Domo arigato, Mr. Emoto

I think all of this intention stuff is starting to get to me. And I'm starting to feel like a crazy person. In the middle of my yoga class last night I found myself staring at my water bottle, trying to alter the molecules of my water to give me more energy. I mean, Mr. Emoto! Look at what you've done to me!

Did it work? Well yes, actually. I found my water to be particularly refreshing, colder than expected and I had a very strong class. But I'm now starting to feel almost as crazy as Madonna with her Kabbalah water. Silly Madonna, don't you know you can bless your own water for free?

But seriously - all this reading about reiki and intention... Where it all comes together for me is just in the message of the hidden powers of the mind to affect our surroundings in a measurable, concrete way. For me, this is evolution, is finally accepting that we CAN heal, affect the outcome of things, change the mood of those around us, diffuse conflict, and do thousands of other things simply by thinking it.

The first step, as with anything, is acceptance. Without that, people would never even try to do something like heal their child's belly ache by channeling healing energy into their solar plexus. But if you accept that we are capable of such things, it becomes almost impossible to stop doing it.

I'm starting to believe that we are blessed - all of us - with powers beyond our comprehension. I think we can affect change by changing our thought patterns, by "connecting to the source" as Wayne Dyer would say, or more accurately (see Lynne McTaggart's work) by plugging into The Field.

What is The Field, you ask?

A bit like finding there is such a thing as The Force in Star Wars. The Field tells the story of respected frontier scientists all over the globe who have produced extraordinary evidence to show that an energy field -The Zero Point Field - connects everything in the universe, and we ourselves are part of this vast dynamic cobweb of energy exchange.

(Click here to read more about it. Visit the link in my right-hand menu to buy it so you can go crazy with power too!)

I swear, this stuff changes you.

Oh and if you are interested in learning more about The Field - Lynne McTaggart is giving a seminar in Toronto later this month. Go here for more details.

Anger Management for the New Age

Without a doubt, there are trying moments throughout the day. Someone annoys you or bumps your car, or cuts you off or has smelly feet in your face when you're trying to do your deep breathing in yoga class. Whatever it is, the temptation is to brew, stew, get peeved. This is inevitable... But it's also totally bad for your karma and you're actually doing the opposite of helping the situation.

Whether it's during a one-on-one confrontation with someone who makes your blood boil or it's a stranger you find offensive in some way - the negative energy you're building up as a result of your anger is only affecting YOU negatively.

My good friend (who I've never met, but who is a kindred) Wayne Dyer always says - Choose Peace. And it's not some hippie-dippy throw two fingers in the air kind of thing.. It's about removing tension and anxiety from your life through a shift of focus. One way of doing this is by using mantras.

I compare it to traditional anger management's counting method. When you're angry - start counting down from 10 before reacting. In that time you will hopefully have cooled and relaxed yourself before doing something stupid.

The new age equivalent to this is chanting (inside your head) "love, love, love" and trying to send love to the person you are angry with, the person who has wronged you, the person you find offensive. I do it several times a day. I guess it's probably a bad thing that I get angry/irritated that much every day - but I live in Toronto and take public transit, it can hardly be avoided.

I find the longer I repeat the word, the more I actually start to feel it. I try to send unconditional love to that person. Because what goes around comes around - and sending love to that person comes back on you three-fold, increasing your sense of peace.

Diffuse the anger bomb with love. That's what I'm saying. And now excuse me while I go frolic in San Francisco with some flowers in my hair...