Spiritual Journey Thoughts on Spirituality, The Spiritual Journey & God
Browsing all posts in: Awareness

Save Earth : Are We Going To Make It?

March 13

Take 2 minutes to contemplate on each of these little facts first:

In October 1999, the world’s population reached 6 Billion, which is double that of the year 1959 (the doubling occurred in 40 years). The world’s population is currently increasing at the rate of about 80,000,000 per year (about 1.2 %). The current world population is 6.8 Billion (March 1, 2010).

Source: http://globalwarming.sdsu.edu

Arctic ice is rapidly disappearing, and the region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040 or earlier. Polar bears and indigenous cultures are already suffering from sea-ice loss.

Source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/

In the developing world, more than 1.2 billion people currently live below the international poverty line, earning less than $1 per day. The United Nations Development Program estimates that the basic health and nutrition needs of the world’s poorest people could be met for an additional $13 billion a year.

Source: United Nations Development Program

The cost of war for Iraq and Afghanistan alone is over $970 BILLION!

Source: http://costofwar.com/

According to Rainforest Action Network, more than an acre-and-a-half of rainforest (an area the size of two football fields) is lost every SECOND of every day. If present rates of destruction continue, half our remaining rainforests will be gone by the year 2025, and by 2060 there will be no rainforests remaining.

Source: http://www.savetherainforest.org/savetherainforest_007.htm

We are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every single day due to deforestation. That equates to 50,000 species a year.

Source: http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm

When I think about the world today, I find myself losing hope every once in a while. Are we going to make it at all? Look at the world! The worst form of virus has infected this planet, a virus that multiplies astronomically, kills anything and everything that can be killed, destroys or alters all else, does not even kill for hunger or survival but sometimes out of sheer fun of killing… and here’s the strangest bit: it kills its own kind and even itself! The virus is called human. And it is about to destroy the very planet it lives on.

Can you imagine this planet 50 years into the future from now if the human race was wiped out today? For one there will be no pollution, no greenhouse effect, no bulldozers and no nuclear bomb testing, no rapid destruction of rainforests, no billions of animals being killed every single day for food and fun. How will earth look like 50 years from now if all humans ceased to exist today?

Now imagine how the planet will look like 50 years from now as we continue ravaging our mother earth, raping it and killing everything that comes on our way. Can you imagine? Can you see the difference?

I was watching the movie 2012 the other day. Just like most Hollywood movies, this too distorted the ancient Mayan prophecy beyond any distinguishable form (In Mayan astrology, 21st December 2012 is nothing but the beginning of the 5th great cycle that will last for another 5000 years or so. It has nothing to do with the end of the world but simply the end of an age and beginning of a new one. It does predict upheaval and gradual change in global consciousness, for the better, but not the end of the world.). However did make me think about something else…

The movie 2012 showed that due to unfavorable aligning of planets in our solar system the earth’s core becomes unstable which causes massive earthquakes and giant tsunamis that wipe out the entire human civilization (or something to that effect). While this is as likely as Spiderman showing up in New York saving orphans from a burning tall building, I believe it’s entirely possible for the Earth to wipe out majority of the human race (if not all of it) through some epidemic or other unknown means. Why not?

Nature in its own intelligence maintains balance by creating and destroying. Why should planet earth remain livable for us humans when all we are doing is destroying the planet and every other living being that lives on it? In our blind arrogance we think we are the ONLY beings that have ANY rights whatsoever to live. We kill just because we can. We destroy trees, mountains, rivers, lakes, islands, oceans, even the atmosphere just because we need more space for our offspring or need machines for our convenience. Everything that comes on our way is wiped out, murdered and turned into paper, meat or leather. Things that don’t come on our way initially, dies too because we destroy everything in the surrounding environment that was necessary to sustain life. Everything dies because we need food and space for our virus race.

There was another movie I watched a few months back and it was called “The Day Earth Stood Still”. In this movie an alien race comes over to do one thing: kill human race. There is a scene in the movie where the representative of the alien race (played by Keanu Reeves) is having a talk with the Secretary of Defense of USA. When the Secretary asks him why they were doing this, he responds by saying something like: Look you don’t have a choice! Either humans die now and the planet gets to live, or humans live for a while longer and you all die along with the planet. You don’t have much of a choice.

Really if you think about it, isn’t that the situation right now? If we live and keep multiplying, EVERYTHING dies. If we don’t, things get a chance. So why shouldn’t mother earth wipe us out through some global catastrophe? Why should we be allowed to live? Why should we prosper at the expense of everything else?

The Mayan prophecies tell us that everyone who is here now has a responsibility. Our planet will be renewed or destroyed. It is our choice. If we choose to awaken, if we choose to see, if we take responsibility and develop wisdom, compassion and love, we will survive. If not, we will not. This is a very difficult but special time. We are going towards a new age where a great fight between forces of light and darkness will ensue; in fact it has already begun. Teachers around the world are awakening more than ever. But the forces of darkness are very strong as well, much stronger right now than the forces of light. Even the teachers who are awakening get seduced by the darkness at times. This time the darkness has manifested in its most seductive form: material success. It casts its powerful hypnotic spell on anyone who is a little unaware. And in this sleep state (hypno=sleep), we forget everyone and kill and rape our own mothers, sisters and brothers.

Look at the world in its ravaged form… global warming, holes in the ozone layer, destruction of forests, industrial pollution… earth is our Mother and this is what we have done to Her. Look at all the billions of animals dying everyday, they are our sisters and we feel NOTHING, not even one drop of tear as she cries her last cry of help before the knife opens her throat. Look at the countries being bombed at wars, children being born with various illnesses due to chemical poisoning of our medical industry, poor getting poorer, elderly having to beg… these are our brothers and there is not a damn thing we can do to stop this madness right now. Even if I set myself on fire in front of CNN and BBC and they covered the story in great detail on prime time, it still wouldn’t matter. Our sleeping race will go on chopping off the next tree, chicken, cow, etc and go to bed tonight flooding their veins with “legal drugs” that control blood pressure, sleep, heart disease, diabetes, mood disorder, depression, etc etc. That’s how powerful the sleep is.

So what do we do then? What is the solution? Are we going to survive at all?

I don’t know. I really don’t know what you are supposed to do. What I know is what I am going to do. I am going to keep writing and keep telling whoever will listen to me to awaken. I will tell my friends and my family, I will tell my students and co-workers that what they are doing is KILLING the planet along with everything else that lives on it. I will tell them to stop killing animals and to stop being so arrogant. I will show them ways to heal themselves and to develop compassion for, before anyone else, themselves first. I will tell them to meditate and to study like a mad person. I will protest actively whenever I see a mindless killing of an animal or injustice to a fellow human being. I will do whatever I can so when I go to sleep tonight I will know even one person or animal has breathed a little easier because I have lived today. That’s what I will do. Do you know what you will do?

Here’s what I have to tell you: Love yourself. Love yourself and you will be able to love everyone else. Be unafraid to speak the truth. In our overwhelming fear of disrupting our comfortable nightmare of unfulfilled desires, we are suffering every single day. Remember: to give up the smaller things for the bigger things in life is not a sacrifice, it’s a bargain. Give up your status quo of numbed suffering for a world of peace and harmony, love and joy. Let us heal the world, let us heal ourselves.

We live in a time where each one of are born with a very important spiritual duty. Our duty is to awaken and help others awaken. There is no more time to dilly dally or play. It’s time to get serious! The world needs YOU… not the sleeping, confused, arrogant, self centered, materialistic you, but the YOU who with unbearable compassion decides to dedicate his or her life to healing this planet.

