I always find it amazing how the Divine delivers to me just what I need, when I need it…

See, over the last few months I've been feeling a nudge to connect with the more ancient, tribal, Earthly-Spiritual aspects of our world. Most likely in the form of a vision quest.

That nudge was probably inspired by the firewalk retreat I attended last year. It was an experience where every day was filled with ritual after ritual, from firewalking, glasswalking, arrow breaking, sweat lodges, and bending steel rebar with our throats…

To silent meals, meditation, body cleansing, hottubbing under the stars, honoring the beauty within others and ourselves, and other simple expressions of ritual.

The thing is, I hadn't thought of those things as "rituals." I gave them the label "peak experiences." And it wasn't until connecting with Chris and Janet Attwood's ritual work that I have started to wake up to just how powerful those experiences of mine were — because they weren't just peak experiences or cool things.

They were meaningful.

And this is where the power of ritual really makes a difference. It can take something as simple as meditation, making a smoothie every morning, or celebrating a birthday and elevate it from "another experience" into a personally meaningful opportunity for transformation.

It's probably an understatement that I have much to learn in this area.

On that note, I just finished watching a new video (**email NOT required**) from Chris & Janet Attwood on the power of ritual. Their descriptions, examples, and explanation of ritual are what have hielped me open my eyes to consciously understand what's been driving me to inquire further into this aspect of our reality.

And in it, Janet opens the door to really trying to answer the question:

Do we want to live our lives as a train wreck…

Or from a place of peace, joy, and contentment?

Watch "The Hidden Riches" Video #3
(email NOT required)

I know that sounds a bit extreme when I put it like that, but the middle-ground is where most of us life our lives. We have more frustration and drama than we'd like, and not as many of those truly "savory" moments we want, love, and ultimately deserve.

In other words, we're trying to deal with all the "mini train wrecks" in hopes of avoiding any major crashes. The thing is, it doesn't have to be that way.

If you've recently though to yourself "I need _______"

(it really doesn't matter how you fill in that blank)

…Then what Janet says will probably connect with you. I really liked this quote from her video:

"Rituals can turn habits into constant sources of inspiration."

When I reflect on other "big" ritual experiences in my life — things like the firewalk retreat, my black belt tests, spiritual workshops, and more — one memory with Nick Vujicic comes to mind.

See, I hadn't realized that when I saw Nick Vujic speak live in Portland, that he was guiding people through a physical healing ritual. He called everybody to the front who wanted to be healed from a physical ailment.

At first I sat. Then reluctantly, I stood up. I don't know why, but I felt compelled to move to the front of the room. I didn't even know what I wanted to heal until I was standing among a few hundred people all praying to God.

I wanted heal…  no… "I need __to heal my back pain__."

This was years ago and I had a back ache that I felt was "almost healed" but kept coming back a little bit. I adjusted my lifestyle and ergonomics which made a big difference, yet the last few aches still persisted.

We spoke some words aloud as a group, we prayed asking God to relieve us of our pain. After this healing ritual we did as a group, my back pain went away immediately.

I kept waiting for it to come back. Days, weeks, months passed. Now a few years later I have never felt that same back pain again… even once.

Can my mind grasp the experience?

Nope.

Can my mind grasp the arrow breaking, walking on hot coals, bending steel rebar with my throat?

Again, nope.

I have some theories. But those are just to make my mind feel better about not knowing.

Was it mind over matter? Spiritual healing? God answering my prayer? Telekinesis? Collective unconscious?

None of that matters. The explanation is irrelevant.

What matters is that I have personally experienced something, through the power of ritual, that I can't explain…

But that is real, True, and affected my life in a tangible and personal way.

So it's no mystery I'll be going deeper into ritual with Chris, Janet, and whomever else the Divine sends my way. Take a few minutes to watch this newest video from them.

Watch 'The Hidden Riches In Ritual' Video #3

It's well worth watching, and near the end of it they'll also introduce you to their new program "Hidden Riches In Ritual" that is NOT available anywhere else, except through me. You can also read about the different aspects of the program as well as the special limited bonuses (one of which is limited to the next 500 people who join the program)

The other day I shared with you an important video from Chris and Janet Attwood about the necessity for stepping up our game and more fully into life.
    
