Finally
a book that answers all of life’s secrets! (9)
Simple enough for a child, humorous enough for my husband! (10)
It takes the great metaphysical
truths of life and instills them with new insights. (14)
• Reviews
• Buy Book
Barbra
can be reached at
518-623-3045
email:barbraspks@aol.com
Back of the Book
After years as a therapist, Barbra Gilman concluded that most people do not need therapy but are asking deeper questions: What is my relationship to the universe? Who am I? Why am I here? How can I create a successful and happy life for myself and my loved ones? This book, inspired by the author’s workshops, Living Life Eyes Wide Open, explores these fundamental questions, with 38 exercises to manifest your fondest dreams.
"Takes the great metaphysical truths of life and instills them with new insights, making them come alive for you personally..a down-to-earth practical guide for changing your life."
~Reverend
Dorothy Ann Jackson
Co-Minister, Unity of Sarasota, Florida
"Finally a book that answers all of life’s secrets! Simple enough for a child, humorous enough for my husband!"
~Jessica Saunders, a reader
"Filled with the wisdom and joy of co-creating with the guidance of a deep inner source."
~ Hal Zina Bennett, author of Write From the Heart
Barbra Gilman teaches the popular workshop, Living Life Eyes Wide Open, and is CEO of Success Strategies For Life. She is an Interfaith Minister, has hosted her own radio show, "Conscious Choices," and spent over 20 years as a therapist and counselor.
Reviews
In the book,
The Unofficial Guide to Living Successfully on Planet Earth, the delightful,
effervescent personality of Barbra Gilman comes through in a charming,
conversational style as she takes the great metaphysical truths of life,
instilling them with new insights, and making them come alive for you
personally. Her text is combined with unique and experiential exercises
for the heart and mind to create a "down to earth" practical
guide for changing your life.
Rev.
Dorothy Ann Jackson
Co-Minister, Unity of Sarasota, Florida
__________________________
Quote:
I felt my soul "lighten up" just reading the pages of the book.
The exercises are powerful yet simple tools to guide me along my spiritual
path. A delightful, must read book.
Kathryn Kvols
President of the International Network for Children and Families
Author of Redirecting Children's Behavior
_______________________________
Barbra is brilliant!
After years of therapy, I discovered that rambling on about my past was not the solution for me. What I needed was results that would work immediately. Barbra's book was able to target those areas. For years I was guarded and defensive but with her humor and love that poured out of the pages I knew that if I applied her teachings, and completed the workbook I would get the results that I wanted. And I did!
It
is great to be alive and thanks to Barbra I have a much richer and fulfilled
life.
Sylvia Lipschitz
___________________________________
Finally
a book by Barbra that captures her knowledge, wisdom, experience and dedication
to helping people reach their highest potential through spiritual growth.
The book is a "MUST HAVE" for anyone embarking on a spiritual
journey.
Pat Brancale
_____________________________
Start
living your life consciously -- just do the work! Barbra gives you the
tools to get all the answers you need to have a life filled with joy and
fulfilment! Pamela Rylott
_______________________
When you are ready to change your life -- be prepared. It is not possible to learn what Barbra teaches and not succeed! Doreen De Costa
_______________________
This book belongs in every seeker's home. It answers many questions about
what it means to live a spiritual life. The author presents this material
with refreshing humor yet great respect. Her examples of personal issues
solved in spiritual ways make this work down to Earth and real. And for
seekers who do best with step by step guidance, there's an easy to follow
workbook. Wherever your spiritual search leads you, this book will shine
a bright light on the path ahead.
"So many of us feel the spiritual tug of our inner lives. But what does it mean to follow it? By accepting Barbra's guidance, we find the path, and it is like coming home."
--Hal Zina Bennett, author of Write From the Heart
_______________________
"The
UnOfficial Guide For Living Successfully on Planet Earth" gives the
reader tools to navigate life's challenges ffrom a spiritual rather than
a psychological perspective. This book is done simply and succinctly,
with practical applications rather than conceptual exercises. To quote
Barbra, herself, "this book will help you learn how to become intimate
with yourself". I love the simple effectiveness of this book and
believe it to be a must on your journey to self exploration. I recommend
this book at all the Indigo Children and Kryon seminars worldwide. It
has become an Indigo workbook.
