Law of Attraction is the new name given to the old maxim “like attracts like”, which was used in New Thought philosophy to summarize the idea that, by focusing on positive or negative thoughts, a person brings positive or negative experiences into his life. The concept behind this belief is the idea that the manifested reality is “pure energy”, that is, the very same matter of thoughts; and, consequently, the belief that like energy attracts like energy, or like thoughts attract like thoughts, manifesting themselves into reality.
History of the New Thought movement
The New Thought was a spiritual movement, rooted in United States and England, which started in the 1830s and had its heydey at the turn of the 20th century; its influence has helped cultural and social changes, spreading throughout the last century up to the present day. New Thought has been labelled “the religion of healthy-mindedness” by psychologist and philosopher William James, in his study on religion and science, The Varieties of Religious Experience.
Early New Thought leaders were mostly rooted in American Christianity and shared a Romantic interest in metaphysics and in Socrates’ notion of universal science, Another important influence on early New Thought leaders was the Calvinistic belief in the absolute sovereignty of God.
At the turn of the 19th century, many other spiritual movements bloomed from similar interests, such as Christian Science, Transcendental Meditation, Theosophy. Before that New Thought established as a real movement, some influential figures were offering teachings which later contributed to it. One of these figures was Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), the founder of the 18th century New Church, whose influence clearly extended on many New Thought writings on the Bible. Another one was Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) whose philosophical movement of Transcendentalism was absorbed by the New Thought. Moreover, very influential was also the work of Franz Mesmer (1734-1815) on hypnosis.
Scholars widely recognise Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (1802-1866) as the founder of the New Thought movement. Although his main concern was health, we can clearly see that his basic premise was similar to the principle of the Law of Attraction claimed by the New Thought. In The Quimby Manuscripts (written between 1846 and 1865, but published in 1921) we read:
[…] the trouble is in the mind, for the body is only the house for the mind to dwell in, and we put a value on it according to its worth. Therefore if your mind has been deceived by some invisible enemy into a belief, you have put it into the form of a disease, with or without your knowledge. By my theory or truth I come in contact with your enemy, and restore you to your health and happiness. This I do partly mentally and partly by talking till I correct the wrong impressions and establish the Truth, and the Truth is the cure.
The first time that the term ‘law of attraction’ appeared in print was in 1877, in the book Isis Unveiled by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891), she who founded the Theosophical Society in 1875, in New York City, along with Col. Henry Steel Olcott.
The idea that the law of attraction could not only affect physical and mental health, but every other aspect of man’s life, is due to New Thought authors such as Prentice Mulford (1834-1891), William Walker Atkinson (1862-1932), Ralph Waldo Trine (1866-1958), by the end of the 19th century.
In the 20th century, the interest in the subject went increasing more and more, and many books were written about it. Two of the best-selling books of all time drew from the ground of the New Thought concepts: Think and Grow Rich (1937) by Napoleon Hill (1883-1970), and You Can Heal Your Life (1984) by Louise Hay (b. 1926). Between them, we may mention also that great Master who was Neville Goddard (1905-1972) with his books and his numerous lectures.
During the 1960s and 1970s, with the birth and development of the New Age movement, many New Thought ideas were resumed and revitalised. Even the new approach to communication and personal development, called Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), owes much to the teachings of the New Thought authors and their prosecutors.
In recent times, the LoA gained a large renewed visibility with the release of the movie The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (b. 1945), in 2006, with the participation of Esther Hicks; from the movie, a book of the same title was derived in 2007.
Basic principles of the Law of Attraction
After reading how other authors have organised the subject, I would suggest here a different approach, that goes deeper into the essence of what actually the LoA implies. My interpretive framework follows that of the famous book named The Kybalion: Hermetic Philosophy, published anonymously by a person (or persons) under the pseudonym of “the Three Initiates” in 1908. The book claims to be prosecuting the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus, whose essence would be summarised in the following Seven Principles:
1 — MENTALISM
2 — CORRESPONDENCE
3 — VIBRATION
4 — POLARITY
5 — RHYTHM
6 — CAUSE AND EFFECT
7 — GENDER
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1 — MENTALISM
THEALLisMIND;TheUniverseisMental.
