Thank you, faithful subscriber and new found reader alike, for stopping by to enjoy my blog!

I’ve consolidated my website and blog, so you can continue to enjoy my new posts there:

http://kwanyinhealing.com/blog/

You can subscribe to the new blog here:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/KwanYinHealing

But *do* come check out the new site — it’s much nicer, cleaner, clearer:
http://kwanyinhealing.com

See you there!

Tim Emerson
Kwan Yin Healing

When the problem is not the problem

The number one reason people come to Kwan Yin Healing is that they are stuck in some way – career, health, life direction, fulfillment, something. And, not surprisingly—they experience no small amount of frustration and even resignation as a result. Often they’ve tried reasonable approaches already, only to remain stuck.   They’re looking for answers.

When we’re truly stuck, it’s because we don’t know what the real problem is. Because if this were the real problem, it would already be in the process of solution, at least in the long term. By definition really—they’ve already applied what seemed like reasonable approaches, but without success. It’s a sure sign they’re solving the wrong problem.

It’s a tangent.   A distraction.   Misdirection.   We’re looking in the wrong place. But because we don’t know that, we turn from ourselves to outside sources as the blockage, spending our mental energy on excuses, blame, and justification.   That’s all very natural and very human. And when we do this—now we’re good and stuck.

We typically believe we use our reason to evaluate options and make choices. That’s not really true, though.   Reality is, we tend to make decisions for emotional reasons. It’s our emotions that express motion (e-motion) and move us into physical expression.   Our minds then justify those decisions after the fact, telling ourselves the justification we construct was the reason for the action.   That’s hard to see, but truly, we react far more than we consciously act.

That justification grandfathers in our interpretation.   It is now, for us, concrete reality.   It’s just how things are.   And viola! From discomfort, with a little reaction and justification, a comfort zone is born.   And enshrined. Except that it’s a fiction – and we are its authors.

That’s we’re stuck. And that’s why we’re staying stuck.

The Discomfort Zone

It’s a hard concept to challenge. As Abraham puts it, a belief is just a thought we continue to think. Put another way, the thoughts we continue to hold become beliefs. So what started as justification for an emotional reaction is now elevated to a belief, a tenet, a principle.   Except that we made it up. It doesn’t really exist. There’s really no such truth. Our comfortable world of certainty was never real except in our heads. And we don’t like people messing with our heads.

But when the world doesn’t match our fiction, we know something is wrong. Since it can’t be *us* — because our beliefs, of course, are the “true” ones – it must be the “Others.”   The bosses, the politicians, the teachers, the neighbors, the relatives, the economy, the system, the society today…that’s what’s keeping us down – right?

As long as we cling to the beliefs of our comfort zone, yes. So we stay stuck.

Joseph Campbell was right. We can’t stay here.   This is not were the magic happens.

A Vision of Clarity

So how do we climb out of this morass?

Begin with this understanding – there’s a difference between a problem that’s in the process of solution, however gradual, and a problem that’s seemingly insolvable.   The first is natural – life unfolding. Time takes time. But the second is a red flag—it’s not in process, and has no apparent solution because it isn’t really the problem. (short of fixing everybody else, which just isn’t realistic – you’d need to be all knowing and always right…hard to pull off)

Awareness is the first step. Recognize, when something is insolvable, that you’re looking at the wrong problem. Find the real problem.   Let go of the fictional one, however well entrenched.   Excuses and blame are red flags as well—irrelevant misdirection (however awful the targets of your ire may be).

Then find your right path. What do you want, really? OK, to pay the bills perhaps, but what would paying the bills do for you? What would open up for you then?   What do you love? Where’s your bliss? What dreams have you long suppressed in the name of your fictional reality? How might the essence of those be in your life not someday, but now? What’s beyond this current fog your obstacles are kicking up?

Most people, honestly, have no idea what’s really driving them. And that makes positive manifestation difficult.

Reality from Source

Let’s take a common one – Money as a manifestation. This is a classic problem vs. reality issue.   Money is not a source – it’s a means. It’s a result of the manifestation, not the real manifestation. That’s why so many people struggle with it, while others seem to float above this problem.   They’re trying to solve the wrong problem.

Thoughts and feelings and consciousness of the Divine are the supply – it’s what creates the money.   And those thoughts and feelings and consciousness need to be not about the money, but about the Divine as Source. That’s the real energy (it’s why we call it “Source”).   Imagine a hose—it delivers the water, but it is not the water itself. Without a water source, a hose isn’t much use.   You don’t need a money hose; you need a Divine water supply.

