I had some questions a few months back about the law of attraction and just how it “all worked” – here’s some of that conversation below:
Q. How can we erase or reduce past karma? I’ve heard that we must pay our karmic debts. Does this mean, literally, that if I sewed “100 lbs of misery” in my past, that I must also endure “100 lbs” back or am I being too literal??
A. Karma is not some mysterious woo-woo, it is simply action. And for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Action simply is; it is neither good nor bad. Those are simply our own value judgments. (ego) They do however tend to carry the vibrational “colour” we gave them. That’s where the apparent values come from.
How the universe will balance and return your actions is unfathomable as its such a complex web of interactive actions. Just your choice of which corner to turn at will interact with and rebound off dozens of other actions. So don’t even try to figure it out.
Really, its not so much what bad you did but what you’ve done to fight the flow, to resist whats coming into your life. Its about NOW. Resistance is what creates stress and much of disease or the opportunity for disease. When we let go of those resistances, we release a big load we’ve carried and we get back in the flow. Action flows smoothly, the past resolves, and we find it easier to be in the flow as we can see the responses.
We also then find that the vibrational signature we’re putting out raises the quality values of what comes back around.
This can be illustrated by the enlightened. They cease to create resistance so cease to produce a backlog. They also act from a higher vibration so their actions are more powerful and beneficial for everyone around them or that interacts with them or their subsidiary actions. (Actions of others that result from their actions)
In the east they refer to the backlog as the “seeds” of karma. The “sprouted” seeds are the ones active in your life that are playing out. Unsprouted one are old backlogs that are not active in our lives. When you connect with Source/Self, the knowledge and light you bring in is said to “roast” the unsprouted ones, clearing your backlog without action. Some simple right thoughts with high vibes, some good “aha’s”, can likewise resolve massive old trash.
Now, even though there is no “good” or “bad” that way, our responses to them will give them a vibration for us. As Amy mentions, Power vs Force talks about the various vibrational levels of different feeling values. When we respond with lower values, we cause those values to loop and cycle back over and over, creating grumpy repeaters in our life. The lessons to be learned if you will. When we respond with higher values, we can resolve the old actions and the energy dissipates or is raised in value. What repeats then is the higher value. The good stuff flows.
Q. what are some ways of tackling some really persistent negative thoughts and daydreams. (bad things happening to people you love, doing things you know you would never that would wreck your life, etc.)
A. For one, don’t resist them. Allow. “What you resist persists”. All thoughts are normal. Judging is mind. Allowing may let the issue behind them surface or allow the process to resolve itself. But at the same time, don’t give them energy or attention either. Let them go. Background noise. Give your attention to something that raises your vibe. Someone walks by you on the street who’s very smelly. Is there any use it fussing about it or dwelling on it? Does it help you or them? Why would you want that back?? Hey – would you look at that tree! Magnificent…
Q. Sometimes it feels selfish and I get panicky focusing on keeping self feeling good. What am I forgetting as a father, husband, etc? Any thoughts?
A. Ego guilt. Fear of loss of control. Its your ego speaking, judging. Be gentle on yourself. You really are doing the best you know how. We all need to learn to forgive and love ourself. We may first have to forgive some of those around us. Only then can we loose that crap.
And I guarantee you that if you are feeling good, you’ll be a better father, husband, etc. Just ask yourself – would you rather be with a grump or an inspiration?
Q. If I’m feeling shitty about something I did, what’s the highest course? I don’t want to ignore it. I mean, I want to make sure I take whatever steps I can to learn from it and move on, but I don’t want to get stuck in guilt, remorse and fear.
A. Why do you feel its important to feel badly? You can’t change the past. You can’t change others. Its only you that you can work with. And only now. Feeling badly for the smelly person or the wrong action does not help anything. If anything, it will help you to repeat it again next time. You are much less likely to speak sharply if you are feeling good. But if you’re busy feeling badly about the past, thats where the present will be too. The ego is heavily invested in repeating the past as that keeps things the same. It likes that homeostasis. Even if we’re miserable, thats what it knows, so it wants more of that. Thats what makes change tricky.
Q. What is best, simply intending and forgetting or revisiting our intentions daily or regularly? It seems that sometimes when I intend of even THINK or WISH about something in a “fleeting” manner, it comes about more easily.
A. (david on bleep) Well – part of an effective manifesting technique is letting go. Allowing. So if the initial setting is done well, forgetting can be useful. But if our mind does not forget and regurgitates it, hashing and trashing it, then the effectiveness is lost. Or if the intention was uncertain, then its just another thought.
I unintentionally used this process to manifest quite a bit of $ with the Secret cheque thing (see Files)
On the other hand, reminders every day on intentions keep them in the awareness and can help keep us positive. But if we hold on to them then that can get in the way of results. Or if we consider them every day but vacillate around them, again we can stumble.
***Also later said that the “magic” is in the surrendering and yes, it is easier to do it with those things you are less “attached” to, like parking spaces, etc.
Q. Why can’t we just undergo hypnosis to change our beliefs? A. I would say that you can. Let’s try it!!
And a few more …
1. If by the laws of attraction / intention, we can only affect “our space” or “our experience”, where does the power from “prayer for others” come in? Wouldn’t our prayers fall on deaf ears? Can you explain that in more detail with an example or two?
See this thread for some great feedback http://www.stevepavlina.com/forums/intention-manifestation/2270-questions-sticking.html?highlight=questions but basically, it boils down to this: No, you cannot directly manifest something into someone else’s life, but in the instance of my children, say, if I’m constantly worrying and projecting those fears onto my children, then they might assimilate those fears and THEY might manifest those things into their lives somehow. Now about the prayer for others part…
2. Can we actually get to the place where we control our “beliefs” so strongly that we can “fly” or “teleport” or all the other crazy wonderful things that we gave up when we were little girls and boys.
