Category:Consciousness
What is Your Set Point?
9 9 9 9, were the numbers that popped into my attention this morning when I checked in with myself after my morning run. 9 9 9 9, what does that mean and what does this have to do with you or your business? And what do I mean by Set Point? In answer to these questions, first of all, for me the numbers refer to an intuitive rating of my Mind, Body, Spirit and Emotions/Heart in any given moment. It is a habit I formed a couple years ago, as I deepened my awareness that my thoughts, my feelings and my body all have their own language and that they are interconnected. So what? Well, I also noticed that if my thoughts are lower, my emotions tend to be lower, my body feels less good in different ways and my spirit is pulled down. Au contraire, I noticed that when one of my numbers goes up, it tends to lift the others. This informal research led me to the idea that if I could do something that would lift one of the numbers, it would likely lift the others, which would probably improve the quality of my day, my life and my business, which I’ve discovered is true. Somehow, intellectually knowing that the numbers are connected, when I check in, it leads me to know that if I’m not feeling good, by noticing what I am thinking, which is typically correspondingly also less good, I can make a conscious choice to allow myself to continue to feel bad and think the thoughts that are there or think something...
Life Imitates Birth
What if the answer to some of our world’s unrest and our individual challenges in life are held in a growing body of knowledge and research on prenatal & birth psychology that “our lives imitate our births”. Doesn’t it make sense that when a soul comes into this world, it’s first memories and patterns (either beneficial or detrimental) would be impacted by it’s first experiences of coming into this physical world? Depending upon the actual point when the soul comes in, couldn’t that mean it’s first memories that create unconscious patterns later in life could feasibly include conception, time in the womb and the point of birth? So what was happening during these very early stages of life, was it peaceful, loving, welcoming and accepting with the innate wisdom of the mother and child working together to be born anew together as “mother and child” with all of the innately wired birth hormones; mother and child both expressing their own power and innate responses to make their way through their “parallel” birth canal? & what about fathers, where and how were they involved? Or was it accompanied by trauma during it’s entry, stress at the point of conception, during it’s time in the womb, & numbed, drugged, absorbing fear and pain, or birthed in such a way as not to develop certain necessary brain and body patterns, because these faculties were not engaged during the birthing process? What are these unconscious patterns and how do they impact your life? And, once we discover what they are for us, what if there is a way to re-pattern ourselves and...The Power of Contrast
Because it is fresh as potent growth experience for me, I decided to write about the concept of contrast. As a noun, contrast is defined as: ”The state of being strikingly different from something else, typically something in juxtaposition or close association.” As a verb, “Differ strikingly.” So, why am I thinking about it? Well, I gotta say: 1) After recently fasting for 19 days between sunrise and sunset, (described in previous post) now that I can remain hydrated and energized with food during the day, I find a deeper level of gratitude for the alertness and energy eating and drinking provides, not to mention a deeper appreciation for the taste, texture and periodic pauses it offers. At the same time, because “the fast” specifically is no longer a daily spiritual practice, in contrast of it’s absence, it requires my added attentiveness to maintain a heightened spiritual attention to the moments of my daily life. 2) One weekend a month, I provide care giving services for two young ladies that I love dearly and whose family I love dearly, that require 24 hour care to lift, dress, feed, provide personal hygiene, massage, chi machine, etc…. It is both physically intensive and has provided me great opportunity for personal and spiritual growth. How it relates to contrast, is multi-fold and multi-dimensional. A) On a multi-fold note, after working one 7 hour and (2) 12 hour shifts in a row this past weekend, on a day like today (Monday), when I do not have to get up at 6:45 to be there by 7:30 am – 7:30 pm, and I get...Penultimate Day of Fasting
“…prayer and fasting is the cause of awakening and mindfulness and conducive to protection and preservation from tests.” Abdu’l-Baha “Fasting is the cause of awakening man. The heart becomes tender and the spirituality of man increases.” I have been fasting for 17 days (18 including today) now between sunrise and sunset, and with 19 days as the target, I have 1 day to go. As a Baha’i’, since 2004, this is my 9th fasting cycle. “As has been the case with other revealed religions, the Bahá’í Faith sees great value in the practice of fasting as a discipline for the soul. Bahá’u’lláh , the founder of the Baha’i’ faith designated a nineteen-day period each year when adult Bahá’ís fast from sunrise to sunset each day. This period coincides with the Bahá’í month of Ala (meaning Loftiness), from March 2 to 20, inclusive. This is the month immediately preceding the Bahá’í new year, which occurs the day of the vernal equinox; and the period of fasting is therefore viewed as a time of spiritual preparation and regeneration for a new year’s activities.” “The fasting period involves complete abstention from food and drink from sunrise till sunset. It is essentially a period of meditation and prayer, of spiritual recuperation, during which the believer must strive to make the necessary readjustments in his inner life, and to refresh and reinvigorate the spiritual forces latent in his soul. Its significance and purpose are, therefore, fundamentally spiritual in character. “ In my own experience, I would have to agree that the fast becomes a period of meditation and prayer, and that it allows me...What are YOU thinking?
Looking around with an attentive eye it is easy to see the power of the mind in action. Whether reflecting upon the broader role of the mind in creating a skyscraper, roadway or bridge; leading innovations in technology, science, business, education or the arts; or the role it plays in our daily lives to help us learn, make decisions, interact and navigate life, it is clear that the human mind is powerful. Upon waking to greet each day, our minds lead us (often without thinking) through our morning routine, get us to work, and in most cases become the focus of our work. Our interactions with ourselves, and others are often centered in the mind. Our workplaces buzz with the mind and although, we also have a heart, a body and a spirit through which we can perceive the moments of our lives, the mind is commonly the primary “radio channel” to which we attune. (Sometimes playing a song we like, often not.) Everyone’s mind’s sends thoughts endlessly into our awareness. As you know, these thoughts can be very useful, are necessary and can accomplish great things, however left un-attended, they can also rob the quality from our lives. They also link directly to the emotions we then feel and vice versa, which can create positive emotion with positive thoughts and negative emotion with negative thoughts. (again visa versa) One step further, as mind/body/spirit beings, they can also impact our body in a positive or negative way depending upon the thoughts we are thinking and feelings we are feeling. (For example, I can always tell when I’m thinking or...About Dawn Vogel
Dawn Vogel is founder of Luminous Concepts Productions. She is passionate about elevating health and human potential, advancing consciousness in practical ways and bettering our world. Working with people in practices, businesses or causes who are elevating people, her vision is to strengthen individuals and groups of individuals to strengthen those they serve through Luminous Concepts Productions. She creates photography & video stories that inspire, promote, educate and help people better reach their people.