My Intention Letter

My mother is a healer and an expert on the law of attraction and achieving miracles. She has a weekly newsletter that discusses anything from Reiki to Angel therapy, and lessons from the Universe. This week's newsletter had an amazing suggestion on manifesting your 2012 goals. 

Pretend that it is the end of the year and you are writing a Christmas letter telling your friends about all the wonderful things that have happened in your life that year....make sure you include how to FELT when they happned. Get into that exquisite place of pretend....allow your heart to lead you into that feeling place beyond judgement, doubt or fear. Always state your intentions in a positive "feel good" manner. Some example statements might be, so many wonderful things have happened to me this year: I lost all that excess weight and now I am at my best weight ever! My wedding was even more perfect and beautiful that I ever imagined it could be! I have the best relationship ever with a partner who is beyond my wildest dreams' I am having so much fun making more money than I could ever spend! you get the idea...Once you have written your "intention letter" post copies in places where you will be sure to see them to remind you of what your are creating...always get into that feeling place when you read them. 

To learn more about my Mom, Rhonda and Awakening Wellness and to sign up for her newsletter, check out her website: http://www.awakening2wellness.com. 


Ok, so here is my "intention letter." I'd love to see what you do as well!


Dear Friends,


2012 has been the most incredible year of my experience. I have done superb on my 2012 intentions; I feel great, my career has just grown, I've gained a brand new family; life is good.


My blogs have all reached over 300 followers, and more than that on Facebook. Collectively I receive over 30,000 hits a day. I have so many review requests that I'm barely able to keep up. I've been making the most incredible vegan dishes and throwing taste testing parties; they are a big hit. I recently started an Etsy page and have been selling baked goods and some knitting projects. Yes, I learned to knit and what fun! I'm part of a weekly stitch 'n' bitch group, have made several scarfs a super awesome hat and have several other projects in the works.  Next stop: learn to crochet.


Yoga has given me so much; not only can I touch my toes (ha!) but it's just opened so many doorways spiritually and physically for me. I feel incredible and have an amazing amount of energy. My tumors are no longer visible (woot!) and the sores have healed on my legs. My fluid issue from last year is gone; and so therefore I am a fashion diva again! My hair has grown thick and silky, and yes, I dyed it purple this summer.  My parents freaked, but I loved it. 


I've read more than my 52 books, including a good portion of A Course in Miracles. What an amazing journey that has been. I have an incredible group of friends and my social life is "off the hook" as they say. This past fall I finally went on that Missouri trip with some of my gal pals and what fun it was! So many things that I had no idea about.


The highlight is still my summer weekend in Kripalu. I attended Gabby's Loveatarian workshop and; moved, just moved. I am forever changed. And the relationships; forever baby.


All in all, life is incredible. I'm healthy, I have a great living situation and a new family due to my father's new wife, a job I love, and what better way to spend your free time than with a good book?


I hope your year has been as generous to you as mine.


Much Love,


Shanna

Change the Thought...Reality Must Follow Suit

The Law of Attraction is responding to your thought, not to your current reality. When you change the thought, your reality must follow suit. If things are going well for you, then focusing upon what is happening now will cause the well-being to continue, but if there are things happening now that are not pleasing, you must find a way of taking your attention away from those unwanted things. You have the ability to quickly change your patterns of thought, and eventually… your life experience. Take 15 minutes daily, thinking of pleasant scenarios regarding your body, with the sole intent of enjoying your body and appreciating its strength and stamina and flexibility and beauty. When you visualize for the joy of visualizing rather than with the intention of correcting some deficiency, your thoughts are more pure and, therefore, more powerful. When you visualize to overcome something that is wrong, your thoughts are diluted with the "lackful" side of the equation. In time, your physical condition will acquiesce to your dominant thoughts.
--- Abraham

Add More ~Ing To Your Life

Have you ever read something that changed your life? Gabrielle Bernstein's "Add More ~Ing to Your Life: A Hip Guide to Happiness" is just that kind of book. Over the last year I've posted many excerpts and exercises from this book. I highly recommend checking this book out and I invite you to revisit my previous posts on each chapter.

• Feel~ings
• Forgiveness
• Balanc~ing
• Mirror~ing
• Releas~ing Romantic Illusions
• Climb~ing
• Stretch~ing
• Shift~ing and Focus~ing
• Know~ing he Universe Has Your Back

Know~ing the Universe Has Your Back

Manifesting with the Universe takes faith and a knowing that your desires will be answered. However, we often block ourselves with doubt, and confuse wishing for something, with knowing that you will receive it. In Gabriel Bernstein's book Add More ~Ing to Your Life: A Hip Guide to Happiness, she shares with us her tools for getting in touch with the Universe. First, pray or send your request to the Universe (God, Goddess, Buddha, Jesus, etc.). Let it go. Know, that the Universe will provide. Then listen for the signs. Meditation helps with this. Through meditation you can visualize your request, feel the feeling of having your prayer answered, then be silent, and listen to the voice of the Universe. The Universe always has our back, we just don't always pay attention.

The key is to not attempt to control the path you may have to take to reach your outcome. If you are controlling the situation, you are not allowing the Universe to help you. Gabby has a few suggestions on strengthening your prayers. Create a "belief box", put your prayers in it as a sign that you are letting them go. Create an attitude of Gratitude. By recognizing the amazing things we already have, it puts us in alignment to attract new desires to us. Pray for others. Send your love to the people in your life, world crisis such as Japan, etc. The more you give, the more you will receive. The more you practice these tools, the more you will reap and soon you will know that the Universe has your back.

