I've always liked this particular aphorism but for the life of me I can't remember who indited it. I was reminded of it because in a roundabout way, in everyone of us, destiny lies slumbering in the mind's eye. But first a brief detour before we alight on this article's motif.

Flight of Fancy

Back in the good ole days of the 1950's I remember getting strapped for the very first time in grade one. My crime - daydreaming! Marching up to the front of the class to get my palms toasted brought me back down to earth in double-quick time. I guess corporal punishment was seen as an equitable if not jocular price that had to be paid for trying to escape the corporeal world.

I don't know why daydreaming was given such a bad rap. It seems to me that some of the most creative people the world ever produced spent an inordinate amount of time in some castle in Spain. Enshrining and nourishing a sublime objective is the first step leading towards its possible transpiration. Attainment always begins with aspiration.

For our purposes here the right type of daydreaming should always be encouraged, especially in children. There is a significant difference between fancy and creative imagination. Fancy is, for the most part, a temporary escape from the tedium of one's existence and doesn't have any relation to our external reality (we envision ourselves dating a movie star, winning a million dollars in Vegas, or finding a taxi cab when we're late for an appointment). Creative imagination is concreted within the framework of logicality and possibility (we see ourselves joining a prestigious law firm after passing the bar exam or marketing nationwide a gadget we have just invented).

Many people spend (or rather waste) a lot of time in fanciful reverie. If they realized the crucial difference between imaging and imagining, and how close they were to a more productive way of employing their leisure moments, they would turn en masse to the latter process.

Imaging is visualizing in your mind a pup tent you have just put up in the back yard for your kids. Imagining is realizing how much you'd eventually like to travel around the world and visualizing this same tent on the side of a snow covered ridge in the Himalayas, with a path from it leading to a weather-beaten but exotic looking monastery at the summit.

Again, the singular distinction between fancy and the imagination is in the creative aspect. Imagination fashions ideals. Every invention, every classic novel, every symphony and every painting was first incubated in someone's imagination.

The process to be described here is predicated on the fact that THOUGHTS are THINGS! We are constantly synthesizing our reality through our thoughts. These thoughts are streams of energy and they can be aimed towards harbors beyond our own consciousness. Many people are already consciously or unconsciously practicing a form of visualization. Depending on the kind of script messages they grew up with or were saddled with by parents, teachers or peers they SEE themselves as smart or dumb, successes or failures, optimists or pessimists.

When Roger Bannister ran the first sub four minute mile he managed to accomplish what many had said could never be done. However, in very short order after his feat, other runners also achieved the same results and since then those times themselves have been shattered. When someone makes the impossible possible then the aftereffects of the tour de force can become pandemic and unprecedented. Bannister may not have used visualization techniques but many athletes do so today. Of course at any one time there can only be a single winner but the purpose cannot always be to become the champion of the world - but to surpass what has been, up until then, one's personal best. Those who never imagine can never create, achieve or perfect.

Visualization has nothing to do with "programming" our cerebral cortex. We are not robots. We co-operate with universal cosmic law as we would with a workfellow. Rather than dictating we collaborate in the process.

You're already one step ahead of everyone else if you're versed in the art of concentration. Think of a short walk that you regularly take (perhaps from your home to the corner store; from the parking lot to your place of business) and mentally visualize what you have been passing by for the last few months or years. The next time you actually take this stroll meticulously examine both sides of the street and really see what you've been sauntering past all this time. Does it coincide with your image? Or did you completely forget about those trees by the side of the intersection, the repairs to Mrs. Smith's porch, the freshly painted fence by the schoolyard, the half dozen potholes just up the block, and so on. Don't be too disconcerted. I'm positive you're not the only one. Most people also sleepwalk their way through protracted stretches of their lives.

Visual Aids

Simply desiring something will not make it materialize. A single concentrated thought will also not make this something become manifest. However, repeated persistent visualization triggers more and more energy and greatly enhances the likelihood of attainment (in some way, shape or form). So let us now outline the methodology:-

1. Disposition

D.W. had been utilizing the visualization process off and on for a number of years. One day she was riding with a friend on a motorcycle when it hit a cavity in the road, flipped on its side, and the resulting skid left patches of skin from her leg for about fifty feet along the surface of the highway. With more than enough time on her hands during her convalescence she decided to put her knowledge to the test. Three or four times a day she visualized her leg healing and a number of weeks later, on one of her visits to the hospital, her physician examined the leg and with a perplexed look on his face exclaimed - You're a lucky lady; the scarring seems to be mending at twice the normal pace. This was the boost that D.W. needed to intensify her mental exercise regimen. If you decide to try visualization in your life you have to assume it's going to work or you might as well not bother. Visualization is not mumbo jumbo hocus-pocus. It is a formula that must be systematically followed and assimilated. Success will naturally breed confidence.

2. Specificity and Intent

Is your aim explicit? If the picture in your mind is too elaborate or too ambiguous then it will require simplification. Diagram exactly what you want. Next, you come face to face with a few tough questions. Why do you want this? Is it mere self-indulgence or will others benefit? What are the ramifications (positive and negative) if this thing / situation materializes? Do you feel that you deserve this request? There are many people who unconsciously feel that they are unworthy and so 'good' things don't happen to them. Such an attitude can certainly nullify the process.

There will be those who will see visualization as a supplemental procedure to further their own growth as human beings and, in the process, contribute to society in general in some small way. Others will perhaps eye the method as a lucrative tool for personal profit (Gee ... you mean all I gotta do is wish for a condo?). Visualization is not so much the craft of procuring "stuff" as it is a process to assist one's maturation and individual unfoldment. Those selfish beings whose hearts are in no way harmonized with Spirit usually drop out of the game before it's barely started.

It must be stressed that 'things' are not evil and, for example, desiring a house for yourself and your family is a normal aspiration. Simply realize that the chances of the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes people arriving at your door and presenting you with a ten million dollar cheque are minimal.

J.D. had always loved the water and had always wanted a boat. This passion was shared by his family but there was no way they could afford this added fiscal burden. Nevertheless, the desire was visualized daily and a few weeks later there was an interesting development. A neighbor down the street came up to J.D., said he ran a small trucking company and that he was looking for a part-time person to manage the books and finances. He had heard J.D. was an accountant and offered him the position (twenty hours a week spread over evenings and Saturdays). J.D. talked it over with his wife and family and they decided that, even though the pitfalls of working two jobs were obvious, they could save enough money in one year to realize their dream. A temporary sacrifice was the price to be paid for a lifetime of sailing pleasure.

