The Secret
by Rhonda Byrne
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Book Reviews of The Secret
Book Review: Reaches Too Far, Oversells, Underdelivers
Summary: 1 Stars
I think a book like this, which makes some really big claims, should, roughly, do the following:
1) Present it's premise clearly
2) Since it's a self-help book explain clearly what you need to do
3) Provide compelling evidence that it's ideas work
4) Be credible.
The book does a decent job of explaining its premise, which is that everything in your life is the result of the law of attraction. I quote, "the law of attraction says like attracts like, so when you think a thought, you are also attracting like thoughts to you." In other words, think good thoughts and good things will come to you and if you think bad thoughts then bad things come to you. I've simplified this a bit but not a whole lot as the concept isn't rocket science.
Now, does this book explain clearly what you need to do? Actually, for a self-help book it does a very poor job of this. How do you control your thoughts? What kinds of practices and thinking produce the best results? The author and contributors basically tell you a bunch of stories about how "so and so did something and you can too by changing your thinking".
And that's it for the "how to" part of the book. There isn't any.
Now, if I wanted to prove something worked from a scientific perspective it would seem to be easy to test this stuff out. You take two groups of people, teach one the secret, let the other go on with their lives and see what happens. In theory those that know the Secret would be happier and more successful than the control group. It might not be perfect but it'd be a whole lot better than what we get in this book. But, of course, you'd have to have an actual methodology to test.
Instead the authors cite numerous anecdotes of how the Secret worked. One person's cancer went away. Another individual walks after a brutal accident. Still another finds romance. That's all fine and perhaps it's evidence but it's not proof. Cancer can be misdiagnosed. How many people who were injured like the "Miracle Man" never walked again despite the best attitude and trying the approach perfectly? The problem with anecdotes is that it's easy to start with a result, work backward and assume the conclusion. It's also very easy with anecdotes to only present the ones that make your case and ignore those that don't (when someone dies of cancer while practicing the secret for instance). It's just not good enough to use anecdotes for large claims like those made in this book.
The following quote struck a nerve.
"People hold that for awhile, and they're really a champion at it. They say, `I'm fired up, I saw this program and I'm going to change my life.' And yet the results aren't showing. Beneath the surface it's just about ready to break through but the person will look just at the surface results and say, `This stuff doesn't work.' And you know what? The universe says, "your wish is my command,"
I thought it was interesting that the universe instantly manifest failure but isn't quite so fast with success. In fact, a cynical individual might conclude that what they are really saying is, "when this program works it's because the secret always works, but, on the off chance it doesn't work, well, that's your fault." An even more cynical person might think, "gosh, I wonder what would help a person who failed? Maybe, a seminar with Bob Proctor would be just the thing to get them over the top?"
Lastly, is the Secret credible? On the one hand, I think a lot can be said for the idea that if you change your thinking you'd change your life. In many ways that seems obvious to me.
On the other hand, if the secret actually was true, especially at the scope claimed by the book it would mean that everything that's happened is the result of your thinking. So, when a child dies of pneumonia, well, it's because they brought pneumonia into their lives. Michael J. Fox, not only did you bring Parkinson's into your life but change your thinking and it will go away. Obviously these things aren't true and they obliterate, in my opinion, any credibility in the book.
Not only does the book go too far but most (I'd argue nearly all) of the contributors aren't credible. On a topic of this scope: the ability to 100% change your life and the world in an incredible fashion, does anyone really think you couldn't find psychologists, top flight scientists, therapists and thousands of mainstream individuals to support it, if it worked? Wouldn't there be tons of research instead of anecdotes? Instead we get a Feng Shui Master, a chiropractor, motivational speakers (err trainers), a metaphysicist, etc. combined with a half dozen anecdotal stories. So the most powerful like changing idea ever and you get it from the crew in this book presented in this fashion? I don't think so!
If this idea really worked, at anything other than giving material to self-help speakers and generating repeat students, it just wouldn't be found here. The book wouldn't even have to be written because we'd all already know it and be practicing it. Remember, this is not a new idea, it's been around for a very long time, and it's been the topic of literally thousands of seminars and hundreds of books.
