GOD IS a Verb. GOD IS…I AM

   Have you ever walked into a room and suddenly become aware of an uncomfortable presence of heaviness?  Or, maybe things were fine, but when a particular person entered the room, the energy of the place started to shift.  Perhaps things were going smoothly, and then “he” or “she” called and you found yourself feeling annoyed, anxious, or depressed?  What is it about certain people that brings in such a heavy, bothersome feeling?  In Eckhart Tolle’s book,  A New Earth, he refers to this as the “pain-body.”

Tolle writes:

     Any negative emotion that is not fully faced and seen for what it is in the moment it arises does not completely dissolve.  It leaves behind a remnant of pain.

It actually is made of energy…and unaddressed negative energy remains a part of the person until it has been removed.  It attracts more of the same.  Repeated negative emotions are stored as blocks in the physical body, and the congestion disrupts the natural flow of good energy.  Most people think negative experiences are momentary.  We have them, and then they pass.  That isn’t true. A memory that is stored with strong emotions attached to it does not leave your body automatically.  You may not realize it is there, but it is.  If the energy is not removed, it shows up in various ways…a disease, a problem, a heaviness that seems to doom the person to nothing but more tragedy. 

A person or group of people who have consistently been exposed to a lot of negative experiences will often have a very heavy pain-body.  In fact, the energy around them is so intense, other people can feel it, but they don’t know exactly what it is.  They only know that heavy feeling arrives at the same time a particular person or group of people arrive.  You are particularly aware of this if you are an empath or if you have honed your psychic abilities, although a powerful pain-body is generally sensed by everyone in the vicinity of that person/those people. 

If you are a person with a history of negative memories or if you know someone who is, you might be wondering if anything can be done about it.  My answer would be yes, but it will require the person or people involved to be willing to allow change.

I know one particular person who carries a lot of sorrow/pain from the past events of her life.  Many people feel extremely uncomfortable with her pain-body.  For a lot of them, it is so intense they choose to avoid being near her.  Because she has chosen to replay her past stories as her identity, there is nothing I can really do to help her lighten this energy.  Please let me say, here, that I do not believe a person who is carrying such energy should be further punished.  It does nothing but add to their story of injustice, torture, abuse, abandonment, and intolerance.  If you are able to withstand their energy, it does them a great service to be in the presence of your love.  At the very least, you can simply sit in the Presence and let it pass.  They might choose to buy into your beliefs and energy, or the brightness of your love may push them away from you.  In any case, it is their choice.

People who repeatedly tell their stories of woe, drawing attention from them, may find themselves so wrapped up in the identity of being a victim they don’t realize they have the option of choosing something else.  They may, in fact, enjoy the attention they are getting by claiming to be victimized.  They pull in other people who share this story of “poor me.”  It is who they are.  This is not to say they are weak, stupid, vain or manipulative.  They may have every right to feel anger or sadness about the events of their lives.  But rather than deal with these experiences in a responsible way, they feel overwhelmed or powerless in them, and they choose, instead, to feed them by constantly reliving them through the retelling of the unjust events of their lives.  They are probably not even aware this is happening.  This is the pull of the ego, and it is within all of us.  I’ve done this, myself, so I’m not here to judge anyone who has also fallen prey to this trap.  What we need to realize, however, is there is another option.  We can choose to identify with something else.  We can take responsibility for our lives, knowing it is rewarded with empowerment. 

Tolle recommends the pain-body and the personal identity be separated.  He often talks about the basket we carry around in life.  In the basket are all our stories…our memories of the events in our lives.  In time, we identify with the basket.  We become it.  He never suggests a person should ignore or dismiss a painful past, and in fact, he says we need to “be” with that feeling.  Observe it, yes, but don’t become it!  Don’t be sad–have sorrow.  Don’t be angry–have anger.  There is a distinct difference.  Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a wonderful tool to remove the energy around such experiences, and I highly recommend the use of it to those who are seeking to reduce the pain-body in their own experience.  Just as Tolle suggests, EFT practitioners agree that in order to remove the energy of a negative experience, we must first be with it.  As we see it for what it is–the negative energy of resistance–we can loosen the grip and clear the congestion it has caused in our experience.  Are you ready to lighten your load?  Then remember you are merely carrying the basket…it isn’t who you are. 

You are God, Being.  That is also true of those who carry a wounded pain-body.  Next time you are in the presence of such energy, try to remember that heaviness is not who they really are, it is simply an enormous basket of negative energy they are pulling around with them.  Maybe your calm and loving presence will be the reminder of who they really are.  Perhaps you can help them see they are not the basket, they are only carrying it.

I want to close with a story Tolle shares in his book.  I think this says it all.

     Two Zen monks, Tanzan and Ekido, were walking along a country road that had become extremely muddy after heavy rains.  Near a village, they came upon a young woman who was trying to cross the road, but the mud was so deep it would have ruined the silk kimono she was wearing.  Tanzan at once picked her up and carried her to the other side.

     The monks walked on in silence.  Five hours later, as they were approaching the lodging temple, Ekido couldn’t restrain himself any longer.  “Why did you carry that girl across the road?” he asked.  “We monks are not supposed to do things like that.”

     “I put the girl down hours ago,” said Tanzan.  “Are you still carrying her?” 

