The audacity of dreaming big

So there was this poor girl, wearing rags and sleeping on cinders. One evening, there was a big ball that all the girls were invited. She wanted to go, but she had no proper clothing for such an occasion.

Suddenly, her fairly godmother appears.

Now if you were in her situation, and see some magical figure, be it your fairy godmother or a genie, would you dare to say, “I want to go to the ball.”?

I’ve been poor myself, and I know what it’s like. The really sad thing about poverty is not the hunger nor the coldness. Poverty decays the spirit. You start thinking poor.

I remember walking on a cold night to the store (I didn’t have a car) to get some groceries. I guess it was about this time of the year because I remember the pretty holiday lights at the houses as I walked — each house had different decorations and they all looked cheerful. I was in difficult marriage and even though I had a good full-time job, all the money was getting sucked and I was sinking in debt. To me, all those pretty houses seemed to have happy, well-off people.

If a fairy godmother showed up at that time, I think I would have asked for some money. Or a nice warm sweater and new underwear. (I wasn’t wearing shirts with holes — with my full-time job, that wasn’t an option. But underneath, I was wearing socks with holes.) This is how poverty makes us think. I was in such a miserable situation that the only thing I could think of was to get a little relief.

Whereas Cinderella dared to say, “I want to go to the ball.”

She didn’t say that because she figured she could snap up the prince’s attention, marry him, therefore securing lifelong prosperity. That is how it turned out, but at the time when she met her fairy godmother, all she asked was to be able to go to the ball. That special evening of glamour. Notice the innocence and audacity of her request.

What is your big dream?

If your fairy godmother shows up, what are you going to ask for? Do you have the same kind of innocence and audacity Cinderella had, to dare to dream something that is unlikely, even if that dream doesn’t seem to improve your situation in a direct “realistic” way? Or is your thinking limited to the level of your daily life, like asking for a (better) job or some stuffs on the storefront that you cannot afford?

Please note asking for a large amount of money is NOT a big dream. We ask for money when we are too lazy to visualize what we really want, thinking money can buy happiness. It’s actually a very poor dream.

Morale of the story

Cinderella didn’t just get lucky. She had a big dream, and she dared to say it. When you have the vision that inspires you, and when you acknowledge such a big dream, something magical happens. Some people call it the Law of Attraction, some call it the creative power we have within. You don’t need a fairy godmother — you have the creative power within you. It may take a bit longer than the magic wand, but it works, and even better, you can use your innate creative power over and over again in your life.

Since I “got it”, I’ve been encouraging myself to say something like, “I want to go to the ball.” It’s actually quite challenging to match her audacity. Often, my dream look shabby compared to hers, and I have to encourage myself further to dream bigger. And my life has been getting better and better. I even have a thriving business that is growing further.

This is the time of the year when we think of the new beginning in the new year. What is your big dream? Is you spirit high enough to dream big?

Reality as simulation game

Gregg Braden cites various scientific studies to show us that this everyday world we live in is a computer simulation, a virtual reality on a giant scale, in the Universal computer. What we call reality is not real, but only a reflection of true reality.

This idea of life as dream (or, I call it “living movie” in the article linked above) is often mentioned in the various spirituality traditions, and it’s so refreshing to see science finally catching up. (By the way, this idea is present in the Bible, too. It says Adam fell a deep sleep — but it doesn’t say he woke up. So, we can interpret this that we are living in Adam’s dream.”)

The good news is we are not just living in a simulation but we can reprogram the simulation, too. We are the actors as well as the directors in this living movie. We are the creatures as well as the creators. We are active participants, not just a powerless victims or observers.

How do we reprogram the Universal computer program? By our beliefs. By shattering the old paradigm of false limitations and adopting new beliefs. You know, not just wishing, not just wanting to believe, but believing from the bottom of your heart, with all your feelings.

Gregg Braden shares that our heart emits electric and magnetic energies. On the other hand, it is proven that electric or magnetic energies can change the nature of atoms, the building blocks of this world. So when we believe, when we feel the new possibility with our heart, the electromagnetic energy from the heart can change the atoms in and around us, changing the so-called reality.