3. Alignment

When the decision has been made to proceed you have to create the proper atmosphere. Locate a private space where you will not be disturbed. You may want to do some deep breathing to relax. You may decide to verbalize your request with affirmations. Feel free to create your own personal ritual of preparation.

4. The Image

Visualization is not hesitative, static or spiritless. It is an active mental composition. Use the power of your imagination as a paintbrush on a blank canvas. Close your eyes and slowly stroke in those acrylic colors until you have the conclusive consummate portrait of your aspiration (the final scene - sitting in the office of your new job; meeting your life partner; a picture of you at your ideal weight; lying on a beach in that country you've always wanted to visit). Imbue the canvas with emotion. Use a sensory verve. How are you feeling now that your desire is realized?

5. Letting Go

Dwelling on an image for a half hour or longer at any one sitting does not enhance your chances of success. You have to know when to release your desire into the Cosmic. In fact the exercise need not take more than ten or fifteen minutes. When your picture is complete mentally intone or whisper a closing affirmation (It is done / Amen) and take it for granted that your request will be heeded. Don't think about it anymore and just go about your daily work. When you leave someone a message on their answering machine do you spend hours worrying that perhaps you were cut off, or that maybe their machine was not recording properly, or that the dog might have accidentally stepped on a button and erased your communication? Of course not. You have to have faith in the process.

6. Intuition

During the days/weeks of your visualization pay especially close attention to any insights that may pop out of your subconscious relating to your desire. You shouldn't ignore these inner admonitions. And if after earnest effort there have been no tangible results then a reassessment may be in order. Any number of reasons could account for your lack of success and we will list only a few of them -

Is your visualization dependent on something negative happening to someone else (seeing your supervisor terminated so you can have his job)?
Are you circumscribing the Cosmic to a very specific result? Perhaps your manifestation will appear in an unanticipated manner.
Are you visualizing money? Don't!
Are there 'bigger picture' issues at work? You may be looking for the perfect mate but after scores of failed relationships what you probably really should be visualizing is the perfect therapist.

7. Final Rule

Old joke: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? — Practice! Practice! Practice!

There will be no personal development if you simply peruse this article without even attempting to implement what you have read. And there are individuals who never give more than 50 percent of themselves to any cause or venture. They try something new while at the same time unconsciously anticipating failure. This then gives them the excuse to retreat back to the safety and assurance of self-pity, embitterment, cynicism or whatever their emotional narcotic happens to be. Don't let this be you.

Creative Visualization
by Remez Sasson

From Imagination to Reality
Attracting Success with Mind Power

Visualizing is seeing images in our mind. If we add concentration and feelings to visualization, it becomes a great creative power that makes things happen. Used in the right way, creative visualization can bring changes into our life. The thought is the matrix or blueprint; the feelings provide the energy, the "electricity".

Sounds weird? Not at all!

With creative visualization, we are able to alter our environment and circumstances, cause events to happen, attract money, possessions, work and love, change habits and improve the health. It is a great mind power. It is the power beyond every success.

Imagine you have a genie at your disposal.

By visualizing an event, a situation, or an object, such as a car, a house, furniture etc, we attract it to us. We see in our imagination what we want and it happens. It is like daydreaming. It resembles magic, though actually there is no magic here. It is a natural process of thought.

There are some people who make of use of the power of creative visualization in their everyday affairs, without realizing that they are employing some kind of power. They use creative visualization unconsciously, but in the right way. All successful people in all fields use it consciously or unconsciously.

The Power Of Thoughts And Creative Visualization

How does it work and why? Thought is a power and has its effect on the material world. Thoughts, if powerful enough, travel from one mind to another. If we keep thinking the same thought, people in our environment perceive it and act on it, furthering, usually in an unconscious manner, the materialization of our desires.

When I have to confront some unpleasant situation, I visualize myself as capable to easily handle the situation. I see the people I have to come in contact with, as cooperative and friendly. And you know what? They are pleasant and they want to help without even being asked.

If you are naturally positive, then the way you approach and handle situations is such that attracts positive results. On the other hand, if you are fearful and negative, then you expect negative results, and behave, look, and talk accordingly. Then you reap troubles.

People are responsive to our thoughts, feelings, and behavior and react accordingly.

We are part of the Omnipotent Power that has created the universe; therefore we participate in the process of creation. Bearing this thought in mind, there is no wonder that thoughts materialize. Stop a moment and think. You are part of the great Universal Power! Whatever concentrated thought you entertain long enough in your mind tends to materialize.

Thought is energy. By having certain thoughts in our minds, and by concentrating on them and putting emotional energy into them, they become powerful. Energy does not perish in nature. These thoughts induce some kind of pressure on the energy level around us, causing these energies to move and act. They change the balance of energy around us, and in a natural way bring changes in the environment in accordance with our thoughts.

There is another explanation why creative visualization works. It may come as a surprise to most, but the theory of "Maya" - Illusion, which comes from the eastern philosophies, provides the explanation.

According to the Indian philosophy "Advaita- Vedanta" which in the West is called "Nonduality", the world is just an illusion and is not real. Thoughts arise which "create" our world. We constantly think and rethink our habitual thoughts, thus creating and recreating the same kind of events or circumstances.

This process reinforces our thoughts, which help to preserve the same "world" we believe live in. By changing the tape or film, that is by looking at a different scenario - different thoughts, we create a different "reality". For us it is a reality, though in fact it is just a dream we call "reality".

By changing our thoughts and mental pictures, we change our "Reality"; we change the "illusory" world we believe we live in. We are not employing magic or supernatural powers when creating and changing our life. It is not something "Material" that we change; we only change our thoughts, which are the world.

It is like dreaming a very realistic dream and then switching to a different dream. We are not awakening, just changing the dream. This explanation has to be read and reread and pondered upon in order to understand its full meaning. The other articles in this website may help you understand the philosophy involved here.

Rest assured that you can succeed in using creative visualization, even if you do not accept what you have just read, or it seems too complicated or far-fetched. Yet, understanding and accepting the above, at least in theory, will help you achieve results faster.

So why not change your dreams to something more satisfying? For example, you are living in small apartment and need a larger one. Instead of brooding about your fate, that you haven't enough money, and that you have to continue living in a small apartment, change your thoughts. That is all that is necessary.

See yourself in your imagination living in the apartment of your dreams. It does not matter that you haven't enough money. Just imagine yourself living in your "new" apartment and see it as a reality. The opportunity or way will present itself. The power of thought can work for you too.

Many books and articles have been written on the subject, and each new book or article opens to the reader a new viewpoint. Each book may mention something that the other did not. In order to understand the subject fully, it is advisable to read several books.

