Listen to the person or people you are talking to with a view to understanding, Setting et the context should stem the arguing (agreement / disagreement.) A debate can easily fall into arguing when you attempt to convince others of your “rightness” with a view to converting them to a different point of view from your own. Keep the emphasis on the PERSON you are talking to. If you are in front of an audience it is the context or subject of the talk that got them there.

Make it clear why you are talking to the person and what you want to achieve. No need to (often painfully) go through this to the other person – just know for yourself the intention behind the conversation.

Pay attention. Wandering eyes, clock watching or adjusting your clothes or hair are clear indications of inattention.. When you listen carefully rather than letting your mind wander you can get what they are saying more exactly. Many people try to second guess what the other person is saying half way through their comment and assume they already know what the other person wants to say. This leads to having a response at the ready which may be completely different to an appropriate response. Pause before responding rather than butting in to finish their sentence for them.

Stay with mutual interests. When you listen you can identify and understand the other person’s values and interests which may change from day to day depending on what they have just read or viewed on a screen. They will understand an interest that you both hold The plethora of underlying fears and hopes that you both carry into the conversation can take you to different realms sometimes outside the understanding of either party.

Separate yours or the other person’s suggested solutions on the topic from the topic itself. Otherwise the understanding cannot be carried forward or duplicated.

Avoiding self expression or any need to be understood, open up the conversation to stories of your own experience – revealing why you believe what you believe. Sharing your truth (personal experience) creates a platform of understanding upon which to engage by asking a question. The response allows them to acknowledge the idea itself and takes the emphasis away from either party. Acknowledging another person’s ego can be an uncomfortable thing to do because stroking egos usually heralds manipulation or a hidden agenda.

When disagreements occur, listen harder. You’ll often find that the problem is a gap in yours or their knowledge of the events in your own lives that lead either of you to holding firm to a position arising from a belief.

Optimism and enthusiasm are in short supply and take the conversation to a wider context. Ignore auto-cynicism and press led skepticism as it does not contribute, will obviate solutions and in the end it means nothing. When the point has been made hold the optimism in your heart and mind and allow the communication to hang in the air.

The use of maps is just one way to communicate to the map user, a wealth of information about an area. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words and this is especially so where the picture is a map.  To fully understand the information that is being conveyed by the map it is important to know how to read the map properly otherwise much of the useful or interesting information that’s right there on the map can be lost.

Maps come in all shapes and sizes and many are designed to provide the user with specific information about the area in question. One particular form of mapping is the 3D / pictorial map which provides the user with a friendly, attractive and easily understood representation of the locality which crosses all language barriers.  It is very easily interpreted without having to understand a multitude of technical and sometimes confusing symbols.

Here are 8 Common sense tips which will help anyone to understand any map and get the maximum benefit from what it has to offer. – Baxter

COMMON SENSE TIPS IN MAP READING

By Jackie Mackay

In Brief

• First have a real place to go. Then buy a real map for it. The reason for that is because It’s easier to get an interest in learning when you have an interest in what you are learning about. Why bother about a map of Penge – unless you are actually going there?

When you are finding the way

rule number:

• 1 – You need to LOCATE YOURSELF

• 2 – Then you find your DESTINATION.

• 3 – Examine the KEY or guide. It will show you what symbols mean. Most map makers assume that the symbols are understood internationally. They are not always that obvious. Make sure they mean sense to you. For example what colour the lines for roads mean. Are they major roads or little back roads?

• 4 – Check the SCALE. This means how many miles are represented by each cm or inch. Big scale has advantage when walking. All scales have an advantage when you are orienteering. (orienteering is actively map reading prior to and during a journey. It is also a sport to compete with others in orienteering races).

Very large scale Ordnance Survey maps show the houses’ back gardens even more clearly than Google. They are mainly outlines. They show as miles or Kilometres per inch or cm.

• 5 – Work out HOW MANY MILES you are going to travel (There are sites that calculate this for you) Sometimes a map may give you the impression that a certain route is the shortest however a short route can take longer to travel depending on the gradient and size of the road.

Don’t worry about whether the North is true or magnetic. Unless you are sailing across the ocean you will not be able to read a compass accurately enough for this slight difference to even be apparent.