I AM…Jodi
www.godisaverb.com/blog

If you are in the Austin, Texas area, this weekend, DO NOT MISS OUT!!!  The happening place to be is the World Wellness Weekend event.  Michael Franti, Marianne Williamson, Marci Shimoff, John Gray, Joe Vitale, and many more will be there.  It is a fun and educational event, and you will be so glad you attended.  There is way too much to tell you about it, but you can click here (http://www.worldwellness.org/Index.asp) and it will explain. 

Here is the price information from their site:

<<All inclusive Sat./Sun. Passes are $59 advance, $65 at the door (if available).  Single Day reserved seats are $39 advance, $45 at the door (if available).  All reserved seats for the Evening Programs include FREE Expo day passes for admission into all events for that day.  Single Day Expo day passes are $15-available at the door or in advance.  Expo Day Passes include admission to all  WWW events until 7:30pm on Sat. and 6:30pm on Sun.  Kids under 12 admitted to Expo FREE with adult.  Fri. Evening Opening Celebration passes will only be available at the door for $15/person. (You can order these online). >>

The beautiful and talented Dene’ Ballantine (the master who certified me as an EFT practitioner) will be speaking on Saturday, starting at noon.  You will find her in Meeting Room 2.  She also has a booth (#104) where she will be selling the Try It On Everything DVDs. 

I’ll see you there!!!!

I AM…Jodi
www.godisaverb.com/blog

   Meditation is an art, and it takes practice to create a masterpiece.  Yet, I find those who practice going within often repeat the same process, without really getting the full benefit.  At any rate, just taking a few minutes to get quiet is beneficial, but true meditation is an ongoing journey which should be taking the practitioner further and further away from the illusion of mortality.

The most important thing to remember, when meditating, is that it is not a prayer.  In prayer, we talk and God listens.  In meditation, we listen.  The goal is to spend more time in the space between thoughts.  If you are a beginner, you will notice the “voice in your head” is constantly rambling, and you will find it hard to get quiet.  Your thoughts will stray.  Don’t give up!  The longer you do this, the quieter the voice gets.  It will finally “give up,” because you aren’t listening.  You are training yourself to listen to something else, and that will take some time.  Practice a few minutes, each day, and you will start to see improvement.

While those who are new to meditation do well with guided forms–and I always recommend this as a starting place, the more advanced practitioner wants less and less audio input.  I, myself, personally like some type of soft bells or gentle sounds created with bowls because it helps to drown out distracting noises, but if there is a voice included, I find it bothers me.  Again, if you are just starting to practice meditation, don’t hesitate to use the CDs that guide you.  This is a good place to begin as it helps you learn to quiet the ego’s constant thoughts.

I’ve been witness to wonderful group meditations, but more often, I find they really aren’t meditations at all.  So, for me, this is best done alone.  At first, you might just set aside 10 minutes each day, but, as you get better and better, you will probably find yourself wanting to remain in that state for up to an hour.  Thirty minutes is a good compromise.

When I first started meditating, I used guided imagery tapes.  Those who have heard these know what I’m talking about. You take a few deep breaths, relax in a chair, and close your eyes.  You generally are told to imagine you are on a beach, in a forest, in the mountains, next to a stream, or walking through a meadow.  In the background, you may hear the sounds of rain, ocean waves, birds, etc.  At first, many people discover doing this puts them to sleep.  Well, at least you are relaxed, huh?  Don’t stop, just because it puts you to sleep.  In time, that will not happen.

As I got better at this and no longer slept through it all, I moved on to just listening to soft music (often with the added chirping, water or stormy weather noises included), with no voice telling me what I should be imagining.  I would create, in my mind, my own scene.  What I found, however, was that I would be picturing myself high on a mountaintop in New Mexico, but the ocean waves were crashing on the beach!  That didn’t work.  I realized, at that point, I would have to design my own program.  I actually recorded my own voice, describing the scene I most identified with, and added the appropriate sounds in the background.  That served its purpose for quite a while.

Improving, I no longer needed any of the typical music.  I started using the Holosync meditation CDs.  Bill Harris, creator of the process, put together the audio forms that stimulate the brain to create more delta and theta waves.  I remember when I first starting using Holosync.  I found I couldn’t sleep and, in fact, it made me feel rather anxious!  However, in a few days, things settled down, and I then could quickly get into the deeper levels of quieting the mind.  Harris explains why this happens, in the materials he sends with the CD.  If you are interested in this, you can get a free CD sent to you to hear it.  Harris is quite a genius and offers wonderful information, but he often overwhelms people with his vast knowledge.  I do love the Holosync CDs, though.

In time, I started to understand that true meditation is so powerful because it takes the practitioner out of the mind and into the heart.  I read Drunvalo Melchizedek’s book on heart-based meditation (merkaba), and loved his process of visualization.  He encourages the reader to get out of the third-eye location (the space between the eyes) and into the heart.  It was then I realized how powerful meditation is!  Once you are fully in the emotion of Love, things start to happen!

