.. leave e-mail .. (for Monty or Carolyn)The difference between theory and experience generally lies in practice, and this is certainly true of Attitudinal Healing. Try to do one of the following personal practice exercises each day (but not more than once per waking hour). Most are five-minute exercises, but you may extend them to 15 minutes if you are comforatble with them. Try not to judge yourself for failing, or for doing them imperfectly, or for being distracted while doing them. Nevertheless, be willing to make an effort, and give them enough priority in your day to make the practice effective. In fact, it is your own "little willingness" that sparks the changes we come to know as "healing".
Practice Exercises:
"Now is the only time there is and each instant is for giving".
We often get "caught up" in our own thoughts, so much so that we forget the transient nature of thought. We chase our thoughts around, forgetting altogether that we have a "mind", and that it is our own domain. Every thought or feeling we've ever had has changed, has passed away into another thought or feeling. Thoughts are transitory. But Mind is permanent. Mind is "now". Mind is "ours". For about five minutes at the beginning of your day, sit quietly and watch your thoughts. As you notice any thought arise in the mind, dispassionately label it as such, by saying to yourself silently "thought". Then let it go. If other experiences arise that draw your attention, label them also — as "sound", "sensation", "emotion". Then let them go. Do your best to watch the flow of experience without judgment. Before you open your eyes and go about the rest of your day, say to yourself three times: "Now is the only time there is and each instant is for giving". Ask your heart what you most need to give yourself today, in this instant, and spend just a moment or two opening your heart and allowing yourself to receive this gift.
Whenever you can during the day, stop and give yourself this gift again.
Love was instilled in us when we came into being, and is an essential and immutable aspect of our nature. When we get caught up in our circular thinking, and especially when we are worried or fearful, we forget that we have access right now to unconditional Love. For five minutes at the beginning of your day, sit quietly. With eyes closed, let your thoughts turn to the future. Are there worries, concerns or fear about what lies ahead that seem to inhibit your peace of mind? As each comes to mind, imagine placing it in the hands of Love (or God, Christ, the Goddess, etc.) Say silently to yourself, “Who lives in me now — the voice of fear or the voice of love? I place the future in the hands of Love.” Do this with as many fearful thoughts as come to mind.
For five minutes at the end of your day, close your eyes and reflect on the following: What experiences from the past seem to disrupt your peace of mind? As each experience arises in your mind, imagine giving it to the Presence of Love, letting go of it for just this moment. Remind yourself silently, “Only in this moment am I whole and free. This instant is the only time there is.” Do this with as many disturbing or unhappy thoughts as come to mind.
Our mind has infinite capacity to redirect itself. When we direct our mind to focus on healing, without denying any experience along the way, we exercise our greatest personal power: To use our mind as it was intended. Read the “Principles of Attitudinal Healing” and pick out one that appeals to you. Pick out or create a phrase of 3-5 words that inspires you and spend 5 minutes sitting quietly, eyes closed, and repeating this phrase slowly to yourself, adding the word “now” to the end of the phrase. If you get lost in thought, bring yourself back to the word “now”, then continue slowly repeating your phrase.
Our own mind is our own domain. As such, it is the "place of power" that no one can take away from us. And within the mind, we have one "point of power" for making decisions for our own healing: the present moment. For five minutes when you are able to sit quietly, undisturbed, allow yourself to reflect quietly on some experience or person which seems to cause conflict or difficulty in your life. Ask to be willing to see it differently. Remind yourself, “The point of power is in the present moment.” This simply means that regardless of what the circumstances of the past seem to be, you have the power to make a personal choice for peace right now, in the present moment. Ask your heart if there is something you could do or remember in this moment to move in the direction of inner peace. Listen with your eyes closed, as open-heartedly as you can, for any thought or feeling that may arise. If your mind wanders, just remind yourself, “The point of power is in the present.”
When we judge or criticize, we discard Love's Justice, which says "You are Love's creation now". But when we surrender our judgments and criticisms to Love, we return to Its presence now, and we remember that the present moment's peace is waiting for us. For five minutes at the beginning of your day, sit quietly, eyes closed, and let yourself become aware of ways in which you judge or criticize yourself, ways in which you imagine you fail, or ways in which you fall short of your potential. As each of these thoughts arise, imagine giving them to the Presence of Love, saying silently to yourself, “Let me be gentle with myself. Let me realize that I do not have all the answers and I never will. Now is the only time there is, and for this moment, I choose Love.” Do this with each thought that threatens your peace.
We rarely practice simply "being in the moment". And so we forget just how powerful it is, and how much healing awaits us when we return to it. For 5 minutes, sit quietly, eyes closed, and simply hold the word “now” in mind. Do your best to open to the experience of just this moment. Don’t think about what “now” is, just try to open your whole awareness to the experience of it. Don’t worry about doing it wrong. When your mind wanders, just come back to the word “now.” Before you open your eyes, notice how you feel.
We know that "being in the moment" is important, but we forget to decide to take the time to enjoy it. Before you begin your day, either sit quietly and look about the room in which you sit, or (weather permitting) walk slowly (no, VERY slowly -- we mean barely moving) about your yard, repeating silently with each breath: “Breathing in, I am calm. Breathing out, I smile. Present moment, peaceful moment. Present moment, peaceful moment.” Continue for 5-10 minutes. Notice how you feel.
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