Family Update

We're off to Houston tomorrow for the wedding of my son Joel and Kristin, a wonderful woman Joel met one day while having Sunday brunch in Coral Gables, Florida. They've been living in Houston since last October, when he took a job there with the law firm, Fulbright & Jaworski, and she took a job working for a school, Awty International. It will be fun to meet her family and also to check out the Lone Star state, where I've never set foot before. I'll let you know how it goes, sharing any funny bloopers and blunders that seem to go hand-in-hand with weddings.

Joel and Kristin, both 27, are redheads, and sometimes when they're, for instance, standing in line for a movie, strangers will casually ask them if they're brother and sister. They say yes, and then they kiss, eager to see the wide-eyed reaction from the other party. Ha - they share my impish sense of humor!

My granddaughter, Akiko, 8, will be a flower girl in the wedding, and my feller, Mark, and my other son, Smitty, will stand up with Joel. In an odd twist of fate, I actually have to walk Joel down the aisle. I'll be teetering on high heels (gulp!) instead of my usual plastic clogs. Feet don't fail me now! 

                                                                                         Question Time  

Speaking of tootsies, Mark has been getting his feet wet in the stock market, and a friend of ours asked Mark an excellent question:

"I started thinking about law of attraction and your new passion...the stock market. It seems to me that stock prices fluctuate with so many uncontrollable factors such as...economy, news events, interest rates, rumors, analysts, etc.  With law of attraction, you can bring anything you want to you by giving your attention to it, right? The key word is YOU. Your thoughts and desires is what you are wanting. 

"But in the stock market...aren't you and thousands of others wanting the same thing...your stock to rise? If a thousand people, including yourself, own a stock and 25% of you have positive thoughts about it rising and making money but the rest are saying, "I hope I don't lose money" or "I hope this stock doesn't fall," isn't it destined to fall based on the overwhelming negative thoughts from the 75 percentile? You can control your thoughts, but you can't control others. How does law of attraction work when you and others are wanting the exact same things...but you don't know how the other people's vibrations are towards that same goal?"  

                                                                                           Answer Time 

First, let me say, well, uh, er...dangit, where's Abraham when we need them? I'll tell you where they are: off having fun on a gall-darned cruise or something! So I'll try to pinch-hit.

I've heard Abraham say emphatically on various tapes and CDs: "You've just got to leave everyone else out of the equation!"

The thing to know is that when we have a desire, such as to do well as a stock trader, the Universe immediately puts the desired result in our "vibrational escrow." And then, when we fairly consistently focus on the outcome that we want and also maintain a fairly consistently positive attitude in other areas of life, we will allow this desire to manifest. It's cause-and-effect, pure and simple. 

                                                                 Let's hear it for the fairies of the Universe!       

Now, this would come about via the work of the "fairies of the Universe," as Abraham calls our unseen help that diligently carries out Law of Attraction.

Let's say that Mark has indeed "lined up" with his desire, which is for stock ABZ to rise, and 25% of the other holders of this stock are also positive and aligned with this same desire. The 75% negative-thinking, worry-warts who also hold this stock will either sell it off and not reap the benefits or they will become sufficiently positive about it that they, too, will align with the stock rising.

How could this come about?

Well, the fairies could work a little magic - ALWAYS in response to people's vibration and LOA, mind you. They might orchestrate events so that ABZ releases new, startlingly hopeful information to the public that causes the worry warts to let go of their negativity. Or these fairies might nudge ABZ to release sufficiently worrisome information that will cause the warts to sell off their holdings. Either way, the decks have been cleared for the folks who are aligned with ABZ's rising to experience that very thing. 

                                                                               Mind-boggling precision

There are countless wonders in this world, but it strikes me that nothing is more impressive than the way that Law of Attraction is carried out with utter, complete precision in every event and interaction. Nobody, nowhere, nohow gets anything that he/she has not attracted vibrationally (via habits of thought), even in
circumstances where immense numbers of people are involved! It's all in a day's work for those diligent fairies. 

                                                                               Honest Abe sums it up

"It's not your job to focus upon somebody else's reality, and often when you do, you find, not a path of less resistance for you, but a path of greater resistance."   —San Antonio workshop, 11/23/02

"Don't get so involved in the desires or the beliefs of others that you cause confusion in your own vibration and compromise your own alignment. When you let nothing be more significant than your own alignment with your own desire, then everything in the Universe is working in concert for you."  —Syracuse, NY,  workshop, 9/28/02

"We think it is a really good idea if you get your nose out of all their business, and you put your nose in your business. And as far as we can see, your only business is your alignment of energy. Your only business is managing the way you feel."   —North Los Angeles workshop, 3/5/05

Played: 4 | Download | Duration: 00:00:00

 Listen here to Soulsongs #81-85 that I wrote, based on Law of Attraction. You can order a book of the first 120 Soulsongs (print version) at www.karenwilliams.net.