• 6 – TAKE YOUR TIME. There’s no rush. Gaze at the map and understand what is where – in relation to the symbols. This stage allows you to ‘Interpret’ the map – which is the stage after ‘reading’ it. You can tell from the signs where roads cross rails and then you can imagine the forest and knoll. In the country you can use a compass.

There’s not much point having a compass in central London though, unless it’s a special compass that picks up the north pole rather than the iron railings.

• 7 – LEARN THE MAP. Find your way around the atlas or folded map so that you know how the paper folds or pages work in sequence. Some map folds need practicing. People always admire a simple fold. It is best to practice so that you can fold it quickly even in windy weather. (Folding a map by trial and error is a bit ‘Laurel & Hardy’).

• 8 – MAP TYPES. Road maps, walkers (hikers) maps and marine have different purposes as well as scale – not to mention maps of airways.

When buying a map be sure to know what you want to DO and where you want to GO.

Maps look great on the wall. Nowadays you can blow up images to huge size while still retaining their sharpness. They even come as map wallpaper. There are a number of antique map shops in the central London which are worth visiting in person to see their beautiful fine detail.

Prologue

In the beginning there was nothing and then God created Light. God, the Force, Truth, Love, Energy, the Original Substance, and the Holy Ghost are all words we use for the power of creation that created Light.

In a sense that is all we need to know. The rest is the natural world living there right in front of us. Many entities with names and nuances are revered representations of the ineffable, undeniable, infinite God  – the ALL.

The All means us as well. We are a creature of God – a created entity; as is each and every other person, and object.  The ancients knew that you don’t need legs arms a head and a heart to be alive. Every element is alive, every molecule – every cell and many things we don’t even know yet – that exist – are alive.

Buzzing on Energy

Holograms are a really good analogy a lot of people like. If a hologram – an image that looks solid under a laser light, is shattered into many pieces each piece is a minute complete representation of the whole hologram. Loads of little images. This gives us a glimpse of the overall picture.

This is why we know that we are part of the creator. We can create because we each of us possesses unique free will. We have been created with vision. Because we choose not to see, we often deny, even though we were there at the beginning and created light,

That’s far out. And where does it get us ? We still eat, sleep and move particles from one place to another on a daily basis.  While that sinks in – or not – we need to move along in our lives.

“Brilliant men are often strikingly ineffectual.  They fail to realize that the brilliant insight is not by itself achievement.  They never have learned that insights become effectiveness only through hard systematic work.” (Peter Drucker)

The Hard Work
Fine – so now you know 20 ways to get thinner, You understand the power of thought and the importance of staying in the Now. You have read the book and have quotes on your desk top from The Dalai Lama, Bill Hicks, Peter Drucker and Wallace Wattles and the rest…. You forgave everybody (well nearly) and know ALL about the ego and pain bodies, You fought cancer with apricot seeds and won, did a whole month on grapes and walked with the wolves –– Now what?

Well indeed – What about now? What’s that nagging thought doing?  It is annoying you  that’s what.  That voice in the head has a critical intonation “you will be late”.

“Drat I’m late again and I haven’t got his number”
Hold that thought and proceed serenely to the next thing in hand, full on in the gratitude attitude, carrying the distant echo in your mind of:

“Where IS the problem?”

The title of this article is ’8 quick ways to put wisdom to work in your life’  here they are:

• Create anything you want to
• Give something to someone
• Ask yourself a question
• Do something with your undivided attention
• Know what benefit your action has for you
• Know who else benefits from your action
• Recognise the result of your action
• Pause, observe, consider

Before we explore what these mean in our own daily today life we do well to remember one thing.  When we read the list as it is above, we all remember the feelings and thoughts we had when we last did something on the list.

These thoughts will trigger more thoughts.  Questions and answers will flow in the undercurrent of our subconscious minds.

The subconscious is not some sleepy drone, it is ever at the ready to save us from harm and generates instantaneous trigger thoughts and more questions like

“What question? How can I choose a question ? I don’t want to ask anything this is silly”

I realised quite recently that I was not the only one with a bossy judgmental voice. Most people say they have one that makes not the slightest difference to them – they lightly refer to it as a little voice or a quiet background voice.

Not so the voice in my head.  It was the boss of me.  I was her slave and the other one backed her up with the sonorous bass tones full of gentle reproachful platitudes.

