LOA (The Law Of Attraction)

[Kand00]

Again there's a substitution of "attracting" for "noticing". Your worrying is unlikely to cause negative things, but rather to make you more sensitive to notice and dwelling on the negatives that do come along.

I've a friend who goes through bouts of black depression in which the world, life itself is full of negativity in his perception..im talking about the injustices he sees in the news. In his darkest periods he both dwells on, gets angry about, and draws attention to these things. He sees them as evidence of the world and life itself being a terrible thing. I live in the same world and it doesn't look anything like that to me. His mood affects his perceptions and the things he gives his thoughts to.

In short you've nothing to feel guilty about. You didn't attract any of the bad into your life. But you may or may not have some say in the weight you give to it. If there's a way to appreciate the positive stuff and put the negatives in perspective, the world will suddenly seem a lot less stressful place.

When I was 18, living with abusively behaved parents, I believed there was no help, as I was told only pregnant women get council houses.
I had a lack mindset, had I of reached out for help, I would have got psychiatric care for depression and a paid for flat, and a base to train for work before diving into it before I was ready.
Due to my limited lack mindset, I dived into work before I was ready, abuse interfered with concentration and I got multiple sackings from jobs.
A more positive mindset would have got me psychiatric help, support with paid for council modest flat, time to train to do office work, and get more confidence and no sackings.

 

[Kand00]

I have a friend who was into the LOA for a short time. She explained synchronicities I encountered as instances of the LOA in action. The impression I got was that it was similar to a variety of other "techniques" such as visualizing specific needs. The only one I ever actually read about was written up in a book called "The Art and Practice of Creative Visualization" by a man who used the pen name Ophiel. He never turned his work into any kind of corporate marketing franchise, which is what the LOA sounds like from the descriptions above.

"Ophiel" was a very down to earth person. He had worked out a system that seemed to work for him and he wanted to share it. He never moralized, he just encouraged steady application and basic decency. He didn't promise that you'd get everything you wanted exactly as you wanted it, and you had to put sincere effort into whatever was going to help you reach your goal (focus on the quality of your work if you planned to use that as a stepping stone to another opportunity, etc). He emphasized that it was important to know exactly what you needed, and to be prepared for it, for example, if you wanted to be an executive manager, you couldn't just visualize for it and expect to get that job if you weren't adequately qualified and ready for the opportunity. He had an interesting idea he called the "Circle of Availability". Basically, you had to build up your resources step by step according to what you actually needed, and thereby increase the amount of resources you had. You had to enjoy what you acquired and feel a sense of satisfaction with it. Otherwise there was a danger of obsessively acquiring the same kinds of things over and over.

His books are interesting to read just to get a sense of his perspective on the world and the ideas he tried to organize and present. There are times when it's easy to get where you want, and other times when it's very challenging; he compared this to sailing and knowing how to tack when the "wind" (elemental cosmic energies) was blowing almost directly against you. I've found that metaphor very useful--it's helped me de-escalate my stress, regain faith in myself and have patience when I've really needed to.

Thanks I will google the book and "circle of availability"

 

[Kand00]

This is intriguing. Care to elaborate? (You can PM me if you're willing but don't want to discuss it publicly.)

Being a practicing witch, this business of manifesting is normal to me, but not something I'm inclined to see in LOA terms. I do have a theory that when things do manifest, they take the path of least resistance, and it's up to you to make sure that path is the most advantageous one. If you don't, the path it takes may drag you into some truly unpleasant places on the way.

How do you know you are on the right path?
How to avoid the darkness.
I have done tarot and really grim card have come up for me like the reversed ten of swords, reversed 6 of pentacles, etc
I ask tarot what I can do and tell it my circumstances, and all it does is, quite accurately relay my circumstances back to me, accurately though.

 

[Kand00]

I don't particularly like the base idea of "law of attraction". I think that it tends to make people judge themselves and others - you must have done something terrible to have that happen to you.

Life happens. We do not choose where or under what circumstances we are born. There are those of us who have not been born in a third world or war torn country. We do not choose how our childhoods unfold. It is not fair to say that LOA had any part in some of our life experiences.

I do believe that if you really want something, you can use visualization, spells, rituals and other tools to help focus on what is necessary in aiding you to achieve it. But you have to actively work toward that goal. If you want a new job, for example, you would research what qualifications are needed, who is hiring etc.

