The Secret: A yin/yang perception

[Celtaur]

When I first watched the secret I was immediately drawn in, completely focused on the spiritual aspect, not thinking about other details. Now after reading and hearing different perspectives I’m contemplating whether it was my psyche that was absorbing the marketing aspect of the film, or if it was because truths ring a commonality for everyone and thus my consciousness aligned with such truths without doubt. I think it was a little of both.

I knew about these things for quite some time from my learning and reading various authors on the power of the mind and I have for a long time verbalized it mostly in the context of setting intentions rather than stating it as the law of attraction, yet they are the same thing, just labeled differently. I understand that when we focus our energy and our thoughts and make choices that we align our entire beings with, we can make great changes in our lives and do great things that are leading from the heart centre rather than the egoic self.

One of the amazing phenomenon’s about the secret everyone is now seeing is its mass appeal, seemingly overnight. But this information isn’t new at all, but seems to be new to many who haven’t been aware of, or thought more deeply about how we create the world we live in. It is true that everything in the world that has been made by man started from the unseen world, from thought, from the formless void of awareness. That all the material objects, systems of consciousness, rules and implemented manners of society simply began with conscious thoughts that sprung into action to manifest in the material world that which came from the intangible force of consciousness.

I’d say that’s the real secret - when you are a seeker of awareness in spirituality your whole life becomes about becoming more aware of these laws of the universe and how you interact with the larger picture of life and that’s enough. When you feel more connected to your higher power through the choices you make, you become more conscious of your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual relationship to everything going on inside and around you. You no longer see yourself as a separate entity, but more of a part of some grander vision that you play a role in making, by deciding what reality is and will become. Casting blame on outside forces is diminished. You realize how all aspects of what occurs in your life stem from something more organized, more meaningful and connected. You accept more responsibility for your actions and outcomes.

The law of Attraction is just one of the seven laws of Hermetics – it falls under the law of vibration / resonance, that like attracts like and will be enforced by like, much as a tuning fork will cause another tuning fork to vibrate when at the same resonance. This law nicely pulls in and works with the laws of correspondence and cause and effect. So when our consciousness is aligned with certain universal vibrations we begin to radiate and attract things into our lives with the same energy, the same intentions. It has been written in the bible for thousands of years “Ask and you shall receive.” It is not new that faith and trust in the universe, in a higher power, in God / Goddess, will allow us to be granted the things we wish for. It is what synchronicity is, that things line up in patterns, that there is an underlying intelligence to all things, that universal laws are present, not mere random chaos, and things come to us as they are meant to. Many authors have been talking about this stuff for years, but television, being a passive form of providing information is much more digestible to the masses who find themselves at a loss for time or desire to think about higher consciousness.

One of my main concerns about the secret, from a more critical viewpoint, is the materialistic marketing appeal. That The Secret dabbles in spirituality but seems to be much more about getting things for the self, fulfilling our desires for material items and getting things we want on a level of material gain. The house, the car, the partner, the money, the fame, all these things that the American Dream is made of, the mass marketed appeal that people have bought into believing is the way to their true happiness, their salvation from not having or being enough. The daily televised and published marketing campaign that all the outside things granted to them they want so badly, the desire for more to give them the “happiness” they are looking for in life. It’s not a bad thing to want more comfort, more “stuff”, but when one is consumed by “stuff”, when having more and more for the self, becomes the main focus of one’s life, the ego is in control, and a more awakened path is drowned out. This usually leads one down the path of always wanting more and never having enough. The result of achieving more “stuff” results in temporary feelings of abundance but never provides the peace of feeling truly fulfilled and still the emptiness resides.

But when is enough, enough? Material things never make us fully happy, because once we have them, we start looking for the next thing we want, plus the things we already have consume our lives more by the need for maintenance, upgrading, etc. People get very bored with materials quickly, because there is something more to life than “stuff” can grant us, and this is what our deeper selves truly wish to align with.

