Did you ever seen the original Terminator movie?
There was one part where the psychologist is saying that Reese is crazy, and that his belief in the Terminators being from the future is the perfect fantasy because it doesn’t require a shred of evidence.
The Law of Attraction is just like that!
Whether you are a believer or a non-believer there is absolutely no way to prove that you are right – or that you are wrong.
Much like the concept of religion, you see what you want to see when it comes to the Law of Attraction.
Believers will tell you that everything they manifested was a direct result of them properly following the LOA principles.
However, non-believers will try some of the techniques, not see astounding results, and exclaim (if I may borrow James Arthur Ray’s comments):
To once again compare conscious creation to religion, most people will say that having faith or belief is the key to invoking the almighty powers that be.
However, just like religion, if you see (or don’t see) results when using the Law of Attraction it is quite impossible to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the LOA was responsible for your results – or lack thereof.
This becomes even more apparent (and non-believers will love this) when the acquisition of dreams by people who use the LOA always and only end up coming about as the result of very down-to-earth and explainable events.
Believers will say that those events would never have happened if it hadn’t been for their faith and proper application of the methods, while non-believers will say that the whole thing is a bunch of nonsense.
Who is right?
What if someone were to come up to you and ask you for irrefutable evidence that your faith in and proper practice of your religion was responsible for some amazing turn of events in your life?
Could you prove scientifically that your religion was the direct and only cause for that turn of events?
And before someone calls out the dogs and wants to burn me at the stake for sacrilege, I am not saying that people should not honor their religious beliefs.Quite to the contrary, actually.
If your belief in your religion and your faith in your deity is what allows you to believe that you need to make a conscious effort to live a proper lifestyle, and that you will be rewarded for doing so, then by all means, please keep the faith.
After all, that is exactly what is expected of LOA believers. There are methods and systems for properly and deliberately creating the life that you want to live, and if you fail to honor those guidelines, you don’t get what you wanted.
So, is the whole Law of Attraction thing just a scam that is being pulled on the world at large just to line the pockets of a few choice individuals?
Or maybe it is just a belief system that provides a guideline for how to live a prosperous and wonderful life.
There is no way to know, because as I mentioned before, the entire thing – whether you believe it or not – does not require a shred of scientific evidence.
You know. Just like religion.
Great post Aaron. It is sort of funny how the LoA and religion are similar in that way – not really being provable. Although I think that ultimately, the LoA will end up being verified by science in the not too distant future. I believe that science catches up with belief when the belief becomes strong enough. Look at the history of science: In most cases, the major breakthroughs and shifts happened because one person postulated (believed) something and then it took decades, or even centuries, for the rest of the scientific community to catch up.
What we’re seeing now, is a “catching up” when it comes to the LoA. So my guess is that we’ll start seeing scientific validation fairly soon.
***Aaron***
Well after posting about my success secrets I started reading your site…very interesting stuff. I’ll be back daily for sure.
This post caught my attention because I’ve seen The Secret DVD. It is inspiring. It is motivating. Personally, I think asking if it’s proveable is a stupid question…who cares? Look at the image and extract ideas that empower you. Whether or not the Law of Attraction exists doesn’t matter, because it’s true that self-confidence, positive thinking, and action lead to success…so if a DVD called The Secret inspires people to achieve success, then The Secret was also a success.
Edward,
This is great quote!
I think you are probably right. Through the years it has been the people who doggedly (sp?) believed in something so much that they refused to stop trying to prove that it was true who either proved or helped to prove the truth of the very thing that they believed in.
And yes, I know that was a run-on sentence.
;)I agree that the LOA will probably end up being proven scientifically, but in the meantime, even non-believers can benefit from using the basic tools and systems. That’s a win/win situation!
Bryan,
GREAT to have you on board! I have likewise been keeping on eye on your site and I foresee many references to your posts in the future!
:)I totally agree with you that at this point in the game, proving the LOA should not be the primary focus. As you said, it is the empowerment and the inspiration for success that people should be focusing on.
People do it all the time with things as simple as music, or certain pictures. They hear the music or see the pictures and they become inspired because those notes or those images affect them internally and move them into action.
I know I’ve done that! I’ve been out running and I hear the right song and I take off like a rocket. Does that mean that the song has to be proven?
Great comment, Bryan, and great insight!
