Author: torvidas

 

Discovering the Source amidst the Holocaust

I just recently finished reading an amazing book by Immaculee Ilibagiza called “Left to Tell”

It was strongly endorsed and promoted by the late, great, spiritual teacher Dr. Wayne Dyer and is published by Hay House Press. That’s my overall favourite publishing house for the type of books I tend to enjoy reading the most.

Now, Immaculee’s story is “Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust” and is a wonderful message of joy, forgiveness, inspiration, and positive thinking. Please don’t let the name “God” turn you off like it does for so many people. Feel free to replace it with the word of your choice: Source, Higher Power, Divine Spirit, Love, Life or the like.

Anyway, I heard about this book years ago and watched a Wayne Dyer special featuring Immaculee as a guest speaker, but I hesitated buying and reading the book because of that specific word “God” in the subtitle, as well as what I thought was going to be the book’s emphasis – religious dogma and rituals. I’m glad that I finally got around to reading it and I highly recommend it.

Here’s just a few of my observations about the book. You may or may not agree with them. It’s OK either way.

Immaculee lost most of her family during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. That genocide by Rwandan Hutus against ethnic Tutsis resulted in some 1 million dead and many others raped and/or disfigured – physically and emotionally. Immaculee was 24 years old at the time and survived the horrific and brutal slaughter by hiding in a Hutu Minister’s small washroom with seven other starving females – women and children. For 91 cramped and terrifying days.

She describes in significant detail the atrocities committed by the cruel and vicious machete wielding perpetrators, and then explains how she forgave those very same people.

I admit I had some difficulty with how Immaculee ascribed the good things that happened in her life to an external God, since my faith is in the Source within, not out there somewhere. Much of what she recounted about her beliefs reminded me of my past as a Roman Catholic youth. She maintained that God and “Jesus” had a distinct impact upon her survival. She took comfort in miracles, and made use of symbols of religious devotion such as rosaries and scapulars. Not for me thanks.

I was, however, very impressed with how she used positive thinking, affirmations, meditation and prayer. How she took specific action to achieve all the wonderful things that she was able to accomplish, during and after her experience.

She not only survived, but she thrived. She was injured, she healed, she forgave, and she had a spiritual transformation.

Her amazing faith and connection to the Source carried her through her ordeal. And I wish that for both you and myself!

Keep manifesting only good things  
Tony

If interested in getting a free copy of my mini e-book and subscribing to my e-mailing list click here

 

Do you like reading books? I do.

“I have lived 2000 lives and I have loved 1000 loves. I’ve walked on distant worlds and seen the end of time. Because I read.” George RR Martin.

I recently finished  Wayne Dyer‘s I Can See Clearly Now. In it he said that approximately 10% of the American population buys 95% of all the published books, and that 90% of the adult population never buys a book at all. [Maybe they get their books at a library instead?]. I was really surprised at that statistic.

So, where do you stand? Are you one of the 10%? Well I am. I LOVE books. I have bookshelves full of them, to my wife’s mild displeasure.

Are you one of the 73% of people who has actually read a book recently? In a major study, roughly a quarter of U.S. adults (27%) said they hadn’t read a single book in the past year. Wow.

If you are a member of the AbundanceTogether community and regularly read my daily e-mails, you will have noticed that I frequently recommend books, reports or articles for you to read. And I hope you have done so, because as Dr. Seuss says “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

I would rather read the book, than watch the movie. When reading, my imagination can run amok. Have you ever been disappointed by the movie interpretation of a book? I have. I was just thinking about one of my favourite books, the 1989 novel – A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. The movie, Simon Birch, a 1998 American comedy-drama film loosely based on the book, was a major letdown for me. Often, I find that the plot lines are not the same or the characters in the movie or the TV show don’t look like or sound like at all like the ones that I have imagined in my mind as I was reading.

