One of the things that always makes me smile is when my friend and soul sister Joy says this to me: "Tell yourself that you are open to receive all the blessings of the Universe." It's actually really simple and doesn't require much undue effort. The act of opening up to receive is quite powerful, though, in a world where we are taught that it is better to give, to be busy, to achieve--to operate from a place of action and doing, instead of being given permission to sit, be open, and accept.
I think it's fair to say that we find value in our ability to get things done. There is purpose in making a list and crossing things off, one by one, so that at the end of the day, we can sit back and revel in our ability to achieve results. What doesn't happen and isn't valued nearly so much is the converse idea: to sit back, contemplate, and accept--to receive. We can accomplish quite a bit by doing, but we can accomplish just as much by being, by choosing to receive all the gifts of the Universe. It's a natural duality. And it's one that I could use some practice on.
Elfin One passed along the book "The Power of Receiving" by Amanda Owen. In it, she outlines how we can achieve our goals not just by plodding energetically and full of productivity toward that goal, but by developing a system whereby we can be open to receiving it into our consciousness. It's a fascinating study of how to manifest what we want by using a different strategy than we might be used to. I'm still in the early part of the book, but am already floored by her simple but intuitive approach.
In the meantime, I'm going to practice being more open and more receptive. We'll see how it goes.
