Mystic Thoughts Blog

The concept of creative thought, also known as the law of attraction, has gained widespread popularity in recent years, thanks in part to books and movies like The Secret. In this blog post I examine the esoteric and occult history of this mysterious power and compare it to the idea of the forbidden fruit, which led to humanity’s downfall in the Garden of Eden. Should we be attempting to use this power, and what are the potential consequences of doing so?

The law of attraction is based on the idea that our thoughts can manifest into reality, and that by focusing on what we want, we can attract it into our lives. While this power has been shown to work in many cases, there are concerns about whether it should be used. Some argue that by using the law of attraction, we are playing God, and that this power may have been responsible for the original sin of the forbidden fruit.

When looking at the origins of the law of attraction, the history of this idea and its roots in ancient and modern occultism naturally make it difficult to pin down. The Gnostic texts and the depiction of the malevolent God of this universe, Yaldabaoth, reveal that the Gnostics were completely against using one’s mind to create without permission or help from Heaven, since his creation of the material world is terribly flawed in the Gnostic mythos.

There is no real mention of it in the Hermetic texts. Entering some type of religious trance is what reveals knowledge of the universe, as in the vision of Hermes, or the Poimandres.

I am mentioning these two because of the use of these teachings and their fragmentary texts in occultism and New Age teachings and that nowhere in them is the power of creation by thought taught as a goal or even a reality. Unless of course the myth of Yaldabaoth is a warning against it to the spiritual practitioner so long as they see the myth as pertaining to themselves through the analogy of the microcosm and macrocosm?

Only when the Kybalion is read, which is considered by some to be a Hermetic text though written in modern times, can we potentially ascribe this teaching to Hermes, though again, only through the analogy of the microcosm and macrocosm that if the universe is mental, and the universe was created by some cosmic mental activity, then we possess this capacity as well.

It is not until we examine the Kabbalistic and Masonic ideas and teachings that the idea of creation by thought appears. To find the true name of God and its correct pronunciation confers this power to the Kabbalist. The myth of Hiram Abiff and the finding of the lost key of Freemasonry, grants it to the Masonic practitioner. Yet both, within their teachings, claim that they have lost this power. Unless they only say this so that one seeks within for it, and finding it, is the secret to spirituality?

The point in this brief historical overview of the idea of the law of attraction and its thread within esoteric and occult circles is that one should not just dive into such works without careful consideration of just what exactly these teachings are compelling a reader or student towards. To “use” the power of God (mind or spirituality) to create reality by our own will and thought alone resembles the theological teachings that surround the myth of Yaldabaoth in the Gnostic teachings. And if we consider the “curse’ God inflicts upon Adam and Eve in Genesis, that Eve would need to labor in pain to give birth along with Adam working at the sweat of his brow, these are both layered with the meaning of humanity needing to rely on themselves to create by their own will, versus God giving and providing all through His will in the Edenic and Heavenly sense.  Thus, taking or using the forbidden fruit to be like the gods, meaning to create by will and thought alone, is what is being implied as humanity’s downfall.

In conclusion, the mysteries of creative thought, the law of attraction, and the forbidden fruit are complex and interwoven concepts that require deep contemplation and understanding. By approaching these teachings with caution and humility, we can uncover the truth behind these powerful ideas.