I suppose that in some way my reading is an escape from reality. Not that I don’t love my current reality, but I can visit places, do things, meet people, time travel and enjoy amazing experiences in a way that I couldn’t otherwise do.

How many books did you read last year? I read a bit every morning and every few days I will do a marathon read for the whole day. I kept track of the number of books that I actually read in 2020 and it was: 90. Can you believe it? Of those, only fifteen were e-books and 53 of the 90 were strictly for pleasure, mainly novels, historical fiction, some “who done its” and a few science fiction and horror books. [Stephen King is one of my favourite authors, and he once said, “Books are uniquely portable magic”]. The remainder were metaphysical, spiritual, inspirational, and personal development writings. Some of them I skimmed , but most I read through to the end. 

By the way, I read any and all of the books, e-books and reports that I ever recommend in my AbundanceTogether emails. In case you don’t know, I am semi-retired and have plenty of free time on my hands. Plus, I’ve been in COVID lock-down for a number of months, with not much else to do. I admit to having taken a speed reading course back in College, so I can generally get through a book or essay pretty quickly.

Instead of electronic books I prefer paper copies that I can take down to the beach or read in the privacy of my throne room. I like to flip back and forth, reread pages, underline, and make notes along the borders and you can’t easily do that with e-books. I’ve been known to print off electronic copies of books just so that I have them on paper.

I try to read any book that my wife has read, shortly after she’s done so, so she and I can discuss the contents over dinner. She and I don’t necessarily always have the same taste in books however, or in movies or Netflix series either. I tend to be more flexible than she is [of course 😇] and I will sit through a chick flick whereby she’ll walk out of the TV room if I start to watch a space movie. I’m also known for occasionally buying a book that I like and then sending a copy to each of my two daughters. I think they have actually read some of them.

My wife gets some of the books  for us from the library while most I buy on Amazon, primarily because I get free Prime delivery. Occasionally, if they are less expensive than at Amazon, I’ll buy from Chapters/Indigo here in Canada. The catch, however, is that I usually have to spend a certain amount to get free shipping, so I generally overspend. There have also been times when I have received a hard copy of a book free, directly from the author, if I have paid for the shipping and handling charges. I know – it’s not exactly free, but it’s cheaper than the alternative. There are also a lot of no charge e-books and e-reports available online, or through promotions, that I download to read later on my computer.

During the cooler months I usually read in my living room with the fireplace on, sitting in my recliner, looking out at the trees and the lake, like I’m doing now. During the warmer months, I’m out on the back deck. I usually have a cup of black coffee and a pen and paper on hand. Harley the cat has a habit of nibbling on my toes and begging for another treat when I’m reading and I try to humour him. Occasionally he wants to lay down in the chair which I am using, so, because I’m a wonderful cat owner, and because he’s so old, I’ll give in and let him have it and move to another chair.

My early morning inspiration comes from Pocket Full of Miracles by Joan Borysenko, A Beginner’s Guide to the Universe by Mike Dooley, and Daily Word by Unity Worldwide Ministries. I read a page or two of each of them every day. Next on my list is rereading The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. Last time I read it I was still in my 20’s.

At the time of writing this blog [later February 2021] I’m eagerly looking forward to the birthday gift that my wife had promised me. It’s the newest novel by Stephen King. I should tell you that I’ve read pretty well every book he has ever written.

In the throne room I’m gradually working my way through the Science of Mind by Ernest Holmes. In the living room I’m currently finishing Millionaire Success Habits by Dean Graziosi and re-reading, for the third time, A Course in Miracles [it doesn’t seem to get any easier].

On my bedside table I have the book Crucial Conversations by a variety of authors, but I have admittedly not read very much of it since I usually reserve the bedroom for lovemaking and sleeping. My weekly online book study is The Way of Transformation by Jayem. All of that reading does not include the on-line and paper copies of the periodicals and magazines that I subscribe to. Yeah – I’m addicted to the written word aren’t I!