Today I am grateful to share with you the 2nd video in their "Hidden Riches" series where they cover a LOT of important ground.

Watch The Newest Episode of "Hidden Riches"

Here's a few things I really appreciated in this newest one:

• How Janet's misadventures with a criminal biker gang and a boyfriend who thought she was "useless" led to her story of spiritual awakening
   
• Marci Shimoff tells about how she had the epiphany of her life -AND- she couldn't tell anybody!
  (and how that epiphany later transformed her life and the lives of millions of people)
   
• A very interesting way of looking at the word "spiritual" that I'd never heard before
  (listen closely, this quick tip could pass you by)
   
• One simple breathing practice that brings refreshes and calms within seconds
  (I'd heard of this, but hadn't ever taken it seriously until watching this)

And a lot more that I thoroughly enjoyed, and am sure you will too.

If you've ever become a little disillusioned or overwhelmed with the "rat race…"

I've you've felt stressed with deadlines and to-to lists…

Or if you just want to bring a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in your life…

Then this second video in their series is one you'll thoroughly enjoy

Watch "The Hidden Riches" Video #2

In addition to the video…

You'll also get a downloadable bonus PDF that describes three practices you can use for:

1. Relaxation
2. Grounding into your heart – This one is especially useful when going into an important meeting or interview
3. Bathing – just like Cleopatra and the Queen of England have used…

And you'll also get another bonus audio interview download with Sadhvi Bhagwati – a person you've probably never heard of before, but you'll never forget after listening to her story

Watch The Video and Download Your Bonus PDF and Audio

I wonder if you can relate to this…

Before I began living my purpose and looking within, I remember many ofmy days being fairly… "benign." Dull. Repetitive.

Wake up. Work. Eat dinner. Watch a movie, tv, or socialize (when I felt like it). Sleep.

Repeat.

In other words, there was a serious lack of joy and sense of mystery and magic in my life. The feeling was especially strong in moments of unwanted stress, such as when my relationships were having problems.

Or when I did any kind of boring hum-drum soul-sapping task that left me thinking, "well, at least it's a paycheck, right?”

The feeling left me drained. Momentarily disillusioned. Unable to function as creatively, intuitively or energetically as I was capable of.

And given that you connect with my overall messages and work, it's probably safe to say that at some point in your life (maybe even now?) you can relate to this.

If not in the big ways I described, at least in smaller more subtle ways. Those moments when we question our current situation and wonder how we might deepen our sense of aliveness, magic, and mystery.

The thing is, these kinds of feelings aren't unique to any of us. It's actually part of being human, and they serve as a "wake up call" for us to step more fully into our potential.
    
Unfortunately though, when we don't listen to these inner nudges then it causes pain, frustration, and ultimately a global crisis of conscience.

All of this is related, and that's why I encourage you to take a few minutes and watch a video from my friends Chris and Janet Attwood titled, "An Ancient Warning For Your Modern Life."

Click Here And Watch The Video

I recall the first time I met Janet because it truly was magical. Those first silent moments were the first time I consciously remember being totally "one" with everyone and everything. We simply were "being" together.

There were many invaluable lessons there, the least of which was that it was possible to experience the "magic" of the moment, of connection, with a total and complete stranger and feel as natural as breathing air.

I also learned this:

One of the greatest gifts *any* teacher can offer is his or her Presence. See, when we are in the Presence of those who have a more developed spiritual self, our consciousness and degree of Presence is immediately elevated. The greatest gift a teacher gives is not his or her knowledge (which is invaluable), it's Presence. It's the expression of the Divine being lived through another Being.

Janet and Chris have both been through a LOT in their lives (much of which they bare in their NY Times Best-selling book "The Passion Test") — and Janet's personal Presence showed this to me. Simply being with her that evening (and especially those first few moments) showed and taught me more than I could have imagined.

So it should be no mystery that her and Chris' teachings have touched millions of people around the world, including myself. They led out with helping people discover their passions, and now they're stepping up their game to deliver a very pressing message:

Humanity must "wake up." We need to reconnect with the often hidden and unseen energies that are shifting and shaping our world…

And ultimately necessary for our survival.

We must rediscover the fulfillment, joy, creativity, intuition, magic, and mystery that is within each and every one of us… waiting to be unleashed into the world.

Or we risk losing our gifts, our preciousness, our humanity forever.

