Manifesting: The Spiritual Practice Taking Over the Internet

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"Manifesting" is a practice that has roots in New Age spirituality and the Law of Attraction, and it has gained popularity in recent years on social media platforms. It essentially involves using one's thoughts and positive mental energy to bring about real-world outcomes. Scholars of religion have started studying this practice. What have they learned?
Select footage and images courtesy of Getty

[@ReligionForBreakfast]

Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch Joe Scott's video on Manifesting nebula.tv/manifesting-is-bs-but-it-works?ref=religionforbreakfast

[@carfreeneoliberalgeorgisty5102]

You should do an episode on the New Apostolic Movement.

[@letsomethingshine]

Church of Christ Scientist got all the way into the Nixon administration and one voice recording shows that Nixon relied on them for his privatization Health Policy including with Medicare / Medicaid just being an insurance agency instead of actual government health policy.

[@militantpacifist4087]

You forgot to mention how the placebo effect plays a role on your physical and mental health.

[@thinkingaboutreligion2645]

​@@militantpacifist4087well, the placebo effect is not a real effect, it's a place-holder for unpredictable changes in medical science.

[@Michael-Archonaeus]

@@thinkingaboutreligion2645 The placebo effect is the psychosomatic effect of belief.

[@NoiseDay]

"We are 100% responsible for all of our experiences." It only takes a millisecond to realize just how harmful this quote can be.

[@jqv666]

It is harmful to those that don't want responsibility of their life. With great responsibility, comes great power.

[@toxendon]

​@@jqv666Who is responsible for the Holocaust?

[@ZelphTheWebmancer]

@@jqv666 Who is responsible for their sexual assault?

[@jqv666]

@@toxendon Humanity.

[@jqv666]

@@ZelphTheWebmancer The ones involved in it.

[@traildoggy]

I'm not religious, but I really like the part of the Bible when Jesus threw the money lenders out of the temple.

[@justusscepticushumanus4848]

Also Bible states " 1 Timothy 6:10 " For the love of money is the root of all evil"

[@MaryamMaqdisi]

When Judaism was a religion with animal sacrifice conducted only in a central temple, it was necessary to carry out transactions so people could carry out the sacrifices. As a modern vegetarian I find animal sacrifice awkward, but the point is that there was a very good reason to have people selling things at the temple… they sold animals. To carry out temple things. I believe people like me, with a Christian background, should probably take this into account when judging those passages. I’m not Christian or Jewish nowadays, just in case.

[@studywithmefolks5809]

@@MaryamMaqdisi I think the fact of doing those acts in a sacred place and not outside of the sacred place was the issue, not the fact that people were providing the service.

[@juanmilano224]

Because you are a socialist. Read "Los enemigos del Comercio" by Antonio Escohotado. You will understand why you like that part of the bible. Bye.

[@yourbigfatdog992]

It is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than a rich man getting through the gates of heaven. Jesus said that but I can't remember the verse

[@MichaelPhillipsatGreyOwlStudio]

The irony being that you have to manifest the money to pay for the class that teaches you how to manifest, which simultaneously explains how the manifesting teachers "manifest" their money and why I'm skeptical.

[@PaulHaesler]

Oh yeah, that *is* "the Secret". People are lazy and greedy, and will pay you a lot of money to tell them that they can become rich and successful by just thinking about it instead of, you know, actually getting up of their arses and doing something about it. Of course this a highly unethical thing to tell vulnerable people even if you weren't charging them money to hear it, but grifters gonna grift.

[@iExploder]

Bingo. It's all a grift and a pyramid scheme.

[@WafflingWillow]

Literally every business and economics class you have to pay for. You have to spend money to gain information, which is what these women are doing. Even if these entrepreneurs are scamming young people, paying for their classes is on par with literally any other class.

[@yoeyyoey8937]

That’s all of these scams in one way or another. The business guy is teaching you how to build a business but him teaching you to build a business is the business itself

[@Nashandme74]

You have to pay to be treated like that? I wouldn't mind going on a cruise though I'll try to manifest it before I become a better God. NM I think that I would have a better time being a mayfly.

[@josef1858]

Another way to manifest things to reality is to actually set goals and strive to achieve them.

[@SimplyApollo]

Only reason manifesting "works" is because people think about their goals everyday. All the universe stuff is not accurate to say the least.

[@quantumastrologer5599]

Based magic

[@christophilous4831]

sometimes people have conscious desires, but their subconscious continues to work against them. I see manifesting partly as a way to get that subconscious mind in order.

[@toxendon]

​@@christophilous4831Sure, but I often hear gurus and others talk about how manifesting techniques suddenly made money appear intontheir bank, finding more money on the street etc. Things that have no casual link at all

[@Sxcheschka]

@@SimplyApollo That's the skeptic in me saying the "logical answer". The "illogical answer" is me not worrying so much on it, and just going with the flow. It's unfun to take the magic out of things, but it's also practical to not go so far down the rabbit hole as well.

[@Applemangh]

Most of the people who advocate for manifesting (as a real thing that actually influences the world and not just your own feelings and behaviors) seem to be the kind of people who were born with, or lucked into, a tremendous amount of privilege. Must feel great to give yourself 100% credit for circumstances you were born into. It must have been all of those positive thoughts...

[@kamilareeder1493]

This ☝️😪🤷‍♂️

[@Pushing_Pixels]

Just like the Prosperity Gospel, it's a belief system that was invented by the well off, as a post-hoc rationalization of their luck, that credits themselves as responsible for it. Poor suckers can adopt it too, but it's not meant for them (other than as a sales product).

[@yurigagarin9765]

You were born in poverty? You should have focused your pre-existence thoughts into manifesting better parents.

[@iExploder]

@@yurigagarin9765- Another thing the manifesting crowd says is that you chose your difficult life as a challenge, to test your spiritual self.

[@jackpayne4658]

@@Pushing_Pixels Exactly. It's ironic how ultra-Fundamentalist preachers can sound just like ultra-New Age influencers. Forget the ideology, feel the self-righteous greed.

[@JohnFallot]

I remember being really into The Secret when it came out in 2006. In hindsight, it’s hilarious that one of the film’s presenters said with a straight face, to paraphrase, “The top 1% earn 99% of the wealth because they’ve thought happy thoughts”

[@iachtulhu1420]

Neoliberal capitalist grindset on steroids posing as spirituality.

[@rachel_sj]

I found out about that book during college, when I was in the midst of deconstructing from my Fundamentalist Christian faith, and the premise of The Secret was the same as the very anxious practice of “Naming and Claiming”. I was taught that we’d believe in physical healing (even when my mom was born with scar tissue in her brain and one of my teachers walked with a limp) or that checks would arrive in the mail, taking care of our bills (a very attractive idea for someone like me, who grew up in near poverty). When you look back and see that all of your Manifesting Wishes haven’t come true, and it’s all YOUR fault for not believing “hard” enough, it quickly becomes toxic and traumatizing in ways that I can’t describe…

[@rainbowkrampus]

Perverse incentives, the ability to buy influence and a de facto second legal system which privileges them? No. It's happy thoughts. Nothing but happy thoughts for the famously well adjusted and not at all neurotic and socially isolated billionaires.

