Universal Life Church

The economic situation has hit all of us hard, some very hard; better times are ahead. This time of year can be stressful for all concerned. An  avalanche of gifts, is it really what you must do?

Starting this year can we put the Traditional back into the Holiday Season, not the maxing out of the plastic type of tradition, but putting the Holy back into the season.  

Placing the Sacredness of the holiday season, back into the season. Parties are sometimes great, but would the Higher Power approve of what you do, think, and say, and yes even your manor of dress-this season? S/He, are watching, they are seeing, not from a distance, but up front, in a closeness that is very real.  

If you do not have a Higher Power, ok, but this is a special time of year, some people try to be more human, especially this time of year=will you be one of them? As you do or don't do whatever it is that happens this time of year take the Commercialism out of the last two months of the year.  

Naughty or Nice isn't just for Tots, and No I don't mean Tater Tots; you are on someone's list, how will this year's score sheet tally for you, Naughty or Nice.  

Now reflect on your cumulative score sheet, Naughty or Nice, if that last thought does not compel you to the Nice side, your Holiday Goose may be cooked. The bountiful Table has been set, no leftovers, you may have do some chores after, but the Desert is a Miracle. 

Rev. Lee  

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To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for free, for life, right now, click on the Free Online Ordination link. 

Rev. Long created the ULC seminary site to help ministers learn and grow their ministries. The Seminary offers a huge catalog of materials for ministers of the Universal Life Church. 

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Universal Life Church

Rumors Hello All! Kevin and I have received numerous emails recently about people who have had the misfortune of being involved with Michael Cauley, who runs a tiny little website, the 'ulcnetwork'.  His members seem to have come from the ministers who were signed up with the monastery's social networking site, while he worked there. Cauley has sent numerous emails to those members and has posted all over the web that those who don't give him money to be ordained through his little site will be permanently removed from ULC, since he plans on taking it over.  His latest thing is to say that we are a Satanist church.  I'm sure that for all but perhaps a few of you out there, you will find that insulting.  Or at least amusing. His taking over the ULC is completely untrue.  He has zero affect on anyone's ordinations with anyone but whoever has decided to send him the $39.95 that he requires. In other words -- relax.  Nobody is taking over the ULC.  He is one minister, with one tiny little website, and way too much time on his hands. If you have any questions about it, contact me, Kevin, or Andre.  We'd be happy to answer any of your questions. --Amy ******************************* The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive and affordable online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, a beginning course on  Wicca, as well as a beginning course on  Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is a free and lifetime ordination, so use the Free Online Ordination, button. We also make available many free wedding ceremonies for your use, as well as funeral ceremonies and other types of ceremonies.   The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program where you can earn the coveted title of Chaplain. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church materials to help you with your professionalism and confidence.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and an amazed by the frequent upgrades and new functions of the seminary.   Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Universal Life Church

