Great Thinkers: Dr. Wayne Dyer

Dr. Wayne Dyer did not have the beginning that most would believe a great thinker would have; instead, he had a beginning that would drive most into insanity, yet he found the strength to turn his misfortunes into a better way of life. He began to use his childhood misfortunes as a means of rehabilitating and educating wayward lives that were seeking inner peace. Today, he is one of the preeminent inspirational leaders, having published over twenty-six books and audiotapes, including his first book, Your Erroneous Zones, which sold over 30 million copes.

During his childhood, Dyer spent his time in foster care, after his mother gave him and his brother up when she could no longer take care of them. Their father left shortly after Dyer's birth, and was not much of an influence on his life growing up. Eventually, Dyer was reunited with his mother, after she had remarried. He discovered his father was an alcoholic and died in jail. When he graduated from high school, he went on to gain a Doctorate of Education in counseling from Wayne State University, having gone through university without any outside help. He had paid everything on his own, as he had done since he was young. He went on to be a high school guidance counselor and a professor of counselor education at St. Johns University.

In 1976, he published his first book, Your Erroneous Zones, with a small publishing firm. Sales were slow to begin with, but Dyer was hopeful. He took a chance by quitting his job at St. Johns, and going on a speaking tour to promote his book. This dogged pursuit of publicity allowed Dyer to hit the New York Times Best Selling list without help. He was on the best selling list without any acknowledgement from the publishing community at all; he simply sold his book out of the back of his station wagon. It was his belief in his work that able Dyer to become a best selling author, and this belief became the core of his inspirational books. With each successive book, he would include a publicity tour and audiotapes. He can be seen on PBS on a regular basis with his engaging lecture tours.

The reason I chose Dr. Wayne Dyer as my great thinker is due to the impact he has had on my life the last two years. Born a skeptic, I never truly held fast to any religious convictions, instead I vacillated between religious thought and new age notions that held my interest. Yet, none of their teachings kept with me. I grew up studying Greek mythology, paganism, Wicca, Buddhism, Kabbalah and every organized Christian belief. It wasn't until I received a phone call from a friend that I found Wayne Dyer. In this conversation with my friend, I discovered the law of attraction, though at the time, neither of us knew to what we were referring. We simply called ourselves the positive thinking buddies, and decided that we would give this attraction law thing a go. Little did we know that from this one conversation, an entire world of enlightenment and inspiration would open up for the both of us.

After our conversation, I decided to seek out any reading material I could find that might fall in place with what we were attempting to do. The first book I found was Dyer's Manifest Your Destiny. I tore through the book with excitement and curiosity. I called my friend and immediately told her about it. We held book clubs over the phone to discuss each chapter. We kept journals. We began to meditate and creatively visualize what we wanted. This book was our phoenix rising from the ashes of self-doubt and confusion.

Within the book, Manifest Your Destiny, Dyer goes to explain that there are nine spiritual principles that can guide one to getting everything they desire. "You have the power within you to attract to yourself all that you could ever want" (Dyer xi). He breaks the nine principles into the following:

i. The First Principle- Becoming aware of your higher self

ii. The Second Principle - Trusting yourself is trusting the wisdom that created you

iii. The Third Principle - You are not an organism in an environment: you are an environorganism

iv. The Fourth Principle - You can attract to yourself what you desire

v. The Fifth Principle - Honoring your worthiness to receive

vi. The Sixth Principle - Connecting to the divine source with unconditional love

vii. The Seventh Principle - Meditating to the sound of creation

viii. The Eighth Principle - Patiently detach from the outcome

ix. The Ninth Principle - Reacting to your manifestations with gratitude and generosity

I could expound on the vast number of people whose lives Dyer has touched, such as the Rwandan refugee Immaculée Ilibagiza, whom he convinced to write her story in an effort to help the people of Rwanda. I could log onto the countless websites, such as the Friends of Wayne Dyer, and quote their experiences with Wayne Dyer. I could discuss his long time relationship with writer and publisher Louise Hay, and how it produced some of the finest works within the self-improvement industry. I could discuss the many relationships Dyer has with other great minds within the self-improvement environment, such as Deepak Chopra and Jerry and Ester Hicks. I could focus on his achievements on a global scale, but I'm not comfortable doing so. I would rather discuss how this book and these nine principles changed the life of a young woman who desperately needed guidance. Holding true to the principles, I am solely responsible for myself, and therefore only feel comfortable speaking on the events that have transpired in the last two years of my life.

