The Equation for Manifestation

What makes the world move?  What gives the world meaning?  How can movement be meaningful?  How can I manifest what I desire?

Chances are, if you've been reading any spiritual literature you've come across the concept of intention. It is important to intend good things for yourself, for those you love, for your environment, for the world...  But so many good intentions remain just that - intentions.  As in: I intend to exercise today.  I intend to eat well.  I intend to release negative thinking.  I intend to have fun.  I intend to be kind...  And the treadmill is being used as clothes hanger; the weight keeps increasing; we swear at bad drivers; and life remains about work work work.   We intend for world peace and yet our life remains chaotic and we keep looking for news of the world's ending.

Books on positive affirmations abound.   There are so many resources in print, CDs, video, electronic media, etc. that show us how to formulate intentions.  Why then are they powerless to create what we intend?

It appears that for the common of us mortals, it is not sufficient to just sit in a remote cave or under a tree and meditate until our desired outcomes manifest.  What is needed is action.  We also need a good dose of desire to motivate us to act.  It's like we need to use our intention as the needles on our life's compass, and make a conscious decision to follow it with focused action.  Action has to be focused and conscious.  Action for the sake of action can be so futile.  So many of us are busy busy busy.  Our work and leisure schedules are so full that we complain there aren't enough hours in a day.  Yet we feel empty and devoid of meaning.

So on the grand scale of things, what brings this all together?

In September 2001, Ste-Thérèse-de-Lisieux came to me in a dream and asked me to light a white, rose-scented candle for world peace.  I wasn't open to that type of guidance yet - why would a saint talk to me in a dream??  I didn't believe that the simple act of lighting a candle would have any effect on world peace either.  (I am grateful to my Aunt in whom I confided this crazy dream: she did light a candle and believed in the love of the message.  It took a while for me to open my mind to it, and she helped pave the way.)

In a similar dream last night, I understood that it was not the simple act of lighting the candle that was important.  It is the ritual part.  In our human experience, we need to involve all our senses and take time away from the busy-ness of everyday to make space for spiritual happenings.  Our senses (like seeing a candle and smelling its perfume) can trigger our memory of our intention and strengthen our will to see it through.  In a way, Ste-Thérèse was saying to take time to smell the roses, which she loved.  It is about taking a few minutes to collect our thoughts and to focus our intention on something - in this case world peace.  This is not about unconscious ritualistic actions to kneel here; to use a certain type of incense because we're told to; or to use the exact sentences of a guru.  This ritual has to have meaning for our own personal soul.  It has to make sense to our senses.

By consciously doing a simple ritualistic action like lighting a candle and intending (praying) for world peace, it can ignite that part of our unconscious that vibrates peace.  If I vibrate peace, I attract more peace.  When I vibrate peace, I help others around me feel this peace.  It's like I am sharing this little flame from my heart to yours, and you can choose to share it around you too.  One by one, all the candles in our hearts could be lit for world peace.  If many of us vibrate peace, it is easier for peace to stay.  Action does not need to be grandiose; it needs to be meaningful.

To get back to my original question then: what would be the equation for manifestation?  I believe it would be:  intention + desire + action + ritual = manifestation.

None of these elements would work properly on their own.  We need to consciously co-create our world everyday with loving intention, the desire that it manifests, focused action, and a personal multi-sensory ritual that help us remain focused on our intention.

I've been humming "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine" for the past few weeks.  I can see how it fits with this blog entry!  :)

Much Love to you.

The grammar and philosophy of "I am who I am"...

There's a theme that keeps popping up lately - at conferences, in my readings, in conversations.  It's the age-old question: "Who am I?" In my Reiki session tonight, I was told that I am "unique, special, deep"; that I "vibrate at a different frequency" than the norm -- would you believe it?  LOL.  Really, my challenge is to accept that and live it fully, which is not easy when all I really want to do is "fit in"...  Well, that has not really worked up to now, so I might as well try the spirited way ;)

So, here are some of "Jaz's deep thoughts" on the I am topic.

In her book Secret Wisdom, author Ruth Clydesdale presents the major philosophers in Western history and the answers they have provided to the Who Am I question.  For thousands of years, we have been led to believe that we are unworthy; we are sin or the product of sin; we constantly have to follow a difficult path to perhaps have a glimpse of something better after endless trials and tribulations.  Life on Earth is punishment, and we have to endure it and suffer until we die and are reunited with our god.  The business of science, philosophy and organized religion was to help get us there sooner.

Hmph.  Those are not happy thoughts.  Not very empowering either.

In a keynote address he gave at Toronto's "I Can Do It" conference, Dr. Wayne Dyer briefly mentioned the "I Am Discourses" (Saint Germain series -- from what I've glanced on the Foundation's web site, it feels much like "God Save America"...  oh, and other countries too, as an after-thought.  But there is value in the core teaching).  He went on to quote the Book of Exodus 3:13-15:

13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’

“This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.

