Order of Essenes Book 11 [Thought Gems, Purpose & Physical Fitness]

I love the breadth of topics the Order of Essenes covers. Working towards self-improvement from a variety of directions.

Book Eleven offers a few gems and a pretty solid daily movement routine.

Enjoy…

Order of Essenes: Book Eleven

Thought Gems  💎

Adjust to the cold – When you step out of a warm building into the cold outdoors, take a deep breath through your nose and hold your breath. This serves to drive the blood to the surface of the body, preventing the initial chill. Keep your mouth closed. Do not talk until your body has adjusted itself to the sudden change in temperature.

The Source, the Fountain Source, lies within each seeker.

Be not a mental spendthrift. Learn to stand sentinel at the gates of your thoughts.

The faculty of imagination is a life force – a power which is a starter, a beginner, an exciter – a foundation builder, without which man is but a piece of flotsam and jetsam on life’s sea.

The most powerful forces in the universe are the silent forces.

When anxiety steps in, correct judgment passes out. Calmness, poise, balance, mental serenity are essential to effective thinking.

A worthy ambition is to possess a mind as clear as crystal, and as ordered as the stars. We approach that as we learn to contact omniscience, and it is omnipresent.

The more one knows, the more one simplifies. Life is made up of simples,

Purpose

Purposeful people are the winners in the game of life.

The objective is the most important consideration in life. There is, in fact, no definite place in
life for you while you are without purpose – objective – without a port of destination.

The possibilities for you are infinite. The consequences of your decisions now, will be eternal.

Make a plan—have a purpose as you advance. You will set new horizons. But today and now you must determine to quit drifting. Everything in life indicates the necessity of this. Here is opportunity – and the first requirement is the exercise of vision.

Forget the past whate’er it was. Your life is lived today.

He profits most who serves best.

There can be no other lesson, then, it is a great purpose which gives meaning to life. It unifies all our powers, binds them together in one great cable. Makes strong and united what was before weak and scattered.

Forget yourself in all that you do; this is the secret of abounding happiness and success. Thus, in the purpose or vision you create, plan to do something, to create something, that people need, require or will cherish. Plan something useful or that will cause for someone pleasure, pride of possession, or will profit them, or save them from danger, inconvenience, or embarrassment or some of the unpleasant things of life.

The genius is he who has intensified thought, made visions real.

Physical Fitness

The perfect functioning of the mind can best be accomplished when physical perfection is attained. Physical perfection, like any other accomplishment or thing worthwhile, must be earned.

Begin to think in terms of physical perfection and do something about it.

Physical fitness – see Book 11

Order of Essenes: Book Ten [Practice the Art of Living]

Order of Essenes Book Ten begins to discuss the “art of living” and the need to “practice” to build the life you desire.

I like this perspective. Reframing life as art, and thinking of yourself as the artist, gives you the freedom to explore, work with what you have, and enjoy the practice of improving every day.

Life is a research project, and you are the subject. Play, learn, and grow.

Order of Essenes: Book 10

Purposeful Planned Living

Purposeful planned living is the way to a more abundant life.

In the universal ever-present creative substance, there is the seed of every good thing –  health, happiness, success – waiting to be brought into manifestation in the material world.

The impulse and form of this materialization must come from a mind supplying a pattern or mold into which life essence is continually pouring.

Love

We are capable of forging on the anvils of the heart that greatest of all emotions – love. We give it. We respond to it. We are elevated by it. It is the one known effective solvent for human problems.

1, 2, & 3 Story Intelects

There are one-story intellects, two-story intellects, and three-story intellects with skylights. All fact collectors, who have no aim beyond their facts, are one-story men. Two-story men compare, reason, generalize, using the labors of the fact collectors as well as their own. Three-story men idealize, imagine, predict; their best illumination comes from above, through the skylight. -Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Streams of Habit

Many of our streams of habit are canalized toward useful and desirable goals; others are like meandering rivers which always take the line of least resistance. The longer our lifestream follows its aimless course, the deeper the river bed and the harder it is to cut through the enclosing banks.

Cleanse your mind of negative destructive things – doubt, worry, or fear – those pictures of want, and lack and illness with which you have flooded your consciousness.

