Creating Your Path: Harnessing Your Spiritual Powers to Create a Vibrant Life

© Hollie D. Petit 2018

Print ISBN: 978-1-54393-828-9

eBook ISBN: 978-1-54393-829-6

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Disclaimer

My intention for this book is to provide you with some insights to help you create a joy-filled life. It is not intended to advise you about any of specific situation or condition, including health (mental, physical, spiritual), relationships, legal issues, finances, career, etc. I urge you to seek the appropriate counsel from those people best able to inform you about such matters.

A spiritual path, as described in this book, is not void of assistance from others, but rather a bringing together of all people in a meaningful way so that we can all help each other along our paths. This means that while this book may directly help you in some ways, it may also inspire you to seek wisdom from those individuals with expertise in the specific area that you desire.

Table of Contents

APPRECIATIONS

INTRODUCTION

The Omnipotent

Spiritual Communication

What Will You Gain?

My Story

Considerations for Reading This Book

Getting Started

Overview of Book

Foundational Aspects of Spirituality

CHAPTER 1: Introduction to Spirituality

1.1 Defining Spirituality

1.2 Creation and Suffering

1.3 Distractions from the Spiritual—And What to do about Them

1.4 Carving out a Space for the Spiritual

1.5 Finding Your Way

1.6 Closing Thoughts

CHAPTER 2: Contributions of New Thought and Psychology

2.1 New Thought

2.2 Positive Psychology

2.3 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

2.4 Uniting Multiple Approaches

Principles and Strategies

CHAPTER 3: The Principles of Spiritual Creation

3.1 Creating the Life You Desire

3.2 Thoughts Create

3.3 Conscious and Subconscious Mind

3.4 Vibration

3.5 The Power of Suggestion

3.6 The Power of Belief

3.7 The Power of Expectation

3.8 Constructive Thinking vs. Destructive Thinking

3.9 Prosperity Thinking vs. Limited Thinking

3.10 Perceptions and Interpretations

3.11 Proper Prioritization

3.12 Choice

CHAPTER 4: Strategies for Creating Your Path

4.1 Appreciation

4.2 Goals

4.3 Guidance and Intuition

4.4 Meditation

4.5 Visualization

4.6 Affirmations

4.7 Creating New Constructive Habits

4.8 Thinking, Feeling, Doing, and Being with Purpose

4.9 Motivation

4.10 Synchronicity, Serendipity, and Miracles

4.11 Positivity vs. Negativity

4.12 Creativity

4.13 Spirit vs. Ego

Spirituality as an Everyday Practice

CHAPTER 5: Putting It All Together

5.1 Communication

5.2 Engaging with the Spiritual: Daily Practices and Routines

5.3 Creating Balance

5.4 Simplicity

5.5 Time Management

CHAPTER 6: What Areas of Your Life Can You Improve?

6.1 Love

6.2 Relationships

6.3 Health and Wellness

6.4 Work and Finances

References

APPRECIATIONS

Don Donahue, Anne Morris, and Mom: Thank you for your editing suggestions, support, and friendship through this process! I admire your knowledge and wisdom, which you offer kindly and encouragingly.

Stacey Jacobs: Thank you for turning my pictures into a beautiful book cover! I love your creative Libra spirit.

Gary Wayne Clark: Thank you for sharing your ideas, wisdom, and great stories!

Mom and Dad: Thank you for instilling in me early that I am capable of anything that I choose! Your lessons and unconditional love have helped shape me into who I am today. I love you both more than words can express!

James: Thank you for believing in me! I am so grateful for the freedom we allow each other to pursue whatever we need to do. You are a true spiritual pioneer, in more ways than even you understand. I love you deeply!

Furbabies: For all my past and present fur babies who were my constant companions and inspirations during this book. I give a special wink to Folly, who slept by me while I wrote most of this book. I’m sorry that you didn’t see me finish while you were in physical form, but I know that you are always with me. Thank you for your unconditional love!

