The Rishis Blog

Flow and the Law of Attraction, part 2

Another point mentioned in The Secret was the concept of the media, similar to what I’ve mentioned before with the news. A woman interviewed in the movie had breast cancer and it ultimately went away. One the “secrets” she told about was the fact that she and her husband watched only comedies on television and nothing that was negative. Laughing helped a lot.

This isn’t to say you should totally censor yourself from any “downer” movies or programs, but like the news exercise it’s best to take a serious look at what you watch. Programs like “The Apprentice”, “Survivor”, and “American Idol” are based on shame and other negative non-life-affirming factors. For example, they’ve been running lots of ads for “The Apprentice” and these promos make this point quite clear — if the contestants succeed they get to live in this Beverly Hills mansion, and if they fail they live in a tent on the mansion’s property. And, as is typical with this genre, all the contestants must backstab and “outwit” one another to win.

So how do you feel after watching such a program? Do you believe in the goodness of humanity? Do you trust other people? Do you think others will support you if you try something new, especially if you start experimenting with your flow? No, of course not!

Now compare these programs to others such as “Deal Or No Deal” and “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”. I’m not saying these are the epitome of American television, but they are both based on the opposite principle. The studio audience and the viewing public (you) support the contestants and hope they succeed. Likewise the hosts of these shows promote success and do not punish failure with by shaming.

Television, like all media, isn’t what marketers like to call a “magic bullet”. You aren’t going to watch an episode of “The Apprentice” and immediately become depressed and develop severe blockages to flow. But a steady diet of such programs will ultimately obstruct your flow as the law of attraction will kick in. And you have to ask yourself why you’re watching the programs in the first place.

Flow and the art of gift giving, part one

Ah, the holidays and the stress of buying presents. The old axiom is that “it’s the thought that counts”. But America and other western societies are very materialistic. The media and reality of society have turned gift giving into a loaded proposition. What if you give a gift that is cheaper than the one you get? Will the recipient like the gift and what will the gift say about you? Should you give gifts to your nine nieces and nephews? And so on. Put simply, the dollar amount you spend is equated with love and how much you care for the person.

Growing up my family was this way, although in a slightly different manner. Every present, prior to being given, was predicated with “you better like this because I spent a lot of money on it”. And, surprise surprise, I really didn’t like or want the present after opening it since it was based on what the giver thought I would like, not what I would. Then there was the usual guilt trip about how ungrateful I was for not doing somersaults in joy.

So I ended up unhappy, the giver ended up unhappy, and there was endless tension the entire Christmas day. And this was not limited to Christmas as every gift-giving event followed the same formula.

Another holiday tip

Here's another experiment you can do.

Imagine that you are only allowed to buy one gift for someone, and that is the only gift you are allowed to give this year. You put a lot of thought into it, and it is the focus of what you do. And when you have found the ideal gift your “mission” is accomplished and you feel tremendous satisfaction.

What does this have to do with eliminating overwhelm? Instead of a gift substitute a task you have to complete. It can be any task, from actually getting a present for someone to buying food for a holiday dinner. Keep in mind that it should also be something you can accomplish in a day versus something like “decorate the entire house”. That task will be the focus of your day, and all other tasks will be basically irrelevant. Like the gift, you’ll spend all your effort and energy on that task, and when you complete it you will feel a sense of accomplishment.

The overwhelm has been eliminated and you have succeeded in accomplishing something that before seemed impossible. And you can now repeat the exercise the next day and the day after that. Best of all, you’ve experienced your own flow.

No news is good news

So you’ve heard the bad news, literally. Now what do you do? Try this next experiment. Starting on a Sunday morning don’t watch any news programs or read any newspapers for a week or two. Don’t worry, you’ll get any relevant information you really need from family and friends or, if you’re like me, from just reading the headlines found on an online news site.

After a few days you’ll truly feel different. You won’t be as concerned about things. You’ll be able to get in tune with your flow, as your true voice will be better able to guide you. And you’ll actually be able to enjoy the holidays!

I have personally done this for years and have been amazed at how different I feel. And every now and then, just for an experiment, I watch a few minutes of the news - usually on the treadmill at the gym. I am truly shocked at how depressed I become!

The media simply cannot function without presenting negativity, and that is sad. Luckily, this is all going to change in the coming years.

Start with small steps

The best way to find your flow is to start with small steps. Take a single “decision” in your life, disregard any previous programming, and follow your flow. If you indeed were able to follow flow the result will always be positive no matter what the situation. At first this will seem very awkward, like riding a bike for the first time or going out on your first date. But once you get the confidence of your flow, everything will be second nature.

