• Stop ‘trying’ to be enlightened. Trying and striving create separation – a need to distinguish yourself from others. Simply remember who and what you truly are. If you align yourself with God you no longer need to try. Simply Be. A tree can be enlightened – so can the worm in the ground. Enlightenment is not a position above or apart from all others – Enlightenment is awareness of your connection to All Things.

• Get over yourself: Surrender to the “true” God. You (the personality you opted into) is NOT God. You were created by LOVE – the Source of all things and you are a part of that Love. Your ego is not God. The sooner you get over yourself, the better.

• Stop judging: Realize that every person you judge as well as the people you “idolize” is all a version of you. We all come from the same Source and we are mirrors of each other. There is no one better or worse than you.

• Stop worshiping: whether it’s that “guru” who has the popular Youtube channel or the celebrity you think is the image of perfection, remember that it’s all an illusion. Don’t give your power away to them. True power comes from the Kingdom within you.

• Stay grounded and ‘test the spirits’: Just because you hear a voice or see a vision does NOT mean it comes from the Highest Source of Love or is in your best interest.  This is how most cults get started. All “truth” is rooted in Love and humility. Always go to the Source.

• Let go of the BS: Belief Systems (all of them, even this one) are created to provide structure and context to intangible truths. None of them are “the way” or “the truth.”

• Stop the “us” and “them” mentality: Believers vs. Non-believers, “enlightened vs. ignorant,” the “awakened” vs. “those who remain asleep.” All of this thinking creates separation. As soon as you think you have found “the way” and you need to save those who are “lost,” you have become lost yourself.

• Embrace your humanity: You’re here for the experience of contrast. Learn to love it. Contrast is not the enemy.

• Let go of the need to ‘know’: not knowing is true freedom.

• Just accept the fact that you are perfectly fucked-up: Let go of the need for perfection. It’s impossible to be in a physical body (as far from Source as we can get) and not be confused in some way about who we are and what the hell we’re doing here. It’s part of the experience. Accept it and move on.

“Imagination rules the world.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

Imagination has been the gateway to our own self-directed evolution, creativity, inventions, and the advent of the information age.

It begins when we are children.  We start reading and learning and seeing the world around us, but we are exposed to a broader world at the same time.  Our minds are so open to new ideas, new ways, new perspectives, it is during this time that we begin to develop the power of imagination.

This power will lead us to varied and unique places.  Some of us use our imagination to create worlds, alternate realities, art and other fictions.  We become writers, painters, illustrators, television and film creators.

Some people see needs in this world in a wholly new, never-before-imagined way, and they set about creating it.  They use their imagination to create cures for disease, rockets to Mars, incredible skyscrapers and other wonders.  They become doctors, scientists, engineers, inventors, architects, landscapers and more.  They use their imagination to expand our world in ways never done before.

Just a hundred years ago cars were still few and far between.  Telephones only worked via miles and miles of wiring.  Airplanes could not fly across the ocean at regularly scheduled intervals.  Computers were naught but ideas in fantasy stories.  We could not instantly contact someone on the other side of the world.

Every single innovation over the past century came about via imagination.  Someone imagined this notion, and then believed they could make it manifest.  And in time…they have.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”  – Albert Einstein

While it is unknown if other animals on this planet imagine, certainly none have been endowed as we have with the ability to not only imagine it, but to create it.  Beyond simple things like shelter and hunting and gathering, we can do anything we set our mind to doing.

Two hundred years ago, the idea of man-made satellites orbiting our planet was utterly unthinkable.  The notion might have existed only in pure fantasy, but nowhere in reality.  And yet, here we are, connected across our globe by an immense network above us.

If necessity is the mother in invention, then imagination is its grandmother.  Because without the ability to imagine it, we could not invent it.

“Nothing is impossible. Not if you can imagine it. That’s what being is a scientist is all about.”  – Hubert Farnsworth, Futurama.  Maybe this is from a cartoon, but the sentiment is NOT mistaken.  Science takes imagination and works to make it part of our reality.

Society has become so focused on trivial matters, we neglect the things that develop our imagination.  Schools take away funds for the arts in favor of mathematics, sports, standardized tests and hard-data science without wonder.  Even movies are less and less original, and more “re-imagined” notions of past story ideas.

Creativity is kept in check in favor of blending everyone together.  But one of the most incredible wonders of our world is our ability to imagine, and from there, to create.

We need to encourage our children to explore their imagination.  We need to develop their minds to think critically, to see the world for all its wondrous possibility.  And of equal or greater importance, we cannot as adults let our imagination die.

We have to allow ourselves to imagine, to dream.  We have to work to make the world how we want it to be, and not get caught up in the mundane trappings.  Imagination and creativity go hand in hand.

Everyone imagines.  We need to remember that, and rather than stamp it out or ignore its importance, focus on using our imagination to make our personal corners of the world a better place.

It starts small.  But using imagination can go a very, very long ways.

“Happiness is not an ideal of reason, but of imagination.” – Immanuel Kant

I am MJ Blehart, your imagination, ingenious, interesting impresario of “Wednesday’s Wondrous World”.  Every week I share a wonder of this amazing world, and I hope you will enjoy the journey with me!

Check out my blog, The Ramblings of a Titanium Don, for more of my work.

Also now available, Pathwalking: A 21st Century Philosophy in Book and Kindle form!

This dessert is perfect for the warmer weather. It’s refreshing, fruity and lighter  than most nut based treats. Plus it’s:

▪    Gluten Free

▪    Dairy Free

▪    Cacao Free

I came up with this recipe whilst trying to create something different to the usual chocolate based healthy dessert for a dinner party.

