Manifestation
Law of Attraction
Focus on what you want, feel as if you have it, and notice what shows up.
Where it comes from
The idea grew out of the 19th-century New Thought movement in the United States. Prentice Mulford wrote about it in the 1880s and William Walker Atkinson named a book after it in 1906. It became a worldwide phrase in 2006 with Rhonda Byrne's film and book The Secret, and Esther and Jerry Hicks's books on the “Abraham” teachings.
Key books
- William Walker Atkinson, Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World (1906)
- Rhonda Byrne, The Secret (2006)
- Esther and Jerry Hicks, Ask and It Is Given (2004)
The core idea
Thoughts and feelings are said to draw matching experiences into your life: like attracts like. In practice that means deciding clearly what you want, dwelling on it with positive feeling instead of worry, and staying open to opportunities.
How to practise it
- 1Ask: decide what you want and write it down in one clear sentence.
- 2Believe: picture it as already real, for example with a vision board or a short visualization.
- 3Feel it: spend a few minutes a day in the feeling of having it, and practise gratitude for what you already have.
- 4Receive: stay alert to chances and act on them, then note what you noticed.
What it can help with
- Getting clear about what you actually want
- Shifting attention from worry to possibilities
- A regular moment of gratitude
