Author: Susan Hanshaw

Science Shows the Amazing Benefits of Meditation

/ Susan Hanshaw / 6 Comments

http://innerarchitect.com

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been deep in study of the scientific evidence that has come to light that supports many of the spiritual principles that have resonated with me without any hard proof. It has been fascinating and exciting to learn about all the correlations! In particular, I’d like to recommend Lynne McTaggart’s book, The Intention Experiment to anyone interested in learning about this new frontier where science and spirituality come together.

In her book, Lynne McTaggart has taught me much that I didn’t know about meditation. I have viewed meditation as a method for tuning in to my inner wisdom and to connect with divine energy, yet there are so many practical benefits that I am guessing many of us are unaware of. If we were, we might all be clamoring to make it a vital practice in our lives. Here’s what I’ve learned:

Experienced meditators can be more effective in their ability to use their thoughts to effectively influence desired outcomes. Generally speaking, there are two different forms of meditation. Each may produce different brain waves, and consequently offer different benefits:

Concentrative meditation holds attention on the breath, an image, or a sound to still the mind and allow a greater awareness and clarity to emerge. With practice, it appears to enlarge the mechanism by which we receive information and clarify the reception.

By concentrating on focused thoughts, the portion of the brain that handles attention is exercised. This exercise enables its cortical thickness to grow larger. Ordinarily cortical thickness deteriorates with age, yet regular meditation appears to reduce or reverse this process.

Mindfulness meditation involves sitting quietly and being a witness to whatever goes through your mind, not becoming involved or reacting to thoughts, worries, or images. This helps to condition a more calm, clear, and non-reactive state of mind to whatever is happening around and within you.

Studies have shown some other general benefits of meditation to include:

  • Higher levels of gamma waves, which often are associated with feelings of joy
  • A predominance of alpha rhythms, which is the optimal state for the manifestation of your thoughts
  • More coherent brain waves
  • A positive affect on the brain’s reasoning and analytical ability
  • An increase in ability to receive intuitive information, as well as the conscious awareness of it.

Guidance on how to practice either of these types of meditations is enough for two new articles, so I won’t go any further right here. I’m happy to answer any questions you might have in the meantime.

 

Are We Paying Enough Attention to Our Own Evolution?

/ Susan Hanshaw / 2 Comments

http://innerarchitect.com

In the summer of 2001, I lost my little best buddy, Mindy, to feline lymphoma. Mindy had been by my side when my husband left me for another woman, and was my travel companion while we boarded the airplane that would relocate us from New Hampshire back to my native San Francisco. I was extremely sad when I lost my furry friend of twelve years. Her death inspired within me a curiosity about what happens to souls who make their transition to the other side. Somehow I hoped to understand more about where she was so that I could feel a stronger sense of connection to her. So I began to read a bit about near death experiences.

I don’t profess to be an expert by any means through the dabbling I’ve done on the subject of near death experiences (NDE’s), yet my personal belief is that there is so much more value in what is reported back than we give weight to. As I have come to be a more serious student in learning the truth about the energy behind life and the life creation process, it blows me away how much the various branches of study seem to intersect at the core. Quantum physics aligns with the theories of metaphysics, and metaphysics principles offer a low level version of the manifestation process that has been described by those who have visited the other side. They seem to be reporting the same vital points—that we are all connected by the energy that is the source of life and that we are each encouraged to participate in the co-creation of life through our thoughts.

The more incidences I discover of how the various branches of study confirm one another’s findings, the more significant I perceive this data. We’re at a point in history where science and spirituality are coming together and the majority of us are not even paying attention. We are learning that through our minds we are powerful beyond belief, but somehow the mainstream has yet to accept these ideas as legitimate. So many of us just let our power, and the freedom that comes with it to create the lives we desire, fall to the wayside. How unfortunate. I am, however, convinced that something will happen to enable this to change. After all, this is the evolution of our world that we are experiencing. These understandings have risen to the surface not to be ignored, but to be utilized in some way.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this.

