Transcript:
Is the law of attraction selling false hope? I can understand that you follow an intention and try to make something work for you in your life, but very often, we're stuck in a movement of opposites. You have a lack of something, a perceived lack of something emotionally and then you project towards an opposite. When you are poor, you might want to be rich. When you have low self-esteem, you might want to be strong.
If you feel like a nobody in the world, you want to have prestige or fame perhaps. This is the desire that the law of attraction speaks to. In my opinion, it's selling false hope. It is continuously putting more energy into that drive to get somewhere, to become something, to achieve. That achieving, that fueling of desire always comes out of initial lack of something. You can keep stuck in that cycle forever, and ever, and ever, and not finding happiness.
The politician does it. The guru does it. The coach does it. The priest does it. They're all on the same bandwagon selling you hope, selling you promise, selling you a future to reach out to.
This is exactly what happens. The politician does it. The guru does it. The coach does it. The priest does it. They're all on the same bandwagon selling you hope, selling you promise, selling you a future to reach out to, but the emotional implications are, you have a lack of something, usually on an emotional level. Therefrom, you project towards an opposite. "I'm poor, I want to be rich." "I have low self-esteem, I want to be somebody in the world." "I'm a nobody, I want to have prestige, fame," whatever it is.
There's no end to it. Once you have achieved what you set out to achieve, it's never enough because that underlying sense of lacking something is still present, and so you move from one thing to the other indefinitely. You can see that around you. Look at the people around you or look at people who have a lot of wealth. It's never enough.
They move from one thing to the other, from more wealth, to more power, to more influence, to having more things, et cetera, et cetera. Keep that in mind. Ask yourself the question, is the law of attraction selling false hope? Is it speaking to your perceived emotional lack of something and thereby fueling more energy into that cycle of opposites, into that cycle of becoming?
Roland thank you, and I personally agree.
Agree that there is a misperception and people can easily be mislead and disappointed.
I think the LoA definitely sells false hope, and makes striving for ego-bound goals the life purpose, which is also a fool’s game.
Robert Fritz outlines a creative method for change that doesn’t begin with resolving opposites or lack, as that moving away just increases the tension that pings us back into our unwanted states.
Being OK with what’s in front or within you right now is a gentle way to assess where you are and then envision a new path that is uniquely yours.
I think it’s about finding a balance. There is nothing wrong with hope or with wanting to be somewhere that you’re not (particularly if you feel stuck) and I think focusing on something that gives you a good feeling can be a really helpful part of healing – to feel that this is possible – even if that’s not where you feel you are currently.
I also agree that accepting where you are is an important part of this and ‘sitting with’ your uncomfortable emotions, sensations and thoughts – when it feels safe to do so – can allow these feelings to begin to change naturally but in order to avoid overwhelm, I think the former has a place too. I think a balance of the two can allow us to move forward naturally and at our own pace.
Thank you Roland.
This resonates so deeply with me. From the time I was born I was raised with the religious idea of God. How I needed him to fix me because I was flawed, a sinner needing to be saved. Later in life I turned to a more spiritual belief system that would help me navigate life. The belief in a benevolent higher power to assist me in this journey. Over the last 2 years even this belief has started to cause doubt. I am experiencing a very dark night of the soul. I’m finding nothing that makes sense anymore. Questioning why I’m even here, what if anything is my purpose? Is there a purpose at all? It’s very disorienting being in this place after 57 years of believing in “something out there” I am now left with nothing. Stripped bare and left empty. Now what?
Now there is the emptynes. And something in you that almost can not bare it. The conceptual self, one that lives and grows from the narratives we dive into. Having a religional narrative, framework of “something out there” is also a way to build and restore this coneptual “you”, as something that is in relation to this higer force. So maybe the dark night, the fear and doubting God or a higher power is so painfull, because it also casts a shadow to “you”. As well as our religional views grow old and we grow out of them, so needs to happen also on our views of self. It too carrys a load of worn out storylines. As childer we start with very concrete images about God as a bearded men sitting on clouds. And slowly life strips away these storylines. The same thing happens to our concept of self.
So now what? Now slowly build safety. You are not in danger. The storylines are dissolving and the unknown that opens underneath them feels scary – because it is yet unknown. Life has made sense due to images and narratives. They have been safety net for analytical and problem solving mind. But maybe life is safe even without that net? Can life be good, meaninfull and rich even without knowing who are the actors in this play and how does this plot proceed. The shift from understanding and controlling to barely experiencing and living thru can be harsh. But you will be ok. Let the anxiety move thru, let the dark night dissolve what is no longer needed. A warm hug to you.
Thank you for this, it resonate in me and the perceived lack of something is, I think, in many case, first of all, a lack of connexion.
I agree that it is misleading the way is was told to us !
When you look outside yourself for things and people to make you happy, it will never be enough and you will only be happy for short moments and need more and more…. Soo many people are addicted this way. I even think people are more addicted than ever before. Until they become aware and have a desire to change.
The Law of Attraction works whether you believe in it or not. On a basic level it is about dissatisfaction and craving more money, more “whatever” the person thinks they need to make them happy. But once you have healed a lot of the underlying trauma and emotional issues that fuel the craving, the Law of Attraction actually works better because you are now able to release and let go of cravings, not be attached to outcomes, not be so polarized, and you also feel far more worthy to receive. Having wealth, money, whatever, is not a bad thing. The universe gives us more of what we “are” and how we “feel”, not what we want. Heal your feelings, learn to be present in the moment, and let go of outcomes, and feel your way to manifesting a wonderful life for yourself.
Years ago, I used to work with a woman who lived by the “Secret and Law of Attraction.” Being the open-minded and receptive person that I was…I decided to research the subject matter. Well, after a while…I came to the conclusion that “The Law of Attraction” was the biggest hoax and marketing scheme I had ever read about. Now, with that being said. I am a deeply spiritual woman. I know God is real, Jesus is Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. I am a Christian and I have always believed that the Bible is the Word of God. I also, have believed that I have not been taught the “truth” of God. Therefore, I have dedicated my life to searching the “truth” of God, Jesus the Christ, Holy Spirit, Bible. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. But, I do not have time for anything as asinine and infantile as the Law of Attraction. According to people who wrote the Secret all I had to do was “think” about something and like magic, poof, abracadabra!! I just had whatever I wanted…without lifting a finger to “work” for it. Whenever I had discussions in real-life with people and I asked them to delve deeply into the subject matter and explain how all of this was supposed to “work?” No one wished to answer my question. If a person lived on this planet long enough…eventually he/she realized that there was more to life than we will understand. However, man will never fully understand life. Call that reality.