I know because I didn't realize I had lost all these things until I was facing imminent doom in my relationship and I had to "wake up" and really look at how I got in such a difficult situation in the first place.

That's why when Chris and Janet reached out to me with a personal email that said, "Up for doing something together?" and shared the project they were working on, my response was: "Send me all the info, and I'll help make sure more people hear about this."

They've described this information as "an ancient warning," and in their video (and subsequent videos in this mini-series) they explain exactly what that warning is…

And how we can listen and "wake up."

Watch ‘The Ancient Warning’ Video

Imagine waking up tomorrow with the exuberance and innocence of a 5-year-old child. Untouchable by stress, frustration or material problems. Genuinely awe-struck by everything you see and feel.

This is the state of being Janet and Chris promise we can recapture…

But only when we take heed of this ancient warning.

And based on those first few moments when Janet and I connected deeply in silence, as well as some of the stories she shared in her book "The Passion Test," she's a teacher I know I can trust in this part of our adventure together.

When it comes to transforming our lives, I don't know about you but sometimes I can find books to be a little bit dense. Some of "the greats" I end up dropping after a few chapters because I just can't get into them.

Part of this is because many books are written as non-fiction. And while the information is invaluable, the authors rarely give much thought as to how the reader will *practically* apply their teachings.

Yes, exercises are nice. But most of the time when I read an exercise in a book, I skip over it. Intellectually I understand the "value" but there's a part of me that wants to just get on with the next chapter. To "learn" more.

Maybe it's just me?

I just want more from books but didn't realize there's a better option until now…

If you've ever felt that way and wish you could read a personal development book that was more engaging, then you'll appreciate the brand new book I'm sharing with you today.

See, Natalie Ledwell (happiness and law of attraction expert) just released her new book, "Never In Your Wildest Dreams."

Click Here To And Watch Her Video About The Book

I've already read through the first two chapters of this "rags to riches" novel. The main character, Katherine Murray, is modeled after Natalie's own challenges with being an overweight, overworked, deeply in-debt restaurant owner to being wildly successful – AND happy.

This is no ordinary book though…

At the end of each chapter is a link (or you can use the QR code if you prefer) to go -inside- the chapter that you just read.
    
In these behind the scenes videos, you receive a few invaluable things:

(1) A behind-the-scenes look at how the chapter was inspired by true events that happened in Natalie's life.

I don't know about you, but memoirs tend to bore me. Tons of people send me their books for review, but almost every time I get a memoir I have trouble getting through it.

This feels different though. First, because "Never In Your Wildest Dreams" is structured as a novel, it reads much much easier. Secondly, these followup bonus videos feel personal… like Natalie is in your room, just chatting away with you like a friend and personal mentor.

(2) On the note of being a mentor, these bonus videos also give you the "short version" of each chapter's life lesson.

This way you can grab the golden nuggets and apply real, actionable steps in your own life. This also helps bring the lessons to life… just in case you're so entertained by the book that you forget it's also designed, intentionally, to help you transform your life.

I've reviewed and read a LOT of books, and I've never seen a book do this before.

When I release my first book next year, you can bet I'll be leveraging a lot of what Natalie is doing — it's brilliant.

Watch This Video About 'Never In Your Wildest Dreams'

I'm looking forward to finishing the book… as well as the bonus behind-the-scenes videos.

Now let's talk about the "dreaded" bonuses…

I'll put my tongue back in my cheek, but I do have a serious bone to pick with book publishers.

Please bear with me.

See, if you are subscribed to even half of the email lists that I am, then it can seem like there's a new book being launched every day. And while most of them are well-intentioned authors with good content and valuable messages, one thing that truly bugs me (and I vow to NOT do) is how they offer a "bazillion" dollars worth of bonuses to try and get you to buy the book.

(Okay, I'm exagerating… it's usually only listed as about $20,000 worth of bonuses)

The whole marketing hype incorrect assumes that people won't grasp that the book, itself, has immense value. Therefore, if the publisher adds a ton of bonuses, then book buyers will feel like they're getting more for their money.

I'm all for giving people WAY more than they ask for, so I understand. I love to under-promise and over-deliver.
    
The problem is, most of these bonuses that authors "give away" truly are irrelevant and not related to the book at all. Often they lack real value and end up being distractions.

