Wind of the Soul

Goal Achievement: Developing a Long Term Mindset

John Wolfe — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:43:45 +0000

We’ve all heard the adage – “good things come to those who wait”. I believe that phrase to be true, but there are far more components involved in any accomplishment than just waiting around for the passage of time. However, there’s no denying time is a huge part of the equation. It takes time + emotions + thoughts + consistent, persistent action to = results. If we can develop the capacity to understand the concept of patience, through understanding time’s role in the natural progression and processes of all living things, we will have made great strides in short-circuiting the “I want it now” mentality. While there’s nothing wrong with wanting something to occur faster, it’s important we don’t make that our constant modus operandi.

So very often, in the natural progression of life, rapid manifestation doesn’t occur and for good reason. Just as a sapling doesn’t become a giant sequoia overnight and a ten year old child can’t become a thirty year old adult in a week; neither can our hopes and dreams become instantaneous reality in an unreasonable amount of time. If we constantly expect instant gratification, yet it ceases to come at the rate we demand, we will continue to feel disappointment and frustration; eventually removing all of the necessary components from the above equation. And when that happens, there also will be very little sitting on the right side of the equal sign.

Instead, we must learn to focus on progress and the long term development of that which we intend to accomplish; paying close attention to the subtle changes along the journey. Small, subtle changes indicate momentum and progress towards that which we desire. While the sapling doesn’t immediately become a towering tree, it does develop noticeably throughout each and every year of its life. These smaller, but observable, measurable changes, accruing over time, are what lead to its eventual colossal state.

Thinking in the short term is almost always a recipe for quitting. When we think in the short term and things don’t initially develop in the manner we had hoped, we’re much more likely to give up. When we give up, we settle. The short term mindset causes us to trade in our dreams for something that appears to be a “sure thing”, albeit a diminished version of our initial hopes, because it’s only supplying us with a fake form of quick gratification. It’s quick because it’s convenient and it’s gratifying (only at first) because it appears to come easily.

A person, thinking primarily with a short term mindset, assumes why should I apply X amount of time, physical, emotional and thought energy toward achieving my dreams, at a future date - when I can have a facsimile of what I originally wanted to achieve right now? After all, my dreams were probably unrealistic anyway, right? This is the way in which so many of us talk ourselves into accepting dead end jobs, living in locations where we don’t truly want to live, walking around uncomfortable with our bodies, spending time in unhealthy relationships, settling for less income than we deserve, living with large debt looming over our heads, etc.

It’s a snowball effect that continues to grow, while we opt for less and less and less. We’ve done it so frequently (sometimes since childhood) that we eventually convince ourselves it’s wrong to want more and to have more and/or we just don’t deserve it. The short term mindset, coupled with a lack of belief in one’s self, unfortunately, is what puts far too many people on the fast track to a miserable existence. By trading in their dreams, they sacrifice their passion and succumb to coping and existing, instead of living intentionally.

When I speak of wanting more or our ability to feel deserving of it, I’m not necessarily referring to material items. I’m actually referring to our state of joy and our quality of life. The material items are only there as a form of enhancement, once we have regained the power over how we feel and have chosen to consciously apply that power through our thoughts, emotions and actions. They are by no means a substitute for it.

In thinking from the long term, I believe, we quite naturally develop many of the following unstoppable characteristics of a spiritually/physically successful human being: living with passion, finding ways to follow our bliss, removing most forms of negativity from our lives, steadfast determination, staying true to ourselves, creating a niche where none previously existed, shifting the paradigm, overcoming fears, never giving up, embracing our power, thriving even in an economy that occasionally focuses on lack, realizing there are no true roadblocks keeping us from that which we desire – only momentary impediments, and wanting to uplift and give back to others in whatever form that may take.

Now, I know my above commentary may sound contradictory to one of my main themes at Wind of the Soul: “Each one of us is responsible for creating our reality.” And, if we choose to believe our goals and dreams will take large amounts of time to accomplish, then aren’t we setting ourselves up for that exact scenario to unfold?

I’m not saying we should assume our dreams will take many years to become a reality. In this post, I’m juxtaposing our dreams against the manner in which all living things naturally progress in our Universe and driving home the importance of never giving up. It’s through this juxtaposition that we can begin to understand why we need to think more from a long term mindset. Apply this mindset (i.e. the realization of time’s proper place in the equation) with the other components, and results will undoubtedly show.

One more thing pertaining to living in this manner, as it applies to achieving our hopes and aspirations: long term doesn’t mean we forsake the moment of now. It means we stay present in our current moment, doing all that we can towards accomplishing our goals, while realizing each moment will eventually stack on top of the next, until we find ourselves looking out atop that giant sequoia.

Quick Update

John Wolfe — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 18:53:13 +0000

I just wanted to let everyone know I appreciate their kind, consistent feedback pertaining to my writing and podcasting here at Wind of the Soul. During my one month absence from adding content to this site, many of you have sent emails supporting my work and reinforcing my understanding that older articles are still resonating with visitors. And, speaking of my recent absence – I probably won’t be writing or podcasting until a week or so after Halloween. As the haunting season is upon us, my other website has the majority of my focus.

I absolutely appreciate your continued support of Wind of the Soul. And, even though I’m not currently writing or recording content for this site, I do consistently check for emails and for any comments which may have been left on blog posts. I hope you have a great Halloween and if you’re in the spirit, I hope you’ll join me at Season of Shadows.

The Thrill of Being Physically Focused

John Wolfe — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 02:13:11 +0000

A Wind of the Soul visitor sent me a great email just a few days ago. He had listened to my law of attraction podcast and was specifically interested in the segment where I discussed receiving two pennies through seemingly mystical means. In his letter, he asked if I fully believed in my abilities to manifest financial wealth and abundance, without the need to take any physical action. He also was curious to know whether or not I was capable of realizing my true power and if so, why I would choose to continue pursuing my online businesses for bringing in income, if I indeed was in tune with my capabilities?

I love all of the feedback I receive from my visitors, but I truly appreciate it when someone asks probing questions, such as these. I’m not at all offended or put off by such questions, as they help me to consider new ways of looking at the subjects I frequently discuss. They also provide me with some insight into what my visitors are taking away from and bringing to my blog posts and podcasts.

In honestly answering his questions, I stated I do not believe enough in my power of instantaneous materialization to remove the need for taking all physical action. Over time, I have developed a belief in a balance and a synergy between my thoughts and my required actions for manifesting those thoughts.

However, I do believe there is a small amount of people, on this planet, which have the ability to materialize (any and all) items from thin air. They’ve either developed and honed this ability or never were taught to associate materialization with action, hence their lack of requirement for doing so. There are numerous accounts of such individuals residing in remote locations of the globe. While some may in fact be fraudulent claims, I do believe the ability honestly exists in some. My encounter with the very strange appearance of two pennies does provide me with a small glimpse into this phenomenon; while helping me to grasp its validity.

The irony in all of this - even if I awoke tomorrow with the complete ability to instantaneously materialize any object I chose (including money), from thin air; I wouldn’t stop taking physical action regarding my income generating pursuits. This is primarily due to the fact I so thoroughly enjoy everything I do, that I would do it all for free, but it is also because I believe we are residing in a physically based environment for a reason.

At least, during this point in our spiritual awareness, most of us are meant to be a part of the cause and effect link between thought, action and manifestation. To initially create with our minds and then allow our bodies to follow suit, bringing forth what we mentally conceive, is so thrilling and joyously satisfying. I believe it is a large part of why source chooses to experience itself through us in this specific plane of existence. Just because some appear to be capable of “overcoming” physical action does not mean they are more spiritually advanced than others who have not.

There are plenty of non-physical planes where the energy of all that is can consistently experience instantaneous manifestations of thought forms, minus any physical action. But to be in this physical place, at this moment, where our actions count for so much, is no accident. I know some believe this “level” of existence is some sort of practice arena in which we are meant to hone our abilities of manifestation. It’s often believed the earth plane is for those that aren’t yet responsible enough to exist in pure thought environments.