Points to Ponder Universal Life Church Children of the Creator, Children of our Earth Mother: If you wish it so, take a moment to be thankful for all you have been given, all that you have, that which good in the eyes of the Creator. The Lord's day is upon us, ponder that which happened last week, that which you will engage in this week anew. Hours ago some called it Back Friday, that day when the Holiday season begins, at least for the Commercial Retailers. Allow me to share my "Good Morning Sunday", for you, it will not take all that long-promise.   Father grant us, your children Peace because your hour draws near, grant us Peace all of our days here on this Blue marble-we call Earth. Grant us peace as we toil this new week, for we know it is no one who toils longer nor harder than you-Dear Father. We ask that the Spirit of Peace descend upon us, for we ask this for all of your children, Father send your Spirit of Peace, to dwell among the children of Father Adam, and Mother Eve. Dearest Heavenly Father, we recognize it is from you and your will, that Justice and righteousness, can and soon will be among your Children. Humbled, with great prayer and fasting we recognize Peace will only be upon the Children of Man, your children, when we follow your will, your laws. We ask Dearest Father that the Great Spirit of Peace walk complete with our neighbors, our enemies, our families. We are instructed, tested, healed and cured, by your will, we ask that the Spirit of Peace prepare the way-Amen. Some of the kinds of things I am asked to do include: Blessing a Mom in the making, and the new mother, blessing the Litte People-children's' actions/activities/school/play areas/living & sleeping area/the blessing of animals of all kinds/ candles and wreaths-since it is that season/ candles year round/food & beverage and sacred icons at holidays and non holidays/blessing a trip it can be work or recreation or day trips/counseling for the spirit and soul/ anointing of the sick, ill and terminally ill. Sometimes a child or any child of the Creator will ask: Why is this and has this been deemed so important to us? My reply: The loving care for the Soul, the uniting of the family of humanity; because we are given freedoms of belief-for some the belief is ok but not the sacraments; so that we experience the closeness of God; to commune with the Spirits of God to aid in of being alive-to enhance our Faith. So what sort of training or experience is needed beyond faith and belief? Do you ask for specific skill sets, or is it my personal belief system you ask, if it is the latter-we speake of the first-first. What sort of Community Service is it you do or have done in the past- why, they are your brothers' and sisters'. Explore communication techniques and systems for the Care and Feeding of the Soul. Explore systems and techniques that address conflict resolution-so each side is an equal party-do you mean a talking stick. Sometimes this can work, if there is an answer feather as well. Co-equals, all of the time. It fosters understanding and harmony. It helps to understand other peoples religions, we are all children of the Creator-if we can and do accept them as they are, and they as we are-there will be peace, and understanding will follow. Are these essential truths-Yes. Is it true what people say about you, that you talk to the animals', and they to you? I also speake with the clouds, trees, waters, the air, the trees, the rocks. How about a mailbox, it is made of compounds found in or on Earth, if it is organic, it has a voice; it must for it is part of creation. Love thy neighbor is not just Two Legged, it must be all of our neighbors. What about meetings, and conferences or conventions? If it is  of man you seek answers to the ways of man-then seek man. If it is the ways of the Creator, then one must go to Creator, if it is of  the animals-you must go to the animals/tree/or whatever you seek to find answers from. Sounds a bit like not in reality or not normal.  Ok may I ask a question of you-sure. Is the world in which you live in-REAL? Or is of this world? Are you saying this world is not real? I am saying this world is-Of this World. You look a bit confused. Yeah I am, what is it that you spend the most amount of time each day or week or month or year doing? Why? That which you do the most is that which you worship. So church isn't just one day a week thing? No, it is all day-every day, if not then you are worshiping this world-not Creator. So I should quit school and become a Priest? NO, school is not a 24/7 kind of thing. School helps you to understand and fit in with people/society/your brothers' and sisters'. Why can't I be just who I am? You are-but society is part of the solution for some needs you have, other needs are met by God. When you start something, include God; when finish something include God; when doing or going somewhere include God. I don't understand? It is really simple-include God in all that you do; everything you have, do, and keep-it is from God. Then why do we have church? Church is people coming together in unity and peace to worship and learn of God. So it isn't the building? No it is not, that is a building-not Church. People say you protect animals, is this true. Yes, and I give toys to shelters for animals, and food treats for the shelters of animals of all sorts. Is that why you have so many bird feeders and bird baths? When man takes lands that were once the home of animals, man must give back to these same animals. The bird baths are really not so much for cleansing, are they are playgrounds for the birds to play in. When the shelter animals are in cages they need stimulation to fight off boredom and separation from their Pet Parents. Pet Parents? When you adopt any animals and make it part of your family, they are dependent upon you for all of their needs. Like a baby? Exactly. I also donate blankets,  bath and beach towels to the shelters. It provides not only warmth, but acts as a snuggle buddy. What about when people or animals die? There are rituals and rites, and for some, ceremonies that take care of this. Why is saying good-bye so hard to do? Saying good-bye to any loved one is always hard. Think of it like this-their spirit has learned all they needed to know to move on. They now or soon will again, be in the Light of Creator. This is where they came from, and came down here to learn and grow. They did, so now they are home again. But it really is hard to still be here. It is part of what you need to learn and grow. Appreciate life and all the gifts of Creator, learn and grow. Then why am I so sad. To learn! Thank you for this opportunity and service>lb p.s.: Now and then make room for a used Golf umbrella, and a couple blankets. I go to St. Vincent de Paul Society Thrift store and Goodwill thrift stores to find these and other items. I donate them to one of the many Animals shelters nearby. Golf umbrella make wonderful tents for the invalid and critter babies to get some air, out in the exercise area. No exercise area is bad news, probably a "Kill Shelter" or a farm for "Testing Subjects", this latter I associate with intense animal cruelty. The "Kill Shelters" put the animal down within a few days if not placed into new homes. ******************************* The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. Ordination with the , is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.   The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.   Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Universal Life Church

