The original guide to manifesting! The full original text, revised for the 21st century!
In this timeless classic, William Walker Atkinson introduces the paradigm shifting concept of The Law of Attraction. This “one great law” governs the universe and the world we experience. It simply states that whatever the focus of our thoughts and expectations—whatever we desire or fear—is exactly what we receive. In The Law of Attraction Atkinson shows readers how to harness this radical power to create a life of abundance and happiness.
The simple choice to replace a negative thought with a positive one is a small thing, but it can be the beginning of a new life, new freedom, and new abundance.
Long before others were writing on the subject, Atkinson was the first to develop a complete understanding of the Law of Attraction. First published under the title Thought Vibration, this new edition of the book has been fully revised and updated for modern readers. Rediscover Atkinson's pioneering insights in The Law of Attraction and transform your life!
William Walker Atkinson (December 5, 1862 – November 22, 1932) was an attorney, merchant, publisher, and author, as well as an occultist and an American pioneer of the New Thought movement. He is also known to have been the author of the pseudonymous works attributed to Theron Q. Dumont, Swami Panchadasi and Yogi Ramacharaka and others.
Due in part to Atkinson's intense personal secrecy and extensive use of pseudonyms, he is now largely forgotten, despite having obtained mention in past editions of Who's Who in America, Religious Leaders of America, and several similar publications—and having written more than 100 books in the last 30 years of his life. His works have remained in print more or less continuously since 1900.
William Walker Atkinson was born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 5, 1862, to William and Emma Atkinson. He began his working life as a grocer at 15 years old, probably helping his father. He married Margret Foster Black of Beverly, New Jersey, in October 1889, and they had two children. The first probably died young. The second later married and had two daughters.
Atkinson pursued a business career from 1882 onwards and in 1894 he was admitted as an attorney to the Bar of Pennsylvania. While he gained much material success in his profession as a lawyer, the stress and over-strain eventually took its toll, and during this time he experienced a complete physical and mental breakdown, and financial disaster. He looked for healing and in the late 1880s he found it with New Thought, later attributing the restoration of his health, mental vigor and material prosperity to the application of the principles of New Thought.
Some time after his healing, Atkinson began to write articles on the truths he felt he had discovered, which were then known as Mental Science. In 1889, an article by him entitled "A Mental Science Catechism," appeared in Charles Fillmore's new periodical, Modern Thought.
By the early 1890s Chicago had become a major centre for New Thought, mainly through the work of Emma Curtis Hopkins, and Atkinson decided to move there. Once in the city, he became an active promoter of the movement as an editor and author. He was responsible for publishing the magazines Suggestion (1900–1901), New Thought (1901–1905) and Advanced Thought (1906–1916).
In 1900 Atkinson worked as an associate editor of Suggestion, a New Thought Journal, and wrote his probable first book, Thought-Force in Business and Everyday Life, being a series of lessons in personal magnetism, psychic influence, thought-force, concentration, will-power, and practical mental science.
He then met Sydney Flower, a well-known New Thought publisher and businessman, and teamed up with him. In December, 1901 he assumed editorship of Flower's popular New Thought magazine, a post which he held until 1905. During these years he built for himself an enduring place in the hearts of its readers. Article after article flowed from his pen. Meanwhile he also founded his own Psychic Club and the so-called "Atkinson School of Mental Science". Both were located in the same building as Flower's Psychic Research and New Thought Publishing Company.
Atkinson was a past president of the International New Thought Alliance.
Throughout his subsequent career, Atkinson wrote and published under his own name and many pseudonyms. It is not known whether he ever acknowledged authorship of these pseudonymous works, but all of the supposedly independent authors whose writings are now credited to Atkinson were linked to one another by virtue of the fact that their works were released by a series of publishing houses with shared addresses and they also wrote for a series of magazines with a shared roster of authors. Atkinson was the editor of a
This is very beginner-friendly manifestation book but it reinforces the same core idea so many times that it starts to feel repetitive rather than insightful. The intention is clearly good: simple language, clear messaging, easy to digest but there’s very little added depth as the book goes on. Once you grasp the main point, you’ve essentially grasped the whole book.
If you’re new to manifestation or just starting your personal growth journey on LOA, this could be a gentle and accessible entry point. But if you’ve read even a handful of self-development books, there’s not much here that will feel new or challenging.
A masterful work on thought-power. Very mind awakening in its thorough analysis of the tools we have at our disposal. Provoking in the way it questions the reader. Leading one to be skeptical of their own self doubt and disbelief. Why not you? Why not now? What excuse do you have not to be all you can? Who made you believe you could ever be less than? Highly recommended for anyone to take their thoughts to the highest attainment. As well as to lock away negative habits and place them under containment.
Good self-help book of its time. Author mentioned all concepts shared in other self-help books which are very organized. If author had thought about these in 1800s, it’s really commendable. Going with 3 stars because of the author’s vision at that time.
Took me longer than expected to complete. I found myself easily distracted at times and found some areas to be congested. I will use the principles shared in it.