Thomas Metzinger is the Director of the Philosophy Group at the Department of Philosophy at Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz.

His research focuses on philosophy of mind, especially on consciousness and the nature of the self. In this lecture he develops a representationalist theory of phenomenal self-consciousness. A Foerster Lectures on the Immortality of the Soul presented by the UC Berkeley Graudate Council.

Listen and Watch additional lectures Foerster Lectures on the Immortality of the Soul

What does yoga mean to you?

Yoga is a way of approaching life, of Being, of which asana is only a small (but important) part.  Yoga allows us to shed the things that prevent us from knowing our True Essence, and our connection with the Divine.  It’s a tool that removes stress from the body and mind, cultivates Peace and nurtures Consciousness – both in ourselves and the World.

What has been the most important manifestation you’ve created?

When your consciousness starts to merge with cosmic Consciousness, you start to acquire the 5 energies of Shiva: cit-sakti (all-Consciousness), ananda-sakti (all-Bliss), jnana-sakti (all-Knowledge), kriya-sakti (all-Action), iccha-sakti (all-Will). This requires letting go of many things while building Peace in the body and mind. When it happens, there is no difference between manifestation and being in the Flow, between you as a creator and as an instrument of the Divine. I was going to jokingly say: ‘Do I really have to say just one thing?’, but the truth is, we create nothing alone… The Secret and the Law of Attraction don’t work because they don’t recognize this fundamental Truth, one that was known thousands of years ago by the yogic rishis. It is through our choices that we align ourselves with the Divine… and then everything becomes possible.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned from your yoga practice?

That yoga is about Being and the choices we make… more than any physical act. When that is understood, Peace arises, and what is possible becomes limitless.

What is the meaning of consciousness to you?

I make the distinction between consciousness (little c, or citta) and Consciousness (big C, or Cit). Consciousness (little c) is the sum of our awareness and the product of our choices in life – what to think, what to do, how to be. Consciousness (big C) is beyond any definition or description our consciousness (little c) is capable of. It leaves you speechless, breathless.  Pure awareness of Love, the Divine.  Without Consciousness, nothing could exist.  Our consciousness merges with Consciousness as we progress on our path. This is what we are designed on every level of our being to do.

How do you feel the light and know that it is there?

It’s in everything I see, feel, hear, touch, taste and everything in between. It’s in the many miracles that happen everyday to nurture us, regardless of whether we live in harmony with the Divine or not. It is present in every moment of Bliss we experience.

Of all the people in your life, who was the most influential in helping you to form your life path and why?

My friend Steve, a yogi who lives yoga and has integrated its wisdom on every level of his being. It was his energy, his Being, not any one thing he said or did, but the sum of it all (especially the stuff between the lines). I don’t think he was aware of it when it first began, but I think he’s aware of it now.

What is the most effective/critical asana and why?

Savasana – it’s the only posture in which it is safe for everyone to practice pranayam, anytime.

What is yoga’s role in making this world a better place?

Yoga can be used in two ways – to destroy consciousness, or to nurture it.
I prefer the second option.

Grandfather's Clock Stopped - It's always 6:05!

I‘ve been thinking and dreaming a lot lately about time – in the teachings of my medicine lineage we work in the North Direction with Hummingbird Medicine and Hummingbird teaches us about how to move back and forth through time and how to step outside of time.  The three areas that I’ve been pondering are Measurement, Management and Mastery.  We have organized our reality around the Gregorian Calendar for quite some time now – we measure time in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years that are not exactly aligned with our sweet Earth Mama’s cycles and rhythms.  Our bodies – natural extensions of the Earth – created from her elements – have their own internal clock – they know when to rise, when to rest, when to eat, when to go inward, when to act, when to be still.  We can actually bring the light of our conscious awareness to our own natural rhythms – track them and see how much alignment we’ve created in our outer world with our inner clock.   What if we consciously chose a more natural way of measuring – perhaps in alignment with the cycles of the moon, the earth’s rotation on it’s axis, the rotation around the sun – what would happen if we threw out the calendar all together – put the clocks and the watches in the trash and just tuned in to the rhythm that has rocked the cradles from the beginning?

