Today we ask that you look at things you stand strongly opposed to.

Many people live their lives in a state of opposition.  They derive their identities from it.

You might be opposed to a political party, to religious people, to corporations, to people in your family, to people you work with or for.

You spend a great deal of energy in opposition.  You obsess over these people.  You feel a sense of deep outrage.

But there is a paradox that most people are not aware of.

The things you oppose have a powerful influence over you.

And the angrier you are, the more outrage you feel, the more power you give to the very thing you oppose.

Many of you have seen the “Star Wars” films.  In those stories, the heroes are opposed to “The Empire,” which is ruled by the “Dark Side.”

However, when the hero Luke Skywalker battles against the villainous Darth Vader, Vader not only attacks Skywalker physically but emotionally — pushing Skywalker’s buttons to arouse feelings of anger and hatred.  Vader makes it clear that the more anger and hatred Skywalker feels, the more the “Dark Side” takes hold of him.  It is Skywalker’s challenge to remain calm and even compassionate toward Vader.  That is the only way to prevail.

There is a deep truth to this.

When you feel anger and hatred in opposition to something, in a very real way, the “Dark Side” is winning within you.  And this is true, no matter how justified your feelings of rage may be.

The people you oppose may be doing real harm in the world.  But when you are consumed by hatred directed toward such people, in a very real way, the harmful energy is winning.

It is best in this life to use your energy constructively.  Create the sane, loving world that you wish to live in, through your own self-expression.  If possible, do not get locked into angry disputes with other people.  This is a great energetic drain.

If you must take action against some who is behaving harmfully, do so without carrying rage or malice in your heart.

Try to cultivate neutral equanimity, or even compassion.  People who behave harmfully are usually ignorant and brainwashed.  Most of them have been conditioned and programmed to behave as they do, because of what they believe.

Mostly, people who engage in harmful action do so from a place of fear and rage.

That is why meeting them with fear and rage is so counterproductive.  That is how the “Dark Side” wins.  When you oppose people from a place of fear and rage, you may win the battle, but you will lose the war.

Do not form your identity in opposition to other people.

When you do so, you create a pattern by which you actually need these people in your life.  Otherwise, who would you be without them?  All professional pundits would be out of work if they did not have people to be opposed to.

Perhaps without this opposition forming your identity, you would actually be free to discover who you truly are.

You can do this right now, without anything external changing.  And it will open up so much energy for you.

Today we ask that you know you are not a victim.

Most humans identify themselves as victims, in one way or another.

They are victims of poor parenting.

They are victims because they do not have enough money.

They are victims because of their culture and society.

They are victims of illness and disease.

They are victims of addiction.

They are victims because of their race, gender, or sexuality.

They are victims because bad things happened to them in the past.

Really, there is no human alive who cannot claim to be victimized by something or other.

People are victims even of the weather.  It is too hot, it is too rainy.

When you listen to human conversation, the subject is usually victimhood.

Whenever someone complains, it is because he believes he is a victim.

People are victims of the government, and corporations.

People are victims of their genes.

Why do humans do this as much as they do?

Mainly, because victimhood is the ultimate defense mechanism.

Most people live life as if they were in a courtroom.  Religious people tend to believe that God is the Judge in this courtroom.  They believe they are rewarded and punished based on their “life record.”

Such beliefs are so deeply ingrained in humans, that even atheists walk around fearing the Great Judge. Only they do not call it God.  Even so, it is the same energy, alive in their consciousness.

So what is the ultimate defense in this courtroom?

“It wasn’t my fault, Judge!  There are extenuating circumstances!  Really, these other people are to blame!  Everything else is to blame!  But not me!”

Claiming the Victimhood Defense makes people feel a kind of safety.  It is a very miserable sort of safety, at best; and of course whatever safe feeling they feel by claiming victimhood is always fleeting.  Because when you’re a Victim, you’re constantly living in fear of further victimization — which is sure to come.

If you identify yourself as a Victim, then it is guaranteed that you will feel victimized by life.  Not a day will go by that you don’t feel victimized.

How could anything be different?  If Victimhood is your identity, then all your experiences will tend to reinforce your belief that you are a Victim.

What’s more, if Victimhood is your main defense against the Great Judge, whether externalized as “God” or internalized as the Inner Critic, then you will actually seek out and cultivate experiences of victimhood.

