Life Visioning: A Transformative Process for Activating Your Unique Gifts and Highest Potential

I thought the book was pretty rewarding. There's a critical review that the book "says nothing new... maybe it's good for newbies" which is an odd to hear about a book in the spiritual realm because a) nothing is new and b) we're all newbies (a good place for that critic to start is the book: "Zen Mind Beginner Mind."I think there's a lot of armchair "spiritualists" who crave to be spoon fed something "new." Just for spoonfedness sake. If this book is basic for you and you adhere to the principals, I doubt you'd be critical of it, but rather be joyous it's there for others. If it's that basic, then you would have to be a master... as the material goes through his four stages, and the fourth stage is basically enlightenment... so, to that critic, i'm afraid if you're looking for something beyond the realm of perfect mastery, then you'll have to look outside the scope of a book!Below are my notes from reading the material through part I... these notes only address Part I one of the book (the part before the visioning process itself.)Life Visioning notes from Part I of the book: One of the first principles to honor in your relationship with yourself is to respect and trust your own inner voice. There are many sources of information (books, cd's, mp3's, speakers, web), but we should look inward instead of this outward way. Prayer shouldn't be pleading or begging a reluctant God. The unconditional love of Spirit is always ever-present. Visioining enables us to see the invisible and hear the inaudible - in other words... that stuff that is beyond the five senses. "Ultimately, genuine spiritual practice is for the purpose of getting free from the limitations of the ego, including worry, fear, doubt, lack, and other neurotic causes of human suffering. To be alive is to desire, consciously or unconsciously, authentic freedom. Beckwith, Michael Bernard (2012-01-01). Life Visioning (p. 29). Sounds True. Kindle Edition."Financial importance: financial stability keeps us from being distracted by the stress of needing money. Money is energy. when we circulate this energy it comes back to us.Four Pillars of Freedom "Four pillars: self-discipline, self-responsibility, self-awareness, and self-remembrance of of your unique soul-expression. Beckwith, Michael Bernard (2012-01-01). Life Visioning (p. 33). Sounds True. Kindle Edition."Four Stages "The Four Stages are a leaping-off point toward a grandeur of Reality that the human mind cannot wrap itself around. Beckwith, Michael Bernard (2012-01-01). Life Visioning (p. 38). Sounds True. Kindle Edition."Stage 1: Victim ConsciousnessThis stage has a characteristic of blame. Something outside of us is doing something to us, or to our perception of reality. "God is doing this to me.." or "The devil is doing this to me..." or "My employer has done such a thing to me." People in Victim Consciousness tend to beg a reluctant God to help them out of the current calamity. Such as "Please... PLEASE oh God, PLEASE help me... help me..." As Michael Bernard Beckwith says, these "stories" they tell about their hardships, become self fulfilling prophecies: "I just knew that was going to happen! I told you! I just knew the city would go bankrupt!" Consciousness is magnetic, it pulls to itself what it radiates. If lack is radiating in consciousness, then that is what they manifest. Another characteristic is "Race Consciousness" - this is a group mentality. "Victims have yet to develop self-awareness, self-responsibility, and self-discipline. The mechanisms of fear, ignorance, and lethargy keep them performing actions without questioning why they do what they do and how they do it. They live from reaction to reaction, from drama to drama, as in "I have drama, therefore I am," and complain to anyone who is willing to listen about what life is yet again inflicting upon them. Beckwith, Michael Bernard (2012-01-01). Life Visioning (p. 41). Sounds True. Kindle Edition."People in this state use addictive behaviors to compensate fears and worries. These addictions can be physical, mental or emotional. People in this state also "mentate" or think about the same recurring negative thought patterns. "For example, when they read the newspaper they consider the doom-and-gloom headlines as validation of their mind-set that "life basically sucks." Then they call their friends and talk about the fears, doubts, worries, conspiracy theories, and tragedies occurring in the world without necessarily feeling compassion for the people who are affected by them; they simply need to fulfill their need to complain. Beckwith, Michael Bernard (2012-01-01). Life Visioning (pp. 41-42). Sounds True. Kindle Edition."Exiting Stage 1: To get out of victim consciousness, it's first necessary to recognize it. You must be open to the fact that you are suffering from this state of consciousness. Self reflection is via meditation. Michael Bernard Beckwith offers a sample meditation in this chapter (chapter 2.) It's very useful and simple to do. Center: First you must center yourself. You can do this by taking a posture where the spine is straight. Feet can be flat on the floor (his suggestion) or you could sit in a lotus posture (my suggestion) and you begin with some deep