To be honest anything lemony is good with me!

This recipe makes x 4 tarts.

Ingredients:

Base

▪    1 1/2 cups of macadamia nuts

▪    1/2 cup of medjool dates

▪    pinch of sea salt

Blend ingredients until a dough is formed, press into the coconut oil greased tart tins.

Filling

▪    2 cups of cashews 

▪    1/2 cup of lemon juice

▪    1 tbsp of honey

▪    1/2 cup of melted coconut oil

▪    pinch of vanilla

Blend all ingredients together until a smooth cream. Pour into the tart tins on the base. Place in the freezer for 30 mins to firm.

Topping

▪    2 cups of strawberries, chopped

▪    3/4 cup of medjool dates.

Blend into a strawberry jam, pour in the cream filling and place in the freezer to set for about an hour.

These are delicious when totally defrosted or still slightly frozen. I like how when they are frozen you can eat them by hand! They’re like an ice-cream biscuit and oh so yummy!

What are some of your favorite summer vegan treats? Let us know in the comment section below!

Tuesday’s Tasty Treats is a weekly column bringing you the  best, most delicious and easy raw food recipes to help maintain and support a healthy lifestyle. Brought to you by Chakra Center’s own raw food goddess, Sarah Hook.

“The moon is a friend for the lonesome to talk to.” – Carl Sandburg

One of the constants of our world during the day is the sun.  And during the night, it is the moon.  Both have been praised and worshiped in fable and song many many times over.  It was only a matter of time until I had to write about one of them as a part of the Wednesday’s Wondrous World.

I have many times found myself spellbound by the moon.  Her incredible light (which yes, I recognize is nothing more than a reflection of the sun) has been a guide and inspiration to me on many a night.

The moon has been considered a part of signs and portents throughout all recorded time.  The rise and fall of the moon and all of her phases have been an instrument for the marking of time before history was tracked.

Some personify the moon as a female, others male.  And I have no doubt that some simply see it as a giant ball or rock and soil in the sky.

But there is something magical and wondrous about the moon.

The moon brightens what might be an otherwise dark night, providing comfort where there might otherwise be none.

The size of the moon appears to be utterly inconstant.  Sometimes she’s just this speck in the sky.  Other times she fills the horizon.  It’s color can change due to clouds or atmospheric conditions or whatever.

“Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars.”  – JRR Tolkien.

There are an infinite number of things I could write about our moon.  And even beyond our own moon, in fiction a moon or moons often gets a fairly expanded role.  Many angles, many things have been said about the moon.

Songs, stories, fables and tales throughout history have led us to strive for the moon.  The only body mankind has visited outside of the Earth.  And yet we still dream of paying her a visit again, establishing a colony on her surface, or mining the moon for minerals.  The moon represents endless possibilities.

Guide or star-blocking light, friend or foe, omen of good or bad, the moon is an undeniable wonder of our world.  Look up and see her for more than a sun-reflecting rock in the sky, and feel the inspiration she often gives off.

I am MJ Blehart, author of”Wednesday’s Wondrous World”.  Every week I share a wonder of this amazing world, and I hope you will enjoy the journey with me!

Check out my blog, The Ramblings of a Titanium Don, for more of my work.

Also now available, Pathwalking: A 21st Century Philosophy in Book and Kindle form!

You attract good or bad experiences based on your thoughts.

Helga Weber via flickr

“The one who speaks most about illness has illness. The one who speaks about prosperity has prosperity,” Esther and Jerry Hicks write. “You attract all of it.” By focusing on something, you make it happen.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

Thinking about something means you invite it in, even if you don’t want it.

Daniel Goodman / Business Insider

“When you think a little thought of something that you want, through the Law of Attraction, that thought grows larger and larger, and more and more powerful,” according to the book. So keep your thoughts positive.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

The more you focus on something, the more powerful it becomes.

This allows you to create your own reality by “attracting” the experiences you want to have. You probably brought bad things upon yourself by worrying about them, according to the laws described in the book.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

It’s better to trust your emotions than over-think a decision.

Dmitriy Shironosov on www.shutterstock.com

In other words: Listen to your intuition. Instead of overthinking your choices, let your emotions guide you toward what is right and what is wrong. This will result in a more satisfying life.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

You can make good things happen more quickly by thinking about them more..

“Want” and “desire” consist of wanting “to focus attention, or give thought toward a subject, while at the same time experiencing positive emotion. When you give your attention to a subject and you feel only positive emotion about it as you do so, it will come very quickly into your experience,” the Hicks write.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

To make a change, you’ve got to see things as you hope them to be, not as they are.

Al Bello/Getty Images

This is something that successful people know about. It’s also called visualization. Michael Phelps spoke about picturing himself winning every night before bed.

“In order to effect true positive change in your experience, you must disregard how things are — as well as how others are seeing you — and give more of your attention to the way you prefer things to be,” the book says.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

You can increase your magnetic power by devoting time to “powerful thinking.” each day.

Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images

Spend 15 minutes every day thinking hard about your goals, dreams and what you want from life. The Hicks say this increases your chances for success.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

Success isn’t a finite resource; everyone can have it.

Yepoka Yeebo / Business Insider

Others being successful doesn’t limit your success. And by attracting abundance to yourself, you are not limiting another, according to the book.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

Don’t allow yourself to wallow in disappointment.

Allison Joyce/Getty Images

Being disappointed only attracts more stuff to be upset about and is only a sign that you’re not getting what you want in life. So think about how to get what you want instead of what you don’t have.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

Avoid TV shows that deal with negative experiences like crime or illness.

Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images

Letting this stuff in makes you think about it more and increases the odds it could happen to you. “Your attention to anything is drawing it closer to you,” they say.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

Know that your relationships with people are bad because you made them that way.

Wildebeast1 via flickr

Giving your attention to the negative can wreak havoc on personal relationships. This mentality can help free us from bad relationships with relatives or a spouse. “Nothing can come into your experience without your personal attraction to it,” they say.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

Don’t worry about what you’re dreaming; instead use your dreams as a guide.

Flickr/JosephlnQueens

Dreams might provide some insight into the psyche, but you’re not in the process of “creating” while you’re asleep, the book says.

Source: The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham

But that’s just one way of looking at the world

Flickr / trugiaz

For a deeper understanding of how to utilize the concept of the Law of Attraction and how it applies to the reality inside your body, check-out Brandon Gilbert’s video on “Hacking the Law of Attraction.”

Interested in learning how to use the Law of Attraction to bring more money into your experience? Try these simple methods from Teal Scott

Wanna hear an experience of the Law of Attraction in action?! Check-out one of my magical manifestations in Florence, Italy!

Happy Manifesting, everyone!

“There are no “supposed to be’s” in this Universe.  When we quantify ourselves and others through “should’s” and “shouldn’ts,” we define limits for ourselves and the Universe at large.  We distrust and hinder the ability that one has to be moved by their heart.  When we “suppose” ourselves, we “suppose” God.  We quantify the unquantifiable.  And then like birds in a cage, we writhe, starve, and pluck out each other’s feathers in hopes to regain our free will and fly again.  We intuitively know that our nature is nothing close to a definition; but a limitless, ever changing, unquantifiable experience.  And it is your choice, in every moment, to set free or not.” – Kierstie Leavitt

What do you think of when you hear the word freedom?

What people, places, or animals come into mind?

When I think of freedom, I think of flight.  Like a bird abandon itself to the sky – gliding over the Earth, reigning over creation, feeling the wind in its wings – with the presence of joy pervading his absence of pain.

From an outsider such as myself, this bird may epitomize freedom – but does he feel free or does he just appear to be?  Could he really be housed in an internal cage?  Is he experiencing flight, as I perceive it to be?  Is he experiencing freedom or just an everyday means of travel?

Just as all perceptions are created by our own realities – the bird’s perception of flight would highly depend on how the bird lived before his flight.  Was he born in captivity?  Has he observed the outdoors from a cage, never being able to step out and fully experience it until now?

Just as all perceptions are created by our own realities – the bird’s perception of flight would highly depend on how the bird lived before his flight.  Was he born in captivity?  Has he observed the outdoors from a cage, never being able to step out and fully experience it until now?

 The degree of non-freedom that he experienced prior to flight would cause him to extract the same degree of freedom from the experience of flight – and this goes for all of creation.  However great your contrast is, so are your findings.  Upon this principle, we are always becoming the expanded, but the action in moving with our findings is what really propels the Universe forward.

Moving with the expanded is not always the easiest art, but it becomes much easier when you are not attached to the person you once were.  Through experience, you are always changing and becoming.  You technically aren’t the same person you once were, even in the beginning of this article.  Your attachment to your identity hasn’t sustained you in your darkest nights, yet you find that knowing thyself is a very powerful tool in life.

So how can one get to know thyself without identity, as a constantly learning, changing, and expanding individual?  The answer lies in the Heart, the Spirit, the All – the only constant in life in which you are.  Spirit is freedom and freedom is spirit.

In the benevolent frequency of the All, you experience the eternity of what you are, and what potentials you will become– which is much different than a static identity.  In the All, all dimensions are available for your exploration and you do not need an invite, because this is your home.  All good feeling exists here, not necessarily because circumstances change but because your relationship to circumstance does.  With such connection to Spirit, you know that nothing can be lost and all is found within itself.  Any pain you may experience is only a divergence from this connection to ourselves.  And any divergence from this connection is only a patch of clouds, temporary turbulence, in the art of aviation – for you are always in flight.

Reblogged from Amanda Leigh Flaker:

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Now it's that time once again! This month I am giving away:

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This week’s topic, for me, strikes close to home.  I want to discuss the wonder of sleep.  Something that I personally am lacking in at this writing.

Sleep is an amazing time where we get to reset.  We pause, we stop our actions, and we re-energize ourselves.  For two to twelve hours at a time, we sleep.

“To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub;” – William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Many people spend their time in sleep dreaming of elaborate places and worlds.  Some people see visions of past, present and future in their dreams.  Some people have incredibly odd dreams about talking cows or worlds populated almost entirely by brine shrimp and such.  Some of us do not recall our dreams at all, thought medical science says that everybody dreams.

When you are tired, your eyes are drooping, and your focus is fading, there is nothing quite like that moment where your head hits the pillow, yours eyes close, your breathing slows, and the world around you fades into a warm, peaceful din.  Sleep allows the body to reset.  Sleep lets us recover from the actions of our day.

When we are ill, sleep is often prescribed to allow the body to recover.  When we feel down, sleep will sometimes allow us to escape, to awaken feeling better.

“Sleep is the best meditation.”  – The Dalai Lama

Every night before I go to sleep, I pause, reflect, and meditate on my day.  I focus on the things I am grateful for, and I focus on the positive things I want for my life.  I let my day be cleared, and then I turn over and let Morpheus enfold me in his arms.