From The Kybalion:
This Principle embodies the truth that All is Mind. It explains that THE ALL (which is the Substantial Reality underlying […] all that is apparent to our material senses) is SPIRIT, which in itself is UNKNOWABLE and UNDEFINABLE, but which may be considered and thought of as AN UNIVERSAL, INFINITE, LIVING MIND.
It also explains that all the phenomenal world or universe is simply a Mental Creation of THE ALL, subject to the Laws of Created Things, and that the universe, as a whole, and in its parts or units, has its existence in the Mind of THE ALL, in which Mind we “live and move and have our being”. […] An understanding of this great hermetic Principle of Mentalism enables the individual to readily grasp the laws of the Mental Universe, and to apply the same to his well-being and advancement.
The Hermetic Student is enabled to apply intelligently the great Mental Laws, instead of using them in a haphazard manner. […] This Principle explains the true nature of “Energy,” “Power,” and “Matter,” and why and how all these are subordinate to the Mastery of Mind.
One of the old Hermetic Masters wrote, long ages ago: “He who grasps the truth of the Mental Nature of the Universe is well advanced on The Path to Mastery.” […] Without this Master-Key, Mastery is impossible, and the student knocks in vain at the many doors of The Temple.
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2 — CORRESPONDENCE
Asabove,sobelow;asbelowsoabove.
From The Kybalion:
This Principle embodies the truth that there is always a Correspondence between the laws and phenomena of the various planes of Being and Life. […] There are planes beyond our knowing, but when we apply the Principle of Correspondence to them we are able to understand much that would otherwise be unknowable to us.
This Principle is of universal application and manifestation, on the various planes of the material, mental, and spiritual universe — it is an Universal Law. The ancient Hermetists considered this Principle as one of the most important mental instruments by which man was able to pry aside the obstacles which hid from view the Unknown.
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3 — VIBRATION
Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.
From The Kybalion:
This Principle embodies the truth that “everything is in motion”; “everything vibrates”; “nothing is at rest”; facts which Modern Science endorses, and which each new scientific discovery tends to verify. […] This Principle explains that the differences between different manifestations of Matter, Energy, Mind, and even Spirit, result largely from varying rates of Vibration. From the ALL, which is Pure Spirit, down to the grossest form of Matter, all is in vibration — the higher the vibration, the higher the position in the scale. The vibration of Spirit is at such an infinite rate of intensity and rapidity that it is practically at rest — just as a rapidly moving wheel seems to be motionless. And at the other end of the scale, there are gross forms of matter whose vibrations are so low as to seem at rest.
Between these poles, there are millions upon millions of varying degrees of vibration. From corpuscle and electron, atom and molecule, to worlds and universes, everything is in vibratory motion. This is also true on the planes of energy and force (which are but varying degrees of vibration); and also on the mental planes (whose states depend upon vibrations); and even on to the spiritual planes.
An understanding of this Principle, with the appropriate formulas, enables Hermetic students to control their own mental vibrations as well as those of others. The Masters also apply this Principle to the conquering of Natural phenomena, in various ways. “He who understands the Principle of Vibration, has grasped the sceptre of Power,” says one of the old writers.
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4 — POLARITY
Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled.
From The Kybalion:
This Principle embodies the truth that “everything is dual“; “everything has two poles“; “everything has its pair of opposites,” all of which were old Hermetic axioms. It explains the old paradoxes, that have perplexed so many, which have been stated as follows: “Thesis and anti- thesis are identical in nature, but different in degree”; “opposites are the same, differing only in degree”; “the pairs of opposites may be reconciled”; “extremes meet”; “everything is and isn’t, at the same time”; “all truths are but half-truths”; “every truth is half-false”; “there are two sides to everything,” etc., etc., etc. It explains that in everything there are two poles, or opposite aspects, and that “opposites” are really only the two extremes of the same thing, with many varying degrees between them. […]
The same Principle manifests in the case of “Light and Darkness,” which are the same thing, the difference consisting of varying degrees between the two poles of the phenomena. Where does “darkness” leave off, and “light” begin? What is the difference between “Large and Small”? Between “Hard and Soft”? Between “Black and White”? Between “Sharp and Dull”? Between “Noise and Quiet”? Between “High and Low”? Between “Positive and Negative”?