        

Someone suggested that we play the famous Beachboys' tune, "Good Vibrations," as people arrive at the twice-monthly Abraham discussion group that Mark and I host at our home. It's a great idea, because vibration is a key concept in our Abraham meetings and one that I remind myself of throughout each day.

It's just so important. In fact, it's of paramount importance. I am happy indeed to know about vibration and to at last understand why circumstances occur as they do. 

                                                                   Perhaps you know whereof I speak

I've never been one to skim along the surface of life. Oh no, I always had to be exploring why and how things happen, especially with regards to our existence on ye olde planet Earth. Sometimes, over the years, I would become frustrated with my mental meanderings, especially when I seemed to paint myself into a corner via allegiance to certain belief systems or religions that turned out to be, uh, not quite worthy of the zeal I once held for them. 

I've gone down my share of blind alleys, but as a result of those adventures, I have all the more appreciation for the real deal: vibration and Law of Attraction. 

Stated succinctly, every waking moment - every single, solitary, cotton-pickin' moment - we are sending forth a signal to the Universe. For all intents and porpoises, we're saying, "Dear Uni, please send me more people, circumstances, and events that will cause me to feel exactly the way I feel right now."

That's it. That's the basic gist of how things work.

So if we're feeling disgruntled, aggravated, resentful, melancholy, fearful, or just plain "ornery" (in Abrahamic parlance), we'd do ourselves a huge favor by feeling happier. But how the dickens do we do that, short of going out and buying a new Mercedes with a sunroof and a multitude of cup-holders? Or, at the VERY LEAST, the Matchbox version of said car?
           
     Mama Nature can help us raise our vibrations!
The Abrahamic answer: Choose happier thoughts. Everything starts with our mental focus, emotions very much included. So, in order to change our feelings, we change the thoughts that give rise to them. 

Abraham teaches a  brilliant technique of "reaching for a better-feeling thought" whenever we find ourselves in a place of upset. I've studied psychology much of my life, and I've never encountered a more effective approach for dealing with negative feelings. 

Today, via an older cassette tape, I heard Abe discuss this approach with a woman who was upset that her relatively new husband was frustrated with her teenage son, who had Tourette's Syndrome. She was afraid of how her husband's irritation over the boy's lack of table manners, etc., might negatively impact her son. Abraham helped her to arrive at this thought: "If my husband had known my son as long as I've known him, he would most likely be in a place to be more accepting and understanding. But he is new at this, and the situation is affecting him in the same way that most people would be affected...." 

Abraham emphasizes that when we take the time to soothe our upset in any given situation, the dynamics of the situation must sooner-or-later improve. 

                                                                      Become a pro at being pro-active

I've learned that I come up against fewer upsets to soothe if I start my day with a simple list of happy thoughts. I grab my journal, head for the back porch, prop my feet up in a porch chair, tell the joyful squirrels to stop flirting with me, and start writing. I list anything that comes to mind: experiences I want to enjoy in the future, appreciation, happy memories, you-name-it. I try to list at least 50 things, for the more I've practiced this little exercise, the more I've become convinced of its value. 

During every nano-second of this happy-thought process, I'm sending an important message to Uni: Send me more things to make me feel just like I'm feeling this moment. What a plan! And then I get to watch for those happy conditions as they pop up throughout my day. 

                                                                                  Some nifty proof

My wondrous beau, Mark, has been engaging in an experiment to prove to himself and anyone who's interested that our thoughts cause a vibration that affects the outcome of circumstances. His laboratory: the neighborhood basketball court; his equipment: a basketball hoop and a basketball; his lab attire: shorts, t-shirt, and tennies.

For several weeks now, Mark, who loves to shoot hoops as a form of fun exercise, has been deliberately choosing widely-varying thoughts at the time he releases the ball towards the basket. He has consistently found that when he thinks happy thoughts, e.g., about his dear granddaughter (or about moi, I hope!), the ball finds its target. If he chooses bad-feeling thoughts, e.g. a frustrating scenario or person, he is much more likely to miss. 

He has more real-life experiments coming up, so please stay tuned! (Think - gulp! - the stock market!)

