Most seekers come to the table of the conscious creation process with a desire for bringing something into their lives or moving something out of their lives. In response, the menu of contemporary creation/manifestation teachings has been serving varied delicacies with a similar core ingredient: you have created what you are experiencing, and therefore, you can un-create it. I find this perspective to be an intriguing mixture of self-blame and self-empowerment. It is sometimes a bit tough to digest — it can be easy to eat more blame than empowerment.

This advice to re-create and/or un-create, however, does not speak to how to be in relation to your creations. It only addresses what to do about them. What I see missing is reflection on how to be present, that is, how to be reflective without the compulsion to action being foremost. How do you hold the balance of the response (power) with the responsibility (self-acceptance)? In this way, the creation/manifestation doctrine is generally presented in rather lopsided way – focusing only upon taking external action rather than (deeply) co-addressing the internal space or inner relations from which the structure and space for action arises.

One of my favorite quotes, inscribed on the Cathedral of Autun in France, is

One hand on the beauty of the world,
One hand on the suffering of all beings,
Two feet firmly ground in the task of the present moment.

To me, this speaks of full presence — awareness of the co-existence of the desired (beauty) and un-desired manifestations (suffering) of life — and the preparation for action if needed. The quote does not say “avoid what you don’t want, focus on joy, and do lots of stuff.” Conscious, purposeful creation calls for open awareness first, action second. Stated another way: stillness first, movement second.

From this perspective, a key source of undesired and unanticipated manifestations is “taking action” before “taking being.” In other words, launching into the creative process without first aligning your heart in an elevated and conscious relationship to your desired creations. Again — launching into movement before reflecting in stillness.

Here’s the bottom line:

Unconscious intentions => unconscious energies => unanticipated/undesirable manifestations

Each of us is a powerful creator being, every moment of our lives. I like to think that there is potential for the emergence of Homo sapiens genesis – wise creators. We can tap into very big energies – expansive and constrictive — and bring them into our creative process. Elevated energies create elevated expressions of life.

It follows then that “unelevated” or lower vibrational energies tend to create “undesired manifestations.” Such lower vibrational energies can contain BOTH lower vibrational intentions and interpretations. After all, awareness is essentially linked to a frequency of energy.

This is a key point to consider. What is called an undesired manifestation can be seen as a product of our awareness. First, there might be an unrecognized part of our psyche and energy body at play — what Jungian psychologists call “Shadow.” Identifying and owning shadow is the process by which the unconscious becomes conscious. In so doing, our intention and our energy become clearer, more focused, and therefore more powerful. Consequently, our manifestations become more consistent, expected, and powerful.

Yet there a second aspect. It’s not always simply a case of distorted intention and energy flows, i.e., shadow. The very act of deciding something is an “undesired” manifestation is a product of a plane of awareness — an interpretation of the situation. Hmm. So time to take another step back — how do you know that this circumstance is actually a problem?

I have come to learn that some people are oriented to learning (and, thus, awakening) by creating so-called “messes.” While I would not necessarily proceed in the same way, I came to see how many “messes” were a part of an individual’s creating, clearing, and cleaning process. The ultimate result is elevation of their energy, psyche, and awareness. On what grounds could I then call it an “undesirable manifestation” or a “problem”? This new perspective required an elevation of my awareness, to a higher frequency of perception, and hence understanding and interpretation of the creational process at hand. Even situation, of course, has its nuance and particulars of awareness and understanding.

This brings us into the possibility of a new relationship with “undesired” manifestation in our individual lives and in our world. What if undesired manifestation is actually a gift — an opportunity to elevate the frequency of energies in our creative stream? And thereby clarify and empower all future manifestations? So an unwanted manifestation provides the opportunity to make every future creative process even better — if you choose to engage in this manner.

This process is not scale-dependent — elevating energy and awareness is a part of coming into conscious awareness of our individual psyche as well as seeing culture, institutions, social traditions, and relationships from a new place. Sometimes this is not comfortable or easy. But there is a powerful difference between perceiving something as “undesirable” or “negative” and perceiving it as simply comparatively “unpleasant.”

Beyond the simplicity of intention and manifestation, there are many remarkable layers and facets of discovery in the creative process. Each plane of awareness can bring a more profound or sublime awareness to each breath, each action that you take. It is a journey of mastery, as well as a blessing, to hold the reins that guide the movement between reflection and action.

In closing, the conventional creative process, emphasizing “taking action,” can be seen as analogous to the hare in the “tortoise and hare” parable. “Taking being” is more like the tortoise. Who ultimately reaches the destination (creation) most quickly? The taking action first can result in a lot of twists and turns, and need to re-create and un-create. The alternative approach is to reflect in stillness, and then move surely and directly, in a clear path towards the target. Either path works — it’s just a different process and experience. And every being gets to choose according to their preference in the moment!

“Stillness is Love, movement is Life.
To be Still and Still Moving, this is everything.” Lao Tzu