Treasure Hunting

Keep asking - keep opening - keep finding. Make it a quest.

What could be more fun than heading out on a quest for hidden treasure? A treasure hunt offers the excitement of going to exotic places, sharing mystical experiences, and the promise of riches and glory. Everyone of us has a searcher inside who, at one time or another, longs to take part in a magical journey which calls upon us to summon our heartiest courage, overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, venture blindly into the darkest of caverns, and dig deep for rewards that we aren't even sure are there.

Oftentimes, the only guide we may have is an old, worn-out, dog-eared map or ancient manuscript left to us by a previous treasure hunter who was generally considered to be a bit eccentric. Our closest friends and advisors think that we are foolish. But still, we are lured on by forces that we don't even fully comprehend.

Such is the predilection of the treasure seeker who discards all warnings, leaves everything behind, and sets out on a search for long-lost gold and jewels, the value of which defies the imagination.

Everyday life, however, does not often grace the average man or woman with the opportunity to sojourn to foreign lands in search of buried riches. Everyday life keeps our days filled with repetitive goings, doings, and distractions. We must seek elsewhere for hidden treasures.

Fortunately for us, there is a mystical place, vastly unexplored, which is within our reach. We need not travel farther than our favorite armchair. As we sit quietly and gaze into the cavernous darkness behind our closed eyes, a glittering backdrop comes into view and beckons us to explore further. A distant speck of light appears and pulls us toward it as we let go and allow ourselves to be pulled. Obstacles in the form of random thoughts demand our attention and threaten to interfere with our quest. But, as we persevere and hold our concentration upon the light, a new realm opens up before us. We find ourselves in a place where the potentiality of our experience expands far beyond the scope of our everyday awareness - indeed, far beyond we'd ever thought possible.

There, inside the comforting white light, we uncover riches much more priceless than any Earthly treasure. So much so that if we possessed a giant chest full of the world's rarest gems, or a vault full of gold worth millions and millions of dollars, we would gladly trade it all for a single moment spent delighting in the glorious treasure we have found within.

My Intention for today is:

I Intend that I am treasure hunting within daily.

Anytime you feel negative emotion, stop and say:

Something is important here;

otherwise, I would not be feeling

this negative emotion.

What is it that I want?

And then simply turn your attention to what you do want. . . .

In the moment you turn your attention to what you want, the negative attraction will stop; and in the moment the negative attraction stops, the positive attraction will begin. And—in that moment—your feeling will change from not feeling good to feeling good. That is the Process of Pivoting.

~Abraham-Hicks

Simplify

I let go so there is room for something better to come in.

I intend that I am guided, guarded, protected, and lined up with the highest good at all times. I trust and remain open to receive from both expected and unexpected sources. I simplify.

As the Intenders began to grow, we talked a lot about trust. We all agreed that there is no issue more important in these transitional times than the issue of trust, and that each of us, in our own mysterious way, was faced with the decision whether or not to trust that our thoughts would, in fact, manifest as we intended them. We also had to decide whether to believe that a higher power was working behind the scenes of our life. And each was confronted with choosing, at one time or another, whether to let go of whatever we're attached to, lest we remain stagnant and stuck in the mud of our old ways.

There is a short story Lee Ching told us which helped to bring the principle of simplifying our lives into focus. He said that if we're going to cross over a small stream and see what adventures await us on the other side, eventually we'd have to leave the side we're standing on and step across the water. According to him, most people are living like they have a foot on each side of the stream, and they're straddling it, while the water level is rising. If they don't make a move pretty soon, they're going to get wet.

This little analogy works on many levels. It relates to cleaning our homes insofar as if we don't let go of some of the old stuff that's been lying around for years, we may never have room for any new stuff to come in. Likewise, it can also pertain to ideas we're carrying around with us. As we move closer to the cultural transition which looms on the horizon, we're beginning to discover that many of our beliefs and ideas aren't serving us anymore. They're outdated or barely working, and we really can't count on them like we used to. Most of the information we're fed by the media fits into this category. An example, although it may not always be stated outright, is that being at war will make things better. This archaic idea no longer works for us, and it really never did. All caring, thinking people know that we simply cannot achieve peace as long as we support war, and yet, war is still the cornerstone upon which the foundation of our entire civilization is built.

