Someone commented on my recent blog post about believing in magic, wanting to know about ancient warriors who wore magic vests to protect themselves from arrows or bullets. He felt they were into “magical thinking” and not into reality.

I found that odd.

For one thing, if I were really going into battle, I’d wear anything at all that promised to protect me. I’d quickly put on a “magic vest.” I’d wear spaghetti strands on my head or a necklace of rabbit pellets if I thought it would help me.

After all, I’d be going into battle.

I think you’d be a little silly not to do whatever it took to feel stronger, from praying to rituals to ornaments to you name it. I mean, come on, anything that helps you get through such a terrifying experience as war should be acceptable.

But let’s look a little deeper at my friend’s comment.

When is magical thinking a problem?

My research in placebos — defined as “A harmless pill, medicine, or procedure prescribed more for the psychological benefit to the patient than for any physiological effect” — confirms that when you believe in something, your belief tends to make it come true.

There are even shocking scientific studies that prove when many people with knee problems were led to believe they had knee surgery — but in fact did not have the surgery– they actually got better. (!) (See http://blogs.discovery.com/good_idea/2008/05/placebo-surgery.html)

There are even more recent studies that reveal a placebo will work even when you know it is a placebo. (!)  (See http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/dec/22/placebo-effect-patients-sham-drug)

This isn’t news. I’ve known about the power of belief since the 1960s, when I first read Claude Bristol’s masterpiece, The Magic of Believing. Your belief molds reality. Believe something is true about yourself or your world and you’ll tend to attract the circumstances to match it.

You Attract What You Believe

This works with negative beliefs, as well.

The “nocebo” is a negative expectation and will just as easily create a match to it. In other words, if you believe things will go wrong, or something will have a harmful effect, you will tend to attract that expectation. (See http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A2709-2002Apr29)

This leads to an interesting predicament:

If your belief influences your reality so dramatically, then when is your belief in conflict with reality?

• Is wearing a magic vest going into war just deluding yourself?
• Is believing in a positive outcome despite current reality a self delusion?
• Is believing in a negative outcome despite contrary evidence a mistake?

Probably.

Yes, you may be deluding yourself when you wear a magic vest or a blessed ring. But that very “delusion” is the belief that will help you go through your life with strength, and it may even be the extra edge you need to help you survive and prosper.

Put another way, what’s your alternative?

Go into battle with nothing?

Go through life with no power?

Since your belief is the controlling element here, you are free to believe in the positive, or the negative, or “nothing” at all. (I put the word “nothing” in quotes as even believing in nothing is believing in something. It’s still belief.)

Some think the great god called Science is the be-all and end-all of what’s “real.” Yet science is always coming to conclusions that conflict previous conclusions. And the current science behind placebos proves what you believe is more important than the so-called “reality” around you.

In fact, if science were the deciding factor on reality, why don’t all scientists agree?

Why are there scientists who believe in ESP, for example, and scientists who don’t believe in it?

Gee, I thought science was the final verdict.

I quit reading popular science magazines like Psychology Today because it was apparent they simply reported recent studies. Stick around long enough and you’ll find new studies to conflict with the old studies. And so it goes.

In short, what’s real?

Ever since I released my book and audio program titled The Awakening Course, I’ve stressed that reality is an illusion. This isn’t new, either. Buddha and others, especially non-duality teachers, say the same thing. When you come from the fourth stage of awakening, you see the illusion.

As Einstein said, “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

The goal is to awaken

Again, you are free to wear magic amulets or vests, or do nothing of the kind. You can put your faith in “magic” or you can put your faith in “reality.”

Both reflect your beliefs.

Both, at essence, are reality.

After all, the “reality” you see is viewed through your perceptions, and those perceptions are made from your beliefs.

If you’ve met me, heard me speak, viewed my pictures, or seen me on television or in movies, you know I wear rings and beads. I personally believe some of it is for branding, some of it has some real esoteric mojo in it, and I believe it helps me.

In fact, whenever I speak in public, I wear a special gem made in part from the Gibeon meteorite. That meteorite is older than planet Earth. Estimated about four billion years old. It’s beautiful, and I can feel extra energy when I wear it. It was also a gift from Nerissa a decade ago, so it has sentimental value, too. (You can see me wearing it on the cover of my book, Instant Manifestation.)

Wearing my Magic

What’s most important about it?

My belief in it.

That said, what’s actually real?

I’d rather believe in a magical universe and see my life blossom with miracles then walk through it fearing every turn of a leaf.

Rounding back to my friend who posted the comment about “magical thinking” possibly being bad for you, I want to remind him of the Sufi saying, “Trust in Allah, but tether your camel first.”

That means to trust in your “magical vest” but also do whatever it takes to take care of yourself.

