Everyday Alchemy

What a crazy few days it has been in the media! And, they are just the ones that are covering what is going on. It seems like every day, some bank has folded or needs bailing out, the stock market has crashed and that the end of the world is nigh. In these times it is hard not to get dragged into the quagmire, feel like everything is going to pot and there is just nothing you can do about it.

What is clear though is, although things might be tough right now, we are ultimately the creators of our own experience and we will always make ourselves right. So if we think things are going to be ok, usually one way or another they are. If we get caught in the quagmire of hopelessness, guess what we experience!? Here some strategies for being ok and even prospering during the “credit crunch”…

1. Keep your head about you and don’t let “them” grind you down. As Douglas Adams said on the cover of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, “DON’T PANIC!”. It is very easy to lose your centre and react to the constant stream of bad news in the media, the rising food prices etc. However, the first thing to do is the exact opposite…keep calm, keep sane and keep perspective.
2. Stay away from the media – no news is good news! One of the best ways to keep calm and not lose your centre is to steer away from the media as much as possible. I don’t mean bury your head in the sand but the vast majority of reported news is bad, and this period means big business for the media. This impacts both your state of mind and your vibration. We are hit by millions of pieces of information a day, so look really look after yourself and make conscious choices about what you want to take in. Uplifting music, favourite magazines, good books…they all work!
3. Know your vision and keep focused on that. The law of attraction says that like attracts like. So, if you have a vision of where you want to head, a dream or a goal, keep focused firmly on that to the best of your ability. You are then putting out positive vibes to the universe. You are either less likely to be blown off course, or will be able to respond to changing circumstances in a way that best supports you.
4. Notice what is really good about this period. This one is a real challenge and a really big request. Really try to see what is good about this situation. Maybe, it is bringing you to really get to grips with your finance and giving you the resolve to sort things out. Maybe it is asking you to focus on great things in life that aren’t connected with money. This isn’t about putting a happy face on the situation but rather just trying to find the smallest piece of good. Again, the law of attraction applies here…you get more of what you focus on.
5. Notice what is really great about your life – count your blessings. This is one that can work anytime, but is very powerful now. It may seem trite when things feel bad, but we always have things in our lives that are blessings. This can be as basic as having good friends, someone smiling at you on the bus and so on. And again, the more you do it, the better you will feel and the calmer you will be .
6. When the negativity hits, change the thought! Most commentators on the law of attraction agree that our emotions are our guide for how in the flow we are. When you are feeling bad in anyway, you are acutely aware of what you don’t want. So, when this happens say to and ask yourself, ”I am feeling bad because I don’t want [fill in blank], so what do I want?”. When you have that focus on that until you feel better and better!
7. Go for the long term – know that sooner or later the storm will pass. The other thing that tends to blow us off course is the relatively short term mindset that gets instilled in times of panic. One way to keep perspective is to keep an eye on the long term and know that, sooner or later, things will work out. That is not to say that we won’t have bad experiences, but then you have already had those in your life and survived to tell the tale. So take the lessons from your past and apply to the future.
8. Don’t tighten your belt to the detriment of joy – give yourself some treats. No matter how bad things may seem, there always needs to be room for joy as without it we are merely surviving rather than living. Giving yourself and your loved ones things that uplift you will always be an investment well rewarded. And of course, the best things in life are free (or don’t cost much!), so see what treats you can give yourself for next to nothing. Maybe a hot relaxing bath, a walk with a really good friend, settling down to read that novel you have meant to but never had the time.
9. Easy does it – go easy on yourself. Life always has to be worth living and we tend to be our own hardest taskmasters, especially in times of seeming scarcity. Even if you use this phrase as a little mantra, it can help avert panic and give a sense of calm in the moment. I have used this many times to just get myself present in the moment and calm down. It not only helps me feel better but helps my productivity massively as well.
10. If the worst does happen, keep perspective…go back to 5 and count your blessings. Should the worst happen, whatever that means for you, allow yourself to feel all the feelings and release them as they happen. Then, as soon as is appropriate, flex that muscle of appreciation and start mining for the gold in your life that is good. There will always be something, no matter how small, and just focusing on that will help you get back on your feet quicker than you can say “credit crunch”!

It is just 2 days to go until the iPhone 3G is launched simultaneously in 70 countries. I am quite a geek when it comes to all things Apple so I have a tendency to track what is going on in the media and on the web leading up to a product launch. Things are bubbling on high heat out there in anticipation for the iPhone 3G. In the UK, O2 sold out all of their pre-orders in less than 3 hours. A line formed outside the 5th Avenue store in New York on Monday, even though the product doesn’t go on sale until Thursday. And even I am sore tempted .