These nine principles are set as guidelines to help the mind align and focus on the greater picture and allow the mind to actively manifest what it truly desires. The key issue with manifesting is that most people don't understand the concept of manifesting itself. According to Dr. Dyer, as well as many other quantum philosophers, the act of simply thinking creates a vibration in which the universe receives and reacts towards. "Your current thoughts are creating your future life,. What you think about the most or focus on the most will appear as your life" (Byrne 25). The universe doesn't understand the definitions of the words spoken; it just understands the vibration the words give off. Take for example the sentence: I don't have good luck. It is negative in thought. It produces a negative vibration when it is thought or spoken, and it is this negative vibe that the universe receives and returns. "You are the universe. It is not something outside you. You are that force which is everything, even the things that have previously failed to show up in your life. Remember, as you think so shall you be" (Dyer 14). The mere process of thinking creates the world as one knows it. This is where the first principle comes into play.

One must become aware of the presence of one's higher self before manifesting can occur. Dyer goes on to discuss the ego and how it creates dissonance within the mind. "The ego promotes turmoil because it wants to substantiate your separateness from everyone, including God. It will push you in the direction of judgment and comparison, and cause you to insist on being right and best" (Dyer 16). To him, the ego is the limitations we put on ourselves; the inner voice which keeps us second guessing our choices and placement within the universe. It is a learned response, imprinted upon us as we grew into free thinking adults. We are constantly bombarded with images and opinions which unconsciously form our own image and opinion. "Your higher self is not just an idea that sounds lofty and spiritual. It is a way of being. It is the very first principle that you must come to understand and embrace as you move toward attracting to you that which you want and need for this parenthesis in eternity that you know as your life" (Dyer 18). However, to fully become aware of who we are, we must strip away all the graffiti external sources have spray painted onto our souls, and discover what is beneath. Essentially, we must unlearn to learn. We must dismiss the ego and reveal our true selves.

Granted, ignoring the ego is a difficult process. I have spent the better part of two years attempting to unlearn what I have learned over my last thirty years, and I still find myself jumping to conclusions and assumptions. Dyer has spent three decades devoting his life to this process; I am not so ignorant to believe I can master it in two. Yet it is easier now to catch myself allowing my ego to speak for me, but I can see now where the ego does set limits on a person. I feel quite constrained by my ego and all of its follies. Because of Dyer, I understand my irrational behaviors and thoughts to a greater extent than any therapy session could offer.

This process also grants permission to trusting the inner workings of the mind. Once the ego is abandoned and the true self discovered, the ability to trust instinct and the vibrational force a mind produces naturally follows. A person can know that trusting one's self is automatic passage into trusting the universe to follow suit. "The more we feel separated from this God, the more we feel the need to create some way of feeling worthy. So we create an idea of out importance based on externals and call it 'ego'" (Dyer 21). If one acknowledges one's connection to the universe, a person will abandon the externals, abandon the ego, and trust that what is and what is to be will be in alignment with their spirit. If God loves all things, then, God can only produce more love; it is humans that produce negation and ultimately separation from the universe. Since humans are a production of God (or the universe), we are the heralds of divinity and therefore one with nature.

This understanding leads a person to the knowledge that they are not separate from their environment, but a key element of that environment. "When we believe that what is outside me is not me, and that we are not a part of the peopling process of the earth, we cultivate an attitude of estrangement and hostility" (Dyer 42-43). We are a part of this environment, whether we acknowledge it or not; but for us to gain a higher sense of self and find true enlightenment, we must recognize that we are equal to nature, not superior to it. By destroying forests and wetlands, we are in fact making an environment hostile to our own survival. Yet, if we nurture and respect the environment we reside in, we can receive the bounty that nature wants to offer us. Our constant development and disrespect for nature keeps our spirit separate from the universe, and in fact, distant from our greater good. Once we achieve and respect that we are as much a part of the environment as the land, air and water we contaminate, we can begin to manifest our true desires.

