The Palace of the King

One of the most common problems that people deal with is how to control their thoughts. People have been asking me for years: “How can I slow my thoughts down?” How can I think more positively?” How can I stay more focused and make better decisions?” “How can I stay more present focused?” “How can I stop myself from worrying about the future or from beating myself up for something that I did in the past?”
 
I was caught off guard, when as a young psychotherapist, people from all walks of life assumed that I knew a way to help them to control their runaway brains. It was then that I realized how much  power and omnipotence people were ascribing to me just because I was licensed to practice psychotherapy. What made them think that a 24 year old psychotherapist right out of school knew how to program his own brain to think positively no less to teach others to do the same?
 
In an effort to bring myself up to speed I spent hours in the library searching the psychological literature and reading as much as I could about how to condition myself to think more positively and optimistically. Using what I learned, I set out to practice on myself. I made many attempts to improve the efficiency of my thought processes and reasoning ability but the results were always the same. With whatever method I would use, I would make some initial progress but I couldn’t sustain it over time. The results were discouraging to say the least. I wasn’t meeting any colleagues or supervisors who were able to consistently  think in a positive way either.
 
It took me years to finally admit to myself that despite the thousands of published scientific studies on this  subject, it appeared that nobody in the secular world knew how to feel consistently secure and positively oriented.
 
What did we have in our lives that we could  feel so positive about anyway? How could people who don’t belief that life has a purpose and continues beyond the grave be consistently confident, happy and positive about the future? How can those who don’t believe that G-d lovingly overlooks every detail of their lives have the security and calm that is born of knowing with steadfast conviction where one is headed in life? How could someone without faith possibly have a positive orientation to the future?
 
The truth was that we were just groping in the dark and bluffing ourselves and our clients. We were just putting up a front that we had the answers and that everything would be great.
 
As time went on, I discovered that those who trusted that G-d is taking care of every aspect of their lives and believed that He would provide them with whatever they needed, did actually have the means to think positively and optimistically all of the time. I learned from Rabbi Arush and Rabbi Brody that the key to perfecting our ability to think strong, positive, constructive, optimistic and confident thoughts was to enter a state of spiritual awareness. I saw that people of faith didn’t need to strain themselves to be positive; they were automatically more present focused, positive and able to make better decisions because they were living in a state of spiritual awareness. Those who were living without spiritual awareness had to keep psyching themselves up to think positively but would keep falling because they had no solid ground to stand upon.
 
I have found that the following verse from Psalm 27 can powerfully help a person to enter and remain in a state of heightened spiritual awareness for long periods of time and therefore enjoy the mental calm and composure that comes with it:
 
The verse reads: “Would that I dwell in the House of G-d all the days of my life to behold the delight of G-d and to contemplate in His Sanctuary.”
 
1. Now with this verse in mind imagine that G-d is inviting you to live in his House not as a guest, not for an appointment, not only at set times, but as a permanent member of His royal family. As you enter G-d’s palace you are given an honored greeting as the royal son or daughter of the King.
 
2. Imagine how it looks inside G-d’s palace, how beautiful are all the sights and sounds and feelings that you have while inside G-d’s house. As you breathe deeply, you inhale the sweet scent of paradise.
 
3. When you bathe you cleanse and purify yourself.
 
4. When you eat it is only the royal food that is fit for the King Himself.
 
5. When you dress yourself you are given beautiful royal garments that are custom made for you.
 
6. When you converse it is only with your fellow members of the royal family.
 
7. Now contemplate the delight of being in the presence of the King in His inner chambers. The King, your Father, tells you that as a member of His family, you have the right to be with Him, speak with Him, and receive help from Him regarding absolutely anything large or small that you wish to bring before Him at anytime day or night.
 
8. Imagine as you are sitting privately with the King, your Father, that He smiles and says that as long as you remain in His house that you can let go of all negative, sad, angry, fearful and otherwise stressful and dysfunctional thoughts.
 
9. With each slow breath think about how much you trust the King’s words that you are now free to think only the good, positive, pure and self-confident thoughts that befit a member of the King’s royal family.
 
10. With each slow breath appreciate how there are no words or concepts for negativity of any kind in the King’s House; likewise there are no words or concepts to describe the mental turmoil that you used to experience when you were “living” outside the palace.  All problems and despair have ceased to exist and you are realizing that the mental pain, doubt and  confusion that you experienced before was only caused by your having been outside of the King’s house and not for any other reason.  
 
11. Soon you realize that you never again need to strain yourself to try and think positively because there is no such thing as negativity where you are now. All you need to be perfectly happy and content from now on is to remain in the spiritual palace of the King which you can bring with you everywhere you go simply through your awareness of it.