"All that we are is a result of what we have thought." -Buddha
The idea of manifestation can be triggering. Annoying for some people--too "new age" to be palatable. Downright aggressive for others--how dare we impose our will on the world? Frightening for the rest--requiring change and responsibility. For me, manifestation is unavoidable--an immutable law of the universe. You create what you constantly reinforce. For better or for worse. And if you don't manifest in your own life, someone or something else will be happy to do it for you.
In the Chinese creation myth, the beginning state of existence was emptiness. Before there was anything, there was nothing--the void. This was a state of absolute stillness. Perfect yin. Contained within the void, however, was the information of being--the desire for creation. Perfect yang. Stillness and activity existed together (and have always existed) in a state of unity. This is what is expressed in the classic symbol of yin and yang. Each half contained within other. Each creating the other. The union of opposites.
Manifestation, therefore, is the expression of yang in the universe. It is "becoming," and what it creates is "being"--the expression of yin. These concepts are universal and reflected across all other creation myths. In the Judeo-Christian lineages, God (perfect unity) existed before the universe, and God spoke (yang manifestation) everything into being (yin). God's final creation was man and woman, the united forces of humanity. Man and woman are complements for each other and partners in the future quest of creation. Thus, manifestation is a gift from God that exists in everyone. It is our birthright, our responsibility, and our greatest asset (or liability).
What exactly are the rules governing manifestation, one might ask, and how do we harness its incredible potential?
Rule #1: Intention governs all things, and the lack of intention, is in itself an intention. In other words, if we choose to abandon responsibility, we have made chaos and victimhood our primary intention.
Rule #2: What gets practiced, gets perfected. The habits, thoughts, and actions that have been repeated over and over, eventually becoming solidified.
Rule #3: Identity is a creation of manifestation, but not its end goal. Our intentions govern our thoughts, which shape our actions, which define our habits, which create our identity. A writer is someone who writes. A fighter is someone who fights. We can create a multitude of identities, yet none of them completely capture the unity of existence (nor the potential of manifestation).
Rule #4: Everything that happens is an opportunity for growth. There is no such thing as good and bad. There are only things that we can learn from and those that we resist learning from. This is not the same as moral relativism, which is the abdication of choosing a hierarchy of meaning (which is exactly what we are doing through manifestation.)
Rule #5: Awareness is the key that unlocks the door of manifestation. We cannot change what we do not see.
When attempting to apply these rules, it is important to remember that although manifestation seems like a future orientation, it only exists in the present. The future is graspable only through change in this very moment. The top of the mountain is implicit in the will to take the first step. And then the next one...
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