The New Paradigm
vol. I, Number 20

Saturday, April 4, 1998

J. Harmon Grahn, Editor



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Dear Friends,


"The Hall or Mirrors"
by J. Harmon Grahn


If you have a special affinity for something, such as, say, money, you can create before your very eyes an endless sea of it with a little initiative, and minimal effort. What you do is, go to your local hardware store and purchase three panes of mirrored glass, such as is sometimes used for paneling bathroom or other walls, and a small roll of wide tape. With the tape, fasten the three mirrors together into a triangular enclosure, with the mirrored surfaces on the inside. What you should wind up with is an equilateral triangle of in-facing mirrors. Drop anything, such as a fistful of dollars (or pounds, or deutsche marks, or Kruger Rands) into the enclosure, and you will behold a sea of repetitions of its contents spread out endlessly in all directions when you peer into the box. It is really a spectacular sight, and a feast for the eyes. But be careful what you put in there; for whatever it is, it will be multiplied for as far as you can see. If you use it to multiply money, you might call it your "Magic Money Multiplying Machine," or MMMM for short.

When I was a little boy I remember going with my mother into department stores where they had tall mirrors for checking the fit and appearance of clothing. Sometimes there would be two flanking mirrors on hinges on either side of a central mirror, and I could fold these around me and find myself in an endless crowd of people who looked just like me, stretching off into a dim infinity.

I call these images to mind in order to suggest a visual metaphor for the Human Mind, which, like a "Hall of Mirrors," reflects its contents endlessly as what we perceive and experience as "reality." And, as in the case of the MMMM, we should be careful of the contents of our Minds, because whatever it is, that is what we experience in the world we seem to inhabit, and the circumstances in which we find ourselves.

I am aware this view of things is often not very flattering to ourselves, and so may be rejected without careful examination. But it offers the compensating advantage of the possibility of changing our circumstances and the condition of our world, simply by changing the contents of our Mind. Now that would be worth doing, wouldn't it? The "new paradigm" realization that every person I meet, everything I see, every circumstance I encounter, is an accurate reflection of who and what I am, day by day and moment by moment, may not be much of a source of inspiration at first glance; but if true, it gives me the basis for guiding my course and gauging my progress with infinite precision. And it gives me the means for total control over my course through life and my eventual destiny.

In order to make practical use of this realization, and take control of our lives and our destinies, it is necessary to come to grips with the idea that all that "stuff" that seems to be going on "out there" in the wide world of human experience - isn't really "out there" at all; but is only the reflection of the moment-by-moment contents of the "Hall of Mirrors" in which we live and have all our existence: our very own Mind, "in here." This is an idea at total odds with "old paradigm" "common sense," which presumes without hesitation that "what you see 'out there' is what you get, like it or lump it." It "happens to you," and there isn't a whole lot you can do about it. As a popular song had it a few years back, "I don't like it, but I guess things happen that way." Whatever happens is "somebody else's fault," and about the best you can hope for in life is to endure "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" with a minimum of complaint - or perhaps "do unto others before others do unto you."

The only trouble is (ah, in my opinion), all those "others" "out there" are really nothing more (nor less) than reflections of you; and if you're busy "doing unto others before others do unto you," you can be sure all those "others" are just as busy "doing unto you before you do unto them." That's the "old paradigm" game plan in a nutshell, and you can see the results of it in the Daily News; which also perpetuates it and proliferates it endlessly. It's what is taught in School, preached in Church, demonstrated in Sports, dramatized on Television and in the Movies; advertised everywhere; packaged, bottled and sold at every turn. It is the warp and woof of all so-called "civilization" in human history, and as much of prehistory as we have so far been able to discover. How do you like it?

The "new paradigm" perspective recognizes all the commotion "out there" as nothing more nor less than a reflection of all the commotion "in here;" and that if I am able to gain enough control over my own Mind to purposefully edit its contents, the world of experience "out there" will automatically follow my lead; just as all the little boys I used to meet in the department store mirrors did whatever I did. Gaining control over your own Mind is no easy thing; but it can be done, and if you realize the rewards in store for accomplishing it, you may be able to summon the motivation to undertake the project in the first place.

If so, where would you begin? You can start just about anywhere, any time. You know the old saying, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." I can make some suggestions that happen to appeal to me; but they are by no means definitive.

  1. It strikes me that if I am to have control of my own Mind, I must volitionally wrest control of it from all "others" who are endeavoring to control it for me. One of the most pervasive and insidious of these is television, which I estimate to be the single most powerful agent of massive mind control so far invented, or at least put into widespread use. It is mesmerizing in effect, and catastrophic in content - which it pumps undiluted into any mind that tunes in to it. Television may have some redeeming merit; but it is so slight in relation to the incalculable injury it inflicts upon human society as to be negligible. If you want to gain control of your own Mind, get rid of all your televisions, and quarantine yourself from all television viewing. (That is my opinion, for whatever it's worth to you.)

  2. Seek out and identify other agents of mind control in your life; and eliminate them to the extent you feel they obstruct your endeavor to regain control of your own Mind. Some possible candidates might be:

    • Alcohol;

    • Tobacco;

    • Licit and Illicit Drugs;

    • Addictions of other kinds;

    • Spectator Sports;

    • Institutional Education;

    • Institutional Religion;

    • Racial or Cultural Tradition;

  3. Fill your Mind, as often as possible, and for as long as possible, with Love and Light - for yourself, for your family, friends, neighbors, countrymen, coreligionists, heretics, infidels, enemies, heroes, villains, beasts, birds, bugs, flowers, spiders, microbes, minerals, mountains, lakes, streams, seas, sky, weather, Sun, Earth, Moon, planets, stars, galaxies, atoms, quarks... and anything and everything else you can think of; for that and more is what you are, and what is contained, whether you are aware of it or not, within your Mind.