Hatun Kinte - Sewa Kinte - Great Hummingbird - Teach Us To Move Through Time - Step Outside of Time - to Embark on Our Epic Journey

How about Managing Time – how often do you feel as if you are squeezed for time, pressured into moving at a pace that is just not who you are at your core, do you try to schedule every moment of your life – breaking up each precious moment of the day and allocating something to DO for yourself in those moments?  What if you took a different view of time – and realized that there is no race – there is no need to rush – there are no “dead”lines other than the ones you make for yourself.  Death is the BIG CLOCK that is ticking for everyone – notice we use the word “dead” in deadline – to put the pressure on – to bring on the fundamental fear that is at the core of our fear matrix – that we must “get it all done” before we run out of time!  What if instead of trying to manipulate, manage or manhandle time to suit your purposes, you instead allowed yourself to surrender to a larger view – a larger perspective of time and a larger perspective of life, death and the way the Universe actually works?

Mastery of Time is when you Re-member that this whole concept is MADE UP IN YOUR HEAD!  You get to decide – about everything!  You can, if you wish to expand your conscious awareness, begin to see how you can move through time, bend time, stretch time, move back in time, step forward in time, and even if you really wish to hone your skills step outside of time all together.  Time I have found, is highly elastic.  Sometimes I set an “appointment” for myself here in the 3D and discover (sometimes to my consternation when I’ve let myself re-attach to the collective notion of time) that I’m not going to be arriving at the appointed hour.  Some would say “I’m late!”  some actually do speak about themselves and say “I’m ALWAYS late!”  When we speak to ourselves in this way – of course we are – we create our own late!  Every TIME!  I have come to understand much better (I think that the 9/11/01 example was a wonderful clue for us to see) that there is Man Time and then there is DIVINE Time – In DIVINE Time – thousands of people who would normally have been to work “On TIME (in Man Time)” didn’t get there – and of course were spared from the experience.   When you become a Master of Time – you RE-Member that you are ALWAYS EXACTLY ON TIME!  Because the only place you can ever be is HERE, NOW.  Time (as is Death) is an illusion.  Being is the Truth.  BE – HERE – NOW.  Bring the fullness of your presence to this and every moment – let go of time and you will be immeasurably blessed by the river of life that is timeless.

Amethyst Wyldfyre is a multidimensional shaman, healer, artist, author, blogger, performer, speaker and psychic who lives and works in the Merrimack Valley of NH.  She can be reached through her website or blog for more information.  She can also be followed on Twitter at @AWyldfyre.

(The top half of this post was originally published in December of 2007 on Applaud Magazine’s blog)

As is customary at this time of year we all take a few moments to say goodbye. Saying goodbye to the year past, saying goodbye to the frenzy of holiday preparation and celebration, saying goodbye to habits that no longer serve. As the year wound to a close I had to say goodbye to an old friend too. My labrador retriever – Blackjack was assisted to cross over last Thursday. Blackjack was what you’d call a “good old dog”. He was a loyal companion and friend, a good watch dog, a guardian and playmate for my son and a true and kind member of our family. At 17 1/2 he lived a long and mostly healthy life. He ran, jumped, played and kibbitzed right on up to 15.

Then he started to slow down a bit, he got a little grey around the edges, he lost his vision. Many people told me after he lost his ability to see that he should be put down but I refused to do that. He was still generally healthy, found his way around the house and the yard well enough and was an integral part of our family life. My boy James was insistent that he should live to die a natural death and so this was a most difficult rite of passage for him. In the last year I knew that time was short. Last Christmas Eve I didn’t think he’d make it through the night and I stayed up late opening sacred space and showing him where the rainbow bridge was. He surprised us all by staying for another whole year! Finally the end drew much nearer. He made it through this Christmas and then went rapidly down hill.

