Manifesting as a Divine Dialogue

Manifesting isn’t just about wanting stuff we don’t have and then finding a way to drag it towards us. To me, it’s a new way to interact with spirit or the universe. It’s asking and listening, a two-way street, and a playful dialogue with the divine.

I often get asked about the best way to manifest. It could be affirmations, vision boards, creative visualisation. All of these have their place, but over the years I’ve found that the most powerful manifesting is often the gentlest. Here are some of the strategies and insights that have worked for me, and for the people I’ve coached.

Image: Javier Ezpeleta

Gentle intentions have a life of their own

I feel that a key part of manifesting is being relaxed about the outcome and letting it flow into your experience. Sometimes a desire is born within us almost in passing, perhaps while watching a TV programme or overhearing a conversation, and we offer that intention to spirit without even thinking. Because of the energy in which the request was offered, the universe is then able to orchestrate it with ease, even if it takes a few years to arrive.

These requests are not always deliberate and conscious. Although the teachings about manifesting talk about conscious attention and repetition, I think there are gentler intentions we make which have a life of their own, and are therefore quick to manifest.

For example, in 2017, I moved to a new region of the UK. I’d visited as a tourist and been captivated by it. On the day of moving, I literally put all of my belongings in two large suitcases and took the train there. During the train journey, spirit were talking to me about my intentions for the future. I’d already spent the last two years visualising and cultivating a vision board, but spirit asked me to give them something off the top of my head, without overthinking, that I would like to experience in this new region. I said that I would like to spend time near the coast, and actually on boats, breathing in the sea air.

I moved on April 1. By the end of April, I went on a date with who would become my future partner, and on May 10, I found myself on the deck of a boat sailing towards my partner’s brother’s engagement party, which was held in the boathouse of a country estate.

I believe the speed of this manifestation was about the playfulness and lack of tension around it. It wasn’t life or death that I had to be on a boat. I didn’t link it to my essential wellbeing or happiness. It’s just what came naturally to me when spirit asked about the sort of experiences I wanted to have.

Image: Markos Mant

The sweet spot between manifestation and premonition

Some may say that my boat experience was a premonition, and I believe there can be a sweet spot between a manifestation and a premonition. Not all manifestations come from consciously focusing on a particular outcome again and again. They come from a place of knowing.

So when I had that vision of boats whilst on the train, I don’t believe I was just seeing my own future. I believe I was co-creating it, whilst also correctly observing what would happen. There was no tension at all between the asking and the receiving, no expectation of the outcome not coming to pass, and no fear around it not coming to pass..

Start small, where there’s little resistance

When you’re practising manifesting, it’s good to experiment with things which don’t have great magnitude and meaning underneath them. It’s great to be passionate and definite about our desires, but quite often we are trying to sift through the pushback presented by our subconscious. If we want something very different from our current experience, and we have lots of strongly held beliefs and feelings about why it isn’t here yet, why we’ve never been able to bring it in, and whether it will be easy in the future, then that’s a lot of pushback to work through. It takes a while to soften that vibration.

You might notice that some areas of your life already flow with ease. Perhaps you’ve always found places to live without much effort, and each home has been better than the last. That points to positive beliefs and expectations in that area, where you’re not having to work against any resistance in your vibration, and that’s something to celebrate. We don’t always have the same ease with other life subjects. Some people believe it’s hard to find a romantic partner, for example, or the right kind of job.

If you are warming up your manifesting muscles, don’t go straight to the big stuff where you need profound change, where there’s an emergency and you need something very quickly, or where you’re trying to bring in something remarkably different to what you’re living right now.

It’s not that it’s difficult to attract something very different from your lived experience, because the manifesting process is always the same. But in terms of building up a sense of confidence in your own ability to attract, and in the universe’s ability to bring things to you, you’ll have more wins, more affirmation and more encouragement if you start with topics that carry little resistance. And that takes me back to my boat story.

Synchronicity and the practice of noticing

Many of us don’t believe in coincidences, and what we’re really talking about there is synchronicity. Synchronicities can be like the breadcrumb trail that lets us know we’re on the path to the manifestation. They are mini manifestations in themselves, and when we start to observe them, we’re developing a really playful dialogue with the divine. That in itself is a great way to live, rather than keeping score or trying to measure whether manifestations are happening, especially the bigger stuff, which takes some time.

So the first stage of this divine dialogue is to practise noticing. A lot of people have lucky numbers, or a lucky animal or bird, and these can be indicators that we are in the flow of creation and en route to the things we have previously requested. Again, they’re like little signposts or breadcrumbs.

Nowadays, with social media and myriad TV and film channels, there are other ways for these signs and symbols to come into our experience. I appreciate that social media algorithms show us more of what we’ve already engaged with, and that’s slightly different from synchronicity. But signs can still reach you through TV and film, advertising billboards in the street, or conversations you overhear in the supermarket. 