As I read through books his & her comments slowed me down.  A good film shut them up for now – until afterwards, when the reviews came pouring in. Somehow I never felt that this flow was my voices – even though I knew they were in my mind. Even when I was told I was fully responsible for creating them.  When I was a child I thought it was angels and fairies.

Yes I really did. It’s hard to believe it now. Now that I am grown I think (strictly to myself) – “What!  those were my thoughts? What a sewer of a mind I must have to think so casually about such things – just look what it’s doing to my adrenalin production”.

During a full on drama my him & her left me alone – for example pulling the car out of a skid was a silent affair before the full scale onslaught.

I thought this was part of being alive. Despite this I did some serious work to find out about these voices – insight after insight, year after year, grabbing some respite by reading Krishnamurti and other good books that the mind had no answer to.

My voices changed their tone – the  language as appropriate to the agreement from my peers.  But they kept on.  Then I got in touch with Bruce Lipton’s massive video of the talk he gave to the Google staff ‘Where Mind and Matter Meet‘ and from there on I found tools to sort out many basic beliefs and gradually the voices adapted themselves to a quiet running commentary that go altogether when I meditate.

I think that when people talk to themselves they are just giving voice to their voices.

It’s pretty quiet now – and when it isn’t I hear the comments and they are not my boss.

The context is set.  Here’s the list with some practical suggestions to apply in real life where it matters the most to you and all those around you.

• Create Anything You Want To
Creating something that was not there before: Bake a cake – write a letter – arrange or rearrange a shrine** – paint a wall – restore something that’s broken – change a light bulb – write a chapter – take a picture – make up a tune – frame a picture, anyone can add a bunch more.

• Give something to someone
This means just anyone. Compliment him – acknowledge her – support them, smile at a baby – say g’day to a passer by – thank the road sweeper – buy a present – sing someone a song – write a poem for her – cook a dinner for him – Give him a picture – take her with you – leave a space better than you found it … Pick one – any one.

• Ask yourself a question
Try and do this aloud – more effective. Why am I doing this?  – What’s that all about?  – Why do I need this bun so bad?   – Yeah, Who sez?   – Does that interest me?   – What’s my payoff?   – Do I buy this?  –  What’s that coming out of the TV set?   – How come resource rich countries have so many poor people?  – Is economics BS?  – Why is he always late?  – How can I feel better?. Wise men say that the answer is found in the question’s words.

• Do something with your undivided attention
Be deliberate and purposeful – Shut off the ringers – hang quiet sign on the door – get yourself a cuppa first – give yourself a time to do it in – wash your hands – drink some water – perfume the air/you – start it ‘from here’ and now – make a check list – do one thing at a time – check it all through –  jot down pressing thoughts for later – stretch at intervals – breathe – Stick to finishing time.

• Know what benefit your action has for you
What’s in it for you ? – own up to be grateful.  personal pleasure – satisfaction – financial reward – save time later – save money – feel good – feel better – keep a promise – complete a task – strengthen a habit – make you stronger – test your stamina – practice being patient – taking command of your mind

• Know who else benefits from your action
Benefits freely or for trade. your close friend – your neighbor – your community – your group – your for – your Tweet followers – your network – your school, – your ward – your team – your boss – your children – your granny – your ma and pa – your partner – your lover – your X

• Recognise the desired result of your action
Straight away
better atmosphere – prettier place – income – raised energy – validation – affirmation – something learnt – imagination awakened – a smile on someone’s face – warmth in someone’s voice – a welcoming entrance – a satisfied tummy

In Store for the future
Full larder – Ironing all done, – a project progressed – a proposal sent – Time with family – fitter body – better memory –  a new skill  –  increased vocabulary

• Pause, observe, consider
Stop. Let words hang in the air. Choose to relax – meditate, do nothing – visualise a beautiful thing – listen to the quiet – gaze at a wall – listen to your thoughts – feel one hand with another – do some palming* – hear a favorite song in your head from start to end – enjoy a painting – thrill to a photograph.

“If you must speak, say something that is better than silence” Pythagorus

In the end peace falls upon you as you get in touch with the ALL

***(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)(\o/)***

references

* palming is cupping your palms over your eyes, leaving them to open and close at will, and shutting out all the light you can, then visualise anything truly black that you can.  This was discovered as an efficacious method for relaxing and improving the eyes by William Bates over a century ago.

