Ohhh, You Gotta Believe!

(...AND, believe LONG enough for it to actually manifest!)

I have been hearing a song lyric in my head for a number of days now, and the only part I hear is "Ohhhh, you gotta believe..." I don't even know what the song is, but I just keep hearing "...you gotta believe!" And, it is apropos, because I have a story to tell about that very idea (faith, believing in your own power to manifest your dreams, etc.) that happened to me a couple of weeks ago...

I was en route from Seattle to Las Vegas, booked on a flight that was due to arrive at about 11:30pm, but all of my friends were already in Las Vegas, and I wanted to get there sooner. The ONLY flight I could take that would make any significant impact on my arrival time was due to depart Seattle at 3:30, and was already 3 seats OVER sold!

But I had faith - I was going to get on that flight!

I sat down and took a few moments to do my own version of a formal manifestation technique (a combination of Intention, Meditation, Theta Healing, and Success Visualization), being sure to include that my manifestation was 'for the highest good of all concerned' and would come about in the most benevolent fashion. I combined it with a heaping cupful of faith that my "order to the Universe" would actually work, and I set about taking action AS IF I was DEFINITELY getting on that flight!

I went to the airport early and checked in my bags, got on the official "stand by" list, headed toward the gate for "my" flight, double-checked with the gate agent to let them know I was there, etc. I continued to have faith with every action, every word, every thought, that though I did not yet know HOW it was going to happen, I was definitely getting on that flight. Now, as I write this, it sounds like it was easy to have faith that my manifestation worked... But, this is precisely when the Universe tests us to see what we are willing to settle for, to see at what point we are going to give up and throw in the towel, thinking that it didn't work...

The Universe will ALWAYS give you EXACTLY what you are WILLING to settle for.

There were countless "encouragements" from the environment indicating that I should give up and start making other plans: The raised eyebrows of EVERY airline representative we spoke to that day, the actual words "I don't know what to tell you" and "well that one is oversold, but there is a flight at 7:30pm that has open seats", or "I don't know..." (with accompanying non-verbal subtext of "fat chance kid"!) as they looked at the mighty computer screen! The gate area was overflowing with hoards of people rushing the gate to get on to the fight, so determined themselves that they were not even sitting down to wait for the aircraft to arrive (not that there was a place to sit close by anyway) It wasn't even Southwest Airlines, and still I have never seen so many people so anxious to get on a plane when it wasn't the holiday season! Through it all, I kept mentally repeating to all the naysayers "that's not my reality - my reality is that I am getting on that flight and going to Las Vegas early!". Even as they were boarding 100's of people and the gate area was emptying, I still had faith and was not willing to even look at the gate information for the later flight (because I still believed (against all odds) that I wouldn't need it) and therefore, I did not need a contingency plan! When I talked to my friends, I said "the airline may not know it yet, but I am getting on the early flight!" I held on.

Then, after hours of waiting, when there were only a couple of people left to board, the airplane obviously full, there was an announcement indicating that they needed to hold boarding the last few passengers to attend to a passenger who needed assistance. Lo and behold, 10 minutes later, off come a woman and her husband who were unable to take the flight for which they had already boarded! I know it was not a medical emergency (because they were ushered aside to seats right in front of us where we could overhear their discussions about next steps) but I sent them prayers all the same. As the airline announced our names, I knew that not only had my manifestation worked, but also, because I included "for the highest good of all concerned" to it, I was confident that it was going to work out even better for the couple who vacated the seats too!

When we stepped up to get our boarding passes, the gate agent said "today is your LUCKY day, because that NEVER happens!" I smiled, and thanked her in agreement, even though I knew that "luck" is something we manifest for ourselves!

So, all that to say: Hold on to the faith! It IS working (even when it feels like it is taking a long time (or more time than you'd like)) and...

You gotta BELIEVE (long enough for it to actually happen!) Happy Manifesting!

Missing the point...

I am starting to see a disconcerting phenomenon with all the "buzz" around The Secret on the talk show circuit - more and more, it is coming up in casual conversation on shows such as The View on ABC, and of course, as the topic of the day as seen on Oprah or Larry King Live, and others.