A personal example

Creative visualization can do great things, but yet for each one there are some areas, which he may find hard to change, at least in the immediate future. It is a great power, but I do not want you to imagine that there are absolutely no limits using it. These limits are within us, not in the power.

Many times we limit ourselves and cannot look beyond a limited circle. We limit ourselves by our thoughts and beliefs. The wider we can look at the world and ourselves, the greater are our possibilities. The limits are within us, and it is up to us to rise above them.

It may take some time until things start to change. Simple, small demonstrations of this power may come fast, but bigger results may need a longer time to happen.

The time and effort put forth in this study are really worthwhile. Have faith and patience and results will start appearing.

Sometimes events happen fast, at other times it may take longer. There are various reasons why this happens. On the other hand there are times when you can achieve your desire quite fast, as in the following example.

Years ago, before I got married, I decided to use creative visualization to get a date. I imagined myself sitting in a restaurant and talking with a girl. I concentrated on this image several times during the day, several minutes each time.

The next day, a girl working in the same place where I worked, asked me if I could come to her desk. I hardly ever spoke with her, maybe just saying good morning. I went to her desk and she asked me whether I had a girl friend. When she heard that I did not have one, she proposed to introduce me to one of her girl friends.

She gave me the phone number of the girl, whom I called the same day, asking her to meet me. We met and sat in a restaurant, exactly as I visualized. All this happened within about 24 hours. Surprising isn't it? This power can sometimes work real fast.

Oh, you are curious to know what happened with that girl? Well, nothing, because she was not the type of girl I was looking for. I rather used the power of visualization haphazardly, not thinking about the qualities, looks etc. I just thought about meeting a girl, a wish that came true.

From Imagination to Reality
Making creative visualization work

Have a definite and clear goal.

When your goal is clear, you can focus your mind and energy on the target and advance faster.

Think, meditate, and analyze whether you really want this particular desire to materialize. Then listen to your intuition.

This step is very important. After a while you may come to the conclusion that you do not want what you are visualizing. It is useless to spend time and energy pursuing something and then quit. After you decide to proceed with your goal, do not listen to any doubts that the mind may arouse.

Make sure that only good issues from your deeds, to you, to all involved, and to your environment.

Do not cause yourself and others trouble and difficulties, which are better avoided. If you are sure that what you want is good for you and others, you may go on.

Sit alone in a quiet place, where you are not disturbed.
Relax your body and breath rhythmically and deeply several times.
Formulate in your mind a picture, a scenario of the object or event.
See in your mind all the relevant details.
Use in your imagination all the five senses, such as sight, hearing, touch, etc.
Put feelings and emotions into what you are doing.
Practice at least twice a day, about 10 minutes each time.
Persevere in your action until you succeed.
Entertain only positive thoughts, feelings and words.
Always stay positive.

During the day, when negative thoughts and doubts arise, replace them with good positive thoughts. As each negative thought comes, look at a positive one instead.

Keep an open mind, so that when the opportunity to materialize your desire arises, you will recognize it and take advantage of it.

Attention! Use the power of imagination only for your and others' good. Never try to use it to get something that belongs to others. Never try to hurt with this power. You may succeed in this way for a while, but you will have to pay a big price for it.

There is a tendency in nature towards balance. What you do to others, sooner or later returns to you. If you do good, you receive good. If you inflict harm, you receive it back. It is not that some outer power punishes us. The retribution is already within our actions. It is a cosmic law. It is like a boomerang; what we do returns back to us.

Remember, most of the time everything happens in a natural way. If you desire money it won't necessarily drop on your head from the sky, or you win it in the lottery. You may be offered a job or an opportunity to render some service that will land you the money.

Creative visualization works. Our thoughts and feelings, and the pictures we carry in our mind, control our life. By changing them we change our life. But we have to know what we want and why.

Be very careful with your desires or you may get things you do not want, and then you will have to find ways to get rid of what you materialized. Make sure that what you are creating is good for all involved, and cause no harm to your environment. Think and meditate before you create anything so that you will not regret it. It is a great power entrusted in your hands, be careful how you use it.

Try to approach this work with a positive attitude, with faith and belief. Treat it as a game or a play as this will take away any inner tension and restlessness. Expect only happiness, good, and growth to you and to all involved.

You create your life by your thoughts, feelings and mental images.

Have you ever pondered about what is free will and what is fate?

You are free to think and act. The consequences of your thoughts and actions are fate. You have created some sort of reality and now you have live, experience and face the retribution of your deeds, whether so called good or bad.

After finishing your visualization session, say with a strong intent:

"Let everything happen in an harmonious and favorable way to all involved"
Thought is power, use it wisely.

REMEZ SASSON is a prolific writer and lecturer focusing on the ways and techniques to succeed in life utilizing the powers of the mind and developing the inner abilities which can lead us to Spiritual Enlightenment.
Visit his website at www.successconsciousness.com or
E-mail him at info@successconsciousness.com

Creative Visualization and the Law of Attraction
by Julia Melges-Jablonski

Optimism and Pessimism

"Most people live, whether physically, intellectually or morally, in a very restricted circle of their potential being. They make use of a very small portion of their possible consciousness, and of their soul's resources in general, much like a man who, out of his whole bodily organism, should get into a habit of using and moving only his little finger. Great emergencies and crises show us how much greater our vital resources are than we had supposed." William James

Would you like to be able to create whatever you want in your life? Imagine for a moment that you have a magic genie in a bottle, or a magic potion or wand that, like some charming children's movie, gives you the power to zap into being anything you wish. It also gives you the power, as so often happens in such movies, to "mess up" and create chaos and things you don't want also. These whimsical movies reflect in a gross way the universal reality that our thoughts do create our experiences. That which we give our attention to, we attract. "Where thoughts go, energy flows."

This means, of course, that optimists are confirmed in their optimism, and pessimists are confirmed in their habits of thought also. An optimist expects things to work out somehow, and because they give their attention to what they do want with expectancy, this is what manifests in their experience. The pessimist, on the other hand, generally also creates what they habitually worry about. Of course, the Universe is a benevolent place, and everything does work out in the end. Often what this means, however, is that eventually, through difficult experiences, pessimists learn how to alter their expectations and beliefs to more deliberately create what they are wanting in life.

This dynamic is supported by quantum theory , which has shown that there is no such thing as an "objective" experience, even when supposed controls are applied. It's been proven that the outcome of an experiment is influenced by the expectation of observers. There are no fixed laws, even when dealing with "physical" reality.

