Blog Update

My most current blog post will appear on my web site www.quantumcafe.net. Please check there for the latest.

There may still be some updates occurring here as well.

Meditation for the Ills of the Mind

Do you have a meditation practice of sitting still, perhaps cross legged on a pillow, and observing your mind, thoughts and emotions? I’ve been practicing for years, but sometimes I fall out of practice.

I had recently gone through a couple of weeks of feeling anxious and unhappy. I noticed my mind going to recurring unpleasant thoughts that I didn’t want to have. I tried telling myself “cancel” or “gone” but that was only helping marginally. Finally I got around to boosting my daily meditation practice to a couple of times per day. That was cause for a real shift towards feeling happy.

I’ve been trained in Buddhist meditation for many years. I love it, frankly. I’ve been on several long meditation retreats and in my mid twenties traveled to India and lived amongst the cave dwelling swamis in the Himalayas. At that time, an energy burned like a flame within my heart. I know from experience that meditation can do a great deal to transform our lives in a healthy way and re-connect us to our spiritual source. It takes a bit of effort and dedication. It is also a practice that is easy to neglect or forget.

I also get a free daily guided meditation emailed to me from Rich German. It’s a good reminder and helps me get into it each day.

Since I’ve made a re-commitment to meditation. I have been having a lot more fun. I”m happier and drawing more pleasant experiences to me. I think there may be something about this time period, of change and upheaval, that calls for meditation even more. I’m feeling confident these days that I can soak it all in, be with the experience and still find a spacious peaceful state within.

Summer Solstice 2009

The summer solstice will occur here in Arizona at 10:45 PM MST on June 20th. That will be 1:45 AM EDT for the east coast.

The solstice may be a time of bringing in new energies. If you have been held back for some time, this solstice may provide a download of information and stimulate your creativity. The upcoming eclipses in July will only serve to amplify this energy pattern.

The solar eclipse of July 22 will be a total solar eclipse visible in parts of South East Asia and the Pacific.

There will be a Penumbral (partial) Lunar Eclipse on the 7th of July.

The Pursuit of Happiness

It takes real courage these day to pursue happiness. I hear it said that there is little time in the day to pursue real happiness. What has happened to our society that we have become so detached from our true sense of happiness and well-being?

As our world changes, our economic system and generally the way we see the world, the dissatisfaction with the old world becomes more and more apparent. Bankers have become villains and people are disillusioned about their corporate jobs, especially after they don’t have them any longer. What is the answer?

I believe there has been a disconnect in our society for many years and decades. The general population has lost a sense of who they truly are. We’ve been taught from childhood that we have to find jobs, and support our material world, three-dimensional reality. Unfortunately that reality doesn’t seem to fit as well any longer. Something within tells us there is a better way of being.

What is needed is the next step in human evolution. As the new energy lifts the vibrational nature of planet earth, it demands that we seek to actualize our true selves. The internal dissonance has become too painful for many of us. We must discover who we are, and give every effort in becoming who that true person within is. For some of us, there is no turning back. It is time to BE our authentic selves in the world.

It is a spiritual question, this pursuit of happiness. Happiness requires that our internal world exists in harmony with our outer world. It may take some work and self discovery, but I am convinced that the universe is conspiring to allow us to be happy. We just have to learn to trust and let it be. So, define who it is you truly want to be, and begin to practice being you.

Inspired Always, Staying in Alignment

What would the world be like if everyone made it a priority to be happy? Right now, that is the commitment I am making to myself. It's not an egoistic sense of happiness, having all my worldly desires being fulfilled, but rather an alignment of my desires with a higher order of things. While I set myself towards this goal a few days ago, I found Wayne Dyer's book, Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling just the other day at the library. It speaks of what it means to live an inspired life. It speaks to me and says, I must learn to always live an inspired life.

I haven't yet finished the book. I've just started. But from what I gather so far, living an inspired life is possible, every day. Living an inspired life means being close to the natural creative source within. It is the opposite of struggling to accomplish things with the ego. The inspired life opens us up to possibilities, provides consciousness, nurtures and supports us from a greater intelligence that we couldn't possibly manage on our own. Our ego selves have long taught us that we are alone, and we must struggle to make it on our own. Our inspired selves are connected to everything in the world, the universe. Being inspired is being alive, happy and in love with our lives.

Today I seek inspiration in every moment of my life. I hope you see the importance of that too. Imagine if we all did that. Imagine living in an inspired world.

