I feel moved to share that this doesn't feel like 'living in the now' to me.

If I convinced myself that I have forgiven someone in my life, but I am unable to truly forgive them, how could this be authentic? If I can't find it in my heart to forgive someone, but tell myself I do, I am effectively pretending, or in denial about my true feelings.

What I have found works for me, is to accept how I feel and look at WHY I am feeling that way. Usually, after exploring my real feelings, I can find what it is within me that I need to let go of in order to forgive (or whatever equivalent issue I am dealing with) - forgiveness would then arise naturally.

In my experience, if we deny our true feelings, we're simply creating an illusionary reality of a world that we WANT. The hidden truth will always manifest in the future at some point. Unfortunately we can't deny our distortions and/or karma by replacing it with an illusion. The only way out is through.

The same goes for healing. True healing happens by unravelling the distortions, rather than denying them or creating an alternative reality that pushes them under the rug. Eventually we'll trip over that rug.

I do agree with meditating and 'inhaling universal life energy'. It will take us to all the places we get stuck, often unpleasant situations in order that we can genuinely let them go and release ourselves from the binding shackles. Christ Consciousness will invite us to make authentic choices within those situations. No where does Christ Consciousness suggest creating miracles. The miracle is already there.

My experience is of aligning with universal life energy. Every moment is then a miracle.

Trinity

Well said Trin.

I can remember going through a period in my awakening where I felt to try to manifest forgiveness and compassion by kind of programming my mind that way. I would smile and give love to everyone I met.

Yet all it did was write new layers of programming and conditioning over the top. My consciousness got sucked into a self defeating prison cell. Whilst I was smiling on the surface, underneath, I was contracting and shrinking.

Eventually I cast off the false mantel. I found the courage to explore my true feelings. To let out that which was within. In so doing, I created a new mirror around myself. I was truly able to see what was within me. That way I was able to fully feel and process my distortions.

The tightness fell away. Then true compassion arose. But I didn't have to create it. It simply happened and it was real and authentic and true.

As it says in the course of miracles...

Your task is not to seek for love,
it is simply to remove all the internal barriers to it."

How can we remove the barriers if we deny they exist?

Chris

I agree that being sincere with yourself and having the courage to "pull your head out of the sand" and look into yourself is the most important thing on a way to "healing" yourself.

But I think that if you feel right and necessary to brainwash yourself to get rid of old habits, for example, and get used to knew ones, then I don't see why not, as long as you are aware and taking care of the root of the problem and as long as you know exactly what you want to achieve from it.

For example, when having a physical problem, you take care of it physically, mentally and also can look for why is this happening to me, what does it mean, what is it trying to say?

Affirmations and changing thinking habits are powerful techniques to heal mental problems, to take care of brain-distorted patterns or mechanisms, which are coming from education, surrounding, TV, etc. and taking are of physical health problems, which might come from negative thinking habits and become chronic because body got used to be in this state.

Just the stupidiest example, I can see an advertisement or someone on the street and get "clicked" by some visions, music, assosiations - I want those shoes too :0

But then I tell myself the next things:
1. I really don't need another pair, I'm being brainwashed and I'll contrabrainwash myself now
2. Why do you want those shoes, what are you looking for there?
3. What does it mean? What does it tell me about myself? I'm still attached to the material world and getting sucked by little things, or something like that...

And then I would let all these stir together and find out from that, maybe I was ment to have those shoes anyway and this is part of my evolution or it was just a "brainwash turn on"...

It was the most grounded example on earth
...

So I think that thoughts have power and affirmations have power and we should use them to heal, to deal with things, to use them to learn about ourselves. There can be nothing that we can't use in this world to evolve. But awareness of course is a must. It's a must spice.

Am I wrong?

Hi Someone - interesting name? Synchronistically, in view of the issue at hand, it might also be, anyone or even no one.

You see the point I'm trying to make is this: we are all coming to an enlightened state. In an enlightened state, the experience is of pure presence, of there being no one "in here".

There is no one making a choice. Action arises spontaneously as the soul. It is a flow of energy like water flowing down a mountain. The moment you make a statement such as "I am this" or "I am that", you limit yourself. You make yourself less than what you are which is everything.

The universe is an illusion to know ourselves as pure presence, in, through and beyond the illusion. Whenever you say "I am this", the whole universe conspires to prove otherwise. You might be able to hold "I am this" for a while, but ultimately it will unravel because "I am this" simply does not exist in absolute truth.

Having said that, there is a place where I can agree with what you're saying. Assuming one is not yet enlightened, it can be of value to apply a program to de-program yourself. So for example, you might run a program that says every morning for a given period of time I'm going to walk in nature and feel what's happening in my body.

In this case, I would agree it can be of great value. Indeed we advocate our own 'program' for deprogramming. We call it "Openhand Approach" summarised as "open mind", "open heart", "receiving hand", "giving hand". It's purpose is to take people beyond the "I am this" limiting identity (you can read about the process here if you're interested...Openhand Approach).

It's also vitally important to realise you choose enlightenment in every moment. It is a constant conscious choice not to identify - to be purely present. The moment you start choosing and making "I am this" statements, is the moment you pop out of the enlightened state. Does it serve you to do that?