Thoughts are as Real as Actions and Things

"Great men are they who see that spiritual is stronger than any material force, that thoughts rule the world." Emerson

It is my understanding that everything we experience in "reality" has its beginnings in the non-physical. Every thought we think is a seed. Every time we think the same thought over again, we water that seed. When we think such a thought with emotion, we fertilize it. The more intense our desire or fear regarding such a thought, the more likely it is to come into our experience, and the faster it will manifest.

Thoughts are just as real as actions, but exist at a much higher and faster frequency. We may have a thought about wanting to kiss a companion, for example. This thought erupts from pure spirit or consciousness, like a spark. As we think it, it begins to slow, moving into the vibrational realm of feelings. We think the thought, then we have a feeling about it. We might feel excited or nervous. Depending on our feelings about it, we then have more thoughts and more feelings, while deciding what to do. As this process unfolds, the vibrations slow, and we eventually move into the realm of action (or no action, if that is the decided course of action). The same is true of things. We think of a butterfly, and eventually that thought slows until we experience/perceive/attract butterflies.

This can be compared to water, which at a high rate of vibration is steam, but which, as it cools, condenses into water, which we can perceive with our physical senses, and as it cools further, becomes apparently solid. Water is a great metaphor for all aspects of "physical" versus "non-physical." It is difficult to communicate about anything spiritual or "psychic" without using the terms "physical" and "non-physical." Here, "non-physical" refers to that which cannot be experienced through the five physical senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell). The "physical" in this case represents that which is made manifest (appears to the senses) on this vibrational plane of reality. When we are alive, we are like water (or perhaps some of us are like ice) but when we pass into spirit, we become like steam. We may then re-emerge into the physical (reincarnate) through a slowing of our vibration into another physical incarnation.

There is only one main law that must mastered in order to create what we want in our lives. It sounds simple, but it requires more conscious awareness of our thoughts than is ordinary. Of course, the more conscious and deliberate we are in choosing our thoughts, the more we are able to focus our experiences in desired directions. This is generally referred to as the Law of Attraction. I'm indebted to the Abraham Hicks material for the expansion of my understanding of the law of attraction the past few years, though I've found the same law and principles in diverse teachings.

(For further information, explore the works of Florence Scovel Shin, the six book series The Lives and Teachings of the Masters of the Far East by Spalding, Creative Visualization by Gawain, The Conversation with God books by Walsch, and quantum theory. If one pays attention, this same law or principle can be found in perhaps all spiritual or esoteric teachings such as the Bible and Eastern philosophies.)

How to Pray

"Ask and ye shall receive" is a truth. We ask with our desire, with what we give our attention to. Our thoughts and feelings are magnetic, drawing that which is focused upon into our lives. Jack may really want a particular job that would involve a promotion at work, for example. He may say to himself (or the Universe), "Oh, I would really love to have that job. I hope I get that job." While he's thinking this, he's picturing himself in that position, happy, fulfilled. He's imagining the new office, sitting at the new desk, performing the new tasks. This is a powerful way to create what he's seeking. The Universe responds to his desire impersonally, for it's not about whether or not he deserves it, it's about what he's in harmony with receiving. The All That Is of pure potentiality responds to the energy of him wanting that job, and being happy and fulfilled in that job. By visualizing himself in that job, he is already in the process of creating this in his experience. He has only to allow his thoughts and imaginings to filter down to manifest into the "reality" of this plane.

The specifics of the job are also not as important as the feeling state he is desiring to create in his life. In his visualization, he is bringing himself into harmony with the feeling state he desires. He achieves the feeling literally in the moment of visualization simply through picturing himself gaining what he desires, and feeling happy in that position. By becoming it in his fantasy, he is led to the creation of more of the same feeling state in the future.

By contrast, Joe may desire the same job and promotion. He may say to himself, "Oh, I really want that job, but I'm worried I won't get it. It would be so great to get it (he sees himself in the job), and if I don't get it, I don't know what I'll do (pictures himself depressed and worrying over a stack of unpaid bills). If Jack gets it, (pictures Jack in the job), I'll be so mad! I'm way more qualified than he is. Those yahoos upstairs don't appreciate all the energy I put into my work, and my experience and skills. (Pictures a superior or set of superiors at work with anger). This creates conflicted energy. He both summons desire for the job, and resistance to not getting it. Therefore, he sends a small amount of energy toward getting the job, but more energy toward creating depression, stress over bills, and anger between himself and superiors at work. He also sends energy toward Jack getting the job instead. Joe focuses on feeling unappreciated, and is likely to attract experiences that confirm this expectation.

Some people naturally speak and think in ways that are effective, others have a habit of thinking in ineffective ways. One can often detect how deliberate a creator someone is by the way they express themselves. For example:

"I hope the weather stays nice like this. It's so beautiful out!" (This is effective for it leads to more beautiful weather) "I hope it doesn't rain! That would be a bummer!" (This is ineffective, for it leads to rain and feelings that are not wanted.)

"I want to create harmony and happiness in this relationship. I know we can do it if we try." (This is effective, for it leads to harmony, happiness and empowerment.)

"I don't want to fight with you. I hate it when we fight. I can't take this anymore, this has to change!" (This is ineffective, leading to more fighting and frustration.)

"I've decided to move to San Francisco. There are lots and lots of people who have done this. There must be an infinite number of options for how I can make this happen. Let's see, I could..." (This is effective, leading to positive visualization and creative problem solving.)

"I wish I could move to San Francisco, but I hear it's so expensive out there. The job market is tight, and a tiny apartment costs what a nice house costs here. And what about those earth quakes?" (Clearly, this is ineffective, unless one is trying to talk oneself out of it! This train of thought leads to negative, pessimistic feelings, and if the move is undertaken, undesirable experiences with finances and perhaps even earth quakes.)

In this last example, the effective person thinking or speaking has opened themselves not only to creative problem solving, but to the limitless resources of the Universe. Their thoughts are "in line" with their desires. The ineffective thinker, however, sends energy in direct opposition to what is expressed as desired. Note also the difference in feeling between saying, "I wish...," which is weak and implies it's unlikely to happen, and "I've decided." Saying "I've decided" sets things strongly into motion.

This leads us to the most effective way to pray. Many of us are taught that "God" is an angry, "jealous" paternal being whom we must beg for favors, and who will grant them to us if we are "good." While this may be true of some human folks (especially parents), God is not limited by the ego issues of "man." When we pray in supplication, we come from a place of lack. What we really say when we pray, "Please, please, God, let me find the money to pay my rent" is "I don't have the money! Help! I don't have the money!" We tell the Universe we don't have the money, and we get more of not having the money in our experience.