So the lesson here, as explained by Dr. Dyer, is that the name of God is "I AM".  This name has a strong energy, and, as we have been told in the 10 Commandments, we should not use this name in vain.  Therefore, we must be careful of how we use sentences that contain "I AM" - for to say these words invoke the power of God.  The question is, what do you want to put energy on?  What do you want to create?  If you constantly say, "I am poor"; or "I am ill" - well guess what, you are poor and ill.  Follow the words "I am" by a positive affirmation, and that is what you will create for yourself.

Pretty cool stuff, huh?

In a Mindwalking course, author/facilitator Nancy Eubel wrote of the "I am THAT I am" concept, whereby the god of your heart connects to the universal love consciousness through your thought process - "THAT" (your thoughts) being the bridge between the two "I am" consciousnesses / god. She describes it thus:

"We need the help of Higher Consciousness to raise our own consciousness in our process of becoming and integrating into the Divine Mind. In the final Mindwalking for this group you will complete the bridge you began building last week between the God, or I am, of your heart with the I AM of God Consciousness. The heart will then have a direct link to the Divine, to Spirit, as you hardwire it into your brain. This connection might be thought of as an energetic hourglass with a small connecting tube as the channel between the two. The connection point in the brain will be the "that" link in I AM that I am. Not only will this allow the flow of spiritual guidance to come to us as we request it, it also helps to sustain the balance between heart and mind and between body and mind.  When we come into alignment with Spirit by building and maintaining this bridge, we assist Spirit in spiritualizing our physical matter and expanding our consciousness - becoming co-creators as (Edgar) Cayce said we are destined to be. (...) When we readjust our thinking we have to the power to access the infinite dimensions to achieve spiritual healing and soul growth and hear the voice of I AM THAT I AM speaking in the temple of our heart."

I find this concept is similar to Chakra teachings, whereby your throat chakra is the bridge between your Heart chakra and your higher chakras of inner wisdom and higher wisdom.  (Btw, I truly recommend the Mindwalking course!)

Also, neuroscience has proven that thoughts affect our brain matter and neural pathways.  Quantum physics demonstrates that thoughts create matter.  Thoughts manifest our reality.  The words we choose create our reality.  Just to paraphrase the Bible - God thought of creation, and creation occurred.  Jesus is a manifestation of God's Word.

Soooo...  for Jaz's spin on all this...

I think God has a real good sense of humour.  We tend to take him very literally and seriously when really he wants to show us the light side of things at times.  Moses strikes up a conversation with God up on the mountain: "So, who are you anyway?  What's your name?"  God, momentarily perplexed and forgetting about the human limitations of three-dimensional thinking: "What do you mean?  I AM.  That's what.  I AM."  (Duh!)  Moses: "So, what do you look like?  Can I see a picture?"  God:  "There can not be a picture of me."  Moses taking mental note of this for the commandment against drawing pictures of God and worshipping idols.  God knowing that humankind at the time could not possibly draw or understand pure energy, pure Love, Wisdom, and infinite Quantum vibrations...  God knowing that humanity would like to picture "him" with a human (or animal) identity - polarized male/female with a distinct nationality, language and creed.  Love and Energy have none of that.  Our soul, which is greater than our body, has none of that.  It transcends all.  It is all, in all dimensions, in all time and levels of consciousness and manifestation.   Try to draw that at your next Pictionary party!

Also, note the verb tense - in the PRESENT.  We create in the present, in the now.  Of course, time is only a dimension and it can be overcome with meditation yaddi yaddi yadda...  Thing is, this body and consciousness is in the NOW.  This speaks to our thought patterns - emotionally, we have to live in the now and detach ourselves from regrets and even joyous events from the past (know of people who keep repeating the same stories of the past and keep re-living the same moments over and over?); and we have to detach ourselves from worry from the future.  When we worry about the future, we vibrate fear in our NOW.  It is important to be aware of where we've been and where we're going, but we still need to focus on what we want to manifest in the present, and what seeds we are planting in the present for our future.   There is such freedom in this, and when the soul feels free, it expands and connects to something greater.  God knows all this in his/her infinite wisdom, and that is why he/she just "IS".

Whether or not God's name is "I AM", humanity has spent too much time going against the divine flow of Love and Wisdom.  Who hasn't had thoughts such as "I am not worthy"; "I am incapable of helping the world"; "I am sick and tired"; "I am superior/inferior"...  There are certainly many examples throughout history.  And what have we created?  Injustice, famine, war.  So why not examine our thoughts and consciences and heal our negative patterns to positive ones.  This is what we will manifest.  "I am healthy"; "I am abundant"; "I am peace"; "I am forgiving"; "I am compassionate"; "I am patient";  "I am creative"; "I am worthy of love"; "I am Love"; "I am happy"...

Sentence by sentence, we can build a better self, a better community, a better world.

Could it really be that simple?  To God, yes.  Breathe, and say - with a smile - "I AM".

God consciousness is available and accessible.  It is a bridge we can build and nurture.  It is in us to do.  Jesus and many Ascended Masters have told us that.  "Everything I have done, you can do too".  "Oh sure, but I am not worthy.  I am but a poor human without knowledge."  CRASH goes your bridge.

