Dear Valued New Subscriber, I just emailed you our August PROSPERITY EZINE full of original articles to help you live a more abundant, fun life.
If you received your copy, please ignore this email and accept our sincere apologies for taking up your time. If you haven't received it, you can put the address [EMAIL PROTECTED] in your address book or safe list, select "Add/Save to Address Book" in your email browser, so that the next issue is not blocked by your spam filter. Meanwhile ... The CURRENT issue of the Prosperity Ezine can be read at http://www.thedream.com/ezine_current.htm Or read here at the end of this email. Articles form PREVIOUS issues are available for your enjoyment at http://www.thedream.com/ezine_past_issues.htm Also, we offer a COMPLIMENTARY Empowerment Tape with very effective guided processes to help you unfold YOUR DREAM! May you grow and prosper! Keith Varnum Editor, Prosperity Ezine To unsubscribe: reply with unsubscribe ****************** PROSPERITY EZINE AUGUST 2004 Painful experience is the darkroom in which you can use negatives to develop. - Swami Beyondananda FEATURED ARTICLES 1. Enjoy the Magic of Prosperity 2. Talking Rocks 3. Freedom ********* 1. Enjoy the Magic of Prosperity By Keith Varnum There is an art and a science to prosperity. The art is playing with the magic of prosperity. The science is aligning with the physics of prosperity. Play at Life! Why does the money run out? Why doesn't passion stay around? Why doesn't health last? Perhaps because we're not playing. Instead, we're analyzing and strategizing. By not being innocent, open, willing, spontaneous and flexible, we kill the magic of natural prosperity. Results are important in life. And life works out best when played like a kid's game-in the spirit of a fun adventure between two best friends. When approached lightly-not as a deadly serious contest-life actually responds more readily to our wishes. In fact, the happiest outcomes occur when we play along with the fluctuations of life instead of fighting them. Humor and laughter activate energy flow, which, in turn, generates abundance. Ride the Pulse of Prosperity Just like the body's circulatory system, prosperity has a pulse, a rhythm. When we're willing to go along with the pace and pattern of life's changes, we prosper. When we tighten up, hold back, or try to control or micro-manage life's vacillations, we cut ourselves off from life's natural bounty. The magic dies. Align with Attraction Do you feel stuck? Are you struggling to make life work? Tired of your own soap opera reruns? Get your life aligned with the Law of Attraction! Scientists agree with spiritual teachers. Prosperity is simply the natural physics of the universe. Science calls it the Law of Quantum Physics. Metaphysics calls it the Law of Spiritual Attraction. Like energy attracts like energy. Like vibration attracts like vibration. Like qualities attract like qualities. This is Instant Karma in all its beauty and fierce justice. Scientifically speaking, all physical matter in life is pulsating electromagnetic energy that undulates in a wave motion-and thus, naturally connects with those aspects of life that are on that same wavelength. An Inside Job So how do you put cash in your pocket, romance in your bedroom, and vitality in your body? The Latin root of "prosperity" means "to make happy, favorable, successful, fortunate, thriving. Prosperity is not an outer circumstance or state. Prosperity is an inner feeling or space-an experience of oneself as joyful and flourishing. Outer events are the reflections of how you have been flowing from your Source Energy. This is what a good creator does-flow energy. You can attract prosperity with your personal magnetism. As you focus your attention on your dream, the Law of Attraction brings your desires to you automatically. True prosperity is having what you choose to have as you choose to have it. Here are a few effective, pragmatic ways to tap into the River of Plenty. Master the Law of Giving and Receiving When you give freely of your gifts and talents, you receive back in kind. The key to success here is how you give, not what you give. When you come from a place of bountiful giving, you receive plentifulness in return. When you give from a place of lack or limitation (for example, expecting something in return as a pay-off), you receive back the same vibration or quality-a reflection of lack and limitation. When you give from a space or energy of fear ( scarcity consciousness), the universe mirrors that poverty back to you. Align Your Personality with Your Soul Align your personality's actions and attitudes with your soul purpose and passion-and your life will unfold in a profoundly easy, delightful and bountiful way. Walk with