» Archive for June, 2005

Advertising in Blog RSS Feeds

Thursday, June 30th, 2005 by Maryam Webster

D.L. Byron of Blog Business Summit has some interesting things to say about the state of the blogosphere. If you’re using your blog as a marketing tool, to gain passive revenue (hey, EFT Bloggers - this means you!) and especially, revenue by text advertising, you’ll want to give the below a good read. Ad feeds in RSS - something we were discussing over at EasyBake Weblogs not long ago. Cross-posted the below there as well. If you’re making a lot of your income through advertising, you may want to pay heed to this:

Earlier this week, Keith removed ads from his RSS feeds because they weren’t generating any revenue. Roger Johansson removed them as well. A problem with ads in feeds is that they’re not contextual (see Slashdot’s feed for an example). Adsense for feeds has much better text matching and text ads work, when they get the user to their goal. But in RSS, the goal is to read the feed, not specifically find a product or topic.

Headlines, blurbs, links

If others find that RSS ads aren’t working, we may also see bloggers returning to summary posts in RSS because they’ll want to drive readers to their sites and ads. Summaries v. full posts in RSS has been debated at length. Where some argue that design is secondary to the text and want the full post, others argue that the text is meant to be read in the context of the site and RSS is good for headlines, blurbs, links. NY Times and BBC News continue to offer summary posts, as noted by Dave Winer in his response to a comment from Calcanis on RSS ads. Winer also notes that, “RSS itself is an advertising medium,” because its driving readers to the site where the ads are. I haven’t seen this yet, but a visual, interstitial ad between the “read more” in your RSS and web page maybe coming. . .

::: More :::

Energy Magic & The Gospels of Success

Wednesday, June 29th, 2005 by Maryam Webster

Periodically I engage in the entirely self-centered act of re-reading old diary entries. It’s soothing to chart growth that way or to look at areas that still need attention. Someone queried me today about my "Gospels" so I mined around in the archives of several years back and had a look at that entry again. Thing bears repeating, it’s a good ‘un, and generally links into the requisite pattern for a healthy person to successfully perform energy magic. This is reposted from when a lot of people were dying in my life and a few were considering whether to go on their own terms or not. Makes you think, go inward and get real with yourself. In this context, perhaps some of the below might possibly make more sense to folks.

I’d also be interested to know what you think on this subject. Read the below, then click "Comment?" to put your .02 in the stew…

Read the rest of this entry »

In Here & Out There: The Scientific Structure of Magic

Tuesday, June 28th, 2005 by Maryam Webster

I’ve been re-reading Wayne Dyer’s mid-90’s masterpiece Your Sacred Self: Making The Decision To Be Free these last few months. It’s a book I enjoy savoring over and over again, chapter by slow chapter, and sometimes paragraph by re-considered paragraph. Much of it pertains to the principles of quantum physics and energy therapy. Dyer says: 

"Particles appear to come into existence only when we observe them. Only when a conscious decision is made to view a particle, does the wave actually individualize and become a separate identity.

Our attention directed to the formless wave energy is what creates the reality that we call particle, or solid…or the physical world…The subatomic particles spring into existence and disappear, depending on the observer."

This is basic energy magic, and the science behind the oft-thought-trite idea that we are the creators of our own reality. When I first started hearing this phrase back in the early 80’s in the human potential movement, like many others I thought "oh please! give me some hard facts!". But the sages and gurus and teachers who have been telling us this since forever, had quantum physics beat by centuries. Our "hard fact" sciences have only just caught up. The basics are as Dyer points out:

1. While our bodies appear to be solid, we are in fact, masses of energetic particles stuck together in one place. And even at that, we are not solid, this energy ebbs and flows.

2. The mass we think of as our physical body coheses together by virtue of the fact that our consciousness (another energetic mass) has decided upon this physical form as a focal point of existence.

3. The "reality" that is manifested around us is subject to change, based on the simple concept of A.I.R. Giving Attention to that which we wish to change, making a definitively stated Intention to effect change, plus copious Repetition of our attention and repetitive reaffirmation of that intention/s.

4. Change what you place your attention on, change the intentions you approach life with and reinforce this repetitively, and change will happen in your life.

