How to Use Symbols to Manifest Your Desires

How to Use Symbols to Manifest Your Desires

All of us in some way or another, are connected to, or influenced by symbols. When a group of Rastafarians started carving a totem pole out of a tree in a New York park they made a statement that affected the whole community. Countless people passing through the park were drawn to the totem feeling the connectivity this project initiated. Unwittingly, they were challenged to question the meaning of symbolism.

Symbolic connections act like antennae that enable us to tune in to the whole and understand the self, almost like road signs connecting a traveler to a destination.

Imagine All the Symbols

Imagine all the symbols in life we are already familiar with. Everyone relates to a circle. For some, it may signify the constant cycle of changing life or unity, wholeness and infinity or eternity. A river represents life-force and the passage of time. It also represents yielding. The symbol of a cup shows that form cannot exist without space, and space without form. There’s the dove that represents freedom. Symbols are powerfully present in religion – the cross, the Star of David, the endless knot, the tree of life, or the plait is present and recognized in most of the world’s awareness.

A Source of Wisdom

Whether we wear our symbols close to our bodies inscribed in gold or silver, hang them in our homes or tattoo them onto our bodies they are strongly inscribed in our minds. Our symbols become a source of wisdom and power for us. They express things that cannot be explained verbally and we often call on them for healing, representation, and ritual. They’re said to appear to us to awaken the ancient wisdom in our DNA.

A Source of Positivity

Imagery and visualization are becoming more popular as a way to replace negative thoughts or fear and to actively draw in positivity. We can use symbolism in conjunction with imagery to create a powerful effect. Texan based psychologist Jeanne Achterberg explains that “Imagery is a wedge or an entrance into the ability to translate and transform the very nature of our being.”

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      Find Yourself Symbolically

      When working with imagery Achterberg suggests finding out who you are symbolically. You may decide you have the nature and qualities of a certain animal, flower or element. For example, you may feel that wood best describes your personality or that you capture the essence of a fox.

      A good exercise to do is to feel yourself through the elements. There will be certain elements or animals you feel naturally drawn to, these are clues you can use. It doesn’t matter if astrologically you are water, fire, Earth or air, see what you feel you are by absorbing yourself deeply in the idea of each of the elements separately and see which one you are most drawn to. Do this with animals, with flowers, with elements in nature like a river, tree, soil, sky, sun, mountain, moon, air or wind.

      You could even do it systematically going through the plant kingdom starting with a list of different herbs, then flowers, then plants, then trees. Crystals have strong vibrations that usually call people to them quite specifically. You could look at insects, then animals, moving onto landscapes like desert, mountain, river, valley, lake, then the elements; wind, wood, fire, earth or water. Planets can also be included, and of course, shapes.

      “Once we become aware of our symbolic nature we begin to identify our own story and wholeness. This process,” asserts Achterberg, “is a way to bring people to know their own full stories and to reinvent those stories if they wish. If the stories in the mind change, thoughts change, emotions change, and the body changes.” She explains that because thoughts are biochemical reactions – biochemistry influences thoughts.

      Change or Adapt Your Story

      Once you’ve found your story, see how you might want to change it. Using pictures and images, elements, animals and components of nature make it much easier for your mind to re-imprint the thoughts and images you feel are outdated. If you feel too serious and want a more playful aspect of your personality to emerge then using the image of a dolphin might work well for you. You can also use a symbolic version of an ant if you want to draw organizational and productive energy towards you.

      Symbols are Pathways into the Psyche

      Symbols act as connectors between different levels of awareness. These alternative levels or realities come to us to display hidden meanings and to serve as pathways into the psyche. They enrich the life of the mind. When we use a totem we have a link with another state of existence, which can assist us in conditioning our own.

      Philosopher and psychologist Carl Jung found that when using dreams and art to assist in therapy, his patients often uncovered similar symbols. These, he maintained, came from the collective unconscious. He believes symbols generate themselves as an expression of a deep inner power of which we are aware, but which we cannot fully express in words.

      Build on Your Understanding of Symbols

      Old tribal medicine encourages building and developing an understanding of symbols to promote the wellbeing of body and spirit. Once the meaning becomes clear, new insights into the mind are revealed and often, meaningful symbols begin to show up with greater frequency. It is almost as if each symbol unlocks a door through which other symbols are then allowed to emerge.

