Tuesday, September 27, 2016

What Is An Almost Manifestation?

I'm trying something different today -- I filmed and uploaded my first video blog post! Please forgive the shakiness and poor picture quality -- I have an older smartphone and need a tripod or a selfie stick for the future (and may just splurge on a nice digital recorder one of these days...or maybe I can manifest one!) Anyways, my camerawoman work may need some polishing but I hope this video proves useful for those of us that have the experience of manifesting something that is almost quite right, but then falls apart. Enjoy!


Sunday, September 25, 2016

How To Manifest Money Using the Law Of Attraction


Money! To quote an old song that I love, "It's what I want" and it's also what most people want when they first learn about the law of attraction. Most of us want more of the green stuff. But exactly how do we go about getting it?

I've mentioned on here before the success I've had with attracting money -- I even attracted an extra $1,000 once in my paycheck that I tried to return, but the Universe wouldn't take it back!

I'm going to outline some tips that have worked for me, but in general I'd say the main reason I believe I manifest extra money on a fairly consistent basis is because I have virtually no resistance to it and I never think about how it's going to come. I also have no negative beliefs surrounding money, despite hearing that old adage, "I'm not made of money" from my parents more than once growing up.

Money, like everything else in the Universe that we could possibly desire, has an energy and a frequency that we just need to tune into and get emotional about. If you feel that there's not enough of it to go around and that you will never have enough financial abundance to enjoy, then that's exactly what you're going to attract. But if you can feel good about the money you currently have, develop a relationship of sorts with money using your thoughts and emotions, and know that it's possible to attract it in ways that you cannot even conceive of, you're going to shift your energy and start seeing more of it show up in your life.

I've been practicing the law of attraction for eight years now, and I can honestly say in that time I've experienced a lot more money coming into my life, and much more frequently, then it did before I learned about the LOA. Part of that is due to being fortunate enough to live at home and save an awful lot of my income. But I now have money entering my life from a few streams of revenue that didn't exist eight years ago, and I've received a lot of unexpected money during that time, including a $12,000 pay raise at one job. And this month alone, I attracted a lot of "out of the blue" money that I didn't see coming. I've been keeping track of it in my journal, and plan to continue doing so with each new month.

So what have I been doing differently that I wasn't doing eight years ago? Here's some general LOA money tips that have worked for me.

Positive Affirmations

One of the first things I did when I learned about the LOA was I delved into writing, speaking, and most importantly -- believing -- positive affirmations, and that included quite a bit of ones about money. Affirmations such as, "I am a money magnet," "Money flows easily and effortlessly to me," and "I seem to attract money wherever I go" resulted in me finding a $20 bill on the floor of Lord & Taylor when there was no one else around one day, about three weeks after I started saying these affirmations on a regular basis. That to me was a huge sign from the Universe that these practices work. No doubt the new beliefs shifted my vibration and led me to find the $20 when I was least expecting it.

Viewing Money As A Good -- Not A Bad -- Thing

I'm sure we've all heard the saying, "Money is root of all evil" and probably at one time or another felt that very rich people are greedy and bad, and thus having a lot of money is sometimes seen as a negative thing. The truth is money is only "bad" if that's how you choose to see it. Yes, there are some  very greedy CEOs and rich people out there, but I believe that there's far more people that do good things with their money such as donating it to charities and other causes. Money has the power to do a lot of good in the world and help people (and animals) so that is how I choose to view it. I also decided that I was never going to feel guilty about having money in the bank and a few extra bills in my wallet. Why should we feel guilty about attracting something that we desire and enjoy?

Developing a Positive Relationship With Money

This goes along with my first tip, but something I've been doing lately is writing down affirmations in my journal that have to do with enjoying a positive "relationship" with money...statements such as, "Money pleasantly surprises and delights me," "Money is my friend," and "For every dollar I spend or donate, it comes back to me multiplied." And just as you would nurture an on-going relationship, I keep "nurturing" my relationship with money with these positive statements.

