This blog title refers to the popularly-dispensed concept of the Law of Attraction (LOA)— the idea that humans attract through their own power the people and experiences that fill their life. I have actively studied and worked with this concept in my own life for over ten years and I am now ready to definitively conclude that it is bunk.
The bunkness comes in a propensity we have as humans to think our minds are the most powerful thing in existence. Our brain matter is in fact an extremely advanced tool that mystifies scientists and is practically beyond the realm of any knowable entity on Earth. This is a fact. But nothing in the manifest realm could exist and function without the energetic spark that is beyond all matter, form, and earthly manifestation. Therefore, anything that is produced or affected by the human mind is actually sourced and influenced by something completely outside of itself. This "something" is known by many names: God (and all other names used by the multitude of religions), Supreme Being, Ultimate Source, Cosmic Power...you get my drift. Humans go off-course when they believe that they have, in fact, made an event occur or attracted something into their life through their mental, emotional, and spiritual power. I truly believe that what we focus our energy on expands—indubitably. And that we can align our energy with the cosmic force that brings experiences and events into being—absolutely. But it is not our own power that brings the possibility of those events into being. How many times have you been frustrated in your efforts? How many times have you really wanted something but were completely unable to bring it about? Can you remember a time when something unforeseen and amazing came to you when you least expected it? How about when a situation went bad and ultimately led to something much better? If we were in complete control of our earthly existence, karmic flow, and cosmic destiny, none of these things would or could occur. Now, there are times when we feel a drive deep in our being to do or seek something. It is very important to us and we can't help thinking about it day and night. In my belief system, this is a sign that the Universe has something in store for us which is preparing to manifest. We can work with this driving impulse and cooperate with the energies which are lining up to bring forth something new, or we can allow earthly barriers and our emotional nature to block the path: we can let fear stop us from taking necessary steps to see our passion come to fruition; we can give up when our ego accepts messages from others that we are not good enough; we can be immobilized by anger when we don't achieve what we seek according to our own timetable. The life experiences meant for us will come into being without any mental or energetic call from us. The call comes from beyond. That is the twist that confuses the "LOA" folks. The spark of intuition and genius that we notice in our own hearts and minds was not created by our small human mind, but rather intuited by us through the auspices of the spiritual source of life. When we cooperate with the source and nurture the idea into being, we are manifesting that which is meant for us to have. We can only manifest that which is already in the cosmic plan for our life! Our life follows a certain trajectory based on many levels of karmic influence and spiritual destiny. Lots of opportunities and experiences are available to us and, as human beings, we often have choices of which road to follow. It is my belief, arrived at through spiritual study and personal practice, that we experience "course corrections" when we make a choice that takes us away from our spiritual destiny. Yes, we have free will and the power to make choices that affect our daily lives; but our long-range, cosmic destiny flows forward regardless of the short-term decisions we make for ourselves. We've got large lessons to learn that we cannot begin to fathom in this human incarnation. We cannot possibly choose the experiences on our own that lead us down the path our Great Soul is fated to follow. There is a saying: "The winds of fate are always blowing; all you have to do is lift your sail". By meditating, reflecting, and spending time alone and inside ourself, we can develop a sensitivity to the cosmic impulses which indicate the direction of our soul inspiration. We can cooperate with those impulses and work to manage the human barriers we erect which postpone the manifestation of our greatest good. By knowing that we are in the good hands of the Cosmos, we can use our energy and human power to get the most out of this lifetime and prepare for the next.
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