Does The Law of Attraction Work?

[IsleWalker]

I absolutely believe LOA works and do take responsibility for what is (and isn't) in my life, even who were my parents, siblings, physical strengths and weaknesses, illness, etc.

What I've recently realized is holding me back from getting some desires is that the desires are linked with this feeling of lack, of sadness almost. And that draws more of same.

I could only comprehend the difference (because many, many things I desired I felt this combination want/lack feeling) by thinking in terms of sexual desire. In it's pure, unadulterated sense it is this desire to move toward someone. There are no other emotions tied to the desire like, "What if they reject me?", etc. It is just the desire to move toward, openly acknowledged.

So I'm working on getting back to the pureness of a desire--no matter what it is--and separating out the lack or fear or other things from it.

I don't think there are some desires, ego-attached or not, that we won't get. There is no judgment attached--we absolutely get what we absolutely desire. That can be monetary things, power, negative things. We ask, we get.

Lora

Originally Posted by amy green

I am sorry to read that you are going through a really tough time. Yes, it's very hard maintaining positivity in such circumstances (but it is possible!). I don't have expectations (since I try to avoid let downs) but I do co-create, i.e. help shape my reality with my attitude. For instance, not dwelling on the negative events - not giving them more weight/energy than is necessary. It's easy to get dragged down - I used to really suffer from this but not now. Positive thinking has been a major turning point for me. Law of attraction is about what you focus on, you get more of.....maybe you switched focus?

I agree with you about cultivating a sense of humour; I find it can help put life into perspective (or perspex as I erroneously used to say). In fact - glass half full or half empty? It's neither...it's the glass that's too big!

Amy Green, I should have known right off that you are a Libra...:-) So am I and I used to be the most optimistic person in the world....I will tell you a bit of my story.....In the past six years, I have lost my husband, my youngest daughter, my Mother, my stepson, my best friend, several beloved furbabies and my Comadre who was a 2nd Mother to me.......all suddenly and unexpectedly....When I lost my husband, I went into a severe Shock which affected me mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually........and eventually was diagnosed with PTSD.....There is a place which my friends on the ADC Message Board (Hello from Heaven) call "the Pit"---a place of darkness, helplessness and hopelessness and where I spent a lot of time......Eventually, I climbed out and my spiritual journey began.......I have learned to keep mentally busy at all times......I spend time on the ADC board helping those that are grieving the loss of loved ones and explaining that life is eternal and we will all be reunited.........I am not the same person that I was 6 years ago and neither are my beliefs and understanding of spirit and the afterlife......I try my best to stay out of The Pit, by encouraging others that are walking in my shoes.... It is the best that I can do right now.....thank you for listening to my sad tale.......

[IsleWalker]

Originally Posted by Juanita

sorry, but I personally do not believe in the so called law of attraction.....it is a wish list at its best and an excuse at its least........the power of positive thinking has no power, simply a perception of the glass being half full or half empty..........

Juanita-- You do know that LOA is not about positive thinking, right? I mean, that can be what you are thinking, or you can be thinking other things. It's just stating that whatever you are putting out there, you are attracting more of same.

I thought it sounded all loosey-goosey kumba-ya myself, but there are some practicalities to it.

If you want some 10-minute introductions, pick a random you-tube video of Abraham-Hicks. It doesn't matter which one. It's more of the practical, "How in the heck do I do this when I'm in such a bad mood?" stuff. I understand you are not just "in a bad mood". What you've had happen seems almost inconceivable, so I understand completely. But then what? This offers a next step. It doesn't have to be a "I feel wonderful and life is good step"--just slightly better than you are now. The videos give real-life examples of how one goes about it.

But, if you feel it's not for you, you'll find another way.

Lora

Originally Posted by Juanita

Amy Green, I should have known right off that you are a Libra...:-) So am I and I used to be the most optimistic person in the world....I will tell you a bit of my story.....In the past six years, I have lost my husband, my youngest daughter, my Mother, my stepson, my best friend, several beloved furbabies and my Comadre who was a 2nd Mother to me.......all suddenly and unexpectedly....When I lost my husband, I went into a severe Shock which affected me mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually........and eventually was diagnosed with PTSD.....There is a place which my friends on the ADC Message Board (Hello from Heaven) call "the Pit"---a place of darkness, helplessness and hopelessness and where I spent a lot of time......Eventually, I climbed out and my spiritual journey began.......I have learned to keep mentally busy at all times......I spend time on the ADC board helping those that are grieving the loss of loved ones and explaining that life is eternal and we will all be reunited.........I am not the same person that I was 6 years ago and neither are my beliefs and understanding of spirit and the afterlife......I try my best to stay out of The Pit, by encouraging others that are walking in my shoes.... It is the best that I can do right now.....thank you for listening to my sad tale.......

I am so sorry to learn of how much you have and are suffering. That is certainly an extraordinary amount of loss and hardship to absorb and contend with. I understand more now why positive thinking seems somewhat alien to your present situation.

Having said that - allow me to tell you a little about how positive thinking was instrumental in saving me during a past, desperately grim/serious situation. Some 30 odd years ago I said goodbye to someone I was deeply in love with because he was not good for me (he excelled in deception and was amoral). The result of this was that it threw me into clinical depression, e.g. I found it difficult to walk....literally so hard to put one foot in front of the other (it was no longer an automatic response). I was finding it very hard to just look after myself - doing the basic stuff that is required daily e.g. getting dressed, eating, organising my day.

