So much going on around us. It all feels so much bigger than our stuff. I feel myself wanting the best possible for everyone around me. Blessing myself, blessing them. Holding us all in the light and seeing, feeling a much brighter future.

I watched this dvd by Harry Palmer a few months ago. He is the creator of the Avatar materials and such a lovely, low-key, fun and brilliant spirit. All rolled into one! I jotted down a few things that resonated for me at this time in my life. If you feel inspired to view the dvd in its entirety, the link for it is at the end. For now, it is also on my profile page.  All of the quotes are from Harry...

"We need to brighten up the future a little."

"The world at its worst needs us at our best and we can do something about the future."

He talks about creating an improbably future - setting a goal, "getting out in front of the gathering storm."

"If the directions of world events frightens you, just stop for a minutes and decide, "Where would you rather go?"

"The next minute is the first minute of the rest of the future. Time is always pulling you forward, so it's either pulling you towards something you want, or towards something you don't want."

"We are downstream from the past, but we are upstream from the future."

"We can change the direction of the future."

He shares his perspective about world peace and creating an enlightened planetary civilization®. He talks about how to work backwards from the desired goal. For a goal of world peace, nations would have to renounce violence. For nations to renounce violence, minds would have to change.

"The future is not hopeless, it's just badly organised."

"The future is in our hands."

The dvd "It's Getting Better" was recorded live at the November 2007 International Avatar Course. It is about 30 minutes in length and well worth the watch, in my humble opinion. Harry Palmer talks about how our attitude toward the future creates our experience in the future. If we want life to improve, there's value in believing - it's getting better.

Enjoy a blessed week!

Love,

Nicola


*October 21st, 2008 - Addition to above post

The Future Isn't Hopeless; It Is Just Being Carelessly Conceived

Altamonte Springs, Florida, October 10, 2008--The world at its worst needs us at our best! That's the message of IT'S GETTING BETTER--a DVD of hope.

 To give this message the widest possible audience, Star's Edge International has released "It's Getting Better" with subtitles in 14 languages. Asian languages include Japanese, Korean and Chinese. European languages include Dutch, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and Hungarian. Nordic languages include Swedish and Icelandic. English and Hebrew complete the set.

 Harry Palmer, author of LIVING DELIBERATELY and the Avatar Course materials explains: "Our collective attitudes and beliefs shape the future as much as or more than events. "

 This is an idea that is experientially encountered on Palmer's Avatar Course, which promotes personal and social change through increased personal responsibility.

 "Ready or not," said Harry, "the future is pulling us forward. If we keep on going the way we are going, we'll keep on experiencing what we're experiencing. And, if we keep on going long enough, it is almost certain that someday we're going to arrive somewhere, but is it going to be anywhere that anyone wants to be?"

 Palmer, speaking before an international gathering of Avatar students, continued, "Consciousness is our tool, our gift. We've often used it in competitive, brutish ways, but we can also use it in wise and compassionate ways. We need to brighten the future up a little bit. If you want life to improve, there is some value in creating your expectations with the attitude: It's Getting Better."

 Palmer's low key, often humorous presentation is welcome advice to a world waking up to the idea that our expectations do not have to be based solely on the past, but can also be based on our deliberate choices.

 "It's Getting Better" with subtitles is available through the online bookstore at http://www.avatarepc.com/html/audio.html. It's also available for FREE preview online (in English only) at http://avatarepcmedia.com/itsgettingbetter.

 Developed in 1986, the Avatar Course is delivered in 20 languages and is taught by licensed Avatar Masters in 71 countries. Graduates report reduced stress, increases in personal happiness, and greater success in reaching their goals. Newsletter at http://www.theavatartimes.com/?af=732246

 ABOUT STAR'S EDGE INTERNATIONAL - Star's Edge International publishes books, videos, online materials, and a series of experiential courses that guide people into and through transformative experiences. The company was founded in 1986 and operates worldwide. Avatar® and Enlightened planetary civilization® are registered trademarks of Star’s Edge, Inc. All rights reserved.

This morning, I woke up early and my spirit felt so happy with a block of free time!  I love when I have that sense of open space before me.  Outside, the leaves are beautiful golds, greens and oranges with some deep, rich reds thrown in as vivid contrast.  I happily breathe in the colours of Autumn.  Leaves falling everywhere. I love the floating, fluttering movements of the leaves as they drop, spin and twirl.  Autumn dance!

This morning, I read Neale Donald Walsch’s words about choosing the higher good.

