WRITING A SERIES: MANIFESTING THE VISION

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Note: Excerpt at end of post.

Though I don’t have a release date I am well on my way with Blue Skye In the Rain, follow-up to Port In a Storm.

Thanks to work done prior to the pandemic.  

Working on material for the Port Gallatan series has been fun.  It’s also been challenging in that keeping the original vision through the twists and turns of the last 5 years has been a bit daunting.  In no specific order, here are a few of the challenges

Working Title.  Just prior to moving to the current location I mentioned to a casual if somewhat regular acquaintance that I was working on a novel with the working title Blue Skye.  I gave him a brief synopsis and he replied with a smile and a promise to periodically check in to see how things were coming along on the story.  

That was 3 years ago!

Shortly after moving I started the story, then set it aside.

This is typical when I’m finishing one book but want to keep up momentum for the next project.

Off Course.  We’d barely finished unpacking when we were staring down the chaos of a pandemic lockdown and while this turned into one of the more prolific periods of my writing career, it steered me far away from the vision I had for the series.

Switched Gears.  Toward the end of 2021 I turned my focus to a number of nonfiction projects.

Eventually, it was time to swing back around to the story.  And yet…

Which One?

When I plan a series I generally have a good idea how many novels will be in its borders.  Unfortunately, with the Port Gallatan work, I had three different novels that could have followed Port In a Storm.  What I didn’t realize initially is that not all of them were suited to the vision I had for the series.

I was so ready to get back to fiction writing I overlooked that little detail.

I was well down the path of Hollow Shelter when it hit me.

This isn’t going to work!

Dropping the book I took time to regroup.

Figure out where I went off the path.

The process took longer than I anticipated and was filled with a great deal of angst as I tried to figure out where I went wrong and what the best path forward might be.

And which book I should work on next!

Thinking it might be helpful to step away for awhile, I considered doing the next Dragon Core book.

Eventually decided against it.

I considered reworking Hollow Shelter – even started to – then realized that wasn’t the best one for next in the series.  

Finally, I determined Blue Skye was the best one, not the least reason of which is that it beautifully sets up for the next 2 in the series.

It’s also based on a comedic theme, something I think everyone can use these days.

Trouble was, Blue Skye was only a place holder title, what those in the industry call a working title.  Sure enough, I spent several days struggling to come up with an alternate.  Unfortunately, there was a plot device that went with Blue Skye and I knew if I switched out the title I would lose that.

That plot device is a big part of the story.

Aaron and I were out driving recently and I began talking through the challenge of the working title.  Without even thinking, I added “In the rain.”  When I mentioned it being a follow on to Port In a Storm, I smiled.  I had my tie-in!

Details like that are very important to me!

Inertia from being away from fiction had set in.

Little details like working titles don’t get the novel written.

I spent yesterday building out the setup for the story, managing to get in some write time.  

Stuff like organizing files and directories, building a playlist that suits the story.

After a good night’s sleep I am back at it.

Release date will be announced in the coming months.

The following is an excerpt from the upcoming book.

PROLOGUE

Construction Site, Montana

Spring, 2021

“Blue Skye In the Rain?  What kind of a name is that for a business?”

Knowing it would irritate his father, twenty-eight-year-old Ryan Skye took a moment before replying to lean over so he could use his t-shirt to wipe his sweaty forehead.  Oh, and count to ten.  Twice. 

Standing slowly he noted a number of the crew – those not used to the periodic and somewhat regular squabbles between father and son – had stopped what they were doing to watch.  Lips in a half-smile half-smirk, he looked into the eyes of the man who taught him everything he knew about running a business through good times and bad, who taught him to be independent, whose wife his mother encouraged him to follow his dreams.  Shrugging, he replied,  “Guess you’ll just have to come out and see for yourself.”  

Ignoring the snickers of nearby crew- and his father’s look of disgust – he hefted a bag of mix and made for the cement truck. 

CJAPTER ONE

Port Gallatan

Summer, 2021

The tiny town of Port Gallatan – a town some say is at the edge of nowhere – has had an identity crisis of one sort or another since being founded by eccentric French Noble Jamet Gallatan.  In search of privacy he made sure the small hamlet on the water earned a reputation for being unfriendly to strangers, including those just passing through.  But like the human desire to direct destiny, progress cannot be controlled and soon, others in search of freedom to pursue dreams joined the reclusive Frenchman.  

Those who settled in the small village, who knew Jamet, respected his right to seclusion, opined he should have known that in settling on a port he would be part of the progress he claimed to eschew.  And so it was that the small town, like the fledgling country it was a part of, grew.

For a period following the US industrial revolution, there was belief the town – thanks to the new railroad being built in the West – would grow.  Thrive even.  Speculators from near and far flocked to the tiny port village to lay claim to a piece of history and for a time Port Gallatan burst at the seams.  But it was not to be.  The railway bypassed the little village by the water, sealing its fate as a small town caught between progress and stagnation.  

MANIFESTING: A LOT HAS TO HAPPEN

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It’s been a busy two weeks as I’ve cleared out the old to make way for the new.

All part of the process of manifesting a goal.

As I was getting ready for bed last night I came to understand that some goals take longer than expected because a lot has to happen first.

