120 Days of meditation

I recently hit my 120 days in a row of daily meditation. I wanted to do a quick update on what I feel I’ve gotten from the endeavor.

1. The biggest take away is making time to do this everyday. Not allowing myself to become overly distracted by work and life. The satisfaction of deciding I wanted to do this everyday and doing it.

2. The concept of “Begin Again”. My mind wanders, I notice it, I begin again. I’ve taken to bringing this concept into my non meditation activities. Do I find myself daydreaming, or stuck on something I’d rather not dwell on anymore? I’ve been returning to the breath and consciously shifting my mental focus to the task I want to be focusing on. The same thing I do when I hear the weather getting stormy in the Muse application as reminder I’m out of my desired state.

3. Allowing the avenue to receive guidance/insight/inspiration from higher self|self|Universe (whatever you want to call it). Usually before mediation I’ll ask Spirit or Higher Self what they have for me today and use the meditation time as a chance to allow that communication. Several blog posts, Instagram videos, and ideas for future courses have been coming through during those open lines of communication. Most notably for me was when I received insight into a online interaction I was having where I was able to get some guidance and insight into how the “other person took the exchange”.

4. Beginning to feel the physical difference when I’m in the calm zone and not needing the biofeedback from the muse application.

fear (lowercase) vs Fear

fear vs Fear

There is a quote from Abraham Hicks floating around from March 2020 in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic.

Predictably, I received the “tell that to my friend on a ventilator” response to the quote. This prompted an exchange where I attempted to explain my take on “fear” vs “Fear”.

“fear” is that feeling you get before you lean in for a kiss, before you jump out of an airplane, that feeling when your spidey senses are tingling due to potential danger, the fight or flight response is kicking in and your hearth is beating fast. In short, that feeling that let’s you know you are alive. It is temporary, once the event is over you normalize.

“Fear” is that feeling of dread or anxiety you cant shake. I felt that after 9/11 and collectively as Americans we were fearful to go anywhere, every person of middle eastern decent was a terrorist and out to kill us. That feeling of not feeling safe wherever we want permeated everything and you couldn’t shake it. I was in the military at the time and a war on terrorism was definitely on my mind. We freely gave away our freedoms to “keep us safe.”

I had similar feeling when I was depressed in 2016. I was in prepper mode as I felt we had an impending nuclear disaster coming and I was powerless to do anything about it or have any way to protect my family. The only thing that made me feel marginally better was buying prepper supplies but the buying really only curbed that impending feeling of doom and powerless for a short amount of time.

I feel like we are in that situation, only collectively, now in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. When this started up in Feb 2020 I was getting gripped in fear again. The difference is now I was conscious enough to notice myself slipping into it and I took action to bring myself out of it.

I’ve come to understand though my Law of Attraction and Reality Creation work that what we think about we bring about, our external reality is created by our thoughts, beliefs, and actions, and “Fear” is a choice.

Law of Attraction Stories - Las Vegas

While not my favorite Natural Law, Law Of Attraction (LoA) is favorite and very popular. Most people have seen “The Secret” and know that it’s all about “Thoughts Become Things” and “Think It and It Shall Become.” The Secret fails to talk clearly about the most important part of LoA and that is Feeling. My mentor, Rob Pritchard, talks about the heart being 80x stronger than the mind. I also teach this in my Infinite Possibilities class. Your thoughts send what you want out to the quantum field for the Field/Universe to start putting together potential realities for you to experience. Your feelings PULL that reality into your experience. Thus if you are thinking one thing but you feel lack, the opposite of what you are sending out, or you don’t feel worthy to receive what you are asking for it becomes difficult for it to make it’s way into your reality or you don’t get fully get it.

Most summers i go to Las Vegas for BlackHat and Defcon (two of the largest hacker conferences). Las Vegas is great place to work on Law of Attraction. In 2018 i was pretty grumpy about being there, I was moping around and being upset about having to be there. My Law of Attraction work was showing how i was feeling. I wasn’t winning anything.

On one of my last nights in town I went to dinner with my friend Don. While catching up in the bar I was relaying my last year of spirituality, LoA work, Reiki, in general just not hating my life anymore. The process of relaying how much better everything was going definitely caused a shift, i was FEELING better and excited and in the flow. We played some slot machines while waiting for our dinner reservations and ended up winning enough to mostly pay for dinner. Not the biggest win of my life but most importantly I noticed the difference in feeling.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Following dinner we went down to Freemont street. It took a little while to get the mojo flowing but as you can see I smashed the buffalo gold machine pretty hard. 101 free spins and got almost double the Super jackpot on the machine. Thank you universe :-)

View fullsize

View fullsize

This post isn’t about winning a thousand dollars. This post is about understanding the FEELING of what you are pulling into your vibration and later your reality. What feeling are you feeling—>attracting in your life?

