“Not just one day, but all three hundred and sixty-five days of the year should be filled with joy. Our entire lives should become a festival! Spirituality teaches us the way to accomplish this. For this surrender to take place, total refuge in the Supreme Being is required.”
-Mata Amritanandamayi, Amma’s Pearls of Wisdom
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This is such a powerful teaching, given by the amazing humanitarian and spiritual teacher, Amma. The one known as the Hugging Saint. Since 1975 she has traveled around the world individually hugging millions and millions of people, spreading her message of love and compassion. But what does this teaching mean for our daily lives?

When I read this teaching for the first time, I hadn’t gotten through more than the first two sentences before my mind piped up, “Right, my entire life a festival, three hundred and sixty-five days a year filled with joy. How am I supposed to make that happen?” Then I read on, and the word ‘surrender’ jumped out at me. Amma says joy is the result of surrender. What does surrender mean? To me it means releasing my agenda. Releasing any idea that I am the one in control. It means letting go of ego determined desires, plans, ideas, agendas. Surrender is all about letting go of the ego.

I look out the window, leaving my writing for a moment. I see a gray sky, shading darker, now lighter at the horizon with blue peeking through, as the wind moves the blanket of cloud along. I see the swaying, bare brown branches of the oaks, their lichen covered bark skins, pale green in the overcast, morning light. A single, orange leaf waves at the sky from the tip of a branch. Tiny v’s of terns pass high overhead on their way to the life-giving river flowing behind our home. All of it, an expression of the Supreme Being, our Source.

My attention drifts along the wall to my vision board. Here too I see the bare branches of a tree. It is my own tree of life, its branches filled with what I desire in my life. How do I know if these are the desires of my ego wanting to control, or the desires of my soul in alignment with Source, in surrender?

I return to Amma’s teaching and read on – ‘total refuge in the Supreme Being is required.’ Total refuge, the image that brings to mind is of a child huddling under a large umbrella, dry, safe, surrounded on all sides by a downpour. Safety, support, guidance, being totally cared for, this is what refuge means to me.

At the center top of my vision board is an image of a waterfall, and on it are written the words, “I joyfully trust God.” I wonder now, why would any of us choose to do anything else? Why wouldn’t we choose the joy that comes from trusting God, taking refuge in the Supreme Being, surrendering our egoic desire for control?

Where does this desire for control come from anyway? Life experience tells me that it comes from a child’s need for safety and love in a world that feels like a downpour of fear. This child seeks refuge outside herself, in those around her, and when they cannot give her what she needs, she seeks refuge in trying to control her world in whatever way seems to work for her. This can only succeed for a little while, but the pattern of seeking refuge by trying to control the outside world is set, and she will just keep trying harder and harder to control. This little girl is doing the best that she can with what she knows. Sound familiar?

It doesn’t work of course. The little girl becomes a woman, still seeking refuge, still trying to control her outside world, until finally, feeling like she is drowning in the rain of fear, she gives up. She knows that what she has been doing all these years hasn’t worked. She surrenders and in doing so she opens the door to Spirit.

The difficult piece now is, keeping the door open. Like a well-trained dog the mind keeps charging down the old pathways, looking for refuge somewhere in the outside world. The mind forgets that there is a better path, a path that clears the storm clouds and brings out the sunny skies of joy.

I look out the window again and fluffy white clouds scud along a bright blue sky. Sunlight shines on bright green lichen covered branches, dancing in the wind. The trees know nothing of trying to control the elements. The trees know only surrender to what is, living in the joy of taking refuge in the Supreme Being. They know no other way. I think I’ll take a hint from the trees. I think I’ll take Amma’s advice and allow the blue skies of joy to shine on me today. How about you?

 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also…”
-John 14:12 New King James Version
 
The power of the word, "Yes!"
It’s right there for you. All you have to do is reach out and grab hold.
“Yes! I can do this.”
“Yes! I want this.”
“Yes! I am.”

Each time you say the word, “Yes!” the energy of the Universe opens up for you, pouring into you, moving, manifesting, creating that which you have said yes to. It is like a magical key, opening the door to your desires, and all you’ve done is to say, “Yes!”

