The Science of Positive Manifestation

Are you the type of person that starts the day with a smile? Have you always wanted to be like that person who always seems to be in a good mood? Knowing how the brain works biologically can help you understand why it is so hard to change feelings of depression, sadness, or anything other than joy.

Lost in translation

Many people have been struggling with positivity their whole lives. As negative emotions arise, they know that these emotions must be transmitted to joy in order to raise their vibration, but sometimes the struggle seems almost impossible. The law of attraction states that what you think you will create. A deeper understanding of why this law works lies in the chemistry of the brain and how your heart and brain interact with each other.

The heart and the brain send signals to each other all of the time. One misnomer is that the brain runs the show, but the truth is that the heart is the epicenter of creation. While voluntary muscles get signals from the brain, the heart, which is an involuntary muscle actually runs the show from behind the curtain.

Your heart generates neuropeptides which are small protein-like molecules (peptides) used by neurons to communicate with each other. These neuropeptides are the food that your brain uses to create your reality and this creates an emotion or energy that reflects the state of being of these neuropeptides. All emotions produce a physical feeling in your body that originate from the neuropeptides that have been pumped into your bloodstream from your heart. Your heart tells your brain how to react and what to do.

The brain cells have receptors that are created to assimilate the food (neuropeptides) they receive. These receptors are formed to accept that food and are used to that kind of food. You are therefore used to those kinds of emotions created by that kind of food.

Every second millions of brain cells die off and new ones are birthed. If you change the type of food that feeds your brain, your brain can create new transmitters that fit the new food. As old neurotransmitters die off in new transmitters are created, it gets addicted to the new transmitters which can create positive feelings.

In summary, positive thinking can produce the positive energy in motion that can trick your brain into producing the receivers that create a positive reality.

Push the “easy button” to help get through the hardest times of transmutation

These simple brain tricks can help you stay out of the highs and lows and move towards a more balanced flow:

In summary, positive thinking can produce the positive energy in motion that can trick your brain into producing the receivers that create a positive reality.

Push the “easy button” to help get through the hardest times of transmutation

These simple brain tricks can help you stay out of the highs and lows and move towards a more balanced flow:

1. Meditate. You will find this at the top of any Spiritual how to list. There is no substitute for going within the heart center on the spiritual path.

2. Fall in love. Being in love is the best way to be in joy.

3. Listen to uplifting music. Anything that makes you feel good inside is acceptable, no matter what other people think.

4. Laugh. Get together with positive friends and have a good time, or even watch a sitcom that makes you laugh out loud. Every now and then, TV can be used as a tool. Watch a hilariously funny movie and enjoy some organic popcorn.

5. Smile. Try turning the edges of your mouth up right now and see if you can feel the energy that runs through your body. Try smiling at everyone you run across the grocery store and see if you can help spread this feeling to someone else. That in itself makes you feel good inside.

6. Dance. Dancing gets your endorphins moving like nothing else. Dance like no one is watching.

7. Sunlight. Our sun is the fuel we need to dissolve negativity. If you live in a place that gets a little sun, imagine being in the sun or take a vacation to a sunny place.

8. Reminders. Place sticky notes by your bed so that when you wake up you will remind yourself of your goals. Put them in your workspace and in the kitchen and on the bathroom mirror. They can say whatever you want but a good place to start is “I am happy, I am healthy, and I am free”.

At first, if you don’t succeed, try, try again

If you fall off the horse, it is wise to get back on. It will take practice to erase years of programming. Eventually, you will notice that you feel a little lighter and even if you fall back into a pattern of negativity, awareness is all it takes to change it back the other direction.

This process is very important to the time that we live in today while we are transmuting emotions that are patterns of past, future, and present lives steeped in karma. 2013 was a huge year of karma clearing and creating room in the heart space to integrate more of our light. Whatever we did not take care of in 2013 flowed over to right now. The hardest thing to do is to stay positive during this process, but we can all look forward to 2014- the year of joy.

Raising your vibration takes work and is something that will manifest joy. Now is the time to rise above all that is happening in our world. Whether you view things as the observer or as the activist you can learn how to do it in joy. Joy can be found within the heart center and until you experience this naturally, you can fall back on tricking your brain to get a shortcut to where you need to be.

And as always, check out my books at

www.amazon.com/author/chadstambaugh

How to Heal Yourself and Activate Your Chakras with Breath & Tone

Though I have always been a musically expressive person, (except now, with my hearing problems) when I first heard about the chakras, I actually did not believe they were real. The idea of having seven major points that governed certain organs in my body, radiating different colors and notes, and spinning clockwise when in balance seemed strange to me. It was not taught to me in school (as it is to children in India) and seemed irrelevant. It wasn’t until I was faced with healing an 8-inch scar along my core that I was motivated to explore the idea that maybe if I could put this knowledge to good use, I would heal faster.

