One Picture May Be Worth a Thousand Words...But You'll Never See Them

If one thing is true about how we Americans get our news, it's that the news we see is generically pretty, even in war. How different it would be if Americans were allowed to be exposed to the real picture of war. Of course, these very real, horrible and disturbing pictures of the results of man's in humanity to men, women and children is not available to the average American, and certainly not at supper time. We like our wars, and those of our friends, clean and just something we can vaguely be aware of but not really have to face since we have to go the mall before they close.

Government certainly doesn't want to be showing pictures of screaming parents holding pieces of their former children or family members. Who wants to see the charred bodies of truck drivers caught in a bomb run or grandpa buried with only his hands sticking out of the rubble? Not Americans and the government would just as soon have you believe that somehow those people are used to being shot at, bombed, blown up and dying badly. Since we aren't used to this, we best not show it to ourselves.
I think the government also learned one lesson from Vietnam. Of course it was not the one we would have wished, but one thing is sure. ..Never, Never show the American people what invasions, war, bombs, fire, rocket attacks and mortars can do to humans. Never show them what it does to children. And never let on you might have weapons that would make your blood boil..literally, if so chosen. Once Americans began to see their tax dollars at play in war, they wanted no more war. So that is one lesson learned from Vietnam. The other lessons were long ago forgotten.

It is interesting to me how that men who never have been to war, flap their mouths the most about why war needs to be inflicted upon this or that imagined enemy. Those that have been to war usually get marginalized when those who either never had to go, skipped it or were given safe places to wait them out start a war. We may have a "war President," but we don't have one that has ever seen a war. Causing them, encouraging them, provoking them, threatening them, is NOT the same as SEEING them. I can't put my finger on it, but there is a sense to me that some in high places get some kind of enjoyment in holding the power of life and death over helpless souls. Maybe it's just me, but it seems so. Mocking those that one has turned down for execution seems to lend itself to that feeling.

The talking heads of radio that have never been to war and wouldn't obey an order given them if their life depended on it because no one tells their ego what to do, harp on needing to kick ass pretty often these days. Not a few tell us that they are mouthpieces of even more powerful people who wish events to go and public loyalties to spin their way. I would encourage them to sign up or at least send a few relatives to war to give them some kind of credibility when they harangue us for not thinking that blowing humans out of the way is the way to get ones way.

I have a feeling that being lied to has been raised to an art form these days. Maybe they think they are telling the truth, but when they are told they are not, they don't stop "propelling the propaganda," as the President probably accidently said recently. Someone had told him that's how to get a point across and he forgot to leave that out of the public explanation. Freudian stuff!

So, if you want to stop a war, just show a war. Punch in a few key words or find the sites on the net that are willing to show you just "what God hath wrought." You won't like it. You'll swear you can't look at "stuff like that." Some of you just might stare and wonder how it was in the final seconds of that persons life. Some of you will think about your own children and what if that happened to you. Most of you will simply say "oh my God." But you won't see it on the news or in the news in America. Too messy. Too honest. Too not helpful to whatever cause is being pushed at the moment and unhelpful in pushing the present truth.

If your biggest trial of the day is getting to the mall or getting the yard mowed, I'm glad for ya. If what to wear tonight or where to go is the biggest thing on your mind, then good for you. If the sermon you hear tomorrow or next week or next month is about love, compassion, getting along and full of warm fuzzies, well great. If you go to a church where the Pastor rants and raves about how Jesus is coming soon and the King of the North will swoop down and be pressed by the king of the South, and then Iraq will be this and Iran will be that with Jerusalem being surrounded by armies and Angels swooping in to deliver them all and make YOU a saint, you're not in a church, you're in a holy war recruiting station. If he is going to do493 that, at least ask that he show the congregation the pictures of the current invasion of Lebanon and stuff that really goes on when humans do the Lord's dirty work for him. If you nod your head in pleasant approval of such things and think that the Jesus of the Sermon on the Mount is also the Jesus of Revelation, better try again and see if you can't back into a group that at least believes the Kingdom of God is made up of whole children and not just pieces.

War of the Worlds: Signs of the End of the Age

Jesus said there'd be days like this.

The disciples came to Jesus asking: "What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" (Matt 24:3)

Jesus answered: "...many will come in My Name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places ... because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved..." (Matt 24).

Things are going to get worse here on the 3rd rock from the sun before they ever get better. Count on it. That's why it is the acme of foolishness to spend all our resources trying to get comfortable down here. We don't belong here, folks! We're citizens of Heaven, as Christians, just passing through. We are "seated in heavenly places.." (Eph 1:3). We're are good as there as followers of Christ. That's either true for right now, or it's a lie. But we've been given a job description to make as many disciples for Christ as we can while we inhabit these earth suits. How's that going, by the way?

Count the cost before you dare to become a radical disciple of Christ because, as things worsen, the persecution of Christians will increase. Are you SURE you want to make yourself conspicuous? If we're fortunate enough that we're not living among those who are suffering the worst of the anti-Christian persecution, you'd better believe we're going to be held accountable for all that we could have done/should be doing with the many resources the Western Church has at its disposal. We can, and MUST, support the work of the Kingdom, with prayer, time, talent and finances. NOTE:the purchase of new playground equipment, repaving a parking lot, or buying a new gargoyle for the cathedral is probably NOT what the Kingdom requires from us at this time. Finances may be the most difficult to part with because our hearts are so tied to our purse strings. Think about that next time you make an impulse purchase or stick your head into that basement, attic, closet, or garage full of important stuff God has "blessed" you with. How much we trust God is evidenced by how much we trust him with our money. Fact is, we have nothing God hasn't given us, not as some sort of reward, but as a steward.

DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH?

Why is it that so many Christians seem more ready to support military action against the Islamic world than we seem willing to adhere to the commission of Christ, all the while playing the "tolerance card" with our Muslim neighbors in the states, attempting to maintain status quo? It's BECAUSE of our tendency toward self-preservation as well as our greater faith in the government than we have in our God. Doesn't our support of violence against anyone in retaliation for their violence toward us make us their lowlife equals? My Mom taught me that as a boy. Is this the way of the Lord Jesus? He said "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," (Matt 5:44).

Surely we don't believe that the duty of the Western Church is to protect the Gospel through force! God no more needs our military might to protect and promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ than He needed Peter to slice the ear off of poor Malchus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Repeat! God no more needs our military might to protect and promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ than He needed Peter to slice the ear off of poor Malchus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Folks, any religion or philosophy that intends to advance by way of military might is no better than Islam. Such a gospel would be, in fact, a religion of lies straight from the pit of Hell. Might does NOT make right! In fact,it's in great part because our faith WAS once promoted by the tip of the sword that there remains such resistance to it today. That plus the fact that we aren't making anyone jealous for what we've supposedly found through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

The world is rarely impressed with us

In a nutshell, there will not be ... can NOT be ... peace without Christ. Violence will get worse, and the disciples of Christ will suffer increased global persecution.

People of Planet Ea111Crth, I have two words for you: Jesus Christ. Hope is in Him alone, and in submitting to the Father in accordance with His Word. Though Christians may not be kept from the effects of war, for it rains upon the just and the unjust, we must come to the point where we openly, in front of God and everybody, abide in the Peace of Christ. THAT they WILL notice!

God is more concerned with the character of His kids than He is in our carnal comfort. Despite all the "stuff" that's happening and is GOING to happen on planet Earth, we are an army and must not lose the focus of our objective. Soldiers of the Cross, there's a Kingdom to advance in the Name of the King we love.

A CALL TO ARMS!

We see and hear so much about Christian political activism. Prayer in school, gay rights, women's right, abortion, gun laws...what does all this have to do with the Great Commission of Matthew 28 to 'go and make disciples'? Where is the saint who travails in prayer for souls? Even Muslim souls? And Chinese souls (6 of 11 Christian converts are Asian or East Indian)? Where are the people of God who will cry out to Heaven for the revival that will have a greater impact than a thousand years of political and social activism?

Jesus never taught that His followers should attempt to change the social or political order of things. We are not another special interest group. Not another subculture. If anything, we're a COUNTER culture - IN the world, not OF the world.

The word for the Church right now is "Repent!" In this instance, repentance begins when we turn from the solutions offered by this world, and put our trust in God. Some men trust in chariots, some in horses ... will WE trust in the Name of our God? (Ps 20:17)

There is a war of the worlds going on. It's not physical. Despite its appearances, it's not REALLY Islam vs. the West at all. It's SPIRITUAL, for our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the hordes of hell... a demonic force that, for the moment, seems to be making dramatic progress (Eph 6).

POST-CHRISTIAN CHRISTIANITY

Some are saying that we are currently living in a Post-Chrsitian age; that the Church as the world has known it, is a relic of the past. The present religious situation in Europe and North America is often described as becoming secular, where many people no longer believe, and therefore are defined as post-Christians. Post-Christianity is an expression to describe a 'secular' status in which Christianity is losing its central role in shaping the lives of the people. More and more, trends seem to be pointig toward a time when only the minority of those calling themselves 'Chrsitian' retain meaningful ties with traditional Churches. It's already here. Most people - Christians included - are living their lives independently of the Christian faith and the teachings of the Churches they (used to) belong to. Church-life has become extraneous to them.

The days are getting darker. What if there IS coming an end to Christianity? If that were the case, that certainly does NOT mean there has come an end to Christ, nor to His remnant of True believers.

I contend that it's "CHURCH-ianity" that is lying sick upon its deathbed, gasping for air, and NOT the glorious Bride of Christ, at all.

The Lord is with us, saints of God! Let us seek first God's Kingdom and His righteousness. Now, let's lock 'n load! The war is with Hell ... on OUR turf and by OUR GOD's rules! Drop to your knees in fervent prayer, reconcile people to the God of the Bible, wield your checkbook, get your passport up to date so you can mobilize if called to overseas duty as a missionary. Quit waffling about, wondering when God will put you into the game. You're already IN the game. It's time to get your uniform dirty. The call to serve is REALLY a call to PREPARE! Get prepared.

Look around ... each of us is surrounded by resources that could be used to advance the cause of Christ! I know elderly people, children and cripples that are giving the devil a black eye on a daily basis by doing all they can. There are others, for example, who forward these weekly messages from t.e.a.m. ministries to hundreds of others within their scope of influence. My goodness, if we would ALL do at least THAT!

