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Tim Ferriss wrote The 4-Hour Workweek. Then I wrote Why We’re Failing the 4-Hour Workweek. Now Jonathan Mead has written The Lie of The Four Hour Work Week. And I in turn will respond with The Lie of the Lie of the 4-Hour Workweek.

Just like Jonathan isn’t really accusing Tim of lying, I’m not really accusing Jonathan of lying. It just makes for a nice title. Plus, it sets up my critics to call their rebuttal post The Lie of the Lie of the Lie of the 4-Hour Workweek.

Tim says that we should find a way to not have to work so much, so we can do what we want. Jonathan says we shouldn’t think of work as something to avoid, but something that’s sacred, that lets us provide value and make a difference.

I agree with much of what Jonathan said. In fact, the only thing I really disagree with is his contention that what he and Tim are saying is really all that different.

We have a semantics problem here, in that people don’t really agree on what constitutes “work.” How can Tim not consider writing and marketing a best-selling book as work? What about doing his own TV show, being a champion tango dancer, building schools in Vietnam, etc? Don’t these things take a lot of effort? Yeah, but none of it is “work” to him.

I’m guilty of using the word “work” to mean two completely different things:
1. slavery, drudgery, tedium, burden, toiling, punishment, monotony
2. freedom, purpose, contribution, self-expression, making a difference, fulfilling your dreams

People are sometimes confused when I say something like “I want to retire so I can get my work done.” It’s because we have two definitions of work that are as different as night and day.

While I don’t feel like starting a movement to get the dictionary updated, let’s see if we can paraphrase Jonathan and Tim in terms of the definitions above.

Jonathan says: “Don’t think of what you do as work¹, think of it as work².”

Tim says: “Get your work¹ done in just four hours a week, so you have more time for work².”

These sound very similar to me!

While I agreed with much of what Jonathan said, some of his commenters really got to me. I’m going to quote them anonymously not because I’m stingy with link love, but because I’m going to be mean to them. Not just for the sake of being mean, but because they’re spewing nonsense like this:

“I actually had the four hour work week for about 18 months… I got so bored that I went and found a real job that paid me much less than I was earning from my four-hour work week business just because I wanted something to do.”

and this:

“I don’t believe he works 4 hours a week. I don’t believe anyone on their death bed will be satisfied with a life like that. That isn’t authentic happiness.”

and this:

“Most people would freak out with all the ‘psychic entropy’ if they had a 4-hour workweek. I know several rich entrepreneurs who did exactly that.”

and this:

“Tim Ferriss has some interesting ideas, but the key is NOT working LESS, but instead working MORE on things you LOVE.”

and this:

“I was a stay at home mom for while and could not take it after about 6 months. The lack of people interaction was mind numbing and I missed going to the office and taking trains. Nothing like a cup of joe from a cart on the corner. For those who like to go out, meet people and feel passionately about everything they do, that lifestyle would not be ideal.”

Did anybody actually read the book? Where is everyone getting the idea that Tim prescribed a life of sitting around and doing nothing all day? Is there some law that jobless people are not allowed to ride trains, get a cup of joe from a cart on the corner, go out, meet people, and feel passionate about everything they do? Tim specifically suggests pursuing a life of excitement and service, and his life is far from boring.

What bothers me the most about these comments is the insinuation that life is inherently worthless unless you have a master giving you assignments. Newsflash: if you can’t figure out what to do with your time, THE PROBLEM IS YOU.

Say you suddenly had complete time freedom. In this world of countless wonders, unprecedented technological advances, and critical problems to be solved, could you really not figure out a way to keep yourself occupied? I can’t imagine ever being bored with life no matter how long I lived, as long as I had the freedom to do what I wanted.

If you ever run out of things to do, you’ve overstayed your welcome on this planet. If you’re bored, I’m happy to give you some sacred work to do. But really, if you have nothing to live for until your boss tells you what to live for, you’re done. You’re already emotionally dead, so as a formality, you just need to complete the process by becoming physically dead. It should be a seamless transition for you.

I agree that one’s work should be sacred. Freud said “Love and work…work and love, that’s all there is.” But Freud’s work was a lot more exciting than putting cover sheets on TPS reports. Most people aren’t so fortunate, and it’s much more of a challenge for them to make a living from work that’s meaningful to them.

The commenter who missed going to the office actually touched on a good point. What if the job you already have is meaningful to you? Great! You don’t need to avoid your work because you like it. Do your work and be happy.

I agree that a job can be great. I’ve even been there myself. But in my experience, things always change. If you like your job now, will you still like it when you have a new manager, or they transfer you to another department, or the company goes out of business? I’d rather be in control so that I know I’ll like my work every day.

And yeah, Tim and I are a little more job-averse than most. I came across a very interesting study through @phdbre and @thembti on Twitter, in which job dissatisfaction was compared among different Myers-Briggs types.

The study found that the types most likely to be very dissatisfied with their job are ISTP (like Tim), INTP (like me), and ENFJ. None of the INFJs, INTJs, ENTJs, or ESTPs were very dissatisfied with their job.

What ISTP and INTP have in common is that they’re the two types whose dominant function is introverted thinking. I’m not sure why the ENFJs are in that group. They’re called “the great communicators;” maybe there aren’t a lot of jobs for great communicators out there.

Anyway, people all want to do different kinds of work, including kinds that might not be readily available in a traditional job. And the point of the 4HWW is to put your income generation on auto pilot so your time is freed up to do what you want…which in many cases will be work, just work that doesn’t pay so much (or you’d already be able to do it).

Let’s take a look at one more comment:

“My dream job would actually require working probably 60 or more hours out the week since I would like to manage a hotel. Someone like myself would find the book and that lifestyle very unsatisfying.”

Well, if that’s her dream job, why isn’t she doing it? There must be something that’s stopping her, and I don’t know what that would be other than time or money. So if she had enough time and money to manage a hotel, then she could be doing the work she wanted to, right? THAT’S WHAT THE 4HWW IS ALL ABOUT! So why are we disagreeing?

If you chase two rabbits, both will escape. But there are so many rabbits out there!

I have a guest post on IttyBiz about this problem, called Chasing the Right Rabbits (rated I for IttyBiz-level profanity). While it might appeal to anyone with too much on their plate, it was mainly written for current or aspiring home based business owners.

I wrote it about a month ago, when I was feeling overwhelmed with all the rabbits in sight. Things are different now, and I’m more focused on a smaller number of rabbits. More on that later.

Oh, and Naomi started the #ElusiveFugitiveMicrobunnies hashtag for related conversations on Twitter. Not sure how much use that’s going to get, but it’s there.