This need emerged when doctors nicked my bowel by accident while performing a laparoscopy. The worst place for a singer to have a wound – outside of the throat is the abdomen. In addition, due to an allergic reaction I had to the Morphine the hospital had been pumping into my veins as a pain killer, my body had purged itself of every toxin imaginable. I was so thin and so weak, I could barely lift my arms. I had to build my lung capacity by blowing into a tube to make the little balls rise above the line. I left the hospital weighing a mere 98 pounds at 5 ft. 9. Doctors told me it would likely take six to eight months to heal. I knew I had to heal way faster than that if I wanted to survive financially!

The connection that I was able to make with my body, my energy, and my breath taught me that I am much more powerful than I thought and that my breath, energy, and intention can literally shift my vibration and generate healing in my body. Every day, as I developed a practice regiment, more light and knowledge poured into my mind and within two weeks, I was riding my bike with my little dog. I wasn’t fully healed, but well on my way, and over time, I was able to take the amazing things I learned and provide a structure for singers and speakers to not only gain physiological advantages in their voice but also mental and emotional advantages which open and heal the soul. By tuning into your spirit in a way that goes beyond diaphragmatic breathing, you can learn how to improve your speaking and singing voice, as well as your communication, energy, presence, and confidence.

BREATH PRECEDES THE TONE

The Arabic origin of the word breath stems from the word “spirit”. Breath creates the underlying quality of everything we do. The way we breathe can literally determine how we think, feel and the quality of our lives.

In order to relieve stress, most people say, “Take a deep breath”, but they are ignoring the fact that your thoughts and feelings while taking in the breath also play a huge role in how well you can shift from stress into empowerment. For example, if you breathe in a chesty, voiced breath while thinking a stressful thought about the future such as, “Oh no! I hope I don’t mess this up again!” you are breathing in fearful thoughts about the future. This tells your brain to send nerve signals down your spinal cord to your adrenaline glands, which release adrenaline, causing an increase of blood sugar, heart rate, and blood pressure. At the same time, your brain’s hypothalamus signals your pituitary gland to release factors that tell your adrenal cortex to produce the stress hormone, cortisol, which will keep you in that “fight or flight” state. 

While you are in this highly charged mental state, your body is far from being involved with healing, peace, or empowerment. It’s simply trying to survive. Sadly, this is where many people live, and it’s amazing to consider how many more of us fall into this state before we have to use our voice for something important.

I’d like to share with you how just a little bit of awareness and a few tools can make a huge difference in your overall wellbeing, which is directly related to the power of your voice. As you commit to doing these exercises below, you may notice your nerves start to disappear in important situations, your voice becoming smoother, richer, and more powerful.

The first step is understanding that when you inhale, you are literally taking in the world as you experience it, and you get to choose what you are inviting into your consciousness as you do this. Most of us do it subconsciously [about 21,600 times per day], but either way, the amount of love or fear you breathe in at any given time will have a direct effect on your mental, emotional and physical health. Before I learned to heal myself, I didn’t realize how this concept alone had a profound effect on the confidence and power of my voice.

The simple, yet powerful integrative breathing exercises I discovered and developed over the past 8 years after my accident, help people to naturally tap into their CORE connection, and from here, they are able to speak and sing from what I call their “CORE Voice.” Your CORE Voice is your free, authentic, voice that doesn’t have any vocal blocks [stress in the body, tension, fear, etc.]. When you are using your CORE Voice, your chakras are aligned and you are able to speak and sing freely, without being nervous or micromanaging your voice. In any situation, you speak and sing from the truest part of who you are.

Below, I will explain the most important foundational key to creating the ease within that is required if you want to have a more balanced energy and confident voice. It has to do with how we take in the world.

Build PRESENCE with the Breath of Ah-wareness (BOA)

Exercise Instructions:

1. Standing or sitting with your chest risen, feet shoulder width apart and a straight spine, while you think the sound “ah”, inhale silently and lovingly through a relaxed, but open mouth.

What did you experience? If you allowed yourself to hear yourself say, “ah” in your mind as you inhaled, you may have noticed this breath fills you immediately and you may feel an inner calmness and natural expansion, but don’t try to create this–allow it. Keep in mind, you don’t need to take in a lot of air.

2. Take a moment to feel how open and expanded you are.

3. On the exhale, you can either use a gentle unvoiced “hhhhhhhh” sound, or voice the sound “ah” as a sigh of relief, but keep your chest elevated as you do this.

The key to doing this exercise is in the silent, loving inhale. Subvocalizing the sound “ah” on the inhale allows you to naturally open your heart and create an expansion of the diaphragm without even trying.

The result should be that you are completely present. If you are not used to this, it may bring up a sense of impatience or even tears. Accept whatever shows up for you and continue to work in harmony with yourself through this as it may take time.

4. You can inhale through your nose as well, but for most people, at first, nose breathing feels more connected to the head. I want you to connect as close to the base of your spine as you can when you inhale. Once you become good at inhaling through the mouth, switch to the nose. When you do this, be sure to imagine the sound “ah” at the back of a relaxed throat.

