Is It Wrong to Have Desires? Manifestation - A Different Perspective-

---Ellaeenah JadeFire

Someone said something to me recently that I found very interesting. They said, “Surely the highest spiritual ideal is to reach a state where we have no desires at all?”

Now, I understand where this comes from. For centuries, religious and spiritual teachings have spoken about freedom from desire, attachment and the endless pursuit of material things. And there is a great deal of wisdom in these teachings.

But I think there is an important distinction that we often overlook. There is a difference between having desires and being enslaved by our desires. There is a difference between aspiration and greed.

And I don't believe we talk about that difference nearly enough.

We Are Human Beings. Of Course We Have Desires! We have come into this world to live, to experience, to learn, to love and to create. We want our lives to be fulfilling. We want meaningful relationships, financial security, opportunities to grow and the freedom to do things that matter to us.

Someone may dream of building a successful business. Another may want to provide a better life for their family. Someone may want to travel, and someone may wish to dedicate their life to helping others.

Are these desires really something we should feel guilty about? I don't believe so. In fact, I would question whether giving up all our desires is even a meaningful goal for most people who are actively engaged in living their lives. After all, the aim to help someone, to contribute to society, to create something worthwhile, or even to grow spiritually, is also a desire.

So perhaps the real question is not whether we should have desires, but what kind of relationship we have with them. And whether desire is really the cause of suffering.

Think about what happens when we become so attached to something that our happiness and peace of mind depend entirely upon getting it. We begin to worry. We become anxious about whether it will happen. We compare ourselves with others. And when things don't work out as we hoped, we feel disappointed, angry or defeated.

But is it the desire itself that causes all this suffering? Or is it our attachment to the outcome? Our fear of not having enough? Our belief that we cannot be happy unless life turns out exactly as we want?

I think this is where we need to make a distinction. There is nothing inherently wrong with wanting a beautiful home, a successful career, a loving relationship or greater financial abundance. The difficulty begins when what we want becomes the measure of our worth, our happiness or our success as human beings.

And there is another aspect of this that I find particularly interesting. Why is it sometimes so difficult to be happy for others? Someone gets a wonderful opportunity. Someone's business begins doing really well. Someone finds a loving relationship or achieves something they have been working towards. And instead of simply feeling happy for them, we sometimes find ourselves feeling jealous or resentful.

Now, why does that happen? I feel that very often, beneath this jealousy is a sense of lack. Is the scarcity mindset. Somewhere within us, we begin to believe that certain things are possible for other people, and maybe not for us. We begin looking at life as though there is only so much happiness, success, love or abundance available. And if somebody else has more, perhaps there is less left for us.

But what if we began to see things differently? What happens when we begin to feel empowered? What if you genuinely believed that you too had the ability to create new possibilities in your life? That you could take steps to improve your circumstances, develop new opportunities, change the direction of your work, or move towards something you have always wanted?

Wouldn't that begin to change the way you looked at somebody else's success? Wouldn't you be less inclined to feel that what is possible for another person is somehow impossible for you? I believe that when we begin to feel more empowered in our own lives, something very important can change in the way we relate to others.

We don't have to see their success as a threat. We can appreciate what they have achieved without constantly comparing it with what we have or haven't achieved. And perhaps we can become more open-hearted, more generous and more genuinely happy for them.

Of course, believing in our ability to create change doesn't mean we can control everything that happens in life. Circumstances, other people and many things beyond our control also influence our experiences. But there is a tremendous difference between recognising these limitations and believing that we have no power whatsoever to change our lives.

And this, for me, is where manifestation becomes a much more interesting subject. Manifestation is about more than getting what we want. We often hear manifestation spoken about as though it is simply a process of attracting money, relationships, opportunities or possessions. And while these may be perfectly legitimate things to desire, I think manifestation deserves a much deeper understanding.

For me, it is also about recognising our ability to participate consciously in shaping our lives. It is about becoming clearer about what we want, understanding where we wish to direct our energy and attention, and bringing greater purpose to our thoughts, choices and actions.

And what I find fascinating is that spiritual traditions have explored intention, consciousness and creation through many different approaches. In the Indian spiritual traditions, for example, there is the concept of Sankalpa, a consciously held intention or resolve. There are Beej mantras, sacred sounds that carry particular spiritual associations that can help us create our desires. And of course, we must mention the power of Switch words that help us to manifest our reality.

And there are extraordinary sacred geometries such as the Sri Yantra and the Metatron’s cube. These are not simply decorative patterns. They belong to much deeper systems of spiritual understanding and practice. I find them fascinating because they invite us to explore our relationship with creation from a perspective that goes beyond merely wishing and waiting for something to happen.

Yes, many spiritual paths do teach freedom from craving and attachment. And I believe these teachings have an important place. But spirituality is not necessarily about rejecting ordinary human life.

In fact, within Hindu philosophy, the four aims of human life, include Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha.

Artha recognises the importance of material well-being and prosperity. Kama recognises desire, enjoyment and the experience of pleasure. Dharma brings the dimension of right living, responsibility and ethical conduct. And Moksha points towards spiritual liberation.

I find this understanding particularly meaningful because it recognises that human life has different dimensions. We don't have to pretend that material needs, relationships, enjoyment and personal aspirations do not exist. But we are also invited to live consciously, responsibly and with an awareness of something greater than our immediate wants.

And perhaps that is the balance we need to rediscover. Can we desire without becoming consumed by desire? Can we prosper without becoming greedy? Can we work towards our own happiness without resenting somebody else's? Can we enjoy what life offers while remaining compassionate, generous and spiritually aware?

I believe we can.

Just think about the difference it could make if more people began to feel that they had meaningful possibilities available to them. That they did not constantly have to compare themselves with others. That another person's success did not diminish their own opportunities. That they could work towards a fuller, happier and more abundant life without losing their compassion or concern for others.

I believe this could influence not only our individual lives, but also the way we relate to our families, our friends, our communities and the world around us. Because when we are no longer constantly preoccupied with what we lack, we may find that we have so much more to give.

And to me, that is one of the most meaningful possibilities of conscious manifestation. Not simply acquiring more and more things. But learning to create a fuller life while becoming a more generous, open-hearted and spiritually aware human being.

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