Today, when I meditate, I use chimes or bowls as the buffer to noise.  I relax and breathe deeply.  I think of all those I know and love.  I immediately visualize my heart center and in an instant begin to expand the vibration of love I feel in that space.  As the love grows in intensity, I lose awareness of my body.  I feel my perfection as the All-in-All.  The longer I stay in that feeling place, the more intense the feeling of love.  I usually have tears rolling down my face, when I’m in this state of being.  It is so beautiful, words do no justice.  In certain instances, I move into a different consciousness, and on rare occasions, I lose all sense of separation.  This is where heaven is experienced as here and now.  If you do this only once, you will never, ever view life the same.  You will truly know how everything is connected and is really just one, Being.

I hope you practice meditating.  It is never too late to start!  If you have been meditating for a while, I would love to know your experience.  How does it work for you?  What process do you follow?  Have you ever had an ananda?

Deepak Chopra, to me, offers the best meditations.  You can visit his website to learn more.  His CDs will help you learn the process of getting quiet by teaching you to focus on certain sounds and your breathing.  He is now sending out 10 minute meditations to use during break time, so there is no excuse not to do this daily! 

No matter what kind of meditation you choose for yourself, I hope you realize how important it is to take time out for quieting the mind, every day.  When we move away from ego and into oneness, we discover who we really are.

Take time out for yourself, today.  Go within.  All those things you’ve been working so hard to figure out with your mind can be answered in your heart. 

I AM…Jodi
www.godisaverb.com/blog

     A few years ago, while teaching in an alternative school, I was blessed to know a very beautiful and quiet young lady I’ll call Julie.  She was one of my best students, and she was quite popular.  Every morning, when I would arrive, she’d be sitting outside the classroom door.  She always greeted me with a smile and a compliment.

One morning, she followed me into my classroom and softly asked if she could talk to me.  I’m not sure why she chose me, but I was glad to listen.  I invited her to sit next to my desk, as I pushed aside the mountain of papers stacked on the corner.  She sat down and explained she had learned she was pregnant a few weeks earlier, and even though her parents were not happy about it, they had come to terms with it.  She was very happy and excited about  the pregnancy, and had no concerns over being a teenage parent.  Her parents had even agreed to help her out.  Nonetheless, the previous day, she had miscarried.  I saw the tears well in her eyes, as she came to terms with her loss.  She went on to say she had already become very attached to the idea of being a mother, and had imagined her life with her new baby.  She was deeply grieving the loss of the child.  I told her I could understand her pain, because I, too, had once miscarried a child.

“Julie, I can’t explain why things like this happen,” I said. “Maybe the timing wasn’t right.  Perhaps, later on, you will be a better mother because you will have completed your goals and dreams first.  Maybe the body of the child was not as it should be and it was best to wait for another one.  I only know that this child will come back to you another time.”

 She nodded her head and told me her parents and priest had already told her she would have other children in the future.  That was of some comfort to her, but it didn’t really lessen the pain she felt about losing this baby.

“No,” I explained, “that isn’t what I mean.  I’m not saying you will have other children, in the future.  I’m saying this child will be a part of your life in the future.”

She looked up, and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

I told her I believed that same soul would come to her at another time–not just another one–but that exact same one.  If she and the child were meant to be together, they would be.  I said there might have been many reasons the soul decided not to come into being at that particular moment, but something had caused him/her to change his/her mind.  However, at some point in the future, it would happen.  That same soul would find a way to be a part of her life. 

Her eyes lit up as she understood. It was as if we shared a special secret. 

“Thank you for telling me that,” she said.

Just as quietly as she had come into the room, she left.  I saw her many more times, after that day.  She was no longer so sad, but held an aura of expectation and joy.  She went on to do well on her assessment tests, and left to go back into a regular school setting.  I saw her a year later, and she was on the verge of graduating from high school, and was looking forward to attending college.

I told her this story because I had a similar experience when I was only 23 years old.  My first daughter was born when I was only twenty, and I wanted her to have a sibling.  I had been trying to get pregnant for a few months, and when I showed the first signs of pregnancy, I was so happy. The doctor’s appointment was scheduled for the next week so I could confirm what I already knew was true.  I was soon to have my second child!  Everything inside me told me it was another girl.  I calculated the day of delivery and realized my baby would be born around the time of my mother’s birthday.  I could hardly wait to tell her my news! 

One day, however, I was outside with my little girl, Peyton, playing.  She was only 3 years old, and the light of my life.  We were running down the graveled road, playing chase.  She squealed with delight as I pretended to miss her.  She ran ahead of me and I chased after her.  Then, it happened.  She abruptly stopped in front of me.  To avoid knocking her down, I instinctively dove over her.  I landed hard, on my belly.  Hours later, I began to bleed, and before the sun set, I had lost the baby. I cried and cried, that night.  I really, really wanted that baby.

Months later, I was pregnant again, but it did not feel the same.  I somehow knew this child was a boy.  I was thrilled when my son was born in the spring of 1976.  He was a real blessing in my life, and I loved him with all my heart.

Years passed.  I eventually had a third child–another son–after a miraculous tubal ligation reversal.  He, too, was a real joy in my life.  Yet, I knew this was not the same soul from the miscarriage.  I stopped thinking about it, after a while, although mentioning the miscarriage always made me sad.  Many people don’t understand that mothers who lose an unborn child go through grief much like those who lose living children.