Where this line of thinking emerges from, I am not sure. But I am certain every single one of us transitions, immediately after this physical experience, into pure thought environments anyway. So, why do we all suddenly attain this so called worthiness after we pass on, yet it wasn’t granted to us while we are physically focused?

I view our spiritual existence slightly differently. I don’t believe the Universe is set up with levels of reward or punishment that are independent from us. I believe we are all equally gifted creators, because we are THE creator, no matter what plane of being we are occupying in the moment of now. Our experiences are simply that. They are not about achieving a specific degree of responsible behavior, to be rewarded by advancing to the “head of the class” in future dimensions.

I believe those types of ideas are conceived from the human mind, where we fret over competition and status. We are meant to create and emotionally experience our creations from our current standpoint (no matter where that may be), not devise means for achieving levels of advancement. All of our experiences and the environment we occupy, in this moment, represent the resources we draw upon for creation. Physical manipulation of energy happens to be one of those resources. We are where we are for a reason and I feel that reason is to experience a physical vehicle and all of its physically creative capabilities.

So, where does this leave me concerning the meaning of the two pennies? I believe they were providing a glimpse into how powerful our intentions can be and they were a representation of my consistent thoughts of abundance.

Are we completely dependent upon physical action to provide financial stability or anything else for that matter in the physical Universe? Maybe not- maybe mass consciousness will eventually know how to perform instantaneous materializations, at a grand scale, even in the physically based Universe. But imagine what we would be missing if we could choose to eliminate a large portion of physicality from the physical world. I believe that would be defeating the purpose of being here in the first place.

Once again, I want to thank the individual for sending their email. In this post, I was not at all making light of their questions or trying to retaliate. Rather, their questions stimulated something deeper within me which I felt compelled to write about. For that I’m extremely appreciative. Their email provided me with another angle for viewing my own physicality and honoring it in a way I frequently neglect.

If this post has been helpful to you, please consider sharing it with others and/or making a donation. Thank you for supporting Wind of the Soul.

Variation Inspires Creation

John Wolfe — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:46:49 +0000

As is customary for me, every time a public television pledge drive comes around, I have to tune into their broadcasting. Throughout the year, PBS normally has a variety of great programming, but around pledge time they really bring out their “A” game. This is when you can expect to see programs featuring people like Wayne Dyer and Deepak Chopra.

So on Saturday morning, shortly after waking, I turned on the TV to see what my local public television channel was airing. They were already forty five minutes into a show called, The Artist’s Way at Work, with Mark Bryan. Now, even though I was only able to catch the last fifteen minutes of the program, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I always find myself enthralled when watching and listening to what inspires the creative process in artists (or anyone). Perhaps there’s nothing that peaks my interest more than hearing about that which gets the creative juices flowing. To learn what stirs and drives others always tunes me into my own inspiration to create.

During the last quarter of the program, Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills and Nash fame was discussing what prevents him from stagnating as an artist. He was talking about how versatility and variation are often the keys to inspiring his creativity.

I have found the same to be true of my inspiration for being creative. My muse is definitely the variety in my pursuits. This is why I write and record audio programs here at Wind of the Soul, yet I also build Halloween artwork, take photographs, brainstorm gift giveaways and make videos at Season of Shadows. I’m passionate about everything I do or else I wouldn’t do it. And, even though each project is exciting to me, the consistent variety always provides freshness to my work and to my life.

Now, when I speak of creativity I’m not strictly referring to artwork, writing, crafts or music. Each and every one of us is a creator in our own unique way. We are constantly in different stages of creation, even if we are thinking thoughts which have yet to manifest through our physical actions.

Just because you may not pick up a brush and touch it to canvas, doesn’t mean you can’t be inspired to continually create in new ways through variety and versatility. It’s for this reason I’m hesitant to ever limit myself to one primary pursuit. I think it’s far too easy for us to slip into a solitary role and see ourselves as “that person” for the rest of our lives- whether the role is defined by a philosophy, a job, our career, hobby or a relationship. While there’s nothing wrong with inhabiting the skin of that somewhat singular character, I think there is something extremely important about taking creative “risks”. Creative risks are the backbone of every journey and their end product.

A creative risk can be a tough thing to undertake if we doubt our abilities and fear what others will ultimately think. However, without the willingness to venture into those unchartered waters, our creativity and our creative abilities can become stagnant. As we stagnate, we tend to lose even more faith in what we’re capable of accomplishing.

Now, I’ve never been a huge advocate of the face your fears ideology, in spite of the tremendous anxiety and terror you’re feeling inside. I’ve tried it many times and I will admit it can help in certain situations, but there are many more circumstances in which it only reinforces and exacerbates the original fear. Instead, I believe we must re-examine our fear and get a better understanding of why it’s there before we move forward to challenge it, but only if the pursuit is indeed something we consider worthwhile. In doing so, our emotions won’t be so out of control and we won’t be so overly attached to the fear as it rears its head.

I only mention I’m not a full on “face your fear” advocate because I don’t want anyone to feel bad if they’re afraid to employ variety and take creative risks. Again this comes back to finding what you’re passionate about. Once passion fuels your drive, then it’s obviously a worthwhile pursuit and it becomes easier to release the fear involved with taking the creative risk.

The beauty in embracing variety is that it allows us to try so many different endeavors. It seems like a common misconception that we should stick to one thing (get really good at it) and not divide our time among multiple pursuits. Again, that’s fine if someone has a singular interest. But for those of us that have a strong thirst for many different things, it’s comforting and inspiring to know many other creators do as well. Not only do they have multiple interests but their creativity actually flourishes by keeping their pursuits varied. Variation creates a beneficial, synergistic effect among all of their endeavors which continues to further inspire their creative genius.

If this post has been helpful to you, please consider sharing it with others and/or making a donation. Thank you for supporting Wind of the Soul.

Wind of the Soul Updates

John Wolfe — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:25:33 +0000

I’d like to take an opportunity in this post to briefly discuss my blogging style, since I have been receiving some questions regarding how frequently Wind of the Soul will be updated. Although this website is only a couple of months old, the content does date back to May of 2007. If you scroll through the archives page, you’ll find a wide variety of update patterns. At times I have written two posts over the course of three days and at other times I have gone as long as ten or twelve days before adding content.

This fluctuation is due to a couple of reasons. The first is because I don’t ever want to mechanize my writing or my audio recordings. Since I’m blogging about spirituality and self-help topics, which stem from my inner-personal perspective, I don’t believe in timetables or forcing the flow of the work. The second reason is because I divide my time between Wind of the Soul and Season of Shadows (my Halloween and paranormal site). As October 31st draws closer, I tend to get even busier with my Halloween preparations.

In the world of blogging, it’s generally accepted that updates should be very consistent in order to build large amounts of traffic. I will admit I have, at times, felt that kind of pressure to conform. But every time I get caught up in that mindset, my writing (along with my well being) suffers.

I’ve done my best to unplug from the commonly accepted ideas pertaining to building a [financially] successful blog because my measures of success don’t hinge primarily on money. I don’t believe in performing or making Wind of the Soul perform. I believe in effortlessly, passionately feeling for my work and creatively expressing it when the time is right. And I also believe in embodying what I write about.

My measures of success come from being sincere, honest, helpful and as genuine with my visitors as possible. Do I hope to consistently bring in a profit from this site, to support myself, while helping others? Absolutely, however, my lifestyle is so extremely simplistic and minimalistic (because I prefer it that way); I don’t require record breaking income levels.

Since my inspiration for writing does not stem from always trying to bring in more and more traffic i.e. money, money, money, you won’t find me beating you over the head with blog updates which represent nothing more than glorified “fillers”. I would rather go a substantial amount of time between updates, than waste your time with consistent repetitive fluff that adds little or nothing beneficial to your life.

