The Secret (a movie)
Posted by:
skeptic
()
Date: February 17, 2007 12:13PM
The show was just the typical prepackaged new agey "philosophy", with all the standard jargon and cliches. There isn't anything new about The Secret, it's all the same crap I tried to follow for a buncha years. It was nauseating listening to it.
Where it falls short of lgat, I think, is that people aren't going through the "experiences" that lgats orchestrate (lgats always brag that the learning is "experiential"). People who watched Oprah and who even watch the DVD aren't subjected to the sleep deprivation, isolation, manipulation of social/peer pressure, humiliation, etc. The same junk thought via Oprah and/or the Secret DVD won't get implanted as deeply and intensely as what happens in an lgat.
Where it falls short of lgat, I think, is that people aren't going through the "experiences" that lgats orchestrate (lgats always brag that the learning is "experiential"). People who watched Oprah and who even watch the DVD aren't subjected to the sleep deprivation, isolation, manipulation of social/peer pressure, humiliation, etc. The same junk thought via Oprah and/or the Secret DVD won't get implanted as deeply and intensely as what happens in an lgat.
The Secret (a movie)
Posted by:
The Anticult
()
Date: February 17, 2007 01:19PM
Well, this is my take on it.
Oprah is also giving people these "Transforming Experiences that change them". She stated that is why she does her show. People feel they are "changed" by her, its really the same experience. She says her show is to make people have better lives...same claim as any LGAT.
But the difference with Oprah, is this is not a one time thing. Its a daily connection she builds with her audience, that for some people has gone on for years, and decades.
Watch when she walks NEAR any of her fans on her show, they FREAK OUT, they scream and go hysterical. When she walks out, she even "touches them" and seemingly blesses them. Her audience is goaded into being hysterical, and they go hysterical for her everyday.
Everyday she is subject to this mass adulation, that has to mess up her head very badly. She has to have started believing she is "special" long ago, so this is a continuation of it.
Also, with The Secret, I have read dozens of comments by people that they watched it 63 times, someone just said they watched it 400 times. Some watch it every morning on their small DVD player.
So that is intense indoctrination, its brainwashing by DVD.
Also, a significant number of Oprah's followers, are going to do a physical LGAT with James Ray, or these other folks. They all do full out LGAT's, Firewalks, camps, the whole nine-yards.
But I would argue that Oprah's LGAT-type power is even greater. She reaches worldwide on a daily basis.
She is engineering "Spiritual Transformation" in her audience.
Oprah is so talented at that, millions feel like Oprah is their "friend". When in reality, you can't get within 100 yards of Oprah, and who knows, she might be a total jerk. Who knows.
The reason Oprah does not have professional critical thinkers on her show, is she knows that could kill her "powers to Influence". She needs to warm people up, get them EXCITED, bait them...and then WHAM, hit them with the emotional experience, at just the right time.
With The Secret, she clearly believed in it, but made it seem like in the first show, she was just curious.
That is her Mirroring to her audience, to draw them in.
Then this 2nd show, she hit them over the head with it, about 100x.
Now she'll take a break, and keep coming back to it, over the year, to reinforce it, and take it deeper.
Functionally I don't see any difference with what she is doing.
She is "engineering belief change and transformation" into her audience. I think she is much more powerful than any LGAT Guru I can think of.
She has had great power over her audience for years, she commands them to buy a book, millions buy the book.
So I am not saying Oprah is a cult leader, of course. But I am saying I think she is of the same class, in terms of a Personality Cult of Celebrity.
But Oprah is not just a celebrity, she purposefully sets out to Emotionally Transform her audience, as she said she is doing with The Secret.
I would guess 50% of her audience is following her.
The main people against her are the biblical Christians...they see what she is doing is against the basic bible teachings, so the biblical Christians are tearing Oprah a new one on her website. They feel that Oprah is literally trying to Transform Christianity for her audience, and many of Christians ain't buying it.
But the New Agers are having orgasms over it. The posts on her website are obscene...people feel they are writing to Oprah personally, that they LOVE LOVE LOVE Oprah, etc. Its nuts.