The human body is a complex and highly integrated machine. It takes food, air, and water and converts them by chemical and biological processes into flesh, blood, bone, and energy. In the production of these, it employs various chemicals of its own creation.

Many and varied chemicals are formed by thought processes, moods, feelings, and emotions. These thoughts – and chemicals – affect the material man in a direct physical manner.

Life is Research

Research sounds formidable but on the contrary, it is very simple.

Chas. F. Kettering says, “Research is nothing complicated. It may use a laboratory and it may not. It is purely a principle and everybody can apply it in his own life. It is simply a way of trying to find new knowledge and ways of improving things which you are not satisfied with.

 

What are some of the things you would like to have? Why can’t you have them?

 

Write down ten things that you don’t like about your business, about yourself, or about the way you are doing things. (If you can’t think of ten things, there is something wrong with your imagination and vision faculties.)

 

Now try to work out some way of correcting those ten things. If No. 1 is too difficult to solve, try solving the others, just as you put a word in a crossword puzzle. Each of these problems that you solve will make the others easier. You will be surprised when you find how well they fit into eachother. If you do that, you are a research worker (subject-yourself). 

Practice the Art of Living

There is one basic fact in life which you must accept. That fact is that life itself is perfect.

The mastery of life is achieved by the ceaseless practice of the mechanics which make up the art of living.

A good personality is the result of practice, not introspection.

We stress doing definite important things, as the road to health, happiness, and success.

You must understand the mind, conscious, subconscious, and superconscious, but the mind is intended to think with, not to worry about. It is an instrument to live with, not to live for.

Every human being is endowed with an infinitely precious stock of attention power, but daily the mind is assailed and distracted by a thousand appeals and distractions.

In this work, your success, your attainment of your longings and desires, will largely depend upon concentration, meditation, determination, expectation, and action.

For a moment contemplate in review…

Your physical body is ever-changing and every twenty-four months you are practically one hundred percent a different individual physically. Every new cell or atom or life unit added is perfect and without age; it will in its new home and new life form, conform to its surroundings; it will be endowed from the first instant with intelligence, mentality, character, consciousness, it will be stamped with the real You trademark, and thenceforth subject to the chemical and biological changes. It will respond to, and its destiny be subject to your thoughts. It will make up one of the billions of the component parts of your subconscious. It will ever work towards perfection unless guided or influenced for imperfection. It will observe the unchanging and unchangeable laws of unity and harmony. It will die, pass on, and change when the law is violated. It will ever keep its contact with universal intelligence, the omniscient, from whence it came. Everything is included in a ceaseless interaction of cause and effect.

Nothing can escape nor set aside the law… “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” is as true in the invisible realm as in the field of agriculture. No one can deny it, nor can one cheat the law, and no one escapes it.

If one would come to know the greater-self, let him enter his own closet and shut the door. There he will find his most dangerous enemy, and there he will learn to master him. He will find his true self. There he will find his truest friend, his wisest teacher, his safest adviser-himself. There he will find abiding within himself the Holy of Holies.

Finally, from weakness to power; from sickness to health; from discord to harmony; from failure to success; from misery to happiness—all these positive developments are for you to demonstrate.

The Essenes principle is this: Each has the power for potential perfection.

In the course of these Instructions, you will come to realize the almost magic-working possibilities, which can result from meditation, concentration, and affirmation.

Before you arrive at that stage, however, you must be conditioned, prepared, and instructed upon the subject of relaxation, so that satisfying results may be attained, easily, simply, and always naturally.

*Relaxation Exercises* – see book…

Positive Thinking

Every thought which you project into the universal creative substance will be worked out in your body or affairs, just as you picture it. How foolish and destructive therefore to project what you fear and do not want. Is it not the more sensible thing to picture clearly the things or conditions you desire.

Think positively of good fortune, not negatively of misfortune.

The electrons of man’s brain are stirred to action by faith and acting concurrently with the spiritual ethers, they hasten nature to produce quickly what ordinarily requires months of seedtime and harvest,

Order of Essenes: Book 7 [You Become What You Think]

Order of Essenes: Book Seven offers some great first-principle thinking to keep your best-self on its best Path.