When watching the secret it’s like watching a really good infomercial that draws you in, giving you the illusion of needing or wanting to get that very thing being marketed, and the thing that The Secret is selling is itself, that the DVD will be sold to someone you know. The name itself has become a brand, and a very clever one because people always want to know what they don’t know. The word “secret” has a very occult (hidden) meaning. It’s a phenomenon of someone telling another about The Secret, without telling them what the secret is. That’s what I did; I think that’s what almost everyone has done. It’s as when something resonates with you, you want others to know it, you want to share it because you see the benefits for others in having the knowledge, and subconsciously you feel the film can explain it, and have people “get it” better than you could convince others simply telling them its the “law of attraction.” People generally have an aversion to this sort of thinking, and often don’t listen, but the film delivers it, finally you have the tool to help someone else wake up and see a new reality, so you tell them it’s a secret. Everyone wants to know “what the secret is”, so they feel the urge to buy it and find out, it’s like gossip, people have the desire to know what it’s all about, and won’t be satisfied until they do. From now on, when people hear the word secret, they are automatically going to think of “The Secret;” for sure a very clever branding. The cleverness of the whole package was destined for success. (more on this in the conclusion)

The Secret was definitely put into the context of fulfilling the needs of the consumer and in doing so somewhat felt to me like exploiting spirituality for consumerism. The film often mentions “ordering” from the universe, like a giant catalogue – Who can relate to this more than the materially obsessed consumer? It reminds me of this documentary I recently saw on someone who feels Buddhism chants have enlightened her because when she chants it’s for things she wants. The documentary shows her reading a checklist of material things she desires. But this isn’t fair, this is looking at things from a very pessimistic view, she also had goals and dreams on her check list, and these things are an important part of her life journey, they have true meaning. But in a consumerist society it can often be hard to get away from thinking materialism isn’t the answer to peace of mind and possibly feelings of spiritual fulfillment.

It makes me wonder - What do people usually connect with the spiritual aspect of reality for? Is it usually to get things, to achieve wants of the ego? Are prayers, meditations or spell work used these days as a tool for “ordering” things from the universe, to receive things for the self. Have prayers and spells and all forms of connecting to the Divine realms become less about the reverence, gratitude and awe of everything that Is? And if so, isn’t that the problem, that people don’t feel good enough, they don’t feel pleased about the current state of their lives. So they keep reinforcing that feeling by asking for more, looking for more. Isn’t this very wanting of more stuff, keeping us from experiencing the feeling of having enough right now, of feeling satisfied in who and what we are in this moment. If we keep looking outside, for more stuff to make us feel finally happy, we’ve missed the point. The point is to be satisfied right now, because when you aren’t, you just keep on with the feeling of wanting more and the result is always feeling lack.

The mass appeal of The Secret exploded almost overnight. This makes me wonder if it is necessary for such mass appeal, or mass marketing to take place for people to start their process of awakening, and looking at life from a different angle, to get outside their box of thought processes that are geared by a system of stuff and survival. Is the general public relying on huge marketing campaigns to provide them with a sense of hope for the future? But is this necessarily a bad thing? Maybe it is necessary; otherwise people may still be asleep at the wheel. It seems to be an effective way to get more people to start paying attention to the abilities in their lives and start sharing their awareness with others. People have so much potential to fulfill the goals and dreams they desire, and this hope and optimism that the film imparts is its main attraction for me.

Expanding on an optimistic viewpoint, we can return to what ancient knowledge teaches, that the world is made up of energies that are not usually picked up by a mere five senses, and aren’t always able to be detected by current scientific devices, that there is power in faith and that we are co-creators in our reality, that the unseen world is ever present and we have the ability to manifest great things in life when we put our mind to it.

There is still the feeling of goodness, of hope for something more connected that The Secret offers. When one finishes watching the secret, there is a feeling of ability, that success is tangible. It’s about remembering our greatness and the opportunities we have. That we have free will to make choices to improve and change our lives and connect with our spiritual centres. That the universe is broader than is commonly thought of. When we remember these things we experience awareness, sometimes epiphanies, but when we forget, when we go back to our mundane tasks in life, our vast abilities lie dormant, we start to lose our higher perspective and quickly return to the routine, everyday person we were before.

