Marianne Williamson Accepts Elevated Existence Award & Talks Election Results

Posted on by Tammy

Since publishing her very first book, “A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles,” in 1992, Marianne Williamson captured the hearts, minds and spirits of millions around the world.

Elevated Existence honored Williamson with its 2016 Elevated Existence Spiritual Service Award, given to one individual every year who has dedicated their life to spreading the gift of spirituality and uplifting the consciousness of others.

“I am honored by this award, and I appreciate your acknowledgement,” Williamson said.

During the interview for the December 2016 Issue of Elevated Existence Magazine, (which is an interactive, digital issue and includes an EXCLUSIVE Skype video interview with Williamson), she spoke about “A Course in Miracles” as it relates to relationships, anxiety, depression, politics and more, and offered advice to those who were not happy with the recent Presidential Election results.

“From “A Course in Miracles’” perspective, fear is to love what darkness is to light. Where there is love, there cannot be fear. But the love that is the transformative elixir that delivers us to a miraculous field of infinite possibility is not always an easy love. It is not just pouring pink paint over anything,” she told Elevated Existence in the December 2016 Issue cover story.

“This is a very disturbing moment in American history, and grown-ups are concerned. So the love I believe that replaces our fear is love for our country, love for our democracy… it takes a little maturity to hold the juxtaposition we need to hold now. On one hand we had an election, and unless it’s proven that that election was not fair, we have democratically elected our new president elect named Donald Trump. And the democratic process is to be respected.”

At this time, Williamson believes we must all be engaged in what is happening in our government, including reading the newspaper and seeing where we can get involved in making a difference.

“I think this is the time to be really reading. Watching the news is extremely important right now because the president elect is appointing people,” she shared. “A person who is so far on the transition team for environmental issues is seeking to dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency. Our new president thinks climate change is a hoax. Don’t look away from that if you disagree with him, we didn’t elect a king. This is how America works. So look at the issues you care about.”

She continued: “We all want to support him. He is democratically elected. But in addition to that, we want to pray that the angels of his better nature arise and prevail here. However, when see things that disturb us, that are way too similar to some of the worst conjectures in human history, it is our moral responsibility to speak up.”

Williamson also noted many in the spiritual community shy away from the news and politics, looking at them as negative and toxic, but she pointed out the importance of addressing the suffering of others and taking a stand where it is necessary. In order to do this, we need to stay informed, and we need to take action when guided.

“Those of us who are spiritual, its kind of this faux, artificial spirituality that’s out there like “No, no, no, politics is too toxic.” There is no deep, spiritual or religious path out there, which gives any of us a pass on addressing the suffering of other sentient beings — whether it’s suffering of human beings, the suffering of the earth, or suffering of the animals. If you see a very powerful force that moves in the direction of increasing that suffering, then it is absolutely your spiritual as well as your civic responsibility to do what you can to change that trajectory.”

She continued: “A woman I once knew used to say, ‘You need to put feet to your prayers.’ You pray, and… The highest prayer is ‘Dear God use me.’ God cannot do for us what he cannot do through us. So you can’t pray and say, ‘Dear God, fix all this,’ but don’t sign up to be the vessels through which he can operate . . . We got into this mess in this country because too many people were disengaged. The answer is not to be disengaged further. And this prevalent disengagement on a political level within the spiritual community, this idea that if I just drink green juice, and I just meditate and I just go to yoga, that’s enough.

“Actually, it’s a lot of it, but it is not of itself everything because the highest level of prayer is ‘where would you have me go, what would you have me do, what would you have me say and to whom?’ In a time like this, it’s very unlikely that God is going to say, ‘Oh, just sit there.’”

For more from this interview with Williamson, see the December 2016 Issue of Elevated Existence Magazine, and for more on Marianne Williamson, visit www.marianne.com.

Anita Moorjani: Bringing Heaven to Earth

Posted on by Tammy

Known around the world for her bestselling book, “Dying to Be Me: My Journey From Cancer to Near Death, to True Healing,” Anita Moorjani chronicled her near death experience from which she returned to her body — which was dying from Stage 4 cancer — and within weeks the cancer reversed and her body completely healed.

In her newest book, “What If This Is Heaven: How Our Cultural Myths Prevent Us from Experiencing Heaven on Earth,” she takes on the biggest myths in today’s society influencing our everyday lives, including “You Get What You Deserve,” “Loving Yourself is Selfish,” and “Spiritual People Don’t Have Egos.” She believes these myths are keeping us from being our authentic selves and living the lives we are meant to live.

