Noise

Where does it come from, all the tones & decibels, the just barely more than silent electrical hum of the clock, refrigerator, humidifier of our home that drones on endlessly? 

We try to ignore the barely-there annoyance of the dripping faucet, the distant TV, the working people’s forklift backing-up that is creating unpleasant sounds.

We enter the gas station, grocery store or Walmart’s and the background continually verbalizes advertisements, the various barkers extolling the virtues of their products.

As we take a walk outdoors, the distant highway emits a steady roar; the overhead planes release a barely noticed engine whine. The birds, squirrels, bees and flies are only heard when we stop and listen for them.

Those are the quiet days.

We visit a classroom, a family home, a library and we hear clicks, booms and raps from electrical boxes. We hear punches thrown, tires screeching and shots fired. We turn on the TV and there’s more where that came from.

But noise, loud noise, so loud I can’t hear myself think over, that is the noise in my head: sometimes resentments, warnings, criticisms of them or me or hopefully the more alluring promises, hopes and desires. That’s the real noise, the sound of my own internal chatter.

Can you hear it?

Review of the Remembering Process

This fascinating book deserves all the accolades it will receive. This is an amazing book that takes the power of positive thinking and affirmations to a new level. Beyond believing that you have already received your good, this book asks you to remember how you felt when you received it.

I thought at first it might be too simple of a concept, just reaffirming that affirmations work, but it isn’t. Thankfully this book helps us to look at the total package of the affirmation we are making – the feelings, step by step and the reasons why it might or might not work. Important information for those of us who know that there is a ‘right’ way and a ‘wrong’ way of phrasing affirmations so as to not limit us and to clarify exactly what it is that we want to bring into our lives. 

The authors, Daniel Barrett and Joe Vitale, detail how they have used the Remembering Process to create the future they desired. It was very interesting and very exciting. After reading half-way through the book I began to revision my future and take myself one step further to remember how I achieved it. 

However, what I liked most about the book was the well rounded perspective they provide, if you read the book all the way to the end. The chapter “Striking the Right Balance” speaks with us about being human and living in the reality of our physical world. They warn us to not attempt to take a spiritual bypass. What might that be? The authors tell us that spiritual bypassing is when people try to live in the spiritual world all the time, relying on just thinking or praying or ‘remembering’ to solve all of their problems for them effortlessly. In other words, the words they use are these, “it’s like a person who goes to church and prays to God to find a job, and then just sits and home and waits for God to answer the prayer. It doesn’t work that way”. We have to do the footwork, take the action, don’t just remember success but work for success and remember being successful.

Additionally the authors touched on the concept and related questions regarding attempts to control the Universe, forcing our own way, vs allowing the Universe to decide what is best for us and staying open to receive. The answer they propose is that our earthly desires are in alignment with our higher selves wishes for the best for us. Are they? I personally do not know. I know for me it is important to tag onto my affirmations my commitment to ‘this or something better is now manifesting for the highest good of all concerned’. While I think this is the intention of this section, they focus more on the concept that ‘if you want this, here’s what you’ll go through to get there’. If you follow their guidance to remember your success, hang on to your hat because the Universe will bring you all the lessons you need to learn in order to get there. You might want to say, wait a minute, I’m not ready for all that. 

But you will need to be ready. I believe we do have the power to manifest creative positive changes in our future by the power of the affirmation process, which I think this is another facet of. When we do this, we must be prepared for the changes, some pleasant, some not so much, that will be brought into our consciousness in order to bring us to the point of receiving our desired outcome… which might not make us as happy as we thought it would.

Bottom line, this is an excellent book and provides the insights and considerations that must be part of the process. Once again, I believe this is a well-rounded directive on the power of our mind and I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion on the ethics and wisdom of writing our future as if we were already past.

I did receive a free copy of this book from Hay House Publishing in order to write this review. I received no monetary compensation and was not obligated to make it a positive review. I was simply asked to give my honest opinion and this is it.