The Amazon Kindle may seem like just another fancy gadget for techno geeks. But make no mistake, this is the biggest invention since the cell phone. And with the release of the new and improved Kindle 2, it’s even bigger.

Here’s a picture of me holding 245,000 books in one hand. Or more accurately, access to said number of books. The latest version of the Kindle is the width and height of a small book, the thickness of a pencil, and it weighs just 10 ounces. But this little device hooks you up to practically unlimited knowledge. It’s like holding an entire bookstore in your hand. (And on the actual screen, you don’t see any glare like you do in this photo.)

Anytime you feel like reading something, just switch on your Kindle, browse the available listings, and wirelessly download a book in less than a minute, for less than the cost of a paperback. (Sorry, overseas friends – the Kindle is currently available only in the U.S. because of its reliance on Sprint’s 3G network. Verify that Kindle wireless coverage is available in your area.)

This is not some big clunky object. The Kindle 2 has a very sleek design, much better than its predecessor. It’s comfortable to hold, and it doesn’t get hot like a computer. The battery charges in 4 hours and lasts 4 days. It’s easy to use, with no technical skills needed. There are no contracts or anything to sign up for (assuming you already have an Amazon account). You really just take it out of the box and follow the simple on-screen guide to get started.

But what’s so great about this?

How is a Kindle that much better than just carrying a book around with you? Well, the difference is that with the Kindle, you’re not carrying around one book, but up to 1,500. (If you actually download that many books, you can delete them to free up space, and re-download them for free later.) Never again will you have an excuse for having nothing to do, or not knowing what book to take on a trip with you.

Here’s an example of how you might use it. You arrive at the airport, and find that your flight’s been delayed by 4 hours. Other people might be upset in that situation, but not you, because you have a Kindle.

You pull it out of your carry-on bag, and flip the switch. Two seconds later, the Kindle automatically loads the book you were reading last, opened to the exact page you were on. You were near the very end of the book, so you quickly finish it. What next? With a nearly infinite selection available, you feel like a kid in a candy store.

You remember people saying good things about Tribes by Seth Godin, so you decide to take a look. You press the Menu button and select “Shop in Kindle Store.” There are handy links to national best sellers, Kindle top sellers, and Amazon’s recommendations for you, as well as options to browse books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs.

You browse the book selections, and instead of choosing one of the 24 categories, you just type “Tribes” into the search engine. The Amazon rating and reviews for Tribes come up, but you’re more interested in downloading the free sample chapter. And you like it, so you decide to buy the book.

Your Kindle-less friends paid $13.57 plus shipping, and waited for 5 days. But you’ll pay just $9.99 and be reading it in less than a minute. (New releases are generally $9.99, even if the print version is $25 or more. Some cost less, and some are even free.)

While everyone else is twiddling their thumbs or trying to sleep on the airport benches, you’re soaking up Seth Godin’s wisdom and not even noticing the passage of time.

At first, I basically saw the Kindle as a fun and easy way to read more books. I really don’t read enough, and I know I’m going to be reading more now that I’ve got convenient, nearly unlimited access wherever I go. I’ll expand my knowledge, and thanks to the free sample chapters offered for many books, I’ll be able to take no-risk looks beyond the topics I usually read about.

However, I found the Kindle to be even better than I expected. I thought it would be the next best thing to having a real book, but it’s actually far superior to a printed book in several ways. For one thing, the readability is just amazing.

The picture above shows someone reading her Kindle in bright sunlight, without any glare. You can tilt it at any angle, and the text is always sharp and clear (more so than it appears in this picture). Sun or shade or indoors, it all works. You don’t need a great light source like you do with a printed book. There’s no backlighting you so can’t read it in total darkness, but pretty much any indoor location will be bright enough.

There are six different font sizes to choose from, so you can pick the one that’s best for your eyes. There are 16 shades of gray, so pictures look good. It really is gentler on your eyes than a computer screen, or even a printed book. The narrow column helps you read faster and not lose your place.

Read it in bed just like a regular book. You don’t need to turn any pages – just push one of the “next page” buttons that will naturally be under either of your thumbs. You don’t need a bookmark either – set it down when the phone rings and it will eventually go into power save mode, but it will never lose the page, even if you turn it off or start reading another book.

You can search within the book, mark sections to come back to later, and type up notes while you’re reading. Move the cursor to any word, and the built-in dictionary gives you a definition. You can have the Kindle read to you with its text-to-speech feature, but it sounds as bad as a GPS unit, and I don’t see why anyone would use this unless they have severe vision problems. You also have web access (currently in the experimental stage), though I found using Wikipedia to be painfully slow.

The Kindle also has a number of advanced features that I don’t really need, like the ability to take a Word or PDF document on your computer and email it to your Kindle account, having it converted to Kindle format for a charge of ten cents. But the advanced features stay out of your way, and don’t interfere with the basics.

Things the Kindle could do better:

1. When someone’s Kindle arrives on their doorstep, they’re eager to get started immediately. And while it’s easy to learn how to use it, you’ll quickly run into the problem of not having any books on it. Needing to stop and decide what book to start with really breaks your momentum. The Kindle should come with some books to get you started. Why not give the user Kindle access to all the books they’ve previously bought from Amazon?

2. They need to expand their selections, but of course they’re already working on that. They’ve got a huge number of books already, but if you’re looking for something in particular, it might not be available on the Kindle.

3. With the profit margins being so high on electronic books, they can afford to offer package deals. Like the complete works of Michael Crichton, for a huge discount.

4. The Kindle really needs a carrying case. While it’s easy to hold, it’s not so easy to take with you, because the way you would naturally carry it would put a thumbprint on the screen. I see now that there are some fancy cases available on Amazon, but the Kindle should at least come with a cheap pouch just so you have something protecting the screen. If I were to take it on a plane right now, I’d stuff it in my carry-on after wrapping it in saran wrap!

Is it worth the price?

The Kindle 2 sells for $359, the same as the Kindle 1 sold for. So far, they’ve focused on making the new model much better instead of bringing down the price. The Kindle 2 looks and works great, so I don’t see a need to wait for the next one.

Some people balk at the price, but I think it’s perfectly reasonable. Remember the $600 iPhone and PlayStation 3? Don’t forget that you’ll save money on books. If you buy 24 books at $9.99 on the Kindle instead of $24.99 for paperbacks, the Kindle pays for itself.

I know, it would take a while for that to happen, but the point of the Kindle isn’t to save money on books. It’s to immerse you in knowledge, insight, thought, and entertainment wherever you go. That’s worth a few hundred bucks to me.

