Last weekend I celebrated a right of passage that many go through around this time of the year; I graduated from college.  And it only took me 27 years to do it!  The subject for how and why it took 27 years is for another day.  What I want to talk today about is illusions.

All the time that it took me to finally get to this monumental occasion, I had built up inside of myself a sort of vision of how it would feel to finally graduate from college.  Being a romantic at heart, I knew how it would feel, I knew how it would look, I even knew what it would smell like.  Yes, I know it sounds a little strange, but to me, graduating from a major university has a special smell associated with it. Some might say that it is the smell of all the beautiful Jacaranda trees blooming, and the other delicious smells that Mother Nature brings to us every spring, but this smell is different.  To me, graduating from college had a clean, sweet smell of success; and almost lofty aroma that lifts your very being to heights unknown to any other person but yourself.  The closer the actual day came; the more I looked forward to experiencing those sights and sounds, feelings and smells. I knew that they were mine, because I had focused on them so hard, and as I have come to know from the Law of Attraction, I knew that whatever I gave my attention to would bring me more of what I was thinking and feeling (and smelling) about.

And finally, the big day arrived!  Like any individual who has focused long and hard on a dream, I flew out of bed like a kid on Christmas morning, eager to greet the day and claim the prizes that I had stored up for myself in the Universe.  I raced through my morning routines and rituals like a gazelle so that I could get to the “good stuff” faster.  But when I arrived at the “BIG MOMENT,” that moment that I had been dreaming, thinking, and feeling about for so many years, I was met with……….nothing.  Well, nothing like what I had THOUGHT it would be like.

The place had not been transformed into the great Romanesque halls with the Ivy streaming down the sides like you see in the movies and on TV; there was no feeling of being elevated to heights unknown… there was no backlighting shinning down when I stepped up to receive my diploma…and no heralding trumpets to announce the entrance of the graduates.  There wasn’t even that special smell that I had waited and wished for year after year after year.  In fact, the whole thing felt kind of…….ordinary and mundane. I felt ripped off!!! “Hey Universe…..where’s my sights and sounds, feelings and smells???”

Before I go on, let me say that graduating from college was a wonderful experience!  It just wasn’t the experience I had hoped for.  I, like so many of us, had fallen under the spell of Illusion. I had fallen in love with the things that were not in alignment with Source, and thus allowed myself to be taken down the gilded pathway of Illusion where absolutely everything is possible, even if it is not practical or within vibrational reach. The result was that I felt unfulfilled.  “Is this it?  Is this all there is?”  It took me a couple of days to come to grips with the fact that graduation was not what I had hoped it would be, but I also gained some valuable insights into how the Law of Attraction and our own vibrational match points work.

Everyone has wants and desires, and this is what drives us to create new and better experiences in our lives.  Whatever that desire is, you must first take a look at how well you match the desire vibrationally, and then make the needed adjustments in order for your vibration to come into alignment with the desire that you have.  Since you cannot attract anything that is outside of your vibrational range, it is a futile attempt to try and attract something that, at least for the time being, cannot be yours.  It will only bring you great frustration.

The healthier thing to do is to start by reaching for something that is within your vibration. Accept the present with gratitude, and as you lift your vibrational range, all the gifts that are yours from the Universe will start flowing into your experience.  The campus of the school where I graduated from is a beautiful campus.  All of the Jacaranda trees around the school are in full bloom, giving off their sweet perfume.  I was surrounded by my loving family and friends, and I have many good memories that have been captured forever through the invention of the photograph.  I worked long and hard to get what many people have taken for granted, and that makes the moment all the more sweet.  I don’t need the Romanesque buildings, the Ivy, the heralding trumpets and that special smell.  I’ve got the real thing, and I thank the Universe for helping me get what I desired for so many years.

Maybe you too have fallen under the spell of Illusion at one time or another.  If so, I’d love to here your story!

Lee-GP

1.     Be impeccable with your word.

2.     Don’t take anything personally.

3.     Don’t make assumptions.

4.     Always do your best.

The fourth agreement, “Always do your best” seems obvious, but it has implications worth examining. Do you always do your best? Do you ever find yourself feeling bad when you let yourself down or when you don’t meet your expectations? Of course…everyone feels that way at times. But if you let yourself feel bad most of the time because you never give yourself a break, or the benefit of the doubt, you put yourself in a vibration that disallows your wellbeing. Law of Attraction works to align you with more of what you are vibrating, so feeling good is important to the process. Beating yourself up and feeling like you let everyone down creates a cycle where you attract more and more experiences where you appear to let yourself and others down. This Agreement gives you permission to accept your best, knowing that you will never be perfect. It allows you to apply your abilities as well as you can, and to accept that your best is all you can offer. if you still feel bad, and that you are letting yourself or others down, you simply need to ask yourself what your “best” would have been.