Review: The Man Who Risked It All

Laurent Gounelle, personal development specialist and leader of international seminars, wrote his fourth book to assist us in understanding the principles of Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP), by initially portraying himself as a lowly employee, lacking in self-confidence, The Man Who Risked It All, and ultimately finding a level of confidence in himself, unforeseen in the opening chapters.

By the final chapter our narrator has become self-confident enough to pull off a solo sting operation at the firm which would have been his former employer if his plan had not worked. We watch the hero’s journey unfold as he initially finds himself on a window ledge, determined to end the pain and suffering of the life he feels destined to be his. Only by the presence of the stranger appearing at his side, does he become obliged to give life another try. Our author finds he is unable to break a promise he has made to the stranger. Fear controls his life and he feels assured if he runs, the threatened consequences will be delivered.

While reading the story, I pondered whether the stranger was to be revealed as an earthly version of Satan? However, by giving our leading man assignments that will open the door to his knowledge of how he has truly been limited by his own lacking self-confidence in his skills and abilities, we will ponder at the puzzle of his rude and painful treatment of our man in juxtaposition with the overall improvement of confidence in himself.

Accounting is his career and he has no qualms regarding his mathematical abilities as shown through his ability to perform mental math while being accosted from every side with negative comments, under the rueful eye of his employer. However, his self-confidence, as we might understand, eventually falters under the artful besiege of insults. The surprise ending reveals the stranger’s identity and his manipulations made behind the scenes.

The book held me spellbound as I drove to find out the stranger’s identity, the reason for his interest and our protagonist’s eventual success or failure. A very favorable review is in order. I plan to share this book with several friends, I highly recommend it.

I did receive a free copy of this book from Hay House Publishing in order to write this review. I received no monetary compensation and was not obligated to make it a positive review. I was simply asked to give my honest opinion and this is it.

Review of Feng Shui Simply

Cheryl Grace did an excellent job of creating an in-depth look at Feng Shui. While she lays out the principals commonly found in most books on the topic, she goes one step further to create a guide for fine-tuning one’s internal environment.

As the author begins to convey the principals of design that work with the location and orientation of the home, placement of furniture and use of color, artwork and accessories to create a harmonious environment, she goes on to provide the additional practices to aid and support this ancient art. As she notes, most of the focus of Feng Shui lies in external changes to the environment. She became more excited by working with the unseen world, the world of energy, using the tools of intuition and intention, according to the text. 

Ms. Grace utilized the traditional Bagua as a starting point for inner growth by association the qualities of inner life that she found to associate with each point on the map. For example, for Health & Family she connected with the inner qualities of discernment and forgiveness; for Helpful People and Travel, patience and an open mind.

The author brings attention to her work with the I Ching and its wisdom on the subject of transformation, which happens, as she states, when the truth resonates so strongly on the inside that the outside shifts on its own. Finally she sets out five steps, including listening deeply, seizing the moment and graciously receiving what you ask for, to help you reach your potential. She asks the questions that will enable you to find your personal truth in every area of your life.

This is a very well rounded, informative book on Feng Shui that considers the art in combination with various other helpful arts, practices and questions to consider, enabling the reader to create the life they most want.

I did receive a free copy of this book from Hay House Publishing in order to write this review. However, I received no monetary compensation and was not obligated to make it a positive review. I was simply asked to give my honest opinion and this is it.

I Surrendered

Mother's Day found me in South Haven Hospital with emergency surgery for my hernia. I wanted to heal myself but finally gave in, that it wasn't going to be taken care of by yoga - strengthening my core. I'm glad its over and now I can relax in my life again without fear that it will attack.

One week and one day since surgery - I've been doing some easy dancing and simple yoga stretches. It looks tremendous, using my own homemade herbal salve. Picture was taken Saturday night on Lake Michigan.

Dr. Stuart Boekeloo

Do Not go to this dentist. If you want the truth about my experience, email me at julieinmichigan99@yahoo.com or post a comment to this post with your email so I can describe the poor quality of this overpriced dentist, Dr. Stuart Boekeloo in St. Joe, Michigan.