What is the Law of Attraction?

The most well-known of the 12 natural laws, the concept of the Law of Attraction has been around for a long time. It gained mainstream prominence in 2006 with the publication of Rhonda Byrne’s immensely popular book, The Secret. And with the emergence of social media, the concept has found new audiences with all types of content being created and shared extensively across the major platforms. Here, we discuss what the Law of Attraction is and how it’s used.

Law of Attraction Definition

There are many published definitions of the Law of Attraction but this one sums it up well. Taken from Andrew Kap’s 2019 book – The Last Law of Attraction Book You’ll Ever Need to Read: The Missing Key to Finally Tap Into the Universe and Manifesting Your Desires…

“You attract whatever you give your energy, attention, and focus to. If you’re thinking about it, you’re magnetizing it to your life – whether it’s positive or negative.”

In other words, like attracts like, with the universe responding in kind to the thoughts that a person transmits.

Everything in existence is made of the same kind of base energy – each person, their thoughts, a house plant, a table, cellphone, events, circumstances etc.

It’s the way that energy is configured that makes the difference between things. Everything vibrates at a certain frequency and thoughts can draw in like energy, bringing desires into reality.

“Thoughts are magnetic, and as you think a thought, it will attract another and another and another, until eventually you will have physical manifestation of the vibrational essence of whatever has been the subject of your thoughts.”
– Abraham-Hicks

A Neutral Force That’s Always On

There’s another critically important aspect to the Law of Attraction – it’s in continuous operation. As prominent self-help author Bob Proctor points out:

“The Law of Attraction is always working, whether you believe it or understand it or not.”

And this from leading Law of Attraction expert and author, Dr. Joe Vitale:

“The Law of Attraction doesn’t turn off and on, like a light switch. It’s not subject to fate or fancy. It is a powerful but neutral force that is constantly operational.”

That last part of that is important too – the Law of Attraction’s neutrality. The Universe won’t encourage you to think positively and align your thoughts with vibrations that match your desires, that part is down to you.

It only responds to the vibrational frequency that you’re transmitting. There is no preference for positive, negative, or anything in between. Change your vibration and alter how the Universe responds.

3 Principles of the Law of Attraction

1. Like Attracts Like

At its core, the Law of Attraction operates on the principle that like attracts like. That means material things, people, experiences, circumstances, etc. with matching vibrational energy are drawn to each other. This principle is in constant operation and there is absolutely nothing that can be done to switch it off.

Thoughts become things, and so positive thoughts, emotions, feelings, and actions will attract positive things, people, experiences, and circumstances into our lives. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true so practitioners are urged to be aware of any negative thoughts and emotions that might be swirling.

2. Nature Abhors a Vacuum

3. The Present is Always Perfect

This principle asserts that there can be no empty space in either your mind or life. Whatever frequency you’re putting out there, will attract things with a matching frequency to fill the void.

So even if a negative thought is removed, there’s a void left which must be filled. The challenge is to ensure that it’s replaced with positivity.

This is where good habits and activities can help, such as – practicing gratitude, meditation, setting small and achievable goals, maintaining friendships, engaging with community, self-improvement, physical activity, and self-care practices.

But we should recognize that there are always actions we can take, within our circle of influence, to make the best of the present and improve our current lot in life.

The 7 Laws of Attraction

1. The Law of Manifestation

This law is based upon the premise that our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs have the power to shape our reality. What we think about, we bring about. That’s what will manifest in our lives.

By focusing on positive intentions and visualizing our desired outcomes, we can bring those desires into our lives. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true and negative thoughts can manifest as undesirable experiences and outcomes.

Practicing gratitude and speaking affirmations are two powerful methods to help integrate positive thinking into your life.

Read our article about how to manifest >

2. The Law of Magnetism

Everything we attract into our lives is a match for the vibrational energy we’re putting out into the Universe. All the experiences, people, material things, circumstances etc. that have existed in our past and present, have done so because of this law. In other words, it’s not that you attract what you want, you attract what you are.

3. The Law of Unwavering Desire

For the Law of Attraction to work effectively, ‘I kinda wanna a new job’ isn’t going to cut it. Your desire for change, for this thing that you want needs to be 100% steadfast and clear.

This unshakeable resolve communicates the clarity and strength of your desire to the universe and maximises your chances of manifesting what you truly want.

4. The Law of Delicate Balance

When the different facets of our lives are balanced, we’re elevated to a state of happiness, contentment, and peace.

This balance allows us to reach the frequency level required to attract what we truly desire. Why? The elements and forces of the Universe are themselves in equilibrium, and because we exist as part of that fabric, we also require balance in the elements of our own lives.

Focusing on lack or feeling desperate to achieve an outcome destabilises that balance. There is a solution, because this is where gratitude and appreciation have such a restorative power when practiced regularly.

