The Trouble With Lehi (1 Nephi 2)

Source Material: 1 Nephi Chapter 2

Question: What do you do when others resist your vision?

The Law of Attraction view is that we exist in a realm of abundance.   We create things spiritually in an instant through our desires and these desires will eventually manifest in the physical realm as we align our feelings with the spiritual creation. ( From a Mormon perspective, this is the story of creation from the beginning. )  The subtle trick to physical manifestation is a disconnection of the feeling of abundance from the physical manifestation of it.  Lehi shows this in an example:

4 And it came to pass that he departed into the wilderness. And he left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and departed into the wilderness.

The sense of abundance is so strong for him that he is able to leave behind his physical wealth.  Clearly, it is not dependent on possessing the objects we associate with abundance. And yet in some things Lehi has great difficulty in sensing abundance this way.  Nothing gives better evidence of this than his relationship with Laman and Lemuel:

7-10 [Lehi builds and altar and gives a little lecture about righteousness to Laman and Lemuel]
11 Now this he spake because of the stiffneckedness of Laman and Lemuel; for behold they did murmur in many things against their father, because he was a visionary man, and had led them out of the land of Jerusalem, to leave the land of their inheritance, and their gold, and their silver, and their precious things, to perish in the wilderness. And this they said he had done because of the foolish imaginations of his heart.

Lehi was “out of The Vortex” with respect to his children.   The LOA talks about our true eternal self as “Source” or “Source Energy”.   When we are aligned with that intelligence, we are said to be “in the Vortex”.   (In Book of Mormon terms, we would say an aligned person “has the Spirit”.)  A person who is aligned feels cooperative with the universe and is willing to allow others the freedom to act as agents unto themselves.   Lehi had no such feelings with regard to his grumbling sons.  These were adult men with their own lives and ideas and yet we see Lehi trying to cajole them into behavior that he wants.   In true LOA fashion, Lehi’s focus on conflict set him up to attract more conflict.  Laman and lemuel were never aligned with Lehi's vision.  They had a strong alternate point of attraction.  Sadly, we will see that compelling them on this journey has out-of-vortex repercussions that will last for generations.

Now, I think most Mormons would object on the above point because Lehi has this aura of can-do-no-wrong righteousness about him.  As parents, we can certainly feel for Lehi, and the scriptures clearly state he had a vision and was trying to protect his family, so wasn’t he righteous then to try to compel his sons?   Let’s see:

12 And thus Laman and Lemuel, being the eldest, did murmur against their father. And they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them.

God is merciful, kind, and abundant.  When visions move us, they are moving us downstream toward what we desire.  Nevertheless, Laman and Lemuel were not in alignment with this or with Lehi’s visions.  Is it reasonable to think we can compel them in their belief?  Can you be compelled in your belief?  We talk about a war in heaven that was fought over agency and freedom.  Is there any record of God compelling belief?   We’ll see later that Nephi sought for himself to get this vision, and he never needed to be compelled.   It’s just impossible to force an unwilling person into alignment.  They must choose it.   And yet, Lehi gives it his best shot:

14 And it came to pass that my father did speak unto them in the valley of Lemuel, with power, being filled with the Spirit, until their frames did shake before him. And he did confound them, that they durst not utter against him; wherefore, they did as he commanded them.

Lehi give the boys such a stern lecture that they just shut up and do what he says.   Was this a success?  Maybe in the short term because Lehi got the compliance he was seeking, but he never really improved the spiritual circumstances of Laman and Lemuel, and they never aligned with him.  Contrast this with Nephi:

16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.

What a difference!  Nephi wanted to know, he wanted to be aligned.  Lehi never had to do much to persuade him.   This is the way of the Law of Attraction.  The things we desire are downstream.  They flow to us without compulsion.   Doing the work of vision hardly requires anything that feels like effort.

There is one last point about LOA to be made here, and that is illustrated with a curious interaction between Nephi and God:

18 But, behold, Laman and Lemuel would not hearken unto my words; and being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts I cried unto the Lord for them.
19 … the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, …
20 … inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; …
21 And inasmuch as thy brethren shall rebel against thee, they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord.

