“From the Ancient Wisdoms to Quantum Physics,
It's All About the Energy!”
The Alpha State and the Three R’s of Conscious Living©
Dennis L. Dossett
(All Rights Reserved)
Last month's blog, The “3 R's” of Conscious Living, introduced the “fundamentals,” the basic principles of Conscious Living, a set of practices and procedures for creating the life you desire and for learning to become the master of your life rather than being mastered by life. I received a number interesting questions and comments on it, but several of them were of the nature, “Dennis, you told me what and why, but not how!” Well, I only have 1200-1500 words in these blogs, and many people find even that amount to be about all they can digest in one sitting. The “3 R's” are only the fundamental concepts. The details are “detailed” in my three Dancing with the Energy books so, Yes! there is much more to it than just that. The point of the “3 R's” is as a memory prompt when you need them, just like the mnemonic “Roy G Biv” for remembering the order of colors in a rainbow (red, orange, yellow, blue, green, indigo, violet).
But a memory prompt is just a tool, a temporary assist to help navigate (cope with) life until such time as repetition, practiced response, becomes a new, more functional habit replacing an old, less functional habitual reaction to life. In other words, you don't have to think about what to do anymore when “life” takes center stage in your momentary experience (see my blog, “Do You React or Respond?“). But, to be sure, a memory prompt can also be a springboard, a starting point, to considered and meaningful activity or it has no purpose beyond simple memorization. To that end, this blog will briefly identify a few of the major “how's” and where to find specific details in the three Dancing with the Energy books.
Recall from last month's blog that all of my greatest teachers indicate that we are intended to live lives of joy and abundance. That is the process of Conscious Living, and it all begins with Allowing your life energies to flow freely and in Alignment with your Higher Self. And that depends on your learning how to effectively use the “3 R's” in your life. Given that, allowing one's life energies to flow freely, unhindered, is the essence of the “3 R's.” And what is the essence of allowing? The Alpha State(B3, C4) (Book 3, Chapter 4 of Dancing with the Energy).
This topic is so important that I devoted an entire chapter to it in Book 3. I once proposed a class entitled “Gifts of the Alpha State” to a bookstore owner who replied, “Oh, you mean meditation.” My response was “Yes, it includes meditation, but it is so much more.” I explained that the basketball player dribbling down the court, dodging opponents, makes the shot ... and then his body follows through with the ball. He doesn't have to think about dribbling; his body knows all about how to do that. He is so practiced and adept at dodging opponents that he doesn't even consciously think about it. His only conscious thought is “Swish!” He makes the shot in his mind and then his body follows through with the necessary actions to propel the ball into the basket. He says he is in “the Zone,” a relatively high-frequency level of the Alpha state.
And what about the writer whose pen (or keyboard) won't let her stop writing (or typing) until it is finished? She sits back and says “Wow! Where did that come from?” Or the painter or musician or dancer whose activity just seems to flow seamlessly through every stroke, note, or movement of her art. She says that she is “in the Flow,” an Alpha state exactly like being in the “Zone.” I also included a section in the “Gifts of the Alpha State” chapter(B3, C4) entitled “Pulling Weeds, Doing Dishes, Drumming, etc.” to illustrate that almost any repetitive activity can be conducted in the Alpha state.
