Law of Attraction and attracting negative people

This question was presented: 

I have question about the law of attraction. For some reason lots of negative people have been coming into my life I want to do something to change that. It's caused me a great deal of suffering.

This was my response: 

It may not be easily discerned if we're attracting things because of unproductive thoughts, fears and beliefs, or we are aligning ourselves to experiences that promote growth.
Years ago, I was stuck in a hellish and dangerous situation. It felt as though my future would be very much like my past. It was at a steel mill, and I was working security. The workers threatened, and harassed us. Once I went to pee in a porta-john and a guy threw a cinder block at it from an overpass. Stuff like that happened a lot. Often, guys were hired, and would leave at lunch time and never return. I could go on for hours talking about how much the place sucked.
I finally decided that if nothing was going to change, I'd have to accept where I was, and look for things that would make my situation more tolerable. I discovered small areas of beauty in that hellish landscape. One most remarkable view was that of a material elevator that stood around 150 feet high. It was composed of steel girders, a bit like a miniature Eiffel Tower. I was patrolling the area on foot, and stopped, awestruck by its moonlit silhouette against a sky filled with incredibly bright and numerous stars. I noticed dandelions and honeysuckle, growing out of a mixture of graphite and oily mud, and by contrast, they were the most beautiful I'd seen.
I didn't change my behavior, as I had no choice but do my job. I did however gradually grow unafraid, unable to express, but still feel compassion toward those who were hostile toward us.
The shitty circumstances didn't change, but I changed my relationship to them. Others saw the change in me, and how it changed the way the workers behaved toward me, it affected their feelings toward the workers and plant.
After my days became manageable, and even a bit rewarding, I was recruited to a much better job.
I think we're often challenged to overcome negative people and circumstances by creatively transcending the problems involved.
So, you are a positive and compassionate person. Is it any surprise that negative people are attracted to you? Their reptilian brain may be triggering jealousy or resentment, while their higher Self is hoping to receive non-verbal healing Energy from you.
Perhaps the Universe honors you with trust, that you will respond to negativity with whatever is needed in those moments to make things better.
Consider Ekchart Tolle's exhortation to "be in the present." When accosted by negativity, ask yourself in that moment, "Behind this pain, what is the need?"
I have no doubt that you've already left many miracles in your wake. Your ability to manifest more is evolving. Be patient and gentle with yourself. Doing so allows for graceful spiritual evolution, while giving you the strength required to remain patient and gentle with others.

Why Hope?

There is no shortage of toxic leaders, but to blame any of them for large scale division/polarization, is neither productive or accurate. Such leaders emerge as symptomatic evidence of what's already present in society. Bringing such social pathology to light isn't a bad thing. A lot of folks talk about the "good old days," back in the fifties and sixties. I doubt that things were as good then as they are now. It's just that some but not all bad behavior in those days was largely kept secret. Some such behaviors were more overt, such as lynchings, discrimination, segregation legally sanctioned sexism and misogyny. There was a larger middle class, but its existence led to greater suffering among those marginalized. Consider though, that in times of major catastrophes, many people come and work together, who at other times would not be able to tolerate each other. Disasters become common ground, and "better angels" emerge. Sometimes those who seem least likely or even looked down upon become heroes. Even those with extremely opposite political views will save each other's lives. That suggests to me that all hope is not lost. If a person takes the time to pay attention, it's possible to see countless stars within the social darkness. I don't know what life will be like in a few years, or even days. Still, there's enough Love in the world to keep me hopeful.

Response to a Facebook Posting

This is the posting:  

"Now. There is, and this will certainly seem a contradiction in terms, there is nonbeing. It is a state, not of nothingness in your terms, but a state in which probabilities and possibilities are known, anticipated, but blocked from all expression. Dimly, through what you would call a history, hardly remembered, there was such a state. It was a state of agony in which the powers of creativity and existence were known, but the ways to produce them were not known. This is the lesson that All That Is had to learn, and that could not be taught. This is the agony from which creativity originally was drawn, and its reflection is still seen." ~ Seth/Jane Roberts (Session 426)

This is my response

It includes a response to another person's posting - one alleging that there's no intrinsic purpose to our existence, and believing one exists is a delusion.  The poster's name was changed for this posting.  

Non-being – not of nothingness? In language and in math, a double negative becomes a positive. So, in this case, non-being is in fact a form of being.

If expression aka manifestation is blocked, how can probabilities/possibilities be known? Is it truly possible to know the nature of anything that doesn't exist?

If something is blocked, something must be blocking it. Who/what was doing the blocking and for what reason?

Powers of creativity/existence known, but ways to produce them were not... What need was there to produce them if they already existed (known)?

Is creativity drawn from agony or joy? Are we so unlike our Origin that our creativity is derived from an opposing Energy?

It was suggested to me that Consciousness exists in physical form because She desired to know what it was like to not know what would happen next. That we each are focal points of Consciousness, and often can't anticipate the future, that indeed seems to be the case.

I don't think it was a problem for Consciousness to manifest energy and matter (actually the same thing). I think Consciousness pre-existed “natural laws,” hence anything could happen, including formation of a physical universe, and do so without any trace of agony.

I once thought that after shedding our physical bodies, we'd have access to all knowledge. I still think that may be possible, but I'm not convinced that it happens in all cases. When Heart intuition clashes with the counsel of ethereal beings who are helping authors write books, I suspect that those beings are still in the process of evolving, rather than already fully evolved. I think it's more likely true that physical and non-physical beings can learn from each other.

