The Law of Attraction simply says that you attract into your life whatever you think about. Your dominant thoughts will find a way to manifest. But the Law of Attraction gives rise to some tough questions that don’t seem to have good answers. I would say, however, that these problems aren’t caused by the Law of Attraction itself but rather by the Law of Attraction as applied to objective reality.
Here are some of those problematic questions (all are generalizations of ones I received via email):
* What happens when people put out conflicting intentions, like two people intending to get the same promotion when only one position is available?
* Do children, babies, and/or animals put out intentions?
* If a child is abused, does that mean the child intended it in some way?
* If I intend for my relationship to improve, but my spouse doesn’t seem to care, what will happen?
These questions seem to weaken the plausibility of the Law of Attraction. Sometimes people answer them by going pretty far out. For example, it’s been said by LoAers that a young child experiences abuse because s/he intended it or earned it during a past life. Well, sure… we can explain just about anything if we bring past lives into the equation, but IMO that’s a cop-out. On the other hand, objective reality without the Law of Attraction doesn’t provide satisfactory answers either — supposedly some kids are just born unlucky. That’s a cop-out too.
I’ve never been satisfied by others’ answers to these questions, and they’re pretty important questions if the Law of Attraction is to be believed. Some books hint at the solution but never really nail it. That nail, however, can be found in the concept of subjective reality.
Subjective reality is a belief system in which (1) there is only one consciousness, (2) you are that singular consciousness, and (3) everything and everyone in your reality is a projection of your thoughts.
You may not see it yet, but subjective reality neatly answers all these tricky Law of Attraction questions. Let me ’splain….
In subjective reality there’s only one consciousness, and it’s yours. Consequently, there’s only one source of intentions in your universe — YOU. While you may observe lots of walking, talking bodies in your reality, they all exist inside your consciousness. You know this is how your dreams work, but you haven’t yet realized your waking reality is just another type of dream. It only seems solid because you believe (intend) it is.
Since none of the other characters you encounter are conscious in a way that’s separate from you, nobody else can have intentions. The only intentions are yours. You’re the only thinker in this universe.
It’s important to correctly define the YOU in subjective reality. YOU are not your physical body. This is not the egoic you at all. I’m not suggesting you’re a conscious body walking around in a world full of unconscious automatons. That would be a total misunderstanding of subjective reality. The correct viewpoint is that you’re the single consciousness in which this entire reality takes place.
Imagine you’re having a dream. In that dream what exactly are YOU? Are YOU the physical dream character you identify with? No, of course not — that’s just your dream avatar. YOU are the dreamer. The entire dream occurs within your consciousness. All dream characters are projections of your dream thoughts, including your avatar. In fact, if you learn lucid dreaming, you can even switch avatars in your dream by possessing another character. In a lucid dream, you can do anything you believe you can.
Physical reality works the same way. This is a denser universe than what you experience in your sleeping dreams, so changes occur a bit more gradually here. But this reality still conforms to your thoughts just like a sleeping dream. YOU are the dreamer in which all of this is taking place.
The idea that other people have intentions is an illusion because other people are just projections. Of course, if you strongly believe other people have intentions, then that’s the dream you’ll create for yourself. But ultimately it’s still an illusion.
Here’s how subjective reality answers these challenging Law of Attraction questions:
What happens when people put out conflicting intentions, like two people intending to get the same promotion when only one position is available?
Since you’re the only intender, this is entirely an internal conflict — within YOU. You’re holding the thought (the intention) for both people to want the same position. But you’re also thinking (intending) that only one can get it. So you’re intending competition. This whole situation is your creation. You believe in competition, so that’s what you manifest. Maybe you have some beliefs (thoughts and intentions) about who will get the promotion, in which case your expectations will manifest. But you may have a higher order belief that life is random, unfair, uncertain, etc., so in that case you may manifest a surprise because that’s what you’re intending.
Being the only intender in your reality places a huge responsibility on your shoulders. You can give up control of your reality by thinking (intending) randomness and uncertainty, but you can never give up responsibility. You’re the sole creator in this universe. If you think about war, poverty, disease, etc., that’s exactly what you’ll manifest. If you think about peace, love, and joy, you’ll manifest that too. Your reality is exactly what you think it is. Whenever you think about anything, you summon its manifestation.
Do children, babies, and/or animals put out intentions?
No. Your own body doesn’t even put out intentions — only your consciousness does. You’re the only one who has intentions, so what takes precedence is what YOU intend for the children, babies, and animals in your reality. Every thought is an intention, so however you think about the other beings in your reality is what you’ll eventually manifest for them. Keep in mind that beliefs are hierarchical, so if you have a high order belief that reality is random and unpredictable and out of your control, then that intention will trump other intentions of which you’re less certain. It’s your entire collection of thoughts that dictates how your reality manifests.
