Gaia Community: Cynthia's Blog

Picture Incremental Improvement

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:41:47 GMT

Carol Skylark of Light Torch Productions and Cynthia Sue Larson

"Artists are magical helpers. Evoking symbols and motifs that connect us to our deeper selves, they can help us along the heroic journey of our own lives."
- Joseph Campbell

Have you ever noticed how much more empowering it feels when you are aiming for goals that are not too big a stretch from where you currently are, compared to having a feeling that you are biting off more than you can chew? There is something very satisfying in seeing gradual improvement, especially when gaining confidence at mastering something we can see ourselves succeeding at doing. I love to consider the question "How good can it get?" to consciously become aware of what kind of future we can believe might be a possible future for ourselves in order to set goals and move forward to a future we believe is within reach. I feel most prosperous on days when I start the day with a meditation to envision just how beautifully well this day might go. This meditation allows me to move from feeling the energy of a 'just OK' day into a more positively energized day. In this way, each day becomes an incremental step onward and upward... a tiny positive adjustment.

Watercolor painting by Cynthia Sue Larson of hands around the Earth

This incremental approach is one which sometimes leads people to feel they're making slow progress, yet slow progress can sometimes be more effective than attempts to make giant leaps, as recent research on the topic of why positive messages hurt people with low self-esteem now indicates. While some people strive to state the highest possible intentions for themselves, they seldom consider the jarring effect that can occur when a person's stated intentions are terribly different from their statement of reality. Joanne Wood from the University of Waterloo found that people with low self-esteem who repeated "I'm a lovable person" to themselves felt worse than people who did neither. These researchers found that statements that contradict what people believe about their self-image are more likely to be met with resistance than acceptance, leaving people feeling even more unlovable than ever. While this finding might seem disappointing for Law of Attraction students everywhere, I find it tremendously informative and helpful.

Pendant by Carol Skylark

Keeping the concept of incremental improvements in mind, we can bring about improvement in our lives through positive affirmations by listening to our gut feelings, our hearts, and our heads... and communicating back and forth from the highest ideals to where we truly feel ourselves to be right here, right now. We can note what we truly consider to be a believable outcome for our given situation. Sometimes, we may find what we feel inspired to do from our pure gut feelings makes no immediate sense... but following our gut feelings and heart connections can provide us with wonderful rewards far surpassing anything we might even imagine for ourselves.

Carol Skylark and Cynthia Sue Larson with healing hands around the Earth

At a Sacramento holistic expo last month, I was delighted to notice that I was situated next to a woman I wanted to meet, Kathleen Robertson from southern California. What a marvelous synchronicity to find myself adjacent to the very woman whose photo had felt so appealing to me! Emerging from a happy state of reverent reverie, I began my morning by painting a watercolor image of two hands holding the Earth. This was the first time I had felt inspired to paint my hands, holding the planet, and I wondered why this might be. I left that thought for later as I became busy with people who came to see me seeking intuitive readings and life coaching. At the end of the day, I was delighted to talk with the woman in the booth to my left, aura portrait artist, Carol Skylark. I was stunned to see her wearing a necklace which was made of a stone framed by two colorful hands -- somewhat similar to what I had painted at the beginning of the day. Carol's name instantly seemed quite familiar to me, and as I leafed through the pages of my book, Aura Advantage, I slowed down when I reached the section of Aura Advantage where Carol Skylark is one of the two aura portrait artists I mention by name! I also showed Carol the watercolor I'd painted that morning of my hands holding the Earth, and she was stunned... telling me that she had recently painted a similar portrait back home in Colorado for one of her aura portrait clients, who had been holding a crystal orb in her hands and envisioning healing the Earth. Carol and I gazed at each other in awe as we recognized a connection far more amazing than either of us imagined experiencing with someone we just met.

Meditation: Knowing now that you can make incremental improvements in your life, allow your mind to wander and contemplate something wonderfully enjoyable you can imagine in your life that does not seem all that far from reach. Close your eyes and picture yourself feeling a bit happier, healthier, and more prosperous with this incremental improvement. Relax and enjoy this daydream, knowing it very well may soon come true!

Wishing you may discover just how good your life can be and has been,

Cynthia Sue Larson

__________________________________________

You can read more articles by Cynthia Sue Larson and subscribe to her free ezine, RealityShifters News, at

http://realityshifters.com

You can view the entire ezine this message was part of at:

http://realityshifters.com/pages/archives/jun09.ht ml

Tags: affirmations, self-esteem, Joseph Campbell, meditation, artists, Carol Skylark, Cynthia Sue Larson

Awaken Enthusiasm

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Tue, 19 May 2009 18:05:52 GMT

"It's faith in something and enthusiasm for something that makes a life worth living."

- Oliver Wendell Holmes

My favorite days are the ones when I am full of enthusiasm and confidence that no matter what is unfolding, everything is going to be fine. The challenge for most of us is to get and stay enthused even when events seem to conspire to interfere with our plans. How can we feel consistently positive and enthusiastic when facing people, places and things that energetically bring us down?

The key to awakening and revitalizing enthusiasm is to reacquaint ourselves with our values, identity, and sense of purpose. Having faith in meaningfully helping others can give us confidence and a broader view of the world around us. We have much to gain by understanding that our brains sometimes recall information inaccurately, and that we are interpreting events based on our own (possibly misguided) memories of past events. Noting that we might just as easily focus our attention on what is going well and what we are enthusiastic about, rather than on the wet blankets and nay-sayers in our midst, it is then possible to choose to be happy, no matter what.

Recent studies by neurological scientists report that our grip on reality is slim, and that more than 20% of the time, people think they have imagined words they have actually been shown, or reported that they had seen words which in fact they had just imagined. These findings by Dr. Paul Burgess and his colleagues at the University College of London demonstrate just how difficult it can be to discriminate information from the outside world with our internal, malleable memory maps. While as the authors suggest, we can sometimes encounter the dark shadow side of this blurring between imagination and actual memories that can lead to mistaken eyewitness identification and false testimony, this kind of inner uncertainty also provides us with a tremendous gift: a mental mechanism similar to the clutch on our car which allows us to switch gears, so we might more easily move from one reality to another.

The marvelous ability we humans have to maintain an element of uncertainty is what I consider to be one of the primary factors enabling us to have miraculous shifts in reality where money, food, gas, and other necessary items appear seemingly out of the blue exactly when needed. Just as the nature of how something is observed will influence how quanta "choose" whether to behave as particles or energy waves, so too does the way we humans review evidence of past experiences as either absolutes or probabilities influence our ability to fluidly shift between various realities. The advantage of having supple minds is that we can more readily experience phenomenal synchronicities, coincidences, miracles, and enjoyable reality shifts in which we continually find out how good our lives can get, as we literally step from one universe into another. The challenge each of us faces is then primarily one of envisioning future worlds we would love to experience.

I am honored and delighted this month to recommend a marvelous new book, Mind Programming, by Eldon Taylor that illustrates how easily hypnotized most of us can be and provides readers with tools for recognizing ways we are vulnerable, as well as ways we can overcome these vulnerabilities and regain mastery of our minds. Rather than mindlessly continuing to live conflicted, dissatisfied lives, we can instead take a look at the subconscious mental messages we've accumulated, and change them in order to profoundly improve our lives.

