Manifesting

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Take-aways:

• Manifestation and the Law of Attraction sound like snake-oil lies, but aren’t.
• Thoughts do not directly change the world, but thoughts change the thinker and thinkers change the world.
• Positive thinking leads to solution-oriented minds.
• Manifestation practice leads to deeper understanding of desires and how to satisfy them.

Manifesting and Goals

Another excellent form of mantra is the practice of manifesting. This deserves its own chapter and, in fact, has been addressed as the single topic in many books and at least one movie: The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne (She also has a book of the same name).

Manifesting, simply put, is the idea that thoughts influence the world and that positive thoughts such as "money is coming my way" can physically change the world to bring money into one’s hands.

This is based on the "Law of Attraction" which is addressed in depth in Rhonda Byrne’s book and movie and many other books that a quick internet search will turn up.

Many scientists and skeptics have pointed out that the claims made by Byrne and others are impossible to test and fly in the face of basic scientific principles. I agree with the skeptics BUT believe in the value of manifesting nonetheless. First let’s address the problems:

Manifesting is often presented in a misleading way at best and at worst it is greased hair, bleached teeth, gold ring, snake oil, hucksterism.

Sitting on your bum and thinking skinny thoughts won’t lose you any weight. Thinking about the laundry being put away won’t make it disappear.

Here is what manifesting does accomplish.

Manifesting serves two functions. It attunes the manifester to his or her desire and, if performed properly, leads to greater self-knowledge and means of achieving a deeper desire.

Here is what I mean by "attunes the manifester to his or her desire". By focusing positively on the goal, the manifester molds his mind into a solution-oriented perspective and away from an obstacle-oriented perspective characterized by negative thought.

To be less abstract, here’s an example: It is common to use a mantra such as "money is coming into my life" in an attempt to attract wealth. Fine. This will attune the manifester to monetary issues, making them more conscious of ways to make money, save money, and reduce frivolous spending that was previously beneath notice. Contrast this with a negative attitude: "I’m poor and I always will be so what does it matter if I buy a gossip mag and a candy bar while waiting in the checkout aisle?"

The second, and far more important, function served by manifesting is acquisition of greater self-knowledge. It’s okay to think "money is coming my way", but everyone wants money and most of us want it for different reasons.

Once a goal such as a desire for more money is identified, you should ask yourself, "Why is this goal important to me?" Money is a means and not an end. Losing weight, believe it or not, is a means and not an end. Even falling in love is (sometimes) a means and not an end.

What are the deeper desires behind these goals? What will you do with more money? What will you achieve by seeing a smaller number on the bathroom scale? What is missing from your life that will be filled by a loving partner?

Is it really financial anxiety or a terrible job that you want to get rid of? Ultimately, isn’t your desire to banish your negative self-image? Do you have a hard time loving and accepting yourself alone?

If you’re frustrated because, for example, you feel unattractive, get to the root. What do you think ugliness prevents you from achieving or acquiring? Are there other ways to manifest these things in your life?

Here is a worthwhile excerpt from minimalist blog

Letting Go of Desires

We all have desires – it’s part of the human condition.

We want to be loved, to have friends, to experience joy, to have security.

But a desire for things is not as natural as we’re often led to believe. Sure, we all have desires for things: nice cars, nice clothes, nice houses, cool computers and iPhones, beautiful furniture and notebooks and shoes and jewelry and bags and bikes and on and on.

But these desires are manufactured in us, by advertising and marketing. They play on our natural instincts: for hoarding (security), for the pleasures of food and drugs and sex (desire for joy), for fitting in with clothes and bikes and gadgets (desire for friends), and so on.

Desires like these lead to all kinds of problems — in fact, all the problems of modern society. They are rooted in the immense power of corporations in our society, and their drive for massive profits. Problems result that include obesity and related diseases, massive consumer debt, shallow consumerism, overwork (to make money for all these things), lack of true human connection, and more.

And while desires are perfectly natural and unavoidable, if we can learn to let go of the manufactured desires, we’ll start to free ourselves from the chains of consumerism.

Start to become aware of these desires – recognize their signs in you. Pause before acting on them. Take deep breaths, go for a walk, get some perspective. You don’t really need more things, and buying is not the answer. Make do without and find happiness without more stuff.

Let the desire go, and feel the lightness, the freedom. Become liberated from desires, one at a time (not forever, but for the moment). You’ll love it.

Along with a little self analysis, manifestation leads to knowledge of a deeper desire. Many issues can be solved by money, weight loss usually brings diverse health benefits, and love has innumerable positive consequences, but pursuing these goals should not be done to the exclusion of opportunities for addressing the deeper desires more directly.

There are many ways to improve a hated job. Financial anxiety, and every anxiety really, is rooted in the mind, not the external world (A hard pill to swallow, I know). A positive self image is likewise a mental, not physical issue. Finally, self-acceptance, tragically, cannot be gained from any external source.

Positive thoughts through manifesting, however, can open the mind to opportunities for improvement in these and other areas. It can also lead to an understanding of root desires that can be addressed with multi-pronged, rather than narrowly focused attacks.

Tips:

Get a book on manifesting. Think about the ways it can be beneficial even if you are a skeptic. Start practicing the Law of Attraction.

I addressed three specific goals repeatedly in this chapter, but manifesting is beneficial for any and all goals you may have.