If a child is abused, does that mean the child intended it in some way?
No. It means YOU intended it. You intend child abuse to manifest simply by thinking about it. The more you think about child abuse (or any other subject), the more you’ll see it expand in your reality. Whatever you think about expands, and not just in the narrow space of your avatar but in all of physical reality.
If I intend for my relationship to improve, but my spouse doesn’t seem to care, what will happen?
This is another example of intending conflict. You’re projecting one intention for your avatar and one for your spouse, so the actual unified intention is that of conflict. Hence the result you experience, subject to the influence of your higher order beliefs, will be to experience conflict with your spouse. If your thoughts are conflicted, your reality is conflicted.
This is why assuming responsibility for your thoughts is so important. If you want to see peace in the world, then intend peace for EVERYTHING in your reality. If you want to see abundance in the world, then intend it for EVERYONE. If you want to enjoy loving relationships, then intend loving relationships for ALL. If you intend these only for your own avatar but not for others, then you’re intending conflict, division, and separation; consequently, that’s what you’ll experience.
If you stop thinking about something entirely, does that mean it disappears? Yes, technically it does. But in practice it’s next to impossible to uncreate what you’ve already manifested. You’ll continue creating the same problems just by noticing them. But when you assume 100% responsibility for everything you’re experiencing in your reality right now — absolutely everything — then you assume the power to alter your reality by rechanneling your thoughts.
This entire reality is your creation. Feel good about that. Feel grateful for the richness of your world. And then begin creating the reality you truly want by making decisions and holding intentions. Think about what you desire, and withdraw your thoughts from what you don’t want. The most natural, easiest way to do this is to pay attention to your emotions. Thinking about your desires feels good, and thinking about what you don’t want makes you feel bad. When you notice yourself feeling bad, you’ve caught yourself thinking about something you don’t want. Turn your focus back towards what you do want, and your emotional state will improve rapidly. As you do this repeatedly, you’ll begin to see your physical reality shift too, first in subtle ways and then in bigger leaps.
I too am just a manifestation of your consciousness. I play the role you expect me to play. If you expect me to be a helpful guide, I will be. If you expect me to be profound and insightful, I will be. If you expect me to be confused or deluded, I will be. But of course there’s no distinct ME that is separate from YOU. I’m just one of your many creations. I am what you intend me to be. But deep down you already knew that, didn’t you?
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This entry was posted on Friday, August 18th, 2006 at 12:13 pm and is filed under Consciousness & Awareness, Intention & Manifestation, Lucid Dreaming, Metaphysics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
39 Responses to “The Law of Attraction”
1. Creating a Better Life Says:
August 18th, 2006 at 5:02 pm
Unity and The Law of Attraction
Have you had one of those moments where something finally clicks for you, and a whole bunch of different thoughts that never quite worked together before finally come together?
I just had one. I’m still having it as I write.
After reading Steve …
2. rmic.be Says:
August 19th, 2006 at 1:34 am
How to make your dreams come true ?
In his latest post he asks and answer some interesting questions about the effects of conflicting intentions and situations where the subject is not really able to think or want the things he attracts.
3. Pathway To Happiness » Blog Archive » The Law of Attraction Beliefs and Thoughts Says:
August 19th, 2006 at 6:35 pm
[...] I had a few thoughts on a post Steve Pavlina wrote about the Law of Attraction. I look at it a little differently. Maybe it is really the same but I am interpreting the words differently. This is always a difficulty with language, particularly with written words. [...]
4. Live Consciously » Creating Lasting Change Says:
August 21st, 2006 at 3:16 am
[...] It started when I was reading Steve Pavlina’s blog about the Law of Attraction. The article focused on how all the energy you put out into the universe comes back at you, manifesting into the life that you are creating. It emphasizes that no one else is responsible for your life and your universe, and that we are the sole creators of our own reality. [...]
5. Live Consciously » Changing Your Thoughts Says:
August 25th, 2006 at 12:41 am
[...] 4) Embrace a new Philosophy. Nothing is quite as powerful as experiencing a new perspective. Try it sometime. Go to wikipedia and look up philosophies. Imagine what your world would be like if you lived that philosophy. Try it on for a day, and if you like elements from it, embrace them into your current world view. This will bring enrichment into your life. Or try embracing your total responsibility. [...]
6. How To Get What You Want - The Law of Attraction « Compass Says:
August 31st, 2006 at 5:18 pm
[...] The first one you should read is The Law of Attraction which answers some tough questions around how this principle works, and when. [...]