You can change how you view an experience from a negative to a positive outlook. And research has shown that optimists fare better with downturns in life than pessimists...

But there is no such thing as if you think positively, that you will grow another limb (if you lost one in an accident). Nor did you lose that limb because you are a terrible person and deserved it as per LOA.

I do believe in reincarnation for the purpose of spiritual evolution.
I do not believe in LOA
People born into bad circumstances need karmic lessons or repaying karmic debt and vice versa.
At age 18 I was suicidal, I had been sacked from a couple jobs, lived with parents, believed only pregnant teens got their own home.
I was mentally ill, If I had reached out for help, asking the doctor for help instead of tablets to overdose with, I would have got my own home, saved myself a lot of trauma in early adulthood from parents and shit at work I was not ready for.

 

[Kand00]

Sorry for making a thread and buggering off in the meantime not to respond.

Some points on here are interesting. I agree that if there was law of attraction, why aren't starving kids being saved and why do bad things happen to good people? Also to add, if there was a way of getting everything we wanted all of the time, imagine what an easy life we would have?

I find law of attraction can be dangerous if you can even call it that word, for people believe that they can manifest exes back to them and in the real world that doesn't seem logical. There could be an ex of ours right now manifesting trying to get you or I back but that doesn't mean that our minds will change and we will mysteriously be manipulated in wanting them back magically.

If there is a law of attraction I don't think it works the ways these naive people believe, I think it's what you send out is what you attract, but that's common sense. If I grew up being abused the likelihood of myself going into abusive relationships when I am an adult are pretty high because it's what I'm used to and what I feel I deserve, I also connect in some weird way to the abuser because they had abuse to to be an abuser, whether it's having control or power to protect themselves from people or learnt behaviour.

And as said above, law of attraction isn't so positive if it's a case of 'well you didn't manifest enough or accurately so unfortunately this is why that didn't work out'. It seems a bizarre concept to me and not as positive as is made out as people worry if they are manifesting or completing the exercises to the best ability. I'd rather live life knowing if something is supposed to happen it will or it won't.

I had abuse and attracted it.
I thought help was unavailable as I was told it was at 18, so I went to GP to get antidepressants to kill myself, rather than go to them and reach out for help, - positive mindset.
Had I of reached out for help, I would have got help, got a free flat, got welfare, and got time to get ready for work, rather than diving into it unready and getting sacked, or bullied like I did.
So, in tha tcontext, pessimistic limited thinking brings negative results.
Positive beliefs there are help would have got me the help I needed to get treatment for depression and training for jobs so I would have been ready for work, and not got the sack.

 

[Kand00]

Positive thoughts and actions may lead to good outcomes. But no amount of thinking will change other people or their actions.

Sometimes you can work really hard at something but other forces outside of yourself seem to prevent you getting the goal you aimed for.

I find the positive affirmation/law of attraction/visualisation industry rather unwell in the way some practitioners claim that you either don't believe your affirmations or aren't doing them enough if you don't achieve what you want.

Louise Hay says this - basically blaming the reader if they don't get the results they wanted and putting the onus on them to work harder at it or buy another book, CD, go on another weekend retreat etc....or it is their fault for not believing it etc....She build a good business out of it.

What if the universe simply doesn't give "it" to you despite all your affirmations/work? Will all this positive thinking feel worthwhile or will you feel very disillusioned by it all and possibly worse than before?

Louise Hay seemed to suggest that negative thoughts prevented good progress/outcomes and healing - blaming the sick person because they have made themselves unwell by the power of thought.

What really angered me when I listened to some Louise Hay CDs was that she seemed to perpetrate the idea that you could control your health/healing by your thoughts/mind. She made that claim about all sorts of illnesses/ailments and perpetrated the idea of healing by natural remedies/treatments and thought power. I think that sort of claim is very irresponsible/dangerous.

You can stay away from negative people who will sabotage your happiness.
You can find a way to navigate forces outside yourself without controlling them or using the fake LOA
Louise Hay is a grifter.
Sorry to repeat myself, but I worked when depressed, got sacked, stayed in abusve parental home till 25 and landed with not enough money and bullied at work I managed to cope with.
Had I of been less pessimistic, I would have reached out for help, got time off work to heal, moved out of parents on welfare, in small flat, healed from abuse, trained for work in safe classroom college environment, then not got sack and learnt to handle bullies, as I would have had the time and space to read genuine spiritual books on personal boundaries, not new age guff.
So, I did attract negativity towards myself by "lack mindset and negative beliefs"

 

[Kand00]

A positive outlook is great.

