It's Just A Matter of Trust: The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success Week 6

The Sixth of the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success is the Law of Detachment.

"In detachment lies the wisdom of uncertainty ..." - Deepak Chopra

Wisdom in uncertainty? How can that be?

We touched on the idea of detachment a bit last week. This week we take a closer look.

The quote above refers to the fact that by allowing ourselves to dwell in uncertainty, we are free from the things in our past that tie us to fear in moving forward. When we open ourselves up to uncertainty, those things have no hold over us and we are free to move into the realm of infinite possibility where we can manifest anything.

"Easier said than done," you might say, and you'd be right. Attachment is based on fear and insecurity. We all want to feel safe, and the idea that fear of the unknown is more scary than fear of the known is a trap we all fall into. We may not like it where we are, but what if what is ahead of us is worse? Better the devil that you know than the one you don't right? Wrong! With the Law of Detachment, when we step into the field of uncertainty, we get to choose. We get to set our intention, fuel it with desire, and then send it out into the Universe to bring us all kinds of choices and opportunities to manifest our dreams.

One of the hardest parts of using this law is the idea that if we want to be free to make our own choices, we have to be willing to let others do the same. We cannot deny others the right to change and grow just to make our own change and growth easier, for that is also a form of attachment. Moving into uncertainty means giving others the freedom to do the same. If you love them, you have to let them go on their own journey of discovery just as you go on your own.

Here are three ways you can put the Law of Detachment to work in your life:

1. Allow yourself and others the freedom to be who they are. Do not seek to force your solutions and ideas on your own problems or theirs for that is only creating more problems.

2. Let go of the idea of having to be certain. Do not let fear and insecurity keep you from the totality of possibility. When seeking a solution or a desire to manifest something, factor uncertainty into the equation.

3. Let yourself get excited about being uncertain instead of being afraid of it. Turn it into an adventure! See where being open and not locked into a particular outcome can lead you!

Like looking for buried treasure, the Law of Detachment can take you on a journey of fun, excitement and magic, and who couldn't do with a little fun and magic in their lives?

And so it is.

Wishing and Hoping - The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Week 5: The Law of Intention and Desire

" Inherent in every intention and desire is the mechanics for its fulfillment ... intention and desire in the field of pure potentiality have infinite organizing power." Deepak Chopra

The 5th of the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success is the Law of Intention and Desire.

When we desire something, we usually have a specific outcome in mind. I "want" a new job, I "want" that amount of money, I "want" the perfect relationship. But desire without intent is weak because by locking our sights on a specific outcome, we rob ourselves of the infinite number of other possibilities that are out there. There could very well be something even better in the field of pure potentiality. Intention is the power behind desire. Intention is desire without being attached to a specific outcome. We are then open to the millions of possible outcomes that are out there just waiting for us. Once we state our intention, born out of our desire, and then put our attention on it, the Laws of the Universe will find its matching energy and send it to you.

In 1992, I found my perfect, happy home, the first place that had felt like my true home in my entire life up to that point. I spent 8 very happy years there. Then economics forced me to move closer to where the jobs were. I was suffering both physically and financially from the expense, wear and tear of a 50 mile round trip drive to work 5 days a week over often treacherous winter roads. For the next 15 years I swore that I would find a way to move back home again. I could see the town in my mind's eye, could see the little streets, the open fields outside of town, the blueberry farm and the maple trees. Most of all, I saw the house I'd had to leave and could not get that particular house out of my mind. In 2014, after fracturing my hip and leg on a poorly patched city street and being confined to my 3rd floor walk-up apartment for 8 weeks, I sat in my kitchen and cried out, "I just want to go home. I don't care how. I just want to go home." Not more than a month later, the people I had rented my former home from, who had sold the house and moved away only to return, had purchased another house 2.5 miles outside of town and had a ground floor apartment for rent ... right up the hill from the blueberry farm. It was not in town where I had originally wanted to be, but it was home. I have been here just a little over a  year and, as Joseph Campbell would say, I have found my bliss. Once I gave up my attachment to having to move back to a particular house on a particular street, the Universe led me home.