“...You always know what the higher good is. There is never any doubt about that in
your heart. So today, look at things through your heart, not through your mind (which always wants to protect you).”
 
What is the highest good right now for you and for me?  For me, it has something to do with not being complacent.  To keep my attention on how best to serve and then taking the necessary inspired steps to do it.  It would be so easy to just sit back and let life roll on by.   So easy to symbolically lay back, idling the time away.  There are things that are dear to my heart that relate to humanity and our planet.  It requires my sitting up and being attentive to what is calling me forward.

Awakening others to be Source.  Contributing to the creation of an enlightened planetary civilization®.  Operating in the world with kindness and with integrity.  Practising virtues as a way of being in the world.  Living responsibly. Inspiring others to be Avatars and to experience themselves as Creators of it all.  Inspiring others to live deliberately and to create consciously with wisdom, love and compassion.  Doing exactly what I have learned since I first did the Avatar® course six years ago.

I feel inspired this morning to share my success story with Avatar.

My getting back in touch with feelings was one of the first doors to open up for me on the nine day course.  All of the feelings that had been repressed, stuffed and held back began coming up to the surface to be healed.  Coming to the surface to be transformed. All of my feelings of anger, frustration, judgment, sadness, powerlessness, failure, being critical and separate.  Much, that for so long had kept me safely in my head and out of my heart.  The Avatar tools allowed me to experience my feelings fully with grace, compassion and without judgment. 

Always with my willingness, there is always forward movement.  Results that are noticeable and fast.  Movement that does not take months and years.  With willingness, things do get resolved.  Things that as a therapist, I used to see clients struggle with for months and years and often-times still not get to resolution.  As an Avatar Master, I see these changes occur in days, hours and sometimes minutes! 

I remember working with a student who came over from Jamaica to do the course.  He was working with me on deep-seated trauma and indoctrination that he had not been able to shake.  I remember at one point, he looked up at me with complete surprise, because the issue had simply disappeared off the radar!  He couldn’t even recollect what we had been working on!  The open space and freedom was huge for him.  So were the gains that he made in moving out of his head and dropping down into feel.

The tools have a wonderful way of surprising me.  Many times, I feel totally surprised when the amazing results come.  I didn’t see it coming!  I love that my sometimes intellectual and busy mind can’t outsmart or out-figure the tools!  They have a beautiful way of bypassing the tricky ego and delivering big time.  Hallelujah! 

I have learned to let go of my need to look outside for answers.  Such an indoctrinated way that I was brought up to look to others and outside sources for wisdom.  Avatar continually re-directs you back to yourself as the Creator of it all.  Reminds you over and over that you are a Source being and you get to decide. 

Avatar reminds me to not look behind me when I want to create.  Not to keep looking behind at past results and how things went before.  In the present time, I can choose a deliberate belief that I want to experience and keep my attention and energy leaning forward.  Over the years, it has become habit to put my attention on what I want, the solution.  Putting my attention on the solution and not on the problem, allows my preferred reality to take shape and grow.  The creation exercises on the course offer a powerful way to create the realities you prefer.  Much better than being at the effect of everything and anything that happens to be going on out there.  This has allowed me to experience life in a more stable and calm manner.  Events are whirling all around that are not of my choosing and I can still maintain a sense of peace and neutrality. 

Over the past six years since I did the course, I have learned how to manage my beliefs.  Harry Palmer, the author of the Avatar materials, says that “Beliefs are the colored lenses that filter out from all-that-is what we wish to experience.”  Why not choose for myself intentional beliefs that will bring a preferred reality?  I chose the primary, “I live in my heart with you,” and my whole world opened up right before my eyes.  Nothing separating me from experiencing the love and joy of pure connection.  On section two of the Avatar Course, I learned a way of being with creation with nothing in the way.  Can you imagine being with your loved ones without judgment, labels, or any negative stuff?  I remember the feeling that I had.  It was as if I was seeing my children for the first time!

Labels and judgments create barriers between people.  No chance to experience them purely and fully as they really are.  Instead, you experience the negative opinion that you have slapped on them.  What if you could live with others in this world without the barriers?  You can and you get to experience that for yourself on the course.
To experience reality purely and simply without distortion.

Nine days.  May seem like a long time, but in reality, it is nothing when you feel the value of giving yourself back to yourself.  The gift of you as Source that keeps expanding out in the world touching others’ lives.

From Harry Palmer, “As Avatars, we remember who we are and who we are not.  We remember we are not things.  We remember we are not any of the ideas of nationalism or race that humans fight over.  We are neither expressions nor identities.  We are the source of these things, and we can create better.”

