Are religious experiences real, or some sort of neurosis? What do you think?
This was a very interesting article about trying to find out whether our brains are wired for religious experiences. The results were interesting. Dr. Andrew Newberg states, “The common thread among mystical and spiritual practices is that while people are engaged in them, the lobes of their brain can be seen working together to create a powerful emotional experience. When we looked at [subjects’] brain scans, instead of the frontal lobes going up, the frontal lobes actually went down [in blood flow]. Which makes sense in the context of what they are describing is happening to them,” Newberg explains. “They don’t feel that they’re purposely making it [happen]. They feel that they are being basically overcome by the experience.”
I went for a walk two weeks ago with my three-year-old daughter at a local county park here in Wisconsin. The weather was absolutely beautiful; the sun was shining, and there was a gentle breeze in the air — just enough to keep you cool, but not cool enough to necessitate wearing a jacket. I always enjoy taking my daughter places she’s never been before, because it not only gives me the opportunity to introduce her to new experiences, but it also gives me the opportunity to see how our brains are wired and how they operate “right out of the box” when experiencing new situations.
I decided to take her for a walk through a wooded path — it forked over and over again, so you had the option to “choose your own path,” as it were, as you walked along the path. Every time we got to a fork in the path, I would ask my daughter which way she wanted to go. Sometimes the paths looked the same, but sometimes one path looked a little darker or more treacherous. It was interesting to see she rarely chose the path that was darker or looked a bit more “dangerous.” She always liked the more safe-looking paths when presented with the option.
We are running on ancient “programming,” as it were. While we have progressed so much as a species over the past few thousand years, our brains remain largely the same as they were back in the “caveman” days. Back in those days, we had to struggle just to live to see the next day, so we were built to rely on intuition and “gut” reactions. We also are hard-wired to remember successful outcomes, so that when we experience a positive (0r negative) result, we remember it and make sure we repeat (or don’t repeat) that again.
Watching my daughter decide which path to take was very intriguing, because she was exhibiting these same “hard wired” behaviors we were built to perform. It was clear that she felt hesitant about taking a route that appeared more dangerous.
What’s at play here? It really is all about a protective mechanism that is built into each and every one of us, but it’s a mechanism that we can’t really control. It’s our subconscious mind. While our “conscious” mind can be consciously controlled, the subconscious mind operates without our consent or knowledge. It does what it is programmed to do — it keeps us safe and alive. This is why my daughter was hesitant to take the “dark” path; her subconscious mind was pulling data from her memory banks and instructing her body to avoid the potential danger in the more treacherous path. She was executing that ancient program — the program that is designed to keep us safe so we can live to see tomorrow. Obviously our lives were not in danger on that day, no matter which path we took, but her brain was operating on that “out of the box” program of the “caveman” days.
Here’s a neat trick, however, that we can utilize once we have awareness of this subconscious mind and how it works. Remember how I said the conscious mind is consciously controllable? This means that we can consciously refuse or accept anything that we consciously take in through our common senses — the senses like sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. If we don’t like something we see or hear or touch, we can consciously move away from that stimulus.
Everything that we consciously perceive — everything that comes into our sensory systems on the perceptual level — is “fed” to the subconscious mind for processing. The subconscious mind takes what it is “fed” consciously, and then executes what it is fed. While we can consciously refuse a conscious stimulus, our unconscious mind cannot refuse what it is “fed.” It can’t say no! Our subconscious mind also doesn’t know the difference between what is “real” and what is not “real!” It can’t determine what is actually true and what is actually imagined!
Knowing this information, we have tremendous power, but the power can be used for or against our benefit, so read on carefully…
If we consciously “feed” our subconscious mind beliefs that are rooted in negativity, scarcity, or fear, our unconscious mind will have absolutely no choice but to tell our body to perform actions that produce that result. However, if we consciously “feed” our subconscious mind beliefs that are rooted in positivity, abundance, and fearlessness — if we feed it what we “imagine” to be the end result — our unconscious mind will have absolutely no choice but to tell our body to perform actions that produce that result! How powerful is that?
So even though we operate on an ancient program, this program is very powerful. We can use it as a tool to positively transform our lives into whatever we can imagine. We literally have the power to “imagine” ourselves into whatever we want to become! We just have to “feed” our unconscious mind the goods! That’s it!
Let me ask you: What are your dreams? What do you absolutely want more than anything? Have you asked yourself for it? Have you been dreaming about it? Have you been imagining it? Have you asked for it?
If not, it’s time to ask! Make it an offer — it can’t refuse!