BTW – I’m in the process of writing my own book. It’s going to be a labour of love and I figure it’s going to take at least a year. To learn more about the writing process I’ve started reading the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron as well as The Book You Were Born to Write by Kelly Notaras. I also enrolled in the Hay House Writers Community course and am really enjoying the weekly lessons. My new book is going to be a “real one” of 200 pages or so, compared to the e-book on The Law of Attraction that I wrote a few years ago. That one, Using the Law of Attraction [How To Increase Abundance In All Areas Of Your Life] was more of an extended report than a full-fledged book, being only 23 pages long. If you’re interested, you can buy it on Amazon or you can get it for free by clicking on this link. Yeah, I know – it’s a shameless plug.

Now, it seems that for every book that I read, I add two more to the stack of unread ones on my bookshelves. I promised my wife that I would not get anymore until I got through most of them, but I must admit that I’ve been buying some Kindle books on sale, with the plan of reading them on her laptop while on our next beach, resort or cottage vacation, or at our timeshare in the fall [COVID-19 permitting].

So, why don’t you join me in a reading challenge? I encourage you to set a goal for yourself and then track how many books you’ve actually read. Personally speaking, I want to average at least a book a week in 2021, and I’m doing quite well so far. I can usually read a novel in a day or two, but with the heavier and deeper inspirational and self-improvement books, I’ll read them over a period of weeks or even months. Just a chapter or page or two each day. I always have one or more of those going in my throne room.

As Adam Stanley tells us “It’s better to have your nose in a book, than in someone else’s business.” So get your act together, and then – grab a book😁

In closing, I must admit that this certainly has been a long blog compared to some of my previous ones. Hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to email me and let me know what you thought of it, and share your feelings about the topic of BOOKS.

Keep manifesting only good things 🙂 
Tony

If interested in getting a free copy of my mini e-book and subscribing to my e-mailing list click here

 

 

Today’s blog is by one of my teachers, a renowned energy healer and intuitive. His name is Alexander Wilson, from Manifestation Magic.

Enjoy

Do You Really Love Yourself?

Do you think that loving yourself is selfish? Many of us have been taught that tending to our own needs first is wrong. The truth is that learning to love yourself is not selfish, it is in fact the key to a free and happy life.

Do you want to discover how to cultivate a deep sense of love for yourself? Do you long to radiate confidence and security in your life? It is so easy to fall into the trap of self-doubt, procrastination and negativity. Once we start comparing ourselves to others we find it even harder to find self love.

Why is it Important to Develop Self Love?

Many people do not realise how linked the law of attraction and self love are. You know that everything is energy and vibration in this universe, so doesn’t it make sense that through love you will flow pure energy? When you feel good within you feel good about everything else too. Everything is a reflection of your perceptions, beliefs and vibrations.

It is not selfish to love yourself first, it is essential, and we’re not talking about arrogance or telling people how awesome you are! We’re talking about accepting yourself on a deep human level and treating yourself with respect.

When you love yourself you create self-confidence, self-worth and compassion. One of the biggest problems we all face in this age of Instagram and Facebook is about validating ourselves through the approval of others. When we are constantly comparing our lives to other peoples or have worth tied up in their opinions of us, we are setting ourselves up for misery. The answer is to have that sense of self so cemented that nothing anyone can say or do can knock you from your knowledge of who you are and what you are worth. That deep place of self-love is the starting place for all miracles!

We’re going to show you some simple ways to incorporate self love into your life and grow your self esteem for a happy life.

When you learn how to love yourself, the law of attraction will suddenly seem to work to your benefit much more. That’s because when you fuel your desires with optimism (because you just 100% know that you are worthy!), you allow positive things to flow to you with much more ease.

How to Love Yourself: 15 Tips for Developing Self Love

1. Train Yourself Positive

Everyday write down 3 positive things about yourself. These can be anything from achievements in life to friendships you value or physical/ character traits you admire in yourself. The reason this helps is that it trains you to look for and appreciate the positive over the negative in your life. Imagine what it would feel like to praise instead of criticise yourself!