You will dwell on your victim experiences like an attorney gathering evidence for a case.  Your victim experiences are your defense, so you’ve always got them at the ready in your mind — ready to wave them at the Great Judge.  

Some people who worship Christ falsely perceive that Jesus was a Great Victim.  This is a total misinterpretation of the story.  Christ was in no way a victim.  All action was undertaken in full consciousness, by choice.  So please do not believe that your faith asks you to emulate Christ by identifying as a Victim.  

There are many races, religious groups, tribes, and sects whose collective identity is strongly rooted in Victimhood.  They seem themselves as persecuted peoples with a tragic history of extreme suffering.  This is perceived as giving them a kind of specialness — an extra line of defense against the Great Judge.  

It can sometimes even justify very questionable actions: “We are Victims, so it is our right to act violently toward those who would oppress and persecute us!  The Great Judge cannot condemn us for this!”  

Listen carefully.  

You are not a victim.

No matter what has happened to you, you are not a victim.

No matter who you are, you are not a victim.

One of the most crucial steps you can take in your existence is to stop identifying yourself as a victim.

This means taking full responsibility for who you are, right now in this moment.

This is always a frightening place to come to, initially.  When you drop your Victim identity, you feel naked and exposed before the Great Judge.  The Great Judge suddenly turns on you, shouting: “If no one else is to blame, then it is your fault!”  It can sometimes feel that you are going to be annihilated. 

If you sit with this, and do not resist, the storm will pass.  And a miracle will happen.

You will not be annihilated by the Great Judge.

You will actually begin to wake up in this life.  The “Great Judge” in your mind will lose all its power.  

When you stop blaming and complaining, when you stop attacking even the weather for making you miserable, when you stop saying to the world that you are a poor, helpless Victim of this, that, and the other…

… then you will begin to act as a conscious being.  Owning your life.  Owning your choices.

This is not meant to negate or minimize traumatic experiences.

But many people live out their whole lives from trauma.  The trauma may have happened fifty years ago, but they are still living it every day.  Because they identify as Victims, and that identity gives them an illusion of safety from the Great Judge, even as it keeps them stuck in misery.

Most humans, if you observe them, operate from Victimhood.  Ask them how they are today, and they will tell you about their Victimhood.  They do not know any better.

They assume that everyone is a Victim, just like them.

This is especially true of people who engage in predatory behavior.  Since it is a dog-eat-dog world, they will be the Victim who victimizes other Victims.  But even if you ask the big predatory bully how he is doing today, he will be sure to tell you what a great Victim he is.

Once you step out of it, it is fascinating to observe.  It is like the whole of humanity is under a spell in which everyone believes he is a Victim.  It doesn’t matter if he is rich or poor, male or female, young or old, liberal or conservative.  It doesn’t matter what race he is, or where he lives in the world.  Everywhere you go, people identify as Victims.

What would happen if you stopped doing this?  Really stopped doing this?

Well, for one thing, you would stop experiencing life through the lens of Victimhood.

You would be free.  And freedom is a very scary thing, for anyone who has lived as a slave.

But it is also the most incredible thing that can happen to any human.

Just becoming conscious of all the ways in which you and others perceive yourselves as Victims can be very illuminating.  It is the first step toward liberation.

Today we ask that you stop inviting the Destructive Voice to your party.

What does this mean?

Almost everyone has a Destructive Voice in his mind.  It is the Voice that says you are worthless, and life is hopeless.  It says many things, but almost always it is some variation on: “You are worthless; life is hopeless.”

You probably know this Voice.

Sometimes this Voice is in your head.  Sometimes it is externalized, as other people speak words of worthlessness, hopelessness, victimhood, judgment, shame, attack, and so on.  Nothing is ever good enough for that Voice.

This Voice often shows up when you want to expand your energy in some way.  It also shows up when you are feeling low.  It likes to claim it is your friend, and is only looking out for your interests.

That is a lie.  The Destructive Voice is not your friend.

Or if it is a friend, it is a horrible friend.

It is the “friend” that sees what you are wearing, and says you look fat or ugly.

It is the “friend” that tastes the meal you have prepared, and says it is terrible.

It is the “friend” that tells you not to bother dating because no one will ever love you and it is all pointless.

