Surprising Power of Colors - It's Not All in Your Head

Image by Stuart Miles at www.freedigitalphotos.net

Many studies have proven that colors have an effect on your mood. But you don't need a scientific study to tell you that. Simply walk into a predominately blue room and then walk into a red one. How did your mood change? Chances are, you felt happier and calmer in the blue room then you did in the red one. That's because red is a more energetic color than is blue. But you probably didn't consciously think about it. Instead, your mood simply responded to it. But you can consciously use color to affect your mood by meditating (visualizing) the appropriate color at various times throughout the day.

Meaning of Colors

Before starting your color meditation, you need to know what the meanings of some of the main colors are, and what they tend to do to your mood.

Red

As noted above, red is an energetic color. It wakes you up, makes you alert, and may cause aggressiveness. It is the color of passion-sexual and otherwise. Meditate on red when you need extra energy, courage, or confidence to complete a particular task. Too much of a focus on pure red, however, can make you irritable or feverish. Therefore, you should not meditate more than a couple of minutes at a time on red.

Pink

A shade of red, pink is a gentler, warmer color than is its bolder counterpart. Pink is the soothing color of love and affairs of the heart. Meditate on pink when you want to open your heart to love, or when you want to expand the love that you already feel for someone or something.

Blue

Universally considered a tranquil color, blue is the one you should choose to soothe your frazzled nerves. There are, however, many different shades of blue that have differing effects on your mood. Royal blue is a more energetic shade of this color, with a meaning similar to red. Navy blue denotes seriousness. Baby blue or sky blue will calm you down.

Green

The color green represents nature, renewal, and healing, just like grass and foliage. Meditate on green when your emotions need some renewal and you would like to start over.

Yellow

Representing friendship, yellow is the color of happiness and optimism. Think of the warming rays of the sun on a lazy summer day. This is the way that meditating on yellow should affect your mood, making you happy, content.

Meditating on Colors

 

When you feel you need a boost for your mood, pick one of the colors associated with the desired mood. Several times during the day, close your eyes and visualize a ray of that color coming down from the ceiling, entering the top of your head, and coursing slowly throughout your body. Visualize the inside of your body becoming the color that you have chosen. If you have trouble imagining the color itself, think of a particular item of that color. For instance, for red, think of an apple. For green, think of the grass. For yellow, think of the sun. Soon, you will have no trouble at all vividly seeing these colors in your imagination.

I use these color meditations all the time, and they really work.

 

 

 

 

Intention is the Law of Attraction in Action




Image courtesy of Photokanok at www.freedigitalphotos.net
 

These days you can find material on the Law of Attraction everywhere. It is in bookstores, TV, DVDs and the Internet. But do you fully understand how it works? Do you ever wonder why some people can use it effortlessly to gain what they want all the time while others cannot get even a simple result from it. More importantly though do you understand why it only works sometimes for you or not all?

Because you can think and because you can feel and express emotion you are a creator already. Through your ability to think and feel you are using the Law of Attraction every second of everyday to attract to you the life you are currently living. By virtue of your dominant thoughts and feelings you are attracting everything that you have ever experienced and ever will experience into your life. You are a creator. However, chances are you are an unconscious creator. If you wish to become a conscious creator - a person who deliberately attracts and creates their life the way they want it to be - then you need to understand how to use the Law of Attraction.

It is not necessary to understand all the intricate inner workings of the great law but it is essential that you develop a deep understanding of how to use it properly. Many people do not understand how or why gravity is created but they still know not to step off a ledge that is 10 stories high!

The very first thing you need to do is create an intention. Having an intention is not only the first step in attracting whatever you want, it is also the most important and the most powerful. Without having a solid concrete intention you can expect to achieve little and you never live the life you deire to live. Your life will drift along on the oceans of change while you are carried this way and that depending on the desires and the intentions of those around you.