5. The Law of Harmony

This law is concerned with the interdependency and intricate interaction between the near infinitesimal number of energy sources in the Universe.

When you’re aligned and in tune with the energy flow of the Universe, our powers of creation are magnified. It allows us to access the infinite abundance and opportunities that the Universe has to offer.

And as we discuss here, living life in flow, when everything seems to fall into place, can also be a sign that manifestation is happening.

6. The Law of Right Action

This law governs the impact that our words and actions have on the people and world around us. In turn, this affects the reality we experience day-to-day and how we’re treated by others.

I like to believe that people are inherently good and many of us follow this anyway… which is simply to treat others with the same kindness and concern that we would wish to be treated with ourselves. In other words, do the right thing by others, be a good citizen. What goes around comes around, according to the Law of Attraction!

7. The Law of Universal Influence

It can be difficult to truly grasp the vastness of the Universe in which we exist, and yet so easy to feel like a tiny and insignificant speck in it. If you believe that your thoughts, feelings, and actions don’t make a difference, think again!

We’re all an important part of the Universe, and those things determine the frequency we emit that is received by the Universe. So, self-awareness is critically important where the Law of Attraction is concerned.

Equally as important, is to understand signs that the Universe is sending back, and how we use that information to modify our thoughts, feelings, and actions.

How to Use the Law of Attraction

So, what’s involved in getting started? At its core, the Law of Attraction consists of a simple three step process:

Ask the Universe for what you want.
Believe that getting it is going to happen.
Receive the thing that you asked for.

Let’s take a look at those steps in a bit more detail…

1. Ask

The process of manifesting with the Law of Attraction begins with letting the Universe know what you want. It’s very important to be as clear as possible or the Law of Attraction won’t work.

The Universe deals in vibrational frequencies. The clearer the thought or desire, the clearer the frequency that you’re transmitting is going to be. So focus only on what you want, not what you don’t want.

“Now think about the Universal Law. It reflects to you exactly and precisely what you put out. If your thought-forms say, ‘I haven’t got a clue about what I want,’ the Universal Law is going to say, ‘Listen, mate, if you haven’t got a clue, neither have I.’”
Stuart Wilde

2. Believe

Part two goes beyond intent and clarity, because it’s critically important to believe that it’s possible to manifest your desire. It involves belief that it’s already yours. Consider the following:

“When you book a vacation, order a brand new car, or buy a house, you know those things are yours. You wouldn’t go and book another vacation for the same time, or purchase another car or house. If you won a lottery or received a large inheritance, even before you physically had the money, you know it’s yours.”
– Rhonda Byrne, The Secret

That illustrates the level of certainty required for this process to succeed. Thoughts of self-doubt, self-limiting beliefs, and negative self-talk can inhibit this process. The Universe needs a clear signal to mirror back and provide.

Taking this a step further, we attract what we are rather than what we want. Think about it like this…

“Are you the version of you who has the money or are you the version who still wants it? Are you the version of you who’s in happy and fulfilling relationship or are you the version of you still waiting for your soulmate to come? … Everything you’re ‘being’ is what’s mirrored back to you as the reality that you experience every day. Some of what you mirror you’re aware of. Some you aren’t.”
Andrew Kap, The Last Law of Attraction Book You’ll Ever Need to Read

3. Receive

This is all about getting onto the right frequency, matching the vibration of whatever it is you want to attract/achieve/receive. The belief that something will happen isn’t quite enough to manifest with the Law of Attraction. The belief must be accompanied by good feelings.

So, feel good about receiving the thing you’ve asked for, practice daily gratitude, allow yourself to experience joy, speak positive affirmations, visualize the outcome, and trust the Universe. These are some examples of how to raise your vibration which we’ll discuss below.

9 Tips on Practising the Law of Attraction

We’ve covered a lot about principles, sub-laws, and theory so far. But what about the actionable daily steps to get the Law of Attraction working for you.

1. Get Clear on What You Want

The first step and most important step. This is the foundation for your manifestation efforts using the Law of Attraction. Know what your destination is and ensure the ship sets sail in the right direction.

“When you are truly clear about what you want, the whole Universe stands on tiptoe waiting to assist you in miraculous and amazing ways to manifest your dream or intention.”
– Constance Arnold

2. Dream Without Limits

What you choose to manifest is up to you, be it a small raise at work or your forever family home, $100 or a $1 million. The tip is to not be constrained.

The Universe deals in vibrations. It receives them and responds. It’s not judging you for being too greedy or whether it thinks you’re deserving of good fortune. Don’t be afraid to think big when it comes to what outcomes you ultimately want

3. Visualize the Outcome

Visualization is a powerful and widely used process. In this context, it involves imagining what goal or outcome you’re trying to manifest. It goes beyond painting a picture, and incorporates all five senses to build a complete visual representation of where you want to get to.

