Keys To Manifestation: Part 3

Letting Go

At the end of my first post on manifestation, I provided a manifestation reading list. On that list is one of my favourite books on the subject: The Power of Awareness by Neville Goddard. I enjoyed the book a lot, highlighting passages and book-marking pages. By the time I had finished, I had almost the entire book underscored. It is a must-read for those on the spiritual path interested in active manifestation. The Power of Awareness solidified some critical concepts, allowing me to cement them deeper into my subconscious mind. 

In the book, Neville encourages the reader to use the Law of Assumption to shape the physical world into one that reflects your ideal existence. Like the Law of Attraction I wrote about in a previous post, the Law of Assumption states that if you assume something to be true, it is. However, I found this an interesting use of the word ‘assumption.’ My previous understanding was that the word contained an inherent flaw in one’s reasoning. After all, “assuming makes an ass-out-of-you-and-me,” right? But when you look up the dictionary definition of the word, his use makes a lot more sense, and the previous turn of phrase makes none. 

The Real Meaning of ‘Assumption’

The Oxford Languages defines ‘assume’ as “suppose to be the case, without proof” and “take or begin to have (power or responsibility).” Both parts of this definition apply to the Law of Assumption.

If you suppose something to be true, then it is. It’s as simple as that. Linking that to manifestation, if you presume that you are your ideal self, living your perfect life, then you are, and events in your life will unfold to support that assumption of reality. Assuming to be your ideal self in your perfect life gives you the power to create the ideal life.

Yes, I am aware that this is a Catch-22. If you believe you have the ability to create your perfect life via the law of assumption, then you do. If you assume this to be true, it was always true, and this power has always existed within you. So what came first, your belief in the presence of this universal creative force or the creative force itself? The reality is that creative energy is part and parcel of existence; there isn’t one without the other.

To achieve your manifested desires, Neville Goddard suggests developing a meditative practice. Although he does use the word ‘meditation’, he says that you should sit twice daily and use your imagination to vividly picture your ideal self living your perfect life. While using vivid imagination, you should also conjure the thoughts and feelings of this ideal self. You do this by immersing yourself in “the assumption of their wish fulfilled.” He states that if you can use your imagination to create images of your perfect life, including what you would feel like in your body and how you would think as that ideal self, you will attract those thoughts and feelings into your current reality. By being your ideal self, you will influence the unfolding of events and direct them to your perfect life.

A Ship in Turbulent Waters, A Metaphor for Letting Go

The assumption of the wish fulfilled is the ship that carries you over the unknown sea to the fulfillment of your dreams.”– Neville Goddard

Quite intriguing. This quote alludes to the fact that your creative force has its limitations. We can conceive of our desires and exert influence over matter to materialize them, but we cannot control how they emerge. Using Goddard’s boat analogy, you can only build the ship, not captain it. The more you try to grasp a handle on the events in your life, the more they seem to twist and turn and reveal that you do not know how your life will unfold.

Even when believing in the law of attraction, you cannot control it. You can establish what you want but can’t determine how you will get it. While influenced by your thoughts, feelings, and actions, the materialization of your reality is determined by a path carved out in the universal conscious energy. When manifesting a life for yourself, you do not hold on too tightly to the how, only the what. 

Another way of looking at this is the ship is your imagination and your knowing of something to be true. In his words, ‘the realization of the wish fulfilled’ is the boat we build.  But a ship without water does not function as such. It needs a medium in which to float and travel. Therefore, the ‘unknown sea’ is the quantum field in which your desires materialize and your dreams become reality. 

Tying in Key #2, feeling to believe, those who don’t believe provide evidence of their disbelief by the simple fact that they cannot manifest because they don’t believe in it. I know, another Catch-22.

Key # 3: Letting Go

So, once you have set your intention, you release any attachment to the outcome. Since you aren’t in control of the unfolding, there is no need to attempt to shape or influence how it occurs.

Not only should we release attachment to the unfolding of our desired path, but Neville believes it is necessary to let go of the concept of free will since you cannot physically influence the events in your life. According to Goddard, creation has already happened, so the only way to control it is through your thoughts, feelings, and “the assumption of the wish fulfilled.” In the last post, I discussed the law of energy conservation.

Remember that energy is matter, as proved by Einstein, and energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transmuted. Therefore, you cannot create the events in your life, as these consist of matter. All you can do is influence matter to materialize in your favour. Do this by directing your thoughts and feelings towards your ideal self and life. Goddard believes it is the duty of the higher self to achieve this ideal manifestation. By doing so, you elevate and evolve your consciousness.

Don’t Let Others Manifest For You

Remember that your creative power is always at work. If you are not actively manifesting, then you are inactively manifesting. In other words, you must consciously focus on your ideal existence, embody it, and it will come into existence. If you are unconscious of your ability, your thoughts and feelings will affect your life outcomes, with you unaware of it. When bogged down in self-limiting beliefs and negative thought patterns, you will continue seeing the same unwanted consequences appear in your life. 

Think of it this way: everyone in this world is, in one way or another, competing for their emerging realities. If you are not actively controlling your creative energy, you are beholden to the influence of more conscious individuals’ focused and decisive intentions.

Turning back to the boat analogy, letting other people manifest for you through lack of focus is akin to allowing someone else to build your boat. Don’t do that! If you don’t build your boat, how can you be sure you can captain it, or will it even float? 

Three Keys to Unlock Your Ability to Manifest

To ensure your boat will float and you will be able to captain it, you need to:

1. Adopt a positive mindset. Rid yourself of all negative thought patterns and self-limiting beliefs; they do not serve you. They only hold you back and promote fear and self-doubt within. Learning to recognize these patterns, stop them, and turn them around is essential. Use the ‘Catch and Flip Method,’ “Cancel Cancel” or come up with something that works best for you. 
2. You have to feel it. And I mean FEEL IT. Otherwise, it’s probably just a positive thought that’s followed by a self-limiting belief, which doesn’t get you closer to your manifestation.
3. Let go. Once you have set your desire, bolster it with positive feelings and release all expectations surrounding its unfolding. The universe has your back and knows the best way to achieve your desired outcome.  

Lastly, be patient. There is such thing as divine timing, so let the universe do its thing and go about your day with love, light, positivity, and a knowing that all is well in the cosmos. 

The assumption is everything; realization is subconscious and effortless.” – Neville Goddard