If you’ve been on the manifestation path for a while, chances are you’ve come across the popular formula: Ask, Believe, Receive. Made mainstream by The Secret, it’s become the go-to method for attracting your desires.

Here’s a quick refresher:

• Ask: Choose your desire and state it clearly.
• Believe: Trust that it’s coming. Visualize it, affirm it, fake it till you make it.
• Receive: Surrender and wait for the universe to deliver.

It’s simple. It’s catchy. But is it effective?

For some people, yes. But for most of us… not so much.

Let me break down why this method often misses the mark:

1. Ask: Most people ask from a place of ego, not soul. They ask for what they think they want, not what their soul truly desires. When a desire isn’t aligned with your purpose, it rarely manifests — or if it does, it doesn’t satisfy you.
2. Believe: Let’s be real – if you have deep-seated limiting beliefs, no amount of faking will help you believe. You can say affirmations all day, but if your subconscious is screaming “you’re not worthy,” guess what wins?
3. Receive: Surrendering sounds divine, but it’s hard. We’re conditioned to control, to push, to hustle. “Letting go” often turns into passivity, or worse — spiritual bypassing. People end up doing nothing and call it manifestation.

So, what’s the alternative?

Over the years, I’ve refined a process that’s rooted in spiritual truth, psychological depth, and practical magic. It still honors the energy behind Ask, Believe, Receive, but it goes deeper — it goes wiser.

Here’s my 5-step manifestation formula, based on my book Ancient Manifestation Secrets. 

1. Raise Your Vibration

Before you manifest anything, you need to become a vibrational match to the life you want. That means cultivating joy, presence, alignment, and connection with your higher self. Rituals, meditation, nature, creativity — these are your tools.

2. Clarify Your Desires

Now you’re connected to your true self, now you ask. But instead of asking from your ego, you channel your soul’s desires. What do you truly want? What would serve not just you, but the world through you?

3. Release Limiting Beliefs

This is the step most people skip. Manifestation isn’t about slapping positivity on top of wounds. It’s about healing. Use shadow work, energy healing, or therapy to uncover and release the beliefs that block your magic.

4. Nurture the Energy of Your Desires

Feel the frequency of already having your desire — not to fake it, but to familiarize yourself with it. Tune into how it feels to be that version of you. Journal, visualize, speak it into being. This step is about emotional embodiment.

5. Take Inspired Action

Manifestation is co-creation. The Universe meets you halfway, but you need to move too. The key is inspired action — not forced, not frantic. Listen. Trust. Then leap.

Watch the video to learn more about how to apply the process, and get an in-depth dive in my book Ancient Manifestation Secrets.