New to Manifestation? Here's how to Start.

 Has manifestation been the hot topic for the past few years, or is it just me who found this concept when I needed it the most?

Let us rewind a bit. 2022 was one of my most tumultuous years, to say the least. From larger-scale bad news (family member in the hospital, ex moving on and not giving a shit about you), to smaller inconveniences such as losing your favourite glove. I was stuck in a victim mentality, and to be honest I felt comfortable with it. I wanted to sit in there. It had alignment. It was the only thing that made sense in an otherwise chaotic life. And I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me feel a tinge special.

But you know what I knew, in the depths of my heart? Self-pity is unattractive. Aaaaiiii I’m sorry, I don't mean to make you cringe. But you need this tough love. Don’t be hard on yourself. It’s human. I get it. And I won’t tell anyone. 

Optimism is a muscle, just like any other. The more you work at it, the more it comes with ease. Like mastering a plank, or switching chords on a guitar. It will start to come naturally, but you need to be consistent.

If you’re a beginner, here’s what worked for me. Let’s start off simple:

Use your Environment

Do you use Google Calendar? I wrote “I am lucky and blessed,” to have it delivered to myself as a notification every day. You know how children (mainly) learn a language? By having it in the background. A subliminal message. Feel free to do a daily ritual. But this worked for me. A few months ago, I found money on the ground. I was thinking buying a guitar, when I ran into my neighbour, just happened to talk about it, and she said she’s giving away hers. I am lucky to have two working limbs, to have hilarious friends and laugh easily, to have those two boys I was in love with reject me so that I could meet my boyfriend who’s better than them in every conceivable way. I could go on about this, frankly, but anyway. That’s what I’m sharing with you. So easy.

Practice Trust and Relaxation

I had just started learning about manifestation. I read articles, attended workshops. The effort was exhausting me. 

One day, on a dark dreary February, I was heading straight downtown from work. I had a few hours to kill before attending laser tag for a friend’s birthday. I headed over to Indigo Chapters to find friends amongst the aisles. “Books always make me happy,” I said. So I just needed to find one that spoke to me. 

I went through them, with their bright, promising covers, only feeling like none of them were speaking the language I needed to hear. Books had been my most reliable source of joy, and even th The hopeless was becoming more vivid and real. I nearly sobbed into an open page. Then I shut the book, put it back, and said to myself, “You know what. Don’t worry about finding the right book. The right book will find you. Just…go for a walk.” So I walked from the comedy to self-help section, over past illustrations, and found myself in the card section. I’d been wanting to get into tarot for a while now, and was feeling sparks of “fun” in this section. But one deck stood out to me. It had the shades of purple, pink, and blue that I’d been drawn to in those days. I pulled it out, and read the title, “Moonology Manifestation Cards.” Written by, “Yasmin Boland.” 

Moon. 

Manifestation. 

Purple

Yasmin. 

Each of these things spoke to me. 

I used my birthday gift card to pay for the whole thing, and walked out of there with a pep in my step. 

When I went over to Laser Tag, my friend mentioned that she’d like to have a card reader at her next market this coming weekend. 

Do I happen to know anyone?

Start small

YouTube videos and TikTok influencers will promise you a seven-figure income and a proposal at the end of the year if you follow their method. I’ll be honest, I haven't gotten there yet. Maybe I am getting it wrong. But what I can bring to life are mini-manifestations (and even if these are things under your control, it still counts). I can decide that a stranger is going to smile at me today. I’m going to receive a text that makes me laugh. I’m going to have a nice dinner. I’m going to have a good day. 

“Today is gonna be a good day”

This was a game-changer for me. No matter how I’d slept, if I woke up with this vibration, with this curiosity about how the hours will unfold, I felt protected. I did have a part to play. I re-orientated my morning routine to make an otherwise horrible time of the day enjoyable for myself. I had the coffee machine ready from the night before so all it needed was a button pushed. I had a podcast, YouTube video, or album lined up. All these things to look forward to starting me off on good footing. 

Howeverrrrr, I will say this. If you’re really feeling like shit, it’s okay to give in to it JUST TEMPORARILY. You can take a droplet of reality and lean into it. I’ve had days where I’ve said, "You know what. I will indulge in this hopelessness until I wake up again. I’m getting a 40 of vodka and a pack of smokes, and spending the day on my balcony.” I have a lot to say on forcing or fostering productivity. But you are allowed bad days. Hell, make a ritual out of it. But not a habit. We can respect the momentum without letting it define or control us.

Like I said. Take it easy. Trust that everything is happening your best interest, focus on what’s good because that’s what will grow, and just as anything, start with small.