May Cause Miracles Live Seminar Coverage: Week 3

Posted on by Tammy

After focusing on the “self” for two weeks, the third week of the book, “May Cause Miracles: A 40-Day Guidebook of Subtle Shifts for Radical Change and Unlimited Happiness,” by Gabrielle Bernstein focuses on the body – specifically body image and physical healing. In it, Bernstein reveals how to change the perception of the body in regards to the way it looks, functions and acts in the world.

In the live seminar for Week 3, Bernstein explained we all have the spiritual power to protect and heal ourselves, but the ego often gets in the way.

“The ego tells us our body is more important or less important than the other body because it’s a certain weight or dresses a certain way,” she said. “There is nothing wrong with enjoying the body, dressing fun, taking care of yourself and enjoying exercise,” but when the body is used to try and get something on the outside, such as status or attention, this is the ego operating, she explained.

Many of us have projected false pretenses on the body, abusing it with alcohol, drugs, sex and food. We believe we are the body, and if we don’t like what we see, we start to believe we’re not good enough.

“We think, ‘I was chubby when I was little. I was too skinny. I didn’t have boobs. I wasn’t the cool girl. I was the cool girl and now I’m not.’ We attack the body to numb it out – to anesthetize the discomfort,” Bernstein said, explaining she used to be an overeater, which was a reaction to her inner turmoil.

It’s through the practices of “A Course in Miracles,” which is the basis for the work in her book, that we can begin to change. In week 3, we once again begin to get honest with ourselves, and witness the patterns of behavior pertaining to our body, and then move on to the willingness to change.

“In the ‘Course,’ there is no body. We are a spirit. The body is the learning device, and we are having these experiences in the body so we can remember we are just love, and we are equal,” Bernstein shared with the audience. “We are all on a mission to remember love, and this is a very different way of being with the body.”

The third day of this week welcomes in the affirmation, “I am not a body. I am free,” to reinforce this mindset.

Changing Perception
The purpose of this chapter is to open up to looking at the body in a new way – using the miracle mind and not the ego mind. The miracle mind looks at the body as the vehicle for sharing love with the world, Bernstein said.

“You start to realize, ‘I am here to be an extension of transformation and to be a loving person,’” she said. “You start to respect your body in a whole other way because it’s here for a whole other purpose. Through your healing you can help heal [others].”

In addition to body image, she addresses physical healing – including those dealing with chronic illness – explaining it all starts by healing the mind and welcoming in your higher self, or what Bernstein calls the “inner guide” or “ing.” In the book she states: “When you apply the thought system that your mind can aid in healing your body, you can experience many miracles. It’s not that the physical condition just disappears (though it often does), but that you’re guided to exactly who and what you need for healing to take place.”

It is the fear-based mind that creates illness in the body, so the first place to start with healing is the mind, Bernstein told the audience. By turning our body over to our “ing” we can surrender the experience to spirit.

The second day of the week asks readers to take this affirmation with them:

“I turn my perception of my body over to the care of my inner guide. Show me what you’ve got…”

“Even with a chronic condition, as you start to live with a miracle mindset, you learn how to coexist with the condition,” she said.

As with the other weeks, gratitude and forgiveness play a role, with a focus on the body. Not only being grateful for it, but also realizing forgiveness can restore our perception of the body.

“Having gratitude toward your body is one of the most important things in the whole world,” Bernstein said. “Then it’s about forgiveness and restoring our perceptions of the body to the right-minded perception.”

Read our coverage of “May Cause Miracles Live Seminar Week 2.”

Read our coverage of “May Cause Miracles Live Seminar Week 1.”

For more on Bernstein, her books and her work, visit www.gabby.tv.

How to Feel Good and Get What You Desire

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By Sherry Winn

Most of us who have been following the Law of Attraction know the premise: Like attracts like; you get what you think about most of the time; or it is done to each one of us as we believe.

We understand we want to attract into our lives the things we desire. We try to get our minds to cooperate with us, to bend toward those thoughts, and yet somewhere we fall short of actually getting what we want. Why does this happen?

