SOMATIC VISUALIZATION

How are you?

Laughter. In a state of ecstatic bliss. Of course.

Of course. Laughter. How stupid of me. I should have known.

Pause. I want to discuss something with you. Something important…Someone told me that they thought the most important concept that had been brought out in my second book, The Twelve Conditions of a Miracle, was the notion of “somatic visualization.” Actually, it was the editor that I am working with Alice Harris.

Now, this caught my attention, because she is a very sharp person. And what she indicates is that, although she understands the concept, and although she immediately recognized it as an extremely powerful technique, she is not at all clear on how to actually execute it. She says that she can’t quite figure out how to do it. And if she can’t figure out, I can only assume everyone else is having difficulties with it too.

It is hard isn’t it? At least at first. Later, when you have practiced it, it will become second nature: You won’t even have to really think about it. But I happen to know, having been in a body with the veil drawn, that performing the technique is very challenging. There is a fairly sharp learning curve that you have to get over.

But you have to do it. You don’t really have a whole lot of choice in the matter. One of the whole reasons you chose to incarnate and go through all of the things you are going through is to drive yourself to a point where it is necessary to learn this kind of sophisticated visualization. That’s what human beings do for a living. They put themselves into situations that force them to learn how to see something with their mind’s eye that is better than what they see with their physical eyes.

Why?

Because the universe, God, betters itself, recreates itself, through beings in bodies. You are at the cutting edge of creation. Creation occurs through beings like you. And you have volunteered – very enthusiastically, I might add – to be at the leading edge of creation as it unfolds.

You are at the crest of the wave as it blossoms out into nothingness. And the way that you participate, the most effective way that you participate, begins by seeing what it is that you want to happen. So this is a very good thing to discuss and I am thrilled that you have finally gotten around to asking me about the technique. Your editor is right, this is one of the most important topics we can possibly discuss.

What is the first thing that we need to know?

Well, there are several things to keep in mind before you even begin. You and your readers know these things, at some level, but it is critical to go over them before we get into the actual technique.

I have a feeling that you are going to tell me there are some inherent pitfalls to avoid. That there is a certain preliminary mindset that we should enter into before we begin to exercise the technique.

Obviously, yes. Above all, you have to first determine not what you want to visualize and create, but whether or not you should visualize and create it to begin with. This is done by at least thinking about it, by at least asking this important question: Will the thing I am going to visualize promote the higher good or not?

No one can answer that for you. As soon as you ask we will do everything to help you answer the question, but it is your responsibility, your right and your privilege as a human being with free will, to create what you want. And billions of people create things, create their own universes, their own realities, exactly as they please.

But it would certainly improve matters for everyone everywhere if more people did this responsibly. And being responsible starts by thinking about the appropriateness of what they are creating.

How do we ask?

You ask. It’s not that difficult. The point is that you try to be conscious of what you are doing and bother to at least ask.

Then we will be given the knowledge necessary to allow us to make a decision on whether to proceed or not?

Yes, always. But you have to listen and pay attention and be ready to hear the answer, ready to believe the answer. Sometimes, the answer will be, “No, what you are trying to create is not necessarily the best thing to spend your energy with.” That may be hard for you to hear.

When this happens, you will find yourself feeling unsure as to whether to proceed or not. But the feeling of uncertainty is useful and definitive, in and of itself. Use uncertainty as an automatic signal, a clear signal, if you will, that you are not to proceed.

But don’t worry. We aren’t stupid. The universe doesn’t act like an inexperienced parent telling a child to stop doing something. You know from your experience with children that this is an ineffective and destructive strategy. What is a better way to handle a child who wants to do something that is not appropriate?

To redirect their energy. To give them something else to do. Children have to do something, you can’t just tell them to stop. They’ll go crazy..

Correct. So, if you begin the visualization process by asking, by being conscious, and by listening, we will help redirect your mind so that it has somewhere to go. Somewhere better. Somewhere better for you and for all concerned.

