TOOLS for Personal/Spiritual Growth
As we all navigate this thing called LIFE and try our best to become the fullest being we can possibly be, it is helpful to have a basket of tools. Here are some we have found helpful and continue to use. This information is found near the end of America's First Freedom Part II.
Assemble a Box of Life Tools
Tools can be anything that helps an individual to achieve a desired outcome or feeling. Tools are personal assets and can be learned, polished, and honed, if approached with desire and inner honesty. Tools, or life skills, can take many forms, from a simple mantra to a carefully devised system of learning or performing to a technique that helps us refocus our attention. They are all about our relationship with our own thinking: what holds us back and what moves us forward, in spite of what holds us back.
Tools can help an individual regain clarity in a chaotic world. They might help one gain a more useful perspective of what is happening. They can even help one restore the thought process itself, if badly mauled and numbed by the system, and can help retrain our minds from the effects of mind conditioning.
What works for one person won’t necessarily work for another, so it helps to be willing to experiment. Once aware of the existence of tools, or life hacks, a person’s “tool antennae” activates and he or she will begin to notice more potential tool ideas to try out. It often has a snowball effect, gathering more and more ideas as it rolls along. And the more tools one carries in his or her toolbox, the more likely one is to arrive at positive outcomes in one’s life.
A good tool must be fairly simple, repeatable, effective, and it must produce a positive result. What is “positive?” In this context, it is any result, no matter how seemingly insignificant, that helps nudge us in the direction we want to go.
In context of this writing, the goal, the ultimate positive outcome, is to slash the bonds of brainwashing. To regain individual clarity of thought and the ability to discern what’s what in a stormy, confusing world. To awaken our sleeping minds.
Tool #1. Prayer and Meditation. Prayer can be boiled down to its simplest concept: talking to God or a higher power. Meditation is listening for an answer.
Aside from ancient Eastern traditions, one of the earliest western books on meditation was the 1975 publication of The Relaxation Response, by Dr. Herbert Benson and Miriam Z. Klipper, and was followed by many more. And in 1982 and 1994, Dr. Larry Dossey published respectively Space, Time & Medicine and the Power of Prayer and followed these two books with many more. Dr. Dossey is a medical doctor who pursued an inquiry into whether there is any scientific proof of the effectiveness of prayer. Today there is a huge amount of information out there on both of these subjects, so we won’t go into it further here.
As with all journeys, this one begins with a first step and proceeds one step at a time, and every single step in the desired direction is valuable. Let’s take a look at some of the life tools that might help move us in the direction we want to go, starting with one that almost seems too simple to be useful.
Tool #2. Inspiring and Life-Sustaining Literature. We have found that it is vital to feed our Minds and Souls with nourishment found in the inspired and sacred books written throughout history. We won’t go into a long description, but will just encourage you to find those written words that are important for you and your growth. We aren’t endorsing any philosophy, religion or organization over another. Only you know what is best for you. Now is the time in our society where we each need to use our own minds, hearts and intuition to find what works best for us.
Here's a very brief list of important books we’ve found to feed our mind and soul. A more exhaustive list can be found on our website under the Stay Informed tab and then Current and Past Resources. Additionally we found a website that has a very good library of books to download (in pdf) or audio and all free of charge. Find this at www.
Tool #3. Put It On the Shelf. Around 1984, as a result of very distressing and severe interactions with the US Government and our organization Liberty Ministries, as recounted in both America’s First Freedom and my personal Memoir of Awakening, I began very earnest and deep searching into who I was, what my life was about, and where I wanted to go next in life.
During this time I experienced serious cognitive dissonance, although I had never heard the term at that time. I was exploring many personal, religious, and spiritual concepts and beliefs that were far from many of my previous thoughts and beliefs.
One technique I found helpful was when a concept was presented that I was formerly in disagreement with, I envisioned a "virtual" closet in my mind with a shelf for ideas that I wasn’t ready to deal with. I would put that concept or teaching “on the shelf” and give myself permission to neither accept nor deny it at that moment. This technique allowed me to create the tiniest wedge in a mind that was for the most part refusing to open to possibility. Once a crack is formed, it can widen over time. It worked well for me, and I realized I had stumbled upon a tool I could use whenever I felt the need, and it has served me well over the years.
Tool #4. The Emotional Guidance Scale. One the most useful tools I have come across is from a book, “Ask and It Is Given,” by Jerry and Esther Hicks. This scale shows the various emotional states in which we all find ourselves at any given time. The practicality of it is because we CAN change and improve our emotional state.
Our thoughts cause an emotional response in our mind and bodies, depending upon how much power is behind those thoughts. The thoughts then become beliefs if repeated many times. Those beliefs can then turn to actions, that may or may not have consequences. Given enough time and energy spent on a subject, it begins to manifest as something in our personal reality. This is a huge subject, and I am not doing it justice by any means. In short, if we can learn to learn to catch negative, hurtful, and disempowering thoughts early and use the Emotional Guidance Scale to improve our emotional state, much better personal reality will be created.
It is important to be honest with yourself about where you are on this chart, based upon how you feel emotionally at the moment. It doesn't matter how you wish you felt or how you think you should feel. Just ascertain how you actually do feel on any given subject you are pondering. Ignore the ignorant blabbering about emotions being a weakness.
Once you know where you are right now, you can – by deliberately reaching for better thoughts and feelings – inch your way up the scale to feeling a little better, and then yet a little better. You don't need to try to get all the way up to the very top emotions. Just try to get a bit higher, or maybe even above the mid-point.
Understand that going directly from despair to joy is way too big a jump for a single step. A person gets to the top of a building by taking one step after another after another. This is an easy path for moving into more positive emotional states from wherever one begins, and takes only a few minutes.
