JULY 2006

THE POWER OF THOUGHT      In our June Monthly Inspiration, we reviewed suggestions for improving our communication skills in relationships since effective communication is so vital to adding to the quality of our lives. We must next become aware of the kinds of thoughts we use and respond to in order to focus more clearly on the effect that all thoughts, whether they are our own or from others, have on our lives in order to realize the power of thought. It is important to remember that our subconscious, that inner child within, is only able to reason from a very young, limited point of view, unable to see the consequences of many of our life decisions. It responds from its emotional point of view and can be highly influenced by other people's ideas and opinions, which the subconscious may believe to be true whether these ideas make sense or not.      The soul, on the other hand, has an intellect that is unlimited. As the soul, we have access to all the wisdom in the universe and we reach for this higher understanding of life through meditation. It is therefore the soul's responsibility to make the important decisions in our lives based on this higher level of perception rather than on the limited emotional view of the subconscious.      It is also important for the soul to become aware of the kinds of belief systems that our subconscious may be responding to in an almost automatic way, thoughts which we may have been programmed to follow throughout our lives. The subconscious is the believer and will believe anything an authority figure tells us unless we say otherwise, meaning unless we get conscious and reject or change the program. For example, let's say we have a three-year-old child who performs a dance for a group of adults. After the child is finished, the adults applaud and encourage the child saying, "You're a very good dancer!" The child will walk away from that incident thinking, "I'm a good dancer!" Now imagine the same scene with the same child, but at the end of the performance the adults laugh and point and say, "What was that? You can't dance!" This time the child walks away repeating a very different program within. With enough repetition of these negative thoughts, the child will be less likely to attempt this activity again.      These are the kinds of belief systems that automatically shape our lives until we become conscious of their influence and decide to make a change. Whereas dancing may not play a major role in our lives, if we've been programmed to believe we're a failure and will never succeed, this kind of program can hinder our growth and therefore needs to be changed. Sometimes therapy is necessary to help us let go of these negative ideas and move forward in our life. But for most beliefs, simply getting conscious of an outdated way of thinking and instilling something new into our minds gives the subconscious new guidelines to follow. Affirmations can be very effective in helping our subconscious see itself in a new way. Athletes have also used visualizations in a similar way to see themselves winning a race or excelling in their sport. But we can start encouraging our subconscious on a daily basis in some very simple ways. Praise is an excellent motivator and can be used to increase confidence and self-esteem. Make a conscious effort to praise yourself for tasks completed throughout your day. It doesn't matter if it was a project at work, a tough phone call we had to make, or simply finishing the laundry. All are deserving of praise. An inner thought of, "Well done. We did a good job," will make a positive impact on our subconscious and encourage it to repeat this positive behavior. This may take some getting used to, as we are not familiar with patting ourselves on the back. But it's no different than receiving a compliment from someone on the outside. We must strive to become our own best friend, complimenting ourselves on accomplishments and correcting behavior we need to let go of with a new plan, lots of repetition and love and patience.      Our goal is to be less critical and more tolerant of ourselves as well as others. We may have developed a tendency to be hard on ourselves or judge others harshly. This is a negative habit we need to change for when we use positive, constructive thoughts rather than negative, destructive thoughts we are giving ourselves permission to have a better life and supplying energy to ideas that will help us grow. "I can't do that," versus "How could I do that differently?" illustrates this point. One version stops us, making us believe we've failed while the other version challenges us to think in a new way. Every inventor goes through the same process. Just think of what it took to invent the light bulb, but if Edison had stopped after only one attempt, the world would have missed out on a great invention.      Don't let the world miss out on the best version of you. And don't let yourself miss out on your best version of life. Use your thought power to program yourself for all you want to be, have or do and these are the things the subconscious will strive to bring into your life. Since belief systems can be very subtle yet have such wide reaching effects in our lives, join us for our next Arche program to learn step-by-step methods to work with your own subconscious and welcome great blessings into your life. Wishing you a life filled with great thoughts!   SANDY DALIEGE

A NEW BEGINNING How empty the cold-hearted path. How weary the ones who travel that path. Let down the Walls that Chain and Imprison You. Far too much energy has been wasted on those prisons. Take a Deep Breath, let go Your resistance and Relax for a change. Learn to Be Free Once Again. For of what are You afraid? Open Your Heart to the Love and Comfort that long to Ease Your burden. Welcome the Embrace of The Presence Within and Let the Healing Begin. Allow the ice crystals surrounding Your Heart to gently melt away, Leaving only The Radiance once more. For Radiance has Always resided within You, Merely shrouded by doubts and fears. Be Who You Are, but seek ever to bring out only the Best in Yourself. Let go of the impulse to seek and destroy, finding only fault in another. Far greater damage is done to You than the one to whom it was directed. For Anything can be picked apart until nothing remains … … but is this the Path to Follow? Destruction shrivels the Inner Being; Compassion Ignites It, causing The Soul to Blossom. Seek to Heal and Nurture, Creating Harmony where only dis-ease has existed. Allow Yourself to be Loved and Love Those Around You. Realize Your Worthiness. Realize Their Importance. Clear the Way for The Christ Within to Shine Once More Through You. Open Your Life to The Freedom and Bliss of The Love that Never Ends. SANDY DALIEGE