Chapter 14

Make the commitment to never allow another moment of anxiety or worries enter your life. Only be. This is your key to freedom. This is the key to being one with your maker. When you realize the oneness with God, you will be the peace; you will be the happiness.

Become one with the energy within. This is God, this is spirit. Breathe. Take in all that God is around you. One of the best affirmations that have used in the past which produce this knowing is “I am one with God.”  

Need something? No need to worry about it, no need to think. Just be. Connect to your core. Connect to the God within. Allow him to shine through. He will show you the steps you must take to dispel the issue at hand. No thought. No worry. Just be, and become that direct connection to God. Become one with God by calming thought. No need to vocalize your wishes. No need to connect with God in any other way but through the silence.

When you reach God through the silence, you are in direct communication with God. You don’t have to think. Your thoughts, your wishes are in accordance with his, in the silence. His force will propel you forward into becoming all that it is that you want to be. Only be, and you will realize the God within. Affirm: “I am one with God” until the thought disappears, and a new calm settles. This is when you can guarantee that God within is working and is listening. Just be! Don’t think, be!

“I am one with God, I am one with God.” This is the only prayer you will ever need. “I am one with God.” Say it over and over again until you start to feel it. You will begin to see the direct connection. Miracles start occurring, thoughts turn into reality. “I am one with God. I am one with God.”

Copyright © Tibu Thomas, INDIA (Tenny).

Are religions necessary?

Are religions necessary? I was thinking about it earlier, and a lot of questions associated with it also came to my mind. Finally I felt my truth is that they are necessary. I believe that during the initial stages of one’s spiritual journey one needs an introduction into spirituality, and religions plays that part well. But as time goes on, if he closes himself up so that there is no space for any growth, then he becomes a religious lunatic, confined in the box of religion, who has no love or respect for a person from a different religion.

I feel it should be like a child being taken care of and taught things. When the child is small the parents have to be harsh sometimes with them, and sometimes punish so as to teach the child to learn things and later be a better person in life. The box of rules that is created around the child grows bigger as he grows up until the day come when the box is taken away, and the child (who is no longer a child) is ready to face the world on his own. The box was what paved the basis of the formation of character in the child.

The religions pave the basis for a person’s spirituality, but one should not let the religion be the end of the growth. If you notice that those with good religious growth reads and respects and believes that basically all religions teaches about virtues, and guides one to be a better person. Where does the confusion arise? Let’s consider the case of a parable shared in some scripture of a religion. One can take the story as it is and think what he want to think or, one can think about it and understand the deeper meaning in the parables. It does not matter if one is more educated than other to understand better. (It has been proved a 1000 times that education and intelligence is not always directly proportional). All one needs is an openness to accept something that we did not think was true earlier.

There is this Zen story about 2 monks and a woman. An old monk and a young monk were traveling together to a monastery far away. At one point, they came to a river with a strong current. As the monks were preparing to cross the river, they saw a very young and beautiful woman also attempting to cross. The young woman asked if they could help her. The young monk carried this woman on his shoulder, forded the river and let her down on the other bank. The old monk was very upset, but said nothing. They both continued walking and when they were about to reach the monastery the old monk stopped the young one and told him, “As monks, we are not permitted to touch a woman, how could you then carry that woman on your shoulders?” The young monk replied, “I left the woman a long time ago at the bank, however, you seem to be carrying her still.”

This is what happens a lot of times in our life. We take things as we hear it, and do not think of the inner meaning. We burden ourselves by things we have no control over; and we judge others for their differences in beliefs. All the religions talks about good, being good, doing good; so where does the conflict arise? In the rituals?? Doesn’t in some part of the world people greet each other by hand shakes, while in another part they bow to each other with arms straight on the side; and yet in another part people put the palms together in from of the chest; and yet another part a hug is how people greet each other? Isn’t it all to greet each other? (Hope you got the point). All religions teach one to do well, and that should be a person’s basement of belief.