In fact, looking back, she says if she knew everything she knows now, she would not have gotten cancer at all.

“I would have known it is very important to love myself. I truly believed previously that to love myself was selfish, and I believed it made me a better person if I constantly put other people before me and put myself last,” she says in the cover story of Elevated Existence’s September 2016 Issue, explaining she did this to a point where she treated herself like a doormat and let others walk all over her. She was a true people-pleaser and was afraid of saying “no.”

Moorjani gave to the point where she was completely drained, and would feel guilty if she wasn’t helping people who needed her. It became so bad that the day she was diagnosed with cancer, even though there was an immediate feeling of fear, it was followed by relief.

“It was like, ‘Ah, finally, I can do things for myself now. I can take care of myself because I have cancer.’ It’s like the cancer gave me permission. Today, I don’t need cancer. I don’t need permission because I matter. I am a product of the universe. I’m a facet of the universe — a facet of God. There is a reason for me to be here, and this applies to all of us. We’re all here to express God or to express the universe, and if we deny that, if we don’t love ourselves and allow our authenticity and light to shine, then we are denying the facet of God that is expressing itself through us.”

We Don’t Need Fixing
Also in the September 2016 Issue, Moorjani explains how people often get caught up in the need to fix something about themselves, believing something is wrong with them that needs changing. But she realized this belief can actually cause us more problems, bringing about feelings of fear and insecurity.

This is true whether we are trying to heal from a physical illness or trying to fix some other aspect of ourselves. She admits to being a self-help junkie before she got cancer and after her near-death experience, she doesn’t feel like she needs help anymore, because she embraces everything about herself and is alright with being imperfect.

“I know this goes against the genre I write for, but I truly believe that even the belief we constantly need work and help is the problem and not the fact that we actually need help, “ Moorjani says.

For those struggling with an illness, especially cancer, she asks them to stop beating themselves up, or trying to figure out what they did wrong to create it. Rather, they should love and embrace themselves right now in this moment, and be with people who love and value them.

“Ask yourself, ‘what shall I do today to that will bring me joy? What would I be doing today if I loved myself?’ And we should do this whether we are sick or well. That is all we have to do every single day,” she explains.

She also teaches we should do one random act of kindness for ourselves every day that we wouldn’t normally do — something additional that either takes up some time or is something we have been putting off. This can be soaking in the bathtub or going to see a movie we have been meaning to see. It is important to start taking time for ourselves that we would normally allocate to others.

“I know most people who are attracted to my story or are attracted to spirituality and the books and magazines — they have no trouble doing a random act of kindness for other people, so I’m not going to even bother advocating that because I know they give and give and give until they become drained. That was me before I got cancer,” she shares. “What I’m advocating is one random act of kindness for yourself, no matter how busy your day is. In fact, the more busy your day is, the more important it is for you to take time out to do this.”

To read the entire cover story, plus an interview with bestselling author Colette-Baron-Reid about how to create the life we want, and an excerpt from bestselling author Gabrielle Bernstein’s newest book “The Universe Has Your Back,” check out the September 2016 issue here!

Dr. David Hamilton: Science, Healing & Self-Love

Posted on by Tammy

Known for his books on the power of thought and the mind when it comes to healing, Dr. David Hamilton recently released his new book “I Heart Me,” focused on the scientific power of self-love, and how we can use the mind and emotions to change how we feel about ourselves — and create wellbeing, success and more.

Elevated Existence Magazine interviewed Dr. Hamilton for its March 2015 issue cover story, and below is a sneak peek at some of the insights found in the article!

The Healing Power of the Mind
The first book Dr. David Hamilton published after leaving his job as a scientist in the pharmaceutical industry, where he was building drugs for cardiovascular disease and cancer, was “It’s the Thought That Counts: Why Mind Over Matter Really Works.” It focused on the mind body connection, and the connection between our consciousness and the world — all backed by scientific research.

“While working as a scientist, I started to notice how many people were recovering on placebos for drugs we were spending a quarter of a billion dollars developing,” he tells Elevated Existence. “I started looking into the mind body connection while I was working full time, and I realized there was so much information out there nobody seemed to know about.”

