Bertram Daniel

I feel that I have reached a point in my life of a major change in my attitude and in my thinking. I no longer have a burning ambition to be, do, have and become. It is now more a case of going with the flow of where life takes me, following my intuition and inner knowing. I guess it is a case of ‘Let go and let God.’

So how and why has this happened?

I was listening to Wayne Dyer speaking and he put it this way. When you are an unborn baby everything is taken care for you. You do not have to think about anything you just go with the flow. Everything is decided for you. Everything evolves perfectly. We accept everything, we surrender to it and we allow it to guide us. So who or what is the ‘It’ that does all this and creates all this?

Call it what you like; God, Source, Universe, whatever word you fancy. I prefer to call it the Universe.

We are then born and others, being well intentioned parents, grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, teachers, peers etc. take over to teach us to be like this or that. To do things like this or that. To have this and that. In essence we are taught to be ambitious. We are taught that you are what you have. You are what you do and you become what others think of you. We are made to want things, to have things and to become someone. In other words our egos are developed.

The sad fact is that EGO is an acronym for “Edging God Out”

We now become separate from God and stop the inner guidance that kept us safe and sound for the first nine months of our lives. It is ego that creates this separation. We create a duality from what was just the ONE. We were at one with the Universe, God, Source etc. We were in perfect harmony, we were as Abraham says through Esther Hicks, “Going with the flow,” or we were “In the Vortex.”

So now we are in our ambitious phase we go about getting more, doing more to be liked and approved of and gain a reputation! The strange thing is that during all of this there is a voice speaking to us, which we disregard and ignore. But as much as we ignore this voice it seems to get louder and we have this feeling that there is something more and that there is something missing. We do not feel fulfilled.

There was a study done where people were asked what was important to them in their ambitious phase and then asked the same question twenty years later and the answers were very interesting and were quite different between men and women.

In the case of men in the ambitious phase the answers were:

wealth, adventure, achievement, seeking pleasure and being respected and so on.

In the case of women in the ambitious phase it was:

family, independence, career, fitting in and being attractive etc.

Then twenty years later the answers were quite different.

For men: spirituality, personal peace, family, God’s will and honesty etc.

For women: personal growth, self esteem, spirituality, happiness and generosity etc.

So why and how the major change?

I guess the voice just got louder and louder till we had to listen, because in spite of all of the things and the doing and having there was this sense of emptiness and feeling that there was something much more important.

Sadly it is at this time that for many people depression sets it. They see no way out of the tunnel. In some cases suicide becomes an option. Some would call it a mid life crisis.

In my case I went through a period of depression and I was sent to a psychiatrist who prescribed drugs. This did not get to the root of the problem. All it did was mask the problem. After a while of swallowing these man made substances I decided that the natural way was better alternative and got into meditation, contemplation and learning. I was lucky that I had some good teachers and a support system and the more I learned and meditated the better I felt. When I was on the road to recovery it made me want to help and assist others, who were in the same predicament.

So then we begin to listen to this voice and pay attention to it! We begin to listen to our inner voice, our intuition or call it the God within us. We begin to let this voice guide us. We give in to the inner guidance. We begin to follow our heart.

We surrender to what kept us alive and well for the first nine months of our existence.

It is then that we begin to live by the natural Laws of the Universe.

We realize that we are at one with the Universe and that everything is in vibration and that we are vibtationary beings. We understand that source power always flows and works to and through the individual – that is you.

I think it was Einstein that said, “What the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.”

We begin to understand that all we have to do is to create an image in our mind of what we desire for ourselves and for the greater good. We hold this image in our mind, have faith that it will happen and then follow our intuition and it will lead you to abundance. Sure, you have to do some work for it to happen, but the Universe will present you with all the right people and all the right opportunities along the way.

When this shift happens our life has a meaning. No longer are we thinking of ourselves. We seek to help and assist others get what they want. When we do this what follows is we then get what we want. To get value you must give value first.

