What is ‘manifestation’, and how does it work?
When the book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne was published, almost two decades back, the law of attraction it spoke about seemed (to some) like a cheap marketing gimmick, intended to lure readers in and increase sales. It spoke about dreams, and the universe making it all happen for you. However, when the book went on to sell 30 million copies, and successful people around the world, the likes of Deepak Chopra, Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, and Ellen DeGeneres started vouching for the technique, scientists decided to take a second look.
Manifestation is bringing something you want into your life, through attraction and belief. Laid out in simple terms, if you think it, you’ll have it. Too simple? It is more than just willpower and optimism, however. Angelina Lombardo, the author of the book Spiritual Entrepreneur says that manifestation is a marriage of thoughts, actions, beliefs and emotions and one needs to live out a number of steps to make the magic happen.
To start off, one must be very clear about their goals- as precise as possible, really. Want a car? Look for pictures of the exact make of the car, the colour, and so on. Go as close as possible to visualise your goal.
Next, throw the wish out to the universe. This could be in the form of prayer, meditation, speaking your intentions out loud, and a vision board or future box, with pictures of all that you want. A popular calculation method making the rounds on TikTok, known as the 369 rule talks about speaking about your dreams out loud 3 times in the morning, 6 times in the afternoon and 9 times at night, for 33 or 45 days. Or, one could simply blow a wish candle.
Finally, co-creation. This obviously means that one would have to work hard to strive towards their goals because more than anything else, manifestation is a ‘collaboration between you and the universe’ to make your dreams come true. Set aside time to think of all the steps towards the attainment of your goals and add them to your routine. For instance, if you wish to change your career path, think of all the ways you can network with the people from that field, and take the time to practice for job interviews, of course believing all the while, that it will happen for you.
The Law of Attraction has roots in religious and philosophical traditions such as Hinduism and Transcendentalism. Simply put, the theory states that people are the drivers of their own success and are responsible for the positive and negative occurrences in their lives.
Since manifesting does involve a lot of action, it may also be wise to think of what your future self may be thinking and emulate those actions. Almost like the cliché ‘Fake it till you make it’, reframing one’s mind can lead to ever-coveted success. Other habits that can help are those that increase your vibration, such as getting enough rest, having a plant-based diet, and practising meditation and gratitude.
The concept of willing one’s goals into existence may have resurged post-Rhonda Byrne’s successful book but it is, in no way, a novel concept. Phineas Quimby, a 19th-century spiritualist spoke about how all thought is energy that reverts back to the one generating it. The Law of Attraction has roots in religious and philosophical traditions such as Hinduism and Transcendentalism. Simply put, the theory states that people are the drivers of their own success and are responsible for the positive and negative occurrences in their lives.
In recent years, and especially during and post-pandemic, philosophy has seen a phenomenal surge in popularity. According to Google, searches for the term ‘manifestation’ peaked in July 2020, right at the peak of the pandemic. The hashtag for the term was tagged more than 8 million times on Instagram and over 25 million times on TikTok. The term has also been popular among celebrities like Swizz Beats and Ariana Grande who spoke about manifesting their dreams into reality.
While the composition of the theory sounds almost fairytale-like, there is science behind the process. The nervous system of our body, consisting of the brain, the spinal cord and the peripheral nervous system are what allows us to think, feel, do and be, as human beings. Therefore, in order to be able to get the theory to work for you, you must think, feel, do and be what you want to manifest. This, perhaps, is also why one might never be able to manifest what they want half-heartedly; it is not a shortcut. Through repeatedly aligning your belief system, actions, feelings, and intentions, the brain creates neural pathways that increase the probability of it materialising. The more one visualises it in their mind, the more they start manifesting. The process is also known as neuroplasticity and is enhanced through practice.
The above process means that one is consciously or unconsciously, constantly aligning their outer world to their internal state, which also perhaps explains why positive thinking is so important. Now that the process is backed by scientific evidence, it may be prudent to start thinking of life’s hurdles as puzzles one must solve in order to make it to the reward, and cultivate a mindset that enjoys challenges than one that gets frustrated by them. And then maybe, just maybe, one day, the universe really will throw our way the very dream we live for.