Manifesting (still)

We're always manifesting. Whatever we're focused on, grows. Good or bad, worthwhile or worthless.

I just realized that my focus on "having less so someone else won't feel bad" manifested just that. A small decrease in my income, ostensibly due to taxes. In my case, it was a specific situation that I was afraid of confronting honestly. So - lesson learned.

It's true - it serves no purpose to pretend "small". Not one more person will be fed, clothed or housed because I do not accept my good, my abundance, my gifts.

Visualizing

Part of manifesting is Visualizing - seeing what you want. Why don't they call it "seeing what you want?" Probably because "vision" is wider frame. It's both a concept "I have a vision of my future" and a reality "I envision myself in a new and lovely home."

Visualizing, in the sense we're talking about, is putting out a call to action to the Universe. You envision what you want, and release it. The Universe responds.

Manifesting 101

What is manifesting?

It's making your dreams come true. I can "write the words" about how to manifest and you can find a zillion articles that will tell you the same thing. It's like advanced daydreaming - picturing what you really want, then letting it "go."

The key component in manifesting is aligning your energy with your dream. This means, feeling the emotion of actually having your dream - and this is harder than it sounds.

We actually manifest all the time, but we call it something different. Luck, good or bad, Karma, good or bad, coincidence. We're unconciously manifesting all the time, usually through worry, and often through imagining the worst case scenarios for any given situation.

I am very guilty of this, under the guise of "being prepared for when things go wrong."

And often, things Have gone wrong.

So, years ago, I became more concious of my thoughts. Very hard, indeed because I was in a rut of "what will I do if..." and then playing out various disasters.

It's taken years to correct this thought process, but it can be done. It's discipline and a willingness to let go of some cherished bad habits.

My best example, to date, of manifesting my dreams was when I manifested my current (and much loved) job. When I was ready to leave my last position, instead of focusin on the things and people I disliked, I wrote down the things I would absolutely love in a new and perfect job. "Part-time, people with good senses of humor, I feel appreciated, I make valuable contributions to the organization and it is recognized" were some of the descriptions. And, I spent ten minutes everyday really feeling how wonderful that position felt, as if it were mine, right now.

And it did manifest, exactly as I envisioned (and emotionally felt) it.

I recommend "Creative Visualization" by Shakti Gawain. This book really gave me the start on manifesting. It's a short read, understandable and I've held onto it for many, many years.

Go Manifest something in 2011.

Omen - Dead Birds

What did it mean? Dead birds in Arkansas, Scandinavia and Italy?

It foretold losses for the Ravens, Seahawks and Falcons.

The subhead is "Mystic Wisdom from the Midwest." We're practical people here. :)

I am a huge Doreen Virtue Fan. Here is her AA Michael Channeling for 2011 from Facebook.

Fashion Wisdom

Unless you are Jackie Cooper from "The Little Rascals", your baseball cap brim goes in front.

Seriously, you look like an idiot.And it makes me wonder if it unscrews your brain.

(I'm looking at you, "neighbor", age 30, father of 3, who teaches middle school and told me the problem in the Middle East started when Buddha killed Mohammed.)

Making Peace with Winter

I am a Summer Girl. It can't get hot enough or sunny enough for me. And in Ohio, both qualities are precious and in short supply.

So it's mid-January, grey, cold and snowy and for years I've "girded my loins" to deal with winter. With layers, and shivering and the dry air in my house. By March, serious cabin fever has set in.

This year, I'm seeing the beauty in winter, and not just the blue twilight on the snow. Watching a family of squirrels play around the oak tree reminds me to lighten up and play. Standing outside watching Rhett, our rescued Coonhound romp in the snow and hearing a lone bird call gives me a connection to nature that I readily feel in the warm weather, but neglect to look for, in the cold.

And, it's a time of introspection and meditation, made easier by the early nightfall (and lack of quality TV programming.) So far, I've been able to lower my blood pressure with the meditation and exercise. Been a little lean on the exercise, but more on that later.

Patience

I'm a fan of Doreen Virtue. I think I have most of her Oracle cards. Anyway, continuing my morning spiritual routine, I drew "Your Patience will Be Rewarded" from her Magical Unicorn deck.

Summary of Day:
My car stalled out twice on the way to work. The second time was on an incline, at an interesection. Did I mention I drive a stick? And there were seven cars behind me. I had a death grip on the steering wheel. A real OMG what do I do? moment. (massive prayers to saints and angels).

The car ultimately started and I limped it back home.

Plan A was to change cars with my husband, who was at a new dentist. I didn't realize that would be two hour appointment, or that we would now be stimulating the local economy through dental, periodontal and car repairs.

I did change cars, and while I was at work, the predicted winter storm let loose, so navigating intense snow in a Civic to get home was another challenge.

End of Day Thought: I didn't panic too much in the car, and took most of the day's events in stride - a big step forward for me. So, I'll chalk it up to a successful day, at least on a spiritual level.

It is irresponsible

For public officials, pundits and "Personalities" to NOT realize their words have impact on the marginal people among us.

Want to get your hate on? That's what your living room is for. But to tweet your condolences after posting a gun cross hair on someone's congressional district, or to let supporters shoot an M-16 at your fundraisers (shooting at your opponent's picture) and say those actions had nothing to do with any violence, is delusional. And arrogant.

That's not freedom of speech or expression, that's being a thug. 

And let's be really absurd and debate sanitizing Huckleberry Finn, one of America's great literary works. Because deleting words that were reality 120 years ago makes some people feel "better." 

Shouldn't we take care of the rhetoric today, first?

And we start off with...

What am I doing with this? I thought it'd be a cool format to share some mystic wisdom from the Midwest. That is code for "practical wisdom and spirituality". My code, that is.

My 2011 Goal is to read one inspiring article each morning. And in January, every bit of inspiration helps. Now, this is not a New Year's Resolution - I mark my new year by my birthday, which gives me a three month head start on the rest of you. Mind games do work.

I picked "Around the Year" with Emmet Fox, since it conveniently gives a daily reading on one book. So far, so good. I'm adding to the inspiration by picking a card from one of the (many) oracle card decks I have. Today it was Doreen Virtue's "Healing with the Angels" deck. "You are Very Clairvoyant", ok... I drew 2 from Doreen's Magical Unicorns (loved horses as a kid, so couldn't resist). "Talk to Friends" and "Teamwork".

Feels inspiring. Let's see, I've cleaned out some old magazines and papers, meditated, made lunch and have dinner in the oven.

Basically, I feel pretty peaceful, so I score this as a "win".