WHY Law Of Attraction works for some people and why only sometimes for others.....

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by Orca

If I ask, "Isn't the fact that you cannot afford to doubt kind of like cult behavior?" is that offensive? I don't think so.

Your question is not offensive, but somewhat misguided. What do I mean? You have assumed that a LOA user isn't supposed to doubt the LOA. However this assumption is wrong. I really don't know of any LOA book where it is written: "You mustn't doubt the LOA." I do know of numerous LOA books where it is written: "Have faith in yourself that you can achieve your goal [about your career, health, finances, relationships, personal growth or whatever]. Don't doubt it. Be confident." etc etc.

Now, if we do apply LOA theories to your point, then the predictable effect of doubting the LOA is that you will see less and less evidence that it is true, and you will attract more and more evidence that it is not true. That is all.

It does not mean that you are going to be a failure in life. For example, you may completely disbelieve in the LOA, but at the same time, you may hold various positive and deep-rooted beliefs/attitudes eg:

"I am a talented person",
"People like me",
"I am lucky",
"The world has plenty of opportunities"
"I deserve to be loved"
"I am hardworking, and hardworking people will succeed in life"

etc etc .... And you'll still end up doing well in life, because your positive beliefs are creating and shaping your reality every day.

[joelr]

Originally Posted by Orca

It is our responsibility to do what we can to create the life for ourselves. That being said, however, I do not subscribe to the idea that everything we want/wish/visualize is guaranteed to occur if we do LOA just right. Or that if it doesn't happen, it is because we somehow did it wrong or had limited beliefs.

It might be, yes. But that's like saying all dogs are beagles. Sometimes yes, but sometimes I feel the answer is more complex than the LOA discussion can allow. The reason why we are here to begin with is not necessarily to get "stuff". It is to find out who we are. Else we wouldn't be here. The process of getting "stuff" is something the Ego and personality endeavor to create as a sort of something-to-do-while-we're-here. But that isn't the whole story. Thus, focusing only on why we don't get "stuff" is missing the deeper things that can only be answered at the soul level.

My opinion is that the LOA is that it does not seem to encourage people to develop a wider perspective about their lives, who they really are, the role of the divine. The narrative is missing something when things stays only on the level of beliefs. It's awfully mental, though the illusion is that it is about emotion. It's talking about feelings more than really feeling them, I think. (But that's another story...)

As a result, the whole dialog seems to resound of, "Why am I not getting what I want?" to be answered with a standard, "You have negative beliefs. Go change them." Repeat over and over. And that's about it. I'm not sure that really helps anyone. It's just, well, interesting metaphysical lecture. But there's been no real shift at the heart level. It's living in the mind, still. There's no HOW. It's just WHAT. And the only way to get to the HOW is in the heart. A real healing has to occur, not just a metaphysical lecture. That is not something LOA is very good at. LOA sort of skips over that part...

Yes, we do what we can with LOA. It's our personal responsibility to do so. But as I've said before, there seems to be the idea in LOA circles that people in desperate and unfortunate circumstances can be magically saved if they are just positive enough. It feels a bit naive, to me. LOA wants to say that "we all create our own reality", yet we also want to say that "those people didn't do anything to deserve to be put in that situation." Both cannot happen at the same time. There is a missing piece, which cannot be answered by LOA. Therefore, the answer to these situations cannot be found only in LOA. Lucky us, we have the comfort and security of food, clothing, shelter and a computer to even ponder these things. But sometimes just hope people don't fool themselves as sa result, either...

Yes, LOA might help the less fortunate. But you know, if it doesn't, and the only thing we can say to people is they must have "negative beliefs" it seems to me that something very important got lost along the way. It's a shirking of seeing the world as it is, and hoping it fits into a theory. It's It's the Ego's hope that LOA should be the answer to everything in life, much as the Ego would wish it so.

Things just aren't so simple. That's not be "negative", it's just my feeling that you cannot summarize the entire mind and heart of the Divine into a theory, for the sake of "Eureka! I know how God works so I can get my stuff!" That kind of thing seems to border on spiritual arrogance to me. It's unfortunate because true spiritual practice is supposed to bring us closer to ourselves, not farther. LOA is not a spiritual practice the way it is usually discussed (how to get "stuff" in life) But my feeling is it could and should be, if the narrative held a wider perspective.