Appreciating The Money You Already Have

This goes along with the "attitude of gratitude" that's so prevalent with LOA teachings. I always give thanks for the money I have and the amounts I attract, even if they may seem trivial to most people. What you focus on is going to expand, and I believe by being appreciative of what you have saved and on-hand, you're focusing on it and sending the message to the Universe that you like this and welcome more of it into your life.

Keep Track Of Your "Out of the Blue" Money

As I mentioned above, something new that I've recently started doing is keeping track of all surprise or out of the blue money that's been coming my way this month. That includes receiving a discount on meals, as I enjoyed recently with a friend's museum membership, using a coupon, or when someone chips in for gas during a road trip. It all counts -- these things all have a monetary value. This month I received extra severance from my most recent employer that I was not expecting, and the horse race betting site gave me $2 on a notification spin, which I then grew to almost $15 before cashing it out. I've been keeping track of it all and so far it's all amounted to a few thousand dollars. That's not counting the amount I make from freelancing, although I am jotting down advertising revenue from my blogs if the amount surprised me on that day. Even if you come across a lost quarter on the street, write it down. I really believe by looking at what I've been attracting, I'm activating more feelings of continuously attracting "out of the blue" money.

Don't Rely On the Lottery Or Gambling; Know That Money Will Come In Surprise Ways

A lot of people, when they first learn about the LOA, immediately start asking how they can use it to manifest a huge lottery win. The truth is by thinking that the only way of attracting a large amount of money is through a lottery win, you're limiting the ways in which money can come to you.

And yes, I just mentioned up above that I won almost $15 earlier this month on horse racing -- but that was only when the site gave me free cash to bet with.  I stopped putting my own money into it a while ago because I lost quite a few hundred dollars doing so, and only visit a casino once a year. I figure if the Universe is going to give me money in that way, the site will give me a notification and if I lose it, at least I didn't lose my own money. I also only play the lottery if I get a strong urge to spend the $2.

When my mother first learned about LOA she too was convinced that the only way she was going to attract money was through the lottery, until I reminded her that it can come in ways she can't imagine. Shortly afterwards, she discovered nearly $2,000 in cash that my late father had stashed and hid in the basement.

Something else to consider is that most people that gamble are doing so out of desperation and negative feelings about money and their financial situation. I've seen it just reading the comments in the homepage chat box on the horse racing betting site. You can never attract money, at least not much of it, from a negative standpoint. It's really best to only gamble when you have a strong feeling that you should do it, or to simply get enjoyment from the entertainment value of it (and if the thought of losing money doing so doesn't bother you or conjure up negative feelings.)

Keep a $100 Bill In Your Wallet

Something that I did for a while, and plan on doing again soon, is keeping a $100 bill in my wallet. Just having that amount there -- if you can afford to take it from your savings and not spend it -- is going to make you feel abundant and rich every time you see it. That feeling of keeping $100 on hand is going to keep the vibration of money going.

There are lots of other creative ways of manifesting money, but these are just some of the ones that have worked for me. Stay positive, have fun, keep the vibration money high...and let me know of your own money manifesting success stories in the comments!

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

How I Know Manifestation Lists Work


I know many people must scoff at me, even if secretly, when I mention the importance of making out a manifestation list. This is when you list qualities of what you would like in your ideal partner, job, home, or whatever else you wish to manifest. I can honestly say I came close with my ideal partner and job lists and will continue to focus on the qualities and what I want. I don't think there's any such thing as being too picky with a list because the Universe will know which qualities you're willing to give a pass on once that manifestation shows up. 

But I also have a story to tell that proves to me that these lists work, because I met someone once that had great success with her list. 

Years ago when I owned a Volkswagen Beetle (not a vintage one, but the re-released "New Beetle" that came out in 1998) I joined a New England club just for New Beetle owners. This was in the days before Meetup and similar sites; communication about events was accomplished via an email digest that would be sent out a few times a day. I signed up for and attended a dinner with other members at a Mexican restaurant, and I ended up hitting it with off with a friendly young woman that sat next to me named Lorraine. 

