Frederick Elias Andrews

March 7, 1917
Dear Friend:You will find my experience published in March Nautilus, and you are at liberty to make any extracts from or reference to it, that may suit your purpose. Sincerely yours,
Frederick Elias Andrews
512 Odd Fellows Building
Indianapolis, Indiana

A letter from Frederick Elias Andrews 

I was about thirteen years old when Dr. T. W. Marsee, since passed over, said to my mother: "There is no possible chance, Mrs. Andrews. I lost my little boy the same way, after doing everything for him that it was possible to do. I have made a special study of these cases, and I know there is no possible chance for him to get well."

She turned to him and said: "Doctor, what would you do if he were your boy?" and he answered, "I would fight, fight, as long as there is a breath of life to fight for."

That was the beginning of a long drawn-out battle, with many ups and downs, the doctors all agreeing that there was no chance for a cure, though they encouraged and cheered us the best they could.

But at last the victory came, and I have grown from a little, crooked, twisted, cripple, going about on my hands and knees, to a strong, straight, well formed man.

Now, I know you want the formula, and I will give it to you as briefly and quickly as I can.

I built up an affirmation for myself, taking the qualities I most needed, and affirming for myself over and over again, "I am whole, perfect, strong, powerful, loving, harmonious and happy." I kept up this affirmation, always the same, never varying, till I could wake up in the night and find myself repeating, "I am whole, perfect, strong, powerful, loving, harmonious and happy." It was the last thing on my lips at night and the first thing in the morning.

Not only did I affirm it for myself, but for others that I knew needed it. I want to emphasize this point. Whatever you desire for yourself, affirm it for others, and it will help you both. We reap what we sow. If we send out thoughts of love and health, they return to us like bread cast upon the waters; but if we send out thoughts of fear, worry, jealousy, anger, hate, etc., we will reap the results in our own lives.

It used to be said that man is completely built over every seven years, but some scientists now declare that we build ourselves over entirely every eleven months; so we are really only eleven months old. If we build the defects back into our bodies year after year, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Man is the sum total of his own thoughts; so the question is, how are we going to entertain only the good thoughts and reject the evil ones? At first we can't keep the evil thoughts from coming, but we can keep from entertaining them. The only way to do this is to forget them -- which means, get something for them. This is where the ready-made affirmation comes into play.

When a thought of anger, jealousy, fear or worry creeps in, just start your affirmation going. The way to fight darkness is with light -- the way to fight cold is with heat -- the way to overcome evils is with good. For myself, I never could find any help in denials. Affirm the good, and the bad will vanish. - Frederick Elias Andrews

Be quiet, my mind

"The resting place of the mind is the heart. The only thing the mind hears all day is clanging bells and noise and argument, and all it wants is quietude. The only place the mind will ever find peace is inside the silence of the heart. That's where you need to go." 
-Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

Stop thinking for a portion of your time and give yourself a gift of listening.

Gratitude Glasses

The 24 Hour Gratitude Challenge 

Written by Jafree Ozwald

www.EnlightenedBeings.com 

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was,
"thank you," that would suffice." ~ Meister Eckhart

Gratitude is one of the highest vibrations on the planet.  It is a close cousin to love and comes spontaneously from opening your heart to love itself.  The energy of gratitude is soooo powerful that it instantly opens your heart, and connects you to the Divine power in all of existence.  In every moment you have the opportunity to be grateful for what is showing up.  The real question is HOW to always remain in this constant state of appreciation, without having to continuously reboot and refocus your mind back on what you're thankful for. 

The secret to this answer is in increasing the general vibration and consciousness within your body.  I invite you to take on my 24 Hour Gratitude Challenge to upgrade your life and start living in Gratitude-Ville!  It starts first thing tomorrow morning before you get out of bed.  You simply put on your "Gratitude Glasses" and begin SEEING everything in your life from this Grace-filled state.  As you practice your new all-seeing "Gratitude Vision" you are strengthening your ability to relax and experience every moment as perfect and Divine.  This causes your body to feel deep sensations of relief and joy for life, turning you into a "grateful magnet"! 

