The
Miraculous Phenomenon of
LIFE RESPONSE
How Changes in
Consciousness
Instantly Attract Good
Fortune
by Roy Posner
Published by Roy Posner at Smashwords
Copyright 2011 by Roy Posner
First Edition
All Rights Reserved
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
“Our outward happenings have their seed within,
And even this random Fate that imitates Chance,
This mass of unintelligible results,
Are the dumb graph of truths that work unseen:
The laws of the Unknown create the known.”
-from ‘Savitri’ by Sri Aurobindo
CONTENTS
Chapter 1 - Instantaneous Miraculousness
Chapter 2 - Inner-Outer Correspondence
Chapter 3 - The Power of Conscious Choice
Chapter 4 - Life Response in Literature and Film
Chapter 5 - Four Human Behaviors that Attract
Chapter 6 - Embracing the Conditions of Life
Chapter 7 - The Great Secret: Organization
Chapter 8 - Making the Connection with Others
Chapter 9 - Exercising Our Psychological Strength
Chapter 10 - Discovering the Silence Within
Chapter 11 - The Ultimate Power of “The Force”
Chapter 12 - Envisioning and Creating Our Future
Chapter 13 - A New Way of Living
Chapter 14 - Strategies to Make Life Respond
Postscript: Going Beyond ‘The Secret’
Foreword
All of us can recall some inexplicably wondrous moment in our lives when circumstances seemed to miraculously conspire for our advantage. Some call it luck or chance. Others name it fate, karma, fortune or the grace of God. No matter what we call it, wouldn’t it be great if life would cooperate with us all of the time? That is the possibility offered by this book.
Life Response explains in crystal clear terms the true nature of our relationship with the world around us. It depicts life as a mirror. It tells us of the precise one-to-one correspondences between our inner consciousness and events in the world around us. It presents us with the secret code needed to decipher these correspondences. But even more importantly, it presents us with a set of inner keys for mastery over outer life -- it provides us with the remarkable knowledge of how to make life respond.
This is a marvelous book on a topic of extraordinary importance. It presents a knowledge that has been totally missed by modern materialistic science because it contradicts with conclusive evidence the scientific premise that the world around us in inanimate, unconscious, and totally disconnected with what we think and feel inside. This knowledge has also been largely ignored by spiritual traditions who in their quest for divine connection and immortality, sought liberation or escape from life in the world rather than earthly fulfillment.
Roy Posner has been studying the phenomenon of life for decades and meticulously gathering real-life evidence to document the validity of life response. His book is rich with real world personal experiences, as well as examples from biography, history and literature. Together, they provide overwhelming evidence that he is on to a profound truth of life.
Regardless of whether you are an entrepreneur trying to master the intricacies of the market, an aspiring artist seeking to create something unique, a teacher trying to inspire the youth of the world, an intellectual in quest of knowledge, or a householder striving to raise a happy and harmonious family -- this book offers a profound, invaluable knowledge for everyone. –Garry Jacobs (author of The Vital Corporation)
Introduction
In our current way of living, we experience little of the magic and mystery of existence. Though life may be astonishing in its breadth and haunting in its variety, it functions pretty much the same way as it has for millennia, despite ever-advancing technologies and other material benefits of the modern world.
What, however, if we were to discover a different way of living? What if all of life -- including all of the objects and players around us -- looked much the same as they do now, but where the dynamics of existence were fundamentally different?
What if our perceptions of what was possible were to change? What if our understanding of the relationship between cause and effect were to alter? And what if our view of space and time were to shift to something decidedly different?
More to the point, considering the subject of this book, what if we could instantaneously change the course of life outside ourselves by simply making an adjustment in consciousness. E.g., you overcome a virulent attitude toward another person, and 2-minutes later an unknown individual contacts you from half way around the world with news of a large business contract, or a huge financial windfall, or a phenomenal career opportunity.
Such incidents of “life response” occur all of the time, in endless variation, and in every field of life. All we have to do is open our eyes to see it.
Life response was at work when a diligent, hard working executive at a major business institution overcame his reluctance to search through a pile of trash, which suddenly attracted a job out of nowhere that put him in a position to change the course of financial history.
Life response was at work when a manager at a manufacturing plant in India changed his attitude towards his workers, which not only attracted an unexplainable sudden boost in sales, but also caused the machines in the firm to suddenly start operating at double their rated capacity.
Life response was at work when a formerly unemployed woman made one great final physical effort that suddenly attracted the missing piece of evidence that enabled her to win a $300 million legal settlement for her clients -- the largest of its kind in history.
Life responded when an individual gave up his reluctance to work a second consecutive weekend, attracting the biggest sale of his life, propelling him from lowest rank amongst his peers to the number one salesperson in the chain.
Life response was at work when an individual invoked a spiritual power that enabled an energy crisis affecting 35 million people to suddenly end.
These, and hundreds like it, are instances of sudden good fortune that I have documented over the years. Though they are extraordinary moments in people’s lives, you too can attract these miraculous-like results once you discover the secrets of life response.
Three Keys
Though I will describe a number of the keys that attract these powerful outcomes, three stand out.
The first key is to recognize that this extraordinary phenomenon really exists. I will show you that it is constantly occurring -- whether in the smallest acts or the most important situations and circumstances of our lives.
The second key to attracting life response is to understand what it is about life itself that enables it to occur. To that end, I will reveal the profound relationship between our state of consciousness and the world around us. I will show you that our inner being and life outside us are not two separate entities, but are part of one contiguous thread of existence. Therefore, if you change your inner condition, the outer instantly responds in kind.
