I have a problem with desire. Well, not desire as such, but the press it's been getting recently. According to the popular buddhist view, desire is something that must be controlled and overcome. It's not necessarily what Gautama Siddhartha advocated, although I could understand his obsession with it in the circumstances. There he was sitting under the Bodhi tree cold and hungry, his father, wife and young son calling from the palace gates, 'Come back to us Gautama. We've run you a hot bath and prepared you a feast.' Who could blame him for thinking a lot about resisting desires in order to stay on the spiritual path.

If I desire a swig of vodka every morning before I get out of bed, sure, that's not a great thing. When I talk about desire, I'm not talking about addiction. They are two very different things. Telling them apart in our own lives is extremely tricky and we're never going to get it 100% right.

The thing is though, the more honest we are about our desires, the more quickly we shift from desires based in addiction to desires based in our divinity.

If I admit to myself that I desire vodka every morning ... and just a bit before lunch .. and ... well, I am just that little bit closer to getting myself off to a twelve step meeting. If I admit to myself that my relationship is not really working for me and I desire something better, I'm certainly being realistic. And I'm bringing change into my life, just by my recognition of what I desire.

There's a thing I call Divine Discontent. It allows us to hold a dual consciousness of absolute amazement and gratitude for what we have, alongside a recognition that it could get even better.

Desire is a spiritual tool of great power. The clearer we are about our desires the more powerful we become.

There's a little beastie called unrequited love. Ever heard of it? Ever felt it? We experience unrequited love not just in our relationships, but in everything we desire.

How do you feel when you see an ad for that shiny new sportscar? Sure you could sell the house and go out and buy it. But you won't. It's unrequited love between you and that car. You'll never get to experience how it feels to drive it, to put your foot down and feel it roar under you, feel it take that corner as smooth as silk.

Or will you? When you experience this desire-based form of unrequited love, there's nothing to stop you feeling what it would be like to have what you desire. We generally call that fantasy. And we all know fantasy is a bad thing, don't we? Let's have a closer look at that fantasy.

It's not really the car you desire, it's the feeling the car will give you. Just how do you feel when you imagine guiding that beauty around a sharp bend then planting your foot in the straight? How do you feel when those women stop talking and stare as you drive past? That feeling is what you desire. And the good news is ... you don't have to sell your house to get it. You just have to learn how to allow the fulfillment of your desires, in whatever form your higher self, your divine self, decides to offer it to you.

Most of us carry deep and painful grief that arises everytime we experience a true desire. By true desire I mean something that is essential to our soul's journey. But don't fall into the trap of believing 'true desire' can only be about wanting something 'spiritual'. Every single thing on this planet is spiritual. Every person, every emotion, every pair of jeans and every kitchen appliance. Every thing, every person and every experience has been put here on this planet so that we can experience our divinity in human form.

The grief arises because we've been taught that we can't have what we desire.. We're never going to get it. We should be ashamed for even wanting it. So we tend to banish desire, feel ashamed of the fantasy, make a largely sub-conscious decision not to go there. Anyway, we reason, the beaten up Mazda's fine .... really.

True desire is a blessing to the world. It signals that you are about to create something entirely new and unique on the planet. No one else on the planet can create what you desire ... it's your divinity in action

If you have Gate 30 in your design, these concepts are very important to you. They are particularly important if you also have the adjoining Gate 41 Limitation.

Imagine that every time you connected with a desire within yourself you were giving a gift to the planet and all humanity. You bless each one of us every time you honour one of your desires.

The only thing that stands between you and a divine expression of desire and fulfillment is your grief and guilt. Grief that is held in the sub-conscious belief that you can never, never have what you truly desire. So just forget it. And guilt (shame) that you are needy, that you want someone or something that is too good for you, that you don't deserve.

Meditation on Desire

Try this. Think of something you desire. Really get into it, whether it's a new house, a lover, a pay rise. Let yourself own your desire. On an out-breath offer your desire as a gift to the world. On the in-breath allow yourself to receive the fulfillment of your desire. Don't focus on what form that fulfillment will take, just say something like I receive the fulfillment of my desire, and allow whatever feeling you have to rise up and come into your consciousness. And then again, on your next out-breath offer your desire as a gift to the world.... and so on. Can you feel shame rising up? Fear? Grief? Probably all these things. Don't overdo it. Breathing in this way for as long as it feels comfortable can shift your DNA to allow you to more readily give and receive.

To co-create you first must know what you desire. When intention is felt as true desire, it mobilises all your energies and propels you towards your goal. Connect deeply with your desire and let it guide you. Don't be attached to how it comes to you, the form it will take. Be open to surprising and unexpected results. Be patient. Give your desire the time it needs to formulate in the physical realm. When your desires are directly acknowledged and embraced, they point you down the exactly the right path.

Give the gift of your desire. We love you for it.

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