Although I may disagree in certain respects with Isobel (or perhaps it is in the use of words and definition), I want to thank her for her post and for bringing up the subject which is inspiring me to give my views in several areas...
Waiting for the Universe to create a clutter free home, a perfect body or overcome an addiction is diverting responsibility here.
The reason you do not now have these results (speaking to everyone generally, not only to the members posting) is that you are not taking the important step of conditioning your own mind to the acceptance of these desires. Once your subconscious has accepted the reality of these situations - not just "intention" but acceptance - THEN the Universe will response with the guidance and how-to to achieve that end result.
Whenever I hear about "intending", I often think of that popular quote, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions" (generally attributed to Samuel Johnson).
But I prefer this:
"The Road to Nirvana is Paved with Skillful Intentions"
[excerpt]
"One of the Buddha's most penetrating discoveries is that our intentions are the main factors shaping our lives and that they can be mastered as a skill. If we subject them to the same qualities of mindfulness, persistence, and discernment involved in developing any skill, we can perfect them to the point where they will lead to no regrets or damaging results in any given situation; ultimately, they can lead us to the truest possible happiness."
[excerpt]
When we look at the present moment from this perspective, we find that our experience of the present doesn't "just happen." Instead, it's a product of our involvement — in terms of present intentions, the results of present intentions, and the results of past intentions — in which present intentions are the most important factor. The more we focus on that involvement, the more we can bring it out of the half-light of the subconscious and into the full light of awareness. There we can train our intentions, through conscious trial and error, to be even more skillful, enabling us to lessen our experience of suffering and pain in the present. This is how skillful intentions pave the road to mental health and well being in the ordinary world of our lives.
Copyright ©1999 by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
So I submit that our skill in mastering our intentions comes in the form of learning to align ourselves with the laws of mind so that we become connected, open and receptive to Universal Mind which can lead us to "the truest possible happiness."
Once you have instilled in your personal mind, your subconscious mind, the idea, thought and feeling, that you have a trim, healthy body, a pristine, organized home, or only maintain habits that contribute to your perfect health, you shall be inspired and guided to these end results by the All-Knowing Presence.
In my opinion, that is the true meaning of "God helps those who help themselves." We do our part and the Universe will do its part. "Our part" is not trying, forcing, willing, begging, or engaging in fruitless outer activity. Our part is the sustained adherence to the principles and laws of our own mind and existence, so that our individualized expression of life remains in partnership with the creator and sustainer of Life and all good things.
Note please that when I stated in the above paragraph,
"...a trim, healthy body, a pristine, organized home, or only maintain habits that contribute to your perfect health..."
I used the words "pristine, organized" instead of "clutter-free" and "maintain habits that contribute to perfect health" instead of "nicotine-free" or "smoke-free".
Do not be concerned about an action list for the Universe. Concentrate on your own action list and the Universe will do exactly what it is supposed to do to support you. It knows far more than you do what action is needed. That is not your concern. In fact, by focusing on certain actions for the Universe, you are limiting the scope of the vast possibilities that exist - of which our limited awareness cannot possibly conceive.
To get out of your own way, better to cultivate a knowing and trust in your Universal parent than to pre-determine its actions. That in itself is a skill well worth contemplating and maintaining.
If Abraham has any issue with any of this, tell him/them I will be happy to face him consciousness to consciousness on Larry King sometime. :-)
Some practical advice that comes to mind for the specific issues raised in this post:
1. Your Body
I have a wonderful program called "I Create My Body", which is the recorded version of a live call I conducted last year, with the written lesson material.
Due to my preoccupation with other business matters this past year, I had not taken the time to prepare it for marketing to the public, but that is being done now.
It is based on a mental technique for losing weight that I discovered many years ago from a great New Thought teacher and it has been enhanced with my own teaching. I have used the technique over the years to maintain my own weight.
In May 2005, I decided to conduct a formal test of the technique with a group of volunteer participants to prove the efficacy of this method, which had not been revealed to the mainstream, for the purpose of potentially offering it as a Feel Free to Prosper program. Before I endorse a principle or technique to the public, I want to see enough results from the general public to support it.
The resulting testimonials proved to me the value of the technique and I will now show others how to lose weight in a natural, effortless way – by gently shifting the subconscious dominant thought. You will no longer think of yourself as having to “lose weight”.
You are not required to change anything that you are doing. You are to merely apply the technique as instructed and let your subconscious mind do the rest. Any changes in your habits or routine would be inspired from the inside out…naturally…not from any will power or forced action. You can use the technique along with anything else you are currently doing with respect to your weight.