2. Take Yourself Somewhere New

Instead of waiting for the right moment or person to come along, why not just go to the movies or try a new restaurant on your own? When you can break through insecurities you have about doing these things solo, you deepen that connection to your true self. You discover the part of you that loves who you are unconditionally.

3. Travel

Setting off on a trip alone is a wonderful way to cultivate self love and get to know yourself. It’s even better if you also take in a new culture or unknown destination as you will be forced to strip down any preconceptions you may have about others and yourself. Throwing yourself into the unknown is brave and takes confidence, you will find out a lot about yourself on a deep level.

4. Journal

Writing is a proven therapeutic way of releasing tension and negativity. It is amazing to process your feelings and emotions about yourself and your life through journaling. You can also go back and see how you worked through challenges and learned from any bad experiences.

5. Mirror Work

Every morning go to the mirror and look straight into your eyes and say to your reflection “I love you, just as you are and I want to be your friend.” You can choose your own words of course, but the effect of this is incredibly powerful. Some people may find it very challenging at first, but keep at it and feel your self esteem and confidence soar.

6. Create a Vision Board

When you don’t love yourself you don’t believe you can have the things you want in life. Creating a personal vision board of everything you dream of is a wonderful way to get excited about your future. Why not include images of things you already have that you love and are proud of? This can help you to identify with your vision and not see it as just an unattainable dream.

7. Meditate Every Day

Meditating on a regular basis is like food for the mind and soul. We all know it by now, but how many of us actually can say we do it enough? When you get into a healthy practice of calming your mind you start to feel who you really are on a deep level and how you connect with everything else in the world.

8. Listen to Your Gut

Another benefit of meditation is being able to recognize your instincts for what they are and listening to them. When you develop the ability to trust your own intuition, you foster self love. Knowing how to trust your gut is to stand in your own power and own it.

9. Regular Self Care

Self love is much more than getting a haircut and a mani-pedi, however taking the time to respect and honour your physical body with loving gestures that make you feel good is highly recommended. Confidence and beauty do start within, but sometimes looking good can help you feel better on the inside when you are struggling with self-esteem.

10. List Your Accomplishments

Don’t be too shy to give yourself a little credit where credit is due. Write a list of everything you are proud of, whether it’s an educational or work achievement or simply learning a new recipe or deciding to master a yoga position. Big and small accomplishments are all worthy of praise, no matter what they are.

11. Practice Forgiveness

Forgiveness is vital to your mental and emotional health. Holding onto resentment towards others only hurts you in the long run. Equally, identify where you beat up on yourself for choices you regret or whatever toxic thoughts you have about your past, and then decide to let them go. Tell yourself you are just another human on a journey of life and love yourself through all your mistakes.

12. Don’t be Afraid to Say No

A lot of stress can be avoided when you realize it’s ok to say no sometimes. If you don’t feel like going out or feel overwhelmed, listen to that and take it as a sign to spend some time alone getting grounded again. You cannot please everybody and you need to make sure you are being true to yourself first.

13. Leave Your Comfort Zone

On the flip side of the above point, say yes occasionally when you normally say no. You can tell (if you’re listening to your gut) whether your ‘no’s’ are coming from a place of fear or a genuine desire not to do something. Try saying yes to something out of the ordinary for you and see how it feels to challenge yourself in new ways.

14. List Positive Traits in all Your Friends

This is a fun one to do in a couple or with a friend. Sit down together for 5 minutes and list the strong qualities and positive aspects that you each identify in the other. This can be an amazing way to bond in relationships and also has the uplifting effect of raising your own self esteem.

15. Be Childlike

Find a photo of yourself as a child and really study it. Try to remember what that little person dreamed of, what they believed and wished for. See the innocence and light in your young eyes and find that place in you now – that place of purity and playfulness. Self love never went away it just got pushed aside. When you remember your childlike innocence, worries seem to fade away.