So to me, I can't really see a difference in what she is doing, generally speaking. She is shaping people's minds, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors.
Next for her is to try to elect Obama using her powers.
To me The Secret was Oprah doing an exercise is Mass Media Persuasion, and it worked extremely well for her.
She will probably bring on some traditional Christians soon, to try to get them back under her wings.
After all, Oprah is Everywoman, right?
To me, Oprah is exercising the same type of powers over people, but of course in a different way. I have never seen anyone who can emotionally move, or behaviorally move an audience better than Oprah. I have never seen an LGAT speaker come anywhere near what she is able to do. She's not an intellectual, but she has extremely high People Smarts, and Persuasion Smarts.
Oprah is also giving people these "Transforming Experiences that change them". She stated that is why she does her show. People feel they are "changed" by her, its really the same experience. She says her show is to make people have better lives...same claim as any LGAT.
But the difference with Oprah, is this is not a one time thing. Its a daily connection she builds with her audience, that for some people has gone on for years, and decades.
Watch when she walks NEAR any of her fans on her show, they FREAK OUT, they scream and go hysterical. When she walks out, she even "touches them" and seemingly blesses them. Her audience is goaded into being hysterical, and they go hysterical for her everyday.
Everyday she is subject to this mass adulation, that has to mess up her head very badly. She has to have started believing she is "special" long ago, so this is a continuation of it.
Also, with The Secret, I have read dozens of comments by people that they watched it 63 times, someone just said they watched it 400 times. Some watch it every morning on their small DVD player.
So that is intense indoctrination, its brainwashing by DVD.
Also, a significant number of Oprah's followers, are going to do a physical LGAT with James Ray, or these other folks. They all do full out LGAT's, Firewalks, camps, the whole nine-yards.
But I would argue that Oprah's LGAT-type power is even greater. She reaches worldwide on a daily basis.
She is engineering "Spiritual Transformation" in her audience.
Oprah is so talented at that, millions feel like Oprah is their "friend". When in reality, you can't get within 100 yards of Oprah, and who knows, she might be a total jerk. Who knows.
The reason Oprah does not have professional critical thinkers on her show, is she knows that could kill her "powers to Influence". She needs to warm people up, get them EXCITED, bait them...and then WHAM, hit them with the emotional experience, at just the right time.
With The Secret, she clearly believed in it, but made it seem like in the first show, she was just curious.
That is her Mirroring to her audience, to draw them in.
Then this 2nd show, she hit them over the head with it, about 100x.
Now she'll take a break, and keep coming back to it, over the year, to reinforce it, and take it deeper.
Functionally I don't see any difference with what she is doing.
She is "engineering belief change and transformation" into her audience. I think she is much more powerful than any LGAT Guru I can think of.
She has had great power over her audience for years, she commands them to buy a book, millions buy the book.
So I am not saying Oprah is a cult leader, of course. But I am saying I think she is of the same class, in terms of a Personality Cult of Celebrity.
But Oprah is not just a celebrity, she purposefully sets out to Emotionally Transform her audience, as she said she is doing with The Secret.
I would guess 50% of her audience is following her.
The main people against her are the biblical Christians...they see what she is doing is against the basic bible teachings, so the biblical Christians are tearing Oprah a new one on her website. They feel that Oprah is literally trying to Transform Christianity for her audience, and many of Christians ain't buying it.
But the New Agers are having orgasms over it. The posts on her website are obscene...people feel they are writing to Oprah personally, that they LOVE LOVE LOVE Oprah, etc. Its nuts.
So to me, I can't really see a difference in what she is doing, generally speaking. She is shaping people's minds, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors.
Next for her is to try to elect Obama using her powers.
To me The Secret was Oprah doing an exercise is Mass Media Persuasion, and it worked extremely well for her.
She will probably bring on some traditional Christians soon, to try to get them back under her wings.
After all, Oprah is Everywoman, right?