Sounds simple doesn’t it? That doesn’t mean it is easy. Saying yes is more that just saying the word. You have to really believe it. You have to say, “Yes!” so intentionally, so loudly (I’m speaking energetically here, though out loud can be effective too), so emphatically, that there is no room left for, “no.”

Jesus energetically said, “Yes!” when he turned water into wine. He said, “Yes!” when he fed the multitudes. He said, “Yes!” when he healed the sick. He said “Yes!” so strongly that there was nothing but, “Yes!” The Universe could offer him only, “Yes!” in return.

The energy we send out is the energy that returns to us. Think of the Universe as a mirror, reflecting back to you the energies you send out.

 If we say, “Yes, I want that,” and the subtext is, “But I’m not sure I deserve it.” The Universe has no choice but to offer us muddled energies back. If we say, “Yes! I want that. But I know I can’t afford it.” The Universe has no choice but to offer back more of what we can’t afford. However, if we say, “Yes! I want that! I deserve that!” The Universe will offer us that and more.

The ‘more’ comes from the fact that the Universe is abundant and energies multiply.

What you send out returns to you and more. This works both to your benefit and to your detriment depending upon the energy you are sending out.

Like attracts like and if you are thinking negatively about what you can’t have, those thoughts attract more of the same. The negativity multiplies and the Universe sends you more and more situations in which you can’t have what you want.

If you are thinking positively about all that you do and can have, those thoughts attract more of the same. The positivity multiplies and the Universe sends you more and more situations in which you do and can have what you want.

Most of us are very good at saying, “Yes!” in some aspects of our lives, and full of “Yes, buts…” in other aspects of our lives.
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For example, I’ve said “Yes!” to having space, time and an outlet for writing in my life. “Yes! I want this!” “Yes! I love how satisfying it feels.” “Ýes! I want to offer this.” “Yes! Yes! Yes!” I feel excited about it and motivated. It’s great and just what I want.

However, I’ve said, “Yes, but…” to creating the landscaping I envision for my yard. The “but…” looks like, “I don’t have enough energy or I’m not strong enough to do all the work involved.” Sometimes it’s, “I don’t deserve to spend the money to hire help. It’s too frivolous. The money is needed for other things.” Other times it’s, “I don’t really know what I want. I keep changing my ideas.”

​All those ‘buts’ send a mixed message to the Universe and so the Universe has given me small spots of what I want in my yard, with large areas untouched and niggling at me.

Look around you. What do you see in your little corner of the Universe? Are you saying, “Yes!” to what it is you really want? If what you really want is what you are living, then the answer to that question is, “Yes!” If the answer to that question is, “Not really,” then check out today’s Spiritual Toolbox.

“If you allow yourself to expect guidance, guidance will show up.”    
 - Richard Bartlett 

A few years ago, I took a class on reading Tarot cards from my spiritual mentor. It was not your usual class because she was not your average teacher.

She saw guidance from Spirit all around, everywhere she looked, and she taught her lucky students to do the same, starting with Tarot cards.

We learned in that Tarot class to pay attention to what jumped out at us from the pictures on the cards. She taught us to look carefully at the card and then close our eyes, noticing what appeared to us in our mind’s eye from the card.

Then we analyzed the metaphor of the symbol of the picture that appeared in our mind’s eye. What did it symbolize to us?

I was delighted to spend time with my spiritual teacher as she pointed out symbols and messages from Spirit throughout the day, a license plate number that had special meaning to her, a particular weather pattern, the unexpected behavior of a bird or animal, these all contained messages to her from Spirit.  

It could be anything in the environment that caught her attention. She expected guidance to be all around her.

Symbols and metaphors are the language of the subconscious, the superconscious, and Spirit. They are the language of the heart.

What we find ourselves paying attention to in our environment is a message, a symbol, guidance from our intuitive inner Selves. That part of ourselves that is aligned with Spirit.

But here’s the hard part for me - just as with interpreting the Tarot, we need to discern the difference between what our minds are paying attention to and what our hearts are guiding us toward.

Our minds pay attention to ‘to do’ lists, judgments, self-criticism, our inner chatterbox. Our hearts pay attention to wholeness, balance and trust. We're looking for the heart's guidance.