The sign-up page for the program is now being prepared, but the program is ready for purchase. If you are interested in "I Create My Body", send me a PM and I will add you to the list of those waiting for the program. I am also considering doing another live teleclass of the program. If you are interested in that please let me know.
2. Your Home
Lesson Four of the Feel Free to Prosper program, "Release is Magnetic", includes an introduction to creating a "vacuum" and releasing unwanted possessions from the home. Of coures, there are many good books on the market written by organizing specialists, but in my opinion, the way to get that home decluttered is to just start. And to do it one section at a time.
Although I am a very organized person, I had to deal with this when I brought my office home a few years ago. And then again when I removed memoirs that had been in storage for 20 years - with photos dating even farther back than that!! (That's when I found those fun black and white photos of me you see posted on my Ryze page).
Of course we're now in the computer and digital age. I had two banker's storage boxes filled with video tapes of television shows that I was on in the past. I had taken them out of storage and they were just taking up so much space at home. I took them to a professional service and had all the shows converted to DVDs. Now they take up one little corner of a drawer!
The trick for me to get the decluttering and organizing done is to handle one small section (drawer, box, task, closet, file) at a time and not even give thought to the overwhelming total. If you do this, you will be surprised how easily you will finish that one task and be inspired to go onto the next. You will feel very free after each task is done.
Now keep in mind that this whole idea of "decluttering" relates to much more than your home and physical environment. Your physical environment is very much aligned to and a reflection of your psychological state and your ability to be open to receive supply and prosperity in your life. And - this may surprise some of you - there are accounts of many people losing weight - unwanted pounds - when they lightened up by releasing unneeded possessions!
And excerpt from the introduction to Lesson Four covers the following aspects of Release:
"Part I. Release relates to the giving up of negative ideas and emotions that bind us to the very situations we do not want and prevent us from becoming the open channels to the good that we want in our lives. Holding negative thoughts - anger, fear, resentment, hate, ill will, envy, vindictiveness, possessiveness – all burden and confine us and stop the flow of good, and interfere with our mental and physical health.
Part II. Release also relates to, as Catherine Ponder states, “…cleaning up and cleaning out unneeded possessions in your home and business, as well as by cleaning up and cleaning out unneeded relationships in your life – either those relationships that are questionable or those that you have simply outgrown.” Yes, cleaning out the clutter also releases us from burden and confinement.
Part III. Holding onto anxious and tense thoughts about the good we want to create or attempting to force an outcome prevents the actual manifestation of that good because it suggests a lack of faith and acceptance and creates a consciousness of “trying”. Did you know that to try is actually a negative thought? Trying to do something implies that you may not succeed. Not very faith-filled, is it? So you will learn how to release the results you wish to manifest."
Copyright © 2003-2006 Marilyn Jenett, Feel Free to Prosper
All rights reserved.
If you want to explore this further, you would love the FFTP program that includes Lesson Four.
3. Your Addiction
This is a very interesting one. And perhaps for many the most difficult to overcome. An addiction to nicotine is not just a pschological habit - it's also a physiological one. The body has become dependent on a substance.
And yet there are many accounts in the literature of the finest teachers of mental and spiritual laws, of people overcoming these addictions through creating the shift in their subconscious.
There was a woman attorney, a neighbor tenant in the executive suite where I had my office for many years. Anna had smoked for many years and we used to have friendly (and occasionally not so friendly) debates in the kitchen and copy room over the smoking laws being changed in California (she knew I was involved with that). Well, one day she came up to me and said that I would be proud of her because she had stopped smoking. The reason? She wanted to become pregnant and knew she would have to quit. She was an interesting woman. She was a successful attorney, had no plans to marry, so she went to a sperm bank. It was so cute when she would describe her donor's background, education, etc. and yet she didn't know who he was.
Well, back to the topic. I asked Anna how she did it. Remember she had been smoking all of her adult life. She simply used a hypnosis tape designed for the purpose. And it worked. Now what does a hypnosis tape do? It instills the new dominant thought in the subconscious. Just as we are doing with FFTP lessons, only we are not using hypnosis to do so. I believe hypnosis is a valuable tool for many circumstances - I attribute my profound knowledge of the subconscious to my background roots in hypnosis, But I agree with Dr. Murphy that when we have a true understanding of the laws and the subconscious from a mental and spiritual standpoint, hypnosis is not necessary.
That being said, it is still a viable tool and should be used if one is guided to do so on the path. (Hint: Perhaps this is guidance for some of you.)
~ Marilyn
(momentarily addicted to clip art)
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