To me, Oprah is exercising the same type of powers over people, but of course in a different way. I have never seen anyone who can emotionally move, or behaviorally move an audience better than Oprah. I have never seen an LGAT speaker come anywhere near what she is able to do. She's not an intellectual, but she has extremely high People Smarts, and Persuasion Smarts.
Quote
skeptic
Where it falls short of lgat, I think, is that people aren't going through the "experiences" that lgats orchestrate (lgats always brag that the learning is "experiential"). People who watched Oprah and who even watch the DVD aren't subjected to the sleep deprivation, isolation, manipulation of social/peer pressure, humiliation, etc. The same junk thought via Oprah and/or the Secret DVD won't get implanted as deeply and intensely as what happens in an lgat.
The Secret (a movie)
Posted by:
ON2 LF
()
Date: February 17, 2007 03:54PM
Quote
To me The Secret was Oprah doing an exercise is Mass Media Persuasion, and it worked extremely well for her.
She will probably bring on some traditional Christians soon, to try to get them back under her wings.
After all, Oprah is Everywoman, right?
To me, Oprah is exercising the same type of powers over people, but of course in a different way. I have never seen anyone who can emotionally move, or behaviorally move an audience better than Oprah. I have never seen an LGAT speaker come anywhere near what she is able to do. She's not an intellectual, but she has extremely high People Smarts, and Persuasion Smarts.
I agree with what you're saying. The approach is different than a typical lgat but the strategy and desired effect are fairly identical. The strategy is to convert people in stages and the audience are like sheep just waiting for more gospel from their 'teacher'. I watched 20/20 tonight and it was a show called "Promises, Promises". Interestingly, it was on scammer organizations. Not small outfits either. The one that really caught my attention was on 'LA weight loss'. The 'trainers' have had virtually no training than what the company provides. The training they receive is geared toward sales, not diets or dieting. Anyway, their main sales guiding principle was basically, "if they cry, they buy". So, the idea, like any lgat, is to make people feel as bad as possible about themselves and then get them to buy the products. This is so like lgats. They tell people that their lives aren't working, making them open for the shaping and for buying up those [i:9ceeb300a9]needed [/i:9ceeb300a9]courses.
Its like the secret, people who watch it or listen to it magically come to believe, during the time it takes to watch it or listen to it, that they are now in need of the secret, they perceive lack where there wasn't one before listening to it. They've been degraded just in the act of listening to the stupidity. Thats like using another's body weight against them in self-defense only this is using their gullibility against them.
If she ever gets a traditional Christian to agree with her views on 'the secret' or any other new agey practice or belief, they are NOT a traditional Christian. Pure and simple.
If topics like the secret keep coming up on her show or other new agey beliefs, then we might see PSI or Landmark Education being promoted there soon, too. :x
The Secret (a movie)
Posted by:
upsidedownnewspaper
()
Date: February 17, 2007 06:06PM
Another episode about the secret on Oprah? I'm tired of the idea already. What are the chances this thing will roll over and die before it starts? Well, I'm already trying to manifest that...if I could just summon the mystic laws...
The Secret (a movie)
Posted by:
The Anticult
()
Date: February 17, 2007 10:01PM
Too bad I missed 20/20.
If they cry, they buy...
that is brilliant, and that is exactly how Oprah sells much of her stuff, Tony Robbins too. His sales materials say find their PAIN, and then STIR UP THEIR PAIN, and then heal their pain with your products and services.
As far as the traditional Christians on Oprah, I think if she has one on, it might be someone who just talks about Life in general, as a way to placate her traditional Christian fans.
The Christians are f-ing pissed off about this Secret nonsense, and many of them are calling it everything from a perversion of Gods Word, to satanic or "occult". (Its interesting how The Secret offers people the exact same Temptation that the devil offers Jesus in the desert when Jesus is desperate, that is, to break the laws of Nature, and have all the riches of the world without effort. So technically in a biblical sense, The Secret is the Devils bargain...sorta like Faust).
but seriously, the biblical Christians are crucifying Oprah over this one. I think Oprah sees herself as "reforming Christianity" and to make it more "positive".
