The phrase Law of Attraction has been used by many esoteric writers, although the actual definition varies greatly. Most authors associate the Law of Attraction with the saying, "like attracts like", usually as applied to the mental life of human beings: that a person's thoughts (conscious and unconscious), emotions, beliefs and actions attract corresponding positive or negative experiences. This process has been described as "harmonious vibrations of the law of attraction",^[1] or "you get what you think about; your thoughts determine your experience."^[2] For the New Age philosophy, see Law of Attraction (New Age). ... For the New Age philosophy, see Law of Attraction (New Age). ... Look up Esotericism in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Human beings are defined variously in biological, spiritual, and cultural terms, or in combinations thereof. ...

The phrase is closely associated with New Thought beliefs and practices, from which its most common definition arises, but it also has a long standing (and more complex development) in other esoteric fields such as Hermeticism and Theosophy. Recently, the New Thought version was popularized by the 2006 film The Secret. The New Thought Movement or New Thought is comprised of a loosely allied group of denominations, organizations, authors, philosophers, and individuals who share a set of metaphysical beliefs concerning healing, life force, visualization, and personal power. ... The word hermetic is commonly applied to literary or graphical symbolism that is exceedingly obscure, convoluted, or esoteric. ... Theosophy is a word and a concept known anciently, commonly understood in the modern era to describe the studies of religious philosophy and metaphysics originating with Helena Petrovna Blavatsky from the 1870s. ... // Please note that following the tradition of the English language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the United States and Canada in 2006; because they may have made most of their income in a later year, they may not be the top-grossing... The Secret redirects here. ...

The more materialistic interpretations of The Law of Attraction have been criticized in the media, the scientific community, which cites the deliberate misuse of the scientific term law, and by some proponents of the New Age Movement and spirituality in general.^[1] This article primarily focuses on the general concepts of matter and existence. ... For other uses, see Law (disambiguation). ... New Age describes a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture. ... Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. ...

History

The idea behind the Law of Attraction is not new. The concept can be found in Hinduism ^[3] and, due to the influence of Hinduism on Theosophy, it is mentioned in early Theosophical texts as well. ^[4] Hinduism is a religious tradition[1] that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ... Theosophy is a word and a concept known anciently, commonly understood in the modern era to describe the studies of religious philosophy and metaphysics originating with Helena Petrovna Blavatsky from the 1870s. ...

The most influential modern book on the subject in the English language is As a Man Thinketh by James Allen (1864 - 1912), which was published in 1902. The title derives from the ancient Jewish Book of Proverbs, chapter 23, verse 7: "As [a man] thinketh in his heart, so he is." Allen took this ambiguous idea of a correspondence between "a man's heart" and his existence to a logical extreme, stating that, "The soul attracts that which it secretly harbors, that which it loves, and also that which it fears. It reaches the height of its cherished aspirations. It falls to the level of its unchastened desires -- and circumstances are the means by which the soul receives its own." ^[5] James Allen (November 28, 1864 - 1912) was a writer of inspirational books and poetry. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... The Book of Proverbs is one of the books of the Ketuvim of the Tanakh and of the Writings of the Old Testament. ...

Although As a Man Thinketh does not contain the term "Law of Attraction" in so many words, it explains the principle clearly and its popularity demonstrably gave rise to a century of writings on the subject. It has remained in print in book form for more than 100 years. Variant editions of As a Man Thinketh in print during the 21st century include those published by Dover Books ^[6], Barnes and Noble ^[7], Filiquarian ^[8], and Tarcher ^[9]; there are also audiobook and ebook editions; and at least three gender-switching spin-offs, each titled As a Woman Thinketh, which are by Gwendolyn Haynes (Million Words Publishing, 1997) ^[10], Dorothy J. Hulst, (Lushena Books, 2000)^[11], and Cindy Cashman (Action Publishing, 2007) ^[12], respectively.

