Law of Attraction, or The Secret

[3nigma]

I don't get it. It doesn't make much sense from a logical point of view. Your primary thoughts manifest your reality? That's great, but when does the action part come in? Can someone who understands the law of attraction explain it in a paragraph or two?

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by 3nigma

I don't get it. It doesn't make much sense from a logical point of view. Your primary thoughts manifest your reality? That's great, but when does the action part come in? Can someone who understands the law of attraction explain it in a paragraph or two?

Not all of us here believe that kind of stuff.

Saying that, we dont necessarily disaprove of any method that a person uses to better their lot.

As far as I can see, the only miniscule benefit all the manifestation attraction stuff has, is perhaps the ability to get a person to focus on something and TAKE ACTION PHYSICALLY to move towards that goal.

I sort of cringe when I see people post that they have been trying to attract all the good things in life and nothing has come yet...........Isnt that a clue???

ACTIONs SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

[Joely]

I agree with Stephen. Although I sometimes talk in terms of manifesting, I don't expect to be able to make anything happen in my life without taking some kind of action. I see the law of attraction as primarily about focusing on what you really want, and then going for it. Psychologically, when you set a focus point and concentrate, you become more aware and open to opportunities that arise. They'd no doubt still be there, but you'd probably not see them.

[Jennihul]

You just walked into a university admissions office, pulled a pamphlet on Nuclear Physics from the shelf and read it and now are asking the admissions officer why you don't understand Nuclear Physics as if there must be something wrong with the brochure.

Welcome to the jungle. The world is your classroom. Get studying. Ask that question again forty books from now, fifty blogs from now. Seven or eight years from now.

Then, I'll have a paragraph or two for you.

If you don't want to wait that long, and have a burning desire to absorb A LOT of information about LOA in a very short span of time, look to the blue toolbar at the top of this forum where there is a little button called "SEARCH" and enter "Law of attraction" in the keyword area, choose "threads" and there ya go.

Jennifer

[3nigma]

I just want to understand the basic principles. I don't want to do a 10 day seminar on it. From what I know... your "thoughts" (Says nothing about actions) manifest your reality. Which to me, right now at least, sounds like a load of BS.

Many times when I'm driving I think I'm going to hit the car opposite to me and die a horrible death, nothing happens. Did all of the people in Hiroshima die due to the atomic bomb because they thought it?

My view of reality is this. It's basically exactly like a multi-player videogame with certain unchangeable physical variables. Gravity, light and dark, etc. Within it, you are free to do anything your thoughts which would equal to actions will allow you. So, at this very minute, you the reader could go into your kitchen, grab a knife, run out into the street and stab a random stranger, thus killing them. There's rules and consequences like in any other videogame, and obviously you would go to jail. Now the question is...

Did that random stanger attract his murder because of his thoughts? No, because the person who did it had the thought that attracted the reality. So therefore, EVERYONE has their own "law of attraction" as you would put it. They can interfere with yours, and you can interfere with theirs.

I think this is pretty logical, but then I see those people that are trying to manifest by sitting around and meditating on something, it just doesn't make logical sense. Say... you want some milk. You don't sit there and meditate on it, you go to the store with money and you buy it. So, where's the balance the books/people talk about that are trying to teach people about it. They seem to totally ignore the personal action part.

[Amandaaa]

but then I see those people that are trying to manifest by sitting around and meditating on something, it just doesn't make logical sense.

^I agree.



I think the main benefit of the Law of Attraction is to empower yourself to accomplish goals that you might otherwise see as impossible.
I don't think that you should use it to analyze every single event that happens in life. (like murders, car accidents, bombings, etc.)

I think it's really just a frame of mind. I only use it to "prepare" myself for the "real world." It's sort of like a mental pep talk that you can use to inspire and invigorate yourself... to feel infinitely powerful and capable, and notice opportunities that you could've missed.

but you're right, you can't expect anything to happen without taking action in your everyday life. You have to be able to balance the visionary/lofty daydreaming with a practical, logical series of actions.

[Amandaaa]

(damn, I wanted to edit that but it wouldn't let me.

oh well. )

[hacker]

I think Secret/LOA is just one ingredient to the recipe of success and fulfillment.
Without ACTION, Self Discipline, Hard work & learning it's just a day dreaming.