One of the most critical elements of using the Law of Attraction is to FEEL GOOD, to get into the place of believing it has already happened. How can we do this when we have lost a loved one, when our bodies are sick, when we have been fired from a job, or when the partner we loved betrayed us? How can we get into this feel-good place when all the physical things we see are not what we desire?

The first thing we must realize is we cannot know what an event means. We do not have the power to see beyond the moment. What we believe is horrific may be the very thing which opens the doorway for our dreams. We don’t know what we don’t know! It sounds so simple, yet is so complex because we tend to live in a visual state of being. We don’t see the things we are manifesting through our requests. We don’t have the faith that what we asked for has already been created. So instead of moving forward and acting as if we already have our desires, we live in a continual state of believing only what we see before our eyes.

As long as we are living “what is” we cannot feel what we have created. We have to believe we have already created this nonphysical event, and it is waiting for us to get in alignment with our creation.

When we become impatient and ask, “Where are my requests,” we go directly to the feeling of not having it. When we feel we don’t have what we want, we become anxious, bitter, worried, frustrated, discouraged, dejected, and allow hopelessness to crowd into our hearts and brains.

The next thing we have been taught to do in our physical bodies is to push toward what we want. We think we have to strive for it, to focus all our efforts on it, to strain our muscles, to exhaust our bodies, to go as hard as we can for as long as we can in order to touch our goals. While we do have to take action steps to acquire our desires, we do not want to get in the habit of feeling the push, which is just another way of resisting.

Since we know what we resist tends to persist, we have to learn to move forward, taking action while keeping our minds and bodies feeling good. There is a difference between pushing for something and allowing something to occur.

When we work with the thought of allowing, things flow easier. When we work with the action of pushing, of gritting our teeth and clenching our fists to get through something, we are resisting.

When we push from this place of resistance, we no longer feel good, which is the primary thing we must do in order to get in alignment with our creation.

How to Feel Good
We know the goal is feeling good, but how do we reach for the place of feeling good? Here are some solutions:

— Establish a daily routine of meditation.
— Read spiritual works.
— Listen to uplifting music.
— Stop and breathe in the beauty of the day.
— Have an attitude of gratitude.
— Visualize feeling and being in your dreams.

If you can’t seem to get there and the feel-good emotion is eluding you, there is another short-cut to feeling good which is called, “Asking What-if Questions.” To do this, you start on a rampage of asking what-if questions which lead to a better feeling place. The goal is not to answer the questions, but to simply allow yourself to ask. Let your mind feel the question and then ask another question before you negate your answer with logic.

What if my body felt like I could hike a mountain today?
What if I met the partner of my dreams today?
What if I had so much money I could donate $100,000 to a great cause?
What if I had the means to travel to anywhere in the world?
What if my body was in perfect health?

Remember feeling good is necessary to attracting your dreams. When you feel you are pushing, you are not in the place of alignment. When you are frustrated or impatient, you are not where you need to be. Use a feel-good technique to attract what you desire.

Sherry Winn is an author, EFT Practitioner, Certified Law of Attraction and Master Life Coach and a motivational speaker, whose topics include “Making the Impossible Possible,” “Loving Challenges,” and “Catching Your Dreams.” As a former elite athlete competing at the Olympic Games in 1984 and 1988 in the sport of team handball and head collegiate coach for 23 years, she possesses a deep passion for helping others become motivated to reach their highest levels of success.

Winn overcame her fears and limitations when she contracted chronic pain at the age of 33 and was told by 17 different medical professionals there was no answer. Through books, meditation, mentors and Webinars, she discovered the power of healing through positive thinking.

To receive a free 50-minute Law of Attraction coaching session, or more information about Winn, she can be contacted by email at sherrymwinn@gmail.com, through her website at www.ucancreatesuccess.com or on Facebook.

Heal Your Gut, Heal Your Body

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By Christine M. Okezie, CHHC, Natural Foods Chef

When it comes to optimizing our health, we cannot overemphasize the importance of a healthy gut. In fact, it is said that 75 percent of our immune system originates in our digestive tract, where about 100 trillion bacteria work to support normal digestive function, protect our bodies from infection and regulate our metabolism. That’s more than 10 times the number of cells in the entire human body, making us an amazing walking ecology.

