How do we see our future and then meditate it into being?
by Carole Dean
Back in the 70’s I was a big fan of Rajneesh, an Indian mystic who taught the importance of self-awareness, meditation, and creativity. (That was before he moved to the US and became addicted to Rolls Royce’s.)
One of his saying that stayed with me the most is:
Sitting silently, Doing nothing
Spring comes and the grass grows by its self
Luke 12:27: “Consider the lilies of the valley, they toil not nor do they spin, yet even Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
Wait a minute! What about working to till the soil, plant and water the seeds? You mean that you can sit and think about the grass growing and it does? Or, are you saying that your mind can control things? Are you saying that we have the power to imagine something and actually cause it to happen? Could this be true?
This is as good as a Koan. (a paradox to be meditated upon that is used to train Zen Buddhist monks to abandon ultimate dependence on reason and to force them into gaining sudden intuitive enlightenment)
Then, there is the great Bible saying,
Luke 12:27: “Consider the lilies of the valley, they toil not nor do they spin, yet even Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
What does this mean? That we can have what we want by just being? Or is it because the plant knows who it is or what it is, it just becomes its self? Is it possible that we are much more than we realize? Do we have powers that we are not using? Can we sit and meditate on something we want and bring that into our future?
Jack Canfield, author of the inspirational book “Chicken Soup for the Soul”, held a funding party at his home for a filmmaker we sponsor at From the Heart. During a break at the event, I ended up in the kitchen alone with him and he told me that when he moved into this multi-million dollar home he had no furniture at all.
He and his wife took a leap of faith. They bought the house and knew they could furnish it properly with future income. Now, they had so many works of art that they have to store half of them and rotate them in and out of the house.
He is also the same author who “decided” to sell a million copies of the first Chicken Soup for the Soul book. The story goes that he began to meditate on selling a million copies. He saw himself incredibly rich and successful from the sale of this book. Fast forward to one day when he was speaking at a book signing and a saleswoman for the National Enquirer said, “Why not run an ad with us?” That did it. That took him to the sale of the million books.
So, how do we do this? How do we see our future and then meditate it into being? How can we use our minds to create our future? We know the possibility is there because you hear it at every Academy Award ceremony,” I envisioned myself receiving this award when I was 5 years old and now, here I am.”
Is it an inner knowing that you can do this that makes it work? What if all of us could do this? What if we had the power to intend something and actually make it happen? Then we could fund our art, have a great time with our family and make an excellent living. Actually, there are a lot of people in the film industry who do just that. So where do I sign up? What’s the first thing I need to do?
Perhaps it’s as simple as believing that you can do it. Perhaps the grass grew by its self because it knew it was grass and knew intuitively how to grow. Perhaps the lilies knew what lay ahead for them; they saw themselves in their full glory and just became their full selves.
Jack Canfield owes his success to not just a great idea, but his belief in that idea and believing it would bring him success.
What is it that you can do to bring yourself to your full potential?
Think on this: what is the right action for you to take to become your true self, with all of your talents in full bloom. Can you do less and think more and achieve even more success than you imagined? Just who do you think you are?
Carole Dean is the president and founder of From the Heart Productions and author of The Art of Film Funding, 2nd edition: Alternative Financing Concepts. Her unique, innovative Intentional Filmmaking Class teaches filmmakers how to get their films funded. New classes begin in September. Discount for early enrollment.
