I think Gary Craig is right. Or let's say, I know he is right.

Because I have used EFT and, with help of mindful breathing and Science of Mind thinking, I came to the point to recognize that all my feelings are determined by how I talk to myself. Not by what Bush does, or the opposition, not by hunger and injustice, but by how I react to them. And that I can only react in a useful way, when I have let go of my imediate emotions and accepted the fact that things are as they are. Then, when i am cool and somewhat balanced I can be clearly aware of what has to change to get over the problems. And in that state of peace of mind iIcan see that the only way to stop those human activities based on anger, agression, and fears, is to teach the majority how to be peaceful and happy no matter what, and then vote the ignorant ones out of power.

Or something along that line. The rest is war. Fighting for peace means fighting, which is conflict with an opposition, which is war. Peace is the only way, and the only way of peace is to be peaceful. And to be peaceful I have to be at peace in myself, because I know nothing about the world but my thoughts, and if those are taken too serious I am lost, because they are only thoughts and easily replaceabe. In fact mine change every second.

Life is not my thoughts. My thoughts are only my means of sorting out my reactions to what I think is happening. And that's usually not what's happening. Mostly I am only aware of my emotions based on what I have been thinking about before.

Reality comes in when I let go of thinking that I know what's going on and become open to question my thoughts and let them go. And observe what happens when I keep letting go while I realize that I don't really know what's going on, - when I crack open the box of old judgments and find that they are all wrong.

And they must be wrong, because they were my parents ideas, not my own. They are outdated by at least thirty years and must be somewhat obsolete. In fact because they were based on the judgments of their parents' and grand parents' they are outdated for about two hundred years. And, any way, since all those judgments  were based on the emotions or ideologies - and not reality - of previous generations they are not even close to reality. In fact they are all based on trauma, anger, resentments and fears, built up by wars, revenge and imagined loyalty to family and clan, - nothing real at all.

So to become peaceful and able to perceive reality somewhat I need to neutralize my negative emotions of anger, resentments, and fears, and let go of old concepts of reality, and then I can see that the first step is to change my mind and become free from the past, and then I can see that "the first step is the only step," as Krishnamurti says, because then I know that I am maintaining all those conflicts myself by believing in them.
Then the obvious solution turns out to be to help others realize the same mistake that is keeping them stuck in the belief that those conflicts are real and recognize themselves that they maintain the conflicts by believing in them.

And EFT does that work. It neutralizes the emotional upheavals so that all those resentments, fears and angers become "just another thought." And because those negative thoughts come with negative feelings, often quite painful and uncomfortable, my obvious choice is to focus on something positive, a nice thought with a nice feeling, such as: "Let's make peace now. Anything else is really insane." And then there is nothing left but do it. Now. Or go through another cycle of insane thinking.

Or what do you think?

Does that make sense, or not?

If you agree, let's make peace now.

Let's build a network, a kind of "Society of Friends," which teaches others to recognize that they are maintaining war by believing in it. And suffering, and fear. So that they change their minds and think peace, and happiness. No matter what.

That's the best I can come up with for now, for making peace and living happy.
Build a  Society of Friends. 

You are invited to join. Now. 

What do you think?

Mikael

P.S.: The posts on the solution to the world problems and SOFN should be read in an upside down order, from oldest to latest, rather than just scrolling down.

And: The Free EFT Get Started Package ( http://www.emofree.com/a/?1954/1 ) can help any newcomer learn the valuable EFT process. If you want to save time and dive right in, get the low cost DVD Library ( http://www.emofree.com/a/?1954/2 )

 

Society of Friends Network, SOFN, part 1

I imagine SOFN as a non-profit organization which promotes ideas, life skills, tools, and materials which help people to realize their greatest potential, peace of mind, health and happiness.

The Idea

Every person grows up identified with a personality based on the conditioning of the parents and society. Often traumatized by experiences and by dysfunctional behaviors and influences we develop a false self which needs to be discarded and replaced with our true Self through a change of mind. Traditionally for some this mind change took place through traumatic events, in a midlife crisis, in quests for meaning or in following spiritual paths.

Many others never reached the level of consciousness which can lift us out of suffering into wholeness and health of mind and spirit..

The mind change necessary for healing consists of identifying the true Self in our own psyche, differentiating it from our false self which was based on traumatic upbringing and conditioning and consistantly choose to live and express as our true Self. The challenge of the SOFN is to make the understanding of the necessity of this mind change so common place that all world cultures recognize this need and take steps to integrate it into common means of education.

The true Self has been called God in us, the holy spirit, the true or divine Self, Brahman, boddhisattva, Christ consciousness, our original goodness, love, truth, peace of mind, serenity, the Great I Am, the kingdom of heaven within, etc. Consciously identifying with this Self frees us from the fears and atachments to the lower level of the ego.

