SGM Dec. 2012 Bonus Weekly Message: “How Passion and Connections Empower Your Dream”
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Welcome back to the December 2012 Edition of Spiritual Growth Monthly. I’m Kevin Schoeninger. It’s great to have you with us!
This month, we’ve been following the Path of Manifestation down through your chakras to bring something you truly desire into reality in your life. Yet, how many times have you had good intentions to do, be, or create something new, only to see your project fizzle within days or weeks? You know what they say about that road paved with good intentions—among other things, it’s missing heart.
If you want to overcome living the “same ole story” in your life, you’re going to need the fuel of passion and the resources, guidance, and support of relationships to empower your Dream. So, this week we add the energy and connections found through your fourth chakra, your Heart Center, to your Path of Manifestation. Your Heart is a powerful bridge from all those great ideas you have above your neck into the concrete realities you want in your real life. Through your heart chakra, you learn how to enliven your Dream with the real world power of love and relationships. So, here’s:
Step 1: Get passionate about your Dream.
The fuel of your Dream is passion. If you want to grow something new in your life, you’ve got to want it above other things you could be putting your time and energy into. To do that, stoke your heart’s fire by getting real clear on what you love about your dream. Your passion for your dream is what makes it a force that extends beyond your mind into the world at large. For your dream to become real, every aspect of it must resonate in your heart.
So, to begin today, I suggest you follow Judith and Goodman’s advice in “Creating on Purpose” (p.140, COP) and make a list of everything that you love about your dream, about what you want to create, about what you want to change or grow right now in your life. First, call to mind the story you told about your Dream Vision last week—the picture of where you want to go and the three steps that you described as goals on the way to that result. Then, write down everything you love about that end result and your path to it. Go ahead and take a few minutes to do that now. . .
Step 2: Understand how your dream serves others, too.
O.K. now that you are “feeling the love” for what you want to grow in your life, it’s time to extend it beyond yourself. You see, no matter what you want to create, it will have an impact on those around you. When you create something that’s truly good for you, it’s good for everyone around you. So, the next step is to imagine how what you want to create will benefit others. As Judith and Goodman say, “If your dream does not serve the whole of life in some way, then the energy behind it will be limited.” (p.140, COP) “What serves the greater good puts the wind in your sails.” (p.141, COP)
Even if what you want to do or where you want to go seems to be “just for you,” you will influence others along your way there. For example, if you are exercising, meditating, quitting smoking, losing weight, creating art, or building a business, you will be talking about what you are doing to others and you will be demonstrating it in your life—you will be showing all of us what is possible—and that’s a powerful influence.
So, take a moment to imagine how your Dream, your Vision, or your project will influence and serve those around you. Write down three to five ways that what you want to do will have a positive impact on others. . .
Step 3: Give and Receive.
Besides influencing others by what you’re doing, you’ll also need support, guidance, and resources from others to help you arrive where you want to be. To bring your Dream to fruition involves giving and receiving. It requires a number of relationships and exchanges.
You may have thought of your project more as a solitary effort or in terms of “what you need to do.” However, your dream will really take off as you think in terms of relationships, reciprocity, and how what you want to do facilitates the type of giving and receiving you want to grow in the world. To get that ball rolling, think of how you can give what you would like to receive, whether that’s support, guidance, or resources.
Then be open to receiving what you need from others. This will break you out from any tendency to think you are doing this all alone or that it’s all up to you. It will check any tendency to think you aren’t worthy, capable, or deserving of what you desire.
Our lives happen in relationship—with ourselves, each other, the planet, and beyond. Nothing happens outside the context of relationship. Take a moment to imagine ways you can “give and receive” as you take action toward your desired end result. Write down three to five exchanges that will grow your Dream into reality. . .
Step 4: Create a network around your Dream.
Now, as you contemplated relationships, you likely thought of people you already know and how you can engage with them. That’s a great start. Now, it’s time to expand beyond that and build a larger network. Ask yourself, “Who would it be good to know or meet to move forward with my project?”
Who has done what you’d like to do that you could learn from? Who has resources that you need?
Who would benefit from what you want to do that you could include? Who could you teach or reach along the way?
Brainstorm three to five ways that you can expand your network and touch more people with your Dream Project and write them down. . .
Step 5: Contribute to the Greater Good.
Finally, consider the Greater Good of all beings touched by your Dream. How does what you want to do increase the amount of Good, Love, and Beauty in the world? Think of what you want to create as your contribution to the global network. Think of your life as a work of art and the world as your canvas. How does what you want to create build a better world? How can you make a positive difference for all beings touched by your project?
Keep in mind that even the thoughts you hold in your mind and the feelings you hold in your heart, as well as the actions you take in the world, affect everyone on some level. We live as a collective consciousness, which means that all of our thoughts, feelings, and actions affect everyone. How can you honor that responsibility as you pursue your dream? Imagine three to five ways your dream could increase the Good, Love, and Beauty in the world and write them down. . .
I believe that part of what we are being called to do in this New Era is to understand our lives in the context of relationships rather than simply personal gain. As we learn how to do that, our Dreams expand way beyond what we previously thought possible.
I’d love to hear any insights you receive as you go through the five steps above to activate your heart chakra and empower your Dream.
We all need what you have to offer,
Kevin