What is manifesting?

One morning, as I was about to leave the house for my morning walk, I was thinking about the simplicity of manifestation principles and wondering why it isn’t easier for us all to create what we want.

As so often happens, I was guided to listen to a particular audio book that would hold the answer to my quandary.

I have a wealth of manifestation experts that I turn to when I want to figure out the next aspect or find the puzzle piece that I’m missing.

As a female, it’s a joy that there are so many women currently sharing their manifestation processes, theories and inspiring success stories.

Yet I also love some of the older classics, many of which were written by men.

I sometimes wonder if they bring a more masculine approach to the mix which can balance out my tendencies toward more feminine energy.

One such classic male teacher is Neville Goddard.

There are a few of his ideas that I’m still not sure I completely get, but his spiritual approach is a huge comfort when my studies conflict with the religious conditioning of my formative years.

On this occasion, I found myself listening to Seed Time & Harvest and one line in particular provided the answer to my inadvertent prayer for clarity;

“The rules governing the game of life are simple,

but it takes a lifetime of practice to use them wisely.”

As I heard this line, it dawned on me that intentional manifestation - consciously cocreating with life’s invisible forces - is a skill, and like any skill, it takes practice to become good at it.

This is the reason, I believe, that so many of us have mixed results with manifestation principles.

Because even though the theory is simple enough, in practice, ie in the midst of real life, it can be extremely difficult to sustain the right thoughts, feelings, energies and actions long enough to cement them in our psyches, where they go on to automatically create.

It’s one thing to know we need to think more supportive thoughts and feel more high-frequency feelings, but sustaining those energies all day long is a completely different game altogether.

So, I've come to realise that the challenge of mastering intentional manifestation is not merely knowing what to do, but to keep attempting to put those principles into practice, all day long, day after day after day. 

The Art of Creative Manifestation

As Elizabeth Gilbert so insightfully shared in her book Big Magic, the real creative work is done in the midst of the process, in the proverbial trenches of daily life. 

This is why the intentional practice of manifestation can be challenging for those of us raised in mainstream belief systems, because our minds are not conditioned to function in line with our intentions by default, as we go about our lives. 

For many of us, there's work to be done in conditioning our minds so that they begin to support our goals on autopilot, so that we can sustain the appropriate energies all day long. 

But beyond the practical process of establishing more supportive belief systems, a degree of artistry is also involved.

Manifesting is more than a process - it's an art, and a delicate one at that.

It demands a degree of wisdom and skill in striking the perfect balance, ie the one that creates the results we want.

I believe this is because there are so many conflicting forces at play, which results in a great many nuances - those specific conditions when certain aspects overrule others, or the times when we have to choose between conflicting ideas, or get our heads round a mind-bending paradox.

This is why I feel manifestation is a fine art.

The true nature of art is a notoriously difficult concept to define, but to give you an idea of the complexity of this process, some synonyms for artistry are; brilliance, finesse, adeptness, mastery and even genius.

This is some pretty complex and high level stuff!

Although we all manifest our lives and results all day long, the work of intentional cocreation is an advanced practice.

It‘s a refined skill, there’s an art to it.

And this level of sophistication is what we’re dealing with, as we explore the process of manifesting our desired results.

Space, grace and patience

I share this aspect of the process in the hope that it will encourage you, if you find some aspects challenging, or if results and mastery of the process are taking longer than you’d hoped.

I truly hope this idea of approaching it as a fine art - a challenging skill to hone - will comfort you during any times you feel it’s not working, or that you can’t seem to manage it.

In those times, I invite you to liken your progress to that of an art student who is just beginning to learn the basic techniques.

Give yourself some patience and grace if you don’t immediately produce a masterpiece.

Not only will this generosity of spirit make the whole learning and mastering journey more enjoyable, (and kinder to your nervous system and self-image), it will also create space for one of the many paradoxes of this skill:

Self-compassion and lightheartedness are required - even as you try (and sometimes fail) to do a difficult thing.

Embracing these paradoxes and navigating the nuances are, I feel, the real work of manifestion, especially at first.

I believe this is why so many people struggle with the process or give up completely in despair.

And it’s these aspects that I hope to support and guide you through over the next few weeks, as I offer you my collection of the subtle insights that can make a whole world of difference, both to your experience and your results.

Welcome to the Fine Art of Intentional Manifestation.

As well as being a fine art, it's also a creative art - because mastering the artful techniques I'll be sharing will create results - physical, tangible, visible results in the world. 

Your intentions and desires, made manifest. 

It’s going to be a journey that may stretch and challenge you, but it’s one that will give you the tools that could potentially transform your life and free you to be the joyful cocreator you came here to be.

“You were born for this.”

REGAN HILLYER