Focuspocus: The Magic of Changing Your Mind

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1 Knowledge And Truth

2 Meditation

3 Visualization

4 Faith

5 Fear And Doubt

6 Focus

7 Your Path

8 Changing The Way We Think

9 Clearly Defining Your Vision

10 Gratitude And Appreciation

11 Taking Action

12 Possibility Lines

And Choice Points

About The Author

For my children

Michael – My Strength

Travis – My Laughter

Colten – My Faith

Acknowledgments

I would first like to acknowledge God. Thank you for allowing me to have this experience and leading me down this path.

Next, my parents, Alfred Cecil and Elaine Mae (Peck) Martin, without whom this book would never have been written. Thank you for having such opposing views on spirit and spiritual life that I learned to question everything and also learned how your beliefs are really the same and come together beautifully. There really is no separation.

To my children Michael, Travis and Colten, who have challenged and inspired me for more than half of my life. Thank you for the lessons you brought into my life and for listening to my many ‘tangents’. May you live loving, joyful, successful and inspired lives.

To my friends Kimberly Rose (Shaver) Harp for inspiring me to explore and develop my spiritual gifts, and Michelle Rose Stevens for inspiring me to action.

To my cousin Deborah June (Martin) Gallagher for being one of my first teachers and opening my mind to new possibilities. For speaking your truth regardless of how others felt, and for having the courage to be who you are in the face of opposition. You are truly inspiring.

To my ex-husbands, Allen and Jeff, thank you for teaching me to be self sufficient, teaching me about forgiveness and helping me learn that we truly can love others unconditionally. I love you both.

To my friends, Patricia Roller and Jackey Day, I could not have gotten here without your love and support. Thank you for believing in, and pushing, me. I’m happy and grateful you are in my life, I love you.

Introduction

I grew up in a small town in Oregon. Oh wait… . I wish I had grown up in a small town, anywhere, just pick a town, please! In truth, we moved often when I was a child. Not because I was an army brat or anything, just because my dad had gypsy feet, as my mother put it. He couldn’t stay in one place for long. It may have had to do with the way he grew up, it was his comfort zone. As a result I always had to leave my friends behind. I learned at an early age that things change, people leave, or I do. Nothing stays the same.

My mother was a Christian. My father did not believe in God, at least when I was very young. As I got older I noticed he would say things like, The man upstairs but did not call it God until just before he made his transition to spirit.

As you might imagine I grew up with some conflicting information about the Creator and the ways of the Universe. My mother believed that everything was created by God and all good things were because of God. My dad believed that there is no God and it’s all in your mind. God has shown me they were both correct.

Growing up, I lived in a negative household. It seemed like I could never do anything right, nothing was ever good enough or done correctly. It is difficult to erase the negative patterns we learn as children, but it can be done.

When I was in my mid-twenties God began speaking to me very clearly. One evening, after my grandmother passed, I was having an especially difficult time. As a result of my bad mood, I yelled at my husband for cooking the pizza wrong. I probably yelled at my children for something else. After my husband and children had gone to bed, I was reading the Bible looking for answers. I read the same passage ten times and did not know what it said. It was like it was written in a foreign language. I threw the book down and started crying. I asked God to show me the truth.

I asked God to show me His Truth, not the truth of my church or my parents or my grandparents, but His Truth. After crying and praying for about thirty minutes, I picked up the Bible and read the same passage again. This time, I had complete understanding. After that experience, I took everything to Spirit. When I was confused or scared or angry, I asked Spirit to show me the Truth in each situation.

I began asking questions and getting answers, though the answers were often not what I expected. So I asked again. I kept thinking, That can’t be right, that’s not what I was taught growing up. That’s not what I was taught in Church. So I asked again and again and again. When you ask the same question ten times and God gives you the same answer ten times, there comes a point when you have to have faith that you are being shown the truth. God’s Truth is the only truth there is. You may believe one thing for a while, thinking it’s the truth, only to be led to something else, something closer to the truth. God gives us information a little at a time so that we can assimilate and incorporate that into our lives, so that we can begin a direct practice with that information, before moving on to the next piece of truth.

When I began this journey my relationship with God was unsteady to say the least. My finances were a mess, my relationship with my husband was very rocky, and my grandmother had just transitioned. I didn’t really feel like God was listening. As it turns out, I was the one not listening. Now I hear Spirit’s voice, I feel God’s presence, I let God lead. That’s why we’re here now.

One morning, about three years ago, I awoke at 1:30 am. I was wide awake and didn’t know why. I got up to get a drink of water then headed back to bed still wondering why I was awake. On my way back to bed I heard Spirit say, Write a book, I laughed out loud and said, I’m not writing a book. I went back to bed and that was the end of that, or so I thought. God was patient with me. A couple months later Spirit said, Write a book. I said, with a little more conviction this time, "I’m not a writer, I don’t know how, I AM NOT writing a book!"

