IN PART ONE OF THIS BOOK I discussed several concepts and techniques important for your own spiritual awakening process. I discussed right thinking, breathing, intent, and trust. These are all concepts and techniques that you need if you are going to be able to initiate and navigate your own awakening process.

In part two of this book I would like to move beyond the basic "get in your car and start the engine" advice of the previous section and talk more about how to actually steer your vehicle (i.e., your body) and drive it safely through the energetic roadways of creation. Once again, and as I am fond of repeating, the advice and technique provided here isn't hard. It is all pretty basic stuff and you should find that once you get going, once you start your practice, things will fall into place pretty quickly.

Now, we'll start off our "driving advice" in this chapter by taking a look at the body's primary steering mechanism: visualization. In this chapter you will learn about the power and importance of this simple, yet effective, tool for directing the flow of your life. Of course, we won't stop with visualization. After we finish our discussion in this chapter we will move on to discuss things like road safety, how to communicate with other drivers, how to properly maintain the energetic balance of your physical vehicle, and how to properly feed, water, and heal to keep the vehicle running at top efficiency. However, we begin with visualization.

So what is visualization (a.k.a. imagination)?

Well, visualization is basically the ability to "see things" in your brain.

Visualization is the ability to draw a picture in your mind's eye.

That's all there is to it.

If you can imagine something in your brain, with your eyes closed if necessary, you are visualizing.

Simple.

However, as with breathing, don't let the simplicity fool you. Like breathing, visualization is a powerful tool. In fact, in terms of your ability to awaken, empower, and steer your way through life, visualization is critical. I can tell you right now, in terms of awakening and driving around the roadways of creation, you won't get very far very fast if you don't learn visualization.

Visualization is a fundamental technique.

It is quite literally the "steering wheel" of your physical vehicle.

To be blunt, visualization is what controls what exists in the world you experience.

Important stuff!

So important, in fact, that it should be taught in grade school.

Sadly, however, it's not.

In fact, past maybe grade two, visualization-friendly activities like painting are actively discouraged in favor of more "practical" skills. However, despite this fact, and as more and more people are beginning to recognize, we should definitely learn. Visualization is a powerful way to direct your life and if you don't learn to visualize, then you give up the best opportunity you have to control the world you experience. What's more, if you don't visualize, then (as we shall see in more detail next chapter) you are pretty much at the mercy of whatever other visions of reality happen to be operating in your area. Frankly, given some of the ugly visions of reality that are operating these days, leaving yourself open to somebody else's visualization of reality could be hazardous to your health. And it really doesn't matter whose vision of reality it might be. It could be your neighbor, your local politician, some Rothschild sitting in a brown room somewhere, the pope, the president, or even your mom and dad. As I noted in Part One, there are a lot of weird ideas about the way creation works, and you just never know what people "have in mind" (either consciously or unconsciously) for you.

Word to the wise: steer your own course and manifest your own world by using the basic spiritual techniques, like visualization, provided here.

Now, perhaps at this point you are asking "Why does visualization work and how do I do it?" As to why, I'll explain in more detail about the technical aspects of visualization in subsequent books. For now, the sound bite explanation will have to do and here it is. Energy is really just a "stepped down" form of consciousness and as such, energy responds in a direct and literal fashion to the contents of your consciousness.

As above in consciousness, so below in matter.

Bottom line, if you think about something, then the "energy" that makes up the universe begins to move in the direction of your thinking. Keep something in your mind long enough and the energy of creation will eventually manifest your vision.

This is the basic principle of creation.

Whatever is in your brain determines the universe that you experience.

Whatever you dream in your soul (above) manifests in creation (below).

More or less, anyway.

Truth is, on this earth it's not always so easy and straightforward. On this earth, there is always a lot of interference from, for example, sleepyheads who think it's okay to actively impose their horrible visions of life, the universe, and everything on others. Under these creatively hostile conditions, even if you have a very clear visualization of what you want (which most of you don't yet), and even if you have total confidence in that vision (doubtful, considering the spiritually hostile conditions we live under), you can't always manifest what you want as fast as you want because of all the interference. Still, you shouldn't let the difficulty stop you. I'm not saying this to discourage you but to encourage you to take control. Until conditions aren't so "hostile" to your heart's desire, you'll simply need to have patience and persistence in order to steer the vehicle and create the world you want. You don't do yourself any favors by backing out of this potential because it's a little difficult, and besides, creative conditions on this earth won't be hostile forever. Times are a changing as we speak and by 2012, you'll find a lot less resistance to the visions in your head.

It might be frustrating at first, but learning to visualize, learning to steer, will definitely be worth your while both in the short term and the long term. It will be beneficial not only in terms of being able to control the world around you and manifest your desire, it is also critical for your spiritual awakening process! I'm not exaggerating when I say that visualization, like breathing and trust, is one of the keys of rapid and safe spiritual awakening.

But wait a minute.

How does that work?

Didn't I just say, "as above in consciousness, so below in matter?"

Haven't I been saying that visualization is all about the physical world?

Well, yes, I did and, yes, it is.

However, pause for a moment and consider.

Breathe.
Remember this truth:

Your body...
Your brain...
Your nervous system...
Your mind...
Your heart... your voice, your muscles, your arms, your legs, and the blood that flows in your veins are all made up of physical matter.

