Changing a Little Each Day

Want to write a book? It's the dream of many, but some are dismayed by the amount of time it may take to write that many words, never mind figuring out how exactly to put those words together intelligently and in ways that a reader might want to read them. But if you decide to write only 500 words every day, you will have written 70,000 words in 140 days, and that is a typical length for a non-fiction book. That's 20 weeks, or 5 months. Changing something (writing 500 words) a little every day, can change your life. But you may need to examine the perimeters of your comfort zone.

When someone wants to lose weight, it takes doing something a bit differently every day. That something might be eating a little less, or making better food choices, or exercising (a bit) every day, or a combination thereof. The crucial point however, is that something (albeit small) is changed every day.Changing something (taking a 20-minute walk) a little every day, can change your life. But you may need to examine the perimeters of your comfort zone.

Want to learn a new language? Going to classes is a great idea, but probably you do have time to go to class once a week, but you don't have time for an immersion course over a period of several months, so to really change your life in this regard, you can use your digital devices to bring the language to you during those 'dead' moments every day, perhaps when you drive your car to work, when you shave, or put on your make-up, or when you're in the kitchen cooking. This could be in the form of news in that language (search the internet until you find a web-friendly TV channel that offers news and tune to that channel on a daily basis for 10 minutes. You'll be amazed how quickly your ears attune to the nuances of the language). Another thing you can do is watch trailers of movies you've already seen in your language of choice. Since you already know what the movie is about, you'll understand. Changing something (listening 10 minutes to a news program in your chosen language) a little every day, can change your life. But you may need to examine the perimeters of your comfort zone.

What about someone who want to live a richer, more meaningful life? Perhaps you imagine a life filled with greater spiritual significance (for you), that leads you to connect more closely with yourself. How many hours do you spend watching TV every day? How much time do you spend listening to - often - inane radio shows filled with even more inane commercials, every day? Or how much time do you spend reading sports magazines or romance novels? Change any one of those - or even just a fraction of any one of those - and you will be giving your mind, heart, and soul another kind of nourishment and nurturing that will indeed lead you to a richer, more meaningful life. Changing something a little every day, can change your life. But you may need to examine the perimeters of your comfort zone. It was Mike Murdock who wrote: You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. 

And remember the Chinese Proverb that says the same although in very different words: The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.

For more about being aware of your thoughts, habits, and exactly what you do every day, and how that will enhance your life and promote a different future, as well as bringing you joy, greater inner peace and freedom, have a look at my book Rewiring the Soul: Finding the Possible Self (paperback or Kindle).

To download the first chapter, click here
To see the Table of Contents click here

Reviews From the Back Cover:

A revelation of insight into the foundations of human suffering & transcendence. It not only lays out essential steps for inner freedom & joy but illuminates the way to true human potential. Dr. Kortsch is a spiritual master for our time. Paul Rademacher, Executive Director, The Monroe Institute; author: A Spiritual Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe

"The masterwork of a profoundly gifted healer of the soul. Dazzling, challenging, wondrously useful." Peggy Rubin, Director, Center for Sacred Theatre, Ashland, Oregon; author: To Be and How To Be, Transforming Your Life Through Sacred Theatre

"The instruction manual on rewiring the soul. An in-depth guide on life, love, spiritual evolution & our integration within the universe." Michael Habernig & April Hannah; Producers: The Path- The Afterlife & The Path 11 Documentaries 

"Rewiring the Soul is one the best introductions to the spiritual life I've ever read. Not esoteric but real-world & practical. The implications are profound." Peter Shepherd; Founder Trans4mind.com; author: Daring To Be Yourself 

"The human being's directory to the soul. A breakthrough for those seeking practical assistance, those of a more mystical bent & every soul awaiting discovery." Toni Petrinovich, Ph.D.; author: The Call: Awakening the Angelic Human





My new book The Tao of Spiritual Partnership is now also available in print and Kindle formats.

To download the first chapter, click here
To see the Table of Contents click here

From the Description on Amazon: More exciting than any other kind of relationship you have ever known, spiritual partnership is a path, a Tao, available to you so that you may transform your life. Spiritual partnership becomes background music to daily life allowing you to enhance the process of your growth and evolution.

This ground-breaking book addresses:

• relationship patterns that hold you back from a truly fulfilled life
• the strong connection between sexuality and spiritual partnership
• communication leading to true connection & lasting transformation of your relationship

It is precisely at the problematic crossroads so often encountered in relationships that we are offered the opportunity to create a new foundation based on mutual complementarity rather than need; a free relationship between two people who want to be together, rather than two people who need to be together. Needing another, we are told, is the measure of love, but for a fully conscious individual nothing could be further from the truth. And therein lies part of the secret and healing power of spiritual partnerships. 

