The Spiritual Law of Attraction

The spiritual law of attraction states that we attract into our lives that which we put our energy and attention on. I believe this is the most important of the explanations of how spirit creates through a physical body. Consider the ramifications of this! If we remembered this truth a little more often, how much more deliberate we would be in what we focus on. This law manifests minute-to-minute, in everything we do. It is in effect when we are being conscious about our thoughts, in prayer or meditation, or when we are sitting at a stoplight worrying, when our thoughts stream by without our even noticing them.

When "Monkey Mind" is active in our thoughts, we attract those thoughts. Monkey Mind is a term used for automatic, negative thinking, or the frequent amount of time we spend with our thoughts spinning off in some direction that may have no connection to our best or serve the highest good in that moment.

Monkey Mind often contains the messages we received as children, or lies that we have accepted as truth. It is the voice of fear. The voice of Monkey Mind is the perfect vehicle for our forgetting who we are, because the things we fear we usually find, and the lie is then reinforced until we can find a way to stop the cycle.

We quiet Monkey Mind through practice. Many people practice mindfulness and meditation techniques to help quiet the racing quality of the mind and cultivate more dominion over deciding which thoughts are worthy of our attention, and which we want to release. Simple deep breathing techniques also help with this. Many use affirmations to reprogram automatic negative thinking to more productive thoughts. What we hold in mind manifests in kind. The really magical part of all of this is, we can always change our mind!

Worry about not having enough money or resources is common, for example. The chatter would be "there is never enough money (or time, or love, or . . .) to meet my needs (or make me happy, or keep me safe)." When we catch ourselves creating this reality in our lives, we can affirm, in the present tense, "I have an abundant supply of all I need," or "God is my source." In doing this, especially over time, we reprogram the subconscious.

Many wonderful resources exist about learning to use the law of attraction more fully in our lives. There are entire websites dedicated to this idea. Life coaches teach it. One author whose books focus on the idea is Florence Scovel Shinn. I just purchased another copy of her book "The Game of Life and How to Play It" on amazon.com for $5.49.

The spiritual law of attraction is what makes the world our playground. It is what we use to design the masterpieces of our lives. In any moment we can choose to remember that there is no reality in lack of any kind. In all things, we can affirm that abundance is here and now manifesting.

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Dignity

I have been thinking lately about dignity. There are so many things in this life that are antithetical to living in dignity; discrimination or abuse in our current situation, or limiting beliefs about ourselves that we've accepted from somewhere in the past. We can think of countless examples of circumstances that rob people of their self-respect. In some ways self-respect is very hard to maintain, especially when we are taught to hold ourselves up to so many different guideposts about what it means to be whole and healthy. Comparing ourselves to others, we can never be enough. But as with all things, divine purpose is providing us with the opportunity to remember who we really are.

As children of God, we can revel in the glory of our own existence. Being born to this earth is the only credential we need to be part of the kingdom. I notice that when I choose to express my dignity, when in my interactions I consciously come from a place of acknowledging first my own intrinsic worthiness, I cannot help but recognize in all other people that same measure of immense value. I did not always know that I needed to focus within first, but I am remembering. In owning the truth about myself, I see the truth in others.

When I am living in my own glory, the world feels like a very magical place. I am here, in the middle of limitless possibility, and all is for good. Everyone I meet is an angel, doing their own perfect dance.

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Creating and Destroying

We very often forget that destroying is a crucial part of the creative process. Sometimes when we have an intention to create something, there are other things in place in our lives that get in the way of it. It would be hard to manifest a healthy and happy relationship if in our thinking we still label relationships based on past, unhealthy ones. It would be difficult to create a new, more creative job if we worry that we are too unskilled to get one anyway. It's always hard to create new things in our lives when we are stuck in old thinking.

The most powerful tool I've learned about creating and destroying I learned at BPI. It's effectiveness comes from consciously destroying as part of the process. BPI uses the symbol of a rose in this tool, but any symbol will work. I like the idea of always using the same symbol when you practice this, because the subconscious makes a strong connection with the symbol and the creating/destroying process. The rose is useful because you can notice how open it is to indicate how far along in manifestation your goal is.

What we think, we create. What we "see," we create even more powerfully. Throughout our lives, we are not normally taught to trust what we see, but seeing is part of our birthright as creators made in God's image.

It's easy to "forget" that I have countless tools at my disposal for creating. It had been awhile since I'd created and destroyed roses, but I did today, and cleared my ability to manifest in my life the things I desire. There are different ways to go about this, so you can play with it and do what feels comfortable to you.

