April 2018 Image Directory

Wrapping up the month of April, here’s a quick screenshot review of the month’s news. Let me know which ones you like the most. Thanks for your input, -David M Masters

Build Bridges Don’t Burn Them Baby Boomers Keys to Longevity Reduce Conflict at Home
New Love Later in Life What’s in Your Wallet? Toxic or Angelic?
Missing People and Faked Deaths Shield of Fear When Someone Judges You
Your Shadow Self Change Your Life Right Now Power of Intention
How Do You Handle Confrontation? Why People Say One Thing but Do Another Friends and Sex
Moving On With Your Calling Unconditional Love Makes You Angry Offense as Your Defense
Start Living Your Best Life Nakedness in Relationships Trauma-Inspired Programming

 

Build Bridges Don’t Burn Them

We all need people to get the best things in life, paradoxically, there are many people who will block your attempts to live a better life. So, to protect yourself, you hold the supportive people close to you and reject those who don’t. Build bridges don’t burn them.

Its no secret that we are surrounded by others who are there to share this experience of life, both the good and the not so good. Once you start focusing on your individual journey it’s easy to get in the pattern of extricating people from your life.

You first understand that there are those in your life who are toxic people or energy vampires, so you remove them from your circle of influence to protect the sacred space you need to do your deep inner work.

There is a certain as you clean up your people space, you realize how powerful you can be in controlling your personal space, and you get used to the idea of pushing others away. While this is important in the beginning, as you mature you realize that is better to build bridges instead of burning them.

It’s a fact, we need people. They help support us, and even the most difficult people can hold the keys to greater personal growth and expansions. They might even be the gatekeepers of the one elusive thing you are looking for.

If you are in the habit of pushing others away, it is likely that you are pushing other opportunities away as well. It is far better to allow and gather than to burn and clear. They are on opposite ends of the energy flow spectrum.

If you want the best things in life to be attracted to you and come easily then you want to remain in a state of loving acceptance, building bridges as you go. Those who are burning bridges can still have everything they want in life but will have a more difficult road ahead as they work hard and fight for everything their heart desires.

It takes far more time and energy to build and maintain bridges, rather than just burning them as you go. Building bridges, keep the line of communication open between those who are less desirable without having to burn the bridge and completely cutting off the relationship.

Building and maintaining a bridge with people who are abusive to you is never encouraged unless you can manage a way to maintain connection without being at risk of further abuse. Otherwise, it is likely important and meaningful to keep lines of communication open with those people in your life which might look as if they appear not to be beneficial at first blush.

Difficult people who are brought into your life often are the most valuable as you grow and expand, as they are placed in your life at the most provocative times to help either challenge or redirect you to opportunities which would have otherwise not been overlooked by you as you were focused on your journey, without taking the time to slow down, stop and smell the roses, so to speak.

In this respect, you are far better off to embrace the advice to build bridges don’t burn them, in effect to keep yourself in a state of openness and allowance, so that the best things in life can come to you easily.

A requirement to have the greatest state of welcoming and allowance is to wrap your head around the idea of not taking things personally and allowing what is to be.

Not taking things personally means that you are open to all possibilities, When someone says or does something, you realize that it has very little (probably nothing) to do about you at all. In most (if not all) cases, when someone says or does something that doesn’t sit right with you or is contradictory to what a concept that you hold dearly, it is not about you, it’s about them.

When people are hurting and in pain or incongruence in their life, they strike out at others. This is simply a person crying out, not attacking you. Once you understand this, you can be more compassionate and empathetic to their plight.

Allowing what is to be is simply what it is. What is, is what is, and it doesn’t need your attention or intervention if it doesn’t directly affect you. You can look at something that doesn’t resonate with you, acknowledge it, shrug your shoulders and just accept that it is happening, but not letting it derail your vibration or train of thought.

Build bridges don’t burn them. Without subjecting yourself to abuse, welcome and allow others to be in your life without taking things personally and allowing what is to be.

Baby Boomers Keys to Longevity

So, what are the Baby Boomers’ keys to longevity?

The aging Americans who have lived throughout the most exciting and culturally advanced times in all of history are not accepting society’s or Mother Nature’s definition of aging, and they are living healthier, happier, longer lives than any other segment of the population.

