“I think and that is all that I am.”
Wayne Dyer

Let me express this thought in my own words: I am the “I AM”- and the “I AM” is all there is in my world. I am the thinker and the causer of all that befalls me. Consciousness or Perfect Intelligence, the Universal source or cause of all, is the substance I am made out of.
 
I have been given the ability to reason, choose, judge and cause, it is up to me to unfold the inherent perfection of what I am by nature. I have the ability to understand. I have the ability to sense. All I can do in reality is sense all there is, including others.
 
All of the above applies to you and all other individuals. But I wanted you to read it out aloud, saying “I AM” over and over again, so you can hear the impact this statement has on your sense of yourself.
 
Intelligence is mental and so is my sense of everything I comprehend. Intelligence is good, and Goodness is intelligent or it wouldn’t be good. I am here on this plane to test concepts and so are you.
 
When we are talking about sense, we are not only talking about the word in the usual way as hear, see, touch, taste, smell. We are talking about our “sense of” in a spiritual way.
 
To sense something (spiritually) means that we give recognition to the truth about anything in the mental. We can sense right or wrong, but it is our sense of what we are sensing that gives it its quality.
 
It is up to us to determine and judge if we think it’s good or bad. Remember Shakespeare, “There is nothing good or bad, just thinking makes it so.”
 
“Sense is purely mental and in the last analysis, life itself is nothing but sense.”
William W. Walter (a very wise teacher)
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​#thoughttheories #inspiration

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​In my networking efforts I connected with a group of writers yesterday. One of my goals for 2016 is to meet new people. I want to be more open to fresh connections. I’m one of those people who don’t need a lot of friends. I have a few amazing ones and that is sufficient. However, I realize meeting new people who have common interests will be inspirational and infuse me with fresh ideas. Familiarity sometimes breeds stagnation.
 
I tend to be a hermit. I sometimes don’t go out for days. Don’t get me wrong, I’m outdoors most of the time. I created a garden, outdoor living space for reading and writing, large open windows to let the sunlight flow in, a music room, and wide open patio doors making me feel that the inside of the house is connected with nature at all times.
 
I have two fountains that are regularly frequented by the most colorful birds, plants, flowers, and my home grown vegetables are a staple that brings me continuous joy.
 
What I mean by “not going out” is I rarely socialize in groups, go to movies, and hang out in the mall or clubs. I only leave the house when I have a commitment for my workshops or necessary errands to run. I have had my years and years of parties, people, and fun. I was an event producer for a major Hollywood studio for nearly twenty years with an average of 300 events per year. Enough!
 
So going forward, meeting new people will be a very selective process and the group of authors I met online was delightful. The conversation about viral marketing quickly became helpful and supportive.
 
One of the authors, to my surprise, was a pastor from Northern California. He befriended my Facebook page and I thought about how I would answer him if he, being a man of God, would ask me:
 
“What is your idea of God and what does God mean to you?”
 
“God is Universal power, the Almighty substance that sustains all life. I am part of this substance called Consciousness. I can think, and thinking is the conscious activity of this substance led by God’s urge of expression.
 
God is Wisdom. So I, being part of this Wisdom, have to choose wisely as to what I think. It is my duty!
 
God is good. So I have to be and act good to live up to God’s standards. It is my duty!
 
God is Intelligence. So I, being part of this Intelligence, have to act intelligently and in accordance to the truth. It is my duty!”
 
Yes, this is how I would answer his question.

​What growth do we encounter through the experience of pain, be it physical or emotional? Can we become grateful for our pains? What do these pains and woes teach us? Do we see the lesson?

Pain, physically or emotionally, is a signal that we have been on the wrong path, maybe made a mistake, or didn’t take care of our needs. We might hang onto an old grief or resentment. It shows us that we need to make corrections in certain areas of our lives.
Therefore, with a grateful heart, let us say: May the lesson be revealed to me. May I become stronger, and may I learn from this experience - and then move on with joyful expectations of better days to come.

Self-knowledge, knowing what makes us tick, is gained through our ability to go deep within and see ourselves as we truly are at this moment. Pain or pleasure is the result of our preconceived ideas and expectations. It is part of the memory bank stored over so many years. But, we change constantly and our job is to explore this inner belief system we have created over a life-time. Liking it or not, we must be absolutely honest in our examination of self and adjust these erroneous convictions according to Truth.

