A friend recently showed me her little stash of notes, small chits of paper, carefully unfolded to reveal wishes that were ‘thrown to the Universe’. “Every time I need something, I write it down on a piece of paper, fold it, and keep it under my pillow,” she said with the conviction of a believer.
The art of willing things to happen through the power of affirmations, desire, and focus gained momentum during the start of the pandemic when online searches on Google for manifestation rose by more than 600 per cent. Sneha Rao, 28, who was in the USA during the pandemic lockdown, living alone in a walk-up apartment, says, “Most of the people in their early 20s felt that their hopes had been flattened by the pandemic-imposed restrictions. A friend told me to join an online two-day manifestation workshop (Manifesting Happiness). It was cathartic to feel I had control over my destiny when everything around me felt dystopic.”
Today, there are a lot of takers for alternative modes of healing and online spiritualism. Keywords like manifestations, affirmations, trauma healing, spiritual awakening, and so on are embedded in our language. On Instagram alone, there are about 11.91 million posts on #manifestations, 8.57 million posts on #affirmations, and 15.35 million posts on #spiritual awakening. Practitioners of this brand of spiritualism have found it easier to get their message across with these catchphrases. Manifestation coach Shilpa Arora Sharma (Instagram handle: @shilpaarorasharma) believes, “Online spiritualism is purpose-driven. I call it practical spirituality wherein one can adopt what they need to incorporate.”
The first time the word manifestation entered the pop culture lexicon was through the book The Secret (2006) by Rhonda Byrne, which spawned several self-help books and a movie, The Secret: Dare to Dream starring Katie Holmes, which peddled the main concept: the more you think about it, the more you draw it to you. Most manifesting coaches have been insisting online on how the right energy vibes of the universe are enough to bring what you desire. Writer and trend forecaster Lucie Greene, in a New York Times interview, had noted that manifesting, alongside a smattering of belief systems, is being resurrected by a youthful generation in the name of wellness, which, for Gen Z in particular, can be a form of self-soothing.
Manifestation life coach Khushbu (Instagram handle: @khushbu.kweigh) works with clients all over the world who are mainly in their 20s and 30s. Sharma also runs an affordable program that’s mainly for working professionals in their 20s and 30s, while her premium clients are in the 35–45 age group.
These days, the internet is filled with self-affirmations and slogans by influencers and coaches who preach the gospels of self-realization, self-worth, and self-actualization. The rise of internet evangelists offering their guidance has put these alternate concepts in focus. “Terms like manifestation have become mainstream,” Khushboo notes. Her POV, she claims, is that to be the highest version of yourself to manifest the high quality of life you are seeking, you have to change within. “I generally ask my clients what they want and then ask them about the kind of routine they need to follow that will best align with their goal. You have to become the change you wish to experience.”
Sanjana R, who is in her late 20s, read a lot about affirmations in order to get the right partner for herself. “I used to practice routines where I'd picture myself living with my partner, traveling, and doing mundane chores along with him. Looking back, I feel I saved on a lot of tears, negativity, and bitterness during that period.” Those affirmations seemed to have worked. “I actually manifested my dream guy and we just got engaged!”
But not all see such results. Lakshmi* speaks of her ordeal. “I have been manifesting my business vision for five years and even tried meditation techniques for it to materialize, but as soon as the milestone gets closer, some setback happens and I have to restart. A healer told me it is because of my past life karma.” Incidentally, past life karma and trauma are some of the words healers refer to when explaining supposedly insurmountable obstacles.
“I did one-on-one healing sessions to clear away the negative energy of my past life karma,” Lakshmi says. She is positive that things will change for her soon.
This writer attended a two-day spiritual healing workshop, curious to see what actually happens. The healer, based in the USA, gave several exercises for the 200-plus participants. At the end of the second day of the workshop, which was mainly spent discussing the financially lucrative option of being a healer, many signed up for the course.
Online spiritualism hypes up unexamined optimism, and business has picked up for its practitioners. Most practitioners and coaches talk about manifesting financial windfall through their chosen path. Sharma, who was previously working at IBM, joins the chorus as well. “I earn way more than my monthly package at IBM. No doubt about that.” While all of them, including influencers who seem to be down in this chain, associate their popularity with effective results, those who do social media marketing, beg to differ. “Most of them know their audience, post engaging content and are consistent,” says Nishitha, who manages social media accounts of clients including art galleries. “Some offer freebies like crystals to attract more followers.”
Dr Venkataraman, who has been watching from the sidelines of his teenage daughter’s newfound faith on affirmations and manifestation, says the concepts are low-hanging fruits which are easy to assimilate.
“When you think about it, this kind of spiritualism requires no studying or following any rituals or traditions,” he notes, “It’s like promising a dream and then telling them to sleep and dream better. If the coconut falls from the tree well and good, if not there is always another coconut tree.” He believes that online spiritualism and even religion for that matter, offer hope to the hopeless but that is all. “If someone is terminally ill, it wouldn’t hurt to try out something only so the patient’s morale is uplifted.” However, healers and manifestors have, so far, shied away from health issues.
“There is a huge scope to work on manifestation as an alternative therapy for health issues,” Arora Sharma stresses. “We do believe that unresolved emotions and energies manifest as illnesses.” Dr Venkataraman is skeptical of such claims. Ardent believers are rarely put off by any reservations about this brand of spiritualism even as they help project, conceptually, a life the believers wish to live. “Think about it in this way,” Sanjana says. “It’s like positive thinking combined with dreaming. It works better than any religion for us.”
Whatever floats your boat.
(Disclosure: This writer is manifesting an apartment near Central Park, New York City.)
Jayanthi Madhukar is a Bengaluru-based writer.
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