[@GizzyDillespee]

If they want to manifest a customer base of 1%ers, then they think they need to tell them what they want to hear. If you tell 1%ers that they're the greediest 1% of humans on the planet... they resist that categorization, despite it being categorically true.

[@adenzanewalker]

You think they became the 1% on accident, or did the hold an idea in their mind until they brought it into physical reality?

[@hugsxkissesftw3959]

I can see how harmful this type of thinking could be for sufferers of OCD.

[@yoeyyoey8937]

Why?

[@obscureesoteric7213]

"I am the way and the truth and the life" those who has ears to hear, let them hear. Know I AM and be free. Search for your desires only to find yourself again. Observe the fear of death so that you may learn to love life. Listen closely as i say, do not believe the self, but believe IN the self. Unite the two let them become one.make the above like the below, and the inner like the outer. See the light keep your focus on it, make that which is impure, pure.

[@meepbeep2464]

I honestly agree, but I would love you to list out the reasons on how it would hurt people with OCD

[@HelloHello-zk4el]

@@meepbeep2464 'if i think and do Bad Things then Bad Things will happen to me, and if i think and do Good Things then Good Things will happen to me" is a thought process that's pretty foundational to the day to day experience of having OCD. Being convinced that merely thinking about illness or disaster will cause such things to happen makes life miserable, and it's really difficult work to overcome these types of thoughts. So when you're already doing this anyway, and now it's being validated and espoused by random people on the internet or whatever as NOT intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors and obsessions, but instead a valid practice that Totally Works Just Trust Me Dude, it quickly becomes this terrible black hole of obsession and compulsion. Religion in general doesn't mix well with with OCD.

[@meepbeep2464]

@@HelloHello-zk4el ah now I get it, thanks Really sucks that this is still getting mainstream its does feel like sifting out the worst parts of religion

[@UsefulCharts]

I was disappointed that the paid promotion wasn't for The Secret book.

[@robertniedzwiecki5056]

You're doing it wrong

[@mishaelfernandez1]

I'm really happy to see you here, @UsefulCharts, you and @ReligionForBreakfast are my 2 favorite Channels/people!

[@davidwolfberg8453]

Love your channel/charts, makes sense to see you here!

[@UniDocs_Mahapushpa_Cyavana]

It is a pretty old book by now 😂😂😂, given its archetype of new wave thinking 😂😂😂./

[@Charlie-br8wp]

Should've manifested it

[@ravensroad9712]

So I guess the 8-year-old with a terminal brain tumour I knew should've just manifested harder.... I don't know how anyone who's experienced disability, chronic illness, or personal disaster can seriously adhere to this. It's the kind of story people tell themselves to feel better about the world - the illusion that if they can do all the right things, step over the cracks in the sidewalk, that they'll escape illness and death. It's the kind of story that is cruel to those who are suffering.

[@yoeyyoey8937]

That’s why all that is black magic-trying to manipulate the material world with psychic resources

[@1DangerMouse1]

I agree!

[@joevaghn457]

You’re trying to apply this in the wrong context. No wonder it makes no sense in _this_ context.

[@pajarothebird9842]

Very fitting video for disability pride month. The theology of disability puts prosperty teachings (across religions) to death.

[@LOwens-xf8yo]

I have a chronic medical condition and I had versions of that ideology pushed on me endlessly in the 80-90’s. Apparently I don’t manifest very well. Although I did a Wicca ritual for employment once, and it worked, cause a couple months later I found a new job. Tah dah!

[@edj8008]

Sounds like something that might make people blame themself for things they have no power over.

[@angelawossname]

It's worse than that, it makes people blame others for things they have no control over, including children who are sick or dying or are victims of child abuse. There's a nasty dark side to this.

[@scipioafricanus2071]

It is weird, if we are 100% in control of our experience then what does it say about the Holocaust, or famines, hurricanes and earthquakes. Are these people suggesting that the victims wanted to suffer? That they manifested this reality for themselves and so deserved it?

[@pyrrhicvictoly]

@@scipioafricanus2071 Or perhaps someone else manifested harm onto them and they lost the spiritual battle? The flipside to manifesting would be curses and the evil eye.

[@herenow4875]

Neville Goddard talks a lot about why it is that bad things happen or why.

[@bluester7177]

​@@Great1DuaneEveryone has power to how they think and feel, mostly, sometimes you have less power and you need more effort, like anxiety and depression among other conditions can give people intrusive thoughts, but even though is very comforting to think you have control over everything, people often don't have much control over external factors, where you're born, your parents, race, systemic issues in your country, etc... I live close to a favela in Rio de Janeiro and can listen to gunfire weekly if not daily, the only power I have over this situation is to give my best effort into moving to another state or country.

[@sebastianb.1926]

"We are 100% responsible for all of our experiences" - this is like the total opposite of wisdom

[@paulgauntlet7921]

Always love it when people who were already obscenely wealthy or successful like Oprah or Jim Carrey (first actor to be paid 20 million for a single role) promote manifesting

[@SidheKnight]

Out of curiosity, what role was Jim Carrey paid that for?

[@WafflingWillow]

Jim Carrey grew up impoverished. His dad barely scraped by and wound up losing his job. His dad urged Jim to get into comedy, which he happened to be successful at, which later turned into acting. Oprah, too, doesn't have a super wealthy background either. Grew up with a single mom in rural Mississippi. I'd suggest looking up these people's history before you start complaining about them for being rich, as if they've always been that way.

[@paulgauntlet7921]

@@SidheKnight The Cable Guy

[@paulgauntlet7921]

@@WafflingWillow I’m aware of that yes. I was referring to the both only ever promoted manifesting after becoming incredibly successful. It’s easy to go on tv and say manifesting works when you’re already a millionaire

[@SidheKnight]

@@paulgauntlet7921 Thanks!

[@aldiboronti]

I am so grateful to the universe for manifesting in me a strong resistance to idiocy.

[@justusscepticushumanus4848]

well said.

[@jqv666]

After all, fools are the ones that rule the world. Intellectuals are the ones that suffer the most.

[@letsomethingshine]

Fools are the majority, they do not rule or they would vote themselves to be rich. Even foolishness would say they should do that.

[@thewb8329]

Amen!

[@kkupsky6321]

Basically that dumb “the secret” movie

[@PICTVS]

The idea of Manifesting seems very similar to the evil eye, and the idea that envy can cause bad luck

[@Gustoberg]

At least evil eye doesn't bring out a self-responsibility guilt for everything. It can be very unhealthy also, if you become too paranoic this mindset will eat you alive, like most beliefs if you take them too much into your life.

