[The
phenomenon of 'Life
Response' is the way life suddenly and abundantly responds to
our change of consciously within. It is based on the principle that the
life outside ourselves is a reflection of our consciousness within; and
thus if we change the inner, the outer will instantaneously respond in
kind.In this article, the author explains how our deepest
intentions can instantly be fulfilled.] Last updated:
06/18/2008
Introduction
Life
responds to our intention.
When we really want something to occur, life tends to move
toward us, fulfilling our aspiration. If our intention is full
-- i.e. if our energies are intensely directed toward the pursuit of
a specific goal over time -- life not only moves towards us, but
does so rapidly, fulfilling that deepest of aspiration. When Albert
Einstein began to focus all parts of his being -- mental, vital, and
physical -- toward the pursuit of his goal of finding work to
overcome his destitute as a young man, the possibility of working at
the Patent Office position began to move toward him. When his
intention became full -- i.e. he crossed over a certain threshold
demanded of life -- the job became his. From that new post, he was
not only able to overcome his current predicament of poverty, but it
would serve as the platform from which he would fulfill his
potential, changing the course of science, and the history of the
world.
We begin to
see that there is no greater human faculty for accomplishment
than our intention.
When we have a clear knowledge of what we want to accomplish, and
our emotions fully endorse and support its achievement, then our
intention takes shape. If we then make a determined, persevering
effort to carry out our hearts desire, we generate an irresistible
power that can quickly attract the infinite possibilities of life to
our doorstep. Our intention -- and more so -- is fulfilled. If that
particular aspiration is per chance not fulfilled, then another
one is!
In fact, if we
look around us, we will see that life is always responding to
our intentions. In Pride and Prejudice,
Mrs. Bennett intensely desired to marry off her daughters to avoid
the pending eviction of her family from their home, and within a
year, that is precisely what occurred for three of them. When Erin
Brockovich directed all of her energies to getting out of poverty,
she quickly secured the job at the law office. That position not
only lifted her out of misery, but became the springboard through
which she would change the course of victims' rights history. Her
ferocious intensity carried her through a challenging legal process
that ended in an overwhelming $300 million settlement for her
long-suffering clients, and considerable wealth and a long-standing
career for herself
When we focus on
accomplishing something, then our intention takes shape. When our
intention is full -- i.e. when we intensely want something to occur,
and sustain that urge over time -- life tends to move towards us
with abundant good fortune. There is no greater power for
accomplishment and success in life!
The ancient
Indian texts known as the Upanishads declare, 'You are what
your deepest desire is. As is your desire, so is your intention. As
is your intention, so is your will. As is your will, so is your
deed. As is your deed, so is your destiny.'
Interest in a Thing One interesting
aspect of human aspiration/intention is that it can express at various
levels -- from a mild mental interest in a subject, to a
desire to accomplish something, to intense need to bring
about our heart's desire. And yet, life can instantly respond to our
intention at any of these levels -- even to a passing fancy!
When
we are really interested in a subject or an issue, a level of
intention takes shape, which generates a pulse of energy within that
moves out across the subtle web of life, attracting corresponding
elements back towards us. Even if our intention is a passing fancy,
life will still respond in short order if there is a requisite level of
intensity behind the act.
I had walked down
Columbus Avenues for the first time in many years. It is the urban
street between downtown San Francisco and Fisherman's Wharf, a huge
and very popular tourist destination. As I walked up Columbus from
the wharf to downtown, I admired its many cafes, and thought that
this is a wonderful street (located in North Beach). I had never
really thought about the street in this way; i.e. in terms of its
current amenities, and its even greater potential for development.
The next day
in the local paper I saw an article about how for the first time in
35 years business and public officials want to make Columbus Avenues
more of a destination and stopping place, rather than just a by-way
to get to Fisherman's Wharf form downtown. I had never seen an
article on Columbus Avenue development before. It was also the first
and main article in the paper!
We see that when
you take a decided interest in thing, life responds with something
related to it.
Perhaps you have found yourself in the
following situation: You have just thought about a subject, and less
than two minutes later, there is a discussion of that very topic on TV!
That is dramatic enough; but when you have never seen that
subject referred to in a lifetime of TV-watching, then you know
something profound is at work! You sit there, at once excited, dazed,
and amused, before you remind yourself that you have just experienced an
instance of synchronicity and response -- in this case, a response to
one's mere interest in a subject.
