photo: Nono Fara on flickr
What’s so great about the law of attraction?
I mean, everybody’s talking about it these days. There are movies like “The Secret”. And books like “Ask and It Is Given.”
But the law of attraction is just a law. And the world is full of laws. Like gravity.
photo: Richard Peters on flickr
And stopping at red lights.
photo: Horia Varlan on flickr
What’s so special about the law of attraction?
Well, for one thing, you can’t escape it. One of my favorite quotations sums it up quite nicely:
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.”
That’s Henry Ford talking. Not some airy-fairy guru. Though I’m all for airy-fairy gurus too!
Bottom line, we’re all affected by the principle of cause and effect.
Whether we’re contemplating our navels in the desert or crunching numbers in the corporate world, all of us are affected by the reality that consciousness is creative.
In my case, the law of attraction has brought me an amazing relationship. And an amazing vocation.
It’s also brought tons of other equally amazing experiences – from overcoming a fear of diving to forgiveness of a seeming enemy.
But how does it work? That’s the question.
Why does What Goes Around equal What Comes Around? What’s the underlying mechanism behind this formula?
I’m no Albert Einstein. For one thing, I don’t have nearly as much hair.
And I don’t spend long hours contemplating the fundamental properties of the universe.
photo: David St. Louis on flickr
But I do have my theories. Like the Elf Self. And the New Age Virus.
So laugh if you must, but I think I’ve cracked the code on the law of attraction! Okay, not the code exactly. It’s the curtain – that’s what I’ve cracked!
I’ve seen behind the proverbial curtain, and I know how this whole law of attraction dealio works!
Check it out:
For our honeymoon, Melissa and I went to the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. While we were there, I had a totally groovy woo-woo experience where I looked at my foot and watched it dissolve into a blur of energy. (If you want to read more about this, go here).
That’s pretty cool in and of itself, right?
But what’s even cooler is what happened to me after that experience.
In the weeks after we got home, my woo-woo experience repeated itself two times – once when I was looking at Melissa and once when I was looking at my own face in the mirror. Both times, the supposedly-solid surface of face turned into a whirling, swirling mass of energy.
And I wasn’t on drugs! I don’t even drink coffee!
photo: chichacha on flickr
This was just regular old me, looking at regular old things.
But they’re not “regular.” That’s the point.
Everything is energy. That’s what both the quantum physicists and the airy-fairy gurus say.
And I’ve seen it.
So ever since then, whenever anything happens to me that’s even vaguely law-of-attraction-like, I remember what I’ve seen.
Lately I’ve been working on increasing my abundance. I’ve been saying affirmations, doing visualizations, and expressing gratitude for my abundance. As I do these things, more abundance has been flowing to me.
photo: Steven Depolo on flickr
And now I know why!
I’m energy. And when my energy starts pulsing with the abundance vibe, I draw other things – also blobs of energy – to me.
Blobs being attracted to blobs – that’s what it’s all about!
So the next time you wonder why law attraction works – or even if it works – just remember the blobs! That’s what’s behind the curtain!
And not in a scary, menacing “Blob That Ate Manhattan” kinda-way. Not at all! We’re all blobs of Magnificent, Magnetic Mojo.
And when we realize this, we can begin to consciously and deliberately attract other Magnificent, Magnetic Blobs to us.
In other words, when we realize our Blob-like power, we can’t be stopped!
Let the Blob Fest begin!
photo: ClizBiz on flickr
Have you ever peeked behind the curtain of the Law of Attraction? What did you see?
ahhh, yes. love it. i’ve always wondered about something, tho. we talk about how like attracts like – our energy attracts more of the same energy… but what about opposites attracting? like magnets? is it just a different law? or is there some weird breakdown i’m not aware of?
have you ever searched for a halloween costume on halloween? because that’s what i will be doing omw to work. i’ll let you know how it works out. i’m attracting some cat ears right now. XD
love,
xos
Hi Squirrel,
I love this question. Yes! Nothing like a challenging question from a Squirrel on the Day of the Dead!!
One of the first things I heard when I entered ministerial school was that I was going to hear and ponder a lot of dualistic questions that have nondualistic answers. And here is yet another one.
What’s cool is that both are true – opposites attract AND like attracts like. Groovy, eh?
So, like with Melissa and I, we were both affirming a powerful relationship with someone with whom we were compatible sexually, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Both of us affirming the same thing, which we then both attracted to ourselves. A “like” thought attracting another “like” thought. But then there’s that word “compatible.” As we were both affirming this as well, we both attracted someone to ourselves who is compatible to us, including in ways that could be construed as “opposite.”
As for the halloween costume on halloween, that’s much more challenging. I’m not sure how to even begin to address that! 😉
XOZ
very cool stuff to ponder. i never made it to the store for cat ears, but my costume worked well without them, so it’s all good. 😀
<3
Awesome, I love this energy thing. I literally just finished my morning practice and in the last few minutes of my meditation I dissolved into the One, I felt all my atoms fall apart.