The Bible says we are made "in the image of God." This means we too are creators. God gives us free will in how we choose to create. It is said that God helps those who help themselves. We must learn how to create what we desire by developing faith (applied optimism) and focused thought. The best way to pray then, is to visualize what we desire as already having happened, and to give thanks in our knowing that what we need and desire is already coming to us. To pray is to appreciate. It is to express an attitude of gratitude. The more we count our blessings, the more blessings come to us. The more we worry and pray for help due to some suffering, fear or lack, the more suffering, lack and fearful experiences we will draw to us.

Becoming a more Deliberate Creator

"The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts." Charles Darwin

Following are some exercises or things to keep in mind as you begin to take more responsibility and control over what you attract into your life.

Pay attention to your fantasies. Daydreams (and night dreams) and the themes that run through our minds are like the trailers to movies. They show us what we're in the process of manifesting. If we're daydreaming about how we're afraid we're going to not make our sales quota, or how we may lose that important case in court, it's time to begin to shift gears and begin imagining ourselves creating what we do want. If we're daydreaming about choking our neighbor because her dog barks all night long, and because when we request help with the matter she's rude, it's wise to know that we're likely to experience more negativity from that neighbor, even if we're polite on the surface. Thoughts are things!

Listen to yourself. Pay attention to your language. Especially watch yourself for phrases such as "I hope," "I wish," and "I've decided." Also, watch for "buts." The word "but" is used to contradict what was just expressed. Pay attention to how often you are talking about what you want, versus what you don't want. Let go of what you don't want, and shift to focusing on what you do.

Try starting small. Imagine a small thing that you'd like to come to you. You're far less likely to have resistance to creating this in your experience, and your beliefs are likely to be less challenged by a smaller desire. As you get good at this, you can aim higher and higher, for your belief in your ability to create in your own experience will expand.

You might try playing with this a bit by choosing something whimsical. Over the years, as I've played a lot with manifesting, I've had some funny and amazing experiences. A really enjoyable thing to try to manifest is friendly people. After a surprisingly negative experience with a Canadian customs official at the beginning of a trip, my girlfriend who is also a very conscious creator and I decided to manifest happy people from there on out. The two of us together created some intense synergy. The rest of our trip was almost like the Twilight Zone. People were literally hysterically friendly. Wherever we went, strangers joked with us, went out of their ways to help us, and practically rolled out red carpets. It was in no way subtle or mistakable. We found ourselves bursting out laughing time after time.

Try drawing a picture of what you're wanting in your life. Really allow yourself to get into the flow of picturing yourself in the future with everything as you want it to be. Or you might try writing a story about how you got from where you now are to where you want to be, as if it's already happened. The more you can suspend disbelief or resistance, the better. Writing and drawing allow us to get out of what is "practical" and dream our way into what we want. Remember that the potential is unlimited. Your well-being does not come at the expense of others. Just as there is not a limited amount of "happiness" or "health" on the planet, there is no need to worry that you'll attract more than your share of anything. Your being happy does not mean someone else must be depressed to balance things out. In fact, your being healthy, wealthy and wise makes it easier for others to follow in your footsteps.

It's important to appreciate those things in our experiences that we don't want, as well as the blessings we already have. Just as without darkness, we would not know light, so it is with contrast. When we experience something and we know we don't like it, we suddenly know what we do want. Thank the contrast, and pivot away from it with grace. Shoving away from it tends to ricochet us right back into it, for then we think of it with intense emotion. The more we can find peace with what we don't want, the easier it is to flow with intense desire toward what is wanted.

Also, it's good to embrace wanting. Desire is what keeps us alive. Without desire, we wouldn't be here. It's all about wanting to live, wanting to experience, wanting, wanting, wanting (not necessarily having, having, having!) Perhaps we're very altruistic, and all we want to do is give, but this is still satisfying some desire in ourselves to give. I'm not saying we should do whatever we want without regard to others. I'm saying that if we are in harmony with our inner being's desires, we will naturally want to do what is best for us, and this will naturally be what is also best for others. Sometimes, others may not see that at the time. We may want to end a relationship that another wants us to stay in. From a greater perspective, when we act in harmony with our own heart's desire to move toward something else, we afford that other person the opportunity to work through their own fears and dependencies.

To want is a beautiful thing. It is wanting that birthed this world, and desire that draws us together to create new life, both physically and metaphysically.

"One must not lose desires.
They are mighty stimulants to creativeness, to love and to long life."
Alexander Bogomoletz

Julia Melges-Jablonski is a professional medium/clairvoyant. She is an ordained minister in the Spiritualist tradition, a prolific metaphysical author, web mistress of MuseNet and the editor at www.kajama.com

Making Wishes Come True
by Jonathan Dickau

Our wishes or desires are defining attributes of our individuality, but how many people can make their dreams come true? In truth, many people don't even know what they really want, much less how to accomplish their goals. There are others who know exactly what they want, but still can't quite get their acts together to accomplish their hearts' desires.

The idea of wish fulfillment is something that first enters human consciousness at an early age indeed. In fact, we all learn to desire long before we learn to speak. We form wordless impressions of what we want, or don't want, and this is the earliest concept we have of the subject. These impressions persist, and they constitute part of the underlying structure that shapes all our future wishes.

From the moment we are born, most of us begin to wish for the warm, safe environment of the womb from which we have been violently pushed or pulled into this world. The personality we form from that moment on is largely shaped by our desires. These fall into two broad categories: those things we'd like to have more of, and those things we'd rather be rid of or get away from. In general, people feel that they are attracted to pleasurable things, and try to avoid painful things, but it doesn't always work as we expect it to. As long as we continue to be attracted or repelled, however, we will continue to endeavor to satisfy the desires that arise as a result.

We develop theories in our minds about what actions might yield worthwhile results as infants long before we have any concept of what words mean. We soon learn to use words, however, in our strategy to gain our heart's desire. At some point, words and actions become connected, as we find that there is a word for almost anything we can do or possess. Later, as we learn more complex behaviors, we are supplied with phrases and sentences to describe them and other things as well.

This also gives each of us tools to aid in obtaining what we wish to have in our lives. On the other hand, where words bring us some things, they don't help us to obtain other things at all. Many things are possible to attain, or obtain, only if we take correct action at the right time and place.

Sometimes strategies that work well with one person or one group of people are poorly adapted to the temperament of another, and it makes life tough to understand. Similarly, differing situations demand different solutions to the same problem. It seems there is no universal formula for success, but rather a range of approaches particularly well suited to a variety of temperaments and environments. Although there is no single strategy for getting what you want that works for all people and all situations, certain elements of strategy are useful to remember, and will help you to find the best approach to a given task. The idea is not merely to adopt a policy, however, based on someone else's method, but to find out what works for you, and make that your method.