Oh, and for your first Kindle book, consider UR, Stephen King’s $2.99 novella written exclusively for the Kindle. It’s about an English teacher who orders a Kindle after his ex-girlfriend asks him, “Why can’t you just read off the computer like the rest of us?”

This is the second part of an interview with Akashic record reader Akemi Gaines. Be sure to read the first part, if you haven’t already.

Hunter: Teilhard de Chardin said “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” You’ve been operating under the idea that we are a soul that incarnates into a body. The soul is who we really are, and the body is a shell for letting it experience the physical world. When the body dies, the soul lives on, possibly incarnating into another body.

Think about a lizard getting its tail cut off. It’s now in two parts. Which is the real lizard? The part with the head, of course. The lizard no longer needs that tail, so it can grow a new one. But keep in mind who’s running the show. It’s always the lizard that grows a new tail, never the tail that grows a new lizard.

If the body outgrows a soul and gets a new one, that’s like a tail growing a new lizard. If the soul is the highest level of our being, how can the body outgrow it? How can the body run the show, when it doesn’t even know what’s going on?

Akemi: Will you put away the tailless lizard, please? I see you in my mind eye holding it up to me. . . . Now put away that tail you are hiding in your left hand. Good.

I don’t think Ascension soul shift is a case where the body outgrows a soul. The 3D body is just a vehicle of the soul. Yes, the body gets a new soul, a new driver. It’s not the vehicle outgrew the soul – the soul chose to switch.

The first soul grew as far as it could so it switched with its newer version. There is nothing wrong about the first soul – in fact, it’s wonderful it has grown to that point.

But there comes a point where it can’t (or won’t) go up further. I use the analogy of elevators in tall buildings. In very tall buildings, we need to get off the elevator at midpoint and switch to another elevator to go to higher floors.

I really think this ascension is about a new way of life, a new system of existence. It’s not just about soul shifts – soul shifts are just one aspect of it. The big picture is that we are starting a new game. Instead of learning by contrasts, like poverty or abuse, we will just be. I think we may even be ending this life-death-next incarnation cycle.

Hunter: Does every person have a soul? Can anyone live without a soul? Last time I asked you about animals having souls, and you said you didn’t know. But if humans can’t live without souls, and bacteria can, then there’s some point where a species can’t evolve any further without getting a soul. Any idea where that point might be?

Akemi: Soul is the life energy that animates us, so I don’t think anyone is alive without a soul. I think some of the mysterious deaths may be related to soul issue.

When I have some spare time in the Hall of Akashic Records, I will check if a bacteria has a soul. Maybe their section is in the basement. . .

Hunter: You’ve said that a soul might choose to experience homelessness, if it thinks that’s the best way to execute its life plan. OK, sounds good for the soul, but what about the mind and body? Because the mind and body have no say in the matter, right? A soul just chooses where to incarnate, and the mind/body is forced to live with a soul that has its own agenda. Isn’t it a bit rude for a soul to make someone homeless when that’s not what they want?

Akemi: OMG . . . somehow this question is SO funny.

I think this has a lot to do with judgments our ego makes. You think homelessness is bad. Why?

Okay, okay, because you’ll be cold, dirty, hungry, and people wouldn’t like you. But what if you knew you could become rich soon? It’s kind of fun to live the rags to riches story, isn’t it? When you are rich, you have a story – you are not just another boy who inherited the daddy’s money. All the exciting, marvelous real life stories! Being homeless is only temporary, and your soul knows you’ll get out of the situation sooner or later. As you can imagine, our souls have a very long attention span – a couple of lifetimes is no problem for them.

. . . still our ego, committed to our physical survival and make judgments based on past experiences and knowledge, would say “No!”

By the way, I am not endorsing this type of learning by contrast program. On the contrary, I think we are ending this game. Even though it’s fun (kind of ), we know we’ve done enough of it.

Hunter: In Star Trek, the #1 guiding principle of the United Federation of Planets is called the Prime Directive. It says that they’re not allowed to interfere with the internal affairs of other civilizations. They can’t do anything that affects the natural development of a more primitive civilization. That means they can’t even make their presence known to people who haven’t developed spaceships yet. And they can’t interfere with a civilization’s natural course, even with good intentions (such as by ending a war). You could say that other civilizations need to be allowed free will.

People have debated whether the Prime Directive would be a good law to have in the real world, if and when we develop space flight and encounter other civilizations. Some people say that stepping in and altering the course of natural development is wrong and can have disastrous consequences. Others say it’s cruel to withhold technology, resources, and help from those who need it. And others say it depends on the situation.

Now, let’s look at how this fits into our present spirituality. On the one hand, our souls are majorly in violation of the Prime Directive. Our souls came to Earth from other galaxies and possessed these bodies in order to learn the life lessons they picked for themselves. On the other hand, spirit guides aren’t allowed to interfere with the free will of the soul, and they can only give gentle nudges. And since everything came from the source of all energy, that means that the bodies, the souls, and the spirit guides are all just God with one big case of multiple personality disorder.

This all seems pretty messed up. What’s the role of free will? Why is it wrong for souls to get too much help from spirit guides, after the soul decided to swoop in and hijack a human being?

Akemi: That last description sounds more like a possession by negative entity than a soul incarnating in a physical body . . .

I guess we can put various meanings to why the Source split part of itself to many pieces. My interpretation is that it wanted to play, or wanted to know itself in a new tangible way. Being the single presence in the whole universe, it was “bored”. . . it knew it was whole and perfect, but it wanted to know so by contrast.

So came us! We are in this big experiment, in which we believe we are separate from each other. We can act out in the way we want thanks to free will. For instance, you are allowed to think you are single, lonely, and broke, and seek love and abundance in your own unique way. Isn’t this a fun make-belief play? And whatever you do, you are always deeply loved.

Free will is absolutely necessary for this game plan to work out. We are even free to go against the Light and become darkworkers. Because if there are certain restrictions, this learning process is hindered.

We can get as much guidance as we want from our spirit guides. We can ask for their assistance. But they won’t tell you what to do – you are the one to make decisions with your free will. And they won’t live your life – you are the one with physical body and therefore can take actions.

Detachment and respect to each other’s free will is the ultimate form of love. You are not a slave nor a servant nor an order-taker. Spirits might say something like, “Well, you may not like that option.” but if you insist, they respect your free choice. And you are allowed to learn by trial and error.

I agree with the Prime Directive. Criticisms such as it is cruel to leave negative situations as they are come from the critics’ judgment.

Regarding some of us being starseeds – I don’t think we are violating the Prime Directive because we have the same veil Earth souls do. For instance, you are good at technical thinking, but you don’t quite remember how to build spaceships, right, Hunter?

