Why 17 Seconds?
Abraham says that a thought reaches a combustion point at 17 seconds of pure undiluted focus. It draws another thought to it and it is exponentially more powerful. At the end of another 17 seconds, 34 seconds total, the next thought combusts, and by Law of Attraction, evolves to a higher level of energy. Again another 17 seconds to 51 seconds continues the process, and finally, if you can continue a pure thought for 68 seconds on any given subject, it will be on its way to manifestation. The key word is pure, meaning positive focus, strong energy, no resistance; to not slip into lackful thinking.
Abraham says the average person rarely finishes a single sentence without contradicting their energy, as in "I want a new car, but it is too expensive." So they say most of us haven't had much experience with ever feeling the combustion of thought that comes from 17+ seconds of pure thought.
In talking about the leverage of 17+17+17+17=68 seconds of pure thought, Abraham offers the following information:
17 seconds is worth 2,000 manhours (about a year at 40 hours per week of action taken)
34 seconds is worth 20,000 manhours (or about 10 years...)
51 seconds is worth 200,000 manhours (or about 100 years...)
68 seconds is worth 2,000,000 manhours (or about 1000 years...)
That's two MILLION manhours (or womanhours!) If we can learn to offer pure thought energy for 68 seconds at a time, action becomes INCONSEQUENTIAL!
Here's a simple story of 68 seconds of pure thought from my experience:
I had a fun demonstration of deliberate creation while I was on vacation in New Mexico one year. I was coming down the road from the Sandia Tram and realized that the one thing I really wanted in Albuquerque that I hadn't done yet, was to see a road runner. I had never seen one before, and although I'd had a wonderful time birding all week, seeing a Black headed grosbeak, western tanagers, scaled quail, Seller's jays, some kind of wonderful owl and hawk, but I still hadn't seen a road runner.
So driving down the road, my friend Kate and I talked for 68 seconds about the wonder of road runners, how fun they are, how excited we would be to see one, how great the birding had been since we got to New Mexico, etc. And sure enough, we came round a corner at about 69 seconds, and there - on a fence post, no less, was our road runner. Kate did a quick U turn and we spent ten minutes having the road runner experience. He (or she) preened on the fence post for awhile, allowing me to take pictures profile and head on, then hopped down and ran into the gully to catch and eat a lizard, then back on the fence and then down the other side to do some wing unfurling behavior that looked like it could be mating behavior. All and all, a very satisfying 68 seconds of fun directed thought! Obviously, my mother must never have told me that there wouldn't be enough road runners!
How to Get to 17 Seconds of Pure Thought:
Getting to 17 seconds of pure thought purely mentally is harder for me than doing it either out loud or in writing. I find the discipline of speaking or writing helps keep other thoughts from being too distracting.
If I am going to do it in writing, I often put in the form of a letter to a friend from the vantage point of already having accomplished what it is that I am wanting. Then I can describe the feelings and details of my new place of being, and really get into the sense of actually being there. You may recognize this as the scripting process we covered last week!
I also play the "68 second game" out loud, with some friends that I meet with in a group every week. The person who facilitates gets to pick a subject, then everyone contributes to her 68 seconds. For example, I want to have a beautiful wedding, so my week we did 68 seconds on how wonderful my ceremony was, and how much I loved having a fun reception for all of my friends. They all chimed in on how much they enjoyed the party, how great the band was, the deliciousness of the cake, the beauty of the decorations, etc. Our 68 seconds in the group often lasts 5 or 10 minutes!
And I know that if I am in a place I don't want to be emotionally, I can call any member of that group and ask them to do 68 seconds with me on what I am wanting in that moment. I called a friend and asked her to do 68 seconds with me on my wonderful relationship with my mother recently! It really helps to have some partners to do the process with me.
If you have a friend who is also into Abraham processes, you might ask them to be a 68 second partner for you!
Start with Less Important Issues
Ca Ley Wong,
Wongjoy@aol.com, posted the following transcript to the Abraham mailing list on November 18, 1996:
Abraham: "Focus on nothing is more important than you feel good. Period. <cut> it is not necessary to focus on feeling good about oneself, focus on feeling good; period. It is not necessary to feel good about your body, or about your financial situation; find thoughts that make you feel good. Period.
We would recommend that you spend the first week writing 68 seconds about things that you don't care much about, such as blue glass, butterflies, feathers. Because you will attract those things. This exercise will teach you two things: one that you can focus for 68 seconds; two, that the universe does respond to a pure vibration. When you have a level of confidence in the universe, then you can tackle your main issues.
