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RECLAMATION - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT - DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT

   

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reclamation - rescuing from error and

returning to the rightful course.

 

It is at these times that I think I may be suffering

from an affliction of spiritual intrusive thoughts,

as I wake again to my new word of the day -

"reclamation" - on my mind. Of course, I always

look up the definition to make sure I understand 

the often diverse meanings, and as I focused on

the definition provided above, I realized this is  

really a very powerful concept. 

 

As I usually do, I  centered my meditation on the

word and spent a half-hour receiving guidance

on regaining my untapped power and perspective,

all of which I needed. When I reached  to write

my note for today, I was not surprised to realize

that there was more that needed to be said, as

I transcribed the note below.

 

As I write this,  I realize that I have started to

allow erroneous thinking to begin to trim my

expectations, accepting less even before I have 

tested the waters, trimming my sails so to speak 

in anticipation of the strong wind even before I

encounter a breeze, and as a result, limiting my

perspective needlessly. 

 

I guess it is time for a "reclamation project"

on my intentions and dreams. 

 

RECLAMATION

 

Let us work to reclaim what is truly ours

today, our courage, our strength,

our confidence in the power we possess –

the birthright so often lost in self

generated fears and condemnation,

the spark of divinity we carry within.

Let this reclamation be complete and

thorough, no room or allowance in our

consciousness for unwarranted thoughts

of a malicious sentiment - just the purity

and clarity of our true natures – who we

represent - what we are entitled to –

our purposeful magnificence.

Today we reclaim and reinstate the

presence of mind, body, and spirit that

ensures our complete transcendence –

allowing our sights to be fixed on

thriving and flourishing, transfixed on

our power to create heaven on earth, and

the restoration of infinite well-being.

 

AT 7.25.13

 

Thank you for reading.

With love, G.

George Bryant Cronk

Affirmative Thought For The Day - TURNING POINT - Finding God On The Train - 7.23.2013

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Nothing is fixed in stone, yet I feel we are

often mesmerized by our own existence, failing

to recognize we are the artists behind the creation.

What often traps us is the sense that what is

happening in our lives is not under our control,

but the result of circumstance, bad luck, or lack

of opportunity, when in truth, we have held the

key to change all along. As the Eagles 1970's hit

Already Gone reflects, 

 

        so oftentimes it happens that

we live our lives in chains,

that we never even know

we have the key. 

 

Today, as I often do, I woke up thinking about a

word or phrase. This morning it was simply  -

"turning point." Possibly it was that I had spent

last night at The History of The Eagles  concert

in Washington, DC, being incredibly entertained

and awed, as the  Eagles charted out their turning

points that resulted in the formation of one of the

greatest musical groups of all time.

 

Or, it might be that I feel my spiritual work is

at a turning point, and I need to be open to the

change that is occurring, although unsure of

what that is exactly at the moment.  

 

As we venture onward in our personal pursuit of a

positive, practical spirituality, or just day-to-day

life, we need to be aware of the significance of

turning points - that nothing is fixed in stone,

and as another Eagles hit song, Take It Easy

warns - 

 

don't let the sound

of your own wheels

drive you crazy. 

 

TURNING POINT

 

Often in the heat of living, we underestimate

our capacity for change, for reconfiguration,  

transformation, failing to realize we hold

the rudder within our grasp, that in every

focused moment the turning point presents

itself, requiring only our vested intention.

 

Whether this turning point only calls for a

modest correction, or a full about-face,

the degree of change is ours for calibration,  

adjustable as we proceed - since no maneuver

fixes our placement or direction, which is

always fully malleable - pliable.

 

Today let us study our course of action,

conscious of its ramifications, easily

releasing our grip on past intentions

if advantageous, open and ready for

inspiration if available, knowing turning

points are often our finest soulful

expressions, where will and fate meet,

where destiny is forged.

 

AT G. 7.23.2013

 

WITH LOVE, G. 

 

 

NewThoughtNoteForThe Day - THANKS AGAIN AND AGAIN - Finding God On The Train - 7.17.2013

 

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One of the strongest positive emotions, in my opinion,

is gratitude. Whenever I am fighting with a bout of

negativity, my way to change the tide is to move into

a mode of thanks. Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., a leading

theorist and researcher in the field of Positive Psychology, 

whose book  - POSITIVITY  Ground Breaking Research

Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive

Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive, we are

highlighting in our posts includes gratitude as one of

the ten forms of Positivity outlined in her work along

with - joy, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, 

inspiration, awe, and love.

 

Although we in New Thought have been expounding

on the merits of positivity for a few hundred years, it

is very gratifying to have a scientific approach, like

Fredrickson's Broaden-And-Build Theory, to give it 

validity and open up the nuances of how positivity

actually, works.

 

Frerickson gives us two core truths about positivity

that form the basis of her theory:

 

Core Truth #1. Positivity opens us. Positive emotions

open our hearts and our minds, making us receptive

and more creative.

 

Core Truth #2 - Positivity transforms us for the

better. By opening our hearts and minds, positive

emotions allow us to discover and build new skills,

new ties, new knowledge, and new ways of being. 