In the example below we show how to use the scale to incrementally raise your emotional state by climbing one do-able step at a time, using inner dialogue to get there. The corresponding emotions from the chart are listed in parentheses.
I find myself feeling fear, despair, depression (22) – at the bottom of the chart. The Pits! It is possible to decide to feel the emotion just above, one little step. Insecurity (21). Where do I feel insecure? Why? Am I jealous (20) of someone or something? It is so unjust. . . I am so defensive (19).
In fact, I feel I’d like to exact revenge (18). I am so angry (17). I’ve been taken advantage of so badly. It is so discouraging (16). I feel so disrespected and want to blame (15) someone. It makes me worried and nervous (14). I am so uncertain about my life and doubtful (13) about what might happen.
I am really disappointed (12). In fact I feel overwhelmed, confused. There is so much for me to do. I am stressed out (11)! I am frustrated and really irritated. I am totally impatient (10) with it all. It seems like nothing is happening and I am pessimistic (9) about my life.
I just want to let it all go. I’m bored and all I want to do is give up the struggle (8).
I want to feel grateful (7) for what’s happening, but I doubt so much that it get any better. I guess I can just hope (6) for a better outcome. All really is well when I think about it. I feel a glimmer of optimism and anticipate (5) what might be.
You know, I have noticed that things always seem to work out in the end. I have some positive expectation (4) about where my life is headed. I’m actually excited about what might unfold. I am eager to see the changes. I am really enthusiastic (3) about my future.
I have passions that I look forward to and I am confident (2) about moving forward! I am so joyful knowing the freedom and love that are available to me! I feel empowered in planning my next steps! I appreciate (1) my life and all those that are in it!
I keep this chart close at hand (a copy even in my phone), so that I can “run the scale” at a moment’s notice and not stay stuck in any negative state that I really don’t desire. I can quickly continue to move up, feeling each emotion and acknowledging that it does feel a little better, and/or a little more empowering, than the one before.
By diligently monitoring and adjusting one’s emotional state, one can regain control of one’s actions and ultimately of one’s life!
This helpful chart is a visual way to grasp what is being taught in the book. It is shared here with permission from Esther Hicks (see www.abraham-hicks.com) see Appendix #1.
Tool #5. Trajectory. In college, my sister (and my very valued editor) took a class on mental health and learned a valuable lesson she has frequently used over the many years since her college days. Her professor drew a horizontal line on the chalk board, then stopped the chalk and drew an X at that point on the straight line. He explained that we meet points of decision in life – “life” indicated by moving along the horizontal line and “POD” (point of decision) indicated by the chalk stopping on its journey with an X.
At these junctures, he explained that we can either make a decision to step upward (desirable) or downward (undesirable). In this case, the decision was desirable, so he drew a step up where the chalk continued on a horizontal journey until it met the next POD. It looked a lot like a step up on a sidewalk. At every POD we have the opportunity to go either up or down. This is exactly where the Emotional Guidance Scale can fit in as a tool as well.
Each decision has an effect on our journey. If the majority of decisions are up, even if interspersed with some down choices, one’s life is moving in a positive Trajectory. If the majority of decisions are downward, one’s life is moving in a negative Trajectory. It’s very similar to looking at the movement of a particular stock on the NASDAQ – the Trajectory is either flat, bullish, or bearish.
So, if one took the trajectory all the way to the top of the stairway, what would one find there? What is the ultimate goal, anyway? This is where we find who we really are in our deepest selves, no matter what we have done in our lives. This is our core being, and reuniting with it is humanity’s ultimate journey in life. Love. Harmony. Compassion. Joy. Laughter. Peace. Abundance. Empowerment. Freedom. Spinoffs at this end are wisdom, understanding, success, calmness, exuberance, passion, clarity, dominion, purpose, sovereignty, vitality, expansion, nurturing, creativity, self-worth. . . .
And at the bottom end? What’s down there? Fear. Despair. Division. Suspicion. Powerlessness. Depression. Neglect. Slavery. Insecurity. Jealousy. Spinoffs are hopelessness, disease, greed, bigotry, failure, violence and cruelty, dominance, worthlessness, confusion, desensitization to violence, gullibility, closed mindset, ignorance, lack, addiction, dullness. . . .
The perspective provided by Trajectory can have many very broad applications in life. Will an action be moving one closer to one’s desired outcome, or farther away from it? Will eating this cinnamon roll take me closer to or farther away from my goal of losing weight and improving my health? Will saying something kind in this situation take me closer or farther away from the peaceful world I desire to inhabit? This invaluable tool can provide a compass that helps with navigating through live, a means of evaluating information and situations as they arise, as opposed to just drifting aimlessly.
Keep in mind that at every single juncture we come to, no matter how far up or down the scale we may currently find ourselves, we are given a precious opportunity to change the direction of our trajectory! What an incredibly powerful gift! (Refer also to The Emotional Guidance Scale at the end of this book.)
Tool #6. Contemplation. Contemplation is less formal than meditation. It is a technique that can act like a magnet, attracting to one’s attention more bits of information relevant to the subject being contemplated. One can contemplate an idea for a few days or several years. The topic can be anything, but it is wise to utilize the trajectory tool in choosing it – a topic that takes one’s trajectory in a more upward direction.
The method of Contemplation is very simply to form a question – possibly one about a topic you want to understand better or maybe an idea that has been causing discomfort for a while – and to let that question waft through one’s mind a few times a day. Writing the question on a sticky note and putting it on the bathroom mirror and/or on the door of the refrigerator can help bring one’s attention back to the topic. Then go about the day. Don’t try to “answer the question” or overthink the topic. Just observe what comes up. That’s pretty much it.
As time goes on, notice what bits of information relevant to the question begin to emerge. The magnet of contemplation will attract more and more information that will eventually give at least a degree of clarity on the question. Just because it is so simple, don’t make the mistake of underestimating its power.