Sit comfortably with your eyes closed. In your mind's eye, visualize a rose representing what it is that you want to manifest. Don't work too hard at it, just see what you see. That rose, its color, how open it is and what shape it's in all represent the energy around your idea in present time. You may see a very definite rose, or you may get a more vague idea of a rose. Either way is fine. It is our intention here that is important. See it, don't judge what you see, then blow it up! Destroy it. You can use any visual you choose. I often set a firecracker into it, in my mind's eye, and watch as it blows up. This part of the process can be uncomfortable if you are not used to destroying. We are not usually taught that it is OK to destroy things. It's very powerful but also fun, because we are releasing limits and clearing our creative ability.

Create another rose in your mind's eye, representing the same idea. It may be a different color or look different. Blow it up, too. With this process we are destroying anything in the creating of our idea that is not part of our truth. After creating and destroying a few roses, you will sense that the one you are now "looking" at is clear and containing your truth. At this point I show the rose to God, and know that it is done; it will come to pass in the right and perfect way.

You can use this process in many ways. You can create and destroy roses to clear communication in relationships. You can create and destroy roses to clear your path to a goal you have. You can even create and destroy roses to help you release old programming and fear. I created and destroyed roses around a number of ideas today!

May you know yourself as the limitless creator that you are, and may this tool be a blessing!

Trust or Faith

Trust can be thought of as a feeling of confidence that things will unfold in a dependable way that embodies order and integrity. Trust is very much tied to creating, because our level of confidence in how things will turn out affects how they eventually do. Believing ourselves to be capable of living the life we envision requires that we trust ourselves, our ability to reflect on our experiences, to grow and learn from our observations, and to continue to adapt new perspectives as we develop into the people we hope to be.

In this sense trust is something earned; as we gain life experience and make increasingly complex choices, we become more confident in our ability to navigate through this life smoothly. There's a place in creation, though, where we have no previous success to draw from, when we're crossing a bridge we've never crossed before, or when we're still struggling to figure out the graceful way through something, knowing that we can; it's within us, but we haven't found the answer yet. How can we trust, in those times, that we are capable of accomplishing that which we haven't yet succeeded at?

Belief that is not based on proof is the very definition of faith. We all encounter in this life challenges that seem insurmountable; we struggle with issues that we don't feel adequate to resolve. In those moments we have to let the mind quiet, and rest in the knowledge that we are not alone in the business of creating this life. The ego wants to believe it controls everything, but there is a much bigger part of us waiting to create more good than our ego could ever imagine. Not I, but the God within, does the work.

When things feel like more than we can handle, when we have tried repeatedly and our effort seems to be leading nowhere, it is a signal that we are stuck in limited perception. Grace allows that our best will come to pass; we need only remind the ego that there is a higher power at work, and step aside. Have faith!

"We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake by an infinite expectation of the dawn, which does not forsake us, even in our soundest sleep." - Henry David Thoreau

May this tool be a blessing. . .

I See the Christ in You

Christ consciousness is the awareness of that most basic truth, one that Jesus lived and taught, that we are limitless creators, bringing into being all that we imagine. Christ consciousness, living in each of us, reminds us of our infinite power expressing through our finite human form.

Although we are limitless beings, we are on a path of remembering. In forgetting the truth, we are provided with the holy opportunity of remembering, and then owning our birthright as God in expression. We live in forgetfulness, remember, and then forget again.

Reverend Ken, our Unity minister, talks of something he does to help him in his dealings with people - that is to say, "I see the Christ in you." This doesn't need to be said out loud; other people do not even need to know you are acknowledging it about them. When someone you encounter is most stuck, when they act in a way much less than loving, saying to yourself that you see the Christ in them breaks the cycle of fear by affirming truth. They, and we, are free. The pull of fear and judgment is released as threads of truth are woven through our ongoing creation for all to experience.

We can choose to see the Christ in anyone at any time. It is a wonderful way to acknowledge the divine truth of all those we share this planet with, regardless of circumstances.

I sat on a warn Friday evening last summer in a park with hundreds of other people, listening to a concert. There were families picnicking and couples dancing. All different types of people were gathered together in a small grassy corner of the world. I chose in that moment to shift my awareness to acknowledge Christ consciousness within each of them, all at once. I was filled with awe and joy as I saw God's eternal spirit expressing in so many unique and perfect ways.

We lift up the vibration of all of humanity when we see the truth of each other, unlimited creators, all-together expressing the light of God.

