To Pursue a Thought...
As humans we have one power: to pursue a thought. What thought are you going to pursue--I am infinite, or I am finite?
Yogi Bhajan said that on a video I watched a few weeks ago.
He was proposing that we don't necessarily create our own thoughts. They just sort of pop in. The unconscious mind is full of stuff we don't have any idea about, as well as a whole lot of programming from outside sources. These all just pop up like popcorn --thousands per second. And then there is also this spin doctor in your mind that is sometimes called the ego that is always scrambling to keep your story together. I also believe that sometimes our thoughts are actually whispers from beings outside of us--sometimes light, sometimes dark.
But where thoughts come from doesn't really matter. What matters are the ones we pursue. One thought alone can shape your destiny--if you pursue it. One thought can destroy you--but only if you pursue it.
Too many people think we are our thoughts. My 2nd favorite bumper stick in the world says: DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU THINK.
Ha!
It can be fun to observe your own thoughts with this perspective. I like to notice all the nice touches my spin doctor adds. One day I got kind of annoyed at all the chatter and I actually spoke out loud to that part of my mind and said, "Why can't you just stop?"
I heard a tiny pathetic little voice inside answer, "Because then I won't have a job...."
I laughed that I got such a straight answer. But I also listened. "What if I gave you another job?" I asked.
We are still working out the details
Some people think that the purpose of meditation is to clear the mind of thoughts. I would like to set the record straight. If your mind is totally blank you are probably dead. The truth is that meditation helps us direct the mind, rather than allowing it to be directed or scattered all over the place by all these incoming thoughts.
I'd also like to clear up another misconception. It's not actually what happens when you are meditating that matters, it's what happens when you are not. It's the same with hypnotherapy. It's not so much what happens in the session as what happens between sessions. Although what happens in the sessions is often magical, the suggestions meet reality between sessions.
Now that the book is out and people are reading it and using it, I have been getting a lot of questions about meditation. In the book, I challenged everyone to do a 40-day meditation, and people want to know where to start and what to do. They want help, and I couldn't be happier. I love to teach meditation--or rather, I love to get people started. The real magic of meditation (what happens inside you and between you and God) can't be taught. It has to be experienced and that is why we practice meditation and not just read about it. The real magic happens as you accumulate days in a row and then more days in a row of consistent practice. For a long time I used meditation on a triage basis, and it still helped, but as soon as I got serious and consistent about doing it every day, every cell in body changed and my behavior transformed.
Because I love it so much and I'm excited to help more people learn, I am putting together a series of videos about meditation and videos of sample meditations for people to try. Thanks to input from some blog readers, I will be doing both a learning video and a do-it-with me video of each meditation, for those who want to do it with the video and not listen to the how-to over again each time.
If you like what you've read here, and don't want to miss any new videos or more info about meditation, make sure you sign up for my newsletter on the right. When you do, you'll also get a free introductory video course on Meditation.
Who wants to shout hooray right now?
Yogi Bhajan said that on a video I watched a few weeks ago.
He was proposing that we don't necessarily create our own thoughts. They just sort of pop in. The unconscious mind is full of stuff we don't have any idea about, as well as a whole lot of programming from outside sources. These all just pop up like popcorn --thousands per second. And then there is also this spin doctor in your mind that is sometimes called the ego that is always scrambling to keep your story together. I also believe that sometimes our thoughts are actually whispers from beings outside of us--sometimes light, sometimes dark.
But where thoughts come from doesn't really matter. What matters are the ones we pursue. One thought alone can shape your destiny--if you pursue it. One thought can destroy you--but only if you pursue it.
Too many people think we are our thoughts. My 2nd favorite bumper stick in the world says: DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU THINK.
Ha!
It can be fun to observe your own thoughts with this perspective. I like to notice all the nice touches my spin doctor adds. One day I got kind of annoyed at all the chatter and I actually spoke out loud to that part of my mind and said, "Why can't you just stop?"
