Most people do not realize they are the captains of their own personal ships and thus they give no direct commands or headings, preferring instead to be passively buffeted hither and yon by external and internal forces. Their crews stand at the ready waiting for direction but the commands never come and so the crews try to manage the ships, functioning as best they can via indirect impressions and second guessing what the captain wants. The result of course is often chaos. If one were to see these spaceships in flight they would appear to be constantly changing course or spinning directionless in a three dimensional environment.

Who then are these crew members waiting to carry out the captains' commands and how do they operate? Historically they go by many names: allies, guides, helping spirits, guardian angels, helper beings, power animals, totems, elementals, poderios, and so on. Call them what you will, their job is to be the crew of the human space ship. A crews' job is to carry out the commands of the captain without question by immediately doing the specific job they have been trained to do in coordination with all other crew members. The crew's instructions come from two sources within the captain, the conscious and the subconscious minds.  The vast majority of the commands come from the subconscious mind largely made up of instinctive center past life memories and beliefs, and early traumas, dragon based fears, and repressed desires from this life. When commands come from the subconscious mind they are powerful but when the commands come from both the conscious mind in alignment with the subconscious they are vastly more powerful.

If the crew members are not given any commands at all they simply sit patiently by, waiting for instructions. If the instructions come from the subconscious or the conscious minds the crew will immediately respond with their best effort. If the instructions are contradictory and come from different parts of the personality they will often follow the loudest most prevailing voice. Sometimes in response to these contradictory commands they will be forced to stop in their tracks or they try to deliver on both with very confusing and messy results. Unfortunately that is the way most people operate most of the time. Now let us take a look at the operations manual that describes how the system is supposed to work. The physical universe is designed to respond to intent and that which is focused upon. Thus reality conforms to what ever a person  intends over time and/or whatever that person focuses upon whether resisted or desired. The universe employs many devices to get that job done and that is a highly complex subject that we will not focus upon here. Here we will focus on your personal crew assigned to help you sail your vessel and how to command it. If you are merely drifting from one thing to another willy-nilly eventually you may just drift toward your destination regardless of whether you are commanding your crew. However if you are captaining your ship and directing your crew you will get to your destination much faster and more enjoyably with better results.

The crew may be made up from old friends from other lifetimes who have cycled off or are between lifetimes, teachers and guides who have never been human but are willing to help, members of the angelic realms, plant spirits, animal totems and allies, poderios or spirits related to the elements such as wind, water, fire, gemstones, and metal, and objects or locations such as mountains, waterfalls, springs, canyons, meadows, and so on. Some crew members may consist of great avatars, saints, and enlightened beings such as Buddha's and Bodhisattvas who are available to help. Behind and embedded within these crew members is the great source of the universe itself, the Tao.

The captain is a human being currently alive on the planet who has a life task mission to carry out, a number of agreements to keep, and karma to discharge. The captain has a set of beliefs, expectations, hopes, and fears as well as a set of personality traits to carry out the mission. No matter who that captain is, there are several very important qualities or skills that support being a good captain.

Clarity of Intent:

A good captain speaks clearly and loudly enough to be heard by all crew members no matter where they are. This captain also speaks simply and directly so the commands are easy to follow. Here is an example of a good command. Course Heading: I am headed to the Yucatan where I am going to vacation for two weeks with my family. Take care of the resources and make sure my schedule remains clear so that I may go. I intend for this to be a relaxing and inspiring trip, to enjoy myself and regroup. I intend to come back rested and filled with vigor having reconnected with my family in a loving way. Make it so! A good captain does everything in his/her power to drive out ambivalence by clearly choosing a specific path or direction. Ambivalence is a major obstacle and can be caused by several things. 1. The fear of unintended consequences of getting what one wants: For example fame can bring restrictions. Money can bring new anxieties about how to manage it or how to defend it from greedy in-laws and so on. 2. The desire for two contradictory things: I want to be in a good relationship and yet I want to be free of responsibilities and obligations. I want a good job and yet I like my free time. 3. The secret desire not to follow that direction at all: This is often the case when someone is trying to please others but really does not want to do it at all. A good captain looks at the contradictory voices and makes a choice. One is given up for the other unless a good compromise can be found. That's it.

