Positive Planet Articles

 

Law of Attraction Advice: Make Peace with Your Material Side
By Amy Phillips-Gary

Presents were stacked high along an entire wall of my grandparent's living room. As gifts were sorted out, my pile formed a sort of fort of boxes, wrapping paper and bows around me. The clothes, books and toys I received were absolutely in abundance.

These are a few of my memories of Christmases growing up.

A lot of people, tasty foods and a ton of presents.

I was-- and still am-- blessed to have so much. Today, my family still celebrates Christmas. We gather together, eat tasty foods and exchange presents.

There is still an ample amount of gifts for each person, but the stacks are more modest now.

I look back on those memories of Christmases past with a mixture of feelings. There was a lot of warmth, excitement and fun. And, from my current perspective, there was an excess of stuff.

Around the holidays, tricky emotions often accompany the shopping lists, parties and baking. A part of me wants to buy things for others and to receive things that I desire. Yet another part of me recoils at this focus on material items.

"Isn't this about something more important than just gifts?" I sometimes ask myself.

There are those who eschew what they might call the commercialism and gluttony of our culture which is particularly pronounced around the holidays. These people strive to create new traditions for themselves and their families that don't include much (if any) exchanging of gifts.

I fully support people making choices that are in alignment with what they truly want.

However, I believe that an anti-materialism approach to life can be limiting-- and not just in terms of the number of gifts. You cannot easily attract the happiness, health, relationships and, yes, material items that you would like if you are mostly closed down.

And that's what the judgments, guilt and shame that often comprise an anti-materialism approach tend to do.

If we could all make peace with our material sides, we can more completely and joyfully create the kinds of lives we want for ourselves.

There's no denying, we're all material beings.
A popular New Age bumper sticker reads: "We are spiritual beings having a human experience." To me, the meaning behind this slogan is to assert to each of us that we are essentially spiritual and the spiritual realm is and should be our primary focus.

I can appreciate the wisdom of the slogan, but I think that it sends a potentially dangerous message. If you deny the fact that you are walking around a material and human being in a material world, you aren't fully living.

When you feel shameful because you want (or have) material possessions, your shame affects you on a spiritual level as well.  Your guilt isn't helping anyone at all-- especially not your spirituality or your overall life.

Teacher Abraham reminds us that literally everything is energy. The money in your wallet, your television and computer, the cells that make up your body; they are all energy.

When you begin to shift your perspective and open up to all the you are, the energy in your life-- including you-- can flow more freely and easily.

This is working in harmony with the law of attraction.

Release judgments and focus on what you truly want.
As you begin to re-consider everything within and around you as just energy, you will probably feel less of that shame, guilt and judgment that hold you back.

The material items in life can become merely one aspect of your experience and may cease to feel like such a negative big deal after all.

As you soften and release your anti-materialist tendencies, I encourage you to stay focused on what you do want. Don't fixate on what you think your neighbor, government official, famous celebrity or even your partner should want.

That's up to him or her.

If you decide to create new holiday traditions that are less focused on gifts, for example, come up with ideas and actions that are centered on what you DO want.

Perhaps you could choose to participate in more rituals that pertain to your spiritual beliefs. You could join in with others who are celebrating and uplifting the meanings upon which you are also focused.

Above all, create new traditions and take part in activities that feel inspiring and enriching to you.

You might decide to exchange gifts. As you walk into a shopping mall, recognize if you begin to think about how excessive and shameful all of this "consumerism" is.

Ask yourself how it feels to continue these judgmental thoughts.  It's probable that you feel more closed and rigid at times like these.

Instead, re-direct yourself back to why you entered the shopping mall in the first place. Remember the warm and loving feelings you have for the friend for whom you are gift-buying, for instance. 

Allow yourself to get excited about what he or she might like and consider the wonderful options from which you can choose.

Of course, money and material items are not going to fill you up and make your life whole. There have been too many examples of people who have tried to buy their way out of sadness or insecurity and it just doesn't work.

At the same time, when you try to deny that you are a being whose life is at least partially supported and enhanced by material items, you tend to limit yourself. That attracts a limited experience in all areas of your life.

Step into your skin and all of the material aspects of your world.  These are also a part of who you are and, believe it or not, the material is inextricably tied to the spiritual.

It's all just energy after all.

As you open and allow all of life's glorious energy, the life that you want can more easily fall into place.
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Amy Phillips-Gary is a freelance writer, a homeschool mom and a personal growth adventurer.







 

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Susie and Otto Collins are Relationship Coaches and authors of 4 books on relationships and personal growth. To get their FREE weekly newsletter filled with practical tips and ideas for creating more connected, passionate and alive relationships send a blank message to mailto:collins@aweber.com 
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