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Marianne Williamson, since she decided to run for President, has generated a lot of talk by insinuating that God and prayer could have some effect on our realities of the day.  Some it seems are more than dismissive about these concepts – they seem actually annoyed – are they somehow threatened by this thinking?  Why all the intense sentiment?

ART P:  There is NO God- Thinking that God exists is a Delusion. It is the most wide spread delusion there is. Saying God is Love or any variety such as God is Universal Energy--God is the Oneness , are ALL ways of Re Framing a Word--God_ that should not be used at all. If it is an illusion ,then when you say God is Love, in effect you are saying that Love is also an illusion. Just STOP using the word... If someone had the delusion that Mickey Mouse is God...would we then say that Mickey Mouse is Love...NO.... to have a CLEAR mind, one must remove ALL Delusions----If those that claim that the God Delusion is Religion--that is there problem and it becomes the worlds problem when political leaders, etc use God to justify or explain.. Clear ones mind... Love is Love...

And here is my probably too lengthy response…

You are GOD - Art and the rest of you. You happen to be caught in a matrix of sorts and therefore believe the world you perceive is more than an illusion. The real deal is that you are an immortal being playing an adventure game that you have chosen to participate in hoping to write a satisfying story for yourself. Like any good adventure game, there are plenty of challenges and your character will die if you don't make the right choices with some of them. Not to worry - the God part of you can't die so like a video game you can always play a new game hoping to have learned some things along the way. That does not diminish the pain of those left behind but if you can recognize that the God part of them has gone nowhere - it has only been freed from the character it created to play the game. Maybe they will decide to jump right back into the game and even find a new way to interact directly with you - you know those people that you meet and seems like you have known them a long time? The challenge that you have in a new game is that you start each game with a fairly clean slate. Only occasionally do people recall things from past lives all though they may have learned some lessons. 

Now one thing many get mixed up about is the idea of "judging" - God and sin - that part is where "religions" got all screwed up - they wanted to exercise control over our behavior and therefore needed to create the concept of guilt and some divine punishment for "wrong-doing".  These are not "God" ideas - they are human ideas designed to for control.  

We each have total free will and you are the only one that can evaluate the positive or negative of your actions. There are some operating principles - one key concept is Newton's 3rd Law - "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction".  You can do whatever you want but it will always come back to you.  This is "karma" - the more positive the energy of your beliefs and actions, the more satisfying your story will be - but you are always in charge of the story line. You do have an "emotional compass" - whenever you are not sure about how to move forward, ask yourself if it "feels" right? People talk about what their "gut" told them - that's it. That direction and most any other input you want is available by "asking". 

The reality is you are a very sophisticated "bio-computer" that always has access to an infinite "cloud network". The bottom line is that it is "consciousness" that is creating it all. Everyone is creating their own interactive adventure - we are all in it together but no two people live in an identical reality. We will stop here - maybe you think this an interesting science fiction story or maybe you think it is like Toto pulling aside the curtain on the Wizard of Oz... you can believe anything you want and that is the reality you will find yourself in. 

You may want to visit www.WeAreGod.org for more thoughts.

Marianne Williamson suggests using ‘the power of the mind’ to change Hurricane Dorian’s course.

This has generated many amused and sarcastic comments from media and the general public alike. 

While the power of prayer to affect outcomes is claimed to be accepted by a great many people, it seems that since Williamson is running for President, faith in her promoting prayer as an option is absurd to any actually rational person. 

“The Bahamas, Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas … may all be in our prayers now,” Williamson tweeted, according to images posted by several Twitter users. “Millions of us seeing Dorian turn away from land is not a wacky idea; it is a creative use of the power of the mind. Two minutes of prayer, visualization, meditation for those in the way of the storm.”

In response to people who found the statement foolish, Ms. Williamson’s campaign responded by deleting the tweet.  “It was a metaphor,” Williamson spokeswoman Patricia Ewing said in a statement. “When others speak of prayer and the mind it’s considered profound, but Williamson is held to a different standard”.  I personally think Marianne Williamson should have been more like our current President and double down on her statement regardless of how it might be criticized.  I happen to believe that many in this country and around the world do believe prayer can have an effect on shaping reality.

Do you believe your thoughts/prayers can alter Reality?      

Ms. Williamson believes this and nothing in science can prove it false.  In fact ideas arising out of Quantum Physics are affirming that consciousness can have an impact on the results gotten in an experiment. 