Some of the things you want to create will end up causing you a lot of pain. That much should be obvious. And God doesn’t want you to have anymore pain than you already have. God wants you to have fun, to be free, to have a really great time and will go out of his way to help you achieve these positive states if you will just ask and pay attention.

OK. Then what?

The next thing to do is to determine whether the creation you are intending will be an attempt to change something that can be changed or something that cannot be changed. We have gone over this before but it bears repeating. In fact, it bears repeating numerous times because it is so important.

And you like the so called Serenity Prayer: Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference?

Yes, that is the crux of the matter. Laughter. Do you know who first said that?

No. Nobody knows. I believe it is “anonymous.”

Perfect. As you know we consider it highly professional to stay anonymous.

That was you?

Me and my ilk, yes. Laughter. There aren’t a whole bunch of us here. There is only one, for all practical purposes. I prefer to think of the author as “The voice of humanity.” It was you, and all your friends, and all of your nations. Doesn’t matter really. It worked, didn’t it? In fact, that is who we are. Those that you want to call angels are the voice of humanity, the intelligence of humanity, the will of humanity. Which is none other than God. I will remind you that you, angels, and God, are all the same thing deep down. They are simply different names for the same thing as it is viewed from different vantage points.

Pause. Yes, it worked. That prayer has helped many many millions of people.

So, you say that prayer and ask for the wisdom. And it will be given to you. It is always given to you. And the same concept holds for the answer you will receive: If you ask and you still aren’t sure, then you have to assume automatically that your uncertainty is a clear signal that what you are about to change is actually something you cannot change. That you are dealing with a situation that you set up, that you locked yourself into, for a specific reason in advance.

And two more things should automatically be brought into the pre creation evaluation process. From square one try as sincerely and honestly as possible to honor the concept of integral need. Before you even think about creating something do everything you can to remember that what you will create will affect the whole universe. Be as scrupulously conscious as possible to have the greater good in mind.

If you don’t start with the higher good in mind, things will become difficult later. It is very difficult, sometimes impossible to get started with a creative process and then try to tack on something later that will include the higher good.

The higher good should be the very very beginning before the seed even germinates. That way it will grow with the creation as a fully integrated organic component of the living creation. That way, the higher good will permeate the creation through and through, at all levels, and at all developmental stages. When this happens, the vast currents of the universe at large will have a vested interest in promoting and manifesting the creation.

Then we can proceed?

Well, it is not as though you ask these questions one time and then proceed, no. Think of these preliminary steps as states of consciousness to be cultivated and constantly held. Constantly return to them over and over and over. Think of them as the touchstones of creation.

Creation is not as linear as you seem to think. It is an ongoing process, a beautiful, fanciful, playful flux, that loops back upon itself, recreates itself, reevaluates itself, readjusts itself, all the time.

I understand. But at some point a new process of creation has to begin. Once we are clear in consciousness that it is appropriate to proceed, how exactly do we begin?

Well…give me an example and I will tell you how to properly begin.

Let’s take something simple…Let’s say you want a really great relationship. I chose that example because people are constantly wanting this. They either want new relationship because they don’t have one, or they want to make the one they have better. I know because when I am working as a life coach, the average client spends at least two thirds of their time talking about this. If you want to create a new relationship how do you do it via the process of somatic visualization?

The main thing to understand is that somatic visualization is simply a way of working with the universal law “ like attracts like.” Perhaps the most utilitarian way of stating this is “whatever you feel will automatically attract circumstances that will support those feelings. When you feel something using somatic visualization – assuming, of course, that you have gone through the preliminaries in the proper way and given yourself the proper authorization -- the universe will literally rearrange itself around you to support those feelings. It rearranges itself, by splitting off a new child universe.

It rearranges itself as only it can, as a radial universe. In other words, for all practical purposes, a new universe is created in which that which you are attempting to create becomes possible. This new universe splits off from all others and goes it’s own way. In this new universe, this new “child universe,” that which was impossible or improbable in the “parent universe” is now possible. It is very hard to explain to a being with neurological hardwiring designed to support survival in a perceived “linear universe,” but that’s how it is none the less.