To all people I encountered along the way, thank you! Whenever our souls cross paths, the Divine is meeting itself in another form. And for that reason, all encounters are significant.

To anyone who increases spiritual vision in any capacity and form, you are making the world a brighter place. Thank you!

To the Spiritual Beings who help us all, thank you for lighting our paths with the highest forms of love and inspiration that we could ever know!

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost (1915)

INTRODUCTION

This book is about harnessing the power of your imagination to create the life of your dreams. In this lies not a challenge, but a great freedom and opportunity to pull every bit of zest possible from your life, to seize the day, to vibrantly engage and feel fully alive, to charge forward in the face of fear, and to self-determine with every ounce of passion you can muster. You may find yourself among the visionaries and spirited people who walk with purpose, talk with angels, see beauty in everything, love unconditionally, expand through every glorious creation, and lead an incredibly rich and meaningful inner and outer life.

Many people are searching for the magical keys to such a dynamic and fulfilling life. However, some of these people are seeking the answers from the external world, which reverses the logical pattern of creation. What is desired must first be created within; only then can it be manifested in the external world. The something you are looking for is not revealed to you but is rather created by you. All you need and all that you are searching for is available to you and completely within your control. You have infinite wisdom and abundant support available to guide you to your ideal in every area your life. However, you may need to learn how to access these resources.

If your life has not been as fantastic as you dreamed it would, I assure you that it is never too late to turn it around. How your life unfolds is not dependent upon luck, but it may appear that way if you do not have proper knowledge about how to direct it. You may have limited knowledge—given to you by various people you have encountered along your path—which could be holding you back. Fortunately, with new knowledge, you can create the life you desire! This book is about designing your life, orchestrating your most imaginative masterpiece that is unbound by precedent. If you simply allow your inner creative spiritual energy to guide you, all things become possible.

Everyone deserves to live a happy life filled with the best this world has to offer—happiness, loving relationships, abundance, creativity, security, meaning, pleasant surroundings, fun, success, health, adventure, and spiritual fulfillment. As the creator of your life, you get to choose what gets included and what gets excluded. Living a spirituality rich and abundant life involves expanding your connection with the Omnipotent, living according to your grandest vision of yourself, and thinking, feeling, doing, and being in alignment with your highest truth.

The Omnipotent

The main premise of this book is that we are all part of the Omnipotent, and our spiritual birthright is our freedom to create whatever we choose. The Omnipotent refers to what some call God, Goddess, Spirit, Higher Power, Source, Divine, Universe, Deity, Guide, Nonphysical, Metaphysical, or other chosen term. It does not matter what you call It; it matters that you realize your innate connection to It. Everyone is of this all-powerful Source; therefore, we are all similar to It and are all connected through It. Our potential for spiritual growth, happiness, and power depends on understanding this Truth.

The Omnipotent is defined as having unlimited power; able to do anything (Oxford American College Dictionary, 2002, p. 951); such power is benevolent and just. The Omnipotent is Omnipresent, meaning It is present everywhere at the same time or widely or constantly encountered; common or widespread (p. 951). It is also Omniscient, which means It knows everything (p. 951). Since we are of It and have similar characteristics to It, we possess creative powers and have access to Its Guidance whenever we desire.

Spirituality is the expression of the Omnipotent through you, which includes everything you choose to think, to feel, to do, and to be. Your thoughts, feelings, actions, and state of being are literally creating your reality. You will know the quality of your thoughts, feelings, actions, and being by the effects they produce, which are your conditions and experiences. Your spirituality is strongest when you think, feel, do, and be in a manner that is consistent with your Divine nature, fully realizing that everything is spiritual!

When you realize that everything is spiritual, because everything is part of the Omnipotent, you will begin to experience your inner and outer worlds in a new light. Romans 8:31 (Zondervan NIV Study Bible, 2002): If God [the Omnipotent] is for us, who can be against us? Therefore, it is beneficial to remind yourself that the Omnipotent, which is everything, is conspiring to help you. However, since you have free will to create what you would like, It can only bring you what you choose, request, and allow.