I know today I have neither been very inspirational nor very optimistic. But sometimes all you can do is express your frustration and anger with your loved ones. All you can do is share your feelings with those who matter. Today is one of those days. I have nothing fun and exciting to tell you. But I am simply here to share with you the heaviness of my heart and the pain of our Mother who needs all Her sons to come to help.

Awaken my brothers and sisters. Awaken… before it’s too late. Spread the message! Carry the light to the darkest corners. Do what you can do TODAY, don’t wait, don’t think, don’t justify. The world needs you. Your Mother needs you. Begin right now…

Shafin

Shafin de Zane, CHT, MH, MNLP
Hypnotherapist, Author, Spiritual Coach
www.redefineyourreality.com

Become Vegetarian

January 6

Today I’d like to discuss something that’s very dear to my heart, a topic that is very sensitive for most people for many reasons but one of the primary reasons being: religion. It’s tricky to talk about it and it’s even trickier to follow through because of the very heavy programming that has been done on us since birth. The topic is: eating animals for food or fun. I have tried to stay away from talking about this topic for a long time but I feel now its time.

If you are already feeling a bit queasy about this, I’m afraid you are not going to like me very much today. I’m not going to be very gentle about this, so please feel free to skip this if you think you are not ready for some radical non-sugar-coated talk. And if you are comfortable or even excited, prepare for some major learning, shifts in your mind and maybe even get ready to become a vegetarian for life.

Before I get into the topic let me touch on something that human beings in general are very concerned about: suffering. One of the most profound realizations I have had on my spiritual journey is that human race as a whole is extremely scared about suffering, is willing to do whatever is necessary to avoid suffering (to the extent of killing thousands of their own kind), but generally clueless about what brings about suffering. Think about it.

All human beings want happiness, health, wealth, freedom, love, peace and success but entirely ignorant about what causes these things or the opposite of them: suffering. Here’s the strangest bit: as a race we have programmed our own minds to such an extent, we cannot even see the cause of suffering even when it’s slapping us right across the face. We keep doing the same things over and over and expect different results. You know what that type of behaviour is called? Insanity!

Let me give you an example: every day we wake up, drink coffee, turn on the tv, watch the news about violence and separation, on the way to office pick up the newspaper, read some more stories about struggles and wars, spend our entire day running the rat race – competing against each other, come back home, drink some alcohol, watch an action movie that shows (in the most hypnotic way) how violence and struggle is glamorous, go to sleep, repeat the whole thing the next day… and expect to have peace, abundance, health, love and freedom in our lives!

It makes no sense but that’s exactly what we, maybe not specifically you, but as a race are doing everyday. The result? Look at the world today…

Coming back to what I started off on, human beings are terrified of suffering, but clueless about what brings about suffering. Its like running around in complete darkness touching a hot stove now, falling into the ditch a while later, spilling boiling water after that, an electric shock following that… absolutely clueless what we are doing, where we are going, messing up our lives even before we could start… with debt… massive debt… financially, environmentally, inter-personally, and most importantly karmically.

So here is a bit of a rude awakening… how long are you going to stay blind to the fact that you are eating dead animals that have experienced the pain of death? How long are you going to pretend that that nice chicken thigh that you bought off supermarket is just “lean meat”? Its not lean meat my friend, its flesh of a sentient being that once lived on this earth, had emotions and feelings, enjoyed freedom and love, and was mindlessly murdered for your eating pleasure. How long are you going to give into the temptation of eating a rib eye steak with mushroom sauce with a bit of fois gras on the side? Have you ever looked into the eyes of a cow that was about to be slaughtered? Have you seen the throat being slit open? Are you still going to tell yourself “but I thought it was done humanely!” How would you like to have your loved ones slaughtered “humanely”?

Here is the problem with eating dead animals (apart from the fact that you are killing helpless sentient beings just like you and me) regardless if it has been killed for you specifically or not: you inherit the pain of death that it has endured. And this pain is a karmic debt that you will have to balance. There is no way out of this.

Now you may ask, how is a cow or a tuna fish a sentient being? Well, here is the only difference between you and a tuna fish, its level of cognitive processing capacity. It cannot analyze, rationalize, communicate or study in the same way that you or I can, but then neither can a human baby. We don’t eat it just because it’s helpless, do we? A tuna fish has many capabilities that you or I cannot even dream about, but they are different capabilities. And it definitely feels the same pain as you or I would feel if a hook pierced through the soft flesh of our mouth and pulled us up in the air. It feels the pain but it cannot communicate in our language. It feels the pain but we are too blind and arrogant to see it. And really what am I talking about, if we can’t see the pain of a cow or a goat being slaughtered, how can we see the pain of a tuna fish. Some people ask me, when I tell them to become a vegetarian, “but you must eat fish right? It’s not meat!”

So once again, here is the spiritual problem with killing animals and eating them: you are inheriting the pain of death that will reflect in your own life. Take a HONEST look at your life, if it’s filled with disappointments and broken dreams, emptiness and dead ends, struggles and fight, here is one powerful contributing factor that maybe causing it. Stop killing sentient beings and stop being the direct or indirect cause for it and watch your life turn around. Yes, there may be years of negative karma to be balanced, but the hands of the Writer who writes our script is strict but infinitely generous. Reverse the process today, balance out some debt by contributing to sustaining life and eliminating pain. You will be surprised by the miracles that follow. All it takes is a shift in our consciousness.

If you believe in reincarnation, here is a Buddhist concept that you may find helpful…

In Buddhism it is said that each of us has had countless past lives before we were born into this one. And in our countless past lives, every single sentient being has served the role of our father, mother, enemy, lover etc. Which is why in Buddhism, all sentient beings are called Mother Sentient Beings: they have been your mother at some life time in the past. Try to remember that the next time you are picking up a roast chicken from the supermarket.

Now you may not believe in past lives and you may not believe in karma. You may still be stuck in your ego mind prison of name, bank account and job description that you have created in this life time. That’s fine Mr/Mdm Asst. Executive Vice President, I know all this spiritual talk sounds all gibberish to you but surely you care about the food that’s not only making you overweight and ugly, but also killing your children by slowly clogging up their coronary arteries. Wouldn’t you be interested in knowing what food is slowly washing away the calcium from your bones and thickening your blood with insoluble fat? If you don’t care about the “dumb chickens”, you must surely care about your own chance of dying one fine foggy morning from massive cardiac arrest without being able to spend those free air miles to Bahamas…

For those of you who need a little more convincing about the medical aspects of eating animals vs becoming a vegetarian, about what food is truly a balanced diet, what food can actually KILL you and your loved ones and what food can heal you and help you live a healthy, lean, thin, energized life – I know of no better teacher than Dr Klaper of the Institute of Nutritional Education and Research.

Dr. Michael Klaper has been a physician for 37 years and a vegan since he was 34 years of age. Among many other interesting posts, Dr. Klaper has served as advisor to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (N.A.S.A.) project on nutrition for long-term space colonists, so you know you are learning from a professional here. A gifted teacher, humorous lecturer, and the author of successful books and video’s on cholesterol-free nutrition, Dr. Klaper has contributed to the making of the award winning PBS television production, “Diet for a New America.”

Here is a funny quote from Dr Klaper that I love: “Nobody has ever been found face-down 20 yards from the Burger King because they couldn’t get their Whopper in time.”