an Appreciative Heart What you appreciate in life appreciates-increases, grows. The more aspects of life you appreciate, the richer you become inwardly-and, in turn, outwardly, according to the Law of Attraction. Prosperity Begets Prosperity Prosperity is a living, organic state of being. Prosperity defies the laws of economics in that it's not a commodity that we have less of when we give some away. Prosperity grows greater for the giver as it' s given. The more you share, the more you end up receiving. Give and you shall attract. Nature does abhor a vacuum! Draw from Your Prosperity Consciousness Bank Account Vibrations of good times can be stored up for retrieval during challenging times. Prosperous times can remind you emotionally and physically of how the vibration of happiness feels-and shift you palpably into those good vibes in the present. Experientially re-living peak moments from the past is more transforming than mentally remembering an event. "Positive experiencing" is even more powerful than "positive thinking." Make Room for Miracles Create the attitude and conditions that make miracles more likely to occur. Fear less and dare more. Invite surprise. Welcome serendipity. Be open to unexpected sources of income, resources and support-especially those that don't "make sense" to the intellect with its limited range of possibilites. And stay open to invisible assistance from your spirit friends-be they angels, Ascended Masters or spirit guides. Ask "Why not?" Take the road less traveled. Be different, creative, fluid, experimental. See fresh possibilities, better combinations, and new opportunities and challenges where others see problems or limitations. Exude excitement and enthusiasm about daily life. The electromagnetic energy of this exuberant, open attitude will attract magic, meaning and money into your world. Quit Energizing the Past The past only exists to the degree we unconsciously drag it into the present. Take charge of how yesterday affects your today. Regard the past as an eternal stream of "practice takes" that allow you to "get it right" in this moment! And energize only the elements of the past that feed the plentiful reality you are creating now. Forgive . then Forgive Some More! By learning to forgive ourselves and others, we give ourselves the gift of freedom from the past. Forgiveness loosens the debilitating constraints of anger, resentment, cynicism, regret and despair-and releases our hearts to swell with aliveness and compassion. Give yourself and others Blanket Forgiveness-now! Take Charge of the Present Moment "Now" is the only time you can control. All success and bounty flows from the power of the vibration you are in each moment. By learning to be present in the current moment-in the "current" of the moment- you naturally receive the treasures that it carries. Feng-shui Your Life! Give yourself a "Spacelift." By intuitively re-arranging the elements of your daily life, you can create the quality of time and space that will increase your ability to receive abundance. Clear your path of illusions and lies so that your creating attention flows solely to your dreams, not to the distractions and myths of life. Tap the Power of Surrender Worry serves as a signal that we must tend to some aspect of life. But when we have done all that we do for the moment, it's time to let go of anxiety and surrender to Universal Support. When intense emotions arise-whether delight or grief, excitement or fear-abandon yourself to them. Don't hold on! Relax that death grip on your feelings-and, in doing so, on the inflow of life's aliveness and bounty! Feel Extravagantly Feel the pain as well as the joy. Shake with fear. Let the anger rise up and roar! If you're not truly feeling, you're not truly alive-you' re just going through the paces. You're only having a NLE-Near-Life Experience. You can't have money, love and health without feeling your emotions. Primal Life Force is the energy that animates all of life's rewards. That same exact energy comprises the essence of all emotion. The core natures of prosperity and emotion are one and the same: Source Energy. Make friends with your feelings and you open the floodgate to easy, natural abundance in your life! ************** 2. Talking Rocks By Sulana Stone "This rock's vibrating with playfulness," laughs Bob. "My stone," Julia bubbles, "is transmitting living with ease." Trish shares that her river rock is conveying freedom. Becky senses a connection to all beings from her stone. As each person correctly identifies the qualities their partner had transmitted into the rock, I'm astounded. The experiment is working! At the same time, my doubting mind chimes in, "This can't be happening. It's impossible that every person is naming