Cowards can never be moral.

~ Mahatma Gandhi ~

Some may feel that last quote by Gandhi above is a bit harsh, but point is clear: cowardice is a bad and undesirable quality. It’s something we don’t want.

What we want is to be more in touch with courage within, so that we can reach our highest potential, achieve more in life, and make a positive contribution to society.

With that in mind, I would like to share with you a technique on how to use film or television to help unleash courage within. (By way, you can use this technique whether a show is based on a true story or not.)

You see, it’s not so much “what” you watch, but “how” you watch.

What do I mean by this? (You’ll understand in a minute.)

Basically, technique goes like this:

Just before watching any show that has characters who exemplify courage (of course, nearly all shows have them), give a direct command to your subconscious mind to reinforce “courage” in your being every time you see and feel it during show.

What you are doing is establishing a clear objective/purpose for watching show—in advance (something a lot of us don’t normally do).

For example, just before a show starts, say following to your subconscious mind (internally—not aloud):

“John/Jane (or whatever your name is), reinforce courage in my being each time I see and feel it.”

(Tip: I found that it’s best to give your subconscious mind a name—usually “your” name—since you’re merely talking to another part of yourself. Also, when you give your subconscious mind a command, or an instruction, trust fully that it will carry it out. Avoid doubt at all costs. Belief is very powerful.)

What this technique does is reinforces “feeling” of courage in your nervous system.

When you make it a habit of doing this, with all shows you watch (we’re talking about shows that include courageous characters, of course—again, nearly all do), you’ll notice a positive change in your life. In beginning, change may be subtle, but as time goes by, it will become more obvious.

By way, this can be used for any trait/quality you want to reinforce in your being (ex. love, sense of justice, etc.).

For example, if you wish to reinforce many qualities in your being in one sitting, just say:

“John/Jane (or whatever your name is), reinforce courage, love, and compassion (add as many qualities as you wish) in my being each time I see and feel them.”

(In fact, if there’s a particular show you like, one that has a role model of courage—you may want to access DVD/VHS of that show and watch it several times, while applying this technique. It would be even better if you could fast forward DVD/VHS and go straight to “specific scenes” where you felt courage strongest. That way, you don’t have to watch whole show all over again. Besides, you already know how story goes.)

As you can see, this technique can be highly beneficial, since you will not be watching shows for sole purpose of being entertained. Instead, you will also be watching for purpose of reinforcing a highly desirable quality, such as courage, in your being.

As time goes by, you'll be more and more in touch with courage within. It will be unleashed more naturally and automatically when you need it.

5) FOCUS ON YOUR INNER BEING. Bring into your mind exactly what you want and need in your life. If you seek within and find a need for comfort, pray for comfort and it will appear in dreams, solace from others and synchronicity leading to right person, book or study group. If it is money or a life-partner that you want, then prepare for change that is coming. Since you are shifting physical reality, expect and accept inevitability of change. See and sense it so that you don’t panic in middle of stream and resist your coming good.

6) SEE THE DIRECTION OF FLOW. Double-check to make sure that you are working in accord with every aspect of your being. Where attention goes, energy flows, so make sure your energetic stream is flowing in direction that’s right for you. See big picture.

7) BELIEVE WHAT YOU CONCEIVE. Once your desired outcome is firmly in mind, write it down feelingly so that it animates power of your heart. Be sure that your affirmation is credible. If you write, "I’m in receipt of $5 million right now," your logic will reject this as improbable. If it’s money that you want, decide what you need in order to accomplish your goals and declare that this sum is making its way to you. You have to be able to believe what you conceive.

8) CRAFT YOUR WISH. Create symbolic representations of your heart’s desire to energize it. You can draw your own images or cut out colorful, vibrant pictures from magazines. Place these images and your written affirmations where you will see them often, such as a bathroom mirror, refrigerator or computer screen, or all three! You could also create a poster of any size and dress it up with glitter, slogans or anything else that appeals to you. The more energy you put into your images and words, quicker your results. Desire propels intention, so let your feelings and thoughts empower what you want to manifest, knowing that what you seek is on its way to you.