If we really take some time to sit down in calmness, and without preconception look at the world, we can see that a lot of problems in the present world are because we are not able to accept another of a different belief, or different color, or race. One has to rise above religions to bring this peace. The religions should not be the end of our growth. It should not be something that makes us hate another (and yes even if you say you don’t hate another, yet show anger and not being able to accept and respect a different person.. that is a form of hate). The religions are here, they are the truth, but that truth should not limit us to a point and then not let us love outside the circle it creates. We just need to understand the true meaning of what religions speak of.

Love and peace be with you all. 

Namaste.

Chapter 11

The mind loves to use the power of the past to keep itself busy. It uses it by making comparisons between the present and the past. If you are not able to sit in peace, then it is the mind that is the cause. By comparing one moment to a past moment, the mind is giving itself things to think about, rather then allowing you to sit in the newness of that moment.

Lilian went to Wheel’s restaurant to eat their famous Barbeque ribs. Once she got there she found out the recipe changed. Rather than enjoy the new recipe, which was really good, she dwelled in the past recipe instead. She was upset and bothered by the fact they had changed it.

The mind used its power to keep in control. If she had just enjoyed the new recipe, she would have left full and happy. Now she is unsatisfied.

This is how the mind works. It uses the past as a reference point on how happy you should be. Each moment is a new one. Keep your awareness open. Allow new experiences. Don’t shut them out because they are not a repeat performance of the past. Treasure the newness of this one. See it, recognize it. Be grateful for it.

By thanking the universe you are in that moment. You are fully there in appreciation allowing you to move forward to the next step to being the best that you can be; to connection.

Get in the habit of being thankful for anything and everything. Do you have a lovely voice? Be thankful for it! Do you have the ability to cook? Be thankful for it! Be thankful for anything that you are, and anything that makes you happy. Not only does this keep you in the moment, but it multiplies all that you have! God loves you. And when you thank him, he gives you more! He wants you happy! Just get rid of the over coming power of the mind to think negative, and be thankful for this moment! Recognize all of the beauty that surrounds you. Recognize that you have these things!

Go to the mirror. Look at yourself. Notice all of the things to be thankful for; your sight, your hearing, your hands for touch, and nose for smell.  We take so many of these for granted. Not everyone has all of the abilities. It’s important that you recognize that.

By being thankful for this moment, you guarantee more of them in your life. You show the universe that these things are important to you. Thank the universe for the glory that makes you you!

Thank you! Thank you for another great day! Thank you for my mother, my father, my sisters, and brothers! Thank you for my car and my house. Thank you for my television and computer. Thank you for this book!  Thank you for allowing me to hear my baby crying. Thank you for letting me see the sun rising! Thank you for the legs that take me where I need to go! Thank you, thank you!

Another thing that will help you through your day as you reduce the power the mind has over you is affirmations.

Affirmations are simply your best thoughts that you repeat to yourself either out loud or in your head, which keep you on the path to where you are headed. We are a product of what we read, see and hear. And by putting the best thoughts in front of you at all times, you are becoming the person that you want to be.

Ernesto was feeling nervous before the big exam. He felt anxious, and could barely breathe. Upon the onset of his anxiety he began to tell himself, “I am a success” over and over again. This calmed him, and he was able to remember what he studied and pass the test with flying colors.

Affirmations help to calm the mind by reminding you that all is perfect and you have no need to worry. They remind you that those negative feelings that you are feeling are due to the mind. Affirmations are great to help you along your way.

Whenever you are feeling down, just take your highest thoughts and write them down on paper. Try writing, “I am happy.” Go ahead. Get some paper. Write it down. Write it down as many times as you need to in order to believe it. You will notice that it will become your reality.

Do you crave peace? Affirm “I am peace,” or the exact opposite of whatever you are feeling, what you are stressing over.  Say it aloud until you start to feel the effects.