The first step is knowing what you really want, and this often isn't so obvious as it seems, because most of us are too caught up in the activity of living life to step back from our immediate conditions and ask ourselves such a basic question. If you knew that anything was possible, and you could have exactly what you most desire, what would you wish for? If you had no limits whatsoever, what would you do? If there are things you have always wanted, places you've always wanted to go, or people you would really like to see, its better to know that than to turn away from your heart's desires because they appear unattainable. Just take care that you wish for things you would still want if you actually had them. Sometimes what you wish for at one point will continue coming to you long after your desire for that special thing or for the individual you longed to meet has faded.

This doesn't mean that wishing alone, or having a clear concept of what you are wishing for, is going to bring your wish to life. Of course, everyone can wish for things that they have no immediate way of obtaining, and you can never have as much as you can wish for, but almost anything worth doing can be accomplished, and virtually anything worth having can be obtained by combining imagination and persistent effort over a period of time with some amount of cooperation. Be sure, however, that you are wishing for things that don't require other people to behave exactly as you would like. It's better to wish for what allows you to do your own thing, and allows others to respond as they feel is appropriate. By so doing, you leave room for their individuality in your plans, and you don't leave yourself open for blame. In my opinion, this is the only way to go.

The second step is focusing your desires, or clarifying your intent. You need to sift through the vast expanse of feelings within you, and also look to the outside world, to find the things that are most urgent, what has lasting importance, what can be done right now to help your situation, and so on. While the initial assessment of what you want should be more of a free-for-all of discovering your fondest wishes and dreams, the second step is a more sobering look at how some of your most cherished desires can be worked into the scheme of your real-life activity.

While going through this part of the process, you must be both thoroughly realistic and affirmative. It is extremely important to make sure that, when you are done, all of your goals are phrased clearly and positively, so that your sub-conscious will get the right message. The sub-conscious mind responds quite literally, so we must be careful about how we describe what we desire. We wish to avoid telling ourselves what not to do, or what we think we sort of want, and learn to give our nervous systems a clear picture of exactly what it is that we do want. In order to accomplish this, we need to use accurately descriptive language, rather than suggestive but nebulous phrasing, and we need to describe what we want to have, want to do, and want to be, not those things we wish to leave behind.

Rather than saying "I want to stop smoking," for example, one can dwell on those things you will do instead of smoking. Perhaps "I will do deep breathing whenever I get the urge to smoke" would be a suitable affirmation for someone attempting to stop. Memory studies have shown that forgetful people actually tend to remind themselves to leave things behind (i.e. - "I just know I'll forget my umbrella."), and so on. This doesn't help much at all. Clear and positive instructions will put your sub-conscious to work for you instead. All of your goals should be phrased in this manner, if you wish for them to become realities.

When you have completely evaluated and organized your wishes, you should be able to write down four or five things you can do right now (or in the near future) that will both improve your immediate situation and bring you closer to achieving some of your fondest wishes in your lifetime. What is most important is that you know what you wish to do, but writing it down can empower the mind's focusing ability to work for you. People with written goals tend to do measurably better with them than people who don't write goals down, and there are good reasons why, but the choice is yours. Make sure that you are fairly thorough, in any case, going through each step of the process.

Creating the outcomes you desire requires that you be both specific and realistic. Having vague, conflicted, or impossible notions is not the way to succeed. You want to make sure that you're not being superficial, either in assessing your own true feelings or in dealing with real-world complexities. After all, your own satisfaction is what's at stake.

The third step involves using both effort and imagination to bring your plans to fruition. Specifically, you must work both toward your goals and from your goals to ensure success in your endeavors. It is also helpful to harness the power of both incentive and fear as motivators to get you where you want to be. Most people are well versed in the first approach, the slow building of momentum by taking care of one detail after another, until all of the necessary conditions for creating the final product have been met. Fewer people have mastered the second technique, which involves picturing yourself in the world where your goals have already been achieved, and then looking backwards, toward the present, to see what steps were taken to get there.

It's important, in this case, to feel good about what you desire. Any approach that doesn't figure fear into the equation, however, has the potential for problems. Fear can be a killer, it is true, but it doesn't have to be. Sometimes fear can be a good thing, as it is justifiably one of the most powerful motivators of all. The trick is to use its power to your advantage, to inspire courage, rather than allowing it to intimidate you or prompt you to be foolhardy. Using both incentive and fear allows both possibility and necessity to move you forward.

Each approach has to be used interactively to be useful at all. By this, I mean that when the first results are not what we expect, we must alter our approach somewhat. Every step taken will provide feedback of our efforts, and supply us with additional information that can help us to adjust and improve our strategies for success. In addition, combining the different approaches in creative ways will allow you to create a kind of synergy between your inward and outward processes, where what is learned from one approach is swiftly applied to aid the other, saving you from wasting precious effort or scarce resources.

Clear imagination of your goals can save you steps in the "real" world at times, but swift, effective action can free up your creativity for more interesting or more important problems. Likewise, a clear incentive to act, in terms of the enjoyment gained by possible rewards, is always helpful, but the feeling of necessity to act, resulting from fear of possible consequences, is often essential to the process of making progress. We use what works for us, but every angle to play is one more tool to aid in the process of realizing our goals, and each has its place for dealing with the various challenges we encounter on the road to creating the life we want.

Any approach requires some level of participation or involvement, and therefore one needs to be motivated or at least willing to apply oneself. The question of how invigorated one needs to be for optimum performance is somewhat tricky, however. You see, not only do certain tasks or situations require a particularly relaxed or vigorous approach to a problem, but different people also require different levels of motivation to achieve the same result. Where some need to psych themselves up and generate enthusiasm to do their best work, this is a total waste of time for others. Sometimes being too keyed-up can make a task more difficult, or even impossible. Too much effort can burn one out prematurely, and too strong a motivation can create fear or tension. Not enough effort or motivation may result in no progress at all.

There is, however, an optimum state of arousal for a specific person to complete a given task. The trick to achieving any desired result is knowing what that proper level of activation is, and being just that excited, whether the effort required is mental or physical. How highly charged do we really need to be to excel? Exactly enough to get ourselves to take effective action. Working well, therefore, means the intelligent use of effort.

