Imagination Creates Reality

When you truly believe you can make it, the laws of the universe react by providing the people, places and things that are necessary for you actualize your dreams. The next step is for you to feel what it feels like to have accomplished your dreams. Whatever your goals and dreams are you must go to the place in your mind where either you have experienced those things in the past or simply imagine what it feels like to have experienced what you seek. Imagination creates reality when you emotionalize your desires and expect the best results. Don’t settle for second best and slip into mediocrity. Take up the challenge of creating the best results in your life. Only YOU can do this. Friends, family, neighbors, co-workers or anyone cannot create your reality. Only you can experience life and reality within your own brain. Take ownership!

In a previous article I explained how your brain only realizes a copy of reality. You have a choice to either react to occurrences in your environment or pro-act, i.e. move in a positive direction as a result of your experience. Reaction comes in many negative forms of instinctual emotion such as anger, fear or sadness. You can also react with joy, faith, or happiness; all positive emotions. If you react negatively, the negativity begins to compound and your emotions begin to layer one on top of another in such a way that you might be angry, but not even know why. If you react positively, you now have a chance to pro-act and use cognitive positive emotions to propel you to a level of greater understanding. One can see the big picture more clearly from a mountain top than one can see while in a valley. Things in life don’t just happen; they are a result of many thoughts and thought forms that result from all of us. For example, the news is flooded with the talk of the Swine Flu. With every news program that relays the story more and more fear gets generated. You have a CHOICE to buy into this fear or not.

Be very careful in how you choose your thoughts, and subsequently, your emotions. Most people don’t think: they emotionally react to people, situations or things. Thinking requires work. It takes brain power. When I encountered logic in college I came to a greater understanding of how to think, and not emotionally react. My professor told me that I would be using a part of my brain that I had never used before. He was right! Logic is only part of the whole picture. It is a method of thinking things through in order to methodically come to an informed conclusion. In a previous article I discussed the Scientific Method, which is based in logic. It relies on what is called the Law of Parsimony, or Occam’s Razor. Always look for the simplest explanation to anything you experience. Don’t compound events and circumstances into something they are not. Look at them for what they are. Observe, study and conclude. Remember, the chair you are sitting in was once a thought in someone’s mind and through their sustained emotion to create it became a reality.

Once you have reached this greater level of understanding it is time for you to emotionalize your thoughts. The root of the word emotion is motion; thoughts moving out of you. Use your thoughts in a progressive and creative way to create the life you desire. Feel the joy of accomplishing your goals. See the end results. Hear the joy and laughter of victory. Smell the flowers and trees. Experience the sensory result in your mind and get excited!!! Excitement activates the Law of Attraction and brings about your desired results quicker and with more abundance. It is the fuel that gets you to your destination. Fill up your tank and take a long drive! Enjoy every step of the journey because that is what makes you even more excited.

There are many laws of the universe that most of us don’t know about, or even understand. It isn’t necessary for you to know why they work; just that they work! Use the intelligence, emotion and body that God has blessed you with to create the dreams you desire the most. YOU CAN DO IT!

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.

Your Wish is My Command...

You have written down your ideas and have examined the many possibilities of implementing your ideas. The next step is to place those ideas in various situations in your mind that will actualize those ideas. When you concentrate you hold and idea in a fixed position and examine just the idea. When you contemplate that idea, you plug it into various scenarios where the idea is being implemented. This exercise allows you to accept the idea as valid, observe any potential flaws in operating the idea and see the most obvious and effective situation in which the idea will flourish. Once you have examined several different scenarios you will instinctively know what scenario will effectively work in implementing your idea. It is now time for you to visualize the end result of your idea successfully working in that scenario. Visualization is a thought process that initiates your point of attraction.

In my first article for the Examiner I quoted Carl Jung when he said, “Whatever you resist, persists.” Conversely, whatever you visualize, manifests. God has given us the power to create in this universe. Jesus said in John 14:12, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” Do we truly believe what Christ has told us? If we do we will heal the sick, correct injustice and move mountains. In the movie “The Secret”, Aladdin and his lamp were discussed. The genie represents the universe and its laws and the genie says, “Your wish is my command.” When you focus on what you want through visualization, the universe doesn’t know whether you are living your dreams or imagining your dreams. It simply follows the act of believing in the fact that your dreams are manifesting with your visualizations and creates what you are visualizing. This elevates your point of attraction to where you broadcast and receive the manifestations of those dreams.

How many people go about their day fretting and worrying about bills, what the government will do or whether they will lose their job. What are they doing to their point of attraction? Allowing it to create what they are focusing on and then experiencing what they have created. Your thoughts are the trigger of the Law of Attraction but the gas that propels the bullet is your emotions. If you worry, have doubt or fear things happening to you, and you feel dreadful if those things will happen, you are creating scenarios where those things will happen. Change the channel of your thoughts to create a point of attraction where you are creating positive situations and growth in your life. Be true to yourself and stop blaming others, the government or the world for your circumstances. Own up to the fact that you have created what is occurring in your life and be responsible for what you have created. Only then can you begin to make a positive change.

Visualization is the tool that allows all of us to create the world we truly desire. When we pray we ask for things, events or people to bless our lives. When we meditate we listen to God telling us what to do to make these things come about. When we visualize the revelations God has given us, He blesses us with situations, people or occurrences that help us manifest those desires. When we experience how this process works time and time again, we expect everything that is good in our lives. Our channel has been changed from woe is me to foe is me. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Our egos are our major contributor to us NOT manifesting our desires. Ego is also known as Edging God Out. Allow God in and allow His Laws of the Universe to work in everyone’s favor. It is our choice to create health and beauty or death and destruction. See the BEST occurring in your life and believe you can make it!

