Nonetheless, I did want to see Neale once again, so signed up to go to his 1-day seminar on Friday. My wife and I would drive to the Westin hotel on Thursday, stay over, and then go our separate ways on Friday (she hadn't seen her sister in a year, so arranged for the two of them to get together that day). We would leave Chicago late Friday afternoon and get back home around midnight before attending my mother's wedding at 4pm on Saturday afternoon.
We had a nice drive down. It was a sunny day as most of the time was spent going five miles per hour over the speed limit. My wife and I typically switch off on which discs to listen to. We started off with Vanessa Williams and Celine Dion's greatest hits before moving onto one of my faves, Tori Amos' The Beekeeper. I got a chuckle as the title track played; it opens with a very unusual sound, kinda like a cricket shuffling or something like that. My wife was looking around as it started and said, "What's that noise?" afraid that her 2008 Accord was having an issue that wouldn't be covered by the warranty.
We hit a couple stretches where road work was being done, but were none the worse for the wear. I told my beloved that she could rest, that she need not stay awake and alert throughout our journey, but she didn't seem to mind. Now that I think about it, I don't believe that she's slept in the car for a number of years. In the early days of our marriage, she had no problem drifting off on long drives.
She had a good reason to stay up once we hit Illinois. It was her task to give me the money needed as we hit the tolls. To one of the tollers, I said, "How's it goin', tough guy?" She grew excited as we passed the watertower for the city in which her sister lives, Hoffman Estates. I had no problem finding the hotel; this was due in part to the fact that we'd driven there 12 months before, but even more so because of the directions I'd printed out from RandMcNally.
We were greeted by a very friendly hotel clerk who told us, "Welcome". That's just what I wanted to hear after spending the past five hours on the road (we stopped just once at a rest area so that I could kneel, point my head to the east and praise Allah). As opposed to last year when we were pretty much on the top floor (the 17th), this time out, we were on the second. The one whom I share my completeness with wanted to unwind by watching telly; I was in the mood for a bath.
I looked forward to getting together with a woman who'd I met on the internets last year. She planned to call around 6. While laying in the tub, I took some deep breaths, thankful we had made it down. I noticed that the shower had two heads; WTF? I looked forward to trying it out. I stepped out of the bath and laid down for a spell. My earplugs were firmly in place as my wife watched some (relatively) superficial nonsense.
After about 45, I got up to take a shower to rouse myself a bit. Just as I was about to get in, I heard Lady Gaga's latest smash "Love Game" coming from my mobile device. It was a lady who goes by many names, but I addressed her by her given one. She said that her companion was feeling a bit under the weather, so we'd most likely have to forgo going out to eat that evening. She said she'd call back later that evening and we could possibly stop by her room.
I dressed and looked forward to going to one of my favorite haunts, Steak n Shake. Since we don't have them in Minnesota, the last time I'd eaten there was one year ago when we'd attended the 2008 Celebrate Your Life. It was a paltry four miles away in Downers Grove. We were both quite hungry at this point. My wife ordered some type of chicken confectionary while I opted for the old standby of a steakburger, (toothpick) fries, and a Hi-C Fruit Punch. There weren't too many people in the restaurant as we ate. We split a chocolate malt as a dessert.
Next, it was off to Target to get some Carmex; I'd gotten a jar the prior week, but it was bad, outdated or something, it didn't give me the high I was used to, the high I would need upon seeing Neale again. I found the sacred yellow container and also bought a box of Oreo Cakesters (something to soothe me if I awoke in the middle of the night). On our way out of the store, I noticed a 20-something male putting his girlfriend in a headlock. I looked at the man and said, "I'm callin' the cops".
We then put the car to bed in the hotel's ramp. Once back in our rooms, we watched a bit of Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Like the prior year, the TV in the room was widescreen and HD-capable. I called Sto, I mean, the internet woman. She said that her beloved was feeling better and was fine with us coming up (she was on the 3rd floor).
I was a tad nervous as I knocked on the door. Would she be all that I expected? More perhaps? Dare I hope? She came to the door and welcomed us in. We talked for the next 47 and a half minutes about a number of things. She told us about her very interesting plane flight and limo ride. The story of our trip from Minnesota was much less interesting though she perked up a bit when I mentioned our stop at the rest area.