Fear not, Army of the Lord! The gates of Hell shall not prevail aga570inst us! Let's make it really hard to go to Hell from your sector of influence. Give till it helps! Don't worry, you cannot outgive God.

Remember this: all it takes for evil to continue to prosper is for good Christians to do nothing. It's a statistical fact that a soldier in battle will miss 100% of the shots he never dares to take.

So, how's YOUR aim lately?

Selah

Pastor Michael is founder of t.e.a.m. ministries (team1min@aol.com). His eMail broadcasts, known as "Your Town for Jesus" (SEARCH it!) are reaching tens of thousands WEEKLY. Log on at http://www.PlanetaryMinistry.org Michael's mission is to bring Discipleship and Encouragement to the Body of Christ. Michael is the author of numerous booklets on a subjects that will interest the thinking Christian. Since 1999, he has written and broadcast nearly 500 inspirational articles and a dozen booklets, al designed to accelerate the process of spiritual development in God's people.

The Difference Between Prayer in Kabbalah and Religion

We're all familiar with the concept of praying: "Dear Lord, please let me get a good grade on my Chemistry exam and help my little brother get out of the hospital soon. And do forgive me for all my sins. In return, I promise to be a good boy for ever and ever."

But in Kabbalah, prayer does not mean asking the Creator for "goodies." Rather, it is an act of self-analysis, a process of inner change. A person sees himself as facing the unchanging quality of absolute love that enlivens the whole of Nature, and only the person's ability to feel it undergoes gradual change and improvement.

So a Kabbalist wouldn't try asking the Creator to stop treating him harshly or to give him better things in life. He knows that the Creator is invariant, so the only thing to ask for is personal change. This kind of prayer means judging, analyzing, and comparing oneself to the unchanging quality of complete, unconditional bestowal that generates life. It is much like how a scientist discovers a law of Nature, and performs experiments to measure its effects. The Kabbalist's research, however, takes place within himself: He measures the difference between him and the Creator, and what it takes to become similar to the Creator.

Adherents of major religions are convinced that people should ask the Creator for things during prayer, and entreat the Creator to change toward them. Kabbalah explains that this sort or prayer may be effective as a form of psychological support, since a person truly believes that positive changes will happen in his life. But the fact remains that the Creator already treats everyone with absolute love and bestowal, since his only quality is "goodness" that doesn't change.

Kabbalists are people who have changed their inner qualities in a way that unifies them with the Creator. In practical terms, this means that they have transformed their perception, and are able to sense a wider spectrum of reality, beyond the boundaries of the physical world. From that high point of vision and perception, they see that the Creator always treats us with absolute good and never changes.

They advise us to do the same: To remember that the Creator is invariant and not to waste our time and efforts on asking Him to change. Only by changing ourselves will we suddenly see that the world is good and that the Creator always treats us with absolute kindness.

Yet, religious people also say that you have to change, don't they? The difference is that they are talking about changing one's external "good deeds," and performing certain rituals. This kind of change has nothing to do with transforming your inner qualities and perception, and hence religion fundamentally differs from Kabbalah.

Thousands of years of "praying" show us that it's futile to ask the Creator to change. We don't try to change gravity or any other force of Nature, and in the same way we should relate to the Creator as the all-inclusive force of Nature, a permanent force of love and bestowal.

Bnei Baruch, http://www.kabbalah.info is the largest group of Kabbalists in Israel, sharing the wisdom of Kabbalah with the entire world. Study materials in over 25 languages are based on authentic Kabbalah texts that were passed down from generation to generation.

http://www.kabbalah.info/engkab/kabbalah-video-clips/revelation-vs-belief

Spiritual Medicine, Computers & The Brain - Rebooting The Wisdom And Spirit Of The Body And Mind

"Calmness or harmony is a natural aspect of the mind." - Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, January 2000
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When I think of the term 'spiritual' in combination with medicine or healing, it brings forth divergent images. One is the evangelist preacher, gasping on each breath as he talks about the healing spirit of God, palming the forehead of his collapsing follower. Another is the tribal shamanic healer, adorned as an animal, chanting and gyrating around his 'client'. Alternately, I think of the healing group meditating or praying for a beloved member or a stranger on the other side of the world, or a silent healer, eyes closed, holding her hands over the afflicted individual.

Whether we believe a particular form of spiritual medicine works or not, the term is often used to describe the evocation of a force external to the suffering person that enters them in an often mysterious fashion to create a change. It is often attributed to a subtle energy, exchanged from one person to another or from a higher power (God) to the person to be healed.

Another understanding of spiritual healing exists, however, one in which the healing force does not arise from the outside but instead is the upwelling of the wisdom or spirit of the body itself, restoring functions to areas that were dysfunctional. The body 'knew' how to work correctly once so is that knowledge now lost?

If there is an inner spirit, an inner wisdom, for each body part, organ, gland and the abilities or functions of those parts, how does it get lost or subverted into disease? To understand one mechanism at least, we need to look at learning.

Spirit becomes a functional life through learning

Every living organism, from a single celled organism to an insect or a human, has something in common, they all LEARN.

Even the very beating of the heart is learning, passed down genetically. All function, whether it is the secretion of a hormone or a complex act like cooking breakfast, is formatted by learning. Learning is the mechanism the wisdom of the body uses to interact with the complexity of life. Learning may be called the means life uses to express itself.

Of course, this learning isn't from books; it is picked up automatically, on-the-fly. It is the result making uncounted numbers of tiny decisions at every moment, and organizing those decisions into an automatic behavior that is then repeated and applied to future situations, without any decision when needed.

From the simple act of cooking breakfast we can see many examples of the complexity of learning. The feeling of hunger, for instance, and its interpretation is the sum total of all the times in the past that you were hungry, what foods you like or don't like, what you learned growing up about satisfaction of needs, what you have come to think of as good food, all of that is learning. The muscles used for cooking, postures of standing and using a spatula, when and how your stomach churns, the amount of acid your stomach produces, the timing and amount insulin that your pancreas makes in expectation of the coming meal... it's all learning.

But while learning is the key to the very survival of an organism as it adapts to its environment, it has a dark side, a way in which it absolutely hinders the spirit and wisdom of the body and mind.

How does an organism designed to express spirit and wisdom get sick?

The problem (ignoring, for now, all the toxic chemicals, heavy metals and pathogenic organisms we are exposed to from conception onwards) is that while the nervous system easily and automatically accumulates learning, it doesn't readily forget it. This is particularly true of learning that comes as the result of stress or trauma. As a part of our inherent wisdom, we create patterns that may be used over and over again, and to (unconsciously) set up expectation that those situations will happen again. This is also called conditioning.

One of the odd things about conditioning is that, even if the behavior we learned was not necessarily the best one, we still repeat it. How many times do we find ourselves living out the definition of insanity - doing the same thing over and over and hoping for a different result? It takes directed energy and often great courage and willpower to fight this repetition syndrome, even when we are looking at trying to change a known conscious behavior.

When it is the very function of the body that has learned, the resultant adaptive postures affect muscles, joints, organs and hormones. Every behavior, function or movement our bodies enact can get locked into a less than optimum programs, and these various programs may conflict with other programs, putting one part of us in cross purposes with others. It is like what happens when you open a lot of programs on your computer, they begin to conflict, to eat up memory, and your computer gets 'sick'.

The cure? Reboot.

Rebooting your computer restores the underlying correct function of its operating system, restoring its essential spirit or wisdom, we might say, by eliminating extraneous outdated memory allocations that interfered with each other.

Wouldn't it be great if we could reboot ourselves, eliminating the learning which is no longer adaptive, eliminating memories which are interfering with the proper function of the body and mind, and restore control to the original wisdom and spirit of the body and mind?

This feature is not an add-on that you can to purchase at Circuit City or Best Buy. It is not for sale at any price.

Rather, it comes, factory installed, built right into our brains!

Spirit meets science in the brain

In 1999 an amazing discovery was made about the way our brains really work. When we activate a memory, the memory is like a book taken off the shelf; if it is not put back it may be lost, forever. If that memory happens to be an association that causes fear or self-judgment, or a memory of altered muscle function and pain that followed an injury, we may want to remove the book from the library altogether. If it is maladaptive learning that has altered the function of our hormonal system, or disturbed organ or endocrine function, well, bring on the bookburners!

How do we reboot the nervous system to eliminate outdated, maladaptive memory? If activation of a memory is followed by certain inputs or treatments to the body, the memory will not be stored again. Once eliminated, correct normal function, which was hidden underneath may be restored - instantly! The true spirit, the fundamental, function is thus re-established, often permanently.

This library book-like memory process, called reconsolidation, has been found to in many kinds of memory, including emotional memory, muscle/movement memory, and, clinically at least, learning that affects organ and glandular system function. If we can access a maladaptive memory and alter the condition of the body, we can change it.

Choosing the best memories to eliminate is the key to healing

While we can't reboot the whole brain at once, and I don't think we would want to, (I suppose that electro-shock therapy is a crude attempt at this) we can reboot it piece by piece. This may be called a neurontogenic process, which means restoring the fundamental, ontogenic function and behavior (wisdom or spirit) of the nervous system, the condition that was present before the now-inappropriate or maladaptive learning occurred.

A number of therapies, (search on EMDR, EFT and Neuro Emotional Technique, to name a few) use neurontogenic principles mostly to eliminate emotional stress and PTSD. NeurOntogenics is a system which eliminates the maladaptive learning that sustains unhealthy thoughts, beliefs and emotions as well, but also eliminates learning that affects organ, gland, muscle and joint function.

Given the right conditions and setup, many different types of therapies including spinal manipulation, massage of appropriate muscles, tapping or other stimulation of acupuncture points or alternating activation of the right and left hemispheres of the brain, all seem to be able to interrupt the reconsolidation of unwanted memory and induce the neurontogenic effect of restoring the obscured correct function.

Since every illness, pain or disease will necessarily have some component of learning involved, 'rebooting' should be a part of all treatments of the body and mind, especially including treatment of any type of pain.

