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I suggest that you have
a regular creative visualization meditation period for
fifteen minutes or so each morning when you wake up, and
each evening before sleeping (these are the times when it is
most effective), as well as the middle of the day if you can
manage that. Always start your meditation periods with deep
relaxation, then follow with any visualizations or
affirmations you wish.
There are many different
ways that creative visualization can be used, and it's up to
you to remember to try them at appropriate times. Conscious
creative visualization may mean a new way of thinking and a
new way of living. As such, it will take some practice.
Try it out in different
situations and under different circumstances, and use it as
often as you can for any type of problem-solving. If you
find yourself worried or puzzled about anything, or feeling
discouraged or frustrated about a problem, ask yourself if
there is a way you could use creative visualization to help
you. Form a creative habit of using it at every appropriate
moment.
Don't feel discouraged if you don't
immediately feel totally successful with your creative
visualization. Remember that most of us have years of
negative thought patterns to overcome. It takes time to
change some of these lifelong habits. And many of us have
some underlying feelings and attitudes that can slow us down
in our efforts to live more consciously.
Fortunately, creative visualization is such
an innately powerful process that even five minutes of
conscious, positive meditation can balance out hours, days,
even years of negative patterns.
o be patient. It has taken a lifetime to
create your world the way it is now. It may not necessarily
change instantly (although it often does). With perseverance
and a proper understanding of the process, you will succeed
in creating what seem like many miracles in your life.
Two things I have found most important in my
growth process with creative visualization are:
1. Regular reading of inspiring and
supportive books that help to keep me in touch with my
highest ideals and aspirations and/or that can give me
encouragement through difficult times. I usually keep a
book by my bed and read a page or two each day. Many of
my favorites are listed in the Recommended Resources
section of this book.
2. Having a friend or (ideally) a community of friends
who are also tuned into learning to live more
consciously and who will support you and help you in
your efforts. Attending regular or occasional
consciousness classes or workshops, support groups or
therapy, can be an important way of getting this type of
support, and giving it to others as well.
In my book, Creative
Visualization, I give you many different techniques,
ideas, exercises, and meditations. Choose the ones that feel
right to you and seem to work for you. There are many
different levels and approaches to the creative
visualization process, and I have tried to include a wide
variety of possible practices. In any given situation, one
may be appropriate and another may not. Follow the flow of
your own energy, and use the ones that you feel drawn to.
For example, in a certain situation you may
try to do affirmations and find that you simply can't repeat
them, or you don't feel they are accomplishing anything. In
that case you might want to try a clearing process, or get
in touch with your inner guidance and ask for clarification,
or just let go for a while and focus on other things.
What works at one time may not at another;
what works for one person may not for another. Always trust
yourself and your own deepest intuitive feelings.
If it feels like you are forcing, pushing,
exerting effort, or straining, don't do it.
If it feels helpful, releasing, opening,
strengthening, enlivening, inspiring, do it.
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Creative Visualization