JOURNALUTION

Journaling to Awaken Your Inner Voice, Heal Your Life, and Manifest Your Dreams
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– By Sandy Grason

In 1992, a singing teacher introduced me to the work of the best-selling author Wayne Dyer. Dr. Dyer’s ideas -- especially the notion that we can manifest anything in our life -- intrigued me. Eventually, he proved to me that we really can manifest anything. Many years later, when I was pregnant with our first child, my husband and I were in the car listening to a tape of Wayne Dyer and Deepak Chopra. Dr. Dyer was telling a story about his wïfe, Marcelene, who had given birth to seven children and was developing a book about spirituality and childbirth. He described her birthing process as being incredibly peaceful. Apparently, when she gave birth she would go into an altered state of consciousness and “becomes one” with the birthing experience. At that point in my own pregnancy, about seven months along, I had read every pregnancy and birthing book I could get my hands on, but I was still in a state of complete fear. As I listened to the tape describing Marcelene, I said to Rich, “I want Wayne Dyer’s wïfe to help me give birth!” We laughed. It was a joke.

About two weeks later, I received a call from my father-in-law, who had just purchased four tickets for a Wayne Dyer talk. This was completely out of character for him; he had nevër read or listened to any of Wayne Dyer’s material. The night of the event arrived, and as I attempted to make the extra fifty pounds I was carrying look cute, I joked with my husband again: “I want to meet Wayne Dyer, and I want him to tell his wïfe to help me give birth!”

That evening, I stood in line during intermission, along with approximately 300 other excited fans, to get a signed copy of Dr. Dyer’s latest book. I asked about Marcelene’s book and he informed me it wasn’t yet finished, but that she was nearby and I should go say “Hi” to her. He added, “She just loves pregnant women.” I waddled over with my husband and introduced myself to Marcelene Dyer, then told her about my fear of giving birth and asked if she had any words of wisdom for me. She responded, “It is such a pleasure to meet you. I would be happy to help you in any way I can. In fact, if you would like me to be at the birth, I would consider it an honor.”

My jaw dropped. I stood in silence, completely stunned. I had joked about this ridiculous scenario several times, and nöw hëre was Marcelene Dyer offering it to me! I am grateful that my husband stepped in to exchange phöne numbers with her, because I was still frozen. I called later that week, and we talked about Marci’s childbirth philosophies and made plans to meet.

Marcelene Dyer was with me when I gave birth to both of my daughters. My second daüghter was born at home in the water, and I labored for two days. Marci stayed with me the entire time. She slept on my couch, held my hand, and talked to me about my strength and power as a woman. She has become a magical mentor in my life, my true soul sister. I am so blessed and grateful to have her as a friend. In fact, Marci was the first person to suggest that I would write my own book, which also seemed absurd to me at the time.

Until the moment when I met Marcelene, nothing that magical had ever happened to me. But it taught me just how powerful our words and thoughts really are. A simple statement, made out loud and with no attachment -- “I want Wayne Dyer’s wïfe to help me give birth” -- set events and people in motion, unbeknownst to me, to grant my seemingly ridiculous request. I began to wonder: if my words and thoughts managed to deliver one outrageous request, what else could I manifest?

Imagine that you are holding a magic wand that has the power to grant any wish. What is it you truly want? Are you ready to tell me? I remember Wayne Dyer saying something that applies perfectly: “There is good news and bad news. The good news is that whatever you really, really want, you will get. The bad news is that whatever you really, really don’t want, you will also get, because that is what you are thinking about all the time.”

My friend Debbie told me that when she was in college, she made a list in her journal of the qualities she wanted in a husband. She decided what was most important to her, such as humor, honesty, and compassion and she meshed these features together to create her perfect man. Shortly after college, she met and married her dream man, the one with all the qualities she’d been looking for. After more than ten years of marriage and four children, she told me, “He’s probably better than what I visualized.”