Without full awareness of your Divine nature and your creative powers, you may have unintentionally assimilated false or limiting beliefs into your consciousness. You may have even inadvertently perpetuated such faulty ideas. You were born aware your Divine nature, but you may have forgotten about it as you identified more with the physical world. Deep down inside, you’ve always known the Truth of your being. This book has been put in your path to remind you of your eternal and perfect Divine nature and unlimited creative potential, which will lead you to the fulfillment of all your dreams.

Spiritual Communication

Communication is a natural means of creating unity and resonance within yourself, with other people, and with the Divine. By deepening your relationship with the Omnipotent, you will simultaneously expand your relationship with yourself, other people, and all that exists—physical and nonphysical—because everything is connected. To converse with the Omnipotent, all you have to do is a make a clear request and then remain open for a response.

Communication is usually defined as what is explicitly said and done between two or more people. However, this is quite limiting as it cannot account for the whole communication process, including the myriad of causes and effects initiated through your thoughts, emotions, actions, and state of being. You are likely not even aware of most of the communication that is occurring in and around you. The outer world you experience is a reflection, or the effect, of your inner causal world. It is through the medium of communication—with the self, the Omnipotent, and other people—that creates all causes and effects. Therefore, it would benefit you to learn how to harness your inner communication powers so that you become the director of your life rather than a follower of the herd.

What makes me qualified to teach you about communication, specifically as it relates to spirituality? I have spent most of my life studying communication and spirituality, in traditional (academic) and nontraditional settings, as related to every type of communication context (i.e., intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, public, and mass communication). I have learned that, in addition to verbal (spoken), written, and nonverbal (e.g., gestures, eye contact, use of space, etc.) forms of communication, other forms of communication like thoughts, feelings, actions, and states of being create every aspect of each person’s life. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to learn how to direct your communication to create the life you desire!

Intrapersonal Communication

Intrapersonal communication is your conscious and unconscious internal dialogue of thoughts and feelings. Your spirituality, happiness, and success are a result of your ability to direct this form of communication within yourself positively and constructively, so pay attention to what you choose to think and feel. Habits of thoughts and emotions become your reality.

Communication with the Omnipotent is also internal, so it is another form of intrapersonal communication. The Omnipotent—all-powerful, present everywhere, all-knowing Infinite Wisdom—is in continuous dialogue with you. Are you listening? Meditation, prayer, and appreciation open the door for communing with the Divine; with attention, you can learn to keep the door open all the time. You will know you are allowing it when you feel unconditionally loved, completely supported, and inspired by your thoughts, feelings, actions, and states of being.

The Omnipotent communicates directly via the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, or taste) and indirectly through extrasensory channels (intuition, signs, gut impressions, dreams). Pay attention, realizing that It may reveal Itself in unexpected ways. It may communicate through an inner voice or vision, the smile of a stranger, a meaningful dream, an impression you sense, a sudden burst of inspiration, a moment of clarity, a solution to a problem, or a meaningful synchronicity, coincidence, or opportunity. It comes in various forms, always in a manner you can understand if you are receptive.

Many people are taught that direct communication with the Divine is not possible, cannot be trusted, is a sign of insanity, or is evil. All of these are completely false. You can communicate with the Omnipotent anytime you desire. There are innumerable instances in almost every sacred text, including the Holy Bible, where the Divine communicates with human beings. As children of the Divine, all people possess the ability to communicate with the Creator.

The Omnipotent is the most trustworthy source of information. Be wary of those people who try to encourage beliefs in evil or fear about communicating with It. By your power to create through thought, merely focusing on these types of thoughts can create negative outcomes. Use your Omnipotent-given power carefully and wisely! Ensure that you communicate only your highest spiritual vision of yourself, other people, and the world if you want to bring about better conditions for all.

