Creative ManiFestival Day 24

As promised, today we are looking more closely at the first two steps in strengthening your manifesting muscles. Today we are looking at the first two steps:

Figure out what you want and articulate your desire.

Use some method of creativity (art, writing) to create a vision of what you want in a tangible format.

STEP #1: Figure out what you want and articulate your desire.

My definition of manifesting is drawing to us that which brings a more fulfilled life…a life where we are actively involved in the art of living and invigoratingly involved in the cycles of giving and receiving in abundance.

I believe that we are constantly manifesting. It took me a long time to belief the metaphysical principles that, on some level, we have created everything in our lives, good and bad, by drawing them to us. I resisted this idea until I was blue in the face, but I now believe in it wholeheartedly.

For me, the secret was realizing that having some undesirable in our lives doesn't mean that we *want* it. It simply means that at some level, our soul needs it to be there. I see two main reasons that our soul desires less-than-desirable circumstances, people, and events to us.

The first is to learn lessons in the most effective way. The Universe can get drastic in the way it teaches us. Think back to some circumstance in your past that seemed unbearable at the time, yet now when you look back, you clearly see its function in your development to becoming who you are right now. This trajectory is true of any challenge we face.

The second reason is to break patterns. More and more research is showing that, on every microcosmic level, like attracts like. An incredible book on the topic of quantum physics and it relevance to laws of attraction in our lives is "The Field: The Secret Force of the Universe" by Lynne McTaggart.

I believe that we attract the people, circumstances, and events that mirror our beliefs, down to the last detail. Consider the metaphor that we are standing in a deep canyon, and the Universe echoes back whatever we say. We say, "I'm stuck, I'm not going anywhere, I'm running into problems at each turn..." the Universe says back to us, "Yes, you are stuck! You are running into problems at every turn..."

On the other hand, if what we are saying is, "Wow, solutions are showing up everywhere! My imagination is richer than ever and things are getting better every day!", the Universe responds: "Yes, right on! Solutions are showing up everywhere and things are getting better every day!"

It's THAT literal.

Continuing to attract the same negative things over and over is a way to make a situation so acute so that it is unavoidable, and this is often the best way to break long-standing patterns. You've heard that it is always darkest before the dawn, and our souls know that.

In "The Artist's Way", Julia Cameron says that one of the most important parts of the practice of Morning Pages (3 longhand pages of journal writing each morning) is that it makes it impossible to ignore what is going wrong…the things that we continue to complain about. By continuing to attract negative circumstances, our souls are helping us process in the same way.

If you can be open to the fact that we are constantly manifesting, it is easy to make the shift to understand that we can learn to manifest CONSCIOUSLY - to manifest what we want!

In order to do this, we must know WHAT it is that we want. Here are a few exercises to use regularly to help strengthen the "know what you want" muscle:

a. If you find your thoughts clouded by what you DON'T want, write down what you don't want on an index card, and then cross it out with a big black marker. Rewrite the statement to reflect what you
DO want. Place the card where you will see it often. It will not only keep your desires in clear sight, it will also remind you to retrain your mind to think about what you DO want, instead of what you DON'T want.

b. Commit to spending time each day imagining what you want. Details are important because they make the vision come alive, and they help you clarify what you want. See the rest of the lessons for ideas of ways to use your creativity to clarify your desire.

c. Keep a running log of your desires, and refer back to them often and update them as necessary. It is perfectly normal for goals and wishes to change as things shift within. Make a note of when and how your desires change so that your vision is accurate and clear.

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STEP #2: Use some method of creativity (art, writing) to create a vision of what you want in a tangible format.

"We are what and where we are because we have first imagined it." -
Donald Curtis

Take a look around the room. Every single thing you see - from the computer to the paint on the walls to the design on your shirt to this very lesson - was first envisioned by someone. Everything that happens must be envisioned first. This applies to all kinds of activities and processes, not just material objects.

We spend a lot of time envisioning what we don't want. We do this every time we worry! Why not transfer that time and energy to envision what we DO want? And, since we are creative people, why not use our creativity to do the envisioning.

Here are some exercises to try, to utilize the gift of your creativity to envision what you want, and make it very, very real:

a. Create an art journal (combining words and art) that reflects your life as if your desire has become your reality. Create a two-page spread at least once a week.

b. Design a handmade invitation to a party that you throw or is thrown for you when you accomplish your desire. What is the occasion? Who will be there? Where will it be held? What will transpire at the party? Create an actual invitation with all the details.

c. Write a daily "to do" list (perhaps illustrated by fun little doodles), as if you were in the middle of a regular day in which your desire has become reality. Take a few minutes and do this every single day.

d. Write e-mails to friends, full of descriptive details, AS IF your goal has already come true (and send the e-mail to yourself, if you like).

e. Write a newspaper article about yourself and how you accomplished your desire. Take picture of yourself, or ask a friend to do so, to accompany the article.

f. Pretend you are being interviewed for a TV or radio show about your experience in accomplishing your desire. This is a great activity when you're driving because you can talk to yourself fairly inconspicuously.

g. Have a "parallel universe" party with a friend. Go out for lunch or coffee and have fun going back and forth talking about how great your lives are, AS IF your desires were your reality.

h. Use your body to create a prayer dance of gratitude for what you will have received. Write a prayer of gratitude for the blessings you will have received when this desire has come to fruition. This is the true definition of faith - saying "thank you" prayers to God or the Universe before actually seeing the manifestation of what you have asked for.

I am sure that you can come up with an infinite number of ways to use art, writing, music, and dance to express your vision of your desire. Have fun with this, and dip into the well of your creativity often!


Material copyrighted by Marney Makridakis of artellawordsandart.com. Used with permission by license.