__________
Rick Baker is author of How2SellonAmazon.com

Inspiration in the New Economy

With the current economic recession, many people are presented with economic challenges these days. As you are surely aware by now, individuals and families in great numbers are dealing with financial loss, unemployment and financial hardship in general. Our business leaders and financial institutions may have failed us in their stewardship and responsibility to society and their care for the common everyday man or woman. How long will this situation go on? It could be that we may see a recovery in the remainder of this year, or perhaps the situation is far worse than our leaders are letting us know. How can we respond to this as individuals? How can the struggling hourly paid or salaried worker hope to get their head above water again? Whatever the larger institutional woes we have coming down the pipe, I believe there is hope and opportunity for those willing to be open to the resourcefulness and natural intelligence that lies within each of us.

In fact, this shift in the way we do business may be at the core of what is needed right now. Perhaps for too long we have, as workers, depended on the corporate employer to provide for many us. All along many employees have felt disconnected from who they are and what their jobs are. Many people get into a situation where they don’t like their jobs, but feel like they can’t afford to quit. But nowadays the quitting part may become involuntary. This may present the opportunity to reinvent oneself into what one has always wanted to be. But, “How could I ever be that artist, writer, craftsperson, etc., that I’ve always wanted to be?” As you ask that question, there may be a confirming fear and resistance to believe that you can live a much better life, truer to who you are. The answer lies in arming yourself in the power of faith, ideas and the knowledge of the universal intelligence available to you.

I am struck how the depression era classic Think and Grow Rich drives this point home, and is just as pertinent today, as it was back then. The author, Napoleon Hill, talks about how people are in great need to find wealth and abundance in their lives during these hard economic times. The resources to find just that are our own burning determination, having a plan or idea (which we remind ourselves of each day) and auto-suggestion to our subconscious minds. This last part is actually very important, and fascinating that it was articulated as such over 80 years ago. Napoleon Hill makes the case that many of the great industrial leaders of his time, such as Andrew Carnegie, used such mind techniques. And to me, the belief and awareness of the subconscious mind working for us, is a huge relief. It means we are connected to a greater creative intelligence to help solve our problems and create what we want. Some contemporary quantum physicists would support ideas Hill wrote about years ago.

The economic challenge of the day may well be a challenge to step from the old world to a new world and way of doing things. The challenge is to have faith in ourselves, be who we want to be, and to create our lives as we want them to be. What really could be more satisfying than that? Part of the great resistance is thinking and believing in our new selves. If we have always held the belief that life is supposed to be a struggle, and we have to work hard for our daily bread, then it may be very hard to adapt a vision of greater wealth and harmony with our new work life. But with some practice we can re-work the wiring in our brains to allow for the possibility. We can allow for the possibility of our personal economies changing in our favor, with new positive changes in the way we earn money. And these changes are best made with a strong determination or burning desire.

For many people, a life free from the five day, eight hour a day work week is desirable. Working from home at one’s own schedule is highly desirable. This is not self-serving especially for parents who have to juggle family responsibilities. For some, life is completely consumed by a work schedule, waking up, going to work, coming home to watch TV to just do it all over again. A positive change of routine could vastly improve the health and well-being for these people. Having time for self-care such as exercise, nutrition and recreation are important aspects to a well-balanced life. When the individuals of our society are healthier, then the society as a whole becomes healthier. We all benefit.

As our economy changes, see how you might benefit from a new personal economy. Think about what product or service you might be able to offer. Formulate your idea of what you can offer and what you would like to receive in return. Have a strong burning desire to succeed. Utilize the subconscious mind by auto-suggestion to help bring in the inspiration, intuitive nudges, and opportunities to you. Act out of faith and determination that you can make this change to your new life. Maintain a greater sense of who you are, what you can offer the world. Feel a greater sense of self-integration and happiness. It’s all a wonderful learning experience of life!
___________________
Rick Baker is the author of How 2 Sell on Amazon.com

Been Working Hard on New eBook. Meditation is in Order

I have to stop today and take a day to just be conscious. It's kind of a balance between work and the soul. It seems very necessary for me to take time to just be, to meditate, to attend to the smaller details of life like washing my clothes or watering the plants.

All this week I've been spending my days working on publishing my new eBook How 2 Sell on Amazon.com. I've also published it on lulu.com so it can be purchased as a paperback. I've created the web pages for it, the paypal links, etc. Kind of exhausting. I want to let people know its available, but that seems to be the daunting part.

I do believe in the book. I am sharing a lot of personal information about what I've learned being an Amazon seller for many years. It should be of value to anyone interested in this topic. I guess it is a kind of niche market.

But today, I'm just going to give it a rest. I don't meditate as much as I could benefit from so, I'm taking time to do that today. Seems like there is never enough time in the day. Cooking, going to the gym, cleaning, social engagements... my days are very full. Not to mention practicing the Art of Attraction, which is a class I'm taking given by Rich German.

