The Law of Attraction: True or False?

Since the release of the book and movie the Secret a few years ago the principles of the law of attraction (LOA) has become more popular and more known among people that are working to improve their lives .Like the “Celestine Prophecy” twenty years ago, “The Secret” has got the interest of people that would not normally go for those kind of books. In my readings often the subject of the LOA comes up and many people are still unsure of its validity or truth.

What is the law of attraction ? My basic understand of how the LOA works is that if you focus on something you want and you set your heart and intention in that direction that you will be able to manifest that into reality, be it a new loving relationship, more money or a successful business ,I think the only caveat is that your wishes can’t be negative and have to be harmonious to work.

So for me that basic principle I feel does has some merit and some truth. If you focus on what you want , rather than what you don’t want, I can see how it’s a possible to bring into reality the object of your intentions. The truth is people are doing it all the time, be it losing weight, completing a medical degree, sailing around the world solo .All these act are the result of a determined vision and the action to back it up. The issues for many people though is when they apply these principles and they seem unable to attract that outcome into their lives. Within “The Secret” they would say that if you have not been able to “make it happen”, then your somehow you’re  not doing it right or not trying hard enough. This could be seen a convenient logic that ensures the principle of LOA to be totally fail safe.As when it doesn’t get attracted then it’s something inside of you that’s blocking it  and when it does get attracted, well then the LOA is happy to take the credit.

So it’s at this point part of me feels unsure about the LOA ,not as principle but rather the context or drive behind why people use it. When you watch the Secret it’s hard not to feel at times there are people using the LOA like wish list to a cosmic Santa Claus, Ferrier, untold wealth, you name it you can have it,  all you have to do is employ this method (and buy the book and DVD course ) and hey presto! Next thing you know Fed Ex is knocking on your door to deliver you ten gold bullions! This permission to desire whatever you want and think that you could actually “have it all” fills people with a kind of ecstatic glee.

Yet when you examine the nature of say, “ Manifesting a Red Ferrier” through the LOA, it’s difficult not to see that as a shallow whim of the ego. Then take wanting a new romance, what part of that desire is coming that an emptiness and insecurity that your hoping a new relationship will fill the void from? So then if the person wanting the “new car” and “new love” are unable to make it happen, then rather than seeing that are not “trying hard enough” with LOA, maybe there is deeper message  that is the universe saying that although this maybe what they “want”, it maybe not what they “need”.

The funny  thing is that I have observed that many times when a person is able to let of their desire and just be open, it is then able to come into their life in natural and less stressful way.As I think there is a difference between           fixating on specific outcome as “The Secret” encourages at times ie. The look, height, profession, age and foot size of your future soul mate , then there is of having a broad intention to share your heart and bring more love into your life and be open to how the universe see fit  the best manner of how and when that comes into your life.

Another potential issue with LOA it directs our mind and thinking towards the future(even though they say to imagine these outcome to be present now, it’s still a future focused thinking). To affirm and put energy into creating things we are “yet to have” we  are projecting ourselves into the future .This mental fast-forward works on the assumption  that once  the power of LOA is harnessed and  I “attract it ” into my life, I will  then  be somehow be happier or more content. Yet as many people experience, if these desires are ego driven(which I am not saying all are), the ego has way of never being satisfied and always wanting more. What if instead of focusing on what we wanted, could it be more productive to work on being content with what we have? The problem is in a give me more,more , more society, learning to be happy with what we have isn’t  easiest of sells. I will reveal secret that will empower you to attract whatever you want into your life, well that’s not so hard to sell.

Yet there is a lot of spiritual disciplines  that focus on being content with what we have.The spiritual teacher Byron Katie has built a whole system of knowledge and personal development on the single and simple principle of learning to love “what is”. From her point of view, all of our suffering and stress come from our resistance and struggle to what is. At times when I found myself really moving into that space of “loving what is” there enters a peace and serenity where I felt  no need for the LOA  , as in that moment I am feeling complete with where I am and what I have .Also in the process of loving what is, we are also confront with need to surrender and hand things over to the universe with the sudden awaking that maybe not everything that happens in the universe is about ourselves.

So in my personal opinion I think  the LOA is has measure of both truth and falsehood.  I do think there is a truth in the LOA, in the sense that we do attract much of our reality by the nature of what we think and feel . We have  all seen it in action by coming into contact with a really negative person, who just always seems to attract disaster and hardship, for as they expect, so does it happen.  At same time I think it’s a false logic that tells us the object of life should be all about getting what we want. As within that there is a danger of it becoming a very “ ME,ME,ME” based approach that could easily pit our desires and wishes against the ebbs and flows of life and other people.

So I think if you use the LOA from a basis of self contentment and awareness that often the great treasure in life arrived in packages we first think we don’t want or don’t need, then it can have some real value and power. Yet what’s interesting for me when reflect on  the most profound  moments of  my life that I have felt peace and serenity, it has not come when I have finally attracted into my life what I wanted but its been when I have made some kind of peace with what is.  And that is I guess the point for me, as my search for meaning and happiness has evolved, I have endevoured to use  less of my energy on how I can utilize the universes abundance and potential to further my own success and desires and more of  my attention towards letting go and accepting life on lifes terms (a process I might add, that I have  to keep bring myself back all the time) . The result of this is being able to have glimpses or fleeting  but magical moments where I have nothing to do, nothing to get, nowhere to go but just be where I am , with who I am. It’s like I suddenly realise that after all my searching and struggling,  that the place I was so desperately
trying to get to , I find out I am actually already there and in that place ,I have everything  I need.Then I see the real irrefutable evidence that the universe has a sense of humour,  is I had it all along