Business, economic development - the unofficial Chamber of Commerce

I often see serious Sun sign mistakes in the questions, “How can I get a Gemini
man?” “How can I get a Taurus man?” “How can I get a Pisces woman?” “How can I
get a Libra woman?”

I must admit these seem like valid questions. After all, if you are one of the people
asking this question, you already know that you feel an attraction to someone who
has one of these Sun signs.

Let’s say you are a woman and found out that his Sun is in Gemini.

Your attraction to him puzzles you because your Sun is in Taurus and you read
somewhere that a Gemini Sun sign and Taurus Sun sign don’t get along. They live in
two different worlds

One lives in his mind and the other lives on the earth.

Yet, you find yourself attracted to a guy that you are not supposed to like!

Obviously, this does not make sense.

Something Is Wrong

This mystery is easy to understand if you will think about the following:

• Most everyone is composed of several signs, not just the Sun sign. This means
  that their Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto
  are usually in different signs.
• You may have two planets in the sign of Taurus, one in Capricorn, and another
  in Cancer. This is why people are complex and it is a serious sun sign mistake to
  judge them simply on the placement of their Sun.

In the example given earlier, even though your Sun sign is in Taurus, your Mars may
be in Gemini. Mars in a woman’s birth chart shows what sign she is passionately
attracted to.

Since your man has is Sun in Gemini, you are drawn to each other. The signs of
these two planets create an attraction because they have a harmonious chemistry.
So how could this be viewed as a Sun sign mistake?

Because he may have his Saturn in Aquarius, which shows that he does not like the
Taurus side of you and tends to criticize the way you approach life.

You find it hard to live under such criticism and you begin to feel that this person
does not love you. Even though you are attracted to each other because of the
Gemini energy, the Saturn conflict spoils the relationship.

This is what I call a Sun sign mistake.

Thousands of Sun sign mistakes are being made every day by thousands of people
because too much emphasis is being placed on the Sun sign at the expense of
innocent readers.

With just this bit of insight, you can see why your attraction to the Gemini man has
deceived you.

What can you do?

You need to understand that all of your signs and planets work together to make up
the total you. Because of this, you could be a very complex person with many
conflicting desires which can be easily mis-read by others who are judging your
only by your Sun sign.

You can clearly see that if you followed your desire for the Sun in Gemini man
without knowing how your planetary energies work with his, it could be romantic
suicide.

You can easily set yourself up for a real heartbreak by chasing the Sun sign illusion.

© 2006 Randall Curtis

Randall Curtis is a professional astrologer with world-wide
clients. Click on this link to
gain quick and valuable insights into your relationships, and receive free lessons on
how to read the signs and planets correctly.

Have you ever thought of what it would take to make you “truly great” at what you do?

Look around you at your employees and co-workers and ask yourself whether or not any of them are “truly great” at what they do. No doubt some of them really excel at their jobs and at life, while others just seem to get by. What is it that separates those that excel from those that don’t?

Is it education? Training? Commitment? Willingness to work extra hours?

Do those that excel posses better communication skills, or maybe those that excel also have better technical knowledge?

If you put these factors to the test, I think that you will be surprised by the answers. Because those that truly excel at anything have one key factor in common. Those that excel at anything are simply those that are most passionate about it.

With the Olympics just completed you saw world- class athletes competing with one another to see who was the best of the best. You saw hundreds of dedicated, passionate athletes whose skill levels are so high that the difference in their performances are measured in tenths or even hundredths of a second. The worst of these athletes still possess amazing skills and perform at levels far above those that most of us could ever even conceive.

Certainly the Olympic athletes have amazing talent, but they also work with an unprecedented dedication to perfect their skills. But for them, it’s a labor of love because of the passion that they feel for their sport. They did not become great in a day; instead they have dedicated their lives to being great.

Are you great at what you do?

