Explore the Realm of Infinite Possibility
Most of us have a materialistic side and go crazy when we see must-have items in our favorite catalogs or in the windows of neighborhood stores. We live in a credit card society where plastic can buy nearly every tangible thing known to humankind. Still, most of us hold off buying big-ticket items such as houses and cars until we can afford them. In some cases, that may mean waiting years. But what if we set aside factors such as cost and considered the possibility of having anything our hearts desired? What if we didn’t have to figure out how to get it and left that up to the universe to arrange? What if our job was simply to go shopping in the storehouse of the universe and reveal to the Source our desires? What if it were that simple? The Law of Attraction experts say it is.
Expanding your consciousness is not difficult. It just takes a little patience and practice if you have neve
r done it before. The mind is restless. Your job is to simply observe the thought process. As your relaxed state slows your breathing and heart rate, your thoughts will become quieter as well. Sit comfortably in a chair or lie on the floor on your back in a quiet, safe place with eyes closed. Do the following steps:
Inhale and exhale three deep, cleansing breaths. Feel your body filling with warm light with each inhalation. Release negativity and tension with each exhalation. Return to normal breathing.
Observe the mind without trying to control it until it finally settles into a quiet state.
Mentally recite your attribution for the Creator (Om, God, Source, Father/ Mother, Lord, or some other name) with your inhaled breath. As you exhale, mentally note a number designating each exhaled breath. For example: Om-one, Om-two, Om-three, etc.
Allow yourself to sink into a deeply relaxed state. When you lose count or feel like you are ready to move to the next step, do so.
Allow thoughts of all the things you desire to surface. Select one object, circumstance, or person you want to manifest in your life.
Focus on that one thing that you want to begin working on. Believe you deserve it. See yourself having it. Feel the joy and pleasure of that desire finally manifesting in your life. Feel gratitude and mentally thank the Creator for bringing it to you.
Source as Infinite Potential or Abundances
The great sages and saints of all religions learned to rely on the Unseen Power at work in the universe. That power not only provided them with wisdom and enlightenment, but it also took care of their physical bodies’ needs for food, clothing, and shelter.
In India today, yogis or rishis still do pilgrimages to the forested mountains of Rishikesh in order to meditate undisturbed in natural settings, in caves, under trees, or near water. Some remain until they reach enlightenment or the end of their present incarnations. They depend upon the Unseen Power of the universe to take care of them while they perform their sadhana (tasks associated with devotion to a deity), do penances, undertake anusthans (spiritual practices to achieve a specific result), or spend untold hours in meditation, contemplation, and the recitation of chants such as the Gayatri Mantra on their japa mala beads (a string of prayer beads, usually numbering 108 beads).
Many yogis chant the holy word Om, alone or as part of a chant, because it is considered the primordial sound of the cosmos, from which all things within vibratory creation are manifested. It is the holiest of sounds, and listening to the cosmic vibration of Om is itself a path to enlightenment.
Streams of Divine Power
According to the teachings of Hinduism, five streams of energy emanate from the cosmic Om. While Om itself is considered a manifestation of God, omnipresent in the form of Shabda Brahma, three of its five energy streams are known as Brahma (Creator), Vishnu (Sustainer), and Shiva (Destroyer). Yogis understand how to tap into the streams of Divine Power to achieve certain objectives.
The Gayatri Mantra, perhaps the most sacred of all mantras and considered the primordial mantra by Hindus, was projected into manifestation by the will of God in order to bring about the current cycle of creation, say Hindu religious scholars. The Divine energy known as Brahma then manifested all animate and inanimate objects in the universe.
According to Hindu thought, all of creation expands and contracts in cycles. Certain cycles are characterized by lightness and darkness. When darkness is upon the earth, holy beings such as the Buddha, Mohammed, and Jesus appear on earth as light-bearers to lead humankind out of darkness, depravity, and despair back to light and truth. Some people believe that great and holy beings are always present and anonymously working to manifest good for the well-being of all.