Cheryl Richardson's book The Unmistakable Touch of Grace touches on this as well. She includes a prayer to the Universe in her book. I recently used it to ask for guidance on healing my body completely, all physical aspects, and after a few moments of meditation, I heard a voice in my head provide me with a list of tools. I must say that if I had just sat down and written a list, this would not have been the list. The list contained almost 50 items, all of which I've been guided to do simultaneously and immediately. The Universe also told me that I am on the last leg of this journey, I simple need to focus.

Set time aside each day to send your prayer requests to the Universe and meditate for at least 15 minutes. You will feel a difference almost immediately. Peace, joy and loving support are worth 20 minutes of your day, don't you think?

Releasing Romantic Illusions

I've discussed Gabrielle Bernstein's book Add More ~Ing to Your Life: A Hip Guide to Happiness in previous posts. She has a social networking site for women called Her Future, where each month we have been focusing on a different chapter in her book. I've posted previously on Feel~ings, Forgiveness, Balancing and Mirroring, and this month's chapter focuses on relationships.

First, you need to honor your relationship with self. If you are not truly in love with yourself, you cannot possibly share love with another. A Course in Miracles (preface) states "...We seek in others what is wanting in ourselves. We 'love' another in order to get something ourselves. That, in fact, is what passes for love in the dream world. There can be no greater mistake than that, for love is incapable of asking for anything. Only minds can really join, and whom God has joined no man can put asunder." Essentially you must be love, otherwise, you will constantly be seeking people to fill your gaps, and that is not healthy or truly spiritual love. This is true of all relationships, not just romantic relationships. Spend time loving yourself, you are worth it.

Gabrielle also discusses "special relationships" in this chapter. Often times we place more importance on romantic relationships, than we do on friendships or even family. This imbalance can cause challenges in our romantic relationship because we are not in balance. By making that relationship more "special" than the others, we are essentially putting pressure on that person to fill our needs in a way that no one person can. Our relationship with self, friends, and family are equally important, and we need to release the need to make one person or relationship more special or important than another. Take time to find the love in all your relationships, and see how each and every person is special to you in their own way. You will strengthen all your relationships by experiencing them equally.

Releasing Exercises:
1. Make a list of your meaningful relationships, past and present. Write the story of each one, how it started/ended/the experience/etc. Release any nastiness that your ego is holding onto.
2. Make a list of how your partner makes you feel joy; or if single, how you would want a partner to make you feel joy.
3. Make a Love List and focus on the areas in your life where love shines. Focus on at least one thing that allows love to shine in your life each day.

The more you release the fears of the ego, the more love you will feel and the more you will attract loving healthy relationships into your life. When you feel ready to add a romantic relationship to your life, make a list of qualities you are looking for in a partner. Be specific, what is his personality like? His hobbies, skills, interests? His Spiritual beliefs? Does he love to travel and in what fashion? Write the story of your perfect partner, but keep in mind that creating a clone of you does not leave room for personal growth and will likely be boring very quickly.  Write your perfect partner story, and read it to yourself each day. Then share it with everyone you can. People have manifested beautiful relationships using this method. Write the story as if he is already there, for example, "My partner is full of gratitude, loves to garden, and is an expect on roses." Write in present tense, the Universe only understands NOW! I believe you could use this technique to attract friendships as well. Love yourself and the rest will follow.

Love and Gratitude


Shanna

Love and Gratitude

This week I'm combining my Loving Tuesday's and Gratitude Friday's blog for one big fat showing of Love and Gratitude.  Love is such an important expression, and there are so many things I feel loving energy towards.  There are also things, people, situations that are more difficult, which is where gratitude comes in.  Finding the gratitude in difficult situations is the first step into shedding our ego and turning each aspect of our life into Love. 

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I love books, the way they smell, the feel of the paper beneath my fingertips and getting lost in a new story ♥ the new Jenny and Johnny CD ♥ Lulu's Noodles ♥ sale weekends at Kohl's, especially when I still have a $100 gift certificate from Christmas ♥ going braless ♥ Chai Tea ♥ my new Unicorn and Mary Magdalene oracle cards...awww my unicorn card today is "Love From Your Parents" ♥ boots! ♥ the one processes treat that I still indulge in, those chocolate marshmellow creations from Russell Stovers that are bunnies, santas, or pumpkins depending on the holiday ♥ hearing old favorites on the radio ♥ funky tights ♥ fall for the apples, I love Gaia and Honeycrisp ♥ new frienships ♥ writing letters ♥ knowing the waiter or waitress at my favorite local restaurant and feeling like home ♥ having a clean doggie ♥ bouncing on my rebounder ♥ e e cummingsDalai Lama ♥ Chuck on NBC ♥


What's on Your Love List?

I am grateful for each moment I get to spend with Triton and the fact that he forces me to exercise whether I'm in the mood or not
I am grateful for my job and the flexibility it provides and my new job as a writer
I am grateful for the cooler weather, which I am sure will inspire me to start mowing the lawn myself
I am grateful to my Dad for fixing up Grandma's lawnmower for me
I am grateful we are getting a Trader Joe's at Ward Parkway Mall, just 5 minutes from home!
I am grateful for having a clean bathroom, freshly washed sheets and the laundry done
I am grateful to have caught the first episode of the Nanny the other night, and now I can DVR the entire series in order, woohoo!!
I am grateful to the trash pickup service and recycle pickup service that come every week like clockwork
I am grateful to be able to open my windows and let the fresh air in
I am grateful for the Universe safely providing for my adopted soldier

What are you Grateful for?