The final key to attracting life response is to practice those human behaviors that tend to evoke it. I will show you how a change in attitude, a shift from weakness to psychological strength, a move from selfishness to self-givingness, and other “reversals of consciousness” quickly elicit these marvelous results.
Organization of the Book
For your convenience, I have arranged the book into fourteen easy to read chapters -- each logically building on the previous. In the first few chapters, I explain what it is about life itself that enables these marvelous results. It is here that I introduce the principle of “inner-outer correspondence” as well as other forces and factors that contribute to a “physics” and “metaphysics” of life response.
In the next half dozen chapters, I probe deeper into the variety of human behaviors that attract these results -- including changes in attitude, higher levels of cleanliness and orderliness, expressions of psychological strength, and shifts to self-givingness, to name a few. Each behavior is illustrated by one or more powerful, true-life experiences that I believe will both startle and inspire.
In the next group of chapters, I reveal the spiritual powers that enable ultimate response from life. I begin by exploring inner techniques, such as “silent will,” where if you refrain from speaking what is on your mind, others will suddenly express it for you; and “equality of being,” where if you remain calm in a difficult situation, that problem quickly disappears. In addition, I will introduce you to the ultimate power of life response: that of the “spiritual Force.” I will show that if you open to the Higher Power before engaging in an activity, you will gain the full cooperation of life, as dynamic, unprecedented, positive outcomes will suddenly appear. This is perhaps the greatest secret revealed in the book.
Finally, in the last chapters, I describe how you can take control of your life and make life response your never-ending reality. I suggest that if you follow a process of accomplishment, you can attract your heart’s desire whenever you choose, and do so in an extraordinarily short period. What would have taken months or years to accomplish -- if at all -- will come about in days, hours, or even the time it has taken to read this paragraph.
I conclude by suggesting that by learning these inner principles and by having these miraculous-like experiences, not only will your level of success, energy, and happiness soar, but you will begin to look at life from an entirely new perspective. You will realize that you are not a limited individual, but a limitless being capable of mastering all of life’s condition from within. As a result, you will begin to live an unprecedented sort of existence -- one that I call “A New Way of Living.”
If you would like to take your life to a whole new level; if you want to view the world from a dramatically new perspective; if you want to gain a profound knowledge and wisdom into the workings and meaning of life; then this book can help you on your way.
With that in mind, I welcome you to the ultimate adventure of consciousness and joy!
Chapter 1. Instantaneous Miraculousness
One day many years ago, I found myself in an awful predicament. Because I had not worked in weeks, perhaps months, my financial position had completely deteriorated. To make things worse, I had no idea how to remedy the situation. And so I sat there confused, helpless, frozen in time; and with every passing day, my situation became ever more perilous.
Then one day, I thought of something rather unusual. Since I wasn’t doing anything worthwhile, why not take the time and clean out my refrigerator. After all, it hadn’t been attended to for months -- perhaps years! -- and besides, what else was there to do with my time? And so without further hesitation, I took up that daunting task.
First, I began to remove all of the foodstuffs inside the box. Then I got down on my hands and knees, and proceeded to scrape away all of the crust and grime that had accumulated along the edges. Straining this way and that, I scraped and scrubbed until the refrigerator was spotless. After I was done, I slowly raised myself up from that strenuous effort, and let out a deep sigh. As I stood there with my heart beating rapidly, I noticed that I still hadn’t finished the job: that the food I removed earlier was still piled high on the counter. And so I proceeded to return each of these items to their proper shelves. With that last task completed, I now felt relieved that the grueling episode was finally over.
Except there was one more thing …
At the exact moment that I finished putting everything back, the telephone rang. I then scurried over to my answering machine, and carefully listened to the incoming message. It turned out to be my agent -- the person who provided me with the bulk of my instructional work. She was now leaving a message that I had been assigned to a host of new projects, and would I please call back as soon as possible!
When I heard the news, I experienced a surge of energy, which expressed in two ways. On the one hand, I was both stunned and overjoyed that I now had a steady stream of good-paying work to carry me through the coming months. On the other, I knew that because I had made the intense physical effort to clean my refrigerator, I had attracted a magnificent response from life.
-----
Such incidents suggest that there is a relationship between our behavior -- whether inner or outer -- and the sudden onset of good fortune. It appears that if we make certain adjustments in consciousness or take to certain actions, life suddenly cooperates, bringing us unforeseen benefit. Moreover, the manner in which these results come about strike us as nothing less than astonishing.
One reason this particular episode was astonishing was that I had not been in contact with my agent for several months. And yet because I had made that physical effort, a connection was reestablished between us, and through it a powerful positive result followed.
Another reason the incident was astonishing was that the response from my agent was instantaneous to the completion of the act. At the very moment I finished the last task of putting the foodstuffs in their proper place, the phone rang and I received word of a plethora of work filling my schedule. In other words, life not only responded immediately, but with absolute micro precision.
If such instances of “instantaneous miraculousness” are indeed real, then a number of possibilities suggest themselves. The first is that one can attract something outside one’s self to one’s self, even if one is not in physical proximity to, or in any way communicating with that individual or object. That would surely challenge our 100,000-year-old view of how objects and individuals relate in space.
The second possibility is that there are functionings and processes of life that do not conform to our commonly held notions about time. That we can instantly attract life to us, without having to wait for the normal duration of endless moments to unfold.
