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In a world that seems to spew forth activity and demand attention 24-7, it is hardly surprising that stress and anxiety are labeled as the number one health challenge facing people today.

If you secretly entertain fantasies of dropping off the grid or moving to a desert island, you are not alone! Millions of people are looking for ways to counter the relentless onslaught of technology and connectivity on their sense of well-being. And yet, the solution to peace lies within you, not somewhere in some tropical paradise. 

Peace is a state of being that is borne of silence. It is one of the most powerful forces in the universe available to humans, yet it is also one of the least understood. Inner peace offers a refuge from the turbulence of the outer world and wields enormous transformational power in the lives of those who cherish it.

You, too, can enjoy the benefits of inner peace in the midst of a hectic world. Here’s how to get from panicked to peaceful:

To know the peace that circulates through a quiet mind, you must take yourself to that place where this silent Presence can make itself known to you. First, you must go within.

When Jesus told his disciples to seek the Kingdom of Heaven within, his words were alive with practical instruction. He was showing people how to discover a secret part within themselves that remained untouched by the wear and tear of their outer world.

This master instruction still holds true. If we want to know the silent strength of peace that passes all understanding, we must go within. We must become quiet. In doing so, we learn to become the observer, not the doer.

The second step is to observe. A good wildlife naturalist observes the diverse ways of animals without interfering. Think primatologist Jane Goodall: in order to learn more about primates, she simply watched them over the course of many years without interfering. And that’s what you must learn to do within. You’re to become an impartial witness to your own thoughts and feelings. Let them surface and subside within you while you simply observe without the slightest judgment of their nature or character. Neither resist nor let yourself be drawn into any of their attention-stealing antics.

At times, it might be helpful to use the analogy of an ocean, where waves arise from the ocean to build, crest and collapse into the ocean again, just as thoughts arise out of consciousness and are resorbed by it again.

“Be master of mind rather than mastered by mind,” advises a Zen proverb. And you can! You can participate in the outer activities of life and still rest within creation; the trick is not to become attached to those activities and their stories. That is also the challenge: learning how to rest in pure consciousness where nothing can affect you.

That brings us to the third step: detachment. The more detached you become from the mind’s state of perpetual thinking, the easier it becomes to perform all the actions that need to be done without losing your sense of power.

All you want to do is observe with detachment. Detached self-observation is your aim. Each time you realize that you’re no longer watching, but instead got caught up in a thought or feeling and are being carried along by it, just quietly withdraw your energy from that temporary psychic wave. Come back to the awareness of yourself in the present moment. Remember who you are: the observer of the thoughts, and not the thoughts or the resulting emotions they invoke.

So there you have it: go within – observe – detach – repeat. This practice is at the heart and soul of finding stillness and becoming peace. Nobody can gift you with it; you must experience it for yourself. Let go of outer drama, turn inward, and observe. Then gently bring back your awareness each time it wanders, returning your awareness to the inner landscape of the present moment. You are training your mind that you are not subject to its thoughts; you are the observer of them.

Pay no attention to what your thoughts and feelings are trying to tell you. Learn to simply observe the inner voices, whether they are light or dark, joyful or sad. Gradually attune your inner awareness to the cracks between thoughts, the silence beneath the inner landscape, and sink deeper into that silent peace.

As you gently maintain awareness of each present moment, you will notice how the moment itself changes… and as it does, so do you! When you connect to the silence within, you train your mind to return to peace - your natural resting place in consciousness.

The next time you feel overwhelmed and rushed off your feet, take a few minutes to center yourself. Go within … observe … detach … repeat … as often as needed until your consciousness returns to peace.

The more you practice this, the more you will be able to experience inner peace, calm and strength in your daily life, regardless of outer circumstances.

©Copyright Ada Porat.
This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached. To sign up for Ada's inspirational monthly newsletter, visit www.AdaPorat.com.

The activities of our solar system can have far-reaching effects on earth and its inhabitants.  In recent years, scientists have discovered that solar flares and coronal mass ejections that are fired off by the sun, can severely impact weather patterns and all life forms on earth.

When charged emissions from the sun hit earth’s protective magnetic field, the magnetic field moves and causes a shift in the jet stream, often causing it to drop down low enough to disturb weather patterns. And when this occurs, all life forms on earth can be thrown off kilter by chaotic, severe weather and temporary upheavals in the electromagnetic field surrounding the body.

The study of magnetic influence on animal behavior has been well documented. Disruption of earth’s magnetic fields (most often caused by solar flares and coronal mass ejections form the sun) is believed to cause pods of dolphins and whales beaching themselves, or scramble the internal radar systems of migrant birds, resulting in them veering off their regular flight path.

Activities of the solar system have a direct impact on humans as well. The electromagnetic field of the human body closely relates to the life force of the body. Imbalance in this delicate system can be experienced as emotional and/or physical turbulence which may range from a vague sense of discomfort to depression, sleep disorders, anxiety and physical disease. Atmospheric changes commonly cause headache symptoms in people as the barometric pressure drops.

To restore balance to an individual, an energy practitioner can determine the cause and location of the disturbance in a person’s energy field or along the meridians – a network of bio-magnetic grids that run through the body. Once imbalances are brought into alignment, the optimal flow of life force is restored throughout the body.

If you are feeling out of sorts as a result of changing weather patterns, there are also basic steps you can take on your own to realign your energy field. Here are a few suggestions:

1.    Spend time in nature.  
Go for a walk or take off your shoes and walk on the grass. This simple activity enables the electromagnetic energy field of the body to ground and re-connect to the electromagnetic grid of earth, alleviating symptoms of disorientation, lightheadedness or feeling drained.

