3 Steps to Manifesting Your Ideal Life
Over the past several weeks I've received dozens of email
solicitations for books, CDs and videos that promise to reveal
newly discovered techniques to improve my life. These emails
promise a wide variety of benefits: how to get rich, lose
weight, meet the woman of my dreams and buy a million dollar
mansion with no money down. In some cases the salesman will
throw in a "Ginzu knife" or "pocket fisherman" if I order
immediately!
While some of these marketers may actually believe they've
invented a whole new system of creating a life anyone would
want, the truth is "there is nothing new under the sun." Mystics
have studied the underlying principles that manifest reality for
centuries. These same principles existed in the time of Socrates
and they existed before the establishment of many of today's
religions.
Whether it's money, love, health, or anything else, the
principles are the same. In mystical terms, the Law of
Attraction specifies that you will attract to yourself those
experiences that match your beliefs. In the words of quantum
physics, the observer affects that which is observed. Since you
are the observer, it's you who affects your life, that is, it's
you who creates your experience of reality.
You create your experience via your underlying beliefs--whether
they are conscious or unconscious. If you're not conscious of
your beliefs then you must make them conscious. As Carl Jung
said, "Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct
your life and you will call it fate." Or, as mystics will say,
"Know thyself." This includes your beliefs.
Before you begin to manifest your ideal life, you must get clear
on exactly what you want. Examine your desire from a mystic
perspective. Is it something that would be of benefit to many
people or is it a purely selfish desire? If you are attempting
to manifest your desire at the expense of someone else, there
will be a steep price to pay in the future. Remember, "As ye
sow, so shall ye reap," so why saddle yourself with additional
burdens? If your desire seems selfish, reframe it so that it's
of benefit to others.
Once you are clear on exactly what you want, then it is a
straightforward matter to manifest your desire. There are three
steps:
Step 1. Visualize exactly what you want for 5 minutes per
day. Let's say you want to go sightseeing in Paris. You may
want to visualize the Eiffel Tower. Why 5 minutes? Because any
longer and your mind will wander. Any shorter and you may not be
fully fleshing out your vision.
Step 2. Put yourself in the picture, with detail and
emotion. You have a clear view of the Eiffel Tower. But, if
you don't visualize yourself in the picture, the universe will
manifest your desire, but perhaps not in the format you
anticipated. For example, you might get a postcard of the Paris
skyline in the mail. To avoid any misunderstandings, picture
yourself standing in front of the tower. What are you wearing?
Are you there with your spouse or some new love interest? Add
details, employing all your sensory data. You're eating a
delicious croissant. The wind is blowing gently on a beautiful,
sunny spring afternoon. You hear conversations en francais and
you smell the perfume of the petite jeune fille standing near
you.
Don't forget to add emotion. Are you enjoying the taste of your
croissant? Do you feel the joy of exploring a new country? Are
you reveling in the sense of freedom as you travel the world?
The more realistic you make it, the better.
Step 3. At this stage, focus only on the end result. This
is very important. Don't worry about how you get there. You
can't possibly imagine all the ways that your goal might
manifest, so don't limit yourself to people you know or the most
obvious avenues to attain your goal. Let the universe worry
about the details.
When you are done with your meditation, release it to the
universe. Continuing to hold it in your mind will prevent its
manifestation. You have to let go. To ensure you've let go,
occupy yourself with a completely unrelated activity after you
complete your meditation.
You're ready to go; but first, a brief note of caution. This is
an extremely powerful technique, so keep in mind the old adage,
"be careful what you wish for, you just might get it." An
example, an acquaintance of mine was remarking on how lucky a
friend of hers was to receive a $100,000 settlement for a
personal injury she suffered. Within two weeks, my friend was
involved in a moderately serious auto accident that left her
with a bad back and a subsequent $50,000 settlement. Was it
worth it? I don't think so.
To ensure that you don't manifest something similar, I recommend
you close each meditation by saying, "If it pleases God, then so
be it," or "If this is for my highest good, then so be it." This
is an extra form of protection that will help you avoid needless
headache.
Lastly, don't think that because you're busy visualizing you
don't have to take any action on the physical plane. For
example, if you're looking for a boyfriend or girlfriend, you
can't just sit inside and visualize your ideal mate, you still
need to get out. You must go about your business, but be alert
to opportunities that the universe is presenting to you.
The Law of Attraction is the basic underlying principle at work
here. If you're not manifesting what you desire then there are
two possibilities: you aren't clear on exactly what you want or
you're not aware of a certain belief, probably unconscious, that
is contradicting your conscious desire.
Identifying your unconscious beliefs is a topic that we'll cover
in our next newsletter.
Until then, manifest your dreams, the mystic's way!