Introduction
What is The Manifest?
The meanings of the word Manifest are many. The word is defined as “what is clear or obvious to the mind or eye” as well as “when something takes a form that we can perceive, as with a ghost or spirit manifesting itself to us.” The record/log of a sailing ship’s belongings or personnel was also often called its Manifest. This book is a record or log of the people who currently reside on this planet we call Earth and see this planet as our common vessel sailing the cosmos. An important factor in the development of this book is seen in the process that was pursued to create it. Although each individual chapter that follows was written by people who are identified as CONTRIBUTORS, the Introduction was created by GROUP CONSENSUS. Each word was painstakingly chosen after much debate. It was essential that we determined what we could all agree were the important goals for this book and to establish common ground.
Simply put, the contributors of this book are in agreement on certain principles and have decided to share our beliefs about what we perceive to be universally obvious. We believe that it is more important for us to look for the commonality in our beliefs and behaviors, than the difference and that awareness itself seems to be of fundamental importance. It appears also, that the traits of searching and asking questions relate in some way to our experience with Life, and are traits of being human. What we do with the knowledge we uncover often is determined by geography, culture or the period in which we live (among other things).
All of those who have contributed to The Manifest have been privileged to observe, first-hand many miracles and wonders through years of hard work or because we were the recipients of marvelous gifts. We have been enlightened through sheer luck or esoteric rituals that have produced profound, life changing results or extraordinary, brief moments of clarity, power or awareness. Collectively we have no fixed starting points and call ourselves by no other name than The Contributors to The Manifest.
Individually, we each acknowledge with respect (and in our own ways) our teachers (and our teachers’ paths) be that Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, Pagan, Wiccan, Spiritualist, Hindu, Herbalist, Astrologer, Alchemist, Sorcerer, Agnostic, Naturalist, Scientific Researcher and so on. We are grateful passengers on the journey of life who have, for whatever reason decided to (and for whatever period of time necessary) come together in a sharing circle. Anyone can join us, or remain aloof, as is their personal calling.
Some of us have stood within the arbor of Sundance Ceremonies, heard a personal calling at home or abroad, experienced profound results with hallucinogenic mixtures in South America, conducted or participated in dialogues or ceremonies in Egypt, India, Australia, Europe or any number of other locations, conferred with celebrities and other wise men or women who have specifically asked to remain nameless or we have had a brush with the Unexplainable Mystery (that we obsess over as humans) in thousands of other ways. We have studied, in other words the many “ways” of a multitude of seers and sages, traveled many paths, come from many directions and all arrived at the same place, here on this planet at this particular time, at converging points on individual paths. We believe there is something special in that fact, because we have all observed that the TRUE awareness of energy or spirit or The Spirit, or chi or ki or prana or of gods or of God or just momentary satisfaction in our daily lives does not ever come from outside ourselves. We believe that we are somehow connected to one another and to the Universe itself and that our individual health and happiness is dependent upon the collective health and happiness of the whole…and visa-versa.
We believe that: The Scientific Process and Mathematics are the syntax and language of the Universe and MOST IMPORTANTLY, The Universe and our planet (with all the inhabitants) play by the same rules. In other words, human and natural laws likely mirror Universal Laws. Personal inquiry and observation are the foundation for both scientific and spiritual pursuits. In other words, one is not exclusive of the other. As with science, we formulate our theories (we have faith) based upon limited observations, but then we try to reproduce the phenomenon. We do not need to always understand why something occurs to believe that it exists, but we should have means to measure and repeat results. We know light exists and acts within certain perimeters, but we really don’t know “why.” However, it is important to base our beliefs on systems and theories that have meaning in our own bodies and lives and we should be able to test and measure the results of our beliefs for our selves.
The Contributors of The Manifest believe in the power of words. That is why we are writing words so that others might read them. We have all seen the effect that books and blogs and random written thoughts have had in the development of new ideas and the continuity of old ones. We also believe that observable power and all other human powers are merely reflections of the greater Universal Powers. In other words, there are reasons why we have energy coursing through our bodies, why there are two genders, why the left and the right sides of our bodies are different, why we like physical contact, why some people like to learn by seeing, others by hearing, others by doing, why some people believe in chakras, and others do not understand or even care about the concept. There are reasons we build our machines, our societies and even our languages around particular systems at different places on earth, why water twirls down a drain, or cars drive on one side of a road as opposed to another at different parts of the planet, or hurricanes spin clockwise or counterclockwise in different hemispheres. There seems to be a continuity or commonality. And, if that is the case then maybe fact that DNA is a double helix means something. The function of quasars and electrons and planets and solar systems and galaxies seem to mimic one another. If chakras and energy meridians exist in our own bodies, then having power-spots scattered around the earth is not a stretch. It may follow that as charkas and energy meridians exist in our bodies, the Earth has its own system of power-spots and lay lines. Perhaps the Earth is merely a meridian point, a chakra for the solar system, or for The Spirit itself. Those of us who have contributed to the Manifest walk in this world with a belief, a knowing if you like, that spiritual power exists and coming into relationship with It benefits us individually and collectively.
From that perspective we see this planet as a collective vehicle cruising though the wondrous oceans of the unknown. As with the great ships of our exploratory past, this ship we share has many log-books or manifests of the cargo, passengers and crew as well as a list of stops along the way toward our intended destinations. The journey, as we all know is really the essential issue. We (the collective writers of this Manifest) are not therefore obsessed with “getting to where we are headed” or avoiding any particular port along the way. Some of us, indeed do not believe that there IS a particular destination. Knowing that we are assisting one another on individual paths has led us to this single collective benefit.
In this Manifest, we will highlight some of the many paths that have guided us SPECIFICALLY to this single port. Our task is simply: to allow the reader an opportunity to learn some of the perspectives and history of some fellow passengers. That’s the way it is done here on Earth.
When we first decided to begin this project, our purpose was not clear and we have taken some complicated side journeys to come to agreement on the basic themes that guide us here. THERE ARE SOME IMPORTANT GROUNDRULES FOR THIS DOCUMENT. First, what we tell you will only be from first-hand experience. In other words, we will not say that we have a belief because of something that we read in one book or another, or because a wiser person may have once told us what they believed. The overriding principle here is: This is what we believe and WHY we believe it. The individual paths will be for you to walk on your own, if you so choose. Each of the individuals here, are joyous, sharing humans who are involved with another basic condition…we like to share what we believe. The vastness of the multi-verse contain bounties beyond any puny, human horizon. Naturally, as travelers we do have a tendency to want to return to our favorite destinations. Not everyone feels the same way about each location because we are all different. However, the lessons that we learn and the REASONS WHY WE STRIVE TO LEARN THEM are ingrained in our minds, bodies and perhaps even in something we call spirit.
