Wouldn’t it be great if we could say to the Universe: “Farm boy, fetch me that pitcher” (or that dream job or that soul mate), and the Universe would reply “As you wish” and hand it to us on a silver platter?

What if that could actually happen? There’s this whole Law of Attraction thing that goes around in the so-called new-age world, and it says that whatever we BELIEVE and ALLOW into our experience will happen. In other words, we create our own reality. So if you believe and allow good things, good things will come.

I’m totally on board!

We Live in A Vibrational Universe

The Law of Attraction was made rill famous by Paris Hilton some years back (along with little dogs and monkeys); the actual Law has been around forever. Traditional sources state the basic concept of the law of attraction in a variety of ways, but the meaning is the same (as in, “count your blessings”). It’s like the religious/spiritual stories from different cultures that boil down to the same principles or messages (mostly the loving messages).

The truth is known, sometimes.

The law of attraction states that “like” attracts “like”. And by “like”, I mean certain VIBRATIONS attract similar VIBRATIONS. These so-called “vibrations” eventually show up concretely by attracting whatever you have been thinking about into your actual life.

So, if we are thinking in a positive manner and embracing what is happening around us (aka focusing our attention on the good stuff that is happening; finding even the teeniest shred of good or fun), while reaching for better and better feelings, then more and more good things will rain down upon us.

Get in the Flow!

Better feelings lead to higher vibrations. This phenomenon is sometimes called “being in the vortex” (Abraham). Derek calls it “riding the wave”. Many refer to it as “flow”. It’s fun and simple although not always easy. Self-defeating thoughts may have been circulating in our brains for a long time, so it’s a lot to suddenly go sunny all the time. We are going to talk about something that helps derail these most-unhelpful thought patterns.

It’s also important to remember that negative feelings should not get pushed away. All feelings should be allowed and honored. If emotions are welcomed in, they tend to pass through and be on their way. And peace is left behind.

The Law of Attraction

It’s Gonna Be Big

We all have dreams, plans, desires (unless we have given them up, and that would be a sad day indeed). Maybe we want to rescue all those puppy mill puppies, or be a dentist, or foster a natural prairie. We all have something that ignites our passion.

What we get stuck on is how to manifest those wishes and hopes. How do we stop dreaming and start creating the conditions we want?

How can we “Bring it” so we can move forward?

Deepak Chopra, in his small but mighty book The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, brings meditation into nearly every “law” of success that he lays out (there are seven, in case the title was misleading). He’s talking about health, material wealth, or whatever type of “success” you might seek. We all want different “things” (life experiences).

To get what we want, we need to know what we want. And Deepak says meditation will provide that clarity. Meditation also interrupts those ill-conceived negative thought patterns and helps us make new pathways in our noggins. We can make new pathways by searching for the good in daily life. And we can and act from a place of self-trust and intuition.

The two biggest benefits of meditation (among many):

1. Meditators are physically younger.
2. Meditators are powerful/make things happen/live their own best life (too much?)

I learned Transcendental Meditation (TM) in 2013. After I had been practicing for a month or so, my husband Derek noticed some changes in me. I was less fearful, more relaxed and more assertive. I had good come-backs. Disconcerted as he was by the change, I think he rather liked it. He started calling me “TM Jenny” and, though he has always treated me with the utmost respect, there was something different going on.

TM Empowered Me AND Rested My Weary Bones. Check & Check.

For the first couple of months, I just slept while I “did TM”. It was the deepest of slumbers. My teacher said that it was my backlog of sleep need working itself out. I didn’t worry about it. Eventually, I fell asleep less. I felt more rested, and peaceful. I felt like going for it.

As I practiced, I began to, like, get ‘er done. I took a medical/surgical certification review class (and applied for graduate school during the lunch break). Passed the exam; graduated 3 years later. It was powerhouse central. Turbo boosted.

What Is Transcendental Meditation?

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi brought TM to the U.S. in the 1959. He got The Beatles into it – and then, well, off it went. Maharishi was a pretty savvy guy, made you pay to learn TM (when I took the course it was over $1000), as he (allegedly) said that Americans only value what they have to pay for. He was charismatic and garnered a big following; there was/is a whole community of people settled together based on the practice of TM.

The TM impetus for me was Deepak (Chopra). I was reading an early book of his, and he wrote about how he completely turned his life around after learning TM. He quit drinking scotch and smoking cigs when he came home from his stressful MD resident shifts (a million hours a week).

Learning TM led Deepak on a whole other path. He started embracing his Ayurvedic roots (which had been pooh-poohed by his dad, a western MD in India). Chopra is now one of the most influential people of our time. He raised his vibration and does what he was meant to do.

TM Can Be Cult-Tinged, But We Brought it Down to Level.

Maharishi set up camp in Fairfield, Iowa. Author Claire Hoffman grew up in that community. There is still a University there and they do TM retreats in addition to regular academia. Hoffman said it was slightly cult-ish but nothing over the top. She still meditates. David Lynch (Twin Peaks) has a whole foundation whose purpose is to spread the TM word, so he’s super into it.

Perhaps Maharishi took a simple meditation technique (mantra meditation), and brought it to where it was sorely needed. And he turned it into a really big song and dance. I don’t fault him for it, it’s really good. It works.

How Do You Learn This Magical TM?

My Story…

When you learn TM, there is a private ceremony between you and the teacher. This is when you learn your personal mantra. We kneel in front of an alter with fruit, incense, chanting, and, finally, the whispering of the mantra. It is not clear where or how the teacher gets this mantra. From on high? You are then instructed to go home and meditate (20 min, 2X/day), and come back exalted.

I had a slight snafu. I came back the next day and had to clarify what my mantra was. It’s tricky because my mantra is two syllables and I neither hear nor remember well, so that second syllable was really getting me. Turns out, I had it wrong and was corrected… then I did the unthinkable and said it aloud again, like; “was this it?” Again, she corrected me.

And I was like “What?”

I left that poor woman’s house not knowing which way it went.

Per TM-Nation, you are never, ever to tell anyone (not anyone) your “personal” mantra. Not a soul. And so I didn’t share. Not for eight years. My husband was like OMG just tell me. But I wanted to preserve it’s sacredness, because TM has given me so much.

One night, though, Derek and I were giggling about me forgetting my swanky mantra, and I TOLD! It was weird to say the mantra aloud after so many years. We were looking over our shoulders like; “will we have bad luck now?” We waited to be smote down or excommunicated from the church of TM, but nothing happened. Just shaking their heads, I imagine. (plus he SO doesn’t remember that mantra, sucker).

So, sometimes my brain says the mantra one way, sometimes the other, and I try to let it go. Whichever one, it works for me. Point being, maybe the exact mantra is less important than the sitting down and the meditating itself.

Coupla Take-Homes:

There is a TM Center in Madison, and most larger cities.

The TM course includes lifelong follow-up at any TM Center. For me, it provided the right discipline. But you can learn meditation for cheap – Shop Around Online, esp with Deepak.

Transcendental Meditation is NOT the Be-All End-All.

Here’s an Article about “the dark side” of it. Cult-y? But the technique still works.

ANY KIND of meditation will work – it depends on the individual. No two people have the same mix of doshas, so different “types” of people will like different types of meditation. Trust your gut. Try stuff.

There are many free resources to be had. Libraries are excellent – lots of downloadable resources and books.

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