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Kitchen Timer Exercise
Teri Cox • October 7, 2024
In 2007 I suddenly became aware of a different reality. I had a spiritual awakening that blew my mind and my understanding of life was suddenly different. I’ve been living in this awareness sense and it has caused me to draw a hard line with the Truth of our Being.
This is my practice.
In 2007 I understood that it was my thoughts, or rather the energies of my thoughts, that were creating my experiences.
It is our thoughts that create our moods. It’s our thoughts that create our emotions, felt and expressed. And it’s the energy of our emotions that is offered to God and the Universe to create our experiences. These are our stories.
“Be careful how you think; life is shaped by your thoughts.”
Proverbs 4:23.
This is Spiritual Truth. This is the Universal Law of Attraction. This is the Universal Law of Circulation. This is Ask and Ye Shall Receive. Yet, it is our subconscious/unconscious mind that does much of the asking. And this is where old patterns of hurt and disappointment are repeated.
When I look at the suffering of the world it saddens me to know that all of it comes from the emotional pain on this planet. You. Me. All of us, as One Consciousness, are responsible for the suffering we see.
So what are you thinking? What are you feeling? What are you responsible for creating? Low frequency thoughts create low frequency stories.
In 2007 I recognized that it had been my thoughts that had created my stories and the paths I saw before me. I call this my roadmap of consciousness. It does not lie. And I recognized that some of the paths before me, had not been created from a peaceful heart, but instead from a confused mind. So it was time to pay attention to my thoughts that created these paths, my stories.
I call it the Kitchen Timer Exercise. It was 2007 when I did this for the first time. I used a small clip-on kitchen timer. I set it to go off every 10 minutes. That was just enough time to allow my thoughts to go back onto autopilot.
Each time the timer went off, I’d pause, pay attention to what I was feeling, and then I would observe the thoughts that created that feeling.
I do this exercise still, every 2 or 3 years.
If my feelings are grounded, happy and joyful, then I simply bathe in that for a moment. It they are opposite of that, then I really look at the thoughts I was thinking leading up to that moment. And so often they are thoughts of lack, fear, disappointment, grief, frustration, anger, etc. I acknowledge those thoughts and them simply say, “This no longer serves me. I am willing to let this go.”
However, our stories play around and around like a record in our head. I’d recognize and release them, again and again. But each time with more and more humor at the realization that those thoughts really did not serve me. They no longer matched the energies of lack, anger, resentment, disappointment, etc. And those parts of me suffered less and less.
Where suffering isn’t, God’s Light, our inner light, shines bright. Joy and grace is restored. And this is our natural state of Being.
I wore that timer every day for a month. And yes, it went off every 10 minutes. The activities of my day dictated when and for how long I wore it. It was only 2-4 hours a day. Though the timer may no longer be alerting me as a reminder, my mind was still in training to check in for me. Doing this for a month took discipline but the chatter of my subconscious mind quietened.
My thoughts softened.
I challenge you to do the Kitchen Timer Exercise. The timer on your phone makes it simple. Set the timer for 10 minutes, or what works best for you. Just do it. This will train your mind to do periodic check-ins on its own. Let it become natural that you be aware of what you are feeling so that in an instant you may shift to higher frequencies of creation. Only you can shift the energies of your thoughts. Which story do you want to feed? Thoughts of abundance (Love) or thoughts of lack (fear?) It is your free will to choose.
What are you thinking?
