By your living and breathing, bring light into the dark areas around us. Love now, love all and love always!

[Anchor]

--

I posted something similar on the previous incarnation of this forum. The passage of time has allowed for some improvement.

Things to do...

• Radiate the love and the light of the one infinite creator
• Eschew fear and negativity
• Help those who ask, to understand what is going on
• Assert leadership when needed
• Provide a supporting role when required
• Be beacons of calm in troubled times
• Contribute to the manifestation of the new paradigm
• Let your compassion be unfettered by judgement
• Express truth
• Know that you are responsible for every thought, act, word and deed and their consequences
• Locate the love in this moment
• Look around you and see the creator

Every mighty oak tree was once a nut that stood its ground

Stand your ground.

[greybeard]

The book "Power vs Force" by the late Dr David Hawkins was very clear on how raising ones own "personal" spiritual vibration/energy affected the collective consciousness which in a way sets the "ways of the world"

An enlightened being positively affects the collective consciousness massively.
Even a person doing one good act raises the collective--so it matters what we do in thought and deed.
Intention is all important, as is gratitude for what is brought into our day.
Hawkins maintained that one good act is more powerful than one selfish one.

Not everyone is interested in Enlightenment but this is claimed to be the most productive route to take in making a difference to the collective--improving the lot of everyone.

Chris

[Sunny-side-up]

Just be as good and as nice as often as you can, when ever you can.
That is all you can expect of your self

[onawah]

Giving Thanks Does Your Body Good
by Dr. Joseph Mercola
November 28, 2019

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...n-health.aspx?

"STORY AT-A-GLANCE
Gratitude involves affirming the good in your life and recognizing its sources. It is the understanding that life owes you nothing, and that the good things in your life are gifts that cannot be taken for granted
Gratitude is uniquely important to psychological well-being. In teenagers, gratitude has been found to correlate with positive emotions, life satisfaction, social support and prosocial behavior
Gratitude lowers stress, improves depression and improves emotional resiliency; researchers have suggested gratitude practice can be used as a psychotherapeutic intervention
One particularly potent strategy is to write a letter of gratitude to someone whom you’ve not properly thanked for their kindness, and to hand deliver the letter to them. This has been shown to result in an immediate and significant increase in happiness that can last for up to a month
A dozen different strategies are reviewed, all of which can help you build and strengthen your sense of gratitude
Focusing on gratitude has become a growing trend in recent years,1 and for good reason. There’s a lot of stress, illness and unhappiness in the world, and gratitude is an effective remedy for all of these — and it’s free. For example, research shows that gratitude:2,3,4,5

Alters your brain in a number of beneficial ways — Examples include triggering release of mood-regulating neurotransmitters6 such as dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine and oxytocin; inhibiting the stress hormone cortisol; and stimulating your hypothalamus (a brain area involved in the regulation of stress) and your ventral tegmental area (part of your brain’s reward circuitry that produces pleasurable feelings)7

Increases happiness and life satisfaction8,9

Lowers stress and emotional distress

Improves emotional resiliency10

Reduces symptoms of depression11,12

Reduces pain

Lowers inflammation by inhibiting inflammatory cytokines

Lowers blood sugar

Improves immune function13

Lowers blood pressure

Improves heart health,14 reducing the likelihood of sudden death in patients with congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease

Lowers risk for heart disease15,16

Improves general health by encouraging self-care17,18

Improves sleep19

Improves interpersonal relationships20

Boosts productivity21

Reduces materialism22 and increases generosity,23 both of which can increase happiness and life satisfaction

Gratitude Defined
As explained by Harvard Medical School:24

“Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives.

In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.”

According to one study,25 gratitude is “uniquely important to psychological well-being.” In teenagers, gratitude has been found to correlate with “positive affect, global and domain specific life satisfaction, optimism, social support and prosocial behavior.”26 It’s even been suggested that gratitude practice and cultivation can be used as a psychotherapeutic intervention with positive effect.27

Finding What Works
As psychologist Laurie Santos, who teaches the science of happiness at Yale, told NPR,28 "It's one of the practices that really wins out from the field of positive psychology, because it takes very little time, and the benefits are so powerful."