The third possibility is that we are capable of attracting vast, infinite-like results -- instead of the to-be-expected limited, finite outcomes. E.g., who would expect to receive months’ worth of work by merely cleaning a refrigerator?
If these conclusions are in fact true -- i.e. if there is a phenomenon at play that defies our accepted notions of what is logical and possible; that turns our traditional view of cause and effect on its head; and that shatters our normal beliefs about proximity, distance, space, and time -- then living such a life would surely revolutionize human existence.
And yet to the disbeliever, the skeptic, the doubting Thomas, such assertions are not to be taken seriously. For them, these occurrences are the result of chance, coincidence, or accident. And if not these, then they are due to some other obvious causality such as a ruse or a hoax, in which case, we are still making the proverbial mountain out of a molehill.
But what if this is a very real phenomenon of life. What if we really could think, feel, or act in a way that could instantly attract overwhelming good fortune from the world around us?
The Happy Gardner
Let me introduce you to Kat James. This young English woman had never been to college, yet was able to benefit from a boom in the economy, propelling her into the professional ranks. And yet in spite of her success, Kat was not feeling fulfilled by the work she was doing. Because the hours were long and the commute from Brighton to London exhausting, she often wondered if this was the lifestyle she really wanted. Despite her misgivings, Kat worked hard at her job, hoping that one-day one of her clients would offer her a high-paying position closer to home, freeing her from her anxiety and drudgery.
As it turned out, not too long after, Kat did in fact receive an offer to run the public relations department of an up and coming telecommunications companies in the UK. To show that they were serious, the firm offered to double Kat’s current salary. At first, she thought that this was exactly what she wanted, but when she considered the matter further, she realized that this was not what she longed for; and so opted out. Then she considered moving to San Francisco; but once again, she passed on the idea. As a result, Kat James was still left in a quandary about what to do with her life.
One day when Kat was contemplating the issue for the umpteenth time, she came to a sudden realization. She understood that ever since she was a little girl, she wanted to be a landscape gardener. Though it might have seemed like a laughable idea, Kat took it seriously and thought “why shouldn’t I pursue something I always dreamed about.”
A few days later, Kat attended a music festival and between bands had a Tarot card reading; which was more of a lark than anything else. The Tarot reader dealt the cards, described their meaning, and revealed to Kat that she would really be good at tending people’s gardens. Kat was thunderstruck by the news; considering that the Tarot reader had no knowledge of her intentions. In fact, she had never met her before. Now sensing that her destiny was written in the stars, Kat decided to take up her new career in earnest.
Sometime after the incident, Kat told her neighbor about her new aspiration. As it turned out, the friend had just thrown away a catalog of courses offered at nearby Brighton City College. However, having learned of Kat’s new career path, she dug through the garbage and retrieved it. Kat then took the catalog home and discovered that the school offered an extensive horticulture program that awarded two-year vocational certifications. This was precisely what Kat was after! In fact, on closer examination she noticed that the first class would begin next week, and the enrollment session for the course was that very afternoon! Now Kat sensed that life was fully conspiring everywhere on her behalf.
With astonishing events occurring in rapid succession, and determined to follow the thread, Kat immediately went down to enroll. After she signed up for the horticulture course, she realized that she had to come up with a way to cover her expenses while attending school. She then learned that there was a big 100-year-old nursery in Brighton that would be an ideal place to work since it dovetailed perfectly with her new career aspirations. In addition -- and this made all the difference considering her previous position -- it was only a ten-minute walk from her home! Life was still working cooperating from every quarter.
Rather than hesitate, Kat immediately called the nursery to see if any jobs were available, but was told there would be no employment openings until the Christmas season. Still her contact at the nursery suggested that it wouldn’t hurt if she stopped by sometime. Once again, instead of waiting around, Kat immediately headed over to the nursery, where … you guessed it … she was hired on the spot!
Five “coincidences” later -- after an unknown Tarot card reading indicated a horticulture career; a neighbor dug up a catalogue of classes that perfectly suited her; the existence of several courses in her newly chosen field; the availability of course sign up that very day; and the sudden opening of a job position in her profession that she quickly secured -- Kat James was well on her way to fulfilling her dream. Somehow, life had cooperated from every quarter, providing situations and circumstance that hurled her towards her goal.
Three Attributes
These two episodes -- my refrigerator incident and Kat’s new-career adventure -- have something in common. In each case, a powerful response from life quickly came about because of an individual’s change in consciousness. For myself, I decided to get up and do something instead of fretting about my lack of work and deteriorating financial condition; which instantly attracted a plethora of classes and the end of my money woes. For Kat James, she evaluated her life and made a fundamental decision to change her career path, which instantly unleashed a plethora of events that catapulted her toward her deepest aspiration in life.
In fact, from my analysis of hundreds of such “life response” experiences over the years, I have identified three attributes that are common to all. First, the response from life was sudden -- or at least occurred very quickly in relative terms. Second, what came did so in large quantity or degree -- i.e. it was abundant. And third, the response unfolded in a way that defied normal views of what is possible -- i.e. it was subtle.
Let’s briefly examine the two incidents again to see what I mean. In the refrigerator incident, I instantly attract months' worth of work, instead of having to wait the normal lengthy period to achieve such a result. For Kat, she was able to make exceedingly rapid progress towards her career goal, instead of having to wait the usual weeks, months or years to see tangible results. In both cases, the sudden movements of life essentially overcame the limits of time.
