New age spiritualism has co-opted the word “manifest” to mean “something attained by visualization and affirmations.”
The message promoted is that you only need to think positive thoughts and repeat your affirmations, maybe surround yourself with the right crystals, and what you desire will come to be.
In the framework of the “body as a house,” this view puts “manifesting” on the third floor — the place of vision and thoughts.
But this isn’t where manifesting happens.
The root of the word “manifest” is the same root as manipulate, manage, and manicure — the Latin manus, which means hands. To manifest means to make something obvious and tangible. It’s a physical process that involves using the hands — the tools for making things.
To manifest a vision, take it from abstract idea to concrete reality. You give shape to it. You inspire it: you breathe life into it to create it in a form.
This is the province of the second floor: the place of the lungs and the hands — the tools for inspiration and manufacturing. This is where you execute to the level of your capacity and ability.
So what happens when you have capacity but you still can’t seem to implement? This is where frustration might set in.
If you’re trying but not quite connecting, it’s important to remember that the extent of your capacity is dependent on the solidity of your foundation.
Without the solid grounding of safety, security, structure, systems, and support, your capacity will remain latent.
Positive thoughts and knowledge of how to implement are both helpful in the process, but if you want to manifest something — to bring it into form — you need to start with securing your foundation.
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