Manifestation, Magic + Spirituality

The other day someone on Facebook was asking the question of whether or not manifestation was spiritual.  This was not the first time I’ve seen they subject brought up.

As you can imagine there were a variety of answers that addressed all sorts of angles on this, but the point of the question was to open the door to a deeper look at how “Manifesting” as a cultural fad isn’t spiritual at all because it promotes a constant striving and cloying (these are my words) rather than a more spiritual approach to life where perhaps it’s implied that wanting and striving isn’t it.

So the implication coming from these conversations popping up is that the manifestation we are hearing about on social media, where we learn to get the life we want, the things we want and the world we want in 3 easy steps, with big belief, big effort and maybe a few crystal added to the mix, is not spiritual at all.

But Back To Manifestation + Spirituality

My problem with this is that trends perpetuated by social media cause us to lose touch with what words really mean when we give them over to short hand and superficiality intended to mean cultural trends as opposed to the actual definition of the word we are using.

So, because Holy Witchery is about the Holy. As in WHOLE. Holistic. Why settle for a mere shadow of an idea when there is a whole universe of meaning and capacity there for us to be in relationship with?

Let’s take the whole definition of the word:

man·i·fes·ta·tion

noun: manifestation; plural noun: manifestations

1. an event, action, or object that clearly shows or embodies something, especially a theory or an abstract idea.”the first obvious manifestations of global warming”
   
   
   • the action or fact of showing an abstract idea.”the manifestation of anxiety over the upcoming exams”

Considering the official definition of the word above, we can take it to mean that every breath you take is a manifestation of your life force (an event or action that clearly shows or embodies something).  Every new moment is a manifestation of existence. 

If we go beyond the limited definition of manifestation as used in this superficial trendy way, what we find is a constant flow of connected energy that expresses the movement of Life itself. 

Manifestation as an expression of the movement of Life, is, in fact, absolutely spiritual.

And THAT is the whole meaning of the word, it’s the holistic view of the word and the act of creation, not the diluted truncated version we see on ads all over social media.

Manifestation, Magic + Getting Things You Want

In the context of spell craft, manifestation is a technology for getting what you want, yes.  But just like Witches that use spells as a technology for getting what they want, there are also Witches that claim this path because of the spiritual journey it takes them on – the path of deep soul connection, which by the way also includes spell craft as a tool.  Both are valid choices, with one focusing on the spirituality of connection more than the other.

But here is the deeper issue (and perhaps the reason we have a tendency to turn deep things into their more ‘lite’ versions), if we identify as spiritual and also seek to get what we want by way of magic, then we have to admit that we wanted something that didn’t just naturally already exist in our lives. And despite all our inner work, we all still feel like somehow to be spiritual is to NOT want anything at all. To want something is somehow the antithesis of being spiritual.

There is tremendous importance and power in owning our desire, being clear about what you truly want, and embracing that as a natural part of being human. Desire moves energy, speaks to the relationship we long for with the world around us and can be a very healthy expression of the joy and celebration of being alive.

I’m not talking about avarice or addiction or a grasping that indicates some deeper wounding. I’m talking about natural healthy desire, which is NOT greedy, NOT anti spiritual, and it’s not wrong.  And everyone can do themselves a healing solid by working on extricating the shame baggage we carry around simple desire.

Because resisting fact creates shadow.  And manifestation, like magic exists and occurs in the flow because it’s always occurring. Read that again: Manifestation is ALWAYS occurring, whether or not we are consciously co creating with it. LIFE occurs in the flow. This constant movement is the field Witches play on, exist in and connected into with each breath we take.  Because ours is a spirituality of connection and relationship.   

Ours is to surrender to manifestation, dance with it, come into resonance with it and become coconspirators in the ongoing manifestation of the world around us. Consciously. Ours is not to cloy, or strive until we are burnt out, ours is to match the frequency of the process of manifestation.

From this perspective our spells become more than just a wish list we throw out into the universe with deep hopes it will come back to us with that list fulfilled.  From this place we are partners in a beautiful, often playful creative expression. Our spells are the ingredients we add to the mix. 

In short, Manifestation, is the evidence of a complex creative force that happens with or without you.  So our magic is us joining in for the ride.

So, dear Witch, what is your relationship to manifestation?