The spirit of happiness, joy and peace in our circumstances is something that needs to be brought into awareness daily, it is something that we need to be conscious of, to think about and do on a regular basis, to remind ourselves, to bring our thoughts in alignment with a positive worldview of ourselves and others. When we are surrounded by others who are on similar journeys to keep reminding us of the grander picture of life, to help us along on our paths we continue to see the awe of existence. We teach each other deeper realities of meaning and raise each other’s consciousness.

It’s all about perspective. The skeptics may be fixated mostly on the downfalls, limitations or somewhat negative aspects of the film, that there is no scientific merit or proof or that the materialism dominates in this film, whereas those who are mainly looking at it from a positive note are focused on seeing that changes in one’s life can be dramatic when we align with our source, our centre, our Divinely appointed powers, our own inner truths.

The key is to pay attention to what you choose to use from this type of awareness in your life. Are you focusing on using such knowledge with the intentions of selfish gain, or with the intention of balancing this knowledge with a positive impact on your own life and others for the good of all involved? It’s up to you. What will you focus on and what choices will you consciously make in your own life and for the lives of others? One of the important things I feel rings true from the secret is to focus on what you are for, rather than what you are against.

I wondered if it was actually necessary for The Secret to focus on materialism to the extent it did because that’s what people in a consumer society can relate to. If it had been strictly about spirituality and not focused on materialism, it may not have had even a fraction of the impact it did on getting people to think on a different level of reality. Maybe it was necessary to be created the way it was to act as a springboard, an important trigger for the general population to start incorporating such spiritual thought and connection with their everyday lives. Maybe the way to get people to listen, to start paying attention was to bring it to the level of common understanding by relating the spiritual concept to gaining materialism. I think, if people start thinking on this level and relating their fuller potentials to their daily lives, it may open the avenue for many people to become more aligned with their authentic self, for new avenues of thought unconsidered before, and begin creating a life of wholeness rather than lack.

I think this film does open people up to seeing how our thoughts, our karma affects our own and other’s lives depending on what we choose to focus our attention and intentions on. It offers the viewer the perspective of reality being beyond what is generally considered reality and I think it offers viewers the possibility of a more positive and spiritual perspective on life.

It’s not about how something was marketed or what the intentions may or may not have been of someone else, it’s about you, about your intentions and how you use the information, the knowledge and awareness that comes into your life to become what you envision yourself to be. What matters is consciousness, how you are seeing things. What are you focused on? What are you putting your energy towards? And Ultimately, Why?

For those on a more spiritual journey of thought, I recommend a related film I found to be a higher level of consciousness beyond what the secret has to offer - Neale Donald Walsche’s video on Abundance. It speaks of the abundance we are all capable of manifesting in our lives on a much more spiritual level.

[Celtaur]

Oprah is about "The Secret behind the Secret" today.

It's interesting. I've been reading a book that talks about how plants see our thoughts and respond accordingly.

I believe this is one of the fundamental aspects of magical work, as "All is mind" therefor thoughts interact with reality on a level that manifests itself on the spiritual and mental levels then move into form in the physical world.

The secret is not really a secret, it's been talked about in books for many many years, and has it's roots in ancient spiritual wisdom including hermetics. It's even seen in the bible "Ask and you shall receive."

It's been a part of reality for a long time, it's simply a matter of being conscious and aware of it and working with it as one of the laws of the universe. This is what magic is all about, learning about the keys, one step at a time, but this is of course only part of esoteric knowledge, there is much more to universal laws.

[FairyHealer]

You mention many key points about the secret and about society. I agree with everything you stated in your wonderfully written post.

I just finished a book called "The Master Key System" written by, Charles F. Haaenel in 1912, it’s been revised for today, but also contains the original text as well. Apparently this is one of the books that inspired "the secret" (I didn’t realize that info until I had already purchased the book) It was an amazing read and I highly recommend it.