Visualising how you want things to turn out is also great i.e. rehearsing likely questions ahead of a job interview.

But...it doesn't mean things will happen that way.
You should expect the unexpected.

And it doesn't mean that what you want, is actually good for you.

I'm ok with not getting what I want, I think it's about time I worked out a way to get what I need though. Not the luxury I want, the money I need for peace of mind, just enough, not stashed piles of cash in bank.

 

[Kand00]

And then there are those who never even have to wish for anything -
I know a woman who lived at home until she got married to a wonderful man, she had lived with her Mother who took care of her every need, had two older brothers who treated her like a princess, she has always had high-paying jobs, her husband has his own business and bought her a beautiful home, he absolutely adores her, she has never had to want for anything. Always drives a brand new Mercedes, designer clothing, she has it all.
And this woman is as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside. Everyone loves her, as do I.
Is it Fate, or simple Good Luck? I always get the feeling that she has never had one single worry in her entire life, perhaps she was born under a lucky star, if there is such a thing.

Karma from past lives explains that.

 

[Kand00]

I think some people get offended if you suggest they are lucky. They feel like their "hard work" or talents are not appreciated.

But there are some people who work hard/have talents/don't have the luck/don't get the same results....

Some people do seem to be lucky. Some people do seem to have bad luck.

The only lesson I think I have learnt is that maybe I left it too late to make positive changes in my life. I can try as hard as I want, but I think external forces are preventing me from getting the outcomes. I don't expect every thing to work out how I want. But how come not one thing works out?

Yes, sometimes we don't know what is best for us. But nothing I seem to try for ever happens. It is as if the more I try to reach for something, it is being pulled or pushed further away....and not aided by me getting older and having less time to get there.....

Anyway, that is just my experience/feelings.....

Yes, I have really tried to use positive affirmations and for a time I felt they were helping me, but.....
after some time I felt exhausted, depressed because nothing seemed to be changing and it was like I was just trying to fool myself against all the available evidence in the world that it was going to happen.....and unless you have a magic money tree, you have to admit that all that work/positive thinking is not working and perhaps never will. And you feel worse than you did before because you feel conned, depressed and exhausted.....You have had to go "backwards" and return temporarily to a job you hate - and that feels bad. You try to be positive about that/work hard but end up feeling exploited/used.

That knocks your self esteem...

And then you get told to do CBT which seems very similar to the magical thinking of law of attraction.....

It is all very well making changes to yourself/changing your actions.
But the outside world is what it is.
I just don't fit into it and am not successful or happy.

Anyway I shall shut up now - I think maybe I should leave this thread alone because it will make me feel worse if I come back to it again!

This is what I fear, I tend to beat myself up though.
Maybe the "It's too late, we missed the boat" is a negative belief, we are still alive, maybe there is time.
I might not get everything I want, luxuries, that's ok, but I would like to get everything I need for peace of mind.
Without peace of mind, I have money worries, money worries cause ill health, burden on others, what's the point in that.
I don't need much, but I do need the money to get what I need to give me peace of mind, and it's not luxuries, it's a working modest structurally sound little home which is safe, a safe haven, so I can grow and practice my talents,
What's the good in me thinking it's too late for this, ending up in debt, homeless, maybe, what good am I then, to others? none.

As a youngster, stuff didnt work out for me, because I believed help was unavailable for me, it was there, I just didnt think to reach out for it.

I don't believe in new age stuff or LOA

I used to wish it was true, but I was disappointed.

I am starting to wonder if I am still using that negative limited thinking that stuff is unavailable even now, and that is why I am not getting what I NEED, not what I want as wants and needs are two different things.
Enough money for peace of mind is what I would like, then I can develop latent talents that I know I have.

 

[Kand00]

I've been expecting to win something on the lottery, and last night got 4 out of 5 numbers on our Cash 5 (only $600, but something).
And you're reminding me of an old friend, she was very unhappy and broke, two failed marriages, and she went to a charlatan 'fortuneteller' who told her she was 'cursed', and that it would cost so many hundreds to remove the curse.
I laughed, but she handed over money she didn't have, for nothing.