the exact vibrational quality their partner put into the rock." So much for the accuracy of my mind! Vision Questing Three days earlier, 16 of us backpacked into a pristine canyon outside of the mystical town of Sedona, Arizona. Another guide and I were leading the group on a vision quest. Traditionally, indigenous people embark on a vision quest to reconnect to their spirit and intuition. Aborigines in Australia go on a vision quest-like "walkabout" that can last a day, a week or years. Many modern folks use the vision quest to receive clarity about their life purpose. Others open to guidance concerning the next step on their life path. Still others seek to break free of old habits and patterns that aren't bringing them true health and happiness. Like the native peoples, our courageous group is tapping into the raw vitality of Nature for counsel about moving through life's challenges. Beyond Chocolate Mousse Some of the backpackers were on our Day Hikes Vision Quest the previous year. On that quest we only stayed in the canyons during the day. At night the gang enjoyed the culinary delights of gourmet restaurants and slept in cushy motels. Not to be undone by three nights of "roughing it," the group carried into the canyon all the camping comforts and food delicacies, including inflatable seats and dehydrated chocolate mousse! Our congenial questers came prepared for almost any eventuality. But they didn't anticipate the knock-your-socks-off power of the "Talking Rocks." Neither did I. Science Breaks New Ground In startling research, scientists report that they can put information into rocks and later retrieve that same exact information from those rocks. The scientists' findings are easily conceivable. Many rocks consist of compressed sand that contains silicon. And, silicon is the basic material used in computer chips. Since we use computer chips to store and transmit information that is downloaded into them, why not rocks? I was game to try my own experiment. Could one of the questers " download" information into a rock and another retrieve that same information? Opening to the Unexpected For three days this gregarious group had been having fun with a variety of shamanic exercises. The purpose of each exploration is to give people a direct personal experience of the magic they've been reading about much of their lives: Nature's power to enlighten. Recharging directly from the earth's energy. Connecting with True Essence. Guidance from the sun, wind and water. Messages from plants and animals. Miraculous healings. Timelessness. Intuition. Oneness. Rock Your World! The moment is ripe! These frisky folks are open to frolicking outside the box of their limiting beliefs. The experiment begins in the middle of a dry creek bed. Each person selects a rock they feel an attraction to. Then people pair up. Secretly, one partner decides on an energetic quality such as humor, honesty, kindness, compassion, innocence, integrity or flexibility. Then they vibrationally transmit that energy to the rock by deeply feeling the attribute within themselves while they are holding the rock. After the transmission, the person hands the "vibrationally charged" rock to their partner. The partner shares what they sense from the rock. Then the partners reverse roles. To my delight and surprise, each person describes the exact quality their partner " downloaded" into the rock-often in precisely the same words their partner used! A total of sixteen people randomly chose sixteen different qualities. Sixteen accurate descriptions! Gateways to Self Discovery On other vision quests, people have discovered that rocks aren't Nature's only gateway for revealing hidden abilities and new possibilities for living richer lives. There are many portals that lead to a more exciting human playground here on Planet Earth. Spin a Different Web Often the actions of insects or animals demonstrate how people can make helpful changes in their lives. While observing a spider constructing its web, 50-year-old Mike realizes that it isn't too late to spin a new web for his life. Mike sees that just as the spider re-weaves its web in order to catch new nourishment for survival, Mike can adjust-re-weave-the way he makes a living in order to catch new spiritual nourishment and thus, enjoy his work more. Shift Limiting Patterns Objects found in the forest can be gateways to peace and freedom. Sally shifts a life-long pattern of spending money on "things" she feels will make her happy. She's engaged in a vision quest exercise of gathering items to create an artistic design. The exercise directs people to return feathers, stones, leaves and twigs to the place they found them. Sally describes the encounter leading to her breakthrough: "I stumble