[@TheShadowcreator]

I think part of the reason manifesting videos make me so uncomfortable is because I grew up in a religion that believes in the evil eye

[@Doubtlessly]

Also, the illusion of being able to “manifest” reality is made more real on the internet, where the algorithms curate feeds based on your clicks (and therefore your mood and internal life). It’s, at its core, a distressing divorce from reality, but then again all toxic positivity falls into that issue. Really great work as usual!

[@Pushing_Pixels]

Click on enough videos about manifesting and the algorithm will feed you success stories (real or otherwise).

[@vaiyt]

And that is also an illusion beyond a certain point, since the companies that own such platforms can and will control what they think you should see. (they will pretend they have no control to avoid culpability)

[@AleskyMaxomovishPeshkov]

I mean, you will also notice that it generally interests women, not men. Yeah, women generally are more interested and believe in the paranormal, magic, sorcery etc, not men and research shows that when women were given testosterone they became more skeptical than before probably explaining why

[@hank_poole_]

This video demonstrates why ReligionForBreakfast is the best religion channel on KZbin. Even faced with the horseshit that is manifestation, Andrew remains cool-headed, objective, restrained, fact-oriented, not sensational, like, ehm, some other channels *cough* MythVision Podcast *cough*. He's an actual scholar, not some dude with a microphone, and he acts like it.

[@andrewsuryali8540]

To be fair to Derek, a lot of times it's actually the scholars he brings in who end up acting very sensationalistic. Mythvision is geared as a polemic channel, so it's a setting that allows even the most objective scholars to voice what they really think openly. Derek does draw out this behavior precisely because he himself has a lot of axes to grind, but it doesn't change the fact that the scholars themselves turn out to have quite a few of their own. The most recent Bart Ehrman videos are stunning in how combative Dr. Ehrman gets when given the opportunity to air out his real views on things. I think the only scholar who hasn't used Mythvision to hulk out is James Tabor, which is funny when you think of his controversial views on the Waco incident shown in his own videos in his own channel.

[@mohammadazzawi2738]

Manifestation isn't horseshit though, it's just used in the wrong way a lot of the time.

[@hank_poole_]

@@mohammadazzawi2738 when I talk about manifestation, I'm always referring to the syncretic, vaguely spiritual practice that it is nowadays considered to be. So, to the extent that manifestation is like that, then I believe that it is probably horseshit, and if and when it works, it is not for the advertised reasons (eg the universe sends you what you ask for).

[@jqv666]

@@hank_poole_ Have you tried it?

[@schrodingerskatze2162]

I have tried and it has "worked" (I can't know, it's just a perfect coincidence). But yeah, Capitalism should be abolished anyway. Poverty is not a result of spiritual entities doing sh*t.

[@brucetownsend691]

The concept of “manifestation” is itself a manifestation of a very American view of the world: one in which the individual is all important and everyone is able to become successful through their own efforts or by diligently following some religious teaching. God/The Universe rewards the righteous here and now as well as in the afterlife. Manifestation is a great way for the privileged to rationalise greed and justify their privileges. For those who are not privileged, it’s great way to justify magical thinking and give themselves the illusion of being in control.

[@OldSchopenhauer]

I feel like your outlook is very American. Other countries have karma where your past life actions dictate this life.

[@brucetownsend691]

@@OldSchopenhauerYou are right about other cultures having belief systems which are used to justify inequality and oppression. However, I am not American: I am merely observing that manifestation comes out of America and reflects an American way of thinking.

[@OldSchopenhauer]

@@brucetownsend691 Still doesn't make sense. Most polytheistic religions have a wealth god that they pray to. Manifestation is really only unique in the sense that it's detached from any religious foundation. This comment page is probably in the minority worldwide for not believing that you can pray for wealth or health.

[@Pushing_Pixels]

@@OldSchopenhauer Manifestation in this context is a specific set of beliefs, and is born out of the influences described in the video, which were largely American. People all through history have tried to hope the things they want into existence by asking deities to intercede. They have also blamed their misfortunes on their own lack of favour with those deities, either in the present or past. But that's not what we're talking about.

[@Viteaification]

​@OldSchopenhauer thats not really the same as manifestation, though. karma is more about morals not success

[@seanwelch71]

Isn't this just magical thinking? Self awareness and hard work, with a healthy sense of humor and low expectations allows one to learn and gain experiences, which can lead to feelings of accomplishment. My experience is that talking too much about goals leads to the mind feeling satisfied with words of accomplishment.

[@TechBearSeattle]

"Isn't this just magical thinking?" Why yes. Yes it is.

[@hosurosh4846]

And you also need luck, lest be honest

[@MrKamillordo]

Funny you should mention that, here's a video talking about this exact subject (talking a lot about goals, making you feel satisfied and not actually doing anything towards them): kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3WnlqmbqJt2qNU

[@lynn3556]

My mother was a great believer in the of Power ofPositive Thinking. I grew up being told to put a smile on my face and tell myself that, " Everyday in every way, things are getting better and better." Needless to say, all the energy I put into trying to think the proper thoughts helped me not a whit with my actual challenges. I grew up believing that absolutely everything was simply my own fault.

[@youremakingprogress144]

I've read that people who daydream about goals a lot are actually less likely to achieve them, because the little happiness bump from imagining good things decreases our motivation to actually put in the effort to achieve them in real life.

[@neilblackburn6869]

After the nonsense of 'the Secret' phenomena I had two female friends tell me how spot on 'manifestation' was. They were also trust fund women with multi millionaire fathers.

[@LisaBeergutHolst]

That's just because they manifested the right parents before they were born 😆

[@thecalham]

Went thro this over the years but the mind over body thing has been really pushed towards me to cure my diabetes hard since covid lol "manifest insulin " 😂

[@neitan6891]

Sounds like gratitude and affirmations. So long as you don’t blame yourself for things outside of your control or give your money to scammers, it’s a good thing.

[@tiryaclearsong421]

Yeah. I prefer the stoic style of being grateful and keeping in mind where your locus of control actually is and then doing what you can with what you have. There is a balance between personal agency and community obligation. If I am grateful for what I have, and I have more than I really need, I should use my time, money, or other resources to help others in my community and not only roll around in it while my neighbor can't feed his kids. An example of how I use this is that I have depression and I have no control over some of my toxic thoughts about how horrible, unworthy, and shameful I am. But when I have control I can at least remember that those thoughts make little sense with reality and I have an illness that makes my brain act up in this way. So I don't have to dwell on those thoughts more than I'm forced to.

[@joshuasims5421]

I think for most, manifesting manifests as harmless positive thinking. However, taken literally, it can foster a dangerous connection to Magical Thinking. Especially to someone prone to anxiety, magical thinking creates a huge cognitive vulnerability: if your thoughts can directly influence reality, especially if you are '100% responsible for all of your experiences,' you are constantly vulnerable to anything that crosses your mind. (And in any case, this gives yet another easy way to disregard the situation of the disadvantaged or underprivileged.) Positive thinking or cognitive behavioral therapy usually maintain the important principle that what we think can only directly affect our minds and psychology, affecting the world only via our actions. Positive self-affirmation can surely help us with attitude or motivation, but the positive belief that it can do so magically leaves us open to very negative implications on the other side of that coin.