THE FRONT WALKWAY “It is not what you do that’s going to bring change, but how you feel about what you are doing.” This story comes from the teaching that all we need to do is change our mind. It was a long time ago. I lived in a beautiful Victorian house with a grand staircase leading up to a large wrap around covered porch, with a porch swing. From the front sidewalk, there were concrete steps and a concrete walkway that led up to the front staircase. The front lawn was divided by this walkway. It was a beautiful home. I was married. But it wasn’t always a joyous place to be. I often walked on eggshells in fear of triggering an emotional reactions from my husband. It took me a while but on my spiritual journey I learned, believed and recognized that he was my reflection. And so he was also my teacher for that period in my life. He could be explosive. Not violent. But emotionally explosive. He often walked to work so when he came home he used that walkway and staircase to enter our home through the front door. EDIT : When I first wrote the words that he was not violent, I felt a constriction in my body. I knew that wasn't a true statement. I don't know if was trying to be mindful of his reputation or if I was feeling a little fear of angering him with making our shared stories public. But anyone who knew him during that time would know that was not a true statement. A part of him, was that of an angry man, and that was his reputation then. And I want for my words to resonate with what I've experienced, and perceived as being real. He was not physically violent. I never feared being physically harmed. But I was harmed. I witnesses others being harmed. During that time he was verbally and emotionally abusive. I walked on eggshells around his mood swings. And of course, I spent a lot of my time being physically ill. Neither of us were happy, at least parts of us weren't . But that has been his journey to have. He was simply my reflection, and I his. And I learned to really see into that mirror for my healing. Back to the story: One evening as he entered the house he came in yelling and screaming about what “those #%*^@! did to our front walkway!” I remember instantly feeling nauseous. I did not want to be there. The gardeners had been there earlier caring for the lawn. It had been rainy and wet. Instead of mowing parallel with the walkway or up to the walkway, they mowed towards it and using the walkway to make their turns. This left multiple mud mixed loops of grass stains on the walkway. He was furious commanding that I call the owner and demand that he send someone there immediately to clean that mess. I used to jump at his every command. But this time I suggested that he make that call. He did. And someone came over that evening to clean the walkway. He was pleased. I was shaken. But over time, no one could care for the yard as well as him so he bought a new mower and he and I kept the yard after that. We worked very well together. He mowed and edged. I did the cleanup and sweeping of all the walkways and driveway of cut grass. Then one summer, he started using the front walkway as a place to pivot the mower in the turns. And week after week I would be on my hands and knees scrubbing mud and grass stains. The whole time I would work myself into a frenzy of rage remembering his behavior with the gardeners for doing the same thing! I’d be knelt down repeating over and over to myself, “Did you see what those #%*^@! did to our front walkway!” By the time I’d finish the sweeping, he would be showered, relaxed and ready to sit back to enjoy the fruits of our labor. There were a lot of sidewalks to sweep and by the time I finished, I’d be exhausted from my rage. But I don't believe that I showed it. I recognized it as being my rage and that it had nothing to do with him. By this time I understood our mirrors and reflections. I felt anger. I never forgave my perception of him being arrogantly rude to the gardener and now he was doing the same thing he accused the gardener of doing without even noticing the messy walkway. And I’m the one cleaning it up. Week after week that summer, I left so many curse words on that walkway. So I finally had a conversation with the person who could do something about it. Myself. Meaning my Highest Whole Self. And what I heard was, all I need to do is change my mind. It’s not what I do, but how I feel about what I’m doing. Exhale. Pause. The next week I planned a different outcome. I saved cleaning the front walkway for last. I swept all the sidewalks from a mental place of peace and joy, remembering one of the Four Agreements, “Always do your best.” I then went to the front walkway. My task was simple. Clean the front walkway. I did not allow a story from the past to take over. The joy in my heart is not defined by what I am doing. Sometimes we simply have hard messy tasks to complete. Rage is not necessary! Just do your best. So I looked at the task in front of me, and I did it with joy and pride for a job well done. I felt good while I was doing it. I felt good when I completed it. I actually had to laugh at myself for putting myself through all that frustration. And as I completed the task, I can still see this man freshly showered walking down the driveway holding a cold mug of beer from the kegerator. He recognize the tools and cleaners it took for me to clean that walkway and said, “Hmmmm…I don’t know why I’ve been doing that. I’m sorry. There is no reason to use the walkway for turning the mower.” He even looked a bit confused as to why he had done that. And that was the end of that story. I had finally stopped carrying my anger for how he treated the gardener. I was at peace. And all I did was change my mind. EDIT: I've been asked as to why I never simply asked that he not use the walkway to pivot the lawn mower. That could have potentially stopped my frustrations before becoming repeated events. But my asking during that time would have carried the vibration of my un-forgiveness. I had not forgiven him for his attack on me and the gardener. I was angry still. But I knew that anger did not belong to him. It was mine. I did not want to say anything that would make him guilty for my anger. Only I decide what and how I feel. He was not doing anything wrong. His actions were simply reflecting what I needed; an opportunity for me to practice patience and forgiveness. Nothing more. It is my desire to never make another guilty for my feelings.