Pete, if you're still paying attention, whether it's your ego or fatalistic beliefs, your misery is still an option rather than an inevitable reality. Do you think a more compassionate method of introspection might help? Being on Facebook is not evidence of feeling futility. Delusion and purpose may be married within your mind, but the association is not required. Consciousness chose a purpose and humans can also choose one, absolutely free of delusion.

I'm convinced there is an overarching purpose to existence, common to the Divine, physical and non-physical beings. When I was six, I heard it like this, “so we can die and be happy with God in Heaven.” When I think about it, that sounds a bit spooky, but maybe the concept had an innocent beginning, yet there was nothing innocent about the way I was subjected to the teaching.

There remains the big WHY? My response is: Love seeks to share. What fun would it be to be a single point of Consciousness, with no other manifestation of Being.

We can each discover or invent our own story of how Consciousness blossomed into All there Is, but our purpose – should we decide to accept it is to share Love.

Gut feelings?

Often a gut feeling is generated by the "reptilian" part of the brain - the part that retains DNA based instincts. For example, fear of the unknown fits in that category, as does being territorial or jealous. The current political polarization is influenced by such gut feelings.

Remember, a "gut" feeling isn't the same as a Heart feeling.

Sometimes a gut feeling and Heart feeling resonate with each other, for example, a mother's Love brings DNA based instinct and a far Higher Level of Love and affection into alignment.

Honest introspection, meditation and/or prayer aids in discernment between "base" instincts and Heart intuition. With practice, this discernment requires little effort and often is automatic. Our physicality is part of who we are, and sometimes those gut instincts really do serve to keep us alive, but we are so much more than a mass of DNA based impulses (aka gut feelings). Sometimes the Heart will guide us to override the impulsive response to gut feelings.

A question to ask is, "Do I identify more with my Authentic Self, or the programming that resides between my ears?"

Cultivate an ongoing, here and now awareness of Heart and Spirit, and a place within will remain calm and meditative, even when in chaotic circumstances. Therein lies the peace that surpasses all understanding, and our authentic selves will discern the Truth.

Visualization

If the Universe simply responded to all visualizations, the planet would be in a bigger mess than it already is.  Some visualize terrible things happening to others.  Loads of people visualize winning the lottery.  Some visualize looking like they're 25 years old forever.  The Universe will not jump through unnatural loops because we demand it through visualization.  

Visualization is a useful and effective tool and not to be taken lightly.  Fortunately we have a fail-safe mechanism that prevents the most harmfully errant visualizations from manifesting.  I suspect that both as individuals and in communion with the Universe, Spirit within will not allow spiritual regression to occur as a result of visualization.  

For that reason, we don't all win the lottery, have perfect bodies, displace other deserving people from receiving blessings we believe we're entitled to, and have rosy, perfect lives.  

Visualization aligns us to Spirit and Nature, to a far greater extent than it compels Spirit and Nature to do our bidding.  Understanding that helps make visualization far more effective.  As visualization changes us, our perception of external circumstances change.  The circumstances undergo additional change as our wise visualization and interaction with them infuse them with positive Energy.  

Remember the story of the mustard seed, that it eventually becomes a huge tree that provides shade and comfort for many?  Visualization is a bit like that seed.  Often the changes initiated must take time, grow at a natural pace, but eventually make a huge difference.  

Visualize timely manifestation, that is timely according to what is best for all concerned.  Visualization in relation to personal growth is very effective, but if one changes too much overnight, it'll scare people, including the person doing the visualizing.  

Patience is required when visualization conflicts with hidden fears and beliefs, but there is no obscure trick to overcoming the interference.  The breakthroughs will come.  Because growth often occurs gradually, we may not notice it till one day, we suddenly realize how far we've come.  

Question: How would you describe a spiritual person?

Everyone is spiritual (as in having a spiritual aspect), whether they know it or not.  Rudimentary spirituality is perception that there's more to life and existence than is physically measurable.  

Beyond that, I make few assumptions because I've encountered so many individuals who on the surface, present as the antithesis of spirituality, but ultimately reveal themselves as highly spiritual, even when they are unable to articulate what that means.  

The Divine observes us through the eyes of all, including criminals and the mentally ill.  I have received inspiration from both, which is evidence that at some level, they are open to Spirit.  

Attempt to describe someone who's NOT spiritual, and you'll probably be wrong.  If you're fortunate enough, you'll meet some people who provide evidence that this is true.  

I gotta admit, there are some politicians and others that make this perspective difficult to accept.  Failure to accept it, and it's impossible to detect the spark that can be fanned into a flame of Spirit.  

PROBLEMS MEDITATING?

Inherent in the term "trying" to meditate is programming the brain to fail in the attempt.  The Dali Lama talks about having difficulty keeping his thoughts from interfering, so you're in the best of company.  "Trying" and relaxing don't mix, so stop trying.  Imagine the tide.  It makes a bit of noise, followed by a period of silence.  The mind chatters, but if permitted will allow for periods of silence as well.  Like the tide, silence comes in waves. 

The mind can remain active during a successful meditation if the flow of thoughts are focused on peace and inner Presence.  

No two people meditate the same way, or with the same effect.  No two meditations by the same individual are alike.  You are totally free to define your own style of meditation and allow it to evolve.  

Some can spend hours in a meditative state.  Others engage in "mini-meditations," that last seconds or minutes.  The best way to determine what's best for you is to observe how the meditation affects you over time.  You know you're on the right track when you begin feeling a sense of peaceful integrity throughout the day.