Tag: Moscow

I wasn’t going to mention it but several people — especially fans in Russia, Poland, Italy and Peru — have asked me about the “end of the world” later this month, scheduled for December 21st. Take it or leave it, here’s what I think:

New book February 2013

• My next book is titled Faith. It will be released February 2013. If I really worried about the future, and thought you wouldn’t be here to go buy my new book, I wouldn’t bother writing it.
• I’m going back into the studio later this month, to record my fifth music album. If I thought the world would end a few days later, why would I do it?
• Daniel Barrett and I have a book coming out next year, titled The Remembering Process. If we didn’t feel there would be a next year, would we (or the publisher) release the book?
• And I’m promoting yet another book in 2013 on how to end homelessness and poverty, titled Y.E.S.! Again, I must believe in the future to release this book, too.

Remembering the future past...

Obviously, I believe there’s a future ahead of us.

But how can I think that when the Mayans allegedly said December 21^st is “game over” day?

Back in the late 1990s, I became dismayed when people I respected began to worry about Y2K, the computer malfunction that was going to cause Armageddon, or at least a few bad nights. I knew at the time the fear was ridiculous.

How did I know? I didn’t. Not in any logical way. But nothing about it made sense. It sounded like yet another doomsday prediction, created and passed along by people being victims to their own mind’s paranoia.

Of course, Y2K came and went, and we’re still here.

See PS below for "End of World" Sale

Throughout history there have been predictions about the end of the world.

None of them have ever occurred.

None.

For example, here are a few non-religious ones (the religious doomsday predictions would take forever to list, which seems rather ironic, as they don’t claim we have forever) –

Meteorologist Albert Porta predicted the conjunction of 6 planets would generate a magnetic current that would cause the sun to explode and engulf the earth on December 19, 1919.

Didn’t happen.

British theologian and mathematician William Whitson predicted a great flood similar to Noah’s for October 13, 1736.

Didn’t happen.

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn predicted the end of the world in 2010.

Didn’t happen.

Even the Mayans didn’t have a track record of success.

According to the book, History’s Worst Predictions, by Eric Chaline —

“The truth is that even by the standards of ancient peoples, the Maya were technologically backward. They lacked the wheel, the arch, the plough and domesticated animals; they fought each other and ruined their environment. Did the Maya foresee their own collapse in the ninth century or the Spanish invasion in the 16th? Or have cataclysmic events happened on key dates in their future-oriented calendar? No.”

And if you want even harder evidence about the “end of the world” later this month, here’s what NASA says on their official website:

“For any claims of disaster or dramatic changes in 2012, where is the science? Where is the evidence? There is none, and for all the fictional assertions, whether they are made in books, movies, documentaries or over the Internet, we cannot change that simple fact. There is no credible evidence for any of the assertions made in support of unusual events taking place in December 2012.”

So, what is the logical and intuitive best guess for December 21^st?

How to end poverty in 2013

It’ll be a day like any other day.

But let’s not give up our fear just yet. Maybe we can learn something here.

Did the Mayans have something else to tell us about the December 21^st date?

According to some interpretations of Mayan prophesy, December 21^st will mark the end of “the dark cycle and the start of the Cycle of Light:” an era of new thought that incorporates a blending of beliefs from different cultures.

Doesn’t sound like the end of the world to me at all.

But the truth is, I doubt even the “light cycle” will come into being.

Why not?

Because it’s already here.

Thinking there is a before and after is what the mind likes to create to structure life experience. But life isn’t black and white. It’s more like a rainbow. And it’s all happening at once, right now, whether you think it is or not.

Right now someone is feeling hate….Right now someone is feeling love….Right now someone is feeling like a victim…Right now someone is becoming enlightened…

And so it goes.

The Dark is here. So is the Light.

It’ll be the same on December 21^st.

Welcome to Planet Earth.

Our human nature is such that we let our minds chase us up trees and down streets, even when nothing is chasing us. That’s the nature of our minds.  It is programmed to look for danger, then to protect us from it. The thing is, it perceives danger in any unknown. The future is unknown. So of course it will fear it.

The Future Is Better Than You Think

The Mayans didn’t predict the end of the world. Not at all. They didn’t really predict anything. As one friend said, they simply stopped making calendars.  That’s it. There is no more significance to the date than that.

None.

Here’s my disclaimer and advice:

Should December 21^st come around and you and I are gone, then you won’t know the fear-based prediction was right and my faith-based one was wrong. We’ll be dead. Curtain down. Music over. Exit vaporized.