Sometimes our best doesn’t look great to the outside world, but the world can’t decide for us what our best looks like. Only YOU know when you have done your best. And if your best lets others down, you need to accept that you did your part to make it work. If you sincerely know you offered your best intentions and efforts, you can allow yourself to feel better and to allow your wellbeing.

These Four Agreements can help you leave old beliefs behind and move you into a better-feeling place more and more of the time. When you feel better, you attract more and more of what you want into your reality. Remember that Law of Attraction never stops, so it is to your benefit to feel good and be a magnet of wellbeing. If you have enjoyed this series, consider buying the book and learning more about these concepts for yourself. It has changed the way we interact at Gratitude Planet in a very positive way, and I know you will also benefit from adopting these new agreements into your belief system. Be well, and enjoy this most amazing day! Chris-GP

paradox

When you become a student and practitioner of the Law of Attraction, you come to realize that there are easy parts to accept, and also that there are parts that take some faith to accept. For example, if you want proof that Law of Attraction works, focus on feeling better for 30–60 seconds, and notice how you gain access to thoughts that feel even better. Focus on something for a day, and notice yourself finding unlimited thoughts that support the topic. Give a topic your full attention for a week, and you will feel it building and multiplying in your vibration. Focus your undivided attention on something for a month and see how it manifests in your life in multiple ways. The proof is in the changes you see and feel, and you gain momentum the more you do it.

But sometimes we all get stuck, and it feels as if nothing is changing. This is the paradox. If you give your undivided attention to something you want, you will see proof of progress in somewhere between 30 seconds to 30 days. But if you have something you have been wanting for much longer, you may have been missing a key step to manifesting everything you want: imagining that you already have it right now!

But wait, you say, how can I feel like I have something that I don’t have? And that’s the key…if you feel like you have it, Law of Attraction can deliver it to you in a real-life manifestation in 30 days or less. So if you think about the thing, and then feel bad that you don’t have it, and then desire it even more, and then feel worse that it hasn’t come to you yet, you get into a cycle that feels like being stuck in the same place. What you have to do is take a leap of faith: feel the joy of having it right now.

Let’s take weight loss as an example of this paradox. If you have decided that you want to lose some weight, then your first step is to simply notice what you say to yourself in your thinking on the topic of your weight. If you have been trying for a while to lose weight, then your thinking will have some contradictory vibrations. Sometimes you will feel optimistic about losing weight, and sometimes you will hate thin people, and you will feel guilt, shame, and even sadness around your present weight. Law of Attraction responds to all of this, and you get into a “two steps forward, two steps back” cycle. It seems like nothing is changing. Once you catch yourself in this cycle (and you will), just laugh at your thoughts and remember that they are simply thoughts.

Your goal is to reach for a thought that feels true, but that also allows Law of Attraction to work in your favor. The thought “I am exactly 120 pounds” might be too much of a stretch. But the thought “I am attracting my perfect weight” might have a ring of truth for you in this moment. Love the thought in this moment. Eventually you will find thoughts that feel true, and that reinforce the reality of the condition you are manifesting. You might think “my clothes fit so well, and I look great. People treat me like a very healthy person.” If you hold this kind of thought it will manifest in 30 days or less. It’s feeling good NOW that matters, and also staying in a good-feeling place on the topic.

The paradox is simply stated: If you want something, feel good about it now, as if you already have it. Experience the joy of it now, in your vibration. Don’t focus on NOT having it…feel like it’s yours already. When Law of Attraction hears “this is my reality,” it agrees every time and brings it to you quickly and expertly. Be well, feel great, and enjoy this most amazing day!  Chris-GP

Me: “So, what do you have planned for the rest of the day?”

Friend: “Oh, I’m going to go and watch my granddaughter’s soft ball team play.”

Me: “That sounds like fun! How old are they?”

Friend: “They’re between seven and nine years of age.”

Me: “Are they a good team?”

Friend: “Not really. They are at the bottom of their league!”

Me: “Ouch! That must not be good for morale.”

Friend: “Actually, they don’t care. They aren’t there to win any big awards, or be the best in the league. They are there to have a good time and enjoy each other’s company. Winning or losing doesn’t even cross their minds!”