Call to Action! All Hands, Heads Up! What would make your Seminary experience, your ULC experience REAL!   What would compel you to active participation in your ULC experience? Regular participation.   What do you want/need to aid in you in your Spiritual growth, and experience completeness in, that which is the Creator?   Multifaith/Nondenominational, is a wide berth-what are you seeking, what are you searching-for?   Some are solitary practitioners', some are not, Amy needs your help-this is a call to action.   You are hurting, there is a Great Physician-waiting to help, you have but to ask.   Sometimes people get caught up in Life, sometimes they become-caught in a Spiritual suspended animation. Sometimes time just isn't right, "it is a timing thing".   Please help Amy, she needs the Seminary to Stand UP. Amy has a lot on her plate, but dedicated and committed To the Seminary she is. Emotional Life, Spiritual Support- Urgent Care Unit, We are the Resident on-duty, we are the Technicians, and Artificers of our Systems Of belief.   Please do not ignore this Call to Action, we need a Healthy Active Church. Do what is right, Harm none. We harm Amy, by not counseling with her. She is a Superwoman, but her Dark Matter Energy is folding in upon her. The Cosmic Microwave Background has found uncertain density! SOA, SOA, SOA-Save Our AMY!     Thank you for this opportunity and service -- Rev. Lee Banfield (Thanks Lee) ******************************* The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive and affordable online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, a beginning course on  Wicca, as well as a beginning course on  Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is a free and lifetime ordination, so use the Free Online Ordination, button. We also make available many free wedding ceremonies for your use, as well as funeral ceremonies and other types of ceremonies.   The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program where you can earn the coveted title of Chaplain. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church materials to help you with your professionalism and confidence.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and an amazed by the frequent upgrades and new functions of the seminary.   Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Universal Life Church

