The Art of Prosperity - A New Year, A New Thread - January 3, 2005

[Cerridwen]

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The Art of Prosperity's Quick Tip of the Week
January 3, 2005

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Process vs Goal

When it come to goals there are two types of people. One focuses on
the completed goal and the other focuses on the process of getting
it done. Goal people are outer focused and are equipped to motivate
themselves by imagining the finished project. A process person is
likely a creative person who is more focused on inner states of being
than outer goal.

Actually we all have both characteristics but we tend to focus on one
more than the other. If traditional goal setting works for you, keep at
it. If not then look toward making progress by focusing on your daily
activities and state of mind. You'll be less likely to overwhelmed by
the complexity of the task but you'll still achieve the goal. You'll
do it by creating inner success one day at a time.

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"Remember, what you get by reaching your destination isn't nearly as
important as what you become by reaching your goals -- what you will
become is the winner you were born to be! by Zig Ziglar

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[Cerridwen]

1. Quick Tip of the Week - January 10, 2005

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The Art of Prosperity's Quick Tip of the Week
January 10, 2005

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Calmness in the Midst of Chaos

Through my years of experience I have learned some things about myself.
Some of them seem counterintuitive but they seem to work as if they are
infallible laws of nature. One of the most impressive is the ability to
overcome chaos with calmness.

Whenever I tried on overpower chaos with high energy all I got was more
intense chaos. But when I became calm, and often this happened when I
just flat out gave up, things seemed to calm down and work out just fine.

Beyond just having things work out I found that when there was the
potential for a major crises and I became intensely calm, and I know
it sounds like these terms don't mix but they do, a miracle always
seemed to happen.

No matter how stormy the sea of your life seems, if you go deep enough
you will find the calm conviction to make your dreams come true.

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"Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not
lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world
seems upset." by Saint Francis de Sales

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[Me.]

2. Good Thread

Glad you started it up. While the world is in flux, why not concentrate on more prosperity in one's life?

[Eloriel]

4. Yes, and useful also to remember that there are different types of

prosperity -- and/or that it's not always about money. :-)

[Cerridwen]

3. Link to previous thread

It just dawned on me that I might want to include previous threads as I update this; the previous information is not date specific and new folks might not have seen them.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=245&topic_id=227&mesg_id=227

I'll try to remember to do this for future new threads.

:hi:

[Eloriel]

5. Oh, this is very good

The link to the Art of Prosperity website ( http://www.theartofprosperity.com/ ) offers these subjects:


Lesson 1 The History of Money: What money really is and where it gets its power.

Lesson 2: Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Feelings, Change Your Life! Understand how your thoughts about money affect your checkbook.

Lesson 3 Being Prosperous Here and Now
Creating a prosperous life one day at a time.

Lesson 4: Prosperity Priorities and The Power of Circulation.

Lesson 5: The Percentages are in Your Favor Bring your lunch to work and get rich.

Lesson 6: Create a Compelling Future. Have a prosperous lifestyle today and make your dreams come true.


I'll have to read those, but even just the titles are excellent reminders of some of the metaphysical truths I "know" but don't always use. I've had some wonderful experiences as a result of following metaphysical truth principles, definitely time to get with the program.

Thanks, cerridwen!!

[Cerridwen]

6. Quick Tip of the Week - January 16, 2005 - This is my favorite to date

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The Art of Prosperity's Quick Tip of the Week
January 16, 2005

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Nothing but Fun

Does it seem that life is too fast paced and that you're overwhelmed with
responsibilities? Well, you're probably right. I'm convinced that we must
treat ourselves to as much fun as possible. In fact I'm so convinced of
this that I'm not going to do anything that's not fun. At least that's my
goal. And I encourage you to have fun too.

There are two ways to accomplish this. One is to find the things that you
enjoy and make a point of doing them. The other is to find the fun is
what you must do. Basically, if you going to have to do something make it
as much fun as possible. Even if the fun comes from rewarding yourself for
doing something that you didn't really want to do.

Don't worry; life will give you plenty of opportunities to be serious.
Just make sure that you give yourself plenty of opportunities for fun.

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"The real joy of life is in its play. Play is anything we do for the joy
and love of doing it, apart from any profit, compulsion, or sense of duty.
It is the real joy of living." by Walter Rorschach

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note: info posted here is from email received from:
The Art of Prosperity website http://www.theartofprosperity.com A Course in Money - Live an inspired life

I'm going to chime in with my opinion this time.

One of the things that is most difficult for me as native born U.S. citizen is our collective acceptance of the "American work ethic." The American work ethic has its roots in the Protestant work ethic brought to the U.S. by the early Anglo-Europeans who "founded" this country.

The theme of the American work ethic, of which I am sure all here are aware, is that only those who work for a living have value and only they will receive the "blessings of God." The insidious result of that ideology being that those things not deemed "work" are devalued; art and the arts, child bearing and rearing are relegated to "women's work" which is in itself devalued, those who work with their minds are labeled "lazy," "flighty," etc. In short, those who create rather than display adherence to accepted "work" standards in one form or another are easy targets for the admonition that "idle hands are the Devil's workshop" (I believe this phrase originates in early Puritanism).

