The Equation for Manifestation

What makes the world move?  What gives the world meaning?  How can movement be meaningful?  How can I manifest what I desire?

Chances are, if you've been reading any spiritual literature you've come across the concept of intention. It is important to intend good things for yourself, for those you love, for your environment, for the world...  But so many good intentions remain just that - intentions.  As in: I intend to exercise today.  I intend to eat well.  I intend to release negative thinking.  I intend to have fun.  I intend to be kind...  And the treadmill is being used as clothes hanger; the weight keeps increasing; we swear at bad drivers; and life remains about work work work.   We intend for world peace and yet our life remains chaotic and we keep looking for news of the world's ending.

Books on positive affirmations abound.   There are so many resources in print, CDs, video, electronic media, etc. that show us how to formulate intentions.  Why then are they powerless to create what we intend?

It appears that for the common of us mortals, it is not sufficient to just sit in a remote cave or under a tree and meditate until our desired outcomes manifest.  What is needed is action.  We also need a good dose of desire to motivate us to act.  It's like we need to use our intention as the needles on our life's compass, and make a conscious decision to follow it with focused action.  Action has to be focused and conscious.  Action for the sake of action can be so futile.  So many of us are busy busy busy.  Our work and leisure schedules are so full that we complain there aren't enough hours in a day.  Yet we feel empty and devoid of meaning.

So on the grand scale of things, what brings this all together?

In September 2001, Ste-Thérèse-de-Lisieux came to me in a dream and asked me to light a white, rose-scented candle for world peace.  I wasn't open to that type of guidance yet - why would a saint talk to me in a dream??  I didn't believe that the simple act of lighting a candle would have any effect on world peace either.  (I am grateful to my Aunt in whom I confided this crazy dream: she did light a candle and believed in the love of the message.  It took a while for me to open my mind to it, and she helped pave the way.)

In a similar dream last night, I understood that it was not the simple act of lighting the candle that was important.  It is the ritual part.  In our human experience, we need to involve all our senses and take time away from the busy-ness of everyday to make space for spiritual happenings.  Our senses (like seeing a candle and smelling its perfume) can trigger our memory of our intention and strengthen our will to see it through.  In a way, Ste-Thérèse was saying to take time to smell the roses, which she loved.  It is about taking a few minutes to collect our thoughts and to focus our intention on something - in this case world peace.  This is not about unconscious ritualistic actions to kneel here; to use a certain type of incense because we're told to; or to use the exact sentences of a guru.  This ritual has to have meaning for our own personal soul.  It has to make sense to our senses.

By consciously doing a simple ritualistic action like lighting a candle and intending (praying) for world peace, it can ignite that part of our unconscious that vibrates peace.  If I vibrate peace, I attract more peace.  When I vibrate peace, I help others around me feel this peace.  It's like I am sharing this little flame from my heart to yours, and you can choose to share it around you too.  One by one, all the candles in our hearts could be lit for world peace.  If many of us vibrate peace, it is easier for peace to stay.  Action does not need to be grandiose; it needs to be meaningful.

To get back to my original question then: what would be the equation for manifestation?  I believe it would be:  intention + desire + action + ritual = manifestation.

None of these elements would work properly on their own.  We need to consciously co-create our world everyday with loving intention, the desire that it manifests, focused action, and a personal multi-sensory ritual that help us remain focused on our intention.

I've been humming "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine" for the past few weeks.  I can see how it fits with this blog entry!  :)

Much Love to you.