In the introduction to her book, Open Your Mind to Receive, author Catherine Ponder tells of a business woman who was once despondent over financial conditions. Her affairs continued to be out of order so she went out to the beach and sat there all day and most of the night. During that day on the beach she realized that the grains of sand are countless on the beaches of the world. That night she looked up and realized that the stars in the heaven are also beyond counting. She realized that the fish in the ocean lay so many eggs that if they all hatched, the waters would overflow over the lowlands. She thought of how leaves on trees continue to multiply year in and year out.
She became so aware of the abundance of the universe that she finally said, “Yes! The universe is lavish, abundant, extravagant, and it is all meant for my use and enjoyment.” As she began to feel unified with universal abundance, her thinking changed from limitation to bounty, and her affairs quickly responded too.
Catherine Ponder gives another example of a businesswoman who wrote to her, saying “I have found that if you obey the laws of prosperity, you will prosper – provided you learn how to accept that abundance. I have been busy experiencing my prosperity, and learning how to accept it.”
Then she went on to enumerate some of the results that occurred: She received an unexpected sum of money, which had been negotiated for her. When she needed to buy two new tires for her car, she was given the money to cover the cost. Money that had been owed her for a long time started coming in. She asked for a reasonable sum of money one month and, instead, she was given four times that amount. A financial settlement of long standing was beginning to materialize. Relationships with people were changing fast for the better.
After sharing other things that occurred, she concluded, “Yes, I am working at this prosperity business. It is a whole new concept so I have to persist at it. But with results like these (and there have been many more), it is worth the study and effort involved. This upward trend I my life is beautiful. And I accept its generous benefits, all of them.”
The word “receive” means “to accept.” Psychologists tell us we can have anything we can mentally accept, but we must be able to mentally accept it first.
In our last lesson, we were practicing being able to hold our vision in present time and not get distracted by other considerations, other thoughts, but to really let go those distractions and feel your vision manifest. Then your whole being is brought into the form and the feeling of how it is to do, have, or be whatever it is you’ve envisioned.
In that moment you created it as a reality. And you might dismiss this as being a crucial part of this manifestation stage, but that internal experience is vital and without it you can’t have any manifest reality at all.
Every external experience is manifesting on some level, so think about the cells of your body for instance, they are a manifest reality and every single flicker of movement in your being affects them. They are continually expanding and contracting and assuming the state of your internal environment in response to what you are holding as possible and true. So as you envision in present time, you are literally creating that reality in the present time. And your whole being is aligned with that. So that part is instant, it’s instant manifestation.
Now we get to the part where we have to accept it is here and as you accept it is here to continue to hold it. That’s when you will see it come to you externally.
It’s a well-known fact that a certain amount of those who join a gym or fitness center will never even set their foot inside the door. Now, whether it’s going to the gym or keeping a New Year’s resolution, good intentions do wane over time if they are not acted upon.
If, on the other hand, we would persevere in those early days and would incorporate it into our being, into our daily life, then it becomes a habit. And once it’s a habit, it will self-generate to some extent.
This is also true for our intentions to manifest. If you activate the vision but don’t ever act on it, it will just quickly die off. And I think most people have experienced that, there’s no lack of wanting but there’s certainly a lack of manifest wish-list. So, remember, we’re dealing with the Oneness here; we can’t fool it or cheat it. If we don’t fundamentally believe we can manifest, it will willingly create a lack for you.
If we envision what we wish to manifest but don’t consistently act upon it, and in this case acting upon it means your continued belief, trust, and expectation, then awareness will know there’s a seed of doubt there and manifest the absence of our wish because doubt equals the absence. If I trust that I’m going to have a new car and I consistently hold to that, the car is duty bound to manifest; if I doubt that I’ll be able to manifest then that’s what I’ll manifest, the fact that I can’t and therefore don’t. You see how it works?