In 1995, my daughter, Peyton, gave birth to a beautiful little girl named Dayna.  I was a grandmother!  I was so blessed to be in the room when she was born.  I cried when I saw it was a girl.  No one knew it took me back to the time when I lost my own child, but I was thrilled that I was going to be able to be the grandmother to this darling little bundle of pink bliss.

As time went on, Peyton struggled with many mental illnesses.  She was lost between manic highs and dark lows.  She simply wasn’t able to be the mother her little girl deserved.  In the bravest and most generous act of love, she asked me if I could raise her child.  By the time Dayna was 3 years old, she was living with me most of the time.  Shortly thereafter, we adopted her.  She became my daughter.  Dayna was the little girl I lost in the miscarriage!  Almost 20 years to the day, my little girl found her way back into my life.  She was home!

Looking at Dayna was like looking at Peyton.  They looked so much alike I sometimes would call Dayna by her mother’s name.  As I watched Dayna playing in the yard, I began to realize what an extraordinary thing  had occurred.  I was twenty when Peyton was born.  Twenty years later, Dayna came into my life.  Peyton was three when I had the miscarriage.  I lost the baby because Peyton chose to stop abruptly.  My pregnancy abruptly ended that day, as well.  I certainly never blamed her, because she was a mere toddler with no ill intent.  Nonetheless, almost as an act of repentance, she offered herself to be the vehicle to bring Dayna back into my life.  Peyton was three when that happened.  Dayna was three when she came to live with me.

Some will say all that is just coincidence.  It doesn’t matter.  A mother knows these things…we just know.

Dayna is a teenager now.  She and I have those typical disagreements, but we are very close.  She calls me “Mom.”  I am her mother in ways she cannot yet understand.  Someday she will realize what extraordinary miracles took place so we could be together.  What stories we will tell her little girls!

A few years ago, during meditation, I saw a older woman sitting on a long wooden patio in a white rocker, watching two little girls do cartwheels across the yard.  The air was brisk and clean, and there was such a peaceful atmosphere around the country home.  Laughter rang out from the warm kitchen filled with family, and the smells of turkey and dressing wafted in the breeze.  A beautiful young woman came through the screen door and gently bent down to the grandmother sitting in the rocker.

“Dinner is ready, Gram,” she said.

I smiled and patted her hand.  She was so good to me.  I called out to my two granddaughters.

“It’s time to eat!”  I said. 

I AM…Jodi
www.godisaverb.com/blog

     Addiction.  That word used to make me cringe.  It seemed like I was always surrounded by someone who was addicted to something.  Being a recovered alcoholic, I understood the physical, emotional and mental tug-of-war going on in the lives of the addicts.  I was also quite familiar with the other side…being in a relationship where the “other” is the one addicted.  I can’t really say one is worse than the other.  Both have very tragic residual effects on those left in the wake.

In my book, God Is I Am, I devote a full chapter to addiction.  I see so many people dependent on one thing or another, and I feel our society is not directly addressing this problem as it needs to be.  Drug use is on the rise.  Maybe that is just my perspective, but I’ve certainly been witness to more addictions than I ever recall in my youth.  Seems like the “good old days” dealt only with alcohol and tobacco, but there is a smorgasbord of available drugs today. The sixties and seventies ushered in a quiet acceptance of illegal drug use, and today, more people are addicted to prescription medications than street drugs.  Cigarettes and alcohol are so commonplace, we largely forget the destruction left behind by them.  Well, unless you are one of those living with someone who does one or both.  More, if you are trapped into dependence on them.

In my own family, I am in the minority of those not addicted to cigarettes, alcohol, legal or illegal drugs.  When we have family gatherings, I look around at all the forms people use to calm the nerves, speed up the excitement, quiet the mind, numb the brain, mellow the mood and increase the activity.  Funny how some want to slow things down while others want to speed them up.

I remember when I drank alcohol.  It was over 20 years ago when I took that last drink.  I never thought I would be able to say that.  I imagined I would die from alcohol poisoning, at some point.  I didn’t see a way out…at least, not one that didn’t involve a massive struggle.  I felt too weak to face that battle.  After all, I had a tragic background.  My life was a nightmare.  I had every right to drown my sorrows with my friend, Jack Daniels.  I “deserved” to be an alcoholic. What an odd way of thinking…unless you’re an addict.  But, you know what?  I quit!  People sometimes ask me how I did it.  I think that first requires answering why.

I stopped drinking after I returned from spending over 3 weeks sitting in an ICU unit in Houston.  My stepfather, Pops as we affectionately call him today, had been run over by a car in the parking lot of the Houston Astrodome.  He died during the initial surgery, but was revived only to face countless other surgeries and intolerable pain.  They had to keep him on large doses of morphine, just so he could bear the horrific level of pain he always felt.  They knew he would become addicted, but there was no alternative.  He later told me about the tearful nights he spent going through withdrawal from the morphine, while enduring so much pain.  He often thought death was the better option.  What he didn’t know was I was going through an identical struggle of my own at that exact same time.

