Petra
Nemcova, a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model, recently published
a book, Love Always Petra, recounting how she was
heroically rescued during the Thailand tsunami that took place
on December 26, 2004.
This is the most inspirational story I have ever heard
because her reaction to nearly losing her life during the
tsunami inspired me to change my generally philosophy, attitude,
and outlook on life.
On December 25, Petra and her boyfriend, Simon Atlee, celebrated
Christmas together at a resort in Phuket, Thailand. They
talked about their future together and possibly having kids
someday. The next morning, she was packing in her hotel
room when the first wave hit.
The wave came through the balcony of her hotel room and
she grasped onto the roof. That was the last time she saw
her boyfriend, Simon. Trash and debris hit her, breaking
her pelvis in four places. Then the current released her
from the roof and she grabbed onto a tree. She was not able
to hold onto the first tree because of the current's ferocious
power. The power and force of the fierce waves tore off
all of her clothes. However, she did grab a second tree.
She was left clinging for dear life onto that palm tree
for eight hours, naked, with a shattered pelvis and no feeling
in her legs. Eventually, she was rescued by the Thai natives
and now has healed nearly all of her injuries.
Last year when she was on Larry King, he asked her what
was going through her mind while she was clinging to the
palm tree. There was pure grace and gratitude in her voice
when answered, " . . . it was actually, in some
way, it was really peaceful. I wasn't afraid. I was very
– the whole time through, I was very calm and focused.
And I was making lots of prayers and sending energy to people
and thinking of Simon and all the people there . . . I never
lose faith, even when there was a moment when I stopped
fighting, stopped kicking. I was very peaceful . . . I accepted
it, and it was actually beautiful. And I didn't have a fear."
I heard her interview with Larry King at the perfect time
in my life. You can read the entire transcript of the interview
at Larry
King's Website under the Transcript Archive for May
13, 2005. It was about this time a year ago right during
my final exams for law school. I was also completing my
debut novel, The Bottom Line. After I heard her speak, my
initial reaction was complete awe and amazement and I knew
I had to incorporate her story into my book.
Then, I began to ponder her serene and graceful reaction.
She found peace and beauty in the midst of such a terrible
tragedy. This observation led me to question and develop
a much greater understanding for the notion that ones thoughts
create ones reality. I still do not fully understand exactly
what it means that your thoughts create your reality. Does
it mean that our objective reality is actually entirely
subjective because it is determined by our thoughts? Does
it mean that our thoughts have the power to influence our
reality by attracting circumstances, events, and people
into our life that are aligned with the vibration of our
current thoughts?
It appears that Petra was able to use her thoughts to create
her reality. For example, by focusing her thoughts on sending
love, prayers, and energy to Simon and other people her
reality became filled with calmness, tranquility, and beauty
in the midst of a tsunami. Additionally, was she able to
use her thoughts to help attract a Thai native to heroically
rescue her and then use her thoughts to help her heal nearly
all of her injuries?
Finally, if your thoughts do create your reality, what is
the most powerful thought to think in order to create the
most fulfilling, meaningful, and joyful reality for yourself?
It is my belief that the most powerful thought I can think
is a "thought of God" - a thought filled
with joy, forgiveness, peace, creation or love. I believe
that thinking a "thought of God" is a conscious
act that can be facilitated when one chooses to surrender
their will and thoughts into to the Hands of God. For example,
one of my favorite and most powerful prayers is:
God,
I surrender my will and thoughts over to you. I place my
future in Your Hands. Thank you for already solving all
of my problems for me. Everything I need is on its way.
God, how may I serve You today?
Is this what Petra did - surrender her will and thoughts
over to God - when she said, "I accepted it, and
it was actually beautiful. And I didn't have a fear."?
The Soul: Learn how to utilize your soul and deconstruct the ego's thought pattern.
Published
on Kavita Chibber's Words of Wisdom,
April 2006
Matt is a regular contributer and has a column on Kavita Chibber's monthly e-magazine. Other regular contributers to Kavita Chibber's monthly e-magazine include Deepak Chopra and Shekhar Kapur. |
Scientists,
philosophers, and mystics have been trying to understand
the nature of the soul since the beginning of time. This
piece will not be able to give a definitive explanation
of the soul because it transcends human experience. However,
it will explain how you can wake up your Spirit and utilize
your soul.
Theologians
describe the soul as the transcendental dimension of human
existence and explain that human beings are not a soul separate
from his or her body, but rather a soul and a body that
is immortal. This explanation is absolutely consistent with
scientific studies. From the moment of conception, when
a tiny drop of human protoplasm combines with an egg, life
in physical form begins, but our higher reality, (soul)
is directing the process. Where do the molecules, atoms,
electrons, and sub-atomic particles that are produced when
the seed and egg combine come from? Why does the heart begin
to beat at the specific moment it begins to beat and cause
a life to begin? What causes the heart to begin to beat
at that moment?
