by Tosha Silver
The building of your inner vessel for receiving abundance is central. You give Love permission to change and prepare you in whatever ways are needed. Through receptivity and invitation, you’re teaching your brain and body to become a conduit for the good.
By now you should be focused on cleaning your external physical space as well. This step could also be called: Hey, it’s not your stuff, either.
Even the seemingly mundane act of cleaning becomes a sacred process once it’s been offered. No matter how packed with clutter your home might currently be, you’ll be building, day by day, a temple for Love. By releasing what you don’t need, use, or adore, you’ll make room for this Divine residency.
You don’t have to stress over what to keep or release. Just try this: Open your hands toward the sky, then feel how you’re offering up a massive burden.
You can say, “I don’t need all the answers to every money problem yet. I’m on my way. Right now, I only need to be shown what to release.”
The ego might say, Oh it’s all too much! I’ve got 14 years of clutter. How will I ever figure this all out? But here’s the other way: Offer all your belongings to the Divine. Think of everything you own, then say to Love: This is all Yours, so please show me.
Spanda: The Inner Pull
Your intuition is eager to help you do this clearing. As you continue to offer all actions, your instincts will sharpen. You may even start to sense specific things, such as Oh, these golf clubs blocking the closet for the last 10 years can go to Goodwill. I’m thrilled that they’ll finally get used!
You won’t necessarily hear an inner voice speaking, but if you’re open and don’t second-guess yourself, you’ll just know. Perhaps hesitantly at first, but later with more and more confidence. You will start to trust yourself.
Often, intuition comes through the spontaneous pull in your body that I mentioned earlier. That’s the spanda, or inner leap. It’s the pure momentum of the Shakti, the holy energy that runs through each of us. It is supremely wise, free, and indifferent to the shoulds that obsessively fill most minds. As you get pulled from spot to spot while cleaning out your space, you’ll follow the tug of that spanda. Perhaps your medicine cabinet will call you at first, and then the kitchen. You’ll just know.
The Fateful Turkish Rug
Many people have trouble releasing things they don’t like or use because they don’t want to feel they’ve wasted money. But part of becoming a conduit is surrendering what you no longer need so someone else can enjoy it. Even the very idea of waste starts to change as you open to Divine Source.
You’ve probably heard of the idea that nature abhors a vacuum. When you clear out what’s not needed, you simply make space for what wants to come instead.
I wrote in Outrageous Openness about a woman who had a gorgeous Turkish rug in her bedroom. Although it was lush and expensive, she hated it since it came from her divorce. In fact, every time she saw it, she found herself brimming anew with hatred toward her ex. Given that it was smack next to her bed, it was hard to avoid.
As she came to understand Source, she finally decided to sell the damn thing. In her heart, she longed to be free of it, and sincerely wished someone else could enjoy it. She made a small fortune selling the rug, then excitedly used the money for a monthlong trip to Maui, where, for the first time in years, she began to feel that she truly deserved happiness.
She told me she was sure that her wholehearted release of the Rug of Resentment changed every other area of her life.
Go in Small Steps
Give yourself permission to let go of all you don’t need—including those clothes you haven’t worn since 1992. It’s simple. Releasing them can start to clear the old stories that no longer serve you. In fact, just an hour of decluttering can help open the Flow.
Just begin. Maybe one single drawer keeps pulling you. If you go there and offer it, your path will unravel like a golden thread as you move instinctively from spot to spot. Many people are so relieved to be cleaning, they cannot stop once they start.
“Oh dear Lord, unbury me from all this clutter so a new life may come!”
David, a writer, dreaded pruning his massive book collection—yet knew he had to. Once he offered the process, he began to clean in small, manageable chunks. He even set a timer for an hour and wrote a prayer of release.
He plowed through nine boxes of books that had been piled so high in his bedroom they’d blocked his window for years. He chucked more than half. How symbolic that he could finally see his own view for the first time!
If you feel resistant, do what he did: Set a timer, then dive in. Maybe say, “For this hour, just take me over. Please make me ready and show me what to do!” Sometimes when I’m really unmotivated, I’ll even say, “C’mon, God, use me to go kick some butt.” I’ve found this works!
Or . . . Invite the Help
I’ve often prayed, “Okay, God, if you want me to do this certain seemingly impossible task, then change me into someone who can . . . or please, please bring the right help!”
Some people need to hire someone to help do this clearing, and listen, there’s no shame in that. Others have a trusty friend who will go through their clothes and say, “Oh my god, those plaid culottes are banished forever!”
You actually don’t have to know who will assist, because the Divine Herself does. If you need it, it will come, or you’ll be shown the right actions. Make the offering and stay open.
You could even invoke the Law of Divine Selection that Florence Scovel Shinn wrote about by saying, “The right help is already selected, and I’ll be guided to it easily and gratefully.”
Once you get into the habit of invoking this law, you’ll trust that the right route already exists. You’ll sip from the sacred chalice of aparigraha.
I’ve used it forever to find everything from bookkeepers to dentists, yoga teachers, jobs, apartments, and every adorable cat I’ve ever had. Really, it’s good for anything, and particularly when you’re surrounded by negative people who keep insisting you’ll never find what’s needed. But the “perfect” solution is already picked, and you’ll be guided in the right time and way. Repeat whenever you waver.