2.    Add coarse sea salt or Epsom salts to bath water and soak a while.  
The salt helps to chelate toxicity that may collect along the meridians, interfering with energy flow. It also restores balance to the electromagnetic field of the body.

3.    Drink extra amounts of water.  
Your body consists of 70 to 80 percent water. Dehydration is very prevalent in our society, where we don’t take the time to nurture our bodies. Water supports all bodily functions and assists the lymphatic system with flushing out waste products that may cause sluggishness and headaches.

©Copyright Ada Porat.
This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached. 

“Every option seems to have a down side. How do I know what’s best? I just don’t know what to do,” a friend recently complained.

My friend was caught in a quandary familiar to many of us. After losing a well-paying job and pounding the pavement for months to find another, an excellent opportunity had just come up – but it required moving out of state. Now a decision had to be made: stay on unemployment and hope for something to turn up locally, uproot the family to accept the offer out of state… or consider something in-between?

Every option offered potential benefit as well as the potential risk of failure. The conversation reminded me of something I read many years ago when I faced a similar dilemma:

Decision-making is easy when there are no discrepancies in your value system.

The fact is, there are decisions to be made every moment of life: Over time, these choices tend to unfold as failure or success, fulfillment or disappointment, or any of the myriad choices in between. So how can we optimize decision-making and minimize the downside?

A clear understanding of your core values will help you choose well at the decision-making junctions of your life. These inner values and your emotions around them form part of the immediate content of the decision-making process. Awareness of your core values makes it easier for you to make choices in harmony with those values.  If you value being able to provide for your family, you will find it easier to make the sacrifices necessary (such as working out of town for a while) than if you deeply cherish the comforts of the known.

By the way, I have found that most people who cling to the comfort and security of their known environment, are doing so from fear: fear of the unknown, fear of failing, fear of making mistakes. If you want to make great decisions, you first need to evict fear from your life. It is a dream killer and a useless waste of energy!

Effective decision-making looks at the content as well as the context of the situation.

Your inner world of values and desires constitute the immediate content of your decisions. Beyond that inner world of content, effective decision-making also requires you to consider the external context of your choices. In other words, there are factors in your external environment that need to be taken into account: in the example above, my friend needed to consider the timing of the job offer, the overall conditions in the job market, the other opportunities out there, and how a decision might impact the family.

Without taking external factors into consideration, even great decisions can lead to failure.

Powerful decisions require you to be truthful.

Decisions based on inner truth lead to inner empowerment. Choices that compromise your truth, lead to conflict and confusion. 

It is helpful to remember Socrates’ observation that each of us chooses what we believe to be optimal, given our level of awareness and insight at the time. Our choices create a resonant frequency field which attracts resonant energies and repels dissonant frequencies. Over time, this quantum attractor field draws particles of probability into becoming possibilities, eventually manifesting as our reality. Our thoughts and choices eventually manifest as things, so it behooves us to focus on truth!

You cannot live an authentic life by dishonoring your inner truth. There comes a time for each of us when we must choose to honor our truth and let the chips fall where they may. As Marianne Williamson has said, our playing small does not serve the world!

The Course in Miracles teaches that Truth is not frail. Truth can withstand the demands of the ego. It can surmount the envy, misperceptions and judgments of others, because it needs no defense.

True power lies in choosing from within, from the strength of having owned your fears, from the gentleness that you carry with grace. Each time you choose to honor your truth, you are creating more resonance to empower you on your journey.

A great way of drilling down to your true intention, is by asking yourself powerful questions. Answering these questions will help you face patterns of self-sabotage, fear or compromise so you can make clear decisions. Author Debbie Ford outlines great questions in her book, The Right Questions. Here are a few:

•    Will this choice propel me toward an inspiring future or keep me stuck in the past?
•    Will this choice bring me long-term fulfillment or short-term gratification?
•    Am I standing in my power or am I trying to please another?
•    Am I looking for what is right or for what is wrong?
•    Will this choice add to my life force or rob me of energy?
•    Will I use this situation as a catalyst to grow or as an excuse to beat myself up?
•    Does this choice empower or disempower me?
•    Is this an act of self-love or is it an act of self-sabotage?
•    Is this an act of faith or is it an act of fear?

Powerful decisions require involvement of body, mind and soul.

Finally, sound decision-making requires you to listen to the subtle message of your being at all levels. To listen to all aspects of your being, it is most helpful to cultivate healthy connections among your body, mind and soul. Each of these levels of communicates with you in different ways. Remain aware of your spiritual core guiding you through the physical challenges of life, and you will become most effective at decision-making. Take time for meditation or contemplation. It will help you stay centered and at peace.

Once you have made a decision, stay flexible and embrace ambiguity. As additional information surfaces, you may want to adapt to it. Remember, change is usually a messy process! Flexibility makes it easier to release unrealistic expectations and to adjust to new information so you can optimize your decisions.

 

©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit www.adaporat.com
This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.  

A lot of success coaches and motivational speakers tell you to THINK BIG. They tell you to create a big vision in order to succeed. And I agree - having a big vision is necessary to accomplish big things.

At the same time, even big things are compiled of multiple smaller components - and so I find myself coaching clients to think small instead.

Whenever you are in a tight spot in life, it is especially important to focus on the goodness of life at the present moment. The past is over and the future is not here yet. This is the perfect time to appreciate what you do have now instead of focusing on fear or lack.

Being laid off is a case in point. If you are out of work and have been for some time, it may be difficult to think about the perfect job or the ultimate contribution you want to make in the world. At this stage of the game, you may just want a paying job... it’s time to think small.