Wishing you may discover just how good your life can be,

Cynthia Sue Larson

__________________________________________

You can read more articles by Cynthia Sue Larson and subscribe to her free ezine, RealityShifters News, at

http://realityshifters.com

You can view the entire ezine this message was part of at:

http://realityshifters.com/pages/archives/may09.html

Tags: enthusiasm, faith, subliminal, memory, false testimony, reality shifts, Mind Programming, Eldon Taylor

Appreciate Nature Spirits

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 06:13:25 GMT

"Nature always wears the colors of the spirit."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Spring time in California is a time when I appreciate the amazing natural beauty of flowers and fresh green leaves shooting up everywhere. More than any other season, Spring reminds me of the presence of nature spirits of the flowers, trees, bushes and grasses, and the energies of the garden deva spirits looking after them.

When I was five years old, I enjoyed spending lazy days outside in the garden with my mother, an avid gardener. My mother pulled weeds and pruned branches as I scrutinized individual blades of grass, delightedly shouting, "BUG!" every time I found an insect. I was overjoyed to find ladybugs, walking sticks, praying mantis, ants, beetles, and honey bees in the garden, and ever so enchanted with the unique and highly individual energies and personalities of each. I loved to feel the firm grip of a walking stick's tiny legs as it held on fast to my finger, doing its best to blend in, and the soft flutter of a butterfly's wings against my hand as I held my breath and watched it rest for a moment before it flew away.

My grandmother also loved to tend her garden, and when I visited with her amongst the flowers, she would often tell me stories about fairies who loved her garden as much as she did. These graceful beings helped bring order to the garden, sometimes flitting about with the ladybugs and butterflies, and other times helping care for the poppies, baby carrots, and zinnias.

As I tend my garden this Spring, I invite the fairies and garden spirits to help new flowers take root and grow strong. I invite their assistance to help transplanted flowers and trees feel welcome and loved. I am grateful for their assistance in helping the entire garden hum together in a state of joyful harmony. When the sun first comes up on a dewy morning, I love to look out my window and see a beautiful garden beloved by insects, birds, flowers, grasses, bushes, trees, fairies... and me!

Wishing you may discover just how good your life can be,
Cynthia Sue Larson
__________________________________________
You can read more articles by Cynthia Sue Larson and subscribe to her free ezine, RealityShifters News, at
http://realityshifters.com

You can view the entire ezine this message was part of at:
http://realityshifters.com/pages/archives/apr09.html

Tags: fairies, fairy, faeries, faery, nature spirits, spring, nature, insects, flowers

History, Mystery, Gift

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 08:15:28 GMT

Cynthia Sue Larson

"The past is a gift,
the future is history, and
this moment is a mystery."

I recently heard the saying, "The past is history, the future is a mystery, and today is a gift, which is why it is called the present." I noticed that while this seems true from a very ordinary perspective of reality, those of us who experience reality shifts might observe something rather different.

First, we can notice how the past is a GIFT. No matter what may have transpired so far in our lives, we will feel most confident and enthusiastic by recognizing the many blessings we have received from the entirety of our past. When we find ways we have grown and benefited from all the challenges and difficulties in our lives as well as the happy-go-lucky experiences, we can see that all experiences offer unique benefits when viewed from a grateful point of view. The resulting improvement in our own personal energy, or Qi, is simply phenomenal as we contemplate our good fortune. Rather than blaming people, situations, or events for what has seemed to have gone wrong, we can be grateful we have survived and learned something valuable along the way.

Secondly, we can see how today is a MYSTERY. This moment, right here, right now, is a moment of all-inclusive, infinite possibilites. With so many options to choose from, we can more easily switch gears from old habitual ways of thinking and acting to something fresh and new. Regardless of whatever we think we may know, we can best effect change in the world with an attitude of beginner's mind, in which anything is possible. Many of the world's greatest inventions have benefited from their inventors being completely unaware that some people considered their creations to be impossible. A state of open-mindedness provides us with the ability to switch gears and realities to those which are much more congruous with our true interests and desires... as we develop entirely new mental models and ways of thinking.

Third, we can note that our future can be viewed as HISTORY. We often observe we get the best manifestation results when we do what star athletes do time and time again, by holding a clear and consistent vision (memory) of success in our endeavors. It also helps to note that we can reverse negative self talkwherever necessary, in order to ensure better visualization of what we truly desire. This visualization technique is so very popular for the very simple reason that it works. This method can be viewed as making a solid intentional connection to a desired "future memory" outcome that is particularly robust and stable precisely because our mind views this vision as something predestined... of something we are completely confident will happen next.

For those who find these concepts fairly easy to comprehend, there is something "extra for experts," and that is the matter of taking the above concepts and utilizing them for both forward and backward causation. Bi-causality works using the basic principle of this present moment always being the MYSTERY, and the past and future switching between being the GIFT and HISTORY. Whichever direction in time we may be working, we first start with the gratitude and thankfulness for the GIFT, and whichever direction in time we are shifting, we remember the HISTORY we are targeting. In the case of forward causation, the future is what we hold in our mind's eye as a memory, as being very much a "done deal," such as a parking spot we remember getting in advance of our actually finding it. This "memory" from the future is powered by our feeling at joyful, grateful peace with all of the past. In the case of reverse causation, the past we are shifting is what we remember as we recreate history with the energetic support of a grateful future. The key to success in all of this is our ability to clear out all doubts and fears, replacing those emotions with love, joy, purposefulness, enthusiasm and confidence.

Putting this new concept together, we have a veritable recipe for high-powered manifestation success. Envision your favorite outcome as a fait acompli... a done deal... a memory. Keep an open mind to all possibility that exists right here, right now. Be grateful for everyone and everything from your past. The world is now your oyster!

Wishing you may discover just how good your life can be and has been,

Cynthia Sue Larson

__________________________________________

You can read more articles by Cynthia Sue Larson and subscribe to her free ezine, RealityShifters News, at

http://realityshifters.com

You can view the entire ezine this message was part of at:

http://realityshifters.com/pages/archives/mar09.html

Tags: history, mystery, gift, bicausality, retrocausality, manifestation, self talk

Recreate History: Do We Constantly Choose & Change the Past?

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 06:22:30 GMT

Cynthia Sue Larson

Recreate History
Are We Constantly Choosing and Changing the Past?

"History is always written wrong, and so always needs to be rewritten."
-- George Santayana

The recent popularity of retrocausality in physics has inspired me to contemplate how manytypes of reality shifts might actually be the result of consciousness at one point in time influencing the past. Physicists Stephen Hawking and Thomas Hertog propose that we take a top-down view of the beginning of the universe, with the idea that the present selects the past, while physicist John Cramer moves ever closer to conducting his experiment in sending photons of light back to the past. Physical changes could be going on all the time around us, yet we would mostly not notice that occasionally some things appear, disappear, transform and transport. In fact, everything would likely seem perfectly normal and completely unsurprising most of the time, since we would be accustomed to routinely walking into other worlds based on both prior and future expectations.

The significantly novel part of this idea is that in any given moment, each and every one of us influences the past. If history is written by "the victors," as some assert, then how we see and describe ourselves plays a pivotal role in our previous evolution. When we know ourselves to be winners, we jump to a reality probability space-timeline where we have indeed been winners. We continuously match our current real-time view of ourselves with events from the past that feel most correct for us from a vast range of possible pasts.

In this fashion, some people become spontaneously healed from miserable conditions, such as when my grandmother's liver cancer vanished. This switching between reality space-timelines requires that we absolutely let go of our current reality in order to make a smooth transition from one reality to another as we move from a reality we are willing to let go of to a reality we now choose to be connected with. This transition might occur in much the same way as we engage the clutch on our car when shifting with a stick-shift to disengage from one gear and engage the next. The switch from one reality time-space continuum to another would then feel quite seamless, with most aspects of our lives looking and feeling exactly the same as before we jumped from one reality to another.

