Hey, thanks y'all, for the feedback! It was really cool to come back here and see that there were actually responses! A bunch of 'em! And yes, Rainie, I wrote that just for you. ;p Mc, OMIGOD! I can't believe you've HEARD of the Principles! YES, the book The Enlightened Gardener DOES have everything to do with the Principles, and it was Syd Banks, the author of the book, that I went to Salt Spring Island to meet. He lives there and I was blessed to spend time with both him and his wife, Judy. How very, very cool that someone here had actually heard of these philosophies. It's really good stuff. Penguin, it was real when you asked the question, but then it slipped into the past and became thought, so, no, now it's not real at all. :p [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 46 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,405 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $138 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 4 [B]Hrs:[/B] 19 [B]Mins:[/B] 39 [B]Seconds:[/B] 22

In my line of work, I get sent to different cities to learn stuff (cool, huh?). Anyway, a few years ago, I was sent to Salt Spring Island near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and during that very memorable trip, I was exposed to a set of philosophies which are simply called, �The Three Principles.� I was immediately taken by the truth I perceived in the simplicity of these philosophies. Why am I mentioning it here? Because I believe that the Principles have, in some ways, made it easier for me to quit smoking, and so if it helped me, it might help someone else, who knows?! The Three Principles are [b]Mind[/b], [b]Consciousness[/b], and [b]Thought[/b]. I could go into the details about each of them, but I�ll skip right to [b]Thought[/b]. We all know what thought is, after all, we all have thoughts, all the time. Thoughts are generated from our brains, which are very complex computers which store all of our memories. Memories are stored thoughts. With me so far? Nothing �new age� or weird about these concepts. So far. ;) Our brains are pre-programmed to 1) retrieve our stored thoughts and provide us with options and 2) sift through all stored thoughts and provide recommendations. The brain, as a physical part of our bodies, is, of course, ruled by our instinct to survive, so any recommendations will be prioritized by placing particular emphasis on any past experiences which involved pain and/or discomfort. For example, a young child might reach a finger out toward an iron � but then recall that the last time he touched the iron, the result was painful. The child�s brain brought that memory � that stored thought � to the child�s attention with a very urgent recommendation, and the child responded immediately by pulling his finger back from the iron. Like this example, every experience, every sensation, every single thought is stored in the human brain for later retrieval. Both negative and positive experiences are recorded and are made available to us by the computer we call the brain. The thing is � and this is the weird part, if there was gonna be one � [b]none of it is real.[/b] Thoughts are not real. Sometimes they seem real, but they are not. Memories (stored thoughts) are not real. They were real when t

Well, since I opened the whole �Three Principles� can of worms, I thought I might as well go a bit further and explain another aspect of the philosophies. While talking about the topic of [b]Thought[/b], I made this statement: [i]�Our brains are pre-programmed to 1) retrieve our stored thoughts and provide us with options and 2) sift through all stored thoughts and provide recommendations.�[/i] Both #1 and #2 seem true, don�t they? Let�s try an example. Okay, you�re standing at a street corner, waiting to cross. A car is coming toward you but it has its turn signal on, indicating that it�s going to turn before it gets to where you�re standing. The decision is: Walk or don�t walk. Does your brain sift through options? Does it recall what a turn signal means? Does it recall the many, many times that a turn signal has indicated a driver�s intention to turn? Does it recall the few times that a turn signal has incorrectly indicated such a thing, because the driver is unaware that it�s on? Does it quickly calculate the likelihood that the turn signal is real? Does it make a recommendation to you whether to walk or not walk? [b]The brain brings up stored information � in the blink of an eye! � and assists us with making each and every decision.[/b] Do you agree with that statement? If you answered �yes,� then logic would indicate that you agree with another component of The Principles: [i]You are not your brain. [/i] You, the you that is in charge, the you that makes decisions, [i]you[/i] receive stored thoughts [i]from[/i] your brain. Therefore, the personality of you, the essence of you, the spirit of you or however you want to refer to it � is SEPARATE from the brain (and also separate from the thoughts). Regardless of �formal� belief system, most will agree that this concept is true, that the part of us that IS us resides within the physical body we inhabit, but that physical body, (including the physical organ we call the brain) is not US. Weird Principles concept #2: The part of us that IS US -- is healthy. It�s not broken, it�s not corroded, it�s not even dirty. It�s just as healthy as it was the day we were born. It gets ignored a lot, but it�s healthy. Here�s where current psychology would disagree wit

That is the "inner self", before all the garbage of life gets piled on. The inner self is the part that is just as it was when you were born. It is the "true self". Find it sometime... it's a wonderful person!!! AND... it doesn't smoke. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 12/31/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 49 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 741 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $94.57 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 17 [B]Mins:[/B] 45 [B]Seconds:[/B] 49

PRECISELY!!! auntdeb :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 46 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 2,323 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $218.5 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 6 [B]Hrs:[/B] 9 [B]Mins:[/B] 27 [B]Seconds:[/B] 17

SammiJo: Beautiful! Words to remember, for sure, especially at key moments. "Thoughts Are Not Real". Right on, girl! Thank you for the post. Keep the faith [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 10/8/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 131 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 5,263 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1048 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 17 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 58 [B]Seconds:[/B] 27

SammiJo, Nice post. It really makes sense. Gives me something to think about other than the fact that I don't smoke!!!! Have a good one, Cheers, Jan [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 1/13/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 34 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,038 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $306 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 3 [B]Hrs:[/B] 21 [B]Mins:[/B] 21 [B]Seconds:[/B] 44

Sammi TOP POST SO TRUE! me [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 8/8/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 192 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 4,035 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �1008 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 38 [B]Hrs:[/B] 10 [B]Mins:[/B] 17 [B]Seconds:[/B] 9

SammyJo, You've hit the nail right on the head. Good girl ;p Dutch xxx [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 4/1/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 321 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 9,633 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �946.95 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 44 [B]Hrs:[/B] 16 [B]Mins:[/B] 11 [B]Seconds:[/B] 49

True dat! :8|: [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B] 9/8/2006 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 161 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 8,079 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1288 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 17 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 41 [B]Seconds:[/B] 4