The force is with you: becoming a Jedi

“The force is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.” Obi-Wan Kenobi

As many of you know, I’m in the studio this week recording my new book. But in the meantime, here are three beautiful stories from my inbox:

From Jady, the Jedi:

“YOU HAVE TAUGHT ME TO BE A JEDI.

“Your books/words have unlocked my “I create my own life” and “I influence everything within it” subject-power-lines.

“I went blind 4 years ago. I began reading E Squared and wanted to be a real-life Jedi.

“And right away, my life began unfolding with the most amazing blessings and incredible experiences. Surgeries saved my vision (mostly :-). I was bodaciously grateful and everyone thought I was crazy the whole time I was blind – Seemingly insanely joyful, truly.

“And whence my vision was returned (still wonky but makes it great still), I picked up a camera, jumped over any irrelevant fears and with my first roll, I shot what eventually got me into a show in NY. Then applied to the Soho Photo Gallery and became a member (I live in Portland, OR) and have had two solo shows in the last year!

“Since September I have been published in international publications and magazines, all small, but it’s all building amazingly and going strong (like gangbusters).

“I have never been so blissfully happy or strong even thought “my marker has been laid” and I have end-stage renal disease. I approach it with joy and engage mightily in the recommendations in your books. And…well…YOU HAVE HELPED ME UNLOCK MY POTENTIAL AND REALIZE THE TRUTH OF ABUNDANCE AND CRAZY LOVELY EVERYTHING. Life couldn’t be better – Well, it can – its still unfolding. Thank you for you. Thank you for your books! Keep writing and being so fantastically amazing yourself!!!

From Fred:

“I wanted to tell you a valuable lesson I learned about letting go of control and trusting the Universe and God to take the wheel, as you say.

“I was lying in bed with my boyfriend as we were getting ready to leave to walk around the park.

“I had been reading about the horrors of the modern day Concentration Camps in Chechnya designed to exterminate gay men. I posted a link to Rainbow Railroad, a Canadian organization that is helping LGBT people from all over the world seek asylum in Canada and is currently focusing their efforts on helping gay men who escaped those camps.

“Facebook suggested I start a fundraiser, a new feature for them, so I did. I expected to maybe raise a few hundred dollars, but Dan, my man, said set the goal to $10k. “What do you have to lose?” Well, little by little we gained traction aand eventually speed. I decided to let go, not even check the amount raised every 5 minutes and instructed my handsome man to do the same.

“We began getting celebrity attention, like Wilson Cruz and Peter Marc Jacobson (Fran Drescher’s ex and The Nanny producer). Eventually I had to look and we had quickly exceeded the original goal of $10,000. I moved the goal to $15,000, $25,000, $50,000, $100,000, and we are currently the most popular FB fundraiser and on track to meet the goal of $200,000! Stonewall in NYC is throwing a fundraiser on Saturday and I’m attending with a member of the Board of Rainbow Railroad and his husband! (Both a hot couple!)

“George Takei shared our post and NBC did a story!

“I trusted and let go and the Universe came back with a miracle!”

From Stephanie:

“You’re never gonna believe this, but . . . Sorry, I couldn’t resist 🙂

“My dad died a little over a year ago, right before Memorial Day. We buried him on a Wednesday, and that next weekend my oldest son, an army veteran, was to speak at a Memorial Day ceremony at a small nearby cemetery. As he spoke, a butterfly kept fluttering around him, landing on him, aggravating him as he tried to make his speech. Afterwards, a little old lady came up to him and asked, “Son, has anyone close to you died recently?”

“We just buried my grandfather this past week,” he said, surprised.

“That butterfly is him!” she claimed. He played nice and didn’t call her crazy. Later he told my husband and me about it. My husband laughed, but I was intrigued.

“Later that week my husband (who had spent years working for and with my Dad) was working on a broken pump when, yes, a butterfly started flying around him and wouldn’t leave him alone. Later, telling me about it, he laughed, “That’s about right, Jimmie showing up when I was trying fix something. It seemed like we were always working on some broken down piece of equipment when I worked for him.”

“Well, I got angry. It was my dad! So why was everybody else seeing butterflies but me? I didn’t say it, but I sure thought it.

“Well . . . a few days later, I was out watering plants when, you guessed it, a butterfly started flying around me. It was a beautiful black and blue one, and it stayed with me as I moved around the yard, and finally onto the porch. It’s not like I never see butterflies where we live, but NEVER had one caught my attention and stayed around me that long, fluttering beside me, being with me. I stayed outside longer than usual because I just couldn’t leave the butterfly, but finally I went inside.

“As I did my morning chores, I could look through the windowed front door and see the butterfly flittering around in front of the window. It stayed out there for hours. Sometimes I’d just sit and watch it, then get up and get back to work.

“I had errands to run in town, so finally I just left. I couldn’t hang around watching that butterfly all day. I picked up groceries, went to the bank, and in the course of all my doings I forgot about the butterfly. Until I got home, turned into our long driveway, and saw the butterfly right outside my window, flying beside me all the way to the house. I got out of the car, sat on the back steps, and watched the butterfly for perhaps an hour before it finally flew away. I was simply amazed. I’d felt such peace that day being with the butterfly.

“Fast forward one year. This year, the anniversary of my father’s death was on a Sunday. Of course, I’d been thinking about him that week and especially that morning. During church, a small child in front of me was playing with a sticker book, peeling the stickers off and placing them carefully on another page. As I watched, she turned the page, peeled off a sticker, and held it up–a blue and black butterfly.

“I smiled.”

And I’m smiling just thinking about the force interacting and loving all of us. Let’s create some miracles today!

Pam Grout is the author of 18 books including E-Squared: 9 Do-it-Yourself Energy Experiments that Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and the about-to-be released, Art & Soul,Reloaded: A Year-Long Apprenticeship to Summon the Muses and Ignite Your Daring, Audacious, Creative Side.