The Universe Is Your Search Engine: A User’s Guide to the Science of Attraction by Anita M Scott

The Universe is Your Search Engine is a new age, metaphysical book with anecdotes, suggestions and exercises to assist readers in utilizing the law of attraction in his or her own life.

Anita Scott compares the law of attraction to a universal “search engine.” What you put in, comes back to you kind of like Google for the mind.

“While the Universe’s Search Engine delivers real-life experiences, it is not responsible for your quality of life. You are, because no one else can use your mind to think thoughts. You alone are the thinker of your mind, and it is your thoughts alone that trigger the search and the ensuing return of life experiences.” loc 310, ebook

The book is divided into three sections: the first handles different aspects of the law of attraction from science to energy and quantum physics. The next part goes into metaphysics, the body, purpose and more. The third part is a workbook that ties the first two sections together and is also scattered throughout the text.

“Fighting against what is elongates suffering, makes an issue bigger, and squanders your valuable energy.” loc 428, ebook

I’ve read quite a few books like this- new age materials that teach your thoughts create your reality. I was honestly surprised how much I enjoyed this version of the teaching.

The publisher sent me an email offering a free digital copy of this book through NetGalley, I didn’t request it. And, I’m going to be blunt here, I was feeling rather unsure about it. I simply wasn’t in the right head space to read and review a new age book. But then, I thought, why not give it a chance and I’m glad I did.

This year, 2020, has been the worst. Prior to this mega-disaster of a year, I would have described myself as someone who created her own reality sometimes successfully, other times not so much, but I felt like I always had at least a glimpse of where my life was going.

This year has changed all of that. Now, I’m not certain I create my reality at all.

Current angst aside, I liked The Universe is Your Search Engine. I liked the empowering messages it shares. I like the exercises that encourage readers to find their purpose, focus their thoughts and joyfully move into a future of their own design.

I’m just not sure I believe in it myself anymore. Maybe I’ll get back there some day.

Recommended for readers and seekers who are looking for information on the law of attraction. Anita Scott has written a beautiful, modern book about it. Give it a shot and see if it’s for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of this book. And thanks for reading!

The Astonishing Power of Emotions: Let Your Feelings be Your Guide by Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks

“Beyond the five physical senses that you are actively aware of, there is another less-realized sense — the sense of emotion.” pg 20

Esther Hicks channeled this book from her “higher self,” an entity she calls Abraham. It is about how one can deliberately create their experience by being aware of their emotions. It also gives advice on how to focus on those things that make you feel good, because by doing so, Hicks believes it will “bring you into alignment” with your higher being. And, therefore, you’ll allow the goodness of creation to flow through you.

“Allowing yourself to become what life has caused you to desire is not about action. It is about the aligning of thought Energies. It is about focusing your attention in the direction of your desire rather than looking back at the current conditions that have given birth to your desire.” pg 25

My favorite part of this book was contained within the first 45 pages in which Abraham talks in a general way about emotions and their latent power. The rest of the book contained examples of how to apply this teaching to specific questions Hicks received at her various workshops.

I didn’t find the second portion as helpful because, first of all, it felt like we were focusing on current conditions. Secondly, the answer to every question was to soften the emotions by looking for things that made you feel good about in whatever subject was being discussed. Then, roll with that until the emotions shift. Honestly, it felt repetitive after the first two or three examples.

Photo by Quang Anh Ha Nguyen on Pexels.com

I suppose if one of the questions had applied directly to my life experience right now, then maybe I would have had a different view of this book. As it is, I prefer Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires to this.

Ask and It is Given deals with the topic in a more general way and I got more out of it.

I can understand the criticisms of Hicks as a life philosophy: that she teaches people to ignore their problems, to be selfish, to be utterly self absorbed. But wasn’t it a teaching of the Buddha that the first love you should attend to, before you can offer unconditional love to others, is self love. You build a base of love and everything else flows from that. I see Hick’s teachings as the same kind of thing — self love first.

I think another point to bring up before closing the discussion of this book is the idea that the Law of Attraction, so beloved of New Age teachers and authors, functions rather like gravity. You don’t have to teach someone how to utilize gravity because it just works. The Law of Attraction is the same kind of deal and isn’t that nice to know.