Maybe you have a power song or a lucky song which comes onto the radio at random. I have such a song. It was a popular song in the 80s, which I would still expect to hear here and there in 2026, but it’s uncanny how often I hear it when I’m going through a difficult time. Because it evokes happy memories of childhood, it’s hugely comforting, and it’s more than social media algorithms. I will hear it coming from car stereos. I once even heard somebody whistling it in a doctor’s waiting room.

Another synchronicity happened just the other evening. I’m currently writing a novel, and I was interested in the aristocratic figure Francis Dashwood and his network of underground caves. At the same time as I was searching for him on my laptop, Francis Dashwood and his caves were mentioned on my TV. It was coming from a YouTube channel I watch very often, but the creator does not specialise in history or the aristocracy. It was just the latest episode, a video tour through the caves, known as the Hellfire Caves, and it came on at the exact time I was researching them. What I can take from that is that my novel is a worthwhile pursuit.

Record what you notice

The more you observe and record synchronicities, the more you will notice, and it’s a pleasure to keep a journal. I usually keep notes on my iPhone. There’s something in the active recording, whether it’s written or audio, which can speed up manifestations.

I feel that this is a principle of channelling. Not just channelling as in bringing a spirit guide forward and speaking in a funny voice, but the idea that we are all channels of creative energy. As soon as we give that energy somewhere to go, and direct it, the energy will come through us from the creator with a greater sense of flow. Our ideas become more definite. Our sense of purpose becomes more definite. And then we start to see how these expressions show up in day-to-day life.

Make it tangible and immersive

Whatever you’re trying to manifest, try to make it as tangible as possible, and in the realms of imagination, make it a full sensory experience. If you want to travel to Italy, then going to a local Italian restaurant where the staff speak Italian and give you an authentic experience can make you feel like you’re already there. This immersive approach to manifesting is fun.

I actually find vision boards a little bit static. It’s good to have something on display that is commonly in your eyeline at home, and I do think that has a positive effect on the subconscious. But sometimes the energy can get a little fixed around it, and we become a bit blind to the vision board. We see it, but don’t really notice it, and it no longer evokes feelings within us.

I feel that manifesting is about the evoking of those emotions. By all means have a vision board, and it will be of value, but make sure you’re also spending time visualising, so that you feel you’re in that experience and immersed in it, and not just looking at a photo of it.

When you visualise, try to imagine how it feels to all five of your senses. Visualise something that will raise your vibration right now, today, so the message is not “I’m only going to be happy when I can live this experience in real life.” Use these visions as a way to raise your vibration in the now. With that raised vibration, you are more likely to have your synchronicity moments, and to manifest the small wins and smaller steps that lead to the bigger goal.

You don’t need endless repetition

I don’t feel manifesting requires a huge amount of repetition, because the subconscious will sometimes push back if you’re trying to install a new way of thinking, or something that feels foreign to it. Whether we call this the subconscious or the brain, it’s wired to protect you, to look for familiar patterns, and to frame everything in terms of the past and what is already known to you. Manifesting, of course, is about a different way of feeling, being and experiencing the world.

Travel as a liminal space

Modes of travel are a great place to talk to spirit, to perceive and download wisdom, maybe to see fragments of your own future, and also to send out requests. This is easier on a train or bus, where you don’t have to make decisions and pay attention as you would when driving.

I’ve always felt that travel is good for this divine dialogue because it’s a liminal state. You’re literally between two destinations. The usual busy mind, the monkey mind, the chattering mind, can also switch off for a while, because you’ve got no choice but to just be and surrender. That’s why I was more able to manifest, and/or see fragments of my own future, during the train journey I mentioned. It’s a good place to start and to practise.

There can also be a lot of white noise or ambient sound when you’re travelling: the hum of the plane, or the sound of the train in motion. Because of my clairaudient abilities, I’ve been able to hear words more easily in those conditions. There might also be a rhythmic pattern to what you’re seeing out of the window, which is gently hypnotic, and this is another way to connect with spirit and receive messages.

Image: Abby Rurenko

I feel this could be your experience too, and not only mine because of my profession, so do try it. Next time you’re on a train, plane or bus, relax and take a notebook with you. It’s an opportunity not only to listen, but to send out requests to the universe as well, and to see these quick manifestations.

Specific enough, but not hyper-specific

Your requests to the universe don’t have to be hyper-specific. They need enough specificity to be vivid and easy to visualise, but we need to resist the urge to make things hyper-specific from a place of fear, or from the idea that we won’t have the experience we want unless the outcome meets all of these stipulations.

For example, a person might have criteria for a future lover, and that’s absolutely fine. It’s okay to want what you want. Maybe you are attracted to somebody with a certain build or skin tone, or who enjoys certain interests and hobbies. But quite often, with a longer list of criteria, there’s a lot that we believe we need which isn’t actually important. What we’re looking for is a sense of resonance.

Spirit and the universe are there when the desire is born within you, so they don’t need microscopic instructions or repetitions about what you want. They were involved in the creation of the desire itself, and your spirit team always know the essence of what you’re looking for.

