The Law of Attraction is a confusing concept to grasp. Although the movie, The Secret, made this law well-known, it did not explain the whole truth about the Law of Attraction.
(If you are not familiar with the Law of Attraction, please read my article: Does the Law of Attraction Really Work?)
What New Thought Teaches
First, any New Thought teacher or practitioner will teach that we create our own experiences and reality. But what about those whose life or loved ones are endangered through any of the tragedies that befall us. Do we, individually, create this?
I often pondered this when I faced unexplained circumstances or situations that I had no control over. For example, how could I possibly have created the fire that destroyed our home? Indeed, this or other similar tragedies is not something that I would ever want anyone else to go through. Nor would I want to see someone blame themselves for thinking they created it!
Authors Rev. Linda Martella-Whitsett and Alicia Whitsett also wrestled with this idea in their article, ‘Quit the Blame Game’ published in the November/December Unity Magazine.
The Law of Attraction states that we are the creators of our own experience and of our reality. But this is too often misinterpreted to mean that we create our circumstances.
Interestingly, I came to the same conclusion as the article’s authors. I (or you) can only control what we feel or think about a particular situation. Thankfully, with my years of spiritual practice, I learned to put aside the thought that I was victimized by God/Spirit or any other force beyond myself. I just need to take responsibility for how I responded to it.
How the authors worked through their understanding of the Law of Attraction:
The Law of Attraction claims that you are responsible not for creating the bad things that happen but instead for your experience. And how you respond to that experience matters: When you response is harmonious with your values and beliefs, you feel better; when it’s not, you feel worse.
When we center ourselves in Spirit, we can respond with love, peace, and wholeness to people and situations. As the authors stated, this is our true nature. Attract those beliefs into our being, and when uncontrollable circumstances come into our lives, we can be victorious over them.