by: John Peace
The Law of Attraction started with the creation of the universe and the creation of thought.
The challenging question is, when did mankind first become aware of this law?
The answer to that is unknown, although there is some evidence to suggest that people knew about universal law at least 6000 or 7000 years ago.
Research on the history of the law of attraction provides us with many inspirational quotes, which gives us plenty of evidence that the laws were truly understood.
When studying the history of the Law of Attraction we see that Buddha said,
'All that we are is the result of what we have thought.'
A powerful statement, not only do we create the material things in our lives by what we think, we also create ourselves.
Further evidence in the history of the Law of Attraction can be found in the King James version of the Bible. We see that Job may not have fully understood the workings of attraction, however like many people today he suffered the consequences of the law by not using it for his good.
In Job 3: 25, it reads,
'For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.'
How many of us are creating what we do not desire in life? How many of us are setting ourselves up as victims because we do not understand or are not consciously using the law of attraction?
Without knowing when the phrase Attraction was first coined, it is difficult to document the first writings. Law of attraction awareness was certainly awakened in the last century or so, with many authors and scientists writing, perhaps controversially, at the turn of the last century.
Many of these books are now in the public domain and are available in eBook format from the Law-of-Attraction-Guide library.
James Allen is best known work As a Man Thinketh, which is one of the most powerful law of attraction books written.
The forward states,
'to stimulate men and women to the discovery and perception of the truth that - they themselves are makers of themselves by virtue of the thoughts which they choose and encourage; that mind is the master-weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness.'
As you can see the style of writing is rather dated and needs to be read carefully.
Wallace Wattles studied the various religious beliefs and philosophies of the world including those of Descartes, Spinoza, Leibnitz, Schopenhauer, Hegel, Swedenborg, Emerson, and others.
He translated those studies into several books including The Science of Getting Rich. In this book he builds upon the following statement,
'There is a thinking stuff from which all things are made, which, in its original state, permeates, penetrates, and fills the interspaces of the universe. A thought in this substance produces the thing that is imaged by the thought. I can form things in my thought, and by impressing my thoughts upon formless substance, can cause the thing I think about to be created.'
In the past 30 years, this book has been used as the basis to teach many people about the law of attraction, and was the inspiration for the movie, The Secret.
Charles Haanel was a noted American author and businessman who belonged to the American Scientific League, The Author's League of America, The American Society of Psychical Research, the St. Louis Humane Society and the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce.
Haanel wrote several books that were published in St. Louis by Psychology Publishing and by his Master Key Institute in New York.
Mr. Haanel put into books the ideas and methods he used to gain his success. Besides the Master Key System, which he wrote in 1912, he also wrote Mental Chemistry and The New Psychology.
By 1933 The Master Key System had sold over 200,000 copies and then seemingly disappeared.
Studying the history of the law of attraction, The Master Key System has proved to be one of the finest studies in self-improvement and higher consciousness ever written. Covering everything from attracting abundance and prosperity, to greater health and happiness. This system teaches the principles and practise of the laws of cause and effect.
One of the most inspirational quotations written in the introduction of the book is,
'Abundance, therefore, depends upon recognition of the laws of Abundance, and the fact that Mind is not only the creator, but the only creator of all there is.'
Again the writing style requires careful reading, but is well worth it.
The Master Key System was originally written as a 24 part correspondence course and therefore is far more practical as a step by step building process, with weekly law of attraction exercises and lessons.
The Master Key System is the spine of our own training program Unlock The Power of You
Napolean Hill is considered to have influenced more people into success than any other person in history. He has been perhaps the most influential man in the area of personal success development.
Napoleon Hill achieved great success as an attorney and journalist. His early career as a reporter helped finance his way through law school. He was given an assignment to write a series of success stories of famous men, and his big break came when he was asked to interview steel-magnate Andrew Carnegie.
Mr. Carnegie commissioned Hill to interview over 500 millionaires to find a success formula that could be used by the average person. These included Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Henry Ford, Elmer Gates, Charles M. Schwab, Theodore Roosevelt, William Wrigley Jr, John Wanamaker, WIlliam Jennings Bryan, George Eastman, Woodrow Wilson, William H. Taft, John D. Rockefeller, F. W. Woolworth, Jennings Randolph, among others. He became an advisor to Andrew Carnegie, and with Carnegie's help he formulated a philosophy of success, drawing on the thoughts and experience of a multitude of rags-to-riches tycoons.
It took Hill over 20 years to produce his book, a classic in the Personal Development field called Think and Grow Rich. This book has sold over 7 million copies and has helped thousands achieve success. The secret to success is very simple but you'll have to read the book to find out what it is!
The first copy of Think and Grow rich was sold in 1937. Eleven years later, in February 1948, Coronet magazine polled 300 successful young men and women, asking, 'What books had most influenced their lives and contributed to their success?' Think and Grow Rich was ranked fourth. Some 38 years later USA Today published a list of the top 10 selling paperbacks about investments, Think and Grow Rich ranked No.1. Incredibly in 2002, some 65 years after it was published, Think and Grow Rich was tenth in the Business Week bestsellers.
Napoleon Hills work stands as a monument to individual achievement and is the cornerstone of modern motivation. His book, Think and Grow Rich, is the all time best seller in the field.
Florence Scovel is one of the first metaphysics teachers of this past century. In her book The Game of Life and How to Play It, she states;
'Most people consider life a battle, but it is not a battle, it is a game. It is a game, however, which cannot be played successfully without the knowledge of spiritual law, and the Old and the New Testaments give the rules of the game with wonderful clearness.'
Jesus Christ taught that it was a great game of Giving and Receiving. 'Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap'
This means that whatever man sends out in word or deed, will return to him; what he gives, he will receive. If he gives hate, he will receive hate; if he gives love, he will receive love; if he gives criticism, he will receive criticism; if he lies he will be lied to; if he cheats he will be cheated.
Florence is also quoted as saying -
'Infinite spirit opens the way for my great abundance. I am an irresistible magnet for all that belongs to me by divine right. My supply is endless, inexhaustible and immediate and comes to me under grace in perfect ways.'
It is my belief, that at our very core, people want to have a peaceful and harmonious world. I also believe that as people become aware of the Law of Attraction, they will realize that they can influence the world by their belief and will be an agent for positive change for the future. It is important that more and more people become aware of and use the law of attraction daily to create tremendous lives for themselves and others.
