What is the Law of Attraction & How Does it Work? ‘Manifesting in the Real World’ Episode One
The Law of Attraction has garnered quite a reputation. Not going to lie, I have gone through a little bit of a love-hate relationship with the term, and how it is sometimes portrayed as a little too airy-fairy. But I feel like I understand it better than ever before now – in terms of using it to attract more positivity and to manifest what you want into your life. There’s much more to manifesting than meets the eye…
The Law of Attraction and Manifesting don’t have to be these otherworldly, unattainable spiritual concepts. You don’t have to feel the pressure to be perfectly positive all the time, to be all love and light with no shadows and no depth. Not only is this idea impossible to achieve, but it’s also a form of spiritual gaslighting.
In this series, I want to show you how possible it is to be your multi-faceted, beautiful self, living your life fully through all the ups and downs – while still manifesting the best life that you can possibly imagine.
Welcome to Manifesting in the Real World, Episode One!
Hey everyone, welcome back to the blog — or, if you’re just meeting me for the first time, welcome! I am so grateful that you’re here! My hope with this blog and my YouTube channel is to help you reconnect to your intuition. If you find today’s post helpful, I hope you’ll consider signing up to the newsletter at the end of this page — for weekly Tarot readings and freebies such as the PDF Reference Guide to Rune Stones!
Today’s video is episode one in a series called ‘Manifesting in the Real World’. So, while the focus today is on explaining what the Law of Attraction is, I’ll be going into greater detail on this massive topic in future videos too. If you’re left with any questions or want to learn about anything in particular, please do leave a comment below!
I can’t wait to get this series started! I hope that you find these videos helpful and I’m super excited to delve into these ideas that I am honestly just so fascinated with!
So, get yourself a cuppa, and let’s dive in!
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What is the Law of Attraction?
The short answer is: The Law of Attraction is a philosophy or belief that energy attracts similar energy. In other words, positivity attracts more positivity, and negativity attracts more negativity. Put simply: you get what you focus the most on. So, if you focus on what you want to gain or achieve, instead of what you don’t want or lack in your life, then the law of attraction will draw those things to you.
That’s the gist of it – but there’s so much more to it than that, especially when it comes to actually using the Law of Attraction to help you manifest what you want in your life!
Now I’ll be real with you. The Law of Attraction is technically a pseudoscience. If you’re a very scientific, fact-based person who likes to see hard evidence before making up your mind on something, then it might be hard for you to accept the Law of Attraction.
Because while some degree of science can explain parts of the Law of Attraction and how it might work, it certainly can’t explain all of it. There are science-based elements that can explain how it works to an extent – such as the psychological technique of cognitive reframing, and how certain techniques and methods can use the reticular activating system in the brain. An argument could also be made that it could be the placebo effect at work and that there is power in belief.
Truthfully, when certain Law of Attraction tools such as visualization work, it could be dismissed as coincidence – though sometimes it can be just plain spooky how accurate it can be, in my opinion. But that’s just me – I’m open to spiritual concepts, and I’m honestly a little obsessed with things that can’t be readily explained by science. As logical as I might be, as much as I might look for straight-up facts and evidence, there are just some things that can’t really be explained, and I can’t help but be drawn to exploring such ideas and concepts. It just fascinates me. If you’re watching this, it might fascinate you too!
Besides, even if the Law of Attraction is purely coincidental, it makes me feel good, it makes me happy, and it doesn’t harm anyone to practice it, so why not? The worst thing that could happen is that it doesn’t work.
As I mentioned, there are at least two possible science-based reasons behind how the law of attraction may work: the reticular activating system and cognitive reframing. Before I continue, please note I am no expert! But I found this information super interesting and helpful, so I hope you do too. For resources and more information, scroll to the bottom of the blog post! We’re really barely scraping the surface today, but you’ll find heaps more information below if you’re curious to learn more!
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The Reticular Activating System
Law of attraction techniques often involve the reticular activating system that is located in the brainstem. The reticular activating system is like a filter in our brains, constantly sifting through the information around us so that only what is deemed necessary reaches our attention.
