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Saturday, 13 March 2010

The Law of Attraction in my Own Life

I have certainly experienced the law of attraction in my own life: ever since I have known I have struggled with depression and anxiety and everything else that goes with it, such as lethargy and apathy. I can certainly vouch for the fact that negative thought patterns attract negative experiences. It seemed that one disappointment would occur after the other; this caused my anxiety levels to be high all the time as I struggled to come to terms with things in my mind and to try to figure out what was going on.

Attracting Opinionated People

I went through a period of several years when I seemed to attract highly opinionated people; these people were highly motivated in their jobs and would always be giving me advice that seemed to centre on working hard and achieving goals. But I noticed that these people were often proud, opinionated and argumentative – they would often complain, gossip, snigger and gloat. I would go along with all of this because I just assumed it was the way that life was meant to be; I assumed that life was competitive and that other people were to blame when I didn’t get the results and rewards I was looking for.

I came to see that there was something very wrong with this concept of effort-and-reward that I was so steeped in. But I would say that the prosperity and success teaching, much of it Christian, that I was obsessed with at the time, caused me to think and behave in this manner. Christian teaching on the subject of love showed me that there was something not quite right about my competitive attitude.

What alerted me to my wrong thinking the most was the way that it made me feel. I felt as if I was always anxious and grasping, never satisfied and feeling let down by others. I felt as if my efforts were never good enough and that there was always someone better than myself.

Escaping Self-Justification

When I tried to do a U-turn from my proud, competitive mindset – I found that some people turned on me and began to criticize me. It was at that moment that I realised how horrible this way of thinking truly is.

When I think about it now – I attracted those proud, competitive people into my life. Those people felt that they could express that attitude with me because I was likeminded at the time. If I did not have that attitude, I would have not attracted those people, but if I still attracted those people, there would have been little or no accord with them with regards to that proud and competitive mentality. As they say, “It takes two to tango.” I felt as if my own opinions and beliefs, even if I attempted to keep them suppressed, had an effect on other people. I believe that you can literally bring out the best or the worst in others, according to your own thinking.

I think one of the worst things you can do when avoiding conflict with others or negative thinking, is to resist it. When you try to argue with someone or you otherwise attempt to control them – it can cause inertia as two forces push against each other, keeping the tension in place. I am not advocating a weak and placid attitude – I am saying that it is often our beliefs and attitudes, and our desire to be right, that causes tension in relationships. There are times when it is simply best to just not argue with someone or to just walk away. I have tried to force my Christian beliefs on other people, whether they are believers or not, and it just turns into a predictable clash of egos with the same, typical responses from either side.

When I began to use inquiry, The Work, I was able to reflect on just how angry, bitter, opinionated and competitive I had been; how it made me think, feel and behave. I believe that inquiry can establish a profound turning point in someone’s life, as they come to terms with the way in which their thinking makes them feel and behave.

When a person’s sense of purpose and identity is reduced to performance and achievement – life becomes very stifling and limited. When I was with proud and competitive people, I would literally feel sick to my stomach: it just felt unpleasant and repulsive. I considered to myself if this was the way that I was causing other people to feel about me.

Thoughts Either Attract or Repel

Now, when I think back in my life, I can see why there were times when I would attract or repel other people. Our thoughts can either attract people or repulse them. If you want an idea of how your thoughts make other people feel, check on the inside to see how they make you feel; then, just take time to notice the way that certain people behave around you, how they welcome you, whether they warm to you or not.

I have a little theory, that everything we say and do is accepted by those we come into contact with according to how much love they have in their heart to accept it. Some people hate the idea that God “micro manages” every little thing we do. But I believe that God is big enough, omniscient and omnipresent enough, to be able to measure-out the love that we are afforded within every interaction that we have with other people.

Imagine loving the average person down the street as much as you do your best friend or spouse – it would not work. Relationships are controlled by love and love, I believe, is controlled by God. Love determines the degree to which we accept a person. We interfere with love when we hold onto our own beliefs and opinions about something or someone – when we get angry, criticize or hold onto a grudge. Our thoughts greatly influence the degree to which we accept others and life circumstances; whilst our thoughts also determine the way in which other people accept us.