In my opinion, these overwhelming numbers of bonuses are a a grave disservice to the buyer of the book. Those kinds of book promotions make me feel sad both for the readers and the authors.

The readers can get easily distracted from the wealth of information within the book, and as a result, the authors end up not empowering as many people nearly as well as what is possible. That's one of the reasons I very rarely promote anybody's books.
    
In this case though, I am truly impressed with the way Natalie has structured her "bonus" offer.

She understands the importance of giving you -way more value- than you pay for, while balancing that with the need to give you something that is *truly* of value that you can USE. And more specifically, a bonus that perfectly supports and complements the content of her book.
    
Specifically, when you buy "Never In Your Wildest Dreams" you also get a digital copy of Natalie's "7 Secrets to Happiness" program. This currently sells on her website for $97, and many people paid almost $200 for it when the program was first released a few years ago.
    
So this is not some fake "$2,000" value — it's an actual real-world value of about $100 that you get for free when you buy her book.

And she's also got some other pretty cool randonmly drawn bonus prizes lined up…

Such as the opportunity to spend an entire day with her, and a limited number of complimentary tuition sponsorships for her newest training program.
    
Get 'Never In Your Wildest Dreams' And Your Bonus – '7 Secrets to Happiness'

Just last night I was practicing some martial arts techniques to prepare for a tournament, and I randomly made up a few techniques jokingly. My coach saw this and replied:
    
"That looks good, Mr. Cade!"

I was taken by surprise. It was a joke. I was just messing around, and here he was asking me to try again.

After a few minutes, I put this new joke technique into a combination. As I tried it out a few times, it felt awkward. However, as he and a few others watched, the feedback was very simple:

"That looks really good, Mr. Cade!"

I couldn't put a handle on it. It just felt so strange. And given that I have done a lot of different martial arts techniques in my life, my body knows the difference between "it feels strange because it is strange" and "it feels strange because it's difficult to learn."

This was not difficult to learn. After all, it was a joke!

Then he asked me if I had a video camera so he could show me what I was doing. I pulled out my phone and we recorded me doing the new combination a couple of times.
    
My response after watching the combination?

"Wow, that DOES look good!"

I was quite surprised, especially since it still felt strange to do it. And in that moment, I was both learning a teaching and reminded of something I already knew… and was experiencing in a new way.
    
What I learned was that "feeling strange" can also be because of being unfamiliar. It isn't necessarily strange, nor difficult. Just unfamiliar.

In the scope of our daily lives, we sometimes mistake this feeling of strangeness for fear. New situations can be scary because we don't know what to expect. They can feel uncertain.
    
This can show up in many kinds of ways, whether it's dating and relationships, perhaps applying for a new job or entering a new career, trying a new personal development program or technique, or simply exploring new ways of perceiving ourselves.

In other words, next time you're experiencing something new that feels "strange" consider the possibility that instead of linking that experience with fear… you can link it with curiosity. You can actually wonder what is possible and what might happen.

My curiosity led me to a video camera to SEE what was real. And I noticed that my previous sensations of "strangeness" did not translate to my techniques looking strange. They looked good!

Now what was it that I already knew and remembered?

The feeling of strangeness with my techniques will go away as I practice more. This is because of the actual muscle memory that happens. The more I practice the combination, the more my physiology and brain will see it as familiar, and thus, feel more natural to me. My muscles will "know" the combination eventually to the point that I don't think about what I'm doing – my body just does it.

This muscle memory is what allows a person to ride a bike successfully, even if they haven't done it in ten years. It's what can allow people to drive a car and not even be conscious of how they got from one place to another. Muscle memory is how our body remembers the patterns we repeat over and over.

One of the purposes of muscle memory is so that the movement becomes intrinsic to us. It becomes subconscious, so that we can free our conscious mind for other activities. The same is true of personal transformation.

At first, new techniques and approaches and new ideas can feel strange or unfamiliar. For example, if we're used to thinking negatively then it will feel really strange (and scary) if we try to "think positively."
    
However, over time the more we put those ideas into practice – such as positive thinking – the more that new empowering pattern will move into our subconscious. Eventually, the new pattern (such as positive thinking) becomes your new default mode… the familiar. And consequently, the old you can actually feel unfamiliar. It can actually feel strange and unfamiliar to have negative thought patterns.
    
