If you are serious about becoming the best version of yourself and living the best possible life, it’s essential that you work on your mindset. In today’s article we’ll have a look at the definition of manifestation, two possible explanations of why it works, and eight manifestation rituals that can help you achieve your dreams faster.
Let’s dive in.
What is manifestation?
When referring to personal development and goal setting, the word manifestation can be defined as the process through which you influence or create your reality (the outer world) by simply changing your own thoughts and emotions (the inner world).
For example, to manifest your ideal lifestyle would mean that you first discover and think of the actual lifestyle you desire, with great clarity; then, focus your mental and physical energy on it, ideally every day; then, eventually, experience the lifestyle in the physical world, which is the final step of the process.
Because manifestation has been classified as pseudoscience, and because there are so many definitions out there (including ones that are, honestly, too good to be true, and overall unrealistic), many are still skeptical about the idea of being able to manifest something into your life, and simply see it as a marketing tactic used to sell books and courses on the subject.
However, the term has become increasingly popular in recent years (as shown, for instance, by a sharp rise in Google searches as well as relevant content on social media platforms), and a growing number of people realizes that when interpreted correctly, the process of manifestation isn’t just realistic — it’s also pretty powerful.
Let’s have a look at two possible explanations of why manifestation can really work if you invest your energy into it. One has to do with psychology, while the latter refers to what’s known as the “law of attraction”.
Manifestation from a psychological point of view
Your thoughts create your reality. You are what you think. We’ve all read catchy quotes like these, and when we do, we tend to think of spirituality and philosophy rather than psychology. However, basic psychology does offer an explanation as to why our thoughts can, in fact, influence the external world in a powerful way.
In short: positive thoughts generate positive feelings and emotions; positive feelings and emotions, in turn, tend to generate a positive outcome. The beauty of this is that, even during the most difficult times, we will always have the ability to work on our thoughts patterns, and this will give us more power over our emotions and ultimately what we experience in the outer world.
This is one of the reasons you should always believe something wonderful is about to happen. When it comes to manifestation, you want to believe you will achieve your dreams and desires, and feel the intense joy of achieving them until your mental state changes, because once you are in a positive mental (and physical) state, your actions will change as well and it will be easier to get what you want.
Manifestation from a spiritual point of view
You could also say that the process of manifestation works because it follows the law of attraction, according to which you tend to attract into your life what you are and what you feel.
The idea is that in the universe we live in, all things are interconnected, and not necessarily through a cause-and-effect phenomenon; so if you practice manifestation rituals long enough and with great intensity, eventually your energy will transform and attract the energy of what you desire, even when it seems there’s no correlation between the two things.
An interesting phenomenon that could help you understand this is what Carl Jung referred to as “synchronicity”, or meaningful coincidences. Jung proposed that although the vast majority of events occurring in the external world follow the principle of causality, in some cases one may experience events that are no longer limited by time and space and instead are “attracted” by one’s psyche.
Examples of this may include precognitive dreams, or thinking about someone then meeting them an hour later, or seeing the same numbers, symbols, or patterns repeatedly. If you’ve ever experienced synchronicity yourself, then you know it’s extremely unlikely that they’re just coincidences, or luck.
Through manifestation rituals, you may be able to “tune in” to the energy of all the things you want to attract into your life; and because these things already exist in the universe, then it would only be a matter of time before the universe, or God, sees that these things belong to you, and gives them to you.
8 manifestation rituals
1. Meditation and visualization
If you are serious about manifesting, then you simply have to practice visualization. All eight rituals listed in this article are effective, but the power of your own imagination is vital when it comes to achieving your goals. So to maximize the chances of actually manifesting your dream in the external world, you need to train it.
You want to develop the habit (and ideally the routine, or ritual) of calming your mind through meditation, then visualize what you want and feel all the positive emotions it generates — as if you were already experiencing it. You want to close your eyes and visualize all the details of the experience: the sounds, the colors, your own physical feelings, the people around you, and so on. The more you practice, the easier it will be to focus.
To block out external noise and to better concentrate on your own thoughts, you can listen to music. It could be soothing meditation music, or a tune that your mind links to your dreams and goals. Just make sure it’s relaxing, calming music as you want your brain (and body) to relax completely.
2. Reading your goals
Another fascinating ritual that can help you manifest your ideal life is the process of writing down and then reading your goals, as often as possible. The more frequently you do it, the easier it will be for your mind to accept whatever you have written as the truth.
To make it feel like an actual ritual, you can use a beautiful journal or diary, or even just a sheet of high quality paper that you have decorated in some way, and that only you have access to (I don’t recommend sharing your goals with other people anyway). Just make sure it feels and looks special, because ultimately it is special — it’s your statement to the universe, or God, or the highest version of yourself.
3. Future journaling
Suppose you’re going through a difficult time of your life, or you’re in a situation that is miles away from your dream life. If you journal and list all the negative things and emotions you experience on a daily basis, that’s not going to get you far — if anything, it could discourage you.
Here’s when the concept of future journaling comes in. Once you have imagined and visualized your dream life in the future, you want to journal as if you were already living it, and until you feel comfortable writing about it. Much like reading your goals, you will notice that at first your rational mind will find future journaling weird or even ridiculous, but eventually it will surrender to it.