And yet, even though
such TV experiences are remarkable, they seem to be missing one
particular quality: the response that comes does not really give us
anything of lastingbenefit. On the other hand, if we
actually seekresults in such situations, we tend
to attract something with tangible value. When
we intensely take an interest in a subject -- even for a moment -- and
also consciously seek tangible results, life tends to attract a
corresponding response that itself is beneficial. To illustrate this
point further, I would like to tell you about another 'flight of fancy'
episode I had recently.
Real Intention Though the above
incidents were indeed dramatic, and also produced useful results, in the
end, they were only transitory incidents -- a mere passing
interest in a subject. Real intention, on the other hand, takes shape
when our desire is sustained over time -- i.e. when it repeats
in our thoughts, and continually rises in our emotions. From that
poise, we generate a surge of energy within, which moves out and creates
a ripple in the fabric of the cosmos, attracting corresponding elements
that are of real, lasting benefit to us.
To illustrate this
point, consider the following incident involving a young friend of ours
in Asia. I will let her tell her own story.
'Working at the Railway Recruitment Board,
I am in charge of the pre-examination work at our organization. There we
have an elaborate procedure for conducting examinations, which normally
occurs in several stages. A week ago, I met with my chairman where we
discussed the possibility of having candidates submit their examinations
electronically. This would not only make it easier for us to
handle the flow of information, but it would have the effect of bringing
down our expenditures. Unfortunately, my chairman was apprehensive about
the idea, and so the conversation ended there. However, inside myself, I
still strongly believed that this approach was possible.
Several days later, the chairman called me
to say that he had received an invitation from a foreign-based computer
firm, who were launching a new software product. Since he was going to
be preoccupied with other matters during that time, he proposed my name
instead to represent our organization.
When I attended the meeting, I learned to
my delight that the software would in fact enable our candidates to take
a variety of examinations through the computer. I not only enjoyed the
demonstration of features, but I also got the chance to interact with
the program. That effort clarified a number of points on the feasibility
of using it our own environment.
In retrospect, I now see that an
invitation from an unknown company had unexpectedly come to us because I
believed very strongly that the computer approach was a workable idea.
Thus, I saw my idea transformed into reality.'
Our friend not only
had an intense interest in seeing something come about, but also
sustained that interest over time. (However, inside myself, I
still strongly believed that this approach was possible.) A
sustained desire to see something come about is far more likely to
attract tangible results than when our intention is short-lived. In this
episode, our friend's on-going aspiration to automate the examination
procedures at her firm reached a certain pitch, which attracted from out
of nowhere the opportunity to interact with a software application that
seemed to suit their needs perfectly.
In fact, we have seen
instances where a sustained aspiration to accomplish led to its
very rapid achievement. In Pride and Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet
sustained an intense aspiration to marry off her daughters -- which is
exactly what occurred in remarkably short order. Erin Brockovich
sustained a ferocious desire to win the legal case for her constituency,
which attracted the largest financial settlement of its kind in history.
And Albert Einstein reached deep within himself, sustaining for months
on end an intense desire to overcome his plight -- which not only
attracted a job position that provided him with financial security, but
set the stage for the most profound scientific discoveries of the 20th
century.
If
we want results, we need to be passionate about things. For
example, if an individual wants to secure a job in an emerging field,
but his passion about securing the position, or his real interest in
that field is lukewarm, then real success it is unlikely to come about.
On the other hand, if we really want it, and that passion is sustained
over time, then what we long for will surely come about. And life
will repeatedly respond in the process.
There is a wonderful
scene in the British broadcast version of Pride and Prejudice in
which Eliza Bennet wanders off into the countryside, climbs a hilltop,
and suddenly comes upon, of all people, Mr. Darcy. While this scene
might strike some as the artifice of a director trying to manipulate the
story for dramatic effect, from a deeper perspective we see that this is
preciselyhow life works! Because both have such
strong emotions towards one another, want to be with one another, they
move toward the same place at the same time, enabling a simultaneous
life response. Their intense longing for one another is so strong that
their energies move out into the field of life and find a common point
in space/time where they come together. It is a perfect illustration of
how life responds to an intense aspiration -- i.e. what we really
want.
Two Hearts
as One Though life tends to respond when our
aspiration is clearly defined, deep, passionate, and sustained over
time, there are times when life will simply not respond, even
when we fulfill these conditions! Often that is the case because there
is some wanting quality in our being that is preventing our energies
from being released across space/time, and attracting the object of our
desire.
Though our aspiration for something might be
strong and deep, life might not give us what we want until we change a
corresponding part of our being. However, when we identify and reverse
it, life instantly brings us the very things we had longed for!