For instance

In a previous post I wrote of being 13 and thinking while watching a movie that it would be cool to live in a certain type of house in a certain type of neighborhood featured in the movie.  At the time my family was in no position to achieve it and in any case, my vision wasn’t that of my parents.  Needless to say, a lot had to happen between then and now for me to attain that goal.

I lived in a lot of places between then and now and went through a number of life changes along the path to the goal.

It’s no different when looking to achieve a career goal.

For example

There came a time where I decided I wanted to be a technical consultant.  In spite of having taken programming in college and using a computer since I was a teen, I didn’t have the skills when I made the decision.

A lot had to happen.

I spent the next years immersed in classes and activities that filled in skill gaps.

A Wrench

Though an agreement had been in place at my place of employment that once I met a set of criteria I would be promoted, when I met the requirements, the company was in a downturn and there was no headcount.

The Universe Steps In

On the other side of the world

Germany, to be exact

A woman fell in love with a US citizen who happened to be working for the same company I was.  They decided whoever got a job in the other’s country first would move.  As it turned out the American who was a TC in Silicon Valley was the one to make the move.  

Lucky me.

There is a great deal of kismet to this manifestation but suffice it to say that the Universe had bigger plans for me.  Instead of getting a promotion where I worked – one that didn’t come with a raise – I got a bigger promotion and a significant raise.

And a cost of living adjustment.

Pivot

I eventually left corporate to focus on a lifelong goal of being a novelist.

Another Wrench

Thanks to an interesting set of circumstances, I ended up publishing nonfiction first.

The Universe Steps In

In the years since publishing Riding the Waves: Diagnosing, Treating, and Living with EMF Sensitivity, I’ve experienced a number of life changing events, each of which has nudged me – by hook or by crook – along the path of my career goals.  What I’ve come to see in recent weeks is that the path is not only long it’s often like a switchback trail where you sometimes wonder if you’re even going in the right direction let alone have a hope in hell of getting where you are headed.

There is a beautiful 11 mile trail in Sedona that left Aaron and I both wondering this at times.

I think he has video of me with needles from a friendly prickly pear sticking out of my shirt in several places from when I took a wrong turn and got off the path.

Path To a Series

Port Gallatan has simultaneously been fun and infuriating as I’ve tried to build out my vision for the series.

Other work and life in general kept throwing wrenches.

The Universe Steps In

I was so busy working at the macro level of the career goals I didn’t notice that the actions I was taking were in fact clearing a number of obstacles from the Port Gallatan path!

I am happy to say Blue Skye in the Rain, follow-up to Port In a Storm is well on its way to completion.

Availability date to be announced soon.

I’ll take a moment to wish everyone a Happy Holloween!

Closing with a joke I read in an email this morning.

What did Dracula say when the witch and the werewolf started kissing?

Get a broom!

Be well!

MANIFESTING: LET THE DUST SETTLE

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The previous two weeks have been Feng Shui on steroids as I cleared out the old to make way for the new and boy did I feel it!

I was removing colorful candles set on a mirror and got  an energetic shock.  Highly unpleasant.

The process was a bit like pulling the thread on a sweater and while I had a super hero friend advise that I may not want to pull on that thread, I knew delaying it wasn’t going to make it any easier.

Sometimes it’s better to rip the band-aid off quickly than slowly peeling that adhesive.

Though I’ve had lots of experience with the benefits of clearing and organizing I was surprised to find that sometimes things doing the most damage are not in plain sight!  Deciding to leave no stone unturned in my efforts to realize a special goal, I rifled through drawers and opened cabinets, separating into a toss or donate pile.  The process took a few days and the evening of the day where the troublesome objects hidden from sight were gone – mostly in the trash – I felt wonderful.

As if the weight of the world had been lifted.

The next day Aaron and I took everything in the trunk to the donate location and went to a local trash and recycle center to get rid of the rest.  Strangely enough though I felt wonderful on an intellectual level, I no longer had that awesome feeling physically.

It wasn’t regrets, it was the fact that I’d basically yanked the energetic tablecloth off and things had to settle, and yes, some of the stuff went crashing to the floor.  But it had to.

Letting Go.

I’ve never been much for sentimentality.

Probably comes from having lived with a pack rat of a father and/or listening to various  relatives lament “But I might use/need it some day!”

It also comes from being raised in a family, faith, and community that was big on supporting those less fortunate.

We would sponsor a family and buy them either a Thanskgiving or Christmas dinner.  My brother and I went with our parents to deliver so we could understand the love and value of giving.

It isn’t always objects that need to be let go of.  There are times when we outgrow a location, a relationship, a job, or any other number of energetically impactful situations and while some are easier to let go of than others, most of us don’t take the time after to let the energetic dust settle.

We may freak out at the empty shelves or drawers or cupboards and buy more “stuff” to fill them.

In my current situation since it’s a career goal I’m working toward I needed to see where in that area I needed to let go.

Some future projects were axed.

What I found very telling was that I didn’t feel the slightest bit of panic in taking actions that backed up the intention of realizing the goal.

It’s important to clear out what no longer serves to make space for what you wish to come in.

I also didn’t feel an energetic high.  It was more a solid inner conviction that I’d done the right thing.

A Funny Thing.