We may now begin to speak of an actual new field of medicine, neurontogenic medicine, which is based on the understanding that there is a built-in wisdom in the body and mind which becomes obscured over time by the weight 1695of learning that it has absorbed. Neurontogenic medicine uses various means to determine, access, treat and erase learning that is not conducive to optimal function of the body or mind. It is differentiated from other treatments of various specialties, which begin with the assumption that there is something missing, and it is the job of the practitioner to determine what that is and provide it.

Dr. Robert Weissfeld is a chiropractor in private practice in Denver, CO. In various health fields since 1976, and with certifications in acupuncture and neural therapy, Dr. Weissfeld has researched and developed new understandings and methodologies of healing. You can find out more at http://NeurOntogenics.com

Spiritual Quantum Physics and Age of Aquarius

The Age of Aquarius

Astro221Dlogically speaking we are in what is called the Age of Aquarius. Physically speaking we, as a solar system, are in a different space in our Milky Way Galaxy.

Our planet Earth orbits around our Sun in a 365 1/4 day circuit. Man has divided this 360 degree orbit into twelve equal pie shaped sections. We have given each one of these sections a name. Starting with the Eastern Horizon we call the first thirty degree arc, Aries. Next, moving clockwise we have Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. We call these twelve Arcs Houses. Aries being the first house.

Each of the other planets in our Solar System also orbits our Sun at different time intervals. The moment we were born a Bio-Electrical Matrix of the exact position of the Sun and the other planets was photo-engraved on our cellular structure, our energy configuration.

The science of Astrology explains to us the effects of our life that the moving revolving planets have upon us. Our planet Earth, the Sun and all the other planets make up an energy matrix in which we live.
On a larger scale our whole Solar System, as a unit, revolves around our Milky Way Galactic Sun, counter clockwise.

It takes our Solar System 2000 years to complete one orbit around the Galactic Sun. Just think of how many thousands of miles of space we move through with just one 2000 year orbit?

Our Solar system has just orbited out of the thirty degree arch of our Galactic Sun called the Age of Pisces. We have just entered into a new thirty degree arc called the "Age of Aquarius."

Speaking scientifically and physically, we have entered into a new S.T.E.M. Continuum. Space, Time, Energy, Matter continuum.

Spiritually speaking we have moved to a higher level of consciousness area of our Galaxy. We do not know exactly what to expect from this new position in space. But it is really not important to know. It is more important "To Be."

We can already see some of the gifts or the manifestations of the new energies of this place in space. We have the Laws of Quantum Physics, the science of Radionics and Orgone Generation and the INTERNET. It will be exciting to see what the next 1950 years will bring us.

The Laws of Quantum Physics is a gift to us from the Age of Aquarius. Simply speaking, the Laws of Quantum Physics tell us that there exists an infinite ocean of thinking intelligent energy called the Quantum Ocean. Spiritually speaking this is the Mind of God, where we live, move and have our being.

So even though we feel that we have moved through a physical distance in space around our Galactic Sun, in reality we have moved in "God's" Mind.

There is no time, past present nor future in the Quantum Ocean, Mind of God. There is no here or over there space in the Quantum Ocean. There is only the HERE-NOW.

Everything that ever was, is or will be exists in the Quantum Ocean, Mind of God. The Age of Pisces that we have just physically left and the Age of Aquarius that we have just physically entered exist and have always existed in the the Quantum Ocean, the Mind of God.

We humans are individual souls within the Mind of God, who 'blink out' of the Quantum Ocean and into the self-consciousness of a new incarnation, When our physical life expires, we 'blink in' to the Quantum Ocean. It is an unfolding and infolding process.

It is all on schedule, our incarnations, the Planets, the Solar Systems, Galaxies etc. It is according to some Divine timing plan.

The 'blinking out' and 'blinking in' of man, races of man, civilizations of man are all on a timing schedule.

Only we as individual souls have the gift of free choice. We can choose for ourselves what choices we will make once we incarnate. This free will allows us to choose our thoughts, feelings and actions which will create our present reality.

We now, in the Age of Aquarius, have the gifts and tools of the Laws of Quantum Physics to make more conscious choices.

Ellis Peterson AKA Ragnar Storyteller is a retired math professor and electronics engineer. He has been studying astrology, runes, metaphysics and alternate healing treatments for over 30 years. He is 70+, in very good health and lives in the boonies of the Pocono mountains with his wife Lory. His writings are unique and refreshing.
To see more of his writings visit his websites.

http://www.olevikingshop.com/

Healing the Spirit After an Abusive Relationship

The end of any long term relationship is always difficult; but the end of an abusive relationship can bring a whole set of complicated, confusing and often conflicting emotions which are uniquely challenging. When an abusive relationship ends, you may feel the same sort of emotions that are felt when any other type of relationship comes to a close. These feelings of loss can be very upsetting and can create a sense s of shame and guilt which further complicate the spiritual healing process.

The following techniques are designed to help you sort through your emotions and recognize the complicated and conflicting feelings which often surface at the end of an abusive relationship:
Remember why you ended the relationship and focus on what caused the relationship to be unsafe and unhealthy. It is common when an abusive relationship ends to romanticize the relationship, dont allow yourself to fall into this way of thinking, its an emotional t21EArap. Avoid any contact with your abusive ex-partner. Having contact can make the healing process even more complicated than it already is; it can also be very dangerous. You place yourself at a much greater risk for violence if you decide to return to an abusive relationship. Once you have made the decision to leave the relationship, make it stick, trust your decision, find help and support and move on with your life.

Give yourself time and permission to heal and permission to experience your feelings whatever they may be. Express your emotions. Finding a safe way to express what you are feeling is essential to coping with the loss of any relationship. Write in a journal or find a supportive friend to talk to. Allow your self the freedom to feel and emote without self judging. You will have conflicting emotions for awhile and this is to be expected. You may feel relieved, sad, regretful, excited, anxious, angry or any number of other emotions which change from moment to moment. The emotional roller coaster will settle down in its own time until then, just remember to trust your own judgment, trust your own decisions about your well being and safety.

Explore some simple ideas to add comfort into your days. Spend time doing the things that you enjoy. Spend time with friends and family. Reward and encourage yourself. Go shopping or have your hair done, pamper yourself, nurture yourself. Reconnect with friends and family members. Dont isolate yourself. Everyone experience stress when going through life changing events. Its ok to ask for help. Let people know that you are having a rough time and need their support.

These are a few simple ideas to explore as you begin your spiritual healing process. Change can often be quite challenging. But, when you find the resources to manage change, you will be able make the right decisions that assist you in having safe and loving relationships. I truly hope that these ideas will bring healthy changes into your life.

Jeffry R. Palmer is the well known author of several books dealing with the subjects of metaphysics, paranormal phenomena and psychic development. His articles and columns have been featured in several popular international magazines. His accurate and detailed psychic predictions, including Hurricane Katrina and the Indonesian tsunami have captured the attention of an international audience.

Personal psychic readings by Mr. Palmer are available through the http://the-psychic-detective.com web site. These psychic readings are kept in strict confidence, cover all aspects of life, are extremely accurate and detailed and are very simple to purchase. Mr. Palmer even offers a 100% money back guarantee to clients if they aren't completely satisfied with their readings.

Psychic Readings

Being Able To Say No

Do you easily manage to say No to someone who wants a favour from you, while deep inside you feel you want to refuse? Or do you, like I used to do for quite some time, roll across your feeling with a bulldozer and say: Yes, of course .., because you feel uncomfortable saying No.

If you are prepared to follow the self motivation tips hereunder you will create healthier boundaries and with some self motivation exercise you will ultimately acquire the necessary self motivation skills.

I remember it took me quite some time to change from a person who wanted to please others, into a person who is consciously aware of what he feels and really stands for what he wants.

I used to waist far too much time with projects and activities that I really did not want to do. I was simply spending valuable moments of my time on other peoples good opportunities.

My mentor taught me how important it was for me to become experienced at feeling what I felt, at questioning myself if this was what I truly wanted, and at saying No if it wasnt.

Learning to live our full potential also means that we have to learn to not always say Yes to what other people want. We can only move forward with our dreams and goals if we are focused on the things that will produce them.

My mentor made me decide on what I wanted in my life and what I didnt. He convinced me to make these my personal policies. If I didnt want to let friends borrow money any longer, then I had to make it my personal policy. If I didnt want to discuss important business de5B4als over the phone anymore, then I had to make that my personal policy.

In general its not difficult to say to people what our policies are and we dont even have to say the word No. People tend to respect policies. And its likely that no one will take them personally. They simply realize its a healthy boundary you have set for all occasions.

It gets more tricky to say No , however, when what we are being offered sounds attractive. How can we determine for ourselves what is a good choice and what isnt?

I have learned to put such opportunity in writing, close my eyes and ask myself the following questions:

First of all I ask myself: Would doing this be in my highest option?, and when I feel it is, I ask myself what kind of information I need to gather and what I would need to do to make it happen.

Next I compare that information with what I know about achieving my goals. Is everything in line or is this opportunity leading me down a different path? Is it harmonizing with the purpose I am passionate about, or does it simply sound better than what I am doing at that moment?

Its good to talk to a mentor or other advisors about potential opportunities and reflect on their knowledge and expertise. They can help to become aware of whats involved and they can help to stay focused on our goals and dreams.

After a couple of years of practice I have learned to sta5A3y focused on my higher goals and I have learned to say no to good opportunities that interfere with my higher goals. I had to discover that I was not rejected for saying No. Actually I noticed that people respected me for my clarity and drive.

You know, we are in control of how we feel and how we behave and express ourselves, and so are others. That means that if other people get upset with you saying No, well, thats their choice. Isnt it?

Ab van Deemter (http://www.passiontogrow.com) is a Personal Growth specialist and a spiritual person, who believes in sharing his knowledge of personal perseverance. He has studied metaphysics and other holistic methods for many, many years and embarked on a life of success. With successful tools for personal freedom he has made it past a life full of obstacles and now mentors and teaches business owners, their staff, his own employees, as well as a large group of private individuals.

Effective Goal Setting Requires Planning

You'll never accomplish anything in life without paying a cost for it. To build a business will require you to work longer hours in the beginning. You may have to get up early or stay up later. You may have to banish your TV for the next year. If you want to save more money, you may have to quit going out to eat so often. You may have to cut out some of your shopping budget.