upon a fascinating-looking piece of wood. In fact, the natural sculpture is so breathtakingly beautiful that I begin imagining where the wood art will look best in my home. I crave that piece of wood. My emotions have taken over. "To heck with the exercise! I find myself plotting how I'm going to justify to the group that I'm keeping this extraordinary wood sculpture rather than return the object to the forest. After a half- hour of self-induced anguish, I clearly see how my emotional pattern has formed an addiction. Throughout my life I find art, clothes, furniture, knickknacks-any item that I just 'have to have.' After acquiring the object, the thrill eventually fades, leaving me to crave another 'fix.' "Sitting quietly in the woods, a question bubbles up from my inner guidance, 'Will this enchanting piece of wood give me true happiness?' I'm flooded with memories of my unsatiable hunger for 'things' to fill up my life and make me happy. "And then I have a revelation. These objects will never make me happy! What I really crave is the experience of happiness itself-not the objects that I think bring me the happiness! "Realizing where my happiness truly comes from, I hit upon a new strategy: I can connect directly with the 'happy' feeling I get when I acquire something new and allow the feeling itself to shift my mood. I don't need objects to feel good. Anytime I want to feel better, I can draw directly upon the uplifting peak experiences of my life-my storehouse of good feelings. With this new approach to happiness, I'm finally free from the drive, the push and the relentless compulsion to buy 'things' to make me feel better. "When I leave my one-of-a-kind art treasure sitting in the forest, I also leave behind my addiction to seeking happiness through collecting 'stuff.' I discover a source of peace and joy inside myself that has previously alluded me in my life." What's Your Vision? Throughout the history of humankind, Nature has inspired people to unearth fresh options for living more prosperous lives. Canyons reveal insights that guide folks to more satisfying careers. Forests stimulate realizations that lead people to more joy. And Mother Nature provides other assistance-like talking rocks-that reminds us of unlimited possibilities! What gateways in Nature can you use to find the fulfillment you want in life? *************** 3. Freedom By Keith Varnum In the land where "the sun always shines," the heavenly globe had not shone its bright face for many days. I drove into town during a torrential downpour. I had yet to see any golden, warming rays. In fact, three weeks had passed since I drove to Los Angeles from my graduation at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It'd been pouring ever since. I left the Midwest to escape the frigid, bleak days of rain, snow and clouds. This evening was especially ominous with pelting sheaths of wet and wind. It certainly wasn't a night to venture outside my rented room where I'd been holed up since my arrival! Yet my inner guidance was insisting I take a soggy, dreary walk to nowhere. Spirit was telling me I needed to go out, to break free of the claustrophobic, gray walls of my cramped, matchbox of a room. I did not want to go! The dismal weather gave me a very socially acceptable reason to stay in my refuge because it was cold and clammy outside. However, fear was the real reason I was avoiding leaving my room and exploring my new hometown. Venturing outside would mean taking the next ominous step in my spiritual odyssey. All day my inner coach was incessantly urging me to put myself out into the flow of the River of Life, so I could bump into my destiny. Spirit was not buying my lame excuse of inclement weather. To my real self, taking a walk during this tropical deluge was an excellent opportunity to experience life as a river, to allow the natural pulse and rhythm of life to pump some vitality back into my reluctant psyche. My personality argued nothing of any importance could possibly happen to me on such a raw, inhospitable night. No sane person would be afoot. There would be no one to encounter! But my inner guide would not be swayed from its objective. I would leave my isolated room. I've learned to follow my intuition when it's demanding action as strongly as it was this particular evening. Reluctantly, I dressed myself against the drenching wind and left my safe haven for an unknown adventure in the "City of Angels." I'd driven across the country to get a fresh start. The foul weather delayed my plans and dampened my hopes, but I was still open to encountering some sort of messenger of God, angel or otherwise. I set out for my wet adventure, thinking to myself, Perhaps my inner coach knows something about the city's namesake