DEEPAK CHOPRA MD ~ DAVID SIMON MD: Life is a story we weave together from the thoughts, feelings, and emotions we experience each moment. Yet we live the majority of our life in the memories of our past and the expectations of the future.

Rarely do we live in the purity of the present. These past memories and future expectations that we embrace throughout the course of our lives are what breed the stress we feel each day. In fact, the average person is a bundle of conditioned reflexes and nerves, constantly triggered by situations and circumstances. Often the circumstances are simply the ups and downs of living each day. But there are times in our lives when the stresses, pressures, disappointments, and anxieties can become overwhelming.

As we weave through life, some people find themselves in relationships that have become toxic or end unexpectedly; in other instances, life-long careers stop being nurturing or stop all together; and there are even times in our lives when imbalances in our health and well-being can suddenly start to manifest themselves as states of dis-ease. So often we have defined ourselves as the roles we play in particular relationships or jobs. For example, "I am a mother," "I am a wife," I am a manager," "I am a vice president." When, for whatever reason, these roles and aspects of our lives - which we have used for so long to identify ourselves and bring us self-esteem - stop satisfying our needs, we can feel a sense of loss, emptiness or confusion.

No matter how lost we have become in the stories our ego-mind is telling us, there is always a way back to our true Self. In truth, we can never actually lose our connection to our Self because our essential nature is pure consciousness. The real Self exists outside the boundaries of time and space, has no beginning or ending and is therefore immortal.

Each of us exists as a ripple in the conscious intelligence field that gives rise to everything in the universe - our bodies, the stars, the galaxies, and all else. Since we are an inseparable part of this underlying field of intelligence, we are also the source of all reality. In every moment, we are co-creating our world with God, the universe, or spirit.

Both the ancient wisdom traditions and modern science tell us that our bodies, our minds, and the physical world are projections of our consciousness. Only consciousness is real; everything else is its projection. The ancient Vedic scriptures say, "You are not in the world; the world is in you." It is only the veil of illusion - known as maya in the ancient yogic tradition - that keeps us from seeing that everything is pure consciousness. When we pierce the veil, we discover the spirit in everything and have access to unlimited creative potential.

Practices for Awakening
Intuition, attention, imagination, intention, inspiration, creativity - these are the raw materials of consciousness. With them we can mould our personal reality, and shape our collective reality as well. The following universal principles will help you become aware of how you create your reality, and will empower you to transform or let go of whatever is no longer serving you. Choose one principle to focus on each day and commit to applying it in your life:

My true self is pure, unbounded consciousness.
I will remember that thoughts come and go, but the core of consciousness is forever. Today I will experience myself beyond limitations. I will set aside time to be present with myself in silence. I will experience myself as love, as a light that flows from my heart and spreads out into the universe as far as my awareness can reach.

The events in my life reflect who I am.
I will choose one thing that happens today and see how it mirrors my self. If I feel angry at someone, I will consider if what I dislike about that person actually exists in me. If an overheard conversation grabs my attention, I will take those worlds as a personal message. I will look at the world inside me.

The people in my life reflect aspects of myself.
Today I will look at my friends, family, and everyone I meet as a group picture of me. Each person stands for a quality I want to see in myself or want to reject. I learn the most from those I intensely love or intensely dislike.

Whatever I pay attention to will grow.
I will take an inventory of how I'm using my attention. I will keep a log of my activities to find out how much time I spend on television, the Internet, hobbies, gossip, work I love, work I dread, activities that fulfill me, or escapist fantasies. I will ask myself, "What do I want to grow in my life?" The answer will tell me how my attention needs to shift.

Nothing is random - my life is full of signs and symbols.
I will look for patterns in my life. They could be anywhere - in what others say to me, the way I react to situations, how I am treated. I will open my awareness to hidden beliefs that shape my reality. Do I meet opportunities for success or failure? These are signs of whether or not I believe I have personal power. I will look for signs about my belief in whether I deserve love - or not.

The universe always gives me the best possible results.
Today I will focus on the gifts in my life. I will show gratitude for what it working rather than dwelling on what is not. I will notice how my own level of awareness shapes my perception of the world I am co-creating.

My inner awareness is always evolving.
Today I will ask myself how far I've come on my chosen path. Where do I stand right now? Where am I going? Even if I don't see immediate external results, do I feel that I am growing inside? I will set my intention on moving from constriction to expansion.

May 13, 2012 - 9:35 PM

Jean-Francois! -

Truth! Connect to yourself , so whe can connect with each other! Namaste