Do not open until March 12th

The day the large brown envelope arrived I had other ideas; hope. I had been hoping for a surprise financial windfall, a cheque maybe. I wasn’t expecting any cheque in particular, but I certainly needed money. A random surprise cheque is just what I need to get out of this hole. A big one. Stories about manifesting holidays, jobs, money and even love were becoming more common in the new quantum era. Why not me?

That mystery cheque may not be here, but this mystery envelope certainly is. Hand written, addressed to me and sealed with wax. Not very heavy, but solid. Whatever is inside is smaller than the large brown envelope. Certainly not as big as the writing that boldly instructs me: “DO NOT OPEN UNTIL MARCH 12th”. I recognize that writing, but I just can’t seem to place it. The letters are hand written, uppercase and impersonal, almost intentionally so.

Wait. I should say I am ‘expecting’ a cheque, not ‘hoping’ for a cheque. Language is so powerful, so emotionally charged. Hoping is too wistful, too whimsical, too uncertain. Expecting, well, that is a knowing. Expecting is the surety an event is impending or even better, the event has already happened. Expecting is a state of mind you feel so good about, so sure, like the cheque is already in the mail, or already in the mailbox, or already cashed. Well, if it has already happened, if the cheque is really on the way, then I should feel grateful. Perhaps even relief. Or freedom. Yes, they would feel so much better than hoping a mystery cheque might arrive. Gratitude is even better. Gratitude feels boundless. Gratitude feels like all is well and in harmony with the universe. Now I am so grateful the mystery cheque is on the way.

It is almost a shame the envelope is slightly heavy and so large. A light, small envelope might otherwise have signaled the stirrings of whispering butterfly wings in my stomach at the thought there might be a surprise cheque inside.

Wait. I said that I had gotten myself in a big hole. They say the key to manifesting is to place your attention not on what you don’t want, but on what you do want. Surely the universe responds to the subjects of your thoughts and feelings, whether you want them or not? Right! Well, being in a big hole financially is not something I want, so that is the last time I use that phrase. A mindset change is needed; the knowing of a mystery cheque allows me to see the light, to feel freedom, to feel gratitude, to live the life I want and to give freely to others. That’s what I will visualize and feel.

The edges of the envelope are limp and insubstantial, highlighting the shape of the smaller, solid, rectangular object inside.

Running my hand across the papery envelope reminded me of the feel of money. Such a useful manifesting tool, not only to think clearly about your desires, to feel like you already have them and to be grateful for them but also to imagine the feel of those tactile objects already in hand.

As intriguing as this was, I put the envelope in my desk drawer, set a reminder to open it on March 12th and continued to get ready for work. A very busy week ahead. A full-time job to do, a house to run and a course to throw myself into. This training would give me tools for financial freedom, to share more freely with others and to manage my own time in my own way. Action as well as intention, visualization and elevated feelings are all needed for manifestation. As mysterious as this envelope was, it was time for action.

Strange though why I must wait to open it. Being forced to stay in the moment, in the unknown. Perhaps this is just the lesson I need in patience, in surrendering to the universe. The time to open it will come and I will know then for certain what this mysterious envelope is all about. Best just to focus on the many tasks in front of me.

Day turned to night and night turned to the rest of the very busy days ahead. On occasion my thoughts would turn to the mysterious brown envelope and an excitement would bubble up. Whenever I yearned to open it, I remembered that this is just the lesson I need to be in the moment. And who knows, maybe I didn’t want to know what was inside…

A few days later, sat studiously at my desk and hunting for a new notepad, I came across the envelope again. I pulled it out of the drawer and placed it in the middle of the desk. Was someone playing a trick on me? Did I half recognize the writing of a dear friend who thought I needed some excitement in my life? Or perhaps it is bad news and they don’t want me to know until my exams are over. At that chilling thought, I put the envelope back in the drawer, took the notepad out and wrote a list of all the things I was grateful for now. If it was bad news in the envelope, then I wanted a stock of pleasant emotions on hand and a strong constitution to deal with it. After writing the gratitude list, I felt a rush of joy at all the things I already felt grateful for. On that high note, I decided to leave the envelope firmly in the drawer until it was time to open it.

The night of March 11th, I remembered the mysterious brown envelope again. Taking it out of the drawer, I placed it on the kitchen table. The contents would stay there in their veiled state until the morning after finishing my meditation. Refreshed, I will put the coffee on and sit at the kitchen table by the window. Perhaps the sun will be shining in and I can open the window to feel the cool, invigorating breeze while I do. It may be best to set a comforting, nurturing scene in case it is bad news.

On the morning of March 12th, I awoke in the darkness for my morning meditation. I washed, and refreshed, I put the coffee on and sat at the kitchen table by the window in front of the mysterious brown envelope. The sun was shining in so I opened the window to the cool, invigorating breeze and to the sound of the birds eagerly greeting the day. Kettle gently hissing, I opened the envelope.

Inside was a little black notebook. I opened it at the page where a brown leather book mark was placed:

Dear Lisa,

This may come as a surprise to you, but I AM YOU. I am writing this to you as your future self, 5 years in the future. I am, you are, we are; living a life of light, of freedom, of joy. We are living the life we want and we love to give to others. Sound familiar? That’s right, you manifested your desires in the future. Here is a symbol of your manifesting success, a drop in the ocean of the abundance that we are. This is how much we give away every month to others in need. The cheque for $20,000 clipped to the back page of this notebook is a sign of your financial abundance. Perhaps more valuable, you have created abundance in all areas of your life.

I am sending this to you as a sign to keep going; you are doing everything right. Keep loving yourself and loving those around you. Keep expanding and renewing your clear intentions of the life you want to live. Keep believing. Keep feeling those higher vibration emotions. Keep surrendering to the universe. And keep loving and giving freely.

You are light. You are love.

Lisa Sanderson