I also said that life response comes in abundance, replacing the current finite, limited reality before us. In the refrigerator event, there was now a schedule filled with training classes, where moments before, there wasn’t a jot of work in sight. For Kat, she was now well on her way to achieving her cherished career goal, when only a few days earlier she was starting out with absolutely nothing to show.
Finally, I indicated that life response is subtle because it does not follow the usual mechanistic, cause and effect view of life. For myself, a response came unexpectedly from out of nowhere from someone I had not been in contact with for months. For Kat, she was hurtled forward by people she never knew, and by opportunities she never dreamed possible.
The sudden, abundant, and subtle nature of life response indicates that the universe is organized in ways that defy our normal view of reality: that there are forces and processes at work that challenge our perceptions of what is possible, and how life unfolds.
If this is so, then it would be worth discovering what they are. Doing so would not only give us a glimpse into the secret workings of life, but would provide us with the keys to evoking “instantaneous miraculousness” in our own lives.
Chapter 2. Inner-Outer Correspondence
Sometimes we forget that the most profound wisdom about life comes from ages long forgotten. One particular insight from that ancient past is the notion that how you act towards life is how it will act towards you. In the West, it is captured by the aphorism “what you sow is what you reap,” while in the East it is expressed as the “Law of Karma.”
While sages past and present have confirmed that life does seem to have this quality, we may have also noticed it at work in our own lives -- or if not, then in the life of a relative or friend; or a character in a movie, or a famous person in history or in the news.
For example, consider a film in which we watch the actions of an unscrupulous villain. First, we observe his treacherous deeds, and the harm he has done to others. But then as the storyline unfolds, we see how this clever, but somewhat careless individual is unable to cover his tracks, leading to situations and circumstance that bring about his eventual downfall. In this unfolding, we clearly perceive how his negative intentions and behavior led to his end -- which is, in essence, captured by the principles of sow/reap or law of karma.
Of course, this profound truth of life does not only apply only to villains, but to each one of us as well. Invariably, life will turn our negative deeds back on us, which we unfortunately experience as difficulty, misfortune; even tragedy. E.g., if I continually gamble away my life’s savings on meaningless sporting events, it is likely that one day my finances will be left in tatters; or that my marriage will fail, or that some other calamity will befall me.
Similarly, our positive deeds, actions, and behaviors tend to bring corresponding good fortune. E.g., if I make a greater effort in my work, there is a reasonable chance that my boss will promote me sometime thereafter. Or, if I give my children more love and affection, I will not only gain their respect, but when I have a critical need for their help, they will come through.
In considering the principle of sow/reap, law of karma, we would have to conclude that there seems to be a solid logic behind it. Despite the complexity of circumstance, and the long arc of time separating the initiating actions and the returned positive or negative result, we recognize a flow of events that are logical in sequence, leading to a reasonable and just end.
In the case of the villain, we perceive how his nefarious deeds lead him to personal tragedy because we are privy to the workings of his mind and to the labyrinth-like meanderings of circumstance. On the other hand, it is more difficult to see this dynamic in our own lives -- as it is hard to separate ourselves from the life we live. And yet, if we seriously analyze our past histories, we too would see the logical sequence that led to the final happy or unhappy outcomes.
Therefore, we can conclude that whether or not we were aware of the quality of our behavior, and their relations to the fortunate or unfortunate results that followed, there is a solid logic behind the eventual helpful or harmful results produced by life.
Oneness of Life
And yet there is something limiting in this view, because it assumes that what returns to us only occurs after a certain period of time; after a series of logical consequences have had a chance to run their course. For example, in this view, if I overcome a wanting attitude, I will only see results after I have expressed that change to my associates, who gradually take notice, and after a reasonable time reward me with a complement or a raise or promotion.
And yet it is my experience that a shift in one’s consciousness -- such as a change in attitude -- can also bring about instantaneous results; not waiting for the normal lengthy chain of events to unfold. In this existence, the principle of sow/reap, law of karma is thus extended beyond our linear, consequential, mechanistic, and time-bound view of life.
But if this instantaneous, timeless, spaceless version of sow/reap, law of karma is a true phenomenon of life, why does it occur? Why would life suddenly rush forward and bring me good fortune when I change an attitude, or otherwise elevate my consciousness within?
In my view, this extreme hyper-unfolding occurs because there is a fundamental law of life at work, which I call the principle of “inner-outer correspondence.” In essence, it indicates that everything outside ourselves is a reflection of our inner condition. Therefore, if we change our inner status, corresponding elements and circumstance on the outside instantly respond in kind. In this way, inner-outer correspondence is the reason for, the fundamental principle behind the phenomenon of life response.
But why are the inner and the outer related? Why does life suddenly respond with good fortune when I change my inner condition? The answer is that in reality there is no “inner” and “outer” to begin with! They are not two separate entities, as we have come to believe, but are part and parcel of the same contiguous reality. Though our senses tell us that there is a world outside that is separate and apart from our own selves, from a deeper view there is no such division. Because we share this continuous stream of existence when I change the inner me, the outer -- which is really inseparable from myself -- instantly responds in kind. In other words, the inner and the outer are One.
If this is true -- if our actions and behavior are able to attract instant results from the world around us because of this fundamental Oneness -- then a number of questions arise. For one, why does a particular object or individual suddenly move toward me in a life response event -- why not a different one? Also, why do I experience positive results when I uplift my consciousness -- why not something neutral or even negative?
To answer these and other intriguing questions, I would like to share with you the following true story.
