The Four Main Universal Laws of Spirit

In society, we reach adulthood, knowing that we live within a structure of laws and that those laws can have measurable consequences depending on our choice to follow them or not. The same rings true for the smaller example of the family unit and relationships; partners know that if they break the trust of a relationship or fail to hold up their end, there may be backlash. So too, children learn early on that there are a set of rules within their household, school, and world. These rules provide a standard of behavior and come along with a set of consequences when not continuously observed. On a much grander scale, the universe also has laws.

While societal or even familial 'laws' or rules are subject to human consistency and whether or not an individual is caught breaking them, the universal laws could be described as more of an unwavering fabric or structure that is built into the dynamic of existence. And therefore, even those things' done in the dark' will be subject to consequence through the all-knowing aspect of universal energy. While there can be unpleasant repercussions when we don't live harmoniously according to these laws, we can likewise work to understand them and master them to our advantage.

Diana Cooper's book A Little Light on the Spiritual Laws, includes the following four laws and inspiring insights on how they operate. This is an excellent reference to delve deeply into the laws and for now, let's take a quick walkthrough four major ones to kick start your manifestation and flow.

As Above, So Below

We begin with a famous age-old law stated: As Above, So Below. With this law, we are mainly dealing with perspective. This law could be likened to the concept 'On earth as it is in heaven.' While in this case, 'earth' and 'heaven' don't have to be taken to their literal translation as places in the cosmos, they are more referencing concepts of the aspect of our life that we are immersed in actively (earth) and conversely the element of freedom above this plane of existence where understanding and acceptance are innate and where the trials and triumphs of the everyday struggle aren't in play (heaven). Living in all the nitty-gritty details of our day-to-day realities can sometimes be filled with extreme highs and extreme lows can include struggle and suffering and can sometimes result in individuals feeling hopeless or without direction.

The law of As Above, So Below reminds us, in a sense to "look up," literally, as the heavenly widened perspective can tell us that our struggles are a short stretch of the eternal path and that essential goodness, oneness, and love are always existent and available to us. By understanding that 'On earth, as it is in heaven,' we can acknowledge and remember that while we live the outcomes of our freewill choice and this is sometimes painful, this itself is a form of universal divine love and that we are always guided on our path.

As Within, So Without

'As Within, So Without' is a concise way of acknowledging the macro- microcosmic nature of reality. This structure of reality is all about 'mirroring.' As the discipline of modern quantum physics has demonstrated, we live in a holographic reality where the smallest seeming constituent of existence is reflective of the grandest patterns of nature. This law allows us to see our reflection in all that surrounds us. While the "As above, so below" law speaks mainly to our relationship with the divine. 'As within, so without' speaks more directly to the life of our true inner nature is mirrored within the experience of our personal life.

By holding an awareness of this law we are able to see and realize that dynamics occurring in our relationships and life circumstances may mirror the internal state of our beliefs, emotions, and thoughts. Any unresolved inner conflicts that haunt us with surely re-visit again and again in the mirrors of our lives, asking us, in a sense, to look at them and integrate them.

Start working with this law by noticing what primary types of experiences and interactions are resulting in your daily life and use this as a reference to seek more deeply the subconscious content that could be creating the experience. By tuning the instrument of the self, we can choose the melody of our existence more powerfully.

The Law of Resistance

The law of resistance states that "whatever you resist, persists." Resistance is a powerful acknowledgment that something exists and an affirmation that it is impacting you. It is a statement into the fabric of manifestation that 'this thing has power…therefore I must fight it!' and this intention and action feeds the thing we say we do not want. Diana Cooper writes, "You become what you resist. Whatever you resist persists in your life and uses up your energy in a struggle."

A great example would be choosing to complain about a person or situation while not investigating what is it that you are resisting about that person or situation? What are they reflecting to you that you are not seeing, or not wanting to see? Instead, try a different approach to situations you resist or even better take it a step forward and be an example of how to rise out of the Law of Resistance. The antidote to resistance is acceptance. But acceptance doesn't mean we tolerate mistreatment or settle for less than we deserve, but that we recognize the futility in an endless game of tug-of-war. We can drop the rope and focus instead on what we do want.

Keeping a positive focus plays into our next law, The Law of Attraction. Using an understanding of these two laws in tandem will give us a 'cheat code,' so to speak, into the workings of our universe and allow us to integrate and create the lives we have and the lives we want.

The Law of Attraction

Perhaps the most famous and widely studied of all the spiritual laws is this, "The Law of Attraction," and for a good reason! This law reveals the magnetic nature of consciousness, making clear that our state of being, dominant thoughts, and beliefs, along with our corresponding actions will draw to us everything we experience in life, whether wanted or unwanted. Like a magnet, we will naturally attract those things resonant to us, repel those things unlike, and experience no tension or overlap with those things not related. Cooper states, "Everything around you has been attracted to you, other things have been repelled, and yet others have no magnetic pull to you."

Once we know and understand this amazing law, it can be both exciting and daunting. Understanding this law means we are actively pulling things to us at every moment, as the subconscious mind makes up so much of our dominant state of being and the thoughts and feelings that shape our decisions. Because so much of this content is subconscious, we may question the law wondering, "I've never thought about this person or situation in my life, how could I have attracted this?" Yet on some level, subconscious programming, beliefs, traumas, memories, or un-processed emotions can be at work continuously attracting and manifesting resonant outcomes.

Once we know this, our practice becomes tending to our conscious and subconscious realities like a garden, removing those things no longer useful, watering and fertilizing those things that we love and appreciate, and planting new seeds to grow the reality we dream.

The Power Available in Universal Law

With 'earthly' laws, we have limited power and inconsistent results to consider. Yet with universal laws, we can trust that they work unerringly. Unlike some human-made laws which we can't always find the direct benefit of, the universal laws can always and forever be used to our benefit once we know how. The common thread that connecting the four laws we discussed here could be summed up as neutral and autonomous. These laws cause reactions based on our free will choices, and the power to affect different outcomes and patterns is always available to us by utilizing the power of our will. Therefore, take heart! We are subject to the laws, but they are also subject to us.