Everyone has hopes and dreams. You can set goals and work toward them, but how will you know that you’ll achieve them? Adding manifestation into the mix can ensure that you get everything out of life that you want. Manifestation brings your hopes and dreams into reality. So what is it, and why is it so powerful?
What Is Manifestation?
Manifestation is not new. It became popular after the book “The Secret” came out in 2006. The book “The Moses Code” followed in 2008, putting forth a similar concept.
The idea behind manifestation is that everything is made of energy. Humans, inanimate objects, thoughts, feelings, words, and actions all have a particular vibration.
One of the easiest ways to understand manifestation is through the Law of Attraction, which was introduced in “The Secret.” According to the Law of Attraction, like attracts like. Just as similar people tend to hang out together, similar energies are attracted to one another. When you’re vibrating at a certain frequency, you attract similar frequencies.
According to this universal law, if you want to attract something, you have to make your vibration match the frequency of what you desire. The rule applies to anything from money to relationships. But it’s not just about getting things that you want; it’s about bringing you the feeling that you want to have by experiencing those things.
Ultimately, do you really want money, or do you want to feel the freedom of not being a slave to your job? Money won’t buy you happiness, but it can help you:
- Feel abundant
- Be free of anxiety surrounding a paycheck
- Be able to purchase the things that you need and want without guilt or worry
- Enjoy quality time with your loved ones more
Therefore, the power of manifestation is tied to your emotions. How does manifesting what you want make you feel? Focusing on those feelings instead of the object of your desire is one way to manifest powerfully.
Some of the qualities and concepts that you must embrace to use the power of manifestation include:
- Getting in touch with what you truly want
- Facing your shadow desires
- Being able to embody the feeling of having what you want
- Offering gratitude for what the universe gives or shows you
- Trusting in divine timing
What Do You Truly Want?
When you focus while harnessing the power of manifestation, you can get anything that you want. Yet you hear so many people talk about how manifestation doesn’t work for them. They put all of their efforts into wishing for something to come true and never see it come to fruition. What’s going on?
Because the power of manifestation is so reliable, you’re always manifesting what you want. It’s just that most people don’t know what they want.
If someone asked you right now, “What does your soul deeply want in this life?” How would you answer? Sometimes, it’s easy to spout of material desires, such as a million dollars. Most people say that they want health and happiness.
But what do those concepts really mean to you? If you want to manifest powerfully, you have to be able to envision what it means to be abundant, healthy and happy. The meanings behind these ideas differ for everyone. For one person, happiness might mean having the love and security of a spouse and children. For someone else, it might mean traveling the world and making personal connections without committing to a romantic relationship.
It’s easy to want material things. You know how to wish for that type of “stuff.” It’s harder to know what you truly want and to accept it when it appears to you.
If you have had trouble manifesting, the things that you wish for may not be what you truly want. Therefore, you’re not bringing them into reality. If your subconscious desires don’t line up with what your conscious mind tells you that you want, then you won’t create the alignment that you need to draw in your soul’s wishes.
When you’re confused about what you want, the universe knows that you’re not ready to receive and appreciate what you truly need. Therefore, it’s essential to connect with your true desires.
Connecting to desire isn’t an overnight affair. It’s also an act of courage. We don’t always want to admit what we really want and need. Many times, what we long for isn’t something that society, our parents, our friends or our partners find appropriate. We mold ourselves into what our culture tells us we should be by wanting the things that we’re taught to desire.
The idea that humans are malleable when it comes to what they want is exactly how marketing works. When a company wants you to buy something, they know how to speak in a way that makes you think that you want their product. Your conscious mind can do the same thing. Your “monkey mind,” the one that chatters to you all day long, may tell you over and over that you want something specific just to block the genuine desire that lies in your soul.