Interestingly, I discovered that just as with those items hidden from sight there were career related items and situations that had become a dark cloud over my life – and I didn’t even know it until they were gone.

This includes files not only on the computer but in various backup locations!

I spent a good deal of yesterday deleting old files.

Space Freed Up!

Though I’m not one to go looking for stuff to fill empty shelves, I do have a tendency to jump into the next project as soon as one is finished.

Which is how I got so burned out to begin with.

Recognizing the need to let the energetic dust settle I considered where else dark clouds may be lurking out of sight.  

Next Stop?  Kindle!

I generally keep my Kindle library pretty lean and mean with majority of the ebooks in there fiction rereads from my favorite authors.  However, sprinkled in were a few books on various aspects of manifesting and/or otherwise improving your life and while these books are generally upbeat something told me it was time to let them go.  The only ones I raised my eyebrows with were purchases made very recently.

As in “I just got these!”

In one case I hadn’t even finished the book!

And I was enjoying it!

At the same time, I felt as if God was whispering the words “Trust me” into my soul so I went ahead and let go.

Deciding it wouldn’t hurt to add a few more read-for-pure-pleasure books into my library I went to Amazon and while I did find a couple of rereads to add to my collection, I also found an intriguing book along the same subject of the ones I’d just deleted.  I downloaded a sample.

I hadn’t even read four pages when I knew I needed to read the entire book.  What jumped out was the author pointing out that before we can manifest goals, we need to let go of what may be hindering our efforts.

Exactly what I’ve been working on for the previous 2 weeks!

After reading a few more pages this morning I was convinced following that guidance was the right thing. 

But Wait!  There’s More!

While I don’t see meaning in every shooting star I do acknowledge the beautiful synchronicities the Universe puts in my path.  More, I acknowledge them and thank God and his angels, including earth angels, for reminding me I’m not alone in my efforts.  This time was no different.

What stood out was that the author’s words mirrored my thoughts and the material came just when I needed it.  

Acknowledging the good fortune of finding a book that would help me in this stage of the journey toward realizing my goal I went to my desk and started working.  Content the day would unfold as it needed to I didn’t immediately start a specific task.

Such as a blog post I knew I would eventually write – when the time was right and I had my thoughts collected.

No sooner had I made that decision – to remain relaxed and wait for the words – when I found myself looking at an article that addressed something that has been on my mind in tandem with my efforts.  My immediate thought?  Of course.

Because I acknowledged the gift of the book, I was given another gift and upon sending a quick thank you and reading through that gift [article] I got insight into why I was advised to let go of those other books on the same subject.

Now Hear This!  

As a clairaudient who is also a clairsentient I sometimes have trouble figuring which came first, hearing something or knowing/feeling it.  What I do know is that the answer came in both forms fairly simultaneously.

“That author was overly complicating things.”

That was the first message.  When I thought on it a bit I nodded and acknowledged the insight after which I heard, “And besides, you’ve been doing just fine doing the inner work your way.”

It was then pointed out that I’d been studying the subject for decades.

Going all the way back to when I would ask nuns and priests about praying and asking for help for material goods.

The more I thought about the two revelations the more it made sense.  There was nothing wrong with those other books.  They were just overly complicating what is actually a pretty straight-forward process.

Perhaps more important, however, was acknowledging my own skill in this area.

Reading the step-by-step instructions wouldn’t be a good use of time for someone who could teach a class on it.

If that makes a few readers raise their eyebrows as in “If you could teach it why do you need to …?”

Everyone including teachers have lessons in life to learn.

The book I purchased last night is written in a way that speaks to me at this stage of my life and for that I am grateful it came into my sphere of awareness.  

As for everything else I’ve been doing.  I have a few tasks left in terms of letting go but of more value is the knowledge and acceptance that I need to let the energetic dust settle before moving forward.

As I’ve been writing – when it comes to manifesting dreams, it’s a process.

Be well!

MANIFESTING: SURPRISES ALONG THE WAY

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Note: Longer post.

Deciding on a goal to manifest really can be a bit of a chicken or the egg” proposition.  That’s because sometimes a need drives the decision to make a change and you may not have realized on a conscious level the need existed.

Your higher conscious knows something has to change but it may take awhile to get from your heart to your head.

Several months ago I wrote about setting a few career goals   Turns out the path I set myself on to realizing those goals is nothing like what I imagined.

Little did I know what I was in for.

Having manifested a number of goals throughout my adult life I set down the path with some pre-conceived ideas of how to go about things.  This included visualization, and writing down what it was I wanted.

Ala Write It Down, Make It Happen and It Works style.

I have come to see the benefit of the first is learning there is no wrong way to go about writing your goals.  The benefit of the second is that frequently looking at a list of goals helps you stay focused on tasks in support of the goals.  

Turns out I had a lot of inner work to do before I could get where I was headed.  The changes and tweaks I made along the path of that inner work was not only exhausting, it was confusing.

When you are in the midst of turning the boat around and waves are coming over the side from the storm it can feel like you are making no progress except heading for a shipwreck.

More than once I felt despair because of the chaos in my life; chaos I felt was keeping me from working toward my goal.

The chaos had nothing to do with my career goals!

