Believing for Receiving
Why manifestation happens on a deeper level than just "thinking about what you want".
Our personal realities are determined by more than just what we "think we want". Manifestation- or something theoretical becoming real- happens at a deeper level than conscious thought. The subconscious beliefs and feelings we habitually hold onto regarding ourselves and the world around us actually play a critical role in what we are able to create and attract in our lived experience.
In addition to controlling our automatic behaviors such as breathing and blood circulation, the subconscious is made up of our uniquely "programmed" thought patterns and emotional states, which become our default, memorized, and easily accessed blueprint for existing in the world. These subconscious beliefs guide the conscious actions, thoughts and feelings which determine our outcomes. When we try to manifest new results using just our concious thoughts, the result will be temporary if the subconscious beliefs and feeling states (programming) still correspond to the old outcome.
In our minds we hold the keys to successful manifestation, but also the obstacles that block us from what we truly desire. We might not even have an idea of what we really want, because we subconsciously believe that anything outside what we already see doesn't exist. The subconscious programming and memorized emotional states that determine these beliefs are formed by our past experiences and are deeply embedded in our bodies through repeated use of these neural and chemical pathways. These patterns are repeated and deepened because at one time, our conscious minds learned or mirrored these patterns from an external source, found these thoughts and feelings to be useful, formed them to prevent us from doing something that triggered a potentially painful experience (criticism, failure, rejection, danger, physical harm, etc.) or were a result of a traumatic experience. When we are able to identify these subconscious patterns that are blocking us from having what we want, then we can begin to overwrite the old programming by forming new, more helpful beliefs and practicing new ways of thinking, feeling and behaving that are aligned with the outcomes we desire.
For example, there was little girl loved to write in school, but a teacher once gave her a low mark and harsh criticism on a paper because her writing was too imaginative for the assignment. This experience caused her to feel pain and shame and think about how her creativity failed her. Her subconscious mind formed the belief that using her imagination and creativity was something that would lead to the uncomfortable emotional pattern of pain and failure. This subconscious belief kept her from pursuing creative writing as a career for years even though it was something she loved to do. As an adult, in order to believe it is possible to be a successful writer, the belief and associated emotions around creative writing leading to pain and failure must be un-programmed and replaced with a new, more helpful pattern around using creativity.
A common block when manifesting is the subconscious belief that making changes will lead to a loss of an identity, even if the identity is not the one we want. One reason why many people who are obese struggle to maintain weight loss is that actually losing the weight threatens the identity and self-image they have of themselves- which is that of someone who is overweight. The mind (ego) will do anything in its power to maintain a stable identity, even if that means encouraging actions that lead to a self-sabotage of their effort to shed the excess weight. The mind does this from a place of "positive intent", or with the intention that these actions are keeping that person safe. In reality, they stay stuck. That external reality can't change until the programming of the self-image has changed.
Re-programming unhelpful beliefs and emotional states in order to sense what we truly desire and make space for what we are manifesting requires practice, awareness, and trust. The practice, however, is a fruitful one. Start out by noticing the feeling states and thought patterns you experience on a moment to moment basis. Which ones are helping you and which are blocking you? Are your reactions and actions automatic, or do you choose them? What do you believe to be true about yourself and the world? Are those beliefs helping you get where you want to go or are they blocking you from what you truly desire? The more we are able to tune our awareness into how our programming determines our results, the stronger our manifestation muscle will grow. By observing our beliefs, emotional patterns and current results, we can begin to do the work that opens up all the possibilities to receive.
More on this to come.