You may be surprised by the humor in the universe when it comes to manifesting your vision. I have many funny and ïncredible manifesting stories that I could share with you. Hëre’s one: In South Florida, where I live, there are frëe outdoor concerts in the springtime. While my husband and I were at one of these concerts, I noticed the schedule of upcoming artists. The following month, David Cassidy was coming to play. As a little girl, I worshipped David Cassidy. I grew up watching The Partridge Family every day, and I had posters of him all over my room. I remember dancing to his music alone in my room and dreaming of him, as millïons of little girls did. When I discovered that he would be playing a frëe concert, I excitedly ran to tell my husband, who did not share my overwhelming enthusiasm for Mr. Cassidy. I put the date on my calendar and began counting down the days.

During this time, our apartment was for sale, so our realtor would come and go, showing it as needed. Two days before the concert, I received a call from our realtor, saying that someone wanted to see the apartment and they would be there in fifteen minutes. I told her it was impossible; I had just gotten home from a weeklong trip, the house was a disaster and I was exhausted. The realtor interrupted me: “Wait, before you say no, let me tell you who it is... (pause)… David Cassidy. Do you know who he is?” I squealed like a schoolgirl. “Do I know who he is?! He’s coming to my house??!!!”

I opted to spend the next fifteen minutes choosing the perfect outfit and fixing my hair and makeup rather than straightening the house. David Cassidy spent about five minutes looking around, then left. Upon reflection, I probably should have put my energy into cleaning the house. When my husband arrived home and heard the news, he said, “Sandy, you really overshot your manifesting powers this time. You didn’t realize when you said ‘I want to see David Cassidy’ that you would actually draw him to our home!”

Who knows the power of words? If you step back and look at your life as a huge creation, what have your thoughts and words created so far? How does your life look as a big picture? Can you see the circumstances that your thoughts and words have brought about? What would you like to create right nöw?

Try This
Perfect Day

What is your idea of perfection? Journal your perfect day. Pick one scenario, one blissful day, and capture it in your journal. Write it or draw it, using whatever feels right to you -- crayons, markers, photos, whatever you like. Begin with waking up in the morning. In your perfect day, do you wake to watch the sunrise, or do you sleep until noon? Are you looking out a window at the ocean or the mountains? Are you sleeping in a high, pillow-top bed with white linens blowing all around you, on a simple Zen-like futon, or in a tent in the forest? What do you eat for breakfast? Do you stroll to a sidewalk café and drink lattes, or is breakfast served in bed? Do you spend your day laughing with close friends and family by a fire, or are you with your favorite book on a secluded beach? Write about the entire day, morning through night, including as many details as possible. You don’t have to limit yourself to one perfect day; after you’ve completed the first one, write another if you’re inspired to. You can nevër have too many perfect days.

I challenge you to write a wonderful vision in your journal. The act of creating an inspiring, passionate vision within the pages of your journal will have an astonishing impact on your life.

Article based on JOURNALUTION: Journaling to Awaken Your Inner Voice, Heal Your Life, and Manifest Your Dreams, New World Library, May 2005, Trade Paperback, $14.95 Visit www.SandyGrason.com to order the book and learn more about the Journalution and to receive Sandy’s FRËE Ezine. Or order online at: www.newworldlibrary.com

About the Author:

A journaling veteran of fifteen years, Sandy Grason speaks and teaches workshops on the topics of journaling for the purposes of emotional healing, inspiration, and self-expression. Her websites -- http://www.sandygrason.com and http://www.journalution.com -- give her ever-expanding audience a place to connect and share journal entries. Both serve a meeting point for Journalution groups across the country, which are also connected by Sandy’s popular Journalution e-zine. The former managing editor of Nurturing Magazine is a member of the Florida Speakers
Association, Women of Vision and Action, and the E-Women Network. Sandy lives in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, with her husband and two children. Her website is http://www.sandygrason.com