(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
Additional Notes By Christine Breese, D.D., Ph.D.
I
have found a simplified method of manifesting that really works. All
the manifesting techniques you have read in this course up to this
point are methods that are typically taught in metaphysical schools of
thought. The affirming, the visualizing, the emotioning—these are mind
powers. It is important to learn how mind powers work and observe the
effects of how you consciously create in co-operation with physical
reality. There is an easier way, however, and it has worked beautifully
as far as creating a reality I enjoy.
By giving up
all desire, all needs and wants, by letting go of all plans for the
life, this is the highest sacrifice. It is necessary to do before one
can truly be a vessel for the divine within, the eternal self. Imagine,
just for a moment, letting go of all your dreams, including the dream
of having all the money you have always wanted. Everything you ever
wanted to own, everything you have ever wanted to be—let it all go. Now
it is just an empty space to be filled by the plans of the divine
within, the eternal self. It is not your life anymore. You are giving
it over to the One Self to do with as it wishes.
At first this may seem like standing on a terrible precipice, a kind of
death, and it is. It is the death of the human ego, the human
condition. You may have had plans for quite some time, and you have
struggled to reach them. Perhaps you have attained the level of
material success you wanted, perhaps you attained the perfect
relationship, perhaps you have even created the level of enlightenment
you had hoped to achieve. All of these pale in comparison to what is
actually available to you. The One Self, the eternal identity within
you, can create a life that is beyond the human ego’s imagination. If
you can make the leap over that terrible precipice of giving up your
plans and desires of the human self, if you can brave the leap into the
unknown, a life you never imagined can unfold.
Even though this may seem unfathomable to give up your dreams and
plans, if you can get past the fear of it for a moment, you will see
how freeing it all is. Suddenly there is no more pressure, no more
struggle. There is peace, finally. You’ll notice a relaxation in your
energy and you can breathe easy. The battle has finally ended. (The
battle was against the negative human programming of consciousness that
was creating the reality you didn’t like.)
You cannot be suffering if you are in the present moment. You only
suffer when you move into the past or the future, or wish to change the
things you can’t change about others. If you realize yourself as
eternal being that never dies, can never be harmed, lives multitudes of
lives, and is Godself dreaming, your life will reflect this rather than
the human ego identity with its smaller dreams and imaginings. If your
reality is a reflection of who you are, then just exactly what would
eternal self look like in that reflection? By giving up your life to
God, so to speak, and letting God do whatever is best for you, instead
of you directing life the way you want it to go, you will venture into
a different way of living. But how does one do this, exactly?
You have heard much about being in the now, staying in the present, and
you might wonder how to do that exactly. It sounds simple enough, but
over and over again we find ourselves anywhere besides the now. The key
to being in the now is to stop. Stop everything. Stop the fantasies or
fretting about the future, stop regretting the past or being nostalgic
for the past, just stop. Stop the mind from going anywhere but here in
this moment. No matter what, don’t let the mind move. If you find
yourself moving even slightly into the past or future for a moment,
just stop. Don’t even finish the thought or the cycle. Just stop. The
mind is always moving. It is always strategizing, forming opinions
about reality and other people, regretting mistakes in the past, and
worrying about the future. The mind never stops moving. Even through
your daily tasks, the mind is moving.
There is one way that you can know when God, eternal self, is shining
through you. If you are in the present moment, fully engaged, without
being affected by your future or your history, this is when you are
being your true self, the larger identity you are, rather than the
human condition. Being in the now is always where the eternal self is.
That is what it is eternal, for it lives in the ever-unfolding now.
Eternity is not just a “long time.” It is the ever unfolding now.
It may be difficult for a beginner to stop the mind during meditation.
Start by simply going about your daily tasks without moving the mind.
While you are washing your dishes, weeding your garden, or driving your
car, do it with a still mind. This is a great way to begin to learn
what it is like to be in the present moment, the ever-unfolding now.
While your mind is still, you will realize that you are quite alert and
your consciousness is able to take in whatever is in the moment without
forming opinions about it, coloring it with past experience, or
strategizing about the future. Then you are free to be eternal self,
witnessing a reality created by consciousness. As soon as you are aware
that your mind has moved into the past or the future, or anywhere that
is not in the present that is right in front of you, reel it back in
and be here now. This is a habit that must be created, and the habit of
moving out of the present must be broken.
Your awareness and awakeness will be quite heightened. You will be
surprised to find how much you have been missing by thinking about so
many things and being absent during the many wonderful moments that
have happened in your life. While you are washing your dishes, notice
the glint of light coming off the dishes, the warm, soft sensations of
the soapy water, the rhythm of the task… While weeding your garden
notice the warm smell of the earth, the beauty of the flowers, the
connection with nature… When you are driving, notice the landscape, the
environment, the sunset, the other cars, the sensation of moving so
quickly through the air… There is so much to observe. When you realize
you are actually becoming lucid in a dream, you will be amazed at the
magical phenomena that reality is.
