The myth of manifestation

The new age motivational circle claim that “The Universe Manifests Your Desires”. What it implies is that the universe knows your desires, it has the power and actively arranges circumstances to “fulfill” them. However, this seemingly empowering idea doesn’t stand grounds upon scrutiny.

The primary fallacy is that it ascribes human features to the impersonal system called universe. Treats that as a person-like entity. As though it can hear, understand, choose and respond to your wishes and desires. But the universe is not a conscious wish-granting mechanism.

We project the universe as conscious willful being with moral compass. This is anthropomorphising the Universe.  The idea of manifestation suggests that if you desire something intensely, the universe will grant it. But this assumes the universe exists to serve personal wishes. What happens when desires conflict—like a farmer praying for rain and a wedding planner for sunshine? Even individuals hold contradictory desires. If the universe fulfilled all, it would collapse under contradiction. And when desires go unfulfilled, blame shifts to not “believing enough,” creating a circular logic which is impossible to disprove.

Does the universe respond to the surface desire or to the deep-rooted ones? For example, someone wishing for a house – perfectly valid, tangible desire. But in and through the fulfilment of that desire, there is a longing for security, happiness, contentment, or peace. Does the universe grant only the surface desire, leaving us to seek deeper on our own? When one consciously reflects on various desires, it brings clarity, focus followed by proper effort towards its fulfilment. This inner alignment can certainly influence the outcome, but it should not be mistaken as the cosmos rearranging itself to grant one’s wishes. It is a mistake to confuse internal psychological clarity with external metaphysical causation. Outcomes in the world are driven by sustained effort, not by mere wishing. The law of life is: You get what you deserve, not what you desire. External results from the effort coupled with ‘X’ factor beyond our reach. Referred as nature, luck, planetary positions or God. But that does not imply the universe is responding to your commands. After all, the individual is not the creator of the universe — only its perceiver.