Book Recommendation! Creating Money: Keys to Abundance

I have been in an unusually good mood today. And I attribute it to the fact that I read snippets of this book:







Creating Money: Keys to Abundance







over a couple different 15 minute periods today, while waiting to clock in at my first job, waiting for my brother to get out of work and while walking to my second job.

In short, it's attitude crack, at least for me. I've read a lot of different books on positive thinking, Law of Attraction, magnetizing, conscious creation, etc. etc. This one is my favorite so far. It's positive, upbeat, readable, practical, and there's just something about it that keeps me up and running.

It claims to be channeled; however, if that sort of thing bugs you, just ignore it. The advice is valid either way, and it's a really easy read. Love it. Love it love it love it.

I definitely recommend reading it one short section at a time -- I've found it's valuable to spread it out over my day. Somehow having time to think about the concepts one chunk at a time really maximizes its value.

Just so ya'll know. Check it out on Amazon using the links above or at your local library; I think you'll enjoy it.

Magnetic

I've gotten very into Law of Attraction lately. It became a big thing a few years ago, when everyone was reading The Secret, but then it kinda died down and everyone stopped talking about it.

I mostly suspect this is because the book The Secret doesn't make any sense and has very little to do with magnetizing, manifestation or just about anybody's reality. The real stuff is much more interesting and has been floating around for a while. Not sure what it is, really, or why it works --- the amazing power of the subconscious mind? --- but I don't particularly care. It does work, and that's the important thing to me.

In the past few weeks, amazing stuff has started happening. I've manifested:

pluots (which are mostly like a plum)
a netbook (four days earlier than planned)
a job I quite like
chocolate Zingers
fantastic books/articles on manifesting and related topics
shoes (big deal: I do not shoe shop if I can help it)
emotional support
a storm
various amounts of money
a house
a convenient schedule

There's something to magnetizing. And I have no idea how to explain it. It's entirely emotional and largely kinesthetic, at least for me. But you know it when you tune into it. It's like you scan different emotional ranges and ways of dealing with the world until the static and crappy stations snap into a crystal-clear broadcast of exactly the station you wanted to hear, and they're in the middle of announcing that you won their sweepstakes. It's absolutely spiffy.

I've experienced magnetic/emotional highs before, but they're usually short and followed by crashes into depression and cynicism. This time, however, it's stuck around for weeks, with one small crash followed by some huge highs. I attribute the longevity and clarity of this time to some energy work a couple of my dearest (and talented) friends did on me, and to my conscious choice to stay on the high and make it my plateau.

Beyond that, I'm not sure what the commonalities are. Detachment has something to do with it. So does affection. So does meditation. So does emotional awareness (whole new world, that). So does positive thinking, and so does conscious thought before sleep. It's some sort of alchemical blend of all of the above, and it's absolutely amazing.

Aaaaaaand.... that's all, folks. Not sure what more to say about all this... I don't particularly understand it but I'm constantly grateful and amazed. It's a wonderful world. More later. And stay tuned... I've got stuff to say about chakras, which are fun.

Gratitude - #7

Format: 1-week challenge

Goal: When praying, do not ask for anything

Goal met? No. But I got results anyway.

Terms you should know:

Prayer - In my case, a formal addressing of God. (Well, sort of formal. I sound like Tevye sometimes...) In your case... could be anything that addresses God/Goddess/Source/Universe/Higher Consciousness/etc.

So here’s what happened:

I'm not what I would call extremely religious. I don't talk about church stuff unless it's a church topic, I watch movies on Sunday, and I'm actually pretty uncomfortable discussing God with most people. I do, however, pray regularly, and highly recommend this practice, whatever your deity or religious beliefs. I think most people believe in a higher power of some sort --- even if it's their own best self --- and I think formally addressing and stating what you're thankful for and what you want from that higher power is pretty worth doing.

Which leads to the experiment. I realized that most of my prayers are like, "Thanks for this and this and I want this and this and this and this and please bless them and them and them and them and I want this and this..." It's basically a horribly demanding shopping list, and, I'm not gonna lie, most of it doesn't make a difference --- usually because I'm praying for things I don't actually think I'm going to get, or things that I want because I'm so afraid of not getting them.