You cannot make someone love you by simply changing your thought patterns. But I do believe strongly that the best thing we can do in order to experience love, as it is meant to be experienced for us, and to enjoy relationships to the full – is to release our hold on emotions and wants as they arise and to inquire into stressful thoughts, as they arise or as soon as possible after they do.

We might be tempted to think that judging others makes us feel justified or better than others, but it actually makes us feel angry and frustrated – inquiry allows us to tune into these reactions – not so we can make ourselves feel bad and feel guilty – but so that the awareness can allow the mind to let go of those thoughts by itself.

The Law of Attraction - Overview and History

I was recently pondering how much I believe in the Law of Attraction. I am sure that most people in the self-help and New Age communities have heard of The Law of Attraction. This phenomenon has been made popular in recent years by Esther and Jerry Hicks who claim to have received revelation from a discarnate entity named Abraham. I used to believe in discarnate entitles such as guides, but now as a Christian I tend to believe in angels and evil spirits instead.

I believe the Wikipedia definition of The Law of Attraction provides a basic overview of what it is and provides a brief history of it. There is quite a lot on the internet about this subject: if you Google the term “law of attraction” it will return a lot of links. I found this link near the top of the list of results returned, which I feel gives a rather good overview of the process. I think the official website for the Law of Attraction is found here.

It might surprise some people to learn that The Law of Attraction is not something that is entirely new: the concept of like-attracts-like and that the thoughts we think continually are what determine our life experiences – has been around for some time now. I was first switched-on to this concept back in 1993 or 1994 when I read the book The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Dr Joseph Murphy (1898-1981). You can read a brief description of the life and works of Dr. Murphy here. Apparently, Murphy wrote his first book, The Miracles of Your Mind, in 1953; he wrote his third book, the classic The Power of Your Subconscious Mind in 1962; so you can see that this concept of law of attraction is not entirely new.

The Wikipedia definition of law of attraction makes mention of author Napoleon Hill who in 1937 published his classic book Think and Grow Rich. This book emphasises the concept that our thoughts attract other thoughts of a like kind and that success and prosperity in life is to be found in controlling our thoughts. Some people believe that the underlying message in this book points us towards the law of attraction.

Monday, 8 March 2010

Frustration, Bitterness and Religious Abuse

Ever since just before the start of this year, I have been listening intently to the Free Believers Network into the Wild podcasts. After years of frustration in the Christian church, these podcasts came as a welcome relief from all the hype and the false promises. I truly felt in my heart that I needed to listen to every single one of these podcasts; otherwise, I would go crazy!

It seems that for some people there is something that draws you towards the church and you get a revelation that God really does exist and that He sent Jesus to earth to save your soul. But rather than being drawn into a deeper revelation of Christ and His love for you – what seems to happen is that you get whisked away in a whirlwind of religious tradition and legalism which is made palatable by the use of incredible, one-off testimonies and extravagant promises which seem to make the miraculous seem as if outlandish and lavish blessings ought to be everyday occurrences.

It seems incredible to me now how Christians can become swept away in an unreal existence that really does not work – all in the hope that they will become the next Billy Graham or Katherine Khulman.

I really love listening to the Free Believers: Into the Wild podcasts because the hosts are totally down-to-earth, realistic and honest. It seems that in the church people are trained to act is if they are someone they are not and give the impression that they are blissfully happy and they never get angry. The hosts of this podcast down go all-out to bash the church, as such. No, these hosts truly have a genuine love for God and for people; it is not about slandering and criticizing the church – it is about discussing what they have experienced personally in an open and honest way and what really works.

In one of the latest episodes of this podcast, “Depression Uncaged” 3rd March 2010”, the hosts discuss that subject that is so dear to my heart. When I heard this podcast, as well as some past episodes, I was struck by the way that the hosts of the podcast seem to have had a similar spiritual journey as me. Furthermore, these people had suffered, and continued to struggle with, depression and anxiety. This made me consider the way in which institutional Christianity really does screw around with your mind.

One of the hosts, Aimee Dassele, spoke about the way in which guilt is often a factor when it comes to depression in the life of a Christian. This guilt applies pain on top of the pain that already exists. It seems that the depression is often compounded by a sense of guilt because of the depression. The church seems to convey the impression that every believer should be blissfully happy all the time and that if they are not, then it is their own fault because they didn’t pray enough, they lack faith or their in sin in their life and so on. Such convictions can cause a Christian to engage in all sorts of practices, fads, formulas and principles.