So the ability to persevere is crucial to bringing energetic reality into the physical form. The phrase you need to remember is “despite outward appearances.” Don’t let your present external circumstances determine what is possible for you. It’s very important. They bear no relevance to what’s possible for you today.
Right now, in this moment, what is stopping you from entertaining thoughts that are deeply satisfying and rewarding? Nothing! There’s nothing stopping you. So no matter where you find yourself today, you can envision a different future present time. And tomorrow, the same will be true, and the day after. Not only is manifesting free and effortless and quite often instantaneous, it’s also limitless.
Try to envision, right now, the most magnificent thing imaginable for you. Just let it come in, don’t worry about how realistic it is or all of that stuff; just think of something amazing that makes you feel terrific. OK. In your internal experience right now, is there an angel with a clipboard taking notes, monitoring what it is you’re allowed to think? No, there’s no restriction, there’s no application process, there’s no governing authority, there’s no tax on thinking those thoughts. It’s a free, expansive, limitless system. There’s no limit; there’s nothing stopping you.
Let’s just review some qualities that encourage conscious manifestation and how they support holding this vision.
1. Inspiration. Inspiration allows you to imagine a different outcome. That’s just what we’ve done, we inspired ourselves.
2. Intention. Intention shapes your vision. It gives it parameters; it gives it color, look, feel.
3. Belief. Belief activates your vision: I believe in this intention, I’m inspired enough to believe in this intention. As I believe in this intention, the sea of awareness takes notice. It only creates on belief.
4. Allowing. Allowing takes that belief and translates your vision into experience. We allow the experience to rest within us. We cannot manifest reality without this internal reality happening first. So allowing brings that in.
5. Perseverance, dedication, determination, keeps your vision in focus “despite outward appearances” to the contrary. We keep our intention, our belief, consistent.
6. Trust. Trust keeps your vision alive. Trust is a very important quality because it means that trust is working for you whether you’re making the dinner, you’re driving the car, you’re sleeping, and whatever you’re doing. It’s working behind the scenes; it’s like having a whole army of helpers.
7. Courage, the courage to let the old drop away and to make space for the new. There’s a certain amount of courage in manifesting.
8. Acceptance. This is absolutely crucial. It allows us to receive what we’ve asked for. But we don’t just accept it; we accept it happily, gratefully, humbly, joyfully.
9. Enjoyment. Enjoyment celebrates just how easy and effortless and expansive and limitless manifestation can be. What’s the underlying supposition of joy? That it’s here, it can happen. You’re not worried about it, you’re joyful. Manifestation can be much easier when you just enjoy the process.
10. Faith. Faith says, “I can do this every time, everywhere and for everything. This is easy.” Now, notice the “having” part, which is acceptance, receiving, comes right near the end of the process. The way we accept and receive our chosen manifestation has a direct influence on our ability to do so again successfully. How graciously we accept and receive says a lot about where our true belief lies. Practice the being given part!
And, as a teacher of practical mysticism said, “Students of prosperity need to know when to release the inner work they have done, then relax, so that the outer results can come. There is a time to fish and a time to dry your nets.” Know that the greater good is already yours, since you have claimed it on the inner plane. This helps that good to appear on the outer plane as visible results in rich appropriate form under divine timing.
I trust you have enjoyed this four-email series on manifestation; it was certainly my pleasure to prepare and share it with you. Now, I hope that you will continue this amazing spiritual journey and apply the principles to bring about the life changes you want to experience.
If you are really serious about making 2013 a year of change for you, whether it’s happier relationships, greater prosperity, healing, career changes, or your life path, I believe you’ll enjoy the program I created for you based on my book, Miracle Power You Can Use Today. The Miracle Power program will go on sale tomorrow, January 18.
I don’t know how long I can leave the sales cart open so, if you are interested, I urge you to get your download as soon as possible. So you can expect an email from me tomorrow with more details.
Remember, God is Blessing You, Right Now!
Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham
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Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over forty years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions.
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