In America, Allen's assertion that "the soul attracts" both that which it desires and that which it fears struck a resonant chord in the New Thought Movement. Working from Allen's premise that one's thoughts attract "circumstances" that affect one's mental and physical situation in life, William Walker Atkinson (1862 - 1932) used the term 'Law of Attraction' to describe the phenomenon in his 1906 book Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World ^[13]. Atkinson was the editor of New Thought magazine, a student of Hinduism, and the author of more than 100 books on an assortment on religious, spiritual, and occult topics. The New Thought movement, a religio-metaphysical healing group, was founded by Phineas Parkhurst Quimby[1](1802-66) of Belfast, Maine, an American mental healer, student of mesmerism, and practitioner of hypnosis, who claimed he could heal by mere suggestion. ... William Walker Atkinson (December 5, 1862 - November 22, 1932) was a very important and influential American figure in the early days of the New Thought Movement. ... Religious is a term with both a technical definition and folk use. ... Look up spiritual in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Occult (disambiguation). ...

In the wake of Atkinson's success, other "New Thought" authors very quickly wrote their own books promulgating the principle. For example, in 1907, just one year after Atkinson's breakthrough was published, Elizabeth Towne, the editor of The Nautilus Magazine, a Journal of New Thought, published Bruce MacLelland's book Prosperity Through Thought Force, in which he declared that "dwelling on any quality of mind adds that quality to you, whether it be helpful or injurious," and also clearly set forth what was to become a classic New Thought epigram: "You are what you think, not what you think you are." ^[14] Around this time, the term "Law of Attraction" also appeared in the writings of the Theosophical authors William Quan Judge, in 1915, ^[15] and Annie Besant, in 1919. ^[16] Elizabeth Towne was the founder and publisher of Nautilus Magazine, a journal of the New Thought Movement. ... Nautilus was a magazine of the New Thought Movement, founded in 1898 by Elizabeth Towne. ... William Quan Judge (1851-March 22, 1896 New York) was one of the founders of the original Theosophical Society. ... Annie Besant Plaque on house in Colby Road, London SE19 where Annie Besant lived in 1874. ...

By the mid 20th century, writings on the subject had become common and dozens of authors had addressed the topic under various names, such as positive thinking, "mental science", "pragmatic Christianity," "New Thought", "practical metaphysics", Science of Mind", and "Religious Science".^[1][17] Among the mid 20th century authors who used the term were Sri K. Parvathi Kumar (1942)^[18] and Alice Bailey (1942). ^{[19][20] [21]} Attitude is a key concept in social psychology. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... The New Thought Movement or New Thought is comprised of a loosely allied group of denominations, organizations, authors, philosophers, and individuals who share a set of metaphysical beliefs concerning healing, life force, visualization, and personal power. ... Plato (Left) and Aristotle (right), by Raphael (Stanza della Segnatura, Rome) Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the ultimate nature of reality, being, and the world. ... Religious Science, also known as Science of Mind, was founded in 1926 by Ernest Holmes (1887-1960) and is a religious movement within the New Thought Movement. ... Church of Religious Science Religious Science, also known as Science of Mind, was founded in 1927 by Ernest Holmes (1887–1960) and is a religious movement within the New Thought Movement. ... Alice Ann Bailey (June 16, 1880 – December 15, 1949), known as Alice A. Bailey or AAB, was born as Alice LaTrobe Bateman, in Manchester, England, but moved to the U.S. in 1907, where she spent most of her life as a writer and teacher. ...