Meditation with the Muse headband

I’m currently in my 3rd week of using a muse mediation biofeedback device. I wanted to give my initial thoughts and observations. But first a screenshot from the Muse application:

Usage:

Muse works by wearing a headband with sensors that can monitor motion, breath, heart rate and brain waves. It’s pretty lightweight and I got used to wearing it pretty quickly.

Observations:

• I do far better in the evenings with my meditations than in the mornings - despite me primarily rolling out of bed and doing meditation as part of my daily practice

• Doing a short breathing meditation (~5min) helps get me in the zone - so I do that when the morning schedule permits it

• Self-Reiki puts me right into the calm zone consistently

• Performing a distance Reiki session does not

• I’ll frequently get a buzzing in the ear(s) when I “get in the zone” for other metaphysical activities - this does not equal a calm state in the app

• I had to turn down some of the biofeedback sounds because I’d get excited hearing the reward sound and come out of the desired state

Pros:

• I dig the gamification of meditation. I had one day where I didn’t want to really want to meditate but I didn’t want to lose my streak so I did it anyway

• The ongoing feedback is helping me know when I’m in the right state

Cons:

• The free/getting started meditations aren’t guided - meaning they don’t play during your meditation time. The timer starts after they finish saying whatever they want to say

• You cant load your own meditations into the app

• It can take a few minutes to get the headband and the app connected and synced. It’s not a LONG amount of time but does take a few minutes to get everything read to go

Thanks for reading! More updates to come as I approach the 30 day of meditation in a row milestone.

Forgiveness

It’s new years resolution time. I have a friend who’s resolution was to work on forgiveness.  Specifically he put “that forgiveness isn’t about saying what was done to you was “ok”, it’s about letting yourself release the need to punish. I’m still working on it, and it’s not easy.”

I’ve spent a lot of time on forgiveness. I like what Vishen Lakhiani  says about forgiveness is his 6 phase meditation [1] [2] series. It’s a free course and I'd encourage you to take it but to paraphrase my understanding of the Forgiveness section is that it’s not about saying that what the person did was ok, it’s about choosing not to spend energetic currency on it any more.

I mentioned the above to him and he said that he doesn't think he spends energetic currency on the people he needs to forgive because he doesn't actively think about it. I can't speak for him so I'll speak for myself in that just because I'm not actively thinking about a situation or person doesn't mean I don't have my own energetic currency tied up into the situation. My take on the subject is it this; if you haven't cleared the issue it’s still holding some of your energetic currency. If you are judging new situations based on that old situation you are trying to forgive you still have energetic currency tied up in that person/situation. You don't have to be actively thinking or worrying about a person/situation for it to be weighing on you energetically.  If the result of that interaction affects all current and future interactions you still have energetic currency tied up in that person/situation.

As a personal example. I had a girlfriend in high school that cheated on me with most of my friends. She textbook lied and cheated and people i thought were my friends had sex with her while we were dating.  This person forever altered my trust of people (especially women). It’s an issue I'm still working through to this day. It’s incredibly difficult for me to get to FULLY trust someone even though on some level I realize and acknowledge this other person IS NOT that person.  I still brace for impact or don't fully let another person in to prevent the hurt. 

How do you forgive. Well the 6 phase meditation is a start.  For me, when these issues come up it’s self Reiki time or Reiki with my healer to bring this person up to the service and use Reiki or IET to help release the emotions and hurt with the subject.  In the end when someone hurts us it’s generally not us, it’s them, they have issues and they felt that hurting you was a way to make them feel better. As I wrote this post I was reminded of that girlfriend's home life, relationship with her parents and her life up to that point. It wasn't great to say the least. I can definitely see (Now) how those deficiencies in her life could be attempted to be filled through sex or hurting other people.

That being said it does us no good to carry those feelings and emotions with us once we are ready to let them go.  As the info-graphic linked above says; “Know that at a deeper level we are one, and any negative charge towards any other living person is a charge against yourself.”

What are you ready to let go of?

