| Peril, catastrophe and disaster.These are our friends, | | | | occasions eyeball-to-eyeball with the driver of an |
| allies and mentors.Appearing as enemies on the | | | | oncoming auto. With both cars going sixty miles per |
| surface, these seeming threats are our most helpful | | | | hour, my next stop in five feet and two seconds |
| teachers on our Earth adventure. These apparent | | | | was the Pearly Gates. Each time, I instinctively let |
| foes repeatedly demonstrate how we humans have | | | | go-of the steering wheel, my projected scenario and |
| awesome power over our fate and circumstances in | | | | my programmed ideas of physics. Voila! I ended up |
| life.When faced with an expected outcome we don't | | | | rattled but untouched on the side of the road.When |
| like, we have an option. We can open to an | | | | Up Against the Wall, Choose MagicIn my young |
| alternative scenario, another framework, a different | | | | twenties, as a professional journalist covering floods, |
| set of rules. I jokingly call this handy ploy "switching | | | | hurricanes, earthquakes, accidents and assorted |
| channels."I discovered that we all have the ability to | | | | disasters, I observed this miraculous dynamic of |
| change the channel or perspective from which we | | | | super-natural powers on countless occasions. When |
| are viewing-and creating!-our Earthvision series. When | | | | confronted with a choice between the dire prognosis |
| the plot line goes from situation comedy to | | | | of their current belief system and an unknown |
| melodramatic soap opera, we can do something | | | | outcome if they let go of those beliefs, people will |
| about it!We can simply let go of our old way of | | | | often choose to let go. They release their |
| viewing the world and allow a fresh point of view to | | | | preconceptions of how the physical universe works. |
| emerge. When we decide to turn the dial, we find | | | | They let go of their need to have events fit their |
| ourselves shifted into a new reality-a different station | | | | expectations of cause and effect. The reward for |
| with a new story line that has a much better | | | | such surrender of one's rigid beliefs and expectations |
| ending!Grace to the RescueI first noticed this saving | | | | is a much preferable outcome-in fact, a miracle-or, at |
| gift of grace when I was a kid. I've always enjoyed | | | | least, what we call a miracle: an occurrence outside |
| the thrill and challenge of dangerous situations.On the | | | | our box, our paradigm, beyond what we think or |
| ice rink, I discovered that if I completely collapsed | | | | believe is possible.Your Beliefs, or Your Life!I've |
| into a fall, I came out unscathed. Caught in a | | | | witnessed people lifting two-ton trucks, ripping open |
| precarious position when tackled on the football field, | | | | steel elevator doors, and performing medical |
| I went with the force of the hit to tumble out of | | | | procedures they had no way of knowing how to |
| harm's way. When in a sharp skid while driving, I | | | | conduct. How? By choosing to go with an unknown |
| embraced the skid by turning directly into it to | | | | future instead of a known past. When a person's |
| straighten the car. When my feet slipped on a rocky | | | | own life, or the well-being of another, is at stake, |
| trail, I went with the twist or slide and landed-like a | | | | people often decide to drop the limitations taught by |
| cat-upright and stable. Like the proverbial drunk falling | | | | our culture.When it's dramatically obvious that a |
| safely down the staircase, I used to sled down a | | | | known past will lead to a known-but fatal-future, |
| steep set of wooden stairs on a makeshift | | | | people will often choose to give up their familiar, |
| cardboard toboggan, deliberately crashing at the | | | | current beliefs and allow something fresh and new to |
| bottom and never getting hurt.I practiced the knack | | | | occur.There Is No Quota on MiraclesAs a young |
| of letting go in everyday situations, so that I was | | | | journalist, a light bulb lit up inside my head: If we can |
| able to successfully apply the skill in much more | | | | tap these super-normal abilities in a crisis, why can't |
| urgent and crucial predicaments.The Alchemy of | | | | we access these extraordinary powers at will, |
| AbandonmentAs a teenager, the art of | | | | whenever we want? Thus began my lifelong quest |
| "abandonment to the moment" saved my neck in | | | | for the Holy Grail-the sacred vessel that holds the |
| several near-miss car encounters. Attempting to pass | | | | nectar of the gods, the knowledge of how to |
| a vehicle on the winding mountain roads of my home | | | | recapture our true nature of grace.(c) 2004, Keith |
| state of Pennsylvania, I found myself on several | | | | Varnum. All rights in all media reserved. |