So, no matter what you’re doing, thinking or feeling, you’re not going to float off into outer space because gravity has got both of your feet safely planted on the ground. I like to approach any teachings about the Law of Attraction the same way. I can play with ideas and techniques, but at the end of the day, it’s going to do its thing whether I’m paying attention to it or not.

Recommended for readers who like New Age materials or love the teachings of Abraham Hicks.

Money, and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Wealth, Health, and Happiness by Esther Hicks

Esther Hicks channels the wisdom of her inner being, called Abraham, to write these books. It sounds kind of far out there if you’ve never been exposed to that type of teaching before, but I have to say, I like it. If you’re in to self help and new age books, you may want to give them a try.

The majority of her (their) message seems to be to find joy. They teach that the purpose of life is to do what makes you happy as often as you can. Interestingly enough, that was the same lesson my grandfather taught me before he passed on. “Whatever you do in life, Heidi, be happy. The most important thing is to be happy.”

Maybe it is in memory of him that I connect so easily with these teachings. I don’t know.

I’ve really taken to heart her encouragement to start out your day in the proper mindset. Lately, I’ve been chilling in bed for a few minutes rather than jumping right into my day. I don’t really have the words to explain why this is making a difference, but it is. I take a second to think about something awesome, even if its as banal as, “My pillow is so soft.” Try it and let me know how it works out for you.

“So as you awaken, open your eyes and say Today I will look for reasons to feel good. Nothing is more important than that I feel good.” pg 37

Also, she’s a big proponent for imaging and living your own life to its fullest and not comparing yourself to others. In the new age of social media and twitter where it seems like everybody is into everybody else’s business, it’s refreshing.

Do not write your story like a factual documentary, weighing all the pros and cons of your experience, but instead tell the uplifting, fanciful, magical story of the wonder of your own life and watch what happens. pg 81

Overall, these teachings have changed my life. I can’t really say enough positive things about her books, of which there are several best sellers. She also does a bustling business of hosting workshops, which she does across the United States and on a few different cruises.

Last month, I went to an Abraham Hicks workshop for the first time. I’ve enjoyed her videos on YouTube for a long time and thought I might shake things up and see what she’s like in person. This was kind of a production because Esther doesn’t come to the St. Louis area. So, I went out west and heard her speak in Phoenix.

The papers for the workshop registration encourage attendees to write down questions about life, whatever comes into your mind that you’re curious about. I brainstormed with my husband and came up with about a dozen different things I’d talk about if I got to the “hot seat”. (That’s what she calls the chair up front.)

I arrived about 15 minutes before the whole thing started, which seemed like ample time to me, only to discover the auditorium was nearly filled! That was fine because I wanted a seat towards the outside anyway. If things gave me a weird vibe, I wanted to be able to get the heck out as fast as possible.

In the moments before Esther emerged, this music started up about “Joy, joy, joy. Joy is the key” and almost half the crowd got up and started dancing. I nearly bolted. It felt rather cultist in those moments.

But then the music cut and there she was and things settled down somewhat. What followed was a lot of laughs and learning about topics ranging from relationships to illness to someone’s dog. The whole day ended with a marriage proposal from one of the attendees to another. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I’m kicking around the idea of going again next year.

I never made it to the hot seat and felt rather disappointed. But, later, as I was reading over the questions I took to the workshop, I found, to my surprise, that she had directly addressed every single one of them in other people’s questions. And then, that night, I dreamed I was back at the workshop. I was sitting in the chair and asking any question that came to my mind.

So, that’s my personal experience with this author and the “magic” of Abraham. I know these teachings aren’t for everyone. But they’re for me. And that’s pretty cool.

Thanks for reading!

The Science of Being Great: The Practical Guide to a Life of Power by Wallace D. Wattles

In the latest installment of “Heidi re-listens to all the old audiobooks on her hard drive”, I gave The Science of Being Great another chance to share its wisdom with me.

Couched in religious language, Wallace Wattles shares his new age viewpoint long before modern audiences became enamored of it with the mammoth success of The Secret. In fact, that’s how the publisher marketed this older manuscript, as source material for The Secret.

I suppose it could be considered “source material” in that Wattles teaches enlightenment is to be found within. But he has very little in it about the guiding power of emotions, which was a cornerstone of The Secret. Wattles book is more along the lines of: You are a god walking among gods and should act accordingly. And don’t stick your nose into other people’s business.