The Earth experiment

Gregg Braden also discusses what it may mean that this world we live in is a simulation. A simulation is usually used for training. So are we getting trained to better live in the true reality?

This is basically the same of what I call the Earth experiment. Our Higher Selves (also called oversouls) send individual souls to this world to — experience. There is no judgment really. We are here to learn, and mastery of the learning leads to joy.

If you are experiencing difficulty in life, that just means you are at a great learning point — just as when you are in simulation program and facing difficult situation. You can keep trying in your old malfunctioning manner until you figure a new way that works. (I’m sorry if this statement sounds cynical — it is not. I really mean difficulties are great learning opportunities.)

The Law of Attraction and the Field

So we have the creative power. Gregg Braden explains this process by introducing the idea of the “Field”, also called zero-point field, or The Divine Matrix (which is the title of his book that precedes this one)

What we think and feel, what we believe, we can create — we can manifest. This is the same with the Law of Attraction, but I like Gregg Braden’s way of explanation. I always felt LoA is more about creation and the word “attraction” causes unnecessary misunderstanding. I know it works, and now we have a better way to understand it.

Here is a video clip where he explains all this, giving the skinny of this book:

Working the miracles of belief

In this book, he also says,

“Through the healing of our beliefs, we discover how — with the grace and ease that comes from experiencing ourselves as part of the world rather than separate from it. When we do so, we become the seed of life’s miracles, as well as the miracles themselves.” (page 207)

Miracles like reversing dis-eases and living just as long as you want. Gregg Braden is smart and doesn’t use the emotionally-charged word “immortality”, but he does talk about super longevity, saying, “The first 100 years are the hardest.”

He talks about redirecting time, space and matter, so I guess immortality is pretty much in his scope.

So how do you want to rewrite your “reality”? What kind of miracles do you want to work on? Now you know how to change your life and the world. Don’t just sit back and complain. That does absolutely no good. Changing your belief, rewriting the computer program, brings change.

“Whatsoever you shall ask, believing, you shall receive.” — Jesus (Matthew 21:22)

Now the ultimate question to this premise is “Why, then, don’t we get what we want? Why is it so damn hard to have what we desire, like making enough money from my hobby so I can quit my job or finding my life partner?”

There are two things to consider here. One is the misuse of the Law of Attraction. The other, main point of this article, is surrendering to the bigger purpose of life.

Misuse of the Law of Attraction

Common misuse of the Law of Attraction includes:

1. Focusing on NOT having what you want instead of acknowledging the good things you already have and desiring to go further to have it.

Let’s say you are single and want to find a mate for intimacy and personal sharing. Someone you feel attracted and want to spend a lot of time together. Now, do you feel good about yourself — do you find yourself lovable and trustworthy? Are you grateful for the life you have now, for your friends, your past romantic partners for making you the person you are now? Or are you feeling lonely and miserable, needing to find that special person? If it’s the latter, you probably attract more of not having a mate. Or you attract someone that matches the loneliness and misery you harbor.

2. Not being clear and consistent about what you want. Many people seem to know exactly what they DON’T want, but not clear about what they want.

Do you find yourself desiring a life partner one day and then, on other days, saying something like “Oh, I’m just too busy to have a relationship right now. I want a raise…” This is like changing your order at a restaurant. Please be clear and consistent about what you want — this involves sincere exploration of your true desires.

Surrendering

Then there comes a point of surrender. This is different from giving up your desire because you see yourself as a powerless victim of life. This is about surrendering to the bigger purpose of your life that your conscious mind may not readily perceive.

Let me continue the example of finding a life partner. After my divorce, I decided to spend a year to recover my sense of well-being and to rebuild my life. Eventually, I felt ready for a new relationship. I actively sought out a new partner. I joined match.com. I asked my friends if they knew someone single. I did meet many men. But none led to long term relationship.

Was I doing something wrong? Back then, that is what I thought. Although I couldn’t put a finger what I was doing wrong.

I was quite happy with my life. I don’t say this in a way like, “I have a good-paying job, I have great friends, I’m fine. Nothing is wrong with me.” kind of way. Yes, I just wrote this line in a tongue in cheek kind of way because I saw so many online profiles like that. The truth was, yes, I was happy with my life, my job, my social life, but I wanted a romantic relationship and I couldn’t find it.