Many of the principles that I am trying to introduce to you in this book, are hard to believe at first. But in time, with practice, you will believe. Stay focused on the outcome. Put it into practice, and you will be happy with the results.

Copyright © Tibu Thomas, INDIA (Tenny).

Chapter 10

Another important topic to discuss is the topic of following self. We must do whatever will make us happiest at each given moment. It is in keeping happiest that you are connecting to God. And it is through this connection, to peace, that the inner spirit is transforming your life. When we live someone else’s life, we never find our true potential.

Bruce and Mary wanted their son Isaac to go to school for Business, but Isaac had other things in mind. He was an artist, and this is what he loved to do the most. Although his parents asked him to major in business he chose art instead; he followed his inner guide and became one of the most well known artists in the country.

What would have happened if Isaac decided to follow his parent’s wishes, although he had those strong feelings to go ahead with the art major?

If we are forced into doing things because of a set of rules, or what others want from us, rather than following our inner guide, we will never reach this peace or happiness that we want to maintain. We must be the ones to decide what is right and wrong for us. We must remember that we are all individuals. If we conform to other beliefs, Gods true wonders can never manifest in our lives.

No matter where you go in this world, there will be someone who doesn’t like what you do. They will take any chance they can to judge you for your actions, or for what you believe in. Most of the time, it is due to fear, fear in the unknown. Fear of separation. If you are doing something that they see as wrong, they don’t like it, and they look at it negatively. But don’t let that stop you. Even if it’s the most insane thing that you can think of, for e.g.: quitting your job to live in a monastery, then do it! Don’t let what others think about your actions rule you. For if you do, your highest good will never be attained; and not only that, you will never be happy.

Never let anyone stop you from doing what it is that makes you happy. Who said you can’t sit in a room and sing all day? Who set up those rules? Rules are set up in every aspect of life, including those that keep you from happiness. For e.g.: Some people find it weird that a person spends his whole lunch hour outside listening to music, all by themselves.  They disagree with it. But who cares what others think!! Do what it is that makes you happy. It is through this happiness that you will become the best you can be. Walk in that knowing that you are being led by you, and not the demands of those around you.

Find out who you are. Don’t be afraid to be open, and research new things, even if the people around you may not agree. Release inhibitions and be free!!

With billions of people on this earth the only thing that should be universal are the basic morals and values of life; honesty, integrity, trust. All forms of love. One of the reasons that we don’t do things that would make us happy is because of what we think others will think of us, if we do them. We are all individual aspects of spirituality. Each and every one of us has certain attributes about us that make us a little bit different from the next. It is important that when you are discovering who you are, that you remember this. Never deny yourself, or feel that you are strange. Never allow yourself to think that there is something wrong with the way that you are, or what you do. You are perfect just as you are. You are perfection. Remember that.

Part of finding out who you are is learning to allow your inner consciousness to manifest itself. Whenever you have something inside of you pushing you to do something, do it. Never ignore yourself. We all have a guide within that pushes us to greatness. The problem is, many times we ignore it due to people’s opinions as well as our own negative thoughts on it. Learn to become accustom to that feeling of that inner consciousness.
The best way to be accustomed to it is to listen. When you get a feeling to do something or not do something, then listen! Get to the point where you can trust your instincts because of the practice that you have.

Listen when your inside says, “stop and get gas.” Listen when you are told, “don’t go that way.” Stay away from those that give you that feeling, to stay away from. These examples are part of a plethora of life experience that can move you towards your highest good, if you only allow it. But the key is, practice. And yes, the thoughts of the mind may get mixed in there, especially in the beginning, when we don’t have the practice of understanding which is which, truth from lie. But with an eye on the goal, you can achieve mastery of your life. You can be all that you want. You can achieve happiness.