Peace & Truths….the FairyHealer…+*+*+*+

[Chaigidel]

I have heard quite a bit about "the secret" and "a new earth" and after hearing them I am in total agreement with you celtaur, these are just rewritten texts in modern language, its all the same story, I dont really feel that it will do large portions of the population any good, despite its resounding financial success( the books)

[Celtaur]

I think these books being modern presentations of ancient knowledge are important though. I think this information brought to the masses is very useful in beginning new ways of thinking for people who never considered thinking outside the box before. Who knows how many people will be starting their spiritual journeys with these introductions, that takes them on a deep, meaningful quest of self awareness and awakening.

I think it is a blessing that these are presented to a wide audience. Although I felt the Secret was a bit too materialistic focussed, I'm sure many can see through that and understand the spiritual meaning within. A New Earth, is on a whole new level for many people in their essential awakening. I think it is a great opportunity for so many to have access to this wisdom and to integrate it into their lives to begin their own personal processes of conscious growth.

[Celtaur]

Now I have seen this girl on youtube a few times before and she is certainly a quirky character with a lot of opinions supposedly as a new age channelling medium. I personally am skeptical of her authenticity in channelling, as her personality is pretty much replicated throughout all the different "beings" she channels.

However, I found the points she has brought up in this video about the secret particularly interesting and worth discussing and looking into.

[youtube]ykqOliJ-ULk[/youtube]

[HuongNhien]

Admin Note: This thread is copied from the topic on Affirmations, to further discuss The Secret

A friend e-mailed this to me this morning, it seems to tie in with this:
The Real "Secret" is a Dark One

In the past several months as I've been speaking across the country, many people have approached me and asked with some degree of excitement in their voices, "Bo, have you seen The Secret yet? Oh, you'll love it! It will change the world! Let people know about this!"

So I did watch The Secret, as well as an Oprah show that featured its "teachers," and I think we all need to reflect very deeply on the message that is passing for wisdom these days. "New Age" centers, "New Thought" Churches, the Christian "prosperity" movements personified by the likes of Joel Osteen, and now Oprah's enormous fan base, are really falling off the deep end into a pseudo-spirituality that is not just a little self-indulgent, it is primarily about selfishness and materialism.

The Secret itself is a childish exaggeration of a minor energetic principle - "The Law of Attraction" - which simply means what most of our grandmothers have said to us at one time or another: "If you think negative things, your life will be negative. Keep your mind on positive things, and you'll attract more positive things and people into your life." That's pretty basic stuff, who could argue with that? It's true. Got it? Be positive!

But to frame this as The Secret, as the "greatest power in the universe;" to open the film with suspense-movie scenes of scholars and monks throughout history desperately trying to hide this "secret" for future generations while they are being pursued by armies and assassins; to claim that every great man or woman from Jesus to Thomas Edison knew this specific "Secret" and now you and I are finally going to be let in on it, oh, pleeease!! It's a minor part of life; nothing profound about it. Both teams in the Superbowl should "think positive" and visualize winning, but only one is going to win, because being positive is not everything!

The way we think factors into our lives along with many other realities such as our past karma, genetic and acquired strengths and weaknesses, the needs of our family or society, the politics of the age we live in, our willingness to work hard, and of course, God's plan for us.

And maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I thought God was the greatest power in the Universe. I thought the best things in life are free. I thought we're supposed to dedicate our lives to the greatest good. I thought God gives us a Peace that worldly riches can never give. Not so in The Secret. This film and a lot of the pop-spirituality I see these days has become so self-centered that the religion it most closely exemplifies is... Satanism. I'm not being sarcastic. It's true.

I know the word "Satanism" conjures up images of abusing children and sacrificing animals, but the actual Church of Satan has never endorsed that stuff. In fact, two of the "Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth" are:

Do not harm little children.
Do not kill animals unless attacked or for your food.