Lorraine was attending the dinner with her boyfriend (or maybe he was her husband; I can't remember) and they just seemed like the perfectly suited couple. Looks-wise and personality-wise, they complimented each other so well to me. Lorraine and I ended up exchanging personal email addresses and wrote each for a while after that event. 

As I was single at the time and feeling self-conscious and angst over it, our emails eventually gravitating to that topic. I told Lorraine what a great pair she and her boyfriend made, and asked how they met. I've never forgotten the advice she gave me, and am now suddenly after all of these years feeling appreciative of it and getting goosebumps in realizing how accurate she was. 

You have to remember this was several years before The Secret was published and not once did Lorraine mention the law of attraction to me, but she told me that she had actually written out a list of everything she wanted in a boyfriend/partner. Easily 100 items and she even specified that she wanted him to wear real pajamas to bed. Lorraine didn't want to have children, so she put that on her list, too (actually, the reason I dropped contact with her is because I thought she was a little strong-headed against parents that chose to have children and her messages were getting increasingly irate on that subject.) 

I honestly don't remember how she met her boyfriend, but I know it wasn't online--I think it had something to do with a vintage car meet. But she insisted that he met every single quality on her list, right down to the fact that he wore pajamas to bed!

At the time I didn't know what to make of it and chalked it up to her simply being an extremely lucky person. But years later, after hearing about people making out lists of what they want in a partner, job, home, etc. actually manifesting, I realized that Lorraine was absolutely spot-on and had been "doing The Secret" without knowing anything about it. 

She also told me at the time that there was absolutely nothing wrong with being single and that I shouldn't feel the least bit sorry or embarassed about it, but instead savor it. She said her sister, who was a model, was very beautiful but had very low self esteem and was dating and sleeping with every "loser" she came into contact with. Lorraine was hoping she'd just learn to be happy by herself for a while. She said the best thing I could do would be to enjoy life, cherish myself, and be happy until the right guy shows up. She was right!

I actually wish I could remember Lorraine's last name and look her up on Facebook, but this communication took place a good 15 years ago and like I said, we lost touch. It would be interesting to know if she's still with her "soulmate" partner that she conjured using a list. And unfortunately, I didn't really heed her advice until I started reading it in so many LOA books and remembered our exchanges. 

So here's to Lorraine...the LOA guru I knew years ago. I'm so grateful for the brief friendship and connection I had with her. I hope she is well wherever she is. Don't dismiss the magic of making out a list!

Saturday, September 17, 2016

When Nothing Feels Right, Take A Nap


I was having one of those days earlier...a day to honestly say, "I've had better days." So I took some advice that Abraham Hicks doles out in so many of their videos. I took a nap.

I feel into a pretty deep sleep (last night's sleep wasn't the greatest) and when I abruptly woke up, the first thought that came into my head was, "You have three more good friends in your life now then at this time last year." I have no idea where this thought came from or even if it was my own voice saying it in my head but I realized immediately that it was correct. (And it wasn't that I had been lamenting about not having anyone or anything in my life, but there it was.) I do indeed have three more good friends in my life then I did at this time last year...friends that I hang out with (as a matter of fact, I'm seeing two of them tonight) and that I can email and say what's on my mind at any time, and they're always supportive and non-judgmental. So, I gave appreciation...and then opened up my laptop to jot down this post. 

There's a reason why the AH teachings speak often about naps. It's one of the most fool-proof ways to stop negative thinking and emotions in their tracks, especially before the momentum picks up and snowballs, making you feel worse. When you're sleeping, or even if you're lying quietly and meditating, you've stopped any negative thoughts looping around in your head. Taking a nap is like having a brain fart -- albeit one that clears out all of the bad stuff. When you wake up, you have a clean slate again and you can stop yourself from feeling negative emotions and going down the wrong path. 

This is also why a lot of what I've been reading stresses the importance of getting off to a good start every morning when you wake up. Actually, a lot of lessons include starting at night right before you go to sleep -- being appreciate for anything good that happened during the day and anything that went right. Then it continues with being appreciative when you wake up. 

