Earlier this year, I opened a dialogue with a close friend of mine which concerned the topic of wisdom. As our discussion progressed, we shared many of our own discoveries along the paths of our personal "quests for truth." In our letters a common thread emerged which concerned the concept of beliefs, belief systems, and how they create reality. If one looked, there was a fundamental truth contained in many teachings.
Needless to say, I was pretty excited by this. My friend mentioned that he had some tapes of channeled sessions, which contained information from an entity known as "Bashar." I gave them a listen, then another, and another. Every time I was on a long drive I'd pop in a cassette and during the journey, I absorbed what was being said. I began to piece the information together with other sources I was reading.
In time, my thoughts, my actions, and my life began to transform. The fundamentals of Taoism, Buddhism, and the teachings of Christ started making sense in ways they never had before. I began to see my life as a creative, spiritual, and exciting journey rather than a futile uphill struggle. My usual bouts of depression dissolved. In short, I began to love life, myself, and others in a way I'd never been able to experience before. Somehow, I'd broken the patterns of my past.
This brings me to a very remarkable new book which has just been released: Quest For Truth: 100 Insights Which Could Change Your Life" by Darryl Anka (source material) and Steve Meyers (compilation/editor). According to Meyers, "this book is a collection of insights and ideas from over 30 self-empowerment seminars. The ideas and tools presented in this book are specifically designed to assist you in creating the reality you truly desire to experience in your life...period."
The material includes channeled information, question and answer sessions with Bashar (the channeled entity), and several guided meditations. In addition, there is an in-depth discussion in Meyers' introduction which tackles the questions concerning the validity of the material and the entity known as Bashar. Likewise, Anka presents his experiences and views in the foreword. Bashar states that he is an extraterrestrial being from the planet "Essassanni", who is communicating telepathically with Anka.
I must say that I have a skeptical side, which, at first, was concerned with this whole "alien/channeling phenomenon." Unfortunately for that part of me, I soon discovered that the information, when applied, started altering my life in a positive way. I concur with Maurice Cook (quoted in the introduction): "If the general tone of the information is uplifting and encouraging, if it presents a more expanded view of reality than that commonly held, then careful consideration of the material is in order." A similar view has been prescribed for Conversations With God, another excellent book. The bottom line for both is: Does the information have value? Does it provide tools for growth? Does it work when applied? Does it expand understanding? I would have to answer yes to all the above. I recommend that one read both books. They reinforce and seem to clarify each other. They cover similar territory in unique ways.
Quest For Truth is divided into seven chapters: The Hardest Question Of All; Abundance; Vision and Creativity; Death, Dying, and Religion; Health and Healing; Creative Relationships; and Sign Off. Each chapter begins with an opening dialogue followed by a question-and-answer session from selected seminar materials.
The chapters and the materials they contain deal with universal elements of human existence and cover a wide range of spiritual concepts. Some of the common threads include the idea that beliefs create reality; that the way to most strongly connect to your self is to follow your excitement; that negatives can be turned into positives; that there are other dimensions of reality besides the physical; and that we should love and trust ourselves--for we are perfect manifestations of the Infinite. How we can use these ideas as tools in our lives is the main thrust of the book.
One such tool which I have begun to use with great results is stated in the Vision and Creativity chapter:
Each and every situation in reality is fundamentally neutral to begin with. No situation comes with a 'built in meaning.'...If you assign a positive meaning to a neutral circumstance, you can only get a positive effect out of it. If you assign a negative meaning to a neutral circumstance you get a negative effect reflected back.
This knowledge has raised my awareness, especially in times when I encounter a "negative" situation. Instead of continuing to follow in the steps of negativity I am starting to see who is creating the negative definition - me! And the basis of this negative experience lies in my own beliefs. Now, in similar situations, I ask myself, "What do I believe that is making this experience seem negative?" In this way I am able to isolate and identify old beliefs that no longer serve me. I know I am free to change them into ones that put a positive meaning into circumstances.
Imagine a beige wall. One person sees it and says, "I love the color of this wall. It's so warm and soothing to look at." Another sees it and says, "I don't like the color. It looks dirty and dingy; it's depressing." Now, the wall is just what it is. It has no positive or negative meaning until someone comes along and assigns meaning to it. This same concept can be applied to relationships, work, and life experiences.
It is a very empowering idea because it creates an opportunity for us to change our reality from something we don't enjoy to something positive that we can enjoy. Remember, this is only one idea from one paragraph! There are at least a hundred other insights of similar magnitude in these pages.
What else have I been exploring from the book? Centering through breathing and meditation is one thing. I'm finding deep breathing to be of great help in melting away stress. Part of my day is spent being a luthier (builder and repairer of guitars). When I have a precise "one shot" operation to do, a little deep breathing does wonders. It restores my patience and my sense of calm, which are essential qualities to my craft. Through meditation I am learning how to listen to myself and turn my attention inward. I spend so much of my day focusing on the outer world that I don't consider what is actually brewing inside. It helps to restore my sense of balance.
My favorite insight deals with "following our excitement." The idea is that "doing what excites you most is being aligned with your highest self. Being aligned with your highest self automatically attracts whatever situations and abundance are necessary to allow you to stay aligned with your higher self." Using this idea is helping to reveal and integrate my own purposes. I could write a book on this subject alone, but let me say this: by following what excites me I am finding that all I need seems to present itself as needed. I see my path as one of many possibilities rather than one filled with roadblocks.
The book is a guide, of course, but it encourages each of us to find our own unique and imaginative ways of using the insights it provides. What "we" do with these insights is the key. The tools are available--but the true power can only be unleashed by using and applying the concepts. One good insight applied is better than an entire shelf of books, read once and then forgotten.
As to the usefulness of the material, Bashar says:
"Remember: be open. Only those things that serve you best will be absorbed by you because that's what you say you want. The things that have nothing to do with what you desire, the things that have nothing to do with your positive growth, won't be absorbed. Why? Because you say so. It is no more complicated than that and no more difficult than that because you are the Creators of your own reality; because you were made in the image of God. What you say goes. The vibration you are is what you get."
This book is packed with valuable information. I am still absorbing much of what it contains, but that's part of the excitement, part of the voyage of discovery. I encourage you to read it and discover how to pace your growth, how to attract abundance into your life, and how to make relationships work. Find out what really happens after death, what "The Three Absolutes" of existence are, how to be a healer of yourself and others, interesting perspectives about time, and how to manifest unconditional love in your life.
There is an old adage: use the right tool for the job. Consider this book a "tool chest." Each idea is a specific tool that addresses a specific area of life. Use it by itself, or use it with other knowledge and truth that dovetails with it. In a sea of complex spiritual information, it is a needed and valuable work, which deserves a place in the pantheon of important growth-oriented writings. It is a reference that can be opened and re-read many times, always providing fresh and useful points of view. I suspect that it will remain on my desk, a prized possession, for a long, long time.
Ordering information: Quest For Truth:100 Insights That Could Change Your Life, Anka-Meyers (ISBN 0-965078-1-X) published by Nobul Press, available at: http://www.bashar.com
(Copyright 1998 by Al Carmichael - No reproduction without express permission from the author)
Al Carmichael's Web Page - http://members.aol.com/tapeout/Page1.html