If you searched the internet, the results tend to agree with my observation – manifestation grew to sudden popularity after COVID. But is that when the manifestation journey truly began?

National geographic ran a story this February diving into the history of the word. You may find the article here. In case you choose to skip the reading, the earliest instances of manifestation seem to date back to Rigveda, Greece and even Egypt thousands of years ago.

It then gained popularity in the late 19^th century, thanks to the New Thought Movement in the United States that is said to have drawn its direct influence from Hindu philosophy. To cut to the chase, National Geographic team must have conducted a good deal of research. Coming back to the present, we often hear about the law of attraction, vibrations, aligning with the universe, asking the universe, the power of affirmations and living in the present with the feeling of having already accomplished what you desire in the context of manifestation. Some popular names in the field include – Rhonda Byrne (author of The Secret), the Hicks (who teach the Law of Attraction through Esther Hicks), and Neville Goddard, a mystic visionary whose teachings emphasize the power of imagination and feeling the wish fulfilled.

So what is manifestation? Is it the acquisition of every single thing you desire? Both positive and negative? Is it the most dominant thought or subconscious thought that turns this desire into reality? Whatever it is, I am sure all of us have experienced the unfolding of at least one thought into reality. So the question then is, can you live such a focused life that every intention can turn into reality? And is it just the focus?

That is food for thought. Simply put, our thoughts come from a plethora of experiences stored in the subconsious. Our reactions therefore work on a lot of historical data collected and analysed by our very own LLM and presented to us like AI. So now, when you think you want a car, does thinking about a car, visualising it and making affirmations get you one? That is a interesting question to try out.

It has been evident time and again that thoughts do become things. Plenty of people who have reversed their fatal illnesses have proven the point. A highly positive and focused mind can move mountains. But so can faith. So how did they do it? Is there a method to the madness? Or does thinking and visualising alone bring about things one desires?

I shall come with more clarity on this tomorrow. For now, I have a query. If there is something more to manifesting than just thoughts?

P.S. It is interesting to find out how a concept people have freely used to change their reality has found its origins thousands of years ago in several countries and cultures. But is life all about deriving what one desires as opposed to appreciating what has been given to us?