Manifesting the Dreamland
work, luck, and magic
Wind whips her fragrant breath through the trees as I hold mine. What lies ahead? Frost still lingers in the shadows and mornings still creep pale until the sun rises full and fiery. It’s not quite spring. Not yet. And my soul is still sleepy in winter’s grasp…
At the birth of the new year amid the twinkling lights, I made a list of things I’d like to manifest, and in my lazy nest of thoughts I wondered how to accomplish what I’d written down. It’s not a huge list, I am a realist, but with the coming of St. Patrick’s Day, I thought how I can better court luck, maybe even entice a little to spill my way.
There are multiple definitions of the word manifest, but bringing something from the dreamland into reality is where I’m headed. It’s not a difficult concept. As a matter of fact, humans do it all the time: they think something, then either draw or write it on a sheet of paper. That’s the simplest form of manifesting. It becomes a bit more complicated when the thought is, say, a space shuttle or a cathedral. Then the steps toward manifestation are many and require the help of others. But it’s in this liminal space, this in-between stage, where the luck or magic happens.
During meditations on manifesting, magic, and luck, I discovered a few guidelines to follow while working in this liminal space. I’m sure you’ve read variations on these ideas, but in case you haven’t or in case you need to hear them again, read on. Accepting them makes it easier to find what you’re looking for when your dreams seem out of reach.
Work and Focus: The magic or luck can only happen if you make an effort to bring your ideas into the light. Say you want to be an artist but you lack a file full of images. One day you’re riding the subway and an art director, designer or potential buyer sits down next to you. You strike up a conversation and they ask to see your work, but you have nothing to show because all your images are still in dreamland. The four-leaf clover landed right beside you, but blew away again because it had nothing to cling to! Focus: take small steps towards shifting thoughts into reality by putting them on paper. Start a list, draw a plan, record your voice, whatever it takes to shepherd those thoughts from dreamland into reality. After the first step, take another. It becomes easier once you decide to act.
Dream and Play: When I was younger, I wanted everything to come out perfectly the first time I painted a picture or wrote a story. That’s not how art works. Playing with ideas and allowing them to be lousy is all a part of telling your shy thoughts that it’s okay to come out into the light. Everyone at some time thinks their ideas are awful. Doubt is the curse of the creative. But play is the creative’s hero. Play allows you to take yourself less seriously, allows you to see what’s possible, and makes room for happy accidents which can lead to epiphanies.
Change Course: Manifesting your dreams sometimes doesn’t work out the way you thought it would. This is key. Sometimes on your journey you discover a detour that takes you someplace you never thought of, something that makes you infinitely happier than your original plan. This is magic and luck at work. Events, people, all jostling in a world vibrant with energy are impacted by your small movements as you are impacted by theirs because we are interconnected. If the flow of your journey takes a detour and it feels right, paddle in that direction. Don’t be afraid to change course and challenge yourself with something new.
Faith and Joy: Manifestation requires faith, but more importantly, it requires joy. If you don’t enjoy the process you won’t succeed. I’m not talking about enjoying every moment of every process, I’m talking about having enough joy to get you through the part of the journey you hate. Dreams require joy otherwise they die. You might lose faith in a dream, but if you lose joy, there is no chance to rekindle faith. I know artists and writers who continue to write or paint even though they’ve lost faith that they will ever be recognized. In my view they need a reboot on how to get attention, but if they want to solve that problem, they have already done the manifestation work. Joy and love of a project will outlast any idea of money or fame because it’s irreplaceable. If an artist loses her fame, if she has joy, she will continue to create long after the cameras and journalists have left her doorstep. And who knows? She might stumble on something that will bring them back again.
Part of my manifestation play this year is sitting with a candle and crystal aligned with my intentions for a particular project. These meditation sessions rejuvenate my soul and help spark my creativity. I journal, walk in nature, and scribble a lot of gibberish until it makes sense. I’m painting again. It’s all joyful, and when it comes time to work, I’m fortified and ready for any luck or magic that happens to swing my way.
What are you manifesting this year? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to those who celebrate! Until next time, wishing you joy on your adventure.
Jan
*Copyright Jan M. Alexander. All rights reserved.
Your meditation sessions sound so lovely! I do something similar involving writing in my journal every morning as I drink a cup of tea, and I also go on visioning walks.