But if she had on some big Christian, I bet he would go softball on her...why? Because to get on her show he reaches millions of people and sells millions of books.
Power Corrupts.
Hey, if I got an offer to go on Oprah, and if I had a book, would I pick a fight with Oprah?
Highly doubt it!
Let's see...challenge Oprah on her bullshit...or earn Instant Millions...
hmmmm...tough decision...
"Oprah it is a profound honor to be here with you today, you have done so much for the world, and you have the best show on television helping people to Transform their lives. (audience screams) And you are HOT! Too bad you got Stedman, or I would be all over you! (flattery and audience laughter)
(then get all serious and teary eyed)
Oprah, I have looked up to you ever since I was a teenager...you see...I was going to take my own life one day after school...and I saw your show, and you convinced me to LIVE. Oprah you save my life!!! (Oprah cries...audience in tears...) ".
Then millions of white women run out and buy my book on The Secret on How To ____ Happy_____.
Then you post on your website the Oprah interview, and never work a day for the rest of your stinking life.
Power-Money does corrupt basically every human.
If they cry, they buy...
that is brilliant, and that is exactly how Oprah sells much of her stuff, Tony Robbins too. His sales materials say find their PAIN, and then STIR UP THEIR PAIN, and then heal their pain with your products and services.
As far as the traditional Christians on Oprah, I think if she has one on, it might be someone who just talks about Life in general, as a way to placate her traditional Christian fans.
The Christians are f-ing pissed off about this Secret nonsense, and many of them are calling it everything from a perversion of Gods Word, to satanic or "occult". (Its interesting how The Secret offers people the exact same Temptation that the devil offers Jesus in the desert when Jesus is desperate, that is, to break the laws of Nature, and have all the riches of the world without effort. So technically in a biblical sense, The Secret is the Devils bargain...sorta like Faust).
but seriously, the biblical Christians are crucifying Oprah over this one. I think Oprah sees herself as "reforming Christianity" and to make it more "positive".
But if she had on some big Christian, I bet he would go softball on her...why? Because to get on her show he reaches millions of people and sells millions of books.
Power Corrupts.
Hey, if I got an offer to go on Oprah, and if I had a book, would I pick a fight with Oprah?
Highly doubt it!
Let's see...challenge Oprah on her bullshit...or earn Instant Millions...
hmmmm...tough decision...
"Oprah it is a profound honor to be here with you today, you have done so much for the world, and you have the best show on television helping people to Transform their lives. (audience screams) And you are HOT! Too bad you got Stedman, or I would be all over you! (flattery and audience laughter)
(then get all serious and teary eyed)
Oprah, I have looked up to you ever since I was a teenager...you see...I was going to take my own life one day after school...and I saw your show, and you convinced me to LIVE. Oprah you save my life!!! (Oprah cries...audience in tears...) ".
Then millions of white women run out and buy my book on The Secret on How To ____ Happy_____.
Then you post on your website the Oprah interview, and never work a day for the rest of your stinking life.
Power-Money does corrupt basically every human.
Quote
ON2 LF
..."if they cry, they buy". ...
If she ever gets a traditional Christian to agree with her views on 'the secret' or any other new agey practice or belief, they are NOT a traditional Christian. Pure and simple.
If
The Secret (a movie)
Posted by:
Humanista
()
Date: February 18, 2007 02:01AM
I've seen The Secret and thought it was major BS. The part that bothered me the most was the little boy who wanted a bicycle. He obsessively thought about it, drew pictures of it, cut out magazines photos of it, dreamed about it and then he opens his front door and there's his grandfather with the bike! How much more realistic and valuable would it have been to show the little boy mowing lawns and saving his money until he could buy it for himself?
And the Universe genie who grants your every wish--the Law of Attraction--I laughed out loud!
I watched Oprah's show with some friends and they all thought it was amazingly stupid and couldn't believe Oprah had sunk so low. And none of them had ever heard of The Secret.