I don't have time for Reiki

"I don't have time for Reiki"

One of the common excuses I get when I ask friends/potential clients about trying Reiki is “I’m too busy” or “I’ll do it when life calms down|is less crazy”. I’m getting this often enough I decided to do a post about my feelings on this.

Firstly, self care is crucial to a successful life. Much like paying yourself first for savings goals or retirement, self care works in a similar way. My life has drastically changed for the better once I started making taking care of myself #1 priority. This includes morning meditations, self Reiki, physical fitness and being more aware of the substances and food I put into my body. I’ve found there are a million distractions and stressors that will gladly come into to fill that time unless I front load my day with things that are good for my well being.

Secondly, taking care of yourself sends a powerful message to those around you and the Universe that your well being is more important than their other bullshit. Realistically, how can you expect someone else to put you first if YOU are unwilling to YOU first?!?

Lastly, as mentioned in the Reiki service description (https://www.theskybeckons.com/reiki-1) Reiki actually helps reduce stress and tension, helps you work through emotional issues that may be holding you back, in addition to clearing the mind and bringing focus. These benefits can actually open space for you in your life to figure out new ways of dealing with life’s challenges and stresses and it stems from self care and putting your wellness first. I practice regular self Reiki and see my Reiki healer monthly (and additionally as needed when I feel I need the boost or life is out of whack).

Intro to Earthing Class

The Earth's surface acts as a conductor, constantly receiving and distributing energy to all its inhabitants. For a millennia, most of humanity was one with this natural connection. Walking barefoot across the land and sleeping close to the Earth our bodies were continually linked to this massive energy field and balanced.

Now, thanks to modern living, we have become increasingly separated from the earth and its many natural energies. From tennis shoes to supermarkets, asphalts to plastics, nearly each step we take is on a foundation that is not conductive. Couple this with man-made electromagnetic fields we are increasingly disconnected from the Earth. Many of us can go days to weeks without actually touching the Earth with our bare feet.

This class will cover the basics of Grounding/Earthing to include the how’s, why’s, and potential medical benefits. After the lecture portion, we will grab multi-meters and various earthing equipment commonly available to measure our current voltage and determine if the grounding equipment actually works. (If you have your own earthing equipment feel free to bring it along to verify it works).

Students will come away with an understanding of the basic philosophy and science behind “Earthing” as well as instruction on how to measure the voltage of their body with a multi-meter, how to measure the voltage in their home, and measure the effectiveness of their personal earthing equipment.

Cost: $25

Instructor:
Chris Gates is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and Army Veteran. He is a well known Information Security professional and has spoken at over 50 security conferences around the world. Chris is also a Reiki Master, Integrated Energy Therapy practitioner and certified Infinite Possibilities Trainer.

Chris approaches spirituality and metaphysics like he does his security work. Learning as much as he can about the topic, studying to identify undocumented or less known functionality to do “interesting things”, using that knowledge to improve his life and others, and finally documenting and sharing the information with others. In the absence of scientific “proof” he seeks personal experience with the topic.

https://www.meetup.com/thelotusandthelight/events/259576436/

Earthing Class at Lotus Wellness Center

Am I destined for failure?

Posting my answer from Quora here:

Read Chris Gates' answer to Are some people destined to fail? Is it predestined because of their past lives or something their parents did? on Quora

Give your attention NOT your time

Jay Shetty was on the Today show recently (LINK) and had a great comment about spending time with people.

Quotes/Notes in case the video disappears.

“Time has memory” & “Location has energy” - meaning people should find a time in their day that is just for themselves and do this time/meeting in a space that makes them feel balanced.

Savannah asks about mom guilt and spending time with her kids. Jay has a great reply in that people when they ask for our time, are really asking for our energy (I’m substituting attention in the title of this post). He goes on to talk about you could spend an hour with someone but if you are on your phone and not present they aren’t getting your energy/attention and you don’t feel the connection. Where if you spend 10 minutes with someone and they get your full attention it can be very beneficial.

This resonates with me on two levels.

First, this is why i enjoy receiving and but also giving Reiki. For me, when I’m giving a Reiki session it forces me to be present with the person and be focused to let the Reiki energy flow through me and to the person. They get my energy & attention for that ~60 minutes. The same for receiving, i get their energy & attention for that length of time.

Second, my teachers Uma & Rob talk about Tantra quite frequently. One of my takeaways from their discussions on the subject is not that Tantra is about sex but that Tantra is about “Connection”

Tantra is connection, presence and conscious relating to ones self and to another.