Think what you want, not what you fear. There is a story behind this quote. The year was probably around 2008. I discovered about a 1 cm lump on my body. I first thought it was a lymph node. It was not tender. A few weeks later it had doubled in size so I made an appointment with my doctor. The night before the appointment, I noticed my mind was preoccupied with concern that it was going to be cancer. Though I was no longer working, due to symptoms of multiple sclerosis, my profession was that of a radiation therapist. I worked with cancer patients. And that is where my mind took me. Cancer. As I closed my eyes to sleep, I was startled awake with a gentle whisper in my right ear. I heard and felt this whisper. It said, “Think what you want, not what you fear.” I was very startled. I knew in that moment that I was being directly spoken to from a higher place. In an instant I was standing in front of the bathroom mirror staring at myself, almost stunned with what I heard and felt. So I looked at myself again and asked what did I want? I spoke my answer out loud. “I want for the doctor to tell me that it is nothing serious and something that antibiotics with take care of.” The next day, the doctor tells me that it was just a blocked duct and that antibiotics would take care of it. I walked out of there standing tall. I spoke what I wanted without any fear attached, and that is what I received. So I stopped at the pharmacy on the way home and started treatment right away. But at 6:00pm that night, my doctor calls. He apologized for having me pay for the antibiotics, but suggested that I stop taking it. After further research he said that I was going to require surgery. But still, he believed it to be a blocked duct. Well two weeks passed before I was able to see the surgeon. I wasn’t in fear of cancer any longer, but I was disappointed. By the time of my appointment, this mass had grown to about a 4 cm ball. I’ll go ahead and share. If I were a boy, it could have been a testicle. And by then, it was painful. What did I want? I had wanted for the doctor to treat and cure this with antibiotics. I started thinking that maybe I had thought too small by putting my faith in the doctor and his medicine. Maybe I needed to think bigger and put my faith in God and His miracles. So……..the morning of my appointment, I dropped to my knees and prayed. My prayer was a mantra. “Through Spirit I am healthy and whole. This mass no longer serves me.” I repeated this. Over and over. “Through Spirit I am healthy and whole. This mass no longer serves me.” I went into a deep state of mediation. I don’t remember if I kept speaking out loud or if the words were just repeating in my mind. But my awareness suddenly shifted. I felt something. In an instant, in that instant, the mass disappeared. It was gone. Think what you want, not what you fear. This was a turning point in my faith and understanding of how powerful our thoughts are. I live with this quote. It is a gentle reminder when I I sense fear taking over. What do you want? What are the longings in your heart? Know what you want. Be very clear with what that is. Fear is nothing more than the ego doing its job to keep you safe. It’s not safe to step into the unknown. Even when the known and familiar isn’t comfortable. At least with the known, you know what to expect. But doing the same thing over and over the same way holds you back. What do you really want? Let’s start a conversation there.
Aloha. Who am I to offer a way through and out of suffering? I’ve asked myself that question many times? Who am I to help you? And why do I want to make that commitment, now? To be honest, it doesn’t feel like an option. I’ve tried to say no to the nudges that put me on this path, but it feels like something I must offer. We all have stories and I have many. I have lived a blessed life. And I have lost plenty. I have had lots of disappointments and illness. I have been severely disabled with multiple sclerosis. I have been sexually and emotionally abused. But the questions I’ve learned to ask are, why did I receive this experience? How did I create it? And how do I un-create for a better tomorrow? I’ve had multiple events that I labeled as wake up calls. But each time I’d fall back into the deep sleep of unconsciousness where I’d become the victim again and again of life happening to me. Sound familiar? My last wake up call was in 2021, being diagnosed with worsening dementia. I was diagnosed with declining cognitive functions in 1993, secondary to MS. I learned to live with it using lots of post-it notes and reminders. But in 2021 I was having trouble hiding how bad it was getting. I was shocked to see how poorly I did on the testing and the prognosis was to expect it to continue worsening. My world was falling apart, as I believed this story to be true. But then I asked my questions and got to the one asking, how do I uncreate this? I wanted for the rest of my life to be more this. Little did I know in that moment, that 2bmore was on my horizon. I believe in ask and ye shall receive. Those are powerful words of Truth, not to be underestimated. It is important to understand that we are always asking and we are always receiving. So when we don’t appreciate or want what we have or what we have become, maybe we simply need to learn a better way of asking. Sickness and suffering are projections of and a reflection of a world absent of God’s purest light. This is a world absent of our own soul’s purest light. The veils are not lifted. The lens to our souls are imperfect. And so we suffer. It is our suffering though that opens us up for the healing and to the fullest expression of God’s love. There are laws of God, of nature and of this universal energy that we simply can not get