Please understand that I am not advising you to act on impulse, but out of consciousness. Impulse & consciousness are two different things. Impulse is seeing the number of a house at the races and betting due to having that favorite number. Consciousness is a feeling that comes from within. It’s like a child that pulls on the bottom of your pant leg & doesn’t leave you alone until you give him the attention he craves. This happens on a daily basis. Practice until recognize that feeling of guidance.

One idea that we give people is to go ahead and obtain a visual of what that spirit within looks like. This visualizing may make this guidance, or spirit within even more real to you.

Personalizing that inner God makes the connection stronger. It’s like meeting someone on the internet in a chat room. You meet them, you chat for a while, and you find out who that person is; yet, you never put a face to the person, because you’ve never seen them.

This is the point of those that set up pictures of God. Their connection to God is affirmed. To walk in faith at an onset of belief, is not an easy path. There must be something to push you forward. Faith is a great thing, but at times, faith can waver. Having that face can personalize it to the point where you feel as if he is more real. Whether it be Shiva, Buddha, Jesus, the holy spirit, or any other divine image, there must be a connection. And this connection will help to create that feeling of togetherness with God; Oneness.

When Amanda first started to connect with the spirit within, she came across a set of cards with a picture of a beautiful Goddess, Sita. She fell in love with Sita, and from then on she started to see her spirit within as Sita. Whenever she meditated and recognized that energy, it was Sita that she was recognizing- her own connection to God.

A piece of God is within you. By forming a bond with a picture of the God within, you are connecting not only in spirit, but with mind as well.

You don’t even need to choose a visual if you don’t want. Just allow whatever is natural to come through. It should be what allows you to feel closer to the God within. In the beginning, it will be so new to even think about. The visualization can help immensely. Whatever you do, don’t force anything; just allow whatever is natural to come through. When you see it, you will know.

It is only with a free mind that one will be lead to complete and true happiness. As you walk forward with your day, try your best to act out of self, rather than what others think is right for you. Strive forward in strength and power; feet firmly on the ground with the realization that you are in charge of your life. And there will never be any regrets. Only true knowing that you did everything you ever wanted to do. You were a manifestation of the God within.

Copyright © Tibu Thomas, INDIA (Tenny).

Chapter 9

We remove pain and suffering from our lives when we remove those barriers that keep us away from who we truly are; peace and love.

When deep breathing doesn’t work, and the anxieties and stresses remain, do whatever you can to distract yourself. Try your best to make yourself happy.

One of the ways that we can do this is through the use of music. Put the radio on or pop in one of your favorite CD’s. At first you may not feel the effects of the music, but after a few minutes, you will notice the effects it has on you.

Alissa was having the worst time centering herself that day. No matter what she tried, she could not get back into the peace. The brain seemed to be in full control. Rather than dwell in the suffering, she decided to put her favorite music on and dance. Within minutes the pain went away.

When you are listening to music, and feel that happiness, that love, take it with you on your daily life. Don’t let it go when you’re not listening to it. Allow that happiness to continue, to become your very being.

Remain in your center in any way possible. Do you like to draw? Then pull out the supplies and get to it! When we start to become stressed, we forget the peace. We forget those things that bring us peace. It is then that you need them the most. Whether it is through the use of music, drawing, prayer, watching TV, singing, or dance, just “be.” And never stop “being.” Walk in spirit in all that you do, and you will reap the benefits. Pain and suffering will become less and less a part of your life.

Always remain happy. If it means you listen to music from the beginning of the day to the end, then so be it. If wrestling makes you happy, wrestle! If the internet makes you happy, then go online!  Just do whatever it is that keeps you connected. There are so many ways to connect to happiness, and it is up to you to find that connection yourself.

Anil loves to go on the internet as his source of fun. He does it in all his spare time. But his mother finds something wrong with this. She comments to him every time she sees him, ‘You are wasting away your life on that computer.’ Anil explains to his mother that that keeps him happy, it’s what he enjoys. ‘We should always stay happy Mom.’

