"The Secret" hits it bigtime!

[voice]

This USA Today article talks about how "The Secret", the book and DVD, is getting it bigtime.

 

Props to whoever it was that first alerted us to it here!

 

Chris

[Yoda]

Once you hit Oprah then the secret is no longer a secret.

 

When I was a kid, there was Autobiography of a Yogi and that was about it!! We've come a long ways in very little time. I look forward to checking out what my next life parents will have in their bookshelf... it's going to rock!!

[Bak Mei]

so funny from the article:

 

"But Arlene Shapiro of Pacific Palisades, Calif., says she has used the tenets of The Secret to control her panic attacks and to double her acupuncture business."

 

WTF? I would not want that lady sticking needles in me!!

 

The Law of attraction is nothing new, it was one of the common things occult authors wrote about into tthe turn of the 20th century...along with the principle of polarity, as above, so below, and all that...

[ToP-fan]

Right on Bak Mei.................I had the dvd and gave it away...............All the "expert metaphysicians" on the video all have products to sell including that ancient worrier..................."oh whats his name now?"........oh yeah..............Rambut...............I tried to have a positive attitude towards "The Secret".........it just seemed like a metaphysical infomercial................all said and stated before in a new container...................There are dudes and dudesses who contribute to this site who should and could write some mind blowing paradigm shifting reality changing info that would really help people...........There.......I feel better now!

[Leidee]

Don't diss "The Secret"...

 

Worthy programme, even if in some circles it is a rehash of ideas because, conversely, in other circles it provides new information/ideas/emotions that have never been experienced before.

 

Everything has its place...altho the whole Oprah thing frustrates me slightly...but, I can't diss Oprah because, in her own way, she provides inspiration to people somewhere.

[Mal]

[Leidee]

I watched the secret a few months ago so I cannot specifically remember what was said about controlling your thoughts...other than the complete uselessness of attempting to do so.

 

Trying to NOT think of something, a bad event or something, is a waste of time - according to the secret (and i am struggling to find the words)...the universe responds to the INTENT of the thought, not the specific form of the thought. Or perhaps, the universe or the law of attraction doesn't differentiate between acknowledging the provision or circumstances of a GOOD event as opposed to a BAD event.

 

It is all about the vibe, man you know, the constitution...(a bad "The Castle" reference).

[Smile]

Try Magnetic Millionaire by Matt Furey- it' actually goes deeper into the whole thing.

[Yoda]

It is all about the vibe, man

 

It's the feeling that manifests reality and is easier to become aware of than thoughts.

 

To the best of my knowledge 'the law of attraction' was coined back in the day by Earnest Holmes.

 

Intentionally manifesting something for that thing's sake doesn't work too well, so there's a built in guard against the whole thing being "too materialistic" although that seems to be the focus of The Secret. It's only when you are focusing on the desire for the bliss and the fun behind it, does the whole thing click.

 

It does fit Krishna's advice to Arjuna when he complained about having to kill friends and family in an ugly civil war born of petty motivations... just go out and have fun and don't worry your pretty little head over the fruit of your work.

 

-Yoda

[Leidee]

I did notice the focus on the material in the dvd but I pretty much dismissed it as for me material things are not a driving force - nice to have if the opportunity arises, but not a huge necessity.

 

I watched the secret and enjoyed it, took a few things from it - reminded myself of the power of my intent and then went on my merry way again

 

I will check out the Magnetic Millionaire.

 

Cheers

L - who is clearly not having a busy day at work given this is my third posting (on this website alone) for the day

[soaring crane]

When everyone thinks positively, there'll be nothing left to attract.

Edited February 16, 2007 by soaring crane

[cloud recluse]

 

It does fit Krishna's advice to Arjuna when he complained about having to kill friends and family in an ugly civil war born of petty motivations... just go out and have fun and don't worry your pretty little head over the fruit of your work.

 

-Yoda

 

Yoda,wasnt it you somewhere that summarised Krishnas message to Arjuna as "KILL EM ALL,LET GOD SORT EM OUT" .

 

Im sure it was you,you devilish feind

 

Regards,Cloud

[Yoda]

"KILL EM ALL,LET GOD SORT EM OUT"

 

I think this is the best summary of the Bhagavad Gita. A philosophy needs to be able to fit on a bumper sticker to work.

[cloud recluse]

I think this is the best summary of the Bhagavad Gita. A philosophy needs to be able to fit on a bumper sticker to work.

 

Well,I must confess to you that I fully intend to steal your summary & present it as my own

Edited February 23, 2007 by cloud recluse

[Yoda]

go for it!

[VCraigP]

The law of attraction.

What is it? Is it real? If so, how does it work? What could prevent it from working for you?

 

Whats Old is New again.

Old occult knowledge by definition (occult = hidden) is not available to large groups of people.

The concept of changing ones state, changing ones vibration. Working on oneself, rather than giving that responsibility to church and priest and god. This is revolutionary. This is going towards spiritual independance. This I think is going towards the Universal Integral Way. This is Tao.

