Gillian Dance's Blog, page 2

Believe and your belief will create the fact.

William James, Philosopher, Psychologist, New Thought Author, New York, 1842 - 1910 William James has been called the father of American Psychology, which is the science that deals with mental processes and behavior, the study of the mind and what influences it. It is written that he was possibly the first American to offer courses in psychology, which in those days was alone what qualified him to call himself a psychologist. The son of a theologian, he had had a wealthy upbringing, was widely travelled during that time, had an excellent education and became a qualified medical doctor, but never practised medicine, preferring rather to read extensively and write about his studies in psychology, philosophy, religion in its various forms, no doubt influenced by his father, and spirituality and mysticism. In his youth James had bouts of depression, which aroused his enduring interest in the science of the mind and why it is that we can think one way and feel another. Some of his writings were already published when he was in his twenties, even before he had completed his studies. Theosophical Society William James did not relate to the Christian religion and joined the Theosophical Society in 1882, at the age of forty, at which point he was married and had already fathered two of his five children, though it seems some of his ideas and teachings deviated from theosophy as he progressed in years. Theosophy is a religious movement that was established in the United States in the late nineteenth century, founded by the Russian, Helena Blavatsky, and predominantly based on her writings. Influenced by the thinking of Hinduism, Buddhism and Neoplatonism, theosophists believe that all of existence is but a single thing - the universe, while it can be divided into many things, only one kind of matter exists and everything is created from it. Theosophists maintain that there are skilled and gifted individuals, who can cultivate great wisdom and supernatural powers, and follows these people. James wrote prolifically on those same topics, spirituality, mysticism and the mind, which he had read and studied and was also in contact with many other notable authors during the course of his life, thus building himself quite a reputation in his fields of interest, becoming the professor of philosophy and psychology in the employ of the reputable Harvard University. James was one of the founders of the 'pragmatist' school of philosophy, which declares that what is true should be measurable by its consequences and he himself propounded that no particular religions are the foundation to morality or meaning, but spirituality itself. It is easy to get lost in psychology and philosophy because there are so many schools of thought, setting out in great detail the minutiae of their dynamics, and even groups of people who say they adhere to one particular idea seem to vary in their definitions of it. I find it less important what thoughts are labelled, or how, but thinkers tend to group themselves and name their theories in order to propound the credibility and popularity of their thoughts with a sense of having a larger number of supporters. In all ages of men there have been people who thought in an alternative way, who did not get pushed along with the mainstream ideas that were put forth to the people by those who had the power to be heard and to influence. There is such a thing as too much thought, after all the mind is the great gift of humankind, but also our great affliction. If we would only feel and enjoy our present moments rather than analyse them, if we could label and categorise fewer thoughts, so that there might be less separation of opinion, and look rather more for what we have in common. As Krishnamurti said, those who highlight their differences of thought, whether intentional or not, breed violence and disagreement. Believe and your belief will create the fact Nevertheless, James uncovered the important knowledge that joins rather than separates us, that whatever one's religion is, if you believe in your prayer it will be answered. If you believe in your truth it will be shown as truth to you. If you believe in a higher power that power will be shown to you, if you reach for your dreams they will become reality to you. James was a man who travelled widely and took part in many forms of spiritual experience and mysticism to advance his studies and writing, and wherever he looked he found people who were able to prove their own truth. This is because of the power of faith and expectation, because there is a profound law in this universe that many have yet to experience, that not one particular God or belief creates a fact or a truth, but the mind of the person doing the believing. The power is within the soul of humankind itself, not outside of us. Even one who believes in nothing at all, can create a reality by believing in it. Go to the free Books page to find a couple of William James' books

Let us remember that fear is only wrongly directed faith... having faith in things we do not want...