What does your heart tell you is needed to be in your wholeness today? Guidance from Spirit is all around you, like the symbols on the Tarot cards, written in the symbolic language of the heart.

“Be willing to dare different things and try different things. Comfort zone and rut are synonymous.  There is nothing wrong with being comfortable, but when you get stuck in a comfort zone you are in a rut.”
Red Feather

Who knew that stepping into your dreams could be so scary? Shouldn’t it be delight-filled and joyous? Sure, let’s go with that. Really though, what’s up with all this fear coming up?

I was rearranging my vision board, removing what I’ve already created and making it all look attractive when I felt my heart start to race. It’s an uncomfortable, out of breath feeling.  I had to stop looking at my vision board, sit down and breathe, pray and tap until shortly it returned to normal rhythm.

That happens sometimes when I’m feeling stressed. What? My dreams are stressing me out?

Pushing the envelope, stepping out of your comfort zone can be frightening. Yet, living solely within your comfort zone is living in a rut. There is no soul growth in your comfort zone, there is only rest and eventually stagnation. I know this, I’ve tried it. I like my comfort. Obviously so or stepping out of my comfort zone wouldn’t be so stressful.

Am I going to let my fear stop me? No, but I can support myself. That part of me that finds it so scary to move forward, put myself out there, push the envelope, and grow myself, is trying to protect me.

“Doesn’t it feel better to stay small and hidden?” My Inner Child asks me in her piping Inner Child voice. “Why don’t you stay safe and comfortable and just keep doing it the way you’ve been doing it? That’s worked hasn’t it?” She is doing her level best to keep me safely in my comfort zone, and here I am pushing us out with all my manifesting might.

Does this feel familiar?

​We can reassure that child within even as we move forward. We can thank them for keeping us safe, and lovingly tell them that we will take good care of them as we move forward together.

A fun way to do this is by inviting your Inner Child to a tea party!  Check out Your Spiritual Toolbox for how.

“Let go of what you think you know. Something amazing happens when you let God and trust.”
Tammy L. Kubasko
 
God’s timing is not always our timing. The thing is, it can be difficult to trust in God’s timing.

I used to visit a care facility for Alzheimer’s and dementia residents each week with my dog, Goldie. The folks we visited with sat or walked about in the living room area of the buildings and enjoyed patting Goldie and talking about the dogs they had when they were young. Even many of those that were non-verbal still seemed to enjoy looking at her and touching her soft fur.

One day, there was a new patient. He was disoriented and upset, calling for help. A very elderly gentleman, he wanted nothing to do with Goldie or me, and continued desperately calling for help. When staff responded, he just kept saying, “Help! I need help! I need to get out of here. I don’t know what to do.” My heart went out to him. I prayed for him to have the support he needed and feel peace.

I found his distress upsetting. Yet, I’ve discovered that when I have an experience that triggers me like that, it's an opportunity for healing and learning.

That night I had a dream in which I woke up in a small airport waiting room. I was disoriented, not knowing how I got there, and anxious because I knew I was there to catch a flight but didn’t know what flight to get on. What if they called my flight and I missed it? I needed help. I didn’t know how to help myself, and I didn’t know if others could help me. It was a frightening dream.

Still, it gave me insight into how the new patient in the care facility was feeling. For him, he was in a strange, public place. He didn’t know where he was going or when he would go home. The bewildered gentleman didn’t even remember how he got to that place. He just woke up there. It was all terribly upsetting to him. He felt so helpless.

It was all in God’s hands.

How many of us are in similar circumstances, too anxious to trust God’s timing? Thinking that we are in charge, that we should take control and force things to happen, and afraid because we don’t know what to do or how to do it. Or, even more difficult, we are unwilling to surrender to God’s timing and so are in a constant struggle against it?

What if we could ask God for what we want and then surrender all else? What if our job is to show up each day and allow God to move in our lives, guiding us to what we need to do to go where we want to go? Wouldn’t that be peaceful? Wouldn’t that be a relief?

What is required is trust in God’s timing. Trust that God will show up for us. Trust that God will make the signs clear enough that we are able to interpret them and know how to go where we want to go. Trust that we are worthy in God’s eyes to receive what it is that we want.