So, I wasn’t focusing on the negative NOT having part of my desire. And I was fairly consistent in my focus. Even though I didn’t know the term “the Law of Attraction” back then, I was taking the right approach.

Not getting what you want and be happy with it

Then I decided to quit my corporate job and relocate across America to Oregon. Gee, I couldn’t have done this if I had a boyfriend in Tennessee. I’m really accommodating when I’m in a relationship, and I most likely would have given up — or wouldn’t even have entertained — such idea if I were in a serious relationship.

I didn’t get what I sincerely desired — a life partner, an intimate relationship. Looking back, am I upset about this? No. On the contrary, I’m grateful. I couldn’t see far enough into the future when I was busy meeting men, but now I think this is exactly how I am meant to be living now. I can spend my time doing what I am meant to do — doing the Akashic Record Reading service and writing about spirituality — without the constraint of monogamous relationship.

This is what I mean by surrendering. You may not get what you desire, and it may be just as well. You will see how so much better it is not to have your wish come true — if you open up and accept the gifts of not having it, if you surrender.

Revelation

Recently I had a mini revelation. The memory of my first boyfriend popped in my mind suddenly. Well, I didn’t have sex with him, but I consider him to be my first boyfriend. We were seventeen years old. It ended prematurely because I was an exchange student in Australia and had to come back to Japan at the end of the year. I used to wonder what my life may have been like if I could stay and could keep seeing him.

In a flash, I saw myself with him together. Living together in a house. With kids. Doing the everyday things — get up, breakfast, get the kids ready for school, rush, work, etc. etc. The life I could have had with him. And OMG. I was tired of the repetition within a second!

I always knew I was not meant for motherhood — I find children adorable, but I was never big on becoming a mother myself. The biological clock that so many women talk about — I just never felt it. This — not particularly craving motherhood — was fine with me. But as I’ve been saying, romantic relationship was a different deal. I thought I really wanted it. Living with the guy I really like (and he likes me too), sharing all aspects of our lives. I thought I wouldn’t even mind taking care of kids if that’s what it takes for the relationship. 

But no. When I saw that psychic vision, I realized I’m not meant for the regular marriage.  Even if it’s a good one.  I am meant for something else. For what? Well, look, I already have it. I can freely pursue my interests, build my life and my business. I connect with my clients with love. And being free from the conventional lifestyle keeps my thinking free and my body ageless.

Somehow I surrendered to the bigger purpose of my life. My ego mind could not see it for so many years, but my Higher Self knew what was best for me.  This is how creation works sometimes. 

(And now, from this liberated place, I can date ^_^ I see my new date from time to time while keeping my life my way.  It works.)

Are you ready to surrender?

Or are you attached to a certain outcome? In other words, do you simply desire something or do you NEED it to happen?

I suggest you take a big breath and look at the things you so want but haven’t got in your life. Is it possible not having it is actually better? Can you see the big picture?  (Photo by photomason)

Many people say they want to change the world. But how? What is your vision of the New World? In this fourth installment of the Creating The New World series, we tackle with the sensitive discussion of Abundance in spiritual context.

Alignment with Divine Abundance

In my Akashic Record Reading practice, I see quite many people who are well aligned with Divine Love, Light, and Truth, but are widely misaligned with Divine Abundance and Power. They know they are spiritual beings that transcend physical bodies (alignment with Divine Light) and they live in Love and Truth, but they have hard time exercising their power and creating abundant life. They limit themselves in receiving boundless abundance.

On the other hand, there are some clients who are well aligned with Divine Abundance but poorly aligned with other energy flows. They have money but they are unhappy.

And the truth is we don’t need to be one or the other way. It is entirely possible to align with all five energy flows, to live fully in this physical world while nurturing our spirituality.

The key is to free ourselves from the false beliefs in scarcity and limitation.

Beliefs in scarcity and limitation

Do you see the world to be abundant? Do you see boundless abundance you can enjoy?

Until you acknowledge abundance wholeheartedly, there is no way to receive it. It’s like asking for a candy when you don’t think there is one. Most likely, you wouldn’t even bother with the asking.

