Editor’s Note: Believe it or not, there are some serious skeptics when it comes to manifesting and the Law of Attraction. Peter Baksa was once one of these people. This article offers some great ‘food for thought’ – and a curious look at what Ebenezer Scrooge might have to do with all of this. Check out Peter’s thoughts on how thoughts become things. We’ve reposted this in full for your convenience.
Can Thoughts Make Things Happen?
by Peter Baksa
As a pragmatic truth-seeking philosopher, I was very skeptical when I first encountered the Law of Attraction (LOA). Many things I’ve seen really stretch my credulity. But the more I think about it, the more I see nuggets underneath the hype that make sense to me if reformulated a bit. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say the Buddha was a Law of Attraction proponent, I do think there is some common ground to be found between the two.
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Even String Theory says it’s True
We create our world through our thoughts. Max Plank, Albert Einstein, Steven Hawking all seem to agree that the universe/god is actually a set of laws and principles that we can count on to create our world. Steven Hawking and Richard Feynman both speak in terms of M Theory and String Theory to further postulate how thoughts become matter. Our minds are essentially idea machines that refine our thoughts into electrical impulses which communicate with the same source energy that creates everything from nothing.
And then there are your Brain Waves
Richard Davidson, at the University of Wisconsin, spent the last 30 years measuring brain waves and ascribing a consciousness level using an electroencephalograph. His research showed a clear and direct correlation between brain waves and the way we all look at our life: From low-frequency thinkers who feel as though they are constantly being victimized to the self-actualized intellects whose brain waves vibrate at an extremely high frequency and are filled to the brim with information. Again, reinforcing, “our thoughts create our circumstances.”
Not ‘New Age’ but really Old School
Strangely, the Torah, the Bible, and the Tau Te Ching written 500 BCE all appear to say the same thing. The law of attraction is not some new-age thinking without a scientific basis. It is a fresh perspective that clears the fog surrounding the subject and applies contemporary quantum physics to provide a foundation.
Thoughts equal energy;
Energy equals matter;
Thoughts equal matter.
Ebenezer Scrooge and Hungry Ghosts
It’s not just our conscious thoughts — but perhaps even more so our subconscious and inchoate beliefs, attitudes, and feelings. So let’s say, for example, we think we don’t have enough money and take a miserly view toward what we do have.
In Western literature, we have the Ebenezer Scrooge archetype. In the Buddhist world, we have what are called “hungry ghosts.” Both characters hold the belief that there is never enough and are never satisfied. (You probably know some people like that!) And there are a thousand different ways they interact with their worlds that telegraph their attitudes in subtle manners. People respond in kind, further reinforcing their belief that there isn’t enough to go around.
Every human interaction becomes a negotiation, a conflict. Some are so experienced and good at it you hardly even notice. If you pay attention, you will feel drained when you are around them. They are continually sucking the lifeblood of those around them. In return, they attract similar types seeking to draw energy blood from them. Large egos seem to attract larger egos. These relationships tend to fail in a relatively short period, one way or another.
“When You’re Smiling …”
LOA says the reverse is true. If we go around smiling, feeling like life is abundant, and that there’s much to be grateful for, we will act with openness and generosity of spirit, and thoughts become things. And people respond to that in kind. No doubt it was this sort of observation that formed the starting point for the Buddha’s famous teaching from the Dhammapada:
“Experiences are preceded by mind, led by mind, and produced by the mind. If one speaks or acts with an impure mind, suffering follows as the cart-wheel follows the hoof of the ox. If one speaks or acts with a pure mind, happiness follows like a shadow that never departs.” Observe your thoughts — they manifest themselves in your physical reality, and, eventually, thoughts turn into things.
Baksa says, “Our minds are essentially idea machines that refine our thoughts into electrical impulses which communicate with the same source energy that creates everything from nothing.” Not very romantic, but basically the same thing all the other LOA teachers are saying. Now, here’s my question for you: what was the last creation – good or bad – that your ‘idea machine’ manifested? Share your story with us in the comments below.