Then, as I’m never far away from my lap top, I opened Facebook, and the first thing that came up was this blob, I mean Blog!
Thank you for your presence, joy and general zaniness. Your writing is the cornerstone of practical spirituality. Big Love 🙂
Hi Juliet,
Thanks for dropping by! And thank you for sharing this blog with others! 🙂
I love this story of your morning meditation. It’s yet another reminder of how intricately connected we all are. Blobs and blogs and dissolution into the formless, shapeless Beings that we truly are. Wonderful and beautiful. Thank you for sharing your Self with us all!
XOZ
Hi Z, Good point—If it’s energy, you can change it, and it’s all just energy, right. It’s cool how your “blur” experiences showed you that. And we’re having more experiences like that because we’re manifesting much faster than we did before. It’s a cosmic thang…
I’ve been having similar experiences where I blur out and go somewhere else, as if for a mini “download.” I don’t know how this relates to the law of attraction, but something’s going on in those blurry moments—to be sure. Hugs to you.
Hi Jill,
For me, the blurry moments are about going beyond the physical realm. Lately, I’ve been pondering the whole notion of physical reality as an “illusion”. I was thinking that it’s not so much that physical reality is a complete illusion, as the physical appears quite real to those of us who are playing on this realm. But it’s also true that we’re ultimately energy. And so there is a lot more going on than just the physical. The illusion is in thinking that only the physical realm exists. And interestingly enough, the minute we open up to the other levels of reality, the more interesting the physical dimension becomes. And the more empowered we become within it. Good stuff.
Thanks for your comment!
XOZ
I love you, Z, but couldn’t let this one pass. This is just more “feel good” philosophy designed to appease the guilty consciences of the American well-to-do. Listen, the World has problems! No new new-age, wishy-washy, positive thinking crap is going to make them go away! Not only this kind of thinking unrealistic, it is insulting to people who are really suffering. There are no benevolent aliens planning to come save us in our hour of need! We are alone on this mud-ball in empty, cold, space. We will perish as a race unless we get our heads out of our asses and change our behavior! I get sick of hearing this “law of attraction” crap from people who complain when Starbucks runs out of soy lattes! Please, read this article and watch the video contained in it: http://thmngolf.blogspot.com/2009/06/on-free-will-and-determinism_17.html
Hi David,
I love you too! I think we’re just going to have to agree to disagree on this one. I read the article again – you also referred it to me the last time you posted a comment here.
For me, the deeper message of the law of attraction is alignment with the Divine. That’s my experience. This alignment includes all kinds of things, including compassion for our fellow humans.
I don’t believe that we’re all alone in empty space. Again, that’s my experience.
It sounds like we see things differently, but we both agree that compassion for and connection with our fellow humans is important. And that, I think, is a good place to start! 🙂
XOZ
Ok, Z. But here is the irony: Where is the compassion in telling people who are less fortunate than oneself that all they have to do is change their attitude (or “alignment”, if you prefer). I could draw a hundred analogies, that could illustrate this more clearly, but I don’t understand why it is so hard for people to fathom.
It kinda like….picture a guy who is cold and needs a blanket. And someone with a blanket wrapped around them walks up to him and says, “You just think your cold because you have a bad attitude. If you just picture yourself warm, like me, you will be fine.”, or “Just envision a blanket like I did and the beneficent Universe Genie will bring you one.” There are strong “Let them eat cake.” overtones here.
The philosophy works great if you are in a place of abundance to begin with. It completely breaks down however, in circumstances where there is real need and suffering.
I hope at least some of your readers will read the article and watch the video, because I am sure these are the people who need to see it the most.
Thanks for tolerating my trolling on your awesome blog!
Hi David,
Again, I’m going to pull the “agree to disagree” card. This blog is intended to offer words and thoughts that may be helpful to some people. In the words of the 12 step program, “Take what you like the leave the rest.” 🙂
XOZ
Hi David,
I definitely hear what you’re saying, but Z isn’t talking about some invisible sky fairy doling out favours to people with “happy happy” thoughts. That’s a ridiculous notion, as you stated. Thinking happy thoughts is NOT going to cure the ails of the world.
What Z is talking about is centering in oneself and really grasping that s/he is already worthy of a better life – letting go of victimhood and attachment to the story that “the world (and all of its faults) is happening to me,” because it’s not.
Your example of the fellow out in the cold and someone bringing him a blanket – he attracted both the experience of being out in the cold and the experience of receiving the blanket. (I realize it’s probably hypothetical, but it still happens.) It’s about shifting your thoughts into something “better” and then getting off your butt and doing some footwork.
Yes, the philosophy works great if you’re already in a place of abundance to begin with; but it works just as well if you’re not. I’ll use myself as an example: I grew up well below the poverty line – more often than not, we had literally no food in the house. I went to school just so I could eat. When I was 16, on thanksgiving, we shared a TV dinner. That was our Thanksgiving feast. I get the “lack” thing.