In this podcast message, the hosts were saying that you should embrace your highs and lows, which you should learn to live with depression, not trying to resist it or change it and certainly not being ashamed of it. I like this line of thinking because it is gravitating towards the concept of acceptance as practiced by those in the releasing and inquiry communities.

The main host of this podcast, Darin Hufford, said that he did not want the typical, patronising (but otherwise well-intended) replies, such as, “Just give it to Jesus.” I know, I’ve heard these kinds of statements a thousand times and it really does frustrate a person. It seems that the church has an answer for everything: if you are sick, you are to pray a certain way and “stand” on certain scriptures. If you are struggling financially, it is because you need to do this or that. But when it comes to depression and anxiety – I don’t think the church really has any answers. It is little wonder that many depressed people in the church are referred to secular counsellors and Psychologists.

I believe that releasing and inquiry can provide the framework and the tools for facilitating recovery for those who are struggling with depression and anxiety – regardless of their spiritual or religious convictions. Releasing and inquiry can provide a way of help for those who are recovering from religious abuse.

Something that Darin and Aimee raised in this podcast episode was the way in which depression and anxiety often go hand-in-hand – I can definitely, personally vouch for that! It does make me wonder what comes first: the depression or the anxiety. I find that when I felt gut-wrenchingly empty on the inside – I get anxious; when I get anxious – I feel unhappy – there is a definite connection.

Releasing provides the tools to accept the emotions and thoughts you feel in the present moment – knowing that this acceptance is the best way to let it go so that it evaporates. Releasing is so deceptively simple, and yet, so effective. If you have not yet experienced releasing – I would encourage you to purchase the basic releasing course, in book or CD form, via the Sedona Method or Release Technique (they are both very similar).

Inquiry is a wonderful way to tune-in to the thoughts and emotions that are part of you, so that you can become consciously aware of yourself. This is not to be confused with guilt, shame and morbid introspection: this is a means of questioning your most frightening thoughts and discovering for yourself that they are not true. Inquiry allows you to experience life with the thought, and than, life without the thought. Before naturally and peacefully reaching the “turnaround”. So, if you think to yourself, “I should read my Bible more.” The turnaround would be, “I should not read my Bible more.”

The hosts of the Into the Wild podcast express the notion that you should feel bitter and angry if you have experienced religious abuse. I agree with this, however, it does bring me back to the connection between anxiety and depression: these hosts are still experiencing depression and anxiety, by their own admission. So, why are these hosts still experiencing depression and anxiety?

I believe that the Byron Katie perspective of contraction around a thought comes to the fore here: religious abuse will most certainly result in contraction around a thought, “I should not have paid tithes to that church” or, “My pastor should not have lied to me”, or “I should not have been so gullible”, and so on and so forth. Whatever anxious thoughts arise, down stuff them down and repress them, but release them (using Sedona Method or Release Technique) and/or question them using The Work (also known as Inquiry). When you question a stressful thought and come to know it is not true – its grip on you loosens and you experience a sense of relief from that thought. Holding onto a bitter grudge often seems compelling, as if justice would not be done otherwise, but it ends-up hurting us much more than the other person – so is it really worth it?

Ultimately, Byron Katie’s notion on arguing with reality must be taken into consideration: if you argue with reality you will lose – but only one hundred percent of the time. You might have experienced abuse in the past, religious abuse or otherwise, but holding onto it, feeling guilty, angry and ashamed – won’t help you one bit. Use releasing and inquiry to find peace and freedom – regardless of what did or did not happen in your life.

If you are recovering from Christian, religious abuse – I would recommend that you listen to the Free Believers Network: Into the Wild podcasts – they are not a teaching, as such, but a discussion. I believe that this discussion will bring you a tremendous amount of freedom. I believe that victims of religious abuse can end-up “throwing the baby out with the bath water”: just because you feel hurt and deceived by the church – it does not mean that God does not love you and that Christ is not real to you today.

Sunday, 7 March 2010

Asking for Wisdom and the Need for Right Motives

This blog entry continues from the previous entry: How the Mind Works in Relation to Fear and Lust.