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Seeing Light in the Darkness

I can't remember where I read about the idea of seeing light in the darkness. It's been many years ago, and I've remembered it often. It is that choice we can make in the midst of any difficulty to change our minds, and see that point of light that reminds us that all is well. When we can see light in the middle of darkness, we are talking directly with God.

Sometimes just entertaining the possibility that all is well is an act of faith. We may have just a hint of willingness to consider that our perception is limited in the moment, and that the voices of fear and lack will quiet if we stop fighting them. Just being willing to consider that the fear is not as big as it seems opens our awareness to all kinds of new possibilities.

When those times in life happen that we feel most lost and confused, when we're doubting our path or our safety or our worthiness, we don't have to be anything other than where we are. We don't have to be standing tall or absolutely certain about anything. During those times, we can just be willing to consider that there is good at work, even if we can't yet see how. There's a tremendous amount of grace that comes from not fussing and fighting when we find ourselves again in the darkness. It is a clamorous but temporary state of affairs, and we can allow it to run its course.

My dear brother reminded me of seeing light in the darkness yesterday, when I asked him how he was. He told me about some big challenges he's facing, and then said, in effect, "but God has me, and it's all going to be fine." What I heard his spirit saying was "Bring it on; I and the God within me can handle way more than this!" It warmed my heart to hear the boasting between the lines. I could sense his pride. Challenges are opportunities we create for ourselves to rise above our limited ideas of what we can do, be and have. They are steps in knowing the truth, and serve a mighty purpose.

Light in the middle of darkness is that space wherein we step aside from pain or confusion just enough to view it from outside of ourselves. In that space, we are the observer, observing ourselves. We are spirit, watching how we're affected but knowing that there's a much greater dynamic at work. That light we see is the God within, shining in the midst of it all.

May you see light in the darkness, and may this tool be a blessing!

The paradox of proof and faith

As I sat listening to God in my meditation this morning, I was aware of my very solid faith in God consciousness, and realized that my faith is the result of many years of proof. I know that is a bit of a contradiction. I didn't start out with alot of faith. I wasn't born into a spiritually-oriented family; mine really had no spiritual perspective at all. I didn't even consciously choose to develop faith, but it happened, nonetheless.

My faith is born of trusting, in increasing measure, my own perception, seeing proof over many years that spirit exists. The proof I've found has been very gentle; if I hadn't been actively seeking truth, it would have slipped by unnoticed. Over the years I have turned so many problems over to God, and have been filled with wonder by the results. I have set an intention about creating something, often using one of the tools discussed in this blog, and watched it come into being, with amazing accuracy. When I've asked, I've been answered. My knocks were so very quiet, in the beginning, but heard.

I realized this morning that my confidence in spiritual truth developed without my even really noticing the scope of it, as I was raising my kids, living my life, doing all of the things we do. My trust grew slowly through seeking and finding so many small answers, living a very ordinary life. I know spirit as the eternal creator within each of us, and I trust that part of us just as if I could reach out and feel the physical density of it. I've needed proof, sought it, and found it.

When I look at spiritual energy clairvoyantly, as color, there is density to it; there is hue and pattern. It looks physical. When I reach my hands out to feel the spiritual energy around a person, the aura, it has density, firm and steadfast in places or light and barely there. But it is there.

I love that place in my awareness where spirit is made real in the physical world by my senses. I guess it's the part of me that keeps wanting proof. Or maybe it's not so much that I keep needing proof, myself, but that I'd like for others to have it. I'd love for all of humanity to know themselves, and each other, as Gods.

I remember years ago attending a class at the Berkeley Psychic Institute on telekinesis, a very little-used spiritual ability. There were about 300 people in a big lecture hall. The instructors had bags full of spoons and forks, which they passed out. After some discussion, we all set about trying to bend them, using our telekinetic ability. I spent some time intent on bending my spoon, with no luck. When I looked up, I saw people around me twisting the tines of their forks like they were playdough. It was one of those moments when the paradigm shifts and nothing is ever the same again.

Class ended and I was walking down a street in Berkeley, spoon unchanged, returning to the car with the people I'd ridden with. I was talking with one of them; he had been able to bend his spoon. I was holding my spoon, looking at it, listening to him explain about releasing effort from my 3rd chakra, when my spoon bent over in half, like butter, then stopped, solid again. It happened in about half a second. I stood on that street corner in Berkeley shrieking, happy to have witnessed that, but also happy to have been able to do it!

That is a pretty dramatic instance of proof, and it makes a good story. But it isn't the most compelling bit of proof I've encountered that we are God expressing in human form. Those have come from countless small moments of hoping, with just the tiniest amount of faith in the possibility that I can create the outcome, and having it be so.