Growing up in the fifties and sixties imbued this segment of the population with the ability to embrace out of the box thinking, reject social programming, and seek individual expression more than ever before, or since.

Of course, there has been spillover into other generations, as their thought patterns permeate the social programming of the powers that be, infect and permeate other segments of American culture, spanning all segments of the populace.

From this expanded level of consciousness, the Boomers are able to see and understand key elements of longevity, increasing human performance, quality of life, love, and joy.

For the most part, the Boomers have settled into American socialized lifestyles but a growing number of them have found or are searching for something more, finding it and living their best lives, living longer, higher quality lives, with more peace, harmony, and love than their peers.

1. Eating habits
2. Nutritional attention
3. An open heart
4. Respect for others
5. Social interaction
6. Individuality, and…

You find certain qualities which they share in common, they eat better, pay attention to their nutritional intake of vitamins and minerals, the building blocks of life. They have an openness to love and compassion, respect others, are part of a social network, embrace and celebrate their individuality.

7. Spirituality

Then there is one more trait they all have in common. For those leading the most high-quality lifestyles for the longest period of time, they all have a method to express themselves spiritually, whether part of an organized religion or in their own individualized spiritual journeys.

These are the people who when tested for their biological age test at 10, 20, 30, and up to 40 years younger than their peers, and they look that much younger, too.

The Boomers who have discovered and exercise their own purpose, message, passion, and mission in life have a higher sense of meaning in life and reason to live a better life, their best lives, and make the world a better place.

Their efforts to expand their consciousness, experiencing all the best things in life, and giving back to others, their communities and the world at large pays exponential benefits of the fountain of youth, which is not some far off sacred secret.

It is within each and every one of us, even if we’re unable to grasp the idea at first blush.

The process, though it is simple, is not easy, and it begins with you. In fact, it is all about you and nothing else but you.

Only you can decide when it’s time to start your journey within and which path(s) you will take along your journey. No one can tell you what is the right way for you, only you can do that.

Your journey, while it may similar in some ways to others, yours will be highly unique and your own. You will erase years from your life, regaining a youthful exuberance and appearance as you roll on and turn back the hands of time, giving you a new lease on life.

Say goodbye to the physiological maladies and issues associated with aging and even which may have come from a life lived less appropriate than you may have if you had the advantage of hindsight’s 20/20 vision.

Yet, even if you’ve lived a life of hedonistic excess, the effects of that lifestyle can be reversed and/or erased at any time. It happens every day. Someone awakens and sees that life is not all that it’s cracked up to be.

Today, you could decide to live a new life, a better life, your best life, and make the world a better place, no matter who you are, what life you may have lived in the past, or how old you might live.

Is Withholding the Truth the Same as Blatantly Lying to You?

The act of withholding the truth is a controversial topic, with debates over whether it should be considered a form of lying or not. Some assert that it is merely a strategic data omission and not an outright lie, while others say that withholding information is a lie of omission.

The Psychology of Withholding the Truth

For the average liar, withholding the truth may serve as a tactical maneuver to avoid the guilt associated with direct lies. By omitting crucial details, individuals may convince themselves that they are not actively engaging in bold-faced deceit. Psychologists often refer to this behavior as a rationalization, a self-protective mechanism that enables individuals to reconcile their actions with their own moral compass.

Pathological liars, in particular, may frequently resort to this tactic, justifying their actions by emphasizing what they did not say rather than what they did say. However, the question remains: Can withholding the truth truly be separated from the concept of lying?

The Moral Implications

The Catholic Church, along with various moral and ethical frameworks, takes a firm stance on the issue of withholding the truth. From a moral perspective, the act of intentionally omitting crucial information is considered deceptive and contrary to principles of honesty and transparency,  a venial sin according to Catholicism. Many argue that by withholding information, individuals are manipulating the truth, leading to potential harm or misunderstanding.

In the eyes of morality, the intent behind withholding the truth matters significantly. If the intention is to mislead or deceive, regardless of the means employed, it can be viewed as a breach of trust and a departure from ethical conduct.