In conclusion, I'm not opposed to the idea on a small scale but this book just goes way too far and I'm left with the feeling that all that's really going on is a bunch of people trying to get their name out and get you to pay for their seminars.
Book Review: Material slant on an old premise, why not get the originals?
Summary: 2 Stars
While it is true there has been a valuable "Secret" passed down for centuries, it isn't true that the meaning of this secret is material wealth and self gratification. The idea behind the secret isn't new, in fact this really is a modern, highly marketed slant to appeal to the masses. While I applaud its delivery and marketing, I have to take exception to how they've somewhat warped the actual secret into materialistic pleasure for the ego. I will be the first to tell you that manifesting intent works, but the art of manifestation in the truest since requires one to be out of the ego mindset, and into spirituality and goodness for true access to the power. Otherwise the best you'll manifest are a few bucks in your bank account and you'll be nowhere further along the path of enlightenment. Therefore the message in this book is incomplete in a pretty big way although I see why the author wanted to appeal to the most common mans interest - which is money. Transcend the money, and realize that indeed, we do create our reality - a concept too mind boggling for most people to believe or understand.
Jane Roberts was saying over 4 DECADES ago this message through "Seth". But you can skip all of the cute fluff, and materialistic trash and go right to the source, Jane Roberts many books. A more modern slant, but not necessarily better that Jane Roberts (but better than Secret) would be "The Law of Attraction" by Esther Hicks. If you want to get down to the brass tacks of why and how the process of manifestation really works, then you'll want to explore the quantum reality in which we all live.
In those cases, I would recommend starting with "Power vs Force" by David Hawkins. "The Holographic Universe" by Michael Talbot and "Entangled Minds" by Dean Radin. These books get down to the actual scientific measurable levels of Quantum Reality and Manifestation. Much of what these books say is already being proven everyday through things like "String Theory" that will ultimately show that indeed our thoughts and emotions are "Projected" from our bodies into the world. Another aspect is the lack of "God" or "Creator" in the Secret. The works I mention above either factor in god directly, or refer to him as the power behind this. Jane Roberts specifically goes into detail about how it works, why it works, where do we play into it and what we can do with it and how god is involved with it. Essentially, we've manifested here on the physical plane by the creator to "Learn" effective use of this energy for the love of mankind and to learn to transcend the egotistical material mind as a form of growth of our spirit.
For example, in Jane Roberts books you'll find passages so compelling compared to the secret, such as:
We are individualized portions of energy, materialized within physical existence, to learn to form ideas from energy, and make them physical (this is idea construction). We project ideas into an object, so that we can deal with it. But the object is the thought, materialized. This physical representation of idea permits us to learn the difference between the "I" who thinks and the thought. Idea construction teaches the "I" what it is, by showing it its own products in a physical manner. We learn by viewing our own creations, in other words. We learn the power and effects of ideas by changing them into physical realities; and we learn responsibility in the use of creative energy.
The objective world is the end result of inner action. You can indeed manipulate the objective world from within, for this is the means and definition of true manipulation... Thoughts and images are formed into physical reality and become physical fact. They are propelled chemically. A thought IS energy. It begins to produce itself physically at the moment of its conception.
Mental enzymes are connected with the pineal gland. As you know them, body chemicals are physical, but they are the propellants of this thought-energy, containing all the codified data necessary for translating any thought or image into physical actuality. They cause the body to reproduce the inner image. They are sparks, so to speak, initiating the transformation. Chemicals are released through the skin and pore systems, in an invisible but definite pseudophysical formation. The intensity of a thought or image largely determines the immediacy of its physical materialization. There is no object about you that you have not created. There is nothing about your own physical image that you have not made. The initial thought or image exists within the mental enclosure [as explained in earlier sessions]. It is not yet physical. Then it is sparked into physical materialization by the mental enzymes.
This is the general procedure. All such images and thoughts are not completely materialized in your terms, however. The intensity may be too weak. The chemical reaction sparks certain electrical charges, some within the layers of the skin. There are radiations then through the skin to the exterior world, containing highly codified instructions and information. The physical environment is as much a part of you, then, as your body. Your control over it is quite effective, for you create it as you create your fingertip... Objects are composed of the same pseudo-material that radiates outward from your own physical image, only the higher intensity mass is different. When it is built up enough, you recognize it as an object. At low intensity mass it is not apparent to you.