So what it wrong with putting this information in a slick and exciting perhaps inspiring package for a wider audience? OK so for most of us here it is presumably not new. But as mentioned in the Secret, having an intelectual understanding isn't it. First change your state. Change your vibration. Change what you focus on.

 

"Once everyone thinks positively there wont be enough to go around."

 

It's not about positive thinking first.

But here is another question for you. If everyone holds the belief that "there isn't enough to go around" or "Africa will always be poor and this stuff doesn't apply to people in such a state." Isn't it more likely that such will continue to be the case. Consider the opposite. What if the majority of people believed, and acted upon the belief that "There is enough for everyone" and "africa's problems are the problems of all the people of the world, so since there is enough to go around it applies to them as well."

 

Its about managing your states so that you vibrate at a certain frequency and reduce the time spent in lower frequency. This I think is something we all know about. What are you doing when you meditate. Aren't you changing your state? Adjusting your vibration? When doing Chikung?

Commonly shared belief here I think by most Taichichikung people etc, is that what you focus on grows.

Put your attention on something and your energy/chi flows there. Sometimes this is very beneficial, sometimes this becomes an inbalance. But the majority of us understand this concept. Is this not the law of attraction in microcosm?

 

Emotional states, not intellectual concepts.

What is perhaps not enough emphasized in this material is the idea of being aware of your emotional states.

Is that not a big first step on the path of alchemy? Working with your emotional states.

I don't know about all schools, but I know that working on your emotional states through Jing chi shen engaging practices is at the start of Alchemy in the HT school (Fusion of the 5 elements). different schools go into this with different focus.

 

Relationships

If someone is attrracted to you what is it they are attracted to. Is it in part your energetic signature? I think this is especially true for those who are able to go beyond the physical layer of attraction.

In business it is often said it is not only what you know but who you know. How do you attract the people who can help you succeed? Does it work the same way? Would you rather have a relationship (personal or professional) with someone who is in a low state most of the time or would you seek out someone who was in a state of positive excitement? If you change your state aren't you more likely to have more in common and therefore have a basis for relationship with those on a similar vibration.

 

Materialistic bent of "the Secret"!

We live in a material world. This emphasis should be viewed as more of a reflection of our society than of the makers of the movie. Tangible, material examples are perhaps easier by far to grasp than less tangible goals.

 

Of course if everyone had the goal of living in a multi million dollar mansion we would certainly run out of resources even more quickly. But different people have different values. I myself have a certain degree of abundance, but some of my goals, based on my values, include simplifying my material life. The law of attraction can function here as well.

 

Ooops, I may have revealed my bias. I think the Secret is a valuable contribution. Does it contain hype and hyperbole? For sure. Anything can be criticized. Criticism, it occurs to me is not related to applying critical thinking to analyze what is being said and why. Why don't more people understand and use the law of attraction? I think some of the reactions I have seen here and elsewhere demonstrate that this type of concept will immediately bring to the fore certain core concepts which people hold, such as "there isn't enough to go around". If you cannot confront these concepts and beliefs and figure out where they came from your defense mechanisms will lead you to throw the whole out as a fairy tale. To see a belief as a belief and not a fact is the start. This is having a flexible mind. Perhaps the most important flexibility training is to maintain mental flexibility.

 

Ok, this above was a basically unstructured stream of consciousness response to reading all above posts on this subject.

 

Chi eers

 

Craig

[freeform]

cool post, Craig.

 

I've come accross the law of attraction in so many different traditions, so I forget that it's such a new paradigm for many.

 

I do generaly agree with it, however a few things concern me.

 

when consciously trying to attract something there is an implicit pressuposition or assumption that not having this thing is somehow worse or having it is somehow better. From my perspective everything is perfect as it is, the way it is - no exceptions. Yes there is famine and hurt and abuse and it makes me feel sad and hurt and it's still perfect.

 

trying to attract something that may make our life 'better' disperses our energy and moves us from being present to being in our illusions/ego. Because the truth is our life cannot be 'better' - it's already perfect.

 

another thing that tends to happen with people new to this is they start dreaming about what they want... they're in a state of wanting and the law of attraction brings more things for them to want - they attract 'wanting'. (think of millionaires wanting to be richer)

 

most occult systems have ways of counteracting these effects... one of which is non-attachment to the result; you do your manifestation practice and and forget about it. Manifestation happens on the middle dan tien level - with upper and lower dan tiens providing the inspiration and the grounding necessary for it to 'happen'. But the western constitution is very much top heavy, with much of the energy stuck in the head - manifesting from this state brings about more illusion and more detachment from 'reality'.

 

I would only ever recommend manifestation if there is a level of acceptance and presence already there.

[thaddeus]

 

Of course if everyone had the goal of living in a multi million dollar mansion we would certainly run out of resources even more quickly.

Hi Craig, I know you wrote alot of points but this one stuck out for me. See, many of us take the homes we live in for granted. But at some point in the past, they would be considered mansions. Everyone can live in a 'mansion' There is no scarcity. The haphazardness and inequity that we see out there reflects a person's ability to accept abundance. Most sane people have limits or a sense of shame. Remove the limits either through insanity, justification or just awareness and abundance should flow.

