The Universe is Listening
by Pamelagrace Beatty
“The Universe?” you might ask. “What the heck is she talking about?” I’m talking about an intelligence that is all around us and that responds to us. It goes by many names. If you are anti-metaphysical, you may want to stop reading now, and read my next post about something more commonplace. If you are curious about this “Universe” thing, stay with me.
Many years ago, I was in a self-development workshop where the facilitator kept referring to “The Universe.” I found that interesting and looked further into it. Like some people, I wondered “What in the world is The Universe?” I discovered people were talking about an intelligent power that made everything from soup to nuts. OK….and so? Then I read that it was all energy, The Universe and everything “it” made. OK, I couldn’t argue with that. Einstein said the same thing, that everything is energy.
So, here comes the juicy part: Energy affects energy and everything is made up of energy. Even the scientists studying rats would agree. They noticed that they were influencing how well rats ran the mazes by just watching them run and knowing where the right paths were. I’m losing you now, aren’t I? Here’s where I’m going: We impact what goes on around us and happens to us with the thought and energy we bring to it. I can see you shaking your head, but please keep reading.
Where’s my painting?
Some years ago, I loaned a friend a couple of paintings to decorate his place because he was having meetings there, and he wanted the living room to look nice. One of the paintings was my favorite, and I asked for it back to put in an exhibit. He gave it back to me after a lot of hemming and hawing and swearing that I didn’t lend it to him, but that I gave it to him. I even brought my boyfriend in on the discussion to help refresh his memory. That worked. I got my painting back. I was a happy camper!
Before picking up the painting, I had gone grocery shopping and had a lot of bags to carry into my apartment. I took the painting out and leaned it against my car so I could get the groceries. I forgot to come back for the painting. In the middle of the night, I remembered I’d left the painting by my car in the apartment parking lot. I threw my coat on over my pj’s and rushed out to the car. No painting. It was a large painting and I could tell as soon as I looked toward my car that it was gone. Here is where energy comes in. I decided my painting was not stolen. That someone had seen it by my car and took it home for safe keeping until they could find the rightful owner. To help them find me, I put notes on all of the cars near where I parked. I put notes in all of the nearby laundry rooms. I put posters on the trees. And then I waited. Not a word. No response whatsoever. I was disheartened. It was my favorite painting and I began to fear I would never see it again. But I stopped myself because I knew if I went down that path, action would follow thought and I would give up. I would stop putting out the right energy, and consequently lose my painting.
Then, one evening, when I came home and parked, I saw a motorcycle in the space next to mine. “Hmmm, I thought, “I’ve never seen a motorcycle here before.” So, I wrote a note about my missing painting and placed it on the motorcycle, even though the owner might be new to the complex and know nothing about my painting. Had to try. Later that evening I got a call. The motorcyclist was a partner of a woman who lived in the complex. They had my painting. He was walking through the parking lot and had found it when I left it by my car. He had just gotten the parking spot next to mine. They had been keeping the painting safe, and were waiting for the owner to show up. I was so happy!
When I tell this story to friends, they always say, “Oh, that was just a coincidence. It had nothing to do with any energy you put into finding the painting.” Well, it had everything to do with my energy. If I had let myself give up, I would not have taken the steps needed to get my painting back. The actions I took were ordinary but the results were actually extraordinary in that I recovered my painting! And if this had only happened to me once, I would call it coincidence too, but it hasn’t. I have gotten things back that on the surface looked like I would never see them again.
And this goes beyond objects and into situations and experiences in my life, for example: Quite a few years ago I was invited to go to Australia, all expenses paid. I had told a girlfriend how much I wanted to see Australia, but didn’t have the money at the time. A few weeks later, she told me her job was sending a small group to Australia and one person had dropped out. She asked if I would like to go! I was ecstatic! My dream had come true! But I was in the beginning of developing my consulting practice, and I was afraid if I stopped working on it I would lose the nerve to make it happen. So, I had to tell her, “Sorry, no.” I regretted that decision for years! I let the energy of fear, and lack of faith in myself, stop me from achieving my dream.
And then, many years later, after moving to Seattle and starting my work all over again in a new city, I suddenly lost a long-term contract. I had no work and no money coming in. But I was so mad at how it all went down, that I looked up the cost of going to New Zealand. I chose New Zealand because every time I told someone I wanted to go to Australia, they would say, “Oh no, you should go to New Zealand; you will like that much better!” I decided to treat myself to a trip there because that would be a whole lot more fun than staying home and stewing over my lost contract. And here’s the best part. I had checked into traveling to New Zealand the year before. It was expensive so I started saving money. I had half as much as I needed to go there when my contract (the one I thought would pay for that trip) ended. When I looked up the costs again, it was only half as much as what it had been the year before. You know I got on a plane as soon as I could and had a marvelous time in New Zealand. The friends who told me I would like it were right. I came home quite happy, and with a new attitude that helped me land a new contract right away. It’s all energy.
So, the moral of this story is, if things aren’t going your way, take a look at your energy. What are you putting out there? What are you saying to The Universe? If your feelings stay on the negative side, that is what you will experience. If you work yourself up into being positive, and act as if all is well, it will be. There is another saying I like a lot in case you are still not convinced. It goes like this: “The pessimist may be proved right in the end, but the optimist has a better trip!”
Bon voyage…