I realize that not everyone can nap during the average workweek (and I'm typing this on a weekend day) but maybe once in a while when you come home from work, if it's possible to take a 30 minute long or less nap or can even just meditate and clear your mind, I highly recommend it. Perhaps if our American society somehow allowed siestas during the work week, our world may be a less stressful place with a lot more happy people in it. 

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

What Is the Emotional Scale?

In my last blog post I said that I would talk a little about the Emotional Scale. I'm seeing and hearing a lot about it lately in LOA books and videos, because it's a tool that many find useful to improve their vibration and feelings on any given subject. The graphic above gives you an idea of what it is; namely, the scale of emotions that us humans are capable of feeling.

Why should we care about this scale and why are LOA teachers talking about it? Because as you can probably see, emotions that are on the lower end of the scale (sadness, depression, anger, etc.) are considered low vibrating emotions. Those at the high end of the scale (passion, joy, love, etc.) are high vibrating emotions. Obviously, we want to be spending much of our time at the higher points of the scale, the ones shaded in green. 

Our thoughts fuel our emotions and feelings. Therefore, no matter where we are at the lower end of the Emotional Scale, it's possible to reach for better feeling thoughts to help elevate us to the higher, more positive emotions. 

There are tons of graphics online representing the emotional scale, but the reason I chose the one above to post is because it's the first I've seen that points out where we have to be before we start to see manifestations of what we want appearing: Hopefulness. Move a little further up to Positive Expectation/Belief and your desire is about to manifest. Push yourself further emotionally into Enthusiasm, Passion, and/or Joy and you're now in the manifestation zone.

Something interesting to consider is that most of us, on any given day, usually live life in the Contentment or perhaps the Boredom zone. Just somewhere right along the border of feeling bad and feeling good. Which means it's quite easy to fall down the ladder into negative emotion and just as easy to climb up the ladder a few rungs into more positive emotions.

I interpret the emotions on the scale to represent how a person is feeling about their life in general, but you can use it to improve your feelings and beliefs on any given topic. The important thing I do keep reading about using the Emotional Scale is that you cannot realistically expect to make quantum leaps on it; a depressed person at the bottom of the scale is usually not going to jump to feeling joy and empowered overnight. In fact, it's impossible to make this "quantum leap" (as Melody Fletcher calls it) when someone is feeling despair because in that stage, joy is a foreign, unreachable emotion. 

But, what they can do is take baby steps in the right direction by reaching for better feeling thoughts. If you're jealous that other people have money and you don't feel so positive about money, you can reach for better feeling thoughts about money until you've worked yourself up to Pessimism.

I'd say that much of the time, I believe I'm in the Contentment emotional zone -- feeling OK/good but nothing spectacular. I have to do a little work some days (writing gratitude lists, focusing on things to appreciate, doing things that bring me pleasure) to move myself up to Enthusiasm/Eagerness/Happiness. Writing about a topic I'm interested in definitely moves me up into a higher vibration, and that's when I'll pull out my journal and do a little pray rain journaling

So that's the scale in a nutshell. You can learn more about it and each emotional step along the ladder in the Abraham-Hicks book Ask and It Is Given.

Friday, September 9, 2016

What Is Pray Rain Journaling?


When my cat was missing (and we still don't have her back in the house yet, but we're getting close -- she foiled the have-a-hart trap we set last night because we didn't have it set properly) I mentioned that there was a new LOA technique I had tried that I believe quite possibly attracted her back to the yard. It's called pray rain journaling. 

What is pray rain journaling? The name comes from a story about Native Americans that were experiencing a severe drought. We don't know how long ago this took place, whether it was centuries or merely a few years ago, but the story claims that instead of praying "for" rain and doing a rain dance, a shaman simply "prayed rain." He stood in a field with his eyes closed and his arms outstretched, and imagined the feeling of rain falling on his face, the sound of it hitting the ground, and the sight of the crops being nourished by the water. 

The tale goes on to say that it didn't just rain, it poured. 

