Constant Bliss

Wealthcare Program Complete

2010-10-31T05:47:00.000-07:00

Well, the Wealthcare Program is now complete. I have posted each of the Workshops over the last four months - Gratitude Garland, Accounting Your Blessings, Miracle Soup, and Creative Manifestival. I have decided not to continue with this blog with other posts, but leave is strictly for the Wealthcare Program. I will leave these posts indefinitely so that you may follow the workshops at your own pace.

You may do the workshops in any order, although the order in which I posted them made the most sense to me. I do see them as progressively digging deeper into your own psyche in order to help you manifest your own desires, goals, and dreams.

Please enjoy these programs and I wish you well in your journey.

I have started a new blog to pursue my own dreams of creating art. It is called "Dreaming in Orange". I will be posting about the various interests in my life: knitting and spinning, creating collage, drawing, encaustic painting, and photos from my daily life and travels. It is my own way to visually explore things in my life.

Enjoy,
Anne

Creative ManiFestival Day 30

2010-10-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

As I searched for the best way to bring the course to a close, I knew that it was time to put activities and exercises aside for the last lesson, which would be on the subject of money. I knew that if I could get out of my own way, my own "teaching" voice would be able to step back and allow a greater teacher to come through.

For whatever reason, that voice came through as the voice of butterflies.

Please enjoy the PDF book, "Money-Morphosis: 10 Things Butterflies Can Teach Us About Money".

Also, take a look at a handy list of the 10 Steps.

Take time to use this process anytime you want to bring something, or more of something, into your life. These principles of manifestation are a fun and creative method in which to make significant changes in your life.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 29

2010-10-29T04:33:00.000-07:00

For the past 30 days, the Creative ManiFestival course has presented exercises, tools, and processes to tap into your right brain and make powerful shifts related to prosperity. We've focused on using the 10 Steps to manifest different things, and I hope it has become increasingly clear that these 10 Steps are appropriate for manifesting ANYTHING! Obviously, you may have to tweak some of the exercises, but this general progression of igniting a spiritual process with creative, imaginative exercises that build on one another modularly, WORKS.

For our final two days, I want to look at the specific topic of MONEY. Throughout the course, I've talked about abundance, prosperity, and right livelihood. Since this course is directly intended for creative people, we've covered specific issues that many creative people have in their relationship to abundance and prosperity.

Obviously, prosperity and the experience of wealth are about a LOT more than money. Yet, I did not think this course would be complete without addressing money directly, as it is something that many of us struggle with. So these two days will play with this topic and offer some tangible suggestions on how you may use the 10 Steps specifically for bringing more money into your life.

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

Remember Day One, when you had a cup of coffee with your creativity? I'd like to do something similar today.

Imagine that you are on a playground, having a play-date with Money. You and Money are playing on the see-saw, making mudpies in the sandbox, and pushing one another on the swings.

Imagine that you and Money take a break and lie down on a picnic blanket in the middle of the grass. You lie back and look at the clouds and talk about the different shapes that you see. Then begin to have a heart-to-heart with money...and record your answers in your journal.

If you like, you can alternate between your dominant hand ("your" voice) and non-dominant hand ("Money's" voice). If the hand-alternating gets too frustrating, drop it, and just write regularly, but see if you can change your pace or style a bit when you write from Money's voice. The idea is to bypass the left brain and get to heart of expression. You can write very quickly when you write for Money's. You can hold the pen in a fist. You can also do this at the computer by closing your eyes as you type when you are "taking dictation" from Money.

Ask Money these questions:

"How do you like living in my world?"

"What would you like to be different?"

"How can I help you?"

"How can you help me?"

"Who do you wish that I was more like?"

*******
After you've written your answers, go back and compare these responses with the remarks made by "Creativity" in Day One of this course. You asked your Creativity and Money the very same questions. How are the answers alike, and different? What realizations come to mind when you study the answers?

If you'd like to connect further with Money, here are some more questions to ask:

"How can I improve our relationship?"

"What would you like to do for me, that I'm not letting you do?"

"What beliefs do you wish I would change?"

"What can I do to spend more time with you?"

"How can I attract more of you?"

"What do you wish I understood about you?"

"What do you wish you understood about me?"

Spend time with these questions and see what you can uncover. What have you learned about creativity during the past 28 days, that you can apply to money?

We'll pick up with some more exercises tomorrow. It is your final day of the course, but only the beginning of what is to come!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 28

2010-10-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

Today we're going to complete our "closer look" at each of the 10 steps by presenting Steps 9 and 10. Then, with only two days left in the course, I'll be throwing some new ideas your way, and also help you formulate an action plan for the future. After all, the end of the course is really just the beginning!

STEP 9: Use creative exercises to explore blocks or resistances around the topic.

To drive an automatic car, we use a combination of the accelerator and brake pedals. To move forward, we need to take our foot off the brake pedal, and press down on the accelerator. Merely lifting up the brake pedal, without pushing the accelerator, will not get us far. And pushing the accelerator at the same time as the brake pedal won't either. It's the combination that does it.

If we extend this metaphor to the process of drawing prosperity into our lives, we can compare releasing the brake pedal to letting go of resistance, and compare pushing the accelerator pedal to moving forward with positive thoughts and actions.

In other words, merely taking positive steps and reframing our thoughts, actions, and beliefs won't get us moving very far, unless the resistances are dealt with.

Resistances are the internal blocks that keep us from fulfilling out desires. These are blocks in our beliefs or thought processes that keep us from being successful, happy, and fulfilled. Sometimes resistances manifest themselves as external blocks, and it may seem that the world is against us! However, more often than not, the external blocks are reflections from limiting beliefs that we are holding, ourselves.

Earlier in the course, you've already explored a few techniques that apply your creativity to the act of releasing resistance. In this case, the exercises were specifically centered around releasing clutter, using your creative supplies, and coming into an acceptance that you can and deserve to sell artwork.

Here are a few more ideas of ways you can use your creativity to tackle resistances:

a. Try a movement exercise where you perform a "pas de deux" with your resistance. Put on some music that seems to exemplify your relationship with your resistance. Use your body to portray each "character" - first yourself, and then your resistance. Allow your resistance to move through you in powerful, passionate ways. Then use your body to allow the resistance to surrender while you and your resistance become one and inhabit a single body as you dance together. After the exercise, write down and/or meditate upon any discoveries.

b. Create a simple movement ritual which you use to release resistance. For example, you could develop a ritual in which you literally "shake off" defeating thoughts by shaking your right arm, as if you were grandly shaking a tambourine.

Or you could stand with your feet apart and your arms out to your sides, so that your body is a 5-pointed "star", that acts as a shield from negative thinking. Play with your body to develop such a tool, and use it as often as possible to help you diminish resistance.

c. If you are battling with an "I can't..." that repeats over and over in your head, try this: take a large piece of paper or poster board and write down an "I can't..." statement. Then write four subsequent statements, using the same words in each blank, following the progression below.

As you write each statement, ILLUSTRATE it with collaged images, drawings, symbols, and/or icons. This is a progressive affirmation that enables YOU to take the power away from the resistance to remind you that YOU are in charge. By adding the illustrations as you go, you are allowing each different level of the progression to sink in more deeply than if you were simply writing them down.

- I can't __________
- If I really wanted to, I could _________.
- I could ___________.
- I can __________.
- I __________.

Here's an example:

- I can't earn any money as a writer.
- If I really wanted to, I could earn money as a writer.
- I could earn money as a writer.
- I can earn money as a writer.
- I earn money as a writer.

Remember, you would spend a good chunk of time illustrating each one of these statements.

You might want to try this exercise spread over a few days, rather than all at one sitting. This will allow each level to sink in more deeply, which enhances your chance for success in truly reaching the next level with your full belief.

d. Draw a portrait of resistance with your eyes closed, and don't lift up your pencil. Just let it go where it takes you. When you feel it is complete, open your eyes and examine the portrait. Make note of anything realizations you've had or things you've learned.

Then close your eyes and ask this question: "What is the best action I can take with this portrait?"

Allow yourself to be guided as to the action that you take that will be for your highest good. It could be that you are guided to burn the page, or paint it with bright colors and hang it up, or anything else that comes through to you. Whatever your first impulse is, do it.

STEP 10: Actively invoke in the release-create-share-receive cycle in a way that is related to what you want.

Earlier in the course, we participated in this cycle by morphing clutter into both gifts and products to be sold. Please remember that you can sell art in the "Art Adoption for Abundance" section of The Shoppes of Artella whenever you are ready. Do NOT worry if you have not done that exercise yet! This is ongoing, powerful work, and you have an open invitation to use this forum.

But there are many other ways that this cycle can be used, outside of releasing unused art supplies. I have found, over and over, that this four-step cycle is practically a guarantee for bringing a desire full circle.

On a practical level, it opens us up to highly creative thinking and problem-solving. Often, the main thing standing between us and our desires is that we are trapped in linear thinking, believing that there is only one "standard" way for our desire to come to us. Brainstorming to get ideas for this cycle automatically places the desire in the right brain, and allows all kinds of inspirations to come through.

On a spiritual level, I believe that invoking this cycle from a pure heart immediately opens us up to abundance. When we can experience as much joy from releasing, creating, and sharing as we do from receiving, we become magnets for the perfect opportunities, people, events, and things that will bring our desire to us. By holding pure intentions and opening ourselves to these key elements, we make it much easier for God/the Universe to take care of the details.

So, brainstorm about other ways that you can invoke this powerful cycle by writing down this question in large letters:

In what ways can I release-create-share-receive?

...and let yourself go wild with brainstorming ideas. Write down even the ones that seem far-fetched. Allow yourself to think beyond "physical" items, and look to ways that you can use this cycle to release, create, share, and receive, using your time, talents, and gifts.

Keep this list where you can see it often and reflect on the different ideas from time to time, trusting that when it is time for you to put one of the ideas into action, you will have all of the appropriate motivation and tools necessary.

Here are some questions to ask to help you get your brainstorming going:

- What do I want to get rid of, either tangibly or intangibly? Is there some way that I use the action of getting rid of this to start the cycle?

- What have I always had a hunch about making or doing? Does that idea inspire a way to use this cycle?

- What is something that someone I know really needs or wants, that I have to share? How can that be a part of this cycle?

- What do I really need or want? How I can use this cycle to come to that conclusion?

When Steps 1-9 have built a strong basis of clarity and creativity around your desire, this cycle puts the concepts into action. Once your foot is released from the brake, this cycle joyfully presses the accelerator pedal to bring you toward your dream.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 27

2010-10-28T09:16:00.000-07:00

We're looking at Steps #7 and #8 today.

STEP #7: Add a musical element: what song(s) truly express the essence of your desire?

This step is deceptively simple, but I urge you not to skip over it. As you know, the purpose of the exercises in Creative ManiFestival is to encourage you to use the full range of your creativity in manifesting. To move beyond meditation and "new age" techniques to truly invoke your creativity as your most important ingredient in manifesting what you desire.

If you are primarily an artist, or primarily a writer, it is important and effective to call on the other arts to bring you into the full nature of your creativity. While art and writing exist on paper, music "exists" in the air, so to speak (well, at least, non-visible waves of energy). It affects us on a different level. When lyrics are added to the experience, the experience of selecting and listening to music becomes all the more powerful.

Here are some specific exercises to try out when approaching this step:

a. Envision the process of manifesting your desire as a film, and select different musical pieces for the soundtrack. Select various pieces in different music genres to symbolize separate parts of the journey you are taking to bring your desire forth into reality.

b. Go to your CD/cassette collection and pick an album and song at random. (For CDs, you could say to yourself, "I'm picking the 5th CD in the stack on the left, track 6" before even approaching the stack.) Play the track and see if the music and/or lyrics bring a new layer of understanding or sensibility to your desire.

c. When you are listening to different pieces of music with this exercise, allow your body to move along with the music. This allows your entire being to absorb the new "knowledge" of the song.

d. Experiment with music genres that are new to you. In day 10, I mentioned http://www.musicmass.com as a place to start for free downloads of music. Another option is to search the download library at Amazon.com, at this link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=artella-20&path=tg/browse/-/468646.

You can enter search terms in the Amazon search engine and find downloads that match specific search criteria.

Other downloadable music sources are:

http://www.napster.com
http://www.imusic.com

STEP 8: Listen to the music in #8 while making two lists: "Mine to Do" and "Universe's/God's to Do"

The process of making these two lists is very, very important, and playing your chosen song(s) in the background allows you to open up to new levels of awareness about the items you are placing in each list.

Why create these two lists? Why the distinction?

One of the most important aspects of manifesting anything - ANYTHING - is the act of surrendering. When we try to control every little thing, we are pushing up against the natural flow of our life.

I think where people have trouble surrendering is in not fully accepting what I believe is the nature of life - learning to surrender means coming to full acceptance of the fact that the nature of life is ALWAYS to flow to our highest good.

The world is full of proof of this concept: our bones automatically heal when broken; scientific studies show that our energetic fields are constantly drawn toward things we want, and away from things we don't want; when any body of water is agitated, it immediately levels out to rest; and a sunflower seed spends it life naturally manifesting to fulfilling its DNA characteristics that are included in the seed from the very beginning.

Many of us can accept that "everything happens for a purpose", but finding ease in surrendering comes when we can believe that "everything is moving me toward my BEST purpose."

If we can accept that the world is always flowing in the direction of our highest good, it is a natural progression to get out of the way when we want something. We can voice our desire but then surrender control. And that is what a "list for God/the Universe" to do is all about.

Marianne Williamson says:

"When we surrender to God, we surrender to something bigger than ourselves - to a universe that knows what it's doing. When we stop trying to control events, they fall into a natural order, an order that works. We're at rest while a power much greater than our own takes over, and it does a much better job than we could have done. We learn to trust that the power that holds galaxies together can handle the circumstances of our relatively little lives."

Here are some creative variations on this exercise:

a. Create a vessel or container and place in it symbols of the things you are surrendering. Some people call this a "God Jar" or a "Creation Box". Give this container your OWN name...something that makes you smile. Decorate it artfully and make the process of adding items to it a joyous experience. If you want to write the items on slips of paper, include doodles! Or try writing a haiku poem about each element that you place in the box. Make this such a joyful activity that, from now on, when you think about something you want, your first thought is, "Ooh, I can't wait to put this in my Tremendous Treasure Chest!!"

b. Create an art journal about faith, including your own exploration of images and words that push the boundaries of your current beliefs to open your mind to new possibilities.

c. Write/draw your "Things for God/the Universe to Do" list on a long piece of butcher paper hung on the wall. Rejoice in adding more things.

d. Look at the things on the "Things for ME to do" list, and make a plan. Shifts occur more quickly when they are achieved BOTH in the internal and external worlds. Decide what you need to do, and make a plan for doing it. Use your creativity (draw, write, dance) to express your relationship as co-creator with the divine force working along with you.

e. Keep track of your two lists, so that you can observe how many things are being accomplished, by both you AND the Universe!
Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 26

2010-10-26T15:07:00.000-07:00

Today we are looking at steps 5 and 6. We'll start with Step 5.

STEP 5...Rewrite the entry for #4, replacing the circumstances with facts and details from your present life, but maintaining the essences.

This step is a wonderful challenge for your imagination. Throughout the course, you've learned various ways to use your creativity to express your vision of what your experience will be when your desire has come to pass. Step 4 invited you to create a very detailed picture of what this will look like, with a focus on the essences. You may want to review Days 9, 22, and 25 for ideas to prompt this exploration.

The idea is to create a DESIRE STORY via any artistic expression (through art, writing, dance, or a combination) that captures this desire and makes it real for you.

Once this picture is in place, it's just a matter of switching the details of the story with details of your own life.

For example, let's say that your desire story includes something like the following:

I walked into the dressing room, filled with anticipation for what was to come. I knew that any minute, I'd be meeting Oprah, and even though I was excited, I also felt a certain calmness, knowing it was exactly where I needed to be at the moment, and that I was here because of my hard work, faith, and trust. I knew I had something important to share, and that somewhere out there were viewers who really needed me. What a lovely feeling. I poured a glass of the sweet tea that had been left for me and felt instantly refreshed. I drank a toast to myself, with thanks for my gifts, for Oprah, the viewers, and for God’s blessings.

Now, while it may seem like a tough bill to fill, the trick is to keep the basic essences the same, but change the details with information in your own life. Here's an example of what could be done with the above paragraph:

I walked into my office, filled with anticipation for what was to come. I knew that any minute, I'd begin the first chapter of my book, and even though I was excited, I also felt a certain calmness, knowing it was exactly where I needed to be at the moment, and that I was ready to start this chapter because of my hard work, faith, and trust. I knew I had something important to share, and that somewhere out there, there were readers who really needed me. What a lovely feeling. I decided to go to the kitchen before entering, and make myself a glass of tea so that I could nourish my body and appropriately toast this occasion. I drank a toast to myself, with thanks for my gifts, for the new day, my future readers, and for God's blessings.

All that I did was change the details of the surroundings and occasion. The rest remained intact.

The example above shows the DESIRE STORY and the re-write in written form, but you could also express both of these exercises in the following ways:

- An expressive dance or movement exercise that depicts both the DESIRE STORY and then your "re-write"

- Two collages or other works of art; one for the DESIRE STORY and one for the rewrite

- Two poems or pieces of abstract writing

- Any other creative expression that you can come up with

If you're having a tough time, here are some hints for working with your DESIRE STORY in this way:

a. The "re-write" doesn't necessarily have to do with your creative passions, goals, or desires. It can do with anything in your life. For example, the above paragraph could also have been re-written to talk about the excitement of meeting a dear friend, spending some time gardening, or the anticipation of starting a new book, reflecting a desire to spend more down-time doing things you enjoy.

b. If you're stuck on where to start, just pick a room in your home. Any room: kitchen, dining room, bedroom, studio, office, backyard. Visualize the room, and figure out what you could be doing in the room that would be relatable to the feelings and essences described in the DESIRE STORY.

c. If the re-write seems completely impossible...just suspend your disbelief, for the sake of the exercise. There will be more instruction along these lines when we discuss Step 6, below.

d. If the re-write isn't coming, try a different medium. For example, if you wrote your DESIRE STORY, try creating a piece of art to reflect the re-write.

The purpose of this exercise is two-fold. First, it helps us realize that we are closer to our desires than we think! Second, it serves as a bridge to the next step, which is to create a plan for tangibly putting these essences into action, making a conscious effort to bring them into our lives.

STEP 6...Use the rewrite to determine ways you can achieve these essences related to your desire in your PRESENT life.

In yesterday's lesson, we looked at the BE-DO-HAVE paradigm as a powerful way to ignite your manifesting abilities. In addition to helping you become a more powerful magnet for what you desire, focusing on the BE first makes life a lot more enjoyable, too!

Step 6 involves taking a look at Step 5 and making a conscious plan to bring more of those core essences into your life on a daily basis.

The first step is to brainstorm on the ways that you can bring these essences to your life.

