I Love Mondays #7: Walk Friendly, Give Grace

Sometimes it can be hard to remember that the universe is conspiring in your favor. How can the universe be benevolent when all I see around me is pain and heartache? How can I trust the flow of life when it seems like only bad things happen, and to good people? It is true. Bad things do happen. All the time. But the other side of that wave is that good things are constantly happening too.

One of my favorite mentors once told me, "When you fight reality, you lose." You can't change what is, but you can change your perspective. You have a choice what you look for in life. You have a choice whether or not you take care of yourself today. You have the choice to give freely, even in the face of lack. You have the ability to choose where you put your focus, and thus, what you grow. So this week, even if it seems like everything is going wrong, ask yourself, "What is going right?"

Physical

1. Take a walk!
As working-from-home, self-employed witch babies, Kelly and I have to be very intentional about leaving the house every day. Going more than a day without leaving the house makes for stale energy and cabin fever. When the temperatures recently dipped in the single digits, we had to sacrifice a bit of comfort to get our daily excursion in. Even though it was painful, we managed to walk a mile each day of what seemed like a years long cold snap. Every time, it lifted our moods SO significantly that we are compelled to share the idea with you. Sure, going for a walk is a bit of a self-care no-brainer, but sometimes we all need a “sign from the universe” to be the motivational kick in the pants we need. If you haven’t left the house today (or moved your body), go for a short walk and record your mood before and after. It will cure what ails you!

Mental

2. Look for evidence that the universe is friendly.

"The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe." - Albert Einstein

When something goes wrong, like I get sued or I get sick or someone dies, my mind starts thinking everything is out to get me. I start looking for damages to my body from the environment. I think I have to protect myself from everything under (and including) the sun. The universe we live in can truly seem hostile if we’re practicing lazy thinking. But what if today, we decide: The universe we live in is friendly! Everything in our environment is here to help us. The sun keeps us alive. The plants smile at us. The squirrels are celebrating our achievements. Other people genuinely want to help us. The grass wants you to talk to it. Like Eckhart Tolle says, "The flower loves it when you give it attention."

Everything in life can be friendly if we let it. Don’t let your mind scare you into thinking life is out to get you. Life loves you and wants you to thrive! All those negative things? They are happening FOR you, not TO you!

Remember, the more you look for it, the more you see it. So let's start looking for proof. What evidence have you seen that the universe is friendly?

Emotional

3. Practice generosity.
A guru in Be Love Now was described as saintly because he had a policy to "give more than you get". What if we tried doing that? At first, it seems illogical, because if you give more than you get, you’ll be left with nothing. But what actually happens is that your generosity is returned to YOU tenfold. Every time you give without expecting anything in return, you are practicing trusting life. Life provides for the plants and animals, why wouldn’t it provide for you too?

When you practice giving more than you receive, you act from the feeling of abundance. When you give, you signal to life that you have more than enough. You are projecting the vibration of, "I have plenty!" And that is what you continue manifesting! It can be really scary at first, if you don’t think you have a lot to give. But if you trust the more will always come, you are surrendering to the magick of life! You will receive so much! Every time you give with the true feeling of generosity in your heart, you magnetize SO MUCH more to come to you! But that feeling of giving, of truly helping others—that is the only abundance you will need.

Every time you receive a gift or a favor, write down two corresponding gifts or favors you can do or have done. You don’t even have to do the action, just contemplating how you can give will get you in the feeling place of limitless abundance.

There really is enough for everyone, and what you want will come right to you when you get out of the way. Giving is a way to unblock the flow of abundance, and signals to life that you’re ready to receive.

Spiritual

4. Focus on one thing.

"Bring your mind to one point and wait for grace." — Maharaj-ji

Ram Dass’ guru Maharaj-ji gave his recommendation for achieving oneness with God—focusing the mind on a single thing and patiently waiting for inspiration. This practice of singular focus helps you step outside of your mental chatter, into the infinite where the magick lies. Every. Single. Time. You. Stop. Thinking. You. Feel. Good. And usually you get what you want too. Your thoughts are the only thing that can make you feel bad, and they are the only thing blocking what you want from coming to you. The solutions! The answers! The gifts and beauty and health and money! It’s all waiting for you, just beyond the thought horizon!

Your mind doesn’t want you to stop thinking, because it’s afraid of dying. When you stop thinking, your ego dies. Your mind can’t handle that. But you are stronger than your mind. Your mind is just a tool, and you can put it down! When you put that mind down, you enter the realm of infinite intelligence and divine inspiration can come to you!

Practice bringing your mind to a single point and waiting for grace. The best way to do this is in meditation or exercise or play. Try counting from 1-100 over and over. Or repeat to yourself, "Breathing in I know I'm breathing in, Breathing out I know I'm breathing out." Ram Dass uses the mantra, "I am loving awareness." Whether you count, use a mantra, or focus on your breath, choose ONE practice and focus on it for several minutes. The goal is to get some distance from your thoughts, or even stop them entirely. Once you are able to still your mind, the grace happens. You'll hear the divine solution. You'll get your answer. You’ll receive the inspiration you need. And you won't even care because you’ll be in a state of bliss of being One With MotherFuckin LIFE!