The false self is the ego, the mask, the personality, the old adam, or d' evil, which is always trying to gain power and satisfaction by depending on something outside of itself. It is created as a false identity in reaction to childhood fears caused by emotional trauma. Neglect or abuse of the original spirit, of the child within, leads to an identification with the dualistic level, the thinking that is trying to protect us from harm on the material plane, which leads to a constant fear of not getting or not being enough, the root of all addictions and tendencies to depend on something besides the true Self.

We know enough today about how to free ourselves from the traumas of the past as well as from fear, doubt and a consciousness of lack to be able to teach how to recognize, develop, identify, and live out of our true Self. For, in fact, nothing is required but to be honestly ourselves by letting go of all tendencies that deflect us form being honest, sincere, and true to our original desire of goodness. This healing of the spirit is the prerequisite for healing mind, body and society and to develop world peace.

The Society of Friends Network intends to provide tools for healing our minds and freeing our spirit for the benefit of all mankind so that we may grow into a society that cooperates on all issues in a spirit of friendship and communal support.

With this and the following posts, which i actually mailed to the Working for Good business competition last month,  I want to open a discussion which leads to improvements of the concept and to an actual founding of a Society of Friends.

I hope for a lot of response and suggestions.

Your, Mikael Mindchanger

 

Society of Friends Network, SOFN

Part 2, The Concept

Suggestions for the foundation of a fellowship of friends

Peace is Now

The World Is Safe

We only need

To save our souls

And Be Friends


The Practice

Be happy, live in joy, help others.

Love your Self and life.

"Be the change you want to see."        Gandhi

Teach peace and happiness

Find your true Self/Spirit, which is always happy, joyous and free.

Fulfill your soul purpose through helping others to find peace of mind, health and happiness, anyway you think is fun and brings you joy.

"Service can have no meaning unless you take pleasure in it. When it is done for show or for fear of public opinion it stunts the man and crushes his spirit. Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served. But all other pleasures pale into nothingness before service which is rendered in a spirit of joy."  

                                                                                                                              Gandhi

SOFN Projects

Life skill training

In workshops and group meetings we share new ideas and techniques of self management of thoughts and emotions and life itself. No dogma or ideology which has to be internalized, but open minded studying and sharing of experiences and insights.

Our beliefs are shaped by the beliefs of our ancestors, but those beliefs are based on concepts of survival, scarcity and lack due to a history of trauma through wars and poverty. To create peace and to live up to our human potential we need to replace these negative attitudes with positive, life enhancing beliefs, as all wisdom teachers used to teach. The essence of traditional wisdoms combined with modern recognitions of psychology lead to a philosophy along the lines of New Thought and Science of Mind as taught by Ernest Holmes and result in a change of mind, a new perspective of seeing oneself as part of the intelligence of the universe, rather than as a victim of circumstances and of one's own thoughts and emotions.

You cannot be happy and angry or fearful at the same time. So learn to let go of anger, resentment and fears. Freedom from depression, listlessness and resistance. Recognize that your thoughts create your life and they can be changed. Learn to use conscious breathing, focusing, EFT, forgiveness, non judgmental awareness, acceptance, appreciation, gratitude, and positive affirmations to free your soul. 

Develop a School Curriculum for self management and awareness, for an awakening to the true Self.

The Each One Teach One (E1T1) Program

The E1T1 consciousness: Each One is The One

Each is always dealing with him/herself. We are what we think and get what we believe. Life is a practice of self management. Through emotional traumas, pain and dysfunctional conditioning most of us develop a false self which lives out of fear and anger. The true Self is part of the universal Self, the oneness or All that is usually called God. As individual manifestations of the life force and of universal consciousness each one is an individual expression of God, a soul with a life purpose God is an old word for the goodness of life, of the universe and for the goodness within our consciousness. Everyone wants good, but is deceived by a focus on anger and the will to fight for good, but fighting makes the opposition only stronger. We are a creative consciousness which desires to express as love and expand life along the laws of creation. We study the laws of life and learn how to proceed on the path of growth in mind and spirit towards our true Self which is always happy, joyous and free.

The E1T1 practice: Each One Teach One.

Each one is a personal friend to another, who teaches of his experiences and mistakes on the path to self awareness and peace of mind.

Once we understand the joy of being and expressing as spirit we know that there is nothing more joyful than being a friend to another and a teacher to the world. Each 1 teach 1 is our commitment to help at least one other to let go of fears, resentments and negative thought patterns, thereby improving our own understanding and well being.

