I’m only 4 days into my journey, and I have to say that I can feel things manifesting for me in various areas of my life. Things that I had been waiting on, including payments, media confirmations, apartments, new opportunities, etcetera have all come to my inbox, but I can’t say that I’m surprised or amazed. I’m starting to realize how important it is to meditate everyday, whether that’s sitting for an hour and then saying these affirmations like I do or some other sort of connecting peacefully with the power within. I’m glad that I’m finally getting disciplined and looking forward to more manifestation.

I am on a 40-day journey using the 40-day Master System to “attract prosperity, overcome obstacles, and realize the hidden power within me.” I’ll be blogging daily to share my adventures and as always, invite you to follow along. Learn more about what inspired me to take on this challenge and what the 40-day Master Plan is all about here. And if you’d like to do the 40-day master system with me, you can buy the series here. Know that your purchase is not only a contribution to my journey in Brasil, but also an opportunity for you to test the system out for yourself. Find out what you can manifest with discipline in 40 days. Read my past posts here.

Day 3- Be aware of your inner connection to the truth, which is prosperity and limitless abundance.

I had a rough night yesterday evening. It’s always interesting because every time I tend to start a new meditation practice or affirmation series, my mind always rebels. I have a promiscuous mind, one that rarely sits still. So I felt all my fears and “career control” issues (as I like to call them), come to surface and pester me about why I’m not exactly where I want to be in my journey. It’s amazing because two beautiful friends that I met while living in Salvador (Bahia), Brazil reached out and reassured me that I was on my path and doing fine, along with reminding me to trust the universe and allow it to put everything in place. After a few deep breaths, I felt better, went to bed, and then woke up to meditate this morning. While this blog series is about my journey using the 40-day Master System, I also think it’s important to point out that I also practice Vipassana meditation for an hour every morning and then I do my 40-Day Master System affirmations. You can learn more about Vipassana here. I was trained in the practice in January, and the 10-day courses to get you started are free and offered worldwide (I’m serious, no gimmicks). Check it out. And I’ll check in with you all tomorrow!

I am on a 40-day journey using the 40-day Master System to “attract prosperity, overcome obstacles, and realize the hidden power within me.” I’ll be blogging daily to share my adventures and as always, invite you to follow along. Learn more about what inspired me to take on this challenge and what the 40-day Master Plan is all about here. And if you’d like to do the 40-day master system with me, you can buy the series here. Know that your purchase is not only a contribution to my journey in Brasil, but also an opportunity for you to test the system out for yourself. Find out what you can manifest with discipline in 40 days. Read my past posts here.

Day 2- It’s all about the soul: soul awareness, soul consciousness, and soul knowledge. Our souls are the source of everything!.

Today I’m feeling good and productive, yet a little bit scattered. I do feel my soul in just about all that I do, as it’s often connected to my decisions throughout the day whether choosing what to eat or who to befriend. To me, soul is just another word for intuition, and I always keep in touch with that aspect of myself (even the times that I get crazy and choose to ignore it – very rare). What I know I can improve on is trusting my soul or intuition in all decisions, whether it makes “logical” sense or not. My soul is my source, my connection to others, and the substance of my power. I believe that with all my being.

I’m starting a new journey. As many of you know, I recently made the decision to stay indefinitely in Rio de Janeiro, a choice that has been both a source of joy and a bit of anxiety. During my travels across Brasil, I remember meeting a beautiful elderly Black woman from Washington, D.C. that to this day still has me thinking I saw an angel. One of the things she said to me is, “know that you are blazing a new path, and marking territory that has been unmarked before.”

Indeed, I’ve felt crazy lately trying to figure out where to place my feet next. I have a temporary room that I’m renting, but will be looking for my own place starting after carnaval. I am making money freelancing and consulting, enough to survive, but not nearly enough to cover all my expenses on top of Corset, Issue 2’s production. I am receiving more recognition and opportunities, which is something to celebrate but it is stirring up a bit of fear. I am scared that I’m not leveraging my voice, career, and future at capacity. I am scared of missing something that’s right in front of me.

A few months ago, I met another wonderful woman named Sakkara Ali, who gifted me for Christmas an affirmation series that she created with her husband, Sharif. The 40-Day Master System gives you 10 affirmations to repeat over the course of 40 days, which is supposed to help you “attract prosperity, overcome obstacles, and realize the hidden power within you.”

So here’s how it works, you say one affirmation a day for 10 days, and then repeat the 10-day process 4 times. (I know it sounds complicated, but I promise you it’s really not. 10 x 4 = 40…lol).

But here’s the catch, you have to do the affirmations everyday for 40 days, and if you happen to miss a day, you have to start all over. They’re serious about keeping you disciplined.

After each affirmation, you’re supposed to write how you feel, your immediate thoughts, etcetera. So since I’ve been saying that I want to get back to blogging, I’m going to blog my thoughts after each affirmation and any revelations that I receive along the way.

