Following a raw food lifestyle to any significant degree guarantees (assuming you are “doing it right” and are essentially healthy) that you will have more energy than often you know what to do with. Thus, having a vision, a compelling, larger than life picture of what you want for yourself and your life becomes an absolute necessity – otherwise, where will all this energy have to go?
The VISION aspect of the Successfully Raw Pyramid is at the top of the pyramid for a myriad of reasons: it’s the “summit” of the raw food lifestyle, it’s visionary, it’s aspiring upwards and everything really does literally and figuratively point towards it. Eating great food, getting and giving support, taking great care of yourself... all these things are purely foundational when you really think about it, for... creating a great life. And that’s why we’re here isn’t it?
So having a great life is, well, great! BUT... did you know that you have more power available to you then you ever thought or believed? Did you know that having raw energy coursing through your veins gives you the energy clarity and courage to go after what you really want? And I mean REALLY want?
Untold experiences of my own and those shared with me have illustrated that this really is the truth, and I believe the only way we can truly stay on the raw food path is when we keep our vision higher and bigger than we already are. Quite simply, when we get bigger than our vision we are automatically subconsciously drawn to shrinking down, and this is when the dead foods come into play or other self-sabotaging activities in order to make us fit. Yes, it cuts both ways.
But of course the Vision cannot exist in a vacuum, and the food, self-care and ongoing support absolutely must remain in place for this to be so. So in future issues our focus will continue to move between all these different aspects so that you are constantly buoyed up in each area so that you can keep your vision alive. But for today, let’s get this vision topic addressed once and for all so that you can print out and keep this inspiring and useful guide to how to make your dreams come true – and how it all fits together in the bigger, whole Universe picture.
1) CLARITY
For you to create what you want you need to be super clear about what it is you want and ideally why. Think of walking into the shop with a shopping list vs. without. You know what happens – you may get a fair amount of what you need but you’ll also come out with a lot of what you don’t! Add to this some passion, focus and excitement and you get...
2) ALIGNMENT
Many people want something with either their head or their heart, but not so often both. If you really want something with your head but your heart’s not in it, don’t be surprised when that thing fails to materialise. Your heart houses a huge amount of power, and if it’s afraid, doubting or anything else that turns it off from your goal then you could be trying to achieve the impossible. When you have both aspects on side and 100% going for it you know you are well on the way to having that dream come true.
3) ASKING
The Universe is a very abundant and benevolent place yet often it doesn’t speak in the language we expect it to. Rarely do millions of dollars fall out of the sky, or does someone tap you on the shoulder and whisk you off on that all-expenses paid holiday. It would be nice, for sure, BUT actually what is better is making something happen yourself and the sense of achievement that comes with that. So, ask for what you want, whether that’s in writing, out loud, via your Vision Board or simply your thoughts, but do be sincere, grateful and consistent in what you ask for as a “frequently changed order” rarely comes very fast or accurate! Ask nicely.
4) GRATITUDE
It is said that gratitude is one of the most powerful forces in the Universe and it is wonderful to be able to say “thank you” for something before you even can see it, hence why gratitude appears twice in this listing as you will see. Absolutely I see and feel the power of gratitude in my own life... A happy and grateful heart is a wonderful energy and the perfect currency to repay the Universe with and ain’t that the Truth! Just think about when you give something to someone... how do you feel when they barely acknowledge what you have given compared to when they really and truly are over the moon with your gift? It really is a world away isn’t it? The Universe doesn’t want or need “stuff” in return, it just enjoys recognition, joy and gratitude from you as we all do.
It is great to feel grateful at any part of the manifesting process, but yes, of course it is harder when you have just asked and cannot yet see the thing you asked for in front of you, but as you get more proficient and used to seeing things show up in your life that you asked for, it gets easier and easier to be able to say “thank you” immediately after putting in your request as you know it is on its way.
5) EXCITEMENT & ENTHUSIASM
I know we all pretend to be grown-ups, but really, we are just kids in bigger clothes and bigger egos than before. This generally gets us by very well in the big wide world where most people are playing the same game but the Universe is under no such illusions! I have found that the more simple, open, pure in intention, humble and grateful I am, the more the Universe swoops in to deliver, and how. Perhaps it just likes playing Santa and delivers to kids first – who knows? But having child-like excitement and enthusiasm as opposed to demanding, sulking and protesting just seems to get a better response. Now don’t ask me why.... : )
6) BEING OPEN TO RECEIVE
Getting clear, aligning, asking, being grateful and excited are all wonderful and important but this next step is where most of us mess up. Somewhere along the way we take on the belief that “life isn’t fair” and “you have to work hard for anything in this life” or equally limiting and negative beliefs and we automatically shut ourselves down to the everyday miracles that are just waiting to show up... if we would but open the door and let them in. I have been guilty of this myself time and again. I’d do all the right things and then shut the door on what I wanted by telling myself I wasn’t ready or worthy or whatever, OR I would not hear the knock because I was expecting it to show up some other way. I have found that typically the Universe delivers through something or someone or via a thought or feeling that suddenly occurs inside us, but in these cases it is literally so close to us that we don’t hear or see it for what it is.