5. When you become advanced in the BOA exercise, on the inhale, hold and exhale, you may affirm this phrase in your mind: “I am here now and I am okay!” or any other affirmation to help you manifest what you’d like to create, instead of what you don’t want to create like the example I gave earlier. I call this, “intentional breathing,” which means that now, instead of taking 21,600 unconscious breaths a day, you can actually put meaning into how you want to think and feel and spend part of your day breathing consciously. This is an important pre-curser for vocal expression. If you want your voice to show up the way you need it to, you must prepare it mentally and emotionally.

The Breath of Ah-wareness [BOA] exercise works on 5 Levels to do the following:

Level 1
Create the open and expansive space in the body for the voice to emerge. [Access diaphragm].

Level 2
Create clarity and presence in the mind by literally hearing the “ah” sound in your mind and embodying it.

Level 3
create more stillness and freedom in the body by releasing all tension.

Level 4
Shift nervous or unsettled energy into comfort by breathing in love.

Level 5
intentionally allowing your chakras to align on the inhale and choosing healing in the body through breathing in love to specific areas of the body, or as a whole.

Regardless of the obstacles that show up while you attempt to do these exercises, resolve inwardly to make peace with them. Where there is peace, there is stillness. Where there is stillness, there is clarity. And, where there is clarity, there is the unlimited potential for you to create whatever you wish! Enjoy the breath of “Ah”-wareness as often as you like and gain the benefits of building stage presence and confidence as you speak and sing from your CORE Voice.

CONNECTING TONE TO BREATH

Part of why expressing our voice can feel so good is because when we resonate, we are literally validating ourselves at a cellular level. What does this mean? When we hum or sing the consonant “mmmmm,” every chakra along the spine gets stimulated. Think about it. When we say, “mmhmmm”, in many different languages, it means “yes.” Have you ever thought about why we do this? A few years back, Dr. Oz was quoted on the Oprah Winfrey show as saying, “humming” massages the inner organs along the spine [chakras]… and when you do this, you are releasing a natural gas called nitric oxide. Which is a natural anti-depressant.”

So now, it makes, even more, sense as to why sustaining a tone can feel so good. We are literally validating ourselves, and when we do this, we become more in alignment. We are also massaging our vocal chords and inner organs along the spine. This was a very amazing and powerful part of my healing. I felt the “mmmm” way more dramatically when I wasn’t feeling well, then when I felt 100% healthy because it literally MOVES energy that is stagnant.

In a symbolic way, resonating helps move energy through our “inner world” and makes it audible in the outer world. This can be a very deep, and empowering process. Many of us try to hide how we really feel, but when we resonate or sustain our tone, we are sending out our unique signal from inside ourselves, and there is no other signal on the planet like it.

HOW OUR VOICE BECOMES TAINTED

Our western world is quite focused on teaching us external things, such as how to go out and earn this diploma and that job, and get that dream house and vacation. We were taught at a young age, that there are hierarchal levels, and some of us are “better” than others. In school, we were judged, and our inner value oftentimes was based on a letter in the alphabet, for example: “I’m only a ‘C’ student.”

As a result, most of us stopped playing those fun artistic games we enjoyed as a child and learned to become part of “the real world” having to prove ourselves worthy. Soon the world became a much more serious place and there were expectations and more “important” roles placed on us. We were taught to be tough and that it is not always safe to show others how we really feel. That might make us look weak and thus, more easily destructible.

As adults, many of us are left wondering why when we open our mouth to express our voice, [which is directly connected to our feelings and emotions,] we feel vulnerable and exposed. Could it possibly be that it has something to do with the fact that we were never really taught how to feel safe in our inner world? When we sing or even speak, we’re having to share something deep from inside of us and bring it into the outer world that judges. Most people do not like the idea of being judged.

UNDERSTANDING CHAKRAS AND THE VOICE

We have chakras all over our body, but most of us stop seeing them after infanthood. Chakras are the name we give for the energy or electrical life force which expresses our internal world. The word chakra means “wheel or disc” and although we have many, I will be sharing with you a brief overview of the seven major chakras and how they relate to vocal expression and healing. When balanced and in alignment, each of these “wheels of light” spins clockwise and are known to radiate different colors.

We can activate each chakra by singing the vowel that it is connected with. When we do this [preferably with an intention], we stimulate that part of the body. I have already discussed that “m” is the one consonant that activates every chakra along the spine. I used the information below to heal the organs along my CORE. You can do more specific healing work on yourself by singing the vowels associated with each organ/chakra as outlined below.

Below are the seven major chakras paired with their underlying issue which can help be cleared through the vocal toning sound next to each chakra?
ROOT CHAKRA
Sound: “OH” as in “toe”
Color: Red
Location: base of the spine/tailbone
About: This center governs the reproductive system. When it is balanced, you feel grounded and secure in life and all it has to offer. It is known as your tribal center and related to survival.
Psychological Issue: Fear of being judged and not accepted.