One good place to look for a topic to contemplate is on our “shelf.” You know, the one upon which we place ideas we just can’t get our minds around, ideas we don’t know whether are true or not, ideas we just don’t know quite what to do with? Is there a question or idea or issue up there that keeps nagging at you, yelling for attention? That one is a great place to start using your tool of contemplation. I’ll bet this writing has brought up lots of items for your shelf.
The goal is to arrive at one’s own conclusions, not just parroting what one has heard from someone else. When you have weighed an idea in your heart of hearts, striving for the most personal integrity and honesty you can muster, then no one can take that concept away from you. It is yours. You may later find your conclusion is too limiting and adjust it accordingly. That’s fine. It is not cast in stone; it is cast upon your mind and your heart. It is flexible when it needs to change or grow, but change or growth that is directed by you and you alone, for your own upward mobility.
Here are a few suggestions for Contemplation. Try to find your own. These will help you get the idea.
Tool #7. Digestion. What? That’s right. Digestion. As humans, we contain many levels of digestion, not just food in the physical body. The process is the same, whether we’re talking about our physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual bodies. We intake something, run it through the system, glean what is useful, and discard the rest. This applies to all our four bodies. Remember the old programming saying: garbage in, garbage out? Well, the quality of what we feed our physical body, our minds, our emotions, and our spirits matters. Endeavor to get a balanced, good quality diet on all levels. What does that mean?
We know what junk food is, and for the most part we understand that it isn’t good for us. But what is the equivalent of mental junk food? Is what is programmed on broadcast channels healthy or junk? In my opinion, the huge majority is purely junk, designed to keep us sitting still, glued with glassy eyes to the show, to be frequently interrupted by advertisements (or mind conditioning) begging us to buy into whatever they are selling. Playing violent games on our gaming devices for hours every day? Watching inane comedies that aren’t even funny? Do we only watch one channel, all day, every day? (How can that possibly help expand one’s outlook?) Whatever we feed our minds, that is mental food – and it has a nutritional value, just like physical food does. It can help nurture our upward mental journey if we ingest a good variety of mental foods that help enrich our mental activity. This is the same on all levels. Go to www.libertyministries2021.com/
What is emotional food? It is the nurturing or lack thereof we have from the relationships in our lives. Do those around us encourage us to stretch and grow and become the best we can be? Do they appreciate our efforts, even when we fail? Do they believe in us? Or do they insult, ridicule, and/or judge us at every turn?
Spiritual food? Do we align with teachers and teachings who nurture and encourage the best in us, or those who judge us? Or are we maybe on a spiritual starvation diet, ignoring entirely the needs of our spiritual selves? Food on this level needs to foster exploration, growth, and the evolution of our concepts of who we are and what we can do. Staying stuck in one mindset is staying stuck as the world evolves around us.
I had a brother-in-law (now deceased) who was always interested in someone with new ideas. He would jump in and learn all he could about it, until he found something with which he disagreed. At that point he would chuck the entire concept out the window. How could any of it be right if part of it wasn’t? He didn’t understand the value of the perspective of Digestion. Not every part of the food is usable by the body, so do we vomit it all out? No, the body in its wisdom only keeps the useful parts and passes out or eliminates what’s left.
Tool #8. Examine Core beliefs. Beliefs are very powerful, for good or ill. They are ideas we hold with emotion, and they color all of our thoughts and actions. Of themselves they aren’t “good or evil,” but in the perspective of Trajectory, some of them are far more beneficial in helping us move upward. The most important thing to remember about Beliefs is that they are not cast in stone. We created them, whether we knew it or not, and as such we can deliberately un-create them. Beliefs are merely thoughts we have repetitively thought. Guard your thoughts! By replacing the old thoughts we held with emotion with new thoughts we hold with emotion, our Beliefs can be changed!
In seeking to re-educate myself, I’ve come to see that many deep and closely-held beliefs and “facts” have been so altered, twisted, covered up, and hidden that it’s hard to know what to believe. Most of what we learned in school, particularly if it was public school systems, is tainted or outright false. I am willing to have an open mind, like a parachute, to consider that someone might have had an agenda for what they were/are teaching. I am open to never simply accepting gullibly, but rather saying, “well, ok, maybe it’s possible. . . .”
There are some institutions, beliefs, and teachings that I have long held in esteem and as personal beliefs that I am now choosing to examine with fresh perspective. If you read my Memoir, you’ll remember how little I’ve bought into the “mainstream” all through my life.
The first things I examined is what is a belief? How do we get our beliefs? What effect on our lives do they have? I got a great definition of belief from a wonderful teacher of mine. She stated that a belief was just a thought you keep thinking. I’ve already stated this a few times.
Using that as a guide, I realized that my beliefs formed throughout my life once a thought was introduced. This could have been one of my own thoughts, or more commonly, it was a thought someone else shared. As I mulled those thoughts around in my mind, some seemed to stick, or resonate, and I thought about them more. I didn’t really examine from what source they came. The thought just became more and more familiar and then seemed to me like a Belief. Adding an emotional charge, it became a Core Belief and presto—I had built my own belief system.
Useful Beliefs –
Less useful Beliefs –· I am not talented, smart, or valuable
Tool #9. Group Discussion. On this journey of discovering tools for making sense of our world, talking with like-minded individuals can be very beneficial. The trick is to choose those to talk with who are in agreement with our most positive values and beliefs. Some like to call this your Master Mind group. This is an opportunity to express new ideas and bounce them off a more tolerant audience, to hear new ways of looking at things, to add new tools to your toolbox.
It also might provide a forum for keeping an eye on public servants and discussing how well we’re being governed, as intended in the First Amendment Right to peaceful assembly.
