Journal Prompt #2
I’ve written previously here about the journal prompts done by Effy Wild. So today’s blog post is an attempt to answer the prompt. Her prompts have three parts. The first part is usually art related, which I haven’t done (but may in the future). The second part is writing, so I’m doing that part today.
She breaks it down like this: Prompt (art), Ponder (writing), Quote – which is a quote she provides in contexts of the previous two sections.
Ponder:
What’s the difference for you in manifesting something and creating something? How active are you in the pursuit of your desired outcomes? Do you believe you create your own reality? What other powers might be involved in that? (The divine? The universe? Luck?)
In my mind, manifesting something is similar to setting goals for yourself. Things do not just appear and/or disappear into our lives just because we wish them to be. What we desire requires us to take the necessary steps in order to get what we want and to be willing to change course as we change over time. For instance, when I was pursuing my education and advances in my career, I thought about what those desired outcomes would bring and mean to me (and my family) once they were accomplished. However, I didn’t just sit idly by waiting for my education to be given to me. I did all the required work necessary in order to obtain my degrees. Same for my career. I knew what I desired TO happen as to the type of job that I wanted – independence, trust from others in my ability to help/support them, daily creativity in problem-solving, flexibility to create daily my own work schedule, to name a few – each of these things I have now in my current work situation (along with the material aspects, a great salary, benefits, and a pension).
How does manifesting square with creating then what you want out of life? Manifesting feels like the tangibles (like going to school for a better future) and creating feels like making the space to make it happen. Manifesting is the tangible, creating is the spiritual.
I believe I have been very active in pursuing my desired outcomes. However, sometimes we may not actually know what those desired outcomes are until after they occur. What do I mean by this? Well for me, I knew I wanted to go back to school when my kids were really young. I wanted an education which I thought would allow me to pursue jobs that would provide good pay and good benefits. Along the way, my career path made turns that I hadn’t planned for originally, but had planned for once I knew about particular opportunities. My current job I never knew existed until after I became a teacher. However, each action I pursued led me to this career.
While I think we can be active participants in creating our own reality, we also must be cognizant of the other things that present roadblocks, detours, different routes altogether in that reality. I wanted to stay married, but my ex-husband did not. The reality of what I wanted to occur (no matter how much I desired MY outcome) was different than what he wanted (because he just as strongly desired HIS outcome which was divergent from mine). I still think that the universe paid attention to what I wanted at my core (my core desires), which is what led me to my new husband. Sometimes what we think we desire at that particular moment is because we don’t know of other possibilities that exist. We also can be frightened or uncomfortable about the unknown and so stick with what we know. It’s why I think the universe (the divine) is always paying attention to what our most inner voice is desiring or longing for. And so when things don’t turn out how WE originally planned them to be, we end up exactly where we need to be.
