Working with energy is no joke! Often when reciting affirmations and setting intentions we aren’t sure what will actually happen as a result, and so it’s easy to think that what we’re doing isn’t going to have a real impact.
Perhaps you’ve been wanting to manifest and want to know what you’re getting yourself into, or have had a negative manifestation experience in the past and are wondering why it happened.
In this post I want to explore if manifesting can backfire and what to do in that case.
We are manifesting all the time
I think the first thing to realize is that we are manifesting all the time! Whatever energy we are putting out into the world is having an effect, however small or imperceptible.
Our focus or energy is not the only thing having an effect on our environment – there are many other factors, however our mindset does shape our experience drastically.
And so, we can already see that manifesting can have some negative impact, or backfire in a way.
I think we’ve all experienced periods where we are so deep in our anxieties and fears, which influence the actions we take, that they inevitably come to fruition.
3 reasons manifesting backfires
If you are on this page I am going to assume that what you really want to know is if setting intentions and asking the Universe for specific things backfire, rather than the automatic process we are all taking part in.
The simple answer is yes. Anytime we make a change in our surroundings there is a chance that something could go wrong. This is really the case for any decision we make and the same applies to conscious manifestation.
1. We aren’t clear with our intentions
Ask, believe, receive.
Sometimes it really is as simple as that! However that doesn’t mean what we receive won’t come with negative consequences.
If we aren’t clear with what we want we can manifest something that hinders rather than helps us. On the other hand, we might get exactly what we think we want, only to find that it isn’t what we want at all.
2. We try to manifest something that isn’t aligned
The second way manifesting can backfire is that we try to manifest something that isn’t aligned with us.
Most people want more money, a bigger home, some physical possessions, but that doesn’t mean all of those things will be beneficial for us in the long-term.
As an example, even if we wanted to manifest a million dollar salary and succeed in doing so, that doesn’t mean we are prepared to deal with what comes alongside that.
In the moment when we are manifesting these things can seem like a good idea, but we forget that the reality is often not as glamorous or care-free as is portrayed.
When manifesting it’s really important to take some time beforehand to really get in tune with your needs and wants, to properly hear your intuition.
This is so that you can set intentions that are actually aligned with you, rather than trying to match what other people are doing or gain what they have.
Being aware that whatever you manifest will require work to maintain will make this process much clearer.
Ask yourself if you are willing to face the obstacles that might come alongside a specific outcome, and honestly face the aspects of yourself that are in contrary to receiving that.
When we set intentions like this we can often end up manifesting the opposite. We ask for love but end up feeling even more isolated. We ask for abundance, but experience even deeper financial hardship.
Bringing energy to an intention is going to highlight our doubts, fears and blockages around it, and this often means they get amplified physically.
When this happens it is helpful to assess where we might be blocked and how we can address the root, rather than ignoring the situation or becoming increasingly frustrating with the process.
3. We ignore our negative emotions
When utilizing the Law of Attraction it’s common for people to try to avoid their negative emotions. When we hear phrases such as ‘like attracts like’ or ‘what you put out there you get in return’, it’s understandable to interpret that as needing to hold a positive mindset all of the time.
However these teachings often don’t line up with reality, which is that we are humans with fluctuating desires, emotions and energy levels.
We’re never going to get back exactly what we put out there because we are complex and the world is complex. Even if we did hold a positive mindset one-hundred percent of the time, other people still have free will and the world around us isn’t perfect.
We’re inevitably going to attract something negative into our experience.
Ignoring our negative emotions or circumstances doesn’t make them go away, it simply means they fester in the background.
With manifesting it’s important to strike a balance, between holding a positive uplifted mindset and working through the obstacles and blockages in front of us.
This is so that those negative patterns don’t come to bite us later, when our focus is interrupted or the problems themselves become too big to ignore.
In conclusion
‘Be careful what you wish for because you might get it’
Just because we have the ability to focus our energy in a certain way and attract a certain outcome doesn’t mean we should.
As with trying to gain any sort of power or control, it’s important to keep in mind the pros and cons.