This bleak season will pass. Make the most of it by finding ways in which you can make a difference. Spend more time with loved ones, help the children with homework, plant some flowers. You can teach yourself a new skill or take a local adult education class. Join a Meet Up group. Being unemployed may feel like a permanent condition. The fact is, it is a season that will surely pass. You are not going to be out of work forever, so take advantage of the time you have now!

Whenever a project feels huge, it’s time to think small. If the size or complexity of a project overwhelms you, focus on just the next few itty bitty steps. Locate the phone numbers you need to call... schedule the time to make the call. Outline the chapters of the book you want to write...commit to writing just one chapter a month. Unclutter one drawer rather than thinking about uncluttering the whole house. Baby steps will get you there.

Even in business, there’s a place and time for thinking small. When thinking big, we often complicate things with too many ideas… and we overwhelm ourselves.

No matter where you are in life, there is always something you can do. If you cannot tackle big things now, don’t dither in indecision - start with something small! Here are a few pointers to help you take a step forward:

1.  Pick just one or two things to focus on each day. I find that most clients are trying to do too much in too little time. As a result, few things get completed. If you commit to one or two things daily, you’ll get more done and feel less stressed.

2.  Revel in little things. Go out and literally smell the roses. Slow down and appreciate your surroundings. Taste your food instead of inhaling it. Have meaningful conversation instead of passing interactions.

3.  Scale down. Get rid of physical clutter as well as mental clutter. Review your obligations and decide if they still serve you. Do you need to withdraw from some? Clear your mind by doing a brain dump: put your ideas, to-dos and tolerances (those things you are tolerating) down on paper. Prioritize what you will do and what you won’t, and tackle them one at a time.

4.  Focus on being great at what you do, rather than being the biggest or best. If you shift your focus to being great, you’ll begin to do things from a place of excellence instead of overwhelm.

5.  Allow extra time for everything you do. If writing a letter will take ten minutes, allow yourself twenty.  That way, you build buffer time into your day to cope with unexpected events. If you finish in less time than that... go watch the clouds!

©Copyright Ada Porat.
This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached. To sign up for Ada's inspirational monthly newsletter, visit www.AdaPorat.com.

Are we witnessing the end of the world approaching? What will happen next? Will we make it through 2012?

I believe that we are seeing the end of an era dominated by self-serving, egocentric living; an era that was mired in the duality of haves and have-nots. I also believe that in the perfect circle of life, new cycles are birthed from the ashes of the old, and we are currently right inside that wrinkle in time where two realities overlap: the dying former reality and the birth of a new era.

Things are changing so fast that many feel stuck, lost and afraid. But are you really?

Take a moment to really feel what is going on. You are not stuck… you are simply constrained. Yes, the old way of doing things no longer works, and you are trying to adjust to radical new ways of viewing life, doing things, and living.

Outside yourself, the whole world is going through a spin cycle. At the macroscopic level, systems and structures that formed an integral part of the old, dualistic Newtonian paradigm are crumbling. They are unable to hold the energy of higher consciousness that is sweeping the planet. On a microscopic level also, obsolete ways of being are falling away, affecting every individual.

None of us are exempt: relationships, employment, institutions and other external forms of security are subject to the scrutiny of a higher awareness that is emerging as individuals awaken from the grand illusion we have believed to be real.

The choice is no longer if we’ll let go of the old ways; it is simply how you will let go. Will you gently release the dense relationships with people, power and money that no longer serve your soul’s evolution so you can make space for a higher reality? Or will you fight to the bitter end, trying to hold on to some semblance of control until things are torn from your life with deep claw marks – your claw marks – all over them?

Resistance brings pain and suffering. Great spiritual teachers like Jesus and the Buddha taught their followers not to resist, but to surrender to the Higher law at work beyond the visible realm.

The truth is that, throughout this time of constraint and upheaval, there are unseen forces holding you steady while you learn to run this new kind of energy… the energy of Oneness with Divine purpose. It is your Divine connection, hosted in a human shell. Long ago, before you ever came into this life, you chose to embody this energy at this time. It is your contribution to the shift of the ages, and now is your time to fulfill that agreement.

The energy of Divine oneness or unity is the most powerful force in the Universe. It is powerful enough to constrain you when you try to separate from Divine guidance at your core and assert your human will.

In the old way of life, we accomplished goals by imposing our human, egoic wills onto external reality. We were conditioned to be willful and determined, wanting whatever we chose to have when we decided to have it.

This way no longer works. When we assert our human, egoic will in the new energy that surrounds us now, there are numerous obstacles constraining us.

To move past these constraints, we have to give up the drive to accomplish things by sheer force of will. Instead, we need to align with the power of All That Is. We need to surrender to trust: trust in the Divine, in Higher Guidance, in Spirit, God… whatever you choose to call the essential Life Force Energy.

When we choose to trust, the ego yields so we align to a Bigger Plan - the Higher picture of Divine perfection. From there, we are able to flow and co-create a higher reality than we could have ever conceived of before.

It is no longer possible to more forward in ego and still make spiritual progress. The constraining force of Spirit will block your movement at every turn - the old ways of doing need to be surrendered to embrace higher ways of being.

Spirit will get you through this time of transition, no matter how difficult it feels.

Those same unseen forces that hold you steady now, can and will lift you out of all the illusion of despair. All it takes is for you to let go of all attachment to the old forms of power, and to embrace the path of alignment, the way of trusting and allowing.

We are living in a very different reality now than even five years ago. The old life with its hopes and dreams is filed away in the archives of All That Is. To keep looking for it, merely deters our progress.