I can’t ever promise how frequently you will find new content added. However, I can promise new content will always eventually be added and will only be posted when I believe it to be worthwhile. With that being said, you’re more than welcome to subscribe via email to Wind of the Soul by using the subscription box at the top left hand side of any page on this site. In doing so, you’ll always know when the blog has been updated. The folks at Feedburner will never share any of your information and the emails you will receive (each time I add a new entry) include the entire blog post, minus any large amounts of html or advertisements.

Thanks for your continued support of Wind of the Soul.

Understanding Death through Consciously Living Life

John Wolfe — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:35:08 +0000

I just found out a recent acquaintance of mine passed away. We weren’t friends. We actually spoke only briefly a couple of times. But the fact our last conversation occurred a few days prior to her passing is what prompted me to write today’s entry. It never ceases to amaze me how our consciousness can be physically focused one minute and then “gone” the next. I suppose no matter my state of comprehension, regarding the subject of death, I will always be taken aback at that one simple realization.

Many years ago, I spent a lot of time pondering over whether or not we even survive the process of dying. After much soul searching and exploration into the subject, including my own personal experiences with astral projection, I came to the conclusion that a form of our awareness does continue on. Just what that form may consist of and if it’s indeed eternal with regards to our individual personality, I can’t say for certain.

In fact, I don’t believe anyone can ever unequivocally answer those questions from their current physical position, no matter how spiritual, psychic they are, or “who” they may be capable of channeling. Thankfully, developing a broader perspective and a deeper, more conscious understanding does not hinge on the necessity of being able to completely answer those questions. I believe our own inner knowledge may eventually negate the need to find those answers anyway, but that is something I’m still discovering.

Now, I don’t concern myself with these topics because I’m fearful of losing my identity when death washes over me. Rather, I do it because I’m intrigued with the mystery and am interested in trying to obtain some form of deeper understanding, if possible. This is why I continue to conduct my own experiments into altered states of consciousness. These states allow me to have a better appreciation for consciousness itself, as well as providing me with the ability to find new interpretations on our existence.

I believe our best method for not only trying to understand death, but to also release much of our fears associated with it, is through exploring and utilizing wider aspects of consciousness. Consciousness appears to be the only constant, whether we’re physically focused or not. If anything can provide us with some form of insight into the afterlife, it would have to be the further development of our own awareness of the here and now.

In my opinion, that specific form of awareness is not typically developed through ordinary interactions and so called social obligations, such as going to school, to work, shopping, dining out or watching television. While we are (somewhat) active in those situations and we may even be learning something new, we are usually utilizing rudimentary levels of our conscious abilities. It’s these cursory levels scientists are referring to when they speak of human kind only using ten percent of their brain potential.

In scientific pursuits there has to be something quantifiable and measurable. Scientists can’t measure or test for the source of consciousness so they don’t give it any attention, but they can measure the manner in which the brain fires and at what capacity. Since I tend to view the brain as the link up between the body and soul, as opposed to seeing it as the source of consciousness; I believe we can take these scientific findings and apply them to that which is metaphysical. In other words, as most of us are going through the typical, average, ordinary motions of our lives, we are only tapping into and allowing a fraction (10%) of our soulful consciousness to flow.

Here’s the thing, though: despite how it may feel, there are no typical, average moments in life. It’s not the fault of the tasks we undertake or what’s happening in each second that causes us to utilize less than ninety percent of our potential. Instead, I believe it’s the way we consciously (or unconsciously) process the moments in which those events are occurring.

We have been trained and programmed to view our experiences through an extremely narrow lens. The narrower the lens is, the smaller the percentage of consciousness that’s being utilized. This has little to do with intelligence. Someone can be highly intelligent, but still employ very little of their potential for conscious expansion.

When I initially decided to write this post, I considered stating more of my opinions about what may be waiting for us once we cross over. In fact, I actually wrote two pages pertaining to my ideas regarding the after life, but I decided to erase them. When I started writing this entry for a second time, I began using the process I’m encouraging in this post.

I made a conscious decision to try and employ more than the ten percent my opinions (as seen through my narrow lens) would have afforded. My impressions and ideas about something as enigmatic as what awaits us beyond death will do very little to help you find your own answers. In striving to empower you, the reader, by speaking of methods to enhance and expand upon the way you interpret each moment of your life experience; I feel I’m utilizing a larger portion of my conscious abilities. I believe the best way to understand death is to more clearly and presently experience life, instead of barely thinking and acting from automation or rote. Blindly following other people’s interpretations of life, as well as death, is what places so many of us in primarily an “unconscious,” disconnected state throughout our lives.

So, what does an enhanced, conscious clarity of physical existence have to do with better understanding death? As we continue walking around in a daze about our role in life and who we are, we stifle our emotions and become disconnected from feeling our feelings and actions. We eventually shut down deeper modes of understanding and limit our perceptions. As our perceptions become more and more dulled, it’s natural to transfer those same limiting views over to our ideas concerning death. If we are already living a stifled form of life, there’s no way we can have a broader more aware take on the mortality of our physical vehicles. This is why the statement: “many people have died years before they’re actually buried” is so true.

To become fully aware throughout your day; seeing events and experiences through “new” eyes and finding ways to think and feel that have quite possibly never been accessed before is the most empowered form of living. I believe this in turn helps us to become more empowered in our views on death and dying.

If we have the ability to truly feel what our consciousness is (it’s definitely not automation) and what’s it’s capable of, then we will know it is impossible for something so immense to be snuffed out when we pass on. As we begin to see our unlimited potential unfold while we are seizing not only the day, but each moment of it, it becomes easier to grasp how that which flows through us will always continue on in some way and in some form.

I have written several articles contained here at Wind of the Soul which go into great detail regarding techniques for becoming more consciously aware and present. Several of these can be accessed through the links in the related posts section.

If this post has been helpful to you, please consider sharing it with others and/or making a donation. Thank you for supporting Wind of the Soul.

Q & A: Does the Individual Create Mass Corruption in the World?

John Wolfe — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 22:11:41 +0000

Question: Hi, I’ve been learning a lot about the idea that we create our reality. If this is true, then does it mean we’ve created all of the bad things in our world too? I don’t understand the issues of politics, crime, war, death, destruction and so on. Did I contribute to the creation of those things? And if so, how am I responsible? I’m not attacking, I’m just asking–if we create our own reality then wouldn’t that include our world at the global scale as well? I never want war or crime or bad doings, but they seem to be growing. How did I create them? Thank you in advance for your answer. By the way, I like your site a lot. - Jessica

Answer: Jessica, thank you. I appreciate probing questions like yours. I believe the external world, we call reality, is a reflection of both our individual point of focus and the collective focus of mass consciousness. But the mass collective consciousness definitely has a stronger ability for influencing global issues (at a faster rate) than our individual point within that consciousness does.

I have written a few older blog posts where I touched on the fact that we are indeed responsible for all of what we observe around us. The beauty in that (I know it may seem almost impossible to find beauty in many of the things in our world) is if we are capable of creating undesirable manifestations then imagine the amazing potential for what we could be creating.

Of course, manifestation in this physical plane is a 50/50 thing (usually). It takes our thoughts initially and then the follow-up of actions, based on those thoughts, to shift our reality. I say usually because I have seen items materialize from thin air without any action, so I know that too is possible. I believe the farther we push the envelope on consciousness, the more possible it is to see instantaneous manifestations, minus the action portion of the equation, but that’s a different subject altogether.

Now, you asked if you created things like war, [corrupt forms of] politics, crime, death, etc. I believe your individual influence on those wide spread issues is rather small in the whole scheme of mass consciousness. But, we all do contribute to the big picture. All of the items you asked about were set into motion many, many years before your specific personality came into focus in this existence. Since manifestation is an ongoing process, you can’t fault yourself for causing those things to have snowballed to their current status. Yet, you can certainly hone your thoughts and actions to where those things have very little impact on your personal life, in turn preventing their contribution at the global scale as well- minus death of course.

