Everyday Bliss

Barry Spector’s eloquently provocative article on the veiled and subjugated nature of women in burkhas and their mythic psychological effects on the western male (and female) is a must-read at one of my favorite blogs, The Headline Muse. Excerpted from Chapter Four ("The Return of the Repressed") of his forthcoming book: Madness At The Gates Of The City: Dionysus And America in the 21^st Century, the article delves into the deep mythology surrounding male and female roles, with specificity to the Western male’s traditional view of "oriental" culture. Whether you agree or not, teachings which connect us to the mythic brought to life in the present are always worth a read.

Catch Spector’s thought provoking missive here: http://www.headlinemuse.com/Culture/revengeburkha.htm

I am honored to have been asked by Blogmeister and Podcasting Guru Andy Wibbels, to be one of an experienced cadre of successful small business people giving advice "from the trenches", via podcast at www.bizslap.com.

Listen from your plain vanilla desktop audio processor, or download the podcast feed via several different directories. It’s all here at www.bizslap.com. Even if you’re NOT in business, do listen my slap "What the Hell were you thinking?!" on the futility of selling ice to Eskimos and other marketing self-sabotage techniques. I’m really talking about The Power of Intention and practical ways to make it work, for you Wayne Dyer fans in the audience. Click the Grey Icon for my podcast, and the Red Icon for full BizSlap Feed, comin’ to ya fresh as a cheeky young monkey twice a week:

*SMACK!* You’ve officially been BizSlapped!

PS: For French readers and the Francophiles among us: A Very Happy Bastille Day

Afraid you’re going to be "doing therapy" if you use Energy modification methods in your Coaching? First, use any EFT, BSFF, TAT or any other energy therapy method you know to take care of the fear. Then look at what Dave Buck, CEO of CoachVille had to say in his April, 2004 "State of the Ville" address on this issue:

“ Coaching in business and life presents the same basic formula. In order to thrive, you must help the client see – to make order out of the chaos inside them and all around them. When a person hires a coach – to go for something important to them – you can be sure that they will bump up against growth-related issues. As a result, coaches must be ready to delve deeply into life and create awareness of what is happening both inside and outside. In order to do this we must get past our "fear of doing therapy". Coaching and therapy share the domain of psychology but they are different things and it is essential that we stop trying to compare and contrast them. The more you talk about what you are NOT, the more you are affected by it. A few key points:

• Talking deeply about life is NOT the sole domain of psychotherapy
• Talking about the past is NOT the sole domain of psychotherapy
• Coaches are teachers. And one of the areas that coaches teach about is "how life works"
• Anyone with a life is qualified to share what they have learned from their own perspective
• As long as you are not diagnosing and attempting to heal a "mental illness", you are not doing psychotherapy.

I think it is inevitable that therapists will see coaches as invading their "turf" to some degree but we have to stop focusing on that and start focusing on doing great coaching. I think the new definition will help. One last point. My friend and colleague Barbara Weiland-Marks (a trained psychotherapist) says it best: "You can’t legislate personal growth". ”

- Dave Buck in his April 2004 CoachVille Members Announcement

Well said Dave, and Barbara. In addition, whether you are certified or not, I believe anyone doing coaching has the responsibility to their clients to be trained as a Coach. Many are hanging out their shingles with no more than an interest and perhaps some experience in a healing therapy or similar occupation. But take it from a psychotherapist with over 20 years experience – while I was a fantastic therapist, I wasn’t thoroughly able to attain and maintain a standard of excellence as a coach, until I retrained as one.

There are many fine schools out there, both virtual universities as well as in-person experiential academies. If you want to coach, and especially to be an energy coach, have a good, coaching school foundation before you hang out your shingle or take graduate coach training such as The Certified Energy Coach Program. Your clients deserve it, and so do you.  Do the research and find a reputable coaching school suited to your budget and the way that you learn best. Be prepared to both learn and have lots of fun. And when you’ve graduated, you and your clients will have the assurance they are being served in the best way possible.