Praise for The Tao of Spiritual Partnership 

“All humans seek the illusive touch of another's Soul, which opens us to the sense of belonging to something bigger than the self. Dr. Kortsch has given us the true "tao" of relationship in this brilliant exploration of emotional tapestry. We will be grateful for this illumination of spiritual partnership for generations to come." 
Chris Griscom: Spiritual Leader, Author 

“Eloquently and comprehensive, showing how your primary love relationship may be a sacred vessel that transports you and your partner to a place of mutual healing and expansion.” 
Robert Schwartz: Author of Your Soul’s Gift: The Healing Power of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born 

"The Tao of Spiritual Partnership is a unique blend of wit and wisdom; Dr. Kortsch encourages us to take responsibility for our relationships, while recognizing and seizing the opportunities for our own personal spiritual growth." 
William Buhlman, Author of Adventures Beyond the Body 


Note: If you are wondering why this blog is now only appearing on alternate days (excluding Sat/Sun), it is because I also post on my other blog on the others days. That other blog is The Tao of Spiritual Partnership, so named for my new book. Click here to visit the blog and/or to sign up for the feed.

Living a Life of Tenacity

The toddler who decides to get up on his legs and walk is tenacious. He may not be thinking that his goal is to walk, because he does not yet think along those lines, but he does see mommy cheering him on, or a delicious candy tempting him on the table that is just over there, or a toy he'll be able to grab, if he manages to walk over to that table. So he has a goal in mind and his tenacity to keep himself on his sturdy, albeit as yet shaky little legs, is fueled by that goal. So on he goes. And he gets up over and over again, if he stumbles and falls.

An 11-year-old aspiring ballerina has the tenacity to keep up with a grueling practice schedule, on top of taking care of her school work, because she has a goal in mind. Her tenacity will have to last years, if she aspires to get somewhere in her chosen vocation.

A young Rafael Nadal must have exhibited enormous tenacity as he practiced tennis every day in his native Mallorca, long before he became a household word, because he too, aspired to a great goal: to become a tennis great.

I could continue on with any number of examples, but what is very clear, is that we can not only learn from those who are famous, and who have actually gone on to achieve their goals, but also from that tottering toddler who is simply learning to walk. His tenacity should be a model for us to base our lives upon.

What are your goals? How much are you willing to give for them? How much stick-to-it-ive-ness do you have? Are you able to put your elbows down on the table and stay there in order to do or learn whatever it is you need to do? Are you able to get up early in the morning in order to work out, or practice, or meditate, or learn, or study, or write, or paint, or play an instrument because you can't at other times during your day but you want this so much that you are willing to give up that extra hour of sleep in order to do it? How great is your tenacity?

Here's one point to consider: all of those who went on to greatness (including the toddler whose greatness is that he learned how to walk), had someone or more than one someone, who cheered them on, who coached them, who made them accountable to their practice or work, who inspired and motivated them when they felt like giving up. However, not all of us have someone like that. Therefore, to have a practice of motivating and inspiring yourself is of enormous benefit and also very, very necessary if you really want to reach your goals. It was Zig Ziglar who said: People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.

So it's clear that if you want to live a life of tenacity, you have to find a way of keeping yourself tenacious, by being motivated. And in order to remain motivated, if you don't have a group of people who do it for you (a coach, a teacher, a partner, a friend, etc.), and even if you do, you would do well by beginning to look about you in this marvelous age we live and use the internet for precisely that.

While I am in my kitchen, preparing a meal, or while I am in my bathroom putting on my make-up, or while I am in my car driving somewhere, even if it's only a few minutes away, I am listening to something on a laptop or tablet or audio or MP3 player that motivates, inspires, and interests me. I use that time to do this because it's typically 'dead' time, that people may use to talk on the phone, listen to the radio or TV, but without any particular sense of purpose ... in other words, what we normally do with that 'dead' time, does not inspire and motivate us. What I then listen to as described above, doesn't necessarily have to do with my specific goals at all, as long as it motivates and inspires and interests me, and as long as it is capable of keeping my inner energy high in a place where I will be able to continue to be tenacious about moving towards my goals. There are many articles about this topic here on my blog and on my website for you to look at, but the easiest way to get started is to check out sites like:

• TED
• Talks at Google 
• Wayne Dyer (look for his talks on YouTube)
• Deepak Chopra (ditto on YouTube)
• Eckhart Tolle (ditto on YouTube)

You will find much to inspire and motivate you here, just take a look around. But it's only the tip of the iceberg ... there is so much more, and there's enough to last you as long as you need, want and like. Much of it is downloadable, so you can take it to your car, and many of the videos can easily be converted to MP3's for easier listening - again - in your car. If you don't know how to do this (and believe me, it is very, very simple), ask a techie friend to show you. But do remember, in order to be tenacious like our tottering toddler, you need to keep yourself motivated and inspired, and if you don't have a group of cheerleaders to do that for you (and most of us don't), then this is such a simple and magnificent way to do it. It was Louis Pasteur who said: Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal: my strength lies solely in my tenacity.