If you don’t take time to connect with your deeper self, you’ll believe what your monkey mind tells you. Here are some limiting beliefs that could be holding you back from connecting with your desires:
- I can’t change the way I feel
- Loving someone is unsafe
- Working hard makes me worthy
- I need money to feel happy
- I’m not talented or creative
- Work comes first; enjoyment comes when the work is done
These are some pervasive beliefs in our culture. Stop for a moment. Do you tell yourself any of these things? Are they truths, or are they pieces of programming that you’ve picked up from your experiences?
Truth is the most powerful part of manifestation. You can’t manifest something that you don’t truly want or don’t actually believe in.
Do You Sabotage Your Desires?
Looking at what you truly want can be terrifying. It’s so scary that people often sabotage themselves to avoid getting the thing that they’re trying to manifest.
Some ways that people undermine their deep desires are:
- You settle for the next best thing instead of the thing that you really wanted.
- You’re motivated to go after your dreams, but you stop just before you achieve them.
- You don’t give something your all so that you have no choice but to fail.
- You tell yourself that you’re not good enough, and you block the satisfaction of completing a project because you’re being a perfectionist.
- You lose interest in your dreams quickly and move onto the next shiny object.
If you find yourself doing these things, bring some awareness to the situation. Start noticing if you’re buying practical things when you really want something luxurious. Observe when you’re not putting in all of your effort to avoid making big waves.
Do you fail to finish everything that you start? Perhaps you’re working hard, but you never seem to get anywhere. You’re spreading your energy thin instead of putting it into the things that you genuinely want.
Your Dark Desires
In most cases, we are programmed to believe things like this. Our true desires might be much darker and less “appropriate” than what we’re taught to want.
Most people develop strong judgments surrounding their desires. They might believe that it’s wrong to want some of the things that they do. If you agree with the statement, “Money is the root of all evil,” for example, you might have trouble being comfortable with the idea that you truly want to be rolling in the dough. You might feel a lot of guilt come up when trying to manifest money. You need to accept your dark desires as part of you so that you can manifest them.
Some people call your shadow self the place where all of your secret desires hide. Your shadow self is the one that you’re told to pack away. Don’t show it to anyone—it contains things that are too ugly to reveal in public. Your shadow is home to the thoughts and impulses that you dislike.
When we undermine our shadow in this way, we are limiting our possibilities. We are telling ourselves that something that lives within us is unwelcome. When we do this, we are making part of ourselves invisible. We can never live in our wholeness if we don’t welcome our shadow desires and truths.
If we don’t accept our entire selves, we won’t vibrate at the high frequency that is required to attract what we want. That’s because when we don’t live in our wholeness, our energy doesn’t vibrate with its full potential.
Emotions are energy in motion. If you’re preventing some of your feelings to flow, you’re not letting your energy go out into the universe to manifest what you want.
Accepting your shadow side isn’t always easy. It may require you to acknowledge beliefs that you think are dishonorable or improper. But the universe doesn’t judge. Once you allow yourself to embrace every aspect of who you are, you will free yourself to be able to manifest powerfully.
How Your Shadow Self Influences the Law of Attraction
Failing to face your shadow self can interfere with manifesting in the following ways:
It Can Bring Up the Same Problems Repeatedly
You can’t use magic to avoid your problems. If you are suffering, you must look at those lessons before you can move forward.
Unfortunately, many people try to stuff their issues away without looking at them. Suggestions to “look at the positive side of life” or “be optimistic” may encourage people to avoid accepting their shadow.
You might even worry that if you embrace your shadow self, you will manifest the wrong things. Here are some examples of a shadow side that you might be afraid to accept:
- You want money, but you love the thrill of living from paycheck to paycheck.
- You want to fall in love, but you secretly love the freedom of being uncommitted.
- You want close friends, but part of you loves indulging in yourself without worrying about pleasing others.
If you don’t look at those aspects of yourself, they will stick with you. You’ll keep suffering in similar ways until you learn the lessons that the universe is throwing your way.
It Can Stop You from Moving Through Fear
Fear is a powerful emotion. It’s important. Fear allows all animals, including humans, to generate a survival mechanism in response to threats. Sometimes, we truly are in danger. In those instances, our fear allows us to run to safety or fight to stay alive.
