"I am in total awe. I started this course cynical as a lawyer from New York, and from the very first session it has changed my life in ways that I could not even imagined before. I am happier and much more in touch with myself."

~ Jim L.(Originally joined because of his fianc)

"I have been meditating & practicing numerous spiritual courses, workshops and training for over 2 decades, but have never experienced anything like this. This is the most powerful trans-formation I have ever experienced, and I am so much more connected, happy & at peace."

~ Brian D.(CPA & very busy)

"I feel so much more connected with God and myself, I get excited and blissful about life and feel so much more love and compassion; I almost didnt take the course because I was so busy, but I am SO glad I did."

~ Christine A.(Marketing Executive)

"My meditations are incredible and my zest for life has returned. I feel truly blessed."

~ Scott Cahoy(Costa Rica)

"Yesterday, I was deeper in meditation than I ever have been. WOW...I am in a state of metamorphosis, The way I see the world we live in and how I handle day to day tasks have changed. The benefits have been wonderful."

~ Ann Koopman, WA

"Thank you both for helping me to create such profound peace, love and change in my life. Your gift of yourself and your teachings are a blessing to all you touch.

"The retreat was wonderful. I look forward to growing and learning with you and of course seeing you in October."

Blessings and love,

Debbie Tray

MayaTalum Mexico June 2008

"Since I started your 12 week course, my life continues to become even more magical and wondrous. My healing work, seminars, and overall abundance have greatly increased and so have my abilities to help people. I want to thank you for being there to teach, guide and "amp up the joy factor" for me."

Beth Milton, CA

Self Realization Course 2008

"I loved your talk, last night, on the Ancient Wisdom. I felt myself nodding in agreement with many of the statements you made, as if I knew this at a deeper level and you were reminding me of these truths. Many of the things you shared resonated with me at such a deep level... Thank you for your love and your insights and sharing so freely."

Lynda Bancroft, Canada

Looking For God Lecture Series: Ancient Wisdom 2008

"Oh my Gosh!! I am doing -- Being better than I ever have before. Every day is just like my birthday, literally or Christmas. I am LOVING life and the more I meditate the better it gets! The better it gets, the better it gets, the better it gets. Full of love... thank you for your love and guidance, you are a miracle in my life... Blessings and love to you!!"

Lisa Mirante

Post Self Realization Course

2008

SAI Co-Founders with Shivabalayogi

"My meditation has never been so good. Shakti usually came in from crown and 3rd eye very strong, thick, and peaceful. I can stay in a meditated state during the day."

~ Chairon Chow, NJ

"Thank you so much for the meditation experience on Thursday night, I am so relaxed after each experience and I am beginning to see and feel clarity in the activities of my day. Thanks again."

~ Katie, IL

"I continue to meditate an hour a day. It keeps me grounded and in peace. I am enjoying your Sunday calls in the Graduate Program..."

~ Jaqueline Witt, CA

"I have had an amazing shift in my life since beginning to use your meditations. I have recommended them to my friends. I have been newly diagnosed with chronic Lyme and the pain and fatigue I had is no longer present. I truly feel joy. I'm joyful that I have connected with you."

~ Blessings, Ann

"The transformation that has occurred in me the last few months is unbelievable. From habits that have naturally shifted to implementing new things that I never thought possible. Not only within me but the way that I have affected other people is amazing. My mom is reading your Self Realization book and she is totally getting into it too. I'm connecting with her at a new level and that is doing wonders for our relationship. Honored to be involved with you!"

~ Alex Herrera, CA

"Thank you for Sunday morning's Graduate telephone class. Every time I'm discouraged that I'll never 'GET this', you come to me with such wise teachings that I can't help but come away with deeper understanding and trust that I am making progress, despite my fears and feelings of being a wimp at times. I am so grateful to you for the Shaktipat that you shower out to the world which graces my Being. May you receive a Universe full of blessings and love"

~ Beverly, Colorado

The nextSelf Realization Course begins.

Saturday,September 27that 10:00 am PST.