** A shrine is a sacred space anywhere from the garden, a shelf, a desk – somewhere beautiful and loved. Somewhere to find peace.

We communicate with words.

(1) With Film we have the benefit of Gestures and Faces and Eyes to see.
(2) With Sound we have the benefit of undertones and overtones in voices. [overtones are 'Emphasis' - simple stuff].
(3) With Music we have the benefit of gut feel.

Words are in everything. Words are everything.

This is written in English. If English is your second language , have a dictionary to hand. You know – a big fat old one like an illustrated Chambers 1889 – oh and an old Roget’s if you can get hold of these on bookfinder.com.

A useful tool is an updated Roget on line on project Guttenberg. I own I have it in my dock so it is always there whatever app I’m in. Pretty useful to have a powerful search engine built in to an old & updated Roget’s Thesaurus. Quick and free – I like it.

English is a second language also to Americans and those from Down Under who have developed their own. It has to be said that school leavers emerge with a third the vocabulary of their grandfathers and take to jargonising in discrete niches including txt lange prolly.

Obviously this is all about understanding and fully takes care of Space. I heard an old Irish expression – probably a direct translation of Irish language. I was in a kitchen having a chat with my carer. She said

“Oh he was an angry man – so before I answered him back, I took my words out to look at them”

How can one pause for that instant of time to reflect? Why indeed do we reflect?

It is so that we can fully understand what has been said, so our answer is appropriate to the words spoken. The time it takes to look at the words is additionally awarding space to the angry man. He can feel heard by the very echo of his words hanging in the air uninterrupted. Chances are that his anger will abate.

I am suggesting that we consider the words we heard and the ones we are about to use. Best to bear in mind that email can be cold because it is like having a conversation without the sound or vision nor indeed the gut feel.

So punctuation becomes very important indeed in the written word.
So take your punctuation out to look at it as well.

Having said all that, it’s time we started hearing how individuals are putting all this 8 points (ok 8 elements) stuff into practice and what gives.

I have an anecdote.
I was talking on the phone to an agency that had agreed to pay me a specific sum in benefit overdue to me. The problem? their representative insisted that they paid only corporate bodies and not individuals.

I let the words hang in the air and thought – ‘I am an individual’.

I asked “are you saying that I as an individual am awarded and due the sum agreed?” She had to answer

“yes I am – [you are]”

So I said
“Thank you – when can I expect to be in receipt of the sum agreed?”

THAT’s what she’s coming back to me on. I took an intensive on common law once and it stood me in good stead. It is not their money in the first place but from taxes on the people designated to benefit the old first and foremost. They are under necessity to benefit the old and I am considered in this light. That 80% of charities funds from taxes or tax free donations goes in administration and outreach wages need not be mentioned because they are already keenly aware of this due to recent press.

Join the dots. common law is about joining the dots between known facts.
I said also that it was not my concern that they had complex internal policies so long as they do not infringe the law concerning my right to the money which is by public contract.

When people proffer policies, regulations, acts, bylaws and statutes – even precedence it is because they want you to comply with something. That’s all you need to observe because none of these things is the law. Ask by what law they operate in this particular behaviour at this particular time.

Obviously you have to listen to the exact words they use and why.

Anyone got any other Words anecdotes of how this stuff applies in real life? In the kitchen maybe?

Some say that we cannot talk about the Truth – indeed it was illegal to talk it or about it as recently as 2000 years ago as it was tantamount to speaking about God. And that was the jealousy guarded domain of the elite of the religious and legal sects.

Nowadays it is thankfully more open – indeed the truth is a free for all. Words like Truth, Love and Vision are adopted as onions with many layers of opinions built around the seed. The person who said that truth was many faceted as a diamond had a clue – just a clue.

Yet in each human being is the ability to know the Truth of our own unique individual experience. Nobody can take that away.

True that was our experience yesterday and today we can have a different experience of the same moment in time. Also true is the fact that people extrapolate psychological theories and pronounce insanity on the truth of our experience which is our own supreme domain. We are here to experience and to know with our inner knowledge that it is the Truth.

