Law of Attraction: June Video, Episode 1
June 9, 2010 We are so happy to share our very first video that we've recorded with our new co-host, Tiffany, with you this morning! We chose an awesome topic for this month's videos: the Law of Attraction. Some of you may be rolling your eyes and thinking it's' a bunch of hooey, some of you might be really excited-- we realize it's a slightly controversial topic, and we wanted to tackle it!
Do you believe in the Law of Attraction? How does it play into your belief system? Do you think it's a whole lot of nonsense? We want to know! In this first video of June, the 4 of us chatted about the Law of Attraction and our varying degrees of belief.
So share your highly opinionated, umm, opinions on the topic with us! Because we know you have them-- most people seem to.
Enjoy! (Tiffany is just about the cutest lady ever, so you won't want to miss her debut in our 4-person conversation.) And make sure you come back next week when we dive deeper into the Law of Attraction and how it plays out in our lives. (Or maybe it doesn't play out. Aren't you curious now?)
Oh, and we don't know why Michelle is so dark in this video. It's a mystery! Just pretend like you can see her face in its full-lit glory. :)
All of the Resources Mentioned in Video
- The Secret
- Positive Psychology
- Turnaround Your Negative Thoughts (blog post by Carolyn)
- The Work of Byron Katie (how to identify and question thoughts that aren't helpful)
Carolyn Rubenstein| Jessica Swift| Michelle Ward| Tiffany Moore in Law of Attraction, Video
Reader Comments (14)
I think this is one of my favorite videos! I really loved tackling this topic together. Tiffany, you are amazing :)!!
What a great video, thanks lovely ladies:D
Oh I see I am one of the first to comment...scary, ha ha...
I am like you Michelle, I am an Optimistic Pessimist... .I always try to see the positive side first, that's just my nature BUT I've been kicked in the butt enough times too to know there's possibly going to be a downside of some kind because well not everyones always happy to see your happy and doing well, etc..Though, I am finally learning to get over that worry and just go with the positive but definatly once in awhile the cyncial ways do pop back up like nasty, ugly little gremlins, that you have to swat away!
I also have this bad habit of worrying when I am extra extra happy or extra lucky...I always feel like there will be backlash to knock me down a peg or two, which is totally ridiculous because I know we must ride the highs of life whiles we can because the lows will ineviteably come...I guess this is where law of attraction gets interesting for me...if I let go of all the negative people in my life who punish me for my good fortune, will those who are happy in their own lives and therefore able to fully support other people in their happiness, well will I find my way to those positive people and vice versa?...and do I have to actively seek them out, or if I believe there out there, will the universe just present us to one another?
This is my current take on Law of Attraction anyhow:D Thanks for listening...
I'll definatly be back for your other installments:D
Be Well, Mandy Saile of Bijou's Whimsy
www.bijouswhimsy.com
This was such a great video girls! I love what Jess said about letting go of the drama of not believing in yourself. I wrote a line today, part of which says - there is possibility in awareness. Those particular words lit up for me, and really got me thinking, and your post today has me thinking even further. We can't be present or clearly see our possibilities through a bunch of drama.
And before I go, I must add that I used the word hooey (for the first time ever) in my post today, what a coinkydink! :)
Full disclosure: I am one of those who cringes when hearing about the "Law of Attraction." I don't just think it's too woo-woo nor is it just nonsense; I actually think it's harmful when swallowed as a whole tablet and, at least in this episode, you've glossed over much of what makes LoA controversial.
Don't get me wrong, I do believe there is power in positive thinking, in visualization and in setting intentions. I think these things can improve your life.
However, I don't believe our thoughts are the one controlling factor in our lives and that's really the premise of LoA/The Secret, and what results is a blame-the-victim mentality I just can't get behind. The fisherman in the Gulf of Mexico out of work because of the BP oil spill, the victims of hurricanes and tsunamis did not bring their misfortune upon themselves. Those stricken by famine aren't just giving off the wrong vibrations. Victims of abuse and assault weren't asking for it. As written―at least in The Secret, I haven't read any of Hicks' writing― these are logical and sound outcomes of the LoA.
Don't want to be overweight? Then don't spend time with overweight people. People with chronic illnesses brought them upon themselves through their negative thoughts and expectations and should, therefore, also be avoided. This is all LoA and, honestly, it offends me.
I'm curious if any of the ladies of Spring have read the entirety of The Secret or any of Esther Hicks' books? Are you 100% adherents to this kind of thinking or are you using "Law of Attraction" when you are actually speaking more generally about the effects of positive thinking? And, if so, why say LoA?
@Angelique I can't speak for all the ladies, but can respond for myself. Thank you for leaving a comment and contributing to the conversation. Law of Attraction has become a wildly popular term, but has many different meanings as you mention. I've read The Secret and a bit of Esther Hicks. At its essence, I don't believe the Law of Attraction is about placing blame or judgment on anyone, especially due to circumstances beyond our control. I actually first read The Secret during my last year of college, and it was recommended by a friend going through cancer at the time. My friend enjoyed the book because it helped him let go of the "victim" mentality so he could focus less on the suffering and more on the positive moments occurring in his life, regardless of his illness. Personally, I believe the Law of Attraction grounds an individual in the present moment, which in turn creates the opportunity for more happiness. When we're stuck in the past or lost in the suffering, hope becomes dismal.
Very interesting topic of discussion. I actually had to look up the official definition of the Law of Attraction, because the discussion started and I wasn't sure what you girls were referring to! I've learned something new today, so that is nice!