The Self Realization Course is a12 week advanced intensivetraining in Shaktipat, Jhana, Dhyana and Kundalini meditation with Steven S. Sadleir, founder of the Self Awareness Institute. Everything is energy, the Life Force or Spirit within you IS you. To realize the true nature of your Self, to realize God, to find true happiness and peace in live in grace, you have only to go within and connect - it's making your heart beat right now. It's guiding you to read this.

Steven teaches you how to tune into first your ownlife forceorspiritual energyand consciousness, and then how to develop it - to raise your calibrated level of consciousness to Samadhi and experience, first, the blissful states, then beyond to full realization. You have only to connect with thisShakti within you, and Steven has shown thousands over the phone! Because we are all connected in and by spirit, it does not matter where your physical body is, when you sit at home and call in, or Skype in, you can naturally tune in.

Similar to how the antenna in your cell phone or car radio picks up invisibles transmissions, when you are on the class calls with Steven you will pick up an energy transmission - Shaktipat - andyour body will begin to attune, register with this signal, and gradually move into these higher blissful states. Here the answers come - from within you. Love, peace and joy, come up like a sprinkler of light.

Each week to attune to a higher level, you can actually feel your energy shifting and peace bubbling up from within. During the week you can further this feeling and learn to tune in while not on a call by playing one of the many meditations or satsangs (class calls). So meditation is easy, you just listen and be guided until you want to just sit in silence. You will want to sit, it feels so good. Shaktipat gives you a natural high or bliss.

In addition to theweekly calls, you will also receive viaemail a Preceptor lesson that's just a few pages in a PDF file, so you can download and read about what you are experiencing. The whole science of the Self is explained. Plus you are given a new tool each week, so by the end of the 12 weeks you have a whole "meditation tool kit" to help you deal with real life situations. You will learn to take control of your mind, emotions and behaviors, and a shift from negativity to positivity naturally occurs as you practice.

You will also receive aphone messagefrom Steven each week for moral support, and to personalize the experience. Each week during class Steven makes time to speak to all the students and answers any questions they might have. So the students in the Self Realization Course have VIP access to Steven. These classes are always conducted in small groups so each student can have some time and be heard.

Completion of the Self Realization Course "graduates" the students to advanced courses and trainings. At the end of the 12 weeks you can't help but feel a transformative shift in your life. Even if you've been meditating for years, the exchange of spiritual energy with Steven will build up your own, like having a personal trainer for higher consciousness and making your "aura" bigger and you spiritually stronger. You start glowing. But you have to be ready, and committed.

Each course is conducted in a small group so each individual can get personal attention and he benefit of a class environment. Everyone in rapid acceleration helps everyone, and the more personalized instruction enables you to make breakthroughs. The tuition for this three months course is $1,500. Spouses included.

Group rates also available at 30% off.

If you have any questions or would like to pay in full or by other means email If you have any questions or would like to pay in full or by other means email info@SelfAwareness.com You You can also callBev at 949-355-3249949-355-3249, but she may have to call you back so email typically works best.

More here:
Self-Realization-Course - Self Awareness Institute

The mirror test, sometimes called the mark test or the mirror self-recognition test (MSR), is a behavioural technique developed in 1970 by psychologist Gordon Gallup Jr. to determine whether a non-human animal possesses the ability of self-recognition.[1] The MSR test is the traditional method, or "gold-standard" of measuring self-awareness[2][3]"the sense that one is an individual separate from the environment".[4]

Very few species have passed the MSR test. As of 2015, only the great apes (excluding gorillas), a single Asiatic elephant, dolphins and potentially other cetaceans, the Eurasian magpie, and some ants, have passed the MSR test. A wide range of species have been reported to fail the test including gorillas, several monkey species, giant pandas, sea lions, pigeons and dogs.

Similar observations are used as an indicator of entrance to the mirror stage by human children in developmental psychology.