So the first step in creating the New World based on Abundance is to see through the lies of scarcity. Yeah, it’s just a system of lies. Just because many people have believed in them don’t make them true.

Here are some of such lies based on the belief on scarcity and limitation:

False belief #1 “There are only limited amount of wealth / success, so I need to compete for it.”
This is by far the most destructive false belief there is. It has lead to general sense of distrust and hate in other human beings, occasionally resulting in wars and crimes.

This belief can also manifest in reverse, “There are only limited amount of wealth / success, and I hate to compete, so I volunteer to lose.” It’s just the flip side of the same scarcity belief.

But is it true? Is there really limitation of wealth / success and are we destined to be either a selfish (and often play-dirty) dog or a poor self-sacrificing saint?

When your perspective is superficial, yes, you’d see limitations including limitations of the physical resources such as oil or land. However we don’t need oil for oil’s sake, what we really need is energy source to heat our houses and move our vehicles. Energy sources in the universe is huge it’s practically unlimited. We just need to figure out how to use them, which will create new businesses.

Similarly, when you look at your company’s profit & loss statement, you may think there is only a certain amount of money that can be shared among employees. Within that context, yes, there is limitation. However, your company’s profit can increase. Ignoring this fact and believing there is always scarcity and limitation is a short-circuited way of thinking.

I also think a lot of scarcity is man-made, spurred by the fear of scarcity itself. For example, there are starving people in Africa. Well, actually, we don’t need to look that far … right next to the US, people in Mexico typically have far less than Americans. And there are homeless people in the US. Why is this so? Is this because there is innate scarcity in the world?

I doubt it. I also see tons of foods going to trash right from the storefront in the US (because the produce is getting old, etc). If we can figure out how to share foods worldwide, most, if not all, the problems would disappear. And with today’s technology, figuring out a good way of distribution wouldn’t be difficult. The only thing that is blocking us is the fear of scarcity.

Creative solutions, sharing, and cooperation will make everyone well off.

False belief #2 “Life is short, so I better specialize in one niche I can be good at if I am to succeed.”

The physical time we have in one lifetime is somewhat limited. Our resources to learn and develop new skills, however, are not. A piece of knowledge or skill can be utilized in multiple ways, contributing to multiple areas of specialization. By cross training, we get better at all the related areas.

For instance, as a former professional foreign language teacher, I can say people who learns foreign language quickly and well are those who has mastered their first language well. Say you are an American who want to learn Japanese. English and Japanese are two completely different languages. Yet, when you come to the first Japanese class, you already have huge amount of knowledge and skills you can utilize in your attempt to learn Japanese.

You already know a word represents a concept. And you know many concepts such as “red” or “to swim”. You also know there are certain systematic rules to construct a meaningful sentence. Whether you know grammatical terms or not is irrelevant. The point is you know there are rules and you know you need to learn these rules, not just individual words. And you know much much more.

Someone who has learned to express their thoughts and emotions appropriately in their first language is highly likely to master a second language. And they are motivated to learn foreign languages — they like expressing themselves in words, which made them good at their first language to begin with. So there is no point in limiting them to one language. Their internal resources multi-function. Resources are abundant.

Similarly, many musicians juggle multiple instruments. Visual artists do this, too, and I think combination skill sports like ironman race is a very healthy development. A good salesperson can sell pretty much anything after a brief learning period, and they are likely to make good motivational speakers as well.

Further, you can jump beyond the naturally related fields. Tim Ferriss pointed out the benefits of this approach. (HT: Hunter Nuttall) “The jack of all trades maximizes his number of peak experiences in life and learns to enjoy the pursuit of excellence.”

We are born with natural curiosity that leads to multiple interests. Willingness to dive into new areas of interests is based on abundance thinking, and in tern reinforces abundance and confidence. And you can be wonderful in many areas.

False belief #3 “There are only certain amount of love, so I better hurry up and grab a desirable person as my lover.”

