Reprogramming the mind.

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REPROGRAMMING THE MIND The Use of Thoughts & Words of Inspiration A Warrior's Prayer - A Love Affair with the World One of the essential steps of self-transformation is programming. Programming means programming our minds, and it consists of two parts: deprogramming the negative, destructive and unhealthy thoughts from our minds, and reprogramming it with positive, life-affirming and healthy ones. It is a tragic fact of life that we live in an insane culture, in which we are conditioned to see the world in a very

negative, destructive and unhealthy way. The prevailing philosophy of our culture is one that sees the world as a bad place, where bad things inevitably happen, and that sees us as helpless to do anything about it. This is a primary reason why the world is such a place of chaos, sickness and unhappiness. An essential source of our empowerment, and our capability to transform the world, is our understanding that this is not the way the world really is, and learning to see it differently. Once we learn to get the garbage out of our minds, like removing destructive weeds from our garden, then it is necessary to plant different thoughts and a different view of the world into this fertile ground. One of the most effective tools for doing this is to read inspiring literature on a daily basis. If you don't have any inspiring literature, then set out to discover it. It's out there, and there are few better uses of your time. One of my personal favorites is below. It consists of excerpts I have plucked from Tales of Power, by Carlos Castaneda, and entitled A Warrior's Prayer. Whenever life's challenges are the most intense, and I am perched for yet another leap into the unknown, I read these words. They always give me inspiration and strength to take the leap. For me, it beautifully encapsulates the true meaning of why we are here. For a complete discussion of the other steps of self-transformation, please go to my website at www.harmonymindbodyspirit.com, and read The 9-Steps of Self-Transformation. A WARRIOR’S PRAYER A Love Affair with the World Excerpted from Tales of Power By Carlos Castaneda From the final chapter: The Predilection of Two Warriors Pages 288-294 Pocket Books/Washington Square Press; 1974 We are all alone. That is our condition. We are alone, but to die alone is not to die in loneliness. A warrior acknowledges his pain, but he doesn’t indulge in it. Thus, the mood of a warrior, who enters into the unknown, is not one of sadness. On the contrary, he feels joyful because he feels humbled by his great fortune, confident that his spirit is impeccable, and above all, fully aware of his efficiency. A warrior’s joyfulness comes from having accepted his fate, and from having truthfully assessed what lies ahead of him. The life of a warrior cannot possibly be cold and lonely and without feelings because it is based on his affection, his devotion, his dedication to his beloved. A warrior’s love is the world. The earth knows that a warrior loves it, and it bestows upon him its care. That’s why a warrior’s life is filled to the brim, and his state, wherever he’ll be, will be plentiful. A warrior roams on the paths of his love, and, wherever he is, he is complete. This earth, this world, for a warrior, there can be no greater love. Only if one love’s this earth with unbending passion can one release one’s sadness. A warrior is always joyful because his love is unalterable, and his beloved, the earth, embraces him, and bestows upon him inconceivable gifts. The sadness belongs only to those who hate the very thing that gives shelter to their beings. This lovely being, which is alive to its last recesses, and understands every feeling, soothed me. It cured me of my pains, and finally, when I had fully understood my love for it, it taught me freedom. Without an unwavering love for the being that gives you shelter, aloneness is loneliness. Only the love for this splendorous being can give freedom to a warrior’s spirit. And freedom is joy, efficiency, and abandon in the face of any odds. That is the last lesson.

It is always left for the last moment, for the moment of ultimate solitude, when a man faces his death and his aloneness. Only then does it make

sense. These excerpts are from the concluding pages, which are a beautiful summary of one aspect of the teachings of don Juan Matus, a sorcerer in the tradition of the sorcerers of ancient Mexico. JACK ALLIS Personal Growth & Awareness Teacher & Author THE HARMONY OF THE MIND, BODY & SPIRIT www.harmonymindbodyspirit.com PO Box 132, Okauchee, Wisconsin 53069-0132 (262) 569-9873, 1 (800) 995-0796, Ext 9486 (Message Center) jackallis "Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." - Aurobindo.

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