On the other hand, if December 21^st comes around and you haven’t paid your rent or stocked your frig, thinking you wouldn’t need to, you may find yourself on the streets. That’s a far harsher reality than fearing the future. Been there. Done that.

You best assume the world will continue and proceed as usual, except with more attention to your intuition and your passion, as it is your spiritual compass to better times.

If nothing else, use all this focus on “end times” as a time to awaken. Notice your thoughts, your mindset, your habits, and your fears, and focus on how you would like things to be. Here’s your chance to wake up.

Finally, here’s my bottom line thought on all this:

It seems to me that doomsday predictors aren’t very bright. The odds are stacked against them. None of them have ever come true. Ever. It’d be far wiser to predict the world continuing. So that’s my prediction: The world will generally continue as it is, slowly getting better and better, with a nice upward curve reflecting its spiritual growth.  I also predict the sun will shine and the moon will rise. My predictions are never wrong, either. I’m so psychic, I know you’re reading this. So there.

I suggest you get up and do the thing you would do if you were full of power and faith, and believed in tomorrow. And do it today. Right now.

See you later this month.

And next.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – I’m holding an “End of The World Sale!” For only $59 — the age I will be later this month — you can have more than $300 worth of a-maz-ing products for yourself, or to give as gifts to family and friends. Obviously, this ends when the world ends, or at the end of this month, or when supplies run out. Whichever comes first. You best hurry. Go get the details at http://www.HypnoticBirthdaySale.com Happy Holidays!

Member BBB 2003 - 2013

Russia still owes me money.

Well, not Russia, but a couple of Russians.

It’s been a year since I was in Russia for an intense, relentless and unforgiving schedule of speaking gigs, seminars, news interviews, press conferences, autograph parties, movie filming, television interviewing, Q & A sessions with the public, private interviews, and more. Except for help with the seminar, I had to do everything alone. It was exhausting. Good thing I was paid well.

Oh.

Wait.

I wasn’t paid.

It’s been a year and I still haven’t been fully paid for that trip.

When I ask the Russian promoters where my money is, they tell me to ask their partners. When I ask them, they say it’s not their issue. And so it goes.

When I was in Russia, I was told Russians don’t take personal responsibility for anything. They even have a popular book titled Who’s Guilty? Their national pastime is pointing the blame elsewhere.

This isn’t unique to Russia, of course. Virtually everyone has issues with taking personal responsibility. Russia just happens to be the trigger for this blog post.

Given the above, it shouldn’t surprise me or anyone else that I still haven’t been paid for my adventures in Russia. I’ve forgiven them and (almost) forgotten about the deal. The only reason it surfaced recently is they invited me to return to Russia and speak again. (!)

I’m passing.

But this raises a curious question: when someone owes you money, what do you do?

From a Law of Attraction perspective, I got a match to my unconscious fears. At the time, I didn’t trust Russia. It was part of my childhood programming (1953 on) to fear them. When I was a child in the sixties, Russia was the enemy. I learned not to trust them. So I created an outer circumstance to match my inner conviction.

But now that I’ve cleared the beliefs in my unconscious about Russia, what do I do about them owing me money?

From a more Divine view of life (as expressed in my upcoming new audio program The Abundance Paradigm), the money they owe me will come to me – but maybe not from them.

In other words, a big mistake is needing a debt to be paid by the person who owes it. I wrote about this in my book The Attractor Factor. The money doesn’t need to come from that source. If you think it does, you’re setting yourself up for a battle with egos and disappointment.

This is not to say you shouldn’t ask for the money (as I did with Russia) but it is to say you live in an abundant universe and the money can come from someplace or someone else. Don’t waste your time letting a debt eat up your well-being.

In reality, money doesn’t come from people, it comes through them.

Get that: Money doesn’t come from people, it comes through people.

Life is a lot smoother and richer when you forgive and forget. After all, when you hold resentment, the only person that is hurt is you. The emotional pain is in you.

Again, don’t think this post is about Russia. It isn’t.

I found Russia fascinating and met people there I fell in love with and long to see again. I just won’t go back under the same circumstances. I’ve learned and moved on.

You can, too.

As David Hawkins says in his book, Transcending the Levels of Consciousness, “In the spiritual world the basic dictum is, ‘There are no justified resentments’.”

The more you release resentment and forgive, the faster you can Attract Money Now.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS — Of course, if you owe money, pay it. Don’t fudge on your responsibilities by thinking the person you owe can get that money from somebody else. Doing so sends a message to the Universe, and your own unconscious mind, that you aren’t to be trusted. You can sabotage all your intentions by not honoring one agreement with yourself or another. In short, pay your debts. It’ll help you attract money now.