How wondrous and loving and caring would we be had our ancestors introduced and infused in our collection consciousness a play ethic; wonderment at the ability to create, insistence that one who is able to play and experience fun and joy is the closest to God. How different would we be as a people if love and joy were accepted as our natural state?

I could say much more, but this is a post not a dissertation. I believe you can catch my drift based on what I've said. Please ask me if I've not been clear.

Thank you for reading. /stepping down off soapbox

[Dover]

7. Hurray for play!!!!

Living a joyFULL life....spirits of light.

This has certainly been one of my life lessons...bringing play and balance into my life and letting go of the guilt and "work ethic" slave myth. It is through our 'child' that we are reborn and create and feel our lives intensely.

Thanks for sharing this!

[Dover]

8. Become as Little Children

I found this on the esoteric thread that Pallas posted:

Become as Little Children

By Phillip Lindsay

(From TheUniversity of the Seven Rays Conference 2004:
A New World Religion: Envisioning a Universal Spirituality.)

On the seashore of endless worlds



On the seashore of endless worlds children meet.

The infinite sky is motionless overhead

and the restless water is boisterous.

On the seashore of endless worlds

the children meet with shouts and dances.



They build their houses with sand

and they play with empty shells.

With withered leaves they weave their boats

and smilingly float them on the vast deep.

Children have their play on the seashore of worlds.



They know not how to swim, they know not how to cast nets.

Pearl fishers dive for pearls, merchants sail in their ships,

while children gather pebbles and scatter them again.

They seek not for hidden treasures, they know not how to cast nets.



The sea surges up with laughter

and pale gleams the smile of the sea beach.

Death-dealing waves sing meaningless ballads to the children,

even like a mother while rocking her baby's cradle.

The sea plays with children,

and pale gleams the smile of the sea beach.



On the seashore of endless worlds children meet.

Tempest roams in the pathless sky,

ships get wrecked in the trackless water,

death is abroad and children play.

On the seashore of endless worlds is the

great meeting of children.



The Master Jesus once said: “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

“At the first great Initiation the Christ is born in the disciple. It is then that he realizes for the first time in himself the outpouring of the divine Love, and experiences that marvellous change which makes him feel himself to be one with all that lives. This is the `Second Birth,' and at that birth the heavenly ones rejoice, for he is born into `the kingdom of heaven,' as one of the `little ones,' as a `little child'—the names ever given to the new Initiates. Such is the meaning of the words of Jesus, that a man must become a little child to enter into the Kingdom." <1>



Some of you may think this as very basic and even platitudinous, and it is. Nevertheless, it is still a healthy attitude to maintain in this age of claim-making, false prophets and over-blown egos – even in the field of occultism. How our innocence can be taken over by blind ambition, when aspiring to become a ‘rich young man’. The innocent becomes the worldly and world-weary. How do we maintain that balance? Utter simplicity is one key to staying childlike.

Many of us here may have had experiences which were in the nature of an awakening. Meher Baba had a stone thrown at him by a woman that hit him on the forehead and sent him into an instant awakening. Others of us may have experienced a ‘dark night of the soul’, a major trauma that reoriented us, a change of lifestyle. All of these events may have been accompanied by signs and portents, or dreams and vivid internal experiences. The point in common with all these occurences is that the experience of God or the soul was direct and so overwhelmingly powerful that it has kept us oriented for life. Time as we knew it may have slowed down, we may have felt like we were on some hallucinogenic trip, but again, an overall theme of oneness with all and a perception of the infinite may have been the over-riding feature.

So how to ground and understand that vision or experience? How to put it into a meaningful context? One obvious point is the role of occult education as that which must eventually replace orthodox religious education. The spiritual knowledge that explains the experience within the context of our soul purpose and what ‘God’ actually is...cont'd

http://www.esotericastrologer.org/AW%20Essays/AWessaysPGL2.html

[Pallas180]

9. Beautiful poem - but these lines:

(okay here we go)

"The Master Jesus once said: “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

since the Master Jesus was a young Rabbi - when he said unless you become converted - was he speaking to pagans (there was no such thing as a xian, the Master Jesus was a Hebrew) was he proselytizing and trying to convert people to Judaaism? or was he saying unless you become like little children -- have the faith of little children - blind faith - ????

(I'd love to shove this in Falwell's at face, BTW) and all those door to door knockers including dimson - and tell them Jesus meant they should become Hebrew :)

:devil:

[Pallas180]

10. thanks Cerridwen, I have been working on abundance and

prosperity -

and so I'm going to put this out there.

Do any of you know of a programmer who works in PHP-MySql ???

No, let me word this anothe way.

One of you knows of a programmer to refer me to who knows astrology and PHP-MySql. I give thanks for that right now, and So It Is.

