“As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen has got to be one of my favorite books on new thought theory and the Law of Attraction. This book gives the reader the foundation stones of the laws of attraction, which govern the universe, your life, my life and all that we see around us. My version of the book is under 60 pages, but there are treasures in this book that are immeasurable in value.

So lets dive right into the content. By the way – if you have never read the book, I suggest you get a copy immediately and start reading. (You can get it here for less than $6.00 at the time I wrote this.)

First of all, the quote that is the title of the book – which is actually one of my favorite quotes EVER, comes from the Bible. Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”.

What does this mean? As it turns out, it means everything. You can wish for the life you would love to live – you can wish for that 5 bedroom house, the perfect relationship, wealth, or whatever your heart desires. But until you can put yourself in the same vibrational path as that dream, as that WISH, it is nothing but a wish.

As a man thinketh in his heart, so IS he.

Until you are able to BE what you want to attract, you will not attract it. If you want to attract the love of your life – BE the love that you seek. Give that love as freely as you can, as unselfishly as you can, with your whole heart – to others. If you want wealth – live in the mindset that you HAVE the wealth you want. Plan what you will do with it, live it, feel it, experience it with every emotion in your body and live from that higher vibration – and your wealth will come.

Become, in your heart, what you want to be come, and it will follow. It seems counterintuitive, the exact opposite of what we typically think – that we cannot BE something until we have it. But I tell you, if you BE what it is you seek, it will come to you.

As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

The introduction to James Allen’s book that lays out the premise of the Law of Attraction states the following:

“They themselves are the makers of themselves” by virtue of the thoughts that they choose and encourage; that mind is the master-weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain, they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness.

Let’s think about this for a moment. First – they themselves are the makers of themselves by virtue of the thoughts that they choose and encourage. Wallace Wattles, in “The Science of Getting Rich”, says that there is a Thinking “Stuff” that the universe is made of, and that every thought we think creates into being that which we think by the perfect avenue of this Thinking Stuff. Every thing that exists, according to Mary Morrissey, is created twice – once in the mind, then in reality.

So, if you choose to think and encourage negative thoughts, this is what you become, and this is what you attract from the universe. However, if you choose to think impeccable thoughts of enlightenment, encouragement, gratitude, love and success, these things too will you become and attract.

Next, that mind is the master-weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance. Your mind – your thoughts, producing circumstance and reality by nature of the Thinking Stuff in the universe, is what governs your life. There is no such thing as a victim of circumstance – look around you, look into your life and see what it is you have created. Are you living the life you love? Are you in pain? What choices are you making on a daily basis to either keep yourself in these circumstances, or to pull yourself out and to grow and prosper? Your inner character, your thoughts, and by extension your virtue and expression to the Universe govern the garment of circumstance that you wear on a daily basis.

Lastly, however, James Allen gives us the the key - they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain, they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness. Most of us live in ignorance of the Law of Attraction. Sure, we may think think it is healthy to think positively, but in truth, we have no idea the tremendous impact that our thinking has on our lives. However, there is no excuse once we do understand, Once we understand that we are indeed the master-weaver of our own lives, then the control becomes our own and the responsibility becomes our own. I, for one, want to weave the tapestry of my life in enlightenment, love and happiness. The warp and weft of my own values and purpose are my own to choose, and I CHOOSE to live the life I love. Do you?