Week 22a Standing Meditation

This week we are supposed to stay silent for a day or two and even though I know this would be a good thing.  Stuff seemed to keep happening and so I thought about what I could do that would serve me well and still be a better fit for me now.  Then I decided to do standing meditation as opposed to sitting and it is the bomb.  Very interesting feelings and sensations plus it keeps me from sitting.  In our world today it is  easy to sit way too much.

Some of the benefits  attributed to regular practice of standing still are  improved core strength, balance, bone density, power, awareness, sleep quality, body alignment, efficiency of movements, and mind-body connection.  The more still on the outside the more movement can occur within.  Standing allows our energy to flow freely and releases tension.  Standing still is actually a very physical exercise in addition to all the health benefits.

I am very grateful that I started this “standing” practice each day and am looking forward to enjoying the many benefits.  Through the work of the Master Keys, I am more open to the new and different experiences.

 

Jan Russ

Week 22 MK Spiritual Seeds

 

The garden metaphor is one that is used often because it’s so easy to relate to it. No where is it more appropriate than in the spiritual realm since we are constantly planting in our mind thoughts that if entertained will produce according to their kind. When Haanel said, that controlling our thoughts is hard mental work, he was spot on!

Part 22 of the Master Keys is of course my favorite which I always say every week. This week I reviewed part 1 and made some notes which I now share with you:

All our power is from within and we do not have to go get this power, we already have it. We must recognize it and realize it. And of course we must apply it. Our predominant mental attitude determines our experiences in life. Attitude of mind depends upon our method of thinking. We must be before we can do and we can do only to the extent which we are. The world within is governed by mind. All laws of power and possession are within our control. World without is reflection of the world within. Harmony is vital and in our world within means the ability to control our thoughts. All possession depends on consciousness. Consciousness is a state of being awake and aware of one’s surroundings and the fact of awareness by the mind of itself and the world.

This all sounds very familiar and is repeated many times throughout the Master Keys. As we draw near the end of at least the ritual of webinars associated with the MKMMA, we are well prepared to continue our individual journeys through our lives. Remember that once stretched our neural pathways do not go back to their starting point but we now have a new path for our continued growth.  Remember to take good care of your spiritual garden.

Onward and upward everyone!

Jan Russ

Week 21 MK “Homeostasis”

Well, here we are twenty something weeks after embarking on this journey to discover  the Master Keys of life.  As evidenced in our  blog posts, many changes have been noted, some small and others more significant.  It is safe to say that anyone who has done the work has noticed at the very least subtle changes in their thinking.  I have for a long time wondered why it is so difficult to do what I know is best for me and what I actually want to do.  So this course has helped me gain a better understanding of this whole process.

If you are familiar with the word homeostasis, which means,  the property of a system in which the variables are regulated so that internal conditions remain stable and relatively constant.  This allows our body temperature to remain at a proper level regardless of outside influences.  That is only one example of how homeostasis works internally in our body and this is handled automatically by our subconscious mind.  When I started thinking about this I realized that was how I kept doing things in my life.  Something (my homeostasis) worked very specifically to keep me in a certain range of achievement in most all areas of my life.  I seemed to operate within a range that was represented by a ceiling at the top and a floor at the bottom.  Despite much effort on my part I did not get out of that zone between the ceiling and the floor.  When I got to close to my “ceiling” something would happen and I would begin my movement down toward the floor.  Then some time later I would get frustrated with my “floor” position and I would get inspired and start moving up.

As I thought about this process or maybe it is a “dance of life”, I was reminded of a quote by Guy Finley, “As goes our attention, so comes our experience.”  With the MKMMA and doing the hard mental work described by Haanel, making new habits and becoming their slave and knowing that small attempts repeated, complete any undertaking, I am learning to develop concentration.  This allows me to notice where my attention goes and and even better send it where I choose.  All of these things answer the age old question, Why does this stuff keep happening to me?  It is so cool to know why and even better to do something constructive about it.

Jan Russ

 

 

Week 20 MK Staying The Course

I was surprised to read that people quit the MKMMA during the high teens period.  It seems that after the work invested, one would continue to the finish.  However, when I really thought about it, I realized that I have been quite unsteady these last weeks and even though I never entertained the idea of quitting, I have been thinking of answering the hero’ call.  The easy way would be to go back to what is familiar and comfortable but for me once the genie is out of the bottle, there is no going back.  So the only thing I can do is wish everyone well and to be safe on their journey.