Now, here comes the fun part!  Wear your Gratitude Glasses all day long for the next 24 hours.  No matter what happens, meet it with this new perception.  By perceiving all experiences and events with joy, appreciation and trust you will jumpstart your inner gratitude engine.  After 24 hours you will drop into an automatic gratitude vibration and have enough momentum to glide into another 24 hours, which will allow you to go through the rest of the week with ease and Grace.

"To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven."  ~ Johannes A. Gaertner

 If for some bizarre reason your Gratitude Glasses fall off because of some outer circumstance was not in alignment with your expectations, simply recognize that this was not what your ego wanted, yet was what Grace required for the good of ALL concerned.  Sometimes we cannot see the bigger picture why "bad things happen to good people", yet as far as the soul is concerned on its infinite journey, it is all karmic fuel for the fire of one's spiritual awakening.  By accepting the soul purpose of each negative experience is to push you deeper inside to find your greatest source of gratitude, you can welcome them all with open arms.

There is a gift and a blessing in everything.  Even in those moments that appear the bleakest.  The secret is to SEEK the gift and give thanks for something in those difficult moments.  When you begin to do this, and truly live AS the vibration of gratitude itself.  This is when miraculous things happen!  You will see after you 3rd day in a row of living in a state of Gratitude that the world lovingly supports your every wish and need.  A natural thankful energy for every occurrence will spontaneously arise by your third day and you'll be astounded how amazing life truly is! 

Gratitude is the key to living a happy life that is truly fulfilling. When we are not practicing it, then it doesn't matter how much success we achieve in the outer world, or desires that we manifest. The ego is constantly on the prowl for something better, faster and more amazing and can never be satisfied. By choosing to be grateful for what is here now, then no matter how you manifest or don't manifest, you will be happy with your life no matter how it turns out.

 

Connecting the Physical and Spiritual Heart- from Heart Math

Researchers have found evidence that our heart’s electromagnetic field (generated by each heartbeat) forms an energy field that is coupled to a field of information not bound by the classic limits of time and space. The term spiritual heart or energetic heart refers to this coupling to what many call their higher power, higher self, universal source, etc. It’s what physicist David Bohm called the implicate order and undivided wholeness.
Researchers are now theorizing that the energetic heart functions as a “receiving station” through which non-linear information couples to the physical heart. By intentionally engaging sincere heart feelings like love, care, appreciation or compassion, we generate a coherent or sine-wave like heart rhythm pattern. The more coherent we are, the more receptive we become to this field of intuitive heart intelligence.

Studies conducted at Institute of HeartMath and elsewhere seem to support the theory that the energetic heart communicates a steady stream of intuitive information to the physical heart, then to the brain / mind (Electrophysiology of Intuition). In most cases, we access only a small percentage of this information, because the mind tends to override the frequency.

What’s exciting is that human beings can learn to intentionally generate heart rhythm coherence to align with and become more conscious of this heart intelligence. Heart intuition is a bridge line that provides the transfer of wisdom and knowledge from this information field into our perception. The practice of consciously living from the heart increases intuitive access, and as we listen to our heart intuition, our discernment increases and we make better choices and life decisions. In today’s times, more and more people are experiencing an intuitive nudge to “get on the move” to become the best that they can be. Sometimes our heart’s intuition whispers directions, other times it firmly suggests that it is time to move from stuck places and patterns.
As Sara discussed in last week’s article, heart coherence also creates a coherent alignment between heart, mind and emotions that makes it easier to manage our emotions. Anytime we can neutralize emotional reactions and opinions, it helps activate the flow of our heart’s intuition for suggesting balanced perceptions and effective choices when discerning solutions or life directions. It is often the lack of coherent alignment between the heart’s intuition, mind, and emotions that generates resistance and stress. When our heart connection fades we lose access to intuitive guidance and the mind and emotions often become chaotic, resulting in feelings of overload, irritability, impatience, and so on. Most of us are aware of how being stuck in these stress loops increases our tendency to say or do things we later regret and the resulting time and energy waste that we often self-create. At times we do get an intuitive insight of what to say or do that would prevent stress, but sometimes that intuition is not what we want to hear, because our mind is made up about what we want.