Also I think Secret/LOA is just a glamorous word for "Burning Desire" & "Positive Thinking". :-)

[Jennihul]

Originally Posted by 3nigma

I just want to understand the basic principles. I don't want to do a 10 day seminar on it. From what I know... your "thoughts" (Says nothing about actions) manifest your reality. Which to me, right now at least, sounds like a load of BS.

Well, whether you believe in the concept or not, we here answer that question everyday, in one way or another. So the search feature is your best bet.

My answer to you reflects my perception of the level of committment you seem to be giving LOA. See? It just worked for you!

Jennifer

[Lil Chris]

but then I see those people that are trying to manifest by sitting around and meditating on something, it just doesn't make logical sense.

You're absolutely right... And because you "think" that your logical way is correct, it turns out to be true...

But, here's the deal... This "thinking" can be changed, and whatever you "think" to be "the way it is" will be the way it is (because you're creating it that way)... Will this change happen immediately?, it's possible, but changes made that quickly (quickly enough to shock you) will leave you unsettled and disturbed. So, changes happen gradually and come in such a way to let you choose to dismiss what just happened, as to keep you from freaking out...

Now, here's the interesting part... You can agree with what I'm saying or disagree with what I'm saying... Either way you will be correct, and you will keep seeing/experiencing whatever choice you believe in (because it makes sense to you and you understand it)...

Lil' Chris

[3nigma]

Originally Posted by Lil Chris

You're absolutely right... And because you "think" that your logical way is correct, it turns out to be true...

But, here's the deal... This "thinking" can be changed, and whatever you "think" to be "the way it is" will be the way it is (because you're creating it that way)... Will this change happen immediately?, it's possible, but changes made that quickly (quickly enough to shock you) will leave you unsettled and disturbed. So, changes happen gradually and come in such a way to let you choose to dismiss what just happened, as to keep you from freaking out...

Now, here's the interesting part... You can agree with what I'm saying or disagree with what I'm saying... Either way you will be correct, and you will keep seeing/experiencing whatever choice you believe in (because it makes sense to you and you understand it)...

Lil' Chris

I think that's a little far fetched. I really do think some things ARE always constant, and you can't really perceive some things differently. I know that perception is everything, but if you really do think about it, and experience it, those two are sometimes in total alignment.

For example, driving a car. I'm pretty sure you HAVE to have the exact same belief system for everyone when driving a car, or... well, guess what happens. There's no way to change your perception, like... Maybe if I head towards that car I might go through it and I'll be unharmed! ...

[A2K89]

LoA seems to me... To be an extreme, idealistic interpretation of reality.

Before anyone just becomes a believer in the LoA perspective, they ought to familiarize themselves with the idealist, materialist, and dualist metaphysical arguments. After doing so, most people usually favor dualism.

[Acting Like Godot]

Okay, let me explain this again.

Thought affects reality. And your action is ONE way that your thought affects your reality. After all, your action is merely your thought expressing itself. EVERY action you have EVER taken in your life is in fact the direct product of your own thoughts.

What you have to understand is that your action is NOT the only way that your thought affects your reality. Your thought affects your reality through other ways as well (which we conveniently call the "magical" aspects of LOA).

There are literally hundreds of experiments demonstrating how thoughts affect reality, without any obvious "action" being involved in the process. Having said that, science is still pretty backward in this area. Which is fine, because it is much more practical, interesting and useful to do your OWN experiments with the LOA, for the purpose of improving your own life.

There is nothing inherently wrong in the idea of taking action towards your goals. Here are some good reasons for taking action towards your goals:

1. The steps are obvious, simple and easy for you to take.

2. The steps are not obvious, simple or easy, but you like the challenge.

3. You enjoy taking those particular kinds of action.

Here are some situations where action becomes less of a good idea:

1. You find your situation too difficult and complex, and you really don't know what you should do.

2. Your personal resources are over-stretched. You know what actions you want to take, but you don't have enough time, money, energy or support to take them.

3. You are already tired, stressed and worn-out from doing too many other different things.

4. There is simply no action you can take. The outcome you desire is dependent on variables seemingly beyond your control or influence (eg the outcome is dependent on other people's decisions).