[@MichaelPhillipsatGreyOwlStudio]

I've personally observed an absolute aversion to altruism in manifesters. I think they think their perfectly "clean" thoughts will be contaminated by hanging around people who live in unhappy situations. They tend to think the best way to help them is to charge them for being taught how to manifest as well.

[@pyrrhicvictoly]

I wonder how manifesters view intrusive thoughts. Even the most well-intentioned people in the world get occasional flashes of weirdness in the brain. If thoughts become reality, are thought crimes real crimes? Did my intrusive thought about causing property damage to my annoying neighbors result in real harm to them?

[@kamilareeder1493]

Yes 😪☝️ I have a family who LOVE manifesting. I have schizoaffective disorder, and I used to feel like I must be some kind of monster 👹 My family still thinks its some sort of choice 🙄 its a comfort knowing for sure now that its not real

[@Pushing_Pixels]

It is a hugely common justification for victim blaming, and can have terrible consequences when internalized by victims themselves.

[@heyyfirefly]

@@MichaelPhillipsatGreyOwlStudioyess! one of my friends (ex lol) blocked me on every single platform after I had a serious mental breakdown after my father passed... she said to others it was because I was "too negative"

[@Araanor]

There is a tiiiiny bit of truth in the idea of manifestation. The practitioner can eliminate limiting beliefs that hold them back in achieving goals.

[@aapzehrsteurer9000]

This. Our mind is really important for almost everything we do. Magical practices have the potential to make people feel more confident/focuses/at-eased, which can lead people to perform much better. I've experienced this personally, where it seems as if causality/the universe itself bends ever so slightly according to your intention.

[@Gustoberg]

yes, but today we call that self confidence and good mental health!

[@luke_fabis]

They're just as likely to think their manifesting thoughts, wonder why it didn't happen, and then decide they're broken. Spiritual BS is no substitute for actual therapy.

[@pyrrhicvictoly]

Yeah, the personal affirmations are the only good part of it. Telling yourself that you are worthy and can meet the goals you set, etc. Except that's just therapy.

[@billcook4768]

Positive thinking can help that person accomplish their goals. But it ain’t going to send out vibes through universe that will attract things.

[@Slim7073]

I read a book called 'The Power of your Subconscious Mind' years ago. What I learnt from it was that you have it what it takes to achieve your goals, but you have to put your mind (and efforts) towards it to make it happen. Defining realistic goals, staying positive and stuff like that. The Manifesting thing seems to take an extreme stance and just focuses on the 'think good' and not on getting stuff done.

[@Jpe-vr7xi]

Are we reading the same book? The author makes very wacky claims

[@ChristopherSisk]

It's amazing how much woo some people can use to dress up the simplest idea of expressing your intentions as a way of reinforcing your goals to yourself and often a means of creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. Yeah, it works.. but not by any supernatural means. If you reinforce ideas or behavior enough through any means, it's going to have an effect on your thoughts and actions.

[@yoeyyoey8937]

True but if they say it’s some normal and natural thing then they would have a harder time asking for money

[@tevkaber4604]

Up to his death, my father was a follower of Ramtha, and manifesting was one of the core parts of that… along with subscribing to every conspiracy out there. But as an outsider looking in, I could see that manifesting was mostly friends helping each other, but then crediting their manifesting skills for solving the problem.

[@chaotickreg7024]

This is why I feel so bad hearing about mormons that stay in the church for the community. It's not the religion that benefits you, it's the community, but you're not going to find a community that's actually got healthy ideas for you unless you leave your church and go find that community. I hate that religion has a monopoly on community for so many people.

[@yoeyyoey8937]

@@chaotickreg7024It’s because the modern world is based on this. Before people were more independent and had smaller communities, religion allowed these communities to converge and help each other which gave rulers more power, which then allowed them to conquer more and provide more stability to the subjects, economy etc

[@sarahab145]

Your poor father, Ramtha is such a quack

[@AleskyMaxomovishPeshkov]

Your father doesn’t sound like he has a lot of testosterone: when women were given testosterone they became more skeptical than before

[@chaotickreg7024]

@@AleskyMaxomovishPeshkov That's a weak correlation that needs more proof. In the meantime, YIIIIKEES DUDE, leave hormones out of things.

[@zodiacemma7154]

I’ve honestly viewed the idea of manifesting similar to the idea of a self-fulfilling prophecy. To me, it puts the thoughts in your head to help you subconsciously make better decisions that lead you towards what one’s manifesting.

[@joegallegos9109]

That's pretty much the psychology behind it.

[@drezicollinz_]

This Is basically what it is, it's mental exercise to increase focus and efficiency

[@spammyv]

When I think of manifesting I can't really separate it in my mind from the idea that its popularity is borne out of increasingly bleak economic outlooks for most Americans combined with a culture that has emphasized misleading ideas about individualism and destroyed any senses of community or collective action in the process. That you don't have whatever good thing you desire must be solely because you didn't *want* it hard enough and thus factors outside of your control are absolved.

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

Yeah, a lot of the ways this is being promoted & applied sound like they're just ways to make people believe they have a greater degree of control over this chaotic universe than they really do? IMO that's basically what all religions do to a certain extent; we as humans don't cope well with chaos or unpredictability, so we look for all sorts of ways to "make it make sense". Problem being, as you note, that believing one can control the larger workings of the universe with one's mind (not one's intentional actions or inactions) tends to absolve you from taking real action to address things like injustice or equality? It pushes an individualistic, self-focused mindset, not practical collective action for change. It also risks encouraging you to blame marginalized or oppressed groups for their own oppression, because it denies that some elements of one's circumstances are caused by complex inter-reacting outside factors (inequality, others' greed or power-lust, knock-on consequences etc) and are often not something we ourselves can change at all as individuals, even if we can try as a group...

[@CorbiniteVids]

it's capitalism's death grip on our minds. We can see our economic system actively failing, and this is its last ditch effort to keep people from jumping ship

[@elf3477]

Manifesting has always made me feel like absolute crap. It was my fault that I went through so much trauma that it caused me to HAVE TO HAVE psych meds because if I don't take them, I am extremely, seriously depressed and suicidal.

[@erinsymone1645]

Loved the discussion on why women in particular gravitate toward spiritualizing their businesses as a way of justifying why they want to make money/be successful. In explicitly Christian circles, they justify having a business by calling it their “ministry”.

[@bluester7177]

This reminds me of Girl defined and all the other fundamentalist women out there, whou should not be working so they disguise it as teaching other people.

