Paradigms

This has been a subject near and dear to my heart for many years.  Way back in the late 1980's, I saw a video called "Paradigm".  In it, the discussion was about how people and companies that adapted moved on, while those that didn't often got lost in history.

Look at Kodak, a once major player that's been left in the dust by  digital cameras.  The paradigm shifted and I'm not so sure they kept up with the changing times.

If you're not too young, think back to the days of using carbon paper to make duplicates of something you needed to write.  I remember as a kid, that was some pretty fun stuff to play with.  Copiers were barely around at that time.  Printers and computers were nothing like we have today.  If someone would have said, "but carbon paper works just fine," that paradigm would have left them in history's dust.

That's a paradigm...

I heard a story about Thomas Edison wanting to "light" a town in Southwest Florida where he spent the winters.  The people were so scared of this new form of "lighting" that they would not have anything to do with it.  Of course, we look back and scoff at the thought that these light bulbs are so unsafe that we would never want them in our homes.  That's a paradigm!

At one time in the medical world, the paradigm was that washing hands was unnecessary. In fact, those that proposed the concept were laughed at.  Also in medical history, they thought that "blood" in the body or humors as they called it, was something you had to get out with the use of leaches.  We now know of course that blood is essential to our functioning.  It was a paradigm that fortunately went away.

Many things we believe...

There are many things that we believe as paradigms in our life.  While some of these beliefs can be helpful, all too often the paradigms get in the way of our discovery and awareness, thereby stopping our growth.  We get so entrenched with our paradigms and beliefs that we cannot see beyond where we are.

I see this in the world of religion, healing, and new age.  It is alive and well in the medical world.  We grasp on to that which has been regurgitated to us, but we don't go in and truly evaluate and challenge our beliefs and paradigms.  We end up holding ourselves back.  We end up holding others back that follow what we say.

Paradigms can be a good foundation to build on, but they should never be all that we see.  In order to survive among our own paradigms and beliefs, we have to challenge everything.  If it withstands the challenge through time, we have something solid to grasp.  If it does not, it means we need to look at our paradigms from another angle because we are most likely missing a key point.

Don't get locked into your paradigms.  They never serve you well.  Push yourself beyond what you think is true and right and all that there is.  Don't settle for what you've already come to understand.

Push yourself into the areas beyond that point.  This is what helps a human become all they can be and grow into a person that has much more potential.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly

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Do Antidepressants Work

I'm not a big believer in medication or pills of any kind.  I never have been and that started way back when I was a little kid.  Even in my career with animals, I always tried to find other ways to treat sick animals and keep them well without using medication and vaccines.  We live in an over-medicated society both with humans and animals.

While I am not a big supporter of medications, I do believe there are times that we need things to help us through difficult times of our life.  As I say that, I'm perplexed because what one person thinks is a bad time versus how another person sees these difficult moments is so different that I think it is hard to be objective.

Do Antidepressants work?  

Are Antidepressants bad ?  

These are tough questions and what I write is not necessarily based upon objective scientific research data that I can summarize.  It is based upon my own life's experiences.  I'm not speaking from a pie-in-the-sky concept, but one that has helped me in my own life. 

Do Antidepressants Work?

It depends upon who you talk to if antidepressants work.  Pharmaceutical companies and many medical doctors will claim they work with data to back up their claims.  Others in the new age or alternative industry will claim that they do very little.  Some people will claim they are nothing more than the placebo effect.

Keep in mind that the pharmaceutical companies are trying to market and make a profit off of the antidepressants.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it has gotten carried away in our day and age.  I personally feel too many medical professionals are compromised because there is far too much money and perks thrown at them by the pharmaceutical companies.  Most likely there is a great deal of peer pressure as well and many individuals also demand that their doctors give them these medications.

Some people will state that you can do the same with your mind that the antidepressant can do in your mind.  While I don't discount that, it is far more difficult for people who are severely depressed to do this on their own will and accord.  When you are in that deep state of depression, nothing matters in life and changing how your mind sees things is not something you can easily do.

Are Antidepressants Bad For You

There are many side effects from taking antidepressants and they are not fun.  Ask anyone taking medications about side effects and most likely they will tell you how awful they are.  I fully believe that any drug or pill or medication you take that alters one system in the body, damages or degrades or alters another system in the body.

If we were meant to take these pills like this, I think we would have been born with them in our hands.  On the other hand, we do have doctors that exist to help us through life's problems.  I just don't believe you can categorically state that antidepressants are bad for you overall.  It depends upon the person.

One horrible mistake we make in our society with medications and antidepressants is that we look to them as the treat-all and end-all for our condition.  We gulp them down as if this tiny drug will magically make our life better and we in no way need to do anything else to help change our life.  We don't change our ways.  We don't alter what we do.  We just take the pill and go on about our life with the same patterns, choices, and awareness that brought us to this point.

While some new age and alternative therapies want to act as if all antidepressants are bad, they are forgetting one thing.  The individual that does not have the tools or the resources to help them through a rough part of life, needs something that will help temporarily.  The individual needs something to be able to get back on their feet and in lieu of the tools or resources, antidepressants can help.  Again, I say this with the assumption that the individual is seeking out other ways to work on their life and making choices that lifts them into a different awareness in life.

My Experience With Antidepressants

When I went through Conversion Disorder, my doctor wanted to put me on medication.  I fought him hard on this because my family told me that the doctors would brainwash me if I went on medication.  So, my doctor made a deal with me that we would try it my way (without antidepressants and medication) and if it didn't work, we would try it his way.  I made it all the way until I was discharged from the hospital and once the real world hit me, I had no choice but to go on medications.

I had unusual experiences with antidepressants where I didn't know what to expect, but I thought the sensations and feelings I was getting after being on the medications for a few weeks were somehow bad for me.  Little did I know that this is how life was supposed to be and without antidepressants, I would have never discovered that part of life.  They helped me so much but at the same time, I was doing extensive therapy work on myself.  I was not just relying on the drugs and medications to be a magic wand.  I did not stay on these for more than 2 or 3 years which I think is a good thing.

Fast-forward many years where more was beginning to surface in my life and each day I was seeking ways to actively commit suicide.  I started seeing a therapist and she suggested that I start taking antidepressants again.  At this point in my life, they helped me deal with what was going on so that I would stop trying to kill myself.  It was then that I could focus more on therapy and working through the issues I had to deal with in my life.  Without antidepressants, I'm not sure I would be alive.