Another piece of this misunderstanding is the concept of karma. Karma is not justice, reward, or punishment, but fulfillment–every desire comes to fruition, even if that takes many lives. And that desire comes as complete packages, all the things that go with it, anticipated and wanted or not. So our actions appear to come back.

And that manifestation is instantaneous. As long as we believe it’s “coming,” then it’s still coming. My first blog post featured Chinese doctors healing tumors in real time. How, by focusing on how it’s already healed. I often encourage my healing clients to see themselves as healthy—it strengthens the body’s healing power, rather than re-manifesting the problem.

Then why do people struggle with this seemingly miraculous process?

The Divine gets the credit.   Humility.   “We” don’t master anything – we simply connect to the Divine, and the accomplishments are not our own.   And the purpose is not to achieve what we started seeking – rather, that purpose served the purpose of getting us to seek Source.   The real reward is that connection. Can you imagine? 24/7, feeling one with Source, knowing every need was met, in the moment, already done?

In Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, the Hero is indeed transformed. But the ultimate point of the journey is the Elixir brought back to the Village.   Reconnective Healing brings us back into effective connection with Source.

And damn – ain’t that what we should be seeking all along?

Free session heads up

Last month I shared with my email list a new Home Version of the Kwan Yin Journey at a special rate for you, my tribe.

But 11 week journeys still cost a chunk of change, and people are often still stuck back at step one.   How can one get going while still struggling day to day?

In April, I’ll be offering a limited number of no-cost consultations for exactly this purpose.

You’ll gain a new clarity and lay out a practical plan for moving forward. There’s hope. In fact, there’s real change waiting just from the free session.   Sure, taking the full program is going to offer far more depth and transformation. But let’s get you started.

So look for this.   If a couple of your friends might benefit from these sessions, have them sign up (they’ll get the Six Sessions bonus when they do) so they get the announcement in a week or two.   And if it’s a good fit for you too, be ready to jump on it! I can only do so many with a cramped calendar, but I’ll try to see everyone interested gets some benefit.

Coming soon!

Namaste,

Tim Emerson
Kwan Yin Healing
http://kwanyinhealing.com

In January, I wrote about the need to be heard as a means of connection to Source, and then how making systems visible brings the Cool to life.   Both of these points touch on today’s topic—the need to be vulnerable. 

It’s not our natural impulse.  I remember when my German shepherd was old and arthritic, and her hips would just give out at times.  I had to literally walk the rows of my 2,000 trees to find her each time, because she would not bark or cry out—if you’re injured in nature, you don’t advertise your vulnerability!   But you also don’t get help.  

And that’s the reality of getting help—we first must be vulnerable.   We have to let the plumber into the messy basement to fix the pipes.   We have to show the accountant the disaster our records have become.  And the doctor makes you strip (!), and then prods you where it hurts. 

Vulnerability.  We have to admit that we aren’t in control after all, that we haven’t managed the situation well, and that we’re unable to proceed well without help.   In fact, that’s the Latin root of the word…it means literally “wounded-ability.”  

And there’s the problem for healing.  When we need it – we don’t ask for it.

One of my closest friends recently had a horrible bout of the flu.  Three weeks worth.   Borderline go to the hospital sick.   Now, she calls me periodically to ask for healing help for friends and family, and that has all gone swimmingly.  So why not this time, when it was so badly needed?  Simple.  She was vulnerable.  In bed, head pounding, trouble breathing, constant coughing, sheer exhaustion, too fatigued to get up vulnerable.   [Not to worry—I found out and brought not only healing but also healthy meals and supplies—including Kleenex!  All better now.]

OK, to be fair, the poor girl could barely get out of bed.  But you get my point.

Instead, we’re used to self-reliance.  We deal with it.   Or so we think. 

But we don’t deal with it.  It isn’t handled, at all.  It’s just tolerated…so it continues.   We just get used to it, and tell ourselves a story for the benefit of our ego.   Western culture especially enshrines independence.   Do it yourself.  

How is that working out?  Self-help books sell billions each year.   And most of them…are never read. 

So what turns us to ask for help?

A crisis.   Reality finally forces itself upon us.   The pipes burst.  The taxes are due.  The pain becomes debilitating (or at least distracting enough or nagging enough to want it to stop).   Why do miracles come at the last possible second?  Until then, our egos are still hoping to turn it around without help.

But we don’t have to employ crisis management.  We aren’t creatures stranded in the wild. 

Each of us is inherently vulnerable.  We have limits.  Our health, our abilities, our available and time and resources—reality is, we can’t do it alone.

