The Bliss Book
Page 13
This is true appreciation.
Do this for each of the five things, writing each of them down, and then stopping to relive them in your mind, and feeling again what made them good.
Make this your bedtime ritual. It’s 5 minutes. Less if you do top 3 instead of top 5.
Keep meditating every morning, and do this every night, and you’ve got yourself a spiritual practice. You’ll be attuning to your Higher Self. You’ll be opening your channels. You’ll be experiencing firsthand, the oneness of you with the Divine, and the oneness of you with every other part of creation.
May you find ever-deepening meaning and ever-expanding bliss in your life right where it is, right now, and in every moment to come.
The Goddess Speaks
You are me experiencing life as you. Not just anyone, but you in particular.
Your dog is me, experiencing life as your dog. Not just any dog, but this dog in particular.
The tree outside your window is me, experiencing life as a tree. Not just any tree, but that specific tree.
As you consider those around you, the people, the animals, the bugs, the birds, the fish, the plants, the rocks, the dirt, the planet, the moon, the stars…think this way.
This rock is me. This star is me. This fish is me.
All these things are you, because all these things are me, and I am your Source. You are all things, because I am all things, and I am your Source.
The life in you is life itself. You are one, and you are many. Because I am both one and many, and I am your Source.
You are Spirit in Body. You are a Divine being of light. You are Goddess and you are God. You are worthy, and you are powerful. Because I am worthy and powerful and goddess and god and Spirit in many bodies. And I am your Source.
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Assignments at a Glance
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Assignment 1
Your Own Bliss Book
Start a journal. You’re going to use it for the other assignments in this book. Put some thought into it. And think about where you’re going to do your journaling, too.
Assignment 2
Bliss Up Your Space
Find or create something you can see every day that makes your heart sing. Spend time basking in it every day. That means, stop everything and focus only on the beauty of that thing for a few minutes. Do this every day for a week.
Then find a second thing. Appreciate that for a week.
Find a third. Repeat.
Make it your new habit to bask in something you love every single day. Relish something in your life.
Journal all of this, with images if possible! Also, make notes of new things that show up during this time. Things that fill you with that same feeling of appreciation and bliss.
Assignment 3
Bliss Up Your Stuff
Pick anything in your life that you’ve been wanting to replace and make it your goal to fix it up in every way possible can. Paint isn’t pricey. Elbow grease is so valuable no money can buy it. And imagination is the most powerful tool of all. Again, journal about it, and include photos.
Assignment 4
Bliss Up Your Relationships
Every time you feel irritated with another person in your life, find ten things you love (or even like) about them. Write them down in your journal, and at some point during the day, tell them at least one of them. Repeat this every day for 10 days. Record results.
Assignment 5
Bliss Up Your Sleep
Keep a journal on your nightstand. Before you lie down to go to sleep, open your journal and write down every good thing you can remember from your day. Mine contains things like the eagle I saw while running errands, the compliment my husband paid me, the lights all being green through town, how much I enjoy my car, how good I felt today, that fan who emailed me about a book she loved, the time I spent hugging my bulldog, the great phone call with one of my girls, or with all five of them, the way the sunset looked, the stars outside my bedroom window. Fill your journal with all the good things you remember from your day.
When you’re almost finished, write down your intent for a restful night. Mine is often something like, “Tonight, I’ll sleep like a baby and dream beautiful dreams and commune with my Higher Self. And tomorrow I’ll find even more reasons to feel good.”
Assignment 6
The Bliss of Letting Go
Adapted from Esther Hicks’ Placemat Exercise
Create two lists. One is titled ME and the other is titled UNIVERSE or God, Goddess, Higher Power, Source, Higher Self, Soul, Guardian Angel, or whatever you prefer.
(For I have been called a million names by all who speak.)
Now divvy up all the things on your overwhelming to-do list. The things you feel excited about doing, that are going to be fun and that you feel eager to tackle belong on the ME list.
The things you are dreading or don’t feel like you can handle or have time to do, belong on the UNIVERSE list.
Put your own list up on the fridge or somewhere you can see it, and happily check things off throughout the week or the day or whatever.
The other list, the Universe’s list, should be folded up and put away in a special box or under the pillow or someplace out of sight and therefore out of mind. Occupy yourself entirely with the things on your ME list, and with fun things in between, and try not to think about that other list at all.
Assignment 7
Give Some Bliss
Go to smile.amazon.com and register for the Amazon Smile program. Choose a cause, and every time you buy anything, Amazon will send your charity a donation. It’s only pennies, it costs you nothing, and it adds up.