If, however, we truly want peace - if we intend that we have true and lasting peace- we must let go of our tendency to make war and replace it with a more positive approach of resolving our differences. We must let it go so that something new and better can come in.

My intention for today is:

I intend that I am guided, guarded, protected,

and lined up with the highest good at all times.

www.intenders.org

Any time you have physical discomfort of any kind,

whether you call it emotional, or physical pain within your body,

it always, always means the same thing:

"I have a desire that is summoning Energy,

but I have a belief that is not allowing

so I've created resistance in my body."

The solution, every single time,

to the releasing of discomfort, or pain --

is the relaxation and the reaching for the feeling of relief.

~Abraham-Hicks 

'Tis the only comfort of the miserable

to have partners in their woes.

~Miguel De Cervantes

~photo by Ann

"To live content with small means;

to seek elegance rather than luxury,

and refinement rather than fashion;

to be worthy, not respectable,

and wealthy, not rich;

to study hard, think quietly,

talk gently, act frankly;

to listen to stars and birds,

to babes and sages, with open heart;

to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely,

await occasions, hurry never.

To let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious,

grow up through the common.

This is to be my symphony."

~William Henry Channing

~art by Kelly Vivanco
http://flatcolor.com/gallery/kellyvivancofeb2010preview.html

Offer a vibration that matches your desire

rather than continuing to offer a vibration

that matches what-is.

~Abraham-Hicks 

Support Life

I refrain from opposing or harming anyone.

I allow others to have their own experiences.

I see life in all things and honor it

as if it were my own.

I support life.

These teachings are meant to reveal the true nature, the true power of your thoughts to you. Each thought you entertain either takes you closer to your joy or farther from it; and it is for you to discern, in each moment, which of your thoughts are serving you, and which of your thoughts are not serving you.

Since you are becoming that which you hold your attention upon, you would be wise to support life in all that you think and all that you say. Up until now, much has been hidden from mankind concerning the dynamics of your thoughts, and you have not been properly taught how to think. Now, however, these teachings are being made available to all so that you can sharpen your thinking processes and create better lives for yourselves.

As you truly look to support life, you will soon see that one of the most detrimental things you can do is to oppose someone else.

When you oppose anyone, you invite your worst fears to come alive.

By taking a defensive stance against anything or anyone, you are actually creating or setting the scene for you to be attacked. It works this way: your thoughts are always creating your future. When you are opposing others, it is because you are picturing someone else doing something bad to you. This is a thought, and, like all thoughts, it is working its way into the stream of your daily experience. Whether the person you are thinking about is a grouchy neighbor, a terrorist, a soldier, or an attacker of any kind doesn't matter. What matters is that you understand that your thought of being attacked is going to manifest as quickly as any other thought. You must learn that it is you who ultimately makes the choices about which thoughts to place your attention on. It is you who invites goodness or chaos into your experience. It is you who is responsible for your creation.

One of the great lessons of your lives

is that you attract to yourself, and must live out

in your everyday experience, that which you oppose.

You must learn to allow others to go through life without your interference, and know that your unwanted experiences will cease only when you have finally relinquished your tendency to resist them. Your opposition to anything, be it a person or an institution, always makes things worse.

www.intenders.org

…and Winter, slumbering in the open air,

wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring…

~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

************

To shorten winter, borrow some money due in spring.

~W.J. Vogel

************

One kind word can warm three winter months.

~Japanese Proverb

~photo by J. Heiser

The Old Ways and the New Ways
*********

The Native American teachers are returning. They speak to you through your reading and in the stillness of your mind. Sometimes they even speak to you through the rocks, the animals, the trees, or the wind . . .