James 1:5 says that a Christian can ask God for wisdom.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

James 1:5 nkjv

I have personally wasted a lot of time and effort asking God for wisdom without any positive results. I believe that the reason for this lack of success with this kind of prayer is linked with James 4:3.

1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?

2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.

3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

James 4:1-3 nkjv

Wrong motive is the reason why asking God for wisdom, as recommended in James 1:5, does not work for us.

As I discussed in my previous blog entry, Christians become convinced that they need all sorts of things.  They then proceed at once to ask God for the wisdom of how they can attain the success and prosperity that they believe they need. But they get no response from God because these things are sought after with wrong motives. This leads to Christians feeling powerless and rejected by God. God cannot be controlled with formulas, fads and gimmicks. Non-Christians use positive thinking and affirmations to attract what they want from the Universe – but it only leads to frustration.

Even wisdom itself can become a goal that people earnestly seek after. I learned years ago that wisdom and favour are the keys to achievement in life – this is something that is taught in the charismatic church as well. The Christian Word of Faith movement asserted that Christians can have any promise that they find in the Bible. Kenneth E. Hagin wrote in some of his books about the way that he prayed according to Daniel 1:17-20 that he could have wisdom and favour. Hagin reported that he became the brightest student in his class (he prayed this when he was at school) and developed a photographic memory. I felt that I could do with some of that, so I tried to pray the same way – it didn’t work! My efforts came to nought because I was seeking wisdom so that I could gain power, possessions, and a sense of security, significance, self-worth and the approval of others. If I had used inquiry – I would have come to know that I did not need this type of wisdom. This does not mean that we cannot or should not have wisdom – just that we ought to question our motives to seeking it – especially when such desires cause us stress.

Whether you are Christian or not, even if you don’t believe in God, you can ask basic questions to your subconscious mind and receive an answer. Some aspects of releasing operate on this basic principle. For instance, when releasing a want you can ask whether it comes from a want for approval, control or security. Inquiry relies entirely on this concept of allowing the heart to respond to simple questions posed by the conscious mind. Many people are either unaware of this concept or they just simply misuse it by asking irrelevant questions. This is the type of wisdom that we should seek and we would find it available to us if we seek it.  For this reason, I wholeheartedly endorse releasing and inquiry because these methods provide a framework that enable a person to seek wisdom with the right motive of finding peace in the moment.

Yes, I do believe that God loves us all and wants to bless us – but our motive for seeking wisdom must be so that we can become self-realised and find genuine and lasting peace. It is only from a place of peace and a sense of security, that a person can truly know what is right for them, what they really need and how they can attain those things. Byron Katie says that we cannot help but become prosperous when we are mentally clear, because a clear mind can make the right decisions. What I find is that when I see a fantasy for what it really is – the desire for it just falls away. Not every desire is a fantasy, of course, but only grace, releasing and inquiry can reveal the truth to us.

How the Mind Works in Relation to Fear and Lust

What often happens is that a vague want for approval, control or security arises from the subconscious mind. This is accompanied by the corresponding emotions. The mind anxiously searches for a solution to the problem – it has to because it is experiencing pain and feels that the solution can only be found through thinking about it.

In the case of a want for approval, the mind may come to the conclusion that you need more friends or for someone you know to respect you more or you need to have a romantic relationship. If you are a Christian you might hold onto the belief that you need to get more involved in church activities or even that you need to get into full-time ministry. If it is a want for security, you might believe that you need a bigger house or that you need to have more money.

Sometimes anxious thoughts arise when triggered by a particular event. For instance, the news comes on the T.V. and tells you about how bad the financial markets are performing – so your response is, “I should never have bought those stocks.” Perhaps you’re waiting for a train to arrive at the station and it does not turn-up – your response could be, “My train should not be delayed.”

A lot of the time, anxious thoughts just arise when we least expect it and for no apparent reason. When anxious thoughts do arise – we can meet them with inquiry. An anxious thought is the result of contraction around a belief or idea. We do not ask for these beliefs neither do we make conscious efforts to establish them. In his classic book, The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, Dr. Joseph Murphy, likens the subconscious mind to an old, light-sensitive, photographic plate: it gains impressions through the lens, likened to the five senses.