A simple experiment will prove this point to you. Recall the first time a new pet or person from a place you’ve never been, came into your life. You may have gotten for instance, a Siamese cat, and decided they were the best breed in the world. Then all of a sudden, you find that you’re seeing and hearing about Siamese cats everywhere. Not dogs, ferrets or hamsters, but cats. Not Burmese, Persian or Maine Coon cats either - but Siamese.

Ditto the person from a place you’ve never been to that you take an active interest in. Once you start hanging out with your new buddy from Des Moines, suddenly everything’s coming up Iowa all over the place. Newspaper mentions of Iowa - Des Moines even, seem to be on the increase. You hear about Iowa on the radio and tv when you could swear you never did before. It’s because your Attention is there, your inquisitive mind wants to find out more, setting your Intention to subconsciously go looking for mentions of the new interest. You do this Repetitively, many times a day and not suprisingly, the object of your focus appears to become more frequent in your life. You’ve just done a simple act of Manifestation in the physical. And this formula works time and again, equally well for changes in your self, your environment and the world around you.

See? Magic!

Dyer goes on to quote Gary Zukav in The Dancing Wu Li Masters:

"What is out there apparently depends, in a rigorous mathematical sense, as well as a philosophical one, on what we decide in here…"

and comments himself:

"You can decide what is in here by facing a new direction. Know that what you are observing and placing your attention upon will affect what goes on outside. You will co-create a world of bliss and spiritual consciousness if that is where you choose to place your attention. This is science talking now, letting you know that the mechanics of the universe and your sacred quest are the same process."

Keeping your attention on desired change is the hardest part of making the magic work. Here’s some help:

* Mnemonic aids such as daily affirmations, chanting and a regular practice of meditation help to embed your new intentions to yourself firmly in future memory…and thus into your everyday waking reality.

* Regular practice of EFT, TAT or other energy therapy method will help you remove all the negative beliefs that you "can’t" or "shouldn’t" create a different reality for yourself. Once those are gone, daily practice focused using your Intentions as treatment affirmations will help you embed your new reality even more solidly into your everyday experience. 

So what are you waiting for? Kwitcherbitchin and get busy! This is the formula to change misery to happiness and get what you’ve always wanted. Shift, turn and change into what you’ve always wanted to be.

This is both easy and extremely difficult, as life provides more than we want of diversions. But it can be done. It’s how I crafted my broken spine into a supple willow, to its former "clinking, clanking, collection of collagenous junk" to quote the Wizard of Oz. I walk now becuase of this magic, and the determination never fight for my limitations, but instead celebrate and encourage infinite possibilities. As Richard Bach said in his book Illusions: "If you fight for your limitations, you will achieve them." Focus instead on infinite possibilities - and choose one of those to be your specific focus for today.

You can literally do anything you set your mind to! It’s easy, it just requires A.I.R. - Attention, Intention and Repetition. Plus liberal dollops of love, wonder, patience and perseverance…

What focus will you choose?

San Francisco Business Blogging Summit

Monday, June 27th, 2005 by Maryam Webster

If you didn’t know there was going to be a big left-coast Business Blogging Summit, check out the Registration Info at DL Byron’s Blog Business Summit weblog. This summit takes place in San Francisco, August 17-19 (including a pre-conference "Intro to Business Blogging" workshop that can be taken as a stand-alone. The speakers from the recent Seattle event alone (many of whom will be making repeat appearances) are worth going for: Brian Alvey from Weblogs Inc. Network will be there, Biz Stone, legendary Blogger maven and former Xanga Creative Director, Molly E. Holzschlag, dugged “one of the greatest digerati” and influential women on the Web, SixApart/TypePad’s edgy Anil Dash and a host of other bloggerati majori you can read about here.

They’re making it a grand affair at the historic Palace Hotel in downtown SF - a venue I’m used to appearing at highly coiffed in heels and a business suit. Host to many lavish celebrity parties in the 40’s & 50’s, the Palace is still renowned for its extensive Sunday brunch buffet in the sumptuous Garden Court grand dining room. If you’re planning on going to the Biz Blogging Summit, do plan on taking in the Sunday brunch, followed perhaps by a leisurely walk through the Golden Gate Park’s Strybing Arboretum. Don’t forget the historic, glass-domed Conservatory of Flowers at the Arboretum, and for afters, coffee in the trendy North Beach area…perhaps at the ever-yummy Caffe Greco as an elegant end to cap off your BizBlogging weekend.