A Pleasant Holiday Surprise
As the holiday season was approaching a number of years ago, I realized that I didn’t have enough high-paying training and consulting work to see me through that period. Although I made a concentrated effort to fill up my schedule, I was unable to generate anything substantial.
And yet despite my inability to secure the work, there was another possibility available to me: that I could use that “quiet time” to take up one of several projects that were on the back burner. One project that was particularly appealing was to learn a new software application that interested me. I thought that acquiring this new skill would help me acquire new types of business in the future. In fact, when I thought about it further, I sensed that this it was the perfect time to take up that effort. And so without hesitation -- and without a schedule of work to detain me! -- I plunged into the application.
Though I got off to a good start, I soon realized that my heart wasn’t into it. I was simply too preoccupied with other matters to maintain my concentration. Each time I opened the manual and started a lesson, that gnawing feeling that I did not have enough training and consulting work for the holiday season returned. After grappling with my emotions over several days, I finally made a psychological breakthrough. I not only knew that this was the right time to learn the application, but if I did, life would cooperate with my effort. And so once again, I plunged back into my studies -- this time with even greater resolve.
When the next day rolled around, I received a most unexpected call. It was from my agent, who informed me that an avalanche of work had suddenly come in -- which meant that my entire holiday schedule was now completely filled!
After getting over the shock, I settled down and thought about the matter for a moment. Then it dawned on me that not only was I in a much better work position, but that I had experienced another instance of life response. Furthermore, it was crystal clear that I attracted the powerful response because I had shifted my psychological condition, i.e. my attitude, to the positive.
Examining the incident a little closer, we see that there were actually three determining factors: (1) the psychological adjustment I made by reversing my attitude of reluctance; (2) the decision I made to go back and learn the program; and (3) the spiritual-like faith that life would work in my interests. As a result of these inner movements, I quickly attracted outer circumstance that overcame my predicament.
Incidents like these suggest that there is a fundamental relationship between our inner condition and the situations and circumstances of life around us. That if we reverse ourselves in a particular way, and with a certain degree of intensity, the outer conditions instantly move in our favor. Moreover, the reason that the outer responds to the inner is that they are not two separate entities, two distinct divisions of reality, but share the same contiguous stream of existence. Therefore, if I make an adjustment within, the “outer” reality, which is really a part of, an extension of the inner instantly responds in kind.
Confirmation from the World of Science
Now that we know that life response is a real phenomenon of life, and it is based on a fundamental oneness between the inner and the outer, several other issues suggest themselves. For example, though we have identified the mechanics behind this miraculous-like event, we have not yet identified the force or power that enables it to happen: i.e. the substance that binds the inner person and the outer world. Second, we still do not know why a particular object or individual -- in this case, my agent -- suddenly appears on the scene and works on my behalf. Why not someone else; or no one at all? Finally, we do not know why this individual or object brings me good fortune. Why not something neutral, or even negative?
Surprisingly, recent developments in the world of science may shed some light on these issues. Extraordinary findings in the field of quantum physics -- i.e. the study of the very small -- confirm that there can be an instantaneous connection between physical objects that are extremely far apart. For example, for over half a century scientists have known that a shift in the “spin” of an electron of an atom can instantly affect the spin of another electron of that same atom even if the two particles are on opposite sides of the world -- or the other end of the galaxy! Like the principle of inner-outer correspondence, the phenomenon of “non-local connections” between objects corroborates the fact that there is an extraordinary, super-subtle relationship between objects, defying our commonly held beliefs about what is possible; of how cause and effect interrelate; and the nature of space and time.
The difference, however, is that whereas the scientific view of non-local connections indicates that changes in material properties -- like the spin of atoms -- can affect related properties of objects thousands of miles away, the principle of inner-outer correspondence extends that to include non-material changes as well, including variations and fluctuations in our feelings, emotions, attitudes, thoughts, and beliefs. Thus, if I change my emotions and attitude here, it can instantaneously connect with and attract good fortune from another object or individual from anywhere on earth.
Energy and the Web of Life
And yet as extraordinary as the principles of inner-outer correspondence and non-locality appear to be, we are only addressing one dimension of the issue. Though they establish the context for the phenomenon of life response, we still have not identified the actual substance at work in these incidents. I.e., we still do not know what force or media is at play that binds and aligns me with a particular object or element when these life response events take place. Even in the case of the two corresponding electrons of the same atom at vast distances from one another, science has not yet determined what interceding substance is at play that enables the remarkable non-local connection and interchange to take place.
Well, it turns out that if we penetrate the surface of things, and probe deeper into the hidden forces of life, we can identify the substance that binds two entities in a life response event. In fact, not only can we identify what that substance is, but we can distinguish several different properties and formulations of it. We can even go a step further and identify how this binding force and substance relates to the very fabric of life itself.
To that end, I would like to present five insights that describe the substance, medium, and power that binds the outer world to the inner person, accounting for the extraordinary life response events we experience:
1. Energy
The first insight is that in every life response event, the individual initiating the response generates a certain amount of energy. That energy then moves out into the field of life and connects with related energies, elements, individuals, and circumstance across space and time, enabling the life response effect to occur. Thus, energy is the essential binding force between the inner me and the outer world in every life response incident.
2. Four Types of Energy
The second insight is that any of four types of energy are at play in any life response event – physical, vital, mental, and spiritual. For example, when I move my body and act, I generate physical energy. When I express a desire for something special to happen, or feel an intense emotion during a concert, I generate vital energy. When I exercise my mind and take an interest in a subject matter or think my way through an important issue, I generate mental energy. And when I have inner experiences of deep calm, serenity, and well-being, I generate spiritual energy. In every life response event, one or more of the four energy types are released by the individual, which connects with corresponding energies of related people, objects and circumstance at the receiving end.
