It is not unusual for people to roll their eyes when they hear the word ‘manifestation’. Though it’s been written about extensively in books like The Law of Attraction and popularised in the films such as The Secret, outside spiritual and conscious communities, there’s still a degree of scepticism regarding whether it works. For some reason, magical stories often get ignored and those sharing them are looked at sideways or considered in search of an illusory quick fix by society. But the thing is, there is merit in exploring the unseen and wisdom in recognising we know very little about the world and the full power of thought from a scientific perspective.

There are so many stories of people having baffling, yet profound experiences that can’t be explained using conventional wisdom. The truth is, no one can explain exactly how and why manifestation works. But when it is done right, it is a complete art form with breathtaking outcomes. In case you haven’t heard of it before, manifestation is essentially the act and practice of thinking aspirational thoughts to bring them into existence. It originates in philosophical and spiritual traditions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Wicca and Taoism. It is based on the idea that you can attract or repel things, depending on where you direct your thoughts and focus your energy. If you’ve read the Law of Attraction the least bit, you know that your thoughts and emotions acquittance an energetic absolute frequency out to the Universe. Whatever is hovering at this same frequency will be attracted to your real-world life. If you give off low oscillations like anger, fear, or cynicism, you will attract accompanying experiences and events. Alternatively, if you give off high vibrations like joy, love, and passion, you will again draw corresponding experiences and situations into your world. Recently, I was lucky enough to discuss this topic and some key principles of manifestation with expert, Kittea Asdis. Kittea is the creator of two ground-breaking courses Dream Awake and Magic Year Manifesto that hone in on the not so hocus pocus side of manifestation.

Kittea is a phenomenal example of someone who has embodied her teachings to manifest a truly magical life. She has successfully built multiple 6 figure businesses creating elixirs, and health products and developing a broad suite of well-being programs and products.

Today she lives in a literal castle by the sea, surrounded by nature with the man of her dreams and is expecting her first child. The energy and beauty of her entire spirit beam so brightly. It is difficult to fully describe it until you have the pleasure of sitting in her presence. She has won multiple awards and is well known in conscious communities around the world for her ability to weave ancient and modern technology with the principles of mystic magic and lead others to follow the guidance of their hearts.

Kittea’s most recent well-being program, Dream Awake and Magic Year Manifesto helps people learn powerful manifestation tricks and harness their dreams as a tool for creation. She asks people how brave and willing they are to bridge the space between their dreams and reality. She teaches her students some practices to achieve their desired outcomes.

I asked Kittea for some advice. What can you share with people who are curious about practising manifestation but still hold a degree of scepticism regarding whether it works? Here are some of her top thoughts and recommendations we can all note and put into practice:

Don't wait for an AHA moment and expect your life will automatically change forever just because you thought a thought

One of my favourite things about Kittea’s advice is that it is always well-grounded. Her first recommendation is to recognise that your life will not magically change by sitting in a corner thinking positive thoughts about what you want to come to fruition. She acknowledges that visualisation and ‘ah- ha’ moments about your deepest desires can be a powerful catalyst for change, however, she likens them to the starter motor in the engine of your car. Though you need them, they will not work if the rest of your car does not run or is not maintained for performance. A key principle of manifestation is recognising that ‘ah-ha’ moments need to be backed up by actions you take every day. An ongoing commitment is needed to see them come to life.

Discipline meets devotion

The second principle for manifesting your dreams is understanding that discipline must meet devotion. Kittea’s teachings emphasise that what makes inspired action is the intermingling of discipline and devotion. For clarity, she points out that discipline is ultimately structured committed action – it is the force of energy that says, ‘no matter what happens, I am going to DO this thing.’ She also highlights that these must go hand in hand. Alone, discipline often doesn't make the cut when you are emotionally detached, tired, or unmotivated. She highlights devotion as opening your heart to your desire. And the intentional, emotional connection to something or someone. To successfully manifest something, Kittea teaches you must be devoted to something and be willing to let that devotion take over you and wrap you in loving grace. Practising both discipline and devotion helps bring your dreams to reality.

You must dig and do the work

The third piece of Kittea’s advice is that you can’t expect anyone else to do the work for you. You can be aligned with the universe, have all the best mentors in the world, all the best affirmations and be in the perfect situation, but the thing that will effectively change you is showing up, putting in the effort and meeting the universe halfway. The universe will support you. It will work with you. But you really must be taking steps in the right direction towards your dreams so that can happen.

You believe what you perceive

This principle is extremely important. Kittea was quick to point out that it is not as abstract as many people think it seems. The ability to choose and change your perception is a powerful strategic tool to affect change. Kittea teaches ‘the place people get perception wrong is that they try and turn negative things into positive things and attempt to either bypass what they are really feeling or pretend they are ok. That is not changing perspective. Choosing what you perceive is being able to be amidst the chaos of a terrible situation, acknowledging the discomfort or fear you are experiencing and then choosing where you reframe the situation and place your focus.’ For example, she pointed out that if you are in a ‘negative’ situation and can only focus on the negative, you are not in any mindset, emotional state or capacity to make clear decisions and create appropriate solutions. If, by contrast, you accept what is and shift your perspective to “I can do this” or “there is a solution”, then you take control of the situation, calm your nervous system, find solutions, and manage whatever situation has presented itself to you. To this end, a powerful tool for manifesting is training yourself to choose and change your perception, as needed, to stay on track to accomplishing your desired outcome.

This principle also emphasises the importance of being prepared to take off the rose-coloured glasses temporarily. To address situations practically and thoughtfully. So that you can deal with reality and stay on track to accomplish your goal or end objective.

Kittea also suggests to start looking at obstacles with grace and grounded energy so you can move past them in a way that allows you to deal with them appropriately without compromising yourself or shifting the goalposts.

Access your own Guru

The final principle to support manifestation is to practice accessing your inner guru. Kittea pointed out that this is not as woo-woo or out there as some may think it sounds. It is about taking care of yourself and tapping into yourself. So that you can operate at optimum levels to ensure you are preserving your own spiritual and physical well-being.

To manifest, you need to be able to listen to your inner guidance and trust it will allow you to progress towards goals with which you are divinely aligned. Kittea highlighted that ‘your brain produces different brain wave states at different times of the day. And there are certain brain wave states that allow you to move past your ‘thinking’ mind and deeper into your subconscious. You naturally access these states every night when you go to sleep, and if you train yourself to have the ability to be conscious in these states via lucid dreaming then you can solve so many pending issues in your life. She also promotes meditation, breathwork and tai chi because it helps people trying to manifest their goals to get out of their thinking mind and into states where answers to you more clearly. Additionally, she stresses that these practices facilitate proper rest and recalibrate the nervous system to improve productivity.

These five principles and techniques can make a world of difference in attracting what you want. Once they are put into play, you will likely notice synchronicity and actualisations occurring in your life. You will be able to add more faith and confidence to your expectations. This will make them even more effective. Kittea is a living example of just how powerful these practices are. Don’t be afraid to put them to the test – really, what could you possibly have to lose?