Book Review: "Common Sense" Is Not So Common
Summary: 4 Stars
As I stare at this blank screen before me, I am aware of one thing; Infinite Possibility. To me, a blank piece of paper, or an empty canvas, or a blank computer screen are metaphors for Possibility and so as I begin to write my review, I am aware that my closest companion in any given situation is Possibility Itself. That is why I loved the movie, The Secret so much. That is why I literally gushed in my review of the movie and yet I had some comments on my review that I was a "professional advertiser", that I was getting paid for my endorsement of the movie, that I was attempting to sell a "mystical bill of goods" because I dubbed myself as a "Light Coach". I am a Light Coach...I am a Spiritual Counselor and one of the things I desire to have happen in my life is that I will be able to make it my "full-time career" instead of it just being a part-time gig.
I am excited about this movie and this book, The Secret, for one reason; because it is an idea whose time has come. Yes, this book will be dismissed just as the movie was dismissed, but out of the hundreds of people that may dismiss it, there is going to be one person that gets it. By getting it, I do not mean, a pure intellectual understanding of it. What I mean, is that this person embodies the information. One reviewer said that this was all "common sense". What I have found on my journey is that common sense is not too common. Most of us are operating on old scripts from the past. Most of us are operating on unconscious conditioning. If everybody did what they say they know, this world would not be in the situation that we are in now.
I love the line that Dr. Michael Beckwith says, "What thought has done, it can undo..." He is paraphrasing the late, great Ernest Holmes, founder of Religious Science, who probably paraphrased it from somebody else, and so on and so on. One reviewer asks, "Is there anything new under the sun?"
No. There most assuredly is not. What we must do is apply those things that we thought we knew. If we wish for our life to transform we must daily take the time to see our lives becoming the way we say we desire them to be. Yes, a lot of New Thought/Spiritual/Metaphysical people just get caught in the thinking that all they have to do is envision their dreams and they'll happen, and sometimes, they're right, sometimes dreams just seem to appear out of thin air...but many times we need to act on those things that we say we desire to be in our lives and the book and the movie reminds us of this constantly. Pulling no punches, I often find myself good at envisioning what I desire, but lacking in the action department. That is why I loved the movie and that is why I like the book; it reminds me constantly of those things that I need to consciously and deliberately practice. Not out of a feeling of "not being good enough", but out of a feeling, that I am good enough to be what I say I want to be, do what I say I wish to do, and have those things that I say I desire to have. What I find pretty funny is that the reviewers who say that this is all about materialism are missing one of the greatest truths of the universe and that is, we were all born to live life and to live life abundantly in EVERY SINGLE AREA of our lives.
I do not necessarily think that this book or this movie wants us to ignore the poor, the hungry, the sick, the lonely, etc. What I think the movie and the book stress is to not get "caught up" in the appearances. When we just focus on "what is" instead of "what can be" we are contributing to the continuation of whatever it is that we are looking at. Jesus the Christ was able to heal not because he focused on the disease or the appearance of the situation he was in, but by looking at the Infinite Source of Possibility, GOD!
And to me, this is what the film and the book are all about; focusing on where you want to go with your life. I could sit around and complain about how unfair life has been to me, or I could realize that today is a "blank piece of paper"...a "clean slate" in which I can decide once again what I want my life to be about. That every single moment of life has brought me to right here and right now and that is a blessing in itself.
I liked this book...not as much as the movie, but I am still not sad that I made the investment. And yes, I may have hundreds of books that may sound the same, but sometimes, just a little derivation in the way something is said can change everything. I would also like to stress that it will not be the book or the movie that will transform our lives; that job belongs to us. "Common Sense", I know, but for the most part I really don't think that the majority of people in the world today really don't think or feel that they have control over their thoughts, their feelings, and what happens in their lives. Most of us, and I have done so myself for many, many years, are on auto-pilot. But we can choose again. We can rise up from the ashes of the past and reclaim the Wholeness that is our Holiness and the Holiness that is our Wholeness.