I can’t give you the affirmations verbatim, but to follow along, I’d encourage you to buy the series. Full disclosure, I have signed up to be an affiliate seller because I do believe in the work that Sakkara and Sharif are doing, and Sakkara has been like a sister to me, giving me much inspiration as another American woman (with 4 kids!) living in Brasil.

So here we go…

Day 1 – This affirmation has us focusing on recognizing the universe as an abundant source with unlimited prosperity. Most importantly, we need to recognize that this source lives within us.

At the surface, I want to say that I understand this principle intellectually, but struggle to stay rooted in my “belief” when times get rough. I have seen the universe work miracles during the times that I had no money living in Brasil, which is why I’ll never call this type of “new age” philosophy a bunch of “woo woo luck.” When you have less than a few hundred dollars to travel and survive in a country for a month, become reliant on other people’s kindness (food, shelter, etc), still manage to see places that most people dream of, and see things that you were praying for weirdly manifest in the most unexpected budget-accessible ways, trust me, you’ll become a believer too. So now living in Rio, I want to say that yes, I believe, but I’m ready to manifest that unlimited abundance into my life on more than just an “enough to get by” basis. I have a vision for what I want and I know that it can and will come into fruition. But it will take consistent meditation and affirmation to get me there. I’m ready and dedicated.

If you’d like to join my 40-day master system journey, you can buy the series here and find out what you can manifest (with discipline) in 40 days. Know that your purchase is not only a contribution to my journey in Brasil, but also an opportunity for you to test the system out for yourself. Regardless of what you choose, thanks following my journey!

It’s Valentine’s Day all over the world except Brasil (we don’t celebrate until June 12^th). But I’m probably feeling as loving as I’ve ever felt. I felt chills when a random Brasilian poet walked up to me and my baiana sister Orin, asked if we spoke English, and then proceeded to gift us a stack of poems by D.H. Lawrence. Back in high school, I wrote my senior thesis on Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover, one of the most erotic books of the early 1900s, and yes, my English teacher was cool like that. So to see Lawrence’s name resurface here in Brasil felt like an omen, and this particular poem hit me raw.

Search for Love

Those that go searching for love

Only manifest their own lovelessness

And the loveless never find love

Only the loving find love

And they never have to seek for it.

As I sit in my bedroom in Rio, writing, enjoying my career, living my life, and feeling loved by many people in many different ways, I am proud to say that indeed I have made a shift over the last few months and learned more about loving without the need to feel it reciprocated. I’m working toward loving my family better, loving my friends, loving my lovers, and loving people. And Lawrence says it best, the loving truly do find love. I feel it all around.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

I hope your day is beautiful, sexy, cool, and sweet.

Xoxo

Arielle Loren

It’s been a very very long time since I updated this blog with something related to my travels. I’ve been trekking across Brasil since September 2011, with the desire to actualize my dream of living in the country while pursuing my writing career. I’ve probably changed my plane ticket three times, had way too many almost-homeless scares, and certainly enough financial struggles to even make a broke college student blink twice. But finally, things are turning around and the universe has proven that it once again has everything under control.

I arrived in Rio de Janeiro almost 30 days ago with a little more than 20 U.S. dollars to my name and 4 months of Bahia memories. I attended a Vipassana silent meditation course for 10 days in Rio’s countryside (yes, it’s not all a city), received some much needed peace/clarity, ventured out into Rio de Janeiro the city when it was done, and began a journey that even my most well-connected friends and family members in the States are dumbfounded to explain. Without even trying, I’ve met some major artists doing groundbreaking work in Rio’s arts scene. I’ve had lunch with Black Brasilian activist legends. And I’ve met some incredible friends who have adopted me like family. After almost a month of craziness, hostel living, and so much uncertainty, I have finally achieved some balance in my traveling life. And I have made a huge decision.

I am staying in Rio de Janeiro…indefinitely. Meaning, I have no plans of going home and every intention of staying in Rio as long as possible.

The truth is that I had been on the fence about when I would return due to pending film festival applications for my film Bideology back in the United States. But as I have yet to receive a compelling offer, I’ve decided to truly pay attention to what all the signs seem to be telling me. The time and right opportunity will come for Bideology. It may not be a film festival premiere. It’s not something I should worry about. I need to focus on writing and Brasil is the place to do it.

That being said, I recently moved into a beautiful apartment in Rio that I’m sharing with an amazing young couple from Brasilia. And I’m steadfast building my writing portfolio, Corset (my magazine), and my consulting business to achieve a higher level of success. Opportunities have been flying out of the wind, allowing me to truly feel comfortable and confident in my progress here. And now that I’m feeling more financially secure, it’s looking like I’ll be able to prolong my love affair with Rio for as long as I please.

I want to thank everyone for all of your support and love during this process. Your messages have been very encouraging on Facebook, your emails have made some heavy transitioning days much lighter, and your donations have made the road smoother.

I made New York City my personal home almost five years ago. And now, I’m happy to say that Rio holds my next chapter.

I love you and if you’re ever in Rio de Janeiro, please let me know. I’d love to see you!

Until the next time we meet again…

Keep in touch,

Arielle Loren