May your knocks be heard!

Getting out of resistance

Resistance is an interesting teacher. The buddhists believe that resisting what is creates much suffering. I believe this to be true. There is, however, an awful lot to resist, at least for me. It would be great if I responded to everything that came my way with equanimity, unmovable in my internal balance. Maybe in some lifetime!

Today, I'm resisting changes in my job. I like my job the way it is. I've been there a long time; I'm happy there, and I don't want it to change. The thing is, whether I want it to or not, it is changing. Driving home tonight, there were many things I could have had my attention on. The weather is spring-like and warm, and beautiful. I could have been grateful for countless things. But I felt that closed down feeling in my chest that accompanies my thoughts of I don't want this.

I can label a situation in any way I choose, and create an outcome of my own making. First, though, I need to accept where I am with it. I need to feel my feelings, and be clear about what action, if any, is needed on my part. It's easy to mistake acceptance with burying our feelings and moving on, trying to be positive. But we can't accept that which we haven't yet acknowledged. I needed to be honest with myself, first, in how I am being affected.

There is a saying that the only constant is change. I teach in my stress management class that stress is caused by demands on us to change. How we handle those demands for change can make the difference between resistance and discomfort, or enthusiasm and growth. The choice really is ours.

From the perspective of spirit, all is well. A year from now, I will have moved beyond my resistance to change, adapted and created a way to experience more of the truth of who I am and what I can do.

So for today, I will acknowledge my resistance and move on. And I will remember one of my favorite Unity prayers: "The light of God surrounds us; the love of God enfolds us; the power of God protects us; and the presence of God watches over us. Wherever we are, God is, and all is well!"

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Spiritual Hands-on Healing

I spent five years studying at an exceptional place called the Aesclepion Healing Institute, where I learned spiritual hands-on healing. At Aesclepion, we spent many hours practicing on others. I've found that hands-on healing is also a wonderful way to heal myself.

There are many different methods for doing hands-on energy healing. They are all intended to heal the spirit in the body, with the idea that physical or emotional dis-ease begins on a spiritual level. When we are holding on to something that is not our truth, it can be seen as color, and directed to release. At Aescleption, we moved our hands over a person's body, and sometimes directly onto a portion of the body, in order to help that release to occur, and to help the person get their own healthy, vibrant spiritual energy flowing through their body.

An important part of Aesclepion's teaching is that we do not use our own energy to heal others. We don't need to do this, and it actually gets in the way of another's healing. They, and the God within them, know the best course for healing. We do not need for our intention to get in the way of it. Instead I let go and allow the healing energy to come through my hands. Most of us have had the experience of giving too much of our own life force energy away to someone else in an effort to help them, and being depleted by it. This is not helpful or necessary.

When I have a knowing about where energy is being held that needs to be released, and I place my hands just above that area of the body, the light of God is brought to that part of the body. A place that had been out of awareness is brought into light. That is how we heal.

When I was in my early 20s, I had abdominal surgery, and spent a few weeks recovering. I remember spending alot of time with my hands on my belly, directing healing energy to the area. At the time I hadn't yet studied hand-on healing, so it was more instinctive. Even so, it worked beautifully! I helped me trust my body and get out of worry, and I was healed and back to my daily activities much more quickly than would have been expected. Intention is infinitely powerful!

I don't have the opportunity to do as much hands-on healing work as I did before, and I miss it. It is one of the most gratifying things I've ever done, and I look forward to doing more in the future.

Recently I decided to give myself another hands-on healing. I placed my hands over the area of the body to be healed, took some deep breaths and quieted my mind, and allowed God consciousness to come through my hands. When my mind wandered, I gently brought it back to what was happening. Intention is the important part of this process. When my mind wanders, healing is still happening. As I intend for divine consciousness to heal me, it is done, with more perfection than my ego or will could create. At any point in time there is perfect healing on a spirit's path, and God consciousness will manifest it. As I had my attention on the process, I noticed slight resistance at times, places where the healing energy had to remain a bit longer, then an awareness of lightness, and release. All we need to do is allow it to happen.

I believe we are meant to glorify our existence in joy, abundant health, and prosperity in any way that has meaning for us. Thank you, God, for my healthy body, through which I experience all gifts, large and small!

