Great teachings are no longer hidden from view. You don’t have to travel to India or to a remote location anymore. A case in point is the Lotus Path Workshops which are now represented on the Internet by a new website: http://www.lotuspath.org

The Lotus Path Workshops are the brainchild of Betty Malicoat, who gained renown for her creative and innovative methods while teaching English at Fresno State University before going on to creating the Lotus Path Workshops.

The daughter of a vaudeville dancing mother, and a mystical father, Betty has combined artistic creativity and deep spirituality in a series of workshops that are designed to “connect to the higher self and work with divine energy.”

Betty’s childhood was steeped in spirituality and mysticism thanks to her father, Joe Miller. Miller was a Theosophist and was famous for his spiritual walks in Golden Gate Park which sometimes attracted several hundred participants.

The current Lotus Path workshops combine the teachings of Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism and Hawaiian Shamanism along with Betty’s creative teaching methods. The idea of the workshops is to help a person reach his or her higher self by purifying chakras (the psycho-spiritual centers of energy situated on the spinal column), by activating the senses, and by using creativity.

The workshops are of several kinds. For those people who do not have much time there are the one session “Traveler” workshops. This workshop helps the participant to “turn the mind on the Self” and to understand how past events shape the present.

A more elaborate workshop is “The Journey: Spiritual Autobiography” This is a six session workshop that can be done on consecutive days, weekend or even during the course of one year. The aim of this workshop is to help participants remember their path, to meet themselves and to define their purpose in life.

Another popular workshop is “The Tribal: Playing with Chi”, designed for couples and small groups who want a true sensory experience that shifts consciousness and frees wisdom.

The most advanced workshop is “The Quest: Shaman’s Cave”: A three session workshop for students who want to know their higher self. The three sessions have to be completed within one week, and are open to those who have participated in the Journey or The Tribal workshops.

The workshops are conducted in the Sierra foothills of California between Fresno and Yosemite. Reservations can be made by calling (559) 658-7742 or by visiting the website, where local lodging suggestions are also provided.

Many people combine sessions at the Lotus Path along with visits to Yosemite and report that the workshops add a special dimension to their vacations.

If you would like to really know who you are and to connect with your higher self visit the new Lotus Path website or call for more information.

We know many of the things we should be doing to be happier, to be more physically fit and to be more financially secure. We know we should set our goals, manage our time, and spend more time with our families, exercise, eat right, work hard, sleep more and have a positive mental attitude. We want to accomplish great feats and to be the best at what we do. And we want it all now.

Why are some people super-successful, while others dwell in mediocrity? Ask almost anyone out there, and I bet they’ll say they want more out of life. They want to be better, to accomplish more or to pursue those buried and forgotten goals. So, why do so many of us fall short of achieving our dreams? We all want success. We all want to be happy. We all want to be self-disciplined and fulfill our wildest dreams. In fact, we don’t just want success; we want massive success.

So, why aren’t we doing these things? The desire is there, right? Does it ever seem beyond your reach? The good news is that if you really want success, you can have it. Success is an open book test in which the answers are right in front of you if you know where to look for them. Everyone has enormous potential. You were designed for greatness. There is something you are predestined to accomplish. Let’s start on your success today. Don’t procrastinate any longer. When you take a look at your life, know that there are no do-overs, reset buttons or mulligans. This is it, so it’s time to make it happen. No longer will you stick your big toe in the pool of success; it’s time to jump in.

We all deserve and desire to be happy, to be truly successful and to have an enjoyable life. We were put on this Earth to be happy. Rather than fretting over the future, you need to enjoy life’s journey and know what it takes to achieve success and happiness. Things will not change with hope and desire alone, although they are great starting points. You also need to take action. You need to have a plan in mind and take control of your life. We all have to find that winning edge that will propel us to the top and help us achieve the things we know we are capable of accomplishing. In this chapter, we are going to take your dreams and desires and turn them into reality.

Remember the open book tests in school and how we could look up the answers?
The answers were there, right in front of us; we just had to be willing to go to the source to find the answer. Metaphorically speaking, all of the amazingly successful people in the world are constantly leaving behind clues or answers like an open book that can help anyone become extremely successful. I refer to the polished mastery of these combined skills as the “Exponential Factor.” When you have the Exponential Factor, your potential for success skyrockets to unlimited heights. As the name suggests, your possibilities for success and greatness become exponential.

Life is a fantastic game. We can spend our time either training and winning or waiting in the bleachers of life, watching and wishing we were on the field doing the things we really know we can and want to do. You are in charge of your life. How you live is your decision and yours alone. You can make excuses and rationalize all day why you are not on the field, but until you decide you want to be in the game, that you want to enjoy the victories as well as suffer the bruises and defeats, you will not be happy or reach the success you know you deserve or are capable of achieving.