Why do starseeds (or star traveler souls) exist on Earth? This is a really big question. It may be just by accidents – they wanted to come to Earth so they did and somehow staying around. Or there may be a good reason to this, that starseeds are here to assist the Earth and Earth souls develop further, including this Ascension movement. Or it could be a combination of both.

Hunter: You’ve mentioned souls vibrating at higher dimensions lately. Are you talking about dimensions as in length, width, and height? How many dimensions are there? When our vibrational rate increases, what does that do for us? If I’m vibrating at a higher dimension, shouldn’t I be able to manipulate this 3 dimensional world like a baby’s toy? Turning invisible, shooting lightning bolts, and such?

Akemi: This is another thing I’m still looking into. I honestly don’t understand exactly what the higher dimensions are like, or how many dimensions there are. My Akashic Record Guides tell me there are 26 dimensions physically incarnated souls can reach, and some more. (See Akemi’s 5th comment for a correction.) But my mind, tied to the 3D world, doesn’t understand this.

I guess it may take someone who is better at math than I am . . . (wink) So at this time, I only take my Guide’s word, and use it as an indicator of where a client is in their spiritual development. I usually don’t discuss the actual number with them.

And I think we move around between the dimensions. Just because we had the Ascension soul shifts doesn’t mean we are at a higher dimension all the time – our bodies are still in 3D, and our souls move around.

By the way, higher dimensions are different from parallel worlds. Parallel worlds are – well, parallel to ours, not higher. And I don’t recommend going there.

I do think there are fun things we can do as we get used to being in the higher dimensions and learn more about it. Like developing lightbodies.

Hunter: OK, so people are starting to go through this ascension process, more and more people are joining them, and souls are vibrating at higher dimensions than you’ve ever seen before. What’s the end game? Everybody gets up to the highest dimension, so there’s nothing left to learn, so everyone returns to the source and the world ends, mission complete? Is this happening in 2012? If you don’t know, why can’t your guides tell you? Tell them it would make for a great post!

Akemi: I don’t know ^_^ I think if I learn all the things at once, my poor little brain might explode . . .

I am educating my spirit guides why a blog traffic is important . . . This is actually an essential step in working with spirit guides. Spirit guides are always oh-so-willing to help, but sometimes, they don’t remember certain aspects of our worldly life, like money or marriage. Or popularity contest. They’d go, like, “You like writing, right? And you have the vehicle to publish. Great. You even have some readers. And?”

. . . And the strange thing is I’m starting to think more and more like them. Yeah, so what? All my needs are met like a magic. I love writing. I help people with my reading and coaching. Wonderful day. Thank you, good night . . .

It’s great to live in the now.

Oh, 2012? Okay, I do have a glimpse of the future. I don’t know if they all happen in 2012. Still, my spirit guides tell me 2012 is a significant year – I think it’s a huge milestone. It may be when we reach a critical mass. It’s the beginning of the new beginning, or the New World.

Some of my ideas of the New World is:

• Close to zero diseases and sickness because the majority of health problems are self-inflicted by our mind and actually even deeper, by soul level issues
• Extreme change in economic system. The majority of economic transactions will be done either in small local community by cash (think of farmer’s market) or globally through the internet with virtual payment system. Eventually, we may even go without monetary system.
• The majority of “employments” will disappear, and most of us will be working for ourselves, doing what we love and be good at.
• Fundamental change in marital system. Marriage and traditional family will still be a choice, but only one choice of many options.
• Some of us will develop a new way of existence that transcends time and space.

While I personally don’t mind at all to just go back to the Source like you described, this may be a fun world to bring into reality, our new game.

I love your questions, Hunter – you are so good at asking critical questions. Thank you for this interview opportunity.

I intend to publish a book on ascension, so if you have any questions, please fire them up in the comments! I will be checking them to answer.

As an Akashic Record Reading specialist and spiritual coach, Akemi Gaines helps you further your spiritual development and know yourself on the soul level. She writes about ascension and empowerment of lightworkers on her blog, Yes to Me. You can get updates by subscribing to her blog.

It’s time for another exciting installment of Hunter’s Heroes. Today it’s my pleasure to be interviewing Akemi Gaines, who’s known for her unique focus on lightworkers’ empowerment. You might think that I’ve interviewed her before, but no, this is “Akemi 2.”

You see, Akemi has recently undergone an ascension soul shift. She learned her life lessons, her old soul left, and she got a brand new one. It’s like in Lord of the Rings when Gandalf the Grey fulfills his life purpose, dies, and comes back as the more powerful Gandalf the White. The same person in a way, but something is different.

It wasn’t just her either. She says a whole slew of people have experienced soul shifts recently, including me. It’s all part of this thing called light ascension.

For those of you who haven’t been exposed to this kind of stuff before, you might find it overwhelming, or at least very hard to swallow. You may want to start by reading the interview I did last September with Akemi 1 about the Akashic records, which is a gentler introduction to this brand of spirituality.

This interview on light ascension is not for the weak hearted or closed minded. This is hot off the press spiritual insight from someone who doesn’t hold back. I’m sure the reactions to this interview will be all over the place, and I’d like to hear them all.

I want to be clear that ascension is not a theory I came up with, and I don’t have any firsthand knowledge of it. But Akemi is always happy to answer questions, so don’t hesitate to ask.

Hunter: OK, first things first. What exactly is ascension?

Akemi: Ascension, or light ascension, means both the process Earth and its residents are going through and the possible destination, or event, in the future this process will lead to.

It’s something completely new – so I’m learning and researching as I go through my own experiences and through my Akashic Record Reading service. Please consider this interview as a progress report – I will report more on my own blog, Yes to Me, as I find out things.

When our soul’s vibration rate increases, or ascends, to a certain level of development, a new soul comes down and shifts with the old soul. I first observed this special kind of soul shift January this year. I now call it Ascension soul shift, which seems to be happening to more and more people.

Ascension soul shift brings a bunch of recognizable symptoms, such as:
• Change of food preference (many become vegetarian)
• Change in taste for clothes (many women report embracing more feminine clothes)
• Change in interests and aspirations. Also strange wanderlust.
• Change in interpersonal relationships. Basically, who or what interested you before just don’t hold your interest any longer.
• Sudden spiritual “awakening”
• Some also report physical symptoms like change in sleep patterns, ringing in the ear, or strange itching and twitching around the body.

In short, you’d feel another person is living in your body. And the change comes quite abruptly. It’s not something you planned or worked on to change.

You remember what you learned in school, work, and life in general. Your personality basically stays the same, although it may become more “raw” or pronounced. But you just feel . . . different.