This is what co-creating reality is all about. Yes, there’s magic, and yes, there’s your actions in the physical world. The wisest thing would be to blend the two.

The only real danger in magic is relying solely on it.

Shawn Achor, in his book The Happiness Advantage, suggests you wear rose tinted glasses as opposed to rose colored glasses. He put it this way:

“As the name implies, rose-tinted glasses let the really major problems into our field of vision, while still keeping our focus largely on the positive.”

I’ll end by quoting Bruce Barton, the subject of my book, The Seven Lost Secrets of Success. Barton wrote the following in 1927 in his own book, What Can a Man Believe:

“Faith in business, faith in the country, faith in one’s self, faith in other people – this is the power that moves the world. And why is it unreasonable to believe that this power, which is so much stronger than any other, is merely a fragment of the Great Power which operates the universe.”

In short, if I were going into battle, I’d definitely put on a magic vest and I’d do everything else possible to stay safe.

The magic vest may or may not have power in and of itself, but my believing in it will have power.

Said another way, a placebo isn’t actually real, but the placebo effect is.

Have faith and tether your camel.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS — If you want help in understanding and applying this thinking, consider Miracles Coaching.

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I’m excited!

I’m not sure how to convey how important it is that you drop everything and go see — http://www.aligningtozero.info

You see, I’ve been working hard to find ways to help you release any hidden blocks to your own success, whether you want to attract better health, a relationship, money, or anything else — including spiritual advancement and even enlightenment.

With that help of a dear friend, I just created what may be the most serene, tranquil, easy and effortless way to do just that. It’s designed to align your energy centers. It was made with my Healing Guitar. It was inspired by ho’oponopono and my coauthored book (written with Dr. Hew Len), Zero Limits. The website for it begins…

Secrets of the Ancients Discovered And Adapted For The 21st Century…

How Music Can Trigger Enlightenment

Finally, a true breakthrough designed to easily transform

your very being – And all you do is relax and listen while

doing (or not doing) whatever you want – Guaranteed!

Announcing Aligning to Zero by Mathew Dixon and Dr. Joe Vitale Here’s why this is so important to you:

If you would love to have any of these seemingly miraculous benefits…

… you can have any or all of them!  Simply by listening to this innovative, soothing, and divine new music called Aligning to Zero.

The  whole story is at … http://www.aligningtozero.info and

you can hear samples of the music at http://www.nimbitmusic.com/aligningtozero

Years ago I asked Rhonda Byrne — the woman behind the Law of Attraction hit movie The Secret — an important question.

We were having dinner in Maui when I asked, “How did you come up with the idea for the movie?”

She thought for a long time before answering, “I called it forth.”

“I called it forth” could mean a lot of things. But the other day I came across a quote from film maker David Lynch that made it all come together:

“Ideas are floating like fish. Desire for an idea is like a bait on a hook.”

It made sense to me because this is how I’m creating music. Songs are floating around in the ethereal world. My desire for a song attracts one to me. The more precise I am in my request for a particular kind of song, the more accurate the match will be.

Rhonda Byrne of "The Secret"

This doesn’t mean I’m in charge of the songs. I’m a receiver for them. Music is still the boss. Songs are still in charge. I get to tinker with the idea after it arrives, but the idea itself comes by grace.

But I attract it by desiring it.

For example, one year or so ago, when I had my training wheels on as a songwriter and was experimenting with writing songs for the first time, I remember thinking, “I want to write a song about being kind to others.”

That might sound simplistic to you. But even way back in the mid 1990s, in my first book on Internet marketing, called CyberWriting, I suggested we learn to write in kindness as a way to keep peace online. This “kindness theme” has been with me for decades, as a kind of prime directive in my life and work, so it shouldn’t surprise you that I wanted to express it in a song.

But how?

I remember sitting on my deck outside my office, looking at the trees, and desiring a song about this message. As I meditated, one started to come to me. I jotted down what I was receiving. I played with it. I picked up a guitar and added some chords to it. The end result is the powerful stand-out song called “Everybody’s Goin’ Thru Somethin'” on my first singer-songwriter album, Strut!

In short, I attracted the song by my desire for the song.

I do the same thing for this blog. I often have no idea at all what to write about, but my desire for a fresh blog post “calls forth” the idea I need.

News Flash: Strut! is now available for you to order. You can hear excerpts from my healing music albums at  Strut! and Blue Healer.

For example, I didn’t know I was going to write this very post on how to attract great ideas. All I had was a desire for a post, which is what started the process to “call forth” an idea.

I then stumbled across the David Lynch quote while reading a magazine. Once I saw it, something clicked in me. I then recalled my dinner with Rhonda, and the post began to come together. I then sat down and wrote this for you.

But it all began with my desire for an idea.