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.

No Job is Completed Until the Paperwork is Done…

Now that you’ve set yourself on the path of receiving those great ideas from God that are being channeled to you, because you are you, what do you do next? Internalize them. Start doing your research. Read about others who have had similar ideas and how they manifested those ideas. This will give you an insight into what you path you need to choose. Absorb as much as you can and then organize your thoughts by mapping them out graphically in front of you. Writing ideas down and looking at them creates a physical-mental feedback system that leads to emotionalizing your ideas. Be playful. Look at it this way; what If I had unlimited resources to accomplish my ideas? How would I use these resources to make it happen? Following is a statement that reflects the process of preparing your ideas for fruition: "No job is completed until the paperwork is done" (Unknown Author).

I'm sure we've all heard this one before. There is a great deal of wisdom in this quote. When you have an idea the first step to manifest this idea is to write it down. As with all work, documentation is the key to knowing where you've been, to get a good idea where you will be going. Finishing all types of work requires that you submit the paperwork for billing and payment. In this article we will concentrate on writing down your ideas for examination. Writing down ideas to manufacture and market your ideas is of prime importance. How you get this idea to work for others and yourself is by writing it down and examining it from all angles.

Good ideas have to withstand the scrutiny of others and it requires their input to give you other ideas you might not have considered. A good place to start is in Mindstorming. This is different than Brainstorming. Brian Tracy, in his paper on Creative Problem Solving talks about this method as the "The 20-Idea Method." According to Brian, all you need is a piece of paper and a pen and write down your goal or idea at the top of the page. Brian says to be specific, detailed, and focused in your questions and you will find practical, effective answers. He follows by saying that "once you have written the question, jot down twenty answers. Let your mind flow freely. Write down every answer that comes to you. Don’t worry about whether it is right or wrong, intelligent or foolish, possible or impossible. Just come up with at least 20 answers. Whatever you write, keep writing until you have at least 20 answers. If you get stuck after writing the obvious answers, write about the opposite solutions. Don’t be afraid to be ridiculous. Very often, a ridiculous answer triggers a breakthrough thought that might save you years of hard work."

He follows by saying to "go back over the answers and select the one that seems to be the most appropriate for you at this moment. You will often have an instinct or feeling about a particular answer. It appeals to you for some reason. This is an unconscious suggestion that you are on the right track. Once you’ve selected the best option, here’s a way to double the creative impact of this exercise: Transfer the answer to the top of a new page and then write 20 ideas for implementing it in your life. You will be astonished at the outpouring of creative ideas that flow from your mind through your hand and onto the paper."

Brian states that the second method of creative problem solving is called brainstorming. "This is a form of mindstorming done with a group. In brainstorming you again start off with one problem or question, but this time, you have a variety of individuals contributing to the solution. The keys to brainstorming are simple. First, the problem or question should be stated clearly and simply so that it is understood by each participant. Take a little time to discuss the problem questions, and then write it on a flip chart. This will dramatically increase the quality of answers generated. The aim of the brainstorming session should be to generate the most ideas possible within a specific period of time. An effective session will last anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes, and 30 minutes is usually ideal."

"The best number of participants for a brainstorming session is between four to seven people. Any less than four and you run the risk of not having enough stimulation. Any more than seven and you may find that there is insufficient opportunity for everyone to contribute", Brian states. "Each brainstorming session requires a group leader. The role of the leader is to keep the ideas as free-flowing as possible. The group leader is a stimulator of ideas, encouraging each person to speak up with anything he or she has to contribute. The most important rule of brainstorming is to avoid evaluating the ideas during the process. The focus is on quantity, not quality. Evaluation and discussion of the ideas will take place at a separate session, away from the original brainstorming."

His method suggests that a recorder be present. "This person will write down every idea as it is generated so that the list can be typed up and circulated at a later time. The final keys to successful brainstorming are positive emotions, laughter, ridiculous ideas, and absolutely no criticism of any kind. The group leader needs to ensure that no one says anything that throws water on the ideas of anyone else."

By implementing the processes of Mindstorming and Brainstorming, your ideas have a chance to be examined in the light of your understanding and the understanding of others. Do the paperwork. Write down your ideas and examine the world of possibilities associated with those ideas.

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.

To Everything There is a Season, and a Time to Every Purpose under the Heaven…

Yesterday I wrote about doing something with your ideas. One reader raised a question, saying "Well, what does that have to do with spirituality? Everything! Ideas are gifts from God. It is God’s way of blessing you with concepts that you have the skills to create. How many times have you seen an invention on TV and said, “I thought about that idea 10 years ago.” You might have, but did you do anything about actualizing the idea? You either didn’t have enough faith in the idea or your ability to manifest the idea, or you listened to friend who said. “You’ll never be able to get enough money to make it and market it.” How many great ideas have gone by the wayside because someone listened to someone who didn’t know what they were talking about?

The desires that God has planted in your heart are no mistake. God’s universe is a big clock that ticks with the greatest precision. It knows when an idea has come to its season. As the verse in Ecclesiastes 3:1 states, ” To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” This verse was popularized during the sixties by the song “Turn, Turn, Turn” by the Byrds. It is fairly self-explanatory, but how does it apply to me? God blesses you every day with the right thoughts at the right time. What you do with those thoughts is up to you. Only when you make them a priority do you begin to emotionalize them. In my first article for Examiner.com I talked about the statement, “I’ve done it” and the acronym for I’ve. Let’s review:

Internalize- read about others accomplishing their desires and make the time to relax and meditate.

Visualize- see the end result of your desires and create a picture in your mind of fulfillment.

Emotionalize- release your passion and feel the joy of accomplishing your desires.