Save me a cappucino and a hot cross trackback!

Let’s Do “The Turbo Tap”!

Saturday, June 25th, 2005 by Maryam Webster

From Gary Craig’s EFT newsletter, reprinted by permission, a "must do" for all you Tappers out there: The Turbo Tap! Gary introduces it and Ryan continues…

Here is a very clever use of EFT designed to resolve many aspects of an issue in a concentrated period of time. Ryan Harrison gives us a detailed and fascinating account of this process with a client addicted to a soft drink. Seasoned EFT’ers will instantly see its potential for very wide use with most issues. The menopausal women I work with LOVE "Turbo Tapping" for symptoms elimination and dealing with brain fuzz. Clears your head in a flash!


Hi Gary — I wanted to share with you something I have been experimenting with in my own practice. I’ve seen more success than not with this technique, and I think in large part that is due to simply how much ground is covered when I use it. It might sound kind of silly or inappropriate, but I call it "Turbo Tapping" — and I’ve used it on many different kinds of issues (e.g. cold symptoms, anger toward a parent, fear of working on issues, addictions, etc.). Intuition plays a large part in the success of this technique — at least for me — but I’m sure that even without the "finesse" that comes with intuition people would find themselves leveling forests-full of metaphoric negative trees.

Anyway, to the "technique":

1. I always state that "we’re going to get serious with this now," or something along those lines, because I find it really sharpens my clients’ attention. Many of them sit straighter in their chairs and really focus in on me and what I’m telling them. The improved posture and the sharpened intent really create a positive shift, helping to allow energy to flow easier and more readily.

2. I ask the client to tell me everything they can about the issue at hand. And then, as they speak, I write like crazy so I catch as many phrases and nuances as I can in my notes. If they get stuck, I offer suggestions to help them come up with more aspects, etc.

Background and example: A woman with whom I was working had an incredible addiction to the soft drink Coke. It was all she drank, literally — 5 or 6 bottles a day.

As a Nutritional Consultant, I had advised her that many of her uncomfortable physical symptoms were likely related to this addiction, and she agreed that she’d like to kick it, but obviously couldn’t without some help. I told her that I knew it was possible, and that I was certain we could get her to actually DISLIKE Coke by the end of a session. Naturally, she was incredulous.

I asked her to produce the unopened bottle of Coke that I suggested she bring to the session. I took it from her, unscrewed the top and asked her to simply smell it. Though I’ve dealt with addictions before, I was surprised at her reaction. Her hands shot out toward the bottle and she started breathing quickly. She really wanted that soda! At that point, I took a SUDs level (on a scale of 0 - 10 she exclaimed she was certainly a 10, and that she "HAD to have it"). Then I had her take the smallest little sip and took another SUDs level ("20!" she said, and was still visibly shaking).

I capped the bottle, put it out of sight, and then with my pen and paper at the ready, I asked her to tell me:

WHY she liked it – "It tastes good" — "It’s sweet" — "It makes me feel cool" — "I like its caramel color" — "I like the fizz when it tickles my nose," etc.

WHERE she liked it — "I buy it at the drive through on the way to work every morning" — "I drink it in my car" — "I drink it in my office" — "I get it at X Mexican Restaurant with my lunch" — "I always drink it in my living room," etc.

WHEN she liked it — "When I’m with friends" — "When I’m at work" — "When I’m watching TV or a movie" — "When I’m on the road" — "When I’m lonely or depressed" — "When it’s really hot outside" — "When I have lunch or dinner," etc.

HOW she liked it — "Really cold" — "With a straw" — "In a glass with crushed ice" — "In those big 24 oz. bottles," etc.

In addition to all these things, I also wrote down any "stray" comments that felt important, such as: "Y’know, my mother always had Coke around," and "That girl Maya on the Coke commercial is totally sexy," etc. It all comes in useful with Turbo Tapping.