In 1970, Gordon Gallup, Jr., experimentally investigated the possibility of self-recognition with two male and two female wild pre-adolescent chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), none of which had presumably seen a mirror previously. Each chimpanzee was put into a room by itself for two days. Next, a full-length mirror was placed in the room for a total of 80 hours at periodically decreasing distances. A multitude of behaviors were recorded upon introducing the mirrors to the chimpanzees. Initially, the chimpanzees made threatening gestures at their own images, ostensibly seeing their own reflections as threatening. Eventually, the chimps used their own reflections for self-directed responding behaviors, such as grooming parts of their body previously not observed without a mirror, picking their noses, making faces, and blowing bubbles at their own reflections.

Gallup expanded the study by manipulating the chimpanzees' appearance and observing their reaction to their reflection in the mirror. Gallup anaesthetised the chimpanzees and then painted a red alcohol-soluble dye on the eyebrow ridge and on the top half of the opposite ear. When the dye dried, it had virtually no olfactory or tactile cues. Gallup then returned the chimpanzees to the cage (with the mirror removed) and allowed them to regain full consciousness. He then recorded the frequency which the chimpanzees spontaneously touched the marked areas of skin. After 30 minutes, the mirror was re-introduced into the room and the frequency of touching the marked areas again determined. The frequency of touching increased to 4-10 with the mirror present compared to only 1 when the mirror had been removed. The chimpanzees sometimes inspected their fingers visually or olfactorily after touching the marks. Other mark-directed behavior includes turning and adjusting of the body to better view the mark in the mirror, or tactile examination of the mark with an appendage while viewing the mirror.[1]

Animals that are considered to be able to recognise themselves in a mirror typically progress through four stages of behavior when facing a mirror:[5]

Gallup conducted a follow-up study in which two chimpanzees with no prior experience of a mirror were anaesthetised, marked and observed. After recovery, they made no mark-directed behaviours either before or after being provided with a mirror.[citation needed]

The inspiration for the mirror test comes from an anecdote about Charles Darwin and a captive orangutan. While visiting the London Zoo in 1838, Darwin observed an orangutan, named Jenny, throwing a tantrum after being teased with an apple by her keeper. This started him thinking about the subjective experience of an orangutan.[6] He also watched Jenny gaze into a mirror and noted the possibility that she recognized herself in the reflection.[7]

A large number of studies using a wide range of species have investigated the occurrence of spontaneous, mark-directed behavior when given a mirror, as originally proposed by Gallup. Most marked animals given a mirror initially respond with social behavior, such as aggressive displays, and continue to do so during repeated testing. However, only a small number of species have touched or directed behavior toward the mark, thereby passing the MSR test.

Findings are not always conclusive. Even in chimpanzees, the species most studied and with the most convincing findings, clear-cut evidence of self-recognition is not obtained in all individuals tested.[8] Prevalence is about 75% in young adults and considerably less in young and aging individuals.[9]

Until the study on magpies, self-recognition was thought to reside in the neocortex area of the brain, however, this is absent in birds. Self-recognition in birds and mammals may be a case of convergent evolution, where similar evolutionary pressures result in similar behaviors or traits, although they arrive at them via different routes and the underlying mechanism may be different.[24]

A range of species have been subjected to the MSR test but have failed to show any pattern of self-recognition behaviour. These include the -

The MSR test has been criticized for several reasons, in particular, because it may result in false negatives.[24]

The MSR test may be of limited value when applied to species that primarily use senses other than vision.[38][verification needed] For example, dogs mainly use olfaction and audition; vision is used only third. It is suggested this is why dogs fail the MSR test. (With this in mind, the biologist Marc Bekoff developed a scent-based paradigm using dog urine to test self-recognition in canines.[18][38] He tested his own dog, but his results were inconclusive.[39])

Another concern with the MSR test is that some species quickly respond aggressively to their mirror reflection as if it were a threatening conspecific thereby preventing the animal to calmly consider what the reflection actually represents. It has been suggested this is the reason why gorillas and monkeys fail the MSR test.[4][40]