For more about awareness about keeping your inner energy high, and how this will impact on your goals and life, have a look at my book Rewiring the Soul: Finding the Possible Self (paperback or Kindle).

To download the first chapter, click here
To see the Table of Contents click here

Reviews From the Back Cover:

"The masterwork of a profoundly gifted healer of the soul. Dazzling, challenging, wondrously useful." Peggy Rubin, Director, Center for Sacred Theatre, Ashland, Oregon; author: To Be and How To Be, Transforming Your Life Through Sacred Theatre

"Rewiring the Soul is one the best introductions to the spiritual life I've ever read. Not esoteric but real-world & practical. The implications are profound." Peter Shepherd; Founder Trans4mind.com; author: Daring To Be Yourself 

"The human being's directory to the soul. A breakthrough for those seeking practical assistance, those of a more mystical bent & every soul awaiting discovery." Toni Petrinovich, Ph.D.; author: The Call: Awakening the Angelic Human





My new book The Tao of Spiritual Partnership is now also available in print and Kindle formats.

To download the first chapter, click here
To see the Table of Contents click here

From the Description on Amazon: More exciting than any other kind of relationship you have ever known, spiritual partnership is a path, a Tao, available to you so that you may transform your life. Spiritual partnership becomes background music to daily life allowing you to enhance the process of your growth and evolution.

This ground-breaking book addresses:

• relationship patterns that hold you back from a truly fulfilled life
• the strong connection between sexuality and spiritual partnership
• communication leading to true connection & lasting transformation of your relationship

It is precisely at the problematic crossroads so often encountered in relationships that we are offered the opportunity to create a new foundation based on mutual complementarity rather than need; a free relationship between two people who want to be together, rather than two people who need to be together. Needing another, we are told, is the measure of love, but for a fully conscious individual nothing could be further from the truth. And therein lies part of the secret and healing power of spiritual partnerships. 

Praise for The Tao of Spiritual Partnership 

“All humans seek the illusive touch of another's Soul, which opens us to the sense of belonging to something bigger than the self. Dr. Kortsch has given us the true "tao" of relationship in this brilliant exploration of emotional tapestry. We will be grateful for this illumination of spiritual partnership for generations to come." 
Chris Griscom: Spiritual Leader, Author 

“Eloquently and comprehensive, showing how your primary love relationship may be a sacred vessel that transports you and your partner to a place of mutual healing and expansion.” 

Robert Schwartz: Author of Your Soul’s Gift: The Healing Power of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born 


Note: If you are wondering why this blog is now only appearing on alternate days (excluding Sat/Sun), it is because I also post on my other blog on the others days. That other blog is The Tao of Spiritual Partnership, so named for my new book. Click here to visit the blog and/or to sign up for the feed.

Deciding to Live in a Friendly Universe

Have you ever noticed that when you are not in the best of moods, or when you are upset or resentful or angry about something, you seem to find more people who actually create even more of those feelings in you? Almost as though a tuning fork were set to ensure that those people with negative feelings that exactly match yours cross your path that day at exactly the same time as you are there! As a matter of fact, when I was younger this happened at a certain point with such frequency that I deliberately started paying attention to it. It had grabbed, you might say, my attention, because it was happening too often to be put down to mere coincidence. Was, I asked myself, the universe playing with me?

As I became aware of all of this, I also began noticing that when I was in a good place inside, I seemed to bring more people with that kind of mood, or inner vibration into my sphere during that day. It also seemed to be a lot more difficult to make me lose my cool, to become upset about anything, or to engage in hostility or negativity.

So, I thought, this must mean that depending on how I feel, and perhaps on what I emanate, just by virtue of what can be seen or felt by those who are in my vicinity, I attract a whole different kind of experience or person into my life. Therefore it appeared not to be a bad idea to decide that I live in a friendly universe, a term I have borrowed from Einstein and Wayne Dyer. A universe in which it is just as easy to run into friendly people as it is to run into angry people, just as easy to run into helpful people as it is to run into impatient and unkind people, just as easy to run into positive and joyful people, as it is to run into negative and unhappy people.

And although the connection is wide, as I revisited this topic in order to write today's article, that immediately made me think of a book titled Brain Rules by neuroscientist John Medina, who after writing many chapters jam-packed with near clinical detail about the brain and how to best understand how it works and how to deal with it, expresses wonder and amazement near the end of the book describing his young son one day as he accompanies him to his nursery school. They were walking a short distance that would have taken Medina father a few minutes to cover, but because he was escorting the small child, it took much longer. But mainly it took so long - and this was the source of the father's wonder - because his son stopped at every blade of grass, as if to observe its growth, or to examine how it had emerged from a minute crack in the cement of the sidewalk, or to become totally absorbed in the inspection of an ant as it shouldered its load of a bread crumb on its way to the underground anthill, following a long line of its brethren. He - Medina - realized his child was much more present than he himself tended to be, and although he does not use the term mindfulness in his book, I do, because I believe that is what a child does, and what we adults tend not to do, and hence find it so much harder to decide that we are living in a friendly universe.