Universal Life Church October 2010 Announcements Hello! SPECIAL THIS MONTH - For the month of October, you will receive a free ULC pin for any order (not counting shipping) that exceeds $75. LATEST LESSONS - Over the last couple of months, I seem to keep finding myself in the position to talk with people about self-perception, which makes me think I must be working on it myself. Those of us who tend to counsel others (and you all know who you are), do it because we can. Simple as that. As the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. Counseling isn't so much power as it is ability. And those who can, do. So I seem to find myself talking to some of the most amazing people I've ever met, helping them to discover that they don't need to keep feeling like there's something wrong with them. I have always found it odd that those who are the most capable and competent, question themselves the most. The recurring theme I keep bumping into is about lies. Or should I say 'half-truths'. For instance, those who were told at a young age that abuse was love, and that they have no control over their world, other than to take the blame for the bad things that happen. It breaks my heart to see these amazing people feeling awful for the craziness around them, thinking the craziness is them. Or caused by them. Mostly, it's not. I've also found, on a separate note, that it's frightfully easy to commit welfare fraud. I've not done this myself, of course, but it is being done by someone I know. A fraud investigation was promptly launched and we shall see if truth prevails. That kind of thing (another lie/half-truth) makes me crazy. On a personal level, I was promoted to third degree black belt in American Kenpo last weekend. It has been years since my last promotion and, thanks to my wonderful instructor (who I got after my previous promotion) I have learned an enormous amount about the art. I know it's not ULC related, but it feels really good. EVENT DIRECTORY - I've had a lot of people ask me how to record their ceremonies and events with the church. I have created a place for you to do that. http://www.ulcseminary.org/eventdirectory.php Go to this page and you can input any and all of your weddings, funerals, handfastings, baby blessings/namings, etc. It will be recorded in our database for future reference. It won't be visible, but it can be retrieved if you ask. Check it out and let me know what you think. NEW COURSES - I've had people ask me if I had a course planned on Life Coaching, spiritual counseling, and I believe the other was Humanism. I don't currently have anyone who has offered to write such a course, but if you or someone you know is interested, please review the page www.ulcseminary.org/coursesubmission.php and get back to me. QUESTIONS ABOUT SOME OF THE LATEST ULC DRAMA - Hopefully, most of you have been kept out of the loop when it comes to some recent drama within the various sites of the ULC, but Kevin, Andre and I have all been receiving emails and phone calls about it for months, so it does bear addressing. If you have been spared the drama, then this may be of little interest. As many of you know, there was a split between headquarters (ulchq.com) and the monastery (ulc.org) in August of 2006. This was due to an internal problem within the monastery, which is still under legal debate. Daniel Zimmerman (who owned it) closed the site, but not before it was 're-appropriated' by its current owner. Soon after, the monastery changed its domain name to themonastery.org, redirecting traffic, and call themselves the monastery storehouse. Neither headquarters, Kevin (ulc.net), nor I have anything to do with them. Their ordinations are separate and they are not part of the long-standing, international Universal Life Church, whose president is Andre Hensley. The monastery has since bought up over 200 domain names (including ulchq.net and .org) to confuse people into thinking they are the original and real ULC Headquarters. They are merely ministers, doing their own church, just like many of you. This is not news. The thing that has happened more recently is the emergence of a man named, Michael Cauley. He began working for the monastery, managing their social networking site. While using their resources and collecting the information from ministers on that site, he decided to open his own church. He calls it the ulcnetwork and it's a Christian-only site. What he has been telling people is that, basically, if they are not ordained with him, they are helping Satan. Most people, I suspect, recognize the ridiculousness of his claims. Unfortunately, some people have been subjected to personal phone calls from him and insulting email rants. He has zero affiliation with the ULC, other than being a regular minister with his own little ministry and apparently a database of ministers from his association with the monastery. His 'school sign' is a computer generated one, making it appear he has a building. Even the monastery dismissed him from their employ. Your ordinations are valid if done through the Seminary, ulc.net or ulchq.com. I don't know about how the ones through the monastery are viewed. I can't say one way or another. As for Cauley, yes he is the one with the long rap sheet for fraud. I find it too much of a coincidence that he be anyone but the same person with the same name, living in the same town. Florida doesn't seem to recognize supposed corporation. He promises employment for anyone who goes through his little academy at large salaries. He claims victimhood at the hands of George Freeman (Br. Martin, at the monastery). He's no victim. And he claims that all that attacks he made on me, Andre and Kevin, were part of the monastery's plan. "Just following orders" -- does that sound familiar? I believe we are responsible for our own actions and blaming others doesn't work for me. ADDING ORDINATION OPTION TO YOUR OWN SITE - I had a cool thought last month. I thought it would be great if I offered to you the option of ordaining others through your own site. If you want to give people the opportunity to become ordained, I've provided the code to put on your site which will create a form that people can fill out to have their ordinations sent directly to headquarters. (It's free for you to do this, of course.) I put the code at http://www.ulcseminary.org/ordinationform.php You can put it in a column, like I did at http://www.ulcceremonies.com or you can put it on its own page. I think it is a great way to spread the word of ULC and you're giving people the convenience of doing it right from your own site. There are also instructions to add a line to the code (cut and paste) so you will be notified whenever someone is ordained through your site. If you put the form on your site, send me a link and I'll check it out. :) Let me know if you have any problems and I can try to help. Please run a test on it to be sure it works properly. NEW COURSES - The master of Spiritual Leadership course was sent out recently as a sample. For those who got a partial one first, I apologize. Weirdness with the mailing program. The new course can be viewed at http://www.ulcseminary.org/store/product_info.php?products_id=214 HEADER - On a side note: Somehow I messed up the header of our site. It looks fine on my side until I publish it. Suggestions for fixing it would be appreciated. TESTIMONIALS - I know I keep talking about adding video to the site and I haven't done it yet, but I promise that it's on its way. I'd like to add more video to the website. I have a camera and I'm going to get started adding video sections with blurbs and such to talk about different things. What I would love is to have you all do the same thing, if you would. If you have access to a video camera of any sort, videotape yourself talking briefly about weddings you've done, any of the books or products that you've used, classes you've taken, the church you started, etc. I'd love to get a montage of these and put them throughout the site. A short .mwv file (2 min. or less) would be great. Something I can play on windows. I'll edit them together into a few clips to post. Cool, huh? It would also be great to put a face/voice with so many of your familiar names. SPAM - The latest spam thing going out is to get emails from familiar addresses, but with no subject line. What that means is that if an email doesn't have a subject line, it will be deleted without being read. I'm sure I'm missing a few real ones that way, but to open all of them is very time-consuming. I've also had a suggestion/reminder from one of our ministers to please be mindful of the elderly and disabled. If you live in an apt., be aware that they may appreciate some help from time to time. If there is an emergency, keep in mind to help them and check on them. There, but for the grace of God, go I. If you're new to the Seminary, check out announcements from previous months at http://www.ulcseminary.org/announcements.php Warmly, Rev. Amy Long President of ULC Seminary ******************************* The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive and affordable online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, a beginning course on  Wicca, as well as a beginning course on  Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is a free and lifetime ordination, so use the Free Online Ordination, button. We also make available many free wedding ceremonies for your use, as well as funeral ceremonies and other types of ceremonies.   The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program where you can earn the coveted title of Chaplain. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church materials to help you with your professionalism and confidence.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and an amazed by the frequent upgrades and new functions of the seminary.   Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Universal Life Church