To see that dynamic in action, let us once
again consider the case once again of Darcy and Eliza in Pride and
Prejudice. As we know, from early on in the story, Darcy really
wanted Eliza. However, for the longest time, he was unable to win her
over -- mainly because she was put off by his arrogant and prideful
behavior. However, at some point, Darcy began to recognize his own
deficiencies, and spurred on by his love for Eliza, made the conscious
effort to overcome them. As soon as he did so, the elopement episode
immediately presented itself, which gave him the perfect opportunity
to show the best side of his character. When he then resolved that
potentially devastating affair, he was stunned to discover that Eliza
actually loved him, and then accepted his offer of marriage. In other
words, when a wanting quality of his own nature, he was suddenly able to
attract the long-term object of his desire.
Similarly, Eliza came to admire, and
eventually love Darcy -- especially after his noble efforts that ended
the elopement episode. Unfortunately, she also sensed that after that
awful affair -- especially in light of her sister's reckless involvement
with the treacherous Wickham -- that Darcy would never anything to do
with her. And yet we see that she too was able to attract her heart's
desire after grappling with her conscience, and shedding her limited
attitudes and points of view. When she clearly saw that her view of him
was prejudiced and wrong, and when she clearly perceived the vulgar
behavior of her kin -- especially that of her wild, out-of-control
sister Lydia, and her impossible, loud-mouthed mother -- life suddenly
responded, as Darcy appeared from out of nowhere to ask for her hand in
marriage! That is, when she saw the truth of things, and changed her
perspective, she instantly attracted the object of her desire!
Levels of Intention that
Life Can Respond At
An interest in a subject
An interest in a subject with
a goal in mind
Something desired that is
sustained over time
A very intense need for
something to come about (i.e. really wanting it)
Spontaneous
Fulfillment of Desire As we have seen countless times by now, when
we shift our consciousness to the positive, life outside ourselves
quickly responds in kind. Now, in this discussion, we have also seen
that if we really want something, and life does not respond, we
can change a wanting element in our being, which will release the
energies of life, and attract our heart's desire.
And yet, if this principle is true, how would
we know which part of our being to change? We are, after all,
complex individuals, with a vast array of habits, emotions, feelings,
attitudes, opinions, and beliefs. Where would one begin?
Though this is a vast issue to consider, we
can begin by making some general observations about our human nature.
One way to begin is to think of our own separate individual
selves as one plane of existence -- which is, in one sense a relatively
limited field, with limited potentiality -- and then to
think of a wider universal field of existence, where there is
infinite potential and possibility, as another. Whenever we move
from the narrow, limited individual field, and identify with the wider
universal field, the infinite potentials of life begin to move towards
us. Thus, when we give up a limiting quality of our being within our
individual field, and substitute it with a higher truth from the wider
universal field, we tend us to experience powerful positive responses
from life.
This dynamic also applies to situations in
which we really want something. I.e. when I overcome a
corresponding limiting quality within myself, i.e. within the individual
field, I open to, and resonate with the universal field, which not only
attracts positive energies from the wider domain, but also tends to
attract results that fulfill the on-going objects of our desire; i.e.
our aspirations and intentions.
For example, take the episode in which I
worked weekends at the computer store. As a fledgling employee, I wanted
to increase my monthly sales -- not only to gain the respect of my
peers, but to increase my monthly income. However, it was only after I
overcame my reluctance to work weekends that I was able to attract the
enormous sale that would fulfill these on-going aspirations. In other
words, when I took a step -- even a small step -- out of my limiting
individual field, and into the universal field, life moved toward me and
fulfilled several of my most ardent aspirations in life.
A shift of consciousness along any of
the following lines will move us a step out of
the limited individual field, and into the wider universal domain,
attracting not only good fortune, but good fortune that fulfills our
previous, on-going aspirations and desires.
changes
that take us from our ego and separateness to a state of
non-ego and oneness
changes
that take us from a finite view of things to a view of
unlimited possibilities
changes
that take us from a narrow view of time to a wider view of no
time or timelessness
changes
that take us from our ignorance and falsehood to a full,
integral knowledge of things
When we move beyond the constraints of
our own individual nature -- i.e. from ego to ego-lessness; from finite
possibility to an unlimited view of what is possible; from a narrow view
of time to a wider one; and from ignorance to knowledge -- we open
ourselves to the universal plane where intentions are instantly
fulfilled.
Attributes of Intention
that Attract
Be
clear about what you want
Seek
tangible, beneficial results
Really want it
Sustain that intense need over time
Overcome corresponding limitations
(of ego, finiteness, time, and ignorance)
