My favorite deck of oracle cards is “Magical Mermaids & Dolphins”, created by Doreen Virtue, PhD. One of the cards bears these words: “YES! Your intuition is correct. Take action accordingly.”

This goes along with the current “conventional wisdom” of using practical action when you are trying to manifest a goal or, as I prefer to call it, your “Dire Desire”. The “YES!” card mentions your intuition as the thing that can point you toward the right actions to take, but it does not tell you that your “actions” should be energetic actions, rather than practical ones.

Can manifestation work without practical action? As the card says, YES! But ideally, you should focus on both your energetic efforts and your practical actions.

That being said, the energetic part is actually more important.

  • If you don’t feel worthy,
  • if you don’t believe in yourself or your manifestation,
  • if you are not connected to the divine,
  • if you don’t “git yer mind right”,

no amount of action will bring you what you want. Or a lot of striving and trying might get you to your goal, but most likely in a way that you don’t like, e.g., being “forced” into starting your own business by getting fired, instead of choosing to start the business and quitting your job on your own terms.

You’ve probably learned “goal-setting” at some point in your life, maybe in high school athletics or in a corporate job, maybe from a motivational speaker.

The process goes something like this: What is your goal? Write that at the top of the page/whiteboard/foggy mirror. Then, write down the steps that you need to take in order to reach that goal.

For example, let’s pretend you want a better-paying job. Your list of “action steps” or “objectives” might read like this:

  • Enroll in program for certification in my field.
  • Successfully complete the program.
  • Update my resume.
  • Distribute my resume.
  • Follow up with employers with whom I have applied.
  • Repeat until desired position is achieved.

Notice that none of the action steps are “energetic” or spiritual. They are all tangible and/or practical, like making phone calls to follow up.

The way manifestation works is that you line up your energy first. And you use energetic tools that work toward your Dire Desire. Thus, if you wanted to use the “goal and action-item list” method, your new list of action steps to land a better-paying job might look more like this:

  • Meditate daily.
  • Create fresh affirmations to use during meditation.
  • Journal about my worthiness for the new job.
  • Follow the guidance I receive from the divine (or higher self or subconscious).

Now, following the guidance may induce you to “take action” like the first list. But you can see the huge difference between “practical-ing” it and “energy-ing” it.

There are many energetic/spiritual tools you can use for manifestation. My favorites, of course, are the ones I share with my clients. Learn more about that here.