Exercise 1 for The Open-Hearted Way to Open Adoption
Manifesting what you want: Contraction vs Expansion
The traditional way to attract what you want — a better job, a mate, more health, more wealth, or even a child – teaches you to draw something to you. It is a masculine way of attracting – doing. Examples include making a vision board; taping affirmations to your mirror, monitor and steering wheel; making a plan and following it diligently. This method assumes a contracting universe, since you are taught to draw your desired outcome to you.
Yet we live not in a contracting universe, but an ever-expanding universe. Might there be another way to manifest what we want? A more feminine way – being?
There are no gender or value judgments on these terms – one is not better than the other. Sitting around and “being” (feminine energy) is not superior to ceaseless “doing” (masculine energy). The key is to consciously balance both. Nature does this and encourages us to, as well — day balanced with night. Activity balanced with rest. Inhale balanced with exhale. Even life balanced with death. Opposites are dualities that depend on each other for their existence.
With the following exercise, we explore a more feminine way of manifesting: expansion. Rather than working in the realm of duality, expansion goes up a level to the realm of unity. Contraction assumes what you want is separate from you. Expansion acknowledges that nothing is separate from you –- your desires are unmanifested in part because of limits to your ability to live consciously.
With that framework, I invite you to get in a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down. You’ll be here for 20 – 25 minutes so you want to be comfortable and relaxed but not so much that you fall off to sleep (although if you do, that’s OK). Play the guided audio meditation by clicking on the play button. You may also want to have soft or chanting music on, something that is meaningful and relaxing to you. Note that there are stretches of silent time in the meditation, space that you don’t need to fill.
Over the next few weeks, spend some time expanding and knowing how big you truly are. Rather than bringing what you want to you (contraction), you are realizing that you already are all that you seek.
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Want more? Click on Audio Exercise #2.
For more on building a regular meditation practice, visit Sally Kempton’s website.