The clarity of aligning the mind with the universe and the environment does permit the manifestations of desires. It is that force in the universe which is both unrestricted and invisible. Such as the example of Albert Einstein who became fascinated with the force that manifested within a compass, the power that resides within the mind is potent and unseen. It is everywhere; in each and every person, waiting to be revealed to the world. It is ready to assist those who are ready to manifest. It wants to create. "The force is in you, the force is outside you. The force is you. By knowing the nature of this force and seeing yourself as a divine expression of it, and by going within to the power that permits you to picture a desire, and then tapping that power with a private, loving, cheerful knowing, you are on your way to using this vital force in ways that were unavailable to you with your conditioned view of yourself" (Dyer 64). It is that force that causes a person to think about a song, and then it suddenly plays on the radio; or hearing from a long lost friend for the first time in years just after having a passing thought about them. It is the same force that can manifest the greatest desires and dreams.

Of course, desires and dreams that are not in alignment with the universe will not appear, or will appear, just not in the way pictured, what most would call unanswered prayers. The universe will respond to only that is in the best interest of the self. I have asked to win the lottery, thinking I could win millions, only to have a ticket win five dollars. The universe did answer: I won the lottery, just not in the way I thought I wanted. However, I have seen answered prayers that would raise eyebrows on even the most skeptical of critics. Unanswered prayers generally occur when the self does not truly believe that they are worthy enough to receive their desires. "Once this attitude is firmly in place from a position of self-honesty, your worthiness to receive the gifts of the universe becomes aligned with that divine power" (Dyer 76). Guilt and shame are the biggest contributors to this misalignment. Most people, deep down, don't feel worthy of receiving gifts from the universe, or they feel selfish for asking for gifts continuously. Manifesting is not about selfishness, though initially, it does resemble it. Manifesting is about creating a better good for the self, which is not selfish at all. In actuality, once the mind becomes attuned to the universe, manifesting can be used to change the external world as well. How selfish is it, really?

Clarity of mind also allows unconditional love. Once assumptions and judgments are released, the mind is allowed to love freely and unconditionally. This is God. God loves all His creations, and we are His creation, therefore, we are filled with love. "Soon this impersonal feeling that is not dependent on anyone or anything, or any belief system, will radiate to a feeling of being connected to the infinite energy of unconditional love that is God" (Dyer 95). Love radiates from the body, in flow with the universe. It envelops the area the soul resides, pouring forth and showering all that is in path with unconditional love. "The feeling of love is the highest frequency you can emit. The greater the love you feel and emit, the greater the power you are harnessing" (Byrne 43).

Through meditation, I have found that manifesting comes easier and quicker. Dyer writes about the sounds of meditating and how it affects visualization. Since the universe works on a frequency, sound is absorbed and interpreted faster within the universe than just mere thoughts. "Keep in mind that sound is the vibrational frequency between the world of solid matter or form as we know it and the higher vibrational frequencies of the formless world of universal spirit. Learning how to use sound is a way of harnessing its power for manifesting thought into the world of form" (Dyer 114). Sound can also quiet the mind during meditation, so that the self can reach a higher plane of existence. Quieting the mind allows the spirit to seek out what it truly desires and offer it to the universe, without any interference from that pesky ego.

Randomness does not exist within the universe. Neither does time nor space. That is why it is important to remember to detach from the desire at hand. The more energy put into a thought about a desire, the more that desire will be pushed away. I know this intimately. The more I think or "worry" about something, or the more thought I put into a desire, the longer it takes for it to arrive, if it arrives at all. "When you trust and know that you are connected to that universal, all providing intelligence, then you simply allow yourself the virtue of patience. You place no time constraints on your manifestation and you go about the affairs of your life with an inner awareness that says, 'I've got all the time that I need, and I am certain of the outcome, so I will allow it to show up as it will, in due time" (Dyer 133). Since the universe has no use for time and space (it's all relative), it is important to understand that the future is now. Understanding that once a desire is placed into the universe, it has no time table, five years from now will be today for that desire, and vice versa. The mind must know that it has happened; it must believe it has happened.

This small change in thinking can allow for greater events to arrive. But waking up and stating that today is a good day, the vibrations given off by that statement allots for a good day. The frequency was produced, shifting the mind from a negative state into a positive. "Your thoughts determine your frequency, and your feelings tell you immediately what frequency you are on. When you are feel bad, you are on a frequency of drawing more bad things. When you feel good, you are powerfully attracting more good things to you" (Byrne, 43). This is why it is important to have awareness of the self so that one can radiate unconditional love. When the self radiates unconditional love, one receives it back exponentially.