As I reflect back on the course to this point, there are too many benefits to list them all but I can talk about the things that I notice about myself that are most significant.  In my last post I said that I would provide updates about looking at everything as a blessing and that is providing me with great results.  If something happens that is not an obvious blessing, I ask the question, Where is the blessing hiding?  This serves to make me laugh, which is good and if it is nothing serious, then everything is good.  If it is of a serious nature then it helps me to pause and look at it differently and you know what happens when you look at something differently.  The things you see are different.  The law of practice and the law of growth are always at work bringing stuff to us.

In part 20-27 of the Master Keys, Haanel says, “Thought is creative vibration and the quality of the conditions created will depend upon the quality of our thought.”  This appears to be simple except it is not, because we have so much cement to chip away in order to remove the automatic programming that we default to so often.  This is why he told us in an earlier lesson that we have to practice “eternal vigilance” and be the watchman at the gate of our subconscious.  With continued practice these new thoughts we are planting will become automatic and that is good to know.

In these last weeks, I have had to be extra  vigilant about doing the daily practices in order to continue my growth.  I remind myself that small attempts repeated complete any undertaking.  After all our lives are simply a series of small choices and decisions that we make each day and they move us in one direction or another depending on their nature.  This course helps me choose the correct nature and allows for the course corrections that keep me moving in the direction of my purpose.

Jan Russ

 

Week 19 MK Blessing or a Curse?

After getting an email from Mark where he stated that whatever perspective we first view an event in our life is the character we will continue to identify it as.  In part 19, Haanel tells us that fear is a powerful thought form and that it actually paralyzes the nerve centers which affects the blood circulation.  Considering how many times we experience some type of fear, that is a pretty scary situation.  If we consider any life event as a curse, we are being fearful and inviting all kinds of destructive results.  Haanel goes on to say that to overcome fear, we need to become conscious of power and how to use it.  One way to demonstrate power is to change the way we look at things.

What if we decided to only look at whatever happens to us as a blessing?  On a recent webinar, Mark discussed something similar when he said we should be grateful for everything regardless of the nature of the event.  This sounds hard to do and in practice it is, but remember with practice we get better.  The idea of looking at everything as a blessing really touched me and I thought about it.  Then I examined it and could not find any downside to it.  After placing my attention on it and getting the law of growth involved, it just seemed like it should be the way I look at everything from now on.  My new go to plan is working out just great.  I will keep you posted on the results of my treating everything in my life as a blessing.  Although, I think it is safe to say that it will be exactly as I expect it to be.  A blessing!

Until Next Time

Jan Russ

 

 

Week 18 MK Language of Our Brain

What if the language of our brain is movement?  Some weeks ago we learned about the Mental Gym(ex.touching left hand to right knee) which activates both sides of our brain. Then we were introduced to the five step progression which includes movement each day. Just based on this information, movement certainly appears to be of prime importance to our overall well being.  This is of particular interest to me since I have written about being a physically oriented person most of my life.  Recently I came across or I should say, the information appeared in my email inbox (do not remember subscribing) about brain plasticity which refers to the brain’s ability to change and adapt as a result of experience. The good news is that these changes continue throughout our lives, so it is never to late to be what we always thought we could be.  Which is why I am in the MKMMA and I am creating new neural pathways although a bit slower than I would like because I have to stop and chip off cement from time to time.

Some of the things we are using to establish these new neural pathways are using our attention to direct our movement as in the mental gym.  Others are enthusiasm, imagination, dreams and awareness which we read about in the Master Keys every week. Interesting that we can have these ideas validated through other information that we come in contact with and funny how that shows up so timely.

Some weeks back we were instructed to read the foreword of the Master Keys.  When I read it I highlighted one passage which is as follows:  “Every thought brings into action certain physical tissue, parts of the brain, nerve or muscle.  This produces an actual physical change in the construction of the tissue.  Therefore it is only necessary to have a certain number of thoughts on a given subject in order to bring about a change in the physical organization of a man.”

This is very clear with nothing left to consider except getting to work producing thoughts of courage, power, inspiration and harmony.  So Until next time, now I have thinking and moving to do.

Jan Russ

P.S.  One of the interesting points about our brain is that when we are using the same existing patterns, the first sign of this is boredom.  Associative memory as opposed to frontal lobe activity.

 

 

 

Week 17 HJ Master Key

This week I was going to write an obituary for my old Blueprint but sadly it has not died yet.  Every time when I think for sure it is gone and I get ready to celebrate and plan the wake, here it comes back with renewed energy.  Just messing with me and my carefully laid plans but since I know, ” That small attempts repeated, complete any undertaking.”  I persist!  I win!  After all I am on a quest to be the Hero of my own life and it might be time to “Burn My Ships  and get this exciting Hero’s Journey  underway.