The  prize doesn't always go to the most  deserving....     Irena  Sendler There  recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named  Irena. During WWII, Irena, got permission to  work in the Warsaw  Ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist. She had  an 'ulterior motive' ... She KNEW what the  Nazi's plans were for the Jews, (being German.)   Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the  tool box she carried and she carried in the back  of her truck a burlap sack, (for larger kids..)   She also had a dog in the back that she trained  to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and  out of the ghetto. The soldiers of course wanted   nothing to do with the dog and the barking  covered the kids/infants noises.. During her  time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out   and save 2500 kids/infants. She was caught, and  the Nazi's broke both her legs, arms and beat  her severely. Irena kept a  record of the names of all the kids she smuggled  out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a  tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried  to locate any parents that may have survived it  and reunited the family. Most  had been  gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into  foster family homes or  adopted.   Recently,  Irena was up  for the Nobel Peace Prize ... She was  not  selected.   However,  Al Gore won, for a slide show on Global Warming  and Barack Obama won for a speech on  peace.   Powerful  message, especially the "cartoon."  Let us  never forget!   63  years later         In   MEMORIUM  - 63 YEARS  LATER Please  read the little cartoon carefully, it's  powerful.   Then  read the comments at the end. I'm doing  my small part by forwarding this message.     I  hope you'll consider doing the  same. In  Memoriam         It is  now more than 60 years after World War  II in   Europe  ended. This  e-mail is  being sent as a memorial chain,  in memory of the 20 million Russians, 10  million Christians, 6 million Jews and  1,900 Catholic priests  who were murdered,  massacred, raped, burned and  starved with  many of the world's  people looking  the other way!   Now,  more than ever, with extremist  Muslims claiming the Holocaust to  be 'a myth,' it's imperative to make sure the  world never forgets, because Muslim extremists  are trying to do it  again. This  e-mail is intended to reach 40 million people  worldwide! Join  us and be a link in the memorial chain and help  us distribute it around the  world. Please  send this e-mail to people you know and ask them  to continue the memorial  chain. Please  don't just delete it.     It will  only take you a minute to pass this along.  Thanks                                   ******************************* The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive and affordable online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, a beginning course on  Wicca, as well as a beginning course on  Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is a free and lifetime ordination, so use the Free Online Ordination, button. We also make available many free wedding ceremonies for your use, as well as funeral ceremonies and other types of ceremonies.   The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program where you can earn the coveted title of Chaplain. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church materials to help you with your professionalism and confidence.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and an amazed by the frequent upgrades and new functions of the seminary.   Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

