From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The phrase
Law of Attraction has been used by many
esoteric writers, although the actual definition varies greatly. Most authors associate the Law of Attraction with the saying, “like attracts like”, usually as applied to the mental life of
human beings: that a person’s thoughts (conscious and unconscious), emotions, beliefs and actions attract corresponding positive or negative experiences. This process has been described as “harmonious vibrations of the law of attraction”,
[1] or “you get what you think about; your thoughts determine your experience.”
[2]The phrase is closely associated with New Thought beliefs and practices, from which its most common definition arises, but it also has a long standing (and more complex development) in other esoteric fields such as Hermeticism and Theosophy. Recently, the New Thought version was popularized by the 2006 film The Secret.
The more materialistic interpretations of The Law of Attraction have been criticized in the media, the scientific community, which cites the deliberate misuse of the scientific term law, and by some proponents of the New Age Movement and spirituality in general.[1]
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History
The idea behind the Law of Attraction is not new. The concept can be found in Hinduism [3] and, due to the influence of Hinduism on Theosophy, it is mentioned in early Theosophical texts as well. [4]
The most influential modern book on the subject in the English language is As a Man Thinketh by James Allen (1864 - 1912), which was published in 1902. The title derives from the ancient Jewish Book of Proverbs, chapter 23, verse 7: “As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is.” Allen took this ambiguous idea of a correspondence between “a man’s heart” and his existence to a logical extreme, stating that, “The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors, that which it loves, and also that which it fears. It reaches the height of its cherished aspirations. It falls to the level of its unchastened desires — and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own.” [5]
Although As a Man Thinketh does not contain the term “Law of Attraction” in so many words, it explains the principle clearly and its popularity demonstrably gave rise to a century of writings on the subject. It has remained in print in book form for more than 100 years. Variant editions of As a Man Thinketh in print during the 21st century include those published by Dover Books [6], Barnes and Noble [7], Filiquarian [8], and Tarcher [9]; there are also audiobook and ebook editions; and at least three gender-switching spin-offs, each titled As a Woman Thinketh, which are by Gwendolyn Haynes (Million Words Publishing, 1997) [10], Dorothy J. Hulst, (Lushena Books, 2000)[11], and Cindy Cashman (Action Publishing, 2007) [12], respectively.
In America, Allen’s assertion that “the soul attracts” both that which it desires and that which it fears struck a resonant chord in the New Thought Movement. Working from Allen’s premise that one’s thoughts attract “circumstances” that affect one’s mental and physical situation in life, William Walker Atkinson (1862 - 1932) used the term ‘Law of Attraction’ to describe the phenomenon in his 1906 book Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World [13]. Atkinson was the editor of New Thought magazine, a student of Hinduism, and the author of more than 100 books on an assortment on religious, spiritual, and occult topics.
In the wake of Atkinson’s success, other New Thought authors very quickly wrote their own books promulgating the principle. For example, in 1907, just one year after Atkinson’s breakthrough was published, Elizabeth Towne, the editor of The Nautilus Magazine, a Journal of New Thought, published Bruce MacLelland’s book Prosperity Through Thought Force, in which he declared that “dwelling on any quality of mind adds that quality to you, whether it be helpful or injurious,” and also clearly set forth what was to become a classic New Thought epigram: “You are what you think, not what you think you are.” [14] Around this time, the term “Law of Attraction” also appeared in the writings of the Theosophical authors William Quan Judge, in 1915, [15] and Annie Besant, in 1919. [16]
By the mid 20th century, writings on the subject had become common and dozens of authors had addressed the topic under various names, such as positive thinking, “mental science”, “pragmatic Christianity,” “New Thought“, “practical metaphysics“, Science of Mind“, and “Religious Science“.[1][17] Among the mid 20th century authors who used the term were Sri K. Parvathi Kumar (1942)[18] and Alice Bailey (1942). [19][20] [21]
In 2006, a film titled The Secret presented the “Law of Attraction” to a new generation and was soon after developed into a book by the same name. The movie and book sold at a tremendous pace and gained widespread attention across the media from Saturday Night Live to The Oprah Winfrey Show in the United States.[1] In September of the same year, Hay House published a book by Esther Hicks titled the The Law Of Attraction, which reached the New York Times best-seller list. [22] 21st century Christian bestsellers such as The 4:8 Principle, Bruce Wilkinson’s The Prayer of Jabez, and Joel Osteen’s recent work present a similar message, although given an explicitly Christian terminology with tacit biblical support (such as Philippians 4:8 and the Prayer of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10). As a direct result of the release of The Secret in 2006 full-time Law of Attraction practitioners and lecturers Beth and Lee McCain, who taught the concepts of the Law of Attraction at the university level at UCLA and Oxford, crossed over from academia to the more commercial world of talk radio and publishing when their book, A Grateful Life: Living the Law of Attraction[23] became a bestseller and speaking engagements followed. Appearing on the August 18, 2007 broadcast of the Oprah and Friends XM radio show, Beth and Lee McCain credited their positive career path change to the Law of Attraction. On the same program professional skeptic James Randi rejected the McCains’ belief and instead said their recent career good fortune was nothing more than “being in the right place at the right time.”
