We begin in childhood to disown parts of ourselves, usually through family experience which shapes our core beliefs.  “The pain you experienced when you were two, six, or eight is just beneath the surface of your consciousness. Until it’s transformed, it’s always there driving your life.” The coping techniques we enacted from childhood remain our behaviors as adults.  Ford teaches that we “attract whomever and whatever we need to mirror back the aspects of ourselves that we’ve forgotten.” The universe provides exactly the experiences that will teach us particular lessons.

The simplest method of discovering what we need to learn is to recognize the traits that bother us the most in others. We project onto others what we deny in ourselves. It’s important to make the distinction that simply noticing a trait isn’t enough. The moments that affect us emotionally are the opportunities to focus on. Once you embrace a quality in yourself, others with the same quality can no longer annoy you. The charge around it is lost and miraculously the particular trigger evaporates from your experience. 

I have attempted explaining this concept to others and it often meets with resistance. In this current trend of positive affirmations and focusing only on the positive, it is difficult to understand how bringing attention to the negative could be at all helpful. Ford says, “When we believe we can only be one or the other, we continue our internal struggle to only be the right things.” However, when we are able to integrate those negative aspects, we accept and become our total selves.

Likewise, we project positive traits onto others which reveal the possibilities in ourselves. We are not able to see qualities in others that we don’t have ourselves. Often we admire others because we wish we could be more like them. In fact, we have that potential but often live in denial.

A revealing way to discover your shadow side is to ask others what they perceive as both your positive and negative traits. Ford states, “We never have to believe what others think about us, but if we are afraid to hear what the people closest to us have to say, we should take notice. Most people are afraid they will hear what they fear most. This is denial at work.”

In order to live authentically, we must take responsibility for all events in our lives. We are not victims of chance, our experiences are reflections of our selves. We choose how to interpret and respond to the people and circumstances that surround us. Ford says it best in this statement: “Don’t strive for perfection, because it’s the desire for perfection that leads us to build these walls. Strive for wholeness, and for light and dark to live equally. Just as everything has a light side and a dark side, so does every person, because to be human is to be it all.”

Each of us is born with the capacity for unbounded love and expression. As we interact with our parents and others we become accustomed to their responses and adapt our behaviors. When we are validated, our soul feels truth and love. When our expressions are ignored or rejected, we learn to adapt to the lack of approval and acceptance and shut off particular feelings. For example, you may withhold affection if your parents become uncomfortable and tense. Our natural frequencies shift to accommodate those around us.

Peirce describes how to sense the different vibrations in the body while focusing our attention on differing sensations as a range of emotions takes place. We note the differences and then learn to tune in to what feels most natural, our home frequency which reflects our truest selves. When we are able to consciously shift our frequency with intention, this is where the true power lies.
In order to transform to the higher frequencies, it is necessary to remove the blockages from past conditioned behaviors. It is important to recognize and observe unhealthy feeling habits without judgment, both in yourself and in others. As you learn to recognize different frequency levels you can consciously choose to merge (or not) with them to activate new experiences.

One excellent tip is to “feel into what you notice” rather than assuming we are separate and need to wait for a sensation to come. It is necessary to let go of preconceived notions and allow what is noticed to make itself known. Peirce recommends starting with more mundane situations, such as what to have for breakfast. After becoming adept at this level, move forward and discover more meaningful insights and impressions.

During a problem, often your energy will move toward what has your attention. It is helpful to think that this is an experience you’re supposed to have. Peirce states, “Your problem is really a question. The question helps you discover an experience your soul wants you to have.” Rather than trying to change the quandary, focus into your body and view the issue in your imagination. In a relaxed and present state, often the resolution will work itself out.

A key to the law of attraction is that, according to Peirce, “In a unified world, instead of attracting something, you notice it already existing in your reality, and you keep paying attention to it. …When willpower surfaces, the ego is back, thinking it’s running the show, reinforcing the idea of isolation and difficulty. …Therefore, energy is wasted in protesting, over-riding, and trying to change what you have before you fully understand the perfection of why it’s there.”

We attract what matches our frequency – good or bad, in relationships and in the problems we face. For example, partners often act out the same issue from opposite ends. While this may feel like conflict, there is much in common between the pair. When a relationship is over, it reflects a shift in frequency and we no longer have a need for growth possibilities in that situation. The shift can be conscious or unconscious and every connection brings value.

