The Law of Hypnotic Rhythm - How nature maintains perfect balance
I don’t know about you, but I hate it when blogs and articles start off by explaining anything but the main topic. No, instead they lure you in, lube you up, and create an illusion of “buy in” which unconsciously enables you to continue reading (watching, or listening) even if the content is of poor quality or lacking integrity.
Have you ever found yourself watching an awful cringy TV show to somehow make it through an entire episode and then miraculously, as if time stood still, you look back 48 hours later having coma binge watched every season? Bingo! And guess what? That was/is not an accident– that was/is by design!
You see, you’re less likely to stop doing a task the longer you’ve been engaged in it, you’re “bought in”, “time committed.” This doesn't just apply to small tasks such as reading– this applies to every single area in which you fix your attention in life.
We’ve all heard the saying, old habits die hard, right? Well, this article is going to discuss the precise and core mechanism as to why that is, and how we can use this knowledge to make permanent changes in our lives.
What is the Hypnotic Rhythm?
Hypnotic Rhythm is the universal law through which nature maintains perfect balance between matter and energy throughout the myriad of universes.
Any impulse of thought that the mind repeats over and over through habit forms an organized rhythm.
Rhythm is the last and final stage of habit and thus; once a habit reaches the proportion of rhythm, nature takes over and makes it permanent.
Think of a whirlpool, black hole or the gravitational pull of the earth. Let’s say you were an astronaut orbiting the earth in the space station. One day without warning the ship began to veer off course due to a navigational systems failure and you start descending uncontrollably out of orbit and towards Earth. Eventually, there will be no escape– gravity is going to pull you down into a fiery freefall of human ingenuity and progress.
Stay with me here, I realized this is confusing but the following example will make everything come together and you will see where habit fits in with stuff like the universe, matter and energy.
Mike’s orbit example (which he is very proud of)
Orbit, in relation to our topic and discussion, is my personal metaphor for rhythm. Bringing something into or taking something out of rhythm is very much like an object, such as a space shuttle, blasting into or out of orbit.
- The vision, preparations, effort and sheer amount of force required to bring a shuttle into orbit is a perfect analogy for how difficult it is to bring a new habit into rhythm. You are quite literally fighting against gravity– against the flow of nature. In this case, the rhythm of your current comfortable, safe, complacent state which you are now trying to obliterate with this new habit, and you DO NOT like it!
- The relentless force of resistance, friction and fire blazing during shuttle reentry is akin to the burning of and shedding of your current rhythm– your deeply embedded, permanently installed mental and physical habits. You are literally pointing the ship in the opposite direction and firing all your rockets– giving it everything you've got! This is scary; this is hard, this feels awful and emotionally this is what you would consider suffering.
So why would anyone do that to themselves, why would someone intentionally put themselves in a situation that creates suffering?
The answer is wisdom; having the courage to look within, see the truth and accept it unconditionally. Let’s say one day you come to realize that over-sleeping, sleeping in, is actually causing you harm. You notice how much less energy you have than others, how mentally foggy you are, more grumpy you are and more stressed. But you “can’t” stop sleeping in, it’s just too hard and it feels just too damn good!
When you have truth in your possession and instead choose inaction, desire and pleasure– you have chosen the path of the fool.
The wise are not blind to the trap of desire and pleasure. The wiseman– a warrior, is guided by truth; definite, unmoved and uneasily persuaded by insignificant and meaningless temptations that hinder or move them further away from their goals, mission or purpose.
A wiseman knows (definitely) that the pain and suffering of getting out of bed immediately and on time, is much less than the pain and suffering of a life plagued with low energy, health issues and poor cognitive performance. Not to mention missing the beauty and miracle of life while wasting away in an unconscious dream state.
Music Example
I much prefer my “orbit” metaphor but the book I learned this concept from uses the example of learning to read and play music.
At first the notes are memorized in the mind
Then the notes are related to one another through melody and rhythm
Through repetition, melody and rhythm become fixed in the mind
Through repetition the musical notes blend, creating music.