Taking the paragraph we've already used as an example, here are some things that could be on that brainstorming list:

- Start each writing session with a cup of tea, to remind me to drink a toast to life and creativity

- Create a collage to remind me of this scenario and tape it to the top of my computer

- Create a mental picture of a reader who will be really inspired by my book, and tap into that reader before I begin writing

- Create a reward system for myself to reward myself for each successful writing session

- Put a picture of Oprah on my computer monitor

- Play a recording of the theme to "Rocky" to kick-start my writing sessions

Really let your imagination fly as you brainstorm your list of things that you could do to actively bring these essences to your life. No idea is "stupid" or "silly". My golden rule in brainstorming is that each idea leads to the next...so every idea comes up for a reason.

When you are done, pick three to five things on your list that will serve as your ESSENCE INTENTIONS for seven days.

Ideally, these will be small actions that you can take on a daily basis to positively infiltrate your life with these core essences. However, if you want to include some actions of larger scope (say, things you can only do once a week, rather than daily), that's fine. Trust your guidance to help you know what to choose.

If you'd like synchronicity to decide, cut your list into slips of paper and choose a few of them at random. Or number each one and roll dice to determine which ones you'll try first.

However you select your three to five items, write them down in the Intention Log that you may download HERE. Then try this for one week: at the end of each day, put a check mark on the Intentions that you were able to fulfill. The Log also gives you some space for notes or remarks through the week.

The goal isn't to be "perfect"...it is simply to make you more mindful of your process of spicing up your life with your core essences. If this method works for you, keep it up after this course is complete. If not, release it, but take notice of any shifts that occurred while you were focusing on bringing more of these essences into your life.

Some creative variations on the Intention Log include:

a. Instead of check-marks, add drawings, doodles, stickers, or cut-out images when you "check off" your intentions each day.

b. Create an exciting border around the Intention Log, with images and words related to your core essences. Or create a collage on the back.

c. Create a larger-than-life Intention Log where you have plenty of space to write and create art, in addition to checking off your successful intentions. Consider hanging large poster boards or butcher paper on a wall, and creating an Intention Mural in this way.

As with all of these steps, the purpose is to move the "learning" from your left brain to your right brain. It's time to go beyond simply understanding concepts…and move to living them in the deepest cells and soul of your being. As we discussed earlier in the course, your creativity is your VERY BEST manifestation tool.
Don't be afraid to make it work!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 25

2010-10-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

Continuing along with some further discussion about each of the 10 steps, we'll start with Step 3.

STEP #3......Record any and all reasons why you think you CAN'T have it, and then engage in a creative exercise to transform those very words into answers as to why you CAN have this.

There are generally two types of people -- people who see why things will work, and people who can clearly see why things will not work. Both personalities are very useful when it comes to making decisions. The approach addressed in this step works for BOTH types.

If you are person who can see the solution in any problem, it will be very easy for you to turn around the challenges that have been facing you. Furthermore, doing so will give you confidence and fuel your momentum, because you know this is your strength.

If, however, you are a person who can always find the problem with a given situation, this exercise is equally effective, because it puts you in the role of being a "devil's advocate". For many people, NOTHING gets the creativity rolling more than using the mind and imagination to point out flaws, hardships, and inconsistencies in a plan.

By using your creativity to fight against the reasons a desire can't happen, you can tap into that fiesty little part of you, and also send powerful messages to the Universe as to why you are readyand open for miracles to take place.

Like each of the steps, the Creative ManiFestival course encourages approaching this step from a creative, rather than a logical point of view. You've already carried out this concept in two ways. Youwrote a poem based on an upside-down view of your "can't" list, and you also rewrote a screenplay scene in which you literally played attorney to represent the cause of the CAN.

Here are some other ways to use your creativity to turn the CAN'Ts into CANs:

a. Draw or paint while thinking about all the reasons your desire can't come to pass. Just allow yourself to create abstractly and see where the lines, spaces, and shapes take you as your examine your desire for a closed, defeatist place. Then, literally rip the painting up into small pieces and then collage them back together while thinking about all the reasons your desire CAN come to fruition!

b. Do this exercise with an artist friend: each of you create a piece of artwork while thinking about all the stumbling blocks and mis-beliefs associated with NOT being able to achieve your dream. Then switch with one another, and re-create your friend's artwork to exemplify all the reasons it CAN happen for her (and, of course, she will do the same for you!)

c. You also can do the same "switching" technique with a friend using a piece of writing. Start by expressing the reasons why something can't happen, using poetry, essay, or script format. Then have your friend rewrite your piece showing why it IS possible!

d. HINT: when you do these types of exercises, look for *evidence* on what your dream can come true. What in the past has shown you that your dream is possible? Who else has tried this and succeeded? In what ways has the Universe made incredible connections for you in the past? Create a file folder of "evidence" on hand, so that when you engage in these types of "creative debates" between the CANs and CAN'Ts, you have a lot of evidence on hand to call upon.
********************************

STEP #4: Tap into the ESSENCES behind why you want this desire by writing about it with great focus on how you experience these essences.

Getting down to the ESSENCES of why you want something is SO effective. It sends clear signals to the Universe of what you want, and it helps you channel your desire into actions and feelings that will help you attract more of it in your life.

In other words, if you can clue into exactly WHY you want a desire, you can start implementing more of THAT into your life. If you want a new car because of the freedom it will give you, figure out other ways to ignite a sense of freedom into your life. Like attracts like -- so doing so will bring more freedom into your sphere in inward and material ways.

In the book "Conversations with God", Neale Donald Walsch explains this point so well that I will include an excerpt from the book, here:

"Most people believe if they "have" a thing (more time, money, love -- whatever), then they can finally "do" a thing (write a book, take up a hobby, go on vacation, buy a home, undertake a relationship), which will allow them to "be" a thing (happy, peaceful, content, or in love). In actuality, they are reversing the Be-Do-Have paradigm. In the universe as it really is (as opposed to how you think it is), "havingness" does not produce "beingness," but the other way around.

First you "be" the thing called "happy" (or "knowing," or "wise," or "compassionate," or whatever), then you start "doing" things from this place of beingness -- and soon you discover that what you are doing winds up bringing you the things you've always wanted to "have."

The way to set this creative process (and that's what this is...the process of creation) into motion is to look at what it is you want to "have," ask yourself what you think you would "be" if you "had" that, then go right straight to being.

In this way you reverse the way you've been using the Be-Do-Have paradigm -- in actuality, set it right -- and work with, rather than against, the creative power of the universe.

Here is a short way of stating this principle:

In life, you do not have to do anything. It's all a question of what you are being....to illustrate this, think of a person who just knows that if he could only have a little more time, a little more money, or a little more love, he'd be truly happy.

He does not get the connection between his "not being very happy" right now and his not having the time, money, or love he wants. On the other hand, the person who is "being" happy seems to have time to do everything that's really important, all the money that's needed, and enough love to last a lifetime."

Step #5 goes into greater detail about how to USE the essences, but it is very important to understand why it is necessary to dig until you find the essences.

We've already used writing as a vehicle for finding the essences...creating a scene in which your desire has come true that includes so many details, that the essences are apparent.

Here are some more ideas:

a. The question "why" does a great deal to help you get to the bottom of essences. Ask yourself, "Why do I want ____?" and then keep asking why, and why again, until you get to what feels like the CORE ESSENCE. Then create a piece of art that expresses that CORE ESSENCE.

b. Write a dialogue between the CORE ESSENCE and yourself. What is it trying to tell you? What do you need from it and what does it need from you? If you like, try switching between your dominant and non-dominant hands to have this conversation. Allow your essence to use your non-dominant hand, and your own voice to use your dominant. Lots of interesting stuff can be uncovered in this way.

c. Try another dialogue: write a conversation between your CORE ESSENCE and your CORE VALUES. Don't think too much about this -- just try it and see what happens!

d. Keep breaking the essences down until you have a single word, and create colorful posters with the word and illustrations to reflect the word.

e. Use index or playing cards to create a deck of cards, each one artfully depicting a difference essence that corresponds to WHY you want a particular desire to come true.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 24

2010-10-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

As promised, today we are looking more closely at the first two steps in strengthening your manifesting muscles. Today we are looking at the first two steps:

Figure out what you want and articulate your desire.

Use some method of creativity (art, writing) to create a vision of what you want in a tangible format.

STEP #1: Figure out what you want and articulate your desire.

My definition of manifesting is drawing to us that which brings a more fulfilled life…a life where we are actively involved in the art of living and invigoratingly involved in the cycles of giving and receiving in abundance.

I believe that we are constantly manifesting. It took me a long time to belief the metaphysical principles that, on some level, we have created everything in our lives, good and bad, by drawing them to us. I resisted this idea until I was blue in the face, but I now believe in it wholeheartedly.

For me, the secret was realizing that having some undesirable in our lives doesn't mean that we *want* it. It simply means that at some level, our soul needs it to be there. I see two main reasons that our soul desires less-than-desirable circumstances, people, and events to us.

The first is to learn lessons in the most effective way. The Universe can get drastic in the way it teaches us. Think back to some circumstance in your past that seemed unbearable at the time, yet now when you look back, you clearly see its function in your development to becoming who you are right now. This trajectory is true of any challenge we face.

The second reason is to break patterns. More and more research is showing that, on every microcosmic level, like attracts like. An incredible book on the topic of quantum physics and it relevance to laws of attraction in our lives is "The Field: The Secret Force of the Universe" by Lynne McTaggart.

I believe that we attract the people, circumstances, and events that mirror our beliefs, down to the last detail. Consider the metaphor that we are standing in a deep canyon, and the Universe echoes back whatever we say. We say, "I'm stuck, I'm not going anywhere, I'm running into problems at each turn..." the Universe says back to us, "Yes, you are stuck! You are running into problems at every turn..."

On the other hand, if what we are saying is, "Wow, solutions are showing up everywhere! My imagination is richer than ever and things are getting better every day!", the Universe responds: "Yes, right on! Solutions are showing up everywhere and things are getting better every day!"

It's THAT literal.

Continuing to attract the same negative things over and over is a way to make a situation so acute so that it is unavoidable, and this is often the best way to break long-standing patterns. You've heard that it is always darkest before the dawn, and our souls know that.

In "The Artist's Way", Julia Cameron says that one of the most important parts of the practice of Morning Pages (3 longhand pages of journal writing each morning) is that it makes it impossible to ignore what is going wrong…the things that we continue to complain about. By continuing to attract negative circumstances, our souls are helping us process in the same way.

If you can be open to the fact that we are constantly manifesting, it is easy to make the shift to understand that we can learn to manifest CONSCIOUSLY - to manifest what we want!

In order to do this, we must know WHAT it is that we want. Here are a few exercises to use regularly to help strengthen the "know what you want" muscle:

a. If you find your thoughts clouded by what you DON'T want, write down what you don't want on an index card, and then cross it out with a big black marker. Rewrite the statement to reflect what you
DO want. Place the card where you will see it often. It will not only keep your desires in clear sight, it will also remind you to retrain your mind to think about what you DO want, instead of what you DON'T want.

b. Commit to spending time each day imagining what you want. Details are important because they make the vision come alive, and they help you clarify what you want. See the rest of the lessons for ideas of ways to use your creativity to clarify your desire.

c. Keep a running log of your desires, and refer back to them often and update them as necessary. It is perfectly normal for goals and wishes to change as things shift within. Make a note of when and how your desires change so that your vision is accurate and clear.

*************
STEP #2: Use some method of creativity (art, writing) to create a vision of what you want in a tangible format.

"We are what and where we are because we have first imagined it." -
Donald Curtis

Take a look around the room. Every single thing you see - from the computer to the paint on the walls to the design on your shirt to this very lesson - was first envisioned by someone. Everything that happens must be envisioned first. This applies to all kinds of activities and processes, not just material objects.

We spend a lot of time envisioning what we don't want. We do this every time we worry! Why not transfer that time and energy to envision what we DO want? And, since we are creative people, why not use our creativity to do the envisioning.

Here are some exercises to try, to utilize the gift of your creativity to envision what you want, and make it very, very real:

a. Create an art journal (combining words and art) that reflects your life as if your desire has become your reality. Create a two-page spread at least once a week.

b. Design a handmade invitation to a party that you throw or is thrown for you when you accomplish your desire. What is the occasion? Who will be there? Where will it be held? What will transpire at the party? Create an actual invitation with all the details.

c. Write a daily "to do" list (perhaps illustrated by fun little doodles), as if you were in the middle of a regular day in which your desire has become reality. Take a few minutes and do this every single day.

d. Write e-mails to friends, full of descriptive details, AS IF your goal has already come true (and send the e-mail to yourself, if you like).

e. Write a newspaper article about yourself and how you accomplished your desire. Take picture of yourself, or ask a friend to do so, to accompany the article.

f. Pretend you are being interviewed for a TV or radio show about your experience in accomplishing your desire. This is a great activity when you're driving because you can talk to yourself fairly inconspicuously.

g. Have a "parallel universe" party with a friend. Go out for lunch or coffee and have fun going back and forth talking about how great your lives are, AS IF your desires were your reality.

h. Use your body to create a prayer dance of gratitude for what you will have received. Write a prayer of gratitude for the blessings you will have received when this desire has come to fruition. This is the true definition of faith - saying "thank you" prayers to God or the Universe before actually seeing the manifestation of what you have asked for.

I am sure that you can come up with an infinite number of ways to use art, writing, music, and dance to express your vision of your desire. Have fun with this, and dip into the well of your creativity often!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 23

2010-10-23T15:14:00.001-07:00

By now, you've probably gotten the idea of the progression we're taking toward building your manifesting muscles.

There are ten steps in all. They go like this:

1. Figure out what you want…and articulate your desire. (Days 18-19)
2. Use some method of creativity (art, writing) to create a vision of what you want in a tangible format. (Day 7, 20)
3. Record any and all reasons why you think you CAN'T have it, and then engage in a creative exercise to transform those very words into answers as to why you CAN have this. (Day 8, 21)
4. Tap into the ESSENCES behind why you want this desire by writing about it with great focus on how you experience these essences. (Day 9, 22)
5. Rewrite the entry for #5, replacing the circumstances with facts and details from your present life, but maintaining the essences. (Day 9, 22)
6. Use the rewrite to determine ways you can achieve these essences related to your desire in your PRESENT life. (Day 22)
7. Add a musical element: what song(s) truly express the essence of your desire? (Day 10)
8. Listen to the music in #8 while making two lists: "Mine to Do" and "Universe's/God's to Do" (Day 11)
9. Use creative exercises to explore blocks or resistances around the topic. (Days 12-15)
10. Actively invoke in the release-create-share-receive cycle in a way that is related to what you want. (Days 16-17)

These steps have worked MIRACLES for me. While I have also experimented with methods such as meditation and chakra alignment to promote my manifesting skills, when I added the ingredient of CREATIVE EXPRESSION, something finally clicked.

The lessons took you through the majority of these steps, using the dream creative space as an example (remember - it's just an example! They can work for ANY dream). You then isolated a new desire and worked through step 6. To fully ignite your multiple senses in the creativity process, continue with the rest of steps for this desire.

Now that you are in the flow, you can continue the steps on your own, related to your current desire. Today's exercise will help you make a plan for what comes next. THEN, days 24-28 will take a closer look at the 10 steps, covering 2 of the steps each day, presenting "above and beyond" content and exercises for each.

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

Review the steps you have activated thus far, in relation to your new desire. Take a look at steps 7-10 and literally schedule time in your calendar to complete them.

When will you spend some time searching for the perfect music?
When you will work on dividing the tasks between you and the Universe?
When will you creatively participate in addressing and releasing resistances?
What will you do to invoke the release-create-share-receive cycle, and when will you do it?

With these scheduled, you can securely move through the next 5 days of digging deeper into the significance of each step.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 22

2010-10-23T15:13:00.000-07:00

Your time as a screenwriter isn't complete!

Yesterday, you wrote the dialogue of the courtroom drama that ensues when you must create a voice to defend the fact that your desire is on its way! Continue writing as a screenwriter for today's exercise, which is a slight variation on the exercise in Day 9.

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

1. Do a super-quick "lightning-round" on WHY you want this desire. Why do you want it? Make your list focus on how you will FEEL.

2. Next, write a script for a movie scene, in which you are the main character. Write about having your desire in a very, very specific way, emphasizing the details, and zoning in on the ESSENCE of how the main character (you) feel in this space.

3. Next, pretend that the film's producer has asked you to rewrite the scene...keeping the essences alive, but placing the main character in a different situation, which just happens to look like YOUR "as is" life right now. Rewrite the scene according to these directions. When you are finished, go back and rewrite the script, keeping everything as-is, except replacing the details that have to do with your desire with things that are in your reach in your real life.

(For more information on how to do this, go back to Day 9).

New steps added for today's exercise:

4. After completing the rewrite in #3, write down a list of the CORE ESSENCES that you want to achieve with your desire, as well as any ideas about how you can ignite your current life with those essences right now.

5. Create a collage or other piece of artwork to serve as a visual commitment to remind yourself to practicing implementing those essences every day!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 21

2010-10-21T06:32:00.000-07:00

The exercise for today is a variation on one that you did when you were working with your ideal creative space...remember that?

There are a few changes in the procedure, so follow the instructions, below.

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

1. Write out, in long hand, a full page on why you don't think that you can really have your desire. Write quickly and don't worry at all about it being messy (messy handwriting is actually quite helpful in this exercise.) Write about what's in your way...what seems unrealistic...what seems unlikely...and why you believe those things. Fill up the whole page. DON'T go on to #2 until you finish #1.

2. Make sure you finished #1. :-)

3. Use what you have written in #1 as the basis for a MOVIE SCRIPT. You are working on a dramatic courtroom scene. Write out, in the format of script dialogue, the "prosecuting" testimony, based on what you articulated in #1, AS WELL AS the Defense attorney's response.

Through your dialogue, the defense attorney must provide arguments and evidence to the contrary of the testimony.

Build in dramatic moments! Create a climax! Find the triumph!

More soon....

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 20

2010-10-21T06:31:00.000-07:00

Now that you've picked a desire on which to focus the rest of your lessons, we'll go ahead and proceed with today's ManiFestival...

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

Follow these steps:

1. Ask a question related to your desire. Something you'd really like to know. (some examples: "What is the next best step that I should take related to this desired?" "What is standing between me and my desire?", etc.)

2. Get a book that is in your environment. Any book.

3. Close your eyes, and ask the question your put forth in #1.

4. Open the book randomly, and allow your eye to fall on five words that are scattered throughout the page spread that you opened.

5. Write each word down, and then work with the words to devise an answer to your question in #1.

6. Create a piece of art that combines images and those 5 words, and serves as a visual affirmation of the answer to your question.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 19

2010-10-21T06:29:00.002-07:00

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

Take a look at your awesome 100 from yesterday, and pick one or two desires that you would like to focus on for the remaining eleven days of this course.

We'll be approaching them in a process similar to playing with your ideal creative space, earlier...but now, you can pick any topic you please.