3. Required Intensity
The third insight is that for a life response event to occur, a certain minimum amount of energy needs to be released by the individual commensurate with life’s conditions at the time. I.e. in a given instance, our change of consciousness needs to reach a certain pitch or level of intensity -- a threshold, if you will -- for the life response incident to occur. Anything less will not produce the desired results.
4. Common Purpose and Intent
The fourth insight is that as these powerful energies flow out from our being, they link up with individuals, objects, and circumstance with whom we share a common purpose -- whose intentions we are aligned with. Thus, when I reverse my negative attitude about my work, I align with the intentions of those individuals, objects, and circumstance with whom I share a common purpose, which formulates in an act and movement of life that crosses my field of vision as an experience of an instance of life response.
5. Coordinating Action of the Web of Life
The fifth and final insight is that these pulses of energy are able to flow between the initiating and receiving parties because there is a fundamental communication and transport system at work in the universe. Imagine that the energies we generate move out across a kind of cosmic highway -- a “web of life” if you will -- that correlates and coordinates related elements and circumstances along those pathways. Thus, e.g. when I change my attitude from a limited view of the marketplace to a broader one, I set in motion a burst of mental and vital energy that move out along one or more of the strands of this cosmic system, connecting and aligning me with the intentions and movements of corresponding energies, elements, and circumstance.
Just as a telecommunications system coordinates currents of electricity that allow sound waves to be transported between particular points on a grid, so too energies produced by our change in consciousness are directed and correlated with corresponding elements and circumstances along specific pathways through this cosmic web of life.
Mira Alfassa, known to her followers as “The Mother”, and the partner of the Indian sage and seer Sri Aurobindo, commented on this apparent cosmic transport system in the early 1970s:
“I have a curious impression of a kind of web -- a web with ... like very loose threads, I mean not tightly meshed, connecting all events, and if you have power over one of these webs, there’s a whole field of circumstances that apparently have nothing to do with each other but which are linked together there in such a way that one necessarily implies the existence of the other ... And I have the impression it’s something that envelops the earth.
And it’s not mental. They are circumstances that depend on one another, in a completely invisible way outwardly, without any mental logic, and yet as though connected to one another.
If you are conscious, really conscious of that, that’s how you can change circumstances.”
If this extraordinary cosmic transport system really exists, then one wonders what could account for it in the first place. It is my view that behind this cosmic web -- in fact, behind all existence -- there is a fundamental spiritual plane of existence. That spiritual Reality in turn provides the ultra-Intelligence and Power behind the cosmic web of life, giving it its subtle power to bind and coordinate all activities, purposes, intentions, and circumstances among individuals and objects in the universe.
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Towards a “Physics” of Life Response
In the final analysis, we see that there are actually two fundamental aspects of life response. The first is captured by the principle of “inner-outer correspondence,” which states that the world outside is not separate from our inner selves, but shares the same continuous stream of existence. Therefore, if we change our inner condition, the outer instantly responds in kind. Thus, inner-outer correspondence provides the cosmic foundation by which every life response event is made possible.
The second fundamental aspect of life response is the generation, movement, and association of energy. It is the essential force, substance, and media that moves and flows in any life phenomenon event. Without it, life would not respond, for there would be nothing to respond to.
And so we begin to see the emergence of what might be called a “physics” of life response: a conglomeration of factors and a variety of processes that allow it to take shape. In concise terms, we can conclude that life response takes shape through an energy flow process that occurs within the context of a universal Oneness.
And yet if we are to truly accept this cosmic causality, we still need to be convinced that life response truly exists; that it is not some anomaly or a random quirk of existence, but is rather a fundamental process of life.
To that end, I would like to show you that not only is life response a very real phenomenon of life, but is one we can consciously evoke at any moment in time.
KEY IDEAS
-The way you act towards life is how life will act towards you is captured in the aphorism “what you sow is what you reap,” and in the “law of karma.”
-In this principle, we recognize a flow of events that are logical in sequence, and that lead to a reasonable and just end.
-And yet a shift in one’s consciousness -- such as a change in attitude -- can also bring about instantaneous results, not waiting for the normal lengthy chain of events to unfold.
-The instantaneous nature of life response is made possible because of underlying principle of “inner-outer correspondence.”
-This law indicates that the inner and the outer are not two separate entities, but share the same continuous stream of existence. Therefore, when I change my inner condition, the outer instantly responds in kind.
-Inner-outer correspondence thus indicates the fundamental Oneness of life.
-Nonlocal connection of quantum science confirms that there can be an instantaneous connection between physical objects that are infinitely far apart.
-Inner-outer correspondence extends that to include non-material changes as well, including variations and fluctuations in our feelings, emotions, attitudes, thoughts, and beliefs.
-Energy is the binding force between the inner person and the outer world in every life response event.
-Any of four types of energy are at play in any life response incident -- physical, vital, mental, and spiritual.
-For a life response event to occur, a minimum amount of energy needs to be released by the individual commensurate with life’s conditions.
-These energies flow out from our being, and link up with individuals, objects, and circumstance with whom we share a common purpose; whose intentions we are aligned with.
-These pulses of energy are able to flow between the initiating and receiving parties because there is a fundamental communication and transport system at work -- a cosmic web.