Assignment 8
Share Your Bliss
Donate to a cause you care about. You can give cash, time, or share your skills to help someone else. Do it because it feels good, and as you do it, let it validate for you that you have plenty. Journal about both these assignments, and watch for the blessings you shared to return to you. Then journal that too.
Assignment 9
Blissing Up Yourself
Choose a limiting belief about yourself that you think is true. Something personal like, I’m clumsy or I’m a bad driver. And follow these steps to change it.
Step 1: List in your journal all the times you can remember when you experienced the opposite of that belief.
Step 2: Begin every day determined to look for evidence that the opposite of your belief is actually true. That you’re graceful, that you’re a good driver. Write down every scrap of evidence you find.
Assignment 10
Find Your Bliss
Make a list of the things you love to do most. Pick one, and then, spend some time doing it.
Assignment 11
World Bliss
Think of the global problem you worry the most about. Then think how the world will look when this problem has been solved. Spend some time writing about or even drawing the solution as you envision it. See if you can begin to build this kind of world in miniature right in your own home, and do so. And then start noticing other places where this problem has been or is in the process of being eradicated, to prove to yourself that it is, indeed possible. Because as you know, if you believe it, there’s no stopping it.
Assignment 12
The Blissful Dead
Begin talking to your loved ones on the other side as if they’re right there in the room with you. It will go better if you can try it with someone who’s been gone a while, someone for whom your grief has lost its sharpest edges, but you can reach anyone if you can rise above your heartache. Imagine them as angelic, glowing beings of light, filled with wisdom they didn’t have before. See them evolved and perfect. When you imagine what they’d say or do, or look like, that’s not imagination. That’s them. Trust it and embrace it. Keep notes in your journal. These are great conversations to look back on.
Assignment 13
Bliss Up Your Connection
Start your own meditation practic
e. Experiment with different methods, different sounds to focus on, different physical positions (sitting, lying down, etc.) and different places in and around your home, until you’ve found what works best for you. Try this several days in a row and don’t give up easily. You’re plugging into the biggest Internet of all when you meditate. It feels great and it’s great for you. Journal each session and anything that comes to you afterward.
Assignment 14
Tune to Bliss 111.1 FM
Tune your dial, right now.
Every night, before bed, pick up your journal and write down the top 5 things that happened to you today. If you feel like that’s going to take too long, then you can do the top 3 things. Continue doing this for as long as you want good things to continue happening to you every day.
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Discussion topics:
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What were your goals in purchasing this book? Talk about your different ideas of what you wanted to get out of it.
What do you see as your biggest obstacles between you and your goals? Time? Money?
What’s your biggest challenge when trying to stay positive? It’s okay if it’s something outside yourself. It’s good to identify what’s hanging you up, and then start working on ways to not let it.
What are some of the things in your life that you find yourself complaining about the most?
Are there ways you can shift your thinking about those things, or find positive aspects to any of those things? What other options do you have to remove those things from the center of your attention?
How has your life changed so far, since you began applying these principles? Talk about all the little miracles that have shown up for you. All the coincidences that feel a little bit like magic.
What are your biggest, most outrageous dreams? It’s okay if it’s stuff!
Why do they seem so outrageous to you?
Discuss how you can give yourselves permission to dream big.
Do you know anyone else who is living one of your dreams?
How do you feel about that person? Why?
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Group Experiment:
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Pick a topic, any topic. In the book I suggest seashells. Pick anything, though. Hawks. Red cars. Freckles. Anything. Don’t pick something you believe is unlikely. Don’t pick “six foot tall talking rabbit” for example. You don’t really believe in six foot tall talking rabbits. Pick something easy. This is a faith building exercise. Try harder things when your belief is stronger. Talk about your chosen topic amongst yourselves and your friends. Insert it into every conversation and social media post. Think about it. Look up photos of it. See how long it takes before that thing, whatever it is, starts showing up in your life. And once you see that it works, try it with something you’ve been wanting. Again, start with something easy, something you’re not “Dying” for. Just something you’d like.
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Endnotes
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[1] Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews, Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem and Metal Magic by Scott Cunningham, for example.
[2] Abraham-Hicks.com FMI. Quoted from The Art of Allowing Volume III, recorded in San Rael, California
[3] How Men’s Brains are Wired Differently Than Women’s by Tanya Lewis, LIVE SCIENCE 12/2/2013
[4] DrDavidHamilton.com, Does Your Brain Distinguish Real from Imaginary? 10/30/2014
[5] I refer here to Abraham as translated by Esther Hicks. More information at Abraham-Hicks.com
[6] WordData.info 2013
[7] From The Charge of the Goddess by Doreen Valiente