I got to thinking about the business of retrocausal reality shifting this past weekend, when my car refused to start. The starter had shown signs of becoming weaker for several days, and finally it reached the point where turning the key in the ignition resulted in a pitiful small clicking noise... but nothing further. I tried more than ten times to elicit something more than no sounds whatsoever... and was rewarded with complete and absolute silence when I turned the ignition key... not even one small "click." It was becoming obvious that no amount of turning the key was going to work, and it might be time to consider calling for a tow truck. Recalling childhood days when I would often send my family car lots of loving energy on many occasions when it did not start up immediately, I sent my car some loving energy, and imagined that the starter was working just fine... and that because it had started (was about to start), I had been able to (was about to be able to) run the rest of my errands and return safely home. I was feeling a sense of both urgency and necessity, as it was raining and I needed the car to start so I could get my daughter where she needed to go. With a fresh future memory of having just heard the sound of the car starting, I turned the key to hear the engine almost turn over. I turned the ignition key off once more, sent lots more positive energy and imagined even more clearly that I had heard the car start strong and clear like a new starter, and turned they key again to hear the most beautiful sound of the engine roaring to life! This was especially surprising because never before had that starter started so quietly, instantly, or with such silent disengagement... having always in the past been slow and noisy. The retrocausality perspective on this incident is that in sending positive energy to the car, I was essentially connecting with a fully functioning starter... going back in time to select a different reality path... one in which the starter on my car still worked.

Wishing you may discover just how good your life can get through all time and space,
Cynthia Sue Larson
email Cynthia at cynthia@realityshifters.com

Tags: retrocausality, stephen hawking, john cramer, bicausality, physics, loa, manifestation, cancer, spontaneous remission, healing

Finding Hope

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 06:29:32 GMT

"The natural flights of the human mind are not from pleasure to pleasure but from hope to hope."
-- Samuel Johnson

Anyone watching the news these days might get an impression that the future we seem headed toward is not quite one we had most been hoping for. Regardless what news is being reported, and what hopes may seem to be dashed, there is always a silver lining in every seemingly dark cloud. If you ever find yourself losing hope in dreams from the past, there are tried-and-true ways you can find your way to a wonderful future, full of love, joy, and fulfillment. The key to finding this happy future lies in keeping hope alive. Hope is more specific than optimism, that generalized expectancy of good things coming our way. Hope is founded on goals that genuinely matter to us, as well as how we plan to achieve those goals.

When I think of hope, I get a mental image of Tarzan swinging from vine to vine, effortlessly finding a new vine as he swings through the jungle. Each new hope carries us forward in a direction somewhat close to what we envision our optimal end point to be, and we can grab onto new hopes along the way. Even if our ultimate desired goal may seem impossible or distant, we can rely upon hope and our awareness of our personal goals to assist us in finding the next goal... the next hope... to move onward and upward. Hopes become conscious when we visualize and/or verbalize what we desire. We may look back through time to see how we have set and achieved a wide variety of goals despite various challenges throughout our lives. Simply stating what our goals are, and then relaxing into an energized, expansive state of consciousness is enough to bring us to a place of receptivity where we can find the next hope... the next goal.

Barack Obama's successful campaign founded on the quality of hope provides recent validation of the human need to find and foster hope in troubled times. Psychologists point out in books such as Handbook of Hope how the loss of hope is associated with specific clinical disorders, and how the practice of hope therapy can positively transform peoples' lives. Hope therapy researchers such as professors Jennifer Cheavens and Laura Dreer present studies that show how Hope Therapy Fights Depression, as they point out that, "Hope therapy seeks to build on strengths people have, or teach them how to develop those strengths. We focus not on what is wrong, but on ways to help people live up to their potential."

You can practice some hope therapy right now, to improve your sense of well-being and positive focus on your dreams. Start by thinking back to your past and remembering a time when you fulfilled your goals. Think of a time when you overcame challenges that arose in your path. Think of a time when you experienced personal success. Think of what you are really and truly grateful for in your life right now, and how much of what you are so grateful for came about as a direct result of your hopes, goals, and desires. Take a few minutes to write down these chapters from the book of your life. Take another few minutes to read what you just wrote. This narrative provides you with a marvelous tool for getting a fresh perspective on your current situation, which might have seemed difficult or even impossible, but which now presents you with many possible options for moving forward, depending on what, exactly, you are currently hoping for.

Are you interested in some light-hearted, yet powerful tips on how to go for your dreams? Hay House author, Peggy McColl has just the book for you... her delightful book, Be A Dog With A Bone: Always Go for Your Dreams, that can inspire you to "stop chasing your tail," "bark for what you want," and "be a little dog with a big dog attitude." Your book purchase this week gives you a chance to win one of sixteen fabulous prizes, including a weekend trip to Tampa, Florida... and a one hour coaching session with me!

Wishing you may discover just how good your life can get,
Cynthia Sue Larson

You can read more articles by Cynthia Sue Larson and subscribe to her free ezine, RealityShifters News, at

http://realityshifters.com

You can view the entire ezine this message was part of at:

http://realityshifters.com/pages/archives/jan09.html

Tags: hope, hope therapy, depression, goals, success

Keep Cheerful Company

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 07:11:56 GMT

"Today, give a stranger one of your smiles.
It might be the only sunshine he sees all day."
-- from "P.S. I Love You," compiled by H. Jackson Browne Jr.

I was smiling to myself while walking down the street as I left my exercise class the other week, when a passerby stopped and spun around after having just walked by, commenting, "Wow.... I love your smile. You just lit up my whole day!" I did a double-take and looked her up and down, wondering why a woman I did not even know would say such a thing to me... surprised that one smile could have such a positive effect on a complete stranger. I might have discounted this experience completely, had I not just read a fascinating report that asserted strangers may cheer you up. What this amazing synchronicity brought to my attention is that this research appears to be absolutely true -- as evidenced by the way I brightened a stranger's day without even trying.

This study reminds me of a similar yet somewhat opposite experience from my past, when I saw my mood negatively affect strangers. Many years ago when I was a young UC Berkeley college student riding on a bus with people who worked where I worked at the Space Sciences Laboratory, I was annoyed to see an arrogant young man in obvious high spirits bragging happily about something on the bus to people who were enthralled by everything he said. Without speaking a single word, I was amazed to see how quickly my dark mood spread from my seat at the back of the bus all the way to the front, dampening the spirits of every passenger -- including the boastful man -- as the overall mood on the bus switched from buoyant to somber for the rest of our journey together.

I love to learn from life experiences such as these, backed up by recent research such as the ones shared here in this ezine that suggests we make our own breaks when we open our minds to new possibilities, savor the joys of our cups being half-full, and expect to find out how good things can get. Do these qualities sound familiar to you? They are precisely the same characteristics recommended for realityshifters who wish to see reality shifting more often in their lives. They also are descriptive of someone who is generally a more hopeful type of person, and another recent study gives us the excellent news this month that learning to be hopeful can help combat depression. These clear personal examples of how powerful my moods are on influencing the feelings of those around me gives me a clear sense of practical ways I can keep my own spirits buoyant and bright... by keeping... and being... cheerful company.

With the holiday season coming into full swing, this month presents us with a delightful opportunity to find new ways to be of good cheer and brighten the lives of everyone around us.

