The universe kinda becomes like a god. All that energy and vibe stuff is like a way of praying. It's all about faith, not really backed by evidence.
It's like how I see thunder, so there must be a god of thunder. In this case, seeing vibration and energy (like in String Theory, which still hasn't been proven) makes me think there's gotta be some deeper meaning and that it can make my wishes come true.
And of course, there are people out there selling books, spreading fake news, and posing as manifesting professors just to cash in on others' ignorance.
But hey, for a lot of people, it's just a way to find hope and relax a bit through positive thinking, focusing on their goals and planning things out. So I'm not trying to bash "believers", just sharing a shower thought.
I think there's a semi-reasonable way to engage with the idea. If you have some specific goal and you continually think about it/focus on it, of COURSE that will make it more likely/make you better at it. At that level, it's sort of just tricking yourself into actually getting shit done. Like faking it until you make it--act confident and soon you're actually confident, etc.
But I understand that most people take it further than that. I just think it's harmless at its most basic, even as I also think it's Oprahesque bullshit.
I totally agree with you! I think it works but not in the way people think it is.
It can be frustrating when authors and others attempt to market the concept as scientifically grounded, kinda like a cult at times.
I feel bad for people who persist in the wrong direction and repeatedly fail to achieve their goals. It's even worse when, after all that, they blame themselves for "not communicating well with the universe".