The Manifestation Glitch: Why Your Reality Isn’t Matching Your Intentions

I recently returned from co-hosting a retreat in Colombia, where I had an unexpected life-changing experience of my own.

Do you believe you are the creator of your universe?

It’s a classic law-of-attraction, new-age-y kind of question—one you’ve probably heard and answered without much thought. In soft, flowing language, it suggests that being the creator of your universe means you’re tapped into your divinity, have some control over your life’s direction, participate in shaping your reality, and don’t need to rely on external forces, people, or circumstances to attain what you most desire.

That all sounds nice and digestible. But there’s a nuance to this question that might trip people up—especially if I phrase it a little differently. And your reaction to what I say next might just reveal why you struggle with “manifestation.”

Do you believe that you are God?

Ah. Now. How does that question sit with you? What are your reservations? Is there religious trauma tied to the word? Do you find comfort in the belief that something outside of you is in control? Does it feel blasphemous to place yourself on equal footing with the energy, being, or force you perceive as God?

And yet—if God is the creator of the universe, and you accept that you are the creator of your universe, then I’ve got news for you, cupcake. If X = Y, and Y = Z, then X must also = Z.

The Throne of Creation

I could write about my experience in Colombia in a way that mirrors the Book of Revelation:

“After this I looked, and behold, a door stood open in heaven, and the first voice I heard, like a trumpet speaking, said, ‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place.’”

Except—I didn’t see the throne of God.

I was sitting in it.

From that perspective, I was plugged into everything. My sacral chakra became the literal Source that people describe as the single point of all-that-is. My mind, familiar with computer programs and algorithms, saw every creation as a program—one that I had written. That included my physical body and life, a program I had entered to fully experience my own creation.

I saw the programs of darkness and war, of angels and demons, of politics, government, religion, and spirituality. I saw things I love—Tarot, sound healing, channeling—all revealed as programs I had designed. That doesn’t mean they don’t work. They do. And I engage with them because I enjoy them, the way someone enjoys a favorite video game or TV show.

Everything is a Program

Sitting in that awareness changed me. Seeing that everything is a program—knowing that I don’t need the programs but that I love to run them—shifted my relationship with life.

Lately, I’ve been hearing that you shouldn’t manifest during the chaotic energy of a full moon eclipse (which, by the way, is tonight). That’s a program.

Moldavite can turn your life upside down? Program.

Be careful with spellwork; what you put out comes back? Program.

The law of karma? Program.

The law of attraction? Program.

Salvation? Divine love being conditional? Following a prescribed path to be worthy? Program, program, program.

So, Tweak the Program

If you’re running the manifestation program and the output isn’t to your liking, maybe it’s because you don’t fully believe you are the creator of your universe. If you did, you wouldn’t need to abandon the programs that matter to you (If this reality is built on programs, you have to run them to participate. Plus, not running them at all would be a waste of your creative energy).

But as the programmer, you exist outside the programs—and that means you can change them.

How? Did you just ask that? Is “someone else tells me what I already know” the program you want to run right now?

Fine. Here’s your first step: Resolve any resistance to the idea that you are God. And I don’t mean using a workaround or softening the language. I mean—resolve the discomfort.

Then, plug into your reality. And how do you do that? Pick a program. What makes you feel plugged in?

Then, make changes. Some people do this through physical movement, language, ritual. I enjoy all of that—but for me, the most effective tools are awareness, observation, and directed thought.

But hey, maybe that’s just my program.