Opinions are our thoughts about the matter based on learned beliefs and cultural significators. They are like cobwebs that wrap us up tight and divide us from the Truth. It takes enormous courage and the willingness to face isolation – but hey isolation is itself only a thought that can in itself isolate us. How can we be isolated when we are a part of the All? We are only isolated when we separate ourselves from nature.

Truth has power and so have thoughts.

Truth is of nature and thoughts are of mankind’s making. Intelligence plays a great part in trusting the truth of our own experience regardless of the thoughts of ourselves or others around us.

Of course we do regard them – our minds are always at the ready to protect us from danger and from change that often represents danger to our beliefs. However there’s a FEEL to the Truth. Everyone who is human gets the vibe of the Truth.

And when a bunch of us gets it at the same time it’s a Universal Experience – a tangible high, a buzz that’s unmistakable. I think that’s what is meant by the expression “you can’t con an honest man’. I think that’s why people flock to ball games where the truth of sincere effort and intention scores the points. Above all I think that’s why people get the vibe of truth in Great music and art.

What has this to do with the 8 elements in communicating? Mastery of communicating can be taken as easily to communicate lies as truthful things. Ed Bernays was such a master – using his power of observation to manipulate the “bewildered herd” as he dubbed us – we the people. He used his power for his own benefit rather than for the good of the people. He had no vision and little evidence of heart. Many wizened heartless old men followed his lead to line their pockets.

However the good news is that the promulgating of lies-for-gain is a short term policy. No good came of the slaughter, torture and genocide perpetrated by the crusaders, conquistadors and inquisitors of the Roman ‘church’. And no good will ever come of the evil of war. Conquest and organised pillage is already a thing of the past. We the people are not as bewildered as we were .

The Truth of our experience is about as close as we can get to frame our ideas, to select our audience, to give force to our intention, to attract max attention, to realise the meaning and understanding of what we want to pass along. Maybe ‘space’ is best described as time.

The acknowledgement of our ideas comes as the ultimate sign that what we speak is the truth. The only law of attraction is that what you give – you get. Newton had a point – ‘for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’ .

When we speak the truth of our own experience the chances are that we will be heard. That what we give we shall receive. That what we seek we shall find.
Maybe not straight away (and the ego does not like this) . There are still echoes down the corridors of time of the plunderers and hoarders who’s efforts benefit only their own seed. These echoes are thoughts that prevail to confound the Truth.

They die as naked as they are born despite their fancy sepulchers and preservation techniques. The Truth lives on. Great Art lives on. Truth is the daughter of Time.
LET’S ALL TAKE OUR WORDS OUT TO LOOK AT THEM – 6th Jan ’10

So we attempted to understand the other person as we still do even now.

I watched a documentary on the 2003 Tsunami and saw the filming of the tourists who were caught in Thailand and other islands. I thought “what are my little stress issues besides that of digging in rubble to find a missing child? – now THAT’s stress.”

Yet the comparison of one kind of stress or evil to another, or the dismissal of the second prize because it is not the first, or the denial of a piece of music because it has a mistake in it, are all a part of the fundamental ingratitude of men and women who have been inculcated with rigid cultural/ religious beliefs. It is, in my opinion, almost impossible to know how a person is feeling or thinking – until they tell you themselves. This is why asking questions is wiser than making assumptions.

As a five year old I witnessed something that struck me so clearly I can recall every detail of the scene as though it were yesterday. Daddy, Mummy and I were having a special lunch that the hostess gave to introduce a victim of the war to the local community in Canada. She had lost her entire family and all she had possessed. The hostess had invited several other people who had had losses – hoping that they would surely understand her sorrows and thus befriend her. Far from being sad she appeared happy to me who took to her smiles and interest on other people. I remember the shock on the hostess’s face when she announced that if people did not mind she preferred to talk of happy things. Someone had asked her to tell him about the details of her tragedies.

The other guests seemed cross too. One lady there had just lost her son of 10 though her husband and little girl were present at the party. The victim guest of honour, bereft as she was, showed remarkable spirit – she even told a joke about a dog. I didn’t understand jokes usually. She kept saying the word ‘Hoo Ha’ and the dog had a hard time. Moreover she remembered everybody’s name, and was interested – even in me. She asked people why they had not laughed at the joke. When she asked me I said I thought the dog was being bullied.

