Cosmic Ordering
Encyclopedia
Cosmic ordering is the name given to a version of positive thinking
that was renamed by Bärbel Mohr
of Munich
, Germany
. She first outlined her own version in her own magazine called Sonnenwind (Solar Wind), and then expanded these ideas into a book called Cosmic Ordering Service: A Guide to Realising Your Dreams. In the Great Depression
of the 1930s Napoleon Hill
popularised similar ideas, and in the 1970s Reverend Ike
was widely heard over radio and television stations claiming that "You can't lose with the stuff I use". This "stuff" was mind power based upon similar ideas to those promoted by Hill in his many books, and which Mohr has recently promoted in Germany. In the United Kingdom disc jockey and TV game show host Noel Edmonds
has become the main media promoter of Mohr's work.
by Napoleon Hill
in his book Think and Grow Rich which sold into the millions, and which is still widely available. Hill's ideas were then adopted for Christianity in a most blatant manner by radio and television evangelist Reverend Ike
, and then by a stream of televangelists such as pop singer turned preacher Kenneth Copeland
; builder turned preacher Bob Tilton and even Jim Bakker
of the failed PTL
television empire.
Mohr's idea that individuals can use their desires to "connect with the cosmos
" and make those desires become reality is a rewrite of the work by Napoleon Hill and others who have promoted similar ideas before.
dressed up in spiritual language. He also distinguishes cosmic ordering from intercessory prayer, noting that prayer
is not "divine room service".
, best known for being a TV show host and disc jockey, became interested in the subject after being introduced to The Cosmic Ordering Service by his reflexologist
. He had not worked on TV since the end of his BBC TV show ‘Noel's House Party’ in 1999. One of his wishes was for a new challenge. Later he was offered the chance to return to TV to work on Deal or No Deal
. Edmonds later went on to write his own book titled Positively Happy: Cosmic Ways To Change Your Life.
movement and other concepts such as the Law of Attraction.
Positive Thinking
Positive Thinking... or Positive Thinking may refer to one of two songs:*Positive Thinking *Positive Thinking...
that was renamed by Bärbel Mohr
Barbel Mohr
Bärbel Mohr was a German author. Since 1998 she published 20 German books – including the best-selling Bestellungen beim Universum , translated into 14 languages so far and a German audio edition – which combined have more than 1.5 million copies in print.-Career:In 1995 she...
of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. She first outlined her own version in her own magazine called Sonnenwind (Solar Wind), and then expanded these ideas into a book called Cosmic Ordering Service: A Guide to Realising Your Dreams. In the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the 1930s Napoleon Hill
Napoleon Hill
Napoleon Hill was an American author who was one of the earliest producers of the modern genre of personal-success literature. He is widely considered to be one of the great writers on success...
popularised similar ideas, and in the 1970s Reverend Ike
Reverend Ike
Reverend Ike was an American minister and electronic evangelist based in New York City. He was best known for the slogan "You can't lose with the stuff I use!"-Background:...
was widely heard over radio and television stations claiming that "You can't lose with the stuff I use". This "stuff" was mind power based upon similar ideas to those promoted by Hill in his many books, and which Mohr has recently promoted in Germany. In the United Kingdom disc jockey and TV game show host Noel Edmonds
Noel Edmonds
Noel Ernest Edmonds, is an English broadcaster and executive, who made his name as a DJ on BBC Radio 1 in the UK. He has presented many light entertainment television programmes, including Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, Top of the Pops, The Late, Late Breakfast Show, Telly Addicts, Noel's Saturday...
has become the main media promoter of Mohr's work.
History
Mohr believes that a person can simply write down their wish list and wait for it to become reality. However, this would appear to be a new name for ideas proposed back in 1937 during the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
by Napoleon Hill
Napoleon Hill
Napoleon Hill was an American author who was one of the earliest producers of the modern genre of personal-success literature. He is widely considered to be one of the great writers on success...
in his book Think and Grow Rich which sold into the millions, and which is still widely available. Hill's ideas were then adopted for Christianity in a most blatant manner by radio and television evangelist Reverend Ike
Reverend Ike
Reverend Ike was an American minister and electronic evangelist based in New York City. He was best known for the slogan "You can't lose with the stuff I use!"-Background:...
, and then by a stream of televangelists such as pop singer turned preacher Kenneth Copeland
Kenneth Copeland
Kenneth Copeland is an American author, public speaker, and televangelist. He is the founder of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, which preaches a “prosperity gospel”: "Prosperity gospel assures followers that the more they give including in the form of tithes to the church, the more they will receive...
; builder turned preacher Bob Tilton and even Jim Bakker
Jim Bakker
James Orsen "Jim" Bakker is an American televangelist, a former Assemblies of God minister, and a former host of The PTL Club, a popular evangelical Christian television program.A sex scandal led to his resignation from the ministry...
of the failed PTL
PTL Satellite Network
The PTL Television Network -- often referred to as simply PTL -- was a global evangelical Christian television network based in Fort Mill, South Carolina, founded by Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker in 1974. PTL Satellite Network was dedicated in April of 1977...
television empire.
Mohr's idea that individuals can use their desires to "connect with the cosmos
Cosmos
In the general sense, a cosmos is an orderly or harmonious system. It originates from the Greek term κόσμος , meaning "order" or "ornament" and is antithetical to the concept of chaos. Today, the word is generally used as a synonym of the word Universe . The word cosmos originates from the same root...
" and make those desires become reality is a rewrite of the work by Napoleon Hill and others who have promoted similar ideas before.
Criticism
Cosmic ordering has been criticised as "nonsense" by the Right Reverend Carl Cooper. He describes it as goal settingGoal setting
Goal setting involves establishing specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-targeted goals. Work on the theory of goal-setting suggests that it's an effective tool for making progress by ensuring that participants in a group with a common goal are clearly aware of what is expected from...
dressed up in spiritual language. He also distinguishes cosmic ordering from intercessory prayer, noting that prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
is not "divine room service".
Noel Edmonds
Noel EdmondsNoel Edmonds
Noel Ernest Edmonds, is an English broadcaster and executive, who made his name as a DJ on BBC Radio 1 in the UK. He has presented many light entertainment television programmes, including Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, Top of the Pops, The Late, Late Breakfast Show, Telly Addicts, Noel's Saturday...
, best known for being a TV show host and disc jockey, became interested in the subject after being introduced to The Cosmic Ordering Service by his reflexologist
Reflexology
Reflexology, or zone therapy, is an alternative medicine involving the physical act of applying pressure to the feet, hands, or ears with specific thumb, finger, and hand techniques without the use of oil or lotion...
. He had not worked on TV since the end of his BBC TV show ‘Noel's House Party’ in 1999. One of his wishes was for a new challenge. Later he was offered the chance to return to TV to work on Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which was the Dutch Miljoenenjacht produced by Dutch producer Endemol. It is played with up to 26 cases with certain sums of money...
. Edmonds later went on to write his own book titled Positively Happy: Cosmic Ways To Change Your Life.
Academia
Cosmic ordering has recently been put forward as a solution to women's inequality in academia. Proponents advocate asking the cosmos for a promotion to help equal the playing field with men. Opponents of the concept described the approach as "scandalous" and that "It sounds like an opiate to dull the pain of reality and I can't see the point. The university might as well give women cannabis to dull their senses." The idea is connected to the New AgeNew Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
movement and other concepts such as the Law of Attraction.