That’s not really a friend, now is it?  

Why would you invite this Voice over?  You know that it will only spoil your good time and make you feel miserable.

Most of you probably feel like you have no choice.  The Voice is always there.  It always shows up, sooner or later.  You cannot make it go away.

But actually, you can.

It requires effort, and takes time.  But you can get this Voice to leave you alone.

When you hear it starting to talk, shift the focus of your attention elsewhere.

That is why meditation is a useful practice.  It trains you not to get lost in the insane train of discursive thought associated with the Destructive Voice.  Instead of listening to whatever the Voice is saying, you learn to return to the sound of your breathing.  The Voice may scream and try to shout louder, but eventually, it dissipates.

The Destructive Voice always demands that you listen to it.  It especially loves to engage in argument.  People are always arguing with the Voice — it is quite insane.

Whatever you do, don’t argue with it.  That only feeds the Voice.  Arguing with the Voice is like fighting with someone covered in sticky tar.  The more you fight, the more you get stuck.

Just nod at it, and shift the focus of your attention elsewhere.  It is good to imagine the things and people you are grateful for in this life.  Instead of listening to the Voice, connect with energy that makes you feel good, that is loving and supportive.  One useful technique is to literally drown out the Voice by listening to music that makes you feel good and light.

Over time, as you become more skilled at this, the Destructive Voice will lose its hold over your consciousness.  You will no longer invite it to your party.

This is true for the Voice in your mind, and external voices of judgment, shame, victimhood, and hopelessness.  Just don’t give them airspace in your head.  Change the channel.  Yes, often you may be stuck listening to someone like this ramble on.  But as soon as you can, change the channel.  Play some music that makes you feel good.  Just don’t allow the Voice to fester and stew in your consciousness.

Anyone can learn to do this.  It just requires practice.

When you stop inviting the Destructive Voice to your party, your party gets so much happier.  Now all the friends who truly love you are free to speak, without that killjoy bad friend hanging around.  It’s a much better party.

When you stop listening to the Destructive Voice, your life becomes a party.  And even if you meet with adversity, you can pick yourself up quickly and shake it off, instead of stewing in misery with your horrible friend, the Destructive Voice.

When you learn to shift the focus of your attention to healthy, supportive energies — and stop listening to the Destructive Voice — everything changes for the better.

It is only the Destructive Voice that says otherwise.

Today we ask that you look at the ways you feed unhealthy energy, in your life.

Energy is a very simple thing.  It is all a matter of fuel.

If you wish to light a fire, or drive a car, or jog a mile, fuel is required.  Wood, gasoline, food — fuel converts to energy.  

Most people don’t understand this, but attention is a form of fuel.

This is obvious with small children.  When you pay attention to a child, your attention fuels whatever the child is doing in that moment.  Sometimes this can be unhealthy, as when the child discovers that tantrums are a way to get attention.  Wise parents learn that the best way to stop the pattern of the tantrum-ing toddler is to cut off the flow of parental attention.

So you can see that attention is a very potent form of fuel.

This is especially true on the subtle, energetic level.  In ways that you cannot directly perceive, your attention fuels your life experiences — both positive, and negative.

Say, for example, that some person’s behavior is really upsetting you.  You may know this person, or it may be someone you don’t know, like a politician.

By obsessing over this person’s behavior, by giving it your attention and directing your heated emotions toward it, you are unwittingly fueling this person.  You are unwittingly feeding energy to the very thing you do not like.   

The most intelligent action you can take, when it comes to unhealthy energy patterns, is to withdraw your attention from them.

This may sound irresponsible — like you are “ignoring the problem.”  How will problems go away, if you do not pay attention to them, and fight them?

As counterintuitive as it may sound, rest assured that giving your attention to unhealthy energy patterns only feeds the disruptive pattern.  

Obnoxious people and political pundits thrive on attention.  If people ignored them, they would have no power.  

Think of withdrawing your attention from an unhealthy person as a kind of “boycott,” or “economic sanction.”

Historically, a way to undermine a destructive regime or corporation is by denying them economic energy, through a boycott or sanction.  It is a highly effective tactic.

Do the same with the destructive people in your life — whether you deal with them directly, or not.

Stop giving them your attention.  Institute an “Attention Boycott.”