Tool #10. Resonance. Resonance is a deeply personal tool. It is that little spark of recognition of something one had maybe been trying to express and couldn’t quite articulate. It is often, but not always, accompanied by goose-bumps. After a period of contemplation, one might notice a deep satisfaction with something that suddenly occurs to us in a way we hadn’t thought of before. Some call this an “aha” moment. It often feels like getting to a bottom line. Sometimes it is simply a nudge from our deepest, inner being to look further in a particular direction.
Never discount the message of Resonance. It won’t lead one astray. It can help immensely in the midst of trying to find clarity among a bunch of what feels like fog. It can provide a deeper level of knowing that one is on the right track.
Tool #11. Preponderance of Evidence. This is something I have had to consider in my quest to allow an open mind to explore. We sometimes hesitate to dig in to something in fear it might fool us into believing something that isn’t true. But in an effort to dig out the Preponderance of Evidence, we will definitely gain more clarity. This tool isn’t as spiritual as Resonance, but it can help one look at the set of facts, as best as can be determined, and see what the Preponderance of Evidence suggests. The answer might agree with popular opinion, and it might not.
In using a tool to help one discriminate and arrive at a likely conclusion, one can know that the conclusion was based on personal effort and discernment rather than just “it’s what she said.” Also be sure to test all “evidence” against your own Inner Knowing as to its veracity and value.
Tool #12. Follow the money. This tool is much like Preponderance of Evidence, and the two are often tied together. Some, or most, of that preponderance is likely to be related to money. In trying to sort out the facts from the fictions, Following the Money is often the key to arrive at a well-thought-out conclusion. It is more likely that the money motivation is at the base of an idea than not.
Let’s say we are contemplating the health care system in America and whether it is looking out for my most vital self. We have been disturbed by the idea that the system might not be wanting the best of health for us, and are reluctant to consider the possibility. One way to wade in would be to think about the money trail. Who stands to gain the most income from our being sick, and who stands to gain the most from our being in radiant health? Who stood to make the most money from COVID-19 and the subsequent series of poorly-tested vaccines? Is it even possible that our array of drugs, with all their scary side effects, were designed to keep us coming back for more drugs to deal with the fallout?? Following the money can potentially give us an entirely new perspective on what might be going on behind our backs.
Tool #13. Research. This is a tool meant to help guide one in the direction of what is true. Unfortunately, there is way more information out there that is not true, particularly in the subjects related to this writing, than are true. That is because the real story is one that the powers that be don’t want to be made public knowledge. If everyone knew what they had been up to, the game would be over.
Research is one way to wade through the items being presented as fact. From there, we have to employ our complete arsenal of life tools to help us determine what is most likely to be true. That’s why this tool is listed last.
The search engines and websites you use are critical. The Deep State/Cabal have gotten control of most of them. They use that influence to continue to mislead and provide disinformation. Avoid: Google, and other “main” browsers and search engines. Avoid: Wikipedia; Snoops, etc. The playing field changes almost daily, but I’ve found less “controlled” search engines to be DuckDuckGo, Brave, Qwant, Freespoke, and others found by searching “uncensored search engines” on one of these. I have found Brave and Qwant to be my two favorites for both my computer and my phone, at least at this point in time (Jan 2023).
This is where I would suggest beginning one’s research. We urge you to research this type of information just long enough to satisfy yourself that you've been duped and lied to by our politicians and the press for many years. Most of what we've been told and taught in our school systems is baloney (to say it nicely). Instead, we all want to turn our attention to building new systems and supporting alternative news outlets to always stay informed. Here are a few more red pill subjects to delve into if you choose. A list of such research ideas were spawned from the first part of this book. They can be found on our website: libertyministries.com>Stay Informed>Red Pill Research. These new subjects will stretch your mind even more. I am not taking a position on any of them here. Some of these are still on my shelf, but I try to stay open minded.
All of these tools, as suggestions, can be used mix and match or consecutively. Use what resonates. Come back to this section often!
Assemble a Box of Life Tools
Tools can be anything that helps an individual to achieve a desired outcome or feeling. Tools are personal assets and can be learned, polished, and honed, if approached with desire and inner honesty. Tools, or life skills, can take many forms, from a simple mantra to a carefully devised system of learning or performing to a technique that helps us refocus our attention. They are all about our relationship with our own thinking: what holds us back and what moves us forward, in spite of what holds us back.
Tools can help an individual regain clarity in a chaotic world. They might help one gain a more useful perspective of what is happening. They can even help one restore the thought process itself, if badly mauled and numbed by the system, and can help retrain our minds from the effects of mind conditioning.
What works for one person won’t necessarily work for another, so it helps to be willing to experiment. Once aware of the existence of tools, or life hacks, a person’s “tool antennae” activates and he or she will begin to notice more potential tool ideas to try out. It often has a snowball effect, gathering more and more ideas as it rolls along. And the more tools one carries in his or her toolbox, the more likely one is to arrive at positive outcomes in one’s life.
A good tool must be fairly simple, repeatable, effective, and it must produce a positive result. What is “positive?” In this context, it is any result, no matter how seemingly insignificant, that helps nudge us in the direction we want to go.
In context of this writing, the goal, the ultimate positive outcome, is to slash the bonds of brainwashing. To regain individual clarity of thought and the ability to discern what’s what in a stormy, confusing world. To awaken our sleeping minds.
Tool #1. Prayer and Meditation. Prayer can be boiled down to its simplest concept: talking to God or a higher power. Meditation is listening for an answer.