Pops inspired me to stop drinking. (You’ll be able to read that story in DavidPaul Doyle’s collection of short stories titled 101 Everyday People Who Hear The Voice of God.)  I literally owe him my life.  It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it!  I did it “cold turkey,” and got through it by reading spiritual books and going for long walks.  For a while, I stayed away from those who imbibed, but that soon was not necessary.  Today, when I see people who are intoxicated, I feel sympathy for them, but I certainly do not want to be like them.  I remember those times when I acted that same way…uninhibited, bordering on obnoxious.  I wonder how many people I offended and hurt.  I know I did a great injustice to myself.  That was never who I really was.

When I stopped drinking, I was still surrounded by many others who continued to use various drugs.  For years, I tried to help them.  I held myself up as an example of the possibility.  I coaxed, pleaded, prayed, begged, shamed, and threatened those I loved.  I truly wanted the best for them.  I wanted them to understand what a gift comes with sobriety.  But, the harder I struggled to get them to stop, the harder they all resisted.  Yes…there it is again…what we resist, persists. We all were exhausted and angered.  All of us felt like losers.  This was a no-win situation.

When I went to Connecticut, my life changed.  I tapped my way through so many traumas.  I decided I was tired of being so comfortable in failure.  I no longer desired to waste my time and energy on situations that were doomed to fail.  I had seldom known success, because my time was spent trying to help those who didn’t want my help.  I was good at failing!  Yes, I was afraid, but EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) opened new doors for me, and I was now eagerly moving right into the unknown…and loving every minute of it!  I was no longer afraid to shine my own light, and even though I still deeply loved my family members who were/are addicted to one substance or another, I surrendered my involvement in those journeys…choosing, instead, to finally walk my own path.  I’m sure many of them were thrilled I would no longer be working so hard to help them!  LOL

I remember, as I was leaving to come back to Texas, I was talking with Nick Ortner (producer of Try It On Everything).  I was telling him how excited I was to know about tapping (EFT).  I could now use it to calm myself when I dealt with all the various addicts in my life.  Nick smiled.  In his gentle and loving manner, he explained that was not the plan.  He knew I was familiar with the Law of Attraction.  He explained that my new direction in life meant I would no longer attract the addicts.  I laughed to myself, thinking, “Little does he know!”  LOL  But he was right!  When I returned home, I stopped getting the 8-10 phone calls, every day, from family members telling me about all their addiction issues.  I can honestly say I just wasn’t interested!  My focus was on my own path.  They chose theirs.  I chose mine.  We obviously weren’t going in the same direction, so we simply parted ways.  It was real emotional freedom.

When I chose to stop drinking, I can’t honestly say I did it for me.  I didn’t.  I did it because I saw the pain in the eyes of my family as they sat helplessly by, watching me kill myself.  What was this telling them?   In spite of all the arguments addicts make in favor of the addiction, there is one thing they avoid.  How does it affect those who love you?  Addicts always argue “I’m not hurting anyone but myself.”  That cannot be true if there are people who care about you.  Everyone who loves you is being hurt by it.  You are telling them you don’t love yourself enough to do everything possible to remain in their lives.  That hurts.  A lot.  Your life…your choice…but know that addiction is not yours alone. 

Yes, I know there are those in metaphysics who argue drugs/alcohol can’t hurt you if you don’t believe they do.  That’s true…sorta.  Mass consciousness has not yet accepted that as truth.  Unless your beliefs are strong enough to override those held by the majority, the consistent bombardment of society’s beliefs will, likely, undo what you hold as true.  You’d better be very strong in your understanding if you plan to do this!  And even if you were able to hold on to your own beliefs, what about those in your family who think differently?  You see, your behavior will still cause them pain, because they still believe you are acting in ways that will kill you.  In my own measure of what works for me, I consider how it affects others, as well. 

Every moment on earth is spent making choices.  We can only control that which is in us.  If you are choosing to use drugs or alcohol, those around you may wish they had some say so in the decision, but they don’t.  If you choose to use, however, they are not powerless.  They, too, can choose again.  They can choose to walk a different path.  It doesn’t mean they don’t love you.  They must have deeply loved you in order to have been your crutch for so long.  However, they did so at their own expense. 

I once lived my life longing to help the addicts of this world.  I knew that pain.  I felt the struggle.  I understood.  Years of my own life were given to the cause, but for every battle won, another would surface.  Every time I heard the words, “I’ve decided to quit,” my hopes soared high, and every time they went back to using, I died inside.  I was angry.  I was so incredibly sad.  Why didn’t they see how much pain I was in, also? They never really saw anything outside their own addictions.  They couldn’t understand the suicidal aspect of addiction, and because we were all so busy focusing on their pain and drug use, none of us understood how many things were sacrificed at the alter of addiction.  I just wanted them to live, free of drugs and pain.  I wanted them to realize how wonderful life can be without physical dependencies.  I wanted them to become spiritually aware of God’s presence in everything…including them.  I wanted them to realize how much I needed them in my life. Inside, I died a thousand times, praying they would understand I didn’t want to lose them.  I wanted to scream out, “Please, choose to live!  I don’t understand why you want to leave me alone?”  It hurt. They seemed only to want to die, but I wanted them here!  And then…I remembered. 