-Behind everything, there is a fundamental spiritual Reality that provides the ultra-Intelligence and Power to the cosmic web of life.
-Life response takes shape through an energy flow process that occurs within the context of a universal Oneness.
ONE STEP FURTHER
Life Response and Equilibrium of Energy
Here is another way of looking at a “physics” of Life Response. Imagine that the universe is an ocean of energy that is in a state of equilibrium. When we make certain changes in consciousness, we “disturb” that equilibrium and smooth flow of life relative to the point we are involved. (This can be a positive or negative disturbance, and points in between.) The universe however always seeks to restore energies back to a state of equilibrium. It does so through a fresh act. That fresh act is the life response coming back to the individual from a corresponding element across space-time (as a positive, negative, or neutral response). As a result, the equilibrium is restored; or we could say that a new equilibrium is created. Life then waits for the next cycle to unfold ad infinitum throughout the seen and unseen universe.
Chapter 3. The Power of Conscious Choice
One day several years ago, I was driving along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, a wide avenue that hugs the shoreline of the bay. Though I was in a familiar setting, I noticed a particularly nice panorama that I wanted to capture with my new digital camera. Inspired by this breathtaking view, I pulled over and began taking shots on what proved to be another glorious day of deep blue skies.
However, when I got back into my car and looked at the photos through the attached viewing screen, I was reminded of my constant frustration with the camera: that it would continually wash out the brilliant blues, destroying the contrast and drama of every shot. And so once again, I sat there deflated, knowing that my photo-taking efforts were wasted. It was now painfully clear that I had a digital camera that was not performing the way I had hoped.
Not being a technically-savvy individual -- especially when it comes to the hardware side of technology -- I resigned myself to the fact that the only thing to do was to try to adjust the camera’s software settings. Unfortunately, my efforts there also proved futile, when the new pictures I took looked no better -- often worse -- than the earlier ones. Once again, I felt frustrated -- not knowing what to do, or where to turn.
As it turned out, a friend of mine accompanied me on this picture-taking outing, and noticed my mounting frustration. This was not the first time I had experienced disappointment with the output of the camera in her presence. And yet once again, she remained calm, sympathetic, and immune from the storm that was building inside me.
As I sat there exasperated and helpless -- after all, I had purchased an expensive camera, which had not met my expectations -- I knew the issue had come to a head. And so at that moment I cried out “I don’t know what to do. It’s so damn frustrating” -- or words to that effect!
That anguished outburst was followed by a long silence. After several tense moments, my friend suggested that we consider purchasing a light-filtering lens for the camera -- something we had discussed several times in the past. Though I did not disagree with her suggestion, I was in no mood for practical advice, especially where it required additional effort on my part! All I wanted was to capture the blue skies now -- not some time in the future. It was clear that I was now fully irrational.
Fortunately, my friend was unaffected by my behavior, and waited patiently for me to settle down. Several moments later, she softly suggested that we drive over to the nearby Sony Metreon Center and see if they had the light-filtering lens in stock. However, still in an irrational state, her suggestion only increased my frustration; and so I responded with, “Well, the photos I took are ruined, so what’s the point of getting the lens now?” My infantile behavior would not relent.
There was another moment of nervous silence. Fortunately, this time, I was able to take control of my emotions, and several moments later, I began to feel like my old self. Now only was I now calmer, but a certain mental clarity took hold. When I then contemplated the situation, I realized that I had been acting foolishly -- caught up in my own sense of entitlement. In addition, I now had the presence of mind to remember the principle that if you are caught in an emotional frenzy, it is best to defer to the advice of others. And so I began to shift from my own obsessions about the camera to my friend’s practical advice about purchasing the lens.
On further reflection, I now clearly saw that her suggestion was the only way out of my dilemma. So after a few deep breaths -- and the swallowing of my pride -- I said, “OK, let’s go and get it.” “Get what?” she responded. “Let’s go over to the Metreon and pick up the lens.” “Now?” “Yes, now!”
So off we drove to the entertainment complex in the heart of San Francisco’s bustling south of Market (SOMA) district. We then parked on the roof of the huge lot, rode the elevator down to street level, and quickly walked across the busy intersection into the colorful Metreon complex.
Once inside, we headed over to the Sony Center area, where we saw the latest consumer products on display. When we arrived at the camera department, with its plethora of state-of-the-art devices, we wondered if they had the somewhat obscure light-filtering lens that we were after.
I looked around and quickly got the attention of an attendant, who greeted me with a smile. Straight away, that struck me as a good sign. Then, with great emphasis, I described the lens filter we needed. Without a moment’s hesitation, he set off directly to see if the part was in stock. I took his helpfulness and responsiveness as yet another positive indicator. I then stood there for several moments in a relatively calm state, yet still focused and intent on the outcome. After a few moments, the salesperson returned with the very lens I had hoped for! When I inquired about the price, he told me it was $90. Without hesitation, I agreed to take it.
In what seemed like a flash, we scurried back across the street and into the multi-level parking lot, took the elevator to the roof, and got into my car. I then pulled out the camera, attached the new lens, and began to take shots of nearby buildings.
The structures adjacent to the lot were light colored and quite bright, reflecting the sun; thus providing an excellent test for the new lens. I also noticed that the deep blue skies were directly in view above the buildings, providing an excellent contrast. As I took shots of the building, I wondered if the lighting would come out right. When I finished the shooting, I anxiously looked at the tiny LCD viewing monitor on the camera to preview the photos. I squinted my eyes and looked closely at the results, and voila, the pictures were perfect! I saw white buildings reflecting a bright sun, contrasting with the deep blue sky above -- just what I wanted! I was ecstatic, knowing that months of frustration had finally come to an end. A joyful sensation washed over me, as I now felt I had entered photographer’s heaven!