                                                                                Honest Abe says it all

"We want to help you to find conscious awareness of what you are doing with your vibration. If you are consciously aware of how you are feeling, then you will have the opportunity (if you want to) of reaching for the thought that feels even better. And that is really the most powerful tool that we could ever give anyone, because when you think about it, I am my vibrational center, and everything that's happening to me is coming in response to the vibration that I'm emitting. So, if I'm aware of the vibration that I'm emitting - and I'm constantly reaching for a better vibration - then is not my life on all fronts improving in a steady way? And we say, yes, it has to be." 
                                                                                          —Abraham-Hicks, Quarterly Journal #28, emphasis theirs
                                                                                       
                                                                                        * * *

Listen here to the narrated version of Soulsongs #76-80, brief essays I wrote after inspiration by Abraham. A book of the first 120 Soulsongs is available at www.karenwilliams.net.

Played: 4 | Download | Duration: 00:07:03

        

Mark took this photo of granddaughter Akiko, 8, and me with America's "nuclear family" last week. It was starting to rain, and we were happy to get the photo before the characters had to be rushed off so as not to get their outfits wet or ruin Marge's hairdo. (Perish the thought.)

We were at Universal theme park in Orlando to try out the new Simpson's ride. (It's utterly terrific...but don't open your eyes.) (You've been warned.) While there, we visited some other friends, including the alien E.T., who wanted us to help save his ailing planet. ("Not my problem," I joked as we stood in line, while a little boy nearby glared at me.)

We also visited our buddy, Shrek, not a bad dude, as green ogres go, and we took a 4-D adventure with him, Fiona, and of course that wise-acre donkey.

Mark and Akiko also zapped aliens on the Men-in-Black ride, while I sat that one out, unable to take my backpack on the ride and unable to figure out how to fit it into a teensy-weensy storage locker that was provided.

                                                                            "Homey," as Marge calls him...

But the highlight of my day was standing right there, in the presence of Homer Simpson, American icon. If you've watched The Simpsons on TV or in their movie, you know that Homer stumbles through life, making a fool of himself in every possible context but not caring and/or not realizing it. He couldn't care less about impressing anyone, and he's the antithesis of politically correct. He's a supreme bumbler by most people's standards, but he moves about in childlike oblivion, and (as a result) things always seem to work out for him in the end. 

I love the man. But don't tell Mark, and don't tell Marge. Don't even tell Homer, for I probably couldn't ultimately put up with his beer-swilling ways. Still, I so admire his transparency and utter lack of pretension. 

                                                                                 James Arthur Ray

In addition to the likes of Homer Simpson, James Arthur Ray was also in Orlando last week. He gave a talk at a resort hotel, and Mark and I attended. We had seen James in The Secret movie, along with aftermath TV interviews. I had also seen him interviewed recently on the Today show as a result of his new book, Harmonic Wealth, a New York Times best seller. 

In contrast to Homey, Ray is no bungler. He wrote his first book, The Science of Success, in 1998, and from all indications, he knows whereof he speaks, although he says he lost half of everything (and all of his girlfriend, who walked out on him) in the stock market crash of 2000. He then went to Peru to study in the Andes mountains with descendants of the Incas. He came back a changed man, and now he has more than eight times what he used to own when living in La Jolla, CA, and driving a Porsche, before the market tanked.

"I can help you," James reiterated throughout the two-hour presentation. Whatever it was that any of us in the crowd of 450 people might find lacking in our lives, he can help us manifest it because he now understands both success and spirituality. He promoted three upcoming weekend seminars to be held in San Diego, Las Vegas, and NYC to do the nitty gritty work of bringing our goals and dreams 

                                                       I hope like the dickens I'm not "pushing against" here...

Ray has a strong, compelling platform presence - I'd give him an "A" on his style of presentation. However, the substance of his talk was, well, a mixed bag if one was itching to hear Law of Attraction revered. He began his talk by saying, "It's not what you do, it's how you go about doing it." Huh? That sounded suspiciously like the "action journey," but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he actually was referring to the emotional journey: focusing on what one wants before plunging into doing things to bring about desired results.

"If you're not growing, you're dying," Ray emphasized later in his talk. Well, no. Abraham says that we can't help but grow, we can't help but expand, along with the rest of the Universe, which is ever immersed in that process. "You'll never get it done, and you'll never get it wrong," according to honest Abe. Get WHAT done? Perusing contrast, experiencing desires, and pulling life force to ourselves via those desires. We never really go backwards, although it might sometimes seems that way. Good-bye Yuma, hello Phoenix again...and again. Ha.

                                                                                     Say what?

After a facile discussion of the buzz words of quantum physics, which made him seem really, really smart (maybe almost as smart as some certain "old, dead guys"/Abraham), James mentioned that "there is much buried in the sub-conscious," and the bulk of the work that would be done at the upcoming seminars would be helping people bring unresolved emotional issues up and heal them. 