breathes. Search your body for any areas of tensions, and breathe "life" into them (concentrate on an area of body tension and as you breathe in, imagine your breath carrying a warm light to that part of the body, and relaxing it.) If you catch your mind wondering, just bring it back to an object of meditation (i..e your breath) Affirm your commitment to your inner self: This is an affirmation that you will use this time to connect to your higher-self or connect with God, to get a deeper understand of yourself. Something like, "I attune to my higher self, to reflect upon my true nature and see the path of progress from my current state, to a state of my highest potential." Questions to ask: Ask yourself questions such as what's below "How do I relate to myself and my place in the world? Am I run by guilt and the need to appease an external deity? Do I blame God, others, or outside circumstances for my life situation? When challenged, do I react, or act? Am I living in a mental-emotional survival mode? Do I participate in compulsive or addictive behaviors? If so, what are they? What steps am I taking to get free from compulsive or addictive behaviors? Am I self-responsible? Am I willing to question my answers about who I am and why I have been born? Do I often ask, "Why me?" Am I often sidetracked by thoughts of fear, worry, doubt, lack? Beckwith, Michael Bernard (2012-01-01). Life Visioning (pp. 46-47). Sounds True. Kindle Edition." Keep in mind that the responses to the questions above, are not the end goal. You should consider that the process is what's important here. As we focus on these aspects of victim consciousness, we work ourselves out of it. Moving Beyond: Getting out of victim consciousness will require Self-Responsibility. Meaning, it's you. The world isn't making it's badness in your world... you are... I am. We are. This means: no more reaction. Instead we should respond to problems we face, knowing their cause and the return of our actions. Forgiveness: The next step in the chapter is something I do on a regular basis... I can feel blockages to this process... and usually it means I need to forgive someone. I highly recommend the book Radical Forgiveness. When we forgive we release the problems that are holding us back. It should be noted that Forgiveness is not about releasing blame from the other person (if it is someone else that you feel did something to you), it is for YOUR benefit, not theirs. This isn't an exercise in inviting a problem back into your life. Rather it's about letting go so you can grow. Inquiry: This also helps us move out of victim consciousness. When we have a situation that is upsetting our peace of mind, instead of reacting, we can do an inquiry. We ask ourselves in meditation (so first we'd center) something like, "If this thing I'm doing/dealing with doesn't change, what quality do I need to be to be at peace?" Then we listen. We listen deeply for our intuition to respond.Stage 2: Manifester ConsciousnessThis stage is the point of using the law of attraction. It is the art of manifesting something into your life. In my personal life I have manifested something into my life 3 times. These were each major events in my life: getting out of debt, getting a good salary and finding the appropriate wife. I didn't follow this book (in fact this book was written when I did those things) but I did follow techniques I had learned from others - a Buddhist monk, a member of a occult society and teachings I attributed to a spiritual being. "Manifesters increasingly embody a sense of self-responsibility and accountability. They bring their thoughts and actions more into harmony with universal principles governing the universe, and through acts of forgiveness and making amends begin to heal and thrive within their relationships. Beckwith, Michael Bernard (2012-01-01). Life Visioning (p. 58). Sounds True. Kindle Edition."I agree with that. But it's also true, you can manifest negative things upon others. The laws though (that he speaks about in the quote above) will return to you what you put onto others. There is a 4th manifestation I did. I won't get too deep into the details, but early on when I was playing around with manifestation, I wanted someone to pay for a action they did. I went far out of my way to manifest "judgement" upon them. They lost their job... and shortly thereafter, I lost mine. That was the karma of it. What Michael Bernard Beckwith is speaking about here is the proper and positive way. A way that is for your greater good. not the establishment of a small win of the physical plane against an earthly opponent. But the greater good of manifestation. In fact Michael says as much: "...the manifester may become addicted to manifesting primarily in the external, material realm and thus postpone or even prevent self-realization found in the more advanced stages. Beckwith, Michael Bernard (2012-01-01). Life Visioning (p. 63). Sounds True. Kindle Edition. When manifesters stop using the law of manifestation as a custom delivery service, windows of manifestation begin to open more widely. Beckwith, Michael Bernard (2012-01-01). Life Visioning (p. 63). Sounds True. Kindle Edition."Windows of Manifestation Window One: The Job Factor - This is like Job from the Bible. Beckwith takes that story as Job creating