The Law of Attraction can be summed up simply in a short yet powerful sentence. If this sentence were totally understood the rest of this article would be unnecessary as would all the current and unwritten works that teach this law. The truth behind the Law of Attraction can be quantified in this short statement: You get more of what you focus on in life!

This means that whatever you give your attention to with thought and feeling you energize. As you focus your energy through your thoughts and feelings you are activating the Law of Attraction and setting it in motion. Through the Law of Attraction you then begin to attract into your life more of what you are concentrating on regardless of whether it is wanted or unwanted.

You are mostly using the Law of Attraction unconsciously. Sometimes you use this to your adavantage but most times you are activating this law to bring you things that you do not want. For example, as you focus on lack of money, bills and debts you will attract more things that require you to spend your money, more bills to pay and more debts to clear. If you focus on the problems or arguments in your relationship you will attract more reasons to argue and more problems to worry about.

Conversely, if you direct your focus to those things that are working well within your relationship you will attract more things that work well and create more harmony between you and your partner. If you focus on the positive aspects of your finances like having a roof over your head, a car, a job and money to pay the bills then you will attract more of these into your life. Basically, if you feel grateful for the things you have you will attract more of them but you will also attract more things to be grateful for!

In addition you can also create a focus for yourself. For instance if you desire a better job or higher income you can begin to imagine what that would look and feel like to have. As you focus on that mental image everyday you will begin to attract situations, circumstances and people that bring that vision closer to reality and ultimately into your life.

It is your ability to focus you attention on something that makes you a creator. By focusing your attention you activate the Law of Attraction. However, it is your Intention that unlocks the door to using the Law of Attraction to deliberately create a life that is pleasing to you.

Setting an intention is very powerful because it forces you to direct your focus on what you want and not on the lack of it. If your try to use the Law of Attraction to create more money in your life without setting a concrete intention then you will tend to focus on the "wanting" feeling which is in fact just focusing on the lack of money in your life. Most people fail to manifest anything consciously simply because they become frustrated and disheartened due to a misdirection of their focus - they are concentrating on wanting instead of what it would be like having!

List three things that would bring you joy if you had them in your life today. Under each of these desires write a few reasons why having it would bring you joy and make you happy. Once you have determined the reason state the emotion you are feeling that is assosiated with it. For example I intend to have $20,0000 in additional income because I could treat my wife to new clothes more often and a family holiday and this would make me feel like a better provider and give me a sense of pride, joy and accomplishment while making me feel safe and secure in my marriage and home.

Taking these simple steps means that when you think of your intention to attract or create an additional £20,000 in income you are focused on the goal itself and the feelings of having it rather than on the lack of it. The more intense your feelings of having it are the faster it will manifest. Now please note I am not saying that the more you want it the faster it will come! Wanting something can actually keep it away from you. Why? Because by wanting you are focusing on the lack! Focus your feelings on having it and you will attract it into your life with a speed that will surprise and perhaps even shock you. This is a knack but once you do it, it becomes easier the next time.

Every morning and every night read the list of intentions and the reasons for wanting them. Visualize what you will be doing when you have these things and most importantly of all FEEL how you will feel when you have them. When you generate the feelings associated with your desires you have already activated the Law of Attraction and the manifestation of your desires has already begun!

Read about several of the best Law of Attraction resources that we have tested for free. Find out what really works! Read the free review of the very best Law of Attraction course that we tested - We find out what works so you don’t have to!

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Warning: Positive Affirmations Can Destroy Success!

Every day, in every way, I am getting better and better.

Most of us are familiar with this quote by renowned French psychologist, Émile Coué. Indeed, the method of auto suggestion (self-hypnosis) that he created is still being used today. Repeating daily positive affirmations is supposed to effortlessly bring you your heart’s desires. Many people are discovering, however, that affirmations not only fail to work, but sometimes bring the exact opposite of what they intended.

What’s going on?

Repeating Affirmations as True May Cause Doubt

Repeating daily positive affirmations can sometimes bring negative results when you don’t believe your words.