SACRAL CHAKRA
Sound: “OO” as in “shoe”
Color: Red
Location: Just below the naval
About: The second center governs the spleen, adrenals, kidneys, Uterus and Ovaries. It is your creative center and when it is balanced, you feel a flow in your creativity and your emotions feel at peace.
Psychological Issue: Feeling guilty for hitting bad notes and not being perfect either now, or in the past. 

SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA
Sound: “AY” as in “stay”
Color: Yellow
Location: Stomach area
About: This center governs the pancreas, stomach, liver, and intestines. When it is balanced you feel a mental clarity and secure sense of self. Criticism doesn’t hurt and you own your actions.
Psychological Issue: Being ashamed of how you sound or how bad you sounded in the past. Being disappointed in your voice. 

HEART CHAKRA
Sound: “AH” as in “father”
Color: Green
Location: heart
About: This center governs the Lungs, Thymus, Lymph, Immune System, and Blood Pressure. When it is balanced you feel a healthy sense of forgiveness and deservingness. There is a healthy flow of love and harmony within.
Psychological Issue: Feeling like you’re not worthy of being loved or having a voice that is lovable.

THROAT CHAKRA:
Sound: “EE” as in “see”
Color: Turquoise
Location: The throat area
About: This center governs the thyroid, neck, nose, ears, and teeth. When it is balanced, communication and self-expression flow with ease and grace.
Psychological Issue: Telling yourself you are not good enough and believing it. 

THIRD EYE CHAKRA
Sound: “OHM” like the monks say!
Color: Indigo
Location: In between the eyebrows
About: This energy center governs the pituitary gland, the eyes, and autonomic nervous system. When it is in balance, your intuition is clear, you have given up any addictions, and you understand what you have to offer humanity.
Psychological Issue: Believing that when you are singing, there is a separation between you and the audience. 

CROWN CHAKRA
Sound: “NG” as in “sing”
Color: Pink
Location: The top of your head
About: This energy center governs the pituitary gland, the eyes, and autonomic nervous system. When it is in balance, your intuition is clear, you have given up any addictions, and you understand what you have to offer humanity.
Psychological Issue: Being attached to what other people think of you.

Now that I have defined each center, you have an opportunity be more aware of the thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs that govern each region of your body. If you feel blocked or tense in a specific area, breathe into that center, then continue by singing the vowel sounds. You will be surprised at how the body is quick to respond and heal; for our natural state is wellness, and singing reflects our present state.

Note: After much research and exploration on this subject, I have found several different interpretations as to which vowels, notes and colors are associated with each chakra. I have found contrasting African, Eastern, Native interpretations, and Western interpretations. My research and experience with literally thousands of students have led me to conclude the above, and that it’s not always important what vowel or note you sing, but the intention that you hold along with it, and the space you create within yourself for the shifts to occur.

VOCAL TONING

Tribes and ancient civilizations from Babylon, Greece, Tibet, and India have used vocal toning for healing themselves and others by using the bridge of sacred sound. Releasing pent up energy through the voice can help clear tension and open up blocked energy in the body. The sound was thought to be the principle healing tool of the ancient mystery schools of Egypt where tones and chants were used to manipulate energy fields and bring about balance in the body.

If we accept that harmonious sound is fundamental to health and well-being, we can begin to harness it as a positive and powerful creative force with which to transform our lives. Our voice encapsulates our essence and emotional state and is a powerful instrument of healing and communication. All sound carries a momentum of power, creating balance and harmony, or imbalance and discord. Toning is a simple process in which you influence the energy patterns in your body in a beneficial way. It doesn’t involve melody or rhythm, but the simple sustaining of a vowel sound that is within a comfortable range. You can play with the pockets of resonance in your face by changing the position of your lips, tongue and vowel placement.

HOW IT WORKS

We release our emotions through vocal sound, sending a ripple of vibration through the physical body and energy surrounding it. The vibration of the tone ripples through the body and subtle energy system, drawing upon the body’s natural inbuilt systems of self-healing to strengthen and balance the electromagnetic field. Our thoughts and feelings are carried in the tone of our voice. Through vocal toning, we restore health by stimulating the circulation and releasing held emotions and impacted memory.

One of my favorite sounds to sustain is the vowel, “AH”. As mentioned above, it is the heart chakra and also, the widest of all the vowels, [mouth is open with a relaxed tongue touching the bottom of teeth] making it the most vulnerable vowel to sing on a physical level. Also, “Ah” is known as the sacred sound of God. In most languages, words that mean deity or reverence for deity have “ah” in them. Examples spelled phonetically: “Jes-Ahs”, “Jehov-Ah”, “Ahmen”, “Y-AH-weh”, “Halelu-Yah”, “All-Ah”, “Budd-AH” and the list goes on.

Earlier in the article, I had you silently inhale, while hearing yourself say “ah” in your mind. This unlocks a sacred door within you that is connected to your heart, and allows you to expand from within, and yes, activates your diaphragm. I go into more detail on how to center this chakra in my other books and materials, but it’s best to start with just the idea of inhaling a silent “ah”, and toning [exhaling] on “Ah” can help you balance and release any energy that is stuck.