Learning to generate a heart coherent state to access our intuitive intelligence at the onset of stressful feelings and reactions can help prevent many stress-producing scenarios and creates a much easier transit and flow through our daily challenges. Our intuition helps us to attune our mental and emotional nature to the most reasonable and effective way for responding to each situation that life brings us—challenging, normal, or creative. We call it practical intuition, and see it as the most important function of intuition.
Practical Intuition
Practicing heart coherence a few minutes several times a day helps you be more conscious and intuitive at choice points – you get to choose your actions and reactions rather than mechanically responding in the same old stress-producing behavior patterns. Here are some practical situations where accessing heart intuition can be very helpful.

• Making better choices for higher outcomes.
• Increasing your capacity for discerning direction in sensitive situations.
• Deciding when is it time to speak up or when is it time to hold back.
• Determining what attitude you should bring to a particular situation.
• Detecting when life is feeding back to us that we need to change an attitude, disposition.
• To help guide your diet and health choices

As HeartMath founder Doc Childre says, “Accessing heart intuition is not one quick trick. (Some think it is and that’s why many people get frustrated with intuition.) You have to practice opening and connecting with the heart for intuition to grow within you. Opening your heart, practicing more heart connection with people, listening from the heart, draw in more intuition. Self-compassion, self-forgiveness, and having compassion and forgiveness for others, draw in more intuition. Intuition is just the voice of who you really are.” We have a choice in every moment to ‘take to heart’ the importance of activating our heart’s intuitive intelligence and guidance.


Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/heart-intelligence-connecting-the-physical-spiritual-heart.html#ixzz2X2YIi1vi

 

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Stressed? - Try meditation

When it comes to the subject of stress, most of us thought we are alone.

 

80% of workers feel stress on the job and nearly half say they need help 

in learning how to manage stress. And 42% say their co-workers need 

such help
– American Institute of Stress

 

Stress is a top health concern for U.S. teens between 9th and 12th grade, 

psychologists say that if they don’t learn healthy ways to manage that stress 

now, it could have serious long-term health implications 

– American Psychological Association

 

An estimated 442,000 individuals in Britain, who worked in 2007/08 believed 

that they were experiencing work-related stress at a level that was making 

them ill – Labour Force Survey

 

Alarmingly 91% of adult Australians feel stress in at least one important area 

of their lives. Almost 50% feel very stressed about one part of their life 

– Lifeline Australia

 

Everyone encounters bouts of serious stress at some time in their lives.

 

Some of us face it our entire lives.

 

 In recent years there has been an explosion in the number of those 

suffering from stress.

 

Many of us go to great lengths to try and keep our condition under-wraps. 

 

If you are dealing with stress in your life, and apparently most of us are, you might want to try meditation. 

The Mayo Clinic on Meditation

Reprints
A single copy of this article may be reprinted for personal, noncommercial use only.

Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress

By Mayo Clinic staff

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Original Article:  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/meditation/HQ01070

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Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress

Meditation can wipe away the day's stress, bringing with it inner peace. See how you can easily learn to practice meditation whenever you need it most.

By Mayo Clinic staffIf stress has you anxious, tense and worried, consider trying meditation. Spending even a few minutes in meditation can restore your calm and inner peace.
Anyone can practice meditation. It's simple and inexpensive, and it doesn't require any special equipment. And you can practice meditation wherever you are — whether you're out for a walk, riding the bus, waiting at the doctor's office or even in the middle of a difficult business meeting.

Understanding meditation

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. Meditation originally was meant to help deepen understanding of the sacred and mystical forces of life. These days, meditation is commonly used for relaxation and stress reduction.
Meditation is considered a type of mind-body complementary medicine. Meditation produces a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind. During meditation, you focus your attention and eliminate the stream of jumbled thoughts that may be crowding your mind and causing stress. This process results in enhanced physical and emotional well-being.