Aside from ancient Eastern traditions, one of the earliest western books on meditation was the 1975 publication of The Relaxation Response, by Dr. Herbert Benson and Miriam Z. Klipper, and was followed by many more. And in 1982 and 1994, Dr. Larry Dossey published respectively Space, Time & Medicine and the Power of Prayer and followed these two books with many more. Dr. Dossey is a medical doctor who pursued an inquiry into whether there is any scientific proof of the effectiveness of prayer. Today there is a huge amount of information out there on both of these subjects, so we won’t go into it further here.
As with all journeys, this one begins with a first step and proceeds one step at a time, and every single step in the desired direction is valuable. Let’s take a look at some of the life tools that might help move us in the direction we want to go, starting with one that almost seems too simple to be useful.
Tool #2. Inspiring and Life-Sustaining Literature. We have found that it is vital to feed our Minds and Souls with nourishment found in the inspired and sacred books written throughout history. We won’t go into a long description, but will just encourage you to find those written words that are important for you and your growth. We aren’t endorsing any philosophy, religion or organization over another. Only you know what is best for you. Now is the time in our society where we each need to use our own minds, hearts and intuition to find what works best for us.
Here's a very brief list of important books we’ve found to feed our mind and soul. A more exhaustive list can be found on our website under the Stay Informed tab and then Current and Past Resources. Additionally we found a website that has a very good library of books to download (in pdf) or audio and all free of charge. Find this at www.
- The Holy Bible—the Trust document between us and our Creator.
- The Declaration of Independence (Thomas Jefferson – 1776)
- The U.S. Constitution (James Madison – 1791)
- The Bill of Rights (James Madison – 1791)
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
- The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz
- The True Believer by Eric Hoffer
- The Relaxation Response by Herbert Benson
- Ask and It Is Given by Jerry & Esther Hicks
- You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay
Tool #3. Put It On the Shelf. Around 1984, as a result of very distressing and severe interactions with the US Government and our organization Liberty Ministries, as recounted in both America’s First Freedom and my personal Memoir of Awakening, I began very earnest and deep searching into who I was, what my life was about, and where I wanted to go next in life.
During this time I experienced serious cognitive dissonance, although I had never heard the term at that time. I was exploring many personal, religious, and spiritual concepts and beliefs that were far from many of my previous thoughts and beliefs.
One technique I found helpful was when a concept was presented that I was formerly in disagreement with, I envisioned a "virtual" closet in my mind with a shelf for ideas that I wasn’t ready to deal with. I would put that concept or teaching “on the shelf” and give myself permission to neither accept nor deny it at that moment. This technique allowed me to create the tiniest wedge in a mind that was for the most part refusing to open to possibility. Once a crack is formed, it can widen over time. It worked well for me, and I realized I had stumbled upon a tool I could use whenever I felt the need, and it has served me well over the years.
Tool #4. The Emotional Guidance Scale. One the most useful tools I have come across is from a book, “Ask and It Is Given,” by Jerry and Esther Hicks. This scale shows the various emotional states in which we all find ourselves at any given time. The practicality of it is because we CAN change and improve our emotional state.
Our thoughts cause an emotional response in our mind and bodies, depending upon how much power is behind those thoughts. The thoughts then become beliefs if repeated many times. Those beliefs can then turn to actions, that may or may not have consequences. Given enough time and energy spent on a subject, it begins to manifest as something in our personal reality. This is a huge subject, and I am not doing it justice by any means. In short, if we can learn to learn to catch negative, hurtful, and disempowering thoughts early and use the Emotional Guidance Scale to improve our emotional state, much better personal reality will be created.
- Joyful, Knowing, Empowered, Free, Loving, Appreciating
- Passionate, Confident
- Enthusiastic, Eager, Excited
- Positive Expectation, Believing that Everything Works Out for Me
- Optimistic, Anticipating
- Hopeful
- Contented
- Bored, Letting Go of the Struggle
- Pessimistic, Stagnating
- Frustrated, Irritated, Impatient
- Overwhelmed, Confused, Uncertain, Stressed
- Disappointed
- Doubtful, Uncertain
- Worrying, Nervous, Seeking Safety
- Blaming, Disrespectful, Ornery
- Discouraged
- Angry, Feel Taken Advantage Of
- Righteously Indignant, Seeking Revenge
- Hateful, Enraged, Defensive, Lacking Justice
- Jealous, Resentful
- Insecure, Guilty, Unworthy, Shameful, Inadequate, Lonely, Vulnerable
- Fearful, Depressed, Despairing, Powerless, Grieving, Regretful
It is important to be honest with yourself about where you are on this chart, based upon how you feel emotionally at the moment. It doesn't matter how you wish you felt or how you think you should feel. Just ascertain how you actually do feel on any given subject you are pondering. Ignore the ignorant blabbering about emotions being a weakness.
Once you know where you are right now, you can – by deliberately reaching for better thoughts and feelings – inch your way up the scale to feeling a little better, and then yet a little better. You don't need to try to get all the way up to the very top emotions. Just try to get a bit higher, or maybe even above the mid-point.
Understand that going directly from despair to joy is way too big a jump for a single step. A person gets to the top of a building by taking one step after another after another. This is an easy path for moving into more positive emotional states from wherever one begins, and takes only a few minutes.
In the example below we show how to use the scale to incrementally raise your emotional state by climbing one do-able step at a time, using inner dialogue to get there. The corresponding emotions from the chart are listed in parentheses.
I find myself feeling fear, despair, depression (22) – at the bottom of the chart. The Pits! It is possible to decide to feel the emotion just above, one little step. Insecurity (21). Where do I feel insecure? Why? Am I jealous (20) of someone or something? It is so unjust. . . I am so defensive (19).
In fact, I feel I’d like to exact revenge (18). I am so angry (17). I’ve been taken advantage of so badly. It is so discouraging (16). I feel so disrespected and want to blame (15) someone. It makes me worried and nervous (14). I am so uncertain about my life and doubtful (13) about what might happen.
I am really disappointed (12). In fact I feel overwhelmed, confused. There is so much for me to do. I am stressed out (11)! I am frustrated and really irritated. I am totally impatient (10) with it all. It seems like nothing is happening and I am pessimistic (9) about my life.
I just want to let it all go. I’m bored and all I want to do is give up the struggle (8).
I want to feel grateful (7) for what’s happening, but I doubt so much that it get any better. I guess I can just hope (6) for a better outcome. All really is well when I think about it. I feel a glimmer of optimism and anticipate (5) what might be.
You know, I have noticed that things always seem to work out in the end. I have some positive expectation (4) about where my life is headed. I’m actually excited about what might unfold. I am eager to see the changes. I am really enthusiastic (3) about my future.
I have passions that I look forward to and I am confident (2) about moving forward! I am so joyful knowing the freedom and love that are available to me! I feel empowered in planning my next steps! I appreciate (1) my life and all those that are in it!
I keep this chart close at hand (a copy even in my phone), so that I can “run the scale” at a moment’s notice and not stay stuck in any negative state that I really don’t desire. I can quickly continue to move up, feeling each emotion and acknowledging that it does feel a little better, and/or a little more empowering, than the one before.
By diligently monitoring and adjusting one’s emotional state, one can regain control of one’s actions and ultimately of one’s life!
This helpful chart is a visual way to grasp what is being taught in the book. It is shared here with permission from Esther Hicks (see www.abraham-hicks.com) see Appendix #1.
Tool #5. Trajectory. In college, my sister (and my very valued editor) took a class on mental health and learned a valuable lesson she has frequently used over the many years since her college days. Her professor drew a horizontal line on the chalk board, then stopped the chalk and drew an X at that point on the straight line. He explained that we meet points of decision in life – “life” indicated by moving along the horizontal line and “POD” (point of decision) indicated by the chalk stopping on its journey with an X.
At these junctures, he explained that we can either make a decision to step upward (desirable) or downward (undesirable). In this case, the decision was desirable, so he drew a step up where the chalk continued on a horizontal journey until it met the next POD. It looked a lot like a step up on a sidewalk. At every POD we have the opportunity to go either up or down. This is exactly where the Emotional Guidance Scale can fit in as a tool as well.
Each decision has an effect on our journey. If the majority of decisions are up, even if interspersed with some down choices, one’s life is moving in a positive Trajectory. If the majority of decisions are downward, one’s life is moving in a negative Trajectory. It’s very similar to looking at the movement of a particular stock on the NASDAQ – the Trajectory is either flat, bullish, or bearish.
So, if one took the trajectory all the way to the top of the stairway, what would one find there? What is the ultimate goal, anyway? This is where we find who we really are in our deepest selves, no matter what we have done in our lives. This is our core being, and reuniting with it is humanity’s ultimate journey in life. Love. Harmony. Compassion. Joy. Laughter. Peace. Abundance. Empowerment. Freedom. Spinoffs at this end are wisdom, understanding, success, calmness, exuberance, passion, clarity, dominion, purpose, sovereignty, vitality, expansion, nurturing, creativity, self-worth. . . .
And at the bottom end? What’s down there? Fear. Despair. Division. Suspicion. Powerlessness. Depression. Neglect. Slavery. Insecurity. Jealousy. Spinoffs are hopelessness, disease, greed, bigotry, failure, violence and cruelty, dominance, worthlessness, confusion, desensitization to violence, gullibility, closed mindset, ignorance, lack, addiction, dullness. . . .
The perspective provided by Trajectory can have many very broad applications in life. Will an action be moving one closer to one’s desired outcome, or farther away from it? Will eating this cinnamon roll take me closer to or farther away from my goal of losing weight and improving my health? Will saying something kind in this situation take me closer or farther away from the peaceful world I desire to inhabit? This invaluable tool can provide a compass that helps with navigating through live, a means of evaluating information and situations as they arise, as opposed to just drifting aimlessly.
Keep in mind that at every single juncture we come to, no matter how far up or down the scale we may currently find ourselves, we are given a precious opportunity to change the direction of our trajectory! What an incredibly powerful gift! (Refer also to The Emotional Guidance Scale at the end of this book.)
Tool #6. Contemplation. Contemplation is less formal than meditation. It is a technique that can act like a magnet, attracting to one’s attention more bits of information relevant to the subject being contemplated. One can contemplate an idea for a few days or several years. The topic can be anything, but it is wise to utilize the trajectory tool in choosing it – a topic that takes one’s trajectory in a more upward direction.
The method of Contemplation is very simply to form a question – possibly one about a topic you want to understand better or maybe an idea that has been causing discomfort for a while – and to let that question waft through one’s mind a few times a day. Writing the question on a sticky note and putting it on the bathroom mirror and/or on the door of the refrigerator can help bring one’s attention back to the topic. Then go about the day. Don’t try to “answer the question” or overthink the topic. Just observe what comes up. That’s pretty much it.
As time goes on, notice what bits of information relevant to the question begin to emerge. The magnet of contemplation will attract more and more information that will eventually give at least a degree of clarity on the question. Just because it is so simple, don’t make the mistake of underestimating its power.
One good place to look for a topic to contemplate is on our “shelf.” You know, the one upon which we place ideas we just can’t get our minds around, ideas we don’t know whether are true or not, ideas we just don’t know quite what to do with? Is there a question or idea or issue up there that keeps nagging at you, yelling for attention? That one is a great place to start using your tool of contemplation. I’ll bet this writing has brought up lots of items for your shelf.
