A Modest Proposal
Uncommon thinking about common experiences inspired
by a quote attributed to Albert Einstein:
“Today’s problems cannot be solved at the same
level of thinking that created them.”

April 11, 2003

If it’s to be, it’s up to me.

“If it’s to be, it’s up to me,” is a standard aphorism of the personal growth and development community. That’s where I first heard it, although I suspect that it is older than that. Pretty obviously, it admonishes me that if I need something, I have to be in action and make it happen. If I stand around waiting for someone else to create if for me, I may grow moss and attract cobwebs. This explanation, I think, is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There is a lot more under the surface.

In the vocabulary of spiritual evolution, I am talking about “manifesting,” bringing something into being. Well, a lot has been written about this subject, probably almost as much as has been written about get rich quick “opportunities.” (They do exist but the people getting rich are the ones offering the “opportunity.”) I have written about manifestation on several occasions. It is little wonder that there is so much written on the subject.

A lot of spiritual topics evoke controversy and polarization, but not manifesting. Even the folks who believe that it is necessary to lead poor and humble lives in order to walk the path probably harbor secret dreams of having the Lexus and a Jacuzzi. We may disagree on the nature of God (or if there is One), on which channeler is more accurate, vegetarian versus Vegan versus omnivore, or which form of reiki or yoga is superior, but hardly any of us are immune to thoughts of having a bit more in the way of materialistic goodies, and I think that there is nothing unspiritual about that.

Question: if there is so much written about manifesting, and if it is a popular subject, how is it that so many people fail to manifest?

Answer: Ahem, I am not sure, but based on my experience, I can offer a few “possibilities” (not the “get rich quick” variety, other than to write a book on how to get rich quick!).

First, unfortunately, manifesting has rules (or it may be more comfortable to think of them as “guidelines”). The good news is that there is no ONE set of rules or guidelines for everybody. We pretty much have to discern the ones that work for us. One thing that I need to say at this point is that I do not accept the “rule” that says that to express an intention to manifest is an admission of lack. Well, duh, human beings by the nature of being human come with lacks. If we are thirsty we may drink from a “free” well, or we may buy a bottle of water at the market. What’s the real difference? I don’t think there is one. I need, and you may as well, to have a certain amount of stuff in my life to be in a position to even begin thinking about spiritually evolving. If my buns are plopped down on an iceberg in the Artic Ocean and I am freezing, it is tough to not think about needing to be on a nice sand beach in the Caribbean.

Conversely, the one rule that is universally applicable to all methods of manifesting (whether intentional or not) is that I cannot manifest for someone else. I can only manifest for me. It is not selfish, it is practical. If I could run around manifesting for other people, what a mess that would be! As George Bernard Shaw is reputed to have said, “Don’t do unto others as you would have them do unto you; their tastes may be different.” You can try to manifest for someone else, but it won’t work. Our gifts of choice and free will prevent those manifestations from becoming reality.

Second, whatever the manifesting method, I find that the single most powerful aspect of manifesting anything (for myself, not someone else) is that I BELIEVE that whatever I am manifesting CAN BE manifested – by me, and so, I am deserving of it. There is another saying, “Whatever the mind of man (and woman too) can perceive, he can achieve.” I don’t buy that. What I do buy is, “Whatever I can believe, I can achieve.” This is the tough part. The rest of whatever method is usually pretty easy.

Although the steps or guidelines for manifesting vary a great deal from the simple to the complex, here is my own individual manifesting method.

First, I need to believe that what I am manifesting can be manifested by me. Nothing gets by this gate.

Second, what I seek to manifest must be in my highest and best interest. This is a bummer for some people (as well as for me at times). It’s difficult to accept that winning the lottery is not in my highest and best interest. Darn!

Third, what I seek to manifest requires the cooperation of the Universe. If I can do it myself why call on the Universe? If I want to change the TV channel, I use the remote; I don’t intone, “In the name of Spirit, please change the channel to...”

Fourth, I believe in a principal called the “genesis point.” For every act of creation (including the Universe itself) there is a genesis point, the beginning. When I state a manifestation, I conceptualize the genesis point and ask for it to manifest materially from energy. From that initial point, the manifestation grows around the genesis point until I get what I am going to get. (As an aside – the genesis point can be used in healing. If I deal directly with the genesis point of a dis-ease, I can request that it “disassemble” the dis-ease and return the cells to their natural healthy state. It is an interesting approach that has served me well.)

Fifth, I have intention but no expectation. Expectations lead to frustration which leads to an end to my belief and the manifestation.

Sixth, passion and gratitude around my intention are never out of fashion.

There is other stuff, but this method is pretty much what I use. As I mentioned earlier, there are lots of methods. Choose. I do find that if there is a universal “law” around manifestation, it is to believe that I deserve what I request. This is my Modest Proposal: Believe and you shall receive. As in all things, practice, practice, practice is in order – build that mighty mental muscle.

DISCLAIMER: This Modest Proposal provides a way of thinking about its subject by viewing it from the perspective of love and acceptance through creating awareness that we all have choices in every moment. It does not intend to dictate to the reader that he or she should blindly accept or reject the suggestions presented in the commentary. It, as in all things, should be evaluated with discernment.

May you discern well,
Ron McCray