I haven't discovered yet. Or maybe not! After a brisk walk of a dozen, deserted city blocks in the bone-chilling rain, I was soaked to the core and ready to retreat from what was quickly turning into an ill-fated excursion. Turning, I began the trek back to my apartment when a glimmering light in the gutter caught my eye. The bright beam seemed to be shining through a soggy, mud-covered flyer lying in the street gutter. Naturally, I stopped to inspect the phenomenon more closely. Yes, there was definitely a glow shining through the paper. My curiosity peaked; I bent over to pick up the sheet. As soon as I touched the flyer, the mysterious luminescence behind it faded away. Not only am I soaked and miserable, I'm starting to see things, I conjectured to myself. Enough is enough! This crazy junket has come to an end. I'm going back to my nice, warm room. I wiped the worst of the dirt off the leaflet, stuffed it into my jacket pocket and started for home at a hurried pace. I had a souvenir of my soggy journey. At least, I wouldn't go home empty- handed! Back in the cozy refuge of my toasty dry room, I carefully smoothed out the rain-swollen sheet of paper. I was very curious what the strange light was attracting my attention to. The shriveled notice was a public invitation to a home-cooked meal of natural foods. Hungry for nourishment from a source other than a tin can, I was thrilled at the prospect of a homemade feast and some human companionship. And the cost was only five dollars! Little did I know at the time that I'd just taken the bait laid by my soul on that gusty, damp night. The following Thursday evening, I enjoyed a sumptuous meal of creamy leek soup, organic brown rice, garden-fresh vegetables and something green called nori seaweed at the East-West Institute of Los Angeles. The Institute was a macrobiotic school and retreat of the international healer and teacher Michio Kushi, founder of the center and our host for the evening. With my stomach full and my mind and body relaxed, I was totally unprepared for my inner coach's next outrageous move. Mr. Kushi asked the diners if there was a professional landscaper at the table. My hand shot up on its own! What kind of adventure was my spirit getting me into this time? I sighed to myself. I hate yard work! I've never planted a garden. I don't know the difference between a daffodil and a tulip. The only "landscaping" I've ever done was mowing the grass in our front yard when I was a kid. And I avoided that as much as possible. Besides, I've lived my whole life in a cool, northern climate. I'm totally ignorant of the subtropical foliage of Southern California. And I don't care to learn! "We've got several landscaped acres, including fruit trees, and flower, herb and vegetable gardens. Would you like to take over the duties of maintaining the estate's extensive grounds?" queried Mr. Kushi. I couldn't believe my mouth said, "Yes." This outrageous phenomenon wasn't entirely new to me. I've been my spirit's pawn before when my inner coach usurped control of my speech and answered a question for me. I had a gut feeling my real self was about to take me for the ride of my young life. Events soon validated this premonition. My new job set my personal path on an interception course with my first extraordinary life mentor: Michio Kushi. Japanese to the core, Michio was an enigmatic, beguiling, modern-day samurai. In his forties when we met, Michio's face was soft and pliable like a baby's, his gait spirited and assured. Although he was most often charming and charismatic, he could be fierce and demanding, especially with his students-like me! Michio's domain was the Institute and the extensive grounds surrounding it. In the vibrant, romantic heyday of Hollywood, the magnificent estate had once been the home of jazz great Al Jolson and his paramour, film starlet Ruby Keeler. The manor house was a meandering forty-room Spanish villa with quaint French doors leading out to numerous patios and balconies overlooking the sprawling metropolis in the valley below. Avocado, banana, lemon, lime, grapefruit and orange groves; a rose garden; a grape arbor and a reflecting pool graced the hillside expanse. Antelope and deer frolicked through the pine forest in the surrounding acres. The estate's gatehouse was bigger than most people's homes. I attracted Michio's attention and respect by successfully sculpting the property into a neat, trim and healthy Shangri-La. No, I didn't tap into an unknown gardening genius hidden within me. I discovered that the Greek and Italian groundskeepers for Hollywood stars met early every morning for espresso on nearby Sunset Boulevard. From these generous Old World gardeners, I learned how to care for my new horticultural