As noted by Harvard,29 there are many ways to feel and express gratitude, and all are equally valid. You can think back to positive memories, for example, applying gratitude for past blessings.

Feeling and expressing gratitude in the present helps remind you to not take good fortune for granted. Applied to the future, it becomes an expression of hope and optimism that everything will work out for the best, even if you cannot see the road ahead.

For best results, the key is to find a method that feels meaningful to you. For some, writing a gratitude list first thing in the morning might do the trick. For others, quietly contemplating what you’re grateful for — past, present or future — at the end of each day works better.

One particularly potent strategy is to write a letter of gratitude to someone whom you’ve not properly thanked for their kindness, and to hand deliver the letter to them. In one study,30,31 doing this resulted in an immediate and significant increase in happiness score that lasted for an entire month.

When Gratitude Is a Struggle
Depending on circumstances, gratitude can sometimes be a struggle. Researchers say the best way to overcome this hurdle (which can trigger even more pessimism or guilt) is to find one tiny little thing to be grateful for, and to focus on that one thing.

Maybe you’ve lost your job and your car was repossessed but — thankfully — there’s a bus stop within easy walking distance. Over time, you’ll find it becomes easier to identify additional things to be thankful for.32

Another way to flex your gratitude muscle when life events leave you uninspired is to identify and express gratitude for seemingly “useless” or insignificant things. It could be a certain smell in the air, the color of a flower, your child’s freckles or the curvature of a stone. Over time, you’ll find that doing this will help home your ability to identify “good” things in your life.

Materialism and Entitlement — Two Common Blocks to Gratitude
According to Robert Emmons, one of the leading scientific experts on gratitude,33 materialism and entitlement are two common stumbling blocks to gratitude, so if you cannot find anything to be thankful for, consider whether you might have fallen into one of these traps. As explained in a newsletter by Greater Good Science Center:34

“Seen through the lens of buying and selling, relationships as well as things are viewed as disposable, and gratitude cannot survive this … Research has proven that gratitude is essential for happiness, but modern times have regressed gratitude into a mere feeling instead of retaining its historic value, a virtue that leads to action …

[G]ratitude is an action of returning a favor and is not just a sentiment. By the same token, ingratitude is the failure to both acknowledge receiving a favor and refusing to return or repay the favor … If we fail to choose [gratitude], by default we choose ingratitude …

Provision, whether supernatural or natural, becomes so commonplace that it is easily accepted for granted. We believe the universe owes us a living. We do not want to be beholden. Losing sight of protection, favors, benefits and blessings renders a person spiritually and morally bankrupt …

People who are ungrateful tend to be characterized by an excessive sense of self-importance, arrogance, vanity and an unquenchable need for admiration and approval.

Narcissists reject the ties that bind people into relationships of reciprocity. They expect special favors and feel no need to pay back or pay forward … Without empathy, they cannot appreciate an altruistic gift because they cannot identify with the mental state of the gift-giver.”

If entitlement is the hallmark of narcissism, then humility is the antidote and the answer when you struggle with gratitude. As noted by Emmons, “The humble person says that life is a gift to be grateful for, not a right to be claimed. Humility ushers in a grateful response to life.”35

So, gratitude isn’t a response to receiving “your due,” but rather the recognition that life owes you nothing, yet provided you with everything you have anyway — a place to live, family, friends, work, your eyesight, your breath, indeed your very life. When you start seeing everything as a gift, opposed to things you’ve deserved (for better or worse), your sense of gratitude will begin to swell.

How to Build and Strengthen Gratitude
While keeping a daily gratitude journal is highly recommended, there are many other ways to practice gratitude. I’ve compiled suggestions from various experts below. The key is to stay consistent. Find a way to incorporate your chosen method into each week, and stick with it.

Write thank-you notes36 — When thanking someone, be specific and acknowledge the effort and/or cost involved.

Say grace at each meal — Adopting the ritual of saying grace at each meal is a great way to flex your gratitude muscle on a daily basis,37 and will also foster a deeper connection to your food.

While this can be a perfect opportunity to honor a spiritual connection with the divine, you don’t have to turn it into a religious speech if you don’t want to. You could simply say, “I am grateful for this food, and appreciate all the time and hard work that went into its production, transportation and preparation.”

