"Ask and It Is Given" -Esther and Jerry Hicks

There’s a hookah lounge in downtown San Diego that I frequent quite often. Usually I go with a group of friends and my boyfriend, but recently I’ve been going there alone on weeknights after work to get some writing done. Tonight I had planned to stick with this particular routine, but a slight variation took place, seemingly unexpected at first, but a complete vibrational match for the frequency I was experiencing at the time.

Since I moved back to San Diego for school (about five years ago), I’ve made a handful of friends whom I consider very close, and while I do appreciate all of those faces that I’ve met and grown to love, I still feel that there is indeed room for more. In fact, I believe it would be a better opportunity to expand my feeling of gratitude and love for the friends I have now, hence my intention (set about a week ago) to invite more people into my reality who share similar interests with me and yet challenge me intellectually, spiritually and emotionally; those who can provide contrast to the beliefs that I have currently so that I may better understand the full spectrum of this newfound spiritual path upon which I am endeavoring. Basically, inevitable friends and co-creators who will allow me to see past my own perspective and into the larger consciousness surrounding us all.

With that said …

This evening I went to the hookah lounge with a co-worker after our shift was done. Initially I had my reservations when he asked if I could use some company, seeing as how I had originally planned to get some work done alone. But immediately after that thought crossed my mind I said to myself, “Wait a minute --this is my intention in the process of manifesting. And even if it is just a reflection and not the full desire coming into my reality (more friends, etc), it is an opportunity to be grateful for those who are already in my life now (eg my wonderful co-worker!), opening up the door to more faces and opportunities that will continue to help elicit these feelings of appreciation, gratitude and love.”

As I mentioned before in my last blog I would be sharing the “Ask and It Is Given” cards by Esther and Jerry Hicks in my following blogs. The first card that I pulled from the deck I had pulled during the conversation that my co-worker and I had. It was a very insightful and profound conversation about the nature of his reality, his past, and his present moment awareness (a unique perspective that I have come to believe is the only thing that truly exists in relation to what our consciousness truly is). We talked about the Law of Attraction, manifesting our intentions and believing in abundance. All in all I feel that the words exchanged between the two of us left very deep impressions. I imagined our conversation as a handful of seeds, each so full of beautiful potential, waiting for the right thoughts to guide them to fruition. Toward the end of our conversation I showed him the card I had picked, and it was directly related to what he had been having trouble with in the past:

Every Subject Is Two Subjects: Wanted and Not Wanted.

Every subject is really two subjects: There is that which you desire , and the lack of it. Often--even when you believe you are thinking about something that you desire--you are actually thinking about the exact opposite of what you desire.

We discussed the context of these wonderful words in relation to his life. How do we stay focused on positive things in our reality when (seemingly) the negative things are so prevalent? Among the many things we discussed was the fact that many times in his past he had the tendency of saying “No” to the negative things in his life, giving it recognition, attention, focus. And this is okay to a certain degree, in that in the process of saying “Yes” to our desires we must first recognize the “No,” that which we do not want, in order to arrive at the “Yes,” that which we do want. But constantly and consistently saying “No” to something is the same as saying “Yes.” The Law of Attraction will continually attract that which is like unto itself.

The advice I gave to him was two-part:

1. Gratitude for the Past
Though I don’t necessarily believe that the past exists in the same way that the present moment does, I still find it important to say “Thank You” to all experiences that have led up to this very moment, negative and positive. It’s startling at first to think it important to say “Thank You” to a negative experience, but these experiences, ultimately, are those which you manifested into your reality, whether consciously or not. The Universe is all-inclusive, never excluding anything, and responds in kind to what you give your attention to via the Law of Attraction. You sent your thoughts, the Universe heard, and the Universe delivered. It’s only right to be grateful.

2. Belief in the Present-Moment Awareness
This belief really means allowing oneself to thoroughly live in the moment and to be grateful for it. Gratitude for one's past is necessary to transform this into a belief, and when I was first introduced to this in a podcast by Steve Pavlina, I was indeed taken aback. Is there any way to prove that anything truly exists outside of our conscious, present-moment awareness? Can the past exist, even, without our present-moment awareness rendering it into being? Why don’t we have the same access to the past as we do to the future and vice versa? Without delving too deeply into the philosophy it is nevertheless fascinating to engage my mind with questions such as these, especially if it challenges any current beliefs that I may have.