I wanted to throw down my hotel pen and my hotel pad of paper and stomp from the room when I heard that. Or at the least, I wanted to emit a Homer Simpson-ish "Doh!" in frustration. But I calmed down quickly. OK, so the guy doesn't understand that we're not broken, we don't need to be fixed, there's nothing in our past that is sabotaging us now OTHER THAN OUR HABITS OF THOUGHT. No sense in my messing up my vibration because James Ray doesn't have all the pieces of the puzzle. 

                                                                                Positive aspects

I soothed myself by acknowledging that James Ray had uttered some on-target statements throughout the evening: "Life is not meant to be a struggle but joyously abundant." "Energy flows where attention goes." "You get what you look for." "Harmonize your intention and your attention." 

I ultimately left the meeting in more appreciation than criticism: Appreciating that James Ray DOES have many pieces of the puzzle and is sharing them with countless people the world over. I also appreciated the many local friends that Mark and I had a chance to greet at the meeting. And I further felt glad that we'd had a thought-provoking evening in the presence of a fairly famous person and it hadn't cost us a cent.

                                                                                   Bottom line

I remind myself that not everyone has to see things the way I see them to be doing fine work in the world. And I also bask in the realization that, Homer Simpson and James Ray notwithstanding, I have one of the most wonderful men this side of non-physical at my side: my Mark. 

Played: 2 | Download | Duration: 00:00:00

 Listen here to my brief essays, Soulsongs 71-75, based on the teachings of Abraham. (You can download all 500 of my Soulsongs in printed form at www.lulu.com.)

        

There's an easy, rhythmic flow about nature. Perhaps that's why it intrigues us and renews us. Nature doesn't get caught up in resistance. 

                                 What the Heck Is It Anyway?

I sometimes find that people are confused about the Abrahamic concept of resistance, and maybe we can shed some light on the subject here and now.

A synonym for resistance could be negativity. Abraham does not, however, use the latter word nearly as often as resistance, and I think I know why. The word resistance has less of a charge on it, less of a, well, negative connotation. We're less likely to further upset ourselves if we recognize that we're "in resistance" as opposed to realizing that we're "being negative." Being in resistance feels less self-accusatory. 

Abraham defines resistance as giving our attention to what we DON'T LIKE and DON'T WANT. Easy as pie to understand. Easy as pie to do, too, at times, I daresay. 

                                                                                A Deeper Meaning

But there's a deeper meaning to this word, resistance. Abraham explains that when we're paying attention to what we don't like and don't want, we're resisting the flow of what we DO like and DO want. We're resisting the well-being that is ever seeking us in the natural course of things. When we're (unhappily) noticing what's wrong with things, we're not in a vibrational stance to receive the things that we've automatically summoned via our desires. In Abraham parlance, we're "disallowing" them - another good term without a charge on it.
   
                                                                               Practical Application

It's one thing to understand this principle; it's quite another to integrate it into one's daily experience. I can't tell you the number of times I've encountered folks who espouse these ideas in one breath and then, in the next, rant and rave about traffic, their aggravating neighbor, the price at the pump, the idiocy of their brother-in-law, or even how they got paper when they asked for plastic at Shop-N-Lift.  

I shudder, for I know that they are then-and-there stopping the flow of the good things that they have disclosed to me they want so much. Sometimes I actually feel irate about these blind spots that people exhibit, but then I remind myself not to go into resistance about other people's resistance! Bad idea...and an amusing irony. 

                                                                      Some People Are More Sensitive

Interestingly, some of us are more sensitive to our own resistance. The negative feelings that flow from negative thoughts feel worse to some of us. While other people can seem to regularly wallow in negative thoughts and emotions, we don't tolerate it well. We have a powerful awareness that we are supposed to feel emotionally good and, as Abraham points out, it drives us a little crazy when we don't. 

We sensitive sorts are driven to find ways to escape the painful feelings that stem from resistance, and we are probably more likely to overuse alcohol or drugs than our counterparts who can put up with feeling emotionally bad. That is, until we learn about the power of our thoughts and how we can choose our thoughts and reactions deliberately to evoke good feelings instead of unpleasant ones. 

                                                                      Why Are Some People Sensitive?

Dang-it, why do I have to keep asking myself difficult questions? Well, here goes:

Many of us came forth into physical expression with the intention of being of value to others as teachers. Many of us have decided that one of the most important things to teach is that we create our own reality by the way we habitually direct (or don't direct) our thoughts. It is thus helpful to us to be acutely sensitive to our emotions in order to convey the importance of emotions to others. 

Further, many of us are "powerful wanters," as Abraham terms it. We REALLY want what we want - more so than our laid-back friends. Our intense desires summon intense life force, bringing us our desires. But if we are in resistance and thus not allowing our desires to reach us, that life force feels almost as if it's slamming into us. We feel it acutely because it has more momentum. Bad to us feels really bad. On the bright side, I think that good to us feels really good. 

