What Do You Want?
Life is all about desire. The only reason we are here (or still here…), in fact, is because we want to be here — or someone wants us to be here. The word "desire" may sound materialistic or self-indulgent; and we often shun the idea of desire — trying to suppress it whenever we can — as something bad that we shouldn’t have or succumb to. Well, Socrates said, "The beginning of wisdom is in the definition of terms;" so, let us agree upon some things for the sake of clarity.
First, a desire is simply something you want; it is implied that you want the things you need — as well as some things you really don’t need. In fact, you might even desire something that turns out to be harmful to your body in some way; but it is still a desire and anything that brings pain also brings wisdom. We all have hopes, dreams, prayers, desires, wants, needs, wishes, intentions, aspirations, goals, or some "change" we would like to experience — usually a change "for the better," as some would say.
"Bless Your Heart!"
All my life I have heard people use the phrase, "Bless your heart!" Not so much recently, but when I was younger, it seemed like all the older people said it; so much so, in fact, that it lost any real meaning to me. "Bless your heart" was a little like saying, "Hello," or "Goodbye," when using the telephone; it was just one of those phrases "old people" used frequently — and automatically, in certain situations.
What is a blessing? And can you really "bless" someone’s heart? And, if you did bless someone’s heart, what did it do; what did it feel like? And why would you do such a thing, anyway? What kid knows the answers to these questions? Most of us are taught that the heart is simply a muscle inside your chest that pumps blood; and a blessing is something you have to say before you eat, or when someone sneezes.
The funny thing about people saying, “Bless your heart,” is that they said it when you did something really nice, or when you got hurt, or when something bad happened to you – and even sometimes when you did something really dumb. All of the different uses only served to further obscure any practical meaning. But, I now know that, whether I am feeling good, or feeling bad, I’d always rather receive a blessing than a curse. It’s always Better to Bless.
The Four Truths
Recently, good friend and fellow ZPoint Practitioner Jennifer Koerner suggested what I’ve come to call The Four Truths. These are truths as they pertain to ZPoint and any other approach to self realization and healing.
To change we must be…
- Ready to Change
- Willing to Change
- Able to Change, and
- To feel Safe while doing so
So, to clear the ways to being able to be ready, willing and able to allow change at the deepest levels and feel safe while doing so, we could use the following statements.
The Heart is the Source of Prayer
We pray for those things we desire — plain and simple. Even if we sit around saying, "God, you’re so great! God you’re so wonderful! God thank you for all you do! God you are awesome! God, you’re the boss — you’re in charge!", or things of a like nature, we are still desiring to offer reciprocation for good we have, or will, receive — or we desire to garner favor, or to be "good," or not go to hell, or not let our ancestors down, or something along those lines. Prayer is our way of voicing and fulfilling our desires. Even if we don’t know how it works, or how such a thing could be possible, we still do it; and it still works.
Of course, many prayers are actually curses; but whether your desire is for pleasant experiences, or to cast blame and criticism on those you think have made you and your life miserable in some way, you are still thinking about your desire. And, Desire is born in the heart. Prayer begins with an answer — although it may be in a form that is invisible to you. Prayer begins with what we WANT, or desire; before prayer, we give thought to what it is we are praying for.
"Whatsoever you desire, when you stand in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be given unto you."
Putting your mental and spiritual energy into a thought — the invisible form, or mold, for the answer to your prayer — is what builds the energy that becomes the "mass" of your realized desire. Albert Einstein’s famous equation, E=mc2 (Energy is equal to mass multiplied by the speed of light squared), speaks to the transition, or convertibility, of Energy to matter and vice versa. Thought requires and produces energy. Energy makes things happen; and, like Albert Einstein said, "Nothing happens until something moves." Energy makes things move; energy is an animating force.
The Belief Formula on Ponder Central
Jeff Maziarek, from the web site, Ponder Central, has just informed me that he has posted an excerpt from The Belief Formula on Ponder Central.com. Click here: www.PonderCentral.com to read his latest posts — including an excerpt from The Belief Formula.
Ponder Central is a non-profit site created by author Jeff Maziarek to share wisdom from an extensive — and growing — library of spiritual, philosophy, personal growth, and personal development books. Many of the books featured on Ponder Central are indeed timeless spiritual classics that will be guiding people through life many, many years from now.
Ponder Central regularly sends wisdom quotes and excerpts to a rapidly growing list of members all over the world. Visit the Ponder Central site and sign-up for their free e-mails; they are great ways of getting your daily dose of wisdom and enlightenment when you don’t have time to sit and read a book.
