Personal Betterment: A One-Size-Fits-All Approach?

By Debra Markert

How many times have you persistently thought of an old friend...and then they appear?  How many times have you thought about a long-lost song...only to have it play on the radio? How many times have you been playing along with a game show like Jeopardy, when you scream out an incorrect answer...only to have it be the correct answer to the next question?

I believe our subconscious can will things into being. If you think about something long enough, and you combine just the right passion and energy, it happens. I think a lot of people call this prayer, but I slightly disagree. Prayer relies on an outside God, or force, to do something for you; I believe our minds are unharnessed, unexplored potential - we can make our own things happen. Recently, there have been scientific studies that show that prayer actually works, but I read the results of this study to mean that humans are sharp, sharp creatures; our minds are capable of altering outcomes when we set them to it.

I know many people who might take offense to the notion of an internal power source.  But why can't we explore the Goddess within ourselves?  I am not asking anyone to denounce their God of choice; rather, I propose that everyone start giving their own Goddess some recognition.  Religion is a useful way to inspire some, but do we all need an archaic book to dictate our spirituality, or our morality? Do we all need to follow, or conform, to one way of spiritual thinking, especially when that way is defined and constricted by only one outside rule and force?  Can spirituality be based on a one-size-fits-all approach?  Personally, I don’t think so.  Surely it should be socially acceptable to talk about our own individual capabilities and power. 

Why are we so afraid of our potential, and giving ourselves credit?