New Age philosophy, according to some people, is nothing less than a religion. Others say it lacks the attributes of other established world religions, most of which have some type of dogma or creed, traditions, and specific teachings that bind believers together. New Age thinking, in comparison, stresses an individualistic approach to spirituality that includes an eclectic melding of religious, scientific, self-help, psychological, and ecological ideas, among others. Although experts on the Law of Attraction say the principle of the law is ancient, the popular use of that universal law fits well within New Age thought and its emphasis on the connection between the body, mind, and spirit.

The Human Potential Movement, popular in the 1970s, was a New Age movement that emphasized the notion that humans possessed infinite potential and were limited only by negative thoughts or traditional beliefs. The main goal in the Human Potential Movement was to replace a negative mindset with positive thinking. Today, that goal encapsulates the idea of how to best work with the Law of Attraction to be all that you can be and to have abundance.

One of the most controversial and popular programs to emerge out of the New Age Human Potential Movement was est (Erhard Seminars Training). Founder Werner Erhard advocated est as a way for people to undergo personal transformation and attain empowerment. People were taught to take responsibility for their lives and what they were manifesting, good and bad. Erhard reportedly gave credit to his study of Zen Buddhism to create the space in which the concept of est was to emerge.