In 2006, a film titled The Secret presented the "Law of Attraction" to a new generation and was soon after developed into a book by the same name. The movie and book sold at a tremendous pace and gained widespread attention across the media from Saturday Night Live to The Oprah Winfrey Show in the United States.^[1] In September of the same year, Hay House published a book by Esther Hicks titled the The Law Of Attraction, which reached the New York Times best-seller list. ^[22] 21st century Christian bestsellers such as The 4:8 Principle, Bruce Wilkinson's The Prayer of Jabez, and Joel Osteen's recent work present a similar message, although given an explicitly Christian terminology with tacit biblical support (such as Philippians 4:8 and the Prayer of Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10). As a direct result of the release of The Secret in 2006 full-time Law of Attraction practitioners and lecturers Beth and Lee McCain, who taught the concepts of the Law of Attraction at the university level at UCLA and Oxford, crossed over from academia to the more commercial world of talk radio and publishing when their book, A Grateful Life: Living the Law of Attraction^[23] became a bestseller and speaking engagements followed. Appearing on the August 18, 2007 broadcast of the Oprah and Friends XM radio show, Beth and Lee McCain credited their positive career path change to the Law of Attraction. On the same program professional skeptic James Randi rejected the McCains' belief and instead said their recent career good fortune was nothing more than "being in the right place at the right time." This article is about the American television series. ... The Oprah Winfrey Show (also known as Oprah) is a United States syndicated talk show, hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey, and is the highest-rated talk show in American television history. ... Hay House is one of the most prominent new age publishers. ... Jerry and Esther Hicks in 2007 Esther Hicks is an inspirational speaker, and best-selling author. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Dr. Bruce Wilkinson is a well known Christian teacher and book writer. ... The Prayer of Jabez : Breaking Through to the Blessed Life is an inspirational book published in 2000 by Bruce Wilkinson as the first book in the BreakThrough book series. ... Joel Scott Hayley Osteen (born March 5, 1963[2] in Houston, Texas) is the senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, North America’s largest[3] and 2006s fastest growing church,[4] averaging more than 47,000 attendees at weekly services. ... The Secret may refer to: The Secret, an episode the of NBC sitcom The Office. ... Binomial name Ucla xenogrammus Holleman, 1993 The largemouth triplefin, Ucla xenogrammus, is a fish of the family Tripterygiidae and only member of the genus Ucla, found in the Pacific Ocean from Viet Nam, the Philippines, Palau and the Caroline Islands to Papua New Guinea, Australia (including Christmas Island), and the... This article is about the city of Oxford in England. ... For other uses, see Talk Radio. ... “Publisher” redirects here. ... Oprah and Friends is a talk radio channel programmed by Harpo Productions newly formed radio division, and is signed exclusively for XM Satellite Radio. ... XM Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: XMSR) is a satellite radio service in the United States based in Washington, DC and controlled by News Corporations DirecTV, General Motors, American Honda, Hughes Electronics, and several private investment groups. ... James Randi (born August 7, 1928), stage name The Amazing Randi, is a stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. ...

Principles

Many people who accept the Law of Attraction as a guide for right living do so on the basis of their faith in the Universe and The Universe's 'Laws'; thus, to them, the nature of the 'Law' is not one to be settled scientifically, and the word 'Law' carries the same belief-based weight as non-scientific 'Laws' from other religions, such as the 'Law of Karma' and the Ten Commandments. This is especially true among those who are adherents of various New Thought. One common way that New Thought adherents utilize the Law of Attraction is through the practice of positive affirmations. For other uses, see Karma (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Ten Commandments (disambiguation). ... The New Thought Movement or New Thought is comprised of a loosely allied group of denominations, organizations, authors, philosophers, and individuals who share a set of metaphysical beliefs concerning healing, life force, visualization, and personal power. ... The New Thought Movement or New Thought is comprised of a loosely allied group of denominations, organizations, authors, philosophers, and individuals who share a set of metaphysical beliefs concerning healing, life force, visualization, and personal power. ... Affirmations are a way to control your mind. ...

Some proponents of a more modern version of the Law of Attraction claim that it has roots in Quantum Physics. According to them, thoughts have an energy that attracts like energy.^[1] In order to control this energy, proponents state that people must practice four things: ^[24] Fig. ...

• Know what one desires and ask the universe for it. (The "universe" is mentioned broadly, stating that it can be anything the individual envisions it to be, from God to an unknown source of energy.)
• Focus one's thought upon the thing desired with great feeling such as enthusiasm or gratitude.
• Feel and behave as if the object of one's desire is already acquired.
• Be open to receiving it.

Thinking of what one does not have, they say, manifests itself in the perpetuation of not having, while if one abides by these principles, and avoids "negative" thoughts, the Universe will manifest a person's desires. ^[24] This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ...