Legal Perspectives

The legal system also weighs in on the question of whether withholding the truth is tantamount to lying. In various jurisdictions, the act of withholding information can have legal consequences, particularly when it comes to contracts, agreements, and legal obligations. Courts often recognize the importance of full disclosure to ensure fairness and justice.

One notable legal concept is the duty to disclose, which is a legal obligation requiring parties to reveal all material facts relevant to a transaction. Failure to fulfill this duty can result in legal repercussions, emphasizing the significance of transparency in legal matters.

Examples

To illustrate the blurred lines between withholding the truth and lying, consider the scenario of a job interview. An applicant might withhold information about a past employment termination, arguing that they were not explicitly asked about it. While they might not have told a direct lie, the omission of such a crucial detail could be deemed deceptive by the employer.

In a legal context, a seller withholding information about defects in a property during a real estate transaction could lead to legal consequences. The buyer may argue that the seller’s failure to disclose materially affected their decision, thus constituting a form of deception.

Withholding in the Name of Love

There are situations where withholding information can be motivated by compassion or an act of love. In certain contexts, the decision to withhold details may be guided by the desire to protect someone emotionally or physically, maintain their well-being, or uphold a greater good. Here are a few scenarios where compassionate withholding of the truth might be considered justifiable:

Protecting from Harm:

Example: A doctor may choose not to disclose the full severity of a patient’s condition if revealing it could cause extreme distress without offering any actionable steps for improvement. This is often seen in cases of terminal illnesses, where the focus is on preserving the patient’s emotional state.
Preserving Emotional Well-being:

Example: Parents might decide not to share certain family struggles or financial difficulties with their children to shield them from unnecessary stress. This compassionate act is driven by the intention to maintain a positive and stable environment for the well-being of the family.
Surprise or Gift Planning:

Example: Planning a surprise party or gift involves withholding information temporarily. This is done to enhance the joy and excitement of the recipient, demonstrating that withholding can be an act of love aimed at creating positive and memorable experiences.
Personal Relationships:

Example: In certain situations, individuals may choose not to disclose past mistakes or regrets to their partners if doing so would cause undue pain and not contribute constructively to the relationship. The intention is to protect the emotional connection rather than deceive maliciously.
Children and Sensitive Information:

Example: Parents may withhold certain details about difficult family situations or personal hardships from their young children until they are old enough to understand and cope with the information. This is often done to shield them from unnecessary emotional burdens.
It’s important to note that the justification for withholding information in these cases lies in the intention to prioritize the well-being and emotional health of the individuals involved. Compassionate withholding is not synonymous with deceit, as the underlying motivation is rooted in care and consideration for the feelings and mental state of others.

However, it’s crucial to strike a balance and recognize that openness and honesty are generally valued in relationships. In some cases, the decision to withhold information may need to be reassessed over time, and communication should be encouraged when the timing is right.

So, is Withholding the Truth Lying?

In conclusion, the question of whether withholding the truth is a lie involves a complex interplay of moral, psychological, and legal considerations. While some may attempt to rationalize this behavior as a strategy to avoid outright lies, both moral and legal frameworks emphasize the importance of transparency and full disclosure. The implications of withholding information, intentional or not, should not be underestimated, as they can have far-reaching consequences in personal relationships, professional settings, and legal proceedings.

 

Reduce Conflict at Home

Isn’t it time to reduce conflict at home? Sometimes people just can’t seem to get along and this leads to a lot of conflict at home, work, school, among friends, and even while driving. When you get upset at something that someone else does, says, or communicates in some other way, you are likely to experience some degree of stress.

The greatest stressors will be initiated by those whom you know the best, the people within your family. While the family unit is no stranger to stress, if there are little witnesses to these active familial stressors, they will be affected the most. This is how children learn to interact with others, and this follows them into adulthood, even if they cannot consciously recall these events.

Even if the conflict does not engage the children directly, they are still being affected by these stressful situations. If you don’t believe me, just think back to familial conflicts which you witnessed when you were a child. How does that affect the way you handle stress and conflict today?

If you have children around watching your interactions with your family, you might consider taking a break or a timeout, the next time you feel tensions building. Maybe you can reason with the person you’re experiencing the conflict with and pick up the discussion at a different place and time. You might be surprised that delaying the discussion will allow you both to revisit the topic when emotions are not running as high.

