Most people who are reading this article are at least passingly familiar with The Law of Attraction, which refers to the idea that ‘like attracts like’, what you focus on, you have more of and so on. Throughout the centuries, teachers such as James Allen (As a Man Thinketh), Wallace D. Wattles (The Science of Getting Rich), Israel Regardie (The Art of True Healing) and Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich) have shared their insights on the subject. The movie and book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne catapulted the concepts from the metaphysical into the mainstream and had people creating Vision Boards, writing lists and journaling about what it is they desired to call into their lives. I have done all of those things and have experienced marvelous results AND there are still times when I feel dis-satisfied. I can wish, hope, dream, seed-plant, create, envision and plan and still, as one of my friends says “The event will go as the event will go.” Does that mean I need to stop the aforementioned activities? Nope, but it does mean that there are moments when patience is called for and that what I ‘think about and thank about, I bring about.’ When I have exerted an undue amount of effort, I have noticed a commensurate level of frustration, petulantly questioning, “Why hasn’t it happened yet?” That ‘it’ could be a job, a relationship, something I expected in the mail, a phone call or some other opportunity I had anticipated.
An added piece that The Secret and perhaps others who teach about The Law of Attraction is: we are already THAT which we seek. What if the seeds of all that we want are within us, just like the fluffy popcorn is contained within the hard kernel that when exposed to just the right amount of heat, bursts forth into snack heaven crunchiness? When we seek outside of ourselves for satisfaction, we are sometimes disappointed. But what if all that we welcome into our lives is merely a reflection of who and how we are being in the world? To take that further, imagine lying next to a small pond and gazing into it. The water can only reflect what it sees. It doesn’t make an image up or place something there that isn’t already present. There are times when it may seem distorted, but that is only our impression.
Derek Rydall, of www.lawofemergence.com speaks of living life ‘on purpose’ which means to me that I am consciously aware of who I am and what I am doing. I love double entendre’ words and this one tickles me since it is also about having a purpose and direction as well. So many of us (myself included at times) believe that since we are broken and flawed, that explains why things aren’t the way we think they should be. “If only,” I have whined (mostly in my head), “I were more confident or daring, then I would have my wishes come true at the speed of thought.” It just doesn’t work that way most of the time, folks, as much as we might want it to. What a relief, huh? If everything I think about came to be immediately, all havoc would break loose since I am not always Zen in my mindset.
A few years ago, one of my co-workers in a psychiatric hospital where I had been employed as a social worker for 11 years, said to me “You’re so calm. You’re like Mother Teresa.” My laughing response was “Honey, I’m no Mother Teresa and I bet there were days that Mother Teresa was no Mother Teresa.” My oh-so human qualities come out from time to time and I use words that are not in my spiritual vocabulary, something for which my now 26 year old son can vouch.
The word emergence brings to mind the butterfly in the chrysalis, waiting in the darkness, distilling its essence into winged wonder, once it cracks through the confining walls of its birth place. Does it know what will await it on the other side? Not sure. I do know that it follows its own nature which indeed is to emerge. What if we followed our nature and did the same? I have found that when I know I am Divinely guided, there isn’t much choice in the matter. Joseph Campbell’s quote that reminds us: “Follow your bliss and the Universe will open doors where there were only walls,” is only part of the paradigm. When I first heard it, it made sense to me, since I always had dreams and desires that led the way, like a drum majorette in front of a parade or a Sherpa up a steep snowy incline.
Perhaps 5 or 6 years ago, it occurred to me that as long as I was busy following my bliss, I wasn’t fully BE-ing my bliss and as a result, was still on a mission to find it somewhere beyond the boundaries of my own skin. Once I realized that dilemma, I began to formulate ways to live it full out and to teach others as well. Thus, the persona of Bliss Mistress was given birth. She is the colorfully creative aspect of myself who loves to dance with life, inviting willing playmates to blow bubbles, color outside the lines, jump in hopscotch blocks, walk barefoot in the grass, splash in puddles, listen in silence to the movement of the trees as the wind whispers through them, sing soul songs and lose count of the stars, lost in the immensity of the night sky.
That is what being what Derek Rydall refers to as an ‘emergeneer’ looks like to me. I am eager to see what will emerge as I willingly turn myself inside out, like an orange peel, revealing the juicy fruit within.
