When we’re manifesting a job, a house or a romantic relationship into our lives, we often have multiple options.
Let’s say we’re working with a realtor to buy a home. The first few houses we look at miss the mark completely. Then with the next several properties we tour, we start to see features we like and add them to our mental picture of our ideal residence. As our realtor gets to know us better and we become clearer about what we’re looking for, we get closer to finding a home we could imagine ourselves living in.
And as we go along, we learn something from each house we view. We might realize that we want to focus only on a certain neighborhood, or that no matter how perfect the house is in every other way, we don’t want to live on a busy street. After considering a newer home, we may decide that an older house fits our style better. We continue to refine our requirements.
Then we see a house almost like what we want. It meets all our basic requirements, but the energy isn’t quite right. We tell ourselves we should like it, but we don’t. Something essential is missing. We may not even be able to define what that is, other than a feeling that it’s just not quite right.
A poet friend of mine calls this “the shadow of the thing.” It’s a test from the universe to see if we’ll settle. The universe brings us almost what we’re looking for. Are we going to accept this as the best we can do, or are we going to hold out for what brings us joy?
Then, the next time we go out looking with our realtor, we find the perfect home. One step inside the door, and we know this is it even before we see the whole house. It not only meets all our criteria, it has that certain undefinable energy that fits us. It was worth waiting for.
The “shadow of the thing” is how the universe shows us we’re close to manifesting our heart’s desire. Instead of becoming disheartened when we meet the shadow of the thing, we can view it as a positive sign that we’re almost there. When the shadow of the thing shows up, that’s when we persevere. We reaffirm our intention, and we continue to hold our mental picture of what we want. And we envision our joy when we manifest it. The universe is telling us it’s on the way.