Law of Attraction: New Age Fantasy?

Have heard about the Law of Attraction? Thisthe German concentration camps. Yes, it was
law states that whatever your predominantgrim and he did not make the concentration
thoughts are that is what you will attract. If youcamps disappear but by working with his
constantly think about all your aches and painsconsciousness he was able to change his internal
and how poor your health is then you will attractcondition. He was then in a much better position
more of the same. On the other hand, if youto help himself and others.
concentrate on abundant health and imagineBut how about actually attracting something? For
yourself healthy and full of energy then you willexample, you decide that you would like an extra
attract health into your life.five thousand dollars next month. You begin to
Some people would argue that the law ofvisualize it and emotionally feel what it would be
attraction is just wishful thinking and could actuallylike to have that extra money. Then a week later
be dangerous. They feel that people who believeyou get a letter that a distant relative has passed
in this so-called law might for example, just hopea way and left you five thousand dollars in their
that a tumor would go away rather than gettingwill. This is not at all an unusual circumstance and
proper medical treatment. Or they might wishmost people probably could point to a few in their
that their bills would go away and end up inown lives. Is this just a coincidence a fluke, a bit
bankruptcy rather than upgrading their skills andof good luck? Or is something else going on?
finding a new job which would enable them to payThis is where it gets interesting. Recent studies in
their debts.such diverse fields as quantum physics, brain scan
Both the critics and proponents would be missingimaging, and distance healing, seem to be indicate
the larger picture if they believed in the above.that something is going on in terms of our ability
Visualizing an ideal outcome is only the first step into affect things at a distance. Larry Dossey, the
the law of attraction. We live in a material worldwell known physician who has done a great deal
so inspired action is also usually required.of work in studying distance healing through
Nevertheless, the visualizing stage will quite oftenprayer, feels that medicine has progressed
reveal possibilities that were unknown or eventhrough three distinct stages.
seem to create synchronous events that seemStage 1 is the traditional 19th century mechanistic
almost magical.view of the body. Stage 2 is the age of
Let's look at a difficult situation such as that of a"psychosomatic medicine" which believes that the
poor African country. One could feel that sincemind can influence the body. Stage 3, which we
there is no food in the environment it is impossibleare just entering, proposes that consciousness is
to attract it. Yes, I agree that wishing for somenot confined to one's individual body. In other
food will not make it magically appear. But, if anwords, an individual's mind may affect not just his
individual was able to stay positive in that veryor her body, but the body of another person,
difficult environment they would have the bestevent or object at a distance.
opportunity to become aware of and availPerhaps it is in these new areas of research that
themselves of an air-drop of refugee supplies.we will begin to understand the Law of Attraction
Victor Frankl did pretty much the same thing inand whether or not it has true validity.