Out of Crisis and Into Joy!

How I made the decision to tap the Universe to navigate my way out of crisis 

In my book Conscious Musings I talk about all of the external influences that routinely threaten our power and our ability to tap our own consciousness and that of Universal consciousness.  Have our traditional belief systems quarantined us from our ultimate potential?  Do the circumstances of our lives dictate our reality, or can we consciously and positively use our emotions and the power of our internal antenna to consciously create the reality of our lives and become the limitless and creative beings that we truly are? Although I'd aways sensed that the answer to this question was undoubtedly yes,  I had to live the answer for myself!

"The only source of knowledge is experience." - Albert Einstein

At the end of the book I tell the story of my own crisis and the emotional state that threatened to push me off of the path of joy and happiness and into a bottomless pit of depression.  I tell of how I made the conscious decision to use that “internal antenna” to glean messages from the Universe.  How I used synchronicities as my compass to navigate out of the crisis and most importantly that it worked!

Watch as I discuss how synchronicity "saved me" from a state of anxiety and depression and guided me toward a joyful existence.

Most of us are habituated into a worldview that dictates that our circumstances are largely in the hands of our external reality - the people, places, and things that surround our physical day-to-day lives and the act of routine - doing the same thing, the same way - day in and day out, certainly makes it seem that what you see is what you get.  That is until you have the gumption to switch it up, shift your focus and tune in to the true undercurrent of reality, complete with its vast and endless possibilities.  This epiphany is powerful and it is in the conscious linking into this field of awareness, knowledge, and wisdom that can free you from the grip of a marginalized reality.  Challenge is often the hand that pushes us toward this realization.  When you get to that very point - that bottom point and you make the conscious decision to tap that which we are all connected to - a CONSCIOUS Universe, we can then unchain ourselves from an expected reality and begin to live a truly empowering life! 

When you realize that you have EVERYTHING you need to guide you out of challenge and into the life you truly desire, the Universe will see YOU and support you; will work with you, dance with you and take your hand!  And how refreshing it is to know that you have a partner and an ally that is infinitely more powerful and wise than any outside “authority” telling you what your life is; what you can or cannot do, and most importantly who you really are!

In my own case, I was driven to make the conscious decision to trust the Universe – I made it my friend, and it took my hand and literally guided me out of crisis and back into joy!

Alexis Brooks is the best-selling author of Conscious Musings - Contemplations to Transform Life and Realize Potential and is the host of the popular  Conscious Inquiry Radio program, exclusively presented by Conscious Life News.  Visit Alexis on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!

The Magic within the Madness

Crisis, challenge, fear, anxiety, madness - words regularly used these days to describe the tumult that threatens humanity, it seems, on a daily basis.

Turn on the news and it doesn't take long.  In fact in no time, the "bleed leads" headlines are in our face.  We ingest them, leave home with them, bring them to work, to school - to bed!

The Ft. Hood shooting, the Pennsylvania school stabbing, the missing Malaysia Airlines flight.  The headlines persist and so do our anxieties.

We'll often go to bed with these and other personal crisis on our minds. Rather than waking up refreshed, we can wake up in a panic.  Or maybe we never get to sleep at all!  Nightmares may occur that bleed over into our waking reality.  The tumult seems to be this virtual feedback loop, both in the sleep and waking state.  Therefore they are fed on a regular basis by what appears to be all around us.

But what's within that madness?  As creative beings, with the capacity to see reality through a very personal lens - a subjective one, wouldn't it behoove us to take control of the way we see things?  Now more than ever, we need to sit in a mode of reflection rather than reaction to the stimuli so readily available for our digestion.  If in fact we are to navigate our way out of the tumult and eventually put it to rest, perhaps nothing less will do!

In September of 2013, my husband and I found ourselves in the middle of this "madness."  Not necessarily obtained by just watching the news (we do so very infrequently), but probably triggered by the external circumstances: the people, places and times as they are, that we are almost forced to interact with on a daily basis.  Economic distress, uncooperative and apathetic individuals, the threat of loss of "security" - these are all realities many of the masses are dealing with if they decide to stay in a mode of reaction.

We didn't - we couldn't.  Sure, the madness got us down on occasion, but we made a conscious choice to shift our focus and glean what meaningful messages we could from the madness and crisis we were faced with a few short months ago.

I share this very personal story in my new book, Conscious Musings - Contemplations to Transform Life and Realize Potential.  I highlight a very difficult financial period, a health "challenge," and a world that appeared to be unraveling at the seams.  It was "do or bust" time for us.  We chose to shift the focus, stop the reaction and begin the process of reading the messages of the Universe that we felt intuitively to be embedded within the madness.  