 

Fredrickson explains that "Gratitude" comes when

we appreciate something that has come our way as

a gift to be treasured. The note below reminds us

of all that we do have to be truly grateful for in this

life, both secular and spiritual, hopefully aiding

us with giving thanks again and again. 

 

THANKS AGAIN AND AGAIN

 

Let us raise a joyful noise of gratitude

and praise for who we are, where we are

and the life we now live – a resounding

thank-you for the gifts of life, the gifts

of being, of loving, of knowing our divine

essence and connection.

 

Let us carry this grateful feeling into

the day allowing this emotion of thanks

to be our current focus, today’s theme,

as we take time to recognize the true

miracle of our existence, our families,

our jobs, our invigorated pursuits,

our special moments of prayer and

connection.

 

Let us boldly know our positive energy

and awakened spirit brought us to this

moment of magnificence, as we thank

ourselves for the foresight, the courage,

the spiritual connection to etch the

details of this plentiful life, the faith

to breathe life into it and give it lasting

form, we give thanks again and again.

 

AT G. 7.17.13

 

WITH LOVE, G.

NewThoughtNoteForTheDay - OURS FOR THE TAKING - Finding God On The Train - 7.16.2017

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Last week I began to discuss the book tilted   

POSITIVITY Ground Breaking Research Reveals

How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive

Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive, 

by Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., a leading theorist

and researcher in the field of Positive Psychology,

only recently founded in 1999. We briefly introduced

the ten forms of Positivity outlined in Fredrickson's

work - joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, 

amusement, inspiration, awe, and love.

 

Fredrickson states it clearly - "my point is that whether

you experience positivity or not depends on how you

think. Positive emotions - like all emotions - arise from

how you interpret events and ideas as they unfold.

We all have the power to turn positivity on or off for

ourselves."

 

As the note below expresses, today, this day, is truly

ours for the taking. We need to understand what

Fredrickson's extensive research has confirmed,

that "we have a surprising amount of control over

our emotions. This is especially true of positive

emotions."

 

Dive into the Positivity research and order or

download Fredrickson's book from iBooks

or Amazon today.

 

OURS FOR THE TAKING

 

This day is ours to fathom as we will,

to unravel for our own good or to master

for a greater good, to let live in calm

and peaceful splendor or to forge ahead

with passion and zeal, ours for the taking,

ours for the making.

 

This day is ours to enjoy as we will,

to laugh so hard our belly aches,

to sing and dance to its steady beat,

to curl up in like a comfortable blanket –

all senses at rest or on full alert awake

to its portable pleasure.

 

This day is ours to interpret, to etch

with fine strokes of our internal intensity,

to will into a memory so vast we might

never forget its hours, so let us be sure

to partake of this essential understanding,

knowing once again it is our turn at bat,

our moment to shine.

 

AT G. 7.16.2013

 

WITH LOVE, G.

NewThoughtNoteForTheDay - POSITIVE, EVEN WHEN - Finding God On The Train - 7.11.2013

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New Thought has been expounding on the virtues of

"positivity" for two hundred years, often considered

by some as promoting a "Pollyanna" focus on life,

referring to the overly optimistic leading character in

Eleanor H. Porter's best-selling children's book of the

same name, published in 1913 - followed by twelve 

equally positive sequels that came to be known as

Glad Books. And there have been two movies, with

Hayley Mills winning a special Oscar for her 

portrayal in the 1960 Disney film.

 

Turns out that New Thought and Pollyanna were

ahead of their time, now legitimized by the extensive

research of the Positive Psychology movement, 

cofounded in 1999 by Martin Seligman, Ph.D and

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyii, Ph.D. This movement

now offers a body of positive research substantial

enough to fill the recently published textbook of

Applied Positive Psychology. 

 

In Chapter Eight of Book One of Finding God

On The Train titled - More Heaven On Earth -

Finding Love and Happiness, I reviewed Seligman's

work on Learned Optimism, and his more recent

Theory of  Well-Being. The goal of his well-being 

work is to increase the amount of flourishing in our

own lives and on the planet. 

 

I have been following Csikszentmihalyi's work

and his theory of FLOW - The Psychology Of

Optimal Experience, since the publishing of his

book of the same name over twenty years ago.

I remember reviewing this book in the early 1990's

with my Men's group at my then local church

in Baltimore, because I was so impressed with

what the theory had to offer and its positive

focus. 

 

Up until the advent of the Positive Psychology

movement, I considered Flow to be the only

true theory of positive consciousness. Chapter

Nine - Mind Control - Control Of Consciousness, 

which is currently being revised, and will be

republished shortly on the blog,  features

Csikszentmihalyi's work on Flow and how it 

assists us with understanding, controlling, and 

marshaling our often renegade thoughts.  

 

All of this is an extended introduction to Barbara

Fredrickson, Ph.D, whose work is featured in her 

book titled, POSITIVITY - Groundbreaking Research 

Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength 

of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and

Thrive - which is going to be the focus of my

upcoming blog posts over the next week. 