charges. As their earthy wisdom had been ignored and unappreciated by their own sons, these talented landscapers were overjoyed to assist a young man interested in their broad knowledge of plant care. Before long, I was an expert in trimming and caring for bougainvillea bushes, carob trees, and every other common and exotic tropical plant. Michio became a wonderful friend and mentor throughout the next ten years of my life. He helped me understand and integrate my first spiritual initiation in Montreal. Through him, I learned to view the world with a new perspective-one that was whole, vital and fresh. He soon promoted me to the position of director of the Institute, the person who coordinated all the diverse activities of the center. In addition to tending the grounds and gardens, I supervised the staff that provided the classes, meals and sleeping accommodations. At the facilities in Los Angeles and others around the world, Michio presented a fusion of Eastern and Western philosophy, psychology and applied practice that blended acupuncture, martial arts and macrobiotic, natural foods with pragmatic life coaching and community living. This humble, yet very erudite healer had led a turbulent professional life. Considered a radical influence, Michio was forced in the late sixties by the American Medical Association to physically leave two of the most liberal communities in the country: Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Manhattan, New York. Ironically, he was run out of town for espousing the same philosophy of health he now teaches at the most prestigious institutions in those same cities: Harvard and Columbia University Medical Schools. The medical establishment and the mainstream public currently accept and endorse what Michio expounded in the sixties! In the intervening decades, his simple, effective principles of harmonious, nourishing living have helped thousands of people throughout the world. Despite long days of private counseling and lengthy evening lectures to hundreds of students, Michio always had time to meet with me and share his practical knowledge. The most valuable lessons I absorbed from him were not so much what I gleaned in the lecture hall, although I did take copious notes on his talks about everything under the sun in the realm of healing, cosmology and spiritual disciplines. The priceless wisdom I assimilated from this unassuming sage was on a more subtle and profound level. Michio presented his spiritual savior faire to me in a way that wasn't verbal or conceptual. He shared his world of wisdom in an existential, experiential way, through everyday actions and events. He was outwardly casual about his sharing, yet inwardly his way was very premeditated and deliberate. This was the knowledge that meant the most to me. We never discussed the life lessons he taught me. I simply absorbed them by being around him. In Los Angeles and later in Boston, Michio and I would often sneak off together after his lectures to quiet, secluded French caf�s where his fanatical disciples would never think to look for him. These quaint bistros served all the foods Michio warned against in his lectures, which focused primarily on how various foods affected one's health and spirituality. In his talks, he advised eating a main diet of natural whole grains, fruits and vegetables. He spoke adamantly about avoiding alcohol, drugs, coffee, sugar, dairy, animal fats, red meat, white flour, white rice and all chemicalized, processed foods. Yet on these frequent outings, Michio ordered buttery French croissants, eclairs and every other sugary delight available. Traditionally, the Japanese love to eat and talk about food. He was always very intrigued about whether a particular pastry was made with orange or lemon peel, or if it contained a touch of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg or clove. In a ritual way similar to a Zen tea ceremony, he cut each pastry very carefully in half. Eating each piece slowly and delicately, we discussed what ingredients were used in creating the tastes and textures of the desserts, cleansing our palates between every bite with sips of strong, sweetened espresso. On other evenings, we went to Italian eateries in Los Angeles and Boston. Consuming huge meals of white flour pasta with tomato sauce and meatballs, we'd sip red wine and enjoy sweet dessert cannolis-all foods on the absolute "Never Eat" list from Michio's lectures on macrobiotic philosophy. Michio and I dined out like this for years. We never spoke to anyone about our excursions. And we never discussed between ourselves the seeming discrepancies between his words and his actions, between his recommended diet and his savored delicacies. Yet in his own experiential, paradoxical