Everyday Manifestation

One — Self-Knowledge

Two — Self-Acceptance

Three — Self-Creation

As 2019 comes to a close, I want to talk a bit about the concept of manifestation and what it means in the context of my own experience. Manifestation here, is understood as the process of bringing into our physical lives that which we desire internally. Therefore, to manifest what you ‘truly’ desire, requires thorough self-examination, as without this probing and seeking of reasons for what you desire, we manifest unconsciously things and events that we may desire on the surface but not if we dived a little deeper.

We are constantly manifesting and attracting certain experiences based upon the assumptions we make about life; the mental perceptions we have embodied, usually intimately intertwined with some form of ingrained emotional trauma. The beliefs we embody about what we are, what we see as our purpose/what we want to achieve and what the universe is, fundamentally colour our perceptions and therefore the experiences we encounter. Certain pockets of people throughout history have cultivated within themselves and attempted to share the insight with the people around them, that as human beings, we have the innate ability to detach ourselves from identifying with these beliefs and consequent behavioural patterns, and therefore, are able to sculpt them in any way we truly desire. Instead of identifying solely with these limited perceptions, identification of self is replaced with ‘pure awareness’ — it may be termed in a multitude of ways, as this is referring to something beyond rationality, something beyond words and concepts, so to believe you understand it truly by the word used is to miss it.

Firstly, how can one come to know oneself, in their entirety? This is the first real step, and yet it is an ongoing process that will more than likely keep revealing novelty until the day you die. This is because I believe we are truly unlimited. There are archetypal patterns in human psychology that are responsible for the mind’s manifestations, but these manifestations, will be infinitely varied due to the innumerable possibilities of contextual input. The primary way of coming to know oneself is through introspection; knowing your own internal makeup, which is a reflection of the outer world, yet immediately accessible to us if we probe within. I believe this introspective analysis to be preliminary, due to the metamorphosis of perception that can occur with introspective practices alone. When sole identification with thoughts, feelings and sensations is ceased, and a more expansive understanding of oneself is understood, one can then look out into the world with this expanded awareness and gain more insight. We can study nature, it’s principles that are mirrored in us and we can study people, their beauty, their pathologies and trauma that is often mirrored in us also, or we can at least empathise with the understanding that we could be there had we had the same life experiences.

When a space is reached, beyond rational thought, beyond the need to separate into neat concepts, which ultimately do not capture the essence of things, we see that boundaries between seeming separate ‘things’ is very much a creation of this reasoning capacity, and that in actuality there is a lot of fluidity to life. We require the trees to breathe, we require everything in our environment to be almost exactly as it is to exist, we require pain to know bliss, we require death to know life, we require suffering to know joy, we require lack to know unbounded love. Everything is actually very harmonious, despite how it may seem it certain levels of perception, and beyond thinking about the world, it is all one unified process. If this is true, then your self-identification can be unbounded. This may be interpreted as inflating the ego infinitely in a negative respect, so that everything is there to serve you, but it is all down to your own choice. I choose to let this empower me to embody compassion. To share, to give to others and to help in any way I can, because to me, true joy stems from selfless service.

The next integral part of the process, after coming to know oneself to some extent, is to accept oneself. To realise, that every human being, has animalistic or hedonist drives which are foundational and are based on principles of survival and lack, as well as desires to be connected to something beyond ourselves, to be loved, to understand the greater mysteries of life and to be creative in an expanded sense. One of the most important parts of this process is to learn to no longer judge yourself, or others, as this blocks us from fulfilling our unlimited potential, and instead, seek to understand, to listen, and support. Some people may find this easier to do with other people and struggle to extend this compassion to themselves, whereas others may find it easier to not judge themselves yet be highly judgemental of other people and their actions. The task is to be able to work with removing this judgement from both elements and instead installing a program of acceptance, as it is from this place of acceptance that growth can occur. Through examination and acceptance of ourselves and nature, we may find the abundance of creativity that we can see manifested in the few natural habitats that have survived significant human alteration.