As I have continued my healing in this life, I have found other ways to deal with depression, anxiety, and all the issues I have had to deal with throughout my life.  It is a different form of work, but one that takes you deep internally and makes the connection between what you feel in the body and how the mind connects to it.  It has been a challenging process, but one that now allows me the tools to deal with what comes up, even if I sink down into despair for a short period of time.

Our Choices With Antidepressants

We all have to make choices in how we treat ourselves and what paradigms we hold on to or let go of in our life.  We can embrace a medication lifestyle or we can embrace a life where we get to know ourselves intimately in an internal sort of way.  The answers we need are not in a pill, medication, procedure or the advice of some other person.  These things may help us get to the answers, but ultimately the answers are within us.  We just have to stop and find them!  Unfortunately today in our society, we fail to go inside for the answers.

Feel free to ask questions if you want and I will try to answer them from my own experience.  No matter what, if you are in a bad spot in life, please seek help.  Get informed so that you make the best choices for your life.

This blog post is not medical advice.  It is more about my experience and what worked for me.  You need to seek the advice of a medical professional before making any decisions based upon the information I have shared in this blog post.

You may also want to check out my book that details some of what I went through in life.  I am working on a second book that shares a different side of the torture and trauma I experienced.  Check out my book on Amazon, Hope And Possibility Through Trauma.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2016 by Don Shetterly

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Fact And Fiction

Some days life perplexes me.  I see people following things that just don't make sense to me.  Whether it is new age practices or politics or some belief system, I find it difficult to understand.  In my eyes, too much of it doesn't add up, but maybe I'm missing something.

I see people following a sales page for some product and exclaiming the item works miracles.  Unfortunately, I don't see any hard based evidence to back this up, other than what they think it is doing.  Then, the claims that it is the best miracle since life began are regurgitated and spread around as fact.

I see people following belief systems that don't add up.  They may have some nice things in them and some very believable things, but they aren't all there in my view.  It is like, sprinkling some sugar on a doughnut.  It might make it taste better, but is it really needed for the doughnut.   Maybe 50% of it is based upon things that are true and the other 50% of it is based upon what the person or group thinks is true.

I see people following politics and news items of the day that make me really roll my eyes.  It is like their political view or their political candidate is the true one - the right one - the one with all the answers.  They degrade and shred all the others using name calling to prove their points.  In fact, most don't even realize they are calling names.  It has become such a common every day practice.  No one tries to listen to another and in all reality, the politicians have hoodwinked everyone.

We have to be careful in what we believe and follow.  Some of it is just pure horse pucky.  Some of it gets so lost in the stuff that isn't true that it makes it hard to sort out what is true.  Facts and fiction become one and the same.

Most of what is said in a day is not necessarily fact, but we all treat it as fact.  Too much of it is opinion coated with a sprinkling of facts.

It is time that we all start watching what we say and question our own words and intentions.  If we're not careful, we'll have people following what we say as if it were the foundation of all life, when in fact it might be nothing more than quick sand.

There are probably times on this blog that I make the same mistake, but I try hard to let you know when it is my opinion or belief.  I try to separate that from fact.

It is all part of being human and there are the people that try to separate fact from fiction, all the way down to the snake oil salesman.  Unfortunately these days the snake oil salesman are getting quite crafty and sneaky.  Its sometimes very hard to tell them apart from those who truly do understand fact and fiction.

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Do Not Question

I've seen it since I was a kid in churches, in my home and around the world I grew up in.  I now see it in many of these companies online, especially the ones that do affiliate marketing.  Allowing anyone to give the slightest hint of questioning a company is like the worst sin you can commit.

All you have to do is look up a review on most products on the internet and I dare you to find one that isn't flattering and positive.  Yes, there might be some, but you don't see the honest review of what a product is all about in most searches. 

I was even forced to take down a blog post as an affiliate on a product and that angered me to no end.  I had no choice.  It was either take it down or risk considerable income.  There was no debate, no appeal and no one listened when I raised my concerns.

Yet, in my case, the blog post started out with the appearance that it was a negative review of the company, but if you read it all the way through, then you would see that it was actually a good post.  It showed the journey I took and transformation, which included some of the very same questions everyone else is asking.  The company and product missed the sales boat because of their own narrow mindedness.

Group Think

I'm always amazed at humans and society.  We know how to bring others into line with group think.  Sure, you can say what you want and we have a freedom (at least in this country) to say what we want, but if it goes against group think, there will be heck to pay.  It may be in politics or religions or in the job, community, or family.

Before you think that you don't participate in this, try saying something in your circle of people that goes against what they think or believe.  See how far you get before you get the rolling of the eyes, the clicking of the shocked faces or the silence of the key people.  See how long it takes before you notice how people look at you differently or out of disbelief.  See how long it takes before they gang up and smack you down?  Even in the groups that say they don't do this!

We have so many ways that we keep our circle in life within our means of what we want to hear, believe, speak, or think.  It happens every day.  Virtually no one is immune or able to hold this off.

In jobs, they want the best and the brightest, but when it comes to a differing opinion, they often want you to not share that with the boss.  After all, he/she doesn't understand what you all do, so it is far easier to just keep it between you and your immediate group and not rock the boat.

Bless The Misguided New Age People

I know, if you're a new age person, you might not agree with me on this.  So, I'll keep it respectful and thoughtful, but there is a point I want to make and its important.  Bless the misguided new age people for they don't fully understand what it is they do and say.

Now, before you get all up in arms with me, please know that this isn't every new age person.  Although, the numbers it effects are many.  If it makes you uncomfortable, you're free to stop reading.  If not, please continue.  You can always leave a comment at the end of the blog post one way or the other.

There is just too much thought out there that "everything" is bad for you.  If it isn't food, it is thoughts.  If it isn't thoughts, it is what you say.  If it isn't what you say, than it is entities and things watching you and a whole host of things that would take me forever to state here.

The key is, not everything is BAD!  While some things may not be as healthy or good for you, to view the world through the eyes where things are "BAD" or "EVIL" or "SHAMEFUL" is really sad in my view.  If you don't think you do this, then you may want to record yourself for a day and review it.

Snake Oil Or New Age Miracles

These days I see so many things out there that make me eyes roll in amazement.  So many people claim to have new age miracles, but in many ways I think it looks more like snake oil salesman.  You might think that is harsh and you may think I'm way off base.  Of course, you are entitled to your opinion as I am.