Principles
Many people who accept the Law of Attraction as a guide for right living do so on the basis of their faith in the Universe and The Universe’s ‘Laws’; thus, to them, the nature of the ‘Law’ is not one to be settled scientifically, and the word ‘Law’ carries the same belief-based weight as non-scientific ‘Laws’ from other religions, such as the ‘Law of Karma‘ and the Ten Commandments. This is especially true among those who are adherents of various New Thought denominations or who employ New Thought principles in a secular context. One common way that New Thought adherents utilize the Law of Attraction is through the practice of positive affirmations.
Some proponents of a more modern version of the Law of Attraction claim that it has roots in Quantum Physics. According to them, thoughts have an energy that attracts like energy.[1] In order to control this energy, proponents state that people must practice four things: [24]
-
- Know what one desires and ask the universe for it. (The “universe” is mentioned broadly, stating that it can be anything the individual envisions it to be, from God to an unknown source of energy.)
- Focus one’s thought upon the thing desired with great feeling such as enthusiasm or gratitude.
- Feel and behave as if the object of one’s desire is already acquired.
- Be open to receiving it.
Thinking of what one does not have, they say, manifests itself in the perpetuation of not having, while if one abides by these principles, and avoids “negative” thoughts, the Universe will manifest a person’s desires. [24]
This list of four steps, couched in quasi-scientific terms, is quite similar to, and was influenced by, the panentheistic “Seven Steps in Demonstration” first outlined in the famous non-denominational New Thought book Become What You Believe by Mildred Mann (1904 - 1971):
-
- Desire. Get a strong enthusiasm for that which you want in your life, a real longing for something which is not there now.
- Decision. Know definitely what it is that you want, what it is that you want to do or have, and be willing to pay in spiritual values.
- Ask. [When sure and enthusiastic] ask for it in simple, concise language. . .
- Believe. Believe in the accomplishment with strong faith, consciously and subconsciously.
- Work. Work at it. . . a few minutes daily, seeing yourself in the finished picture. Never outline details, but rather see yourself enjoying the particular thing . . . Eventually, you will see a time where it will just appear, as a gift or such, or you may see an opportunity to get what you were asking for.
- Feel gratitude. Always remember to say, “Thank you, God [or the universe],” and begin to feel the gratitude in your heart. The most powerful prayer we can ever make is those three words, provided we really feel it. Feel as though you already have what you wanted.
- Feel expectancy. Train yourself to live in a state of happy expectancy… Find a way it will appear in your life, and keep believing in that. May it be that someone gives it to you, or you find an initiation to get it.
Note that Mann’s “Demonstrations” do not make use of physical science either as proof or as metaphor, but arise from a basis of faith.
Criticism
The Law of Attraction, especially in its less religious contexts, has been criticized for
- Implying the law has a scientific foundation when no such basis exists,[1]
- Not defining its methodology correctly according to denominational New Thought practitioners,[25]
Criticism of the Law of Attraction comes from other directions as well.