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ULC SEMINARY SERMONS
How to be a man

Hello,

Welcome to our weekly sermon. We have created this feature to allow you to get regular weekly sermons sent straight to you. These sermons are on a variety of topics and we are neither promoting nor insisting on any particular point of view. We are merely sharing what has been sent to us. If you don't agree with the weekly topic or point of view, please just delete it and wait for next weeks.

ULC Sermons
www.ulcseminary.org 

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#49 - How to be a Man

Steve Pavlina

How to be a man.

What does it mean to be a man today? How can men consciously express their masculinity without becoming cold or closed-hearted on the one hand...... or wimpy and emasculated on the other? What's the most loving way for a conscious man to express himself?

Here are 10 ways to live more consciously as a man:

1. Make real decisions.

A man understands and respects the power of choice. He lives a life of his own creation. He knows that life stagnates when he fails to decide and flourishes when he chooses a clear path.

When a man makes a decision, he opens the door he wants and closes the doors he doesn't want. He locks onto his target like a guided missile. There's no guarantee he'll reach his target, and he knows this, but he doesn't need such guarantees. He simply enjoys the sense of inevitability that comes from pushing the launch button.

A man doesn't require the approval of others. He's willing to follow his heart wherever it leads him. When a man is following his heart-centered path, it's of little consequence if the entire world is against him.

2. Put your relationships second.

A man who claims his #1 commitment in life is his relationship partner (or his family) is either too dishonest or too weak to be trusted. His loyalties are misplaced. A man who values individuals above his own integrity is a wretch, not a free thinker.

A man knows he must commit to something greater than satisfying the needs of a few people. He's not willing to be domesticated, but he is willing to accept the responsibility that comes with greater challenges. He knows that when he shirks that duty, he becomes something less than a man. When others observe that the man is unyieldingly committed to his values and ideals, he gains their trust and respect, even when he cannot gain their direct support. The surest way for a man to lose the respect of others (as well as his self-respect) is to violate his own values.

Life will test the man to see if he's willing to put loyalty to others ahead of loyalty to his principles. The man will be offered many temptations to expose his true loyalties. A man's greatest reward is to live with integrity, and his greatest punishment is what he inflicts upon himself for placing anything above his integrity. Whenever the man sacrifices his integrity, he loses his freedom... and himself as well. He becomes an object of pity.

3. Be willing to fail.

A man is willing to make mistakes. He's willing to be wrong. He'd rather try and fail than do nothing.

A man's self-trust is one of his greatest assets. When he second-guesses himself by worrying about failure, he diminishes himself. An intelligent man considers the prospect of failure, but he doesn't preoccupy himself with pointless worry. He accepts that if a failure outcome occurs, he can deal with it.

A man grows more from failure than he does from success. Success cannot test his resolve in the way that failure can. Success has its challenges, but a man learns more about himself when he takes on challenges that involve risk. When a man plays it safe, his vitality is lost, and he loses his edge.

4. Be confident.

A man speaks and acts with confidence. He owns his attitude.

A man doesn't adopt a confident posture because he knows he'll succeed. He often knows that failure is a likely outcome. But when the odds of success are clearly against him, he still exudes confidence. It isn't because he's ignorant or suffering from denial. It's because he's proving to himself that he has the strength to transcend his self-doubt. This builds his courage and persistence, two of his most valuable allies.

A man is willing to be defeated by the world. He's willing to be taken down by circumstances beyond his control. But he refuses to be overwhelmed by his own self-doubt. He knows that when he stops trusting himself, he is surely lost. He'll surrender to fate when necessary, but he won't surrender to fear.

5. Express love actively.

A man is an active giver of love, not a passive receiver. A man is the first to initiate a conversation, the first to ask for what's needed, and the first to say "I love you." Waiting for someone else to make the first move is unbecoming of him. The universe does not respond positively to his hesitation. Only when he's in motion do the floodgates of abundance open.