It was only in recent weeks that I came to see the chaos was part of the process.  It forced me to address various issues that would have come back to cause problems if not addressed up front.

In other words, if I didn’t address the situation ahead of time it would stand in the way of my attaining and/or maintaining goal success.

How Did I Get Here?

It was as I was putting the final touches on a few projects related to the goal that I came to see a number of seeming coincidences led to the clearing of several impediments.  I believe the coincidences came because I put sincere intent into the goal and the universe noticed.

I was at a point where I felt as if I’d been dragged through the mud but rather than throw my hands up I doubled down and looked for a way forward, finding it in a very cool book.

Royce’s book was a shot of optimism and helped me reframe the previous months’ chaos as part of the process.  Feeling better I reached out to a wise friend across the country and in so doing set the stage for the next part of the journey.

I was just wishing her a happy birthday but the subsequent back and forth led to several mini victories.

As a result of several email exchanges I looked at my life through a variety of lenses and saw that a few things needed tweaking.  As these tweaks had nothing to do with my career goals I didn’t put it together they, too, were part of the process.  Until…

Making the feng shui tweaks – originally set to address the non-career goal issues that needed addressing – led to my seeing where I’d gone wrong with the tweaks in the career area.  Next thing I know I’ve made a series of sweeping changes that showed me the path to the career goals includes taking care of business as my dad is wont to say in every area that needs to be healthy in order to support the career goals.

Physical, mental, and emotional well-being among others.

What really stood out in the previous few days was how little angst there was with the changes I needed to make.  I think my head finally caught up to the truth that if I allow my heart to lead I’ll get down the path with a lot fewer bumps.

A Thumbs Up

From the universe.

This morning I started a new routine to start off this new phase of the journey and though I felt confident, I also felt a bit worn out.

I’ve done an incredible amount of mental and emotional housecleaning in the past two weeks.

Barista Boo Boo

As if in a show of universal support for my commitment, an error at the local Starbucks netted me two extra dopios.  Accepting the gift I continued down the path of manifesting, smiling because even chaos can be a happy surprise that marks progress.  You just have to let yourself see it that way.

Be well!

MANIFESTING: INERTIA DOESN’T FACTOR

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Well, that’s the last time I give myself the weekend off.  Espresso and a number of playlists were slow to help me get going this morning.

Beyond slow.  It was painful.

As I was listening to Dio’s Holy Diver I put a name to the problem and in doing so found my writing rhythm.

Intertia.

Newton’s  1st Law of Motion.

An object at rest remains at rest and an object in motion remains in motion at constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an unbalanced force.

Music’s unbalanced?

While I considered the effort I had to exert to overcome this morning’s inertia it occurred to me that when it comes to manifesting, inertia doesn’t factor in.

I came to this conclusion after reviewing a number of manifesting successes and seeing that in many cases, after putting out the initial desire, I did nothing – consciously – to create the success.

Yet I was successful.

2 examples to illustrate.

Some 20 years ago I was walking through a model home in a new subdivision in Ohio.  I knew that eventually I wanted to own a home but at that point I was in no position to do so.  A friend encourged me to look so I could get an idea what I may want in that future home.

Setting me up for visualization, something I wasn’t big on at that time.

Of all the features the one I was most intrigued by was a type of fireplace.  Contemporary in design I remember falling in love with it and thinking “Wow, that would be cool to have in a house…”

That was it.  I didn’t do anything to bring that feature to be in any place I’ve lived.  And yet for all that nonwork I can glance across the room and see that very style of fireplace.

I enjoy the contemporary style as much now as I would have had I had it years earlier.

Example 2.

Ideal Scene

A couple of years after touring the model home I found myself flipping through Shakti Gawain’s Creative Visualization Workbook at a Borders Bookstore.

All these years later and I’ve never found a bookstore like Borders.

Deciding to give it a go I chose 2 goals and went to work.  Though I used most of the techniques for manifesting a writing career, I used the Ideal Scene exercise to outline my ideal relationship.

I was very careful to follow the guidelines which advised to be specific but cautioned against being too specific, as in don’t limit to a brunette with green eyes since the ideal person may be a red-head with blue eyes.  

You get the idea.

I then did what the author suggested and put the workbook away.  Well, I did do one other action.

I did nothing.

I didn’t do one conscious thing to find this relationship person and I didn’t quit my day job to pursue writing full-time.  

I just went about my daily life.**

I still wanted the goals but I didn’t do anything specific to bring them about.

A little over a year later without my having done anything, I met Aaron.

And the Writing?

Though it was years before I quit my day job to pursue writing full-time, while working in tech I spent a good part of my career as a tech writer, moving on to become a technical consultant. While I was a tech writer I was surrounded by other creatives, two of whom were authors. In one case, the colleague left after getting a contract to pursue writing full-time.

Talk about good energy to feed a goal!

In neither case, nor in many others did inertia come into play.  After putting the energy out I went about my life as usual.  I did not do any specific thing to bring about either goal and yet got both.

The key? 

Apparently desire is an unbalanced force because that’s pretty much what did it.  

Of course an argument could be made that I unconsciously took actions that led to this point.

  • I could have married earlier but the guys that I might have considered were at odds – for one reason or another – with my dream of being a writer full-time.