So, who am I?  I AM.

What is my purpose in life?  TO BE.

That simple.  Do we need lots more philosophers to make it complicated so we have an excuse not to understand?  ;)

Living alternate realities to gain wisdom?

Ever feel like there may more than one of you, living an alternate reality?  What if it's true?  In the world of quantum physics -- where so many sciences merge with a re-infusion of our spiritual reality that sciences put aside a few centuries ago -- time, space, and even lives are just levels of consciousness.  There are more levels of consciousness than, well, than we are conscious of ;)

A quote from Nancy Eubel's "Mindwalking" course through the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.):

"Although some physicists and mathematicians actually think there are eleven or more dimensions, to the majority of us it feels as if we are confined to living in a world of 3 spatial dimensions - height, length, and width - with the added dimension of time. The limitation we feel is in our brain. It has been programmed through the learnings of our past to believe that we are less than we are. However, in our development as souls we are opening to dimensions that science cannot yet  measure and that do not neatly follow a linear sequence - 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, etc. The higher dimensions are not separate, and when we have expanded our awareness we travel to the "level" that is best for us as souls at that particular time. Each dimension is a unique resource in our evolutionary process. By using our spiritual tools such as prayer, meditation, Mindwalking, and application of our ideal, we need no longer be earthbound in our thinking."

In my Reiki/Energy medicine practice, I often tap into past lives - mine and others'.  Sometimes, I even have glimpses of the future.  It seems that it is part of my "gift"; I facilitate a connection with this other dimension.  Pretty amazing for a girl who didn't really believe in past lives just two years ago!!

So my pondering is - if what I tap into is just a different dimension of the reality of one soul; if past, present and future are just different dimensions of the same reality; if these dimensions are not sequential; then...

• it would be possible to "feel" in this current consciousness, other manifestations of our souls like an alternate reality.  Starting from the here and now that we know, we are also the past and the future.  
• the actions we do now and the thoughts we have now can influence our past AND our future.  All the love we send to our "past self" helps our "now self" and our "future self".  The decisions we make now and the thought patterns we develop now will have an imprint on our future self.  And if it doesn't work, we come back to a past self, we forgive, we send love, and we reprogram...  
• the past and the future can really be tools to help us manifest our best now.
• if we see each life as a lesson, and that time/dimensions are not linear, then it would be possible to skip to chapter 7 and then come back to chapter 4?
• and what if I'm a very eager learner and decide to work on chapters 12 and 3 at the same time?  Some people talk of soul-splitting, and feel like "there's an other me somewhere out there"... 

This is really mind-blowing.  Mind-expanding.  Consciousness-expanding.  It takes the concept of being a divine co-creator of our life to an other level!  It can be a frightening tool, as it can certainly be used for ill-will as well as good-will.  No wonder this concept has been suppressed and hidden for a long time.

This concept can also be liberating.  Many Teachers say that we are all here on this plane to learn.  Wouldn't it be easier to learn the lessons without fear of reprisal?  Fear of failure?  Fear of not having enough time to do it all?  It's also easier to see and understand the lesson when taking a step back - to me this concept is just like that.  If we were a painter, we would take a step back from the easel and see the full effect of the artwork; not just the detail.  If an astronaut, it's like seeing Earth from the moon.  If a composer, it's like having an orchestra play back all the parts to be able to make final adjustments to the symphony and harmony.  If a writer, then we have a magic eraser and a magic marker and a new set of eyes to make sense of all those scribblings in the margins.

I am learning.  I have more than one life to do so.  I don't need to rush through this one.  I can take the time and savour this life and really understand the lessons.  I have tools to do so.  So do you.

Much Love to you all.  Past, present and future.  :)

Moving onward and forward...

Fearlessly?  No.  But moving onward and forward just the same.  Participating in Life's spiral dance and not just watching it go by.  Accepting my role as co-creator of my Life and my environment.

These past few weeks, I have taken two online courses: one for clairsentients, and one on Mindwalking.  Both courses include meditation "homework".  I have discovered I truly enjoy meditating at least five minutes every day; it makes me feel more connected to the spirit of the divine all around me and within me.  I find it easier to hear my spiritual "cues" and I'm getting better at acting on those cues.  And Life is unfolding beautifully.

This weekend is the result of such a cue.  During a session in January, the practitioner mentioned (again) that I must write books.  She saw help coming my way.  She saw me with Cheryl Richardson, and that she would be acting as a mentor for me.  I had never heard of that author.  When I returned home, I looked her up, bought a book, "liked" her Facebook page.   I thought, "Well, I'm not sure how this will unfold, but I am open to what the Universe will bring my way."  Two days later, I noticed Hay House's advertisement for the "I Can Do It" conference in Toronto.  One of the pre-conference workshops is given by Cheryl Richardson, and deals with the life of an author; how to present a book; how to have it published, etc.  An interesting synchronicity.  I signed up right away.  

I am looking forward to tomorrow's workshop!