It’s this system in our brains that allows us to hear our names clearly in a noisy crowd. It’s this system that directs your attention to the type of car you want so that you start to see that particular car everywhere.
Essentially, if you want to attract something, the Reticular Activating System will help you get it! Whenever you come into contact with something or someone that might help lead you towards your goals or whatever you’re trying to manifest, the Reticular Activating System will focus on it. It will flag it as important.
It’s the Reticular Activating System that gives power to our thoughts and beliefs, as it influences how you see the world.
I’ll talk a lot more about the Reticular Activating System in future videos too, as we talk about the different methods and rituals you can do that utilize this system.
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Cognitive Reframing
Cognitive reframing is a psychological technique, which is essentially the process of changing or challenging how one looks at a situation, experience, event, idea, or emotion.
Learning how to reframe your thoughts is crucial to the Law of Attraction because of the power of those thoughts — as how we think leads to attracting more of the same. Following the Law of Attraction and the concept of the Reticular Activating System, how we think and therefore act, influences not only how we see the world, but also impacts our experiences.
If we are stuck in a negative mindset, we are far more likely to come up against negativity. Let’s use an example to help explain this idea, and how cognitive reframing can turn things around.
Let’s say you wake up one morning in a bad mood, and things just keep going wrong. You’ve slept in, didn’t have time for breakfast, missed your train, maybe stepped in a puddle, and forget your umbrella, and it’s pouring rain. So, you get to work soaking wet, you’re in trouble for being late and you feel overwhelmed, negative, and frustrated. Your mood affects your work, and your colleagues are picking up on your low-energy, low-vibe state of mind, even if you try so hard to smile through it and still do your best.
Until you’re able to take a deep breath, let those negative emotions go, and choose to feel the next best emotion you can, you will continue attracting more negative experiences to you.
Instead of letting the negativity linger, try to think happy thoughts instead! Focus on what is good and positive. In our example of being in a bad mood at work, maybe focus on your connections to others. Ask your co-workers how their morning was, or how their day is going. Think about an exciting event coming up that you’re looking forward to, or the funny tv-show you’ve been watching.
Remember that nothing is permanent and that this bad morning will pass and soon be forgotten. Visualize yourself achieving your goals and imagine how wonderful that will feel. Another suggestion is to list things you’re grateful for – don’t underestimate the power of gratitude! Affirmations are also a fantastic way to reframe your mind (That’s a whole other video right there too!).
Take a look at the Hawkins Chart of Vibrations here. Wherever you are on the scale of vibrations, choose the next best option. Make an active decision to accept and let go of negativity or low vibes and move up the scale.
The Hawkins Scale of Vibrations. Image Source
That’s not to say, just bottle up negative emotions and don’t deal with issues – definitely not! Let yourself experience the challenges in life, and really let yourself feel what you need to.
But at a certain point, lingering in negative emotions and thoughts doesn’t serve you. It doesn’t change anything that has happened, there’s nothing more you can do, and focusing on it will only attract more negativity and challenges to you.
So how do you turn negativity into positivity? It’s all well and good to simply say ‘just change your thoughts, no biggie!’ It’s going to be a different challenge every time, and for every person – but just know that even during the hardest of situations, it is possible to start working your way up the scale, however long it takes before you’re ‘high vibrational’ again.
How do you actually use cognitive reframing? Using techniques such as stating affirmations and visualizing, it is possible to change our negative thoughts into more positive ones. Just as with the Reticular Activating System, in future videos, I’ll show you the different methods and rituals you can do that utilize cognitive reframing, in order to make the most out of the Law of Attraction.
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It is with these amazing abilities we all have access to, that we are able to benefit from the Law of Attraction. We are able to attract more of what we want into our lives. We are able to manifest. It’s not necessarily about working with higher powers unless you choose to believe in that. If you’re searching for a way to explain the Law of Attraction in a more scientific way, you could say that you’re essentially training your brain – using the Reticular Activating System and Cognitive Reframing to your benefit. There’s also the placebo effect that could play a role, which is a really interesting theory too.
There’s much more to it than what I’ve briefly summarised today. And it will all make so much more sense when we start using different techniques and rituals and draw on real-life experiences and examples!