Operating from fear/doubt = ineffective.

So all my prayers for the week are going to be full of things I'm thankful for and nothing else (with the exception of praying for a friend who's dealing with cancer, 'cause that trumps all).

Day 1: I am not very good at this. But I don't feel so powerless. It's like, "Well, if I don't ask, God's not going to give me this so I might as well get off my butt and do it myself." Win. Maybe illogical, but win. Also, it's very difficult to not ask for things for other people. I'm used to praying for my family a lot and that's against the rules now. But, as I said, empowering.

Day 2: Really enjoying this. Again, keep wanting to pray for family and/or my grades, but I'm only slipping up, like, 50% of the time.

There's something weirdly Law of Attractionish about this. The LoA functions on emotional wavelengths, and gratitude is one of the most positive energies you can send out. I'm actually finding things coming to me more easily. Little invaluable stuff... getting extensions on homework, test alternatives for tests I was worried about, having enough time to do homework and play too, making a brief but lovely connection with someone I'm interested in, etc. I can't categorically say that it's all because of this experiment... but I can't say it's not, either. I'm just feeling more positive and empowered generally and it's bound to ripple.

Day 6: Freaking. Awesome. Week. Like, really, it's been a good week. Unusually good. Roommate has been unusually quiet (she snores). I've been unusually happy. I've had some unusually magnificent insights (see previous post). My days have gone unusually well. I've had unusually abundant synchronicities. Heck, I was walking across campus today, thought, "My life would be easier if I had cash right now" and literally less than thirty seconds later looked down and saw a $1 bill lying in the deserted parking lot. And it's been like that all week. Or maybe I'm just not noticing the bad stuff. Whatever. It's awesome.

Again: Law of Attraction. "Like attracts like." Operating from a positive, grateful base is a lot better than coming from a negative, angry one. Everyone likes you more when you're positive, including the Universe.

I've been slipping up like mad --- mostly in the areas of praying for family --- but it doesn't really matter. 90% of every prayer is all thanks and it's illuminating. My sense of entitlement is slipping away and I'm more okay when things suck. It's like, "Hey, what can you expect without divine intervention? But look at the crocuses! Isn't God nice?"

Which is pretty much fantastic.

I'm making this a habit.

Try this:

1. Do I really have to explain this one to you?

Well, okay, if you're not in the habit of praying, maybe so. (Also, if you're uncomfortable with the term prayer, you can totally rename it. Gratitude session works just as well.)

Find a quiet place where you're not going to be bugged for, like, three minutes (which is harder for some of us than others, I know). Address whatever higher power you believe in if that feels right to you; if not, come up with some other sort of beginning.

[Sidebar: I really do think it's important to formally do this. Developing a generally grateful attitude is awesome, but it's a heck of a lot easier to do once you adopt this practice.]

Then say thanks. For big stuff or little stuff, it doesn't matter; just list it and think about it and why you're grateful for it and how it makes you feel. Do it out loud if you can. Putting things into sound makes them a lot more real.

Whenever you feel like you're done for now, close the prayer/gratitude session somehow. My religion invokes deity again; you may be in the habit of a straight-up "Amen" or want to come up with something of your own. Again, whatever works. And just thanks. No asking for things, no qualifying ("Thanks that it was sunny today, even though the wind went straight through your coat and was cold even though it is almost spring..."). Just thanks.

I recommend doing this before bedtime. They say that whatever you think about before bed is what your subconscious works on while you're sleeping, and I can attest to it having pretty significant effects --- since I began this experiment I've been waking up in absurdly good moods.

2. If you prefer, you can also use meditation sessions for this. When I meditate I prefer to just sit back and watch my thoughts, but I think using meditation to practice conscious gratitude can be a valuable practice, too.

Powerful stuff.

Next challenge: Dating Myself, for real this time...