Willingness to Command: Assertiveness and Confidence

A good captain must be self confident and assertive. Being wishy-washy or ambivalent will not cut it with a crew. Imagine a captain who said, "Well maybe we'll go south but on second thought it might be better to go North. I don't know. What do you think? I just can't make up my mind." To command respect and be listened to the captain has to be able to clearly state the direction, the goal, and the destination without any hesitation. This is not a question nor is it an overly polite directive. It is a command. Most people are not used to thinking of Spirit or source as part of the crew they command because it sounds blasphemous but nothing could be more true. Spirit is spread throughout the crew and this is what gives the crew its power and effectiveness. If you are not willing to command the crew within which Spirit is embedded then you will not produce results. For example when Jesus said, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do" he was not asking a question, pleading, or groveling. He did not say, "Father, could you please forgive them? Could you see fit to forgive them?"  No, he did not do that. He was issuing a clear cut command to Spirit for what he wanted done. He was commander of his ship as is everyone in a body. When you want something done you say what you mean clearly and directly

Ability to remain focused: Avoiding distractions

Although there are always distractions, a good captain must refrain from becoming sidetracked or distracted from the clear intent as to the destination. Competing thoughts, feelings, or considerations must be sifted through before the command is given. Once the choice has been made these conflicts must be set ruthlessly aside in favor of the chosen objective. An excellent captain is aware of the obstacles and knows his or her own weaknesses. Fear is often responsible for counter commands that well up from the subconscious to block action or progress. These should be observed and simply noted. "Oh, I notice that there is some ambivalence, anxiety, or doubt when I give this command. I also notice that my stomach gets tight when I say what I want. Hmmm! That's it. When I express this sound, Hmmmm, it seems to release my stomach. Ok, Let's try that command again." This is just one of numerous techniques to handle counter commands or blocking actions coming from contradictory voices within. Notice that there is no resistance in this method, only neutral observation and then a simple way of releasing the block through some kind of expression. Then back on track again. What is needed here is any technique that allows the stored and blocked energy to be released from the counter command.

Strength of intent: Trust in results

An effective captain must be so clear, so sure of the success of the outcome that the command is given with no hesitation, no doubt, and no regret. The captain must be able to taste the outcome, feel it, and if possible, experience it in his or her bones. "We are going ahead with buying this house: May this choice be blessed with good fortune and a win for everyone." A good captain avoids the following: "Well maybe if everything goes ok we'll buy this house but I'm just not too sure. What if I regret it later or find something better. I had better hold back and not get too excited because I might be disappointed."     A good captain remembers all the times in the past when the crew produced excellent results even when the captain did not exactly know how to get to the destination. The captain does not have to understand or anticipate every obstacle, every breakdown, or every detail of the coming trip. That is too much to expect. There are always unanticipated events and surprises. The crew members know this and are trained to handle these situations themselves. They only need to be clear on the destination. Similarly as captain of your own ship, you do not need to know exactly how to get where you want to go. That is why you have a crew to rely on and to trust.  They have helped you before, over and over. Now you must trust they will help you again.
Perseverance in Intent: Discipline

An excellent captain perseveres in issuing the same clear command until the condition is met or the situation requires something new because of changing conditions. "We sail at dawn" isn't "Well, maybe we'll sail at noon, I don't know, no let's sail at sunset instead unless I change my mind again." An intent repeated over and over is more likely to produce good results than one that changes constantly. This has to do with the build up of chi or energy in a single direction. Think of it this way. If on Monday you exercise your right hand and on Tuesday you exercise your left hand and then on Wednesday you exercise your right foot and so on you are probably not going to get very strong compared to exercising all of them every day. Repetition of command is important and yet each time the command is given it must be let go of. The crew never likes to be micromanaged or they simply say, "If you are not going to trust us, do it yourself."

Graciousness: Gratitude and respect toward the crew

A good crew deserves acknowledgement for excellent work done. Therefore it is a good idea to acknowledge the crew as often as possible. "Thank you for producing such powerful results so quickly. As a matter of fact thank you in advance for all the work you are going to do for me to get the next set of results. You have produced so many good things for me. I am a most fortunate and blessed captain to have such a crew as you. Without you I don't know what I would do. You are always there, always listening, always ready, always supporting me. What more could I ask for in a crew. What is more you are incredibly powerful and resourceful yet patient with me when I am having a rough time. You never abandon me and are always encouraging. There have been times when I forgot you were there and forgot to tell you what to do. What was I thinking? You are the best."

Inspiration: Quality of feeling applied to the command

If you are a dull captain you may have difficulty inspiring the crew to jump up and get going because rather than feeling excited you may be putting them to sleep with your own lack of enthusiasm. Inspiration is a key to producing rapid results and it comes in the form of passion or intense desire coupled with a clear and colorful vision of the final outcome. The captain has to see and feel what the results look and feel like when they are realized. This brilliance transfers the commands to the crew in a superior way. If they can see what you see, and feel what you feel, they will get excited and enthused about the mission. To get a sense of this concept, just  imagine being one of your own crew members. How interested are you in carrying out the mission the captain has in mind. If you can't feel very excited about it then the captain is not engaged. You have to want to go to the destination. If not you will never get there because you have not sold your allies on the mission.

In a nutshell this is the way to sail your own ship to unparalleled destinations in consciousness. Your crew stands at the ready awaiting your leadership, your commands, your direction. So don't waste them or ignore them. The more you use them the more helpful they will be yet bear in mind they will never decide the destination for you. That is your job. Their job is to provide information about the appropriateness of the destination and then to get you there when you have decided that that is where you want to go.