We'd like to start you out with a short story from The Code as a way of introducing you to the old ways and the new ways.

While living in New Mexico , I found that I liked going out into the desert, and it was there, on a mesa near Chaco Canyon , where I made an intention to access higher knowledge. I went into a mild trance, and suddenly Kokopelli, the most outrageous being I ever met, appeared. After playing his flute and dancing around for awhile, he told me that one of humanity's most fascinating traits had to do with our strange but stubborn urge to hold onto beliefs and activities that didn't serve us anymore. He placed our current collective reality in that category and made light of it, saying that these characteristics were soon to be obsolete and seen by the masses as the old ways (not to be confused with the ways of our ancient ancestors when they were in their glory.)

He pointed out that the abbreviation for the old ways is "OW!", and he got up and jumped around like he'd just stubbed his toe. We laughed for a long time, and then he went on to say that the new evolved ways were abbreviated "NEW!" and that they would lead us out of our current despair into a golden age.

"Take your pick!" he said, as he hopped around on one leg,"OW! or NEW!".... and each time he shouted "OW!" he exaggerated his pain even more. I'll never forget how hard we laughed.

And, later on, when I was confronted by a difficult situation that stemmed from me holding on too tightly to my old ways, it somehow made it easier to deal with if I recalled his antics that day out on the mesa.

My intention for today is:

I intend that I am taking time to play!

www.intenders.org

~photo by Catherine

I have decided to stick with love.

Hate is too great a burden to bear.

~Martin Luther King, Jr.

~photo by K. Larson

 

Your joy walks with you every step of the way. You need look no further than that which is your own being. The world would have you think otherwise, and yet, what you do, how you think, and what you feel is entirely up to you. You are truly a magnificent entity with powers lying dormant and feelings, so sublime, ready to burst forth like a young flower which spreads its petals for the first time to greet the morning summer sun.

How long will you wait before you see yourself in your highest light and do what makes you truly happy? What will it take for you to open your heart and radiate outward the ocean of love which lies within you? You have been bound up too long, shackled to your fear, imprisoned by ghosts who are not real unless you make them so. The world needs you to be happy, to shine your light on all that you see, to laugh without limit, to touch the hearts and minds of every man, woman, and child who come your way.

Take a chance now and live life like you've always wanted. Envision yourself throwing off the fetters of fear, and calling unto you the glory that is yours by right of birth. Let your joy blaze like a fire in the night. That's what the world needs from you.

And, more than that, that's what you need from you.

My Intention for today is:

"I intend that, from this moment forward, you and I and all of the people we come in contact with, and all of the people they come in contact with, and all of the people they contact - until it fills the entire Earth - live in utter joy and peace."

www.intenders.org

~photo by P. Synnott

Dreaming or awake,

we perceive only events that have meaning to us.

~Jane Roberts

You, Beloved, who are all

the gardens I have ever gazed at,

longing.

An open window

in a country house-,

and you almost

stepped out, pensive, to meet me.

Streets that I chanced upon,—

you had just walked down them and vanished.

And sometimes, in a shop, the mirrors

were still dizzy with your presence and,

startled,

gave back my too-sudden image.

Who knows?

Perhaps the same bird echoed through both of us

yesterday, separate, in the evening...

~Rainer Maria Rilke

~art by Kelly Vivanco

You drown not by falling into a river,

 but by staying submerged in it.

~Paulo Coelho

~photo by R. Morgan

Dramas.

That which is meant to be yours

will come to you.

So many people's lives today are filled with dramas and unresolved situations that we would like to show you two ways we have found to lessen their effects upon you and your friends.

In the early days of The Intenders, we used to say that we share our dreams instead of our dramas. In fact, that phrase is still printed on the cover of The Intenders Handbook, however, it isn't always the way we do things nowadays. On evenings when our Intenders Circle is smaller and we have more time to state our gratitudes and intentions, we will encourage those who are experiencing a sticky situation or drama talk about it for a short time.