These past few weeks have been about contemplation and reintroducing myself to Source Energy, letting go of the pinch to the flow of well-being, which constantly moves through us at all times. It has also been about affirmation --I am Source Energy, always have been and always will be, and I am a Creative Being. Lastly, and most importantly, it has been about gratitude, for all the faces orbiting me in this reality and for our shared time to manifest our desires on planet Earth.

Sweet Synchronicity

I’ve been absent from this blog for a significant amount of time, I know, and I do apologize for the brief hiatus. Certain priorities involving my application to a teaching credential program arose within the past few weeks. However those things have been taken care of and I am indeed grateful that you are all still checking-in on this lil’ ol’ blog o’mine!

Lately I've been on this Mind-As-Direct-Reflection-of-the-Universe kick, among other things. In my reality, and I'm certain in countless others, the Law of Attraction seems to function under the assumption that both my mind and the Universe are directly connected, acting as one, my mind being a manifested form (manifested into matter, that is) of the larger consciousness that is the Universe.

A mouthful, indeed, but absolutely fascinating to contemplate.

I’ve always considered the mind to be as infinite as the Universe, and thus as powerful as the Universe, capable of both the most beautiful creations and destructions. Its been proven that the thought processes we engage in everyday are in fact creative, the basis for the Law of Attraction, in that our thoughts create things, namely our reality. Every thought activates some sort of change, acting as the primary catalyst for the changing nature of your specific reality. I find this notion perfectly summed-up in the following phrase:

“That which we project we reflect.”

Recently I’ve been receiving a lot of reflections reminding me to let source energy (or, if your prefer, God/Godhead/the Tao/the unified energy field, etc) flow back into my life.

Yesterday afternoon I was listening to Esther and Jerry Hicks on my iPod, their “Ask and It Is Given” audio book (Part I, I believe), re-familiarizing myself with the Teachings of Abraham and basic principles of manifesting one’s intentions. It felt good to get back to that energy, and right there on the bus I wrote an intention. I affirmed to myself that I am source energy, that I am a creative being, and that my mind and spirituality are indeed the source of my reality, simultaneously telling myself that I will invite all things that resonate with my being, my core. It’s empowering to the degree that I feel positive about what I’m affirming, and when I go about my day with that mentality, resonating with that specific vibration that makes me feel good, the most wonderful synchronicities are reflected back.

As I wrote this intention a very specific image flooded my mind. It was of my co-worker and this one particular night shift when she had brought in Esther and Jerry Hicks’ “Ask and It Is Given” cards, with illustrations and text from their book. It was during the time that I was barely being introduced to the Law of Attraction by my brother. Throughout the shift I kept picking cards out at random, in awe of the absolute sense the words were making. The memory left as quickly as it came. When I finally arrived at work she said, “I brought you a scone upstairs and these.” It was the same deck of cards she had brought in before. She said she hadn’t been able to utilize them as well as she would have liked to so she decided to give them to me. In the end I was grateful that I was able to open myself up to source again, not pinching off its inevitable flow, and almost immediately my intention came into fruition.

In the next few blogs I would like to share these wonderful cards with you and the context of their meaning in my reality, and subsequently your reality, with the hope that our roles as co-creators help us manifest more beauty, love and consciousness in our shared reality.

How to Manifest Your Intentions

Our thoughts are never permanently set on one particular thing. The ability to focus for a prolonged period of time is a very commendable ability that is one of the building blocks to holding an intention and eventually having it manifest.

The fact of the matter is we hardly ever finish a sentence without immediately contradicting ourselves in the same instance -think about the less-than-seconds it takes to complete a sentence, let alone a thought. Some may argue that it’s only human for our fears to interrupt the intentions we may be attempting to set, to think “I would love to make more money but (enter subsequent fear here).” However, if we are constantly saying “Thank you” and remaining forever grateful for the things and people we have already manifested into our reality, it would indeed prove difficult for any fear to break through that barrier of gratitude.

So how exactly do we manifest our intentions if every time we try to hold a thought a wave of negativity overcomes it? One approach that I still find myself doing to this day involves changing the frequency with which my thoughts occur. I know it sounds strange but bear with me.

Let’s refer to the very title of this blog, “The Attitude of Gratitude.” Assuming an attitude of gratitude is a very powerful thing that you can do in manifesting your intentions. Listing the things and people that you’re grateful for helps you in the following ways:

1. Focus

If you find that listing things and people for whom you are grateful is a daunting mental task, then feel free to do so on paper. Taking the time to go through our inventory of faces, places, and things and saying thank you to each and everyone one helps our mind tune into the frequency of gratitude and love. Attaining this focus prolongs our attention to this positive frequency.

