Few topics generate more false confidence or genuine bewilderment than the nature of consciousness. At scientific conferences, debates about the origins of consciousness - especially the purposeful, intentional aspects of consciousness - resemble professional wrestling matches more than sober academic affairs. Skeptics hold meetings where they fervently reinforce their belief that intentions (like consciousness) are mere illusions manufactured by the brain. Popular books and movies promoting the power of intention, such as The Secret, are runaway bestsellers.

Take a close look at what is happening to the American way of life. It is going downhill big time. We are facing the biggest crisis in the history of this country. And as with all crises, this one too is self-produced by every single individual.

How did we get here?
There are basically two ways to live your life and make a living. Each way is a different approach that varies considerably in its outcome.

Before you read any further, stop and close your eyes for a moment. Now consider the following question: for the moment your eyes were closed, did the world still exist even though you weren’t conscious of it? How do you know? If this sounds like the kind of unanswerable brain teaser your Philosophy 101 professor used to employ to stretch your philosophical imagination, you might be surprised to discover that there are actually physicists at reputable universities who believe they have answered this question - and their answer, believe it or not, is no.

Have you heard about Jose Silva’s techniques? The Silva Mind Method was a huge workshop program in the 70’s and 80’s… and it’s making a big comeback.

Jose Silva was born in Laredo, Texas. He and his older sister and younger brother were raised by their grandmother. Silva supported the family from a very young age by selling newspapers, shining shoes, and doing odd jobs. He never attended school, but learned to read and write by watching his sister and brother do their homework.

In using the law of attraction to manifest our desire, it is the strength of intent that determines our attracting power. Some of us make the mistake of having weak intention when intending with detachment. When we detach, it means we let go of the outcome so that we do not freeze the process of manifestation but allow it to happen freely. But we are still strongly intent on a particular outcome to happen. This combination of concentrated and relaxed attitude allows our desire to manifest powerfully and freely.

The limitations of rational thought become clear if we consider the simple premise: “God does not have to think.” Thinking is not possible without information, and perfect information makes thinking unnecessary. When you have information, you simply know, there is nothing to think about. There are no decisions to make, situations define themselves and what needs to be done is obvious. Thinking is a compensation for inadequate knowledge. It is a substitute, and a poor one at that.

When my mother was a young woman, she suffered a severe case of rheumatic fever that caused her to gradually lose her hearing in both ears. By the time I was born, the loss was pronounced, so I grew up with a mom who was nearly deaf. She took it all in stride and used to tell us, “It’s not a problem for me because Divine Spirit gives us two ways to listen-with our ears and, more important, with our heart.” In my family, the second approach was emphasized. “It’s interesting,” my mother would say, “that when you use your heart, your ears work better, too.”

This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005. You can watch the full length video here.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

Talk by Steve Jobs - Follow Your Heart & Intuition

This is the video of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.

There is a deep-seated misconception that being intuitive is a gift. It’s not. There is no such thing as a gift for intuition. I have finally realized that courage is the true gift, and intuition is sharpened as a result. Either you develop the ability to respond physically to what you are hearing, feeling, and sensing on the inside-or you don’t. Responding to others takes guts. What determines whether or not you have those guts is self-esteem. It is a strong sense of self. It is a willingness and ability to take charge of yourself.

For the past eighteen years I’ve taught medical ethics at Case Western University Medical School, and since 2001 I’ve run a research institute dedicated to exploring the extraordinary power of giving. We’ve funded over fifty studies at forty-four major universities.

I have one simple message to offer and it’s this: giving is the most potent force on the planet. Giving is the one kind of love you can count on, because you can always choose it: it’s always within your power to give. Giving will protect you your whole life long.

Imagine, for a moment, that you are the universe. But for the purposes of this thought experiment, let us imagine that you are not the disenchanted mechanistic universe of conventional modern cosmology, but rather a deep-souled, subtly mysterious cosmos of great spiritual beauty and creative intelligence. And imagine that you are being approached by two different epistemologies-two suitors, as it were, who seek to know you. To whom would you open your deepest secrets? To which approach would you be most likely to reveal your authentic nature?