Some of these manifestation principles are taught in a 12-week course that I’ve taken repeatedly, called "The 4-T Principles of Prosperity," by late, great Unity teacher Stretton Smith. Story is a wonderful source of encouragement in this program, so I’ll share one of my stories with you.

Several years ago, I pasted a big picture of a cruise ship on a poster-board and taped poster on inside door of my meditation room. Upon moving house, I hung it up on door of my new meditation room, but paid no attention to it and only a few months ago restated my wish to teach on a paid-for cruise. After seeing movie "What Bleep Do We Know?!" I went into meditation, wrote three powerful affirmations and voiced them often over past few months.

One of these affirmations was: "My heart is filled with love which pours out of me to world and returns in financial rewards and exciting opportunities to heal and be healed." Not only was I soon invited, out of blue, to lead an Oct. 4-12 Flow of Intuition cruise to Caribbean–join us!–as you can see from this newsletter, I suddenly find myself exorcising "ghosts" from my past while, by no coincidence, beginning to heal others through brainwave biofeedback training.

In my affirmation, I asked for exactly what my soul-self wanted and needed, but preferred to be open enough to receive unforeseen possibilities. These arrived quickly as I reinvested energy in them.

9) AMP UP THE VOLTAGE. If you have an open-minded friend, ask him or her to get together with you by phone or in person to support your goals. It’s best for your friend to paraphrase your affirmation with his/her own feelings, as in "I see hundred dollar bills drifting down all around you, and you joyously gathering them up to pay for your shiny new red Toyota." (Be specific, if you need to be.) Or, "I see and feel and know that perfect partner is awakening to your inner beauty and sensing how to find you right now!" (Be non-specific, if you are able to surrender to divine right order.)

You will be amazed at difference it makes to hear someone else share your dream(s)! Energy moves quickly when two or more are gathered together to manifest good. Gather all supporters you can.

If you and your manifestation partners are open to idea of prayer, it certainly helps to call on not just your power of mind, but also power of Spirit. In this case, you could phrase your affirmation in affirmative prayer: "God rejoices in giving you a shiny new red car so you can travel to that perfect job and your life will be blessed and enriched. You deserve everything good in life, and power of Spirit within you grows stronger moment by moment to attract infinite power of Good."

See how energy amps up when we draw on inter-dimensional energies of Spirit? If word God evokes in you images of an angry, vengeful judge with a white beard, your partner can say, "God in you" or "The source of good within you" does this or that. It’s all same. The God-energy doesn’t care about names.

10) BE JOYFUL, FAITHFUL AND PATIENT. Once you have amplified your affirmation, be assured that change is on its way. Watch for patterns and events foreshadowing this coming change and be patient as new beginnings take shape. You might get exactly what you asked to manifest, or what comes might be a prelude to real thing.

No matter what, expect that your heart, mind and soul are co-creating with power of Love and that this work is already underway. Be grateful, happy and even joyful that this power exists within and all around you, waiting for your love and faith to animate it. You will never be given a stumbling block, only a stepping stone, and each will take you exactly where your soul-self needs and wants to go.

If you find that these energies stir up old thoughts and emotions, just open up, release them and let Love carry away what you no longer need. Do this consciously and repeatedly, if necessary. Remember that you don’t have to get wrapped up in past events; you can simply observe them and love yourself for excellent healing work that you are doing.

Happy new beginnings! By courageously moving into your past, you are emerging on other side of it into an exciting new life. You, as Light, enliven and energize us all!

Judith Pennington is a writer, singer and coast-to-coast teacher of meditation and evolution of human consciousness. She is author of The Voice of Soul, a compelling personal journey into meditative writing and guiding wisdom of soul. Visit her primary website, www.eaglelife.com, to check for a workshop near you, read excerpts from her book and sign up for her free e-newsletter, "The Still, Small Voice," and subscription e-zine, "OneWorld Spirit," dedicated to art, beauty, truth, spiritual politics and global peace.