How much passion do you have for your job? Do you do your job because it’s something that you love, or because you need the money to pay your bills. Do you work at something that you love, waking up each morning looking forward to another day of passion in your job? Or do you rise each morning and force yourself into the shower, into the office, and into a job that you would rather not do.

I’m not suggesting here that you should walk off your job and pursue a career as a wind-surfer. What I am suggesting is that each of us has things that we are good at and are passionate about. You will find it much easier to excel at something that you love doing and are passionate about. Passion for what you do will easily translate into better quality work, more productivity, increased income, and more personal happiness.

If you love working with people, then your job should reflect that and you should be in a position that allows you the opportunity to do what you do best. If you love working with the numbers and the details, then your job should reflect that as well. Most people don’t take the time to think about what it is that they “want” to do, instead they focus on what they believe they “should” do based on someone else’s view of what is right or wrong.

Think about what you enjoy doing. Not just hobbies, but what it is that brings you joy every day. And then focus your life and your job around those things that you enjoy the most. If you do that, you can be assured that you too, will excel at your job. If your job requires that you do things that you have little or no passion for, then your life and your work will reflect that lack of passion.

Dave Meyer (Coach Dave) is a Business and Leadership Coach who believes that “Great Teams Are Built On The Foundation Of Great Leadership. And Great Leadership Is Built On the Foundation of Great Trust.”

With over 25 years of successful leadership experience, Coach Dave provides his clients with practical, time tested advice on how to build aand lead a team that produces consisnte, outstanding results.

Certified by the Coach Training Alliance, and the Institute For Motivational Living, Coach Dave is an expert in providing leaders with tools they need to succeed in life and in business.

Are you a procrastinating perfectionist? I once read an article dealing with the fear of failure and success. The author described it as the following: “The curse of the procrastinating perfectionist”.

Boy did I ever associate myself with that statement. I was the kind of guy who would always wait around for the perfect opportunity to come by without attempting anything less than perfect. Did that opportunity ever come by? Not at all… In fact only once I realized what I was doing did opportunities start appearing in my life.

Are you someone like this? Do you wait around hoping to achieve something perfect? Let me tell you a little secret. It’s never going to happen. We simply do not live in a perfect world. Let me tell you something else to try to motivate you.

Imagine the following: you are an old, crippled, lonely man. You have been waiting around almost a century for your dream girl to walk into your life. You are still dreaming of her because she has of course, never showed up. The saddest part is that it doesn’t matter anymore. You’d be too old to make love to her anyway.

Wake up! You’re still reasonably young! Don’t wait until you’re 90 years old and unable to do anything. You need to realize this today!

Don’t let your procrastination stop you from going after what you want. And especially do not let any fears stop you. The sooner you face your fears, the sooner you’ll improve yourself and eventually get what you want. You need to go out there in life and realize that if you want to achieve any success you’re going to have to experience failure. If you don’t believe me then read the following quote:

“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is precisely why I succeed.”
– Michael Jordan

Failure is not final. So stop waiting around for that perfect opportunity to come by your way. Stop procrastinating! Go out there, face your fears, and go after what you want. If you need more tips visit my website to read more of my articles.

Pete Grand is the author of the breakthrough ebook: “How To Overcome Shyness: A man’s complete guide on overcoming shyness”. To learn more about overcoming shyness, gaining popularity and boosting self-confidence visit http://www.overcome-shyness.com

Long ago I traveled the stars on a velvet stream of vibrant energy. A song of infinite beauty lilted refrains of everlasting adventure and ascending joy. It was a time of no time; a journey of tranquility within the unending dance of motion and creation.

I knew myself as the thread and the garment of the All That Is. I knew myself to be the one and the many, nowhere and everywhere, powerful and powerless. Nothing was separate from that which I was and nothing was impossible within the never ending space of stars within stars.

A thought in me emerged that I would come to physicality. In the space of a body I would explore the possibility of wholeness through the illusion of separateness.

I would feel the call of the senses as in the way an apple yearns for the ground; even though the limb provides its nourishment. I would truly experience the comfort of warm waters through the contrast of a frigid ocean.