Einstein
and leading contemporary scientists have concluded that
there is no absolute, definitive particle at the source
of sub-atomic particles. The source of these sub-atomic
particles, the soul, is an invisible domain of an unbounded
spiritual field of energy vibrating so fast that it defies
measurement and observation and is responsible for the formation
of the body. It is present before conception and will remain
immortal after death. It is a person's connection to their
divine source. It is also known by some as the Self, Higher
Self, Intention, Source Energy, Non Local Field of Intelligence,
Subtle Body, or Spirit. It is the part of the mind that
is nonlinear and hears the Voice of the Holy Spirit. Three
quick and easy ways a person can wake up their Spirit and
utilize their soul are through meditation, following their
intuition, and an awareness of Divine providence through
coincidences. These are not the only ways one can connect
with their soul, but are the f ocus of this article.
The
goal of any meditation technique is to quiet or eliminate
one's conscious thoughts to silent the mind so that they
can be open to experiencing and reflecting on the Presence
of God or their Self dwelling within them. Two common meditation
techniques involve either focusing on ones breath or repeating
a mantra such as the sound "ah". The
"ah" sound is a useful mantra because
it is a common sound for the Ultimate Reality. For example
Krisha, Nirvana, Taku Wakan, Yahweh, Allah, Braham, Atman,
and God all share the "ah" sound. One
of the many positive effects of meditation is a deeper level
of awareness and openness to what God is trying to communicate
to a person. When a person quiets his or her thoughts and
eliminates the desires of their ego, the "voice"
which is revealed is God, however one may understand God.
For example, some refer to God as Spirit, Universe, Ultimate
Reality, Yahweh, Source, Brahman, Oneness, Divine, Sacred.
All of these ter ms refer to a supernatural creative Presence.
God
communicates to people everyday through a person's intuition
if a person chooses to make a conscious effort to become
aware of it. Intuition can be described as a gut feeling,
gut instinct, following ones heart, hunches, guiding light,
inspiration, or the Voice of the Holy Spirit. It is often
an ineffable experience or communication of Divine Knowledge
at a deeper level that may not always be rational, logical,
or easy to express because it often transcends ordinary
human logic, feelings, and senses. Still, meditation allows
one to connect with his or her soul and be more conscious
of what God's Divine purpose is for them.
Not
only does meditation allow one to be more aware of their
inner dialogue between one and God, but it also allows one
to have greater awareness of how Divine Providence is revealed
through outside events, objects, and observations. Karl
Rahner described this process as "experiencing
ourselves as a subject radically open to God."
Carl Jung and Deepak Chopra describe this as synchronicity.
Many refer to this phenomenon simply as serendipity. This
spiritual experience is consistent with the science of the
Chaos theory. Scientific research of the chaos theory has
shown there are no random events in nature and everything
and every event is interconnected to every other thing and
event in nature.
Atheists
often claim that the world is filled with a chaotic configuration
of random events, situations, and coincidences that have
no spiritual meaning, connection, or relationship to one
another. They believe the world's creation is entirely random
with no greater spiritual explanation. However, those who
are connected with their soul can find inspiration by knowing
and trusting that a "coincidence" is
just one example of how God draws attention to the intentions
of each person's Divine purpose. Examples of Divine Providence
may include the right person coming into one's life at the
exact right time, reading a book or watching a movie with
a theme or message that is perfectly applicable to a person's
specific life circumstance at that particular time, or any
other so called random event, person, or object that draws
attention to or leads to a greater understanding of what
his or her true divine purpose is. Johann Wolfgang von
Goethe explains what happens when one is open to God's Divine
plan . . .
"The
moment one definitely commits oneself (to connecting with
the soul), then Providence moves too. All sorts of things
occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred
. . . unforeseen incidents, meetings, and material assistance,
which no man could have dreamed would have come his way."
The
only caveat to following one's intuition or Divine providence
is if a person is tempted to act on thoughts that are contrary
to love. This is where free will plays a role. A person
can freely choose to make a commitment to cultivate thoughts
of love, peace, joy, and kindness. Thoughts of anger, hate,
guilt, shame, depression, judgment, fear, and anxiety are
not consistent with one's true essence because one's true
essence (Spirit/Soul/Self) is constantly connected
to God who is all love.
