This Article is part of Flowdreaming.com’s free Online Learning Library.
If you’re looking for an explanation for why some things in your life seem so frustratingly difficult to manifest, then read on. It’s a long article, but contains valuable information. It begins with a story about something that happened to me these last few weeks.
I normally talk about the Flow using a metaphor of water. Our Flow moves like a current of ease and bounty, never ceasing, always finding the path of least resistance, like water flowing to the sea. When we’re in sync with this essence of life, we find that the world opens to us and we can manifest our desires with abandon. When we’re at odds with this medium for manifesting, we’re going against this current and finding ourselves constantly struggling upstream facing discouragement, debt, and despair.
Well a few weeks ago I happened on a new way of looking at it: I’m going to borrow two terms from science and rework them a little: conduction and resistance. A copper wire conducts energy beautifully, and lets it move right where it needs to go. A rubber wire, on the other hand, is a terrible conductor for electricity. It’s a point of resistance. We have both in our lives. Imagine that we’re on a racetrack made of copper, but the bumper walls are made of rubber. We can bump against the resistance as much as we want, or we can get back on the copper track. Here is what happened to me recently that made this all so clear to me.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the things I really enjoy doing, and one thing I’ve found is that I like to develop creative projects and see them strategically through completion. I started searching around for what this kind of skill-set is called, and found that there’s field that’s generally called “strategic product development.” A few days after realizing this, I found myself on an airplane talking to the man sitting next to me, and it turns out he’s a consultant for product development to some big-name companies. He’s been in the industry for twenty-odd years, launching multimillion dollars products and campaigns. And he had a lot to share with me about how to envision projects and then see them through to completion.
This is a perfect example of conductivity. I had a sense of excitement about something, my Flow reacted to this, and it brought me a man who can help me understand more about my new interest. Like a copper wire carrying current, my Flow made it easy for me to find and get the information I wanted. I am in a super-conductive wave. My Flow confirmed to me, within days, that my line of thinking was in line with my essence. That is how Flow works.
So, feeling excited, a week later I find myself talking to someone I do business with about my exciting new idea. And you know what? I was completely rejected. Shut down. It was as if I had been cruising along a top speed, feeling completely as if my Flow was helping me hurtle toward something new and exciting, and hit a wall.
At first, I was mad. How can this be, I thought, when I’ve had such positive confirmation already? Did something change? And then I pulled back and thought, “This is interesting. I’ve hit a point of resistance.” This point of resistance happens to be in the form of a person that I often have to interact with. Did you know that a person can be a point of resistance in your life? Every time I interact with this person, they shut me down. This person’s role, in my Flow, is to close doorways. Their role is to show me where not to go.
So what next? If I had no understanding of Flow, I might continue to butt my head against this person, in that direction, since I think they hold the keys to the kingdom–at least in this particular aspect of my work. My Flow is telling me “green light” in one large overall way, but “red light” in this particular area. In other words, I’m being steered. This is great news, since now I know where not to waste my time.
Your Flow is always talking to you, responding to you, in terms of conduction and resistance. Conduction is where you’re moving in a direction, and it feels like everything unfurls around you, pushing you along, giving you what you need just when you need it. When I met the man on the plane, I felt eager, curious, delighted, and “in tune” with the encounter. Those feelings were conductive, and affirmed that direction in my Flow.
Resistance is the hazard sign on the road. It points where you don’t want to go. Resistance is when you encounter a person, situation or thing that appears to stop you or block you. Whenever you push for something and in response feel upset, wronged, shut down, rejected, misunderstood, angry, frozen out, or that it’s unfair, you have encountered resistance. Your emotions identify the resistance.
And here is where we make a mistake: Instead of saying, “Oh right, thank you for steering me away from this,” we instead get caught up in having to make what we we’re after turn out our way. So we get stuck trying to make someone believe in us, or do what we want, or see it our way, or agree with us, or get the account, or make him understand, or give us the money, or whatever it is that we have to force to happen. We bang our head against the wall of resistance, because we’ve been taught that winners don’t quit, or to get your goal you can’t give up, and so on.
Here is a new way to look at it: Winner’s don’t quit. But when they see a big black pit of resistance, they don’t hang around wondering how deep it is and how long it will take them to fall in and climb out. Instead, they turn around or turn aside and find a new route.
Do more of what works and less of what doesn’t. Resistance is the rubber walls of your copper current, telling you where not to go.
You will encounter many points of resistance as you move forward in your Flow, and in your life. After looking at it like this, I made of a list in my mind of people, situations, and things that almost always represent resistance in my Flow. And I know that I don’t have to bother with them now. I don’t have to thrash my way through them or past them. Instead, I am all about finding the points of super-conductivity. My Flow and my manifesting will wing me to right where I want to be, and even help me discover where that is, as long as I listen and react right.
So think right now: What problem have you been chewing on lately that has a point of resistance? Can you minimize your involvement with it? In my own case, I can’t avoid this person altogether, but I can keep our interaction to a minimum. Maybe you can do that too.
Then identify where you feel ease–where have things just been quietly working out for you? What area of your life is mellow and fulfilling? Who is involved in that area? They must be conductive to you. Sometimes we overlook the conductive areas of our lives since we take them for granted. But they are indicators of Flow there. How can you bring that Flow into the troubled area? Maybe you can, maybe you can’t. Maybe you’ll need to start down a new road–and when you do, look for your Flow to respond by manifesting circumstances that hurtle your forward and bring you just what you need.