"I took the cues of the Universe, metaphorical as they would come, although I knew it would speak to me if I asked.  And so the dialogue between [us] began.  Some strange things happened during those turbulent, anxiety ridden months....[the messages] came in dreams, in peculiar, beautiful, powerful, and sometimes humorous synchronicities - just enough to keep sane while riding out this storm." - from Conscious Musings, p. 147

 It is absolutely amazing to me - still - that the Universe will comply with our request - meet us halfway, if we are willing to commit to hearing, seeing and feeling its message.

I've always felt that shadow and light both have a purpose.  I've always sensed that opportunity is often masked in challenge, that diamonds are always underneath the dirt.  But we must dig, we must be aware and we must learn the language of the Universe to find these gems.

Fortunately we did.  I don't think that we had much of a choice frankly - nothing else was working - the old ways of attempting to solve problems are disintegrating right in front of our eyes.  An opportunity to try something new was in the offing!

We worked or sensed our way out of the madness.  And as much as I wouldn't invite crisis into our lives at any time, or in anyone else's, I'm loathed to not look back and reflect on how this madness was a gift to us both!  During our journey down this road - throughout this tumult, we discovered things that probably could have never been discovered had we not traveled down this path.  The power of imagination, affirmation, and the art of play all figured prominently in our quest to get ourselves back to equilibrium.

There's no doubt that the twists and turns of life as we understand it, especially during these times have yet to be smoothed out.  Many advise that we should "buckle up," for we are still in for quite the ride as a planet and as a species.

But if we can harness the power of reflection and action, we might just realize that miracles, magic and joy are cleverly disguised as madness, crisis and fear.  And maybe it will take this realization to evolve into the limitless beings that I am convinced we all are!

Alexis Brooks is the #1 best-selling author of Conscious Musings - Contemplations to Transform Life and Realize Potential and host of Conscious Inquiry Radio - An exclusive presentation of consciouslifenews.com.

The Most Important Education is Free!

The other day I was speaking to a friend about the outrageous costs associated with college these days.  She is in the process of college "shopping" with her son, who will graduate from high school this year.  He'd been accepted to several schools and has a preference for where he would like to attend.  The good news - he got accepted to his school of choice.  The BAD news, she may not be able to send him unless she gets some serious financial help!

During our conversation we reminisced about how when we attended college, the annual tuition was merely a fraction of what it is today, and still our parents complained!  If they only knew what they'd be faced with today, we'd probably have to be left to our own devices to figure out how to learn on our own without the luxury of attending college!

I'd recently learned about yet another price hike in college tuition to attend Harvard - nearly $60,000 per year - up almost 4% from the previous year!  Granted, this is an Ivy League learning institution, but I cannot help but wonder if  there's another way to obtain a "good education" without breaking the bank.

Enter the Autodidact 

You might ask, "What on earth is that?"  An autodidact is essentially one who obtains knowledge without the benefit of a formal education - essentially a self learner.

It is interesting to note that we've had many autodidacts in our past who proved to be brilliant thought-leaders, change makers - those who greatly affected the course of history.  They include Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglas, Thomas Edison, The Wright Brothers, Leonardo da Vinci, Frank Lloyd Wright,  and Ernest Hemingway, among many others.

In our recent history and present day, we are still graced with these self motivated and voracious learners...

Musician Frank Zappa, TV's Craig Ferguson of the "Late Late Show," musicians David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix and actor Russell Crowe are all part of the list of those who had the proclivity, the motivation and the In-sight to learn (and learn brilliantly) on their own and without the benefit of a formal education.

Enter Intuition

Whether or not you will find a full-on biographical sketch about these aforementioned "thinkers" that include an admitted acquiescence to something we call intuition, is questionable, although it is well documented that some, including Abraham Lincoln was quite keen toward this inner-aptitude and used it quite frequently.

That said, my absolute surmise is that those who have sought fit to pursue a true education by self-learning and reach the pinnacle of their profession, were inspired by something intangible - they were nudged by an inner knowing that the answers to equations, the science of music, the masterpiece expressed through a paintbrush, or the ability to invent and build the first successful airplane were attainable through the inner sense or intuition.  Whereby intuition and insight are first tapped to inspire the outer expression (that of the right brain), the left brain, that of logic and reason, was also no doubt in play.  These are people that know and knew how to synchronize "left" and "right" and create in ways unimaginable to others.

In fact, I recently interviewed physician and author of "One Mind," Larry Dossey in which we spoke of the possibility that many if not all of these true thought leaders understood that a continuum of consciousness - that which contains all knowledge, whether yet expressed or not, could be tapped.  Inspiration that comes from dreams, waking visions and other inspirations stemming from the "invisible world."  This is the true reservoir of education, of discovery and of invention!