The world needs us to operate as Source beings.  I started off by saying how I love the feeling of open space before me.  When you create from Source, there is nothing in the way.  Wide open space.  The secondaries, doubts, fears all get handled.  You create from a space of total certainty and conviction. 

Eric Butterworth says, that “Within me is the unborn possibility of limitless living, and mine is the privilege of giving birth to it.”

What is the highest good right now for you and for me?  For me, it is again to not be complacent.  To not accept the status quo as a given.  To give birth to and to know limitless living... freedom.

From the dvd, “Make The Best of What Happens Next,” Harry Palmer says that “our destinies are linked by very long chains.  We don’t have to work alone... After we do our job of awakening, there’ll be another able generation to complete the next stage of creating an enlightened planetary civilization.  Our task is to lay the foundation and get the show started... It takes a sangha to create an enlightened planetary civilization... The purpose of existence is not to spend our minutes resting.  The purpose is to evolve qualities that will advance the race spiritually.  Qualities like kindness, service to others, efforts that ease suffering, help, love, reassurance, instruction.”

The next International Avatar course begins in a few weeks and I invite you to join me and our Avatar sangha. It begins on November 1st and spans nine days of sheer magic.  Our upcoming elections in the US fall right in the middle.  Cast your vote early, so that you can still show up.   Are you ready to live in your heart?  Avatar is the best gift you could give to yourself, your loved ones and the planet.  If you can block out nine days from your life, I’ll see you there!

"The mission of Avatar in the world is to catalyze the integration of belief systems.  When we perceive that the only difference between us is our beliefs and that beliefs can be created or discreated with ease, the right and wrong game will wind down, a co-create game will unfold, and world peace will ensue."

Sweet love to you,

Nicola
               
"Make The Best of What Happens Next" was recorded live on October 19, 2006 at the Professional Course in Orlando, Florida. Harry Palmer shares some of his realizations at the 20th anniversary of the founding of The Avatar Course. His attitude is "Make the best of what happens next."

Avatar® and enlightened planetary civilization® are registered trademarks of Star’s Edge, Inc. All rights reserved.

My inspiration came yesterday in many packages.  E-mails from my Jamaican friends  bringing big smiles to my face and joy to my heart...

From the walls of New York subway stations...


this...


this...


and this...


Very cool!  Not only my Jamaican country man, but just enjoying the spirit of a being who looks like he knows how to enjoy life and, from all reports, does!  I love it!

Then, this came from one of my old school friends back home, Carla, who recently met him and in response to my query,

 "Yes, hes really is a nice guy! Lots fun and full of jokes, very humble too.  Glad I got the opportunity to meet him."...



Carla Swaby (my celebrity friend!):

"OK, I was WORKING (not a guest) at this grand galla dinner for the athlete's last Friday at Vale Royal. I helped the decorator who did the decor for the function and helped at the actual dinner with supervising the beverage. And I must say all the athletes were not snobbish and accomodated everyone who assked for autographs and photos. I also got autographs of Bolt, Powell, Fraser, Kerron Stewart and Melanie Walker!! Oh yeah my other thrill was Freddie Mcgregor..he also performed and the crowd was not big so I was right up front. Had a great time for someone who was working."

Okay, this next one was not really supposed to be part of the inspiration package.  I just happened to notice it on my facebook page as I was copying the other photo.  I love these guys and just had to put them in!  Now they are part of the inspiration package!  I love the feeling that these guys wanted their friend and fellow athelete, Asafa Powell, to experience the win and re-shuffled things around, so that he got to run last and cross the finish line first.  Big up Jamaica!



The inspiration continues.

After picking my kids up from their PE class in town, I went to vote.  They begged me to wait until after the class, so they could come along.  I clocked in as number 212 on one volunteer’s computer.  She said that the other volunteer had had about the same amount of people come through that morning.  Over 400 people voting by lunch town in a little town in the mountains of North Carolina!  Yeah!  I was beaming and totally overjoyed at the turn-out for day 1 of early voting.  The better it gets the better it gets!  Totally buying into that belief!

Came home for more sweetness...

This beautiful song I heard years ago when I was at a woman’s conference in North Carolina.  Brought tears to my eyes then as it did now.  My daughter kept looking at me, asking me why was I crying.  It had been an emotional journey all day reading about the Cherokees, the Trail of Tears during our school time.  We have been learning about Native American Indians for the past couple weeks.  This was simply a beautiful way to close our learning for the day. 