When you internalize events and situations in your environment by either observing them or by reading about them, you prime your internal idea pump. You release not only ideas but ways to implement those ideas. By making the time daily to meditate, you enter the peace and stillness of God and hear His still small voice guiding and directing you to ideas and ways to manifest those ideas. Ideas are rarely focused on in the external chaos of life without major distraction. Focus requires reducing the external “chatter” and mapping out the ways an idea can be manifested.

Once you have ways of manifesting your ideas you need to plug them in to various situations to see how well they will work. Visualization is the tool which allows this process to happen. See the end results of your ideas and then emotionalize the feeling of fulfillment that creating and manifesting those ideas brings. Look at the best outside shooters in basketball. Do they stand where they just made the shot? Most of them shoot and run because the ball has already gone through the basket in their minds. They have seen it!

Ideas are stalled and dead without someone exercising their passion about the idea. I have seen many ideas that weren’t very good in business presentations but the proponent of the idea was so passionate about the idea that he almost convinced you that the downsides of the idea were minimal and fixable. Be joyous and happy when you explain your ideas to others and you will awaken an interest in them. They might give you another idea or approach about your idea that you might not have considered. Thank God we all don’t see the same things the same way!

Ideas are gifts from God. Take these precious and rare jewels and actualize their potential. These ideas are as is said in Swahili, “Azizi Johari.” Something to be expressed and appreciated, not hidden. Jesus said, “No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth [it] in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light” (Luke 11:33).

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com.

On The Other Side

As I sit down at my computer I hear the noise of the pouring rain, the cat‘s purrs as she tries to type my article and a song comes to mind. This song is about the other side. It was written by a brilliant songwriter whom I had the pleasure of meeting once. His lyrics and music have emotionally moved me on many occasions. Most of you might know him for his hits “Carry on My Wayward Son” and “Dust In The Wind”, but there are many other pieces of music he has written that tell the tale of a longing and desire to be one with God and his steps along the path. Following are the lyrics for “On The Other Side” by Kerry Livgren, formerly of the band Kansas:

(Verse 1)

The empty page before me now, the pen is in my hand

The words don't come so easy but I'm trying

I'm searching for a melody or some forgotten line

They can slip away from us so quickly

Don't be unkind I'm not complaining

I only feel it needs explaining

(Chorus)

Though I've said it all before I'll say it once again (one more time)

Everyone needs something to believe in

So turn around, turn around it's on the other side

Feel the sound, feel the sound, it's coming from deep inside

It will fill you with emotion, if you let it be your guide so

Turn around; turn around, it's on the other side

(Verse 2)

I'm waiting for the day to end another to begin

Somehow I've forgotten what it stood for

I look into your face and see the searching in your eyes

I will be your servant till the end

The music plays, and for a moment I feel

That all these days are so fulfilling

(Chorus)

(Verse 3)

Desperation shows its ugly face in many ways

No one can escape the times we live in

The answers are so simple and we all know where to look

But it's easier to just avoid the question

And if I seem too inconclusive

It's just because it's so elusive

(Chorus)

In verse one he faces the dilemma of every writer who stares at an empty page looking for inspiration. As a songwriter, I know how evanescent ideas can be. That’s why I have a personal digital recorder with me at all times to record my thoughts, ideas, melodies and lyrics. His statement next is so profound. “Everyone needs something to believe in.” How true. Can you imagine how droll life would be without believing in something? He then gives us all a clue how to activate beliefs by saying, ”Feel the sound, feel the sound, it's coming from deep inside, It will fill you with emotion, if you let it be your guide so, Turn around; turn around, it's on the other side.” The sound he is referring to is the still small voice of God. The voice that activates the wellspring of emotion deep within your being that drives you to actualize your desires.

In verse two he joys in the fact that his days are “so fulfilling.” He becomes lost in the sea of emotion that he is navigating while being in the flow of writing his music. He then mentions how the music plays and he hears what he has just been blessed with and feels a feeling of fulfillment. This is the process by which we are blessed with creativity. In the last verse he makes an integral social commentary about desperation. What is desperation? It is a state where you feel you have no hope and you must act immediately to solve a perceived problem. It is not focusing on the solution to the problem, but on the immediacy of the reacting to the problem. The 1979 album this song was released on was entitled, “Monolith.” It seems that the times Kerry is referring to are once again occurring now. However, being an optimist he responds with an analysis which is apropos to today, “The answers are so simple and we all know where to look, But it's easier to just avoid the question.”

Are you avoiding the question? Are we all? The songwriter points to the direction for the answer. It is the still small voice of God. Not the rules, social mores, religious tenets or the charisma of a speaker. It is the truth at the center of your being. God is there and will stir up your emotions to help you to manifest your desires. After all, he planted them there. He is responsible for making you who you are. You are responsible for doing something with it.

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com.

The Separation of Church and Business?

Most of us have heard the ongoing arguments about the separation of church and state. The founding fathers knew that this essential ingredient would be necessary in order to prevent the re-creation of the oppression they and their families had experienced at the hand of the Aristocracy of England. In the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution it states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” This argument has allowed many new churches to be formed for varied reasons the United States. Originating from 2 Orthodox divisions of Christianity over 256 sects of Protestantism and have grown out of the respect for the term, “religious freedom.” But what about the separation of church and business?