~Jan Tober Co-Author "The Indigo Children" and
"An Indigo Celebration"
Co-Creator of The Kryon Workshops
Facilitator of Indigo Workshops
_______________________
I first saw
this book about two years before its publication and was impressed by
the simple, straightforward and even humorous style the author had for
introducing complex spiritual and metaphysical concepts. There are a few
authors around who are able to do this. Gilman takes on a lot. She explains
what we can be responsible for in our lives, and what we can't; what it
means to raise the level of our own consciousness in order to manifest
a more satisfying life; and even gives a model for considering life after
life. There's more in this little book, too. And being able to have key
metaphysical issues available in such a compact presentation is a real
gift. Serious students of these issues, or people who might want to pursue
these subjects further, can move on after reading this book, to seek more
expansive explorations. But I, for one, am grateful that someone could
put so much together in one place, giving a launching point, and reference
point that inspires, instructs and even entertains.
Hal Zina Bennett - Author "Write From The Heart"
Introduction:
In the Beginning...
1: Miracles, Magic and Joy
2: Choosing a Path of Change
3: God/Goddess, All That Is-Is All There Is!
4: It's All About Energy
5: Change is Wonderful
6: Understanding Your Feelings
7: Change Bodies and Dance!
Getting Ready for Completion
About the Author
List of Exercises
1. The Victim
Story
2. Commitment Statement
3. Observations About Yourself
4. Self-History
5. Discovering Awareness
6. Divinity and Humanity
7. Rating Your Commitment
8. God/Goddess
9. Change Your Mind, Change Your Life
10. Experiencing Energy11. Looking At Your Energy Level
12. Changing You First
13. Rounding Up The Ingredients
14. Anchors Away!
15. Holding the Resonance
16. Change Is Wonderful
17. Responsibility
18. Allowing
19. Rating Your Willingness
20. Giving Back Beliefs
21. Everyone Picks Up Energy
22. Checking In On Your Reality
23. Understanding Your Feelings
24. Titanic Revisited
25. Your Are Not Alone
26. Your Highest Good
27. Let Your Higher Self Do...
28. Your Unseen Friends
29. Your Life Lesson
30. Your Life Script
31. Casting Your Script
32. Your Beliefs
33. Rewriting Your Script
34. Healing Your Inner Child
35. Changing Your Inner History
36. Understanding Fear
37. Learning to Receive
38. Foregiveness
...there I was, working as a therapist for many years, when I realized that most people do not need therapy! Now clearly, this is not what you want to hear if you have just been through ten years of therapy. What I did find is that in order for people to create successful lives, which I believe is why most people go into therapy in the first place, they simply need an understanding of how they relate to the universe which, by the way, is what you will receive by reading this book. So all is not lost. But what do I mean when I say that people just want to understand how they relate to the universe? In the back of our minds, most of us have questions such as: Who am I? Why am I here? How do I relate to others? How do I create a successful life? Or, actually, how do I create any life for myself! These might seem like rather odd questions to ask, but these are the secrets that most of us have been missing.
You might be thinking, "Oh, come on, Barbra, How do I, little old me, create my life!" And I'll admit, the chances are pretty good that this was not a topic discussed at your dinner table when you were growing up. Which may help explain why the world is in such a mess. Well thank God that life is different now! My greatest prayer is that these questions will now be the kinds of questions asked at dinner tables all over the world. Before we get there, we need to start at the beginning, which of course, is why I'm writing and you are reading this book.
While on this adventure I noticed that in all people there is a series of programs (information) based on our original understandings of life, as learned when we were children. This information is, by the way, mostly false, and herein lies the problem: it all needs to be worked on.
When we start to work on these programs by changing, deleting, editing, etcetera, we end up with new programs, and these new programs are what start to create a new level of success in our lives. How do we do that? That is what this book is about!