3. I tell the client that in a moment we’ll begin "what I call Turbo Tapping, which means that I’ll lead you through many quick tapping sequences. So it’s important that you follow me, repeating the phrases I use at each point." Again, this serves to really tune them into what we’re doing, and bring our intention into focus together.

4. Then I start on the karate chop point with a simple, global statement. "Even though I am totally addicted to Coke…"

5. After one full round (including the 9 Gamut), I start tapping on everything from my list, moving from point to point quickly and keeping eye-to-eye contact with my client as well as I can. And this is precisely where my intuition really kicks in. Beginning with the first aspect on my list, I begin to feel "impressions" that direct the tapping and usage of key words and phrases.

For me, the use of intuition in Turbo Tapping is like a shortcut to success. Sometimes I stay on one aspect for a whole sequence ("I like it really cold"), other times I’ll combine aspects in a single sequence, alternating between meridian points (e.g. "My mother always had Coke at home," and "I drink Coke when I’m lonely or depressed"). I follow my intuition when I move from one aspect to another, not necessarily going in the order in which I wrote them down. Sometimes, I even bring out new aspects that need to be named and disarmed, often to the surprise but complete agreement of my client. Sometimes I direct the tapping with one hand, other times with two. Really, it’s a giant "flow" moment, and the more present I am with that flow, the better the results and the more focused my client is during the whole process.

While I think that intuition is really quite helpful in this technique, I also imagine that just going through all the points quickly, in rapid succession, can collapse many of the aspects. Indeed, if you do enough tapping, something has got to move! The quickness of this technique doesn’t allow the mind to stray, especially if the client has to follow my lead and hear/say what I’m suggesting. This kind of focus really helps, I believe, and is possible even without heavy reliance on intuition.

6. The entire process usually takes about 30 minutes. At the end, the majority of the time, my client is exhausted, which signifies to me that a lot of energy has been released (I’m very rarely tired out by this, myself, which I feel supports my theory). This is the time for testing the results.

I brought the Coke back out. No reaction from her. I unscrewed the top and had her smell it. "Wow," she sounded shocked. "It smells so sweet!" I asked her to taste it, but she didn’t want to. A little pressure got her to sip it lightly and her response was classic: "Blech! All I taste is chemicals!" I responded, "That’s what Coke is!" Then I too took a sip and to my astonishment that’s all I tasted as well! Tapping with her had totally negated any draw I had felt — even subconsciously — toward Coke. We laughed together at the faces we were making, having tried the soda and having found it totally disgusting. Then she happily dumped it down the drain and we both downed large glasses of filtered water instead.

7. I always try to end a "Turbo Tapping" session with a Choice (a la Dr. Carrington). With the client’s help, we fashion a statement that resonates with him or her. I write down the affirmation on a card and tell them to "tap this in" three times in the morning and three times at night, using the procedure as outlined in Dr. Carrington’s "Choices" manual. "Even though I’ve had this Coke addiction, I choose to be incredibly happy and healthy while drinking water."

That concludes the tapping session.

One year later, my client had still not had a single Coke. She went to her family’s for the holidays and decided to have a soda — the first time in a year! She said she took one sip, tasted the sugar-laced chemicals and simply didn’t want any more of it. Period. Today, she has been "healed" of her addiction for a year and a half and as a direct result, has noticed a cessation of many of her physical ailments (e.g. bloating, cramps, digestive issues, etc.). All this from 30 minutes of Turbo Tapping!

You just gotta love this EFT stuff!