So sit back, relax and enjoy this fantastic, information filled, paradigm shifting 1 hour lecture…

I hope this gets you to think and seriously reconsider not only your own diet choices but also that of your family and loved ones. A small shift in your consciousness can create a ripple effect into all eternity, touch lives in unknown places through undreamed of ways. The world needs your help today. Do something about it. Become a vegetarian. Stop killing sentient beings.

Here are some free resources for making your transition to becoming a vegetarian easier:

Great vegetarian recipes

Another free vegetarian recipes site

I hope you will spread the word around and share this with as many people as you can in whatever way you can. You never know whose life you will end up saving.

With lots of love,

Shafin

Shafin de Zane, CHT, MH, MNLP
Hypnotherapist, Author, Spiritual Coach
www.redefineyourreality.com

Who Thinks Our Thoughts?

September 4

QUESTION FROM A READER:

Hi Shafin

For over 15 years I have been studied metaphysics, Met someone who is one of the speakers on the video the Secret and spoken to him. Leaned self hypnotherapy and also listened to Steve G. Jones on attracting wealth ,great relationships etc. Down loaded countless products on the law of attraction subliminal suggestion and read ninety percent of the books that are in the free download once Ive purchased your book. None has made any difference infact im in a worse position in every area of my life these days than i was thirty years ago.

What i would like to ask what in your book would be any different from all the other metaphysicians claiming to turn peoples lives around if none of this stuff has bought into fruition the things i have being trying to manifest. For ten years I have tried everything to bring in a mutually loving and supportive relationship only to attract crazy makers, commitment phobics and con men.

I havnt been asking for this. I have had vision boards,imaginging as if i already have a great relationship ,hypnosis etc etc Have no problem attracting men in the first place. Should it be this difficult after working with all these techniques from the law of attraction. I have constantly asked for a healthy relationship and abundance. Have taken action and being very focused and possitive only to start at the bottom again. Im nearly fifty years Idont feel old but find it very difficult to remotivate my self and continually come up with the same result. I I would be happy to purchase your book but well how is it any different.Could you offer me an answer.

Thanks G***

My Answer:

Hi G***

I’m not going to answer the parts about “why you should buy my book” but address some far more important questions that you have asked without really putting it in words.

The first thing you need to realize is that the problems you mention are not very unique. In fact it’s quite common. Many people experience such blockages and find, while highly re-assuring and most times very entertaining, all these wonderful ideas of law of attraction, vision boards and so on somehow just don’t work for them (or works sometimes but not other times). You are nothing special in this department.

Now I want you to read the above lines a few more times before you read anything further. Do not read further until you have read it at least 3 times.

I want you to become aware of how you felt when you read my words above. What was your mental talk to yourself? If you felt even a slight twinge of irritation or anger at my words, it could be because “that it doesn’t work for you” actually is your way of feeling special. Something to take note of and think about. Again, interestingly there is nothing to unique in that department either. Many of us do it simply because our ego mind has many convoluted ways of making us feel special. It’s workable, and very much solvable a problem. If you actually did welcome my words, then read on.

We go about trying to attract our reality using our mind power and intention without asking one vital yet tremendously uncomfortable question: who thinks our thoughts? We want this and we want that, we try to manifest relationships, dollars, cars and circumstances. But we rarely stop to wonder, where is it that we get these desires from?

The usual answer to this question is “well I do, I think my own thoughts”. But do you really? The uncomfortable truth is that less than 10% of our life is directed by our thinking, logical, rational, “conscious”, ego mind. The rest 90% or more of our decisions and desires in life come from our subconscious mind which is the mega store house of beliefs, emotions, habits, and permanent memory of our life experiences. And where does our beliefs come from? How are our habits formed? What memories of childhood do you have stored in the dark corners of your mind? What are your emotions trying to tell you? What is the purpose of your emotions that hold so much power over your life?

The answers to those above questions, unfortunately, require an exploration of the human mind that I cannot give you in this little email but let me briefly give you an idea about where I am going with all of this:

See our conscious thoughts are entirely shaped by life experiences. Life experiences create the framework of our belief system (our functional paradigm of the world). Our beliefs then serve as background pattern, default choice, subconscious decision making blueprint, as we go about making thousands of choices every day. Every moment, we are making choices and decisions: what to wear, what to eat, which shampoo to buy, how to answer a question, which credit card to get, which stranger to talk to, which beggar to give alms to, which TV channel to watch, which partner to date, who we should trust, who we should avoid, what job to take, which dreams to follow, which books to read, what to write on vision boards… endless series of decisions and judgments, most of which we THINK we are making, but really it maybe being shaped by forces and factors we have no clue about!

Don’t believe me? Well, here is a little news for you: human mind is far easier to influence that we are willing to accept! Here is an example (Derren Brown is a famous British Mentalist and Simon Pegg is the star of many movies including Shaun Of The Dead, Run Fat Boy Run and my recent favorite… How To Lose Friends and Alienate People):

Okay maybe what you just saw is an extreme, maybe it required many props and careful manipulation of environment to pull off the trick, but just like the video, we too are being influenced by big marketing companies ALL THE TIME. Trust me when I tell you this: they know MIND CONTROL.

And what about all the random, yet highly powerful messages that we are exposed to everyday by the newspapers, radio, television news, movies, documentaries, advertisements etc? These shows and messages are created by some of the most brilliant and creative marketing minds of the world. These messages are powerful, engaging, entertaining and they have ONE common purpose: sell advertisement space! If no one bought advertisement space on CNN, it wouldn’t be able to run, if no one bought advertisements on Google, even they won’t be able to run. In turn, the advertisements have ONE purpose: to make YOU buy what they are selling. And in order to do that, sometimes they have to ALTER your perception of reality before you are in the right mind frame to buy (a BMX instead of a leather jacket).

Now what has all of this got to do with metaphysics and apparent lack of success with all the new age ideas? Everything! While the concept of being able to attract everything you want into your life is wonderfully empowering, it’s simply an intermediate step on the way to enlightenment. It’s a great concept for all those stuck in a life where they think “life is something that happens to them” but not so great for people who have progressed somewhat and are ready to understand some deeper aspects of reality.

Here is the problem with the great “law of attraction”: if you can’t see the future, don’t know what your personal destiny is, are incapable of predicting what will make you happy (as it is apparent by our decisions which only lead us to a future we are usually not happy with at all) and are completely biased by continuous marketing messages that bombard us every waking hour… how can we take responsibility for altering circumstances and events that are inextricably entangled with everyone and everything in the universe? How can we choose when we don’t even know what is favorable and what is not? How can we change our future, when we don’t even know what will make us happy?

Everything is interconnected. And we cannot change one grain of sand without changing the entire universe. But that is NOT to say that we cannot attract our dreams and desires into manifestation. We very well can, at least in the beginning, as many will religiously vouch to you that law of attraction works. And it does… but not for long. Why not? Because the design is such that it only works until you have successfully escaped the prison of “life is a struggle and you have to work hard” mentality. Once you have escaped, are reasonably certain that there is a deeper reality with very different laws that govern it, that your mind is very much capable of altering the course of events, the whole thing either stops working or becomes harder and harder to manifest.

Law Of Attraction works generally, not specifically. It works in the level of thoughts. Thoughts become things (generally). Thoughts about poverty, struggle and fight, brings more poverty, struggle and fight. Thoughts of peace, love and prosperity brings more peace, love and prosperity… generally. The specifics are in the domain of the Universe, in the hands of God.

The problem begins when we try to write our own specific future and materialize specific circumstances. Since our thoughts and  desires are often not our own, and rarely in sync with the “big plan” (which is interconnected with all things and all people), they rarely materialize. When they don’t materialize, we become frustrated and go back to our old ways or distract ourselves with some form of external stimuli (food, drugs, movies, news, relationships, charity, and even helping others). But the frustration remains, the cognitive dissonance (conflict between beliefs and results) remains.