However, in modern society, most of our fear comes from perceived threats. Much of what we’re afraid of won’t hurt us. For example, when we can’t pay our bills, we experience anxiety even though our lives aren’t in danger.
In fact, any time that our comfort is threatened, our central nervous system undergoes the same fear response that it would if our survival were at stake. Facing our shadow self is uncomfortable. Therefore, many of us stop before we really look at ourselves deeply. It just feels too hard.
When you’re too afraid to look at your shadow self, what else are you afraid of? You might be fearful of the very things that you’re manifesting. The anxiety that comes up when you think about large sums of money or being intimately connected with a partner can prevent you from manifesting your desires.
Learning to look at your shadow self involves taking inventory of your fears. It allows you to practice moving through the discomfort. As you work with your shadow self, you’ll get better at pushing past fear in real-life applications too. Doing this will help you manifest those big dreams.
Is it Serving Me?
Another aspect that affects your ability to manifest powerfully is your willingness to allow. You must be open to receiving what’s best for you and the universe. Sometimes, what you think that you want won’t really serve you.
Imagine that you want to get a job at a specific company. You’ve been consuming yourself with researching this company. You’re so focused on working for this business that you turn down other lucrative job offers. However, those other offers might be the universe putting exactly what you need in your path.
You might think that you are ideally suited for a certain job at a specific company. But maybe that wouldn’t be the best use of your skills. Perhaps that opportunity would be so demanding that you would be totally stressed out if you got that job. Therefore, the universe isn’t making it an option for you.
Here’s the thing—the universe will only give you what serves you. Sometimes, that may even look like a hardship. Negative situations are often lessons in disguise. You must make it through them to be ready to open up to what you truly want.
Manifestation is Specific
Let me tell you a story. I had a friend who was seeking a deep, connected relationship. She wanted to manifest the perfect man.
She knew what she wanted, and she wrote a list of all of the attributes of her potential partner. Because she was familiar with the power of manifestation, she knew that she had to be specific. She jotted down everything that she could possibly think of.
Then, she met a man in her yoga class. He was kind, gentle and curious. He was also interested in her.
He even checked off every box on her list. There was only one quality that he had that she didn’t want. He was 25 years older than her. She had forgotten to write down the age range of her ideal partner.
This story illustrates how powerful manifestation can be. The universe is specific.
Asking for Signs
Manifesting signs is one way to apply the Law of Attraction. You can ask the universe to give you a sign that you’re on the right track or making the right decision. When you do this, you show the universe that you are putting trust in its power. You demonstrate that you’re willing to collaborate, which illustrates that you’re also open to receiving.
Here’s an example in which you could ask the universe for a sign. Perhaps you’ve manifested your dream job. The only problem is that the offer is from a company that you’re not so sure about joining. You can ask the universe for a sign that you should say yes.
To do that, select a sign. Don’t overthink this. Pinpoint the first thing that comes to your mind. If you close your eyes and see a blue flower, choose that as the sign. You might think of something completely random, like a song title or a strange object. That’s ok.
Demonstrate that you trust the universe by sending out a prayer. You might say something like, “I’m so thankful that you can give me clarity. I trust that you’ll show me my sign if I’m on the right path.”
Once you do that, let go of any obsession with the sign. If you’re a strong manifestor and you fixate on the sign, you’ll probably manifest it. However, at that point, it won’t be associated with its meaning anymore. It will just show up because you focused on it.
Instead of concentrating on the sign, draw your attention to how you’ll feel when you see it. Surrender to receiving guidance from the universe. Trust that you shouldn’t second-guess whatever support you get.
If you don’t see the sign, your ego might tell you that it’s all a mistake. Maybe you asked for the wrong sign. Perhaps you’re not a strong manifestor. You might even try to make the sign appear to give you confirmation that you’re on the right path.
The fact is that you just might not be on the right path. If you don’t see a sign, then the universe is trying to tell you something important. Listen.
How can you tell when you’ve received your sign? If you’re moving in the right direction, your sign will be perfectly clear. If it’s not, you need to reconnect with your desires, your shadow and yourself.
You might need to center yourself again. Meditating can help. Clear some physical and mental space. Distract yourself with something that you’re passionate about. Stop fixating on the situation or the sign.
Sometimes, you see the sign, but you’re not connected to it. If that happens or your sign is unclear, then something is not aligned. Ground and center yourself before returning to your manifestation practice. When you manifest from an aligned place, you’ll receive clear guidance.
Signs That You’re Manifesting Powerfully
Most experts generally agree that the following signs can indicate that manifestation is working for you:
- Lucky coincidences – When everything feels like it’s in harmony and synchronicities are happening in your life, the law of attraction is working.
- People call or message you when you think about them – Manifestation is all about your thoughts turning into reality. If people contact you when you think about them, it’s a sign that you can transform your thoughts into things that you want.
- Seeing repeating numbers – If you see repeating numbers on clocks, receipts, bills, license plates and other objects, the universe is sending you a signal that you’re on the right track.
- Finding money – A surprise windfall can confirm that you’re abundant. Taking time to send some appreciation for the gift shows the universe that you’re open to receiving more.
- Musical coincidences – When your favorite song comes on or the lyrics to a song on the radio speak to your situation, you can be confident that your vibration is calling in what you desire.
- Symbols – You might have a symbol that’s important to you, such as a red scarf or owls. When you see personal symbols, the universe is trying to tell you that it’s listening to you.
- Animals in your path – You might think that a black cat crossing your path is bad luck. Whenever an animal connects with you or blocks your way, it means something. If you’re attracting animals, your vibration is high.
- Physical sensations – Don’t discount words in your head or ringing in your ears as just your imagination. You might be tuning into frequencies from other planes, and they’re speaking to you.
- Rainbows – If you spot a rainbow, magic is happening. The universe wants to show it to you.
Powerful Manifestation Techniques
There are a variety of techniques that you can use to boost your manifesting power. These help you stay focused and deliver your intention to the universe as well as allow yourself to receive the abundance that you’re due.
Visualization
If you have ever daydreamed, then you already know one of the steps for being a powerful manifestor. Visualize what you want. Include every detail, including the way that you feel. Immerse yourself in the experience.
Using visualization allows you to energetically express the emotions that you will feel when you get what you want. You’ll raise your vibration and attract the focus of your desire.
Affirmations
Affirmations are statements made in the present tense that confirm your manifestation. Some examples of affirmations include:
- My life gets better every day.
- I am ready to live my dreams.
- I am abundant in every area of my life.
- What I am looking for is looking for me.
- It’s ok to have what I want.
- I believe in myself.
Scripting
Scripting is similar to visualizing, but it involves writing the story of what you want to happen. Write it as though it has already occurred. Be creative. Use all of your senses to tell the tale of what you’re doing, who you’re with and how you feel as you get the object of your desire.
Writing uses different neurological pathways than visualizing or thinking about something. Therefore, it’s another method of “tricking” your brain into believing that you already have what you want. Doing this will raise your vibration so that you attract what you’re seeking.
Action
You aren’t going to get what you want just by thinking about it. That’s a myth that many people associate with manifestation.
If you have to work for something, isn’t manifestation just decisive action that follows a clear intention? Is it really about vibrations and frequency, or is it just about persistence?
It takes focus and action to manifest what you want. Action without desire or acknowledgment of your truth won’t necessarily get you what you desire. But wishing and hoping isn’t going to help you manifest either. Keeping your vibration in alignment with your desires enables you to take the right actions so that life feels smoother and more efficient.
Gratitude
Feeling gratitude is the step that many people neglect when they’re trying to manifest. Without appreciation, your brain can’t distinguish that you’ve received something. Therefore, practicing gratitude before you get the object of your manifestation sends the universe the vibration that you’ve already received it. Then, whatever you want falls into your lap.