Finding Purpose in Feeling Lost

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This weekend I completed a project that had been a priority for almost two months. I should have been utterly delighted because in its completion I was sending it to someone who had expressed an excited interest in possibly helping me to take it to the next level. Yet yesterday, upon my return from getting it out into the overnight mail stream, I recognized that having it finally off my plate had left me feeling a bit lost. When I climbed into bed last night, my boyfriend, Dean, helped me to get in touch with what was going on. I had temporarily lost my sense of purpose. I had mistaken this project, which I see as a means of expressing my purpose, as the purpose itself.

What came to me this morning is that purpose is just as much about the little things as it is the big projects. While I knew this intellectually, sometimes I have to experience a lesson that reminds me to feel it in my heart. And this morning I was led to that perfect experience when I received two emails from people asking for my input about issues that affected their happiness. I felt a true sense of purpose in these one-on-one exchanges.

In her work, Sacred Contracts, Caroline Myss talks about the challenges we have in seeing our purpose unfolding because we’re so focused on the past and the future that we can’t clearly see what’s happening in the moment. It’s when we look at everything that comes across our path as contributing to our purpose, that we can begin to see where we are in the journey. Everything has a purpose. Even feeling lost has a purpose. It forces you to take a look at where you are.

How Strong is Your Belief in Your Inner Power?

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The idea that divine energy is everywhere is a concept that many of us might easily subscribe to intellectually, yet find more challenging to actively embrace from the heart. In our conditioning to view the world as physical form, it is easy to totally ignore the presence of spiritual energy, and consequently, the vital role it can play in your life. Becoming more aware of the divine energy that is present everywhere is something that you can learn to do. Let’s take a look at how you can open your mind to make this shift.Here are some questions to ask yourself to understand where you really stand:

  • Does the concept of building an active partnership with divine energy seem pie-in-the-sky, or an opportunity that you’re now feeling more ready to accept?
  • Do you believe that you are capable of interacting personally with divine energy, or do you perceive it as an ability that has skipped over you?
  • Are you ready to accept the idea that divine energy is behind everything, or do you still hold on to the belief that some things happen by chance?

Think of your answers like scores that range from one to ten. It’s not difficult to explore for yourself how and where you fall short of full alignment with the presence of divine energy. Chances are your scores fall somewhere in the middle of one to ten. All you need to take yourself to a higher vibrational level is an extra burst or two of faith.

What might you do to surrender to a deeper faith? First of all, you can look back on your life and identify times when you went through a period of change, worried perhaps about how you would land, and everything turned out okay. Maybe you initiated the change, or maybe it was forced upon you. Can you see times where you came out on the other side for the better? You can look at these experiences as fuel for your faith.

You can also strengthen your faith by experimenting with taking risks in areas where you feel divinely pulled. These can be tiny steps or huge strides. Try moving forward in the direction you feel pulled, and then look for signs of encouragement from the divine. These signs will show up as unexpected opportunities or gifts of various kinds. Be on the lookout for them, and when you recognize them, allow yourself to believe that they truly are signs from the divine.

What Do You Expect from Yourself?

/ Susan Hanshaw / 2 Comments

I may have mentioned here that I am working on a second book about spiritual vibration. I was writing today about love being an attribute of divine energy, and examples of some ways in which you can align with this attribute by being loving. This served as a reminder to me that being loving is a choice. As I reflected on my own behavior sometimes, and that which I sometimes encounter with others, it strikes me as odd at how frequently love is not the first choice.