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Compassion

Compassion is an immensely powerful spiritual tool. I believe we could change the world with more attention on choosing compassion. Developing an understanding of what compassion really means has been a very personal journey for me. I remember a teacher at the Aesclepion Healing Institute telling me that I have more than my share of compassion. It's been one of my life's most valuable learning experiences, because in the family I grew up in, being sensitive and compassionate was seen as weakness, and was not validated. I always felt very wrong and out of place. It provided me with a very challenging but ultimately perfect opportunity to look deep within myself and choose exactly who I want to be.

As the Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hahn, wrote: "If you think that compassion is passive, weak, or cowardly, then you don't know what real compassion or understanding is. If you think that compassionate people do not resist and challenge injustice, you are wrong. They are warriors, heroes, and heroines who have gained many victories. When you act with compassion, with nonviolence. . . you have to be very strong. You no longer act out of anger, you do not punish or blame. Compassion grows constantly inside of you, and you can succeed in your fight against injustice. Mahatma Gandhi was just one person. He did not have any bombs, any guns, or any political party. He acted simply on the. . . strength of compassion. . ."

Deciding on compassion toward another allows healing to happen. It allows ruffled feathers to settle, stirred-up emotions to quiet, and understanding and communication to begin. Compassion can right many wrongs. Certainly things happen in life that we are justified in feeling anger or resentment about, and we need to feel those things. We need to look closely at those situations in order to learn and grow. At some point, though, we need to get to that place that acknowledges God expressing as each of us. We are all on a path of remembering. We all have bad days, and we all wear blinders around certain situations. The truth is, everyone is doing the best they can with what they have in any given moment. It does no good for us personally or for our human evolution to hold on to judgement.

I learned awhile back that the thing I dislike most in someone else is the thing I most resist acknowledging in myself; a bitter pill to swallow, indeed. That other person is a perfect book to read, to learn about myself, if I choose to put that energy of judgement to its best use. I think it's well said in John 8:7, "He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone."

When I am in judgment of others, and I hold on instead of feeling it and then letting it go, I open the door for that energy to grow in my life. Peace and balance become elusive, as I find more to judge in myself as well as in others. Like forgiveness, compassion is not something we do only for the other person, but very much for ourselves as well.

We cannot solve a problem by being in the same energy that created the problem. We have to take a step up. Raising our vibration to one of compassion in a situation allows divine order to design a perfect resolution benefitting everyone.

A friend this morning told me about a quote that she uses from her 12-step program, which I plan to use often. It's simple, and a great way to remember the power of compassion: "Bless them, change me."

May this tool be a blessing. . .

More Gratitude!

My mom asked me to write more on the topic of gratitude, and I am happy to do that, because it is my favorite practice. She specifically mentioned something that I have taped on my refrigerator, which some of you may have seen. I'm not looking at it right now, so I'll have to paraphrase: "I am grateful for the chores that need doing; it means that I have a home. I am grateful for the piles of laundry that I never seem to finish; it means that my loved ones are close by. I am grateful for the big heating bills; it means that I get to be warm. I am grateful for the parking spot that I find at the far end of the lot; it means that I am healthy enough to walk." There are quite a few more.

I love this! Mom must have, too, because she remembered it from the last time she visited. So much of the reality that we experience is dictated by the way we choose to think about what is happening to us. I would even go further to say that it's not the situation, but how we label the situation, that gives rise to how we feel, how we react, and how we ultimately perceive our experience. It's not so much about noticing and being grateful for the big, in-your-face things that happen, although that's important, too. It's more about recognizing the small things that grace us quietly and often go unnoticed.

We manifest in our lives that which we put the most attention on. Beginning to become more aware of how we label situations gives us many opportunities to choose to focus on the good. As human beings, we tend to find what we're looking for. We get what we expect. If my big heating bill causes me to lament over greedy utility companies and dishonest political practices, I validate greed and dishonesty. The more I validate them, the more I will find. I'm not saying that these things don't exist in our world, but it doesn't really help to dwell on them. If there is something that needs changing in our world and we feel compelled to act toward that change, we are proactively working for good. If we do not feel compelled to act, we can let it go and focus our attention on some other good.

I always thought it would be a wonderful idea to create a news network, maybe just starting locally, that reported only positive news, acts of kindness, milestones, all of the phenomenal things that people do every day that usually go unnoticed. What if we validated these things? This probably sounds very pollyanna-ish to some, but what might happen if there was a channel we could tune in to that acknowledged all of the good that happens in the world? It might help move our collective reality from one of fear to one of trust, and love. It's all in what we choose to focus on. I think this is a great idea, and if someone wants to take it and run with it, I would be grateful! If it's already happening somewhere, please let me know because I want to support it.