When I use the word metaphysics in these pages, please don't be intimidated. I teach children and adults the same way. I believe in being simple, the way life really is, the way my brain works, without the very human impulse to complicate things. My goal in this book is to help you change your life, if that is what you desire. I'm giving you the simplest version of an incredibly complex field of information. I've added a good serving of fun to the mix. I've discovered in my workshops that this material really can be fun and this playful spirit opens us all up so that we can more easily take in this information.
I have been to many seminars and read many books. As I am taking in all the information and my brain is frying, I begin to realize that everything presented could have been said in one-quarter of the time! Of course, that's me: I like to learn in a way that is as quick and simple as possible. There are many people, I know, who don't feel they're getting their money's worth unless they chew endlessly on the issues. And, of course, some people just like to cram their heads with lots of information. Whichever of these categories you fit into, I do pray that this book will help you. Don't worry, your brain will still fry from all the information! So have no fear, you can always go out and get a book on quantum physics after you understand!
Are you ready?
Great. Let's Begin! Where and how? Your constant companion as you read the pages ahead will be this book and a personal journal that will become your permanent record of the work you'll be doing here. There are some 38 exercises distributed throughout these pages. Do you really need to do them? The answer is yes, do them if you want to change your life. Do them if you want to experience success. Do them if you want to create a sense of fulfillment and joy in your life. (I know you heard that still small voice in your head, telling you to do them, to really get into these exercises. Come on now, don't deny it!)
You will discover that the exercises are like light switches. When you do them, the power comes on and you are showered with light!
Miracles,
Magic and Joy
We are living in the most exciting times on our planet Earth. For awhile
I was believing that our mother (Earth) was in menopause. I can't remember
if I read that somewhere or if it was because I'd been surrounded by friends
who were experiencing this overwhelming, ever consuming dread of an apocalypse
just around the corner. If I once halfway agreed with them, I must say
that on closer inspection I have changed my belief. (By the way, it is
actually good to change your beliefs every so often. I mean, come on now,
wouldn't you feel rather silly if you were still waiting for the Easter
Bunny each year! Surely you've changed that belief.) I now believe that
our moody, excitable and ever-changing mother is actually in the process
of giving birth! And it seems that her children are wrestling with all
the jealousies and fears that older siblings usually exhibit as they anticipate
a new family member coming into their lives.
Well, take heart dear siblings. We are not going to have to experience
the 2 a.m. feedings or diaper changes that most of us would expect with
younger siblings. This birth I'm speaking of announces a new paradigm
shift in consciousness. This shift forces us to revise all the old maps
of what life was about, how you live it, why you're here and how our lives
are created. The changes we're talking about here are concepts that only
a handful of people ever think about. But probably the only reason these
ideas haven't been common knowledge is because there has never been anyone
talking about them in ways that the rest of us could relate to!
The thoughts and ideas I'm talking about here are important not so much
as abstractions for people to think about, however. Rather, it's important
to learn what they are and to start living them in our daily lives. If
you can do that, they will make your dreams come true and make your reality
the success that you want.
It is now time to bury the past with all the lies that we were brought
into--such as, "father knows best" and the Cinderella mentality
that our prince will show up with his golden carriage one day and make
everything perfect. Clinging to these beliefs has only created the mediocrity
and fear that we all live in now. Moreover, we have been so well programmed
that we can't even see the lies any more. Not only did we accept them,
we also educated ourselves in them, built our worlds around them, to the
point of arrogance, defending them as the Truth. And now, to come face-to-face
with the truth, is more than a little painful and scary. Admitting that
we made a mistake or that we--God forbid!--might be wrong, is difficult
.That old thing called ego gets in the way. I think you've heard of it!
Did you ever stop to think that we are living in a civilization where
the wives do not know who their husbands are, the husbands certainly don't
have a clue to understanding who their wives are, the parents can't figure
out their own kids, and the kids haven't got the foggiest idea what their
own parents are about. About the only place any of us can experience unconditional
love is with our cats or dogs! (Or birds or lizards or hamsters, etc.)