People often look at someone who can talk big and mighty as a person of authority.  They assume and give credibility to these people without ever so much as exercising all the brain cells of common sense.  It is almost like their brains shut down and they feed upon every word as it is the living morsel of truth in the universe.  I know, I'm making a lot of flowery speech here, but I'm doing it to help illustrate my point.

Unfortunately, the claims that many make about new age miracles, cures, and practices are not backed up by science or even by an authentic measurement.  Often it is gut feeling or some limited observations of who they have witnessed gaining from a treatment or cure they gave them.  While I know full and well, that it is sometimes hard to measure everything that happens when it comes to healing, some new age practices don't even attempt to try.

Fallacies Of New Age Practices

New Age Healing Practices can be great and wonderful and so effective. At their core, they are pure and focused on what healing is all about. However, all too often, these practices take on a structure that alters the healing and forms it into something that is more of an institution. I have watched from a distance how this unfolds in so many new age healing practices.

Even though we have the best intentions in the world, it seems like we fall prey to the inadequacies within ours self as healers. We bypass the things that make sense to us deep within our gut and body, for the ability to have as many people connections as we can. We become an organization, complete with followers, rather than stay completely true to ourselves. I am sure that the most noble of healers come to this crossroads at some point in their path and hopefully they have their eyes open wide enough to see where their path becomes derailed.

So what are the fallacies of new age healing practices?

1) Telling a great story that draws people in, where they are mesmerized to the point of signing up for just about anything you are offering that night, regardless of how it truly connects with them.

2) Claiming that you are the only one with these abilities, healing practices or that they have been delivered personally to you from some named entity. Please note, that I know we all pick up on things and there are probably some supernatural experiences but this claim is made way too quickly these days without explanation or a testing of the facts. I'm sorry if I am raining on anyone's parade but this is beginning to get out of hand in the new age world.

3) Appearing as if you have all the answers to whatever issue comes your way. It seems like it is a rarity to hear a healer say, "I'm sorry, but I've got no idea how to help you and this is probably beyond my scope of practice." I've witnessed this deficiency over and over all the time in various people, organizations and practices.

4) Spending more of your time developing classes and giving lectures, seminars or writing books and materials versus the time that you are actually working to help heal people. Sure, I understand that maybe your path involves teaching others but if you aren't doing the work on a consistent basis, than how can you claim it is helping others? Students of your work may or may not prove that your work is helping to heal others.

5) Doing the work on others but doing nothing on yourself or not participating in trades with others. How can we heal others if we don't continually work on ourselves? That seems very inauthentic to me!

6) If you are not able to sustain yourself with your work than there is a lack of authenticity to what you do. At first when you are starting out, this may be the case but if your life is helping others, I fully believe the universe will respond appropriately.

7) The amount of money you charge or don't charge is a fallacy of new age practices. I have seen people ask the universe for abundance and then yet, they do not ask for any payment from their clients. I recently read something by a friend that stated how much this puts the healing relationship out of balance. On the other hand, I have seen healers charge exorbitant fees for their services claiming that they are worth every cent. Somehow, I have a difficult time believing the universe looks at this as normal. After all, the people that most likely need the healing the most aren't the one with big pocket books!

8) Only communicating with those that regularly see you may limit the amount of contacts you make in a month but they often leave behind those that need the moment of connection. I believe that communication is not just when you are in the office being treated but in those times when life is so very difficult. It is part of the healing process and part of being authentic. It is not just about communication that is convenient for the healer.

9) Realizing that not all clients progress at the same rates or on a linear progression. As healers, we most likely are not on a linear progression in our evolution. Depending upon what a person has gone through, it may take considerable time to truly unravel the intricacies of traumatic moments in their life. When the damage is great to an individual, so is the time it takes to heal, process and heal some more. If it becomes too much in too short of a time, it can overwhelm the person to the point of break down. Be patient with your clients and try not to put unnecessary burdens of expectations on them.

10) Each healing modality that you do or are aware of has only so much provable truth within it and the rest is what you and your mind or other followers derive. While that may serve you well at times, you need to recognize that there are limits. Many times, what we feel is effective is nothing more than a placebo, yet we fail to allow our self to see this. By doing that, we do more harm than we do good to our clients.


As healers, we must realize we are human and that it is not about being perfect or being put on a pedestal that makes us effective. Effective healing is about being as true to our self as we can in the moment we are at in our life. However this takes shape and form is entirely appropriate as long as we are true and honest with our self and evolving in awareness.


Further Reading:
1) Illusions In Healing (Blog Post, Mar 10, 2011)
2) Abundance Or Wealth (Blog Post, Jun 30, 2011)




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We Hear What We Want To Hear

I look around the world of humans and I see so much evidence of what humans want to hear is what they actually hear. Yes, we give lip service in our world to being open to other ideas and holding the space for others and being there but in many ways, we hear what we want to hear. Please note, that I use the word "we" and "they" collectively to represent humans as a whole.

Whether it is in politics, religious circles, new age healing practices or every day life, our ears are tuned into what makes us feel good, not what is actually being spoken or transmitted. With the internet, we bombard ourselves with so much noisy communication that we just numb ourselves a little further into the reality of illusions.

Take for instance, the news pundits on TV. Do you think they truly sit there for a minute listening to the other side of the issue? I would suggest that they do not. Their position is already determined and is one of the reasons they are brought on the news show. If the pundits from both sides of the issue listened and agreed, most viewers would turn the TV off or switch the channel. We hear what we want to hear!

Observe the recent Quran burning by Dove Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida. I'm not going to attempt to get into the right and wrong of this event because there are many in the world screaming one way or another on this. What I want to point out though is that neither side is listening to the other. They have no intentions of listening to the other side. They don't care what the other side thinks as long as the other side comes around to their way of thinking. Again, what "we" hear is what "we" want to hear.

Often times we encounter moments in our life where we hear things from others that challenge us and make us step into a world that is not comfortable to us. Instead of wanting to hear these things, we often run back to our corner and hide where it is safe. Yet, we then continue to ask for guidance or blessings from whoever our source in life is, when it is standing right there before our eyes. Once again, we hear what we want to hear.

There are moments, that we ask and question all that is around us. We feel that we don't have the answers we need to move forward in life. Life becomes difficult and we struggle. Instead of going into ourselves and listening to that which we know is there, we seek answers out from all kinds of new age people, to ministers and churches, and to things such as numbing substances we consume. Instead of hearing the answers within ourselves, we hear what we want to hear and we don't hear that which we don't want to hear.