If you plan to study and learn new subjects for your personal growth, you may have to turn off the radio station and listen to training CDs on the way to work. Anything you do will cost a price. It may be not as high of a price as you would think, but it will cost you something.

For example, anyone can become an expert in virtually any subject in just onA78e hour a day study over a year to two year period. That is a lot easier than most people would think, but it is still an hour which has to be invested everyday.

Count the cost for your goals or eliminating pain in your life. Make a plan. You should never start a new business without a plan, and you'll never reach your goals without a plan either.

You may want to weigh 30 pounds less than you do right now, but how do you plan to accomplish this? When will you schedule to exercise and what kind of exercise will you do? How will you change your eating habits to cut your daily calories? How can you get your friends or family to help you on this goal?

You can pick up dozens of books at any bookstore on the subject of losing weight. The hidden little secret is that the majority of them work, because you simply need to exercise more and cut the number and type of calories you eat. So you don't have to starve yourself or go on any crazy fad diet. Just make a plan that includes both exercise and healthy eating.

Make your plan by breaking down the goal into elements or steps. What kinds of steps will you have to take to reach your goal? The number of steps you use will be based on how complicated of a goal you have.

If you're starting a new business, you may have dozens of steps to prepare. You need to study the marketplace, visit competitors, do customer research, etc. Then you need to apply for licenses, setup a legal business form such as corporation, and possibly apply for business loans based on a business plan you've written.

If your long-term plan is to build your current business to $1,000,000 a year in net profits, then you may have one year goal and plan for $100,000 increase. For that plan, you may make a list of asking customers why they buy from you, writing new ads, testing your ads, and checking around to find joint venture partners who may be able to offer more items to your current customers.

You can break down these plans into many more steps than what I've listed here. The planning stage should be broken down into easy to accomplish daily and weekly goals. When I said write a new ad above, that could be broken down into individual steps as well.

You may design 3 ads to test, so you first decide on the "offer" for each one...what will make it unique and exciting to your customers. Then you decide on headlines. Then you write the rough draft of one ad. Then you edit it. Then you test it. Then you see if you can improve on it or test out one of the other possible offers you come up with.

The other important element that comes in while making plans is to make deadlines that 5A8are practical. You may want to lose 30 pounds, but doing that in 30 days is not practical. You will not reach that goal and do it in a healthy fashion.

The healthiest way to lose weight is 1 to 2 pounds per week. You hate the extra 30 pounds you're carrying and want to eliminate it in the next 6 months. You can break that down further and say you would like to lose 5 pounds this month. You didn't gain 30 pounds in a month, and you won't be losing it in one month either. So make shorter term goals such as losing 5 pounds per month.

If the most you've ever made in your life is $30,000 per year, then having a goal of making one million this year is not a realistic goal.

Making one million a year 5 years from now isn't that difficult, but you'd be better off setting a goal of $100,000 or so for your business the first year. You then would need to come up with all the steps required for you to reach this.

If it's a brand new business you're starting, there will be a lot of steps involved. Pick up several books that talk about starting new businesses to help you write down all the steps you'll need to take. Then get busy and start taking one step at a time.

One of the key principles here is you want your goals to be something you can really have faith in. You are only limited by what you can believe, but you won't be able to believe with your heart that you're worth the one million dollar income if yo5B3u've only been making $30,000. You're going to have to grow into it. You'll have to build up to the point where you truly believe you're worth that much money.

Most people set their one year goals too high and their 5 year goals too low. You can experience multiplied growth every year of your life, so your goals for 5 years out should be a whole lot bigger than your goals for this year alone. You can build the life you dream about, but you have to be willing to put in both the time and energy required to get there. You have a lot of learning and growing to do.

Look at potential roadblocks which may come up in the pursuit of your goal. What kind of obstacles are likely to come against you? This is part of counting the cost. You may have friends who won't want to be around you anymore. People who are set in their ways and satisfied with mediocre life don't usually accept those who want to strive for excellence. If you want to soar with the eagles, you might not be close friends with the turkeys anymore. You may have opposition from your family.

Terry Dean invites business owners to Earn More, Work Less, and Enjoy Life. Receive his Special report, "10 Key Strategies for Any Business Owner to Earn More, Work Less, and Enjoy Life" along with having access to his blog where he posts articles 2 to 3 times per week at: 2E8http://www.terrydean.org

Reach Your Goals with Goal Pooling

Goal-pool with friends or acquaintances

Get together with a group of friends or co-workers and host a logistical brainstorming party where all the invitees lay out the goals theyd li5B4ke help with and make plans to meet them, with the help of the rest of the group. The result might look something like this:

Every Monday the whole crew gets together for a half-hour after work to help Barbara make fund-raising calls for her charity (and in exchange, everyone gets invited to the hoity-toity, networking-heaven Christmas party held to thank the donors and volunteers).

On Wednesdays, Bob hosts a scrap-booking dinner where he provides the food in exchange for mooching supplies, equipment and techniques from his more scrap-savvy cohorts.

On Sundays, June hosts a brunch where everybody eats high on the hog in exchange for honest feedback on her catering recipes and presentation/marketing ideas.

Continue goal-pooling until everyone involved has met their goals unless everyone decides to keep going and move on to the next batch of goals!

(c) Soni Pitts

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Soni Pitts is the Chief Visionary Butt-Kicker of SoniPitts.Com. She specializes in helping others reclaim "soul proprietorship" in their lives and to begin living the life their Creator always intended for them.

She is the author of the free e-book "50 Ways To Reach Your Goals" and ove33Er 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources designed to facilitate this process of personal growth and spiritual development.

Progressive Goal Party

Hold a "progressive" goal party

If you have a group of friends with the same goal who live in close proximity (or who can meet up comfortably in a third-party establishment), get them involved in a progressive goal party. The idea is to meet at one location, where you all complete one part of the goal as a group, then move on to the next (carpool or walk) 8C0to complete the second part, and so on. This can be extended to include shops and other buildings as well as houses. Be sure to have appropriate snacks, fun activities, etc., at each stop to make it a special day.

A good example would be a Christmas shopping/preparation party: Everybody starts at one house making lists, planning the day's activities and eating a light brunch. Next, hit the malls (or other predetermined shopping areas) together, making sure to help each other hunt down those hard-to-find items - and don't forget to stop by the coffee bar or other dining place to fuel flagging energy and regroup. Afterwards, it's on to the next house to wrap (and have a late lunch or early supper), then on to the next to bake cookies (don't forget the eggnog and late-night snacks!). It's good fun, great camaraderie, and everybody gets their stuff done and over with at one time.

(c) Soni Pitts

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Soni Pitts is the Chief Visionary Butt-Kicker of SoniPitts.Com. She specializes in helping others reclaim "soul proprietorship" in their lives and to begin living the life their Creator always intended for them.

She is the author of the free e-book "50 Ways To Reach Your Goals" and over 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources designed to facilitate this process of personal growth and spiritual development.

10 Steps To Achieving Maximum Performance Through Recognition

As a conscientious leader, you can:

Build a high performance team

Value your team members

Bring out the best in each of the members of the team

Employees will actually become a part of the team. This will happen when they feel included in plans for the future and when they feel rewarded for achieving goals. Everyone wants to be part of the team, part of the company, part of the big picture.

Being included doesnt mean being consulted or being asked for approval. It does mean taking those employees into consideration and keeping them informed of the plan and the progress.

Being rewarded for achieving goals doesnt have to include money or awards but in fact could be just high 5s and back patting as steps are achieved along the way. Show them that you understand that they actually helped achieve that goal. I read that at MDI, every time a major contract was signed, a giant gong in the entrance room was gonged loudly enough so everybody in the building heard it and knew of that success. Timing is important

The word rewarded, conjures up thoughts of money or gifts that are considered expenses or costs. Rewards can of course range anywhere from a thanks, you did a good job to Cash bonuses and everywhere in between. Promotional products fit almost every catagory except cash.

Rewards can be the success of the company and the continuance of operation or even expansion which could lead to promotions and long term employment.

Actual rewards should be considered as investments.

PLAN REWARDS

Set criteria for awards program, Present lasting, personalized awards

Standard, classy timeless awards stand the test of time

A personalized award will be kept and treasured

A functional gift will be used and discarded.

Trendy and gimmicky gifts are fun for a while

When your company name is on an award, you are in fact advertising your company while rewarding or acknowledging someone. Everyone will see the image you project.

Set clear objectives for your company

PHILOSOPHIES

Management & Shareholder needs

Company Vision and Mission Statements

PRODUCTS

Main or Key products

Ancilliary products

Possible new products

TIMELINE

Short term goal, 1 year goal, 5 year goals, beyond Year end

Expansion/merger/takeover plans

SET CLEAR GOALS FOR MONTH, YEAR AND FUTURE (in measurable terms)

Product Volume

Dollar Value

Dates

Measureability

Progress tracking

WHO IS ON YOUR TEAM???
Yourself
Employees
Staff
Suppliers
Customers
Community

10 STEPS TO ACHIEVING MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE THROUGH RECOGNITION.

1. Timing, Timing, Timing. (Not Location, Location, Location)

2. Quality (not cheap, does the trick)

3. Appropriateness (choose the award to match the event)

4. First Impression, Last Impression (there is a 'right' time to make it the best)

5. Corporate Image ( everyone sees what you project. Be good and be constant )

6. Achievability of contests or programs ( make sure you get winners)

7. Image building. Communicate/advertise the program, the winners (You want your image to travel.)

8. Reciprocation creates obligation payoff repayment (be cognizant and make it your advantage.)

9. Consistency exudes reliability ( you see this in all the major players )

10. Focus on all, one at a time
-Business
-Product
-Customers
-Suppliers
-Employees
- Families
- Community

Is it all about Recognition, Promotional Products, Awards Program and Incentives? NO!! It's about business. It's about you. It's about them.

You've heard it said 'Business is Business' but I believe more and more that 'Business is Family'. Sure there are times when bad things happen but you get over it, solve the problems and get back to business. Get the 'family' working again.