My husband, who has been in the clutches of Landmark for a year, brought home The Secret--someone gave it to him to watch. I watched it when he wasn't home. I can't talk to him about any of this because he gets furious with me for being negative and "dissing" things he believes in. He's a New Ager who's into astrology and psychics and I'm a skeptic who loves science and believes in critical thinking.
On the Oprah show about talking to the dead, did you see the woman in the audience who had the audacity to challenge one of Oprah's guests? She said the claims of scientific proof were bogus because it wasn't peer reviewed testing. She said it WASN'T proven so she was skeptical.
Oprah shot back "Can you prove God?" and the audience roared its approval, the skeptic was shut down and they moved on. She had no opportunity to explain the difference between faith and science, a point that badly needed to be made, but these shows are not about logic. It just irritates me that they pretend to be.
I emailed my husband the columns about the secret but I guarantee he will not acknowledge receiving it and may not even read them--wouldnt' want negative thoughts to interfere with the universe --or Landmark technology--making his dreams come true!
Humanista
And the Universe genie who grants your every wish--the Law of Attraction--I laughed out loud!
I watched Oprah's show with some friends and they all thought it was amazingly stupid and couldn't believe Oprah had sunk so low. And none of them had ever heard of The Secret.
My husband, who has been in the clutches of Landmark for a year, brought home The Secret--someone gave it to him to watch. I watched it when he wasn't home. I can't talk to him about any of this because he gets furious with me for being negative and "dissing" things he believes in. He's a New Ager who's into astrology and psychics and I'm a skeptic who loves science and believes in critical thinking.
On the Oprah show about talking to the dead, did you see the woman in the audience who had the audacity to challenge one of Oprah's guests? She said the claims of scientific proof were bogus because it wasn't peer reviewed testing. She said it WASN'T proven so she was skeptical.
Oprah shot back "Can you prove God?" and the audience roared its approval, the skeptic was shut down and they moved on. She had no opportunity to explain the difference between faith and science, a point that badly needed to be made, but these shows are not about logic. It just irritates me that they pretend to be.
I emailed my husband the columns about the secret but I guarantee he will not acknowledge receiving it and may not even read them--wouldnt' want negative thoughts to interfere with the universe --or Landmark technology--making his dreams come true!
Humanista
The Secret (a movie)
Posted by:
question lady
()
Date: February 18, 2007 02:17AM
Quote
skepticQuote
question lady
Thanks for posting the link Anticult.Quote
The Anticult
Wow, look at the 'teachers' (cons) The Secret people are referring us to!
[shop.thesecret.tv]
I see that "The Sedona Method" guy, Hale Dwoskin, is there. My husband got sucked into the other strain of the Lester Levinson following called "The Release Technique" marketed by Larry Crane.
But I do have to admit they sometimes get quick results. Only 5 weeks after "The Release Technique" seminar, my husband "released" our marriage. We are separated now.
It is probably just my negativity that attracted this to me. Although I am generally a very positive person, I was definitely negative about Sedona/Release. Maybe I can buy one of those rocks and attract a man who can see through this kind of B.S.
Question lady, when I "lol-ed" earlier at this, I did not know that your husband very recently "released" your marriage; I just saw that in another thread. I was not laughing at that, not at all, as I know how insane and horrible can be the effects of lgats on relationships (happened to me with my sister). I laughed at your humorous way of saying what you did, also not knowing that it wasn't some time ago that your husband left.
skeptic, Not a problem. I realized that. I was laughing at the absurdity of the situation myself. But I appreciate your sensitivity.
The Secret (a movie)
Posted by:
The Anticult
()
Date: February 19, 2007 05:37AM
(excerpts from...)
[www.omaha.com]
[www.omaha.com]
Quote
February 17, 2007
Uncovering the secret
BY CHRISTINE LAUE
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
As Cindy McGinnis kept the books to her husband's construction business, worry consumed her.
How would they ever afford to build their dream home in the country?
Yoga, meditation, acupuncture - nothing could shake the worry.
"I wasn't happy with my life," McGinnis said.
About six months ago, her acupuncturist asked if she'd heard "The Secret."
Curious, McGinnis paid $4.95 and streamed the 91-minute self-help film on her computer.