Wishing you may discover just how good your life can get,

Cynthia Sue Larson

__________________________________________

You can read more articles by Cynthia Sue Larson and subscribe to her free ezine, RealityShifters News, at

http://realityshifters.com

You can view the entire ezine this message was part of at:

http://realityshifters.com/pages/archives/dec08.ht ml

Tags: luck, hope, cheerful, joy, happiness, strangers, depression

Find Your Inner Paradise

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:36:55 GMT

"By the practice of meditation,
You will find that you are carrying
within your heart a portable paradise."
~ Paramahansa Yogananda

Whenever I feel concerned about circumstances I have no direct control over, I make sure I do some things to relieve stress. This month I am excited to share recent scientific research with you that indicates that some of the things I do to relieve stress in my life have also been proven effective at helping peoples' brains to improve and grow. Recent brain research suggests the brain is capable of rewiring and regrowing itself all through our adult lives -- with exercise, meditation, and learning new things being three things I do which are part of seven scientifically proven ways to stimulate brain cell growth.

Those who assume that regular meditation and exercise just maintain a kind of status quo might be astonished to learn how such practices assist us in literally rewiring and regrowing our brains... and our lives. Exercise, meditation, and learning new things help ensure my ability to stay mentally sharp by helping build and expand neurons and neuron connections, while at the same time dramatically reducing negative impacts of stress. I like to combine all three of these life-enhancers by taking daily walks in nature while reviewing material I am learning. This gives me some time each day to experience a personal paradise of feeling mentally, emotionally, and physically on top of my game... relaxing as I help keep myself feeling my best.

The relatively new concepts of neuroplasticity and neurogenesis continue to expand our concept of what is and isn't possible, as scientists study of one man's miraculous recovery from massive brain injuries when he was thrown from a truck in 1984 that resulted in his spending 19 years in a coma. Terry Wallis astonished his doctors and family when he awakened from his coma, and started to speak... and then proceeded to regain his other mental faculties. Wallis's badly damaged brain was observed to have, "very gradually, developed new pathways and completely novel anatomical structures to reestablish functional connections, compensating for the brain pathways lost in the accident." What was most surprising to scientists studying Wallis's brain was that new neural circuitry had grown across the back of his brain in such a way that does not exist in normal brains, but that reconnected the two sides of Wallis's brain.

If you would like to enjoy mental sharpness and acuity well into your golden years with the ability to continue feeling enthusiastic and passionately interested in life, now is an excellent time to make a personal commitment to yourself to start exercising, meditating, and learning something new. If this notion alarms you because it seems like too big a change, consider the wise words of Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu,

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

You can start today by thinking of an exercise you would like to be able to do 100 repetitions of every day... and start by doing just one today. You can start with just one sit-up or one push-up today, and each day for the next several months, add one more sit-up and/or push-up, as you incrementally improve your strength, flexibility, and speed. I have been doing this with burpees for 69 days now, each day envisioning that I am on my way to 100, and gaining strength each day as I get closer to this goal. I am now able to do far more of these vigorous exercises in a stretch than I would have ever thought possible.

Wishing you may discover just how good your life can get,
Cynthia Sue Larson
http://www.realityshifters.com

Tags: Lao-Tzu, neurogenesis, neuroplasticity, burpees, meditation, exercise, Paramahansa Yogananda, paradise, brain research

Shine Your Light in Dark Times

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:56:59 GMT

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within."

~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

One of the things I enjoyed most while attending the Chihuly exhibit this month in San Francisco was seeing the glass art sculptures glowing brightly with brilliant colors, as if hidden lights were tucked inside each one. The genius of these art sculptures relied upon the breathtaking contrast between light and dark, so their true splendor came through most clearly when fully lit and placed in contrast with dark surroundings. I looked up at the ceiling to see well-placed spotlights shining down through the gorgeous sculptures -- and I peered inside the sculptures to satisfy my curiosity that they indeed had no hidden lights placed inside. Some art pieces shone so brightly that they illuminated the entire room with their beautiful multi-colored glow, and others smoldered quietly with gentle warmth. In all cases, these sculptures reminded me that just as the stars in the sky provide us with points of reference in what could otherwise be complete darkness, we, too have the ability to shine for ourselves and others.

The light we shine is something that comes through us quite naturally, sometimes giving others around us a feeling of being uplifted, at the same time as we are uplifted as well. Scientific studies mentioned in the book, Aura Advantage describe how this light we emit is quantifiable, and can be measured, and we can verify through such studies that happier people literally do "light up a room" much more than those who are not feeling so joyfully radiant. In so-called dark times, when people are feeling more stressed than usual, we can benefit from realizing that the amount of light we welcome into our lives can make a tremendous positive difference in our ability to consider more options and possibilities, while staying relaxed, focused, and aware.

Knowing that we humans have a lot to do with how much light shines down and through us gives us the ability to "take back the night," and reclaim a sense of confidence in all places, times and situations we may face. You can increase the amount of light in your world right now, by doing a very simple meditation:

Imagine that every photon and ray of light that you can see and that you can imagine in your immediate vicinity is now joining with you and shining through you.

Breathe deeply, inhaling this divine luminosity into the essential core of your own radiant being.

Exhale, and notice how you are becoming increasingly more radiant, happy, and light.

Wishing you may discover just how good your life can get,

Cynthia Sue Larson

__________________________________________

You can read more articles by Cynthia Sue Larson and subscribe to her free ezine, RealityShifters News, at

http://realityshifters.com

You can view the entire ezine this message was part of at:

http://realityshifters.com/pages/archives/oct08.html

Tags: Chihuly, meditation, Aura Advantage, inspirational, dark times

Taking the Journey Within

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:41:27 GMT

"The only journey is the one within"

-- Rainer Maria Rilke

The saying "Wherever you go, there you are," has been very much on my mind this past week, after attending my 30th high school reunion. Even though some people had weathered tremendous emotional, financial, physical and spiritual hardships over the years, they maintained such a positive view of life and what is possible that they are an inspiration to everyone who meets and knows them. Somewhere along the way, these people have figured out that the outer situations in their lives could and would only ever improve when they improved themselves on the inside, and their positive results spoke for themselves. The attitude of gratefulness and commitment to strive toward challenging goals gives these people an inner beauty of tremendous radiance. Just looking at them, it became clear to me that surely the greatest way to stay young at heart and in body is by making the most of what we are and what we have, regardless what challenges we encounter along the way.

How positive are you when dealing with life's slings and arrows? To find out, you can listen to yourself and what you say to yourself when you encounter challenges, noting whether you take risks and face your fears, or not. The amazing thing about our fears is that they reside within us, not outside of us. This means that the time, energy and effort we invest in facing and releasing our inner fears is unquestionably the best investment we can possibly make. As world-renowned psychologist and father of self-actualization Abraham Maslow puts it:

"Life is an ongoing process of choosing between safety (out of fear

and need for defense) and risk (for the sake of progress and growth).

Make the growth choice a dozen times a day."

Every great success story I have ever heard or seen has at its core a heroic individual who not only faces their fears head-on, but also recognizes that even when the path forward is unclear and victory uncertain, that doesn't really matter... because every experience brings new knowledge and information, and every situation is an opportunity to grow. This is the spirit of a winner: a man or woman who focuses on what they have learned that they did not know before, and what they are now able to say and do and be that they could not say and do and be before.

Trusting that what you need is now coming to you is the essential quality within you that allows you to face whatever next comes your way. No matter what happens next, you can learn and grow from each experience. As you learn to relax and release your fears, and focus on what you most love, admire and appreciate in yourself and your world, life can become more and more beautiful and enjoyable.