Yes, it makes us feel safe if someone tells us something we should do and it makes us feel valuable if we tell someone something that they should do. While there can be value to that, if we are not careful, we are giving up our power to something that is not whole and pure. I'm not denying that other people have insights and can help us find our way through the maze of life, but we have to be careful in what is being said.

Outside of learning to listen to others and hearing what is actually being said, we need to open ourselves to how we have built walls up to surround ourselves. Through the pureness of love, we need to open our arms to others that we don't want to hear and to things in our own life that we do not want to hear. They are our building blocks to greater awareness and evolving as a human is meant to evolve.

What if, instead of trying to tell the person what they should do, you actually just walk hand in hand with them so that they will find what it is they need to do? How about actually listening to what a person is saying without thinking of your position and how you will respond? What if you could just be there in that moment with another or yourself and allow the discomfort to push you forward rather than running for cover in your hiding place?

As I have written, we hear what we want to hear, and we do this not only with others but ourselves. We need to open our minds, our hearts and our ears to how this fits us in our life. It is more than what the "other" people do around us or what our "clients" and our "friends and family" fail to see.

It is about how we view the world and how we hear what truly is being spoken. For if we only hear what we want to hear, then we are not only holding our own evolution back but we are a drag on the rest of humanity.



Blog Post & Images (c) 4/02/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
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Clutter In Our Life, Part 10

Clutter #10 - We Fail To Evolve
Part 10 of 10

All too often, we settle for what is expected of us in a day as dictated by what we were taught growing up, by what society emphasizes and what we allow our minds to focus on. If your life is not changing constantly for the better and if you are not getting those ahh haa moments frequently in your week, than you might just be standing at the edge of the mud puddle rather than wading through it.

All too often, we focus on treating the symptoms of life and engaging in things that have no bearing upon us becoming all we can be as humans. We settle for second best and we continue to search for answers when in fact, what we need is located within us.

The problem is that we don't go inside and become completely acquainted with every part of our being. The things that scare us or trip us up become bad parts that we lock up in cages. The things that make us uncomfortable, we try to avoid. The feelings that frighten us or the pains that haunt us are ones that we run to others asking that they explain and take them away.

Evolving as humans and becoming all we can be is about going deep inside and discovering every part of yourself that you can. It is about connecting the thoughts, feelings, emotions and fears to the places they reside in the body so that you will be able to let them go.

Many people try to fool themselves in many ways but in the end, if you don't deal with these things in your life, they will deal with you. You can wrap them in fancy religious or new age terms all you want but at the end of your days, you will find you just lived life as an illusion.

The more we feel, sense and become aware of in our body, the more we live life to the fullest. When we live life to the fullest, it is then that we are becoming more conscious and evolving into the next phase of our life.

Come back tomorrow for the 30 day challenge of this series, Clutter In Our Life. Below are the various parts to this series that you can read as well.

Clutter In Our Life Series
- Introduction
Part 1: Spending our hours watching TV news
Part 2: Keeping Ourselves Constantly Busy
Part 3: Numbing Ourselves
Part 4: Following Blindly
Part 5: Food Choices
Part 6: Health care, Doctors, and Medicine
Part 7: Hydrating Our Bodies
Part 8: Thinking We Have The Answers
Part 9: Exercise Is For Another Day
Part 10: We Fail To Evolve
- The 30 Day Challenge


Blog Post & Images (c) 3/20/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Clutter In Our Life, Part 4

Clutter #4 - Following Blindly
Part 4 of 10

All too often, we follow what someone tells us to follow. Whether it is in a church, a new age movement, some political party or leader or family member or you name it, we listen to it as humans. While some of these people may or may not directly tell you what to believe, indirectly the message is loud and clear.

Many people claim to think on their own but if they stepped outside of their own ego and pride, they would see just what they truly listened to. All too often, we do not feel secure in what it is that we need for our lives so we feed off of that which others give us.

When we do this, we become less than human. I know many people are most likely thinking that they don't really do this but in all reality, become the observer and take a close look at your own life.

Come back tomorrow for part 5 of this series, Clutter In Our Life. Below are the various parts to this series that you can read as well.

Clutter In Our Life Series
- Introduction
Part 1: Spending our hours watching TV news
Part 2: Keeping Ourselves Constantly Busy
Part 3: Numbing Ourselves
Part 4: Following Blindly
Part 5: Food Choices
Part 6: Health care, Doctors, and Medicine
Part 7: Hydrating Our Bodies
Part 8: Thinking We Have The Answers
Part 9: Exercise Is For Another Day
Part 10: We Fail To Evolve
- The 30 Day Challenge


Blog Post & Images (c) 3/20/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Illusions In Healing

I am often amazed at how people, especially healers or people in the new age therapies or religious people of faith, respond to others when they are working to find their footing on the path of their life. So often, these people are inundated with statements from people that they did not solicit or that may not necessarily be helpful in the long run. The people giving the statements feel that they must say these things and so they do willingly and without stopping to consider what they are saying.

Lately, I've heard some whoppers being told to others and while there may be an element of truth to them, so much of what is said boils down to nothing more than belief, rather than truth based assistance. So many times in this world, the inhabitants fail to understand what truth really is while disguising truth with their own belief system. At the end of the day, if we are not careful to fully understand the difference, we not only hinder the advance of evolution and awareness along but sometimes in fact, we make it more difficult for others to find their way.

I grew up in a home where religious stuff was as rigid as a board and that if you did not believe this way, there was not only something wrong with you but that you were going to hell. There was no half way point, no discussion of ideas and no acceptance of anything that fell outside the realm of what was being taught in the religious setting. It was their way or the highway. You didn't get the chance to go in and check it out deep within you as that was not allowed. You were brought into the fold by accepting the truths of these people or cast out by your nonacceptance.

As I ventured into the healing word and the new age world, I have seen this play over and over again. All too often, I hear "truths" that are nothing more than beliefs. All too often, I see how people inwardly and silently roll their eyes if you don't agree with their set of beliefs. I see the beliefs and truths regurgitated at will without any real questioning as if they really have solid evidence or not. In the new age movement and the healing world, there are many who eschew religious institutions but yet, in many ways they are subscribing to the same procedure of a belief system. The only thing different is they are putting different labels, feelings, emotions and thought processes with it. At its root base or the core of what is being taught, the same practices are being transmitted to others.