Whereas on our first date Aaron told me all the actions he would take to support me in attaining my dream.

  • I generally have a fireplace on my list of have’s when looking for places to live, whether I rent or own.

I wasn’t expecting one in San Diego since we were looking at a high rise and yet we had an electric one!

I suppose this is where trust comes in.  If you put the energy of desire out there, trust that if it’s for the greatest good of all involved, you’ll find your way to that goal.

I’ll be writing in the future about trying to manifest something you aren’t meant to have.

**A friend once asked how I found Aaron.  He was ready for his ideal mate.  I told him to put the energy out there then go about his life doing what he liked to do.  Not long after, he met the woman he married.  

Years later he told me he believes it was following my advice that did the trick. He said after getting his mind off of it he enjoyed life more and within a short time met his future wife at a wedding.

Desire.

The unbalanced force.

MEDITATION: NOT ALL MENTAL MOVIES DO THE TRICK

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In my early – mid 20s I dated a guy who was big into meditation.  When stress hit my life like a tsunami he suggested I give it a try. Unfortunately, I could never manage to quiet what various meditation teachers refer to as the monkey mind.

All the chatter that rears its head when you try to experience a moment of stillness.

I read up on and researched various techniques but nothing ever worked consistently.

That monkey mind never stopped chattering away.

He eventually suggested I just give up since it was frustrating me to no end.  Though disappointed I agreed it was the path of least resistence.

I was stressing myself out about it which more or less defeats the purpose of meditating to relax.

I did have a bit of success in what I call walking meditation but it is kind of cheating since I did not quiet my mind during those winter walks.

I used the time walking those winter nights to sift through my life and see where changes needed to be made.

A break-thru came when I bought Dr. Taub’s Seven Steps to Self-Healing Pack.

I’d never heard of guided meditation but listening to those tapes showed me that even those with chatty minds can meditate.

Silva Icing.

In 2000 I took the Silva Basic Lecture Series from a lovely woman in Akron, OH.

Aaron, who used to listen to the Dr. Taub tapes alongside me at night agreed to go with me.

For years I did a kluged version of guided meditation based on imagery from the tapes as well as whatever I produced on my mental screen during Silva.

Creative Visualization – Not

Starting in 2017 I switched from the scripted meditation I had been using for years to reviewing my novels before bed.  

I had become proficient in creating vivid images while picturing characters, locations, scenes, so it seemed like a good idea.

For the next several years I spent evenings reviewing scenes from various books in my mind and though it generally helped me fall asleep it hid a problem.

It wasn’t having the same beneficial effects as guided meditation!

This might have gone on indefinitely were it not for a series of emails between a friend in Florida and myself.  Rereading my words a few days after I sent them made me see I needed some serious change in my life.

I wrote about this in the Tune the Dial post.

To marry action to intention I began doing my old meditation routine in place of general mental movies.  Immediately, my life began to change.

Especially my health which needed tweaking.

My energy levels went up within days and that led to reguarly engaging in exercise which led to more energy which led to…

You get the idea.

In addition to physical benefits the universe began putting in a helping hand in the form of books coming into my possession at the right time.

I think it was seeing I was serious about improving my life – not just talking about it.

I’ll admit it was tough to get back into the routine of guided meditation, not because I had trouble quitting the review of novel plots before bed but because I was so rusty at the routine I’d done for years.

Persistance Pays Off.

Knowing it would all fall into place if I kept at it I kept at it.

And life continued to improve.

The plan is to keep up routines that help me achieve various health and well-being goals.

Routines that begin with the nightly guided meditation, one that includes prayers of thanksgiving.

The Take-Away?

I learned the hard way not all mental movies achieve a state of relaxation and that guided meditation is as beneficial as TM.

Especially for those of us with chattier minds.

Note:  That Monkey Mind

I long ago earned the distinction of always thinking but there was, I now realize, something else going on; something that interfered with my ability to still my chatty multi-tasking mind.

Birth Control Pills and Copper

Birth control pills have been linked to a buildup of copper.  Excess copper can cause chatty racy mind.

Taking zinc and potassium can help but until and unless there is nutritional balance, it may continue to be a challenge to quiet the mind.

I’m sure other medications can have this as a side effect.

MANIFESTING: ACKNOWLEDGE THE WOWS

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Note: Long

But worth it!

When it came to manifesting I was not a believer.

I associated manifesting with prayers and that led to all sorts of conflicts along the lines of why do some prayers get answered and others not.

It’s a Miracle!

I began to accept the possibility of answered prayers after the brain surgery.  

After all, over and over I heard it was a miracle I was alive!

Many people including the neursurgeon who saved my life shared personal stories, some of which defied explanation.

Including the fact after a feather from Fr. Solanus Casey’s pillow was placed in my paralyzed left hand I curled my fingers around it.

Please Stop!

By the time I was sixteen I was sick of hearing everyone else’s miraculous take on my trauma, and in spite of the stories, was no closer to believing the whole manifesting thing – for me.

Yes, I was alive but there were a number of circumstances that left me in a bad spot – attitude wise – for manifesting belief.

It Starts Small

One of my aunts picked up on my frustration.

Probably through the family gossip – I mean grapevine.

