Thinking Out Loud

I don’t know if you’re like me or not, but I was born into the one and only “true” religion of God. I spent my entire life studying and living the principles and teachings of my faith. I knew the doctrine, and I believed it to be true. Until I didn’t. The road to the unraveling of my faith is a rather long one—definitely another article for another day--but suffice it to say, I began studying other religions and realized that all of them contained beautiful truths. I felt as uplifted and inspired while reading their scriptures as I did reading mine. I understood why some referred to religion as a “faith culture” for I was now aware that had I been born and raised in a different religion, I’d have believed that religious tradition to be true. I came to see religions as merely vehicles leading us back to God. Surely God didn’t care whether his children drove jalopies or Jaguars so long as they were moving along the superhighway back to Him. Or could it be her? Or perhaps there wasn’t ju...

Here's a quote by Carl Jung that I love and can relate to: What was great in the morning will be little at evening, and what in the morning was true at evening will have become a lie. I remember reading Gandhi's autobiography and how in the opening pages of his book he confessed his hesitation to pen his thoughts for he feared what he wrote today would not ring true later in his life. I too began a blog over a year ago called Janelle's Journal. I wrote that my purpose was to "Think out loud," and confessed that what I believed today would surely be different from what I believed tomorrow. The evolution of thought is real, especially as we give ourselves permission to drop beliefs that don't support our being and adopt those that feed our spirits. I my evening hours, I'm finding there is very little of which I'm certain. In fact, the only thing I'm certain of is change. I'm especially certain that--over time--my thoughts will change. As I...

It seems like everyone these days is talking about finding their purpose or wondering if they are living their purpose? I have often wondered the same thing. And I still wonder because I feel like I have some great thing I'm here to accomplish and honestly, I'm still not sure exactly what that one great thing is. In fact, the longer I live the more I realize it's not just one great thing, but many things. And rather than worry about whether or not I'm living my purpose I have taken Dr. Dyer's advice and focused my energies on living my life on purpose trusting that in time my greater purpose will surface. What exactly does it mean to live on purpose ? For me, I feel on purpose when I'm loving and serving others. In fact, nothing brings me greater peace, happiness, fulfillment, and joy than giving my self away in the service of others. Some ascended masters said it this way: She that loseth her life for my sake shall find it-- Jesus The best way to fin...

I still remember when I first met Dr. Dyer. I took his book Inspiration with me to Lake Tahoe. Reading it was like a baptism by fire. I had been searching for answers and additional truths, and Dr. Dyer provided me with just what I was seeking. I immediately looked him up with great hopes of connecting with him. I wanted to see if I could study under him or pay him to be my mentor. I was disheartened to learn that he had recently passed away (August 29, 2015). I was so sad. How could he be dead when I knew he was perfect for me? Gratefully, I felt his spirit whisper to me that death was not an obstacle for the work we were going to be doing together. He assured me that he would be with me in spirit and that all of the knowledge and training I needed I could get through the study of his books. That is one of the reasons he had meticulously written so many. So I went to the library and checked out every Dr. Dyer book they had available. And for the past 6 months I have p...

I'm reading a powerful book by Dr. Dyer called The Power of Intention. I love this concept that there exists a universal power source into which we can tap. This power is always available and is the original creative source. By tuning in, or going to our source, we can manifest into our lives anything upon which we set our intentions. The power to manifest really is as simple as setting our intention. And setting our intention is as simple as envisioning that which we want to happen as already being a current reality. I remember the first time I tried this concept. I was struggling to hop into a handstand. After attempting, and failing several times I distinctly said to myself, "I'm never going to be able to do this!" And then I remembered the power of our thoughts--they create our reality. So I quickly corrected myself and said, "I will be able to do this and I intend to do it now." I visualized myself hopping to a handstand. I assumed the feeling of wh...

I've been toying with the idea of attending a mindfulness and meditation retreat for some time, but have shied away because I worry that I won't be able to tolerate sitting still for long periods of time. Additionally, I worry that I won't like it. So I started reading a pamphlet that dispels the myths surrounding mindfulness and meditation. All of the points are good, but here are just a few that I found particularly poignant: Practicing mindfulness isn’t about zoning out. It’s about zoning in. You train yourself to pay closer attention than you might normally be used to, and this kind of focus rubs off on the rest of your life . It can actually help you to get into “the zone” and stay there longer. Meditation practice need not be tied to any belief system. The only necessary belief is not a dogmatic one, but one that says each of us has the capacity to understand ourselves more fully, and to care more deeply both for ourselves and for others. Its methods work to fre...

I can hardly wait to pen this post for my fingers are afire with the "Puzzling Truth." And I must give credit where credit is due for my friend Stephen Palmer stimulated so many thoughts of mine today with his morning post: The Puzzle of Humanity You should seriously go and read it before reading on as it will provide some context for why I sent this email to a coworker: Hi [Co-worker], Here is one of my friends. I forward this post because in it, he beautifully explains how I feel about truth and world religions. I was raised LDS, and am well versed in scripture. I love the beautiful truths contained in the LDS faith, but I don’t believe it is the only true church. I believe they all contain beautiful truths and that at the end of the day what will matter most is how we lived, loved, and served our fellow brothers and sisters.  It took me awhile to come to this realization for I was raised staunch LDS-- by very devout parents, but as soon as I realized it, I had to ...

I just love Dr. Dyer. He has profoundly impacted my thoughts and way of being. Yesterday I was reading his book Real Magic and I particularly loved his advice: relinquish your need to be right. Nobody likes to be proved wrong, especially publicly. What is it in you that must be right? The more peace we invite into our lives and the more we focus on loving ourselves and others, the less we need to be right. We are able to subdue the urge to correct and instead we can simply say, "I don't see it that way," or we can just think that in our minds and smile as we allow others to express their opinions. There really isn't anything worth hurting feelings over. When was the last time you felt like you won a verbal engagement? Yes, you may have made your point and the other person may have retreated. Did you really change their mind? Or did you just get them to submit because they don't enjoy confrontation or they just decided to allow you to be right. Or maybe you did...

Here's a true principle that will revolutionize your life: No one owes you anything It is super empowering and liberating to go through your day not making demands or expecting anything from anybody. Treat everyone as the divine being that they are and give up on trying to control them, life, or anything that really isn't mean to be controlled. Life is meant to be lived, experienced, and enjoyed. Children of God were created to be free and able to exercise their agency. You only make yourself--and others--miserable when you seek to control, make demands, or set expectations.  Think about the last thing that upset you. If it was a person, what was it that they did? How would your feelings or response have been different had you espoused the belief that "no one owes you anything?" That's right, no one owes you gratitude, appreciation, help, money, kindness, or even respect. You are owed nothing by life or by any persons. If it was a circumstance that let you ...

What are you for or against? I was reading Dr. Dyer's 12 principles for becoming a spiritual being and one is about how spiritual beings spend their time working toward what they are for rather than spend their energy fighting what they are against.  The spiritual being knows that everything he hates and fights weakens him, and all that he is for, all that he supports, empowers him. I like this. Why spend your time fighting against war when you could spend your time working for peace? Define yourself by what you are for not by what you are against. I think it is always wise to position yourself positively rather than antagonistically. I am excited for 2018. I think it only fitting for me to state a few things I'm for: Love Peace Acceptance Reverence Silence Humility Miracles Learning Service Mindfulness Infinite Possibilities Imagination Creativity Creation Dreaming   Some mantras I recite daily that reinforce what I'm for incl...