Before I send some readers to shock – this is NOT a random take over of you. When I first observed Ascension soul shift, I only knew there were some kind of agreement, or arrangement, between the two souls. Recently, my Akashic Record Guide explained more into details how these souls are related, that they both come from the same Higher Self.

As I wrote in Who Am I?, the Source split part of itself to form individualized forms of itself. They traveled around, and some came to Earth. In order to incarnate in the physical body, these individualized energies split part of themselves to form souls in much the same way the Source formed them. These souls have been going through multiple lifetimes, crossing over to the other side after each incarnation and coming back when they were ready for a new challenge.

Now we’ve done enough of this. We’ve done enough of learning by contrast. So we are starting a new game plan, called Ascension. This involves increasing the vibration rate a big time, and our old souls are not quite up to the task. So our original energy body – our Higher Selves — decided to “upgrade.” It split out another soul and is sending it to us. The new soul is like the new, powered-up version of the same software.

There is also a planetary change involved here. Each person needs to achieve a level of spiritual development to ascend, but we are also receiving the benefit of Earth’s change, our mother Earth’s grace. I’m not an expert on this Earth’s shift, but the increasing number of individuals having Ascension soul shifts leads me to think this is not just a shift on the individual level, but is a change affecting us as a group.

What will all these lead to? I think something wonderful is waiting for us in the near future, the big Ascension, or the New World.

Hunter: How many people have experienced ascension soul shifts? Is it just a small percentage of the population, or something that’s taking over the world?

Akemi: My Akashic Record Reading practice is pretty small and I don’t really know how many people are having this soul shift out of the whole population. I can say, there are a lot more than I initially thought, and the number is increasing fast. I think it may be increasing like the exponential function.

Hunter: When someone gets close to ascending, should they know it? I wouldn’t have thought that I was close to ascending. I didn’t have any sense of having completed my life lessons, or that my soul was maxed out on its vibration. When our soul needs to be upgraded, are we supposed to be able to tell?

Akemi: My own Ascension soul shift came abruptly, too. I was working hard on my life lessons, thinking it would take the rest of my life.

These days, however, I am getting more experienced about this, and can tell if a client is close to their soul shift, and the approximate timing of it. Please understand I don’t predict the future – I only know the likelihood. The timing can change pretty wildly.

I think it just happens at the right time – on the conscious level, there is nothing we need to do for the upgrade. I’m more concerned if the transition gets complete after the new soul comes down. Often, the first soul gets stuck and this can cause a lot of discomfort for the new soul.

Hunter: In your line of work as an Akashic record reader, I know you must encounter lots of people who think you’re crazy. But you’ve always had a community of people on your side, because they were practitioners too.

Now with this ascension theory, even most practitioners seem to be disagreeing with you. Why is it that other Akashic record readers don’t agree with your ascension theory? What is the source of your information, and why is it more accurate than their source?

Akemi: First, I must say my understanding of why they disagree is limited – I gathered what they wrote to me in comments, etc. but that is all. Whenever there is a disagreement, the rule of thumb is to hear both sides’ stories, so you might want to interview a practitioner who opposes the idea of ascension to really understand their view. I cannot speak for them.

And I’m not attached to this ascension theory. I’m only reporting what I observe, and the idea of ascension seems to explain it well. If someone has a better way of explaining things, I’ll drop my theory like a hat any day.

Now I know the idea of soul shifts are new to most readers, but they have been known in my circle – soul shifts themselves are nothing new. There is a way to check if a person has had only one soul in this lifetime or have had multiple souls, and if the latter is the case, there are ways to find more details. I wrote about the various types of soul shifts in my article Ascension Soul Shifts Or Walk-Ins.

This year, I noticed the kind of soul shift that is very different from other kinds of soul shifts we knew. Again, in the Ascension soul shift, the new soul is related to the first soul – it has the same group of origination. And it’s a brand new soul with no physical past lives. It’s also a very advanced soul, vibrating high. And it’s happening like popcorns starting to pop – in groups. Some go through additional soul shifts after the first Ascension soul shift.

So I suggested setting a new category of soul shifts. Ascension soul shift is a term I coined out.

My understanding of their disagreement is that they don’t think it makes sense because the whole point of spiritual development is to develop our souls. One soul going through many lifetimes for refinement. I also sense there is fear about “losing” their souls’ achievements.

How do I know my reading about Ascension soul shift is accurate? Exactly the same way I gather other aspects of my reading are accurate: my clients confirm their readings. For example, there was this new client that I only knew by name, DOB, and place of birth at the time of reading. In her case, even I hesitated for a second when I started talking with her on the phone. She had four soul shifts in her life, starting in her young adulthood and the most recent one being the Ascension soul shift just a few weeks ago. But I went ahead and shared what I found, including when each shift happened and the characteristics of each soul, and she immediately screamed, “Yes! That is exactly what happened!”

Hunter: When I heard about my soul shift, it made me think about who I really am.

I have a certain perception of “me,” my consciousness, my sense of self. “Me” includes this mind and body. You’ve said that we’re really our souls, so I guess my soul is part of “me” too.

If I had known ahead of time that I was getting a new soul, what would I expect to happen to my sense of “me?”

Option 1 is that my consciousness would separate from my body, and go with my soul back to the ether. What I considered to be “me” would be out there. My mind and body would be inhabited by a different soul, and so my mind and body would no longer be “me” in any sense.

Option 2 is that my consciousness would stay with my mind and body. I’d still have all the tangible elements of “me,” but with a new soul, my identity would be fundamentally different. I’d be a new person in the same mind and body. I’d feel like Jason Bourne, having all these skills and memories but not knowing why.

But neither of these happened. My sense of self has not changed at all. I still feel like me, and there was no disruption of consciousness. I don’t feel like part of me is somewhere else, and I don’t feel like someone else is in my body.

Here’s where I’m going with this. We hear that when we die, our soul leaves our body. Our body turns to dust, but our soul lives on, so death is not the end for us. But in this soul shift, I lost my original soul and didn’t even notice. In other words, what I perceive as “me” is not connected to my soul in any way. So when my mind and body die, won’t that be the end? It doesn’t really matter if my soul lives on, if everything I know as “me” is rooted in the mind and body.

Akemi: Hmmm. . . interesting question.

Between the two options you described, I think Option 2 may describe the situation better, but not quite. I think some of us who have had Ascension soul shifts are indeed feeling like, “Okay, I have this skill and this job, but why? Why the heck do I care to come to this work every day? It doesn’t resonate with me at all. Why am I with this boyfriend / girlfriend? Why do I live here?”