I look at myself and wonder what motivates me to sometimes choose bitchiness over love when I know better. I caught myself in this very act just this morning when my boyfriend, Dean, who has recently become my business partner, was giving me his opinion about how I need to do a better job with something. Instead of taking it as constructive input, I allowed myself to get offended and acted on the desire to strike back. It was not pretty. I knew that I was behaving badly and I didn’t feel good about it. But it was like I had surrendered to the flow of the negative energy and couldn’t find the strength to stop it midstream. Luckily Dean did not blow his top, and I allowed myself to see the sanity in his response. I even allowed myself to see that he was right. How big of me.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this exchange all day, and the choices I always have in how I respond. I’ve been reminded that it truly is my desire to vibrate at a high frequency of love all the time. So I wonder if I can try to hold myself to a higher standard by telling myself that bad behavior is just not acceptable. After all, I have other things in my life that I consider taboo because they support how I want to be. So what’s the difference here? It’s just my perception that I shouldn’t expect myself to be loving all the time. I’ve changed many expectations of myself over the years, so I’m going to give this one a shot, too. I’ll let you know how it goes.

What expectations do you have that need updating?

My 30-Year High School Reunion: A Party for My Soul

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I went to my 30-year high school reunion on Saturday night. Actually, I did much more than just go to the reunion. I was a part of the four-person committee that made it happen. So I had the privilege of greeting every person as they walked through the door. That in itself was an amazing experience. It set the tone for what I took away from this monumental event.

During the evening I talked with a number of people who had been classmates since kindergarten. I spent some longer chunks of time with women I’d been close with during our junior and senior high years. I chatted with some classmates that I don’t recall ever talking with in my youth. There were a couple of people with whom I exchanged a warm hug and that was all. We had a DJ, dancing, and karaoke, and it was a lot of fun. But to me, it was very sweet.

You see, I feel like I picked up some precious pieces of my life that I had somehow dropped along the journey through my adult life. I feel like I have rekindled the spark that remembers where I came from. I don’t know why that means so much to me at this point in my life, but I guess it does. Somehow I now feel like I can move forward again with a new fervor. I don’t understand intellectually, but I’ve surrendered to an instinct that I’ve just taken care of a need of my soul’s. And now in a funny way, I feel more complete.

Your Divine Invite: Have You RSVP’d Yet?

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Several months back I shared here that I am on the planning committee for my 30-year high school reunion. The big event takes place tomorrow night and I am beginning to get very excited. Our class hasn’t united in twenty years, and we have quite a crowd coming. The party hasn’t even started yet, and already the fruits of our labor have been sweet. We’ve been hearing about emails flying around the country between classmates who are reconnecting after all these years. It feels good.

While driving to the venue site for our final meeting this morning, I popped in one of my CD’s from Caroline Myss‘ program, Sacred Contracts. As synchronicity would have it, her work was exactly what I needed to hear. It put everything I have invested in this reunion in a new perspective, a divine understanding of sorts. You see, I have spent a ton of hours on this reunion. I’m not complaining, but the reality is that the time was taken from other areas of my life—my business, my relationships, and my home. I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t share that there were many times where I second-guessed my decision to be a part of our four-person committee.

As I listened to Caroline Myss speak about the concept of sacred agreements, it occurred to me that what she was describing seemed to fit what I’ve been feeling about this reunion lately. I know of at least one person who has been helped by reconnecting with a number of people from our class. So I now see it as more than a monumental party. For at least this one person, it’s been the catalyst for healing, a sacred event.

I remember how and why I responded to the initial post for volunteers. I felt called to do it. And as I look at all my business projects that have gone neglected this week as I coordinated my share of the final program details, I see this work in a different light. It is no longer just this volunteer project I agreed to take on that is causing my business to suffer. I see it now as a divine assignment that I am wrapping up. Monday I’ll throw myself back into the book proposal that’s been in its final stages for weeks, as I close another chapter of my life.

I’ve been reminded that life is all about responding to divine callings. Sometimes, maybe even most times, they can intimidate the hell out of us because they dare us to step out of our routine or comfort zone. But isn’t that how we expand fuller into what we are here to do? So think about it. What little or big thing do you feel calling you? Don’t think of it as a risky pull from your security. It’s a whisper from the divine asking for your help. How can you turn away from that?