We would every day, twice a day, write your 68 seconds about all areas in your life, relationship, abundance, house, job, etc. You will find it very easy to do. For instance, on your house, appreciate how convenient it is. Appreciate the thermostat that keeps the house at the perfect temperature. Appreciate the sewage system and the plumbing in your bathroom. Appreciate the comfort of it. Know that this house will be temporary, that you will have may others closer to the dream house you want, but meanwhile appreciate it. You see, there was 68 seconds.
So, all of you have major work to do in the next 30 days. Write as many 68 seconds as you can. And do it deliberately."
Ease of Achieving 68 Seconds
Also from Ca Ley Wong, on November 18, 1996:
Abraham: "Realize that 68 seconds isn't hard to find. Throughout your day, you have thousands of opportunities to do your 68 seconds. Even if your work schedule doubled, you could still find plenty of 68 seconds? Now, Esther didn't believe us at first that 68 seconds were the equivalent of 2 million man-hours. She couldn't conceive it. But since there isn't anything that we have said over the years that wasn't true, Esther now believes it and uses it.
So, we want to ask you, do YOU REALLY BELIEVE when we say that 68 seconds is the equivalent of 2 million man-hours? Because if you did, YOU WOULD FIND THE TIME TO DO THEM!!!
Who would want to bang things into place, when they know that they can spend 68 seconds and have the universe do it for them? Nobody, yet it is what the majority of you do. You would rather jump into action than do your 68 seconds. You would rather jump into action than align up your energy."
Also from Ca Ley, From, Abraham, Rye, NY, 10/96:
"The Recipe for deliberate creation has 10 parts:
5 parts of appreciating what is
2 parts of imagining a little better than what is
2 parts of looking for things that would make you feel better
1 part of quieting your mind, relaxing and not trying so hard, being at ease at it"
Assignment:
Do one of the following Techniques as your assignment:
Write a detailed, delicious description of one small aspect of something you want. For example, perhaps you want a romantic relationship. Write the details of an evening you spent with your [imagined] loved one that you would consider romantic, for example:
"Last night my new partner took me out for a romantic dinner. We went to an exquisite restaurant. The waiter was remarkably attentive, when I got up to go to the salad bar, he folded my napkin for me and hung it neatly on the arm of my chair. The view of the sunset out the window was exquisite! There were even deer grazing at the very edge of the woods as it was getting to be dusk. Of course, it was hard to tear my eyes away from the beautiful blue eyes of my partner to even see the sunset! I am so enraptured by this extraordinary being I have attracted into my life. Our conversation was so delightful, bouncing between delicious sensual innuendo, and fun metaphysical debate. In fact, I feel he is expanding my mind daily, with new ideas, practices, processes and ways of thinking. I have never felt so stimulated, at all levels, with a partner before!"
Remember to place yourself squarely in the middle of the drama you are writing! Instead of saying "I see two people on the beach, " say "My partner and I are walking hand in hand down a deserted beach on a warm, sultry night, under a sky full of stars!"
An Alternative Technique for Those Who Prefer to Draw Than Write
Read the following description from Malik of a doodling technique for getting your 68 seconds of pure thought, and try this one. Then suBathmateit a description of your doodle, or a discussion of how you felt about doodling to the group.
Malik de Kok <fvolpaia@xs4all.nl> from the Abraham mailing list offered the following wonderful technique for the artistically inclined:
"I found that when I am scripting, on paper or via the keyboard, I manage to think of completely different things while writing. So I don't get to 17 or more seconds of pure vibration and I can sense that it just doesn't take off. My doodling works better.
I bought a very colorful set of 16 felt-tip markers with which the child in me is very happy. So when I get them out I already start feeling semi-excited and appreciative before I have done anything else.
I take a blank sheet of paper for every subject. And then I doodle/draw the story or the perfect situation, while telling it out loud to myself. (When I was a child I have seen entertainers do that sort of thing.) I have my favorite color of blue reserved for myself, so I know that the blue figure is me. And then like a comic book, I just fill the page with the ingredients until in some cases it is completely full; but at least until I feel that I have covered all the main positive ingredients. And with everything I draw, I tell what it is and does and how I feel about it.
When I am finished I put the sheet in my Creation Box.
I see that this really keeps me focused and happy while doing it, sometimes way beyond 68 seconds. With other techniques, I often have to set myself to doing them - this one I look forward to. I like it more than clipping pictures from catalogues. In my experience, the speaking is essential. When I catch myself drawing while not speaking, invariably my thoughts have wandered off to some other place... usually not in line with my desire."
