by Rev. Elizabeth Rowley, Spiritual Director
January 22, 2019
When I first learned the pattern of my thoughts were creating my reality, it occurred to me that I had
some changes to make. It was a wake-up call for me and a very empowering one. No longer a
victim, I became responsible for the molding and shaping of myself and my life. All beginning with my thoughts.
What you’re thinking about right now is creating your experience. What you dwell upon when you awaken guides and directs your day.
The mind can only hold one thought at a time, and that thought displaces all others from the mind. That being the case, my task was to become conscious of my thoughts. In doing this, I discovered the recurring thoughts which were not conducive to my highest good. The repetition of said thoughts generated a snowball effect gaining momentum and size with each iteration.
We perceive life through filters which are primarily formed as survival tactics we’ve implemented based on experience. They have their roots in the past and prevent us from being present to the eternal, unborn reality of this moment now. To truly live in the present moment, free from attachment and free from the static of fear, doubt and worry, we’ve got to let the entire world be created for us, brand new, every day. This includes in our relationships, jobs, children, and ourselves.
I knew that I needed to change my thoughts, but at this stage of my awakening, I didn’t know what to change them to. Having learned this concept at a Center for Spiritual Living, I chose to keep coming back. I listened deeply. I began to take classes where I learned to pray and meditate. Right around that time I discovered chanting mantra as a form of meditation. I started with chanting Sanskrit mantras which were slightly difficult to learn. I noticed that after chanting, I always felt lighter, more relaxed, joyful, and serene.
I fell in love with it. When chanting, I am focused on the chant I am speaking, and my mind gets the well-needed rest it deserves. The chant becomes the vibration emanating from me, and I experience joy bubbling up from my toes, filling me with giddy bliss! The law of attraction draws in more of the same.
It is said that in India the yogis go off into the mountains to meditate and spend a lot of time chanting. When they come back to civilization, they emanate the vibration of the chant they’ve been speaking. So much so, that one yogi can approach another yogi and identify the chant they’ve been working with: Gayatri mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum, or Aham Prema, and so forth.
A mantra could be as simple as this: “I am love.” Try repeating this mantra as often as possible and you’ll begin to experience an opening, a lightness, and pretty soon: joyful, giddy bliss.
And so it is.
