In the mountains of Colorado, Joseph Bowman made his fortune from guiding tourists. When his twin sons, Rick and Roger, reached the age of 18, he gave a car to each of them, namely a 1953 Studebaker and a 1955 Packard. Rick was delighted with his Studebaker and gave it high praise, pointing out to his father all the things he liked about it and all the things he could do with it. Josef was so pleased with his son's gratitude that, in a short time, he presented Rick with a newer vehicle, a 1999 black Cadillac. Roger, on the other hand, couldn't believe his misfortune in being given an old Packard. "What will all my friends think of me? How could my father be so cruel as to shoulder me with this burden?" As a result, he rarely ever drove the car, but was off with his friends in their more "reasonable" vehicles. He was displeased with his father, but he didn't say anything to him so his father just let him be. And true resentment arose when Rick got the Cadillac. Roger's resistance and stress increased so much that he eventually had a stroke and landed in the hospital. This story illustrates a point that may appear obvious, but have you ever heard of anyone (or maybe yourself) who threw their hands in the air asking, "God, why is the world so cruel? Why do I suffer so much? Why can't I ever get what I want?" Are Difficulties in Life Easily Resolved? Can it really be that all the complexities, chaos, and difficulties in life are easily resolved? How can that possibly be? It's obviously too simple an answer. There must be more to it than thatÂ" Let me tell you about my experience. When I first heard about the glories of consciousness and what could be experienced through the Ishayas' Ascension, I thought big. Very big... I wanted to explore galaxies. I wanted to sit on the rings of Saturn and watch them go by. I want to soar with a sun flare and rush through the universe. I still believe such things are quite possible for a sufficiently ascended consciousness, but what I discovered (which is much more important to me now) is why I wanted to experience those things. It was because I wan't satisfied or happy with what I had. The life I was living wasn't particularly glorious, so I figured that by ascending, I could do some very glorious things. Now I see from a different perspective. Now I see that it was only my beliefs and judgements that kept me from seeing the glory all around me. The really magnificent gift that we all have as a birthright, and is inherently within us all, is that we can choose to experience the world as we desire. That means in each and every instant of here and now, we can see the glory that actually exists. Tinted Awareness However, most people in the world still choose to see the world through "filters" of consciousness. It's like wearing rose-colored glasses. Everything appears to be rose tinted. And each of us has some tinted awareness inside. I remember a day when I was so angry (and choosing to keep it inside of me rather than releasing it) that I got angry at everyone and everything because (obviously, right?) they were causing my anger. But no. As soon as I released the anger (by expressing it and letting it go), it was like I had removed the anger-tinted glasses and everything seemed OK again. What colors the way we see the world are things we may not even be aware of. If I have been told from the time I was a little child that I don't know how to behave properly, then I will always have a hard time around people, hoping they don't discover how improperly I behave. This kind of stress can be hidden so deep that we're not consciously aware of it when it surfaces, even though we may experience how uncomfortable we get in a group of our peers. The world could be a glorious, magnificent Land of Eden, but we don't experience it that way because of submerged beliefs that are deeply held. These judgements could be (and generally are) completely untrue, but if we don't know they are there, we cannot see how they're affecting us. There Is a Solution and It Is Easy Fortunately, there is a solution and it is easy. By ascending, we learn to see the world as it is, and we also see our mistaken beliefs for what they are. When we clear away the nonsense, then we can see the world in all it's radiant beauty. I now know that it's not necessary to fly through the rings of Saturn because every single moment of Now, experienced anywhere and everywhere, is as equally glorious as anywhere else I could experience in the Universe. So how do we clear away all the untrue impressions and mistaken beliefs that have been stored in our consciousness for a long, long time? The answer is: by becoming aware of them. And interestingly enough, this is accomplished not by looking for them, but by praise, gratitude and love for everything and everyone in your universe. Is this something that can be developed? Yes, yes, and again yes. It's not even difficult. Just because people may have believed it is difficult does not mean that it is difficult. Everything begins with praise. The first Ascension Attitude taught in the weekend courses reveals how we can do this. Through Ascension, I became aware that my everyday outlook on life was pretty mundane, stale and worn-out. What a surprise when I realized this outlook was simply a mirror of the way I thought. It was a choice and a long-held habit to feel this way. Seeing this, I simply dropped it. Now I refuse to see the world as boring and mundane. When I see a lawn being watered (for example), I have the choice to simply turn off my awareness to something I've seen a thousand times before -- or I can choose to see the sun reflecting off hundreds of crystalline water droplets in the grass, a vision of stunning beauty. I choose to see the beauty. By appreciating, praising, thanking the universe, which leads to greater and greater love, that's what the body and mind responds to, and healing occurs. In the End, Life is So Simple If you ever find your life resembles a rusty, old Model-T Ford, and you'd rather cruise life as a new model convertible, you begin by praising, by having gratitude and by expressing love. The Ishayas' Ascension techniques are, without a doubt, the fastest and most effective way I've ever comes across to bring joy, laughter and love to anyone's life. Systematically practiced, they will bring you to the same place that many thousands have already discovered: We heal the world by healing ourselves. Which choice do you want to make? ---

• Life is a bitch. And then you die.
• Life is joy ascending to bliss and eternal peace.

All that has ever separated the two in your life has been your choice. Now that you know, you can choose to praise, appreciate and love -- everything and everyone. This is the secret of life. And as always, the best kept secrets are the ones that are in full view.