Rhonda called forth her idea for a film about the Law of Attraction. She had a desire to share her insight, and that desire “called forth” a means. The result was a movie of historic importance.

Street sign "Calling forth" music

You can do this, too.

What do you want to create?

A movie? A song? A business? A solution?

It doesn’t matter.

The first step is to declare your intention. Complete the sentence, “I intend to….” with whatever it is you want to attract.

“I intend to…create a website that brings in more sales.”

“I intend to…write a song about the theme of divine love.”

“I intend to…attract unexpected income by Friday.”

“I intend to…attract a loving person to date.”

My suggestions are loose as I’m making them up, but yours can be specific.

After that, allow ideas to come to you. Make space for them. Go for a walk. Relax in the hot tub. Sit in quiet meditation. Read a novel. Have a cup of tea.

Declaring your intention is the request that “calls forth” an idea to fulfill it. Making time to receive ideas is how you open yourself to hear the answer to your intention. Of course, after that, you need to take action on the idea to bring it into reality.

This process works for me.

It clearly works for Rhonda Byrne.

It will work for you, as well.

You just have to do it.

What would you like to “call forth” next?

Ao Akua,

joe

PS — Strut! is now available for you to order. You can hear excerpts from my healing music albums at  Strut! and Blue Healer. The direct links are:  http://www.HealingMojoMusic.com and http://www.GetUpandStrut.com

If you’ve ever doubted that you could accomplish something, you’ll love this story.

A year ago I hadn’t written a single song, couldn’t carry a tune, didn’t have a solid beat, only knew a few guitar chords, and never sang in public or in the studio.

Today I have my first singer-songwriter album done. All songs by me. Everything sung by me. With guitar and harmonica playing by me. It’s called Strut!

And earlier this year, back in April, I released my first music album, called Blue Healer.

I went from zero to recorded musician in less than a year.

I hope you don’t think this is bragging. I’m sharing this with you to inspire you to go for your own dreams. If I can come out of the gate with no experience or education in music, and record something noteworthy within twelve months, then you can most likely do what you dream, as well.

Who’s to say you can’t?

My first singer-songwriter CD

To help you here, let’s look at the steps I took to recreate myself as a musician. This is a blueprint for you and what you want to do. In some respects, this is the secret process nobody (but me) wants you to know.

Here they are:

1. Intention. I decided to do something. It all begins here. I even announced I was a musician before most people would have agreed with me. I intended my end result.
2. Action. I started writing, reading, and talking about music. I took a songwriting workshop. I tried writing songs. I experimented with ideas. I took guitar lessons. I entered a music program. I did something in the direction of my intention.
3. Coaching. I put together my team of mentors to help me reach my goal. I got Guy Monroe, Mathew Dixon and Daniel Barrett to be my support. Coaching is essential to go beyond your limits.
4. Clearing. Anything that came up that felt like a block or limiting belief, I did something to clear it. Believe me, lots of self-doubts surfaced. I faced them and erased them.
5. Persistence. I kept taking action, kept clearing, kept writing songs, kept taking lessons, kept at it.

There you have it. Those five steps are the keys to attracting and achieving your own goals, even if they seem so big or out of your comfort zone to seem near impossible.

You don’t know what is impossible. So start now to manifest your dreams.

But let’s not stop there. I think it will be helpful to look at the songs I recorded for Strut! After all, I wrote them as “Healing Music” — songs of motivation, transformation and inspiration — all designed to help you achieve your dreams. This music illustrates the secret process nobody wants you to know.

Note: You can hear excerpts from my healing music albums at either Strut! or Blue Healer. The direct links are:  http://www.HealingMojoMusic.com and http://www.GetUpandStrut.com

As I told the other Joe Vitale — famous drummer for such music legends as Neil Young and Joe Walsh, who ended up playing amazing drums on my album — “I love music but too much of it plants negative messages that we absorb without thinking. The Rolling Stones singing “You can’t always get what you want” and “I can’t get no satisfaction” are programming us to believe in scarcity. I want to record music that is as beloved as the classics, but instead plants positive messages in you.”

What's the story behind each song?

There’s positive meaning behind each of my songs. I know because I wrote them all (except for the one noted below). Here are their secrets (which nobody has ever known, until now)…

“Today’s the Day” is a hypnotic blues-rock theme that grabs you and conveys the message that you need to take action. Today. In the song, an angel comes to me and tells me a secret. She then repeats it until you get it. I sing and play baritone guitar and harmonica on this one. This is my favorite track.

“Strut!” came from the idea that when you change your physiology, you change your psychology. Meaning, if you feel blue, get up and move around. Dance. Jiggle. Strut. This is my favorite track.

“Got a Problem?” conveys the amazing message of miracle healing from my book, Zero Limits, called ho’oponopono. It’s an original and unforgettable song about love. It gives me chills. This is my favorite track.