There. That should do, anyway, for starters. Alternatively, you may decide to do something else entirely: you know yourself if and when you have gained control over your own Mind, and exactly how important it is for you to do so.

You may consider me a radical extremist for some of my suggestions - and that's all they are: suggestions. If I were in any way "dictating" to you what you "must do" in order to achieve your goals, to be consistent I should then insist you quarantine yourself from my writings as well. It's your Mind: who controls its contents? You? Or "somebody else?" That is your choice; but you can't have it both ways. If you prefer, you may watch television 16 hours a day, and drink yourself into a stupor...etc. But if you seek freedom and a "better world," be careful what you keep in your "Hall of Mirrors," because whatever it is, you're going to be meeting up with an awful lot of it in the world of your personal experience. If you like what you see, then you must be on track for achieving what you want. If not, you have the means to do something about it - because it is always within your power to change your Mind.

Love & Light,

--Harmon
J. Harmon Grahn


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Now I want to pass along something that many of you may already have seen, for the benefit of other readers who have not. It's a letter that was forwarded to the List Server bearing a decidedly "new paradigm" message, which I have taken the liberty to minimally edit to fit the format of The New Paradigm. [H.]

Date: Friday, 3 April 1998 14:18
Subject: peace is possible

Can millions of people, focusing their minds on inner and world peace, heal the world in an instant?

Can we, through scientific and quantifiable means, prove that we are indeed the creators of the world we perceive, and that by changing our perception, the world itself changes?

This is "The Great Experiment."

It's time we prove scientifically what the saints and sages have always told us that we are powerful spiritual beings with the ability to create a world based on the laws of love, instead of the rules of fear. With the help of scientists, we are about to put an end to doubt forever.

Two months ago, James Twyman, author of the bestselling book, "Emissary of Light," was invited by the government of Iraq to perform his "Peace concert" in Baghdad. The situation seemed desparate war seemed almost inevitable and diplomatic efforts seemed to have failed.

"I was being used by the Iraqi government," Twyman said. "But we had the same goal: to avoid this terrible war. I was given permission to sing the Muslim prayer for peace to Saddam Hussein and I wanted the world to join us in this prayer. Hundreds of thousands of people over the world participated, and when it was complete, I felt a profound shift in the energy of that whole region. Three days later, a peace agreement was signing, something which seemed impossible before the prayer vigil began."

But The Story Continues . . .

"A week later, I was invited by the government of Northern Ireland to sing at Stormout Castle in Belfast - the building where the peace talks were being held. For days, bombs were exploding all around that area. Many people were trying to interrupt the peace process and it seemed like the talks might fall apart. Once again, thousands around the world joined us in prayer, and three days later there was a breakthrough in the talks. A peace agreement in May now seems inevitable."

The evidence is there we do have the power within us to change the world. Princeton scientist, Dr. Roger Nelson, has measured the statistically significant effect that focused meditations and events have upon the earth's energy field. Dr. Nelson has measured these effects during the Gaia Mind Meditation and during Princess Diana's funeral. His studies show that the greatest effects occur when groups synchronize their focus. During "The Great Experiment," we will meditate upon specific affirmations in unison to achieve the power of a singular group focus.

NOW IT IS TIME TO PUT INTO PRACTICE
WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW TO BE TRUE:

"If enough people join their minds and hearts for peace, we can heal the world."

"The Great Experiment" will take place on April 23rd at 6:30 PM Eastern Time (This would be 11:30 AM GMT) Please mark your calendars now, and tell everyone that you know to join with us. [The event will be at 6:30 PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time, and that translates into 10:30 PM GMT.]

James Twyman has been invited to sing the peace prayers from the twelve major religions at the United Nations building in New York on April 23rd. This presents an unparalleled opportunity for us all. Dr. Doreen Virtue, best-selling author of The Lightworker's Way, and Gregg Braden, geologist and author of Awaken to Zero Point, join James in conducting this incredible experiment. Authors, entertainers, and other celebrities, will participate by sharing their vision of "a world transformed by love."

Here's how you can participate:

  1. Tell everyone you know. Share this with everyone on your mailing list so that everyone can participate. Feel free to print this out and make copies. The goal is to get as many people focused on this meditation.

  2. Begin preparing your spirit and mind for the event by spending a few moments in silence everyday. This will help build the energy.

  3. Join at least one other person for the vigil on April 23rd. This is an experience to share. "Where two or more are gathered."

The Format of the Meditation:

We are asking everyone to follow this simple format during the meditation. As scientific studies at Princeton University show, the more focused a group meditation or event is, the stronger the effect.

  1. Opening:

    Begin with this affirmation, said with great power and committment:

    I am an Emissary of Light.
    I extend this Light to all beings,
    in compassion and love,
    knowing that they are one within me.
    This moment the world is healed -
    and I along with it.
    I will it - and it is so
    .

  2. Then spend five minutes creating a sound (such as "Aum") to carry the spiritual energy and vibration. This can be done with a single tone or by singing a song such as "Amazing Grace."

  3. Spend five minutes in silence allowing your spirit to receive the light and love which you yourself extended to the world.

  4. End with this prayer:

    It is done!
    I am one with all - and all is healed.
    Let love reign where fear once was.
    I accept this for myself and for the world.
    I am an Emissary of Light now and always. Amen

Then, with reverence, bow your head and thank God for this grand opportunity. The universe gives thanks to you for being part of this great experiment.

If you have any questions regarding this Great Experiment, please write:


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