Yes, I do know there are legitimate people out there doing work that actually evolves the human awareness and consciousness. Unfortunately, there are a vast majority of people who are into what I call the whooo whooo, no reality based practices. Please don't get me wrong because I am not saying that you cannot venture into the unknown and in fact I think the unknown is a vital part of life. The part I take strong disagreement with is when the whooo whooo becomes reality replaces the truth with a belief system. It is at that point, where these practices become dangerous and hurtful to others along their path.

Consider the following example for a moment. If you saw someone hanging off the edge of the cliff and their fingers were slowly slipping, what would you do? Before you answer this, consider some of the things that if someone was struggling in life, you would hear in a potential group of healers or religious people.

"You just need to think positive and imagine yourself being rescued."
"Just pray about it."
"You need to consider what the reason of this is."
"God has a reason for everything."
"Don't get angry or upset and fight this."
"Look at the good side of this, the happy side."
"Think happy thoughts."
"Don't take this frustration you have and turn it inward."
"It will get better."

I could go on and on forever with these statements and most of them I've heard recently. Now most of you would say, if a person is hanging over a cliff, you wouldn't say these things to them but you would either go get help, offer them a rope or help lift them back up to safety. It would seem logical and you're probably wondering what these statements have to do with pulling someone from safety.

Yet, if you think about it, when someone's life is struggling, instead of many people really being there for someone, we offer them pieces of yarn to help pull themselves back up. That is as far as we go and all the time, the person is slipping away off the cliff. We think we've given them something to help pull themselves up when in fact all we have given them is a flimsy piece of yarn that will not do much for them. It may give them an illusion that there is a rope to hang on to but most likely it will not hold their weight. So when they grab on to it, they will let go of the only grasp they have to the cliff and fall off into space. Of course at some point, the fall will be stopped by the earth but it will hurt and they will need to struggle all the harder to climb back up the cliff.

All too often, we fail to fully uncover and unearth that within us that holds us from truly connecting with others and being a light unto their path. We sometimes think we are giving them a lifeline of rope when we are not able to see that we are only giving others a piece of yarn. Until we learn how to open our own eyes and go deep within through our own fears and pains of the past, will we ever be there for others. We can give others the illusion that we are truly there for them and in fact we can give ourselves the illusion as well but until we understand that it is an illusion, it is nothing more than a magic trick.

Each one of us has the responsibility to become all we can be and evolve in awareness and consciousness. While we may not fully understand what all that means, it is our responsibility to go further in life and be all that we can be. We all have a path to walk and if we are just standing on the path, we are not walking forward. Until we recognize and realize that the pains and the fears we hold are motivating forces, we will stay stuck in the illusions of what we give to our self and what we give to others.



Blog Post & Images (c) 2/25/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Judgment Is For Those That Want To Be Judged

Judgment Is For Those That Want To Be Judged - That's the first tweet I sent out on my new twitter account @mindbodythought . While it may seems pretty straight forward, there have been multiple instances lately where people felt it was their duty, responsibility and life mission to judge me. Yet, in most of the circumstances, I found it to be disrespectful and hurtful. These people did not see it that way of course.

I have been wondering with curiosity just why this same scenario has played out more than once. It seems peculiar to me and so I have stopped and let my mind think on this. Maybe it is just coincidence that it happened so many times all of the sudden but somehow, I believe when things like this repeat, there is a reason for it. In this case, it is either something I am supposed to learn or something I am clearing out from my life and moving on.

Growing up, we lived in a very judgmental house which went to a very judgmental church and just about everything I heard every day was in some way judging others. If it was not something one person was doing that my family did not like, it was some other instance or event or person, place or thing. It really did not matter what it was but it was almost like judging others around us was as important as breathing.

This of course carried on to church where the minister and people of the church sat in constant judgment of its members. You were taught to believe and act in certain ways lest ye not be judged! Yet, didn't the Bible say, "judge not, lest ye be judged". I guess that part of the bible must not have had as much importance. Oh sure, if you went in and confronted everyone about this, no one would acknowledge or understand that they were judging anyone. In fact, you would be the one feeling wrong and out of place if you ever attempted to bring this subject up.

You were taught not to question the authority in the church and to just accept it as if it was as true as the words you read in the bible. In many ways, how you viewed what was written in the bible and spoken in church was through the method of what the church said was right and anything you believed must match up to their interpretation of said beliefs. As much as the church wanted you to think that you were using your own free will and your own brain to evaluate things, those that did not believe and follow the church were not close with the rest of the members. It was very subtle but very profound in how this happened.

Many people do this very same thing today in our society. Often no one is even aware they are doing it because it is so common place for them. Churches do it without flinching and even the members of the church would not even recognize it if a billboard was placed up in front of their church. It of course carries over into politics, society, family, laws, friendships, relationships and just about anything that we do. It is such a part of our fabric and yet in many ways, when we judge others, we sit in judgment of ourselves.

I have even seen some new age philosophies and healing practices that have worked hard to not be the same as a church or to believe in what the church believes. However, these same people are doing some of the same things but they just give it different names and more enlightened subjects. Of course, if you tried to bring it to their attention, you would be met with a force and resistance like no one has ever seen. Much of these new age movements involve sitting in judgment of others but doing so through a very subtle way. They appear as if they hold the answers to what is going to happen or to how you should live your life or even what healing modalities that you should use. Unfortunately, because people have been so conditioned to being judged and not trusting their own brain, intuition and insight, they follow these new age leaders with passion.

It is not just church either. Take any of the news pundits on TV from any of the news channels. You will see dynamic, out spoken people that appear to be authorities on how you should view politics, the news and the world. They expound upon these ideals, write books, give speeches and are constantly critical of everything taking place they do not agree with. At no time, do you see these people truly sitting down and listening to another person's point of view that is opposing to their view. Sure, they all have some poll or evidence or passion to back up what they say but when you get down to it, there is a strong judgment being rendered against anyone who does not believe in the way that they do.

We all need to take a step back as individuals and as a society or even as a world and evaluate how we are judging others around us. It may be through our thoughts or actions. It might be through our words or our silence. We may feel it is our God given right to let people know how they are failing in life according to our standards and beliefs. Just because a person says nice things or says things that seem to have an element of truth to them does not necessarily make these statements worthy of giving away our power.

