William Atkinson - The Complete Works of William Walker Atkinson

Every person is constantly surrounded with a thought-aura which affects those with whom he comes in contact. Some people attract us without a word being spoken, while others repel us as soon as we come within the radius of their aura. The aura of a man is composed of the essence of his prevailing thoughts—it reflects his general mental attitude. This aura is felt not only by man, but also by the lower animals. Children are very susceptible to its influences, and many unaccountable likes and dislikes of children are explainable in no other way. Some persons are very sensitive to the thought atmosphere of others, and will sense at once the mental attitude of those with whom they come in contact. Some psychics are able to perceive this aura, and state that it varies in density and shade according to the prevailing quality of thought of the individual.

When one realizes the wonderful workings of the law of thought-attraction he sees the importance of so controlling his thoughts that he may attract only the best and most helpful thought of the world, instead of the depressing, hurtful, negative thought which is being sent out from so many minds. A man who maintains a hopeful, confident, fearless mental attitude will attract to himself like thought from others, and will be strengthened and helped by the influx of the outside thought, and will go on from success to success, aided by the combined force of the thoughts which he has attracted to him. He becomes as a magnet drawing to himself that which strengthens and aids him. Equally true is the fact that the man who maintains a negative, fearful, despondent mental attitude will attract to himself like thoughts from the great field of thought, which will pull and drag him down still deeper into the Slough of Despond. Remember, always, “like attracts like” in the thought world. And you may rest assured that whatsoever you think will attract a corresponding thought which has been sent out from the minds of others.

Have you ever noticed the attractive power of thought in the cases of strangers brought into contact with each other? Each draws to himself his kind. Place a hundred strange men or women in a room, and inside of an hour they have formed themselves into groups, each group representing a different type—a different mental attitude. Each instinctively attracts and is attracted by corresponding qualities in another.

If you would develop along certain lines the best plan is to think along the desired lines as much as you can, endeavoring to hold the thoughts relating to it as much as possible. By doing so you will not only develop the mind by auto-suggestion, but will attract, from the great ocean of thought, the helpful thoughts which have been sent out by others, and you will obtain the benefit of their thinking, as well as your own. Many of us have been thinking along certain lines very intently and with full powers of concentration, and suddenly a bright idea will come into our minds from out of the Somewhere, and we will be almost startled at suddenly coming in possession of a valuable thought relating to the matter in hand. Vigorous, positive, hopeful, expectant, concentrated thought on almost any subject will bring to itself helpful and valuable thoughts from others. There is no question but that many men have developed powers in this direction that place them in touch with the best minds working along similar lines. Many inventors will find themselves producing the same invention, and writers frequently find that the book that they have just written bears a striking resemblance to one simultaneously produced by another writer in perhaps a different country. Much harsh feeling is often engendered by a lack of understanding of the workings of the law of thought.

I have spoken at considerable length upon this subject in my previous work, entitled “ Thought Force ,” and can merely refer to it in the present volume. It, however, plays an important part in the teachings of The New Thought, and the student soon realizes its wonderful bearing upon the affairs of everyday life.

There is no occasion for alarm on the part of any one because of the possibility of being unduly affected by the thoughts of others. The remedy is to place yourself in the proper key, that you may receive only the helpful vibrations corresponding to the thoughts uppermost in your own mind. Every man is master of his own mind, and nothing will enter there unless he permits it. The inside influence is much stronger than the outside. All one has to do is to keep his own mind free from base, negative thoughts and the undesirable thoughts of others will not be attracted to him. Only the thoughts that harmonize will find a congenial shelter within his mind. He fixes his own mental keynote and his mind will not respond to any other key. If he thinks Love, Hate will not come near him; if he thinks Truth, Lying thoughts will flee from him. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he,” applies here also.

Man has wonderful possibilities in the direction of so developing his mind that he may attract to himself that which he needs from the great world’s store-house of unexpressed thought. He will find enormous quantities of unexpressed thought longing for expression, which will eagerly pour into his mind for that expression which was not given by the mind in which they originated. Thoughts are hungry for expression, and flock to the mind of him who has sufficient energy to express the thoughts which come to him. Many men are too lazy to express the great thoughts which they originate, and it remains for others to absorb these unexpressed thoughts and use them. Nothing goes to waste, and what one man will not use another will be found to avail himself of. Unexpressed thought is added to the common store, to be drawn upon by all who need it and will attract it to themselves.

Your mind is a magnet drawing to it thoughts in keeping with your conscious or unconscious demands and desires. By cultivating the proper mental attitude you may draw the very best product of the world’s thinking. Is it not worth trying?

Table of Content

This Law difficult to understand—Thought attracts not only persons but things—Exerts a control over circumstances—The Oneness of All affords a solution to the problem—The atom attracts that which is needed for its development—The power of Desire—How the Law operates in some circumstances—The Law operating through men—Illustrations of the wonderful workings of the Law—Your thoughts place you in connection with the outer world and its forces—Starting the forces into operation—The road to Success—Swept on by irresistible forces—Faith and recognition of the Law, rewarded by immediate movement—One gets very much what he looks for—The Law is either your master or your servant.

THE WORKING of the Law of Attraction is something that puzzled me very much for a long time after I became interested in The New Thought, and I am of the opinion that others find it difficult to grasp. It is comparatively easy to understand the effect of the mind on the body—the mind on the minds of others—the will-power on the mind—the fact that a thought will attract a like thought, etc. But when one is first made aware that there is such a thing as a Law of Attraction whereby one attracts things to him—exerts a control over circumstances by reason of the character of his thoughts—he is apt to find it hard to grasp the fact, or to understand the Law which operates in this way. There is a great difference, apparently, between the effect of thought upon persons, and the effect of thoughts upon things. But when one grasps the idea of the Oneness of All, he will begin to understand why one part of the whole will affect another part of the whole, be that other part a person or a thing. I have never heard a complete, clear explanation of the inner working of the Law of Attraction, although many understand the general workings, and a fair idea may be obtained by reasoning by analogy. But that the Law of Attraction exists , and is in full working force, many men and women know by experience, and the beginner who cannot understand will find it necessary to take the Law on faith at the start, until he becomes convinced of its real existence, by the results obtained by himself.