Wishing you may discover just how good your life can get,

Cynthia Sue Larson

__________________________________________

You can read more articles by Cynthia Sue Larson and subscribe to her free ezine, RealityShifters News, at

http://realityshifters.com

You can view the entire ezine this message was part of at:

http://realityshifters.com/pages/archives/sep08.html

Tags: Rainer Maria Rilke, journey, Abraham Maslow, success, safety, growth

Felt with the Heart

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 05:53:53 GMT

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart."
-- Helen Keller

This has been an emotionally tumultuous month of transition for me, as I have been helping my older daughter prepare to move away to college. I have been surprised by feeling pangs of loss long before she goes, with an intensification of heartache the closer we come to the day she moves away. Even though I know that this move marks a natural passage of maturity for my daughter, it's astonishing to experience such deep feelings of love and impending loss as I feel how much I will miss her once she moves away. What is most surprising to me is how I feel my emotions in my entire body as all manner of unexpected physical sensations -- such as heart ache, butterflies in my stomach, and nervous restlessness. I am surprised that so much love could have been hiding dormant inside me, mostly unnoticed, all these years... until this time of imminent separation. The love I feel for my daughter is clearly so vast that it cannot possibly all fit in my heart, for it is affecting all of me.

Before going on my morning walk near the woods in the early morning summer fog today, I got a clear intuitive impression that I would see things I would like to photograph, and that it would therefore be a very good idea for me to bring my camera with me on my walk. With camera slung over my shoulder, and the family dog trotting happily at my side, I wondered what I might find. My thoughts turned to those I love, and how elusive the most beautiful things can be to capture on film, due to their fleeting, transitory nature... or the fact that their most beautiful essence can seldom be collapsed into two visual dimensions. With my mind wandering off in various directions, I completely forgot about taking pictures, as I admired nature's beauty all around me.

I looked up from my reverie as I walked along the forest, and was stunned to notice a stump that was very clearly heart-shaped. I had walked past it dozens of times before, yet today was the first time I had noticed the heart shape -- so I stopped and took a picture. As I continued my walk, I found dozens more hearts in the most unlikely places, and I snapped five more photos of heart-shaped ivy leaves, heart-shaped lichen growing on a rock, a heart-shaped string arranged perfectly in the road, a heart-shaped stone, and heart-shaped branches in an oak tree. Almost everywhere I looked, there was another heart looking back at me. Some of them were more obvious than others... and some of them, such as the heart-shaped-string, were impressionistic... mostly hinting at the essential form of a heart, as if making the statement, "You know what this is!"

Several people have recently shared stories with me for RealityShifters about how they find lucky pennies and four-leaf clovers in great profusion just about everywhere they go sometimes. These types of discoveries represent similar examples of coming across things we might not see at all unless we are in the right state of mind. Often, these reminders give us a sense of connectedness and love, when we might otherwise feel alone. When we find something that shows up as a sign repeatedly, again and again, the realityshifters perspective is these signs are part of our waking dream... that as our life can be seen as a lucid dream, these symbols have a message for us. I describe the concept of Living Lucidly in a Shifting Reality in much more detail in Chapter Eight of my book, Reality Shifts: When Consciousness Changes the Physical World. The heart shape symbolizes love in all its many shapes and forms to me... and serves as a reminder that when I love someone or something with all my heart, love will always and ever be with me. Wherever I go, there is love.

The wonderful thing I felt as I found more hearts on one short walk than I usually notice in an entire week or month was that with each joyful discovery, I became more aware of how focusing on love is enough to bring showers of hearts to me in great profusion... giving me confirmation that simply by feeling so vulnerable and open to experiencing the vastness of love in my life, here it is, all around me. All I need do is recognize it when it shows up in its many forms and guises. And even through the heart ache of my daughter's impending move, I see that the beauty her love brings to my life will always be with me, however far away she may go.

Wishing you may discover just how good your life can get,
Cynthia Sue Larson
__________________________________________
You can read more articles by Cynthia Sue Larson and subscribe to her free ezine, RealityShifters News, at
http://realityshifters.com

You can view the entire ezine this message was part of at:
http://realityshifters.com/pages/archives/aug08.html

Tags: hearts, love, Helen Keller

Transform Inner Dialogue

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:48:43 GMT

"Remember, the entrance door to the sanctuary is inside you."
-- Rumi, from "Entrance Door" in The Soul of Rumi

The concept of inner dialogue is usually associated with our tendency to run thoughts and ideas inside our heads. This idea of the incessant chatter of our "monkey minds" is central to many meditation practices, which provide people with tools to quiet the mind and calm the body. These practices operate on the principle that just as we can experience increased tranquility and clarity from clean, organized surroundings, we can also feel much more positive, balanced, and compassionate toward ourselves and others when we take time to clear our minds on a regular basis. The simple activity of clearing out mental clutter can give us the optimal vantage point we most need in order to see new opportunities we would miss otherwise.

Cynthia Sue Larson bonding with a very special sofa

There is another aspect of inner dialogue, which is the interconnectedness between our inner thoughts and feelings and everything and everyone around us. We do not exist in isolation, and are therefore continually immersed in an energetic conversation with the universe around us... even when most of the time, this conversation happens beneath our normal threshold of consciousness.

I was reminded of just how amazingly the inner and outer worlds converge while listening to Fred Alan Wolf's excellent audio learning course, Dr. Quantum Presents Do-It-Yourself Time Travel, in which Wolf tells the story of a man who had an amazingly complex dream set at the time of the French revolution. After many detailed events transpired, the man's dream culminated in a dramatic scene at a guillotine. At the precise moment when the guillotine dropped in the man's dream, he was startled awake by the headboard of his bed falling down on top of his head! The fact that such a lengthy dream could be dreamt immediately prior to such a dramatic and unusual event as a headboard landing on the dreamer's head demonstrates that we are much more connected to and aware of our environment than we tend to consciously acknowledge.

You can get confirmation of the interconnectedness between you and the universe when noting an amazing synchronicity of events which dovetails perfectly with something you were thinking silently to yourself. When you pay close attention to your inner dialogue, you can see how what you think and feel on the inside influences what is going on around you, and get a taste of how your inner dialogue interacts with the universe. Sometimes you will know things you had no obvious way of knowing (such as to look out for something landing on your head), and other times, you will find that your own calmness and clarity can bring coherence to an otherwise chaotic situation. It is in the very interconnectedness of All That Is that we can open the inner door to peaceful tranquility inside ourselves, and in so doing, share the gifts from this inner sanctuary with the world.

Wishing you may discover just how good your life can get,
Cynthia Sue Larson
__________________________________________
You can read more articles by Cynthia Sue Larson and subscribe to her free ezine, RealityShifters News, at
http://realityshifters.com

You can view the entire ezine this message was part of at:
http://realityshifters.com/pages/archives/jun08.html

Tags: time travel, inner dialogue, Rumi, Fred Alan Wolf, Dr. Quantum, dreams, intuition

Remote Viewing 2012

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Mon, 19 May 2008 23:21:36 GMT

"What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly."

-- Richard Bach, Illusions

As we approach the year 2012 and notice natural disasters around the world, many people wonder what will happen less than five short years from now. While some fear all manner of crises, it is reassuring to note that several indigenous peoples of Earth inform us that this time of transition has been long anticipated, and something that has occurred many times before. According to the Mayan long count calendar system which tracks events through 26,000 year cycles of time, there is special significance to the year 2012 being a time of transition from the "Earth era" to an "era of Ether" at the time of Winter Solstice, on December 21, 2012. Within the cycles spanning 5,125 years, there are cycles known as the '13 Baktun Count' which last 394 years, or 144,000 days. We are currently traveling through the final 13th baktun cycle -- which began in 1618 and will run through 2012, and which is known as both 'the triumph of materialism' and'the transformation of matter.' The Maya predicted this time would be a time of great forgetting, in which we lose our sense of Oneness with nature and the Earth. In the 1600s, mechanical clocks were invented which continue to this day, and which give people a sense that time exists outside of us, rather than as part of us. The end of this materialistic time and the movement into the time of Ether is a profound change that also corresponds to a unique celestial event. On the winter solstice of 2012, the noonday Sun exactly conjuncts the crossing point of the sun's ecliptic with the galactic plane, while also closely conjuncting the exact the center of the galaxy.