Here are three steps you can take to implement the Law of Intention and Desire:

1. Make a list of your intentions and desires. Carry it around with you. Set aside some time each day to go into the stillness and silence where you can focus your attention on your list.

2. Release your list to the Universe and trust that it has a plan for you in keeping with what you desire. Let go of any attachment to a specific outcome.

3. Practice present moment awareness each and every day. Refuse to allow obstacles and challenges from taking your attention away from present moment awareness because it is in that precious, present moment that your desires and intentions will manifest. If your attention is elsewhere, you may miss a golden opportunity.

This morning as I looked out of my window to greet the day, I was blessed with the presence of some badly needed sunshine and blue skies. Even though the temperature was still a chilly 28, the snow that had all melted on Saturday was gone and even the birds seemed to be happier with all of their soaring and singing in the sun. I'm setting my intention for the Ground Hog to be right this year and for spring to come early. How about you? What are you setting your intention for?

And so it is.

The Harmony of Creating - The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success Week 4

Week 4 of the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success is the Law of Least Effort.

It never fails to make me laugh when the Universe presents me with moments of understanding by plopping me right in the middle of the lesson I need to learn. Take yesterday, for example.

Monday is usually the day that I write and post my blog. I like to do this on Mondays because it sets the tone for my week and, hopefully, fires me up to work on some other creative projects. I try not to break this deadline that I have set up for myself because I can also be the Queen of Procrastination if I try (and most times I don't need to try very hard). However, yesterday they were calling for some bad weather that was headed our way and I decided that getting to the store and stocking up on things I needed should probably move up my to-do list for the day. I could always get the blog written and posted when I got back. However, the heater in my daughter's car had other plans. After hitting a few stores in 16 degree weather with my youngest grandchildren in the back seat (ages 6 and 9), the car heater, which had been giving her some problems, decided to start blowing cold air. So we had to cut our shopping trip short and proceed to the mechanic's shop to see if they could remedy the problem. We did not want to chance anything else going wrong with all of us in the car when it was an hour plus round trip for them to drop me back home where I lived. Besides, by that time we had blankets on our laps and our ear muffs on in the car!

Luckily the problem only took about 40 minutes to fix and we all got home safe and sound if a bit chilled from the experience. I was in no mood to sit down and write a blog. I wanted a hot bowl of soup and a hot cup of tea. In previous times if something came along that ruined my self-imposed deadline, I would fume and fuss. This time I told myself that the world would not come to an end if I posted on a Tuesday instead of a Wednesday, that my ever-faithful readers would understand, and that my entire writing career had not just been dashed to pieces by a faulty car heater. So imagine my laughter when I opened the book we are studying here and saw that the lesson for this week was The Law of Least Effort.

The Law of Least Effort tells us that when we push, and shove, and try to force our desires into manifesting, it ends up being a much harder process than it needs to be and often does not work at all. We are told to take a look at the natural world for our answers. Grass doesn't try to grow, it just grows. Birds don't try to fly, they just fly. Fish don't try to swim, they just swim. When we marry the natural intelligence of nature with harmony, joy and love, we find that we can create with effortless ease. Here are three ways to put this law into practice:

1. Acceptance - We can stop fighting against people and situations as they are. They already exist. The Universe already exists as it is and you can't do anything to change it. Accept things as they are in the moment and stop struggling with how you wish they were.

2. Having accepted the person or situation as it is, we can now take responsibility for how we choose to act or react. It is usually the case that it is not the person or situation that is the problem, but how we perceive and respond to it or them. We can decide how we want the moment to play out by the choice we make right here, right now.

3.We can also set the intention to establish our awareness in defenselessness. That means that we do not need to insist that our way or our point of view is the only right one, and that we can easily remain open to the ideas and opinions of others without the need to change them. By not being rigidly attached to any one idea or concept, we are free to effortlessly create how we want this moment, this day and this life, to flow and perhaps, in so doing, we may find a new and even better idea that works for us.