With over 400 species of these bugs in our gut, our health depends on maintaining the critical balance between the good intestinal bacteria and the harmful bacteria. Research shows this balance in our gut flora has a profound affect on our physiology, immunity, and even our mental well-being.

Living with an inflamed, malfunctioning gut leads to further erosion of our health and ultimately full-blown disease. Mounting scientific evidence shows how we nurture this masterfully designed intestinal ecosystem can mean the difference between preventing or promoting a wide range of disease conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, autism and cancer.

Signs Of Gut Flora Imbalance:

Gas and bloating
Constipation or diarrhea
Fatigue
Weight gain and obesity
Hypoglycemia
Headaches, nausea
Sugar cravings / carbohydrate cravings
Chronic joint pain
Allergies
Skin problems
Frequent illness
Depression or mood imbalance

Most of the damage to our gut comes from the foods we eat, so the number one thing we can do to heal our gut is simply avoid or minimize certain foods. Here is a list to start with:

Foods to Avoid:

Sugar
Refined carbohydrates
Processed Junk Foods
Excess Animal Protein

Instead, eat a diet of whole, natural, high-fiber foods rich in fruits, vegetables, plant proteins and health promoting fats.

Fermented Foods
We can also use traditionally fermented foods to heal our gut. Containing live cultures, these foods fortify and rebuild healthy gut bacteria. Some examples include:

Yogurt
Kefir
Sauerkraut
Miso
Tempeh
Kombucha tea

If fermented foods are not part of your diet, taking a probiotic supplement is strongly recommended.

Other key factors in gut health include prescription drugs; antibiotics (including those used in conventional meat production); agricultural chemical pesticides and fertilizers; and pollution.

While some environmental factors are difficult to control, simply upgrading your food choices to organic can make a significant impact. This switch alone will not only limit your consumption of sugar and food toxins, but will also decrease exposure to agricultural chemicals and antibiotics as well.

Stress and Your Gut
Finally, it is widely known that constant stress (i.e. negative emotions) is a trigger that causes multiple chronic disease processes to occur. One key to maintaining gut and overall health is finding ways to keep our stress level at bay.

To sum up, there is No Health without A Healthy Gut. Pay attention to those 100 trillion critters in your body and keep them in balance so YOU can be too.

Christine M. Okezie is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York, and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She founded her company, Your Delicious Balance, where she councils individuals to heal themselves through real food and positive lifestyle choices. Her healing strategies are based on whole foods nutrition, and guides her clients to adopt a plant-centered way of eating that offers anti-inflammatory and detoxifying benefits to the body. For more information or to contact Okezie, visit her Web site atwww.yourdeliciousbalance.com or call (201) 880-5001.

Stacy Keibler on Meditation & Staying Healthy

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Actress and model, Stacy Keibler believes in the importance of meditation as part of a healthy life. She recently told E Online: “I’m a big believer in maintaining a balance between body, mind and spirit. Take some time to meditate and restore your mind, even if it’s just five minutes a day. It’s so good for your overall being.”

Keibler also takes care of her body through nutrition and exercise. “You are what you eat. This is a major rule I live by and it’s true. I’ve learned a lot experimenting with food and different cleanses,” she noted.

She does Barry’s Bootcamp, spin classes, hiking and Pilates. “I try to mix it up so I never get bored. Even if it’s just doing jumping jacks for 10 minutes at home, it’s important to keep your body moving,” she said.

Marianne Williamson on Embracing the Law of Divine Compensation

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Although the world we see with our physical senses is often one of struggle, scarcity, unfair competition and fear, bestselling author Marianne Williamson explained the universe is truly made up of love and miracles – and any time we find ourselves entrenched in the world of fear, knowing the universe is both self-organizing and self-correcting is where we can find our power.