This past month I conducted a workshop in which participants and I remote viewed 2012, to see for ourselves what the future holds in store. In this remote viewing circle, most all participants clearly sensed a feeling of tremendous harmony, peacefulness and joy... and yet some also sensed that just past this peaceful calm lay some degree of chaos, stress and strife. This energetic view of 2012 is one which feels like a smooth continuation of life as we know it today, with an additional emphasis on heightened energetic awareness. Most remote viewers had a sense of being in peaceful contemplation by themselves on December 21st 2012, and some noted they could clearly look out at a large, calm body of water. I saw myself by the Pacific Ocean along the California coast, and sensed that even as I was basking in radiant vibrations of unconditional love, there were people on Earth who were primarily focused more on material matters... such as wind storms.

According to Hopi legend, the world has already ended three times before, and people have survived fire, an ice age resulting from magnetic pole reversals, and flooding. The signs of the coming Fifth World are now appearing as prophesied by Hopi, as life forms from previous worlds spring up from the ground, the stars, and our hearts. The Hopi Life Plan petroglyphs remind people to be not be misled off course into attempting to be better than others, but instead to remain guided truly by Spirit. In previous end times, those who made it through the transition with the most ease were those whose kopavi, the 'door on top of their heads,' stayed open to receive inspiration, and whose hearts were open to caring for others. An attitude of open-mindedness and open heartedness is clearly optimal for facing times of great upheaval and change, yet in stressful times, people who have not practiced the art of keeping open-minded and open-hearted can find it challenging to maintain.

This past month has provided us with opportunities to assist people in the world who have suffered through earthquakes and wind storms. While it is clear that many crises we are facing now require our attention and assistance, it is equally clear on an intuitive level that when we step back far enough, we can see that everything on Earth is moving forward beautifully. It is up to us to remain open to inspiration... and open to love. As singer/songwriter Michael Stipe from the musical group REM puts it, "It's the end of the world as we know it, And I feel fine."

Wishing you may discover just how good your life can get,

Cynthia Sue Larson

__________________________________________

You can read more articles by Cynthia Sue Larson and subscribe to her free ezine, RealityShifters News, at

http://realityshifters.com

You can view the entire ezine this message was part of at:

http://realityshifters.com/pages/archives/apr08.html

Tags: 2012, mayan, hopi, baktun, Richard Bach, REM, Michael Stipe, remote viewing, natural disasters, Mayan calendar, butterfly

Read the Signs

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:28:09 GMT

cynthia2008april

Cynthia Sue Larson with Nevada petroglyphs

"The intellect has little to do on the road to discovery. There comes a leap in consciousness, call it intuition or what you will, and the solution comes to you and you don't know how or why."
-- Albert Einstein

Many of us who are sensitive to shifting energies have noted an increase in unexpected developments over the past several months. We can expect to see ever increasing volatility around us in the future, because so much many things really are changing that fast. As both human population and the number of new technological inventions undergo near exponential growth, it is inevitable that we begin to feel the effects of all this change on an intuitive level. The net impact of so much transformation going on all around us is that we constantly find ourselves in surprising situations which require us to solve problems we did not expect we would have to deal with. We are entering times which require that we be increasingly adept at intuitively reading signs and signals from the universe, in order to get things back on track, make timely decisions, and revise our plans.

While most people today depend extensively on cell phones, the internet, GPS devices, and a variety of electronic devices for information on how best to get where we are going, ancient navigators managed amazingly well by paying close attention to the color of the ocean water, birds, stars, and clouds to find land when traveling by sea. They found land masses which had been previously uncharted when out in the open sea with limited water rations. Our ancestors accomplished these navigational feats with a combination of intuitive gut feelings, natural experience, and keen observation of a wide variety of natural signs. We might feel uncomfortable imagining ourselves without our technology to guide us, but we can be reassured to know that we can be guided by intuitively reading the signs around us.

cynthiaVLB2008mar

Cynthia Sue Larson on Virtual Light Broadcast

This past month during my time in Las Vegas where I was a guest on the Virtual Light Broadcast, I visited some petroglyphs in the Nevada desert with friends, and enjoyed being able to literally read "the writing on the wall." In this case, the writing was in the form of colorful images of people, animals, and symbols which were created by ancient artists who probably considered these pictures and stories to be "set in stone" for all time. Gazing at the ancient symbols and their careful placement on the rocks, I sensed how these ancient stories were reaching forward through time from many hundreds of years ago. A sense of timelessness descended on me, as I savored the experience of being still and listening to the rustling sounds of leaves of small bushes caressed by gentle canyon breezes. This, I realize, is the key to handling constant change: taking time to stop the hyperactive whirlwind of mental, physical, and emotional activity in our lives long enough to allow a sense of feeling relaxed, energized, and at peace. I looked up, and saw a cloud shaped in the form of a great turtle, and smiled inwardly that the shape of the cloud so matched the images of animals painted on the cliff I was resting on. The idea came to me that some signs are etched in stone, and others are more fleeting... like cloud images, which will not last the day. All of these signs, whether fleeting or permanent, can provide us with guidance when we still our active minds and listen deeply.

When I am able to free up my schedule to the point that I can follow whimsy, an amazing thing happens. Instead of going through habitual motions in robotic fashion, racing from one task or appointment to the next, I can quiet my mind... sense an inner spark of creative intent... and ease myself into reading the signs of energetic currents all around me. I then ask myself the question, "What is the best possible thing for me to be doing right now?" and look for signs that will give me precisely the best possible nudge. When I ask, "How can I see and feel how every day in every way my life is getting better and better?" I am able to discover exactly that, finding answers all around.

Wishing you may discover just how good your life can get,
Cynthia Sue Larson
__________________________________________
You can read more articles by Cynthia Sue Larson and subscribe to her free ezine, RealityShifters News, at
http://realityshifters.com

You can view the entire ezine this message was part of at:
http://realityshifters.com/pages/archives/apr08.html

Tags: petroglyphs, Nevada, Albert Einstein, intuition, navigation, Virtual Light Broadcast

Bending the Law of Attraction

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:24:05 GMT

"What we truly and earnestly aspire to be, that in some sense we are. The mere aspiration, by changing the frame of mind, for the moment realizes itself."
-- Anna Jameson

This month's featured realityshifters bumper sticker which reads, "Attraction is not just a good idea. It's the law" is very funny to me, because clearly there is no enforcement agency currently ensuring that everyone adheres to the "Law of Attraction." While you can get one of these bumperstickers for yourself or a friend this month through the realityshifters shop, it's purely something fun and entertaining.

I seldom mention the Law of Attraction, as my training in physics taught me early on that science doesn't have laws of physics so much as theories. All of the sciences are based on scientific method, which starts with a hypothesis, and moves along as various theories are systematically tested and gradually adopted. Science is an ever-changing playing field, where this century's ideas are intended to be improvements over last century's notions. Even the so-called law of gravity is not so much a law as a wonderful hypothesis which partially explains why we tend to observe apples falling down to Earth from trees, rather than floating upward.