While
anger may possibly spark one to move from a lower state
of consciousness such as fear, apathy, or guilt to a higher
state of consciousness such as courage, acceptance, forgiveness,
or love; anger eventually weakens the mind, body, and spirit
because it plants the seed of harming another or holding
a grievance against another. It can provide a temporary
boost of force by releasing adrenaline into the body. However,
anger ultimately damages ones mind, body, and spirit. Additionally,
anger, and even righteous anger, contradicts Jesus' message
of being nonjudgmental, practicing forgiveness, and having
unconditional love, even for ones enemies. If one is experiencing
these low energy thoughts, then one has the free will and
power to change and focus their thoughts, attention, and
actions to thoughts of love and forgiveness.
At
times, one may have trouble distinguishing the ego from
ones true intuition or soul because a person may mistake
an illusion as truth. This article is not referring to the
ego that psychologists refer to for a person's self-development,
nor is referring to the ego that most people talk about
in typical conversation. This article defines the
ego as the part of the mind that believes in a dualistic
reality or the part of the mind that experiences an illusion
of being separate from God. Quite literally, the ego is
a thought that provokes fear. The ego seeks survival. It
believes it has good intentions, but it is only operating
out of ignorance.
One
of the most effective techniques for overcoming the ego
is unconditional forgiveness of ones self and of others
when a thought of fear surfaces to the mind. Simply forgive
yourself for having a thought contrary to love or forgive
the person who provokes the thought contrary to love. Eventually,
the ego can "dissolve" as one gradually
becomes aware through forgiveness, surrender, and Self-Realization
that the best way for survival is to live accordingly to
ones higher Self. The ego's clouded illusions can slowly
dissipate and the Light of ones radiant Self shines through.
It
is important to have a basic understanding of the ego so
that one can recognize it, deconstruct its thought pattern,
forgive it, and thus develop a greater awareness and connection
to ones higher Self. One can tell if they are connected
to their soul/Spirit/higher Self/intuition by the results
of their thoughts and their actions. True intuition generates
energy, light, and love. Conversely, ones ego generates
anxiety, grievances, and conflict. These feelings generated
by ones ego are not necessarily wrong, bad, or uncommon.
At times, the thoughts produced by the ego can be helpful
signals that indicate that the particular thought or action
that is generating these low energy thoughts or action can
be forgiven and replaced with a more empowering, energetic,
or loving thought or action.
While
it can be an arduous process at times, the result of connecting
to one's soul is finding one's true purpose that ultimately
leads to a life filled with an abundance of happiness and
love. One of the core messages of the bible is: The Kingdom
of Heaven is within. God is love, "and he that
dwelleth in Love dwelleth in Me and I him". Or
as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Love is our highest
word and the synonym for God." Thus, when a person
connects to his or her soul, he or she is experiencing God
dwelling within them and that is an experience of unconditional
love.
Consequently,
when one is connected to his or her soul and experiences
this unconditional love, he or she is often moved to spread
this love by living a life focused on kindness and service
to others. Additionally, this process of loving others provides
one with intense feelings of ineffable serenity and exuberant
bliss.
This
has also been demonstrated by scientific studies. Research
has shown that simple acts of kindness improves the function
of the immune system and stimulates the production of serotonin
in both the recipient of the kindness and the person extending
the kindness. Additionally, even persons observing the act
of kindness have similar results. Serotonin is a naturally
occurring substance in the body that makes people more comfortable,
peaceful, and even blissful. Most antidepressants are taken
in order to stimulate the production of serotonin chemically
to help reduce depression.
These
scientific discoveries are consistent with the spiritual
truths: "You reap what you sow." or "It's
only through giving that we receive." The interesting
paradox is that the more one loves and gives to others,
the more one will receive love in return. In Power vs. Force,
Dr. Hawkins summarizes this point by explaining . . .
"Simple
kindness to oneself and all that lives is the most powerful
transform-ational force of all. It produces no backlash,
has no downside, and never leads to loss or despair. It
increases one's true power without exacting any toll.
But to reach maximum power such kindness can permit no
exceptions, nor can it be practiced with the expectation
of some selfish reward. And its effect is as far reaching
as it is subtle."
Swami
Paramananda explained, "Self-realization means
that we have been consciously connected with our Source
of being. Once we have this connection, then nothing can
go wrong..." These powerful words have extraordinary
implications. Once a person chooses to connect with his
or her soul, they become more aware of their instrinsic
Divine nature and encounter the joy, peace, power and love
of God who has constantly been residing within them. As
one experiences God dwelling in his or her soul, he or she
is unselfishly motivated to spread these high energy feelings
of love to everyone they come into contact with, which in
return prompts an abundant, reciprocal succession of giving
and receiving additional peace, joy, and love.