"I couldn't help but feel changed by it," she said. "You pay more attention to positive things in your life, which in turn attracts more positive things."
The gist of "The Secret" is the law of attraction, which says "like attracts like." What you think about the most will appear as your life.
That's right - it's not exactly a secret.
But the concept is newly packaged in a simplistic way that combines fast-paced visuals a la "CSI" with the mystery feel of "The Da Vinci Code."
In less than a year, "The Secret" has become a stand-out multimedia franchise, most recently with a book by the same title. Only a month after its November release, the book sold out at some local bookstores at Christmas and climbed onto best-seller lists.
This past week, sales catapulted even more after Oprah Winfrey featured it on her talk show on Feb. 8. The book is No. 3 on the New York Times Hardcover Advice best-seller list, and the book's publisher, Beyond Words Publishing, has ordered more copies in addition to the 1.2 million in print.
"The Oprah feature magnified sales beyond comparison," said Jules Herbert, a buyer for Barnes & Noble.
The Bookworm, an Omaha bookstore that sold out of the book at Christmas, had just received more when the Oprah episode aired. Sales have since doubled, said owner Beth Black.
During the Oprah show, Lee Booksellers in Lincoln received two calls to hold the book, then sold out a few days later, owner Linda Hillegass said.
Cindy Beck, founder and president of New Realities, a chain of five Omaha stores, was so enthused about "The Secret" that she became an authorized distributor, which means she has a direct pipeline to "The Secret" products and can screen the film and offer workshops. The 100 DVDs she received in early December sold out that month, although she now is restocked. She also began working with Qwest Center Omaha officials and "The Secret" publicists to create a first-of-its-kind "The Secret" expo.
"It's my vision," Beck said. "I'm living 'The Secret.' It has totally changed my life."
But the concept has its skeptics.
According to the theory, thoughts are "magnetic." Think, "I'm going to be late for work," and you will be. Think about debt, and you will attract debt.
The book suggests envisioning a parking spot exactly where you want it. One contributor says 95 percent of the time, he gets one. One woman in the film says she watched funny movies and repeated "thank you for my healing" to beat her cancer - without radiation or chemotherapy.
While research shows positive thinking can help mental and physical health, it's dangerous to think it has limitless effects, said Lee Budesheim, associate professor of psychology at Creighton University.
"This is put too simplistically, as if literally, you can cure yourself through your thoughts," Budesheim said. "If life were that simple, we wouldn't have so many people dying of disease, we wouldn't have medical schools, we wouldn't be spending millions and millions of dollars trying to find cures."
In psychology, the term for positive thinking's impact on outcomes is called the "self-fulfilling prophecy." "The Secret" seems to take it further, presenting it in scientific terms as a panacea for what ails people or to control things they don't control.
Diana Abbott, the Bookworm's manager, credited the book's success to people seeking help, but also to "terrific marketing" and presentation: Paragraphs are broken into blurbs with graphics and bulleted summaries on pages resembling parchment paper.
"That's what people like - they like all the bells and whistles," she said.
...
For the film, she uses 24 experts ranging from feng shui masters to motivational speakers to explain the law of attraction. She weaves their personal stories and explanations together with quick images: a smiling child, blooming daffodils, a fluttering hummingbird, men in a boardroom. Whispered quotes pepper the documentary-style film. One by Winston Churchill - "You create your own universe as you go along" - scribbles across the screen.
The film, which bypassed a traditional theatrical debut, also used nontraditional advertising, opting instead for a "viral" campaign. Each of the film's 24 contributors e-mailed a mysterious trailer to millions in their e-mail newsletter databases.
McGinnis heard about "The Secret" not only from her acupuncturist, but also in an e-mail. After streaming the video, she immediately ordered the DVD so she could watch it regularly.