There was a time when I, too, felt the way addicts feel.  When I was an alcoholic, I used to wake up and look at myself in the mirror and angrily shout, “I HATE YOU!”  I remembered feeling like there was no way out.  I couldn’t imagine my life without alcohol.  I was sick.  I was tortured.  I couldn’t remember what I’d done the night before.  I wondered if I had embarrassed myself or my family.  I worried I hurt my children.  Did I really drive in that condition?  How many people did I put in danger because of my own selfishness?  I was so sorry my husband had to cover for me.  I was ashamed of myself in so many ways.  I couldn’t stop, however.  It wasn’t possible…not for me, anyway.  But I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone.  I didn’t want to.  I knew I might die, but I thought everyone would be better off without me.  If only…

I will be eternally grateful for choosing sobriety.  I was able to do what I never thought possible.  If you tell me you can’t, I will answer, you can.  You are God.  All things are possible to those who believe.  Stop resisting and accept the kingdom of heaven.  It is all around you.  Looking back now, giving up my own addiction was a piece of cake!  It was dealing with the addictions of “others” that caused me the greatest pain.  But the day also came when I surrendered that resistance, as well.  I opened to acceptance of all God’s good in my life.  How?  Love.  It is always the answer, whether for others, or for yourself.  And truly I say to you, you cannot do one without the other.  It is never about “them.”  It is always about you.

I now choose for myself.  That is, after all, the only thing I have ever been able to do.  When I made the decision to honor the God within, I released all the struggles that pushed away the perfection of creation.  Seeing God as all, I realized I was never a victim.  No one is. 

If you are an addict or if you love an addict, you are not powerless.  Do not be afraid.  God is omnipotent.  Cheers!!

I AM…Jodi
www.godisaverb.com/blog 

knock_on_wood____the_funktionwav__mastered.mp3

Click on this link to hear Peyton sing!  This was recorded when she sang in Dallas with a group called Funktion.  I can never listen to her sing without crying.  Hmmmm…guess I need to tap on that, huh?

You often hear me talk about my daughter, Peyton.  Even though she has struggled with a difficult life, she is an amazing singer and beautiful woman.  I thought you might enjoy hearing hear sing.  Enjoy!

    (Click here to listen to an audio about these ideas!  Go to the Law of Attraction and Opposition Factors file and download it for FREEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

As I’ve studied more about the Law of Attraction, I realized there are three main areas that have to work together to manifest whatever it is we desire. 

First, we set the intention.  As I told you earlier, it is very important to be clear when you set your intention.  You want to get the wording right (in present tense) and it should be stated as if it already happened.  Don’t continuously change the wording, because each time you do that, the process has to restart.  In the instant you ask, it is given, so as the saying goes, “be careful what you ask for.”  And yes, you are always asking for something (even if you don’t acknowledge it), because you are a vibrational, energetic force.

Second, add the emotion and visualization to the intention.  You should feel tremendous gratitude for having already received what you desire.  As you use your imagination to see yourself in that experience of having it, it should feel very, very good.  Stay in that feeling as often as possible, because the intensity of that vibration is very strong and it moves you in the direction of what it is you want much faster if you are feeling immense gratitude for having it.  I might add, it is very important to pay attention to the inspired ideas you are receiving, at this point.  If you are in this state of being, you will be very open to ideas/intuitions/guidance/inspiration.  That’s good; however, we very often ignore these.  Don’t!  This is how it will come to you.  People are always concerned with “how” they can get what they want.  It’s not that difficult…just follow the guidance you are being given.  Don’t try to second guess or manipulate the process.  Trust it! 

Third, your beliefs will filter your desires.  If you have no resistance to the idea of receiving, it will happen quickly.  However, sometimes you don’t get what you want, and, in fact, things get worse!  Not to worry.  This is just resistance.  Now that you know you have it, you can do something about it!  Use EFT to remove resistance.  Once you are clear, you will freely receive.

As I have said, you are always living in either acceptance or resistance.  You live the Law of Attract or Shun. Your body (your emotions) tells you which one you are experiencing.  If you feel any negative reactions toward an event, a person, or an idea, that is resistance.  For example, if your co-worker, Sam, really annoys you whenever he comes into the room, you have a resistance to something.  He is going to keep annoying you until you address it and clear it.  What is annoying about him?  Why does this bother you?  What does it remind you of?  How are you feeling and where does that show up in your body?  If you clear this energy of resistance, he will not only no longer annoy you, but he will likely move completely out of your experience!  If you don’t do anything about this negative reaction, however, it will continue to plague you.  Why?  What you resist, persists.  It keeps trying to get your attention so you will DO something about it!

Once you figure out your opposition factors, you have the choice to use EFT to clear them.  Focus on the negative feelings (do not be afraid of them, this is merely resistance).  As you focus on that resistance, tap on the energy meridian points and get rid of that belief!  Once the energy of it is released, you are now free to accept the good that awaits.  Now, you are ready to manifest your desires. 

Is it really possible to live life like this, actually loving every moment?  Only if you believe it.

“It is done unto as you believe.”

I AM…Jodi
www.godisaverb.com/blog

This message was sent out from Nick Ortner, producer of the movie, Try It On Everything, yesterday! 

6 Month Follow-Up: Just Filmed
The movie “Try It On Everything” is quickly becoming a worldwide phenomenon and I believe it’s about to reach new heights. We just filmed a 6 month follow up on the participants which is absolutely incredible. The people from the event who continued to tap (7 out of 10 of them) all got together to discuss their experience at the event and progress since then. This update will be available to view online and be included in future printings of the film. I’ve heard from many of you how much you connected with the “characters” in the movie, well, this will be a happy reunion for you to see them together again and how their lives have been so changed by EFT.