Another alternative is to find a spiritual mediator whom you trust to guide you towards your flow. I’ve helped lots of people find their flow, and often once they recognize it they realize it is a familiar friend. Whatever path you choose, you’ll soon find when you remove your blockages and live your life the way you were always supposed to live it, nothing can stop you!

What causes problems in life?

So, if all this positive energy is flowing through you what causes problems in your life? Blockages to flow. Blockages come from three main sources: friends, family, and society. When you are born you are in ideal flow — everything you do is done because it is natural and what you are supposed to do. That is really why people view babies as being “innocent”. But as time goes on friends, family and society put constraints on you, knowingly or not, that block your flow: You shouldn’t associate with this group or that one, you must pursue this career, you’re a failure if you don’t win every time, etc. These blockages build upon each other, creating even bigger blockages, and ultimately result in a wide variety of problems from unhappiness with life to extremes such as drug abuse and alcoholism (depending on the person).

Say, for example, that your mother is a doctor, her father was a doctor, and her grandfather was a doctor. Therefore you were expected to become a doctor. But your flow is to become a librarian. If you pursue the medical career your life will be out of flow, even if you make a lot of money at it. You won’t like your job, will do anything to avoid working, and will not have a passion for life. Plus, anything you do - from attending medical school to setting up a practice – will take twice as much energy since you are fighting what’s inside you.

I had a friend like this is college. While his father was in high-powered executive, his family insisted he become a doctor. But he loved books and wanted to become a librarian. He struggled through college, studying endless hours at subjects he knew he hated, just to please his family. As he applied to different medical schools doors kept being closed to him — not because he was dumb but because his flow was preventing it. His family spent endless amounts of money financing his various potential careers (doctor, podiatrist, dentist, etc.), yet he still struggled. I lost track of him but saw in a recent alumni magazine that he was living in Florida and worked as, surprise surprise, a librarian!

My own life has been a similar story, although in reverse. I entered college as a computer science major. All my family and friends kept praising me saying how much money I’d make. Well, I hated it and switched to being an English major my sophomore year. My family did not approve and my friends started making fun of me. In fact, five minutes before my graduation my aunt told me my degree was worthless. But my flow was in writing, and I followed it. I obtained things in life that I know would have been impossible if I had forced myself to be a programmer.

What is flow and why should I care?

Flow is the core of what The Rishis talk about. The simplest way to think about it is as God (or universal energy) flowing through you 24/7. It is what makes you “you” and includes every aspect of your being from your personality to your likes/dislikes to everything in-between. You can think of it as being like your soul although flow is actually more complex than that. Your flow is set from the time you were in the womb and determines how you will interact with the world.

When you are in flow anything is possible since you are always your most successful. You never have to make a decision again, because you always know what to do regardless of the situation. How powerful is this concept? Let’s say you are a woman and you are going to the gym. You need to change so walk to the women’s lockers to get ready. Now, did you have to make a decision as to which locker room to go into? Did you have to ask anyone which locker room to go to? Did you get on your knees and pray to God to help you decide which locker room to go to? No, of course not, because it is natural that you headed to the women’s locker room.

Now imagine every “decision” in your life was just like the aforementioned scenario. You would know what to do each and every time because God/universal energy is flowing through you, and therefore you always succeed. This is what is inside you right now! You have amazing power you haven’t even begun to tap into, and you’ve had it all your life. And now you know why understanding flow is so important.

What happens during Rishi "contact"

As time went on I found I could “do” The Rishis under all sorts of different circumstances. I initially thought that I could only contact them if Gail was present and I was lying down, as was the case in Gail’s office. Soon, through a variety of circumstances, I discovered I could contact The Rishis with anyone in the room and in virtually any circumstances. In fact, they started talking to me without anyone participating. Sometimes they would even pop in unexpectedly, as they often did in my yoga class and at the gym. And I can even do a Rishi session via the telephone, again something I didn’t think was possible.

Their abilities through me are quite limitless. Every Rishi session I have had has been different from the others, and I have learned something new from each experience. They are best in an interactive environment, where there is a true dialogue going on. That’s why recording the sessions for The Rishis CDs was somewhat difficult. Liz, my amazing interviewer, was only given specific questions to ask in order to make the CDs. The Rishis were chomping at the bit to explore each issue with her one on one. In the future I hope to record live sessions at seminars and lectures in order that The Rishis can fully delve into a particular topic.