As we arise in the morning, we already make decisions about the day in question:

·         oh no, it's raining

·         oh no, it's not raining

·         oh no, it's so cold

          oh no, it's so hot

And the problem is not the condition of the weather, but our inner resistance to what is. Krishnamurti said that the secret to his happiness was not minding what happens, and I have repeated this frequently in workshops, talks and other articles, because I truly believe it contains endless wisdom. It does not mean becoming apathetic, but it does mean accepting what is, finding inner balance and peace with regards to that, and only then deciding what needs to be done about it, rather than embarking on reactions and actions based on a feeling of resistance to what is.

So if we embark on our day with an attitude of acceptance, and then go to the wonder and joy of the child, perhaps we will hear the brilliant birdsong as we open the window, or see the ray of sunshine amidst the grey, as it attempts to slice a cloud in half. And as we do so, we notice our inner energetic vibration being in a good place, and we are aware of the fact, not only due to research in a multitude of disciplines, but also because of how we feel on this more visceral, physical level, that our inner mindset is also affecting the state of our cells, our very biology.

And so we progress throughout our day, looking for the many reasons that the universe is indeed a friendly place, filled with events, and sights, and people and moments that can quicken our heart with joy and well-being … if only we decide.

You get to decide whether you live in a hostile or a friendly universe. You can decide what each of the things that happen every day mean. You get to decide whether your life is good or bad no matter how it may look on the outside...remember what I've said so often about Viktor Frankl or Nelson Mandela or the innumerous others who have gone through great suffering, and yet have made a choice about how their life is going, and especially how they are going to look at it, think about it, and hence, feel about it, and react to it.

It's also true that the more you look for reasons to believe that things are going against you, and that people don't like you or accept you, the less you will be disappointed in your expectations...

And don't forget that your thoughts - as molecular and cellular biology show us (see these posts on that subject) really do become things, so the manner in which you view your world and think about it is of great importance.

As I've pointed out so frequently: you choose.

You can choose to wake up in the morning and be grateful for the new day and new opportunities. You can choose to remember to be grateful to five people every day about something that happened with them, and to make a habit of this - without fail - in order to help keep your mind on that instead of what you didn't like. You can choose to find something in what you didn't like that is of value to you and your life, even if it is learning how to choose not to react negatively in the face of adversity.

You choose.

So start choosing the way that is of use to you, instead of the way that simply increments the negative; start choosing to live in a friendly universe.

You choose.

Image: Amalfi Coast, Ravello, Italy

For more about being aware of your thoughts and habits and how that will enhance your life and promote a different future, as well as bringing you joy, greater inner peace and freedom, have a look at my book Rewiring the Soul: Finding the Possible Self (paperback or Kindle).

To download the first chapter, click here
To see the Table of Contents click here

Reviews From the Back Cover:

A revelation of insight into the foundations of human suffering & transcendence. It not only lays out essential steps for inner freedom & joy but illuminates the way to true human potential. Dr. Kortsch is a spiritual master for our time. Paul Rademacher, Executive Director, The Monroe Institute; author: A Spiritual Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe

"The masterwork of a profoundly gifted healer of the soul. Dazzling, challenging, wondrously useful." Peggy Rubin, Director, Center for Sacred Theatre, Ashland, Oregon; author: To Be and How To Be, Transforming Your Life Through Sacred Theatre

"The instruction manual on rewiring the soul. An in-depth guide on life, love, spiritual evolution & our integration within the universe." Michael Habernig & April Hannah; Producers: The Path- The Afterlife & The Path 11 Documentaries 

"Rewiring the Soul is one the best introductions to the spiritual life I've ever read. Not esoteric but real-world & practical. The implications are profound." Peter Shepherd; Founder Trans4mind.com; author: Daring To Be Yourself 

"The human being's directory to the soul. A breakthrough for those seeking practical assistance, those of a more mystical bent & every soul awaiting discovery." Toni Petrinovich, Ph.D.; author: The Call: Awakening the Angelic Human





My new book The Tao of Spiritual Partnership is now also available in print and Kindle formats.

To download the first chapter, click here
To see the Table of Contents click here

From the Description on Amazon: More exciting than any other kind of relationship you have ever known, spiritual partnership is a path, a Tao, available to you so that you may transform your life. Spiritual partnership becomes background music to daily life allowing you to enhance the process of your growth and evolution.

This ground-breaking book addresses:

• relationship patterns that hold you back from a truly fulfilled life
• the strong connection between sexuality and spiritual partnership
• communication leading to true connection & lasting transformation of your relationship

It is precisely at the problematic crossroads so often encountered in relationships that we are offered the opportunity to create a new foundation based on mutual complementarity rather than need; a free relationship between two people who want to be together, rather than two people who need to be together. Needing another, we are told, is the measure of love, but for a fully conscious individual nothing could be further from the truth. And therein lies part of the secret and healing power of spiritual partnerships. 