Divine Energy: Your Source of Unlimited Power

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This is the third in a series of articles I’ve created for those seeking to raise their spiritual vibration through an understanding of the attributes of divine energy. Why is this knowledge important? It is important because raising your vibration is all about aligning with divine energy. You can be much more effective in your efforts of aligning with the divine if you have a conscious understanding of the attributes you’re seeking to align with. Make sense?

(Click on the article name below to read previous articles in this series.)
Attributes of Divine Energy, Part 1
Attributes of Divine Energy, Part 2

Divine energy is a source of unlimited power. I can’t stress this concept of unlimited power enough. There is nothing that the divine can’t execute through its power. An important element to acknowledge here is that divine energy operates with purpose and will. Consider what this means personally to you. You are a powerful creative being whose purpose is to carry out the will of the divine. If your intentions align with the will of divine, your power to create is unlimited. If they don’t, your power can be limited. Yet there is reassurance to be found here. If you are not able to produce a certain result, it means that what you desire to create is not for your higher good. Work on embracing these thoughts as your immediate response to whatever unfolds:

  • If something doesn’t happen when or how you want it to, tell yourself that what is happening is coming from a source that is much wiser than you are and knows much better what is best for you and those around you.
  • Think of yourself as a vehicle for divine will. Eliminate the words “can’t” and “impossible” from your vocabulary as they pertain to the carrying out of this will, even if you can’t see how everything that needs to happen will come together.
  • Take note of surprises that come to you seemingly out of the blue. Acknowledge the role of divine energy in connecting you with it.

Attributes of Divine Energy – Part 2

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Do you want to learn more about how to align with divine energy? This is the second article in my series designed to increase your awareness of the attributes of divine energy to support your clarity on what you’re seeking to align with. (Click here to read the first article in this series.)

Divine energy is present everywhere. Its power can be found at every point in space and every moment in time. Its presence exists in the most beautiful displays of nature as well as the most violent neighborhoods of a ghetto.

How can you align with this attribute of omnipresence?

The strength of divine energy is always with you.You merely need to shift your attention to allow it into your consciousness.This means that you are never alone in your journey.You are never on your own as you pursue the fulfillment of your dreams.Think of divine energy as your constant partner in life. You can more closely align yourself with this partnership by:

  • Developing a meditation practice where you intentionally tune in to divine guidance.
  • Begin your day by asking (orally or mentally) divine energy to show you everything you need to know that day to live in alignment with its will for you.Your reaching out could be in the form of casual conversation or prayer, whatever feels most comfortable to you.
  • At any moment in which you find yourself struggling to any degree, stop and remember that you are not alone. Ask divine energy for comfort, guidance or signs to show you what you need to know to rise about the challenge.

Please stay tuned as I share more about the invitation to align with our divine power.

Attributes of Divine Energy – Part 1

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Many people come to my blog seeking information about how to raise their spiritual vibration. Learning how to raise your vibration requires that you recognize the attributes associated with it. Although no living human is fully equipped to describe divine energy, we can discern its key attributes as they have been passed down by Genesis throughout the ages. This is my first in a series of articles which describe the attributes of divine energy.

Divine energy is spirit. Divine energy is expressed without physical form. From our human perspective, this essence is invisible. You can’t see it with your eyes or touch it with your hands, yet it is still perpetually present.

How can you align with this attribute of spirit?

Recognize that the invisible nature of divine energy comes with the invitation to believe that divine energy is present even where there is no evidence of any physical form. You embrace this belief by looking for divine presence in the events that unfold in your life. By constantly focusing your attention on divine energy, you vibrate at the level aligned with it. Here are some examples of ways that you can approach your life to align with spirit:

  • Look at events that happen or people that arrive in your life as coming to you through divine energy.
  • Eliminate the idea that situations present themselves by happenstance.
  • Consider yourself on the receiving end of spirit and you put yourself in the open flow of spirit.
  • Remembering that divine energy works invisibly, let go of the need to see physical proof of something happening to believe that the energy is in motion.

Thank you for visiting. Please stay tuned as I introduce another attribute of divine energy in my next article.

In spirit,

Susan