The concept of the Law of Attraction has become almost mainstream in American culture today. Instruction abounds. There's "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill, the Seth material channeled by Jane Roberts, the Abraham teachings by Esther and Jerry Hicks, and, of course, the movie "The Secret."
Essentially the Law of Attraction (LoA) states that "like attracts like," meaning that our thoughts are magnets drawing into our lives the equivalent of what we think. LoA makes it clear that positive thoughts are the way to go.
Yet some of us work hard on undoing negative patterns by consciously choosing life-affirming thoughts and still don't seem to manifest what we desire. And we all know or have read about people who have wonderful life circumstances but are chronically dissatisfied and unhappy. Despite negative attitudes, some people seem able to maintain wealth, health and relationships.
So what is going on when positive-thinking and the Law of Attraction do not seem to work?
Well, it might be karma accumulated from previous lifetimes that is either being burned off (so it appears LoA is not working even though it is) or being frittered away (some people may have a karmic surplus that they are squandering in this lifetime). But there is another way to understand the Law of Attraction that appeals to me and it is this: limitless abundance and endless supply are simply the memory of God within our minds. With that memory comes a legacy of inner peace, love and joy.
The great contemporary spiritual teachings from A Course in Miracles (ACIM) explain that we have built barriers within our mind to our rightful spiritual inheritance of Love, Peace and Joy. True abundance is claiming this inheritance by letting go of what we think we want, and accepting what is actually ours. This inheritance consists of qualities and ideals--not possessions and ownership.
ACIM advises, "Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world." As we do this, it becomes clear that true abundance is simply a state of mind. It has nothing to do with manifesting material things. Abundance is actually an effortless by-product of connecting with Spirit.
Some ways we can connect with Spirit are meditation, prayer, the ACIM forgiveness practice, contemplation, receptive listening, mindfulness, and surrendering our identification with the ego (our personal self) to Spiritual Guidance. The outcome is a re-identification with our Source, with the Loving Light that is God within us. And this radiant halo of abundance emanates peace, love and joy through our lives--no matter what our circumstances.
Manipulating our worldly lives is a very small goal compared with reconnecting with Spiritual Truth. Within the Truth lies True Abundance. When we undo our identification with the ego, we find we are children of God, empowered by God. Our lives are illuminated with God's Love and we can't help but overflow this Love. Our very presence becomes inspiring because we are living, breathing conduits of God. Our very presence comforts people because they sense that we see the best in them, non-judgmentally and unconditionally.
When the Law of Attraction doesn't seem to work, stop saying affirmations and doing positive-thinking exercises. Instead, give every thought you have, good or bad, to Spirit and allow the principle, "Giving is receiving" to save the day.
© 2009 Amy Torres
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Amy Torres is a Gestalt psychotherapist, interfaith minister, and yoga instructor. She teaches A Course in Miracles, which is the foundation of all her work. She has developed the Language of Love, Harmony & Beauty©, a form of emotionally responsible communication, conflict negotiation, and a way of "undoing" our identification with the ego. To see Amy's videos, sign up for her free newsletter, and receive a free gift, visit www.amytorresacim.com