When we can set the intention to accept each moment as it is, take responsibility to how we respond to it, and remain open to the flow of ideas and concepts that are all around us, when the season is right, we will find that manifesting our desires is as effortless as we allow it to be.

And so it is.

Sowing and Reaping: The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success - Week Three

The Third Spiritual Law of Success is the Law of Karma, or Cause and Effect.

We've all heard the expressions, "What you sow, you reap," or, "What goes around comes around." The Law of Karma tells us that for every action there is a reaction. Or, as the great teacher Swami Vivekananda teaches: "... Our thoughts, our words and deeds are the threads of the net which we throw around ourselves."

When we are asked to make a choice, often the first thing we ask ourselves is, "What's in it for me?" We don't always stop and consider whether this is the best choice, not only for ourselves, but for any others who might also be affected by our decision. We also don't always listen to our intuition when we feel that little tug that is telling us we should stop and reconsider our choice. We let others, our culture, our peer group, tell us that to be one of the crowd we have to follow along with society's choices. Most of the time we are making our choices unconsciously. We've programmed ourselves to react like Pavlov's dog to the sound of the dinner bell. Then we wonder why we don't feel happy with the outcome, or find ourselves on the receiving end of a bad feeling or situation. Sometimes someone else is negatively affected by a choice that we have made without considering others in the decision making process.  This is the Law of Karma. For every choice we make, consciously or unconsciously, there is a result.

So, how can we make better choices? By taking the whole process from the unconscious to the conscious realm and becoming a witness to our choices. In this way we empower ourselves to make the best choices we possibly can and harm no one else as well.

The first thing we need to do when making a choice is to step back and actually witness our options. There is always more than one choice in any situation even when you think there is no way out. There is an infinity of choices available to us in every moment and we have only to slow down and be open to them. As you consider a choice, ask yourself: "What are the consequences for myself and others if I choose this action?" If the consequences bring no harm to you or others, move on to the second question: "Will this action bring happiness and/or fulfillment to me and others who may be affected by this choice?" Finally, check in with your body and ask yourself how this choice makes you feel. Do you feel happy, elated, content, peaceful? Or do you feel uncomfortable, unsure, agitated or have that knot-in-the-stomach reaction? At our very core is that place that knows what the right decision is in any given situation. Trust it. It's there for a reason, to guide and protect you.

In the beginning, you may find it difficult to catch yourself every time you make a choice. It took us a long time to allow ourselves to be on automatic pilot and it will take some time to take back control of the decision-making process, but if we make a commitment to train ourselves to be a witness to our choices,our lives will feel more peaceful and in harmony with the people and the world around us. Then we will find that the fruits of our karma are happiness and success.

And so it is.

The Door Swings Both Ways - Week Two of the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

The Second Spiritual Law of Success is the Law of Giving. It could also be called the Law of Giving and Receiving.

Just like a door that swings both ways, giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin. If it is true that the more we give, the more we receive, you'd think that everyone would be overflowing with all the good in their lives that they can handle. Yet, there are so many people who still find it so hard to receive. Why is that?

Somewhere in our lives, most probably in our childhood, we were told that it was better to give than to receive. Letting people give us things, even if it was just their time or help, was seen as a sign of weakness on our part: "I can do it myself, you don't have to do that, I'll be fine, that's not necessary." What we fail to realise is that by doing that, we stop the flow that is the energy contained in the flow of giving and receiving. It's like stopping the flow of blood. Our energy clots, stagnates. We deny ourselves the abundance that is our birthright.  We also deny the giver the joy they receiving by giving.

I know there are times when we don't allow ourselves to receive because we feel we are unable to reciprocate for whatever reason. We don't need to keep score. Giving and receiving isn't about money. Can you give someone a smile? A prayer? Your time? And can you be open enough to receive those same things from others? Can you walk out of your door each day and be grateful for the sunshine, or the sound of rain, or birdsong, or a flower? Can you look at a tree and thank it for doing its job of helping you breathe?

