William Walter Atkinson
The producers of the phenomenon and hit self-help, law of attraction movie ‘The Secret’ claim that the Law of Attraction is something that the greats throughout time, Newton, Shakespeare, Plato, Carnegie and Beethoven, knew and used - and until recently was not widely known by the general public. They claim it was the release of The Secret which uncovered this age old, new phenomenon.
Left: William Walter Atkinson - one of the most influential American figures in the New Age Movement
However, the Law of Attraction has been one of the pillars of the New Age and New Thought Movements that first came into the public forum in Western society in the early 1900s. And the founding of this movement can be accredited to the great William Walter Atkinson who famously edited the magazines Suggestion, New Thought and Advanced Thought - the early publicized material on a previously untouched scene.
It was William Walter Atkinson’s book in 1906 called Thought Vibration or Law of Attraction in the Thought World that has in fact formed the benchmark for all other Law of Attraction works and thoughts.
This book is an absolutely remarkable read and many would say way ahead of its time.
This book has very firmly stood the test of time and is still an exciting work that anyone who is wishing to employ the Law of Attraction in their life should read and it will certainly get your thought processes blossoming.
Its modern day appeal is reflected in the rave reviews that it receives from many Amazon reviewers with an average of 4.5* out of 5.
“Groundbreaking in 1906 and still extremely thought provoking today - although the material is not new to me as I have seen so many new age pundits regurgitate it in one form or another - what is startling is to read it in the context of early last century. Luminous and superb!”- anon, CA
Wallace D. Wattles
Wallace D. Wattles was another influential figure in the new age movement. In his book The Science of Getting Rich in 1910 he outlines his thoughts on the origins of the Law of Attraction:
“This theory is of Hindu origin, and has been gradually winning its way into the thought of the western world for three hundred years. It is the foundation of all the Oriental philosophies, and those of Descartes, Spinoza, Leibnitz, Schopenhauer, Hegel and Emerson…..”
Whilst this is one of the early works on the Law of Attraction I don’t feel it has stood the test of time as well as William Walter Atkinson’s work. (Read this post for more)The language used is very dated and it’s not the classic that Thought Vibration is considered.
Despite this it has got the facelift that it requires to bring it into the modern era and could still be a great read. It still managed to get a rating of 4 out of 5 from amazon. The message must, still to this day, ring true. Give it a whirl!
Napoleon Hill
Napoleon Hill was an extremely influential figure in the new age movement and to this day his book, Think and Grow Rich remains one of the bestsellers of all time in the US. Many of you have branded this read as the ‘best self help book ever written’.
It’s a timeless classic that although primarily focuses on how to get rich the main lessons to be learnt from it are grounded in the Law of Attraction.
Napoleon’s Thoughts
“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.”
“Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.”
“What you think, so you will become.”
“Thoughts mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence, and a burning desire are powerful things.”
Esther and Jerry Hicks
Esther and Jerry Hicks are widely regarded as being modern day gurus on everything concerning the Law of Attraction; this is because of their highly influential ‘Teachings of Abraham’.
The books they’ve written are essentially material reading for anyone wanting to get to grips with this great omnipresent law of the Universe. They published a well renowned, New York Times bestselling book entitled ‘The Law of Attraction’.
The virtues of this book lie in the way it teaches the Law of Attraction in such a well explained and clear manner like no other previous teacher.
If you have any interest in the Law of Attraction you must’ve heard of the phenomenon The Secret sweeping across the world like wildfire. In the original cut Esther Hicks featured very prominently but was subsequently cut. One theory that has been put forward is that she was cut because the producers didn’t want her to get such a cut (read this post to find out more on why she was cut).
Many other authors actually believe that The Secret is fundamentally based on the works of Esther and Jerry Hicks rather than that of Wallace D. Wattles like the producers would have you believe. ( read this post) Note that Esther and Jerry Hicks are so well thought of that they recently appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show to explain things.
Surely they have to be considered to be the modern authority on the Law of Attraction.
The Secret
If you haven’t heard of The Secret you must have been hiding under a rock for the last year or 2.
OK so the Law of Attraction has been around for absolutely ages and many, many figures and teachers have written about this Universal Law - BUT - Until the release of The Secret it has never received this much coverage and hype and generating so much attention. The Secret has thrust the Law of Attraction and the fields of personal development into the mainstream in a very dramatic way.
Oprah wants a piece of The Secret, Larry King wants a piece of The Secret, in fact everybody out there seems to want a piece of The Secret. This is represented in it being on the Amazon best selling list for so long and selling over a million copies.
For comprehensive news and updates on the Secret I recommend thesecretnotes.com.
Get Reading and Manifesting!
I hope you find the origins and teachings of the Law of Attraction exciting material to get your teeth into; these sources are a great place to start your quest for rapid manifestation and attraction.
I want to hear which other books you’ve read that are inspirational in this field. you might be looking at this thinking to yourself ‘there’s glaring omissions here’ - WELL this is just a taster of things to come. If you investigate these sources you’ll be on the right track to engaging in the power of positive thinking.
Share Your Comments