So he resigned from his job and started to weave together his scientific background with consciousness, spirituality and the mind body connection. His book “How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body” shows how positive thinking and visualization can work remarkably well when it comes to healing physical ailments and disease.

“After I published my first book, people would come up to me at lectures and workshops and tell me how they used the mind body principles to heal themselves,” he notes. “People were visualizing cancer tumors shrinking, for example, and they were all intuitively using the same mind body principles like visualization. I started looking into the neuroscience and psycho immunology so I could build a framework and understanding I could explain to my mom, dad or anyone off the street. There was so much science that validated it.”

In the book, he shares a Harvard study where volunteers played a series of piano notes up and down a scale for two hours, over five consecutive days. The scientists saw significant changes in the area of their brains connected to the finger muscles. By the fifth day, the brain had grown like a muscle and was significantly bigger. They also had a group of people who visualized playing the piano in the same way rather than actually doing it, and they also had their brain mapped to measure the results.

“Amazingly, the same regions of the brain had changed to the same extent as those who were actually playing the notes,” he says. “The brain was not making any distinction between those who were actually playing the keys on the piano and those who just visualized playing the keys. I use this example to help people understand, what you think about, what you imagine, really has an effect. It gives people faith in themselves.”

Visualization for Self-Love
In the book “How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body,” Dr. Hamilton shares a variety of visualizations and techniques to heal the body of physical ailments. In his new book, “I Heart Me,” he explains how visualization can also change our brain when it comes to self-love.

“Instead of visualizing inside the body, like you would do to shrink cancer or make a blood vessel healthier, what you do is visualize moving your body,” he tells Elevated Existence. “Visualize how you are walking, standing, speaking, breathing, from a place of ‘I am enough.’ Watch yourself interacting with people where you had previously acted in a way you felt small. Watch yourself standing tall, speaking with confidence, saying the things you want to say. Because the brain can’t distinguish real from imaginary, you are now rewiring the brain.”

If done on a regular basis, we can actually shape the circuits of the brain and will find ourselves functioning in the world with the kind of body language we are imagining, he says. And it only takes five minutes of visualization a day.

“It’s like a fast forward way of changing how you actually function in the world,” Hamilton says, explaining if we want to speed up the process even more, we can do it for 10 minutes, three times per day. “Five minutes is easier for people, especially with the busy lives we have. But you will start to notice a change, and it won’t even feel like you had to put much effort into it.”

For more from Dr. Hamilton, see the full March 2015 issue of Elevated Existence, which includes an article on author Mira Kelley and past life regression; a Course in Miracles column from Gary Renard and more!

Editor’s Advice: The Universe Always Guides Us Back to Purpose

Posted on by Tammy

Have you ever followed a GPS, but accidentally took a wrong turn? Mine immediately kicks into gear to re-route me to my destination, with a voice saying, “calculating route.”

A few years ago, as I became more conscious and aware through meditation and spiritual practices, I began to recognize how the Universe, God or Source works the same way as the GPS in our car.

No matter how far you stray from your purpose or the higher path you are meant to walk along, the Universe never stops trying to re-route you and gently nudge you back.

When we look back on the events and subtle signs from our past through a process I call Following the Footsteps, we can all begin to uncover this re-routing. Even though we didn’t notice it at the time, the Universe actually had our back! Bestselling author, Marianne Williamson often says the Universe is “both self-correcting and self-organizing,” and I continue to see it happen in my own life.

For example, at 29 years old, after my first formal meditation training, I knew in my gut I wanted to work for myself (the first gentle nudge from the Universe). But at the time I had no clue what that meant, so I pursued the possibility of working on my own as a freelancer. However, nothing real came out of it (a small detour).

One year later, after working in the magazine industry for 10 years, I realized I truly longed to write on and cover topics I was passionate about, such as spirituality and self-help (another nudge), so I ventured out to find an established magazine or website to work for in this segment (another small detour). After months, I realized there were not many out there and certainly not on the East Coast where I lived. I even interviewed with a couple, but the fit just didn’t feel right for me.

One day I was chatting with a friend about my desire, and she casually suggested I start my own online magazine (hello Universe, my old friend). I laughed and told her she was crazy. But six months later, Elevated Existence Magazine debuted online with Deepak Chopra on the cover.

Even though I didn’t respond to that first nudge of working for myself by immediately starting a magazine and website, the Universe or God never stopped putting ideas and opportunities on my path. Eventually I got the message!