his own negative returns. Rather than God allowing the devil to have a go, Beckwith see's the situation that Job put his mind on the negative, to where he attracted the very things he feared. Window Two: Lessons - Life lessons that help us grow, fit into this window. Chronic or repeating situations are indicators of things like this. Always getting a job where your boss yells at you, could be a opportunity for spiritual growth. Window Three: Blessings - this is a window into our lives where seeming unprovoked actions occur with us that cause us to take pause to ultimately bless us. Beckwith gives an example of this from another work - where this other author tells a story of a woman' who's child died... and she felt the death opened the heart of the mother... it took that extreme act to open her heart. Window Four: Collective Consciousness - the group you mentally connect with, could be what's bringing to you your manifestations in life. For example, a person who is part of a group that has a mindset of fear, lack, and limitation may have a different outlook then someone who is part of a group that had a collective view of satisfaction, love, and compassion.Michael feels it's not a good practice to advice people going through a trial with, "What do you feel you did to create this situation?" However, I'm not so sure. I see his point. He's trying to keep us in a realm of compassion and not judging someone by saying, "well what did you do to get falsely arrested for this crime?" or what not. But, it's also true that if an individual doesn't ask the question and it falls into window 1 or 2, they may miss out on a resolution. I also have a viewpoint here that isn't represented in the book. While karma is talked about, the book suggests that things can't sum to someone's karma... and I do disagree with the author on that point. Everything sums to karma. Karma as taught in Buddhism is not a judgement, but a law of life... and it is understood only with it's two brothers: Emptiness and Reincarnation. Emptiness is a concept that the world we see (and the way we see/perceive it) is a product of our karma. A man perceives he is born in Los Angeles, vs. a man who perceives he is born in a city in India - each have the karma to see their world that way. One could see his world as a slum, and the other not.... but which one? both/either/none? yes. it's all perception. Karma colors the perception, like paint on a canvas... Emptiness is the lack of self extence, i.e. an empty canvas. Karma gives our perception a sense of existence, even if false. Each of the 4 windows above, could be said, by a Buddhist, to be the result of Karma... and thereby Karma is the root of all the windows. One has the karma to see a negative world like the Job factor, or the karma to be in a world where a lesson appears for you to complete, or the karma to be blessed through a return or the karma to be "born" (in Mahayana Buddhism one is not born per se, but comes into perception) into a group with a collective consciousness of some sort or another. So it can in deed all sum to Karma. BUT as Michael says - that doesn't mean we should bring it up. "Dude that's your karma..." but it should be taught... for without teaching it, one may not know how to get out of the situation.Manifestation ExerciseSimilar to the meditation in Stage One, there is a provided meditation for Stage Two. Start an inquiry meditation as before: Center State an affirmation for the goal, perhaps, "I understand that I am manifesting my Reality." Ask yourself the following questions and write the answers in your journal "Do I trust myself with the responsibility for my life? In what life structures have I made conscious choices from a place of self-empowerment? Am I aware of the laws governing the universe? When I apply any of the laws governing the universe, do I do so only for personal gain, or do I include the good of others? Do I operate the laws with a sense of mastery yet surrender, or do I manipulate them with a self-centered agenda? Do I set intentions imbued with conviction? How would I rate my follow-through on my intentions? What is my motivation for applying metaphysical laws: to stabilize my life structures so that I may be free to focus on my inner growth; to expand my gifts, talents, and skills; to manifest acquisitions and accumulate riches? How do I relate and communicate with others who share with me their life challenges--do I have compassion, blame, or lovingly speak of self-responsibility? Where do I stand in relation to the Job factor? When it comes to my life's challenges, do I seek to understand what is beneath them and work to mature beyond limiting thought patterns? Am I conscious of the fact that I draw to myself the people, circumstances, and things that enter my magnetic field--invited and uninvited--because I place my attention on them? With which aspects of the collective consciousness, or collective mind, do I connect? Do I feel an inner Oneness with Source, or the God of my understanding? Beckwith, Michael Bernard (2012-01-01). Life Visioning (p. 72). Sounds True. Kindle Edition."The caveat here is to not get caught up in material manifestation. Not to say "I need more stuff." The real needs we have are to be spiritually realized. By attachment to the physical world, we will