How to Live a Miraculous Life

In this excerpt from her book May Cause Miracles, Gabrielle Bernstein discusses the key components to living a miraculous life, talks about how to ignite your ~ing—your inspiration and intuition—and explains what a miracle really means.

Many of us long for a life of happiness and peace, but we don’t believe we can have it. The great paradox is that our lack of faith in love and miracles is what blocks us from receiving love and miracles.

If we want to live a miraculous life, we must raise the volume on the loving voice within us and turn down the volume on our fear.

The first step in choosing love over fear is to understand your fear. As a student of A Course in Miracles I learned to become the witness to my fear-based thoughts. Each time I feel fear set in, I step outside my thoughts and actions, and witness my behavior. When you witness your fears, you can see how delusional they actually are.

Once you’ve gained clarity about your fears, the next step is willingness. A Course in Miracles says that the slightest willingness is all you need to receive the guidance to change. Willingness raises your consciousness of new possibilities and ignites what I call your ~ing (your inner guide). Your ~ing is the voice of love, your inspiration and your intuition.

This guidance will come in different forms: intuition, inspiration, and even synchronicities. We can experience intuition as a strong inner knowing that offers us guidance. Inspiration can be a feeling of flow and excitement that comes through in moments when our thoughts and actions are aligned with love. Then there are moments of synchronicity, which are really cool—like when you’re thinking about your mother and she calls.

The three other key components to living a miraculous life are gratitude, forgiveness and love. Forgiveness guides us to cleanse ourselves of fear and shines light on the darkness of our worries, doubts and suspicions. Instead of seeing ourselves as victims, we can forgive and be set free.

Then comes gratitude. Gratitude is the only attitude for the miracle worker. Living a grateful life creates more abundance, acceptance and appreciation.

Finally, there is love—the most crucial ingredient. A Course in Miracles teaches that the only thing missing in any situation is love, and where there is fear there is no love. Therefore, living with an open heart and embracing love as our true purpose is essential to living a miraculous life.

The payoff for sticking to these principles is that the more you choose forgiveness, gratitude and love, the more miracles you experience. If you’re wondering what I mean by “miracle,” it’s simple: a miracle is a shift in perspective from fear to love. A miracle can be the moment you choose to forgive your ex, or the moment you recognize that losing your job was not a tragedy but an opportunity to follow your true calling.

My dedication to living this way has changed every area of my life. I’ve let go of addictions. I’ve learned to choose forgiveness instead of resentment. Fear of financial insecurity has lifted. Today I see obstacles as opportunities and know that the Universe has my back. Most importantly, I feel a sense of certainty that there is a power greater than myself supporting my every move.

Find out about programs with Gabrielle Bernstein at Kripalu.

Excerpted with permission from May Cause Miracles, by Gabrielle Bernstein.