Change your perception — Disappointment can be a major source of stress, which is known to have far-reaching effects on your health and longevity. In fact, centenarians overwhelmingly cite stress as the most important thing to avoid if you want to live a long and healthy life. Since stress is virtually unavoidable, the key is to develop and strengthen your ability to manage your stress so that it doesn’t wear you down over time.

Rather than dwelling on negative events, most centenarians figured out how to let things go, and you can do that too. It takes practice, though. It’s a skill that must be honed daily, or however often you’re triggered.

A foundational principle to let go of negativity is the realization that the way you feel has little to do with the event itself, and everything to do with your perception of it. Wisdom of the ancients dictate that events are neither good nor bad in and of themselves. It is your belief about the event that upsets you, not the fact that it happened.

As noted by Ryan Holiday, author of “The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance and the Art of Living,”38 “The Stoics are saying, ‘This happened to me,’ is not the same as, ‘This happened to me and that’s bad.’ They’re saying if you stop at the first part, you will be much more resilient and much more able to make some good out of anything that happens.” And, once you can see the good, you’re more apt to feel gratitude.

Be mindful of your nonverbal actions — Smiling and hugging are both ways of expressing gratitude, encouragement, excitement, empathy and support. These physical actions also help strengthen your inner experience of positive emotions of all kinds.

Give praise — Research39 shows using “other-praising” phrases are far more effective than “self-beneficial” phrases. For example, praising a partner saying, “thank you for going out of your way to do this,” is more powerful than a compliment framed in terms of how you benefited, such as “it makes me happy when you do that.”

The former resulted in the partner feeling happier and more loving toward the person giving the praise. Also, be mindful of your delivery — say it like you mean it. Establishing eye contact is another tactic that helps you show your sincerity.

Prayer and/or mindfulness meditation — Expressing thanks during prayer or meditation is another way to cultivate gratitude. Practicing "mindfulness" means that you're actively paying attention to the moment you're in right now. A mantra is sometimes used to help maintain focus, but you can also focus on something that you're grateful for, such as a pleasant smell, a cool breeze or a lovely memory.

Create a nightly gratitude ritual — One suggestion is to create a gratitude jar,40 into which the entire family can add notes of gratitude on a daily basis. Any jar or container will do. Simply write a quick note on a small slip of paper and put it into the jar. Some make an annual (or biannual or even monthly) event out of going through the whole jar, reading each slip out loud.

Spend money on activities instead of things — According to research,41 spending money on experiences not only generates more gratitude than material consumption, it also motivates greater generosity.

As noted by co-author Amit Kumar, postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Chicago, “People feel fortunate, and because it’s a diffuse, untargeted type of gratitude, they’re motivated to give back to people in general.”42

Embrace the idea of having “enough” — According to many who have embraced a more minimalist lifestyle, the key to happiness is learning to appreciate and be grateful for having “enough.”

Financial hardship and work stress are two significant contributors to depression and anxiety. The answer is to buy less and appreciate more. Instead of trying to keep up with the Joneses, practice being grateful for the things you already have, and release yourself from the iron grip of advertising, which tells you there’s lack in your life.

Many who have adopted the minimalist lifestyle claim they’ve been able to reduce the amount of time they have to work to pay their bills, freeing up time for volunteer work, creative pursuits and taking care of their personal health, thereby dramatically raising their happiness and life satisfaction. The key here is deciding what “enough” is. Consumption itself is not the problem; unchecked and unnecessary shopping is.

Many times, accumulation of material goods is a symptom that you may be trying to fill a void in your life, yet that void can never be filled by material things. More often than not, the void is silently asking for more love, personal connection, or experiences that bring purpose and passionate engagement. So, make an effort to identify your real, authentic emotional and spiritual needs, and then focus on fulfilling them in ways that does not involve shopping.