Being acutely sensitive to resistance and the negative emotions it spawns is a positive thing. We don't, however, appreciate that sensitivity until we learn to use it as encouragement to choose our thoughts with some deliberation and then happily observe our feelings and circumstances transform. 

This is such interesting and worthwhile work. Who would have thunk it?
 
                                                                                     * * * * * *
 
 

Played: 2 | Download | Duration: 00:05:34

  Listen here to Soulsongs #66-70 read by moi. You can buy a book of the first 120 Soulsongs (print, not audio) at www.karenwilliams.net. You can also download all 500 Soulsongs (in 4 volumes) at www.lulu.com.

        

I snapped a photo of these three sandhill cranes as I meandered around the University of Central Florida in Orlando on Tuesday. Amidst the parking lots and parking garages, there are some lovely natural spaces, a retreat for these critters. 

UCF will be the 5th largest public university in the country this autumn, and my daughter, Emily, will be part of the cell-phone talking, stress-ridden students that these birds will probably consider to be, uh, bird brains.

It's a lovely campus and an up-and-coming school. I think Emily, who plans to major in art history or philosophy, will thrive there. 

                                                                              Speaking of Bird Brains

OK, who can deny it? There are plenty of people roaming at large who aren't as nice and polite as we are, or as smart as we are, or as un-Neanderthalithic (huh?) as we are. There are plenty of people who aren't exactly a picnic to be around. If you're like me, you've encountered one or two such "button-pushers" this very week.

It takes every iota of strength not to read these people the proverbial riot act. If we succumb to the temptation to try to overhaul these folks, our efforts prove futile. And if we "blow our cool" and yell at them, we usually add guilt to the already unpleasant-enough feeling of anger in which we're marinating.

                                                                             What to Do, What to Do?

If I encounter a thoughtless, aggravating person, I allow myself to be human for a little while. It's normal to react. But I'm eager to move out of an upset reaction ASAP.

Why? For the sake of my vibration. My vibration is of paramount importance to me - and I hope that you feel the same way about yours. Comprised of our habits of thought, our vibrations constitute a signal, such as a radio signal, that we emit every waking moment. This signal alone determines how many of our desires will manifest and how many will stay ever unfulfilled. This signal alone determines how much of life's "bad luck" will reach us and how many wondrous blessings we'll receive.

It's all about our signal. This is surely the most important thing to know. 

                                                                           Law of Attraction in Action

It is the universal Law of Attraction that orchestrates events in response to the signal we each send forth. There are no accidents, no random acts - not even of kindness, ha! Every person, event, and circumstance is in my life because my habits of thought have attracted them.

Therefore, it is never worthwhile to wallow in animosity, no matter how justified we may feel. Ongoing hostility affects our vibration profoundly, causing it to bring us, courtesy of Law of Attraction, MORE circumstances to feel upset about. Vicious cycle time.

                                                                                How to Move on

It's not easy to release anger, especially if it's been brewing for a while and thus has momentum. The brilliant approach that Abraham recommends is to simply reach for that better-feeling thought. Taking baby steps, try to find thoughts that give relief from the pain of hostility.

Perhaps the irritating person once did something nice for you. Remember that in order to feel a little better. Or maybe they're going to be transferred to another department. Feel thankful for that. Maybe you know something of their background and the circumstances that rendered them the way they are today. Try to take that into your consideration. Maybe their lack of awareness of Law of Attraction has them stumbling and bumbling through life. Pause and be thankful that YOU understand LOA and how life works, whether anyone else does or not.

                                                                                 No Exclusion

As Abraham oft explains, this is a universe based on attraction and not exclusion. Those things upon which we place our mental focus will e-x-p-a-n-d in our experience, whether we're thinking of them with appreciation or with distaste. We cannot release an unwanted person from our life as long as we're thinking of them with disapproval. Even if we escape to the ends of the earth, our vibration will simply draw to us a new irritating person to replace them.

So the only real answer is to "soften our resistance," as Abraham terms it. Think about the person in ways that don't so much get your goat - or try not to think about them at all. 

                                                                             Love Your Enemies?

In some cases, people can eventually reach a place of deep appreciation, even love, for others that they previously disdained. That's a great accomplishment. Love is FAR better for our vibration than distaste. But we need not demand that of ourselves. Aiming for feelings of neutrality can be a perfectly good goal. The main objective is to release animosity as readily as possible. Our emotions function as guidance from non-physical as to whether we're moving towards our desires (when feeling emotionally good) or away from them (feeling emotionally bad).