around. Giving and Receiving are the same. Projection and Reflection are the same. So when we react to life, and react with emotions of grief, anger, lack, fear and suffering in all forms, it is that energy that we offer and that is given back to us in another form and experience. This is a form of asking and receiving. So there is value in understanding that gratitude and abundance share the same frequencies of energy, as do fear and lack. We see through a veil of insecurities that we have learned, been taught and that we even teach to others. We teach what we know and believe. We experience what we know and believe. I want for you to get to know me. I want for you to trust me. Life has prepared me for this. 2bmore has 3 paths. They are separate, yet they blend. Health and Wellness Energy Diagnostics Ministries I am not a therapist for mental health. I was a therapist! But in the field of radiation oncology. I have a medical background, but I am someone who simply cares. I was shown a path to becoming whole. I learned tools and techniques for the sole purpose of my own healing, and I want to simply share them with you. And as I continue to grow and heal, I am continuing to learn more tools and techniques so to offer continued growth and healing for you. Life doesn’t happen to us. It happens through us. And the only thing that needs to change is, your mind. It was only in June of this year, 2024, that ministries was added as its own pathway. While I was creating the pages of my website, in my mind, a clear image appeared for 2bmore Ministries. I instantly looked at God and said, Really!!???! You want for me to minister? I do not fully understand what this will mean in its entirety. For now, as I journal and as I share spiritual truth as I know it, I will be adding scripture that supports what I teach. I was raised in church but quit going regularly when I was a young adult. I’ve visited many churches over the years but often felt like an imposter. I didn’t believe everything they wanted for me to believe. Growing up in church, I watched the elders surrender to their suffering, but as they claimed this suffering to be the Will of God. Why would God want for us to suffer? He allows it. The Bible teaches that we will suffer. But maybe it isn’t the suffering we are supposed to give our surrender. God is in my heart. Jesus is someone I call by name and have conversations. But I have struggled with organized religion and have been seeking the Spiritual Truth in mine. I am not about wanting to convert anyone to my religion or wanting to cause anyone to defend theirs. I’m simply sharing my stories. A few months ago, at a moment of feeling the absence of spiritual women in my life and missing being part of a close group of women, I spoke out loud saying, “God, I really want a group of spiritual women in my life again.” And that is all I said. I had been part of mediation groups for years but over time they simply fizzled out. I live on a small island, and over the past 5 years, my old group of friends simply fizzled out as well. I have lots of friends and family here, but I wanted something more. A few days later I was invited to a 3 day Women’s Retreat to be held at a facility on Kilauea, an active volcano on the island. Without hesitation, I said YES! and praised the grace and gratitude of God’s quick answer. But in humor I questioned if I, the imposter, was going to be sacrificed to the volcano. I found it curious that this group of women God had gifted, are the women of a small Hawaiian church in one of the oldest villages in Hawaii. God knows my heart and knows the conflict I have with religion. But I surrendered to His guidance. I knew a few of the women going so I was certain to enjoy sharing this time and space with them. As the idea of a women’s retreat grew, it became a Women’s Conference for the Hawaiian Church. Women came from other islands and the small group of 10-15 grew closer to 50. I’m Spiritual with Christian teachings for Truth, but again …the dogma of religion made a part of me anxious and reminded me that I was an imposter. Another part of me was excited, with the mindset to expect the unexpected. That’s the part that helped me to walk into the conference. Let me tell you, these women Know God! And I now drive an hour every Sunday to be with them and to share in God’s message as I seek Truth in scripture. I don’t believe everything I read in the Bible to be Spiritual Truth. There are stories. But I simply do not need for anyone to believe as I do. And that is okay. I see everyone and everything as my reflection, and being made in the image and likeness of God, an extension of the Source of Creation, I am Light. I am Love. I am Powerful. We are powerful. And my journey continues. 2bmore is about change. It is about living life with less and less suffering. I was taught that the experience of suffering provides the fullest expression of God’s Love, as it is a time to be closer to God. I learned that surrendering is a powerful act of faith, and an action that must be honored. So true surrender returns us to God, where suffering is impossible. And I believe this to be possible while still in the flesh. We accepted suffering to be part of the human experience. But God and Bible also tells us that Knowledge will increase! Truth is expanding. And for something to be Truth, It must be True 100% of the time. There are no exceptions. And so I am filtering through the stories of my religion to seek the spiritual truth that I live and teach, and I want to share that journey with anyone who resonates. Jesus said that we can do the same as He. Think about that. I believe He meant it. That is what I resonate with and that is what excites me, as I take on the end of suffering, as a new paradigm.