“Visualization is the mind’s eye view of any creation. Every time you visualize and get your thoughts and feelings in alignment with it, that is the time of its manifestation. All that you visualize, can materialize.”
– Anand Patwa

4. Accept Things as They Are

As the third principle says – the present is always perfect. Living in the past our dealing with feelings of regret not only drain energy but as far as the Universe is concerned, are low vibration activities. Instead, focus on visualization, gratitude, affirmations, and other eight tips discussed here.

5. Feel Good About Receiving What You Have Asked For

About that dream job… ever thought about what it might feel like to receive the call that you got the job? What would it feel like to be in that job day-to-day?

What might a typical day involve, who would you meet, what might the office look like? Put yourself into your future shoes… what positive emotions would you be feeling?

You might feel a positive new sense of self… self-esteem, recognition, new connections, more freedoms, responsibility, self-respect. The list could go on and on.

Similarly, what would it feel like to be living in the perfect house? Or being in a relationship with your soulmate?

Also known as acting ‘as-if’, the result of feeling and believing that what you want is already yours, is a clear frequency raiser. Visualization is the perfect way to create that picture and fuel those emotions. Supercharge that vision with relevant, positive affirmations and meditation. Refer to and refine your vision board to invigorate your visualization process.

“See the things that you want as already yours. Know that they will come to you at need. Then let them come. Don’t fret and worry about them. Don’t think about your lack of them. Think of them as yours, as belonging to you, as already in your possession.”
– Robert Collier

6. Speak Affirmations

Use these positive, empowering mini statements that can help to switch your mindset up a gear. Choose ones that are relevant and repeat them regularly. In this way, you’re aligning your thoughts and energy with the outcome, desire, or goal you’re trying to achieve.

How affirmations help with the Law of Attraction:

Mindset shift: Replace negative thought with a more positive outlook. Don’t forget, nature abhors a vacuum!
Focus on goals: Affirmations that are aligned with your desires/goals help to keep those outcomes top of mind.
Boost confidence and self-esteem: Affirming your strengths can produce positive feelings and also inspire self-belief that you’re able to use those abilities to take action towards what you want to achieve.
Raise your vibration: Like-attracts-like and thoughts become things, key tenets of the Law of Attraction. Affirmations can fuel a positive mindset and ensure those thoughts and feelings are vibrating at the right frequency, making successful manifestation a more likely outcome.
Self-limiting beliefs: Selecting the right affirmations to speak can directly counteract and break the cycle of self-limiting thoughts.

One important thing to note is that these affirmations can be spoken out loud, or just in your own head. Either can be just as effective.

7. Watch Out for Signs and Synchronicities

Throughout the process of manifestation, the Universe communicates and offers guidance by showing signs and synchronicities. Synchronicity = a meaningful coincidence. For example, let’s say you’re trying to manifest wealth and abundance, you might notice signs and synchronicities such as randomly finding cash, small wins, or coming across deals.

For more for information, read our article – 10 Signs Abundance is Coming Your Way…

8. Practice Gratitude and Keep a Journal

This is one surefire way to raise your vibration and give yourself the best chance of activating the Law of Attraction for successful manifesting. Genuine gratitude can shift you into a positive mindset. The more you practice, the better your ability and the easier this powerful and life enriching activity becomes.

Take it to the next level by keeping a journal. Making it a daily habit is great but even if it’s a less frequent activity, keep it regular and you’re on the right track. Writing down what you’re grateful for is a way of concentrating your mind on what’s positive in your life. Ask yourself, what made me feel good? No matter how big or small, those are the things to be grateful for.

Sometimes those things are too easily forgotten, and a journal is a great source of reference.

“Gratitude is one of the strongest and most transformative states of being. It shifts your perspective from lack to abundance and allows you to focus on the good in your life, which in turn pulls more goodness into your reality.”
– Jen Sincero

9. Trust the Universe

At the core of practicing the Law of Attraction is placing one’s trust in the Universe. In other words, having faith that a benevolent Universe will guide us towards our goals, dreams, or aspirations. There are several dimensions to explore here:

Don’t worry about the how: Just like navigating your way to a physical destination, there may be many different routes to your desired manifestation outcome. Trust the Universe in its role as navigator.
Comfortable with uncertainly: We cannot know how and when something will manifest. Trust that everything happens for a reason and that it’ll all come together at the right time and place.
Patience: While manifestation can take time, trusting the Universe requires that hope and belief in the outcome are maintained over an unknown period of time.
Open to receiving: On your manifestation journey, trusting what the Universe provides along the way means being open to receiving. Read our article on sign of abundance for more.

