Alternative Realities

The many worlds interpretation (or parallel universes) is a serious scientific theory put forward to explain some of the stranger aspects of quantum physics. I have no way of knowing whether parallel universes exist, but the concept does inspure to the useful psycho-Spiritual technique of alternative realities.

Incarnate life gives rise to a series of choices. We often agonize over these before they are made and suffer regret, even guilt, afterwards. But the fact we have choices, and more importantly the ability to choose, is actually proof of our true Spiritual nature. There is no concept of choice for solely physical automata.

We can play a game (alternative realities) with our choices, either prospectively to help us decide, or retrospectively to help us i) understand and come to terms with the consequences of past choices and ii) to help us make better choices in future.

To play alternative realities take some time and space for yourself. Late at night works best for me, but you may prefer early morning, or even the middle of the day when family are at work or school. Find somewhere you won't be disturbed. If you're indoors take the phone off the hook. Maybe put on some gentle music. Or you may prefer being out in nature. A long walk can provide the opportunity to escape within oneself.

Alternative realities basically consists of asking yourself a series of what if questions, and then visualizing the likely outcomes. You can do this mentally, by logically extrapolating the starting conditions. You may discover several possible futures, each with an associated probability.

But it works best when you can truly imagine yourself in the selected scenario. Picture yourself there, see the surroundings, hear the voices of those "present". Notice not only WHAT happens, but also HOW you feel about it.

Alternative realities is a very powerful way of making decisions. For all the weiging up of pros and cons it provides a glimpse into your not-so-easily-quantified feelings.

But don't wait until you're faced with a crucial choice. Practice playing out alternative realities on some of your past choices. You may learn more about yourself, or be better informed for future choices. Practice with hypothetical events too, like winning the lottery, or landing your dream job. Avoid visualizing negative scenarios. Thoughts have energy and tend to materialize, so keep it positive.

If you are attracted to a particular alternative reality, visualize it repeatedly, each time in ever-greater detail. Your efforts will tend to bring it to reality.

Have fun.

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What's Your Mission?

Do you have a purpose or mission in life? Or rather, do you know your life's mission or purpose?

We all have a reason for being alive. In fact we choose our particular mission in the realm of Spirit before we are born. Unfortunately, once faced with life's many challenges and distractions we all too easily forget our raison d'etre.

Life is like a journey. If you don't know where you're trying to get, how do you expect to get there? How do you even know which direction to set off in? You wouldn't start your car's engine without knowing where you were going and having at least a vague idea of the route. So why live life without a similar plan?

Often life is just a struggle to survive. Can we make enough money to pay the mortgage and put food on the table? Can we play the games well enough to keep our jobs, or even get a raise?

Our needs form a hierarchy, with the necessities of food and shelter sitting at the bottom. We need to satisfy these before we can turn our attention to higher ideals. Unfortunately, society too is hierarchical, and unless you occupy a place near the top it's very difficult to rise above the satisfaction of basic needs.

But in the struggle to stay afloat we lose sight of our mission, our core values. But by spending a short time identifying your purpose you can become more effective at meeting the basics and have more time, energy and enthusiasm to spend on fulfilling that mission.

Identifying your purpose

Identifying your purpose is easier than it sounds because it already exists, as defined by ourselves. Set aside some quiet time and ask yourself what's really important to you. Just brainstorm. Jot down everything that comes into your head at first, without attempting to evaluate. Often the things we're naturally best at or instinctively drawn to give a clue to our purpose. But occasionally our mission might be to overcome the difficulties relating to the things we're not good at.

Only when the ideas stop flowing should you attempt to make sense of your thoughts. In a couple of hours or less you ought to come up with a list of a dozen or so points that from then on should take priority.

It's become fashionable for corporations to publish their "mission statements," a list defining their reasons for being and the values they observe in the process. You might want to write your own personal mission statement. Once written this will form the basis of all your thoughts, actions and decision-making. Every decision you make should be weighed against your mission. Sometimes you'll need to compromise, but at least your pragmatism will be guided by reason.

It's a good idea to review your personal mission once or twice a year. Even though your core mission and values will remain constant throughout life, there may in the light of experience be some subtle changes in the way these are expressed, or the identification of new goals as preceding ones are satisfied.

This article was inspired by The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey.

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The Role of Sacrifice

At times it can seem like our sole purpose on earth is to serve others. We have responsibility to our children, our spouse, our parents, our friends, our community... The list is endless. If we put ourselves ahead of others we are frequently judged as selfish and feel the obligatory guilt.

It can be overwhelming, but let's try to put the role of sacrifice into perspective.

In the famous words of John Donne "No man is an island". We are all part of one great whole, and all interdependent upon one another for our continued existence and wellbeing. Though we have responsibility towards others, also throughout our lives others will have responsibility and make sacrifices for us.