This is something I’ve been thinking hard recently. Again, the number of desirable single individuals are limited, but that is just the superficial aspect. There is no scarcity of love. I suspect this false belief has been promoted by social authorities because if we connected with many people with love across the board, that could be a serious threat to those few people in power who want to control us with fear. So they have been brain washing us, teaching us to stay in our tiny homes of security.

I will write more on this issue of scarcity and limitation of love. It’s a huge issue by itself and covering it properly is outside the scope of this article.

The above three beliefs are just the biggies. There are many other false beliefs that are based on scarcity and limitation. Scarcity thoughts puts you on deferred life plan, making you believe you don’t have enough — yet. Scarcity thoughts keeps your house cluttered by preventing you from getting rid of old and unnecessary stuffs.

What other false beliefs do you buy into?

The Female Principle

When we were hunter / gatherers, we operated on the female principles. Mother Nature provided our sustenance, and we cooperated in our work and shared what we received. As the society grew to more labor intensive agrarian (then industrial) system, male principle of separatism and competition became dominant.

The New World will once again embrace the female principle, but in a new way. In other words, we need to integrate the male and female principles and come up with the new principle that is very different from the current male principle.

Does this mean we will recreate the original utopia? No. It will be an updated version of utopia. This time, we will retain our individuality. In fact, we will be very conscious of our sense of self. At the same time, we will be clearly conscious of our connection to the Whole and our interconnectedness. This is what I mean it will be the integration of male and female energies.

Likewise, we may still compete in the New World. But the competition will be fun, like a good sport, not about rat race or exploitation. It will be about enhancing one another, and we will create wonderful results that we can all benefit from.

As individual, we each have both male and female energies regardless of the physical gender we have. As Ascension progresses, I see in many of my clients’ Akashic Records that their energies are starting to balance between the male and female energies. On the individual level, we are getting prepared for the new way of living.

How to bring in the New World

I’ve thought about how far I want to go in the action plan for bringing in the New World based on Abundance. The list can be quite detailed and elaborate, but I already wrote several posts in the Spiritual Money category and I don’t like repeating myself. So if you are interested in bringing in more abundance in your personal life, please check those articles. You may also enjoy posts in the Law of Attraction category.

Here is a skinny of the more “big picture” approach to the New World:

1. Work on your own abundance awareness before going out to help the needy. Check if you are buying into the false beliefs of scarcity and limitation and let them go. If you go out to help the “needy” before doing this, you may actually be reinforcing the social illusion, effectively keeping the poor where they are.

2. Spend time in nature. Many people find this is an effective way to cultivate the abundance awareness. Nature is always so abundant.

3. For your personal abundance, think of flow rather than specific amount of money. Wishing for, say a billion dollars, is usually a sign of scarcity thoughts.

4. Think of the New World of love and peace, where there are no borders. Borders and other various rules are enforced to keep the illusion of scarcity. Think in terms of Love, Light, and Truth rather than in terms of existing, conventional rules and regulations. How can you cooperate and share so we can all live in abundance?

What do you think of my vision of the New World? Please share your thoughts in the comment. Thank you. (Photo by carf)

1. Our genes (DNAs) determine who we are, including our health and characters. 
2. The nucleus of the cell (the part that contains DNAs) is like the brain of the cell, so the cell dies immediately when the nucleus is removed. 
3. Cells can sense only chemical changes in their environment, so energy healing has no scientific basis. 

Answer: They are all false. 

Shattering the scientific myths 

Dr. Bruce Lipton, who taught cell biology at University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and did research work at Stanford University, shatters the popular myths such as these in his The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, & Miracles, which is written for laypersons.  

The fatalistic view of our genes like #1 is common not only among laypersons but also among doctors.  However, Bruce Lipton explains how certain proteins work as an on-off switch to DNAs and how environmental factors, including our own beliefs, can create such switches.  Genes are only computer programs — information entered to the program determines the outcome, and we, as operators, have the key to choose which data to be entered. 

He then shows us how the cell membrane is the true smart guy that sense the signals and also responds to them.  DNA is like the CD disk of the software; once you installed the program, you don’t need it until you need to re-install it.  So the cell can survive quite a long while without the DNAs while the day to day, or second to second survival of the cell relies on the membrane’s sensing and responding function.  

