Manifestation is Not Just A TikTok Trend
The hashtag for “manifesting” has passed four billion views on the app TikTok, and there are many creators who focus their content on the Law of Attraction and teaching manifestation. While it is great to see more people realising their true power and potential, it is troubling to think that most of them won’t ever know the true context of manifestation. The spiritual practice dates back thousands of years, and it is vital to understand the grander cultural influences that have created what we refer to as manifestation in order to appreciate it fully and properly.
Swami Vivekananda at Jaipur (between 1885-1895)
There is an enormous amount of 8th to 6th century (BCE) Hindu scripture that references manifestation, and therefore, the religion is considered one of the main origins of the idea of manifestation. One of the most cited is this extract from the Chandogya Upanishad, which is one of the oldest Upanishads (late-bronze age religious texts). The translation reads:
“From it the universe comes forth, in it the universe merges and in it the universe breathes. Therefore a man should meditate on Brahman with a calm mind. Now, verily, a man consists of will. As he wills in this world, so does he become when he has departed hence. Let him with this knowledge in mind form his wit.”
As we can quite clearly interpret in this quote, one of the main aspects of manifestation is the knowledge that the Universe and you are not two separate beings, but the same energy in different forms: “in it the universe merges and in it the universe breathes”. The Universe is made up of vibrating cells, including those within your body. Your cells tend to vibrate at a high frequency when you experience things like joy, laughter, and happiness, and vibrate at a lower frequency in depressive states. This is why you can often tell someone’s mood by their body language and the way that you feel around them, as your body is sensing the minuscule vibrations of theirs. As like attracts like, if you limit yourself to vibrating on a low frequency, then it will be very difficult to attract your goals and dreams, which, being aspirational, tend to be high frequency experiences.
In the words “a man consists of will” I find immense power. If you tell yourself that you’re ugly, or going to fail, or that things will never change, chances are, you’ll believe it wholeheartedly. We are made up by the beliefs we hold about ourselves and the world, and our brains are surprisingly simple computers— one of my favourite videos that accidentally explains manifestation perfectly is one by Sarah Schauer, the transcript of which is:
“You know that video where it’s like, if you joke about a kink long enough you could actually develop that kink because your mind can’t distinguish between when you’re joking and when you’re being serious? And there are people who ironically say ‘bruh’ and now they say ‘bruh’ seriously? If there are people who can ironically develop a piss kink, I can convince myself I’m beautiful, because I’ve been telling myself I’m ugly and therefore I believe it.”
Additionally, I feel it is valuable to mention that manifestation is not about “cheering up” or “thinking happy thoughts”, which are sentiments typically forced on people who suffer with mental illness. Depression, anxiety, stress, and trauma can only be aided by manifestation as much as the individual really believes they can be happy or get better, and that is something very often extremely difficult to do in moments of crisis. I always recommend people seek professional help if dark thoughts or feelings become overwhelming.
Furthermore, the Wiccan “Rule of Three” is relevant to this practice, which dictates that anything you put into the world will return to you threefold. On a psychological level, this makes a lot of sense: if you walk through every day with a positive outlook, your mindset will be more attuned to notice and value moments of gratitude and joy. It’ll also create an ability to view negative experiences in an optimistic way. If you focus on angry, upset, and jealous emotions, you will take more notice of the things that make you feel that way, and let the happy moments fade to the background.
Another figure worth researching when investigating the origins of manifestation is Swami Vivekananda. One of my favourite quotes from this revered Indian philosopher is:
“Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this Divinity within by controlling nature, external and internal. Do this either by work, or worship, or mental discipline, or philosophy—by one, or more, or all of these—and be free. This is the whole of religion.”
There is so much beauty, and light, and laughter within ourselves, but it is all too easy to lose sight of your own potential in between distractions like school work, job applications, relationships, and anxiety. While manifestation may not be for everyone, I do sincerely believe that there is nothing to lose by speaking your goals and wishes into the world. Our brains can feel so muddled and overstimulated that we forget what it is we really want— whether that be a certain job title or a supportive friendship group. By expressing, in words or on paper, these aspirations, it can help you to re-evaluate your priorities, and, in turn, attract the Universe’s attention to them. Always remember that the Universe wants the best for you, but you have to want the best for yourself, too.