The goal is to arrive at one’s own conclusions, not just parroting what one has heard from someone else. When you have weighed an idea in your heart of hearts, striving for the most personal integrity and honesty you can muster, then no one can take that concept away from you. It is yours. You may later find your conclusion is too limiting and adjust it accordingly. That’s fine. It is not cast in stone; it is cast upon your mind and your heart. It is flexible when it needs to change or grow, but change or growth that is directed by you and you alone, for your own upward mobility.
Here are a few suggestions for Contemplation. Try to find your own. These will help you get the idea.
- Can any of this stuff about our country/history possibly be true?
- Do the medical and food production industries have my best interest at heart?
- Do those within the present US government really care about the wellbeing and prosperity of the population?
- Is my child getting the best education possible in our school? Is he or she being taught both sides to the stories, or are most stories slanted in one direction? Is the core curriculum solid? Is she being encouraged to think for herself? Do the teachers care about developing strong, independent individuals?
- Is there a point of balance in respecting diversity? Is it possible to go overboard in our accommodations of those who are different? What is too little? Too much?
- What are my personal values in life?
- How can I get ahold of my (fill in the blank) before it destroys my life?
- Do I have a purpose in being here? What is it?
- What does nurturing mean?
- How can I/we help heal the deep divide in this country? Have I been making it worse? How?
- How healthy is the food I am feeding my body and more importantly, my mind?
- Is it possible we have been systematically brainwashed as a nation?
Tool #7. Digestion. What? That’s right. Digestion. As humans, we contain many levels of digestion, not just food in the physical body. The process is the same, whether we’re talking about our physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual bodies. We intake something, run it through the system, glean what is useful, and discard the rest. This applies to all our four bodies. Remember the old programming saying: garbage in, garbage out? Well, the quality of what we feed our physical body, our minds, our emotions, and our spirits matters. Endeavor to get a balanced, good quality diet on all levels. What does that mean?
We know what junk food is, and for the most part we understand that it isn’t good for us. But what is the equivalent of mental junk food? Is what is programmed on broadcast channels healthy or junk? In my opinion, the huge majority is purely junk, designed to keep us sitting still, glued with glassy eyes to the show, to be frequently interrupted by advertisements (or mind conditioning) begging us to buy into whatever they are selling. Playing violent games on our gaming devices for hours every day? Watching inane comedies that aren’t even funny? Do we only watch one channel, all day, every day? (How can that possibly help expand one’s outlook?) Whatever we feed our minds, that is mental food – and it has a nutritional value, just like physical food does. It can help nurture our upward mental journey if we ingest a good variety of mental foods that help enrich our mental activity. This is the same on all levels. Go to www.libertyministries2021.com/
What is emotional food? It is the nurturing or lack thereof we have from the relationships in our lives. Do those around us encourage us to stretch and grow and become the best we can be? Do they appreciate our efforts, even when we fail? Do they believe in us? Or do they insult, ridicule, and/or judge us at every turn?
Spiritual food? Do we align with teachers and teachings who nurture and encourage the best in us, or those who judge us? Or are we maybe on a spiritual starvation diet, ignoring entirely the needs of our spiritual selves? Food on this level needs to foster exploration, growth, and the evolution of our concepts of who we are and what we can do. Staying stuck in one mindset is staying stuck as the world evolves around us.
I had a brother-in-law (now deceased) who was always interested in someone with new ideas. He would jump in and learn all he could about it, until he found something with which he disagreed. At that point he would chuck the entire concept out the window. How could any of it be right if part of it wasn’t? He didn’t understand the value of the perspective of Digestion. Not every part of the food is usable by the body, so do we vomit it all out? No, the body in its wisdom only keeps the useful parts and passes out or eliminates what’s left.
- Get a wide variety of input from the most positive (nourishing) sources available.
- Understand that you can keep only the parts that are most useful to you, and slough off what’s not.
- Don’t fall into the trap of throwing the baby out with the bathwater like my brother-in-law.
Tool #8. Examine Core beliefs. Beliefs are very powerful, for good or ill. They are ideas we hold with emotion, and they color all of our thoughts and actions. Of themselves they aren’t “good or evil,” but in the perspective of Trajectory, some of them are far more beneficial in helping us move upward. The most important thing to remember about Beliefs is that they are not cast in stone. We created them, whether we knew it or not, and as such we can deliberately un-create them. Beliefs are merely thoughts we have repetitively thought. Guard your thoughts! By replacing the old thoughts we held with emotion with new thoughts we hold with emotion, our Beliefs can be changed!
In seeking to re-educate myself, I’ve come to see that many deep and closely-held beliefs and “facts” have been so altered, twisted, covered up, and hidden that it’s hard to know what to believe. Most of what we learned in school, particularly if it was public school systems, is tainted or outright false. I am willing to have an open mind, like a parachute, to consider that someone might have had an agenda for what they were/are teaching. I am open to never simply accepting gullibly, but rather saying, “well, ok, maybe it’s possible. . . .”
There are some institutions, beliefs, and teachings that I have long held in esteem and as personal beliefs that I am now choosing to examine with fresh perspective. If you read my Memoir, you’ll remember how little I’ve bought into the “mainstream” all through my life.
The first things I examined is what is a belief? How do we get our beliefs? What effect on our lives do they have? I got a great definition of belief from a wonderful teacher of mine. She stated that a belief was just a thought you keep thinking. I’ve already stated this a few times.
Using that as a guide, I realized that my beliefs formed throughout my life once a thought was introduced. This could have been one of my own thoughts, or more commonly, it was a thought someone else shared. As I mulled those thoughts around in my mind, some seemed to stick, or resonate, and I thought about them more. I didn’t really examine from what source they came. The thought just became more and more familiar and then seemed to me like a Belief. Adding an emotional charge, it became a Core Belief and presto—I had built my own belief system.
