Refreshed, Refilled and Ready

Hello my dearies, I hope you are well.

I spent part of the last week with some very special women in a scenario I could not have anticipated, had little to do with organizing yet benefited greatly from. During our time together we spent a day with a speaker who emphasized repeatedly that we do in fact influence all of the things we experience and attract into our lives. Interesting.

For the most part I fully accepted and agreed with the points of our lovely guest speaker. I believe in positivity. I believe we are all connected, that we can and do influence and impact each other continually, often without conscious effort. I understand the value of gratitude and determination. I believe that we can evolve, become more enlightened and foster that growth in others. I believe what my limited understanding tells me of quantum physics, energy transfer and cause and effect.

My mental snag lies with the ‘law of attraction.’ This concept has been a point of contention for me for a few reasons, exacerbated more recently by the very commercialized “Secret” movement. I won’t even get started on how cleverly obnoxious I find the idea of selling self-actualization as a packaged, purchasable item. I’m not so sure that this is what Newton had in mind with his law of universal gravitation, or Einstein with his subsequent theory of general relativity. I’m pretty sure Freud too would scoff at the idea of separating the practice of thinking from the act of doing.

Again, believe me when I say I believe in the power of positive thinking. It is in broadening the argument around this concept that I believe we run into some seriously murky territory.

Proponents of the ‘law of attraction’ suggest that we can attain what we want and/or cure ourselves of whatever ails us through thought and willpower alone. So, are we then saying that we can ensure ourselves the best parking spot or cure depression, cancer and degenerative bone disorders with our thoughts? Should a terminally ill patient forgo any medical interventions, accept that their bad attitude got them there in the first place and simply ‘buck up’ to save themselves? Can a person with a developmental disability will themselves out of poverty and marginalization?

Do people really 'will' or 'think' themselves into physical states of disease? Perhaps, if we acknowledge the generally debilitating effects of stress on the body... but does anyone really will themselves to break a leg or acquire ovarian cancer? Using the same logic, can’t we then argue that a woman who is raped somehow willed it to happen, or that the victims of drunk drivers subconsciously ask to be maimed or killed?

I guess at the end of the day, I feel that when reflecting on or dealing with the things in life that sometimes just plain suck, reliance on the ‘law of attraction’ as an explanation or solution for life circumstances can lead to blaming victims and denying other valid responses or courses of action. My world is just not so black and white.

So, did I subconsciously will the events of the last week to enter my life? I don’t know. What makes more sense to me is that I allowed myself to be open to the possibilities that led to these events and while in the midst kept an open, positive attitude about what I encountered. Maybe in some way this is the very point our guest speaker was making. Either way, I am grateful for the experience and from it feel more refreshed, refilled and ready than I have in a while.

The starfish in the picture above were some of the wonders I encountered while away.

Much love to you.