 

T

[Yoda]

Just as the proverbial child is just as happy to play with the 10 cent box as play with the $100 toy, the master doesn't crave the excitement of palaces, wars, chariot racing or gladiator combat as the stoics would say. In lieu of inner contentment, we divert ourselves in what is flashy and exciting and fetishize out of proportion some of our normal drives.

 

I think learning the law of attraction is an important aspect of learning how to relax, knowing that one's wellbeing isn't threatened by others and thus one doesn't have to spend energy trying to control and coerce friends, family, and enemies.

 

Esther says that she's noticed that Haitians don't even have running water, but they laugh much more than adults Americans. Like the child with the box, they've done a better job manifesting their world than we have.

[freeform]

I think learning the law of attraction is an important aspect of learning how to relax, knowing that one's wellbeing isn't threatened by others and thus one doesn't have to spend energy trying to control and coerce friends, family, and enemies.

 

Esther says that she's noticed that Haitians don't even have running water, but they laugh much more than adults Americans. Like the child with the box, they've done a better job manifesting their world than we have.

 

you hit the nail on the head there.

 

Someone (Taomeow I think) in reference to the I Ching said - you always get what you need, not necessarily what you want. This is true of manifestation/attaraction.

 

Sometimes you need to learn that worldly goods dont bring happiness... sometimes you need to learn that it is through the hardship of collecting water from the well that you can uncover your true self. and sometimes it's the other way round - there is always perfection in what we manifest - there is always a lesson to be learnt.

 

anyway, thanks for that Yoda.

[hagar]

I remember about 8 months ago I stated some real critical remarks about "The Secret". It was that kind of materialistic, americanized distortion of spiritual insight that I abhor.

 

But I made a vow to not be so critical last year, and stated instead that I would always give something a try before totally dissing it. It's good for my intellectual ego anyway.

 

I can only say that my initial doubts as to the efficiancy of the core principles have vanished. The practices that is contained in the film, although very simplistic are effective. They were even scarily effective for me.

After I started using the principles more conciously, and trying to truly apply them to my life I have "manifested" things I couldn't believe. I remember asking for an A on my thesis, which I got, and I asked for a good job in a place that would support my further career. They both materialized, and the job just landed in my lap without me even applying for it.

 

But now, my concious mind has started doubting the "truth" of the method, thinking that maybe it was my own effort that drove me to those achievements. Then it occured to me that there really is no difference. If I managed to achieve it, then I manifested it. Its not magic.

 

So the stuff works. Thanks Yoda, for giving constructive insights into the matter, which pushed me to try it out.

It sort of makes my intellect uneasy, and the way "The secret" is tailored is definately very "uncool" and not very "spiritually correct."

I find that in my practice, the dynamics in the "law of attraction" works in very different ways, and sometimes counter to the teachings of "The Secret": If I only focus on the positive side of things, my meditation suffer, and the advice of vizualizing what you need is detrimental to being grounded and present.

 

But, the main point of learning to deal with negative emotions is still working well for me: Learn to become still and put your attention on what you want instead of what you don't want. This is very difficult, especially in relationships, but works wonders for moving beyond ego-centred stuff like "being right".

 

Bottom line: My own experience with the law of attraction is bound up with choicelessness. It's like this story about a Norwegian polar expedition in the early 20th century who were the first to ski over the entire island of Greenland. The way the achieved that was simple. They arrived at the shore by kayak, and when they stood on the shore, they kicked the kayaks out in the ocean again, leaving them no alternative but to cross the entire icecap of Greenland. The law of attraction works approxmately the same way. If you have no choice but to do something or achieve someting, you do it. Nomatter how huge. If you give yourself a chocie it does not work.

 

Enough scribblings

 

h

[Rumgoat]

I haven't actually read the Secret, in fact I just heard about it, but it supposedly is based on the works of Wallace D. Wattles, a 19th century writer of self-help books, including the awesomely titled Science of Being Great. His methods are basic Hermetic Philosophy applied to material concerns like health and money, and they work, at least for me (although I'm not rich and my greatness is up for debate). The basic method is to constantly visualise what you want to succeed at and build up a successful vibration that draws all this to you.

 

You can get his books cheap on Amazon, and a few can be had for free in PDF from internet self-help gurus if you want to sign up for spam. He is very popular with the internet self-help crowd because he was relatively obscure and his works are public domain, and therefore free to chop up into overpriced eBooks.

[Yoda]

Rumgoat, thanks for the Science of being great tip. I hadn't heard of that before.

 

Hagar, I had always assumed that the Tao te Ching was written with great poetic license until I started listening to Esther. Now I believe that those "paradoxical" assertions are simply straightforward common sense. Silence really is a source of great strength.

[Wayfarer64]

[forestofsouls]

I don't know much about this Secret, but I have a few questions for those who do.

 

1. Is it possible to manifest via the law of attraction without the power of concentration?

 

a. If so, is it possible to concentrate when one has many desires?

 

b. Does concentrating oneself on the fulfillment of material desire make one more prone to desire?

 

c. If so, is desire empowering or limiting?