One Man’s Quest
The Buddha, a holy being who lived approximately 500 years before Jesus, was the son of King Suddhodana, ruler of the Shakya people in ancient India. His childhood name was Siddhartha Gautama. Until the age of sixteen, when he married, he lived the privileged life of a prince. Against his father’s wishes, he left the royal palace to visit his subjects. It was then that he first witnessed human suffering when he met an old man whose life and health were waning, an invalid, and a begging ascetic.
Desiring to find a way to defeat suffering, poverty, and infirmity, Siddhartha renounced his life, left his wife and son, and became an ascetic. Through meditation and the breathing technique of observing the in/out breaths (anapana-sati), he discovered the Middle Way, a spiritual path without extreme asceticism or sensual indulgences. He had followed his desire to its end. By achieving enlightenment, he defeated suffering, poverty, and infirmity.
Tap the Source
The Source of all things is available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. To work with the Law of Attraction is to trust that we can go to that divine Source for anything we desire at any moment. Saints of different religions have said in different ways that we are children of the Divine or God. No parent would want her child to live in suffering and poverty. On the contrary, consider instead the possibility that we are to live in abundance, in good health, surrounded by love.
Replace Negative Self-Talk
What is keeping us from living the kind of life we only dream of having? Perhaps nothing more than our own negative self-talk. If we don’t believe we deserve the good things in life, the Law of Attraction won’t bestow good things upon us. If we believe that we can’t do any better, and that we can’t lift ourselves from under a mound of debt or free ourselves from destructive habits, then the Law of Attraction keeps us right where we are.
The twelve-step programs that are often key to the recovery of substance abusers advocate that people must take responsibility for their actions but that they can always find help by trusting in a higher power. Those who suffer addictions must learn to let go of negative self-talk, as it defeats the good they are trying to manifest in their lives. Self-talk is the perpetual driver of behavior. It tells half-truths and untruths. Replacing negative self-talk with the statement reworded into a positive affirmation can literally change a life.
Seek Joy
Joy, according to several dictionary definitions, is the emotion of happiness or delight. It is triggered by the expectation of something good or satisfying. Joy, it has been said, is at the core of our being. A peaceful joyful countenance reflects a corresponding inner life. Seek joy for yourself and others and give the gift of silent blessing to all — especially those experiencing lack in their lives — that they will experience joy and success in every aspect of their lives.
The Gestational Period
Sometimes when you really want something specific in your life, the waiting can trigger frustration and you may begin to doubt that it is ever coming. Those times are periods when you must learn to trust that the universe is doing its work. Your desire is known. Your intent has been proclaimed. When you cook, isn’t it true that some types of dishes take longer to prepare than others? When you write an e-mail, isn’t it true that some compositions take longer than others?
Part of working with the Law of Attraction is letting go of the need to control the time frame during which your desire manifests in your life. You have the capacity to let go of that compulsion, and as the noted psychologist Carl Rogers once observed, “You can’t push the river.”
The Law of Attraction works with momentum. Things can manifest instantly or take a long time. Why? The reason has a lot to do with the strength of your desire, the clarity of your vision, and the power of your intention. Remember that the universe is rearranging itself to bring you what you want but that it also allows you to wrangle with your choice and all the different aspects, elements, and options your mind conceives.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. — Ecclesiastes 3:1–2
For example, you may be thinking you want something and then later experience doubts about having it. Let’s say you have always wanted a dog. You begin thinking about what it might feel like to own a dog. You might smile whenever you think of the happy yelping welcome when you get home each night. You imagine warm fuzzy feelings just thinking about him curling up with you on the couch. You even have a name for him — Mr. Peabody.
But while cutting flowers in your garden one day, you begin wondering how Mr. Peabody would like the flowers. What if he digs around your flowerbeds, chews on the sprinkler heads, chases away the ground-feeding mourning doves? You begin to wonder if having a dog is such a good idea. What if he destroys your garden, your sacred place of peace and renewal? Suddenly you ask yourself which is more important — a beautiful garden with wild creatures or the company of a pet? Why hadn’t you thought of these things before?
Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, warned that indecision and doubt work together to become fear. The process or blending of the two, though steady and insidious, may not be obvious to the conscious mind. The end result is fear. But fear is a state of mind that can be altered by conscious thought.
Your indecisiveness and fear block the pet from your life. The Law of Attraction allows you to change your mind or shift your desires around. Perhaps you decide a bird might make a better choice for a pet and eventually you greet the new parakeet that has made its way into your life. The Source has brought it to you because you abandoned ambivalence and instead formed and held a clear vision for the bird that was so strong it became your reality.
Implementing the Law of Attraction
Perhaps you are someone who likes to start projects on a small scale, see some results, and then go for ever bigger results, sort of like the kid who sticks a toe in the shallow end of the pool and movesgradually into the water until she’s comfortable enough to start diving off the deep end. This chapter is designed to help you get started working with the Law of Attraction, but the choice is yours to move as slowly or as quickly as you want.
Know What You Really Want
If you like to shop, you will love the first step in the Law of Attraction, which is to decide on what you want. How do you decide? Close your eyes and think of something that you either want or need that would make you incredibly happy. Set aside your doubt and pretend for a moment that anything you want is possible. If doubt floods your mind, start small and continue taking baby steps in your manifesting efforts until you have proven to yourself how easy it is.
Is what you want to manifest an object, such as a new lipstick, a paella pan, or a fountain for your garden? Is it a situation you’d like to bring about, such as improving your health, securing a promotion, or mastering a tennis serve? Is it something you want to do for the world, such as write a book, establish a business, or create a masterful work of art?
What if I don’t deserve the thing I want?
If you deny yourself permission to have the object of your desire, you will block its arrival. Reasons you might deny yourself permission include feeling that you don’t deserve it or your income doesn’t support the purchase or thinking that someone else is more deserving.
It’s best to develop a crystal-clear idea of the object of your desire and stick with it. Indecisiveness may render you some wild variant of what you really want. Consider the following example.
Lena, a young advertising executive, spotted a beautiful pair of Stuart Weitzman heels while shopping for a wedding present for a friend. The shoes came in several colors, and the blue color perfectly matched the dress she planned to wear to the wedding. But Lena fell in love with the pair of red heels. The shoes were quite expensive and her credit card was maxed out. To buy the red shoes meant she would also have to purchase a new dress. Every time Lena visualized those heels on her feet, the color changed — red, blue, red. Finally, a wealthy older friend cleaned her closets and gave Lena a bag of shoes containing the Stuart Weitzman heels she had wanted — in purple.
Since Lena could not be certain about shoe color, she got a color she didn’t want — or did she? The universe may have simply been giving her the shoes she had wanted in her favorite colors, red and blue. Mix them together, and you create the color purple.
Shopping in the Storehouse of the Universe
Think of how much you enjoy browsing through the pictures in your favorite catalogs, spending a day at the outlet stores, or whiling away an hour or two at a Costco or Sam’s Club warehouse. Now consider all the offerings of every store, merchant, or collective. Remember, you are shopping in the warehouse of the universe. The promise of the law is that if you can imagine and desire something clearly enough, using high levels of creative energy, you can swiftly attract it.
Perhaps you already have something in mind to bring into your life experience. The following is an example of how one young woman saw what she wanted and used six steps to deliberately work with the Law of Attraction. Lupe had grown up poor in Puerto Rico and found work in New York. While she dreamed of having many things, mostly basic necessities, she also longed to have a diamond-studded watch like one she’d seen an actress wear in a movie.
Lupe had little discretionary income, but on the streets of New York almost anything could be had and the price was always negotiable. She soon discovered that there were many fake brand-name items, including watches, from which to choose. Separated from her family and alone as the Christmas holiday approached, she decided to purchase a watch from the street.
