You Attract What You Are

This article, “You attract what you are”, is part three of the four part series from I am the world. If you haven't read the cause of all suffering, please read that first because that was the second part of this series.

Have you ever noticed that when there is a problem you are always there?

Julia couldn't stop thinking those words that Lao said the other day to her.

“O.K., let's see here. What stressful thoughts do I have consistently?” Julia says quietly to herself.

“Hmmm... I need my mother to love me. I hate my mother. My mother angers me because she holds me back from my dream. I'm not good enough. I can't afford to live on my own.”

“Wow! isn't that depressing”, Julia thinks to herself.

“Julia, you have a visitor”, the back stage manager calls out.

Julia just finished up her mid-season play called “Miss Petigrew lives for a day” and it was a fantastic act. The crowd was laughing and you could just feel the good energy in the room.

After the final scene, the crowd gave a roaring applause and two standing ovations requesting an encore.

Julia really hit it big tonight. She felt her performance was top of the line hitting each emotion and line perfectly.

Julia replies to the manager, “O.K., let them in. I'm dressed.”

With a gleaming smile and a bald head shining through the doorway, Lao approached with flowers.

“Julia, you were amazing. I was so trapped in the story the whole entire show. It was like time stood still. You truly are an amazing actor.”

“Well thank you!”, says Julia.

“We worked long and hard to put on an excellent performance. Plus, I love the theater, there is no other place I would rather be than telling a story to you guys.”

Julia accidentally knocks a piece of paper on the floor landing right by Lao's foot. Lao bends down to pick it up and notices the subject line, “My Stressful Thoughts.”

“I see that you've completed the exercise, Julia”, says Lao in a loving tone.

“Yeppers, I must tell you though, it's kind of depressing. I realized that I really hate my Mother.”

Lao replies, “That may be true, but that's not the point of the exercise. I'm not trying to make you realize the hatred you have for others.”

Lao notices Julia sitting there very intently with an open mind, so he continues on.

“What this piece of paper tells me are all the things you haven't learned to love and embrace about yourself.”

Julia cuts in, “What! No way. I'm the furthest thing from my Mother. It can't be.”

Julia then regresses and her defense comes to a rest. She just realized what she has said and realizes all of the similarities she has of her Mother.

There's a small, purposeful silence that Lao beautifully plays out so Julia thinks a little bit. After a few seconds, Lao breaks the awkward silence.

“You see Julia, the things you see and judge in other people are unconscious shadows in your mind. They are the parts of you that you're not willing to accept and love. That's why you project them out onto other people and judge them. It's a very satisfying experience for the ego.”

“The more you let this unconscious process continue, the more it grows. And the more it grows, the more you become it. The more you become it-- well, it becomes your life.”

“You attract what you are, is that what you're saying?”, Julia says in a peaceful manner.

“Yes! Exactly! You want to end suffering and you want a better life. Then change you!”

Lao continues on with a Zen like teaching tone, “All of life and every moment is a gift. It's mirroring to you exactly who you are. The way you think about people, places and things are the way you think about yourself.”

“When you judge and condemn something, that becomes a gift with proper awareness. At that moment you have the ability to heal yourself, love that part about you and move on.”

Julia cuts in and speaks up, “So, wait a minute. I wrote down on that paper “I need my Mother to love me”, so that's not true?”

“What I need is me to love me?”

“I think you've got it”, Lao replies.

“But, when I do this and love and embrace myself, what happens?”, Julia says with the utmost curiosity.

“As you begin to heal, love and embrace the problematic areas of yourself, you'll be at peace. You'll drop the story and go with the flow. This Universe is an ever flowing and growing place. It's built upon peace, love and happiness. The Universe is abundant and responds to 'like' energies.”

“As you clean yourself you see the world differently. When you see the world differently you create new results in your life.”

“What do you see in me?”, Julia says.

“Well, when I first saw you, I saw a very beautiful girl. I also saw tears running down your face. I observed these actions because that's what happened. You were obviously sad, however, I didn't internalize your sadness. In other words, I didn't sympathize or feel for you.”

Lao continues to speak in his Zen like ways, “You can't ignore what is. That's not the point. But you don't have to identify with things that take your power away.”

Julia replies, “Is that why you were able to bring me to a peaceful state and help me see the bright side of life.”

“If that's what I did for you, then yes, because I went with the flow of life. I didn't resist and create confusion inside of me”, says Lao.

Lao pulls up a chair next to Julia and they are sitting side by side in-front of her dressing table. He hands Julia three red roses and gives her a card with a bag of Shakespeare Tea wrapped inside of it.

Julia understands that this is an opportunity to get on the right track in life. She decides to let her guard down and just learn whatever is necessary to heal all the pain she has.

“H-how can I change my life? How can I be free and start creating the life I truly desire”, says Julia with a smile and an open heart.

“You are very brave”, says Lao. “Most people will never face the fact that all the problems in their life are their responsibility. Those people want to stay stuck in their stories. You want freedom.”

Lao reaches in his coat pocket and pulls out a small, novel size journal. He gently holds it in both hands and is reciting a prayer quietly to himself.

After his prayer, Lao looks up at Julia with a smile and gives the journal to her.

