soulful.life.creation.

How to Manifest...  It’s a hot-button topic. Everyone has dabbled in, or at least heard of, the Law of Attraction and the like. And I would venture that the reason for its popularity is partly because most people have likely had an experience of “manifesting” something into reality through what felt like sheer magic. Things just “lined up”, and suddenly there you where, getting exactly the improbable thing that you asked for. It worked out just a little too well to be comfortably explained away as a series of coincidences, or a lucky break. So with extreme excitement you think: “Hey, maybe there’s something to this. Maybe the Universe isn’t a heartless, random vacuum. Maybe joy is our birthright…” and proceed to visualize/vision board/magic-list your way to a wad of cash, a mansion on the beach, and a brand new Ferrari. It doesn't work.

Yes, you are {partly} right. It doesn’t work... like that.

Logically it makes no sense that the Universe would be one that would manifest everyone's desire for a Ferrari, or a mansion, or a harem of hotties, or world domination. Bitch please! We would detroy the earth and ourselves in a matter of minutes if this was the case, which is why in Divine Design, that is not how it works. I don’t even like the word {Manifesting} because it carries so much skewed information and negative connotations. Not only is it burdened with a billion eye rolls and more skepticism than you can publish in a best seller, but it is shallow. Think about a bunch of people sitting on their couch wishing to be better looking, richer, and more travelled than anyone they know. When was the last time you tried to manifest world peace, endless love, and enough to eat for everyone? Yeah...didn't think so. Don't feel too bad. There is a reason why that's not on the top of your wish lists, and it's not because you are a shitty person. At least your Core Self isn't...

 Step 1: True Desires

One of Martha Beck’s most salient lessons is the idea that Life Creation/Manifesting/Intentional Living/Whateveryouwannacallit is {only} effective when you are dreaming and creating from your Core Being instead of from The Shallows of your Ego. Your Core Being is your timeless self {or soul if you will} that can see the whole picture of creation and where you fit into it. It isn't interested in consumerism or domination. It is interested in BEING IN HARMONY WITH ALL CREATION. It is interested in joy, and in love.
It is also the “you” that is a unique fingerprint in the world. The “you” that has a special combination of gifts and experience that no other person on earth has or will ever have. It is the TRUE YOU. It is the part that has direct access to the energy of the Universe. It is, simply put, where the magic happens. From your Core Being you create soul-nourishing dreams with {feelings} as the focus instead of {things}.

Conversely, in The Shallows you will find what many spiritual teachers refer to as The Ego. You can refer to The Ego and The Mind interchangeably- depending if you are of a spiritual or scientific bent. The ego, simply put, is ONLY concerned with lack and attack. In any moment, it is either worried about losing something/ not having enough, and it is attacking or fearing attack. It believes that you need {things} to bring {feelings} of safety and happiness. It is a shitty entity..but it is not really who you are.

If you want manifesting to work for you, you need to identify your CORE DESIRES. They are already hiding inside your shallow wishes, shrouded in your Ego's unoriginal lack/attack thoughts. Behind the wishes that look like the inside of every glossy magazine lies what your soul is trying to tell you.
When you are thinking/dreaming/making a list of what you want, try using only {feelings} instead of describing things. I will use money as an example, because it is undoubtedly on your list:

An ego wish: “I want X amount of cash.” Or, “I want to be able to afford anything I want”.

 Instead, try getting to the {root} of what money represents by using feeling words. “I want to be free to live life to the fullest, and on my own terms. I want to be able to experience the world fully: to taste, touch, smell, see, and hear all the beauty the world has. I want to nourish my soul. I want to feel safe and supported. I want to have peace of mind and be worry-free.”

The difference is in the ENERGY behind the THOUGHTS. When you want a big wad of cash, it is because you feel like you don’t have enough right now. The energy of NOT ENOUGH brings more of the same into your life. It is a worry that comes from the Ego-and the Ego can't manifest shit. When you switch to thinking about what your Core Being wants, it is a pure, clean, and expansive energy. That is the energy you want more of. You are putting out what you want to get back, instead of unknowingly putting out what you don’t want.

The same goes for using negative statements. Stating: “I don’t want to be tied to a job and in debt” is not the same sentiment as: “I want to be free to live life on my own terms”. The first carries the energy of contraction, aversion, and negativity. {Again, the universe responds to energy, not words, and reflects that energy back to you as the reality of your life} With that statement of what you don’t want, you may as well be wishing for a lifetime of serfdom. It is OK to think about what you don’t want, as that contrast is the only way to narrow down what you do want, but it is not enough. You need to shift your focus onto what you do want, and keep it there.

Step 2: Keeping it there

{You do not attract what you want; you attract what you are.}

You need to stay in the energy of the solution. What that means is that once you have found the {feelings} you want, you need to focus on those feelings more than you focus on the things you don’t want. You need to BECOME the feeling of freedom, or prosperity, or beauty, or love. You need to FIND IT in your everyday life.