This list of four steps, couched in quasi-scientific terms, is quite similar to, and was influenced by, the panentheistic "Seven Steps in Demonstration" first outlined in the book Become What You Believe by Mildred Mann (1904 - 1971): Panentheism (Greek words: pan=all and Theos=God) is the view that God is immanent within all creation and that the universe is part of God or that God is the animating force behind the universe. ... Mildred Mann (1904 - 1971) was active in the New Thought Movement and taught metaphysics in New York City. ...

• Desire. Get a strong enthusiasm for that which you want in your life, a real longing for something which is not there now.
• Decision. Know definitely what it is that you want, what it is that you want to do or have, and be willing to pay in spiritual values.
• Ask. [When sure and enthusiastic] ask for it in simple, concise language. . .
• Believe. Believe in the accomplishment with strong faith, consciously and subconsciously.
• Work. Work at it. . . a few minutes daily, seeing yourself in the finished picture. Never outline details, but rather see yourself enjoying the particular thing . . . Eventually, you will see a time where it will just appear, as a gift or such, or you may see an opportunity to get what you were asking for.
• Feel gratitude. Always remember to say, "Thank you, God [or the universe]," and begin to feel the gratitude in your heart. The most powerful prayer we can ever make is those three words, provided we really feel it. Feel as though you already have what you wanted.
• Feel expectancy. Train yourself to live in a state of happy expectancy... Find a way it will appear in your life, and keep believing in that. May it be that someone gives it to you, or you find an initiation to get it.

Criticism

The Law of Attraction, especially in its less religious contexts, has been criticized for

• Implying the law has a scientific foundation when no such basis exists,^[1]
• Not defining its methodology correctly according to denominational New Thought practitioners,^[25]

Criticism of the Law of Attraction comes from other directions as well.

In the mainstream media, talk show hosts such as Larry King have pointed at the sufferings in the world and asked, "If the Universe manifests abundance at a mere thought why is there so much poverty, starvation and death?" This theological problem is known as Theodicy. Mass media is the term used to denote, as a class, that section of the media specifically conceived and designed to reach a very large audience (typically at least as large as the whole population of a nation state). ... A talk show (U.S.) or chat show (Brit. ... This article is about the television show host. ... For other uses, see Universe (disambiguation). ... A boy from an East Cipinang trash dump slum in Jakarta, Indonesia shows what he found. ... This article is about extreme malnutrition. ... For other uses, see Death (disambiguation), Dead (disambiguation), or Death (band). ... Theodicy (IPA: ) (adjectival form theodicean) is a specific branch of theology and philosophy that attempts to reconcile the existence of evil or suffering in the world with the belief in an omniscient, omnipotent, and benevolent God, i. ...

It has also been pointed out that most of the people discussed in recent books on the subject live in a culture that has paths to allow people to overcome adversity and that the same is not true for much of the world.^[1] The same cannot be said of earlier proponents of the Law of Attraction, however, especially those who, like Wallace Wattles (1860–1911), claimed in his book The Science of Getting Rich (1910) to have used the principle to rise from a life of grinding poverty to one of merely comfortable industry. For other uses, see Culture (disambiguation). ... Wallace D. Wattles Wallace Delois Wattles (1860-1911) was an American New Thought author and a pioneer success writer. ... The Science of Getting Rich is a book written by Wallace D. Wattles published in 1910. ...

Scientists are critical of the lack of falsifiability and testability of the claims. All of the evidence is both anecdotal and, because of the self-selecting nature of positive reports as well as the subjective nature of any results, highly susceptible to misinterpretations like confirmation bias and selection bias. For a List of scientists, see: List of anthropologists List of astronomers List of biologists List of chemists List of computer scientists List of economists List of engineers List of geologists List of inventors List of mathematicians List of meteorologists List of physicists Scientist pairs List of scientist pairs See... Falsifiability (or refutability or testability) is the logical possibility that an assertion can be shown false by an observation or a physical experiment. ... Testability, a property applying to an empirical hypothesis, involves two components: (1) the logical property that is variously described as contingency, defeasibility, or falsifiability, which means that counterexamples to the hypothesis are logically possible, and (2) the practical feasibility of observing a reproducible series of such counterexamples if they do... An anecdote is a short tale told about an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... It has been suggested that Myside bias be merged into this article or section. ... Selection bias is the error of distorting a statistical analysis by pre- or post-selecting the samples. ...