Benefits of meditation

Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health. And these benefits don't end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and can even improve certain medical conditions.
Meditation and emotional well-beingWhen you meditate, you clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress.
The emotional benefits of meditation include:

• Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations
• Building skills to manage your stress
• Increasing self-awareness
• Focusing on the present
• Reducing negative emotions

Meditation and illnessMeditation also might be useful if you have a medical condition, especially one that may be worsened by stress. While a growing body of scientific research supports the health benefits of meditation, some researchers believe it's not yet possible to draw conclusions about the possible benefits of meditation.
With that in mind, some research suggests that meditation may help such conditions as:

• Allergies
• Anxiety disorders
• Asthma
• Binge eating
• Cancer
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Pain
• Sleep problems
• Substance abuse

Be sure to talk to your health care provider about the pros and cons of using meditation if you have any of these conditions or other health problems. In some cases, meditation can worsen symptoms associated with certain mental health conditions. Meditation isn't a replacement for traditional medical treatment. But it may be a useful addition to your other treatment.

Types of meditation

Meditation is an umbrella term for the many ways to a relaxed state of being. There are many types of meditation and relaxation techniques that have meditation components. All share the same goal of achieving inner peace.
Ways to meditate can include:

• Guided meditation. Sometimes called guided imagery or visualization, with this method of meditation you form mental images of places or situations you find relaxing. You try to use as many senses as possible, such as smells, sights, sounds and textures. You may be led through this process by a guide or teacher.
• Mantra meditation. In this type of meditation, you silently repeat a calming word, thought or phrase to prevent distracting thoughts.
• Mindfulness meditation. This type of meditation is based on being mindful, or having an increased awareness and acceptance of living in the present moment. You broaden your conscious awareness. You focus on what you experience during meditation, such as the flow of your breath. You can observe your thoughts and emotions but let them pass without judgment.
• Qi gong. This practice generally combines meditation, relaxation, physical movement and breathing exercises to restore and maintain balance. Qi gong (CHEE-gung) is part of traditional Chinese medicine.
• Tai chi. This is a form of gentle Chinese martial arts. In tai chi (TIE-chee), you perform a self-paced series of postures or movements in a slow, graceful manner while practicing deep breathing.
• Transcendental meditation. You use a mantra, such as a word, sound or phrase repeatedly silently, to narrow your conscious awareness and eliminate all thoughts from your mind. You focus exclusively on your mantra to achieve a state of perfect stillness and consciousness.
• Yoga. You perform a series of postures and controlled breathing exercises to promote a more flexible body and a calm mind. As you move through poses that require balance and concentration, you're encouraged to focus less on your busy day and more on the moment.

Elements of meditation

Different types of meditation may include different features to help you meditate. These may vary depending on whose guidance you follow or who's teaching a class. Some of the most common features in meditation include:

• Focused attention. Focusing your attention is generally one of the most important elements of meditation. Focusing your attention is what helps free your mind from the many distractions that cause stress and worry. You can focus your attention on such things as a specific object, an image, a mantra, or even your breathing.
• Relaxed breathing. This technique involves deep, even-paced breathing using the diaphragm muscle to expand your lungs. The purpose is to slow your breathing, take in more oxygen, and reduce the use of shoulder, neck and upper chest muscles while breathing so that you breathe more efficiently.
• A quiet setting. If you're a beginner, practicing meditation may be easier if you're in a quiet spot with few distractions — no television, radios or cellphones. As you get more skilled at meditation, you may be able to do it anywhere, especially in high-stress situations where you benefit the most from meditation, such as a traffic jam, a stressful work meeting or a long line at the grocery store.
• A comfortable position. You can practice meditation whether you're sitting, lying down, walking or in other positions or activities. Just try to be comfortable so that you can get the most out of your meditation.