There are some famous photographs by a Japanese scientist named Dr. Emoto.  His series of photos were of various water samples, and they clearly demonstrated the power of thinking on “reality.”  He divided the samples into groups and then had his volunteers direct their “thoughts” at individual samples.  Here’s the revealing result.  The photographs taken of water molecules exposed to “positive” thoughts formed beautiful crystal shapes.  The water molecules exposed to “negative” thoughts became chaotic, with no patterns forming.  Same water; the only difference was how some random people “thought” about them.  Thoughts of love and appreciation resulted in beautiful patterns forming.  Send hate and anger toward those same samples, and all the beautiful patterns breakdown. Order is lost.  That belief is not a part of the reality most people live in.

To someone with no appreciation for the power of consciousness to influence the future, Williamson’s ideas would of course seem ridiculous.  One should be reminded that much of what we accept as simple fact today was once considered ridiculous by most.  As the inevitable evolution of human consciousness continues, those who thought Williamson’s “power of mind” idea ridiculous will likely be viewed simply as less informed or individuals less conscious of the actual workings of reality.  Not enough of us have reached the level of acceptance of our actual capabilities to appreciate the power of prayer and in a future day they will be simply be considered less evolved primitive thinkers. 

It probably will hurt her chance of reaching a high place in the government of this country but we encourage Marianne Williamson to keep reminding people that they can consciously impact the realities they experience in the world around them.  Are you, are we willing to regain the faith in our ability to shape our world.  Please visit DesignerOrReality.com for more ideas about shaping the future rather than just dealing with an uncertain world to come.

MAGIC: What kind of life are you creating for yourself?

Believing makes it so. 

The only thing that will prevent you from getting anything you want is your failure to believe you can or should have it.  

We are not here simply to witness Creation – we are the Creators.  

LEARN HOW

Since what you believe is totally under your control – it really does not matter what anyone else believes – you are always deciding for yourself what you believe. There are a lot of obstacles though, because in our “connected” world, we are barraged virtually non-stop with the opinions of others defining reality. Most of us become hypnotized by the narrative of others as we are continually being told how we should think about the world around us. It is very easy to get to the point – particularly if there is a lot going on that we do not like – where we begin to feel hopeless and worried about life and existence on this planet. Many people feel that things are spiraling totally out of control. They believe they have little if any control over the reality of their lives. This is a very sad place to be.

If you find yourself worrying about the fate of the planet or the safety of you, your family and friends or anything else, it is because you are accepting other people’s stories for your life story instead of taking responsibility for creating what you want for yourself. It’s easy to understand, because you may never have even considered that you were in charge and could have anything you wanted.  Working on accepting that possibility is the first step. For most of us, that is a BIG step because we have spent years developing this character we believe ourselves to be based primarily on what we believed others expected of us or we thought the ideal was to be like some role model currently popular in the media. Lots of times we may not have even thought others had much expectation for us at all.  Very often, we likely found the people we came into contact with were more interested in sucking us into sharing a belief in all their perceived problems rather than encouraging us to reach for our dreams. 

The main reason people want to believe reality is something going on outside of them is because most people are not willing to accept that they are entirely responsible for everything going on in their life. Quite possibly, no one has told you that you are in total control over what happens in your life story – it is not a lot different than changing the channel you watch or the movies you go see – each is part of shaping the reality you perceive.  It’s all programming for that bio-computer of yours.

You were born with the power... most people forget how it works.

You Are God - An In-Depth Conversation with Dr. Wayne Dyer

You Are God

Dr. Wayne W. Dyer has been teaching people to live better lives for nearly 40 years. First coming from the perspective of a psychologist and then as a spiritual teacher, his books, recordings, and talks have influenced millions. After four decades, his core message has become incredibly simple and equally profound: You are the same as your Source. You are God. Because you come from God, you cannot be anything but God. All of Dr. Dyer’s current work boils down to helping people realize this fundamental truth and overcome obstacles to living lives that fully recognize it.

Dr. Dyer is the most popular teacher in the mind/body/spirit genre. He has written more than 30 books, and his National Public Television specials have raised more than $120 million for public television. The most recent vehicles of his teaching include the 2007 book Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao, in which Dr. Dyer reflects upon the verses of the Tao Te Ching and their wisdom in living a life of balance and alignment with nature; his new bookExcuses Begone!, in which he examines how to overcome memes—the viral, self-defeating thinking habits that prevent you from living your life’s purpose; and the new feature film The Shift, which stars Dr. Dyer, Portia de Rossi, and Michael DeLuise in a spiritual movie about discovering that life purpose.

We sat down with Dr. Dyer in Tampa, Florida, and talked about current topics both metaphysical and mainstream, from the law of attraction to laws about gay marriage; from the impact of Lao-tzu to the impact of Barack Obama; and from how we are failing future generations to how we can best serve them.