Why is it this way? Why has the universe set itself up in this way?

Just look at yourself. You were created in the image of God, in the image of the universe. Do you like to create?

Yes.

Do your friends like to create?

Mostly, yes. Not all of them.

Then is it so hard to understand how the personality of the intelligence that creates the universe might like to create too?

Hmm…Not all people like to create though. Some are so terrified of change that they try to keep everything the same.

Laughter. And how well does that work?

Poorly at best. Everything changes for them anyway.

That’s because they are changing their own realities, splitting off their own radial universes all the time -- whether they like it or not. Just because they are afraid of change doesn’t mean they can alter the fundamental nature of the universe.

Even their fears of change create new universes. Like will attract like no matter what. The law is inexorable and absolute. So, that which they fear – in this case change – will manifest in order to support their feelings. Laughter. You cannot circumvent this principle in any way. You can’t sit there at the top of the wave and try to keep from being swept forward. The more you resist the more turbulent your ride is going to be. The best you can do is to get with the program and learn to surf and surf with joy, with verve, with passion, and with skill.

The process of somatic visualization is a way of learning to surf. You can’t change the wave and you can’t control it but you can learn to ride it, steer within it, as gracefully as possible -- and have as much fun as possible. Never forget the fun factor! Laughter.

It’s all supposed to be about fun. The wave is not there to hurt you. It is impersonal. It is the sum total of the chains, the webs, the rivers of cause and effect as they unfurl and blossom into existence. Any hurt you feel during the process is only the hurt you have created for yourself to force you to states of consciousness you would otherwise have not been able to achieve.

To continue the analogy of the surfer, hurt is what happens when you fail to steer and glide within the currents, as they exist. As you progress in skill, as you become a better surfer, you will get better at riding the currents. You will fall off your board less frequently.

What you are going to learn today will, in a sense be your surfboard – the vehicle that will allow you to ride the wave, your wave, with skill.

So. Where do we begin?

You begin with a day. A day is a period of time that you have been programmed to accept as reality. You are asleep at night and often in another reality. When you awaken the increment of your personal reality begins anew. You go through your day, the sun sets, it gets dark and you eventually fall back to sleep, back into the subconscious, the universal mind.

The day for organisms on earth is a period of time that has been programmed into your deepest self for billions of years. You carry within your very DNA the sense of the “day. All of the beings that have come before you have evolved within the period of the day. The earth has been rotating as it is now for time immemorium.

So you use the period of the day as the framework, the lattice upon which you weave your own creations.

How exactly? I want to be very specific on the exact steps that need to be taken so I can understand precisely what I need to do to get this to work.

You set out to create within your mind what can best be called “the perfect day.”
In other words, you don’t just willy nilly start visualizing things for yourself. You proceed in a very orderly way. You visualize what it will be like from the time you will awaken in the morning to the time you will go to sleep at night.

When you can do this, when you can see this perfect day, and feel what this day will be like, your new radial universe will begin to bud from the stem of the universe you currently find yourself within.

Is this something that is done mentally?

Mentation is involved but there is a lot more to it. Certainly you will have to think to get the job done, but there is more. Writing your plan down is essential.

Remember, thought is the first level of manifestation. Putting your thoughts into words is the second level. Speaking the words involved is the third. Writing them down is the fourth level.

When you write your plan down, it congeals, crystallizes. A purely mental plan is fluid. It can change. It can dissolve in sea of doubts and distractions. A written plan, by contrast, will remain solid and stable. Even when you are plagued by doubts – and you will be, of course – the words on the paper will stay the same. They will therefore function as an anchor that will keep you focused.

We will talk about how to handle doubts a little later. Failing to address the issue of doubts would be naïve. So you will need very specific techniques and guidelines to work with them. Note that I said “with them.” Not against them. Your doubts and fears and anxieties and distractions are part of the wave. You don’t want to fight against them. You just need to learn how to surf lightly on top of them as they crest and roll with the rest of the wave.