“Here. My master gave me this journal and now I want to pass it on to you.”

“No, no. I can't take that. It looks so beautiful”, says Julia.

Julia is reluctant to take it. The journal seems like a prized possession for Lao and she feel that she couldn't take something this valuable after not even really knowing him.

However, she doesn't want to dishonor his gift. So, she takes the journal and reads the front cover, which says: “Sukha: Abhaya”.

“What does it mean”, says Julia.

Lao smiles hoping she would ask that. “It means a potter's wheel turning smoothly and noiselessly with freedom of fear.”

“What does that mean”, exclaims Julia.

“Well, think about it. A potter's wheel is free flowing and responds to the flow of its shaper. When the freedom of fear is present with this free flow, the potter (creator) can form masterpieces. This is a great metaphor for life.”

“Turn to page thirty and you'll see what I mean”, says Lao.

Lao stands up and looks for the door. He then turns to Julia, gazes into her beautiful eyes and smiles. “I'm going to use the restroom.”

“Oh, O.K.”, Julia replies.

Just as Lao reaches the door he turns around and says, “Julia, remember, you can't control what life throws at you, but you can control how you respond to life. Love yourself, look at things differently and the world around you will change.”

Julia smiles, doesn't say a word and feels complete gratitude for her life. She watches Lao exit through the door then turns back to the journal in her hands.

A sudden wave of energy hits her like a hard gust of wind. For some reason she feels that she'll never see Lao again and that he's not really coming back.

Julia gets out of her chair and runs out into the hall. She runs into the stage manager and ask where the nearest Mens bathroom is. The stage manger tells her that all the bathrooms are locked and that Julia shouldn't be here.

Lao is gone. “So that's it”, Julia thinks to herself. However, she's not sad. She feels peace and love that Lao even came into her life. She knows such little about him, but she has learned so much.

Julia opens the journal to page thirty and at the top of the page reads in big bold letters:

Do Exactly As Follows

Below that are one statement and four questions.

1. Write down your stressful thought.
2. Is that absolutely true? Can you, without a doubt, prove that?
3. How do you react when you believe that stressful thought or story?
4. Who would you be without that story?
5. What are other possibilities and turn arounds for your story?

“What the hell?”, Julia says out loud. “What does all this mean?”

Julia then notices a post script at the bottom of the page that says, “Turn to page 40 for an explanation.”

Slightly embarrassed, Julia eagerly flips through the pages accidentally tearing one of the pages desperate to discover the answer to freedom.

Here is what she finds written on page 40:

All relationships are a reflection of what you're projecting out into the Universe. Understand that there is no such thing as an external relationship-- it only exist in your mind. Since this is true, then you'll become aware that the purpose of a relationship is self exploration.

The questions on page thirty are a journey for self exploration. You take any stressful thought, judgment and/or problem and explore the truth behind them.

“How do you react when you believe that problem to be true?”

That question puts all of your current feelings and beliefs out on the table. It gives you a visible reflection of how you feel about that problem and who you are.

“Who would you be without that story?”

This question is your answer to freedom. When you define what you actually want, you attract that experience into your life. This also liberates you and gives you “real choice” in life.

Finally, you must turn it around. Find all possibilities to your problematic statement. For example, days ago when I wrote in this journal I felt my students weren't listening to me. I turned it around to the following:

“My students do listen to me. Where is that true and truer? Well, the other day Lao completed the 20 minute meditation that I instructed him to do. When I told my students to be at the rock by 4pm, they were there.

“I don't listen to my students. Where is that true and truer? Lao suggested the other day a unique approach to prepare for the full lotus position. I didn't even consider it because I'm the master.

“I just think my students don't listen to me. Where is that true and truer? How can I know what they really think-- that's impossible! All I do is project what I think they are thinking. In all reality, the only resistance is the resistance I place on myself.”

When you understand that there are many possible scenarios or interpretations to your problem, you are free because you understand that the only problem is your thinking.

Thank you Lao for this realization.

Julia closes the journal and notices a piece of paper protruding out on the side. She takes it from the journal and reads it aloud:

“Life should be treated like a rose bush. You enjoy and expect to see the beauty of all the roses. The roses flourish and prosper, then they go into winter. During the winter you don't fret because you understand that's just the cycle of life. When spring comes around, you see the beauty again.

“You pick the rose, enjoy its smell, feel and sight. One of the rose thorns pricks you, punctures your skin and cause you to bleed. You take care and give aid to your body, but you don't break the rose and punish it. You understand it, love it, forgive the rose and learn from the experience. Then you go back to seeing the beauty again.

“But too often, we treat life like a year round winter. All we see are the thorny stems. If we could only understand the apparent evil that the thorns cause is only there for it's protection of growth, we then understand that when we pick up one end of the stick, we also pick up the other end. What defines our life experience is whether we choose to focus on the end of the stick that we're holding or the end that we are not holding. Are you choosing to focus on the pain the rose thorns can create? Or, are you focusing on the luscious, red flower petals that are being produced?”

This article is part 3 of a 4 part series. Look for the next article (part 4) called “Responsibility or Suffering”

Part 1-- It Takes One to Know One

Part 2-- The Cause of All Suffering

Part 4-- Responsibility or Suffering

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