[@AleskyMaxomovishPeshkov]

I mean, research also shows that when women were given testosterone they became more skeptical than before so it’s deeply biological: women are just generally more interested in stuff like this ie magic, sorcery, religion etc. a similar study also found that when old men were given testosterone they became LESS religious, not more, which would explain why women are generally more religious than men

[@chaosofthegalaxy3094]

I do think manifesting works in a psychological sense, it’s a powerful way of thinking that leads to a strong faith or confidence.

[@justinwatson1510]

Joining a cult also leads to strong faith, stronf faith is not a virtue.

[@MrCmon113]

Some members of the Boxer rebellion strongly believed they were immune to bullets, which made them particularly easy to shoot.

[@crane8819]

I think there's a grain of truth to "manifestation" but I believe it's more about rewiring your brain to nudge yourself toward your goals. You won't always be successful but motivation and determination helps in a lot of different situations. Manifestation is like a vitamin supplement for your brain/soul, it won't do anything by itself but it can help you. Whether it's spiritual or psychological though is up to the individual.

[@obscureesoteric7213]

"I am the way and the truth and the life" those who has ears to hear, let them hear. Know I AM and be free. Search for your desires only to find yourself again. Observe the fear of death so that you may learn to love life. Listen closely as i say, do not believe the self, but believe IN the self. Unite the two let them become one.make the above like the below, and the inner like the outer. See the light keep your focus on it, make that which is impure, pure.

[@swedneck]

it's literally just, like, motivation lol.

[@MrCmon113]

Motivation doesn't have anything to do with "manifestation".

[@andyghkfilm2287]

“We are 100% responsible for all our experiences in life” Mugger: “Allow me to introduce myself.”

[@Mishakeet]

My dad has been “practicing” manifestation since the 70s lol. He tells himself he is going to have a good day a certain number of times in the shower in the morning. Funny to be seeing this video. I do think that taking ownership of your life and your choices is a good thing, all the scammers aside. I think a lot of people like leaving their life in the hands of a higher power. That said I don’t think everything that happens in our lives is our “fault”. But I do believe our reactions are up to us. To a degree.

[@scienceface8884]

That doesn't sound exactly the same: your dad sounds like he's attempting to influence his own state of mind, which humans have a limited but proven ability to do. Manifestation, as described here, seems to be an attempt to manipulate the probability of things we otherwise have no control over in an attempt to get a favorable outcome.

[@Mishakeet]

@@scienceface8884 he does indeed say the whole “you create your own reality” thing. It might not be to the level that the influencers take it too, but it is in that same ballpark. He also checks his horoscope every day and believes in astrology and mercury retrograde haha. But your right in that he’s not trying to create something out of nothing or just begging the universe for things. That to me is the scammy territory of it. I do think we have more control then we think, like our ability to get a job by having a good cover letter to a resume, putting ourselves out there i dating, etc. but not to the point of “I will receive 100 dollars in my PayPal.”

[@dearleader7623]

Manifestation sounds like it's people pretending they have volition and agency in the physical world from the confines of their minds when they have none. It is through action that we can exercise our volition and agency in the physical world to "manifest" an ideal reality for ourselves. It all sounds like neoliberal spiritualism to me, where you shall possess prosperity for yourself through metaphysical means.

[@WafflingWillow]

​@@MishakeetYou wouldn't say "I will get x" because saying "I will" clues your subconscious into understanding that you don't have the thing you want. Therefore, nothing will happen. "I will myself 500$" is more affective. But it's not just about saying something, it's about visualizing all components of having it. You must feel the money, have gratitude that you have this money, smell the money, hear the money, and yeah even taste it - as if you already have it in your hands. How would you feel if you physically had 500$ suddenly? That's what you gotta visualize. But all manifestations require effort on your part. You gotta act as if you already have that money. How would you act if you had an extra $500? Act like that.

[@yoeyyoey8937]

What if the higher power is yourself?

[@dustsky]

There is nothing inherently wrong with positive thinking and adopting an abundance mindset, as long as it is coupled with diligent effort towards achieving one's goals, rather than passively waiting for wealth to magically appear without putting in any work.

[@chaotickreg7024]

But if you are working hard to get what you, you don't need an abundance mindset, in fact it gets in the way of recognizing what your work actually gets you.

[@xxxs8309]

Exactly

[@ginagamba]

Hi, there. Thanks for making this video. I'm an ex-manifester because of this idea that we are completely responsible for our lives. I agree with its critics that we can get stuck in blaming the victim for things that we have no control over, like disabilities, backgrounds and society. It's also an easy and convenient out when a manifestation we tried hard for doesn't happen, to blame the user,--WE did something wrong, like harboring negative thoughts and feelings--rather than the faulty system.

[@stephenmcfarland2298]

Having goals: great. Working to meet those goals: fantastic. Maintaining a healthy state of mind: optimal. These three can be done without involving oneself in the quackery that is manifestation.

[@douglasboylan3477]

You are 100% responsible for what you do with the hand you've been dealt. That's about as far as manifestation should go

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

And even that is fairly dodgy, once one starts taking into account things like CPTSD (often resulting in involuntary acts or reactions), the nature of subconscious & implicit bias, and how vulnerable we are to suggestion, marketing & propaganda?

[@MrCmon113]

"What you do" is part of "the hand you've been dealt".

[@mqb3gofjzkko7nzx38]

Manifesting is looking at the hand you've been dealt and saying over and over to yourself that you actually have a royal flush.

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

@@mqb3gofjzkko7nzx38 Weaponised power of positive thinking...?! 🤪

[@antiskill2012]

There is a psychological phenomenon that appears like manifesting. I learned that I project an aura of greater confidence when speaking to a crowd by consciously thinking "I am extremely charismatic" even if I don't sincerely feel it. Similarly, some people find they become more popular in general after they've started dating someone - the affirmation of being found attractive makes them feel more capable even in other kinds of social interactions. However, both of these result from subtle, internal changes rather than simply thinking about X to manifest X.

[@andrescarnederes2295]

There's some truth to manifestation imho because we usually have limiting beliefs that limit us from acheiving our goals. But telling someone that something bad happened to them because of their thoughts is honestly one of the most toxic things imaginable.

[@LOwens-xf8yo]

My philosophy came from Disney character Baloo the bear, who sings about the Bear Necessities of Life: “Now don’t spend your time, worrying about things you can’t find…cause you’ll find out you can live without it and go along not thinking about it.” Just beautiful!!

[@teiladnam]

It seems to me that this might be helpful psychologically. If you have anxiety about making money, that anxiety could sabotage you and make your problems even worse. If you tell yourself (or the "universe") that you're actually good at making money, that could relieve the anxiety, taking away the barrier you've put up.

[@johnathanmartin1504]

More often it leads to old ladies giving away their life savings to a televangelist.

[@l5966]

Actually kind of true. It makes my mother happy so I just let her believe it.