Everyday ways to practice meditation

Don't let the thought of meditating the "right" way add to your stress. Sure, you can attend special meditation centers or group classes led by trained instructors. But you also can practice meditation easily on your own.
And you can make meditation as formal or informal as you like — whatever suits your lifestyle and situation. Some people build meditation into their daily routine. For example, they may start and end each day with an hour of meditation. But all you really need is a few minutes of quality time for meditation.
Here are some ways you can practice meditation on your own, whenever you choose:

• Breathe deeply. This technique is good for beginners because breathing is a natural function. Focus all attention on your breathing. Concentrate on feeling and listening as you inhale and exhale through your nostrils. Breathe deeply and slowly. When your attention wanders, gently return your focus to your breathing.
• Scan your body. When using this technique, focus attention on different parts of your body. Become aware of your body's various sensations, whether that's pain, tension, warmth or relaxation. Combine body scanning with breathing exercises and imagine breathing heat or relaxation into and out of different parts of your body.
• Repeat a mantra. You can create your own mantra, whether it's religious or secular. Examples of religious mantras include the Jesus Prayer in the Christian tradition, the holy name of God in Judaism, or the om mantra of Hinduism, Buddhism and other Eastern religions.
• Walk and meditate. Combining a walk with meditation is an efficient and healthy way to relax. You can use this technique anywhere you're walking — in a tranquil forest, on a city sidewalk or at the mall. When you use this method, slow down the pace of walking so that you can focus on each movement of your legs or feet. Don't focus on a particular destination. Concentrate on your legs and feet, repeating action words in your mind such as lifting, moving and placing as you lift each foot, move your leg forward and place your foot on the ground.
• Engage in prayer. Prayer is the best known and most widely practiced example of meditation. Spoken and written prayers are found in most faith traditions. You can pray using your own words or read prayers written by others. Check the self-help or 12-step-recovery section of your local bookstore for examples. Talk with your rabbi, priest, pastor or other spiritual leader about resources.
• Read and reflect. Many people report that they benefit from reading poems or sacred texts, and taking a few moments to quietly reflect on their meaning. You also can listen to sacred music, spoken words or any music you find relaxing or inspiring. You may want to write your reflections in a journal or discuss them with a friend or spiritual leader.
• Focus your love and gratitude. In this type of meditation, you focus your attention on a sacred object or being, weaving feelings of love and gratitude into your thoughts. You can also close your eyes and use your imagination or gaze at representations of the object.

Building your meditation skills

Don't judge your meditation skills, which may only increase your stress. Meditation takes practice. Keep in mind, for instance, that it's common for your mind to wander during meditation, no matter how long you've been practicing meditation. If you're meditating to calm your mind and your attention wanders, slowly return to the object, sensation or movement you're focusing on.
Experiment, and you'll likely find out what types of meditation work best for you and what you enjoy doing. Adapt meditation to your needs at the moment. Remember, there's no right way or wrong way to meditate. What matters is that meditation helps you with stress reduction and feeling better overall.

Awareness and tips

Practice awareness.

Put a finger on your forehead.  How does it feel?  Warm, cool?  Is there a pulse or a tingle?  Just be aware of your finger on your forehead for a couple of minutes. How does it feel?

Congratulations.  You have just practiced awareness.  Your mind was not thinking of work, kids or your bank account.  You were only aware of one thing, your finger on your forehead. The monkey mind was quiet. 

When a stressful situation presents itself, stop for a minute to remember the feeling. Or just put your finger on your forehead.

 

Don’t for meditating.

Don’t try too hard.  You will always have thoughts.  Don’t judge them.  Come with a beginners mind.  No judgement.  No right, no wrong.  Notice the thoughts and let them drift away like clouds in the sky.

Don’t beat yourself up if you drift off.  Just come back.

Do not believe if your mind tells you to give up.  Your spirit is willing.

Don’t come with expectations.  Many people stop meditating because they expected ‘an experience’.  Meditation is a quiet, natural, restful  process.  We need rest to heal. The deeper the rest, the deeper the healing.

 

I'm thrilled I was able to join you all during last night's healing meditation.
And yes, Connie, calming the Monkey Mind becomes a challenge sometimes.
I was able to be outside while sitting in silence and when I opened my eyes, this is what I saw.