Why not set the intention that for the next week you will give something to everyone you meet in the course of the day, even if it is only a kind thought, a prayer for their well-being, or a smile, and that you will be open to receive the same from them. You will find that, not only will you become better at receiving, but eventually you will start to see how abundant you really are. In addition, you will be keeping the energy of abundance flowing in their lives as well. The more we are open to the Law of Giving and Receiving, the more abundance will flow into our lives.

And so it is.

"What If?" The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: Week One

Since the beginning of the new year, I have decided to pull out a book that I have worked with in the past and make it a part my daily practice again. The book is, "The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success" by Deepak Chopra. In it he lays out seven spiritual laws, one for each day of the week, that guide us through those things that are stopping us from living the life of our dreams, and fulfilling our purpose. I read one a day, but I thought it would be fun to take one each week for the next seven weeks and explore how each one can move our lives from where they are to where we aspire to be.

The First Spiritual Law of Success is the Law of Pure Potentiality. Did it ever occur to you that everything we see in the physical world came from someone asking themselves the question : "What if? " What if I could harness the power of an electrical storm and create electricity? What if I could invent a way for people to talk to each other over long distances? What if I could find a cure for polio? In the Law of Pure Potentiality we learn that everything in the Universe came from pure, consciousness ... "pure potentiality seeking expression from the unmanifest to the manifest."

Consider this: There is never only one way to do something or create something. If that were the case, we'd all be living in the same types of housing, driving the same types of cars, and eating the exact same kind of food. But we don't. There is an unlimited number of possibilities of how we can do something, or how, if we don't like what we do have, we can make something better. 

Take me, for example. I grew up in the era where good girls went to school, got a job out of high school, got married, had kids, etc, etc etc - you know the drill. Then some people came along and said, "not necessarily." People like Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan opened our eyes to other possibilities, and gave us the tools we needed to be the creators of our own lives. 

Here is another example. I am a writer. I have wanted to be a writer from the time I was 5 years old. However, even though I "moved around the edges" of being a writer, like writing copy for someone else, or doing a company newsletter, I firmly believed that real writers were the ones that had books sitting on book shelves in bookstores with their names on the spine and great reviews. I depended on some lowly junior editor somewhere to decide if my work was worth of being published. For all I knew, they were having a really bad day and I reminded them of their mother (who was the cause of their bad day). I gave my power to someone else. Then came the Internet and the world of self-publishing. At the age of 63 I started writing a blog, which became an ebook, which inspired a second ebook. The potential for me to be a writer, and call myself a writer, was always there. Someone had to ask the question: "What if we created a place where people can publish their own work without depending on the whims of the traditional publishing houses?" The potential was always there for that, too. Someone just had to first ask "What if?"

So how do we come up with those "What If?" ideas? We have to connect to our most authentic selves, that place of stillness and silence where we can hear our thoughts and the whispers of our souls. Yes, I'm talking about meditation. I am a firm believer in the powerful way that mediation can change our lives, and living proof that anybody can do it. It doesn't require special training, or equipment, or going to India to live in an ashram. What it does require is that we find the space and time to sit quietly, focus on the our breath flowing in and out, and, simply listen. Start with 10 minutes in the morning, right after you get up. Your mind is fresh from sleep and open. Ideally, see if you can work your way up to 30 minutes, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. However, the 5 or 10 minutes you do will certainly serve you better than the 30 minutes that you don't do. If you go to the Chopra website, you can find dozens of guided meditations you can download. You can also go to Davidji.com which is the website of the meditation teacher I currently follow and who taught me that you can meditate any time, anywhere. By the way, it took less than a year from the time I sat back down and committed to a daily meditation practice, to the time I started my blog and began to call myself a writer. 