Instead, you need to learn how to commune with your soul to access the inner guidance that is stirring there. Every change that you wish to see in society starts with you and the field of consciousness that you are holding.

Now is the time to embrace what shows up in your life moment by moment.

Look for new ways to reframe things, new tools to do things with.

Go inward.

Drink deep from the wellspring of life.

Let the timeless wisdom and healing energy of sacred teaching wash over you to renew your soul.

Develop a dialogue with Spirit and ask for guidance and clarity.

Stay present in the moment and allow the answers to flow to you through circumstances.

When action is indicated, do it. When circumstances open up for you, move forward. And when doors close, don’t try to break through them. Sometimes, we need to spend a while living in the in-between: learning to let go of the need to control, the need to logically understand.

At times like these, we need to ask ourselves what we really want and why…even as we surrender the need to know how it will come about. We need to simply align to the Eternal Presence and be present, patient, and still.

 

As you consciously evolve in response to the Divine nature within you, you will embody the higher energies of the life force field wherein everyone’s consciousness can evolve.

From the Source of Truth at the microscopic core of you being, the energies of a new and higher way of being will ripple out to touch, change and heal the realities of life on a macroscopic level. In a world crying for hope and healing, there is no greater service you can offer!

©Copyright Ada Porat.
This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached. To sign up for Ada's inspirational monthly newsletter, visit www.AdaPorat.com

As we continue to evolve, many of us struggle with a sense of not quite fitting in with our traditional community or tribe: we may have expanded or changed beyond the borders of its tribal norms, and no longer find the same sense of belonging there. Other members may have tightened the tribal rules to foster a sense of security. As a result, we may feel a sense of disconnection or alienation.

In truth, each one of us belongs to many tribes simultaneously: there is your original tribe – the family you were born into - and then there are all the communities of choice you have joined: your work tribe, your social circles, your faith-based community, your neighborhood, and more. These communities are not static; they are in continuous flux because they consist of individuals who are in continuous states of change. When there is a lot of change happening either in the individual or in the community, a sense of dissonance results.

How are we to deal with this? First, it is important to recognize that tribal allegiances were historically forged for survival. They were adapted over the course of centuries to ensure the safety and survival of the group. Individuation was sacrificed for the trade-off of security as a member of the group. In other words, tribal survival was based on keeping every member in line with tribal rules and norms.

In modern society, the tables are flipped. Whether we enjoy it or not, change is essential for survival at every level of being. The pace of change is driven by technological advances that occur with increasing rapidity: sociologists estimate that more change has taken place in society over the course of the past 100 years, than in the totality of the previous 6,000 years! Individual adaptation is a requirement for survival, and the pace of individual change does not always match the pace at which our various tribal communities evolve. The resulting dissonance can cause intense friction and pain.

Dissonance also results from confusion between the concepts of ‘connectivity’ and ‘community.’ We tend to equate one with the other, when they really relate to different qualities. Connectivity relates to inanimate technology that offers us the infrastructure to build community, but which does not represent the quality of that community. Connectivity simply offers the opportunity to connect with others through the internet, texting, tweeting, or any other social networking options available.

Community is the result of building enduring relationships through meaningful interaction over time. There is no shortcut to community; it is a process that develops when bonds of trust and intimacy are nurtured and honored.

And here lies the caveat. When we confuse connectivity with community, we depersonalize the sacred nature of true community and start relating to people as objects instead. Instead of developing intimacy and respect over time, we may focus on collecting contacts on social network sites, mistakenly equating larger numbers with more community. Yet friending a contact is not the same a nurturing a friendship; it does not create intimacy.

In fact, social experiments indicate that technologically dominated connectivity tends to result in alienation and social collapse over time. In a groundbreaking social experiment conducted by Josh Harris, one of the founders of social networking on the internet, he found that the more people’s personal lives were exposed by 24/7 technology, the more their sense of intimacy and relationship deteriorated until the community collapsed in violence and self-destructive behavior. Harris’ chilling findings are documented in the 2009 movie, We Live In Public.

Perhaps it is time to revisit our concept of community in order to create tribes that offer a true sense of intimacy and belonging.

In his 1987 book, The Different Drum: Community Making and Peace,  psychologist M. Scott Peck described several core characteristics of true community. Beyond the obvious components of inclusivity, commitment and participatory consensus, Peck pointed out the quality of embracing diversity through realism. When each member contributes their unique viewpoint from a place of humility and goodwill, the community benefits from a broader perspective in which to better grasp the full context of a situation. In other words, mutual tolerance helps members to embrace one another’s different viewpoints as an integral part of the whole, instead of imposing a forced compliance to groupthink or cohesion.

In an environment like this, members experience and express compassion and respect for one another. They allow others to share their vulnerability, to learn and grow, and to express who they truly are. When conflict arises, they learn to resolve it with wisdom and grace. Members listen to and respect each others' gifts, accept each others' limitations, celebrate their differences, and commit to find solutions together rather than to fight against each other. Indeed, the true spirit of community is the spirit of peace, love, wisdom and power. The source of this spirit may be seen as an outgrowth of the collective self or as the manifestation of a Higher Will.

Does this description of community sound spiritual to you? It is indeed, because Spirit is the common denominator among all of us, regardless of how separate we feel from others.

As human beings, we often experience a socio-economic sense of separation from others because of different opinions, beliefs, expectations, language, culture, or interests, since each one of us expresses these in a way uniquely different from anyone else. And we continue to differentiate! We are always evolving or devolving in response to life. The tribal community that felt like a good fit last year may no longer work for us; the places where we felt embraced, now may suffocate us. Over the course of a lifetime, we can expect to outgrow and change allegiances to many of the tribal communities we once belonged to.