So suspend your media images of Satanism. The biggest difference between Satanism and other religons is simple: Classic religions put God at the center, and Satanism puts the self at the center. The Great Religions share a theme of unselfishness. Satanism's theme is selfishness. The Great Faiths say we are here to love our neighbor and serve God's creation. Satanism says we are here to please ourselves, and creation is here to serve us - exactly what is emphasized in The Secret. All of you who have seen The Secret and have jumped on the bandwagon about how wonderful it is, please take this comparison seriously. You are unknowingly leaning toward Satanism.

"The Secret" and Satanism

Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan, wrote: Satanism is the only religion which serves to encourage and enhance one's individual preferences. Since Satanism is essentially a religion of the self, it holds that the individual and his personal needs come first.

Now read an exchange on Oprah between Lisa Nichols, one of The Secret "Teachers," and an audience member:

Nichols: So, you serve everyone else, don't you?
Audience member: You got that right.
Nichols: So, make 2007 the year that you show up in the now for YOU! (thunderous applause) Now repeat after me: I choose today, to give myself, the best life ever!!
Audience member: (repeats it, to cheers and applause)

Honestly, that would qualify as a nice Satanic initiation. The following are principles of the Church of Satan, followed by teachings from The Secret:

Satanists do not worship a living deity.
The Secret makes it clear that the Law of Attraction (not God) is the most powerful force in the Universe, and it is amoral and "scientific." One man in the film says he wants lots of women, three or four a week, and is shown how to attract them into his life, and he succeeds. When he decides he wants one lasting relationship, he changes his thoughts and again attracts what he wants. No higher or lower desires, just whatever we want. If there is any object of worship implied in The Secret, it is personal success. Big houses, lots of money, fame, glory. There is no greater God to worship, no sanctity in serving the poor, the unfortunate, the sick. Just have a good time. That's the lure of Satanism.

Major emphasis is placed on the power and authority of the individual… rather than on a god or goddess.
One so-called "metaphysician" of The Secret, Joe Vitale, tells us "The universe is merely your CATALOG." You just "shop" for whatever income, product, person or experience that you may want by thinking and visualizing constantly of it. Cut out pictures of a car, a house, whatever you want, and post them on a "vision board," do rituals to affirm that you will receive it. Satanists do a lot of this kind of stuff. They call it Ritual Magic. Please don't do this.

Satanists believe that "no redeemer liveth" - that each person is their own redeemer, fully responsible for the direction of their own life.
Just to make sure we know there is no need for God in this new theology, Neale Donald Walsch, of "Conversations With God," appears in The Secret to tell us there is no such thing as God's Will for you - You are entirely in charge of whatever you want to do. That's exactly what Anton LaVey says! No God to surrender to, no God of Love, no God to guide us or to humble ourselves before.

Another "Teacher," Esther Hicks, tells us we entirely create our own reality. That exceeds even Anton LaVey's view. I guess our young men and women dying in Iraq, and all the Iraqi victims of this crazy war, are just creating their deaths with negative thoughts? Along with all those hungry kids in India, millions dying of AIDS in Africa? Nothing more complex about Life than to “ask, believe, and receive”? How dare you be so arrogant, Ms. Hicks? How dare you!

Enough, Bo! What’s the point?

But The Secret did not arise in a vacuum. It's just the latest descent of pop-spirituality into a materialistic, self-centered new theology truly similar to Satanism, that seems to be taking hold in many churches, spiritual centers and households. It's a theology of "Me First;" a theology of entitlement ("I deserve everything good in life and I should not have to struggle for it"); a theology of disconnection from our influence on others and their influence on us; a theology where modesty and sacrifice are seen as unhealthy and pride and vanity are seen as essential.

Most of all, it is a theology of "prosperity and abundance" where lip service is paid to words like peace and joy, but the bottom line is GETTING RICH, no two ways about it. In fact, even gratitude and forgiveness are explained merely as strategies to attract more success into your life. It's always about you. I'm sorry, that's just not deep religion.

