Step 1 - Read this blog post. (Buy hey, you’re already doing that. You’re on your way already!)

Step 2 - Think of some challenge you’re facing, some growth you’re wanting, some area of your life that could use a little energy, light, abundance, peace, or healing.

Step 3 - Write a comment below or send an email entitled, “Prayer List” to christine@christinekane.com. State your intention or your request.

Step 4 - Sit back, let go, and be grateful.

“Huh?”

Here’s the deal:

This coming weekend is the first of four 2008 Great Big Dreams Retreats.

At every retreat, I open the weekend with contemplation and intent. At that time I take the names of everyone who has emailed or commented to this post - along with all of their intentions and requests - and I include them in our circle and in our own prayers and affirmations.

I call it a “Prayer List.”

It’s a powerful part of the retreats - and I’ve had many emails from people saying that lots of things changed in their lives after they did this - and that they could actually feel themselves as part of the circle.

If you want to read some of the other posts I’ve written about this, click here, and here.

Believe it. Don’t believe it. You’ve got nothing to lose. So, why not? Get some good mojo this weekend!

This is Part 6 of a series called “The Six Snarkiest Misconceptions about the Law of Attraction.”

Click on these links to read: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Here is the sixth (and final!) misconception about the Law of Attraction:

#6 - You’re on Your Own

Even though consciousness is a personal journey and Law of Attraction is about your inner thoughts and feelings, the support of others is crucial.

One of the reasons I offer retreats and e-Seminars is because groups create velocity. The group intent becomes its own force, providing more movement, more clarity and more connection. I’ve seen this time and time again. Connection and support ground us and center us. It also helps to have someone else remind you on your bad days that you are powerful, that you are doing great, and that this is just a bad day, and not the truth! (For more on bad days, click here.)

I’m convinced that had I not taken classes and been surrounded by like-minded friends this path would have been slower and harder. At any given time, I could reach out to someone who was working with these principles, and they could see my mental chatter for exactly what it was - which, of course, helped me do the same.

Remember that reaching out, although uncomfortable for some, is an act of committment. You can choose to take a chance and start a group or try out a class that you never dreamed you’d take. Why not?

My rule of thumb is this: If feeling stupid or uncomfortable is the worst thing that could happen, then why not try it if it means I might create wonderful things? Why not risk an embarrassed ego for an expanded spirit?

Here are 5 ways to get support:

1 - Start a Great Big Dreams group or partnership.

Meet once a week for six months. Decide then if you want to keep it going. Meet to check in, read a text aloud, or write down an affirmation for each person to work with each week. Share your Ah-Ha! moments, as well as little victories. Have a 5-minute whining allowance at each meeting. (Some amount of whining might be needed at first. Be compassionate.) Make sure that the listeners don’t get hooked by the whininess, (which could turn into an out-and-out griping session) and that each person learns how to ask empowering questions like, “How would you like to feel about this situation?” “What thoughts would be more empowering than those you just spoke?”

A once-a-week check-in is such a great support system to have in place. You might have a bad day on a Friday, and actually feel some relief just knowing that on Monday night you’ll be able to check back in with people who can help you shift your state.

2 - Take a class or workshop

Religious Science Centers are wonderful places to start. Religious Science - also called Science of Mind - is the law of attraction. The name is a sticking point for some folks - as it conjures up images of Scientology and Tom Cruise. It’s not the same thing, I assure you!

I took classes for three years at the Center for Creative Living here in Asheville, and I remain friends with many of the other people who were in my classes. Unity Churches, New Age Bookstores, UU Churches and Yoga Centers are all great places to start. People drive three hours to take the classes at the Center for Creative Living here in Asheville.

3 - Books and audiobooks

I’m a huge fan of audiobooks. I highly recommend joining audible.com. (Click on the button to check out their plans.) You can pay for a bunch of books up front and then download them whenever you need a little motivation or entertainment.

Use the wisdom and inspiration of those who have gone before you. That’s why they write. You might not agree with everything they say - but this is one way to fill your mind with thoughts and ideas that aren’t all your old crappy negative patterned thoughts. You’ll hear (or read) how others have shifted their lives, and maybe you’ll get some new ideas for yourself. If you drive a lot, then make your car into your classroom. I used to perform about 250 dates a year - and I was on the road constantly. I looked at my car as the classroom and loaded up on audiobooks. I consider some of those authors my biggest mentors.

4 - Read aloud to your partner

This works best if your partner, husband or wife is also open to these ideas. It’s not a great idea to push this on someone who is resistant. Don’t force it. My husband and I got into the practice of reading to each other every morning after the gym. We’d get up super early, work out, come home and read for about 20 minutes from a variety of books. Even a small amount of inspiration can do wonders to remind you of these ideas before you start your day. And it will also help you be better supporters of each other.

If you are on a sabbatical from spouses and partners alike, you can always read to your dog. She’ll completely understand this stuff. (After all, she attracted YOU, didn’t she?)

5 - Prayer

I love prayer. Of course, it’s good to make sure that your own judgments aren’t fueling your prayers. (i.e, “Lord, please let Debbie find a man who will take care of her.” Versus “I simply know that Debbie is strong and prosperous and that she is always happy and deeply at peace, and that the perfect and right people are attracted to her at all times. Thank you for this.”) At my retreats, I create a prayer list of names and requests from anyone who writes to me - and each person is included with the group energy during our retreats. I do the same thing with the e-Seminars for each participant.

