I have pondered for a long time over this E-Report. I have been prompted to write about some of life's issues such as blame, guilt, hatred, anger and revenge, as a result of email requests. Pondering about this I realised that I must also write about awareness of these issues and about acceptance, co-operation, unconditional love and forgiveness - which is a move towards overcoming these challenges. My mind then went to "love" ! I'll also need to write about "loving yourself" - that is, taking responsibility for yourself and the effect that has on these challenges. And now I am overwhelmed. The topic is the size of a book and in fact my books "Switch On to Your Inner Strength" and "Creating Happiness Intentionally" both offer tools and techniques to deal with these issues. So, what is appropriate for this E-Report? I've chosen "awareness".

Do you know anybody who is negative?  OK - you do!  Do you know anybody who is negative and yet they, themselves don't know they are negative?  Yes, these people exist.  What can they do about their negativity?  "Nothing" is the answer because they are not aware that they are negative!  Awareness is the key and I twist that famous Philosopher's words (Aristotle who died in BC322)  "When you ask the right question you've got half the answer" to be  "When you are aware of the issue then you are half way through the issue."  Awareness is 50% of the way through the issue.

The next 25% of getting through the issue is saying "Yes - I want to conquer this."  My guess is that you've heard people saying things such as "I'm too old to change"  or  "I don't mind being ...... (in this case negative)" and therefore saying "No".  When you say "Yes", then I say you are 75% of the way through the issue.  The last 25% is doing it.  In other words using tools (which my books, tapes and seminars teach), utilising the subconscious mind to attain new habits - a fast thirty second tool using goals, visualisation and emotion and/or a deeper mind method that takes 20 minutes at a time, incorporating Meditation and Guided Imagery.

In a movie called "Leap of Faith" (not Steve Martin's "Leap of Faith"), there is a true story about the recovery from terminal cancer of Debbie Frank-Ogg.  She turned to Dr Bernie Siegel who categorised her illness as just one more of the unhappy, unwanted experiences of life.  Dr. Siegel's challenge was for Debbie to look for the opportunity in the crisis.  Could it be that she could treat her cancer like a re-set button for her life?  Could it be that Debbie could use the cancer as an opportunity to change her life?

In discussing this story, my seminar participants have recognised the blocks that Debbie had faced in her life which the film indicated had contributed to her cancer. As Debbie became aware of these issues she did something about them and with the help of all sorts of modes of healing, plus meditation and guided imagery, Debbie survived her sentence - the cancer was in remission. Here's a list of the awarenesses for Debbie:

• Hope is a "Live" message and hopelessness a "Die" message to the body.
• Her negative thinking about her Mum dying of cancer and that it was hereditary.
• Apportioning blame is useless and unhelpful.
• Loving herself is a "Win" message.
• Positive self talk was important to value herself.
• Taking responsibility for herself to do the most that she can in contributing towards her own healing was of paramount importance.
• Choosing her doctor - one that will support her.
• Surrounding herself with supportive people, which meant cutting herself off from her sister who had the attitude of "Just accept your fate" - which of course was death.
• The importance of nutrition and exercise.
• To have faith - in herself, her doctor, her treatment and her spiritual faith - whatever that is.
• That the mind can increase the immune system with meditation and guided imagery.
• The negative effect of anger.
• The negative effect of guilt.
• The power of forgiveness.

No matter what challenging events we experience in life, or what traumatic events we have buried deep down in our subconscious, we can help ourselves by becoming aware and using processes which incorporate acceptance, co-operation, unconditional love and forgiveness. Hatred, anger, blame, revenge and other similar thoughts will only work negatively for any of us. It will drive us into victim mode (something we completely do to ourselves) making us a thoroughly resentful person. All this leads to illness.

So, it is of paramount importance that we all listen to our self talk, become aware of any negativity, take responsibility for ourselves (love ourselves) and work with acceptance, co-operation, unconditional love and forgiveness, which will bring about an inner peace within ourselves. As John Roger says, "Inner Peace, leads to Community Peace and thence to World Peace."

Yours in awareness

That's all for now - enjoy the Stories below.

All the best

Sandy MacGregor

P.S. Remember, life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.  Here's a story that was sent to me which will take your breath away - it is titled "Giving When it Counts".

     Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.
     I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the colour returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice "Will I start to die right away?"
     Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her. 

Success Stories

A friend of mine was diagnosed as having cancer and started to have chemotherapy which created extreme nausea and sickness for 10 days after the treatment. There was nothing for it but to stay in bed for the entire 10 days. Then this friend started to use the Guided Imagery CD PP 4 - Healing Yourself, and reduced that sick time in bed after the chemotherapy from 10 to 3 days. The way this particular person visualised the cancer was as a bunch of grapes which were dirty, withered, old, dry grapes. Then the visualisation moved to picking off the old, dry grapes, and as the grapes were picked off each day, one day something was noticed. My friend rang me quite excitedly and said "Hey I saw new shoots today!", and in the visualisation new shoots growing had very clearly been seen. A short while later there was much concern because suddenly there was nothing to be seen at all. This person then went to the doctor soon afterwards and was told "It's gone - it's officially in remission." told to Sandy by TD, NSW.

Before my Mum died she told me 2 things about her PP (incidentally, she had to learn PP from your book as she was never well enough to attend a seminar, so the book must be very good. I don't think she even used a CD!). When she was still at home, in the last few weeks, she used to wake up overwhelmed with terror. She said the only thing that helped was to go straight to her PP and the fear would vanish. In the last days before she died, she suffered a massive brain haemorrhage. After that she couldn't read her Bible any more (and it had been a great comfort to her for weeks) or even remember the words to The Lord's Prayer (due to the damage caused by the haemorrhage). But without effort she could instantly find her PP and this is where she spent her last days. She told me this the day she died. I know Mum was helped enormously, not just at the end, but through the whole last year of her cancer, by PP. The chemo staff and her doctors could not explain her survival for so long, nor could they explain how she recovered from the brain haemorrhage enough to regain consciousness, let alone to recognise us and talk to us. Who can say what role PP played in this. Thank you from her and me for sharing PP with other people. Imagine how strong PP must be if it survives such massive brain damage. It is obviously not stored in the same place as memories, or reading. I wonder where it is? (PS. People will start to think you pay me for these success stories! - This is my second!). WC, NSW.

Some years ago I was diagnosed as having lung cancer, the position and type of tumour precluded both surgery and chemotherapy, leaving only radiotherapy as an option. I received radical therapy and was given from 3 months to 3 years to live. While I was receiving treatment I heard Sandy on the radio and bought "Piece of Mind" and 4 CDs - PP1 and 2, Meditation and Healing. I practised and practised and during the Healing Meditation, when it is mentioned that there might be a gift, I located one. It was a cylinder and yes, it was full of endless love, with which I could attack my illness. I do the exercises as often as I can. About 3 weeks ago I was fast asleep and during the night I was woken by the sound of a loud explosion in my chest. It was accompanied by a sense of pain, although it didn't really hurt. My first thought was that I was about to die, but quickly realised that in fact not only was I alive but I had the sense of achieving something quite different. I had the thought that I was cured or on the way to remission. I returned to the hospital for the follow-up when an x-ray was taken. The Radiotherapist was very pleased to see that the tumour had shrunk and that the radiotherapy would continue to act for another couple of months. I told her what I had been doing and she encouraged me to continue. RL, NSW.