Tap into your creativity to help you make the appropriate choice...where does your heart want to work?

More tomorrow...

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 18

2010-10-21T06:29:00.001-07:00

Here's the plan for the rest of this course: you'll be working on creating art for the release-create-share-receive cycle explained in the last two lessons. In tandem with this effort, you also can focus some manifesting exercises on a specific desire.

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

Write down a list of NO FEWER THAN 100 things that you would like to be, have, or do.

That's it for today -- just do your list. And don't stop til you get to 100. :-)

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 17

2010-10-17T06:18:00.001-07:00

Time for another conversation with your Creativity!

If you like - go back to the earlier exercises where you've chatted with your Creativity, to get a feel for his/her/its voice in you. Then, move on to today's Manifestival.

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

Have a conversation with your creativity about the challenge that was given to you yesterday....

Ask your Creativity questions like,

"What do YOU think about the release-create-give-receive cycle?"

"What do you think about me doing this challenge?"

"Do you have any advice for me for this project?"

"What items/materials do you want me to use in my project?"

"What do you most need from me right now?"

....and see where it goes!

This is a CO-CREATION...between you and your Creativity. Neither one of you can do it alone!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 16

2010-10-17T06:17:00.001-07:00

Today, you'll be getting a challenge that will send you right into the middle of the creation cycle.

The cycle goes like this:

- Release
- Create
- Give
- Receive

Of course, it's entirely up to you if you'd like to take the challenge, but I encourage you to make a commitment to follow it through.

Here's the deal: when you think about something, when you process concepts, when you mull over shifts, that's all very well and good, but the Universe has a hard time responding to stuff that *remains in your head*.

When you transform your internal shifts into being, through physical action, you become a very powerful magnet toward bringing to you that which you want!

So, I encourage you to see this exercise as an opportunity for the above cycle (release-create-give-receive) to take physical form.
Trust me...this will give the Universe a LOT to respond to!

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

Here's the overview of the challenge...go ahead and read it:

1. Release: Similar to the work you did in the past few days, the first step is to gather some materials that are ready to be released. The more of a "drain" that these items have been, the better. For example, art supplies that you feel guilty about buying because you never use them, a piece of clothing that is too small, old poetry you wrote about painful memories, etc.

2. Create: Use these materials to create TWO pieces of art. You can use other materials, too...you aren't limited to the "draining" items. But as you create, keep reminding yourself that you are releasing the items and transforming them into your creation.
Remember that "art" can be anything you want -- a collage, a greeting card, a sculpture, an altered book, a booklet of poetry, or ANYTHING else.

3. Give: Here's what it gets interesting. You will be releasing both of the things you created. Give one of the pieces away. It will make someone's day to receive something that you created. If you don't know you can give it to, try this: Sit very still and close your eyes. Ask "who needs this art?" and then "listen" for the answer. Be patient -- eventually a name will rise to the surface. Go with your first instinct, even if it seems odd. Your gut knows what it is doing.

After deciding who gets this piece of yours, give/send it to them. Do not make apologies or justifications for your work – simply tell them that you created this, and wanted them to have it.

4. Receive: The final step in this process is to SELL the other piece of art, in exchange for money. You can do this through your own venues, OR you can accept this invitation to participate in a brand new section of The Shoppes of Artella.

Marney is building a section in the Shoppes called "Art Adoption for Abundance", that will exclusively sell items created by people who are taking the Creative ManiFestival course. The only requirement to be part of this section is that the item must be priced at $10 or less, including shipping.

In this section, customers and sellers alike enter into a sacred agreement, understanding that the money being exchanged is a massively important part of shifts of consciousness. Again - it is so much easier for US to truly understand, and for the UNIVERSE to actively respond to a change in thought if we are taking action in the world.

Selling art that you have INTENTIONALLY created in the release-create cycle, even for just a few dollars, is a potentially life-changing event. You'll see that the cycle works...and the Universe will see that you are ready for more experiences of this kind. For you, that means MORE releasing, MORE creativity, MORE giving, and MORE money.

To sell your item through the shoppes, Marney needs the following:

- A photo of the item
- A description of the item (as personal as possible...share a bit of yourself with the world)
- Your price (under $10, including shipping)
- The completion of this sentence, "My wish for the person who adopts this piece is ______"

When the item sells, Marney will pay you via Paypal, OR you can use the funds toward an Artella purchase - your choice.

You may sell as many pieces as you like in this forum for three months from today.

SO, HERE'S THE CHALLENGE:

After reading through the description of how to physicalize the release-create-give-receive cycle, notice how you feel. What are your doubts about this process? What is exciting about it? Take a moment and write down your initial thoughts and feelings.

Next, make a commitment to yourself, in writing. I.e., "I will complete this cycle one time before the completion of this course." Or "I will complete this cycled twice in the next three months". Create a commitment that is doable, but also that will challenge you.

If you feel that you don't have time to create art -- remember that 10 minutes a day is an hour's worth of work, in less than a week's time.

So that's your mission, if you choose to accept it.

Do you?

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 15

2010-10-17T06:16:00.000-07:00

For the past two days, we played with the idea of taking "stuff" that you didn't need anymore and making something out of it.

You made something "on the fly"...and it's up to you to determine what you want to do with it (i.e. completely dismantle it, give it away, throw it away, or keep it).

The purpose of that simple exercise was to demonstrate how objects that drain us CAN be utilized in different combinations or structures to create something.

Tomorrow, we're going to take this idea and place it in the context of the Universe's cycle of giving and receiving. To prepare for that, it's time to do a quick check-in.

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

Express yourself, responding to these questions.

You could:

- Write the answers
- Sing the answers
- Think and visualize the answers while moving your body
- Create a collage or other visual imagery to symbolize your answers
- Anything else you can thing of!

The questions are:

1. If I told you that I had a venue in which you could sell the creation you fashioned in the last two days, what is your response?

2. If the answer is "Ok, sounds good"...are there any hesitations involved with selling this particular creation?

3. If your response was "no way"...why? Why would you not want to sell it?

4. What would need to be different about THE ITEM in order for you to feel you could sell it?

5. What would need to be different about YOU in order for you to feel you could sell it?

6. What would need to be different about the UNIVERSE in order for you to feel you could sell it?

6. What is your INITIAL response to this statement: "You CAN earn money from the things you create?"

7. What is your INITIAL response to this statement: "You CAN earn LOTS of money from the things you create?"

Lots of good stuff here...and more tomorrow!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 14

2010-10-17T06:15:00.002-07:00

You know the feeling when you wish time would stop, that a day would last forever?

It's very similar to feeling like you don't want to spend money because then it will be gone. Or you don't want to "use up" a good idea because then you won't be able to use it anymore.

You don't go outside and worry if there is enough oxygen, you trust it's there. The next time you feel yourself wanting to hold on to something...see what happens if you just let it go, instead...knowing there is more on the way.

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

The creation you started yesterday...finish it!

It doesn't matter what your plans were for this work, just go ahead and just bring it to a close.

There is always more creativity, more art, more time, more resources. There are plenty more opportunities to create, and you'll get more in this course. This is not your "last chance". So just finish that baby up, today, and feel the grace in completion.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 13

2010-10-17T06:15:00.001-07:00

Yesterday you gathered some things that you don't use, things that drain you...today you're going to use them!

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

Take the items you gathered yesterday and ~create something~.

It can be anything.

Make a piece of art from them.

You may be thinking, "how could I possibly make something that I could call 'art', from these things?"

The answer is simple: loosen your definition of 'art'. Art is anything that you create...and that includes whatever you come up with for this exercise.

If you are having trouble, think kindergarten. Kids see the world as building blocks and can make a pretend castle, or an outer-space easy chair, or a dream machine, or an imaginary friend out of anything. Loosen your definitions. Play.

See you tomorrow!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 12

2010-10-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

Going back a few days, to Day 6, we spoke about how our "stuff" mirrors our relationship to creativity.

For example, the way to acquire, treat, store, display, and use art supplies is a good indication of creative patterns on a deeper level.

This holds true for other creative "tools" as well...

Consider other "stuff" that you gather...or avoid gathering...such as books, office supplies, CDs, self-help paraphernalia, etc. etc.

It all holds a significant layer of meaning, below the obvious.

Great news: making changes in the physical world can trigger reverberations of change in the inner world. And vice-versa!

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

Put your hands on some creative tools that you never use, preferably ones that somehow drain your energy. (For example, you look at the yards of pink velvet you bought for a long forgotten project, and feel instantly guilty about the money you spent. Or the gorgeous hardback journal that you bought to house your life story...but it sits there empty, making you feel unworthy and ashamed because you haven't started.)

I have the feeling that you KNOW what those items are...the ones that you don't use and that drain you.

If nothing comes to mind, try this: pretend that you have an antenna at the top of your head, that is automatically tuned in to your most toxic "drainers" in your environment. Walk around your home (or your studio, or your office, etc.) and "tune in" for those types of items.

All you have to do for today is gather them up. We'll play more, tomorrow.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 11

2010-10-17T05:52:00.000-07:00

From music to motion...

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

Take a piece of paper and create two columns ---

On one side, write "Mine to Do" and on the other side, write "Universe's to Do".

Listen to the piece of music you selected yesterday.

For the entire length of the song (or twice through, if you get on a roll), answer this question...

What needs to be done in order for this Dream Studio to happen?

Think wildly, out of the box. Write down what is yours to do, and what is the Universe's. See where the two lists cross and intersect.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 10

2010-10-10T07:00:00.001-07:00

Today we're going to do even more to solidify the ESSENCE of your ideal creative space. (Remember, we are just using the Dream Creative Space as a model...these are processes that you can use for ANYTHING that you want to create. More ideas for that, later...)

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

Find a piece of music that exemplifies your DREAM CREATIVE SPACE.

Interpret this exercise in any way you wish. Some ideas:

- What does your studio sound like?
- What lyrics does it have to say to you?
- What music would be the perfect soundtrack, if your studio were unveiled in a film?

Locate this piece of music in your personal collection, the library, or search the Internet for music downloads. A good place to start on the Web is http://www.musicmass.com/, if you'd like to "play" a bit and see where the serendipity takes you!

More tomorrow!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 9

2010-10-10T06:59:00.001-07:00

We've been talking about this DREAM CREATIVE SPACE of yours for a few days...(remembering, of course, that it serves as an example of just about anything you want to create!)

I've said that creating the image is the hard part, and manifesting it is the easy part.

I still stand behind that, but let me clarify what I mean.
"Creating the image" doesn't just mean to have an idea of the kind of creative space you'd like. It means that you hold the reality of this idea with intense passion, excitement, and joy. It's SO REAL to you, that it feels as if you actually had it!

In fact, you get so much joy out of it being so real to you, it's almost as if you don't even NEED to have it...you're so blissed out on thinking about it!

To hold this kind of emotion related to something you want, you have to be very clear about WHY you want it....and once that sense is very much alive, then figure out ways to integrate that ESSENCE into your daily life.

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

1. Do a super-quick "lightning-round" on WHY you want that "dream studio" that you've created in your mind's eye. Why do you want it? Make your list focus on how you will FEEL.

2. Next, write a short story, in which you are the main character. Write about being in your dream creative space in a very, very specific way, emphasizing the details in the room and how they makes you feel.

Here's an example:

I walk into the room and instantly feels uplifted because of the pale blue walls that mirror the sky outside the picture window that takes up the entire wall. I allows my fingers to run through the premium Windsor sable paint brushes that are meticulously hung on the enchanting antique spice rack, which makes me feel proud and sophisticated. I smile when I see the drafting table in pristine condition, and feel like I am finally a "real artist". The classical music on the state-of-the-art sound system fills me with a sense of true freedom and bliss.

3. When you are finished, go back and rewrite your story, keeping everything as-is, except replacing the details that have to do with your dream room with things that are in your reach in your real life.

In other words, rewrite this story to indicate, in narrative form, how you can infuse the essence of WHY you want your studio in your current life, today.

Give this a try...it can be pretty powerful to figure out "what fills me with a sense of true freedom and bliss..."

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 8

2010-10-10T06:58:00.002-07:00

Before you do today's exercise, make sure you've completed your creation of your DREAM CREATIVE SPACE from yesterday.

I said it yesterday...creating the image is the hard part...manifesting it is easy.

Today, we'll look at your BELIEFS related to manifesting the studio.

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

1. Write out, in long hand, a full page on why you don't think that you can really have that studio. Write quickly and don't worry at all about it being messy (messy handwriting is actually quite helpful in this activity.) Write about what's in your way...what seems unrealistic...what seems unlikely...and why you believe those things. Fill up the whole page. DON'T go on to #2 until you finish #1.

2. Make sure you finished #1. :-)

3. Next, TURN THE PAGE UPSIDE DOWN and take out a new, blank sheet of paper. Allow your right-brain to scan the upside-down page and see symbols, patterns, new words, made up words...all hiding amidst the scribbles. If you don't see anything at first, squint your eyes and look a little deeper. Think abstractly...not literally.

Then, allow what you see on the upside-down page (words, symbols, patterns, signs) to inspire you to write, on the blank page, all the reasons why it IS possible. All the reasons why you really COULD have your dream studio.

There's no "right" way to do this...just jump in and give it a try.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 7

2010-10-10T06:58:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we looked at how art supplies (including other types of clutter) - and how they are treated, acquired, stored, and used - are indicative of the patterns in our lives.

Let's have some fun, today...

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

Create your DREAM CREATIVE SPACE.

(This could be an art studio, a writing loft, a really inspiring office, a dance studio, or a cozy reading nook...whatever you want!)

Use any medium you wish to create a studio in your own image.

You might....

- Create a collage

- Write a highly descriptive story

- Draw or paint a picture

Take a look at "Photo Set A" that at this link:
http://www.artellawordsandart.com/manifestival.html

You'll see a collage that I (Marney) did that was my ideal "writing office" that I wanted to create. I wanted it to be orange and yellow, cozy and happy, and a cross between a playroom, and art studio, and a chic cottage.

Then you'll see three photos of what manifested...this is the office where I'm sitting right now, as I'm writing this. It all started with the collage!

So go...create your DREAM studio...your divinely inspired work and play space. Create it in your own image. (Believe it or not, THIS part, the creating, is the hard part...the manifesting is easy! Stay tuned...)

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 6

2010-10-10T06:57:00.000-07:00

One way that "lack mentality" expresses itself is through our desire for, and acquisition of, "stuff".

Because of this, CLUTTER is often directly related to LACK. We grab things we don't need, or do not release things that we no longer need, because some part of us believes that having "things" makes up for a Universe that does not provide everything we need.

There is a very particular way that this affects many artists, and that is the way that lack mentality haunts our beloved art supplies. There is so much "art stuff" that we've acquired, and tons of that we never use, yet we yearn for more. We feel stabs of guilty when we see a particular art tool that cost a lot of money, and we've never used. We spend more time "organizing" our supplies, trying to fight our way through the clutter, than we do making art. We NEED a somewhat chaotic environment full of "the stuff" to keep us feeling creative, yet it also leaves us feeling drained.
If you are not an artist, in what ways do you create clutter with your particular interests? What is the problem clutter area of your life?

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

Write and/or draw and doodle a response to what you just read. In what ways does this specific brand of lack resonate with you? In what ways do it not?

Allow yourself to write for 10-15 minutes along this topic. If you get stuck, consider these prompts:

- When you were young, how were toys and playthings handled? Did you wish you had more or less? How were they presented to you? How were they organized?

- Are there relationships (either direct or indirect) between the patterns of your childhood toys and your current habits and patterns with art supplies and other "creative toys"?

- Are there specific art supplies, tools, or other items that have held on to, even though you know (or strongly doubt)you'll never use them? Why are you holding on to them?

- How much money have you spent on art supplies this year? Do you wish you had spent more, or less?

- Are there media or types of creative expression you'd like to try, but you hold yourself because you don't have the materials? What would you have to do/find/earn/sacrifice in order to get the proper supplies?

- What does the way in which your art supplies are organized say about your relationship with art and creativity?
- What does the way in which your other clutter areas are organized say about your relationship with that activity?

...That's all for now...more tomorrow!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 5

2010-10-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

Remember a few days ago, on Day 1, when you had coffee with your Creativity? Take a look at the answers to the questions you wrote in your discussion.

(If you need a refresher, or if you haven't done it yet, my suggested questions are below.)

"How do you like living in my world?"

"What would you like to be different?"

"How can I help you?"

"How can you help me?"

"Who do you wish that I was more like?"

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL

Follow these steps:

1. Write down a question of your Creativity, one that you have not yet answered.

2. Take a look at the answer to 2-3 questions that you have already written as your Creativity's "scribe". (Again, if you haven't done this yet, answer some of the questions above.) If you wrote the answers in a journal and you don't want to take the page out, either rewrite the answer on a separate piece of paper, or copy the page. If you copy it, you may want to blow up the page so the text is larger.

3. Use a pair of scissors to cut each word apart, so that you are left with a pile of paper-pieces, each piece consisting of one word.

(Have you ever played with one of those "Magnetic Poetry Kits"? That's what you'll be doing next...)

4. Work with the little pieces to create a poem. This is a combination of using creativity and also following intuition. Just allow your hand to pick the words that you are drawn to select, and then arrange them in a way that feels right until you have a poem that you feel happy with. Write down the poem so that you don't "lose" it, if one of the pieces gets lost!

5. Go back to the question you wrote in #1. Read the question out loud, and then read the poem your wrote in #4, AS THE ANSWER to the question.

How does your poem answer question #1?

Do any new insights come from this playful experiment with words and serendipity?

See you tomorrow!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 4

2010-10-10T06:55:00.000-07:00

One part of manifesting creatively is to keep a close watch for synchronicity.

Synchronicity is finding meanings between objects, people, events, symbols, and feelings.

Jung coined the term synchronicity to describe what he called the "acausal connecting principle" that links mind and matter.

He specified that there were three types of synchronicity:

- the coinciding of a thought or feeling with an outside event
- a dream, vision or premonition of something that happens in the future
- a dream or vision that coincides with an event occurring at a distance

Some scientists see a theoretical grounding for synchronicity in quantum physics, fractal geometry, and chaos theory.

They are finding that the isolation and separation of objects from each other is more apparent than real; at deeper levels, everything -- atoms, cells, molecules, plants, animals, people – participates in a sensitive, flowing web of information.

Physicists have shown, for example, that if two photons are separated, no matter by how far, a change in one creates a simultaneous change in the other!!

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL:

Create an illustrated synchronicity log to track synchronicities as they occur. Think of it as using hieroglyphics to tell stories and record ideas. Whenever you notice a synchronicity, express it artistically! You can draw, collage, paint, sculpt, write poetry, etc.

This serves all kinds of powerful purposes. First, if you are logging synchronicities, you'll start to SEE them more! Try it for 7 days and you'll see what I mean. Also, by recording them in a creative way, you'll be tapping into your right brain to uncover deeper and deeper layers of meaning.