In a MSR test, animals may not recognize the mark as abnormal, or, may not be sufficiently motivated to react to it. However, this does not mean they are unable to recognise themselves. For example, in a MSR test conducted on three elephants, only one elephant passed the test but the two elephants that failed still demonstrated behaviours that can be interpreted as self-recognition. The researchers commented that the elephants might not have touched the mark because it was not important enough to them.[41] Similarly, lesser apes infrequently engage in self-grooming, which may explain their failure to touch a mark on their head in the mirror test.[24]

A fundamental aspect of the mark-test is that the mark/dye is non-tactile. This is the reason why animals in the classical uses of the test are anesthetized. If the animal is marked with a tactile mark, it potentially has a perceptual cue to the mark, therefore confounding the study.[42]

Primates, other than the great apes, have so far universally failed the mirror test. However, mirror tests with three species of Gibbon (Hylobates syndactylus, H.gabriellae, H. leucogenys) have shown convincing evidence of self-recognition despite the fact that the animals failed the standard version of the mirror test.[43]

Rhesus macaques have failed the MSR test, but use mirrors to study otherwise-hidden parts of their bodies, such as their genitals and the implants in their heads. It has been suggested this demonstrates at least a partial self-awareness, although this is disputed.[44]

Pigs can use visual information seen in a mirror to find food, and show evidence of self-recognition when presented with their reflection. In an experiment, 7 of the 8 pigs tested were able to find a bowl of food hidden behind a wall and revealed using a mirror. The eighth pig looked behind the mirror for the food.[45] BBC earth also showed the foodbowl test, and the "matching shapes to holes" test, in the Extraordinary Animals series.[46]

Pigeons are capable of passing a highly modified mirror test, but only after extensive training.[47][48] In the experiment, a pigeon was trained to look in a mirror to find a response key behind it, which the pigeon then turned to peckfood was the consequence of a correct choice (i.e., the pigeon learned to use a mirror to find critical elements of its environment). Next, the pigeon was trained to peck at dots placed on its feathers; food was, again, the consequence of touching the dot. The latter training was accomplished in the absence of the mirror. The final test was placing a small bib on the pigeonenough to cover a dot placed on its lower belly. A control period without the mirror present yielded no pecking at the dot. When the mirror was revealed, the pigeon became active, looked in the mirror and then tried to peck on the dot under the bib. However, untrained pigeons have never passed the mirror test.[3]

The rouge test is a specific version of the mirror test used with children.[49] Using rouge makeup, an experimenter surreptitiously places a dot on the nose and/or face of the child. The child is then placed in front of a mirror and their reactions are monitored; depending on the child's development, distinct categories of responses are demonstrated. This test is widely cited as the primary measure for mirror self-recognition in human children.[50][51][52]

From the age of 6 to 12 months, the child typically sees a "sociable playmate" in the mirror's reflection. Self-admiring and embarrassment usually begin at 12 months, and at 14 to 20 months most children demonstrate avoidance behaviors.[49] Finally, at 18 months half of children recognize the reflection in the mirror as their own[50] and by 20 to 24 months self-recognition climbs to 65%. Children do so by evincing mark-directed behavior; they touch their own nose and/or try to wipe the mark off.[49]

It appears that self-recognition in mirrors is independent of familiarity with reflecting surfaces.[51] In some cases the rouge test has been shown to have differing results, depending on sociocultural orientation. For example, a Cameroonian Nso sample of infants 18 to 20 months of age had an extremely low amount of self-recognition outcomes at 3.2%. The study also found two strong predictors of self-recognition: object stimulation (maternal effort of attracting the attention of the infant to an object either person touched) and mutual eye contact.[53] A strong correlation between self-concept and object permanence have also been demonstrated using the rouge test.[54]

The rouge test is a measure of self-concept; the child who touches the rouge on his or her own nose upon looking into a mirror demonstrates the basic ability to understand global awareness[citation needed]. Animals,[38] young children,[19] and people who have their sight restored after being blind from birth,[18] sometimes react to their reflection in the mirror as though it were another individual[citation needed].