One Good Turn Deserves Another
Because of these happy developments, I was now able to take clear, colorful, and beautiful photographs in the days and weeks that followed. In addition, these very satisfying results inspired my friend and I to go on a number of day-trips along the shores of San Francisco Bay. There we were able to capture its beauty through our now fully functioning and responsive camera. On these outings, we became like modern-day Lewis and Clarks, exploring regions of the bay rarely visited -- including the many inlets, eddies, and sloughs along its 200-mile perimeter. On these happy mini-adventures, we learned a great deal about the delicate nature of this magnificent estuary, which inspired us to explore its recesses even more.
There is one addendum to this story. Our effort to explore and capture the current condition of the bay created a life response of its own. It turns out that through our picture taking outings, we became interested in understanding the problems of the bay; particularly how commercial salt missing operations dotting its edges had done serious damage to the estuary’s ecosystem. As it turned out, just as our picture-taking excursions and interest in environmental problems reached its peak, we learned that the major salt-mining company on San Francisco Bay had decided to pull back its operations -- handing over a large swath of shoreline to the public trust. That meant that the brackish waters would now be flushed with the less-salty waters of the bay, restoring that habitat to its natural state -- including the revival of marsh and wetlands, and the return of a variety of species of birds, fish, and other wildlife. These developments would in essence reverse a hundred years of environmental degradation.
What better response from life could I have received than this news about improvements in the ecology of the Bay I cared so much about! It struck me as the crowning moment; the culmination of events originating a year earlier when I reversed my attitude and made the decision to purchase the light-filtering lens.
On-Demand Response
In this episode, life responded to a change in attitude, which attracted a cooperative salesperson and an in-stock lens that not only led to perfect picture taking in the short term, but to wonderful adventures long term. In the incident, I perceived several possibilities, and then managed to choose in the right direction, which attracted powerful positive response. Had I not given up my wanting attitude, my picture-taking predicament might have continued indefinitely.
Thus, we see that in any given moment, there is a spectrum of choices before us. When we perceive them and then consciously choose in the right direction, the conditions of life quickly turn in our favor. On the other hand, if we fail to choose rightly, then life remains in stasis, or falls back. It is thus in those precious moments when all the world waits on our choice that determines whether or not we will invoke the miraculous.
There is also one other point to consider. Not only can we evoke life response by understanding the current conditions and choosing correctly, but we can do so at any moment in time, “on demand.” In this way, life response can become our never-ending reality.
Inner Orientation
And yet to achieve this lofty goal, several issues need to be addressed. First, how can we have the mindfulness and wherewithal to perceive the possibilities before us? And second, even if we had this capacity, how do we know which choice is the best one to make?
It turns out that we can resolve both issues if we make the effort to reorient the way we live our lives. If we examine how we function, we will see that we are normally caught up in the visual and auditory influences taking shape in front of us; by the surface information that is streaming into our minds through our five senses. As a result, we tend to focus on objects, colors, and motion; instead of concepts, ideas, and insights. With limited knowledge of the current conditions, we are unable to make the right choices that will trigger life response events.
If I am at the checkout line at the supermarket and focus only on the physical movement of the people in front of me, I will miss other information presenting itself in that moment. E.g., I may not catch the fact that I am getting impatient, or that the person ahead of me is having trouble loading items onto the conveyer belt, or that the cashier is overwhelmed with too many customers. That in turn prevents me from taking to inner or outer actions that can evoke a response.
However, if I were stationed in a deeper poise within -- in a state of stillness and calm -- I would be less likely to be taken in by the surface influences and more attuned to the truths unfolding before me. With this more complete understanding, I am more likely to take right actions that will attract immediate response. E.g., I would allow the person behind me to move ahead of me, or suggest to an elderly person that they use the empty adjacent checkout stand, or I would take control of my own irritation. As a result of these inner and outer behaviors, life will tend to quickly respond: e.g. the jammed food conveyer belt suddenly starts working; or several extra baggers suddenly arrive on the scene; or an expensive product I put in my cart now turns out to be on sale.
Crossroad Decisions
And yet as powerful as this inner approach is, it might be a little too much to ask of the average person. Changing our orientation from the surface to the depths is not an easy thing to acquire. It takes months, even years of dedication, discipline, and practice; something not everyone is cut out for. Therefore, it would be helpful if there were a set of simple guidelines that we could follow when we find ourselves in these sorts of crossroad situations. While there are no hard rules, the best choices are:
those that are helpful (over that which is uninvolved or harmful)
those that focus on the needs of others (over that which serves our own self- interest)
those that are positive and upbeat (over that which is negative and glum)
those that engender calm and patience (over that which is disturbed and impatient)
The key point is that if you make the right crossroad decision in a given situation, you will immediately attract the cooperation of life. For example, in the lens incident I described earlier I actually made several crossroad decisions. First, I shifted out of turmoil and anguish to a state of calm (guideline #4 above). Then, I shifted out of ego and opened to the influence and recommendation of my friend (#2). Finally, I did something helpful by acquiring the lens, rather than avoiding the matter (#1). The net effect was to instantly attract a cooperative and friendly sales rep; the availability of an obscure filtering lens; an immediate improvement in the output of my camera; and years of happy picture taking!