Some of his advice is more tricky, such as: see the world in a perfect state of becoming. Nothing has gone wrong or could go wrong. Everyone and everything is perfect for where they are and everything has the chance to get better.

That’s hard stuff to swallow if you take a second to think about it. “The world is in a perfect state of becoming.” Maybe I’ve become too accustomed to looking for problems rather than relying on faith that everything is working out how its supposed to.

Other parts of this book sounded similar to more modern new age authors with these ideas: Books and people will be drawn to you when you need them. Go where your inner feelings tell you to go. As you think, so you will become. Thoughts are things, etc.

By comparing and contrasting this book with other authors, I’m not intending to denigrate those teachings. I wouldn’t want to dismiss the power of the mind and emotions. Using just those things, people can certainly change their lives.

It’s just that the way they are packaged in The Science of Being Great may make it difficult for some readers to absorb it. Take the word “God” for example or “the Father”. Wattles throws those two around in every other sentence or so. That could be problematic for people who have struggled with religion or have involving it. Or those who don’t believe religion and science can mix.

And the whole book takes itself so seriously. Even the title “The Science of Being Great”, reminds me of an encyclopedia entry or something. I’ve had the most success in my own personal life when I’ve lightened up and stopped making such a big deal out of things.

In conclusion, is there helpful information in this book? Yes. Would I recommend taking the time to go through it to find those gems? It depends on how you learn best, I guess. Personally, I’d recommend Esther Hicks if you want the same sort of new age teachings with less religious trappings and a bigger dose of fun.

Thanks for reading!

Art and Practice of Getting Material Things Through Creative Visualization by Ophiel

Originally published in 1967, the Art and Practice of Getting Material Things Through Creative Visualization arrived nearly three decades before The Secret.

With more of an occult than a New Age twist, the one-name author, Ophiel, talks readers through what is essentially the Law of Attraction, but he never calls it that.

Ophiel tends to write portions of the book that he thinks are most important in all caps. LIKE THIS. It can be annoying.

Another interesting quirk, Ophiel talks about him/herself in the third person, at all times.

In this passage, he’s talking about why he wrote this book, and you get to see the author’s style in action: “Ophiel’s defect consists of not being about to accept self-styled prophets’ sayings, and teachings, without raising the following awkward question- and making the following embarrassing test. The question is IS WHAT THEY SAY TRUE? and the test is DOES WHAT THEY SAY WORK, AND PRODUCE RESULTS? And if what they SAY DOES NOT WORK THEN IT IS NOT TRUE, and into the garbage can with it!!” pg iii

Ophiel claims that creative visualization techniques don’t always work for a variety of reasons. He gives the reader exercises and suggestions for improving their results.

“In Creative Visualization work all the planes involved in our cosmic existence are used, the Etheric, the Lower Astral, The Higher Astral, the Mental Plane, and the Causal Plane, AND ALL THESE PLANES HAVE DEFINITE RULES AND LAWS FROM WHICH THEY WILL NOT DEVIATE ONE IOTA.” pg 5.

Again, with the capitalization.

Photo by stein egil liland on Pexels.com

He also has interesting ideas about reasons why beginners fail out of the gate.

He cites something called “the sphere of availability”: “The new student then proceeds to visualize for LARGE THINGS. BIG THINGS. VALUABLE THINGS. Things that are far beyond his ability- not to visualize-imagine-desire, BUT FAR BEYOND HIS PRESENT ABILITY TO DEMONSTRATE-VISUALIZE.” pg 31.

Ophiel uses different words, but essentially he says, start small, celebrate the small victories and increase your “sphere of availability” in that manner. He also gives practices to improve your visualization skills.

Honestly, if asked to recommend a teacher for creative visualization, I’d say skip Ophiel and read Abraham Hicks. They’re a lot more fun.

Thanks for reading!

The Age of Cosmic Consciousness: Discover Your True Identity & Accelerate Your Evolution by Transform Publishing

Time for the hippie librarian to get a little New Age-y!

The Age of Cosmic Consciousness is a bunch of different metaphysical concepts strung together sort of like Ram Dass’ Be Here Now but written on regular paper instead of- I don’t know what that stuff is- let’s say brown paper bags.

The first thing to know about this book is that it is written in a flow of consciousness style. I found it very difficult to get into, but then hypnotic once I got reading, and thus it became difficult to put dow

. I found it similar to Kelly Howell’s Secret of the Universal Mind Meditation in that one idea leads to the next idea in a very natural and linear fashion.