Yes, absolutely. Although it is not easy, it is definitely possible. The way to prove this to yourself is to ask yourself this question “What could I manifest, that right now I consider impossible, but if manifested via LoA it will prove to me that impossible things are manifestable, yet at the same time the manifestation will not ruin my whole world.”
3. Generosity vs. Common Sense: This question is about money, the law and energy of “giving” and “receiving”. I have an “alarm bell” that goes off if my spending habits change. I often experience shoppers remorse so to speak. Now I have always respected this because it warns me when there’s a “change” in my spending habits. (Am I spending too much, did I really need that, etc. etc.) – However, having been indoctrinated into a newer “abundant” way of thinking, I ask if this “alarm bell” context is in direct conflict with abundant type beliefs like “Hey, there’s more where that came from!”. So the real question is, how do I “reconcile”. How do I let go and just give and not worry and yet make sure I don’t spend so much that I put myself and family in a tight place? Can you explain that in more detail with an example or two?
The short answer is to spend whenever you need to spend without going into debt. Secondly, don’t spend money because you have money. A lot of people who have money in their pockets can’t help themselves but spend it on crap they don’t want or need because the money is burning a hole in their pockets. THeir lack mentality makes them think “If I don’t spend it now, it’ll be gone tomorrow.”
Don’t do that. If you have $5000 for example, and don’t want/need anything, don’t buy it. If you want/need something, and it costs less than $5000, then buy it. If it costs more, manifest it. Don’t even bother trying to manifest the extra money for it, just manifest IT directly. For example if you want a TV that costs $6999 and you only have $5000, don’t go into debt for the remaining $1999, but instead just focus on manifesting that TV. The universe will then either 1) Give you the other $1999 needed or 2) Lower the price of the TV co-incidentally to $5000. Just be careful when you ask for the TV to ask for a NEW TV like that if that’s what you want, otherwise the universe might send you a used one for $5000 or a demo model or something. Be specific. 4. similar to 3d question. I find myself paying more than my share simply because I know I’m better off financially. (yes, I know this as fact, not just assuming) – I feel generous when I’m doing this, and I don’t make a big deal out of it, but by “not asking” for gas money, or allowing someone to pay for lunch, am I “blocking” the law of giving and receiving?? Can you explain that in more detail with an example or two?
There is no problem here. Giving or being generous is simply “The flow of energy between those who temporarily have more to those who temporarily have less.” The only thing you need to be on the lookout for is your feelings based on the issue. If for example you go for lunch with a buddy from work who sees the nice car you’re driving and he wants you to pay for lunch because he thinks you’re rich and you “owe” him that because he has that type of attitude, you need to be careful as to how you view him. If your attitude towards him/her is “Look at this mooch. He’s lazy, he doesn’t want to achieve his own success, so he’s trying to mooch off of me.” then that is not the spirit of giving you want to be in. If that is the intention in yourself, I’m not so sure paying for his lunch is what you want to be doing.
I have given money and resources to people on a lot of occasions and in the total spirit that we are equals, and I just happen to have $ at the moment so I paid for something. No second thought even entered my mind. I didn’t think any less of the person or anything like that. In fact, I saw it as a priviledge to do this. However, there have been times when I didn’t “give” when there was an opportunity to “give” simply because my intention wasn’t aligned properly and there would have been negative energy associated with the money.
5. This is one that has, in the past, stumped me often. On one hand, based on the law of attraction, you don’t want to spend time thinking about “that which you don’t want”. However, I’ve done lots’ of soul searching and discovered some things about my character and personality that I wish to “fix” or “transcend”. So far simply “intending to be free” of these is all I’ve come up with. I’ve also heard simply looking at it, admitting it, and then “letting it go” works. Can you explain that in more detail with an example or two?
Looking at what’s “wrong” with you is a good way to come up with contrast. For example, sitting down and writing out an honest statement like “I am fat.” if that’s what pops into your mind is ok. If it’s in your head, it’s ok to become aware of it. It’s already dancing around in your head anyways. Once you discover or become aware of the labels you’ve given yourself, ask yourself what you really want. In this example, you might first think “I am skinny.” but then realize “Wait, I don’t want to be skinny, I used to be skinny and people used to make fun of me all the time and I hated that…hmmm… maybe what I really want is an ideal body weight of ____lbs, or a specific body fat % of ___ %”. Once you pick what you want, write it out in the present tense. Don’t say “I want to have 12% body fat” because you won’t manifest 12% body fat, you’ll manifest the WANT of being 12% body fat. Instead, say “I am now moving towards 12% body fat in an easy way.” or “I am now 12% body fat.” if you prefer.
Use your current labels as a starting point to tell you what you DO want. Don’t try to do “I don’t want to be fat” as a manifestation, as the universe doesn’t think in negatives like that. After all, how do you manifest “I don’t want to be fat”? Could the universe then say “Ok, your wish is my command, you’re not fat anymore, you’re now a dying cancer patient that has lost 100lbs of weight in 2 months.” or something like that. As a precaution, I also don’t ask “I want to lose 20lbs” because to me I’m afraid I might lose a leg or something. I always try to qualify exactly what I want as in “I am now getting healthier and healthier and my body weight is rapidly moving towards it’s ideal weight of ___lbs.” or something of that nature.
I would like to thank especially “David” from the “What the Bleep” Yahoo Group as well as a couple of posters from both Stevepavlina.com (law of attraction posts) and the Intenders of the Highest Good