Keeping one foot in my ordinary world has not allowed me to move fully into my adventure.  Hard to go forward when looking back to perceived safety.  But this week I got to thinking about success and how I had always been looking for something big to propel me from the 95% to the 5%.  You could say I was always looking at the next shiny object even though I knew that was not working for me.  I was afraid I would miss something if stopped and focused on what I already knew about.  Of course, at the time I did not realize (definition of realize is to become fully aware of something as a fact) that it was me and not the opportunity that needed to change.  My awesome MM partner and the MKMMA helped me to understand and see clearly about how we really get successful.

Everyday we practice certain things each day in our Master Key work and Mark and company always tells us there is a huge payoff as a result of this practice.  He does not tell us it will be today but that it will payoff.  So what we are really doing each day is producing invisible results that when practiced faithfully eventually produce the results we desire.  Instead of the big thing I was always searching for my life’s results actually comes from small choices and decisions that are made each day.  Similar to the doubling of a penny, it starts out very slow and builds momentum each day.  Maybe the reason for the poor success rate is that people lose sight of these daily choices and decisions because they are looking for something big to happen that will give them the instant results that are popular in our microwave society.  I know that I did and was totally unaware that I was creating my life each day with what seemed like choices that were too small to matter.

Now I know my old Blueprint’s days are numbered, I am not sure of the actual day but I know and I am building momentum with the small attempts repeated that I practice each day.  This keeps me focused in the present where I can actually make these small decisions that create my life.

So I am off on my Hero’s Journey and I do have a plan (roadmap).  I already feel so awesome!

I always keep my promises.

 

Jan Russ

 

Week 17 Master Key Concentration

According to the dictionary concentrate means to focus one’s attention or mental effort on a particular object or activity.  Haanel tells us that concentration does not mean mere thinking but that the thoughts are actually changed into practical values.  When a person is so interested or engrossed in a subject that they are conscious of nothing else is the type of concentration that leads to intuition and insight about the subject.  For myself, I will be applying the law of practice to achieving this concentration.

Haanel said that, “Thought is the activity which controls every principle beneath it.” After reading that I could only think of how important our predominant mental attitude is.  Part 17 requires concentrated reading and more study because there is much knowledge to be learned and applied.  The payoff for developing concentration muscles is huge since as stated in sentence 17, “The intensity of one moment’s earnest concentration and the intense longing to become and attain may take you further than years of slow normal and forced effort.”

That’s it for this week and I am off to practice concentrating.

Jan Russ

 

 

 

 

Week 16 Master Key Kindness

This week we are focusing on the virtue of kindness by observing it and performing acts of kindness.  The dictionary defines kindness as the state or quality of being kind,  a kind, considerate, helpful act.  According to Aristotle’s book “Rhetoric”, it is referred to as a virtue and defined as  being “helpfulness towards someone in need, not in return for anything, nor for the advantage of the helper himself, but for that of the person helped”.

Before actually thinking about kindness specifically, I had not given it very much thought other than noticing when someone did something nice for another.  After these few days of thinking of kindness and looking for it, I have a developed quite a relationship with this thing we call kindness.  I have certainly discovered more kindness than I was aware of and I love the way it feels to practice kindness.  Awareness and focusing our thoughts along with the law of growth produces a powerful result.  This assignment has taught me much more than about kindness and I can apply this knowledge to my continuing transformation of myself as I merge with my future self.  It is amazing that this is only the second week of our thirteen week makeover.  Will we recognize ourselves after finishing this incredible process?

I always keep my promises!

Jan Russ

 

 

week 15 master key

When I was thinking about what I would write about  this week, part 15 came to mind and it is truly my most recent favorite.  When Haanel said, “Growth is attained through an exchange of the old for the new, of the good for the better; it is a conditional or reciprocal action, for each of us is a complete thought entity and this completeness makes it possible for us to receive only as we give.  Safe to say he read Emerson’s Law of Compensation.  This made a huge impression on me and encouraged me to think about if I am holding on to anything that could be actually keeping me stuck.  I like the fact that we have been preparing for this with our daily practice of the four promises and the scrolls.  I do love it when a plan comes together.  Developing harmony is pretty awesome and it feels so good.

A lot of people in the MKMMA write about how they have changed and grown since starting this course.  I have written about it myself but today I want write about someone else changing and growing.  That person is my son and he has noticed changes in me and has commented to me several times about me now and before MKMMA.  I discuss many of the things in the Master Keys and other things we are doing and he sees the things posted all around the house.  This week I realized that he is changing and growing himself.  This is even better than me growing because as a parent, you desire much for your children and to see him actually applying some of the this wonderful knowledge is beyond words.  So when we see things differently, the things or people we see are different.  What a huge reward this is turning out to be for me and him.

I always keep my promises

Jan Russ