So what is it about Apple that makes them sooooo popular that people are clamoring to get their products?

Think about this in pure creativity and manifestation terms. In general terms, most commentators on the Law of Cause and Effect and the Law of Attraction will say that you need to have a clear vision of what you want to manifest in your mind with an emotional response linked to that. In other words, you have to feel like you really want it by creating the feeling of already having it…in essence the intention is treated as if it has already come to pass. To generate £1,000,000, one has to have a clear picture in one’s mind of the intention and then a real emotional set-up for how one would feel (in a positive sense) if £1,000,000 had already manifested. In theory, if one holds this intention and belief for long enough and doesn’t waver then the Universe has no choice but to deliver £1,000,000. So, why aren’t we all millionaires?

Well, this is where Apple has it right in my opinion.

We tend to think of the Law of Attraction in the context of manifesting “things”; material goods that will make us feel better. This is kind of like the Dell mentality. Focus purely on the thing and what it does and I will feel better. Apple have taken this and refined it to a much greater degree. No other technology seems to inspire such loyalty from its converts. Why is this?

IMHO, it is because Apple products appeal to that side of us that is not purely functional and not even just success or improvement driven. Apple products are seen as things of beauty, of creativity. They are seen to innovate and revolutionise. They inspire their users. They bring about a sense of possibility. As far as it is possible for a material thing to do, Macs appeal to some of the higher values of their users, and in doing so, raise their vibration.

I will never forget the day after I was laid off from my job at PwC. I walked into a computer store feeling spat out by the corporate machine and the store had a Mac lab. There on the wall was some marketing display say “Mac users are different, Mac users are creative blah blah blah”. I was caught hook, line and sinker. Looking at all the other vast arrays of grey and beige box PCs, the Mac range was stylish and cool and I would obviously be stylish and cool as well, and armed with my new iBook, anything was possible. Who’d have thunk?? Buying an iBook the day after I was laid off got me into an incredibly good and productive state. Yes, that is right, it absolutely raised my vibration.

And that is the point. When you feel stuck in your life, you absolutely have to look for ways to raise your vibration. Having vision boards, gratitude journals and the like are completely ineffective if they are not raising your vibrational state. At a lower vibration, you simply do not have access to all of the resources that you have at a higher level e.g. the guidance and intuition that will lead you to your manifestation. You can focus all that you want to and try to feel good, but it is dealing directly with your vibration that is going to help your grand vision to manifest. Whenever I sit down at my Mac to do work, I actually feel inspired by all the things that are possible, not just because it is a computer but because it is actually quite beautiful. Not quite like a thing from nature, but you catch my drift.

So, if you are wondering why something isn’t manifesting, it’s time to start working with your vibration directly. So, here are 5 of my favourite ways to raise my vibration in the moment (that could work for you…):

• Music – live music is especially good when you can ride the vibe of the crowd. However, whatever music inspires you is good. Classical music has a pure, beautiful vibe that cleanses and harmonises the upper chakras. Sometimes a good kick of storming rock music to power up the lower chakras is just what’s needed. Whole Lotta Rosie, anyone??
• Nature – this works for me every time. I go for a walk in my local wood and it grounds me and calms me instantly and I feel the energetic shift. For you, it might be as simple as simple as getting your fingers into the earth.
• Meditation – yes, it did have to be here somewhere. I am not a natural meditator by any stretch, but I find that when I don’t I get really antsy and anxious. It is great to find one form of meditation that works for you and stick with it, but for those days that I just can’t settle down I like to use guided mediations by Cheryl Richardson and Sonia Choquette. Even escaping outdoors or to the little room for 5 minutes of quiet can really help.
• Dancing or Jumping – well, many say exercise but that sounds too much like hard work to me. I love to go crazy and dance to loud music (usually in the privacy of my own home!) and I really like to let myself go. It loosens all the tension and I usually end up in a heap on the floor laughing so hard that my sides are aching. Sometimes just jumping up and down does it for me as well…reminds me of being on a trampoline or my bed when I was 7.
• Laughter – often is the best medicine, preferably with other people. Just force yourself to laugh for 15 seconds and you will soon find that you are laughing pretty spontaneously. And, if you need something specific to laugh at, there is bound to be something for your taste on youtube.

Or you could also go and buy an Apple product…!