Cottrell's novels (at least some of them), take place in Laos.  I love them.  Hugely entertaining, clever, fresh; you feel good reading them.  Once I discovered them, I did not stop reading until I read all of them.

This just entered my mind.

I was feeling anguish at witnessing so many folks "on the path," "seekers," first of all trying to get somewhere, and second, trying to be something different from who they are.

It just does not work that way.

With this effort, you just get further from what you're after.

The answers are in the present moment in who you are right now.  That's the point of unfoldment.  Our growth is built right into us by being exactly who we are.  In that knowing, embracing, it will lead us to where we want to go, that sense that we have of our own potential, the greater us, our divine self.

It's easy to sink into the moment, into the truth of the moment, if you can just shift your mind to knowing it's where it's at--that which you are seeking.  Things get easier after that, and progress becomes more consistent.

Long time ago when I healed a long-standing situation what struck me was the simple understanding that healing is possible.  From that moment on, I knew there could be relief from any difficult situation.

This was so long ago; I had forgotten that that was my default stance about any aspect of life.

Recently I had traveled and met people who have been dealing with the exact same issue for the last 30 years--and the issue was still where it was 30 years ago!  What's it like to live for that many years with the same problem hounding you day after day?  A nightmare.  You are never free.  Always under the weight, the burden, the torment of this thing.

If you're in a situation that is anything like this, where you feel totally stuck and see no way out, know that there is a way out.  Know that healing is possible.  Know that you do not have to be hounded by this thing for the rest of your life.  You can be free.

It's start with that simple knowing:  healing is possible.

After that, you simply set out to search for a way.  And you don't stop until you've succeeded.

We're all brought up with certain ways we view the world, beliefs of what's possible and not possible.  Each one of us could stand to expand our understanding by about 90%.  The reality is that there are so many possibilities and potentials for us in the world, we just have to know that, start to feel it, and doggedly pursue solutions until we get the results that we want, until we are healed, until we are free.

To be free means to be free to unfold, evolve, grow, as these opportunities come our way (sometimes through challenges).  It's the opposite of being stuck with that one problem that does not allow unfolding in any area of our life.

To be free means to be able to choose a lot of things about our life.

To be free means to be able to be in your life as it is and feel options and possibilities.

After that, freedom is the capacity to create our own life from our inner self, a condition where our inner self matches our outside life--and all that created smoothly, easily.  Even the places and times when we are in a major transition, and we feel we're up against something intractable, we still know even at those times when it feels that difficult, that we will expand in consciousness and unfold into that spaciousness again.  We just have to persist, prevail.

In the end, this is the only activity we have--to expand in consciousness in this way.  The sooner we accept this as our task, the easier things are for us.

But back to the basics.  Don't let yourself suffer under the old weight.  Know that you can be free of it.  Take action.  Give yourself a chance to be free, to blossom, to flourish, to know joy, love, and peace.

It came to me the other day that praying is what you do and think in the moment.  The act and thought move out from you as energy setting the course for your life.  If you pray something separate from what you do and think, you reinforce the duality that does not exist in Reality, and reinforce your separation, the very one you're wanting to bridge through prayer.

Tricky business.

And yet we can pray for help to establish in us the consciousness that will make us whole and One.

Ultimately, Being is all there is at any moment.

Again, tricky business to make all this work out in physical time and physical world.

If you want to publish a book, you can do it for free with Create Space, https://www.createspace.com

There are lots of self-publishing venues.  They offer different things with different royalties, advantages and disadvantages.  You can research this further.  You'll find reviews and comparisons on the Internet as well as written up in varies books.  You can decide what works best for you.

Create Space is fantastic because you spend zero money up front.  Create Space is owned by Amazon.  When your book is sold, at that point Create Space gets a percentage and you get a percentage.

"Try This Exercise: Your Ideal Environment
In one paragraph—or more, if you like—answer this question:

In what imaginary environment would your best self emerge?

Most of us have never asked ourselves that question because it’s not considered askable. What we’ve been trained to ask is, “How can I fit into some preexisting environment? How can I change myself to fit the world?” When we go to the store, we hope we’ll fit into the clothes on the racks. If the jeans are too long or too narrow, it’s we who are too short or too fat. If we happened to have three arms, we’d cut one off rather than politely but firmly insist on a jacket with three sleeves!

Just in fantasy, I’d like you to try shaping the world to your needs for a change. Imagine an environment that is perfect for someone with all your present characteristics—a world so tailored to your nature that you’d be at your best in it without changing yourself one bit. Let the environment do all the work for you.

I’m going to stop right here and define my terms a little bit. By “environment,” I don’t just mean your physical surroundings. Sure, it would be nice to have a house with a patio and a swimming pool and a huge fireplace, and it might be even nicer to be in the Bahamas under a palm tree. But I don’t want you to spend too much time on the color of your walls or the climate and the vegetation, unless that is vital to your best state of mind. It may be. But “environment” is also, very importantly, your human environment: the kinds of people you’d like to be surrounded by; how much privacy you need, and how much interaction; what kinds of help you’d like; what kinds of responses you’d want to your ideas.

You might need to be challenged…or just really listened to. (You will certainly need to be respected.) You might want to be a teacher, with the opportunity to inspire your students; or you might like to be a learner, surrounded by people who could teach you all kinds of fascinating things. You might want to be in charge of a large operation staffed by totally cooperative, efficient, loyal people who are dying to do whatever you tell than to. Or you might prefer to be a member of an egalitarian group effort. It’s entirely up to you.

And “Let the environment do the work for you” means don’t change yourself in this fantasy. Above all, don’t improve yourself. Improve the world, so that your characteristics stop being problems. If you hate doing the housework, don’t imagine you being more self-disciplined or patient. Imagine eight little gremlins following you around cleaning up after you! (Be as whimsical as you like—this is fantasy, so anything goes.) If you’re disorganized, or you need a lot of love, or you’re shy, or you tend to procrastinate, don’t think of those characteristics as “weaknesses” that need changing. Think of them as design problems—challenges to your ingenuity as a world-maker. Create an environment that fits and supports you as you are, so that you are comfortable, secure, and free to turn in your best performance.

I think you’ll enjoy this exercise. You won’t be asked too often to re-design the world to suit you. But you have to know that it’s important to think about what such a world would be. What emerges is another view of who you are.

Print this page and write your answer or share your answer in the Comments section.

(If you’d like to do the next step in this exercise—it’s pretty good and you might like it—just go to www.wishcraft.com and open to Chapter 3. Then turn to page 49 and start reading.)"

Just discovered Ben Rehder.  Oh, what fun!  He refers to his books as "comic crime novels."  They are hugely funny, entertaining, educational and insightful.

Ben's ability to get into the language and world view of a character (of which he has plenty), is remarkable, as is his ability to create hugely complex plots.

He writes the kinds of books that you cannot put down, and you feel great reading; massive escapism which we all need at times.