Oh, and don't forget to take time to blog.

All My Dreams Are Coming True

I feel like I've been living in a wonderland lately. Not a fantasy land, because that would almost imply that it isn't real. But if it is a fantasy land in which your dream come true, then I may be living one. Basically I've been feeling really great lately. Everything in my life seems really good. Have I finally arrived? I would love to think I have, and won't entertain any thought of things going wrong any time soon. I'm going to keep going with what I've got.

I don't know if I even want to put it into words, but one thing that is happening is that I've just completed an ebook. I'm not ready to announce what it is, but I feel really good about my accomplishment. It's out to the editors now (a few close friends who are helping me out). And soon I will be ready to market it online. Whatever happens, I feel this is going to be a great experience. I look forward to creating my next ebook after that.

Otherwise, I'm really happy with everything else in my life right now. I love my home, it really supports my creative and contemplative life. It's a beautiful place to live actually. I go and work out at the spa almost everyday. All these young kids were hanging out with me today. I don't know what they see in me. Am I radiating some kind of light these days? I do go to church, sometimes twice a week. I'm a bono-fide confirmed Episcopalian. It was the process of Easter that also seemed to bring about an ascension in me.

Well, anyway. Another day of happiness. I am so grateful.

My Soul Calls Me to the Hammock

Today was an unusual day. I woke up and took care of my usual business of the morning, which on this morning included going to the post office. When I got back, I sat again at my desk and communed with the computer. I wasn't sure what I should do next. I felt surely I must do something productive, but lack of inspiration held me back. Instead I just felt this tension and anxiety about needing to "do" something versus needing to just be still. Only, I didn't really know that's what it was at the time.

I made my way outside. It was a beautiful sunny day today and the temperature was warm. I felt I should do some tidying up of the yard, which I did. "I get too cerebral," I thought. Getting outside and doing something more physical was a good balance. But eventually even the outdoor activity slowed. I was coming into better alignment. I sat in a chair for a while, soaking up the sun. Then the hammock called me. I laid in the hammock for a good long time.

I mean, once i got to the hammock, my senses became more keenly aware. I looked at the yard and the house, like it was some painting in a museum. I noticed the details of the house. The trim around one of the exterior doors had some paint cracking off down at the bottom. Presumably the bottom gets exposed to more wet weather. Everything was a brilliantly sun lit against a bright blue sky. I stared into the sky for a while.

It was as though my sense of hearing took me to another world as well. The birds became like I was hearing them all day long. I slipped into the bird world. My mind and spirit was at peace. This was much different than how I felt in front of my computer just a little while ago.

Was it a divine juxtaposition? Or, perhaps I was slipping into a new dimensional reality, from stepping out of another. However it may be interpreted, today I experienced a shift in consciousness. One world seemed like an old three dimensional reality filled with tension, anxiety, and the feeling of never having enough. The next world was as if a crowning moment of consciousness. There was a fullness of spirit and abundance of the moment -- clear, conscious and satisfied with the day. And it makes me wonder, is this a key or clue to where we are wanting to go? Did I just experience a small stepping stone towards the New Earth?

I would certainly hope and want to believe that the New Earth brings us to a much more peaceful state of being. The New Earth is characterized by people becoming more centered in finding their abundance as an inner resource. The old 3-D reality seeks to make us depend on us selling our time and labor, often at the expense of never truly knowing who we are or being who we are. A New Earth fills people with radical spiritual abundance as a part of learning how to integrate into a higher dimensional reality. It is a wonderful new way of being. I'm very grateful for my time in the hammock today.

Blessings of a Quiet Afternoon's Meditation

It can be a rare experience. But a welcome one when the ideal conditions combine to create an optimal meditative experience. Life has slowed down, no crisis to attend to. The weather is nice and sunny. The guy with the loud bass in the neighborhood is not around. I'm home alone and spend the afternoon outside with my meditation cushion. The subtle qualities of life suddenly magnify in their beauty.

It was as if nature began a pageantry of dance and song to celebrate the meditative state. The hummingbirds buzzed to the feeder, back and forth. Distant traffic noises provided a background hum. For a while, someone was bouncing a basketball in the neighborhood. The sun's rays seemed to dance on my face and arms, mitigated by the occasional light cool breeze. The air smelled fresh with a sweet hint of the blossoming honeysuckle. A bird or some other small creature rustled the leaves near the back fence. The sun moved ever so slowly closer to the horizon. It is truly a blessing to experience the stillness of the day. To have the conditions right for this experience, is like having the conditions right to form a rainbow.