It was in fact Buckminster Fuller, renowned scientist, inventor, and philosopher (and also an autodidact) who said, "...we are facing our final evolutionary exam.  Is the human species fit to survive?  Can we wake up sufficiently so that we can use our prodigious powers for the good of all, and for the many generations to come?"

It is time that we wake up and begin to use our innate prodigious powers as never before.  All knowledge is within.  Let us begin by tapping our IN-tuition and leave the tuition bills behind!

To learn more about how to tap intuition, use dreams, and synchronicity to transform your entire life, read Alexis' new best-selling book, Conscious Musings - Contemplations to Transform Life and Realize Potential!

Transformation Happens One "Contemplation" at a Time!

Can we reach our potential by harnessing the magic and magnificence of contemplation?

...According to the overwhelming response from the new release of Conscious Musings, the answer is YES!

So happy to report that Conscious Musings hit #1 Best-Selling status on Amazon on its debut!

This is excellent news, not for its coveted status, but for the recognition that many are having about re-claiming personal power - and creating a transformation for themselves and by themselves!

These are absolutely challenging times, agreed.  But something is nudging us with the message that "challenge" has a greater purpose.  It's not just to inflict pain and suffering on one or many, just because it can,  but to illuminate opportunity that also exists and is masked within the challenge. 

We've heard it before, there is opportunity in challenge!  In fact, I talk about personal "crisis" in Conscious Musings that ultimately guided me toward recognizing my own personal power - something that probably wouldn't have been realized had I not gone through the experience and chosen to look!

We are on a magnificent journey - each and every one of us.  And without a journey, there can be no destination.  I've said this before, "Life is not about the destination - it's about the journey." ...Although I suppose we'll all come to our destination at some point.  No matter the circumstance; how ugly and un-wanted it may be, there is an important message that lies in every experience.  And if we can harness the power of reflection, we will ultimately be presented with the magic that the experience has to offer.

"If you look deep enough, you'll recognize that the magic is embedded in the madness." ~Alexis Brooks

What a journey it has been to write and experience the adventure of Conscious Musings.  With all the dips and curves, ebbs and flows,  pleasure and pain, and emotional turmoil (the madness), the outcome has been all worthwhile.  I've been afforded the opportunity to contemplate my own journey -  and ours, and in the process I've realized what transformation is all  about.  My absolute desire is that you find your way on your own journey - one that is filled with magic, mystery, and magnificence. We've been given the inner- map to navigate the terrain.  Just Contemplate the possibilities and realize who you really are!

Self Help? It May Be Easier Than You Think!

Updated: March 2014

Bestselling author Alexis Brooks debuts 

Conscious Musings - Contemplations to Transform Life and Realize Potential

What people are saying about Conscious Musings...

"A real page turner" - "mind boggling" - "inspirational"

"transformational" - "a must read!"

What does this post 2012 era have in store for us?  Will we have any say in how our lives play out?  Can we truly create our own reality to our own specifications?  Can we use our dreams, intuitions, and synchronicities to trade our current reality for one we would rather experience?  According to the new release of Conscious Musings – Contemplations to Transform Life and Realize Potential, the resounding answer is YES!

The act of self help takes on a whole new meaning with Conscious Musings - a powerful anthology of thoughts covering a broad range of experience and potential of today’s human.  From rationalizing reality to spiritual sovereignty; from dichotomies of consciousness to the emergence of individualism, death of the ego and behavior modification to transcending the limits of physical life as we know it.  This book delves deep into the big questions, and offers suggestions for achieving in ways we’ve yet to experience both individually and collectively.

Will out of body experiences (OBE’s) shed stunning light on our true potential?  Will accepting the reality of paranormal phenomena shift our paradigm to a whole new level?  Can we literally design our life from the Imaginal realm?  According to some of the most widely respected individuals in many areas of transformation and potential who are mentioned throughout this book, the answer is YES!

Hear from OBE expert William Buhlman about how incorporating self-initiated OBE’s can literally transform our perceptions about life and death.  Paranormal researcher and author Rosemary Ellen Guiley talks about how the thinning of the planetary veil has possibly initiated a more robust link with the spirit realm.  Gifted intuitive and teacher Penney Peirce shows us how to engage the imaginal realm to begin a joyful journey that is squarely within our grasp.   Near-death experiencer and researcher PMH Atwater reminds us about the necessity to take stock of our position in life: Are you a complacent consumer or change-maker?  The late author of the Holographic Universe, Michael Talbot comments on how the “weird” is a means to understanding the practical applications of the paranormal realms and what they have to teach us.  Dream expert and author Robert Moss conveys a riveting and inspiring story of how abolitionist and humanitarian Harriet Tubman used her innate psychic influence to change history!  There’s so much more!

