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How do you get what
you want? It's so easy to think and dream, but how do you translate
those dreams to reality? Why do some people get what they want
easily, and others have such a hard time?
Basics of Manifestation
Manifesting anything
depends upon knowing what you want. Knowing what you want is the
very first thing to resolve for yourself, in the creative process.
This may seem too
obvious, but ask yourself, do you have a clear idea of exactly what
and how you want your life to be? If so, you are probably already
living it, and you can skip this essay! If not, you are not even at
the starting gate. Manifestation is about the ability to create. By
create, we mean being, doing, and/or having something different from
your current reality. If you know what you want, without hesitation
or doubt, and your contemplation of it makes you feel good, then
manifestation is just around the corner.
Discomfort of any
kind when thinking about your desire is a signal that you have
opposing beliefs. In other words, the feeling of discomfort
indicates a contradiction within you. “So what?” you say. “I’ll just
get going and resolve things as I go along.” There are plenty of
people who go about their creative process in this fashion, but
these are usually blokes who have already experienced success. A few
phone calls here or there, and they’re in business. If you’ve never
experienced success and go into action regardless, you’re setting
yourself up for a mixed bag of things that are a match to the
contradictory thoughts and feelings you have regarding it.
In life, you receive
according to what your focus is on, not according to what you want.
This may seem unfair at first, but not after you think about it a
little. When you tune your TV set to channel 8, you get the signal
from channel 8, and not from channel 2. If this were not so, total
chaos would result, and in such a chaotic universe life could not
even get organized enough to exist at all.
In order to
manifest, one's thoughts and beliefs must be precisely aligned to
that which is wanted. Therefore, it is not enough to simply
visualize what you want: it is very important to actually line
yourself up with the goal (See "Aligning Energy" for a more in-depth
discussion). Without this step, you’re just going on hope. A clear
vision and a properly aligned vibration will get you excited, eager,
and ready to get into action!
Obsessing too much
about the goal can also get you into trouble.
The tendency is to
have a desire, then to realize how far away it is from your current
reality. This causes frustration, naturally, because you want it but
don't have it yet! I experienced this acutely in my pathetic
attempts to paint. After two efforts which could only be described
as ‘mud–making,’ I gave it up for good. I was so obsessed with
getting it right the first time that I did not allow myself the
leeway to make any mistakes. Mistakes, of course, are actually
learning opportunities, if you have the smarts to recognize them as
such. Combining two colors that make a dirty brown when orange is
intended is not a failure, but a positive piece of data to add to
your painting database. My obsession with perfection, however, made
it impossible for me to experience any enjoyment at all. I felt like
a failure before I could even get started.
Beginning action
cycles before lining up with the goal leads to a lot of hard work,
because the actions taken are not directed clearly enough. Many
times, these actions center around getting enough money. But this
energy stream is very limited, because the supply of money is
limited. Tapping into this limited energy stream naturally focuses
the creative process into avenues of scarcity and lack. If you have
a big goal, you may also have to involve others in helping you to
obtain it. This can be a lot of fun, but a lot of times you look at
all of the work involved and just say "to hell with it. It's going
to take too much time, money and effort."
Tapping into Creative Energy
But there is another
way, a more effective way, and a way that will be joyful throughout.
What you want to do
is tap into the powerful energy of creation itself. This is the same
energy that keeps the planet orbiting and rotating, keeps the
atmosphere in a perfect balance of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon
dioxide, that keeps everything in the universe in balance. These
forces are practically infinite, and compared to them, the pitiful
amount of energy needed to manifest anything in the earth plane is
not even worth mentioning! When you embark on the creative process,
be certain that the energy of creation is there in abundance to
allow any manifestation you can possibly desire. The only
limitations are your own –– your own limiting thoughts and beliefs.
“Who do you think
you are anyway ––- God? Only God has the power to create!” Well,
that’s just not true.
Consciousness IS
God–force. Consciousness is the creative principle. Because humans
are hidden in ‘bubbles of biology,’ this very important fact is
often overlooked. Knowing that consciousness is a non–physical
creative principle is that it places you at source–point! And it
just happens to be the truth. When you understand yourself in this
way, you experience the joy and the wonder of knowing who you really
are. Tapping into the creative energy of the universe makes you feel
fantastic!