Working toward a goal involves creating, acquiring, or assembling the necessary pieces of the puzzle you are trying to solve. By building up the necessary resources, whether they are materials and tools or blueprints and schematics, we actually create opportunities that did not exist before. By fulfilling prerequisite conditions for our endeavors, we provide a solid foundation to build upon, giving us something to work from in order to make our wishes a reality. We also obtain a visible and tangible representation of our progress as we accumulate material or situational evidence for our efforts. Every little success along the way tends to add to both our momentum and our motivation.

Of course, acquiring the necessary skills to work with the resources you possess is also a process of building toward the desired state. By practicing the necessary skills and actions until we are certain that we can handle whatever is required, we can strengthen our foundation, creating an even greater opportunity to make our wishes a reality. Best of all, this kind of result (experience) becomes a part of us, so that it can be applied to future goals or future attempts at the same goals.

Working from the goal involves attracting the pieces of the puzzle to you, rather than attempting to pursue them. The image of your goal becomes like a homing beacon, inviting you to step forward on the path to success. A clear picture of the outcome you wish to create will do far more than increase your desire to get there, however. Imagining the wish fulfilled will empower you by allowing you to enhance the probability that the desired outcome will take place, and it also allows you to answer two very important questions. The first is "How do I know when I get there?" and the other is "What do I do when I get there?"

By taking the time to imagine the situation you want to create, you have the opportunity to address both of these issues as many times as you like before being faced with the situation of either falling short of or overshooting your goal, or missing a golden opportunity because you didn't know how to deal with the situation when you arrived. Too many people don't have a clear concept of how to recognize success once they have reached it, and many more don't know what to do next, once their plans are exhausted. It is wise to have a clear concept of both, although you don't need to work out all the details.

Using the imagination is much more powerful than depending upon will power alone. By utilizing will power for working toward a goal, you can make yourself strive for what you want, but working from a goal can make the goal work for you by serving to motivate and lend meaning to your participation as long as you continue to envision it! The general rule is that the more vividly you can imagine the outcome you desire, the more likely you are to see it manifest in real life. If you can put yourself in your future shoes easily, and can experience all of the sounds, sights, and even the smell of being there, you are probably well within reach of your goals.

If, on the other hand, you have a hard time picturing anything but how your plans could fall apart, don't be disheartened. That which you fear is seldom the only possibility. It is usually only part of a range of possible outcomes. When you continue to exercise your imagination, or just entertain the appropriate (and effectively phrased) questions a little bit longer (to see other possible outcomes), you will find that all of the positive possibilities will appear in your imagination in their turn.

Sometimes the fear of failure is a gift, in that it can be your mind's way of attempting to guide you past the obstacles to success, or keep you from inflicting harm upon yourself. In other cases, it reflects inhibitory conditioning that was inflicted upon us in childhood through guilt or intimidation, and that was used to keep us in line and make us more easily controlled by parents, teachers and other authority figures. In still other cases, the fear arises out of an unconscious attempt to sabotage our own success, because we don't believe in what we are trying to do, or don't actually desire the outcome we are ostensibly striving for. In some instances, it is a representation of our darker side, as we don't believe in ourselves, or don't consider ourselves worthy of the accomplishment for which we are making an effort.

In most cases, however, the fear we feel can be used as a motivating factor, because it arises as a result of the fact that we want something better than what we fear, and our mind is trying to show us what will happen if we fail to take action or fail to imagine something better. In virtually every situation where fear arises, moreover, it is trying to give us a message.

Usually, the best way to deal with fear is to come to terms with it, rather than to confront or avoid it. Sometimes it is wise to "imagine the worst" and become OK with that, so that we can defuse the emotional charge which would otherwise keep us stuck in unproductive or even life threatening circumstances. It is usually best not to settle for that alone, however, when better options exist. This is where having the courage to take action becomes crucially important. Allowing fear to intimidate and immobilize you, so that you are prevented from taking action, will certainly not aid your cause or carry you forward to success.

Merely being at peace with your fears does little for you in attempts to fulfill your desires. Nor does it make sense to go forth in blind anger, lashing out at everything and everyone that appears to be in your way. This may produce results, but they are seldom totally positive. A consistent effort to do what you can do, coupled with efforts to discover, and/or imagine alternatives that may yield results, and the creation of plans that lead to superior outcomes, is the appropriate middle path between defective and excessive action.

Of course, there are times when no amount of individual effort or imagination is going to be enough, and the fulfillment of your wish will require more resources than you possess. What are you supposed to do then? The answer is usually that you need to get the help and cooperation of other people. This raises the questions of how to ask for things, what to ask for, whom to ask, and so on.

There is also a question of cost. You need to discover what the people you are asking require of you, and learn how to fulfill those needs if you wish for them to give you what you want in return. Don't mis-apply the Golden Rule by offering others what you think they'd want if they were you. If you expect to get what you need from others, give those people what they really want by finding out first what that is, and then seeking ways to help them get it. Without this, we have no right to expect the cooperation of those whose help we seek.

When asking for the help of others, you need to be willing to give something in return. Sometimes, you must be prepared to create value for the other person ahead of time for them to be willing to help you. Knowing what you want from them and what they want from you is the first step in creating an agreement that will fulfill your wishes. Then, of course, you must know how to ask for what you desire, or what will bring you closer to that. You may wish to consider, however, if the person you are asking is capable of granting your wish at all in the first place. Sometimes, a lot of time can be wasted trying to secure an agreement from parties who can't really deliver what is required. It is always best to ask someone who can actually give you what you want. Failing to take this into consideration is one of the most common reasons people don't realize their goals.

How to ask for what you wish is an art in itself, and there are many ways to approach it, depending on who you are, what you are asking for, and who you are asking. In every case, the process of asking requires thought or planning and timing as well. You should tailor your request and its presentation to the actual conditions and participants. Get to know them. It's good to have a specific way (possibly even two or three ways) of asking for what you desire worked out ahead of time. It also helps to apply the imaginative technique here, by asking yourself the question of how the other individual(s) might respond, and envisioning how you would deal with different responses. Then, you may wish to practice speaking your request a few times, to see if it actually sounds as good when you say it as it does in your mind or on paper. Presenting your idea as effectively as possible may require both the spoken word and words on paper or diagrams and so on.

Even the most excellent presentation of the best product or the best ideas, however, will fall on deaf ears sometimes. Unfortunately, this happens quite often. In some cases, the other party isn't looking for what you have to offer, or just isn't prepared to invest in your plans at this time. This only means you need to try again later, ask someone else, or perhaps change your requirements. Be as persistent as you need to be without making a nuisance of yourself. Do more on your own. Keep trying variations on your basic theme, until you find something that works for you. Remember that some of the world's greatest success stories began with rather humble or even daunting conditions. Those who persisted despite the difficulties they had almost always achieved something worthwhile. People have the power to accomplish almost anything if they keep trying long enough. There are some situations, however, where there are no more options to try. What do we do, in that case?

