CFI Forums

The Law of Attraction put to the Test

2012-08-26T10:47:08-05:00

Being a skeptic, the law of attraction was one of those ideas that I had heard over and over again since approximately the late 1990s but disregarded for years as metaphysical mumbo-jumbo. However as I began researching the material that became my book, I found significant scientific evidence behind the metaphysical claims and decided the law of attraction was worth further consideration. However, this was one area that I decided needed additional first-hand research. In order for me to accept there might be something more to this “law” than mere ideas, I had to put it to the test.

The problem with testing the law of attraction, however, is finding a personal desire that is not potentially counter to your life’s goals because if that unobtainable desire was the focus of your efforts but still did not occur you might wind up with negative evidence not useful for “proving” the law did or did not work. For example, if you were destitute and your life plan required you to be destitute to understand some issue in life such as the power of need or hunger, then following the steps to implement the law of attraction to obtain millions of dollars would almost certainly not work. Your higher self would not allow the thought-directed energies to become manifest in your physical reality, and so the experiment on whether or not the law of attraction could work would be a failure due to poor experiment design. Conversely, if the law of attraction were designed to attack a problem that was too simple then it would be impossible to say whether the result was due to the law of attraction’s efforts or something that would have occurred anyway; again resulting in a failure to prove anything due to poor experiment design.

My test would have to be related to my life so as not to be (hopefully) counter to my life plan but also difficult enough that achieving the goal would not be simply happenstance. As you likely know from my intro in the book and the “about the author” page on my website, I have been in the military since 1989. By 2005 I was deployed in Iraq and was up for consideration for a large promotion, E8 – the second highest enlisted rank. The move from E7 to E8 is large indeed and one that I figured I would make before I retired, but I wanted the promotion as fast as possible. In 2005, I was considered for promotion in the secondary zone, which means I could have potentially moved forward faster than normal if I were selected for promotion. It seemed a lofty goal and worthy of the law of attraction experiment I had been pondering for some time. I followed the steps in my book arduously for over a month, from shortly before until about the end of the promotion board period. When the results were released, alas my name was not among the lucky recipients. My first reaction was anger and disappointment. All that research conducted and scientific “proofs” I had read that seemed rock solid, and yet I achieved no positive results. I set aside the law of attraction research for some time, but fast forward to the next board, and I repeated the process. This time I started earlier, added a visualization board, and continued the process longer – past the board period and lasting until the results were released. This time I was selected for promotion to E8 during the once annual board in 2006.

Okay, from this result I surmised two things: First, the length of time and amount of focused effort almost assuredly has something to do with how affective one’s efforts are. Second, changes desired in the mental realm take time to manifest in the physical realm, and occur on their own time. These two issues would be considered hypothesis. They are ideas that needed further testing, and could not be considered “laws” or known quantities. Thankfully, I had one more promotion left in which to compete, and also for which I could put these two hypotheses to the test.

I was eligible for consideration for promotion to E9 in June 2009. I had an oddity however that may have interfered with my efforts to test the law of attraction during the promotion boards in 2009 and 2010: I like my job but I would have to stop doing what I do if I got promoted to the highest enlisted rank. The military’s E9s serve as senior enlisted advisors to the military’s highest officers, and no longer get to perform the functions they served as they were growing up in the ranks. Therefore, I was conflicted. Some part of me wanted the promotion for higher pay, more prestige, and certainly to test the law of attraction. But a large part of me – including my subconscious – was very happy doing what I do best and was not looking forward to sitting behind a desk and trusting other people to perform the mission on my behalf. Needless to say I was not selected for promotion in either 2009 or 2010.

By 2011, however, I had matured in mind and body, and I was ready to accept a new path in life. I was now committed to seeking promotion, but there was a new problem. The drawdown in Iraq was occurring and the Army as a whole was facing an imminent hollowing with personnel losses and mandatory retirements. The era of high promotion rates was over and officer promotion rates that had typically been over 80 percent were down to 50 percent. Now, anyone who follows military promotions knows that officers follow a defined career track and are almost guaranteed to make promotions through their typical 20-year career. Enlisted personnel however have no such luck. Promotions to E9 typically hover around a dismal 10-12 percent, depending on career field. In my job, it was typical for only 1-2 personnel to be selected for promotion each year. If three were selected, it would be considered a bumper crop year, and likewise it would not be unusual for no one to be selected due to lack of available slots, as occurred this year in 2012.