7. cloudshadows.net » Blog Archive » Mastery Of Desire Extends Power From Infinitesimal Particles To Infinity Says:
October 13th, 2006 at 7:24 am
[...] When you have complete mastery over your desires, your power extends from the smallest thing to the greatest thing. Essentially, you gain power over the universe. But what kind of power? I think this sūtra may just be an obscure way of stating the Law of Attraction. Here’s why: [...]
8. My favourite blog « a pearl lifestyle Says:
October 17th, 2006 at 6:56 am
[...] Some of the fascinating chapters include: Level of consciousness The Law of Attraction Living Congruently [...]
9. Lost in Translation » Blog Archive » Intention Says:
October 23rd, 2006 at 3:55 am
[...] Of course, I’m going to work on reducing my weight and size in the usual ways: exercise, eating better (and less), and keeping track of myself. But I’ve also decided to try another model. Steve Pavlina suggests a way of getting things done based on the law of attraction: “you attract into your life whatever you think about. Your dominant thoughts will find a way to manifest.” He calls this the Intention-Manifestation model. [...]
10. My $1000 Experiment » Move the Markets Says:
November 17th, 2006 at 9:13 am
[...] The point of the game is derived from the Law of Attraction, which more or less says what you think about today will be your life tomorrow. It’s a warning to focus on success rather than worry about failure. So, this is a fun way to make sure you spend some time thinking about having more money than you can easily even spend. Then, you get to go through imaginary motions of doing stuff with all that abundance. Sounds fun, and certainly can’t hurt! [...]
11. Law of Attraction and Limitations at Happiness through Awareness and Self Mastery Says:
November 22nd, 2006 at 3:37 pm
[...] Steve Pavlina Post on the topic [...]
12. ScottMW.com » Blog Archive » The Law of Attraction Says:
December 1st, 2006 at 3:52 am
[...] I came upon an article by Steve Pavlina, also titled “The Law of Attraction,” which gave me a better understanding of just what my brother was talking about. Pavlina describes this idea as your complete reality, as if it were a more potent lucid dream. Basically, you are the god of your universe. Whatever you want to happen will ultimately happen based on thoughts you focus on and actually will to happen. You ultimately become what you think about. If you think about how you’re poor and always have been, you will continue to stay poor. Conversely, if you think about how you are going to be a millionaire and you focus on it hour by hour, day by day. The Law of Attraction says that it will come to you. [...]
13. Creating a Better Life » Antidepressants Says:
December 15th, 2006 at 2:09 pm
[...] I guess I’m writing this because those of us who have suffered from depression and practice spiritual disciplines such as the Science of Mind or the Twelve Steps, as well as work with the Law of Attraction, can sometimes feel split, like we are doing one thing at one time, and then another at another time. And I’m here to say that I’m done with that way of thinking. So if you are like me, and you hear Wayne Dyer speaking derisively about how they have a drug for everything today (as he did in his PBS special “The Power of Intention”, which I otherwise loved), or you are in AA and your sponsor just doesn’t get why you are “trying to get happiness from a pill”, and you feel guilt about it, you are not alone. If the pills help, keep taking them! They aren’t magic, and there’s so much more to beating depression than taking medication. But it can be an important part of it. [...]
14. Steve Pavlina - another Nomad « NoMadIshEre Says:
December 27th, 2006 at 10:21 am
[...] While manifesting my own destiny I find myself “stumbling” into like minds. It’s easy to forget we are responsible for our own reality. Deep down we all know we are. This is one of those few “truths” I am well aware of and continually manifest reminders to myself. I thought I would do the same for you by introducing you to Steve Pavlina of StevePavlina.com and his post on The Law of Attraction. [...]
15. Bowling over Failure - Cure-Alls.com Says:
January 4th, 2007 at 8:45 pm
[...] 2. I lacked confidence. During that dreadful game I was missing shots that I had drilled during the previous three games. I blamed this on being “unlucky” and attributed it to the idea that “the pins weren’t falling my way.” Karlene Sugarman writes, “When you are playing well, you feel confident that no matter what you are up against, you are going to come out on top.” Instead of feeling this way, I felt that no matter what I did, the pins weren’t going to fall; and, true to manifest destiny, they didn’t. [...]
16. Demystifying the Law of Attraction // MPowered Life Higher Learning Center Says:
January 23rd, 2007 at 6:36 pm
[...] Steve Pavlina recently tackled some heavy subjects regarding Law of Attraction principles. I’d like to offer a different perspective on these important questions with the intention of delivering an explanation that resonates with your everyday experience. [...]