Take time to check out some great posts that inspired me this past week:
“Stillness is the first requirement for manifesting your desires, because in stillness lies your connection to the field of pure potentiality that can orchestrate an infinity of details for you.” ~Deepak Chopra
I have been making it a practice to take time to simply be present and silent when I wake up in the morning. Before I get up, I simply remain in bed, completely silent, and simply “listen” to whatever thoughts happen to pass through my mind. As the thoughts enter my mind, I simply observe them without judging or internally commenting on them. I just simply listen.
The other morning, they came — the thoughts came one after another, linking ideas and lessons learned from the past that seemingly never would have been otherwise connected, into correlations that I never would have put together if I would have consciously sat down and brainstormed ideas. I grabbed my iPad, which happened to be next to the bed, and just started noting everything that flowed through my mind. There were ideas to implement in the future, and connections from past events to future innovative strategies; there were lessons learned from books and discussions that converged together in a symphony of fluid thought, unlike anything I had ever concocted before.
After looking at the notes a few days later, I was absolutely stunned as I read the words and ideas I captured. I have enough ideas to keep me busy for years, and I am confident that more ideas will spawn from those ideas — ideas that will no doubt change my life forever in a very positive and profound way.
The power of simply being still and “listening” cannot be underestimated. In a conversation I had last week with Author Angela Artemis about intuition, we discussed how being silent and tapping into our intuition leads to great ideas coming seemingly “out of the blue.” When we are silent, we allow ourselves to connect directly with our subconscious mind, and through that silence we can become consciously aware of the workings of our subconscious mind — the workings that we are not aware of during most of our day.
Whenever you are in need of creative solutions or a creative idea, don’t be afraid to consult with the “genius” who speaks to us through silence. We all contain one; it’s just that in our ever so hectic lives we are too busy and our minds are too turbulent to hear it speak to us! As Deepak Chopra states in his book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, “…if you do not experience a stillness in consciousness, if your mind is like a turbulent ocean, you could throw the Empire State Building into it, and you wouldn’t notice a thing…When you are constantly evaluating, classifying, labeling, analyzing, you create a lot of turbulence in your internal dialogue. This turbulence constricts the flow of energy between you and the field of pure potentiality.”
I urge you to take some time to call upon the “genius” within you who speaks to you through silence. Maybe you have a problem for which you are having difficulty finding a solution; maybe you need to come up with a creative way to accomplish something; maybe you feel your life is stagnated; maybe you simply need to reduce your stress and anxiety. Whatever your goal, that inner genius that can be found within you can be your ticket to accomplishing whatever it is you want in life.
Take time to be still; take time to listen. Find that inner “genius” within you, and explore the possibilities of pure potentiality.
Can taking probiotics help improve how we respond emotionally to negative situations? Perhaps so. It is suggested that “changing the balance of bacteria in the gut through chronic probiotic consumption may alter emotional response to negative stimuli.” It’s still early, but promising.
This study revealed that “exposure therapy” is effective in overcoming phobias. The result of this therapy was that “the treatment dampened the responsiveness of the amygdala, insula, and cingulate cortex or the areas of the brain associated with fear response, and this decrease in activity persisted even after six months.”
This is a very interesting story. Did you know that the average American consumes roughly 47 pounds of cane sugar and 35 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup per year, mostly through processed foods like soft drinks, condiments, and desserts? I didn’t…Do you know the possible ramifications of consuming such foods on your brain? Find out here:
“When you follow your intuition you have an endless supply of wisdom, creativity, and love.” ~Angela Artemis
Did you know that constant struggles in life are an indication that you are not aligned with your right purpose in life? Do you want to learn how to open doors that never were open to you before, and go places you’ve never been before? Would you like to unleash the forces within you to magnetically bring your desires and world to you?
I didn’t believe this was entirely possible, until I had the opportunity to talk with Author Angela Artemis about her new book, titled, The Intuition Principle: How to Attract the Life You Dream Of. If you aren’t familiar with who Angela is, she is an Amazon best-selling author, and an intuition coach. She is on a mission to teach readers around the world to “speak intuition” so that they unlock all the brilliant potential that resides within and start successfully living the life of their dreams now – not later. Angela also is a successful blogger, and she blogs at her site: www.PoweredbyIntuition.com. I was thrilled to talk to her about her book and the key to finding one’s life purpose, and I am equally thrilled to have captured the audio of the interview to share with you! It’s a must listen!
When I talked with Angela, she kicked off the interview by reading an absolutely stunning excerpt from her book about the importance of authenticity. I was blown away! In her book, Angela writes, “When you are connected to your intuition you are joyous. Your life flows. You cannot be swayed by others or conventional wisdom, following them just for the sake of following. You become the leader in your own life, the authentic you who is truly connected to your divine mission and true purpose.” As she read the words off the pages in her book, I became so inspired and was overwhelmed with such a positive feeling! I was thinking to myself, “Sign me up!” I felt so motivated to pursue my wildest dreams!