Read our post about “Trusting the Universe Quotes”

Achieving Specific Goals

Whilst the underlying principles and practices remain the same, applying the Law of Attraction to different areas of life presents specific challenges. Here, we look at two areas – career and relationships.

Career

Effective use of the Law of Attraction requires a clear vision of what you want. Successfully incorporating the LOA into your professional life is no different. Are you looking for a raise? Do you want a promotion or a move to a different company altogether? Is there a particular part of your current job that you want success in? For example, perhaps you’re organizing a large event that you’re desperate to see run smoothly.

Say you’re fed up with your job and want to find a new position at a top company. Perhaps your boss and/or colleagues are driving you crazy, you’re bored and not challenged anymore, the daily commute is almost unbearable. Or all the above! The problem is that negative thinking sends the wrong signals to the Universe and inhibits the manifestation process.

To activate the Law of Attraction in this context and make that dream new role a reality, we need to think in terms of vibration. As hard as it may seem, maintaining a high vibrational frequency is required during what can be a challenging period – i.e. wanting out of a current role without that great new position lined up yet.

As counterintuitive as it may seem, think about what you’re grateful for in your current role. It could be professional connections made, a new skill you’re learning, that you’re getting paid enough to the bills and buy a great new interview outfit, that you completed a task to an excellent standard. Write these things in a journal and maintain that positive energy.

Relationships

Using the Law of Attraction of attraction in the context of finding a healthy, respectful, and loving relationship follows the same principles and sub-laws. But the unique challenges are a little different.

Like attracts like: We get back what we put out into the Universe. Based on this principle, we need to become the type of person that reflects who we want to attract. So, if you want to attract a partner with certain traits, qualities, and interests, you might want to think about how to incorporate those things into your own life. If you want someone that is kind or ambitious, consider in what parts of your life you might cultivate those qualities.

Self-love

Self-love is so often neglected in the day-to-day of modern living. Nurturing ourselves and prioritizing self-care is essential if we are to maintain happiness and harmony from within, rather than seeking it from others. Make time for hobbies, meditation, speaking positive affirmations, helping others, or whatever it is that helps to achieve a sense of wellbeing, contentment, and confidence. Happiness within ourselves sends the right signals to the Universe. And being the neutral force that it is, will reflect that back in the form of attracting good relationships.

Relationships Blockers

Sending out a low vibration to the Universe can be the result of thoughts that are centered on things such as:

Negative past experiences with relationships.
Feeling unworthy or undeserving of a positive relationship with the type of person you’re looking for.
Self-limiting beliefs about relationships, i.e. not being able to trust a future partner.

Relationships are complex and this is by no means an exhaustive list. However, it serves to illustrate the point that in order to utilize a Law of Attraction mindset to manifest a soulmate, there are some hurdles to overcome.

Leaving the past behind and shifting into a more positive mindset is crucial. Positive self-talk in the form of affirmations is a great way to start that process. For example: “I am worthy – my heart, mind and soul are open to receiving love”, “I release all thoughts and feelings about past relationships that no longer serve me.”

Criticisms of the Law of Attraction

Despite the popularity of prominent authors, surges in interest following The Secret in 2006, and more recently its frequent mentions in social media posts, critics of the Law of Attraction have long highlighted its drawbacks. The main concerns include:

The Science

Lack of any scientific evidence to support its claims. That good things can simply be attracted or thought into existence, without any action to make things happen.

Our circumstances

Sometimes, life happens to us. In other words, we can’t always control our circumstances because some things are simply out of our control. The concern here is that in adopting a purely LOA mindset, people might start to blame themselves for things that they could not possibly hope to influence.

For example, at the time of writing, much of the world’s economies are in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. Other situations might include What if someone is employed by a poorly performing company that must make redundancies? A person might suffer illness or injury. Life is complex and often unpredictable.

Taking ownership of how you respond to things is admirable. However, we must also understand that the LOA shouldn’t result in unrealistic or disproportionate self-blame for things that are outside of our control.

Law of Attraction History

The Law of Attraction has a rich history that began as far back as the 1850s. This continued with the rise of the New Thought movement and the publication of influential books such as “Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World” (1908) by William Walker Atkinson, The Science of Getting Rich (1910) by Wallace D. Wattles, and Think and Grow Rich (1937) by Napoleon Hill. It’s modern-day renaissance came with the publication of Rhonda Byrne’s international best-seller, The Secret (2006).

Conclusion

Successfully manifesting with the Law of Attraction is dependent on a range of factors we’ve discussed here. It’s by no means a silver bullet. If you’re struggling to make it work, it might be a good idea to incorporate it as part of a more comprehensive approach to manifestation; please read our article – How to Manifest.