This is not what is necessarily most important, but this is what I want to say first, because it’s what I understand: it’s very true, and important, that’s it matters what you put your attention on, and that you put your attention on what you want. Fuming about tyranny leads to tyranny; it’s true. Everything is attraction. But, it can be misinterpreted, and they almost say this: after they say there’s no pushing away, they say there’s no hiding, and that’s important. It doesn’t mean you can never tell war stories, because that’s suppression and tyranny. There are probably references to the Holocaust in Chicken Soup for the Jewish Soul; how can there not be? It says you have to “bridge” these things, get from sad to happy slowly; no rush. All the time in the world. And if you have an alcoholic mother you probably don’t have to put her out of your life, you know, put you put your attention more on the ‘mother’ part than the ‘fearful’ part. You can get things like courage and resilience from war stories; you can focus on that. But it’s not your best option to fume constantly about bad things you already know a lot about. I guess that doctors should be trained about diseases, but in doctor’s offices, they’ll put up posters about a disease that 1% of the population has, trying to get 100% of the people to look at it and think bad thoughts, you know. It’s gotten a little better, despite the level of seeming permafrost, though.

Anyway, you can tell war stories to get courage and resilience tales, but it’s also true that there is a lot of resistance to feeling happy, strangely. You feel happy, you feel vulnerable, weak, stupid. You decide you don’t like it. You get a little money you feel dirty, vulnerable (“I have a body”), even stupid, somehow—not an academic. Of course, scholarly pursuits are a great gain and one of the perks of having a little time and money, but they usually do not produce time and money/freedom themselves; they require it. The more academic a book is, the more it tends to cost, and the less practicable or universally useful it is, even if you understand it. That can make you feel incredibly vulnerable if you’re attracted to things like that.

And we should let academics know that we dirty plebs aren’t going to crush them, but it is true that people also need joy. People need joy. And they need money. All sorts of feelings and possessions matter. But there can be this ferocious aversion to allowing this, you know.

I really wanted to talk about, how when I first picked up the Abraham books, and I read a least two or three, but I got little out of them, because I had this idea like “Now I’m reading spirituality” (=tyrant reason, yay!). And then I’d kinda put 95% of it off to one side, like, Huh, okay, but that was about money, and money can never matter to me, a dweller in the angelic realms…. I just had this incredible aversion to taking the books seriously, or in my case even actually overcoming denial and realizing that that was what I was doing. Catastrophe I can deal with. You just let it go through you. But when there’s no catastrophe, I dunno, you just try to sit very still and away from all the doors and windows.

I don’t know how else to describe my pre-prosperity-consciousness (lack of) “engagement” with the Abraham beings.

…. It is true that like attracts like. Even when people are attracted who seem outwardly different, they come together because of a hidden similarity. For example, in “Little Women” the outgoing Jo and the timid Beth are friends, IMO because as it’s been noted, Jo is the “family intellectual”, par excellence, and Beth, a Six on the Enneagram—I’m sure of it—also lives in her head (which is why she’s afraid). Actually, Beth probably lives in her head more than Jo, who’s more of a One, (like say Luther or Richard Rohr), an intellectual in a more masculine sense, like she gets it done with her gut, you know. But she’s also a writer, so she’s attracted to Beth, a head-type. Even when masculine and feminine types come together, you’re attracted to the other type that gels with your own energy, that you have in yourself in a less dominant sense, that in some sense you already are.

…. You can adjust the station, and not just the volume.

…. Two obstacles to this to be over come this are when we bump up against harassment, such as the cultural ideal of debunking—The law of attraction is stupid! It won’t work for you unless I allow it! And I, EYE, I absolutely Forbid it!”—or Trump thinking, or whatever it is. And the other is when we desire very intense experiences that end up bring us pain.

To the first, Betsey ten Boom was certainly harassed more than I ever expect to be, and handled it with such grace and love as made even her sister marvel—and not just with pity and certainly not just with toleration, but with unabashed good will. “After the war, Corrie, we’ll heal everyone—even the guards.” That’s a PhD in allowing. If I can just get out of remedial toleration classes and get my GED in allowing, I’ll be much happier…. And as for the second, a minimum amount of rational thought is very helpful, especially if you really want what is good for you. If I want (vegan) soft serve ice cream, I might get a little sick and feel pain later, but if I do, I’ll also have a nice experience. Assuming I’m not always in pain and subconsciously seeking pain, I can weigh my options, since I’m not an idiot, after all.

…. Although I know that the Marxists and the socialists can get to a higher place, often, ironically, Marxism is a sort of pity—a sort of violent pity. Clearly it’s better to just will the good, but that’s not how all the popular teachers have put it in the past.

…. This world comes from love.

Definitely read this one. ( )

I'm thrilled to have found this and I'm especially glad I got the version that combines the three universal laws: Law of Attraction, Law of Deliberate Creation, and Law of Allowing. [[ASIN:1401912354 The Law of Attraction: The Basics Of The Teachings Of Abraham]]. My life is already beginning to change and for those who are cynical, if it makes you feel better, you can think it's because in keeping positive thoughts in my mind about about the things I want in my life, I'm keeping myself in a happier frame of mind. But I had a bizarre experience of receiving something within 24 hours of getting and listening to these CDs and thinking about that item over and over, and if I (and I'm a cynical person) had any doubt before, I sure don't now. I highly recommend this -- the audio version since I think this type of book is more powerful when heard -- to anyone who wants to change his/her life for the better ( )

The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham is written by
Esther and Jerry Hicks. Wait! Stop what you’re doing right now! You’ve got it all backwards! You don’t get things in life bydoing; instead, you create your reality by thinking! Your own “private Idaho”, so to speak.
Want to be rich? Just think about it in a productive way. Want a thin body? Direct your positive thoughts toward this. A new, purple Jeep (okay, so that’s what I want)? Just apply non-contradictory thoughts toward your desire. Sounds selfish? Great! We are all selfish, like it or not. We’re made to be. Egocentrism rules! We’re just behaving in accordance with our true vibration as humans. Hedonism! If it feels good doing it, thinking it, you know you’re on the right track! Want to make your children behave? Fuggettaboutit. You can’t create someone else’s reality (only your own).
The deal breaker for me, unfortunately, occurs on page 146. Too bad; their theory was sounding pretty good to me up until that point, but see what you think if you read this book. ( )

As Swedenborg wrote, 'You are what you Love, and you Love whatever you are giving your attention to.' Love is the most powerful force in the Universe.