For me, creativity is a natural principle, which can be embodied to a greater extent if we are able to alter our preconditioned beliefs. We all have a unique capacity to create, creating has positive impacts on our mental health and ultimately gives us a sense of purpose. Creation can be in the form of expression, in any form, of emotions and thoughts, or it could be in the form of creating yourself in your highest form. For this latter process, the metaphor I find most useful is that of sowing seeds, as our egos, or individual identities are ultimately composed of what we do in the world; we are a product of our everyday habits and what will be seen is how well we can express our internal environment into the external world. Without this understanding, we are likely to become more dissatisfied and demotivated, if we wish to manifest a new way of being, yet do not ‘sow the seeds’ on a day to day basis that correspond to this potential.

The ‘sowing of seeds’ is a process of actually manifesting the vision of your future self, in the present. We have to carefully select the ‘seeds’, which are essentially habits or behaviours that we are to programme or ‘sow’ into our subconscious. This is something that happens to us throughout our lives, ordinarily by external sources, however, here, we are consciously sowing our own seeds, deciding our own fate, manifesting what we truly desire to be. The magic only occurs through willpower however, there is no easier way about it and especially if we think about it too much, it can seem impossible to exercise this will. The first steps, knowing oneself, they require contemplation and mental enquiry, to truly ask yourself, what you are, accept parts of yourself that you may not be proud of, what you fear, and what you want to do in this life. However, if too much thought is applied to this second and most integral stage, then it will not work. Thought or expectation can block the action. We must act and commit to the new behaviour before even stopping to think about doing it. This is by no means an easy task and as a habit in itself, takes work and will be slow to build, but it is analogous to a muscle, as all habit building is, with consistency and patience, it grows. From my own experience, it massively helps to choose ‘seeds’ or habits, that are going to reinforce each other and promote the creation of space in the body and mind, something that is required to truly detach from preconditioned habitual patterns. You must ask yourself, and choose ones which fit well with your unique innate talents and abilities; it is ultimately a process of experimentation.

I see some utility in explaining next, the habits I have selected from my own experience of experimentation in this domain. Hopefully you will see how they reinforce each other and can take from it whatever is useful for you. By all means take inspiration from them, but are they are unique to the innate qualities I deem myself to have, and I wholeheartedly believe each person has their own unique qualities to draw from.

Emersion in Nature

This for me, is the habit that all else is built upon because emersion in nature allows me to observe the patterns and tendencies of nature. We live in such a manufactured world, a world of concepts, and wonder why we feel such a tremendous lack of fulfilment. We are missing our home — the environment we have evolved for billions of years in. Nature tells us so much about how we can live if we allow it to. The way to allow it to, is to not be overly rational in our examination, but instead, cultivate a level of symbolic comprehension. This is essentially what we utilise when we use metaphors, the part of us that conjured the myths and legends of our ancestors, and we unconsciously use this function of our brain in dreams and fantasies. For example, coming to know God through symbolic comprehension, would be to understand that God is inherently beyond rational conception, and therefore any particular instantiations of God, words, parts of creation, etc, only point toward God, but nevertheless have God within them. Similarly, with nature as a whole, which could be synonymous with God, we can learn about this phenomenon which is so totally beyond rational conception, through its parts, if we develop this way of viewing it.

This is illustrated effectively in Ancient Chinese Daoist thought as Alan Watts described it. ‘Li’ represents nature in its entirety, in its unadulterated form, and ‘Tsu’ represents nature as written down or measured in some way. When we apply our limited rationality to nature without understanding that these faculties of the human cannot fully encapsulate it in its entirety, we miss it. However, when we empty ourselves, allow sensations and thoughts to rise and fall away, without being internally stirred, we can be nourished by an awareness of what we truly are; what nature truly is. Something beyond label or conception, a divine pattern of immense complexity. We realise that what nature or the universe as a whole is, is playful. It is a creative process. It is a play of energy, of form, sound and colour. Nature is poetry or art, of divine proportions and it is also, constant change, adaptation and evolution; a reminder that we are not destined to be stagnant, and our not bound by past experiences, or even present situations, we can always change. What this translates to, in practice, is getting outside into natural spaces, connecting with beautiful landscapes, plants, animals, people and myself on a deeper level. I think, seated meditation practice also falls into this category, due to our body and mind literally being a manifestation of nature, even though it may feel as if it is entirely separate.