Do you see?

Your physical vehicle, your body, is made up of the energy of creation. Therefore, your body, nervous system, and brain respond to visualization just like every other physical thing in the universe does. Therefore, treat your body/mind like the physical object that it is. If you want your body to be healthy, visualize a healthy body (and don't forget to eat right and exercise!). If you want your mind to awaken, visualize an awakening mind.

Simple.

Control your physical body and physical mind through visualization just as you would control any other aspect of the physical universe.

Breathing, intent, and visualization!

That's all there is to it.

Now, as great as this basic technique of visualization is (especially when coupled with breathing and intent), there is one problem that we have to surmount before we can efficiently make use of the power of visualization. The problem is simple. As a result of what I can only call the "slave training" we get in schools, many of us have lost our ability to visualize. That is, as a result of what we all mistakenly called "education," our "right brain" capabilities, our visual, metaphoric, and imaginary powers have atrophied, through no fault of our own, to the point of failure. This makes visualization a problem for a lot of us.

That's okay, though.

It's not that big a deal.

It's not like we are permanently damaged.

We can regain our ability to visualize any time we want and we can strengthen it to whatever level we desire by engaging in some simple right brain activities.

It is easy and you should start immediately.

There are lots of ways you can do it and I'm going to list only a few. Use your imagination to come up with other ways and trust your own intuition about what kind of practice might work for you.

And whatever you do, don't rush it.

Be patient.

The ability to visualize will come back to you. I promise you.

So here is what you do:

• Pick up a musical instrument and find a good teacher.
• Hang out with children.
• Study art.
• Try creative writing.
• Go take dancing lessons.
• Do something kinesthetic.
• Do something artistic.
• Do something creative.

Make a pot, paint a picture, write a song and don't let me hear you whining, "But I don't have any talent" or "I'm not good at anything."

It is not true. Talent is not god-given.

Talent is merely the crystallized effect of extended practice.

The truth is, Mozart, Beethoven, Galileo, Picasso or any of the other super talented individuals in this world loved doing "their thing" so much that they were willing to devote lifetimes to it. That's why they appear talented. Not because god gave them a "gift," but because they have had, out of sheer love of their art, divine-like commitment to their craft. You too can learn to play piano and compose like Mozart if you spend a dozen lifetimes learning music as he did. Of course, most of us don't have that kind of commitment and that's okay. You don't need that kind of commitment and talent to visualize properly. You just need to get your right brain energies moving again.

You just need to do a little practice.

So, get some right brain practice and, while you're at it, practice your ability to visualize. Picture what it is you want in your mind. If you have difficulty, if you can't do it initially, try again. Start simple by visualizing energy flows. Visualize colors in the air, energy pipes in your room, or chakra activations if you feel so inclined. Then, move to simple geometrics (i.e., boxes and stuff). If you have trouble with that, find a real box (like a jewelry box or something), look at it, close your eyes and try to see it in your mind's eye. When you look at the box and close your eyes, you should find that the image lingers, even if only briefly. When the image fades, do it again, and again, and again until your ability to visualize builds up. Consider this an exercise and practice it often with boxes, flowers, pens, or with anything you happen to have to hand. If you have initial difficulty, stick at it. Keep up with the right brain activities (music, art, etc.), keep practicing the visualization, and eventually your mind's ability to visualize and imagine will come back to you. As it does, don't be afraid! Joyfully embrace it. It is the joy that you add to the process that will speed your awakening along at light speed.

As a final practical technique, you may also want to try having an internal dialogue with yourself. That is, talk to yourself. Talking to your self is a great way to enhance right brain activity. All children do it. Indeed, many children go so far as to have imaginary friends. Of course, as adults we find this creative ability beaten out of us. The attack on your wise, intuitive, spiritually connected right hemisphere starts with gusto around the age of eight and culminates in the total imaginary vacuum of the "normal" adult. Still, it's like riding a bike. Just because it's forgotten doesn't mean it's gone. Take steps to recapture the imaginative innocence of childhood. It will pay off in your life in ways that you cannot yet imagine.

One final comment: if it takes you a while to get this right, don't worry. Recapturing your full ability to visualize is not a requirement of awakening. Breathing is critical, trust is critical, but visualization is not. As long as you breathe correctly and can summon trust, you will be carried along in the rising tide of the Great Awakening as it occurs on this planet. Truth is, nobody can stay asleep much longer, so you are going to wake up no matter whether you learn to visualize or not. However, you will find the process easier and more pleasant, and you won't have to wait for "the tide," if you take firm control early on and visualize exactly how you want your awakening (and the awakening of those around you) to happen. If you want help with your own practice, I have an awakening visualization called The Great Invocation. This activation and awakening meditation is available for free on my website at www.michaelsharp.org and is also provided in my book Dossier of the Ascension: A Practical Guide to Chakra Activation and Kundalini Awakening.

Trust, intend, and imagine!

Start now.

Practice often.

As above in consciousness, so below in matter.

The future of your life, and the future of this world, is contained in the images and ideas in your brain. Take control of those images and ideas and create a better world for yourself and everyone else.

Trust yourself.

Breathe and manifest.

You have the power and wisdom within you to steer your own course through life.