Unfortunately, since we have no better model and since all these new age products keep telling us that its “supposed to work” this way and gather many testimonials and what not to “prove” to you that its working for everyone else…  and since it still doesn’t work for you, you get even more frustrated.

Actually its worse than that because if it didn’t work at all, that would be fine (although disappointing) and you could move on. But it works for you too, only sometimes, and not the other times. Somehow the “small things” that you dont care much about works better than the bigger things you “really want”. And since that makes you confused, angry and frustrated, it becomes harder to be truly grateful and joyous. And now the law of attraction works against you, rather than for you, and you keep wondering “where is it that it all went wrong???”

There is a better, more mature way of doing things. And that way is opening yourself up to miracles, instead of magic (or make things happen consciously by mind power).

How do you open up to miracles? Now this a topic like learning to swim, I can write many pages but you might learn nothing if you never  tried to swim before. To really learn to swim, you need an instructor, you need to be in water, you need to practice and after all of that you will still look like a drowning monkey in the beginning. To be a little more direct, LIVING this way (as opposed to just intellectually understanding) requires you to radically transform your mind and completely change the way you live. You need a good teacher and you need some patience before you begin to de-program some of that negative programming. There is no quick fix or magic formula for this. If you wish to work with me, you are welcome to do so. Click here to make a choice.

Now let me give you some steps to live a life of miracles and magic:

First realize that YOU are NOT your thinking ego mind. You are much bigger than that. Your ego (that thinks and has a name and wants lots of material things) is a part of you, a tiny part at that, but it is not YOU. It’s only a part of you.

Second, meditate. Meditation is the royal road to enlightenment and miracles. It is the automatic process of healing yourself and opening yourself to direct communication with the Source or God.

Third, be open to ALL possibilities, every moment of every day. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. It’s a great intellectual concept but tremendously hard to pull off when life gives you one of her many challenges. The only way to truly be open is by meditating, which will automatically help you dis-identify yourself from your ego mind, which will allow you to perceive the Unity of all things and co relationship between everything in the universe, which will allow you to understand the signs which are all around us, which will allow you to be open because now you realize that you are being guided, you are being taken care of, you are loved beyond comprehension.

When you are open, you no longer struggle and fight, but simply say “Thy Will Be Done”.

So meditation is the key. Meditation will automatically heal your mind and illuminate all the dark areas where those limiting patterns and behaviors reside. It will alter time, space and redefine your reality… automatically. You will no longer need to struggle or fight, or take the enormous responsibility of designing your destiny. You are far greater than your ego mind wants you to realize. Far too great is your destiny for your ego mind to design.

Pure meditation is pure void – pure silence, remember that, everything else is a technique that leads us to that place. In fact, pure meditation is Unity, or Love, which is too deep a concept to put in words so I will stop here.

I know I didn’t answer even one question you directly asked. But I do hope my words have overlapped your consciousness and touched your soul, and you are able to get a glimpse of that which cannot be taught with words.

With lots of love,

Shafin

Shafin de Zane, CHT, MH, MNLP
Hypnotherapist, Author, Spiritual Coach
www.redefineyourreality.com

Related Posts:

On Law Of Attraction And Giving (Live Coaching Session)

Miracles and Patience In A Spiritual Life

How To Pray

On Integrity

June 3

Spin of Life

May 19
Today I got really worked up with this email I received from a (well educated, well traveled, usually open minded) friend. The email contained an article with propaganda against a certain religion (I won’t tell you which one, I’ll leave it for your imagination). The article was basically total misinterpretation of verses including one where it mentioned “It (the religious text in question) advises men to take a green branch and beat their wives, because a green branch is more flexible and hurts more”! It gave a reference link to all the verses from where it was quoting. A quick research showed that this specific article is found all over the web in literally hundreds of variations. Only God knows how many thousands of zealous people have shared this propaganda with how many thousand others!

When I followed that specific link to see how in the world a major religious text can contain something like this, I found that it was something about Job being asked to strike the ground with a bundle of rushes (a green plant) to a. keep the satan away or b. produce water from the ground (I couldn’t be sure because it was a bit confusing) but nothing to do with women, or hitting them, or anything about the choice of green branches for more pain!

Having gone through this it really made me upset thinking about the situation the world is in right now. What are we doing to each other and the planet? With so much of propaganda against each other and our faiths, with so much brainwash in the hundreds of channels on TV, with so much of ignorance in the hearts of these so called educated folk of the world, are we really going to survive or actually become the cause of our own extinction?

Being around so many spiritual teachers and like minded people, having so many students around the world who write so many wonderful things about my work, most of the times I feel there is a great awakening happening in the world right now. That people are slowly waking up to realizing that there is more than what meets the five senses. That there is a deeper reality with miracles and magic that we can access right right now if we choose to. That God does exist, not in our hearts, but we in the heart of God. That we are all brothers and sisters, part of a cosmic drama, playing our parts, spiritual beings having a physical experience and not the other way round. That what I am doing is actually making a difference and setting off a chain reaction around the world…

But some other times, on days like this, when I see so much of darkness in the minds of, not the villagers of third world countries, but our educated folk who travel around the world and apparently “see” a lot… it pains me. On days like this, it appears to me, the world is in its teen ages, spiritually speaking. Bad attitude, bully type mentality, and total disregard for anything beyond our own understanding of what is RIGHT. Ignorant of our ignorance, wise in our own esteem. The result? Countries like Nigeria and Ecuador being crippled for oil, trillions of dollars being spent on wars, planes flying into buildings and about 24,000 people dying every day from hunger or hunger-related causes (Source: The Hunger Site at thehungersite.com).

Anyway, the fact that I don’t like to feel this way, and the fact that I understand the power of our mind projecting outwards, makes me quickly find out something powerful that can snap me back and help me feel optimistic again. So today, the video that helped me smile back is below. Its the Spin Of Life. Somehow, in its own offbeat funny way, it made me think of how all things are interconnected and how we are all in this great journey together.

So this is for you, not just for today but for all days when life makes you feel down. But in exchange for my efforts (if it has ever helped you at all) I have a request for you (its 6.30am where I am and I still haven’t slept, that’s how bothered I got): do something today to eradicate the idea of separation from the minds of our friends and family. No matter how small your step, do something today to spread the love and the idea that we are all One, in this planet together, and when one is hurt, we all suffer. Whether we realize it or not.

With lots of love for you and everyone you care about.

Shafin

And if you too need some inspiration and lightening up, here is our collection of Motivational Videos For Spiritual Awakening

Across The Universe

March 26

So how big are we really… Turn up the volume and prepare to be humbled. Don’t forget to share with your friends and family.

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Your Diet Coke Is Killing You!

March 9
Hello Folks,

I am here once again with lots of uplifting good news! Your diet coke is killing you!

You heard that right. If you are drinking any kind of diet cola or drink, or consuming any sugar free gum, or any sugar substitute like Equal, Nutrasweet or Spoonful, I got news for you.

This article can save you or your loved ones from serious illnesses like brain tumors, leukemia, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, epilepsy, birth defects, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s and many more! So I suggest you start paying attention and share it with as many people as you can.