During our discussion, I asked Angela the following:
How it is possible to actually “attract” a way of living and why life isn’t something that just “plays out?”
Is there some truth to this belief that women are more intuitive than men?
How can we “tap into” our own intuition?
What is the “Fabulousity Factor?
And much more!
If you want to get your hands on your own copy of Angela’s book, you can get it in a few ways. You can get your copy when you visit her site by clicking HERE.
You can also find her book on Amazon.com. I provided a direct link to the book HERE.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to get your hands on some excellent free bonus materials that go along with the book! If you’re still trying to decide whether the book is for you, I recommend downloading these resources to “test drive” some of the components of the book and even download some guided meditations! You can’t beat this offer! Get your free bonus materials by clicking HERE!
Below you will find both installments of our interview. It will knock your socks off, and you will feel inspired to tap into your own intuition and pursue a life you have only dreamed of up to this point in your life! If you are struggling to find your life purpose, you won’t want to miss this interview! Now you can possess the key to finding your life purpose! It’s within your reach!Click below to listen to this fabulous interview!
A new study reveals that sugar may be affecting cognition and memory. The good news from this study is that it appears that Omega 3 Fatty Acids can help reverse the negative effects of sugar on the brain. Read more below:
“We think too small, like the frog at the bottom of the well. He thinks the sky is only as big as the top of the well. If he surfaced, he would have an entirely different view.” ~Mao Tse-Tung
I find it important and helpful to take some time in the morning (and the evening) to be silent — to quietly allow my mind to remain in the present, and simply “listen” to whatever ideas or thoughts enter my mind. This morning I started thinking to myself, “How does someone get from being “comfortable” to becoming aware of the possibilities and pure potentiality that exist? What is the difference between the person who is comfortable with their life, but lives it unfulfilled, and the person who just lays it out there every day and maintains positivity and explores the potential that exists?
It was then that I discovered the difference: The comfortable lives at the bottom of the well. The comfortable “thinks the sky is only as big as the top of the well,” and is fearful to surface to the top of the well.
We all spend some time at the bottom of the well. Some stay there for a lifetime, completely content because they only know (or only want to know) the sky to be as big as the top of the well. Living at the bottom of the well is a mediocre life — one may live day to day, possessing vast riches and luxuries, but even with these resources, some may feel there is still something that lies unfulfilled — they haven’t reached or lived up to their ownone’s true potential. Life at the bottom of the well a life of of playing the victim, playing not to lose, full of fear, and doing everything possible to desperately cling to whatever it is that one has accumulated. Life at the bottom of the well is all about spending one’s time and mental resources living in scarcity and fear, fighting not to lose what one has gained for one’s self.
Sometimes a storm hits, and fills the well overflows with water. This may be a traumatic event, a major life change, or some other significant life event. This happened to me at the age of sixteen. One moment my life was full of certainty and structure, and in the next moment, I found myself down to one parent and trying to make sense of a new life. I suddenly was flushed to the “top of the well,” and I found myself gazing at a wide open sky, full of limitless possibilities.
I wasn’t ready to surface. It was a traumatic experience. I found myself fighting the rising water, desperately trying to dive back down below the surface, to return to the bottom of the well, where I once found comfort, only to find that that comfortable world no longer existed. This struggle to fight the rise to the top only resulted in personal suffering and searching for someone or something to blame. In the end, nothing changed. I was still at the top of the well, miserable and fighting to get back to the bottom of the well where we were once so comfortable.
It is also possible to move ourselves to the top of the well by using a much less traumatic and proactive method — building a “ladder” of enlightened living. This ladder is built, rung by rung, by three main principles: practicing non-judgment, embracing an abundant mindset while practicing love, compassion, and forgiveness, and by accepting personal responsibility for what happens to us. When we can build this ladder of enlightened living, it is then that we are ready to rise to the top of the well, fully capable of and ready to explore the entire sky — as wide as the eye can see, full of endless possibilities and pure potentiality.
When we can consciously climb to the top of the well and rise above the fear that marks comfortable conformity, we can realize our true and untapped potential. When we cease spending our time and resources defending and guarding our precious possessions and begin spending our time considering what is possible, we are ready to embrace pure potentiality and rise to our true personal greatness.
Do you find yourself stuck at the bottom of the well, paralyzed by fear? Are you spending your time defending what you have worked so hard to earn, but feel largely unfulfilled and unhappy about the life you are living? Perhaps it’s because you are living out of scarcity and fear, and you are living a bottom-of-the-well life. It’s time for us to build that ladder of enlightened living. Let’s climb that ladder to the top, where we can finally realize the true untapped potential and greatness that we all possess!