Another way to connect to your spirit is to spend some time in nature. It can be a few minutes walking outside, watching birds fly overhead, sitting and listening to the rain, or anything that brings you in physical and spiritual contact with the natural world. 

Finally, tell yourself that for a specific amount of time, you are not going to judge anything or anyone. Yes, I know, that can be extremely difficult given the shape of the world today, but being judgemental clouds that connection between ourselves and our Source of Inspiration. Non-judgement creates silence in your mind, especially if the one you are judging is yourself. No one is perfect. Everyone is doing the best they can, from where they are, and with what they have. So are you. I don't suggest that you try this for a whole day at first. Try it for half the day, say from breakfast until lunch. Then check back in with yourself to see how you're doing. You can then give yourself from lunch until dinner, or until bedtime. Slowly work yourself up to a whole day and see what happens. 

Every day, when I sit down at my desk to write, I look up at a sign that is hanging over it: "I live and dwell in the totality of possibility." What can't I do with an affirmation like that? More importantly, what can you do with it? I'd love to hear what you create. If you dream it, you can create it, guaranteed!

And so it is. 

Standing In Our Power

" On a buffety, blustery early summer day, when the news was bad and the sky turned yellow, a strange thing happened in the town where I live."

So begins the story of one woman who felt the need to make a difference in the world, to take a stand for what she believed in. The story is contained in a story book for adults called, "The Great Silent Grandmother Gathering," by Sharon Mehdi. I first became aware of this book while sitting at work several years ago listening to a program on NPR radio as I entered endless pages of numbers into my computer. I was especially taken with the sub-title of the book: "A story for anyone who thinks she can't save the world." I won't go into the entire story because that would spoil the fun of reading it for yourself, and read it you should. The lesson contained within it's small covers had an unexpected and undeniable effect on me and how I live my life today. In a nutshell, someone's Grandmother decides that she is going to "stand for peace," and that is exactly what she does - she "stands" for peace. There is no noise, no protesting out loud, no chants and slogans, just one determined Grandmother standing up for what she believed in. What happens as a result of the belief that one woman, and an old woman at that, can change the world, even for one day, is a testament not only to the human spirit, but to the belief that anything is possible.

The idea that we are all capable of making lasting change in the world is a subject I am passionate about, especially as it pertains to the role of women of the Boomer Generation, who cut their youthful teeth on change and were in the forefront of social and national change in the 60's,70's and 80's(see my ebook, "Song Of An Extraordinary Life" available on Amazon). 

Today we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King and the legacy he left us. Of all the things I learned from him, learning to stand in my own power was probably the most important and one that has stayed with me these many years. I grew up in New York City. I attended public school in Queens where we shared our classrooms with children of all races, religions and ethnic backgrounds. It was just accepted. New York City was the shining example of The Great Melting Pot. Our friendships were never divided by race. That idea was severely put to the test as the Civil Rights Movement gained momentum. Suddenly it was not okay to have a friend of a different color. Our parents asked us not to bring "them" home from school because they were worried about what the neighbors would think. They started talking about things like "property values." But we kids knew better. We stood our ground. Nothing had changed the love and support we gave to each other and nothing would. If we couldn't go to each other's homes, we could meet at the park, or at the movies. We could offer each other our ears to listen to their fears, and our shoulders to lean on when it got too intense at home. We graduated together, one class, one heart, one school. It wasn't until years later, on the day Dr. King was shot, that our world finally crumbled and things were no longer the same. We had to fight tooth and nail to build it back up again and we are still building.

One person can change the world. One person can make a difference. You don't have to march, protest, or cause civil unrest. You can stand in your power. You can stand at the ballot box. You can stand with your wallets. You can stand in your truth. Your ripple will join with other ripples and collectively cover the earth. And Boomer Women need to be at the forefront again, using their years of wisdom and experience to show them how it's done. Look what we've already done - there is a grandmother running for President! Don't you believe for one minute that one determined Grandmother can't change the world. 

And so it is.