I’ve had the idea that I’ve somehow got to make what I want happen, forcing the energy along through my focused, positive attention.

The word ‘forced’ here is the key. The need to force indicates fear.

There is no forcing with allowing, there is only surrender, releasing to God, to our Higher Selves, and trusting.

As I wrote this my daughter called saying that whenever I was ready, she could start upcoming web site changes from the road. This is part of what I’ve chosen to manifest. I expected to start when she got back home in two weeks. Yet, here she was saying that she was inspired to start right now. She's a tuned in gal. 

God’s timing is not our timing, sometimes it’s even sooner than we expect!  

“One of the key things for manifesting is to have the end result in mind. If you want to create something see it complete and then walk backwards. See it, feel it, have the experience of how it feels in the sentient body, because if you see it complete you will feel it complete. What does that mean? It is already in the wave.  
Energy has patterns, it is either particles or waves. Particles are the dense energy in physical form. Waves are in thought form, they are not yet in this reality. Everything begins with a thought that is inserted into the waves, and then becomes a reality.
When you see something complete and whole in your mind’s eye and you see it in the waves, that means somewhere in the Universe you have created it. Now it is just about bringing it into the particles.”
 - Red Feather

It is that last sentence, “Now it is just about bringing it into the particles,” that is the clincher, at least for me. I have been working with my affirmations and my vision board for a while now. I’ve seen movement.

Money for the weekend workshop I wanted to attend showed up just in time. I went on a wonderful sacred journey to Iceland.  Ideas for the blog have been pouring in.

I’ve been feeling happy and energized, excited about all I’m creating in my life. I’ve been feeling grateful and inspired.

According to Abraham-Hicks that’s a good start. 
“Let your alignment (with Well-Being) be first and foremost, and let everything else be secondary. And not only will you have an eternally joyous journey, but everything you have ever imagined will flow effortlessly into your experience. There is nothing you cannot be or do or have—but your dominant intent is to be joyful. The doing and the having will come into alignment once you get that one down.”

Still, I get to feeling impatient! Do you? It’s as if I can feel everything I want about to pop into reality. I can almost taste it. Each of my goals/intentions becoming more and more real to me.

Abraham-Hicks has this to say about that,
“When it feels like the next logical step – then it comes right in. So your work, as you stand in the absence of something wanted is to pretend it, to imagine it, to become so familiar with the essence of what it would feel like when it comes, that even though it hasn’t come, you still feel good.”

Impatience in manifesting is motivated by fear, fear that we won’t be able to manifest what we intend. That fear puts the brakes on what we want to manifest. It does so because the fear that we won’t be able to manifest what we want is a very different energy than trusting that we will manifest what we want.

When we’re feeling impatient we’re sending a vibration of fear out to the Universe. When we do that, we’re tuned to a very different frequency than what it is that we want.

What can we do about that?

We allow ourselves to delight in the journey just as much as the destination. It is absolutely possible to do so.

When you are working toward a much-desired goal, whether it be attending a special workshop, replacing the windows in your house, taking that trip out West, writing a book, whatever it is, each day you show up and take steps one at a time toward your goal. Then you trust and release the outcome to the Universe.

You allow yourself to enjoy the whole process from the initial intent, the researching and planning, taking whatever action steps you can each day and imagining how good you will feel as you have achieved your goal. The whole journey can be fun. It can be a delight.

After all, isn’t life more about the journey than the destination? Why not enjoy the journey?

"When you give up your intoxication of the manifestation and you let the conjuring of the emotion be the manifestation that you're looking for, then you have accomplished instant manifestation.

And you say: 'but what about the car, what about the new lover, what about the improved health?' And we say: if you make your emotion conditional upon it coming, it can’t come if your emotion is tied to it.

We have to convince you that the manifestation doesn't matter, before the manifestation can happen. What you want is the feeling of it, and when you find the feeling of it, the grid will fill in with the specifics of it. But if the specifics of it are so important that you're all bent out of shape because the specifics of it haven't filled in yet, then you don't find the vibrational feeling place of it. Then the grid doesn't fill in. Isn't that interesting? You've got to find the feeling of it, and when you find the feeling of it, then it's the next logical step."
-Abraham-Hicks

So, our job is to show up each day. Have fun with the imagining process. Enjoy the feeling of our affirmations, love our vision boards, delight in the action steps we take each day toward our goal.  