This works for adults, adults interacting children, and among children as well.

This can have a tremendous effect on reducing the familial stress in relationships, also, it gives whoever might be inclined to do some deep inner work time to reflect on his or her own past to see if there are any hidden anchors from the past triggering the feelings which are being experienced in the moment.

If you are in a relationship with someone and are not able to manage taking a break or timeout, then you might consider seeking a relationship coach, counselor, consultant, or a member of the clergy, whatever appeals to you and seek assistance from a qualified third party, someone you can trust.

There are many techniques which can be applied to any type of relationship which will reduce both conflict and stress, and it’s up to you to check it out and take the appropriate steps to change your life. No one else is going to do it for you.

This is your life, and those whom you care about deserve not to be impaired by your lack of control, and left to itself unhindered by someone’s drawing explicit boundaries, not seeing eye to eye, or having different points of view, could turn into an abusive situation.

If ever, any relationship is visited by abuse, you have the right and the responsibility to stop the abuse. You are never required to fight back if there is abuse. Just take the steps necessary to isolate yourself from any further abuse.

This takes a great deal of courage and determination, but you can do it.

You have zero tolerance for abuse.

New Love Later in Life

Time just keeps marching on, and you never know what might turn up as you get older. Relationships that were thought to be solid as a rock, fall apart later in life, leaving you wondering, what happened?

The couples that seemed to be the happiest longstanding relationships, the envy of all who beheld them, dissolve in a burning flame of chaotic dissolution and/or sudden abandonment, leaving one (or both) of them seeking companionship or new love later in life.

As you might imagine, there might be a lot of second-guessing and trepidation about looking for love when you’re feeling like you’re well past what might have felt like the prime years of your life.

Then, there’s the loss of trust. You may have been with someone whom you’ve trusted for a very long time, only to find that he or she was not in integrity or as trustworthy as you may have believed.

Finding someone you can trust again can be a daunting task, to say the least.

It doesn’t matter how old you are, there is always ample opportunity to delve into your own personal deep inner work, and nothing primes the pump better than an unexpected loss of a loved one.

This is a time for introspection and personal growth for you, as well as an incredible opportunity to embrace all the best parts of you, your unique gifts, special abilities, all the freedom to think, say, and do all the things that are dear to your heart and bring you joy.

And while you’re pursuing all the best things in life, of course, you have one eye open, as you are keeping open, honest, and vulnerable enough to let love in, if given the opportunity. That elusive, perfect match for you, is still out there in the wings.

No matter how advanced in age you might be, you know the opportunity for true love is there because we all know of couples who are finding love and marrying in their later years.

True love is out there seeking to embrace you if you are not blocking it from revealing the love which is waiting for you.

Seek first to find great love for yourself, the person you are and do the things which keep you in a state of happiness, loving yourself, and those around you. Remaining in a state of love and joy will help you be in the right vibration to attract the right person for you.

Have a good idea of what the right person might look like. Imagine what type of person he or she might be who might be perfectly matched for you. Have fun and think of the hair or eye color which appeals to you most. Will he or she be tall? What kind of body type might he or she possess?

What will he or she smell like? What kind of family might he or she have? Where might this lucky person live?

The more you imagine and ponder the idea of this person, without becoming overwhelmingly obsessed, the more you attract him or her to you.

Love does not appear in a vacuum, so you’re going to have to be finding ways to enjoy life and express yourself in ways that get you out into the community where he or she can find you doing the things you love and caring for yourself enthusiastically.

A love and relationship coach can help you address any blocks and triggers that you might have in the search for love in your later years, as well as offering the support you might need to be open and willing to allow love into your life again.

The greatest love you have ever imagined wants to reveal itself to you, and it is not far off, but you’re going to have to be on your best game yourself if you’re going to be a perfect match for your best love ever.

Stay true to yourself, the course of your life, and finding ways to have fun. Let go of those things that prevent you from loving and true love will come to you, no matter how old you are.

See you at the Soulmate Wizardry event.

Toxic or Angelic?

“I don’t know what it is, but every time this person comes around, I get upset.” If you’re in a relationship, especially a close or intimate relationship with someone that drives you crazy and you just can’t seem to see eye to eye, you’re likely to think this is a toxic person in your life. Is this person toxic or angelic?