Tags: abraham, conductivity, Finding Your Passion, frustration, law of attraction, Manifesting (General), Resistance, Synchronicity, the secret, work


Summer……………
This article tells it so simply and profoundly and lets us have positive feelings about the perceived negative roadblocks. I have(probably like many others when I hit resistance) usually blamed myself for the problem or lack of movement -equating it to I’m not good enough or I dont have what it takes etc, instead of recognizing that the Universe is actually being very kind and making it REAlly clear that this particular ingrededient or circumstance is not desirable for my progress. Thanks for making this so EASY to recognize and taking the pressure off of what I may have done wrong(which was actually not the case at all).
Summer,
Thanks for this great information. I do get it now. When we hit roadblocks in life…don’t stop, just turn in a new direction. How many times have I just stopped. I will look at everything differently now. I will just be thankful that I know who the roadblocks are…smile, and go on!
At first, when i didn’t get that promotion, i was very angry and hurt. I found out 2 days later that the position was being moved to another department, and I would have been working under a woman who, to be kind, is somewhat charm-free. Now I understand that this was simply a way for the Universe to tell me where not to go. Thanks for the article!
Thanks Summer for this great information, I have found myself in a relationship that my flow is creating a lot of resistance too. I just recently found out about your flow dreaming and right now it is a godsend helping me to untangle myself from a unhealthy web. God bless you for all you do!
Very Well stated…. Many time I have found myself trying harder turning over rocks to make something work and reminded of getting out of the way and choosing to be in the flow. I can relate to this my most recent inspiration which was my ebook. So excited when I got the hit followed thru completing the energy packet and thick a massive wall letting go. Reading your article was a great confirmation
Thanks so much
Smiles
Lisa
Dear Summer, Thanks for this post! I hope this will help a lot of flowdreamers and help them know the blocks in their manifestation..:)..
But, I would really really appreciate if would address a condition where this resistance point is someone you are really really close to ..say a spouse or a parent ? How to tackle it?
Many Thanks
All my love
C
Summer,
Thank you for this clear picture of copper conductivity and rubber siderail resistance. It makes so much sense to do a “work around”, listening for guidance, when you think about it……I feel my own resistance within to start this project I know I’m called to do….am trying to move through and “start”. Now besides water, I’ll see the copper wire moving me along as well.
Peace and light,
Pat
Summer,
…I just read your article and I would like to expound on this subject and take it a little further. Resistance in the form of a person is akin to someone holding a large red flag waving you to take a detour. Now, if you’re paying attention and focusing your energies, then you’ll see him/her a mile away and simply turn around. If your energy is scattered and you’re looking at the world around you, then you’re distracted and you’ll inevitable miss that large red flag until you’re a couple of feet away from it. Even then you can choose to continue on and stumble upon a rock and pot holed filled road, argue with the person, or thank him for the advice and turn around. The choice is yours. However, remember that he’s only their to assist us in flowing downstream to our dreams. As matter of fact, the quicker we spot him via our emotions, the faster we realize our intentions.
Blessings,
Audrey
Thank you for sharing your personal story and a very clear example of energy and flow! I was recently re-introduced to someone who rejected me long ago (10 years), and I had thought that the light was green after all these years, but it turns out that the same red stop light was still flashing. How silly I have been feeling to have fallen for the same Lucy-Charlie Brown football kick. Now I am learning to trust my instincts more and pay attention to history –that does repeat itself when one is paying attention and not blinded by Beauty or wishful thinking. I am re-igniting my downstream thoughts –thanks to your example and wisdom. Your book will be an enjoyable read as I recover my healthy ego and pride!
+J
Summer: Thank you for this beautiful illustration of the Flow. I’ve encountered many resistance indicators in the past 12 months or so, especially in the legal department. Please share: When one encounters resistance, one stands back and waits for “green light” guidance, but nothing seems to happen, what to do/or not?
Grateful,
Mari
Great analogy, Summer!
I find I hit the “rubber bumpers of resistance” when I am caught up in my ego-influenced ideas of what “should” happen–what I desperately WANT to have happen (never mind that I don’t actually know if it is in my best interests at all!)–instead of trusting, relaxing and allowing.
Dear Summer -
I spent years “fighting” for myself and others. I mean, how else are we supposed to show we care, right? Well, thank you for the clarity of your lesson.
Now, what if one’s beloved partner is the one getting more resistance on a shared project???? How does one separate into one’s own flow when the lives are merged? I know you have addressed this on the radio, yet I don’t know how to pull this one off properly. Is there a CD or lesson that I can use? I think it’s rather a common challenge.
Thanks and bless you for your work on Flowdreaming and on Hayhouse.com. I tell everyone I know about it.
I can really relate to this article. I love my husband but alot of times he is my resistance. I find myself caring to much about his opinion and trying to be understood by him that I stop myself from the flow I am in. Lately I have been taking care of my own feelings and honoring my inspirations which have led me to success in my quest. Turns out when my husband see the final result he expresses how proud he is of me and how I am able to accomplish alot on my own and the next thing you know I am a teaching tool for him!! Thankyou so much for reaffirming what I have know but was ignoring. We are all God source and anything is possible with no limitations and God does not say your married now so stop your flow and play your role. Source says follow that desire and live a fullfilled life just as you had sought out to before you came here!!