Praise for The Tao of Spiritual Partnership 

“All humans seek the illusive touch of another's Soul, which opens us to the sense of belonging to something bigger than the self. Dr. Kortsch has given us the true "tao" of relationship in this brilliant exploration of emotional tapestry. We will be grateful for this illumination of spiritual partnership for generations to come." 
Chris Griscom: Spiritual Leader, Author 

“Eloquently and comprehensive, showing how your primary love relationship may be a sacred vessel that transports you and your partner to a place of mutual healing and expansion.” 
Robert Schwartz: Author of Your Soul’s Gift: The Healing Power of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born 

"The Tao of Spiritual Partnership is a unique blend of wit and wisdom; Dr. Kortsch encourages us to take responsibility for our relationships, while recognizing and seizing the opportunities for our own personal spiritual growth." 
William Buhlman, Author of Adventures Beyond the Body 


Note: If you are wondering why this blog is now only appearing on alternate days (excluding Sat/Sun), it is because I also post on my other blog on the others days. That other blog is The Tao of Spiritual Partnership, so named for my new book. Click here to visit the blog and/or to sign up for the feed.

Have You Grown Tired of Your Life?

If you are tired of your life; if you would like to just walk away from it (not by doing away with yourself, but by switching to another kind of life); if your life seems faded and lacking in interest; if the main way you have of getting any adrenaline going is by going out to buy something new, or by partying, or getting another deal that fattens the balance in your bank account, or by having a few more drinks, or a few more snorts, or by getting a divorce and finding a new, more exciting partner, so that your life feels more exciting (for a time), or by moving to a new city or new country, or by having another child (or adopting one), or giving your name (but not your soul) to yet another charitable organization; if you find no real meaning in your life; in fact: if it seems to you that you really never - at any time - felt as though there was a real meaning to your life, then pay attention closely.

All of the above is giving you a big message. In a way it's a though you had a loving older sibling looking over your shoulder and tapping you on the arm saying: don't you want more than this? The message you are getting by the way you feel (and the word feel is germane to the whole significance of this post), is hugely important.

But we tend not to pay too much attention. Especially if our lives are more or less running smoothly. So we tell ourselves that the way we are feeling is nonsense. Perhaps you have a great job and a good marriage. So how could it be that you feel so tired of your life? It could be that the job, good as it is, means nothing to your intrinsic self, and you feel no real connection with your partner. So although things are good, i.e. you have a great salary, are due for a promotion, great health benefits and pension fund, every morning when you get up and go to that job, you have to force yourself to go there and not drive elsewhere instead. (Where elsewhere? We'll get to that in a bit). Or your partner is loving, and caring, and you have a couple of great kids together, you don't quarrel, and there is no obvious reason for you to feel as though the relationship isn't alive, but it isn't. You two just are not connecting.

So, as I said, we tend not to pay too much attention to the way we feel under such circumstances. But this way we feel comes directly from somewhere inside of us, as said, as though it were a loving older sibling. But it's not. It is our intuition.

In an earlier post about the subject (Intuition is Your Connection To The Divine), I wrote: "This voice inside of you ... that so often you pretend not to hear. This knowing inside of you ... that so often you ignore. This knocking at your inner door ... that so often you turn away from. This thing that pursues you over and over again, talking to you, making you think about whatever it is that you continue to turn a deaf ear to, this thing is your intuition and your connection to the divine."

[...]

"But why is intuition our connection to the divine? What is the divine? Is it not the eternal part of each of us? Is it not the part of us that connects us not only to all others, but also to all creation? And if that is so, then isn't it logical (if I may use such a word in such a context) that somewhere inside of each of us there must be a connection to this divine part?"

So going back to the initial question of this post: are you tired of your life? - I posit that you might recognize that there is a strong connection between the feelings you are having that keep insisting that your life is not as it should be, and the desires of your soul. The desires, that if they were fulfilled, or we could say, that if you were on the way to fulfilling them (even just at the very, very, very beginning of that way), would give you much satisfaction; would give much meaning to your life, and would mean, that you would no longer be tired of your life. Quite the contrary ... you would be filled with adrenaline, excited, stimulated, and all those good things that currently you only achieve via superficialities, and whose effect never lasts long enough. Read more about finding meaning in your life in Finding a Meaning for Your Life.

And in another post about the subject (Intuition and Healing and Dreams) I wrote this: "Our intuition, our bodies, the state of our health is often the path to greater understanding, healing and growth. Since neuroscientists have discovered that we have more than one brain, the second one being in our intestine and the third one in our heart (both of these areas contain a vast number of neural cells that feed the brain with information, which the brain then processes in order to make decisions), we can say that our “gut” feelings, or our “heart” feelings told us to behave in a specific fashion. See also Introducing Our Second and Third Brains: We Do Think With Our Heart and Instinct about this subject."