When he couldn’t get up anymore, stopped eating and drinking and had to be picked up to go outside we knew it was time. I opened sacred space before we left the house, called in all of the spirit guides, spirit animals and energies of light to make the way clear and obvious for his spirit, opened his chakras and showed him the rainbow bridge to the other side. It was a tough decision to make but the right thing to do. The vet (Dr. Stephen Frye, Clark Veterinary Hospital in Nashua) was incredibly compassionate, gentle and kind. He helped us to say goodbye in a way that was filled with dignity, grace and the ultimate kindness. Blackjack has already come to work with me in my medicine work, to dance in my dreams and will always be a guardian spirit and friend for my son and our family. While saying goodbye is never easy to do I’m incredibly grateful to Dr. Frye, to my husband Ross and to the lovely Marie Glover at Animal Heaven (in Hollis NH) who made this experience the best that it could be. Goodbye Blackjack and hello once more. May you journey joyfully to your home star and illuminate the path for those of us to follow. Your faithful friendship was a magical gift. With all our Love – Amethyst, Ross and James

December 28, 2008 – When I was contemplating what to write for One Consciousness today I was brought back in time to this time last year and found that I had this lovely article written about a loyal and true friend and companion and felt it was fitting to share in his honor with the readers here.  The whole subject of loyalty has been “up” lately in my life. Most importantly I’ve been getting the guidance to remain loyal to myself – sometimes this can be quite a challenging thing for us to do – our loyalties are torn – we are spread thin – there are so many priorities.  I invite you to use the final days of 2008 to take some time in sacred space and to come back to the center of who you are.  As you do this you may find that some of the activities or people that you’ve been giving your loyalty to aren’t serving you and the greater good any more.  You may find that as you clear your mind, body, heart and Spirit that you are being called to a higher level of loyalty and you may need to apply all the teachings and practices that have brought you thus far to make the changes that are necessary for your growth and evolution right now.

Ayni Despacho Photo from Four Winds Sanctuary Project Site

We just held a despacho ceremony (a ceremony from the Peruvian tradition of shamanism) at our home last night in honor of the new moon followed by fire ceremony.  This despacho was very interesting – we were guided to place many, many prayers in to this gift bundle for Pachamama (Mother Earth)  around what needed to die for us as this year comes to a close.  After all of our group had placed in their prayers I received guidance to lay down over this arrangement of kintus (prayer bundles made with leaves and flowers) a layer of incense & purifying herbs, followed by a layer of “clouds” (made from pieces of cotton balls stretched out) onto which we then placed our prayers and planted the seeds for our becoming.  It was most interesting because it was like two despachos in one – one layered on top of the other with purification between the two.  Take this sacred time to lay down and put to rest what needs to go in your life – purify and cleanse and prepare the canvas/blank page/soil for your seeds, your intentions, your dreams for yourself, your family, your community and your world.  Be loyal to the higher calling.  Let it be.

Amethyst Wyldfyre is a multidimensional shaman, healer, artist, author, blogger, performer, speaker and psychic who lives and works in the Merrimack Valley of NH.  She can be reached through her website or blog for more information.  She can also be followed on Twitter at @AWyldfyre.

Herb - Our 1st (tiny) Living Tree

This year I’ve become so much more conscious about how much my choices effect the world that I live in.  I’ve also become more conscious about my actions being in alignment with what I say/think/feel that my values are.  So as we got closer and closer to Christmas I really began to feel challenged around the idea of getting a tree.  I’ve always had a tree – it’s part of the tradition that I grew up with.  But how could I in good conscience support the practice of cutting down a tree just so I could have something to decorate, look at for a few weeks and then throw out.  I just couldn’t do it.  So I avoided up until last week the whole thought of a tree at all.  I’ve had numerous twitter conversations with eco-friendly and consciously aware people about the whole tree thing and even too about the idea of sending out cards and how that affects our environment – I’m still wondering what the carbon footprint of a Christmas card is and how many are sent each year….