This is because the value of affirmations lies not in the words, but in the feeling behind the words! Positive affirmations work when you feel the truth of what you’re saying. They don’t work – or backfire – when your words instill doubt in your heart and mind.

Doubt Destroys Success!

Having doubt either hinders or completely destroys success.

As usual, the Holy Bible says it best in one of my favorite verses:

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be though cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. – Mark 11:23

The problem with most affirmations is this: you state them as a present fact knowing that they are not true right now. Yes, if you repeat it often enough, faith may rise up in your heart. But until then…you don’t believe what you’re saying. In this case, such repeated repetitions, even if positive, will cause you to focus on what you still don’t have.

The result?

Your positive affirmations won’t work and can even cause the opposite of what you want to manifest.

How Does this Work?

It’s a subtle process, but it goes something like this:

You repeat this affirmation several times a day: “I’m 120 pounds and feel GREAT!”

But you weigh 260 pounds and feel awful.

So each time you repeat this positive affirmation, your mind calls you a liar. In fact, you can’t help but remind yourself how far away from 120 pounds your body really is. Each time you repeat this statement, you focus on your weight problem and how tough it is to lose weight. You become discouraged. You start eating bigger helpings at dinner. You add cake, cookies, pastries, and other goodies to your diet.

Your affirmations for having the perfect figure haven’t worked. In fact, you’ve gained an extra 10 or so pounds!

Secret to Making your Affirmations Work

The secret to making your positive affirmation work, then, is make the statement true for you – no matter how removed from reality the end goal actually is.

How do you do this?

In the book, Law of Attraction: The Science of Attracting More of What You Want and Less of What you Don’t, Michael J. Losier advises us to re-phrase your affirmation like this:

I am in the process of…

Put this phrase at the beginning of your desire/affirmation.

For instance:

I am in the process of losing 50 pounds.

I am in the process of weighing 120 pounds.

I am in the process of finding my dream job.

I am in the process of having $50,000 in my savings account

I am in the process of being financially stable.

Using, I am in the process of, makes any affirmation true for you! This phrase will take away your doubt and resistance to the idea of having your desire, and your positive affirmations wills start to work for you!

Try it and see. 

Do you have a tip for making affirmations work?
 

Book Review - The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth am I Here For?

Ten years ago, The Purpose Driven Life was released and became the bestselling nonfiction hardback of all time. It still holds that distinction. So why release a new edition? According to author and pastor, Rick Warren, this book is for the new generation, those who were too young to read the original book.

But the message is the same and as timeless as ever: “It’s not about you,” Warren writes. He goes on to explain that because we were made for God’s purpose, we must “begin with God.” And until we realize this, we will never discover our life’s purpose. Upfront, Warren points out 5 biblical verses that spell out what our purposes are. He then presents a 42 day spiritual practice that, if you follow it (reading one short chapter a day), you will discover why you were born and what your mission on this earth is.

Warren’s writing is fresh, instructive, and inspirational. I believe that one of the reasons this book may transform your life, as it has transformed so many others’, is that it forces you to really think about and investigate your purpose. You have 42 days of immersion in biblical principles to do it, each chapter building upon the previous one. 

This new edition of The Purpose Driven Life includes two new chapters. There are also links to a 40-50 minute audio message at the end of each chapter that really help to drive home the teachings of each section. If you want to discover your purpose and transform you life, I highly recommend this book. If you want to help transform someone else’s life, give them a copy of The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth am I Here For?

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
 

Book Review: Lifesigns

Lifesigns: Tapping the Power of Synchronicity, Serendipity and Miracles, Alex Marcoux, Littleton, CO: Jenness, 2012, 224 pp

In her new book, Lifesigns, Tapping the Power of Synchronicity, Serendipity and Miracles, Alex Marcoux tackles a mysterious, intriguing, and sometimes frustrating topic. All of us have experienced signs from the Universe – although many people choose to call them, “coincidences” – but interpreting these experiences is another matter. Ms. Marcoux, however, suggests that we can do just that, developing a sort of two-way communication with the Universe that will guide us every step of the way.