  • You become what you think
  • Practic unselfishness
  • Cultivate friends
  • Take action: do good vs. be good
  • Chew your food more

Keep those thoughts marching in the right direction.

Enjoy…

Order of Essenes: Book 7

“He can, who thinks he can.”

Repeat this! Do it again and again!

When you realize this eternal truth, something within you will stir you to go forward, and at the same time by natural law, there will be added unto you something which will enable you to carry through to success.

Every right thought we think, every unselfish word or action, is bound by immutable laws to be fraught with good results.

We must learn to lose sight of results, quit thinking in terms of effects, and center upon cause. Let results or effects be a natural outcoming.

If you will recall the subject upon which you most frequently and intensely think that to which in your silent hours your soul most naturally turns, you will reveal the destination of the road you are traveling.

Your thoughts of today, yesterday, last month, last year, and throughout the years that are past, indicate your state of health, your position in life, your friends, your financial condition, and all that there is to know about you.

There is an unavoidable tendency to become the embodiment of that quality upon which one most constantly thinks. It is the law.

Deep down below the subconscious mind is the universal subconscious Mind; or to be more accurate, there is but one subconscious Mind.

What we look upon as being the individual subconscious mind is simply the limited use we make of the universal subconscious Mind.

It is of supreme importance to think right.

Our first need is to align our thinking with principle.

No one can do our thinking for us. We must each individually work out life’s beauty of pattern, its harmony of coloring, and its deepest meaning.

Selfish vs. Self-Sacrifice

By nature, the individual is selfish and inclined to follow his own impulses. The road to self-realization is by the route of self-sacrifice.

Think in terms of cultivating friendships.

From a psychological standpoint, all friendship involves the artificial process of subordinating one’s own interests and inclinations to those of others.

Not only do we ask you to cultivate friendships, but practice unselfishness.

Most people who are unsuccessful and unhappy are in that position because their daily thoughts and actions are tainted with selfishness.

Trying always to get, actually pushes away the object sought. Getting is an effect, a reaction; giving is the action which is followed by the sequel of gifts to the giver; hence giving is the cause of getting.

Action

The road to health, happiness, and success lies in doing things, in work.  Not in being good, but in doing good.

You cannot self analyze nor merely think yourself into happiness, health, and success.

Naturally, you cannot perform except as you think and will. Thinking thoughts of love must be followed by love. Those who love are willing to serve and sacrifice themselves for those they love.

Instructions:

  • Chew more
  • Chew each bite as long as it tastes good, or until it thoroughly liquefies.

 

Dude’s Book Review: Dead White Guys [Because Parental Units are Expected to “Know All About Life.”]

Little Dude ~ Yes you do; you know all about life!

I dig philosophy.

We’re all philosophers at heart.

Whether we realize it for not, we search for answers to life’s unanswerable questions. At some point, we realize that we don’t know…and no one does!

At that crossroads, we can throw on the blinders and slip into the cultural norms guided by powers beyond our control, or we can dig deeper and build a personal philosophy that can guide our life.

This personal structure is unique for everyone. Where to start? Who to trust? What is really important?

Luckily there have been very rad dudes (and ladies too) raising these same questions for a loooong time. Dudes like Plato, Socrates, Machiavelli, and many more.

Unfortunately, it’s easy to be swept away by the cultural stream, and for the vast majority of us, we’re not exposed to great thinkers until it’s too late.

Perhaps this is by design.

If people think less and follow more, it sure is easier to guide them.

In the end, we are all responsible for ourselves. And self-education is a primary responsibility.

However, as every parent knows, for the first 18 years, it is our responsibility to mold those young minds. And those young minds depend on us to “know all about life.”

Little Dude: Why can’t girls have boys names?

Dude: I don’t know. (It was early; I weaseled out.)

Little Dude: (Offended now) Yes you do; you know all about life!

How cool is that?! Our kids actually think we know all about life! Awesome.

Perhaps we didn’t get a great education. Or pay attention to that education. But it’s not too late. Not too late for you, and not too late for the little ones that think we have a clue. It could be years before they’re on to us!