Recognizing and embracing vulnerability is what opens us to change, to new possibilities, to a new life, full of what we previously were lacking.  It’s the first step.  And it’s a crucial for success.  

Like baby birds, we have to open our mouths if we want to be fed.    Eventually—they will learn to fly.

There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.
—Douglas Everett

Well, first, there’s nothing wrong with cool. In fact, fun and wonder and excitement are important, even healing in themselves.

So what’s the problem? Cool is great when it’s serendipitous. But when we’re seeking solutions, cool isn’t enough—we need systems to manifest it.

Consider a studio musician. I’ve been a part of creating these amazing experiences. Totally fun, right? Well, it has its fun part, but most of it—*most* of it—is a lot of tedious time dealing with acoustics and electronics and mixes and balances and such details. The music part is a small part of this. But it’s all necessary to create that awesome end product.

Or gardening…nicely producing trees, vines, plants and so forth are great—I love going outside and just picking a peach or a plum or a head of broccoli—but that only comes after site and soil preparation, seed starting, transplanting, water and fertilizer, weather and pest protection (rabbits destroyed my first orchard one winter), followed by timely harvest and effective storage. And that doesn’t all happen without a thought-out system.

Or in short, systems are what make cool happen. Often people turn to healing as if a magic cure—just wave your hands and make all the problems vanish, just like that. Well, sometimes it does seem to happen like that—but in reality (just like the seemingly effortless music performance or the produce just readily available), it comes as the result of systemic practice.

As Mark Silver puts it, “My experience of spiritual healing is that you can have a lot of really nice feelings in the heart, warm fuzzies, but your life doesn’t change if the healing doesn’t come all the way down to the nitty-gritty details.” That’s my experience too. If you want more than warm fuzzies, you’ll need systems.

Make Systems Visible

We do not so much look at things as overlook them.
—Zen proverb

In his book “Work the System,” Sam Carpenter notes “The reality is that most people look for better results without considering the mechanisms that would produce those results.” So the first step is making systems visible, so we can examine and manage them. Sounds simple enough, but so profound a shift that Carpenter calls it “a mini-enlightenment.”

The trouble, though, is this totally kills the cool factor. It de-mystifies things. The metaphysical becomes tangible. What was complex consternation is now strategic certainty. But this sudden stone-cold reality is . . . well . . . a bit boring. It’s dull. What happened to the magic?

Well, just as for the musician and the farmer, the magic is in the fruits of all that attention to detail, carefully and organically organized. As Carpenter explains it, “The odds of getting what you want are infinitely higher than waiting for a ghost to communicate good tidings, a horoscope or tarot card to predict a prosperous future, or a multimillion-dollar lottery winning to land in your lap. Be mechanical. Can you imagine how you will feel as you watch yourself get a grip on life and create what you want due to your own actions, not because of improbable fate, magic, dumb luck, or someone else’s benevolence?” It’s that focus on pragmatic details that creates the cool.

Not taking action is a choice! It’s an “action” in itself, and part of . . . a system (just not an effective one). Without taking a good, careful look, we can actually unwittingly be causing the conditions we’re seeking to resolve. To birth the cool, then, we need a comprehensive overview of what’s happening for us, a play by play of how it’s happening and what would play it out differently.

The Four Pillars

Kwan Yin Healing has a system, the Four Pillars: Clarity, Connection, Coherence, and Change. When people get good results, it’s because all four of these are in play effectively. When even one is missing, just as an engine with some of the cylinders misfiring, the results suffer—or are absent entirely. And that’s definitely not cool.

Connection is the coolest—the energy frequency work. But there too, it’s a systemic approach to a person’s energy, rather than, say, sending energy to the knee. It’s like exercise or eating right or yoga—these care for us systemically. And coherence is closely related, but definitely detail-oriented; no point raising a lot of energy if it’s all being scattered instead of focused, and before anything can be focused, the question is “focused on what, exactly?”

And that brings us to the need for clarity. What’s really going on with us? What’s behind it, related to it, ancestral to it? Ever look back on a situation and wonder “Why didn’t I see that coming” only later to realize “Well, I did see it . . . I just didn’t want to see it”? I think most or all of us have at some point. Without clarity, coherence isn’t possible.

The final one is often the first to fall under the Cool Factor’s onslaught—Change. Recognizing and working systems to clearly defined results requires us to make changes. But wait! Can’t some higher force just smite me and make it all better? Actually, that does happen at times—but not usually. Ironically, the first session miracles are generally experienced by clients making more extensive commitments.