But drawdown be damned, I was determined to be promoted, and I set the law of attraction in motion early. I initiated the visualization board months in advance. I stuck by the steps outlined in my book for nearly nine months, lasting through the announcement of the results of the promotion board. The results were a surprise for all involved. More than seven people were selected for promotion in my job to E9; an absolutely unheard of result especially in an era of draw-downs! Now, the selectees don’t see where the scores lie and no one will know if I was selected at the top or the bottom of the pack, and while I’d like to think I’m at the top of my peer group, I would not doubt if the universe “moved” events in the physical world to ensure just enough slots were available to make sure I was selected for promotion according to my intentions by using the law of attraction. As far as the hypothesis I had identified from the first experiment was concerned, I felt both were valid, and I added one more: You can’t simply think you want something – you have to want it at your inner core. Your conscious mind has to be in agreement with your subconscious mind. There can be no internal arguments. I have no doubt if I had gotten serious about my desires 1-2 years earlier, I could have been selected for promotion to both E8 and E9 earlier than I was. Still, a win is a win, and this particular win satisfied all of my requirements to prove to myself the law of attraction was valid:

1) The tested issue was related to something in my life so there was no likely internal conflict with my life plan.

2) The tested issue was sufficiently difficult to achieve and was most certainly not guaranteed to occur. Many good enlisted service members retire at E7 and E8 after years of honorable service. I made it to the top in an era of down-sizing, amidst a promotion group that was unbelievably large.

Further, I learned the law of attraction takes time to manifest desired results in one’s life. Just because you start the efforts tonight does not mean you should expect results tomorrow or next week or next month. Don’t give up hope, because the power lies in one’s mind when that mind is certain. Efforts, however, will be compromised by a mind that is doubtful.

Finally, I learned that in order to manifest something in my life, it had to be something that I not only wanted, but was ready to accept and needed. There could be no internal misgivings about the issue. My mind had to be completely in agreement or my efforts would be fighting against my inner feelings, preventing any positive change from occurring. Hopefully you can take these suggestions and apply them to your own circumstances. Use the steps outlined in my book, and accept the good things in life that you deserve to have.

Wade, author of The Hidden Truth, at http://www.thehiddentruth.us.

Thoughts on the nature of consciousness

2012-07-11T12:42:12-05:00

One of the interesting findings I reached while writing my book, The Hidden Truth: A logical path through compelling evidence to discover the nature of reality and the meaning of life, was the true nature of consciousness. In chapter two, which discussed many findings within quantum physics, a series of findings and proofs lead the reader to understand that physical matter is not only comprised of energy, it actually is nothing but energy. Shortly thereafter, I show how energy is also equivalent to light, and later we learn that light resides outside of space and time because it does not operate by the rules of the universe, but requires a “Special Rule of Relativity.” From the transitive property of mathematics where if a=b and b=c, then a=c, we prove that matter = energy = stabilized light.

The discussion of consciousness is one of the most difficult aspects of the book, including chapter two. Scientists have been grappling with what consciousness is without clear resolution. Through the progression of findings in my book, I feel it is safe to say that “the light” and consciousness are virtually interchangeable, which could allow us to expand the transitive equation above to reflect that physical matter is not only energy. It is by definition also comprised of stabilized light, which is itself the consciousness of the universe. By this reasoning, the entire universe is comprised of a single consciousness which chooses to manifest itself in an infinity of physical and nonphysical forms in order to create and express Itself in order to experience and get to know Itself.

The implications of this idea are far reaching and imply that your consciousness is actually not separated from my consciousness. We are all one and the same, and part of a larger overarching, all encompassing consciousness. Our ‘separation’ and individuality is only the illusion of separation, which physical reality creates specifically for the purpose of allowing us to experience that sensation for further development.

Wade, Author of The Hidden Truth at http://www.thehiddentruth.us

What is the meaning of life?

2010-04-28T22:37:58-05:00

I recently was on a panel for the question “What is the meaning of life?” I gave an atheist response, and there was also a Christian and Muslim response. This was followed by a 1 hr. Q&A. The event was held in a Mosque.

FYI, here’s my presentation:

Microsoft Powerpoint format:
http://www.meetup.com/Westside-Science-Religion-Discussion-Group/files/

Adobe Acrobat (free reader available on the internet):
http://files.meetup.com/1279214/meaning-of-life.pdf

Feel free to read, download, and make comments here. Most of the questions were for me because I don’t think they knew many (or any) other atheists. So it was a “witnessing” opportunity. I had fun answering their general questions about atheism.

...Bernie
http://www.meetup.com/Westside-Science-Religion-Discussion-Group/
http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Science-Religion-Discussion-Group/

PS: No, I don’t speak for all atheists. I realize some may agree, and some would disagree.

Physical Center in Portland

2010-04-27T12:44:45-05:00

Hi, everyone!

It is time to start talking about whether or not we want to have a building for CFI in Portland, and if so, how we would expect to use it, what resources that would require, and how we would go about getting it.

Please use this thread to contribute ideas.

SylviaB

Very confused not-really-new member

2011-09-12T16:59:12-05:00

There seem to be multiple, non-overlapping forums for discussion related to CFI-Portland.

There are these forums, (which I only found today)
There are the CFI-Portland forums on Meetup, where I have been a member since Nov 2010
On Meetup, there are also comments related to each event, as well as individual member pages and email.
There is the cfipdx-list Google-Groups mail list.