Death is one of those things that serves as a transition, similar to birth, into other environments. I can’t say for certain why death is an absolute for all physical beings in our reality; other than I believe we utilize it to broaden our consciousness. It’s sort of the ultimate form of expansion, which serves to remind us there is so much more out there than just these bodies of flesh and bone.

Another component, which is a regular occurrence we can count, is change. Change is inevitable because it prevents our Universe from becoming stagnant. If it weren’t for change, we would all be living lives that have no meaning since they would be frozen in time. Change has the ability to usher in events that provide us with new desires. One way I like to look at the events we deem horrible is that they are providing us with the ability to carve out these new desires for ourselves and those around us.

If we would all begin to shift our focus toward those new desires, rather than continuing to talk about, think about and identify with “bad” things (even though we don’t want them to occur), then we would begin to feel an internal shift. And if our actions were also congruent with those thoughts, the shift would be experienced at the physical level as well.

I’m definitely not suggesting we walk around with our heads in the sand regarding issues in our country and abroad, especially on the heels of my last post. However, once we understand the domestic and foreign state of affairs, then it’s time to stop constantly inundating ourselves with more of the same. Enough really is enough. It’s the job of the news agencies (and all bearers of bad news) to make it seem as if you can’t live without their reports. In reality, you can do just fine without listening to their spew time and again. Give those guys an inch and they will be more than happy to take twenty miles. Once we have been informed of the “big picture” then it’s time to turn off the television and the internet’s version of things and start making our own contributions in the direction of that which we wish for the world to experience.

Most people feel helpless and believe their seemingly “insignificant” contribution won’t make any difference whatsoever. And earlier in this post I did say you have to let yourself off the hook for the massive scale of corruption seen throughout the world. Yet, each individual and their experiences do create a ripple effect. The old adage about no man being an island is true. As long as we have thought thoughts and taken actions that interact in some way with others, we have already been participants in this game we call life and can no longer consider ourselves isolated. To be a participant means we have contributed in some way to our world. This is why it’s important to weigh out what we wish to contribute, from this point forward.

If humanity has created and added to most of the undesirable conditions we see throughout the world (and it has), then humanity absolutely has the ability, at the mass consciousness level, to make a full scale change in the other direction- but this has to start with each individual. The way you do your part, Jessica, is by setting the example in your own life. As Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Begin focusing on primarily those things that bring out your feelings of joy, passion and love and let your actions naturally follow suit. It’s OK to occasionally acknowledge the state of affairs in the world, but after doing so, quickly shift your focus to the way you want your little corner within it to be. And then make it so.

All of the negativity has to stop somewhere. Each one of us must set the example. Even if we don’t consciously want more harm and destruction to occur, our constant attention to the fact it is occurring is what prevents us from shifting our vibration. If we can’t pull ourselves out of a negative mindset, we will have problems taking the appropriate actions to contribute to the changes we desire to see.

And that does it for this question and answer installment. I’d like to thank Jessica for her great questions and you for taking the time to read this post. If you have any spiritual development or self-help questions you would like to see addressed, feel free to contact me. As always, your name will be kept private unless you request otherwise.

If this post has been helpful to you, please consider sharing it with others and/or making a donation. Thank you for supporting Wind of the Soul.

Honoring Your Emotions & Experiences

John Wolfe — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:38:59 +0000

Over the years, as I have worked to explore my total-self, I’ve discovered an occasional tendency to try and ignore or hide certain emotions and experiences. If something didn’t feel “proper” or if it didn’t seem to fit into a so called sublime spiritual state of being, then I found the need to repress or ignore it. And when I wasn’t forcing it back into the abyss where it came from, then I was feeling guilt or shame for thinking the thoughts and for taking the specific actions related to the thoughts.

For me, coming into a better understanding of my spiritual side has been amazing; however, it has also caused me to place a lot of undue, unnecessary stress and pressure upon myself. I think anyone that’s engaged in self-exploration and growth will eventually encounter some form of self-condemnation or judgment. As we tune into what we feel is a more aware, connected, conscientious state, it’s not uncommon to hold ourselves to an even higher standard than ever before regarding our past and present emotional responses and actions.

Despite the improved states of awareness we may have achieved through spiritual pursuits, we need to be cautious about denying any part of our human experience. Acknowledging our emotional tendencies and physical experiences is part of the journey. There comes a point, however, when it’s important to understand we must not only acknowledge, but eventually honor all of our feelings and experiences. To acknowledge is simply to recognize (with or without attachment), but in showing honor we are providing ourselves with a form of respect minus any critique.

I’m not saying we can’t or shouldn’t learn to make continuous choices which are more advantageous for ourselves as well as for others. But, I do believe it’s easy to wander into the trap of expecting our human aspects, tendencies and “faults” to fall away once we experience more pronounced inner growth. Because of these unrealistic expectations, we may begin to vehemently deny, repress and/or resent that side of us as it expresses itself. I believe this tendency is, in fact, where the damaging concept of sin stems from. We are definitely spiritual beings, but we are these beings while simultaneously having a human experience, in which there’s nothing sinful.

There are certain biological and physiological drives and responses that will always accompany this physical journey no matter how much enlightened knowledge we possess. That doesn’t mean we are victims, prisoners or unwitting pawns of the human vehicle. It only means it’s important for us to understand these functions for what they are and embrace them as we continue our own growth.

The sooner we can distance ourselves from the concept of having to live some imaginary, saintly, sterile life, just because we are on a spiritual journey, the better. I don’t think we should equate true spiritual awareness with feeling guilt or denial over any of our emotions and experiences. In fact, feeling guilty and sinful have about as much in common with spirituality as George Bush does with being considered a Rhodes scholar. Sorry, I couldn’t resist that one!

We have always been taught that fear and the repercussions from some external power (be it our parents, teachers, pastors, god, the long arm of the law, etc.) should keep our actions and thoughts in line. In other words, it’s ok to be ourselves, just as long as we measure up to a certain ideal or standard. Deviate from that standard and we’re up the creek (at least in the eyes of many). The problem with this logic is very evident- it teaches us to not honor our true feelings and it causes us to find shame in many of our actions.

Once again, I’m not encouraging anyone to break the law or mistreat others. I’m encouraging you to think about why you may feel compelled to not honor all of your emotions and actions, whether they’re deemed proper or improper by society or any form of spiritual or religious teachings. When we can learn to honor every part without judgment, I believe we will have a more whole, integrated, joyous experience. As our lives become more whole, we stop operating from fractured psychological and physical states.

Imagine a jigsaw puzzle. Every disconnected piece may contain snippets of beauty, but in its broken state it’s impossible to see the phenomenal, big picture. And to complicate things further, many of us decide to throw out our own life pieces that we feel no longer fit with our current self-image or understanding. However, when each piece is not only kept but acknowledged for what it is, honored and then joined together- an amazing scene unfolds.

Honoring who we are (even our supposed wrong doings) and leaving condemnation behind does not mean we are doomed to repeat our past, nor does it prevent our own internal and external growth. On the contrary, it enhances our growth. The most disconnected, diminished state of being is one that’s broken into a million pieces represented by fear, guilt, repression, regret and disassociation with our feelings and experiences. Bring your pieces together by embracing the human side (including all of its interesting parts) and joining it with the spiritual side. To ultimately understand they are both one gigantic, intertwined experience, without any real separation, is the ultimate state of honoring who you are.

If this post has been helpful to you, please consider sharing it with others and/or making a donation. Thank you for supporting Wind of the Soul.

Podcast #9: Out of Body Experience Techniques

John Wolfe — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 05:13:40 +0000

Following in the footsteps of my seventh and eighth recordings, this ninth episode features a narration of one of my earlier posts, Techniques For Achieving an OBE. The episode runs 20 minutes, 38 seconds and the file size is 18.8 MB (for downloading).

This recording can be streamed in the player in the podcast section or played here directly: Out of Body Experience Techniques.