In the introduction of Lifesigns, the author writes:

“What if we knew the Universe was giving us messages through synchronistic, serendipitous, or even unexplainable events? What if all we needed to do was develop a language with the Universe to interpret what Source is telling us? Wouldn’t we pay more attention and view life with awe and wonder if we could identify the signs as they emerge in our lives? Wouldn’t life become easier and richer?”

Yes, indeed, life would become easier and richer if we could converse with the Universe, and my life has also become richer for reading this excellent book. In Lifesigns, Ms. Marcoux tells us not only how to interpret these signs from the Universe, but how to call for the signs. By doing this, you truly become part of the process. There have been so many times in my life when I’ve been overwhelmed by synchronicities, with no way to interpret them, that I felt I was going crazy. Next time that happens, I will refer to this book.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I highly recommend Lifesigns: Tapping the Power of Synchronicity, Serendipity and Miracles. This is the best book about interpreting synchronicities that I have ever read!
 

Halloween – Welcoming the Spirits

Halloween is not only a time of costumes, parties, trick-or-treating, jack o’lanterns, and candy. It’s also the time when the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest. This means that you can more easily contact the dead.  

But how do you do that? It’s easier than you think. Here are some methods to help you contact your department loved ones – or anyone else you want!

Contacting the Dead – 3 Easy Ways

Contacting the dead is usually harmless. But because the veil between the living and the dead is so thin on Halloween, evil spirits can also creep in. So before you summon spirits, you need to ask for protection. This can be as simple as saying a short prayer:

Dear Lord. I ask for your protection and ask that only good spirit come through to me in this session.  Amen. (You can use any deity you’d like.) 

You can also visualize a white or purple light streaming down upon you from heaven, then circling your body through the duration of the session.

After you have asked and received protection, you can proceed to one of these methods of summoning spirits.

1. Meditation. Go to a room where you will not be disturbed for at least 30 minutes. To set the mood, you may light candles and incense and play soft music, if you’d like. Sit in a comfortable chair, back straight, feel flat on the floor, with your hands (palm up) on your lap. Touch your thumb and index finger together on each hand.

Inhale slowly to a count of three. Hold breath for a couple seconds. Then exhale to a count of four. Repeat several rounds, concentrating totally on your breath. Whenever thoughts intrude (and they will), simply return your attention to your breath.

After a few minutes, start noticing your thoughts. Notice how they arise from nothingness and how they return to nothingness. Don’t engage your thought or try to hold onto them in any way. Simply let them come and go. After a few minutes of this, start noticing the space between your thoughts.
By this time, your thoughts should have calmed down quite a bit.

Now…every time there’s a space between your thoughts, ask a question of someone who has passed on. Think your question, as opposed to asking it verbally. Then wait for the response. Now that your thoughts have settled down, you should be able to hear the spirits. They actually talk to you all the time, but your mind is usually so busy, you don’t hear them. This Halloween, you can actually listen to them!

2. Scrying. You can contact the dead using a reflective surface like a crystal ball, a black mirror, or even a glass or bowl filled with water. Staring into a reflective surface is believed to induce a state of altered consciousness.

Just like with meditation, go to a quiet room where you won’t be disturbed for at least 30 minutes. Then…put your scrying object – crystal ball, black mirror, etc – on a surface at a level where you can comfortable look at it when sitting in a chair. Position an armchair so that it’s facing the table. Light a candle and put it on a stable surface somewhere behind the chair. Again, you may light incense and play soft music, if you’d like. Turn off any lights. The room should be totally dark except for one flickering candle.