Thus, pray rain journaling is simply writing in a journal the way you want something to be...pretending that it is happening or already happened (living "as if") and feeling and experiencing the emotions that come up. With my cat, I just wrote a few paragraphs saying how happy and grateful I was to have her safely back in the house...that I loved patting her soft fur again and being greeted by her in the morning, among other things. I read my passage aloud, put the journal away, distracted myself with clips of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to keep my vibration high, and fifteen minutes later she was spotted on the back patio. 

So why pray something and not pray for it? Because praying for something means you're noticing and are focused on the absence of it. With pray rain journaling, you're putting it in the present, pretending it has already happened, and focusing on its presence, not the absence.

Since then I've been pray rain journaling for money (and also using another technique I discovered online, which I'll mention in another post.) It's working...I ended up with a jump in blog advertising revenue because the traffic spiked on my other blog when Mashable and Reddit mentioned my site and linked to a post I did five years ago. Last weekend I saved money on a museum visit because one of my friends is a member and had a guest pass plus a discount on food. Then yesterday the race horsing website notified me that I a free bet spin, and I managed to turn the $2 I won into $15 before cashing it out. 

I also think there's something powerful about writing the words down, by hand, in a journal. I feel it slows the process down and you really get to absorb each sentence as you're putting pen to paper. I've been writing in the journal every day and I seriously plan on using it and the pray rain journaling technique for all areas of my life now. 

My only word of advice when doing this is that it yields the best effects when your vibration is fairly high and you're feeling good, without any resistance or negative feelings. It's best to do this when you're feeling good, and inspired to write. Otherwise, the best you can do is use the journal to feel better about where you currently are and try to move up the emotional scale. What's the emotional scale? I'll explain more in my next post!

Saturday, September 3, 2016

What You Need To Do FIRST Before Attempting To Manifest Anything


Since my last post, I have a really great update on Dolly -- she was spotted in our yard last night, and has been eating the food left for her in the porch! Just fifteen minutes before my mother saw her I had tried a law of attraction manifesting technique that I'd never done before, and needless to say I was blown away by the sign. When she's back in our house for good I'll share what that was and what I did to attract her back, but for today's post I wanted to write about something that I've finally learned about the law of attraction (that I believe was the key to attracting her back to the yard.)

So many law of attraction books that I have read pretty much say, "Think the thoughts and feel the feelings and you will attract what you want." That is correct to a degree, but those instructions are missing something that just doesn't get mentioned much in most LOA books, except for the ones by Abraham-Hicks (and in fact, what I'm about to tell you is pretty much at the CORE of their teachings.)

What's the missing tip? You need to get happy first, plain and simple. You need to get to feeling REALLY great and flying high emotionally. Abraham-Hicks refers to it as "getting on your high flying disc." I know that sounds weird and really woo-woo New Agey, but they are absolutely correct because that is where I was yesterday, and the day before.

I've been thinking of it in this way: if you're in a crappy mood, and you try to manifest something, you're sending out a radio signal to the universe that's full of static, interruptions, and interference. The universe can't receive your signal when it's boggled down by negative thoughts and feelings.

But when you're feeling pretty good and your resistance has evaporated and you intend something from the universe, now you're sending out a strong signal that is made up of pure, positive energy. Now the universe is going to hear that energy loud and clear and it's going to more easily set things in motion to orchestrate the manifestation for you.

The best way to get onto the high flying disc is to try to start your day on the right foot as much as possible.

Yesterday when I woke up, before I even got out of bed, I immediately started appreciating as much as I could...the bed I was in, the soft pillow beneath my head, the beautiful house I live in and the safe, suburban neighborhood that it's located in.

I appreciated my slippers, my robe, and my coffee and breakfast. The night before, I had made out a gratitude list in my journal of ten things that I was truly grateful for and felt the feelings.

I washed up and put on makeup even though I wasn't planning on going anywhere. I just liked the way it made me felt, and I intended to do everything that I could that was going to make me feel good and happy. I worked on some articles for my freelance job, and I did some knitting, and I listened to a ton of videos by a guy on YouTube whose channel I discovered the other day, all about his personal experiences with the law of attraction and the techniques he uses. Most of his videos are about the importance of getting to that good feeling place and making sure he feels great every day, before he even attempts to manifest.

