Dan, a visitor to this blog, submitted an inspiring and powerful set of questions yesterday, asking;
“I am curious to know your thoughts on the follow up film to The Secret, "How Thoughts Become Things." Is the Law of Attraction or Neuroscience really responsible for all the consequences in my life? Seems pretty bold, considering we don't even really know what the Law of Attraction is. Or is it simply my life is a result of real life efforts following the thoughts that I really value as worthwhile? A little confused about this?”
Hi Dan (and friends!),
First, I thank you for visiting and submitting such an important series of questions. I was inspired in ways for which I am very grateful and am sharing this response with much love and appreciation! I have not yet seen (nor heard it was released!!) the follow-up movie, so I'll not comment specifically regarding the movie, rather the questions you have raised.
I wish I could give you an easy, breezy fail-proof formula for manifestation, and am honored to share what I have come to understand, which is quite different than traditional Law of Attraction teachings, yet not entirely mutually exclusive! Here is a recap on the questions...
Do thoughts become things? Well, yes, sometimes.
Is neuroscience and how the brain and mind work an influence on what is manifesting (or not) in our lives? Well, yes, sometimes, and we know how to re-pattern it!
Here is question you did not ask, yet is important to bring into this conversation, at least from my perspective. Is there an influence that is of a Divine substance and form that can knock all of these other influences out of the park when we align with it? Absolutely!
With your permission, I will share what came flooding in as I read your questions.
First...
A Differentiation
One differentiation in the teachings I offer, is that I believe we are all born with a Divine purpose and that at the core, we’ve been encoded with the passions, drives, motivations, interests, talents and gifts needed to fulfill that purpose.
Purpose is always about the impact we have, rather than a blanket “doing.” The “doing” is what we call an authentic expression, one that is aligned with passions and purpose (pre-infused, prior to incarnation, and revealed through experience and observation).
Think of this aspect of your being as SOUL…
When exploring the Soul’s role in the manifestation equation, here are some radically different thoughts to ponder.
When fully aligned with your soul path and its purpose for incarnating at this time and navigating the evolutionary challenges and opportunities of human life, desire is simply a pre-cognitive, pre-sensory experience of what is already in the process of “coming” into your life, in alignment with soul path/purpose and Divine timing.
This is radically different than most LOA teachings. Yes, desire can lead to manifestation, however, here we invite you to look at desire, when aligned with soul path, as a very different thing, one not about what isn't, but rather, what is in process.
If the human, conditioned part of us is “in charge,” desires and wants may not be in alignment with your SOUL /SOLE reasons for existence. If the focus of your law attraction practice is on something that is not aligned with your divine path and soul purpose, it actually makes sense that it won’t manifest easily, consistently or permanently. Think of a tone deaf person attempting to become a musician. It ain’t in the cards…and certainly is not part of the encoding that gives us everything we need to fulfill our Divine plan.
Traditional law of attraction teachers, such as Esther and Jerry Hicks say (this is clearly communicated in The Vortex) that we do not come here with a plan or purpose other than to “experience.” We in the Power of Our Way Community believe that we do, in fact, come here with a specific purpose and a global one. We come here to evolve, contribute to others through service aligned with our core gifts and purpose, and to contribute to evolution on the collective level through our own diligence in self-healing and being of service to others. We also come to learn through contrast and pain, places where a great deal of wisdom resides.
Giving opens us to receiving. So the journey is not about collecting and getting, but rather releasing (all that fetters us to the undesired) and giving. We believe that everything happens for a reason, and if awake enough and surrendered enough, those reasons will be revealed. Yesterday, I wrote and article and stated that, “if I had always gotten what I wanted, things would never have turned out so perfectly.”
LOA black-belts don't leave a lot of room for God, soul path, or the spirit realm to be part of this co-creative journey, nor in manifestation practices. This opens us to arrogance and ignorance (not in a judging way) and has dismissed and denied the most powerful forces in this great good universe. It has also created a movement that can lead to metaphysical malpractice, placing the responsibility of all things that occur solely on what a person is thinking about.
