Step 1: Understand how the universe operates

       ‘Some men go through a forest and see no firewood.’

      ENGLISH PROVERB

      Shopping in the cosmos

      The way we shop has changed a great deal over the last few years. You no longer have to go tramping around a local high street from shop to shop to find what you are looking for; you can go to the internet, search for what you want and order it on screen. You place your order, a confirmation comes back and days or weeks later the item is delivered.

      Between the placing of the order and the delivery to your doorstep a lot goes on. The order is received and processed, the item is checked out of the warehouse, dispatched and delivered. All of this is based on trust. You can’t see it happening, but you are confident that behind the scenes the system is working efficiently on your behalf and, after a short interval, your order will be delivered. All you have to do is to go about your business in the normal way and accept delivery when the item arrives.

      Of course, from time to time there may be a glitch in the system. Maybe the order didn’t go through properly, or there is a delay and the item has to be reordered. Sometimes a similar item arrives but in a different colour to the one you ordered. What do you do then? You have a choice either to accept the item that has been dispatched, or to ask again for your original item. Most people expect to continue the process until they receive exactly what they asked for.

      Nowadays, you can order just about everything on the internet—a book, a car, a job; you might even find your soul mate through an on-line date.

      The cosmos or universe is like a vast and infinitely abundant on-line storehouse, but it is more than simply a consumer paradise—you can change your life by what you order. Yes, certainly, you can order material possessions to come your way, but you can also ask for happiness, prosperity, joy, fulfilment, enlightenment and understanding.

      How does this amazing universal storehouse work?

      It’s a very simple system. Decide what you want, in any area of your life. Place your order and wait, knowing absolutely that you will receive it. You may have to wait in the meantime for what you want to appear in your life, but you know that all the while the cosmic system is making sure that what you want is being safely checked out of the storehouse and made ready for delivery.

      The first step of the cosmic ordering process is to understand how the universe works.

      Just as the internet operates according to rules and principles, even though it exists in the abstract world of cyberspace, so does the universe. You can only make a wish turn into reality if you order from the cosmos in a way that is as clear and logical as ordering from the internet.

      A few things about the way life is

      Have you been told something like this? Here are a few of the things you may have been told at least once in your life that aren’t particularly helpful:

      Did you believe whoever told you that you were limited in the life you could have?

      Even though children generally expect to be given what they ask for, very few adults expect life to fulfil their dreams in the same way. In fact, many of us learn the opposite—we think we have to struggle, we think we have to use willpower to achieve anything and everything in life.

      Many people believe that the more effort you put into something the more likely you are to get a result. But is that really true? Does struggle and hard work really guarantee a result? If it did, wouldn’t the hardest-working person always be the most successful? We know that is not always true. The most talented person isn’t necessarily the person who is happiest or has the best career. The most intelligent boy at school isn’t the one who grows up to make the most money. The prettiest girl isn’t the one who wins the heart of the most handsome man in the room.

      So why do some people achieve their dreams and others don’t?

      People whose dreams come true are those who pursue their dreams in a way that is in tune with the universe. The truth is, you don’t have to struggle; you don’t have to work hard; you don’t have to use willpower to make your dreams come true. You can live your life as happily as in a fairy tale—the one where the prince always wins his bride, the ugly duckling becomes a swan, and Cinderella turns into a princess.

      But life isn’t really like that, is it? If you aren’t getting what you want from life, no matter what that is—happiness, success, possessions or love—stick to your old beliefs about the universe and nothing will change.

      The secret is that the universe, just as in a fairy tale, really can provide you with anything your heart desires (not what your head desires). If you open your mind up to new possibilities, new possibilities will open their opportunities up to you.

      The secrets of the universe

      The operating principles of the universe aren’t the invention of some New Age guru. They have been known to every ancient tradition on the planet for thousands of years. But in the past they were regarded as a great secret, only to be passed on to those initiates who were mature enough to be able to use their knowledge wisely. In some traditions you couldn’t learn this knowledge until you were at least 40 years old.

      But these secrets are in reality available to anyone who is open to the knowledge. In fact, nowadays the ideas that were once seen as so special do not seem obscure, thanks to the huge leaps in scientific understanding that have been made over the last one hundred years or so. After all, many of the