Manifestation or Infestation ... Stop feeding the stray dogs!
by Edward B. Toupin

I always tell my clients that you must eliminate your fears, doubts, and negative thoughts to manifest a positive world. But, many of them fail to do so because, it just doesn't make sense. There's nothing tangible to grab hold of and believe in, as we have been taught as a necessity throughout our lives.

You, as they, might ask, "If my life is falling down around me, or I'm just plain stuck, how can I eliminate the fears and doubts that keep me safe and alert to danger without being eaten alive by the demons that surround me?" Believe it or not, these "demons" are like stray dogs---feed them, and they keep coming back. But, if you quit feeding them, they will go somewhere else!

--- My Demons ---

We all have demons. I'm not speaking of the ones with pointy horns and long tails. I'm talking about the ones in our heads that manifest the negative realities in our lives. Such demons include fear, self-doubt, cataclysmic concern, destabilized belief systems, dependency, and general negative feelings about your own life. These demons feed on themselves and other such feelings, which make them linger and become so ingrained in your life that they literally "become your life."

When bad things happen to us, we tend to allow these things to become our lives. With that, we accept the negative energies of a bad situation and learn to live with everything else that comes out way. We become stuck in a circle of negative issues that seems to continue forever.

When good things happen to us, we can't believe it! It must be a fluke or the mailman just delivered a package of good news to the wrong house! This can't be happening to me and this can't be my life! Well, why not? Why is it so hard for us to believe that we are intended to live good, positive lives instead of bad, negative ones? Why is it so easy to fall prey to our demons instead of flying high with our angels? It has to do with energy and belief.

--- Charge Me Up! ---

We are all two, separate entities that occupy one reality. One is our physical reality that lives on planet Earth. The other is, for this discussion, our "thought" reality, our imagination, that is the Universal representation of ourselves. These two entities create and represent you!

In our physical world, we can manifest whatever we desire. Some call it free will, while others call it fate or destiny. In either case, we can choose what we accept into our lives and how we interact with our physical world. Our thoughts are the most powerful source of energy on this planet. Our thoughts can destroy, nurture, disintegrate, and build. We have the power to deal with anything that comes at us and the power to change whatever we choose. We also have the power to be powerless. Thus, free will.

But, it is easier to deal with negativity and fear than it is to deal with positive energies and faith because of the energy levels required. Negativity vibrates at a very low energy level, thus taking less energy to maintain. When you're negative, you can essentially exist in that state forever without burning any mental or physical fuel. You just, are. Call it a quiescent state of existence. You become a receptor of things because you give up. This can be exhausting because, for every negative vibe you put out, the Universe tosses another one your way. The Universe hears your call and sets a series of events in motion based on your desires. Things just come at you because you are creating an energy hole. This hole needs to be filled to maintain balance so, you get all of the garbage no one else wants. Call it a Universal land-fill.

In a positive state, you're using a lot of energy and putting out a lot of energy. There is no hole and no place for negativity. You're repelling those things that you don't want and accepting only those things that can ensure the forward movement of your feelings and desires. The Universe listens and places a series of events in motion to reach your goals. This can be tiring, but for every positive pulse of light you secrete, the Universe gives one right back. In this state, you don't just exist, you live and let live. You become what you want to become.

It is a difficult task to change from a land-fill to a light source, especially since many people have remained in this state for so long. But, the way we can make this change is in our projection of our higher, subconscious self on to our physical, conscious self.

--- The Mirror ---

"Whatever you give, so shall you receive." I remember hearing that from my grandparents so many times, but I thought they were just being, well, grandparents. I thought they meant sharing toys and such. But, I never had any idea that this saying would be part of my philosophical studies this late in my life!

The idea of giving and receiving with the Universe is a simple one. If you give out negative energy, then you shall attract negative energy. If you disrespect the Universe, it shall disrespect you. If you hate the Universe for what it has done to you, then it shall hate you back for what you're doing to it. It is a horrid avalanche of attitude and energy that is un-winnable for any sized ego.

Your physical world is an exact mirror of your inner beliefs and desires. If you feel your life is horrid, then it is. If you feel that you'll never win, you won't. If you feel like the world is about to cave in around you, then it will. Your world is what you make it and it is not a series of events without some level of control. But, it is up to you to take responsibility for and learn how to create a world that is more to your liking.

--- Controlling Your Projection ---

The Universe does not have time to take responsibility for each and every one of us and it expects us to know what we want. Whatever we issue to the Universe as a wish, dream, or desire, it certainly will give it to us with the same energy with which we made the request. If we fear intensely, then indeed, our fears will be magnified. If we love intensely, then our love will be magnified.

You are therefore a projection of everything that you issue to the Universe. Consider it an interactive movie fueled by your imagination and subconscious. If you issue to the Universe that your life is terrible and that you're going to lose your job. A series of events will be setup such that indeed your life will be terrible and you will lose your job. If you issue to the Universe that, "today, I will have a wonderful day and I will restart my life leaving all of my negativity and fears behind," then indeed the Universe will create a series of events that will allow you to do so.

