Part 1 of an occasional series on the Akashic Records

Akasha is a Sanskrit word meaning sky, space or aether. The term Akashic Records is from Hinduism and was incorporated into theosophy meaning a collection of mystical knowledge.

This mystical knowledge is encoded in a non-physical plane of existence. These Akashic Records are supposed to contain all knowledge.

You can access the Akashic Records through yoga practice and meditation.

They are metaphorically described as a library. Supposedly the records are constantly updated. The concept of Akashic Records originated in the 19th century and remains prevalent in New Age beliefs.

The Akashic Records are often compared to a universal computer or the mind of God. They are said to contain every thought, word and action in the universe and are impressed on a substance called Akasha.

The records are similar to a collective consciousness and they have been referred to by different names including the cosmic mind, the universal mind, the collective unconsciousness or the collective subconscious. Some people also think that the Akashic Records are what make psychic perception possible.

It is believed that the events recorded on the Akasha can be read in certain states of consciousness. These states can be induced by certain stages of sleep, weakness, illness, drugs, meditation and spiritual practice.

This means not only mystics can tap into the Akashic records, but ordinary people can also.

According to believers, the Akasha are the library of all events and responses concerning consciousness. Every life form contributes and has access to the records if they know how to tap into them. It is thought that the Records form the basis of the karmic cycle of reincarnation.

They can be accessed through yoga, meditation, pranayama, prayer and visualization.

Spiritual abundance might sound like a phrase that ís hard to decipher. Is it talking about being a very spiritual person, more abundantly spiritual than others? Actually, the ability to tap into your deepest inner self while allowing the universe to provide for your needs is a good definition.

Serenity is one aspect of spiritual abundance.

We are all spiritual beings. Whether you are religious or you do anything spiritual on a day to day basis or not, you have a spiritual side. Some people define their spirituality with a religion, while others believe that our connection to the world around us and nature defines that side of ourselves.

Regardless of how you define it, you can gain a better understanding of your spiritual self and your ability to achieve spiritual abundance by following a few basic steps.

Attracting abundance and attracting prosperity are basically the same thing. And the first step to achieving them is by believing that it is possible. For some, this is the hardest thing to learn about spiritual abundance because they have been conditioned to believe that it is so difficult to get anywhere in life.

Positive thinking and positive visualization follow the principle that if you picture something and believe that it is possible, you can make it happen in your life. It is necessary to learn to do this when it comes to success, your financial situation and any situation in your life you want to change with spiritual abundance.

If you cannot picture yourself with a large bank account, with bills that are paid, with no debt or less debt, you won’t attract those things to you. But abundance can be yours if you just learn to first decide what it is that you want and then decide that it can be yours.

Some people write checks to themselves. Some people use a fake million dollar bill. But they focus on these things, they look at them frequently (sometimes several times a day) and they learn to believe that they will have these things.

The law of abundance basically teaches you to tap into the power of your mind and your beliefs to achieve your dreams. It is positive thinking and positive visualization amplified and focused to an even sharper point. Instead of just feeling positive in general, you’ll use that positive feeling toward a specific thing.

If you want to get out of debt, pay off your car or your house, or afford a vacation, you will need a specific amount of money to do those things. And it may seem like too large an amount of money. You might think that there is no way you can get that much money for those things any time soon.

Instead you see months, maybe years, of scraping and sacrificing other things in order to be able to afford it. Because you can picture that and you believe it, you ensure it will happen that way.

Shift your thinking instead to see yourself effortlessly coming into the money to enable these things in your life, and you will attract spiritual abundance.

Image Credit: Raymond Larose.

I welcome each new day because it is a chance to do more and be more. By actively searching for ways to improve my life, I take responsibility for my choices and actions.

Embrace each new day as a gift ftom the Universe.

There are times when I am disappointed with how I handle a situation. I am not angry with myself when this happens because I know I can grow from my flaws. This is why I incorporate thoughtful self-reflection into my life.

When I identify how I could have done better, I allow myself the opportunity to be better the next time I encounter similar circumstances. Every day, I strive to improve myself and become a better person.

