A Field Project Primer
Conscious Creating & Consciousness as Cause
Two terms, one practice: recognizing consciousness, not circumstance, as the true cause of experience, and learning to create from identity rather than from desire for outcome.
What Does 'Consciousness as Cause' Mean?
'Consciousness as cause' is the idea, shared by many spiritual and philosophical traditions, that consciousness, not external circumstance, is the root cause of experience. The Field Project has taught a specific, rigorous model of consciousness as cause since 1997, developed by philosopher Philip Golabuk out of nearly three decades of study in existentialism, theory of knowledge, and metaphysics.
Our aim from the beginning was to correct the oversimplifications and confusions pervasive in New Age literature about how personal consciousness creates reality, particularly the notion of manifestation. We recognized that these errors in thinking and practice had cost many sincere students dearly, years spent visualizing, affirming, and willing a desired outcome into being, without lasting results.
Conscious Creating, Not Manifestation
Conscious creating is not another name for manifestation. Manifestation techniques, visualization, affirmation, vision boards, aim to act on consciousness in order to change an outer condition: more money, a partner, better health. Field theory calls this the manifestation paradox: the moment we try to create a condition to fulfill a desire, we are announcing to ourselves that we do not yet have it, which contradicts the very state we are trying to embody.
“The aim of intending is alignment, not manifestation.”
Field theory sidesteps this paradox by teaching that the aim of intending is alignment, not manifestation. We remain aligned with the version of self we choose to be, and let outer facts take care of themselves, rather than laboring to create a desired condition. The method rests entirely on the creative power of identity: consciously recasting the self, and releasing the will into willingness, acceptance, and stillness. Conscious creating, in short, is first and last about who we are, not about the world we are trying to change.
The Paradox Most Consciousness Models Miss
Many students come to the Field Project after years of studying Seth, A Course in Miracles, Science of Mind, Abraham-Hicks, Neville Goddard, or Deepak Chopra, and still feel a divine discontent, a sense that something is missing. All of these models, valuable as they are, tend to miss the same essential gesture: a wholehearted, undistracted immersion in the creative moment for its own sake, rather than as a means to an outer end.
Our model acknowledges a paradox that other models do not: if we attempt to create conditions to fulfill desire, whether by acting on the world directly or through consciousness techniques like visualization or affirmation, we are immediately caught in a contradiction that interferes with the very manifestation we are after. It begins with a longing not to have more, but to be more.
Intention, Counterintention, and Why We Do Not Get What We Want
Field theory holds that we do not get what we want, we get what we intend. Intentions comprise what we take to be real and what we identify with, and often these intentions are unwitting; we are not aware we are embodying them. When an intention runs contrary to what we consciously desire, it is a counterintention. To the extent that we counterintend, we suffer.
Releasing counterintentions frees us to embody the consciously chosen version of self with a sense of joy and relief, and it is not necessary to know exactly what a counterintention is in order to clear it. This single distinction, between wanting and intending, is one of the clearest ways conscious creating differs from manifestation practice.
Versions of the Self: Already Done, Not Yet Created
Field theory borrows the Many-Worlds model from physics to explain why a desired condition can be treated as already done, rather than something to be created. Television broadcast offers a useful metaphor: every channel already exists in the air; none of them has to be created. Because they are already real, any of them can manifest, one simply needs to be tuned to the right channel, or version of self. Conscious creating, then, is the practice of tuning, not manufacturing.
How to Begin Practicing Conscious Creating
If you are facing a situation where you feel stuck, here is a simplified version of what we call Field First-Aid, three moves that begin to shift identity toward alignment.
01 — Be still.
Take ten minutes each day to sit quietly with your eyes closed, releasing concern, conclusions, and judgment. Many experience a surprising resolution simply by practicing stillness.
02 — Take responsibility.
Assume you are the creator of the situation, even if it appears to result from the will of others, and consider how it may be serving you. Responsibility is not blame.
03 — Adopt a better version of self.
Witness the situation with poise, as a detached observer, and deliberately invite the feeling that you are already who you want to be. Rest in that feeling.
This simple method can open the door to a more aligned identity and at least some relief right away. For the complete theory and eight-week practice, see the Field Project Course below.
Go Deeper Into Conscious Creating
The Field Project Course is our complete eight-week curriculum for deliberate intending, clearing counterintentions, and living in the joyful awareness of alignment, the full theory and practice behind everything on this page.