Other Forms of Communication

Communication with other people in interpersonal, group, or public (large groups and media) contexts provide numerous opportunities for growth. There is nothing quite as rewarding and challenging as being in relationships with others. Being selective about the individuals you allow into your life and how you use your resources (time, energy, money) while with these individuals can increase the quality of your life profoundly. When faced with undesirable circumstances, you can choose to interpret your situation in a meaningful way and address it constructively, so that the experience expands you rather than diminishes you. Additionally, such knowledge can be used to direct your life from that point onward better.

Like you, others are individualized aspects of the Omnipotent—even if they are not aware of this truth. Therefore, each communication experience may not appear spiritual—but it is! When you learn to communicate with others as spiritual beings, rather than as just human beings, your experiences with others will transform. When you come to understand that we are all one, you will find greater meaning in communication. You will realize that all of your thoughts, feelings, actions, and states of being affect the people around you and that you can choose to be the lift or the drag in any situation.

What Will You Gain?

Growing your spirituality through all forms of communication will provide you with many wonderful experiences: a heightened feeling of aliveness and engagement, a deeper connection with all beings, a greater appreciation of the spiritual nature of everything, abundance in all areas of your life, a greater understanding of how to maintain balance, a clear vision of your goals and priorities, and a stronger sense of purpose as you help other people on their spiritual journey. The best part is that spirituality is easy and fun to cultivate. Rather than being complicated and tedious, it is the most natural and wonderful thing you can experience.

Meditating, communicating with the Omnipotent, reading an inspiring spiritual book, and getting involved with a spiritual community are just some of the obvious ways you can experience spirituality. However, socializing with family or friends, eating a delicious dinner, snuggling with a loved one or pet, or watching a sunrise can be equally inspiring and spiritual. Broaden your perspective to allow yourself to encounter the Divine in as many forms as possible. As you open to It, the more you will allow it to reveal Itself to you!

The path you choose to create should be enjoyable! Some people mistakenly think that spiritual life must be serious, challenging, boring, rigid, and ascetic. I promise you that it doesn’t have to be this way. Instead, you can choose to make it fun, playful, filled with light, adventurous, and easy. A fun path has the bonus of generating positive emotions and experiences, which synergistically create more of the same effects.

In addition to being fun, spiritual life can include abundance. You are limited only by what you can imagine. The Omnipotent is not limited, nor are you. You can think, feel, do, be, and have whatever you want if you believe you are deserving, take the appropriate steps to achieve it, and allow yourself to receive it. A brief word of caution—material abundance does not always equate with happiness. Many people acquire a lot of stuff, only to realize they are still miserable. Spiritual abundance will bring far more permanent happiness than material abundance, but you do not have to choose only one or the other—you can choose both.

Your goals for abundance, material or spiritual, will feel most rewarding when kept in a properly prioritized mindset though. If you desire a healthy spirituality above materiality, and the desire is sincere, you will easily grow your spirituality and other abundances. If you desire materiality over spirituality, you are not evolving as a spiritual being; it is likely that any success will feel empty. Material prosperity is most rewarding when it complements your spirituality, not when it competes with or takes away from it. When you desire spiritual growth, you will find sustainable happiness. When you desire only material growth, which is often ego driven, you will find only a temporary boost in happiness at best. Knowing these effects can help you prioritize appropriately.

Some spiritual and religious leaders encourage people to downplay the material aspects of life—having nice things, seeking success, having certain types of fun. However, you can be a spiritual person and experience abundance in all areas of your life. The Omnipotent gave you life, free will, and ample opportunities by which you could experience and learn. Do you think It wants you to minimize the freedom It has given you, and encourage the same in other people? Or, do you think It would like you to utilize your Omnipotent-given creative and creator potential fully? Why do you think the Omnipotent gave you boundless potential? Why create such magnificent potential, and then encourage Its creations not to use it? Realize that those who seek to limit you or other people are operating according to faulty logic. Fortunately, you are the one in control of your destiny. Choose wisely!

While personal fulfillment can be extremely motivating, it is often empty without some consideration of other people. You may help other people by sharing what you have gained and learned while on your path. As you help others, you help yourself. Some people may be ready for your help, while others may not. Remember that each person is on their chosen path and each person has the freedom to decide what gets included and excluded in their life. Be generous while also being respectful of each individual’s desires.