Keep all of your Log Entries together so you can reflect on them and glean more and more from each event!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 3

2010-10-03T05:47:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this exercise is to create a collage that is your "personal shield" that you can use as a visual reminder to RETURN TO WHO YOU ARE when you are worried about money.

When you get right down to it, there really are just two feelings....

feeling good

and

feeling bad.

Since the universe is a great big kaleidoscopic magnet, you want to create a collage full of images that make you smile and laugh and feel GREAT, so you can attract more of the same to you.

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL:

1. Find a quiet space and take several deep breaths to clear your mind. You may want to play some relaxing music in the background, or have a cup of tea close at hand...whatever makes you relax into a quiet, still, peaceful place.

2. Create a "stockpile" of images that you find from magazines, old greeting cards & calendars, catalogs, etc. Cut or tear out images that appeal to you when you think about what you want to create in your life.

Don't spend too much time THINKING during this activity...just go with a gut response. If a picture of a red tennis ball appeals to you, cut it out, even if you don't know why. On the other hand, you may see a picture of an outfit that looks like the clothes you would want to wear to the new job you hope to get this year...and that works, too! Just collect a "stockpile" of at least 15-20 images that speak to you, in one way or another.

3. Take a piece of paper and on it write a list of 25 words that come to mind when you think of the kind of peaceful, blissful life you would like to create. They can be nouns, verbs, adjectives...it doesn't matter.

Some examples:

harmony
restful
friendships
prosperous
energy
healthy
joyful
passion

Use your scissors to cut each word out, so that you end up with a pile of "word tickets" in front of you while you work.

4. After cutting out your words, stand up and move your body. Stretch and let out a yawn.

Take a quick walk outside and breathe the fresh air. Let your body dance for a few minutes. Let go of the "intellectual" process of writing words down. By moving your body, you are opening yourself up to imagination and creativity.

5. With this in mind, return to your workspace and select one or more of your words that feel wonderful, blissful, and joyful. Place that word or words in the center a piece of paper (cardstock/cardboard is best).

5. Start to build up the collage with images from your "stockpile". Select images that make you feel GREAT and radiate them out from your words at the center of this collage. This collage is a visual reminder or talisman that brings you back to WHO YOU ARE.

6. When you have finished with your Money-Worry Shield collage, give it a name. There is something powerful about naming something. It makes it real. It allows you to dialog with it. Also, if you need your shield and your collage isn't handy, you can invoke its positive power by calling it by name in your mind.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 2

2010-10-03T05:46:00.000-07:00

When I (Marney) sent a survey to about 200 creative people, asking them how they felt about their lives, there were several themes that ran consistently through the surveys like rivers in the rain: people wanted to have more creativity, more money, and more time.

One of the analogies I've been playing with is the idea that the universe is a big ATM machine, ripe and ready for our transactions. This universal ATM ("Art, Time, and Money") comes with a few instructions. I'm highlighting three of them here:

1. When we put something in, we get something out. I believe that the cycle of giving and receiving describes the physics of a fulfilling life. In order to give to others, we must first give to ourselves, freely and generously, otherwise our outward acts of giving are not as pure as they might be. What we tend to forget is that there are SO MANY ways to give and receive! We can give to ourselves by expressing our passions, by cultivating high levels of gratitude, and by experiencing ourselves as who we truly are.

From there, all kinds of ways are paved for making tangible contributions to others in physical, tangible, and EASY ways. This is where the "ATM" gets really fun to play with, as we can see time and time again the cyclical nature of "in" and "out."
2. Negative thinking "costs" us something. If you put a bank card in a machine that is sponsored by a different bank, you usually have a fee withdrawn. Think about times when your thoughts (the "in") didn't match up with what you really desired (the desired "out"). Have you ever had the sense that you are sabotaging yourself with negative thinking?

The bottom line is that negative thinking COSTS US, in terms of taking us backwards in our desired velocity of moving TOWARD what we want. For example, does it cost more to worry about money or not worry about money? What kinds of "bank fees" are we being charged that hold us back?

It's important to note that if we think negatively, we don't "doom" ourselves...we can STILL get the good stuff coming to us. But our wishes are coming to us more slowly because of all the fees being withdrawn!

3. Tapping into the true nature of who we are is the ultimate in convenience. When we are feeling at peace, worries about creativity, money, and time don't bother us. The great news is that just like a bank ATM, we can access our true nature ANYTIME, anywhere. At your nearest grocery store, on the street corner...anywhere you please! It's just a matter of knowing what works for YOU to get you there.

It's different for everyone, but whatever gets you to your true nature quickest...that's your ATM password!

TODAY'S MANIFESTIVAL:

What is YOUR password?

What is the quickest way that you can tap into the true nature of who you are?

Here are a few ideas. Place a checkmark next to any ideas that appeal to you, as possible "passwords" to try.

• Put on a piece of up-tempo music and dance around your room
• Make a delicious fruit salad
• Go for a run
• Punch a mound of clay
• Finger paint
• Write a haiku poem
• Visualize your perfect life
• Write an email to your best friend
• Sing in the shower
• Help someone in need
• Make a collage
• Read a chapter in an uplifting book
• Pray
• Drink a cup of tea
• Throw a party
• Hug someone
• Observe leaves, flowers, blades of grass
• Watch an inspiring movie
• Close your eyes and recall wonderful memories
• Look at childhood photographs
• Draw or paint
• Play an instrument
• Make a donation (even for $1) to a worthy cause
• Organize your environment
• Play with fabrics
• Rearrange a room
• Meditate
• Create new outfits from your closet
• Other
_________________
_________________
_________________

Next, write down the top three "passwords". Which of these ideas (including ones you came up with, yourself) resonate as being the QUICKEST ways to helping you return to your true nature?

Create a very simple piece of art that highlights these three (i.e., a collage, painting, or drawing) and place it where you will see it often. You can create your piece on a small surface (like an index card) so that you can carry it with you...or on a large piece of poster board to hang on your wall or refrigerator.

Have fun!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Creative ManiFestival Day 1

2010-10-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Creative ManiFestival!

The purpose of this 30-day course is to radically change the way you think about money, work, creativity, and time.

The lessons will serve as a guide, but YOUR creativity will be the actual teacher. It is the wisest teacher you will ever know, and it is already within you. This course is just here to help draw it out.

This is truly one of those experiences where your success will be directly related to the energy you put into the endeavor. A self-study course such as this requires a commitment on your part, and a certain amount of discipline.

That being said, it's also important to note that you will get out of this course whatever you are supposed to get out of it...right now.

That means that if you are in a mode to spend half an hour on this work every day...great! If you are in a mode to gather an hour or two here or there....that's fine. If you stop for two weeks and pick back up, that's cool. If you skip around, that's groovy. And, if you find that the lessons get away from you completely for the time being, that is also ok.

Creative ManiFestival will offer your LOTS more than you could ever do in a month. That's the spirit of abundance, and it is my hope that the very experience of this course will reflect that abundance in the Universe and within you.

In order to really embrace this concept, do everything you can to keep from feeling overwhelmed. New exercises in this blog will be posted every day...but it's TOTALLY FINE if you get behind and end up picking things up later. It will be here for you.

When there is more than enough (in this case, more than enough exercises to try), it means that you can experience the luxury of picking and choosing...and, furthermore, to trust in your own creativity to navigate the choices! (You'll get some specific tools to help you discern your creativity's guidance, later.)

On a practical note, I highly recommend that you use a special notebook or journal for all of your ManiFestival work. There will be times when you will go back to refer to work in previous lessons, and it will be helpful if you can locate the previous material easily. Also, a 3-ring binder works great, because you can print out your lessons and keep them all together in one place.

It's time to put all the instructions aside and jump into an exercise.....

******EXERCISE 1********

Invite your creativity for coffee.

Sit with your journal, and have a conversation between you and your Creativity. If you like, you can alternate between your dominant hand ("your" voice) and non-dominant hand (your "Creativity's" voice). If the hand-alternating gets too frustrating, drop it, and just write regularly, but see if you can change your pace or style a bit when you write from the Creativity voice. The idea is to bypass the left brain and get to heart of expression. You can write very quickly when you write for Creativity. You can hold the pen in a fist. You can also do this at the computer by closing your eyes as you type when you are "taking dictation" from Creativity.

To begin the coffee date, start by asking a question, from your own voice...and let your Creativity answer.

Here are some questions you might want to ask your Creativity:

"How do you like living in my world?"

"What would you like to be different?"

"How can I help you?"

"How can you help me?"

"Who do you wish that I was more like?"

....Just let the conversation flow. No judgment, no editing...just check it out.

That's it for today...more tomorrow!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 30

2010-09-30T06:20:00.000-07:00

This course has come to a close, but your cooking has just begun!

You've tried many exercises in these 30 days of to work with miracles in your life. Most likely there are things that you haven't even tried, yet. Truly, the fun has only just begun...and now it is up to your intuition to take the lead and propel you down this path.

TODAY'S RECIPE

Take a moment and answer these questions:

1. What does the word "miracle" mean to you?

2. Do you have an early memory of hearing the word "miracle"? What was the context?

3. Think back to your parents (or the most significant adults in your life) as you were growing up. What do you think the word "miracle" meant to them?

4. What is a miracle you'd like to see occur in your life that seems impossible?

5. Why does it seem impossible?

6. What is a miracle you'd like to see in your life that seems just a little bit possible?

7. Why might it seem possible?

8. What is a miracle you'd like to see in your life that seems very possible?

9. Why does it seem very possible?

10. Have you experienced miracles in your life? List any that come to mind.

Guess what? Those are the same questions you answered in Day 1.

How has your path changed? What's new? What's different?

Take a moment and reflect on this course by answering the following:

- Which of the exercises were your favorites?

- What are the exercises you wanted to do but never did?

- Set an intention statement for yourself for the NEXT 30 days.
You can use this format, if you like:

1. In the next 30 days, I, (Name), will use my power to gather the "ingredients" of new skills, habits and beliefs in the following ways:
________, _________, ___________.

2. In the next 30 days, I, (Name), will use my power to transform my beliefs, patterns, habits, and words in the following ways:
________, _________, ___________.

3. In the next 30 days, I, (Name), will use my power to tithe and provide acts of service in the following ways:
________, _________, ___________.

4. In the next 30 days, I, (Name), will use my power to receive more and more miracles every day in the following ways:
________, _________, ___________.

It has been a wonder to be a part of your journey.

Enjoy! ~ the soup!
Anne

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 29

2010-09-30T06:19:00.000-07:00

It's our second to last day, and I'd like to expand a bit on the topic of *evidence of miracles*.

We've already talked about how SEEING evidence makes evidence come.

It's a very simple cause-and-effect pattern:

Looking for small miracles makes you see them.
Seeing small miracles draws more to you.
Magnetizing small miracles makes you believe in them.
Believing in small miracles makes you see big miracles.
Seeing big miracles draws more to you.

We've talked about "signs" as a mode of evidence to help gather more and more miracles every day. Signs may be:

- Hunches
- Curiosities
- Synchronicities
- Repetitive elements
- Messages, hidden or obvious
- The right things happening in the right time
- Unexpected gifts that answer prayers and much more!

Another way to invite more evidence of miracles into your life is to use oracles.

There are people who regularly consult psychics and tarot card readers to gain insight, information, and answers to questions.
Even if you've never visited a psychic or fortune teller, you're probably seen of many oracles. Go to almost any bookstore or stationery shop and you'll see a whole palette of divination decks, as well as books that detail many ancient oracle traditions such as the I Ching, Druidry, and Tarot. And no matter how skeptical you are, you've probably engaged in fortune cookie reading at some point in your life. Oracles are all around us.

Here's a bit about my personal history with oracles.

I grew up with a very pragmatic father and in my adolescence and young adulthood sort of rolled my eyes when people talked about Tarot cards or believed horoscopes or fortune cookies. I had a real resistance to “new age” friends - I thought they were goofy, silly, and way too out there for me. I had a friend who loved to throw I Ching - which is a very old Eastern oracle and she convinced me to try it out. I remember when we asked a series of questions and got the answer, what hit me was not that the oracle was psychic, but that the responses elicited thinking in me from new directions.

I came away with some new understanding from that experience, and I realized that the new information hadn't come from the oracle, it had come from me. In other words, this knowledge was already in me, the oracle just helped bring it out. In that way, the oracle was no different than, say, an article that I would read, or an anecdote from a friend.

That is why I believe that ANYONE - regardless of his or her beliefs - can get something out of an inquiry with an oracle. Whether you believe that what you are experiencing are divine signs, or whether you are seeing them as interesting promptings to get YOUR creative thinking going --- or anything in between – there is value in seeing the world's information in a different way.

TODAY'S RECIPE

Go HERE to take a look at the Weekly Menu for Week 4. It contains a list of "Do It Yourself" Oracles that you can do at any time, and almost any place. Pick one or two that sound interesting and give them a try!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 28

2010-09-28T16:46:00.000-07:00

For the past few days, you've been looking for signs...signs that your desire is on its way. But there are other types of "signs" to look for as well as evidence of your miracle.

TODAY'S RECIPE

Today, instead of looking for signs that your desire is on its way to you, look for "signs" that serve as messages to show you that you DESERVE the miracle of your desire coming into your life!

Notice the subtle shift between evidence that it's on its way and evidence that you deserve it.

At the end of the day, answer these questions:

- Which kind of "sign" is easier to spot?

- Which kind of "sign" seems more possible?

- Do you have resistance to one or the other possibilities?

- Do you have a sense that one type of sign might deliver itself in a particular form, such as those we discussed this week (i.e., literal signs, sounds, people drawn to you, etc.)

- What other "signs" come to mind that would serve as messages of miracles taking place? What kind of evidence would ROCK YOUR WORLD?

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 27

2010-09-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

TODAY'S RECIPE

Today, as you look for signs that your desire is on its way to you...pay attention to SOUNDS.

Keep your ears open to the following:

- Songs that come on the radio (if you don't listen to the radio much, turn it on at several intervals today to see if there are any signs there for you)
- Music playing in public places
- Songs that you "hear" in your head...especially songs you can't seem to get out of your head
- Answering machine messages left for you
- Messages you hear on the TV or Internet

See you tomorrow with some brand new miracle-gathering techniques to try.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 26

2010-09-26T06:03:00.000-07:00

The past couple of days, you've been given some specific places to put your attention, in terms of looking for the miracles that are coming your way.

While this may seem "gimicky" - there's a real reason for this kind of exercise. Think about how our physical bodies respond to a variety of different types of exercises to promote overall strength and health. A good workout includes exercises that focus on different groups of muscles and provide different challenges to our systems. Each isolated exercise trains the body in a specific skill, while also promoting a general sense of health in the overall context of the entire body.

Spending a day focused on a particular type of "sign" is like spending a workout devoted to a particular muscle group.

By isolating each kind of "sign", you are becoming more attuned to the different ways that "evidence" for miracles can appear. You are strengthening your observation muscles in specific areas, while also building your overall miracle attraction capacity.

TODAY'S RECIPE

Today, pay special attention to things that are repeated throughout the day.

What do you keep seeing over and over today?

Look for things like:

- Colors that keep showing up
- Things you read/hear about books, movies, or other recommendations
- How people are describing their day
- Headlines or article topics you see in various places
- Songs or sounds you hear on the radio
- A particular image that you see several times (i.e., a flower, a type of car, etc.)

What's trying to get your attention today through repetition?

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 25

2010-09-26T06:02:00.000-07:00

TODAY'S RECIPE

Just as yesterday's exercise invited you to pay special attention to actual signs, today you have a focus for your attention.

Pay special attention to the people who connect with you or move toward you.

Look for the following:

- Emails you receive
- Calls you get
- People who come to where you are standing in line
- Co-workers who approach you
- Strangers who speak to you

What messages can you find in these connections with people?

Remember....you are looking for SIGNS THAT YOUR DESIRE IS ON ITS WAY.
What do you see?

Do you notice more people are connecting with you, now that you are looking for it?

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 24

2010-09-26T06:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went over the basics of how the recipe cards work for this week. You are to keep a specific desire in mind and be on the lookout for all signs that it is coming. As you track your experience with this each day, you'll also get the opportunity to try some specific approaches to your "miracle hunt".

TODAY'S RECIPE

As you look for *signs that your desire is on its way* today, pay special attention to actual signs.

Keep a close watch on the following to see what synchronicities are presented, related to your desire:

- Billboards
- Newspaper and magazine headlines
- Email subject lines
- Sales and promotions
- Titles of books
- Names of streets on street signs

Look at SIGNS today... what miracles do you see, now that you are keeping your eyes open?

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 23

2010-09-26T05:51:00.000-07:00

The theme of this week is simple:

You will be OBSESSIVELY, PASSIONATELY, TIRELESSLY looking for miracles!

If you can commit to this process, you will be astonished at what you uncover.

The basis of this technique is very simple: whatever you focus on is what you see. By going through the previous week's exercises, you've now laid the groundwork to be a very powerful magnet for miracles. Now you just have to LOOK for them...and you'll see them everywhere!

This is often referred to as The Law of Attraction. I got all the proof I needed that this concept works when I began to be obsessive about gathering gratitude a couple of years ago. Every day, I aimed to increase my gratitude balance in my "account". (This later became my "Accounting Your Blessings" e-course!) Looking for things to be grateful for received top attention every single day.
It took a while to develop the habit, but after a while, it became second-nature. I found very quickly that the more I looked for things to be grateful for, the more I saw!

I figured it this worked for gratitude, why not try it with other things. When I tried passionately looking for miracles, incredible things showed up in my life. Unbelievable "coincidences" and gifts in all shapes and forms.

This week, suspend your disbelief and "just try". Just try to see what happens if you look for miracles. You have absolutely nothing to do, and a bounty of grace to gain.

TODAY'S RECIPE

You have six recipe cards to work with this week - one for each day (from your Recipe Booklet). The process for each day will be the same; however, each day's lesson will add a new "twist" to the process. Focusing on the same desire each day is a great way to develop momentum in your partnership with the Universe -- but you also can enjoy playing a bit, by changing your desire each day. Remember -this week is all about experimentation and FUN!

You'll need to have access to the card throughout the day, so either bring the worksheet with you, or create your own "recipe cards" using index cards, as was previously suggested.

First thing in the morning, write your desire on the first card.
Then, all day, look for SIGNS THAT THE DESIRE IS ON ITS WAY.

The trick is to REMEMBER to look for signs. It's very easy to get caught up in being busy that we forget that our job is to be seeking signs. You may want to set up a reminder system for yourself. Some ideas include:

- Putting a sign on your computer
- Setting an alarm each hour
- Wearing a special bracelet or a rubber band on your wrist
- Asking a buddy to remind you throughout the day

After you've recorded the SIGNS THAT THIS DESIRE IS ON ITS WAY TO YOU, note the miracle that you've experienced. The miracle could be as simple as, "I realized that the world is giving me signs that my desire is closer and that filled me with a new sense of excitement." Or the miracle could be unexpected blessings, gifts, or support -- and finally, it WILL be the fulfillment of the desire, itself!