Theorists have remarked on the significance of this period in a child's life. For example, psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan used a similar test in marking the mirror stage when growing up.[55] Current views of the self in psychology position the self as playing an integral part in human motivation, cognition, affect, and social identity.[52]

There is some debate as to the interpretation of the results of the mirror test,[38] and researchers in one study have identified some potential problems with the test as a means of gauging self-awareness in young children.[56]

Proposing that a self-recognizing child may not demonstrate mark-directed behavior because they are not motivated to clean up their faces, thus providing incorrect results, the study compared results of the standard rouge test methodology against a modified version of the test.[56]

In the classic test, the experimenter first played with the children, making sure that they looked in the mirror at least three times. Then, the rouge test was performed using a dot of rouge below the child's right eye. For their modified testing, the experimenter introduced a doll with a rouge spot under its eye and asked the child to help clean the doll. The experimenter would ask up to three times before cleaning the doll themselves. The doll was then put away, and the mirror test performed using a rouge dot on the child's face. These modifications were shown to increase the number of self-recognizers.[56]

The results uncovered by this study at least suggest some issues with the classic mirror test; primarily, that it assumes that children will recognize the dot of rouge as abnormal and attempt to examine or remove it. The classic test may have produced false negatives, because the child's recognition of the dot did not lead to them cleaning it. In their modified test, in which the doll was cleaned first, they found a stronger relationship between cleaning the doll's face and the child cleaning its own face. The demonstration with the doll, postulated to demonstrate to the children what to do, may lead to more reliable confirmation of self-recognition.[56]

On a more general level, it remains debatable whether recognition of one's mirror image implies self-awareness.[56]

Link:
Mirror test - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bad days are a fact of life, no matter who you are and what your circumstances might be. Sometimes, bad things happen and you just can't control them—but what you can control is whether or not you react by turning the negativity inwards. As a society we tend to think that self-criticism is what keeps us motivated, and while that can indeed be a source of motivation to do better, it's a strategy that also reduces self-esteem, increases anxiety, and can ultimately lead to a depressed mental state. On the other hand, self-compassion is linked to reduced stress, anxiety, and depression, and higher self-esteem. People who practice self-compassion feel freer—to take risks, to try new things, to explore the world—because they allow themselves to fail and to make mistakes, without judging themselves and without feeling ashamed. Self-compassion isn't a skill that comes naturally, but it's one that can be learned, and can bring amazing benefits.

What is Self-Compassion?

Associate Professor Kristin Neff of the University of Texas at Austin—author of Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind—writes that self-compassion is made up of three different components:

• Kindness—being kind, gentle, and understanding with yourself when you're in physical or emotional pain. Recognizing that failure, pain, and suffering are inevitable facts of life, and that it's healthier to react with loving kindness than with self-hate.

• Humanity—the recognition that everyone struggles. In times of strife, we feel isolated and alone, and but recognizing our common humanity reminds us that everyone makes mistakes and feels pain. This allows us to feel less judgmental of ourselves; everyone makes mistakes, and everyone has personal faults, and mistakes and faults don't make you a terrible person.

• Mindfulness—the process of consciously observing what happens in your life without judgment, and without avoiding or suppressing your emotions and thoughts. It also means putting your pain into perspective. Rather than allowing yourself to get carried away with negativity, you'll feel and acknowledge pain, and move past it.

There are a lot of myths about what self-compassion is—that it's about self-pity, or self-involvement, or that it encourages people to ignore responsibilities. In fact, self-compassion is the opposite of self-pity. When someone is in a self-pitying state, they're so immersed in their struggle that they forget that they're not alone in that struggle; self-compassion, on the other hand, recognizes that struggle and suffering are something that everyone goes through, and it's that struggle that connects us to the rest of the world, even when we feel isolated. It's that connection that helps you put your problems into a more realistic perspective, and while self-compassion allows you to acknowledge your own suffering, it also reminds you that you're not alone in it.