Anyway I was on my way back from a visit to my fave crystal shop in Milford, NH (The Quartz Source – a magical place indeed if you are ever in the neighborhood) and stopped for some Hunza Raisins at Earthward a local Health Food grocery.  They are located next to a greenhouse and there right outside the door of the green house – in answer to my prayers of how to have a tree without killing one – there sat Herb.  Herb is my tree this year.  He told me his name, he showed me where he wants to be planted and he was delighted to come home with me.  He’s lovely and small and sweet and a bit prickly to decorate.  He’s found a temporary home (no more than 7 days inside they said) right beside the fireplace.

Son James came in and said “That’s LAME Mom” but he’ll get used to the idea and I hope will make it a tradition that he brings forward to his family someday when he’s older and everything that I do/say/believe isn’t so LAME to him anymore (13 is an interesting time!).  We decorated Herb last night – after dinner and before going out to remove the almost 2 feet of snow we received to welcome in the first day of Winter.
Here’s what Herb looks like fully dressed for the season!

Herb - Dressed for the Holidays

Hope you enjoy your holidays and give some serious thought to all the “traditional” things that you do – it’s important to shine the light of your awareness on not only what you do but why.  Sometimes a family tradition can be set aside because it just doesn’t make sense any more.  You can honor what came before you – learn from it and move on to create something new.  You don’t have to be stuck doing the same things over and over again just because “that’s the way we’ve always done it”.  Change can be a wonderful, good and true experience.  Learning to not only navigate change with acceptance and grace but to become a change initiator when the time is right is a lesson that we can all benefit from.  May you find peace in your heart and joy in your spirit not only during this “Season of Peace” but through each and every day that you receive the breath of life on your Earthwalk.  With great love and much light – Happy Holidays to all who celebrate in every tradition and every religion – the returning of the Light.

Amethyst Wyldfyre is a multidimensional healer, artist, author, speaker,  performer, soul path and psychic development coach who talks to trees, stones, clouds, animals and snowflakes in addition to members of the human family!  She can be reached through her website or through her blog.

Mountain view

Read Part I

As Reiki originates in unity consciousness, so its practice also engenders the same. Let’s understand how this happens. Earth and Celestial Ki are polar expressions, rather than being dualistic. There’s a subtle distinction. Duality is one or the other, two oppositional forces that are separate. Water in the refrigerator is cold; water boiled in a kettle is hot. It’s tough to jump from these directly to warm. Yet introduce polarity and the possibility of blending hot and cold appears. Polarity is the balance between two complementary states. It’s the in-between state that can take us from duality to unity.

Cold water has its uses, as does hot water. Earth Ki is specific in its qualities, as is Celestial Ki. In Reiki we work with each specialty for our betterment. We also have the significant opportunity to blend the two, to become One. The perfect balance between the polar energies of Reiki leads to unity consciousness.

And this is where healing really occurs. Whether you’re practicing on yourself (hands-on or Reiki meditations) or another, that practice is not symptomatic relief, but the essential change of consciousness. Symptomatic relief is part of the package, but it’s a surface effect. Reiki often surprises people with its power. Knowing Reiki is spiritual healing in its purest sense brings its power into perspective.

Yet in the everyday practice of Reiki this high-minded underpinning is just that, operating subtly, not asking you to have assimilated any of the above.

Reiki is so very user-friendly. Its effects are palpable, it’s warm and compassionate, noninvasive and supportive, portable (consciousness and hands go with us everywhere!), widely applicable, carrying and bringing out wisdom, having no known contraindications, and always improving quality of life.

Reiki isn’t only a healing art, but a total enlightenment program. The previous material deals with this, and it will be addressed again.