Amazing Grace (in cherokee)






I hope this all tranfers to some sweetness for your day.  May you all be happy and well and realise incredible Autumn blessings wherever you are!

Love from the Western North Carolina mountains,

Take it away Freddie McGregor and This Carry go bring come ( my dear )





Nicola

Yesterday was incredible with the sense of my soul feeling so satisfied!  I went to Asheville, North Carolina to hear Abraham speak for the first time and my expectations were exceeded right in the first hour!  Beautiful Autumn colour at the Biltmore Estate and up close with Abraham!  I was prepared to be delighted and I was incredibly so!  The day just kept getting better and better and better.  I had a perpetual smile in my heart and that smile turned to an ear to ear grin.  So, so, so cool!  That kind of orients you to how I was feeling.  I’ll see if I can do some justice to what I heard.  Know that my feelings and comments are thrown into the mix of it all and some things I do repeat.  More for my benefit I am sure.  So humour me!

But let’s get in the love mood with a little “One Love” from Bob Marley...

Abraham was on fire with love and every little cell in my body was happily vibrating in response like little internal cheerleaders!  Doesn’t that feel good to know that every second of every day, we have internal cheerleaders cheering us ever onwards towards love, well being, ease, contentment, satisfaction, gratitude and appreciation?  Always and only. 

The idea of Source amassing all that I desire in my vibrational reality and all that I have to do, is tend to my alignment, so that I become a vibrational match to what is already there in the lining up zone!  What is already there, so that I too can touch it, taste it, smell it and taste it.

I love the feeling of energy swirling in the vortex!  I love the word “vortex” that Abraham used.  The vortex is my vibrational reality - my vibrational escrow account. 

As I continue to ask for what I want, the Universe always delivers.  I just have to catch up to speed to see it.  The “me” that I am allowing myself to be in this moment needs to be vibrationally lining itself up with the other me...  who I really am.  This is alignment to Source.

Regarding the “realities” of the physical world...

Occasional awareness of “what is,” is important for me to begin to ask for what I want.
Chronic awareness and attention to “what is,” creates too much discord, tension and misalignment.  “What is” serves to point me in my desired direction.  Now I need to keep myself pointed in that direction vibrating “over there,” until I gradually begin to see it.

Seeing hatred creates a desire to be born in me.  A desire, an asking, my choosing love.  Beating the drum of hatred will keep me locked into that reality.  Focusing on love will gradually bring me to that shore.

Care about the gap between who you really are and who you are allowing yourself to be in this moment.  Allow a full integration.  Care about bringing them into alignment... the convergence of me and me.  I love that!  The convergence of me and me.  Where both realities collide.

Love the delicious moments along the way to wherever it is you are going.  Be who you really are and experience the joy in that.  Decide to look for beauty everywhere.  Use all of your senses to let it in.  Be the leading edge being that you are.  Woo hoo!
Focus on the beingness of living in those experiences (what you are wanting) rather than the having of those experiences.  Enjoy your now.  Don’t delay appreciating until you have the “thing” you want.  Stop and smell those sweet roses!  Give undivided attention to what you really want and appreciate, appreciate, appreciate!  No need to keep looking back to consult “reality.”  Look forward.  Enjoy yourself and appreciate as you keep moving forward.  Amen to that!

I love that Abraham talked about beliefs making it clear that you cannot manifest outside of your beliefs.   A belief is a thought that you keep thinking.  A positive belief is an active, chronic (you think it over and over) vibration about something wanted.  A negative belief, by contrast, is an active, chronic vibration about something not wanted.

Believe in what’s in your vibrational escrow, your vibrational reality, your vortex.  Focus on why you want it. 


Care about how you feel.  Be decisive about feeling good.  You should be enjoying life as it unfolds to you.  Be more present in your now.  Think of what you could do with the vibrational reality you imagine.  Stretch into the arena of what you want to manifest.  Believe in your vibrational reality - the over there - that which you cannot yet see.  It deserves your belief, your energy, your attention.

I am the creator of my reality.
I am going to choose the best feeling possible.

I believe I can feel better.
I believe I can direct my thoughts.
I believe I can change the momentum of my thoughts.
I believe I can find a thought that is a little closer to what I want.

I’ve decided that I’m a creator of my beliefs. 
I’m a creator of life.

Abraham’s ending message was that,

“You are a worthy eternal being in the process of being that.  Life is good and so are you. You’re eternal.  You’re supposed to have fun.”

Love.  Appreciation.  Always and only.