That does not mean you “ignore the problem,” or stop interacting with them.

It just means that you spend no more than an absolute minimum amount of time thinking about these people, especially when you are not engaged in direct action in terms of dealing with them.

You do not obsess over them.  You do not spend time reading about what they’re up to online.  You do not gossip about them with your friends.  You do not talk about how horrible they are.

You spend the minimum amount of time necessary to effectively deal with them.  And then you move on.  You spend the rest of your life creating the beautiful reality that you wish to live in.

This is deep magic.  If you starve unhealthy energy of attention, it will eventually go away.

Try it.  Try an “Attention Boycott” with destructive energies.  Refuse to feed that energy, beyond the absolute minimum required to take effective action.  Institute an energetic sanction against unhealthy energy in your life.

One thing you will notice right away, is a huge amount of resistance.  Like tantrum-ing toddlers, when you first choose to ignore a destructive energy, it will usually scream much louder.  But if you hold strong, eventually it will quiet down.

Use your energy wisely.  Do not feed the things that you do not like with your attention.  Use your attention to create good things.

If you follow this, it will transform your existence.

Today we ask that you sit with people who are very triggering for you.

Sit with them, in your mind.

They may be members of a political party whose ideology you find abhorrent, or oppressive.

They may be people you know, whose very presence, for one reason or another, you cannot stand.

They may be people who abused or wronged you in the past, or abused or wronged someone you love.

They are “hot button” people.  You cannot even think of them without feeling agitated, without your emotional body feeling inflamed.

It is easy sometimes to believe that this world would be a better place, if all those oppressive people disappeared.

It is hard sometimes to believe that a loving universe would allow these people to cause so much harm and damage to others, and the world.  How can one reconcile faith in a loving universe, when there are so many destructive people in the world?

This is not easy.

Violence begets violence.  People who are raised in abusive or violent environments often become violent and abusive.  It is all they know.

It is useful to think of this phenomenon more like a disease, than a moral deficiency.

You do not have the same kind of judgments around diseases, that you do about people you deem morally deficient in some way.

But really, anyone who engages in destructive behavior toward others, themselves, or the world is, in fact, unwell.  That is a sign of sickness.

If you learned that someone you consider to be abhorrent or destructive had a brain tumor that caused this behavior, would you judge him in the same way?

If you found out that a corrupt politician had a brain tumor, or that an abusive parent had a brain tumor, would you judge him in the same way?

In truth, all humans have a “brain tumor.”  All human have the capacity for destructive behavior.  Only in some humans, this tumor is very big — so big that it continuously affects the consciousness.  In other humans, this tumor is small, and only causes symptoms on rare occasions.  In a very few “enlightened” humans, the tumor is gone altogether.

The great work of mankind, at this time, is to cure the collective human “brain tumor.”

This will not happen by wishing that destructive individuals ceased to exist.

It happens when you cure yourself.  Your main task is to shrink down your own brain tumor, so that you no longer engage in destructive behavior.

One way to do this is not to get hung up on the behavior of people who are very diseased in their consciousness.

Violence begets violence; but healing begets healing.

The more you heal yourself, the more of a light you shall be in this world.  You will heal others merely through your presence.  You will become a great physician.

So as you sit with your “hot button” people, instead of labeling them as morally deficient or evil, think of them instead as people with very large brain tumors, who really are not in control of their actions.

In fact, deep down, there is a part of those people that is very horrified by their actions — and yet because the brain tumor is so big, they cannot stop themselves.  Perhaps you have been gripped by a compulsive behavior that you knew was bad for you, but you could not stop yourself.  That is what the “brain tumor” is like for destructive people.

Obviously, if you were to interact with someone with a brain tumor that made them behave violently or abusively, you would take precautions.  You would understand that you need to keep very strong boundaries with such a person.  You might even be required to place them within a controlled environment, so that they could not inflict harm on themselves, or others.

But you would no longer judge them as immoral, bad, mean, stupid, or evil.

And doing so will help you immensely, as you interact with such people — even in your mind.

For when you attack people for being immoral, bad, mean, stupid, or evil, you are unwittingly feeding your own brain tumor.  Making it bigger.  And before you know it, you may start behaving just as destructively as the people you judge as mean or bad.