At the beginning of this, I said that sometimes when situations arise, it makes me go in and question it with curiosity. I'm not exactly sure why these situations keep arising for me but one thing I am learning is that I do not have to respond to them. If someone has been brainwashed into believing what they believe, you are not going to change their mind. They are fixated on these things and the forces within these belief systems is strong. Yes, I know there are times that I really want to respond but if I did so, I would end up doing nothing different than what these people are doing to me. If I do not want to be judged, than it makes sense that I should not sit there in judgment.

We all have to answer for our own lives and the choices or decisions we make. The more we question our beliefs and our actions in life, the more we will truly come to know who we are as humans and as individuals. The answers to our questions in life do not come from others who are charismatic or who seem to hold the answers. The answers come from within us. The answers are part of who we are and all we need to do is to seek them out. Of course, you can search for them in churches, in new age philosophies, in the media or in many other places but at the end of the day, what matters is what you find within your mind and your body and your spirit.


For Further Reading:
1) Ask Questions Within
2) Are You Brainwashed



Blog Post & Images (c) 1/21/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

What Do You Believe?

Sometimes people believe in many things and yet there are things that don't fit into their view box of the way life should be. We as humans tend to discount those things or we put rules in place to keep them at a safe distance. People in churches, new age philosophies, rulers, government officials and ordinary people do this all this all the time. Much of the time, it goes unnoticed by the people who subscribe to these rules and beliefs.

Yes, there are things being expounded upon that really do not hold up to the test of time. However, to pick and choose what is proper for others to believe or accept is different for all of us. We should not all be the same. Yet, too often in our world we push everyone to be in lockstep with the mainstream society or with the subculture we are part of.

Each of us must find the truth within ourselves. We must go in and feel it within our body. When we find the existence of it deep within ourselves and we can connect with that biologically, we have found a truth for our life. This requires us to become more aware and more conscious of all parts of our life. If we sit only at the surface of our life, we will not travel inward through all the parts of our life. To not travel within, is keeping us from truly knowing our self and finding our truth.

What we believe is what we have discovered to this point in our life. Some of the these things will become our foundation to further understanding while some will not. We must never stop searching and growing in our life. We must never stop challenging all we hold sacred so we don't make the error of becoming anything less than human and what we possibly can become.


Blog Post & Images (c) 12/6/10 Don Shetterly - use by permission only

How Awake Are We?

How awake are we? This is an important question to ask one's self. I'm not referring to hitting the alarm clock and pulling ourselves out of bed to start our day. I'm not referring to being asleep in the night time or awake as in the day time. This is the basic question of our lives that is philosophical, yet very real.

Through The Media:
If you watch the news and follow the accounts of what is happening in the world according to the different media outlets, there is a good chance that being asleep is normal routine for your life. Most of what is reported in the media is not balanced, not factual and not fair and balanced as some outlets would suggest. There is no more balance in the far left reporting than there is in the far right reporting. CNN, MSNBC, and FOX NEWS all have their biases and their own pools of thought that yield to their agendas. Yet, many millions of Americans take the news to be the authority on what is happening in the world. We even have pundit after pundit now analyzing the way we should look at news.

It is not a world that allows us to wake up no matter how much we may think it is. Try turning the news off for a month and only reading some headlines if you feel the need to know what is going on. If you tune out all the extra stuff and just focus on the main thoughts in a headline, you'll be surprised at how your view changes to the news. Try turning off the TV news and you'll begin to breathe much easier and find more enjoyment and peace in life. If you don't believe me - try it and see if you can prove me wrong!

Our Daily Activities
Another major area where we tend to "sleep in life" is that of what we choose to do in our day. Time and time again, I see people who are running to and from all kinds of activities for their children, all kinds of events and various other things as well as all the running in high speed that they do in their jobs. There is never a moments rest. All is about getting to this place and doing this or that, having this day filled up and that weekend booked with things. Granted, some of these things are good things but when they get to the point where you have no down time and no rest in a day or even in a week, they become interference and noise in our lives.

Our bodies need the down time and the rest. We were not meat to multitask forever and ever in our lives. The brain and the body can not rest and repair itself when we're running in high gear. Try taking a look at your schedule for a week and see if you cannot cut in half all the things you do. Give yourself some down time where you might just go for a walk, or sit in a park or maybe read a book, take a bath or some other restful activity. One that does not involve the TV would be very important in these down times. And at the end of the week, see how you feel and see how life seems to you. I'm willing to bet that you'll see a difference in your life and things that you thought were helpful and important may appear differently.

Health Care
Another area where virtually most of us are asleep is in the area of our health. We tune into the media and health care ads to see what it is that we should do to keep our lives healthy. Some of us might consider the route of exercise as being the way we keep our self healthy. While this does help, health is much more than that. Some of us might be looking for a drug that helps some infliction that we face in our life or maybe a term that describes a condition we face. We feel that is healthy. Some of us feel that test after test prescribed by the medical community gives us the edge on preventive measures while in some ways, they are masking the true source of what may be going on.

Yes, some medical procedures are warranted and one should always make informed decisions but so many of us follow the medical establishment blindly because a Doctor makes some statement, or a internet site makes a claim or there is some "research trial" that suggests it is so. Do you know just how much research is done that is not being truthfully and honestly reported? Some of us might think that taking a flu shot is the best way to stay healthy when in fact, it is in all reality introducing the toxin into our system. I'm not advocating that all shots and vaccines are necessarily bad but I am urging people to open their eyes and be 100 times more informed than they are.

If you think I've fallen off my rocker, try to consider this? Listen to all the side effects of the drug commercials and in fact list them on a piece of paper. Now, take some time to ponder what these are. I'm sure you'll begin to see that some of these drugs can be more harmful than good. Realize to that with each drug that helps to alleviate some symptom in your body, it means that some other part of you is being turned off which of course leads to an imbalance in your body that will require further drugs or treatments. That's a mind blowing thought if you think about it.

Spirituality
One other big way people are asleep is through their spirituality. Yes, as spiritual as people want to be to themselves and the world, they are often asleep. Whether it is one church denomination or another or some spiritual self help group or even some new age/spiritualism thought pattern, they are all acquainted with being asleep to some degree. I'm often amazed at how one church feels they have more figured out than the next and they are the ones going to heaven while the others are going to be lost in Hell. I've even seen churches where clapping, instruments and certain activities are ok while it being considered wrong and sinful in others. Oh how I remember one church we went to that the church split up because some people liked to clap in a worship service while others thought it was immoral.