We talked a bit about a new policy on Neale's forum, the people she was most looking forward to seeing that weekend, and the pleasures of watching "Family Guy" on a wall-mounted TV. Her companion laid on the floor for most of our visit, without a stitch of clothing on, I might add. I chalked it up to stress and fatigue.
As we left, I said, "So are you looking forward to seeing the BigGuy?" She said she was and with that, we took the elevator back to the second floor. I would've taken the stairs, but wasn't sure where they were. All the elevators in the hotel are mirrored. As I don't typically like to look at myself, when entering the elevator, I stared off to the side. I'm sure many of the other attendees that weekend pleasantly looked back at themselves and were like, "You're hawt!"
Back in our room, we quickly got ready for bed; twould be a big day tomorrow. I wanted to sleep on the side closest to the window, but there was no plug-in for my portable fan there. Improvising somewhat, I set my pillows on the other side of the bed (yes, not only did I bring my fan, but two sleep cushions as well).
It took me a while to drift off, partially because I'm not used to sleeping on that side, but also because the king-size bed wasn't as comfortable as the one we had at home. Don't get me wrong, it was a good platform on which to sleep, but the one we have at home is really sweet. I startled myself in the middle of the night after going to the bathroom. On my walk to the bed, there is a full-size mirror and I saw something in it that I was not accustomed to viewing at 3 in the morning.
All in all, though, I was plenty refreshed when I awoke the next morning. I tried out the double shower heads. I arranged them just so to rain down on each of my shoulder blades. Needless to say, it was a very pleasant feeling. I thought about not shaving, but always feel better about life if my face is baby soft. My wife would have another hour to rest, so I let her be as I took our luggage to the car. I was anxious to be in the lobby by about ten to eight. Eight is when we could officially register and I was gung ho on getting as good a seat as possible for Neale's talk.
There was a long line as I entered the lobby, but it turned out many were there to sign up for the weekend; I was already signed up and just needed to pick up my materials. I gave the lady my name and she gave me a blue book bag that had everything I needed inside it. I felt a bit effeminate carrying it around, but if anyone asked, I would just say that it was a satchel. I headed over to the room where Neale would be speaking, but the staff told me they wouldn't be opening the doors until at least 8:30. I decided to walk outside for a spell during the interim.
It was a beautiful morning with barely a cloud in the sky. I felt it was a good time to take a picture of the hotel and fountain nearby. I took my digital camera out and dropped my purse to the ground. I first set my sights on the hotel, centering it carefully. Once I clicked on the button, it appeared that the camera was videotaping the resort, not taking its picture. What the hell? I panned to the fountain and then pressed stop. I pushed play and the device had indeed videotaped my handiwork. Wowsa. We'd had the camera for several years, but never knew it had this capability. Guess we shoulda looked at the instruction manual. Oops. Here is said video:
After getting my fill of the sun, I beat it back to where Neale would be stylin' in a short while. There were two people waiting by the door. What would I need to do, I thought, to move ahead of them? Hmm... One of the ladies in front of me (a relatively young one) said she thought she was going to be late to the seminar, but was saved by the time zone change.
The other, a bit older, said she lived in the area. Neither had heard Neale speak before. I said that they were in for a treat; that he was very humorous with great stories and timeless truths to share.
We watched as a line started to form where Brian Weiss was gonna be speaking. A line of about a dozen was now behind us, but we were all but assured excellent seats. A few weeks earlier, I tossed about the idea of seeing Weiss instead of Neale (I loved the idea of doing a past-life regression meditation), but just couldn't resist seeing NDW in the summer for the second year in a row. I greatly looked forward to learning more about his newest work, When Everything Changes, Change Everything.
We were finally let in at around 8:40am and rushed to our seats, well, I was probably the only one racing to get a seat. The first lady said she felt she should sit in the front row on the left side while I chose the right. The second lady in front of me sat to my left next to a reserved seat. Turns out it was set aside for "M", Neale's wife. I told her this and she asked if I wanted to switch. "Screw you", I said. "I don't want to get cooties".
I noticed that flowers had been placed near the chair where he would be speaking from. Remembering that they had to remove them the year before because he was allergic, I told the lady next to me that those flowers would be history in a few minutes. Looking back, I shoulda said that the flowers are telling me that "they're not long for this world", but what are you gonna do? Fact is, I pulled off an even greater trick a short time later.