As most of you know, I used EFT to get past my sugar cravings easily and effectively. I even taught an EFT class a couple of years ago to a group of sugarholics led by Connie Bennett,  coordinator of the "Sugar Shocked!" community and anti-sugar maven. It was a great course, and the people were so eager to get over their sugar cravings that energy therapies were just the add-on to the fabulous techniques Connie teaches.

Now I see courtesy of BlogFather Andy Wibbels, that Connie has started her own blog: http://www.sugarshockblog.com/. It’s full of great information on how to kick sugar, the absolute evil that refined sugars do to our bodies and ways to eat and live without disease. Especially if you’re a menopausal or peri-menopausal woman, you need to get the sugar out of your diet to live a truly sweeter life. Check  it out!

My husband and I were having nopales and scrambled egg burritos at Alicia’s Restaurant this morning, discussing the collapse of the Roman and Mayan civilizations. Specifically, about the precursors that led to those collapses that are now appearing across the world. Without getting too far into it, you can read more in Jared Diamond’s eye-opening book Collapse: How Socieities Choose To Fail or Succeed.

Suffice to say that our society is increasingly moving towards a haves/have-not’s paradigm. One of the characteristics that is currently defining the "have-nots" is lack of health insurance and medical care, which is why I am concentrating my learning and teaching on energy modifications that can be use to effect superior mental and physical health without the use of any devices, medicines or externals. Plus which, meditations and daily practice that constantly upgrade our internal selves and cause us to sort for that which will have the greatest positive effect for all concerned.

Wayne Dyer speaks of this in Your Sacred Self: Making The Decision To Be Free in the chapter everyone should read if nothing else: Recognizing The Limitations of Your Past. One of the things Dyer speaks of releasing, is the idea that "More Is Better" – otherwise known as "Keeping up with the Joneses". Below are Dyer’s simple recommendations for Releasing "More Is Better". Whomever you are, you NEED THESE TIPS, so do keep reading…

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TODAY July 7th at 12:00 NOON, Pacific Time. Purpose of  the call:

* To BE IN ACTION, and SET OUR INTENT for Peaceful co-existence (or get clear on what your own personal intent for this time actually is)

* To support anyone who wants to talk, vent or simply connect

* To tap away the sadness, fear, anger and grief with EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques)

Please join me on a special LONDON BOMBING SUPPORT CALL today, Friday the 8th of July at NOON PACIFIC TIME, 3pm EASTERN TIME, 8pm UNITED KINGDOM here:

Dial-In Number: 641-297-7200 Participant PIN: 952028#

Coaches, friends, family, others who want to work for peace in the world, we all know that a combined effort is a mighty one. Please spread the word widely about this call so that all can benefit. You might want to have my tutorial on EFT handy to illustrate the tapping points, or to go over in detail if you miss the call. Again, it’s available here:

http://quantumflow.com/eftbasics.html

And again, here is the quickie tapping video: http://maryamwebster.blogs.com/videos/EFT_For_LondonBombing.mov

Beloved Friends, I’m wearing my tie-dye today in support of Peace, Love and Happier Times and I’m sharing here too, this very-quickie video of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) tapping to help folks get past the terror, sadness, anger & grief we’re all feeling. (after only four hours sleep with no makeup – but lookin’ crappy doesn’t *even* matter at this point) You’ll need this info for our FREE SUPPORT CALL tomorrow at noon (see item #6, below) If you’re in a hurry to get started though, go here to get the full instructions:

http://quantumflow.com/eftbasics.html

Then click on the picture at upper left to launch the quickie tapping video. You’ll need both to really get it, if you’ve never done EFT before, but rejoice – it’s easy! Below are a great collection of Tips on how to Take Relevant, Intentional Action, Feel Safer in the World, a Free Telegathering tomorrow for you to take part in, and  instruction on how to deal with your emotions at this time. Enjoy the relaxation that follows, and know that none of us are alone…

What We Can Do Just before a session with my own coach today, I heard that two of my dear friends are potential victims of the London bombings. I came onto our call in shock, tapping, using EFT to clear my distress, but very off-center. We spoke about how very much our hearts went out to those in England who are the victims, and the families and friends of the victims, and the sense of disempowerment and futility I felt.