Coming soon: The Abundance Paradigm: Moving from the Law of Attraction to the Law of Creation.

I was so busy in Russia that I didn’t get to send all the tweets I wanted. Here are some of the ones I wanted to send but didn’t:

In Russia First Class travelers get on the plane last. I like it. Feels like the entire plane waited for me.

In Russia VIP travelers skip customs and get escorted through a special VIP area. Quick and easy entry.

Landed in Russia but no one could get off plane until every one had temperature taken to see if we had swine flu.

Russian coffee is instant coffee. You have to ask for “bean” to get stronger coffee.

Moscow has an underground bomb shelter for 300,000. But city has 15,000,000 people.

Russians generally don’t eat after 7 pm to stay slim.

I’m signing rubles for people. Supposedly brings holder prosperity.

In Moscow there are 15,000,000 people, smoking indoors  and out, yet no pollution.

No global warming in Russia. They fear global freezing.

Catherine the Great had 150,000 dresses and never wore the same one twice.

Siberian berry called Sea-Buckthorn (oblepikha) is cleaning tool and health food/drink.

Flying through Russian air and noticing no turbulence. Ever.

Russian standard top shelf vodka is Imperial.

At the end of meals in Russia you don’t get a mint, you get a stick of Wrigley’s gum.

My favorite vodka is Garlic Vodka, made near St. Petersburg, in Russia.

Russians outside of Moscow call Russians who live in Moscow “rats”.

Russians are very educated, passionate book lovers, and demanding of more information.

Many Russians long for the Soviet Union back. Before their purpose in life was known because it was told to them.

Russian women are stronger than Russian men. When they want something, they get it.

Russians are afraid to show happiness.

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I made a lot of mistakes in going to Russia last month. Because I didn’t pay attention to the yellow flags before I got on the plane to Moscow, I paid a penalty. The punishment was almost ten thousand dollars, psychological and physical abuse, and a harrowing  escape to freedom that I’ll never forget.

Truth is, it’s been difficult to talk about the trip. It was traumatic. I told a handful of friends about it and they saw my pain. I’ve been tapping, clearing, and emotionally releasing ever since my return.

Because there’s a lesson here for you, too, let me share the story with you. Pull up a chair, pour some coffee,  and let me tell you about it…

It all began when my vice-president of marketing got excited about a speaking engagement for me in Moscow. He was far more enthusiastic than me about a trip to Russia. He saw it as the trip of a lifetime. I saw it as a dangerous trek to the former enemy of the USA. After all, I grew up fearing Russia would drop a bomb on me. That early programing was still in my mind. I didn’t want to go.

But I allowed myself to get swayed by the excitement of my staff. That was my first mistake. I was receiving yellow flags and ignoring them.

I allowed the negotiations to continue and before I knew it I was agreeing to two two-day speaking events, many interviews, news conferences, TV shows, and book store autograph parties. That’s a cruel pace. My assistant assured me I would have time off. But that never appeared in the schedule, despite my repeated objections.

Yet another yellow flag.

As we got closer to the time I was to fly to Russia, we still didn’t have plane tickets, or a Visa, or complete payment of my fee.

More yellow flags.

At this point I should have stopped the trip. But by now the system was in gear. It had a life of its own. Plus I had signed a contract. I was legally obligated to go. As I packed for the trip, the tickets, Visa, and payment appeared, all at the last minute. There was no time to review any of it. But one thing was clear:

I was going to Russia. 

My friend Mark Ryan was my traveling companion.  A lot of people wanted to be the one to go with me. But Mark agreed to help me in a pinch, be my support, and get an all-expense paid trip to Russia in exchange. He got the deal of a lifetime.

He wanted to film as much of our travels and my media appearances as possible, and create a documentary on DVD we would later sell.

It was a win-win arrangement. We had a plan. We were excited. We managed to survive the eleven hour flight to Moscow by talking, eating, drinking, and laughing. Little did we know what we were in for.

We landed in Moscow, waited on the plane as a medical doctor took the temperature of every passenger (in case we had Swine Flu), were escorted through Russian VIP customs (a wonderful way to enter a country), and were met by fans who had flowers, cards, and a huge sign welcoming me to Russia. It felt loving.

But then things quickly turned for the worse.

The people picking us up (my translator and promoter) led us to a limo, got our luggage for us, and then announced they were taking me to a live television show.

I still can’t believe it, even as I write this.

