Saturday, November 14, 2009

Some Practice Receiving

I haven't been writing on here much, but the Certain Way remains a major part of my point of view on living. And I'm grateful.

It folds in, as I've mentioned, so beautifully with The Artist's Way, which is taking a lot of my focus. This week we're studying financial abundance, so it's really great. Here are some great quotes:

"Looking at God's creation, it is pretty clear that the creator itself did not know when to stop. There is not one pink flower, or even fifty pink flowers, but hundreds. Snowflakes, of course, are the ultimate exercise in sheer creative glee. No two alike. This creator looks suspiciously like someone who just might send us support for our creative ventures."

"We have tried to be sensible -- as though we have any proof at all that God is sensible . . . Creativity is not and never has been sensible. Why should it be? Why should you be?"

"'This is extravagant but so is God' is a good attitude to take when treating your artist to small bribes and beauties. Remember, you are the cheapskate, not God. As you expect God to be more generous, God will be able to be more generous to you."

(The Artist's Way, Week 6)

This last quote brings me to a topic that I've begun to contemplate this past week, thanks to the subject of my last Diamond call: receiving.

Mr. Wattles teaches us that in order to receive we must be acting on our present environment. Sometimes there seems to be so much to do (really that I want to do) I don't know what to do. Or I worry about the how of it all. So I've been praying just to do one thing at a time and trust that the next step is revealed to me. And sometimes, like when I'm feeling run down from having a cold, the thing to do is to chill out. Sit down for a while. Rest. Write my blog.

I'm excited today to do some shopping -- which is a big part of this receiving -- and to rearrange my bedroom. Those are plenty of things to do! I've been contemplating whether or not I set myself up to receive. Do I welcome some things/people/attention and close myself off to others?

I turn it all back over to God, with gratitude. Mr. Wattles generously reminds us not to worry and not to hurry. He says we never have to be concerned that someone else will beat us to what we want or that opportunities will run out before we get to them. He says all of what we want is available to us, and, in fact, that the Universe is more anxious to bring it to us than even we are to receive it. What's up with that?

I pray to be fully relaxed, surrendered and trusting. And free to receive.

So the receiving. We are to act upon our present place - doing only today's work today: not tomorrow's, not yesterday's. And while we do it, we are to hold our clear mental image and we are to do it with faith, purpose and gratitude.

I still sometimes wonder about the clear mental image. Am I handling everything as I should? Ooooh, did I just use that word? In big orange letters on my white board are the words "NO SHOULDS."

For me, it seems that presence and faith and purpose, and, of course, gratitude are an extremely strong foundation for me. And I believe The Artist's Way is helping me hone in on my clear mental image. Without any force or should. It's helping it arise. I know what I want.

Today I want to rest next (sitting down to write I realize I'm still feeling wiped out from the cold!) and I want to rearrange the bedroom, and I want to do some shopping. I want full, strong, healthy energy when it's time to have it (and ideally regularly). I want faith, faith, faith and to be totally relaxed and surrendered. I want to trust, trust, trust and get my inseparable nature. The inseparable nature of all.

What else is there?

With all that I will have the absolute trust that I can create what I want and that the Universe is always for my highest good. I'm coming more and more to that, too. Less judgment about events. There is no end that we're headed to. That is, we don't know what the end result of any one event or circumstance will be. Like Eckhart Tolle says, if we want to know what caused what's happening now, we have to go all the way back to the Big Bang.

So just hang out in this moment. Allow yourself to have things, with deep peace and gratitude, joy and real love as the primary state of being. In that state, all is a gift, for life itself is a gift, and in that state, we [know we] are one with all of life.

Again: "As you expect God to be more generous, God will be able to be more generous to you."

And a nap on a Saturday afternoon with the windows open is about as generous as I can imagine right now.

I love you.

Your,

I.P.

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