We often do not know what beliefs have been established in the subconscious mind – until we feel the pain of contraction around a thought and we become consciously aware of a certain thought which causes us stress. Oftentimes, these impressions that we gain via the senses lead to some ridiculous and inhibiting beliefs being established. It is the role of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy to determine the source of these beliefs and to dispel them.

One of the most famous Psychologists, of course, is Sigmund Freud. One of Freud’s most famous cases is the Story of Anna O. Anna O. was the pseudonym of a patient of Josef Breuer- her real name was Bertha Pappenheim. This woman developed various disorders, many of which were cleared-up when she recalled seeing a woman drink from a glass that a dog had just drunk from. This even had led to a sense of disgust that triggered other disorders. Inquiry, I believe, can facilitate this process of dispelling long-held beliefs that limit our lives – much in the way that Psychology does. Inquiry can either be facilitated with, unsurprisingly, a facilitator; or, inquiry can be performed by oneself, because the answers can only be found in the individual.

Fear says “I can’t” or “I’ll never.” These beliefs basically limit a person’s life experiences; it is like shutting down areas of a person’s life. Strict adherence to religious teaching can cause this kind of fear. The mind often seeks to counteract the limitation caused by fear by trying to instil false hope through fantasies. If a door in front of you is closed, so to speak, the mind will try to open a door that is to the side of you – even if that door is closed and has no relevance in your life. Perhaps you are meant to go thorough the door in front of you, but fear prevents you from doing so.

The mind works through association: if you see someone who is happy and well-liked, you might assume that the reason is because of his material possessions, his pretty wife or his ability and achievements. When the mind establishes such beliefs, it may then be driven to pursue those things in the belief that they will meet your needs and make you happy.

When a person adopts a self-help or spiritual method that promises the attainment of what you want – these fantasies become your goal. Unfortunately, self-help teaching and Christian faith and prosperity teaching has taught us that the pursuit of these things is good, right, possible and even Biblical. I believe that it is good for people to prosper, but the Bible says that we should not actively pursue wealth. Why? Because straightaway it causes stress and all sorts of unpleasant things to happen. This is something that is also recognised in releasing and inquiry which argue that we should seek peace and freedom above the attainment of success and material gain.

Byron Katie says that if we want to suffer on purpose – get a plan. Eckhart Tolle wrote a bestselling book, The Power of Now, to deal exclusively with the necessity of keeping our minds on this present moment in time. As soon as our minds gravitate towards the past or the future unnecessarily – we suffer. Gerald Jampolsky also asserts the same notion in his classic book, Love is Letting Go of Fear.  By the way, I found a website with some great quotes by Gerald Jampolsky here. I feel that these quotes express the heart of this wonderful man.

The Intimidating Person Clean-Up Process

You can use the following list of releasing questions whenever you feel stressful about an intimidating person:

  • Could I let go of holding onto, and agreeing with, _________’s judgements?
  • Could I let go of resisting _________’s judgements?
  • Could I let go of wanting to disapprove of _________?
  • Could I let go of wanting _________’s approval?
  • Could I let go of wanting _________ to be different?
  • Could I let go of dreading _________?
  • Could I let go of wanting to figure out what to say to _________?
  • Could I let go of wanting to be separate from _________?
  • Could I let go of wanting oneness with _________?

I find this works wonders for me when I think about, or have been in contact with, someone who is annoying and controlling. You could call these questions an alternative to the clean-up process in the Sedona Method and Release Technique.

Tuesday, 2 March 2010

Dealing with Loneliness

4070521476_17db7a3ffb I went to my church on Sunday, Hillsong London. Pastor Tim “Segs” Segedin, preached on the subject of loneliness *

This is a subject which is relevant to me because I have struggled with loneliness for quite some time now.

Pastor Tim gave a convincing presentation on loneliness, providing striking statistics, particularly in relation to London. London, it seems, is particularly akin to this modern day malady: simply going by the amount of single occupant dwellings is compelling evidence in itself that London can be a very lonely place to live. Apparently, researchers have found that about twenty five percent of people in London experience loneliness to a degree that significantly affects their life.