Though each day may begin with a sunrise and end with a sunset, all that happens in between is unique. I love the possibility that each new day holds. Becoming the person I desire is always within my reach.

With the end of each day, I let go of disappointments and look out for new opportunities.

Learning from my mistakes and accomplishments is a great gift from my past. Receiving the possible joys and surprises of life is a gift from my future. I am so blessed that my Creator has given me so many days of opportunity.

With the gift of each day, I strive to become a better person. I actively search out ways to improve myself. I am so excited to see what opportunities tomorrow brings.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. What can I learn from today’s experiences?
2. What do I hope to achieve tomorrow?
3. Do I take advantage of each opportunity to become a better person?

Image credit: flickr / Rick Harrison.

Are you a reluctant procrastinator? Do you always wait until the last moment to get things done? Do you find you are always putting things off until you can’t put them off any longer? Are your friends, family members, and co-workers frustrated with the way you tackle projects of any size? If so, you aren’t alone.

If you'd rather drink coffee than get that hard job done you're not alone - but you can use positive self-talk to stop procrastinating.

Procrastination is something many people deal with. Although it can be hard to change overnight, positive self-talk is a great way to stop procrastinating and change your life. Positive self-talk can help turn you from a procrastinator into a doer.

Using Positive Self-Talk to Stop Procrastinating
Positive self-talk is a great way to stop procrastinating because you can talk yourself out of procrastinating the minute you start! The problem for most of us who procrastinate is that it is just the way we do things. We don’t even necessarily think about why we procrastinate. It’s our normal approach to life, and it’s hard to stop something we have been doing for so long. Positive self-talk is a great approach to stopping procrastination as it starts because the self-talk occurs in the moment!

Positive self-talk is the practice of responding to your mind’s thoughts as they happen. If you know you have a big project you need to start working on today and you think it can wait until tomorrow, for example, you can stop and remind yourself that it needs to be started today. During those moments when you want to wait until tomorrow, you can use positive self-talk to make sure you don’t put off until tomorrow what needs to be done today. Positive self-talk can stop the negative internal dialogue before it gets to the point of being overwhelming.

Many people use affirmations to help with positive self-talk. Affirmations are positive statements you can use to help you steer clear of procrastination. You should repeat these affirmations when you feel the urge to procrastinate.

An example of an affirmation that may help you with procrastination may be: “I feel no need to create obstacles for myself. I move forward, stronger than ever,” or, “By keeping organized and using my time wisely, procrastination melts away.” These are concise statements that can be memorized so no matter where you are when you begin to procrastinate, you can repeat these positive statements to yourself. Doing this helps you to talk yourself out of procrastination mode.

As you can see, positive self-talk is a great way to combat procrastination. You can reprogram the way you think when you use your affirmations. If you stop procrastination in its tracks each and every time, soon the habit of doing things when they need to be done will replace the habit of procrastination.

Once you repeat the process of positive self-talk many times, you’ll be able to combat procrastination, lead a much less hectic life, and the people in your life will thank you for the change in the way you deal with things! When used effectively, positive self-talk can change your life for the better. So stop procrastinating and start talking to yourself!

Image credit: flickr / ximenacab

My life is full of peace and happiness because I am pursuing my purpose in life. I am confident that I am on the right path because I use and develop the interests and talents that my Creator has instilled in me.

I have let go of the notion that I should be something I was not created to be. When I focus on developing my own natural talents, I achieve peace and a sense of harmony.

I am productive because I am working within the perimeters of my own personality.

I admire others and learn from their experiences. I glean strategies for success and decide whether or not they would suit me. But I reject the idea that anyone else’s path is more important than my own.

A healthy family, community, or society has a variety of different roles and functions, each one vital to the well-being of the whole. Some are more visible than others and some tend to garner more applause, but all are equally important.

I let go of the temptation to do things just to receive the applause of others. Instead, I focus on developing my true self, knowing that this is what makes me most productive and brings me peace and happiness.

Self-Reflection Questions:

1. Am I trying to adopt someone else’s purpose in life?
2. Whose approval am I seeking by my actions?
3. What am I doing to fulfill my purpose in life?

Image credit: flickr/ Marcy Kellar.