I added one of my Fur Babies, Bob the Cat, to the Mediation. He's been away since last Thursday.
Here is a picture of him taken last December. 

I'm pretty sure he isn't coming home again.

I used Emotion Freedom Technique before quietening my mind using proxy tapping for, "Even though I have reason to be in this Healing Circle, I totally and completely love and accept myself unconditionally." After tapping several rounds and repeating the set up phrase several times, I found that shutting down the chatter in my mind was easier to do.

Thanks to all who participated.
Namaste'
Neena

Our first group meditation

The group meditation last night was beautiful.  For me, during the meditation we became one and as our light was shining more and more people joined the circle until we became one big shining ball of radiating love and light.
We came from love and the longing for home is ever with us.  Meditation takes us there while setting ego aside and quieting the monkey mind.  The masters have told us, nothing will do more for our spirit than a few minutes of meditation each day. 
Mother Teresa said to look into the eyes of your brother and see how you are the same.  We are all a part of the whole, ever connected.  What I feel effects you, what you do effects me.  We are so powerful and our intent makes a difference.  Come home to who you are.  Be that beautiful shining light of healing love. See the love in all and embrace it. You are seeing your reflection.
Welcome home.

Power of Love Healing Circle

I have received such positive feedback on the Power of Love Circle. Also some suggestions from high and not so high sources.  J 

 Each Sunday I will email a reminder along with requests for healing intentions.   At first I thought having a list of names in the group would be helpful but have been persuaded this is not the best idea.  So you are considered a group member by your intention.   Please let me know if you prefer to NOT receive the notices and I will remove your name.  All is well and you are loved.  If you know someone who may be interested in joining our group mediations please invite them as you see fit. If they want to be included in the emails, you may give them my email address and/or the link to the blog.

 Please post on the blog or let me know via email if you as a member of the group has a healing challenge of any sort (emotional or physical) and would like to be a target of a specific healing intention.  We will be concentrating on each member of the group in the first part of the meditation. 

If you know someone with a healing challenge and would like to put them in the circle, just let me know and I’ll put it in the email. First name only.  Our intention to include them is enough. Healing will go where it is allowed and/or invited to go.  Or ask them to join the group at the designated time.

The meditation will begin each Sunday at 9:00 pm Central time. Hopefully we will all be able to start our meditation at the same time.  However, if you are in a time zone more than a couple hours different, you may participate at a convenient time for you, by following the guidelines and sending the healing light, love and energies to 9:00 pm Central time.  We have been told the past, present and future is all in the now.  
Spend however long is necessary for you to do the work.  For some 30 minutes may be enough while others may take much longer.    

The object is for all members of the group to work together with love for healing. 

Guidelines:  Sunday 9:00 pm Central time.  Begin by stating your intention to be a group member of The Power of Love Healing Circle.

Use any meditation practice that works for you or close your eyes while concentrating on your breath, inhaling and exhaling.  Clear your mind of any distractions, letting any thought effortlessly float away.  Take however long it takes.   Mentally form a circle and join hands or in some way connect with members of the group. It is not necessary to see the individuals, just know they are present.

Bring to mind something or someone that causes you to feel love in your heart. A person, pet, or memory.  Let that feeling expand until it fills you and expands to include everyone in the circle.   Hold the intention of love and healing to all members of the group and see them as healthy and well in every way.  Give extra attention to any group member that has requested help with a healing challenge.

Every being in the group, and the circle formed by the group is now filled with light and radiates healing love. Stay in this space as long as feels right for you. One at a time or all together put any others, that have requested healing intention, in the circle that is filled with love and healing.  See them as healthy and well in every way. Stay in this space until you feel it is time to move on.  At this time you may feel called to use your favorite method of healing…. tapping, Reiki, etc. on yourself or another.  Please do so at this time.

Close by gratefully bowing to the divine that is in you and the group.

It would be helpful to know what is working or not working for you.  You may make comments on the blog so feel free to express any views, suggestions or experiences you have during the group meditations.  If you would like to be an author on the blog, let me know and I will send you an invitation which will allow you to post.

Namaste