But each person’s experience and perception is different. Why some of us experience it more or less dramatically is one of the many things I am studying as I do more and more reading and coaching with post Ascension soul shift clients.

From my own experience, I can say things stabilize after awhile. And again, the mental awareness continues.

By the way, this is why I write about Ascension soul shift even though I don’t know everything yet. There are people going through this process without knowing what is happening to them. You don’t need to know the word Ascension or do specific spiritual work to go through this. And these people need to know they are not having some mental disorder.

I don’t have a clear cut answer to how the sense of “Me” is formed. I’d like to say it’s the soul, and the sense of continuity is there thanks to the fact the new soul is the same kind from the same Higher Self. But I’m not sure. I also think the body and the mind play a big part of the sense of “Me” — or the big old ego.

Hunter: Just like last time, it looks like we’re running a bit long, so let’s end part 1 here. But be sure to subscribe now so you don’t miss the spiritual adventure that is part 2.

Update: Part 2 has been posted.

Akemi: In the meantime, if anyone has additional questions, please ask in the comment section, and I will do my best answering them.

As an Akashic Record Reading specialist and spiritual coach, Akemi Gaines helps you further your spiritual development and know yourself on the soul level. She writes about ascension and empowerment of lightworkers on her blog, Yes to Me. You can get updates by subscribing to her blog.

Alex Fayle has interviewed me as a part of his Someday Syndrome interview series. Alex is a guy who helps you sort out your life, figure out the stuff you don’t need, discover what you really want, and start your life now instead of waiting for someday.

Head over there and find out who I am, where I feel stuck, the value of pity parties, how to break up pity parties, how it feels to take a risk, what variety of Someday Syndrome I’m afflicted with, how I plan to eliminate it from my life, what I’d tell people in my situation, and the one thing I would ask for.

Two hands can be better than one. A well-coordinated effort of both hands makes it possible to count to 255 on your fingers (FF in hexadecimal). But mixed handedness may have consequences. Photo by Hexadecimal Time.

I always thought I was left handed. Oh sure, I do some things with my right hand, but we go by the hand you write with, right?

Actually, handedness is not a binary choice, but a continuum from purely left handed to purely right handed. Researchers say that people often aren’t aware that they’re officially mixed handed.

In a common measure of handedness called the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory, people are asked to perform 10 specific tasks. Doing even one of them with the other hand makes you mixed handed. I do 6 with my left, and 4 with my right, putting me towards the neutral end of the “mixed left hander” category.

There are different versions of this test floating around. One of them lets you specify different levels of hand preference, and gives you a numerical score from -1.0 for a pure left hander to +1.0 for a pure right hander, with 0.0 indicating that neither hand is preferred overall. I got -0.2, or just left of neutral.

I made this Handedness test into a web application, to spare people from the math. Give it a go. I’ll create a page listing the scores people report, so leave a comment with your score and I’ll link to you (links will be no-follow, the name you use can include branding words but must start with your real name, and your URL should point to actual content rather than an ad).

When I found out that using my right hand for so many tasks wasn’t typical for a left hander, I thought about what I do with each hand, to see if there was a pattern. There wasn’t a clear pattern, but I noticed some interesting combinations:

Left handers are much more likely to be mixed handed than right handers are. For one thing, lefties are forced to adapt to a right handed world. Lefties also tend to have more symmetrical brains, resulting in natural mixed handedness. There are both pros and cons to mixed handedness, and I’ll write about this later, after I learn more about it.

It’s hard to distinguish between natural and learned mixed handedness. Why do I use scissors with my right hand? Is it because that’s my natural preference, or because my preschool teachers told me to? I don’t remember.

I also don’t remember the first time I used a mouse. Did I use my right hand because it was natural, or because it’s what everyone else was doing?

I’m also not sure how they decide what’s left and right handed for some things. I’m looking at a Washington Post article that shows two examples of left handed former presidents (it was written when mixed lefty Barack Obama was running against strong lefty John McCain). There’s a picture of George H.W. Bush gesturing with his left hand. OK, that’s a clear sign of left handedness. But then there’s a picture of Bill Clinton holding a microphone in his right hand and pointing with his left. That doesn’t exactly scream “Lefty!”

How do we know that pointing is more important than holding a microphone? If he gives a speech knowing that he’s not going to point, does he hold the microphone in his left hand? If you drive with just your left hand on the steering wheel, is that because you’re left handed, or because you’re keeping your dominant right hand free for more important things, like your Big Gulp in the cup holder? If you play golf the “right handed way,” are you really right handed, or could you just want your dominant left arm in front?

Anyway, back to this Handedness test. Go ahead and take it before reading these questions, so I don’t bias you.

- Writing and drawing are listed separately. Does anyone use different hands for them?

- When do you use a knife without a fork? What do you think they’re going for here? I thought about baking a loaf of bread and then slicing it. But might someone use the other hand in a knife fight?

- In the first version I saw, the broom task was listed as “using a broom (upper hand is dominant) or brushing one’s hair.” That seems a bit strange. Does anyone use different hands for these?

- Also, the jar task was listed as “opening a box or a jar lid.” Does anyone use different hands for these?

- It says you’re mixed handed if you do even one task with the other hand. The exception is a left hander using scissors with their right hand, because scissors are often designed for right handers. First, is that true? Do any left handers here use right handed scissors for ergonomic reasons? Second, if scissors aren’t a reliable indicator, then why are they on the test?

I’m curious to hear who uses what hand for what. Leave your score below if you want to, and share any interesting handedness stories you might have. The test gives the breakdown between the different types (left and right, strong and mixed) in the U.S. population. I wonder if there will be a similar breakdown among my readers.

For way, way more mixed-handed goodness, check out my ebooks Ambidextrous (for right-handers) and Ambisinistrous (for left-handers).

This video is about as amateur as can be.

I’m wearing a t-shirt and jeans, and sitting on my couch. I don’t know what I’m supposed to use for the brightness, contrast, gamma, hue, saturation, or sharpness. I shot it in one take on my laptop’s built-in webcam, while I was in a hurry to go spend some time outside. The sound skips in a few places, and to top it all off, the audio becomes desynchronized from the video halfway through. I truly hope this stands the test of time as the worst video I ever did.

And yet, it’s probably still better than any video you’ve done. Because while anyone could create a better video if they tried, only a small percentage of all bloggers have ever recorded a single video.

There are many reasons why most bloggers haven’t taken the plunge into video yet. Not having a webcam is a pretty good reason, and I only did this video because my new laptop happened to come with one. Not wanting to face the camera is another good reason. Not wanting to take the time is another. Not wanting to use a less accessible medium is another.