You might find some of these suggestions scary at first, perhaps you shy away from some of our tips because they threaten your normal way of thinking and behaving. The bottom-line is you will feel so much happier and more positive in your life if you work on developing love for yourself.

Once you master some of the ways to create self love you will realise how crucial it is to own who you are and shine your authentic light in the world.

Bonus Tip – Try using love to create the things you desire. For example, tell yourself that you are going to love yourself into the best version of you. You want a bigger house? A soul mate? A new job? A dream vacation? Love them all into existence. You can draw them, write about them, and dream about them, whatever you choose, just as long as when you think of them you feel the vibration of love not lack. Love the life you desire into existence with your unfailing belief in your own magnificence.

Click on the link here to discover more about how “Manifestation Magic” can help you.

Hope you have enjoyed this guest blog. The one other tip I would offer you is: express gratitude – for everyone and everything. 

Keep manifesting only good things 🙂 
Tony

If interested in getting a free copy of my mini e-book and subscribing to my e-mailing list click here

 

 

So, what’s this about celebrating a Sabbath?  Does anyone really do it anymore?Do you?

What the heck is a Sabbath anyway? Is it on Saturday or Sunday? Or another day of the week? Who says we should celebrate a Sabbath? 

Well, my Sabbath happens every day.  And this is how I celebrate it. And you can too! Easy Peasy as they say.

To me, a Sabbath is a time-out, with a purpose. It’s a chance for me and you to make conscious contact with the Divine – the Spirit or Source. It does not require a whole day or even a major part of a day. It can be at anytime when you pause, perhaps closing your eyes, and turn within. You will return to the present moment after this short Sabbath pause, feeling renewed and refreshed. Full of creative energy and enthusiasm to move on with your day, handling the stresses of your life with greater ease.

Now the Sabbath “pause” is about resting your mind as you become quiet and go within. You can observe this Sabbath at anytime since it is merely a state of consciousness. It’s a moment of rest. A pause of silence. There are no rules about how often it must be done, where, or for how long. So create your own sabbath. Find your rest and your peace.

The Sabbath that many of us know is an institution that was established by human beings based on sacred scriptures. It generally refers to taking the 7th day to refresh and restore oneself. However we also read that  “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath” [Mark 2:27] So, it does not matter if you dedicate a day, an hour , or only a few moment as your special Sabbath. 

Rev. Elizabeth Longo suggests that you “Unplug your phone and take a rest from all technology for at least an hour a day. Instead, plug into Spirit – pray, meditate, and write”. 

What do I do? Well, I  have a daily morning spiritual practice whereby I meditate, do some visioning, review my purpose and goals, write in my gratitude journal, state affirmations, complete some tapping [EFT], and read some spiritual literature. All before checking my I-phone or computer for e-mails, messages, notices etc. Yeah – I know. Being semi-retired gives me quite a bit of time freedom.

The other “Sabbath” type thing I do is every hour on the hour, while awake, is repeat a denial and an affirmation. I have set an alarm on my watch to beep hourly as my wife’s large clock in the living room of our house dongs out the time. I pause, sometimes close my eyes, [depends on where I am or if I’m walking, running, driving or riding my motorcycle or bicycle] get quiet, go within, and state the following [usually under my breath or just in my head]:

“I release fear, anger, judgement, criticism and blame. I affirm, attract and promote love, peace, joy, truth, beauty, gratitude, forgiveness, and abundance.”

So, if you want to try something like that – feel free. I encourage you to do so. Works for me. Might work for you too! Create your own Sabbath. Find your rest and your peace.

“As you take the time to cultivate your beautifully unique Sabbath experience, may the light that is you shine brighter than ever before, and may your many Sabbath moments always be a time that refreshes your soul.” Rev. Kathy Beasley.

 

Keep manifesting good things 
Tony

If interested in getting a free copy of my mini e-book and subscribing to my e-mail list click here.