My name is Rod Winning I own and operate Winning FairWays Inc. Promotional Products for Success I can be contacted at rod-fairways@hotmail.com www.winningfairways.com

Rod Winning is President of Winning FairWays Inc. Promotional Products for Success. http://www.winningfairways.com contact him at info@winningfairways.com or at rod-fairways@hotmail.com

Self-Help for Depression - A 3-Day Plan for Breaking the Sad Cycle

Have you ever said to yourself, a friend, or a loved one, "My life is great. I have nothing to complain about, but I just feel so sad!" Everyone experiences feelings of depression and sadness once in a while. Although most people can pinpoint the cause of their blues, such as experiencing hard times, receiving bad news, living with rainy weather, or even having hormonal changes, some people feel sad or depressed without really knowing why.

I recently had lunch with a friend and when I started listening to the negative stories I was telling her about the current state of my life, I had an epiphany: I was stuck in a sad cycle that was creating a steady stream of negative thoughts in my mind!

When feeling sad leads to day after day of feeling blue, it's time to take self-help action before full-blown depression sets in. So I created a plan for breaking my sad cycle in just three days.

Day 1

One Day 1, I decided that, instead of being sad, I was going to be wealthy! In a small notebook, I wrote down a list of the many ways that wealth touches my life:

* The money in my bank account

* My beautiful family

* My lovely home

* My home-based business

* My generous clients

* My just-for-emergencies credit line

Throughout the day, every time a negative thought crept into my mind, I stopped what I was doing and read through my wealthy list. By the end of that day, my veil of sadness was beginning to lift.

Day 2

On Day 2, I decided that, instead of being sad, I was going to be wealthy and grateful! In my notebook, I wrote down a list of the many things that I'm grateful for.

Just like Day 1, every time a negative thought crept into my mind, I stopped what I was doing and read through my wealthy and grateful lists. By the end of Day 2, I realized I was no longer wallowing in sadness. In fact, I was beginning to feel hopeful about my future again.

Day 3

On Day 3, I decided that, instead of letting sadness creep back into my life, I would focus on sharing joy with everyone I came in contact with. In addition to reviewing my wealthy and grateful lists, I looked for ways to spread joy to others. Here are some things I came up with:

* I waved to the neighbor getting her morning paper and to the kids waiting at the bus stop by my house

* I held the door for an elderly woman at the post office

* I smiled randomly at strangers (and they smiled back!)

* I hugged my kids and told them I was happy to be their mom

* I answered the phone with, "Good morning!" and "Happy Friday!" instead of simply, "Hello."

By the end of Day 3, I actually felt lighter in my body, as if the weight of the world was no longer sitting on top of my shoulders. I was also eating healthier because I didn't crave comfort food.

Each day since then, I choose ano59Bther positive aspect of my life to focus on and look for new ways to uplift others. Sure, the bills keep coming in and the housework still needs to be done, but worrying about them only makes me feel sad. And I would rather feel wealthy, blessed, abundant, and grateful! Depression is a serious illness that should be treated by your doctor. But if you're feeling blue, try my 3-Day plan for breaking the sad cycle - before depression sets in!

Patty Harder is a Reiki Master, ordained S.H.E.S. minister, and the founder of 5 Minute Self-Help, an online community for women who want to feel better, look better, and live better fast. To learn how you can improve your life in just 5 minutes a day, visit http://www.5MinuteSelfHelp.com

Personal Growth Through Journaling

Journaling can help you discover things about yourself you never knew. You will be surprised at what happens when you sit down and start writing down all of your hopes, dreams, goals, and thoughts. Writing is one of the best ways to analyze yourself and the world around you. You will be able to look at things in a new way and find solutions to problems you never thought you would figure out. It can be a 'Eureka!' experience that you can benefit from day after day. Many who start to regularly journal find it to be an addiction that's creating positive results in their lives.

Writing to Success

When you sit down to write everything that has gone on in your day, everything you would like to do in the future and past thoughts you have trouble letting go of, you will start to see patterns. You will start to see that there are certain characteristics of yourself that you never knew existed. When you place your ideas in written word and look at them after you've written them, you are able to take a step back and see the person you really have become. You will awaken your inner self and examine yourself in a deeper way. This can be a tremendous help with overcoming fears, changing negative behavior patterns and deciding what you want in life. Successful life coaches often recommend you journal and write down your goals.

Not only does journaling give you a stronger sense of self, it forces you to be an active thinker. You can take the ideas that you have written down and turn them into goals and plans of action. Instead of just thinking that someday you would like to reach a goal you can work actively towards it. Jo5B4urnaling can be a life changing exercise.

Productivity and Journaling

Journaling can make you more productive in life. When you write a journal you let go of many of the thoughts and feelings that hold you back in many of things that you try to accomplish. Writing down inhibitions, fears, and shortcomings can help you see what exactly is preventing you from succeeding.

Journaling can help you find out who you are, what you would like to change about yourself and what you need to do to makes those changes and grow. There is structured and non-structured journaling exercises you can do and you do not always need to think too much while writing, just write exactly what comes to mind when you sit down. You will find that your thoughts will do the writing and all you need to do is sit back and see what is going on in your mind.

Many times with your personal journaling efforts, you will not know what the problem is in a given situation until you start writing about it. All of a sudden, you may write something that will make you say, "Ah ha!" You have discovered the problem and now you can change and grow from it.

Reflecting and clearing your mind with journaling can help you feel less stressed; more focused and help you complete tasks much more easily. You will feel more confident about yourself, have a better understanding of yourself, and know what you want to do and where you are going in life. 464Journaling is a way for you to look at yourself, learn from it, and grow.

Learn more about how journal writing can help you with your goals and personal development by visiting iijournal or brunologreco.com.

How To Have A Better Life

Is it easy to create a better life? I don't know. Maybe even thinking about how difficult or easy it is means one isn't ready to commit to making it happen. Easy is such a vague word anyhow. What I can say from personal experience, is that it is possible to dramatically improve ones life in almost any area.

Yes, big changes are difficult, but there are many easy steps in the process. Changing one's habits may take a long time, but there is always something5B4 that can be done right now, isn't there? Start with these - the easier and the now. There is nothing useful about feeling overwhelmed.

If you wanted to quit cigarettes, alcohol, caffeine and complaining, you wouldn't expect to do so all at once, right? You might work on one bad habit, and once that was resolved, start on the next. So why not just make your life better today, however you can. Start small - seeing the results will give you the motivation for the big steps.

Better Life Today

It's easy to just look at things, and easy to think about them too, right? So start looking for specific ways to make your life better, and think about them - particularly about the positive consequences. You won't accomplish anything immediately by doing this, but you are preparing yourself. Just thinking about change sets your mind and your motivation in motion.

The next step is to translate those thoughts into simple actions. For example:

- If you want better brainpower, learn one problem solving technique.

- If you want to lose weight, walk the dog or remove one thing from your diet.

- If tired of your angry remarks, start counting to ten before saying anything.

- Want to get rich? Buy a book to help you.

- Want to get out of debt? Work an extra day each month, and apply the income to your debts.

- Have a bad attitude? List all the good things you have, and review it daily.

N5A0one of these actions are necessarily going to change much by themselves. They don't need to. They are just small steps that help. They help directly in their small way, and they help build the momentum that keeps you taking the next step and the next.

If you wanted to build a house, and you thought about the whole process, you might feel too overwhelmed to start. But it's easy to nail one board in place, right? And then one more, and one more... Any action that starts the process towards a better life is better than nothing, and plants the seeds of change.

Steve Gillman writes on many topics including brainpower, weight loss, meditation, habits of mind, creative problem solving, generating luck and anything related to self improvement. Learn more and get FREE e-courses at http://www.SelfImprovementNow.com

Review of Joy the Jellyfish, by Kristen Collier

Joy the Jellyfish has a very serious problem. More than anything, he wants to make friends. But how on earth can he make friends when he's nearly invisible!

He tries to get the attention of the other Great Barrier Reef companions--Amy Anemone, a school of sea horses, Gantian the Great White Shark, Bogart the Blowfish, Daphne the Dolphin--but because of his near-invisible nature, he's mostly ignored.

"My only wish is to have a friend," says Joy the Jellyfish. Then, as he keeps traveling deeper into the ocean, and the waters become icier and darker, he meets Bella Beluga the Whale, who teaches him the secret of friendship and how friendship itself has nothing to do with his nearly-invisible physical nature. Thanks to Bella, Joy learns how to overcome shyness and make friends. More confident, he swims back to the reef, this time powered with the knowledge of true friendship.

Joy the Jellyfish is a sweet story about friendship and about how to overcome shyness in order to make friends. The prose and dialogue are engaging and the brightly colored illustrations captivating. This is a book that will make a fine, delightful gift to any child, not only because of its beautiful artwork and engaging plot, but also because it teaches the different animals which inhabit the great barrier reefs. This book is the first collaboration between talented illustrator Kevin Scott Scollier and his author wife, Kristen. I hope this book will not be their last and I certainly look forward to more children's picture books from them.

JOY THE JELLYFISH
Written by Kristen Collier
Illustrated b496y Kevin Collier
Dragonfly Publishing
October 2007
24 pages
Paperback: $12.99
Hardcover: $25
Available on Amazon

Mayra Calvani is an author and book reviewer. Visit her website at http://www.mayracalvani.com
Visit her blogs: http://www.MayrasSecretBookcase.blogspot.com and http://www.TheDarkPhantom.wordpress.com

Spiritual Movies and Ideas

Try This To Get What You Want As A woman

Many times most women depend on guys to give them happiness. They look for a good husband to give them what they want and even count their financial stability on men. Get out of your own way girl and live your life. It is so fulfilling you will only need a man for a friend but not for security purposes. If you want to see such a day you have to learn to get what you want as a woman. Keep your secrets girl. You should not spill out all the beans. Remain mysterious when you can to create intrigue. This will keep your circle of friends interested. They will hang in there because they will be concentrating on your every word hoping to unravel the mystery.

Have some little pride and self respect. Do not let people use you as a door mat just because you lack in something. Many girls use their sexuality as a bargaining chip in the male dominated world. You will get what you deserve if you maintain self decency and dignity. As a woman you look pathetic when you allow people to walk over you as they wish. Speak for yourself. Women are known to gossip but you would get what you want as a woman by avoiding cheap talk. As a woman of substance you are preoccupied with important things and you can't waste your time chattering carelessly. Do not be be too serious about everything. Do not be too hard on yourself loosen up for your own sake. Break some rules and have fun. Eat a burger and spaghetti for a day. It won't even cost you 0.5 weight gain. You might have deadlines to meet but play it cool. If you are too exhausted all the time you will not live life to the fullest.