Useful Beliefs –
- I am worthy because I am a child of the Divine Creator
- Everything I need I already contain inside me
- I can find my way through any confusion and turmoil
- Everything always works out for me in the long run
- My parents did the best they could with what they had available
- I am loved and I can love
- The universe is a benevolent place
- I have an amazing ability to think for myself
- This, too, shall pass
- I hold my best interest at heart
- I can’t control what others around me think, do, or believe
- I can control what I think, do, and believe
- All people, as God’s children, are good at the core
Less useful Beliefs –· I am not talented, smart, or valuable
- Nothing I do turns out well
- I can’t do anything right
- The universe is out to get me
- Nobody cares about me
- My parents didn’t love me
- My siblings, parents, teachers (fill in the blanks) picked on me
- I am a victim
- I can’t make one whit of difference in the world
- There is no use in even trying
- I need to get everything I can, no matter the cost to those around me
Tool #9. Group Discussion. On this journey of discovering tools for making sense of our world, talking with like-minded individuals can be very beneficial. The trick is to choose those to talk with who are in agreement with our most positive values and beliefs. Some like to call this your Master Mind group. This is an opportunity to express new ideas and bounce them off a more tolerant audience, to hear new ways of looking at things, to add new tools to your toolbox.
It also might provide a forum for keeping an eye on public servants and discussing how well we’re being governed, as intended in the First Amendment Right to peaceful assembly.
Tool #10. Resonance. Resonance is a deeply personal tool. It is that little spark of recognition of something one had maybe been trying to express and couldn’t quite articulate. It is often, but not always, accompanied by goose-bumps. After a period of contemplation, one might notice a deep satisfaction with something that suddenly occurs to us in a way we hadn’t thought of before. Some call this an “aha” moment. It often feels like getting to a bottom line. Sometimes it is simply a nudge from our deepest, inner being to look further in a particular direction.
Never discount the message of Resonance. It won’t lead one astray. It can help immensely in the midst of trying to find clarity among a bunch of what feels like fog. It can provide a deeper level of knowing that one is on the right track.
Tool #11. Preponderance of Evidence. This is something I have had to consider in my quest to allow an open mind to explore. We sometimes hesitate to dig in to something in fear it might fool us into believing something that isn’t true. But in an effort to dig out the Preponderance of Evidence, we will definitely gain more clarity. This tool isn’t as spiritual as Resonance, but it can help one look at the set of facts, as best as can be determined, and see what the Preponderance of Evidence suggests. The answer might agree with popular opinion, and it might not.
In using a tool to help one discriminate and arrive at a likely conclusion, one can know that the conclusion was based on personal effort and discernment rather than just “it’s what she said.” Also be sure to test all “evidence” against your own Inner Knowing as to its veracity and value.
Tool #12. Follow the money. This tool is much like Preponderance of Evidence, and the two are often tied together. Some, or most, of that preponderance is likely to be related to money. In trying to sort out the facts from the fictions, Following the Money is often the key to arrive at a well-thought-out conclusion. It is more likely that the money motivation is at the base of an idea than not.
Let’s say we are contemplating the health care system in America and whether it is looking out for my most vital self. We have been disturbed by the idea that the system might not be wanting the best of health for us, and are reluctant to consider the possibility. One way to wade in would be to think about the money trail. Who stands to gain the most income from our being sick, and who stands to gain the most from our being in radiant health? Who stood to make the most money from COVID-19 and the subsequent series of poorly-tested vaccines? Is it even possible that our array of drugs, with all their scary side effects, were designed to keep us coming back for more drugs to deal with the fallout?? Following the money can potentially give us an entirely new perspective on what might be going on behind our backs.
Tool #13. Research. This is a tool meant to help guide one in the direction of what is true. Unfortunately, there is way more information out there that is not true, particularly in the subjects related to this writing, than are true. That is because the real story is one that the powers that be don’t want to be made public knowledge. If everyone knew what they had been up to, the game would be over.
Research is one way to wade through the items being presented as fact. From there, we have to employ our complete arsenal of life tools to help us determine what is most likely to be true. That’s why this tool is listed last.
The search engines and websites you use are critical. The Deep State/Cabal have gotten control of most of them. They use that influence to continue to mislead and provide disinformation. Avoid: Google, and other “main” browsers and search engines. Avoid: Wikipedia; Snoops, etc. The playing field changes almost daily, but I’ve found less “controlled” search engines to be DuckDuckGo, Brave, Qwant, Freespoke, and others found by searching “uncensored search engines” on one of these. I have found Brave and Qwant to be my two favorites for both my computer and my phone, at least at this point in time (Jan 2023).
This is where I would suggest beginning one’s research. We urge you to research this type of information just long enough to satisfy yourself that you've been duped and lied to by our politicians and the press for many years. Most of what we've been told and taught in our school systems is baloney (to say it nicely). Instead, we all want to turn our attention to building new systems and supporting alternative news outlets to always stay informed. Here are a few more red pill subjects to delve into if you choose. A list of such research ideas were spawned from the first part of this book. They can be found on our website: libertyministries.com>Stay Informed>Red Pill Research. These new subjects will stretch your mind even more. I am not taking a position on any of them here. Some of these are still on my shelf, but I try to stay open minded.
- A Democracy vs a Republic
- The Patriot Act of 2001
- The COVID Pandemic: origins, purpose, results
- Pharmaceuticals: who’s behind them, follow the money
- The shape of the earth, NASA, and outer space
- The “3 Letter Agencies” – their origins, roles and purpose
- The CIA: Conspiracy theories – origin and use
- World Economic Forum (WEF) who are they? What are their goals?
- Gregorian vs Julian vs ? Calendar issues
- Child/human trafficking
- DUMBS- Deep Underground Military Bases and tunnels
- HAARP and climate issues
All of these tools, as suggestions, can be used mix and match or consecutively. Use what resonates. Come back to this section often!