Warm regards, Ryan N. Harrison, MA, HHP, NC, EFT-ADV

Authenticity and Genuineness

Tuesday, June 21st, 2005 by Maryam Webster

I just commented over on the E-Mediator Blog in response to their queries about authenticity and genuineness. You might like to read this comment, it has a lot to do with how I perceive a coach and mentor needs to conduct themselves in the world and particularly on their blog, where written record is made, even if you erase prior entries (thanx to Google caching and related phenomenae). The Truth is simultaneously a virus, the best defense and the most interesting of all possible stories. It is also malleable, suggestible and prone to distortion depending upon viewpoint. Care to comment on this? Be my guest!  :-)

Buddhism, Bodhicitta & EFT for Road Rage

Tuesday, June 21st, 2005 by Maryam Webster

I was on a little trip today from San Jose up to Berkeley. It had been several years since I’d done this trip and by heck, the traffic was something else again! Tons worse than the last time I drove this stretch of 880. After three sudden stops necessitated by unaware drivers bulling ahead as if they were the only car on the road, I began chatting up a non-stop stream to myself about it: "Lookit that guy, willya? I mean just LOOK! What an idiot! What a moron! You’d have to be a total dipshit to do a stupid thing like that! He almost killed that whole van full of cub scouts!" ad nauseum. As I fumed I began tapping - after all, I was stuck at a dead stop in traffic. And then I remembered the Coolest Spell of All ™ - guaranteed to bust through any block you have, including the 880-580 interchange sea of idling autos.

I’ve been re-reading Wayne Dyer’s Your Sacred Self: Making the Decision To Be Free and doing meditations on the Dalai Lama’s May, 2001 talk on Bodhicitta. Both suggest that to achieve greater spiritual awareness and development, you wish the absolute best of things and a release of suffering for others, as you also wish for yourself (release of menopausal symptoms for myself and all my friends and clients, thank you Universe!). This has a round-about boomerang effect of getting you what you want and helping out the planet and its sentient life as a whole. Wish happiness for the whole world AND the jerk - oops, I mean the blessed being who just cut you off in traffic (he needs blessings more than most - so do I also, need blessings, so it is) - and happiness will be yours. The specific Buddhist saying is from a beautiful poem by Shantideva that says in part:

Enthused by compassion and wisdom Today in Buddha’s presence I generate the mind of compassion For the benefit of all sentient beings.

For as long as space remains And as long as sentient beings remain Until then may I too remain To dispel the suffering of all beings.

I wasn’t entirely sure I bought into this at first, but as I’ve meditated on it over the years, I’ve seen that it’s a powerful piece of magic that does indeed work. It’s the Karmic Law of Three: what you send out returns to you threefold. If you send out hate, distrust and bitterness, that’s what you’ll receive in return, from every possible source around you. The worse your life gets, the more you complain bitterly about it, and the worse your life gets… 

I blogged on this a few weeks ago . I made conscious a decision to start working from the mind of compassion, or at least to aspire to *have* a mind of compassion, and to use as a test-case, The Road. So instead of my usual Road Rant persona, I’m practicing blessing instead of cursing-at, and wishing the best possible outcomes for all beings - especially while on the road. I’m not perfect at it, but goodness me, what a change I’m noticing already! As per Wayne Dyer’s commentary about things which happen when you start freeing yourself, the coincidences are coming thicker and faster than ever before. One of those coincidences happened on the road to Berkeley tonight…read on if you’d like an EFT recipe that really works!

Read the rest of this entry »

Moondoves & The Poopsnake

Saturday, June 18th, 2005 by Maryam Webster

Old hotel bathroom mural.  Moondoves!

Hyatt St. Claire mural in the bathroom of our top-floor room. From here we have a marvellous view of the Marriott across the way and can log into their free wireless. <*grin*> We are staying in a hotel in the town we live in, as tomorrow is a kickin’ Juneteenth celebration out by the Poopsnake (aka, San Jose’s answer to the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, that the artist interpreted as a giant coiled pile of…you guessed it) in Plaza de Cesar Chavez.

On Tuesday, this most ancient of hotels in this city is to be sold and for all the citizens know, its Romantic era carved, inlaid, marbled and ornately embellished furnishings may well be scrapped. Including the hand-painted murals in every room and the marvellous marble fireplaces like the one in the room we’re staying in. We thought we’d get our kicks for our first and last time before the debacle. We dine at the hotel restaurant Il Fornaio on a regular basis, but have never stayed here. When you live in the town, why would you?

A night away from the crazy kids (for which read: crack-smokin’ kitties…well they *act* like they smoke crack sometimes!) and a homebase for the morrow’s celebration. We’re enjoying our weekend - and hope you enjoy yours…

Borrowing Benefits - Coming Up!