If you’re in the stage of personal growth where you need to extricate those people in your life who have a negative effect on your life, then setting boundaries to avoid exposure to others who tend to irritate you is definitely warranted.

But what if some of these people who irritate you are angels or brought into your life to awaken your conscious mind to something which is hidden deep within your self that can be the key to unlocking a brighter future for you releasing the flow for peace, joy, and abundance to envelop your life.

This person could be toxic or angelic

Life can be hard, and we can get accustomed to working very hard to have a better life. While this is effective and generally accepted as a good method of creating a better life for yourself by exercising your brute strength to make a change or evoke something better for yourself, consider there might be a better way.

A better way might be allowing yourself to go with the flow of the life you were destined to live, full of all the best things in life. Believe it or not, this is your natural state.

The moment you were born, you were perfect in every way, and all the best things in life were perfectly attuned to you. Yet, not long after you were born, you were subjected to the social programming of those around you which robbed you of your divine destiny. This continued throughout your life and you became acclimated to life’s struggle for survival. Yet, struggle is not your destiny.

If you look at the body chemistry of those who struggle through life, you can see high levels of Cortisol, the reward for fighting for a better life. For those who allow all the best things in life to come to them, they are rewarded with Dopamine and have very low levels of Cortisol in their bodies.

Don’t believe me. Google it. Cortisol makes you feel stressed and causes deterioration of the body system, while Dopamine makes you feel good, and increases the body’s immune system.

How you approach life makes a difference

The sooner you can start to change your thinking process, looking for precious learnings or gifts when your emotional triggers are firing, the happier and longer life you will have.

You can apply this approach to those who make you upset. While these people may seem toxic on the surface, they may have been attracted to your life at just the right time, when you were ready to consider talking some deep inner work which may be hindering your personal growth or potential.

This is common in romantic relationships, where we are magically divine mirrors, one to the other, reflecting back those areas of our lives where we can find deep work waiting to be brought to the surface, so they can be dealt with.

Remembering that we all get upset when we are triggered is a normal human condition. No need to berate yourself for feeling this way. It happens to everyone, especially the more we expose our true selves to someone who is close to us. You are not broken or in need of fixing. There is nothing wrong with you.

If you are a highly sensitive person, you will find you are more sensitive to the things people say or do, and even those things that are not said or done, as you rightly (or wrongly) interpret the meanings behind or underneath that which is obvious to the naked eye or attentive ear.

The basic function of triggers is to protect you from potential danger which may or may not be present but projected onto the screen of life. This is rooted in fear, and while this method is instilled in you to protect you, the fear of it all does hinder your progress.

Often, if you are in the process of excluding others from your life who do not make you feel good (though this may be necessary for a time, while you define and get acclimated to who you really are, it is limiting your becoming aware of those things which block you from the best things in life.

The next time someone triggers you, think about it. Ask yourself if there’s any shadow experience of belief hiding inside? There might be something lurking to be exposed and expelled when you feel like you’re getting upset, especially if your reaction seems to be more than the present circumstance requires.

Love is waiting for you.

Your greatest love adventure of all

Your greatest love will require vulnerability, trust, and welcoming all the good things of life, which long to be found in all things, even those which appear to be bad at first glance.

Try,

Looking through the eyes of love

Missing People and Faked Deaths

With 80-90,000 who are missing every year in America, it makes you wonder where they go? In the third dimension, which most of us live in, we know it’s highly unlikely that a human being might actually vanish into thin air, as the numbers increase for missing people and faked deaths.

Conspiracy theorists have a heyday with speculating where the bodies of these people end up, but the fact remains that for the most part the world as we know it is a closed system, and most, if not all of us, are made of matter.

Then there are the devious people, or psychopaths, who occasionally fake their deaths in an attempt to escape taking responsibility for their evil deeds. Oh, they may be able to vanish into the fabric of America, but eventually, even the best of them turn up every once and a while.

They can’t help themselves. With all the agreements to honor the new people in their new lives, and their own oaths to themselves to keep their previous identity a secret (after all, this time, they’re dead, right?) they still front themselves off to the amazement of all the onlookers.

And when they do, all the co-conspirators who participated in the fake death and/or coverup are left to look like fools and idiots.

