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Originally Posted by renie408  They always seem to work backwards from a set premise to get to an explanation that works for them. Its like they start at "We are all responsible for everything that happens to us." and work backward from there to explain why small children have icky things happen to them. |
Nope. They do not all "work backwards from a set premise". It all depends on the individual author and his/her angle, you see.
For example, if you want one possible set of answers as to why some people are born into difficult circumstances, go read Gary Zukav's books. There you will get a direct treatment of those kinds of questions.
In other books, you see that he also talks about something that sounds remarkably like the Law of Attraction. Except that he does not actually use this phrase. He has a much more overtly "spiritual" treatment of the topic.
What he talks about is "conscious choice". In one particular book devoted to that, he emphasises that in every moment, you are being confronted with choices. His main message is that you must WAKE UP and recognise that you are being faced with those choices. Rather than operate in automatic, unthinking mode based on past conditioning.
According to Zukav, every choice you make attracts new circumstances into your life (in that magical "LOA" sort of way). Every choice you make depends on the thought in your brain that gives rise to that choice. So watch your thoughts carefully. for they affect reality (Starting to sound familiar?).
Zukav also emphasises the use of emotions to help you make the best choices (and his treatment of emotions will definitely remind you of Abraham-Hicks' Emotional Guidance System).
Where Zukav differs from "The Secret" (as told by Rhonda) is that Zukav does
not talk about things like attracting a new house, or a new car, or a new job, or a million dollars etc.
In Zukav's scheme of things, we are here on this earthly school to learn a never-ending series of unfolding lessons. Whatever you attract into your life, is there because there is some lesson you need to learn about it. Once you have learned it, you move on to other lessons. If you fail to learn it, the lesson will re-present itself in your life, again and again, until you learn it.
If you fail to learn it in this lifetime, it will re-present itself in your next lifetime. And the next, and the next, and the next. A central idea of Zukav is that you'll never stop learning (except maybe when you attain enlightenment).
Once again, there is a striking resemblance to Abraham-Hicks' idea is that you'll never stop having desires, and therefore you'll never stop creating with your thoughts (except maybe when you attain enlightenment). Even when all your desires today are satisfied by you using LOA, tomorrow you will have new, different desires, and therefore you will create again.
So you see - Zukav explains LOA as a endless series of different lessons. You keep learning, and you keep evolving. Whereas Abraham-Hicks is big on the creation angle. "You're a creator, and you will endlessly create, better and different things."
Same idea, really. Just a different perspective.
Learning, in Zukav's framework, can be fun, happy and enjoyable, by the way. Just like creating, in Abraham-Hicks' framework, can be fun, happy and enjoyable.
"Life is supposed to be fun!" said Abe.