copyright 2004 Isaac Nwokogba
Word Count: 1731
Human beings are blessed with a unique gift: the gift of prayer or
petition to the Infinite for our needs. A religious person would
call it prayer; others may call it petition or meditation. There is
a clear distinction between petition and meditation, however.
Meditation is generally a passive process, but in a petition, we
actively communicate with the Infinite Source. The word "petition"
itself conveys the significance of the process. In human law, once a
suit is filed or a legal proceeding is initiated, certain processes
are put in motion. Regardless of who we are or our station in life,
the legal process takes its course.
Natural laws operate the same way, no matter who triggers them. As
soon as we petition for our needs, we put into motion certain
natural processes that will bring about the manifestation of what we
petitioned for.
If justified and done properly, petitions are always granted û
always. Petitions are granted not on the basis of our religious
beliefs or affiliations nor on the basis of righteousness or
unrighteousness. Petitions can be conscious or unconscious. For the
majority of us, our unconscious petitions are granted more often
than our conscious ones.
Why are our unconscious petitions granted more often? The answer is
simply that in our conscious petitions û due to ignorance, lack of
clear thought, superstition, or unconscious behavior û we tend to
contradict ourselves and therefore prevent our petitions from
becoming alive and manifesting the things we petitioned for.
To me there is no contradiction between the terms "granting of
petitions" and "manifesting our desires." If we create something
that does not contradict cosmic laws, it manifests (and can be said
to be granted) in accordance with those laws. And petitions that do
contradict these laws are either returned to the sender or ignored û
not granted.
For petitions to be granted, they must be done properly, to conform
to certain conditions:
À We must be sincere in our petitions.
À We must be careful that what we ask for is actually what we need.
À Our petitions must not be detrimental to others.
À What we ask for must benefit not only us but others as well.
À We must have the knowledge that our petition will be granted.
À Above all, we must release our petitions to the Universal Mind
for them to be manifested.
These conditions may sound philosophical, but personal experience
will convince you of their truth.
Being sincere means we ask for something because we need it and not
because we want to be like or better than someone else, prove
something to the world, or satisfy our ego.
Determining what we need is probably extremely difficult for most
people. As an illustration, if you have no car, no money, no job,
and face an eviction, what would you ask for? We must reduce our
need to the lowest common factor. By asking for the wrong thing, we
risk not receiving an answer or receiving something we may not be
particularly happy with.
We must determine what is most essential for life, and we must trust
in the Universal Mind to provide it in the best possible way.
If our petition would give us, for example, power to avenge prior
wrongdoing by someone else or in any way allow us to harm or punish
someone, the chance of that petition being granted is very slim.
The more benefit our petition would bring to others, the greater the
chance that it will be granted. But it is not up to us to say, "If
my petition to win the lottery is granted, I will do this or that
for my neighbor because he or she needs it." As noble as it may
sound, we must be careful about making such decisions regarding
others. As I have pointed out, it is difficult enough to determine
what we ourselves need much less what someone else needs.
Manifestation is not always obvious. Therefore, knowing when our
petition has been granted is not easy and often requires a series of
personal experiences that build confidence rather than just faith.
If seeing is believing, then experience is knowing. We must have
confidence that our petition will be granted until we have had
enough experience to cause us to recognize that it has been granted.
The last condition is probably the most critical. If all the
previous conditions have been met but you fail to release your
petition to the Universal Mind, you can be sure that your petition
will not be answered.
We've all had the experience in which what we want does not occur,
and then, suddenly, it happens when we least expect it. Wouldn't it
be nice to want something and have it happen right then? It seems
that it often happens as soon as you have begun to give up or let go
or released your thoughts. Once we have determined exactly what we
need and have met the other conditions, we must release the petition
to the Universal Mind to bring it about in the best possible way. We
must be careful not to carry the petition with us twenty-four hours
a day to the point that it becomes a worry. We must petition,
release our thoughts, and forget about them until our next prayer or
meditation period.