How do you tap into
this creative energy? By creative visualization. By becoming clear
on exactly what it is you want, by imagining yourself already having
it or living it, by feeling what it would be like to have it. When
you feel inspired, the universe will immediately start lining you up
with the people and resources you need, and your actions will
naturally proceed along the path of least resistance. (See " The
Basic Laws of the Universe ")
People resist this
concept because it is so simple, and sounds "airy-fairy", but it is
the only way anything ever comes to you. Many people think that the
only reason anything manifests is through hard work, but nothing
could be further from the truth. Your advertising department can
spend oodles of money on a new promotion, but if the message is not
aligned to the goal, all your work will result in little
improvement.
If you’re not
aligned to the goal, almost all of all of that hard work was wasted
effort. That is why it was hard. 'Hard work' is simply the way many
align their vibration toward the goal! All of that sweating and
struggling is slowly aligning your thoughts, beliefs and feelings
toward what is wanted. However, that is doing it the hard way.
Better to work smart, instead of working hard. Spend a little more
time clarifying your vision and less time in action cycles, and see
what happens.
The point is, you
can align your energy without working hard at all.
Sun Tzu said: "For
to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme
of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of
skill". ... The Grand Duke said: 'He who excels at resolving
difficulties does so before they arise.'" (1)
Although these war
analogies may seem inappropriate to some, I use them to point out
that the idea of creative manifestation has been known and applied
for thousands of years.
Step One is figuring
out what you want.
Step Two is aligning
yourself to that.
This is vital! An
aspiring young actress wrote to me about the Law of Attraction. She
says she wants so badly to land a movie role, but when she
auditions, she always falls short.
Her mindset is one
of hope, but not belief!
How can you tell
when you’ve accomplished steps one and two? When you feel inspired!
A properly aligned
state of being gets you fired up, and eager to get into action. If
you think you are clear on what you want but you don’t feel an inner
joy, then you need to go back to the drawing board. Alignment to the
goal begins your creative process, and hooks you up with the
creative energy of the universe. Before the engine will start, the
carburetor needs to be primed. Creative visualization is the primer
that jump–starts your creative process.
“Well, that’s
entirely naïve,” you say. “You can dream things up in your head, but
that’s not how it goes down in the real world.” Well, such an
attitude already demonstrates a resistance to the goal. With a set
of beliefs like that, you are doomed to failure! You must establish
a properly oriented state of being, aligned to a clear, creative
vision, before success is possible. That vision paves the road ahead
of you, allowing the Law of Attraction to match you up with the
people and resources you need to accomplish the goal. Then the
actions you take are all joyful (no matter how hard you’re working)
and you proceed along the path of least resistance.
The
Belief in Scarcity
The belief that hard
work is the only way to attain something usually comes from some old
belief system which says "I can only be worthy of having something
if I work for it,” or, “It wouldn't be fair for to become prosperous
when so many are lacking." But these sorts of beliefs are just
self–defeating, and self–limiting. Creative energy is in infinite
supply, and you may safely and harmlessly become prosperous without
depriving anyone else. What’s the alternative? More and more lack.
You cannot create abundance for all by staying poor yourself!
“Oh that’s
ridiculous!” you say. “The earth has limited resources, and there’s
only so much to go around.” Well, that has been the dominant
paradigm on our planet for millennia. However, mankind has
manifested economies of scarcity because of the consciousness of
lack, not the other way around. The consciousness of mankind is a
perfect vibrational match to scarcity and our economies, based upon
the use of inefficient, scarce and polluting fossil fuels, reflect
this vibration.
The universal law of
'like attracts like' is so powerful that our fossil fuel economies
could be transformed into economies based on clean energy
technologies that are waiting in the wings. But so many people are
into bashing oil companies and fighting against pollution that the
vibration of clean and abundant energy is not a match to the present
consciousness on planet earth. However, it doesn't have to be that
way!
As Jesus said, 'Ask
and ye shall receive.' The only catch to this is that when you ask,
you must do so from a belief in well–being, not scarcity.
The
Belief in Hard Work
The most inefficient
workers are always those who are working the hardest. The best
workers are the ones who get their tasks done effortlessly. Those
who work effortlessly are those who have completely aligned
themselves to the task at hand. They know exactly what to do and
when to do it and there is no question about it. They are 'in the
zone', and their effort is joyful. The ones who are sweating, on the
contrary, are in a state of disconnect from their tasks. They are
disconnected from themselves as well. That is why they struggle so
much. All of their effort LOOKS good, but is inefficient. Their
energies are not aligned to the task they are attempting.