Finally, Dyer speaks on giving gratitude to the universe for all that has arrived. "[Gratitude] recognizes that nothing is to be taken for granted, and, most importantly, it is an expression of complete, unconditional love in the form of a thank you to the God force that is in all things. It is a way of being one with the God force in full inner serenity" (Dyer 149). Giving thanks to the universe for the gifts received completes the circle between self and spirit. Gratitude opens the soul up for receiving more. "Gratitude is powerful process for shifting your energy and bringing more of what you want into your life. Be grateful for what you already have, and you will attract more good thing" (Byrne 93). By recognizing all the wonderful things that have already been received, the universe rewards the gratitude by returning the positive energy to the self. The more the soul gives, the more the soul shall receive. Taking for granted the gifts given closes the mind off and allows the ego to declare, in a negative way, just how much the soul deserved it and start to compare it to the external, material possessions of the outside world. The ego feeds on how much, how soon, where is it, what is in it for me. These negations shift the frequency away from the unconditional love of the universe and separate the soul from the spirit. However, once the soul and the spirit are in unison, all things are possible.

I chose Dr. Wayne Dyer and his book, Manifest Your Destiny, because of the immense impact it had on my life. His nine principles changed my thinking on how and where I fit into this universe. Because of this book, I have been able to explore who I am and what it is that I want from this lifetime I have been given. Before Dyer, I was floating aimlessly though life, not understanding why it seemed that everything was going wrong for me. Why did I behave in such negative manners? Why was so intent on destroying every relationship I had? I lived in the world of externals, comparing who I was against what I saw outside of myself and judging my life at every step. Slowly, through these nine principles, I began to process my soul and remove the ego from my life equation. This book has been more fulfilling and more helpful than the six therapists I have seen. Dyer was able to explain, in no uncertain terms, how a simply shift in frequency can allow all the truths of life to appear.

Dyer reminds me a great deal of the geniuses discussed in Michael J. Gelb's book, Discover Your Genius. Like Thomas Jefferson and perhaps a number of our founding fathers, Dyer has suffered indignities in life, through the child welfare services of our country, and rose above his trials to find a better path of life. Like the founding fathers, he simply knew that action was required, and took the steps to find his own freedom. He also holds the child-like curiosity that Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein pursued their entire lives. Always active in his mind, Dyer builds on his spiritual knowledge by observing and questioning the universe around us. In fact, Dyer frequently quotes Einstein in his books and lectures. His openness to the universe allows him to see in great detail around him. A tiny detail, what most would disregard, Dyer focuses on in fascination. He discovers new worlds of thought and spirit, as Christopher Columbus did. He is also open to new experiences and fears little. His efforts put him along side the great minds of antiquity, and I do believe that generation after generation will discover and continue to be inspired by his work.

The impact Dyer has had on the self-improvement industry is unfathomable. He has had countless best-sellers, including his latest book Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life, which is currently in the New York Times' Best Selling Hard Cover Top Five. He continuously tours, enlightening people to his word and his thoughts, helping those along the way who need it. He has worked with numerous influential people, such as Deepak Chopra and Shri Guruji, creating even more information for those of us who are lost. He assisted Immaculée Ilibagiza created her telling novel of her trials in Rwanda, spending 91 days in the bathroom with other Tutsi women, fearing for their lives. Dyer is a well respected member of the self-improvement community, and I am forever grateful that a 'random' search on Amazon.com guided me to his book. I cannot speak for anyone but myself: if he has only changed my life, I am indebted to him for eternity and I must continue on this journey, so that he knows how grateful I truly am. His philosophy has no doubt saved my life. Many times I have read his books, crying, as I could see myself within the pages. I follow the nine principles closely. The genius within the pages of his book speaks volumes to the wandering heart, in need of repair.

I know I am not alone in this. I am worthy of this divinity. I am my universe and I am thankful.

WORKS CITED

Byrne, Rhonda. The Secret.New York: Atria Books, 2006.

Dyer, Dr. Wayne. Manifest Your Destiny: The Nine Spiritual Principles for Getting Everything

You Want. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1997.

Gelb, Michael J.. Discover Your Genius. New York: HarperCollins Publishers