My view is that everything that comes into your life you are attracting into your life. And it’s attracted in because of the images you are holding in your brain. It’s what you’re thinking. We are what we think. This is an orderly universe. Nothing happens by accident. The thoughts, memories, beliefs, values, and expectations you plant in your brain instantly set up an attractive force, which governs the results in your life. You are a living, breathing magnet. In life I think you get to want what you want. If you want greatness you will get to want it. If you want to me miserable you will get to want to be miserable. Right? Many people are not wealthy and more fulfilled about the state their lives are in because people habitually think about the things they don’t want, which in turn results in them receiving exactly that – what they don’t want! The secret is to replace what you don’t want by thinking about and attracting what you DO WANT.
Mike,
I love this quote!
“In life I think you get to want what you want.”
That’s great stuff – thanks for sharing!
Hi Aaron. Got your email. Great feedback. I have just finished my first ever blog page (at 58!) and am excited to share this new experience. Go to http://www.attractionlawsecretuniverse.com.
I see you are an avid blogger with heaps of experience. I’ll be back to learn from you.
Cheers, Mike
Mike,
I’ll be happy to help you in any way that I can!
Looks like you did a great job on the site, and I’ll be looking forward to seeing your success with it.
Congratulations on this awesome step forward!
Hi there,
I was just reading a book about the law of attraction that actually scientifically proves the LOA, “Excuse Me Your Life Is Waiting” by Lynn Grabhorn, and she actually scientifically proves the LOA
it was in the thirties when they first proved that thoughts have vibrations that could even be photographed (somehow)
plus we all know that matter is made up of small particles that move depending on its kind (solid, liquid or gas)and this movement needs energy, this means we also have energy flowing in and out of our bodies.
it makes sense
nice post
Nlf,
Yes, I know that book. I read it about a year ago, and it was actually part of my initial “training” in the Law of Attraction.
It is as they say in ‘The Secret’ – everything is energy. That is a fact that has been proven by what we consider to be scientific methods, and energy reacts to any given stimulus based on the rate at which it is vibrating at that time.
Technically, the Law of Attraction should only be the beginning. If we can learn to consciously attract vibrations that resonate with our own, how far off can the day be when we can consciously change the vibration of other forms of matter?
Just science fiction right now, but something that I have no doubt will be a part of our distant (or not so distant) evolutionary process.
Interesting theory Aaron, but that leads us to whole new debate; i believe we are humans, with tremendous yet limited powers. are we God? Can we also create things?
I personally believe in God our creator, I believe that God is the only one who can CREATE, we, on the other hand, can only creatively make use of his creations.
Do you think the LOA says different? Or could someone, incorporate both theories together?
It’s a personal opinion after all
Nlf,
I don’t think that the LOA specifically says anything about God, or whatever other term anyone wants to use for the all powerful force in the Universe. As you said, it is just a creative way to use a creation.
As to whether or not we are God or if we are just manifestations of the same creator, I’ll leave that debate for another day. I doubt this little comment box could handle it! 😉
and I’ll be looking forward to reading that 🙂
Well I bought Rhonda’s book over the weekend. I’m reading it and it seems like a good thing. Ok, maybe aspects are far fetched, but all in all, only good can really come out of it.. really.
I’m not sure where you stand on a religious perspective, but i have a question;
Should you be a believer of God, and are faced with something that very much replaces the concept of praying, what is it you believe?
You could say that ‘praying’ in the past is down to the positive thought upon which you pray with.
What i want to know, is whether ‘the secret’ replaces the powers that be, or works in accordance.
Cheers
Julia,
Great question, and one that many potential believers in the LOA have considered. The basic answer that I operate under is that all things are brought into our existence by the “creative source,” and each person has their own definition of what that creative source is.
Some people call it “God” or the “Divine Spirit” or “Buddha” – whatever. There are probably hundreds of names throughout history.
What is important is not the name that we give to our creative source, but rather that we believe in it. The LOA gives us things that are in resonance with the feelings that are created as a result of our beliefs.
If we believe that we can be happy – and then act accordingly – the LOA gives us more things to be happy about. That same system works for sadness, grief and despair just as it works for joy, love, and abundance.
Just as with prayer, we “ask” for things with the LOA, but it is not the asking that brings them to us, but whether or not our belief allows us to manifest the feelings that will bring those things into our lives.
In that respect, going to a chapel at a hospital to pray for someone who is ill could potentially make the situation worse. Don’t pray about illness, but rather pray about health.
Whether you believe in God or in the LOA (or both), you are asking for something via your prayers. Just make sure that you’re asking for the right thing. 🙂
It works and it’s free if you understand how it works. The problem many have is in their haste in buying into the scam merchants marketable versions.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Rick!