It's like using a
gigantic fire hose to move a rock off your driveway. The neighbors
are fascinated with the big fire truck and the flashing lights and
the water gushing about. It makes really good entertainment, but all
that was necessary was to pick up the rock and give it a toss.
The
Law of Attraction
Nothing can
manifests for you unless you are ALREADY a vibrational match to it.
That's just the way the universe works. The universe, through the
powerful and infallible Law of Vibration and the Law of 'like
attracts like', matches you up with congruent people, resources, and
situations. So any manifestation is just a by-product of the
alignment of energy within yourself to your goal. I inadvertently
became involved, some time ago, in a dispute between Stan Tenen and
Dan Winter. Stan is a genius and is head of the Meru Foundation. Dan
is a brilliant (and some might say, eccentric) genius. Both of these
guys have diametrically opposite personalities, but share one common
and very strong interest in geometry. Both of them have wasted (in
my opinion) years of their lives and financial resources fighting
each other. It’s really sad to me, because both these guys have so
much to offer to the world. But that’s the way the Law of Attraction
works. Your vibrational orientation will match you up, infallibly,
with those who are the most closely aligned to you.
Why do people work
so hard to get what they want? Well, it’s the manifestation that’s
most important, obviously. Or is it?
It's the alignment
of energy within you that is the true reward, not the manifestation.
This may seem like an absurd statement, because it feels so great to
have the manifestation. I'm not saying it wouldn't be better to
actually be driving that new Ferrari instead of imagining it. Our
young actress would certainly prefer to be acting the part instead
of dreaming about it! However, you can't get the Ferrari, or land
the part, unless you are completely aligned to it. You get what you
get by being a vibrational match to it, for better or for worse.
If you honestly look
over your life to find out how you manifested something you wanted
(or didn't want), you will inevitably find, if you look closely
enough, that you were already aligned, vibrationally, before it
manifested. You can look at all of the Ferrari’s in the showroom.
You can even test drive one. But you can’t drive one home unless
there is a precise vibrational alignment to Ferrari’s. That is why
the aligning of your energy is so important!
Moreover, once you
have consciously applied the law of 'like attracts like' to get
something you want, you know you can do it over and over. Now you
can manifest at will, and stop depending upon "luck" and hard work.
As much as 95% of
the work in manifestation is aligning your vibration to the goal.
The other 5% can be action cycles. Ever wonder how some people can
seemingly just step in to a good situation? I’m reminded of one of
my favorite actresses, Kate Winslet. The Internet Movie Database
tells us that her first big break came at age 17, when she was cast
as an obsessive adolescent in Heavenly Creatures (1994). The film
didn’t do that well but received critical acclaim. Still a relative
unknown, Winslet attended a cattle call audition the next year for
Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility (1995). She made an immediate
impression on the film's star, Emma Thompson, and beat out more than
a hundred other hopefuls for the part of Marianne Dashwood. That
movie was the springboard to an amazingly successful career. Of
course Kate worked at her craft for many years prior to the audition
(she did her first professional gig at age 11, a cereal commercial,
and over the next few years she appeared on stage regularly and
landed a few bit parts in sitcoms), but there are a lot of
struggling actors out there waiting tables. Why was Kate so
successful? “Oh, she’s just so talented.” Well, yeah, of course she
is. But WHY is she so talented? More than likely it’s because she
loves what she does. Because she throws herself into every role.
Because she’s not afraid to let her light shine. Because she’s BEING
the person she wants to be. When you’re lined up like that, doors
open for you and the ‘work’ you’re doing is sheer joy! This is the
origin of 'synchronicity.' It’s magical, but it is also precise and
logical. The universe matches vibration. And it never misses.
Have you ever just
KNOWN something good was coming? That is the alignment of energy I'm
talking about. It can be done deliberately.
The
Prize
The prize is always
a state of beingness. It is never the thing manifested. Why is this?
Because the only reason you want anything in the first place is
because you think it will make you feel good. A car is fun to drive,
but an object does not have the inherent ability to make you feel
good. That is why a rich person can still be miserable. It’s really
exciting to get something new, but the excitement always wears off
after a while. When I was a kid, I’d play with my Christmas toys for
a couple of days and then they’d gather dust in a box. The new
desire is always more important than the stuff you already have!