Sleep is necessary.  No matter how long we are able to stay awake, everybody needs to take the time to get some rest.  Some of us can function perfectly well on less than six hours of sleep.  Some need eight hours or better.  And some can sleep in dribs and drabs, twenty minutes here, and hour or two there, at various intervals in a given day.  But no matter how you sleep, sleep is a wonder of life we all experience.

Sleep is a necessity, but a wonder?  You might be thinking just that – and my explanation is simply that for everything a person does, all the thoughts, all the actions, all the feelings, emotions, senses experienced in a given day, it is wondrous that we have this ability to put that to rest in order to recharge.  When you think about it, it truly is an interesting notion, and a wonder that we have this opposite side to our regular activity.

And unlike that which is often equated with sleep – I am now talking about Death – Sleep is NOT a permanent state.  We pause, we go inactive for a time – but wondrously, we come back to carry on.  Further evidence of the wonder of sleep.

“A well-spent day brings happy sleep.” -Leonardo da Vinci

What do you like best about sleep, and how much time do you spend on it?

I am MJ Blehart, your sleepy, silly, sometimes serious “Wednesday’s Wondrous World” writer.  Every week I share a wonder of this amazing world, and I hope you will enjoy the journey with me!

Check out my blog, The Ramblings of a Titanium Don, for more of my work.

Also now available, Pathwalking: A 21st Century Philosophy in Book and Kindle form!

Ok, it’s basically warmed up all over the USA and other places where Spring is sprung. Took long enough, that was part of April fools y’all! That Winter was still around. Now it’s finally warm! Yay! That means I’ll be out in the sunshine as much as possible. For all of you other sun lovers no doubt SPF is in your basket of useful tools. It better be!!!

What about your hair though? Extended sun exposure like swimming pool days or beach time means your hair is gonna be fried! Sun damage can make your hair lackluster, dull, and dry. My hair likes to get nappy, it sticks together and begins to really nest up. Pretty scary! You long haired folk know exactly what I’m saying! No body has time for all that! If you color your hair or style it regularly you need to condition weekly.

Yes, moisturize moisturize moisturize. That being said, not all conditioners are created equally. Even some of the better brands like Aubrey or Alaffia work well and use totally clean ingredients.. but they may not be up for fixing your hair snafu in one swoop. The super organic products tend to need more frequent use in order to work well. Personally, I am quite impatient when it comes to my hair. When it’s dry it drive me nuts! I want the fastest working product.. No doubt you do to.

Enter the solution, Earth Science Deep Conditioning hair masque. This stuff is amazing! It’s got olive, coconut, and avocado oils. It’s also got silk protein in it! I tried a sample of it years ago when I worked in retail… and I’m still buying it. It’s literally one of the few products I am forever in love with. I get nervous when it starts to run low! The ingredients could be cleaner but it’s so effective I use it anyway.

In the Spring and Summer you can transform your neglected locks into silky soft strands of glory. Let your hair flow in the wind!!!

Christy Patton is Chakra Center’s savvy and experimental product reviewer. She is not a board certified medical doctor. This information is intended for educational purposes only.

Our domesticated animal companions are pretty amazing, aren’t they?

Dogs, cats, ferrets, rats, mice, fish, birds, lizards, snakes, frogs, turtles…doesn’t matter.  These magnificent creatures, and more they way they make us feel, are truly a wonder of this world.

Take cats for example.  Yes, they can be utterly aloof, take off at high speed to chase who-knows-what at the drop of a hat, and utterly ignore you except when you are trying to sleep or they are hungry.  And of course, cats will always let you know that THEY are in charge, you will love them at THEIR convenience, and you are the thumb-monkey who opens that can of food (which they would TOTALLY do themselves if they had opposable thumbs!)

But when you are lying on the couch, feeling sick, or sad, or blue, they seem to know when to curl up on your chest, hunker down, and start purring.  They brush against your palm to get your attention, or they toss a toy on your direction.  There is nothing quite like a cat desiring your affection to lower the blood pressure and make you feel good when you have been feeling bad.

Then there are dogs.  I personally prefer my dog in the range of 30 – 60 pounds, but even tiny little yappers and monstrous fluffballs can put a smile on my face.  There is nothing like that wagging tale, that whimper of recognition and happiness when they see you to bring about a warmed heart.

Dogs around the size I like are generally huge walkers.  And walking is pretty much always good exercise for us humans.  The joy most dogs show as they strut ahead of you on their leash is so playful to behold, it’s really pretty cool.  And dogs just love so unconditionally.  Nothing quite like a dog to make you feel better on a bad day.

Now fish are a different matter.  Fish are not cuddly, not interactive with you.  But there is something mesmerizing about staring at a tank of fish, swimming around with all the colors of their scales, and the way they dive and rise again.  And watching fish eat flakes poured into their tank can be downright comical.  There is value in these companions, and they can brighten an otherwise cheerless room rather remarkably.

Interaction with other animals will of course vary.  Birds can sometimes talk, repeating simple terms and phrases in their amusingly pitched voices.  A chinchilla bathing in volcanic ash is a surprising sight to behold.  Watching a mouse on a treadmill can be pretty funny.  Snakes, lizards, turtles and frogs climbing and jumping about things can keep your mind distracted from troubles for a surprisingly long time.

No matter the size or type of creature one chooses for an animal companion, despite the obligations of their care and feeding, they bring about love and joy and wonder in your life that is otherwise missing.   The animals we have over the centuries domesticated to be dependent upon us turn those tables on us frequently, and are a true wonder of this world.

Do you have any animal companions in your life?

I am MJ Blehart, author of “Wednesday’s Wondrous World”.  Every week I share a wonder of this amazing world, and I hope you will enjoy the journey with me!