Let’s now look at some of the more everyday applications of enlightenment in a Reiki context. These are just as important as satori or self-realization, because we have a world and populations to care for and be in relationship with.

Properly understood and practiced Reiki is an agent of social change. At one point I was relentlessly solicited by environmental organizations. Each day I would get 3-4 pieces of mail. This was before the advent of the Internet. After a while, I took all that mail and practiced nonlocal Reiki on it.

It developed a deep connection for me between all the troubled areas of the Earth, endangered species, and all environmental concerns. I was able to observe the whole planet as a living being; noticed the Earth’s ley lines; and the accumulated negativity in the Earth’s energy field.

Most remarkably, after a few weeks of nonlocal Reiki for the Earth, the solicitations, which had continued throughout, entirely stopped. Entirely!

I then knew that I had fulfilled my part. (Our part is constantly renewed–I still work with/for the Earth.)

Nonlocal Reiki is commonly practiced for individuals. It can be practiced also for the promotion of values, progressive ideas, ideals and visions, the empowerment of citizenry, social projects and cultural progress.

In all these areas, the groundwork obviously has to be done too, the activism, all the tangible components need to be in place. But at a meta level, through Reiki, there’s access to this power that heals burnout, opens minds and hearts, removes obstacles, stimulates and encourages, and deepens the good.

Reiki practice is born and honed in its meditation methods or hands-on application, but it doesn’t stop there. It doesn’t stop at all.

© Pamir Kiciman 2008

Pamir Kiciman is a Soul Whisperer^SM specializing in healing, spirituality and conscious evolution. He provides Reiki services (Reiki Training & Healing) for those seeking to make spirituality, healing and meditation a conscious part of their life. His approach to Reiki is that it’s a way of living with wisdom and compassion, not only a healing art, and definitely not a modality.

What do I do for FUN? I pray! I make any action into a self, consciousness, and reality-shifting prayer, anytime.

Years ago I found a cure for almost any distress – well, at least a healing shift towards a cure – in learning to shift any everyday action I happened to be doing into a prayer. I don’t mean a begging, lack-minded sort of prayer. I mean a transformation of anything I am thinking, feeling, saying, or doing into a connection to Spirit or the Divine within the powerful present moment at hand.

So if I am brushing my teeth, for example, I state “I now brush my teeth as a reconnection to Spirit for me (and anyone else in the world who resonates with my energy-flow who gives permission) for transformations towards better and best.” The wording needs to be individualized by everyone who participates. I never do this exactly the same way twice.

I am certain that many can make merry with this prayer process, extending it to logical and illogical extremes. Well, I invite you to go ahead and have fun with that! This process works works well any way one does it, so start doing it your own way (if you don’t already) and see what happens.

I practice this prayer-shift as often as I remember it, for universal FUN restoration overall. Prayer-shifting ordinary actions, events, and situations can become a habit very quickly, a happiness habit.

Of course I know this simple, easy prayer process is nothing new and I am far from the first to discover and play with it. There are many names for this spiritual practice. I share it here in case it can help anyone who just forgot about it. ~ Elizabeth

Elizabeth is co-founder, minister, and CEO of Companions Circle – Shamanic Shift Center, a non-profit mission of everyday situation shamanization and universal shamanic shifting towards better and best. This article may be shared as long as the article and this attribution (with live links) are included as is.

The Science of Cultivating Greatness!

As a scientist I value productivity, creativity, and effectiveness. Twenty-five years ago during my involvement with cancer clinical trials I was shaken by a young person’s death. I decided to investigate the spiritual realm. I found spiritual teachings that can be merged with my scientific perspective. This “scientific spirituality” has been responsible for much of my growth.

Life is like a collage of vignettes from our personal contacts, professional aspirations, needy passions, and dealing with the “hygiene” issues of handling all the details of our daily lives. Often rifts develop between competing demands for our time, attention, and commitment. Optimum effectiveness involves wise juggling of all the needs and prioritizing the “wants” while healing the rifts. I believe that the use of scientific spirituality is the surest method to maximize productivity.