I'm more amazed at just how the new age spiritual movement tries to flee some of the teachings of the mainline churches. In it, they think that they have reached a higher enlightenment because they don't do things like the main denominational churches do. Yet, if they truly looked at what they did, they would quickly notice that their vocabulary and customs mirror that which is in the churches. Yes, there may be differences but if you look at the root of these things, you'll see the same elements in the churches.

Again, I ask you to take a look at yourself and see what is similar and what is different. Don't just follow someone's teachings or some book's teachings and treat it as the entire basis for life. That is being asleep. Question everything that is being taught and realize that much of what is being said, is nothing more than that person's own interpretation of what spirituality is all about. Spirituality is much more then following dogma or church teachings. Most of us limit spirituality though to something that has been regurgitated over and over throughout the ages without giving a thought to what is the true meaning behind our spirituality. I've got a feeling that there are going to be many surprised people one of these days when heaven and hell don't appear in the form they were taught.

All too often, we as humans look to others for our source of inspiration, knowledge and answers. We feel that the answers we seek to the conscious and unconscious questions of life, lie in what others tell us. In fact, the answers we all seek to life are within ourselves. This involves the spiritual, the physical and the mental. We all have the power within us to do much more than we realize and to understand much more than we allow ourselves to. Instead, we take the easy road and wait for someone out there to show us the way, to take us out of pain and to make up for our own insecurities. However, in doing so, we have given up the most basic part of our human nature. We have made ourselves powerless when in fact we are powerful.

Stepped On Toes
I realize that I've probably stepped on many toes here and I'm sure to those that read this, many are saying - yeah right - I don't do that or this writer is just not aware of what I know. You can take whatever road you want to take after you read this but at least consider how your life matches up to some of the things I've written about. I'm not asking you to take my word for this. I'm just hoping that you'll think about these things in an honest and truthful way to see if there is something within these words that sparks something in your brain. If you're not able to get to that place, than just hold this in the back of your mind for a future time in life where it will become more valuable to you.

It's In The Body
Many things that I now know in my life came to me many years ago. When I first heard them, I scoffed at them and tried to distance my life from them. I thought, how crazy can someone be to even think about these things. Yet, I have been shown things through very physical ways in my body that I could never understand before. When you see things through your own physical body and not as just some "unknown concept", you can know for sure that there is something to it. Too many follow too many unknowns when in all reality, the answers for most of what we need lies within us. That's all the further we have to go. If you can experience it in your body, than it is real.

Are You Brainwashed?

I am constantly amazed when I just observe people and humanity, just how much we follow things without question. Of course, if you're reading this, I'm sure the first reaction is, others do this but not me for I know when someone is trying to get one over on me. However, I think we all follow to some degree without question.

For me when I grew up, I was heavily brainwashed in the ways of one particular church denomination. Now it wasn't like someone strapped me to a table and put electrodes into my brain forcing me to follow what they said. It was more subtle than that. It was much more subtle than that. The brainwashing occurred in small and tiny little pieces that were almost too small to see with the naked eye. I'm not sure a microscope would have picked it up either. These things were cloaked around acceptance into the group. The acceptance into the group was not that anyone was allowed or not allowed in the doors, but that once they were allowed in the doors, there was a degree to which people were accepted or somewhat shunned in the group dynamics. Yes, there were things that were stated outright in many of the sermons, but they were the overall structure given to the brainwashing.

While you may be ready to say, I know of churches that do this and focus on the churches, this is not where brainwashing stops. We are involved in it every day of our life whether it is in an office we work or a job that we go to. It could be in some organization that we are a part of or it could be a community we are aligned with in some manner. While some of these may not necessarily denote a horrible ideal of brainwashing, they are in fact imposing some of the same things. It is up to each individual to not follow the unspoken truths of each source that I mentioned without pause but to question that which is presented as truth. Questioning these things through the sensing of our bodies can be one of the most important truth detectors for us.

Let's go one step further though in where you might find brainwashing. Have you ever stopped to think what the advertisements on the internet or on TV are doing to you? They have the right music, the right beat, the right images and emotions depicted to implant in your mind, the need to buy or use whatever it is that they are offering. What about the news? You know the source that tells you everything that is going on in the country and supposedly the world. Have you ever noticed though that the percentage of raw news facts is a fraction of the overall reported opinion by whichever news host you're listening to? If you haven't, put your critical glasses on and watch the news. Let me know what you see because I'm sure it will be different than what you have seen before.

Even in the new age enlightenment camps of our society, there is brainwashing. Maybe it doesn't appear that way but if you look closely you will see it. They often replace so many of the ideals and concepts in churches for a "more enlightened" version as they would say. However, as long as you follow their truths, and their origins, you'll be fine. The minute you start to question these things, it will be proclaimed that you are just not enlightened or you still have a ways to go on your journey. There can be a lot of good in these new age things but make sure you're just not following them blindly. It is ok to question, to ponder and not be in agreement with them. That is part of our human experience. It is part of our growth and our journey.

We can also look at governments from the United States to those around the world. Have you noticed how close Chavez is taking Venezuela to socialism? Some may disagree with that but there have been many changes Chavez has done all in the name of helping people and yet I feel the people are blindly being led down a road that is going to close in on them one of these days. Yet, our own government, The United States has in effect brainwashed us. From having our freedoms eroded day by day to looking to the government to solve our problems, we are following blindly to every bit and morsel they feed us. I'm not talking politics here either as I'm pointing out just how much the government gets away with. Again, put on your critical glasses and take another look. Let me know what you see because I'm sure it will be different than what you have seen before.

There are many examples around us and much of what I'm sharing or what I see comes out of my own personal experience growing up in a family where my father was a master manipulator. It was so subtle, yet so powerful. It has taken me years to rid myself of those things and begin seeing life through a much more clear set of lenses.

One important thing to remember is that if you are told something, taught something or asked to follow something, make sure it fits. What I mean by that is if it feels like you're trying to shove a round peg in a square hole, than question it. If you hear the words or thoughts and your first gut reaction is to say, that doesn't add up, than question it. If you are being taught something or fed an offer of some sort, check it out in your body. What does your body say about it? How does your body react? If you quietly listen, you will understand what your body is saying. The body is one of the best truth reactors there is, that is if the fears of the past are not standing in the way. So, in addition to listening to your body, work to rid the body of the fears that distort what you are able to see through the lens of your life.

While you may be questioning many things around, know that sometimes the process doesn't unfold immediately before your eyes. This is not about correcting yourself because you are wrong but learning more about yourself and allowing yourself the understanding of what you may or may not see in this moment. There is not necessarily right and wrong in concepts such as this but allowance and awareness in the understanding of them. Questioning is a healthy thing to do and awareness is the key to growth.