      By simply becoming more aware of symbolism you will automatically start to see more symbols and symbolic interplay in your life. Suddenly the emblem on the gate will become more apparent and more meaningful to you. You may notice a spear shape or triangle or any other shape seems to pop up in countless places, more often than coincidence can account for.

      Meanings of symbols are buried deep in our psyche and we know what many of them mean without having to learn. You’ll see how easy it is to become familiar with the world of symbols.

      It’s a language you learned at childbirth and left behind. When you start learning it again it just seems to come to you. More importantly, you can use them to guide you and enrich your understanding of life.

      Using Tribal Symbols

      Many symbols have centuries of thought and energy invested in them. We can ‘borrow’ specific symbols from different tribes and cultures to help us in important pursuits. If wanting to germinate an idea or project or to conceive a child, the African Ashanti tribe has a very strong symbol for fertility called Akua’ba. For protection, the Jain religion has used a symbol of the hand to represent non-violence and avoidance of harm to any living creature. In certain Native American tribes, the symbol of a big mountain represents abundance.

      You may feel one of the ancient symbols has collective energy that will work more efficiently. You can draw it on a piece of paper and put it up around the house, you could get a silversmith to make up a piece of jewelry that depicts your symbol or you could sew it into a talisman or if you feel very strongly about it, turn it into a tattoo.

      How to Use Symbols to Manifest

      Achterberg believes we can create meaningful change in our lives by using a technique she calls specific imagery. This involves spending time getting into a completely relaxed state. Once that has been done, then, using all the senses, (not just the visual) imagine the outcome you most desire. See how it might unfold step-by-step. Experience what it looks like, how it feels, tune into the colors, the smell, the sound, be as present and as engaged as you can.

      Then take the environment of where you are at that moment and turn it into a symbol. It’s basically creating a mental picture, focusing on it fully, then adding the intention of turning it into a symbol. See what emerges.

      You’ll get a symbolic version that’s highly charged, filled with intention and very effective.

      Practicing this kind of imagery for a few minutes daily will strengthen your ability to create the things you want in your life. If you have trouble visualizing, you may want to look at a dictionary of symbols and see if you can locate one that best represents what you are trying to conjure up.

      If I imagine wanting to go on a beautiful long trip somewhere exotic, and I close my eyes and visualize this with the intention of turning it into a symbol, I see a beautiful big bird with wings outspread. I can see how this bird can carry my intention in a powerfully strong way. It captures my desire in a single picture and instead of having to visualize all the components of my wishes each time, they are all encapsulated in a neat package. Every time I think of what I want, I see the bird and know that it is adding a deep level of vibrational power to my desire.



      How to Follow Your Dreams

      The Seven of Cups is one of my favorite tarot cards. It represents dreams flowing to us. Not just those we actively pursue but those set within our destiny with no effort or exertion required.

      As children we follow these passionate impulses without fear or hesitation. The world, our parents and society slowly dismiss these destinies as fanciful and set us on more productive pursuits, thus squashing that which is most innate within our hearts.

      To follow your dreams is not the stuff of legend but the very purpose of life. However, you can recapture that destiny which allows you to fulfill the illustrious nature of your true being.

      AN INVITATION TO REMEMBER

      How do we begin to find our dreams if they have slipped from us? While some blessed souls may have it charted out with great focus, others may find dreams to be a bit elusive slowly fading from our view. Rarely do we have parents actively championing our dreams, inserting instead their own morals and issues to help us avoid their missteps. Yes, this is done from love, but rarely from awareness.

      The “why,” the logic, often obfuscates the seed of the dream. “How will I get there?” or “Who will be interested in hearing what I have to say?” shades the passion. Vulnerability, fear and doubt set in.

      To recapture that which has always been with us may require creative exercises of daydreaming. What was it that excited you as child? What were the longings of the innocent heart before practicality was interjected? Passion and curiosity are the surest ways to find your abandoned dreams.

      We are drawn to those things that match our destiny. Like some phantom limb, we can always feel them when we seek them. Find the whisperings and this is the key to find the dreams long forgotten. Regardless of the sensibility, seize the dream and breathe life into it. Even if this is not the ultimate path, these curiosities will bring you home.

      GENTLER THAN YOU EXPECT

      Expectations will likely pulverize the dream. Fearless pursuit and relentless determination are no way to chase your dreams. Inherent in the chase, is the disappointment or the exhilaration, both addictive. Chasing is not the way.

      Dreams do not like to be quantified and work outside of the realm of logic. Treat it with curious devotion and the nature of dreams has its own magic which will find you. Your destiny is already set, my love.

