The black sun and self-restraint | Deny yourself: When Part X is tempting you to give in to your impulses, what it’s trying to do is steal your Life Force. Self-restraint not only preserves your Life Force, but it also increases it. When you hold an impulse back, the lower, greedy energy is transformed into a higher, giving energy, increasing your Life Force.

The mother and child-like enthusiasm | For God so loved the world: Remember what it was like when you were a child and you woke up excited for the day? You had no specific expectations, just the excitement of being alive. Living with the love of the Mother feels like that. This hopefulness leads to optimism about your future and builds your capacity for resilience in the face of life’s inevitable challenges.

Reversal of desire | Rejoice in your own suffering: The higher force that drives all of life expresses itself in relentless Forward Motion. The only way to connect to this force is to be in forward motion yourself. But to do that, you must face pain and be able to move past it. The Reversal of Desire lets you do this. Once the tool connects you to the force of Forward Motion, the world is less intimidating, your energy is greater, and the future seems more hopeful.

Projection dissolving, taking power back | Acknowledge him: Group dynamics, especially in families, can be like a swamp. Just when you think you’re on dry land, you take another step and you’re sunk into the mud again. Don’t give up. Taking back your power requires diligence. Keep using the tools and you’ll eventually see the benefits. Try measuring your success not by whether or not there is a fight or the other person changes but by how many times you practice using the tools. Regardless of what happens, if you apply the tools, consider it a success.

Jeopardy and WILLPOWER | I can do all things through him:You can’t overcome the tendency to quit by thinking about it. The force you need is willpower. It’s the one higher force you must create yourself; all the universe can do is provide a challenge that demands you generate it.

Inner authority and self-expression | Share your testimony: The force of Self-Expression allows us to reveal ourselves in a truthful, genuine way—without caring about others’ approval. It speaks through us with unusual clarity and authority, but it also expresses itself nonverbally, like when an athlete is “in the zone.” In adults, this force gets buried in the Shadow. Inner Authority, by connecting you to the Shadow, enables you to resurrect the force and have it flow through you.

The vortex and gaining more energy | Those who trust in the Lord: The immediate benefit of the Vortex is more energy to live your life. That means more opportunities for creativity and connection. Over the long term, you develop a sense of optimism that is key to a brighter future.

The grateful flow and well being | Love that endures forever: Far from being indifferent to us, there’s a higher force in the universe that created us and remains intimately involved with our well-being. We call that higher force the Source. The experience of its overwhelming power dissolves all negativity. Gratefulness is the way you perceive the Source.

The tower and recognizing opportunity | All things work together: Life happens. When you accept fate, you can shift your focus from being a victim to recovering. You can see life’s experiences as a chance to crack the shell that Part X has around your heart and rediscover your life force.

Active love and being unstoppable | The greatest commandments: Active Love creates Outflow. Outflow is the force that accepts everything as it is. This dissolves your sense of unfairness so you can give without reservation. Once you’re in that state, nothing can make you withdraw. You are the chief beneficiary; you become unstoppable.

Loss processing and eternity | You will be with me in paradise: While the experience of loss is very painful, it gives us the opportunity to experience a part of the Self that is not defined by the material world. Loss propels us to discover a limitless, eternal dimension of the Self greater than our individual identity, obscured by our attachment to people, places, and things. As you negotiate loss using this tool, you will recover a felt sense of an infinite Source residing within.

Fluidity and defeating your inner enemy | The spirit in you is greater:You have unlimited potential, but you’ve probably noticed you also have an inner enemy that’s hell-bent on sabotaging you at every turn. We call it Part X, and the Fluidity tool can help you fight back whenever it attacks.

Cosmic rage and the greater force | The Lord is my Sheppard: There is a destructive force in the universe that aims to negate who we are and derail us as we try to fulfill our potential. At times this force operates through people in our lives, at times through our own thoughts and feelings. It takes a force as strong as rage to combat this destructive force when it’s attacking us. We can use rage constructively by aiming it at the real enemy and recreating our sacred “I Am” space. In the “I Am” space, we are free from the influence of others and connected to our spontaneous, true selves.

Dissolving thought with your senses | For the Spirit God gave us:No matter what the subject is, obsessive, repetitive thinking is one way Part X tries to gain control over your mind. Regardless of the subject, once your thinking becomes out of control, Part X has made you its victim and has separated you from others and your environment. Because you’re so busy paying attention to your thoughts, you’re no longer present to what’s going on around you. To break free of this, you need a force stronger than thinking. That force is your senses—in fact, another name for this tool is the Empowering Your Senses tool. Empowering your senses directs your attention back to the present because you can only experience them in the here and now.

The islands and letting go | Blessed are those that mourn: Loss and letting go is part of life. Relationships, jobs, people, pets—good things come, and they also go. If you are stuck in grief and unable to move on, give The Islands tool a try.