Then record comments for the day, specifically giving an indication of your attention level in looking for signs throughout the day. This is very important, as you'll be able to go back and look at your cards and notice patterns between your experience of miracle-watching and the deliverance of your blessings.

If you go through the day and realize that you have forgotten to be looking, don't worry -- this takes practice. Just try again the next day.

So try this for today -- and we'll build on this tomorrow.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 22

2010-09-26T05:48:00.000-07:00

We're moving on to our final section of Miracle Soup. This one focuses on *receiving* miracles. You've already worked on gathering ingredients, cooking the ingredients, and serving the soup. Here's where you get to sit down and enjoy the soup, yourself.

Though this might be the most pivotal section, it was very important that the other sections came first. To put the previous lessons into a context that will prepare you for working with the
Miracle Recipe Cards this week, complete the exercise below.

TODAY'S RECIPE

I invite you to focus on the ways you have ALREADY received miracles throughout this process. Take out your journal and answer these questions:

1. Did you learn any new insights in the "ingredients" section of this course? What were the first shifts you had during this course? Did any miracles or unexpected gifts of any form come your way?

2. If you have been keeping up with the Synchronicity Log started in week 1, has your awareness of synchronicity increased?

3. As you transformed beliefs, thoughts, patterns, habits, etc., were there any new gifts that came your way?

4. Describe your experience with serving others and tithing. In what ways were YOU the recipient of the miracle?

That's all for today...see you tomorrow!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 21

2010-09-26T05:46:00.000-07:00

We've already worked with financial and physical tithes. Today is about making a spiritual tithe. Instructions are below.

Also, you may download the Weekly Menu for this week which contains some extra ideas.

If you had a bank statement that was titled, "(Your Name)'s Possessions", what would it look like?

What would be listed on it? What do you POSSESS?

At first, you might think of material things: clothes, computers, cars, food, furniture, knick-knacks.

But go further. What else do you possess?

Your list could include the following:

- talents
- skills
- beliefs
- faith
- laughter
- compassion
- free time
- love
- and much, much more.

Today's exercise invites you to use your imagination to plan a spiritual tithe, in which you take 10% of something in your non-physical possession to share, donate, or give.

This could be giving 10 percent of your free time to a worthy cause. Or a large chunk of compassion (what might approximate to 10%) to a friend in need. Or sharing 10% of your knowledge in a particular area with someone to whom the new knowledge will be a true difference.

If you look at those examples above, you'll see something very interesting. When you give a tithe (what might amount to 10 percent, more or less) of one of these non-physical possessions, your possession doesn't diminish!

In other words, if you tithe a skill, you still have that skill. If you tithe knowledge, you aren't giving away knowledge for good. If you tithe compassion, you still have more than you need. Even time is infinite, if we look at the big picture. There is always more time! (Even when we feel like there isn't.)

This is a fantastic lesson about the financial and physical tithing, too. Giving away 10% of financial income is NO different than giving away 10% of compassion. It is all constantly re-cycling and re-circling.

Anything given with a true heart is never taken away from you!

TODAY'S RECIPE

What spiritual tithe can you make, following the above lesson for guidance? Make a plan for sharing a non-physical possession that can be carried out fairly quickly. Keep the momentum going...and
DO it!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 20

2010-09-20T13:31:00.000-07:00

Because creating acts of service for strangers is one of the most miraculous things you can do, today's recipe is to do another one.

TODAY'S RECIPE

Two days ago you engaged in a visualization about providing services to strangers, and then planned an act of service based on the intuitive "hits" you got from the visualization.

TODAY -- and I really mean TODAY, you are to create an *spontaneous* act of service to a stranger.
Something quick, off the cuff, that you are inclined to do instantly.

Just keep your eyes open for the opportunity -- you'll know it when you see it!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 19

2010-09-19T06:41:00.000-07:00

Two days ago, we looked at the idea of tithing -- giving back 10 percent as an expression of gratitude and faith.

Financial tithing isn't the only kind of tithe, however. You can also use the financial tithe as a model for tithing from your other "incomes".

The next two exercises on tithing, as well as some of the ideas in the Weekly Menu list you'll have access to at the end of the week, will stretch your imagination to think of other ways that you can tithe.

Use these exercises to broaden the way you think about giving and receiving miracles. You may find that you want to engage in several different kinds of tithing at once, because that is what feels joyful! Or you may find that engaging in other tithing acts is a better fit for you right now, rather than making a financial commitment that you don't feel ready for.

The important thing is to remember that when it comes to sharing, you have so much more than dollars and pennies to give. There are many different "bank accounts" that hold all kinds of revenue, and ALL of them are ripe for sharing.

TODAY'S RECIPE

Look around you. If you had a bank statement that reflected your physical space, what would it look like? What items would be listed? What kinds of transactions might be included? Is your balance high or low? Do you like the way your "bottom line" feels? Is there a sense of flow in the statement? How would you like this bank statement to be different?

You can really see the magic of prosperity laws in action when you engage in a cycle of releasing things that no longer need. For some people, there is much less resistance working with *things* than working with money. This is why many people find it easy to manifest, say, a book they want, but harder to manifest a specific dollar amount they desire. The teachings of Abraham-Hicks say "it is no more difficult to manifest a castle than a button". The only difference between the two is the resistance involved. Simply put, resistance gets in the way of faith. When we are holding a solid sense of faith, and no attachment to outcome, the Universe/God can just reach right in and give us exactly what we want and need.

So, some people are well-versed in letting go of physical possessions to allow for new things to flow in. Others people have a very difficult time letting go of physical possessions -- it brings up their deepest fears about scarcity and lack. No matter which category you fall into (or if you are somewhere in between), I invite you to take part in a physical tithe, in which you give ten percent of your physical possessions away.

Here's where this gets fun. Physical tithing can look like a LOT of different things! Here are just a few examples, to get you thinking:

- Going through your closet and removing 10 percent of your clothes (there's probably at least 10 percent you don't wear) and donating to charity

- Donating 10 percent of your week's grocery shopping to a food bank or shelter

- Giving 10 percent of your music CDs to a friend who is going through a tough time

- Engaging in a major decluttering endeavor, using physical tithing as your motivational structure: go through your house, room by room, and put aside 10 percent of your possessions to "freecycle" or donate to a cause of your choice. (Do a search engine search on freecycling to find a Web site or message board for your area.)

- Give 10 percent of the flowers, vegetables, or herbs from your garden to someone whose work makes your life easier (postal worker, bank teller, grocer, etc.)

What can YOU think of?

Think about a physical tithe that YOU can undertake, and write down your plan in the "recipe card"...and be sure to record your experience when you've completed your tithe!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 18

2010-09-19T06:40:00.000-07:00

As you know, this week we are alternating between tithes and services. Just as you have already provided a miraculous act of service for a friend, today your exercise is to perform a significant service for a stranger.

TODAY'S RECIPE

Remember, a "significant service" needn't be large or complicated in scope. It just means that whatever you are providing will make a difference to the recipient.

Today, put aside 10-15 minutes for the following visualization exercise:

Close your eyes and pretend you are watching yourself in a dream, or on a movie screen. See yourself going through various acts of "random kindnesses", providing wonderfully helpful services to strangers. Allow yourself to imagine one scenario after another, each in great detail.

You offer a service to the first stranger: what do you do? How does she respond? Then you go on to your next "good deed": what happens there? In your imagination, walk yourself through a beautiful day of connecting with strangers at every turn, offering services that help them significantly.

Then, open your eyes and answer the following questions in your journal:

- What kinds of services were you performing in your mind's eye?

- Which ones were most joyful?

- What kind of strangers were you connecting with?

- Which people were the most wonderful to connect with?

- Did you have any negative experiences or resistances?

- What act of service can you perform for a stranger today? Do you want to plan something specific? Or simply keep your eyes open for someone who could use your help?

Then use the recipe card for SERVICE TO A STRANGER to make a plan and record your act of service for today. Record your responses and the other person's.

And that's it for today!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 17

2010-09-17T05:46:00.000-07:00

Today is your introduction to the concept of tithing, and the first of three specific tithing exercises that I invite you to undertake.

Every person who reads this lesson will have a difference sense of the word "tithe". You may already be actively tithing, or completely new to the concept, or filled with heavy burdens related to the word from what others may have told you of its meaning. No matter where you are, let's start with a fresh look at tithing, and the ways that you can use it to give and receive more miracles in your life.

Note: if you are new to tithing, or have resistances related to it, you may want to do a "doubt count" while reading this material today, and then repeat it again in a few days to see if your doubt count is shifting. This is a way to get a solid sense of shifts being made in your resistances.

The word "tithe" is based on the word "tenth". Tithing refers to giving the tenth part, or the tithe, of all income, in an act of service or honor.

This week we will extend tithing to other areas beyond financial income. Today, however, we'll focus on your income as a way to illustrate this momentous opportunity.

Tithing has strong roots in religious cultures, but it is a concept that extends far beyond the realm of churches, synagogues, or religious factions or groups. Depending on the path of your life, you may have negative associations with tithing. You may have been exposed to tithing as a way of "bribing" God for getting answered prayers, or learned that you would be punished if you did not tithe. You may have seen tithes been abused by religious and organizational leaders who manipulated others to use their prosperity in less than honorable ways.

For our "fresh start" on tithing, allow me to introduce tithing as the following:

- a tangible, hands-on way to give thanks for all we have been given

- a way to circulate abundance and ignite the entire world with greater prosperity

- a way to exercise faith in the flow of all kinds of abundance and goodness coming our way

- a glorious way to become conscious of the cyclical nature of abundance

- an opportunity to direct gratitude for specific blessings to specific channels

- an opportunity to let go of attachments to what you think you need or desire

- an opportunity to realize the oneness of all creation and release conceptions of what is "yours" and "theirs"

Tithing is very handy because it is a way to get "heady" concepts out of the theoretical and into the practical. It becomes much easier to truly learn about faith when we are practicing it, and not just thinking and talking about it.

The most important thing that I can say about tithing is that it is not, and never should be, an obligation. Tithing is a wonderful opportunity to put your spiritual beliefs about all forms of prosperity and faith into action.

What I have found is that just was we are consciously creating everything in our lives, whether intentionally or not, the Universe is constantly tithing for each of us. The natural laws of giving and receiving keep all flows in balance whether we are aware of it or not. Tithing is a grand opportunity to be conscious of what is flowing outward from our abundance, allowing us to direct this energy in specific directions to offer specific messages of gratitude.

In other words, the natural state of the Universe is to constantly keep things circulating and flowing. It is impossible to ONLY receive, just as it is impossible to ONLY give. However, by reveling in the opportunity to tithe, you become a participator in directing the flow and observing, first-hand, how regularly, perfectly, and infallibly this flow works.

Giving away your tithe - 10 percent - will always bring greater blessings to you. As you've already discovered in this course, blessings come in many forms. For example, re-organizing your finances to give away 10 percent of your income might not necessarily bring you more income - but it may provide you with a context for managing your money in a way that is more life-affirming and in line with your values. The Universe delights in giving us what we need to be happy, along with guidance on how to use these gifts. Tithing is an easy way to see the flow of those gifts in delicious action.

I don't know WHY it works this way, just as I don't know exactly why the degrees of all triangles add up to 180 degrees. If you engage in tithing and observe what comes to pass, you will see first-hand the joy that comes from being an active participant in the circulation.

When choosing where you will place your tithe, go where the JOY goes. As soon as you find yourself thinking, "I SHOULD donate to such-and-such...", stop the thought. Tithing is not about obligation, it is about expression. A great exercise is to think of the people and places from which you have received life-enhancing nourishment. Tithing to those people and places is a perfect way to not only circulate your abundance through your tithe, but also express gratitude for the "spiritual food" you have received. Give where the joy is...you will know where is right!

Resistances to tithing are natural. If you are struggling to make ends meet, you may wonder how in the world you could survive on 90%, rather than 100%, of your current income. You may worry that you will need the money later. You may become distressed over where to place the money. You may be full of fear that a bad financial situation could become worse.

These fears are completely natural, and I encourage you to recognize them but not be hard on yourself for feeling fear. Tithing requires our faith to take a big leap to trust far beyond a sense of lack and truly trust in God and the Universe. You won't lessen your fear by reading or talking about tithing -- you have to experience it for yourself to come to a new level of faith.

If you are fearful of starting with 10%, start smaller to give yourself some muscle memory about this process. Start by tithing 1% of your income, or 5%. Be sure to include all increases in
income, including any loans you make take out. The idea is that 10% of whatever is yours goes back into the soup...in whatever form makes YOU happiest.

TODAY'S RECIPE

After reading today's material, write down your initial thoughts, fears, or reactions.

Next, use the recipe card to make a plan for a tithe for this week. Record your income for this week, determine the 10%, and plan where you would like to place that 10%. Think of the blessings you have received and use this 10% as an opportunity to -- literally or metaphorically -- express gratitude for those blessings.

When you've made your tithe, mark it off on the recipe card and record your experience.

Don't worry about what comes next ... for now, just use this opportunity to circulate 1/10th of this week's income back into the soup.

More tomorrow!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 16

2010-09-16T16:46:00.000-07:00

Your challenge today is to plan your first act of MIRACULOUS SERVICE.

Think back to the times when someone else did something for you that really made a difference. Most likely, your memories will serve as proof that meaningful services don't have been complicated, elaborate, or over-the-top. Often, meaningful service is deceptively simple.

For our purposes, a miraculous service is one that will make a significant difference to the recipient, which you offer without expectation of reciprocation, exchange, or benefit. A miraculous service can be anything...

- A truly heartfelt comment
- A surprise gift
- A helpful favor

...the possibilities are endless!

By engaging in GIVING miracles, you open yourself to the wonderful feeling of pure service, as well as the experience of fulfilling abundance as you realize HOW MUCH you really have to give.

TODAY'S RECIPE

Today's assignment is to use the first "recipe card" in your recipe card booklet to plan a miraculous service to offer a friend of yours.

Here are some guidelines for your service act:

- Select something that you can complete fairly quickly, i.e., today...or this week.
- Pick something that brings YOU joy when you think about it
- It can be something that you either do anonymously for your friend, or with your friend's knowledge that you are the giver

Write down your plan on the recipe card, and follow it up with a few words about your experience AND your perception of your friend's experience. (These notes are important, so be sure to include them!)

Welcome to the world of giving miracles....warning: giving miracles can be addictive! And this is just the beginning!

See you tomorrow for your introduction to tithing.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 15

2010-09-16T16:45:00.001-07:00

So far we have looked at...
- ingredients of miracles
- "cooking" (transforming what you have, i.e., beliefs)

The next step is to engage in SERVICE.

If you are putting your attention and intention toward transforming your beliefs, you are ready for this exciting and important stage of creating miracles!

Don't worry … you don't have to have successfully transformed all your old beliefs, lickety-split. If some of those pesky beliefs have been hanging around for a while, they won't get "cooked" overnight.

This is important, because I've observed that many people stop themselves from serving, or postpone doing so, because they think they "aren't ready". These types of thoughts are very common:

"I'll tithe when more money is flowing my way."
"I can help others when I'm not such a mess myself."
"I can't help anyone right now, not with the state I'm in."
"There's not enough to share...not yet."
"Nothing I could give would make a difference."

The act of service and giving is a vital part of Miracle Soup. It is this act that allows you to step into the role of GIVING miracles. Creating miracles for others is a sacred, beautiful experience. It feels so good. The act of honoring others by offering a miracle will fill you with a sense of grace and well-being. It also opens you up to the vital cycle of giving and receiving. By giving miracles, you become beautifully vulnerable to be showered with miracles given to you, from a massive variety of sources.

The recipes for this week are divided into two parts: tithes and services. Each day's recipes will alternate between one and the other.

At its most basic definition, tithing is giving 10% of your total income to a cause that is important to you. This week, we'll discuss not only monetary tithing, but also physical and spiritual tithing as well.

For our purposes this week, we'll define service as providing acts of assistance, support, or kindness. These acts are not knowingly exchanged for any tangible benefits on your part.

TODAY'S RECIPE

To launch off this new section on service, answer the following questions in your journal. Keep your answers - you'll return to them later.

1. Recall a positive experience of serving someone in some way. How did you feel?

2. Do you have negative experiences of serving others? What are the feelings associated with these experiences? Do you have any insights of why the experience was a negative one?

3. What is your experience or background with tithing? Is it a new concept to you? If not, when did you first hear about tithing and what are your feelings associated with it?

4. Write down a handful of times in which you have given something without expectation of receiving anything. In retrospect, do you wish you had given more? Or less?

5. What are you most joyous anticipations related to providing services, tithing, or giving miracles?

7. Do you have any fears or resistances associated with providing services, tithing, or giving miracles?

See you tomorrow with your first service recipe!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 14

2010-09-14T14:31:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of the second week, which consisted of Transforming Beliefs.

Download the Weekly Miracle Menu for Week 2, to find suggestions for further exploration along the idea of transformation.

Today's Recipe serves as a transition between Transformation and Service. You'll start a new week for Service tomorrow.

American people tend to be very competitive with one another, and I believe that it has hurt us, as a society, far more than it has helped us. Today's exercise encourages you to release the idea of competition, or the perception of any lack in relation to another person or entity. Consider what Deepak Chopra says, which is in direct opposition to the idea of competition:

"Practicing the Law of Giving is actually very simple: if you want joy, give joy to others; if you want love, learn to give love; if you want attention and appreciation, learn to give attention and appreciation; if you want material affluence, help others become materially affluent. In fact the easiest way to get what you want is to help others get what they want."
-- Deepak Chopra in "The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success"

There are several reasons why the action of giving someone else what YOU most desire works:

On a spiritual level, it attracts more of what your desire to you.
An energetic "message" is sent, in ways that we can't fully articulate, that is matched by what is drawn to you. Whatever you give is always returned to you. Going about it this way – helping someone else get what you, yourself want – helps the Universe be specific in the way you receive it.

On a practical level, this gets you actively and passionately thinking about the topic at hand, which will bring more inspiration, brainstorming, and motivation concerning your own desire. By helping others get what you also want, you instantly put yourself in the same sphere as your desire - connecting with the same people, places, and events that will bring your desire closer to the people you are helping AND to you.

MIRACLE RECIPE #14

This recipe card (on the lower right of the recipe cards for this week) focuses on the act of transforming desires. Here's how it works:

1. Write down your desire.
2. "Spin" the desire 180 degrees by writing it so that you are helping another/others get that very thing.
3. Write down an action you can take to indicate your commitment to the "spin".
4. Check off when it is done.

An example:

Desire: I want to be a published writer.
Spin: I want to help others become published writers.
Action: Conduct research about the process of submitting a book proposal, for the purpose of creating a booklet to give to your writer friends as a gift. This will help them get the basic facts about the process, saving them gads of research time. Think of ways to share this information for free to help a wider audience, too.