Hemachandra: Starting with The Secret, which has reached such a wide audience, the emphasis in today’s popular understanding of the law of attraction is predominantly about material wealth. What are the consequences of that kind of skew to this teaching?

Dyer: First of all, I think the law of attraction has been misstated. You do not attract what you want. You attract what you are. That’s how the law of attraction works.

Twenty-five centuries ago in ancient China, Lao-tzu said there were four virtues. If you live them—if you live in a place of God-consciousness—the universe will give you God-consciousness. If you live in a place of ego-consciousness, though, the universe will give you more of that.

One virtue is reverence for all of life. You revere all life. You never kill, you never harm, you never wish harm, and you never have thoughts of harm directed toward yourself or others. Another virtue is natural sincerity, which is manifested as honesty. Just be honest with who you are. Don’t pretend to be something you’re not. Don’t be a phony. Walk your talk. That’s how God works, so doing it is emulating how Source works. The third virtue is gentleness, which manifests as kindness toward all others.

The fourth virtue, which is relevant here, is supportiveness. If you say to the universe, “Gimme, gimme, gimme,” which is what a lot of the work around the law of attraction says because of a misinterpretation, then the universe gives you back what you offered out. You get more “gimme, gimme, gimme.” “Gimme” means you don’t have enough. You have a shortage. The universe just keeps giving you more shortage because of what you’re thinking and saying.

If, on the other hand, you say to the universe again and again, “How may I serve? How may I serve? How may I serve?” and you live a life of constancy reflecting that principle, the universe will respond back, “How may I serve you?”

Hemachandra: With an approach centered on lack and need, even if you are getting things, the feeling of shortage keeps coming back to you. So no matter what you get, you still always feel the need, don’t you?

Dyer: Exactly, and that’s why I say you don’t get what you want, you get what you are. When you live the virtues—when you live in that place of God-consciousness—all these rules we have about cause and effect, beginnings and ends, don’t have any impact or relevance. As Joel Goldsmith said, in the presence of the God realized, the laws of the material world do not apply.

That’s why people who live steadfastly at a place of God-consciousness can perform miracles. They can create. They can make virtually anything happen. From the space in-between, that last inch is the critical inch you have to take to reach that place. Every once in a while, I get to that place of God-consciousness, and miracles do happen.

Health Care Victory in Nigeria

Nigeria Celebrates 3 Years Without New Wild Polio Cases

Why Global Citizens Should Care

Polio once threatened hundreds of thousands of people around the world. In 2019, there have been a total of 65 wild poliovirus reported in just two countries — the virus is 99.9% eradicated. Vaccination has played a vital role in reaching this point, which is why continued funding to the GPEI is so necessary. Join Global Citizen and take action now.

It has officially been three years since Nigeria last reported a case of wild polio virus in its country, marking a significant milestone in the fight against this infectious disease.

Nigeria was the last country in Africa to record cases of wild polio, which means that the African continent as a whole can now apply to be certified as polio-free by the Africa Regional Certification Commission.

“Being three years without polio gives us confidence that we’ve been doing the right thing to keep the poliovirus at bay,” Tunji Funsho, Nigeria National PolioPlus Chair for Rotary International, told Global Citizen. “But there’s a lot that still needs to be done before certification.” 

From our partner Citi 

A Text Message Can Help Hungry Kids Find Free Meals

No Kid Hungry, with support from our partner Citi, has an innovative solution to help kids in the US get the meals they need when school is out. →

South Africa Just Banned the Apartheid Flag

The landmark ruling states that any public display of the flag will constitute hate speech aimed at the country’s marginalized groups. →

80-Year-Old Woman Wins Compensation After Living in Modern Slavery

Mary Cavner finally won compensation from the Irish government after being a victim of forced labor in a laundry for almost six years. →

Watch Shakira Call for Investments in Education

The artist is urging governments and businesses to invest in early child development programs so that children can reach their full potential. →

Tell US Congress: #ItsBloodyTime We Keep Girls in School

Call on the US House of Representatives and Senate to ensure that every girl has the opportunity to pursue a quality education. 

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I'm doing nothing and that is a refreshing change

are here

The Importance of Doing Nothing: Art of Relaxation

By Rachelle Williams

“Doing nothing is better than being busy doing nothing.” –Lao Tzu


A visit to Italy will soon have you embracing the concept of dolce far niente or “sweetness of doing nothing.” It does not mean being lazy; instead, it’s the idea of finding pleasure in idleness or relaxation. It is the ability to savor an experience, relishing the feeling of wholeness as it fills what is empty. This is a different sort of doing nothing, much more than laying around and wasting time. It offers the opportunity to be in the moment in whatever way you choose and, in the process, improve your life in surprising ways.