When Lorna had her computer stolen with no funds to replace it, she began to pray: “Okay, God, it’s Yours. If it’s meant to go, help me accept this. Otherwise, the perfect solution is already selected, and I’ll be guided.”
The next day, someone at work said, “You know, I’ve got this other laptop just sitting in my closet collecting dust. Any chance you want it?”
Twenty-four hours, and problem solved.
If You Don’t Live Alone
Pashma, during the course, wondered how to clean and clear a space while living with others.
She was thrilled that she had purged 30 years from file cabinets and released her unneeded clothes and shoes. She felt a certain immediate spaciousness, yet all her husband’s clutter remained. What a challenge!
If a dilemma like this is offered, Love can often make a way out of no way.
If you’re in the same boat, just persevere for now with your own stuff. Don’t lecture or badger the other person. Focus on taking care of your own part as you continue to offer the whole mess.
Very often, the people in your home will catch the cleaning bug almost in spite of themselves. Glenda was married to someone who was a complete pack rat. She did her own clearing for a few weeks; then one day, out of nowhere, her wife, Jade, up and rented a truck. Just like that. Without a word, Jade took most of the contents of their overstuffed garage straight to Goodwill.
And that was that.
Glenda felt that Jade had been profoundly shaken on a psychic level by all her cleaning. She had created a force field that couldn’t be resisted. But she never pushed Jade; it just happened.
Besides, there’s always a handy prayer such as, “Okay, God, since I have the insane karma of living with this person, please take over. Let me do my share, and hand You the rest for a miracle!”
Psychic Purification
Once the home is cleaned of debris and physical clutter, you might want to burn some incense or herbs to help clear the energy. I love to open all the windows, then do an initial round of sage or camphor, or a combination of frankincense and myrhh, for cleansing. Sometimes I follow that by burning a second round of palo santo, a fragrant wood from Peru that’s easy to get. For even more purification, you can also sprinkle rose water on the door thresholds and sea salt on the windowsills. Or anything else that your own instincts guide you to.
Clean Your House, Clear Your Psyche
One more point about cleaning your space. This work might bring up long-buried childhood fears and memories; in fact, that’s part of its purpose. You may find yourself unaccountably crying or recalling distant events.
As you let go of the extraneous junk from your home, you may be releasing blocked energies from your body and psyche. It’s all one. That’s why it can feel so exhilarating to clear spaces. Some folks have literally entombed themselves with stuff in order to not feel. So, things are meant to emotionally come up in this process. Let it happen.
STEP 3: FILL YOUR MIND WITH THE POSITIVE
Hopefully, by now you’ve stopped saying stuff like, This’ll never change, I’ll never have enough, I’m always broke, or—one of the most rampant delusions ever—Why does everyone always get whatever they want except me?
For the remaining weeks, protect your gorgeous psyche from complaining about lack. Simply drop it for now.
If you catch yourself falling back into useless mental habits, don’t worry. You might notice, Okay, I’m back in the old saga again, but that’s common.
Instead, replace it with, “Miraculously, amazingly, everything I need always comes. God is opening me to receive beyond anything I imagine.”
The Car Accident
When I began teaching the course, I was rear-ended hard at a red light by a hit-and-run driver. While my Prius was totaled, I was somehow fine. Though very shaken, I sure didn’t waste any time wondering how I could have manifested such “terrible” luck. Instead, even as I sat breathless in the smashed car, I immediately offered the whole deal to God.
When I called the insurance company, Gary, the agent, asked whether I wanted to stay with the car or go home, but I could barely think straight. Half joking, I said I’d consult my mini-tarot deck in the glove compartment.
Imagine my surprise when Gary exclaimed, “Oh my gawd . . . tarot! Girl, I read cards too! What deck do you have? Crowley? And you got the Wheel of Fortune? Well, okay then, doll, we both know this is gonna work out just fine.”
I felt like I was hallucinating. I mean, who knew Allstate had a secret tarot reader? No one could make this stuff up. As Gary and I talked, I felt my breathing return and my body eventually relax and let go.
Steve, my case adjuster, was also an angel. He got me the reimbursement check within four days, almost totally covering the new car. Then he said, “You know, I want to tell you, I’ve been doing this work forever and have seen it all. I’m convinced this came in record time because you weren’t staying pissed at the drunk who hit you. Some people get so paralyzed by anger, they block the next phase. You’ll be in a new car within a week.”
He was right. Even better, the week before the accident, I’d been hounded by a company trying to sell me an expensive extended warranty to start at 75,000 miles. I kept saying no without knowing why. As they towed away the old car, I spied the odometer: 74,999.
God Chases You
You may even find that what you’ve been pursuing forever will begin to pursue you. A farmer in the course had one such wild experience.
For months, she’d tried with no luck to sell the turkeys on her land, which had been a massive headache. One day someone called who wanted them all—ironically, right after she’d cleared years of junk from her home. “Fantastic,” she said. “But now I have to catch them. What a nightmare!”
So she offered it all over. Why wouldn’t God be as good with turkeys as anything else?