In the mainstream media, talk show hosts such as Larry King have pointed at the sufferings in the world and asked, “If the Universe manifests abundance at a mere thought why is there so much poverty, starvation and death?”
It has also been pointed out that most of the people discussed in recent books on the subject live in a culture that has paths to allow people to overcome adversity and that the same is not true for much of the world.[1] The same cannot be said of earlier proponents of the Law of Attraction, however, especially those who, like Wallace Wattles (1860–1911), claimed in his book The Science of Getting Rich (1910) to have used the principle to rise from a life of grinding poverty to one of merely comfortable industry.
Scientists are critical of the lack of falsifiability and testability of the claims. All of the evidence is both anecdotal and, because of the self-selecting nature of positive reports as well as the subjective nature of any results, highly susceptible to misinterpretations like confirmation bias and selection bias.
The few claims by proponents that seem to reference modern scientific theory remain under question. While brainwaves do have an electrical signal, it is unclear what principles of quantum physics behave the way proponents of the Law of Attraction claim.[1] Opponents claim that the use of the term “Law” and the vague references to quantum physics to bridge any unexplained or seemingly implausible effects are hallmark traits of modern pseudoscience ideas.
Within spiritual circles, the Law of Attraction has been criticized for conflating ego with the higher self, and promoting narcissism.[citation needed] The concept is also criticized by members of various predestinarian and fundamentalist Christian denominations, due to its deviance from their teachings.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Whittaker, S. Secret attraction, The Montreal Gazette, May 12th 2007.
- ^ Redden, Guy, Magic Happens: A New Age Metaphysical Mystery Tour, Journal of Australian Studies: 101
- ^ Watkin, T. ‘The Secret’: Ask. Believe. Receive. That’s the mantra.The Courier Journal, April 22nd 2007
- ^ Tatya, Tukaram (1887). A Guide to Theosophy: Containing Select Articles for the Instructions of Aspirants to the Knowledge of Theosophy. Bombay Theosophical Publication Fund, p265.
- ^ Project Gutenberg — James Allen. As a Man Thinketh 1902] e-text at Project Gutenberg.
- ^ ISBN 0486452832
- ^ ISBN 9788352693
- ^ ISBN 1599869837
- ^ ISBN 1585425648
- ^ ISBN 1891282018
- ^ ISBN 193009714X
- ^ ISBN 0972223541
- ^ William Walker Atkinson. Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction. Advanced Thought Publishing. 1906. Out of Copyright version
- ^ MacLelland, Bruce, Prosperity Through Thought Force, Elizabeth Towne, 1907
- ^ Judge, William Quan (1915). The Ocean of Theosophy. United Lodge of Theosophists, p103.
- ^ Besant, Annie Wood (1919). Popular Lectures on Theosophy. Theosophical Publishing House, p79.
- ^ Griffiths, L. ‘Law of attraction’ has long history in inspirational writing East Valley Tribune, April 21st 2007.
- ^ Kumar, Sri K. Parvathi (1942). Occult Meditations. Srikanth Kaligotla, p230. ISBN 8189467042.
- ^ Bailey, Alice A. (1942). Letters on Occult Meditation. Lucis Trust, p53, p265.
- ^ Bailey, Alice A. (1942). Esoteric Psychology II. Lucis Trust, pp 111-113. ISBN 0853301190.
- ^ Bailey, Alice A. (1973). A Treatise on Cosmic Fire. Lucis Trust, pp 1166-1229. ISBN 0853301174. “Section Two - Division F - The Law of Attraction”
- ^ NY Times Bestseller information
- ^ McCain, Beth and Lee (2006). A Grateful Life: Living the Law of Attraction, 236pp. ISBN 1434814777.
- ^ a b Whittaker, S. Three steps to the ‘Law’. The Montreal Gazette, May 12th 2007.
- ^ della Cava, Marco R.. “Secret history of ‘The Secret’ “, USA Today, 2006-03-29. Retrieved on 2007-05-04. (English)
Further reading