More on Ponder Central, and Jeff Maziarek’s book, "Spirituality Simplified" (also available at Ponder Central.com), in future posts. Stay tuned!
The Belief Formula excerpt can be viewed by clicking here: The Belief Formula on Ponder Central
The Role of the Heart in Prayer
We casually say things like, "I believe it with all my heart," or, "I know it in my heart;" but we rarely consider the literal reality of these sayings — or why there are so many of them, or why they endure through time. We talk about the heart almost metaphorically — or completely metaphorically; but few people realize that the heart is actually a "THINKING" organ. This is no metaphor; this is a literal, scientific, medical fact — and a timeless spiritual truth. The head (brain) thinks; the heart KNOWS.
"As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." ~Proverbs 23:7
A well-known teaching on prayer says, "Whatsoever you desire, when you stand in prayer, believing, will be given to you." Prayer is a mental exercise; we think about "whatsoever we desire" in a way we hope will give us the best chance of experiencing our desire. But prayer alone is not enough; Belief is a key factor in the formula for successful prayer. Thinking a thought is one thing; feeling a thought is an entirely separate matter. Prayer is a thinking process; and belief is a thinking-feeling process that you can infuse your prayer with.
Bless them All
My last post ["What luck for rulers that men do not think."] was about thinking — actually, it was just as much about not-thinking. Really, all my posts are, in one way or another, about thinking; but there were parts in that last post that could have seemed "anti-media," or "anti-government." It was actually nothing more than an invitation for US to wake-up; talking heads is not my term for the people who read the news prepared by other people and approved by others still. The point was simply this: If you don’t think for yourself, others are more than willing to do it for you; and they will. And it will cost you money, cause you suffering, and you will not get what you want, but what they want you to have. That’s all.
As for the media, government, and the heads of organized religions around the world, Bless you all. There is indeed darkness in the world; and it doesn’t settle to [or for] the bottom — it does whatever it needs to do to reach the top and stay there. But being anti-anything is never the answer. Leaders who start wars are the real victims, though they would smirk at that statement; they need our love and blessings. A leader who bends to the greed and ignorance that starts wars is a leader in need of positive energy — not more negative energy. Pray for these men to find wisdom; do not curse them.
Love, and Differences, in Common… "Judge not."
From the beginning, we have been growing apart. This isn’t bad; it’s nature. Look at a tree, and you will notice that 
what begins as one trunk branches into many; and each branch also starts as one and divides into many – with each split sending smaller versions on diverging paths. Each path, however, ends the same – with a leaf, in the case of a tree.
The pattern of the branches is not unlike the branching of roots underneath the surface — invisible to the eye. That which is seen comes from that we cannot see; "As above, so below, as below, so above." Nature is a series of repeating patterns. When you look at little pieces of the pattern, you may see differences; but when you look at the big picture you see only similarities — or Unity, depending on how far you are able to "zoom out."
Turn Your Complaints into Blessings, part 2
So that’s it? You just change the heading on a list from, "Complaints" to "Blessings," and the bad things in your life just go away — or become good things?
I never said that was all there was to it; I said that was the first step. But there really isn’t that much more to it! First, you create the possibility that you may have been looking at some of the Blessings in your life as Problems or Burdens. Then, you start thinking about these things and ask yourself, "How is this problem really a blessing."
Do it; ask yourself that question. Don’t simply say, "Why should I do that? It isn’t a blessing!" If you want something different, you need to start thinking differently; that’s why. If you aren’t happy, you can be sure you aren’t accessing and using all of your wisdom. Wise people know everything is a blessing. The rest are here simply to figure that out in their own ways and in their own times.
Turn your Complaints into Blessings
If your life "sucks," if you are miserable, or if you just aren’t happy with your life, there is hope. In fact, you can take the first step towards changing your life RIGHT NOW; and this will work in every area of your life. No matter what’s wrong in your life, the first step is to STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT YOUR LIFE and find something better to think and talk about.
You may be isolated and not have anyone to talk to; but you still talk to yourself. And, if your life stinks, you are probably complaining to yourself. It may seem obvious: “I’m only complaining because my life really is miserable; I wouldn’t complain if my life was good.” But that is a lie. Don’t get mad at me; you are the one lying to yourself. And the, "I will be happy when…," lie is one of the most common reasons people stay unhappy. Negative self-talk is self-destructive and self-sustaining; this is a trap you want to avoid.
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The Belief Formula