I left the room to go to the john one last time before 9am. I was somewhat surprised that the room hadn't really filled up yet, but I can't say I really cared. I was there and that was all that counted. For those of you wondering, the 9-4pm seminar cost me $165, easily worth it. When I got back, I saw my internet friend and her companion; her beloved was still sans pants, but by this point, I was non-plussed (if you haven't figured it out by now, her companion was a dog). As I walked by, I said, "Hi Crys" to her. A few seconds later, I heard her explaining to a guy next to her why I had referred to her in this way. I had a good chuckle over that one.
As I sat down, I noticed that a middle-aged woman was now sitting to my right. The lady to my left asked what my name was. I said, "Tom". She said, "Oh, I was just thinking "Tom" before you said that. Must be the energy in the room". Interesting, I thought, though it woulda been better if you'd told me this before I uttered my name. I was surprised to find a name going through my head as well, so said to her, "And you're Beverly, right?". Before she could say, "No", the lady to my right said, "I'm Beverly". She had to be joking, I thought, but she reassured me that that was actually her name. I was stunned. Perhaps there was something going on in the room.
I'd never really displayed abilities such as this before. The name just happened to be in my head. Beverly said that everyone's psychic. Some just don't realize it or toss it off as coincidence. It was good to get confirmation that psychic energy is available to me as well. I've previously believed in the sixth sense not because of direct experience, but from the many accounts I've read of it occurring.
A few days later, at a restaurant, one of my friends' daughters came up to my wife and I and said, "Guess what I did?" Without hesitating, I said, "Broke a nail?". She then lifted up her knee and whined, "Yeah". Was it a lucky guess or is there more going on?
On a number of occasions, when I bring up a subject to my wife, she'll say, "I was just thinking about that". Recent events have encouraged me to look into how I might increase my psychic ability. James Van Praagh actually had a class going on at the same time as Neale's in regards to this, but I wasn't moving. I would look more deeply into getting in touch with my sixth sense once I returned to Minnesota.
Shortly before 9, Neale and his wife came out. He spoke to a couple of the staff members before stepping onto the platform from which he would be speaking. I noticed that a giant whiteboard had been placed against the wall just to the right of where he would be sitting. I wondered if he would be utilizing it (he hadn't done anything like this during the two prior times I'd heard him speak). The conference room was about half full as we got underway. One of the first things he noticed was my internet friend's dog resting on her side in the third row. He smiled and said, "Look at the cutie pie dog. He doesn't care who's speaking. He just wants to rest".
Neale's wife opened the day by reciting a short piece of her poetry. She makes a habit of reciting it twice since an added meaning frequently comes to mind when one listens consecutive times.
Neale said the first half of the day would be spent going over specifics from his new tome. I welcomed this news as I'd only read excerpts from it and was curious if it would offer me anything new. I was pleased that he would, indeed, be using the whiteboard to go over a new discovery of his: something called the Mechanics of the Mind and the System of the Soul.
He was interrupted shortly after 9 by a woman who opened the door in the back, saw he was speaking, and then waved him off before heading to Brian Weiss's lecture. Neale said this was a perfect example (perhaps too perfect; he alluded that it may have been staged) of how we can use the power of our minds to control potentially negative reactions. He said that he could feel unworthy and unloved by the woman's actions, but that this conclusion would most likely be reached based on faulty data. He spoke next of the three different levels of truth: the imagined truth, the apparent truth, and the actual truth. From the new book:
"So, here you are in the present moment, facing the changes that you're dealing with right now, and there is no doubt that you are having some emotion around that. Strong emotion, perhaps. Emotion you may be having a hard time dealing with.
It is this emotion that is producing your Here-and-Now experience. It is this experience that you call your reality.
Why are you having all this emotion? Why are you so angry, or so frightened, or so sad? Mostly because you, like most people, do not come from your Apparent Truth when forming your thoughts about a present-day event. If you did, things would be a lot easier. But most people come from their Imagined Truth about what's happening in their present moment. This is what most people buy into.
A lion appears out of nowhere and roars. You experience being petrified-because you imagine that you are in danger of being mauled. A mountain road takes a turn and you find yourself driving on the outside ledge, with a 3,000-foot drop off just outside the window. You experience being terrified-because you imagine that with one wrong move you could die. An audience is awaiting your entrance for a major speech. You experience being paralyzed-because you imagine that you stand a good chance of going out there and disappointing everybody while making a fool of yourself.
A spouse abruptly leaves. Or you get laid off from your job. Or you lose your home. You experience being stunned, angry, mortified. And, sooner or later...afraid.
