Some say it’s nonsense, some call it dangerous, others proclaim it to be timeless wisdom that will transform your life. What about the secret?
The amazing popularity of the movie “The Secret” (DVD and best selling book), featured on Oprah, Newsweek, Larry King, etc., has attracted a huge number of fans and critics. Some claim that the film is nothing more than a new age bottle of century-old snake oil. Others say that it is an illusion that only benefits a handful of people who make money from its sale. Other critics go so far as to say that the ideas the film promotes are downright dangerous if people really believe them.
The controversy is not limited to the 2006 film produced by Australian Rhonda Byrn. Certain authorities in the fields of theology and psychology say that the Law of Attraction itself only offers false hope to the desperate and disadvantaged.
What is the truth? Is the law of attraction real or exaggerated? How do you know if you are wasting your time and money studying this supposed universal law? Here’s how to know the truth, once and for all.
panties in a twist
First, a quick review of the whirlwind of activity around this topic. The different arguments include:
- Some object to the Secret promoting the use of the Law of Attraction primarily for material wealth. They feel that this universal principle should be used for more spiritual endeavors, such as becoming a better person, creating world peace, and so on.
- There are others (including contributors to the original version of The Secret) who say that the film was not complete. Joe Vitale, James Ray, and even Esther Hicks are quoted as saying that the film didn’t tell the whole story about how deliberate creation works.
- Still other critics say that the whole concept of creating reality according to your thoughts is delusional, and that the people who sell these things prey on the desperation of others who want a quick and easy solution to life’s inevitable challenges.
A handful of Law of Attraction experts publicly responded to these arguments, which seem to fuel a larger fire rather than extinguish it. Secret collaborator Michael Beckwith says that “mediocrity attacks excellence,” and that’s why so many fans care about today’s hottest topic.
Although this may be a hot topic nowadays, it is certainly not new. These principles of manifestation have existed for eons, dating back to approximately 300 BC. C. in the mysterious Emerald Table. That in itself incites some factions who disagree with movie producers who present the Law of Attraction as a “secret”.
This Path to Truth
Some individuals who were followers, practitioners, or just generally intrigued by the principles of deliberate creation felt winded by the public controversies aired over the Secret. While once feeling optimistic and excited about the possibility of a deliberate demonstration, some found themselves muttering “I knew it was too good to be true” after reading the negative press about the film.
Regardless of how you felt or didn’t feel about this before, if you still haven’t found your way to the truth, here’s some advice. It is not outside of you.
You won’t find the answer in a Larry King interview or on an online blog. The truth has nothing to do with her husband’s opinion, her neighbor’s experience, or her coach’s two cents worth.
The only way we can know “what is so” is to check with ourselves. The truth is not “out there”; rather it is integrated. Each of us has an internal guidance system designed to ensure that we have ongoing access to what is right for each of us. Whether you call it your higher self, God self, intuition, or anything else, it is in all of us.
You can hear that truth when you listen to it. The beauty of this is that when you recognize that nothing outside of you knows what is best for you, you are no longer subject to the whims, fantasies, complaints, ramblings, and rantings of others.
Most of us, however, learned early on to ignore our inner guidance, in favor of being accepted, making amends, getting along, or just surviving. We become adept at discounting and even rejecting what our gut tells us, relying on looking outside of ourselves for the facts.
Sometimes you will hear your authentic guidance through cues from your emotions; others feel it more strongly in the reactions of the physical body, such as the “chill of truth”, goosebumps or a sinking stomach. Once you get practice listening to (or experiencing) your inner guidance, you’ll never again be left wondering what’s valid and what’s not.
Say who?
I can be wrong? Absolutely. Don’t take my word for it; try it yourself.
Our private truth is speaking to us all the time, pointing us “this way” or “that way.” All we have to do is listen to you and we have the best experts on board for life.
listen to it He plays with it. He practices listening to it. See where it takes you. Don’t trust someone else to tell you what it is. YOU know what it is like that.
When other people give different answers, they have more power. It does not mean that you are wrong or that you should question yourself. Your truth does not change, no matter how many others have contrary opinions.
Sometimes external triggers are great opportunities for us to acknowledge or confirm what is true for us. For example, when a tarot card reader told me that my difficult marriage would stand the test of time, my stomach dropped and I knew right then that I wanted a divorce. But it was an external trigger that helped me hear that truth within myself.
The moment my real estate agent showed me a cute little brick house in Rose Park, my heart soared and my inner self screamed “Yes!” Even while my girlfriend was standing next to me and saying, “I can’t believe we’re looking at this place.”
When my trainer, who for three months tried to make me come to terms with my lucrative corporate job, finally threw her hands up and said, “If you hate it that much, you just have to quit,” my heart thumped again, and all the internal arrows I felt. point to “YES!” It was the external trigger that helped me hear that internal signal loud and clear.
choose for yourself
As for the complaints that the Secret movie is too materialistic in approach, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Personally, I think the movie hits a good point of access to the general population, who may very well apply the knowledge gained from the Secret to eventually achieve their higher purpose.
And indeed, the movie includes happy relationships as well as physical health, so it’s not just about bikes, jewelry, and sports cars.
As to whether the Law of Attraction works, I think healthy skeptics would agree that thoughts at least affect how we experience reality; That attitude makes the difference. However, my personal experience is that thoughts are much more powerful than that. Again, check it out for yourself.
As for those who argue that the demonstration doesn’t work, I think they themselves prove that it does. Because when we say “this doesn’t work”, we can state that that also seems true.
Bottom line: trust yourself to know the truth. You know more than you think.