There is also reference to a CFI-Portland “Board”, and CFI-Portland “Organizers” - which are apparently not the same thing.
The CFI-Portland Page here lists Kurt and Sylvia as “Coordinators” of CFI-Portland.

As if that were not enough, there are multiple other arenas - Facebook and Atheist Nexus among them.

Then, when one attends a physical meeting, there seems to be no association between the group meeting and any particular online community, which makes it difficult to continue conversations and sustain relationships between meetings - let alone to collaborate and mobilize to do things as “CFI-Portland” rather than as a loosely affiliated bunch of separate-but-fluidly intermingling groups of individuals. We can and should be quite a presence here in Portland, and I don’t see how we can achieve our mission unless we, at least very occasionally, work as a single united group with common cause.

So (deep breath),

QUESTIONS:

1) Who IS on the current CFI-Portland board/organizers/coordinators/cat-herders? Is there a single, official email address for whatever this full set of [whatevers] is?

2) Is there a single, common public forum where member can collaboratively discuss “meta” issues (administrative concerns, suggestions, feedback on events, etc, in other words matters relating to CFI-Portland the Organization, as opposed to discussions about various topics of interest or mission-related discussions) and provide input, which is a) readable and can be commented on by all members, and b) regularly frequented and participated in by the full set of [whoever is in charge/organizing/coordinating/boarding whatever?

3) Is there one single, common online community where all CFI-Portland members can, you know, be a community?

4) Is there any coordination between the many different CFI-Portland groups (Beaverton, SHEP, etc) with regard to event planning?

Speaking of which - can organizers stop using acronyms like PAHM, SHEP, BAM in public announcements? Not only the general public, but newer members like me shouldn’t need to search for a glossary to understand what meeting is run by whom. I’m not talking about shorthand in internal member discussions. I’m talking about the events calendar and Meetup descriptions. It doesn’t take that much effort to spell out the acronyms - if it seems tedious, there are keyboard macros that will expand them for you.

5) What exactly does a CFI “Branch” mean? I can find nowhere on the CFI site nor on the CFI-Portland site where it explains what the roles, responsibilities, authorities, etc are of a “branch” vs the central CFI.

This very committed by very confused member thanks you for your patience, and worries how many people get turned off simply by confusion about what they are joining, who is in charge, how to communicate, etc., before they get to experience what a wonderful group this is!

Any SGU 24 marathon sessions being planned?

2011-08-01T08:26:41-05:00

Would love to go to one in Eugene.
Might be able to travel to Portland.

Was Jesus liar, lunatic, or Lord?

2010-05-22T21:36:49-05:00

Our topic at the Vancouver discussion group on Sunday 5-22-10 is “Who is Jesus, Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?” All info is here:
http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Science-Religion-Discussion-Group/calendar/12123179/

We’ll have presentations from an atheist (secular humanist), Christian, and Muslim viewpoint. I’ll be representing a secular humanist viewpoint. Here’s something to whet your appetite:

Keep in mind, other religions may ask a similar question

Could a Muslim say this?

“Who was Muhammad: liar, lunatic, or prophet of God?”

Or a Mormon:

“Who was Joseph Smith: liar, lunatic, or prophet of God?”

Beaverton School District, Public Review of Science Materials and Textbooks

2010-10-29T21:01:46-05:00

Back in May, after the Texas textbook debacle, we had a lively discussion regarding the textbooks that will be used in our local public schools. Here is an opportunity to influence what goes on in Beaverton.

Science Textbook & Materials Initial Review, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2010, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

The Beaverton School District is conducting an initial review of science learning materials in
preparation for the upcoming science adoption. The public is invited to attend the publisher
presentations of science materials at the Capital Center, SW corner of 185th and Walker Rds., use
Entry “B” located on the NE corner of the building. Publishers will be present during this time to
answer questions about their learning materials. All grade levels will be represented. Public input
on finalist selection is welcomed.

Atheist evangelists going door-to-door to the Mormons in Utah

2010-05-19T17:09:32-05:00

This is funny.

Atheist evangelists going door-to-door to the Mormons in Utah

See it here (fast forward to time 3:00):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dW-bt_1LzY

Is it possible to know that God is real by feeling his presence?

2010-05-02T17:52:02-05:00

On Sun. April 25 I gave a 10 min. Secular Humanist presentation on “The ‘felt’ relationship with Christ: real or an illusion?” There was also a Christian and Mormon (LDS) presentation.

My slides are here if you’d like to see them:

MS Powerpoint:
http://files.meetup.com/1571569/can-you-feel-jesus.ppt

Adobe Acrobat:
http://files.meetup.com/1571569/can-you-feel-jesus.pdf

...Bernie
http://www.meetup.com/Vancouver-Science-Religion-Discussion-Group/
http://www.meetup.com/Westside-Science-Religion-Discussion-Group/