For who can admire the whole beauty of the tree while tethered to her limbs? And who can coo at the warmth if there is no cold? Truly, was my thought, I would come to absolute knowledge of the beautiful Light through the lens of contrast. I would know my Love not unlike a rose that is scaffolded in sublime comfort above a sanguine blanket of thorns.

As the conviction of my thought coalesced into action, a question came upon me…

What if I become lost? What if the cold ocean of this body swallows me whole and no life raft comes to my aid? Could I return?

Fear not I was assured. Nothing which is of the whole is ever cast to the bottom of the ocean. All shall be made whole at the time of your choosing. Even if you neglect to ask the question, your desires are known and the answer is given.

And on the eve of my journey a new song burst forth - a chorus rich with compassionate surety - and heralded these tidings:

• The source of love and nurturing is with you and flows through you at all times. There is never a time, even in your darkest hours, when I am not with you.
• Freewill shall be yours. Whatsoever you may ask for, it shall be granted. From the lowliest of desires to the grandest aspirations, whether beckoned from the depths of fear or the pinnacle of love, it shall all be yours for the asking. The Source of Life shall be at your service so that your journey of contrast may come to fruition.
• You shall know when your thoughts and actions do not match the intended desires of your highest self, for your feelings will be your guiding light. If you are on the path of your highest good you will feel joy and freedom, and if you stray you will feel discord and disharmony. Watch for this beacon of emotions and you will know the path. Choose another thought or another action in times of trouble, and let your feelings in response to these new thoughts or actions move you towards the Light.
• You can not fail. It does not matter what words you speak or what actions you take during your journey, for you shall return to the bosom of love and you will be embraced for the being of love which you are. All things return to love for that is All There Is.

And now I slumber through my days and nights, and at times I hear the chorus of this song as a faint whisper… beckoning me to awaken.

I dip my hands in the cool, cool water and smile. For I feel the gentle nudge to awaken even though there is no warmth in these currents. I turn my thoughts to the melody and feel the beacon as it guides me… to open and loving arms.

Brett Krkosska is a freelance writer and syndicated columnist.
Visit his site, http://www.GodUnplugged.com for perspectives
and commentary on the issues of life.

Ah, the good old “Vulcan nerve pinch”, the three-fingered salute, the one-handed solution to many backhanded aggravations. How simple, how effective, how instantaneously gratifying to the mind behind the mouse. Wouldn’t it be great if we could take the lessons learned from this simple three-point process into our lives and install them into our own hotkey set-up to help us deal with life’s little blue screens of death? Well, we can, provided we are willing to use a little creativity, allow ourselves some literary leeway and don’t mind stretching an already strained metaphor until it squeals for mercy. Shall we begin?

First Key: Control

One of the most important things we need to remember about life is that we have the ability to assume and maintain control over about 98% of it. We can’t change our genetics (at least not yet, anyway). We can’t change our birth parentage. And we can’t change the occasional act of God that goes down in our vicinity. Other than that, it’s pretty much our show and how we manage in life is determined to a great degree on how willing we are to accept this reality and deal with it in a wise and responsible manner.

Of course, the flip side to having control is taking responsibility. If it’s not in your hands, then by default it’s not your fault if it doesn’t work out. That’s a powerful motivator for most people to keep their hands as far away from the keyboard of life as they can get them. It doesn’t always get them far, living that way, but at least they can always pretend like there was nothing they could do about it. Acknowledging your ability to determine your own fate is scary - and saddening, when you realize how much you lost holding back in the past. But the sooner you take control, the sooner your life gets back on track. So grab the mouse of self-determination and lets move on to the second key.

Second Key: Alternate

If there’s one cool thing about life and the great big Universe we live it in, it’s that there are always alternatives. Of course, sometimes we don’t like to see that because then we’d have to choose (see Control, above). But if you’re willing to stick your neck out a little bit, you might be surprised how far you can see over the bowed and huddled shoulders of those around you.

