yesterday, i came across this post on instagram. it inspired me because it really encapsulates the concept of collaboration with the universe and living heart-led, which is like, my whole brand.
i strongly believe that when we desire something, it’s already part of our destiny; otherwise, we wouldn’t feel the yearning so deeply. our bodies wouldn’t salivate at the mere thought of its existence. the only thing in the way is timing and alignment. so the work simply becomes: how do we get there? how do we create it? how do we bring it to life?
when we desire something, a path opens up. not a literal one, but an energetic one. the human experience is inherently creative, and when we decide that we want something, we create an opening of possibility. as we begin taking steps on this new path, life begins to illuminate the way forward. and that’s not to say the way forward is easy or simple. most times, the way forward is terrifying and challenging. it pushes us outside of our comfort zone, confronts us with our limitations, and forces us to let go and surrender, over and over.
as someone who works with intuition and creativity, i believe that often, the answers to what we desire, or the guidance on how to move forward, are in the ideas and inspiration we receive. in the sudden bursts of inspiration and aliveness that come through when we are living our day-to-day. in the subtle, yet consistent urges and pulls we feel.
when we ask or pray for something, we often are asking for the final piece. money, a relationship, community, a beautiful home, a thriving business. what’s missing is the journey there. so when we don’t immediately receive a surprise check in the mail for $10,000 or bump into the love of our life in a crowded bar, we feel disappointed, blocked, undeserving. this is where our culture, obsessed with urgency and immediate results, seeps into our spiritual, creative practice. sometimes the stars align, and some magical, aligned, kismet shit happens. stay open to that. but more times than not, manifestation is a collaborative process that requires you to meet it.
you want more money. you want to take a vacation. you want more friends. you want to have more hot, queer sex. an idea arrives.
“this doesn’t make any sense!”
“that’s too much work!”
“i can’t do that!”
the portal closes. you remain stuck in your idea of how things should look and how things should unfold. you close the door to your intuition and remain committed to control, fear, and scarcity.
inspiration is one of the biggest guides in our life. when inspiration visits us, it’s a direct invitation from the mystery. a force beyond the physical that often doesn’t make sense, but catapults us into alignment. inspiration is an invitation to more aliveness, joy, pleasure, and everything else we desire. so why do we say no?
the simple, literal answer? our egos. our beautiful, sensitive, human egos that doubt, fear, and love predictability. primal human function is part of this. trauma is part of this. our identity is part of this. everything we have picked up from our families, society, and the world around us is part of this. all of these things shape our egos to be how they are. these perceptions activate our nervous systems on top of it all and create triggers that keep us contained in what is familiar or our ideas of “safe”. all of this is part of being human, we cannot banish our egos (despite what all the tech bro turned “shamans” say)! but we can learn how to become aware of it so that we don’t continue sabotaging ourselves and what we desire.
the idea, the inspiration, is the gateway to what we desire. the little inklings and nudges are the gateway to what we desire. can we learn how to trust and validate these sensations? can we practice saying yes rather than sticking to what is comfortable and familiar?
because while it is entirely achievable that you will meet your dream friends, it likely won’t just happen without action on your end. you will have the desire. then you will be guided to go to a certain party. or you will be forced to face all your internal wiring that feels undeserving of friends. or you will have an idea to host an event. or it can be something so incredibly random like a sudden urge of “i need to go to the grocery store right now because i feel inspired to make banana bread,” and then by chance, you meet someone in the aisle who is also buying banana bread supplies.
i just watched a tiktok of a woman who was sunbathing in her backyard and felt the sudden instinct to go lay out front instead. a few minutes later, these kids appear and ask her if she has any work for them because they need money for food. she pays them to mediate with her, and it’s overall a precious experience for everyone involved. it really is that simple and bizarre.
i love manifestation and believing that anything is possible, but the ways it’s commonly talked about in the mainstream has a lot of individualism, control, and, to be honest, entitlement leaked into it. people think the universe/God/spirit is here to serve them and bring them everything they desire quickly and with no collaboration. while there are sprinkles of worthiness and self-belief in there that are important, it also reflects the cultures we live in that perpetuate urgency, greed, and a lack of interconnectedness. we want things fast! we want things exactly how we want them! we want to be in control! and in ways, manifestation can give an illusion of control because it connects us to our power. it shows us that we can create and have what we desire. but manifestation requires patience, surrender, meditation, pause, observation, and self-trust. these are things oppressive systems do not leave space for. so doing this work for real requires us to actually face how we have internalized these systems in our own bodies. the ways we rush, the ways we hold on, the ways we judge and control. co-creating is an exchange. it’s a relationship we build with a force beyond ourselves that we must nurture and build trust with. and for a relationship to be healthy, it takes inner work and decolonizing ourselves from toxic ideologies.
i will leave you with this analogy i love. let’s say inspiration wants to drop in unexpectedly. it shows up to your house, but there’s nowhere to park. cars are lining the street. you come out to the porch and scream, “go away! i have too much to deal with already!” inspiration leaves. you go back inside and continue to churn about how to make your dreams, visions, and desires happen. what you need to do is sell some of those cars (aka let go of control and attachment to how things should be) and create a welcoming space so inspiration can visit you. you can invite inspiration inside and at least hear it out over some tea. ideas and inspiration are the gateway. they are the stepping stones towards the bigger picture. welcome them in, remain curious, and value them. they have so much to teach us.
my book is all about learning how to live heart-led and how to create from our intuition and inner guidance. it’s sliding scale and trauma-informed, centering those most marginalized. you can purchase here!
cupid art: Isabella Cotier