2. Shift Frequencies

No matter what you may be feeling at any given time it is always possible to shift your frequency by changing the content of your thoughts -if you are willing to do so. While still in college I would find myself counting backwards from ten when I would encounter a stressful situation (usually a jam-packed cumulative final exam that required lots of study preparation and review). Breathing and counting allowed me to shift my frequency level from highly stressed to relaxed and focused. The same mechanism works for your gratitude list.

3. Provides Foundation for Intentions

Once you’ve felt a significant change in your frequency, in how you feel at the end of your Thank You’s, your intentions will no longer be resting upon a foundation which contradicts the very thing you are attempting to manifest. As they say in the film “The Secret,” you become a vibrational match for the intentions you are trying to manifest.

If any of you have seen the film “The Secret,” you know of the power that the words “Thank You” can evoke. In my experience, before I can even begin setting any intentions with the hope that they manifest, I tune into a very specific frequency of thoughts -this frequency, heard, read and translated by the Universe, can be happiness, love, or gratitude, frequencies that tend to make you feel good. When I think of these frequencies I usually say “Thank You” for the things and the people that help me maintain these emotions. With this working as a foundation for the intentions I wish to manifest the Universe listens and delivers that which I humbly ask for.

The Law of Attraction is always working, which is why you have manifested the words you have just read. I am so very grateful we got to meet again, so stay tuned (into the frequency of gratitude) and remember to say “thank you!”

Thank you!

either or neither and both

At 3:10 a.m. I usually find that sleep does not come so easily. The pattern has been this way for quite some time now, since my uncle passed away, to be more exact. I don't necessarily attribute this newly acquired sleeping pattern to that fact, though lately it has been a steady measurement of time for it.

While my brother and I did begin certain practices involving the Law of Attraction prior to our uncle's passing and even during it, the key principle of gratitude tsunamied its way into my life the night before his funeral, the night I wrote his eulogy.

The saying goes that one doesn't really appreciate the things s/he may have until it's finally gone, but sometimes it takes a good Taoist approach to stumble upon appreciation, in that we find the truest form of something, its purest form, only when we discover its exact opposite -presence/absence, life/death, light/dark. While writing about an uncle who no longer was in physical form sharing solid ground with me, I found an overwhelming and immeasurable gratitude fueling the movements of my pen.

I can say that thanking him, internally, spiritually, for being such an important figure in my life, solidifies his presence in my mind despite the fact that he is physically gone. My thanks were affirmation, my own version of mourning that required no regrets, no guilt, and definitely no sorrow rooted in selfishness.

Sometimes I wonder where his consciousness went, where it is. It's a subtle thought that tends to creep into my never-ending internal dialogue, but I'm getting better in reminding myself that it never really left, nor did it ever come, but just always was. And that his physical manifestation -his face, his eyes that remind me of my own and of my mother's- was only a momentary entity of the larger consciousness that reached for a new and unique experience here on Earth.

Grateful to Meet You!

I used to be a Catholic. I feared God, I felt guilt, and I was always asking for absolution for my sins. I wasn’t devout, mind you, but being born into a Filipino family left me little choice growing up. It has been a little over two years now since I was first introduced by my brother to the Law of Attraction. Since then I have managed to integrate and implement some of the most basic principles that I’ve come to understand, such as always maintaining an attitude of gratitude. While I am grateful for the things that Christianity has taught me, that period of my life has come to an end. Institutionalized religion as a whole just isn’t for me.

Even now in conversations with my aunts (who are devout Catholics) I find myself explaining my spirituality by telling them that I have replaced the word “God” with the word “Universe” –an entity not completely known, vast, infinite, and definitely powerful. Some have used the Universe as a metaphor for our minds, our consciousness, but I find it more empowering to directly connect the two, to say that our minds are indeed a reflection of the Universe and vice versa. We reflect that which we project, precisely.

In my experience, my intentions always seem to manifest quicker when I remind myself of the things for which I am most grateful. It seems that when the Universe picks up on that specific frequency it tends to manifest more things into your life that resonate with it -gratitude, appreciation, love, thus leading your intentions to fruition. It’s just a matter of tuning in, so to speak. I have read enough articles, seen enough videos, and talked to enough spiritually-minded souls to get myself to where I am today –grateful for how spiritually aware I have become and definitely grateful at my newfound ability to humble myself to the greater Universe at hand.

So stayed tuned –the Universe wanted us to encounter one another and I am definitely grateful for it!