Find practical and attainable solutions using heart-based visualization and meditation to begin the reality shift for yourself and learn how I tapped my own inner guidance to shift out of a reality that was fraught with challenge and desperation.

We do have a choice in how we live our lives and I am confident that once you read Conscious Musings you will never look at your life or your world through the same lenses again!

Exciting times are upon us, knocking at our door. Self help and transformation has taken on a whole new meaning in this new world for which we live.  Let’s unlock that door – we’ve already been given the key!  Let’s approach the mystery, the magic and the magnificence of life and of the Universe, because we have a unique stake in the process and in the outcome!

The time is now  to help your SELF!

Early praise for Conscious Musings!

“In Conscious Musings Alexis Brooks reminds us that the perfect world we are looking for might already be here. With an emphasis on personal responsibility and the importance of service to others, we become the change we want to see. This is an intelligently written, thoughtfully composed collection of essays that examine the human potential. It is a well-researched book that examines the influence of consciousness on reality, looking at the act of reflection rather than reaction. I was particularly intrigued by the idea that a simple change in one’s daily routine can be a pre-cursor to change in other areas of life. Read this enlightening work, and as Alexis so clearly states, ‘Embrace the journey’.”

-William Buhlman, author of Adventures in the Afterlife

“Conscious Musings is a marvelous collection of metaphysical principles designed to both educate and enlighten the reader. I highly recommend this book.”

-Dr. Bruce Goldberg, author of Exploring the Fifth Dimension – Parallel Universes, Teleportation and Out-of-Body Travel

“Conscious Musings is a celebration of inspiration and a feast for the soul. Alexis Brooks has a rare talent for combining the most mind-boggling metaphysical concepts with down-to-Earth practical ideas. She illuminates some of the great ideas of our time with graceful dexterity and takes us on a journey to comprehend the nature of reality, asking questions such as, ‘Is paranormal the new normal?’ Conscious Musings guides us through the challenges of our times, envisioning a state of mindful awareness and wonder we can attain by which all problems can be solved.”

  -Cynthia Sue Larson, author of Reality Shifts – When Consciousness Changes the Physical World

“Alexis Brooks is a great ‘muser!’ She zooms in on poignant topics in the news and life, and examines them in a spiritual, intuitive light. She connects the nonphysical and physical realms this way, helping us see through the veil of confusion and ignorance that surrounds us on a daily basis. It’s fun to contemplate the ideas along with her. It will help you notice other important things that want noticing.”

-Penney Peirce, author of Leap of Perception and Frequency

“Conscious Musings is wonderful, inspirational and motivating!  Alexis Brooks offers insights of great depth and wisdom that she seamlessly brings together into a perfect wholeness.  This book will help you gain a higher perspective on life and how to make it richer and more rewarding.”

-Rosemary Ellen Guiley, author of Dream Messages from the Afterlife and

Soul Journeys.

“If you are ready to contemplate the unknown, to expand your awareness, to remember who you are, I recommend Conscious Musings as a roadmap and Alexis Brooks your muse.”

-Ann Bolinger-McQuade, author of Everyday Oracles – Decoding the Divine Messages That Are All Around Us

“Alexis has provided all of us with a thoughtful, beautifully written understanding of ourselves, the times we are living in and the power of love. This book is sure to inspire, motivate and stimulate our perspectives on life in an uplifting way. It is a testament to the beauty of all that we are and a beauty we should never, ever forget.”

-Howard Martin, Executive Vice President, HeartMath and co-author  with Doc Childre of The HeartMath Solution

“Conscious Musings is a deep, entertaining and enlightening journey into these times of great crisis and opportunity.  Alexis Brooks effortlessly weaves personal reflections, cosmic truths, and our collective reality, into a narrative that is both thoughtful and heartful.  This work is a great contribution to an awakening humanity.”

-Steve Bhaerman aka Swami Beyondananda, co-author with Bruce Lipton of Spontaneous Evolution – Our Positive Future and A Way to Get There From Here

“Alexis Brooks’ search for truth has been so diligent that her Conscious Musings is able to offer sophisticated insights beyond the usual platitudes. The altitude of her worldview allows her to see beyond seeming dichotomies. She describes how a true ego is necessary to be both distinct and unified with the cosmos, that responsible individualism is the core of real connectedness as community and that authentic spirituality depends on the recognition of our sovereignty of every being. Such grounded expansiveness is both inspiring and timely when both waking up and clear manifesting are critical.”

-Foster Gamble, Creator of Thrive Movie – What On Earth Will it Take?

Read a sample chapter from Conscious Musings

The new release of the expanded print and Kindle version of Conscious Musings is

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