                                                                                Amazing Results

When we truly change the way we think - and thus feel - about someone, it will be impossible to have the same sorts of encounters with them as before. We will notice improvement in our interactions, for our changed vibration must bring us change in life's circumstances, including all the people with whom we relate. People will show us more of the aspects of themselves that we like and less traits that we find maddening. Ahhhh.

Life just got a whole lot sweeter. Thanks, Abe.  

                                                                                  

Played: 3 | Download | Duration: 00:05:57

 Listen here to Soulsongs #61-65 (essays based on LOA) narrated by moi. Order a book containing the first 120 Soulsongs (print, not audio) at www.karenwilliams.net.

        

I was asked a question today about dealing with disappointment. In this case, it was an opportunity that presented itself, evoked much excitement and enthusiasm, and then didn't pan out.

So how do we deal with feelings of elation followed by (thud!) feelings of being let down? This can happen, of course, in various areas of life, including career and romance.

If you haven't yet read and re-read Abraham's wondrous book, The Astonishing Power of Emotions: Let Your Feelings Be Your Guide, please know that it's an excellent source of information dealing with specific situations. There arre 33 examples of how to handle common problematic scenarios - from having a frightening diagnosis, to being "driven nuts" by one's kids, to feeling smothered by a controlling mate, to having a sick spouse or pet. In each case, Abraham takes the reader through a series of thought-steps to help gain a broader perspective of the scenario and find some soothing/relief from painful emotions.

And that approach would be useful after experiencing disappointment. Let's see what we can come up with as we try to move up from disappointment and perhaps discouragement. 

                                                                     Moving Beyond Feeling Let-Down

Here's how a disappointed person might be thinking:

"It looked like such a great opportunity. It would have been perfect for me. It was the exact thing that I've watched and waited for a long time. I don't understand how someone else was able to beat me to the punch, especially when I was feeling so excited and positive about this development."

OK, that sort of thinking, though a normal reaction, feels bad. Let's try for a little improvement.

"Even though I wanted THIS opportunity and not some other one, maybe another one like this will come along. But with my luck, that probably won't work out, either!"

Well, not too much progress yet.

"This seemed perfect but maybe it wouldn't have been the right thing at the right time for me after all. I guess I can open myself to that possibility. And although I feel unlucky right now, I'll admit that strokes of 'good fortune' have come to me in the past."

Now there's been some progress made towards feeling better.

"It's a big world with lots of opportunities, and it's OK if one passes me by. There will be others."

Better yet.

"Every time I choose a better-feeling thought, I increase the likelihood of future opportunities coming my way. I'm thankful to know this crucial bit of information about how the world works. And as I practice this, I think I'll experience positive results.

"If I notice myself falling back into disappointment, I can look around for things that are going right and I can also envision what I want to experience. This gives me a game plan for dealing with things that go awry."
                                                                               
                                                                                                                    Worth the Effort

This is just a brief sample of how we can alter our feelings by altering our "self-talk. It doesn't usually happen quickly or simply at first, but we can become increasingly skilled at dealing with all life's upsets in this manner. Whether we find ouselves immersed in guilt, gloom, grief, resentment, self-pity, or any other cruddy-feeling emotion, we can use this "reach for a better-feeling thought" technique to move up the emotional scale and raise our vibrational point-of-attraction.

With each slightly better-feeling thought we choose, we summon a slightly better-feeling future.

And that's worth a lot.

 

        

Well, phooey, I seem to be having problems with my blog-server company. But I'm not going to blame them; I'm going to blame my own vibration. Actually, I'm not going to BLAME my own vibration; I'm merely going to try to find some cheerful, chipper thoughts that will improve my vibrational point of attraction.

And if that doesn't improve what is manifesting, well, by golly, I'm going to throw a shoe at this computer screen!

Just kidding! 

                                    Seventeen Seconds

Anywho, I happened on a wonderful segment yesterday as I was listening to an Abraham-Hicks cassette tape from a workshop held in San Antonio on May 17, 1997. It gives a nice overview of the power of holding a thought for 17 seconds.

Without further ado, here's Abraham:

"Seventeen seconds of pure thought causes a combustion when the next thought joins it. And the energy equivalent within that combustion - the energy that is expended when two thoughts join - has the action equivalency of over 2000 action hours. That is about what a person works in a year if they're in a regular 40-hour-a-week job. Seventeen seconds of pure thought launches forces that are equivalent to 2000 action hours.

"When you cross the 34-second mark, in other words, when you continuously hold that thought without doubt or contradiction for 34 seconds, the action equivalency [is] ten times the first - 20,000.

"When you cross the 51-second mark, multiply by 10 again - 200,000. When you cross that 68-second mark, it is the action energy equivalent of over 2,000,000 action hours.