Ok, here is the background:

The substance that is used to sweeten your diet drink and sugar free foods (including Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, Kool Aid, Listerine Strips, different sugar free gums etc) is called Aspartame. Aspartame is also the technical name for brand names like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful and other sugar alternatives. Aspartame was discovered by accident in 1965 by a chemist of G.D Searle Company. G.D Searle tried to get approval from the FDA in United States in 1974 but failed due to objections from a neuroscience researcher named Dr John Olney and a consumer attorney named James Turner. For the time being, the FDA put the approval on hold to carry out further investigation. However, aspartame was allowed on 1981 for dry goods and 1983 for carbonated beverages.

Aspartame is, by far, the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to foods. It is responsible for headaches/migraines, heart palpitations, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, depression, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.
According to recent studies it is also responsible for triggering or worsening brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, birth defects, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, mental retardation, and diabetes.

So why was aspartame approved by the FDA? Well, for many years FDA not only refused to approve it, but took G. D. Searle to court indicting them under Title 18, Section 1001 for “their willful and knowing failure to make reports to the FDA required… and for concealing material facts and making false statements in reports of animal studies conducted to establish the safety of aspartame.”

You know why? Because in 1969, Searle conducted a study with Dr Harry Waisman on the effects of aspartame on primates. Seven baby monkeys were given Aspartame in milk. One died after 300 days; five others had grand mal seizures. Searle eliminated these findings when they submitted this study to the FDA!

So that’s pretty huge right? And Searle should have been stopped from producing this dangerous chemical forever right? Unfortunately there was a famous man in this story who had very high stakes in Aspartame.

The CEO of G D Searle at the time was Donald Rumsfeld (retired defense secretary for the Bush administration who de facto led the Iraq war)! Mr Rumsfeld said he would ensure that aspartame gets approved even though the FDA said no. He was also on President Reagan’s transition team at the time.

Here are some videos where you can see Mr Turner narrate the story of how greed kills millions of people for years to come!

http://www.redefineyourreality.com/aspartame-poisoning.htm

In 1985, the G.D Searle Company was bought over by Monsanto. The first thing Monsanto did was make the Searle Pharmaceuticals and NutraSweet Company separate subsidiaries.
Now Monsanto is also one of the world’s biggest companies that produce genetically modified foods and other chemicals that go into foods and food production. Monsanto is also known for producing pesticides.

Now we are talking about a multi billion dollar industry called the diet drink industry. Just like CFC (which almost destroyed the earths climate because of its long term destructive properties yet was popularized for more than 40 years as the magic chemical that makes money yet is environment friendly, until we had the Ozone Hole) and Trans-fats (that clog your arteries and makes you obese and responsible for numerous other diseases yet millions of people around the world are eating KFC), Aspartame also is very preciously protected because its HIGHLY PROFITABLE!

In 1992 the Flying Safety Magazine published articles about the dangers of Aspartame and mentioned that some people could be immediately affected by Aspartame with as small doses as a chewing gum. And here is the most interesting piece of information:

Major airline pilots are not allowed drink or consume Aspartame containing goods! You know why? Because it increases the risk of headaches, seizures, heart palpitations, depression, slurred speech, loss of memory, loss of sensation in lower legs, loss of equilibrium, vertigo, anxiety attacks, chronic fatigue, vision loss, etc. How nice is that? Now you can stop worrying because even if you might be killing yourself with Aspartame poisoning, you should be happy knowing that at least you are going to reach your destination in one piece.

Now I know, in your mind you might be thinking well, diet drinks at least keep your weight in check! Right? Well, does it really?

Aspartame has actually been known to contribute to weight problem and obesity even though it is used in diet drinks. Of course it doesn’t cause over weight issues the same way that sugar does, but it causes obesity by creating some very harmful toxic materials in the body. It also makes you crave carbohydrates which makes you gain weight. These toxins are often stored by the body in fat particularly on the hips and thighs. Not surprising that millions of overweight people around the world are drinking diet Coke, Pepsi and other drinks for years and still not loosing any weight!

In the famous book Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills, Russell Blaylock, a neurosurgeon, says aspartame may trigger clinical diabetes! He says that excitotoxins such as NutraSweet literally stimulate neurons to death, causing brain damage of varying degrees. “What really concerns me about aspartame,” he says, “is its association with brain tumors as well as pancreatic, uterine and ovarian tumors. … and that so many develop an Alzheimers-like syndrome with prolonged exposure.”

Dr Blaylock also commented: “The new study released in the European Journal of oncology by Morando Soffritti and co-workers should terrify mothers and all those consuming aspartame sweetened products…”

“This study confirmed the previous study by Dr. Trocho and co-workers, which also found the formaldehyde breakdown product of aspartame to be damaging to cellular DNA and that this damage was accumulative. The type of damage was a duplicate of that associated with cancers. Along with this most recent study, this means that drinking a single diet cola sweetened with aspartame every day could increase one’s risk of developing a lymphoma or leukemia.”

Unfortunately, even as I write this today, millions of people around the world are sipping on their “sugar free” and “zero calorie” poison. Every year millions of dollars are spent on marketing and advertising diet drinks with slim and petite women in on the billboards and TV. Little do the ignorant consumers realize that they are paying with their health, their children’s health, and their grandchildren’s health everyday to make people like Rumsfeld and companies like Searle and NutraSweet richer and richer.

On the other hand people like me, Dr Betty Martini (who is the world leader in exposing the ill effects of chemical sweeteners) and hundreds of others are trying their best to reach as many people as possible around the world. But we are up against billions of dollars worth combined advertising and marketing budget of the diet drink companies, processed food companies etc.

How much chance do we have to break through the noise of these mega budget campaigns? I don’t know. But I would like to believe that we are making a difference… That you would read this letter today and never touch any aspartame related product ever again. That you would take the initiative to tell as many people as you can in person, on the phone, via email, in the next office meeting or whatever else you can think of. If you do that, we take a step forward and we shall win. If you don’t, then all of this effort is worthless.

Think about it.

Would you like to help the movement and help thousands, if not millions of people around the world? If so, read on and follow the 3 steps given here to help the world today.

Step 1: Forward this email to at least 5 of your friends, family or loved ones.

Step 2: Let me know that you have forwarded it at bittertruth@aweber.com Just send me just an empty email. Don’t write anything as it is an auto responder. If you have questions or comments follow the email link below.

Step 3: As a thank you gift I’ll send you two motivational ebooks for free. One on a true story of how to bounce back at life when you got nothing more to loose and the other an excellent 49 page special report on motivation. This applies to all readers of this article.

Spread the word and let more and more people live a life of health, abundance and happiness!
I wish you and your loved ones a happy, healthy, poison free day.

Shafin


Shafin de Zane, CHT, MH, MNLP
Hypnotherapist, Author, Spiritual Coach

PS: To sign up for this newsletter and learn how to transform your personality, love life and livelihood, visit http://www.thesevendayjourney.com

PPS: For a more detailed report of aspartame poisoning with medical research, go to: http://www.wnho.net/new_aspartame_studies.htm

The story of how Rumsfeld accomplished this was told by the attorney James Turner in a documentary on aspartame called “Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World” you can visit the site here
http://www.soundandfury.tv/pages/sweet%20misery.html

What Your Doctor DOES NOT Want You To Know

February 14
Here are two important notes first:

a. If you are a doctor, you are probably not going to like this post very much.

b. This is not against the medical profession itself which saves millions of lives everyday, it is against the ignorance and arrogance the profession is engulfed in – that harms millions more.

So here goes…

Did you know that Doctors are one of the leading cause of death in the USA?

