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To Manifest Or Not To Manifest

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The question came up a recent gathering as to whether one should seek to manifest what one desires or should go with the flow and accept what the universe brings. The answer to questions such as this is of course almost always yes.

I’ve always been fond of the Tao Te Ching with its simple verses that contain so much wisdom. At one point Lao Tzu writes, “the tree that bends in the wind does not break.” There is obviously a great deal to be gained by going with the flow, accepting the richness of providence and cooperating with the world around you. But too much dependence on whatever comes down the road can lead to a complacency that allows for unnecessary and undesirable experiences as well as missed opportunities. It seems a better idea to remain aware of the ebb and flow of life and make good choices about what to engage with and what to let go by.

On the other hand, what about the possibility that you can manifest what you want? Some will caution, be careful what you ask for, you just might get it. And it is true that we sometimes lack the vision and foresight to understand the consequences of what we put in motion. I know that I have at times come to be very grateful that things that I thought I wanted did not come to pass. But we need to understand that it is not that we can manifest, it is that we do manifest. Indeed, the shape of our lives and how we respond to the outside world is our manifestation. Consciously or not, we manifest constantly and need to awaken more fully to what we are creating with our thoughts, feelings and deeds. We are not personally responsible for consensual reality. That is the sum total of all of our input. But we are completely responsible for our own upload.

Elsewhere in the Tao is written something along the lines of, “The Sage has two prize possessions, he has his yes and he has his no.” Have both.

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