How miraculous, this game of life! I am struck sometimes by the unspeakable beauty and perfection of it. If we remembered always that each thought, each word is designing our future, individually and collectively, we would be so much more mindful of what we are choosing to express. We would be so much more deliberate about what we hold true in any given moment.

Like happiness, we can cultivate gratitude. We can choose to have eyes that seek the good in things big and small. Choosing to live in gratitude is how we create heaven on earth.

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Casting the Burden

Casting the burden is a very gentle but potent tool that I learned years ago when reading some of the writings of Florence Scovel Shinn. Shinn was a new thought spiritual teacher and metaphysical writer born in 1871. She published The Game of Life and How to Play It in 1925, Your Word is Your Wand in 1928 and The Secret Door of Success in 1940. I was amazed reading her books how very ahead of her time she was. She was one of the pioneers in our understanding that what we think and hold true, we manifest in our lives.

She was a great believer in affirmations, affirmed what she choose to be true about her reality, and encouraged others to do the same. One affirmation that I have used throughout the years, and that I needed in particular today, was "I cast this burden to the Christ within and I go free."

I had a bad day at work. People were grumpy and mean-spirited. I tried very hard to keep my mood separate from what was going on around me, but by the end of the day I was feeling pretty beat up. I forgot all of my tools. I got completely sucked in and it didn't feel very good. When I got home I sat down to do my meditation, but was feeling kind of antsy. I had absorbed so much of the conflict energy that I couldn't settle down. My mind was racing. I was frustrated because I knew that I needed to take some time to release the stuff I'd picked up that was not me, but I couldn't even decide what to do. (I trust I'm painting a clear picture of how keyed up I was, and how very much I wanted not to be!)

When I finally let go and stopped trying, and said to myself, "I don't know what to do to," I instantly remembered Florence Scovel Shinn's affirmation, "I cast this burden to the Christ within and I go free". The acknowledgement of that inner wisdom recreated my perspective, in an inkling, to one of truth. No situation I encounter could ever be more powerful than the truth that God lives in me and as me, and in any situation, I can choose how I view my experience. I can dwell on it and suffer over it, or I can let it go and focus on other, more positive things. The Christ within me, who knows herself as one with God and the sole creator of her perception, can decide at any point to be free of any burden, and it is done.

Shinn was a great teacher of truth. I look forward to writing more about her teachings in this blog.

Thank you, God!

Happiness

I came across a wonderful quote today by a man named Denis Waitley that started me thinking about cultivating happiness: "Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude. " How true.

Many people use benchmarks outside of themselves to decide whether they can claim happiness. Is my partner meeting my needs, is my job validating my abilities, do I have what my peers have, or more? These markers for happiness are fleeting and don't fulfill us on a deep level.

That's not to say that we need to adopt a life of poverty and isolation to be happy. It seems that many believe that creating material things is shallow and meaningless, or in some way against our spiritual nature. Material things don't provide lasting happiness, but provide myriad ways for us to express ourselves as divine creators. Expressing my birthright as a creator in God's image does make me happy! I believe that God wishes for us all of the good things that will help us relish a complete and full life.

Although material things can't create lasting happiness, they are not contrary to expressing the highest in ourselves. The difference is our intention. Are we working to buy a bigger home because it's expected, or because it would be a healthy and peaceful place for our growing family? Are we working nights to get through school because someone expects us to do something more with our lives, or because we are drawn to a new career as a way of expressing more of our true talents in the world? Are we saving money for a special vacation because we're trying to keep up with someone else, or as a way to connect lovingly with our partner, experience joy and more of the wonderful places and people on this planet? We are meant to experience all that we want to do, be and have as expressions of the highest within us.

If material things can't provide lasting happiness, what does? Can we cultivate happiness, consciously, as a practice? I believe we can. The beautiful quote above provides good insight. Happiness is a spiritual experience wherein we are present in our moments with these three things: love, grace and gratitude. Having our moments in love is allowing others their path as we walk our own, and remembering that each of us is uniquely expressing the God within. Having our moments in grace is having an awareness of ourselves and others as being worthy of God's highest favor. Having our moments in gratitude means simply acknowledging the tremendous gift in all of it. As complicated as life gets, these three things we can do.

True and lasting happiness comes when we accept the truth of who we are, and are glad of it. When we know ourselves, God rejoices!