If this is all still confusing then congratulations, you're normal. This concept isn’t easily understood and that's why I am writing this article, that’s why I created this blog– to help normal people understand life changing and life transforming wisdom and insights into reality and Truth.
Okay, here is the biggest take away that all you need to remember on this topic; (Go get a pen and paper)
“Nature uses the Law of Hypnotic Rhythm to make one’s dominating thoughts and one's thought habits permanent.”
Hill, the author, continues to say “That is why poverty is disease. Nature makes it so by fixing permanently the thought habits of all who accept poverty as an unavoidable circumstance.”
Yo, ouch! That’s brutal– but man does it ring true! Hey, want to hear the very best example in the whole universe of this in action…? Wait for it… The Lottery!
Yup, statistics show that 70% of lottery winners lose or spend all of the winnings in five years or less. I couldn't find a solid statistic or source for the average income of lottery players but just use your imagination. One study claims 28% of individuals making below $30,000/yr play the lottery at least once a week. I don’t know about you guys but I’ve played the lottery twice in my life, been to vegas zero times and would rather sleep in the desert than go. It’s not that I’m a broke, lame, boring ol’man (which I most definitely am), it’s just that I'm not an idiot– like a smoker! LOL, ahhh it’s too easy. That’s a lie, it’s too fun. I have digressed.
Digression - leaving the main subject of a speech or writing
But I digress.
Ha, I just digressed a digression about digression.
“Mike, stop!”
“Nope, I do what I want!”
“MIKE!”
“Okaay, okay, sorry! I’m sorry alright? I’ll stop talking to myself and get back to it.”
If this all isn't adding up for you yet, let me spell it out for you clearly.
All thought habits; what you think about, worry about, dream about– your positive thoughts, negative thoughts, whatever it is, if repeated, if it becomes chronic, it will fall into habit, then into rhythm and become permanent. This is a LAW of the universe, it cannot be ignored, avoided or challenged.
That's the lesson. This is what needs to be contemplated for yourselves in your own lives. Take a moment to think of the possible things in your life that are currently in rhythm; the good, the bad, all of it. Look closely– did you choose to make them permanent, was fear responsible or did the world hand them to you?
Like the poverty stricken lottery winner who lost his entire fortune in less than a year– are your mental habits around money permanent no matter the circumstances? Is everything a perspective, a mindset? (hint: yes!)
If you didn't quite understand the lottery winner example, what I meant here was; handing someone who has poor financial habits 50 million dollars isn't going to solve their financial problems. But they can solve them by becoming rich and successful on their own.
It’s the same deal as sleeping in– waking your kid up every morning for school instead of teaching them to learn this on their own is going to cause much bigger issues later in life. What you thought was helping them was actually stunting their growth and evolution into adulthood. If they miss class then that’s their problem– they can deal with the consequences because it’s going to be much worse if they start showing up late to work later in life.
Moving on– If simply accepting your circumstance in life is enough to keep you stuck– if truly believing you cannot escape a circumstance makes it so, then sure as shit, change you shall NOT have! Change is a private exclusive members only club for visionaries, warriors, and those who have the awareness and wisdom gained to guide themselves. YOU are the one changing right? YOU need to be prepared! No one can do the work for YOU, no one can change for YOU.
Soooo… let’s check in with ourselves real quick. That’s always a good time isn't it!
What are the things we accept about ourselves and about our lives without paying attention, without resistance or a fight?
What is something we consider inevitable and impossible to change?
Notice what comes up. Don’t run from it, don’t think about it, don't do anything– just be aware of what thoughts came up after you read the two above questions and let’s move on.
The Art of Rhythm
Bringing a new habit into orbit, into permanent rhythm takes 2-4 weeks of daily engagement, practice and attention.
Removing a current habit out of orbit, out of rhythm takes 2-4 weeks of complete cessation.
Both require suffering, emotional discomfort, high levels of risk and an insane amount of courage. Ergo, why permanent change is so rare. But you now know the mechanism, you know how it all works– so you have an advantage!
