New Age Law of Attraction

News & Events	Photo Gallery	Discussion	Politics	Blog	Shop	Links	Site Map

The New Age and the Law of Attraction

A number of subcultures flourish within the New Age movement – both lofty (like the Integral Theory academics) and not-so-lofty (like the channeling disciples). But the most visible subculture is undoubtedly the cottage industry that promotes prosperity consciousness. This “conscious creation” concept is based on a much-touted Law of Attraction that has been tagging along with idealism for over a century.

Indeed, it often appears that the New Age is only about disseminating the Law of Attraction, and with the runaway success of Rhonda Byrnes DVD and book The Secret over the past few years, this is one of those times. One cannot talk about the New Age without acknowledging this very popular idea which has sustained the New Age book market for decades.

The idea first emerged with the New Thought movement of the early 20th century, which took idealistic principles to their most literal conclusion. Myrtle Fillmore with her Unity Church, Ernest Holmes with his Church of Religious Science, and Mary Baker Eddy with her Christian Science all claimed to have discovered an “ancient law” that says thoughts become real. The universe, says the law, inevitably mirrors your thoughts back to you in the form of concrete things and events, and by thinking correctly, you can produce the outcomes you want.

The Law of Attraction is the basis of literally thousands of other Thoughts Are Things-style books that have appeared since the late 19the century. Every few years, the idea is repackaged and presented as a revolutionary new “secret” that will help people “manifest” their every desire – from money to jobs to houses to love to cures for disease.

These books sell very well because they help people feel empowered. And I do believe there are very valuable ideas wrapped up in the “you create your own reality” philosophy. Idealism tells us that the material world is indeed a mental concept, and that our mental environment has great influence over how this reality of the material world “appears” to us. Idealism also agrees that it behooves us to pay attention to our thoughts and intentions, and notice how much of what happens to us is a result of self-fulfilling prophecy. And certainly, when it comes to the human body, thoughts really are biochemical things that impact physical health and well-being.

But idealism – especially its Eastern varieties -- also tells us that our thoughts are a bunch of meaningless noise churned up by the ego, and that the best tactic in dealing with thoughts is to stop identifying with them.

A dilemma

So on one side of the New Age we have the Zen crowd telling us to stop making our thoughts real with too much attention -- and on the other side we have the manifestation crowd to make our thoughts more real with our attention. It’s a real dilemma.

I was one of those who eagerly embraced the law of attraction when I first encountered it, and I was terribly sincere and earnest in my efforts to wield this new power. It was a wonderful magic wand that I very much wanted to use, but no matter how I waved it or turned it, I could never get the thing work. I blamed myself, as many people do, at least according to the number of seminars I’ve seen advertised in my local paper that begin, “Is ‘The Secret’ not working for you? What to do next…”

If I’d thought about it more carefully, I’d have realized some of the logical inconsistencies of the law – if everything that happens to me is a result of my own belief-injected thoughts, then why am I so often disappointed by expectations unmet, and surprised by events unimagined? And then there is the very offensive “blame the victim” ramifications of the law, which necessarily implies we are responsible for “attracting” events like illnesses, or natural disasters, or criminal attacks.

Still, the notion hangs on, and the notion prospers. I know that many feel “The Secret” works for them, and even those who admit it's not exactly reliable can still feel helped in getting clear on their intentions. That is all well and good. My only problem is that the Law of Attraction canon so often represents a seeker’s first exposure to New Age ideas – and when that seeker finds herself disappointed in the law, she is likely to walk away from the New Age believing the entire movement to be just as intellectually unsound and ineffective.

That is unfortunate, because even though the idea of prosperity consciousness has found wild success within the New Age market, it is not truly supported by New Age idealism. A true spiritual idealist is far more likely to be sitting in meditation and trying to detach from thoughts and outcomes than in trying to manifest them. Yes, there is much common ground between New Thought and New Age, but the Law of Attraction is its own assertive, stand-alone philosophy and should not be equated with the New Age.

For a more in-depth look at what idealism really means when it tells us we “create” our own reality, see Creating Reality in the Philosophy Section. In the meantime, a debate over the issue is always worthwhile and interesting, and you’ll find one unfolding in the Opinion & Debate section.

Here are a few sites that promote and better explain the Law of Attraction:

The Manifest Station

ManifestLife.com

Born to Manifest

Law of Attraction Guide

Manifesting and the Law of Attraction

For further reading on “The Secret:"

The Secret: Wikipedia Entry

Newsweek: Decoding the Secret

Oprah: Discovering the Secret

NY Times: Shaking Riches Out of the Cosmos

Wish for a Cake – and eat it too