This is one of the keys to transforming our lives.

We literally take something currently seems familiar (our limiting beliefs, our inaccurate perceptions, our negative thought patterns) and counter-act them with something that is unfamiliar yet empowering (like positive thinking, self awareness, and positive reframing of our experiences). We repeat the new pattern over and over and over until it becomes natural.

As we continue to do this over time, over and over, it's impossible to not become the very amazing person you are. This is a natural consequence of the transformation that occurs when you continuously repattern your life in positive ways.

Long story short:

There's a lot of amazing and powerful personal transformation approaches out there. Many of them can feel strange or unfamiliar. That's okay.

Be curious and allow yourself to be drawn to whatever approach, teacher, or technique seems to resonate with you at a deeper level. Transform those feelings of strangeness and unfamiliarity into curiosity and see what's possible in your life.

Then, commit to something. Practice it over and over until it becomes natural… until it becomes embedded in your subconscious.

This may shed some light on why teachers recommend a daily meditation practice of 20 or 30 minutes at a time. They don't recommend 150 minutes one day per week. They recommend it daily. This helps repattern your life for positive changes that are almost impossible to experience if a person only meditates once a week (or less).

Similarly, this is also why I recommend eliminating or at least minimizing your exposure to world news. Most of it is shoving negative, fear-based stories straight into your subconscious mind. Our minds rationalize this by saying we "need to be informed," but the truth is –and this is my experience after avoiding TV news for over half a decade– if it's important enough to know, the news will find its way to me naturally.

Instead, spend that time watching positive empowering TV shows or reading books or magazines with positive messages.

Every single experience you have is either contributing to your best life…

Or not.

Choose wisely.

This also explains why my Liberate Your Life system is not instantly downloadable. You can't just buy it and get everything at once. The program is delivered over 24 weeks.

A few years ago I went to Guy Finley's non-profit "Life of Learning Foundation" in Merlin Oregon and spent a few days there. This was after having already read a few of his books and listened to several of his audios (which I truly LOVE).

During that time, I really enjoyed getting to know the people who support bringing Guy's work to the world – especially Eric and Tim. We spent time chatting over meals and in the hallways.

Getting to know them was a gift – digging into spiritual Truths, and also listening in person to Guy's teachings. I spent some time out in nature while there, and I thoroughly enjoyed communing with all the spiritual seekers who come together to study with him.

It's been a while since I've visited, and for the last few months I've had this occasional tug that I need to get up there soon. Yesterday's tug made that feeling a little bit stronger.

See, Eric sent me a message saying that he, Tim, and Guy had come up with something I might want to share with you. After checking it out, I said, "yes – send me all the info, and I'll share it tomorrow."

That's rare for me. Extremely rare.

I get approached all the time to share peoples' books, programs, and videos. Almost every time, I say "no." Most people and their programs just aren't up to the quality I require for me to even *consider* sharing something with you.

And if I do decide to *consider* sharing it with you, then the potential partner usually goes through weeks or -months- of me evaluting their programs, the emails they send to their readers, test their systems and websites, getting to know the partner, and YES… I even do reference checks on them to make sure that other people, who I know and trust, also endorse the person whose work I am *considering* sharing with you.

As I'm sure you can imagine, most people –even well intentioned people with good hearts– never get past "Hi my name is…"

Of course, Guy and his team are WELL past those hurdles. His work is awesome, and I listen to his audios when I go on road trips. Even then, I almost never say "Yes, thank you for letting me share this — I'll get it out ASAP."

What is it I'm talking about?

Well, Tim has written a personal letter sharing how he overcame his fears.

He also shares what kind of insights, benefits, and new understandings you can reasonably expect to experience in your life after listening to Guy's new program "Stop Being Afraid Once and For All" and putting it into practice.

Click Here And Read Tim's Letter

What makes this offer unique – aside from the very empowering content – is that Guy Finley has priced it ridiculously low.

(You won't believe your eyes. Seriously.)

And between my personal experiences with just *loving* Guy's programs and books for several years…

And getting to know Tim, Eric, and Guy personally…

I am truly grateful for this opportunity to share both Tim's story with you and Guy's work. They're both a gift to us all…

And to blowing the cover wide-open on the "secret" that fear doesnt want you to know.