At the time I had moved away from friends and was doing a degree course in psychology. I got myself out of that very deep pit without any support whatsoever (of friends or medication). This was partly because I knew I could do it and also because I knew I had to rely on myself to do this; however, primarily it was due to the power of positive thinking...notably discovering and applying freewill to change my mindset.

I have written about the process of this transformation in a short story submitted on this forum - called A Leap Of Faith (in the Quotes & Short Stories section), currently page 4 in the index. I posted the story mostly to help those who might be depressed.

Apologies to mrmagick for this thread going slightly off track by discussing positive thinking. It is often the nature of threads to veer off course from time to time. I hope the info provided is of use though.

[EyeaM]

It depends, what do you mean by Law of attraction.
Yes everything happens for areason, but positive thinking doesnt work if it is not reinforced with our deepest belief.

Example: When we fear something and out of that exact fear we create a "positive thought" as an escape.

Originally Posted by EyeaM

It depends, what do you mean by Law of attraction.
Yes everything happens for areason, but positive thinking doesnt work if it is not reinforced with our deepest belief.

Example: When we fear something and out of that exact fear we create a "positive thought" as an escape.

LOA, as I understand it, works on the principle that what you focus on you get more of.

Positive thinking doesn't require our deepest belief but at least a certain resonance with it for it to "take".
Such is the case with affirmations imo. The affirmation has to be believable (that it can happen) for it to weave its magic.

[IsleWalker]

Originally Posted by amy green

LOA, as I understand it, works on the principle that what you focus on you get more of.

Positive thinking doesn't require our deepest belief but at least a certain resonance with it for it to "take".
Such is the case with affirmations imo. The affirmation has to be believable (that it can happen) for it to weave its magic.

With LOA there is definitely the aspect of hidden lack--i.e. we really want something and ask for it, but what we are really feeling when we ask is the lack of that thing--hence, what we attract is more lack.

To me that translates as--deepest belief, or at least real belief.

Lora

Originally Posted by IsleWalker

With LOA there is definitely the aspect of hidden lack--i.e. we really want something and ask for it, but what we are really feeling when we ask is the lack of that thing--hence, what we attract is more lack.

To me that translates as--deepest belief, or at least real belief.

Lora

I wasn't denying or really addressing the deep belief with LOA issue. (My knowledge of LOA being limited).

My post was more with how it affects positive thinking. Affirmations are more about positive thinking than LOA aren't they?

Your earlier post on this page (#13) said that LOA differs from positive thinking. This is getting a tad confusing now.

[IsleWalker]

Originally Posted by amy green

I wasn't denying or really addressing the deep belief with LOA issue. (My knowledge of LOA being limited).

My post was more with how it affects positive thinking. Affirmations are more about positive thinking than LOA aren't they?

Your earlier post on this page (#13) said that LOA differs from positive thinking. This is getting a tad confusing now.

The "Law of Attraction" is simply the statement that what you put out attracts more of same. The net result is that you create for yourself what you think about. The next step is if you want to change what you think about or be sure that what you want comes about in the way you want.

Then you begin to look at the "purity" of the desire you are expressing. It's really more LOA--just that what you really feel is what you attract more of.

LOA doesn't deny any desire--so the desires can be "selfish" or monetary or spiritual--it's the intention and the... purity of the request (for lack of a better term), and then it is fulfilled.

Basically, you express a desire and the Universe begins to try to fulfill it. There is a lag time, but most of the time, it doesn't come until we allow it to come to us. We do that by first being connected to Source (they call it "in the vortex") when we express the desire.

To me, "think positive" feels like "Just be happy." I just realized why I am resistant to the idea, having been forced to do things that I didn't feel, didn't want. So for me, I don't like the idea itself of "think positive". And I sure don't like the idea of making myself think positive. It is a contradiction in terms.

As I said, if you want a 10 minute introduction to LOA, watch a video on YouTube for Abraham Hicks. She is no ****. and the people ask her real-life questions that get to what's hard about changing our thoughts and thought patterns.

So to me, LOA includes positive thinking but is not restricted to it. If you want, you can be as negative as you want. Of course, you'll see the results of it in your life too. All your choice.

Put another way, looking at your own life, you will see that what you really want is reflected in how your life is. Those things that you don't have but want--you might be fighting yourself on.


Lora

IsleWalker - So, to clarify, Juanita wasn't talking of something outside of LOA by discussing positive thinking (as you first suggested), i.e. you now realise that LOA can (and often does) include positive thinking. I guess we differ in our understanding of positive thinking. The "be happy"/phoney smile is loathsome to me and not what I practise. It's more about realising that a negative thought is a choice and can be turned around. We are co-creators of our reality.

So it seems that LOA is a springboard used to provide creative manifestation e.g. desires. I have not explored this since I don't cultivate desires. LOA can stand as a phenomenon in its own right though - as I appraised it in my post above, what we focus on we get more of. Walking down an avenue, we can choose whether to notice the plants in front gardens or the grime and unkemptness. It reminds me of a quote: "it's not what you look at, it's what you see" Very revealing to who we are/where we're at I feel.