The Law of Attraction is a lot about thoughts, so most people don’t associate it with prayer. But, there’s a lot of mystery in our lives. We don’t always know for sure exactly why certain things happen. Most of us are pretty aware of some form of the divine in our lives. Maybe you know for certain that everything is spirit. Or maybe you’re not quite there yet, but you’ve experienced great miracles. Maybe you don’t believe in God, but you’re quite aware that love is a powerful force for change. It doesn’t matter what the cynics say, prayer is a powerful way to reach out and wake up and move away from your ego with all of its “me against the music” mindsets. How you pray might evolve as you do this work. And your sense of what you’re praying to might also evolve. But prayer is a way to expand beyond just your ego and all of the voices it manufactures. This can do wonders for your growth.

Judy was at my December Great Big Dreams Retreat. She’s 67. I’d like to report that when she mentioned her age to the circle of women, there was a collective gasp in the air. But really, it was more like a collective “Huh?”

Judy could easily have told us she was in her 50’s. She looks (and feels) that young. She has the vitality and enthusiasm of a twenty year old. And her face and skin are just youthful. In a natural way. Not in a plastic surgery way.

At one point over the weekend, I was talking with Judy and a few other women. I told Judy that she was an inspiration to all of us at the retreat. During the conversation she shared a simple anti-aging secret that she created. I loved it. So, I asked her if I could share it on my blog.

Judy said that many years back, she asked the Universe to give her something to use as a subliminal “button” that she could put in her mind as a trigger. This “button” would automatically alert her to reinforce her own subconscious suggestions.

She said, “The words came back to me that the letter ‘J’ appeared on more license plates than any other letter in the alphabet.” She admitted not being much of a “car person,” but that as she drove around the Tidewater area of Virginia, she noticed the letter “J” all over the place on license plates.

So she told her subconscious that every time she saw the letter “J” on a license plate, her body would be reminded that she weighs 135 and that she has the skin of an 18 year old. She then let her body take care of how this would happen.

[Note: You could easily do this technique with anything you want to outsource to your subconscious. Building wealth, finishing a song, weight loss, affirmations, etc.]

In Judy’s own words:

“Now, I’m 67 years old and even I must say that when I look at myself in the mirror, I’m doing really good. And every time I began to push the scales a little bit, my appetite just dies back. It’s been working so far.”

This was written by Tammy Burns.

Tammy was one of the participants of the most recent women’s retreat. Everyone was creating Vision Boards. Tammy chose to write her vision board as a prayer. She read it aloud to us the next morning in her beautiful Tennessee accent and with a clarity that gave us all goose-bumps. I asked her if I could share it with my readers…

~Temple~

May I know peace
in the sacred space of my body.
May I find awe
in its tapestry of cells,
towers of bones,
and rivers of fluids.
May I behold treasure
in each tessellated organ-
and cradle my heart and liver
as nurslings.

May I walk, stretch,
and choose food that has been
nourished by light and earth
to imbue each limb
with power

May I treat this body as a guest-
here to visit briefly
considering its needs first…
taking it where it wants to go
even if I’d rather watch Oprah.

May I see aging as a perfect progression
of journey
and float on its current,
exalting its wrinkles
bowing down
before its eyes that don’t focus
like they used to.

May I gather up false notions of aging
and blow them from my palm,
as chaff,
into the wind-
knowing …
all is well.

May I trust my body’s Creator
and know that he who mixed the elixirs
from which it was formed
created it
with a lifetime guarantee.

May I fall to my knees in honor of this sacred home of Spirit
never perceiving one cubic centimeter
as anything
but perfect…
This temple
of God
come to Earth.

Several weeks ago, I was experiencing lots of old conditioned thoughts churning around in my head. Triggers and emotions and doubts were coming up. A friend of mine told me that she would be praying for me - “holding watch.” She said, “Now, any time those negative thoughts come up, I want you to remember that I’ve got it. Remember that I’m working on it for you.” I laughed and said, “I’m outsourcing my worries, huh?”

I was. And it worked!

So, here’s an opportunity for you - if you’re going through stuff or if you just want someone to hold intent for you for a Great Big Dream that you have for yourself…

This coming weekend is the next Great Big Dreams Retreat. A group of 25 women will be gathering in the beautiful autumn mountain world of Asheville, NC. At every retreat I facilitate, there is an altar. There’s no denomination or rigidity or woo-woo stuff about the altar. It’s just a practical space for all our intentions. The retreaters can put anything on the altar - pinecones, poetry, or prayers. Whatever.

On the altar, I also put a Prayer List. On this list are the intents of anyone who has written to me - either through email or comments - to state some intention of healing or expansion or release for themselves or someone they know. Since I started doing this, I’ve gotten emails and letters from people all over the world telling me that it was a shifting point for them - that they sensed the power of our circle.

So - here’s your chance to outsource your worries and intents. Leave a comment below. Or send me an email. (christine@christinekane.com) On Friday morning, I will print out the lists, and take them with me to the retreat. You don’t have to give your real name. Nor will I publicize any of this. You will be included in the circle of our retreat, and your intentions will be a part of all the rituals of our weekend. (If you want to read more about Prayer Lists, click here.)

p.s. One space has just opened up in this retreat. If you are a last-minute kind of person and you want to come to Asheville for a gorgeous fall weekend, please send me an email. I’ll fill you in on the details.

p.p.s. If you’re a new reader and you just want some more information, click here to read about the retreats.