In a nutshell, Nephi’s inner voice is saying, “Look, don’t worry about it.  Just follow your inner guide and you’ll be OK.  I’ll take care of your brothers.”    Everyone has the same access to the same blessings as everyone else.  We can choose to receive them or not and we don’t need to try to make others believe one thing or another.  It’s enough to tell people what we know and we can drop the issue if they don’t want a part in it.   Here Nephi shows a greater spiritual maturity than Lehi who is unwilling to let Laman and Lemuel go.  (Though we will see that even Nephi struggles with this too at times.)  

Appreciation and Desire (1 Nephi 1)

Source material: 1 Ne 1

The opening verse of the book of Mormon is a small practical discourse on the Law of Attraction:

1 I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, … and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God …

Nephi points out the good things in his life an observes he has been favored even though he has seen afflictions.  He knows this his feelings are independent of his conditions. He also knows the importance of contrast to produce feelings of appreciation.   The Law of Attraction teaches that conditions arise from feelings, and that negative experiences themselves are gifts.

Next, we learn a little about the character of Lehi.   What is curious about Lehi is the attitude of conflict within him.  He had such a sense of judgement for the people around him that he felt compelled to stand and preach against them, drawing such ire that they wanted to kill him:

18 … Lehi, … he went forth among the people, and began to prophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard…. [And] the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified of them; for he truly testified of their wickedness and their abominations; … And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him … [and] sought his life …

Lehi is in fact attracting to himself the very thing that is the focus of his attention: conflict, trouble, catastrophe.   We know he is spiritually creating these things in The Vortex because he becomes visionary about it:

6 … there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw and heard much; and because of the things which he saw and heard he did quake and tremble … (13) saying: Wo, wo, unto Jerusalem, for I have seen thine abominations! Yea, and many things did my father read concerning Jerusalem—that it should be destroyed, and the inhabitants thereof; many should perish by the sword, and many should be carried away captive into Babylon.

We are peering in Lehi’s character here.  He is deeply bothered by the behavior of others and sees only abomination and destruction.  We will see soon that the answer for him is to flee.  He is creating this pattern spiritually and he will see it manifest in due time.   The lesson to you and I is that the Law of Attraction works both ways.   If your focus of attention is on a world you see as troubled and doomed to destruction, then you will attract a reality that matches that vibration.

Finally, there is this curious passage:

14 And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim …  Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy .. goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth …  thou art merciful …
15 [Thus] was the language of my father in the praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen…

It is strange that Lehi should rejoice here.  He is seeing the destruction of Jerusalem after all.  But perhaps there is a higher perspective.  What Lehi is seeing in Jerusalem and is seeing unfolding for himself is that the universe is indeed granting according to our desires.  It’s possible, even in the midst of something we might see as horrible, to have a feeling of joy knowing that this is how the universe operates.  

The Title Page: An invitation from Source

The title page of the Book of Mormon is actually part of the original record, so I think it makes sense to start my commentary there.

Written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation…

The word “Commandment” has been corrupted through the years, largely because of how we narrate the story of the ten commandments.   We’ve come to see God as the issuer of imperatives from on high that must be obeyed or else there are severe consequences.   Joseph Smith, however, conveyed a view that deity is closer to us than we realize and is constantly giving guidance, or revelation.   In D&C 59:4 he writes “And they shall also be crowned with blessings from above, yea, and with commandments not a few, and with revelations in their time”   In this context, we can see that a commandment is something different, something to be desired from a loving God who enjoys bestowing desired gifts.

The Law of Attraction says that we are connected to “Source” in the same revelatory way a spiritual person might think of being connected to the spirit of god.   Our feelings and impressions contain messages.  They might communicate the extent to which we are holding a viewpoint that is also held by the Source within us.   When we feel terrible, it is usually because we believe something about ourselves that Source does not believe.    Our impressions may also communicate an imperative to us as a delicious urge to create and to do.   This is the spark of industry that makes a person work spontaneously, for the work itself is a joy when a person is inspired.