 

Fredrickson is currently the Kenan Distinguished

Professor at the University of North Carolina

at Chapel Hill, and considered one of the leading

Positive Psychology theorists/researchers

with her Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive

Emotions that outlines ten forms of positivity;

joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride,

amusement, inspiration, awe, and love. 

 

Fredrickson starts with six facts about positivity

that I would like to kick off with:

1. Positivity feels good - offering the sparkle of

good feelings.

2. Positivity changes how our brain works -

widening our span of possibilities.

3. Positivity transforms our future - it brings

out the best in us.

4. Positivity puts the brakes on negativity -

positivity calms like a reset button lowering

our heartbeat and blood pressure.

5. Positivity obeys a tipping point - if it is

experienced often enough, a tipping point ratio

is met and we will live from a positive vantage

point.

6. We can increase our positivity - we have

more say then we think about how we feel.

 

The book clearly demonstrates that positivity

can make an enormous difference in our lives.

We will be reviewing each aspect of how Fredrickson

suggests this actually occurs, but to get us started

I offer the Affirmative Thought below stressing

the importance of striving to be positive, even

when things are not exactly going as desired in

our lives. 

 

POSITIVE, EVEN WHEN

 

Let us be positive today even when

we have every reason not to, even

when our tired minds reach for the

obvious negative – when the work

load appears dramatic and our

energy is at its lowest ebb.

 

Let us be positive today forcing

our focus beyond the most recent

yawn, the seemingly monotonous

tone of all who seek our service

or assistance, reaching deep within

to ignite a spark of passion that

waits our call to action.

 

Let us be positive today, refusing

to waste this opportunity, to forgo

an unexpected smile, a word of

welcomed encouragement, perhaps

even a loving embrace – realizing

we alone select the emotion of this

fleeting moment,  perhaps to capture

its waiting splendor.

 

AT G. 7.11.2013

 

WITH LOVE, G. 

 

BEYOND OUR LIMITS - AFFIRMATIVE THOUGHT - DAILY POST ON ENLIGHTENMENT

    

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Two phrases come to mind from my childhood

when thinking about imagining - one is, "use

your imagination," often as soon as I did the

other phrase, "be realistic," would follow.

Today's Affirmative Thought, offered below,

suggests we each use our imagination and

be as "unrealistic" as possible - to stretch our 

limits and overcome the "realistic" voice -

this leftover from our past that continues to

stifle us. 

 

Our ability to use imaginative thought is

at the true center of our creativity and

inspiration. Another childhood memory is

watching the science fiction TV series,

The Outer Limits. I think this note is

suggesting we explore our inner limits,

where anything is also possible.

   

BEYOND OUR LIMITS

 

Let us live today beyond the limits

of our expectations, reaching instead

for the limitless vistas offered by our

fertile imaginations, pushing us into

a truly creative world where our true

potential is viable and obtainable.

 

Let us live today vigorously in our

imaginative minds knowing this is

the center of all becoming, where

thoughts truly become form, take

life and flight, ready to transport

and transform our very being.

 

Let us live today where dreams are

tried-on and fantasies seem plausible –

where doubt or fear or second guessing

are not welcomed – where we can envision

the real power and purpose within us

by allowing each imagined spark to

catch fire and light our path forever.

 

AT 7.8.13

 

Thank you for reading.

With love, G.

George Bryant Cronk

NewThoughtNoteForTheDay - THE BEAT GROWN DISTANT - Finding God On The Train - 7.3.2013

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In both our spiritual, as well as our secular

pursuits, it is possible to hit a wall, finding

that the simple act of doing, once energizing

and stimulating is now so routine it has

become almost tedious, frustrating, or

commonplace.

 

At these times, we often survey the situation

and wonder what is happening, when the

beat that once resonated our souls has

become faint and hard to hear.

 

In the years writing this blog and the book, 

I have been no stranger to these moments,

at times fighting the impulse to quit and

move on.

 

As the note here conveys, simply setting

aside a period of rest and reflection,

turning inward, I am able to find the 

renewal that I was seeking, and able to 

continue on with even more enthusiasm.

Often, I discover a fresh approach, or

make a few modifications, that actually

adds something of value to the process.

 

THE BEAT GROWN DISTANT

 

Sometimes when life seems most confusing,

we must simply rest and take a break from

doing, to allow our energy, our enthusiasm

to regenerate, sparking a new and more

vigorous fire within.

Sometimes when we have tread the same

path fully worn, we must simply stop and

reassess what was once new, but is now

all too familiar, sit back and reflect awhile

on our journey, recapturing the purpose

perhaps, or by simply pausing notice a

new adventure waiting for our attention.

Sometimes by simply standing still and

listening to the voice within, we realize

the beat grown distant reminds us of

our original purpose, re-stirs our passion,

awakens our sleeping souls, sending us

on our way to a refreshed and bountiful

tomorrow.

 

AT G. 7.3.2013

 

WITH LOVE, G.