But is not being good at video a good reason?

In my first video post, Scott Sweeney at Review Chicago noted that video bloggers are generally far less polished than professional broadcasters:

“Although some people pull it off, the majority of those who do video updates and posts just come off sounding unprepared or boring. Broadcasters and TV personalities go to school and learn how to come off with ease on camera, just as writers learn to deliver the written word with some flair.”

I certainly agree that on-camera professionals have developed a level of skill far beyond most video bloggers. But fortunately, I don’t think video bloggers are in competition with them.

Think about your favorite bloggers, and see how many of them are professional writers. Probably not many. (And if they are, their blog is likely to be specifically about writing.)

People don’t go to ProBlogger to read Dickens. These people are beginner and intermediate level bloggers, looking for practical and understandable information about how to make money blogging. That’s what Darren Rowse needs to deliver.

If he started sounding like something you had to read in 12th grade English class, he’d alienate his audience. They’d think “This guy is talking way over my head. I’m just looking for some good information, but I can barely understand him. Do I need to write like this to be a blogger? Maybe this isn’t for me.”

Most bloggers don’t need to be professional writers, because that’s not what most people are looking for online. For much more on this, read Skellie’s post Why Great Writing Doesn’t Matter Online and the very important follow-up, On Writing and You.

Likewise, a video blogger doesn’t need to be great at video if that isn’t what their audience wants. Nobody is ever going to struggle with deciding whether to watch Tom Brokaw or a video blogger, because these people are serving completely different purposes. Yes, Brokaw is good at what he does, but the video blogger can be good at different things.

You don’t read bloggers because you think they’re better writers than Ernest Hemingway, and you won’t watch them because you think they’re better on camera than Katie Couric. You’ll have other reasons.

Scott goes on to say:

“But, with all mediums, I think it will start to step up in quality. Instead of using a built in webcam, maybe add some production value. Solid editing, maybe even a nice DV camera for these kinds of posts.

Webcam video posts, while some are good, remind me of a low-fi Blogspot blog, where if people can add some production value to them, they will be like having your own domain/wordpress blog.”

Yes, bloggers should create quality videos when possible. Even if greatness isn’t required, there’s no reason you can’t aim a little higher than you have to. This is particularly important for blogs based entirely on video.

For me, I’ve only done two videos so far. I don’t know what my plans for video are, so for now I’m not inclined to get a better camera, learn how to edit videos, set up a production studio, take acting classes, get a teleprompter, etc. (Still, I’d like to figure out why the sound skips on my videos. Any ideas? I’m using the webcam on a Toshiba Satellite L355D.)

There was a time when Blogspot blogs were ahead of the curve, and we’re at that point now with amateur video. Just having video at all makes you stand out. But while the bar is pretty low, you can expect it to be raised over time.

“This is truly amazing, a portable television studio. No wonder your president has to be an actor, he’s gotta look good on television.”

- Doc Brown in Back to the Future, after learning in 1955 that actor Ronald Reagan would become president in the 1980s, ostensibly because of the invention of the camcorder

My next guest on Hunter’s Heroes is certified life coach and intuitive consultant Evelyn Lim. She writes about a number of topics related to attracting abundance with your mind, and I was particularly interested in a method she mentioned called EFT.

EFT, or Emotional Freedom Techniques, was created by Gary Craig in the mid 1990s. It’s an alternative medicine tool for relieving negative emotions. You can download the EFT manual for free (you may want to obtain a temporary email address from Mailinator).

The few scientific studies that have been done on EFT were largely inconclusive, and many people say that EFT is explained by something like the placebo effect. However, there are also many people who say it worked wonders for them.

Personally, I think that the placebo issue isn’t that important. If EFT can cure a Vietnam vet of post traumatic stress disorder after decades of therapy failed, then it’s something you want to look into, placebo effect or not. (Of course, EFT does not replace medical advice from a doctor. Duh.)

I’ve read the EFT manual recently, but I haven’t had a chance to really try it. Since Evelyn has used EFT many times, I was very interested in interviewing her to get the inside story.

Hunter: Let’s start with the basics. For somebody who has never heard of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), how would you describe it? What kinds of problems is it meant to treat, and what benefits does it offer?

Evelyn: EFT is a technique that involves tapping on specific meridian points in your body, to clear negative emotions. It is like applying acupuncture without the needles, but just using your fingers to tap. You can apply EFT on almost any issue that you find yourself having problems in. Because it can produce quick results, it helps you save huge therapy fees. I call it a lifeskill that everyone should learn!!

Hunter: Is this something the average person can learn to do, or does it require a lot of study or training?

Evelyn: Yes, any person can do. If kids can do them, it goes to show that it does not require a lot of study or training!!

Hunter: How do you do it? I know that explaining the full procedure would take an awful lot of words, but just give us an overview of what somebody does when using EFT on themselves.

Evelyn: I understand that there are many variations to using EFT. I recommend following the basic EFT manual first, to make things less complicated. The only thing I’d add is to use choice statements. For instance, you can also say that “even though I feel bad about ___(the issue)____, I choose to feel ___(happy, well, positive, etc)_______.”

[Hunter's comment: She's referring to "the setup," which is the first of four steps given in the manual. It consists of repeating affirmations that get you to focus on the problem you want to address, while acknowledging self acceptance. You're also rubbing or tapping on a meridian point while doing this.

Step 2 is "the sequence," where you tap on all the meridian points in order while repeating a phrase. Step 3 is "the 9 gamut procedure," which involves tapping a particular spot while going through a series of actions. Step 4 is the sequence again, the same as step 2.]

Hunter: Is this safe? Can you accidentally hurt yourself if you do something wrong, like tapping the wrong place, or tapping too many times?

Evelyn: Oh yes, EFT is absolutely safe. You cannot get it wrong nor hurt yourself with it. EFT works with the power of intent as well. Healing statements in EFT introduces equanimity (I deeply and completely accept myself anyway). This means that we embrace our negative emotions, acknowledging that they are there but that it is okay to have them. We give ourselves the permission to have them in our experience. The aversions dissolve on their own, when we do so, miraculously.

Hunter: In addition to yourself, I know your husband uses EFT, so do some of your friends, and even your daughters, ages 6 and 7, are fans of what they call “the tap tap.”

How do you, your family, and your friends use EFT? Do they use it only for big things like major phobias? Or do they use it anytime they encounter small problems, like job stress and chocolate cravings?

Evelyn: I won’t go into classifying whether an issue is big or small. An issue can be big or small depending on how it affects an individual.