How can we maintain relationships in such a changing world? We need to find the common denominator between us and others. When we transcend the layers of physical appearance, mental beliefs and socio-economic conditioning, we discover the presence of Divinity as a common denominator in everyone around us. Perhaps it is time to expand our tribal definitions to embrace a spiritual community that includes all of mankind as children of God.

Mother Teresa admonished her nuns to see Jesus in every leper they encountered, to find His presence as they looked into the eyes of the homeless. When we can look past the issues that divide us to find omnipresent Divinity in each other, we will find the foundations of true community there.

This type of spiritual community transcends all socio-economic borders, beliefs and backgrounds. It is inclusive because it operates on voluntary self-responsibility and mutual compassion, and its doors are open to everyone.

Building this type of community takes time: time to listen, to hear, to respond and to participate. As we approach the ending of one year and the start of another, resolve to make time in your life to a sense of true community with the people that matter to you. You are one of the architects of community in your life, and you can participate in building a tribe where you truly belong.

©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit www.adaporat.com  This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.

The rules are changing.

Life is shifting and changing around us, at times in ways that can seem terrifying. Nothing seems stable or secure any longer: natural disasters are striking at unprecedented rates, terrorist activities violate daily life, and economic security seems like a forgotten dream to many.

Banks are not safe anymore, support systems fail to provide support, and job security is an oxymoron... at times, we may even question the rules we have lived by.

What is really happening? Do we even know what is real any more? As old paradigm systems and structures crumble, I often remember these words from A Course in Miracles:

"Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.
Herein lies the peace of God."

When the chips are down, only that which is real, remains. So, how do we get to what’s real? More than ever, it is time to know: who are your real friends, where are your forms of real security, what are the things to really focus on?

This is a time to recognize the real support system that upholds you with unseen arms and to align with the Higher purpose of your life. It is time to fully embrace your real nature as an eternal spiritual being, so you can access the limitless resources beyond this physical world.

Yes, life in the physical world can be startling, yet your resources and sense of security are not limited to the physical realm. As spiritual beings, you and I have 24/7 access to the vast potential of the Universe. We are able to create a real version of reality distinct from the virtual reality bubbles popping around us in the material realm.

Our true home and resources are in the realm of Spirit, which is the world of cause. The physical world around us is the world of effects, the place where our creations manifest based on what we hold in mind. To change what we see around us in the world of effects, we need to shift our focal point to the world of cause, the realm of Spirit.

Are you focused on scarcity, dualism and fear? Then that is what you will notice around you. Are you focused on the bountiful resources and potential of Spirit? That can be yours too - it’s your choice!

Once you truly grasp this concept, the cloak of fear drops away. Your true resources are as limitless as your Source, so what is there to be afraid of? And since those resources exist as pure energy, they are instantly available in whatever form you need at any given time!

We are eternal beings, created in the image and likeness of our Creator. Just as our Source is without beginning or end, so our resource (our supply and support from Source) is without beginning or end. These boundless resources are available to us in the quantum Field – the higher dimensions where outcomes exist as a limitless field of potentiality, prior to collapsing into physical form.

In this holographic Field, time does not exist as a linear, Newtonian paradigm of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Instead, multiple outcomes coexist as undifferentiated potential. The potentialities respond closely to the wave forms of thought, intention, movement and focus rippling through the Field in continuously.

You and I are adding to this action in the Field every moment by our participatory thoughts, emotions and choices. When one of these potentialities in the Field reaches critical mass, it collapses the wave form and manifests as a physically observable outcome.

Even though our bodily existence is anchored in the physical paradigm of linear time, our consciousness is free to move beyond it. In consciousness, we are able to access the Field – the place where miracles are created. And we access this Field in the present, because that is the only time existing beyond the physical realm.

Whenever the mind strays to the future, the ego responds with thoughts of anxiety and fear. Likewise, when we focus on the past, the ego responds with thoughts of guilt and regret. Simply put, both past and future are the ego’s domain; yet the present is the domain of the Field – the place of Creation and the realm of Spirit.

To put this in a spiritual perspective, the Field is the home of the Creator energies. It is the realm of Spirit where there is only the Eternal Now, without beginning and without end. As we shift our awareness to being fully present in the Field of the Eternal Now, we access a place of deep inner peace. We connect to the realm of possibilities – the source from where our needs are met moment by moment.

Accessing the Field requires us to shift our focus from the material world to the eternal domain of Spirit. The material world is the densest of all worlds. It is the place where things manifest and are destroyed in cycles that follow one upon another throughout history. Nations rise up and are destroyed, civilizations blossom and fade away. Everything that has a beginning – in other words, everything that has been created – also ends. Only that which emanates from the domain of Spirit, has no beginning and no end.

When we limit our focus to the material world, we are severely curtailing our co-creative partnership with the Divine source of creation. The presence of Divinity is not limited to a mosque, church, temple or synagogue – it is in every atom and molecule of every universe, as well as in the spaces among them. Divinity is everywhere.

As human beings, we embody both the temporal, physical aspects of matter and the eternal, timeless aspects of Spirit. Our bodies are created forms that come to an end after they reach their biological expiration date. But you and I are more than just our physical bodies! We are eternal souls – pure consciousness - inhabiting a body, and when we leave this physical vehicle, our consciousness will continue to exist because it is part of our Divine Source.

While in the body, our assignment is to evolve into the highest, purest expression of consciousness embodied in human form. You and I are not just physical bodies; we are eternal souls. Our souls are unbounded by time and space. It is the part of us that most clearly emanates Divinity and when that Presence is able to shine through us, miracles happen.