Elinor S. Moody, new thought and Christian author, early C19th, USA Elinor Moody wrote in her 1923 book, You Can Receive Whatsoever You Desire, “Let us remember that fear is only wrongly directed faith. We are having faith in things we do NOT want, rather than in the things we desire." Very little is known about this lady except that she wrote and published numerous books between 1919 and 1924, which have become favourites and classics today. Her titles include: How to Obtain Your Desires, All Power is Given Unto You, You Can Receive Whatsoever You Desire, How to Remake Yourself Through Applied Psychology and How to Demonstrate Abundance. Without even reading her books it is clear what her preferred subject matter was! - Motivating and teaching people to reach for their dreams, to believe in the best. Ms Moody taught about the creative mind, the attracting power of the mind, the practice of constructive thinking with regards to all aspects of life, better finances, improved health and conquering fears. I have heard some of the most well known new thought teachers and motivators quote from her works and therefore wanted to read some more about the lady herself. Unfortunately, and to my surprise, I couldn’t find anything more than the little snippets she includes about herself in her books, referring to her experiences in the matters of which she writes about, some anecdotes on improving finances and the heartfelt dedications to her family and friends at the fronts of her works. The Roaring Twenties Though we may not know Ms Moody’s age at the time of writing or how long she lived and whether she had, for example, a husband and children, or how she spent the remainder of her life, I expect she was born in the late eighteen-hundreds and is no longer with us. Nevertheless, the words and the deep wisdom she has left to the world live on. The time of Ms Moody’s writings was the era between the Great War, which ended in 1918 and the Great Depression, which began in 1929. It was known in America as the ‘Roaring Twenties’, a period of much political, social and economical change and technological advances such as telephones, radio and motion pictures and the increased accessibility of electricity and automobiles. The short time in which Elinor Moody prolifically wrote her books was during this period when the public wanted to relax, recover and modernise, but also when many people were looking for better answers for the madness, a time when people were turning away from the self-denial and rigidity of pre-war times and opening up to new concepts. Women in particular were gradually becoming more equal citizens, being granted voting rights and traditional opinions were changing. Christian Views on the Creative Mind Your thoughts create your reality, that means a lot more than the oft recommended and simplisitic advice to think happy thoughts, it's about the life you choose to expect for yourself, it's about the goals you visualise for yourself, the life you dream for yourself: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for - the evidence of things not seen." and: "According to your faith be it unto you" are just two of the many scriptures in the Christian Bible that Elinor Moody quoted in her writings to show clearly that God does not just jump to drop something in the lap of every person that asks, but expects them to cultivate their own faith first and have expectance. You may not believe in God, or the Christian God, but whatever story you attribute to the world, that it is energy or something else, there is a creative force that made this world in perfect harmony. You only have to look at space science or a few nature documentaries to see that nothing is coincidental in creation, the sun and the moon are in perfect balance, this was made by a higher intelligence. Whether that is down to an emotional God or some other energy force it can be harnessed, we are creations of that force and creators with it. Elinor Moody believed that we were, "made in his likeness." "Mind is the pattern by which the word creates" Stated Ms Moody, "...for before we speak into being the thing or condition which brings to us pleasure or pain, we have either consciously or unconsciously been fashioning that thing or condition in the mental workshop, have been impressing, as it were, this pattern on the creative substance within and all about us." Understand that the universe is abundant, even that God loves you, but no one is lording it over us or pulling our strings. You have been granted the power to change and mould your own reality. "Creative substance," as Ms Moody calls it, energy or God, is all around you and within you, it fills the universe and it is our thoughts that are the seeds we plant within it that take form and come to bear. "Let us remember that fear is only wrongly directed faith. We are having faith in things we do NOT want, rather than in the things we desire." If you want to live the life you desire to live, think the things you desire to do and be, think that they are possible, imagine them as already having come to pass, in faith they have, like sowing seeds they simply have yet to materialise visually. Train yourself to realise that believing is seeing, as quoted in the scriptures above, it is proven to be the way the world really operates, rather than the mistaken view these days that it is the other way around and many walk in frustation. Take charge of your thoughts, don't spend any energy on worrying about what can go wrong or what you would hate to happen, as Elinor Moody said, that is a form of faith too, and what you put your faith in and expect comes to pass. Check in on your thoughts regularly, make sure you are having good thoughts, coupled with genuine positive expectations. The universe isn't fooled, feel good about your life and the direction it is going in. If you don't feel good, you don't have to pretend, just take the first step in the right direction, even if you don't know what the next step should be, go as far as you can. Life is like walking towards the horizon, once you get as far as you could see before, you can see further! Try really believing something (whether you perceive it as good or bad) and you will see it come to pass. The wisdom of what was now a century ago was known and relevant for centuries before that and is still relevant today. How quickly people forget and lose their way. Here are two of Elinor S. Moody's books for you to enjoy: You Can Receive Whatsoever You Desire All Power Is Given Unto You

Your life is a journey of learning to love yourself first and then extending that love to others

