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.
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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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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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The last time my thoughts created something out of thin air was on 8/7/2011. While going over to have my regular treat at a local pizza diner, I locked my eyes on perfect pair of slack on display in the front window of a women retail clothing store. I felt I would see the the most perfect female would be wearing those slacks on the perfect size of my idea female. With much emotion the I envisioned those business slack on a her. I am guessing those slacks were about a size 3 or 4. Later on that day I saw those gray color slacks on friend walking downtown. I didn't take immediate notice, but did and Alleluia ! Praise God. as I walk past her and her co-worker. That is the second time that I have envisioned a piece of clothing from that store.
Before answering any question, I would like to tell that I believe in the LOA ever since the time I got to know about it.
But I would like to share some little story, something that happened in my recent past.
I often get remarks from my friends, especially female friends (I am a male), that I am very caring, I care for everyone around me, I am a nice person, and blah blah..
Well, its a good thing, and its a part of what I visualized myself sometime ago.I accept that I do care for my friends, because it gives me immense pleasure to ensure that all my friends are happy and healthy, and the degree of care goes on increasing with the intensity of our friendship.
I joined my college an year ago, with no other friend of mine getting seat in the same college. Getting this college was also a part of my serious visualization, and of course, hard work following the visualization.
Made a couple of new friends here, and again, with time, I started being appreciated by my friends for my nature. I loved it, I was very happy. I was one of the hot favorites among the girls.
One of my female friend, lets name her Divya (fake name), was very childish, but because I respected her a lot as she has once helped me (what I felt that time) selflessly, I used to ignore her irritating nature and acts.
I cared for her a lot, because I felt I owed her, and I seriously respected her.
Divya then had a quarrel with one of her room mates, who was also my very close friend. She fought over 'nothing'. Actually I didn't realize then what was the reason.
This way, unknowingly, my relation with the other friend grew weak.
Divya always told me that my girlfriend is gonna have problems with my great social circle, and especially from girls. I replied her that my girlfriend will be so mature, and so understanding that she will trust me come what may, and she will have no problem with my friendship with other girls. Divya never agreed to this, and always said that no girl can be comfortable with her guy talking to other girls, to which I replied that there are such matured girls in this world who trust that her boyfriend knows his limits and loves her beyond anything. We laughed a lot after such arguments.
One day, when we were very close, Divya started accusing me that we have been living like we are committed in a relationship, I care for her so much, no friends in the world do that, its something else that's going between us. I told her that she is not realizing that I am the same with every friend, I care for everyone like this. But she refused, and instead questioned my character, that I use girls, and when I'm bored I leave them and hunt for other innocent girls.These allegations shook me completely, and disturbed me as these remarks were made by one of my very close friends.I tried to tell her that this is very immature stage of such a relation, when we just know each other's just one side. Such people when fall in relationship, may get irritated of each other at some later stage in life and that's why they break up, and followed by bitterness in their relation. Consequently, they lose even their friend.I had many things in mind that time. First was remarks on my character, second was that I never saw Divya as my partner and didn't have such feelings for her, third and most important was that my subconscious was guiding me to abstain from this relationship.
I wanted her to be happy, didn't want to hurt her. I cleared her what was on my mind, but only to get rebukes. She was not ready to understand anything, gave stupid arguments, and passed ridiculous comments on my character. This made me lose my sense, and I agreed to enter in a (forced) relationship.
She asked me not to tell anybody about our relationship, but herself told her friends in her hostel.
There was definitely a perception mismatch. I perceived all her favors she did as a lover as her favors to a friend, and she took my favors I did as a friend (which I often do to all my friends) as a partner.
We roamed around together, went out for dates. This was the time when I suffered a complete change in my view of her. She told me that she fought with her room mate because she had problem when I talked to her. She told me she had helped me because she wanted to bring me closer. She had taken a project with me because she knew I am workaholic and this would bring both of us closer. She asked me not to tell my friends because she knew that she had not allowed any girl to come closer to me, when boys will also be away, then I would have no option other than returning to her.
She told me that everything was set up by her to bring me closer.
I had just one thing left in my mind, that my subconscious was right, how can I spend my life with such a selfish person who never even bothered to check if I am happy with her, who had just her happiness in her mind, and so selfish that for her happiness she tried to create distance between me and my friends.I always felt that everybody has his/her own place, may it be friends, may it be parents, may it be partner.I agree that we do favors to our loved ones, our spouse or to someone whom we like. But completely manipulating someone's life! That even to such extent that would leave someone alone, unhappy, without any friend. Even without knowing what the other person thinks or feel about them. Of course, the LOA can't force someone to fall in love with you!When I liked someone, in past, I just told the girl once, and told her I won't repeat it, and asked her that if she ever feels the same way then do tell me honestly. I knew that attraction and love for someone from opposite sex is just normal thing if the other person is understands you so much, and so not to worry. I also told her that this is very initial state, feelings may stay the same in future, or I may begin to love her, or may be I even stop liking her and accept her as my best friend. I wanted her as a friend, and not bitterness, so never forced her to be in a relationship with me or even think about me. I took this step when I was just 16. Because I felt that love and relationship is a mutual thing, not one sided, and I wanted her to be happy instead keeping my interests above her. No doubt I cared for that girl a lot, no doubt she also liked me a lot, but with time, I accepted her as my friend, she also found her best ever friend in me (this is what she says, I don't know what she thinks). Till date, we are very good friends, and will always remain. We don't have any bitterness in our relation, instead we love each other a lot as best friends.