I had an immediate thought at this point. Why can’t life be this way? Why can’t we NOT worry about having everything “work out” and just have fun with each other, and let the Universe take care of us? So I decided to give it a try. Instead of worrying about my relationships, and where they were going, I let go of that and just had fun with them. In place of working to get approval from my colleagues, I accepted that they already approved of me, and made our work together a thing of play. I relaxed, and trusted that Law of Attraction was lining me up with the vibration of what I wanted. Guess what happened? All of my relationships have taken a positive step forward. In fact, one of my friends remarked to me about the positive “change” he has seen in me this week. The work that my colleagues and I were doing seemed to just fly by as if guided by an invisible genie. Seemingly impossible situations magically worked themselves out all by themselves, without my having to invest any energy at all. I didn’t worry at all about how good I was, how effective I was, or even if I was getting these Law of Attraction principles down correctly or not. I simply realized that it is a wonderfully automatic system that works to perfection every time. We need not worry about being finished with the process, because WE are a never-finished process. We are eternal beings. There is always something wonderful and new to learn, and we can learn everything in our own perfect time. We don’t ever have to worry about winning, because we have already won. We already have the prize. All we need to do is to enjoy our process…enjoy all of it…the people, places and things in our lives, and just have fun. Enjoy the prize!  -Lee

But with the oh-so-good- feeling of ultimate control in my life comes the responsibility to guide my experience. I can’t simply look to others to tell me what to do, because they can’t feel what I am feeling. They haven’t walked in my vibrational shoes, and they can’t possibly be feeling my guidance as strongly as I can. (Actually, I don’t think they can feel MY guidance at all…only their own!) Each person must be their own vibrational compass on the churning seas of their own personal reality. This is probably why some people resist ideas like the Law of Attraction…it’s seems less complicated to just “follow the rules” of parents, teachers, or social institutions who are more than willing to tell you how you should behave. I get it, and it is a responsibility I gladly take on…with joy and bliss, and purpose!

OK, so I have this charge to guide my experience, and I know that I can be, do, or have anything that I can achieve vibrational harmony with. As I said, I have fun observing what I am getting and then adjusting…but how do I more carefully and consciously create a specific experience, with obvious manifestations that I can recognize when they arrive? I have struggled with this in the past, because when I get to the point of deliberate focus, I’m not always sure what I should ask for! I have friends who can blurt out the things they want, no thinking at all, just here’s my list. Jealous. I know that contrast creates desire, and I don’t really need to worry too much about all of this. When I experience contrast it helps me ask for something else, and then the “asking” is done. But I am ready to move into a new level of asking…deliberate, focused asking.

Here is one method I used for finding out what I want. I asked myself if I am keeping myself from wanting because I don’t really believe I am allowed to ask for certain things. What I mean is, I might really want a new car, but I might be afraid to want it too much because I might not believe that I can afford it. So my belief in not having the money to buy a car could be keeping me from asking for it. OK, so I got a piece of paper and wrote “Money is no object for me. What do I want?” I had to be willing to let the first sentence sink in, because I could feel myself resisting the outlandish concept that money didn’t play into the equation. But once I let the money block go, my imagination began to take wings. This process uncovered other blocks to my brainstorming that I wasn’t even aware of. As I shed each limiting belief, at least for the exercise, I found no end to the things I was willing to draw to me…things that felt great to me while thinking about them.

What keeps you from asking for what you want? Do you have the “I don’t know what I want” block too sometimes? Remove your “ya, but” thinking and just put it on vacation today. See what comes up. You can have anything, be anything, and do anything that you achieve vibrational harmony with. Vibrational harmony is achieved when you move into hope, optimism, expectation and belief on the subject. I found this game thrilling for me, and I play it as often as I can. Try it and let us know what happened for you. Thanks for reading. Let me know if you liked this post!  Lisa

But for the Universe, there is no such thing as the word “no.” When you say “no,” the Universe only hears “yes.” But how can this be? This is because we live in an inclusion-based Universe. The Law of Inclusion dictates that anything that you give your attention to becomes part of your vibration, and then the Law of Attraction gets to work to give you more of it. In other words, you can’t push anything away from you and your vibration…if it has your attention in any way, you are magnifying it and attracting more of it toward your personal experience. In an inclusion-based system, trying to stop anything (drugs, crime, disease, poverty, etc.) only serves to intensify the vibration, no matter how well-meaning you are. So how do we address these problems, you might say? If you focus directly on the problem, there will always be the problem, and bigger problems like it. (The Universe hears “This is a problem” and agrees with you, and sends you more of it because you gave it your attention.)