In those cases, if you know how to use the LOA, the universe can deliver to you the appropriate events and circumstances for you to achieve your intention - even though you did not take, or were not able to take, or had not yet taken, any "action".

I know that this will not make sense to people who haven't consciously experienced the LOA - in any of the many ways that it is possible to have such an experience. You'll just have to learn as you go along, that is all.

There is very little point for you to say, "This does not make sense to me, therefore it must be untrue." There are numerous things which did not make sense to you, or me, or mankind in general, at various times in history, and yet subsequently turned out to be true.

I am not asking you to jump off a tall building to see if you will survive, or to try to manifest a million dollars miraculously appearing in your mailbox tomorow. But I am suggesting to you that you start from right where you are, whatever your current level of consciousness is - for that is where you must always begin.

Every day, you spend a little time examining your thoughts and emotions, controlling and guiding their directions, using whatever method currently makes sense to you. You could write in your personal journal, or pray to own God. You could spend a little time planning your own goals; or doing some meditation. If you are feeling disorganised and messy, you could clear up your own clutter in your home. If you are feeling a little bored, you could lie down for 15 minutes and just daydream about something that pleases you. If you are feeling anxious and stressed, you could go exercising for 30 minutes to burn off your excess energy. Or you may spend a little time counting all the good things and people in your life, and appreciating them. Or you may pick up a Tony Buzan book (conventional and non-LOA) and try some mental exercise involving visualisation as a thinking tool.

The point is - keep trying to keep your thoughts positive; keep trying to keep yourself feeling good; you don't have to completely ignore negative possibilities if that feels alien and dangerous, but do try to understand that there is no point obsessing or being excessively worried about them, especially if you are not in a position to do anything constructive about them.

Oh yes, and think about the all the good things that you want to be, do or have.

Every day, seek to grow a little better, a little more skilled, a little more powerful with your own thoughts. And then the breakthroughs will come, little ones at first, small synchronicities, and then bigger ones and bigger ones, as your ability grows. And along the way, you will have doubts to work through - 'Is this really happening?'; `Was that just a coincidence?" etc etc - so work through them - they are all part of the learning process.

It is an ability. It needs to be developed, trained and cultivated.

(Oh yes - your capacity to take action will also correspondingly increase, as you become more skilled at LOA. After all, action, as I have already said, is just one form of thought).

I do not write the above, based on my book knowledge of the LOA. I write it based on my personal experience of the LOA.

Here is a summary of some of my personal experiences of the LOA between October 2006 and December 2007.

And here is my latest manifestation - last Monday, I manifested for extra money, and the next day (Tuesday), I got a job offer out of the blue. Note: I had not applied for this job; I had not sent my resume to anyone; I had told no one I was planning to change jobs; in other words, I had taken no action at all to get "extra money".

The job offer has come anyway. It took just slightly more than 24 hours.

Was this a one-off? Nah. I have manifested plenty of other things, very rapidly, without any action at all. Just by thinking. Note - I'm not saying that action is not important; it is important - it is after all a form of thought, and thought is very powerful. But I am also saying - stay open to the possibility that your thought can do a lot of things, beyond just your own action.

I don't relate any of the above to boast. I only hope that my accounts will inspire some of you people out there to just give it a try yourself. Neither am I a LOA guru - there are quite a few individuals on this forum with notable LOA experience and successes - I just happen to be a little more vocal than them. They, like Steve Pavlina himself, have grown a little bored with telling their LOA success stories again and again.

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by A2K89

LoA seems to me... To be an extreme, idealistic interpretation of reality.

It is always up to you to choose to think of LOA as whatever you choose to think it is. If your current understanding of LOA is too "extreme" and "idealistic" for your own liking, then change your current understanding to something that suits you better.

You see, the concept of "LOA" can be understood at any point along a very wide spectrum.

At one extreme end, LOA simply means the sum total of reality interacting with itself. "You" are merely an illusion within this sum total.

At the other extreme end, human beings are just animals, and animals just have something called a brain, a highly limited and flawed organ whose processes are entirely limited within itself.

Somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, we see that by altering your thoughts through a process, say, such as hypnosis or visualisation, we can eliminate phobias; cure eczema and asthma; improve muscular strength; improve self-confidence; solve sleep problems; sharply improve memory and concentration; eliminate addictions such as smoking; accelerate the rate of broken bones healing etc etc.

You choose where you want to be on the spectrum.

You've already chosen. You can choose and choose again.

[Lil Chris]

Originally Posted by 3nigma

I think that's a little far fetched. I really do think some things ARE always constant, and you can't really perceive some things differently. I know that perception is everything, but if you really do think about it, and experience it, those two are sometimes in total alignment.

For example, driving a car. I'm pretty sure you HAVE to have the exact same belief system for everyone when driving a car, or... well, guess what happens. There's no way to change your perception, like... Maybe if I head towards that car I might go through it and I'll be unharmed! ...

I understand what you're saying, but my response was about just sitting and meditating to manifest something. This is a little different than blatantly defying the laws of Newtonian physics. Different in the way that, unless you know what is going to happen tomorrow, anything can happen. The way I took it was, how can something just come into my life, without me actually taking action to get it. Acting Like Godot explained somethings very well, as he usually does (thanks ALG your input is always appreciated).

Let me explain my point of view, I'm currently disabled and typically don't leave the house very much, yet, things still happen. People still come by, people still call me, things come in the mail, etc... Just because I don't take some action, these things still happen to me. Now, with the benefit of not having to "DO" something everyday, like work at a job for example, I'm not distracted by those things, which in turn leaves me time to monitor my thoughts and look for things that "happen" to coincide with what I've been thinking. There are a surprisingly number of "coincidences" that happen if you're aware that this is a possibility. This leads me to believe I have something to do with the events that transpire in my everyday life, without actually taking action (somethings require action of coarse, but not everything), and no I haven't reached a level I would call master manifestor.

As ALG said this is an ability, which takes practice. But, starting out with the thought process of "it's just not possible" well, is very limiting, don't you think...?

[3nigma]

Originally Posted by Lil Chris

I understand what you're saying, but my response was about just sitting and meditating to manifest something. This is a little different than blatantly defying the laws of Newtonian physics. Different in the way that, unless you know what is going to happen tomorrow, anything can happen. The way I took it was, how can something just come into my life, without me actually taking action to get it. Acting Like Godot explained somethings very well, as he usually does (thanks ALG your input is always appreciated).

Let me explain my point of view, I'm currently disabled and typically don't leave the house very much, yet, things still happen. People still come by, people still call me, things come in the mail, etc... Just because I don't take some action, these things still happen to me. Now, with the benefit of not having to "DO" something everyday, like work at a job for example, I'm not distracted by those things, which in turn leaves me time to monitor my thoughts and look for things that "happen" to coincide with what I've been thinking. There are a surprisingly number of "coincidences" that happen if you're aware that this is a possibility. This leads me to believe I have something to do with the events that transpire in my everyday life, without actually taking action (somethings require action of coarse, but not everything), and no I haven't reached a level I would call master manifestor.

As ALG said this is an ability, which takes practice. But, starting out with the thought process of "it's just not possible" well, is very limiting, don't you think...?

I'm not one to knock you or anything, but how do you know that those coincidences aren't just coincidences? Maybe it wasn't your manifesting at all, and it was just something that would happen anyway completely out of your control (The part that required no action, like someone calling you or something).

[Lil Chris]

Originally Posted by 3nigma

I'm not one to knock you or anything, but how do you know that those coincidences aren't just coincidences? Maybe it wasn't your manifesting at all, and it was just something that would happen anyway completely out of your control (The part that required no action, like someone calling you or something).

Due to the nature of the thoughts. Let me give you an example, as a hobby I want to get involved in, I want to put in a C-band satellite dish and scan satellite signals (I know sounds wierd). So, I get to thinking about how cool and fun this might be, I start looking for information, join some forums on the subject, and I start getting excited about it. Within a few days I'm riding with a friend and his wife to go get something to eat, during the ride, he looks back from the front seat and says "hey, over by my house someone is giving away a large dish, I thought you might be interested in it" The thing is I hadn't mentioned to him I wanted one... I suppose this would have normally happened anyway. There is also my Ferrari story that I posted early last year (you can search for this if you want to). There not just ordinary coincidences.