Giving Away Our Power

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As a young child, I grew up with a family that attended church every Sunday, and usually a few times during the week. I remember going to many different churches and denominations of churches during my younger years. I’m not sure exactly why we went to so many different churches except that my parents were probably in the “searching” phase of their lives, and they were looking for the perfect church.

One of the last churches, a Baptist Church that I remember we went to, was while I was in high school. This was not just any Baptist church but one that was part of a group known as the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches. Their acronym was GARBC, and today those letters still make me cringe. I won’t apologize if I’m offending anyone who attends these because this is my story. While my story may not be the same as your experiences with the GARBC, it is my story nevertheless.

In this church, it seemed there were more rules than there are laws in our country. Couples in church were not allowed, or discouraged from showing any affection while in church. This included not holding hands and any type of kissing or hugging. According to what my ears heard, the church was not the place for this type of thing. It was reserved for the bedroom only.

At church camp, the boys were not allowed to go swimming with the girls. It was explained to me that this could lead to unwanted acts between girls and boys, which of course were forbidden by the bible. When you did go swimming, though, especially if the opposite sex was present, you were required to wear not only appropriate length swim wear but a t-shirt that covered your upper half of the body. In addition, you were expected to wear a towel wrapped around your legs as you made your way to the water, only taking the towel off shortly before you got in the water. If you were out of the pool, you were expected to cover yourself up with a towel so as to not expose yourself to the opposite sex. The t-shirt you were wearing never came off even when you were in the water.

Other rules by the church included boys and girls, if they were dating, to not sit closer than 6 inches apart and to act “God Like” in everything they did. No dancing was allowed because that could lead to sex. You did not frequent any restaurants or establishments that served alcoholic beverages because you might cause your “brother” to stumble. See, if you were seen entering an establishment like this, an unbeliever, or non church sinner type person (as they referred to them) might think you were going into drink and it was ok. If you were tempted to take one drink of alcohol, then it would lead to being an alcoholic, according to what was being preached to us.

I could go on with example after example of the rules in this church, and even though I’m talking about one church in particular, all churches have their rules. Some believe in one thing while others don’t. Some require certain statements or schooling in order to become a member in their church. So while some of the examples I gave may seem extreme, I would argue that most churches have requirements and rules that are extreme. However, the people that are part of these churches do not see or understand this. It all seems normal and in fact a necessary part of life.

Some in our society have turned away from the mainstream churches, partly because there were too many rules. Many have turned to new age philosophies that seem to have the everyday, regular people answers for questions to life. And while both of these approaches may have some nice tidbits in them for everyday life, much of what become the central teachings are nothing more than their own derived form of beliefs.

We as humans have a strong need to understand and describe what happens around us. When there is tragedy or loss, people find words to describe why it may or may not have happened. When there are unexplained events, people describe it as luck, being fortunate, “The Secret” and abundance, being spiritual and so forth. There are so many things going on around us and happening all the time, but so many times in our attempt to understand and explain to others, we develop a completely new set of beliefs that may or may not serve us well in the long run. I believe it is part of our human experience to do this. However when we lose sight of what it is that took place or what we are trying to explain and share, then we’ve lost the experience. All of the derived practices, teachings, procedures and rules will not bring the experience back because it is as a conversation; once spoken, the conversation is gone. You can imitate the conversation or the experience, but you can never fully bring that particular conversation or experience back exactly as it was.

And yet, we as humans try to do this every day of our lives as well as in churches and new age movements. What is sad, though, is that we then lose the overall impact of the experience itself. The gift that was given to us has now been watered down.

In an attempt to understand that which we cannot explain, we often turn to others who seem to have more experience or knowledge in a particular subject matter that resonates with us. While there may be tidbits of wonderful enlightening truths in what they tell us, we begin to give the power of our own experiences up to someone other than ourselves. They then have the potential of becoming the sole authority on some truth in life for us, and what we learn has the potential of becoming a danger to our own journey of growth. If it is not a danger, it may sidetrack us, at least, on our journey.

As time goes, these people who have had “experiences” explained and reasoned and taught to them, go on to share these same tidbits of truth with others. For they are filled with joy that someone has explained to them why certain things happen and they are eager to share it with others. The only thing is we need to be careful as humans, because we need to be fully honest with ourselves that what we are sharing is a pure truth, and not a truth derived through our sense of what is going on. The ego is an anxious filter for our lives. The ego loves to explain that which we don’t know, but the ego should never be accepted without independent verification.

So by now, you may be wondering, how do I know what I should listen to or what truth is all about? Have you ever had a gut feeling about something? If you have, you know that no matter what someone tells you, that you realize deep down you just know what you’re experiencing is true for you. Have you ever had a moment when something miraculously happened in your life? No events or laws of nature or explanation could prove its existence, yet you knew that what you felt in your life about this was true. No one could tell you otherwise.

So too, what we experience in our bodies is a moment of truth for our lives like no other. There is no better judge of verification for what has taken place. For when you know deep down within you at the core of your being that something has taken place, then you have found the source of truth in your life.

I have often said that the answers we need lie within ourselves. That has so much truth in it because when we look outward from where we are at, we are denying ourselves. We are denying that which is so sacred and time tested. There is no better truth verifier than the deep core of our inmost being. We do not need to rely upon others for the power of knowing the truth in our own lives. For we have that process readily available within our own bodies.

So the next time you come across something that is hard to explain or that doesn’t make sense, take a moment to go deep inside of yourself and find the answers which you need. Be ready to listen to what comes forth in the way of thoughts, future experiences, and others that you meet. Always, though, go and check out everything within your body and see just how it feels. Does it make you feel safe and secure, or is there much fear and doubt as if to say, don’t go there? Does it feel as if you are looking forward to hope and possibility, or that if you do this, it will be more of the same despair and pain you’ve already been dealing with? Does your body feel more or less tense at the thought of what you are trying to understand? Listen to your body. It is your teacher.

And be careful that when you listen to others, you are not giving away your power by letting them be the truth for your lives. They can be there as teachers if you are completely honest with yourselves and objective, but anything beyond that is most likely not a healthy thing for you. Many people have many things to say, but take them and compare them to other events in your life as well. Pull out the tidbits of truth in everything and then see how it feels deep within. For when you do this, you will not only take back your own power, but you will be empowered in life as well.