"You must have wanted it, asked for it, or not be wanting something else (such as healing or happiness)," are statements I've heard and recoiled from. This is only adding to the shame and self-blame that are clearly levels of consciousness that have been disempowered. Although I've come to believe in soul agreements, on the physical level, sometimes "stuff" just happens. A more enlightened approach to an experience that is undesired or unfortunate might instead be asking ourselves, "How can I leverage this situation in a way that serves me and others? How can I grow and learn from this?"
We also believe that we are here to give presence to the Divine in physical form and that creator is always talking to us through inspiration, intuition, synchronicity, curiosity, and nature. The more we practice being present, and awake for what is alive around us, the more connected we are to this Source of information, energy, manifestation, miracles, and healing.
Then, We Are Born and We Forget!
Then, we come to the planet, and we forget (most of us) as we undergo the process of cultural conditioning and over time, move into the human perspective, as opposed to the Divine perspective. What we hold as truth may not be based in reality and what we see as our reality may not be based in truth. The human perspective is both wildly imaginative, innovative and creative, and the belief that we have free will (we don’t have as much free will as we think) invites “ego” to perceive, assess, and choose for us.
The ego is truly here to be a partner with the soul and its expression, not an enemy that needs to be completely obliterated. The perceptions and perspectives from the human mind/ego/personality, are not always grounded in the Divine Mind and Eye that knows and sees well beyond what we think we have learned about ourselves, others and how the world works.
This conditioning occurs through both what we are “taught,” including all of those mixed messages stirred up with what we think we learn from our life experiences. This is really the genesis of limiting beliefs, including unworthiness, doubt, lack of faith and negative expectations.
Think of this aspect as your MIND…
In the book Power vs. Force by Dr. David Hawkins, desire is actually fairly low on the scale he outlines for the levels of consciousness. It is below the place of true spiritual power. In my mind, I’ve seen how desire can actually be quite grounded in lack and illusions of what we think will fill the voids in our lives. Desire is also often attached to outcomes and the “hows,” and can fight against Divine order and timing.
Several years ago, when I asked God to show me the vision of my ideal and perfect life it was drastically different than anything I would have constructed. As soon as I began to align, validations and miracles began to happen that are in the process of manifesting more fully in my life right now. As shocking as the vision was, I can tell you I truly know the truth and resonance (soul, not personality!) of what I was shown and I predict undergoing many changes as I continue to align with it and surrender to an Intelligence far beyond my own.
The mind reveals our conditioned CONSCIOUSNESS, and the brain, an organ we barely understand, is divided into several parts. For the sake of this reply, let me focus on just a few points regarding the mind and brain’s involvement in manifestation. The challenge of many LOA techniques is that they discount the involvement of your subconscious mind that dictates belief, potential, and EXPECTATION, which can influence creation/manifestation in huge ways! The truth is that we are often influenced by faulty conditioning (at the subconscious level) and not always accessing the SUPERCONSCIOUS mind that connects you to your SOURCE and the spirit realm.
Listen to this full-length teleclass audio that will shed some BIG light on the power (positive and negative) behind HOW your conscious and subconscious minds interact.
More importantly, you'll understand WHAT you can do to recondition and repatttern your subconscious mind to be in alignment with MANIFESTING and RECEIVING...and SUSTAINING that which you desire.
This audio (above) also includes information on the five main functions (and influences) of your subconscious mind and you might begin to understand how your perceptions and beliefs can EASILY be changed through the use of the hypnosis and theta wave audios we've put together for you at http://hypnoticmanifestation.com/12/ .
You will better understand how your MIND functions in the creation (and un-creation) of EVERYTHING; prosperity vs. lack, wellness vs. un-wellness, self confidence, self worth, relationships, releasing the past...everything...
