Image by Gerd Altmann 

The reason I share "what works for me" is that it may work for you as well. If not exactly the way I do it, since we are all unique, some variance of the attitude or method may very well be something that will work for you.

So many times, we may think we know what we need or what is for the best, but we may be confused or misguided, or we may be choosing based on fear or erroneous beliefs. So many things come into play into making choices for our life, and sometimes our clarity is clouded by past events, by old hurts, by past and present fears, or simply by misguided perceptions. We perhaps have been swayed by what others have said.

What I have found that helps me at these times is to clarify that I desire what is for the highest good. Stating that our goal is "for the highest good" serves as help in making choices but also in protecting us from things that will not be for our highest good or for the highest good of All.

I remember while I was living in Miami and still single, many of my friends including my boyfriend, were "Premies". No, they were not all premature babies, but this term applied to followers of a guru by the name of Maharaji. (A search online revealed that he has since dropped the title and goes simply by his birth name, Prem Rawat.) The followers of Maharaji were all very secretive as to what this was all about, but they would meditate for hours every day. My curiosity and my interest were piqued, and I too wanted to know what this "secret" was. So I decided I would go for the initiation to see what this was about.

The interesting thing that happened is that just before I went in for the process of initiation, I found myself declaring within my own self that I would only allow to happen what would be for my highest good. This was the first time that I recall having that thought, but it has since become a sort of protective mantle. Whenever I ask for something from the Universe, or face a decision, or even do a guided visualization provided by someone else, I will often state that I will only allow what is for my highest good. 

Sometimes it serves as a "blanket" of protection, and other times as a "pathfinder". It is a statement to the Universe or to All That Is, that I will only accept in my life what is for the Highest Good.

This or That? Which is the Solution?

The other day I had a conversation with someone who stated that they hoped a particular thing would happen. They were adamant that this is what would be for the best. However, I realized that our perceptions of what was for the best were very different. We saw the "best solution" as two very different paths. I could have insisted that my way was better, that I saw clearly what was the "best" outcome. But I realized that neither of us had the vision to know what was really for the best. We could assume we knew, we could speculate we knew, but we don't know for a fact. So many variables come into play.

This reminded me to ask for "The Highest Good" rather than a specific outcome. Because, after all, I with my own beliefs and perceptions may have a skewed vision of what is for the Highest Good, just as my friend may have the warped interpretation. She obviously thinks she's right, and me, well, I'm pretty sure I'm right as well. 

So I was reminded, once again, to let go of my attachment of what I think the perfect or "right" solution is, and to instead simply ask for the Highest Good. And I was reminded that when I am in conflict with someone, perhaps neither one of us has the "perfect vision" of what is the solution. Perhaps, letting go of "my right" and their "wrong", I can make space for a higher vision, a solution that is for the highest good of all concerned. Since none of us has a crystal ball to see into the future and know which choice is actually the best, I chose to let it go and simply affirm "The Highest Good".

This, Or Something Better

I remember a friend, many years ago, telling me that when one asked for something from the Universe (or God, or the Divine, etc.), one should always add "or something better". This is in keeping with the same idea that we may not necessarily know what is best for us, and we may be asking for something that is not for our highest good, so adding to your "request" or visualization or vision, "this or something better" allows the door to open for the Highest Good.

The story that comes to mind is of the fellow who kept asking for a Volkswagen when the Universe had a BMW set aside for him. So he kept asking for a VW and never received it. Perhaps if he had added "or something better", the outcome would have been very different.

Many people hit roadblocks with manifesting what they desire perhaps for the same reason. When we specify in too much detail what we want, we may be off the mark... and not receive what we think we need. If instead we ask for what is for the highest good -- and this includes not only for yourself but for the highest good of all -- then we open the doors for miracles to happen.

If we insist on our own picture of "heaven on earth", we may be thinking too small. Maybe right now your idea of perfection would be to be able to go out freely without a mask and any restrictions. But maybe that's not the solution we really need. Or perhaps your vision right now is to find a new job, but perhaps there is something that is better suited to you than what you think you need. You can ask yourself: "Is this for the Highest Good?" and then listen or feel your answer or reaction to the question... this will help guide you. 

What Do We Really Need?

What is it we need? In the details, maybe none of us really know, even though we may think we do. But in the big picture, whatever we need is for the highest good of all, and whatever that is has to be rooted in Love. Because only through Love are we willing to have the highest good be for ALL and not just for ourselves.

Once we accept that we are all connected, we then realize that there is no possibility of a separate "highest good for me" that will not also be for the highest good of all. And then perhaps we can let go of our limited "me, me, me" perspective and open the door for the Highest Good of All. 

Related Book:

The Return of Collective Intelligence: Ancient Wisdom for a World out of Balance
by Dery Dyer

Drawing on recent findings in New Paradigm science, traditional teachings from indigenous groups, as well as sacred geometry, deep ecology, and expanded states of consciousness, the author shows how the ability to think and act collectively for the highest good is hardwired in all living beings. She explains how to release ourselves from enslavement by technology and use it more wisely toward the betterment of all life. Underscoring the vital importance of ceremony, pilgrimage, and initiation, she offers ways for us to reconnect to the infinite source of wisdom that fuels collective intelligence and which manifests everywhere in the natural world.

For more info, or to order this book, click here. (Also available as a Kindle edition and as an Audiobook.)

About The Author

Marie T. Russell is the founder of InnerSelf Magazine (founded 1985). She also produced and hosted a weekly South Florida radio broadcast, Inner Power, from 1992-1995 which focused on themes such as self-esteem, personal growth, and well-being. Her articles focus on transformation and reconnecting with our own inner source of joy and creativity.

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