When you journal about your future life, don’t just write down what you are doing or where you are, but also and most importantly your feelings. For example, you could write that you’re incredibly excited now that you have finally bought your dream house, or that you are grateful that you have found your new soulmate, and so on.
4. Living the dream now
The fourth manifestation ritual that should become part of your routine is to find a way to live your dream now. This means being crystal clear on some of the things you want to experience one, two, five years from now — and find a way to experience those things, or at least something similar, as soon as possible.
For example, if your dream life involves moving to a different country and eating at the best local restaurants, try to find a similar restaurant where you currently live and go there at least once a week. If you’d like to get the best massages and spa treatments, do so once a month, or whenever you can afford it. If one of your goals is to own a supercar, rent one, even if for just a few hours.
It may sound stupid, but the more you do this, the more your identity and self-image will change. You’ll also train your mind to see those things as perfectly normal and acceptable. More often than not, our subconscious is actually afraid of being successful; it believes we don’t deserve success. Find ways to live the dream now and notice how your confidence, determination, and self-esteem improve.
5. Creating a vision board or image
By reading your goals and dreams every day, you’ll already have a huge advantage over those who don’t know what their priorities in life are (and that’s probably most people). However, because images are more powerful than words alone, you want to create a picture that represents your dream and look at it as a ritual, or whenever you need inspiration.
It could be a traditional vision board or a digital one, or simply a different wallpaper on your phone. What matters is that the images you put in the vision board are very specific (for example, what you’d like to buy or experience if you were in a different financial situation — not just pictures of dollar bills) and also trigger intense, positive emotions. You can then visualize the exact same images during your meditation.
Alternatively, you could use symbols or objects that still act as visual reminders. For example, if one of your dreams is to travel around the world and visit the most heavenly tropical beaches, it could be a tiny globe or plane, or a beautiful seashell. As a ritual, you could put them on your bedside table every night, or in front of a mirror, or any place that feels special to you.
6. Reading books
Another great ritual for manifestation is reading. E-books are great, but nothing can replace the feeling of turning the pages of an actual book, and it definitely feels more like a ritual.
To manifest your dreams faster, read books that are inspiring; ideally, books written by those who are already living the lifestyle you want to experience, and those who have accomplished the goals you’d like to accomplish. You may not be able to meet and talk to them in person, but if you have the opportunity to read their story, you probably should.
7. Working on your limiting beliefs
When it comes to decorating a house or room, decluttering and throwing away unnecessary garbage is usually as important as choosing the right furniture. When it comes to healthy eating, you want to cut out or reduce processed foods, alcohol, and foods that are hard to digest before you buy the best “superfoods” or supplements.
The same is true for your thoughts and mindset. To manifest the life that you desire, visualization may not be enough if your mind is still filled with negative thoughts — thoughts that tell you you’re not enough, that you don’t deserve to be happy, that your dreams are unrealistic.
This is why another important (and in most cases necessary) manifestation ritual is to spend some time each week to reflect on your limiting beliefs. Dig deep, and be 100 percent honest with yourself, and feel free to write them down. Once you have identified them, you can either ignore them or replace them with an empowering alternative. Some examples:
- “I don’t have the skills or the knowledge to achieve my goals” becomes “I can learn anything”
- “This is too good to be true”, or “this is impossible” becomes “thousands have done it, and I can do the same”
- “I need to be extremely lucky” becomes “I need to focus all my energy on it and eventually it will come to me”
8. Discarding the past version of yourself
The last manifestation ritual I encourage you to try is any ritual in which you let go of who you have been so far so you can become the kind of person who is aligned with your goals and dreams, so you can manifest them faster. The sooner you forget the past as well as the past version of yourself, the sooner you’ll attract the future you deserve. This is especially true if you’re just starting out.
Use your creativity and feel free to experiment. Some ideas:
- Write down one of your current limiting beliefs on a piece of paper; look at it, then burn it or throw it away
- Draw something that symbolizes your past life on a piece of paper; look at it, then burn it or throw it away
- Regularly declutter and get rid of all old items you haven’t used in a while
- Replace an item of your outfit with a new one, ideally one that symbolizes the life you want to manifest, and wear it daily
When to perform manifestation rituals
Some like to practice manifestation rituals during a full moon, or during certain moon phases, as it is believed that the moon can influence our mood and behavior. Similarly, some people like to manifest when it rains, or when it’s windy, as those events symbolize change, letting go, and a fresh start.
What’s truly important, though, is that you manifest on a regular basis; as we’ve seen, some rituals, such as writing down your goals and visualizing the future, should actually be practiced every single day.
As for the best time of the day to practice manifestation rituals, nighttime is your best bet — when it’s dark and we are tired, and we relax our body in order to fall asleep, our brain goes into a relaxed state too; our brainwaves literally change. So it’s easier to harness the mysterious power of our subconscious mind, and make it work for us.
Of course, you may have noticed that you prefer to manifest right after you wake up, or after your morning routine, and if that’s the case, just do what feels more natural. Trust your intuition and listen to your mind and body. Again, what matters is that you practice the rituals often, and with great intensity, and that you truly believe in them.
What’s your favorite manifestation ritual? Leave a reply and let me know! 👇