An article published in the Journal of The American Medical Association (one of the most respected in the industry) shows that in the US there are approximately:

* 12,000 deaths per year from unnecessary surgery
* 7,000 deaths each year from medication errors in hospitals
* 20,000 deaths caused from other errors in hospitals
* 80,000 deaths caused annually from infections in hospitals
* 106,000 deaths caused annually from adverse affects of medications

This adds up to a total of nearly a quarter of a million people that die each year due to IATROGENIC causes (i-at-ro-gen-ic adj.: induced inadvertently by a physician or surgeon or by medical treatment or diagnostic procedures); third only to heart disease and cancer. (Of course the numbers will vary every year, but you get the idea.)

Four times as many people die in one year from doctors’ mistakes than died in the entire Vietnam War and more than TEN times the amount of American soldiers that have died in the Iraq war. These are just deaths in hospitalized patients and does not include disabilities and disorders received from IATROGENIC causes.

Studies released in the last 15 years show similar trends in the Australia, UK, Canada and New Zealand. Most other countries don’t even publish numbers like this to know the exact situation.

Now why this shocking situation prevails and how to avoid it is something I cannot go into right now because it will challenge the very foundation of our current medical science. It will require much more space and time than what is possible within the scope of this little blog post. But here is a little piece of good news that can potentially keep you away from the hospitals forever…

I just came across a book that contains a miraculous healing therapy so powerful that it’s constantly having to fight off powerful enterprises, cartels and agencies whose financial interests are threatened by it are keeping this info from reaching the general public. Now you know why this is something that you will probably not hear from your doctor very often.

It’s a simple therapy based on increasing oxygen levels in the blood and it has been scientifically proven to prevent virtually all known diseases – and even cure diseases from minor ones like the flu to “incurable” and life-threatening ones like cancer, AIDS and Alzheimer’s Disease!

Over 6000 scientific articles attest to the validity of this amazing yet simple therapeutic procedure so you know that this is not some quack theory! In fact, this is not even new! Its been around for hundreds of years now yet we rarely hear about it.

You can learn more about this therapy on the link below along with medically documented cases of cancer disappearing, late stage AIDS reversing, remarkable recovery from Emphysema and many more. Read every word on this page and go get the book if you value your health at all:

Healing With Oxygen Therapy

And if you are one of those few people who will say “I don’t need to know all this because I have a great health…” or “I really don’t have the time to read all this”… well good luck to you but do take the time to forward this email to your friends and loved ones so they may benefit from this. You never know whose life you will end up saving.

I wish you a healthy, drug free, doctor free, sunny day!

Shafin


Shafin de Zane, CHT, MH, MNLP
Hypnotherapist, Author, Spiritual Coach
www.redefineyourreality.com

eCourse Day 6: Spiritual Enlightenment – Biggest Obstacle On The Way

November 17

Today’s lesson is Q&A style. Its also going to be a bit lengthy and probably the most important lesson so far, so you may want to take a printout for reading it more than once and for future reference.

Question From A Reader:

Dear Shafin,

My name is Shazia. I am 33 years old. I have been reading lots of articles on Law of Attraction. Amongst all the articles i have read, your articles seem to be one of the best. Thanks for providing this free 7 day E-course.

Shafin, I used to be working for a travel agency. However i quit the job because i really could not take the work load. I have no idea as to how i have to move forward. My mind is blank. There used to be lots of interests before but nothing seems to interest me anymore like the way people call it burning desire. Once upon a time i used to be interested in Drama, Music, etc. I loved to entertain my friends and make them laugh. Now, I have to support my family as my husband does not earn well and i am like wasting lot of time. The only thing i do is to find out if anyone is offering free lessons on law of attraction and read them.

Shafin, i dont know why i felt like opening up to you. I understand that you help lot of people and bring a better change in their lifes. Can you please change mine too?? I intend to lead a beautiful and a successful life. Please advise me Shafin and share your knowledge with me in order to redefine my life. I shall remain grateful to you for ever.

Please take time out to read my mail and reply.

Thanking you in advance.

Regards

Shazia

Answer from Shafin:

Hi Shazia,

First of all, I want to congratulate you for doing two things:

1. Taking the time to look deeper inside, educate yourself and trying to find a solution within yourself, rather than distracting yourself with all sorts of things like TV, food, relationships, children etc.

2. Reaching out to me and asking for advice with honesty and openness. I know how difficult it can be to open yourself up and asking for help.

So before I tell you how to change anything let me assure you: you are on the right track!

Whatever your situation maybe, however desperate, right now you are moving forward, going deeper, asking why, finding answers, seeking help, attracting teachers, learning lessons, getting better, becoming more aware… And that in itself is reason enough to be grateful for all that has ever happened to you so far. What has happened has brought you here. Be grateful for that.

But then, that is not what you want to hear from me, do you? :-)

So here is a little background and then I’ll tell you what to do to go forward.

See one of the most difficult obstacles to cross when it comes to spiritual enlightenment (and financial freedom for that matter) is our attachment to the known. Now as I keep saying to my students: like it or not, your life is probably working better than 90% of the world out there. And it very well applies to you too. How do I know? Well, simply from the fact that you have enough money and education to afford a working Internet connection, enough food in your stomach to think straight, enough intelligence to write a letter like what you have written, and enough stability in life to think about the higher level needs in life like happiness and fulfillment. Anyone with all these things working in their lives is living a better life than about 90% of the world out there. And that, unfortunately, CAN BE one of the biggest obstacles towards going forward in life.

The reason it can be one of the biggest obstacles is because consciously you may not be happy at the moment but your sub-conscious mind knows that what you have right now is “working”. Whatever you have done so far has put you in the upper 10% category in this intensely competitive world right now. And while you are willing to do whatever is necessary to bring about a change, change is something your sub-conscious mind is quite afraid of… especially if it means letting go of old patterns of behavior and belief systems.

Purely from a biological perspective (and not considering other factors), there are two things your sub-conscious mind or your animal side is concerned with:

a. Survival
b. Replication

It is not concerned with spiritual development, law of attraction, building Eiffel Tower, conquering the Himalayas or becoming the world champion in hop-step-jump! It is concerned primarily with survival and secondarily with replication. That’s it! And so far you seem to be managing both quite successfully. But then that is not what makes you a human being does it?

So there are other things you are concerned with. There are other needs you have. Other parts of you that dream of things that no human has ever laid eyes upon, that imagine things that exist beyond time and space, that wants to reach for the stars so far away that even its light will never reach earth… So there is the spiritual part of you, which keeps you awake night and day.
The reason I mention these two sides is to show you that there is a conflict of interest between different parts within you. Remember that to understand what follows.

In a small little nutshell, here are the 6 universal Human needs that drives all our behaviors. These are not mere wants or desires but deep driving needs that makes us what we are. These needs are not found in other animals, not in this specific way at least:

1. Certainty: That you will be alive in the next hour, that you will be loved, that you will have enough food to eat tomorrow etc.

2. Uncertainty: If everything was always how you predicted it to be, you would get bored and die.

3. Significance: That you are worthy of love and affection and success.

4. Love and Connection: From other human beings. Love from a goldfish is not a substitute.

5. Growth: Constant growth is a deep human need. When you stop growing, you start dying.

6. Contribution: To be able to help humans and all other beings in their own journey.

Every time you fulfill one or more of your needs you will feel happy. Conversely, when you are not fulfilling your human needs in life, you will be unhappy. In a nutshell, that is how your emotions guide you through life. Happy = needs met. Unhappy = needs unmet. And life goes on. Got it?

Now understand this: every choice people make in life is to fulfill one or more of their needs, EVERY CHOICE. And remember this: if one of your behaviors is able to consistently fulfill 3 or more of your needs, you will get addicted to that behavior!