This church’s solution to this dilemma is to simply make an effort to get more involved in the life of the church. I have attended about five different churches during my 15 years or so as a Christian. But no church I have ever been to has ever compared to Hillsong London in terms of its slick, professional image and the servanthood of the people who make a lot of effort to make the church what it is. Most of all, the people who go to this church are not the typical geeks you would expect. No, the people who go to this church are just normal people who are cool to hang out with. The sheer size of the church and its popular location, make it a place where you can meet a lot of like-minded people and get involved in a myriad of different activities. This is why the vision of this church to become a thriving community of people who interact with one another in a meaningful way, seems to be such a tangible goal. During the service, a young guy stepped up onto the stage and gave his testimony of how he became involved with the church and has developed some really great friendships by meeting in home groups. I have to say that I was very impressed with it all.

But what I struggle with, and have always struggled with when it comes to church, is the way that a sermon is presented in such a way as to put the onus on the hearer to do something. The church has always attempted to make spirituality, a relationship with God and a successful life into a series of steps, formulas and principles that a person can follow. But I have found that this tendency with religion and self-help is a rather misleading path: principles can become a subtle manifestation of the Old Testament law of following rules and regulations.

The New Testament is a completely different system of simply resting in Christ’s finished work. It is tempting to try to take control over your life by making a list of actions that you can take in order to make your life right. When it comes to living the Christian life – it is all about knowing that you are loved by God and living your life from that love. Anything else is self-effort and is a deception. Despite this, it is difficult to say that this pastor’s message on loneliness is untrue or that it is irreverent. This message does challenge a person to come out of their comfort zone – but it also puts pressure on them to do something. But I don’t think it is a matter of being encourage to “do something” that is the issue here. I have tried to do something about my loneliness several times, but it has simply led to me trying to socialise with people when my heart was not really in it – which is very frustrating.

From around the start of this year I have been listening to The Free Believers Network podcast Into the Wild. The main host of this podcast is a man by the name of Darin Hufford who used to be a pastor of a big mega-church in Los Angeles called The Dream Center. This podcast is radical and seeks to challenge the way in which we approach church and Christianity. Darin Hufford asserts that everything to do with the institutional church, including the relationships, is a false environment and does not work.

I’m inclined go along with what Darin is saying, according to my own experience. But I have to say that when I look around me at Hillsong London, I see some people enjoying some really great friendships. But what the church tries to do is to create a one-size-fits-all solution that everyone can apply to their life – but I don’t think it works like that. What we Christians often seem to neglect is the need to interact with people in our day-to-day life, outside of church, the majority of whom are not Christians! This is a topic which Into the Wild often brings up.

Just like any other important need in a person’s life, I strongly believe that the contrast between having great relationships and struggling with loneliness – all boils down to how secure a person is on the inside. It is all about the nature, the heart of a person – this is what affects every area of a person’s life. The more secure a person is, the less they focus on themselves and the more they focus on others, and vice-versa. But I don’t think we can simply make this into a principle by simply telling people that they ought to focus their attention less on themselves and more on others.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.” The New Living Translation says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.” Galatians 5:14 says, “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Christians believe that there are all sorts of rules that you must keep. But there is only one – that we love others as we love ourselves. But what often makes it difficult to love others is that we do not love ourselves.

Loneliness is the by-product of selfishness. Unfortunately, selfishness is often used as an accusation which is levelled at someone who struggles with relationships. But in actual fact, selfishness is simply an obsession with self: it is focusing anxiously on ones own life with a means of controlling what a person does and how they feel. Selfishness ultimately comes from the heart of a person who is insecure – no matter how strong and independent their character might appear to the outside world. I believe that the subject of loneliness, or any other human dysfunction for that matter, could be better dealt with by keeping this focus in mind – rather than trying to whittle it down to a series of steps or a set of principles and formulas – no matter how reasonable or “doable” they might seem.

From a releasing perspective, as always, relationship struggles, including loneliness issues can all be summed-up as arsing out of the four wants: approval, control, security, separation and oneness. From an inquiry perspective – loneliness is caused by contraction around a thought. In reality, such social disorders are often the result of contraction around a whole series of thoughts and concepts. It is this contraction around beliefs that makes a person insecure. As we progress with releasing and/or inquiry – we begin to let go of those thoughts that keep us bound.

* Hillsong London, Tim Segedin, Sunday 28th February 2010 - 3.30pm - Relationships are vital

Photo One Man in Trafalgar Square by Ferminius