Sit in the chair, close your eyes, and begin breathing slowly and deeply. As you breathe, relax your body and clear your mind. Relax and breathe for about ten minutes. Then open your eyes, and gaze into the scrying object. Look deeply into it, but with a softened gaze. (Let your eyes go out of focus).
You may instantly start seeing images, or you may see a mist form before images appear. You may also see nothing the first time around. (However, some people do see images in the very first session.) Don’t try too hard, and don’t scry for more than 20 minutes in the beginning. This is a method that takes practice. But you may also be one of those lucky people who see something immediately, especially if you do this on Halloween.

3. Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP). You can listen to recorded sounds of spirits. This method is amazingly easy. All you have to do is turn on a recording device, ask the spirit a question, and then shut up and let the machine record silence for the next few minutes. When you play the recording back, however, you may be amazed to discover that you’ve recorded a spirit’s voice. (You will not hear this voice while recording, only during playback.) Though easy, the EVP method doesn’t usually give you a lot of information. Rather, you will probably just hear a word or two. But it’s probably enough to let you know your loved one is alive and well – at least in the spirit world!

There are many more ways to communicate with the dead, but these three are probably the most common. (Yes, I forgot to include the Ouija Board!) Do you have any favorites you’d like to add?
      

The 30-Day Mental Diet

I’m about to undertake a self-improvement challenge that is far more difficult than any weight loss plan. Starting on June 1, 2012, I am putting myself on a 30-day mental diet. And I invite you to join me.

That’s right. For 30-days, I am going to break my ingrained, life long negativity habit. After these 30-days are up, I am going to be negativity-free…permanently. Notice, I didn’t say that I’m going to “try to” break my negativity habit. I said I’m going to do it. See how positive I’m already being?

What’s involved in a mental diet?

A mental diet involves only thinking positive thoughts. If you think this will be easy, for you if not for me, think again.

You see, negative thinking is automatic for most people. In fact, I’m so steeped in negativity that I don’t even recognize my negative thoughts. See if you recognize yourself in any of these scenarios:

-          Your boss asks you to give a speech in front of the Board of Directors, and you think, “I can’t do that. I’m terrible at giving speeches!!!”

-          A driver cuts you off on the freeway and you automatically judge him (or her) as being rude and selfish.

-          A co-worker makes a comment that you feel is critical of you and you get defensive, feeling that the co-worker is either jealous or out to get you.

-          You look in the mirror at your overweight self and get depressed, thinking that you’ll never be able to lose that weight.

Do you recognize the negativity here? No? Well, some of it is subtle. In fact, you may think that you’re just stating a fact when, in fact, you are being negative. For instance, is being terrible at giving a speech really a fact, or is it a negative concept of yourself? See what I mean?

Stopping Negativity

Of course, it’s unrealistic to think you will be able to stop all negative thoughts instantly. They will creep in. But the key is to change the negative thought to a positive one as soon as you recognize it.

But you need to be vigilant in catching negative thoughts. And the only way you can catch them is to recognize them.

Here is a passage from the classic, consciousness-raising book, “Three Magic Words,” about what kinds of thoughts to ignore on a mental diet:

“What are these thoughts that we are going to refuse to entertain? They are any thoughts that might in the smallest or greatest manner cast into a pessimistic or poor light yourself, your family, your friends, your social group, your state, your nation, or the entire human race. They are, in short, negative thoughts of any type, regardless of whether they seem personally aimed at you yourself, or even at an inanimate object.”

This is a tall order, but we can do it if we really try.

Why go on a Mental Diet

Perhaps I should have explained the reason and benefits of going on a mental diet upfront—thoughts are things. What we think about, day in and day out, is what we will produce in our lives. Whatever we think about ourselves, we will become. We can, indeed, change our lives by changing our thoughts. As Dr. Wayne W. Dyer says, “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at changes.”

So while it seems that we may be in denial when we say that the world is a peaceful, loving place (for instance) we are actually creating this world according to our thoughts.

So won’t you join me for this 30-day mental diet? I would love to hear your experiences!