The above quote from the title page indicates The Book of Mormon is an inspired work of this kind.  The spark of creation is in it.  It is pure revelation.

… hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile—The interpretation thereof by the gift of God.

The interpretation of this book is itself a revelation to the individual directly from God.  The proper interpretation of this book cannot come from one person to another.  Likewise, in Law of Attraction the ultimate view and belief of a person cannot come from the outside.   You may, if you desire, choose to take a position in alignment with Source and that view will be a personal vision tailored for you.

… to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord…

A purpose of this book is to reveal a divine heritage to each person who reads it.  In LOA, our heritage is Source, an infinite past existence in other realms.    This heritage comes all the way up to the present moment where each person has access to the great abundance promised to us by the universe in which we live.

And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God...

Make no mistake - there are, in fact, faults and errors in this book.  Joseph said it was the "most" true and correct book, and himself made many revisions and corrections.   This is a gentle warning - the things of God are wound up with this book and the errors in the book may cause us to overlook the useful ideas in it.  Have an open mind.  Withhold judgment.   Allow intelligence to flow to you.

In LOA parlance, we would call this the practice of “allowance.”   The things we desire are downstream, so no need to fight the current.   Let people and things be as they are and evolve as they are evolving.  You are evolving to and expanding.  This book is in your hands.  Maybe you have already read it.   For whatever reason, a benevolent Universe has provided this special input in your life.   What does it mean? 

A quick summary of the Law of Attraction

TL;DR:  You are the physical manifestation of an eternal being and your thoughts and desires shape your reality.

The metaphysical basis of Law of Attraction is the idea that you and I are part of an eternal being that we shall call “Source.”   Our bodies are merely physical manifestations of Source, taken up for the purpose of personal expansion.  This expansion is accomplished through the process of coming to understand what we desire.  The universe itself is deeply benevolent and conscious of our desires.  When we ask for something, the Universe grants it immediately, creating the thing in a spiritual escrow called “The Vortex”.   The physical manifestation of the thing is dependent on our choice to align our thoughts to it.  The great spiritual struggle in life is to align our thoughts with this spiritual abundance. 

The basic action of LOA is in our thoughts.   When we think, we generate a “vibration” that is matched by the physical universe as a “manifestation”.   E.g.:  We have a mindset of love, and love comes to us.  We have a mindset of wealth and wealth comes to us.   It also works the other way:  we have a mindset of being unlovable and relationships flee.  We have a mindset of poverty and we are always poor.   In order to receive what we desire, then, we must align our thoughts with what is desired.

A common misconception about LOA is that if you think about something hard enough or want something bad enough, then it will come to you.   LOA teaches that the opposite is true.  The act of focusing on a thing that is missing actually generates a vibration of lack.  This focus on what is not desired will reinforce the conditions of lack.   What is instead required is the appreciation for how the thing we desire is already manifesting to us in some way.   For example, if I desire a relationship, I could observe and appreciate that there are already people in my life that I love and get to interact with.  When I appreciate what has already manifested, then my relationships will deepen and multiply.

Because the universe is benevolent, everything that is desired is “downstream”.  The false belief that everything requires struggle is the greatest enemy to happiness.  It is true that opposition does happen, but it is not to seed conflict.  Rather, it is to provide contrast that helps a person understand what is desired.  In other words, opposition is necessary and a blessing, and when our response to it is allowance, we are in a position to receive what we want.

A final point of LOA is that the spiritual creation of our desires is just as real an important as the physical manifestation of those desires.  A person who understands this will find deep satisfaction in contemplating a spiritual creation and knowing that the physical manifestation will follow when the time is right.    An enlightened person will see the life experience as many delightful trips to a buffet:  It would be nonsense to try to eat all the food of a lifetime in one night.  We would much rather enjoy the pleasant sensation of hunger eased by delicious food again and again, forever. 

There’s a number of sources to go to for LOA ideas.  I favor the ideas of Esther Hicks (a former Mormon), which you can search on YouTube if you’d like to get an earful.