Then our subconscious, conscious and Higher Self are in alignment. Our energy is attuned to what it is we intend. The ‘particles’ fall into place. Our intuition guides us to what we need to do along the way. The ‘grid’ is filled in, and we’re living what we have intended.

“Every aspect of your life is anchored energetically in your living space.”
Karen Kingston, Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui
 
I look around as I sit in the chair in my writing office to start today’s writing and am struck by how I have made space in my life for my dreams. My vision board hangs upon the wall. Each day I print out my writing efforts so that I can hold the reality of my dream in my hands. It’s taken me many years to allow myself this. Hopefully, it won’t take you so long.

Feng Shui, the art of designing one’s house, room, car, even desk, for optimal energy flow, teaches us that what we create in our homes is what we will create in our lives. If there is no space in your home for your dreams, how will you create space in your life for your dreams?

Giving yourself daily reminders in the physical form of an inviting creation space and a beautiful vision board keep your goals in the forefront of your conscious and subconscious mind.

Seeing these you are more likely to be attracted to taking regular action steps toward your dreams. Perhaps prayer and affirmations keeping your mind focused upon where you want to go.

Day by day, step by step, doing your part to create your dream.

Giving yourself a dedicated physical space communicates to your subconscious mind that you mean it, you intend to manifest your dreams.

As you create the physical space in your home in which to anchor your dreams you create the energetic space  for your dreams to become your life. 

 “Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.”
Napoleon Hill
 
I stand back to admire the work of art that is my vision board. Well, it isn’t a work of art yet, it is still just a silhouette of a tree, fake money, and a collection of words printed out and stuck on my magnet board. It will be much more.
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A vision board is a physical way of imagining what you intend. It is a creative, flowing, fun and inspiring activity. The result is your dreams made visible in whatever way inspires you.

Your vision board can be an effective tool for visualizing your specific and on-going goals within the areas of manifestation you are currently creating, and keeping these at the forefront of your mind. 

My vision board is exciting to me, even unfinished.

I’m using magnet boards that I bought at Ikea, because my goals will be developing and changing as I go along. I want to be able to change pictures and words easily as I manifest my goals and create new goals.

I have written out my intentions in the form of prayer and positive affirmations. Each morning, I will look at my vision board and read my intentions out loud supported by Huna deep breathing. This combination keeps my conscious mind focused and my subconscious mind on board, giving energy to my Higher Self for manifestation.

Looking with pleasure at what is becoming a chaos of colors and shapes filling in the tree branches, I know each goal is attainable. I don’t know how some of it will manifest, but I know that  it will. I know this because I trust my Higher Self to create for me that which I intend or something even better.

I don’t tell my Higher Self how to do this. Happily, that’s not my job. My job is to set the intention and hold the focus, keeping my subconscious on board with my new goals.

We’re moving in exciting new directions here! 

“If we don’t see it how can we magnetize it? How can we bring it in? Whenever we are thinking about wanting to manifest anything, we think it and see it and truly have the clarity of how it would feel having it, how that energy in our life would be enhanced by it. That is what begins manifesting and magnetizing it.”
Red Feather
 
I sit in my favorite, grey, wingback chair, laptop on my knees, feeling its warmth seeping through the fabric of my jeans. I look out the window at the leathery, green leaves of the spreading post oak in our yard. How I love that tree! It inspires me with its maternal boughs gracefully arched over the grass, providing home and sustenance for myriad birds, squirrels and insects. I breathe deeply of that feeling of love and set my mind to create affirmations, a form of prayer, for the goals I’ve daydreamed over the last few days.

I came up with six or seven goals with sub-goals under each one, wanting to create them all. It is an ambitious plan and I am excited about it all. However, as I look at the list now, I begin to feel overwhelmed and doubtful. Can I actually do this?

Awhile back I took a wonderful class on goal setting and prioritization with Mona Raglow of Raglow Enterprises LLC. In the class she taught us to prioritize our goals and choose no more than three to work on at a time. We learned that we are most likely to achieve from one to three goals at any one time.  She taught that any more than three goals at a time and it was much more likely that you would not complete them.