And neither is it responsible politics. At a time when the world is at war over oil, clean air and clean water are fading memories, and Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth begs us to take seriously the jeopardy our planet is in, this new theology says not a word about living more simply or about wanting less consumer wealth. It does exactly the opposite, and encourages us to think and get rich. This theology of the self cuts us off from any sense of responsibility for ecology or conservation. None of that is our problem, it is just "scarcity consciousness." These "teachers" actually say with a tone of scientific authority "The universe has plenty of resources for everyone to have everything they want!"

Well, maybe the universe has unlimited resources, but the Earth clearly does NOT. Many species are already extinct, rainforests already damaged beyond repair, icecaps already melting, from our relentless consumption of resources. It is more than immature; it is viciously irresponsible to entice us to want more luxury and wealth instead of encouraging deeper happiness from living more sustainably and simply.

One of The Secret's "master" teachers, Jack Canfield, shows off photos of his $4½ million-dollar house, his "wife to die for," and his exotic vacations. That's a "master"!? A rich guy who brags about his life? How much petroleum does it take to sustain Canfield's mansion? How many little brown kids around the world work like slaves to produce the products such a household consumes? How many maids and gardeners take care of his estate? Why doesn't he tell them The Secret so they can get rich? It's all just so sad.....

The biggest sorrow about this new theology is not just that it echoes Satanism, but that it robs us of the greatness of our Spiritual Adventure. If life is just a catalog of our petty worldly desires, then where is higher consciousness? Where is holiness? Where is the "dark night of the soul" and our subsequent transformation? Is there truly no spiritual journey? Just a shopping spree to get the stupid external props that we think will make us happy?

Do use the "Law of Attraction" in your daily life - pray first thing every day to be less selfish, to love thy neighbor, to be humble, to keep God in mind all day, to have constant faith in Life's ultimate Goodness. We can use a hammer to build a house or to beat someone to death. The "Law of Attraction" is just a hammer. Please don't use it to beat God to death in this weird age when the tiny egoic self's worldly desires become your god. This is no "Secret" at all. It is the classic road to Hell.

Bo Lozoff

The source of all happiness is to cherish others
more than I cherish myself.
The source of all suffering is to cherish myself
more than I cherish others.
-- Buddhist Scriptures



HN

[Maura]

Now I have seen this girl on youtube a few times before and she is certainly a quirky character with a lot of opinions supposedly as a new age channelling medium. I personally am skeptical of her authenticity in channelling, as her personality is pretty much replicated throughout all the different "beings" she channels.

However, I found the points she has brought up in this video about the secret particularly interesting and worth discussing and looking into.

First of all, your review was very articulate and astute, Celtaur, nice job!

About the YouTube vid...my two cents; her grasp of 'balance' with regards to good and evil or polarity we refer to it in Wicca is rather remedial and misguided. The balance of which she speaks is a sort of universal law of karma-which cannot really be understood in human terms like 'good and 'evil'.

The Secret or "Law of Attraction" as it's been fashionably dubbed in recent decades, is really nothing new-it's simply the same 'power of positive thinking' repackaged and freshly marketed for a new generation. The same power of positive thinking on which the work of super sales people like Anthony Robbins is based; with a revamped spiritual twist to appeal to new age consumers. Anyone who's lived long enough to begin to see trends recycled, will understand what I'm talking about.

This probably sounds pretty cynical to some of you. In defense of 'The Secret', I'll tell you I own and have read the book, and do beleive it works-in varying degrees. But there are limits to what can be achieved with this philosophy-it's more of an attitude about life to be worn over a period of time, for long term results; than a quick fix solution to an unforseen problem. In it's most basic form, it really just comes down to self confidence, imho. What would have been called a 'good vibe' in the 1960's or 70's. And while a good attitude does open doors and attract good things in life-it only carries you so far without other qualities, like good judgement and perserverance. Just my opinion...

[Klasien]

You know, even though it may just be rehashing older ideas, I think this not necessarily a bad thing. Newer generations often have to rediscover the ideas that were normal ages ago, and in our world of time and money, people look back to earlier times when people were in balance with nature and 'at peace with the world and themselves'.