The example they give is that Tantra is about being present with the person no matter what the activity. When you are having sex, be present having sex not thinking about your day or balancing the checkbook. When you are making dinner , be present while making dinner, when you are watching TV, be present while watching TV…not on your phone, not thinking about other things…Be. Present.

I feel like Jay was saying something similar.

Links:

https://www.mindful.org/manage-attention-not-time/

Spirituality is a Muscle

I’m taking classes so I can explore/improve my psychic & mediumship abilities. There have been lots of amazing nuggets and the feeling of connecting with spirit is really hard to put into words but, for me, it’s been more enjoyable than Reiki, hypnosis and even IET.

I had the thought today driving home from class that spirituality* and really more specifically the execution of spirituality via meditation, channeling, mediumship, insights via the various clairs, etc is a muscle and not a mental ability. Meaning you have to exercise it to improve at it. You don’t prepare to bench press 250 pounds by reading a book on weightlifting. You prepare to do that by gradually increasing the weight you bench press until you meet your goal.

This sounds like common sense but you want your abilities to manifest faster no amount of hope or mental games will be as effective as practice (meditation, sitting in the power, energy work, mindfulness, etc). Just like physical fitness, with spirituality you get out of it what your put into it.

*[mindfulness and self-awareness too]

GaryV on kindness & social media longevity

I really like Gary Vaynerchuk and Tony Robbins. Both of those guys are constantly dropping really great metaphysical knowledge wrapped up in entrepreneur/business advice. It slips right on in to people’s psyche.

Link to tweet: https://twitter.com/garyvee/status/1087703043372658688

Gary has had an going theme about kindness to others. No only for all the spiritual reasons but also for the business reasons of just not being a d*ck to people. In the event you needed any more reason to be nice to others or to treat everyone with love and respect this tweet highlights the potentially longevity of things we say to others on social media.

I’m already in this zone as my kids can easily Google me and see what I’m saying to people on Twitter/IG but potentially a nice reminder that in the future when we collectively get along better [I can dream] my grand kids can ask me why I felt the need to be a jerk to someone online…situations I’d like to avoid as much as possible.

Remove things that no longer serve you

I've been on a quest to remove things that don't bring me happiness or “serve me”.  I'm an internet guy and was subscribed to lots of mailing lists. There was a particular list that would regularly get my nostrils flared and I'd feel compelled to “correct someone that was wrong” on the list or people just being wrong would get me spun up all day.

While working with my teacher and mentor Rob from The Healing Frequency we explored my feelings about the list and how I could be upset all day with the interactions on it and also the idea that every exchange with people is an energy exchange.

Given the postulate that every interaction is energy and I have a finite amount of energy, it follows I should be extremely careful with all of my interactions especially those i have control over and even more for ones that leave me upset.

There are plenty of people you can unfollow or cut out of your life easily like coworkers, family, and those random chance encounters. However, given that, I’ve been aggressively unsubscribing, un-following, blocking, etc things and people that are negative and cause me to get upset that I CAN remove.

I’m happy to say that being more conscious of where my attention goes has been making me feel better and my inbox, facebook, and twitter feed(s) are happier.

What is something or someone unneeded or negative out there on the internet that you can cut out of your life and are you ready to do it?

Stop Being Dead Serious About Life

I’m a Sadhguru fan and as I come across interesting clips (of which there are many) I’ll occasionally post them.

Below is a fun one about being so serious about everything/life.

Notes:

“If you are beginning to think that what you are doing is very important…you need to take a holiday” Holiday here meaning taking a break from those serious things in you life. “Serious Things” comes from our feelings of self importance.

It’s important to remember that if you were to die tomorrow, there may be a few people that will care & miss you but it’s a very small number in comparison to the amount of people in the planet. No matter what “important” thing you are working on, tomorrow the world will be able to go without you just fine in the event you cant or wont be around to do it. Nature will continue on just as well with out. #perspective

Thoughts:

We tend to really get caught up in their importance of our work but I realized in the Army that most of the time leaders were just creating busy work and deadlines for the sake of deadlines and work on the calendar. This isn’t meant to discount “doing what you do” especially if makes you happy / is your calling, or putting your hard work into it but it is important to have perspective on your own self importance and, to be honest, the big picture of the scope of what you are doing. Given that the world will inevitably continue on without you, is the current stress or ego about the current $THING actually warranted or a good use of energy?