“If a butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon causes a hurricane in the Caribbean then surely a group of writers flapping their arms in the New Forest could shift the Jetstream. Let’s do it,” I said. Six Village Writers enthusiastically flapped their elbows while four others looked on in quizzical amusement.
We had been discussing the abnormally cold and wet early ‘summer’ we were experiencing which, apparently, was due to the jet stream being ‘stuck in the wrong place’. I made my suggestion somewhat flippantly. But, two days later the sun came out: the jet stream had shifted.
When I recounted this to a friend she said witheringly: ‘Surely you don’t think you had anything to do with that do you?’ Well, actually, yes, we just might have. I’ve seen such things happen too often for it to be mere coincidence. I believe the intention gets taken up by the universe and reflected back to manifest in the world. That’s the power of magical thinking.
Psychologists are scathing about magical thinking – which in their lexicon is defined as believing you have influenced what happens in the world around you when actually it’s just a completely random coincidence. But magical thinking is the basis of the Law of Attraction and the Power of Now. Manifesting is the result of thoughts and feelings projected out to the world. And the more conscious the intention, the more directed the thought, the more positive the result. As the Buddha said:
As irrigators lead water where they want, as archers make their arrows straight, as carpenters carve wood, the wise shape their minds. ~ The Buddha
True creation starts in the heart rather than the head. Manifesting is not something you do, it is what you are: an outward expression of your inner being. It makes visible your background thoughts and feelings and expresses your core self. We all manifest every second of every day. With each thought, emotion and belief that passes through us, we create our reality whether we intend to or not.
When Socrates said that the unexamined life was not worth living, he stated a profound truth. If we do not examine our inner life; those thoughts, feelings, mental filters and beliefs, how can we possibly recognize their influence in our outer life?
I’m also aware that ‘asking the universe’ gives away your own power to create. It puts the power to direct your life firmly in the hands of another – whether that other is named God, the universe, or whatever. Take back that power – I use Malachite to support this process – and you become a conscious co-creator of your world.
Your thoughts and wishes are instructions that are picked up, magnified and returned to you: dispassionately but accurately and in abundance. Some people seem to believe that it is the universe’s task to give them what they want, to respond to petitions for ‘more money’, ‘more love’, ‘a better life’. They look to something ‘out there’ to create on their behalf because they have a feeling of impotent lack. Those who make demands of the universe in this way are living their lives backwards. They think that if they have more of what they so desperately desire, they will be happier. But what they manifest is more of the same; lack. Joy and a sense of empowerment radiating out would attract to them an abundant life. Magical thinking creates a self-fulfilling prophecy, a benevolent gifting circle.
If there are contradictions within you, if the part that is unconscious is putting out one message while your conscious mind is putting out another, or if two unconscious parts are in conflict, confusion and negative manifestation results. This is not only true of thoughts and feelings.
Perhaps the deepest question of all is can we successfully manifest something that goes against our soulplan? Soulplans are something that interest me greatly. As a karmic astrologer I have examined thousands of soulplans over the last forty years or so and I explored them in depth for The Book of Why. We not only have a plan for the current life, laid down before we reincarnated and mapped in the birthchart, but we may well be running outdated soulplans from other lives too. These can trip us up if they cancel out our current plan. I use astrology and a variety of crystals to understand these plans but you can find yours by holding your favorite crystal, contemplating your life so far and asking for guidance (see the soulplan meditation). Or, you can follow the longer meditation in Judy Hall’s Life Changing Crystals, and then apply magical thinking to create the life you were born to live.
Soulplan Meditation
Hold your favorite crystal, gaze at it and ask your soul to show you the purpose of your present incarnation, the soul mission you are on and how you may best carry this out. Close your eyes and breathe gently while you wait for an answer. Note any thoughts or feelings that pop into your mind. Ask your soul if this purpose is still relevant or have things moved on so quickly that you need to make a new plan.
Ask your soul to indicate any negative, past-its-sell-by-date soul contract or outdated purpose that may be interfering with your soulplan. If you find one, explain to the part of yourself that is carrying that outdated purpose or contract that it no longer applies, that you have moved on and it is time to dissolve it and let it go so that your current soul purpose can be fulfilled. When you have finished, disconnect from the crystal and thank it for its assistance.
Views:
