07/03/2026
Creating vs manifesting
Be warned- another looong post lol
So, awhile back I posted about manifesting something-last fall maybe? I don't remember the topic so much as the comments I received 😅 One comment mentioned the difference between creation and manifesting, that manifesting denoted desire and that we'd be better off "creating".
I'll admit, I was a little triggered at that... I do try to choose the words I need to convey my meaning - "say what you mean and mean what you say". Not triggered as in angry, but initially taken aback by the negative connotation of "desire" as I read it. The comment may not have been intended that way, but it 'sounded' to me like manifesting would be a bad thing.
To me at that time, the word manifest was almost equivalent to the word materialize, such as creating something from nothing. Materialize would be something physical or tangible coming into being and when something manifests, it may not be tangible. At least those were my thoughts. What was I missing? Where does desire come in? So I looked it up.
According to Merriam Webster, manifest as an adjective means perceived by the senses, and as a verb it means to make evident by showing. Dictionary.com adds an additional spiritual meaning, "to attempt to attain (something desired) by thinking or focusing intently on it, especially as a spiritual or self-help practice". According to the Cambridge dictionary, adding the -ing at the end is "the act of using methods...to help you imagine achieving something", and the example given is that's it's based on thinking your dreams into reality. I rather like this perspective, honestly. To be fair, 'create' means "to bring something into being" - almost the same as manifesting as it's generally used, but does not denote desire.
But that doesn't answer the question, why would it be negative? So ...what does desire mean? Looking up desire brings the definitions "an intense want or need", "to want something strongly", "to have a longing for". And there it is. :) Desire in manifestation adds emotion to the mix. 🤔 It denotes that something manifested comes with strong 'want' or desire.
On the one hand, is that not what we would want to do? Intention (mental) and emotion are a powerful mix, and when used in alignment with each other can bring your desires, wants, and needs into being quicker than you can blink. I've seen it happen!
On the other hand, if we add in misaligned or too much emotion, we may skew the results, or be disappointed and lose faith, and then "manifesting" does not bring the results we meant to achieve. I can see both sides. :) This is how I was thinking for months while I pondered what could the difference be, why would it evoke such a response? Is it merely a matter of perspective?
However! There is also the thought that runs around the metaphysical chat boards that we attract what we focus on, good or bad. I teach people in my classes that the Universe/Source/etc. responds to the action words we focus on, and we don't want to frame things with certain action words. (For those of you who've taken my classes, I know you noticed the 'don't want' in that sentence, bear with me lol.) To better explain, and I'm sure I've used this example before, if I'm cleaning out the gutters on the roof and I'm afraid of falling off - if I say I don't want to fall off this roof, the action word is fall. The likelihood of falling is increased because I'm so focused on it, in Universal language. Statistically, I'm actually more apt to make mistakes due to the fear of falling also. If we want to not fall, the action word to use would be "stay", right? I want to stay on this roof, which helps me focus on being safe, and the Universe aligns accordinly. Clear as mud?
So after those months of chasing these thoughts around in my head, I thought of something that could come to be that was unwanted - and the word I used in my head was manifest ... and it finally made sense. "Lightning has struck my brain" as Smee on the movie Hook says lol. Based on the above paragraph (we attract what we think) we are not "manifesting" what we don't want, because we are not adding desire to it. Put another way, if we are creating something from nothing, with our intentions, emotions, and actions and call it manifesting, that leads to the belief that we strongly wanted the thing. Fear, anger, anxiety, etc are all emotions though! And pretty powerful ones at that. In that vein, we are just as capable of bringing into being what we fear, what we focus on, what we "don't want" or don't desire.
I understand now, I think, what the original comment meant about creating vs manifesting. I have used the word manifested so many times when the results were not what I wanted, as I thought it meant "bring into being" but will definitely be changing the way I frame that in the future. If manifesting is only for the "good" side of the coin, what would the opposite word be? Or does it cover both since 'desire' and 'don't desire' mean the same thing in Universal language 🤔 (If you're interested in that convo, message me, I have some fun ways to demonstrate what that means ;) )
One of the things I've learned through this and so many other conversations, is that I really "know" nothing. Creating seems to be a much better word when I'm imagining my dreams into reality, because it also helps me to remember that I can dream anything into reality-positive or negative. It helps me remember to focus on what I'm putting into the intentions and make sure I'm framing it in the way I actually want it to go. And the phrase "be careful what you wish for" takes on another level of meaning. :)
Thank you commenters, for sharing your thoughts and providing a path for growth. ❤️ For the person mentioned above, and for everyone that shares their thoughts, I learn so much through your eyes and truly appreciate all of you. ❤️
Picture is a dragonfly that came to visit me recently, just for fun :)