“Scientific spirituality” seems like an oxymoron. Generally one doesn’t think that science supports spirituality. What is it? It is using a scientifically proven method to find our true self. The “spiritual” I discuss is not religion. To me “spirit” is our true essence. If a person is in tune with his or her spirit it means that that they can be in tune with the spirit of a co-worker or a loved one. Scientific studies support spiritual assertions of meditation’s benefits.

Meditation is but one of several methods to access the spiritual realm. Having been an executive officer in a highly competitive industry for over 20 years, I find scientific spirituality invaluable in accessing the part of me which is best able to resolve conflicts, prioritize my time, and illuminate the path to success and my passions.

How many times have we acted out of extreme emotion then realize the error after relaxing or a good night sleep? Many times we might feel overwhelmed by a problem or issue. The expression “sleep on it” is excellent advice. I have experienced tremendous insight on key issues at 4 o’clock in the morning in a half-sleep state. This is another way to access our spiritual self.

Spirituality teaches ways to quiet the mind. Scientific studies validate that during meditation specific brain functions cease and access to creativity occurs. Stress triggers the opposite in the brain where “scream-like messages” drown out the logical and creative. Meditation is merely quieting the mind so that the best of you can be heard and recognized. Whether or not you consider yourself spiritual, accessing your true self allows wise priorities and creative solutions.

For those who find meditation difficult I recommend sitting quietly in a comfortable position with your eyes closed and concentrating on a moment in your life which you cherish. Recall the surroundings, the sounds, the sights, the smells, and your feelings. Then allow yourself to lock in that moment by playing it over and over again with one hand making an OK sign by touching your thumb and forefinger.

Whenever you need to access this state sit quietly and make the OK sign. This is called NLP or neuroligistic programming another proven method to quite the brain.

You might think that the patterns which you developed in handling stress, fear, and anger cannot be changed. If so, I want to change your mind by rewiring your brain.

Use your mind to change your brain. I have utilized meditation to help individuals for two decades. Coincidentally, only in the last two decades has science recognized that the brain can be rewired. Until the 1980s the dogma was that after adolescence the brain’s connections cannot be changed. Now we know that meditation can change the brain. The paradigm that brain creates mind is replaced with mind mapping our brain wiring.

In the 1980s it was discovered that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients who practiced meditation could rewire their brains and hence reduce or eliminate the OCD urges. The unwanted urges to incessantly wash one’s hands or to constantly worry if a door was left unlocked can prevent individuals from holding a job or retaining relationships. In a meditative state, if the patients focused on an enjoyable activity such as sitting in their garden rather than washing their hands, the brain became rewired diminishing the OCD impulse and strengthening the connections to alternate thoughts and behavior. Brain scans before, during, and after such exercises provide unequivocal evidence that mind changes brain.

In like manner, let’s rewire the brain. In a relaxed meditative state recall a time when fear or anger triggered a response you would like to take back. Now imagine the appropriate response to replace the one you wanted to take back. Ok, now insert the new response. Recall other situations you wish to reframe and repeat this exercise. The more times you repeat it the more you will strengthen your ability to respond in an appropriate manner.

Like the OCD patients you can eliminate stress instantly by focusing on something pleasant and making the OK sign.

To heal the rifts in our lives, utilize this tool of scientific spirituality. As the wise one in you develops the winning strategies and the jackpots arrive realize that you have accessed the spiritual you.

Leo Kim is a Ph.D. scientist, a CEO in biotechnology, spiritual healer, and the author of Healing the Rift: Bridging the Gap Between Science & Spirituality. Email: leo@healingtheriftbook.com Website: http://www.healingtheriftbook.com Phone: (760) 448 2859.

In this three-part series we’ll look at some of the common misunderstandings around the popular teachings of Reiki, and how it’s really an enlightenment path.

