Does the law of attraction really help me get what I want?

Well, the simple answer is, yes! One can really, truly get what they want with the law of attraction. Let us understand how this works.

Simply put, the world runs on energy dynamics i.e. the constant flow of energy in and around us determines the various subtle and gross changes that the world experiences every moment. This flow of energy is responsible for creating and destroying formations of matter. For example, if we take ice cubes out of the freezer and let it sit out on the table on a hot summer day, the heat in the air will melt the ice and turn it into its liquid state, which is water. So, the electrical energy of the freezer turns liquid into solid, while the thermal energy of the air converts this solid again into liquid. Similarly, all matter, whether subtle or gross, undergoes a constant change in their structural formation, resulting in endless permutations and combinations of material circumstances.

There are many types of energy – thermal, wind, electrical etc., but the most powerful type of energy is the energy of thought, possessed by the mind. Our minds are capable of sending out millions of thought vibrations in a single day, and depending on the intensity of these vibrations, they can materialize the desired circumstances that help us get things according to what we think. For example, if one strongly wishes for jalebis every time they sit down to eat sooner or later they will have jalebis on their plate. But if one casually remarks that it would have been nice to have something sweet, they might get some jaggery or any other sweet, depending on availability.

This is how the law of attraction works! Our thoughts constantly create future situations for us to experience, based on our desires of today. The law of karma too works on the same principle. What we desire in this lifetime will materialize in the next. Repeated thoughts regarding illness or failures also get materialized because the law of attraction does not discriminate between good and bad thoughts. So one must be really careful, always cautious what to think for, because even the slightest negative vibration will drag in negative circumstances.

Another catch with the way the law of attraction works is that sometimes we get what we want at a time when we cannot bear to have it. Let us say we have a strong desire to eat jalebis today, but it is only one year later that the circumstances allow that to happen. And at that time, even if we have the jalebis in front of us, we cannot eat them because of diabetes. Rather than giving us pleasure, this situation adds to our grief. This means that getting the circumstances we desire and getting the happiness we had imagined we would experience from these circumstances are two different things.

Any time we desire anything, it is always for the sake of increasing our happiness. So we ask for that which we think will make us happy. But many times it so happens that by the time we get it, our idea of what will make us happy would have changed, so the thing asked for previously does not do us any good.

The wishing cycle continues with no end in sight. So, the thing to understand here is that one cannot really get any happiness out of material circumstances. One can get temporary relief from one’s troubles and frustrations, but no permanent solution, no ever-lasting safeguard from pain or sorrow.

Real, everlasting bliss can only come from one thing, and that is atmadasha (existing in and as the pure soul). All happiness derived from material circumstances is temporary, and relative (as we saw in the jalebi example) because material circumstances are themselves so. But the pure soul, which is our true identity, is neither temporary, nor relative. It is real and permanent and thus all happiness derived from it will be everlasting!

How can we experience this real happiness? Well, the first step is to attain Self-Realisation. Only a Gnani can make us experience our true self, and break the illusion of our relative identities. From this point onwards, one experiences a constant increase in happiness by remaining in Gnanis agnas (instructions) and by complete surrender to the Gnani. This will eventually lead one to moksha which is the final or the ultimate liberation from the cycle of birth and death!