These are distributed through our hundreds of “Angels” out there who are doing an amazing job of presenting the DVD to people of influence and then helping them incorporate EFT into their organization. This is happening in the U.S, Canada, U.K., Australia, Israel, Egypt, parts of South America, much of Europe, etc. We always need more “Angels” so if you’d like to register to help, click here.

Jessica Ortner, the assistant producer for the film, is meeting with the director of a women’s prison today and going to a halfway house on Sunday- so wish her luck!

The film is an amazing tool to begin the discussion with these organizations. We’re a visual culture that likes to be entertained AND educated, and the film does just that. So become an Angel, or setup a free screening for the public or loan out or give DVD’s to friends and family.

I think we’re all aware of the dramatic shift in consciousness that’s happening in the world today - let’s do everything we can to make that happen as quickly as possible.

   How many times have you set an intention, planning to use the Law of Attraction to draw it into your experience, only to give up on it?  Most people have done this.  The intention is set, and at first, a lot of good energy is given to it.  Then, things start to go wrong.  In fact, things get worse!  Frustrated and disappointed, the intention is removed from the list of possible experiences.  What happened?

I don’t know why teachers of the Law of Attraction don’t address this problem more often.  While many of them talk about blocks, there is no real effort to demonstrate what happened.  A lot of people have no idea what a block is or where to look for it, so they just surrender those desires and go right back to resistance.

First, let me say that if things start to come up in opposition to your intention, that is not a bad thing.  In fact, you should not only expect that, but you should celebrate it!  Woo hoo…high five!!!  Let me explain. 

When you tell God/The Universe/Self what it is you want, you may not have much clarity.  If nothing or little is happening to move you toward your desired goal, that may be the first signal to clarify what it is you want.  Perhaps you are constantly shifting your focus, and each time you do this, everything has to begin again.  That is why I tell my students to write out what it is they want, perfecting the wording until it reads exactly as they wish.  Then, I ask them to put that written intention in their pockets, at their desks, in their walllets, on their computer screens, taped to their foreheads or whatever else works for them.  They must be sure to focus on the same thing, daily.  If they keep changing the intention, it will never get there.  They must stay intentionally focused on one thing.

Next, remember the thoughts are secondary to the feelings.  Your emotions are the vibrational energy that send out the signals for attraction.  Be sure you are deeply, profoundly feeling gratitude for already having what you intend.  Close your eyes and see yourself already having it, and feel the feelings of it being yours now.  This is, by far, the most important part of this process.  Visualize, visualize, visualize!!!  The emotion of gratitude, felt as bliss, is extremely powerful as it vibrates at such a high level, so if you feel that feeling while seeing your intention already manifested, astonishing things start to happen.

Okay.  Now, let’s get to the part about it not working as you thought it would.  Let’s say you are intending a wonderful new partner in your life.  As you do all the right things, you start to notice awful things happening in your life.  The person you “hoped” would be your partner moves to another state.  The nightclub or coffee shop where you intended to meet this person shuts down.  Your ex suddenly starts harassing you and making you feel like a loser.  You feel more isolated and alone than ever.  It seems everyone is rejecting your advances.  What the heck is this all about?

When you focus on an intention with a lot of clarity and desire, everything that opposes it will begin to surface!  The key is not to let that upset or deter you.  It is just part of the process.  These “opposition factors,” as I like to call them, surface so you can recognize and clear them.  They are begging for your attention, and they won’t let you move toward your intended goal until you take care of them.  This is you showing yourself all the resistance you are holding.  Look at what is happening and ask yourself how you are feeling about these things.  The negative emotions you are feeling are mirroring back your resistance to receiving the good you want. Until you do something about these issues…they will keep blocking your good from coming to you.  It is not some morbid plan of the Universe, conspiring against you.  It doesn’t mean you are a failure at using the LoA.  In fact, it means you are quite good!  When these things start to happen, you should be celebrating.  At long last, you understand why you haven’t gotten what it is you want.  Now that you know what emotions are blocking you from receiving your intention, you have the opportunity to do something about it.

When I went to Connecticut and learned how to use EFT, I learned one of the most valuable tools for Law of Attraction enthusiasts.  I don’t know why everyone who practices LoA principles isn’t singing the praises of EFT, but I can promise you this.  I will!  I have been a practicing metaphysician for decades, but I’ve never seen anything like this for removing blocked energy.  After only 4 days of intense tapping, I broke through walls of sabotaging behaviors that had held me back for decades, and I rapidly moved toward my intended desires.  It still amazes me when I think about it. 

Learn about EFT!!!  Go to www.tryitoneverything.com and order the movie.  Study the process and apply it each and every day.  Your life will move rapidly in a new direction and you will be delighted with the results.  One by one, you will tear down the brick wall you keep running into every time you intend something good.  EFT removes resistance and opens you to allowing.  It is that simple.

When you are practicing focused attention (Law of Attraction), do not…I repeat…do not get upset when things start to show up as resistance.  This is your opportunity to recognize the blocks and to remove them, once and for all.  It actually means you are well on your way to achieving your dreams.  The walls are not your enemy.  Ignorance of them is. 