[Dover]

11. The use of the word "converted" does seem to leave a lot open to

interpretation (and may not even be a very good interpretation of the original). I assumed it meant reborn as a child. Read further -
This is the `Second Birth,' and at that birth the heavenly ones rejoice, for he is born into `the kingdom of heaven,' as one of the `little ones,' as a `little child'—the names ever given to the new Initiates. Such is the meaning of the words of Jesus, that a man must become a little child to enter into the Kingdom."


Jesus talked a lot about children, and I always assumed it was to be understood figuratively rather than literally. Language can be such a quagmire.

[Pallas180]

12. Well, something to think about. You can't convert yourself into a child,..

and at the time most were believers in many Gods...Judaism was the only religion that believed in one God. I would think that was what and whom he was talking to.

And he never mentioned "re-born"...that's the newest evangelist baloney.

An interesting point.

Meanwhile, the xians for 2000 years have been running around "converting" people, but not necessarily to what the Master may have been talking about.

[Dover]

13. Can't tell whether you are taking issue with the word "convert"

which suggests one physically transform into a child,
or if you are saying that one can't become as a child even in the figurative sense, once they are literally into adulthood?
Why can't an adult become as a child?

My feeling is that the word 'converted' is probably a poor interpretation of the original text, and is a loaded term as well which is throwing off the intended meaning.

Here's another interpretation of Mathew 18:3

1 At that time the disciples 2 approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
2
He called a child over, placed it in their midst,
3
and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, 3 you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
4
Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5
4 And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

More interpretations: http://bible.cc/matthew/18-3.htm

...and said, "Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. WEB

and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. ASV

And said, Truly, I say to you, If you do not have a change of heart and become like little children, you will not go into the kingdom of heaven. BBE

and said, Verily I say to you, Unless ye are converted and become as little children, ye will not at all enter into the kingdom of the heavens. DBY

And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. KJV

And said, Verily I say to you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. WBS

said, "In solemn truth I tell you that unless you turn and become like little children, you will in no case be admitted into the Kingdom of the Heavens. WEY

and said, 'Verily I say to you, if ye may not be turned and become as the children, ye may not enter into the reign of the heavens; YLT

[Qutzupalotl]

14. Greek: metanoia

is variously translated as repentance or conversion, but literally means "new mind" or "beyond mind", with the connotation of "changed mind", albeit a more drastic one than usual.

I think the analogy of a little child--an innocent, with a fresh mind--is clear. I do not believe a conversion to a particular ideology is meant, not even Jesus' own.

[Dover]

15. Thank you for clearing that up. I love the "new mind" and "beyond mind"

interpretations...a beautiful description of innocence.

[Qutzupalotl]

17. I should brush up on my Greek.

Metanoia is literally "after mind", but the meanings above about renewal would stay the same.

"Beyond mind" would be "paranoid"--meaning out of one's mind. Oops!

[Cerridwen]

16. Quick Tip of the Week - January 24, 2005

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The Art of Prosperity's Quick Tip of the Week
January 24, 2005

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Make the Best of What You've Got

When we look to the future we see the things we'll do, things we'll
have and the person we'll become. Through education, experience and a
commitment towards personal growth we can change ourselves and alter
our live experiences. But if we are too focused on what we want to become
we will miss the greatest opportunity we have to influence our lives.
That is making the best of what we have today.

Unless you get into the habit of making the most of what you currently
have you'll always fall short of your potential. And you have so much
ability right now that if you use it completely you will open so many
doors to the future. Then when your abilities increase you'll be able to
do even more. But most importantly you will have developed the habit of
giving your best and that leads to inner satisfaction. Satisfaction you
can enjoy today.


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"You better live your best and act your best and think your best today,
for today is the sure preparation for tomorrow and all the other
tomorrows that follow." by Harriet Martineau

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Live an inspired life. http://www.theartofprosperity.com A Course in Money

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[Cerridwen]

18. Quick Tip of the Week - January 31, 2005

The Art of Prosperity's Quick Tip of the Week
January 31, 2005

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The Iceberg

It came to me in a flash. The iceberg as a metaphor for life. There is ten
percent of an iceberg above the water, visible, easily knowable. But the
real force, the real power is in the ninety percent that lies below the
surface. So it is with us. We are defined by the ten percent we do. That's
because that is what others, especially casual observers see. But it is
the ninety percent that we are, that really defines us. That ninety
percent causes our actions to take place and houses our emotions and
spirit. So why do we spend ninety percent of our time working on our
ten percent and ten percent of our time working on our ninety percent?

If you really want to change your life and accomplish your goals work on
becoming the person you want to be. Then when your ninety percent is
complete the ten percent will have no choice but to follow along and bring
your goals into being.


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"A man is like an iceberg. The invisible is 90 percent, the visible is
only 10 percent. Invisible is more important to be known, that is the
real man." by M.K. Soni

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Live an inspired life. http://www.theartofprosperity.com A Course in Money