The Principle of Polarity explains these paradoxes, and no other Principle can supersede it. The same Principle operates on the Mental Plane. […] And you will therefore realize the possibility of this being accomplished by the use of the Will, by means of the Hermetic formulas. “Good and Evil” are but the poles of the same thing, and the Hermetist understands the art of transmuting Evil into Good, by means of an application of the Principle of Polarity.
In short, the “Art of Polarization” becomes a phase of “Mental Alchemy” known and practiced by the ancient and modern Hermetic Masters. An understanding of the Principle will enable one to change his own Polarity, as well as that of others, if he will devote the time and study necessary to master the art.
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5 — RHYTHM
Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates.
From The Kybalion:
This Principle embodies the truth that in everything there is manifested a measured motion, to and fro; a flow and inflow; a swing backward and forward; a pendulum-like movement; a tide-like ebb and flow; a high-tide and low-tide; between the two poles which exist in accordance with the Principle of Polarity described a moment ago. There is always an action and a reaction; an advance and a retreat a rising and a sinking. This is in the affairs of the Universe, suns, worlds, men, animals, mind, energy, and matter. This law is manifest in the creation and destruction of worlds; in the rise and fall of nations; in the life of all things; and finally in the mental states of Man (and it is with this latter that the Hermetists find the understanding of the Principle most important).
The Hermetists have grasped this Principle, finding its universal application, and have also discovered certain means to overcome its effects in themselves by the use of the appropriate formulas and methods. They apply the Mental Law of Neutralization. They cannot annul the Principle, or Cause it to cease its operation, but they have learned how to escape its effects upon themselves to a certain degree depending upon the Mastery of the Principle. They have learned how to USE it, instead of being USED BY it.
In this and similar methods, consist the Art of the Hermetists. The Master of Hermetics polarizes himself at the point at which he desires to rest, and then neutralizes the Rhythmic swing of the pendulum which would tend to carry him to the other pole. […] This Principle and that of Polarity have been closely studied by the Hermetists, and the methods of counteracting, neutralizing and USING them form an important part of the Hermetic Mental Alchemy.
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6 — CAUSE AND EFFECT
Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the Law.
From The Kybalion:
This Principle embodies the fact that there is a Cause for every Effect; an Effect from every Cause. It explains that: “Everything Happens according to Law”; that nothing ever “merely happens”; that there is no such thing as Chance; that while there are various planes of Cause and Effect, the higher dominating the lower planes, still nothing ever entirely escapes the Law.
The Hermetists understand the art and methods of rising above the ordinary plane of Cause and Effect, to a certain degree, and by mentally rising to a higher plane they become Causers instead of Effects. […] They USE the Principle instead of being its tools. The Masters obey the Causation of the higher planes, but they help to RULE on their own plane. In this statement there is condensed a wealth of Hermetic knowledge — let him read who can.
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7 — GENDER
Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine
Principles Gender; manifests on all planes.
From The Kybalion:
This Principle embodies the truth that there is GENDER manifested in everything — the Masculine and Feminine Principles ever at work. This is true not only of the Physical Plane, but of the Mental and even the Spiritual Planes. On the Physical Plane, the Principle manifests as SEX, on the higher planes it takes higher forms, but the Principle is ever the same. No creation, physical, mental or spiritual, is possible without this Principle. An understanding of its laws will throw light on many a subject that has perplexed the minds of men.
The Principle of Gender works ever in the direction of generation, regeneration, and creation. Everything, and every person, contains the two Elements or Principles, or this great Principle, within it, him or her. Every Male thing has the Female Element also; every Female contains also the Male Principle. If you would understand the philosophy of Mental and Spiritual Creation, Generation, and Re-generation, you must understand and study this Hermetic Principle. It contains the solution of many mysteries of Life.
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The above are the basic expressions of the Seven Hermetic Principles, or Cosmic Laws, asserted by The Kybalion. From these, I’m showing how any other principle, foundation or feature attributable to the LoA, can easily be brought back to those basic Cosmic Laws.