In general, it is wise not to get obsessed over the behavior of sick, destructive individuals.  Obviously take action to protect the innocent.  But labeling people as “evil” will do no good.

Just work on healing your own consciousness.  That is always the wisest action.

Today we ask that you take precautions around illness, and toxic energy.

The best way to stay healthy is to cultivate a strong immune system.  You have a physical immune system, and a subtler, energetic immune system.  These immune systems are completely linked.

It is useful to think of the immune system as a kind of fuel tank.  It is wise to keep your reserves high.

What fills the tank?  All acts of loving self-care.  Eating well, sleeping well, engaging in healthy physical exercise, spending time outdoors, giving yourself relaxation time — all these things strengthen the immune system.  Spiritual exercise, like meditation, also strengthens the immune system.

Very few people in your world are truly healthy.

Most people are sick.  Many carry around chronic forms of physical and mental illness.  That is why the pharmaceutical industry prospers.  This could only occur in a chronically sick society.  

Mental illness, it should be said, is no less contagious than physical illness.  Physical illness spreads through the transmission of harmful germs.  Mental illness spreads through the transmission of harmful ideas.  Television and the internet allow the widespread transmission of harmful ideas.

If your physical immune system is strong, then you can be exposed to harmful germs without getting sick.

If your physical immune system is weak, due to poor nutrition or exhaustion, then it is likely you will get ill when exposed to harmful germs.

If your psychic immune system is strong, then you can be exposed to harmful ideas without getting sick.

If your psychic immune system is weak, then exposure to harmful ideas will trigger mental illness.

The symptoms of contagious mental illness are feelings of chronic panic or anxiety, and depression.

A harmful idea is any idea that convinces you that people are defective and broken, that you are defective and broken, or that reality itself is defective and broken.  It is any idea that triggers attack thoughts, directed toward the self, others, or reality.  

By this definition, most people think harmful thoughts most of the time, and thus are chronically mentally ill — and this is true.  Most people in your world suffer from mental illness, on a mild to severe scale.  That is why so many people require medication in order to function.  It is not because their physiology is defective.  It is because they have been infected with mental illness, often in childhood by their own parents.

It is very possible to cultivate mental health, just as you cultivate physical health.

You know that if you are depleted and rundown, you are more likely to catch a cold when exposed to sick people.

It is the same with the mind.  You can keep your mind healthy by limiting exposure to the mentally ill, especially when you are depleted and rundown.

Make an effort to limit exposure to people who constantly complain about how terrible life is, who constantly attack or criticize other people, or who attack, shame, and criticize you.  While it is impossible to avoid exposure to all such people, it is important to take precautions.

To whatever degree it is possible, limit your exposure to such people, especially when you are depleted and rundown.  One thing you can do is to limit what you take in on TV and the internet.  If you have a friend on Facebook who constantly complains and attacks, do not subscribe to that person’s feed.  

Since it is impossible to avoid harmful energy in the world, the single best thing you can do is to keep the house of your mind and body clean.  Eat well, get adequate rest and relaxation, exercise the body.  Meditate.  Cultivate relationships with people who are loving, encouraging, and supportive.  Limit relationships with people who are attacking, discouraging, and negative — especially if you are susceptible to physical illness, or conditions of anxiety and depression.

Understanding that mental illness is actually a contagious phenomenon, no different from a cold, can be a major step toward cultivating health.

Today we ask that you investigate your belief in untruths that other people say.

People rarely speak the truth.  Mostly people tell stories.  And stories, you know, are fiction.  It does not make them liars.  But everyone has their own point of view about things; everyone only knows what he has been taught.

As a child, your parents and teachers taught you a lot of fiction.  

For example, you may have been told that Santa Claus would give you gifts if you were a good child and did your chores.  You may have been told that Santa Claus denies gifts to bad children.

You may have been told that Jesus loves little children, and they go to Heaven.  But bad people suffer forever in Hell.

Your parents may have told you that you were lazy and you wouldn’t get anywhere in life unless you worked harder.  They may have scolded you for your physical appearance, for hanging out with the wrong friends, for reading comic books or playing video games when you should have been using your time productively.

Children believe what they are told.  Even if it is a made-up story like Santa Claus, children will believe a parent who speaks with authority.

As you grow up, you begin to see your parents are wrong about many things.  You know that Santa Claus is not real.  By adolescence, you may have discovered how very false your parents’ worldview is.  

