Visualizing is using your imagination to create a new reality. It means mentally giving form to ideas with our inner senses. Most people use their inner eye for this process, they translate their ideas into mental pictures and that's why imagining is often called visualization. But you can also use inner hearing, -smell, -taste, -feeling or a combination of the inner senses to envision your new reality. Creative visualization is something else than day-dreaming. Day-dreaming is a mental flight from reality; you know that the pictures your mind show you are no reality, and you have no intention to give your fantasy the energy needed to make it come true. In creative visualization however we make consciously use of our ability to imagine a new reality, and we make it come true by the power of will, focus, passion, desire, belief and repetition. In a visualization you are the main character of the movie (and good actors don't just play their part, but completely become the character they play) while in day-dreaming you are a spectator. The technique is simple: relax, close your eyes and make a mental image of your desired new reality. Some people can make very clear inner pictures, and many cannot. That's okay, simply use your mind power to form your imagination. Start with envisioning a basic idea, let's say a wished vacation at the seashore. If your mind does not spontaneously come up with an image, ask yourself questions in relationship to your visualization. Like: what is the weather like, how does the sea look, can I hear the waves or sea-gulls, are there any dolphins, how is my hotel like, what do I do there, what is the temperature of the water, who do I meet there, etc. If you do this concentrated you will notice that bit by bit an overall impression is formed, consisting of elements you see, hear, smell, taste and maybe feel (like the heat of the sun on your skin). Make your visualization as real as you can, BE your imagination. If your mind comes up with something you don't like, change it right away into something you do appreciate. This is your new reality in motion. Practice visualization on a regular base, daily or more often. When you become more experienced you'll notice that it is also possible to visualize with your eyes open during daily occupations. Now this is very handy, because while doing something you can envision that you do it in a splendid way, what will improve your actions. Over the last years these insights are implemented in top sports: while running the athlete imagines that he runs very hard and effortless and he sees himself winning the first prize. You could for instance consider visualization when giving a speech or during another public performance, applying for a job (see yourself getting it and being offered a good salary), or when making a deal. Another possibility of visualization is asking your sub consciousness to give you information by showing it to you. If you are having a head-ache for instance, you could try to find out this way why you have it. And next visualize a big beautiful rose or a blue globe that absorbs your head-ache and dissolves with it into the Universe. Visualization techniques are often used in meditation. Here they are mainly used to harmonize and raise your energy, clear and protect your aura, make contact with spiritual guides and explore inner realms. Visualization is very important in most magical practices. A basic rule in visualization is this: imagine the reality you wish to achieve as vividly as possible and from the inner knowing that it will appear into your physical reality. So: if you are ill: visualize yourself in perfect health and feeling good and happy if you weigh too much: see the new slim and beautiful you, and feel how attractive you are if you want another house: visualize the house of your dreams in the wished surroundings if you want better relationships: form a picture of it and feel your happiness in the new situation. Don't set a time table for the Universe and enjoy your steps in bringing an inward world out. Creative visualization Whatever you ardently desire, Sincerely believe in, Vividly imagine, and Enthusiastically act upon, Must inevitably come to pass. What is Creative Visualization? Creative visualization is the technique of using your imagination to create what you want in your life. In the past many of us have used our power of creative visualization in a relatively unconscious way. Because of our own deep-seated negative concepts about life, we have automatically and unconsciously expected and imagined lack, limitation, difficulties, and problems to be our lot in life. It should be noted that this technique cannot be used to "control" the behavior of others or cause them to do something against their will. Whatever you try to create for another will always boomerang back to you. That includes both loving, helpful, or healing actions and negative, destructive ones. To use creative visualization it is not necessary to believe in any metaphysical or spiritual ideas. It is not necessary to "have faith" in any power but yourself. Creative visualization is magic in the truest and highest meaning of the word. Magic: Understanding and aligning yourself with the natural principles that govern the workings of our universe, and learning to use these principles in the most conscious and creative way. How Creative Visualization Works In order to understand how Creative Visualization works, it's useful to look at several interrelated principles: The