Episode nine features:

- Easy to follow tips for learning basic meditation
- A discussion on the “still point” and why it’s the most advantageous state for achieving astral projection
- Methods for finding the still point in meditation and how this aids us in projecting at bedtime (the most beneficial time to practice out of body experiences)
- The importance of utilizing visualization techniques to create the feeling of motion
- A discussion on sensations and symptoms, which indicate a projection may be imminent

If this post has been helpful to you, please consider sharing it with others and/or making a donation. Thank you for supporting Wind of the Soul.

Abundance or Scarcity?

John Wolfe — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:22:24 +0000

As we come in contact with our real values and begin to recognize what truly matters, to us in life, we may find ourselves questioning things like materialism and wealth. There’s little doubt why those in pursuit of their own truths become disenchanted with the ideologies found in capitalistic societies. Consumerism and gluttony are encouraged from the time we are old enough to comprehend words and sentences.

As small children we were completely inundated by these concepts; from the television to the playground. And even if we lived in a household which heavily monitored how we spent our time; we were quickly brought up to speed once we enrolled in the public school system. These “lessons” always managed to find us by way of peer pressure, judgment and downright cruelty.

If you didn’t come from the right neighborhood, wear the right clothing, have parents that earned a specific amount of income, hang with the right people and so forth, then you didn’t make the cut. The message was always the same despite its spoken variations, “You’re one of us, or you’re an outcast.” So, you either conformed or died- socially speaking anyway.

I played the game for a while, but eventually opted for social death in middle school and high school. Admittedly, at times, however, it felt more like a social massacre. The sad thing: this mindset was not limited to the kids. I witnessed many “educators” in their thirties, forties and fifties reiterating and encouraging this same mentality.

Even as adults they were still trapped in a limiting paradigm built on the concepts of conformity, status and measuring self-worth through social circles, physical attributes and material possessions. I’ve yet to determine whether this stems from fear, ignorance or a little of both. Unfortunately, this behavior, as the norm, has not receded; it’s only accelerated in many adults and children. Fortunately, there does appear to be a strong sub-cultural movement, outside the norm, awakening to a shift in consciousness.

Now, the reason I set the stage, so to speak, with some childhood memories; is to highlight why individuals, on spiritual paths, may be coming to the conclusion abundance is bad or evil. For many of us, our initial “awakening”, if you will, came from experiences similar to what I just described. As kids or young adults, we could feel life was about so much more than the petty, shallow experiences being played out before us.

Those of us that refused to be a part of the old standard began associating the concept of wealth with closed minded people from our past (or maybe our present). And even if many of them weren’t truly wealthy, they still talked the talk to prevent their own social “lynching.” Either way, they physically and psychologically represented everything we were working so hard to break free from.

There’s little wonder why so many people pursuing spiritual paths have a bad taste in their mouth regarding wealth and abundance, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Having a somewhat opulent lifestyle does not have to be confused with spiritual ignorance. I believe it is entirely possible to consider yourself a spiritual person and live in abundance.

Many have done a great job shattering the old paradigm in their lives, but in doing so they’ve succeeded in assuming spirituality must go hand in hand with scarcity. Maybe this is also due in part to the ancient tales of avatars and martyrs meagerly existing. As we read or hear about those stories, A) we can’t be certain of what specifically consists of fact and what may be symbolic fiction, B) those experiences occurred thousands of years ago in times which have little resemblance to our own, and C) each of us is carving out our own path which does not have to follow in anyone else’s footsteps.

For centuries wealth has been associated with external power and the desire to exert control over others, in a system that’s extremely out of balance. It’s high time that model changed! If we are truly about paradigm shifts, then shouldn’t we set forth a new example in this arena as well; one in which wealth and abundance can consist of mutually beneficial, free flowing energy exchanges? If we make the shift, to where the majority of our endeavors (entrepreneurial or otherwise) are about uplifting, helping and healing others; then how can there be harm in receiving an abundant flow of resources through such honest, sincere pursuits?

This goes back to the Universal Law of Reciprocation. The more we give from a place of true benefit for the purpose of helping others, the more our lives will naturally be enhanced. Abundance, received from uplifting endeavors, will not take us off our spiritual path or remove us from our “enlightened” pursuits. This form of abundance will actually provide the means and afford us the ability to have even greater, more expansive experiences. While taking inner journeys to better understand who we are is important, perhaps there isn’t anything more important, spiritually speaking, than reaching out to others, in order to help them find their own source of strength. The more resources we have access to, the greater our potential for doing so.

Now, for the irony- as we find ourselves filled up with the joy of knowing our true nature, consistently helping others and surrounded by abundance, the less material items we want anyway. At least, that has been my experience. For the last few years, I’ve noticed a simplification process and a minimalistic attitude toward the possessions in my life.

Yet, I continue to encourage abundance, not because I want “things”, but because I’ve realized the energy flow of financial independence provides me with personal freedom along with the means to continue uplifting other people. Both of these, for me, essentially go hand in hand anyway. The majority of my time is spent creating content that is meant to help others. Without the abundance coming in from donations and advertising here at Wind of the Soul, I would not have the free time to devote to my passions. I feel the greater my platform of prosperity, the more I’m able to give back, whether through my work as a blogger and podcaster or through financial contributions to others.

If someone is completely satisfied to their core and happy living a life devoid of financial abundance, that’s fantastic. I would never tell others what they should or should not have in their lives. In fact, I’ve always disagreed with spiritual teachers that categorize wealth; explaining we aren’t truly wealthy unless each of our supposed life categories is overflowing. In my opinion, wealth is a state of mind, not an estate of material possessions. However, I don’t think shunning an abundant lifestyle or stifling our desires to be comfortable (if that’s what we want); simply because we’ve learned to associate them with a non-spiritual way of being, is necessary or called for.

When we have found the means to uncouple our self-worth and value from our possessions and status, we will have found a true state of happiness and mastery over our lives. As our sense of self is derived from within and our pursuits become more about helping others (even in the smallest of ways), then we will be capable of allowing abundance into our lives from a place of the greater good. Abundance at this “level” will not be about showmanship, social cliques, greed, the latest fads, external power or control, but instead will be about our personal expansion for the sake of enriching our lives and enriching the lives of those we come in contact with.

If this post has been helpful to you, please consider sharing it with others and/or making a donation. Thank you for supporting Wind of the Soul.

Maintaining Perspective amidst Spiritual Pursuits

John Wolfe — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:28:51 +0000

The idea of maintaining proper perspective is vitally important along any spiritual path. Exploring our inner nature without paying close attention to the alterations which may be occurring to our perceptions can be problematic. These alterations can aid us immensely; taking our conscious awareness into new states of mind and being which enhance our physical lives.

However, when we allow these same alterations to consistently take us away from a balanced center, they have the potential for being detrimental. It’s similar to having access to a hammer- if properly employed (along with many other tools and supplies); it can construct a beautiful home. Yet, if we turn around and wield it improperly, that same hammer is capable of destruction.

Coming to a better understanding of our spiritual nature, even from a very mystical point of view, is about positively augmenting our lives. It’s about enriching who we are internally and then projecting that enrichment outward as it blends with our external experience.

While these forms of enrichment and their specific details are unique to each person (and no one can tell anyone else how they should experience this); relatively speaking, they will always be uplifting. They should only increase the joy in our physical lives; never detract from it.

My ideas regarding spirituality most definitely encompass mystical philosophies and experiences, yet for me, it’s imperative I find a way to incorporate that knowledge in a grounded manner. While attaching physical labels to such experiences never does them justice; trying to keep one foot in both “worlds”, or worse- both feet solely in that world, doesn’t cut it either. I feel I want to find a way to acknowledge and learn from things like my own out of body experiences and altered states of consciousness, yet practically apply what I learned “there”, back here, in my real life.

