Learning to Be Positively Focused

“Some of us have a lifetime pattern with variations of physical challenges or pain. That is not necessarily fun, but you can still allow yourself to go into experiences where you are conscious of fun and joy.” – John Morton

This article comes from a sharing John had with students in the Peace Theological Seminary and College of Philosophy Doctor of Spiritual Science (DSS) class in February 2021.

Some of us have a lifetime pattern with variations of physical challenges or pain. That is not necessarily fun, but you can still allow yourself to go into experiences where you are conscious of fun and joy. My experience is that when we really do that well, we don’t have awareness of the pain. Then, when someone asks, “How is your pain?” you go, “When you ask me that question, I focus on the pain and it’s there. But until you asked me, I wasn’t conscious of the pain.”

One thing you can do is learn how to be positively focused. This is something that John-Roger discussed powerfully. It is much more effective than what we call positive thinking. Stay with and continue the positive focus, versus run affirmations or something like that. I’m not saying those don’t work, but when we say something, it needs to be “imaged in” if we really want to get the full power of it. We actually see what it would look like. And it’s not just seeing. We could also start sensing what it would feel like.

Imagine what it would be like floating on your back so your feet and face are above the water and your hands are spread out to the sides. You’re not moving but you are floating. Often, when I’ve been in a body of water, I stretch out and take air into my lungs, then let some of the air out. I am still floating. Have you done that? Did you notice you could relax as you did that? The buoyancy of that is comforting and pleasant.

I’m bringing in “imagining” that includes all the senses. Did you notice that perhaps you weren’t aware of any pain while we were doing that? Now you know how to do that! You can do your version of what you want to “image in” that would be a pleasant and powerful focus. But you might ask, “That’s great, but what do I do when I’m driving a car or doing work that I’m stressed out about?”

We can learn how to do things that stress us, cause worry, anxiety or fear and still move towards “imaging in” what is pleasant and comfortable. I still keep my hands on the wheel when driving a car. I look where I’m going, seeing the road, traffic signs, other cars, and I drive on. In the U.S.A., we drive on the right side of the road and hopefully others are going to drive on the right side of their line so we don’t collide. We can learn how to do these things so we are at ease, at least to some degree, greater than before.

You can say, “I’m learning how to do things so there is less pain.” It can become a practice. It can become a way you do things. There is more ease. You can bring ease to the body and do that so you could be relaxed even if you are doing brain surgery. I bring that up because sometimes people use that example, like that takes the most tremendous focus. It takes acuity, a very precise fine motor skill. Everything is working together in precision.

Maybe there are ways to bring things around you that would bring ease to your life, contribute to your well-being and happiness as well as whatever is pleasant and serene. I encourage you to find your words that fit in so that whatever you do in your life, it isn’t in a state of stress or tension. Stress and tension contribute to something like pain. They are generators of agitation. Once that gets into the physical, it can be painful.

I know people are going to say, “What about toxicity, infection or injury?” If that exists, there is a need to heal or clear the conditions that are affecting you so there is less pain, suffering or dysfunction on the physical level. That is part of it. That process can be done more effectively if we have positive focus as our attitude. Find some kind of positive attitude like, “I’m at ease with my life regardless of what it brings to me.”

We can develop skills and abilities more effectively when we are generally at ease. Great performers have a great ability to be at ease while they are performing. The ones who don’t perform so well tend to be on the side where they’re anxious, worried and perhaps “seeing” what could go wrong. Why would it be a surprise if the negative focus brings in something that represents what went wrong or didn’t work?

Change yourself so you develop a habit that you can do unconsciously. That’s what habits become. I don’t have to think consciously to drive a car. At the unconscious level, I can do it. It’s a good idea to have awareness so that you can put your foot on the brake if cars in front of you have slowed down. You can do it so you don’t have to think about that either. You do it as an automatic response because your focus is on “staying safe” while you drive. You’ve developed that ability.

As you become familiar with creating what you want, such that you can do what you want, you can repeat that and do it again. That’s what we call confidence. “I can do this!” Worrying about it is a waste of time because you’ve done it. You’ve done it repeatedly. You can call forward the ability, the skill and the doing to get what you are wanting to accomplish done. Then you can do that with more fun. Maybe you sing and dance freely. You’re not worried what others think about you. You dance like no one is watching. You are watching, and it’s your consciousness.

We say God is always watching because that is in its nature. It watches, observing and seeing all. Does God make a fuss about it? God doesn’t have an objection towards what you are. Consider you could have the same attitude. Don’t judge or take issue with what you are, period. That could include chronic pain, or however you would describe that for yourself. That is awareness.

There is another opportunity present. What do you want to do about that? I’m making it very general. Where do you want to focus? What image comes in that you want to create? Maybe go back to floating in the water. You’re breathing, buoyant and it’s very enjoyable. That is something you can bring forward through the creative imagination.

That is called the astral consciousness. That’s a higher consciousness than the physical. If you can “image it in”, it can translate into the mind, emotions and the body. The body picks it up as we’re buoyant and it’s pleasant. Could you do that while you’re driving the car? Yes, if you can keep that part of you that has the intention of “drive safe” but is also aware of being buoyant in the water, having a very enjoyable time while driving.

I don’t look at this like I’m an expert or a master of all I’m telling you, but I have the awareness of it as an opportunity. What could you do differently that would help you with the pain? If you focus positively, you’re not focused into the pain or the cause of the pain itself. Pain is in the negative. It can be a situation that could use correcting, like you change the condition so the pain is no longer necessary as a message.

I look at pain as primarily a message that something is out of balance. It’s in “dis-ease” or injury. There is a condition that is causing a disturbance, a disturbance in the force. That could be something like toxicity. Something is in our system that is rendering us dysfunctional. If we address that condition, we could come back into greater functionality and harmony with what we are in that state that is pleasant. If you can be happy, smiling and dancing, even though pain visits you in some form, you could adjust your attitude so you are more positively focused. Then you are less conscious of the pain because you are focusing on something pleasant. You are focused on the positive.

Baruch Bashan

Blessing of the Grace of God

Right now, in your own way and our way together we ask God for a blessing.

We ask this blessing to touch to each one of us to make this a place of God’s blessing, this city, this world and that it goes out as a blessing of all.

We are open to a blessing of all.

If there is a particular way you would like to be blessed, that you offer that up first in God’s will.

We honor that will.

In our wisdom we know God’s will is perfect, even when we forget, when we don’t understand.

There’s a deeper understanding that knows God’s business has mysteries and we give our patience and our openness to those mysteries.

We allow the blessing of time so that we can be healed of whatever needs healing.

We ask God to extend the blessing to all those who want or need healing.

Let’s extend this blessing as a possibility so that we may now see fulfillment of whatever is needed for anyone and any situation for the highest good of all concerned so that whatever is needed is taking place.

We are allowing fulfillment of every need.

We are cooperating with God’s will being done.

And now take a moment to be filled in the Grace of God that is with you and all of us together.

Grace lets us know we can be thankful for what good is right here and now.

We give up an offering of our thanks, knowing that our true nature is caring and loving.

And so it is.

Baruch Bashan