      Like the blueprint of the oak within the acorn, you are sure to succeed in those pursuits you most desire.

      Feed your dreams through gentle nurturing and quiet attention. It is faith – not discipline – that will bring your dreams to you. Follow the dreams; don’t set course for them with careful planning and detailed attention, for then it becomes a task. It is the process of discovery that fills us with such joy we cannot bear to let it be forgotten.

      ABUNDANCE OF BLESSINGS

      Once the dream has been pinpointed, the universe quickly confirms you are on the right track by sending blessings your way. Synchronictites begin appearing that confirm your path. You find things come to you easily. It is a matter of alignment after all. When we match the frequency of our destiny and follow our dreams with loving gentleness, the world conspires to help us achieve that which has been ordained for us.

      You could call this fate. But fate feels firm to me – fatal – lacking in free will and with plodded course. Destiny is the blueprint. How we arrive there is the journey of each soul and the delight of being.

      The energies that find us when we follow our dreams feel good. This sense of peace, contentment and excitement are sure signs we are in alignment with our dreams. When we are in rhythm with the truth of our hearts, we cannot be but lifted by the path ahead. Even if we are unable to see the outcome, the process of creation feels too fulfilling to abandon.

      Following our dreams gives us life, vitality, passion and becomes the purpose of our lives. We will feel more joyful and attract more of the same to us. Without effort, with loving attention, when we find the vibration of our destiny, and tend it well, everything unfolds just as planned. It is faith, not a detailed plan, that will feed our dreams and bring us to our destiny.

      PRINCIPLE OF PRIORITY

      We have many demands on us on any given day. Bills, self care, family and professional obligations at times seem to fill our to do list. If we feed these necessities only, the dreams will begin to wither. The trick is that the dream is always near, waiting patiently to be nurtured. Paying attention to that which gives us passion daily is the most certain path to following our dreams.

      Like a muse, the dream is always faithful to us and expression its only purpose. To come into being is its destiny and it has chosen to become through us. Our obligation is to make it a priority. Want to write a book? Commit to writing every day even if only a sentence at a time. Want to be a great artist? Buy the canvas and have the tools at the ready when inspiration does strike.

      Without our due diligence we are poor stewards for dreams. Be ready, be receptive and welcome the dream to move through you. This is the path of defiant self love which emboldens us to rise to our destiny.

      FOLLOW YOUR DREAM AS AN ACT OF CREATION

      No great work happens overnight. The Sistine chapel did not just appear. It took devotion, love and consistent attention to complete. We are often dissuaded from our dreams because we cannot see the veracity of its final product. We look for confirmation that we are doing it “right” when the only validation is the joy it brings.

      Creation is a tricky process. Sometimes it is pulsating with life ready to burst forth from us. Other times a quiet murmur that awaits breath to come back.

      SET AN ALTAR FOR YOUR DREAMS

      A vision board may be one expression but I like a bit more deep ritual. In my home, I have an altar to my business and my book. Both receive attention and are tended. I thank them when the muse is loud and honor them when the dream feels far off.

      Faith fills me knowing the fulfillment of my dreams is coming even when I cannot possibly see how it comes into reality. Following the dream brings such delight I have no desire to stop even if I cannot grasp how the final product will reach the world.

      ALL IS ATTRACTED TO YOU

      When I began this path as shaman, I could not imagine where it would lead. I only knew it was the only pursuit that brought me joy. As a child, I would become excited talking about ghosts and aliens. With each step I’ve taken to honor this dream, more reveals itself. The destiny is set and my only job is to follow the clues and remain devoted. I could not have hoped to sit here now writing about such esoteric matters, moreover, that you would even read them. And yet with each unfolding, I find there is little for me to question. It seems the only “logical” next step. Follow the dreams, breathe life into the passion and all will come to you.

      The converse of this is also true. In following your dreams, the fears, doubts and challenges will arise. With courage, we face these with the same gentle loving presence and the illusions which seem to block us begin to dissolve.

      Rather than feeling discouraged, see the obstacles as exactly the trigger than will help us heal and overcome the doubts deep within. When these “icky” energies arise, it is only asking to be loved, acknowledged and brought back into the fold of your total whole self.

      YOUR DREAMS ARE SACRED

      When you treat your dreams as a holy quest, a path of sacred devotion, interesting things begin to occur. As if by magic, everything appears for you. Destiny unfolds before you requiring no stress, no effort. This is the way and is ready to remind you of your brilliance.

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