Sweat the Weight out girl. Girls are so obsessed with how they look it is the all present topic in their conversations. stop complaining and pay for the gym and cut that weight. This will help you to get what you want as a woman in life. It boosts self confidence and heightens self esteem to non imaginable levels. For a woman looking hot and sexy is a dream come true. Do all the exercises and you will certainly get what you want as a woman. Even in the work place you will achieve great results all related to how you feel.

Many women suffer from insecurities. They are never certain that their man is entirely theirs for keeps. They will sniff around every detail looking for evidence that the man is cheating on them. Come on girl, secure yourself so that you get what you want as woman. When your boyfriend signs or attends evening classes, have no worries. You might be using your energy to spoil your life while he betters his own. Be careful baby girl, love yourself and he will never cheat on you no matter the temptations.

Francis K. Githinji Is An Online Dating Expert. His Latest Project Get What You Want As A woman Shows How The Power Of Online Dating Can Be Harnessed Internationally and With Great Success, Or You Could Post Your Valued Comments On His Blog At Get What You Want As A woman

Spiritual Movies

Bob Doyle Used The Secret To Manifest All He Ever Wanted

The first thing you should probably know about Bob Doyle is that he found the secret after he realized in January of 2002 that he could no longer continue to work his corporate job any long and just up and quit with out having any back up plan or a secondary job lined up! Let me stress that he had no safety net what so ever and he had 3 children at home who relied on him for their safety and well-being! Since personal development was always of great interest to him, he set out On the road to share with others what he had learned in his own life About creating your own reality while meditating on a regular basis for the prosperity he was so desperately seeking in his own life during his time off. It was during that period that he came across a critical truth about The Law of Attraction. He had become so focused on his idea of how to attract the wealth he was himself seeking he failed to realize that he had gotten in his own way.

He began to grasp the fact that while he was working so hard to figure everything out on his own he was actually failing himself by not letting go and letting the universe find the answer for him instead. He finally understood how he was actually blocking the way to his own success, and that he needed to let some things work themselves out without his own coercion delegating the How and the When. Once he realized this subtle yet vital truth, he decided 5B4to ask the universe to guide and direct him by learning to fallow his own intuition without question. Then, through what at first appeared to be a series of events each unrelated to the next the answers began to emerge and he found himself not just On the road again but On the right road instead!

Thats when things really began to take off. It was at that time that he began to truly understand The Law of Attraction and Wealth Consciousness. As he began to live the principles of these two concepts 24/7 he once again found his sense of purpose and passion. Further still he committed himself to remaining on course and his first year of doing so he earned a whopping six-figure income! He is still so fixed on helping others help themselves that he has developed an on line program entitled Wealth Beyond Reason and he openly shares his insights with those seeking greater fulfillment in their lives. I strongly suggest it to those open to this new way of looking at what life itself has to offer when we believe we can achieve!

Bobs no nonsense approach to things is a refreshing change from the typical hoopla and hype often seen on the Internet. If down to earth, simple, practical and basic is your preferred speed, then he is probably your guy. You might also enjoy looking on line for related material about Bob on google. I found lots of sites full of information on Mr. Doyle and the way his website at Wealth 7D1Beyond Reason. com is set up all the information you may be seeking is easy to navigate as well. However if the Internet is not your thing you can head on over to Amazon and pick up his booked also entitled Wealth Beyond Reason!

Karen Giardunio is a single mother who resides in the mountains just north or Boulder Colorado. Through the power of the sweeping concept of "The Law Of Attraction!" she was able to personally connect herself with two of the leading experts in the field of Internet Marketing and Personal Development. It is through these great mentors that she has begun to change her life and obtain an unlimited wealth of knowledge and understanding of the need to share and serve others in order to obtain her own hearts desires. So, she now offers frustrated Network Marketers that are looking for more ways to make money while learning how to win at the recruiting game to accomplish those goals. You can just go to http://www.moneymakerdaker.com to find your way to the simple step-by-step applications that anyone can master that will show you how you can take control of your own life by creating a potential 6 figure income helping others succeed. The two mentors mentioned above will be working for you! They will share their money making system and guide you every step of the way.

Stress Management Techniques

The simple realization that you are in control of your life is the foundation of stress management

Living with high levels of stress, can putt your entire health at risk. Stress wreaks havoc on your emotional stability, as well as your physical health. It tapers with your ability to think clearly, function effectively, and enjoy life.

Causes of Stress

Stress may be because of any physical, chemical, or emotional factors that cause bodily or mental unrest and that may even cause physical sickness. Stress also has effects on the immune system. Chronic (long-term) stress has the effect of (wearing down) the iB68mmune system, leading to an increased susceptibility to colds and other infections.

Physical and chemical factors that can cause stress include trauma, infections, toxins, illnesses, and injuries of any sort. Emotional causes of stress and tension are numerous and varied.

How to Manage Stress

Stress is a daily part of our life; it would be absolutely foolish to think that we can eliminate it from our lives completely. What we can do is to manage it and not let it cripple us.

Learn to say (no) : This is the most important step,know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, refuse to accept extra responsibilities that you know will cause you distress.

Avoid people who stress you out : If someone constantly causes stress in your life and you can not turn the relationship around, limit the amount of time you spend with that person or end the relationship entirely.

Take control of your environment : Avoid environments that stress you, if traffic is got you tense, take a longer but less-traveled route. If shopping is an unpleasant chore, do your grocery shopping online or ask someone to help out.

Avoid heated topics : If you get upset over religion or politics, avoid talking about them. If you repeatedly argue about the same subject with the same people you are bound to be stressed.

Know your limits: evaluate your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. If you have got too much on your plate, drop tasks that are not truly necessary to the bottom or eliminate them entirely.

Express instead of bottling up- If something or someone is bothering you, communicate your concerns in an open and polite way. If you do not voice your feelings, resentment will build creating unnecessary stress.

Compromise- When you ask someone to change their actions, be willing to do the same. If you both are willing to bend a little, you will find a middle ground.

Be more assertive- If you need something ask for it. Deal with problems head on, doing your best to anticipate and prevent them.

Manage your time better- Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. When you are stretched too thin and running behind, it is hard to stay calm and focused. But if you plan ahead, you can avoid these stress-inducing pitfalls.

Do not try to control the uncontrollable- Many things in life are beyond our control particularly the behavior of other people. Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control.

Look for the Bright side- When facing major challenges try to look at them as opportunities for personal growth.

Share your feelings- Talk to a trusted friend or a therapist. Expressing what you are going through can be very therapeutic, even if there is nothing you can do to alter the stressful situation.

Learn to forgive- Let go of anger and resentments35F.Free yourself from negative energy by forgiving and moving on.

Include relaxation time-Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. Do not allow other obligations to encroach. This is your time to take a break from all responsibilities and recharge your batteries.Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working on your bike.

Create a Support system- A strong support system will buffer you from the negative effects of stress. Spend time with positive people who enhance your life

Exercise regularly. Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress. Make time for at least 30 minutes of exercise, three times per week. Nothing beats aerobic exercise for releasing pent-up stress and tension.

Eat a healthy diet- Start your day right5A2 with breakfast, and keep your energy up and your mind clear with balanced, nutritious meals throughout the day.

Reduce caffeine and sugar- The temporary "highs" caffeine and sugar provide often end in with a crash in mood and energy. By reducing the amount of coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, and sugar snacks in your diet, you will feel more relaxed and you will sleep better.

Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs- alcohol or drugs may provide an easy escape from stress, but the relief is only temporary. Later the stress simply piles on plus your health starts to suffer.

Get enough sleep-Feeling tired will increase your stress because it may cause you to think irrationally.

Ashish Bhattacharya armed with a degree in East Asian Therapies from China, Currently working in a Mauritius Spa Resort, one of the leading Ayurvedic Spa Mauritius.

How to Lose Weight With Yoga

Yoga has been touted over the years for the many things that it can do for you. Many people don't realize though it can also have a hand in help you lose weight. Yoga is defined as the union of a person's own consciousness with their universal consciousness. This in easy terms is becoming aware with themselves and things that unite their body, mind, and spirit together. Once people realize and reap the benefits of it they never seem to ever stray from it.

Losing weight is never an easy thing to do, but there are ways to make it easier and one is the use of yoga. To lose weight you must eat right and exercise to burn calories, but that doesn't mean that you can use other ways to get it done. Holding poses for a number of minutes will actually improve muscle strength and posture. Many people thinBAAk that you must go to the gym and work out for an hour or two each day. This just isn't the case all the time. If you corporate a yoga workout with your everyday routine you will see a noticeable improvement in the months ahead. It takes time just like anything that you want in life.

Stress is a very important element in our lives that can cause us many problems when we talk about our weight. Yoga is used to reduce stress and in turn helps us lose weight by lowering our stress level. When we are less stressful, we tend to eat less and feel better about ourselves. Our self esteem gets higher and we have an easier time taking weight off. As you use it as a part of your weight loss program you're more likely to keep it off because you are losing small amounts. If you lose big amounts with your diet, it usually tends to be harder to keep off. This is why losing weight should be taken slowly and worked at. There are no quick fixes when we talk about weight loss.

If you're just starting out in yoga and weight loss it's probably best to take a night class at a local college or recreational center. Most cities have some wonderful programs that will show you how yoga and weight loss can work hand in hand. Don't get discouraging if you don't see success with the weight loss right away. It will take time and you shouldn't be in any rush. Remember it took time to become overweight so it will take time to lose it.

This is a great vehicle to lose weight and become more attune with your body and the world around you. People are now starting to realize that yoga can be used for more things than just meditation and it's really growing a following. The more time people take to learn the proper way to use it the more benefits they are seeing from it. Just like anything that has been around for a very long time many misconceptions will be out there about it.

Jeffrey Meier of Jam727 Enterprises at http://www.Jam727.com offers information articles on a wide variety of subjects including Yoga at http://www.jam727.com/yoga/yoga_articles.htm

Water and Ayurveda

Are you drinking enough water? We have all heard the importance of drinking enough water a day to maintain our body fluid levels, but did you know the benefits of water also go as far as curing all kinds of illnesses and diseases? Water is recognized in Ayurveda as crucial to creating balance and ridding the body of toxins so that the vital energy within the body flows more smoothly.