Moving from Desire, to Decision, to Demonstration
In another interview, I talked about what parts of the brain are activated when we are experiencing certain thoughts and emotions. What is fascinating is that doubt, resentment, anger, hatred, and even lack of clarity sparks activity within the hind brain, which is all about survival, status quo, and maintaining familiarity, even when what has become familiar is unwanted.
When cultivating thoughts of love, compassion, patience, trust and when “clear,” we activate the prefrontal lobes, the most evolved part of our brain, and the part that lights up when we are imagining, creating, visioning, and connecting into higher vision and wisdom. This is not to say that the full range of human emotions are not important to honor, just that staying in certain thought patterns and emotions don’t allow for our most evolved and connected parts to be involved in our experience.
Desire can put us more into our survival brains, where as making a decision and moving into demonstration with that decision, opens us to the higher parts of our o-creative selves. There is a great teaching, the source of which escapes me, that reminds us that “God is not a problem solver, rather, God responds to demonstrations of faith.” We also reinforce that if something is working out, it is part of our Divine plan and when things are not working out, it is part of our Divine plan. Now, how our minds interact, observe and interpret things (not always conscious to us) is steeped in past conditioning and upbringing. We can re-pattern through hypnosis, and deep consciousness and energy raising work.
Think of this aspect as the BODY…or the PHYSICAL demonstration that activates potential due to the alignment is causes in mind, spirit and energy. This is where attitude and efforts influence manifestation. Only you can know when a balance has been found between efforting and allowing, and not being too attached to outcomes that frankly, are never 100% in our control. Attitudes and efforts, however, are places we can exercise more influence!
Forgiveness – the Most Powerful Medicine
When I am fairly certain that what I’m putting out in the world is aligned with my soul path and Divine instruction and things don’t seem to be “happening,” the first things I ask myself are “Do I have any forgiving to do?” and “Is resentment in my heart or thoughts?”
Love is the bridge to all healing and transformation. We cannot heal with anger and hatred or resentment in our hearts. Recently, my elder reminded us that “Forgiveness is the most powerful medicine given by our Creator.” Forgiveness may begin with “an other”, however, ultimately always lands at ourselves. So, any guilt or shame and the unworthiness that is born of these ideas, must be healed for us to truly tap into the abundance that is in store for us. This is what brings us to the aspect of your HEART and the powerful, scientifically measurable, vibration that is dictated by emotion and thought.
Opening to Receive
Although giving, gratitude and alignment with soul and the power of the human mind are absolutely connected to manifestation, if one is not good at receiving, either from their own unworthiness, mistrust in others, fears of getting hurt, or a stark resistance of any sort of dependency on others, difficulty or blocks to receiving can be a huge barrier to all levels of fulfillment. As someone who engages in primal spirituality practices, where we go up to four days with no food and water and have others eat, drink and even sleep for us, I have become aware at the importance of receiving. Receiving energy, information, abundance, support, prayers, healing, etc. all require an opening and allowing on the part of the recipient. I’ve watched people who have a challenge receiving almost die as a result, and I’ve witnessed others be sustained and healed because they were wide open for a variety of support and assistance.
Cultivating a Welcoming Place
In several prior articles and teleclasses I’ve talked about this concept of Cultivating a Welcoming Place for that Which You Are Opening and Making Room For. This welcoming place relates to the environments within our minds (are we toxic or inviting”), our energy (influenced by past trauma, emotions and thoughts, fears, and what we are holding onto), our bodies, and even our physical environments.
Think of relationships that are eternally welcoming to all parts of you vs. those that are not. Think of physical environments where the energy was just perfect and inviting and those where you immediately didn’t feel welcome or free to be yourself. Gratitude, positive attitudes, generosity, kindness, and being conscious and selective to what and whom you give your attention and energy to all influence the welcoming place for good’s arrival.