In 1904 Max Weber, a German economist and sociologist began a series of essays entitled, “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.” He proposed that capitalism evolved when the Protestant ethic influenced large numbers of people to engage in work in the secular world. He further proposes that the Protestant Ethic was a force behind the mass action that influenced the development of capitalism. This idea is known as “The Weber Thesis” (source: Wikipedia). In his treatise Weber quotes the ethical writings of Benjamin Franklin to describe the “spirit of capitalism” which is based on individual greed, moral perpetuity and sometimes moral turpitude. Weber found a paradox in the Protestant work ethic. On one hand congregation members were religiously compelled to follow secular vocations to accumulate money. On the other hand, the spending of money inappropriately such as the purchasing of luxuries and donations to the poor, only furthered one’s journey towards either greed or dependency. Weber traces the union of the “spirit of capitalism” back to the Protestant Reformation.

Accepting Weber’s hypothesis, we can see a definite link between capitalism and established religion. After all, the early settlers of this country were Protestants. They had to leave their homes, travel a great journey and survive in a new world with what they called “savages.” Fortunately, for them, the true natives of this country respected the land and all creatures. Problems only occurred when certain groups tried to impose their belief systems upon the natives. As capitalism and business grew, religion became inextricably tied with business. Before the modern day practice of conducting business on golf courses, church members would only do business with other church members. The word “religion” comes from the Latin word “religio” (reverence for God) and “religionem” (inheritance of God), which means a binding together of people with common beliefs who have left behind their old ways and have developed new and common ways of approaching life. Remember, God doesn’t have religion. Man does.

Today we see many TV and community churches continually asking for money to support the “ministry.” As we all know, money is one of the key ingredients in “spreading the word” of whomever you perceive is extending the message that appeals to you. How do we truly know who is on the up and up? It’s simple. If a church or pastor’s message is more on the accumulation of “financial gifts” more than on the helping of souls that should be a clear indication as to their motives. Many churches have become businesses and treat their constituents as laborers for their greater good. Some businesses have become churches and are in the pockets everyday of their constituency. Remember, your tithe doesn’t have to be just to a church. If you give financially to help others in any way, you are spreading the wealth of God. This is not socialism, it is giving. There is a difference. Don’t let those who have more than enough convince you that you must give according to their rules. Respect man’s laws, but truly follow God’s laws.

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com.

An Inspirational Story

Previously I talked about what our needs, wants, desires and expectations are. I have an interesting story to relate to you about a lady I know that helps to clarify the differences between emotional levels. I received a call yesterday from this lady who had just been let go from her job. She was one of the best performing workers at her job but recently contracted an illness which lowered her immunity to infections. She had lost several days from work last month and the management at her job told her that since she was such a good employee, that if she needed to work from home for a while they would support her in her recovery. She felt very good that she had that support. Due to her illness, within a month she contracted another flu-type infection and still went to work but had a difficult time focusing. The management told her that they needed her at work and she came in even though she was still sick. Her need to keep her job to support herself was real and she came to work. Other workers weren’t as dedicated to her job as she was.

Last week she missed 3 days of work because she couldn’t even talk. Since she was a customer service rep on the phone all day, it didn’t make any sense for her to even try to work on the phone. Her doctor faxed an excuse to her job. When she showed up Friday for work she worked the full day and when the day was over they called her into the manager’s office and let her go. Since the State of Delaware is an employer-at-will state, employers can fires anyone for any reason. They told her that her work performance was down (her minimum expected phone call goals were 160 calls per day and she was reaching 300 calls per day; more than any other CSR) and that she had missed too many days from work. Her reaction to this news was one of inspiration. Instead of a “woe is me” attitude, she gave thanks to God for the blessing of not having to be associated with a company that fires someone for being sick. All along she wanted a better job, but her need to keep a job took precedent. Her desires to be better than she was kept growing within her. She began to expect the best in her life and God allowed her to be able to receive the best by leaving a job that was not conducive to her growth. Left alone, she might not have left the job, but she chose to look at her firing as a blessing.

What I will say next might ruffle some feathers, but I really don’t care. I am a child of the sixties and I have always chosen to question authority and religions that impose man’s, not God’s, dictates on individuals under the guise as the “word of God”, or some other authority. I have always respected other religions other than my own, but I must draw the line here. The optometrist that my friend worked for was proud to display that they operated their business under the principles of Scientology and the business practices of L. Ron Hubbard. In fact, she was persuaded to attend an “optional” seminar of these principles “off of the clock” from work. The seminar wasn’t mandatory, but “highly suggested.” She also told me about the ongoing tension in the office that was created by what she called “Scientology henchman” who monitored the employees and their work. Calls came in daily from Scientology headquarters to monitor their progress.

Years ago I read Hubbard’s book, “Dianetics”, and was taken aback by his pseudo-science and hypnosis of his followers. I was courted by Scientology at the Celebrity Center in Los Angeles, CA. in the late 70’s when they wanted to put a galvanic skin response meter on me to determine whether I was “clear” or not. This meter was supposed to show the “knots” in my nervous system. When I asked the “clear” initiator to show me his results on the meter, he declined; even though he had a large certificate over his head that stated he was “clear.” That told me all I needed to know. So I began some intensive research on Mr. Hubbard.

I discovered that when the State of New Jersey and the American Medical Association was challenging the veracity of his new founded faith (Scientology) he fled the state to avoid prosecution. His son, L. Ron Hubbard, Jr., remembers him moving them out of their home grabbing shoe boxes full of cash. Cash he had received from loyal followers of his “Scientology.” After being a science fiction writer for many years, he discovered that religion was his way to cash in. Please research what I am saying and see the facts for yourself. Here are some links; L. Ron Hubbard, Sr. and an interview of L. Ron Hubbard, Jr. Any belief system or religion that claims to be the only way to enlightenment is setting you up for a fall; or at the very least, separate you from your hard earned cash. Please check out this You Tube link. The poor guy is so afraid of Scientology retribution, he wears a mask. Religion needs to teach FAITH, and not FEAR! If any Scientology official has a problem with what I am saying, I invite you to an open debate on video of your principles, conclusions and the ethics of your founder and the statements he has made. Let’s let the people decide whether your organization is on the up and up.

