Law of Attraction - The Law of Attraction History

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Law of Attraction - The Law of Attraction History

By Cathy Lane | May 27, 2007

History of the Law of Attraction

We all love the universal law of attraction, but how many of us know the origins of the law of attraction. I recently found a great post which tracks back the history of the law of attraction, it’s obviously an omnipresent law (by its nature) but only since the early 1900s has it been in the focus of the public arena with the new age and new thought movements with the likes of William Walter Atkinson and Wallace D. Wattles bringing it much needed publicity.

Read this post to see the journey of the Law of Attraction all the way to the epic, full feature length phenomenon ‘The Secret’.

Origins of The Law of Attraction

April 25th, 2007

William Walter Atkinson

The producers of the phenomenon and hit self-help, law of attraction movie ‘The Secret’ claim that the Law of Attraction is something that the greats throughout time, Newton, Shakespeare, Plato, Carnegie and Beethoven, knew and used - and until recently was not widely known by the general public. They claim it was the release of The Secret which uncovered this age old, new phenomenon.

Left: William Walter Atkinson - one of the most influential American figures in the New Age Movement

However, the Law of Attraction has been one of the pillars of the New Age and New Thought Movements that first came into the public forum in Western society in the early 1900s. And the founding of this movement can be accredited to the great William Walter Atkinson who famously edited the magazines Suggestion, New Thought and Advanced Thought - the early publicized material on a previously untouched scene.

It was William Walter Atkinson’s book in 1906 called Thought Vibration or Law of Attraction in the Thought World that has in fact formed the benchmark for all other Law of Attraction works and thoughts.

This book is an absolutely remarkable read and many would say way ahead of its time.

This book has very firmly stood the test of time and is still an exciting work that anyone who is wishing to employ the Law of Attraction in their life should read and it will certainly get your thought processes blossoming.

Its modern day appeal is reflected in the rave reviews that it receives from many Amazon reviewers with an average of 4.5* out of 5.

“Groundbreaking in 1906 and still extremely thought provoking today - although the material is not new to me as I have seen so many new age pundits regurgitate it in one form or another - what is startling is to read it in the context of early last century. Luminous and superb!”- anon, CA

Wallace D. Wattles

Wallace D. Wattles was another influential figure in the new age movement. In his book The Science of Getting Rich in 1910 he outlines his thoughts on the origins of the Law of Attraction:

“This theory is of Hindu origin, and has been gradually winning its way into the thought of the western world for three hundred years. It is the foundation of all the Oriental philosophies, and those of Descartes, Spinoza, Leibnitz, Schopenhauer, Hegel and Emerson…..”

Whilst this is one of the early works on the Law of Attraction I don’t feel it has stood the test of time as well as William Walter Atkinson’s work. (Read this post for more)The language used is very dated and it’s not the classic that Thought Vibration is considered.

Despite this it has got the facelift that it requires to bring it into the modern era and could still be a great read. It still managed to get a rating of 4 out of 5 from amazon. The message must, still to this day, ring true. Give it a whirl!

Napoleon Hill

Napoleon Hill was an extremely influential figure in the new age movement and to this day his book, Think and Grow Rich remains one of the bestsellers of all time in the US. Many of you have branded this read as the ‘best self help book ever written’.

It’s a timeless classic that although primarily focuses on how to get rich the main lessons to be learnt from it are grounded in the Law of Attraction.

Napoleon’s Thoughts

“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
“Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.”
“What you think, so you will become.”
“Thoughts mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence, and a burning desire are powerful things.”

Jose Silva

Creative Visualization Thanks to A Father’s Love for his Children

Forty years ago, when José Silva began his groundbreaking research in this field, scientists would have laughed at the very idea of studying the imagination. Because José Silva had no formal educational training, he worked in electronics, he simply didn’t know any better.

His entry into the field of mind development started at first as an offshoot of his natural curiosity. While his days were filled with electronics, his nights were devoted to books on the subjects of psychology, hypnosis, and parapsychology.

One day his children came home from school and presented him with ‘F’ Grades. This started Jose thinking . . . Is it possible to raise IQ?

From this question the Silva Method was born.

In the 40 years since José Silva first developed his mind-control techniques, millions of people worldwide have been trained in The Silva Method to consciously lower their brain-wave patterns to the alpha level (registering between 7 and 14 Hz).

At the alpha level, the brain remembers more, thinks more clearly, and is more capable of finding creative solutions. Jose revolutionized and uncovered the remarkable technique of creative visualization. This is fundamental to what we now know as the Law of Attraction.

Esther and Jerry Hicks

Esther and Jerry Hicks are widely regarded as being modern day gurus on everything concerning the Law of Attraction; this is because of their highly influential ‘Teachings of Abraham’.

The books they’ve written are essentially material reading for anyone wanting to get to grips with this great omnipresent law of the Universe. They published a well renowned, New York Times bestselling book entitled ‘The Law of Attraction’.

The virtues of this book lie in the way it teaches the Law of Attraction in such a well explained and clear manner like no other previous teacher.

If you have any interest in the Law of Attraction you must’ve heard of the phenomenon The Secret sweeping across the world like wildfire. In the original cut Esther Hicks featured very prominently but was subsequently cut. One theory that has been put forward is that she was cut because the producers didn’t want her to get such a cut (read this post to find out more on why she was cut).

Many other authors actually believe that The Secret is fundamentally based on the works of Esther and Jerry Hicks rather than that of Wallace D. Wattles like the producers would have you believe. ( read this post) Note that Esther and Jerry Hicks are so well thought of that they recently appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show to explain things.

Surely they have to be considered to be the modern authority on the Law of Attraction.

Find out about:

Oprah Winfrey Interviews Esther Hicks on The Law of Attraction and her being cut from “The Secret”

Topics: Esther Hicks, the Law of Attraction |