What is happening is this: Someone will mention it, and then try to summarize the concept into one sentence, something like...

...It says that if you think about something long enough, that thinking makes it so, or
...It's just about positive thinking and imagining what you want to get it - you imagine a bike and then you get a bike, or
...You can have it all by thinking about having it all, or
...It's about positive thinking - you just have to think about something you want, and poof!

(I am actually paraphrasing Barbara Walters from The View this morning with that last one - she went on to say that she "wants to look like Angelina Jolie, but it hasn't happened...")

For those of you who are regular readers, I know I don't have to tell you, but, THAT IS NOT THE POINT!!!!

That is not what the Law of Attraction is about! Yes, thinking about something you'd like or an experience you intend to have IS a component, but the real essence is in seeing it as ALREADY true for you - imagining it SO FULLY that your sub-conscious mind TRULY believes it to be REAL for you right now! Then, your vibration of that reality literally magnetizes events, meetings, happenstance, and inspiration to right action that all serve to make it true in your experience. It is about experiencing joy, love and gratitude for life NOW and attracting more!

But you all know that.

What I am wondering is what, if anything, can be done about it? Can anything be done to influence to burgeoning global MIS-understanding of a principle that WE all know to be so powerful?

I suspect that those who are spreading around the inaccurate representations of what is being communicated in The Secret either haven't really seen it, or, have given it a try but have done so incorrectly, got frustrated and gave up, and are now justifying themselves by calling it a "flash in the pan" (see my 3/18/07 post). Another possibility is that the current version of The Secret (which is the only one readily available, and, most likely, the one that the majority of people are exposed to (see my 3/5/07 post)) IS actually watering it down, and not communicating the actual principles as well? It's hard to say, because we can never know what someone else is understanding, or even specifically what IS working and what is not. But...

My intention in speaking out by crafting this post is to encourage everyone who reads it to cultivate the faith in the process: Learn about using the Law of Attraction effectively, read, ask questions, meditate, ALLOW it to work for you, adjust the "recipe" for what your current thoughts are manifesting in your life rather than giving up... Time is an essential ingredient in the process! Let it work for you and then BE the walking example of how it REALLY works! Quietly SHOW the naysayers that their "rules" don't apply to YOU! Use this powerful Law well, and HAVE the joy-filled life of YOUR dreams! Let your example be the teacher to all who wish to understand!

...And then, if we are all living our own versions of heaven-on-earth, it won't matter what "they" say anyway!

Why doesn't "The Secret" work for me?

Larry King did another show with some of the folks from The Secret a couple of weeks ago, this one specifically on The Secret (3/8/07). The first two broadcasts were entitled "Beyond the Power of Positive Thinking", but all the shows explored the ideas presented in The Secret surrounding the Law of Attraction and answered questions about how to use it in one's life. (If you did not catch one or more of the shows, you can watch any or all of these episodes online for free at JamesRay.com, or you can purchase a DVD of the CNN broadcasts from Voxant for personal use.)

Although the shows were provocative, informative, and quite thorough, there is one question that seemed to come up in various forms, again and again, without ever being fully answered, and that is: Why isn't The Secret working for me?

The truth is that there are many, many reasons why it might not be working even if your are actively applying the principles. It could be conditioning, bad habits, the presence of unconscious beliefs that are working against you, competing intentions, the influence of naysayers around you, a negative environment, a lack of action, or a lack of right action, timing, the lure of the safe comfort zone, tuning out your intuition, disbelief, or not believing long enough, or simply not being clear enough about what it is you really want... But I believe that a big reason why it may not be working is the tendency we all have to inadvertently be focusing on NOT having it rather than truly focusing on having what we want!

This is a very subtle but essential point. Allow me to try to explain:

• When you think of money, what is the very first thought that pops into your head?

...Is it your credit card balance, the bills that are due, or the car repair you can't afford? Or is it the absolute utter joy you feel at the piles and piles of cash you have lined-up in your bedroom closet?

• When you think of your body, what is the very first image in the mirror of your mind?