Tools of healing:

Mindfulness: conscious breathing, self awareness, observing thoughts and emotions, relation of belief and experience, focusing, peace is the way

EFT: let go of all negative thoughts, anger and resentments, treat psychosomatic aspects of illness, strengthen life enhancing qualities, talents, and ideas, education of public about EFT could replace 50 % of private doctors and 80% of medications

New Thought: learn to identify Self as spirit, practice affirmations and thought patterns which free from fears and limitations, practice the creativity of Self, live deliberately in peace, harmony, love, and abundance

Meetings: sharing of stories, positive experiences, success with the tools, etc

Communal living: intentional communities which develop tools for sustainable peace of mind

For more details see the following post: Tools for healing, in part 3

         

Society of Friends Membership

Membership activities:

a)    supporting the organization and its intentions financially and materially

b)    confirming the commitment to be the change you want to see and to teach another as a friend

c)     joining the life skill training program

d)    taking part in supportive activities, such as retailing of self help materials, teaching tools and art, organizing workshops, managing retreats,

e)    sharing life in communities which work together for improving the understanding, goals and means of the society for the purpose of maintaining a sustainable peace of mind.
etc, etc, etc

A friend is someone who realizes that his/her greatest joy lies in being true to his true self and a friend to others, living in reliance on his/her intuition and best intention and helping others to liberate their own original spirit of love and joy. That is everybody. In the society we meet, share and support each other in growing towards living as friends of life and of all human beings. A true friend is not someone who only gives out financial support, which makes the recipient dependent, but someone who shows a fellow "sufferer" that suffering is only a state of mind, which can be discarded, so that he recognizes how to help himself to develop a peaceful, joyful and abundant life by working for the good of all.

Research of Tools for Healing Self and the World

The society supports research into self healing techniques such as energy psychology, yoga, meditation, Quantum Touch and other self help tools for healing. A data base on successful approaches to self healing of body, mind and spirit is developed. Research into psychosomatic causes of diseases.

For example:

A collection of individual success stories along the question "What worked for you?" 

If 80%(?) of breast cancers, for example, are found to be related to an emotional trauma and appear about 2 years after a separation from or the death of a husband, trauma treatment can become an important part of grieving a relationship trauma. (In fact most diseases can probably be prevented by appropriate trauma treatment and emotional clearing once their psycho-energetic origins are recognized. The EFT website http://www.emofree.com/ is an example for this kind of experience based research and a source for healing trauma and disease.

Also medical and herbal treatments need this kind of "peer review."

For more information on psychological connections to disease see:

Handbooks of Psychosomatic Medicine

Louise Hay, You Can Heal Yourself

Ruediger Dahlke, Krankheit als Symbol

Michael Lincoln, Messages from the Body

Norman Shealy

Candice Peart, Molecules of Emotion

Best ways of financing?
Financial activities

Life skill training, workshops, vacation retreats

Retailing of educational materials, books, CDs, articles, videos,

Communal activities, house exchanges,

 

Problems to be discussed

Should SOFN be a non-profit org., a church, a fellowship or a business?

Why should we not have each of them?

What is the difference to zaadz, if any?What's missing at zaadz?

What are the real needs of our members?

How can we do the work of spreading the consciousness and get paid for it?

"When you do things from your soul, a river moves through you. Freshness and a deep joy are the signs."  ~ Rumi ~

                                                                                         (Thanks for the quote, Joybringer)