As infants we all needed the care and nurture of our parents, else we would not be here today. In old age or failing health we may also be reliant on others. We continue to benefit from the help of others every day.

But that isn't to say it's wrong to pursue our own ambitions. It's absolutely right, and in fact it's the very purpose of our being. If no one sought to fulfill their individual potential humanity could not have made the incredible progress it has. Just as we have duty to others so we also have duty to ourself to be the best we possibly can.

Total sacrifice and complete selfishness are opposite ends of a continuum. Neither end is a desirable place to be, the former involves allowing our innate potential to wither and die, the latter inevitably means taking without putting back and the eventual isolation that will certainly follow when there is no more to take and no one left who is willing to give.

Instead we must find a position somewhere in the middle of the self-others continuum. We must fulfill our responsibilities as a Spiritual being and (temporary) incarnate member of the human race. We must fulfil our duties to our loved ones and fellow beings. But we must recognize there is a limit to what we can give to others and if we don't seek to fulfill our own potential the amount we can give will also be reduced.

Don't be afraid of ambition, or trying your best. It is why you are here. But also keep some room in your heart and mind for others.

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Reading the Signs

Before birth our soul chooses, with the help of others, the purpose for its forthcoming incarnation. It may be to learn certain lessons, or it may be to do certain work upon the earth plane, or perhaps to play a role in the journey of (an)other(s).

Once born we are gifted the amazing faculty of free will - the power to choose our destiny. Though we should recognize that free will is limited by external circumstances. A bit like a dog going for a walk on an extending lead. The owner dictates the overall route of the walk (we set our life purpose before birth), allowing the dog more or less freedom at various points along the way (our free will).

Once born our chosen purpose, like knowledge of our Spiritual nature, is excluded from our conscious mind. However evidence of both can be glimpsed along the way.

It may be that we do have a strong inner sense of the direction we should take. We are drawn to a particular career, or location, or people. We are just comfortable taking that road. Or it may be that certain, similar, chances present themselves again and again despite our previous rejections.

Living effectively, and ultimately most fulfilling, is often a matter of recognizing (and heeding) the signs along the way. "Swim with the tide", or "go with the flow" are common expressions of this.

If we try something with doubt and find things just fall into place effortlessly, that is the road we should follow. If we find we keep bumping into a certain idea without actively seeking it out, we ought to read the signs and pursue it further.

Similarly, if our best efforts continually meet with disappointment and frustration we ought to accept that endeavor is not for us. (That's not to say we should quit after a single setback, or even after many so long as progress is being made).

The physical universe exists for the sole purpose of making our incarnation possible and worthwhile. It will assist our journey, if only we keep our antennae open to its messages.

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Start Living - Get Out of the Comfort Zone

Many of us spend our lives looking for a comfortable niche where everything is hunky-dory, we don't have any worries, we're surviving and have a little more besides...

In short we look for our comfort zone, and if we find it we try really hard to stay there.

However, there are two main problems with the comfort zone.

Firstly, when we're in it we tend to become complacent, to imagine this state of relative contentment is our God-given right, and to stop trying too hard to move forwards.

Secondly, life constantly changes. Though things may be sweet today there will certainly come a time when they are less so. It could be tomorrow, it could be years away. But the things you draw comfort from today will not always be as they are.

A little study of the lives of our heroes past and present reveals that the things we most admire in them were not usually forged in the comfort zone, but under more testing circumstances. Reflection upon our own lives tells a similar story. We have learned and grown most when challenged. But what is life, if not to learn and grow?

The human Spirit is essentially lazy. If we could spend our days with our feet up we probably would. It takes effort of will to actually do things, and even then it is our nature to expend least effort. When everything is rosy we have little incentive to go the extra mile.

That's not to say we should opt for a life of constant hardship, rejecting all of life's luxuries. Of course we are all entitled to happiness, look upon it as compensation for the hardships of life. But we shouldn't also seek to stand still once we reach a place of comparative stability. To stand still is to die.

We should constantly push ourselves forward, seeking new challenges, new horizons. Sometimes we need to risk what we already have, we need to experience the associated feelings. We need to push ourselves further down the roads we're traveling, and we need to explore new roads that we, and maybe others, have never traveled before.

How do we do this?

• Pack up and move to a new town, state, country...
• Change job - not just employer, but occupation. Do something completely different.
• Re-furnish, re-arrange, re-decorate your home
• Watch, read, listen to something new - not just new, but of different genre, something you wouldn't have even considered before
• Learn something new - a language, skill, topic
• Change your style - get a new haircut, buy some new clothes, get your ears pierced
• Meet different people - join a club, sign up for a class... Choose people different from yourself.
• Take a chance - risk a significant some of money on a gamble
• Change your routine - we're creatures of habit 'coz habit means we don't have to think, but force yourself to break your habits

None of these are easy, but all will lift you out of your comfort zone and help you live a more purposeful and fulfilled life.