Attitude of Gratitude

Cultivating gratitude is such an immensely powerful practice to change the way you perceive, from a state of lack in the present moment, to a state of abundance in the present moment and it is from an internal state of abundance that we manifest abundance. It really shows how much our perception of external events is what can cause us to be miserable and suffer a lot of time, yet this is a good thing, because perceptions are what we are able to alter and transform. Our modern culture is so hinged on the promotion of lack, that most of us have forgotten our ability to appreciate what we have now, and it is only when we do this, that we are open to receiving what we want. This practice is also, going to feel difficult at first, as are all new habits, but with time, you will become a master at finding things to be grateful for and therefore, you will be more centred and calmer in the face of life’s many obstacles. It is a truly humbling practice, in the best way, it allows you to see clearly what you have now, and appreciate it fully, rather than constantly striving for something else and going through life missing what’s right in front of you.

Movement

When we are grateful for the fact that we have a functioning body, even if we have certain things we physically cannot do, even being grateful for the things we can do, movement becomes an enquiry into just what the body can achieve and can be a playful exploration if we let it be. My movement practice started with the intention of learning to listen to the body, because there is an immense intelligence within it, and it ultimately knows how to free up space and how it wants to be held. I learnt a few different frameworks of movement which I can now spontaneously use. These include, joint mobility routines, yoga asana sequences, weight lifting exercises, calisthenics/bodyweight exercises, muay thai, basic capoeira skills and animal movement, yet ultimately it comes down to feeling, and that’s the beauty of this practice; it gets you immediately out of your mind and into your body, something connected with nature rather than separate from it. I find this practice to be one the most grounding, because it is our bodily awareness that we often lack when we are stuck in our minds. It also, provides a great sense of purpose because there is always more to learn. Our bodies are incredible, the most complex technology we have access to, and therefore, the potentials are seemingly unlimited. Finally, it is a very tangible way to see progress with consistency, and therefore, can be a good keystone habit to reinforce other habits.

Movement furthermore, is a beautiful primal way of expressing who you truly are, so developing the capacities of your body, it’s mobility, flexibility, strength and endurance in different movements, can give the body frameworks to express creatively through. I also believe, that the mind is a mirror of the body, and therefore releasing tension in the body translates directly to releasing tension in the mind. Along this reasoning as well, if we feed the body well, and listen to it, we end up with a healthier mind and both will listen to you as you have met its needs to be nourished through food and movement.

Meditation and Breathwork

Meditation to me, is a gradual process of transforming one’s identification of self. It is simply, exercising our ability to focus. For example, if the focus you choose is to be aware of your breath, the exercise it to maintain that awareness and bring it back when you realise you have lost it repeatedly until your timed session is over. Another example, could be using recitation of a mantra of your choice as your focus and both have their place, it is good to experiment and interchange techniques in my experience. At first is seems pointless because it is so far beyond our conception how this practice can possibly change your life, but with persistence and consistency, space begins to emerge in your sessions, then it will become more and more present in your daily internal environment. As you are witnessing your internal environment, it allows you to choose those thoughts which you want to act on and those which you don’t. Eventually, daily activities can become part of the practice, such as housework, walking to the shops or listening to someone — the key is to be wholly involved in the doing of the activity rather than thinking about other things. Through this, every act can become something that contributes to your quality of mind.

I have categorised meditation and breathwork together although they are not synonymous. The simplest breathwork practice I’ve found and utilise is slow, deep belly breathing and bringing your awareness to it. This alone can be very transformative over time — to be able to have a deep breath that brings you out of your mind when it can become too much, can be invaluable. Other forms of breathwork I have practiced with less consistency include the Wim Hof method, and pranayama techniques.