And yet even knowing all this, people still go on believing the things authority figures say.

You may still believe that if you weigh too much no one will like you, that your curly hair needs to be straightened, or that you are an unmotivated, lazy person — all because some parent or authority figure said so, possibly many years ago.

You may look at your parents and know in your heart that you do not wish to live the way they do, even if you love them and feel compassion for them.  Even so, you listen to their advice.  You cringe at their judgments.

Here is a good rule:

If someone lives a life that you admire, if someone projects a very good energy for you, then it wise to listen to such a person.  Do not think you need to do what they do, for you are unique, and must find your own way of doing things.  But such a person, you may be open to.

If someone is miserable, unhealthy, and always complaining about life; if someone makes you feel unpleasant in your energy, then definitely do not listen to that person — especially when he judges and criticizes.

Use your discernment in this matter.  See how you feel in your body, when someone says something to you, or gives you advice, or is critical, or speaks judgments about someone else.  Hear people out, but check in with yourself.  Be very honest with yourself about how your energy feels.

If you interact with someone and feel bad during or afterward, most likely it is because you are believing untruths that this person is saying — about yourself, other people, or reality.

Do not listen to miserable, complaining people, even if you love them.  You may attempt to help, but be cautious.  If someone is gripped in a deeply negative state, there is nothing you can say that will not arouse further hostility.  Often with such people it is good to say as little as possible, and quickly go about your business.  Certainly do not believe them.  Clear your energy field after such an interaction, by asking that all harmful energy and thought forms be cleared from your field, and returned to where they belong.

Cultivate relationships with people who make you feel wonderful.  Limit relationships with people you don’t feel good around.

And really look at these things people say, that you just accept and believe without question.  Most of what people say isn’t true.  It’s just a story, like Santa Claus.

Today we ask that you be careful about what you wish for.

It is an old saying, and has some truth to it.

Reality is a highly plastic, fluid, interactive medium that adapts to consciousness.

There is no separation between your consciousness, your energy field, and what appears to be external reality.

There is no hard line between you, other beings, and the world.  It is all a continuum.  All a matter of degree.

For example, say you have a pet cat.  You and your pet cat have an energetic relationship in which there is a consciousness continuum between You, and The Cat.

On side is You.  On the other side is The Cat.  But between you is a space that contains some You-ness, and some Cat-ness.  It is an energetic field that links You, and the The Cat, and contains a mixture of both your energies.

That is why often you may come home and find your cat waiting for you at the door.   People who observe cats going to wait at the front door see that they do so often several minutes before their owners arrive.  That is because Owner and Cat are energetically linked.

So what is this all about?  It is an illustration of the plasticity and fluidity of reality.  As quantum physicists understand, you cannot separate the Observer from the Observed.  Conscious observation changes the nature of matter itself on a very subtle level.

Many people talk about “manifestation,” and they are tangentially referring to this phenomenon.  Understood simply, manifestation is the act of wishing for something, and finding that the wish comes true, often in a mysterious, non-causal manner.

People frequently get frustrated in their attempts to “manifest,” because they do not get what they want.  And then they lose faith and say the whole thing is nonsense.

The problem is that people tend to think about manifestation in terms of Newtonian physics, but really it is a quantum effect.

In Newtonian physics, there is simple causality.  A triggers B triggers C.  In quantum physics, things are non-causal.  A triggers B triggers X.  This is a very simplistic description.  But is accounts for why many people who want to manifest “C” instead wind up with “X.”

Really the issue is that what you think of as “You” is only the tip of a vast iceberg that is the total “You Consciousness Field,” some of which is outside you and mingled with your cat and your boyfriend and your parents.

The tip of the iceberg may make wishes until it is blue in the face.  But if the rest of the iceberg isn’t on board, something else will happen.  That is because reality, in all its plasticity, responds to the whole iceberg, not just the tip.

To put it simply, if you wish to get a promotion at work (the tip of the iceberg), but you also believe that  “You’re worthless and don’t deserve nice things” (the rest of the iceberg), the promotion will not be forthcoming.  Reality will respond to what most of the iceberg is saying, not the tip.

