Do I Believe in the Law of Attraction?

Oct 7

Written By Danielle Gaebel

The other day, I sent out an Ask Me Anything email.

You can ask me anything, anonymously if desired, and I'll be answering the questions that come in.

And one of you asked:

Do you ever work with the Law of Attraction? If so, do you have any tips?

Ohhhh, this is a good one. Thanks for asking!

The timing couldn't be better because we have a New Moon in Libra this Saturday — and we'll be gathering that evening for our New Moon Ceremony + JourneyDance®.

The short answer?

Yes. I absolutely work with the Law of Attraction.

Abraham-Hicks was actually my entry point into this work many years ago, and those teachings had a huge influence on how I came to understand energy, attention, emotions, desire, and alignment.

I still believe deeply that what we give our attention to matters.

I believe there is power in intentionally attuning our energy toward what we desire rather than endlessly rehearsing what we fear.

But my relationship with these teachings has evolved.

Because somewhere along the way, I turned Law of Attraction into another thing I could get wrong.

If I was having negative thoughts...

If I was angry or sad...

If I was worried about something...

If I wasn't in a “high vibration”...

I'd start worrying that I was f*cking everything up.

That somehow this bad thought or hard day was ruining what I was trying to manifest.

Which, if you think about it, is kind of hilarious.

Because then I worried about the fact that I was worried 😂

That's not how I think about alignment anymore.

Alignment isn't a perfect energetic state I have to maintain.

I wobble.

You wobble.

We all wobble.

Sometimes life is hard.

Sometimes we're grieving.

Sometimes we're angry.

Sometimes we're overwhelmed.

And sometimes our circumstances make it incredibly difficult to access hope, possibility, or anything resembling a “high vibration.”

You are not failing at manifestation because you're having a hard day.

And I don't believe we need to deny what is happening in our lives in order to focus on what could be.

We can tell the truth about where we are without making where we are the only place we believe we can go.

That's one of the things I still appreciate so much about the Abraham-Hicks Emotional Guidance Scale.

You might look at this scale and think:
Oh no! I'm in fear. I need to get myself to JOY immediately.

Nope.

The point isn't to leap from the bottom of the scale to the top.

It's about reaching for the next rung on the ladder.

Maybe you're thinking:
Nothing ever works out for me. Nothing is going to change.

I'm not asking you to suddenly jump all the way to:
MY LIFE IS F*CKING AMAZING!!!

Because if that feels like complete BS to you, it's probably too many rungs away from where you actually are.

Instead, ask:
What's one thought I can reach for that feels a little better than the one I'm thinking right now?

Maybe it's:
I don't know how this is going to work out yet.

Or:
Things have changed before.

Or:
What if something different is possible?

You don't have to get all the way to joy.
Just reach for the next rung.

And then maybe another becomes available.
And another.

And another.

That's movement.

That's why I find this next example so fascinating.

Look at where anger sits on the scale.

We tend to label anger as “negative” and assume we need to get rid of it.

But imagine you're way down in fear, grief, or despair, feeling: There's nothing I can do. I have no power here.

And something in you starts to say:
Wait a freakin' minute. This is NOT okay.

That's anger.

And it's UP the ladder.

That doesn't make anger “good” and fear “bad.” It means you've moved.

There's energy there.
There's movement there.

It doesn't mean anger is where you want to stay.

It means anger might be the rung you need before the next one becomes available.

Which is why I don't think our emotions are evidence that we're doing manifestation right or wrong.

They're information.

They can help us recognize where we are — and from there, we can begin reaching toward where we want to go.

And this is where my own somatic work has added another layer for me.

Sometimes, before I try to reach for the next rung, I need to actually feel the one I'm standing on.

Cry.
Move.
Breathe.
Shake.
Rest.

Let the emotion have somewhere to go.
And then see what becomes available.

There's another way I practice this in my own life that has become really important to me.

I have two kids who are now 23 and 25.

And as they've gotten older, I've had to confront the very obvious fact that I don't control their lives 🙄

I don't control where they go.

I don't control the choices they make.

I can't guarantee that they'll never get hurt or that everything will always work out exactly the way I want it to.

And for a long time, I used a LOT of energy worrying about them.

Are they safe?

Are they making the right decision?

What if something happens?

At some point, I heard someone say something that stuck with me:

Don't use your energy to worry. Use your energy to send love.

And I thought:

Ohhhhh.

Because worry wasn't giving me control.

It was just asking me to repeatedly rehearse the thing I was afraid of.

So when I notice myself going there now, I practice shifting what I'm giving my energy to.

Instead of repeatedly imagining what could go wrong, I surround my kids in white light.