But in the midst of that futility, the EFT kicked in and I calmed down as if by magic. I also remembered back almost four years ago, when I was privileged to be one of the coordinators of spiritual people in a worldwide prayer, magical ritual and meditation for peace at midnight, the night of 9/11. Staggeringly, what we thought would be a small, hundreds-strong effort, circled the globe nine or ten times at the close of that fateful day and many, many thousands wrote to say that they had joined in. And I remembered that my effort, small though it might be on its own counts, and our combined effort counts even more.

To our dear friends and colleagues in England:

Our hearts, our minds, our prayers and our fervent wishes for peace are with you at this time. Please know that we in the U.S. are here for you and stand firmly by your side in the face of this tragedy, as you stood by ours during the aftermath of 9/11/2001.

We are here. We stand strong beside you, heart to heart, hand in hand. Please use that strength as you need it in the coming days and months. And too, there are other tools and actions you can take, particularly if you are as I was, feeling disempowered and as if your own efforts are an exercise in futility. Please know that they aren’t, and consider:

POSITIVE HEALING STEPS TO TAKE IN THE WAKE OF WORLD TRAGEDY

1) Set your intention NOW, that you are going to be PART OF THE SOLUTION. How that manifests is up to you. You can meditate, pray, work magical rituals for peace and healing, join political movements, contribute to the Red Cross or other organizations that comfort the victims of tragedy. You can offer "survival and getting on with life" coaching, sympathetic ears or volunteerism to those affected by this tragedy. Or whatever your heart leads you to, just SET your intention and DO IT NOW.

We KNOW that extremely focused intention can literally move mountains by restructuring the flow of energy at quantum levels. I just posted on this at my blog for the science-minded, a relevant portion of which is:

"The ‘reality’ that is manifested around us is subject to change, based on the simple concept of A.I.R:

A.ttention to that which we wish to change – dogged, persistent Attention I.ntention to effect change – Intention that is hyper-focused upon, like a dog with a bone R.epetition – Constant Repetition of our Attention and repetitive reaffirmation of our Intention/s.

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 and in the world at large."

You can read the whole article in the archives if you wish: http://maryamwebster.blogs.com/sage_wisdom/2005/06/in_here_out_the.html

2) If you or others you know are suffering from the trauma of these events, you can relieve your suffering, often in minutes, with the very powerful energy modification technique known as "Emotional Freedom Technique". Go to my website for full instructions:

http://www.quantumflow.com/eftbasics.html

To cut to the meat, scroll down to the purple title: "EFT In a Nutshell – Here’s How" and start reading/tapping. This stuff works very quickly once you get it in hand. Print out the tapping points picture to have in front of you while you read the instructions.

3) Again, check out the quick video of EFT tapping technique before you check into tomorrow’s SPECIAL SUPPORT CALL (see #6, below).

4) If you’re feeling isolated, alone and your feelings of ineffectualness in the face of this tragedy are mounting, get out! Go and connect with others wherever you might find them. Places that tend to bring you out of yourself at times like this and which may have special programming to help you vent, share and cope are: churches, synagogues, mosques, community centers, coffee shops, libraries, universities, therapy clinics and even gyms.

You generally don’t need to be a member of any of these institutions to attend during a time of world emergency. Local gyms in my area offered a free week to anyone who walked in off the street, needing to relieve stress through exercise. Churches, clinics and community centers did the same. Get out of your own thoughts for awhile and go connect with your fellow human beings.

5) Suspend Your Judgement. As many of you know, I have a significant history in Islam. For those who don’t, I spent four years as a Muslim in college, cloaked, scarfed, the whole nine yards. It turned out not to be my thing in the end, but I respect Islam and its adherents, and understand as well as a former muslimah might, what is going on in the minds of Muslims who might be living around you. Simply put – they’re scared to death.