The laws of the material world do not apply in the presence of God. It is said; “As long as shallow, worldly ambitions exist the door to God will not open.”

In the meaning phase of our lives we gain a reverence for life, with love and respect for ourselves and for others. We see the God in everyone. We realize that we are all ONE. There is no separation. There is no duality. Duality prevents oneness. We are all now part of that one voice. We are no longer separate from it, we are it!

Do not be like Ivan Ilych in the book by Tolstoy called “The death of Ivan Ilych,” where on his deathbed he says to his wife, “What if my life has been wrong?”

Live in the process not the outcome. Let go and let God.

Namaste

Bertram

E  bertram@bertramdaniel.com

Posted via email from Bertram’s posterous

This year I chose to have a solitary Christmas. Enough with all the hoo hah, the over indulging and what I see as the loss of meaning of what used to be a simple and straightforward family day. Cynical; you might say!

It is not helped by the fact that I do not see my children at all, which puts a different complexion to the whole thing.

And yet the Universe was at it’s best urging me to watch the movie ‘Zeitgeist,’ which I did and it seemed ironic if not paradoxical that I should watch this on Christmas day.

If you have not seen the DVD, I urge you to get it asap and be informed about what is going on in our world. It is an eye opener for sure and makes you think and think and think!

The movie covers many subjects and one is the part played by the Sun in our Universe. It also touches on the Stars and the Zodiac. It is interesting to note that the Zodiac represents the Sun passing through the 12 major constellations though the year, the 4 seasons, the Solstices and the Equinoxes.

The Egyptians called it “God’s Sun” – the light of the world and when you come to think about it, where would we be without the Sun. No life could exist without it!

It is interesting to note that the Egyptians had a Sun God by the name of ‘Horus.’ Bear in mind this was 3000 BC. Interesting that he was born on December 25th of the virgin Isis-Meri. His birth was accompanied by a star in the east and upon his birth he was adored by 3 kings. Sound familiar?

At age 12 he was a prodigal child teacher and at 30 was baptised by Anup. He had 12 disciples, was crucified, buried and was resurrected in 3 days. You’ve heard this before, haven’t you?

What is even more puzzling is that this same chain of events occurred to others; namely Attis, Krishna, Dionysius and Mithra. So what is the explanation? You will have to watch the movie now!

If you follow the Sun and the stars you will note that the brightest star on December 24th is Sirius when it aligns with the three brightest stars in Orions belt called the 3 Kings and they all point to the place of the sunrise on December 25th. near the constellation Virgo (Virgin) also referred to as the ‘House of Bread.’ Interesting that Bethlehem translates to ‘House of Bread.’ Can you see the connection? Virgin, bright star, 3 Kings, Bethlehem.

If you read Dr John Demartini’s post on Facebook, this is what he says about Christmas.

Christmas day is a day of light, grace and love. It is a reminder of the return of the light to the world after the darkest night and shortest day of the year (northern hemisphere). It is a reminder to see our magnificent reflection in others and to show our gratitude for their contribution to our lives. May this day be filled with a deep appreciation for what is, as it is ? reflected throughout the universe.

It is also interesting that on the 22nd of December Sun stops moving for 3 days and then moves one degree on the 25th of December.

So where is this all taking us? An inscription on the walls of the temple of Luxor in Egypt, 3500 years ago depicted the Virgin birth. The literary similarities between the Egyptian and Christian religions are staggering.

So, I hope that I have not confused you, but given you food for thought and I can say for a fact that ‘Zeitgeist’ will give you much more to think about!

In peace and love

Bertram

Posted via email from Bertram’s posterous

Jim Rohn was one of my early teachers on this wonderful journey we call life. Sadly he passed away recently and I thought it would be a good idea to post a short piece that he wrote about ‘Attitude’ and a few of his quotes.

