The Power of Intention
I had once been told the phrase when practicing clairvoyance to:
"Fake it til you make it"
I remember thinking, "Well, if I'm faking it, then it loses its power and authenticity as a whole"
The reality is, the phrase is about intention. Stop expecting a spiritual occurrence to play out a specific way. Spiritual experiences are never uniform. Not everyone is going to go through anything in life the exact same way. There may be similarities, but everyone has their own journey. Spiritwork is just the same. It also all depends on how much work you put into learning and practicing your abilities. Just like any type of skill.
Intention is all you need to get the ball rolling on any type of spiritual or magickal endeavor. Don't wait in doubt and think simply because you did not seem to hear a spirit or have a vision, that it is hopeless. Keep using intention and keep pursuing your goal. You don't become an artist simply because you want to. And you don't create a masterpiece just because you practiced drawing for a week.
Still feel worried or doubtful with your results? It's okay to be human, but don't wallow in it and give up.. Spirits and higher energies understand the human ego. They know it is difficult for us to process and comprehend supernatural concepts and experiences. The universe knows this even, but law is law. The universal law states, that which you put out you will receive back. This Law of Attraction, is what we always receive, we just can't always control HOW it's received.
That which defines the flow of energy you send out in magick, spellwork, keeping, etc are not hindered due to doubt alone. If an intention is still there, even if you doubt yourself to an extent, it will still be acknowledged. BUT the ego needs to be controlled and quieted often. Do not dwell on it, stop yourself. Let it go, and continue to practice your work.
Intention becomes more powerful the more you practice faith and belief. The energy swells. The key is to quiet the ego when you are in doubt, and remember that spirits and Higher Power both understand humanity's shortcomings. They know that on this plane we have a veil between us and the Astral - the plane our souls will one day again return. Both spirit and energy are wise to this Earthly dynamic, and your efforts are not ineffective because you struggle with the comprehension of invisible forces. It is natural for humans to be challenged by their ego when we are raised only understanding tangible reality and scientific evidence. It is indeed a mercy in the end to see that simply trying becomes growth and learning inevitably.
Eventually with commitment you will begin seeing the results, it is law, however just because you think something should result in a certain way, does not mean it will. But, you will always see results that align with your goal.
When you don't hear a spirit, don't have an experience even though people state it happens, or you don't see certain results you expect to gain, etc. None of this means they will not happen, and it also does not mean they aren't already happening. When it comes to the spiritual and metaphysical, we come from a place of natural unawareness and inexperience. The littlest of things are progress, and it is often not until you look back at where you began you consider the actual progress made.
Do not give up because you think it does not work or is nonexistent. Do not ponder in the back of your mind constantly that no matter what you do it won't be successful (that applies to all walks of life). "Fake it til you make it", intend it will work and it is working - because it is. Trying is sufficient, you are human, we are not denied progress for putting our intention and energy out into the world and then having our ego challenge us. The intention is seen and it is heard. You WILL succeed, but you must stay committed to the lifestyle. You must apply effort, practice, communication, faith, etc