Back to the lady that was let go. She is very happy to not be in that environment anymore. Her expectations for a better life have led her down a path to receiving that better life. In fact, she already has had several offers to work independently and in line with her talents and abilities. Sometimes life can appear to be handing you a lemon, but as the saying goes, just turn it into lemonade!

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com.

Needs, Wants, Desires and Expectations

Once you analyze what your values are, you need to accept where you are right now to make an effective change for the better in your life. I have mentioned many times how the practice of prayer meditation and service gives you a way of exercising the Law of Attraction. Prayer is an exercise in focusing upon what you want. Wants are issues, events, situations, people or things you feel you require to feel better about yourself in your current environment. They are not needs. Needs are necessities that you require in order to continue to survive. You need air, water and food to survive.

The chain of emotional requirements is as follows: Needs, Wants, Desires and Expectations. Needs are fixed requirements while wants are somewhat transitory. They arise from an emotional state of not being satisfied. When your wants are focused and reoccur almost every day they move into the realm of desires. A desire is a craving or longing for something you consistently want. Desire literally means, “Of the Father.” It is the uniqueness that God has given you as His creation. If you ignore your deep down desires of expression, then you are in effect proclaiming to the universe that you don’t trust what God has given you. I for one don’t want to tell the creator of this vast universe He didn’t know what He was doing when He created me. When we seek our desires and accomplish them consistently, we then move into the realm of expectation.

When your prayers reach the level of expectation and faith that God will bless you with what you seek, you need to let go of how you will get it. The universe is God’s big clock that operates beyond the timing and control that you have in your environment. Be concerned about focusing on what you expect and not on how you will get it. You must let go of the processes of how it will arrive and allow it to arrive. Meditation helps you with this by giving you and environment of relaxation where you can hear God’s still small voice guiding you as to how issues, events, situations, people and things will come to you.

In order to receive, you must first give. Giving of your talents and abilities in a positive way aligns yourself with the universe in such a way that blessings and bounty will be geared toward you. Your service to the universe primes the pump for blessings to abound. But you must be willing to receive. Are you a Giver? Are you a Receiver? In order for blessings to flow you must know when to be both. Have a good positive self image and be willing to receive what others give you. Don’t block the blessings they will receive from the act of giving. Let go of any foolish pride about receiving blessings and you unclog the drain of the flow of blessings to you from the universe. Always expect the best results for everyone and everything in the universe. Don’t settle for mediocrity!

Prayer is giving an expectation to the universe. Meditation is allowing the universe to guide you to make the correct steps. Service is receiving the blessings from the universe by acting in an appropriate way to bring about the blessings you seek. This is a process by which you can attain your deepest goals and desires of your heart. Quit complaining about what you don’t’ have and give thanks for what you do have. You have the ability, the awareness, the knowledge and the wisdom to make your life all that you expect it to be. Release all of the limitations that family, friends, school, business and government has told you that you have to embrace. Embrace how the universe works and it will work for you and not against you.

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com.

What do you value in life?

Yesterday I mentioned that when you focus on the negative emotions of worry, doubt and fear, you are embracing problems and not the solutions of those problems. When you embrace a positive solution to a problem you are being pro-active. When you embrace problems as “the way it is” you are being negative. But why do make these choices? It is because of what you value in life. I have included a link to a survey here for you to reveal to yourself exactly what your values are. Take the survey, send it to me, copy it to a text editor and I will reveal the overall results in a future article for everyone taking the survey. No names will be taken, just overall results.

What are values? They are a relative worth, merit, or importance you place on issues, events, situations and people in your life. Examples of positive values are cleanliness, freedom, education and/or community service, while negative values are cruelty, crime, blasphemy and/or just looking out for number one. Our survey will help you to determine what values are important to you. Do you express worry, doubt and fear in reaction to daily events in life or do you express confidence, certainty and faith?

Worry comes from a lack of confidence in what is going to happen next. If you embrace this lack of confidence it broadcasts this into your environment and you find issues, events, situations and people to help you support your assertions through the Law of Attraction. If you firmly believe you are a skeptic, you will find issues, events, situations and people to support you assertions because you not only believe in your convictions, but you emotionalize them with every encounter of those convictions. If you embrace uncertainty you enter into the realm of doubt. Finally, fear settles into your belief system and supporting evidence will abound. But remember FEAR’s acronym; False Evidence Appearing Real. The evidence that appears to support your feelings is based on the thoughts you have focused on and have manifested to create your current situation. You are caught in, what appears to be, and endless loop.

Fortunately, we don’t have to believe and emotionalize this endless loop. When you open your mind to other ways of manifesting your desired results and daily practice these ways, confidence in their results becomes apparent. As you make more and more advances you develop certainty in creating pro-active results. Finally, your confidence and certainty develops into faith. What is faith? Trust in something that cannot be proven through conventional means, i.e. our sensory world is what the modern dictionaries tell us. The original word for faith was the Greek word pistis, which means trust. Trust in the power of co-creation that God has given us. It was translated into the Latin word fides and its essential meaning was changed into requiring proof or evidence based on our senses.

In the New Testament, Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." It is a result of the confidence and certainty that you have the power to create your world daily. The evidence of this is not seen immediately, but you KNOW it is there. In James 2:20, he says, “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” If your faith, or trust in God’s laws is genuine, then it will manifest evidence that supports the goodness of God. If you manifest heartache, poverty and grief, are you truly trusting in God? Are you manifesting all that is wrong in your life? Find out what your values are and make an ongoing assessment of your progress toward creating the life that you want by instilling positive values that are life-giving. Daily practice of prayer, meditation and service will help you attain your deepest desires.