[@victoriafreeman7747]

​@@johnathanmartin1504 The televangelists are just really good at manifesting. Just don't let Jerry Falwell see your vision board! Was it Falwell? IIRC that Jim Bakker stepped away from leading his televangelist network because of a scandal and signed it over to his good friend Jerry Falwell. Falwell told him "I'll hold onto ownership of the network until the scandal blows over. We'll get through these trying times together. If you need anything, just ask. Since most of your assets technically belong to the church, just send me a list of the assets you want transferred into your name." Then the next day Jerry Falwell went on his newly acquired TV network and said "I don't think Jim Bakker is sorry at all! Just look at this list of OUTRAGEOUS demands he sent me! He's demanding cars and houses!" I can't find the incident with a quick Google search but I love that story so much.

[@averagetrailertrash]

Unfortunately, the opposite is more often true, especially for those with anxiety disorders like OCD. The psychologically healthy way to recover from anxiety is learning to NOT take your thoughts so seriously in the first place. The goal is to let the worries roll off your shoulders. "It will be what it will be." When you start thinking you can control the anxiety through competing thoughts or actions, you open yourself up to developing compulsions and other unhealthy coping mechanisms. Performing a compulsion, such as a repeating affirmation, may ease the anxiety temporarily, but it then comes back even stronger shortly after. And you are thus forced to do the compulsion more frequently, for longer, with increasing intensity, just to feel how you did before you even tried the coping mechanism. Mistreating severe anxiety invites these kinds of addictive personality issues. And as people with anxiety often get intrusive thoughts (randomly appearing phrases & visualizations in their mind that tend to be very negative in nature) beyond simple anxieties about reality, it's a fundamentally poor pairing. Believing that one's thoughts creates their reality greatly increases the anxiety felt by and unhealthy focus (obsession) put towards those intrusive thoughts. It's the sort of coping mechanism that may feel fantastic in the moment but has a significant chance of triggering a downward spiral over time.

[@Mae-vc9jv]

manifesting's individualistic nature perfectly captures the capitalist rot which pervades every aspect of our society. Manifesting is essentially just prayer but where traditional religion typically emphasizes community, manifestation is an entirely personal practice perfectly suited for a cutthroat system that pits all against all. It's not a coincidence that money and success is the main thing people are asking of this vaguely defined higher power. Getting ahead is rivaled only by finding a partner, probably THE most innate (biologically hardwired) human desire. Who can afford to love thy neighbor in a world where you're either exploiting others or being exploited.

[@Discitus]

"Manifesting" seems unhealthy. I originally thought it was "the power of positive thinking" but it's not that at all. It's not optimism, it's delusion. It seems like a way to make rejection and failure worse for you, because instead of being hopeful, you're telling yourself that you already have a thing, only to have it taken away when reality hits. I'm sure it works fine for rich people like Oprah, but for average people it's setting them up for constant disappointment.

[@fugithegreat]

Not only that, it puts you in the position of being entirely responsible for everything that happens to you, so if your life is crap then it's going to be all your fault for not magically thinking it better. Who cares about the billions of external forces around us that affect us in unknowable ways, I am supposed to just make something exist by saying it does. 😂

[@MaryamMaqdisi]

YES. To both comments.

[@megangibson5170]

I agree, most people who I’ve seen promoting manifestation already seem to have a somewhat comfortable life. Also why is “The Universe” helping people manifest new cars and vacations instead of helping people who actually need it?

[@christiangreff5764]

@@megangibson5170 Because those people are better at manifesting, obviously. It's all a zero-sum game! We are competing for manifesting resources! Stop spreading the word and hoard all your manifesting secrets for personal use!

[@bluester7177]

​@@megangibson5170yeah, why isn't the universe helping people manifest food or shelter, or poor people are incapable of thinking positively and manifesting?

[@XiaosChannel]

this is incrediably similar to the japanese practice of soburi, which originally means practice swings (as in with bamboo swords or baseball bats), but is used as a small ritual for good luck in things like exams. people will chant what they wish to happen before they actually do the thing

[@brinichole9536]

i love setting intentions because when i review my list of intentions i make sure my actions are backing my intentions and it makes me more likely to feel like im working in a productive way

[@ems4884]

In short: You set goals and try to achieve them. Congratulations. You're human

[@faith-by-faith]

I'm so torn about this video. I have so many concerns about the popularity of this particular version of magical practice, but at the same time that thumbnail is FANTASTIC!

[@jogsingumboots]

I'm a Linguist/ Language Scientist and this is THE thing that always does my head in. Language is about a set of agreements that a group of sounds or signs represents a concept for that group- therefore manifesting can't work, because fundamentally language is arbitrary and it's being used to get something that doesn't 'agree' to do something concrete. Can you imagine time and space changing every time someone spoke in tongues? 😂

[@speedwagon1824]

You could just say the universe understands

[@aaronmyers6686]

I don't believe in manifesting either, but I should mention that even though words and language are arbitrary and there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of different languages on Earth, all humans share [practically] the same kind of brain, and so, linguistic differences aside, we pretty much think in the same way as one another. An English "dog" and a German "Hund" may be different mouth-sounds, but the concept both of these words refer to is identical. So to pretend that manifestation or something similar to it truly exists, although we speak to "the Energy" in our native tongue, we think it in the "thought-language", and perhaps that's how it gets across, in a silly telepathic kind of way.

[@chaotickreg7024]

​@@aaronmyers6686Not all languages have identical concepts. Maybe another languages dog is a "Fake cat" which would make your idea weak. We can only be sure about languages agreeing on things conceptually when it comes to nouns that describe literal objects, but good luck getting two languages to agree on something abstract.

[@coolman000099]

I see what you’re sayin but the main point of saying manifesting is to make yourself feel like it here. The feeling of it being here now is universal , the language is just the route there.

[@chaotickreg7024]

@@coolman000099 The feeling of the universe is not actually universal, it's exclusively in your head. I mean the universe does have an effect on your emotions, but only through your senses, so you're not really listening or communicating with the universe any more than if you were practicing mindfulness.

[@Mandragara]

These people have externalised the benefits of a productive, positive, goal focused mindset. Fascinating

[@FoosNotes]

My dad is really deep in this stuff. He got into it when The Secret was getting popular. Anything he says or does has to do with it in some way or another. Whether he admits it, he treats it like a religion. He even proselytizes 😅 He makes sure everyone he meets hears about it. And he is effective at bringing people into it. I’ve never been convinced, though, despite his best efforts.

[@AleskyMaxomovishPeshkov]

Wow your dad is pathetic and I’m glad I don’t have one who believes in such crap 😂. Research shows that when women were given testosterone they became more skeptical than before

[@JaysonT1]

PLEASE stay away from it! It is a scam!