Among the thousands of alternatives we can choose from, we have options in how we behave, in how we believe, in how (or whether) we work and who we decide to love. We can choose to step away from generations-old prejudices and fears, turn away from unnecessarily narrow paths of advancement and set our sights on far flung shores of being that our companions are afraid to even consider reading about, let alone visiting. Hey, it’s not such a small world after all and you’ve got choices coming at you six ways from Sunday. What’s your next move?

Third Key: Delete

Sometimes we screw up. Sometimes we screw up big time. And sometimes we screw up so bad that we’re genuinely surprised when the smoke clears and the Universe hasn’t been vaporized into a cloud of sulphurous fumes. But that’s okay. Sulpher happens. What really matters is how you deal with it and how you let the experience affect you. If you carry it around on your conscience like a poorly written and bloated piece of malware that slows down every process you undertake, then life is pretty much going to suck for you for a very long time. Do it long enough and the bad code can get etched into your brain, flashing mental pop-ups at you at every turn telling you what a stupid, messed up idiot you are and sending up error messages every time you even consider trying to move up a notch or two on the evolutionary ladder. Bah, humbug.

Luckily, we have the power to delete bad files and overwrite bad code with sounder, more productive applications. Why stick with a program that’s not working for you? That’s what the virus cleaners in life, such as therapists, coaches and inspirational material of all sorts and sources, are for.

So scan your disk for errors, defragment your thinking and if all else fails, remember the power of three. The three keys to life, that is: Control, Alternate and Delete.

(c) Soni Pitts

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Soni Pitts is the Chief Visionary Butt-Kicker of SoniPitts.Com. She specializes in helping others reclaim “soul proprietorship” in their lives and to begin living the life their Creator always intended for them.

She is the author of the free e-book “50 Ways To Reach Your Goals” and over 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources designed to facilitate this process of personal growth and spiritual development.

The problem with research on meditation is that it is limited. Though there is a lot of information of how meditation is useful in various medical conditions, there is limited information on how to meditate so as to see changes in your life.

If you can meditate, then start with meditation for only five minutes a day. You can use any form of meditation that you are comfortable with. But in order to experiment, stick to only five minutes everyday. You will see that within 3 to 4 weeks of starting meditation, you will feel irritable, angry or low for no reason. If you can handle that, continue with it. If you cannot handle it, stop doing the meditation for 2 or 3 days. You will start to feel better again. Start meditation for five minutes a day again. Be consistent with it and you will reach a stage when you will feel happy within yourself. You will also notice unexpectedly good coincidences happen in life. The following changes will be noticed.

CHANGE IN MOOD: You will feel a stability in happy mood. This will be different from the relaxation that will be experienced at the start of meditation. This time anything that bothered you before, will not be bothersome. Instead of a quick change in your mood, your happiness will be long lasting.

CHANGE IN RELATIONSHIPS: After you have gone through the phase of anger and feeling low, you will notice that your relationships with people around you would become better. You will have less confrontation with your partner.

CHANGE IN EFFICIENCY: You will notice that you will have more energy as compared to before. The same job that you found boring, mundane or stressful will become enjoyable. Every person that I have seen in my practice has become more efficient in what they did, with meditation.

CHANGE IN FINANCES: If you are consistent in meditation, you will notice that your financial situation after you have gone through the low phase of meditation, will be better than before you started meditation.

CHANGE IN THE ENVIRONMENT YOU LIVE IN: At some stage, after you start meditation, you will start to get irritable with the clutter around you. In most cases that I have seen, clearing of the attic or giving away old clothes is the norm. It happens spontaneously.

CHANGE IN SOCIAL LIFE: Initially you will feel happy with friends. Then some of them will start to annoy you and then you will decide who you want to remain your friend or not. Instead of going out, you will feel happy with yourself.