only find frustration in the end. We need to only attach to those things that are spiritual. To move beyond this stage, is to surrender. More in the sense of letting God to grow out of your life. Being open and surrendering to that potential. "I'm available to what wants to evolve and emerge through me and I'm willing to practice and embody what that takes for it to do so." Beckwith, Michael Bernard (2012-01-01). Life Visioning (p. 74). Sounds True. Kindle Edition."How to ManifestSo how do we manifest things into our lives? Michael Bernard Beckwith suggests we use two tools: Affirmations VisualizationAffirmationsWhen we design our affirmations for our goals we DONT BEG, and we DON'T MANIPULATE. Instead we get in touch with our higher self and operate a statement/affirmation from this source. From this source we already have the answer. It's already met. Our affirmation will draw to us the intended goal - much like a magnet. The fuel of affirmation is conviction. The greater your conviction on what you say, the more it will carry into your life. Steps to effective Affirmations: Write your affirmation down. Make sure the affirmation is in the present tense. Take a meditative posture (with a straight spine) Take several deep breaths. Read your affirmation silently three times and become the feeling of your words Record your affirmation and listen to it Speak your affirmation out loud. Like Yogananda's teaching you do this by first speaking Loudly, then more softly, and more softly... finally a whisper.... and then affirm it mentally.Example of an Affirmation "I acknowledge the Love-Intelligence permeating the universe and living right within my own heart. In this moment I fully open to its wisdom and clarity, to the revelation of my right livelihood. I am open, receptive, and available to its intuitive guidance and catch it now. For this and so much more I give thanks." Beckwith, Michael Bernard (2012-01-01). Life Visioning (p. 77). Sounds True. Kindle Edition.Visualization vs VisioningVisualizaiton uses imagination, whereas visioning uses the power of intuition.Visualization is simply the imagination used to create an image of the desired outcome/object.Stage 3: Channel ConsciousnessThis is a "through me" stage. As the name imply's, it's about becoming a channel for your Essential Self. "When we fail to understand the true nature of our life's creative purpose, we experience a spiritual identity crisis. Life Visioning reveals to us our Original Face..." Beckwith, Michael Bernard (2012-01-01). Life Visioning (p. 93). Sounds True. Kindle Edition.As we go deeper and open ourselves up deeper with our creativity we connect deeper with Life.Let's compare with Stage Two. In Stage Two the actions we did to manifest were using conscious affirmations and visualizations. However, Stage Three is different. We are bringing for something, but not with the conscious mind.... at this stage, we tune into the super-conscious mind, which reveals the intention for the next stage of spiritual development.The key here is meditation. Meditation establishes our minds into a state of reception. Here we can "hear" the intuition.To move through and out of Stage Three, you will use meditation as the primary vehicle. Meditation takes us into a oneness ... letting God express through us.The technique is up to you. I have tried a variety of meditation styles... as Michael Bernard Beckwith states, the best meditation techniques for this are ones that take us inward. The types I have practices that would fit that criteria would be: Vipasana Yogananda's (Ananda) meditation techniques Zen Eckart Tolle's methodThese styles of meditation take the user into the present moment and deep within, observing their thoughts, feelings and offering deep insight. In moving from Stage Three to Stage Four, this is to be realized: "My life is the very life of Source. There is no separation. Just as the wave cannot exist without the ocean, so do I not exist outside of my oceanic Source." Beckwith, Michael Bernard (2012-01-01). Life Visioning (p. 108). Sounds True. Kindle Edition.Stage 4: Being ConsciousnessThe difference between Stage 3 and 4 is that in Stage 3 we acted in a way of God through us... But now in Stage 4 we act in a way of God AS us.This reminds me very much of two other sources on the subject of mysticism... Aleister Crowley and Tantric Buddhism.Crowley's name provokes so much controversy, but I recall reading in his book Magick, or other writings that he said this very thing... that you move through stages until you act as the source/God AS you. Tantric Buddhism is the same... you take on the persona of a Tantric Deity. You become the God. Act as the God.The sense of self is dissolved. The ego has been subdued. Here the student meditates not out of necessity of goals, but out of joy.This is Being Consciousness. Source has given us the capacity to have an intimate at-Oneness with its Presence within ourselves and throughout creation. Cultivating and realizing that capacity is the ultimate purpose of our existence. Beckwith, Michael Bernard (2012-01-01). Life Visioning (p. 117). Sounds True. Kindle Edition.That's just a bit of notes from the First set of chapters (Part I of his book.) There's a lot of good material there. I would also recomend Agape's course/videos on this subject.