Think about the last time you did something only because it pleased you, not because it was expected. This is what makes it so sweet, and such a gift. Society has shifted toward prioritizing hyper-productivity, making the notion of doing nothing seem unproductive and inefficient. If there is time left unfilled during the day, there is an urge to fill it with something. It’s no wonder people have such a hard time relaxing and enjoying moments of nothingness.


If the idea of spending time relaxing and doing nothing is uncomfortable, you are not alone. This is a skill you may have lost touch with but can be reacquired with a bit of practice. The potential is there within you (you had it as a kid) so give yourself permission to at least give it a try.
The Deeper Meaning


For Italians, dolce far niente is a part of everyday life, and they do it well. It is observed in families taking a stroll together, sipping wine with friends at a café, enjoying good coffee, and watching the passersby. Noticeably, there is a feeling of presence and truly enjoying the moment as it is. It is simple and pure. Doing nothing can be an event in itself!


It serves an important purpose as well, probably unwittingly to most, in that it provides a sense of connection, not only to each other but with yourself. As a result, you end up gaining greater clarity about what is important to you at your core. This is a stimulating, always on-the-go society and it has become the default form of living, especially in the West. There is so much pressure to perform and meet expectations, creating a treadmill of stressful activity day after day.


Somewhere along the way society gave up on notions such as relaxation, idleness, and living in the moment as an important part of daily life. Having periods of time with little activity has always been a part of life and was assuredly accepted and enjoyed by your ancestors in a way that has been long forgotten. It never had to be defined, until now. It is easy to be consumed by should’s and must’s. It is easy to forget some of your most basic needs and, along with them, the most basic ways of fulfilling them.

The Importance of Relaxation

With the mindfulness movement, the notion of dolce far niente isn’t as far-fetched as you may have thought. There is something to be said about sitting down and pressing pause on your life from time to time, giving yourself space to take a deep breath and simply be. Mindfulness practices such as meditation, yoga, or nature walks create the space to not only experience—but recognize—life’s sweet moments. The turbulence you and many others feel within can be likened to mud that has been stirred so much it’s hard to see through to what is possible, but it can be settled during moments of quiet.


Start to think of your time spent in solitude or engaging in a relaxing activity as an investment in your health, longevity, and well-being. The belief of not having enough time in the day is a myth that can be unraveled. Everyone has the same amount of time in a day; start to be aware of what consumes your time.


Contrary to what you might think, being too busy can be counterproductive. Think of a washing machine that is crammed with too many clothes. Not much actual washing takes place because there is not enough space to move and churn. This same concept applies to life in general; you can use a little more space to help connect to the pulse of life and enjoy the pleasures it has to offer, no matter how small.


Here are a few of the benefits you may experience from incorporating more relaxing or pleasurable “doing nothing” moments into your days:
Restorative—both mentally and physically
Grounding
Improves relationships
Relieves stress
More productive
Connects you with your intuition
Boosts creativity
Allows time for reflection
Helps to process ideas and information

The Art of Relaxation

Initially, trying to sit down and relax can be overwhelming—like opening the floodgates. Your nervous system may have been over-stimulated for so long that it might have a hard time recalibrating and adjusting to this newfound activity. You can’t expect to be going a mile a minute and then be able to stop without allowing some transition time. Be gentle on yourself and patient and start by doing small nothings at first. You may need to give your body and mind a little time to adjust and learn the importance of doing nothing.


Quick Practice Exercise
Set aside 5–10 minutes of time at home or someplace quiet where you feel calm and comfortable. Turn off all distractions and let people know not to disturb you. Try placing your phone in a different room from the one you are in as this is a powerful distraction. 

Now, close your eyes—or you can choose not to, do what feels comfortable—and then simply do nothing, whatever that means to you. The idea is that if someone were to call and ask what you were up to in that moment, you would say, legitimately, “nothing.” 

After 5–10 minutes, stop and observe how you feel. Was it uncomfortable? Was it relaxing? There will be many feelings and thoughts that arise, just observe them all without judgment. This is a starting point to help you test the waters and begin tapping into your inner world where your needs and desires lie. You will find it requires a bit of practice at first. Try doing this each day for a couple weeks, put it in your calendar, and see how it evolves and what begins to emerge.