"Most of you don't believe that...because if you did, you'd be out there finding a way to find 17 seconds of pure thought. [But] it doesn't fit within the belief system that says it takes hard work, [that] you have to have pain in order to have gain. Most people are so accustomed to pushing away what they don't want that it's hard for them to hear the idea of flowing energy toward [THINKING ABOUT] what is wanted."

                                            Why Doesn't Abraham Talk More Seventeen Seconds?

These 17-, 34-, 51-, and 68-second combustion points are so compelling that I can't help wondering why Abraham doesn't talk more about them these days.

I conjecture that those intervals might actually be a bit less these days, as Abraham says at one time they were greater. I also conjecture that Abraham ceased sharing them for the very reason mentioned above: so few people believe that simply holding a thought of something wanted without contradiction could accomplish so much. Surely there must be more of a price than that to pay for what we want.

Abraham gears their teaching to what we're responding to vibrationally - it's an exceedingly dynamic process. They notice which insights and analogies work for us and use them, gauging our response, until something new would be more effective. I'm guessing that this brilliant revelation of 17 seconds stopped ringing people's chimes.

Well, whatever. I intend to put it to good use. If I can consistently hold what I want in mind and thus shave thousands, if not millions, of hours off the physical action I'd have to expend to achieve the same results, I'm going for the mental discipline, every time.

Now...I think the next 68 seconds belong to a happy visualization about my blog-server.

Played: 4 | Download | Duration: 00:05:45

   Listen here to Soulsongs 56-60. You can order my book containing the first 120 Soulsongs (printed, not audio) at www.karenwilliams.net.

        

Well, let's see, who I can offend today with my iconoclastic ways?

But please don't blame me; blame Abraham. They held me down and brain-washed me. But I admit that I didn't put up much of a fight. 

                                                                                     Way-Back-When

I was influenced to become an evangelical Christian in 1974 through a small orange pamphlet entitled The Four Spiritual Laws. This tract was developed in the 1950s by the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ. The first law reads: "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life."

I liked that idea - both the "love" part and the "plan" part. If God had a plan for my life, all well-and-good, for I was having trouble figuring out any game plan on my own.

Many years later, when I was exploring New Age thought, this idea of a plan still seemed compelling. I gained the distinct impression that I had a special purpose, a mission, and great fulfillment would come at last when I discovered what that purpose was. Many spiritual people seemed to be discovering their purpose, their calling, even though sometimes they had to go back to Square #1 and re-focus on an even higher calling than the previous very high one, which somehow had sunk somewhat low. 

I attended workshops, seminars, and bull sessions to find my purpose, my life's work. Writing? Well... yeah, but where's the moolah? Reiki healing? Maybe. Counseling? Not enough official education. Music? My dog's moans as I played piano and sang to my heart's content said NO. Emphatically.

Yet there was the sense, throughout the years, that Someone knew my purpose far better than I did and was trying to nudge me in that direction. I ever wished that Someone would be a little more direct. 

                                                                         And Then Along Comes Abey

Whew, Abraham turned my head around about searching for that elusive plan. 

According to Abraham, we are ever being guided from our Inner Being/Source Energy. And the way that we're guided is through our emotions. When we feel happy, that means that we've been flowing our energy towards(THINKING ABOUT) things that please us. When we feel unhappy, it means we've been thinking about, uh, life's crap. 

We did not come into physical expression with a specific plan, and there is no creator/angel poring over our blueprint and ever trying to elbow us into finding it. (We may have come forth with a general intention, though, such as to teach Law of Attraction, teach diversity, etc.) 

We came forth to have fun flowing energy - that is, thinking about what we like and seeing those things manifest. Again and again. We get to choose the details. We get to make it up as we go. We get to fly by the seat of our pants. We get to be spontaneous. We get to pursue those things that make our heart sing in any given segment of our life. Yes, we get to follow our bliss. 

I've learned from Abraham that there is a dynamic quality to life that beats the heck out of trying to unearth a dusty, pre-conceived purpose and trying to follow it. "Let your desire for pleasure and your desire for feeling good be your only guiding light. As you seek those thoughts that feel good, you will always be in vibrational harmony with the Energy that is your Source. And under those conditions, only good can come to you - and only good can come from you."                                                                    (Abraham workshop - Philadelphia, PA - 4/14/98)

                                                                         Change in Terminology

It requires trust and flexibility big-time to follow how one feels, moment-by-moment, and keep adjusting one's mental focus accordingly. It takes an adventurous spirit to turn away from the notion that someone (or Someone) knows what's best for me better than I do. But I've found this approach to life, though a huge departure from convention, far preferable to finding answers outside myself. The "someones" who always seemed to know what was best for me rarely agreed, and the Someone who supposedly knew what was best for me was, as it turns out, beneficially opaque.  

