Mystical Mindscapes

   You hold the key to a magical life within your

mind. This upbeat, positive book is an interactive guide into opening up the magical power inside your mind. It offers you a journey of self-discovery that invites you to examine real situations in your life

and asks you to find your own answers.

   This is much more than a self-help book; it shows you how you can create miracles in every moment by using the magical power of your mind to enjoy a happier, more fulfilled life.

    Inside this book are the keys to: Creating your reality from the inside out; minimizing stress and maximizing happiness; using your imagination to

make real changes; tuning into your inner self and listening to your inner voice; experiencing perfect health and harmony in body, mind, and spirit; having

a truly positive attitude; understanding and using the power of your own words, thoughts, and feelings; turning problems into positive learning experiences; making all your dreams come true; and putting the magical power of your mind into motion.

   You can make your life everything you want it to be and more. You have this power within you now; it’s not something new or something you have to learn. All you have to do is look within yourself—look within the power of your own mind and put that magic to work for you. This life-changing book offers you many ways to open, explore, experience, and understand the natural power of your mind. It’s a guide that shows you the way to living a magical life, filled with happiness and light.

Seven. Positive Problems

    Your mind is magical. You are a magical, powerful, positive person. One of the most powerful things you can do in your life is to make choices and changes. You can change your mind to change your life. You can turn any negative situation around into a positive experience. Take problem solving, for instance. A problem can only exist in your life if you allow it to, if you direct negative thoughts and feelings toward the problem and energize it.

    When you change your perception—your thoughts and feelings—about the problem, you change the focus and direction of your energy, thereby changing how you experience the problem. Problems are energy turned the wrong way. Turn them inside out and around, and you have a lot of energy to work with—to shape, form, and fashion in any way you choose. When you solve a problem, you’re turning negative energy into positive energy.

    If you’re facing a problem, there are lots of positive ways you can resolve your problem. First, change the word problem to challenge or opportunity. This puts your problem on a positive level. Challenges are so much more fun than problems. A challenge gives you something positive to do and inspires positive action, which in turn produces positive results.

    Second, see what your problem has to offer you. Look for all the opportunities within the problem. More often than not, you’ll realize that what you thought was a problem is really a golden opportunity. A problem is a positive learning experience in disguise. It provides a way for you to understand yourself better and offers you many wonderful benefits and opportunities.

    Look on the bright side of things. For every problem you create, you also create opportunities at the same time. Inside every problem, you’ll find fabulous opportunities and many gifts that you give yourself. They may be disguised or hidden, and sometimes might be hard to recognize, but they’re always there. Recognizing opportunities is like finding the silver lining in a cloud. You have to look within the cloud to find it, just like looking within your problem for the solution. The cloud (problem) is a manifestation of negative thoughts and feelings that obscures the gifts and positive opportunities hidden within (silver lining/solution).

    A problem is merely the outer appearance of your inner thoughts and feelings. When you change your thoughts and feelings, you change the way the problem shows itself. To solve a problem, change your perception of it and the problem disappears, much like a cloud disappears when the sun shines on it. Actually, the problem doesn’t disappear; it simply takes on a new positive expression. As you look for the benefits and opportunities within your problems, you’ll see that they provide a way for you to move forward in your life in a positive way. Some examples are:

    Being fired from a job offers you an exciting challenge and a wonderful opportunity to get a better job, to meet new and interesting people, to change careers, or to create your own job where you can do whatever you’ve always wanted to do. You have the freedom to do anything you choose.

    Getting divorced or having a relationship turn sour gives you a wonderful opportunity to look into yourself and to go inside your feelings—to know yourself better and to grow emotionally.

    Reality Check: It’s natural and normal to feel sad or depressed when a relationship changes in this manner. Give yourself time for you. Feel the hurt, pain, anger, relief, or whatever emotions you’re feeling to help you get unstuck from the negative aspects of a relationship, then allow those same feelings to benefit you in a beautiful, loving manner. Your emotions will help you get through the situation and show you what you’ve gained. Give yourself permission to grow or to realize that you’ve outgrown that person.

    When you think of him or her after you’ve gotten past the pain, remember the good that you both shared, the good that you gave to each other. Look at the many ways he or she helped you and you helped him or her. This allows you to go forward in your life with joy and happiness instead of sadness and despair. Celebrate the relationship you shared, rather than regretting it or feeling bitter.

    Not having something work out that you really wanted, or in the way you wanted it to, means there’s something better for you. It gives you time to appreciate what you have and to review your choices, to consider changes and new directions. This can open up your horizons tremendously and show you a new world right in front of you that maybe you couldn’t clearly see before. It lets you regroup and change your mind, to energize other options and choices, and to explore different avenues.