Fear is another thing that often defeats our efforts. Let's assume
you've identified employment as your need, and you are middle aged.
Throughout your life, you've worked in a certain field and have
become an expert in that field. You now find yourself unemployed.
How do you go about petitioning for employment?
In this illustration, it is not easy to approach petitions without
filling your mind with all negative thoughts: "Who will hire a
person of my age," or, "Would it be difficult for someone of my age
to find a job?" "How can I compete with all these young
people?" "I can't do anything else," or "Doing so or so is all I
know how to do." You may unconsciously fail before you start by
placing a severe limitation on what you want done by thinking, "I
have to find a job in my field."
To avoid sabotaging your efforts, it is important to reexamine your
identified need. Ask yourself what being employed would do for you.
Is it possible you miss your morning routine of waking up at a
certain time in the morning, dressing and leaving the house for
work? Is it possible you miss being in a work environment where you
are constantly in contact with coworkers? Is it possible you miss
the sense of accomplishment you had when you were employed?
After reexamining your need, you may discover being employed is not
what you need; you need those benefits being employed brings to your
life. You should then visualize yourself enjoying the very things
you want from being employed. Again, it shouldn't matter if someone
calls you up and wants the services of a very experienced person
like you on a consulting basis. It shouldn't matter if a nonprofit
organization needs a mature, experienced individual like you to
advise them on certain aspect of their business. You shouldn't care
how you once again enjoy the things employment brings to your life,
and it doesn't have to be in the same field.
UNCONSCIOUS PETITION MANIFESTED
Here is a story of someone I've known for years. She was a very
healthy lady in her sixties when she lost her job through forced
retirement. She had worked in the same job for a very long time.
Being very active and having financial obligations to meet, she
didn't want to retire just yet. When I talked to her before her last
day on the job, I asked her,
"What are you going to do now?"
"I don't know," she replied, "but I know I have to do something."
Think about her response again. You can't get any more positive,
more determined, and full of confidence than this. It doesn't matter
if her positive attitude, determination, and confidence were driven
by fear or need. I was very happy for her, because I knew then she
was on the right track and her needs would be met. I knew then she
had triggered an unconscious petition, and her positive attitude and
confidence were an outward confirmation of a petition granted,
whether she realized it or not. It's one thing to proclaim how
positive we are, but it is another thing to live positively and let
our positive outlook on life radiate and shine through when faced
with difficult situations.
The next day following her last day on the job, this wonderful lady
was back in the building where she used to work. She attended and
sat through all public meetings as she did when she worked there. A
few days later when I saw her, she handed me a nicely done business
card with the business name, "I-Search." During breaks, she would
stop to talk to the consultants, lawyers, and business people she
had known while working at the place. She would hand them her
business card and let them know she no longer worked in her past
position and could do research for them. Who wouldn't want an
experienced, dependable person like her to do research for them?
This lady's story should serve as an inspiration to many. She
continues to enjoy the contact with her former coworkers and
associates while working in a different capacity and is being paid
for it.
She may not have recognized it, but in her moment of anxiety, she
obviously triggered into motion certain natural forces, which in
turn, generated the ideas she needed. Ideas are just that û ideas,
and are meaningless until they are put in action. If she didn't
follow up on these ideas as they occurred to her, she probably would
still be waiting for the answers to her needs, and wondering why
they were not forthcoming.
What would you do if you were in this lady's situation? Would you
limit yourself through the negative thoughts of your mind? Would you
recognize an answer to your petition when you receive one?
For a detailed discussion about the subject of petitions, please see
another one of my books, Seeds of Luck: The ABCs of Creating Your
Heart's Desires.
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A lifelong student of Christianity, spirituality, metaphysical
traditions, and traditional African religions, Isaac Nwokogba has
written three books and published many articles on various aspects
of spirituality. Seeds of Luck focuses on the cosmic law of
manifestation and America, Here I Come examines the law of
compensation. His latest book, Voices from Beyond: The God Force,
the Other Side, and You is scheduled for release in May 2004.
http://www.voicesfrombeyond.com