Many people on a personal and spiritual growth path have read about the law of attraction. Simply stated, this law says that like attracts like, which means, in a general sense, that happiness draws happiness and misery draws misery. The law states that whatever we think about, with strong feelings, is what we manifest. If you think about what you don't want - especially with a strong emotion like fear, then you are manifesting what you don’t want. What many people do with this is attempt to think happy thoughts and visualize what they do want, only to find that things stay pretty much the same as they always have.

What is the problem here? Is this law not true?

No, the law is absolutely true. The problem is in understanding the "frequency" that is necessary to manifest what you want.

Your frequency is the energy level at which you are vibrating. A low frequency - which comes from operating from fear, anger, hurt, jealousy, judgment, anxiety, depression, and so on - is like a closed door regarding your ability to manifest. In other words, the universe is bringing you want you want, but hits the closed door of your low frequency.

A high frequency, coming from feelings of love, inner peace, and joy, opens the door for the manifestation of your dreams.

The deeper challenge here is in understand intent, because it is your intent that determines your feelings and your frequency.

There are only two possible intents in any given moment:

1. The intent to be loving to yourself and others, and to learn about what is in your highest good.

2. The intent to avoid pain with some form of controlling behavior.

The intent to learn creates a high frequency, while the intent to avoid pain/control creates a low frequency. When you are trying to manifest what you want, the intent you are coming from will determine the outcome. Many people believe that thinking about what they want will give them control over getting what they want. However, their intent to control is lowering their frequency and preventing the manifestation.

When you are trying to manifest what you want in order to be happy, you will generally fail. When you try to have control over getting what you want in order to be happy, you are making something external responsible for your happiness. The truth is that your deep inner joy is determined by your own thoughts and behavior toward yourself, not by what happens externally. Manifestation occurs when your desires are an extension of your joy, rather than making your success in manifestation the cause of your joy. In order to manifest, you need to be stating what you want and visualizing what you want from a place of deep inner peace and joy. You need to already be happy to manifest!

When your basic intention in your life is to be loving to yourself and others and you take full internal responsibility for your own pain and joy, that is when you will be able to manifest your dreams. Instead of spending lots of time in affirmations and visualizations, you will serve yourself better by becoming conscious of your intent to control.

It is unfortunate that many people try to use the law of attraction as just another form of control. Actually, anything can be used as a form of control when that is your intent. The experience of spiritual support occurs when you shift your intent from controlling to loving yourself and others. Since our learned unconscious choice is always to control, this shift in intent needs to be a moment-by-moment conscious choice.

When you practice consciously choosing the intent to learn about loving and take loving action for yourself and others, you will not only feel joyful and peaceful within, you will be able to manifest your dreams!

Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is the best-selling author and co-author of eight books, including "Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By You?" and "Healing Your Aloneness." She is the co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding® healing process. Learn Inner Bonding now! Visit her web site for a FREE Inner Bonding course: http://www.innerbonding.com or email her at margaret@innerbonding.com. Phone sessions available.