When focused on a particular vision of what you are “saying YES!!! to,” there are many things that we must no longer agree to walk with. Therefore, looking at what agreements we’ve made, or what we’ve come to tolerate in our lives is important. I recently heard a powerful quote that went something like this; “We cannot change that which we’ve grown to tolerate.” When I healed from Lupus in 1997, everything I’ve shared thus far was part of the sustained healing.
I had to transform my fear, doubt, and even the beliefs (about not being able to be cured) I had adopted from the medical community. I had grown to tolerate unhappiness, pain and limitation. My expectations were bleak. I had a ton of resentment and wounding in my heart. When I began to liberate myself from these energetic frequencies everything changed and I healed. Before, I was not a welcoming place for healing and joy to take up residence…after, it was as if I posted a big sign that said “Rooms available! Come on in, we’ll make you feel at home!”
Cultivating a welcoming place within your mind, spirit and life can call forth both clearing and creating. This can be physical, emotional, spiritual and mental. For example, if you want to meet your soul mate, cultivate those very qualities you desire to see and experience in your mate. Make space in your home, closets, dressers, and other nooks and crannies that communicate that you have room for a partner. Clear out the hurts and fears from past experiences. Do your part in preparing yourself for that ideal partner, or whatever else you are welcoming into your life. In other words clean up your own backyard, basement, and attic (metaphysically speaking) and become a magnet for the good!
Be Open and Surrender
Be open to Divine wisdom providing an introduction that may be outside of your perception of that perfect job, partner, or situation, appreciating that your preferences are largely a function of your conditioning and the often limited view of both what is possible and what would bring you peace and fulfillment. The soul values different things than the personality until integration, which can occur, happens.
Cultivating a deep, intimate, accessible relationship with your Source and your higher self is vitally important. Meditation, prayer, hypnosis, and giving your time and energy to engaging in activities that connect you to the energies of awe, curiosity, gratitude, and wonderment help us open to an intelligence and force that is unlimited and much more creative than is typical for humans. Yes, if you can imagine it is possible. And, what is possible may be beyond your imagination, given the current level of consciousness you might find yourself in.
Being open, surrendering your stories, will, and attachments to that of the Divine, and being present and observing to the unfolding and all its miracles and blessings, puts you into a flow that is so incomprehensible that you only get glimpses of it, until you become completely re-wired to see and experience everything as a divine miracle! This is where faith and trust comes in. Being present, and calling forth the strength and courage to stay grounded in faith, even when you keep falling down into doubt and fear or the muck of a past that has not yet been reconciled, are all areas to bring into your healing.
The Invitation
I invite you to contemplate what has been shared in this article, especially as it relates to what you believe you want, desire or need in your life. Take the time to write a declaration or statement of commitment that you revisit daily, integrating the wisdom and reminders found in this article. Open the flow immediately by doing some clutter clearing and tithing to the Source of your spiritual nourishment, not out of obligation but out of inspiration. Move into service and focus on what in your life you are grateful for, also seeking to find gratitude for those things and people that have caused some discomfort or pain. Use and share your gifts. Allow curiosity and passion to lead you into a new decision. And, leave a comment on this blog and let’s build some energy around this post!
Much love, Ani
Check out www.hypnoticmanifestation.com/12for a powerful set of audios from Ani that truly address everything in this article!
Women, join us for www.healingthechalice.com today!
For private coaching, healing or hypnosis sessions with Ani (Anita Pathik Law) please visit http://powerofmyway.com/home/healingandtheta.html or contact her at [email protected]
VOTE!!!!
very true, I am a theta healing practitoner and it is a powerful process to engage in!
Posted by: Anita Pathik Law | June 23, 2010 at 07:20 AM
Theta Healing can empower people to move forward in life more positively. It is important to remember though that conscious chatter needs to be checked and where necessary re-framed, as a person will of course get into habits of negative thinking over time which need to be rectified.
Posted by: Theta Healing | June 23, 2010 at 04:03 AM