The Mock-Up Bubble

Using a mock-up bubble is another tool that I learned at the Berkeley Psychic Institute, and one that over the years has become second nature to me in manifesting my intentions. A mock-up is a model, or prototype, of something that we want to create. This techniques involves visualizing, in your mind's eye, a bubble out in front of you that contains what you desire to bring about. It's probably easier to start with your eyes closed. Remember, what we think has great creative power, and when we visualize our intention it becomes even more powerful.

Pretend that you are waving a giant bubble wand and have just made a very big, clear bubble. See it out in front of you. It can be as large as you'd like. In your bubble, begin to create a picture of what you want to have happen. It really is as simple as that. Be sure to take time to add to your vision as many details as possible of what you desire. The clearer we are about what we want, the more likely we are to get it!

When you have filled in as many details as you want, the next step is to let it go. As we let it go, we release our limited ideas of how things need to happen, and allow God, the universe, our own higher selves to do the work in creating our heart's desires. One way to release your mock-up and allow it to manifest is to simply watch the bubble float up until it's out of sight, to come to fruition in the perfect way. Or you could watch in your mind's eye as it pops, or anything else that occurs to you. Have fun with it!

One thing I like to do before I let go of my mock-up bubble is to show it to God, and ask that anything standing between me and its creation be released. In that way, I acknowledge the ability of the God within to create my life without limits. I affirm the truth.

I use mock-up bubbles frequently, often for the big things in my life, but also for the small ones. If I'm walking into a meeting that I'm nervous about, I'll see in a bubble how I want it to turn out, show it to God and then release it to come into being. If I need a chunk of money for something, I'll visualize it in a mock-up bubble and then turn it over to the limitless creative energy that we are all part of.

This is fun stuff! And the hardest thing about it is believing that we can, and then remembering to do it. As we ask, we are answered. A mock-up bubble, as a tool for manifesting our intention, is a prayer.

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Making Your Day Delicious

Inspiration for blogging sometimes comes suddenly, from unexpected places. I walked past the treasure map I finished a few weeks ago, and one of the statements from a magazine that I put on my treasure map says "Make every day delicious." It sounded like a great sentiment at the time, so I included it. A few days ago, though, it really jumped out at me.

It got me thinking about what making a day delicious means exactly, and how to do it. I think the possibilities are endless, but deliciousness is a sensual thing, one of taste and smell, and probably sight and feeling, too. (OK, sound, also; I could make a case for that. My son plays for the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra, so I know the sound of delicious!) Making a day delicious is about engaging our senses to notice all of the things that usually go by unnoticed.

I decided to try this going for a walk, and it was fun! It really made me notice, again, how much of the time I spend in my head. There is so much beauty to be experienced in every simple moment, but I have to be present to have it, instead of off somewhere in my thoughts. What will be the most important thing for me at the end of my days, is that I was present for the moments of my life; that I was, as fully as possible, here. I want to live as much as possible right now, savoring every bit of it, all of the ups and downs and victories and disappointments, because that is what it has meant to be me. Fully engaging our senses is a delicious tool to help us fully experience our being.

I can tell you that on that walk the grass was delicious, the smell of it, the vibrant color, and the way it moved in tufts with the wind. Because I had consciously decided to engage my senses, I noticed the intensity of it more than I usually do; it was like that grass was the only thing in the world for a moment. And the great thing was I didn't need to be up in the high Sierras backpacking or in some other amazingly beautiful place where the beauty hits you over the head like a two-by-four and you can't do anything but notice it. I was right here, in my own neighborhood, and the beauty that struck me was just as awesome as anything I've seen in the mountains. There's beauty like that all around us, in simple things. We just have to chose to notice.

May this tool be a blessing. . .

Non-Striving

I've been re-reading parts of Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn, and pondering an interesting question which I discussed with my husband this morning. I love the simplicity of Kabat-Zinn's message, focusing on being an observer, mindful in each moment and allowing our experience to unfold without judgment. In his book, he talks about "the deep importance of contemplation and of non-attachment to any result other than the sheer enjoyment of being."

I agree with this, and am very aware of the disappointment that being attached to a particular outcome can bring. I have seen in my own life how letting go of striving to make events turn out in a certain way allows divine intelligence to exert its knowing.

What, then, of ourselves as divine creators? I have also experienced the miracle of choosing a good outcome and watching as it manifested, through treasure-mapping or affirmations, or any other method of prayer. Is that not being attached? I believe it is, and it provided good spiritual food for our conversation this morning.

What I realized in pondering it is that both perspectives hold a part of truth. I would always want to fully claim that most sacred ability to choose the course of my life. I believe that humanity is just now beginning to grasp the enormity of what we are capable of. We are moving, in quantum leaps, to owning who we are. Jesus said, "Ye are gods," and "These things I do and more you shall do." He taught that we are created in God's image, as he was.