If I can be selfless, and put my partner's interests above mine, I feel I have the right to have a mature, loving, understanding, trusting, selfless partner.We, Divya and me, stayed together for 10 days, and then split apart. She tried to spoil my social image as a noble person when we split, tried to bring me back to her. All the girls (of course in her hostel) earlier knew about our relationship and then our break up, everyone passively supported her. Male friends, in my hostel, didn't knew about our relationship, they just knew that I was absent from hostel without telling any reason, they felt being ignored, and so they didn't pay heed when I started to stay back in the hostel, with them.
Then everything happened exactly the way my subconscious told me would happen if I fell into that relationship. I was left alone, without any friends in college, I screwed up my grades academically, I lost the opportunity to change my engineering stream (which I wanted badly) and many such things.
To get rid of her, I once said, "I am destined to be alone". This thing, deeply rooted in my subconscious, created havoc for me.
After my exams, I went home from college. There I had my friends. I felt much better. When I shared this incident with them, they said why the hell I even talk to that girl now. They felt pity on me that I lost all the respect all due to childishness of a stupid annoying girl. I thought that after two months, when I'll get back to my college, I would tell my buddies there about what had happened and why I was behaving in different manner.
Divya had also commented on the character of one of our male friend, that too publicIy. And so the boys of our group were angry over her.
When we came back to college, I even tried to bridge the gap between me and other friends, threw away my birthday treat, but that day, all the boys of the group didn't talk to even a single girl. They people, in short insulted the girls who were attending the party. My plan of bridging the gap turned out to be producing more communication gap.
I apologized to a couple of girls, but could not apologize all of them.Now I feel like left alone, friendless, and many such feelings prevail.
I realized few days ago, that all the havoc that's happening around me is nothing but a result of my own visualization, once I have visualized it, and then my subconscious played its part to make it come true.Unknowingly, I've been attracting such loneliness and unhappiness into my life. I've been miserable just because I've been attracting it into my life.
How to come out of it?
Think I should focus on what I really want in my life.
My story has all the answers, what my 'idea machine' has manifested, initially awesome things, and then, a sheer contrast, miserable condition.
Please share any suggestions or ideas, I shall be highly indebted.
There is a persian (Iranian) proverb that say: "Laugh till world laugh to you".
we are working for children with autism and developmental disabilities for last 12 years. A large number of children who recieve services at the centre have made tremendous progress due to dedicated work of professionals at Disha Autism Centre, Baroda. The premises from where where the centre is functioning was given to us by another trust. now they want their property back and sell it. the centre needs to buy a plot of land and construct its own building to continue to provide state of the art services to children with special needs and their families. we really want to attract generous donors to support the cause. hope the law of attraction works...and the dream becomes reality.
I have to be careful with this. I kept thinking I wanted a big dog for a change, couple of weeks later someone left a big blk. dog tied to the gate.She had a note stuck to her collar that said,"She's a real nice dog." and she is.Shotzy-Kerplotzky the uninvited guest! People would also ask if I wanted more kids and I would always say the same thing, I wanted a husband that got up and went to work everyday and a son. Got both....if you can think it, it can happen, it happens to me all the time.....I Am thankful for this unique gift.
Wonderful article!
The more I learn about the law of attraction and the more I practice it in my life, the more it proves to be true. I am a firm believer that our thoughts create our reality. I meditate daily on positive affirmations to manifest positive life changes.
To answer the question, my most recent creation that my idea machine continues to manifest is the development of a more positive home environment where all family members willingly help to create. The more I meditate on this, the more positive changes I see happening in my home.
Nice post you have!
Personally, I am skeptical in the beginning too but after reading and watching the Secret, I have recalled my past and what has happen, it seems impossibly true that Law of Attraction is true. Know to apply this law can help us get whatever we want.
Just to share my opinion.
I remember the first time I learn of the Law of Attraction. It was back in 2009. I learned it from a seminar held by the certified trainers of Michael Losier who wrote the book 'The Law of Attraction' and 'The Law of Connection'. They are undoubtedly good books and showed very simple ways to apply LOA into our lives. I found LOA to be like how you pray to God so I applied it immediately with effect. I wanted more knowledge, wisdom, friends, opportunities... In just 3 months time I saw that things are happening for me and in 6 months time, I've gained what I wanted as I listed down SPECIFICALLY... So it worked for me =P