One thing with LoA is to focus on the outcome, not the process. Bitsy, I'd recommend having a look at those books I mentioned in my earlier post, and reading the posts Pavlina's made on them too. I may not be able to give you a specific example of getting a visa, but you can find some general pointers in those books that apply to most situations. Example:
The last one was that I wanted to pick up a few shifts at a better paying job where I work now. Normally that would have involved talking to my boss's boss, getting him to "hire" me, talking to my other manager, trying to find shifts I could do, and prolly fill out some forms.
What actually happened? Another manager stuck his head out of a door about a week after I decided I wanted to do that job and asked me if I wanted to pick up a few shifts, booked me in for a quick training session and a few shifts right then.
Also, qed's theory, while interesting, is probably wrong, and I say that with all respect. I've kept good (not scientific scrutiny good, obviously) documentation of my specific intentions, as well as relatively good record of just general synchronisities (when I've noticed them) since I started this thing around last year. I've discovered that a lot of my goals got fulfilled along the way, without really putting in any effort. Examples:
I wanted to find a fulfilling relationship. Normally, that would involve going out there, meeting a ton of new people, getting/giving numbers/emails, arranging dates, hoping that the two of us are compatible enough on my different levels. That's the "left brain" way, that its a numbers game, talk to 200 people and find a 10 month relationship. What actually happened? I didn't do any of that, went about things like I normally do, happened to drop by a movie night on campus just randomly and found someone who is essentially perfect for me, and she feels the same way.
The new shifts above also represent about a 50% raise from my current level. There aren't very many of these shifts, but I've also started to get leads on other jobs where I might make that much money or more on a regular basis. Example: Normally I'd have to go the career center, talk to the people I know and send out a bunch of resumes just to get leads. What actually happened? Coworker of mine in my current job told me that he was randomly talking to some guy in one of his classes who had a nice job but that there might be an opening there. I'm going to go down and see them about this thing today and see how it works out. It might not, but hey, it just might.
Another example just for the hell of it:
Mind-Manual » A Quantum Leap in Intention-Manifestation
One final example:
Last night, after work, I stopped off at a coffee shop to get myself some chamomile tea (it relaxes me). When I got in there, I discovered I also really wanted to buy a chocolate croissant, but unfortunatley I was about 25 cents short for both, so I bought the tea and went outside. I decided I was going to find the quarter somehow, and as I was standing there contemplating asking people for me (mostly cause I thought it was funny), a friend of mine stepped out of the shop who I hadn't seen when I was leaving for some reason. He was able to spot me the quarter and I got myself a chocolate croissant. What's the probability of a guy who lives in scarborough (about an hour away from campus) being at SCHOOL on a sunday night? I dunno. I go to that coffee shop at least a couple of times a week and I generally never see anybody i know there, and yet, that night, I saw two people I knew and got my croissant.
Is this incontrevertible proof that IM works? Nope, especially not to the most ardent and resistant skeptic. If anything, being a psych major (my other major is cinema studies, if you're interested, I've been "right-brain" for a while, also right-left brain models are generlaly considered inaccurate by most psychologists), I prolly know better than most people the kinds of errors in thinking people can make, especially since I like to read up on the subject. I'm still going through this process of changing my current view of reality as "objective" and "unchangeable" because its simply more accurate in my experience. Unfortunately, its one of those things that cannot be "proven" under the scientific method because scientific method (at least according to Propper) cannot prove, it can only disprove. Basically, the statement has to be falsifiable. Ie, "I can create my own reality" is not falsifiable, but "I cannot create my own reality" is, because I just need one or a few instances of "creating reality". Thus, ironically, the scientific method can only disprove objective reality, but not prove subjective reality? Weirrddddddd. At any rate, this is an arena in which I do not believe science can really "prove" or "disprove" things, at least not practically and it'd be better to leave it upto philosophy or religion. Science or the scientific method, or the simply the feeling of the authority of scientists give to "truth" are not very good when you are discussing something that undermines one of the assumptions of scientific method itself. I hate Descartes, too, just so you know, because of the massive division he put between the "physical" world and the mind.
Anyhoo, I think its hard to deny that these are low-probability events, especially the bike thing, which is just RIDICULOUS. And these low-probability events just keep piling up. Just try out the belief for a little while, if it doesn't work, hey, you took a risk and if you make a habit of taking these risks, you're bound to get something worth getting, right? Its just a matter of probability. Take a risk and try five new things, four of them might flop but the one that doesn't might just make up for the four that did. Have a read of these articles if you haven't already:
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/200...ering-beliefs/ http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/200...ctive-beliefs/