{Right now.} Take action in that general direction. When you take one step toward your dream, it takes a thousand steps toward you. Take the tiniest step everyday toward a delicious life. If you want freedom, for example, do something that makes you feel free. It might be setting up an automatic savings plan no matter how much you feel like you don’t make enough to save anything. {Trust me, you don’t even miss that money if it just automatically comes out of your account}. Maybe it’s looking into a crazy hobby you have always wanted to try, or just admitting to a far-flung dream of a vocation/location change. Maybe it is allowing yourself a nap when you are tired. Celebrate where in your life you already are enjoying the feeling you want. Put something out into the universe with the same energy vibration as what you want. Do things simply for the joy of doing them, instead of with an outcome in mind. This brings me to the last step…

"Treat {the thing you want} like a bad boyfriend" says Poehler. 
"{It} won’t take care of you. It won't call you back or introduce you to its parents. {It} will openly flirt with other people while you are around…it is healthy to remember you can always leave him and go to sleep with somebody else" -Amy Poehler

Step 3: Detach

Don’t think constantly about the outcome. Don’t wonder where your stuff is. Be in the moment and live your life. That is the final, and most important key to getting what you want. When you are constantly looking for the changes, you will not see them. We have ALL experienced the phenomenon where we DON’T care about something {anymore} or stop thinking about it, and then get the results we want. Just like the bad boyfriend that is only interested in you when you are too busy enjoying your life without him. THAT IS EXACTLY the game you should play with your goals or desires. When you are detached from the outcome because you are just too busy enjoying your life as it is, you are “pressing send” on your request and then it is only a matter of time. The key is to be so engrossed in the joy of living your life that getting the things you want is just a happy by-product.  It is an I-could-take-it-or-leave-it feeling. That is the comical paradox of the Universe. Therefore, you simply MUST practice finding joy first, and the things you want will come. Thinking you need a certain thing or circumstance to be happy is simply the biggest lie of our time. THAT, not manifesting, is what obviously isn’t working. 

stop.the.madness.

Here's the thing...Most deficits are of a mental nature. They arise in the mind, and it is there that they must be laid to rest. If you are, at this moment, not threatened with bodily harm in any way, then your perceived suffering is mental.

 Let me elaborate...

{Symptoms}

Restlessness. Wandering aimlessly around the house. Mental chatter you can’t quiet down. Compulsive eating/shopping/drinking/anything. Constant worry. Spacing out. Unable to be where you are: in the moment. Fear. Daydreaming or mentally checking out in any way. Feeling like you just CANNOT stand yourself or some aspect of your life anymore.

{Antidote}

Nothing is missing in this moment.

{The Medicine}

Now think back to what I said: "Most deficits are of a mental nature. They arise in the mind, and it is there that they must be laid to rest. If you are, at this moment, not threatened with bodily harm in any way, then your perceived suffering is mental."

I am not saying it does not feel real- visceral even. It does. I feel it too.

I am simply pointing out that a deficit that starts in the mind cannot be addressed in the material world. It must be addressed in the mind. Just like a physical thirst cannot be quenched by thinking about drinking water.  A mental {spiritual} thirst cannot be quenched by material means. Your ego {mind} would have you believe that it can. That is how it survives and feeds and grows: by whispering in your ear about all the material treasures you could have and should have to survive. Esteem, beauty, excess. Flat stomach, perk bum, Black AMEX-Then you will be OK.

But the thirst continues…

or

the mental chatter

or

the feeling like you want to crawl out of your skin with discontent

or

worry

or

restlessness

or

feeling like it is {you are} never enough

{Take a moment’s pause. Follow these steps.}

1     Calm the fuck down.

Do this dance for a few minutes: Take one deep breath, and hold it at the top of the inhale. Feel that moment of peace where your mind goes quiet. Exhale. Feel another moment of peace at the bottom of the exhale, when your lungs are completely empty.  Repeat.

Do that a few times, chasing that blissful second of just feeling OK. Allowing peace in for just one second at a time will make enough space that you will be able to follow step two.

2    Listen.

Your body holds all the information you will EVER need to thrive. It is how you were made. Before humans had language, Instagram, or gold iPads, we thrived. Before we had a Neocortex {responsible for things like language and abstract thinking about the past and the future} we still had the knowledge to overcome extreme survival threats. The body, through its various sensory receptors, takes in 11 million bits of information per second. You only have conscious access to about 50 bits per second. The rest is in your subconscious and presents itself as {gut feelings} and the like. Your discomfort is trying to give you a message. It is trying to tell you what you need to thrive.

Some ways to {listen} are:

Meditate.

{If you are of that inclination} I myself would rather carve my eyes out with a rusty spoon.

Journal. 

Free write. Whatever comes to mind. Write on anything you can find about anything that spills out. Go sit in the bathroom at work and do it on your phone. This technique is magic. It never fails to calm me down. And I receive amazing messages about what I need to do to move forward and feel better.

Talk to a friend. 

If you are blessed with someone in your life that has the ability to {translate} your ranting into golden nuggets, then you are very lucky. Sometimes sound-boarding with someone who is empathetic and honest can be a lifesaver for decoding your own neurosis. {A word of caution} This is a precious resource, and I suggest you use it sparingly. Don’t tire out your friend{s} by always depending on them for guidance and advice. No one likes that person. Save this for the really bothersome topics that the other techniques don’t work on.

 Trust.

Trust the message that comes through. Maybe your message is that you need a nap. Don’t worry if you don’t see how this is going to solve the problem of what colors to pick for your wedding, or how you hate your mother-in-law. Just listen to the message and go take a fucking {nap/bath/spa week} even if you just came {up/out/back} from one. Trust the process. If your message is that you feel used and abused {to stand up for yourself/ set better boundaries} do so. Even in a very small non-threatening way. If you have problems sanding up to your boss, then start by asking the Barista to remake your disastrous latte. Trust the process. If your jealousy reveals that you actually {wish} you could get by on looks and cleavage, then get out of your sweatpants and into something cute. Yes, even if it is just to do your janitorial service job. Trust the process.

Life is a funny thing. Small actions catalyze huge change when accumulated over a short time. Sometimes I feel like I live 98% of my life on autopilot and those are the times that heavily coincide with things looking the same every morning. It’s the {looking} that needs to change before the {things} can change. Start small and trust that change will come if you keep committing to the best life you can manage in the moment.