And lo and behold, when she stepped outside, the turkeys began to chase her for the first time ever. Even while roaring with laughter, she quickly gathered them all.
This is indeed how it works! When you give everything to the Divine with detachment, things start to happen in a way that’s the opposite of what we’re taught.
In fact, here’s one of the most beautiful surprises. By consistently following these steps, you actually build a love affair with Spirit. It’s no longer a business transaction or a wish list, it’s about Love.
Now, maybe you’re thinking, Wait a minute, I thought I was just reading this book to get my finances in order. What are you talking about Love for? But listen, since everything else will be shifting for you anyway, you might as well throw this in too.
Invite the Divine to pursue you.
Seriously.
Just say, “I’m finally ready, God. Pursue me.”
That’s all.
STEP 4: GRATITUDE SAVES YOUR BUNS
In India, gratitude is seen as one of the best ways to please Lakshmi, the beneficent multiarmed Goddess of Beauty and Prosperity.
They say if you’re thankful for what you already have, She can’t help but give you more. Though many beg Her for favors, it’s far more powerful to just thank Her for your current good, no matter how seemingly small.
Twenty years ago, I was in a temple near Mumbai, fervently praying at Her statue for what felt like hours. When I finished, a man walked up and said, “Excuse me, madam. If it would be all right, may I trouble you with a question, please? To whom do you think you were praying? Do you not know that She is exactly You Yourself?”
Whoa! His words jolted me. I laughed and admitted I’d indeed completely forgotten. I remembered that the inner Divine is the highest, wisest part of ourselves. The Inner Lakshmi already is Abundance.
So you can pray to Her:
Fill me with gratitude for all You give! May I be a vehicle for You wherever I go. May I be grateful for every blessing and know Your abundance as my own Self. Open me to my own Inner Divinity and awaken me from the sleepwalk of being “only” human.
Another way to appreciate Her is by treating the money you do have, no matter how little or much, with respect. She adores order and cleanliness, so the physical clearing of space we’re doing is right up Her alley. But in Her honor, you can also clean your wallet, throwing out extraneous papers and stubs, and even organize all the bills by denomination. To some people this may sound extreme, but if you think about it, you’re building a tiny portable temple for money.
Furthermore, gratitude can be shown by spending with awareness. You can respect what you do have, even if it’s currently limited. Offering your finances never means burning through money recklessly and then saying, “Oh well, God’s so infinite, She’ll just bring more.” Lakshmi rules honoring yourself as well as the Shakti of money. If you listen, your own intuition will show you where and where not to spend.
Finally, you can bless Her while you’re paying the bills. Rather than curse the whole pile, you can say, “Thank God I have the money to pay these!” And even if you currently don’t, you can say, “Thank you that I soon will be able to pay!”
STEP 5: EASY TO RECEIVE
For these weeks, let it be a mellifluous, steady chant in your head:
It’s easy for me to receive.
It’s easy for me to receive.
It’s easy for me to receive.
Especially for women, reciting these words might be the single most revolutionary financial step you’ll ever take. Many women (and some sensitive guys) are taught to incessantly overgive while simultaneously feeling unworthy to receive. A toxic fury burns inside: “I give and give, but when will my own damn turn come?” This resentment ironically blocks abundance of all kinds—not just money.
Saying It’s easy for me to receive can shake your whole world in surprising ways.
While Danica was opening to th
is process, she dreamed one night that she was suffocating, unable to inhale. She woke up in a panic and saw she’d been giving without receiving her entire life. Her soul screamed, You must inhale! You deserve to breathe and take up space. You are worthy.
This statement can dislodge old anger, resentment, or bitterness. Some of these mental patterns have been passed to us from our ancestors through many lifetimes. Yet every time you affirm that you can receive, you move away from that inherited ancestral pain and toward a radiant opening.
Pupusa Dinner
As I walked to the store one night for groceries, I was chanting inside, I’m open to receive, I’m open to receive. I stood in front of the pupusa shop, wondering if I should buy one or save for groceries. Suddenly, I saw this homeless guy I used to give money to years ago.
He said, smiling, “Hey, I recognize you! I owe you ten dollars.”
I was shocked. So I protested, “No, no, Jim, that’s okay.”
But he got out his wallet and insisted, “Yes, I must buy you dinner!”
Since I’d been repeating all day “I’m open to receive,” how could I say no?
She was right. Once you say this, you don’t dictate who or how. Besides, Jim may have needed to give her the money as much as she needed to receive it!
Let the Help Come
Sam, an acclaimed furniture maker, had been carrying a huge credit card debt for years, which filled him with embarrassment and remorse. He had lost his workspace and all his best pieces in an inferno in Los Angeles. When his wife left him at the same time, his spirit collapsed and hadn’t recovered.
However, as he began to offer his unbearable calamity to the Divine, he had a singular, stunning thought, Somehow, I will let Love do for me what I cannot do for myself. The next day, an odd phone call came: His favorite aunt, a talented investor, had recently made a killing in Bitcoin. She’d hoped he wouldn’t be offended, but she knew his situation and wanted to give him $20,000. As a gift, not a loan. Would he accept?