Obviously, there are MANY actions that could be taken to make this "spin" come true. Pick one action....or pick twenty.....either way, you are making a significant difference in bringing your desire closer to you.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 13

2010-09-13T19:42:00.001-07:00

Today's Recipe is short and sweet....and this gives you a chance to get caught up on the other Transformation Recipe cards, if you need to.

MIRACLE RECIPE #13

Do your "Doubt Count" again. See where you tally compares to the tally you made earlier in the week.

Any differences? Higher or lower?

Spend some time absorbing the shifts that are occurring on the subject of TRANSFORMING BELIEFS by doing one of the following:

- Writing in your journal

- Meditating, while focusing your attention on the idea of transforming beliefs

- Creating a piece of art to express the transformation of your beliefs

- Engaging in a meaningful conversation with someone on the subject (this could be a conversation with a friend, or even a conversation with God or Spirit)

We're about to move into a week that is completely devoted to SERVICE. Tomorrow's final transformation recipe card will serve as the transition to the new phase.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 12

2010-09-12T05:45:00.000-07:00

Today we're looking at transforming challenges.

Remember - this is all part of the "cooking" part of this course -- where we are using "ingredients" from Week 1 to transform beliefs.
One of the most important beliefs to change, in order to be a more powerful miracle-maker and miracle-magnet, is to change the stories we tell about our challenges.

You may want to go back to what you wrote in answer to the questions in Lesson 1 to see if your challenges are part of your "story", when it comes to how you see and understand miracles. How have your challenges played roles in the way you give and receive miracles?

Continue reading for the transformation "recipe" for today!

MIRACLE RECIPE #12

1. On the Transforming Challenges recipe card (in your recipe card booklet), write down a challenge that you are experiencing right now.

2. Think about how this challenge could actually be an opportunity. It may be easy to arrive at this information, or it may take some doing. If you are struggling to find the opportunity in the challenge, try some free-form journaling, meditating, or art-making to get your right brain involved.

When you have articulated the opportunity, write it down.

3. Next, think of an action that will contribute to that opportunity.

Here's an example:

Challenge - twisted my ankle
Opportunity - my body is trying to help me slow down
Action - feed my body a delicious, healthy meal, eat slowly and enjoy nourishing myself

And, of course, the final step is to check it off when you have done the action.

Try this out with a few challenges in the next few days. Remember that the Actions can be simple...but their power reverberates in ways you can't even grasp!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 11

2010-09-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

There's another transformation exercise to explore today. This one is about transforming habits.

You're probably beginning to see a pattern here: transformation involves replacing an old concept with a new one. We've done it so far with thoughts and fears.

Think of how a child learns the concepts of opposites. It has to be illustrated in the extreme. (I always think of old Sesame Street sketches where the concepts of opposites were always so funny.)

We illustrate the concept of opposites by going to the far extremes, and that's exactly what we are going to do today, with habits.

MIRACLE RECIPE #11

Take a moment and write down any habits that you'd like to be rid of. This can be anything from biting your nails to overspending to being bothered by a co-worker to chronic procrastination.

Next, write down any negative thoughts that have been nagging at you lately.

When you're done, take a look at the two lists. More likely than not, there are items in each list that obviously line up with something on the other list. You see, I believe that any habit has a certain belief or thought associated with it.

Here's an example from when I did this exercise with someone. Her negative habits were the ones I mentioned above: biting her nails, overspending, being resentful at a co-worker, and chronic procrastination.

Before telling her about the connection between negative thoughts and habits, I asked her to name some negative thoughts that frequently creep up on her. Here is what she said: I feel stuck, things will never change, nothing I do is enough, and everyone else seems to be going somewhere but me.

Just take a look at the connections between the two lists:
1. I feel stuck: biting my nails
2. things will never change: procrastination
3. nothing I do is enough: overspending
4. everyone is going somewhere but me: resentful of co-worker

It's surprising how perfectly I've seen these lists line up for people, time and time again!

I think it's really important to understand this connection because it gives us a GREAT shortcut. To change a thought, we can work on transforming -- creating the opposite of -- a habit that manifests that belief.

So, understanding that negative thoughts lead to negative habits, and vice-versa, look at the "recipe card" (from the recipe cards booklet) for transforming habits. Write down a negative thought and a habit that seems to be a manifestation of the thought.

Next, articulate the OPPOSITE of the habit, to create a NEW habit.

For example:

The opposite of biting nails could be painting your nails a fantastic color, and doing it regularly, as a habit. Taking on this new habit is a great way to get unstuck -- and thus, counteract the negative thought of "being stuck".

The opposite of being resentful of the co-worker could be to reach out and provide service, support, assistance, and warmth toward that person. Unlocking the blocked energy in this way immediately makes you more dynamic in the workplace; a small change in habits and suddenly you are more magnetic to others. Even if the co-worker doesn't shift, others around you will. It's a guarantee. That boosts self-esteem and also opens up many doors. And guess who is suddenly "going somewhere" (i.e., transforming the previous negative thought)?

Have some fun with this one. It's powerful stuff.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 10

2010-09-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

There's another transformation exercise to explore today. This one is about transforming fears.

MIRACLE RECIPE #10

Look at the recipe card for "Transforming Fears" in your recipe card book.

Write down a list of some of the fears that you hold that seem to interrupt you from living life to the fullest. Then take the first fear, and write down the complete OPPOSITE of that fear in the next column.

For example, if a fear is "not being able to pay the bills", one complete opposite is "having more than enough money to pay the bills."

The next step is to write down a Small Action that you will take to embody the "opposite". In this instance, it could be that your Action is to pay more than the minimum amount due on your bills...even if it is just $1. Even if it is just $1 on one bill!

These types of actions TRAIN our minds to think differently...like boot camp for shifting perceptions.

The final column is for you to check off when the Action you have proposed is DONE. This is important!

Bear in mind that the example I just mentioned is not the ONLY opposite that can be derived from the fear, "not being able to pay the bills". Another opposite, going even further, would be "to have enough money to pay bills of people I love!" In which case, the Action you specify may have to do with picking up the tab for lunch, or buying a few groceries for someone.

Another slant would be, "I have enough money to contribute to pay for the basic needs of strangers"...and of course, there are many small Actions that you could work with, in this sphere.

Get the idea?

Go have fun transforming your fears!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 9

2010-09-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

Make sure you did the "Doubt Count" exercise yesterday...you will revisit that again in another few days to see if anything is shifting.

Within the context of our week of transformation, today's exercise is about transforming the WORDS YOU SPEAK.

The words we say are very powerful...more than we know. Just as experiment, try today's recipe and see what happens.

MIRACLE RECIPE #9

Using the recipe card on the upper-left side of Week 2 in your recipe card booklet, write down the negative words that you say (to yourself or out loud) on a regular basis.

For example: overwhelmed, tired, frustrated, annoyed, tapped out, etc....

Write your list of the ones that creep up regularly.

Across from each word, write a NEW word that you will actively working on using as a replacement over the next week.

My big one was "have to", as in "Sigh...I have to ___." I made an effort to transform that to "I get to ____" (because really, there always is a choice), and it was a big shift for me.

Another example for me personally was shifting "overwhelmed" to "maximized" and "energized". BIG CHANGES occurred!

Write down your list on the card, and every day, pick ONE word for your list to work on transforming for the entire day. Catch yourself every time you use the "old" word, and then switch to the new word. Try a new word every day for a week (go back and repeat words as necessary)...and see how your attraction powers switch!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 8

2010-09-08T06:46:00.000-07:00

Today marks the second week of Miracle Soup, the week in which we focus on the act of using the ingredients we've already discussed for the purpose of transformation beliefs. You can think of it as "cooking".

Each day this week, the Miracle Recipe you'll be given focuses on a different kind of transformation, with specific instructions on how you can keep track of your progress.

I encourage you try all of the different practices. You'll know fairly quickly if it's something that you'd like to continue to cultivate, after this week is through. But just like with food, "you'll never know if you like it, until you try it!"

The first transformation for the week is transforming doubts. There are two ways doubt can be changed into belief. First, it can happen suddenly, brought on by an experience of great intensity, or it can happen gradually, over time. Beliefs don't change overnight, but you can bring them about more swiftly by paying attention to micro-changes that occur over time in the belief structure.

For example, let's look at someone who doesn't believe in a Higher Power. In order for that person to believe, she either must be engaged in a powerful experience that suddenly persuades her otherwise, or her belief is transformed slowly over time. In the case of the latter, she could follow an internal progression that goes something like this:

- I don't believe in God
- I doubt there is a God
- There might be a God
- I would like to believe in God
- I am seeing more and more reasons to believe in God
- I believe in God

In this example, if she was paying attention to the shifts that were happening in her consciousness (i.e., talking about them, journaling about them, dreaming about them), she would be more likely to reach the change more quickly than if she were unaware of the shifts occurring. She would also be more likely to hit that crucial turning point of taking responsibility, ("I would like to believe in God") than if she was not articulating her process.

By actively processing through change, we bring unconscious shifts to a conscious level, which adds momentum to the direction of change.

On the upper-right corner of your "recipe card" worksheet for this week, is a card for "Doubt Count."

Today's Recipe will introduce you to a simple process that you can track on that area of the worksheet. Try it once today, and then try it again every few days.

MIRACLE RECIPE #8

Think of the things you would like to have in life...the miracles you'd love to see.

Once you have them vividly in your mind, fill an entire page with a list of statements that describe how you would LIKE to feel about drawing those things into your life. What would you really want to know, for sure? What would you like to rely on? What evidence would you like to see?

If you pay attention to where your beliefs are, it is much easier to shift them. As discussed above, being in tune to the various stages of the journey increases the momentum at which crucial changes occur.

The "Doubt Count" is a quick way to get a sense of the status of your beliefs. It's very easy. To start, simply grab a pen and write down today's date. Next, read through each of the quotes below.

When you read something that really makes sense, and something that you truly belief, you don't need to do anything...just keep reading. If, however, you read something that you doubt or do not believe, just make a "tick" mark next today's date.

Continue reading, making tick marks whenever you read something that you don't belief is true. All doubts are not created equal, and some will be stronger than others. The bottom line, however, is that for every statement, you either BELIEVE it, or you DOUBT it. "Doubt" gets a mark; "Believe" doesn't.

Do this exercise without any judgment. Whatever you believe or doubt is OKAY...it's just where you are.

After reading these statements, and marking your page accordingly, go back and read what you wrote yesterday, about what you WANT to believe is true. Add any more tick marks that you need to mark when reading your own words.

Then close up the exercise for today. Try it again every few days and see if your count changes.

Here are the quotes....make sure to have your pen to mark your Doubt Count!:

1. "The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes. Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It is the ultimate source of success in life."
~ Dalai Lama

2. "What you put out comes back. The more you sincerely appreciate life from the heart, the more the magnetic energy of appreciation attracts fulfilling life experiences to you, both personally and professionally."
~ Doc Childre

3. "In fact, the easiest way to get what you want is to help others get what they want."
~ Deepak Chopra

4. "There is absolutely nothing...NOTHING...that you cannot be, do, or have...It is as easy to create a castle as it is a button."
~Abraham-Hicks

5. "Whether you think you can, or think you can't - you are right."
~Henry Ford

6. "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking which created them."
~ Albert Einstein

7. "The individual human mind is like a computer terminal connected to a giant database. The database is human consciousness itself, of which our own consciousness is merely and individual expression, but with its roots in the common consciousness of all mankind. This database is the realm of genius; because to be human is to participate in the database, everyone by virtue of his birth has access to genius."
~ David Hawkins

8. "If you are one step away from the poor house, you are only a step away from the rich house."
~ Neale Donald Walsch

9. "The universe is loving, friendly, and supports your highest good. Trust is knowing that you are part of the process of creating, and believing in your ability to draw to your what you want."
~ Sanaya Roman

10. "When you come to the edge of all the light you know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: there will be something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly."
~ Barbara J. Winter

11. "The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible."
~ Richard deVos

12. "Anyone can be a millionaire, simply by deciding to be one. It only takes one minute.
~ The One Minute Millionaire

13. "The Law of Deliberate Creation: Step 1. Get clear about what you want.
Step 2. Line your energy up with it. Step 3. Allow it and it is yours.
~Abraham-Hicks

14. "Whatever your needs may be, the answer is not to get God to give you more through some divine sleight-of-hand process, but rather to uncover and release your own 'imprisoned splendor'."
~Eric Butterworth

15. "You will not have that for which you ask, nor can you have anything you want. This is because your very request is a statement of lack, and your saying you want a thing only works to produce that precise experience - wanting - in your reality.
The correct prayer is therefore never a prayer of supplication, but a prayer of gratitude."
~ Neale Donald Walsch

16. "Reminiscent of the biblical passage that 'in my father's house there are many mansions,' the 'house' of our world is the home of many possible outcomes for the conditions that we create in our lives. Rather than creating our reality, it may be more accurate to say that we attract future outcomes, already established, into the focus of the present. The choices we make as individuals determine which mansion, or quantum possibility, we experience in our personal lives."
~Greg Braden

17. "Don't make yourself feel wrong for worrying about money. Do change the habit of worrying, or you will continue to worry about money no matter how much you have. If you resolve to think only about money when you feel confident and peaceful, you can increase your magnetism to what you want."
~ Sanaya Roman

18. "If you need a miracle, focus instead on how to GIVE a miracle. If this is the way we approach living -- constantly, obsessively, deliciously -- all the miracles we need have no choice but to come to us, and they delight in doing so."
~ Marney Makridakis

19. "Our focus on what is wrong will always create more of the same. The worse we feel, the worse things get. The better we feel, the better things get."
~ Lynn Grabhorn

20. "What we think about ourselves becomes the truth for us. I believe that everyone, myself included, is responsible for everything in our lives, the best and the worst. Every thought we think is creating our future. Each one of us creates our experiences by our thoughts and our feelings. The thoughts we think and words we speak create our experiences."
~ Louise Hay

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 7

2010-09-07T10:33:00.000-07:00

This week, we've gathered together the ingredients for miracles.
You took a look at your relationship with:
- synchronicity
- imagination
- emotion

Yesterday, you also came up with a list of your own additional ingredients. The kinds of things that may have been on your list might include things like:
- gratitude
- forgiveness
- love
- faith
- generosity
- hope
- belief
- openness

In addition to the Miracle Recipe below, you may download your Weekly Miracle Menu. This Menu consists of more activities and exercises that continue to work with the idea of "Miracle Ingredients", should you want to dig a bit deeper.

MIRACLE RECIPE #7
Look at all the ingredients you've come up with, including new ones that are coming to you right now. Remember, these are ingredients that you feel are necessary to create miracles, as YOU define miracles.

Now, pretend that you are taking an inventory of your internal pantry to see which of these ingredients is running low, and which are plentiful. For example, you may determine that you have an abundance of creativity, but that you are running low on patience. Or that you have a bit of confidence, but that you could always use some more.

Using this information, create a "shopping list" indicating the qualities that you would most like to develop during the coming weeks. Place the shopping list somewhere where you will see it often (like the refrigerator, next to your "real" shopping list) to remind yourself that you're seeking a greater amount of that ingredient.

Remember - if the ingredient is on your list, it means you are aware of it. And if you're aware of it, then you CAN get it! It's not some elusive concept that is beyond you -- it's right on your list, so you can move toward it every day!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 6

2010-09-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

In the past few days, we've talked about each of these "ingredients" for miracles...

- synchronicity
- imagination
- emotion

What do you think is missing to make a miracle?

MIRACLE RECIPE #6

Go back to your answers from Day #1, and take a look at your definition and understanding of "miracle".

Looking at those definitions, wonderings, musings...what other ingredient(s) would you need to make a miracle happen?

Write about it, talk about it, draw or collage about it. Play with this question and see what comes.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 5

2010-09-05T06:44:00.001-07:00

Before you can have something that you want, you have to know what it is.

This sounds obvious, and yet there are many people who don't really know what they want. Many people have desires, but when they dream about then, the desire is incomplete. People think about WHAT they want, but not about WHY they want something.

Connecting to the "why" gets us in touch with EMOTION...which is the next important ingredient in miracles.

MIRACLE RECIPE #5: Tapping into Emotion

Cultivate a two-part habit:

1. Instead of focusing on what you don't want, focus on what you do want. (i.e., If you have a headache, focus on wanting to be pain-free, rather than having a headache.)

2. Once you focus on what you want, immediately go one step further...WHY do you want it?

Work at this every day, even on the small things. If it helps, put small reminders that say "Why?" where you will see them, to remind you to determine WHY you want what you want.

More tomorrow...

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 4

2010-09-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

One of the most important ingredients in attracting miracles is to EMBRACE EXPANSION.

This is a tough thing to do in today's society, which favors linear thinking.

Growing up, creative children are told that they have "too many ideas." As creative folks grow up, they are often labeled as being scattered, disorganized, chaotic, unfocused.

Is that you?

Were you ever called "unreliable" because you did not bring projects to completion? If so, you may be carrying that label with you today, and it is SURE to get in the way of making your miracles.

They may have told you that you had to know what you wanted to do when you grew up, but your answer changed daily. They said your head was in the clouds, they called you a "dreamer". They said you'd never make any money, and that your destiny was to be a "starving artist."

And along the way, you probably got the idea that this was a bad thing. You believed that you would never make money, and so you likely took a string of jobs that made you feel empty, frustrated, and lost. Ironically, you probably didn't make money at THESE jobs either, because you already had such an ingrained sense of lack related to the very essence of who you are.

It's a myth - all of it.

In reality, your very full imagination - both the one you had a child and the one you possess now - is anything but bad. It is the womb for brilliance, the rich soil for miracles. Your creativity has gifted you with an abundance of ideas, which is something to celebrate in a big way.

Furthermore, your imagination is your greatest tool in creating miracles at will.

Reclaiming the imagination is a vital ingredient in the soup!!!

MIRACLE RECIPE #4: Reclaiming Imagination

Your creativity is your true miracle-maker! Release what you've heard in the past...it's time to let it work FOR you, instead of against you!

Write down any memories from childhood that you have of someone telling you that imagination was a liability. (If you are a visual person, and would prefer to visualize the memories, rather than write them down, that's fine.)

Next, re-write (or re-visualize) a different outcome to the memory. Remember "as if" you were full of confidence in your imagination as being your best tool for creating your massively successful future. If you had possession of that confidence, how would the memory be different? Imagine yourself as this very confident, robust child. What might that young child have said to put that person in his or her place?

Play with this (on paper, in your mind, or either/both) and see what comes out.

When you're done, write down that sassy phrase that came from your childhood mouth, in this exercise. Write it down somewhere where you can see it often, to remind yourself that your imagination is your magic ingredient.

We'll be working on finely preparing that ingredient, next...

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 3

2010-09-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

As you're logging synchronicities, you can increase the occurrence of synchronicity by being open, and articulating the kind of magnet that you want to be!