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Mistakes are Good

You're imperfect. I'm imperfect. We're all imperfect. We are born in this world to learn, and if we were perfect we'd have no reason to be here. We all make mistakes. And all too often we beat ourselves up about it. We fret about what our mistakes have cost us, and how much damage we've done.....

Instead we should be happy to make mistakes. We should be happy that firstly they show we are very special beings because we actually have the power (free will) to do things. We should be happy because every mistake is a chance to learn, and that's what it's all about. And we should be happy because mistakes at least show we are doing things rather than just idly vegetating.

I'm not saying we should become reckless and deliberately make mistakes or not try to get things right. But we should acknowledge that making the most of the precious gift of life means doing, and doing means we'll sometimes/often get it wrong.

Mistakes don't matter. Earthly achievements don't matter. The only thing that matters is the experience we acquire.

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Letting God Decide

You're trying to achieve something difficult. You give it your best shot, from planning through execution. But there comes a point where you can do no more. At this point we may say "let God decide". Provided you've given your best efforts this is no abdication of responsibility.
If your most desired outcome is the one that best fulfills your life purpose then it will happen. If it doesn't then you have no regrets, 'coz you did everything you could and God's decision was not this time.

Letting God decide can also work when faced with a difficult choice between different but equally attractive options. Give each the chance to develop. You may find that one path opens up while the other(s) close down, or the right choice becomes clearer in your mind. God has decided.

But letting God decide is no excuse for laziness or timidity. The gift of life is a precious one. We come with a particular purpose and the responsibility to pursue it as best we can. God doesn't help those that don't help themselves. Sitting back and waiting for an opportunity almost certainly guarantees it will never come.

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The Paralysis of Fear

It is said that a rabbit caught in a car's headlights freezes with fear. Though it has time to move left or right its fear paralyzes it, freezing it in the danger zone. Aren't we all a bit like that rabbit?

Fear is natural and healthy. It should serve a useful purpose. It should trigger the fight or flight response, ie it should spur us into taking some appropriate action as a result of our fear.

But too often fear is our enemy. It blurs our thinking and prevents us from doing what we should.

We hear our job is being made redundant and become obsessed with thoughts of poverty. We develop and ache or pain and imagine it's some fatal condition.....

Instead we need to accept the situation that's causing us fear, analyze it, and do something about it.

If our job is made redundant, that's an opportunity to find a new job, meet new people, learn new skills etc. Perhaps a chance to re-train, or try self-employment. Perhaps we shall discover avenues we never knew existed. If we have an unsual ache or pain, get it checked. That way we find out what it is and most likely get it cured.

Fear should be like a warning bell that spurs us to action, not a dark cloud that destroys our ability to function.

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Dangerous emotion

Human beings are endowed with the faculty of emotion. It is what makes us human. How we look down upon the person that seems to have no feeling.

But emotion can also weaken us. It competes with both our intellect (or reason) and our intuition.

Intellect stems from our logical capacity, it kicks in when we weigh up our options, rationally evaluating the pros and cons of each.

Intuition comes directly from our Spiritual side. It's (probably) our most valuable faculty as it bypasses artificial earthly concerns and reaches into the true essence of matters.

Emotion tends to get in the way, because it is concerned with momentary gratification while ignoring our true purpose.

The problem is that emotion and intuition both appear as feelings from within, so how can we distiguish the one from the other? Emotion is always geared to providing short-term comfort. As long as it's OK today never mind tomorrow. Intuition may seem irrational, even contrary to logical thought. Intuition is concerned with the big picture, not the ultimately irrelevant detail.

Emotion is a powerful thing that will seek to dominate all that you do. Don't let it. Be aware when it starts to drive things and take back control.

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What Will Be

Remember the song "que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be?" Its lyrics, and sentment, have stuck in my mind since I first heard it in childhood.

It would be a mistake to interpret the song as referring to a blind fate or random chance that governs our destiny. We all know without instinctively that we have free will. What it does mean is that we are subjected to fate like the winds affect the course of a sailing ship, even though a human agency is attempting to steer the ship.

We should attempt to set a course, ie decide what's improtant in life. We should then try to fulfill that course to the best of our ability. For if we don't try we have little chance of success, and any success that happens to arise from pure luck is ultimately of little satisfaction.

But once we've set our course, made our goals and plans, and done our best to realize them, then there is little point wasting energy worrying. Fate will ultimately decide the outcome. But fate is not blind. Though it may be difficult to impossible to understand at the time, there is always purpose in what happens.

So try your best, and allow what will be to be.

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