There is a beautiful quote by Jalal ad-Din Rumi that goes like this:

When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.

Isn't it true that when your soul is allowed to be your guide, you feel joy within? You almost don't even have to know what it is that your soul is guiding you towards, if you allow yourself to be steered by the joy you feel inside when you are moving in that direction.

Somehow you know, if you ever listen to any of this type of dialogue with yourself (and I know that many people are not used to doing this, despite the fact that it is in actual fact very simple), when you are not on the right track, because you feel a twisting inside, a lack of joy, you feel that something is not right.

We're not talking here about ethics or morals or doing charity work or anything at all in particular ... because the music of your soul - as Rumi refers to it - may let its melodies be felt in any kind of activity or thought or reaction or behaviour. What is important is that there are certain activities or modes of behaviour that make you realize that the river no longer moves within you, the joy no longer flows, just as there are other activities or behaviours that create precisely the opposite feeling.

What if there is no joy within, what if you feel as though there is no connection to the moving of that inner river?

If you are aware of it, you have already come a long way ... more than many. Even if all you are aware of is the lack of joy. So then you could start listening to your inner voice, your intuition, a small step at a time, exploring, searching, to find out what gives you joy. Perhaps you could try doing the opposite of some of the things that you do but that don't allow you to feel the river within.

When you do things from your soul, when you have that connection (see also Tending Your Inner Garden), when you pay attention to the joy inside, you are on the road to the place you meant to go to when you came here.

When you do things from your soul, your life has meaning, you feel a a connection in your relationships, and you feel a river moving in you, a joy.

For more about awareness about your conscious - and not-so-conscious - attitude towards your life and how to change this, have a look at my book Rewiring the Soul: Finding the Possible Self (paperback or Kindle).

To download the first chapter, click here
To see the Table of Contents click here

Reviews From the Back Cover:

"The masterwork of a profoundly gifted healer of the soul. Dazzling, challenging, wondrously useful." Peggy Rubin, Director, Center for Sacred Theatre, Ashland, Oregon; author: To Be and How To Be, Transforming Your Life Through Sacred Theatre

"Rewiring the Soul is one the best introductions to the spiritual life I've ever read. Not esoteric but real-world & practical. The implications are profound." Peter Shepherd; Founder Trans4mind.com; author: Daring To Be Yourself 

"The human being's directory to the soul. A breakthrough for those seeking practical assistance, those of a more mystical bent & every soul awaiting discovery." Toni Petrinovich, Ph.D.; author: The Call: Awakening the Angelic Human





My new book The Tao of Spiritual Partnership is now also available in print and Kindle formats.

To download the first chapter, click here
To see the Table of Contents click here

From the Description on Amazon: More exciting than any other kind of relationship you have ever known, spiritual partnership is a path, a Tao, available to you so that you may transform your life. Spiritual partnership becomes background music to daily life allowing you to enhance the process of your growth and evolution.

This ground-breaking book addresses:

• relationship patterns that hold you back from a truly fulfilled life
• the strong connection between sexuality and spiritual partnership
• communication leading to true connection & lasting transformation of your relationship

It is precisely at the problematic crossroads so often encountered in relationships that we are offered the opportunity to create a new foundation based on mutual complementarity rather than need; a free relationship between two people who want to be together, rather than two people who need to be together. Needing another, we are told, is the measure of love, but for a fully conscious individual nothing could be further from the truth. And therein lies part of the secret and healing power of spiritual partnerships. 

Praise for The Tao of Spiritual Partnership 

“All humans seek the illusive touch of another's Soul, which opens us to the sense of belonging to something bigger than the self. Dr. Kortsch has given us the true "tao" of relationship in this brilliant exploration of emotional tapestry. We will be grateful for this illumination of spiritual partnership for generations to come." 
Chris Griscom: Spiritual Leader, Author 

“Eloquently and comprehensive, showing how your primary love relationship may be a sacred vessel that transports you and your partner to a place of mutual healing and expansion.” 

Robert Schwartz: Author of Your Soul’s Gift: The Healing Power of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born 


Note: If you are wondering why this blog is now only appearing on alternate days (excluding Sat/Sun), it is because I also post on my other blog on the others days. That other blog is The Tao of Spiritual Partnership, so named for my new book. Click here to visit the blog and/or to sign up for the feed.

Choose Wisely Where You Place Your Attention

Consider where your attention tends to be during your day. Obviously part of your attention is on the things you must do. Get up, exercise (I hope), shower, eat breakfast, drive to work, work, have lunch, more work, drive home, have dinner, do household chores, watch TV, go to bed.