After an eleven hour flight, worn out and disoriented from the trip, I was told I was going right to a TV interview.

I was stunned.

Since I had signed a contract to agree to do media there, I had little choice. Plus I was now in Russia, far from home, and dependent on my translator and their transportation.

The insane pace never let up after that. I went to numerous interviews, press conferences, book signings and more. Moscow became a blur as they shuffled me from one media event to another.

And of course, there was the two-day seminar to do. Mark delivered part of the event, which saved my voice and my energy. If it weren’t for him, I’d be buried in Russia today. I owe him my life.

While I got a brief tour of the Kremlin and Red Square, I was followed by a news crew. I was never “off” and could never relax. It wasn’t fun.

From Russia we were taken to Siberia. The people there were warm and loving, but the pace was just as intense. There were more interviews, a two-hour filming for a movie, and of course another two-day event.

At one point I felt so sick I thought I was going to pass out on stage. Again, Mark — who wasn’t resting much better than me but didn’t have as much to do as me — saved the day by delivering almost a third of the seminar. 

After all of this insanity, we went to St. Petersburg. This is where I was to finally have off time. Going there was more a gift to Mark than to me, as he had requested it before we ever left the US. He had always wanted to see the city. We did a little sight seeing there, slept in a little, and in general got to relax some.

But the worst was yet to hit.

The day before we were to leave St. Petersburg and begin the trek home, a kind woman at the hotel front desk phoned Mark to say she noticed our Visa was expiring that night.

She explained that with an expired Visa, we would be in trouble. There would be fines, and more. She said we would be in danger from the authorities. We could be detained, a nice code word for house arrest.

Mark called the US Embassy and the American Consulate. We were told in no uncertain times that we had to get out of Russia by midnight or else.

They said, “Whatever it takes, do not be here after midnight. You can be detained for a week or more, pay heavy fines, questioned, forbidden to ever return to Russia again, and more.”

We were told, “You will hate what they do to you.”

We were clearly in danger.

Mark blew a gasket and went into action. We scrambled to find a way to the border. The people who brought us to Russia didn’t seem very concerned. They ordered dessert and coffee. We knew getting out by midnight was our problem.

There were no flights going out before midnight that night. We had to find a ride out. It took an hour to find a taxi that was willing (and legal) to take us to the Russian border. Once we did, we spent the next three hours holding our breath as the driver raced through the dark and the rain, on the scary back roads of Russia, darting in and out of traffic and scaring us to death, in an attempt to make it to the border by midnight.

Talk about a hair raising experience. At one point Mark screamed at the driver, “Stop it! I can’t take this anymore! Slow down!”

We had to go through three military check points. We went over rough roads with so many deep holes it  seemed the roads had been bombed. We were nearly hit by semi-trucks burrowing down the one-lane country roads. The whole experience was surreal.

We made it to the border — with fifteen minutes to spare.

But we weren’t allowed across.

The Russia border patrol guards didn’t speak English. Our papers were not in order, either. We were supposed to have stamped documents for every hotel we stayed at. We didn’t. And we looked highly suspicious, standing in the dark and rain near midnight, trying to cross into Finland before our Visa expired in only minutes.

You can imagine the fear. I felt like I was in a war movie, escaping from enemy lines. The border inspector didn’t just ask us questions, he went through our luggage, piece by piece, with a little flashlight in hand.

Another military guard explained, in broken English, that our papers were not “proper.” We explained we had no clue about the law, policy or customs of Russia. He finally let us across.

But then the driver said that was as far as he was taking us.

You can’t imagine the danger or the disbelief.

We had already been warned of cab drivers who take you to the middle of nowhere, rob you, and leave you for dead.

We were standing across the Russian border, now on Finland soil, with the cold, rain and dark around us, with no transportation.

None.

Talk about feeling lost.

Alone.

Abandoned.

Fearing for our lives.

I remember silently asking myself, “Where’s God in this situation? Where’s the Divine?”

I also remember hearing the answer, “Trust.”

Mark negotiated with the driver to take us a little further into Finland, where we could connect with another ride. We did.

The next ride was a van of young Russians trying to get to the Helsinki airport. I wondered if they were escaped criminals. The van was hot and humid, the Russian radio music loud, and no one spoke English. I did a lot of cleaning on that ride. We sat in that van for three hours, arriving at the Helsinki airport at 3 AM — and they were closed.

Obviously we made it out of Russia — after I spent almost ten thousand dollars (!) on new flight tickets  for Mark and myself.

But what a terrible, traumatic adventure to live through.

And I’ve only told you the main highlights.