My Story

I am a highly unlikely spiritual teacher, and I never had dreams of being an author. However, in hindsight, I can see how my whole life has prepared me for this adventure. I do not have grand aspirations for fame or glory; I only desire that this book to reach anyone who could benefit from it. I’ve lived according to these principles and strategies for many years, and I consider myself very fortunate to have used this approach to create such a fantastic life. My wish for you is that you can use these ideas presented here to create your ideal path.

My spiritual path began in a small town in Michigan, just south of Detroit. I was a wild child in many ways, a real seeker who wanted to experience life in all of its forms. While my approach led me to some situations in which I felt fully alive, I frequently created unwanted problems and trouble—particularly in my younger years. After quite a few challenging situations, I was at my wit’s end.

On my drive home from work one night when I was nineteen years old, I felt a strong urge (literally, like someone took hold of my steering wheel) to go to the mall, walk into a bookstore, and navigate my way to the spiritual section (something I had never done before). There I noticed a book (literally, it seemed to light up and fall into my hands) called Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain. I stayed up most of that night reading the book. It provided the answers to the questions I was asking and started me on an incredible spiritual path. I finally had an understanding of how the Universe works. And from that day forward, I worked it!

The night of my awakening pushed me to see that my suffering was largely caused by what I thought, felt, and did, which were all based on choice. I honestly did not realize this until that night. I thought my experiences were caused by the whim of God and chance encounters while in the external world. Once I realized that I was the cause, I felt liberated, motivated, and alive. I knew that I had a choice and that all self-induced suffering was resolvable with new choices. I felt reborn into my real self, while my illusory and unhappy self just fell away.

That night led me to the life of my dreams. The Omnipotent has allowed me the freedom to choose what I want and has manifested my choices in the most profound ways. I am extremely grateful! I have chosen to write this book to help other people create a magnificent self-chosen path because it feels so good to be so alive, engaged, and inspired. And as more people learn to create a passionate life, we will elevate the vibration of humankind on this planet.

Considerations for Reading This Book

Each chapter in this book presents diverse ideas, principles, philosophies, and applications. I have attempted to keep the writings rather simple and to the point, in an attempt to minimize unnecessary complexity. I have read thousands of books on various philosophies and life-improvement strategies, tried most of them, sifted out the bad ideas, and synthesized massive amounts of data into practical strategies; I have only included what I believe to be usable here. Integrate only those ideas that you find helpful, and simply let go of those that do not speak to you at this time. If you find that certain ideas resonate with you, consider reading the books in the reference sections.

Getting Started

As you read the following pages, think about how you might integrate the ideas into your everyday life. Reading about spirituality will help you understand spirituality at the thinking and feeling level. Putting ideas into practice will enhance your understanding of spirituality at the being and doing level. First, you must choose the path you will create; second, you must think, feel, do, and be in a manner that is consistent with your desire. Realizing that the Omnipotent is the source of all creation and that you are of the It, provides you with the knowledge that you are a powerful creator, too.

You are FREE to CHOOSE; therefore, you can:

THINK what you WANT to THINK,

FEEL what you WANT to FEEL,

DO what you WANT to DO, and

BE who you WANT to BE!

Overview of Book

This book is organized into three sections. The first section explains the history, definitions, and philosophies referred to throughout this book. These provide a foundation and evidence for the principles and strategies detailed in the second section. The third section explores how the ideas, principles, and strategies from earlier sections are usable in your daily life. Each chapter builds upon the ideas in prior sections, yet each chapter and subsection can easily be understood on its own in case you would like to dive into a particular topic.

Before you get started, let me clarify one minor point about how I differentiate between the Omnipotent and individual aspects of spirituality in writing. When I refer to something relating to the Divine, I will always start the word with a capital letter (e.g., God, Divine, Omnipotent, Spirit, Guidance). Even when using pronouns, I will refer to the Divine as It with a capital I. When I refer to an individualized aspect of spirituality, I will use lower case letters (e.g., divine, spirit, spiritual, higher self, etc.).

I hope the ideas within transform your life in the best way possible! Enjoy! Have fun!

Foundational Aspects of Spirituality

CHAPTER 1: Introduction to Spirituality

Brief Outline of Chapter

1.1 Defining Spirituality

1.2 Creation and Suffering

1.3 Distractions from the Spiritual—and What to Do about Them

1.4 Carving Out a Space for the Spiritual

1.5 Finding Your Way

1.6 Closing Thoughts

There is nothing in this world that is more powerful than God, the Omnipotent. Therefore, be of God, rather than of the world, and you will know love, healing, and perfection in the most profound way.

Hollie’s Journal

1.1 Defining Spirituality

In this chapter, I will explain many aspects of spirituality. But first, I want to tell another personal story that was pivotal to my understanding of spirituality. When I was in my early 30s, my grandmother was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. Her doctor gave her up to six months to live.

Her doctor gave her treatment options but suggested that these would only prolong her life briefly. One nurse, knowing that the treatment options would not be pleasant, recommended that she opt out of treatment and enjoy the time she had left. My grandmother was appalled at this suggestion. No—she was going to put up a good fight. I never knew who or what she was fighting, and I’m not sure if she did either. I feared that her actions would lead to unnecessary suffering and unhappiness, but she needed to make the right choices for her. I simply chose to love and support her unconditionally. And I did.

For the next three years, members of my family were actively involved with my grandmother and her disease. She faced more challenges than I ever thought she could. I found myself wondering how she could endure so much. Wouldn’t it be easier to let go? I didn’t want her dead, but I didn’t want to see her suffer. She was a devout Catholic, with an understanding that she would go to heaven someday, so why fight death?

Close to the end of her life, she was living in a rehabilitation center because that is what she chose to do. She didn’t like to be alone, so she would often ask me to stay with her. I would sleep on the reclining chair in her room. She and I were always very close, so I appreciated the opportunity to be by her side.

One morning, just as the sun was rising, I was jarred awake by a sudden and loud gasp. As I looked directly ahead, I saw my grandmother stretching her arms upwards like she was reaching for heaven. Her eyes were wide open, and her face glowed with awe and joy. I could see a subtle light, like rays of sunshine, all around her. She was unaware of anything beyond her fixed field of vision. It was apparent she was experiencing ecstasy beyond any earthly experience she had ever had.

Goosebumps consumed my whole body as I watched with wonder. She could see something from the other side and, by the look on her face, it was spectacular. It affirmed my belief that we can commune with the Divine when we desire and that we are never alone. My grandmother opened herself to the Divine that day. And once she did, all of her fears disappeared.

My grandmother eventually settled back into her sleeping spot and dozed off. When she awoke, I suggested that we call the whole family in to visit that day. Rather than tell me not to bother everyone, like she normally would do, she knew that her human body was near its end and she quickly agreed. I told everyone that it was important that they visit that day. And they did.

However, once everyone arrived, they found my grandmother in great spirits. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy. They said she seemed fine. Then, unexpectedly (especially considering that my grandmother vowed to fight to the end), she told everyone, I’m ready to go. This time, she meant her spiritual home. She passed early the next morning.

While seeing my grandmother immersed in spiritual energy that morning may appear to be the profound part of that story, there were other meaningful observations. First, my grandmother’s spiritual transformation eliminated her afraid of death—and all her fears for that matter. In fact, she was eager to release her human shell. She knew she was going someplace magnificent. Second, she dropped all superficialities. She was no longer concerned about what other people thought; instead, she felt like unconditional love—toward herself and others. She was at peace.

As a faithful Catholic woman, her faith always appeared externalized. She went to church, wore her cross, performed the appropriate prayers, and did what good Catholics are supposed to do. However, just before death, her faith was internal—and in a really powerful way.

I believe that we don’t have to wait until our last days or hours