“Just believe that there is genuine creative magic in believing—and magic there will be, for belief will supply the power which will enable you to succeed in everything you undertake.”


The Magic of Believing was originally published in 1948 yet its thesis has withstood the test of time and it is as relevant, informative and inspirational as it was 70 years ago! Claude Bristol is clearly the father of The Secret and The Law of Attraction. Mr. Bristol was a newspaper man who came to learn what many have written about since then— what you think, you become by attracting it into your life. He was a WWI veteran and he wrote this book to help returning vets acclimate to civilian life yet he helped millions of everyday people and continues to do so today.

The crux of this book is the power of the subconscious mind and the use of your imagination to help you achieve what you desire.The subtitle of this book says it all - The Classic Guide to Unlocking the Power of Your Mind. The Magic of Believing explores such timeless issues as the power of suggestion, does the soul survive death, can the soul talk to God, communication with the dead, witchcraft, mental healers, and more. The book is peppered with anecdotes as well as scientific evidence to support his assertions.



Bristol spends a lot of time explaining some techniques to help you achieve your dreams, including focused attention, cards and the mirror approach. He believes we use telepathy a lot more than we realize. Just repeatedly thinking it’s time for an unwanted guest to leave will ultimately send them on their way. As regards the relevance of telepathy, Bristol mentions that even Thomas Edison was interested in the direct transference of thought from one to another without the use of human sensory information.

There are discussions of fascinating phenomenon that continue to be unexplainable today, such as Facial Shift, in which blind vets are able to detect objects in their path. In addition, there are examples of mundane experiences offered in the book to help illustrate the points Bristol makes — for example, he recommends that if you want to sink the ball into the hole, visualize where it is you want the ball to go and see it going there. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the origin of The Secretor Law of Attraction.

Thank you to Dover Publications - Ixia Press and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Honest and in-depth advice for reaching your full potential. This advice is presented in easy to follow language that can be broken up and applied in pieces at a time.