I am a creative. I am a creator. I am a manifestor. My study, my work, my life are devoted to living in consistent a state of openness and learning. I am human, though, so of course, life will show me contrast, and I understand it is up to me how I respond. Will I react with constriction and anger and fear and closed-heartedness? Or will I pause and create space to respond out of curiosity, abundance, joy, and love, which represents oneness consciousness?

In light of all this, I recently re-listened to a conversation between Abraham and an audience member, during which they discussed a manifestation game he had been playing. Abraham had spoken previously of how, when we are aligned and allowing Source to flow through us, manifesting a castle is as easy as manifesting a button. The idea is that when you think about a button, your inner being has little to no resistance, so it can show up rather easily. The castle presents more resistance, especially to our lack-based ego, so we automatically think it’s nearly impossible to draw to us. The object of the exercise is to flow with our energy in such a way that no ask is too big; we get to a place of knowing where we experience no resistance for any desire we can conjure.

So now, this audience member was telling them (Abraham) about how he chose to play a game with himself and how he manifested the button. It turned up in a place where no button should have been. He was both excited and also freaked out by his own ability to manifest. At the same time, though, as his fear-based self crept back into his awareness, he was wondering if he had in fact manifested this at all. He explained how he had come to learn that his girlfriend had lost the button in his truck. How it seems like it wasn’t energy manifesting at all. And was this all just nonsense?

Abraham answered that despite the story about the girlfriend and her lost button, the fact is that the button showed up for him. He had contemplated it, brought it into his awareness, and it revealed itself to him. That was true. The fact that, in hindsight, it seemed a coincidence, was testament to his not fully trusting his ability and alignment. In fact, this manifestation was a righteous coinciding of his intention and Source so that the button actually presented itself.

Now about the Blue Jay. In light of the conversation about the button, l decided to play a similar game. As I went out for my run a couple of days ago, I began contemplating Cardinals and Blue Jays. I wanted to call them into my awareness. In keeping with Abraham’s example, I chose these birds, because I didn’t have any resistance to them. I wasn’t asking for an elephant to cross Forest Road or show up in East Goshen Park. I would have had a lot of resistance to that. I figured the birds were easy. I looked forward to them revealing themselves. I knew that they would.

That very morning, not minutes after I put these thoughts and intentions into my consciousness, I caught sight of several crimson Cardinals that fluttered past me and landed on tree branches only feet away from my path. Of course, I thought. That was easy. I knew I’d see them. How fun. I am a good student of the Universe.

Now for the Blue Jays. I continued running and sending out my intention to see them, but  not one showed up. I let my thoughts go, knowing that this was the process: send it out and then detach from it. Easy. I know how to do this. I didn’t see any Blue Jays. Not that day, nor the next, nor the next. In fact, despite my knowing the process, I found myself getting a little anxious about this. Robins and Chickadees would fly by and land on the grass close to me. A sharply dressed Woodpecker, red head glowing from between the leaves, even appeared. I started to feel like these rascals were taunting me. “Not a Blue Jay!” they were saying. Buggers.

In the ebbing and flowing of my detachment, I found myself looking and looking. Is that a Blue Jay? Is that one? How about there? Was that a blue feather I saw? As this continued, the lesson of this search and calling for this manifestation revealed itself. It is a dynamic and law of the universe I know well and yet was repeating in spite of myself.

I was super conscious that my very need to see this seemingly illusive bird was working against it coming to me. The very striving for the thing was resistance itself. And this resistance could never yield this manifestation to me. In fact, at the same time as I was having the lack-based thoughts, I actually had a deep awareness that the Blue Jay would show up when he was ready. I even had rather a profound knowing that more than one would come; I could actually see this occurring. So I smiled to myself and just kept walking and waiting with detachment and trust.

This morning I again went out for my run. I was talking to a friend as I went along and actually felt self-possessed and strong. As we talked, I was breathing into my heart space, allowing the energy to flow out and around me, and yes, I was envisioning the Blue Jay. Today, though, I was very clear. He will come when he is ready–when our energies are aligned. I am calling to him. I am calling him into my experience. When we are both ready, he will show himself.

I was on the last stretch of my walk, and as I rounded a bend in the road, there, in the tree right in front of me, was not one but two Blue Jays. I stopped. Just stopped. I tried to get a better look, but they both flew higher into the tree, squawking as they do. I smiled and thanked the Universe. I understood that we were both ready to manifest to each other in that moment. I continued walking, and as I expected, another Blue Jay flew right in front of me, landing on a branch just ahead of my path. This time, he sat long enough for me to take a photo. I felt silly doing that, but I guess I just wanted to prove my vision to myself. I thanked him. I thanked the Universe. I thanked my inner being for remaining patient with the process.

Why of this? Birds, Abraham, seemingly silly manifestation games–why are they important? Because they are. Because in their simplicity, they represent the bigness of the teachings and how manifestation works. This is the unfolding. This is how energy flows. Would it have been awesome if the Blue Jay had collaborated with the Cardinals the first day I decided to play this game? Yes. Yes it would have been. I would have felt so empowered, so sure of my ability as a manifestor. But that was not the way this was meant to unfold.

The Cardinals showed me that, yes, I am a manifestor. But the Blue Jay revealed that even as a creator, I must never become complacent with the process. In fact, the ebbing and flowing of energy; of being certain and doubting; of having assuredness and fear; of moving in and out of lack and abundance–this is the way. Better, this is The Way. I actually had to sit with and confront my own mistrust of allowing and aligning in order to gain clarity about it. I had to ask, “Is this really true?” in order to discern that it actually is.

Having faith, trusting in the process of aligning and manifesting, is only half of the equation. Our questioning of it is born out of our humanness. And although we do the work so that we can actually allow more and doubt less, it is in the very struggle that we are called to evolve into clarity and understanding.

Thank you, Blue Jay. Thank you, Source. Now, how about that castle?