THE PROBLEMS AND PITFALLS

There are many quick fixes that create excitement and motivation, ones that work for a few days or even months, but eventually after that initial euphoric feeling wears off, we are back to square one. We are back to wanting and wishing, but with no results. Why, after all the flashy seminars and conferences and CDs, are we still only temporarily motivated? Why have we still not arrived at the destination we call success? What is taking us so long? Motivation and personal development is a billion-dollar industry, and it only continues to grow each year. Thousands of books and lectures exist on the topics of success and personal development. They’re all telling us what we want to hear, but where are the lasting long-term results? Why, after so much invested time, is it always back to our warm comfort zone?

I have often wondered why, even in the midst of best intentions, excitement declines and persistence deteriorates. Even the endeavors that are most meaningful to us seem to get lost in the distance when we are confronted by life’s daily setbacks, hassles and frustrations. All too often, the path to success, at times so clearly defined, begins to get blurry again. But lack of long-term success goes much deeper than daily setbacks, hassles and frustrations. Take time to examine where all the detours come from: the self-doubt, the self-sabotage, the nagging, the negative inner voice and the inability to stick to the things you know you should be doing. Sometimes, our lack of persistence stems from the fact that the required behavior is not part of our customary pattern. Other times, it’s because we’re not doing it for the right reasons or in the right way. Sometimes, it’s because we’re trying to treat the surface problem or behavior rather than the underlying issue it stems from. That is, we’re treating the symptoms instead of the disease. It is like trying to get off a car stuck on cruise control.

Whatever the reasons may be, you can’t keep waiting around Are you waiting for a terrible experience to make you change your ways? Are you hoping for a miracle, the lottery or Publisher’s Clearinghouse to change your life? I want to show you how to get started now. This is not just another motivational attempt. These concepts will change your life, will supercharge your success and will bring you happiness. Now it is time to give yourself permission to win.

Well….

Are you?

Do you feel completely in control of your life, totally happy and fulfilled?

Or, like the majority of people are you unhappy about significant parts of your life?

The truth is you can control your circumstances and how you feel and act in response to your surroundings.

One of the key messages from Stephen R Covey’s book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” is that you are “response-able”. You are not like a moth flying into a candle flame because it cannot change the way it responds to the stimulus of the light from the candle.

As a human you are able to choose how you respond to your surroundings, to other people, to your circumstances. There is a gap between the stimulus from your senses and your response to that stimulus. In that gap you can make a vital choice your response!

For many people this realization is a powerful and liberating thought that helps overcome very difficult life circumstances loss of a job, a close relative, terminal illness…

Prisoners suffering terrible torture with no means of regaining their liberty have still found freedom in the knowledge that there is one thing that cannot be taken away from them their freedom to choose how they respond to their circumstances.

REACTIVE PEOPLE EMPOWER THE NEGATIVE CIRCUMSTANCES IN THEIR WORLD TO CONTROL THEM

“Response-ability” goes further than that we are responsible for exercising the choice, for being proactive.

People who abdicate this choice, who let their physical surroundings, the opinions of others, their current circumstances control their responses are living in re-active mode.

To break out of this vicious circle, you need to subordinate your impulse to respond instinctively. You need to examine your values, what you consider to be important, before choosing your response.

BEING PROACTIVE IS NOT BEING IN DENIAL

Being proactive should not be confused with the kind of positive thinking where you tell yourself that everything is ok even when you are about to go broke or your spouse is about to leave you. Being proactive is not the same as being pushy and obnoxious.

It is just that when you are proactive, you are not controlled by your circumstances, you are free to choose how you react. You can choose to go with the flow and let circumstances control your response if you judge that to be the best thing to do, you can choose to stand up and make a difference, you can choose to look for a win-win result…

MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION TODAY

How do you respond to your surroundings, to other people, to circumstances? Are there times when you know you are failing to overcome your impulses…

Do find There’s someone who always makes you angry, you can’t resist eating that enticing little snack, you feel overwhelmed by your finances?

Stop!!! Don’t just react blindly. Ask yourself “what is the best way for me to respond here, what will produce the best results?”…

… And make that choice!!! Start living a proactive life today!!!

Q. What happens when we keep “passing the buck” and blaming others for our own errors and shortcomings?

We get a reputation as a shirker a liability who won’t accept being made accountable. Not only does this do us no favours at all in the eyes of others, it also means we’re less likely to learn from the incident because we’ve already convinced ourselves it’s somebody else’s “fault.” The solution? To take ownership of the incident and make amends in the best possible way.

Q. Are You?

– Honest Enough To Admit You’re Often “Passing The Buck”?
– Losing Trust And Respect As A Result?
– Determined Instead To Take Ownership?

Begin making the transformation today!

