The phrase Law of Attraction has been used by many esoteric writers, although the actual definition varies greatly. Most authors associate the Law of Attraction with the saying, "like attracts like", usually as applied to the mental life of human beings: that a person's thoughts (conscious and unconscious), emotions, beliefs and actions attract corresponding positive or negative experiences. This process has been described as "harmonious vibrations of the law of attraction", Whittaker, S. blank">Secret attraction, The Montreal Gazette, May 12th 2007. or "you get what you think about; your thoughts determine your experience."
The phrase is closely associated with _New Thought beliefs and practices, from which its most common definition arises, but it also has a long standing (and more complex development) in other esoteric fields such as Hermeticism and Theosophy. Recently, the New Thought version was popularized by the 2006 film The Secret.
The more materialistic interpretations of The Law of Attraction have been criticized in the media, the scientific community, which cites the deliberate misuse of the scientific term law, and by some proponents of the New Age Movement and spirituality in general.