Yes, life isn’t all about the internet, but we should try to always remain happy, no matter what we do. If you can practice happiness at least 50% of the day, you will see that 50% slowly becomes 60, and it progresses until finally, you see that you are nothing but. Just start. Start to be the best you, you possibly can be.
 With positive thinking, come feelings of happiness; that happiness is God. This is why we must strive to get rid of the hold of the mind if we are to ever connect fully to spirit.

Do not allow your mind to take a hold of you by producing thoughts of negativity. All this does is enforce the barrier between you and the divine spirit within. It is by paying attention to the tricks of the mind that we disconnect from God. Knowing this, we must make it a daily practice to reduce its power. We must strive for perfection, until one day, it is gone, and the real you is all that is seen, both inside and out. Its hard work at first, but you can do it! With time, positive thinking becomes automatic!

Copyright © Tibu Thomas, INDIA (Tenny).

Chapter 8

It is only when the outside world and inside world meet that the power of the mind is recognized. Once we recognize the tricks of the mind, everything begins to become clear. By putting the mind on pause, one will be able to experience bliss, or true happiness.  

Try to think about a time when you have experienced pure happiness. Some feel it when they pray, some when they are in love, and some when they are working on a project they love so much. Why are they happy? Why were you happy? You and they were happy because the mind was not at work at that moment. There was just silence, relaxation, love and peace at that time, all of which are connected to bliss.

One can never find happiness if they allow them selves to be pulled and pushed by emotion. The only emotion that should ever be given attention is that bringing forth happy feelings; love. By allowing ourselves to focus on love at all times, we are putting forth God in all that we do.

Heart falls for emotion and mind falls for conditioning, but consciousness or spirit is above the two. It is the only pure thing that there is. To become one with that purity, that love, that happiness, God; we need to ignore all thought that doesn’t derive from love.

You must remind yourself that as you flow through your day. When you see yourself becoming negative about something, take a breath, and ignore it. Whatever you do, don’t argue with it. Allow yourself to just “be.” Be silence by walking in peace.

As I stated earlier, it is not easy, especially at first. But practice is the key. It is through this practice that you become one with happiness. Just let that negative thought leave as easily as it came in. Be aware of it, but don’t feed it. Allow it to be there, for now it is a part of living here in this world. Accept it, but don’t feed it. That is what allows you to heal. 

Whenever a thought comes to you that do not go hand in hand to the highest version of you possible then let it go. Just be still. Don’t feed it by arguing, don’t even pay attention. Just “be” and allow the thought to pass. If you don’t argue with it, you will not feed it, and it will not become part of you. It will stay as a passerby who took up space for a few seconds.

‘Daniel was in line at the convenience store. When it was his turn at the counter he hadn’t noticed as he was deep in thought at the time. The woman ringing him up yelled meanly, ‘Hello, your next!’ At first, Daniel felt rage for being yelled at, but he took a deep breath and ignored it. Within a few moments the rage was gone, and the rest of his day went beautifully.

When you feel any type of negative emotion come forth to take you over, just think, “love.” If it is a person that seems to be causing this disconnection, remember to go back to “love,” and stay there. Practice thinking this. Don’t lose that word in your mind. Don’t argue with the mind. Just allow yourself to feel that love within, and allow it to propel itself forward at that moment.

Kimmie was having a hard time talking to her younger sister. It seemed that everything she said to her was being taken offensively, rather in the loving way that she meant it. Finally her sister got so upset that began to rant and rave. Rather than focus on these things that hurt her, Kimmie followed her breath and kept in mind the love that her sister truly is. Her sister ended up calming down and later on apologizing.

When you realize that you are able to connect to God at all times, and that perfection is attainable, you will push yourself automatically when trouble arises.

Whenever you are stuck in a negative situation, remember that non thought is connection to the divine. Do not speak, do not think. Just “be” and you are allowing the connection to God to continue. Become one with the energy within. This is God. This is spirit. Breathe.