Visioning is a deep process and the author, who is the founder of this practice, writes very well about how to do it, why one should practice this and the very process is very well explained. Great book to use to teach visioning in a class setting or in a book reading setting. As usual, Beckwith does not disappoint and his writing is good!

As I began reading it I knew I had to send it to my brother. He had stage 4 lung cancer. His tumor have shrunk so he’s recovering. I sent him this book as a gift. He loves it!

If you want to be and live your highest self Live Visioning is a MUST read — and you will want to read it over and over again.

I did Michael’s Mind Valley Life Visioning Quest (course) and this is a perfect accompaniment. Read it. Do it.

I both this paperback copy a while ago. I have the audio and a kindle version. All I can say, it that reading this book changed my life by shifting my consciousness about how I go about transforming my life. I use Dr. Beckwith's "Life Visioning" process in my personal life and with my clients.

The book is great. I would love if this book was written in plain language that would capture the interest of a teen or young adult.

I value this work tremendously because it showed me the way, step by step, to accomplish my higher purpose. I "learned" how to meditate about 35 years ago and while the practice felt good and helped me to center, I found no other use for it.After not just reading, but studying this book together with the other members of my "spirituality group, and doing the work as well as the exercises, I feel excitedAnd energized. I now know that my higher purpose will be revealed to me as long as I continue this practice.I would recommend this book for anyone who wishes to evolve their consciousness towards a higher level and become all that they could possibly be. At first I thought, I wish I had read this book when I was 30-years-old. It doesn't matter. I am thrilled that we found it by accident and intuited that it might be worth while. That turned out to be an understatement. I am currently 76-years-old and know that in the remainder of my life I will be a better citizen of planet Earth, a better friend, partner, teacher and member of all my various communities.I am filled with gratitude to Michael Bernard Beckwith and as well as all my fellow travelers on this planet at this time and during all times.

Having randomly selected Michaels' book "Spiritual Liberation" from the Library, and being absolutely enthralled by it, I followed by buying "Life Visioning". This book is wonderful. Over a fairly long life I have read many books that changed my life, but at the moment this hits the spot, in describing a system of understanding and action that already is having a positive effect on my life. It is not for a reader who has never started on a path of spiritual development , although "Spiritual Liberation" probably is, but for anyone who has already engaged with a programme of self understanding it provides a really structured , but non dogmatic, way of moving forward. I can't recommend it highly enough, and I know my opinion is shared by many more authoritative people than me. Do buy it!.

Love, love, love this read. It encourages you to take back contrl of your life given who you really are, then guides you through the beautiful process.

Very good

Mixing the law of attraction and spirituality, this is an original book.

I simply loved the book Life Visioning from Michael Beckwith! As described in the book, i was transiting from stage 2 to stage 3 in the conciousness levels and i was going through a very hard time, not knowing what was going on. Now only the book brought answers, it also thought me how to go through this rough period of time. It gave me relief, insights and ways to trust my instincts and inner knowing. I feel stronger and more aligned everyday. Thanks for sharing your wisdom with the world.