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| Wed Nov 15, 2006 3:01 am 2 articles from The Certain Way |
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Favorite articles from The Certain Way
Afloat in A Sea of Abundance
By Rebecca Fine
In the days of the mighty sailing ships, when brave souls voyaged into the unknown, dependent on the winds and their as-yet incomplete knowledge of geography and navigation, one of the greatest and most dangerous challenges was to traverse the area known as "the doldrums."
Extending about 30 degrees on either side of the equator, the doldrums are subject to days, weeks, even months of no wind at all. After a long and difficult crossing from Europe to South America, lying becalmed in the doldrums — with no land in sight and with the ship's supply of fresh water dwindling — was a terrible and life-threatening situation.
But history and legend offer us some fascinating insights into the power of our own thinking and belief. Back then no one had yet figured out how to determine longitude, although latitude was easily calculated. So if you could not see recognizable land, you could only know in what band of latitude you currently were. Exactly where you were in that ring around the earth was, at that time, unknowable.
And so it happened that at times a ship would fetch up off the coast of South America, out of sight of shore, fresh water supplies exhausted and death knocking at the door. Then, with what must have been the sweetest sound those sailors could ever have hoped for, the lookout would suddenly call out that a ship was approaching in the distance.
Once the ship was within hailing distance, the cry went up: "Water! Give us water!"
And the reply would come back, "Lower your buckets over the side."
You see, although the sailors didn't know it, they were afloat in a virtual river of drinkable and life-sustaining water flowing from the mouth of the powerful Amazon River, which carries nearly 20 percent of all the earth's runoff water into the sea with such force that the fresh (or brackish but safe) water flows as far as 100 miles out into the Atlantic.
The sailors, dying of thirst, only THOUGHT they were experiencing lack. The REALITY was that they were afloat in a literal sea of abundance. Exactly what they needed was within their reach the whole time, but the APPEARANCE of scarcity and their BELIEF in that appearance threatened to overpower them.
They could have died — and many certainly did — believing in lack while surrounded by abundance.
In his amazing 1910 forgotten classic, The Science of Getting Rich, Wallace Wattles writes:
"I have said that people get rich by doing things in a certain way, and in order to do so, people must become able to think in a certain way.
"A person’s way of doing things is the direct result of the way he thinks about things.
"To do things in the way you want to do them, you will have to acquire the ability to think the way you want to think. This is the first step toward getting rich.
"And to think what you want to think is to think TRUTH, regardless of appearances.
A couple of months ago, my friend TERESA ROMAIN of Access Abundance [ http://tinyurl.com/ktvey ] wrote in my ezine, The Certain Way, about how Galileo changed the world by looking at things from a new perspective. By dropping the prevailing attitude that the sun revolved around the earth, he was able to see that the opposite was, in fact, the truth.
The key to finding the truth, she noted, was choosing to cast off the old notion and look at the situation anew, through a new lens. Teresa wrote:
"The path that lies before you is one of unlimited abundance. And it begins by SEEING the abundance available all around you.
"As you begin to experience life through the new lens of abundance, you'll find that many of the problems you face today will simply disappear. As for the ones that remain, your relationship to them will have changed profoundly, empowering you to take actions that are congruent with and support abundance."
What old beliefs, what old ways of looking, seeing, and perceiving do YOU need to cast off right now, my friend? If you find yourself "in the doldrums," how can you take a fresh look today and begin to see the abundance that surrounds YOU so that you are empowered — not becalmed and hopeless?
The choice is always available. If you have chosen unwisely before, remember that every moment is new and the great power lies in your ability to CHOOSE AGAIN, no matter the appearances and no matter what it seems everyone else thinks or does.
Teresa says that this choice "is the path that leads, ultimately, to the fulfillment of your dreams." Mr. Wattles says this choice is "the first step toward getting rich."
And, bearing in mind those long-ago sailors, I would add that this choice can be the ultimate choice — for death or for life itself.
That choice, every moment, is yours. Which way do you choose — right now?
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Rebecca Fine is the founder of The Science of Getting Rich Network where you can download your free copy of the amazing 1910 forgotten classic, The Science of Getting Rich. http://tinyurl.com/kemdq ©2001 Certain Way Productions.
You may use this article in your own publications or web sites as long as no changes are made to the text and the "Resource Box" above is included in its entirety.
Favorite articles from The Certain Way
How To Have An Out-of-Body Experience (Sort of)
By Rebecca Fine
When the battered old Chevy ran the red light and pulled directly into our path, I didn't notice it at first — the pounding rain was just too heavy and the moonless night very dark. By the time I could see it, bright white in our headlights, it was too late to stop: in a split second we would plow into it broadside at 60 miles an hour.