Is it illegal to fake your own death?

No, it is not. But it is likely that you and those who assist you in the staging of your faked death can commit crimes in the act of the faking of your death, the process of the cover-up, and/or any fraud or crimes that are committed following the death announcement.

Some of these faux dead people are so clever they accommodate their transition from one identity to another accompanied by a convincing death certificate, and even a body (which can be cremated expediently). LOL.

Mentally ill individuals will disappear from one life, possibly even leaving behind a body decomposed enough to throw off any suspicions only to reappear many years later in Florida, having lived a completely new life, while others disappear and reappear as easily as Invisible Dick.

Other criminals and con men continue to commit all kinds of crimes across the United States from Florida, California, Texas, and Nevada long after they’ve been declared or appear to be dead.

Some of these people who stage their own deaths conjure up a body, while others simply vanish without a trace leaving behind family and loved ones who petition for the coveted certificate of death to offer some form of closure to the disappearance of their loved one or to aid and assist in the person’s disappearance.

Others appear to disappear due to some traumatic event or brain injury where they actually have a break with their former selves and following a bout of amnesia develop a new life based on their being unaware or cognizant of any former life, only to be discovered years after living a new life under their new identity for years.

Though many of these individuals do remain undiscovered for many years, they do finally turn up and the mysteries of their disappearance or faked deaths are revealed.

In this present day, even with the best efforts to hide your IP address, you leave behind a digital footprint wherever you go, and this has led to the unraveling of many a clever psychopath who would have rather remained “dead.”

So, in some cases, “Dead is dead,” is not the case at all.

Nonetheless, in most cases, the truth is revealed.

Shield of Fear

When you take a look at the things which are holding you back from all the best things in life, you are likely to discover they are things associated with your past. Your shadow-self clings to the negative things which you have endured in your past and uses them as a shield of fear to protect you from falling victim to a similar scenario again.

Your body and your mind think the shield of fear is an effective method of protecting you from suffering, and on the surface, it seems perfectly reasonable, and so it is. Then, there is your highest self, who intuitively knows what is best for you.

Your highest self sees what’s really going on. Clinging to all this negativity is actually blocking you from the strength that comes from freedom from all the things that might be holding you back and enjoying all the best things this life has to offer.

The things from your past which you use as a protective shield from potential harm also shield you from other possibilities which are presenting themselves for you to grow and expand.

Thankfully, God will keep presenting opportunities which trigger the connection to these early hidden wounds, as opportunities to dig down, find the elemental anchor, and deal with the issue, enabling you to be free from the previous incident (anchor) so you can grow, expand, and be open to all the new possibilities which are longing to be enjoyed by you.

When you feel a negative emotional upheaval, this may be your shadow-self hard at work trying to protect you from suffering pain, as you may have previously experienced some traumatic incident from your past. Once you identify the root cause of the emotional surge, you have the opportunity to address the issue just as if you were on fire, you can stop, drop and roll.

Just realizing the anchoring issue can give you some initial relief. If you are able to bring up the anchoring incident and find the learning, wisdom, and/or gift embedded in the incident (for there always is, if you can allow yourself to seek and find the hidden message) you can,

Stop, Drop and Roll

Stop allowing this incident from the past to block you from all the positive potentialities which are ready to reveal themselves to you.

Drop this issue (these issues), not allowing people, demons, wounds, or memories from the past which haunt and control you like a hot rock. You are no longer the victim of your past, so you can,

Roll out the red carpet and start living the life you’ve always wanted, and which has been waiting for you all this time. You are really on a roll, now, and into your most amazing future where your best life is waiting for you.

You are able to grow and expand unencumbered by the shadows of your past.

Is it a one-time, one-size-fits-all cure-all? No. It is an ongoing process because once you’ve uncovered your first anchor(s), you have now become aware of them, and they will present more opportunities for you to eliminate other elements of your shadow-self as they are brought to your attention.

This is challenging and exciting work to embark upon as you consider tackling the deep inner work which is the key to your enlightened expansion, allowing you to be truly free indeed from the shackles which band many of our brothers and sisters who share the human condition.

Celebrate your freedom from the shadows of your past, as you live a better life, your best life and make the world a better place.