I’ve heard so much about it, both good and not really good. But some sources I really trust laud its effectiveness (even though others don’t.) People swear by it, people swear at it, but few are indifferent to it. I’m talking about manifestation: the practice of believing that what you want/need will come to you if you meditate on it fervently enough (or something like that.) I’ve even written about the similar idea that believing is seeing.
Coincidentally (or serendipitously) manifestation kept showing up on my radar. That prodded me to decide maybe I could look into it. After all the very fact that something keeps showing up on my radar is part of what manifestation is about. Investigating it doesn’t require any money, sacrifice, or pain; maybe I’ll reap some benefits from it. Why not give it a try, right?
Okay so it has cost me a little money: $0.99 to be exact. This for the purchase of a book called, The Game of Life and How to Play It, by Florence Scovel Shinn. It earned five stars from 87% of its 3,729 readers on Amazon. I even skimmed a number of the reviews to make sure they weren’t fake and found the words people wrote were intriguing. What do I have to lose?
A cursory glance into the pages reveals a lot of talk about God and Jesus which might turn some people off. I grew up Catholic so I’m not averse to Judeo-Christian language/philosophy. Plus, she likens Christ’s words to what she calls an “Infinite Intelligence” that is “within man himself.” Even the god deniers could be okay with that.
I want to give this practice a fair shake so that means I’ll have to read the entire book before deciding its value. But I have to admit I’m already tenuously on board. Her insistence that fear is man’s biggest obstacle resonates with me. And of course I’ve heard that before, but she explains why in a very different way. Shinn states that only “faith, desire, or the spoken word” can bring the things we want into our lives. Not doing so is to allow fear to take over: “…for fear is only inverted faith; it is faith in evil instead of good.”
You know what? I get that. It makes clear for me what fear is. I always thought seeking solutions peacefully and rationally meant I wasn’t “fearful.” But assuming the worst would happen or that I’m just not cut out for certain things was indeed fear. Not the same as when you look over the edge of a tall building or wake up from a nightmare but just as serious. Maybe more so, because it’s so insidious. It disguises itself as reason and good sense but really it undermines me with my full cooperation.
This post, therefore, is my commitment to reading at least this one book and trying a few of its suggestions. Ninety nine cents is not much of a price to pay for an experiment that might make a difference in my life. See you soon with an update!