That crash happened nearly 34 years ago when I was 16, and I can't remember most of what happened before and after it. I don't even recall the names of the three other people in the car. (Well, it was one of those awful "blind" double-dates, so perhaps THAT part is for the best!) ;-D
But I remember every bit of what happened during that split second, and what I saw and experienced then was something I didn't tell anyone about for years. It was just too personal — and too weird. In fact, about 15 years later when I finally told my best friend, Joan, about it, she listened without comment until I was done and then said, "Well, I've always thought these kinds of stories were just interesting stories. But you are the LAST person on earth I'd ever expect to say something like this, so it must be true."
It is true.
It's amazing how long a "split second" can be and how much can happen during it. At the moment I realized we were about to crash, I felt instantly calm, unafraid, and detached — as though I were watching a slow-motion movie of an impending crash, but from my perspective in the front passenger seat.
I remember thinking, "We're going to hit them," and then ... I watched the passenger side of the Chevy cave in as the hood of our car sloooowly pleated itself into an accordion shape. And suddenly ...
I wasn't sitting there anymore; I was somehow just above the car, looking down and watching someone — ME! — soundlessly come up out of the seat and fly into, and through, the windshield.
No fear, no pain, no noise. Just a slow-motion movie.
Then it was over, and I was outside the car, soggy and bloody and covered with bits of glass, yanking the back door open to see if anyone was hurt. Still no fear and no pain — but PLENTY of noise from ambulances, police cars, people yelling. (We had the good sense, at least, to crash right in front of a major hospital so help was there in less than a minute.)
Now what on earth does all this have to do with the science of getting rich or thinking and acting in the certain way?
Well, let's see if I can tie it in! What I want to suggest to you is an experiment. This week, when you feel yourself edging onto the slippery slope of ANYTHING that leads us off the certain way path of creative mind — envy, grumpiness, guilt, anger, and so on — don't DO anything, just WATCH.
In other words, pay attention to what's happening and sort of stand apart and watch yourself react to whatever has happened. Take a mental step back and become the compassionate witness to your own life. (Remember it's not what happens that matters, it's how you respond to what happens.)
Watch yourself start to feel irritated when someone says something rude or cuts you off in traffic. Watch your anger flare up. Watch that nasty self-talk thing that happens when you make a mistake — you know, the one where you mentally beat yourself up. Watch it ALL.
But don't judge it or try to stop it. Just watch. Don't think of what's happening as something that's bad. Just watch.
Here's what I think you'll notice. If you don't INVOLVE yourself in what's going on, but just observe it, you'll begin to see that this simple process takes all the wind out of that particular emotion's sails. Just as I felt no pain or fear while watching my physical body smash through a windshield, you'll notice a kind of calm come over you. By simply being aware of what's happening TO you, you'll find the once-raging emotion almost instantaneously loosens its grip.
Yes, it's a little tricky to stand back and watch, but it's not really difficult. (You know what the hardest part is? NOT judging the emotion and then passing judgment on yourself for having it!) Just keep trying to catch yourself so you can watch. It gets easier with practice — and even more fascinating.
Now obviously, you're not going to try to project your soul out of your body or anything like that; that's not what this is about. You're just going to use the power of your mind to become AWARE of what another part of your mind and your body are up to.
So ... are you game? Are you willing?
(I believe the most powerful statement a human being can make is "I am willing.")
See, you already have within you everything you need to be, do, and have whatever you want. All that resides within your great big, limitless True Self. But you also have within you your own "little me," small self, or ego, that pops up again and again to thwart your best-laid plans. Its job is to keep you "safe" by keeping you from stepping out of your familiar zone. And for most of us, little me is operating covertly, below the surface of our awareness most of the time.
But when we wake up and become AWARE of what's going on — simply by observing — the tables can begin to turn. Because once you are aware, you have the power to CHOOSE your response. Until you know you have choices, however, you have no choices.
So this week, just watch. Pay attention. Become aware.
And then, of course, share what you notice with the rest of us on the "new and improved" (go see it!) Science of Getting Rich Network discussion board. I can't WAIT to see what YOU learn from your "out-of-body" experiences!
*****
Oh, one more thing: Whether you're driving or "passenging," please remember ALWAYS to fasten your seat belt. I want you with us a good, long time, and I promise you that a little while AFTER you go through a windshield — if you're still with us — you WILL feel it!
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Rebecca Fine is the founder of The Science of Getting Rich Network where you can download your free copy of the amazing 1910 forgotten classic, The Science of Getting Rich. http://tinyurl.com/kemdq ©2001 Certain Way Productions.
You may use this article in your own publications or web sites as long as no changes are made to the text and the "Resource Box" above is included in its entirety. |
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