For centuries and throughout many cultures, people have sought to answer a deceptively simple question:

Why must innocent, good-natured people die?

It's easy for us to justify why destructive people "should" die. This is evidence in the laws which support the death penalty in several countries and states.

But what about people who lived good, heartful, kind lives? What about people who lived without ill-intent? People who died too young? Or were born into adverse conditions that were inescapable? Why must they die?

I don't have an answer. Maybe when I die I will.

However, a good friend of mine once sent me the story below and I felt it fitting to share with you given the topic of my last email, "About The Boston Tragedy And Bombings Yesterday."

My point in sharing this story is not to suggest that there is a specific answer to that question. Instead, it's to open up the inquiry that, perhaps, just perhaps, there may be reasons beyond our human understanding.

I also deeply appreciate the wisdom from many paths and traditions, and as such, encourage a larger inquiry beyond what we may personally "believe" to be true about something…

And instead, support our individual searches for meaning, purpose, and Truth.

Deep in the jungle, Narada broke a strong branch from a tree Taking a rock he began sharpening the end of the branch.

A year has past, he thought to himself. Four seasons I have sat outside this cave.

When the spear had been fashioned, Narada walked to the entrance of the cave.

"Mother Pig," he yelled into the cave.

There was no response.

Narada walked into the cave's dark mouth. Inside he saw a pig nursing five piglets.

"It's time to go," yelled Narada.

The pig and piglets ignored him.

Narada then began waving his wooden spear violently. The five piglets squealed, bolted upright and ran out the cave… but the mother remained.

"I will not go," said the pig. "Why did you send my family away? I loved them so very much. Why have you done this to me, you cruel man?"

"Leave this cave," pleaded Narada.

"No," said the pig. "Leave me alone. I've done no one any harm. I only want to live in this cave until I die."

"So be it," said Narada.

Narada quickly brought his spear down on the pig, piercing her through the belly. The pig yelled in pain. Blood leaked onto the floor.

"Why?" said the pig. "Why have you done this to me?" She squealed once more and went limp

Narada fell to his knees, tears streaming. He remembered how one year earlier he had stood outside the same cave speaking to Lord Vishnu…

"How can you expect humanity to ever find freedom from the wheel of birth and death?" he had said to Vishnu.

Vishnu had smiled. "God consciousness is so satisfying — it is far more tempting than material reality."

"Yes," Narada had replied, "but when all people know is the taste of matter, how can you expect them to want anything more?"

Vishnu then had become quiet. Finally he had spoken: "Possibly this illusion of material reality is too strong. But I am not sure."

"Then why don't you test it out on yourself?" Narada had replied with a tinge of anger in his voice.

"Very well," Vishnu had said. "I will become a pig and start a family."

"What?" Narada replied in shock.

"I will live in this cave for one year as a pig," Vishnu repeated. "After one year, you shall come and get me. If I refuse to leave then you need to kill me."

"My Lord?" Narada had said in horror. "Please no…"

But it was too late. Vishnu had already transformed himself into a mother pig who violently discharged Narada from her cave.

One year later, Narada now cried over the corpse of that same mother pig. When his anguish had become so great he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Vishnu standing above him, radiant and smiling.

"Thank you, Narada," said Vishnu. "I was so happy being that mother pig that I forgot what I really am. Though painful and unwanted, thrusting that spear through my belly freed me from the illusion that I was content just being a pig."

"It hurt me so to do so," said Narada. "I didn't want to harm you."

"It hurts me also to bring suffering upon my children," said Vishnu. "But such is how it must be. As you say, my delusion is too strong."

I have mixed feelings about the tragedy in Boston today. My feelings aren’t mixed about what happened. For that, there is deep sadness for all who are affected.

My mixed feelings are about how so many tragedies, like this one, go on every day yet don’t receive the same degree of compassion and support as those tragedies which are most highly publicized.

My mixed feelings are about how some tragedies are considered “acceptable losses” and swept under the rug merely because they happened in faraway countries or minority cultures in our own society where tragedy isn’t a rare occurrence… it’s a way of life.

My mixed feelings are about how even the tragedies in our daily lives are forgotten, or even minimized, because the “big” tragedies didn’t happen to us uniquely.