That is why in order to effect powerful positive change in your life experience, you must go beneath the surface of the waves of consciousness and see what the big submerged part of your iceberg is up to.  What do you really believe?  Are there energies within your consciousness field that don’t even belong to you, but really belong to your parents or family?  Those parts may not be on board with your wishes.

Furthermore, if your wish comes from a desire for ego gratification, rather than heart and spirit, you may get what you wish for, but it will energetically backfire in some way.

For example: you may get the promotion, but the new job responsibilities only make you stressed and miserable.  That way, the big part of your iceberg that believes “You are worthless and don’t deserve nice things” will be satisfied.  

Delving into the submerged part of the iceberg is tricky, subtle work.  But it can have an enormous impact on your life experience.  Just be mindful in this work, and make sure it is connected to your heart and spirit.

This is not to make you frightened and superstitious about your thoughts.  Thinking “I’m scared of getting cancer” does not mean you are going to manifest cancer.  It is not so simplistic and causal as all that.

However, carrying around a lot of self-hating, shame-based beliefs directed toward your physical body can, over a long period of time, trigger physical illness.  Is such a thing really all that surprising?

Beliefs about shame, guilt, and worthlessness are massive energetic blocks.  If the submerged part of your iceberg is steeped with shame energy, the little tip of your iceberg can wish for joyful experiences all year long, and never feel like it gets what it wants.

There is no human being alive on this planet who is worthless.  Even the worst criminal is not worthless.  Chances you are not a terrible criminal.  So all that shame you may carry around is something you must drop, because shame has a way of warping reality.

That is why you must be careful what you wish for — if you are someone who carries around a lot of shame and self-hatred.

If you really, truly love yourself, and are in alignment with your heart and spirit — then wish away!  Miraculous things can and do happen.

Today we ask that you recognize the difference between power and force.

In this case, “force” can be viewed as using force to “make things happen” or “get what you want.”

Power, on the other hand, requires no force.

For example, a powerful idea is one that easily and naturally spreads among people, without “publicity” or “marketing.”

This is very different from propaganda, or marketing.  Propaganda and marketing uses force to hammer concepts and beliefs into people’s minds — often concepts that are not true.

The core wisdom of the Buddha, or the Christ — those are powerful ideas.   “Do unto others,” “Love thy neighbor”  — these are powerful ideas.

Government propaganda promoting dictatorial regimes in Soviet Russia or Communist China — those are force-driven ideologies.

Marketing in the 1950’s that promoted the idea that “Smoking a particular brand of cigarettes is healthy for you” — that was a force-driven ideology.

Ultimately, as in Soviet Russia or with the healthy cigarettes, force-driven ideologies always collapse.

This is true at the macro and micro scale.

A truly powerful individual does not need to force his way on anyone.

People who use force to get what they want are not powerful.  In fact, the use of force is an expression of powerlessness.  No one is more powerless than a bully.

If you wish to stand in true power, you must let go of your belief in force.

This is a very hard lesson for people to grasp.  That is because force appears to be effective.  The person who screams and threatens and bullies often appears to prosper and get his way.

Beyond that, “making things happen at any cost” is considered strong and virtuous.  

For example, many professional athletes have been known to use drugs to achieve goals.  While technically illegal and frowned upon, society is quite hypocritical about these techniques, as athletes are lauded for superhuman achievements.  It considered normal and virtuous that athletes should push their bodies past the bounds of health in order to achieve goals.  Drug use follows logically from this belief.

This is because forcing and pushing are considered virtuous.  “No pain, no gain,” goes the saying.

People must be forced to meet goals.  You must force people to achieve.  Children must be forced to behave and work hard in school.

This comes from a fundamentally negative belief system about human beings.  Humans, left to their own devices, are shiftless and lazy and immoral.  If you do not use force, civilization will collapse.

Such beliefs are often taken for granted, and not questioned.

But really, this belief is insane, and unnatural.

One does not use force to make a tree grow faster, to meet a tree-growth goal.  

Then again, humans are bound to create genetically modified trees that they can force to grow faster to meet goals.  

Never mind that such tampering can and does cause genetic damage and disease.  Humans are already  dealing with many unpleasant consequences of all their technological methods of “making things happen” and “getting what they want at any cost.”

Please understand that the use of force is harmful.

In fact, the use of force has a way of backfiring, every time.