Man is the out-breath of source energy. It is his job - his duty - to share his love with the world. He must wean himself from suckling the energy of others and become a vibrant transmitter of energy himself. He must allow that energy to flow from source, through him, and into the world. When he assumes this role, he has no doubt he is living as his true self.

6. Re-channel sex energy.

A man doesn't hide his sexuality. If others shrink from him because he's too masculine, he allows them to have their reaction. There's no need for him to lower his energy just to avoid frightening the timid. A man accepts the consequences of being male; he makes no apologies for his nature.

A man is careful not to allow his energy to get stuck at the level of lust. He re-channels much of his sexual energy into his heart and head, where it can serve his higher values instead of just his animal instincts. (You can do this by visualizing the energy rising, expanding, and eventually flowing throughout your entire body and beyond.)

A man channels his sexual energy into his heart-centered pursuits. He feels such energy pulsing within him, driving him to action. He feels uncomfortable standing still. He allows his sexual energy to explode through his heart, not just his genitals.

7. Face your fears.

For a man, being afraid of something is reason enough to do it. A man's fear is a call to be tested. When a man hides from his fears, he knows he's fallen out of alignment with his true self. He feels weak, depressed, and helpless. No matter how hard he tries to comfort himself and achieve a state of peace, he cannot overcome his inner feeling of dread. Only when facing his fears does a man experience peace.

A man makes a friend of risk. He doesn't run and hide from the tests of fear. He turns toward them and engages them boldly.

A man succeeds or fails. A coward never makes the attempt. Specific outcomes are of less concern to a man than his direction.

A man feels like a man whenever he faces the right way, staring straight into his fears. He feels even more like a man when he advances in the direction of his fears, as if sailing on the winds of an inner scream.

8. Honor the masculinity of other men.

When a man sees a male friend undertaking a new venture that will clearly lead to failure, what does the man do? Does he warn his friend off such a path? No, the man encourages his friend to continue. The man knows it's better for his friend to strike out confidently and learn from the failure experience. The man honors his friend's decision to reach out and make the attempt. The man won't deny his friend the benefits of a failure experience. The man may offer his friend guidance, but he knows his friend must fail repeatedly in order to develop self-trust and courage.

When you see a man at the gym struggling to lift a heavy weight, do you jump in and say, "Here... let me help you with that. Maybe the two of us can lift it together"? No, that would rob him of the growth experience - and probably make a quick enemy of him as well.

The male path is filled with obstacles. It typically includes more failures than successes. These obstacles help a man discover what's truly important to him. Through repeated failures a man learns to persist in the pursuit of worthy goals and to abandon goals that are unworthy of him.

A man can handle being knocked down many times. For every physical setback he experiences, he enjoys a spiritual advancement, and that is enough for him.

9. Accept responsibility for your relationships.

A man chooses his friends, lovers, and associates consciously. He actively seeks out the company of people who inspire and challenge him, and he willingly sheds those who hold him back.

A man doesn't blame others for his relationship problems. When a relationship is no longer compatible with his heart-centered path, he initiates the break-up and departs without blame or guilt.

A man holds himself accountable for the relationships he allows into his life. He holds others accountable for their behavior, but he holds himself accountable for his decision to tolerate such behavior.

A man teaches others how to treat him by the relationships he's willing to allow into his life. A man refuses to fill his life with negative or destructive relationships; he knows that's a form of self-abuse.

10. Die well.

A man's great challenge is to develop the inner strength to express his true self. He must learn to share his love with the world without holding back. When a man is satisfied that he's done that, he can make peace with death. But if he fails to do so, death becomes his enemy and haunts him all the days of his life.

A man cannot die well unless he lives well. A man lives well when he accepts his mortality and draws strength from knowing that his physical existence is temporary. When a man faces and accepts the inevitability of death... when he learns to see death as his ally instead of his enemy... he's finally able to express his true self. So a man isn't ready to live until he accepts that he's already dead.

Talk to you next week!

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