I invite you to step out of your little mud puddle (we all have one) and
into the vast landscape that awaits you. Out in that bigger landscape
you might just catch a glimpse of new possibilities for your life, possibilities
that allow for miracles, magic and joy. If Turkey Hill could come up with
Mint Oreo nonfat yogurt that tastes as good as Ben and Jerry's ice cream,
anything is possible!
Change Is Wonderful!
Do you ever
wonder what you'll be like 10 or 20 years from now? Well, here's news;
you'll be exactly as you are today, just 10 or 20 years older-unless you
choose to change. And learning to change your programming is the key to
making it happen. Boy, aren't you glad that you picked up this book!
Here's the good news. Now that we've begun to learn how to operate our
computers we can take out or rewrite the old programs that prevent us
from achieving what we want. That's responsibility at its best! We can
install new programs that will create the lives that we desire! However,
it does take effort. (I will not use the word "work" because
of the way that word is programmed in us, and I do not want to find you
hiding under the bed!) But making the effort is the most important thing
that you can do for yourself. It will set you free!
Choosing A Path of Change
This change
takes work, I won't lie to you. It takes leaving your safe little mud
puddle and venturing out on the most important exciting and scary adventure
of your life. On this journey there will be times when you want to run
and hide, or when you will break up in hysterical laughter. But isn't
that what being here on Earth is all about?
Now, we could learn all our lessons on the high road, through love, joy,
and fun. However, we human beings are not built that way. As long as we
are here on this planet we have stuff. You know what I'm talking about.
That stuff acts like a door, closing us off from the world, creating a
barrier between you and what you desire. Think of a beautiful house on
a magical tropical island, surrounded by magnificent foliage, wonderful
aromas, the sounds of the ocean gently rolling on the shore, colors so
beautiful that you can only imagine them in the dream world. Well, as
long as your stuff is controlling your life you might as well be a prisoner
inside that magnificent house, with the doors locked and heavy curtains
drawn over all the windows. You would never be able to enjoy any of the
beauty and joy of life. You might as well be living in a garbage dump
because you have no access to any of it.
That is exactly what has happened to human beings. We have all our windows
and doors shut. No one ever taught us there was another way, a way to
open up to the magnificence of the world and who we really are; we are
spiritual beings who are here having a physical experience so that we
can remember and learn who we really are. We are here to discover the
magic and miracles that we can create. All that we need is the intent
and the willingness to grow, to open up all those windows and doors. We'll
just start by opening a few locks. That's not too scary, right?
Coming From Your Truth
By allowing
ourselves to be conditioned by fear, instead of taking responsibility,
we give away our power. We allow our polluted beliefs to create our reality.
I'm not telling you that you have a terrible life. But no matter how good
your life, believe me, it can get better. Once you take back your power
and regain command of your life, you will start to learn a little bit
more about who you really are. You will start seeing the puzzle of your
life coming together in a way that makes perfect sense.
You will begin to look at your beliefs and question them. I would recommend
that every few months, you look at any new beliefs that might have crept
up on you. They are pesky little things. "Where do they come from?"
you might ask. "Do they sneak up through the drain?" Sorry to
say, the answer to that one is no. That would be too easy. The funny thing
about beliefs is that when you start pulling them apart and taking a real
good look at them, you might just find out that the life you have been
leading until now wasn't even yours! Wow! Rather, you were accepting the
default settings that life handed you. You had allowed these to determine
who you are, your frequencies, without being response-able for checking
them out and consciously choosing to keep them or change them. Until we
take responsibility for our lives back, it is as if we are living our
lives possessed. "Well if this isn't my life, whose is it!?"
Indeed. Good question. Now think about that: You've been living your life
based on someone else's thoughts and feelings. Talk about feeling foolish!
You Are Not Alone!