Peggy was having an awful day. It seemed like just everything was going wrong. It all started in the morning when her hair was not coming out the way that she wanted it to. It continued when she dropped her cup of coffee all over the kitchen floor. The brain began its work, and started producing thoughts of ‘I hate my life!’ Peggy recognized what was going on at that point. Before she proceeded to clean the coffee off of the floor, she went to the next room, sat down, and began breathing. She ignored all thought and focused on the love within. After re-connecting she went back in the kitchen and cleaned up the mess.

Breath is such an important part of connection. Breath puts us back into our center. When we are mad or upset, scared or even anxious; deep breathing reconnects us to the divine. We should make it a daily practice to take nice deep breaths as soon as we feel any type of negativity coming our way.  

What is peace exactly? Peace is contentment. Peace is a feeling of security and yes, even happiness. Peace is stillness. Peace is a knowing that there is nothing in this world that can affect you. Nothing in this world can go wrong. Peace is love, love of the self.

How does one experience peace? Just like anything else. In order to experience peace, you have to be it. You have to be the peace, you have to be the love, and you have to be the stillness. In order to experience God you must not allow yourself to think on lower levels.

So what does this mean? If you are being faced with an option to argue or sit in peace, sit in peace. If you are faced with pain and negativity, sit in peace. Just let your mind quiet down and remain in all that is left; stillness.

You will find that most of your thoughts are produced from a negative one. Try your best to only foster thought processes that are positive, or help you to grow. 

Stephanie and a bunch of friends went out clubbing on a Friday night. While inside the club, one of her friends started making negative comments about the dress another girl was wearing. At that point, Stephanie agreed. But in realizing that these thoughts were not her, she ignored them, and changed the subject to something else.

If you do think negatively, don’t beat yourself up over it. That is just something else the brain has to take a hold of. Just remember the technique; accept it and ignore it. It is in this way that you are allowing the greatest you to be shown.

Gerald and Cleo had an argument on their way home from work. During the argument, Cleo realized the tricks the mind was pulling at that moment. She decided to simply breathe and listen to what Gerald was saying rather then allow the argument to continue. After Gerald was done venting his frustrations calm settled between the two. Cleo did not allow herself to hold judgment or pain over the argument. Everything was back to normal within a few minutes of his outburst.

Do you notice how Cleo chose to be the peace, rather than anticipate it? If she had chosen to fight, or even hold anger towards Gerald, the fight would have gone on and on. Instead, it went as quickly as it came.

Ebony and her son got into an argument before school one morning. Thoughts pushing Ebony to cry and sit in pain began forming in her head. ‘Why doesn’t he love me? She thought to herself. Just then she remembered that these were all tricks of the mind to pull her away from peace. She reset her intention of peace, and remained centered within. When her son returned from school she and he had made peaceful resolution.

Keep motivational reads around you constantly. Stay away from negative energies. To be the best you that you can be, requires you to be immersed in the ideas that help to make you the best you. Keep it with you wherever you go. Whenever you have a spare moment to read, read it over and over! Whenever you have a disconnection, scan the chapters until you are reminded of what you need to do to get over it. Peace comes with practice.

Notice how hard it is to focus completely on what you are doing. Becoming fully immersed in whatever moment you are in. It is hard isn’t it? Even reading this book can be hard at times as the mind tries to pull you away into other things. Our minds are conditioned to be analytical. To figure things out, to always be at work. But it is not necessary for our minds to be working in that stage all the time; thinking. We are just accustomed to it.

Start practicing when you’re involved in your conversation. Focus on what the person is saying, rather than what the mind may be pulling you to focus on. Become immersed in all you do. In class focus on classes, when reading, be immersed in it. Immerse yourself in the act of eating, and drinking coffee. Notice the tastes, the smell. Don’t allow your mind to take you away from that moment.