9/11 was very hard on all Americans, but was especially so in a terrible way for American Muslims, the majority of whom are peaceful, law-abiding people. They were reviled, spat at, harrassed and beaten up. Several were even killed, just for their ethic style of dress in the heated days that followed the events of 9/11. Now it’s happening again, in another country with a significant Muslim presence, and the fear both in America and the U.K. is palpable.

I implore you please to coach all you meet to withold judgement of Muslims and Islam at this time. The real religion of Islam does not teach terrorism – the vast majority of Muslims are good people who simply want to be left alone to practice their religion in peace. And they are as horrified as the rest of us are at these events.

In all religions, spiritualites or ways of life worldwide, withholding judgement and negative acts are virtues. The Bible says "Judge not, that you may not be judged". The Qur’an itself says: "…those who control their wrath and are forgiving to mankind; Allah loveth the good". [Al-Qur'an, Sura 4 v.134] and also "…when others do an evil thing or wrong themselves, remember Allah and implore Him for forgiveness of their sins.." [Al-Qur'an, Sura 3 v.135]

Let tolerance for the law-abiding majority of peaceful Muslims be your shield against hysteria and further wrongs. Those who have committed these terrible crimes in the name of Islam are NOT Muslim, for they have forsaken the teachings of peace – the words Islam, Muslim and the greeting "Salaam" itself stem from a root word meaning "Surrender to Peace".

Those who surrender to violence soil not only the Islamic religion, but all Muslims, worldwide. Law-abiding Muslims are as much the victim of these crimes as the rest of the citizenry – more so, even. They are seeing their beloved faith dragged through the mud again, witnessing horrific crimes perpetrated in its name. They deserve our sympathy and our support, not our derision.

6. A SPECIAL LONDON BOMBING SUPPORT CALL:

* To BE IN ACTION, and SET OUR INTENT for Peaceful co-existence (or get clear on what your own personal intent for this time actually is)

* To support anyone who wants to talk, vent or simply connect

* To tap away the sadness, fear, anger and grief with EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques)

Please join me on a special LONDON BOMBING SUPPORT CALL tomorrow, Friday the 8th of July at NOON PACIFIC TIME, 3pm EASTERN TIME, 8pm UNITED KINGDOM here:

Dial-In Number: 641-297-7200 Participant PIN: 952028#

Coaches, friends, family, others who want to work for peace in the world, we all know that a combined effort is a mighty one. Please spread the word widely about this call so that all can benefit. You might want to have my tutorial on EFT handy to illustrate the tapping points, or to go over in detail if you miss the call.

Again, it’s available here: http://quantumflow.com/eftbasics.html

7. And if it is in your heart to do so, join with myself and others tonight at midnight in whatever timezone you live, in an effort of prayer, magic, meditation and Attentive, Intentional focus on Peaceful co-existence … or whatever positive intentions your heart leads you to.

And pass this information and your connection to others on widely – to your entire network. Now is not the time for us to be insular and alone. I look forward to joining you in spirit tonight, and on the call tomorrow.

Peace be With You, Maryam Webster

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

- Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world…

(( Click "Continue" to read the long list of terrible crimes of the King against the People ))

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Well, this is a fine kettle of fish for we internet businesspeople, much of whose business is to provide value to our opt-in newsletter subscribers. Laws enacted in states outside my own may have the ability to shut down any small business person who sends out email newsletters.  Check out the Marketing Sherpa’s observations – newsletter authors, beware!

Summary:

Blech! Two new state laws come into effect tomorrow, Friday, July 1st, both:

-> Directly impact permission mailers -> Carry nasty penalties -> Launch new state Do Not Email registries -> Are *not* circumvented by CAN-SPAM compliance

Types of marketers affected include: financial services, matchmaking services, alcohol & tobacco, grown-up content, etc.   

Plus, individuals can bring lawsuits if they think you’re breaking the new laws … so you’re not protected by possibly sluggish state enforcement.

Here’s our practical FAQ for permission emailers including links to the text of both laws…

Read the whole thing at MarketingSherpa.com. Be aware though, this page will only be up for a week or so!