Society of Friends Network,   Part 3 Please read the following two parts first, and maybe the posts on the solution to the worlds problems too. Tools for healing and recovering the true Self I start with a list of tools which hopefully expands and improves through various contributions and discussions until we develop a list of basic ideas that everybody can agree upon. Mindful breathing Keeps me centered in Self at all times, mindful and aware, relaxes me, keeps my blood free from acidity, an important prerequisite for physical health. Mindfulness or insight meditation Awakes me to awareness of spirit or Self, realizing that I am not identical with my thoughts and emotions, awareness that thoughts create emotions, realizing that we are not hurt by other peoples actions but by what we think about them, by our own attitudes. Activating the witness consciousness, recognizing that I am awareness and will beyond thoughts and feelings. Acceptance of the now Letting go of past and future through acceptance of All that is. Only when I accept I can develop ideas on how to improve. Criticizing only locks me into the past. Open mind Beginners mind, recognize that we know nothing through thinking, but everything through open minded awareness Focusing We choose our experience by what we focus on.  Focus deliberately on positives, - on what we want, not what we don't want, -expressing goodness makes us feel good. Focusing on love, compassion, generosity, giving, serving all, right thinking, eightfold noble path. Focusing as a practice teaches us to connect to our "felt sense" and develop what and how we think by how it feels. Change of mind, change of attitude Letting go of negatives, realizing that negative thinking hurts us, not them. Letting go of dependencies on experiences that are not chosen by Self and hinder Self awareness, such as substances, personalities, power, thinking, or emotions. Realizing that the fear of not getting enough is the root of all dependence. Knowing that we are always living in our own minds and feelings and can learn to manage them. Separating what we have control over and what not. Realizing that we cannot change other peoples minds or behaviors. Experiencing that a change of mind changes and heals our life. Recognizing that mind is a quality of the universe, not only humans. Intelligence/consciousness is part of the universe as we are part of it. Emotional Clearing Uprooting subconscious fears and misbeliefs. Healing trauma, shame and guilt. Emotional trauma has been found to be the source of emotional, mental and physical illness as well as of crime and violence. Recovering from trauma is recovery of the true Self. The tools of healing trauma and dependencies are tools for healing Self. Discreating physical symptoms and psychosomatic causes of illness by reclaiming our power of Self. Enhancing life by replacing negative beliefs with positive attitudes which penetrate into the subconscious through Emotional Freedom Technique, Polarity Therapy, Rebirthing, Avatar Course, Trauma Recovery, Twelve Step Program of AA, spiritual awakening, letting go, and many other techniques. Recognizing our mental framework as a thought field which is in constant exchange with other thought fields, local as well as regional, national and the world thought field, called the Zeitgeist. Ecology of mind consists of keeping our thought field clear by clearing negative emotions, focusing on positive, life-enhancing ideas and by choosing and creating loving and supportive relationships with other "thought fields" in the awareness that they will influence our field no matter if we recognize it or not. Maintaining a sustainable peace of mind enables peaceful cooperation on all levels. For the views on these concepts by Gary Craig, the inventor of EFT, see his article "The solution to all the world's problems" on the EFT Blog at http://eftcommunity.emofree.com/blogs/eft_blog/default.aspx Forgiveness Recognizing that forgiving serves me, not the one I forgive. Forgiving frees my thought field from entanglement with others, past, future and my false self. Sustaining freedom and peace of mind by forgiving the past, self and others, forgiving the ignorance we are leaving behind, realizing that I am o.k. beyond story and conditioning, because I am spirit, not thoughts. Liberating the soul Choosing happiness and peace of mind as the top priority of life. Letting go of being right. Let go let God. Recognizing that we know nothing, but our spirit/Self knows everything and guides us by making us feel good and joyous if we contemplate doing the right thing and bad if we contemplate the wrong. Joy and happiness appear as I get out of the way. Practicing the constant presence of "God" = good-ness, spirit, intelligence, love, truth, and integrity expressing in, as and through me. The presence of my true Self as an expression of the life-energy-consciousness-of-goodness-love-and-peace assures me that I am always on the right track as long as I am aware and feel good, honest, integer and joyful. Gratitude, appreciation The direct way to happiness are gratitude and humility. Spirit/universal intelligence/goodness/nature is in charge, not the ego. Service, Creativity, Envisioning Helping others onto the path towards peace and happiness reminds me and clarifies for me how to stay on the path. "You cannot keep it if you don't give it away". Each one teach one. Develop and support projects for peace and spiritual awareness Envision life as you desire and manifest it by following your bliss Build a Society of Friends, my, his, and her bliss. Essential Books and Resources: Mindfulness: Thich Nhat Hahn, The Miracle of Mindfulness                          The Heart of The Buddha's Teaching Joseph Goldstein: Insight Meditation Mikael Mindchanger: Awareness in the Now @ www.learnoutloud.com Acceptance of Now: Eckardt Tolle, The Power of Now Hale Dwoskin: The Sedona Method Open Mind: Shunryu Suzuki: Zen Mind, Beginners Mind Focusing: Gendlin: Focusing http://www.focusing.org/ http://www.focusing.org/spirituality.html http://www.focusing.org/buddhism_rlevin.html Esther Hicks: Ask And It Is Given Mikael Mindchanger: A Change of Mind @ www.learnoutloud.com Change of mind, attitude: Epictetus: The Art of Living Will Harmann: The Global Mind Change Richard Carlson: You Can Be Happy No Matter What Lester Levenson, Hale Dwoskin: Happiness Is Free Hale Dwoskin: The Sedona Method Harry Palmer: Living Deliberately, Avatar Course, www.avatarepc.com Gerald Jampolsky, Diane Cirincione: Love Is The Answer,    Change Your Mind Change Your Life Emotional Clearing: Gary Craig, Emotional Freedom Technique website http://www.emofree.com John Ruskan: Emotional Clearing Louise Hay: You Can Heal Your Life Michael Picucci:  The Journey TowardComplete Recovery Recovery: Authentic Process Healing, at www.theinstitue.org Trauma Recovery: Peter Levine: Waking The Tiger   Forgiveness http://www.withforgiveness.com Liberating The Soul or true Self: Ernest Holmes, The Science of Mind  Paul Brunton, The Wisdom of the Overself Vernon Howard: Psycho-Pictography Swami Prabhavananda, Christopher Isherwood: How To Know God, The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali Harry Palmer, Living Deliberately Etc,etc,etc,etc Comment, comment, comment, pretty please!!!