Instead, it's the sense that we all know how God really works, and doggone it, if everyone did it the "right" way, they'd get all the "stuff" they want. I feel that this keeps people from dropping down deeper into the mysteries of life, in terms of how and why things happen as they do. If everything can be boiled down to negative beliefs, how simple is that. Everything is very convenient and tidy. But to me, something is lacking.

Because of this need for LOA to be neat and tidy, LOA also seems to keep people from even daring to question it to begin with. It's as people are afraid that if they doubt what they're doing, it will somehow invalidate their manifestation work or something. "If I believe harder, it will work." This is seems so inflexible and dogmatic in thinking because it keeps people in their heads and not looking deeper. No one will dare do so if it meant wouldn't get their "stuff". Good grief, how about a bit of flexiblity?

But you know, sometimes the answer isn't "Why didn't I become a star in Hollywood after 15 years of being positive and trying manifest" but something like, "How can I use my life experience in moving forward with what is being shown to me?" Would you tell an aspiring actor that the reason why he did not succeed is he was being "negative"? That's a heavy burden, and from my pov, may not be true at all. The Divine had a different plan for him, and the more he was able to truly listen, the more he was able to move with the rythym of life, rather than dealing with the disappointment of not succeeding the way he desperately wanted.

The above is a reallife example of someone I know. Lots of LOA efforting went on with him, to be sure. Lots of introspection and positive action. And if you told him the reason he never made much success as an actor was because he was too negative, you might end up with a black eye...

I realize I'm probably in the minority of voices out here on a board devoted to the merits of LOA. My intention is not to upset anyone. I like LOA as a tool. I just think the current way it is discussed could be expanded in scope for more wisdom to drop in.

Orca

You are making a lot of assumptions in all your posts.

LOA is not just about "stuff". It's about reality and what type you find yourself in. Concerning anything - job, health, mental health, finance, spiritual development, whatever. It's a simple idea about your entire psyche having influence on the physical/mental world.

No, LOA does not always encourage people to develop a wider perspective about their lives. Neither does LOT - the Law of Thermodynamics.
That's a different pursuit one might also want to follow. Neither claim to be complete theories.


"LOA wants to say that "we all create our own reality", yet we also want to say that "those people didn't do anything to deserve to be put in that situation." Both cannot happen at the same time. There is a missing piece, which cannot be answered by LOA. "


I have never heard anyone say that. In LOA it's said we are responsible for our experience. What missing piece are you thinking of?
Many things cannot be answered by LOA. LOT cannot answer many things either.
I can appreciate if you want to be spiritually agnostic. I don't want to be that though.
That doesn't mean we know everything, just that we can keep searching.



"Instead, it's the sense that we all know how God really works, and doggone it, if everyone did it the "right" way, they'd get all the "stuff" they want. I feel that this keeps people from dropping down deeper into the mysteries of life, in terms of how and why things happen as they do."


LOA and spirituality can both be practiced. Or not. No one is saying it will replace spirituality or prevent one from becoming spiritual. It's more like gravity - just a physical process. No one is accused of being cult like for believing in gravity. Like gravity you don't need to believe in LOA for it to "work". LOA keeps no one away from any secrets they are ready to learn.


The answer to the aspiring actor isn't that he's negative, the first thing is WHY is he negative. Only your actor friend can say for sure what his deepest ideas and beliefs are. Or how actively he actually practiced LOA. People say half-truths a lot more than we realize. It's a bad example, it's really best to use yourself as an example. You are the only one who really knows how you feel. Examine your feelings throughout your life and compare them to what has manifested.

Being a Theist and telling your actor friend that an entity known as God is making plans for his life and he has little control over these happenings isn't any better or worse as saying he may have beliefs and feelings that could be causing him to manifest a "non successful" acting career.

You also made some points about how LOA is unfair but again I think you are assuming LOA is some sort of cult where you have to chant "LOA" a lot.
It's simply an idea that says EVERYONES internal reality is somehow manifested in the outer physical reality. That's it. No one is left out.
You're kind of saying "hey you can't think that!"


You are in the manifestation area. The spirituality you want people to experience is right next door in the Spirituality section. In other words many LOA believers are also exploring other areas. Then in turn these other areas end up supporting LOA which solidifies the belief.
These include: Buddhism, Hindu, New age metaphysics, Christs teachings in the Thomas Gospel, metaphorical interpretations of the 4 gospels, comparative religion studies and even to a degree modern science.