CHANGE IN SELF-ESTEEM: As you meditate, your self-confidence will become better before it gets a battering temporarily. Then as your emotional clutter gets cleared with meditation, your self-esteem goes higher.

CHANGE IN LUCK: Initially when I saw people’s lives changing in front of my eyes, I could not believe it. But I can now safely and comfortably write that meditation will change your luck too. You will notice surprisingly pleasant things happen that were not expected.

The above changes will be noticed successively as you increase the time duration of your meditation. At each change in duration,for example, from five minutes to 10 minutes, you will go through the stage of feeling angry and low before you feel better again. In this venture, patience pays.

Pradeep K Chadha is a psychiatrist who specialises in helping patients with meditation and imagery using little or no medication. He is the author of The Stress Barrier-Nature’s Way To Overcoming Stress published by Blackhall Publishing, Dublin. He is based in Dublin, Ireland.His website address is http://www.drpkchadha.com

Astrology or Jyotish is an integral part of the Vedas. Though in the Vedas the emphasis is more on Astronomy, there was hardly any distinction between Astrology and Astronomy in the Vedic period. Both were studied to determine the auspicious timings for making offerings to propitiate the Gods. The Vedas, therefore, made detailed studies of the stars and the movement of planets across the sky. Eclipses had to be timed because they signified evil portents. The obliteration of the luminaries, however temporary, could not be good for the mere mortals.

The stories regarding the birth of planets are found in the Puranas, which are of a later vintage. There are 18 Puranas. They deal with the story of creation, the tussle between the Gods and demons, the various forms and reincarnations of Lord Vishnu and sometimes even the genealogy of kings on earth. The same story appears in several Puarnas and predictably, the versions differ from one another.

In the early stages, Puranas were also an oral tradition. While elaborate care was taken to preserve the integrity of the Vedas so that distortions might not creep into them through repeated retelling, no such precaution was thought necessary for the Puranas. The Vedas were sacrosanct. The Puranas were not quite as sacred.

Methods of memorizing the Vedas were very interesting. Let us assume that we have a sentence in the Vedas - “God is good”. (Actually, Vedas do not dish out such simple sentences. We have cooked up an example to illustrate a point). One student would memorize it as “God is good”. That is normal. We all go through a similar exercise the night before our exams.

But a second one would do it in a strange form:

“Doog si dog” - memorizing it backwards. There would be a third who would do something even more strange:

“Go od di is sg go oo od”.

This gobbledygook can be easily unscrambled to find the original message. There were many more ways; all were simultaneously practiced to ensure that if corruption took place in one it would be rectified by comparing it with the others.

In one method two sentences would be mixed up in a manner not entirely unlike sending scrambled digital packets across the broad bandwidth.

But enough of that! Let us go back to the story of the planets as given in some of the Puranas. These were subsequently changed, modified, expanded until they became part of a rich folklore of India with all its sectarian bias and regional garnish.

So the stores we bring to you here originated in the Puranas but got extensively revised through successive retelling!

Enjoy your look into Indian Mythology!

Note: You are allowed to republish this article in your website and ezines without any change in the content and the link to cyberastro must be provided as the article author.

Sujit Bose is a very well educated, wise and senior person having great insight into astrology. Read more astrology articles by some of the well know astrologers of cyberastro at http://www.cyberastro.com

Genealogy is obviously very important to the Lord. After all, he is our Father and he keeps careful track of each of us, his children. In the kingdom, each individual will know every member of his family line dating back to Adam. The archives of history will reveal some tremendous surprises to each of us regarding our heredity and nothing will be omitted or overlooked.

There is strong evidence throughout the scriptures that in the kingdom, we will each live within the house of our fathers.

The men listed in the early Biblical genealogies represent nations. The wives, although not all listed, represent the respective capital cities of these nations. The sons and daughters born represent the people that populated these nations. These nations were all destroyed in the flood.

Names in the Bible are extremely important. Names themselves give an apt description of the individual mentioned.

