As 2013 begins, many of us are busy planning, setting intentions and resolutions for this new cycle. But what is the secret behind manifesting those intentions in our physical reality?
The clue to this question lies in what has been called the law of attraction. While this law has been quite prominent in our popular culture, it is not new. In fact, it can be traced back to the ancient Eastern and Judeo-Christian spiritual traditions. According to this law, we tend to manifest that which we focus on – consciously or unconsciously. To put more simply, thoughts become things. So, if we spend most of our time dwelling on fear, failure, catastrophy, criticism, etc., we are likely to manifest more of that in our lives. If, on the other hand, we focus on compassion, gratitude, and abundance we will magnetize more compassion, gratitude, and abundance into our lives.
A word of caution here: many have mistakenly taken the law of attraction too literally and sit on the couch repeating positive affirmations with little or no results. To manifest, we need to get off the fear couch and start to move towards our intention, even if we are uncertain of what that direction may be. Mike Dooley uses a great metaphor of MapQuest’s GPS system to explain this. He says that MapQuest (the Universe) knows our current location, so what we need to do is tell it the address of where we want to go (this is the intention), get our car in gear (get off the couch), and start driving in any direction (take steps towards our goal). As soon as our car is moving, MapQuest will respond and guide us in the right direction given our desired address. Even if we unknowingly set off in a wrong direction, the system will immediately warn us and tell us to turn around through various signs and people that will deliver the warning. If we trust, stay open and positive, the Universe will guide us to the right and best path for us. Now, if we become negative or don’t get off the couch and get moving, we are not likely to manifest the desired change.
So if you are feeling ready to manifest, here are some simple steps I find effective:
When you follow this practice with trust and openness, you have the power to change your life.
If you try this process and find yourself discouraged, or taken over by fear or doubt that you can’t lift out of, I encourage you to reflect on how your thoughts are limiting and stopping you. Sometimes the early conditioning that we inevitably receive through our family and society can become quite engrained in the fabric of our lives. Examples of this conditioning include: ‘I’m not good enough’, ‘Life is hard’, ‘I don’t deserve to be happy.’ Counselling and therapy have been helpful in unraveling and releasing those limiting threads, thereby creating space for change to manifest.
The clue to this question lies in what has been called the law of attraction. While this law has been quite prominent in our popular culture, it is not new. In fact, it can be traced back to the ancient Eastern and Judeo-Christian spiritual traditions. According to this law, we tend to manifest that which we focus on – consciously or unconsciously. To put more simply, thoughts become things. So, if we spend most of our time dwelling on fear, failure, catastrophy, criticism, etc., we are likely to manifest more of that in our lives. If, on the other hand, we focus on compassion, gratitude, and abundance we will magnetize more compassion, gratitude, and abundance into our lives.
A word of caution here: many have mistakenly taken the law of attraction too literally and sit on the couch repeating positive affirmations with little or no results. To manifest, we need to get off the fear couch and start to move towards our intention, even if we are uncertain of what that direction may be. Mike Dooley uses a great metaphor of MapQuest’s GPS system to explain this. He says that MapQuest (the Universe) knows our current location, so what we need to do is tell it the address of where we want to go (this is the intention), get our car in gear (get off the couch), and start driving in any direction (take steps towards our goal). As soon as our car is moving, MapQuest will respond and guide us in the right direction given our desired address. Even if we unknowingly set off in a wrong direction, the system will immediately warn us and tell us to turn around through various signs and people that will deliver the warning. If we trust, stay open and positive, the Universe will guide us to the right and best path for us. Now, if we become negative or don’t get off the couch and get moving, we are not likely to manifest the desired change.
So if you are feeling ready to manifest, here are some simple steps I find effective:
- Ask yourself: ‘If I could change one thing in my life that would really make a difference, what would it be?’
- Point that question in the direction of your relationships (intimate, friends, family), health, finances, profession, life purpose, joy, happiness, or wherever you want to affect change.
- Set your intentions by actually writing down those desires in the present tense as if you have already achieved them. For example, if you are physically sick, your intention could be: ‘I am healthy and full of vitality’
- Be honest with your intentions and set them in alignment with your inner truth. Your intentions need to focus on you! We cannot change others. Does your intention feel right to you? Check in with your heart, your gut, or your 6th sense.
- Once you have your intention, visualize what the desired change would look and feel like – engage your senses. Using the example above, the visualization could be seeing yourself healthy, glowing, full of energy and vitality, strength, and feeling those qualities in your body as you are visualizing.
- Take a step in any direction. For the example above this could mean going for a walk, seeing a health practitioner, reading a book on healing, taking deep breaths, etc. A step can be anything. Once you begin taking steps, the Universe will guide you to the best healing modality for you. For example, while you are on your walk, you could meet a person that is a healer, or may know of someone or something that will help you heal.
- Trust and stay open to possibilities – your intentions may manifest in ways you have not anticipated.
- Stay positive and don’t give into negative thoughts, doubt, fear. Don’t forget that thoughts become things, so be mindful of your thoughts.
- Take a few minutes every day to connect to your intention, visualize and feel your intention manifesting. Keep taking those steps and follow the path as it unfolds.
- Practice gratitude at each step.
When you follow this practice with trust and openness, you have the power to change your life.
If you try this process and find yourself discouraged, or taken over by fear or doubt that you can’t lift out of, I encourage you to reflect on how your thoughts are limiting and stopping you. Sometimes the early conditioning that we inevitably receive through our family and society can become quite engrained in the fabric of our lives. Examples of this conditioning include: ‘I’m not good enough’, ‘Life is hard’, ‘I don’t deserve to be happy.’ Counselling and therapy have been helpful in unraveling and releasing those limiting threads, thereby creating space for change to manifest.
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