ACTIVATE YOUR VOICE, ACTIVATE YOUR LIFE!

With dedicated practice and integration of the exercises, you can watch the quality of your entire life improve, and in turn, so will the quality of your vocal expression. Remember: the way we do anything is the way we do everything. When you are able to slow down and become more consciously aware and present in life, you will have this ease and presence on the stage. Doing your C.O.R.E. work can literally transform your whole being into a lighter, more powerful, and freer you.

This includes: connecting to your silent loving, “ah” breath, taking more conscious breaths throughout the day with more love in them than fear, humming more often to stimulate your entire body, and toning, which can literally shift your vibration and lead to healing. The exercises I have shared can help anyone start to reprogram their nervous system in a positive way, creating the best kind of conditions for a confident, powerful voice to emerge.

And as always, please, please, yes, I'm pleading here. Check out my books and buy them.

www.amazon.com/author/chadstambaugh

The Structure of Perception

We spend an overwhelming amount of time in and around buildings; most Americans never leave the comfort of cities, where sizeable structures abound. Yet, rarely do we consider the profound effects architecture has on our everyday experiences. Only standing at the feet of major architectural monuments — like the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the Great Pyramids outside Cairo — do we stop and consider how magnificent mankind’s ability to build is.

However, more and more scientists are beginning to realize that architecture, like any art form, has the power to influence how we perceive the world. As we learn how architecture can impact our experience of life, we can better control our environments for maximum efficiency — and maximum pleasure.

The Science and Art of Perception

Every second we are awake, our brains track variables like heat, light, odor, noise, and movement to ensure our bodies can continue living. Though we rarely realize it, our minds are always aware of the effects of various environments, and that subconscious perception can dramatically affect our experiences of different places. For example, loud, grating sounds usually make spaces less pleasant, while soft, natural light generally makes spaces more inviting.

Neuroscientists are increasingly discovering that the brain is constantly making associations, and oftentimes, these links employ metaphors that are grounded in the physical world we perceive. The intangible concept of “importance” is generally identified as large, though, as an idea, it lacks any size or dimension whatsoever. Similar examples are common in language: Our endeavors are completed “step by step,” as though we are walking the concrete path of our tasks, and being “lost in one’s thoughts” likens deep concentration to exploring a dense forest. It is becoming clear to scientists and artists alike that what we perceive informs what we believe. Fortunately, architects are using this newfound knowledge for the better.

The Application of Metaphor

Armed with the awareness that our brains are constantly making connections between the corporeal and the conceptual, today’s architects strive to generate certain unconscious effects with their buildings. One of the most pervasive trends in modern architecture is the metaphor of the tree.

Trees have always indicated shelter for humankind: They offer protection from harsh sunlight, from pouring rain, and from dangerous predators. Plus, as humans strive to right their historic environmental wrongs, the tree has become a symbol of sustainability, nature, and health.

Therefore, several architects are now drawing from trees to create healthful, ecological-seeming buildings. The Kanagawa Institute of Technology in Japan contains a “forest” of pillars that closely resemble white saplings. In Spain, the Metropol Parasol uses laminated timber to form a sinuous canopy over a popular plaza.

By integrating elements of trees ― trunks, branches, leaves ― the architects of these buildings have produced not only aesthetically breathtaking structures but also subtly comforting spaces suffused with nuances of nature. Yet, as neuroscience unlocks more of the cognitive impacts of architecture, all structures could have even more powerful metaphor built in.

The Future of Cognitive Architecture

The cognitive revolution is just getting started, and we are only beginning to understand how our brains and bodies take in the world around us. Experts in neuroscience and architecture alike look forward to advancements that can have beneficial applications in all sorts of structures.

For example, nearly everyone has experienced a less-than-ideal working environment. Flickering fluorescent lights, freezing or sweltering temperatures, conflicting design elements, and more can dramatically increase stress amongst a workforce, depleting energy and preventing productivity. When these errors are remedied, the effects of an environment are immediately obvious.

In some industries, especially within the industrial sector, we already have sturdy, somewhat more sustainable, buildings that provide benefits workers need: fabric structures. However, in other fields, like health care or education, we eagerly await breakthroughs that demonstrate real impact. With evidence from cognitive science, we can construct hospitals that help patients heal with design and schools that encourage learning through materials and angles.

Though it happens constantly, perception is an intensely complex task. The spaces around us ― both the ones we create and the ones governed by nature ― inform how we live and how we think. Thus, it is imperative that when we construct, we be amply aware of the effects of our constructions: on the environment and on ourselves.

As always, please check out my books and buy them, please.

 www.amazon.com/author/chadstambaugh

The Healing Power of Attention

What is attention? If you’re interested in spirituality you may have heard it called consciousness or presence.

If you have an interest in psychology or are more on the hard-science side of things you may have heard it called mindfulness instead. Mindfulness is a useful term if you read it as “what you are mindful (aware) of,” and not so helpful if you consider it to be concerned primarily with the mind, that is, what you are actually thinking.

