The Elixir of Life

	MIKE 2/22/02 2:18 PM	1 out of 2
	Hmmm… what do you think this could be about? The elixir of life. Well, let me give you an analogy. Let me compare taking a picture with a camera, a photograph, to living the life of your dreams in time and space. When you take a picture, you simply aim and focus and then click the little shutter button, right? And if you’ve done everything properly, light passes through a transparent lens and leaves an impression on film, which is later lifted, or developed, onto paper, all of which, of course, presupposes that the camera is functional, the film is fresh, and that the lab room will use all the proper chemicals (obviously my analogy predates digital photography!). I bet you see the similarities already. To live the life of your dreams, you must first aim and focus… deciding on what you want, thinking about what you want, and then make some minimal effort in the direction of your dreams, which is like snapping the shudder. From there… if your thoughts then pass through the lenses of your beliefs without being blurred or tainted, or, in other words, your beliefs were in line with your dreams, the Universe will be clear of your intent. Finally, MANIFESTING your intent into time and space is done with faith that this entire chain of events will create a photo… faith that the principals at play in the Universe… like the principals at play throughout the art of taking a photo… will perform as they’re supposed to. But my analogy isn’t complete yet. There’s one other element necessary for taking pictures… that we all kind of take for granted. It’s really quite simple, yet essential. It’s UNDERSTANDING. Understanding the entire process. Understanding that with the proper equipment and principals, and with you doing your part… you WILL get a photo, and understanding that if you really do your part exceptionally well… it’ll be a great photo, exactly what you wanted! And in life… with understanding… full and complete understanding of the processes and principals at play, and by doing your part… you WILL live the life of your dreams… it’s simply unavoidable. Understanding is the elixir of life, as it is with ALL THINGS, including photography. Mastery of any process is enhanced, perhaps the most, by understanding that process, which is especially true when it comes to manifesting your heart’s desire. Understanding time and space, and your place in it, is also like taking pictures, in that you needn’t have complete understanding to do the job, but the more you have, the better your photos, the more confidence you’ll possess, and the more carefree you’ll become. Similarly, in a world that primarily looks everywhere but within to explain its mere existence, neither must understanding of life be complete to take part in the here and now – but it sure makes things a lot easier! CON'T...

	MIKE 2/22/02 2:19 PM	2 out of 2
	...CON'T Without understanding photography, why bother taking pictures? You might get lucky with a great photo every now and then, but mostly they’ll be pretty poor. You’ll get your hopes up on a bright sunny day, but then they’ll be dashed by blurry, indistinguishable blobs. Some shots will be over exposed, others underexposed. Sometimes it’ll all seem so easy, other times it won’t. Sometimes things will go your way, other times they won’t. And without understanding what makes things work, how could you ever know the reasons for anything, which is especially true in LIFE. Without understanding life, you have to worry about whether or not your dreams are meant to be, or whether or not you’re deserving, or whether or not you have good “karma” (which I’ll talk about later), or whether or not your so called luck has run out. Do you keep finding yourself in the wrong place at the right time, or the right place at the wrong time? Kind of sounds like the stuff most people think about as their lives unfold, doesn’t it! No doubt about it, life can be very unpredictable. . . without understanding the role you and your thoughts play. Now there’s a trick here to understanding life. You see, all you need to understand… is that there are principals, not exactly how they work. Just like taking photos… you don’t have to understand the curvature of the lenses, you don’t have to know what material the camera’s made of, you needn’t worry about exactly how light will leave an impression on the film, nor, generally do you have to calculate how long the aperture should remain open, but you do have to understand the overall concept of taking pictures, basically, how the camera works and what exactly is required of you, the photographer. It’s the same in life. You don’t have to be able to see the principals that can turn your dreams into reality, any more than you have to see gravity for it to hold you in place. You just have to understand that there are principals, inviolate principals, principals that HAVE TO OBEY your every wish and command. You have to understand THAT YOU MUST DO WHAT YOU CAN, and you must know what those things are. Understand, without exception, that your thoughts become things, and KNOW that it’s your beliefs that allow, or disallow, your wandering mind to dwell on the things you want, and that your words and deeds both reflect and reinforce those beliefs. Realize that your desires, feelings and intuitions are gifts that must be honored, and that through exploring your emotions you can better understand your present mind set and beliefs. And finally, understand that, RIGHT NOW, you are ensconced in love, surrounded by light, and embraced by a Universe that conspires on your behalf........ end of script... HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND, Mike