RETHINKING THE LAW OF ATTRACTION

Mindfulness and meditation teachers BENJAMIN KOCH and ADRIENNE VAN DER VALK explore how to go beyond self-focused manifestation and imagine true global change.

- BENJAMIN KOCH and ADRIENNE VAN DER VALK

POPULARIZED BY enduring titles like Think and Grow Rich and The Secret, the Law of Attraction suggests that the energy we put into the world through our thoughts and words is responsible for the results we draw into our lives.

For many people, the Law of Attraction offers an effective vehicle for growing personal agency and power. When followed uncritically, the Law of Attraction leads some practitioners to blame difficult life circumstances on low vibrational thoughts—when the real culprit is often systemic oppression, mental illness, or other conditions beyond personal control.

Another version of this misinterpretation suggests that the solution to poverty and performance gaps lies in making individuals more positive and resilient rather than addressing social ills like racism, sexism, and income inequality.

HOW DOES THE LAW OF ATTRACTION WORK?

The Law of Attraction is considered secondary to the Law of Vibration, one of the seven Hermetic principles describing the foundational functions of universal reality.

According to the Law of Vibration, everything—bodies, thoughts, emotions, objects, atmospheres— resonates at a specific frequency. According to the late self-development teacher Bob Proctor, everything is an “ocean of motion.”