I’ve realized it doesn’t matter how far we may stray from our intended higher path, or how many detours we take on the road to our greatest purpose, because God never tires of gently guiding us back. Through signs, synchronicity and the nudges of our intuitive voice, we are guided, and when necessary, redirected.

The next time you feel lost, uncertain of your direction or in the midst of what seems like chaos, take a moment to still your mind, and ask the Universe or God for directions to the fastest and most direct route for the highest good of your soul.

Try this prayer:

Dear God, I’m unsure of what to do, what I truly want, and/or which path to take next. I want to do whatever is best for my highest good and the highest good of all those involved. Please open my eyes, ears, mind and heart, that I may recognize the signs and synchronicities sent by my guides, angels and spirit to lead me where I am meant to go. Thank you – Amen

No matter how many dark roads we travel down, or how far we stray, God is always traveling behind us with a flashlight ready to lead us back to love and purpose. It’s often as easy as turning around to recognize the light.

Tammy Mastroberte is a three-time, award-winning writer, founder of Elevated Existence, and publisher and editorial director of the multi-award-winning Elevated Existence Magazine. She started the new age, spiritual and self-improvement publication at age 30 – eight years after the sudden death of her mother from a brain aneurysm only three days after Christmas in 1999. This tragedy led her down a synchronistic path to discover her purpose and the meaning behind many of the events in her life – including her mother’s death. She now shares her guidance, and the wisdom of today’s top authors and spiritual celebrities through Elevated Existence Magazine. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter: @ElevatedTammy on Instagram: elevatedtammy. For more information, visit www.tammymastroberte.com.

Editor’s Advice: A Simple Tool to Calm Down

Posted on by Tammy

A few months ago, I saw bestselling author and integrative physician, Dr. Andrew Weil, speak about a breathing technique on the Dr. Oz Show. He called it “a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system,” and in today’s busy, stress-filled society, we could all use a natural tranquilizer once in a while!

It’s known as the 4-7-8 Relaxing Breath exercise, and the best part is it takes only a minute and a half each day to practice. While many people see immediate benefits, these increase over time.

I recently added this exercise to my daily routine, and I love it. So, of course, I have to share it with all my elevated friends because it’s so simple, doesn’t take much time, and offers so many benefits! (See video below for Dr. Weil demonstrating the technique.)

The exercise must be done twice per day, at four cycles each time. Dr. Weil uses it before his morning meditation and at night when he lays down to sleep, and that is how I began incorporating into my life. I actually find it improves my meditation session and relaxes me before I even begin my mantra. I also use it whenever I feel stressed, anxious or triggered by something, and it immediately sends me into a place of calm.

Dr. Weil said this breath is the “single best method” he has found for falling back to sleep if he wakes up in the middle of the night, and it is also a very powerful anti-anxiety tool – even helping those with panic disorders.

“You are putting a signal into your nervous system and the effects of this are cumulative,” he said. “I guarantee you, if you will stick with this you will be amazed at what you will see.”

All you need to do is place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of the tissue right behind your front teeth, inhale through your nose for a count of four, hold it for a count of seven, and then exhale through your mouth making a “whoosh” sound for a count of eight. Do this for four cycles.

After a month of practice, this can be done for up to eight cycles at a time, twice per day, and also as needed throughout the day. Not only do you get immediate relief, but you are retraining your body and nervous system to function differently.

Watch Dr. Weil explain the technique and demonstrate it in the below video, and I hope you like it as much as I do!

Tammy Mastroberte is a three-time, award-winning writer, founder of Elevated Existence, and publisher and editorial director of the multi-award-winning Elevated Existence Magazine. She started the new age, spiritual and self-improvement publication at age 30 – eight years after the sudden death of her mother from a brain aneurysm only three days after Christmas in 1999. This tragedy led her down a synchronistic path to discover her purpose and the meaning behind many of the events in her life – including her mother’s death. She now shares her guidance, and the wisdom of today’s top authors and spiritual celebrities through Elevated Existence Magazine. Follow her on Twitter: @ElevatedTammy or on Instagram: elevatedtammy. For more information, visit www.tammymastroberte.com.