That’s do-able?

Sure. You haven’t been placed – or rather you haven’t placed yourself – into a milieu change and creation without any tools to deal with it. Handling doubt and fear is well within the reach of any sincere conscious being. In fact, as you will see, it will be a lot easier than you might think. Because “you” – the little you – won’t have to do the work. The little you doesn’t have the muscle it will take to deal with your fears and doubts. For the most part, they are far too powerful for you to handle. You will learn how to hand them off to a higher power that does have the muscle.

OK. Back to the perfect day. How specifically do we begin? And if I might be so bold to ask, would you consider giving me the instructions for the technique as a series of numbered steps?

Not at all. Numbered steps can make the learning process easier.

Step one, ask whether what you are considering as a creation is appropriate or not. Ask whether it is something you should be creating or not. Then listen for the answer.

Step two, determine whether your creation will be an attempt to change something which cannot be changed or something that can be changed. Then listen for the answer. And remember: If, after asking, you still can’t tell, use your uncertainty as a sign that you have come up against something that cannot be changed.

Step three, begin consciously thinking about how your creation will integrate with the greater good, how it will become an organic and valuable part of the overall wave of creation as it flows towards a state of love and compassion.

Please, whatever you do, don’t skip this step or try to gloss over it in a superficial way. You are setting yourself up for failure if you do. You can’t fake this part. The universe knows. Begin by considering the higher good and, as you proceed, continue to keep it in your thoughts.

If you set up your creation so that it is an authentic part of the greater wave, the power you will harness will be beyond comprehension.

Step four? Get out a piece of paper and your favorite writing instrument. You asked me to be specific. This is specific. The most powerful thing you can own is a blank piece of paper. You know that.

Step five, close your eyes, your physical eyes and imagine what it will be like to wake up in the day that will be perfect for you.

Be specific, and be very sensual. Use all your senses. You are going to write in the same way as any good creative writer.

You mean, use all the senses? Describe things in such a way that you include sight, sounds, smell, touch, and taste -- the things all writers learn in basic writing classes?

Yes. Except you will not be writing for someone else. You will be the reader.
Now, you will have to pick an example of something that you want to create and I will walk you through the process.

How about a relationship? Everybody is constantly asking me about this.

Too complicated for right now. That deserves an entire section of its own. Give me something a little more basic.

OK. How about a job? How would you go about creating a job?

Be specific? What job?

Pause. Let’s say I wanted to be a healer, a therapist. A lot of people I speak with hold this as a treasured dream.

Fine. You’re asleep and you wake up. Now, describe the room where you are waking up. Describe how the room feels. What does the bed feel like? What sounds are coming through the window. Who are you waking up with if anyone? What does it smell like?

What does smell have to do with it? I can’t figure out what smell is associated with the job of “healer.”

The smell doesn’t have to be associated with the job. But you have to have some smell.

Why? That seems odd.

Because smell – and taste – are the most ancient of the senses. Even one celled organisms have smell and taste. These are the ways an organism senses fundamental chemical changes in its environment. All organisms that have proceeded you, from which you have evolved, have used smell and taste to survive. To move toward areas which have nourishment and away from areas that are dangerous.

Because these chemical senses are so ancient they are hardwired into the most ancient areas of the brain. When they are brought into the process of somatic visualization the brain begins to experience a very palpable and concrete “reality.”

I smell the lilacs in bloom outside the window. I smell the clean sheets. I smell coffee brewing in the kitchen.

Good. Now you’re getting it. The brain can hang its hat, so to speak, on those kinds of sensory images. You are begging to create a world within which your job can exist.

Now. Remember: This is a perfect day. Don’t limit yourself in any way shape or form. What do you eat on this perfect day as a healer.

I eat a perfect meal, I guess.