While I deeply honor the loss of lives, sanity, safety, and much more from today’s tragedy in Boston,

I also want to take this moment to honor the tragedies that each and every person in this world goes through:

Big and small…

Close and far away…

For people alive today and also those who are no longer with us.

In our reflection and holding space, let us remember this quote from Henry Ward Beecher:

“Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation.”

We cannot change what happened nor what happens. We cannot change others. We can change our view of the world and how we react to it.

Let us have faith in the goodness of humanity even when the world gives us justifiable reason not to.

Let us create the world we want, even amidst the chaos – even when that seems to pull us so quickly and easily away from the very world we seek to create.

Let us love even when it hurts.

Let us unify even with those who seek to divide.

For any other way…

Is only creating more of the same world we seek so deeply in our hearts to heal.

Spring is upon us, and it's often a time of cleaning…

As a child, I really didn't like "Spring Cleaning." It meant doing all kinds of chores that hadn't been done for the whole year. Not that I liked chores. I just liked them even less when spring cleaning came around.

Fortunately as I've deepened into my spiritual practice I've come to really appreciate "spring cleaning" — not just the literal cleaning of my environment — also the cleaning of my mind.

See, our inner and outer environments are reflections of each other. When we feel chaotic or busy inside, usually our room, house, or car are messes. As this tension becomes greater, we can actually feel an impulse (or even compulsion) to clean our physical spaces.

Similarly, when we feel calm inside, we'll usually notice our environment either is clean or that we have a desire to "tidy up."

What's beautiful about this realization is that we can actually create change in our lives either by changing inside (and thus our outer life changes), or we can literally just start cleaning up our living space -and- by natural consequence, we will feel calmer and more peaceful inside.

Now with that in mind, today I'm grateful to share with you 3 "spring cleaning" opportunities from The Shift Network. See, I've been connecting with many of the TSN staff and teachers for years individually, but this is the first time I've worked specifically with TSN.

The catalyst was the deepening of my connection with a beautiful soul who I finally met (though knew for years virtually) at the Wisdom 2.0 conference.

His name is Lion Goodman (what an awesome name, btw!) and he's leading a free teleseminar called "The 4 Essential Steps to Spring Clean Your Mind."

Just like our house needs cleaning, we also carry around dusty old boxes of mental junk and outdated beliefs around with us. This causes us to repeate the same limitations, patterns, and failures of previous years. Even those of us who have spent years doing inner work or meditation can be run by old beliefs. They're that powerful.

I know because I'm *always* un-covering subconscious limiting beliefs that need closer examination, and ultimately, releasing. They're that powerful.

To help you release some of these old beliefs, Lion (who has also authored multiple books and an audio program produced by Sounds True) is going to lead you through his simple and powerful "Belief Closet" process to help you experience better results in your life. He's helped thousands of people, and now you can experience his methods first hand as well.

Learn The 4 Essential Steps to Spring Clean Your Mind

As I mentioned, Lion is a truly wonderful man — whose heart shines right through his eyes and out into the world. I'm confident you'll enjoy this free seminar with him.

There's also two more "spring cleaning" opportunities from The Shift Network coming up soon that I also highly recommend.

You can read more about them below in these messages from The Shift Network…

It's time for women to rise up and reshape the world!

If you know that in your bones but haven't been feeling like you've yet got the inspiration, allies, and skills to play your perfect role, the great news is that 40 truly inspiring women – from Marianne Williamson to Lucy Liu and Lisa Nichols – are ready to serve you.

They are helping us to see how we can step into powerful leadership in a way that is impactful, soulful, and fulfilling. It's not just about winning the game on masculine terms but about a new kind of women's movement that embraces our feminine essence.

At the free online Inspiring Women Summit, which begins soon, you'll have the opportunity to learn from them and other top transformational leaders like Seane Corn, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Gabrielle Bernstein about how we pioneer this new feminine path together. You'll also connect with amazing sisters from around the world.

They'll be sharing the secrets of their spiritual, creative, relationship and professional success in service to a larger vision of co-creating a new world.

Join Inspiring Women From Around The World

Do you ever wish you could do more to help the Earth? Do you wish there was one place you could go to discover the latest information about sustainability and learn simple, practical tools you can use to create a more sustainable lifestyle?