I am aware of the fact that the day I have portrayed sounds abominable for its lack of anything at all in it to redeem it (maybe the food? the scenery on the drive to work? maybe you enjoy the exercise?) ... but in a nutshell, that is, in fact, what many people's Monday - Friday lives boil down to. (And if the Monday to Friday is not good, the probability that the weekend will be better is not great, or even if it is, it may be plagued with headaches, backaches, etc., trying to call your attention to the fact that you need to change something about your life). Add in a spouse or live-in partner, factor in some kids, parents-in-law or other relatives, add in night studying to prepare yourself for greater ease in the job market, and the daily routine becomes even more congested with elements that may not give you great joy (or, if you've become more conscious and aware, perhaps they do).

So here's the thing: in this day of yours, where is your attention?

• Is it on the fact that you don't like your day?
• Or is it on the fact that you find your day mind-numbingly routine?
• Or is it on the fact that you don't like your job?
• Or the commute to work?
• Or that you find your car embarrassing?
• Or that you are so tired because you didn't get enough sleep?
• Or that you are dreading the presentation you have to give at the meeting at work today?
• Or that you find your colleagues stultifying?
• Or that you are worried because your doctor told you that you will have to cut down on the cholesterol?
• Or that you need to exercise and never seem to find the time?

So let's assume that your attention is on some of those points, or others of a similar nature. Now what happens to your energy while your attention is there? After all, attention in that place means that your attention is in a negative place, and therefore your energy can't possibly be high. And apart from the fact that when your inner energy, the frequency at which you are vibrating inside of you, is low, due to the place where your attention is, things like your immune systems are implied, and so it would be easier, for example, for you to catch a cold, or the swine flu, it also means that what your are sending out there for yourself in the world, can't possibly reflect anything positive back to you.

So it's very important to catch yourself in the act of having your attention on the wrong things. You can do that more easily by paying attention to the way you feel. When you realize you are low on that vibratory scale (which right now may be most of the time), you know that you have to do something about it. And one of the things to do, is to re-focus, focus on something else, something that gives you pleasure, something that excites you.

So here you are in the car thinking about the dreariness of your commute, and you can focus on the brilliance of the blue sky. Or you can focus on what you are planning to do so that the commute will soon be a thing of the past (as in re-engineering your life so that you can find a different job), or you can daydream for a bit, by focusing on something that suffuses you with pleasure, such as, for example, sailing around the world on a sailboat, or re-tracing Marco Polo's Silk Road in a Jeep. The possibilities are endless, and it is - of course - up to you to come up with some scenarios that will give you pleasure, but in so doing, you change the energy of your self, and once that is done, it will be easier for you to focus on the here and now with a new outlook.

Pay attention to where you attention is and you may change your life.

For more about being aware of your thoughts and habits and how that will enhance your life and promote a different future, as well as bringing you joy, greater inner peace and freedom, have a look at my book Rewiring the Soul: Finding the Possible Self (paperback or Kindle).

To download the first chapter, click here
To see the Table of Contents click here

Reviews From the Back Cover:

A revelation of insight into the foundations of human suffering & transcendence. It not only lays out essential steps for inner freedom & joy but illuminates the way to true human potential. Dr. Kortsch is a spiritual master for our time. Paul Rademacher, Executive Director, The Monroe Institute; author: A Spiritual Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe

"The masterwork of a profoundly gifted healer of the soul. Dazzling, challenging, wondrously useful." Peggy Rubin, Director, Center for Sacred Theatre, Ashland, Oregon; author: To Be and How To Be, Transforming Your Life Through Sacred Theatre

"The instruction manual on rewiring the soul. An in-depth guide on life, love, spiritual evolution & our integration within the universe." Michael Habernig & April Hannah; Producers: The Path- The Afterlife & The Path 11 Documentaries 

"Rewiring the Soul is one the best introductions to the spiritual life I've ever read. Not esoteric but real-world & practical. The implications are profound." Peter Shepherd; Founder Trans4mind.com; author: Daring To Be Yourself 

"The human being's directory to the soul. A breakthrough for those seeking practical assistance, those of a more mystical bent & every soul awaiting discovery." Toni Petrinovich, Ph.D.; author: The Call: Awakening the Angelic Human





My new book The Tao of Spiritual Partnership is now also available in print and Kindle formats.

To download the first chapter, click here
To see the Table of Contents click here

From the Description on Amazon: More exciting than any other kind of relationship you have ever known, spiritual partnership is a path, a Tao, available to you so that you may transform your life. Spiritual partnership becomes background music to daily life allowing you to enhance the process of your growth and evolution.

This ground-breaking book addresses:

• relationship patterns that hold you back from a truly fulfilled life
• the strong connection between sexuality and spiritual partnership
• communication leading to true connection & lasting transformation of your relationship

It is precisely at the problematic crossroads so often encountered in relationships that we are offered the opportunity to create a new foundation based on mutual complementarity rather than need; a free relationship between two people who want to be together, rather than two people who need to be together. Needing another, we are told, is the measure of love, but for a fully conscious individual nothing could be further from the truth. And therein lies part of the secret and healing power of spiritual partnerships. 