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com.

Your Emotions…A Divine Feedback System

What are emotions? The etymology of the word emotion is from the Latin emovere, which means to move out, move away, remove, stir up or agitate. Technically it means an individual’s internal state of being and all associated involuntary, subjective, and physiological responses to an object or a situation, based in or coupled with a physical state and sensory feelings. Emotions generally are a reaction to an event that occurs as a realization of something internal or to an external occurrence that an individual is sensitive to either by choice or previous experience.

Physiologically, our brains have acquired three components or layers over time. The reptilian, old mammalian and new mammalian. The basis of the reptilian brain is the fight or flight emotional reaction. Hormonally, it communicates directly to the adrenal glands by what is called adrenaline (epinephrine). It is inextricably attached to our olfactory (sense of smell) system. Smells are tied to the most basic of human emotions including our sex drives. Why do you think perfumes make such great aphrodisiacs? The old mammalian brain is layered over top of the reptilian brain and it comprises the structures of the limbic system, our physiological emotional center. Finally, the new mammalian brain is layered over top of the old mammalian brain and is divided into left (intellectual tasks such as reading, writing and performing mathematical calculations) and right (center of abstractive thought and creativity) hemispheres.

Our thoughts are a result of either electrical stimulus from our senses (through the sympathetic nervous system) that cause chemical interactions in our brains or chemical interactions that cause electrical stimulus (through the central nervous system) to our bodies. Again, emotions are reactions to either internal or external stimuli, first based on self-preservation, protection of family and then on individual reasoning.

According to the Law of Attraction the way you feel is your point of attraction. If you feel good about something, you are in harmony with you intentions. When you feel bad about something, you are not in harmony with your intentions. Being aware of your emotions or feelings is the first step in monitoring your point of attraction. Allow yourself to truly feel and you will be connected to a divine feedback system that tells you whether your point of attraction is positive or negative.

Focusing on your feelings allow you to know whether you are on the right path to self-actualization more so than focusing just on your thoughts. If you continually focus on your how you feel about your problems, then you are making your point of attraction about your problems and thus are creating more problems, and more negative emotions. It’s a downward spiral that can be turned around by you if you begin to feel good about how to solve your problems. These are constructive thoughts and feelings that are positive reactions to situations and thus change your point of attraction.

We all have this built in divine feedback system that allows us to check our thoughts and reactions if we but pay attention to it. Most people delight in their problems and wonder why they continually are barraged with more and more problems. It is because their point of attraction is focused on problems instead of solutions. Problems are necessary situations that by developing solutions allow us to change our point of attraction to actualize the best for us in our lives. How we react to problems is how they affect us. Strive for solutions in life and revel in the positive emotions that result instead of experiencing the negative emotions that result from focusing on the worries, doubts and fears that arise from embracing the problems.

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com.

Giving Thanks

In the spirit of this Easter holiday and the Golden Rule, I would like to recognize and give thanks to certain individuals in my community who have dedicated their lives to making a better life for others. Following, are individuals who have a burning desire and definiteness of purpose to serve their community with passion and faith. Their individual missions have influenced many other lives through their positive example.

Pastor Dr. Christopher Curry – I was retained by Dr. Curry to design the website for his church, Ezion Fair Baptist Church in Wilmington, DE. During the course of two months I was blessed with the opportunity to work with such a dedicated and giving man. I observed the willingness and action of his church to feed the community with physical and spiritual sustenance. The joy and happiness of his congregation was bestowed on my fiancée Elizabeth Sutor and me when I came to videotape his service one Sunday morning. I was truly blessed watching this man preach. His passion and fire for God is unique. He has been preaching and helping his community since he was 8 years old! To find out more visit the EFBC website.

Justen Wright, City Councilman at Large – I was retained by Justen Wright to design his website during his campaign for City Council. Justen made me aware of the pressing issues in Wilmington concerning our youth, seniors and neighborhoods. He won his council seat at age 25 and has a bright future ahead. His dedication at his age to his community is unparalleled. Justen and his family runs the House of Wright Mortuary in Wilmington, DE. To find out more about Justen, visit his website or his business website.

Pastor Dr. Benjamin “Twin B.” Brown – I have been aware of Dr. Brown’s Spiritual Revival Hour program on Local Comcast Channel 28 for some time. This program has been alive for over 46 years! I was recently introduced to Dr. Brown and have made several appearances on his program. His dedication and service to the Wilmington community and their youth is extraordinary. He has conducted free video workshops for inner city youths for many years. His motto is “Making the Positive Outshine the Negative.” I have recently joined forces with Dr. Brown by designing Wilmington’s first Web TV Station called Channel CCC. Community programs are being run 24/7 and can be viewed at CCC Media TV.

Earl Woodlen – Earl runs the Harriet Tubman Safe House on the East Side of Wilmington. Many prisoners when released from prison haven’t anywhere to go. Earl provides a safe haven where these former prisoners can be integrated back into society. I met Earl at a Mastermind Group discussing “The Secret” hosted by Sue Davis, Nancy Lopez and Mitch Dugan. His energy and passion to help those who have paid their debt to society is very stimulating. Earl has spent most of his own money on providing a safe house for those in need. To learn more about Earl and the Harriet Tubman Safe House visit their website.

Tammy Curry, Life Success Consultant – Tammy Curry is Dr. Curry’s sister. She had contacted me after I designed the website for her brother’s church. I invited Tammy to “The Secret” Mastermind Group and she volunteered to teach the group the 8 week course of Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich.” Her focused insight into the teachings and inner passion about manifesting your dreams are most refreshing. Her personal story of rags to riches inspires the group at every meeting. Her lofty, yet reachable goals have awakened our group to the possibilities we all have. Tammy has volunteered to teach the men at the Harriet Tubman Safe House about “The Secret” and “Think and Grow Rich.” For more info on Tammy Curry, please go to her website.