Now coming back to your problem, which happens to be a very common problem, the structure is very simple:

You begin life, you make choices that presently fulfill your needs, if you are able to successfully keep 3 or more of your needs fulfilled, you get hooked to that “modus operandi” or strategy for life. And life moves on until one day you find that you are deeply unhappy with what you got, surrounded by responsibilities that are not so much fun!

So what went wrong? See there is a basic problem with this formula. The problem is the formula is not based upon following your deepest desires or what is your true hearts calling, but mostly based upon what others told you to do. What others “approved” of. What others told you was the “right” thing to do. Who are these “others”?

Prepare for some hard honestly here: the others are your family, your friends, the school teachers, the books you read when you were growing up, the movies you watched etc. Now take an honest accounting of all those factors right now and see if you can find how successful, balanced and happy these “others” are in their life. Chances are, as you will find out, they are no better off than you are. And the movies (that taught you the meaning of love and shaped your idea of relationships) with the actors within them, and directors who directed them, along with writers who wrote the stories the movies were based upon, are some of the unhappiest individuals on the planet, trying to drown themselves in the most destructive ways known to mankind with drugs and alcohol (of course this is a generalization but I’m sure you get the point).

Unfortunately, that is the model you probably followed directly or indirectly. And now you find that it’s no longer enough to just get their approval, its no longer okay to just follow the norms, it’s no longer acceptable to allow the “others” tell you how to live your life. Life has become a mess and it needs to be fixed now!

Which brings us back to where we started from which is: having said everything, where you are, is a good place. It is a place where you have, probably for the first time in life, started asking the right questions and that is the most important requirement to find the right answers.

So what is the bottom line? The bottom line is there is no quick fix to this. And more importantly, something that may not be very agreeable to you right now, there is nothing that needs to be fixed either! It is perfect where you are. It is better to have messed up in one lifetime and awaken, than live a thousand lifetimes of blissful unawareness. You have all the basic ingredients necessary to make a leap right now, but will you???

So here are the next steps you could take to chart brand new game plan:

1. Take note of the major decisions in life that has brought you where you are today. Write down the top 5 things decisions you are not so happy with. Then knowing what you know now, analyze yourself with what needs were met having taken those decisions. If you are to go forward, you need to learn from history.

2. Take note of your life right now and write down, which of the 6 human needs are being met or unmet right now. Find out ways to fulfill them. Not knowing what to do is not an excuse. The answers you don’t have will be given if you know how to ask the questions. Most of us have no idea even how to ask the right questions. Here are some right questions to begin with:

a. Am I with the right man? Is he performing his duties as a man? What are his real duties as a man? (Hmmm) Am “I” the man in the relationship? Am I too afraid to even ask this question? (Hmmm) How can I invite him to be that Man so I can be the Woman that he can truly love and worship (without threatening him or attacking him)? (MEN: Go vice versa)

b. What is it that makes me truly happy doing? If money wasn’t an issue what would I do with my time in life? What is it that I was born in this world to do?

c. What do I really feel? What is my deepest fear? What is it really that I want in my life? Money, fame, success and power has time and again failed to make human beings truly happy. Then what is it “really” that I am looking for?

3. Study like a mad woman! Buy books and tapes and videos and audios like you have never done before. DON’T BORROW! If you don’t have money to buy a book this week, sell your toaster or something. But buy a book and read it. It doesn’t matter what you read. The answers will be given as you take the step forward. You will be guided.

If you want to learn from me, go take a look at the Redefine Your Reality package. We just added over a HUNDRED hours of audio/video on everything to do with success, abundance, law of attraction, business, metaphysics, spiritual knowledge and many more topics! This promotional package is here for a limited time. So get it here while it lasts:

http://www.redefineyourreality.com/detail.htm

Finally here is what I have to tell you: Follow your heart right now! You don’t need to know all the answers today. But if you follow your heart right now, it will guide to the places that has some of the answers. The way will unfold slowly. It has been a long time of not listening to that faint voice. Listen to it today.

How do you listen? Sit down everyday for minimum 15 minutes (an hour if you can manage it without going crazy) and focus on your breathing. Slowly you will find guidance from here. Listen to it. I know it’s damn scary at times. I know it’s saying all kinds of things that you know will lead you into trouble. But that is YOUR truth. Follow your truth. Take some action. What have you got to lose anyway?

In the end… smile! It’s all okay. You are being guided. You are loved beyond comprehension. You are being taken care of all the time and you always will be. Sometimes we come too far off from what was our chosen way and life becomes a mess. But it doesn’t take a long time to go back to the way once again. It’s all about making a choice… and as I said right in the beginning: you are already on the right way!

Till we meet one day…

Shafin


Shafin de Zane, CHT, MH, MNLP
Hypnotherapist, Author, Spiritual Coach
RedefineYourReality.com

Lessons from The Dog Whisperer

July 28

A few days ago one of my VIP Program student from Florida told me about this unusual TV program they are showing on the Discovery Channel called The Dog Whisperer! Do you know what it’s about? If not I’ll tell you about it in just a short while but before that I want to tell you something on a little different tangent.

600 years before Jesus’ birth, a man called Lao Tzu lived in ancient China. He was a man around whom many mysteries and myths surround but as far as I can tell from cross referencing history, this man worked for the imperial government as a record keeper or librarian of sorts. According to biographies and legend, he got tired of the city life and the continuous wars and traveled to the west to live as a hermit in at the age of 160! At the gate of the kingdom he was recognized by a guard and the guard requested the old master to write something that would preserve his wisdom. This is the legendary origin of the Tao Te Ching (loosely translated as: the book of the great way). This book, in its 81 beautiful short verses, captures the essence of spirituality like no other text I have personally encountered. Some scholars say that it is one of the wisest books ever written and I very much agree.

The philosophy of this work focused on the following concepts: tao, wu (emptiness), wu -wei (nondoing) and Fu (the return of all things to their origins). The goal of the Taoist philosophy is, to become one with Tao, the great way, by aligning your self with the universal laws and return to origins. But to achieve this, the student has to achieve emptiness and simplicity, practice non-doing, and dedicate his life to the understanding of the great way.

Here is the very first verse of Tao Te Ching for those of you who would like to appreciate the beauty of this master work:

The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.
The name is the mother of the ten thousand things.
Send your desires away and you will see the mystery.
Be filled with desire and you will see only the manifestation.
As these two come forth they differ in name.
Yet at their source they are the same.
This source is the mystery.
The mystery itself is the gateway to all understanding.

~Verse 1: Tao Te Ching

The reason I am mentioning Tao Te Ching right at the beginning is this. In my journeys and adventures over the years in search of the truth, I have come to understand that there is indeed a great way (and then eventually found Tao Te Ching and many other similar teachings and saw the parallels of my own realizations). You can call it the universal laws, the archetypal patterns, the natural forces or will of God.

This “great way” is simple and observable in all of nature. It is said in certain secret traditions that there is a language of the world that is spoken by everything and everyone. And if you understand that language, there is guidance for you directly from your Source, or the Universe, or God on every step of your life. Unfortunately, most of the time we are too preoccupied in our material pursuit to notice this guidance, and eventually we turn our entire life into one great struggle.

But this guidance, or the great way, or language of the universe exists. And even if on a small scale, I am a living example of someone who constantly follows that guidance or pays attention to that language which shows you the right way at every turn of your life. I am not saying this to boast, there is still a long personal journey for me before I can feel that I have truly mastered this language, but I simply want you to know that this is the truth. I have lived with this for years now and I would be lost if this guidance stopped making itself known to me for some reason. That is just the fact.

