Empty, Ask, Receive

07 Feb Empty, Ask, Receive

Empty, ask, receive–that’s the way it works. Image of contained emptiness by lauramusikanski, courtesy of Morguefile.

Empty, Ask, Receive: My Three-Step Take on Todd Michael’s Twelve Conditions of A Miracle

Emptiness is big with me.  Inspired by Todd Michael’s book Twelve Conditions of A Miracle, I noted that emptiness is the first of a miracle’s three steps.

Todd’s book takes apart the miracle of the loaves and fishes in the Gospel of Matthew to show us how we can do as Jesus did.  His book warrants contemplative consideration.

But in my training, consulting, and coaching, I think it is good for clients to keep fewer than 12 things in mind at once, so I brought Todd’s message down to three things: empty, ask, receive. 

My Three Steps

After carefully reading Todd’s book, I saw that miracles can be accomplished if we will do these three things powerfully with our whole being–in this order:

1. 1. empty

   2. ask

   3. receive

When I ask that we do this “with our whole being,” I mean with as much of our being as we have conscious access to plus asking for help bringing the rest into alignment with what is consciously at work in us.

Explanation

Here is how I see the three parts of miracle-making coming together:

1. 1. Emptying creates space.  Your desire for your miracle sanctifies that space.  In the sacred space you have consciously become, you are as clean and clear as you can be.  You are prepared ground–a tilled but not a planted garden. We need to make room for the miracle in order to receive it. My hypothesis with clients (and with myself!) is always that the primary reason we don’t already have the miracle we want is simply because we don’t have room for it. You would be amazed at all the clutter in the way of your miracle–I always am when I look carefully!
   2. As emptying sanctifies our asking, surrender sanctifies our asking. This is asking within the context of the larger will, of G-d’s will, of the Tao, of the flow of Life.  Make it clear what you want to have happen–and offer it up.  We want the smartest help with this, right? Consciously asking and then surrendering our asking from a place of sacred emptiness is a clear green light to the Universe we are ready for truly expert help.
   3. Accept that everything after that is an answer to your asking. This is key to manifesting. No vacillation, waffling, or quibbling. You thought emptying out and surrendering were the hard parts, right?  Nope.  Receiving is the hard part.  Everything that happens after we surrender is our personal response from the Universe.  (You can try believing this isn’t true, but as soon as you try out believing it is true, wow!  It works wonders, pun intended.)   The more open we are to what happens now, without making any of it wrong, the quicker and more we’ll receive.  It’s powerful stuff.  Handle these steps with care.

PS: You can also see my post, “Emptiness Takes Practice.”  If you raise funds, also try my post, “Abundance Requires Emptiness.”