God was again patient. The third time God said, Write a book. I said, What would I write about? I’m not a writer. God said, Write what’s in your journals. The information you get in your prayer and meditation time. I said, No one will believe me! I kept stalling and justified not writing the book by using excuses like, People will think I’m crazy, or, my all time favorite, What if my mother’s family reads it? They will disown me!

Eventually, I relented. So here I sit, writing a book in which people will either think I’m crazy or a complete genius. I suspect crazy will be the word used to describe me but I am caring less these days what other people think, so here we go. These are the things God has shown me, and led me to and through.

Throughout this book the words God, Spirit, Universe, Higher Power, Higher Self, Energy, Consciousness, or Universal Consciousness may be used to describe the Divine Creator of the universe, my favorites are God and Spirit. Just be aware that they are all the same. God has shown me that it does not matter what name it has, it only matters what face it has. What does it look like to you? Is it compassionate? Loving? Peaceful? Is it your higher self? Your subconscious mind? Whatever you call the power that creates, whatever you believe in, is perfect for you and will lead you on the path that’s right for you.

Quantum Physics tells us that we are all made of the same energy that the entire Universe is made of. All the great masters, including Jesus, have told us that we are one with God, one with the Creative Power. Therefore, we can see that we are not separated from God, the Universe, or each other. We are part of everything we see, taste, touch, smell and feel, and everything we don’t, the world of the invisible. Just because we can’t see it with our physical eyes doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist.

You create because you are one with creative energy. Everything in the universe is one with creative energy. You can feel this energy when you are still. You can feel this energy when you are close to someone. Have you ever been in a good mood and someone who wasn’t came into close proximity? Did you feel your energy or mood shift to match theirs? When you become aware of the shift, you can keep it from happening, you can actually shift their mood or energy. When you become aware of this energy you can direct it to change circumstances and create what you want. We are all creating all the time, we just aren’t aware that we are. Isn’t it time to begin creating on purpose instead of just accepting what happens because you’ve been taught that you don’t have control over it? You do have control, you do have power, because being one with the Universe or God, being one with All There Is, you are all there is.

We all come from, and are one with, God. We are made of the same substance or energy. Everything in the universe has a vibratory energy and therefore is connected to, and one with, everything else. If you take a piece of pie away from the whole it does not make it any less than the whole. It is still the same substance as that from which it came; separation is an illusion. You are the same substance as that from which you came, nothing less.

I have had a regular meditation practice for over twenty years but my life was still not exactly what I wanted. While my meditation practice has helped me become more peaceful and loving, it hasn’t really helped me in creating the life of my dreams so I thought I’d try a different approach. When I began learning about the steps it takes to be successful, I had real difficulties. I learned about things like creating your vision, being specific, remaining focused on the vision. I had difficulties remaining focused because of current circumstances. When things in my life would go wrong, I had trouble holding on to what I really wanted and it would fall by the wayside. I can’t tell you how many times I made plans, got organized, set up the office to accommodate my new venture, just to have something in my life go wrong and lose my focus. So then the question became, how do I apply all the lessons I’ve learned, all that Spirit has shown me, and stay focused on what I want to create in my life?

The answer I received and the most important lesson I’ve learned is, it takes PRACTICE! Some say that it’s easy to change the way we think or change our focus to something better. Well, it’s not. It is simple and, in the beginning, it will seem to be the most difficult thing you have ever done. However, it is also the single most worthwhile thing you will ever do. The more you practice, the easier it gets. Then one day you will look back and wonder why you had so much difficulty.

Life is not meant to be a struggle. It’s only a struggle because we’ve been taught that it is. I remember my dad saying things like, Who ever told you life is easy?, You have to work hard to make a living, or You can’t make a living doing what you love, none of which is true. He thought it was true because that’s what he had been taught. Life is easy. You don’t have to work hard to make money. You can make a living doing what you love. In fact, the more you love what you do, the more money you will make and you won’t view it as work because it will be easy.

So how badly do you want change? How great is your desire for a better life, regardless of the specific area of your life that needs improvement? The intensity of the desire is directly related to how much effort you will put into changing your focus or changing your circumstances. You must make it a daily practice, not just once a day; you must practice to the point that it becomes second nature. It will then become your continual habit to think and act in this new way.

I hear people often saying how they wish their life was different. How they would like to change this or that. They complain about the way things are and say they want to change them, but are unwilling to put forth the effort required to do so. I think James Allen, author of As a Man Thinketh, said it best:

Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.

Are you willing to put forth the effort required to change your life or to improve your results? If so, you can and will have the most extraordinary life you can imagine. I’m the most stubborn person I know; if I can learn to do this, anyone can!

My hope is that you will remember who you are and begin, or continue, creating the extraordinary life you were born to live. Don’t wait for the money to show up, or the perfect time to begin living your extraordinary life…

"Start right where you are, with what you have, and that will always lead you into something greater." ~ Mary Manin Morrissey

My hope is that you will find in these pages some wisdom, or some piece of the puzzle you have been missing, that will help you on your journey.

The Treasure

A long, long time ago, the kings and the priests of the old church hid a treasure from the people. The kings and the priests