How about getting help from a higher source? Is it meaningful for an individual to seek inspiration from beyond, or from deep within? Does the Universe respond to our beliefs and desires? Can we tap into a greater inner power by tuning in to the forming power of the universe, nature, and life itself? The answer to all of these questions is yes, to some degree, but each person's ability to create an advantage by doing so is dependent on a number of factors. To receive inspiration, for instance, you must have a quiet enough mind to allow new thoughts to surface. To get the universe to respond to your wishes, you must ask for its assistance. To take advantage of the forces of nature, you must be in harmony with the natural order.

Knowing the natural laws helps some things greatly. This includes knowing the laws of the mind (individual and universal), as well as science. If you are looking for divine intervention, having a personal relationship with the Divinity can help quite a bit. In a similar way as with people, knowing how to ask for divine help is a useful art too.

The idea of using prayers, wishes, or spells to bring things into your life that you wouldn't have otherwise is not a new one. Nor is this approach totally without merit. In fact, it seems that the universe does respond to our wishes in some measure, whether we like it or not, and regardless of if we notice. Some people believe that the universal mind acts upon all our thoughts, feelings, and desires automatically. Others would say that God listens to all our prayers, and knows our heart's desire. In either case, our beliefs are seen as the key factor in determining what we receive from life.

How would we know this, if it were true? Could such a state be concealed? If you were all-powerful, but considered your attempts to exercise power to be futile, and all your efforts to succeed destined for failure, what results would you achieve? You might very well create a world of difficulties for yourself, where your belief in your own powerlessness, and in your likelihood of failure, would make that real for you. If, instead, your belief is that God provides all you could want, that the Goddess is sharing her abundance, or merely that Life is bountiful, this may create something very different.

The question arises of whether prayers, wishes, and spells, are an ethical way to pursue ones goals. Do we have a right to impose our own desires upon the lives of others, assuming we have the ability to do so? Is it appropriate to bend the rules, if we can, so that the natural order serves our wishes? Mormons believe that it is our duty to ask God for that which we want in our life, in order to provide for our families and assist the rest of mankind. Followers of Islam, on the other hand, state both their prayers and their promises to others in terms that let God decide (i.e. - I will see you next month, if it is the will of Allah (God)).

I personally believe that either approach can be effective and that prayer is appropriate if done in a spirit of reverence and caring for all of life. Some people take this attitude of reverence to another level, asking for nothing specifically that is for themselves, but proclaiming, "I want only what is for the highest and best." Pagans, on the other hand, proclaim, "As you harm none, do what you will." I believe that divine help is always available, and that it's our right to have that help. We are powerful beings, with a natural magic of our own, but others stand ready. Angels will come to assist you, if you need them, but usually come only if invited.

Whether we call the approach of working with a higher power magic, prayer, or merely wishful thinking, the process is largely the same. Some skeptics will claim that there is no reasonable basis for this belief, but this is not the case. Where there may be no definitive scientific proof, and there are certainly many charlatans out there, there is both evidence and a theoretical basis for the existence of psychic powers, miracles, magic, and spiritual phenomena. Science has made discoveries indicating that consciousness itself creates results.

In fact, the role of the observer as determiner has come to the fore as one of the most fundamental principles of Quantum Mechanics. It seems that one can't observe most sub-atomic processes without influencing the outcome, and some processes are so sensitive that even the possibility of observing the outcome is enough to change the nature of what is observed completely. This appears to show that our universe is strongly influenced by the perceptual strategies of conscious beings. What we do to merely observe something can markedly change the manifested result. Imagine what our conscious efforts might do, if they were properly focused.

Of course, events and processes at our scale are rather different from sub-atomic events, but all of the universe is created and sustained through energy exchanges that manifest as sub-atomic, atomic, or molecular, quantum-mechanical processes. It appears likely that thoughts, and even consciousness itself, may be quantum-mechanical in nature. In this case, it makes perfect sense that changing the quantum-mechanical vibrations of our thinking would effect changes in the world around us as well. Thus, there may be a scientific basis for many kinds of psychic phenomena, spiritual experiences, miracles, and magic. I do not mean to say that all such events are genuine, but rather that the findings of Modern Science appear to require the possibility for such things to occur. If these methods work at all, they can be of great value when no other options exist. It is my personal belief that the benefits can be greater still when one keeps this channel open by regular use.

Whether the approach to problems is esoteric or purely pragmatic, however, it is often not a matter of what we wish for, do, or provide at all that determines our success. Sometimes what we have to eliminate is equally important as what we need to add. In fact, it is often far more important. Removing roadblocks to success makes it unnecessary to get around problematic situations or to build bridges over them. In this way, the proper solution can be simplicity itself. Often enough, all we need to do is get out of our own way or clear away the opposing elements in order to have what we want from life.

This can be called following the path of least resistance, since what we need to do in order to accomplish things this way is merely to reduce the level of internal and external resistance until things happen naturally. By simply relaxing and going with the flow, we can have things that would otherwise remain forever out of our grasp, and that is the beauty of this path. We can all have more of what we wish for in our lives, and that is why we have desires in the first place.

Don't be ashamed to want things, and don't be afraid to receive them, or to have them. If you are willing to encourage yourself to dream your dreams, and then to take what action is appropriate, you can see your wishes fulfilled, but first you must let it be OK to want. Give yourself permission to have desires, as this too is part of the process of fulfillment. Desire arises naturally, and it is nothing to be ashamed of.

Wish fulfillment is possible only for those who can accept this. Even the most highly evolved people still have desire in some form. We may choose to pursue noble goals exclusively, but in order to achieve them, we still have to want something. Only by honoring our desires can we hope to see our wishes fulfilled. This is, perhaps, the most important key of all. By taking our own desires seriously, and using them to help shape our plans effectively, we can accomplish all that is possible. When we give our desires wings by using our thoughts, feelings, and actions together in harmony, the sky is the limit of our potential.

Jonathan Dickau is a former corporate executive turned writer, musician and recording artist. He has a very diverse spiritual background in Tai Ji, self-hypnosis, Eckankar, Sufism, Yoga, Lightwork, Reiki, Taosim, channeling, and tantra. His life philosophy is simple, that all of us serve love in some form or another, and it is our ability to do this consciously that elevates and frees us.
To read more of Jonathan's great writing, visit his website.

Visualization

Visualization - Wishful Thinking? by Paul Naras

"The oak sleeps in the acorn"