[@lumppump1182]

ive been waiting on the video about this for so long, very excited to watch

[@Stegosaurus12345]

I have been waiting for this video for years, and it did not disappoint. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@affanshaikh8492]

The thumbnail really confused me 🤣🤣🤣 I was like wtf is this on my timeline? Till I looked properly and realised it's andrew

[@Stormy38044]

I've only just found this channel and it's brought an immense comfort about my own spiritual journey. I've never been into The Secret etc but i've looked at many different things and the way multiple spiritual/religious topics are broken down and explained with what seems like as little bias as possible...really appreciate it

[@TheRealLurtz]

I love how you can be so serious when talking about these topics

[@danielreed4050]

Always appreciate and look forward to your videos to brighten my day and broaden my horizons, please never stop

[@aanchaallllllll]

0:00: 🧲 Manifesting is the practice of using affirmations and focused energy to attract desired outcomes. 4:13: 🧠 New Thought challenged the Enlightenment belief of separating the mind and body, promoting a holistic understanding of their connection. 8:10: 🌍 The law of attraction is one of many laws that create reality, and it has roots in both new thought and New Age spirituality. 12:14: 💫 Manifesting is making a resurgence in today's communication medium of choice, social media. 16:38: 🔍 Manifesting is an example of lived religion, where individuals practice and experience religion outside of official authority or texts. Recap by Tammy AI

[@blakksheep736]

....what's this?

[@BlessingsfromBridget]

I love that he covered this topic. I’m surprised that he did, but manifesting is a popular topic, so I’m glad he shared it. He should share more New Age ideas and practices.

[@jonathanbyrdmusic]

This is amazing! Thanks for taking this seriously and digging in.

[@zertyuz]

This is definitely one of my favorite channels. Thank you for being (or coming across as) super unbiased and very informative. You really are my favorite channel to eat some nice hot breakfast to.

[@LCR-iy6xq]

This was a great insight! Manifesting is an expression of a more individualistic culture, but it also has echoes of how people pray devoutly to specific saints or minor gods to help them in their day-to-day/achieve their goals.

[@ChamberOfTimeLover]

Good video, would love to see you talk about other "mind and will" practices that have gained popularity in the 2000s through the internet, such as tulpamancy, astral projection, reality shifting and the like.

[@michelangelolaciura-foley8859]

Dude everything about your vids are perfect even the way you slip in an ad feels natural. Respect bro

[@TesserId]

Having looked into this material in the past, I can definitely say that everything I've seen validates this vid (as if anyone would doubt it).

[@cedarturner833]

Im writing my senior anthropology thesis about the intersection of New Age spirituality practices (like manifesting) and queer identities on social media, your video is a fantastic summary of why these practices become so popular! Super interested in this topic and excited to learn more about how social media changes religious practices, especially for folks in marginalized communities

[@estycki]

It's not really a new thing, it's just a modern re-branding of praying and faith. People always prayed for health, wealth and love. In 2019 I was really sick and I prayed for an option to work from home... O.o

[@casual_elitist]

I T W A S Y O U

[@christiangreff5764]

Better make tripple-sure there is no Monkey's Paw in your possesion because that sounds just like its modus operandi XD

[@MrCmon113]

When you pray and it doesn't happen, it's the god's fault, though. The manifesters blame individual victims for their misfortune, not a lack of sacrifices or rituals.

[@oldnewsglory]

Dude! YESSSSS! Thank you for expanding beyond "religion" and covering "spiritual" topics. ❤

[@gregstephens7990]

Thank you for this video. Your content is always extremely informative and one of my greatest sources of knowledge when I compare the many different "religions" in this world. ❤

[@rachel_sj]

I’m Good Enough, I’m Smart Enough, And, Doggone It, People Like Me!

[@_shadow_1]

I do think think imagining yourself achieving a goal can be quite useful and probably can also make the obtaining of said goal more likely. However, people must understand that there's no mystical law of the universe at play, it's just that most events in a person's life are actually far less random than we tend to believe they are. Everyone's lives are filled with countless "butterfly effect" moments which don't logically seem correlated to a particular outcome at all but actually are. The brain sometimes subconsciously picks up on the correlation before that outcome occurs and we get what we think is a premonition.

[@CLEFT3000]

Thank you for this grounded down to earth punch of reality

[@paulmcgurkjr8934]

Great information as usual! Thanks!!!

[@kenziedayne4234]

It works the same way as setting a goal and then taking actual steps in pursuing that goal. It's also based on interpretation of coincidence. In the past when something good happened, especially if it was something you were hoping for, you would attribute it to the God of your choice. Now people are replacing that with "I did that by manifesting it". But in the end it's still just one of two things. Either you worked for the results (consciously or unconsciously), or it was a coincidence that you decided to take credit for.

[@marg716]

I will manifest ____ by doing work to accomplish it.

[@janellemccoy09]

I enjoyed the way you decided to document the movement of online spiritually.

[@davidsprouse151]

Love all the images. You too.

[@checrimmins7418]

True manifestation takes a lot of discipline and self-reflection and It's about becoming your true self. It's about diving into who and what you are and relinquishing past beliefs in order to behave from a state free from societal and self imposed psychological/behavioral limitations.

[@useodyseeorbitchute9450]

"relinquishing past beliefs in order to behave from a state free from societal and self imposed psychological/behavioral limitations." Doesn't it match a bit phenomenon called as red pealing? [typo for yt censor bot]

[@checrimmins7418]

@useodyseeorbitchute9450 completely depends on how you define "red pealing." If you're referring to its origins from the movie Matrix then I'd say yes. Neo from the movie has to over come the barriers of his mind in order to hack the matrix. Same idea in real life. Our minds are far more powerful than we realize.

[@MrCmon113]

There is no "true self" and "societal and self imposed psychological/behavioral limitations" are just parts of what causes your behavior.

[@checrimmins7418]

@MrCmon113 I guess it depends on how you define "self." I not sure how to interpret what your saying. Is your perspective one of determinism?

[@HeisenbergFam]

The intro is so philosophical and truly poetic my viewpoint on life and space has changed

[@letsomethingshine]

Which intro? The three pop-manifestation quotes? Or the pop-culture platformers clipped supporting manifestation although they were already rich to begin with?

[@JonClash]

Great job! So awesome seeing you cover this! I just wrote a book debunking the Law of Attraction.

[@ThaFashionAssassin]

I never expected you to talk about this but I’m glad you did. It is a religious practice as well

[@xoxb2]

It's interesting how close manifesting is to things like intercessory prayer, except aimed at oneself not others. In an American context, there's presumably a fairly direct ancestry for that - young adults transmogrifying and playing back what they learned as children. But as a direct appeal for supernatural help, it fits what some would argue is the origin of religion (summoning protection, appeasing gods to hold off misfortune etc). As an inversion of misfortune, it certainly fits the idea of religion as an explanation for misfortune - you didn't have the correct internal mental state to attract good fortune. In this sense, it could almost be seen as a kind of functional fundamentalism. While it's true there may be a CBT-style benefit (for those for whom CBT works), two disbenefits are that it may distract from practical steps that might actually bring the desired result, and it may stop you reacting to warning signs. The classic "she loves me and will fall into my arms" repeated twenty times a day is a short-cut to a Me Too moment if you don't read her rejection as rejection but as you having to try harder! But the spiritual side of religion was never about pragmatics anyway ... Great video!