The individuals listed above are some of the movers and shakers in the Wilmington community that, as Dr. Brown says are “making the positive outshine the negative.” If you know of others who have dedicated their lives to positively affecting our community, please contact me by email and I will be glad to interview them and feature them in upcoming articles. Being spiritual is not just about praying and meditating, it is also positively affecting and serving your community with the blessings you have received.

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com.

The Path to the Golden Rule

In the previous article I talked about how daily practice of prayer, meditation and service can help you finely tune your perception of reality to experience what exists beyond our sensory world. What parallels exist to help support this assertion? Jesus said in Luke 11:19, “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Prayer, in essence, is asking God to give you something you perceive you do not have. Since God has created this abundant universe, then asking Him for something shouldn’t be a problem, right? But there’s more.

The second part of Jesus’ statement is “seek, and ye shall find.” How do we seek what we want and find it? Through meditation. The outer world is rampant with distractions and misguided focus. Only in the peace and stillness of God are we removed from the distractions and chaos of the outer world and we can listen to the still small voice of God giving us instruction as to where to find what we seek. Again, there is more.

The final part of Jesus’ statement is “knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Taking action and moving your feet are performing service. When you are blessed with the awareness to ask God for what you want, and you make the time daily to practice listening to God, you must get up and do something about it. Do you remember the joke about the man in the flood who drowned while waiting for God to save him? When he got to Heaven he told God he trusted in Him and God let him drown. God responded, “I sent you a rescue truck, a boat and a helicopter and you refused their help.” God’s response to our prayers often comes in natural means through other people and not supernatural means as some expect.

Prayer can come in many forms. It can be a simple request of God, a visualization, an affirmation or an undoubting focus on an expected outcome. Meditation can be a simple undisturbed quiet time, a relaxation response to a repeated mantra, or even peaceful observation in nature. Service can be following through on your goals, spending your time helping others or contributing to life in subtle ways without expecting recognition.

In many instances Jesus told us exactly what to do, yet our spiritual leaders often focus on what his disciples’ interpretations tell us to do. For example, Paul is revered as one of Jesus’ most intense proponents; and he was. Yet, many of his own personal feelings are injected into his writings which were interpretations of what Jesus had said and done. Paul’s wisdom came from, as James puts it, asking. James 1:5 states, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” Paul was familiar with what the Prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 26:3, “Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in thee.” Trust is key here. Some of Paul’s writings were done in a cell exposed to raw sewage. In this environment Paul accepted his current situation, prayed for something better, accepted God’s word in peace, and continued to serve his fellow man. He was a big proponent of the laws of God summing them up into what Jesus said, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Romans 13:9).

If you truly love yourself, then you respect yourself by thinking, listening and giving your best. Performing good service is treating your neighbor as you would treat yourself. This is known as the Golden Rule; “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31). Simple enough to say, but it requires daily practice to implement.

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com.

Fine Tuning Your Perception

Since our senses are limited, they only reveal a portion of reality. In order to finely tune our perceptions, we need a greater awareness of reality than we currently possess. In my 1982 book “Communication: The Key to Successful Living”, I explore the triune of prayer, meditation and service as a method of expanding your awareness. Prayer is a process whereby you speak to God (or Higher Power), meditation is the process of listening to God hearing His still small voice and service is the process of sharing your inner peace and resolve with the world.

Prayer is where you request or petition for something from God, or give thanks to God for something He has already given to us. It is where we accept that there is a Higher Power and we recognize our unity with Him. If we didn’t, then why would we pray at all? It is the way we talk to God. A simple look at the vastness of the universe should be impetus enough to realize that whoever created all of this is much greater than we are.

Meditation is where we shut up and listen. You cannot try to meditate. You must let go of the outer world and release your supposed control of it in order to truly meditate. Meditation allows you to enter the stillness of the Most High God. In the first part of Psalm 46:10 it states, “Be still and know that I am God!” In order to experience God’s greatness, we first need to remove any external distraction and enter the peace and stillness of the Most High God. God has 4 main qualities we need to experience in order to finely tune our perceptions. He is omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (existing everywhere), omnipotent (all powerful) and omniparient (the source of everything). In order to experience how infinite God is we need to regularly meditate, or let go of the outer world and its distractions.

Finally, when we listen to God and increase our awareness we must begin to move our feet. Awareness without action is selfish. When we receive God’s awareness it is a blessing. We need to share this blessing with the outer world. Service is the act of giving this awareness to the outer world. Volunteer in your community, mentor a child or help those less fortunate than yourself. The act of giving enriches your spirit and blesses you with a finely tuned perception of the continuity and enjoyment of life.

By faithfully practicing prayer, meditation and service, we develop an attitude of gratitude. Giving thanks daily for all the blessings we have paradigm shifts our awareness off of the things, people and situations that we cannot control into an understanding of being thankful for our current experience. By the Law of Attraction all things, people and situations are ultimately created by us. God has given us the power of co-creating the universe. Christ said in Mark 11:23, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” Can you get any clearer than that?

God has given us the tools to organize and appreciate the blessings in our life to be healthy, wealthy, prosperous and abundant. Can you count the grains of sand, the blades of grass and the stars in the universe? If you could you would see how abundant it is. We live in an abundant universe filled with opportunities to co-create, discover and actualize our God-given potential. Make time daily to finely tune your perception through prayer, meditation and service.

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com.