ways, he was teaching me the life lessons I needed to learn: the importance of enjoying food and celebrating life with gusto, flexibility, intuitiveness and, especially, freedom. As we sat eating pastries, Michio would lean toward me and speak with great earnestness, "Keit, you must be free man." Very endearingly, he always pronounced "th" as a "t" in my name. "You must be free to do anything you want. You must be free to eat anything you want. You must be free to be anything you want." Michio's words felt good to me. At the time, I didn't have a conceptual sense of what he was conveying, but I did take in the spirit and energy of what he was sharing. I know now that in his presence, I was absorbing his vibration of being free and living intuitively. Michio spoke to me about being "sovereign." He implored me to "never work for money. Never do anything you don't want to do to obtain money. If you work for money, you are no better than a slave!" His words had a strong and penetrating effect on me because I knew in my heart they were true. Yet I didn't have a clue how to live this truth in my life. At the time, I couldn't imagine how a person could have money without working at a job. Since then, I've learned to attract the financial support of the universe by aligning my professional path with my soul passion and purpose. Michio emphasized the joy of being a free individual. He taught that everyone is equally able to be free, intuitive and creative. He'd move close to me, speaking right into the ear of my soul, "You must be free to do anything you want. And you must be strong enough to do only what you want to do in life." My mentor's words were very empowering and prophetic for me. I felt sublime love from him when he said, "You must, you will, go far beyond me. You must leave me behind. I teach what I do now, but you will teach something much bigger and yet much simpler." His words were foreshadowing The Dream Workshops I'd be facilitating twenty years hence. He foretold, "You will attract many people. They will come to learn something that is more pure, more basic and even more powerful than I teach now." Michio's lectures focused on the exhaustive presentation of information, principles and universal laws concerning the best ways to eat and live. I asked him why he didn't emphasize the primacy of intuition in his lectures to the degree he did in our caf� discussions. "Oh, but I do," he replied. "But not many people hear. At the very end of all my talks, I always say that to be happy and healthy, you must live intuitively. But few hear me." Incredulous upon hearing his words, I began to investigate the enigma. I began to pay close attention at the end of his public seminars. Sure enough, Michio did talk about intuitive eating being the healthiest manner of eating and intuitive living being the most joyful form of living: "The most creative and effective level of living is to make all life decisions from consulting one's inner knowing. Pure, clear intuition supercedes all rules, concepts, principles and philosophies." He did accentuate the supremacy of intuition at the end of every talk. Yet I wasn't aware he made this concluding point until he brought it to my attention. I checked my friends' notes. None of the students had recorded Michio's views on the importance of intuition. I asked them if they'd ever heard him utter these ideas. They hadn't. In fact, my friends were very dubious. They didn't believe the macrobiotic leader ever spoke about intuitive eating or living! I even coached some of my friends on where to listen for the concept at the end of his lectures. They still didn't hear it. It was obviously not their time to hear this message. As we sat together late at night, I'd often ask Michio why he was wasting his time with me. I considered myself just a hair above a snail in terms of my degree of conscious awareness. He always answered very simply, "Because you listen. Because you hear. And because you will pass this on some day." He certainly knew something I wasn't aware of at the time! Often Michio touched me poignantly with his compassion. One night over pastries and cappuccino, he said, "Keit, you are very scared right now because of all the changes you're going through." He was right. At his side, I was witnessing spontaneous, physical healings and spiritual breakthroughs almost daily. I was also experiencing miracles in my own affairs. My life was becoming very magical indeed. The boundaries of my small world were continually expanding-including the psychological borders that comfortably defined who I thought I was, and the intellectual frontiers of what I reasoned were possible according to the laws of physics and science. He continued in a very intimate tone, "Sometimes