I don't believe in any kind of force making things happen just through your thoughts in itself. There's definitely power in focusing on something and really concentrating your efforts. I believe it's a state of mind. Because you are focused, you become more keen to the opportunities that are around you related to the thing you are focused on. It's like when you learn about something and suddenly it seems to be popping up all over conversations or events in your life. I think you just happened to notice now that you are more informed!
Perhaps the focus, attention and thought just gives you more confidence and it certainly is important to believe in possibility. Otherwise, you are shutting yourself out...or perhaps boxing yourself in! I do not think you can just sit around and think therefore influencing your chance - that sort of goes against the definition of chance, right?
That was a great video! I'm excited to see the next video because I know I need to start doing a better job of implementing the law of attraction into my life and my business if for nothing else than to "let go of the drama of not believing in myself" (best quote ever! hehe)
I also connected with what Michelle was saying about always expecting the other shoe to drop. I like to say that I'm Pessimistically Optimistic because I always expect the worst and hope for the best. I would rather be pleasantly surprised that something awesome happened rather than be crushed when I put all of my effort into something that didn't work out. Maybe not the best way of looking at the world but I'm trying to be more "whatever happens, happens for a reason" but it's hard. : )
I adore the teachings of Abraham-Hicks. I appreciate their humor and down-to-earthness.
Esther Hicks was in the first version of the film, "The Secret," but they were not in the second version due to some legal issues. I've heard them talk about how their explanation of the Law of Attraction was censored (namely leaving out the word "vibration").
I haven't seen the second version of "The Secret" nor have I read the book. A few years ago, I saw several of the authors discuss the Law of Attraction on talk shows and was disheartened when they not only disagreed amongst themselves, but didn't understand the Law of Attraction as I understand it.
The universal truths of the Law of Attraction are really nothing new. I think they are just packaged in a new way under the term, Law of Attraction.
The idea that simply thinking about something and, poof, it will happen, is a distortion of what I understand the Law of Attraction to mean.
It is about your desire and belief being a match. It is about trusting your internal guidance system. It is about being aware of your feelings and gradually moving up the emotional scale so that you are a vibrational match to your visions. It is about taking inspired action. It is about self-responsibility. It is about becoming who you really are.
When I discovered the teachings of Abraham-Hicks and wholeheartedly embraced them, my life dramatically changed in the most positive of ways. And believe me, I had read hundreds of spiritual and self-help books through the years, not to mention taking MANY workshops. I spun around in my own self-awareness going around in circles , but no real lasting change occurred.
It took me awhile to absorb and understand the simple and yet rich complexities of what the the Law of Attraction means (via the teachings from Abraham-Hicks) and how to directly apply these principles to my life. I LOVE IT!
Wow, everyone, I am LOVING all this discussion about the Law of Attraction! This video really was so much fun to make and it's really great to hear all of your thoughts on LOA as well.
I think that LOA might mean different things to different people and we all (those who believe in it) implement it into our lives in different ways. This is one reason that we chose to actually talk about how we each define it in this video instead of just focusing on one prescribed definition based on something like The Secret.
For the record, I have not read The Secret, but I did listen to the audio version a few years ago. I found the core message to be very powerful, but like Angelique, I did disagree strongly with some of the ideas it put out there, especially in regards to large-scale global disasters. I also think that The Secret doesn't seem to put a ton of emphasis on the power of personal commitment and HARD WORK.
Carolyn & Tiffany, thanks so much for responding. I worried my response might seem a bit hypercritical, but hoped I was recognized as a supporter of Spring--just one who was approaching this topic with a bit of trepidation!
While it's true LoA, as discussed in The Secret, specifically warns against placing blame, the author has also said, "The law of attraction is absolute; it is impersonal and it is precise and exact. This law governs this reciprocal universe that we live in. [...] In a large-scale tragedy, like 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, etc., we see that the law of attraction responds to people being at the wrong place at the wrong time because their dominant thoughts were on the same frequency of such events. Now, this doesn't mean that they thought of the same exact event, but if their dominant thoughts and feelings were in alignment with the energy of fear, separation, powerlessness and having no control over outside circumstances, then that is what they attracted." (link) So, her perspective is that, if you believe in the LoA, nothing really is beyond your control. What comes is what you have attracted.
Though I am glad your friend had a good experience with The Secret, I know some cancer patients for whom it created unnecessary worry, that when they weren't capable of being positive and upbeat about their circumstances they were actively making themselves worse, attracting further cancer or speeding up the growth of existing tumors. If your happy thoughts are the cure, then it follows that your negative thoughts bring on additional disease and I've seen people with a lot of guilt over the role of their attitude in their care and recovery.
I do think one of the positive messages of The Secret is actually against a victim mentality, at least when approaching the pains of your past, suggesting you view them in whatever positive light you can muster. I believe in that quite strongly, but--just like positive thinking and visualization--I believed in this prior to reading The Secret and choose to identify them as strategies separate from the LoA because I can't accept it's more controversial claims and suggestions.
I think the idea in some of the comments that LoA can mean whatever we want it to can cloud the issue, particularly for someone like me who has a negative association with the term (while maintaining a positive association for things like setting your intention or positive thinking). However, as Violet's comment shows, the definition of the term has variation even among experts! Thanks for sharing your definitions and being more specific about what readings on this subject you've done.
i know i am a little late in watching it, but great discussion ladies. michelle, i loved your bit on "waiting for the other shoe to drop." this is definitely something i continue to struggle with. you left me with a lot to ponder!
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