So that's what I did. I didn't need any conditions in my life to change -- all was well. And all day long, I "felt" Dolly in the house. I decided not to worry about where she was or anything that may or may not be happening to her. I felt her rubbing on me, "saw" her in her cat condo watching birds from the window, and "heard" her squeaky little meow when she's waiting for her food. I felt the way I feel when she greets me in the morning or when I come home after venturing out. I had zero negativity and resistance all day.

After doing the exercise I said I would talk about in another post, I then read out loud what I wrote, and put the journal away. I watched clips from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (because it's my favorite childhood movie and I loved Gene Wilder, who just passed away this week.) I knew it would continue to help me feel good and also take my mind off of the cat. Fifteen minutes later, my mother was calling Dolly's name and said she saw her on our patio. 

Of course, you're not going to feel great every day, and every minute of the day, but that's OK. You can just work on moving in the direction of feeling better, and don't bother trying to manifest anything until you are in a really good place. It's all about tending to how you feel and maintaining it when you can. 

Thursday, September 1, 2016

The Loss of a Pet


If there's one thing I know for certain in this punching bag called life, it's that it can change in a heartbeat. Last Friday, one our of indoor-only cats escaped the house and hasn't returned. All weekend long, I received calls, emails, and texts from friends with the best of intentions..."Could someone have found her and brought her to a shelter?" "Maybe you should call the local vets' offices and find out if anyone brought her in." "Put signs up all over the neighborhood." "Tell your neighbors to check their sheds, garages, and basements." 

Everyone meant well, but sadly, they don't know my cat. Even though she lived indoors for the past four years, she was still very much what I consider feral. She was truly petrified of any human other than my mother or me. The minute she heard a vehicle pull into our driveway, she'd be in my room and under my bed's goose down comforter in a flash. Even the veterinarian's assistant couldn't handle her up when we took her in for her initial shots and to be spayed; she had to be picked up by the scruff of her neck, like mother cats do. 

Putting up signs wouldn't do any good; I've seen this cat in action when she's terrified. My guess is she panicked outside and ran and ran and ran. She could be towns away by now for all I know. We leave the porch door open for her every night and have placed her bed and blanket (which she so dearly loved) as well as a bowl of dried food out there for her.

I was heartbroken for the first 48 hours and then decided to approach this from a law of attraction standpoint...instead of worrying about the dozen or so ways she could die, I imagined how it would feel to have her back in the house. I pictured waking up and being greeted by her again outside my door, cuddling on the couch with her, and watching her romp around the living room and play. I felt the relief my mother and I would both feel having her safely back home. To me, worrying and crying over her was not going to help her or myself. The best thing I could do is let go and let God and have faith she'd be guided somehow to find her way back. 

But now she's been gone a whole week and I have to admit, I'm heartbroken all over again. "Doing 'The Secret'" in this case does not seem to be working. And frankly, deep down I believe she did not survive her first night outside. I had an eerie dream the first night of her disappearance where she came up on the bed with me and I suddenly woke up, in the same exact position in my bed as in the dream, but obviously with no cat. And then I heard a pack of coyotes howling in the golf course nearby. 

I take loss very hard. One minute, I had a guy emailing me saying that he'd never known anyone like me before...the next, he was telling me he could no longer have any contact with me. One minute, I had a full-time job after two years of unemployment. The next, I was being told it was being eliminated (although I did get over that loss fairly quickly.)

I don't get it. Right now I'm just threading water...focusing on what I do still have in my life...and feeling grateful. I guess it's just a given that certain people and things are not meant to be in your life long term. And they always says there's a lesson to be learned...well, I don't know what the lesson was in losing my cat Dolly. I was always grateful for her, cherished her, and loved her to pieces....and she surely didn't deserve this. I think of parents that have suddenly lost a child and can only imagine the pain they must go through. 

I guess the only thing to focus on right now is the fact that if something bad can happen instantly, then something good can happen that quickly, too. 

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