So, all that being said, are you ready to learn about how to use the law of attraction in your life?
Are you open-minded, or willing to suspend your disbelief? If so, let’s talk about how you can start working with the law of attraction to get want you want — and potentially improve your life!
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Using the Law of Attraction to Manifest
The Law of Attraction is all about energy attracting like energy. You focus on that thing you want and “Abracadabra!” You attract it into your life, just by asking for it!
But I believe there is more to manifesting than setting intentions and just letting the universe, or your subconscious, take care of the rest. ‘Ask, Believe, Receive’ is the tagline you may have heard before when it comes to the Law of Attraction. But when we want to manifest, I would add ‘Take Action’ to that list: ‘Ask, Believe, Take Action, Receive’. While it’s important not to dwell too much on the outcome, taking the relevant real-life steps needed to achieve your goals or attract what you want, will undeniably help you feel more in control, empowered, and worthy of receiving when you do.
Here’s how I would summarise manifesting: First, Ask with Belief, then take inspired Action, which leads to Receiving what you asked for.
So that this video isn’t super long, I thought I’d summarise these steps briefly today, then we can delve into them so much deeper in future videos! Comment down below, what would you like to learn more about?
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Step One - Ask with Belief
Ask whatever you believe in and believe that it will happen.
Ask or pray to whatever you believe in. Whether it’s a greater force or your own subconscious power, ask or pray either in your mind, spoken aloud or in writing – whatever you feel most comfortable with. I prefer writing – and I’ll talk about the many different methods of asking in future videos too!
Put another way, asking is setting your intention. Manifesting, and working with the energies around us, always starts with setting your intention. It starts with affirming to the universe, that without a doubt, what you want to manifest will happen. You have to truly believe that it will happen and that you are worthy of it happening. Be very clear about what you want, believe that it is possible, and be as specific and detailed as you can.
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Step Two – Take Action
Next, you have to take inspired action and follow-through, which includes keeping your vibration as high as you can, as much as you can.
Of course, what action you take depends on the intention you’ve made, the goals you want to reach, whatever it is you’re asking for, or trying to manifest. But you have to get the wheels in motion, so to speak. If it’s a job you’re after, you have to actively look for and apply for jobs!
My point is this – if you want to manifest anything, you have to first believe that it’s possible, make it very clear what it is you want, then work with the law of attraction. You need to be a high-vibing, guiding force – allowing the law of attraction and the universe (or whatever you believe in), to work its magic – while you continue taking the steps needed to move forward.
You are in the driver’s seat, and the Law of Attraction is the car itself, with the engine and the power to move you forward or backward quicker than your own two feet could take you. It’s up to you to steer, while the Law of Attraction propels you in whatever direction you choose to go in.
If you want to manifest something, the Law of Attraction will help you – but you have to help yourself too.
In my opinion, to really get the most out of the Law of Attraction, to truly manifest what you want, real-life actions need to be taken. The Law of Attraction comes down to energy attracting similar energy, and it is always in motion. It is always influenced by your subconscious, your thoughts, and your actions. So, if you are thinking and acting with positivity, you will attract more positivity to you. As I said earlier: you get what you focus the most on. According to the Law of Attraction philosophy, your thoughts create your reality.
While I do agree that our thoughts are powerful, the trouble is trying to focus on what you want to attract into your life and keeping your thoughts positive and receptive. It’s near impossible to train our minds to think only positively all the time, especially in this hectic, modern world. So, when we simply say, “your thoughts create your reality” and expect amazing results based only on the “ask, believe, receive” mantra, we dismiss and downplay the struggles and difficulties one might be facing.
If someone fails to manifest, then too often I’ve heard of people giving up on the whole thing, believing they are just not capable or worthy of receiving what they want, or that the Law of Attraction and manifesting is just a bunch of hippy-dippy, new-age nonsense. They feel like they have failed. They feel like it’s their fault, and that they didn’t try hard enough.
So I truly believe that the taking action part is crucial, not only to empower the individual to feel like they truly can manifest what they want but also to accept that it’s possible to have negative or low-vibrational thoughts and experiences in life, while still being able to successfully manifest and succeed.