The quiet of the moments after I said it have been with me to this day.

The woman who had lost but one child was silent and barely polite. Her husband never turned to look at her until the ‘star’ had excused herself for a restroom break – and he said to her then “What a wonderful woman.”

I could see the tears dripping off her chin. Her little black veil (fashionable in the 40′s) hid the fact that she was weeping from the grown-ups But I saw. Her husband had thought to comfort her from within his own agonised state. They were both miles from love. Truth without love is violent. Love without truth is but sentimentality – Hallmark swill. But I didn’t know that then.

It seems that this thought settled in my mind then, that the greatest loss gets the most admiration. After the war many others held to this belief also. I could see it all around me as I progressed through life. The more I suffered great losses the more it appeared to me that I had not yet suffered enough. This chronic way of thinking affected me until recently. It did not even change much when I read books of great wisdom. Clear thoughts played on in the belly of my mind however better I learnt. They played on even as I talked to some wiser men and women than I.

By great fortune I discovered a way to literally have a conversation with my subconscious and rid myself of that hundamental belief with Morty Lefkoe’s programme.

Since those days the smart sets all over the world have introduced phrases like “Uh huh – you and who else?” “Got an issue? here’s a tissue” “Yeah! Right“, “Talk to the Hand” and hundreds of other ways to tell a person that their problem is irrelevant. Which it mostly is – or could we say ‘was’?.

It is so easy go to the opposite extreme of sympathising – maybe prolonging the problem by justifying it, giving it a science name and informing the sufferer that they can’t help it. They are helpless. It’s not their fault. Worse still, people are learning how to make money out of any form of dis-ease, led by the very large pharmacorps who’s very marketplace is the malfunctioning human body. And mind. The more malfunction there is in society the better off they are.

That’s why addicts think they can’t help it when it’s very well known that there are countless examples of people simply putting away childish things – There are an abundance of heroic stories of people overcoming physical and mental difficulties.

I lost the tendency to think that loss made people respect me. It just went. When I think back to the victim guest of honour, now I see someone rising above the expected status quo. She changed something by being happy instead of cross.

Miracles are happening as every day passes by.

There are many tools to assist in the process of re-setting the mind to a condition whereby it is not the boss any more. The objective is to live by common law, free to go where you will and do what you will and harm no creature. By nurturing others in trade and using honest money to create value, we shall rear our young in harmony, intelligence and honour. We shall create wealth as will everyone else.

That is how Nature thrives and we shall thrive naturally.

The frustrations associated with disagreement are largely because each side knows their communication is unlikely to be replicated and there will be no satisfaction on either side. Each person feels they may lose the argument and so on it goes.

The idea of winning or losing thus replaces the idea you want to pass over to the other person. One might as well learn ping pong and get some exercise and satisfaction into the bargain.

When the Brits were handing back India to the Indians Mountbatten had to make the Gandhi and Jinnah both happy yet there seemed to be a conflict.

Gandhi suggested in the negotiation that the leadership was given to Jinnah who was a Moslem and rather a militant one by all accounts. Jinnah refused to take the leadership although that is what Mountbatten imagined (from his own perspective) they both wanted while Compromise was out of the question.

Now he was clear at least that Jinnah wanted something else – so he had something more concrete to go on. He also realised that it was not a question of religion since most Moslems were with Gandhi.

The resolution of the argument was the usual brit solution – partition which is the divide and rule syndrome the Romans favoured – same as Ireland, Africa and the USA – my point is that Gandhi, offering leadership to Jinnah went down well with most of the Indians but Jinnah wanted something else – a religious battle.

He wanted agreement. Gandhi wanted peace for India without the British yoke.

The main clue in negotiation is giving as much away as possible without compromising the idea itself… which would make the original idea mean something different.

The other clue is to take the ‘self’ out of the picture – it usually gets in the way.
A sub agenda such as “I thought of this”, or “My way is the best way” or even “I am making a personal sacrifice” is so tempting to just slip in to the discussion – and it can seriously cloud the issue.

A person who is confident that they are telling the truth of their own experience has the power without seeking agreement for THEIR words.