Please check out my blog, The Ramblings of a Titanium Don, for more of my work.

Also available: Pathwalking: A 21st Century Philosophy in Book and Kindle form!

Lemon desserts are one of my favorites! I pretty much love all fruit based desserts, like eton mess, apple crumble, apple pie, lemon meringue, and so on! Nowadays I don’t eat sugar laden desserts but have found a way to make my own versions of them with healthy ingredients instead. Guilt free desserts and no groggy feelings the day after are important to me.

The combination of the creaminess of the avocado and the astringent lemon is to die for!

My Lemon & Avocado Mousse is 

• Dairy Free
• Gluten Free
• Sugar Free
• Cacao Free
• Vegan

This makes mousse for 2.

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 lemon, the flesh, no rind
• 1 cup of cashews, soaked.
• 1 dropperful of stevia
• 1/3rd cup melted coconut oil

1. Blend the avocado with the lemon,
2. Add in the cashews and stevia, blend again,
3. Finally add the coconut oil. You will probably need to stir a few times between blends, once the mixture is smooth and a perfect mousse consistency it’s ready.
4. Serve straight away, or chill for an hour in the fridge.

You can also freeze this and eat frozen like an ice-cream/sorbet.

Enjoy!

Tuesday’s Tasty Treats is a weekly column bringing you the  best, most delicious and easy raw food recipes to help maintain and support a healthy lifestyle. Brought to you by Chakra Center’s own raw food goddess, Sarah Hook.

Our inner children have much to teach us.  Unfortunately we live in a society that often believes the opposite, a society that equates a child to be less smart than an adult because they have a developing brain.  But the truth is—spirit and intuition are much wiser than all cognitive potential—and this is what a child knows best.  We often think we know better than our children, but most of all, our inner child.  It’s true that we are the expanded version of our inner child, but there are keys within the inner child that can unlock our dense adult doors.

Our inner child is the non-conditioned part of us, the part that remembers the divine knowledge and purpose that we’ve come in with.  The internal child knows how to stay in alignment, feel emotion, and listen to emotion, while unconditionally loving others simultaneously – much better than our adult selves have learned to do.  But there is one quality within our inner child that pervades all of these qualities, enhances our perception of the world, letting everything exist in it’s highest potential…and that is the eyes of non-judgment.

The inner child understands that it’s original intention coming into this life was not to label and control everything or everyone around them…this is why you see almost every child in awe.  As children, we understood that this was a journey, an experience—and we were enthralled by the ride, the possibilities.  The playful child inside doesn’t perceive limit. He or she awes at the beauty in all and feels himself or herself to be a part of it.

Growing up in an acutely religious culture, I learned from a very young age to judge something as “good” or “bad”, “positive” or “negative”, “white” or “black”, before moving forward.  And it doesn’t stop there; this also includes identifying people or things, stereotyping, assuming, and excluding.  This same fear-based perception has flooded many cultures because nobody wants to be “wrong” and get blind-sided by pain.

Your life is the way it is because of your perception.  If you change your perception, your world will transform around you.  There is not one “true” reality to attune to, but rather there are infinite non-static realities to choose from or play with.  Your inner child understands this.  Any reality that you believe is a reality that exists, and you have the power to experience any desired reality by an alteration of your perception in any moment, and as much as you’d like.

If self improvement or enlightenment is what we desire, we must be willing to let go our of old beliefs and stories so that our new perceptions can move us forward.  We will eventually have to let go of our attachment to “truth”, and surrender to the magic of an ever changing, moldable, and incomprehensible adventure we call life.  Our lives are much more exciting than “truth”.  When we surrender this way, we hold the space for new realities to be born on this planet that have never been seen before.  We make the impossible—possible, the inconceivable—conceivable.  We also embody our inner child by doing so.

When seeing with judgment, you instantly limit what you experience.  Your mind is much like a camera—your eyes like a lens.  And judgment happens to be the ultimate filter.  Changing the settings within your camera will communicate to your lens how much light to allow in.  Have you ever wondered what you may be missing out on by simply limiting the capability of your lens?  What if much brighter colors were waiting for you?  What if there were colors you’ve never even seen before?  New layers or new sensations you’ve never felt before?  Undiscovered mysteries?

I encourage all to take off the judgment filter and experience life in-the-raw.  Go outside today and observe all people and things without a preconceived notion about them, it will lighten and awaken you.  I long to see the spirit of our inner children bright and alive.  I long to see myself and those I love living in awe again.

Every individual is unique and the variations in their lives and life choices are physical manifestations of the distinctive energy, essence, and disposition they possess.  When an individual is searching for mental and emotional healing modalities, there is a need for therapy that is personal, effective, cost efficient, and uplifting so the person can move forward with their life in a positive way; emotional freedom techniques (EFT) surpass those expectations.

What Is EFT?

EFT is rooted in energy psychology, applying Ancient Chinese medicine theology, which focuses on the body’s energy grid.  The energy grid utilizes pathways and nodal points through which your chi, or life force, flows.  This theory states a traumatic event, negative psychological conditioning, or other experiences can cause a disruption in your energy flow through a blockage or imbalance, prohibiting the proper flow of chi; when your chi is imbalanced or blocked, mental and emotional illnesses, disorders, and issues will arise.

© Grafphotogpaher

Gary Craig, the founder of the EFT technique, discovered by employing these medicinal philosophies, you would be able to tap specific acupressure points, the meridian or nodal points on the body’s energy grid, releasing the blockage and bringing your body’s energy flow back into a state of homeostasis.

