The Power Of The Circle

There are many reasons for why a gathering of people in a circle is powerful. A circle is a shape that is found repeatedly throughout the natural world, and it is a symbol of perfection. We recreate this perfect shape when we join others to form a circle. Being in a circle allows us experience each other as equals. Each person is the same distance apart from the next participant, and no one is seated higher than or stands apart from others in a circle. From tribal circles to the mythical round table of King Arthur, the circle has been the shape adopted by gatherings throughout history.

The circle is acknowledged as an archetype of wholeness and integration, with the center of a circle universally understood to symbolize Spirit - the Source. When a group of people come together in a circle, they are united. This unity becomes even more powerful when each person reaches out to touch a neighbor and clasps hands. This physical connection unites thought and action, mind and body, and spirit and form in a circle. Because a circle has no beginning and no end, the agreement to connect in a circle allows energy to circulate from one person to the next, rather than being dissipated into the environment.

Like a candle used to light another candle, the connection with spirit that results when one person joins hands with another is greater than if each person were to stand alone. People who take part in a circle find that their power increases exponentially while with the group. Like a drop of water rippling on the surface of a pond, the waves of energy produced in a circle radiate outward in circular motion. While one person may act like a single beacon that emanates light, a circle of people is like a satellite dish that sends out energy. There is power in numbers, and when the commitment is made by many to face one another, clasp hands, and focus on one intention, their circle emanates ripples of energy that can change the world.

Thanks Dirk

I like what you say. It is important to remember never to allow oneself to be misled, as you say, by promises that could lure into a form of dependency.

I think foremost is creating a stable foundation, on which our creativity can be built. Often I used  think that it is not possible that I could be creating that which I was experiencing, but I have come to realise that it is me and truelly, changing my attitude has brought about greater and more joyful experiences.
Often the roots (of the experience) are so subtle and even simple - it is I think about finding out who we are deep inside.

blessings Ingrid

... but I think there's a part missing at the end...

Since quite a time I'm conscious creating my own reality. The Law of Attraction is always at work. And indeed, it's no fantasy, new age stuff etc. Just try it consciously, what you think about and how you feel is mirrored in your reality. This reality however is only the reflection of Your Reality within. Time to wake up, people, it's like the movie The Matrix. I recommend to read The Secret as a good starter for this topic... And afterwards you can find great free e-books on the net. Don't pay for anything, really, beware of many self declared gurus on the net who try to sell you their (fake) stuff!!!!

It's time for the "mainstream" to WAKE UP. The alarm clock is ringing, they keep hitting snooze, and in the meantime, the life they could be living is passing them by.

Day after day, millions of people go through their lives wishing and hoping and dreaming that things could be better, with absolutely no knowledge that it is they themselves that perpetuate their own dissatisfaction.

It is not the "gifted few" who create their realities.  It is all of us. Every single one. However, there are a few who have awakened to this knowledge, and make creating their reality a daily event...manifesting whatever it is they want in their life with seemingly no effort!

To be honest, the whole thing generates some anger in me. The problem is that we are "dumbed down" by society throughout our whole lives under the pretense that we are actually being intellectualized. The "scholarly" tell us that metaphysical topics like reality creation are pure fantasy. Science insists on measurable evidence of everything before it will acknowledge such claims as fact.

However, it's really not that difficult to comprehend. Even the most skeptical people should be able to grasp a few simple concepts like:

- Everything in the Universe is composed of Energy, including you and me. Even our thoughts are Energy.

- Through Energy, everything in the Universe is connected.

- The Universe creates without effort, and in abundance. Just look around you. Trees, rocks, air, planets, etc. all were created without stress, effort, or over-analyzation. The Force you choose to believe initiated the creative process doesn't matter. They are all there and were created effortlessly.

- You are a part of the Universe and through the power of thought, have the same creative power that manifests everything you see. The only thing that limits your potential is your own belief system!

Everything that occurs in your life is interpreted BY YOU. You add the meaning, you add the emotional response, you add EVERYTHING. It is your thoughts that literally take the energy "data" and transpose it into your reality. What you consider "real" is nothing more than an agreement that you've made with yourself (and no doubt many others in some cases).

This is how our reality has been shaped. This is how we have learned what is possible, and what is impossible. We learned it from OTHER PEOPLE. The problem is, these other people (family and friends perhaps?) have their OWN limiting belief systems which they ALSO consider "real".

As discouraging as this is, many of us ARE waking up. I personally feel it my sacred duty to shake people out of this "intellectual trance" that limits them and show them what is truly possible.

So what IS the difference between those who cruise through life in a seemingly perpetual state of bliss, with everything they want coming to them with no effort, and the rest of the population working at jobs they hate for the sake of doing the "responsible" thing, hoping that SOME DAY they can live the lives they hope for?

The difference is that these people know their purpose, know WHY they absolutely HAVE to fulfill that purpose, and commit themselves to never stopping until they realize their dream. They may or may not have thrown the accepted definition of "responsibility" out the window. The only thing that matters ultimately is that they now live lives they love, following their passions.

You see it is our PASSIONS in life that tell us precisely what we are to do. When we follow our passions, our life lights up. We give off incredibly powerful energy which attracts our desires to us. That means people, money, objects, careers...whatever we want that is in line with our purpose. The Universe WANTS to provide those things we want most. It is only our own limiting belief systems that stop fulfillm

By Marci Shimoff

What would it take to make you happy? A fulfilling career, a big bank account or the perfect mate? What if it didn't take anything to make you happy? What if you could experience happiness from the inside out — no matter what’s going on in your life?