For example:
- "I am going to meet wonderful people today!"
- "Somewhere in this room is someone who can help me with my problem."
- "I receive helpful information while I sleep."
- "More and more, I see the purposes behind every single thing that happens to me."
- "As the symbols of my life become more and more meaningful to me, my life becomes more joyful and fulfilling."
- "My hunches are becoming more and more clear to me, and are constantly leading me to meaningful events."

MIRACLE RECIPE #2: Delicious Declarations

Play around with different statements -- either the ones listed above, or declarations of your own. Commit to selecting ONE for today, and say it (out loud if possible...if not, saying it to yourself is ok) as often as you can during the day.

Tomorrow, pick a different statement and say it often through the day. If you can say it at least once an hour, I've found that is often enough to make powerful changes occur.

As you go through your days experimenting with this method, check in every now and then and tune into how the declaration makes you feel? Does anything shift? Do some declarations feel different than others? Take notice of such elements, and, of course, write down any synchronicities and hunches in your Log.

REALLY COMMIT to doing this. Just try it...it's as simple as picking a statement in the a.m. and saying it (which takes all of 3 seconds) every hour.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 2

2010-09-02T11:39:00.000-07:00

One part of manifesting miracles at will is to keep a close watch for synchronicity. Synchronicity is finding meanings between objects, people, events, symbols, and feelings. Jung coined the term synchronicity to describe what he called the "acausal connecting principle" that links mind and matter. He specified that there were three types of synchronicity:

- the coinciding of a thought or feeling with an outside event
- a dream, vision or premonition of something that happens in the future
- a dream or vision that coincides with an event occurring at a distance

Some scientists see a theoretical grounding for synchronicity in quantum physics, fractal geometry, and chaos theory. They are finding that the isolation and separation of objects from each other is more apparent than real; at deeper levels, everything -- atoms, cells, molecules, plants, animals, people – participates in a sensitive, flowing web of information. Physicists have shown, for example, that if two photons are separated, no matter by how far, a change in one creates a simultaneous change in the other.

MIRACLE RECIPE #2: A Synchronicity Log

So...I'm telling you to become amazingly magnetic to synchronicity, and you're probably saying, "uh...how?" Right?

Today's Miracle Recipe will make the process of cultivating synchronicity easy and fun. It is intended to be a practice that you continue for at least 7 Days.

A Synchronicity Log can be completed in just six minutes a day. Simply take three minutes first thing in the morning, and another three minutes last thing at night, to record a few simple thoughts. If you commit to doing this for only a week, you'll start to notice the difference.

You can create your own Log in your journal, using this format, or you can enjoy the "Recipe Card" format in the booklet of Recipe Cards. You can even use index cards to create your own "recipe cards". The idea is to pick a method that feels fun and inspiring, and that you can consistently try for at least 7 days -- and, hopefully, beyond.

No matter the format of your Synchronicity Log, the basic things it should include are:

Date:

Morning:

- Any meaningful elements of your dreams?

- Intention for the day?

- Any hunches for the day?

Night:

- List your gratitude list for today

- Any notes related to today's intention?

- Any hunches that you followed up on?

- Any hunches that you haven't followed up on?

Here are the instructions for entering information on your log:

- On the first morning, enter the date, and note if anything interesting occurred in your dreams. Indicate an intention for the day (i.e., "Today I am going to meet helpful people".) If you have any hunches or instincts for the day -- even strange ones – write them down. If you don't have any hunches, don't worry...just be open to it.

- On the first night, take notes on the prompts listed on the sheet. These don't have to be "journal entries", just notes that you can jot down quickly. Especially take note of any "hunches" that you did or did not follow up on! These can serve as reminders for actions to take later, or serve as powerful "evidence" for the results of actions already taken.

Make a commitment to try this for 7 days. I promise you'll start being more aware of the synchronicities that pop up!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Miracle Soup Day 1

2010-09-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Miracle Soup!

The purpose of this 30-day course is to open you to the experience of noticing, intuiting, and creating miracles in your life on a daily basis. The course is divided into four weeks, each one representing a specific theme, as follows:

WEEK ONE - Gathering Ingredients
WEEK TWO - Cooking
WEEK THREE - Serving
WEEK FOUR - Receiving Nourishment

This is truly one of those experiences where your success will be directly related to the energy you put into the endeavor. A self-study course such as this requires a commitment on your part, and a certain amount of discipline.

I recommend taking a look at your schedule and planning ahead for the time that you will use to working with this material. When you create a regular schedule for your Miracle Soup work, your subconscious mind GETS the idea that this is important to you. Miracles are ALL about the intersection of the real and the divine. As you work with this course in the context of your real life, be both optimistic and realistic, and, be both fervent and flexible.

Even though it is true that you are more likely to experience great changes in your life if you have a certain level of commitment to the process, it's also important to note that you will get out of this course whatever you are supposed to get out of it...right now. That means that if you are in a mode to spend half an hour on this work every day...great! If you are in a mode to gather an hour or two here or there....that's fine. If you stop for two weeks and pick back up, that's cool. If you skip around, that's groovy. And if you find that the lessons get away from you completely for the time being, that is also ok.

Do you see where I'm going with this? There is no "right" or "wrong" way to approach this course. The course itself has a specific format (daily Miracle Recipes and weekly Miracle Menus) but think of this course as a buffet. Take what you want and release the rest...knowing that it will be right there for you whenever you want it.

In other words, this course mirrors the nature of true abundance -- the freedom to choose what you are attracted to at any given moment, knowing that there is always plenty more...for you, and for everyone else.

You may download a booklet of "Recipe Cards", which are worksheets associated with exercises in the daily Miracle Recipes. The first page of the booklet includes some instructions and suggestions about the different ways that you can use the worksheets.

On a practical note, I highly recommend that you use special notebook or journal for all of your Miracle Soup work. There will be times when you will go back to refer to work in previous lessons, and it will be helpful if you can locate the previous material easily. Also, a 3-ring binder works great, because you print out your lessons and keep them all together in one place.

We'll hop right into the "Miracle Recipe" for today. Welcome to this process!

******MIRACLE RECIPE 1*******

Answer each of the questions below. Make your answers as short or as long as you'd like...wherever the questions seem to take you.
SAVE your answers...we'll return to them later.

1. What does the word "miracle" mean to you?

2. Do you have an early memory of hearing the word "miracle"? What was the context?

3. Think back to your parents (or the most significant adults in your life) as you were growing up. What do you think the word "miracle" meant to them?

4. What is a miracle you'd like to see occur in your life that seems impossible?

5. Why does it seem impossible?

6. What is a miracle you'd like to see in your life that seems just a little bit possible?

7. Why might it seem possible?

8. What is a miracle you'd like to see in your life that seems very possible?

9. Why does it seem very possible?

10. Have you experienced miracles in your life? List any that come to mind.

....and that's it for today. See you tomorrow!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 30

2010-08-30T17:35:00.000-07:00

It's now the end of your 30 day experience of "Accounting Your Blessings". However, I invite you to see this as a *beginning*, rather than the end. The cultivation of gratitude is on-going play (as opposed to on-going "work") - and if you think that great things have happened to you in the past 30 days...well, you haven't seen anything, yet!

First, enter your deposits and small change for today.

Next, balance your books for the week (it's actually a bit more than a week, since you haven't balanced the books since Day 21.) If necessary, refer back to the directions for Day 7. You may find a new Balance Sheet here, if you don't have the one from last week. Be sure to also take a look at this week's Record of Receipts as well.

And now comes the fun part - total all of your weekly balances at the bottom of your balance sheet.

Isn't it great to see how much you HAVE???

Even better: your balance of prosperity is INFINITE! There is no end to it...no "maximum" for the amount of prosperity value that your account can hold!

I suggest that you create a folder or binder to contain the balance statements, receipts records, and your favorite abundance actions from these 30 days. Add in some "evidence" of your transactions; i.e., wonderful email messages that make you feel prosperous, notes, cards, journal entries, doodles, copies of paystubs, photos of loved ones...any artifact that reminds you of your wealth. If this process has resonated with you, you can continue to play with it, and create a new folder for each month.

You might want to try writing your own "Abundance Actions" in the days to come, and add them to the ones you've gathered in this course. You can use quotes as a basis for the actions, as we have done in this course. But you also can use lots of other things as triggers for inspired actions that you can take on a daily basis: stories, personal experiences, elements of nature, colors, songs, the comments of children.

It has been a wonderful honor to share in this experience with you. YOU are one of my blessings. This system has worked wonders in my life, and I hope that it has evoked something special in you. I welcome your feedback, ideas, and suggestions. And please stay in touch and share your blessings!

I would also like to again thank Marney Makridakis of Artella for creating this wonderful program which I am so happy to share with you.

I'll close with one more "RECEIPT" for you:

"The infinitely small is as large as the infinitely big."
-- Sengtsen, Zen Master

May infinite prosperity be ours!

Stay tuned.........in September I will be sharing: Miracle Soup.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 29

2010-08-29T06:17:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":

"Synchronicity holds the promise that if we will change within, the patterns in our outer life will change also."
-- Jean Shinoda Bolen

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
During the past month, the Abundance Actions have encouraged you to open your senses, experience gratitude in a multitude of ways, live larger, express appreciation to others, have more fun, and much more. These are all important ingredients in the recipe for true prosperity. As all of these different, dynamic elements begin to meld inside you, and you shift your life toward experiencing a greater sense of gratitude, something wonderful happens: synchronicity!

The dictionary says that synchronicity is "Coincidence of events that seem to be meaningfully related." Jung said that synchronicity is the way in which our psyches, which have a different sense of "knowing" than our physical selves, express themselves as we move throughout the world. In addition to these definitions, I encourage you to view synchronicity as the bread crumbs in the path, the assurance that you are just where you need to be. By viewing synchronicity in this way, you can realize that ALL "coincidences" are meaningful, no matter how eventful or important or life-altering they seem to be. The smallest event of synchronicity is no different than the biggest - they are both just bread crumbs, showing you that you are going in the right direction.

Today, and perhaps even every day, take note of the little "coincidences" that come your way. Keep a little notebook where you can record them, and add them to your list of deposits. Feel the gratitude that comes with knowing you are moving along the right trail!

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with their prosperity values, every day! Tomorrow will be your last day for the course. Be sure to read the directions sent with tomorrow's lesson, as they will instruct you had to "balance your books" for the month!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 28

2010-08-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm."
-- Colette

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
While tuning in to your personal prosperity is an experience of personal depth and spiritual intensity, remember that it's also FUN! What would life look like if you began looking at your life as if it were a great big juicy amusement park, and everything you did from day to day was simply play? What if there was more laughter? What if there was more tickling and hugging? What if there was more folly and frivolity and fantastic foolishness? What if you made more mistakes and messes? How would these changes alter your experience of abundance and prosperity? For today, take a moment and ponder this inquiry (either in your head or in your journal) and then keep your eyes open for ways that you can have more fun, today - and tomorrow...and the next day...and the day after that! After all, who says life has to be "hard work"? It's only hard because we keep telling ourselves that it is, and that's a definition that's worth re-writing!

~It's the end of your third week, and there are only three more days until the 30 days are over. You'll receive your final balance sheet on the 30th day, along with instructions for balancing your entire month, and suggestions on how to continue with your accounting work! For today, be sure to enter your deposits and small change, along with their prosperity values, as usual.~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 27

2010-08-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
What if, just for today, you could make an effort to see the world around you as if you were seeing all of its beauties for the first time? What if you saw the strange map-like design on a tree's bark, or the deep color of a mud puddle, or your own face in the mirror, or really noticed the juicy taste of an apple, as if you had never experienced it before? For today, give yourself the gift of having a child-like view of the world and see it all for the first time. Remind yourself of this intention throughout the day by repeating a mantra regularly (i.e., "I have a child's eyes", or "It is all new to me"). With these "new" eyes, there are many new, uncovered riches waiting for you! I think you'll find it's as fun as finding unexpected money in your pocket, or getting a surprise refund check in the mail!

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with their prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 26

2010-08-26T17:53:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"When we experience a sense of gratitude, we give ourselves a dose of mental sunshine. Suddenly the world seems brighter, and we have more options. And the greatest thing is that as we experience the mental sunshine of gratitude, we begin to glow with sunshine ourselves. Suddenly not only is the world brighter, but we are too. Soon we notice that our lives are full of people who want to be around us because we exude peacefulness, happiness, and joy."
-- M.J. Ryan, "Attitude of Gratitude"

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Here's your task for today: make gratitude your cup of coffee. When you are feeling low on energy, take at least 3 minutes to make a list (mental or on paper) of all of the ways in which you feel rich and prosperous. See if it doesn't perk you up a bit. It can work for headaches, too! Instead of taking 2 aspirin, take 2 minutes for gratitude. It's a totally natural endorphin stimulator that is totally free and works quickly! And there are no side effects, except more and more wonderful blessings coming your way!

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with their prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 25

2010-08-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"A curve does not exist in its full power until contrasted with a straight line." -- Robert Henri

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
A great way to deepen our experience gratitude is to use the concept of contrast when thinking about our blessings. Try it, now -- think of something for which you are grateful, and then think about what your life would be if you did NOT have that. It only intensifies our sense of appreciation for what we have. Think about the "big things" that really help define your sense of comfort and well-being, but also think about the less obvious elements of your life that you may take for granted. Take a walk through your home, or your office, or your neighborhood street, and notice all that things that you would miss if they were gone. Actually IMAGINE what things would be like in this contrasting situation...and then come back to the present, and sigh into the gratitude. And don't forget to record some of your findings in your Ledger, today!

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with their prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 24

2010-08-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":

"No matter what accomplishments you achieve, somebody helped you."
-- Althea Gibson

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Spend some time today honoring your teachers in life. Who have you learned the most from in your life? When you think about this, you might be surprised at your answers. Often our best teachers are the people and experiences that we find challenging at first! Today, focus on those individuals who have been a crucial part of your growth...and make a plan to reach out and EXPRESS your gratitude to those individuals. Can you get a sense of the fact that the right people have been there for you, at the right time? Talk about feeling rich!!

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along withtheir prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 23

2010-08-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"Celebrate what you want to see more of."
-- Tom Peters

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Take a moment and think about what you would like to see more of in your life. Now, think creatively for a minute and think of the ways that you can inject the ESSENCE of what you want into your life RIGHT NOW. If you wish you had greater financial flow in your life, do a little digging to get to the bottom of why you want it. To feel free? To feel secure? To feel joy? To have the ability to give freely to others? Then, brainstorm on ways that you could add those essences to your life today. What can you do to feel greater freedom, security, joy, or generosity? Have some fun with this...it can open up LOTS of new things for which to be grateful!

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with their prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 22

2010-08-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
-- Melody Beattie

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
As today's "receipt" indicates, gratitude has marvelous transforming powers. Here's your challenge for today - stop yourself regularly today and ask yourself, "What happens if I add some gratitude to this moment?" Find out how you can turn a meal into a feast. Discover how you can turn a challenge into a blessing. Uncover how you can turn a simple task into a privilege. It's a fairly easy equation: a moment + gratitude = a greater sense of abundance. Give it a try.

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with their prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

On my Accounting Sheet:
I did have a simple task today - drive my daughter to college. She is starting early with a four-day leadership program. I only had to drive her ten minutes away, but it was a privilege to take her. I am so proud of all that she is in the process of becoming. She is an amazing individual: intelligent, hard working, optimistic, tenacious, creative, silly (in the best possible way) and beautiful. I can't wait to hear about her experiences at the University of Maryland. I am so grateful to have the privilege of being her mother.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 21

2010-08-21T04:53:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"There is a body outside the body which has nothing to do with anything produced by magical arts. Making this aware energy completely pervasive is the living, active unified original spirit... When you've cooked the marrow of the sun and moon the pearl is so bright, you don't worry about poverty."
-- Writings of Sun Bu-er, Ancient Taoist Teacher

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Take a moment to read today's "receipt", below. What is the "bright pearl" in your life? What is the most important thing to you? What is the one thing that, by comparison, makes money and finances pale in importance? Is it your family? Your values? What is YOUR own way, of "cooking the marrow of the sun and moon"? Well, whatever it is...that's something to be grateful for.

~It's the end of your third week! Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change for today, and then balance your books for this week. (If necessary, refer back to the directions for Day 7.) There's a new Balance Sheet attached to this message, if you don't have the one from last week. And don't forget to take a look at this week's Record of Receipts, too!~

Daily Accounting Sheet, Balance Sheet, Week 3 Record of Receipts

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 20

2010-08-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
One of the greatest ways to cultivate gratitude is to cherish individual moments in time, moment by moment. Today, challenge yourself to be living in the present moment, appreciating what it has to offer. Perhaps you can create a "reminder" for yourself, such as tuning in to the moment when you walk into a new room, before you check or email or answer the phone, or before you eat or drink. You also might set an alarm for each hour to remind you to be present. You'd be surprised how much abundance can be gathered just by being present.

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with their prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 19

2010-08-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I have lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well."
-- Diane Ackerman

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
See if you can go through your day today *expanding* your experience. Catch yourself at moments throughout the day and ask yourself, "Can I experience this a little deeper? Feel a little wider? Accept this moment a little more fully?" Simply by adjusting your awareness see if you can be just one percent more expanded in your living, today. If you like how it feels, then try expanding your experience another percent on another day. And all the while, feel your presence becoming more alive, and your gratitude increasing.

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with their prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 18

2010-08-19T11:40:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"When it's over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms."
--Mary Oliver

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Today, your job is to be AMAZED. Just spend some time consciously looking for things that amaze you. Just like anything else – once you start focusing on it, it will be everywhere. So keep your eyes open and be ready to get lost in the dazzling, startling, gorgeous, a-maze-ing journey of the day that's ahead of you!

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with their prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 17

2010-08-17T17:27:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"Before we awaken, our joy is to use the things of this earth; after the grace of awakening, our joy is to serve the things of this earth. With the growth of wisdom our life becomes more and more a creative act, an act of service. The beauty of such an understanding is that it excludes no one."
--Jack Kornfield, "A Path with Heart" (also the source of the story in the today's Abundance Action)

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Here is a little story for you. In the traditional culture of Bali, there is no word for "artist", nor a particular label for "creative" people, even though the culture has plenty of artisans, poets, and musicians. In this culture, all activities are equally creative, equally of service. There is no linguistic way to distinguish that a painter's mural is more "creative" than a farmer's crop. Today, think about the ways in which you are being creative in every single moment. Toss aside any previous definitions of creativity - and instead, just allow yourself to create in everything you do, and feel gratitude for your wonderful creative abilities and all the ways they can be expressed.

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with their prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 16

2010-08-17T17:26:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"This is what you should do: Love the earth and sun and animals, despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people... reexamine all you have been told in school or church or in any book, dismiss what insults your very soul, and your flesh shall become a great poem."
--Walt Whitman

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
From your own viewpoint, how is prosperity related to freedom? Naturally, it's related to the freedom to have certain things that we want, or do certain things that we would like to do. Prosperity also means accepting -- and celebrating -- the freedom to BE whoever we want to be. When you take any action that encapsulates the person that you want to be -- whether it be taking a stand for a cause, or defending a friend, or speaking to another person in full truth, or enjoying a peaceful moment where you can hear the earth breathe -- you are expressing your freedom to be your SELF. And that freedom is part of your prosperity. In short, every way that you get to express yourself in the world is part of your abundance.

