Serena cut the discussion short. "Yeah, yeah. Everyone wants Connie's money." She shook her head and gave her friend a smirk. "Ignore them, girl."
She turned to the group. "We're each trying to find something we want, not something we want from Connie. Just think of something, okay?" She looked around and waited. "Everyone ready?" Back to being serious, they all nodded.
Serena sat back and studied the book. "Good. Now there are four steps to active consciousness. First, we enter a meditative state using a loving-kindness meditation. The author calls it being in the 'now' with an added joyfulness, so she calls it 'Now Plus.' I'll guide us through the meditation.
"The second step is called 'Pure Goal.' We visualize the thing we want with a certainty that it will happen. You have to imagine that the goal really is fulfilled, with no doubts at all. I'll tell you when it's time to do this."
She leafed through the pages of the book. "Step three is to put it all out of our mind. The author calls it 'Let Go.' That's all we do tonight."
Abby smirked. "And then it just happens?"
"Well, that's what the fourth step is about. It's called 'Choose Joy.' In the coming days, you must stay tuned to everything that is happening around you. Whenever there is a choice, a decision that you have to make, you choose the one that brings you the best feeling of joy. It helps even more if you meditate on your choice a bit."
That sounds like the right way to live life. Shouldn't everyone choose joy whenever possible? And how cool would it be if the sensation of joy were somehow tied to a greater field of energy? A field that could direct the universe. As far-fetched as it sounded, the whole idea also made sense. Constance suddenly wanted to try it out.
May laughed. "That's just like the good-luck charm in Harry Potter. You remember how they drank a Felix Felicis potion, then as they walked around, they'd have urges to take certain actions. When they did, everything turned out right."
Serena jumped in her seat, clearly excited. "Exactly! The author of Active Consciousness talks about that potion, too. The truth is, this is just a mechanism to let you tap into a kind of precognitive energy. You make the choices that bring you the most joy. Then everything turns out right. Are you ready to do this?" All of them nodded.
They lowered the lights and settled into meditative postures. Serena smiled radiantly. "Let's hold hands for a bit to get started." They took each other's hands in a circle.