Once you start building a relationship with your higher self, the pieces of your puzzle start coming together rapidly. If you have ever done jigsaw puzzles you probably know how you always want to get the corners finished first, and then the borders. Imagine working on a puzzle of a forest and every piece of the puzzle is a leaf. Now, how frustrating is that! Well, that's what it's like to go through life not having a relationship with your higher self. Without your higher self it's as if you were doing a jigsaw puzzle where every piece looked the same and you couldn't even find the pieces that make up the corners and the borders.
Working With Your Inner Child
Would you send a little five-year-old child out into the world to drive your car, do your work, and take care of all your relationships? You might think that's a ridiculous question, but you do it every day. Every time you lose it in your life--get mad, feel guilty, feel not good enough, feel abandoned--whose feelings do you think you're experiencing? Mine? Your next door neighbors? I know that you want to say yours but most of the time these feelings come from that little child or adolescent within you, the ones with all that unfinished business. They're out there, doing your life. It's true!
In all of my years of working with people, I have seen the most profound changes come through work with the inner child. To create a wonderful, new, successful life on paper, all you need to do is create new beliefs, hold the resonance of those new beliefs, and be willing to receive. However, it is often easier for most people to start by healing the past. Think of it this way: If you carried around a hefty bag all day, filling it with garbage as you went along, then came home in the evening and placed it by your bed, only to get up in the morning and start all over again, how good do you think that bag would smell? Now think of that bag as your life! See what I'm getting at here? Wouldn't you be better off to throw out all the garbage from the day, including the hefty bag, get a new bag and start filling it with flowers? Now you have a pretty sweet smelling life. So let's get started.
Remember, it's all a movie!
Did you ever wish you could be a movie star? Well most of us, at one time or another have had that wish, and I'm sure you will be glad to know that your wish has now been granted. But then, you have been one all along. You just didn't realize it. Our planet serves as the largest theater in the galaxy. Each one of us has a vast repertoire, and each part we play contains a lesson which, when learned, rewards us with a gift. But please don't be expecting a free three-day getaway to Hawaii. Not only are you the actor/actress, you are also the screenwriter, the director, the producer, the set designer, the fashion designer, and the casting agent.
Change Bodies and Dance!
Fasten your
seats belts, we don't want to lose anyone! We spoke before about energy
and how it cannot be destroyed: it simply changes form. And since the
form we are now speaking of is our physical bodies, guess what? That means
we are going to be talking about reincarnation! So let's look at it this
way: yes, reincarnation is real. Okay, that's that! We're finished! Let's
get on to the next chapter. Actually, I'm just kidding. But the truth
is that every holy book ever written speaks or, at least, originally spoke
of reincarnation. The only thing is, it was either edited out or through
translation ended up having a different meaning. Hmm, I wonder how that
might have happened. Could it have anything to do with political or religious
control?
Getting on with our story, think of it this way: You're 105 years old.
……..
Okay, let's recap here: you've left your body back on planet Earth because
you wanted one of those newer models. So here you are with your higher
self on that plane of reality we will call home. Both you and your higher
self have just been going over all of your past lives to see which lessons
you have learned and which ones you still need to learn. In between a
cup of carrot juice and a veggie burger, your higher self shows you all
your past lives so that you can now start creating your script for the
next adventure back on planet Earth!
Understanding Fear
I don't have to tell you that when fear comes into your life, it can twist
your arms, your neck, and your heart. Then it will hang you up by your
toenails and make you do all kinds of things, none of which you would
probably enjoy...and most of it will never help you in any way, shape
or form to create value in your life. But having said that, there are
those times--doing the material in this book, for instance--where your
handling short periods of fear will lead to an awakening and a liberation
to have the quality of life you long to have. While fear might be an initial
reaction, you will move forward to hear what your higher self has been
trying to get you to understand.
Getting Ready for Completion
You will
get to a certain point in your spiritual work when you will experience
a feeling of completion. You have done your job and now the time has come
for you to let go, release it all into the hands of God/Goddess, "
knowing," that it will be done.
Now, choose to do something each day that will bring love into another
person's life. It'll make them and the Angel's smile!