All of this is based on your Imagined Truth, which is that this is ‘bad,' that you're going to be ‘unhappy,' that lots of ‘struggle' lies ahead, or whatever.
It's okay to feel this fear, of course. In the face of the change that you've moving through, it's to be expected. It's nothing to be ashamed of. It's very normal. It's how we've been raised. We've been told that fear exists, that fear is real.
The Actual Truth is that there is no such thing as fear. In fact, there is no such thing as any emotion, other than one. All the other expressions are re-packagings. There is only one emotion, one energy, in the universe: the energy, the emotion, that we call Love. When you know this, everything changes.
Now I know all this may sound a bit "airey-fairy" or "new agey" to you, but when you know why there is nothing but Love, everything will become clear and your life will feel...can I use this word?...healed. Remember, experience is produced by emotion, so understanding that everything is a demonstration of the emotion called Love can alter your entire experience of life.
But how can change be a demonstration of Love? Didn't we just say, haven't we been saying for quite a while now, that fear is the emotion most people feel surrounding change-even change for the better? Am I seriously suggesting now that fear does not exist?
Yes, I am. That's exactly what I'm saying. Because (and here comes a wonderful revelation)...fear is a demonstration of Love.
If you did not love yourself, you would not fear for yourself, you would not be afraid of anything, because you would not care what happened to you. You would not even care if you survived. The "survival instinct" is nature's way of expressing love.
If you did not love another, you would not fear for another, or be afraid of what might happen to that other, because you would not care what happened.
Simple, isn't it? And so we see with impeccable logic that Fear and Love are the same thing, expressed differently. Likewise, every other emotion is love in another form. There is only one emotion. That emotion is Love, expressed in a thousand different ways. It is the Actual Truth. When we talk more about that Actual Truth a bit later, this whole concept will come together more fully. Then you will see a quantum leap in your ability to deal with all change peacefully."
As Neale continued, I noticed that he didn't appear to be working from any notes whatsoever. He had committed all these new phrases and terms to memory. Every few minutes, we heard uproarious laughter coming from the next room (Brian Weiss' seminar). Neale joked that those of us there to see him may have made the wrong choice.
A cell phone went off at one point and Neale quickly turned his head to where the sound was coming from. He said that it had to be God as only She is capable of making a phone ring that's been turned off. The song that played as the phone rang was U2's "Beautiful Day". I could hear my internet friend two rows back saying, "Good song".
Neale added more and more words to the whiteboard, but I, and I believe most of the people in attendance, were following what he was saying quite clearly. One major sequence was when he spoke of how an Event occuring eventually leads to what we experience as our Reality. The following excerpt will give you a better idea of how this all comes together:
"Earlier I said that the events of your life are created by conditions and occurrences outside of you, but that reality is created by conditions and occurrences inside of you-in your mind. It is there, I said, that events are turned into data, which are turned into truths, which are turned into thoughts, which are turned into emotions, which are turned into experiences, which form your reality.
Now let me put those elements in a straight line, with plus and equal signs placed strategically between them, so that you can have a way to visualize this. This allows us to focus in on the process of reality-creation a little more sharply.
As I observe it, that process works like this...
event+data+truth+thought+emotion=experience=reality
I call this the Line of Causality. This is the path the mind travels on its way to producing your reality.
You'll notice that on this line, Emotion comes before Experience, and produces it. Thought, likewise, comes before Emotion, and gives birth to it. Truth comes before Thought, and gives birth to that. And we'll get to the "Data" part later."
Below is a pic I took of the completed whiteboard:
You'll notice at the bottom of the board that we can experience reality in one of three ways. From the Change book:
"You may not be able to change the fact that things are changing, but you can change your thought about the things that are changing.
Thought is an idea that you are making up. The change that is occurring in your life is not something you are making up, but your thought about it is. That thought often bears no relationship to ultimate reality, it often bears no relationship to observed reality, yet it often does bear a relationship to distorted reality. In fact, it often creates it.
I have come to call this the Triune Reality-three versions of reality existing at one time. There is Ultimate Reality (what is "so" about what is going on, what is "so" about why it is going on, and what is "so" about you), there is Observed Reality (what is readily apparent right in front of you), and there is Distorted Reality (what you imagine is going on).
Which one of these realities you experience in any given moment is up to you. It depends on what your mind entertains prior to forming a thought."