What is the Essence of Reiki?

The word ‘energy’ is bandied about so much these days. And it’s highly relevant as energy underlies life. It’s important to also understand that there are different kinds of energy. Metabolic energy is what we use to fuel the physical body. There’s psychic, emotional and mental energy. Then there’s healing energy.

Even if we were to understand Reiki purely on energetic terms, the distinction still needs to be made that Reiki is spiritual energy, or rather a way to tap into it. What might that be? It’s the all-encompassing, overarching common denominator.

Energy is undeniable and there is an energetic manifestation of Reiki. Before that aspect can be experienced and effective, however, a subtler causal level acts as a backdrop.

This backdrop is nondual consciousness. Nothing has separated or differentiated from it yet. It is One and all-pervading. This consciousness has no distinctions of subject/object, mind/matter, words/concepts, or space/time.

In this sense, Reiki is a practice to participate in non-ideational consciousness, be informed by it and evolve, with all other benefits condensing from there.

In Reiki terms, when nondual consciousness begins to differentiate, i.e., move into manifestation, it does so in polar fashion. Before going on, let’s identify nondual consciousness and nondual or primordial Ki as being one and the same. Yes, Ki is a form of energy, but it is also a ground state, a grand backdrop.

The two polarities that first throb out of an undifferentiated source are Celestial Ki and Earth Ki. These are primordial qualities and vibrations. In fact everything in creation is created with as a blend of these two polar forces.

Fortunately for us, Earth and Celestial Ki are available to be experienced spiritually, mentally and physically, and in the material world. Reiki practice is a simple and direct way to do so.

That we can work and play with these pulsations of pure consciousness makes Reiki much more than a modality or even art of healing. This is the stuff of the universe we conduit and receive. Whether you’re a practitioner or recipient, universal powers are interacting with you.

Being in natural balance between Heaven and Earth is one of the core mindbody states Reiki cultivates.

© Pamir Kiciman 2008

Pamir Kiciman is a Soul Whisperer^SM specializing in healing, spirituality and conscious evolution. He provides Reiki services (Reiki Training & Healing) for those seeking to make spirituality, healing and meditation a conscious part of their life. His approach to Reiki is that it’s a way of living with wisdom and compassion, not only a healing art, and definitely not a modality.

by Deepak Chopra
Continuing the week-long practices for peace, today’s theme for peacemakers is:

Monday: Thinking for Peace

Thinking has power when it is backed by intention. Today, introduce the intention of peace in your thoughts. Take a few moments of silence, then repeat this ancient prayer:

Let me be loved, let me be happy, let me be peaceful.

Let my friends be happy, loved, and peaceful.

Let my perceived enemies be happy, loved, and peaceful.

Let all beings be happy, loved, and peaceful.

Let the whole world experience these things.

Any time during the day if you are overshadowed by fear or anger, repeat these intentions. Use this prayer to get back on center.

Please support my intention for peace by going to Intent.com. Then create your own intention to add the power of your intention toward peace in the world. Share this message with all your friends to create a tidal wave of peace for the planet right now.

by Deepak Chopra
That war is the major problem in the world is undeniable.
The need for a new idea is just as undeniable.
The new idea is to bring peace one person at a time until the world reaches a critical mass of peacemakers instead of warmakers.

“There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.” – AJ Muste

Why Ending War Hasn’t Worked
Peace movements have tried three ways for bringing war to an end:

Activism, the approach of putting political pressure on governments that wage war. Activism involves protests and public demonstrations, lobbying and political commitment. Almost every war creates some kind of peace movement opposed to it.

Why has it failed.

• Because the protesters are not heard.
• Because they are worn down by frustration and resistance.
• Because they are far outnumbered by the war interests in society.
• Because their idealism turns to anger and violence.

Activism has left us with the ironic picture of outraged peacemakers who wind up contributing to the total sum of violence in the world.