Finally, when you want to put over an idea that the object under discussion is bad the safest and most truthful way to put it is “I don’t like it – it seems rubbish to me” rather than “that’s rubbish”

One can argue with the latter while the former is simply another person’s experience and therefore acceptable since it does not threaten the other person or their view.

Mastery means dealing with the ‘mostly’ and being as confident as a surfer riding the waves.

Story
I was chatting to my son who was trying to finish his last 40 winks.
There was an awfully good reason why he should be awake (enough said) so I chatted on … until I felt that I was alone in the room. I could even listen to the dog barking in the distance.

I said, continuing in a cheerful voice,
“Hey you have to grunt every now and again so I am encouraged that you are hearing me” ‘No answer came the stern reply’.

“OY” I’m setting a vibrational tone and maintaining optimism so I believe you can hear me – HEY”

“grunt” followed by “mmmmgg”

I carried on happily until the kettle whistled. “Tea?” I asked Silence again so I made one cup and started to write this message instead.

I live in a world of hit and miss communication – daily mayhen in the purist sense. Since I started the Perfect 8 course I have been attending to the principles I wrote in the book and doing my best to talk like I walk. Yes – that way round.

Being an expert – I prefer the word master – is purely being someone who does a thing so often it’s easy. We can go for accolades and plaudits along the way – and that’s fun too.
As a part-timer it’s a bit like attempting to learn the language of the country you are in and always talking country lingo with mates.

It’s annoying for people when you keep picking up dropped communication balls – telling them (primly) why it was dropped. Doing a course gives you social permission to play the game. so no primness needed.

About this course.
When we are ready to start I’m hoping that we will all know naturally. Someone will speak up anyway. We will start in the first week getting acquainted with the prologue and the general idea of what it will mean to be a master communicator. I realise that this is a BIG claim. I am sufficiently trusting in the system to know that we can achieve mastery. Those among us who are going pretty strong already can improve along the way.

And it’s really fun sharing insights to others who are as interested in it as you are. beats football. The more of us there are the less each individual has to do. it takes off all the pressure. The term lurkers is just transformed into learners who listen and acknowledge by action. That’s valid. Action speaks.

In subsequent weeks we can examine each point that comes first on the menu. Anyone wanting to write something and have it published can place it as a comment on the Perfect 8 site.

Jackie Mackay

Idea – GUIDELINES FOR DISCERNMENT
Paraphrased…- New Realities Magazine – July 1987
2. Person -  There will always be useful information for everyone. Beware of the channel that gives you useful information for only a few, or tells you that it’s only for a special group or a sequestered number. It must be useful for ALL humanity, every single Human. This is an area of discernment allowing you to know you are hearing the truth.
3. Intention – The message should be uplifting. Watch for an empowering message – NOT ONE OF FEAR, not one that drags you down – not one that makes you want to take fearful action or hide – but an enabling message! This is a staple of God energy. It must be there. It should inspire the listener.
4. Attention . Spirit will never, ever channel a message that asks you to give up your free will. Never! For your free will is what your experience on Earth is all about. Free will! CHOICE is what drives your planet’s future.
5. Understanding -  Spirit will never give you a message – ever – that asks you to violate the integrity of what you believe. You are honored in your thought processes. Spirit will never trick you or “talk you” into anything. The message must never violate your integrity. You must feel comfortable with it, and it will ring true to your heart.
6. Duplication – Spirit will never represent a channeler as being the only source. Watch for this, for there are many channels of Spirit and they all coordinate their information to create a bigger picture, especially in this New Age. They will NEVER represent themselves as the ONLY source of information.
7. Acknowledgement. Watch for the fact that the information is normally new information. Beware of the channel that simply re-hashes the old, for they are not channelling anything but the ego of the Human Being. New information is necessary. It is the entire reason for the channel. Think about it.
8. Space -  Watch for the fact that channelled information should have spiritual solutions presented. Solutions to life challenges on Earth, via new information, is the purpose of channeling.

Paraphrased…- New Realities Magazine – July 1987
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This is a six minute exposition of all London’s West End Theatres by night at their most romantic. It takes you from area to area where it views the theatres. It’s very relaxing with beautiful original music by Fionn O Lochlainn and commentary by Ben Shafik. The photographs are by Baxter.

This was storyboarded within the Perfect 8 structure.