When Cancer Strikes,
Is the Law of Attraction Dead?
Last week several Ask Lee e-mails came in from people wondering how to apply the lessons from The Secret to bad things that happen in life like illness and disease. After all, if the Law of Attraction is so powerful and true, then how does one explain the “attraction” to terrible times when someone we love gets sick?
First, let me start by stating plainly that the Law of Attraction isn’t the only law. The Law of Attraction works in conjunction with other laws. Laws do not bend or adjust to fit individual circumstances. Some laws are natural laws, associated with nature. We know that when certain elements combine we get a hurricane. We also know that if we jump off a building we will engage the law of gravity and go splat. Then there are those laws that have less to do with physical nature, such as the laws of choice and consequences. We have control over our choices, but we may not have control over the outcomes from our choices. If the outcomes appear negative and we dwell on all of the negativity, we will attract more negativity. One way to overcome this is to focus on the learning aspect. Ask yourself, “What am I supposed to be learning from this experience?” That question can help you to move out of being a victim and move into that space of being a grateful learner.
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Do I believe that we can attract illness through our thoughts? Absolutely! Do I also believe that the body has within it the divine power that through positive thoughts (faith), the body can actually heal itself? Absolutely! Do I believe that every experience—good or bad—has lessons attached to them and when we learn and apply those lessons we grow? Absolutely!
I also believe we can “contract” illness, get injured, and experience sorrowful or tragic situations through no cause of our own. But that’s when the Law of Attraction becomes exceptionally useful and powerful. We can attract great opportunities and relationships even in difficult, tenuous times, as well as tap our inner sources of strength to heal and comfort us.
Our son has cancer. Nick was diagnosed last April with a very rare, tissue cancer in his sinus area called Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma. He’s since been through many rounds of treatments and will be continuing with more chemo this month. At 18 years old, he’s already a warrior and showing signs of winning this war. (You can follow his progress and visit his blog at http://nick-raitt.blogspot.com/.) We have learned that this cruel cancer attacks children as young as a few months old. These children have no concept of the law of attraction or positive thinking. They are innocent, beautiful spirits who for some reason have contracted a rare disease and we, their loved ones, can engage positive prayer and thoughts and ACTIONS to attract the very best care and healing coupled with divine intervention. But I do know those children did not ATTRACT the disease—they CONTRACTED it.
So don’t beat yourself up and somehow twist this Law to think that you or a loved one attracted an illness through thoughts or actions alone. We’d be curing cancer every day if we could attract health when we wanted it—no matter what. If only life were that easy.
Many of you may not know that September was Childhood Cancer Awareness month. More attention and resources must be dedicated to children’s cancer. This month we are celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness month. I trust millions of you who have been affected by breast cancer in your family can relate to the feelings of frustration, confusion, and heartbreak that accompany this pernicious disease, which frequently has no “reason” attached to it.
If there’s any “secret” to know about when it comes to dealing with a difficult time of physical and emotional pain, it’s gratitude. Be grateful for what you have and focus on all the good experiences you have even when faced with serious adversity. Ask yourself, what is the lesson here for me or others to learn? It can help you cope with the situation at hand and continue to move forward rather than feel paralyzed. If you haven’t heard my Gratitude Rock story, I encourage you to go here and read about it. Then see if you can find your rock deep inside you.