When I found this philosophy in 2008, I was still in that space of “there’s not enough for me.” So, I did the work; I followed the suggestions; I shifted my thought process to something “better.” Fast forward to today… I always have more than I need. Period. I always have a roof over my head and food in my stomach. I have a job that I love and I’m surrounded by people who love me.
That’s not to say I don’t experience challenges, because I absolutely do. I just don’t let them consume me. There’s a difference between being in denial and being happy in spite of circumstances. Circumstances don’t define who we are; we do.
@Squirell: IMHO, that your thinking is purely delusional. Also, you appear to completely ignore my point. In my example, no one brought the poor guy a blanket…just well intended words that were no help and probably only made him feel worse.
I have no idea what you mean when you say he “..attracted the cold.” Again, it sounds like you are blaming him for his own misery, a coldly unsympathetic attitude, IMO, and rather judgemental. Instead of reproducing the entire article here, I again invite you to read the link I posted above and watch the accompanying video.
To sum up: One’s attitude doesn’t make one cold, but the cold can significantly affect a person’s attitude!
Let’s not put the chicken before the egg.
However, if you have all of your physical needs taken care of and you are still unhappy, you do need to change your system of thought. And, IMO, that is why the “law of attraction” philosophy works so well for those who live in a rather prosperous society.
Peace
hey David,
i must have misread your comment about the gentleman in the cold; i apologize for that.
i’m not blaming anyone for anything; it’s not about blame. sometimes we experience stuff in our lives that just plain sucks. and if we’re present with it, we can overcome it. we can become stronger and better people for it. that’s what the law of attraction is about.
i’m not implying you are, but if you are experiencing challenges that you can’t seem to surmount, it’s not your fault; but it IS your responsibility to change it if you want to experience something different.
i’m not especially judgmental, i have a great deal of compassion for most people, and i’m only slightly delusional, so name calling is irrelevant. i work for a non-profit, dealing with the issues that stem from people just plain not having enough. i don’t judge them; i help them. should children in what we call the 3rd world starve to death? no. are there children here, in the US, who are starving? yes. and i work with them on a daily basis by encouraging them, not belittling them… who’s judging whom?
i’m sorry that you are not in a space to really hear what i am actually saying. i hear that this is a trigger for you and invite you to consider that there are other options.
and you’re right, i AM unsympathetic. i don’t feel sorry for people because sympathy implies that there are inequalities in humans and it’s simply not true. we are all part of the same organism that is the universe. i don’t put myself above other people. i’m slightly more humble than that. instead, i’m compassionate because i recognize that when one is suffering, we’re all suffering.
and what if Z and I and our people are delusional? we’re generally pretty happy, we’re enjoying life, and we do good work in the world. does it really matter what we believe?
many blessings on you, David.
Terrific post! I appreciate you contacting me via Flickr but I am the photographer who took that last shot and I have no idea who ‘Sweet Cheeks Willie’ is. Please correct. Thanks!
Howdy,
Sorry for the error. I have no idea who Sweet Cheeks Willie is either. Strange. Thanks for letting me know!
Cheers,
Z
I have been at the bottom of the pile in the physical world..with children 5…and I used these laws to climb out…this is a true story I had 1 cup of rice and 4 kids and I was pregnant…my husband had met some fun actors from a summer theater and invited them to dinner..the actors were very poor too …I am a great cook …I went out with my little ones and in a paper sack I collected wild vegetables (this is called doing what is with in your reach.) when I had collected a huge bunch..I went home. I kneeled down in front of the sink…where I’d spent so many hours doing a Mother’s work and is a sacred space. I asked for help. 30 minutes later there was a knock on the remote cottage door. The man standing there was holding a 16 lb cod fish…he said he’d been out on a party fishing boat and had won 2 prizes 1 for the most fish..he’d caught a lot of haddock and another for the biggest fish, he was going to freeze the haddock but had no room for the cod. Someone on the dock told him I was a good cook and would be able to deal with it..so he brought it to me. I made a delicious baked cod stuffed with rice…and wild veggies in 2 ways lambs quarters …and then lilies …the actors came with a bottle of cheap wine and it was a wonderful happy dinner! I have 1000’s of stories of miracles I think and thought that my poverty was a blessing that helped me go deep because i had nothing else but infinite power and love.
What a great story – you have so many great stories! This is a real inspiration. Thank you for sharing it! I especially like your point that having very little on the material plane forced you to go deeper in connecting with infinite power and love. Beautiful! 🙂
Thank Z..I thought that poverty gave me the opportunity and some of the folks who were my friends and neighbors were able to raise themselves out. Unfortunately a lot of people thought I was a little nuts..harmless but crazy. Some stayed, some died in tragic ways, some became famous…I could see then how being materially wealthy was actually a difficult thing to pull off. Most believe that they themselves are the source…and we are but not in that way..the wealthy are mostly able to dodge the quick karma that is hard to ignore..they too get karma but it is more drawn out..if you are wealthy you better be wise too because ease can be poisonous if you are not aware of what is really happening. I think this is what Jesus was referring to when he said that the rich could get into heaven like a camel passing through the eye of a needle..shrink…not easy