[@yoeyyoey8937]

It’s a natural human phenomena

[@letmeseemm]

Yeah this has always seemed to be the purpose of religion as I've observed it. Throughout millenia people have used religion to avoid misfortune and this is just another form of the same reason we used to sacrifice animals or do spellwork or pray to Jesus. 🤷🏾‍♀️

[@adamkotter6174]

Whether or not you can will things into existence just by thinking about them, I don't think there's any denying that your thoughts play a powerful role in the course of your life. Self-confidence is essential to economic success, and gratitude is essential to happiness. I seriously doubt that anyone can find wealth just by thinking about it, but thinking about it (AKA setting goals) is an essential starting place.

[@Delmworks]

I mean, it probably feels more pleasant that leaving your fate in the hands of a mindless and yet freakishly sophisticated chain of contexts and events

[@Pushing_Pixels]

Being born is even easier than willing things into existence. Yes, there are lots of self made wealthy people, and confidence no doubt played a part in that success, but they make up no more than 40% of the wealthy, and even less of the super wealthy. The rest inherit. There's no secret there, no manifestation, just luck.

[@fxmr79]

Excellent analysis. I will use it in my Sociology class.

[@patswayze7359]

i learn so much from your channel,thank you

[@jlords24]

I'm always wary when people insist on the law of attraction as the main drive of psychology. But the more I study psych at school, the more I realize that there is a fair amount that positive thinking can improve mental health. I've still seen how this idea causes harm though, so it's definitely not a safe basis for dogma.

[@dearleader7623]

Indeed. The spiritualism to it is mostly crap. Since "we are prisoners in our own minds", positive thinking is very important for well-maintained self-esteem and mental stability. I'm personally taking a major in psych and this topic interests me a lot.

[@Pushing_Pixels]

The belief that people are in complete control of their own experiences often "manifests" as victim blaming, either implied or explicit. "You didn't control your experience, and here is the result". When that belief system is internalized by victims themselves, either willingly or via family/social upbringing, it can be tragic.

[@vaiyt]

Positive thinking may be able to change how you feel but cannot literally change the external world.

[@WafflingWillow]

​@vaiyt Positive thinking changes your immediate environment. You choose what you allow into your life and you choose what you focus on. A doomer is only going to attract the negativity that he believes is the only reality, so he suffers and believes the world, too, suffers. Meanwhile, a positive person is more likely to see opportunity where the doomer refuses to see. The positive person will see the world as beautiful and abundant. Even though these two might look at the same earth, they think very different thoughts and end up in completely different environments. And by being positive or negative in thought, you affect everyone around you, who then affect others. So you can make everyone bitter and upset like you, as a negative person, or you can brighten people's day as a positive person. And the more people dislike you, the more they will distance themselves from you. The more positive you are, the more people want to draw closer to you, bringing new opportunities with them. Do you know anyone you generally like to avoid? The very basis of wanting to avoid them is affecting "the world". The butterfly affect us very real. I'd suggest looking into it.

[@yoeyyoey8937]

Most scams and cults if not all are based on a kernel of truth which is what makes them effective

[@adryancavar7515]

I understood manifesting as a practice that causes a leading of your own micro decisions towards the said goal. Meaning that if I keep saying that I am successfull, I'm more likely to act out the steps that are needed to succeed. To put it in perspective: contrary, if I always think I'm a failure, I most likely won't even try. So I personally don't see it as a higher power but rather as an encouraging attempt to not lose hope. Having said that, I believe that seeing the mere thought of something as a cause or cure for any serious problem is dangerous for everyone. Not even because of victim blaming, but because of people not taking action when they really should.

[@mustafy2066]

thanx alot for this really informative unbiased presentation

[@mattstefon4878]

This is one of your best vids ever.

[@birgbirg111]

Dude I love you

[@Plainview200]

Nothing wrong with having positive thoughts. They work particularly well when combined with a sense of personal responsibility and good work ethic.

[@royeckhardt9016]

Is that accurate to reality, though? It doesn't seem like it.

[@Plainview200]

@@royeckhardt9016 Nothing is perfect, but it's a lot more effective than just mindlessly wishing for things and expecting them to drop into your lap.

[@royeckhardt9016]

@@Plainview200 Correct. Which is what manifesting is most of the time. Though claiming that good work ethic and personal responsibility combined with positive thinking is going to get you anywhere with any kind of consistency is nearly as fallacious. It can certainly help, but "works well" is a bit of a stretch.

[@Plainview200]

@@royeckhardt9016 Works most of the time. If it's not, take personal responsibility and change what you are doing. Might not work nearly as well in countries that have limited options. Certainly not having a positive attitude, not taking responsibility, or having a good work ethic is a pretty good recipe for a hard life.

[@MrCmon113]

This "manifestation" delusion is the least positive thought I can imagine. It's nothing but the most extreme form of rejection of all compassion.

[@Ggdivhjkjl]

Good to see you mentioned how The Secret talked about this years ago and there are roots going back a long way.

[@DarylBaines]

Always facinating. Thanks for anoher great vid.

[@fidgettyspinner3028]

A way for lucky narcissists to simultaneously feel that they are somehow cosmically powerful whilst ALSO pretending that their good fortune was a product of their actions instead of chaos/privilege?

[@LilBrownieD]

Very true

[@MrCmon113]

And to simultaneously look down on everyone less fortunate and to spit on victims of violence.

[@vjara94]

I'm sorruounded by poeple that believe in this, although none of them are aware of the bigger culture around this, or follow any guru or social figure on the topic and most don't let their lives be defined by this, but they believe in this different degrees

[@nebulan]

Therapy has helped me a lot. My church was always saying, "If ye have faith, ye shall not fear," but all that said to me was that i must not be doing the faith right because my anxieties weren't going away. I like working with a licensed therapist. I have a friend who is a life coach, and her Facebook posts just feel like empty platitudes to me.

[@baronesselsavonfreytag-lor1134]

Thanks for discussing this.

[@hypatia4754]

Manifesting has been part of the New Thought movement since the early 1900s. Every decade it comes out as "new".

[@Embassy_of_Jupiter]

I am a magnet for miracles. This video is meant to have 100 million views.

[@scottygordon3280]

I was thinking you should include the clip of Marshall McLuhan from Annie Hall, but then you included the semaphore code version of Wuthering Heights from Monty Python, which is even better 😊

[@asherthedisaster4724]

hey!!! its the beliefs my dad had growing up!!!!!! what fun memories, i remember clearly a chapter book my dad used to read me before bed about a girl named Sara learning how to manifest from a talking owl. the owl gets chot at the end. thanks for the core memory