The Secret (a movie)
Posted by:
The Anticult
()
Date: February 19, 2007 05:50AM
(excerpts from)
[www.opinioneditorials.com]
[www.opinioneditorials.com]
Quote
February 17, 2007
Oprah Peddling Snake Oil
Marsha West
On February 8 Oprah aired a special about the film, The Secret. Oprah has 49 million viewers a week, so the cat is out of the bag. Due to popular demand a follow-up will air on February 16. The feature length movie was released last year and is “so powerful that it can change the course of your life.” The Secret is now offered on DVD. The producers promise that it’s the secret to everything, “the secret to unlimited joy, health, money, relationships, love, youth: everything you have ever wanted.” Sound too good to be true? Snake oil usually is.
From the DVD we learn that the world is on the brink of a new era that will open up to humanity unleashed power, riches, creativity and all that we ever dreamed of, including losing weight. A bargain at $29.95.
The “secret” has been hidden for centuries. Oddly, no one knew about the scroll – until now. We’re in luck! It’s being made available to all. From the website we learn that “The Secret Scrolls contain inspiring words to assist you in living in the magic of The Secret. Also within the scroll will be exciting information about upcoming Secret Events all over the world.” The website offers products and other special offers for the seeker. Visitors are also directed to other websites, books and teachers who are masters of The Secret. “The Secret Scrolls is a positive and uplifting gift we know will be a joy for you to receive.”
...
What is The Secret, exactly? It’s the Power of Positive Thinking! Watch the movie and you’ll learn how thinking optimistically can be applied to attracting wealth, better health, and relationships; in a word, happiness. “The Secret is the Law of Attraction,” says Byrne, “which is the principle that like attracts like." She calls it “the most powerful law in the universe," and says it’s working all the time. “What we do is we attract into our lives the things we want, and that is based on what we're thinking and feeling."
The law of attraction means that every good or bad thing that happens to us, we draw to ourselves, be it positive or negative. "If you were at a restaurant,” says Lisa Nichols, “and you ordered something, you fully expect it to come served that way. That's how the universe is. You're putting out orders—consciously and unconsciously. So if you say, 'I'll never have a great relationship,' you just placed an order." [www2.oprah.com]
How does The Secret work? Just name it and claim it! Ask for what you want, believe it, and you’ll receive it. For the pessimist who is resigned that nothing will ever change, then nothing will.
...
Lighthouse Trails Research describes the genie that appears in the trailer of the movie on the website: “It begins by showing a genie from a lamp, who tells the beholder ‘your wish is my command.’ Research analyst Ray Yungen explains this concept:
‘[T]the genie representthe Higher Self, who was reached through meditation by staring at the flame of an oil lamp. It was believed that a person could have whatever he or she wanted, once in touch with it. Our word genius comes from this Latin word for spirit guide and now means a person with great creative power.’
“The premise of this is that we all have a divine essence within us, and we just need to get in touch with it. In other words, as panentheists teach, God is in all of creation, including all human beings, and once a person becomes aware of this, there are no limits to what he can achieve. Yungen elaborates:
‘Once a person merges with the Higher Self, he is on his way to empowerment, meaning he is capable of creating his own reality. Basically, all power is within the Higher Self, so when one is in tune with it, he can run his own show....
’Metaphysicians believe that we all create our own circumstances anyway, so when we are guided and empowered by our Higher Self, we can consciously co-create with it.’”
How does one define higher self? According to Ronald Holt, it’s not all that easy but he gives it his best shot in his essay “Exploring the Higher Self.” Holt says, “All dimensions, beings, and planes of consciousness exists equally right here and now, within and around us. This requires that we as individuals open our senses sufficiently so we can participate with other beings, the higher self and/or with the other planes of reality. Sometimes experiencing another plane, dimension, or being can appear as though they are separate from us or that we have exited completely from this 3D plane and arrived at a totally different place.”
The Secret (a movie)
Posted by:
The Anticult
()
Date: February 19, 2007 05:58AM
(excerpts from)
[www.madison.com]
[www.madison.com]
Quote
FRI., FEB 16, 2007 -
The "Secret" is out
ANDY ERDMAN
I know "The Secret" to the universe.
It's a secret so powerful that the very knowledge of its existence could start you down the path to infinite happiness, riches, love and good health. What would you offer to discover this secret?
