Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life

Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life
(Gawain, Shakti) [Audiobook, CD, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

When it comes to creating the life you want, Shakti Gawain literally wrote the book. Now considered a classic, Creative Visualization teaches readers how to use their imaginations to manifest their deepest desires. In a straight-talking narrative, Gawain uses the first part to cover the basics, with chapters such as "How to Visualize," "Affirmations," and "Creative Visualization Only Works for the Good." Once she shows readers how visualization actually works, Gawain moves on to loftier discussions, such as "Contacting Your Higher Self," "Meeting Your Guide," "Setting Goals," and "Treasure Maps."

Fear not; this isn't a spiritual-lightweight book for people with a severe case of the "gimmes." Gawain has her priorities in the right place, and she cautions readers that creative visualization will not serve greed or shallow-minded thinking. For example, she discourages the cycle of trying to have more money, so you can do what you want in life, so you will be happier. "The way it actually works is the reverse," she explains. "You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want." Yet she also writes an excellent chapter on letting go of the misguided guilt that inhibits readers from becoming truly prosperous. --Gail Hudson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Shakti Gawain: Working with Creative Imagery (excerpt) - Thinking Allowed w/ Jeffrey Mishlove

The images we visualize serve as blueprints for events that manifest in our lives. Shakti Gawain, dynamic author of the best-selling Creative Visualization, adds that we can consciously influence this process by visualizing the positive situations we desire, and she provides instructions for a basic visualization technique that takes only a few minutes and can be used several times a day.

Publisher’s Preface........................................ vii
Introduction to the Second Edition....................... ix
Acknowledgments......................................... xi
A Letter to My Readers................................... xii

Part One: The Basics of Creative Visualization........1
What Is Creative Visualization?............................ 3
How Creative Visualization Works......................... 8
A Simple Exercise in Creative Visualization............... 13
It’s Important to Relax.................................... 16
How to Visualize.......................................... 19
Four Basic Steps for Effective Creative Visualization..... 24
Creative Visualization Works Only for Good.............. 27
Affirmations............................................... 29
A Spiritual “Paradox”...................................... 38

Part Two: Using Creative Visualization...............43
Making Creative Visualization Part of Your Life........... 45
Being, Doing, and Having................................. 49
Three Necessary Elements................................ 51
Contacting Your Higher Self.............................. 53
Going with the Flow...................................... 57
Prosperity................................................. 61
Accepting Your Good...................................... 67
Outflowing................................................ 73
Healing.................................................... 78

Part Three: Meditations and Affirmations...........87
Grounding Yourself and Running Energy................. 89
Opening the Energy Centers............................... 91
Creating Your Sanctuary.................................. 94
Meeting Your Guide....................................... 96
Pink Bubble Technique.................................. 100
Healing Meditations..................................... 102
Invocations............................................... 109
Ways to Use Affirmations................................ 112

Part Four: Special Techniques........................119

A Creative Visualization Notebook...................... 121
Clearing.................................................. 125
Writing Affirmations..................................... 135
Setting Goals............................................ 138
Ideal Scene............................................... 147
Treasure Maps........................................... 149
Health and Beauty....................................... 154
Creative Visualization in Groups........................ 159
Creative Visualization in Relationships.................. 161

Part Five: Living Creatively...........................167
Creative Consciousness.................................. 169
Discovering Our Higher Purpose......................... 170
Your Life Is Your Work of Art............................ 172
About the Author........................................ 173
Recommended Resources................................ 175

Introduction to the Second Edition

It’s hard for me to believe that it has been so many years since Creative Visualization was first published.

At the time I was thirty years old, and just in the process of discovering my life’s work. For a number of years I had been an active seeker, dedicating myself to exploring Eastern philosophy and Western psychology in an attempt to discover the deeper meaning and purpose of my life. Certain ideas and techniques I had learned were, in fact, having a profound effect on my awareness and my way of living.

