Cover of The Law of Attraction

To answer these questions  we must examine the origin of such thoughts and decide whether there is any validity in such ways of thinking. Many people dismiss such ideas as ‘New Age’ nonsense and wishful thinking, but let’s not be like that, let’s not show our ignorance by simply resorting to turning away. Facts are more interesting than mere words, so let us now examine some facts.

The Law of Attraction

There are a set of what are known as universal laws such as the Law of Vacuum, but we are interested in the one termed the Law of Attraction. What is it and how is it supposed to work? Well put simply, the idea behind this thought, is that we each of us attract that which we concentrate our thoughts on for any considerable length of time. So if we are thinking debt and poverty, that is what we will receive and continue to receive until we change our thought pattern to one of abundance and wealth.

Attraction and Gravity

The Law of Gravity can be seen as both a positive and a negative force because it can act in either way. If you were to fall off the roof of a building you would consider it as a negative experience. Yet the very fact that you are able to live your life without falling off the earth must be seen as a positive experience. I am very aware that the last point was a light-hearted one, but there was in fact a method behind the tongue-in-cheek humour. Too often matters under investigation become all too easily bogged down in needless technical jargon filled explanations which only serve to confuse us. My aim is illumination, not darkness. The Law of Attraction is neither good, nor bad, it just is.

Biblical References

I use these references to the Law not as proof, but as worth our consideration. I in no way advocate the bible as offering absolute proof of anything, as this is a matter for debate and faith. I instead offer this as something which as literary texts has stood the test of time.

Yes we do not have to look far to find this Law mentioned, not by name, but clearly the self-same Law in reference to many texts. Take the following example of a negative application of this Law. Job 3:25 (King James Version)

 “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me”.

Reading this it is obvious that Job had so concentrated his thoughts on the negative that he left no area for positive development. If we now look at the flipside to this particular coin, we need only look at that other Old Testament favourite Joseph. Here we have a young farmers son from a large family with little prospects in life. Then one night Joseph had a dream that he would one day be a king with wealth and riches. He believed so strongly in this idea, he became so unshakeable in his faith that the dreamed of events would one day come true, that the setbacks in his life meant nothing to him, because of his dream and faith.

The teachings of Jesus reflect beautifully the Law of Attraction and its subsequent practice.  Take the example below:

 ”Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them”.

If not proof, then certainly food for thought from the ancient world. Let us come forward in time to the Victorian age. This was an age of ‘New Thought’ and new ideas of every kind.  Robert Collier the nephew of the founder of Colliers Weekly wrote extensively on the subject including The Secret Of The Ages, which sold 300,000 during the author’s lifetime and is in fact still in print today. James Allen another Victorian and an Englishman wrote much on the subject himself including his much loved classic As A Man Thinketh. Within a few short years a number of books on the subject were born of this new thought, of which Napoleon Hill’s Think And Grow Rich written in 1937 has never been out of print since its first publication. This work has often been cited as having been the inspiration for a great many self made millionaires, as has Charles Haanel’s earlier correspondence course The Master Key System. In more recent years we have had such books as Harmonic wealth written by James Arthur Ray and The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, a book itself inspired by a much earlier work The Science Of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles.  

When a new idea, or theory is introduced it will often be met with derision and disdain. Time and time again people have been laughed at and abused, only to be recognised a few short years later as genius material. The great inventor John Logie Baird, the inventor of no lesser an invention than the television was called a lunatic when he went to the offices of the English newspaper The Daily Express in 1925. The editor thought he was mad and had him thrown out onto the street. The same newspaper would later celebrate this hero of the people who had made a wireless that you could see. Keeping this fact firmly in mind, is it any wonder that it is only now in this so called ‘New Age’ which incidentally was a term quite popular back in the 19th century, that the idea of the Law of Attraction is only now gaining headway and getting the credence it deserves?

Does this so called Law really deserve our attention? Yes it does. If you are at all curious about this, why not try a little experiment just for the fun of it. Just before retiring to bed, sit down and tell yourself that tomorrow is going to be a perfect day. Yes it might sound like nonsense, but just bear with me, after all what do you have to lose? And what might you gain if it is true and it works for you? Think ahead to the next day and plan as well as you are able your day. Think of those you meet and how happy and glad to see you they all are. Spend ten, or fifteen minutes dwelling on this and think of a list of all those things in your life that you are grateful for. Some people will say I have nothing to be grateful for, but that just isn’t true, we all have things to be grateful for, just different things and for different reasons. It might be family, friends, job, pets, career, holiday etc. It doesn’t matter what things you choose, just make sure that for this evening you only allow yourself to dwell on the good. And make sure you don’t watch anything too negative, turn off those endless news updates full of doom and gloom. Just force yourself to be positive for one night. Incidentally and here’s the science bit, by thinking positive and filling your mind with grateful thoughts you will de-stress yourself and relax. If this seems a difficult task, you are really in need of stress management and so should welcome a night off from your usual high stress levels.

If all this seems a little like too much wishful thinking, just turn your mind for a moment to those times in your life when everything has gone wrong. You know the kind of day when you start out late and nothing goes right. You walk into a store and straight away have a choice of queue and pick the wrong one. You drive and find nothing but red lights and traffic jams. People are all so sensitive and hard to please. You burn your food and bang your leg. Wow what a day!! But one minute, couldn’t this have all started when you overslept and got angry and pushed out all that negative energy? Didn’t you keep dwelling on the bad in everything? Didn’t the universe keep serving up the bad, just as expected? If this makes sense, why not try being positive?

I suggest this not because I’m a wishful thinker, or someone who is easily convinced, but because I am someone who spent one evening planning a good day and that day became a week and now I live my life this way. I now live a life full of passion, fun and love. I am so glad I gave the Law of Attraction a try. Now what will you do?