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!