So what exactly is happening when The Rishis talk? First off, I really don’t like to call it “channelling” as I am not really channelling in the traditional sense. I am also not possessed or taken over as with others who communicate with the spirit world. I am 100% present during each Rishi session and can stop, start, and interrupt any session at will. And I am not drained or affected by anything that happens during a session. This surprised me as some sessions over the years were quite dramatic and I would “feel” the pain via crying or violent writhing. Yet after the sessions were over there were no physical effects. The only thing I’ve found is that Rishi sessions make me very thirsty, so I always have to have water nearby.

When I am doing a session I am in perfect flow, which is the most amazing “feeling” that you can possibly have. I truly understand what is possible for the human race, for if everyone could experience ideal flow all of the time the need for war, hatred, sadness and the rest would diminish. The Rishis used to “stagger” in their talks with me, but now the voice (they talk as one) comes across as if there is another person in the room. The Rishis have no emotions as such, although since they are talking through me I might laugh or cry at something.

They are 100% consistent in what they say, and those who have had multiple sessions know this to be true. That said, what The Rishis say is affected by an individual’s actions. Their advice and teachings are based on flow and only flow, meaning what they say will produce the ideal outcome. But often people fall into old patterns and don’t follow flow, so the results are not as they had thought.

I find The Rishis

As with 2002, 2003 began with a lot of hope that more work would come in and that I would be able to right myself after the disastrous previous few years. Through a friend I met a woman who was possibly interested in starting an agency, and I thought it was the ideal fit. Ends up it wasn't (a story in itself), but she introduced me to a woman named Gail who was experimenting with a new form of hypnotherapy. Gail asked me if I wanted to be a guinea pig for her new business and, since both she and I were in-between work, I agreed.

Over the course of a few months Gail and I met frequently. The therapy was very powerful and helped me heal a lot of past unresolved wounds. Essentially, Gail was working through guided imagery involving different “beings” I was seeing in my mind’s eye. Gail and these beings had a connection, and she was able to delve deep into what this therapy offered.

Then during one session in late May or June something unusual happened. Gail and I had completed all of the work I needed done so we started having fun with these entities. Gail was dating different men and started asking for advice as to which one would be “the one”. The entities gladly obliged and offered advice. Then, out of the blue, they began going off in a different direction, taking charge of the conversation. They became the teachers, with Gail and me their eager pupils. After a while Gail asked them if they were the Rishis of Indian legend since they continually referred to themselves as the original humans. They said “yes”, and thus the name stuck.

Each session would begin with their now-familiar “Hello, we are The Rishis, we are second to God. What is it you want to know?” Gail and I covered an amazing amount of topics, sometimes spending eight hours straight in what became known at Rishi sessions. Later in the year Gail brought in a friend of hers named Paul who was also looking for work and therefore had the time. Gail, Paul and I spent endless hours exploring a variety of topics from “who is God?” to “what does the future hold?”

Background

Although the story of how The Rishis came about is really the story of my life, the crucial events that started everything happened towards the end of 2000.

I was in the process of buying a house and selling my existing condo when the perfect storm occurred. Keep in mind that I am highly conservative with money so these real estate transactions were undertaken with what I thought were huge margins for error. I even joked with friends that if my business declined in 2001 it would be no problem since I had cash reserves.

It all began when I found out my identity was stolen. This delayed any real estate transaction until it was cleared up, and I ultimately did purchase a house using the condo’s equity. Well, the delay pushed the sale of the condo into 2001 when the real estate, job, and stock markets crashed. It took over nine months to sell the condo, and things got so bad I was thinking of cutting my losses and selling the house — until one realtor told me it had lost 20% of its value in two months!

Meanwhile my freelance writing business had gone down an incredible 90%. My clients, it seemed, were not immune to the dot com bust even though they all had solid sales. So here I was bleeding my savings every month and virtually no income to replenish it. Other fun events in 2001 included being hit by a drunk driver, the condo ultimately selling for 40% less than appraisal (and the appraisal was honestly on the conservative side), my stocks that were “sure to explode” crashed to the ground, and of course September 11th. But I am an optimist deep inside so looked to 2002 to alleviate all the problems incurred in 2001.

Unfortunately, 2002 was no better. My business partner cheated me out of some money, a client that had signed a year contract backed out two months later, and another potential client literally wanted me to work for $3/hour. By 2003 my work had seriously dried up, so much so I ended up making less that year than I made on my first job out of college. Not fun given, unlike when I was 23, I had a lot of financial commitments.

But every cloud has a silver lining, and because I had a lot of free time in 2003 I ultimately found The Rishis (or they found me as the case may be!)