It was dinner time and Dimitri had his plate all ready to go into the living room and watch TV as he ate. This day, he decided against it. He wanted to be immersed in that moment, practicing peace, so he remained in the quiet of his kitchen as he ate. Dimitri ate that meal at least a hundred times before. But for some reason, it had never tasted so good.
Be immersed in all you do. If you are outside working, or walking on your way to work, pay full attention to the sounds that you hear; the cars, sound of rain, people talking; everything. Take time to notice the birds. They talk to each other. Just listen and you can be a part of their conversation too. Watch as two dogs play with each other. You can see them smile.

Feel the textures of things; plants, animals, food, everything. Get immersed in the smells of the world. Just sit and be aware of all around you.

Have you ever noticed that at times when your mind is working you don’t want to do anything else? You just want to sit and think. I mean how can you? Your mind is focused on those things of the future, past or what ifs of the world. Either that or we are analyzing embarrassment, sorrow or fear.

When our time is consumed with thoughts, we cannot enjoy a movie, or the presence of our family and friends.
 It is when you have thoughtlessness that you have the time to stop and smell the flowers, gaze at the moon, watch a sunset or children at play. You can fully enjoy watching a movie, conversing with your children, lying down with a lover.  It is only when you don’t have anything to think about that you will have the room to focus on other things. If you allow yourself to do everything in peace, you will truly behold the wonders of the world, the joys of living.

Try to see the world as a stage, and become the actor in a play. Immerse yourself in whichever role you are playing at that moment. How does it feel to be a boyfriend/girlfriend? Are you immersed? How about your work role? How does it feel to be a cleaner, a teacher, a president? What about when its time to be a parent, or an aunt or uncle? Does it feel good to be a chef as you cook your daily meal? Enjoy every moment of every role that you play. Because that is all life really is- a role, an experience. Enjoy it. Make the most of it that you possibly can.

It was Thanksgiving and Natalie was in charge of cooking for twenty people. Her mind kept bringing her to the point of ‘Why me!?’ But Natalie was well aware of its power. She ignored her thoughts and decided to immerse herself in the role of being a chef in a restaurant. She ended up having a lot of fun.

You can be anything you want to be. People feel as if they must have a label or a degree in order to practice things. For example, ‘chef’, ‘reporter’, ‘writer’, ‘painter.’ The world wants you to have a label before you can do anything. This stops us from trying those things that sound appealing because, we are not “qualified.” Yet, people find the most happiness in those things they least expected.

One day as Rafael was cleaning out his car he started receiving inspiration on taking a few sets of pictures to put into a collage. His friend Jay was there as he told him about the idea. Jay asked him, ‘Have you ever taken a photography class before?’ Rafael realized that he had absolutely no clue how to take pictures, but he decided to go ahead and do it anyway. He changed his career that year and turned out to be a good photographer.

Just do whatever you want to do, and do it at the moment you want to do it because the motivation to do it may pass. You may find that you enjoy something, and can do it so much better than you ever imagined.

Our minds are always on thinking mode. But it doesn’t need to be. We just don’t remember how to put it in peace, how to allow it to rest for a while. So let it rest! The more we allow it to rest, the more we sit in the love and peace that we are. Choose peace next time, and put your brain on pause!

Copyright © Tibu Thomas, INDIA (Tenny).

Chapter 7

The mind is never at peace, as it is a wonderful tool and is always working at top condition. It is like your heart, always beating. The problem is it works too well. Not only does it love to dwell in the past, but it loves to set up the future. The worst part about setting up future scenarios is that most of the time they are bad scenarios, focusing on the worst. Remember what I said earlier. The mind loves to center around thought processes that are negative in order to work at its full potential.

Janet goes to a job interview on Friday morning. Everything went well. Her interviewer told her that she would get the call in about a week or so to let her know if she is hired or not. That week was one of the slowest Janet ever experienced. She sat anxiously waiting a reply. Janet’s brain started working full force, coming up with various scenarios to what would happen should she get rejected. Rather than allow herself to think of only the best, she thought of the worst. Worry, fear and doubt began to settle in. the entire week was one in which she sat in pain. The next Friday came around, and the call came in congratulating Janet on her new job.