This isn’t surprising really—these people are already on a journey, already examining their lives and behavior, and the results reflect that deeper work. That’s why the Kwan Yin Journey is such a comprehensive sweep through energy and vibration, from preparation to the physical, emotional, thought, spirit/intuition, awareness, and then integrating this greater awareness into the realm of the every day for effective manifestation. Powerful. Transformative. But cool as that is, not as mystical as it may seem. It’s a carefully laid-out system.

What systems are in play in your life? How are they working? How might they be tweaked for more desirable results? The time spent taking a careful look and making measurable changes will pay itself back cooler than one might imagine.

By the way, a Healing Journey similar to the life path Kwan Yin Journey is under construction, and will be unveiled later this year. Heads up! More as we get closer.

And if you’d like to get started on your journey, you can do so immediately with the free Kwan Yin Path, seven hours of free content available at http://www.kwanyinhealing.com/six-days.php — enjoy!

P.S. – for practitioners in Central New York State

We’re starting a Syracuse chapter (which means between Buffalo and Manhattan, so all of central NY) of the Holistic Chamber of Commerce.   I’m the newly anointed President. 

So everyone – please spread the word.  The Chapter’s Home Page can be found at http://www.holisticchamberofcommerce.com/syracuse, including an informational video, information on how to join, and more.  Enjoy!

Namaste,

Tim Emerson
Kwan Yin Healing
http://kwanyinhealing.com

How do I get what I want?  How can I reach my goals?  How can I manifest my desires?

Excellent questions, all.  But why is it so difficult to get these energies to work for us?

Good news – it’s not because they aren’t working . . . it’s because we’ve got it backwards.  Manifestation is the fruit…but it’s not the objective.   By focusing on manifestation as objective, we inadvertently miss the mark.  

We are, by nature, creators.  It’s our role as part of the divine. 

In our daily conscious vibration, we are aware of being body, emotion, and mind – the threefold reality of our earthly incarnations.   We work from the level of the mind to bring ideas into the world, and, when melded with purpose and desire from the emotional level, we overcome whatever obstacles necessary to see this take form in physical shape. 

Our souls, too, have a threefold nature.  The “casual body,” really the very highest vibration of the mind, is the lowest part of the soul—it’s where body and soul connect (hence the causation of this vibration).  The “heart” of the soul, most of it, is the Buddhic plane, the level of Intuition, and the highest part of the soul reaches into the Atma, where the divine and divine creation meet.    Note the power of realizing this nature.  The mind—our usual “go-to,” is the lowest part, corresponding in a sense to our lowest chakras and the creation of sexual energy.  Most of the soul is heart/intuition, placed over mind, and the “mind” of the soul come from the divine.    See yourself this way, from the soul level, and already your paradigms and approaches will need to change to meet this new sense of reality.

And the highest vibrations, the Divine?  The highest is pure potentiality.  The middle is the divine spark.  And the lowest is the emergence of form – again, similar and corresponding to the casual body and to sexual creation.   But this is the meaning behind the 333 vibration, the number of ascension and mastery.  We are a threefold creation of a threefold universal totality.  And it all flows from pure potentiality through divine spark into form.  That’s also why Intuition comes in a flash, corresponding to the divine spark.   Literally, what we imagine can come into fruition – and manifestation is indeed the fruits, the child, the end result of recognizing and living in/vibrating to the reality of our divine nature. 

This is reflected too in the Hero’s Journey.  Joseph Campbell notes that the journey is not to escape the ordinary world for the magical world of spirit, but rather to face our challenges and to bring back the Ultimate Boon to share with the Village.  And the highest of ultimate boons is Awareness – the realm of the Atma, or union with the divine.  This is the real nature of manifestation. 

So don’t settle for the status quo.  Don’t bury your desires.  Don’t justify your fears and uncertainties.  For these urges aren’t crazy thoughts or unrealistic dreams – they are urging you to go for them, because this is your unique path to discovering the divine for yourself, and then sharing that unique experience of the divine that only you can have with the rest of us.  This is the point of manifestation.   The fruits come from the union with the divine. 

So be joyous and manifest!

We’re going to talk about this a lot more starting Oct. 20, including practical, actionable steps toward demonstrable results.   I hope you’ll join us — and tell your friends and associates.  They can register here free for this teleseminar and the rest at http://kwanyinhealing.com/six-days.php.  You can easily share this on Facebook and more by clicking the share buttons.  Here’s the lineup:

Oct. 20 — Living Abundance (and why this isn’t simply money)
Oct. 22 — Emotional Challenges and Fear
Oct. 24 — Stress, Overwhelm and Uncertainty
Oct. 27 — Finding Peace, Spiritual Growth, and Living this daily in the “Real World”
Oct. 29 — Getting Unstuck and Manifesting your Dreams and Desires
Oct. 31 — If Healing isn’t Magic, Where do I get the Miracle?  The Kwan Yin Path

Enjoy!