There is a subtle difference. You may be thinking about what you are mindful of – it may even be helpful to do so at times – but thinking is not the key component of mindfulness. Awareness is. That’s why I like to call it attention. What are you paying attention to? What are you making yourself aware of?

We all needed attention at some time. Especially as children. The younger we were, the more we needed it. In fact, studies have shown that babies who are not touched simply die! Attention is so important to children that if they can’t get positive attention they may act out to get negative attention instead: admonishments, yells, timeouts – even beatings in extreme circumstances. For the desperate child, the old adage ‘beggars can’t be choosers’ applies – any attention is better than none, and so neglect is the worst form of abuse. Of course negative attention will never really help a child grow into an adult in the long run, but a child who gets plenty of positive attention will learn to give it to themselves and others.

Dogs are pack animals who may tear up an entire house for the need of attention if left alone. Why? Because attention is life-giving.

Everything is a reflection of how much attention has been put into it, is it not? The pen I first wrote these words with arose from the attention of the factory assistants who moulded it and the bureaucrats who marketed it. A Song is the product of the attention the songwriter put into learning their instrument, practising their skills as a lyricist, and sitting down to combine the two creatively.
A song which is not given the attention it requires never gets written.

A building is the flower of the architects who designed it, the lecturers who trained them, the builders who laid the cement, the truck drivers who shipped it. A derelict building reflects a lack of attention.

How derelict are we?

A houseplant lives or dies based on the quality of attention it receives, and it follows naturally that the areas of your life that are most unsatisfactory are the ones that are the most in need of attention. Proof for this can be found in the fact that so many of us are familiar with the feeling of being put off by the amount of attention some things appear to need! (This is where a good friend, counsellor or therapist can help jump-start the engine.)

You will notice, again, that attention does not simply mean “thinking about.” If you’re anything like me you will find that thinking about a task makes it bigger, and bigger, and bigger – and the bigger it gets the harder it looks to accomplish. Thinking relates through past and future, and so the mind looks forwards and says “there is so much to do!” Attention, on the other hand, is given entirely to the moment. “There is only one thing to do, and doing it will naturally lead on to the next thing.”
We must treat ourselves, and our projects, like the house plant. It needs the correct kind of attention. Water is one kind of attention, and water is good – but too much water will drown it. Thinking is one kind of attention, and thinking is good – but too much thinking will drown us.

How do you know what the right kind of attention is? How do you get more of it to dish out to yourself and your projects?

By hanging back. By not rushing. By taking the time to know what you are trying to do before trying to do it. By giving your attention instead of distracting yourself from the challenge with thoughts. By giving your attention instead of putting extraneous things into your head like tv, video games, social media, books – all the beautiful fruits of other people’s attention which are wonderful in their own place but are used too often by us to escape working in our own orchard.
In essence, you gain attention by not ignoring yourself.

Next week we’ll be looking at what ignoring yourselves entails, why we do it, how to stop, and how we can improve the quality of attention available to us, then we’ll move on to putting our attention outwards so we can truly heal the world.

As always, if you love my blogs, then please check out my books. www.amazon.com/author/chadstambaugh

The 7 Primal Archetypes of the Awakening

Are you playing the innocent child, full of unsullied love for the world, the jackal-like jester who laughs at others’ expense, the witch who has had her heartbroken so many times that she becomes cold and aloof, separating herself from society? Or how about the inventor and scientist, the visionary who brings ‘new’ information to the world’s consciousness through their uncanny ability to lead the pack?

Hopefully, you are also the hero, having battled all the monsters, most of them arising from your deepest, darkest, tossed-aside self, who has slain the villains and having seen the world for what it truly is, arrive home again, wiser and more conscious than ever before.[1] There are literally thousands of archetypes that we utilize to evolve spiritually, but there are seven that are so common it is beneficial to understand them.

Both Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell have outlined archetypal patterns that we fall into while in manifest form. You can think of these as myths or stories that we tell ourselves in order to process the experience of living.

Campbell described the ‘hero’s [heroin’s] journey,’ as one we must all take in order to separate the ‘ordinary world’ from oneself, and to sacrifice oneself to righting all the wrongs we observe in the world. We answer a ‘call to adventure’ in order to begin this journey into the ‘out there,’ but really we are exploring what we have to learn inside of ourselves in this incarnation. The hero [heroin] is, in fact, the first of the of seven archetypes. He or she is the protagonist. Without them, the story would fall flat, and so it is our experience in flesh and bone. Though some will argue that the mono-myth falls short of describing all the characters within the play of life, they certainly are helpful in understanding that we all play a role and that we can choose a different one, just as easily as changing a costume in a Shakespearean play.[2]  in a nutshell here is the seven other primal archetypes in which we all find ourselves playing a part (of thousands of possibilities). In many cases, others will play their part too, so that we can continue on the journey:

1. The Hero

The hero [heroin] is everywhere. It appears in every ancient myth, popular culture, ancient culture, and epic story. Gautama Buddha is a hero, just as the Iron Man is a hero. So is Amelia Earhart and Joan of Arc. The hero or heroin is often born under unusual circumstances, either under unusually precarious conditions or into royalty, and once they receive the “call to adventure” they leave their homes to continue their journey. They often have supernatural gifts (clairvoyance, and clairaudience, among them) and must face many trials in life in order to atone with the father archetype, thus annihilating their egoic selves, to gain spiritual boons.