[3nigma]

Here's what I think. You know that part of your brain that starts to see patterns in things in the world when you tune it to. I think it's called the neo cortex? Like, you set a goal, and then even when you're not working on the goal you see something that'll get you closer to it, or say you want to buy a car, and then every car you see is no longer just a car, but you think carefully whether you want that car, this color, etc.

I think it's the same with manifesting. I think these things happen coincidentally, but since you were TRYING to manifest it, your brain picks up certain information from the environment that makes it fit with what it's currently looking for. I know that when I wanted to buy a certain speaker system, I started seeing speakers EVERYWHERE. I would walk near a store, and from a quick glance I saw they had speakers and I would just go "HEY, speakers!" and I'd check them out. Obviously, if I wasn't looking for speakers, I would've just walked right along. Same when I opened newspapers, catalogs, talked to people, etc. It would just jump out at me. I suppose that's manifesting as well, but it purely happened by actions alone. A brand new speaker system didn't just knock on my door, I had to sign for it.

[Lil Chris]

O.K.
So what your describing to me sounds like focus. Focus on speakers and they are more apparent to you, even though they have always been there.. Right...? Your attention on speakers brought them into focus and you started noticing them everywhere.

So, lets take this a step further... What if the focus could be put on things just showing up at your door (things you think about)... What would you reasonably expect to happen based on your previous observations about the speakers...? Would it be so unreasonable to think that things would just start showing up at your doorstep...? (not necessarily in some weird way) This happens all the time to my dad, someone is always asking him if he wants a tv or dvd player or fish tank and a couch too... He doesn't think much about it anymore, it's become a natural occurance for him. The whole point I'm trying to make is, exactly how "dynamic" is this reality I'm living in, is anything truly possible...? To explore this question (for me) is to release some of the stranglehold on my logical mind that says firmly, oh that's just not possible...

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by 3nigma

Here's what I think. You know that part of your brain that starts to see patterns in things in the world when you tune it to. I think it's called the neo cortex? (

No. It's called the reticular activating system.

Basically it is one way that the LOA works. You think certain thoughts and then you start noticing things in your environment which are related to those thoughts. These are things which had been in your environment all along, which you hadn't noticed until then.

This is one way that the LOA works. Just like your own action is one way that the LOA works. There are other ways that the LOA works.

Suppose today you manifest for a new job. If tomorrow you suddenly start noticing job ads advertising extremely suitable job opportunities, this is the RAS at work (or if you like, the LOA at work via RAS).

However, if tomorrow someone suddenly calls you directly and says, "I wish to offer you a job. I think you are extremely suitable. I don't know if you are looking for a job at all, but I thought I'd just call you and try my luck." .....

.... then this is the LOA at work, and not through RAS.

Go back to Lil Chris's story about the satellite dish and you'll see what I mean. If Lil Chris notices that someone has a satellite dish, this could be RAS at work. But a friend tells Lil Chris "I can get you a free satelllite dish from someone else", when Lil Chris hadn't even told his friend that he wants any satellite dish at all, then this is not RAS at work. This is LOA working through other means.

By the way, 3nigma, has anyone ever offered you a free satellite dish?

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by 3nigma

I'm not one to knock you or anything, but how do you know that those coincidences aren't just coincidences?

A logical question. And as I have explained many times before, you are always the best person to prove this phenomenon to yourself.

All you have to do is keep a detailed, written record of your IM/LOA attempts, and at the same time, keep a detailed, written record of events and developments in your life.

And over time, you will see that there ARE no coincidences. Or rather, that all coincidences are meaningful.

(Okay, I'm fastidious today - the most precise formulation of that statement is - "Coincidences are random and meaningless only to the extent that you have random and meaningless thoughts").

Me, I've done it, so I know. I've had my share of powerful LOA experiences, and then I asked myself, "Hey, wait, perhaps these are all just coincidences, strange coincidences, but just coincidences nonetheless?".

And so I started to systematically track my IM/LOA attempts and the actual events and circumstances in my life. And well, basically over time, I've become more convinced that there ARE no coincidences.