So what does it mean to bend the "Law of Attraction"? The so-called "Law of Attraction" is the idea that we tend to attract situations, energies and experiences to us that resonate with our own energy. Bending the Law of Attraction is something akin to getting great results, even when on our off days... when we are not feeling perfectly optimistic, enthusiastic, and energized. Fortunately for us, bending the known "laws of physics" is not as crazy an idea as it may seem, as some things scientists used to presume to be unwavering standards have turned out to be a bit more flexible than previously believed... so that even light can break the "speed of light." The relevance to us of this thrilling possibility, is that we need not let preconceived notions of what is and is not possible interfere with our intentions when we are contemplating ways to make the world a better place, and ways to make our lives more enjoyable, inspiring, and rewarding. Just as a musician might bend a note, we can take the way we are currently feeling... and move it just a bit in the direction of where we would prefer our end results to be. And we can get some pretty cool results!

Just when I was beginning to think it might be a long, long time until any version of my book Reality Shifts would be available in print form, I got the exciting news this month that it is now possible to order a print version of Reality Shifts through the RealityShifters shop at Cafe Press. This has been long sought-after by readers who wanted to read an actual print version of Reality Shifts, rather than the ebook... and now it's here!

Wishing you may discover just how good your life can get,
Cynthia Sue Larson

__________________________________________

You can read more articles by Cynthia Sue Larson and subscribe to her free ezine, RealityShifters News, at

http://realityshifters.com

You can view the entire ezine this message was part of at:

http://realityshifters.com/pages/archives/mar08.html

Tags: law of attraction. law, speed of light, bumper sticker, bumperstickers

Be Kind to Yourself

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:15:03 GMT

"At the center of your being you have the answer;
you know who you are and you know what you want."
-- Lao Tzu

I recently heard word from happiness and depression studies that I have reached the bottoming-out, "ground zero" part of my life in which my lifetime happiness levels are expected by scientists in the United States and the United Kingdom to be at the lowest levels I will ever experience, since middle-aged 44 year-olds are being found to feel more unhappy and depressed in their forties than at any other time in their lives. While it is true that hormonal changes in midlife are presenting me with tremendous challenges to deal with in the form of tendencies toward anxiety, depression, and despair... I overcome the invitation into negative emotions through a combination of diet, exercise, meditation, prayer and energy work.

Thinking about the times you've been happiest and most upset, have you noticed a link between your happiness and how kind to yourself you were being in that moment? Chances are pretty good that your happiest times in life, and also the times when others most enjoy your company are times when you have been doing a fairly good job of keeping your needs and wishes central in your life.

This point came home to me very clearly when watching local news stories, and seeing how some people can create either tremendous pain or joy around them... entirely because they are either being kind or cruel to themselves. Kindness to oneself is something that becomes possible when one asks oneself the question my mother used to ask me when I was growing up:

What would make you truly happy?

cynthialaugh2008feb

I love this question, because it suggests that rather than dwelling on what must be done, or what has gone wrong, or what isn't here... there is something we can enjoy having or doing that will bring us tremendous happiness. Thanks to having learned to ask myself this question early in life, these past few months I've been having fun learning to do new things, as new activities and interests have recently become very appealing to me. I have been learning to quilt, play piano, play violin, ride a unicycle, and write screenplays... and generally having a wonderful time as I come up the learning curve from absolute beginner in each of these activities! I also find I am happiest when I do what needs to be done, rather than procrastinate, as I am feeling best when I am not worried about things that ought to be taken care of but are still hanging in limbo.

There are many advantages to being kind to oneself, not the least of which is the tendency for good things to tend to happen when one is feeling good. Pulling yourself up by the emotional bootstraps is something that may seem like putting the cart before the horse, but scientists are consistently showing that unless we put happiness first, we will not necessarily achieve it. Princeton university researchers have dispelled the myth that people who have the most money are consistently happier... as it turns out that unless people who become wealthy have first learned how to be happy, money in and of itself will not bring happiness to them. The researchers noted that, "People with above-average income are relatively satisfied with their lives but are barely happier than others in moment-to-moment experience, tend to be more tense, and do not spend more time in particularly enjoyable activities."

The good news here is that its never too late to have a happy childhood... we can start asking ourselves the question, "What would make me truly happy?", and start taking some action toward being a little bit kinder with ourselves.

Wishing you may discover how good your life can get,
Cynthia Sue Larson
__________________________________________
You can read more articles by Cynthia Sue Larson and subscribe to her free ezine, RealityShifters News, at
http://realityshifters.com

You can view the entire ezine this message was part of at:
http://realityshifters.com/pages/archives/jan08.ht ml

Tags: happiness, midlife, midlife crisis, Princeton, happiness curve, middle age, 44, kindness, University of Pennsylvania, authentic happiness

Imagine Your Best Possible Year

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:31:15 GMT

Cynthia Sue Larson

"The essence of life is finding something you really love and then making the daily experience worthwhile."
-- Denis Waitley

Quick! Think of the person in your life who seems most fulfilled... who genuinely seems to have it all and be truly happy. Chances are that whoever comes to mind is someone who completely loves what they do in life, and their inner joy comes shining through. Their inner radiance... that evident bliss... is a quality which is frequently seen among those who have found what they love to do and who they love to be, and these happy, fulfilled people are succeeding in life precisely because they are keeping their most fulfilling activities and qualities as the centerpieces of their lives. More often than not, almost everything they do contributes to their overall sense of satisfaction in living a life of purpose and value... with very few empty or meaningless moments.

While contemplating how you can make 2008 truly, truly great, consider how you can do what people who live the most fulfilled lives are doing. You can make this the year that you take chances, reinvent yourself, and frequently consider how what you are doing impacts others and the world around you. Remind yourself that happiness leads to success, as numerous recent scientific studies have shown. Another important idea that successful, fulfilled, genuinely prosperous people know that unfulfilled people sometimes forget is the concept that:

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing." -- Abraham Lincoln

Fred Alan Wolf, aka Dr. Quantum, and Cynthia Sue Larson

When you make what you love the center of your universe, you can see how obstacles to experiencing your best possible life will tend to slip away. You can feel a happiness that stems from following your inspiration, and find courage in making time and space for you to live the life of your dreams. Once you have a crystal clear vision of your life in terms of it being as wonderful as possible, realize that successful people expect success... and you can expect success, too. Imagine how your best possible year is going look and feel to you... particularly in terms of the joy it will bring to you and everyone around you. Take a nice deep breath, exhale fully, and find a rhythm of deep, full breathing as you keep feeling excited about the wonderful journey you are on.

For the past couple of years, I have kept a gratitude / daydream journal that contains all the happiest thoughts and feelings about the past, the present, and the future... watching with joy and delight as each daydream moves from the realm of pure imagination into my physical reality. In many cases, there is nearly instantaneous materialization of those things I most desire... and the key to success with this write-it-down-and-watch-it-happen tool is similar to how the Vision Statement concept works... it helps to keep me positively affirming and expecting all that I love most in life... thereby helping to create all those things I love that I am lavishing my time, energy and attention on.

Wishing you may discover how good your life can get,
Cynthia Sue Larson
email Cynthia at cynthia@realityshifters.com

Tags: Abraham Lincoln, success, resolution, Denis Waitley, happiness, bliss, radiance, satisfaction

How Wonderful Can You Be Today?