Q: What' is Ayurveda?

A: Ayurveda is a 5000 year old science of healing originating in India

Q: What is a dosha?

A: Dosha is your mind/body type according to Ayurveda

SPICING IT UP

You can add spice to your water to balance your dosha:

Hydrating Vata-Balancing Water. lubricates the lower digestive tract, the seat of vata. Add a few mint leaves, one-quarter teasoon of marshmallow root, half teaspoon of fennel seeds to two quarts of boiled water. Let stand. Sip while warm.

Cooling Pitta-Balancing Water. Refreshes overactive pitta. Add quarter teaspoon of fennel seeds, two rosebuds, and one clove to two quarts of boiled water. Drink at room temperature.

Detoxifying Kapha-Balancing Water. Coldness is an attribute of kapha, so this blend is warming; it's also aids digestion. Add three basil leaves, two thin slices of fresh ginger, quarter teaspoon of cumin seeds, and half teaspoon of fennel seeds to two quarts of boiled water. Sip while warm or hot.

Q: How do I know what my dosha is?

A: Find out by taking this quiz

TO DRINK OR NOT TO DRINK?

What about drinking water during a yoga session? Some teachers allow it, some do not. Why the fuss?

Because in yoga we're working not only the musculoskeletal system but also the pranic body. Water cools the system down and puts out the subtle fires that are needed to cleanse and purify as you move through the asanas.

It might make better sense to drink before and after class instead or at the least to sip it rather than guzzle it just before you do that headstand. As always it depends on the person, the class, the environment so be guided from within. Maintain a mindfulness and your body will guide you in the right direction.

YOGA & AYURVEDA

For those of you that are interested in an ayurvedic approach to yoga, Leena works with her clients in determining their particular dosha and devising a programme that would be the most beneficial for their health and well-being. This programme can be Hatha yoga based or through the vehicle of thai massage or a combination of both.

"I take a very holistic approach," says Leena. "I look at every aspect of the person's life and then make a recommendation. Neither is it set in stone. People's bodies respond so differently. Even our mind plays a powerful role in how we view things. So the key for me is to stay in tune with what is needed but remain adaptable. Flexibility is much more than stretching the hamstrings- it's also about expanding your vision, your definition of what is appropriate in any given situation."

Leena Patel is currently based in Las Vegas where she teaches yoga and meditation to Celine Dion and A New Day. She has written numerous articles on health, yoga and spirituality and has taught across the US, Canada and in France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Austria and the UK.

Building With People Tip

From my earliest days in Sunday school, I have remembered the words that a wise man builds his house upon the rock and the foolish man builds upon the sand. For 50 years, I thought this probably sound advice for someone about to build a house. It never dawned on me that it might have some other application until I heard the following quote from Peter Drucker. The task of leadership is to create an alignment of strengths in ways that make weaknesses irrelevant.

That statement unlocked doors in my mind and with it came the realization that success really does come from building on strengths. All too often we focus on problems (weaknesses = sand) and struggle to overcome them when in fact, we would be much better off focusing on what is working (strengths = rock) and building on them.

Over the course of my career, I have had a variety of bosses. Most tried to fix me. I did have one boss who stood up before the whole sales organization and told them he had complete faith in me. I didnt realize it at the time, but my boss motivated me in a way that I would have walked through fire for him.

In fact, I didnt really understand what he had done and how it affected me until I became soccer coach and tried a positive approach to leadership. By praising the desired actions of players, I was encouraging the other players to perform in a similar fashion. You get what you praise and reward (a lesson some organizations including our government should learn). In reality, I was building on strengths (the rock) just as my boss had done.

What about your organization? Are you still playing in the sand or are you building on rock?

 Copyright Bob Cannon/The Cannon Advantage, 2007. All rights reserved.

Byline Bob Cannon helps visionary leaders enhance performance and profitability in their organizations. Check out other interesting articles available in the Taking Aim newsletter available at http://www.cannonadvantage.com . Bob can be reached at (216) 408-9495 or mailto: aim@cannonadvantage.com

This article courtesy of http://www.decision-makingtoday.com . You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.

Natural Body Building Contests - Natural Body Building Contest Preparation Tips For Amateurs

Natural body building contests are a great place for amateurs to start showing off their muscular physiques. However, there are some tips that must be borne in mind. This article will reveal natural body building contest prep tips for amateurs and people just starting out.

As a start, it is a good idea to actually watch some contests before you decide to enter one yourself. The reason for that is you will be able to see for yourself how contestants put their programs together and how the winners stand out from the other competitors. It's a good idea to take note of the music they use, the tempo of the music and the poses that they make. If you are able to, ask questions.

There is a lot that can be done as contest prep as much as six months to a year before the competition is set down. It takes a lot of commitment and if you are not sure you can follow through then it is best not to try.

About a year to six months before the contest have a good look at yourself in the mirror and look at where you need more muscle definition. Contestants are showing their muscular physique as best as they are able to sculpt it. It is important to have as little body fat as possible, with strong, cut muscles throughout the body.

Your music choice is also important. Ultimately your routine will either stand out from the crowd or be a routine they've seen hundreds of times before. Your music choice should help you choose your poses and your pace.

The body building clothing you perform in is also vital to showing off your physique. Be sure to choose tasteful but revealing clothes. Ultimately speedos for men and a bikini for women are ideal. Also be sure that the clothing you wear in flattering, a color that suits you and is extremely comfortable and not restrictive.

It is a good idea when you are practicing your routine or playing around with it that you have a third party video tape it for you so that you can watch it critically. It is also a good idea to have someone you trust watch it with you also for competing views.

In the lead up to your competition you also need to pay strict attention to your workout and diet plan. There is no time to slacken off when getting ready for a contest. You must be persistent and consistent and ultimately your hard work will pay off.

There are a large number of contests that you can enter as a body building. Not only are there local competitions but there are also national body building contests that can be extremely competitive and gruelling so start at a local level and work your way up as your experience increases.

A ripped, cut, perfectly sculpted body is worth showing off. To learn how to perfect your body even further check out the website below where I compare the best body building programs and put them to the test.

Copyright 2007. Body builders are spending a fortune on body building products that just dont work. Thats why I put the so-called best body-building products to the test. Not all body building weight training products are created equally, nor do they live up to the amazing results that they promise. The shocking truth is exposed at my body building weight training review site. Only go with body building weight training products that you trust. To find out more go to http://www.body-building-natural.blogspot.com.

Stop Eating C.R.A.P. - The American Diet Is Filled With It

The American diet is full of C.R.A.P. (Caffeinated, Refined, Artificial, and Processed) Foods. We need to be more mindful of what we put into our bodies. We also need to be mindful of the internal pollution we put into our minds. The mind-Body connection tells us that all thoughts produce neurological and immunologic (Bio-Chemical) Changes. Begin to eat for your health; Eat for your metabolic type, be present with each mouthful, chew food to liquid and change your thoughts to practice positivity while eating. We are how we eat. If we eat in a stressed, rushed manner we are creating more of the same in our lives. When we begin to eat in a calm, meaningful and relaxed manner we become more of the same. Be very careful not to eat in anger as this can cause the same in the intestinal tract. An angry meal leads to an angry stomach, all of which can result in bringing the body into dis-ease. Stay away from the three white devils ( white flour, white rice and white sugar). Eat for peace not for stress.

STRESS leads to a metabolic imbalance as well as an energetic imbalance. There are 5 types of Stress (information provided by the C.H.E.K. Institute)

1. Psychic (spiritual, mental, emotional) 2. Nutritional (insufficient quantity or quality) 3. Chemical (toxic substances, non-nutritional dietary excesses) 4. Physical (postural, structural, traumatic, degenerative, thermal) 5. Electro-Magnetic (x-ray, microwave, geomagnetic, cosmic, etc.)

We must all learn to use UN-STRESS strategies to help keep us healthy:

Meditation, Visualization, Prayer, Yoga, Breathing, Tai chi, Budokon, stretching, hobbies, nature walks etc. These strategies serve to enhance the quality of our lives.

We also need to remember that every emotion is connected with a thought and vice versa- so emotional release therapy is important. Think of this as an emotional Detox. Just as it is important to detox the body, it is equally important to detox the mind.

We also need external help through: REIKI, ROLFING, WATSU, Chakra Balancing etc. We must take care of our bodies and mind- we can manage stress more effectively when we are fed well, well rested, well exercised and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Provide for your spiritual needs: The human body functions much best with attitudes of love, gratitude, forgiveness and humbleness.

Your health and stress level are extremely vital to each other. Your health should be the number one priority in your life. Release stress and get on with your path to live a healthy life! Purchase a great meditation CD at http://www.angelhealthinc.com/meditation.html">http://www.angelhealthinc.com/meditation.html

Marti Angel, MA "America's Health and Expert Lifestyle Coach" is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, Yoga Professor, RYT, Certified Meditation Instructor, Certified Metabolic Typing Advisor (Health Excel, Inc), Nutraceutical Consultant, Certified Health/Lifestyle Coach, motivational speaker and founder of the number one alternative therapies site on the web http://www.angelhealthinc.com/

Appreciating Health and Fitness

Practically everyone wants to be fit and feel good. Getting there however is sometimes incredibly difficult for some. It is important to understand just how important a healthy body is to your overall state of mind as well as your physical health.

One of the major problems affecting the United States as well as the rest of the world is a burgeoning rate of obesity. The statistics show that obesity is on an incredible rise and may soon become the norm for the majority of people. This carries with it some serious health risks. Type II Diabetes has becoming increasingly common and other weight related health problems are skyrocketing as well.

It is easy to sit back and say that it won't happen to you or that you'll do something about it tomorrow. But the fact remains that obesity and ill health are a problem and it is vital to take the steps to correct it. Even if you are not suffering from any weight problems, you may not be as healthy as you think. Poor diets and lack of exercise lead to increased cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and a myriad of other silent issues that can sneak up on you.

What can you do to begin a healthy life5B4style today instead of tomorrow? Start by taking one day to catalog each and every single thing you eat or drink during that day. Also make a note of any exercise that you get during this time. At the end of the day, add up how many calories and fat you consumed. Chances are, the numbers will shock you.