Now what has all this got to do with a television show called The Dog Whisperer? Patience my friend… If you have not already experienced my roundabout way of telling stories, you might as well get used to it. Because I don’t think I’m changing any time soon :)

So here is the relevance. One of the great realizations that came upon me right from the beginning of my own personal transformations (incidentally through my professional practice of hypnotherapy) is this: the world outside is a reflection of your inside. People, circumstances, animals, relationships, success, failure, work, play etc are all reflections of your inside. All these things and their relationship with you dynamically change according to your own personal and spiritual development. As I keep saying over and over to all my students: when you take care of the inside, the outside automatically takes care of itself. The great way shows its guidance through everything and everyone. And according to how the world is treating you, you can tell quite accurately what is happening on your inside, and vice versa.

Now here is one of the best indicators of what is happening on our inside: our dogs! They will always react according to your inner energy patterns. If you are frustrated and angry and have a scrambled energy pattern within you, your dog will be challenging and undisciplined and have a restless energy within them.

We have been living with our dogs for hundreds of thousands of years now. They have walked with us as a committed friend since we lived in caves and hunted the prehistoric animals. They are our personal direct communication module with nature. And they know more about us that we’d like to admit. They cannot tell us in words what they know, but they sure do express themselves which we most times misinterpret. But one man in California, originally from Mexico, Caesar Milan, has decoded this language and brought us some very valuable teachings through his TV show “The Dog Whisperer”.

The Dog Whisperer is a show where Caesar rehabilitates some of the most impossible type of dogs. The dogs that are sometimes so disturbed that they are flagged as “red zone dog” meaning they can actually kill another dog or seriously harm a human being if they get the opportunity. Caesar rehabilitates those kind of dogs and shows over and over that nearly EVERY dog can be the perfect dog that you want them to be: disciplined, friendly, fun loving, social and able to follow basic instructions. But YOU have to be the leader to lead them to it.

Here are some of the lessons I have learnt from watching The Dog Whisperer about leadership, energy and relationship with our dogs (and children). Please understand these are a combination of my own interpretations of Caesars actions and words and NOT specifically what he says or does. Also a lot of what is given below is literal as well as metaphorical. See if you can find the hidden meanings within them:

Your dog’s behavior is a reflection of you. They are our mirrors.
Your dog doesn’t care how much money you make or what car your drive or how you look like. They care if you are a balanced individual or not and how happy and contented you are. They can’t tell you with words but they reflect your inner being just like a mirror. They feel your energy, not your external personality.
Mother nature does not rule by fear and anger but calm assertiveness. Harnessing calm assertive energy will not only improve your relationship with your dogs, it will improve YOU and your relationship to the world.
Never fight against Mother Nature. Allow Mother Nature to help you rather than dis-empower you.
Every dog can be a great dog (unless it has a neurological problem which is very few). It can be fun, playful, obedient and able to follow basic commands. But it needs to be lead. And your dog needs to be lead by YOU. Remember, just because you and your dog share unconditional love, does not mean you have a balanced dog.
To be a leader you need to be calm and assertive. You also need to make decisions for the well being of the whole pack (or group or family) and lead them accordingly. You need to go above your personal interests and decide what is best for the pack. Dogs get frustrated when you are unable to lead and start challenging you.
Dogs are social creatures, just like human beings. And they are naturally meant to be social, playful, seek to be in packs like human families or groups of other dogs, follow the leadership of the pack leader. If they are hostile, or unfriendly, or hates other dogs, it is because the dog is either scared, or frustrated, or lacks confidence.
Take note of your household: who is the leader? You, your dogs, or your children? Is it truly a happy balanced family where everyone knows their duties, boundaries and roles? Or is everyday another battle with your dogs and children where they do whatever they like with total disregard to others? If that is the case, understand that it does not have to be that way. (Your young children, by the way, also follow the same patterns as dogs as they too are more sensitive to energy and less with logic and social norms.)
Remember: your dog DOES NOT want to serve the role of the leader. It has been biologically programmed over thousands of years to follow human beings. (Your children does not want to be the leader of the house either. They want to enjoy your guidance and protection and love and affection. They want YOU to guide them towards what is the best for them and not the other way round. And if you fail to perform that duty, they become frustrated and express that frustration in many different ways.)
To live a healthy and balanced lifestyle dogs need exercise, discipline and affection. In that order!
Discipline does not mean bossing over your dog. It means taking responsibility and educating the living being that is in your life. It does not “kill” its spirit or make it less playful, discipline only allows your dog to enjoy a balanced lifestyle. Think about it, what would you rather have? A undisciplined playful dog who is unable to participate in social situations (jumps over people, intimidates others, picks fight, or isn’t able to stay still)? Or would you rather have a disciplined dog who is not only playful at appropriate times but is able to accompany you in most social situations as well? It is your DUTY to discipline your dog so it knows its limitations and boundaries. The dog appreciates that because it allows him greater freedom in the long run. (Do you see the parallels with your children?)
Love-love-love does not work. You have to give discipline and boundaries also. Freedom doesn’t mean you need a big open area, freedom is a mental thing.
Dogs live in the present. They don’t think about the past, or worry about the future. They forgive you quickly and love you unconditionally. When you communicate with your dogs (or little children), over everything else be CONSISTENT and CONGRUENT. If you don’t clearly understand what those words mean, do your research, they will do you great good in life. When you communicate anything, keep it simple and precise. Do NOT send mixed messages. If you tell your dog not to chew the carpet, NEVER let him chew the carpet or ignore his mischief just because he’s so damn cute. Be consistent. If he has done something bad and you are disciplining him, do NOT immediately follow up with love and baby talk. I know he has big brown sad eyes which makes you want to hug him like a baby, but remember if you are not congruent with your words and actions, you will only CONFUSE him and nothing else. And next time it will be even harder for him to understand what he did wrong and why you are upset.
Once again, who you are in the animal world is energy, your name and job description doesn’t matter. IF you are calm and assertive, they WILL be calm and submissive. If you are consistent and congruent, they will be disciplined and obedient. Your dog can pick up even the slightest bit of negative energy and that can make a ripple effect on its behavior, remember that.
Never deal with your dogs when you are angry and frustrated. Do not hit them. Remember the keywords: Calm and Assertive.
Anytime you expect your dog to fulfill the role of your missing child or spouse, friend or lover, you are putting undue pressure on him. You are taking away his dignity. His dignity of being a dog. While your dog can give you much love and support, he wants to be a dog before anything else. And unless his dog needs (exercise, discipline and affection) are fulfilled first, he will eventually get frustrated and become an unbalanced dog.
Okay, so that’s about it for now. I hope this article will help you to see some of your relationships in new light. If you have liked what you read, please forward it to the countless mums and dads and dog owners and cat lovers and husbands and wives who are perpetually struggling with their respective relationships not knowing what is going wrong. As you can see, the truth most of the time is pretty simple, but it takes great courage and honesty to accept it.
Have fun and do leave your comment below with your own insights and understandings that you may have gained from this (don’t forget to sign your name).

Shafin
Shafin de Zane, CHT, MH, MNLP
Hypnotherapist, Author, Spiritual Coach

PS: A special thanks to Danise for recommending the Dog Whisperer to me.

PPS: Below are some videos of Caesar in action and here is the official site of the Dog Whisperer: http://www.cesarmillaninc.com

The Dog Whisperer 1 – Alfie and Daisy Fuentes

The Dog Whisperer 2 – Alfie and Daisy Fuentes

The Dog Whisperer: Handling an Angry Caged Dog: