Manifesting 101: Your Complete Guide to Waking Up to Your Truth and Getting What You Want

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”

— Carl Jung

Manifesting is so much more than just a buzzword, but what is it really? Well, it’s a fancy term for what we do 24/7/365. We are always manifesting at every moment of the day. Most of us manifest our reality unconsciously, unaware of the thoughts and beliefs that create the repeated situations we find ourselves in. This can lead to perpetual cycles of unhappiness because we didn’t even realize that there is some part of us that chose some of this experience. It’s up to us to dig deep and do the inner shadow work to uncover what those programs might be.

There is no doubt about the fact that we are all interconnected—with each other, with nature, with the cosmos. Any separation we feel from everything around us is a deeply intoxicating illusion. This is thanks to the egoic or conscious mind, mostly concerned with our survival. It tells us that we are separate from our environment for its own preservation. In reality, we live within a complex ecosystem dictated by our habitat and location on this planet, where we come from, the people around us, and so much more.

If you zoom out of this part of your ego-conscious mind and tap into the subconscious realms, you realize there is a vast ocean within you. Your belief systems are stored here, some of which were embedded long before you. From your formation in the womb, you are soaking everything in as the truth like a mop. If your mother had a challenging pregnancy full of hardship and strife, that experience is transferred over to you. You were also born with ancestral memories that live in your DNA, and the bloodline you were born into has its own set of worldviews. Even one step further, we know that energy is neither created nor destroyed. If you believe in reincarnation, you come into this world with past life experiences, ones you may or may not remember.

We can’t control the circumstances we are born into. Some of us have advantages that others don’t, and acknowledging the privileges you were born with is important. Does that mean someone with privilege is more deserving or better than someone who is struggling or less-resourced? Absolutely not. But we have the power to change our circumstances, and the first step is acknowledging where you’re at.

To do that, we must be able to take an objective look at our reality and see where things are working and where things aren’t going so great. This requires mindfulness, a meditation technique where you “become the observer.” You become the person watching your life. Many spiritual traditions around the world have come to understand that this is who we truly are. We are the Observer and not the Observed. 

You are not who you actually think you are.

You are so much more!

You are actually a God/Goddess, the Creator, the Universe. A teeny tiny fractal sliver, but a direct manifestation of pure Divine energy concentrated into a little human. This might make you feel small, but the fact is that within you is the energetic current of the Whole and Everything That Is.

This means that you are the creator of your own reality and you are deserving of everything you dream of.

How does that make you feel in your body? Does it breathe life into your lungs and lift your chest? Or does it make you wince, cower and want to hide? Start with paying attention to how your body reacts to that sentence to understand more about yourself.

When will your dreams come true? The Past Present Future Tarot knows!

The First Step to Manifesting, Awakening To Your Truth

The matrix we live under doesn’t exactly enforce this notion. Society is hellbent on telling you that you’re not enough. This messaging is all over our advertising and the popular media we intake. But this is another intoxicating lie that we’ve all accepted as truth.

It’s in the best interests of the institutions we rely on—government, news, healthcare, corporate America—to keep perpetuating this story. Why? Because it’s easier to control the masses when you strip them of your power. It also makes very loyal consumers, programmed to buy what they’re selling.

The truth is most people are afraid of what they truly want. Boatloads of cash money, that passionate, earth-shattering type of love, and tons of worldly success are common desires. But for most people, it feels too big and too out of reach. So, we unconsciously reject these desires because playing small feels safer. Playing small is our ego-conscious state of mind preserving its survival by “being realistic.” All your ego is concerned with is survival, but if we continue to operate in this frame of mind, it’s very hard to actually thrive.

So, we say and think things like “All wealthy people are morally wrong” or “Men/Women are trash.” Or, we continue to accept situations that feel safe for the worldviews we unconsciously carry. This energetically repels what you actually want and sends radio signals to the Universe saying “No love, money, or success for me! I’m good!”

It’s when we start taking a more empowered approach to our lives when things start to shift. Once you become conscious of the unconscious, you can begin to heal and integrate old wounds, generational traumas, and begin writing a new story. But if you continue to play the victim, you will continue to perpetuate the same cycles. It all comes down to self-awareness.

Becoming a conscious creator of your reality takes a lot of courage and a lot of healing. It requires digging deep into the painful parts of us that we might repress or bury until we don’t feel it anymore. But it’s becoming friends with your shadow that is the golden ticket. Befriend your demons to understand what you truly want. The more you ignore them, the harder they lash out and give you more of what you don’t want. Accepting your darkness as a valid part of you creates a sense of wholeness within. You begin releasing the grip it holds over you. The more of this shadow stuff you can integrate, or give light to, with your conscious mind, the more space you clear for what it is you are actively calling in.

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Step Two to Manifesting: You Better Believe!

The first step to manifesting your dream reality is to believe it is possible. This is why “doing the work” is so necessary. So much of the work—clearing past traumas and making peace with our past—is about removing any blockages to truly believing that what you want is possible. Make space for more of this belief to come online to attract what you’re calling in faster by prioritizing your healing. Once you can access this belief, what you truly in your heart and soul desire is waiting for you to claim it.

Vision, Strategy, Execution—A Foolproof Formula

Okay, once you’ve got the belief part down, it’s time to start getting creative with your imagination. Spend some time in meditation or with your journal, daydreaming about the thing you wish to manifest. Let it come to you when you close your eyes and drop into your heart. What is it? Name it. How would it make you feel once you get it? Pretend you’re an actor preparing for a role and really feeeeeel it, with emotion! Your emotion is the gasoline required to supercharge the dream. Envision yourself and what your life would look like in detail if you had it. Be as specific as possible.

Next, write it down. Your pen is a magic wand able to cast spells—that’s why they call it spelling. Mercury, the planet of communication is associated with Thoth, the Egyptian god of magic. Words and magic go hand in hand! So, if you want to cultivate more power within, write down on a sticky note a daily reminder of your power. If you want to cultivate more self-love, affirm to yourself in your journal all the things you love about yourself.

Over time, these journal entries and written affirmations become a part of your daily existence. When you write down your intentions, you draw them closer to you by spell-ing your way to a new reality. If you are manifesting a new job or a new relationship, write it out as if it’s already happened. You want to make sure you are writing things in “I am” format and present tense to start. If you affirm “I want X” then you will continue to manifest wanting the thing instead of actually having it. Remember, we are always manifesting! So be strategic about your word choice.

The cool thing about how the universe works is that no matter what, it will find a way to deliver your desires to you. You don’t have to focus on the exact step-by-step process of how it will come to you if you truly believe and intend for it to.

Now does that mean you sit back, relax, and do absolutely nothing until it magically appears? Not exactly. Manifesting with the Law of Attraction is complemented by the Law of Action.

Think about it this way: If you were expecting a guest to arrive at some point in the evening, you would probably start preparing your space to make it suitable for them. That might mean dusting the surfaces, doing the dishes, and tidying up the place because you are expecting company. It’s that expectation of the outcome and that deep inner knowing that it will materialize when it’s meant to happen. Your company will show up when circumstances allow for them to, just in the same way your new reality will arrive in divine timing. Sometimes earlier than you expected, other times later, but always when it’s supposed to.

The deeper your trust in divine timing, the wholehearted expectation that it will arrive at some point, and the down-to-your-core inner knowing that you are worthy of your desires, makes you utterly magnetic to it. In the meantime, before it arrives, what do you need to do to prep for the receiving of your divine desire? What kind of person do you have to be to get what you want? Start becoming the type of person who receives it. Existing as if your dream has already manifested is how you meet the universe halfway. Next thing you know, you are living the life you once dreamed of.

Read me: What Is Gratitude and How You Can Use It in Your Life

Keeping The Manifesting Vibes Immaculate

Your ability to manifesting your desires into your sphere of influence is heightened when you exist in a state of peace and joy. Surrendering to the ebbs and flows of the universe without fixating on or attempting to maintain full control will bring you what you want much faster. So, in the meantime, before your desire shows up on your doorstep, drink in and receive as much excitement, love, passion, and happiness right now as you can. This means surrounding yourself with people who uplift and inspire you and speak positively on themselves and others.

Follow your excitement and do things that make you feel good. Put time and energy towards whatever lights you up. Pour into your self-care routines like it’s your job. Create experiences to remember. Remember to maintain strong energetic hygiene by holding strong boundaries. This could mean cutting some toxic people out of your life, saying goodbye to habits that no longer serve you and where you are going, or switching up a part of your identity. Make your highest vibration and excitement your ultimate goal—in whatever way shape or form that needs to happen in the present moment.

It’s also important to remember that we all have bad days and terrible things are going to happen. Duality, the contrast between two opposing forces, is what we are here to learn about. This means accepting that with “the good” comes “the bad.”

This does not mean spiritually bypassing painful experiences in favor of a “love and light” attitude. Ignoring something and pretending it isn’t happening like violence, racism, and sexism isn’t going to get you to where you want to be faster. It all comes back to awareness. Watch how the “bad” experiences trigger certain responses and use that data to understand yourself better. The more you understand yourself and the more awareness you bring to every facet of life, the more integrated and whole we become.

When we manifest from an integrated space that makes room for everything—the good, the bad, and the ugly, we are aligning more and more with who we truly are. Which is Everything.

Supercharge Your Intention

If you really want to add some oomph to your intention, you can create or use magical tools that will add energy to your desire.

Creating sigils is a way to program a certain symbol with an intention and there are plenty of tutorials online for how to make them. Keep your sigil where you can see it, so every time you look at it, you are programming your subconscious with your intention.

You can add magic to the mix by performing manifesting rituals with the moon and aligning with cosmic energy to bring more power to your intention. To do a ritual, perform the following steps: After giving your place a thorough clean, cleansing the air in your space with sacred smoke like incense and give yourself a good chunk of time to be alone. Light a candle and write down on a piece of paper what you wish to manifest. Fold it and leave it under the candle and while the candle is burning, sit with focused intention and send your energy to the candle.

Read me: This Is the Type of Magic That’s Best for Your Zodiac Sign

There are plenty of resources about using candles for magick online, like which colors to use, what herbs or oils to add, etc. You can also charge the working with a crystal that has the properties of the thing you wish to manifest (i.e. rose quartz for love, citrine for money, etc.). Raise your energy by dancing, singing, making love to yourself, or shamanic drumming. The idea is to get into a fully focused trance state, which connects you directly to the divine realms. This is like sending Priority Mail to the universe, because the universe loves when you believe in magic. Work with the waxing moon to harness lunar power towards your intention and work with the waning moon to help clear toxic patterns out of your life. The moon is here to help along your manifesting journey!

If you’re waiting for a sign to begin manifesting, this is it.

Have you ever dreamt something and then it happened IRL? Felt déjà vu? Seen repeating numbers like 11:11, 2:22, 3:33, etc.? Some chalk this up to coincidence, but if everything is an expression of the Divine, nothing is a coincidence and it’s all synchronistic.

A synchronicity is an occurrence that has embedded meaning. For example, if you were thinking about a friend, and they suddenly call you. We exist in a quantum universe, interconnected to everyone and everything. When something happens that catches our attention like this, it tells us we are in alignment with our Higher Self and on the right path. It’s the universe giving us a little wink and a nod, letting you know that magic is all around you.

The real question is: Do you see it?