physical universe is energy Energy is magnetic (like attracts like) Form (physical energy) follows idea (mental energy) Whatever you put out to the universe will be reflected back to you Four Basic Steps for Effective Creative Visualization: Set your goal Create a clear idea or picture Focus on it often Give it positive energy Continue to work with this process until you achieve your goal, or no longer have the desire to do so. Remember that goals often change before they are realized. If you lose interest it may mean that it's time for a new look at what you want. Affirmations: Affirmations are one of the most important elements of creative visualization. An affirmation is a strong, positive statement that something is already so. It is a way of "making firm" that which you are imaging. The practice of doing affirmations allows us to begin replacing some of our stale, worn out, or negative mind chatter with more positive ideas and concepts. It is a powerful technique, one that can in a short time completely transform our attitudes and expectations about life, and thereby totally change what we create for ourselves. An affirmation can be any positive statement: Everything I need is already within me. The universe is unfolding perfectly. All things are now working together for good in my life. I love and appreciate myself. Here are some important things to remember: Always phrase affirmations in the present tense. Always phrase affirmations in the most positive way you can. In general, the shorter and simpler the better. Always use affirmations that feel totally right for you. Always remember that you are creating something new, not trying to redo or change what already exists, which would create conflict. Affirmations are not meant to contradict or try to change your feelings or emotions, even the so-called "negative" ones. Temporarily suspend your doubts and hesitations, and put your full mental and emotional energy into your affirmations. When you are coming out of the empty, grasping, manipulative condition, the first and foremost lesson to be learned is to just let go. You must relax, stop struggling, stop trying so hard, stop manipulating things and people to try to get what you want and need. In fact, just stop doing so much and have an experience of just being for awhile. When you do this, you suddenly discover that you're really perfectly okay, just letting yourself be, and letting the world be. You begin to want to focus your energy toward the highest and most fulfilling goals that are real for you at any given moment. Being, Doing, and Having Often people try to live their lives backwards: They try to have more things in order to do more of what they want, so that they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do in order to have what you want. Three Necessary Elements: Desire - a clear, strong sense of purpose Belief - that it can exist, and that it can exist for you Acceptance - are you willing to have it completely (pro and con)? Going With the Flow: The only effective way to use creative visualization is "going with the flow." That means that you don't have to "effort" to get where you want to go; you simply put it out clearly to the universe where you would like to go, and then patiently and harmoniously follow the flow of the river of life until it takes you there. Going with the flow means holding onto your goals lightly (even though they may seem very important) and being willing to change them if something better comes along. Going with the flow is the balance between keeping your destination clearly in mind, and yet also enjoying all the beautiful scenes along the way, and even being willing to change your destination if life starts carrying you in a better direction. The only successful manifestation is one which brings about a change or growth in consciousness; that is, it has manifested God/or Goddess, or revealed it more fully, as well as having manifested a form... Accepting Your Good: In order to use creative visualization to create what you want in life, you must be willing and able to accept the best that life has to offer you - your "good." Many of us have difficulty accepting the possibility of having what we want in life. This usually stems from some basic feelings of unworthiness which we took on at a very early age. Affirmations and creative visualization are a wonderful way of creating a more positive and loving self-image. First, it lets you accept and love yourself as you are. Second, it lets you start creating yourself as you want to be. Prosperity Programming: A very important part of the whole creative visualization process is prosperity programming. This means having the understanding, or consciously taking the point of view, that the universe is totally abundant...it is a cornucopia of everything that your heart could ever desire, both on the material plane and on emotional, mental, and spiritual planes as well. One of the most common causes of failing to get what you want is "scarcity programming." The truth about this earth is that it is an infinitely good, beautiful, nourishing place to be. The only "evil" comes from lack of understanding of this truth. Evil (ignorance) is like a shadow - it has no real substance of its own, it is simple a lack of light. You cannot cause a shadow to disappear by trying to fight it - you must shine a light on it. Unless you can create a context that the world is a good place to be that can potentially work for everyone, you will experience difficulty