Would you surrender your Badger tickets? Your kidneys? Your first-born? Not necessary. Try $29.95.
For less than it costs to fill your gas tank, the DVD phenomenon "The Secret" and its principles could be revealed to you. But if you haven't heard of it, you're not alone. It's not easy to find in the mainstream: Blockbuster doesn't rent it out, and Best Buy doesn't sell it. "The Secret," also in book form, is most regularly purchased online.
As the popularity for the elusive DVD grows, video and book retailers all across Madison have received an increasing amount of calls asking about the availability of "The Secret."
Frugal Muse Books, Music and Video, located on Madison's Far West Side, has received numerous requests for "The Secret." Says store clerk Todd Gray: "We've been getting so many requests for both the book and the movie, and we can't get any copies. We do have some on order, though."
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Deciphering 'the law'
The Law of Attraction, which is taught and practiced by millions of people around the world, posits that everything in the universe -- whether a human, an object or a thought -- is composed of energy. Every thought, adherents of the law believe, has a frequency that sends out a magnetic energy, which will eventually attract to your life exactly what you think and feel -- whether positive or negative. The law states that thoughts are like magnets, and like attracts like.
So, the theory goes, if you are constantly thinking about your towering pile of debt, more and more debt will be attracted to your life. On the flip side, if you focus your thoughts on the partner of your dreams -- a loving, caring individual who would make your life complete -- then that is what you'll get. "The Secret" analogizes this experience as owning a magic lamp, with a genie ready to respond to your thoughts -- good and bad -- with the reply, "Your wish is my command."
Sound fishy? Well, Oprah Winfrey didn't seem to think so. On Feb. 8, the talk show queen devoted an entire program to Byrne and "The Secret," and had as guests several "teachers" featured on the 91-minute documentary. One such teacher was Jack Canfield, author of The New York Times No. 1 best-selling "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series. Canfield, like many of the other teachers, fell on hard times before he discovered The Law of Attraction. The famous author says that believing in and following the tenets of the law helped him to create a successful career and a positive outlook on life.
Using grassroots, word-of-mouth advertising, the makers of "The Secret" have sold more than 700,000 copies online. And after being featured on Oprah, sales are likely to skyrocket. The DVD is currently the No. 1 best seller on Amazon.com, and the book ranks second behind the latest installment in the "Harry Potter" series. "The Secret" has also been featured on "Larry King Live" twice as well as "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," and is being promoted by businesses and New Thought churches as a means for success and a better life.
Using the secret
The Revs. Paul and Deborah Phelps of Madison, founders of MiracleOne, a nonprofit ministry whose purpose is to "point you to your inner teacher," showed "The Secret" to their study group last November. The couple, currently studying to earn their Ph.D.s from the University of Metaphysics, said they showed "The Secret" because it relates to their teachings and can be a powerful tool if used as a means for self-betterment rather than material gain.
"'The Secret' is in alignment with our course in that our thoughts are creative," Deborah Phelps said. "If I send out the messengers of peace and love, those things will come to me. Whatever signals I'm sending out will come back to me."
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But "The Secret" has its share of detractors as well. UW-Madison philosophy professor Lawrence Shapiro believes that The Law of Attraction is not rooted in academia.
"It appears to be just another New Age fad," Shapiro said. "Nobody in our department or anyone that I know of at the UW deals with that sort of thing."
As a selling point for the DVD, Byrne included testimonials from people who used the Law of Attraction to better their lives. Those testimonials purported that people who have used the principles of "The Secret" have had life-threatening diseases cured without treatment, weight loss experienced without dieting, and enormous wealth gained simply by wishing it to be so.
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Due to the unbelievable success of her movie, Byrne signed on with Hollywood producers to make "The Secret 2." And if the principles of "The Secret" work as Byrne believes they do, the new installment will be an astounding success.
After all, if she practices what she preaches, Byrne simply has to think and believe that the new DVD will be a success in order for that to happen. Because as Winston Churchill, also included in the DVD, said, "You create your own universe as you go along."
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