A few months ago my marriage broke down (again) and I moved out of the family home. With new found freedom and more time on my hands, I put myself about, made some new friends and explored a few new experiences and possibilities. The concept of 'cosmic ordering' came up in conversations and at around the same time I came across a great new film - 'The Secret' - and finally saw 'What the bleep do we know?' - both of which revealed and promote the fact that we create our realities and that we are 'at cause' in our lives.

These weren't new ideas to me, but it was certainly inspiring and refreshing to see the concepts re-packaged and presented so well. They arrived on time for me in my new circumstances. In the weeks that have followed, the cosmic ordering concept just hasn't gone away and I'm surrounded by people actively trying to change their realities, lead more fulfilling lives and bring about positive change in this way - there's no escape!

Only a couple of weeks ago, I heard 'the world's most trusted astrologer' Jonathan Cainer talking to BBC Radio 2's Johnnie Walker about his new book called 'Cosmic Ordering (how to make your dreams come true)'. Interestingly enough, that was launched after Barbel Mohr's 'Cosmic Ordering Service' gained high publicity. And just today I saw TV personality Noel Edmonds, on UK Channel 4's Richard and Judy show, talking about his new book on cosmic ordering and how he claims the success of his recent smash hit TV show ('Deal or No Deal') is all down to a cosmic order he placed when down on his luck a while ago.

There really is no escape from this 'new worldwide phenomenon', but I feel there is something more to be said about it - especially the stuff that everyone's thinking, but not daring to ask (presumably in case it screws up their chances of successful cosmic ordering). I'm asking the question: What can you try when you think you've tried everything to get what you want and nothing seems to work - even cosmic ordering?

And I'm offering a few answers too... Let's get one thing straight - cosmic ordering is nothing new. As long as there have been humans, there's been cosmic ordering. Here are few names and aliases that you might recognize that are really the same thing:

• Prayer
• Creative visualization
• Positive thinking
• Wishful thinking
• Worry
• Desire
• Thinking

All human thought revolves around personal issues and longings. If you want to arrive somewhere on time, that's a cosmic order. If you want to get really, really rich that's also a cosmic order. If you don't want to get sick, that's a cosmic order. If you want someone else to get sick or have bad luck, that too is a cosmic order. Cosmic ordering is as old as the hills. Probably older.

But why did I say cosmic ordering doesn't work? Well, you know from your own experience it sometimes doesn't work, because what you hope for doesn't always happen. The success of cosmic ordering books therefore lies in the suggestion that if you do it right, you'll get exactly what you want - and who wouldn't buy a book that seemed to carry a guarantee like that?

The truth is however, that cosmic ordering works when it works and there's a lot more to it than a formula (as your own experience again tells you). You know that most of the time it doesn't work - especially when you raise the stakes and ask for loads of money, more sex and fewer worries. The intelligent question therefore must be what is happening when I put in a cosmic order (i.e. think, worry, pray or hope for something) and it comes good. Here are my ten reasons why cosmic ordering works when it does (and therefore doesn't work when it doesn't)...

1. Detachment / attachment
   Have you noticed that the more attached you are to an outcome the less likely it is to go your way? And even if it does, you've killed all the enjoyment of your desire with tension and stress? Ask and then go lightly!

2. Action / inertia
   If you want something you have to go get it - even a glass of water requires you to get off your butt, grab a glass and turn on the tap. Most people do less than that it takes to quench their thirst in the pursuit of their so-called 'deepest desires'. Get off your ass and go for it.

3. Means / end
   People who get what they want tend not to get caught up in the detail. They focus on the long-term goal, not the means to the end. If you focus on your destination, you can always change your route if things get tricky.

4. Right people / wrong people
   Get good support; don't cast your pearls before swine. Really good friends empower you in your dreams - they don't have a hidden agenda to keep you where you are, to suit their own inadequacies. Don't be afraid to 'lose' people, and withhold information from family members who are unsupportive.

5. You are serious / you really aren't that bothered
   Weak wishes don't bear fruit. And it's OK not to be ambitious. Be clear that any desire is really your own and that you re not wasting time with other people's imposed ideas of success; create and manifest your own heart-felt dreams; they stand the best chance of genuine success.

6. Worthy / unworthy
   It's easier to realize a cosmic order you feel worthy of. A 5% pay rise, for example, can be a cinch compared to a lottery win that you feel you don't deserve. Goals that are 'unselfish' or that are 'for the greater good' can be easier to achieve because you can blame others for your success.

7. Good soil / bad soil
   Good soils create the best plants, so make sure your circumstances and environment support your aims. Untidiness, inefficiency and unhelpful people will block your flow to freedom. Organize yourself and simplify your surroundings.

8. Create space / get lost in the rush
   Perhaps the most useful insight is to understand that everybody's combined cosmic orders or thought energies create a massive soup of collected intentions, that makeup this crazy world of ours. Create space in which your dreams can grow, away from the bad vibes and conflicting thoughts of others.

9. A game / a matter of life and death
   Cosmic ordering and getting your heart's desire is a game to play at, not a matter of life or death. If it's a game you can enjoy it. You might win; you might not. If you take it too seriously, rapid ageing, ill health and premature death are your likely results. Is it really worth taking so seriously?

10. It's not what you want; it's where you're at
    See that 'where you are at' is more important than what you want. If you can get the conditions (and your conditioning) right, your desires are more likely to manifest - free from the negative influences of yourself and others with negative energies or intentions.

Here's hoping (or 'cosmic ordering') that - armed with these insights - you'll have better 'luck' in the future...

Footnote: Everyday I meet people who have unfulfilled dreams and live "quiet lives of desperation", not because they don't know what they want, but because they have something - or even many things - that get in the way of receiving their cosmic orders.

It's not wrong to not get what you want - it's just a plain fact that you didn't get what you wanted, which leads us on to the real secret... What you - and everyone - really wants is a basic happiness, freedom, peace and ease in this crazy world. Your best bet is to learn how to be happy now - regardless of 'what might be' or what cosmic orders you've got lined up.

All that you truly require is available to you right now if only you know how to access it. It's yours regardless of anyone else's negative agenda or conflicting cosmic order. It's the moment that matters - wouldn't it be a shame to be run over by a bus because you got distracted thinking about your next cosmic order?

Be grateful (not about specifics, although counting your blessings may help to get you in the habit) and learn how to be at peace, and in awe, in the moment. That's God's gift which needs no ordering - it's yours; for free, forever.

Revolution is in the air, but this time it's different. Hedolism is not a reaction; it's a realization. If you are anti-establishment you are effectively at war. If you see the establishment and all its dysfunction for what it is, can forgive it and move on – you are free. If you long to be free, here are some ideas and principles to get you started... Hedolism

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