Do you know how many times I've manifested for money to come to me, just totally out of the blue? Three.

Do you know how many times that intention came true? Three.

Do you know how quickly it came true? In each case, the universe answered within 24 hours.

Do you know the sums involved? We're not talking pennies here. It was $22,000 the first time (May 2007); $12,000 the second time (January 2008); and it was a new job offer the 3rd time (February 2008).

So that's three out of three. Coincidence? Call it what you like.

Are these the only three coincidences I've had? NOOOOOOO, of course not! I get coincidences ALL THE TIME, responding to my thoughts! Too many to list. I'd just scroll quickly through my blogs and give you more examples, but I have to run.

And anyway, the most convincing way is always for you to do your OWN mind stuff, and watch it sharply alter your OWN life.

[moonrambler]

As others keep saying when this question comes up -- all you have to do is give it a whirl. Try it with something small, just to play. I learned this first from reading Illusions, though the same method is written about in many other ways. In Illusions, Richard is skeptical, but decides he'll go along with Donald Shimoda's suggestion to magnetize something (Shimoda calls it magnetize rather than manifest), and he decides he wants a blue feather. Shimoda tells him to visualize the feather -- see it entirely, completely, in detail -- then let it go. Richard closes his eyes and does this, than asks Shimoda, "That's it?" and Shimoda says something like "right now it's barreling down on you like a Mack Truck."

You can start getting so good at these small things that it gets freaky. And I think what you practice with the most tends to show the most consistent progress, as with most aspects of life.

I believe it starts to get tricky when we try applying the LoA to the things in life that we believe are big things. The universe supposedly doesn't differentiate the size of the request if we want a parking space or if we want a Ferrarri. We're the ones who go, "oh yeah right, all I have to do is visualize a Ferrarri and the next thing you know somebody will give me one. "

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by moonrambler

You can start getting so good at these small things that it gets freaky.

Yup ..... If you think that "less than 24 hours" is fast, well, basically it can happen a lot faster.

I once told a LOA-related story on this forum which had something to do with plum pudding. Paul Piotrowski, who is a regular here on this forum, read the story and started wondering what plum pudding tastes like.He had never heard of it before, he had never eaten it before. But right there and then, as he was sitting in front of his computer screen, he formed the intention to try some plum pudding.

Within THREE minutes, he received plum pudding in his reality. He tells the story in his own words here:

As soon as I read that sentence my mind had these thoughts:
"Plum pudding? What the heck is that? I've never heard of plum pudding, I wonder if it's like pudding but flavored like plums. I like plum jam so I wonder what plum pudding would taste like. I want to try it."

While thinking these thoughts, my wife called me downstairs as we were just leaving the house. I went downstairs and started to put my shoes on when she remembered she forgot her purse and cell phone upstairs. Since I hadn't put my shoes on yet I ran upstairs to get her purse. I couldn't find it where she thought she left it so I told her that and she told me to check on the dining room table. I went to the dining room and grabbed her purse. Right beside her purse on the table was a red packaged PLUM PUDDING sitting right there. I paused for a moment in astonishment, but since I've done this kind of instant manifestation so many times already it didn't surprise me as much as it used to.

I went downstairs and asked her where the plum pudding came from and she said "Oh, my mom dropped it off cuz grandpa gave it to her to give to us."

Now... 1) I never heard of plum pudding until Sunday. 2) Within 2-3 minutes of hearing the world Plum Pudding for the first time and thinking "I want to try it." it appears on my dining room table. To me, that's instant manifestation.

Paul has since gone on to greater things than plum pudding. A couple of months ago, he manifested $250,000 doing nothing very much in particular, apart from thinking. Go send him a PM, maybe he'll tell you about it ..... if he's not too busy enjoying life on his new piece of land. Oh, tht $250,000 is in addition to his new piece of land.

These stories sound freaky. Are they really? Pick up any LOA book - whether it's Joe Vitale or Wayne Dyer or Deepak Chopra or whoever - and you'll see that the author ALSO relates many equally "strange" LOA events occurring in his own personal life.