When we feel overwhelmed, we need to understand that overwhelmed is a feeling, and feelings can be changed by changing our paradigms.

“I’m just overwhelmed!”
“All I do is work!”
“Something’s gotta give!”

Any of that sound familiar? You’re not alone.

I. The first and most important point is that “overwhelmed” is not a situation. It is not just how things are. No. It’s a feeling. You are feeling overwhelmed. Perhaps for good reason–but it’s still a feeling, not an objective reality. And feelings can be changed–if you want to change them. Why “if”? Because often people like to feel overwhelmed. No, overwhelmed is not a nice feeling, but being overwhelmed often gives people a sense of importance, a work ethic, an identify. And that they like. I know people, and you do too, who would find a way to be frazzled if living in luxury on a Pacific island. Overwhelmed is a feeling, and if you want, feelings can be changed.

II. Next come three areas commonly ignored, three areas to stop and examine.

1) Stop trying to do everything yourself.

Ego, pride, embarrassment, and probably a few other emotions commonly stand in the way of this simple and frankly obvious point. You are not, whatever you try to tell yourself, the only one who can do what you’re trying to do. Stop going it alone. Whether lending a hand, or offering advice, or even just encouragement or camaraderie, an ear to listen…let other people help you. In fact, ask them to help you. And if you just don’t want to, face up to the reality that you’ve not overwhelmed, but stubborn. Forget the lone wolf argument–people are social creatures, and interaction with each other is how we are wired. Even people like me and you, who like our quiet alone time. Let others help you–they will be delighted.

2) Stop trying to control everything.

Or put another way, instead of asking yourself “What should I do about this?” ask yourself “Why do I have to do anything?” The Universe will continue without your aid. People will still breathe in and out. The sun will still rise and set. You are not the Boss of Everything. Let it go. Life will become so much easier, and run so much more smoothly, when you simply allow it to do so. Life existed before your arrival, and will continue when you’re gone.

I love the beginning of Ken Blanchard and Spenser Johnson’s “The One Minute Manager”: Typically, a manager is seen as someone torn in multiple directions, finger on every pulse, but a good manager is standing around the office with little to do–because everything is running smoothly without the manager’s immediate input. We tend to think of “making” things happen, by force. Instead, allow things to happen.

3) Stop taking on too much.

This ain’t rocket science. If you’re feeling overwhelmed because you have too much to do, you’re taking on too many things. Duh. Stop it.

Sure, I get that there’s a lot to do, and that a lot of it is important. But it makes no sense to daily plan what can’t possibly happen and then beat yourself up for not accomplishing what had no chance of getting down from the start.

If you’re doing too many things, do fewer things. Prioritize. If that means less than you want to do, fine. But decide which to do and do it, and feel glad of a good day’s work.

Remember–overwhelmed is a feeling; you at least will stop feeling overwhelmed.

III. And finally, there’s a difference between time management and getting unstuck from what we’re managing.

First, time management. Lots of help available here. Probably at the top of the list is Stephen Covey’s approach, laid out in his book First Things First. This, however, is far more than allocating the 168 hours of each week into the various pieces that make up your time life.

Covey suggests turning first not to the clock, but to the compass, that is, not to juggling minutes, but considering principles. Where do you want to go? What are your objectives? What is important to you in this life? Those are your organizing principles. Thus, your “big rocks” get placed first, then medium rocks, then smaller rocks, then pebbles, then sand. But don’t let a sandstorm keep you from getting to the big rocks. The important things–like relationships, or your children, or someone who needs help–take precedence.

OK, that’s an important start–but you’re still left with only so many hours in the day.

You need a paradigm shift.

It will be half a year before I do this again, so forward this to your friends, share on Facebook and Pinterest etc., and it’s all at no charge:

Oct. 20 — Living Abundance (and why this isn’t simply money)
Oct. 22 — Emotional Challenges and Fear
Oct. 24 — Stress, Overwhelm and Uncertainty
Oct. 27 — Finding Peace, Spiritual Growth, and Living this daily in the “Real World”
Oct. 29 — Getting Unstuck and Manifesting your Dreams and Desires
Oct. 31 — If Healing isn’t Magic, Where do I get the Miracle? The Kwan Yin Path

Each of these are at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, roughly 60 minutes.

Anyone can register for free at http://kwanyinhealing.com/six-days.php — enjoy!