Whose Trance?
One of my recurring themes is that we are all in trance. Television, movies, music, unfair criticism, and social media, all play a role in the type and depth of our trance. We need to become self-hypnotists and continually work on the “suggestions” we give ourselves as we practice this trance. Keep the mind pure, free, and tranquil, let it be dominated by love and truth and the body will apparently take care of itself.
It’s All About Me
Another danger in our fast-moving, narcissistic society is the extreme self-centeredness that affects people across all generations. This fascination with self is always a precursor of mental and physical disharmony. People who end up in this sad state are like people who stick their fingers in their own eyes and then complain about the irritation. This is the negative type of self-hypnosis caused by the barrage of messages of entitlement and greed. The best way to leave this trance is to immerse ourselves in the joys and sorrows of others – to do good. When we take an active interest in helping someone else we are on the path to becoming our own best friends.
Habit
Like our physiology, our habits are inextricably bound with our nervous system. Just as we create trails by continually taking the same path through the woods, we also establish neural paths by fixed modes of thinking. Our feet seem to gravitate naturally to the old trails we hike. To create a new path seems to take too much effort. Neural paths have the same effect on the stream of consciousness of our everyday lives – it flows through the path of least resistance. The beaten path suggests to us that we follow it whereas taking a different route might never occur to us at all.
The foods we eat, the clothes we wear, the hand we brush our teeth with, how we control our thoughts, are all a matter of habit. Even if we drink or smoke – stop either for long enough and the taste for these things disappears. Whatever we do often, we incline to do more; whatever we desist from, we have, as time goes on, less and less inclination for. We have no better friends than good habits and no greater foes than our bad habits.
Bad Habits
When it comes to bad habits, the best way to overcome them is to starve out the roots that have been planted (by us or others) in our minds. Acquire the habit of ignoring them until they die for lack of recognition. Meanwhile, supplant the false idea with a true one by persistent cultivation. While this is easier said than done, it is a far easier method than the usual one of fighting against the false idea through willpower. In this area, when we fight, we are met with greater resistance. Correcting bad habits is more like a judo match than a boxing match.
The idea of non-resistance in this connection is good strategy and good psychology. Things have that power over us that we give them; they have no power in themselves. Their importance to us depends upon the attention we give them in our own consciousness. Do not fight with your disempowering habits; learn to ignore them by concentrating the attention on something more positive. To fight is to give them greater importance in consciousness and thus to increase their seeming power. Instead, minimize that power while asserting your superior self and cultivating true friends to take the place of false ones. Seek the angels and you don’t have to worry about the devils; but understand that you must cultivate the angels with all the persistence and devotion you once gave to the devils.
In the new year, we will be providing some free teleseminars and webinars that will teach specific skills to develop habits of excellence. Let me know if you’re interested in joining us.