    Look at the so-called problems you’ve experienced or are experiencing to see the many gifts, opportunities, challenges, and benefits contained within them. View the problems in a positive way to see why you created them, what you want to learn from them, and what they have to offer you. You may surprise yourself with all the wonderful opportunities and choices you’ve given yourself to make positive changes. While you’re doing that, you may also become aware that what you think of as a problem may not be a problem at all; it may only be a potential problem you can prevent from occurring.

    One of the best ways to take care of problems is to solve the problem before it becomes a problem. When you do this, you’re working with an intangible—something that is not yet physically apparent. You’re dealing with it on a cause level, where it’s first created in your mind by your thoughts and feelings, before it becomes an effect—something tangible that occurs in your life.

    It’s easy to recognize potential problems. There are lots of early warning signs and signals that precede the physical appearance of a problem; they show themselves in many revealing ways. There’s almost always an uneasy sense or feeling that something is wrong, something you can’t quite seem to put your finger on or put into words. You may have flashes of insight or fragmented thoughts about it, or see fleeting images in your dreams of what might happen. When you look into your feelings, thoughts, and images, you’re using both the magical and intuitive power of your mind to help you realize that a problem is brewing. This is the perfect time to pounce on it and to change it. The longer you let this possible problem simmer, the stronger and clearer the warning signals become.

    When this occurs, it’s a good idea to listen to your inner voice and trust the counsel of your inner self. Your inner self has probably been whispering to you for a while through your thoughts, feelings, intuitions, dreams, and imagination. If you’ve been ignoring yourself and not paying attention to your thoughts and feelings, your inner self may start screaming at you or take some drastic measures to make you pay attention.

    Before the problem occurs, you can allow your inner self to help you. Enter a meditative frame of mind and ask your inner self to tell you what is wrong. Your inner self will give you clear answers, if you’re ready to hear them, accept them, and act on them, and will explain where the problem is coming from, why you’re causing it or allowing it to happen, and what you can do to change it. Be prepared for direct, blunt honesty. Be open to explanations, rather than excuses.

    Make sure you’re talking to your inner self, and not listening to your conscious mind with its rationalizations and judgments. Sometimes we mistake our inner voice with that of our inner critic. Your inner self will talk to you in a positive manner; your inner critic will use tactics like blame or any of the nine negative no-no’s, and will try to put you down and make you feel bad.

    Talk to your potential problem. It probably has some very important things it would like to say to you, so pay attention to what your problem tells you. It will tell you the truth, and will also tell you things you might not like to hear but that you need to know.

    When you become more consciously aware of the problem you’re beginning to create, you can change your thoughts and feelings—your perspectives and perceptions—and, depending on what you decide to do about it, you can solve the problem before it becomes a problem. It’s much easier to take care of a potential problem, but some people insist on creating full-fledged problems.

    At this point, you know how to resolve the potential problem but for any variety of reasons, some of which are perfectly good and valid, you may decide to let the problem manifest in your life. You may not be ready to take care of it, or you might want to experience the full expression of the problem to learn from it, to understand yourself better in a positive way, and to receive and explore the many gifts and blessings it has to offer you. Sometimes we create problems as a way to force ourselves to grow and change.

    I’ve also noticed that some people create problems because they like to talk about them, to commiserate with other people or to make themselves feel important because they think their problems are worse than someone else’s. Or they set up problems so they can seek sympathy and receive attention, or so they can moan and complain about them, and poor little me themselves into the pits of negativity.

    Another thing that some people do is to create problems because they feel that their life is boring, and a problem seems to put pizzazz into their life and gives them something to do. When they solve the problem, they have a sense of accomplishment.

    Anyway, for better or worse, once you’ve established a problem in your life, you can use the magical power of your mind to take care of it. By accepting and acknowledging the problem that now exists, you’re giving yourself the choice and the chance to change it—the power to do something positive and creative about it. When you decide to take positive action, your mind will come up with solutions. In your thoughts, feelings, imagination, dreams, insights, and reveries, your mind will show you many ways to resolve your problem.

    Your inner self isn’t going to sit still and let you suffer. It likes you too much. It’s going to offer you ideas and ways to understand yourself, and to correct the problem—to change and re-direct the energy of it. Listen to what your mind has to say, and see what the problem has to offer you. Look at why you’re participating in the problem. Then decide how you’re going to take care of it; put your choice into action and watch the changes happen.

    If you still want to hang on to your problem, or if it appears to be unchangeable, you can use the problem to solve the problem. Change your perception of it and find a way to use the problem in a positive manner. One of my students wasn’t getting enough sleep because her husband’s loud snoring woke her up frequently during the night. She was tired and crabby most of the time, and wasn’t as productive on her job as she knew she could be. She decided to use the sound of his snoring to lull her into a peaceful, deep, refreshing sleep. She gave herself positive suggestions to this effect and after a few nights, she was sleeping undisturbed by his snoring.