Instead, focus on your mind’s highest image of a solution that does not include the problem. That last sentence is worth reading again. Remember that you can’t think about the problem without including, intensifying, expanding, and drawing more of the problem into your personal experience. So the key is to give your attention to thoughts and ideas of clarity, peace, wellness, and prosperity, rather than trying to rid the planet of drugs, crime, disease, and poverty.

But if no one works to rid the world of drugs, crime, disease, and poverty, won’t these things get out of control and multiply? Not in an inclusion-based Universe. The problems will dissipate and lose their energy as connected people all over the world act on their inner wisdom from connection to Source, and follow their intuition to promote clarity, peace, wellness, and prosperity.

What are you for, and what are you against? Now that you are more aware that you are actually for the things you thought you were against, how might you refocus your attention today? Just notice today, through your experience, what you have been asking for by observing everything you are getting. You have been saying “yes” to all of it, even when you shouted “no” at it. Be easy about it, and when you must say “no” just get off the thought and turn to something you can say “yes” to as soon as possible. Be for things from now on, and let them flow to you effortlessly over time. Enjoy this most amazing day! Chris-GP

Leading Lady: Wakes up in the morning in bed, jumps up, stubs toe and says “ouch! I am so clumsy! One of there days I’m going to really hurt myself!”(Law of Attraction hears “I am asking for more pain today. I deserve it. This happens all the time. I am ready for a serious accident”)

Director: “OK, CUT! That was well-acted, and quite dramatic, but the line is ‘ouch! Well I can tell I’m not dreaming anymore. Today I’ll get all my clumsies out right away. It’s gonna get better from here, I can tell.’” (Law of Attraction hears “I am expecting this to be my last accident today. The day will get better and better. All is well”)

Leading Lady: Walks into the bathroom and looks in the mirror, evaluates appearance and says “This diet isn’t working at all! I look like a fat slob. Diets never work for me. I’m going to die fat!” (Law of Attraction hears “I am fat. I suck. Don’t bring me anything else except what I have. I am unworthy. No matter what I eat, don’t send me any evidence of progress. Death will be my only resolution to this problem.”)

Director: “OK, CUT! We already shot that scene over and over again. This is the plot twist where she realizes that things are going to change. The lines are ‘I don’t see a huge change, yet, but I know this new diet is working. I feel thinner, and I know every cell of my body is letting in the new, thinner me! I can’t wait to see myself tomorrow. Soon everyone will be able to see what I am feeling right now. Look out world, the new me is here!’” (Law of Attraction hears “I am expecting this diet to work. I will see a manifestation soon. I am on track to allow what I want. People will tell me I look thinner today.”)

Leading Lady: Interacting with someone in the grocery checkout line. Notices that the cashier is nervous and making mistakes. Speaks these lines to the person in line: “Look at this cashier. Is she stupid or what! Why don’t they train them better? How come when you are in a hurry you always get in a line with an incompetent cashier? I mean really, I need to see the manager. This is ridiculous!” (Law of Attraction hears “Bring me stupid cashiers. I attract untrained cashiers to me. I always shop in stores that don’t care about the customers. I’m ready for a big fight with someone, and the sooner the better. Bring me someone to unload on, please.”)

Director: “OK, CUT! Those are the lines of the person in the next aisle in another movie. This scene sets up the leading lady meeting her soulmate in the parking lot in the next scene. Can you play it a bit easier? Your lines are ‘Look at that cashier. She seems a bit nervous. I don’t recognize her. I bet she is new on the job. I remember when I got my first job, and I remember how it took me a while to come up to speed. She is doing the best she can. I appreciate that they have those scanners. It makes the whole process go by so much faster. I found some good sale items, and I am glad it will ring up with the sale price automatically. In a week I bet she’ll be zipping through customers. I always get in the right line, just by intuition. My timing is perfect today.’” (Law of Attraction hears “I am always in the right place at the right time. I appreciate people for where they are in life, and I give myself a break as well. All is well. You can bring me everything I want right now. I am ready and willing to give my love and gratitude to everyone, and I see and draw to me others who vibrate like me.”

The scenes are ongoing in your experience everyday, in every moment. Law of Attraction responds to your vibration and not your words, so it hears what you are feeling, and simply agrees with what you feel. Are you satisfied with the message you are sending to the Universe, which is being constantly matched by the Law of Attraction? If not, take control and redirect your scenes. You choose it all. Be Well, Marie

Law of Attraction is an interesting thing, because we set out a desire to lose a few pounds in the new year, and we simply kept to the feeling of the idea. We stayed open to the feeling of losing weight, or better put, we did our best to feel thinner and enjoy the feeling of being 10 pounds lighter. In the nidst of feeling better we came across a diet plan that we had never heard of before: The Ph Miracle! I’ll write about this diet plan in detail at a later date, but suffice to say that it has changed our life for the better.