I believe that attitude is fundamental to our success, so here it is:

We all have tremendous potential. Each of us has the ability to put our unique human potential into action and to acquire a desired result. But the one thing that determines the level of our potential, produces the intensity of our activity and predicts the quality of the result we receive is our attitude.Attitude determines how much of the future we are allowed to see. It decides the size of our dreams and influences our determination when we are faced with new challenges. No other person on earth has dominion over our attitude. People can affect our attitude by teaching us poor thinking habits or unintentionally misinforming us, or providing us with negative sources of influence, but no one can control our attitude unless we voluntarily surrender that control.

No one else “makes us angry.” We make ourselves angry when we surrender control of our attitude. What someone else may have done is irrelevant. We choose; not they. They merely put our attitude to a test. If we select a volatile attitude by becoming hostile, angry, jealous or suspicious, then we have failed the test. If we condemn ourselves by believing that we are unworthy, then again, we have failed the test.

If we care at all about ourselves, then we must accept full responsibility for our own feelings. We must learn to guard against those feelings that have the capacity to lead our attitude down the wrong path, and to strengthen those feelings that can lead us confidently into a better future.

If we want to receive the rewards the future holds in trust for us, then we must exercise the most important choice given to us as members of the human race by maintaining total dominion over our attitude. Our attitude is an asset, a treasure of great value that must be protected accordingly.

When you have the right attitude, you can do the remarkable.

When you recognize your gifts, you can change anything for yourself that you wish to change. If you don’t like how something is going for you, change it. If something isn’t enough, change it. If something doesn’t suit you; change it. If something doesn’t please you, change it. You don’t ever have to be the same after today. If you don’t like your present address, change it  - you’re not a tree!

Having the right attitude is an essential prerequisite for success and happiness. The right attitude is one of the fundamentals of the good life. That is why we must constantly examine our feelings about our role in the world and about our possibilities for achieving our dreams.

It is our emotional nature that governs most of our daily conduct in our personal and business world. It is the emotional aspect of our experiences that determines our behaviour. How we feel about life’s events is a powerful force that can either freeze us in our tracks or inspire us to take immediate action on any given day. With the right attitude, human beings can move mountains. With the wrong attitude, they can be crushed by the smallest grain of sand.

Jim Rohn was a legendary business philosopher, entrepreneur, speaker and author whose works include the best-sellers The Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle and 7 Strategies for Wealth and Happiness, as well as numerous audio programs. http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=5242356&msgid=413862&act=PPVY&c=131893&admin=0&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jimr“>www.jimrohn.com

“You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight”
Jim Rohn

“Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you.”
Jim Rohn

“To solve any problem, here are three questions to ask yourself: First, what could I do? Second, what could I read? And third, who could I ask?”
Jim Rohn

“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”
Jim Rohn

Cheers

Bertram

Posted via email from Bertram’s posterous

"Each of us wants to be part of something bigger than ourselves. Call it purpose, destiny or a simple desire to get beyond the insufficiencies of our current existence. An individual’s yearning to reach outside his life is a seed of greatness waiting for a stream of inspiration. Carving that stream to people’s hearts is a simpler task if the endeavour you are leading them into is attached to a bigger story."

~Mac Anderson and Tom Feltenstein

Namaste

Bertram

Posted via email from Bertram’s posterous

Life is such an amazing adventure. Are you living it and loving it? If not, why not?

It is becoming so clear to me now that I am the creator of my life and that I am a co-creator with the Universe.

I do not blame anyone else for anything. I take full responsibility.

I get clear on what I want, because how can the Universe give me anything if I am not clear on what it is!

So if things are not working out the way you want them to, have a long hard look at what thoughts are going through your head. Whether these thoughts are conscious or subconscious they are doing it for you.

Remember thoughts produce the feelings and emotions. The emotions create the actions.

So get into the present moment and get clear on what you want, believe that it will happen and it will

Namaste

Bertram

Posted via email from Bertram’s posterous

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.
4 minutes later:

the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk..

6 minutes:

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:

A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again,  but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:

The musician played continuously.  Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace.  The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of    the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as  part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:  If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…. How many other things are we missing?

Cheers

Bertram