We were at her house for a post-Thanksgiving meal of spaghetti when she drew me aside and asked straight out if I believed in miracles.  

You can imagine my reaction.

Without waiting for an answer she told me she was an atheist turned agnostic until …

A miracle?

Ha ha – kind of.

Prayer Revisited

She asked if I’d ever heard of Novinas.

Nope.

She then shared someone gave her the Novena to St. Therese of the Little Flower when she was going through a particularly rough patch and that, desperate, she performed it in good faith.  

It isn’t that it worked so much as what it did to her and how that led to a conversation that changed things for me that is at hand here.

She said, “I don’t know what to think.  Was it a coincidence?  Did my belief factor into it?  My desperation?”

All questions that could be voiced with manifestation successes.

We had a really good analytical [read logical] discussion about it wherein I told her she needed to make up her own mind about what took place.

What Are The Chances?

I related the story to a couple of colleagues at work the following week.  

All techies and most engineers though not necessarily atheists or agnostics.

Of Note: This was the first time I had more than a passing interest in the possibility a desire could come to be by wishing/wanting/praying and believing it was possible.

Ahhh, that sticking point.  Was it possible or was it a coincidence?

A Rose is a rose is…

One of the aspects of the discussion was the sighting of a rose as a sign the prayer had been granted.

Roses in Michigan, especially at that time of year, were pretty common given they were in yards, flower shops, even grocery store sections.

This led to the role of belief in bringing a desire to be since the likelihood of seeing a rose was high enough to put the manifestation in the unrelated to St. Therese’s intervention category.

A type of placebo effect made it happen.

What I gained from this conversation was a way to measure the miraculous.

What are the Chances?

It helps to be friends with a guy who understands statistics so well.

My partner in EMF and other incredible life-changing “crimes,” Aaron.

If I experience a manifesting I think incredible, I will ask him “What are the chances?”

Statistically.

It helps me put it all into the miracle perspective jar.

Because perspective is everything.

I think life got tired of me trying to trip it up that way because it began peppering things in that were so amazing I didn’t even bother asking Aaron the likelihood.

To Receive, Believe

If I look backward I can say with a fair amount of confidence it started when I acknowledged the wow.

Not everything that manifests is miraculous but a lot is wow!

The more I acknowledged the wows the more wows showed up in my life.

The Image of Proof

To give proper context to this particular example I need to explain that due to an argument between me and the celestial entity standing in my kitchen in 2016, I learned what many experts in the field of manifesting and visualization already understood

If you desire something, hold a picture of it in your mind.

Close But…

We were living in a house that was perfect for us at the time but change was coming and that meant we needed to change where we lived.

That’s related to another Metatron-image story I will be publishing on metatronsuniverse.com.

I love fireplaces and I live in a part of the country where – climate change aside – fireplaces make things comfortable in the winter.

Hauling wood from a face cord in snow (in your pajamas) in the middle of the night because the power is out and it’s your only heat source isn’t fun but damn you’re glad it’s available.

The wood burning stove we had was perfect for heating the house but lacked the ambiance I was after.

What Do You Think of This?

Around this time I was beta testing the Event Horizon App.  To my surprise it opened a channel of communication to the Psi Side.

A lot of what I write during a session is what I see in my Mind’s Eye and as images are the language in common – no need for translation – it makes sense he tapped into this to communicate with me.

The image he projected into my Mind’s Eye, one I described in great detail in the session, was the epitome of a writer’s cozy space.

This writer, at any point.

Among other amenities, it boasted a fireplace with a design that was right out of a scene for a book I was working on.

The Dude didn’t come straight out and ask, “Is this what you want?”  He only wanted to know what I thought of it.  As our conversations are generally in the language of metaphor I told him it was way cool in terms of coziness, then put it out of my mind.

It wasn’t something I was wishing for per se.  In fact I had never once imagined/visualized anything like it.

Life went on and we moved and though I tried a few different locations in the new digs, I chose a room that – energetically – was my Goldilocks spot for writing.

Laptop on lap.

I was working on a book in the same series when I realized the fireplace The Dude showed me years earlier was in my cozy writer space.

And yes, we definitely use it for heat when the power goes out in the winter!

The Miraculous?

It isn’t that an image seen in an EV Session years ago ended up in my new digs.  It’s that The Dude used our new communication skills – solved equation – to test the waters.

We proved that just as he taught me, a picture is worth a thousand words!

Manifesting gold!

Note: There are times we try for something that isn’t meant to be ours. This will be the subject of a future post.

NOT THAT I WANT THIS BUT WOULDN’T IT BE COOL?

emax1 Comment

Finally getting around to another piece dealing with manifesting.

I’ve got a lot of writing andirons in the fire these days.

It has to do with manifesting by proxy.

You get to enjoy something but you don’t have to live it.

Let me explain…

Especially since prevailing theory is you have to work for something.

A theory that, a Midwesterner by birth, I am more than familiar with.

It all started with the phrase Wouldn’t It Be Cool…?

Come on, you can’t be that surprised.

However, there is a bit of a twist.  

I didn’t actually want what I considered would be cool.

The Scene

I’m 7 and watching Jacques Cousteau on some docu-show on TV.  I was actually bored until my dad pointed out that the people he was working with were raising their kids not in a traditional sense like I was living but on the ocean.