I’m the kind of person who, once I discover something meaningful, simply can’t help telling everyone who’s willing to listen. So I found myself beginning to counsel people and lead small groups and workshops, teaching the concepts and exercises that were helping me solve my personal problems and expand my awareness.

It occurred to me that it might be a good idea to write these things down in a little book that I could make available to my students. As I was writing the book, I experienced alternating waves of creative enthusiasm and self-doubt, thinking, “Who am I to write a book telling people how to find greater happiness and fulfillment in life? I’m certainly no expert. My life isn’t perfect.”

My friend Marc Allen helped me get through the rough spots, encouraging me to stop worrying about it and just focus on my creative process. We decided to publish the book ourselves, even though we had very little knowledge of publishing and even less money. Somehow we managed to get the book out there in a few bookstores.

The rest is history. People seemed to love the book, and it sold by word of mouth. Gradually over the next few years it became a bestseller, and continues to be very popular to this day, all over the world. I think one reason for its popularity is that it is short, simple, practical, and has techniques that readers can begin using immediately and effectively.

It has been extremely satisfying to receive thousands of letters telling me how much this book has helped people with specific and sometimes serious problems. I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to contribute in this way.

My work has blossomed right along with the book. For many years I have been leading workshops all over the world, and I have written and published several other books. Creative Visualization helped me find my path in life, just as it has helped others.

The time has come for a revised edition. I have made relatively few changes, simply trying to clarify certain points, deepen certain concepts, and generally update it. If you are already familiar with the first edition, I hope you enjoy the changes. If this is your first experience with Creative Visualization, may it help you create all that your heart and soul desire.

Shakti Gawain

A Simple Exercise in Creative Visualization

Here is an exercise in the basic technique of creative visualization:

First, think of something you would like. For this exercise choose something simple, that you can easily imagine attaining. It might be an object you would like to have, an event you would like to have happen, a situation in which you’d like to find yourself, or some circumstance in your life you’d like to improve.

Get in a comfortable position, either sitting or lying down, in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. Relax your body completely. Starting from your toes and moving up to your scalp, think of relaxing each muscle in your body in turn, letting all tension flow out of your body. Breathe deeply and slowly, from your belly. Count down slowly from ten to one, feeling yourself getting more deeply relaxed with each count.

When you feel deeply relaxed, start to imagine the thing you want exactly as you would like it. If it is an object, imagine yourself with the object, using it, admiring it, enjoying it, showing it to friends. If it is a situation or event, imagine yourself there and everything happening just as you want it to. You may imagine what people are saying, or any details that make it more real to you.

You may take a relatively short time or quite a few minutes to imagine this — whatever feels best to you. Have fun with it. It should be a thoroughly enjoyable experience, like a child daydreaming about what he wants for his birthday.

Now, keeping the idea or image still in your mind, mentally make some very positive, affirmative statements to yourself (aloud or silently, as you prefer) about it, such as:

Here I am spending a wonderful weekend in the mountains.
What a beautiful vacation.

or

I love the view from my spacious, new apartment.

or I’m learning to love and accept myself as I am.

These positive statements, called affirmations, are a very important part of creative visualization, which I discus in more detail later. If you like, you can end your visualization with the firm statement to yourself:

This, or something better,
now manifests for me
in totally satisfying and harmonious ways,
for the highest good of all concerned.

This statement leaves room for something different and even better than you had originally envisioned happening, and serves as a reminder to you that this process only functions for the mutual benefit of all.

If doubts or contradictory thoughts arise, don’t resist them or try to prevent them. This will tend to give them a power they don’t otherwise have. Just let them flow through your consciousness, acknowledge them, and return to your positive statements and images.

Do this process only as long as you find it enjoyable and interesting. It could be five minutes or half an hour. Repeat every day, or as often as you can.

As you see, the basic process is relatively simple. Using it really effectively, however, usually requires some understanding and refinement.