Oprah Gail Winfrey, Talk Show Host, Author, Actress, Philanthropist, born 1954, USA How can I blog about great, inspiring people without including this great lady? Oprah Winfrey has motivated so many people, both to do good for others and to overcome their own hurdles, and continues to do so. Though her endeavours are many, she is doubtless best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which is the highest rated television program of its kind to date, with ratings in the millions and televised in over 140 countries worldwide and with viewers, though mainly female, spanning all generations. Hard Times Our Oprah is not just the radiant, successful, wealthy public figure we know and love today. Oprah came from humble beginnings, a poor family, a single, unmarried mother, was the result of a brief fling, was moved back and forth between her mother, her grandmother and her father throughout her childhood. As if uncertainty and moving around wasn't tough enough for a kid, she was bullied by her peers about the clothes she wore, because they were so poor, and was molested and became pregnant at the age of fourteen, tragically the boy did not survive. This lady is no stranger to pain and hard times. That's just one reason why Oprah knows about learning to love yourself first and overcoming adversity. Those who have travelled the same path know what she is talking about, it is often said, 'You can't love others until you can love yourself'. But Oprah takes this sentiment a step higher, saying that learning to love yourself is the very journey of life and stressing the importance of then extending that love that you successfully cultivate for yourself towards all others that cross your path. If everyone in the world focused more on overcoming their pain they would indeed be more loving towards themselves, more complete and not carrying chips around on their shoulders. As a result of that, if we all loved each other and wanted the best for each other and helped bring out the best in each other, the world would be such a beautiful place, full of support and positivity. That is the noble principle that Oprah bases her show on, helping us all rise above our pains and troubles and become greater, more whole and give back to the world, forgive what is past and help those following behind, thus raising us all ever higher. One of the Most Influential Women in the World With everything she had to endure and overcome throughout her growing years, Oprah came out on top at school, as an honours student. At the age of nineteen she was a co-anchor in the evening news, and was soon recognised as a talent and introduced to the daytime talk show arena, where she quickly improved the rankings of the talk show she took over and subsequently launched her own production company. Oprah, though known for being plain-speaking, is never critical, always good-humoured, gentle and empathetic. Today Oprah's show is sometimes seen more as a therapy session than just talk or interviews, she deliberately focuses particularly on the spiritual aspects of life, such as self-improvement, self-help and healing. For some decades now she has clearly made it her mission to make every topic discussable and bring it all out into the open, to provide life-answers to the general public. About ten years ago Oprah formed her own television channel, The Oprah Winfrey Network. Today Oprah is ranked as one of the most influential women in the world. Among her many accolades she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama, and honorary doctorate degrees from both Duke- and Harvard University. Self-Image Though Winfrey has been with her current partner, Stedman Graham, for over three decades, she had a number of failed relationships until she met the love of her life in her early thirties. She has disclosed that it was the emotional upheaval of these relationships that caused her weight gain. For a while she had a history of abusive relationships, allowing too much, needed approval from men because she didn't like herself and felt unworthy, which many of us can relate to. The Ultimate Success Story Meanwhile, and with the help of the wonderful gurus she has met and introduced us to along the way, Oprah has come to believe deeply in herself and become a light for the rest of us for the way ahead in the process. Oprah has found her path and advises us, "Know what sparks the light in you. Then use that light to illuminate the world." Now a multi-billionaire, she is the ultimate success story, she has talked to the world's greatest celebrities on her show, was present as a star guest at the royal wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and helped Barack and Michelle Obama with their presidential campaign. She is a great philanthropist, has given approximately $400 million to educational causes, $12 million to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, and supports numerous other humanitarian causes. Religious Beliefs Though Oprah was raised a Christian, with Baptists of the strain that preached being 'born again', in later life Oprah said, "I have church with myself: I have church walking down the street. I believe in the God force that lives inside all of us, and once you tap into that, you can do anything." Oprah has had guests of many religious persuasions on her show and their spiritual message is always applicable and relevant to all. Crossing the boundaries of what makes us different and bringing us together by the fundamental beliefs and experiences that we share. It was no doubt for this reason that after the 9/11 tragedy the mayor of New York, then Rudy Giuliani, chose to invite Oprah Winfrey to be the one to lead the prayer service held at the Yankees Stadium. Some weeks after this Oprah also ran a television show to educate the public about the true principles of Islam, that it is a religion of peace, in order to calm the growing Islamophobia at that time. Over the decades, with her increasing popularity and notoriety, Oprah Winfrey's opinions have come to have quite some influence on the public, be that in regard to politics, spirituality, literature, public figures or consumer products. So much so that some have jokingly talked about the 'Church of O', because Oprah is such an influential public and spiritual figure and millions look to her for leadership and direction in life. Oprah has encouraged many saying, "It doesn’t matter who you are, where you came from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always." Inspiration "Your life is a journey of learning to love yourself first and then extending that love to others." Oprah is better qualified than anyone to say this, she has come through pain and learned to forgive others effectively and to love herself unconditionally and made a life of spreading that love and helping others. You can visit the 'Church of O' (or Oprah's' website) here: www.Oprah.com, which she not only uses as a platform to speak out herself but provides others with the opportunity to speak out publicly on issues important to them.

When you forgive, you in no way change the past - but you sure do change the future.