“You mean that boat is their home?”

That boat was a gorgeous sailing yacht.

“But what about school?”

That led to an in-depth discussion about homeschooling and what living a nontraditional life can teach.

Wow

No boring school?  No nuns?  No stinky classroom that was ungodly hot in the late spring/early summer?  Cool!

Where do I sign up?

I can see why my dad was good in sales.  He has a way of presenting a vision that really draws you in.  However, he didn’t like to deal with the devil.  

You  know – the details?

Knowing this I wasn’t too keen on his version of how we’d make it work.  

Living on a rusted out abandoned oil tanker in the Louisiana bayou doesn’t compare with what I saw on TV.

My vision was – living space wise – a bit more traditional.

My dad subscribed to Yachting magazine for years and I would lay on my stomach in the living room listening to Rubber Soul or Emerson Lake and Palmer Works I and flipping through the pages.

I also frequently listened to Queen’s Night at the Opera.

I was fascinated by the images in the magazines.

I loved the creative utilization of space – even as I was confused.

“Where do they put the toys?”

My dad explained – by way of answer – the dramatic differences in lifestyle between someone living in a post World War II tract home in a Detroit blue-collar neighborhood and someone following a dream by living it.

He pointed out things I believed sacrifices – no room for toys – were not considered such by those living the dream.

That night I stared up in the dark and thought about the kind of people who raised their kids living on the sea with a boat for a home.  The more I thought about it the more I decided it was cool.

Very cool.

They weren’t afraid to do what it took to live their dream.

I decided such people were brave.

I admired them for not worrying about what the neighbors thought about what they were doing since it was different.

Something I heard endlessly at school, in the community, and in my family.  

That circled back to courage because it takes courage to go against the grain.

Think Jonathon Livingston Seagull, a story my dad used to read to me.

Though I loved the idea of traveling the world and I didn’t mind going against the grain, I didn’t want to live on the ocean.  That didn’t stop me from watching documentaries or reading sailing and yachting magazines or befriending people who owned boats.

We had a Criss-Craft for awhile and used to take it out regularly on various Michigan lakes, fishing and water skiing.

Fast Forward

I’ve done my share of traveling – and boating.

Have a few friends who own sailboats.

Wouldn’t It Be Cool – By Proxy

Not only do I have friends who own various boats including sailboats, I know some who live on their boats.

One couple I know lives part of the year on a houseboat up in Alaska tagging ocean critters for research and conservation purposes.

Most incredible is that I know a family living the Jacques Cousteau way.

They make their living a little differently but they are living their dream in the way I always thought would be cool.

Even as I didn’t want it for myself.

When I first met them I felt an immediate rapport.  So many of our views about living a nontraditional lifestyle were in sync.

I like to say we did on land what they do on the ocean.

I told them I felt as if in meeting them I’d met celebrities from a childhood dream.

They are the most wonderful upbeat people living a wonderful dream.

A dream they built together.

Tune the Dial

I’ve mentioned the first line on my white board is Tune the Dial to remind me to start my day thinking about something or someone positive.  I also have a little drawing of a sailboat as a symbol of this family who followed their dream.

A dream more than a few people thought they were nuts for pursuing.

Thinking of them puts a smile on my face because thinking of them is thinking of what I admire.

Following their hearts and living their dream courageously.

They are the perfect inspiration but more, they are a manifestation from my youth.

One I can enjoy even though I didn’t do the work – living on the water.

Now isn’t that cool?

VISUALIZATION: IF YOU CAN’T PICTURE, DESCRIBE

emax1 Comment

Finally getting around to a post about an aspect of Visualization for manifesting an outcome.  I don’t know that it was what I planned to do this morning but after an email I got last night I decided to go ahead with it.

I do want mention the prayer success rate I mention from Grace Cathedral – 100% – was measured by success in prayers I said not only for myself but for others.

People who were trying to deal with/recover from an illness or trying to conceive, looking for a house, a job, etc. 

When I do meditation/prayer I do say things for myself but more often than not I’m praying for someone else.

Which leads to…

A friend informed me several weeks back she was facing a health challenge.  I replied with a promise to do Silva healing techniques and then explained what it was about and encouraged her to take the BLS so she, too, could learn the techniques and have others work on her case.

I also gave her the website to put her info in so others could work on her case.

I have my own version of healing that like my meditation/prayer style is a kluge of various techniques I’ve learned or absorbed throughout my life.  I do, however, frequently integrate the Mirror of the Mind technique when doing a healing.

I’ve had incredible luck with it for healing.

The technique involves visualizing the problem in great detail then sliding a frame over – in the mind’s eye – and visualizing the solution whereafter you only visualize the solution.  Since I do a kluge, rather than visualizing my friend and the specific image of an outcome, I visualized an email in which she communicated a very specific sentence.  Last night I got that email.

Two months or so after I began working her case.

This ties to the original post idea which is why I led with it as an example.  Now, I’ll elaborate.

I’ve written of having luck with Shakti Gawain’s Creative Visualization Workbook.

 Within it there are a number of techniques to try when trying to manifest an outcome.

One of the more successful techniques I’ve used is the Ideal Scene technique in which you describe your ideal scene/outcome as if it’s already happened in detail.

