Bending Reality

A friend wrote me recently asking me how I've been able to bend reality to my favor. The comment made me smile because I had been thinking about making this post for awhile. This was my nudge.

I put a lot of focus and effort into getting where I am, but along with that effort, there were forces at work guiding me toward this reality. And along with the obvious efforts of budgeting, saving money, and doing massive amounts of research, there were a few other factors that played into it as well. I watched miracles unfold in my life those last few years in Santa Cruz that streamlined my life into one I only dreamed about years before when I initially set my goal to travel long term. In other words, I bent reality to my favor.

The Law of Attraction

We've all been exposed to the law of attraction in one form or another--from the Secret, to the teachings of Abraham-Hicks, to the Sermon on the Mount. The basic idea is to ask for something, let it go, and you'll receive it. It's the letting go part that tends to trip people up, but it's the most essential step. Once you ask for something, don't dwell on it or worry about it, don't beg for it daily, don't expect immediate results, and most importantly, don't demand a deadline.

Along with asking* you must also make an effort to continue working toward what you want because the secret is in the combined effort of believing that you will receive what you ask for while you work to attain it. Live as though it's already your reality. The moment you begin to sink into negative thought patterns of not having what you want you begin to push it away. As I worked toward reaching my goal, I watched as my path was cleared and obstacles vanished. People and situations and opportunities began to manifest in my life that guided, and in some cases, pushed or pulled me along the way.

This isn't the easiest process or the most comfortable. You might have a lot of inner work to do first. Things might get a whole lot worse before they get better. It might take a long while, it might not. Trust the process, don't resist it.

*pray, create a vision board, write a letter to your future self, make lists, keep a journal, practice visualization exercises

A Course In Miracles

One of those things that manifested on my path via the incredible world of networking and social media was a lady named Gabby Bernstein. She had just written a book called May Cause Miracles which is a condensed, easy to grasp version of A Course In Miracles. The book guides you through 40 days of practices that will change the way you see the world around you. It focuses on turning fear into love, forgiving (not just others, but yourself as well), living in gratitude, and becoming miracle minded. I didn't just do these practices for 40 days--I kept practicing them, and I still do today.

Yoga

I don't recall learning about yoga. It was one of those things (and there are a few) that seemed to stick from lifetimes past--a deep understanding of what exactly it was even as a child--as though the knowledge had always been there. Years later, when I began to read the ancient texts, it didn't feel like I was learning anything new, but it was as though I was unlocking memories. But it wasn't until I stumbled upon a very specific practice of yoga that everything began to shift and change. 

I discovered Kundalini Yoga in a bookshop back in early 2003 when I was living in Montana. I found the book in the store's tiny yoga section. The moment I picked it up I knew I had found my path. I didn't think about it, I didn't question it, I just knew, and I began*.

Kundalini Yoga brings an expanded awareness and consciousness to your world. It clears your energy channels, raises your vibration, creates new neural pathways in your brain, and taps into the latent potential energy stored at the base of your spine. Over time with consistent practice, you'll begin to notice the world no longer has the same control on your mind it once did. Everything you experience is from a completely different perspective--one in which the Universe is conspiring in your favor. You will harness a kind of energy that makes you feel like you're a science fiction character born 500 years too soon. Or maybe even a Jedi.

*Those first few years were all reading and personal practice. It wasn't until early 2007 that I finally found a teacher in Santa Cruz.

Tithing

It works. But, you must do it with ease and without expecting anything in return. Give back to the source which feeds you spiritually--not just any charity, but your church, your yoga studio, a spiritual teacher. If not ten percent, give five or three percent--put it in your monthly budget. Give back with gratitude, let it go, and watch miracles unfold.

Live with Gratitude

Be grateful for everything. Believe that God, the Universe, the Force, (or whatever you'd like to call that of which you are an extension of) is conspiring in your favor always. Even in the most difficult times, find a few things to be grateful for. Sit in silence and think about those things. Write them down or create a happiness jar. If you make this a daily practice, you'll start to notice more and more things you are grateful for until one day you're grateful for everything. And when you get to that place, you'll look around and notice you are living a life that you love.

I wholeheartedly believe in all of these. I also believe in all kinds of magic and fringe that I may explore in later posts. In other words, I believe in a world in which anything and everything is possible.

All of these practices work in equal measure--they complement each other and build off one another, they overlap and bind together. They bring an awareness to our participation in the cosmos--so instead of letting life happen to us, we can help co-create our reality so that it may ultimately bend in our favor.

Have you ever bent reality to your favor? What practices helped you? Or if you are looking to bend reality, experiment with these, incorporate the ones that resonate with you into your life, give it time, and see what happens. Expect miracles.