I express my gratitude for life today.

Time and Being in the New Energy

A friend of mine recently told me about a new job he had recently taken, and left. One of the problems with the job was that there were times when he had nothing to do. Have you ever had one of those jobs where you have to "look busy". This is the nature of hourly paid work. I believe we will see somewhat of a breakdown of this system in times ahead. As many of us transcend to the new energy, we will make a new connection to who we are within, and find that holds the key to our natural abundance.

In other aspects, living in the new energy is marked with a quality of being in touch with our emotional selves as an integral part of our work. The three dimensional model, forty hours a week, eight hours a day or more tends to fracture most people from their work and their personal emotional lives. Indeed the new energy more fully integrates us. Much of what our work is about is informed by our emotional selves which together working harmoniously with our rational selves brings about intuitive openings close to our soul and spirit.

I believe humanity is awakening and we will survive and build a more beautiful world.

Create Your Day - Conscious Attention

As I start each day, I bring awareness to my thoughts and emotions, as they are, lying in bed soon after my eyes open. If you do that, you are more awake and conscious than most people. And, if you bring your deliberate consciousness, mindfulness to your experience throughout the day, you are very skilled indeed. It is an important part of consciousness evolution. And if you are conscious of your experience first thing in the morning, the right gentle effort to change it can affect your whole day.

Humanity has been in a dark age for some time now. Most people have been simply in survival mode, waking up each day, hurriedly, keeping busy going to work to just manage to pay the bills. It has been much like this for centuries. But a new evolution in human consciousness will begin when more and more people cultivate consciousness. And there are several simple techniques available for doing just that. Giving conscious attention to our thoughts and emotions upon awakening is one of them.

Other techniques can be applied generally through our creative process. Do you write, paint, play music or sing? The creative arts are an excellent opportunity to cultivate consciousness. Through our awareness the creative medium can be used to shape our reality. Suppose you woke up every morning and drew a picture of how you wanted your day to be, or of something you wanted? Your creative powers will begin to help manifest exactly that thing you are focusing on.

Think about it. There is really a bit of urgency, to developing mindful awareness. But remember to do it with compassion and care for yourself. Here lies the key to awakening.

New World Order?

Changes are happening on our planet. Perhaps there is a group of elite people who are seeking to dominate, finally consolidate control. It's good to be aware of, as explained in the video below. I think any attempt at world domination will fail. This is a time for people to wake up from the old power structures, as we now see them failing. I believe a new consciousness will be born, where the power is with the people. I prefer to keep my thoughts, imagination and energy on creating a positive vision for the future.

Science and Spirituality: Question of the Millennium

Wow, something has really gotten a hold of me. I've started to work on my website www.quantumcafe.net now, since I've kind of been ignoring it for the past couple of years. Interesting that I see now the my subject matter is just as important, if not more important than it was when I started several years ago. The question of science and spirituality is the question of the millennium. And now with the economic crisis, people will be seeking answers and change in their lives more intensely than before. As I've said before, I think this is a good thing, although difficult for many. It is a necessary re-working of ourselves to a better, higher way of being.

I'd call it a dimensional shift that is happening, and the urgency of it is beginning now. The dying away of old patterns and ways of being, for example our corrupted way of over-extending banking credit (causing the credit crisis). And just yesterday, President Obama was asking people to get back to the basics, to embrace core economic values. But what may be truly needed in addition, is an opening up to a more subtle being within ourselves. I believe the process we are going through is greater than what the cable news networks are capable of reporting. Are we ready, as the human society to embrace a new reality, a new dimension? This is just a preview of coming attractions.

Quantum Physics and What the Bleep

I've been watching What the Bleep Do We Know. Down the Rabbit Hole quite a bit lately. The Down the Rabbit Hole version is the three disk expanded version of the original What the Bleep. I find it possible to watch the video over and over again. The concepts are really deep and worthy of long contemplation. The implications of quantum theory really turn our world upside down. I won't go into detail here now.

I haven't blogged in a long time. But I'm starting up again now. I've been working on starting a weekly email newsletter and getting back to my website. As we shift from the old energy world, characterized by high unemployment and crisis in our financial institutions, a new way is coming into being. I'm reconnecting with the knowledge of my life's purpose or mission. On the topic of life purpose, I recently read Secrets of the Light by Dannion Brinkley. In the book, he tells of three different near death experiences that have radically changed his life. But one of the points he makes, is that we all have a life purpose or a life mission we come to earth. My life's purpose, I feel strongly has to do with teaching people about the new energy, the new world or the evolution of consciousness we are going through.

There is so much there.