17. ProperJoy.com » Blog Archive » Life Update Says:
February 9th, 2007 at 8:28 am
[...] I feel great, experimenting with a new model of reality helps a great deal. [...]
18. The SoBe Project » Blog Archive » The Secret Says:
February 13th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
[...] Some intersting questions are discussed at Steve Pavlina’s Weblog that point out some problems with The Law of Attraction. [...]
19. attracted to the law of attraction » change therapy - isabella mori Says:
February 17th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
[...] are you attracted to the law of attraction? everyone seems to be talking about the movie the secret lately, and the law of attraction. are you one of them? if so, i wonder whether you’d like to tell me about it. [...]
20. computer - somdaj.com » Codename: Muffins Says:
February 19th, 2007 at 5:21 am
[...] Recently I watched The Secret. Essentially, it says that 1) we are all energy and 2) we get what we put out. So if you are constantly thinking negatively, you are only going to get negative back. It’s called the Law of Attraction and you can read more about it here. You may have seen it talked about on Oprah, but I swear to you, I saw it before the trendsetter for middle of the road America mentioned anything. Anyway, I got really excited at the idea of being able to control my life positively. I decided to do some of the things they talk about it the movie, one of them being to visualize what I want in my life. I wanted to make a visualization board but I couldn’t find one of those fancy real estate magazines to cut out my fantasy house, so I visualized having one. Friday night, TBU and I had nothing to do and we didn’t want to spend any money, I visualized us going out and having a good time for free. I have also been visualizing having more money, because dar. This is where it gets interesting, on Friday night, TBU and I took a walk and as we came back to our place what was sitting on our mailbox? A fancy shmancy real estate magazine. Ok, that was pretty cool but they are kinda everywhere and they’re free so that wasn’t so hard for the universe to provide. We were still bored with nothing to do. Then right as I got out of the shower at 8:30pm our friends called with extra tickets to a concert AND they bought us dinner. Ummmm, wow. Dinner and concert for free? Well played universe. While at the concert our friend ask me to start a business with her. Even though the money hasn’t actually manifested yet, I am really excited. All of this led me to start saying, “If you can visualize it, you can millionize it.” [...]
21. Collected Wanderings Says:
March 3rd, 2007 at 7:57 pm
The Secret
Brendin watched ‘The Secret’ with me and loved it. After watching it he wrote two pages of what he is thankful for. I have been writing spiritual material for several years and ‘The Law of Attraction’ is hard for teenagers to grasp. The nine …
22. The Law of Attraction … simplified « World of DanceyBingz Says:
March 9th, 2007 at 9:06 am
[...] Steve Pavlina has a great article on explaining the Law of Attraction. Rhonda Brynes made a movie-length dvd clip of the wonderful world of the Law of Attraction called “The Secret“. This is not some new theory that’s just evolved. Here’s some free resources you can read / listen to. [...]
23. Monday Musings: What Do You Think About The Law of Attraction? - Spirituality Applied to Life - Balanced Life Center Says:
April 1st, 2007 at 5:39 pm
[...] Ever since Steve Pavlina wrote about the Law of Attraction almost a year ago now, I’ve had mixed feelings about the cat getting out of the bag. You see, I was taught the Law of Attraction (thoughts held in mind produce after their kind) growing up. When I saw that post I was exuberant that someone else, not from my family or church (a normal person), got wind of it and was telling the world about it. So, as news of the Secret spread on the Internet, and now in the real world through Larry King and Oprah, I’ve reserved judgement about the presentation. Until now… [...]
24. 28 Links that Will Change Your Life « The Optimized Life Says:
April 8th, 2007 at 8:18 am
[...] The Law of Attraction [...]
25. I Think, Therefor I Am | Mrs. Sparrow Says:
May 22nd, 2007 at 6:23 pm
[...] Steve Pavlina has an article called The Law of Attraction. [...]
26. Negative Blogging & You « J.T’s Official Blog Says:
May 31st, 2007 at 10:02 am
[...] See, it all has to do with What’s known as The Law of Attraction. The Law of Attraction, according to Personal Development Blogger Steve Pavlina, is the idea that ”you attract into your life whatever you think about.” This is a concept that Numerous People have blogged about, but few really understand how it applies to you. [...]