you have great anxiety. But, you know, I am as afraid to take my next step on my journey as you are to take your next step on your journey. We are together in our fear. We are terror twins!" Then he laughed and giggled as he offered me another sweet tart to celebrate our union in fear. What Michio offered me in all our encounters was very difficult for me to accept emotionally at the time. He extended to me not only loving friendship, but also respectful equality-something I wasn't yet psychologically capable of receiving. He was inviting me to experience myself as his equal, to play and interact with him as a peer. This prospect was way beyond my self-image of my worth and substance. However, the vibration of peership did sneak in past my mental and emotional defenses. Michio did successfully plant the seed of equality deep within my being. I'll never forget how it touched my heart to hear him proclaim our commonality in regard to the fear of change. In that one statement, he bridged the false separation I felt between us, and between me and all other people. He connected me with the truth of the common bond I share with all humanity on this decidedly exciting and terrifying human journey on Earth. He was preparing me to anchor my Dream Workshops as a "Gathering of Equals." (This story is an excerpt from Keith's book "Inner Coach: Outer Power") *********** FACILITATOR TRAINING Workshop in Sedona - Aug 6-9 Gain the skills for a successful, professional career in workshop development and facilitation-as well as in all forms of communication and leadership. Learn the secrets of motivating groups, teaching people, conducting meetings and succeeding in any area of public speaking and presentation. WAY OF THE WIZARD Playshop in Sedona - Sept 10-13 Work with less effort and be more effective at whatever you do. Learn how to flow with Life Force Energy to bring forth the best from yourself and others and contribute to the world community. The stuff of magic and miracles! SEDONA VISION QUEST in cool Red Rock Canyons - Sept 19-22 A spectacular outdoor adventure where you employ the physical universe as an accurate, liberating reflection of your own consciousness. Double your chances of getting the message from Spirit by reading the outer signs from your inner guidance. Transform lessons absorbed in wild spaces into concrete results in the urban canyons back home in order to enrich your work, relationships, health and finances. OPEN THE 7 SEALS OF PROSPERITY Long ago, in order to have the adventure of limitation we call life here on Earth, we deliberately sealed off our access to our natural spiritual abilities. And now the tools are available to unseal our natural gateways to personal power and prosperity! Keith shares the most effective transformative techniques he has found on the planet in his forty years of exploring human consciousness. Many methods are new. Other approaches are as ancient as the Himalayas. All are easy and practical to use in everyday life. CHICAGO - OCT 1-4 PHOENIX - OCT 15-18 (or attend as a 1-day Saturday event) PHILADELPHIA- NEW JERSEY - OCT 22-25 SEDONA - OCT 29-NOV 1 ATLANTA - NOV 5-8 RE-VISION YOUR WORLD Playshop in Milwaukee - Oct 8-11 Learn how to free yourself from the limitations of time, sleep, food, money, scarcity, struggle, disease and death. Challenge your deepest- held, unconscious convictions about who you are. Co-create a new vision of yourself and your society that is more creative and compassionate. First we talk the talk. Then we talk the walk. Then we walk the talk. Then we walk the walk. - Author Unknown *************** THE GRAIL CUP: Metaphors For Life's biweekly eZine for those who have active and practical spiritual lives. Featuring content on the contemplative arts, modern mysticism and spirituality, interfaith issues, recovering from fundamentalism and more. Visit http://www. metaphorsforlife.com to sign up now! FREE! Subscribe now to the "Timely Time Management Tips" newsletter. Free tips sent to you to help you get more done in less time, with less stress. Send your email now to: mailto:timemanagement-subscribe@ topica.com APPRENTICE WITH KEITH: Learn how to make a good living expressing your unique spirit through successful sharing to friends, clients, employees or workshop folks CLICK New Fun Articles for more inspirational treats CLICK Free Subscription to sign up for this Ezine FORWARD this Ezine to friends The Dream Workshops: www.TheDream.com, 11248 N. 11th St, Phoenix AZ 85020 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> $9.95 domain names from Yahoo!. Register anything. http://us.click.yahoo.com/J8kdrA/y20IAA/yQLSAA/BCfwlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! 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