“The universe is an infinite, creative possibility machine,” she explained in a recent live online seminar, based on her book “The Law of Divine Compensation.” “It is creating one opportunity after another, and it is based not on what you have done, but what you are now.”

The universe is programmed to compensate for when we make a wrong turn or when it seems something is taken from us by someone else, she explained. In the mind of God there is a blueprint for us, and our destination is complete self-actualization or enlightenment. Each of us is given special gifts to create at the highest level, and nature wants to create things through each of us.

“You don’t have to go out and make anything happen,” she noted. “We need to place ourselves in a position where we can allow things to happen.”

When it comes to work and career, the daily prayer she offered in the seminar is: “Dear God, Where would you have me go? What would you have me do? What would you have me say, and to whom?”

“The most powerful statement you can make for a great career is, ‘Dear God, please use me. Here are my talents; here are my abilities – use me,” she said. “The true you knows your job is to be the person God would have you to be.”

Whether its work, money or relationships, by aligning with our true selves, and knowing the universe will lead us back on the right path, we can magnetize anything. The Christ, Buddha mind within us is a magnet, while the rational mind separated from love is not, she said.

“As long as I am aligned with the thinking of my true self, I do not self-sabotage,” Williamson explained. “If I’m not aligned with that thinking, then by definition I will self-sabotage.”

Giving a new meaning to the fairytale Cinderella, Williamson compared the wicked stepmother to the human ego, and the fairy godmother to our spirit. Her magic wand is focused thought, and when she waves it, light envelopes Cinderella and transforms her on the material plane, she said.

“Light is spiritual understanding, and when the fairy godmother pointed her wand at Cinderella, the light turned her rags into a dress, the mice into coachman, the pumpkin into a coach,” she said. “The fairy godmother is the Holy Spirit or the spirit within you. We need the light in the want to transform our current circumstances.”

It is up to us whether we activate the law of divine compensation or not – and we do so by aligning with the energy of God and miracles with every thought that passes through out minds. In the book, “The Law of Divine Compensation: On Work, Money and Miracles,” Williamson states:

“The practical issue is whether we choose thoughts that activate or deactivate the Law of Divine Compensation. We activate it with every loving thought. We deactivate it when we give more credence to the reality and the power of the material world than to the reality and power of love.”

For more on Marianne Williamson, including how to apply “A Course in Miracles” to love relationships, see our June 2012 issue cover story.

New 99-Cent E-Books from Thich Nhat Hanh & More

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In July 2012, Parallax Press introduced its first 99 cents eBook short, Thich Nhat Hanh’s, “A Love Letter to the Planet.” Due to its popularity, the company created the imprint “Parallax Press Moments,” offering chapter-length eBooks drawn from the best-loved teachings of mindfulness teachers.

They offer the most popular passages, most frequently requested chapters, and most essential teachings in a quick-to-read format. This year, the company will introduce six new titles, which can be purchased and downloaded at the Google Play store, iTunes, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Kobo Web sites.

Currently available is:

“A Love Letter to the Planet,” by Thich Nhat Hanh – This is written as a letter to Mother Earth, and is an appeal for ecological mindfulness and strengthening our relationship with the planet. Drawn from an impassioned Dharma talk Thich Nhat Hanh gave during the Winter 2011 retreat at Plum Village, his monastery in France, the material is published here for the first time.

“The Bells of Mindfulness,” by Thich Nhat Hanh – Selected from his best-selling title, “The World We Have,” is Thich Nhat Hanh’s dramatic vision of our planet’s future and a call for environmental awareness. He presents Buddhist teachings of interconnectedness and the impermanence of all things to illustrate the role each of us plays in caretaking the earth.

COMING SOON:

“Greening of the Self,” by Joanna Macy – The premise of this book is we are not individuals separate from the world. Instead we are always “co-arising” or co-creating the world, and we cannot escape the consequence of what we do to the environment. Macy’s writing demonstrates that by broadening our view of what constitutes “self” we can cut through our dualistic views and bring about the emergence of the “ecological self” that realizes every object, feeling, emotion and action is influenced by a huge, all-inclusive web of factors.