From Abraham's latest best seller, "Money, And The Law Of Attraction,"

"This alignment with your Broader Perspective will not only allow you faster achievement of the big things that you want in life - like wonderful relationships, satisfying careers, and the resources to do the things you really want to do - but this conscious alignment will enhance every moment of your day.  As you tune yourself to the perspective of your Inner Being, your days will be filled with wonderful moments of clarity, satisfaction, and love.  And that is truly the way you intended to live while here in this wonderful place, this wonderful time, and this wonderful body."

Let’s end with  "All You Need Is Love." It is a song written by John Lennon with contributions from Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon/McCartney. It was first performed by The Beatles on Our World, the first ever live global television link. Broadcast to 26 countries and watched by 350 million people, the programme was broadcast via satellite on June 25, 1967. The BBC had commissioned The Beatles to write a song for the UK's contribution and this was the result. It is among the most famous and significant songs performed by the group.  (From Wikipedia.org)

All You Need Is Love - The Beatles - thanks for watching!! (with dialogue about how it all came together)

All You Need Is Love (the song without the dialogue)

Sweet love from the mountains!

Nicola

"Oh my God!"  was my first response to this question!  Kind of gives you a clue what the brave soul is in for!

For this adventurous one, first off, you must know that the costume is not a requirement, but the playful nature to go out and have fun is essential. 

You must love chocolate.  You must hold the intention very strongly and very clearly that some giving child will offer you several pieces of good chocolate from their growing stash.  Not just any chocolate mind you!  Hold a clear, steady vision for kit kat, nestle crunch and m&m's.  All sizes and shapes.

At any moment, you must be willing to do something totally off the wall.  For instance, you have to be able to burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter for no apparent reason and be able to sustain this no matter what responses you get.  Stay true to yourself and absolutely do not cave in to anybody trying to make you get serious and behave.  Howl at the moon if you want to.  Laugh and be silly for no good reason.  Run screaming after you children and invite them to race with you hollering up the street in front of anybody and everybody.  Who cares!  It's your life after all.  Enjoy it baby to the fullest!  "Amen to that!"  I say.

In the next breath, you have to become serious and full of responsibility.  "You know, I don't really know if it is such a good idea to let them eat all of that.  Is that the proper thing to do?"  Then, you have to be able to flip easily into letting it be as it is.  Let them enjoy life.  So what!  Get over yourself and lighten the hell up!  "Come on Mummy, you can do it!" the little ones offer and you give in.

You have to feel deeply and go with your intuitive nature.  Go with whatever impulse you feel coming through from spirit.  No holding back.  No waiting.  No second-guessing.  No doubts.  Go with spirit always and let it guide you wherever it will.  You are here for the ride of your life, hair blowing back in the wind with your hands in the air.  Yeehah! 

Now if you absolutely had to have a costume, because you just wanted to follow the Halloween protocol, okay.  I just want to remind you, that everyday, you already do this to some extent.  It might be nice to take off that costume first, before you put on the Halloween one.  Follow?  Doesn't really matter, just do what the hell you want to do anyway!  Yes, you are right.  You do have to have a little bit of a spunky attitude!  Back to the costume....

Something exotic.  No cutsey for you.  Something wild and untamed.  No shy flower for you today.  Something distinct with colour and flavour.  No, I am not talking about food!  Something a little earthy and untamed.  Yeah!  Here are some images coming up.  Take notes! 

Yes, you have to be a little bossy too! 

Back to note taking.  This is important stuff.  Don't you want to create that stupid costume?  A little judgemental.  Sorry about calling your costume stupid.  Yes, you have to be willing to make amends fast whenever you realise that you have gone out of the circle.  Get your butt right back in by doing whatever it takes to make it right and be aligned to Source.

Notes please!

Something with leather, suede?  See what you can create that has a Native American feel to it.  I am in the mood for that.  How about sexy dark brown suede with fringes on the ends.  Add some elements of the wolf and a big cat.  You figure that out.  You get to be creative today.  Use your wonderful imagination that God gave you.  Shades of browns, greens and red in it somehow.  Whatever you do, you have to wear boots.

You have to love boots!  Shoes too, but right now, focus on boots.  Heels, no heels.  Rounded toes, pointy toes.  Ankle, knee length, thigh high.  Woo hoo!

Now I have the perfect video to end this dialogue!  You gotta love music (especially old songs) and dancing!  It's been fun to spontaneously go with this one!  Thanks for the ride!

Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made For Walking




Autumn blessings y'all!

Nicola