The cell membrane has receptors not only for chemical signals (from foods, drugs, internally-produced chemicals such as hormones, etc.) but for vibrational signals as well. (page 53)  This is a critical fact in considering the effectiveness of the energy healing as well as the effect of our thoughts and feelings on our wellbeing.  

Quantum physics and new biology 

Then he moves on to physics.  This is necessary because he is talking about cell level biology, which is all about chemical reactions, and chemistry is based on physics — physics is the basis of all science.  The astonishing fact is — Bruce Lipton introduces us to quantum physics!

Gee, I thought quantum physics was considered to be a quark pseudo science.  Quantum physics is accepted in the academics?  

Bruce Lipton is firm in maintaining the new cell biology cannot be adequately explained by Newtonian physics — quantum physics understanding is essential.  Which means, matter and energy are one and the same, and we are all interconnected.  Ah, so spiritual, isn’t it?

After reading this book, I went to my local Borders bookstore and walked through the aisle of science.  I so wish I could understand these physics books!  There are even books about potential time travel written by serious scientist!!  We laypersons are left behind in the dark ages.  We need more scientists like Bruce Lipton who can explain new science in our terms.

Biology and belief

The climax of the book is chapter 5, Biology and Belief.  I had to put down the book so many times to take my breath.  If I weren’t reading it in Starbucks, I would have screamed and run around, too.  It is loaded with clinically proven cases in which belief played the critical part in healing (or death): 

• Knee arthritis patients who received fake surgery recovered just as well as patients who received real surgery.  (Both groups received the same post-operation care, including exercise.)  They believed they received real treatment, and that was enough to throw away their canes and play basketball with their grandchildren.  
• In depth analysis of FDA data shows antidepressant pills did not outperform the sugar pills.  The reason the depression patients got better was because they believed the pill would help.  (Don’t ask me why then those pills got approved by FDA.)
• A case of a cancer patient who died some time after the initial treatment, as expected with this type of cancer.  However, the autopsy revealed he didn’t die of cancer — meaning he died because he, along with the doctors, believed he would die.  

So you can kill someone if you can convince them what they swallowed was a poison.  It would be a perfect murder because doctors won’t be able to identify the cause of death.  Belief is this powerful.  

What I like about Dr Bruce Lipton and The Biology Of Belief

This book is a great resource to gain the scientific understanding of energy and information healing, or what some would call miracles.  It’s an eye-opener and I strongly recommend it even if you are not particularly interested in science. 

His view of positive belief affecting our reality can be considered the scientific ground for the Law of Attraction, at least when it comes to health and happiness. 

I love the author’s attitude that “there cannot be exceptions to a theory; exceptions simply mean that a theory is not fully correct.”  (page 96)  Whether it’s a placebo effect or never-heard-of type soul shifting, this is the truly scientific approach.  Don’t dismiss the exceptions as messy flukes.  (Sorry about putting in my own promotion, but this is something I feel strongly about. Defending the theory by dismissing the cases that the theory fail to cover is very UN-scientific.) 

How to change your belief in the subconscious mind

Bruce Lipton explains that there are actually two minds in us, the subconscious and the conscious, and the subconscious mind runs the show of our life most of the time.  So when the response is not desirable, whether it is ill health conditions or inappropriate behaviors, it is critical to change the subconscious response pattern.  

The trouble is, we can’t change the subconscious by reasoning things out.  The subconscious mind is like an automated computer program, so we need to reprogram it.  It’s like my word-processing software automatically correcting my spelling.  Most of the time it’s fine, but there are certain words I use that are not in the software’s dictionary, and when the program corrects it, it irritates me.  And I can’t fix this problem by talking to my computer.  I need to take action to get it learn the new words.  

How can we do the same to our subconscious mind?  Bruce Lipton mentions PSYCH-K.  But there are other effective methods to reprogram the subconscious mind, including EFT and hypnosis.  I guess introducing all kinds of reprograming methodology is outside the scope of this book, so we need to explore this further ourselves. 

Bruce Lipton is in the movie What If?, so you might like to check it out too.  

What do you think about the new science uncovering the mystery of life in such an unexpected way?  Please share your thoughts in the comment.