It backfires for the professional athletes who take drugs.  Even if they aren’t caught, they wreak havoc on their long-term health.

It backfires for dictatorial regimes.  Though they may temporarily succeed, at great human cost, they never achieve the “Thousand Year Reich” they envision.  

It backfires in offices, schools, and homes.  It destroys relationships, and causes people to resent each other and feel violated.  Worst of all, it trains children to grow into adults who spend their lives doing things because they “have to, or else.”  The human spirit rebels at this.  Many humans become physically and mentally ill because of this.  

A powerful person always leads by example, and inspiration.

A powerful person does not scream at children, or subordinates.  A powerful person does not resort to the use of carrots and sticks, rewards and punishments, however effective these tools may appear to be.

A powerful person inspires.  That is how a powerful person motivates: through inspiration, not bullying, not guilt.  A powerful person, by taking inspired actions, inspires others to do the same.

Of course, the first step to becoming a powerful person is to stop listening to the bully in your own mind.  Stop forcing yourself to do things.  Take action from a place of inspiration, not “I have to, or else.”

If you are someone who feels like you don’t have enough energy, know that the use of force is a great energy drain, an energy-waster.

Powerful action conserves energy.  It is in alignment with the flow of the universe, and so draws from a limitless source.

Forceful action is not in alignment with the universe, and so draws from a limited source.

Forceful action may be equated with petroleum-based fuel.

Powerful action may be equated with solar fuel.

One is limited, and harmful.  The other is limitless, and harmless.

Which sounds better to you?

Today we ask that you resist entropy.  

Entropy is the force that causes things to break down into lower stages of development and energy.  It is the force that breaks down complex patterns into a formless mess.  

Entropy is always with you.  It is the dust that accumulates in your home.  It is the mildew in your bathroom.  It is the pile of unpaid bills and clutter on your desk.  It is the bacteria that forms in your mouth when you do not brush your teeth.  It is the muscle that atrophies because you do not exercise it.  It is the root of the aging process.  It causes all things to break down and decay.

It is a part of life, in your reality.  It is not evil.  It has its place and purpose.

However, it is important to resist entropy.

Life wishes to grow into ever more complex and beautiful patterns.  If you do not resist entropy, then such patterns cannot take shape.  Things cannot grow and evolve in an atmosphere of excessive entropy.

At the same time, if you found yourself in a low entropy external environment — let’s say a place in which robots did all the cleaning, fed and clothed you, and you were required to do nothing more than watch TV or play video games all day — another form of entropy would set in.  You would atrophy mentally and physically.  

So you see, entropy is everywhere.  It is a constant.

It is the resistance to entropy that causes life to develop in such beautiful and complex patterns.  The life force has a natural strong resistance to entropy.  Life wants to live, to grow, to expand, in spite of the entropic force which continually erodes it.

It is good, in life, to align yourself with the life force, and not the entropic force.

The entropic force can also be called the death force.  Again, it is not evil.  It is a part of the balance of things.

Aligning yourself with the life force means actively resisting entropy.

So — you brush your teeth, and clean your home, and feed your body nourishing food.  You exercise.  All these things align yourself with the life force, by resisting entropy.

People who surrender to entropy stop taking care of themselves.  A drug addict, for example, surrenders to entropy.  Anyone dealing with addiction is surrendering to entropy.  Anyone who knowingly causes harm to himself or others is surrendering to the entropic force.

Some days, it is relatively easy to resist the entropic force.  Other days, it seems nearly impossible.  This happens to everyone.

The main thing is to resist.  Even just a little bit.  Even the smallest bit of resistance against the entropic force is enough to set you back on the path of life, growth, and expansiveness.

In life, you will encounter individuals who have essentially allied themselves with the entropic force.  People who knowingly exploit others, who knowingly destroy the environment, who exist to tear down and attack other people’s good work, who constantly speak words of attack, hopelessness, and futility — such people are effectively functioning as agents of entropy.

Fortunately, in this world at the present time there are more people on the side of the life force than the entropic force, even if the margin seems narrow.  And that is why humanity evolves as it does, and consciousness and tolerance expands.  

So please resist entropy.  Resist, even if you are weary of doing so.  Like with any exercise, the more you resist, the stronger your muscles become.  Make your anti-entropic muscles very strong.  Then you can really start to create in this world.