You and I chose to be present on the planet at this momentous time in history to participate in one of the most challenging and exhilarating assignments ever. Through our evolving consciousness, we are holding a space of light and clarity that shines as a beacon of sanity in an insane world. We were selected to hold this space at a pivotal time in history when the collective choices of humanity are determining the potential that will manifest as our future.

Around you, man-made institutions may be stressed to breaking point; perhaps even crumbling. The false security of the material world is exposed as an illusion, but you need not be afraid.

Remember the way of faith. Faith is the substance of things not seen, the evidence of life beyond the dense material world. Through faith, you came into this world to grow, learn and evolve. Through faith you awoke from the dream of forgetfulness that fell upon humanity, and through faith you are remembering that your destiny is more than mere physical survival.

You have been hand-picked to be on this planet at this time in history as a place-holder for higher consciousness, a beacon that radiates the reality of a Higher way of living. As you clear out your own amnesia and limiting beliefs, that Higher consciousness of Spirit can shine through you with increasing clarity to bring hope, healing and purpose for others.

This is not a time to be afraid – it is a time to remember who you are. It’s time to step into the true magnificence of your being and to apply what you have learned. It is also time to answer the call and aligning with your higher nature, the presence of Spirit in you. Your spiritual nature will magnetize and attract optimal outcomes into your life through your alignment to truth. It is time to stand firm with your head held high, living from your spiritual core!

As each awakened soul unites with fellow awakened ones around the globe, we are creating a web of light holding our planet, her people and her future in an embrace where Divine potential can manifest. Free from fear, we are able to foster the emergence of a higher planetary consciousness that transcends political and religious barriers to embrace all humans as one. Yes, we are all members of the human family, emanating from one common Source despite the color of our skin, the doctrines of our beliefs, or our geographical location.

Together, we can usher in the critical shift in consciousness that is needed to create a new ecosystem: a world where we can co-exist by treating everyone as children of the Divine, instead of creating separation based on nationality, beliefs or color.

The next time you feel overwhelmed by the changes in the world around you, remember the truth who you really are… then realign to that Higher purpose and let your light shine!

©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit www.adaporat.com. This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.

“I can’t seem to focus long enough to get unstuck.” This is one of the most common complaints I hear from clients these days.

There are some good reasons why we have difficulty focusing on what is most important to us. With increased levels of hi-tech connectivity, smart phones continuously alert us to incoming e-mails, tweets, text messages and alarms. We are surrounded by electronic media streaming news and information from around the world - and the sheer volume of information can be overwhelming. Add to that the increased pace of life, the challenges of making a living, and the never-ending demands for our time, money and resources – it can get overwhelming.

So what goals should we focus and how do we sustain that focus?

Without clear focus, people commonly go into reactive mode; instead of initiating the change they wish to see, they react to what is happening to them. Amid an endless onslaught of distractions, we can easily spend days without focusing on our true agenda. And we end up losing out on the joy of living a purpose-directed life. Author Deepak Chopra expressed it thus, “The events on the surface of your life distract you from the deeper work of soul-making.”

I have learned that when someone makes the decision to get focused, there are several things that can help support a lasting shift. Here are a few nuggets you may find useful:

Choose To Live Your Life With Purpose. When you work toward something positive, as opposed to running from or being driven by fear, you quickly build up momentum. Why are you here? What do you want to learn, do, experience or share? What’s on your bucket list? If you haven’t created a mission statement for your life, then do it now. It will give you a vision bigger than yourself to focus on when the going gets tough. My mission statement for life is posted right above my computer, where I am reminded of my purpose every day.

Set Priorities. Once you have clarified the mission statement for your life, identify specific related priorities you want to focus on. Next, break those down into smaller chunks until they don’t feel so intimidating and you can envision yourself doing them. 

Focus On One Goal. Still feeling overwhelmed? Overwhelmed most often happens because we try to juggle too much. When overwhelm hits, you can counteract it by simplifying your priorities even more. Break down your action steps or To-Do list items until you can identify the single most important goal to focus on for this hour, this morning or this day.

Analyze Why You Lose Focus. Knowing yourself better allows you to identify what gets in your way, so you can step back and look at these issues in a more detached, objective way. Instead of getting frustrated that there isn't enough time in the day or getting swept up in the flood of activities, dig down inside to discover what is pulling you in and recognize that you can choose a different response. Clear out old limiting beliefs, slash the sabotage programs and dare to create new rule sets that work for you now!

Pay Attention. Learn to observe how you spend your time and stop wasting time on unworthy projects. If your teenager had a big test tomorrow and you saw her doing everything except study, you'd probably have a talk with her about timely preparation and focus. Do the same for yourself! Set one goal for yourself each day to help you overcome procrastination. Start small and review your success every night to reinforce your accountability to your goals.

Slay The Dragon First. Start your day with the thing you avoid the most and get it done. This one principle really moves me forward. Once I have the most dreaded thing out of the way, the rest looks like cake; I’m a dragon slayer, after all!

Stop Interrupting Yourself! Do yourself a favor – turn off the phone or computer ding and disable the pop-up box that tells you, “You’ve got mail!” Instead of losing valuable time and energy by diverting your attention to check on messages, you will have more energy available to focus on the task at hand.