...Is it that you need to lose 10 pounds, the cellulite and the love-handles, or the chronic back ache and tension headache you are feeling these days? Or is it how very HOT you KNOW you look today and how great it felt to smile sweetly at ALL the compliments you've received?

• When you think of love and relationships...

You get the point.

The experts on the show, including Lisa Nichols and James Ray talk about the necessity of applying action steps when you are struck with an intuition or insight, and that IS absolutely true! Action IS necessary, however, action steps taken in the wrong direction (in answer to the thoughts about the LACK of what you want) will most likely serve to bring you more of that lack - more of what you don't want!

Take a good look at what you want to manifest for yourself, and WHY... Now, when the ideas that come forward seem to illustrate images of not yet having what you want, begin to turn them around, one by one: What does the opposite of what you don't want look like? What is the opposite of "in debt" and what does it look like? What would 180 degrees from "overweight and in pain" feel like? What are some antonyms for "looking for love"? Begin a practice of being vigilant with regard to the images you are creating for your future!

Make sure you are truly picturing and imagining HAVING what you DO want - *NOT* NOT having what you DON'T.

Sweet bread toasts faster...

I was toasting a piece of very sweet bread this morning, and I noticed that although the toaster was on the same setting it always is, the bread toasted MUCH faster!

You may be wondering, "yeah, so?" like I was when I made the startling discovery, but then I thought that perhaps this is a parallel, or metaphor, for how we attract what we want into our lives...

We attract we we want by creating and envisioning a sweet imagination of ourselves actually experiencing that which we want - by imagining it so completely that we are awash in sweet, happy, warm, toasty feelings that make us feel happy just to know that our desired experience IS on it's way!

Try taking just 3 minutes or so, RIGHT NOW, and imagine yourself having something you want - imagine yourself REALLY having it, experiencing it, and feeling it as already true in your life right now! Add in sweet details: how it feels, tastes, smells, what it looks like, feels like in your hands, or how your skin feels in that environment - imagine the experience fully.

When you can really feel the sensation of that sweet experience, your manifestation will toast faster too!

The Secret: "Original" vs. "Extended" edition

Many people have been confused lately about the two different versions of The Secret DVD that are floating around out there in circulation now...

Well, I have the answer! I took it upon myself to get the skinny on the facts and bring them to you!

Sometime late last year, the producers of The Secret re-edited the film to replace scenes that were originally done by Esther Hicks (The Teachings of Abraham / Abraham-Hicks) with scenes featuring other teachers from the film. This new version is the only version currently available when purchasing the DVD or streaming from the web site devoted to the film, and it is classified as "the extended edition" when purchased through other vendors (including the Applied Inspiration resources page.)

The "Original" edition of The Secret is the one that we are most familiar with, and it includes large portions which feature and/or are narrated by Esther Hicks, including many of the basic principles of the Law of Attraction as explained in The Teachings of Abraham. This version is still available, but only in the secondary market (used) and, considering it is no longer being released, it comes at a price. If you do want to purchase the original version of the film (or check the best going rate) you may also do that from our resources page. It is the The Secret icon with no image available, and Esther Hicks listed as the primary author.

And, just to clear up the last bit of confusion, the "extended" edition is not really extended - it is just different. It is the exact same length as the original edition, and has the same ideas/images/information, it is just that some of the wording, phraseology, explanations, and narration has been changed.

UPDATE: The newer edition of The Secret is actually 1 1/2 minutes longer than the original edition. I have gone through it to try to summarize the points throughout where the differences occur, but they are numerous, and a significant portion of the narration has been changed.

The long and the short of it is this: If you DO ever have a chance to see the original edition, I highly, highly recommend it!

Also, so you'll know it if you do get lucky enough to come across the original edition - you can tell which is which by looking at the box as well as the disc:

• The original edition is © and ™ 2006 PRIME TIME PRODUCTIONS
• The version without Esther Hicks / Abraham is © and ™ 2006 TS Productions LLC, and, it has the words "extended edition" underneath the "The Secret" logo on the back of the case, just above the language options/Dolby Digital logos as well as on the disc itself