Self-compassion also doesn't encourage people to ignore responsibilities or become self-indulgent—again, it's the exact opposite. It simply means that you support yourself, and far from being complacent, it encourages you to change whatever behavior you're perpetuating that's making you feel unhappy or unhealthy. For example, if you're constantly engaging in negative self-talk, then practicing self-compassion encourages you to find ways of reframing negative thoughts. If you're engaging in physically unhealthy behavior, self-compassion encourages you to find ways to reduce the unhealthy behavior, or take care of yourself physically to reduce its negative effects. The key is that when you're practicing self-compassion, you don't judge yourself for engaging in unhealthy behavior, whether or not you're actively trying to change it.

How to Practice Self-Compassion

Self-compassion is an easy concept to understand, but it's hard to practice, and even harder to master. It's a natural reaction to respond to bad moments with negativity, and for many of us it's just as natural to turn those bad feelings inwards and use them to attack your own self-worth. The solution is self-compassion and kindness, and learning how to take control of the negative thoughts to reframe them into something positive.

Perhaps the most important and useful general rule is to treat yourself like your own best friend. Most of us are much harsher on ourselves than we'd ever be on a friend or family member, and we say things to or about ourselves that we'd never say to someone else. When you catch yourself engaging in negative self-talk, try to reframe what you're saying as though you're saying it to your best friend—someone you love very much, and whom you don't want to hurt—and always try to remember that you deserve that same level of compassion and kindness. There are many ways to practice being kinder to yourself, whether it's with self-care routines for cheering yourself up on bad days, or learning strategies for combating negative thoughts. For example, you can try guided meditation, positive affirmations, or comfort yourself physically with gestures that “take you out of your head” by engaging your physical self. If some of the tried-and-true strategies don't work for, you, don't worry—there's no single "right" thing to do; it's all about what works for you.

Acknowledge your mistakes, and then let them go. It's human nature to bring up old memories of embarrassing moments and errors—things we said or did that we wish we hadn't, errors in judgment, and times when we didn't live up to expectations—and spend far too long internally obsessing over them. While it's virtually impossible to stop yourself from bringing up old memories, you can resolve to think of your past self more kindly when it does happen.

Focus on growth, rather than improvement. Framing personal development as self-improvement can be a subtle way of telling yourself that you're not okay the way you are. Growth is a much more neutral term, because it doesn't imply that there's anything wrong with your current state.

Don't rush yourself or try to force things you're not ready for. Personal growth doesn't need to be rapid, or even consistent—often it's a case of one step forward and two steps back, and sometimes it's just about standing still to appreciate where you are and how far you've come.

References

http://www.psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/06/27/5-strategies-for-self-compassion/

http://www.vitalaffirmations.com/affirmations.htm

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-mindful-self-express/201202/why-caring-yourself-makes-all-the-difference

 

I subscribe to Coast to Coast a paranormal and other oddity stories radio station that streams on the web. Attached is an hour's worth talking about stuff. You'll enjoy.ooops Its a media windows file but it's to large. check it out on your own.

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2011/08/02

World Affairs / Conscious Evolution
Date: 08-02-11
Host: George Noory
Guests:

In the latter half, visionary, social pioneer and author Barbara Marx Hubbard discussed the idea of conscious evolution, and how humankind must evolve or face extinction. She suggested that evolution can occur by choice rather chance, and while many are focused on doom & gloom 2012 scenarios, she presented a hopeful vision of our future. "I think we're seeing the emergence of a universal species...we're going to have extended life, extended intelligence, extended contact throughout the universe, that we'll be freed up from repetitive labor...and the species itself will evolve into a co-created humanity... But if we don't, if we stay self-centered, separate, competitive, overpopulating and polluting, we won't make it," she stated.
We're seeing a breakthrough of more people becoming conscious of god, super-nature, spirit, or tendency of higher order-- a transcending impulse of higher evolution, she continued. Hubbard, now 81, shared some of the fascinating paths in her life, how she turned from a housewife into a "futurist," her relationship with Buckminster Fuller, and details of her run for Vice President in 1984 (Neale Donald Walsch recently penned a biography of Hubbard called The Mother of Invention).

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2011/08/02