What Law of Attraction brought us was a new framework to think about health. This diet might not resonate with everyone, but it works for us. What we like about it is we get to eat all we want and not count calories, ever. The food tastes good, and it makes our bodies find a perfect weight, which for us has been 10-15 pounds less in a matter of two months. Now we are maintaining our new lower weight, and we continue to embrace the new culinary choices that we attracted. When we “cheat” and fall back to our old choices, we notice a difference in how we feel, how our bodies react to the food, and also how we feel in terms of mood swings.

In a nut shell, this diet includes all green vegetables, good salts including pure sea salt, some fish, almonds, avocados, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, healthy oils, and spices. It does not include sweet fruits, wheat, alcohol, caffeine, meat, sugar, and a whole host of other “fun” stuff we used to eat. But let me tell you, three days on this diet and you will feel your mood shift for the better…and fast. You will notice more bliss, connection to Source, and a renewed zest for living that you may have long forgotten.

Eating used to make me happy, then bum me out when I was done. I felt heavy and bloated. I was not excited to do the next thing on my schedule. Now, I never feel really hungry, yet I eat all day. My moods are better, and I am generally more happy. I know that Law of Attraction is attracting all the things I want, because I feel better. How I feel is everything, and my new food choices have helped me attain this improved state. You can do it too. You don’t need to do this particular diet, but you can start experimenting with food choices while you just take inventory of how you feel. Eat your way back to feeling great. Be Well, Marie-GP

When you give freely, and when you feel good about your giving, you set up an expectation within your vibration that Law of Attraction matches: you feel worthy and ready to receive. When you understand this give-and-take of energy and see it play out a few times, it can be tempting to work to give a lot so that you can be worthy to receive a lot. The problem with this approach is twofold. First, you are already worthy to receive, and your worthiness is never in question. You can feel more worthy or less worthy, but you ARE worthy. Secondly, receiving (or allowing) Source Energy and wellbeing is natural and not dependent, necessarily, on how much you give. You don’t give to earn your right to receive, and no one keeps score in some far-away vibrational database. The energies of giving and receiving are intertwined, but not in a “weight and balances” type of equation. But there does seem to be, in my experience, a direct benefit to giving and receiving freely as the opportunities arise. The key is not to give to make something happen, but rather to give because it feels good to give. Law of Attraction works its best magic when you feel good…so timing your giving can be important. Feel good first, and then feel better through your giving.

When I take my morning walks along the beach, I usually visit a coffee shop about three miles into the walk. It’s a Starbucks in a grocery store, and sometimes there are some very needy people near the store. Occasionally they will ask for change, but other times they just keep to themselves. This situation represents a great opportunity to see how I feel in the moment about giving. If I feel resistance to giving money, I don’t. If I feel open and connected, I do. On several occasions I started my walk and decided that I would buy some food at the grocery and give it away to the first hungry person I encountered. On each occasion, I couldn’t find anyone to give it too, and one of those times, I swear, the guy vanished. I realized that I was trying to do something that was not a natural unfolding, and I felt worse walking home with the food in my arms. Now I wait to see what opportunities the day brings to give and receive, and I move ahead when I am inspired, knowing that I will be in the right place at the right time always.

Finally, giving is not just about money and food. Giving freely can include giving compliments, smiling, holding a door open for someone, noticing a kind gesture, leaving an uplifting note, singing a song, answering an email, and a million other possibilities. Receiving freely might include being grateful and appreciative for compliments, smiles, doors held open for you, kind gestures, uplifting notes, songs you hear, emails you receive, and a million other possibilities. Giving and receiving are ways you live, not things you do. Expand your vibration to give and receive freely and often today, and enjoy how great you will feel all day. Enjoy this most amazing day!  Chris-GP

When I felt this less-allowing vibration begin to soil the fun of my new year’s visualizations, I suddenly became inspired by Lao tzu’s quotation. It isn’t my job to manifest everything today. In fact, trying to manifest it immediately will only make me more aware of the absence of what I am creating. Instead, I affirmed that my gratitude walk was all I needed to do today. My job was to define, enjoy, visualize, savor, and be. My steps today are lining me up with everything I am asking for. I am right where I am supposed to be right now. I am well on the way on my thousand-mile journey, and all is well. Loving the journey will make it more fun, and before I know it, I’ll be there…ready for another thousand-mile journey…and then another one…and then another. There is no there to get to. I am just totally grateful and appreciative to be taking steps forward in joy and love. Enjoy this most amazing day!  Chris-GP