Ask yourself: Who am I and what are my beliefs? What do I love about myself and what needs improvement? This self-observation should be part of our daily mental work-out.
The Truth is, however, that we are already perfect and good – we only were blinded by our believes and misunderstandings. So, let us start from the premise that we are a shining, loving light. There is always light coming our way, after a period of darkness. It’s like the dawn following the night…waking up to a new and glorious day. Be good to yourself!
​#thoughttheories

Being absorbed in the day to day writings and studying has been an eye-opener for me over the years, and every so often a forgotten disposition rears its ugly head. It’s mostly something from the distant past, a slight resentment or memory of an unpleasant experience - or in some cases a relationship quarrel that needs attention. But what do we do with this negative spark? Most of the time we shove it back under the rug, whisk it away like it’s no big deal. Or is it?
 
A couple of days ago I was reminded that whisking away old hurts doesn’t solve the underlying issue. It only prolongs it. Stuffing our negative emotions back down our own throats, puts them right back onto the shelving of our subconscious mental store house. The cure is forgiveness. But that is easier said than done.
 
Dr. Joseph Murphy, metaphysics teacher, stated: “Forgiveness is love in action. Without love in our hearts, we stumble and fall.” This sounds reasonable and lovely, however, forgiving an apparent ‘wrong’ seems to be a daunting task, and therefore we continue to nurture this seed of pain until it grows into a giant weed, and yes – we stumble and fall all over again.
 
James Allen, another one of my favorite metaphysical writers, states an interesting viewpoint. He said:
 
“Why this continual retaliation and forgiveness? Why this tormenting anger against another and then this repentance and forgiveness? Is not forgiveness the taking back of one’s anger, the giving up of one’s resentment; and if anger and resentment are good and necessary why repent of them and give them up? If it is so beautiful, so sweet, so peaceful to get rid of all feelings of bitterness and utterly and wholly to forgive, would it be not more beautiful and sweet and peaceful never to grow bitter at all, never to know anger, never to resent as evil the actions of another, but always to live in the experience of that pure, calm, blissful love which is known when an act of forgiveness is done, and all unruly passion toward another is put away?
 
If another has done me wrong is not my hatred toward him wrong, and can one wrong right another? Moreover, has he by his wrong really injured me, or has he injured himself? Am I not injured by my own wrong rather than by this? Why, then, do I grow angry? Why do I resent, retaliate, and engage in bitter thoughts? Is it not because my pride is piqued or my vanity wounded or my selfishness thwarted? Is it not because my blind animal passions are aroused and allowed to subdue my better nature? Seeing that I am hurt by another person’s attitude toward me because of my own pride or vanity or ungoverned and unpurified passions, would it be better to look to the wrong in myself rather than the wrong in another, to get rid of pride and vanity and passion, and so avoid being hurt at all?”
 
So my question is: why do we get into a fight with another person in the first place? Even if someone attacks us, why do we react rather than turning the other cheek? By reacting and dwelling on our hurt feelings we only exaggerate the problem and multiply the negative emotions. We are the ones entertaining the hurt and the anger; we are the ones suffering the consequences. Why not stop?
 
In my work with students I have listened to several cases of abuse during their childhood by their parents; some physically and some mentally. Even though I can empathize with the person who was abused, I must remind you that once you reach adulthood, you have a choice. You are not a victim anymore. Your parents acted the only way they knew how to act - good or bad – mostly from an ignorant basis. Now it is up to you to shed the baggage, dust yourself off, and grow up. Most of all, do not to repeat the “sins of our fathers”.
 
As I am pondering these thoughts, I asked myself: Where does forgiveness come in? What is there to forgive? Is it our own lack of self-worth that needs a shot in the arm? Is it our doubts and fears of failure, loneliness, and insecurities that need healing? What do we have to forgive and whom? Do I forgive myself or the other? Or both?
 
My conclusion: We must forgive all and any so-called wrong doings. Why? Because it is you and I who will suffer if we continue to hold on to the grudges and pains we feel. It is us who will develop physical ills like arthritis or stiffness of any kind, caused by resentment. It is us who will experience an inharmonious and unhappy state of mind until our bitterness is solved. It is not worth it! We all deserve to be happy and live the life we imagined for ourselves. Forgiveness must be part of this life! With Love, ULRIKE
#thoughttheories
​Image by www.thehappypaintbrush.com
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