Images from aussiegall's beautiful 30 Days of Gratitude photostream

Manifesting - #2

[image by a_whisper_of_unremitting_demand]

MANIFESTING - Experiment #2

Format: 1-week experiment (plus some)

Goal: Manifest most of the things on my nightly lists. Have some breakthroughs on the subject of the Law of Attraction, the way I think about the LoA or the practice of manifesting things in general.

Goal met? Yes… for now

Terms you should know:

Law of Attraction – The principle of “like attracts like.” It’s been around forever but has gained popularity in the past few years. Much of modern LoA understanding/application is based in large part on the teachings of Abraham Hicks, a non-physical entity channeled by inspirational speaker and author Esther Hicks.

Manifestation – The results of an intention consciously or unconsciously put out to the universe.

So here’s what happened:

First off, Merry Christmas! Mine’s been completely lovely so far and I hope you can say the same. J

And now, on to the subject at hand.

Confession: I’ve been playing around with this for ages.

Second confession: I’m still not very good at it.

I started a little over a month ago keeping a list of things that I wanted that shortly thereafter appeared in my life. The list includes things like a canvas bag (arrived in a package from a friend about a week later), Asian-looking fabric (found on Freecycle two days later) and chocolate-covered orange sticks (which my brother gave to me the next day—someone had given them to him and he doesn’t like them).

And about a week ago, I started keeping a nightly list of things I wanted to manifest the next day. Granted, the LoA is not always something you can stick on a timetable. Generally the principle is that things manifest in their own good time. However, I was looking for fast results.

The first list went as follows:

Paycheck [which I’d misplaced]

Apartment #53 private room

Adsense revenue

The next day, the paycheck appeared within an hour of my waking up and the Adsense revenue (all of a penny, but it counts!) followed shortly after.

Success, methinks.

Next night, I wanted a great idea for a musical, more Adsense revenue and the apartment. None of them showed up… but I did have an awesome experience! Within a minute, I kid you not, the woman who runs the apartment I’m trying to get into called. She told me that I could expect to hear back sometime after Christmas and that I’m at the top of her waiting list. Score! Didn’t win the game, but I definitely scored.

Next day, I wanted 10 blog page views by 2 p.m., a wonderful and unexpected surprise and a lucid dream. No lucid dream, but the other two showed up!

***Sidebar: “Wonderful and unexpected surprises” are the coolest thing to manifest ever. You never know what you’re going to get but you know it’s coming, so it keeps you on the lookout for good things, and something always turns up. It’s solid fantastic.***

And, thanks to my wonderful and unexpected surprise, I had the desired breakthrough regarding the LoA. I realized that I have no problem manifesting friends, inexpensive items, opportunities, etc., but I have a huge block when it comes to money, things that cost a lot of money, things that are worth a lot of money, etc. Then, voila, I read Carrie’s new blog and she had a post on this very subject recommending readers look into focus wheels. I made two, one for the apartment and one for my attitude toward money. Will definitely be updating on those.

The rest of the experiment went like that. Some things would manifest, others wouldn’t. I’ve had a lucid dream on the list for three days now and had nothing’s come of it, but other things I didn’t actually have a lot of faith in happened. Trying to figure this out… If you have any suggestions or thoughts, put ‘em in the comments or send me a message!

Try this:

1. Think positive. Do whatever this means for you. My manifestations always come in faster and stronger when I’m in a generally positive mindset. (Generally, I said. Having a sad few days but being generally positive does a lot more good than having a few good days as a hardened pessimist.)

2. Try focus wheels. I can’t say much about them yet but I’m loving the way they help me focus.

3. Keep your intentions focused. In my experience, wanting “a purple pillow with green stripes on it and down filling” is a lot more effective than wanting “a pillow.” It sharpens your mind and tells your subconscious what to look for.

4. Know what you want, then let go of the how. The things you want will show up in crazy, unexpected and awesome ways as soon as you let them.

Final notes:

I’m nowhere near done with this subject. Both manifestations and Law of Attraction are going to show up here again and probably often. If you have any comments, suggestions, recommendations, etc., please leave them in the comments—I’d love some discussion on this!

In the meantime, check out Carrie’s blog. It’s in large part about her experiences with the LoA and it’s great reading besides.

Next challenge: Dejunking