It's easy to become concerned about the state of our world, yet what if we shift our focus a bit to see that progress is being made? We are beginning to shift the direction of our world toward a truly sustainable, thriving planet. As more of us make a commitment to more sustainable choices we accelerate the process.

We have the power to co-create a truly sustainable planet for ourselves, our children and grandchildren, and for all living beings. If you've ever thought that living sustainably takes too much work or was too expensive, it's time to shatter that myth.

With the Spring of Sustainability, a FREE online sustainability conference, you will learn many simple, affordable steps you can take NOW to make your life greener while also enhancing your lifestyle.

You'll hear from more than 30 leading sustainability pioneers including John Perkins, Joanna Macy, Francis Moore Lappé, and Andrew Harvey on subjects like:

• Discover simple daily actions you can take NOW that actually enhance your lifestyle while helping to create a sustainable world
• Be inspired to create stronger communities and a greener world by engaging your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers in simple, fun activities
• Learn about the latest cutting-edge research into sustainable solutions
• And much more…

The Spring of Sustainability will open your eyes and your mind to the many simple, affordable steps you can take NOW to make your life greener while also enhancing your lifestyle!

Join the free 'Spring Of Sustainability' Online Conference

Back in college, I took a speech class that forever changed my views on problem solving.

One of our assignments was to choose a social or political issue and speak either for or against it. At the time, I was a proponent of the death penalty. I decided that I'd write about why the death penalty was a good idea. At the time, I believed in an eye for an eye and that that execution was a reasonable way to bring justice to killers.

As I researched my paper though, I discovered something interesting…

Aside from a belief in "eye for an eye" there was not a single logically justifiable reason to support the death penalty. It even costs more to execute a person than it does to lock them up in maximum state prison for a life sentence (40 years).

I was faced with a dilemma: Which side of the death penalty do I speak in favor of?

Ultimately, the success-driven aspect of my personality won out. I wanted an A on this paper, and so I decided to speak against the death penalty. I gave my speech and cited all the reasons why it should't be used anymore. It was a great speach, and I earned an A. I thought I was done.

And I was wrong. The next speech was significantly more difficult.

We were asked to speak about a solution which would appeal to people who were both against and for our previous position. I thought the project was insane.

After all, how can two completely polar opposite positions find peace with one another?

One side wants people to die. The other wants them to live. That seemed pretty black and white to me.

Not only that, but I didn't even believe in the position I had advocated for! I truly was between a rock and a hard place with this one.

Then I realized the reason this assignment was so valuable was because it forced the students to think without the box. It wasn't just about thinking outside the box. We couldn't just go get a better box. We couldn't just try to make one position bigger or better until it overpowered the weaker side. We literally had to throw our preconcieved ideas away if we wanted to have any chance of solving this dilemma.
    
After some time of reflection, I realized what the solution was.

Ironically, it had absolutely nothing to do with advocating for or against the death penalty. The solution was so surprisingly simple that I realized no sane person would object to it. The answer? Reduce the number of murders in the world.

Hypothetically, if this solution were taken to the extreme, there would be no murders. No murders would mean no need for the death penalty. And not needing to execute people would be something that people both for and against the death penalty would be able to agree on. At the very least, both sides would be able to agree that less killing was beneficial.
    
My speech was brilliant, thought-provoking, and some of my solutions were downright offensive to some people. That's because I didn't hold any punches. I explored several potential solutions to reduce the number of murders in the world.

I had gone way beyond "the box" at this point, and it taught me a lot.

The most important thing I learned though, was about what it really takes to create win-win solutions to problems. I discovered that when faced with a difficult decision, sometimes we have to let go of what we think the answer is, or even what the answer could be.

Sometimes we have to stop being ourselves, stop being the other person, and step into a new space of unknown and mysterious possibility.

Next time you're faced with a difficult decision, take a few moments and pause.

Let go of having a side or a position to defend. Just be with the challenge for a little while and be curious about it. Go underneath the issue or challenge at hand and ask yourself, "What do people on both sides of this issue really want? Deep down what do they want?"

You'll notice that most of the time, people want the same things. They just have different ways of expressing that in the world.

When you get this…

When you really get it…

The next step is to look for ways that might be able to give everyone involved what they want. What you'll find is a lot happier, more peaceful world.

And it'll be a world that you've helped co-create.