in creating what you want in your personal life. Out flowing: Another key principle is that of giving, or "out flowing." Once we begin to accept the goodness of the universe, we naturally want to share it as well, realizing that as we give out of our energy, we make space for more to flow into us. When through insecurity we try to hold onto what we have, we begin to cut off this wonderful flow of energy. Energy takes many forms, such as love, affection, appreciation and recognition, material possessions, money, friendship, etc., and the principles apply equally to all these forms. A Simple Exercise in Creative Visualization: First, think of something you would like. It might be an object you would like to have, an event you would like to happen, a situation in which you'd like to find yourself, or some circumstance in your life you'd like to improve. Get in a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down, in a quiet place where you won't be disturbed. Relax your body completely. Breathe slowly and deeply. Count down slowly from 10 to 1, feeling yourself getting more deeply relaxed with each count. When you feel deeply relaxed, start to imagine the thing you want exactly as you would like it. You may imagine what people are saying, or any details that make it more real to you. You may take a relatively short time or quite a few minutes to imagine this - whatever feels best for you. It should be a thoroughly enjoyable experience, like a child daydreaming. Now keeping the idea or image still in your mid, mentally make some very positive, affirmative statement about it. Always end your visualization with a firm statement to yourself: This, or something better, now manifests for me in totally satisfying and harmonious ways, for the highest good of all concerned. This leaves room for something different and even better than you originally envisioned to happen, and serves as a reminder to you that this process only functions for the mutual benefit of all. If doubts or contradictory thoughts arise, don't resist them or try to prevent them. This will tend to give them a power they don't otherwise have. Just let them flow through your consciousness and return to your positive statements and images. It's Important to Relax: It's important to relax deeply when you are first learning to use creative visualization. When your body and mind are deeply relaxed, your brain wave pattern actually changes. This deeper, slower level is commonly called alpha level, which has been found to be a very healthful state of consciousness. It has also been found to be far more effective than the more active beta level in creating real changes in the so-called objective world, through the use of visualization. It is especially good to do creative visualization at night just before sleeping, or in the morning just after awakening, because at those times the mind and body are often already deeply relaxed and receptive. In addition, a short period of relaxation and creative visualization done at mid-day will relax and renew you, and cause your day to flow more smoothly. Discovering Our Higher Purpose: A basic need of all human beings is to make a positive contribution to the world and to our fellow beings, as well as to improve and enjoy our personal lives. We all have a great deal to offer the world and to each other, each in our own special and unique way. To a great degree, our own personal sense of well being is a function of how much we are expressing this. We each have a significant contribution to make in this lifetime. I call this contribution our higher purpose. It always involves being yourself totally, completely, and naturally, and doing something or many things that you genuinely love to do, and that come easily to you. We all know in our hearts what our higher purpose is, but we often do not consciously acknowledge it, even to ourselves. In fact, most people seem to go to great lengths to hide it from themselves and from the world. They fear and seek to avoid the power, responsibility, and light that comes with acknowledging and expressing their true purpose in life. You will find in using creative visualization that your ability to manifest will work to the degree that you are in alignment with your higher purpose. If you try to manifest something and it doesn't seem to work, it may not be appropriate to the underlying pattern and meaning of your life. Be patient and keep tuning into your inner guidance. In retrospect you will see that everything is unfolding perfectly. I have proven to myself that one can visualize what one wants into reality. Sometimes this process takes time, much time, as in years, but it generally works. Robert Taylor of the Success Training Academy and Julia Jablonski of the Psychic Journal, say: "The main concept we have to remember is that what we believe, we attract into our lives. If we believe we are always ill, we will be. If we believe we are healthy, then it is what will manifest into our lives. There is Power in Belief. If you work with it, you open doors to a limitless dimension! There are natural spiritual laws that govern our power to create what we want in our lives. With the metaphysical law of attraction in mind, obviously you want to be very positive and optimistic in your outlook so that you will attract those developments in your life. This is much more than just 'positive thinking.' Creative visualization is a process that changes our lives by creating images in our minds that ultimately become reality. These