Many individuals are living a life of escapism through their so called spiritual endeavors. They’ve convinced themselves spirituality is about following dogmatic practices or seeing through social constructs, all for the purpose of eventually being rescued from this world. Many even claim to have received channeled messages informing them of the exact date and time this will occur. The “rescue me” mentality breeds a detachment from physical reality. The purpose of this post is not to judge their actions, but to illustrate a shifting of that metaphorical hammer from constructive to destructive.

Spirituality is about seeing through constructs (social or otherwise) and understanding why those constructs are there in the first place. However, it’s not about educating ourselves for the reward of being removed from physical life by some religious deity, super “entity”, or supposed enlightened extraterrestrial civilization. It’s about seeing through the veil to enrich our physical lives, right here and now. The sooner we quit trying to escape our perceived problems, whether physically or metaphysically and we actively start working our way toward our own emotional/psychological “salvation”, the better.

Now, I’m not saying there aren’t other intelligent civilizations throughout the Universe or religious avatars residing a dimensional shift away. I’m saying some people have a tendency, once they begin experiencing metaphysical or mystical encounters (or believing in the experiences of others), to lose touch with their center.

There is absolute legitimacy to mystical experiences, but that legitimacy resides in another “place” or as Jane Roberts called it- “an inner order of events.” And often times, this inner order cannot be literally translated into our outer physical circumstances. Some force the issue anyway, never realizing the potential problems associated with doing so. As they try to overlay it entirely on the physical structure, they can begin losing rational semblance of physical perception.

In my opinion, spirituality should never stunt any area of our lives and it’s definitely not an either or thing- meaning were either spiritual beings or physical humans. I believe we’re both, simultaneously, and because of this it’s important to find a way to merge the two while keeping our feet on the ground.

It is definitely a delicate balance, but for all intents and purposes, I feel, spirituality should always lean toward a more practical application in our lives. Spiritual growth is about staying open, along with exploring and intelligently applying what we’ve learned, but it’s also about always maintaining and enhancing the connection to our physical life experience, while we still have it.

If this post has been helpful to you, please consider sharing it with others and/or making a donation. Thank you for supporting Wind of the Soul.

Believing in Yourself

John Wolfe — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:14:36 +0000

A prerequisite or at least co-requisite of persistence (for goal achievement) is an unshakable belief in ourselves and the projects we undertake. Yet, how do we develop and maintain this foundation of belief, in a world which seems so determined to undermine our self-confidence? There’s no single magic bullet for answering that question. Building confidence, if we’ve allowed it to be stripped from us, or if we feel we never truly had “it” to begin with is something that takes consistent work.

I’ve mentioned in previous posts I used to suffer severely from depression and other issues. After spending many years succumbing to that state of mind, I found myself in a void regarding self-esteem and lacking confidence in my abilities. It’s only been through consistently working with the techniques in this post (as well as many of the other techniques found throughout this site) that I have been able to develop a stronger belief in myself, my ideas and my dreams.

That’s not to say I don’t occasionally feel the effects of my past. I’m just better prepared, now, to prevent those negative emotional states from reaching epic proportions. Getting down on ourselves is normal from time to time, but it’s important to find a way out of that mindset as quickly as possible, in order to maintain a strong sense of belief in our abilities.

When we’re upset or depressed, our thoughts are self-defeating. In turn, our actions (if we even feel capable of taking action), from this state of mind, will usually be completely out of sync and often times counterproductive.

Sometimes taking physical action can serve to snap us out of a funk. However, since the accomplishment of our goals requires us to be consistently firing on all cylinders, through our thoughts and actions; it’s important to cultivate our self-esteem and safeguard our positive mindset. This encourages us to take charge of any negative internal conflict before it gets too far out of control.

Just as I mentioned in my previous post, the only difference between people that have achieved their dreams and those that have not- is a relentless, consistent drive to do so. These people have honed an unwavering belief in their abilities and they know their goals will be achieved. Their relentless drive may be fueled by many things, such as: wanting to make a difference, helping others, wanting a better life, wanting to experience various levels of success, having more abundance, having personal freedom, establishing healthier relationships, etc.

The common thread in all of those pursuits, however, is the desire to sustain happiness. We have to realize an inner bliss before our external reality can begin to express it as well. And once we’ve realized it internally, we will have simultaneously developed a stronger belief in our abilities for taking the necessary actions to see it manifest physically.

Below are five techniques for helping with both the internal and external processes:

#1: Love yourself unconditionally.

This may sound funny, but right now, say aloud, “I love me!” Seriously try it- and as you are saying it, pay attention to how you feel. Your feelings will provide an honest indication of your relationship with you. If there is a slight hesitation or if you feel skeptical or doubtful, you are receiving valuable feedback.

Certainly we aren’t accustomed to saying phrases like that to ourselves and that fact alone may make most people feel awkward. But I believe even that awkwardness serves as important feedback. It’s amazing how willing we are to say, “I love you” to someone else, yet we think it’s silly to express it to ourselves in the same manner.

And just because we can say it to someone else doesn’t necessarily mean it’s unconditional love. Many of us have been taught a false sense of love which requires others to behave in specific ways. That concept stems from never developing a healthy love for who we are on the inside and out.

We’re consistently placing conditions on our love of self: “I’ll love myself when I lose twenty pounds.” “I’ll love myself when I have a great relationship.” “I’ll love myself when I make more money.” “I’ll love myself when…” Though we may not say it, our thoughts and emotions reflect those sentiments. How can we really love another if we don’t even know what it means to unconditionally care deeply for the person we spend more time with than anyone else? We must stop treating our own self-love as if it were a carrot on a stick; dangling in front of our faces, always out of reach.

It’s customary to assume someone that’s in love with him or herself is narcissistic, so loving who we are has to be a bad thing, right? I don’t think so. Narcissists aren’t practicing real, unconditional love. They are displaying the same type of fleeting infatuation for themselves that we so often display for others. Narcissists are consumed by impermanent attributes. Their love of self is only skin deep and turns very fickle with age.

Real love comes from a place devoid of requirements. Real love is about caring deeply for who you are right now, despite any supposed imperfections. While there’s nothing wrong with wanting to lose twenty pounds, make more money or have great relationships (after all, this post is about goal achievement through belief), don’t confuse those items with your worthiness.

If you feel you have to achieve something before you can be considered worthy or loveable, you will be sorely disappointed throughout your life. You’ll never connect with true happiness because you will spend all of your time and energy associating it strictly with your exterior.

#2: Live with integrity.

Keep your word regarding self-promises and the promises you make to others. Consistently breaking our word and our commitments indicates a lack of respect for ourselves and those we interact with. This provides a constant feedback loop to our subconscious; implanting the knowledge we don’t have any intention of following through on the smallest of tasks; never mind pursuing our dreams with any consistency.

Since our level of integrity is directly related to our level of self-respect; it’s safe to say we have very little love for ourselves (see #1) if we can’t keep our promises. Living without integrity will always serve to impair our pursuits.

#3: Know you are happening to life.

Life and its circumstances are not happening to you. On the contrary, you are happening to life. This third technique is about getting away from any form of the victim mindset. If we believe things happen to us, then we will never adopt the attitude of being in charge of our destiny. So often we use any excuse possible to justify why we aren’t in a “better” place in our lives.

I believe our thoughts and emotions are intended to serve us, not debilitate us. Actively take charge of your thoughts and feelings, don’t allow them to take charge of you.

To pursue our dreams we have to be open to new experiences and change. If we continue to feel victimized regarding any of our past circumstances, then we will shy away from the changes that must come for our life to take on a different shape.

When you know you are happening to life and it’s no longer happening to you, you will have released your fears and resentments and will be better prepared to adapt to any changes. In fact, you will pursue change because you will see it as a necessary component for the accomplishment of your goals.

There are many resources contained at Wind of the Soul which elaborate further on this third technique. Below are links to three:

Intentionally Reclaiming Our Power
Exploring and Creating Our Reality
Spiritual Winds of Change

#4: Support others and their accomplishments.

