Risin Shine

-Developing a trust in life as an antidote to fear

-The difference between desiring out of lack v. abundance

-Trust leading to temporary inaction until a new driving force begins to move you

-Explaining my notion of God and how we came to form an intimate relationship

-How trust spawns creativity and opens up possibilities we couldn't have imagined

-Feeling deeply betrayed by God and releasing intense levels of sadness and anger

-My injury as a final exam in unconditional love and trust

-How the elusive nature of gratitude was highlighted during my recovery

-Gratitude as an antidote to bring us back to the present moment

-Why a gratitude journal didn't work for me and an alternative practice

-Choosing the right objects of gratitude

-How intense suffering puts all your lessons and growth to the test

-How overcoming suffering reduces fear and enhances a sense of freedom

-Why not all near-death experiences lead to the new beautiful perspective on life one would hope for

-Taking the middle path and the nature of life to always bring things back into balance

-Introduction to the technique of "Direct-Inquiry" or "Self-Inquiry"

-Demonstration and insights from my own practice

-Why I've found investigating core existential questions to be the most practical use of my time

-Lucid dreaming as a metaphor for the new way of being that can arise as a result

-Tips for where to start your own investigation

-Understanding the different types of beliefs

-How beliefs literally create our experience of reality

-The defense mechanisms that keep our current beliefs in place

-The foundational beliefs that we would never even think of as beliefs

-Recognizing how everything we know, even science, is ultimately based on trust

-Recognizing the "destruction phase" and moving with it instead of against it

-Recognizing the "limbo phase" and releasing judgement so you can take full advantage of it

-Recognizing the "reconstruction phase" and replacing limitation and obligation with trust and courage

-Zooming out to see the higher purpose and wisdom behind your life transition

-Why desire has become "the 'D' word" of spirituality

-Why some desires seem to remain perpetually out of reach

-Differentiating between authentic and egoic desires

-Recognizing and overcoming the ulterior motives that sabotage you

-Aligning what you want out of life with what life wants out of you

-Pursuing desires as a way to transcend them

-Focusing on the energy behind your actions instead the results

-Creating out of excitement and love instead of scarcity and obligation

-Using "thought-stream" journaling to determine which internal voices really have your best interest in mind

-Muscle testing, pendulums, and tapping into the body's innate intelligence to gain more clarity

-Quieting the mind instead of using the mind to allow spontaneous insight to arise

-Shifting from analytical reasoning to intuitive discernment for better decisions and more presence

-Recognizing the limitations of your rational mind in making good decisions

-Tapping into a higher intelligence, beyond the mind, to navigate through life

-Developing progressively deeper levels of trust to reduce excessive thinking

-Understanding the role of signs, what they are, and how to notice and interpret them

-How to discover the hidden lies you tell yourself

-How to know when you've truly healed

-A technique for healing without waiting for life to kick your butt

-The trap of personal development and trying to be more spiritual

-The critical role of suffering in personal and collective evolution