As we become further accelerated, maintaining higher frequencies allows our souls to exhibit freely. Deeper awareness of ourselves allows us to connect profoundly with others.  We develop empathy, a “direct knowing through vibration; it is sensitivity filtered through your heart.” Authentic soul expression becomes the source of transformation.

Moen partners with one to several individuals who agree to meet non-physically with a shared intention. By reading each other’s notes following the sessions, remarkable similarities are found, providing validation of the accuracy of the attained knowledge. Moen often encounters Robert Monroe himself, founder of TMI and author of several books on nonphysical explorations. Monroe appears to coordinate much of the intended journeys by arranging meetings with specific guides who provide the desired information.

An interesting discovery is the group of “time organizers” who apply their energies to synchronize events happening on earth. There apparently is a team who works together manifesting individual intentions. It seems that many “chance” encounters are actually coordinated by these organizers through subconscious connections.

A worker responsible for a group of people in a specific area reports, “I take requests, the desires and intentions of those in my area, and weave them together with others in my area. I arrange crossover points in the tapestry that give each person the opportunity to assist another person in fulfilling these desires and intentions.” Being very clear on one’s intention, then letting it go, makes the “planning center” function more smoothly by avoiding constant rerouting and changing direction.

A fascinating series of encounters takes place in what Robert Monroe termed the “belief system territories.” Individuals are found beyond death in circumstances created by thoughts that match their beliefs during physical life. In earlier books, Moen practices the technique of retrieving souls who are stuck in these scenes of their making, some of whom don’t realize they are physically dead.

A particularly strong belief system involves religious fundamentalists who believe in a specific kind of heaven. This system believes that it is “evil and wrong to listen to anyone from a different religion talk about his or her beliefs.” This narrow mindset includes a strict rule set to follow in order to be allowed into heaven, for example, “just oversleeping on the Sabbath and missing a few minutes of the church service was a sin.” These rules identify many more behaviors as sinful and the requirement of church leaders to forgive these sins.

Once arriving in heaven, everything appears to be perfect and all needs are provided. However, it is necessary to continue to follow the rules in order to stay there. Individuals rely on church leaders and ritual services to offer the feeling of “pure unconditional love” as believers are prohibited from receiving this energy directly on their own.

Therein lies the ultimate trapping – Moen has discovered pure unconditional love to be a vital element of afterlife experience and human existence. Without it, continued growth is stagnated and hopeless. It is possible to remove oneself from these varied belief systems, usually through the recognition and practice of love.

Ultimately, Moen is on a quest to discover an understanding of the nature of human consciousness. Each of us has beliefs and experiences which create our unique reality and the free will to make choices on how to proceed both in life and the afterlife. Moen encourages us to begin our own journey to explore and discover our personal truth as it relates to human existence.

While reading the stories recounted in the book, I recalled my own attitudes about weather. I have always been fascinated by the force of water, especially during storms. I have recurrent dreams involving tidal waves of varying strength and circumstances. This translated into what I would often describe as “fear of tidal waves” when determining places to live. I would not live near water as I understood it could change its path at any given moment. As I have grown, my fear has transformed into respect and while I love to visit the ocean and rivers I am still wary of planting more permanent roots at water’s edge.

There are three defined levels of weather connection. The outermost level of connection is weather modification, or “power-over” weather, the furthest removed from the heart. The heart level is the innermost, representing harmonious relationship with weather, also known as “weather dancing.” Between these two levels is “weather working,” or attempts to control the weather, which may tend towards either level.

An example of modifying the weather may be seen in an event in which I took part. It was lightly raining during an ayahuasca ceremony when participants were invited to sing a favorite song. My husband, an experienced bata drummer, sang a familiar chant used in Cuban Santeria ceremonies. During the song, we heard distant, gentle rumbling thunder that became stronger then stopped when the song was finished. Later, I learned he had chosen a song for Chango, the god of thunder.

Other instances of “weather working” may be viewed as more intentional. There are those who have consistently shown their ability to affect weather, for example, with the goal of creating rain due to a drought. Others have attempted to move the path of a hurricane to less populated areas. When approaching the task of weather modification, one must be aware of the reason why.

“Both the desire and the need must come from the wisdom of the heart. There may be a desire to work for rain, but no need for it. Any working like this will serve only ego. This can create trouble. To have desire without the need is empty of heart.”