When we can provide real support for their triumphs, we are in a place of wanting the best for ourselves as well. If we feel envy over the accomplishments of others, it means, deep down, we do not believe it’s possible to achieve our own goals. Furthermore, we don’t believe we are even worthy of success.

When we are completely confident in our abilities, there will be no room for jealousy in our emotions. As we feel free to celebrate others’ successes, we will be in a place of only expecting the very best outcomes in our own life as well.

Today, find someone you know who has recently accomplished something and tell them how proud you are of them. This simple act may seem trivial, but performing it consistently will help to reshape your outlook on achievement. It will also bolster the recipient’s confidence along with your own. When we uplift others we are also uplifting ourselves.

#5: Apply the previous four strategies while following a course of action.

As we bring ourselves into a more confident place with the previous four techniques, it’s time to start putting our thoughts in motion. While I don’t believe we should pursue something if we aren’t honestly feeling it. I also don’t believe we should wait for some supposed magic moment to pursue those things we are passionate about. This present moment is the best time to begin taking action toward the changes we desire.

Even if you feel there is much work to be done regarding the above strategies; the sheer fact they are now a part of your awareness will initiate the process. Becoming consciously aware is always the first step in any endeavor.

If this post has been helpful to you, please consider sharing it with others and/or making a donation. Thank you for supporting Wind of the Soul.

Persistence

John Wolfe — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 02:33:47 +0000

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” – Calvin Coolidge

The eleven letter word, titling this post, may appear to move against the grain of many spiritual teachings. There’s no denying, however, it’s one of the most important components for achieving the changes we desire in our lives. A form of consistent persistence, both of thought and action, is required to get the ball rolling on desired manifestation, and ensure it continues gaining speed.

This comes back to the idea of momentum, which I spoke about in Podcast #5: The Inspiration Behind Deliberate Creation. Without cultivating the emotional drive to consistently propel our actions forward, we will more than likely give up long before seeing our dreams reach fruition.

For the remainder of this entry I’ll be using the word dreams and goals interchangeably. I know some inspirational and motivational authors have a problem with the word dreams and they feel there is a distinct difference between the two. Many believe a dream represents something in the ether that’s intangible, while a goal is definable and measurable because of the steps that can be taken toward it.

I feel goals can only exist because of our dreams. They’re too intrinsically linked to separate them. Without the initial desire to think and dream, we would never determine why we needed a course of action in the first place, toward measurable goals. Now, unfulfilled dreams, on the other hand, are different from goals, yet anyone that’s willing to take action in the direction of their dreams is in the process of moving out of the ether and into the physical realm of dream/goal fulfillment.

It’s fascinating to observe the differences between individuals that are able to make major changes in their lives, in comparison to those that fail to do so, despite their efforts. The defining factor (as Coolidge pointed out) is almost always linked to determination- who has developed it and who hasn’t. This trait is something we must build within ourselves by cultivating an inner belief in our abilities.

I used to think people that were capable of realizing really big dreams were somehow special and different from me in very unique ways. It seemed they all possessed similar “secret” characteristics that were germane to their success. However, the more closely I began to examine what made these individuals tick; I realized they also were each quite different from one another. Yet, the one trait they shared was a relentless drive to succeed.

I began viewing them in a different light; suddenly realizing they were ordinary men and women like you and me. Ordinary, other than the fact they knew exactly what they wanted, didn’t care what anyone else thought and learned to perceive possibilities where everyone else saw obstacles. This doesn’t mean they always initially saw the benefit in the obstacles. But they persevered until the blockages could eventually be utilized and viewed as opportunities.

One thing I want to make clear about perseverance: it’s not an excuse for stubbornly running headlong with blinders on. In being persistent we stay true to our goals and consistently move toward reaching them, but we simultaneously are willing to also try new means for doing so. If a particular strategy doesn’t seem to be working, it doesn’t mean our dreams are unattainable, it only means that strategy may need to be tweaked or changed altogether. It’s important to stay open to changes regarding new ways for keeping us on our path and moving forward.

Most people fail to find the means for building an unwavering belief in their goals because they have allowed self-doubt to dominate their mindset. Couple this with a lack of passion for their pursuits; throw in an unwillingness to disassociate from naysayers, negative people and unproductive, time-draining activities- and you have a recipe for giving up before any dream is able to fully manifest.

The Universe is willing to grant us all that we desire, but there’s much truth in the idea god helps those that help themselves. If we are not willing to: reshape our outlook; take charge of our pursuits; release the dream killers from our lives; use our time wisely; and always, no matter what, persist in the direction of our aspirations; then source energy can only provide us with more of what we’ve previously carved out for ourselves.

Begin, right now, by starting to believe in yourself and believe in your dreams. Cultivate that belief even farther by taking action. Each step you take brings you closer to knowing your dreams will be delivered in full. Ignore anything and anyone stating the contrary to your inner knowledge and never, ever, ever give up!

In my next post, I’ll be discussing specific techniques for developing the belief and knowledge, needed to assist us in persevering until our dreams are realized.

If this post has been helpful to you, please consider sharing it with others and/or making a donation. Thank you for supporting Wind of the Soul.

The Wisdom of Wind

John Wolfe — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 01:57:20 +0000

Today’s entry, in continuing with my wisdom in nature posts, features the elusive wind. At times, this element can be the yin to water’s graceful yang, yet it too provides us with its own enlightening characteristics. Wind has the ability to rapidly modulate its movement and its course, all based upon a connection to the moment. And while its temperament may not always be as passive and gentle as flowing water, it has developed its own unique variations and capacities for being a spiritual teacher just the same.

Wind provides the majority of its insight and wisdom through the demonstration of persistence and tenacity. Like water, it has the ability to slowly wear away any form of resistance and is a true artisan among the elements.

Through its own resolve, wind sculpts amazing shapes from solid canyon walls and cliffs. It knows its abilities will ultimately see its harshest forms of opposition turned into beautiful wind swept sceneries and vistas.

While wind primarily utilizes diligence as its tool for creation, it never underestimates the importance of calm precision. With the slightest amount of effort, applied to an evening breeze, it cools the hottest summer nights.

Wind moves with the purpose of growth. Its gusts serve to strengthen every tree limb. For without its help, the smallest groves of saplings would never mature into strong, thick forests.

Wind brings forth rejuvenation, clearing out the old to make way for the new. Stagnation is not a possibility in the natural environment, as wind ushers in the potential for change.

Wind moves with the purpose of nurturing. Its drafts serve as guides to the gray giants of the sky. For without its assistance, precious rain would never find thirsty crops.

Wind encourages all living things to bend with the direction of its movement. Those that learn to give way are not toppled by its breezes. The wind, however, does not believe all things must follow its specific course; it simply teaches the ability to relax, stretch and allow.

The wind is a free spirit, devoid of hang-ups or attachments. It’s completely self-actualized, spontaneous and comfortable in its own awareness and actions; whether it’s blustering between the branches of an old oak or whipping through the needles of a mountain pine. It finds immense benefit in all environments and eagerly travels from one location to the next, minus fear, doubt or concern.

Wind moves with the purpose of uplifting. Its updrafts serve to relax the beat of a million wings. For without its help, birds could not soar to new heights.

The wind does not brag or boast of these attributes, but prefers to operate through visual anonymity. Only the rustling of leaves, the swaying of grass and the tussling of our hair reveal its presence. It has remained eternally unseen, yet will be forever felt and heard.

Similar to The Wisdom of Water; in this post, I provided the wind with many characteristics resembling intelligence. Yet, I believe this somewhat intangible teacher does possess its own awareness; maybe not exactly like yours and mine, but a consciousness, nonetheless.

Many of these observations came from a relaxed state of watching the trees sway outside my window, but several of the wind’s “subtler” qualities didn’t appear to be stemming from my scrutiny. Instead, they seemed to come as one solid, elaborate thought (without any need to be developed or re-written); infused with a deeper sense of knowing. So it is, when we are completely tuned to the awareness of that which has not forgotten.

