Hi, everyone;

Here's a phrase that comes up again and again in SOGR and other science books. Today I am reading Chapter 7, Gratitude and on page 24 Wally says, "The law of gratitude is the natural principle that action and reaction are always equal and in opposite directions."

Is this the same as saying that whatever I give, I get back? I can understand this.

However, if this is true, what about the concept that whatever I give comes back to me magnified and multiplied?

This could be great news for those of us training our minds to think 'Truth', that is to think what we want.

It is also a dire warning to those who are not thinking in a 'certain way'.

I just did a search on "equal and opposite directions" and this term didn't come up. Now it will!

I would love to see more thoughts and clarification on this subject. Thanks to all in advance for your enlightenment.

In another book, which I read some time ago, there's an explanation of this where the author uses an analogy of a wave. Apparently when you see a wave coming into the shore and it's above water, there's another wave under the water going in the opposite direction. And of course recently we saw that in action. I think you're right Russ, it is about 'what we give out, we get back'. Even modern psychology uses transactional models that illustrate this!

Hi Russ,

Here's the analogy that came into my mind as I thought over your post:

One apple seed falls to the ground and, given the right conditions and enough time, grows into an apple tree -- which bears lots of apples containing lots of seeds which, falling to the ground, eventually become a whole orchard of apple trees. How does one seed become an orchard? Not by creating new matter, but by converting existing matter and energy -- sunlight, minerals in the soil, carbon dioxide in the air etc -- into a new form.

When we cast our bread upon the water, it comes back to us sevenfold because the casting of the bread causes energy to align and some of the Formless Substance that is just bumming around the universe doing nothing, coalesces to form six loaves of bread.

However, it is not the case that we get more when we send out positive energy (as grateful thoughts or good deeds). It is just that a higher proportion of what we get is positive. There are 'things' and 'stuff' coming into and through our lives every day. The quantity does not change. It is the quality which changes according to our thoughts and attitudes. A beggar living on the street in a third-world country has the same energy in his life as a millionaire in Beverly Hills; it has just been directed into a different form.

Energy goes out of us and flows into us. The amounts coming in and going out are the same. When we make 10% of our outgoing enrgy positive, then 10% of the incoming is positive. The result of living in the Certain Way is to make 100% of the outgoing energy positive, so that 100% of the incoming is positive.

OK, most of us would be satisfied with 99%, but you get the idea!

Thanks for prompting me to get the ol' brain cells working, Russ.

Peace and prosperity to all.

Polly.

Polly, that's a wonderful post. Thank you very much!

if you read king james book
you would know it's ten times ten or 100
your cup runs over..

YHWH love's a cheerful giver

much too you
if all you have is two cents give one away !!!!

follow your sprit in this.and HE will reward YOU

I love Polly's analogy with the apple seed.

Have you ever noticed that some neighborhoods are very connected - everybody knows everybody, people look out for one another, they pitch in to help without being asked - while others are so anonymous that you could spend a lifetime there without knowing anybody?

I've seen the same thing happen at school. Some classes are alive with student interaction. People connect before, during, and after class. Some remain friends for life. Other classes lack any interaction at all. People begin and remain strangers, barely looking at one another and avoiding eye contact outside the classroom.

I have learned that it takes only one person to create a community. One person who is willing to make eye contact, smile, greet passersby, stop to chat, introduce neighbor to neighbor or student to student. It takes only a short time to increase the energy of a place by helping facilitate communication in a group of strangers. It works in every setting - a laundromat, on a bus, at the office.

If you want to see something to come back to you 1,000 fold, be the person who plants the seed of interaction. Start talking to strangers. Being friendly sets off a chain reaction of positive energy and cooperation everywhere you go.

The more I think about this, the more I realize that friendliness is a source of great personal power, of popularity, of positive energy. It also opens the door to new information, ideas, opportunities, and relationships.

Several months ago I started being more friendly toward my co-workers, friends, and relatives, calling and writing more often, expressing my appreciation and care for them, and thinking of them with positive regard.

The results are awesome. My mom and I just spent four wonderful days together. My brother and I are closer than at any time since we were little kids. I can see a 20-year rift between my mom and her sisters starting to heal. I'm hearing from people with whom I'd fallen out of touch. My social life has taken off. My co-workers are friendlier and more cooperative. My life at work and at home is richer in every possible way.

Friendliness. The best investment you can make. Guaranteed rate of return: 1,000 fold.

Laurie

Hello Russ-

I'm grateful that I found your post. I was rereading Chapter 7 and that particular sentence on Gratitude had me stumped. With such great examples given, I wanted to post and revive this topic for others, because I think its message is important.

Thanks again for the post. It was very helpful.

Jenn

Laurie - Your post is terrific! I don't think it relates directly to this quote, but I think it's definitely right on. The energy of one or two people can definitely have a huge impact on a group.

Russ - This quote is specifically talking about gratitude and how it brings us closer to the Source. When I read this I related it to physics, where we learned that every action causes a reaction of equal proportion in the opposite direction. Thus, the spacecraft exerts (X) amount of force straight up to break the hold of gravity during launch. The thing that made it exciting to me is that there is no friction in the equation.

In this world friction is what binds us. Overcoming the friction of the air consumes massive amounts of energy (grows at speed squared). A car that requires 10-15HP to maintain 60 mph on the level requires 600+HP to go 200 mph. That's what prevents continuous acceleration.

So what Mr. Wattles is saying is that if we give X amount of gratitude, God responds with X response. When we increase to 2X, the response increases in kind. And when we increase our gratitude to X times X, things REALLY take off. There is no loss to friction so the acceleration can be infinite! That is what Jesus did and he was able to demonstrate the powers he did.

I don't see this as having to do with giving. I see it as a very specific instruction on how to grow and maintain our proper connection with God, formless substance, etc. In addition, if we are in a constant state of gratitude for what we are receiving, we should be able to keep our egos under control and not think that everything we have came just because we worked so hard or whatever.

Any thoughts?