    If a problem is emotionally painful, or if you feel overwhelmed by it, detach yourself from it for a time to distance yourself, to give yourself some space and a breather—a much- needed respite and a way to clear your mind. Step back from it to gain a bigger, better perspective, an overall picture. This allows you to be objective about the problem while giving you more information so you can decide the best way for you to handle it. When you’re ready to take care of it, you can get up close and personal.

    Or maybe just the opposite will work better for you. Take little steps into the problem and view it in small pieces, rather than looking at the big picture all at once. Deal with it a little bit at a time and put the bigger portion on hold for a while, along with a promise to yourself that you’ll progress through the problem at your own pace.

    A variation on this is to pretend that the problem belongs to someone else. Look at the ins and outs, and the ups and downs, of the problem and give that someone else some good advice. Then take that same advice and solve your problem.

    Another good way to take care of a problem is to make it into an interactive movie. Imagine a Magical Movie Screen in your mind. Project the images of your problem on to the screen and watch them for a while. See what the images of your problem do and how you feel about them. This will give you some great insights. Then, whenever you feel like it, get involved. Jump into your movie and make choices and changes to see what happens, and to view potential outcomes. If you don’t like what plays out with a certain choice, change the scene. You can jump in and out whenever you want to, and do whatever you want to do. You can be an observer or a participant, or both at the same time. (More information is given on magical mind movies in Chapter Nine.)

    Reveries (self-guided visualizations) are a fun way to solve a problem. Play with your problem in all directions to see what happens and how you feel about each outcome. Open up your imagination and let it run free. You might be surprised at what your subconscious shows you. If you’re not yet ready to deal with your problem on a conscious level, your reveries will be more than happy to show it to you in many symbolic ways.

    Reveries are similar to daydreams or wishful thinking, but are much more than flights of fantasy; they’re a magical way into your mind and your imagination. They reveal your true feelings regarding the problem you’re thinking about and viewing in your mind. Reveries also help you to consciously create your reality by showing you situations and scenes of possibilities and probabilities. They spark creative ideas and offer valuable insights and information into and about all your experiences and the situations in your life.

    Reveries are easy to understand. They’re like awake dreams of focused awareness that show you what’s in your subconscious mind. To interpret them, look at the theme or outcome. See what feelings play out in the situation you envision; watch its many possible solutions. Become aware of the purpose your reverie serves for you on both a mental and an emotional level. Notice the situation you picture yourself in, how you respond to it, and how the situation or other people in your reverie relate to you.

    You can also use reveries and mind movies when you want to reach a decision about something, or if you have choices and you’re wondering what to do. For instance, suppose you’ve been offered a new job and it sounds great, but you like your present job. Reveries and mind movies help you discover more information so you can decide what you really want to do.

    With mind movies and reveries, you’re doing more than using your imagination. You’re using the magical and intuitive powers of your mind by tuning into your true feelings to give you accurate information and insight, and to offer you guidance and direction in how to solve problems.

    In addition to using the intuitive powers of your mind, you’re also using your precognitive abilities to look into the future, to see what could happen with your problem—and the choices you make about it and put into action now—and to change things in the present, if you choose, so the future happens the way you want it to.

    Another way to take care of a problem is to dream your problem away. Give it to your subconscious mind just before you go to sleep. Problem-solving dreams offer you solutions and show you a wonderful way of working through any problem you have and bringing it to a perfect resolution. If you have a problem you’d like to solve, one that you’ve decided to do something about, but aren’t quite sure what to do or how to do it, you can program a dream to show you what to do or the dream itself may solve the problem for you. (More information about problem-solving dreams is given in Chapter Twelve.)

    The best way to solve a problem is to develop your own ways to solve problems. You know yourself better than anyone else; you know what to do for yourself and how to do it. Listen to yourself, to your inner voice that whispers within. Open up the magical power of your mind and turn your problems into positive experiences!

Magical Mind Exercises
   1. Become aware of potential problems. Tune into why you’re creating them or why you’re allowing them into your life. When you understand why, write down your insights and use the information to solve each problem before it becomes a problem. Pay attention to how you’ve changed your thoughts and feelings.

   2. Take an inventory of the problems that exist now in your life. Write down what you’re learning from them and what they have to offer you. Notice all the opportunities you see within the problems. Then, if you choose, open up and explore those opportunities.

   3. Look at the seemingly negative situations which are showing up as problems. List all the good stuff inside the problem, the many things it has to offer you, and what you can learn from it. Let these situations show you how to change your mind to be happy, and how to experience everything in your life in a positive way.

Mystical Mindscapes, 170 pages, $14.95. 978-1-883717-39-1