The average woman needs between 1200 to 1800 calories per day. The average American woman typically consumes more than 2000 on any given day. Males need an average of 1800 to 2500, but once again, actual consumption rates are much higher. To put this into perspective, it takes 3500 additional calories to gain one pound. If you are eating more than 500 calories than you need each day, this translates into the gain of one pound a week.

Once you know how many calories you are consuming you can begin to craft a lifestyle plan that will help you get within your goals. Try cutting out sodas or drinks that contain empty calories. This is a great way to drop an extra five to ten pounds. Look at your exercise level and see how you can increase your activity slowly. Try walking instead of taking the elevator, or walking during your lunch hour.

Small changes are much easier to make and it makes it so much easier to start living a healthy life. Your body will have time to adjust and won't begin hoarding calories if you take this approach. Start small and generally increase your level of activity as the weeks go by. You'll be making4F1 steady progress towards achieving a healthy body in no time at all and the best part is, you'll feel great doing it.

Insight Bridge, the most complete online self growth website connects you to success secrets, self-growth lessons, goal setting techniques, personal improvement resources and self help advice to support your life goals and fulfill your dreams.

The 10 Best Arm Building Exercises for Beginning Bodybuilders

Everybody has fun with Top 10 lists, and they sometimes contain information that you can actually use to improve your life or achieve a personal goal. If youre serious about building big, muscular arms, then this is the list for you! But before I give you my Top 10 list for arm-building success, let me explain my selection criteria.

First, the exercises on this list are simple and for beginners who need to start with a solid Foundation in arm-building fundamentals in order to achieve long-term success from their biceps, triceps and forearm workouts. Though Ive said that these exercises are simple, this does not mean that theyre easy. Their simplicity lies in the intuitive benefits that come from each arm-building movement and the fact that you can do these exercises with a minimal time commitment. Getting the most from these exercises will still require careful attention to training technique and workout variety the 2 keys to arm-building success that are not always easy for beginning bodybuilders.

In my experience, youre a beginner if youve been training your arms once or twice per week for 6 months or less. Youre also a beginner if you been trying to build your arms for more than 6 months with exercises other than those provided on my list. Why? Because if you havent mastered the arm-building exercises listed in my Top 10, youre not ready for the intermediate or advanced workout methods that youll eventually need to build truly Awesome Arms.

Second, to make my Top 10 list, the equipment needed for each arm-building exercise must be universally available. That means that you can do all of these exercises with dumbbells, an EZ-curl bar and a basic workout bench which you can find in any gym or health club. You can also do these exercises at home with a very small investment in this equipment for your home gym. Theres no need for fancy machines or trendy gimmicks here.

Finally, each of my Top 10 arm-building exercises will help you to simultaneously build mass, shape and power in your biceps, triceps and forearms. These muscle areas are directly targeted during each exercise to maximize growth and efficiency from your workouts.

Now that Ive told you how I came up with my list, here are the Top 10 exercises for building the big, muscular arms that you desire! Theyre not listed in any particular order, so theres no reason to think that one particular exercise is better than another. You must decide what works best for you through experimentation with each exercise. But rest assured that any arm-building program that includes all of these exercises will definitely add inches, symmetry and power to your biceps, triceps and forearms.

1. EZ Bar Preacher Curls

The EZ bar preacher curl is one of my all time favorite biceps exercises. The preacher bench is a terrific training tool as it forces the biceps to work in relative isolation from the back and shoulders. Unlike standing barbell curls which usually involve biceps-cheating torso swing, preacher curls keep your arms at an angle that forces your biceps to provide the leverage needed to lift the weight. The EZ curl bar offers both narrow-grip and wide-grip hand positions. When you use the narrow grip, your hands are in a semi-neutral position and therefore increase involvement of the brachioradialis in the curling motion. If you have no experience with preacher curls, you should probably begin with the narrow-grip position.

As you become more experienced with this exercise you should move to the wider grip as it forces supination or a palms up positioning of your hands. Since the biceps function primarily as a hand-supinator, the more you supinate your hands the more resistance you will place on your biceps. If youve got the potential to build biceps peaks, EZ bar preacher curls will certainly tap that potential.

2. Dumbbell Preacher Curls

The dumbbell preacher curl is another one of my favorite biceps builders. This exercise really allows you to make the mind-body connection so essential to arm-building success. While many competitive bodybuilders use this exercise exclusively as a shaper during pre-contest training, the dumbbell preacher curl also works as a tremendous mass builder when used in a pyramid cycle. In fact, this exercise is the best high intensity bodybuilding movement for simultaneously adding size and shape to your biceps.

3. Dumbbell Concentration Curls

As the name suggests, this exercise places concentrated resistance on the biceps when performed properly. Besides building your biceps, this exercise also stresses and develops the brachialis. The brachialis is a true forearm flexor. It originates on the lower anterior surface of the humerus, ends on the anterior surface of the coronoid process of the ulna (the large bone on the inside of the forearm) and is visible on the outside of the upper arm between the biceps and the lateral head of the triceps. Development of the brachialis and biceps gives the front of your upper arms that thick, dense look that says mess with me at your own risk!!

4. Seated Alternating Dumbbell Curls

This exercise is one of the best biceps builders ever as long as you sit on a bench that has a back rest to prevent torso movement. Too many people do this exercise either standing or sitting on a bench without back support. In order to make sure that your biceps get the most work from this movement you must stabilize your torso so as to prevent any jerking motion. Also, remember to supinate your hands throughout each repetition to stimulate maximum growth for your biceps.

5. EZ Bar Triceps Extensions

This exercise, also known as Skull crushers is a terrific mass-builder for your triceps. For maximum growth, EZ bar triceps extensions require that you keep your upper arms in a position perpendicular (90 degrees) to the exercise bench throughout each repetition. If this position causes you any elbow strain or discomfort, you can lower the angle by moving your arms slightly forward to reduce the stress on your elbows. Dont worry making this minor adjustment wont impede your ability to get the benefits of this exercise.

You should also place your hands in the narrow-grip position on the EZ bar which, when combined with proper arm position, ensures that each triceps head receives maximum resistance throughout the exercise motion. Lower and extend the weight in a smooth, continuous motion without jerking or swinging the bar with your back or shoulders. When done correctly, you cant beat EZ bar triceps extensions for building big, muscular triceps.

6. Triceps Pushups

Youre probably familiar with standard pushups which are performed with your arms in a shoulder width position. While standard pushups involve the triceps, chest and shoulders in the pushing motion, triceps pushups are designed to minimize chest and shoulder involvement so as to maximize training resistance on the triceps. This exercise is deceptively simple in that it appears to the untrained eye as just another pushup. But like every exercise on my Top 10 list, technique is extremely important and proper hand position determines whether these pushups will add muscular inches to your triceps.

For proper performance, take a standard pushup position with your hands and arms extended and shoulder-width apart. Then slide your hands closer together until your thumbs nearly touch each other. This is the starting position. With your hands in this position, slowly lower your arms underneath you and then push yourself back up to the starting position as you would with regular pushups. Make sure that you keep your back straight and your head up for maximum resistance on your triceps. As you extend your arms, concentrate mentally on maintaining proper form and technique with each repetition. For added resistance or pyramid cycles, have a training buddy gently place a 5-10 pound barbell plate on your back to force your triceps to work harder and build greater mass.

7. Seated Triceps Dips

Seated triceps dips are another terrific triceps builder, yet I can count on one hand the number of times Ive seen anyone doing them in the gym. Maybe people ignore them because, like triceps pushups, they look too simple to do any good. Well, the proof, as they say, is in the pudding, and seated triceps dips have certainly added considerable power and density to my triceps.

To do this exercise, sit on a workout bench with your legs together and extended on the floor in front of you. Your arms should be fully extended and shoulder-width apart behind you. Slide your body slightly forward to suspend yourself so that your arms are bearing your bodyweight between the bench and the floor. With your arms extended, lower yourself as though to sit on the floor and then push yourself back up by extending your arms and returning to the starting position. This exercise, when performed properly, will add tremendous power, shape and definition to your triceps guaranteed!

8. Single-Arm Triceps Extension

The single-arm triceps extension, also known as the French dumbbell press is a triceps-builder that I recommend primarily as a shaping movement. Although it is possible to build mass with this exercise, the over-head arm position may prevent you from using sufficient weight to generate the type of power and mass-building potential available from Skull crushers and triceps pushups. You should experiment with this exercise and use it in a manner that gives you the best results. But remember, I do not recommend using heavy weight with this movement because of the risk of shoulder injury. Consistent use of light-to-moderate weight will provide the best results from this triceps builder.

9. Reverse-Grip EZ Bar Curls

This exercise puts primary stress on the brachioradialis and extensor muscles of the dorsal or outer surface of your forearms. Since your hands are pronated in the narrow-grip position, your wrists are extended which forces involvement of the extensor carpi radialis and extensor carpi ulnaris. This pronated or palms down positioning of the hands also takes the biceps out of this exercise, which isolates the brachioradialis as the primary forearm flexor. If youre serious about building big, muscular forearms, reverse-grip EZ bar curls are a good first step.

10. Wrist Curls

Wrist curls work to develop the two large muscles on the inside portion of the anterior surface of the forearm. These muscles, the flexor carpi ulnaris and flexor carpi radialis, are the wrist flexors and combine to form a thick, muscular region from the elbow to the lower forearm. While these muscles do considerable work during your biceps curling movements, wrist curls isolate these flexors so as to maximize resistance on this section of your forearms. If you want to add thickness and power to your inner forearms, heavy wrist curls will do the job.

So, there you have it my Top 10 list of arm-building exercises for beginning bodybuilders. Try them, have fun with them, and make sure that you use safe amounts of weight and proper training technique with every exercise. You'll be very happy with the results!

Mark G. Winston, "The Master Gunslinger," is author of the ground-breaking training manual, "GO For Your GUNS 7 Simple Secrets to AWESOME ARMS. He has also created GOforyourGUNS.com, a bodybuilding and fitness website dedicated entirely to helping you build big, muscular arms. The book will be available in September 2007 and jammed with workouts and training techniques to help you build the big, muscular arms that you deserve! To learn about the GO For Your GUNS bodybuilding system and get free arm training tips that really work, visit http://www.GOforyourGUNS.com