Feed Your Soul. Feeding your soul requires you to detach from the surface world of activity – even if just for twenty minutes a day. It’s during that time of stepping back from the activity at the surface of life and reconnecting with your identity as a timeless soul, when solutions to problems become blindingly obvious. It’s called inspiration – and it arrives when your mind is still, whether in relaxation, contemplation or meditation. One of the most prominent benefits meditators experience from their practice is becoming more focused in their daily activities. Meditation also boosts your intuitive abilities to recognize true priorities and make better decisions. Whatever, your spiritual practice of choice, recognize the importance of feeding your soul, and hence, your creativity.

Do A Brain Dump Before Bed. I write down my “To Do” list at the end of my work day as a part of reviewing the day. Writing it down clears my head and when I wake up in the morning, the list is ready for me to get focused right away.

Stick With It. Whatever you do, don’t give up! Even if you feel discouraged today, don’t give up. All of life consists of energy cycles that ebb and flow. Think of your life as a long journey and the present problem as just a little bump in the road. If you can stick with it during the rough times, just imagine what you could accomplish when you get the wind from behind! Remind yourself that it is progress that matters, not perfection.

And A Few More:
•    Distinguish between what’s important and what is simply urgent.
•    Eliminate unnecessary activities and physical clutter; they stop up your life and drain your energy.
•    Reduce your overhead – financial burdens drain your energy and your vitality.
•    Do projects when they align with your vision and purpose, not because you feel obligated
•    Don't say yes to anything right away; reserve the right to sleep on it.
•    Share your goals with a few trusted friends so they can support you and hold you accountable.
•    Acknowledge your progress and celebrate your successes!

Applying even just a few of these tips will bring about noticeable changes in your life right away. By applying them over time, you will feel more productive, energized, and focused!

©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit www.adaporat.com  This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.

It is a scientific fact that the space around objects is not empty or void; instead, it consists of a cauldron of seething energies or potentialities also known as the zero point field. Any observable effects (such as inertia and gravitation) are merely electromagnetic phenomena resulting from interaction with this field.

Albert Einstein found it is this Field which governs the shape of matter. Physicist Max Planck called this invisible field the matrix. Today, it is also referred to as the Divine Matrix, the Energy Field, or the Life Force. This matrix is the Field that is accessed in prayer, miracles and healing of all types.

This Field not only contains the potentialities of life; it interfaces and shapes our biology through the intricate workings of the mind. Your interaction with this Field governs your individual function and healing at all levels. Wouldn’t you love to enhance that exchange?

To maximize your interaction with the Field, it is essential to recognize that there are two separate parts to your mind: the conscious mind is your creative mind and connects to your identity; while the subconscious mind is equivalent to an Ipod - it simply records your thoughts, actions and emotions, and plays them back.

Another critical distinction concerns the hugely different processing speeds of the two minds. The conscious mind processes information in a linear, serial format. The subconscious mind, on the other hand, processes information in a parallel format faster than the speed of light – its information processing is estimated to be one million times more powerful than that of the conscious mind!

On a daily basis, your subconscious runs your physical functioning around 95% of the time. While you think, work, play, rest or engage in conscious activities, your subconscious keeps your systems functioning so you can stay alive. In a positive scenario, this is great.

However, the subconscious can also get you into trouble. It may just as easily run negative programming because it does not distinguish between good or bad; it simply records and plays back the information you give it.

You may have heard of the placebo effect in medicine, where positive thoughts and attitudes generate healing even when a placebo is administered instead of a proven medication. The placebo effect accounts for some 33 percent of healing in western medicine.

The flip side of the placebo effect is known as the nocebo effect, where negative thoughts and attitudes create negative outcomes. Noted brain scientist Dr. Daniel Amen calls such habitual patterns ANTS, or Automatic Negative Thoughts. Research shows that as much as 70% of the average person’s thoughts are negative and recurring. To get positive outcomes, it is essential to change habitual thought patterns from negative to positive.

How do you do that?

For many years, positive thinking seemed to hold big promise to bring about effective change. Today, the limitations of this approach are obvious because of a better understanding of how the mind functions. Effective change comes about not by arguing the point in the conscious mind, but by changing the programs running in the subconscious mind. In other words, if you don’t like the information playing back from your subconscious Ipod, it may be time to change the programs you’ve recorded there.

To change the programs in the subconscious, you need to do more than positive thinking – you need to bypass the conscious mind. You see, positive thinking is a creative thought formed and held by the conscious mind. Whether you dream of that red sports car you desire, visualize yourself driving that car, or create a vision board to attract that car, you are creating from the conscious mind. Whenever you are creating with the conscious mind, you are pitting the serial processor of your conscious mind against the powerful parallel processor of your subconscious mind.

If your subconscious conditioning is not in alignment with your goal because it says that you don’t deserve it or are unworthy of it, you are stacking your best efforts against an instrument one million times more powerful – and guess who’s going to win?

Another fact to take into consideration is the relatively low activity level of your conscious mind. Research shows that your conscious mind is operating only about five percent of the time, leaving most of your daily functioning to the resources of the subconscious!

Unless your beliefs are in agreement at the levels of the conscious and the subconscious both, your positive thinking will not work. To maximize positive results, it is therefore essential to find congruence between the two minds.

Your conscious mind can run any aspect of your body, including involuntary functions such as your heart rate. However, its capacity is very small because it is a serial processor; it cannot focus on all aspects of function simultaneously. For that reason, the subconscious tends to take over automated functions to free up the conscious mind for creative thinking.

Whenever your mind is not focused on some specific task it floats into daydreaming, and your subconscious takes over to run the show. Even when your conscious mind is focused on the past or future, it is not noticing what the subconscious is doing. Whenever your conscious mind is busy or distracted, it is unaware of the automatic negative thoughts and programs running in the subconscious that can hurt it.