Perception of Reality

In my last article I talked about how to effectively use the Law of Attraction/Repulsion to manifest your innermost desires. I can hear the empirical scientists now dismissing what I said as poppycock. Scientists employ what is called a hypothetico-deductive method (scientific method named by William Whewell) of observing “reality.” But what is reality? Is it what we all experience or what we all perceive about reality? According to the rules of the above method, scientists observe and gather data by measuring quantitative perceptions of empirical qualities such as weight, length, breadth, depth or motion of the object of their observation. Next, they take an informed guess, or hypothesis, as to why these perceptions exist. Then they predict or deduce a consequence of observable interaction by designing an experiment to prove whether their hypothesis is true or false. Finally, they need to corroborate their findings by having other scientists perform the experiment and come up with similar results. If any other scientist does not observe the same results, then the hypothesis is false and a new hypothesis needs to be formed and tested in a new experiment.

What a great system of measuring and observing reality! Scientific method is based on recording the perceptions of the scientists. But let’s examine these perceptions. Years ago scientists began to realize that their own involvement in an experiment can affect the outcome of the experiment. Why? Because we all influence our environment whether we perceive it or not. The operative word here is perception. What is perception? It is an awareness or understanding of what is perceived by our senses. Here is the weak link. Our senses all react to varied ranges of electromagnetic energy. For example, we hear roughly between a range of 20 to 20,000 Hz. Sounds, which are mechanical vibrations of the air, strike our ear drums and we feel these vibrations. The hearing mechanism translates these vibrations into electrical impulses which feed our brains. The brain then interprets these electrical impulses into environmental perceptions. In effect, we experience a copy of what actually exists in our environment. The same translations of energy exist with our senses of sight, taste, smell and touch. Each sense feels a range of frequencies of electromagnetic energy. But what about frequencies that are not perceived within these limited ranges? Because we don’t perceive them does it mean that they are not there? The fact is that we perceive an electrical copy of reality, not reality itself.

What does this mean? Basically, scientific observation is limited by the experimenter. Anything beyond the observable qualities of an experiment cannot be proven. It can be theorized to exist, but until an experiment is designed to prove an assumption or hypothesis, then any theory not proven still needs to be proven by an effective experiment or it is relegated by the description of pseudo-science. It took many years to “prove” Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity. Yet, when we utilize the Law of Attraction and emotionalize our thoughts to bring about our desires, and those desires manifest, it is construed by the mainstream scientific community as luck or misguided pseudo-science. We, as experimenters of our lives, have the choice to either prove or disprove the results of our consistent thoughts and the passionate emotions attached to those thoughts.

Become and experimenter and utilize the scientific method to prove or disprove the Law of Attraction. Internalize, visualize and emotionalize your innermost desires for just 30 days. Do it consistently day after day and don’t miss a step. Keep a journal and write down your observations. Look for the subtle and obvious results of your experiment. Test the Law of Attraction and then be amazed at the results!

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com.

The Law of Repulsion

Carl Jung, a famous psychologist and associate of Sigmund Freud once said, “Whatever you resist, persists.” What exactly does that mean? If you give attention to that which you don’t want in your life you are magnetically attracting it and repeatedly experiencing it. If you continue to focus on why you can’t do something, or making excuses ad infinitum as to why you can’t do something, then you are creating a situation where it becomes true by the power of the emotions you attach to the thoughts you DWELL upon. This is the key. If you don’t want a certain situation or circumstance in your life then don’t accept it as true always, accept it as true in the past. That’s why it is happening to you right now.

Right now you can begin to commit your attention to the things you want in your life and energize them with passionate emotion. It’s not just believing in what you want, but daily THINKING about what you want with passion that brings it into your experience. Recently, many of you have heard about “The Secret”, which is the Law of Attraction. You might say, “If there is a Law of Attraction, shouldn’t there be a Law of Repulsion as well?” Shouldn’t you be able to passionately think about what you don’t want in your life and it be driven away from you? It turns out that the Law being referred to acts in the same way. Whatever you give your passionate attention to is what materializes in your life.

In the movie “The Secret”, Mother Theresa is referred to as willing to go to a Peace Rally, but not willing to go to an Anti-War Rally. In her wisdom she knew that whatever you give passionate attention to manifests in your life. Day after day people all over the world give their attention to things and situations they don’t want in their life and accept “what is”, based on their lack of faith in their power to re-create their life the way they want it to be. Over a period of years they acclimate themselves to the way it is and don’t realize that in any given moment they could change their future by dwelling on thoughts of success and prosperity in the desires of their hearts.

Claiming to believe and believing in these principles of change and growth are the first part in changing your life. Many people stop here and lose their belief when their desires aren’t manifested. Belief comes from a place of stillness. It is accepting a thought or a pattern of thought as true. Acting on your beliefs is the second part. Daily creating thoughts about the fulfillment of your desires and emotionally charging those thoughts will manifest your desires.

Make the time daily to relax and meditate at least twice a day. Empty your mind and become still. Accept the belief that you have the power to change your life. After your meditation engage in visualization. See the end results of your desires. Feel the happiness from the experience of accomplishing your desires. Say, “I’ve done it!” I remember this statement everyday and have made the letters of the first word represent the following:

Internalize- read about others accomplishing their desires and make the time to relax and meditate.
Visualize- see the end result of your desires and create a picture in your mind of fulfillment.
Emotionalize- release your passion and feel the joy of accomplishing your desires.

If you can commit yourself to carrying out the above steps, you will begin the process of positive change in your life. You will move up from just meeting your needs, daydreaming about your wants, and not fulfilling your desires to expecting the best results in your life. The Law of Attraction (or Repulsion) will be working in your favor. Attract and expect the best in your life!

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com.