A lot of the concepts in here have been covered by The Secret and various other authors. There’s a good bit about the Law of Attraction, but there’s so much more than that.

What I loved about this book can be summed up in this quote: “Do not overly focus on the inaccessible gurus and unapproachable enlightened people. Recognize and accept that a higher consciousness can be attained by anyone who proactively pursues its realization.” pg 136 I truly believe that enlightenment is for everyone and possible for everyone. This book really puts that idea forward.

That being said, I don’t know that I was prepared for the “other beings of light consciousness” mentioned in this book or the section that purports to have information directly from them but not “channeled”. Or the other section about aliens tampering with human DNA in the dawn of time. My inner self doesn’t necessarily “resonate” with those ideas yet, but some readers out there may feel it and understand it.

In conclusion, The Age of Cosmic Consciousness is worth the read for anyone interested in improving themselves and the world through inner transformation. Remember to keep an open heart and mind because some of the ideas presented are fairly “evolved”. Some similar books are: Be Here Now and Gateway to the Heavens: How Simple Shapes Mould Reality and the Fabric of Your Being.

I received a free copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads program. Thanks for reading!

How The Secret Changed My Life: Real People. Real Stories. by Rhonda Byrne

How the Secret Changed My Life adds nothing new to the Secret franchise, but it’s still fun to read if you enjoy hearing success stories about people who utilized the Law of Attraction.

The criticisms of it have been voiced elsewhere and more eloquently: that it is predominantly focused on material things and that it stresses being happy at any cost.

That being said, I liked the stories.

I liked hearing about how people hit rock bottom and then changed their lives for the better. I really liked hearing that you can do or have or be anything that you want. Who wouldn’t?

Here’s Rhonda in the introduction: “I want you to know how easily you can change your life, and it’s not by running around trying to force it into the shape you want. You change your life in the only way you can ever change it: change your mind, and then your life will change.” loc 47, ebook.

All true change comes from within, I do believe that. Until I typed this out, I didn’t realize just how many times she used the word “change” in those two sentences. Counting back I see… five times? That’s a lot of change, people.

I feel like this book warns the reader away from negative emotions, but they serve a purpose too. It gives you a starting point- if you know what you don’t want, then you know what you do.

I’m not suggesting that you wallow in negative emotion, but feeling it, acknowledging it, then moving on isn’t as bad as this book makes it out to be.

In this passage, Rhonda is suggesting the use of “Secret Shifters” to control your mood: “The Secret Shifters… are things you can focus on whenever you find yourself feeling angry, frustrated, or any other negative emotion, in order to change those negative feelings in an instant. They might be beautiful memories, future events, funny moments, nature, a person you love, or your favorite music.” loc 409, ebook.

I say: feel whatever you’re feeling and trust that your emotions will eventually rise again like a cork in water. Helping yourself along with “Secret Shifters” or gratitude lists or whatever is fine, but for goodness sake, don’t force it. “What you resist, persists.”

I really agreed with this next passage: “Most of us have the wrong idea about happiness. We believe that if we get everything we want, and if life continually goes our way, we will be happy. And from that belief, we create all the excuses in the world for why we can’t be happy right now. … It’s those very excuses that are preventing you from being happy now.” loc 457, ebook.

I used to do that- looking forward to circumstances or events and ignoring where I was. The journey really is the point, so why not be happy now?

Recommended for readers who are looking for a quick, uplifting read about the Law of Attraction or for those who are interested in getting started but don’t necessarily believe or know how it works. The latter, in particular, may find a great deal of worth in these pages.

As I said, I liked it, but I’d also recommend reading Abraham Hick’s books too: to learn the value of negative emotion, not be afraid of feeling your full emotions, and to learn not to practice affirmations unless you’re feeling “in the zone” so to speak.

Additional reading: The Vortex: Where the Law of Attraction Assembles All Cooperative Relationships and Co-creating at Its Best: A Conversation Between Master Teachers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books publishing for a free copy of this book! And, thank you for reading.

Thank & Grow Rich: A 30-Day Experiment in Shameless Gratitude and Unabashed Joy by Pam Grout

There is a disclaimer written in the description of this book on Goodreads that states it is not for everyone, but it was awesome in my opinion. I am going to admit that I am incredibly biased.

