When asking the universe for anything we should first take a moment to begin from a point of gratitude; before we ask for more we should first say thank you for what we already have. Even if we feel we have little or nothing to be thankful for, the very act of asking shows a belief in a higher power that has the ability to give what we ask for; the capacity to communicate with that power, and the need or desire for change our life.
Even if you feel destitute, you have these three things to build upon and you should then begin from a point of gratitude. Gratitude is the key to receiving more, but before we can receive more we must first appreciate what we have, if we don’t more will never are enough. When we pray and ask for something, it is usually in response to a situation we find ourselves in; our prayers are usually “time specific” and not development orientated. If we were to look at our lives as a film, our prayers are usually focussed to one incident in one frame and not in context with the story of the film from start to finish. What we ask for today, may not be in our best interest tomorrow.
The universe sees our lives from start to finish and listens to the feeling behind our prayers (not the words) and answers those prayers in response to our progress and not our request. It may not give us what we want, but he will always give us what we need when we need it. What it will never do is take away our ability as creators in our own lives and will not give us what we are capable of giving ourselves. To do so would reinforce our belief that we are powerless victim’s dependant on the whims of an unseen God. We are given the power to create our own reality through our thoughts and beliefs and part of that unconditional love that created us in the desire to educate us to our own greatness.
If we had this knowledge from the day we were born, the structure of our lives would reflect this wisdom. When this enlightenment comes to us later in life we can find ourselves living a life that begins to feel less and less our own as we struggle to conform to a life formed in the past by thoughts and beliefs we can no longer identify with. The secret is to leave the outside alone and travel inwards and change our beliefs and thought processes, then sit back and watch our external existence restructure to fall in line with our new internal reality.
The outer is a reflection and projection of our inner world, one is created through the other, change the cause, and you alter the effect. Our thoughts and beliefs are the cause, our life is the effect, and we are creators of our world as individuals and collectively as a species. The individual consciousness is a part of the collective consciousness and as such, we are all responsible for the state of the world we live in.
When we ask for anything, we automatically set limitations for we have already determined what we want and what it should look like when we get it, for whatever we ask for has form and structure which are boundaries in themselves. Since we can’t see further than the moment we live in our horizons are set by time instead of distance, and this can limit our perception, reality, and what we think we need (desire) in the here and now. Our lives (if you believe in reincarnation) are a continuum and our prayers are answered in response to our development and not in response to our specific request, what we ask for today may not be healthy or appropriate to our spiritual needs.
Seeing the future is not the same as living it, the future is no more than a set of possibilities waiting to be defined into our reality. The here and now are the seeds of the future and we are creators in that process. In making the moment we write history and lay the foundations to our future, our thoughts and beliefs draw up the plans and our actions give definition to the time and place when the present becomes the future. Once we begin to live in the moment, we can begin to see the past, present, and future more clearly, for we realise they are one and the same.
Until we reach this point of spiritual evolution, we need support and guidance to ensure our continued development. Until we realise the connection between our thoughts and our future and begin to understand that our life is a projection of our mind we need to ask for help and guidance. That help and guidance is always available, but it can only be given if we ask for it but it will still only be given in a way that strengthens us, and awakes us to our own greatness.
The baggage I carry is of my own making, and the universe will help me carry it, and help me realise that I can put it down whenever I choose. It will even support me when I think I can’t go on any more, but it will never carry me to the point where I have lost the ability or desire to stand on my own two feet. When we have the sense to say “Your will not mine”, we are in effect saying, I’m making the journey on a road that you have laid before me, I will take the steps necessary if you provide the direction. All journeys begin from a point of departure, all knowledge from a point of understanding, and all prayer from a point of gratitude.
Article by Phillip Hawkins
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A Reiki practitioner since 1999, Phillip started teaching Reiki in 2000 and using those skills and abilities he has spent the majority of the last seventeen years working with a wide range of social and educational needs including Autism and ADHD. Working with addicts dependent on alcohol and drugs, people whose lives were extremely violent and abusive, and others who had to deal with severe mental health issues. This has enabled him to work extensively in the private sector, schools, colleges, education and care in the community, the prison service and psychiatric units.
In 2016, Phillip decided to semi-retire from full-time employment to concentrate on developing his career as a published author and the setting up of his Reiki personal development programme at the Chilton Community College.
Dear Philip,
I really enjoy reading your articles. I salute you for your thoughts and the way you write them.
I have learned so much by reading your articles. Each article has helped me in my journey towards healing and destiny
Thank you..
May God bless you with luv and light
Anjum