But Jesus didn't strive, he knew. He did desire certain outcomes, and absolutely trusted that they would happen. He didn't have to be attached to the result, because of total certainty that the outcome was never in question. I believe he did choose to affect situations in ways he saw as worthy, and then put trust in the divine to carry them out, believing that the right and perfect thing would come to pass.

What perfect help this is to me in my own creating: to remember that as I ask it's already being given unto me, and when I knock I am always answered. It can be no other way. There is no effort needed in creating a world of my own making.

Thank you, God!

Practice

Being a spiritual being having a human experience takes practice, if we want to make the most of it. By that, I mean that if we want to be conscious in creating the life we've dreamed of, we need to actively cultivate our awareness of how spirit works through this human form. It's easy to get caught up in the expectations of those around us and the society we live in, and our days can be completely taken up with fulfilling our obligations to the roles that we take on. Things like being a spouse, parent, employee, and friend are all wonderful things to choose to be, but if we do them unconsciously, without hearing our own voices about how we want to be in those roles, we struggle and our unique and perfect expression is lost.

Consciously creating our lives takes awareness, and awareness takes practice. There are so many helpful tools and techniques for helping us connect with the creator within us. All of the answers we need are close at hand. We just have to stop, listen, and practice.

I have found that my practice has broadened over the years as I've learned new things. In addition to regular meditation, I use many of the tools I've mentioned in this blog, such as heart-focused breathing and writing letters to God. I'm looking forward to writing about other tools in the future.

A regular practice is just that, regular, and practice. It ideally is something that we make time for, and try to maintain as a priority in the middle of busy days. It is also something that is done as much for the process as for the outcome; we don't worry about getting it perfectly but we just do it. I always know that when I'm most resistant to sitting down to meditate, I need it the most. If I get off track, I start again. It's a gift I give to myself, something that I get to do rather than have to do. What better legacy, than taking the time to know myself?

A regular practice of whatever spiritual tool we choose helps quiet the voice of limits that says I don't have time, I have too much to do, I can't do this right, I need to stop. Practice gives us confidence in telling that voice to hush, so that we can dwell in the truth of who we are, and who we want to be.

May this tool be a blessing. . .

That's Not True of Me!

I'm grateful to our Unity Minister, Rev. Ken, for his wonderful and enlightened perspectives. Something that he mentions often is his tendency to say to himself "that's not true of me" when he encounters a situation in which he is feeling limited.

There are many reasons why we hold on to thoughts or beliefs about ourselves that do not acknowledge our best and highest. Most of them come from our parents, who were doing their best but likely weren't taught themselves that they were good enough just as they are. We get messages from our families, teachers, friends and colleagues, the media, pretty much everywhere, that cause us to compare ourselves to some ideal. Many of those ideals, being extrinsic or coming from outside of ourselves, are not even what we hold most true for ourselves. We buy into them anyway, though, because we become accustomed to looking to others for validation and answers. There's a noble purpose to this dynamic in that it allows us to forget, and then remember, who we are. Forgetting for a time allows us the delicious moments of remembering.


Who we are, and how we show up in the world, are reflected in what we believe about ourselves. I heard a story once about a young girl who spent alot of time singing and enjoying her voice. One night her mom came home from work really tired, and not in the mood for any noise, even her daughter's singing. So she snapped at her daughter, telling her to stop making noise. The girl stopped singing, and as an adult believed her voice was terrible and never sang again. This is how we buy in to ideas that are not true of us.

So I ask you today to think about the limits you believe to be true about yourself. Sometimes those beliefs are deeply held and we're not even aware of them, but they color our experience. If you have ever thought that you're not smart or talented enough to have the job you've always wanted, or you don't have enough time to do something you've always wanted to do, or that you have back luck and nothing good ever happens, or that you're alone or that no one really loves you, it's a thought going by. It's not true of you.


When we're caught up in self-limiting thoughts, we tend to remember only those instances that make us right. We search our past experience for things that prove that we're less than we should be. We get stuck in justifying how inadequate we are, because that's what we've heard. We develop amnesia about all of the things that are perfect about who we are and what we're doing.


I'm learning not to get too stuck on wanting things to be different. Some of those old programs are very ingrained, and they do take over at times. Resisting doesn't help. But what I can do is remember that I always have dominion over what my thoughts bring to bear. And I am reborn every time I own the highest in myself, and deny that which is not true of me.



May this tool be a blessing!