I absolutely adored Pam’s other books on New Age thought and had some unbelievable experiences with the experiments recommended in them: E-Squared: Nine Do-It-Yourself Energy Experiments That Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality and E-Cubed: Nine More Energy Experiments That Prove Manifesting Magic and Miracles Is Your Full-Time Gig.

However, I couldn’t convince my public library to buy them because, I was told, they are “too fringe”.

Perhaps this book, which focuses on adopting an attitude of gratitude to improve your life, will be mainstream enough to make the cut.

Pam addresses the metaphorical elephant contained in her title early in the book: “No offense to Napoleon Hill, the author of the self help classic on which my title riffs, but the real power is in not thinking. If you want to override your brain’s unfortunate habit of leafing through your past and creating a present hologram to match, forget thinking. And start thanking.” Loc 108, ebook.

I read Think and Grow Rich last year and I could see how other people have beef with the classic. Napoleon Hill focuses on money, making connections, and doing the internal work to shoot yourself into the stratosphere of life success.

There’s very little in there about feeling your way to the same place.

Pam takes a different approach: “I should get this out on the table right now. This book won’t do a thing for your 401(k) or help you secure the McMansion you pasted onto your vision board. It’s not about getting rich in the traditional sense. … There’s nothing wrong with financial capital, but let me be very clear. It’s incapable of bringing any measure of real happiness.” Locs 324-337 ebook.

She gets to the heart of why seekers chase anything- because we believe that it will bring happiness. Pam suggests getting happy and then the success will come.

And, how does she say that we should “get happy”? By being thankful for what we already have.

“Be astonished by useless things. It’s easy to be thankful for the obvious- healthy kids, public libraries, strong marriages. But in this game we’re going to take it a step further. We’re going to build our gratitude muscle by also appreciating the insignificant and impractical…” Loc 856 ebook.

I had to include that passage for the library mention. Yay libraries!

Pam backs up her claims with scientific studies such as: “According to Richard Wiseman, psychology professor at the University of Hertfordshire in England and creator of Luck School, people who think they’re lucky actually are. After eight years of studying hundreds of self-identified exceptionally lucky and exceptionally unlucky people, he concluded that getting good breaks has nothing to do with karma or kismet and everything to do with how we see ourselves.” Loc 991 ebook.

I would like to state for the record that I am one of the luckiest people that I know. 🙂

She also includes a bunch of information from happiness researchers: “When it comes to success, research shows that while IQ, education, and training play cameo roles, the starring role, the headliner on the success stage, is “Do you have a vision? Do you believe it’s possible?” Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work… claims that predicting success using any other factor (say, your IQ or number of degrees) is about as effective as flipping a coin. What is effective, Achor and Frederickson and other happiness researchers have proven, is creating a happy brain that anticipates accomplishment, that knows success is just a matter of time.” Loc 1876 ebook.

I know that I have a pretty open mind when it comes to these types of books, but my thought is, what’s the harm in it? If it works for you, great! You’ve just discovered a new tool to use for living the best life for you.

If it doesn’t work, no harm done. At the very least, you would know for yourself.

I recommend this book for readers of the Abraham Hicks materials because there are quite a few similarities in the philosophies contained within.

Some additional read-alikes for seekers like me who can’t get enough information about the law of attraction: The Power of the Heart: Finding Your True Purpose in Life, Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill, or Dr. Quantum Presents: Meet the Real Creator–You!.

The opinions contained within this review are entirely my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Hay House for a free advance reader’s copy of this book for review purposes! And, thank you for reading.

The Help Desk Book Blog

Sharing reviews and deep thoughts about life.

Tag: law of attraction

The Universe Is Your Search Engine: A User’s Guide to the Science of Attraction by Anita M Scott

The Astonishing Power of Emotions: Let Your Feelings be Your Guide by Esther Hicks, Jerry Hicks

Money, and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Wealth, Health, and Happiness by Esther Hicks

The Science of Being Great: The Practical Guide to a Life of Power by Wallace D. Wattles

Art and Practice of Getting Material Things Through Creative Visualization by Ophiel

The Age of Cosmic Consciousness: Discover Your True Identity & Accelerate Your Evolution by Transform Publishing

How The Secret Changed My Life: Real People. Real Stories. by Rhonda Byrne

Thank & Grow Rich: A 30-Day Experiment in Shameless Gratitude and Unabashed Joy by Pam Grout

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