The trick is that, you have to believe it. It not enough to wish it, you have to believe it, prepare for it, and actively move toward it. Just asking for it, but still having that fear entrenched in the back of your mind, is like shooting yourself in the foot. You raise your expectations for success, but you're not willing to take the risk of faith and effort to make it happen. It is not your physical conscious being that controls the outcomes, but your subconscious. So, if you ask consciously for heaven and believe subconsciously in hell then you will get hell on a silver platter.

--- The Outside World ---

It is hard to let go of all that we have grown so fond of holding on to for decades upon decades. It has nothing to do with astrology or karma or whatever other demagogic or mystical elements one might accept as a reality. Many of these dogmatic rituals and beliefs are in place to provide a point of reality in an unreal world. In the times in which we live, many of the things in which we believed have shaken our foundations. We find that things are not what we thought they were and we feel that we are now living a fear-based existence in world gone mad!

You're probably wondering how you can learn to adapt to the negative forces coming at you in the form of other people, debt, terror, death, and related external events in your life. You have to understand that, not only are you manifesting your own reality and have created the world in which you live, but others are also manifesting their own realities at the same time. Since we must all interact with one another to live, sometimes a little reality from other people's lives will rub off on you.

Look at it this way. Assume that you are taking a lot of grief from a co-worker for no reason other than the fact that this other person is mean and spiteful. Don't think that this doesn't affect them internally! Every time that they issue a spiteful comment or action, they do indeed feel a small tinge in their gut. Over time, that tinge will turn into a pain and eventually loneliness and regret. They are creating their own world, one comment at a time. You just happen to be in that world because you accept their reality as your own. Let them exist in their reality and don't allow them to change yours.

But, so many wonder why their spouse died or why they have to live with chronic diseases. These are, indeed, manifestations of reality in your world and in others from the outside world. Your spouse or loved one dies, you feel from the loss. It is an energy that enters your world from the outside. You acquire a chronic disease or other malady. Once again, it is a manifestation from the outside world. In such cases, it is not so much that you manifested these realities in your world, but instead, they entered your world from someone, or something, else's reality. In these cases, it is not so much in what you ask for of the Universe, but in how you handle such situations within your reality.

One client had her neck broken by her x-husband. She never knew it was broken until 10 years later when she began to go numb in her arms. She wanted badly to resolve the situation, but no one could help her medically in her previous location. Out of the blue, she was transferred to another state where it just so happened that the top neurosurgeon in the United States was working on a new solution for collapsed discs and broken vertebra. She underwent surgery within months and recovered to about 90% of full capacity. But, this recovery was more than she had imagined. All she did was ask, and believe.

I had another client whose father committed suicide, out of the blue. Suicides are always difficult because the only person that knows the answers is dead. Everyone ends up with emptiness, in search of the reasons for such a tragedy. But, this client moved forward slowly in his life and asked for the answers. A year later, not to disclose any personal information, an unexpected event occurred at the right moment that disclosed the reason for his father's suicide. This situation allowed him to close the book on that chapter of his life and move forward with good memories of his father.

The point to this is that, we cannot control the outside world in any way, shape or form. But, we can control our interaction with that world to bring about a better life and existence. For the most part, you must learn to discern your reality from external realities. You must be able to isolate those things that come in from the outside and not allow them to destroy your own world.

In some cases, uncontrollable manifestations into your life are placed there as part of your current path---the high road or the low road. It is an outcome that you must decide. Consider the lessons learned and grow. Make new requests of the Universe for a new path based on this new knowledge and move forward with vigor. Ask the Universe for help and believe. I recall some major issues that nearly destroyed my life, but I look at them now and realize that I would not be sitting here in the life I have without experiencing the things that I've experienced and deciding to move forward with my new knowledge.

--- What's Next? ---

There is no need to fear because, in essence, you create your own realities. Since you live in a world of your own creation, you should be familiar with its inhabitants. This means, that fear has no place in your world except to push you further into negativity. The deeper you go, the more negativity that will be drawn to you.

As the title says, "stop feeding the stray dogs." Stop accepting the fears and negativity that interfere with your life and your directions. Make life into what you want it to be by not attracting the things that you don't want. But, to do this, you must truly believe that your life will change. This does not mean, just saying that it will change and holding on to those fears and low energy negative feelings with which we all grow secure with over time. It means, putting in a demand to the Universe of what you want, believing that it will happen, making a plan to get there, and taking action.

You have to wake up one morning and realize that, you can only control your inner world and you cannot control the world around you. It is not in how the world affects you, but in how you react to the things around you that makes the difference. Change your energy, change your projection, and change your life.

All I can say is, it works! But, the only way to find out is to give it a try. If indeed your life is not where you want it to be, and there's no where to go but up, what have you got to lose? Take the risk, and make a request! In the beginning, it is a difficult task indeed. But, over time, you can learn how to strengthen your belief system to accept the fact that you can indeed create a better life for yourself.

Now, to reissue my wish for you: "Go out, set your vision, execute a plan, and manifest a new reality". Good luck!

Copyright 2003 (c) Edward B. Toupin, All Rights Reserved.

Edward B. Toupin is a published author, writer, and coach living in "The Entertainment Capital of the World," Las Vegas, NV. One of his primary objectives in his work is to provide information to help others achieve fulfilling lives. For more information on upcoming books and resources, visit his site at http://www.make-life-great.com