Heroes, Mentors, and Friends

Vertical Thinking In Heroes Mentors and Friends, we’ve discussed how guides, both human and intuitive, lead us spiritually every day of our lives. They are there at every turn. Sometimes we call to them to help us. Sometimes they just show up when we need them most. You can call that intuition. One of the new friends who recently came into my life literally IS a guide. His name is Akai. I met Akai during my wonderful trip to Sedona, Arizona while writing this book. As we continued our mountainside chat on Cathedral Rock in Sedona, we went over some of the tools and techniques we shared for living a more conscious life. Some of the techniques we discussed included: meditation, prayer or simple quiet time alone, to name but a few. One of the techniques he uses I found fascinating. As he meditates or stops his day for quiet time, he uses or visualizes a cross. Metaphorically, he visualizes the horizontal, left to right cross beam as his earthly journey. Then he visualizes the vertical beam as his spiritual journey. Left to right represents our exterior earthly journey as humans, whereas bottom to top represents our internal spiritual journey. How can we improve our journey? Is it vertical thinking, or horizontal thinking? Earth or horizontal thinking is the journey of our lives, our physical form. It comprises our job, our appearance and our reputation. Add in our achievements and the things we acquire. It also can be called the journey of attachment, the journey of our ego. For practical reasons there is a need for positive horizontal thinking. This is a journey that encounters challenges as well. The earthly journey will end someday. Spiritual or vertical thinking is the journey that never ends. It is our soul that accompanies us when we are born, lives within us every day and stays with us after we die. It is the energy that beats our hearts, powers our minds, and is the very Source we call God. It is eternal. It is the inside version of ourselves. It is the highest expression of who we are. What words do we associate when we are thinking vertically or thinking like God? Also, what words come to mind during our earthly journey when we are thinking horizontally about ourselves, our achievements, our possessions or our relationships? Vertical Thinking Enlightenment Love We Inspiring Peace Gratitude Joy Meaning Acceptance Reverence Enthusiasm Forgiveness Horizontal Thinking Winning, Losing, Them, Bigger, Mine, Fear, Envy, Jealousy, Regret, Anxiety, Shame, Stress, Guilt, Anger, Revenge, Pride The words of the vertical list are the words of power. They are words that heal the hurting. They are words of love to dissolve hate. They are words of light that remove darkness. A few God-like words of consistent encouragement when needed at the perfect moment have the power to change a life. Do you see the significance of thinking and communicating vertically? He who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do. Jesus- Matthew 14:12 These days, our daily earthly journey is harder than ever. The pressure to do more with less is all around us. Technology has plopped us all into an information age where it seems as if the hordes of daily messages we receive are impossible to properly value, decipher or process, because there is just too much coming in. We all know deep down that our world today feels a little different than ever before. At times we don’t feel as if we are participating in it anymore. Because of technology moving life at lightning speed, and exorbitant costs putting things we might need out of reach, we are not feeling or seeing the harvest, physical or emotional, from our hard work anymore. We feel like spectators on the outside of life looking in, waiting for something to change, but not knowing what it is. We also know that something better must be around the corner. During our daily earthly journey, when we encounter this feeling of being a spectator, we are trapped into responding to our daily challenges by thinking horizontally. Look at the list of the horizontal words. When you find yourself in this state, stop. Pivot your thought and power up to thinking and responding vertically. Replace the horizontal word that comes to mind with a vertical word and see if your feelings change. They will. For example, if you’re thinking thoughts of envy about what you don’t have, pivot to thoughts of gratitude about what you do have. Use vertical words to comfort others around you who are stuck in horizontal thought. See how your feelings and attitude change. This is power we cannot attain from external forces. This is the only true power that is immortal. This is power that does not require force. This is power from within. Every day on your earthly journey keep a visual or real cross with you as a reminder. Or print this cross and post it at work or home. Become aware of your feelings. If you have negative feelings that match the words on the horizontal list, simply become aware of these feelings. Once you become aware, take a deep breath to slow down the thought. You will find that the awareness begins to slowly dissolve the negative feelings for the time being. You will feel a sense of peace come over you, even if only briefly. Then pivot and look at the words on the vertical list that counter the feelings that you are experiencing. Thoughts of gratitude, acceptance and love for all will instantly release anxiety from negative thinking. The words on the vertical list are the words of power; words of God. Imagine what the world be like if we all became vertical thinkers. THOUGHT Become a vertical thinker using the words of God and watch the change happen in your life and the lives of others with whom you interact.