It is necessary to accept all of life’s ups and downs – learning, growing and choosing to focus on the next best feeling as and when you can, in order to work up the scale of vibrational frequencies.
As I said at the start of this video, simply saying that you get what you focus the most on, barely scrapes the surface when it comes to manifesting. The Law of Attraction is just the starting point – the real magic is what you can do with it, when you learn how to use the energies and frequencies, along with a variety of different methods and rituals, in order to manifest.
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Manifesting in the Real World
So, let’s say you know exactly what you want, you’re ready to ask for it, you’re ready to do the work you need to… What can you do to manifest it into reality? How can you use the Law of Attraction to make it happen? The following ideas allow you to set your intention and ask for what you want, so that you can take inspired action, attracting and manifesting your dreams in the real world.
Today I’ll list a few ideas of methods and rituals you can do, just to get you started with the Law of Attraction. But as I mentioned earlier, I’ll go into all of these things in greater detail in future videos!
Vision Boards
You can create a vision board. In next week’s video, I show you how to make a digital vision board! Vision boards are fantastic as a daily reminder of your goals and dreams, prompting your brain to focus on working towards them on a subconscious level. They are effectively tapping into your reticular activating system, training your brain to notice anything that may be relevant or helpful to achieve the goals you have laid out on your vision board. In next week’s post we’ll talk more about vision boards!
Gratitude
You can list at least 3 things that you’re grateful for each day. Write down, speak aloud, or simply think about what you’re grateful for, first thing in the morning, last thing before going to sleep at night, and/or at various points during the day. Thank the universe/God/your spirit guides/whatever you believe in, with all your heart. Feel the gratitude deeply and notice your mood shift to one of love and joy.
That feeling right there is one of the highest vibrations! Aim for that as often as you possibly can, and not only will you feel better, but you will radiate that energy to those around you too - which will attract more positivity to you with the Law of Attraction!
Scripting/Journaling
You can use journaling or scripting, writing about what you want to manifest as though it has happened. This is a lot of fun, and feels so good, as it allows you to write from a place of pure gratitude and joy! I’ll definitely make a video on this topic in the future, so be sure to drop your questions below!
Meditation/Visualisation
You can meditate on what you want to manifest and visualize it in vivid detail as if it has already happened, similar to scripting.
For example, if you want a new house. Shut your eyes and picture the house of your dreams. It might seem like daydreaming as a kid, and you might feel silly doing it – but have fun with it and enjoy yourself! Imagine walking through your dream house. Notice all the little details, the designs, and furniture. Notice how you feel as you walk through. Imagine it is your home. Tell yourself, I am home.
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So those are a few ideas to try that you can expect videos on too! The concepts of visualizing and scripting are really amazing – so I’d love to go into how they work more in the future.
But before attempting any of these methods, it’s so important to know exactly what you want to manifest.
Next week, I’ll show you how to create a digital vision board – but more importantly, I’ll talk about what to include on your vision board! How do you find clarity, how do you truly figure out what goals you want to achieve? It all starts with reconnecting with your intuition, so be sure to check out last week’s post on that topic too before we move forward with this series!
I’m super excited for all the videos to come, and I’m super excited for each and every one of you joining me here. I really want this channel to be helpful, fun, and grounded in reality, no matter how spiritual things get! Because these topics should be accessible to everyone, no matter what you believe, no matter what your experiences are. I want to get this message out, far and wide, that it is possible to understand your inner self, reconnect to your intuition, and live an intentional life. Change your perspective, and it will change everything.
I hope you enjoyed today’s video and found it helpful! Comment below – what are your thoughts on the Law of Attraction? I’d also love to know your experiences with manifesting. Have you had success with it? Do you believe that it’s possible? Let me know in the comments!
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If you have any questions, feel free to leave them below too, or find me on Instagram @eboniehyland. I’d love to see you over there! As always, all the links including today’s blog post on this subject are in the description.
Thank you so much for being here today! I can’t wait to see you next week.
Much love,
Ebonie xx