Manifesting

A friend of mine (non-occultist) who is truly amazing at reaching her goals, often pauses in her day, takes a deep breath, sets her intention firmly in her mind, and says one word, “Manifesting.” Whether she realizes it or not, she’s practicing magick. She is causing changes to conform to her will. She is manifesting her intent simply by grounding and centering herself and manifesting it.

We don’t often realize just how something as simple as a thought, or spoken and written words actually manifest our reality. In ancient Egypt, the magi of the time believed writing was sacred, and to write something down was to manifest it. It was prudent that the writer (or speaker for that matter) was careful in their choice of words.

What we say, what we tell ourselves, and what we write has a way of manifesting. I discuss this a great deal in Book of Agares, which is actually an exercise in creating a goal/thought book where anything we write in said book manifests. What is most interesting to me about this is that some people will claim it doesn’t work. And those who have had poor results all have something in common. They’re negative and caught in a trap of negative thinking and negative self-talk. They truly don’t believe in themselves or what they want. They are full of self-doubt and self-criticism.

The key to manifesting positive things involves several things.

1. Being optimistic and positive. I know, the whole power of positive thinking is so over-done in new-age and occult circles, but it wouldn’t have gained such popularity if it didn’t work. Remember one of the foundational precepts of magick. The Law of Attraction. We attract the same energy we put out. Try this simple experiment and see what I mean. Approach someone when you’re angry or annoyed, and watch their reaction to you. Now approach the same person when you’re happy and upbeat. Watch that reaction. Moods are contagious. So if you’re always spouting vitriol, or self pity, or doubt – you attract that into your life in the form of people, situations, and “luck”. However, if you’re positive, upbeat, hopeful, and self-confident — you attract people, situations, and “luck” with the same energy.
2. Being cognizant of the things you tell yourself. Are you constantly thinking that you’re stupid? Not good enough? Do you doubt your ability to do something big due to fear of failure? These random thoughts, thoughts that many of us are so used to because we’ve developed a pattern of self-sabotages, can be subtle. The more aware of them that you are, the more you can reverse the thought. For example, you think about wanting to start your own company producing cool widgets that your family and friends love. But, you think, no one will want the widgets. “My family and friends are just humoring me.” This is an example of the things we tell ourselves that self-sabotage. So next time you have that thought – say to yourself, “I should make a few extra widgets, put them online, and see who’s interested”. This requires you to reprogram your thinking from self-sabotage to self-confidence.
3. Choosing the way you word your goals carefully — especially if you’re writing them down. Let’s say you’ve taken some photos and are entering them in a photography contest. You want to share that you’ve done this on your website. To attract positivity to you, instead of saying something like, “Well, I entered my photos in XX contest and I don’t know if they’re good enough, but what the hell? Cross your fingers for me.” write this: “I entered two of my best photos from the shoot in XX contest. I have a lot of confidence in them, with high hopes the judges will think they’re amazing, too. I’ll keep you posted.” Notice how the second instance shows more confidence and positive thinking. I know the instinct is to be self-depricating and humble, but too much of that can easily lead to self sabotage and “I’m not good enough.” Now privately, in your journal — write: “I entered two of the best photos from the shoot in XX contest. They are really good. The judges will love them.” You might even add, “My photos are award winning.” So what happens if you’re over confident and lose? So what? The path to success is always paved by failures along the way. You pick yourself up, maintain some self confidence, and keep going. Fake it until you make it. Seriously. Keep telling yourself that your photos are award winning, keep studying and trying to perfect your craft or skill, or whatever it is — and it will happen. Your photos will win an award. You will get that job. You will reach your goal.
4. Take some time to pause every day and establish your intent. If you want to get the whole house clean in the morning, close your eyes and say to yourself, “I will get the entire house cleaned by one, and have the rest of the afternoon and evening to do other things.” You may even say the word, “Manifesting” after that.

As you can see, it doesn’t always require magick circles, incantations, and elaborate spell work to manifest our will. It just takes some intentional thinking and living.

What will you manifest today?