I Can Do It! Conference Review – Day 3
The review of the 2007 I Can Do It! Conference continues.
Day 3 – Saturday
Bill Phillips – Transformation: You Have the Power and Ability to Change
Steve: After a heart-warming welcome by 80-year old Hay House founder Louise Hay, Bill Phillips took the stage to talk about transformation. Years ago I’d read his popular book Body for Life, and I once trained in a gym where his training methodology was used — several people there entered his 12-week physical transformation challenge. I’d never see him speak before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised.
Bill spoke from his heart about the process of transforming our physical bodies as well as our entire lives for the better. His speech centered around eleven four-letter words:
- Move – Get up and move your body. Motion generates emotion and motivation.
- Care – Don’t just go through the motions, even when exercising. You must genuinely care about what you’re doing. Your actions have to matter to you.
- Give – Don’t wait for perfection; give what you can right now. Helping others will bring you the energy and support to fuel your own transformation.
- Feed – Sunlight is the essence of energy, and plant foods as well as direct sunlight are ideal sources of the nutrients you need.
- Talk – Verbalize your transformation intentions with emotion. Don’t keep them secret. Example: “Within the next 12 weeks, I will let go of 20 lbs that have been holding me down physically, mentally, and spiritually.”
- Know – Doubt itself is a symptom of disease. Replace doubt with faith.
- Live – Embrace life. Take risks. Don’t live under a rock.
- Hear – Tune into your intuition. Heed your inner voice. If you’re following the masses, you’re on the wrong path. The world is very noisy, and that chatter won’t help you. Quiet down and listen with your heart, not your ears.
- Heal – Rest and recover by giving yourself some downtime between periods of intense activity. Downtime is essential to your progress.
- Grow – Growth involves growing pains, but suffering that bears fruit is beautiful. Accept the pain of transformation instead of resisting it.
- Love – The transformation process involves recognizing that love is what you are, not something you do. When you resonate with love, you transform yourself as well as everyone around you.
I’m glad to see the conference included a speaker like Bill Phillips, since the ICDI audience is certainly not the fittest in the world — when he asked how many people did weight training, very few hands went up. I think he did an outstanding job of blending the spiritual and the physical, showing how they’re inextricably interconnected. You can’t experience physical transformation without spiritual and emotional change as well.
Bill ended his speech on a high note with some loud drumming from several drummers — I think it was from some Cirque du Soleil performers, since the beat was reminiscent of one of their shows. Overall I found his presentation genuinely inspiring. He truly spoke from his heart, and I’d love to see him back again next year. His 4-CD Transformation audio book is set for release in August.
Erin: I didn’t get a chance to attend Bill’s keynote as I had an appointment during this period with some people from New York. But I enjoyed hearing Steve’s recap of Bill’s talk and learned a thing or two vicariously.
Gordon Smith – Spirit Messenger
Steve: Psychic medium Gordon Smith gave a humorous and energetic presentation on mediumship. Erin had previously warned me about his thick Scottish accent, but I had no trouble following him. He spent most of the two-hour workshop giving readings, channeling dead relatives for various people in the room. His accuracy was amazing. In most cases he would pick up precise names and dates. He even got a pretty close match for the name of a deceased dog (something like Bonnie instead of Bonzo). When he was certain about a name (which was often), he wouldn’t let someone try to match it unless it was a perfect fit. For example, if he said he’s connecting with a Judy, and someone tried to match it with a Julie, he’d say, “No, it’s definitely Judy.” I respect that he trusted his ability enough to hold himself to a high standard of accuracy; many mediums will simply grab the first match they find if it seems close enough.
The main message of his presentation was to remind us that we never really die. That message didn’t do much for me since I’ve already internalized it, but it clearly had an impact on others in the room. Many of the people who received readings were visibly moved.
When Gordon channeled deceased relatives, there usually wasn’t much of a message to be conveyed except to say, “I’m still here and hanging around.” He spent most of his time offering validation after validation, revealing tons of details that only the person getting the reading could verify. In contrast Erin’s readings often include plenty of validation, but she spends more time on the message, relaying guidance about relationships, career, and other major decisions — such messages are different for everyone. So in Gordon’s case the validation is the message, while in Erin’s case the validation is the stamp that authenticates the message. Just don’t confuse the medium with the message. 😉
Erin: Having already attended Gordon’s all day workshop, I didn’t learn anything new at the two-hour version. I selected him though because I wanted to watch him do more readings, and I couldn’t get enough of that accent. As Steve mentioned Gordon has amazing integrity when doing readings and is a model for mediums the world over. I know I could learn a lot from him and intend someday to have that chance.
David Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D – Power vs. Force
Steve: I’d read Power vs. Force years ago and was looking forward to seeing David speak. I’m glad I read the book because it would have been nearly impossible to follow the presentation if I hadn’t. Some people who sat with me were totally lost. During his presentation David referenced tools like kinesiology, the levels of consciousness, and calibrations, but he didn’t stop to explain them. He frequently turned to a woman on stage, using her outstretched arm to check the truth of some of his statements before saying them to the audience. Personally I’m not big on kinesiology, but it was interesting to see a person being used as a prop.
A couple notable ideas from the presentation:
- Man can only choose the good, but he cannot always discern perception (false good) from essence (true good).
- If you manipulate the context, you can make anything appear good or evil.
- Contemplation may be more useful than meditation.
- We live in a world of maximum karmic opportunity, meaning that in this world you have the greatest chance of reversing negative karma and cultivating positive karma. You can also do the opposite. The choice is yours.
- While human consciousness has been rising in calibration for centuries and took a big leap in the late 1980s, we’re currently in the midst of a downturn.
While I picked up some interesting ideas, overall I felt David did a poor job of communicating his concepts. He often seemed to be lost in his own little world, frequently laughing as if to an inside joke only he understood. Some complex slides were given only a cursory explanation before he moved on. While he certainly has some brilliant ideas, this presentation fell short on clarity and structure, so I can’t really say what the main message was.
Erin: I have not read Power vs. Force, so a lot of what David said was lost on me. But I actually enjoyed his presentation because he was so obviously happy and comfortable with himself. His shields were down and I found myself communing very easily and naturally with his soul. I have no idea what he was talking about, but I’m 100% certain he totally believes in his message. Just the happiness and joy he exudes is something to take note of.
Doreen Virtue – Daily Guidance from Your Angels: Messages to Soothe, Heal, and Open Your Heart
Steve: Doreen just exudes love when she’s on stage, and this evening keynote was no different. She spent most of the time giving readings for people in the audience, offering them reassurance and guidance. I saw her give many readings last year, including one to Erin, so this was nothing new to me. I’m not terribly into angel readings myself, so I don’t have any deep insights to share about her presentation except to say that she was a big hit with the audience.
Erin: Doreen has a beautiful way of communicating. She is calm, collected, and peaceful. I was actually very energized during her keynote. The love passing throughout the hall was palpable to me. I could have sat there drinking it in all night. Of all the keynotes, I liked hers best. She resonates keenly with her material. She did a great job with her readings as well, and I thought back with gratitude to the reading she gave me last year that helped me move forward with confidence on my path as a psychic medium.
Saturday’s schedule was long but wonderful. We left the hall that evening feeling connected with everyone, happily looking forward to Sunday’s events.
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