images are first just anticipation, but they quickly become an expectation, and finally an intrinsic belief. Over time you 'know' that this will become a reality in your life. Since you are creating your life every day, you are also creating your future. "As human beings we are both living magnets and power sources of human energy-a yin and yang in oriental thinking. We radiate out our unique energy, and we attract into our lives those people and circumstances that are in tune with our unique thoughts. You attract to yourself what you radiate out from yourself, whether it is positive or negative. "What a person thinks about all the time is attracted into his life. Someone who is passionately consumed with a belief or concept is a person who will have that preoccupation become a reality in his or her life. "It is your 'self' that determines your fate and nothing and no one else. The self-determination you feel within gives you the strength to overcome all the obstacles you will face in life. You must take personal responsibility for your actions and the results in your life. Your "self" must become strong and determined. You succeed through self-determination. "Whatever you believe with absolute conviction and confidently expect to happen becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and will become a reality in your life. Most important are your convictions and expectations. If you believe something with absolute conviction, you also expect it to become true. There is a powerful force in your will to succeed. You will instinctively take the appropriate actions that will bring about the results you reverently desire. "Getting deeply into the feeling state you desire is what works the magic." I will walk you through the process here. First, figure out what you really want. It needs to be something tangible, as opposed to something like attention or affection from another person. Changing the actions of another person is beyond anyone's scope, all we can control are our own attitudes and actions. Keep your desire positive, because wishing harm or misfortune on someone else is unethical in a psychic sense. Examples of visualization of items would be a brand new vehicle or a six figure bank account. Next, make sure that you are very specific about what you want. Merely wanting any new vehicle or to hold a check for $100,000.00 might come literally true for you. A new to you clunker that won't run a mile or passing a check for that sum to someone else might be the literal manifestations of an unclear focus. You need to specifically see this item in your world, as in a shiny new car (make and color of your choice) in your driveway or those six figures in your passbook for your bank or a certain item in a place of your choice in your home. Next train your mind to daydream about this item when it wanders or drifts from whatever you are concentrating on. This is very important, to think as often as possible about the impact this specific item will have on your life. The average length of daydreams is only 14 seconds, and many are 5 seconds or less. Men and women spend about the same amount of time during the day daydreaming. So put this time to work for yourself. Some experts suggest cutting out pictures of what you are striving for or burning ritual candles, but I have never had go to those lengths to achieve my "wants". Make a habit of talking about this item to yourself within the silent dialogue that is usually running within your mind. Never loose faith, but believe that you will achieve this seemingly impossible goal. Of course this item is not going to fall out of the sky into your life, so whatever opportunities that might perhaps lead you toward the goal, grasp them. When one pathway seems blocked or your efforts appear futile, tackle the steps that might lead to your fulfillment from a different direction. Tell folks that you trust about your "want" and your methods of visualizing it into reality. Maintaining a positive attitude and faith in your self are crucial to achieving what you want. If at all possible, do without what you are visualizing rather than settle for second best. A partial fulfillment of your "want" can cause you to loose focus and not put the necessary energy into realizing/constructing your dream. Dr. Gary Emery, a UCLA psychologist, suggests these tips about how to make your daydreams realize your goals: "Realize that daydreams are important, and not a waste of time. 'They are visions of how we want things to be. They give us hope. Many of man's great achievements came from people who dared to turn their day dreams into reality.' "Dream the impossible dream. 'Don't squelch your imagination, no matter how far-fetched or ridiculous your daydream may seem. Let your mind run free and produce goal oriented daydreams.' "Psychologists say daydreaming can be an effective way to initiate positive life changes. Imagining goals for example, can be the first step toward making them come true." So, get started by specifically choosing what you want to have as a reality in your life and then visualize and dream about it. This is the best descriptive lesson anyone could give on Manifesting your desires for anything you want out of life. I am living proof that it is possible. I have used this technique all my life! Vicki DaBronzo, member of LDTF |
| ~Visualization~ "See things as you would have them instead of as they are." Robert Collier "Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal." Pamela Vaull Starr |