Subconscious behavior manifests whenever you are distracted or preoccupied with other things. Others may recognize the shifting patterns in your behavior, yet you are oblivious. Whenever you operate from the subconscious, you are being run by programs you are unaware of! How does this serve you – or not?

If life doesn’t work for you, you may want to blame the outside world; instead, it is your subconscious programs that need to be looked at. First the bad news: The discrepancy between what you consciously want and what shows up, comes from programs driving your life at a subconscious level. Looking for causes outside yourself and blaming them for your life outcomes, is a cop out.

The good news is that you can change your outcomes because your own subconscious mind is responsible for creating your outcomes. You can change your life by changing the programs in your subconscious mind!

Today, there is an amazing range of resources available to you to start deprogramming and reprogramming your subconscious mind. Behavioral Kinesiology, the Sedona Method, Matrix Energetics, Theta Healing, and Emotional Release work are some highly effective methods that come to mind. They work because they offer ways to bypass the conscious mind and to clear the limiting recordings in the subconscious.

Are you dialoguing with your problems or arguing with yourself in your head? If so, save your energy for better things! You cannot argue or dialogue with the subconscious because it is merely an instrument that records and plays back data, it is not a person. Perhaps you are begging for God to come and rescue you from your life?

No more! It is up to YOU to push the stop button and change the recordings in your subconscious! Instead of complaining about your life, you can learn how to effectively clear and align your subconscious mind.

You have an innate ability to heal yourself. And yes, you can heal your life as well – but only when you take back your power from the institutions and people you gave it to. It is time to reclaim your inherent power to create, to heal and to transform!

Your subconscious is continuously recording what you think, feel and say. Likewise, your genes are turning on or off through the power of your conscious and subconscious mind, creating sickness or health in response to your thoughts.

Your mind can create great outcomes or limitations. It’s your choice, so step into the Field of possibilities and choose your thoughts wisely!

©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit www.adaporat.com  This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.

Too busy to slow down? What if you knew that the very act of slowing down to admire nature’s splendor – even just enough to do that – can change you?

Recently I was escaping the rush of city living by driving to my favorite hideout in Mexico for a few days to recharge, when Neil Diamond’s song, Slow it Down, caught my attention. I turned up the volume and listened more closely:

“Pick it up… hurry up son… eat on the run if you wanna get done.
Greed, speed, where does it lead you?
Wanna succeed? You thinking you need to?
But are you really sure?
It's a lot to endure, but I got me a cure.
Slow it down! Slow it down, yea…
Slow it down.
Take your time and you'll find your time has a meaning.
Easy now…
Catch those sounds of your heartbeat before it's leaving…”

The song struck a cord with me. It is indeed when we feel too busy to slow down that we need that time-out the most. The anxious, hurried feelings of the rat race may bestow a temporary sense of self-importance, yet those racing emotions actually rob us of the power we need for self-determination.

Self-determination empowers you to choose your own direction in life. A chronic flood of urgent thoughts and emotions distract you from that direction. If you are being swept along by a torrent of invisible thoughts and feelings, you're going where that current flows. As long as you are under the influence of that force, you have no real choice. That's why learning to step out of the rush is essential to stepping into your true power.

Your true nature is timeless and eternal; it never feels the incessant need of the ego for an adrenaline rush to feel alive or important.

How do we get into the habit of mindlessly racing like a hamster on a treadmill?

Rushing thoughts and anxious feelings are invisible, yet each time they begin to race, your inner awareness starts to run along with them. You don’t question the thoughts; you just let them carry you along. Over time, you may come to believe that there is no separation between you and your racing thoughts or the adrenaline rush they produce.

You may conclude that you are these surging inner currents, or that their power is yours. Neither is true. You are not these waves of thought; you are the ocean in which these waves of thought arise.

Author Vernon Howard offers an emphatic instruction to help stop this mad dash to nowhere. He writes: "Slow down. Relax. Dare to deliberately defy those inner screams that demand you rush nervously around. Instead, obey another quiet voice that assures you that the casual life is the truly powerful and efficient life."

You must slow down your life before you can reconnect to the quiet voice beneath the clamor. Start by intentionally separating yourself from any rushing, anxious inner state by voluntarily separating from it. Purposefully slow yourself down by consciously reducing your usual speed.

Start to turn back the tide of senseless rushing by walking to the mail box at half your normal gait. Consciously reach for the phone, the glass of water or your pen at half your normal speed. Slow down your driving speed, even when (and especially when) you are running late for an appointment.

One practice I find particularly beneficial, is to pause a few seconds before I answer someone's question. This conscious pause for self-centering is invaluable because it allows me to bypass the ego’s eager opinions and to listen for deeper guidance beneath the mind’s surface. Whatever the circumstances, choose a way to consciously slow down so you can step out of the rat race.

Slowing down helps you become aware of yourself in a deeper way by creating contrast between your usual, automated pace through life and your new, consciously slowed-down awareness.

This enhanced self-awareness empowers you to choose appropriate responses to life rather than being mindlessly swept along the flood of your thoughts and feelings. It shows up the difference between random, habitual thoughts and the larger context of your true nature. When you recognize the random thoughts as not belonging to you, you can choose which ones to entertain.

By choosing the thoughts you focus on, you ultimately choose your own direction in life. As author Mike Dooley says: ”Thoughts become things… so choose the good ones!”

Resolve today to step out of the rush by slowing down.

Do it now.

If you want to find what is Timeless, dare to live as though you have all the time in the world.

©Copyright Ada Porat. For more information, visit www.adaporat.com  This article may be freely distributed in whole or in part, provided there is no charge for it and this notice is attached.