Selfless Service

One of the most potent attributes of character to cultivate, in my experience, is giving without expectation of reward, or serving without regard for the fruits of your actions. Not only does it produce an unmatched sense of inner wellbeing, it strengthens our connection to that which is beyond our individual ego, and spreads ripples of harmony into the world. Through the practice, we can live to help and learn to share because ultimately, what good is inner knowledge, contentment, or joy if it is not shared? Through these practices, I have come to understand that we are part of this interconnected pattern of nature, and are simultaneously it, in its entirety. However, we are conditioned to believe we are totally separate from it and should act to serve ourselves because the world is one of lack and this is what our current societal model rests upon. Through acting for the betterment of others, through our own self-cultivation, purpose is also abundant.

Journaling and Creative Writing

Journaling is a powerful practice for me that has enabled me to act in a way that is more aligned with how I would ideally like to. I flow with whatever feels right at the time, but the main framework I use is essentially using it as therapeutic tool — it provides a chance to check in with your emotions and thoughts in an uncensored way if you allow it to. A way that is more structured than merely trying to process our thoughts and emotions in an internal dialogue. I find that, the more I express those parts of me that I consider to be of hedonistic nature, it allows that energy to be released and the power it holds on my actions greatly reduced. It creates space internally because these usually repressed parts of yourself can be owned, accepted and integrated into your personality. It is only through this acceptance of these fragmented parts of ourselves, that we can act in a way aligned to our highest potential.

Creative writing for me is a way of exercising my imagination in this context. I truly believe that our imaginative capacities are analogous to physical muscles, they have to be exercised and in modern society we have a severe atrophy. Similarly, to the process of training muscles, with time and consistent practice, more and more possibilities, can be uncovered. The human imagination and potential are limitless, so for these abilities to lay dormant is a great reduction of the possibility of human experience. Creative expression in general is furthermore, such a great way to process emotions and to gain a skill. We have to encourage people to be okay with failing and not being instantly good at something, because it is only with this that we learn and develop past the beginning stages of skill development.

Verbal Creative Expression

Verbal creative expression for me is about learning to be able to speak truth whilst still considering the listener. It is an opening of the energy in the throat, our ability to vocalise and use sounds to express ourselves. Music is a huge part of life, so I have explored musical instruments and using my voice as an instrument. Freestyling, is a skill that has so many benefits; developing spontaneity and creativity which translates into in our day to day lives. For me, it is about uniting the head and the heart and finding the equilibrium point between the two — bringing concepts I find interesting and that emotional experience of connectedness, gratitude and joy that an open heart brings, concepts I fear, and find unpleasant and emotions that are unsettling, taboo or experiences of loss. Exploring the whole range of emotion and experience is so empowering and leads to so much insight into what we truly are.

Open Communication

The next habit is concerned with the power of open communication between people, something greatly lacking in the modern world. This is by no means easy to establish, and there is always a balancing act when approaching open communication, because if someone is not ready to go as deep as you intend, it can instantly turn people away. However, as an ideal to work towards, open communication, breaking down social taboos, has the most incredible impact on our psychology. If we can release emotions and experiences, to people, and not be judged, they can suddenly have much less of a hold on us. This is the power of therapy, but we can be our own therapists by simply not judging, and endeavouring to understand and ultimately help ourselves and others.

Life as a Creative Project

Finally, bringing this whole piece together, I want to discuss the concept of making your life a creative project in itself. Each moment we have the chance to be spontaneous and creative, however we often blocked by our own minds, by internalised societal prescriptions of how life should be, how we should view and treat ourselves and others, and the majority of it is toxic and restrictive. One worry someone may have about me talking about unboundedness, is that if we don’t have restrictions, we would live in a lawless, chaotic society. However, in response to this, I believe that there are natural principles that we can embody, that are far more beneficial for us and the rest of the world’s inhabitants, a simple one being that of knowing you are a part of it all and that you are all of it, when you can see yourself in someone else, you don’t want to inflict harm or pain onto them if you are healed or in the process of healing, you want to nurture, care for and support them. We can treat our lives as a creative project and manifest a version of ourselves in any way we truly desire, how beautiful is that? It is simply a matter of doing the subtle practices on a day to day basis which have accumulative effects. You can decide what works for you, you can be whatever you wish to be. You are seen, you are loved. Let’s make a better planet for ourselves, by facing and accepting ourselves and becoming better versions of ourselves. 2020, let’s get it.