I can tell you that this is possible. Real happiness isn't based on what we have or achieve in life — it's a physiological state of lasting inner peace and well being that isn't dependent of any conditions in our day-to-day lives.

Here are a few tips from my newly published book, Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happier from the Inside Out that will get you started:

#1 People who are Happy for No Reason incline their minds toward joy. You have 60,000 thoughts each day; 95 percent of them are the same thoughts you had yesterday and the day before, and for the average person, 80% are negative. The reason for this is a primitive survival mechanism that scientists call our "negativity bias" - we pay more attention to the negative than the positive. To reverse the negativity bias, get into the daily habit of consciously registering the positive around you. Once you notice something positive, take a moment to savor it. Take the good experience in deeply and feel it; make it more than just a mental observation. Spend 30 seconds soaking up the happiness you feel.

#2 People who are Happy for No Reason let love lead in their life. They recognize that their heart is key to their happiness. The Institute of Heartmath found that the heart has an electromagnetic field around it that is 5,000 times more powerful than the mind's. You can power up your heart's flow by sending lovingkindness to anyone and everyone you see. Next time you're stuck in a line at the store, caught up in traffic or simply walking down the street, look around and send a silent wish to the people you see for their happiness, well-being and health. It doesn't have to be dramatic; merely wishing others well switches on the "pump" that generates love in the heart and creates a strong current of happiness.

#3 People who are Happy for No Reason make the cells in their body happy - they create the physiology of happiness. One important way of doing this is through proper deep breathing. Stop and notice how you're breathing right now. If you're like most people, you breathe shallowly from your chest cavity alone and not deeply from your belly. Shallow breathing merely keeps you alive, while deep belly breathing cleanses your cellular pathways and opens the way for happiness-enhancing chemicals to flow. To help train your body to breathe deeply, place your hand on your belly and as you inhale through your nose, make sure your hand moves out on your inhale and back in on your exhale. Take 10 deep breathes this way at least three times a day.

#4 People who are Happy for No Reason feel plugged into Spirit. By Spirit I mean universal source, unified field, God — whatever you choose to call it. One way to feel plugged in is to listen the voice of your higher wisdom. The next time you have a question or perplexing situation, write your question or situation on the top of a piece of paper. Then sit quietly, open yourself to listen to your inner voice. Then write whatever comes to you without censoring, not reading what you have written as you go. Let the deepest part of your being flow through you. Now read over what you've written—you may be quite surprised at what wisdom has come out.

#5 People who are Happy for No Reason surround themselves with support. Spending time with those you love — family, friends, or pets — can help reset the balance of your biology towards happiness, so it's important to make wise choices about the company you keep. Create appropriate boundaries with emotional bullies and "happiness vampires" who suck the life out of you. Develop your happiness "dream team" — a mastermind group or support group you meet with regularly to keep you steady on the path of raising your happiness set point.

As a leader, do you honor and appreciate the power of WE? Do you stop to thank and recognize the members of your team? Do you consistently show an attitude of gratitude?

I recently read a great story about Captain Charles Plumb, a graduate from the Naval Academy, whose plane, after 74 successful combat missions over North Vietnam, was shot down. He parachuted to safety, but was captured, tortured and spent 2,103 days in a small box-like cell.

After surviving the ordeal, Captain Plumb received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit and two Purple Hearts, and returned to America and spoke to many groups about his experience and how it compared to the challenges of every day life.

Shortly after coming home, Charlie and his wife were sitting in a restaurant. A man rose from a nearby table, walked over and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"

Surprised that he was recognized, Charlie responded, "How in the world did you know that?" The man replied, "I packed your parachute." Charlie looked up with surprise. The man pumped his hand, gave a thumbs-up, and said, "I guess it worked!"

Charlie stood to shake the man's hand, and assured him, "It most certainly did work. If it had not worked, I would not be here today."

Charlie could not sleep that night, thinking about the man. He wondered if he might have seen him and not even said, "Good morning, how are you?" He thought of the many hours the sailor had spent bending over a long wooden table in the bottom of the ship, carefully folding the silks and weaving the shrouds of each chute, each time holding in his hands the fate of someone he didn't know.

Plumb then began to realize that along with the physical parachute, he needed mental, emotional and spiritual parachutes. He had called on all these supports during his long and painful ordeal.

As a leader, how many times a day, a week, a month, do we pass up the opportunity to thank those people in our organization who are "packing our parachutes?"

One hears thunder unexpectedly! First comes fear, then a sharpened, clearer vision. Recall a close brush with danger - a falling branch, an automobile accident barely avoided, an escape from a potentially violent confrontation. Such incidents first arouse every nerve fiber in your body in a brief wave of terror, but soon, once the danger has passed, give way to a heightened awareness of the world. The same process also occurs with other types of shock - the loss of a job, the death of a loved one, business failure and so on.

The lasting impact of a major shock can either be stimulating or debilitating, depending upon one's inner strength of character. The critical factor is the ability to become immune to fear, thereby transforming anxiety into a laser-sharp perception of the world around you.

When overtaken by crisis, the wise search their hearts for inner strengths, in order to face the world with courage. Courage often means daring to take the unexpected path - to bounce back quickly and self-confidently after failure, to have faith in the eternal when confronted with death.

We tend to think of shock only in the context of unpleasant events. We can also be jarred, however, by the sudden release of tension which comes with unexpected success. To keep your bearings in the aftershock of either trauma or victory, it is essential that your inner compass be aligned with "true north", that magnetic force which guides you toward fulfillment of both your deepest desire, and your highest destiny.