I heard a tiny pathetic little voice inside answer, "Because then I won't have a job...."
I laughed that I got such a straight answer. But I also listened. "What if I gave you another job?" I asked.
We are still working out the details
Some people think that the purpose of meditation is to clear the mind of thoughts. I would like to set the record straight. If your mind is totally blank you are probably dead. The truth is that meditation helps us direct the mind, rather than allowing it to be directed or scattered all over the place by all these incoming thoughts.
I'd also like to clear up another misconception. It's not actually what happens when you are meditating that matters, it's what happens when you are not. It's the same with hypnotherapy. It's not so much what happens in the session as what happens between sessions. Although what happens in the sessions is often magical, the suggestions meet reality between sessions.
Now that the book is out and people are reading it and using it, I have been getting a lot of questions about meditation. In the book, I challenged everyone to do a 40-day meditation, and people want to know where to start and what to do. They want help, and I couldn't be happier. I love to teach meditation--or rather, I love to get people started. The real magic of meditation (what happens inside you and between you and God) can't be taught. It has to be experienced and that is why we practice meditation and not just read about it. The real magic happens as you accumulate days in a row and then more days in a row of consistent practice. For a long time I used meditation on a triage basis, and it still helped, but as soon as I got serious and consistent about doing it every day, every cell in body changed and my behavior transformed.
Because I love it so much and I'm excited to help more people learn, I am putting together a series of videos about meditation and videos of sample meditations for people to try. Thanks to input from some blog readers, I will be doing both a learning video and a do-it-with me video of each meditation, for those who want to do it with the video and not listen to the how-to over again each time.
If you like what you've read here, and don't want to miss any new videos or more info about meditation, make sure you sign up for my newsletter on the right. When you do, you'll also get a free introductory video course on Meditation.
Who wants to shout hooray right now?
Hooray! I am so glad to hear that I don't have to clear my minds of thoughts while I meditate. I never have done that, but I still love meditating. Glad to hear I am not doing it "wrong" So excited to learn more!
ReplyDeleteme, oh me! I tried figuring out the whole meditation thing a while ago (years), but felt utterly lost. Then I did some guided imagery meditating and had some REALLY powerful scary experiences as a result and haven't done much since (2001). I pray and trying to meditate a LITTLE as part of that, but I've just been afraid to meditate again growing in me and since I'm also NEWly preggie again... perfect confluence. I think I must. ;) I'm SO grateful to sorta know you!!!! ^_^ I'm definitely going to start the meditating as soon as I figure out when and how (to otherwise occupy my 4 kiddos... well, 3 might be able to join, but baby Jmy would not and because I know my weakness, I would get too frustrated....).
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU for doing the meditate with me way, too! I'm so excited!!!
PS
ReplyDeleteI REALLY need a lot of reminders of this. Father God is providing them and your blog is one. THANK YOU! ^_^
I want to shout hooray!
ReplyDeleteYour relaxation mp3 helped me a lot in preparing for my daughter's birth in February. I was much more prepared for her birth than I was for her brother's. I also use the "I am happy" meditation a lot. I don't always sit and do the motions, but I find myself singing the song often. I am excited for your meditation video series!
I also love something you said about thoughts:
"I also believe that sometimes our thoughts are actually whispers from beings outside of us--sometimes light, sometimes dark."
This is something that I believe, too. I'm glad I'm not the only one! Sometimes, when I've been at my lowest and have been thinking thoughts about myself that I *know* are not true thoughts, I've had the distinct impression that Satan (or one of his angels) is standing beside me and whispering in my ear. I have spoken aloud to him and told him to leave me alone. It usually works.
I love your comment above! I absolutely agree a out our thoughts coming sometimes from outside sources. I have a very similar experiences and have had great success in verbally speaking my "words" just as god did when he said "let there be light" and there was light. I think we have power to cast out darkness and bring forth light into outlives through thought and feeling just be the outward action of verbalizing powerful words.
ReplyDeleteAnd felice I am so excited for the teleseminars!