The few claims by proponents that seem to reference modern scientific theory remain under question. While brainwaves do have an electrical signal, it is unclear what principles of quantum physics behave the way proponents of the Law of Attraction claim.^[1] Opponents claim that the use of the term "Law" and the vague references to quantum physics to bridge any unexplained or seemingly implausible effects are hallmark traits of modern pseudoscience ideas. Electroencephalography is the neurophysiologic exploration of the electrical activity of the brain by the application of electrodes to the scalp. ... For the Analog Science Fiction and Science Fact publication, see Astounding Magazine. ... Fig. ... A typical 18th century phrenology chart. ...

Within spiritual circles, the Law of Attraction has been criticized for conflating ego with the higher self, and promoting narcissism.^{[citation needed]} The concept is also criticized by members of various predestinarian and fundamentalist Christian denominations, due to its deviance from their teachings. Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit. ... eGO is a company that builds electric motor scooters which are becoming popular for urban transportation and vacation use. ... The term Higher Self concerns an aspect of multiple belief systems. ... This article is about narcissism as a word in common use. ... Predestination is a religious idea, under which the relationship between the beginning of things and the destiny of things is discussed. ... Fundamentalism is a movement to maintain strict adherence to founding principles. ...

See also

The New Thought movement, a religio-metaphysical healing group, was founded by Phineas Parkhurst Quimby[1](1802-66) of Belfast, Maine, an American mental healer, student of mesmerism, and practitioner of hypnosis, who claimed he could heal by mere suggestion. ... For other uses, see Affirmation (disambiguation). ... Attitude is a key concept in social psychology. ... William Walker Atkinson (December 5, 1862 - November 22, 1932) was a very important and influential American figure in the early days of the New Thought Movement. ... Wallace D. Wattles Wallace Delois Wattles (1860-1911) was an American New Thought author and a pioneer success writer. ... Elizabeth Towne was the founder and publisher of Nautilus Magazine, a journal of the New Thought Movement. ... Napoleon Hill Napoleon Hill (October 26, 1883–November 8, 1970) was an American author who was one of the earliest producers of the modern genre of personal-success literature. ... Categories: Possible copyright violations ... Ernest Shurtleff Holmes (1887-1960) was the founder of a movement known as Religious Science, also known as Science of Mind, a part of the New Thought Movement. ... Church of Religious Science Religious Science, also known as Science of Mind, was founded in 1927 by Ernest Holmes (1887–1960) and is a religious movement within the New Thought Movement. ... Dr. Norman Vincent Peale (May 31, 1898 – December 24, 1993) was a Protestant preacher and author (most notably of The Power of Positive Thinking) and a progenitor of the theory of positive thinking. // Peale was born in Bowersville, Ohio and died in Pawling, New York. ... The Secret may refer to: The Secret, an episode the of NBC sitcom The Office. ... Manifestation refers to a concept of either recurring or transitive phenomena, as instances which become manifest or realised. ... The Emerald Tablet, also known as Smaragdine Table, Tabula Smaragdina, or The Secret of Hermes, is an ancient text purporting to reveal the secret of the primordial substance and its transmutations. ... For the specific Pentecostal and charismatic teaching, see Word of Faith. ... Jerry and Esther Hicks in 2007 Esther Hicks is an inspirational speaker, and best-selling author. ... As a Man Thinketh is a literary work of James Allen, published in 1902. ... Look up Unity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Synchronicity is the experience of two or more events which occur in a meaningful manner, but which are causally inexplicable to the person or persons experiencing them. ...

References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further reading

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

The Science of Getting Rich

• The Secret (November 28, 2006) Rhonda Byrne, Beyond Words Publishing, ISBN 978-1582701707