As in any market, there are people who can truly help other people to understand, and then there are those who are just hopping on the bandwagon.
Yes, everything is perfect!
And if someone told you that the world was round, you would have no scientific evidence. Everyone knows the world is flat. At least they did….
It is true that the Law of Attraction parallels religion, but many believe it is founded in science we are not yet capable of measuring. Science got thrown for a loop with the double slit experiment though, and that experiment has taught many scientists “religion”.
This comment might be deleted as it argues the above, however I ask the author to consider for a moment the possibility. Vividly imagine something that you might not normally see. Maybe a chimpanzee in a tutu, maybe a purple banana. Pick something obscure and visualize it fairly frequently. Now when you see it instead of calling it a coincidence, call it a “sync”. For “Sync”'s are about as close as you will get to proving this with todays current science.
What if science doesnt yet know everything? What if it is true? Don't you owe it to yourself to at least experiment with the notion. Ask to see a purple banana, believe you will see a purple banana. Then try your best not to see a purple banana. Its a dare! lol.. gl with that.
The LOA says you can be, do or have anything. Not true. How can someone who has downs syndrome be in a graduate program for an MBA?? Or how can someone who cannot carry a tune be the next Opera star?? Total bullshit because they can not do this in this lifetime! How can these people fix these problems?? The LOA may only work on a very superficial level. If it can change the above people in my previous two examples, then miracles do exist!
Hmm…Did you actually WATCH the secret? 2 or more of their speakers are Quantum Physician. I may be wrong here, but is Quantum Physics not a science??
It doesnt matter, since you can read about the laws online, you dont need to spend anything so no one smart is spending money on something widely known. You'd be a fool to spend money on those internet marketing scams! that's all they are, scams, and they'd scam you if you let them. So if you don't let them then there's no scam on you so who cares? The smart people are not the ones being scammed, its the dumb people out there who believe that if they purchase this Ebook they will have a richer life. I feel sorry for them.
I don't know a lot about LOA. But as far as I've read about it, it reminds me of what Paul said in his writing centuries ago: “…in all things God works for good with those who love him…” What makes me amazed is, why is it if God's name mentioned than people don't want to listen to it. But when those gurus bring the similar teaching, they follow it passionately?
I am happy you wrote this. There is not a shred of evidence about it at all. I did a silly small “test”, so to speak when I simply did the following:
1- decided I'd do X
2- wrote down all the steps necessary to do X
3- had phone calls with a friend who helped me manage any fears/concerns/anxieties of doing X (it was the major decision of moving half way around the world)
4- i honored my agreements regarding step 2
And presto! Things seemed to appear “like magic”.
Except it's not bloody magic! It's just what happens when you do the things that work.
Most people simply get stuck around step 3 – they don't know how to manage their anxieties – and most have such low self esteem (often due to religion), that they can't even FATHOM doing a lot of the “big” stuff that “successful” people do.
But I can write an essay on this.
Thanks!
Good article! The funny thing is, it seems that here in the relatively rich west, where there is access to so much wealth and opportunity, an idea like the LOA can really seem to work. Of course, when one has the right resources, the right focus, and the right confidence, odds are pretty good that one can manifest what they want to manifest here. Where the LOA starts to really fall apart is when people (like some of the commentators here) claim that nothing happens by accident and that everything happens because the Universe is essentially responding to signals we are sending out to it, whether consciously or not. This puts all of the responsibility on us. So are we going to tell a 3 year old girl with terminal cancer that she did this to herself? Or are we going to tell a starving African family with HIV that they just have to learn to think more positively? I should hope not!
The LOA reminds me a lot of the perverted N.American Christian gospel: The Prosperity Gospel, that essentially says that God wants us to be rich, comfortable, and happy, and if we believe in God, we'll have that. Yet this only became popular in the west where nobody wants to fall behind the Jones' or actually carry any crosses. In my opinion, the LOA works in that with focus, determination, and confidence, we are quite likely to manifest our dreams! But that's just common sense, right? If you want to, say, be a successful pianist but always focus on getting on stage, missing key notes, being booed and ridiculed, this self-sabotaging thinking will prevent or at least slow your success, whereas visualizing stunning, flawless performances will bring better results faster. No magic here. To say that EVERYTHING we manifest is because of images we have in our head simply cannot hold up. Yes, many things do happen by accident. Haiti wasn't slammed by earthquakes because of anybody's thought patterns, for example. By all means focus on the positive in your lives, but don't blame others for their handicaps, illnesses, serious hardships, and so on. That's delusional and unfair.