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with their prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 15

2010-08-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"Sometimes I go around pitying myself, and all the while I'm being carried by great winds across the sky."
--Ojibway Indian saying

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Ironically, the biggest miracles -- the ones of almost unspeakable vastness -- are the ones we hardly even think about. For example, that our internal body structure works in such perfect harmony; that there is always oxygen with each breath; that the round earth supports every step; that seeds of all kinds grow into blossoms of all kinds. As you go about your business today, take some moments to check in to appreciate the BIG miracles. Feel the ground underneath your steps and appreciate its sturdiness. Taste a normally, ordinary breath as if it were a sumptuous dessert. Bask in gratitude that it WORKS - all of it, this whole wonderful cosmos.

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with their prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 14

2010-08-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"Being grateful. That's the first step to the path of Joy."
~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Today make your decisions based around JOY. What brings you more joy - this choice or that choice? Play around with this technique on seemingly inconsequential choices, and then move on to using it as a barometer for more important decisions. And at each turn, take a moment to enJOY the joy you're feeling, and be grateful for it.

~It's the end of your second week! Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change for today, and then balance your books for this week. (If necessary, refer back to the directions for Day 7.) The link below goes to the balance sheet, if you don't have the one from last week. And don't forget to take a look at this week's Record of Receipts, too!~

Daily Accounting Sheet, Balance Sheet and Week 2 Record of Receipts

These two bring me joy in my life: Nicolas (15) and Julia (18)

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 13

2010-08-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"Mathematically speaking, if people spent half as much time appreciating what they have as they do complaining about what they don't have, life would have to get better."
-- Sara Paddison,"The Hidden Power of the Heart"

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
There are bound to be a few things to complain about today, right? Keep your eye out for them because today, you can play a little game with the annoyances and nuisances that come your way. Every time you feel yourself complaining about something, figure out something good in the situation. I know what you're thinking...some may be a stretch, but that's what makes this fun. And you're just doing it for one day, so you have nothing to lose. If something is annoying you, just pick out one positive aspect of that thing to think about. Don't worry, you can still feel annoyed after that you if you want to (but you'll find it's a lot harder to do!)

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with their prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 12

2010-08-12T07:48:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"Prosperity is an internal experience, not an external state, and it is an experience that is not tied to having a certain amount of money. While prosperity is in some ways related to money, it is not caused by money. While no amount of financial wealth can guarantee an experience of prosperity, it is possible to experience prosperity at almost any level of income, except when we are unable to meet our basic physical needs."
~Shakti Gawain, "Creating True Prosperity"

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Today take a moment to think about what prosperity means to you on all the following levels: spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically? What does it mean to for you, personally, to feel prosperous in each of those areas? Allow your own definition of prosperity to expand as you go through your daily tasks, and feel your CAPACITY for prosperity expand, as well.

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with their prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 11

2010-08-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"Practicing the Law of Giving is very simple: if you want joy, give joy to others; if you want love, learn to give love; if you want attention and appreciation, learn to give attention and appreciation; if you want material affluence, help others to become materially affluent. In fact, the easiest way to get what you want is to help others get what they want. This principle works equally well for individuals, corporations, societies, and nations. If you want to be blessed with all the good things in life, learn to silently bless everyone with all of the good things in life."
~Deepak Choprah, "Seven Spiritual Laws of Success"

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Today, read the "receipt" below, and spend a moment to tune in to what you most want. Then, think about this: how can you give THAT to others? If some ideas come to you, write them down. If not, don't worry -- they will. Just keep your eyes open for the ways you can help others get what you most want yourself.

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with their prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 10

2010-08-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"If you want them to build a ship, don't drum up teams to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea."
~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Children and adults often are taught that it is bad to want. That it is wrong to crave. That is greedy to have desire. And yet, knowing exactly what we want is the first part of the equation to creating a life that we love. Today, spend some time dreaming of what you want. Look around you and take stock of the changes you'd most like to see in your life. Let yourself WANT them. When a very strong desire is combined with very strong gratitude, magical things can happen.

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 9

2010-08-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"Appreciation is a powerfully magnetic energy that helps you see the wider picture faster. As you appreciate, you see more and understand more. On an energy level, it brings intuitive breakthroughs and helps you realize God is within you. Appreciation magnetizes you to the Universal flow. When you sincerely appreciate what you have in life, you magnetize more of your heart's desires."
-- Sara Paddison, "The Hidden Power of the Heart: Discovering an Unlimited Source of Intelligence"

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Today, think of yourself as a magnet. That's right, a life-sized Magnet, which will attract more of whatever your mind is focused upon. If you are a magnet focused on having a day when everything goes wrong, that's what you will be attracting. If you are a magnet focused on gratitude for all the things that are going RIGHT, that's what you'll be attracting. Just experiment with this idea and see what comes up. Whatever you're focused upon tends to cling to you with a very strong hold, for better or for worse.

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 8

2010-08-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. To dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach -- waiting for a gift from the sea."
-- Anne Morrow Lindbergh

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Read the "receipt" for today, below, and think of this when you are feeling anxious or impatient. Literally take a moment to close your eyes and see yourself as a beach - ready and open for miracles to flow into your life. You may not know WHEN they are coming, but just like the inevitable tide, they ARE coming!

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 7

2010-08-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"When you thank God in advance for that which you choose to experience in your reality, you acknowledge that it is there - in effect. Thankfulness is thus the most powerful statement to God; an affirmation that even before you ask, I have answered. Therefore never supplicate, Appreciate."
-- Neale Donald Walsch "Conversations with God, Book 1"

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Today, think about the things that you would like in your life, and consciously say a prayer (to God, Nature, a higher power, the universe...whatever is comfortable for you) of thanks IN ADVANCE. This exercise feels great, because the action of anticipatory gratitude is one of pure faith. Try it, and practice it until it becomes natural and easy. You'll love it!

I hope you've had a wonderful first week with your new accounting ledger. Remember to enter your deposits and small change *every day*, even if you don't have the time to look at the Abundance Action and receipt for the day. What's important is developing the momentum that comes from allowing your balance to increase on a daily basis.

This lesson contains three links:

1. Your regular ACCOUNTING LEDGER for Day 7.

2. A "RECORD OF RECEIPTS" for week 1. It contains all of the "receipts" for this week in one convenient location, as well as a space to add your own.

3. A BALANCE SHEET, which you will use to balance days 1-7, the instructions for which follow below.

Before you balance the books for this week, take a moment to complete your ledger entry for Day 7, and read the Abundance Action for today. The instructions for balancing the books will follow.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 6

2010-08-06T04:30:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"If the only prayer you ever said was 'Thank You', that would be enough"
-- Meister Eckhart

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Today, bring your attention to saying "thank you" at every available opportunity. Say "thank you" to the ground that holds you up, to the worker in the toll booth, to the computer upon which you are reading this blog post. Expressing thanks is a powerful elixir that just can't help but heal the dark, sad, fearful parts of you.
Give it a whirl!

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 5

2010-08-06T04:28:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"The definition of vocation is that work in which the world's deep hunger and our deep gladness meet."
--Frederick Buechner

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Throughout the day today, take a few moments to ponder this: "What is the world yearning for? What are people calling for?" And then, become very quiet in yourself and ask, "What very small thing that I can do to answer that call?" Think of a small thing that you can do TODAY to participate in answering the call, and know that you are making deposits into the general well-being of humankind.

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 4

2010-08-04T18:02:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"An idea or an insight doesn't come from a single happening, it requires a meeting to alter a perspective. Often it takes a while for the events to collide, but when they do it is inevitable that a change will follow."
--Nick Bantock, "The Forgetting Room"

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Try this, -- when you wake up in the morning, make your first thought, "Today I will meet helpful people." And continue to revisit that idea throughout the day. If you LOOK for opportunities to meet the people who have the potential to really make a difference in your life, you are much more likely to find them!

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 3

2010-08-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":
"Success is measured by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying."
- Booker T. Washington

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
As you move about your day today, be conscious of looking at your obstacles as fantastic opportunities! Every obstacle or challenge is an opportunity for a new lesson learned and new growth to take place. After a day of focusing on the blessings that are disguised as unpleasant stuff, can you find it in your heart to enter some of those challenges as deposits in your Accounting Ledger today?

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 2

2010-08-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

Today's "RECEIPT":

"We understand that by giving we receive. We grasp that by lighting others' candles, we do not lose our own light. The more candles one lights, the more enlightened the world becomes."
-- John Bradshaw

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Today, you'll be working with a simple tool that is the fastest way I know to change your mood. As you go about your business today, make a conscious effort to see the best in people and to send them a private blessing. This includes friends and strangers...those you interact with and those just walking across the parking lot. If you are sending out "good vibes" to people all day long, it's virtually impossible to feel anything but GREAT. And, feeling great is what abundance is all about!

~Don't forget to enter your deposits and small change, along with prosperity values, every day!~

Daily Accounting Sheet

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Accounting Your Blessings Day 1

2010-08-01T05:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to "Accounting Your Blessings".

The next 30 days have the power to change your life. This course will offer the guidance and structure to completely change the way you see the concepts of abundance, wealth, and prosperity in your life. If you are ready to open yourself up to this process, be ready for miracles to occur!

This course will help you fine-tune your senses to be aware of all the riches that are pouring into your life. As you become more aware of the wonderful blessings around you, you are - without a doubt - attracting more of the same to you.
At the center of this course is the daily accounting sheet that you may download HERE. The sheet looks and works the same every day. There are several ways you can work with the accounting sheets -
1. Print out the sheet each day, and place it in a binder or folder when you've filled it out.
2. Print out 30 accounting sheets right now, and place them in a binder, so that you have them ready to go.
3. If your version of Acrobat has the "Free Text Tool", you can type your entries directly on the sheet in Acrobat and save each sheet directly to your computer.

In addition to a link to the daily accounting sheet, every blog post this month will include an Abundance Action for the day, and a “receipt” which is a quote to ponder. On the 7th day of each week, you'll be able to link to a "balance" sheet for the week. (Instructions for the balance sheet will come when it is posted on the 7th day of the course.)

I strongly suggest that you plan a specific time that you will do your "accounting" every day. This program is strongly modular in nature, meaning that each day builds up more and more momentum. If you plan to "do the books" at the same time every day, you are more likely to keep the commitment to yourself.

Take a moment and download the PDF file for the daily accounting sheet located HERE right now, so that we can walk through the steps to complete the accounting sheet.
Step 1: Fill in the date in the upper-left corner.
Step 2: Enter your "deposits" under the "Received" header. Deposits are the things that make you feel grateful and abundant. They can be things that happened on that particular day (i.e., the possibility of a new client, the nice service I received on the phone, the scent of the earth after the rain, the phone call from a friend), or general blessings that you hold from day to day (i.e., my health, my family, my home, the perfection of nature, a working refrigerator, etc.) Write down as many entries as you feel drawn to write.
Step 3: For each entry, enter a "prosperity value" by placing an "x" in the column that corresponds to this question: "On a scale of 1 to 10, how prosperous/abundant/rich/wealthy/grateful does this deposit make you feel?" (Select the word that resonates the most with you.) A value of 1 means "slightly abundant", while a value of 10 means "enormously abundant". Don't think too much as you enter your values, just go with your instinct and mark your x's fairly quickly.
Step 4: Record your "small change" at the bottom of the ledger sheet, by indicating any shifts or changes that you noticed today. These can be simple observations (i.e., I didn't lose my patience in the traffic jam) or more significant changes (i.e., I felt more at peace today than I've felt in a while).
Step 5: Give your "small change" a prosperity value by marking an "x" in the appropriate column (see Step 3).
If there's anything unclear about filling out the accounting sheets, you may post a question in the comment section.

In the Gratitude Garland workshop, I posted my gratitude slip each day. In this course, I will not be posting my ledger sheets. Accounting Your Blessings is more personal and I do not wish to inhibit my experience by posting my sheets. I also do not want to influence your own experience of this course. I may occasionally post some artwork or photographs just to liven up the text with a bit of color!

Today's "RECEIPT":
"Happy thoughts create happy molecules, and healthy thoughts create healthy molecules."
-- Deepak Chopra. M.D.

TODAY'S ABUNDANCE ACTION
Have you ever noticed that when something is on your mind, you start noticing it everywhere? Gratitude works like that, too. When gratitude becomes an important priority in your life, you start seeing more opportunities for gratitude at every turn.

For today's Action, pinpoint something very simple that you enjoy thinking about. It could be the sight of children playing, the sound of laughter, the color pink, delicious food, a really relaxing yawn, hugs from love ones...anything that makes you smile when you think about it. Throughout the day, look for opportunities to think about this thing. Become aware of how easy it is to focus on something positive when you make the effort to bring your attention to that very thing.

Enjoy,
Anne

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Gratitude Garland Day 30

2010-07-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

Today's prompt......

Approach the present with your heart's consent. Make it a blessed event.
- Gurumayi Chidvilasananda

What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner.
-Colette

Today is the final day of the Gratitude Garland prompts...but you can keep going with your garland for as long as you like! Invite friends and family to join you, and create your own embellishments for this simple daily practice.
If you didn't keep up with the daily ritual this time around -- DON'T worry! The 30 prompts aren't going anywhere -- you can start over, or use them time and time again. The goal of this type of endeavor is not to complete it perfectly -- it is to complete it in a way that both supports and is supported by your life at this present moment.

Today's prompt involves reflecting on any new insights you might have gleaned through this month. Have you become more in tune with the daily art of gratitude? Have you made peace with certain people or aspects of yourself or your life? Are you noticing more details? What have YOU found out about yourself in the past 30 days? And how will this set you up for newness in life in the future?

Use today's slip to reflect on these questions through words and art.

This is a photo of the entire Gratitude Garland!

It has been a joy to be with you each day. I would love to see photos of your Gratitude Garlands! Please feel free to post a comment with a picture of your garland and/or any insights that you gained from this month long practice.

August 1 starts the next workshop: Accounting Your Blessings! This will be another way in which to expand your gratitude. It is quite different in approach, and will access your feelings and awareness at a deeper level.

I am grateful for all of you,
Anne

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Gratitude Garland Day 29

2010-07-29T18:24:00.001-07:00

Today's prompt......

The true art of memory is the art of attention.
-Samuel Johnson

Today, take a moment to reflect on a special memory you have from the last month. Create a slip to honor that memory and the ways you cherish it. Pay special attention to the details that you recall from the moment -- your experience of sight, smell, taste, and touch.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Gratitude Garland Day 28

2010-07-29T18:17:00.000-07:00

Today's prompt......

Simplicity is cosmic, because it places our life on the same scale as all life, of innocent Nature herself, who is all-powerful.
- Deepak Chopra

As your adventure with The Gratitude Garland comes to a close, I invite you to use today's slip to think about the simple things in your life for which you are grateful.

What are the small gifts -- the ones that don't cost any money or deplete time and energy -- that make a difference in your life? Things like:

* The ability to laugh
* Observing a flower
* The calming feeling of a shower
* A juicy bite into a piece fruit

Let yourself enter the rapture of simplicity, today.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Gratitude Garland Day 27

2010-07-27T18:14:00.001-07:00

Today's prompt......

The mind I love must have wild places, a tangled orchard where dark damsons drop in the heavy grass, an overgrown little wood, the chance of a snake or two, a pool that nobody's fathomed the depth of, and paths threaded with flowers planted by the mind.
- Katherine Mansfield

Just as yesterday you mused upon the BODY, and all the things that happen in perfect unconscious order, today's prompt is to tap into the immense sense of gratitude for your mind, and all its gifts to you. Just take a moment and think about the sensation that is your mind. It's ability to recall and to remember, process and ponder, are all true miracles. For today's slip, write a letter to your mind, thanking it for all of its many gifts!

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Gratitude Garland Day 26

2010-07-26T17:36:00.000-07:00

Today's prompt......

Our own physical body possesses a wisdom which we who inhabit the body lack.
- Henry Miller

The body, like the practice of art, is strengthened stroke by stroke, step by step.
- Marney K. Makridakis

On today's slip, start making a list of all of the ways you are thankful for your body. Think of how many things WORK in your body...how many elements constantly work together to allow you to be reading this prompt, right now! Think, also, of the things your body takes care of, on its own...the things you don't even have to think about! Dive into the glory of the body in your slip, today!
This is a wonderful exercise when you are feeling unwell. It is very helpful to remember that, in spite of the things that are problematic about your body, there are always things that are going right.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Gratitude Garland Day 25

2010-07-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

Today's prompt......

Strangers are just friends waiting to happen.
- Author Unknown

Yesterday, your slip was inspired by a single great friendship in your life. Today, I invite you to feel gratitude in your heart for your future friends -- people who you do not know yet, but who will come into your life at the perfect moments, ready to play a significant role. Use your slip to write a letter to a future friend, or write a note to God or the Universe in thanks for the magical people who have yet to walk through your door.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Gratitude Garland Day 24

2010-07-24T06:41:00.001-07:00

Today's prompt......

Friends can be said to "fall in like" with as profound a thud as romantic partners fall in love.
- Letty Cottin Pogrebin

A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world.
- Leo Buscaglia

Today's topic is friendship, one of the richest themes for gratitude. Think about one specific friendship that blesses your life. What do you consider most meaningful about this friendship? What are the memories that stick out as being significant? Remember the most important conversations, as well as the most important silences. And create your garland strip in celebration for this special person.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Gratitude Garland Day 23

2010-07-24T06:37:00.000-07:00

Today's prompt......

You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
-Kahlil Gibran

Take a moment and think about the times when you have done something for someone else that really made a difference to him or her. What did it feel like, to know that you made a difference, to know how truly easy it was? For today's slip, look at the ways in which you feel gratitude for your capacity to give and help others. And while you are "garland-ing", let your imagination brainstorm a few new ideas of some small, easy things you can do for someone in the next week or so that would be extraordinarily meaningful.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.

Gratitude Garland Day 22

2010-07-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

Today's prompt......

When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them.
-Chinese Proverb

Think about what you did today -- just the general, every-day stuff. For each of the smallest actions or activities, many things had to occur in order for you to do it.

For example, to pick up and read the morning paper, the printing press was invented and the press industry grown and expanded; paper is recycled, printing inks are generated, hundreds of people worked to research, write, design, print, prepare, and deliver the paper to you. You are sitting at a table which many people worked to design, manufacture, and sell. And what's more, someone helped you learn how to read, influenced your thinking about the matters you're reading about, and your eyes are working well enough to read it.

Continuing along this line of thinking about ANY activity can go on infinitely! For today's slip, think of one small, seemingly insignificant thing you did today, and allow yourself to think of all the things that had to happen first in the miraculous sequence.

Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of Artella.com. Used with permission by license.