“Testosterone” is based on a true story, one I never planned to share. I’d rather not talk about it. Just listen to the song. This is my favorite track.

“Everybody’s Goin’ Thru Somethin” is a reminder that your problems aren’t just yours. We all got them. Even you. Even me. It’s a plea to be kind to others. To be understanding and forgiving. This is my favorite track.

“Strut Interlude” is a type of intermission. I came up with a guitar riff and we played to it for a couple minutes. It’s the section where you get to go fetch something to drink, go to the bathroom, groom your pet, change your shorts, or whatever. This is my favorite track.

“Totoro” is a whimsical song about a cartoon-ish fictional forest creature in Japan, and lost childhood magic. It’s a story about reconnecting with wonder. This is my favorite track.

“Money! Let’s go Get Some!” will reprogram your mind about the nature of money so you can more easily attract it. The groove in this tune will stick with you. I expect this one to become a movie soundtrack. This is my favorite track.

“The Choice” is a hypnotic tale, with beautiful guitar added by Mathew Dixon, about the nature of good and evil. Whew. You gotta hear it. It still haunts me (in a good way). This is my favorite track.

“All Along the Watchtower” is Bob Dylan’s famous song, updated with three new verses by me. I wanted to leave listeners with a positive message. So I wrote one. I’m sure Dylan will thank me. This is my favorite track.

“Three Months” is dedicated to the late Judy Sherman, a woman given three months to live. It’s an urgent  message about deciding what you would do if given a short period of time. This one will surprise you. It also contains my primal screaming singing of “Struuuuuuuuut!” This is my favorite track.

As you can sense, all of these songs are designed to support you in strutting toward your dreams.

I’m not stopping with this album, either. I’m currently recording a healing instrumental album with Mathew Dixon (with me playing the world’s first healing guitar), and already working on my next singer-songwriter CD. I’m on a roll, having a blast, and making yet another dream come true.

But that’s about me.

What about you?

The message for you here is to go for your dreams.

Isn’t that where the gusto of life is?

You now know the “secret formula” nobody wants you to know.

What are you going to do with it?

Well?

Ao Akua,

joe

PS — Excuses are a dime a dozen. What are you going to actually do today?

Note: You can hear excerpts from my healing music albums at either Strut! or Blue Healer. The direct links are:  http://www.HealingMojoMusic.com and http://www.GetUpandStrut.com

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Here’s an update on the Texas Wildfires situation that I asked you to help resolve in my last post:

The last I heard, the largest fires are mostly contained or stopped. The people I personally know in the Austin or Houston area have all returned home. And rain is expected by mid-next week.

All of your praying, meditating, visualizing and more, have all helped.

But we can’t stop now.

There are at least 1,500 people who lost their homes.

All of the fires are not out yet.

And we need more than a little rain.

To get an idea of the size of the fires, one fireman told a reporter that the fires are “beyond man.”

He was explaining that firefighters on the ground aren’t going to be able to stamp out or hose down fires so big that I could see them from the air on my plane ride home.

What do you do with fires this large?

Besides whatever the firefighters can think up, you also pray, visualize, intend and anything else you can do internally to bring peace to yourself and to the planet.

And to be clear, when I suggest that our inner world is creating our outer world, I’m asking you to look within and see where you may have “fires” burning within you.

Where have you maintained anger and/or a lack of forgiveness?

Even if you don’t think your inner state helps create the outer experience, wouldn’t you agree that finding inner peace would be good for you?

Again, please find love and peace within yourself, and release all anger and forgiveness issues.

When you hold on to anger and resentment, the energy system you burn up is your own.

It would be healthy for you to let the issues go, and it just might assist the planet in healing, too.

As I mentioned in my last post, do whatever meditation or technique you know to reach that inner place of serenity. Use ho’oponopono/Zero Limits or Tapping/EFT, or anything else you know of or can think of.

Meanwhile, we also still need to help others. Here are a few places to donate:

American Red Cross of Central Texas
http://www.centex.redcross.org/index.asp?IDCapitulo=F9ZLZNZ3KD

Austin Pets Alive
http://www.austinpetsalive.org/

Capital Area Food Bank
http://www.austinfoodbank.org/

Austin Disaster Relief Network
http://www.adrntx.org/

Catholic Diocese of Austin
http://www.austindiocese.org/

I’m not affiliated with any of the above, and they are Austin, Texas based as that is near where I live. You can do your own Google search to find other places to help or donate.

Again, what we need is inner peace, especially in times of high stress.

The outer dangers and scares aren’t a call to fall into fear, but a door to experience faith.

Thank you for your help.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – What’s more important than serenity while taking action?

I love you.
I’m sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.

Member BBB 2003 - 2011