Praise for The Tao of Spiritual Partnership 

“All humans seek the illusive touch of another's Soul, which opens us to the sense of belonging to something bigger than the self. Dr. Kortsch has given us the true "tao" of relationship in this brilliant exploration of emotional tapestry. We will be grateful for this illumination of spiritual partnership for generations to come." 
Chris Griscom: Spiritual Leader, Author 

“Eloquently and comprehensive, showing how your primary love relationship may be a sacred vessel that transports you and your partner to a place of mutual healing and expansion.” 
Robert Schwartz: Author of Your Soul’s Gift: The Healing Power of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born 

"The Tao of Spiritual Partnership is a unique blend of wit and wisdom; Dr. Kortsch encourages us to take responsibility for our relationships, while recognizing and seizing the opportunities for our own personal spiritual growth." 
William Buhlman, Author of Adventures Beyond the Body 


Note: If you are wondering why this blog is now only appearing on alternate days (excluding Sat/Sun), it is because I also post on my other blog on the others days. That other blog is The Tao of Spiritual Partnership, so named for my new book. Click here to visit the blog and/or to sign up for the feed.

Have Another Look at Your Enemies!

Who has harmed you?

I'm not talking about enemies in the impersonal, geo-political sense of the word, as in wars, but enemies as in those individuals that you consider personal enemies.

In my private practice, clients may frequently view the enemy in the guise of an ex-spouse or ex-partner.

My purpose today is not to ask you what was done to you and then to say that it was not as bad as you imagined it to be.

Nor is it to ask you to forgive those who have trespassed against you.

My purpose is to ask you to consider this: how have you grown since whatever it was that was done, was actually done? Have you taken advantage of life's offerings in order to grow through your difficulties?

This is a lot less crazy than it sounds.

Those who make us suffer unwittingly offer us the opportunity for growth. It is up to us whether we decide to take that opportunity or not. Those of you who have taken it, know who you are, because you have grown and changed - often in such a way that as you now look back, you realize you like yourself - perhaps even admire yourself - much more as you are now, than the way you were before. And you know it might not have happened if your 'enemies' had not trespassed against you.

Take another look at your enemies ...

For more about awareness about your conscious - and not-so-conscious - attitude towards others, as well as your life, about the thoughts that create unhappiness and problems, and how to change this, have a look at my book Rewiring the Soul: Finding the Possible Self (paperback or Kindle).

To download the first chapter, click here
To see the Table of Contents click here

Reviews From the Back Cover:

"The masterwork of a profoundly gifted healer of the soul. Dazzling, challenging, wondrously useful." Peggy Rubin, Director, Center for Sacred Theatre, Ashland, Oregon; author: To Be and How To Be, Transforming Your Life Through Sacred Theatre

"Rewiring the Soul is one the best introductions to the spiritual life I've ever read. Not esoteric but real-world & practical. The implications are profound." Peter Shepherd; Founder Trans4mind.com; author: Daring To Be Yourself 

"The human being's directory to the soul. A breakthrough for those seeking practical assistance, those of a more mystical bent & every soul awaiting discovery." Toni Petrinovich, Ph.D.; author: The Call: Awakening the Angelic Human





My new book The Tao of Spiritual Partnership is now also available in print and Kindle formats.

To download the first chapter, click here
To see the Table of Contents click here

From the Description on Amazon: More exciting than any other kind of relationship you have ever known, spiritual partnership is a path, a Tao, available to you so that you may transform your life. Spiritual partnership becomes background music to daily life allowing you to enhance the process of your growth and evolution.

This ground-breaking book addresses:

• relationship patterns that hold you back from a truly fulfilled life
• the strong connection between sexuality and spiritual partnership
• communication leading to true connection & lasting transformation of your relationship

It is precisely at the problematic crossroads so often encountered in relationships that we are offered the opportunity to create a new foundation based on mutual complementarity rather than need; a free relationship between two people who want to be together, rather than two people who need to be together. Needing another, we are told, is the measure of love, but for a fully conscious individual nothing could be further from the truth. And therein lies part of the secret and healing power of spiritual partnerships. 

Praise for The Tao of Spiritual Partnership 

“All humans seek the illusive touch of another's Soul, which opens us to the sense of belonging to something bigger than the self. Dr. Kortsch has given us the true "tao" of relationship in this brilliant exploration of emotional tapestry. We will be grateful for this illumination of spiritual partnership for generations to come." 
Chris Griscom: Spiritual Leader, Author 

“Eloquently and comprehensive, showing how your primary love relationship may be a sacred vessel that transports you and your partner to a place of mutual healing and expansion.” 

Robert Schwartz: Author of Your Soul’s Gift: The Healing Power of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born 


Note: If you are wondering why this blog is now only appearing on alternate days (excluding Sat/Sun), it is because I also post on my other blog on the others days. That other blog is The Tao of Spiritual Partnership, so named for my new book. Click here to visit the blog and/or to sign up for the feed.