Tapping — The Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a helpful tool for a number of emotional challenges, including lack of gratitude. EFT is a form of psychological acupressure based on the energy meridians used in acupuncture that can quickly restore inner balance and healing, and helps rid your mind of negative thoughts and emotions. In the video below, EFT practitioner Julie Schiffman demonstrates how to tap for gratitude.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=KMiSDtAI6H4

+ Sources and References
1, 28 NPR December 24, 2018
2, 17 Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003: 84(2); 377-389
3, 18 Harvard Mental Health Letter November 2011
4 Time Magazine November 20, 2017
5, 32 Today.com November 26, 2015
6 Psychology Today November 20, 2012
7 Cerebral Cortex 2009 Feb; 19(2): 276–283
8 Personality and Individual Differences April 2015; 76: 52-55
9 Journal of Psychology 2014 Jan-Feb;148(1):37-60
10 Behavior Research and Therapy February 2006; 44(2): 177-199
11 J Altern Complement Med. 2015 Apr;21(4):243-245
12 Current Psychology April 14, 2018 [Epub ahead of print]
13 Medical News Today August 2013
14 American Journal of Cardiology 1995 Nov 15;76(14):1089-93
15 American Psychological Association April 9, 2015
16 Spirituality in Clinical Practice 2015; 2(1): 5-17 (PDF)
19 Psychology Today November 9, 2011
20 Emotion 2008; 8(3): 425-429
21 Stanford Business March 1, 2012
22, 23 Journal of Positive Psychology August 1, 2018
24, 29, 31 Harvard Medical School, Giving Thanks Can Make You Happier
25 Personality and Individual Differences March 2009; 46(4): 443-447
26 Journal of Adolescence June 2009; 32(3): 633-650
27 Journal of Clinical Psychology June 17, 2013; 69(8)
30 Journal of Happiness Studies August 2013; 14(4): 1241-1259
33 Journal of Psychology 2000; 19(1): 56-69
34, 35 Greater Good Science Center November 12, 2013
36, 42 Time November 23, 2016
37 Huffington Post November 30, 2014
38 Time September 27, 2016
39 Social Psychological and Personality Science 2016 Sep; 7(7): 658–666
40 Mind Body Green, How to Create a Gratitude Jar
41 Emotion 2016 Dec;16(8):1126-1136

[onawah]

What Soap is for the Body Tears are for the Soul
Published on December 4, 2019
by Dr. Mark Sircus
https://drsircus.com/general/what-so...-for-the-soul/

(Sometimes giving in to our tears is the best way to keep from giving in altogether.)

"Rumi the great mystic poet said, “There is no liquid like a tear from a lover’s eye.” He also said, “There comes a holy and transparent time when every touch of beauty opens the heart to tears. This is the time the Beloved of heaven is brought tenderly on earth. This is the time of the opening of the Rose.”

My Tears Flow My Being Opens Totally
As your heart fills with feelings expand yourself,
prepare to meet the enormity of your own divine being.
The tears of the melting heart
can melt all barriers between you
and your own deeper and higher self.

Jesus wept and we know that the soul takes no space without the tears of the melting heart to grace one’s life. And old Jewish proverb tells us that what soap is for the body tears are for the soul and Psalms 126:5 says “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy” and Psalms 30:5 reads, “Weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning”

Every tear that your heart sheds is a golden drop of sun.
I weigh each one in my heart of hearts
not knowing from which they all come from.
I drink the fluid that runs from your eyes
knowing you better with every drop.

“Man is like an onion. When you peel away the layers, all that is left is tears,” wrote Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, an Hasidic master. “The fruits of the inner man begin only with the shedding of tears. When you reach the place of tears, then know that your spirit has come out from the prison of this world and has set its foot upon the path that leads towards the new age,” wrote Saint Isaac of Nineveh.

The Heart represents our basic capacity to care and feel. Inside the purified and free heart is a flow, a river, a current, a passion for life and a healing power that no medical treatment can compete with. The greatest force for health is the human heart. The purpose of our life here on this earth is to contact our being, expand and grow our being by coming into a direct relationship with the essence of our heart’s true nature. And what is this true nature? The heart is the vulnerability of being.

Emotional intelligence comes with an appreciation
of each feeling’s role and function in our awareness.
Life stripped of feelings is a life stripped of meaning.