Though not too much detail.

ie., If you want a house, describe the neighborhood and the number of rooms, etc but don’t choose a specific address because the house may belong to someone else or is meant to belong to someone else.  Same with a relationship. Describe what you want in a relationship rather than a specific person as they may belong to someone else or are meant to belong to someone else. Same with a job.

The universe will have something ideal for you.

As I was considering how often I’ve had success with this technique I recalled a fellow Silva student who had difficulty visualizing.  No matter how many helpful suggestsions he got he just couldn’t bring to mind an image.  Knowing there are others out there with such a challenge I thought to share an alternate approach.

Describe

In my recent situation I visualized the email.

A bit of imagery involved but most people have received an email so I think it’s easier to imagine getting an email with specific information/news than creating a more complex image from scratch.

I imagined in my white framed mirror getting an email from my friend in which she wrote a very specific sentence to do with a test result she would be getting.

I also did other healing techniques for her.

Yesterday I got a nudge to ping her and see how things were going.  Last night I received a reply.  When I read the exact sentence I’d imagined receiving from her?  

Success!

I felt wonderful and excited.

I have consistently had good luck with Mirror of the Mind but this was a twist on a typical healing technique.  

Rather than visualize an image with the outcome I visualized the words/the message.  

It worked!

This morning I sent back an email in which I shared this success story.

In Silva we are advised to recall a recent success when working a case as it boosts future success rates!

I’m taking the opportunity to share the twist on the visualization technique with readers since I know some have difficulty picturing a specific outcome.

When you can’t visualize?  Describe.

Note:  If you don’t get what you are working on it may be that you are not meant to have it.  Popular philosophy on this is the reason is the universe has something else in store for you.

The universe has you covered.

Be well!

MANIFESTING GOALS: WHAT YOU DON’T IS IMPORTANT TOO

emax1 Comment

This is my third attempt at writing about an aspect of manifesting goals that came to mind while I was in the liquid think tank this morning.

The shower.

I was thinking of an email exchange with a friend who has recently attained a major goal.  

One he’d been working toward for years!

During that time in which we traveled parallel lanes as we went for goals we did what we could to support each other’s efforts.

Sometimes acting as a cheering coach, other times a sympathetic ear.

I recently suggested he read Neville Goddard’s Be What You Wish and while it may seem an odd suggestion if he’s achieved his goal, it’s actually a critical piece of the puzzle if he doesn’t want to lose what he’s achived.

Most people, myself included, think of the action items they need to do to achieve the goals.  What about what you need to avoid?

Whether you are on the path toward the goal, you have recently achieved it, or you’ve had it for awhile what you don’t do is as important as what you do if you want to attain and/or maintain it.  

Fortunately, you can use Neville’s approach for either.

Let’s say your goal is to be a successful consultant.  Depending on the industry some of the tasks you’d need to do would be take specialized training, subscribe to an industry publication.

Perhaps join a professional association.  

But what shouldn’t you do?

In a nutshell, you’d need to avoid actions, situations, and individuals that would negatively impact your efforts.

You’d do well to avoid activities that would distract you from what you should be doing as well as avoiding people who aren’t supportive of your efforts.

The last one can be trickier than you might imagine because it may not be obvious at certain points along the path to your goal.

As I thought about strategies that might help my friend in determining next steps I considered the importance – now that he’s achieved his goal – of finding people who can help him sustain it.  Not just people like me who are happy for him, but peers with whom he can share ideas and embrace this new place in his life.

People who would understand the enormous effort that went into it.

Since it may not be obvious where and how to find these people – outside professional organizations – it makes sense to go back to Neville’s strategy.

What would a person who achieved this do?  How would they spend their time and with who?

I’m not suggesting turning your back on friends but it is critical to be around people who can support who you are and where you want to go next.  

Who can help you maintain this new phase of your life.

If it’s related to a specific goal, it’s likely you’d want to narrow your search.

You recently passed the bar. What is the next most important thing to do?

If it’s related to a lifestyle goal, you would also want to narrow your search.

You moved to a new state.  What unique activities do the locals do that would help you feel the place home and feel like a local?

Perhaps most importantly, what do you need to let go of?

  • Unless there’s a valid reason you may not want to hang around college after you’ve graduated and passed the bar.
  • It wouldn’t make sense to tell everyone in your new state how much you miss your old state or why a certain store or brand or activity in your old state is superior to anything available in your new state.

While taking this step can happen at any point along the journey to your goal, starting early would be helpful.  

  • If you are studying to be a lawyer, subscribe to legal journals, join a professional organization, find and hang out with other attorneys
  • Visit the new state before moving if possible so that by the time you move it already feels like home.  If you can’t?  Read up as much as you can about it and/or subscribe to a magazine dedicated to a major city there.

No Time Like the Present

Sooner is better.

We go through a number of transitions along the path to our goal.  We grow and become.  If we embrace these changes up front by realizing ahead of time who we need to be, we bring the goal to life that much sooner.

Be sure to include what you won’t do or who you won’t be in your planning.

Letting go of that which no longer serves.

Don’t forget to celebrate your victory, but equally as important, hold on to what you’ve achieved.

Honor yourself.