Lion Goodman wants men to learn to create on purpose. And it starts with understanding that we exist in three worlds.
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I have “manifested” a huge house (at a bargain price), an ideal relationship with my ideal mate, numerous money “miracles” (with value exceeding $350,000), a brand new car for free (grand prize in a sweepstakes), and a great life. That qualifies me as somewhat of a manifestation expert.
I’ve also written a book on the manifestation process, and taught workshops on the subject around the world. There are hundreds of manifestation books, teleseminars, and trainings, all of which offer to teach you how to “create your own reality.” Movies like “The Secret” and “What the Bleep” popularized this meme, and a huge industry is devoted to helping people improve their lives with affirmations, prayer, and the “Law of Attraction.”
Think of a blacksmith, working at his forge, creating a tool from iron – one that is “hand-struck.” It’s the act of creation.
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Yet more than 80% of those reading these books and attending these workshops are women. It’s time to put the MAN back in manifestation.
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The verb “manifest” has its roots in the Latin “manifestus,” meaning to make plain, apprehensible, clear, or evident. It probably has deeper roots in “manus” meaning hand, and “festus” meaning “struck.” Think of a blacksmith, working at his forge, creating a tool from iron – one that is “hand-struck.” It’s the act of creation. A modern definition is, “the act of bringing something into being.” There is a notion that “your thoughts create your reality” among those who teach the art (or science, or technology) of manifestation.
Those who are scientifically minded respond to this idea with disdain. “Hogwash,” they say. “The world is what’s real, not your thoughts or ideas. Nothing you pray for or imagine in your head will change that. If you’re so good at manifesting reality, manifest a cold beer in my hand right now. I’m thirsty!” Few pundits have an adequate explanation for this conundrum. How could mere thoughts affect solid reality?
It’s a valid question, and it requires more than a sound-bite answer. Here’s my take: The confusion begins with the belief that we exist in only one world. It makes more sense to see that we live and function in three worlds simultaneously. Most people think of the physical universe, and this planet, as “the world.” It began some 13.7 billion or so years ago when a single point of “something” exploded into an ever-expanding everything. Then matter produced life, cells evolved into animals, and animals eventually evolved into upright geniuses with smartphones who could ponder their own existence.
That makes sense so far. The physical universe is composed of space, time, energy, and matter (and combinations thereof). “Magic” is merely physical phenomena not yet sufficiently understood (but it can and will be, soon). Reality is what can be measured and proven. From this point of view, we live in one single world, and there’s no way that thoughts, unreal as they are, could impact the physical world. Let’s call this World One.
We don’t see the world as it is. We see the world as we are.
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There is a second world to consider, which we’ll call World Two. This universe includes human creations and social phenomena. People interact with each other, creating art, stories, and culture. This world includes people, their behavior, and their social structures. Here, humans create not with matter and energy, but with communication, dominance, negotiation, and exchange. Cooperation allows us to create new possibilities, including institutions such as money, religions, and politics. We’ve created great beauty and great ugliness: slavery and freedom, wealth and poverty.
World Three is the personal universe within each of us. In this private world are our thoughts and experiences, our feelings and desires, our intentions and our resistance. Our attitudes and personal stories shape how we see, experience, and interact with other people in World Two, and with physical reality in World One. Here, beliefs act as filters that shape our perceptions and our opinions, and thus our abilities and our limitations. We don’t see the world as it is. We see the world as we are.
The vast majority of our thoughts and behaviors are the same every day. But we do have the capacity to learn, grow, and change. When you consciously change your beliefs, and your point of view, you change your experience of reality. The blacksmith of old shaped matter with fire. We can shape our thoughts and perception, creating new possibilities with our imagination.
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We are masters at the art of creating, but like The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Dr. Frankenstein, we have lost control of our creation. We have made trillions of objects, but neurologically, we haven’t evolved much from cavemen, dazzled by the blinking lights and fast-moving objects swirling around us. It’s difficult to manage our lives, let alone our families – or our civilization.
Yet consider this: every single human-made thing around you began with a thought. Somebody’s good idea emerged from their personal universe. It was brought into the world through a masterful coordination of thousands of people’s efforts and scores of social institutions. It was designed and manufactured from innumerable physical resources: materials dug from the earth, chemical processes, and the movement of machinery. It was marketed and distributed by teams of people before it came into your life.
Consider how many people were involved in placing your smartphone into your hands, or the number of people credited at the end of your favorite movie. All three worlds were involved in its creation: personal, social, and physical.
We have become so organized and specialized that few people have a handle on the entire process of creation. Manifestation has been broken down into tiny doable steps, performed by specialists, so we can accomplish great things. But something has been lost. The overall vision has gotten cloudy. We have mastered the art of making things, but too often, we have ignored equally important factors such as our health, our environment, and the impacts on our society.
It begins with an intention: What do you want to create?
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The process of creation is men’s work as much as it is women’s work.
Manifestation is the process of bringing any idea or dream into reality. It requires a full spectrum of activities in all three worlds. And the “laws of creation” are different in each world. If you want to create its fullest flowering in the real world, master them all, and leave nothing out.
In my book, “Creating On Purpose,” (co-authored with Anodea Judith), I guide creators through the process of manifesting any idea – from its origin in thought to its completion in physical form and its place in the social sphere.
You can create anything you want – from more income to a happier life, from health to wealth, from a better relationship to a better world. It takes study and practice. It requires organized actions, and interactions with others. It happens in all three worlds – not just one.
And it begins with an intention: What do you want to create?
We are not victims of this world – we are its creators. Stewart Brand said in the first Whole Earth Catalog: “We are as Gods, so we might as well get good at it.” Forty years later, looking at our proximity to self-destruction, he updated his statement: “We are as Gods, so we’d better get good at it.”
What will you choose to manifest in your life?
Photo: Flickr/ideacreamanualPps
Yes. Yes. Yes. … and a community to support it! Thanks Lion.
Boysen: Your ManKind Project community is one of the best on the planet I recommend the New Warrior’s training to ALL men – regardless of age or background. Check them out at http://www.ManKindProject.org. The training is a great kick in the ass, and the continuing work in groups is the backbone of all internal change and growth. Don’t miss the opportunity to get this kind of support in your life.
Brilliant insights, Lion. It’s high time for men to chart a new path for this world, and to claim our power to generate sources of healing, love, and social connection. The old institutions have failed, amidst their rubble may we manifest something new and beautiful. Most grateful for your leadership.
Grateful for your appreciation and thoughts, Matthew. I love your phrase (and philosophy): It’s time to claim our power to generate sources of healing, love, and social connection.” Exactly. We can stand in our power (the virtuous kind) and create a better life for all – starting with ourselves, and our families, and stretching out to our communities, and our world, filled with our brothers and sisters who are suffering. This isn’t a Pollyanna dream – it’s an absolute necessity. Let’s create a world that works for everyone, leaving no one and nothing out.