Bernard Meltzer, United States, Radio Presenter and Author, 1916-1998 The late Bernard Meltzer obtained a civil engineering degree from the City College of New York and additionally gained a master's degree in economics and city planning from the University of Pennsylvania, which line of work he initially undertook, as well as other employment in the finance sector, but despite these lofty qualifications in mid-life he became a radio host. Meltzer used to present a live phone-in show called 'What's Your Problem?' providing callers from the public with advice on a wide range of topics, such as finances, affairs of the heart and the hum drum, such as home improvement and repairs. 'What's Your Problem?' aired from the mid-sixties to the mid-nineties. The show was immensely popular and Meltzer built a massive following, to the degree that some people tried for years to get through to him. He became fondly known to his listeners as 'Doctor Meltzer,' partially because of a doctoral degree in philosophy, economics and finance that he had additionally studied by correspondence from Columbia Pacific in California, which also contributed to his advisory credentials, but over and above that because of his soft, soothing voice and comforting, inspirational words. Amicable and Considerate Meltzer was Jewish by faith, and chose to work on a Sunday espescially to enable some of his Christian colleagues to have their sabbath off, the Jewish sabbath being on the Saturday. Of his own volition he included a prayer (irrespective of faith) on every program. "When you forgive, you in no way change the past - but you sure do change the future." A lack of forgiveness, whether of yourself or of another person/people can block you from finding peace in life and moving on towards other goals. You need to purge all forms of negativity from your thoughts and emotions, on all levels of your consciousness, so that there can be harmony between yourself and the rest of the world and other people can reflect back to you, like for like, as they do what you truly think and feel. If you have forgiven everyone in your life there will be a genuine sense of love and goodwill to all from you and it will be evident in your life, as well as your character and speech, that you believe and expect the world to be a place of goodness and mankind to be generally decent. Sometimes we know we need to forgive, we know we have held on to bitterness, anger and resentment, we are aware we hold an outright grudge. At other times, we don’t realise we are holding on to unforgiveness, but if there is still pain when a certain subject is mentioned or a certain person, for example, then you will come to realise that there is still an underlying issue to be resolved, because if you had been healed of the pain you wouldn’t hold anything against anyone. Unforgiveness is a negative emotion and all negativity is very draining to the person who posesses it and takes a lot of energy to maintain, that is why holding on to bad emotions makes a person feel exhausted. You can't change what is past but you can release it so that it doesn't have a hold on you anymore. Recognise who or what needs your forgiveness, stop nursing that old wound, feeling sensitive when the topic is mentioned, confront your emotions. Forgiveness is about setting yourself free, not the other person. If you are always angry at the tax office, or the government, or the person who stepped on your toe last year, it is yourself you are hurting and punishing with your resentment, not them. You need to liberate yourself from the heavy burden of negativity, be that guilt if you are still blaming yourself for something, or negativity towards others, even despising other people or the world for the way it is or they are. So how do you forgive? Well what you don’t need to do is go and confront anyone or make them sorry, or make them apologise, it’s just about you. You also don’t need to go over and over the pain in your head or clarify what a great injustice was done to you, or is being done to you, you’ve probably already been doing that. Focusing on the negative feelings will attract a vicious circle of more negative feelings. Instead become aware that you have taken on the role of being a victim, and that is precisely what it is, a ‘role’ you take on and you don’t need to. It is a way of thinking that you learned along the line, allowing yourself to feel helpless and useless. Acknowledge that you have done that to yourself and then let it go, replace that with a feeling of new power, you are powerful, you are in control of your thoughts and emotions, you are in control of your life. Start to radiate love and thankfulness and positivity. Put that energy out into the world and you will receive more of the same back. Unforgiveable Injustices No matter how terrible that particular injustice was that was done against you, how far-reaching the consequences in your life, you are not alone in suffering such like and you cannot allow yourself to dwell on all the negativity it generated, your power is in recognising that the PRESENT negativity stems from you alone, and turing the tide of negativity in this world. Recognise that your perception and your judgement of that act or situation or person, your reliving of it generates the only negativity now. The judgements you made or make, and the story you keep telling yourself about that over and over strengthens and feeds the negativity over the years. Yes it was wrong, "when you forgive, you in no way change the past - but you sure do change the future," you are not endorsing what anyone has done, theft, murder, etc., but true forgiveness will only come when you let go of judgement as well. You need to say, “I love you” to the world and all of mankind in its flawed glory and move on, declare thanks that you are alive today and count your blessings. Use your presence in the world for good. When there has been something really terrible this is inestimably tough to do and can take time to be felt genuinely, but it’s essential to do, if for no one other than yourself, really let go of all negativity and buried bad feelings, let all of your heart be positive and loving, it is feels so much better when all of you is in harmony with what is good again and the spiral downwards will turn upwards, you'll see.