What you may not realise - heheh! - is that these strange LOA events don't just happen in the lives of people who write LOA books or make LOA DVDs. They happen in the lives of ANYBODY who sets out to learn the LOA, and sticks with it long enough to really learn something about it. Some of those people then go on to write books. Many others - like our friend Paul Piotrowski - simply don't bother.

[annie]

Really?
That's pretty Cool. I remember Paul from long ago (when I used to be here more often a year or so ago).

I'll have to contact him and find out more....how exciting! (He's a "friend" on Facebook....I'll check it out now!)

Thanks for the tip

[moonrambler]

Originally Posted by Acting Like Godot

Yup ..... If you think that "less than 24 hours" is fast, well, basically it can happen a lot faster.

Just like the plum pudding story, some of these things can really make you question the nature of reality.

I had one the other night which still freaks me out, and brings up many questions as to how this happens. I was tired, in a lousy mood, having a glass of wine and reading a book by Anne Tyler. I wasn't really concentrating on the book but still was reading it. I got to thinking about an e-mail I'd gotten from some friends who we e-mail continuously in a group. I'd recently changed my e-mail address and now one of these e-mails was forwarded to me because first it had been sent to the old address. She wrote, "Wrong address for Shelley." For some reason I got to thinking that I wanted to see my name right now. (lousy mood, tired, wine) I picked up an envelope with a thank-you note on it that had my name on the envelope. Then I picked up another envelope with my name on it, which was from my ex-fiance', and he had sent some pictures. I looked at the pictures. Went back to the book. Turned the page. The main character in the book decides to go see his old girlfriend, Shelley.

Ok, that was seriously weird. I hardly ever see my name in a novel, particularly spelled with the second "e." A couple pages later Shelley says something about going to the Piggly-Wiggly, and that is the only grocery store in the little town closest to me and a name that lots of us talk about fondly because it's so silly. At that point I shut the book and went to bed. I mean, sometimes this gets so weird that you feel like you need to turn it off for a bit.

And like with the plum pudding, I get to wondering. Did I start wanting to see my name because it was going to show up on the next page? A clairvoyant thing? Why in the world did I pause in my reading, pick up and look at this group of pictures from an ex-boyfriend, just before the guy in the novel is going to see his ex-girlfriend who happens to have my name?

What if we get really subjective about reality and figure that the novel is writing itself as I go along, and so my name appeared just when I decided I wanted to see it? Eeeek.

[Lil Chris]

You're absolutely right... It can get out of hand and down right spooky, a few years ago (1998-1999) this happened to me. Things like you say moonrambler would happen just about every 2-3 minutes (it lasted for about a month), I would think a thought and immediately it would manifest, and it was like every time it did happen, I would say in my mind "can this really be happening" and "how long has this been going on, and I didn't even notice" well that just made it happen more and more 'till the point of literately scaring the be-jesus out of me... But, upon looking back the only thing that scared me was that it caught me off guard (as being one possibility of reality). That's what I meant by your reality changing to fast...

[Lil Chris]

Originally Posted by annie

Really?
That's pretty Cool. I remember Paul from long ago (when I used to be here more often a year or so ago).

I'll have to contact him and find out more....how exciting! (He's a "friend" on Facebook....I'll check it out now!)

Thanks for the tip

Glad to see you stopped back by...

[cylon]

Originally Posted by Lil Chris

You're absolutely right... It can get out of hand and down right spooky, a few years ago (1998-1999) this happened to me. Things like you say moonrambler would happen just about every 2-3 minutes (it lasted for about a month), I would think a thought and immediately it would manifest, and it was like every time it did happen, I would say in my mind "can this really be happening" and "how long has this been going on, and I didn't even notice" well that just made it happen more and more 'till the point of literately scaring the be-jesus out of me... But, upon looking back the only thing that scared me was that it caught me off guard (as being one possibility of reality). That's what I meant by your reality changing to fast...

Yeah, so the question is "what the hell do I do now that I'm experiencing reality in a new way?"

You get the experiences, and they can scare you because they are not the reality you're used to. So what do you do. Do you go back and PRETEND that you didn't have those experiences? Do you block them out of your mind? Try to talk yourself out of it?

