The Flaw in the Law of Attraction
"You can't have it all... where would you put it?" - Steven Wright That term the law of attraction burst on the scene with the unexpected popularity of two movies, "The Secret" and "What the Bleep Do We Know." The Secret garnered the most attention and the term law of attraction became a part of everyday consciousness.
Though it seemed to hold great promise, 15 years later, the world is in worse shape than ever, people are struggling more than ever and, with the possible exceptions of a handful of people, it hasn't worked at all. Is it totally false? Was it just magic thinking? Why were all those hopes dashed?
There is a flaw in this law. Actually, LOA it is not a law at all. It is a phenomena. There is a connection between our internal state and the quality of life we experience. That is self-evident to anyone who looks closely enough. But when the idea gets entertained that "I can have it all" we embark on a path that leads us deeper into the self-absorption and materialism that is litrally choking the world.
When one struggling, it is common to believe that, if I only get
more money
more opportunity
a great relationship
perfect health
then I will be happy and free. This is demonstrably false but is so deeply engrained in our consumption based, materialistic culture that is it not scrutinized. With this misguided premise as our guide, ewe then set out to use something like this belief in a law of attraction to attain the things that have no chance of ever delivering what is hoped for.
When they fail to deliver (as they inevitably do) we assume to the self-deprecating guilt we are all too familiar with. It is my fault, I have failed. It is you who is blamed and never the system. I have even heard LOA teachers say that to people. It;s original sin in the back door. The spiritual approach is completely different. It question the source and nature of the desires themselves and, more importantly, the "I" that is holding them. All materialistic desire arises from an acquired belief in lack, a self-image of a broken, lacking person. This deeply held conviction that I am incomplete and broken is amplified by the idea that something outside of myself is needed in order to be whole.
Spirituality has exactly the opposite conviction. You are already whole, complete and perfect, just as you are. But the self-image you are holding is not. You believe yourself to be limited and broken and so experience that. But it is not now nor has it ever been true. The deep seated assumption of being broken, flawed and incomplete manifests as the relentless pursuit of whatever we have been taught to believe will supply the needed missing part. As a result we will act, think and feel as if we are broken and thus life will seem to confirm it. When it is discovered through deep, spiritual self-inquiry that none of those assumptions are true your self-image beings to shift and a new kind of harmony emerge in the everyday affairs of your life. This emergence of this harmony, and all the blessings it brings with it, are not some metaphysical law of attraction. It is not the generous dispensation of some genie of the universe.
It is grace. It is touching the garment of Truth. It is the natural state the true Self.