[Henri J]

Wow, a lot of great posts and discussion going on here. I am going to preface this by saying that I really don't know what's going on so I'm only guessing. I think "LoA" is working all the time. We're all abundant, even if you're abundant in non-abundance, you're still abundant. I also think that taking action and acting on your intention is crucial to manifesting it. However, I like to be practical and not just day dream. So what if you don't feel super happy all the time? Do your best and see what happens. If you're pissed off then allow yourself to be. It's all good

[Laurenaus]

Hi ALG,
Assuming you're still looking at this thread I just wanted to ask a random question because I don't know if you answer PMs or not (I haven't tried) but anyway I was wondering about your luggage story today when I was at the gym. I know you didn't intend for your luggage to be ripped and that you had mainly talked about it with someone else and maybe thought about it for a few minutes and yet you manifested it to happen. Why did it occur when you didn't exactly desire for it to happen? Is it because you have greater control over your mind now and anything you think or focus on for awhile you will attract? Also I read in another thread about a guy who was discussing his favorite TV show and ran into one of the actors of the show shortly after. If we hold many thoughts a day why is that one or two are picked out of these and drawn into our life? And what are your thoughts about your luggage incident? Thanks

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by Laurenaus

I know you didn't intend for your luggage to be ripped and that you had mainly talked about it with someone else and maybe thought about it for a few minutes and yet you manifested it to happen. Why did it occur when you didn't exactly desire for it to happen?

The LOA doesn't mean that you get what you desire. Instead it means that you get what you think about. It just so happens that most people find it much easier to think a lot about something they strongly desire (as opposed to something which they find uninteresting or boring), which is why strong desire is often said to be an important element in LOA processes.

The problem with strong desire is that it often (not always) lends itself easily to its flip side - desperation. In turn that leads to fears, doubts, anxietes, and a focus on the absence of the desired thing. All of that leads to difficulties in the manifestation process (because there's resistance to the manifestation).

Thus sometimes it's the case that what you manifest most easily is something which you thought about, and have little resistance to.

Also I read in another thread about a guy who was discussing his favorite TV show and ran into one of the actors of the show shortly after. If we hold many thoughts a day why is that one or two are picked out of these and drawn into our life?

The short answer is that every day, our lives are filled with a continuous series of synchronicities, in response to our thoughts. It's just that we don't usually recognise them as such. The bulk of our thoughts are fairly mundane and ordinary thoughts, and correspondingly the bulk of our synchronicities are also mundane and ordinary events. Thus when they occur, we don't recognise them as paranormal synchronicities, but merely regard these as events in our normal, everyday life.

But of course, paranormal synchronicities ARE a part of normal, everyday life.

Most people only recognise synchronicities when they think somewhat unusual thoughts (i.e thoughts different from what they usually think), and somewhat unusual events occur in response to those thoughts. (Like the TV actor example you mention).

In fact, there's no such thing as a random coincidence. Every coincidence possesses meaning, because it is imprinted with consciousness (your own consciousness) and is a creation of your mind.

[Laurenaus]

thanks! ill let that one sit and marinate

[cylon]

Originally Posted by Acting Like Godot

The LOA doesn't mean that you get what you desire. Instead it means that you get what you think about.

Great post, and good point. To me this is the number one hurdle to consciously using and enjoying LOA... people are convinced that LOA should only mean that you get the good stuff you want, and that everything that is bad is just chance or fate or "the harsh reality of life".... when in reality LOA is neutral on what is good or bad for you. It is an accurate reflection of the contents of our minds, for "good" or "bad".

It's easy to say "I would never consciously make something bad happen!" but LOA is mostly unconscious. But our feelings let us know that we are about to create something we don't want. If we are contemplating something that makes us sad or scares us, we get the emotional signal to stop--it feels bad. And if we're contemplating something that would be good, we feel good. That's the signal to keep going.

We are always getting feedback from our highest selves on if we are creating good stuff or bad stuff. We just usually ignore the signals as something we have to "deal with", when in reality they are actually creations/manifestations just starting to take form.

Then I suppose there is the neutral stuff... like ripped luggage, or seeing only red cars, or hearing an old song wherever you go. Of course those things could lead to good outcomes if your dominant vibration is positive. Maybe ALG's ripped luggage is actually part of a larger, more positive manifestation.

For my own situation, I'm at the point where I am doing my best to listen to those inner signals, and it's taking me some conscious effort. I'm used to imagining negative/sad/poor circumstances that could happen in my future. Imagining the good stuff is not something I have too much experience with, but I'm getting better at it, and I remind myself to do it several times a day... now for instance.