I Samuel 25:25

As his name is, so is he.

This stands true throughout the scriptures. Nabal, the man in this story, was mean and churlish. The name Nabal means a dolt, to scatter to and fro, to run off.

Abram means father. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, which means father of a multitude.

The apostle Paul was at first called Saul, meaning demanding. This description was evident during the first part of Saul’s life when he demanded that the followers of Christ be brought to prison and killed. But Saul’s life was changed – and so was his name.

After Saul had seen the light on the road to Damascus, his name was changed to Paul, which means worker. Paul accepted Christ and began as one of His most faithful and loyal servants throughout history. Paul was a special vessel chosen by the Lord to take the message of Christ and His kingdom into all the Gentile nations so that wells of this Living Water would be supplied for Israel during the 1878 year wilderness journey she would soon be taking. This was due to the ministry of Paul, the worker.

The first king of Israel was also named Saul. He, like Saul in the New Testament, was also demanding and ornery. King Saul made every attempt to destroy David, just as Saul in the New Testament at first attempted to destroy the name of Christ.

Both these men, both named Saul, both prophetically represent Jerusalem that will yet again attempt to shut off the name of Christ and make Christianity illegal in God’s chosen city, until Jerusalem, like Paul, will finally see the light and accept Christ herself.

The Hebrew word ore, meaning light, is the English word for raw materials, taken from treasures hidden in the physical earth, before they are drawn out, worked and molded into worthwhile and precious materials.

The word oor, of the same root word derivative, is the Hebrew word for the city of Ur of the Chaldees. The meaning of the name oor indicates a fire of light, a luminousness, a flame in the east. Ur was the birthplace of Abraham.

Names are meaningful. Names are powerful. These names in the Bible open up an entirely new dimension of God’s literal word to us. A definite pattern is clearly visible in studying the names of individuals of the Bible. There is more to these lists of names than what meets the eye.

Within the first four names mentioned in the Bible, the history of the world is summarized:

NAME: HEBREW MEANING:

Adam: Human being of low degree; to show blood

Cain: A lance or spear

Abel: Vanity of man

Seth: Substituted

In summary: Human beings of low degree, are shown blood by his own corruption and also given mercy by the death of God’s Son. The lance, or spear, represents the sword of the truth of God that will ultimately destroy the vanity of man. This vanity will then be substituted in the perfect world by righteousness.

Of course this is merely the tip of the ice-burg in this fascinating study of Genealogy within the pages of God’s word.

Perhaps the next time we read the genealogies of Genesis 5 and Matthew 1, we will be able to see them in a different ore, or a different light, seeing them in a much deeper context than merely names on the page.

Every verse in the Bible, front to back, is filled with glittering treasures such as these just waiting to be discovered.

Terri Emmett has three Free Online courses: The Organized Housekeeper’s House Book, The Organized Housekeeper’s Six-week Charm Coure, http://www.charmcourse.com; and 100 Steps to Eternity http://www.prophecyguide.net, as well as the Organized Housekeeper’s Wedding Planner and the All-American Housekeeper’s Club: http://www.housekeepersclub.com Please enjoy all our sites.

Over the years I’ve been teaching kids about a simple but powerful concept - the ant philosophy.

I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy, and here is the first part: ants never quit. That’s a good philosophy. If they’re headed somewhere and you try to stop them; they’ll look for another way. They’ll climb over, they’ll climb under, they’ll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you’re supposed to go.

Second, ants think winter all summer. That’s an important perspective. You can’t be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering in their winter food in the middle of summer.

An ancient story says, “Don’t build your house on the sand in the summer.” Why do we need that advice? Because it is important to think ahead. In the summer, you’ve got to think storm. You’ve got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun.

The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, “This won’t last long; we’ll soon be out of here.” And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they’ll dive back down, but then they come out the first warm day. They can’t wait to get out.

And here’s the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All that he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the “all-that-you-possibly-can” philosophy.