Want to understand your health situation and learn what best to do to feel better? Schedule a free 15-minute Exploratory Call with Dr. Sircus »
Emotional tears heal the heart by returning us to it. Thus crying makes us feel better even if we are not better or the situation is not improving. Dr. Judith Orloff says, “It is good to cry. It is healthy to cry. This helps to emotionally clear sadness and stress. Crying is also essential to resolve grief, when waves of tears periodically come over us after we experience a loss. Tears help us process the loss so we can keep living with open hearts. Otherwise, we are a set up for depression if we suppress these potent feelings. When a friend apologized for curling up in the fetal position on my floor, weeping, depressed over a failing romance, I told her, ‘Your tears blessed my floor. There is nothing to apologize for.’

Dr. Orloff wrote, “For over 20 years as a physician, I’ve witnessed time and again the healing power of tears. Tears are your body’s release valve for stress, sadness, grief, anxiety and frustration. Also, you can have tears of joy, say when a child is born, or tears of relief when a difficult time has passed. In my own life, I am grateful when I can cry. It feels cleansing, a way to purge pent up emotions so they don’t lodge in my body as stress symptoms such as fatigue or pain. To stay healthy and release stress, I encourage my patients to cry. For both men and women, tears are a sign of courage, strength and authenticity.”

We cannot begin to flow towards another person or towards our own higher or inner being until the psychic skin covering the heart is removed. The tears of the melting heart are the key to disperse the cobwebs of our mind releasing us into the mysterious depths of our hearts, so let your tears flow to purify yourself of your mental stress and negativity.

The most obvious confirmation that we are in fact moving in and through the door way to our deeper beings are our vulnerable tears. Not the tears of self-pity, but the simple welling up feeling that almost always accompanies the crossing and crisscrossing of the barriers between the heart and the head. These tears are more like a divine fluid. The tears of the heart are precious and the pure in heart always cherish the liquid river of tears.

When we first open the heart a river of feelings is released which swamps the mind and its habitual defenses. We feel overwhelmed because our usual cool control is lost. The coolness of the separate personality is swept away as familiar ground moves from under our feet. Though most fear this moment, it is such a release, such a lightening of our load. Our real self is freed from the iron grip our ego normally holds over heart consciousness.

When we open our hearts we are surrendering ourselves to the vastness
and strength and love of God. We open ourselves and make ourselves
vulnerable to a great being that is one with all beings. Open to
experience, open to it all. It’s thrilling and sometimes
even terrifying. Open to love and this is something else again.

A Secret Cause of Disease – Loss of Heart



Disease can show us how invulnerable we have become, how walled off we are from the world and our own inner reality of pure being. One of the great secrets of life has to do with the power of the heart and what a return to its vulnerability can offer a person sick or dying of disease.

There is a quality of heart and pure being that can be called grace. The grace of the heart offers us a quality of being that is healing, animating, invigorating, supporting, nurturing, and comforting. The grace of the heart offers an inner tranquility and peace that the mind by itself rarely possesses.

Dr. Steven Stosny writes about the strong resistance we have to vulnerability saying, “Your core vulnerability is the emotional state that is most dreadful to you, in reaction to which you’ve developed the strongest defenses. Other states of vulnerability are more tolerable if they avoid stimulating your core vulnerability and less bearable when they don’t. For most people, either fear (of harm, isolation, deprivation) or shame (of failure) constitutes their core vulnerability.”

However when we face our deepest fears and vulnerabilities we become stronger and more capable of giving and receiving love. Deep in the nuclear core of the heart is a love of life and a love of love. Some beings come here to earth with such a strong heart that no circumstance can beat it out of them. In them is a furnace of heart energy and like the sun it will not be denied though they might have to go through great struggles to release and express this energy.

When fighting serious diseases like cancer we need to access the power and strength of our hearts, of love, because this will strengthen our immune systems and give us the will to change the things we need to change and face what we must, even if its death or the death of a loved one. Life is demanding more heart, more love and thus more tears if we wish to navigate through the increasing stresses of life without being ripped apart. "

[onawah]

The Science Behind Kindness | (Human Psychology Documentary)
Apr 15, 2019

"For generations, we've believed that man is driven only by ruthless self-interest. But over the past decade, this idea has been increasingly challenged. New research from fields as diverse as political science, psychology, sociology and experimental economics is forcing us to rethink human actions and motivation."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY7Jo3A07ic

(Interesting that the findings show that altruism when unrewarded, continues, while rewarding altruism discourages it. )