change the consequences that these situations create.

Just as it is true to effectively treat addictions, becoming aware of and accepting responsibility for the events, conditions, and circumstances in each and every area of YOUR life, and where you find yourself right now, is the first step in learning to create, achieve and experience a life of Abundance and Happiness in your future.

If you are personally experiencing and “appear” stuck in lack in ANY area of your life, it is because YOU are either consciously or unconsciously creating the situation and will remain in that situation until you begin accepting responsibility, (response-ability) and creating an internal harmonious frequency that resonates with different results which will 100% of the time with unwavering certainty, attract different results.

Accepting this as fact will be difficult for many. As difficult as it may seem at this point, grasping this fact as truth is a crucial and necessary first step in discovering ones ability to change the existing conditions that they find are undesirable.

To effectively grasp the fact that you are responsible for WHATEVER outcomes that you are currently experiencing in life, it is necessary to look beyond the physical outcomes that “appear” as reality, and develop an awareness of how it is that these physical outcomes are derived.

Just as it is necessary for the patients of drug abuse and alcoholism to recognize that they are at cause, it is necessary for you to develop the awareness that YOU are at cause for remaining stuck in these conditions you’re experiencing if you are to ever discover the true power that you possess to change them.

Until you discover, absorb, and accept this undeniable fact, until you develop the willingness and ability to be completely and brutally honest with yourself, replacing the creature of circumstance mentality and eliminating the self-pity and self-deception, will you ever truly begin to recognize, own, initiate and escalate your “true” personal power.

Developing An Awareness Of Your True Potential Is The Key To Personal Fulfillment

Although most have been taught that certain aspects of life are beyond their control, in order to change those restrictive beliefs it is necessary to expand your current level of awareness and develop the awareness that other possibilities exist in order that a new belief can be established.

In order to develop this awareness and fully grasp the fact that accepting responsibility is a necessary step in enhancing your quality of life, it’s necessary that a basic understanding that goes beyond what can be seen and experienced at the physical level be established.

By developing a basic understanding of Quantum Physics you will begin to understand how it is that you “Truly Are” responsible for the current conditions in your life and will enable you to take a giant step forward in understanding that accepting responsibility is an essential first step in the process of transforming your current outcomes.

By becoming familiar with the immutable and unwavering Universal Laws that govern and keep the Universe operating in harmony, you will have taken a huge first step in understanding how and why things really work as they do, and will allow you to better understand why it is so important that you begin accepting responsibility for the outcomes that you are currently experiencing in your own life, whatever they might be.

By expanding and developing your awareness in these areas you will have made tremendous progress in developing a much deeper and extremely self empowering understanding of your LIMITLESS capability, which will open additional doors enabling and empowering you to begin taking the steps necessary to begin changing the undesirable outcomes that you are currently experiencing in ANY area of your life. Through this newfound awareness it will become very clear to you the necessity of accepting responsibility for where you currently find yourself, shedding the victim of circumstance mentality and learning to instead begin to consciously create the results you desire to experience.

Becoming familiar with the Law Of Vibration , the Law Of Attraction , and the The Law Of Cause and Effect , will heighten your awareness of the unlimited possibilities available to you, and allow you to better understand how, regardless of what you may currently believe, YOUR current actions are determining your outcomes, even in the areas that you currently feel powerless and “perceive” as impossible to change. By developing this new awareness it will be much easier for you to begin the process of developing the beliefs that are required to change them, and begin to attract and create a life of limitless Abundance and Happiness.

Once you begin to understand how your current thoughts , beliefs , and emotions are literally attracting and determining the outcomes that you experience in your day to day life, you can begin to take a conscious approach to discarding the beliefs that are creating that which you consciously claim that you don’t want, and begin developing new thoughts and beliefs that will better serve you in fulfilling your desires.

By familiarizing yourself with these truths you can then begin to see how accepting responsibility for what your life is currently producing, will allow and empower you to begin correcting the undesirable events, conditions, and circumstances that have previously left you feeling like a victim of circumstance, and allow, empower and enable you to begin to take correct and effective action steps that will allow you to begin to experience the life that you are capable of achieving and were created to enjoy. By consistently applying this newfound awareness in your day to day life, you will begin to experience a sense of freedom, absent fear, anxiety, and worry that you never before even realized existed.

By taking the first step of accepting responsibility for your outcomes, and becoming aware of your true unlimited potential, you will begin to know and experience the incredible life changing power provided to you by the Source of all that is. A power which allows you to become a conscious creator of circumstance rather than an unconscious victim of circumstance.

Accepting Responsibility for your current life circumstances is like all things in your life, a choice that only you can make.

By becoming aware of and accepting this one important Power Principle , you will be one huge step closer to learning how to begin creating and experiencing a life of Unconditional Love, Joy, Fulfillment, Inner Peace, and Limitless Prosperity far above what is perceived as possible by the masses.

Regardless of what you may currently believe with respect to your outcomes in life, YOU are responsible. Ignoring and remaining unaware of this fact won’t change the fact that it’s true. Your perception of truth will continue to provide you with outcomes based on “Whatsover you believe.” Accepting responsibility and expanding that truth, and discovering your limitless capabilities will prove to be the most freeing and self empowering decision you could ever make.

From a place of caring and deep compassion beyond what words can express, I hope that you will.

Whatever your choices are, today as well as in the future it is our sincere hope that they might bring you one step closer to unlimited and overflowing blessings in each and every area of your life.

What we choose to refer to as Abundance and Happiness.

Sources: http://www.abundance-and-happiness.com/accepting-responsibility.html

Tags: Abundance, Experienced, Happiness, Responsibility, TRUTH