The law of attraction has been around for a very long time; however, it has recently found a much wider audience through the film and companion book, "The Secret." But, does "The Secret"  illustrate the law of attraction beyond the ego?

A couple of years ago, a friend sent me an email titled "The Secret".  The email had a link in it with a short note informing me that "The Secret" was a new feature-length documentary film that I could watch online for free by clicking on the link.

The movie, "The Secret," created a viral firestorm on the internet as word of its existence continued to spread through blogs and emails.  "The Secret" and its companion book have now become an unexpected global sensation.  The movie is no longer free to watch and has now raked in tens of millions of dollars for its producers.  The book, which was published this past year, immediately shot up the best sellers list in countries all over the world and maintains that position today.

The movie and book, "The Secret", are about the "law of attraction" which states that "like attracts like."  It points toward the personal power we have to create the lives of our dreams through the power of our feelings, thought structures, and belief systems.

The law of attraction is not a complicated concept.  If we think positive thoughts, more positive events will occur in our lives.  If we think negative thoughts, more negative events will result.  If we bring positive thoughts and feelings to the events and things we desire, we may attract them into our lives.

The law of attraction can be applied to any aspect of our lives.  Take wealth for example.  If we can think, behave, act, feel, and look like a wealthy person right now, we will then attract more wealth into our lives.  Like attracts like.

To take the responsibility, and have the consciousness and awareness, to actually live from this place of understanding, moment to moment, can be quite a bit more challenging, however.  Tapping into the deeper levels of the law of attraction in both its understanding and application is empowering to any individual in manifesting their dreams.

"The Secret" suggests the law of attraction be applied toward such as things as getting a good parking space, a bigger house, a mansion, a new car, more money, a new wristwatch, a new gold necklace, more elaborate vacations, a sexy, wealthy romantic partner, a new bicycle, career advancement and physical healing.

The movie, "The Secret", does a very good job of illuminating the law of attraction within the realm of the ego to fulfill personal desire, but puts little to no energy into illuminating the unlimited potential power of the law of attraction in the spiritual realm that transcends it.

To understand the law attraction without integrating it into a much larger system of spiritual understanding beyond the ego will never touch the root cause of an individual's suffering, nor the suffering of the world.  In fact, it may increase it.

The ego is the illusionary sense of a separate self disconnected from the larger world.  To be caught in the illusion of a separate ego out of harmony and at war with the rest of universe, without understanding we are part of an interrelated, undivided universe is the root cause of fear, loneliness, depression, and the utter emptiness so many human beings feel at the core of their lives.  The law of attraction applied within the realm of the ego will never bring lasing fulfillment no matter what we desire.  It is like searching for candles when you can have the sun.

When we are caught in the illusion of our own egos, we feel disconnected and out of harmony with the rest of the universe and any kind of larger plan for our lives.  There is a deep, underlying level of isolation and lack of connection with the larger world.  There is a lack of meaning, purpose, or contribution in our lives.  There is a lack of a moral compass.

The law of attraction can be consciously applied toward anything.

Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein and many other despots throughout history were pretty good at applying the law of attraction to fulfill many of the same dreams espoused in "The Secret".  The narrow minded, ego-centric motives they applied it toward, however, certainly did not ultimately bring much in the way of widespread fulfillment or well-being to say the least.

With intelligence, receptivity to a higher power and a moral compass, we can use the law of attraction toward true and lasting fulfillment for ourselves and all beings.

Other figures such as Gandhi or Martin Luther King, for example, also had a good understanding of the law of attraction and used these laws in a way that transcended their own egos for the benefit of all beings and the larger social body.

When the ego begins to be transcended, a serenity and fulfillment arises in the joy of being and the ego war begins to be seen as unnecessary. The law of attraction is then used in alignment and harmony with the universe in a much deeper, more intelligent way.  This is a very important and powerful distinction. One that "The Secret" does not adequately make.

There is a deep peace and inner liberation that comes with the realization of knowing who we really are beyond the realm of the separate ego.  We feel connected to, and in service of, a higher power. We utilize the law of attraction to contribute to the larger world beyond the illusion of our own self-centered egos.

In seeing our neighbor as ourselves, we practice the law of attraction for the benefit and contribution of the whole. Our lives are given an incredible meaning, purpose, inspiration, and depth we otherwise never would have touched by using the law of attraction simply within the realm of the ego.  The larger world begins to feel like part of our very own body and we live from that understanding.  Now, we are not engaged in life from a place of lack, but from a place of over-flowing and service.

The paradox is that with this understanding lies the greatest personal fulfillment, well-being, joy, and inner-peace a human being can ever experience.  This is love in the truest, purest sense of the word, beyond the fears and insecurities of the ego.

As more of us realize we are part of an interconnected, interrelated world, we feel compelled to apply the law of attraction in surrender to, and harmony with, the higher power for the conscious evolution and betterment of the larger world.  We feel called to use the law of attraction, beyond the ego, in alignment with the God-force to bring into being a new world, a new dimension of beauty, for ourselves and others.