A state of beingness
is an attitude, an emotion, a feeling, a point of perception. It is
something within you. It is what you are at any moment of Now. It is
the nature of consciousness. It brings inspiration, excitement and
eagerness for life and it motivates joyful action. A state of being
is intrinsic to your very essence, and it can be consciously
created.
The manifestation,
when it occurs, just helps to hold you in a state of beingness, an
attitude of joy.
If you attempt to go
into action before your energy is properly aligned to your goal, you
will struggle. So if you are struggling, unfixate and take another
look at the situation. Don't keep trying new actions in a desperate
attempt to pull it off! All creation is done from a state of
beingness, not action. Action comes after a state of beingness is
attained, if you are smart! A beingness of confusion about what you
want will lead to struggle and hard work. A beingness of complete
clarity about what you want will inevitably lead to effortless and
effective action towards your goal.
Some might object to
a reliance on beingness as opposed to action, because the
difficulties aren't apparent to you when you are just imagining it.
Everything just goes hunk-dory when you dream it up, but that's not
often how it goes down in the 'real world.'
However, if you work
with this process for a while, you will discover that a beingness
aligned energetically to your goal will, when action is taken,
always lead to effective action. 'Work smart, not hard", as one of
my teachers used to say. If you aren’t getting results, stop what
you are doing, go back and find more clarity in your vision. If
there is complete clarity and alignment of energy to your goal, you
will be led inexorably to the most efficient actions necessary for
manifestation. It is inevitable! And need I say that when your
energy is fully aligned to your desire or goal, that you feel great?
If you aren’t having fun, you're not yet completely aligned, and
you’re probably working too hard!
The Value of Action
The third step in
manifestation is, of course, action. If you want to act, you have to
audition. You have to work at your craft. Nevertheless, action is
only effective when accompanied by an alignment of your personal
energies to the goal. How can you tell when you’re aligned? By how
you feel! If you feel fearful, or anxious, or frustrated, you begin
to pave the future with failure. That is why “thinking positively”
is so important! There are very good reasons for this, most of them
beyond the scope of this article, but the main reason is that it
makes you feel good about what you’re doing. And when you feel good
about what you’re doing, you are brighter, more intelligent, and the
actions you perform are more effective.
What actions should
you take? Well, your actions will be different depending upon the
goal in mind. However, you should always follow this rule whenever
possible: Act only when you feel inspired. If you act only when you
feel inspired to do so, your success is guaranteed. Why? Because
when you’re inspired and passionate, you are powerfully connected to
the creative energy of the universe. Have you ever been in the
presence of an inspired and passionate person? Were you not able to
feel his or her intent? Didn’t that person make you want to hop on
that bandwagon?
Inspirational
speakers are so effective because their vibration is so powerful it
entrains the thoughts and emotions of those around them. Such people
find it a lot easier to recruit the people and resources needed to
accomplish their goals.
“Yes, but those
kinds of people are special,” you say. “Ordinary people aren’t
capable of that kind of passion.” Wrong! Inspirational people are
just like you and me! The only difference is that they have a
clearly defined goal and have lined up with that goal. It’s a goal
that gets them out of bed in the morning and fires them up
throughout the day. Anyone can do that! All you have to do is figure
out what you really want in life, and start somewhere, however
small, along that path.
Our aspiring young
actress may start by going to a local play; just soaking up the
atmosphere. Perhaps she’ll go backstage after the performance and
talk to the cast members, asking questions about where to audition.
She might go to the library and read one of her favorite plays, take
it home and pretend she’s on stage, saying her lines. Even if she
can only spend 15 minutes a day at her passion, it will be the
funnest 15 minutes of the day. She’ll begin to look forward to doing
something connected with it each day, and she’ll begin to find more
and more time to do things related to it. Like a snowball rolling
downhill, she’ll start very small, but quickly pick up momentum. The
more you are aligned with your goal, the stronger will be your
intent and your joy. It’s contagious, in a good way.
If you’ve never
experienced this kind of joy, more than likely it’s because you have
never taken the time to go through steps one and two above. If
you’re like me, you might have told yourself, “Oh what’s the use!