I realize how tied we are to our perception of reality, tweak it at all and you've got some major readjusting to do. I'm not really sure what to do myself. Stuff happens, I just have to accept it. I WANT the good things to happen. I also want to take action, because I've discovered that achieving goals gives me self-esteem, something I was lacking.

So my challenge is, get the self-esteem I would receive from achieving goals through action, and experiene LOA at the same time. ALG says my actions are a form of thought, I accept that.

Reality the way I pereceived it for most of 31 years, not much to my liking. So here I am messing around with a new reality, and even though it's cool, and different, it's almost too good to be true that my mind says "no. Scary. Not ready. Keep suffering. Life isn't this easy."

BUT-- we only experience what we experience. I think it's scary now. Maybe in the near future I can look back at this and go "wow, it's not scary, it's fun! If I didn't manifest then a, b, c wouldn't have happened and my life wouldn't be so interesting and full of good stuff" but I can only speak from how I feel about it NOW. Guess that's why it's a skill. Manifesting in itself is a skill (you do it anyway, but doing it constructively) and dealing with the freaky feelings that come from it is ALSO a skill.

Lol. I've posted this same thing probably several times. Feeling comfortable with creating my reality is now one of my intentions.

[A2K89]

Originally Posted by Acting Like Godot

It is always up to you to choose to think of LOA as whatever you choose to think it is. If your current understanding of LOA is too "extreme" and "idealistic" for your own liking, then change your current understanding to something that suits you better.

You see, the concept of "LOA" can be understood at any point along a very wide spectrum.

At one extreme end, LOA simply means the sum total of reality interacting with itself. "You" are merely an illusion within this sum total.

At the other extreme end, human beings are just animals, and animals just have something called a brain, a highly limited and flawed organ whose processes are entirely limited within itself.

Somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, we see that by altering your thoughts through a process, say, such as hypnosis or visualisation, we can eliminate phobias; cure eczema and asthma; improve muscular strength; improve self-confidence; solve sleep problems; sharply improve memory and concentration; eliminate addictions such as smoking; accelerate the rate of broken bones healing etc etc.

You choose where you want to be on the spectrum.

You've already chosen. You can choose and choose again.

While I'm willing to learn more about LoA and keep a relatively open mind about it.

I'm at the same time not buying your proposition that mind completely overrides "matter".

At one extreme end, LOA simply means the sum total of reality interacting with itself. "You" are merely an illusion within this sum total.

You've spoken of how us human forms fit into reality, but what of all other form? Earth, animals, etc.

Sure I am all for the theory of a "holographic" universe. Us conscious human souls are merely fragments of the whole. That still does not seem to automatically imply that we have control of "physical" reality. Consciousness and perception seem as tools to interpret reality, which on some level changes it, but not to the extent LoA people speaks of?

I'll dabble in the subject more though.

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by A2K89

While I'm willing to learn more about LoA and keep a relatively open mind about it.

I'm at the same time not buying your proposition that mind completely overrides "matter".


You've spoken of how us human forms fit into reality, but what of all other form? Earth, animals, etc.

Sure I am all for the theory of a "holographic" universe. Us conscious human souls are merely fragments of the whole. That still does not seem to automatically imply that we have control of "physical" reality. Consciousness and perception seem as tools to interpret reality, which on some level changes it, but not to the extent LoA people speaks of?

I'll dabble in the subject more though.

These are all interesting questions, but rather theoretical. If you look in the right places, you'll find no shortage of views and discussions on the above, from a mixed bag of very interesting characters - from Prof Fred Alan Wolf to J Krishnamurti to Gary Zukav to Seth via Jane Roberts to Gautama Buddha to Sir Roger Penrose.

But ultimately the discussion is theoretical for most of us. In that sense, the discussion is useless because whatever the ultimate limits and nature of the LOA may be, you are nowhere close, and neither am I, to testing those limits, or using LOA at those kinds of levels.

For the most part, our concerns would be more mundane and prosaic - stuff like how to make more money; get a job doing what we love; contribute to our community; develop our talents; be healthy; have happy relationships with our family members ......

... at most, we may intend something like becoming the President of the country or winning a few Olympic gold medals or finding a cure for AIDS or saving the whales.

All of the above still has nothing (or very little) to do with the kind of questions you asked.