However, EFT doesn’t just make use of acupressure point stimulation; this technique incorporates other psychotherapies already being used in conventional cognitive behavioral therapies, such as relaxation and memory recall, causing a long term cognitive restructuring within the brain.

When your brain reconstructs its cognitive processes, you no longer process thoughts or emotions the way you did before, meaning you can nullify the negative feelings or reactions you currently have, or have had for years, resulting in a neutral reaction to the same memory or situation when successfully employing EFT.

What The Research Says

EFT has proven to be a useful technique for a wide variety of disorders or illnesses; in various studies, EFT has successfully treated anxiety disorders, depression, hostility, aggression, posttraumatic stress disorder, addictions, phobias, eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, panic, attention deficit disorder, hypertension, social anxiety, career issues, and somatoform disorders.  EFT also has improved colds, headaches, joint pains, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, rashes, lower cortisol levels, irritable bowel syndrome, and fibromyalgia.  Let’s take a look at some of these studies and experiments a little closer.

© Darknightsky

In a case study cited by Feinstein (2010), a 52 year old woman with stage IV breast cancer decided against conventional medicine interventions and instead used EFT on numerous personal issues that surfaced after she was diagnosed.  The patient received six clinical EFT tapping sessions, lasting 60 to 90 minutes in length, then continued to use the methods daily until a follow up examination eight months after the diagnosis; the appointment revealed no trace of cancer, but some scar tissue where the cancer had been (Feinstein et al., 2010).

Stapleton, Sheldon, Porter, and Whitty (2011) conducted a randomized clinical trial on the effects EFT exerted over food cravings, the perceived power of food, psychological symptoms, and will power of 96 overweight and obese adults.  When the researchers initially retested the participants, immediately after receiving their EFT treatment, the participants had significant reductions in food cravings, food wielded less power over the participants, and will power was improved.  The improvements in cravings and the power of food were maintained at the six month follow-up.

Another randomized controlled study performed by Church, Brooks, and DeAsis (2012) with 30 first-year psychology students scoring in the moderate to severely depressed ranges on the Beck Depression Inventory.  The participants in the experimental group received four EFT sessions of 90 minutes; the treatment proved to be both clinically and statistically significant, as the average post treatment depression score of the EFT condition group resulted in not depressed.

In a controlled pilot study by Benor, Ledger, Toussaint, and Hett (2009) with Canadian college students with severe to moderate test anxiety, EFT accomplished benefits equal to that of five cognitive behavioral therapy sessions.

Click here for images of brain scans from an experiment by Andrade and Feinstein (2004) using EFT treatments for participants with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD); these scans show the average brain scan procession over a course of four weeks with twelve sessions of EFT.  The first scan is what an ideal brain scan looks like and the second scan is the average scan of the participants with (GAD) before they began EFT sessions; the brain scans progress toward their natural or ideal homeostasis state through EFT, reducing dysfunctional brain wave frequencies.

This study contrasted EFT with cognitive behavioral therapy, combined with medication when necessary, as a control mechanism.  The EFT participants were more likely to maintain their new functional brain wave patterns compared to the cognitive behavioral group.  Moreover, Andrade and Feinstein (2004) noted people treated with antianxiety medications did reduce their anxiety symptoms, but their brain scans maintained brain wave frequency dysfunction, implying the medication acts as a cosmetic layer without actually addressing the real issue(s).

How It Works

The research shows you the beginnings of the wide applications for EFT, but I want to explain to you why and how it works because there are several stratums to consider.  The first level we will consider is the electroconductivity of the human body, then epigenetics, and finally the cognitive restructuring process.

© Nahhan

Your body is a beautiful and amazing transmitter and receiver of energy as represented by its electromagnetic field.  The human body produces electromagnetic fields with cells and tissues that can be measured on the skin, while all of our organs produce biomagnetic energy.

Within these energy fields, diseases and disturbances can often be measured before their physical symptoms can be detected.   EFT literally taps into these specific energy fields to redirect their flow in a proper, balanced manner, alleviating electromagnetic and biomagnetic fields of disturbances and blocks.

Epigenetics is a subfield of genetic research, exposing an inherent variability within genetic expression previously thought impossible.  Your DNA does not actually come with a concrete, inflexible blueprint dictating your every thought, action, and countenance; conversely, it is a vast set of probabilities, combining information from your default genetic expression, your thoughts, your beliefs, your behaviors, and your environmental and biochemical influences.

All of these inputs interact on the cellular level, communicating with the entirety of your body about the information received,responding by activating or deactivating the potentials within your unique genetic expression.  This is why over time identical twins, people born with duplicate DNA, begin to look different; each individual has their own experiences, psychology, and environmental exposures offering an alternative expression of active and inactive genetic potentials.

As epigenetics proves genetic and cellular expression is affected by conscious thought and behavioral inputs, EFT offers somatic and cognitive inputs that activate positive, balanced potentials, while deactivating genetic potentials expressing imbalance and harm.

Researchers and practitioners assert the physical activity with the activation of mental processes alters the targeted response because the stimulation of acupressure points transmits signals to the amygdala and related brain structures, reducing hyperarousal to the given stimulus or memory; the brain then reconsolidates the memory, cognition, feeling, or mental picture, while the newly reduced or absent hyperarousal is retained as the new reaction to the initial stimuli (Feinstein, 2008).

Ruden (2010) asserts EFT techniques focusing on stress-producing cues, such as fear or traumatic memories, depotentiate the neural pathways maintaining maladaptive conditioned responses; this means the EFT techniques recode the conditioned responses that produce ill effects with desired behaviors or feelings.  This creates a cognitive restructuring of the brain, so old paradigms no longer regulate your responses.

