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Knowing when you’re in Harmony with the Universe

It’s not the easiest thing in the world to just go with the flow; to trust your instincts with regards to when to say ‘no’ and when to say ‘yes; when to go fast and when to just take it slow; when to be the best that you can in terms of game changing and when to simply let things pass by and let fate take control. It’s nice to know when you have broken through the mental barrier of just letting things happen for you and I can assure you, it’s highly reassuring.

I woke up this morning not knowing where my Gratitude rock was. I had been looking for it last night without any luck. Then after breakfast, the lake was calling to me so I decided to go in. It was a cool swim, as at this time of year the weather starts getting colder and the leaves start changing. In the deep water where there are fewer rocks and nice sand to stand on, I looked below the surface and saw a smooth, round rock at my feet. I picked it up and saw that it was my lost Gratitude rock. It was amazing to know that the Universe had led me to it in order that I may begin my day feeling refreshed and also continue walking through life with a powerful manifestation tool in my hand or in my pocket at all times.

I appreciate very much the teachers who have taught me about the ways of the Universe and how it attracts everything you want into your life, provided you know how to control your brain with regards to letting negative thoughts enter your head and being affected by them, or instead just letting them pass through having not affected your emotional frequency. It makes me feel very powerful knowing that I am in full command of my reality and able to bring whatever I want into my life - money, friends, experiences, job opportunities, the chance to showcase my talent (acting, singing, dancing, cooking or baking). The key to achieving that feeling of power is to have faith - not in the religious context (necessarily) but to have faith that the universe is itself a “living, breathing entity with a conscience” and therefore, you can communicate with it on an intimate basis. 

Two of the greatest lessons I have learned in my life so far are to go with the flow with the universe, as mentioned (that way you don’t have to put any effort of your own into what you do; the Universe will guide you and make everything come easily - the right words out of your mouth, the keys in the songs you sing, the goals that are close to your heart, the people you deserve and the chance to experience life at the highest-possible level), and like the adage says, “practise like you’ve never won; perform like you’ve never lost.” No one can be hindered by a little more practise; you can never be too perfect as far as the audience is concerned, whether you be an actor, a minister, a priest, a professional speaker/life coach, a politician or a school teacher. Determination is another big one, although we’ve all heard this at some point in our lives.

Arguably the most important life skills I can think of here and now are consistency, tenacity and honesty. Valued by some of our greatest influences in popular culture and business (Judge Judy, Richard Branson and Tony Robbins to name a few biggies), these traits are like the happiness, health and wealth we strive for at the individual level in our own special ways. Consistent happiness is something we all dream of and value highly; maintaining a strong grip on that ideal having (at least in the case of mentally strong and motivated human beings) devoted ourselves to it will enable us to be happy all throughout our lives; and being honest to ourselves - allowing us to want what we truly want regardless of financial, social and time-related ramifications we’ve been taught to fear - is perhaps the best part of all. It puts everything into perspective concerning what we are capable of and allows us to create a life beyond our wildest dreams :)

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Some thoughts and reflections on the Cultural Neuroscience of Humanity

Today my brother and I took a walk alongside the river that runs near our cottage and I found myself aware of a troubling fact. In the last few days and weeks I have been absorbed in the process of completing a university degree that has sucked most of my energy out. Though I have completed my summer semester (yes, wahoo), I could not appreciate the world around me with all the work I had for online courses run by professors I never met. David Attenborough noted in an episode of his hit BBC series ‘The Life of Birds’ that “those of us who live in towns and cities feel increasingly cut off from the natural world.” It is a tragic phenomenon that has resulted in us looking for stimulation in other places like the internet, Virtual Reality games - anything that might involve a screen. Even people living in some of the poorest countries in the world now have easier access to computers and mobile devices than they do reliable healthcare.

Cultural Studies has taught me that people are reliant on technology, and pieces of art that change the way we think about politics and ideology, to an extraordinary degree. It is detrimental in one crucial way; that audiences (readers, viewers, subscribers, etc.) crave violence, which has been the case since Shakespeare’s time when bearbaiting, bullbaiting, cockfights and duels to the death were regular occurrences in Europe. Motivational speaker Sean Stephenson has said that ‘but I’m not’ is the “most limiting disease on the planet” and that pity is the “worst drug that ever hit the human race.” I think that anything having to do with the Futurist Manifesto, or futurism in general, is a leech that injects an anticoagulant spiced with aggression-inducing drugs into the blood of young generations, driving them to act in accordance with radical ideals that include rejecting antiquarianism, glorifying war, holding women in contempt and spite towards preceding generations.

Though it may be essential to educate one’s self on the history of one’s family, state and/or country, and perfectly alright (if not virtuous) to want to right the wrongs of the past, waging war on one’s forefathers out of sheer hubris is counterproductive and hypocritical. Every new generation has seen an opportunity for cultural improvement and therefore taken a hopeful stance for the future. What sense does it make for men and women in their twenties to project anger at their parents’ and grandparents’ generations for creating the problems faced in the world today when they were, in effect, the futurists of their time? They may or may not have read Karl Marx or Filippo Marinetti, but they definitely helped humanity continue to evolve and heal from cultural wounds like the First and Second World War.

We here and now must continue to help each other and invent new ways of doing so as we travel forward through the pages of time (not just with more innovative technological advancements that lead to artificial intelligence or some kind of ‘adaptable nature’ in robots - something else). Even simply going into one’s self and realizing the full extent to which one can show love, courage, gratitude, empathy and appreciation in a dignified yet consistent manner is enough. The only fight in which everyone must partake again and again is the mental battle between good and evil on a daily basis. Intuition established through comradeship is the only way of knowing, as objectively as possible, when to contemplate or take action; when to live by established tradition or break away from cultural codes; when to move fast or simply be still.