Sometimes, we merely note seeming synchronicities with weather and wonder at their significance. For instance, on my wedding day, the March day was clear with a few fluffy clouds. During the early afternoon ceremony, clouds quickly formed and a brief thunderstorm occurred with thunderclaps occurring simultaneously with the end of the ceremony declaring us man and wife. While thunderstorms are somewhat common in our area during the summer, they are more unusual and much less common in the early spring. Why the thunder formed and expressed itself at that exact moment is not known, but it was definitely noted as significant by those who had gathered for the ceremony.

Those who intentionally connect with weather obseerve the well-being that comes with creating this harmonious relationship. Indigenous tribes assign the vocation of weather working through one’s inherited lineage. Individuals in more modern cultures choose to develop the act of relating to nature and weather. Whatever the case, there is value in the awareness of weather and its reflection of humanity’s collective experience.

As an intuitive counselor, Harper has witnessed the triumphs and pitfalls of different people’s wishes and relates the most favorable conditions for those successfully granted. Foremost is the skill of properly wording our wishes with positive statements and being sure we are ready for what we want. We must also consider the idea that we may already have what we wish for but may not realize.

Harper gives an eye-opening explanation of how we are responsible for creating our own reality by coining the word “response-able.” We attract both traumatic and pleasant events in our lives in order to have the opportunity to respond to them, thus learning more about our true natures. By becoming more conscious of what we attract to ourselves along with our responses, we harness more power in our lives.

There is a simple but fine balance which must be maintained in order for wishes to come true. We must confidently expect our wishes to be granted, but not have expectations as such. Rather than obsessively and consistently focusing on a wish, we must wish once then let it go and allow. We are to be specific in what we wish for, but not be specific in how it is to manifest. Harper clearly explains how to precisely attune our wishes for the desired outcome.

Along with brief and interesting anecdotal wish stories and wish sense tips there are many suggested practices including exercises and meditations for getting in touch with what we want, why we want it and how to open to receive. Having listened to Harper’s lovely voice on her Chakra Workout Meditations CD, I found myself “wishing” for an accompanying CD for guidance through the different meditations.

Harper suggests we start small with our wishes, for example, a cup of coffee or running shoes. Once confident in the methods, wishes can get more sophisticated including new relationships, jobs, good health and even personal transformation. Through clear and explicit means, wishes can be composed, visualized and realized as a form of manifesting one’s desired reality.

As a cellular biologist, Lipton has studied the biological evidence that thoughts are able to affect change within one’s body cells. Our collective beliefs are altered as additional scientific discoveries are revealed, thus it follows that our society will change as well, including social structures, politics and the economy. While we watch much of our culture break down around us, this is a necessary part of bringing in new concepts and change.

Lipton and Bhaerman walk through four stages of evolution throughout the known history of humanity and the belief systems associated with each. Each of these stages, including animism, polytheism, monotheism and scientific materialism, involve a philosophy of being separate from one another and other factors of nature. As we evolve into holism, the separateness dissolves and we realize that just as a body’s trillions of cells work together to function as a human, each member of society works together to create our collective culture.

Evolution as defined by Darwin is thought to occur over thousands of generations, but with the help of imaginal cells, change can occur much more rapidly. A caterpillar turns into a butterfly using the same DNA, but certain cells are changed as they receive a new signal. As the imaginal cells grow in population, they join together and resonate at a new frequency until there are enough that a butterfly is born. The same can be said of society’s creative minorities. The authors credit Paul Ray with evidence that these “cultural creatives” in the U.S. continue to grow steadily, at last count 70 million. These individuals live a lifestyle that incorporates concern with the environment, personal growth, spirituality and change in politics.

Lipton and Bhaerman spend considerable time breaking down what they term the “four myth perceptions of the apocalypse,” including only matter matters, survival of the fittest, it’s in your genes and random evolution. One of my favorite coined terms is “weapons of mass distraction.” Through education, mass media, public relations and advertising, we are conditioned to believe these myths as fact and thusly live our lives. Lipton is especially chagrined at the state of the corporate pharmaceutical industry which is driven by profits, not by actual healing. We are conditioned to believe that many of our issues are chemical imbalances that can be resolved by taking a pill. In Western medicine, our symptoms are treated individually rather than addressed as a whole.

The path to our next stage of evolution is to change our belief systems. As more of humanity is exposed to and catches on to the concept of holism – the idea that we are connected and part of a greater collective – we will effectively shift our culture. Each of us individually can participate in this evolution by changing our personal thoughts and becoming the imaginal cells that inspire the rest of our species to grow into our full potential.