Do you see that happened? Janet’s disconnection from peace was an entire waste of time; it always is. Nothing was accomplished with her thinking, and she ended up getting the job anyway.

In order to remain in peace and love, we must maintain a positive outlook in all that we do. Negativity is not of god, it is of the mind. Practicing positivism in all you do is allowing yourself to trust that all is well.

Why should we allow ourselves to dwell in lower energies; in energies of sadness, worry, or doubt? What comes out of that? Nothing; and yet we waste our energy in it. The only thing negativity does is disconnect you from the divine, with feelings of pain and worry. It leaves the world and happiness up to a source that will never come through for you.

In order to remain at peace with yourself, you must stay at your highest being. You must remain in spirit, at all times. Try to remember that as you walk forward through your day. Release fear, sadness, and doubt. Release the negativity. Just remember, whenever you have thoughts of negativity in any way, these are not thoughts that are of god. These are of the mind. Take that thought and change it in to a positive one.

The future is never guaranteed. Rather than dwell on these negative what ifs, change them into positive ones, and sit in peace knowing that only good things are to come. That knowing, that trust makes the big difference.

Whenever you feel that the mind is taking control, and you can’t seem to get it back, take a deep breathe and center yourself. Try your best to calm the mind by letting the feelings pass. Just listen to them, but do not conduct dialogue. If you allow a discussion to go about in your mind, you will notice that you will remain in suffering. The way to come out of it is to allow it to pass. Just ignore it. It is not easy at first, but with practice it gets better.

The easiest way to get in the habit of putting the mind on pause is to make it a daily habit to become aware of the mind as a separate entity from your true self. The mind is not conditioned to be paused; you have to show it. Become aware of the fact that you are not your thoughts. You are something more, the spirit. It only needs to be recognized. Throughout the day make it a habit to be aware. Watching, listening.

Next, once you have recognized that you are not your thoughts, you can work at pausing them. The best way to pause your mind is to never ever feeding it. Never discuss, never argue. Just allow it to be, but ignore it. Know that it is there To analyze. That is its job.

The mind is there to work at critiquing, making judgments (both good and bad), and to digest information. It is needed for several tasks, but it is always your choice which tasks you want to use it for.

Most of what you do can be done in silence; in non-thought, as most actions that we do have been learned and are produced automatically. Do you have to think about putting your key in the ignition when you start the car? No, it is automatic. What about eating your breakfast? No, that is automatic too.

Use your mind for those things that are necessary; learning new languages, reading a book, inventing algorithms. Let the mind do its work when it is meant to. Then let the spirit take over, every other time.

Depression, sadness, loneliness, unhappiness; all negative emotion is brought about from disconnection from the divine. The mind will grab at anything and everything to create stress over. It is never at peace unless you force it to be. You must condition it to become still. It takes practice. Without this practice your mind will work full force creating the barrier that separates you from god.

As you go through your daily life, keep one thing in mind; practice is essential. Becoming still will not happen over night. Your mind has practiced the exact opposite for years. Always needing something to think about, something to work against. It takes hold creating upset as much as it can. The key is to accept that moment, and let it pass. Spirit will calm you, it will come through.

When we center within ourselves, we connect to peace. That is the objective. We want to make sure that emotion never takes control. When an emotion, or fear, or sadness is presented, close your eyes, take a breath and blank out. Do not think. Just feel the peace. Focus on the peace.

Practice by putting your mind on pause those moments you are in line at the store, while you are in the car, and in traffic. Anytime that the brain is not necessary, put it on pause. The only reason we need it is to run the body, and to analyze things. Know that most of what we do is automatic. There is no need to be analytical to sit in peace.

Copyright © Tibu Thomas, INDIA (Tenny).