This entry has also been featured as an audio recording. It can be found in the podcast section or played directly by following this link: Podcast #8: The Wisdom of Wind. The recording runs for 6 minutes. File size for downloading is: 5.49 MB.

If this post has been helpful to you, please consider sharing it with others and/or making a donation. Thank you for supporting Wind of the Soul.

The Law of Attraction & Natural Progression

John Wolfe — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 23:34:10 +0000

After recording three podcasts (episodes 4, 5 & 6) pertaining to the intentional creation of our reality, I realized much was stated verbally that hasn’t been expressed through my writing. Specifically, I’m referring to the recognition of how the law of attraction (LOA) really isn’t a quick fix mechanism, but instead a total lifestyle change. In my audio recordings, I equated the LOA to the application of proper eating and exercise: results will always be directly related to the consistent application of the knowledge at hand (both through our thoughts and our actions).

Despite what many law of attraction teachings state, regarding turning our lives completely around in twenty or thirty days, I find it’s more of a natural progression. And I don’t feel natural progressions are dictated by human time tables. While there may very well be instances where people completely perform a 180 degree transformation, on all levels, in four weeks; large manifestations of change primarily unfold in a very different manner.

I personally have been involved with instantaneous materializations, so I know they are possible. Although I do feel our beliefs are directly correlated to this type of phenomenon, there is still no denying the natural, unrushed progression which can be observed consistently in nature. This is why I focused on the wisdom of water in my last post, leading up to today’s entry.

As we honestly look to the behavior of naturally occurring elements, performing as they always have on this planet; we are granted a window into a lost world, minus human socialization. This world is “lost” to most because we have forgotten the innate understanding of how all things synchronize, in harmony, through a natural orderly progression. It’s completely socialized out of us.

We have cast aside our ability to set forth a desire, line up with a steady psychological path, minus doubt, and physically pursue our interest with a soft and gentle consistency. If we would maintain this awareness, the Universe, in its own naturally progressive way, would harmoniously deliver our intention, every time. In nature there are no deadlines or demands that can force its hand. It absolutely provides what is needed and intended, but nothing can strong-arm it into doing so at a faster pace.

“Away” from the natural world, back amongst humanity, we’ve come to believe we have to make things happen, but the Universe knows better. LOA teachings indicating everything in our lives can turn around on a dime are stated with good intentions, but they still hint of deadlines, time tables, and forcing a change. This attitude flies in the face of the concept of natural progression, which can be viewed throughout all settings in nature.

Many years ago, there was a margarine commercial airing on television, boasting about the product’s taste and how it was impossible to tell the difference between it and butter. The commercials always ended with a female actress depicting Mother Nature, stating, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” These ads were insinuating the margarine company had pulled a fast one on “her” by capturing the taste of real butter in their non-butter product. While these were only commercials, this same attitude prevails among many people, even if it’s unintentional.

We are always trying to pull one over on nature to speed up a process here or there. That same mindset has even found its way into ideas and concepts for intentionally creating our reality. While we may feel we’re able to “fool” Mother Nature for a short while, there are always repercussions. This is why it’s important to understand we absolutely can have, be or do anything, but we simultaneously need to respect the natural progression of all things. If we work in harmony with this understanding, we will not burn out on the LOA, as so many do, when using it as a quick-fix remedy.

Our lives did not reach their present state overnight. They are an accumulation of momentous thoughts and actions which have come to fruition through their own natural progression. To alter our current manifested reality we absolutely must begin making emotional and physical changes, but we have to recognize this is an entire lifestyle change, for the rest of our lives. Just as years of momentum brought us to our present moment, momentum will also lead us to an entirely different place in our lives. If we have changed our thoughts and actions and are working with the flow of natural progression, instead of trying to fight it; it’s guaranteed our future will look extremely different than our past.

It can be difficult to move beyond the “I want it now” forceful mentality. This is why I frequently discuss focusing on our passion as a component of working with the law of attraction. When we pursue our passion we naturally tap into the same wisdom as flowing water, without even thinking about it. This allows us to return to that lost world of knowledge within ourselves. When focusing on passionate pursuits, we instinctually perform more in sync with the elements and the characteristics of natural progression, without always forcing something to happen. We drop the attitude of trying (which isn’t seen in nature) and adopt the attitude of consistently doing, by being softly deliberate, gently intentional and quietly unfailing. This state of being will see us through every leg of our journey.

I don’t believe understanding and assimilating the ideas of natural progression will cause manifestations to appear at a slower rate. In my opinion, it actually accentuates our abilities to become intentional creators. We will be more in harmony with the Universe and its abundance when we are simultaneously creating alongside its natural processes, as opposed to seeing ourselves wielding a form of external control over it- trying to milk it, as quickly as possible, for all it’s worth.

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The Wisdom of Water

John Wolfe — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:40:07 +0000

Mankind has always looked to nature as its ultimate external spiritual teacher. When we observe the elements in their natural, pristine settings; they have much to share regarding the unfolding of life. All things in the environment, (minus man’s interference) come about through an unhurried, consistent, form of allowing. While these traits can be witnessed in many elements, there doesn’t seem to be one that articulates them in a manner more beautifully than flowing water.

Water shares its wisdom with us through the subtleties of its action. Aside from an occasional storm, it has very little to prove and radiates a modest confidence in this knowledge. It has the ability to relax; taking on any shape which tries to encase it, while simultaneously possessing the potential to eventually realize its freedom- whether as a vapor or a liquid.

Water finds peace through its own versatility, recognizing there’s no need to control, or struggle. In its resourcefulness, it always discovers the path which is the most harmonious and least resistant. If resistance is met, it doesn’t battle to overcome it, rather it stays consistent in its own subtle flow, until the resistance eventually wears away.

Water happily sprays and joyously splashes, without inhibition and without any specific reason for doing so. It just does and it doesn’t worry over what the fish, trees, grass or anything else may think.

Water allows without provocation. It doesn’t demand that anything follow its lead. It carves out its own trail and silently lets those objects, which choose to take the trip with its current, come downstream for the ride. Simultaneously, it doesn’t mind that other rivers, creeks and streams are hewing out their own unique passage, just a short distance away.

Water gives freely of itself to all living things, without fear of lack or shortage in supply. It understands that through generosity, both its experience and the experience of the recipient will become more enhanced.

Water, in its constant state of motion, doesn’t become tense or anxious. It has found its movement to be more graceful and fulfilling when it leaves rigidity to the rocks it glides past.

Water does not worry over its performance as it rounds a bend in the stream or shoots the falls. It simply fails to get in its own way. With all of its billions of individual droplets making up the unity of its current- it recognizes it is the way.

Water is not in any hurry to reach an ultimate destination- for it knows such a place does not exist. It understands that being softly deliberate, gently intentional and quietly unfailing will always see it through to the next location in its path. However, it never ceases to enjoy the course of its journey, in the moment of now.

In this post, I have given water very human-like traits and personifications of intelligence. Yet, the irony, here, is water acts nothing like most of us. It absolutely has its own way of trusting and being. What it may lack in terms of I.Q. points and human consciousness, it more than makes up for in its connection to the natural, uncomplicated movement of all things in the Universe.

While there are definitely moments where calm, allowing passivity may be inappropriate in the human experience; the majority of time we could adopt these characteristics. If we would take just a handful of the examples this magnificent element provides us- and apply them in our lives- we would see an amazing shift begin to develop in the way we feel. As our feelings shift and change, our external reality will join in unison.

If this post has been helpful to you, please consider sharing it with others and/or making a donation. Thank you for supporting Wind of the Soul.

This entry has also been featured as an audio recording. It can be found in the podcast section or played directly by following this link: Podcast #7: The Wisdom of Water. The recording runs for 8 minutes and 48 seconds. File size for downloading is: 8.06 MB.