Karen Abrams: Theta Healing and Relationships

Posted on by Tammy

Theta healing is a unique form of meditation where practitioners enter the “theta state” and are able to shift thoughts away from negative, limiting beliefs to more positive perspectives. It’s a process of healing that can free people from longstanding emotional burdens and even chronic or unhealthy physical conditions.

Karen Abrams, a master theta healer, certified instructor and relationship expert joined Elevated Existence Magazine founder, Tammy Mastroberte, to discuss theta healing and relationships as part of the Living an Elevated Existence Mind, Body & Soul Summit.

“Theta healing is a meditation that connects you to creator, God or source. When you connect with that Divine energy, your brain waves go into the theta state and that is what happens when we are falling asleep and just hitting that dream state,” Abrams explained on the live call. “When we go into the theta brainwave, we are able to access our subconscious mind, and that is really our store house for all of our experiences, beliefs and feelings.”

Our experiences, beliefs and feelings are stored in every cell of the body, and theta healing connects to Divine energy to help shift belief systems no longer working for a person, she noted. Beliefs such as, “I’m alone,” “No one will ever love me,” “No matter what I do it will never work out.” This energy also allows people to shift emotions and feelings.

“This is a huge, huge thing because when you can change a feeling you have had in your body for as long as you’ve known yourself, you can start bringing better things into your life,” Abrams explained.

People often change belief systems, heal trauma and resentments, forgive themselves and forgive others, and while sometimes the shifts are subtle, many receive immediate benefits as well.

“I always say with the subtle ones, it’s like pointing a cannon one degree west – you are going to hit a whole other town. So those subtle changes are going to bring big changes as time goes by, and the big changes will bring bigger changes,” Abrams explained. “Theta can do that for you.”

She became interested in theta healing when a friend of hers quickly began to experiences changes in her life for the better through theta, and Abrams signed up for a Basic Theta Healing class. After the three-day class, her life began to change as well.

“I had anxiety for six years where I was literally shaking every day,” she shared. “After a three-day course on Theta healing, for the first time in six years my body came out of fight or flight. I was in a depression when I started this work, and now my default is contentment. When something happens, I know I can always go back to contentment.”

Elements of a Healthy Relationship
During the live call, Abrams shared three important elements we need to bring into a relationship for it be healthy. They include worthiness, self-love and joy.

Worthiness – “If you don’t believe you deserve to be loved, then you won’t be, and that is what will show up because the person you attract will mostly likely feel the same way,” said Abrams. “Like attracts like, and in this work we talk about how you are really attracted to people who have the same negative belief systems you have because that reminds you of how you grew up.”

If our worthiness is not in a place where we feel we really deserve love, the person we attract is not going to feel that way about themselves either, and is not going to feel that way about us, she explained.

Self-love – “If you love yourself, you are most likely going to attract someone who is very similar to that, so it will be much easier to be able to communicate with them and move yourself forward in that relationship,” said Abrams. “If you don’t’ feel really great about yourself, you are not going to attract somebody who feels great about themselves.”

Joy – Joy is what makes everything better, said Abrams. We don’t need to be 100 percent joyful to have a healthy relationship, but we need to be able to receive joy and express it with a romantic partner and find it in the relationship.

“Sometimes people look for relationships or they run away from relationships because they are projecting their parents marriage onto it, so they stay away from relationships,” she noted. “But usually people who are afraid of relationships are afraid of bad relationships not good relationships, and that may be something they don’t realize.”

Relationships are Mirrors
Any time we are in a relationship – whether romantic or friendships – it is a reflection of how we feel about ourselves.

“You have to understand that if someone is mistreating you, there is probably somewhere in yourself that you are doing the same thing to yourself, and it’s important when those things happen to step back and say, ‘I can be angry with this person, and I should let this person know to make sure my boundaries are healthy.’ But the other side of it is to go back and say, ‘O.K., so where am I being neglectful with myself? Maybe I need to fix that.’ Then that behavior doesn’t tend to come out of the other person, and if it does, maybe you leave the relationship, or you draw lines because it’s just not acceptable anymore.”

Theta healing repairs our relationship to ourselves because we learn to forgive ourselves and gain God’s understanding of why we acted the way we did. It can heal traumas and resentment towards ourselves, as well as others in our life, and when this happens, the burdens we carry begin to get lighter.

“People burdened by the past or those with a very heavy childhood wear that on their back, and with theta you can lift it off and become lighter and more comfortable in your own skin,” said Abrams.