(Authors note: the 2-4 week timeframe applies to almost all habits with the exception of narcotic drugs, alcohol and clinically diagnosed chronic mental illnesses. Notice I did not include nicotine or caffeine although both drugs)
I just handed you the key out of or into just about any habit or addiction.
Bold claim, I know. Guess I should back it up then. Here’s a list of personal habits I was able to permanently fix into rhythm using this concept;
Reading
Writing
Meditation
Breath work
Mindfulness
Lifting weights, running
Stretching, Rolling Out
Proper sleep, hydration and nutrition
Positive thinking
And a few more I was able to permanently remove out of rhythm;
Alcohol
Caffeine
Social media
TV
Fast foods, unhealthy, sugary and processed foods, gluten
When habits are in rhythm, they’re in– and when they’re out, they're out
I cannot be any more literal. To help this land let’s think about something simple like brushing your teeth. Whether once (gross!), twice or three plus times a day, brushing your teeth is most definitely a habit of yours in rhythm. You don't have to think about it, it's pretty much on autopilot, there's relatively no suffering involved and the benefits are obvious and it’s easily tolerable.
Just to be certain you understand how permanent these habits truly are; so you can see how once removed life without them will be your new normal, not as difficult as you imagined– let's do one simple example of what it feels like to remove a habit from rhythm, to take it out of orbit.
Every one of us used to sleep in, right? Black out shades, thermostat dropped to “my dads gonna kill me”, under a cloud of tortured goose pillows and blankets, hitting snooze no less than 8 times– man that feels good, amirite?
“ummm… you mean weekends?” - Most of us, probably.
Until one day, hopefully sooner than later, life will demand you wake up on time or face consequences detrimental to your survival. So on weekdays you begin waking up early for a new job, 7am. It is NOT fun! Actually, it sucks balls! You're genuinely worried you cannot do it and for weeks a fierce mental battle ensues; responsibility vs. comfiness, warmth, peace and silence. Only the strong survive! FREEDOOOOMMMMM!
But you're already in bed, you’re already laying down basically asleep when you're having to make this decision to get up– it’s an unfair fight. Really, you have no choice but to get up, so you do and stick with it day in and day out.
Before you know it, and without your approval or permission, waking up at 7am becomes easy, natural, and effortless. You even start waking up at 7am on the weekends and without an alarm clock. Looking back you see how silly it was to worry or waste life sleeping in because now you realize (through direct experience) that you can change– you’ve had a “positive confirming experience” that you can remove habits out of rhythm and install new ones– ones that will become your new normal.
Unfortunately, without this wisdom and insight about rhythm; without understanding how the mind operates, and without the awareness to be mindful– we forget. We conveniently forget how we have the power and ability to do and overcome just about anything and everything– but instead become the servants of fear. We navigate life making dependable, low-risk choices that keep us happy, comfortable, and safe.
Do me a favor, think of and tell me one person that ever existed on the face of the planet that had any impact on our species or culture, that also led a life seeking pleasure, comfort and safety. I’ll wait…
You can’t think of anyone because they don't and never existed. The “good life” ; the life of freedom, unconditional love, true liberation, comes to those who earn it through the dissolving of the ego in the fire of Truth. Or another less annoying or spiritual way to phrase that is; to get to easy, you must go through hard.
This is just how it works, this is nature doing its thing.
My work; passion, purpose, why I am here– is to research, digest, compile, experiment with and share this information with you in a way that you can understand, see the value in and use to advance your life.
So stay tuned for more ways to “hack” life, and how to create an amazing life for yourself by understanding the ways in which your mind operates. These topics are not necessarily “hacks” per-say, it’s just the truth– a more accurate understanding of life and how our minds operate. I am teaching my readers, my clients, loved ones, anyone and everyone to wake up from our ignorance of mind and ego and to take back control. Every choice you make– every time you choose to be manipulated by fear you are choosing to remain in hiding; choosing to stay small, to stay comfortable and to stay put, exactly where you are. Suffer now, or suffer much much more later– your decision.