There are many ways to engage in idle activity; it’s an art that you will refine over time. If you need some ideas here are some creative ways to spend time enjoying the sweetness of doing nothing:

• Take an epsom salt bath.
• Disconnect from technology for a day.
• Read a good book.
• Perform breathing exercises.
• Have a day of rest.
• Watch your children play.
• Take time to smell the roses (of course!).
• Discover your inner artist.
• Give someone a hug.
• Take an afternoon nap.
• Watch the sunset or stare at the stars at night.
• Have dinner with a dear friend or loved one.
• Enjoy your food.
• Take a walk in nature.
• Meditate.

The options are endless. You might look at this list and think you are not necessarily doing nothing, you are always doing something. Remember, the idea is to find pleasure in moments of idleness or relaxation. Enjoy those moments where you heart is full and you feel lighter as your burdens are uplifted, even if it’s just during that time. You are giving yourself the space to think and feel deeply in a way that can’t happen when consumed by the busyness of your daily activities.


You don’t need to go to Italy to experience dolce far niente. It’s time to relax and reclaim that part of yourself. You were given the ability to feel and experience life in a complicated, often messy, but always beautiful way. Take advantage of the gift of pure pleasure you were given—life is short! What will you do today to start re-discovering the sweetness of doing nothing?


Ready to start flowing with the Universe, instead of against it? Learn a natural, effortless style of meditation that helps make every day feel easy, fresh, and fulfilling with Basics of Meditation, a self-paced online course guided by Deepak Chopra. Learn More.

President George W. Bush's chief speechwriter, Michael Gerson, has a message of importance.

This is from a Republican. George W. Bush's speechwriter. ***Warning; it is graphic ***.

President George W. Bush's chief speechwriter, Michael Gerson, has a message for people who are excusing President Trump's racism:

"I had fully intended to ignore President Trump’s latest round of racially charged taunts against an African American elected official, and an African American activist, and an African American journalist and a whole city with a lot of African Americans in it. I had every intention of walking past Trump’s latest outrages and writing about the self-destructive squabbling of the Democratic presidential field, which has chosen to shame former vice president Joe Biden for the sin of being an electable, moderate liberal.

But I made the mistake of pulling James Cone’s 'The Cross and the Lynching Tree' off my shelf — a book designed to shatter convenient complacency.

Cone recounts the case of a white mob in Valdosta, Ga., in 1918 that lynched an innocent man named Haynes Turner. Turner’s enraged wife, Mary, promised justice for the killers. The sheriff responded by arresting her and then turning her over to the mob, which included women and children. According to one source, Mary was 'stripped, hung upside down by the ankles, soaked with gasoline, and roasted to death. In the midst of this torment, a white man opened her swollen belly with a hunting knife and her infant fell to the ground and was stomped to death.'

God help us.

It is hard to write the words.

This evil — the evil of white supremacy, resulting in dehumanization, inhumanity and murder — is the worst stain, the greatest crime, of U.S. history. It is the thing that nearly broke the nation. It is the thing that proved generations of Christians to be vicious hypocrites. It is the thing that turned normal people into moral monsters, capable of burning a grieving widow to death and killing her child.

When the president of the United States plays with that fire or takes that beast out for a walk, it is not just another political event, not just a normal day in campaign 2020. It is a cause for shame. It is the violation of martyrs’ graves. It is obscene graffiti on the Lincoln Memorial. It is, in the eyes of history, the betrayal — the re-betrayal — of Haynes and Mary Turner and their child. And all of this is being done by an ignorant and arrogant narcissist reviving racist tropes for political gain, indifferent to the wreckage he is leaving, the wounds he is ripping open.

Like, I suspect, many others, I am finding it hard to look at resurgent racism as just one in a series of presidential offenses or another in a series of Republican errors. Racism is not just another wrong. The Antietam battlefield is not just another plot of ground. The Edmund Pettus Bridge is not just another bridge. The balcony outside Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel is not just another balcony. As U.S. history hallows some causes, it magnifies some crimes.

What does all this mean politically? It means that Trump’s divisiveness is getting worse, not better. He makes racist comments, appeals to racist sentiments and inflames racist passions. The rationalization that he is not, deep down in his heart, really a racist is meaningless. Trump’s continued offenses mean that a large portion of his political base is energized by racist tropes and the language of white grievance. And it means — whatever their intent — that those who play down, or excuse, or try to walk past these offenses are enablers.

Some political choices are not just stupid or crude.

They represent the return of our country’s cruelest, most dangerous passion. Such racism indicts Trump. Treating racism as a typical or minor matter indicts us." — Michael Gerson