When plans didn't pan out as I anticipated, I would previously comment, "It wasn't supposed to work out" or "I wasn't supposed to do it, I guess," indicating intervention from a force that knew what was in my best interest. These days, I say, "I guess I just wasn't a match to that." That comment is far closer, I believe, to the way things really are, for every circumstance and event that comes my way does so as a result of Law of Attraction matching us up as a result of my habits of thought.

                                                                            Ultimate Purpose

By simply coming into physical expression, I am fulfilling a tremendous purpose: perusing the contrast of this time and place and experiencing desires. Even if I don't summon enough joy to fully manifest my desires, those desires are drawing lifeforce to the planet and to myself. Those desires are putting the "eternal" in eternity. Those desires are expanding all-that-is. 

Ahhhh. Guess I'll give myself a little pat on the back. I'm right on track - smack dab in the middle of my purpose, even though it may change day-to-day. 



 

Played: 10 | Download | Duration: 00:07:01

 Listen here to Soulsongs 51-55. You can order my Soulsongs book (print, not audio) at www.karenwilliams.net or at Amazon.com. 

        

                                                                                  Draggin' Our Feet?            

People often find it difficult to quiet their minds.

But if they understood what really happens during the process that is often referred to as meditation, they would find a way to do it.

They would quickly make the most of meditation courses, groups, and perhaps books on the subject instead of perpetually lamenting how difficult or perplexing it is to quiet their thoughts. They would git-r-done.

I attended meditation classes, groups, and seminars for years with varying degrees of "success" until I encountered Abraham's teaching on the subject and understood how and why it works. Now I just do it - for a while every day.

Leave it up to Abraham to explain an often confusing, esoteric process and render it clear, approachable, and practical. Our "old, dead guys" are brilliant.

                                                                                 Abraham Explains

When we cease thinking for a while, we cease thinking negatively. And since focusing on what we don't like and don't want (Abraham terms it resistance) is the habit that keeps our natural well-being at bay, we benefit immensely from simply not-thinking for a few waking moments. When we release resistance via meditation, we are welcoming our desires - setting some wanted events into motion.

When I began to grasp that principle, I got the "hang" of meditating quickly. When I realized that every moment that I allow my thoughts to subside I am beckoning good things into my experience, the process became much easier.

Ironically, Abraham rarely lauds the practice of meditation. We didn't really "come here to meditate," they clarify. But they find that it's often easier to teach us to stop thought entirely than to teach us to focus in positive ways. So it's good although second-place practice.
                                                                                                                 Tip-Top Priority

What's first on the list of Abrahamic recommendations? Focusing on what we like and want - appreciating like the dickens where we are and envisioning with gusto where we want to be. That is the habit we want to cultivate.

Still, quieting our minds has great value. I start each day with a few minutes of it, and I end the day in the same way, allowing the love and goodness of the Universe to flow to and through me. I'm not sure what I'm setting in motion each time I clear my mind, but I'm ever confident that it will be wondrous.

Buffalo, NY, 5/30/06: "What we always say about meditation is, we'd rather see you in appreciation. Because in appreciation, your mind is active and aligned and that's a fuller use of the creative you than a quieted mind that is offering no resistance. But we would encourage, if your mind is scattered..., you want to quiet it."

Played: 11 | Download | Duration: 00:00:00

 Listen here to Soulsongs #46-50 narrated by moi. You can buy my book of Soulsongs 1-120 (print, not audio) at  www.karenwilliams.net.

        

It's heartening to read your comments and know how enthusiastically you share the desire to actively manage habits of thought. Any tool or process we can use to help us move along in this regard is valuable indeed.

It turns out that Rex has a watch with the functions that I contemplated. See his comment on my most recent post for all the scuttlebutt. Believe it or not, it's called a VIBRATION watch! It's pictured below with the pertinent link.  

Thanks to Rex's suggestion and example and for Jeff's comment about many digital watches having a countdown function, I'm now the happy owner of a type of sports watch that has the basic abilities I envisioned. It has a stopwatch function where I can start at zero and then click a button to start, then stop, and thus enter consecutive digits on a counter. There is a slight beep when I click, and the digits continue to accrue until I restart that function. So...I can easily do my desired exercise of deliberately thinking happy thoughts and seeing them accumulate - numerically, at least.

Far more important, the RESULTS of the deliberate thoughts are accumulating, of course. But now I have a little extra feedback while I await the physical manifestations.

In addition, the watch has the countdown function, so I can set it for 17, 34, or 68 seconds and time myself while I hold a "pure, positive" thought. Abraham has talked much about these intervals over the years. When asked, "Why 17 seconds?" Abraham replies, "It just is - like the boiling point of water." When we hold a thought for 17 seconds without diverting our attention or focusing