There are too many people better than me at everything I want to
do.” Well, that’s a recipe for failure! What you have to understand
is that when you begin to travel the path of your passion, you begin
to find your voice. And when you discover that unique voice within
you, others will respond! They’ll respond because we’re all
connected to each other through the universal field of
consciousness. In other words, when you find yourself, you are able
to communicate effectively to others.
Having said that,
sometimes taking action before you’re lined up can help jar you into
better creating, but this is usually a sign that afterwards you
still need to do some more work clarifying your visualization.
Sometimes just getting off your butt and into a little action can be
a good thing, even if it is ineffective action! It can help to break
up old energy patterns. But remember that the universe will always
answer your vibration, so if your energy is not lined up with your
goal, you’ll encounter roadblocks. This is the most frustrating part
about the creative process, because we THINK we’re aligned, but what
we get is not a match to our intention.
By examining what did manifest, it is possible to identify old
beliefs and feelings and further clarify our visualization.
Don't give up!
Continue the process of aligning your energy and when it feels
better, go into action again and observe the results. When your
energy is fully a vibrational match to your desire, you will feel
it. You will KNOW it. You’ll feel exited and alive and certain of
your own well–being.
Usually, any action taken out of a sense that "it has to be done" is
a sign that you have not aligned your energy clearly enough to your
goal. Under these conditions, you will struggle to a slight or great
degree. Here's an example: I decided to raise my prices in my
contracting work last summer. But I didn't really believe that the
market could support it. So every time I bid a job at the new price,
I never got it. Funny how that works. Because my energy was not
lined up, I continued to attract the clients that were only willing
to pay me at the old rates. It was only after I went back and
removed some of my old beliefs about my self worth and about money
that I was able to bid these jobs comfortably.
The
Creative Process and Life Force
Receiving the
manifestation is, paradoxically, not the purpose of this process, as
we mentioned above. It is the alignment of your energy. The
manifestation is a by-product of the alignment of your energy to it.
It’s the alignment of energy within you that brings about a feeling
of joy.
During the
manifestation process, your desire is causing life force energy to
surge through you. That's the real purpose of any manifestation
process. This can be seen easily enough, for soon after you realize
the goal you have another desire. And another, and another, and
another! If the manifestation were the end result, you would only
need to create once. We would simply create something, and be happy
with it for ever after.
But that doesn't
happen, does it? We always get tired of it after a while, and there
is always that next desire to shoot for. I enjoyed my first house
for a couple of years before I wanted a new one, even though it felt
so good to leave my old apartment building. The tendency for all
living beings is to desire more and more. This is not greed, it is
the desire for more and more life force energy, more and more of the
energy that makes you feel great. People who are greedy are grabbing
for more and more, but they don't understand that the prize is a
state of being. They’re reaching for objects to supply happiness,
and that is wrong–way–forwards.
Desire is life
force, so the more desire there is, the more alive you feel.
Negative emotion occurs when life force is blocked, or distorted.
Sometimes you get yourself crosswise into the stream, and it doesn’t
feel very good. That's why some teachers promote the extinguishing
of desire. Desire, however, isn’t the problem! Desire is the fuel
that makes the train go down the tracks. You can play it safe and
just not start the engine, but then you never go anywhere!
Life force energy,
or prana, or chi, is God–force, the creative energy of the universe.
Tapping into this energy is sheer joy. It is in infinite supply, so
take all you need!
The
Journey is the Reward
If you are
undertaking the creative process just for the manifestation, there
will be a lot of frustration, for you will look at where you are now
and where you want to be, and you’ll see a big chasm. You will say
something like "I don't like this apartment. It sucks. It would feel
a whole lot better if I had a lot of money." That energetic chasm
makes it impossible for a vibrational match, and so you do not
manifest.
When an artist
paints a great painting, she is not complaining the whole time
because the painting is not yet complete! She is throwing herself
into the creative process with verve and gusto, and having a great
time with the work. That is how the creative process should feel. If
you’re complaining a lot, step back and look at why you’re doing
what you’re doing. It may shock you.
The journey is the
reward, and the manifestation is just the reason for the journey!
Because there will always be another journey, and another
manifestation. The process is ongoing, eternal. It never gets done,
that's what eternal means –– continuous creation. So have fun
creating, and receive everything you desire!
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(1) From "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, Samuel Griffiths translation,
Chapter III, (3) & (4)
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