[joelr]

Originally Posted by Laurenaus

Also I read in another thread about a guy who was discussing his favorite TV show and ran into one of the actors of the show shortly after.

Ha, I had one of those as well.

I had just got netflix, the 4 DVD at a time option and I burned through the entire "The Shield" series within 2 weeks. At the end of the 2nd week I was walking down Newbury St in Boston and saw Michael Chicklis standing outside of some store. I was telling a friend about it and that same week we both saw him. Again I saw him coming out of a hotel on Comm av so I realized he was visiting for the week.
But watching so many episodes in a row was like blurring the lines between reality and tv land so it was funny to see him at that time.

[joelr]

Originally Posted by cylon

Great post, and good point. To me this is the number one hurdle to consciously using and enjoying LOA... people are convinced that LOA should only mean that you get the good stuff you want, and that everything that is bad is just chance or fate or "the harsh reality of life".... when in reality LOA is neutral on what is good or bad for you. It is an accurate reflection of the contents of our minds, for "good" or "bad".

It's easy to say "I would never consciously make something bad happen!" but LOA is mostly unconscious. But our feelings let us know that we are about to create something we don't want. If we are contemplating something that makes us sad or scares us, we get the emotional signal to stop--it feels bad. And if we're contemplating something that would be good, we feel good. That's the signal to keep going.

We are always getting feedback from our highest selves on if we are creating good stuff or bad stuff. We just usually ignore the signals as something we have to "deal with", when in reality they are actually creations/manifestations just starting to take form.

Then I suppose there is the neutral stuff... like ripped luggage, or seeing only red cars, or hearing an old song wherever you go. Of course those things could lead to good outcomes if your dominant vibration is positive. Maybe ALG's ripped luggage is actually part of a larger, more positive manifestation.

For my own situation, I'm at the point where I am doing my best to listen to those inner signals, and it's taking me some conscious effort. I'm used to imagining negative/sad/poor circumstances that could happen in my future. Imagining the good stuff is not something I have too much experience with, but I'm getting better at it, and I remind myself to do it several times a day... now for instance.

What I think is also cool is that this description is the same as the Hindu description. We are coming full circle.

The creative energy that everything arises from is shaped by us but it is not concerned with good or bad. Like Brahman the impersonal God.
Yet there are higher energies or parts of ourselves we call the Higher self.
Same as the concept of a "personal god" in Hindu each person has.

[cylon]

So, I am my own Personal Jesus.
(couldn't resist)

[joelr]

Originally Posted by cylon

So, I am my own Personal Jesus.
(couldn't resist)

That's actually not a bad way to put it. Blasphemy aside. Jesus said that in Thomas in a few different ways - Whoever drinks from my mouth will become as I am, I myself shall become that person, and the hidden things will be revealed to him



The Kingdom of God is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living Father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty, and it is you who are that poverty.

It's the old self vs ego thing.

[cylon]

I have that book, I'm going to have to re-read it in light of all this LOA stuff... Crazy how this info is "implanted" everywhere, even thousands of years ago.

[Acting Like Godot]

Originally Posted by Henri J

I also think that taking action and acting on your intention is crucial to manifesting it.

What people often don't see is that actions are just a form of thought.

Eg I pick up a box; I write a letter; I go for a swim; I use the telephone; I walk from Point A to Point B.

All of these are "actions". But all of these are also thoughts. Each of these actions is the result, the consequence of some intention that I had.

Once we understand that all of our actions are merely the results and consequence of our thoughts, the next question we can ask ourselves is - do our thoughts have results and consequences, other than our own actions?

And the answer is .....

[cylon]

It's a pretty subtle distinction but I think it's important. Thought and action are completely intertwined. People "think" their actions are doing all the work, yet while doing their actions, they are thinking about what they're doing, the reasons for what they're doing, the likely outcome of what they're doing, the entire time.

[Acting Like Godot]

The other way to put it is - how does the mind operate?

Someone might reply: "With words. With images. With emotions".

All of which are true. However, the mind also operates with physical movements. Everything you do with your hands; feets; tongue; face; body ... is ultimately an aspect of your consciousness at work.

What distinguishes:

(1) a person who is hardworking, driven and constantly taking action;

from

(2) a person who is lazy, passive and refuses to get up from his couch?

Once again, it is their minds, their thoughts, their attitudes and beliefs. The first person is more motivated, and what is motivation? A state of mind.

All effects flow from the mind. One such effect is the amount of action you take, with your physical body. But by no means is that the only effect.