This is where being a raw foodie comes into its own again: as we get so much cleaner internally we get to be very sensitive to the differences between our own thoughts and those implanted! This I feel is one of the biggest secrets of all. There IS a huge difference and it can make ALL the difference, so if this isn’t one MASSIVE reason to clean up your diet, then I really don’t know what is! So following these little signs and messages really is the key to receiving. Sometimes there is a conversation that needs to be had, sometimes a place to go, a web site to visit, a gift to give before we receive, an intuition to be acted upon, an advert to follow up... the list is infinite. But it doesn’t have to be a tangled web when you are tuned in to hear and see the signs as they come to you; you just know.
Needless to say ridding yourself of all negativity is a vital part of this process. Fear, doubt, guilt... all of that stuff and more have no role to play in manifesting (or health), other than making it jolly difficult for anything to show up. All of these emotions essentially say “no” to your gifts coming in, and so we need to look at what says “yes please, thank you”.
7) ACCEPTING
Once you have open to receive, then you need to accept – and accept from a good clean place. As above, if you suddenly have doubts about your worthiness or believing “it’s too good to be true” or various other untruths, then you don’t get to have it. A bit like someone saying to you “close your eyes and open your hands” and you put your arms behind your back! So if this is your sticking point then you’ll need to look at your underlying issues and address them, otherwise the pattern will continue and your belief that the Universe is unfair or whatever will continue, even though the poor thing keeps trying to deliver!
For me, and this will be true for you also, moving beyond this and into grateful acceptance is about working with your true higher nature. For me I have always had a problem receiving full stop. But I got over that when I threw in the proviso that I could have “it” if it benefitted others as much or more than me and I got out of my own way. This led me to manifest at almost lightning speed as I had finally taken the shackles off and so my beliefs about what was possible were changed forever... BUT the challenge for me in latter times has been about me manifesting “just for me”, and that I can be enough and worthy enough to receive without having to give everything, or even anything, away! So, what can you learn from this? What would help you relax into accepting if this is a problem for you? Like I say, once you can see for yourself what’s holding you back and that you CAN have what you want, then there really is no going back - and that’s BIG.
8) GRATITUDE
Here we are again, but I don’t know if you can be “too grateful”. As I write I get the words “song of the soul” and this really resonates with how I feel about gratitude. The Universe really is the home to all of our souls, and if all our souls were to sing.... well, what a more wonderful world this would be!
9) RESPECT & REVERENCE
If you were around young children this Christmas then you might have been more than a little bit surprised by their outward lack of gratitude and respect for much of what they were given. They have the excuse of youth, but alas, we do not : ) So I feel that tying very much in with 1) CLARITY we need to make sure that what we ask for is really what we want so that we can be grateful for it and take great care of it. In this world of plenty we too run the risk of casting aside far more stuff than we know what to do with and this really pains me, and ultimately on a physical level bears heavily on the planet too. A lot more thought and respect will go a long way into ensuring quality over quantity when it comes to manifesting on the physical plane, and when we get really clear on what we want and why then a much more conscious planet will for sure ensue.
10) CLEARING
A New Year is a great opportunity to get rid of the old. Sure, this can mean some of that stuff we talked about, but it can also mean beliefs, behaviours, habits, environment, relationships, all sorts. Clearing is also a vital part of the circle of manifesting as it makes way for the new and ensures also that we do come from a more conscious and careful place. It is very easy to ask for “more, more, more” when surrounded by stuff, as the more stuff we have, the more we seem to want, and yet I have found that there is so much more to be had in space and peace and silence. When we come from this place where we have cleaned up internally and externally then our manifesting desires inevitably change. They may no longer be about having the new dining table or car or holiday, but instead about world peace, an end to poverty, helping the less fortunate ... and all the things that make a bigger picture difference when our own needs have been met.
But don’t get down on yourself for wanting the new dining table or whatever. These things count, are a necessary step on the journey to manifesting mastery and if you need or want one then there it is, and that’s fine! However, after a point, when your own “bank” is all full up, or mostly full, and you have learned that there is no lack in the world that cannot be transformed, only poverty consciousness, THEN you can start to use your power to begin changing other people’s lives and you will find that there really will be no stopping you!
PS: For the record I have walked the manifesting path alongside the raw food one for nearly 15 years. Just like raw food, there has been a fair amount of doubting and fear along the way, alternated with hope and joy when I “did it right”, and ultimately confidence. Last year for me was about finally pulling all of this stuff together with that confidence, getting my own house in order and starting to help others a lot more. This year for me is about finishing off what remains of the former and putting even more energy into being a world server, and not just within raw foods. I feel this is the journey we are all ultimately on and it’s exciting! Isn’t this what life is about? More anon.
* * * * *
© 2008 Karen Knowler.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Karen Knowler, The Raw Food Coach publishes "Successfully Raw" - a free weekly eZine for raw food lovers everywhere. If you're ready to look good, feel great and create a raw life you love get your FREE tips, tools and recipes now at www.TheRawFoodCoach.com.
* * * * *
Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.
Posted by: Air Jordan Spizike | March 04, 2012 at 02:52 PM