From the start of this century, there have been two topics that have attracted attention in the media as well as in books. They are terrorism, and positive thinking and living.

Beyond The Half Full Glass

So you are manifesting objects of desire to the right of you and to the left of you. Magic seems to be spraying from your mind wherever you turn. Your life is finally coming under your control and you are racing along the fast lane of success and happiness. That’s wonderful, but look out for these speed breakers.

It’s not that the Law of Attraction does not work. Of course it does. But the fact is that positive thinking can sometimes be a trap. None of us (save the sages) are going to think positive all the time. There will be times when despair takes over. Or anger, pain, sadness and fear. If we have bought too deeply into the positive thinking mindset, we will actively resist these feelings. The more we resist them the greater their power, and very soon our positivity will be in shambles. In one of his books, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar narrated the case of a woman whose son had just died, and yet she kept repeating how positive she felt. Her need to be upbeat prevented her from getting in touch with her pain.

What is the way out? Nothing except solid hard inner work. Positive thinking needs to be made a state of mind – a natural extension of ourselves and not something we think ourselves into. For this we need to go deep into our mindstuff – thoughts, feelings, belief systems, fantasies, fears and so on – become aware of them and accept them. Not only will we then know ourselves intimately, but we will have come to terms with who we are. We will befriend our shadow side, embrace our pain. Thus the dichotomy within us will heal and our positivity will be solid, unshakeable.

Secondly, not all dreams manifest. There is such a thing as karmic entitlement. Only that which is meant to come our way will; what is not meant to will not. So if despite your best efforts something does not manifest, console yourself with the thought that it was never meant to be. And who knows, perhaps it is in your best interests that you didn’t get your way.

Which brings us to the zone beyond manifesting your desires. There comes a time on the path when you no longer want your ego to drive you. You recognise more and more clearly that the Supreme Power has your interests at heart much more than you ever could and you actively start to prefer what He has in mind for you rather than what you want. “Thy will be done” becomes your mantra. You joyously receive all that comes your way, using it as an instrument of your growth. Instead of attracting things to you, you simply surrender and allow life to bring you what you are meant to receive. The paradox is that with all resistance gone, your path will be strewn even thicker with magic but none of it is of your making. You are simply one with the Universe.

-Suma Varughese