In life, we often feel we have to do a lot of explaining of our wants, needs and values, and when we’re having a hard time with others, we might feel we have to do that repetitively. You don’t have to have that same relationship with spirit. They know exactly what you are getting at, at all times, and the experience you want and how it should feel, in a very nuanced and delicious way. So when you’re visualising and intending, the specificity is just about making the vision vivid for you. You don’t need specificity as a form of instruction. This is something to be mindful of if you’re detail-oriented, so that you’re not tipping into control-freakishness.

Brainstorm the next five years

I would recommend brainstorming what you want for the next five years, and watching the emotions that come up as you write. Do this in your written hand, not by typing. It doesn’t have to make sense when you read it back. It can just be notes, but try to free-associate, write about what you might like to experience, and see what comes up.

It’s not that we should avoid the desires that cause a sense of tension or resistance. But we should use that tension as a form of education, because it illustrates where we have limiting beliefs to dissolve.

Please don’t feel you have to avoid asking for the bigger, juicier stuff. But as you sift through these desires, watch what happens in your body and nervous system, and how you respond to each idea or topic. Someone might want to manifest a romantic relationship, for example, but their beliefs and energy around this topic are quite complex. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be hard to manifest. As we do manifesting work, it’s an invitation to see where the tensions are. This is what’s so magical about manifesting work: it gives us permission to lean into what we want, and as we do, any pushback from our limiting beliefs becomes a very useful teaching point.

I always find it fascinating when people talk about winning the lottery and becoming multimillionaires. This is a perfectly valid desire, but when you dig deeper, it reveals what people are truly looking for, and a lot about our value system. It’s not greedy to want to win the lottery; we might become philanthropists and find ways to support communities with our wealth. But there’s usually something people believe money is going to do for them. They might be correct, but quite often it points towards some unmet emotional need which doesn’t need a lottery win to be accessed.

So give yourself permission to want whatever you want, and then also see it as a learning tool to uncover a need that could be fulfilled in a small way tomorrow, without waiting for the manifested outcome.

Asking, then receiving and allowing

Feng shui, or what you do with the home, is a form of manifesting too, because the home is a microcosm for your life. It’s a representation of where your energy is at. Making adjustments in our homes can really grease the wheels of manifestation and make things feel a lot easier, so there doesn’t have to be a sense of constant application or push to get the things we want. It gives us the greatest sense of fluidity, because we’ve enabled the flow of energy around us.

Practices like Qigong and yoga can be manifesting practices too. You can dedicate today’s practice towards the attraction of what you want. In the same way that feng shui liberates, releases and enables the flow of energy at home, Qigong and yoga do that within your body, which is a vessel and a conduit of this creative energy. So some of these practices are about asking, but feng shui, Qigong and yoga enable the receiving and the allowing.

So many times in my readings over the years, spirit have said to the client, “we heard you the first time.” What they mean is that spirit don’t need to hear our requests repeatedly, to the point where it creates tension and frustration. Often, all that’s needed is an unconscious, effortless but definite request or impression made on the universe, for the universe to go away and orchestrate it in the right way at the right time.

I believe we can attune the body to become a better receiver of what we’ve already asked for. Think of yourself as a transmitter, or an antenna. Practising yoga and Qigong will liberate energy in the body and in your larger energy field, and you will find that manifestations come to you with more ease.

Timing, and crafting the cup

Some people ask about the timing of things, and want them to arrive more quickly. That’s very natural, especially in a culture geared towards convenience and immediacy. But think of manifesting like baking a cake, or cooking a special meal with lots of herbs and spices. When we ask for a new experience, we’re not just asking for it to look a certain way. We want it to feel a certain way, or, sticking with the cooking analogy, to taste a certain way. Everything has a cooking time, and if something came to you immediately, you wouldn’t have the same experience of it, or the same pleasure in it, as if it came a little later.

Image: Michele Wales

This is because when you put a request into the universe, you’re not only asking for some outside thing to be brought into your experience. You’re also asking for yourself to be crafted in a way that lets you receive it. I’ve often called this crafting the cup.

Part of manifesting is opening ourselves up for evolution. For the outcome to be and feel as you want it to, there might have to be shifts in your understanding, your awareness, your perception of the world, and maybe some of your beliefs, so that when the outer thing arrives, you can hold it like a perfectly crafted cup. So be open to being crafted like that cup, so that you can become the perfect vessel for the thing you asked for.

When you start noticing these synchronicities in your own life, they’re hugely encouraging, and again, playful. You will often gasp or laugh out loud. This is a very real, tangible way to develop your relationship with spirit and to build your manifesting muscles.

If any of this has resonated and you're ready to go deeper, my Intuitive Energy Review is a single session of intuitive guidance designed to help you see yourself clearly — your patterns, your blocks, your potential, and the future you're currently creating. Whether you're navigating a calling, a crossroads, or simply a sense that there's more in you than you're currently expressing, this session creates the space to unpack what you've been carrying and move forward with greater ease and alignment. Book your Intuitive Energy Review and discover what becomes possible when someone can truly see you.