Most physical symptoms that we typically observe are caused by negative emotions. We have certainly applied EFT across a wide variety of physical situations like migraines, working on autistic kids, inability to control bladder, knee pains, stress-triggered skin disorders, etc. Phobias that we have used EFT on include fear of snakes, heights, exams, death, etc.

My kids know how to tap. However, there are also many times when we surrogate tap for them. This means that we mentally imagine ourselves as them, tune in and tap for their negative emotions. Does it work? Yes it does. Therein lies the beauty of doing EFT. We can basically tap for anyone in the world. We have also surrogate tapped from Singapore to as far out as friends and their kids in the States. In the process, we have observed some miraculous results.

You know what? Hunter, I’m going to record all these case studies down. I’m not that much of a bookkeeper and have not bothered to write down notes about those we’ve helped so far.

[Hunter's comment: I came across a study that found that tapping on points on a doll worked the same as tapping on your body. It's similar to how a basketball player can actually get better by practicing shots in their mind, because the appropriate neurons still fire. But the EFT manual doesn't mention surrogate tapping. That's pretty wacky!]

Hunter: My understanding is that EFT is really meant for emotional problems, but it sometimes works on physical problems too. Is that what you’ve found? Has it surprised you by working in cases where you wouldn’t expect it to? And have you had any situations where you tried it, but it didn’t work?

Evelyn: Oops…see above answer for the first part!

Of course, there are a number of instances when I found that EFT did not work. Sometimes, it has been a case whereby I need to work with an independent practitioner. It may well be the case that there are certain questions or aspects I have overlooked in covering. Then, of course, EFT is not a miracle cure when you have cases of broken bones or really need surgical intervention. Lastly, there are also others, especially if the discordant energies are caused by emotions related to past lives, when another healing modality is best complemented.

Hunter: How long does it take for it to work? I’ve heard that in many cases it works after just one session, or maybe a few. And then in more complicated cases, it’s necessary to break the problem down into the specific issues behind it, and treat each issue separately.

Evelyn: That’s right. Sometimes, a mere session of less than 10 minutes is all that it takes. In others, it can take more than one session. What usually happens is that I will work on it to a sufficient degree. I then muscle test to ensure that that is all I need to clear for that day. If the same issue crops up at a later date, it is a sign that there are remaining negative emotions waiting to be cleared.

I think Gary Craig (the founder to EFT) uses the metaphor of chopping down the trees in a forest. Consider your dense emotions about a particular issue from your past, as if they are trees. Initially, it may sound tedious that you have to chop down tree by tree. Then, there are times when you find that the chopping of one tree can cause a number of trees to fall at the same time.

Hunter: I guess the need to do EFT could arise at any moment. But it seems like it would be awkward to do it in public. Have you ever had strangers approach you and ask why you were hitting yourself?

Evelyn: Oh no, I don’t tap myself in public, except twice. If I need to do EFT while I am outside, I tap mentally. This means that I visualize myself tapping away. It works just as well for me. There was once I cleared myself of a sinus infection while I was in a workshop class. I could not physically tap while the teacher was lecturing; at the same time, I was unable to concentrate on what he was saying. So I used my mind to imagine that I was tapping away at the meridian points.

The second time last year, I was at a corner tapping away while waiting for my daughter’s gym to end. I had forgotten to bring a book to read. As usual, I did not like to be idling my time. So I picked an issue to work on. Her gym teacher came round and told me that he knew what I was doing. He revealed that he was an EFT practitioner!

Hunter: EFT sounds similar to acupuncture, though obviously much less invasive. Are the two related?

Evelyn: Yes, it is essentially unblocking the energy flow in the meridian system. After all, the discovery statement in EFT is “The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body’s energy systems.”

Hunter: The EFT manual mentions psychological reversal, a sort of energy blockage that results from self defeating, negative thinking (possibly subconscious). It’s as if our batteries are in backwards, so our electrical polarity is reversed. It’s present about 40% of the time, and if you have it, EFT won’t work. That’s why the EFT procedure starts off with a step to correct psychological reversal, just in case it’s currently affecting you.

This sounds like the law of attraction, doesn’t it? The LOA says that negative thoughts prevent what we want from manifesting, so we have to correct our thoughts before anything can happen.

Do you think the LOA and EFT go hand in hand? Does using one make you better at the other?

Evelyn: EFT and LOA is not the same thing. LOA is about sending out an intent to attract the same energy vibration of our desired outcomes. It is not about a reversal of our polarity. Do also note that EFT is but one form of energy healing. There is more than one way of clearing negative emotions energetically.

Why we need to heal energetically before we can practice LOA effectively is because most of us do have massive blocks and restrictions in our subconscious mind. If these are present, we are unable to send out clear, positive and powerful intents.

Hunter: The EFT manual touches on some advanced details, such as aspects, psychological reversal, the collarbone breathing exercise, energy toxins, and shortcuts. But it says that while the manual provides the basics, the DVDs are necessary if you want to expand your skills beyond beginner status.

Have you watched these DVDs, and do you recommend them? Or how could people get more information?

Evelyn: Yes, I have watched the DVDs some years back. I recommend downloading the manual first and then decide later if more understanding is required. In the meantime, sign up for the free EFT newsletter. There are many case studies to illustrate the range of situations that EFT can be applied to and also what statements to be used.

I typically like to enhance my learning via a few channels. Repetition is key for me. Also, when something is as important as learning a lifeskill like EFT, I would want to know how I can use it more effectively. It’s nothing like using visuals and audio to augment my learning eventually.

Hunter: OK Evelyn, thanks for shedding some light on this mysterious method called EFT. I think it’s the kind of thing you really have to try for yourself to see what it’s about, but you’ve given everyone a good starting point.

Evelyn Lim is a writer, life coach and intuitive consultant. She shares her tips about raising energy vibrations on her site at Attraction Mind Map. Specially, she writes about living consciously, law of attraction, meditation, spirituality and power of intention; amongst others.

She also offers soul readings at Akashic Secrets for people who would like to clear their energetic blocks and obstacles to having a more empowered life.

When I noticed that my new laptop has a built-in webcam, I decided I no longer had a reason to put off doing a video post.

This is just a short video where I say a few words about video blogging. (The sound and lighting have some hiccups. I don’t know why.)

Mentioned in the video:

• Michael Martine at Remarkablogger, who mixes up his text posts with audio and video.
• Yaro Starak and Gideon Shalwick, whose Become a Blogger Roadmap defines the X-Factor as the intersection of multimedia and social media.
• Skellie, who says Video is Your Chance to be a Pioneer.
• Gary Vaynerchuk, a video blogger who became an internet celebrity when I wasn’t looking.