Friday, June 17th, 2005 by Maryam Webster

Are you registered yet for Monday’s Borrowing Benefits telegathering? We’re gonna tap, talk and "get busy" on the following:

  • Why I had to miss last month’s gathering (it’s a doozy!)
  • Energy Therapies in the Emergency Room (calm a freakin’ out room down all by your lonesome)
  • Breast Health and how you can enhance yours (it’s not just for us ladies, guys!)
  • And of course, "Borrowing Benefits"  to get your own issue eliminated during an energy therapy session with a brave and generous volunteer
  • Did I mention you don’t even have to say what your issue is? Complete privacy is yours as the issues simply drain away. You’ll learn how, if you don’t know already.
  • And a bargain, considering an hour of my time is worth over $100. This is the one day in the month that I offer consultation in group format, absolutely FREE!

It’s on MONDAY June 20th, it’s FREE, and it’s at NOON Pacific time. You can get all the info and connection codes by sending a blank email to our autoresponder here. Please note that no one actually sees these emails, this is a robot autoresponder only. if you want to contact us, do so here.

EFT BLOG CLASS UPDATE!!!

Tomorrow at 10am PDT, I will be joining Andy Wibbels and EFT Creator Gary Craig in our "Blogging For EFT: Getting The Word Out To The World" class. The class is already WAY over-subscribed, so we’re putting the MP3 audio on the web when we finish. You can sign up to be notified when the MP3 is up at the original sign-up page here.

Enjoy your weekend!

Further on Aluminum Toxicity & Health

Tuesday, June 14th, 2005 by Maryam Webster

Well cripes. I just found out that one of my so-called organic deodorants contains alum, which (you think I’d have picked up on the word derivation) is an aluminum salt. So out it goes. Which one is it? Uncharacteristically, the "Kiss My Face: Liquid Rock" copped to it right on the label. I also highly suspect the "Natural Crystal" rock spray and similar solid "crystal rock" deodorants as they’re of a piece with the KMF claims. They say "natural mineral salts" on the label and never come out with exactly *what*, but heck, aluminum is a naturally occuring mineral, (ditto bauxite, from which it comes) so anything that lists either alum or bauxite is suspect. A tiny taste-test (I washed out my mouth with rosewater!) revealed it all - there was a definite, alum-like acridity about the Natural Crystal Rock spray.

Well shoot. Back to the drawing board.

And back to my old favorite, baking soda. Which incidentally is sodium carbonate from salt (sodium chloride) and limestone (calcium carbonate) mixed together in a reaction known as the Solvay Process. To my knowledge, neither of these compounds have negative health implications unless you ingest too much of them (salt). So I’ve removed the Kiss My Face and Natural Crystal Rock spray from the lineup, and am making my own concoction.

Auntie M’s Pit-Stop Deodorant Powder

When I was in college, first going vegan and utterly broke, I couldn’t afford the fancy organic deodorants so I made this baking soda/cornstarch mix. As I remember, it worked pretty well until I ran out of money to buy more oils. In a glass bowl mix half baking soda and half cornstarch - any amounts, just half-n-half. If you’re allergic to corn, you might want to eliminate the cornstarch. But if you put it in, you’ll eliminate the need for baby powder to take down the tackiness of your wet/stick mix deodorants. Baking soda is not enough by itself to accomplish this.

Add tea tree oil (just a drop - it’s STRONG!), lavender, sage and lemon oils - a total of no more than 6 drops per cup of dry mix. I also liked a scant drop of neroli as a scent-sweetener, though you can use rose or ylang-ylang or just amp up the amount of lavender or citrus. This is reading like a cake recipe! But it’s better than aluminum

Mash all this around in a glass bowl with a fork until well mixed - some folks put this mix in the blender, but cleanup can be difficult as the oils scent sticks to plastics. Store in a glass jar, out of the sunlight (which can degrade essential oils) and apply with a powder puff over other, wetter organic deodorants. Keeps well and for about 6-8 months. If you use Tea Tree and Sage, it’s going to help you free from fungi as well, so feel free to go ahead and powder those barking dogs of yours. Great for sprinkling in the shoes as well.

Enjoy!