So, I look at my goals list and start to prioritize, choosing what to work on now and what to work on later. I discover that my goals fall into several different categories, spirituality, loving relationships, writing/service, travel and home.

My spiritual and relationship goals are foundational and on-going. The writing/service, travel and home goals are more specific and time dependent. These are goals I will finish and then move on to create new goals. Now I’m getting somewhere!

I decide to focus upon it this way – first, a foundational prayer that I will use on an on-going basis. Then, affirmations for specific goals I want to achieve. These will change over time.

Next, I need to word the affirmations in such a positive way that I can feel the love and excitement each time I read them out loud. The feeling is essential. Feeling, the language of the subconscious, gets the gas flowing to your engine. I want to feel and imagine myself being, doing and having achieved each goal.

Here is what I’ve come up with.
Foundational Prayer:
“My God/Goddess, Thank you.
Thank you for the constant guidance and support of my Higher Self and my Spiritual Support Team.
Thank you for my excellent health and energy as I wake up every morning feeling enthusiastic about the day ahead.
Thank you for love, joy and laughter with my family and friends.
Thank you for the abundance and prosperity that support me and all that I intend.”

​Short Term Goals:
“I am delighted with how much fun it is creating and organizing our Goddess Group with my co-facilitators.”

“I am thrilled as three of my pieces are published on other spiritual blogs, expanding our Soul Doors community.”

“I have an inspiring and love-filled experience traveling with Peter to the West Coast to visit our daughter.”

“I love how every window in our home is in excellent repair, opening and closing with ease.”

Yes, I know. I didn’t stick to just three goals, even though this was recommended. I just can’t bear to leave one out!

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“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”    
Christopher Reeve
 
This is the first of the Soul Doors series on manifesting. It is the result of my research and experimentation, and the results are quite simple and straight forward.

Each of the posts will contain a manifesting technique that you may use separately or all together. They build one upon another and each adds more oomph to your manifesting.

I’ll be sharing some of my own experience with this process, including both the pluses and the minuses as I go through this process again with you. Fears and doubts come up. Life happens. We can support each other by doing this together.
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So, what comes first to manifest? Deciding what you want of course!

The first step is to allow yourself to dream, to believe that what you most want is possible.

God is within each one of us, present as our inner knowing. God within speaks to us through our imagination, our dreams and our deepest longings. We intuitively know what is the best direction for us, the direction that will fulfill our dreams, if we will allow ourselves the quiet time to access that knowing.

Still, it is one thing to trust God in an abstract, “I believe in something larger than myself out there,” sort of way, and quite another to trust God within oneself.

God within oneself is attainable and accessible. God within oneself is a part of your daily life. Guidance and support are there for the asking and the willingness to believe it is possible. You start to believe that your desires are possible and your goals are attainable.

However, along with accepting and trusting your God within comes the necessity of taking responsibility for the direction of your life. You choose the path. You create the action. You choose what you think. You choose how you feel about what happens. You choose. You choose. You choose.

Wouldn’t it be easier to just allow life to happen to you? Maybe, but it’s not nearly as much fun!

In denying your own dreams you fragment yourself from your source of power, your imagination.

Your imagination is the conduit whereby God, your Higher Self, your inner knowing communicates. In your imagination are the seeds of intuitive guidance letting you know the next step toward your dreams.

It may feel like a gentle tug on your attention, or it may feel like a yearning desire. Sometimes you’ll have pictures in your mind, or just a feeling, a direction you want to move in. It may come as a dream during sleep time that fills you with longing, or a lightbulb moment when an idea flashes into your awareness. It may come as a series of synchronistic events guiding you toward what you want.

Be aware of guidance from within. Pay attention to hints and synchronicities in your outer world. Attune to your imagination. Stay open and allow your dreams and longings.

Today’s Spiritual Toolbox is about using day-dreaming as a way to clarify what your inner knowing is telling you, opening you to your dreams. I hope you enjoy it!

BTW, if you have any questions or have anything you’d like to share about your experiences with manifesting, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.