I see them safe.

I see them happy.

I see them making their way through this world.

I send them love.

Does that mean I believe I can control what happens to them with my thoughts? No.

That's actually one of the most important ways my understanding of manifestation has evolved.

I have agency. I don't have absolute control.

I can't control every outcome.
But I can notice where I'm directing my energy.

And when I notice myself slipping down the ladder into worry and fear, I can consciously begin reaching back up.

For me, surrounding my kids in white light, seeing them safe and happy, and sending them love helps me do that.

Not because worrying once is going to manifest something terrible.

Not because the Universe is keeping score.

But because I don't want to keep using my energy to rehearse what I'm afraid of.

I can acknowledge the fear — and then begin directing my attention toward what I desire instead.

So if you're asking me for my biggest tips for working with the Law of Attraction today, here's what I'd tell you:

Start with where you actually are.

Don't force gratitude when you're pissed. Don't pretend everything is amazing when it isn't.

Tell yourself the truth.

Then reach for the next rung.

Not the thought you think you're supposed to believe.

The next better-feeling thought you can actually believe.

What if something different is possible?

Pay attention to where you're repeatedly putting your energy.

Not every random shitty thought that passes through your brain.

I'm talking about the places you keep returning to.

Are you continually rehearsing what you fear?

Or can you begin practicing what you want to move toward?

Get clear about what you desire.

What do you want?

How do you want to feel?

What do you want to experience?

Participate in creating the conditions for it.

Sometimes that's taking action.

Sometimes it's saying no.

Resting.

Asking for help.

Trying something new.

Having the uncomfortable conversation.

Following an idea.

Letting something go.

Making room.

And leave space for the how to surprise you.

You can know what you desire without knowing exactly how it's going to arrive.

You can take the next step without knowing the next twenty.

You can participate without controlling every detail of the outcome.

So for me, working with the Law of Attraction today looks something like this:

Get clear.
Reach.
Participate.
Stay open.

And when you wobble — because you will — return.

Not because you ruined anything.

Because you noticed where you were and remembered where you want to go.

And OMG, does THAT fit with the energy of Saturday's New Moon in Libra 🌑

This New Moon is inviting us to look at the ways we relate — to partners, friends, family, collaborators, and ourselves — and get honest about what we're continuing to carry or recreate simply because it's familiar.

What has become heavy?

Where are we abandoning ourselves to maintain connection?

What resentment, disappointment, old expectation, agreement, or unfinished conversation are we still carrying?

Where are we trying to preserve a relationship — or a version of ourselves — that has already begun to change?

And:

What are we ready to create instead?

Because this New Moon is inviting us to plant the seeds for a different way of relating — with more reciprocity, authenticity, mutual respect, emotional maturity, and enough space for us to remain ourselves while being deeply connected to someone else.

And here's what I love about how these two ideas come together:

Balance isn't a state we achieve and never lose.

Neither is alignment.

We move.

Life moves.

We wobble.

We notice.

We adjust.

We return.

So maybe before we ask the Universe:

What do I want to call in?

We also ask:

What am I ready to stop recreating?

What has become too heavy to keep carrying?

And:

What conditions can I begin creating for something different to become possible?

Because you can make the wish.

Ask the Universe.

Set the intention.

Plant the seed.

But then?

Tend to it 🌱

Come practice with us this Saturday 🌑

We'll come into our dance space exactly as we are and move with what's here.

Move the energy.

Move what we've been carrying.

Let our bodies explore some of these themes of release instead of trying to think our way through them.

And as we move, we create space.

Space for something different.
Space for possibility.
Space for what we're ready to call in.

Then, after we dance, we'll come together for our New Moon ritual — getting clear about what we want to create, setting our intentions, and planting the seeds for this next lunar cycle.

Because that's a big part of this work for me.

I can create the container.

I can offer the practices.

I can ask the questions.

I can invite you into the experience.

But you're the one who gets to discover what shifts.

And I think that's pretty superfine 💜

— Danielle

P.S. The Ask Me Anything form will remain open. If there's something you've been wanting to ask me — about healing, somatics, the Moon, manifestation, my work, my life, whatever — you can ask anonymously here → ASK ME ANYTHING.

Libra Full Moon Ceremony + JourneyDance®

Thursday, October 10

7–8:45 PM ET • Online • $30

→ Save Your Spot Here

If you can’t make it live, you’ll receive the replay and playlist.

Membership is $35/month and includes this class and all upcoming classes.

If cost is the only thing stopping you, use code SISTER50 for 50% off or apply for a gifted membership. No questions asked. We take care of each other here.