And? What is that perfect meal like? It is an integral part of healing right. If you are going to heal people, you want to be healthy yourself. Describe how the meal looks, how it smells, how it tastes. Be lavish. Be creative. Be specific. Be very sensual. Make the meal luxurious and incredibly delicious. See the kitchen. See the view from the window where you will be on this day. Feel the specific clothes that you will wear to work. Feel the sun shining through the window onto your skin. Hear the sounds of the conversation you will have at breakfast. Hear the words, hear the birds chirping outside.

Be detailed. Build this world. Build it brick by specific brick. Enjoy yourself. Be generous and lavish and playful and outlandish. Don’t limit yourself.

And here is the most important thing of all. The magic breath that will blow life into the whole creation: Imagine how the whole thing will feel, how you will feel, experiencing the sum total of these sensory impressions. How do you feel waking up? How do you feel eating that breakfast before work?

I feel excited when I wake up. I feel that sense of bubbling excitement I felt as a child when I woke up on Christmas morning. That something extremely pleasant is awaiting me. When I awaken, I am still sleepy and I can’t quite remember why I feel this way. It takes a minute to remember, “Oh great! I am going to my new office, seeing my patients, having lunch with incredible friends and colleagues.” Am I on the right track?

Great! Now you’re getting it. That is somatic visualization. You are feeling with your whole body, your whole being, the new radial universe you will create.

That is all your reality is anyway – a series of feelings. The word “feeling” is a term that describes the entire experience of your reality as it is experienced by your body-mind. Smell, taste, touch, sight, sound, mental thoughts, conversations, interactions, experiences – all of these are integrated into one overall sensation that is called a “feeling.”

Then what?

Go through the rest of your day in the exact same way. Step by step by step. Go through what your shower will be like, your drive to work, parking at the office you will work within, walking up to the office, sitting down at your desk, talking to your colleagues, greeting your first patient. See what they will look like, feel what your hands will feel working with them, smell the leather of your chair, taste the water in the water fountain, hear the ambient sounds in the hallway.

Build this world brick by sensory brick. Take your time. Be lavish. Be exorbitant. Be playful. Have fun with it.

And at each step along the way, remember to describe the precise feeling you will be having. Feel the excitement this job will bring you. Feel the joy, feel the concern, the compassion, feel the challenge. Feel everything and describe, describe, describe.

Describe lunch, the afternoon, your departure, the drive home, arriving home, exercising, eating dinner, speaking with your loved ones, relaxing after dinner, getting ready for bed, and falling to sleep. That is step five.

Now what?

Step six is a little bit more difficult. It’s not that it is any harder, per se, than the other steps. It’s not. It’s just that you will have difficulties executing, difficulties just doing it.

In step six, you are going to practice feeling all of these feelings. You are going to sit down or lie down or center yourself in some other way, every single day, and deliberately practice feeling the feelings you have just described.

There is no shortcut for this. It is a regular, daily practice that you will engage in. Like attracts like. As you practice feeling happy, feeling satisfied, feeling excited about your new job, the universe will begin to rearrange itself around these feelings so that your external reality conforms to them, supports them.

As you do this, you will begin to germinate a new universe. And I am not in any way being metaphorical. The new universe will be a different universe a very real universe that will bud, radiate, from your current universe.

In this new universe, the laws will be slightly different. That which was impossible in the parent universe will now be possible in the child universe.

It is an amazing fact, a very wonderful fact about the world you find yourself within. You are actually allowed to build your own new universe. You are not only allowed but are encouraged to do this. That is why the great creator made you. That is why he, it, made you in his own image – as a new creator.

This creator has sanctioned you, empowered you, to create new worlds, better worlds. It is not only allowed, it’s actually your job, your function, your duty to do this. For this is how the universe makes itself better. This is how the universe elaborates upon itself and takes itself to the place it wants to be.

You are not passive in the overall process of universal creation. You have been given free will and desires and ambitions and a great deal of power specifically so that you can pitch in and help with the whole process.