
“The mind and the body are like parallel universes. Anything that happens in the mental universe must leave tracks in the physical one.” – Deepak Chopra
When we talk about manifesting, we often discuss about bringing what we desire into existence. But there is another way to look at it. What you want to manifest already exists. All you need to do is stop living the life where you don’t have it and start living the life where you do.
Out of many manifestation methods, the one we will put light on in this article is the 2 cup manifestation method. With this method, manifesting your desires is as simple as drinking a cup of water.
Materials You Need for the 2 Cup Method
You probably have all the materials necessary for the 2 cup manifestation method at home right now:
- 2 cups, glasses or mugs
- Water
- Labels for the cups
- Pen or pencil
For the labels, you can either use sticky labels or just tape pieces of paper to the cups.
Also, technically you can do this method using any drinkable liquid. It does not have to be water. It could, for example, be juice. Just use whatever feels right to you.
How to Do the 2 Cup Manifestation Method Step by Step

You can think of the 2 cup manifestation method as a kind of meditation. It combines visualization, reality shifting, and manifestation to bring you into your desired reality.
1. Label each reality.
Think about something you want to manifest. Now, come up with a simple way to describe and label your current situation vs your desired outcome. For instance:
Current reality: “I live in a stifling, backwards town.”
Desired reality: “I live in the big city surrounded by a supportive community.”
It is very important to use the present tense to describe your desires. With this method, you are essentially trying to “trick” your brain into inhabiting that reality and leaving your present scenario behind.
If you use the future tense, you will be telling your brain that you are still not in your desired situation. You want to feel like you have manifested already.
Write down each sentence on a label. Attach the label with the current scenario to one cup and the label with what you wish to manifest to the other.
2. Fully inhabit your current scenario.
Now, pour water into the cup you labelled with your current situation.
Focus on your that situation. Think about how it makes you feel. This is probably a pretty easy step since you are likely feeling stuck and frustrated by your situation anyway. Take this moment to say “goodbye” to that unwanted reality.
So, continuing our example, you would picture the streets of your current town and how unwelcome you feel here. Now, tell those streets “goodbye.”
3. Visualize what you desire to manifest.
It is time to shift your attention to the empty cup you labelled with your manifestation.
Close your eyes. Release the negative feelings that are tying you to your current reality. Visualize what you wish to manifest with as much vivid detail as possible. Involve every one of your senses.
As you embody your manifestation, observe your thoughts and feelings. Let them fill the space inside you. Believe that this is your truth in this moment.
For our example, you would picture yourself in your apartment in the city where you want to live. You would imagine the sounds of the cars below, the scents of food vendors drifting into your window, and the excitement you feel to go hang out with your new friends later.
4. Manifest your wishes.
Open your eyes. Pour the water from the cup for your present situation to the cup for your desired outcome. As you do, tell yourself that you are cutting ties with your past and manifesting the world you desire.
5. Make it final and complete.
Now, drink the water. This is the moment when you finalize your manifestation, making it part of your physical reality. All your positive feelings and belief in your desired outcome are right there in that water, and now that water is a part of you.
Another way to look at it is this: Imagine you have left your previous, unwanted situation and entered your new, desired reality. Picture a mystical rule: “Once you drink the water, there is no going back.”
You are now a permanent resident of the world you wished to manifest.
6. Throw out the old, and keep the new.
The most important part of your ritual is now complete, but there are still a couple more steps you can take to help you complete your manifestation.
The first is to deal with the labels. Since you have left your old situation, you no longer need its description anymore. Please get rid of it. But you can keep the label for the new situation. You can carry it with you each day as an affirmation of the world you now inhabit.
5. Maintain your belief.
Finally, the hardest step is to keep believing you already have manifested your wishes, even though your senses disagree.
You will not be instantaneously transported to your dream life just by drinking the water. In our example, you would not blink and suddenly find yourself living in the big city, for instance—you would still see your small town.
But you need to hold onto the feelings and thoughts you had when you visualized what you wanted to manifest. As you do so, continue taking steps in real life that will help you manifest what you want. In the case of our example, that would mean planning your move and carrying it out.
If you keep taking the right actions and maintaining the right mindset, one day sooner than you think, you may open your eyes to see your desires manifested around you.
Frequently Asked Questions about 2 Cup Method
Q: How often should you do the 2 cup manifestation method?
You only need to do the steps with the cups once. The reason is that this manifestation method makes use of reality shifting concepts. You should think of the process like walking through a gate.
You do not need to pass through a gate over and over to get a result. Walking through it once is enough. But what matters is to maintain that belief after the method is done.
The moment you feel you can’t sustain the belief anymore, then you certainly can repeat it in the future if you want.
Q: How long does the 2 cup method take to work?
The amount of time it takes to see your manifestation become real depends on your individual scenario. Sometimes a result could appear in just 24-48 hours. Other times, it might be weeks or months before you see your result.
The Universe will provide according to its own sense of perfect timing. You will need to have patience and faith.
Q: Why does the 2 cup method work?
The 2 cup manifestation method makes use of the Law of Assumption as taught by Neville Goddard. This law explains that if you persist in your assumption that something is true, it must “harden into fact.”
When you pour the water from one cup to the other and then drink it, you are using a simple ritual to convince yourself that you are manifesting what you want.
Although this method will not cause an immediate result, it will initiate the process.
Because the Law of Assumption is a universal law that is always true, you must manifest your desires simply by convincing yourself you already have what you need. It will just take some time and action on your part for it to fully happen.
Q: What if I don’t want my current negative energy to pollute the water?
A: You might like the original ritual just as we presented it, but it is possible to feel uncomfortable with the step that involves focusing on your current situation while water is in the first cup.
You might worry that you will pollute the water you are about to drink with too much negativity. If so, you could feel more stuck to your current scenario.
If that is how you feel about it, you can modify the method. A simple alternative is to fill both glasses instead of just one of them. Do the steps where you meditate on your current situation and then visualize what you want to manifest.
Once you have your desired outcome in your mind, empty the water from the current situation cup down the drain. Drink the water from the cup you labeled with your desires.
This alternative method lets you get rid of the “polluted” water instead of drinking it. You get to drink the water that you suffused with positive emotions and intent.
Q: Are there other ways to modify the 2 cup method?
A: Yes. You could choose a liquid that helps capture your intent in some way. If you want to manifest a vacation in a tropical locale, try drinking some kind of tropical fruit juice, for instance.
You could also feasibly choose drinking vessels that also help capture your intent to manifest in some form or fashion. Get creative with your approach! The more you personalize the 2 cup manifestation method, the better it can work.