The Process

© Davinci

There is a basic EFT procedure, consisting of tapping on each of eight energy meridian points while using an affirmation statement that coincides with a memory or a feeling.  The procession of tapping can vary depending on the therapist or practitioner you are working with, as can the affirmation statements.

Some practitioners use the industry standard, “Even though I have (or feel) this fear of rejection, I deeply and profoundly accept myself,” while other practitioners prefer a stream of consciousness dialogue.  With the latter method, you would tap as you say whatever comes to mind that you would like to work with, using a shorter phrase to repeat as you continue to tap on the proceeding points to reinforce the issue you are working on.

Even though the sequence of point tapping may vary, I am going to share with you what has worked for me, which also seems to be the most common.  As you repeat your chosen phrase or issue, you tap on your karate chop point, or the side of your hand, followed by the inside of your eyebrows, then the side of your eyes, the bone under your eyes, under the nose, between your lower lip and chin, then your collarbone point, under the arm, and then the top of the head.  This would conclude one repetition.

You want to be sure not to tap too hard.  You want to stimulate the meridians, but you do not want to cause bruising or pain.  Look at the following chart for a visual representation of the proper tapping points.

Church & Brooks, 2010

Where Can I Learn It?

There are several ways to learn or administer EFT, such as with the help of a therapist or a certified EFT practitioner in both group and individual settings.  If you are able, I suggest learning in a setting where you can have a certified EFT practitioner make sure you are accurately tapping your energy meridians.  Because this method is so quick and easy to learn, you do not have to pour money into endless sessions with an EFT therapist.  This is something you can do on your own, wherever and whenever you would like, empowering you in your health and healing.

There are also instructional DVDs you can use at home such as The Tapping Solutionand Project Tapping: Tapping Into Abundance With Dr. Carol Look.  These are great alternatives for those of you who live in areas where you do not have access to a certified EFT practitioner.

If you decide to learn or try EFT, I suggest staying well hydrated to increase your biological electroconductivity and to do one session right before you go to bed.  When you learn something new, or alter a pattern of thinking, and immediately go to sleep, you have several hours to integrate the new template in your brain without interruptions, resulting in a more effective and solidified change.

 Spiritual & Personal Implications

© Dee*

By successfully implementing EFT into your daily routine, you empower yourself to take control over your emotions, thoughts, and how you choose to experience your life.  Imagine eradicating irrational fears as they enter your consciousness or overcoming a traumatic event that has stifled some part of your life.

You no longer have to live captive to thought processes that do not serve your highest good or take medications that only serve as a temporary band aid while poisoning your system.  You would not have to try to suppress negative emotions or thoughts because as they enter your awareness, you can safely and painlessly extinguish them.

By bringing balance and inner peace to your life, you offer more balance and peace to the world.  Every energy field is interconnected, ebbing and flowing together to create an even larger field of energy.  By correcting your energy flow, you aid in balancing the whole.  You have the ability to heal yourself in many ways; EFT is quick, easy, cost effective, and encourages your unique zenith expression.

Much Love & Big Nonlocal Quantum Hugs

Written by: Positive PollyAnna

PollyAnna presents ways for people to come into their own power, how to powerfully manifest their reality, and how to balance their left and right brain so they can self-actualize, realizing their highest potential. Quantum Empowerment shares what it means to lead a quantumly empowered lifestyle. How are you affected by the energies, people, animals, and objects around you? How can you break victim mentality? How can you activate your DNA on a biological and energetic level? What are the ways you can expand your consciousness? This column covers a wide spectrum of information, all dedicated to helping people grow into their interdimensional, interconnected self and reality.

To find out more about Positive Pollyanna, her work and her services, check-out the following links:
www.positive-pollyanna.com
www.consciousnessseries.com
www.blogtalkradio.com/divinebreakthrough
www.divinebreakthrough.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/pollyprimeau?feature=mhee

References

Andrade, J., & Feinstein, D. (2004). The neurological foundations of energy psychology: Brain scan changes during 4 weeks of treatment for generalized anxiety disorder. Ashland, Oregon: Innersource. Retrieved fromhttp://www.eftuniverse.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2470

Benor, D. J., Ledger, K., Toussaint, L., & Hett, G. (2009). Pilot study of emotional freedom techniques, wholistic hybrid derived from eye movement desensitization and reprocessing and emotional freedom technique, and cognitive behavioral therapy treatment of test anxiety in university students.Journal of Science and Healing, 5(6), 338-340. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2009.08.001

Church, D. (2010). Your dna is not your destiny: Behavioral epigenetics and the role of emotions in health. Anti Aging Medical Therapeutics, 13, 35-42.

Church, D., & Brooks, A. (2008, October). The effect of eft (emotional freedom techniques) on psychological symptoms in addiction treatment. Paper presented at Tenth annual energy psychology conference.
Church, D., & Brooks, A. J. (2010). Application of emotional freedom techniques. Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, 9(4), 36-38.

Church, D., & Brooks, A. (2010). The effect of a brief emotional freedom techniques self-intervention on anxiety, depression, pain, and cravings in health care workers. Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, 9(5), 40-43.

Church, D. (2010). The treatment of combat trauma in veterans using EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques): A pilot protocol. Traumatology, 16(1), 55 – 65.

Church, D., Brooks, A. J., & DeAsis, M. A. (2012). Clinical study brief group intervention using emotional freedom techniques for depression in college students: A randomized controlled trial.Depression Research and Treatment, 2012, 1-7.