Rather than listening to your parents and grandparents rave about how much better life was before cars, computers, tv, fastfood, etc. we read books written by strangers that use the same ideas, but tell us in a different way. We don't feel condecended by them, we don't feel like they are lecturing us. We don't feel they disaprove of our lifestyles, simply because someone that far away from us has no relevant power over us. They can offer us alternatives because they are not targetting us personally. An author can tell you that he thinks you should not smoke. Good for him. But when your parents say it, it means they disapprove of a part of YOUR life. Reading the same ideas in a book written by a complete stranger makes them less personal, more general and therefore easier to accept.

As it is with everything, the quick fix solution usually doesn't lead to the results you want in the long run. This is the same in many fields, from using the emergency tire on your car to losing weight or changing the way you see yourself and your life. You will have to buy a new tire or get the old one fixed, you will have to change your entire lifestyle if you want to loose weight and keep it off, and you will have to make slow, durable changes if you want to change your concept of life or yourself.

Self confidence works well that way. I had none when I was younger. I started faking it. I started walking around looking up instead of down. I started answering questions when people asked me, I started to say NO when people asked something I didn't feel comfortable doing. I started to accept compliments and discovered I was actually good at certain things. I started 'faking it'. I didn't feel it, but I did it anyway. Then slowly, I started to realise life was more fun when other people didn't walk all over me and then I became even more confident. They accepted that of me. They accepted my NO, my YES, my Maybe, my Not Now... As long as I showed that that was my 'final answer', people were okay with that. I had a right to choose

The same goes for everything else. You have to make lasting changes to achieve anything 'big'. And sometimes, you just need an outsider to point out to you that there is more than one way to your goal. As we say in Dutch, All roads lead to Rome. As Celtaur said, all paths lead to the center. But when a total stranger shows you a different path, people have less of a tendency to say 'well, what's wrong with my path?'

[Celtaur]

The Secret or "Law of Attraction" as it's been fashionably dubbed in recent decades, is really nothing new-it's simply the same 'power of positive thinking' repackaged and freshly marketed for a new generation. The same power of positive thinking on which the work of super sales people like Anthony Robbins is based; with a revamped spiritual twist to appeal to new age consumers. Anyone who's lived long enough to begin to see trends recycled, will understand what I'm talking about.

This probably sounds pretty cynical to some of you. In defense of 'The Secret', I'll tell you I own and have read the book, and do beleive it works-in varying degrees. But there are limits to what can be achieved with this philosophy-it's more of an attitude about life to be worn over a period of time, for long term results; than a quick fix solution to an unforseen problem. In it's most basic form, it really just comes down to self confidence, imho. What would have been called a 'good vibe' in the 1960's or 70's. And while a good attitude does open doors and attract good things in life-it only carries you so far without other qualities, like good judgement and perserverance. Just my opinion...

I agree. And yes, it does probably sound quite cynical of me. However, with everyone on a high (there's nothing wrong with that), I was looking at things from the other side, the return swing of the pendulum if you will. The universe is about balance, and various perspectives, hence the yin and yang, and I think it's important for people to not get sucked into emotional highs when it comes to marketing campaigns. It's like watching a hyped up infomercial and then buying that product before the "30 minute" mark after the show ends to get your free gift.

I think bringing "the law of attraction" to light for people is certainly a positive thing, and I do suppose the best way to get people to listen is to talk about money, as that's something most people have in common - enjoying having more of it. I think the law of attraction may have been a stepping stone for people to learn more about the laws of hermetics for instance. But also, in all honesty, I think most people who have studied metaphysical topics for some time were / are quite aware of such things. It is pretty much, positive thinking, and the effects that has on deeper levels, packaged in a "new form" for the masses. I think people need new packaging though to stay interested. I keep seeing commercials for products that are always re-invented, but inside they are pretty much the same, it's the external packaging, and I think this is what The Secret did.

My cynicism honestly comes from my distaste of marketing. I find marketing to often be dishonest, not always, but often. In favor of The Secret as a product, it did it's thing, and surely it has had a positive impact on people helping them to perceive things in a new way and hopefully opening up to more spiritual perspectives once they get over their love affair with materialism.