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Tonight was the weekly manifestation class at Modern Zen (the building formerly known as Griffin's Loft). This is a class that seems - by its very nature - to work best when I am not prepping and when I haven't read fifty theories and nine thousand books on Manifestation and Creation (which to me sounds an awful lot like Manifestation in motion -- just letting it be). I thought I'd take the bull by the horns tonight and actually prep - i.e. -- discuss notes and theory.

See, I recently went to the library looking for books on spirituality, on manifestation, even on being present. I came away with an armful of books (the same armful I mentioned in the July 1st post), determined to Learn More About Manifestation.

Riiiiiighhhht.

Here's what happened. I remembered that I knew a lot more than I thought I did. I also learned that at some point, manifestation links into many, many ideas of spiritual surrender.

1. Thoughts Create Beliefs Create Action


2. Letting Go Will Help You On Many Levels


3. In Letting Go, We Can Only Control Ourselves


4. In the space of "Letting Go", create.

• How do you know you're manifesting what you need?

Someone asked a really great question tonight. "I want to do X thing. How do I know if I am on the path?"

By how you feel. If everytime you think about X thing, about YOU being in this situation, purely, you feel awesome and amazing and want to dance in your shoes and kiss small puppy dogs, then this is GOOD. If , on the other hand, merely thinking about X situation makes you feel drained, unhappy, or angry, then maybe this is not really something you want to do.

• Feelings are facts.

My mom used to throw this one at me and I used to look at her like she was insane. "What do you mean feelings are facts?" I would say. "Facts are facts." Well, mom really meant that feelings show where you are in the middle of a situation. How you feel often shows you what your needs are or are not. Where are you? What is happening for you? It's a biggie.

• "Good feels Good" -- Esther Hicks

I love this one.  Look at that. Good feels good. Was there ever so simple a statement?

That's it? Centuries of people being taught that pleasure of any kind means surefire damnation?

All of us, going forth, thinking that if we reaaaaalllly roll around in pleasure and catnip, the great hand of Big External Force (and sometimes Big Mamma or Papa SuperEgo) will destroy us in a blazing fire?

Think about all the ways society teaches us to put this aside. Don't have too much fun. Have a good time, but after that, come back in because supper's on the table. Good feels good. Let's start there. Good feels like alignment. Good feels like being with yourself. Good feels like whole. Good feels good. Brilliant.

• Negative Manifestation: "I was waiting for the other shoe to drop"?

Does the Universe ever wear shoes? Shoes are there to move us from point A to point Z. They are not there to hinder me, or you, or to drop into our existence and end what was, up until that point, a perfectly lovely time. This reminds me of that Monty Python sketch about The Hand of God.

• Are there any absolutes? (Or, Oh My God, I'm the Teacher.)

I love teaching. I love it. I love connecting with people. I also find myself coming up against the 'image' of a Teacher Who Needs To Know Everything, Ever, About Manifestation. In general, I must have all the answers for you, my student. Some days I believe this. (Those are the days where my beagle looks at me like "Weren't you questioning that five minutes ago?" She's right. She's a smart beagle.)

I walked into class tonight and basically said, "Look, I am your teacher and right now I'm having a small crisis of faith around what that means. It does not mean I know all the answers." I have no idea. The truth is that I know what I have read and studied, and what has worked for me, and what I have seen.

I am also learning about manifestation and some days I break all the rules of it (clamping down, clenching down) five times before I'm out of bed. I'm human. It happens. Sometimes I let go and am able to create and pull things to me in all kinds of awesome wonderful ways. Often, I am able to let go and create more and more. That's fun and wonderful.

• In Class: Manifestation Fortune Cookies

Tonight we did Manifestation Fortune Cookies. I passed around a small bag and every person pulled out a quote on manifestation. Weirdly (or actually, Purely Manifested!!!), every person seemed to draw the exact fortune that somehow mirrored something they had expressed during the class. Perfect. Total Manifestation at work.

Manifestation is faith is creation is God/Source/Divine/Us is letting go. It's all tied up somehow. It's one weird golden thread where all of it -- - becomes something we can hold on to and let it hold us.

Here's to being held and holding back.

G'night, all. Sleep well.