I want to quote from a poem I wrote when I was a child.  For me, it is the reminder of what to do when this happens.  The poem is titled, “The Wall.”  The final stanza says:

I tried going over.
I tried going under.
I even tried going around.
But then I saw,
And then I knew,
The way is to tear it down.

I AM…Jodi
www.godisaverb.com/blog

     Yesterday, I spoke about praying for “others.”  I would like to expand on that, but move in a slightly different direction.

In Dr. Joe Vitale’s Zero Limits, which he co-authored with Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len, Dr. Hew Len is addressing a question from a lady who prayed for her grandson who had cancer.  In spite of her prayers, her grandson died, and she wanted to know what she had done wrong.

First, I would like to say you can’t really pray wrong.  Whatever you do is what you know to do, and I’m sure all prayers benefit the one praying, even if they don’t influence circumstances for another.  At the very least, praying for someone keeps you, momentarily, in present awareness, and it also reminds you of your connection to God.  However, if you asked for something and it appeared you didn’t receive it, you may feel like you failed.  You didn’t.  You received what you were feeling the most.  You received what you believed. 

But, I digress…

When Dr. Hew Len answered the woman, he first told her she prayed for the wrong person.  All prayers from you are for you…not “them.”  He then wrote:

People don’t see themselves as the source of their experiences.  Rarely are prayers directed at what is going on in the petitioner by the petitioner.

Dr. Hew Len advocates that everything happening in your experience of life is coming from within yourself.  Nothing is “out there.”  Yes, that includes other people and their experiences, as well.  Dr. Vitale adds this:

When most people pray, they act like they have no power or responsibility.  The “prayer” is to ask for forgiveness for whatever is in you that caused the outer circumstance.  As you heal, so does the outer.  Everything, without exception, is inside you.

Many people will have trouble with that type of thinking.  In other words, if my Uncle Fred has heart disease, it certainly doesn’t feel like I have anything to do with that!  What possible connection is there between his experience and my responsibility in it?  My responsibility in the situation is there because I participated in the knowing of it.  Once I shared any experience in Uncle Fred’s life, it is now a part of my life, as well.  In that sense, it has become my responsibility, also. I could have chosen to never know my uncle.  I could have never asked about him or I could have put myself in a situation where I would never have heard his name. Why do I even know about him if it wasn’t me that decided to know?

I have given a similar example, in the past, but let me provide some others.  If I called my mother who told me my uncle was ill, that was my decision to know.  I could have decided not to call my mother.  If I ran into a friend who told me her father was an alcoholic, that was my choice.  I could have been in a different place where I would not have seen that friend.  If I drove past a horrible car accident and saw a child being placed into an ambulance, that was my choice.  I could have gone a different route.  Do you see how I chose, in each situation, to participate in knowing about it?  Whether I believe these choices are accidental or very intentional makes no difference.  Putting aside all that, you still must agree that I could have been somewhere else, in each moment.  Something placed me in that experience…the one choosing to participate, in each case, was me!  Once the knowing of something is in my experience, I have a direct connection to it.  Now, it has also become my experience…my responsibility.

Everything experienced in this life (even those things which seem to be outside of us) comes through us.  You and I are continuously scripting our own stories.  We have drawn in every single event.  We could have chosen a different experience in every given moment, but we didn’t.  Why did I choose to know about Uncle Fred’s heart disease? Obviously, his presence in my story has significance.  In an instant, I can see why.  Let me share what I’ve come to understand.

When I associated Uncle Fred with heart disease, I resisted perfection.  In my ignorance of the allness of God, I agreed to recognize something other than health.  I thought it was his problem, but I participated in the experience by agreeing with that diagnosis and added powerful energy to the belief that God can be anything less than perfect.  In short, I broke the first commandment by believing in a separate god that offers disease.  In some sense, I insulted Divinity by claiming God’s perfection is not all there is.  I also believed in the opposite of health…disease.  If I was truly enlightened, I would not have known him to be anything but perfect.  Obviously, I still have a lot of work to do, don’t I?  I will know when I have reached the highest stage of enlightenment when I draw nothing into my experience but perfection.  Once there, I will have no need to hear about Uncle Fred’s disease because it will not be a part of my accepted reality. I will no longer see disease as a possibility.  The only thing I will experience, at that point, is God, Being. In that awareness, there will be no experience of anything other than good.  I will no longer resist the offering of perfection.  I will allow it into every experience of my being.

Whatever is happening in your life is coming into it through you.  You are always choosing what you experience.  The prayer is not for “them.”  It is for yourself.  The lesson is not about others outside of your reality.  It is for you.  Your reality and theirs have become one in the same.  You scripted them into the story of your life.  You chose the actors for your play.  What’s the lesson for you?  What is the moral of the story?  Once you understand why you put them into your story, you will no longer include those events and those people in your play, because that imperfection will no longer be in your accepted awareness.

There is a larger part of you, sitting in the audience, watching your play unfold.  That part of you knows you are controlling every character in the play because you are the author of the story. 

The curtain opens.  The actors step onto the stage.

What will your story be?

I AM…Jodi
www.godisaverb.com/blog