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 03:50:33 GMT

"The greatest discovery of my generation
is that human beings can alter their lives
by altering their attitudes of mind."
-- William James

The word Eudaimonism comes from the Greek word for happiness, eudaimonia. This is a very important word, because it represents a philosophy which states that right actions lead to the greatest well-being of every individual. The Eudaemons of ancient pre-Hellenic Greece were guardian angels that watched over mortals, inspiring people to do the best thing in each situation, and eudemonics is the art of happiness that results from consistently doing what we know to be correct. Part of the original concept of eudemonics is that taking right action naturally leads to happiness, whereas doing what we know is wrong leads to unhappiness. This concept that we can choose to live happy lives by doing what we know to be right is one of the most relevant concepts we are likely to encounter, as it holds the promise of greater joy for ourselves and for everyone we interact with.

One of the biggest challenges facing people who consult with me for spiritual life coaching is finding the most positive way to frame their life experiences so they can most consistently find and take the best possible action. Sometimes, people feel a sense of losing touch with what brings them the most joy, and with a sense of doing what they are here to do. The idea of doing the right thing is one which invites us to answer the question:

"How wonderful can I be today?"

When you ask this question of the universe with all your heart and listen for the answer, you will be consistently informed of more positive ways you can think, speak, and behave in ways that shape your character from the inside out, which in turn is guaranteed to improve the world.

Cynthia Sue Larson's vision statement

Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing, there is something you can think right now which will bring you and someone else greater love and joy... and it will only take a moment of your time to take some action and do. Set aside whatever you were doing and take some positive action by following through on that positive thought right now, and notice how you feel immediately afterward. Chances are that not only will you feel the benefit of an immediate boost to your emotional well-being, you will also feel uplifted and empowered in ways that stay with you through the rest of today and into tomorrow. When you take a few minutes each day to do something especially good for someone else, you will see ever-increasing evidence of how you are improving your life as you improve the lives of others.

While I practice several daily methods to boost my mood and keep my spirits up, one of my very favorite ways to raise my spirits while envisioning my life at its best is to watch my own personal vision statement, which is something like a music video showing pictures and words that correspond with my greatest dreams and aspirations. The tools and training to create your own vision statement are readily available through Malcolm Cohan's vision statement web site which can inspire you to further explore just how wonderful you can be. And keep in mind that for the very best results, you will do well to aim HIGH!

Wishing you all the best that life and love have to offer,
Cynthia Sue Larson
email Cynthia at cynthia@realityshifters.com

Tags: William James, Cynthia Sue Larson, happiness, eudaimonia, attitude, Malcolm Cohan, vision statement

Achieve Greater Prosperity Through Emotional & Energetic Alchemy

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 07:26:24 GMT

"I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have -- life itself." -- Walter Anderson As I withdrew my hand from the depths of vegetable peelings and tea bags in the kitchen garbage, I wondered how and where I had managed to lose one of my favorite gold rings... the small "needle in a haystack" I was seeking. I had just put it on my hand a few minutes ago, and I marvelled at how I could have lost it so soon after putting it on. I dug down through the remainders of last night's dinner and this morning's breakfast, elbow-deep in food scraps, feeling heart sick. Compared to my intense feelings of sorrow from losing my ring, suffering the insults of the smell and feel of slimy garbage felt like a necessary hardship. I had already dumped out the contents of my purse and taken meticulous inventory of each item, returning them one at a time back to my purse, and the only remaining place I could think of where my ring might have fallen off in the last few minutes was the trash. So here I was, almost to the bottom of it. I had already thoroughly searched my sweater drawer and a cupboard under the sink, and I had retraced my steps around the house several times, with no sign of my beloved ring. Now it was time to leave the house, so I washed my hands and gathered my things. I took a moment to meditate on the fact that there was always a chance my ring might return to me anywhere at any time, and with this consoling thought along with my heartfelt feelings of connection and love for my ring, drove off to meet some friends for lunch. Driving down the road, I realized that I was facing a fear of losing that lovely amethyst ring, and realized that since I was communicating with it through my thoughts, and remembering how much I love it, in some ways it was still with me, and will always be with me. This realization helped me relax with the feeling that I hadn't really lost my ring, because it really will always be with me... in spirit. I decided to have a good time at lunch with my friends without worrying about what had happened to my ring. At some point during lunch with my friends, I reached my right hand down into my purse to seek a pen using my fingers to search by touch, when I was startled to feel a familiar ring-shaped object. I quickly held it up to examine it more closely, and was thrilled to see it was the ring I had lost that very morning! What's so special about this experience is that it demonstrates one of the principles at the heart of my prosperity manifestation meditations... which is that changing how I emotionally feel from sadness to joy, from loneliness to connected, from fearful to ecstatically loving is the key to astonishing success at becoming luckier and more likely to receive marvelous surprises and unanticipated delights. This is the key to successful reality shifting: knowing that we can always achieve greater prosperity, and relax while feeling positive about every situation, no matter how some experiences may initially seem. Wishing you all the best that life and love have to offer, Cynthia Sue Larson

Tags: reality shift, ring, emotion, prosperity, alchemy, manifestation, meditation

Attain Graceful Success & Prosperity in a Competitive World

http://cynthialarson.gaia.com — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 06:37:14 GMT

"One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself."
-- Leonardo da Vinci

Many spiritually focused people I know suffer from an internal conflict between wishing to succeed competitively and suspecting that competition is somehow at odds with living true to one's highest nature. These people are concerned that in order to achieve success doing what they love to do, they might be forced to abandon their high ethical standards. Keenly aware that life has winners, they presume it must logically follow that there will also be losers, and subconsciously fret that their financial or material successes might somehow inadvertantly contribute to harming others. Left to their own devices, these deeply seated internal fears can undermine the best of positive affirmations and intentions. While this problem may seem insurmountable, there is a graceful resolution: self-mastery.

Cynthia Sue Larson competing in staff spinning at Kuk Sool Won tournament

When participating in a martial arts tournament this past weekend, I entered the competition with the mindset of doing my personal best, focusing on what I can do, rather than what my various health issues (an injured knee and the beginning of a cold) would indicate I can't do. On the morning of the Kuk Sool Won tournament, I felt an enormous palpable sense of excitement as I woke up and realized this buzz of electric energy was coming from the hundreds of participants I would meet that day. I set my intention to do my very best as part of the overall success and prosperity of my martial arts school and the community of Kuk Sool Won. At the tournament, I met and made friends with wonderful Kuk Sool Won students from all over California, and was delighted to feel a sense of shared commitment to excellence. My intention turned out to match my experience of the day, as I competed in and won medals for three of the four events I signed up for, doing the best I could and being rewarded by sharing special moments with old and new friends, instructors, and the Kuk Sool Won grand master, In Hyuk Suh.

What we can learn from practicing competitive sports that require us to remain focused on doing our personal best is that we can simultaneously compete with others while being part of a larger community, and that essentially, the only one we ever truly compete with is ourself. Since financial prosperity is often viewed as a form of competitive success, it presents us with an opportunity to view financial success as serving the world while being part of the overall success and prosperity of mankind. We are fortunate to live in times when online organizations are helping people attain financial success one person at a time with person-to-person lending websites that allow people to borrow money from those who wish to help. I have joined and am happy to recommend both Prosper and Kiva for providing loans to those in need that are funded by those seeking a more rewarding way to earn interest on their savings. We are very fortunate to live in a world where we can feel community support for our individual efforts, and where we can each help one another as we work toward our own unique goals of personal mastery.

Wishing you all the best that life and love have to offer,
Cynthia Sue Larson

Tags: Prosper, Kiva, personal mastery, money, Kuk Sool Won, winners, affirmations, self-mastery, martial arts, In Hyuk Suh