As for problem solving and other mental activities, no less than Albert Einstein (a left-brainer if there ever was one!) extolled the Alpha state as essential to his creative genius in physics. For example:
• “Play is the highest form of research.” … “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” … “Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you anywhere.” … “Never memorize something you can look up.” … “I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” ~ Albert Einstein (1879-1955; German-born American physicist, 1921 Physics Nobel Prize)
And these are just a few of the “Gifts of the Alpha State“(B3, C4), including documented improvements in job performance, relationships, health, and well-being—the list goes on. Clearly not just meditation! And the beauty of the Alpha state is that you already “know” what if feels like and how to “get there.” In fact, you go through the entire range of the Alpha state (between about 15 and 5 brainwave cycles per second on average) at least twice a day—just as you are drifting off to sleep and just as you are waking up. But between those limits lies a world of productivity, passion, purpose, and wonder that most of us would do well to consciously spend more of our waking time in each day. In short, the Alpha state is a practiced response you can learn to use to facilitate every aspect of life. As such it is an essential component both of Conscious Living as well as “Creating the Life You Desire.” So, how does the Alpha state relate to the “3 R's?“
Relax
The first “R” is to relax. The Alpha state is one of relaxed but alert concentration or focus. It is solution-oriented (allowing) rather than problem-oriented (resistance). It facilitates the relaxing of physical (muscle) tension, mental tension (worry), and emotional tension. Allowing your life energies to flow freely, unhindered, is also the basis of spiritual evolution as you cannot balance these energies without it. Learning to “drop into” (gently enter) the Alpha state is learned with a bit of practice, and benefits so many different aspects all on its own in addition to preparing body, mind, and spirit for physical, mental, and emotional healing (release). Learning ways to consciously enter and to use the Alpha state(B3, C4) facilitates allowing your life energies to flow freely which is necessary for balancing them.
Release
The second “R” is all about balancing your life energies. This is primarily a matter of releasing (healing) them by dealing with unlearned life lessons(B2, C2), balancing karma(B2, C3), and learning to detach(B1, C1-3, 6,7; B2, C1-6; B3-C1-7) from trapped (unused) energy(B2, C4) in the soul memory. These processes lean heavily on understanding the importance and use of conscious intention and “The Power of Your Thoughts”(B1, C5) as well as “Managing Your Emotions”(B1, C6) in dealing with the “Conscious and Subconscious Minds”(B1, C7). An important component of this work is understanding habits and the subconscious mind as well as how to successfully change your habits(B1, C7). Most people don't think of their habits as trance-like (Alpha state) behavior, but they are. The key difference is that, in Conscious Living, you learn how to carefully choose between dysfunctional and functional habits, and how to replace the former with the latter.
Receive
The essence of receiving is aligning your balanced energies with Higher Self. This, too, is greatly facilitated by Conscious Living, the practiced response of approaching every aspect of your life in a manner characterized by the relaxed attentional (and intentional) focus of the Alpha state. This includes appreciation(B2, C1-6) for whatever you receive. Anything short of that is attachment to an outcome not received (in other words, resistance). If you truly believe that Spirit knows and will deliver what is in your best interest at the best time and in the most appropriate manner, this will be relatively easy. On the other hand, if you insist on trying to maintain control over everything and everyone else in your life (resistance), you will likely find that life gets to be a battle. “What you resist persists” (Carl Jung, 1875-1961; Swiss psychologist). When you let go of the need to control, the energy (and the freedom) will flow (allowing).
It is important to let the Universe know what you need to create/manifest in your life and why (see “Secrets of Manifesting”(B3, C5)). Just let go of the “how's.” “What and Why” are far more important than “How” because they are solution oriented (allowing) while “How” is problem oriented (resistance). Your job is to focus on the desired solution and let the Universe take care of the problems. But that is just a choice ... and another lesson to learn through (often sad) life experience. It's not a matter of whether or if you will learn it; it is only a matter of when you will learn it. But that is also a choice (the esoteric meaning of “surrender” in the major scriptures of the world). Just Relax, Release, and then kick back and Receive. Enjoy it!
• “You might say, 'How do I know if I'm in a receiving mode or not?' And we say, you always feel good when you're in a receiving mode. When someone offers you a compliment, do you receive it, or do you sort of just shrug it off? There's something about believing that you must justify your existence through your effort or through your perseverance, through your struggle, and many of you just have not practiced the receiving mode.” ~ Abraham (Spokane, WA, May 19, 2001)
So, “Yes,” there is much more to the “3 R's” than just what I wrote last month ... or even conveyed in this blog! If “the Devil is in the details” as they (whoever they are) say, I invite you to have a bit of devilishly good fun (all aimed at connecting with your Higher Self) by exploring more of the natural human experience called the “Alpha state.” And be sure to include more of the “3 R's” in your daily schedule. I think you'll like it.
Have a great month!
Dennis