Manifestation is a huge hot topic in wellness and spiritual spaces. It's literally everywhere.
Speak it into existence. Vision your dream home. Dream about your future partner.
I love a good old fashion daydream. And I believe the teaching that what thoughts and images repeat in our minds creates beliefs, which are then projected onto our lives.
And listen, I've used manifestation techniques in my life. I get pumped listening to Abraham Hicks. And I love subconscious reprogramming, ala TBM.
But, if you don't first feel SAFE in your body, manifestation will probably frustrate you more than quantum leap you. A lot of manifestation techniques leave the body out of the equation. And our bodies are our antennas to the divine, holding the wisdom, pain, and history of our experience.
And, if manifestation is the deepest level of your spiritual practice or connection, you are missing out on the authentic sweet and juicy nectar of dancing with the source.
Manifestation can quickly become - and I have seen this with clients and students - a tool for forcing our will on life and trying to control the flow of energy. And then you can get down on yourself, adding just another thing to the pile of stuff that "doesn't work."
Life wants to FLOW WITH YOU. Source wants to express through you. Yes, we are co-creating with life. And if we are forcing our plan for life, we can miss SO MUCH MAGIC that wants to express through us! Trusting the flow of life
I see two main things when people work with manifestation modalities and end up feeling frustrated and blocked.
There is a deeper level of devotion beyond manifestation. Sure, it feels good to get the thing you want. But this is the biggest lesson when devoting yourself to trusting the flow of life. You are so much more than acquiring a thing!
You are a unique expression of source! A spiritual connection can help us return to joy and gratitude at any moment.
I call manifestation spirituality 1.0. It's great because it's a road to spirituality for so many. And there is something
So.
Much.
Deeper.
Beyond manifestation. So, thinking with our ego mind, "I want X," and then following manifestation steps to "make it happen," can be really limiting. I feel this is because you don't really want the jacket or the car. You want to know the infinite love of the universe. A car is fun but won't take you there unless you turn inward.
Source, universe, oneness, goddess, whatever you want to call it - there is a spark of life in everything that wants to express. Thinking our egos know precisely when and how our life should be mapped out is really limiting to what our lives can be.
I repeatedly see manifestations losing steam with people because they yearn for something DEEPER. And they know, just like I think you do too, that living in the universe's flow and actually discerning what your soul truly wants while being devoted to source is deeply fulfilling.
Manifestation might feel more exhausting than expansive if you don't have a level of safety or expanded capacity in your body, mind, and spirit. Working with the body, mind, and spirit collaboratively is crucial to find a greater capacity to hold more. I love somatic release, meditation, subconscious reprogramming, parts work, mindful awareness, and sound healing. And there are so many more modalities to back into alignment.
The key is finding what modalities help you feel safe while gently pushing your edges like a mother holding you and cheering you on to dive off the diving board of life. It takes trust, and trust builds within us over time.
How do we build trust? We LISTEN to our inner voice. We ACCEPT all parts of ourselves, even the shadowy parts. And we hold ourselves in COMPASSION. The fantastic thing is that you don't have to be healed to start seeing the flow of life working with you. Turning on divine order doesn't necessitate you being enlightened. It just takes your intention and commitment to show yourself some love.
If you are sitting in the seat of your soul, you become the observer. And from the observer's heart, you can see life's true magic. There is a miracle in every moment, and sitting in awareness can help us discern when we are forcing a timeline versus when we align with a timeline.
So, what do I do instead of manifesting?
- I create safety in body, mind, and spirit and expand my capacity for this safety and love by continuing to re-align.
- I ALLOW all my feelings and emotions to arise without judging them or clinging to them. This takes practice and is something we work on to expand the capacity.
- I shift frequency authentically, not by force but through sound healing and holding space for myself. Coming back into resonance with love.
- I devote myself to the field of unconditional love. This is where we find generosity and gratitude. I am a devotee of Ram Dass, who taught the mantra, 'I am Loving Awareness.' When I'm feeling the weight of the world, I turn towards shifting my direction toward love, even if it's just one degree.
- I work with source - by calling in Divine Order - something I learned from Tosha Silver - a fantastic teacher, and writer. This looks like pinpointing an experience I want to have, i.e., traveling around the world with my family. Then I call in divine order - this looks like prayer, journaling, meditating, and just asking the source to show me the way. This takes striving and figuring out the mind out of the equation. Drop the how, the what, and feel (with your body) the why. Magic will show up almost instantly, giving you a wink from the universe.
You are held, you are supported and you are so worthy of love.
Have you tried manifestation? Have you felt burnout by it? What helps you reconnect and remember source?