By: Robert Morgen

I’ve mentioned Intention and Awareness a few times now, and you’ll continue to see me talk about these concepts as we go. They are the root of all your energy work and when combined with your Breathing and the Law of Reciprocity they have a synergistic effect that can enhance your entire life.

Awareness – This concept is just as simple as it sounds. Being aware. On the other hand, this can also be as complex as you can make it. In this book I try to follow a simple progression in which we start with the breath and then gradually expand until you are working with your awareness at a cosmic level.
Learning to be self-aware can take some time, even though it sounds simple.

Self-awareness is a pretty big job. Even with years of practice it can be quite a chore to be aware of my thoughts and feelings on a moment to moment basis. I have to look at everything that happens and be aware of whether I’m reacting from a balanced viewpoint rather than a knee-jerk, emotional stance, for instance. I also have to be aware of the effect I’m having on others as well as the various subtle energy exchanges that are going on.

At the same time, I try to be aware of the other person and where their energy is centered as well as what’s going on in the environment around us. I know that when I’m in a bad mood or stressed then everyone else around me can feel that, if only at a subconscious level. I also know that I’m not always the nicest guy to deal with at those times.

All of that can be a pretty big plate to juggle and you’ll spend the rest of your life practicing it. Don’t feel like you have to do it all at once. Just start with the exercises in the Breathing and Full Body Awareness sections and then work on it from there. No matter how good you get at it you’ll still occasionally find new areas that you can improve. Think of it as an ongoing adventure.

Positive and Negative Attitudes

An important part of our awareness is based on how we approach the world on a moment to moment basis. Think about yourself for a moment as you read the following questions. Remember to be honest with this as there are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers.

1. Do you approach everything from an ‘I can’ perspective, or do you see everything from a negative viewpoint?

2. Do you frequently use the words “I can’t” or others like them?

Keeping a positive attitude is more than just a trite saying. When we send off positive energy then that’s also what we get back. In “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” Robert Kiyosaki calls these ‘fast words’ and ‘slow words’. Rather than saying “I can’t” he advises people to say “How can I”, as this opens one up to finding the answers they need rather than just making a closed statement.

No matter what happens, or where you feel drawn to go, a positive attitude will make the whole thing easier. I try to look at everything as a test, and that works for my personality. Each individual moment presents choices that I can make. I can be enlightened or ignorant, loving or afraid, loud or quiet and it all depends on my willingness to listen to the inner voices that we all have.

How we approach the world makes a big difference in the results we get. I was recently at a Cashflow game, the one invented by Robert Kiyosaki. Another player was there who consistently expressed a very negative viewpoint. Every card he drew was a problem and he couldn’t see the advantages to any of them. None of the deals were good enough and his dice rolls were always a let down. He started to get on everyone else’s nerves pretty quickly, but most of the folks there looked at it as a chance to develop a better tolerance and tried to see the positive.

There was one thing I noticed that consistently happened with him.
Every time he went to make a dice roll he’d say “Not a 6” or “Not a 4” and then he would consistently get the number that he didn’t want. I watched him do that for awhile and then pointed out that the Universe doesn’t hear the “Not a” part of his request, it only hears the SUBJECT and then sends him what he asks for. “You don’t have to get all mystical about it” was his reply, so I let it rest.

The fact is that every time we make a statement we are, in effect, telling the Universe what we want, and usually we get it. Learning to be aware of what we’re asking for can be an interesting lesson, which leads us right into the next subject.

Intention

Awareness is all about sensing energy at a variety of levels, but intention is what we DO with that energy. Learning to live with a more positive attitude is an act of intention, as is actually sending energy to another person which is something that we all do all the time.

People often talk about ‘good intentions’ or ‘bad intentions’ also. At a very subtle level it’s possible to sense a person’s intention. This can be a useful tool when dealing with someone during a conflict. It can also be extremely useful in the dojo or on the street for self defense as you can actually train your body to respond to the violent intentions of your attacker. This can be both good and bad, as sometimes someone can intend to attack you, but not actually do it. Responding to that can give away your skills as well as accidentally escalate a situation. Try the following drills and exercises for yourself and see what you think. This can be a lot of fun to play with and can really add some variety to your training regimen.

© 2006 Robert Morgen. This article may be used by anyone, anywhere as long as the author’s bio and links are included.

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“Intention and Awareness” is an excerpt from Robert Morgen’s new book “Easy Meditation for Martial Artists” (ISBN: 978-0-9773801-3-8 )

Robert Morgen is a Reiki Master who holds a Black Belt in Hoshinjutsu and a Brown Belt in Combat Hapkido. He’s founder of the Mystic Village Online Community at www.mysticvillage.org

He writes a regular column on subtle (or internal) energy for Fight Times Magazine and a column on Kundalini Awakening at Kundalini Awakening Magazine. He’s the author of 3 books and 4 CDs on meditation and energy work.

He’s a member of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids as well as the International Bujinkan Dojo Association, Canemasters International and the International Combat Hapkido Federation.

You can learn more about his books, Kundalini and Martial Arts Seminars and free events and newsletters at his website at www.mysticwolfpress.com

" Robert Morgen’s Easy Meditation CD Set" (ISBN 0-9773801-6-5) is available at amazon.com, retail outlets around the country and directly from the publishers website.