Cole, S. W., Hawkley, L. C., Arevalo, J. M., Sung, C. Y., Rose, R. M., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2007). Social regulation of gene expression in human leukocytes. Genome Biology, 8, R189.

Emotional freedom techniques. In (2012). Natural Standard:The Authority on Integrative Medicine. Retrieved fromhttp://naturalstandard.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/databases/hw/generic-emotionalfreedom.asp

Feinstein, D. (2008). Energy Psychology: A Review of the Preliminary Evidence. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training. 45(2), 199-213.

Feinstein, D., & Church, D.  (2010). Modulating Gene Expression through Psychotherapy:  The Contribution of Non-Invasive Somatic Interventions. Review of General Psychology,14(4),  283 – 195.

Greeson, J. (2009). Mindfulness research update. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine , 14(1), 10-18.

Kandel, E. (1998). A new intellectual framework for psychiatry. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 155, 457-469.

Karatzias, T., Power, K., & Brown, K. (2011). A controlled comparison of the effectiveness and efficiency of two psychological therapies for post traumatic stress disorder eye movement desensitization and reprocessing vs. emotional freedom techniques. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 199(6), 372-378. doi: 10.1097/NMD.0b013e31821cd262

Oschman, J. (2012, May 22). Science measures the human energy field. Retrieved from http://www.reiki.org/reikinews/sciencemeasures.htm

Poulter, M. O., Du, L., Weaver, I., Palkovits, M., Faludi, G., Merali, Z., Anisman, H. (2008). GABA receptor promoter hypermethylation in  suicide brain: Implications for the involvement of epigenetic processes. Biological Psychiatry, 64, 645-652.

Reefe, J. (2012). Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and Its Health Benefits. Positive Health, (192), 1.

Ruden, R. A. (2010). When the past is always present: Emotional traumatization, causes, and cures. New York: Routledge.

Sakai, C.S., Connolly, S. M., & Oas, P. (2010). Treatment of PTSD in Rwandan genocide survivors using Thought Field Therapy.  International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 12(1), 41-50.

Salas, M. M., Brooks, A. J., & Rowe, J. E. (2011). The immediate effect of a brief energy psychology intervention (emotional freedom techniques) on specific phobias: A pilot study. Journal of Science and Healing, 7(3), 155-161. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2011.02.005

Sheldon, K. M., & King, L. (2001). Positive psychology: Why positive psychology is necessary. Retrieved from http://www.psicosport.it/news/Articoli – Sheldon – Why Positive Psychology is necessary.pdf

Stapleton, P., Sheldon, T., Porter, B., & Whitty, J. (2011). A randomized clinical trial of a meridian-based intervention for food cravings with six-month follow-up. Behavior Change, 28(1), 1-15.

Straub, R.O.(2006).Health Psychology: A Biopsychosocial Approach(2^nd Ed.).Worth Publishers

Wells, S., Polglase, K., & Andrews, H. B. (2003). Evaluation of a meridian-based intervention, emotional freedom techniques (eft), for reducing specific phobias of small animals. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 59(0), 943-966. doi: 10.1002/jclp.10189

 **Disclaimer: Before engaging in any health program, it is best to contact a doctor or health provider you trust to make the best decision for your individual needs.**

Who doesn’t want to eat and drink their way through Europe and get paid for it?!

As a sommelier and freelance writer who has worked in the wine industry for nearly 10 years, I developed a lot of wine contacts around the world. After college I decided to put my two skills to the test and spend a year living eating/drinking my way around Europe as a writer.

People always ask me how I was able to live in Italy, tour the best wineries and restaurants, and get paid for it! Trying to answer this question in a 10 min video proved to be difficult – I was only scratching the surface of the details that come along with the “how-tos”  of travel writing.

In order to effectively help all you aspiring travel/wine writers get your foot in the door (and avoid all the mistakes I made along the way), I’ve developed a two week crash course on how to live in Europe, tour the wineries and restaurants, and get paid doing it!

This is a dynamic, face paced, class where you will receive in-depth info and stellar insider tips on:

*How to obtain a press release to major wine events (like Vino 100).

*How to acquire freelance writing gigs with newspapers and magazines. 

*How to write a compelling query letter.

*How to sell your story, properly invoice, and tips on scheduling writing gigs to manage cash-flow.

*Wine 101 basics (how to read wine labels in Europe, basic tasting tips and techniques, and an overview of all major grape varietals/wineries in Western Europe).

*Travel writing basics (top 10 mistakes to avoid, how to be current, edgy, and develop a niche for yourself).

*And many more travel writing details!

*As a special bonus, I will give my personal European wine contact list to the first 5 people who register!

This is a crash course on all things to know about travel writing with a wine emphasis, and I am confident you will leave the class feeling ready to conquer the world of wine and traveling!

All for only $33!

Space is limited. I’ve had a lot of requests for this class but have to cap it at 40 people to make sure everyone gets enough of my time/attention.  Register early to ensure a seat. This may be the only time I offer this!

Dates  May 13th – May 26th 

The entirety of the class will be held in a private Facebook forum. I will post daily info/videos/wine quizzes, etc., as well as be available to answer any questions you may have.

Click here to register.

Amanda Flaker is a freelance writer, teacher/tutor, editor, and creator of Chakra Center. She carries a BA in English Literature & Creative Writing, and heads-up the website’s online writing classes (Writing to Connect with the Elves and Discover your Bliss, Writing to Heal, and Writing to Develop your Intuitive Gifts). She lived and worked in Florence, Italy for a year as a freelance writer and has traveled extensively around Western Europe. In Portland, OR., she worked as a wine sommelier and wine buyer, dabbling in wines from all over the world.