Try to be especially aware of the nature of your eternal identity while
having conversations with people. If you are aware that you are
dreaming, and you become lucid in that dream, you will notice much
deeper levels of communication than just the words being said. You will
notice a vibrancy to your reality that you never noticed before. Colors
become more vibrant, you might notice the life-force within everything,
and you will find that your heart is wide open and wise while your mind
sits silent. True listening to another person can only happen if you
are not moving in your own mind. Don’t form opinions about what the
other person is saying. Don’t plan what you are going to say next. Just
be awake and pay attention to what is happening in this phenomena
called the Now. This is where you will find self-realization, happiness
and fulfillment. Suddenly your life becomes more about how awake you
can be in every moment than what level of material success is achieved.
Ironically, material success does come with being a fully awakened
being. This does not mean great wealth for everyone, for not everyone
wants to deal with the responsibilities of great wealth. However, the
basic needs and the lifestyle that is comfortable to you will be a
natural result of living in the now. The eternal self provides just the
right amount that is right for each person. Some people are happy to be
quiet Buddhists with a Spartan lifestyle while others have nice cars
and houses. The individual version of the perfect reality is different
for every person.
If you work with the mind this way for at least a month, you will see
changes in your reality. You don’t have to visualize anything. Just be
open to allowing the divine to flow through you by staying in the
present moment, and you will be telling the “reflection machine” that
reality is to reflect something other than what the monkey mind has
created. A still mind creates something quite different. What will
happen is that “ah-ha!” moments will come with completed thoughts and
plans already in motion rather than you formulating them. The next step
to take into your future will always be quite evident in your
ever-unfolding now. You will know just what to do in every moment, and
it will always be the right thing. Even if you don’t know what steps
come next, just take the ones that present themselves to you. You will
be living your life in the “magic zone” and you will always be walking
the right path. Sometimes you do get glimpses of the future and what
your eternal self is bringing to you (itself). However, be aware that
these may morph and change as they develop. Don’t hold on to those
visions. Just allow them to move back into the background and know that
they are coming. Stay open to whatever presents itself to you in the
present.
If you do this exercise seriously, you may have a sudden “set change.”
Be ready for this if you are consistent about keeping your mind still
everyday. The old reality may suddenly disintegrate and disappear. Your
job may suddenly be over, your place where you live may suddenly
change, or multitudes of other sudden changes can happen. This is a
good sign that what you are doing is working!
Sometimes the set change takes place slowly. Be patient with this as
well. It may take some time to stop the momentum of the reality you
were previously creating. It may take even more diligence, perhaps even
a year, of holding the mind still before the big things change. In the
meantime, look for the little things that do change. You will find
signs in your reality that your eternal self is becoming more present
as the director of your life, rather than the human ego.
I must say, I did not imagine all that I am doing now. Somehow, the
skills I have learned and the preferences I have about what I like to
do have all come into play, as if they are taken into consideration in
what the eternal self creates, but life is more rewarding than I had
hoped it would be. I do like to imagine a wonderful day in service to
the eternal self coming the next day before I go to sleep, and I like
to fall asleep with warm, cozy emotions. I do feel that helps, but I
don’t spend time visualizing anymore, or affirming what it is I want.
As the eternal self, it is just a natural occurrence that a pleasant
life results. Rather, I affirm that I am in service to the divine and
give myself to whatever the divine has planned for me, no matter what
it is.
If this happens, just know that your new “reflection” is on its way to
you. Don’t become afraid while reality dismantles itself and
re-coagulates. Be patient with the process and continue your practice
of keeping the mind still, no matter what, and staying in the joy of
the present moment. Joy is the surest sign of the presence of Godself.
Of course this can never be perfected in a single lifetime. I find that
it is a process of ever-deepening the ability to remain present in the
moment. It goes deeper and deeper. The more one becomes aware, the more
that is observable in the present moment. You will notice things other
people simply don’t have awareness of. You will see deeper layers of
reality than you did before. It is lucid dreaming, lucid living.
Simplify your manifesting process down to desiring one thing and one
thing only: being the awake, wise, loving truth of who you really are
in every moment. If this is your true desire and your focus, you will
have an effortless life of wonder and beauty. Keep your mind still and
stay out of the past and the future. Be here now and witness all the
beautiful moments that are available to you that you may have been
missing. Live each day as if it might be your last, and absorb all the
beauty that your life already has. After all, you are luckier than many
people on the planet who have less opportunities than you do,
especially the opportunity to think about the higher things in life,
the spiritual path, and the nature of reality. This is a truly lucky
lifetime indeed! Enjoy it, even if you can only start with the small
things. You will have greater beauties and joys to celebrate as you
learn to hold the joy and peace of being in the present moment. This is
manifesting made easy!