Take the blinders off and start to build your personal philosophy. As a result, the little ones will start to build their philosophy too.

A few weeks ago I was asked to review a book called “Dead White Guys.” I’m asked to review books from time to time, and most of the time I decline without much thought.

I have enough to do/read without spending time on unsolicited books. But this one grabbed my attention. As the subtitle says, “A father, his daughter, and the great books of the western world.”

That’s got Dude written all over it. And it didn’t disappoint.

The book is written as a father passing down advice to his child. The advice just happens to be based on some of the greatest minds in history. The book is filled with compelling stories, heart-felt examples, and the loving guidance that only a parent can share with a child. It felt like me, talking to my kids, through the book.

Matt Burriesci is a talented writer that shares a great view of brilliant historic thinkers.

We all need to spend time with these philosophers. But our kids who depend on us to “know all about life” need this guidance now more than ever.

The world is a crazy place. Powers are fighting for your kids’ attention. If you don’t take it, someone/thing else will.

Build your personal philosophy, and help the kids start to build theirs. “Dead White Guys” is a great place to start.

Nice work Mr. Burriesci.

Big Lebowski Buffet

The Dude

The Dude

I’ve professed my love for The Big Lebowski in the past.

The Dude abides. And that’s a nice way to live life.

I’m always excited to come across something Lebowski related, and this week I was blessed with three Dude sightings in my online travels.

A bit of a Big Lebowski Buffet to share with you…

1. An Esoteric Take on The Big Lebowski

This article gives a nice, quick history of The Big Lebowski, and digs into what makes The Dude so great – in this Dude’s humble opinion any way – The Dude’s approach to life.

The spiritual, philosophical, or esoteric undertone of The Big Lebowski that is oh so groovy. This is the idea behind Dudeism – by the way, I’m ordained. 😉

Here’s a taste of what the article offers about The Dude’s groovyness…

  • [N]othing seems to phase the Dude. Yes, he gets angry (to the point that Walter tells him: “Come on. You’re being very unDude.”), swears constantly, and talks back to Walter and many other unreasonable people who seem to surround him like mosquitoes, but soon he will be stirring himself another White Russian, or will have a smoke, or relax in a warm bath.
  • Occasionally he resorts to the gentle movements of Tai chi to keep stress at bay. Like a mystic, he focuses on the big picture. Better yet, like a true mystic, he doesn’t focus at all.
  • There is something transcendental about this: the Dude rises above all circumstances.
  • Dudeism: Much has been made of Dudeism, a philosophy of life inspired by the Dude. But there’s nothing new in this, as he seems to belong in the great stream of Philosophia Perennis which, down the millennia, has produced strikingly similar concepts even if expressed in different ways and from different cultures and ages. And in fact the proponents of Dudeism cite Lao Tzu, Epicurus, Heraclitus, the Buddha, and the pre-ecclesiastical Jesus Christ as examples of ancient Dudeist prophets.
The Dude and the Zen Master

The Dude and the Zen Master

2.  The Dude and the Zen Master

Is Jeff Bridges The Dude in real life? He just might be. Here’s a new book with Bridges and his Zen Master/friend Bernie Glassman – The Dude and the Zen Master. I’m sure there are some rad thoughts on life tucked away in here.

3. The Big Lebowski Explains the Fiscal Cliff

In my opinion, the “Fiscal Cliff” is a joke. The US/world is definitely facing a massive fiscal cliff – probably a wide variety fiscal cliffs – the political/media charade that we’ve watched promoted over the past few weeks hardly addresses the BIG issues.

But thank the holiest of holy that the great politicians saved the day at the last minute on New Year’s Day! Just like a Hollywood movie. Hmmm.

However, with the out of the way, here’s a quick use of The Big Lebowski to try to explain what went down in Washington as politicians continue to convince themselves they are saving the world while they are actually steering towards the ice berg that is “dead ahead.” And any reason to share The Dude is good with the Dude.

PS – Here’s one of my fav jams – 75 & Sunny from Boston native Ryan Montbleu – that I was grooving to while slapping away at the keys this morning. Great vibe for a Saturday morning contemplating The Dude.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM8fHHvsLpw[/youtube]