The Law of Attention

The Law of Attraction

I don’t teach manifestation, despite the fact that I know it works. It misses the mark in many regards, and can lead one down into deeper levels of consumerism and materialism, without ever allowing the person to heal, grow, and evolve. The term “spiritual materialism” was coined for this type of behavior - using spiritual truths in service of the ego, for personal gain.

The Law of Attraction is based upon the Law of Vibration, which is one of the cosmic laws described in The Kybalion, a book I have found to deepen every time I reread it. The Law of Vibration states that “like attracts like” and therefore if you vibrate at a certain frequency, you will attract what you desire.

This is, of course, accurate. We create our reality in every moment, for better or for worse. If we are in a state of fear, resistance, or despair, we will be attracting more hardships. This is one of the most uncomfortable things to realize and then take responsibility for.

Of course, this doesn’t mean we can just force ourselves into a high vibrational state. We may be able to, for short and exhausting bursts, but to access that high vibrational state for long periods, we must undergo spiritual alchemy. In order to find and maintain those high vibrational states, we must heal or release the things that keep us in low vibrational states. This is the holistic approach to bringing in a more abundant and fulfilling life.

Because most manifestation teachings are focused on the material, most people never really get a sense of what they are actually searching for. Just as many people work their whole lives for fame or fortune only to arrive at the top and still find themselves unfulfilled, manifestation is a superficial fix for the underlying spiritual emptiness of our lives. Almost everyone who is looking to manifest asks for money, things, or a romantic partner.

They believe these things will fulfill them, and so they seek from a place of lack, and as like attracts like, whatever they do attract will never be, inherently, fulfilling. Stepping back to understand what they are looking for in these things often gives clarity and perspective in what someone is actually looking for, which is often freedom, stability, or, in the case of relationships, validation and support (which, in the end, they must provide for themselves).

Either way, if you cannot harness the power of your attention, you will be left with little more than a wish. Even the Law of Attraction requires that you find and hold a frequency, and if you are constantly distracted, that frequency gets interrupted; if you are constantly changing what you want, you’ll never manifest at all. The Law of Attraction, then, requires the Law of Attention!

The Law of Attention

If you set the intention that you want to see yellow cars, you will be astounded at how many yellow cars there are on the road. Our attention and focus are the most powerful tools we have, and they are constantly being undermined.

The attention span of an average adult is 8-10 seconds. For reference, that’s roughly the same as a goldfish!

Attention deficits can be exacerbated by a multitude of things, such as:

• social media, movies, TV, video games

• a high-paced lifestyle or job, stress, and worrying about the “future” and “past”

• medication, substances, chemicals, and diet

• trauma, mental health issues, being a highly sensitive person, fear culture

• blue light, bright lights, bright colors, decoherent landscapes (billboards, buildings with right-angles), vehicles in constant motion, traffic noise, electrical noise, EMFs

• notifications, phone calls, texts, the “always available” mentality

Long-term attention deficits can manifest as:

• lack of purpose, lack of meaning in life

• lack of long-term goals and plans

• money issues due to lack of vision

• changing careers often

• lack of commitment to relationships

• FOMO

• always looking for something better, the “grass is always greener” syndrome

The more distractions we have around us, the more likely we are to be distracted. And the more we are distracted, the more likely it is to have unconscious behavior crop up in our lives via the Shadow. This is especially prevalent when memory is affected, too, such as with substances. Bringing intentionality back into our lives will help us regain control.

Reclaiming Your Attention & Focus

Thankfully, there are several practices we can use to help us regain and strengthen our attention and focus and allow us to utilize the Law of Attention.

Mindfulness as a practice will be incredibly beneficial for strengthening attention and focus. With mindfulness, you immerse yourself completely into whatever you’re doing, spending time to note the different sensations that arise (sight, smell, touch, etc).

Presence is also a very powerful practice, and while it can be similar to mindfulness, presence is more about finding your inner stillness in the present moment. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle is one of my all-time favorite books and was integral to my own awakening.

Unplug! Get off your devices, TVs, music, and anything else that keeps your mind occupied or busy. Turn off notifications for apps that are extraneous and distracting. Set up custom ringtones and text tones for the people you want to answer right away, and consider letting the rest go to voicemail or wait until a set time to answer texts, as a rule.

Spent time in nature and in quiet places. Give yourself the time and space to detox, ground, and recenter often. Consider going to a float tank, if possible.

Improve your diet and reduce the substances you ingest. Also consider ditching “loud” perfumes, colognes, hair care products, laundry detergents, and other chemicals and fragrances.

Practice gratitude and acceptance of what is. Eckhart Tolle says, “Suffering is resistance to what is.”

Give your body and nervous system the care it needs through sleep, movement, mental rest (such as meditation or other relaxation practices), massage, or other somatic therapies.

Work through your emotional blockages and traumas in a way that feels safe and supportive for you.

Learn discipline, and dedicate yourself to your long-term dreams and vision. The larger the desired outcome, the more important it is to have sustained attention and focus, both in short bursts (say, to visualize your goal for 15 minutes a day) and for long-term - over the course of the weeks, months, and years.

Spend some time thinking about your Really Big Picture - i.e. the legacy you want to leave with your life. How do you want people to remember you? Discover that, then align every action you have into making it a reality.

Putting the Law of Attention into Practice

Attention doesn’t work with negatives. You can’t tell someone, “don’t think of a pink elephant tap dancing on a table” unless you want them to actually imagine it. The mind skips over the “don’t.”

In this way, we can’t resist, fight, or reject that which we no longer want. Instead, it’s as simple (and as difficult) as choosing to redirect our attention elsewhere.

Rather than, “I want less of this,” or “I don’t want that,” we’d say, “I want more of that.”

You wouldn’t say, “I want to see fewer red, blue, green, black, and white cars.” You’d just say, “I want to see more yellow cars.”

Even as I hold space for the demise of the “Matrix” control system and the dismantling of the oligarchal corporatocracy, I’m not fighting and screaming against it. I’m choosing, instead, to build a life away from all of that, pivoting in the direction that I hope the world will follow.

Attention, consent, intuition, and creativity are the most powerful tools we have. Let’s reclaim them and use them well.

I originally posted this on Substack during our brief rebrand as Awaken to the Dream, July 17, 2023.