Humanitarianism, the approach of helping the victims of war. Bringing relief to victims is an act of kindness and compassion. As embodied by the International Red Cross, this effort is ongoing and attracts thousands of volunteers worldwide. Every nation on earth approves of humanitarianism.

Why has it failed?

Because humanitarians are wildly outnumbered by soldiers and warmakers.
Because of finances. The International Red Cross’s annual budget of $1.8 billion dollars is a tiny fraction of military budgets around the world.

Because the same countries that wage war also conduct humanitarian efforts, keeping the two activities very separate.

Because humanitarians show up on the scene after the war has already begun.
Personal transformation, the approach of ending war one person at a time. The prevailing idea is that war begins in each human heart and can only end there. The religious tradition of praying for peace is the closest most people will ever come to ending war in their own hearts. Most people have actually never heard of this approach.

Why has it failed?

Because nobody has really tried it.

“Can you be the change that you wish to see in the world?” - Mahatma Gandhi

Why War Ends With You
The approach of personal transformation is the idea of the future for ending war. It depends on the only advantage that people of peace have over warmakers: sheer numbers. If enough people in the world transformed themselves into peacemakers, war could end. The leading idea here is critical mass. It took a critical mass of human beings to embrace electricity and fossil fuels, to teach evolution and adopt every major religion. When the time is right and enough people participate, critical mass can change the world.

Can it end war?

There is precedent to believe that it might. The ancient Indian ideal of Ahimsa, or non-violence, gave Gandhi his guiding principle of reverence for life. In every spiritual tradition it is believed that peace must exist in one’s heart before it can exist in the outer world.
Personal transformation deserves chance.

“When a person is established in non-violence, those in his vicinity cease to feel hostility.” – Patanjali, ancient Indian sage

The Best Reason to Become a Peacemaker
If you transform yourself into a peacemaker, you won’t become an activist marching in the streets. You will not be “anti” anything. No money is required. All you are asked to do is to go within and dedicate yourself to peace.

It just might work.

Even if you don’t immediately see a decline in violence around the world, you will know in your heart that you have dedicated your own life to peace.
But the single best reason to become a peacemaker is that every other approach has failed.
We don’t know what number the critical mass is–the best we can hope is to bring about change by personal transformation. Isn’t it worth a few moments of your day to end 30 wars around the world and perhaps every future war that is certain to break out?

Seven Practices for Peace

The program for peacemakers asks you to follow a specific practice every day, each one centered on the theme of peace.

Sunday: Being for Peace

Monday: Thinking for Peace

Tuesday: Feeling for Peace

Wednesday: Speaking for Peace

Thursday: Acting for Peace

Friday: Creating for Peace

Saturday: Sharing for Peace

Our hope is that you will create peace on every level of your life. Each practice takes only a few minutes. You can be as private or outspoken as you wish. But those around you will know that you are for peace, not just through good intentions but by the way you conduct your life on a daily basis.

Each day I will also share a video to accompany the peace theme for that day, so look for those as well.

Sunday: Being for Peace

War is the plague that human beings bring upon themselves. It is also a plague we might be able to end. On any given day since you and I were born, some part of the world has been at war-in 2003 the total number of open conflicts was thirty. In the twentieth century at least 108 million people died in wars. Of the 20 largest military budgets on earth, 14 belong to developing countries. The United States spends more on its military than the next 16 countries combined.

Today, take 5 minutes to meditate for peace. Sit quietly with your eyes closed. Put your attention on your heart and inwardly repeat these four words: Peace, Harmony, Laughter, Love. Allow these words to radiate from your heart’s stillness out into your body.

As you end your meditation, say to yourself, “Today I will relinquish all resentments and grievances.” Bring into your mind anyone against whom you have a grievance and let it go. Send that person your forgiveness.

Please support my intention for peace by going to www.intent.com . Then create your own intention to add the power of your intention toward peace in the world. Share this message with all your friends to create a tidal wave of peace for the planet right now.