The hero[in] serves as an idealized person who can deal with trials and tribulations in ways that the average person cannot.

2. The Mentor

Sometimes the mentor appears as a teacher or a sage. Their purpose is to test the hero’s will, their commitment to the task at hand, and their ability to stay the path on their epic journey. The mentor can guide the hero, but they can also guide any of the other archetypes represented in the play of life.

3. The Shadow

This is usually the antagonist of the story. You may find that depending upon your relationship to another person, you are their antagonist. Someone else might be yours. The shadow’s function is to get in the way of the hero or heroine obtaining their objective, but more importantly, represents subconscious detritus that has not been brought to the surface to deal with consciously. Just as Carl Jung explained, the shadow is not all bad. It is simply the unknown ‘‘dark side’’ of our personality–-dark both because it tends to consist predominantly of the primitive, negative, socially or religiously depreciated human emotions and impulses like sexual lust, power strivings, selfishness, greed, envy, anger, or rage, and due to its unenlightened nature, completely obscured from consciousness. It is when the shadow comes to life that we realize our hero’s journey and succeed.

“Whatever we deem evil, inferior or unacceptable and deny in ourselves becomes part of the shadow, the counterpoint to what Jung called the persona or conscious ego personality. According to Jungian analyst Aniela Jaffe, the shadow is the ‘‘sum of all personal and collective psychic elements which, because of their incompatibility with the chosen conscious attitude, are denied expression in life.’’[3]

4. The Ally

Think of Batman’s Robin, or Huck Finn’s friend Jim that traveled with him down the Mississippi. These are the companions that help us on our journey. They show faithful support, and often reflect the positive aspects of ourselves we forget about, but that need reflection during certain meetings with other archetypes like the shadow self.

5. The Shapeshifter

This is the element of the story, your story, that provides doubt. It is the non-believer, the cynical mother-in-law, the voice in your head that tells you the story cannot proceed. The shapeshifter will make it difficult for the hero [heroin] to stay the course, providing all manner of diversion and questioning about the hero’s true purpose.

6. The Trickster

Also known as the clown, or the jester, the Trickster is similar to the shapeshifter, in that its purpose is to throw the hero off-balance. The trickster has the directly opposite role as the Guardian or Mentor. They represent temptation. Think of the steaming hot man or woman at your office who would tempt you into an affair, or the time-consuming, clowning friend that tempts you away from your responsibilities.

7. The Seeker

Also known as the wanderer or the dreamer, the seeker is perpetually looking for answers. They can seem like a ‘lost’ soul that never finds an anchor, but they also help to drive the story forward, by all manner of inquiry. The seeker is so driven for answers that they will even put themselves in danger, and act in spontaneous or knee-jerk ways just so that they can ‘seek’ more. Think of Siddhartha. The seeker is very valuable, but only the hero finds the ultimate truth.

Final Thoughts

Campbell wrote The Hero with a Thousand Faces because there are so many roles we can play. His archetypes have been so profound that they’ve been used in films, including George Lucas’ Star Wars, as well as almost every Hollywood movie to speak to audiences that will identify with whatever archetype they are currently playing in their own lives.

The goal is always the same – to endure trials, to escape the belly of the beast, to live a great adventure, and come back all the wiser to share this knowledge with fellow human beings. Also known as the departure, initiation and return cycle, this great journey is one we are all participating in – which is your archetype?

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Take a Chance, Make a Choice, Be the Change

Remember, we are a part of this planet.

It is a new year; the living spaceship we call Earth has completed yet another successful revolution about the sun. The orbiting process seems to have been pretty uneventful from a distance, but looking closer onto the surface of the ship tells a very different tale.

The human race is at a crossroads; we as a species are undergoing a shift that is reflected at every level of our society and the larger system that we have created for ourselves upon this planet. Our consciousness is expanding, and with this comes a growing awareness of how not only ineffective but dangerous the dominant paradigm is towards our continued survival as a species.

The Malthusian-Darwinian paradigm preaches competition, consumption, and survival of the fittest. It suggests that this is the defining characteristic of existence, that this is what happens throughout the rest of nature, and that we as humans are now fitting into the mold. It serves as the justification for our egocentric, materialistic, capitalistic existence, attempting to convince us that this is what nature programs into our cells.

This is a lie. This is misinformation, perpetuated by the people who benefit from the system in its current state. A society truly modeled after nature is no new concept, humans have been living this way for thousands of years, and it is one based upon harmony and mutual cooperation. Numerous ancient civilizations have lived in harmony and sustainably with the Earth. We know that it worked then, and we know that it can work now.

