The ignorant man asks for material possessions, the intelligent man asks for enlightenment but the wise man just loves and receives everything
We all have desires. In fact wants and then don’t wants are regularly popping in and our of our heads. But how often do we stop and ask ourselves what we do really, really want and even then, how much of the time are we really sure?
What we put our attention on grows, it’s a technique for manifestation we’ll discuss later, so it’s very important to make sure our desires are inline with our life’s goals or we just might end up with a lot of unnecessary things or uncomfortable situations.
There’s the story of the man who had everything materially and one day decided that he needed to find God. His friends told him that he wouldn’t find God in the US, he would have to go to India. So he took a flight to Delhi, got off the plane and told a taxi driver he was there to find God. The taxi driver said that God wasn’t in Delhi but he would take him to Rishikesh, that’s where the Beatles went. When the man reached Rishikesh, he jumped out of the taxi and rushed up to the first holy looking person he saw. “I’m here to find God”, he said. “You’ll need to go up into the mountains”, said the holy looking person, “That’s where God is, follow that trail”. So off the man went, following the trail up into the mountains. As he climbed higher, the trail became narrower, the sun set and it became night. The man struggled on in darkness, he had to find God. Then suddenly he stumbled, slipped and began rolling down the mountain side, into the black abyss. Fortunately, his coat caught on a branch and he hung there, dangling in the darkness. “Help, help”, he cried. “Just let go”, came a loud voice from the darkness. “Who’s there”, asked the man timidly. “This is God, just let go”, replied the voice. The man thought for a moment and then shouted, “Is there anyone else there?”
Freewill
If you ask people if they have freewill to choose the life they want, most of them will tell you yes. However, how much freewill do we actually have? How many of our desires are just repetitions of past memories or a result social conditioning. Most people’s lives are governed by past actions and memories. We call this the software of the soul, the program that runs our lives. We do an action, which creates a memory, which leads to a desire and then a future action to fulfill the desire. Even though we think we have freewill, most of the time we are following these same patterns over and over again. We’re like the hamster on its treadwheel, running faster and faster, thinking it’s getting somewhere, when in fact it’s just going round and round. This is limited possibilities. The desires we have and therefore the lives we create for ourselves, are limited by the past.
Meditation is the tool which allows us to escape from this self-created prison of the past. All memories are in the thinking process. Meditation allows us to transcend or go beyond thoughts. It gives us access to a field of infinite possibilities. Through a regular meditation practice, we can begin to step out of limitations, to desire the life we truly deserve.
Soul Profile
Knowing that we can desire anything is very freeing but can also be confusing. Now we’re spoilt for choice. How do we know what is correct for us? I suggest finding somewhere quiet and answering the following questions, to create a simple profile of your deeper self, we can call this your Soul Profile. Some answers may change with time so look through the questions again, periodically.
- What makes me joyful?
- What is my purpose for being here?
- What would I like to contribute to the world?
- Who are my roles models?
- What kind of relationship nurtures me?
- What can I offer others in relationships?
- What are my unique talents?
- What qualities do I admire in others?
- How did I feel at the peak moments in my life?
- What kind of world do I want to live in?
- What can I do to serve humanity?
Of course it’s still okay to have desires for material possessions, relationships, etc., but the answers to these questions will help guide us on our spiritual journey. We’ll also find that as we move forward with our spiritual goals, our other desires will automatically begin to support our journey. Our whole life begins to reflect our spiritual journey.
However, before we look at the steps to manifest our desires, the Vedas caution us not to be greedy or over indulgent, which it says leads to instability, chaos, confusion, delusion, mental weakness, addictions and illness (mental and physical).
Steps for Fulfilling our Desires
Asking for Guidance
The heart is more refined and closer to our source than our mind, which easily gets confused and filled with doubts.
Sit quietly, close your eyes and bring your awareness into your heart center, in the middle of your chest. Ask, “What do I really, really want, what does my soul yearn for?” and then just listen, Try not to judge or evaluate, just listen to the message from your heart.
This doesn’t mean you should abandon your common sense and the rational mind but always remember that first impulse from your heart, this is your Higher Self talking.
You can also ask for advice from friends and experts but be careful to only ask those who can support your goals
Attention
Now we bring our attention to the area we want to change or where we want the desire to manifest. By bringing our attention to something, we are focusing energy in that area.
Intention
With your attention set, express your desire in a simple phrase or sentence. This gives direction to the energy, it activates the energy to begin manifesting your desire. Here it’s important to make sure you are desiring what you want and not what you don’t want. As we’ve said, what you put your attention on grows. For example, rather than desiring for the pain in your knee to go away and thereby focusing on the pain, desire to be able to run and jump and dance freely.
Releasing
The next step is to release our desire to the Universe. This is best done at the beginning or end of your meditation practice or just before you go to sleep at night. This is when we are closest to our source. With your attention set, silently repeat the desire and then let it settle back into the silence. This is like planting the seed of the desire in the silent field of Infinite Organizing Power.
Detaching from the Outcome
Now we let the Universe handle the details. If we remain attached to the outcome of a desire, we limit the possibilities to one outcome. Detaching is like saying, “This is what I think I want but, if there’s something better, please send that along instead”. The Vedas say, Desiring for the fruit of an action implies lack of faith in the Divine’s willingness to give all.
Patience
In todays world, it’s easy to want instant gratification but remember in your essence you are eternal. Nature moves in rhythms and cycles, everything has its season. By rushing things, we often end up with something of lesser value. Trust and allow the Universe to unfold its perfection. Again from the Vedas, When we use our power righteously, all good things flow to us.
Acceptance
The the moment is always perfect. Sometimes we have to accept that the Universe knows best and recognize that sometimes it has greater plans for us. Accepting the present moment allows us to see the opportunities and create our perfect future.
Fulfillment
Enjoy the bounty that manifests every day.
Finally, our ultimate goal is to be able to spontaneously fulfill all our desires. This can only happen when we enter higher states of consciousness. Here we are totally in harmony with all the laws of nature. There is no longer any need for desire as everything we could possibly want is presented to us at exactly the right time and place. To return to the statement at the beginning of this article, when our life and motivation is completely centered around love, everything wonderful spontaneously flows to us.