Q. What’s In It For You?

– Learn How To Turn All Such Negatives Into Positives
– Gain Newfound Trust And Respect From Self And Others
– Watch As Your Life And Opportunities Expand

Only by taking ownership in this way do we give ourselves the chance to learn and progress and make a difference. If we don’t then we remain as we are motionless, dismissive and devoid of respect. Seeing it from this perspective, we realise there really is only one way forward to refrain from blaming our environment (family, friends, colleagues, etc) and instead take absolute ownership of all that we do.

How do we achieve this? Simple we start by being honest with ourselves and progress to becoming honest with those around us. Once in this habit, we open our lives to positive change and notice it rippling out into our environment. Most importantly, we develop trust and respect within ourselves and from others. Result our integrity comes to the fore and our relationships and opportunities expand it’s as simple as that.

INQUIRY: Take a look back over the last few weeks at the number of occasions where you “passed the buck” instead of taking ownership. What made you do that? What could you have done differently?

ACTION: For the next thirty days, take ownership of your errors and shortcomings. Act with integrity and be honest with yourself and others. Notice how much better you feel and the difference you’re able to make. Stretch yourself a little more each day.

Make A Habit Of Taking Ownership Of Your “Issues”

Best wishes

Simon

What is the key cause for people to get addicted to pornography? Is it loneliness, or the want to be loved with passion? Does it begin with exploring, is it lust or is it the whetstone for a warped mind? Well different people have different views about watching too much of porn and strangely pornography is the largest on-line business with the most number of Internet searches going out to the porn industry.

Some people just think its time to pass, while on the other hand it is fun and exciting for some. And then there are those, who look for every opportunity to watch porn, whether in secrecy or in a blatantly unreserved manner.

Pornographic addiction can also be because of too much sex activities in ones life or the total lack of it. Pornography addiction is just like somebody craving to have a cigarette. Some people watch porn simply for the sake of watching; others do it to excite themselves. There are people addicted to pornography because they want to imitate every act in their own sexual lives and there are even those who do it because of depression.

Most of the people might not even know if they are addicted to it or not, because watching too much of porn becomes their habit and they feel as if their life revolves around it. However, such people do not realize that it can also become dangerous for them in a way. They might not realize that having such a kind of addiction can have negative consequences in their lives. They might just start to neglect their responsibilities towards their work, or might also land up in embarrassing situations at work or a college campus.

Pornography can also cause problems in relationships such as creating an emotional distance with the one you love. People may also lose a relationship due to this. But have you ever wondered is there a cure for it? Can people actually get out of this addiction or not? Yes there is a way of overcoming pornography addiction. People can make a list about the positives and negatives of watching too much of porn, and what are their views about it. What is it that is making them do this? They should start spending more time with their family and friends and not stay alone for a long time. Self-analysis is important to help you rid your inner evils. You can seek a more pleasurable and beautiful experience from a real relationship where sexual acts have a meaning.

Busy yourself with extracurricular activities like playing table tennis or may be go for a swim, basically trying to identify what can help them relax, and at the same time enjoy the activity and feel refreshed. Most important is to find a solution as to what makes them happy about life and think positive. If a person thinks positive and accepts the challenges of life he can overcome any kind of addiction provided you have the determination and the right attitude towards life. If you find it difficult to adhere to self help disclose your problem to a close one and let them guide you. Seeking medical as well as psychological help can sometimes be necessary.

On another occasion in the same Fair another man gave me a push. When I asked him the reason, he also was ashamed and stammered out an apology saying, “Why do you dress that way?” The sympathies of these men were limited within the range of their own language and their own fashion of dress. Much of the oppression of powerful nations on weaker ones is caused by this prejudice. It dries up their fellow – feeling for fellow men. That very man who asked me why I did not dress as he did and wanted to ill-treat me because of my dress may have been a very good man, a good father, and a good citizen; but the kindliness of his nature died out as soon as he saw a man in a different dress. Strangers are exploited in all countries, because they do not know how to defend themselves; thus they carry home false impressions of the peoples they have seen. Sailors, soldiers, and traders behave in foreign lands in very queer ways, although they would not dream of doing so in their own country; perhaps this is why the Chinese call Europeans and Americans “foreign devils”. They could not have done this if they had met the good, the kindly sides of Western life.

Therefore the one point we ought to remember is that we should always try to see the duty of others through their own eyes, and never judge the customs of other peoples by our own standard. I am not the standard of the universe. I have to accommodate myself to the world, and not the world to me. So we see that environments change the nature of our duties, and doing the duty which is ours at any particular time is the best thing we can do in this world. Let us do that duty which is ours by birth; and when we have done that, let us do the duty which is ours by our position in life and in society. There is, however, one great danger in human nature, viz. that man never examines himself. He thinks he is quite as fit to be on the throne as the king.

To get more information visit : http://www.spiritual-simplicity.com