In nature, most animals spend their lives living in harmony, with brief periods of competition, not the other way around. Competition does exist, but this only happens when animals are competing after the same resources or are attempting to occupy the same niche. The level of competition present is also dependent upon the scarcity of resources within an environment.

If one’s intent is to destabilize, divide, and conquer in order to establish a small fraction of controlling elites, what way could be more effective than the tactics currently being implemented? By creating a focus upon scarcity, upon competition, upon the ego, upon consumption, and upon fear, the control system successfully influences the choices that we make in order to harness our energy and funnel it towards their own corrupted endeavors.

It’s not that this mentality is outdated, for never was there a time in our history where this could actually be deemed an acceptable or effective modality of existence. This mentality is poison, it is fundamentally flawed, and it is the time that we apply not only our feelings but our logic to the situation that we have let carry on for too long.

We do not need the system to survive, the system needs us. It needs the constant influx of our energy to continue spinning and to stay in motion. It is short-sighted, benefits few, hurts many, focuses upon unbridled consumption, constant production, and is highly inefficient. Technology and quality of life is great but is not worth sacrificing our planet, our freedom, and our lives. We can have all of these things. We do not need to give this fractured, failing system our power.

Let us return to the Earth, let us return to the rhythm of life that we feel the pulse through our bodies and fills every cell of our beings. Let us return to our home, let us make all our decisions based upon how it affects us, others around us, the planet, and the entire universe. We get to choose where we express our energy, and the more of us that choose sustainable living practices, harmony, and quality over consumption, fear, and quantity, the faster we shall make the change come about.

The organic vessel Earth has been around for a long time. If we want humans to continue to be a part of its journey through the cosmos, and to step into our next evolution of consciousness and our place within the universe, it is up to us. Choose, wisely. Choose love. But ultimately, each and every single one of us must choose.

Unconditional love, and gratitude.

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Everything I See is Me

I AM . . . life.

In life, every single instant and interaction exist for the growth of the self and the universe into the highest harmony of All That Is. Taoists like to refer to this as the Tai Chi, or the Supreme Ultimate, which can also be described as Unity. At the center of all existence is the infinite singularity of All That Is Here and Now, the roar of Ohm, the spark of transcendent being-ness that permeates the entire universe.

This is the universal substrate from which you and I and every single being of energy in the universe arise. An amazing thing about the Supreme Ultimate is that it holds within itself all of the infinite potential and possibilities in the universe, yet it itself is beyond differentiation. In this way, it is referred to as chaotic unity and is at the center of all being.

What happens next is the story that is told in countless different cultures in countless different ways, yet with one penultimate constant. Creation, differentiation, the unfolding of the tree of life, the fractioning of the whole into the boundless possibilities of existence in the universe. In this process arose the myriad forms and states of being that energy manifest in and occupy.

At the center of being lies a paradox, for Unity contains within itself the possibility of its own negation, its own opposite. This is the perspective of separation, the linchpin of the ego mind, and is the root of all injustice, negativity, pain, and darkness in the world. And it is completely necessary. As infinite beings of consciousness within Unity, the illusion of separateness exists for us to understand the difference between the two.

This is the penultimate question, penned so simply by William Shakespeare in ‘Hamlet.’ To be, or not to be.

These concepts appear to be contradictory, appear to negate and deny each other, yet they are only different perspectives, different manners in which to view the vastness of the universe. Duality is not a static state, as our dominant cultural and scientific paradigms would have us believe. For from this separation arises the constant integration and balance between these two ‘opposing’ perspectives.

We are in the midst of this process, called the moment, which is the endless integration of duality into itself. We are a part of the endless ebb and flow of energy in the perpetual, dynamic equilibrium of existence.

The mechanism that allows us to navigate and experience the boundless aspects of the universe is called choice, a concept that we are all aware of. This is the free will that is fundamental to all being, and this is what allows us to experience the universe from different perspectives. Some may be darker than others, some may be more comfortable, and there may even be a particular flavor in infinity that you enjoy more than others.

No matter which way we choose to view the universe, our perspective is valid. It may, however, not be the most effective or the most harmonious. It may only encompass a fraction of the infinite being-ness that is present, and that is ok. In fact, it’s great. Yet it is still a part of the whole as well, an integral factor of Unity, and an essential part of the journey home into All That Is.

To be infinite is our natural state of being, it is where we come from and where we always are and will be. We don’t need to do anything to be in this state. On the contrary, we actually need to un-do, we need to no longer choose to be fractured and separate. We need to let go of our attachments to specific outcomes and moments in space and time.

We allow ourselves to be infinite by not creating any limits upon our being.

In doing so, we return to wholeness. In All That Is, we are all of the infinite potential and all of the infinite form. We relax, we let go, and we enjoy the glorious dance of existence through the endless eternities of the now.

Unconditional love, and gratitude.

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