27. The Crazy Cat Woman » Blog Archive » A Little Weird and I Says:
June 18th, 2007 at 5:38 am
[...] The writer of “A Little Weird” and I have both been working with the law of attraction and the lottery. Were both experiencing the same frustrations which I find very interesting. Neither one of us really won that much in the lottery when we played before we discovered and began to consciously work with the law of attraction. He and i both noticed that after we started to work with it we started winning small amounts in the lottery every time we played. Every single time bear and i buy tickets we win at least 2 dollars. Bear has better luck on scratchers. He will buy a 1 dollar one and win 2 dollars. He will use that 2 dollar won and buy another one and win 5 dollars. Then use that money to buy another one and win more money. He can stand there and do this 5 or 10 times before he finally gets a loosing one and stops. And this is not a one time incident either, this sort of thing happens a lot. There have been times when we have a few of the numbers on the same row and all of the other numbers will be off by 1 digit. Those are really frustrating. [...]
28. The Law of Attraction | Fearless Advisor Says:
July 3rd, 2007 at 4:04 pm
[...] Let’s face it, I could use ‘God’s Will’ as an excuse for any action, or an indictment against God for not stopping terrible things from happening. Steve Pavlina discusses some of the contradictions that can occur when the Law of Attraction is applied to objective reality and the same is true for God’s Will. Things like conflicting intentions, abuse, and relational issues where outcomes depend on the actions of others become an issue. We need to be capable of making sense of reality without compromising our faith. This can be a stumbling block for some people. [...]
29. Is The Law Of Attraction True? | Zale Tabakman Says:
September 6th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
[...] A criticism was mentioned by Steve Pavlin (who is a fellow believer) says: If a child is abused, does that mean the child intended it in some way? [...]
30. No Such Thing as Competition Says:
October 15th, 2007 at 5:47 am
[...] In his blog, Steve Pavlina makes a very interesting point: [...]
31. Applying Appreciative Inquiry to Your Life for Positive Self-Improvement | Think Hacks Says:
October 15th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
[...] The way you see the world matters. Some people would go even further and say we create the world as we see it. If you look at a situation as a bunch of problems to be solved, that’s what you’ll see — problems. But if you start to see the good in that situation, if you start to see what’s great about it, and what good things that situation brings about, what do you see? You see opportunities. No matter how bad a situation is, there is something positive. Even the most impoverished, violent, drug-ridden housing project has something good in it. Maybe it’s generosity. Maybe it’s great, loving children. Maybe the drug dealers are great business men. Start looking for it and you will find it. [...]
32. Re: The SecretLifeReboot.com Says:
October 18th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
[...] I was immediately reminded of Steve Pavlina, who has written many articles about The Law of Attraction and Intention Manifestation. Although I’m vaguely familiar with the concepts, I haven’t invested much of my personal beliefs in them because I find them difficult to swallow. [...]
33. The Strangest Thing I Have Ever Manifested with the Law Of Attraction | Create Business Growth Offers... Says:
October 31st, 2007 at 12:14 pm
[...] A lot of people are talking about the law of attraction now that the book The Secret has become such a big success. Do you believe in the law of attraction? Some people live by this law, others think its BS. [...]
34. Ramblin’ From The Rambler. « Ramblin’s Says:
November 25th, 2007 at 6:13 am
[...] Because of the infallibility of the ‘Law of Attraction’, sure enough, my life deteriorated, year by year. What was the breakthrough? (watch the slideshow for where my life is now, and then read the rest of the article underneath) [...]
35. Skills + Performance = Opportunities: Opportunities | Cube Rules Says:
December 19th, 2007 at 11:42 am
[...] Opportunities follow a little “attraction theory” in that if you start looking for them, they will show up. Know yourself and your capabilities and start pursuing the ones that make sense to you. [...]
36. The Law of Attraction (Or Why I'm Kid Mercury) - Kid Mercury's Blog Says:
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:11 pm
[...] if you think that, you’ll succumb to fear, and then you’ll be easy to control. Steve Pavlina has a great post about the Law of Attraction. You should check it out. You should check out Steve’s blog overall, it’s a good read. I’d also [...]
37. Awakening - A Journey of Destinations « This New Earth Says:
June 4th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
[...] If you have looked into self improvement or any of the various aspects of it, chances are the Law of Attraction might be coming to mind. If so, then yes, you’re right because I believe that is a big part [...]
38. TomHolowka.com » Blog Archive » The Law of Attraction is Real Says:
June 5th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
[...] Read about it here. [...]
39. The Joy of Solving Problems Says:
April 13th, 2009 at 2:00 am
[...] Given this mindset, you should do your best to prevent problems from arising whenever possible. If a problem occurs, it means something went wrong. It should have been anticipated and avoided. An unavoidable problem represents bad luck or a cruel twist of fate. Or perhaps it suggests you held the wrong thoughts and somehow attracted it via the Law of Attraction. [...]
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