Chris

Thanks for the really useful discussion following my post...I couldn't agree more with what Chris said..."It is a constant conscious choice not to identify - to be purely present." I feel that this is exactly how the choice points are accessed...by melting in to the now....that was the point I was trying to make....it is not an active process or even a logical/mechanical process. In his book "Spontaneous Healing of Belief", Gregg Braden makes the point that the ancients knew that the secret to participating with the universe was through the interaction of the mind (thoughts/consciousness) with feeling (in the lower chakras) to bring about emotion in the heart chakra. There are serious mainstream scientists who are now seeing the universe as a quantum computer; in fact a consciousness computer (this doesn't reduce its wonder in any way, at least for me). A great quote from Braden's book is "Everyday reality is the palette that displays our possibilities, rather than being the reflection of our limitations"...this is obviously very empowering as it moves away from the old Newtonion world-view of us being passive observers (passive in the sense that the universe is "out there" and our souls/spirit consciousness is isolated from the rest of the universe "in here"). Regarding healing, while I agree that it is important to analyze/contemplate the events of our own pasts in order to move forward, identifying the causes doesn't necessarily provide us with the tools to truly forgive/heal....Caroline Myss in her book "Defy Gravity" feels that a mystical appreciation of the way we interact with/participate in the way the universe unfolds is also necessary....she refers to the 7 graces...she suggests that it is useful to allow ourselves to surrender to this field of grace in order to aid with healing...great book. Finally, as an ex athlete I personally know the power of visualisation....but I agree that such visualisations shouldn't just be about positive thoughts..the point is that you are correct that positive thoughts alone can just create illusions that subsequently lead to disappointments when things don't work out..but surrendering to this portal that we call the now with both our hearts and our minds as fully as possible allows us to access a point of true power....and life then becomes a perpetual prayer where we are able to see, as Disiderata says "the universe is unfolding as it should", but that we are also conscious participants in this unfolding, so our prayers and visualisations have true power. I haven't read Gregg Braden's other books, but plan to soon "Secrets of the Lost Mode of Prayer", "The Science of Miracles" and "The Isaiah Effect", but all deal with these issues...of course all the reading in the world cannot replace the true source of knowledge/understanding inside each one of us and as we're all different we will all have individual ways of getting to our truth...by the way, I watched the 5Gateways movie trailer...can't wait..it looks great. In love and light and thanks to you for listening to me thinking aloud!

Hi Seagull,

Yes I can embrace the importance of working positively to let go of identity. Thanks for your important contribution.

It's interesting you bring up the power of visualisation in Athletics. I studied Karate for over 25years. For most of that time, visualisation, positive intent and indeed mantras, took me a long way. It got me to Black Belt for example.

However, when I awoke, I discovered the placeless place. Suddenly my Karate took off into an entirely new dimension. It was like there was no one inside saying "turn, stop, kick, block". Movement just happened - at seeming warp speed!

I remember an incident where prior to one session, I lost my contact lenses. Even though very short sighted, I felt to continue with the session anyway. I ended up in a sparring bout with the senior instructor - who I couldn't see! Yet there was simply a following of my intuition. For the first time ever, I easily won the bout in just a couple of seconds.

The following session, I was bouyed by the experience, but a surreptitious imposter - a shadow identity - was now wondering how I could use this new found skill to master all free sparring situations. I found myself stood toe to toe with a relative beginner. I'd left my contact lenses out and was simply flowing with the moment. At one crucial point, having thrown a kick, I was left completely exposed on one leg. The beginner swept me off my feet and I landed hard on my bum!

Upon reflection, it was a powerful lesson. I'd tried to apply intent to get an outcome I'd wanted. Yet the universe had its own design. In fact both parties had 'won' in the engagement. I saw my own shadow identity, something trying to control the universe; the beginner learned something about confidence and confronting fear - black belt or not.

So perfection happened. For me now, it's not about winning or loosing, it's not about right or wrong, it's not about achieving a goal or a desired outcome. I notice the universe has a natural flow to it which reveals aspects of truth to all involved parties if we care to pay attention. Positive affirmation on the other hand tends to override the conscious truth of the moment - we don't get to see absolute authentic reality as it really is.

Glad you liked the trailer!

In love and light

Chris

H Chris - thanks for the response...yes, completely agree, my best results on the track (400m) always came when I let go and didn't fight it...I was "in the zone" so to speak...my old coach used to tell us about what he called the paradox of sprinting...the harder you try the slower you run...it becomes a matter of harmony...all parts working as a whole...focused power/intent without fear/panic because the moments of the race now are all that really exist....thanks.

I understand what you're saying, Chris,
I meant someone like me, in the process

I would say that "disapearing" is also kind of reprogramming..it can be done in many ways. Now I'm thinking - surrendering and following the flow is much more gentle, natural and control-free way and also it can prevent confusion (am I going in the right direction or getting away?), because it's probably much closer to a final state. What do you think?

It's interesting that yesterday I've ran into an article, which was saying that when you want to clean yourself, you don't add things, you empty things.

So if you want to get rid of old patterns and clean yourself from all the limiting stuff, it's not done by learning some new patterns from guru, but by emptying from everything and finding youself (or loosing yourself I would say )

(It's Shakti Mhi, if anybody wants to know)

Hi Yulia,

Yes indeed, when we're in the process, de-progamming - dissolving - is essential and deconstructive, soft programs can be used effectively.

However, there's one very important realisation to make. Enlightenment is a natural state. It sits in the background of your every experience. We're only choosing not to be enlightened.

When you realise this, there is the possibility to keep dropping into enlightenment through choice - or put more accurately - through the absence of choice.

We simply keep watching, being present and following the natural course speaking through events and all the while letting go of attachment.

So we just have to be careful we're not simply writing more programs over the old ones.

And yes, I would say its about loosing yourself and emptying. Once empty, we fill with the myriad of colours of the universe.

Chris