I didn’t mention the car accident in Siberia where I hurt my back, the Russian hecklers at the events who embarrassed me in front of the crowds, or the never-ending media pace that caused me to understand why some rock stars become drug addicts or die young.

When I told a friend who has lived in Russia about this adventure, she said, “You were thrown to the Russian wolves! No American should ever go there without a professional Russian escort set up in the US in advance.” She added, “Not having a valid Visa in Russia is a death-defying danger.”

When I met with Michael Abedin, publisher of Austin All Natural magazine, at the grand opening of the Vitale Cigar Bar in Wimberley, Texas, he said, “You have the look of a great warrior about you.”

What does that mean?

“You look tired and exhausted, but you returned from battle wiser, stronger, and transformed.”

The lesson: There were yellow flags on the field before I ever left the US for Russia. But I didn’t heed them. You must hone your feelings to know when the Universe is warning you that something is off.

The more you listen and obey, the easier your life becomes.

You can’t listen to other people: you have to listen to your own inner guidance system.

You have to watch the flags.

And you have to act on what you see.

May this lesson make your life easier.

Finally, how did I attract this ordeal?

Was the Law of Attraction involved at all?

As I’ve said many times before, the Law of Attraction is a Law. It’s always working.

If that’s the case, how did I attract the Russia drama?

Think back to what I wrote at the beginning of this post. I mentioned I had grown up believing Russia was the enemy. That fear was still alive in me. It was alive in Mark, too.  We had had several conversations about our fears before we ever left the US.

Together we attracted the experience based on our potent belief in what we were taught in our youth to fear. Had we done a better job of clearing before we ever left the States, we might not have attracted this experience.

Keep this in mind: you will always attract what you love, hate or fear.

Emotions are powerful attractors.

Since you have a choice, choose love.

And watch the flags.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – Please don’t think Russia was a horrible place. It’s a fascinating country and culture, so big it’s impossible to comprehend. As I wrote in my book The Attractor Factor, you can turn anything into something good. I ate well in Russia (and learned vodka does indeed solve all problems), met some wonderful people (the beautiful translator in Siberia, pictured above with me with the Hollywood smile, was an enchanting princess I fell in love with), visited some interesting places (such as Catherine the Great’s Summer Palace, above, and Peter the Great’s headquarters, where I posed with the sexy lass immediately above), was given gifts (such as a 7-string Russian guitar), and became the first Law of Attraction Secret movie rock star in Russia (who just needed a bulldog rock star manager). While we experienced danger, we also survived it. While we experienced fear, faith got us through. I may visit Russia again one day, as I found it and its people fascinating, but under different circumstances. Next time, I’ll pay more attention to the flags.

While in the Siberia region of Russia last month, I met many wonderful fans and received numerous loving gifts. One of the latter was the curious figure called Hochun, known in Siberia as Russia’s Secret Wish Maker. He’s a cool Law of Attraction partner.

Hochun is a Russian doll in the same family of the famous Matreshka. The name of the doll comes from the Russian verb “hochu”, which means “I want.” What Hochun does is help you focus on stating what you want, otherwise known as formulating your intention.

Here’s how it works:

What you do is take Hochun and put him before you. You’ll note he has no pupils in his eyes. That’s a little spooky. There’s a reason for this. He needs you and you need him.

You then formulate your wish. It’s important that you are clear and specific, else no one can help you attract your desire, not even Hochun. I love this aspect of using Hochun as your Wish Maker. As I teach people, you can’t attract what you can’t articulate. Neither can Hochun.

After you express your desire, you write it down.

You then take a pen and draw a pupil in one of Hochun’s eyes. He can now see what your desire, wish, or intention is.

You then place him someplace where you can see him, and he can see you. He will remind you of your goal.

Later, after your wish has been fulfilled, you draw in Hochun’s other eye, so he can see your success, too.

I love Hochun. I think this is a smart tool for helping you pinpoint what you want for yourself. Hochun won’t actually do anything to bring your wish about (you still have to take action), but he’s a great help for formulating your desire and reminding you of it.

I’m not aware of Hochun in English, but the Russian site is at www.hochun.ru I am creating a three-part audio system on how to use Hochun to attract what you want in your life. I’ll tell you about it soon.

Reminder: This Friday I’ll post the story of my hair-raising escape from Russia. It won’t be for the faint of heart. Stay tuned.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – If you want to use the law of attraction to attract money, Hochun has some advice: Order the beautiful hardcover printed version of my book, Attract Money Now, and get a free DVD of a live presentation by me when you do. Just click here.