We've found that when we do this for a minute or two the Intender will open up and get clearer about what's bothering them. Then we'll ask them to state an intention around the drama - and do you know what happens? Almost without exception, they'll come back to the Circle a couple of weeks later and the drama is gone. The intention they made manifested, and the drama went away.

In order for you to see things from a higher ground, you must learn to detach from suffering and drama.

The faster you can learn to do whatever it takes to lift yourself up and out of dramatic situations, the better it will be for you and for all those around you.

If you need to go out the door and shut it behind you and say,

"I'm not going back there for a day or two," then do that.

If you're in a situation at work where you're feeling really drained

and you need to regenerate, go out into Nature.

Nature is there for you.

It is filled with vital life and energy.

Avail yourself of it.

It is your birthright, as a human being, to be with the trees,

the wind, the sun and the rain.

These things add unto you.

They regenerate you.

They recreate you.

My Intention for today is:

I intend that I am at peace within myself.

www.intenders.org

The realization that something is not as you want it to be is an important first step, but once you have identified that, the faster you are able to turn your attention in the direction of a solution, the better, because a continuing exploration of the problem will prevent you from finding the solution. The problem is a different vibrational frequency than the solution—and all thoughts (or vibrations) are affected by (or managed by) the Law of Attraction.

~Abraham-Hicks

Perception is a mirror not a fact.

And what I look on is my state of mind,

reflected outward.

~A Course In Miracles

If calamity befalls us, we're ready, without complaint.

This is the posture that strengthens our immune system.

As our world goes through its changes leading us to a golden age of manifestation, you will see many people around you who are having a difficult time adapting. During this time of letting go, our values will shift. In many instances, the homeless and those who have had the least in our culture will surface to be the ones who are the teachers, for they will have already gotten used to being without the fancy things of life.

Conversely, those who have been living off the fat of the land may be the most challenging to be around, and you will see many of them complaining loudly because they aren't getting all of the things they've become accustomed to having. How you act or react to these people is up to you, however your best tack is to remain calm and centered regardless of what is going on around you. In this way, you not only set a good example for your troubled brothers and sisters, you also enjoy an added benefit: you'll be healthier.

For it is a great truth that those who complain are more apt to attract physical challenges to themselves, while those who can hold their emotional balance in times of change are strengthened.

My Intention for today is:

I Intend that I am calm regardless of what is going on around me.

www.intenders.org

~photo by Lorna

Our challenges are there in order to take us to a greater awareness.

There are times for all of us when life presents its challenges. We might feel like we've lost our way and there's nowhere to turn. Every road appears bleak, cold, unforgiving, and the voices of doubt won't give us a moment's rest.

The Intenders would like to give some encouragement to those of you who are going through your stuff. When all hope appears to be gone, your intentions are still there. Your choices are still there. Keep moving forward. Even though the voices in your head tell you that all is lost and that any further action on your part would be futile, don't give up. Remember the truth - that just because your intentions haven't manifested yet doesn't mean that they're not going to manifest.

Keep moving forward. No matter what. And intend that, from now on, all of your changes are gradual, gentle, and full of grace.

The Intention Process never fails. It is only when we become impatient, intolerant, or forget that our thoughts are creating our experiences that we bring suffering to ourselves. There is no situation that cannot be turned around. There is always a bright side. In every experience, there is a gift, even if we have to use a magnifying glass to find it. We can manifest miracles as long as we never give up on our dreams, as long as we intend it and keep lining ourselves up with the highest that is within us.

Be good to yourself. Life's experiences are meant to move us closer to realizing who we truly are. Every challenge takes us nearer to a knowing that, at our core, we are Spiritual Beings. And, always remember that things can change. Good things can happen in the blink of an eye. One moment you may be mad at the world and thinking about giving up on all that is near and dear to you - and, in the next moment, a spark of love may warm your heart and bring newfound joy into your life. Your Spirit may soar. Keep moving forward.

My Intention for today is:

I intend that I am always moving forward

toward the manifestation of my dreams.

www.intenders.org

~photo by M. & J. Cox