careful what you wish for
🤗 hi.
for an extreme pragmatist, i have a pretty active imagination. i’ve always loved daydreaming and envisioning myself in some future version of christine 3.0++ . but until the past few years if you asked me about “manifestation” i might have assumed you were pointing out my uncanny ability to attract inconvenience everywhere (i’ve actually been dubbed a “lightning rod for disaster”) meanwhile in french, “manifestation” has similar definitions to english, but it’s most often used in the shortened form “manif” to mean protest (think gilets-jaunes and saturday subway closures)
i never gave much thought (or belief) to the work one could do to “manifest” something in their life. but to create change or actualize anything you first have to decide what you want and then tell everyone about it. which is an art form the french have truly mastered, they tell the world what makes them unhappy, and what needs to be done to remedy their displeasure.
turns out thinking about what you want, recording it and then repeating isn’t too hard. sure, it can take time to figure out what you want, or at least what you think you might want. but once you’ve nailed that, you have to share it and if you’re like me, that’s the scariest step. sharing dreams is V vulnerable, fear of judgement or failure, or most of all—you might actually be scared to receive what you’re asking for.
i’ve done my fair share of asking the universe for some pretty f’ing big deals (without reading the fine print) and it hasn't always ended up the way i had it in my head. however, there are zero examples of where i took the risk and it lead to utter devastation. more often than not, the end result just looks different from what I’d initially asked for, and sometimes much better.
moving to france was the product of some long-game manifestation in action. starting when I dreamed about it a verrrrry long time ago, to when I seriously considered it after I drank too much on this layover at frenchie bar a vins by myself and walked back to my hotel smiling ear to ear. from when i told close friends in a hushed voice about my crazy idea to pack up and move, and then spent hours scouring forums for tips on long-term tourist visas. to when the self doubt kicked in and i’d tell everyone that i *wanted* to move to france but was just too damn practical/nervous to do it without the financial stability of a job. then in walked a sign, a former boss saying i should catch up with his friend, he was working on a new project. to the synchronicity of being offered a job after 20 minutes of talking. I had manifested the opportunity (with many accomplices) that would carry me all the way to paris.
you don’t have to believe in magic—but i think it helps (note: magic isn’t instant, it can take years to work) and when you finally receive, you have to say thank you, even if it's not what you dreamt it’d be.
because it was exactly what you asked for.
-x
over the past year and with a careful eye on the french (the true masters of telling everyone what they want) i’ve come to believe in the following process:
manifestation flow
(a work in progress)
think about what you want - do you reallllllly want that?
write down what you want - be as specific as possible
say what you want out loud - tell literally everyone, everywhere, all the time
watch for signs - if you listen and look they will be there, signs can take time
accept synchronicity - unexpected directions and offers will show up
**do not belittle these opportunities as flukes or mere coincidence**begin to believe in magic again ✨
​say thank you and start over
extra credit: make the effort to thank the universe, in advance, for whatever it is you want. in this way you guilt the world into giving you what you want. ask for forgiveness, not permission.
🇫🇷 pro-tip: when the french strike, which is often, they fucking go for it. they aren’t asking for something by way of negotiation, they’re telling you what they expect and giving you a deadline to meet their demands. it’s a bit like holding the government, corporations and most forms of transportation at ransom—but it works.