Wow, what a great philosophy to have - the ant philosophy. Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Special Note: Be part of the 1% that makes a decision to achieve all their goals in 2004! Enroll today in the Jim Rohn One Year Success Plan. For details visit his website address below.

Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn’s Weekly E-zine.
Copyright 2005 Jim Rohn International. All rights reserved
worldwide. To subscribe to Jim Rohn’s Weekly E-zine, go to
http://Jim-Rohn.InspiresYOU.com

There is a tendency amongst many people to think that meditation is a somewhat aloof, elitist, mystical and complex practice that requires years of practice to become proficient. People can be put off trying meditation for any or a combination of those reasons. Meditation, though, can actually be very simple, and that is how it should be for beginners.

Simple meditation is really where to start, and you will soon realise that there is nothing mystical or elitist about meditation. Also, it only takes a short period of time to experience the benefits of even simple meditation.

Given that one of the major benefits of even the simplest meditation can be stress relief, and stress is such a big problem in the Western world, it is easy to see how widely meditation can improve the lives of people. It really is a matter of just getting started, as you may soon get into a habit (and I do not mean a monk’s habit, unless that’s what you really want) of making time to meditate on a regular basis.

Where many Westerners may feel uncomfortable about meditation is its spiritual connotation. While the West sinks further into a non-spiritual, straightjacket existence, for millions it becomes even harder to even contemplate a spiritual side to life. However, those same people can benefit from meditating simply for the stress relief and relaxation effects. Then, as time goes by, a spiritual reawakening may be more likely to follow, as naturally as day follows night.

To keep meditation simple, there is no need to learn about all the theory, nor read volumes by all the “experts”. Though such learning may enrich your life, it is not an essential of getting started. If you have any doubts or misunderstandings about meditation, then it is as well just to try it at a personal level in its simplest form.

What is meditation, though? To meditate is, put simply, to muse or contemplate, at a profound level, on a particular subject or series of subjects. Now that hardly seems mystical, spiritual or elitist, does it? But for a newcomer to meditation, it will do. It is simple, natural, and very easy, once you do it. The difficulty for many in attempting meditation is penetrating the image, and getting down to the practicality.

In meditating, a person will quieten the mind and move away from conscious thoughts that distract, establishing a connection with the subconscious. There are a number of techniques for doing this, and each person may do best with one particular technique.

An important step in starting your first, and any, meditation session, is to get into a comfortable position; a position where you can allow your mind to drift into a peaceful state with minimum distraction. If you are uncomfortable, your discomfort will be a distraction.

Do not feel that you have to get into the famous Lotus position, one that many associate with meditation. It is not essential. I cannot sit in a lotus position due to the condition of my hip joints, and can only meditate effectively in other lying or sitting positions. Remember, for simple meditation it is the comfort rather than the actual position that is important. Meditation takes place in the mind; your mind is with you whatever the position; the correct position is primarily to prevent the distraction of discomfort.

Once you are comfortable, then you can close your eyes and start relaxing your mind. It is essential to focus on your breathing and to ensure you breathe through your nose and not your mouth. Pay full attention to each breath, focusing your mind in the act of breathing into and out of your lungs.

Once you have settled into the breathing rhythm, and can maintain your awareness of it, ensure that any thoughts and distractions to do with your daily life drift away. This can be difficult, but do not pressure yourself. Like many things, practice will make you more in control of your mind and able to shut out external intrusions more easily.

Thoughts will flow in and out of your mind, but you will eventually start to recognize quiet, still periods, like a vacuum in your thoughts. These periods are what you are aiming for, and with practice they will increase in length, increasing the personal benefit of meditating.

That, really, is simple meditation. Once you start to feel its benefits, and see how easy it really is, you may well want to learn more from experts and study the different types of meditation. One thing is certain though, even simple meditation at an “entry” level, will open your mind to a new world within. A world most people want to explore once they have discovered it.

This meditation article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner and part author of the Routes To Self Improvement website.

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