And one last thing, to the person who thought I was in professional advertising and wrote for a living, would you like to hire me? For you see, I am currently using this "Law of Attraction stuff" to be guided and directed to a wonderful new career. I know and I feel that something great will be coming my way just like I know and feel something great is about to happen in your life, as well!
Peace and Blessings.
Book Review: What is the cause of our reality?
Summary: 5 Stars
I am intriqued by where this information is coming from. Although the Law of Attraction is nothing new and has been advocated by sages for thousands of years as pointed out in The Secret and countless other sources, there has in the last twenty or so years come some fresh and very curious new and different material. We have (so they say) Advocates from the other side who have experienced many lives here and are now progressing spiritually in another realm that is awaiting our arrival. They are loving Advocates that are more than willing to share their greater perspective with us for our benefit. In the 70's and 80's it was Seth speaking thorough Jane Roberts who I believe most will agree ushered in the "New Age" era. Also, the famous turn of the century philosopher and author William James who dictated to Jane Roberts his fabulous book, "The Afterdeath Journal of an American Philosopher". Now it is Abraham speaking thorough Ester Hicks delivering more of the same sort of material. Also, now we have Arten & Pursah speaking thorough Gary Renard. I'm sure there are many more but I have been captivated and enthralled by those mentioned for the last few years. The thing that is most convincing to me is the fact that I can see no contradiction in any of these sources despite their diversity and they resonate with my credibility completely. Although, I must confess that I have not been as successful as yet in demonstrating the results as I would like, I nevertheless completely believe in the process. Abraham says that there is absolutely nothing that happens to us that we have not invited through our thoughts although we may very well not have done so consciously. He reminds us that when we desire something, we are immediately faced with a dual situation, that of our desire and that of our observations or what is. What is or what we are observing is what we have attracted by our conditioning so far. And the reason some of us have more difficulty in creating something different is that we are being influenced more by what we are observing and our ingrained beliefs than we are by our thoughts on what we are desiring.
It seems that most of the discussion here accepts the basic principles of LOA but is particularly non-accepting of the authors comments about fat. To say that food has nothing to do with weight gain is "out there". At least certainly an idea that the populous is not about to accept. It may very well be true from a "pure" LOA perspective but none of us are to the point yet that we are not largely influenced by our conditioning, training and daily observations. So at least for now the statement that food is not an issue is not a practical statement as it relates to our current situation. However, I don't think this in any way lessens the principle of LOA that simply says that our thoughts and beliefs tend to attract and eventually manifest matching conditions.
I think that saying LOA is not sympathetic to the needy is going off on a tangent. I don't think most anyone would view the promoters of those who produced The Secret as non-caring individuals. I believe they are simply saying that teaching new principles is more effective and helpful then any amount of sympathy. But this would in no way preclude being loving and sympathetic or sharing with them materially or physically.
The statement, if one is an LOA believer then let him jump off a building and depend on his thoughts to override gravity is absurd. No one is saying that we are capable of creating instantaneous miracles or that we can immediately overcome all ingrained beliefs.
Also, I think it unfair to those involved with The Secret to bash them as just trying to rip off the poor. I came away feeling that these people were genuinely enthused by their discovery and application of something that worked for them and that they were actually wanting to share the good news with others so that they too could benefit. Maybe I'm naïve but I wouldn't expect them to write books and etc. without compensation.
Another issue that is giving people difficulty with this idea is the fact that millions are born and die in conditions of abject poverty, squalor, aids, etc. Are we saying that these people have chosen this situation? What about the little girl or boy who is stricken with cancer? Did they choose this? Our Advocates tell us that we are part of a much larger "Self" and that we choose various lives to add color and dimision to our otherwise blissful existence because pure bliss is essentially meaningless without non-bliss for contrast. We may choose favorable or difficult lives for reasons beyond our current perspective. The question then becomes, which is the determining factor then in the remainder of this life, our life's choice or our new found knowledge of thoughts controlling our reality? Seth says that nothing is predetermined and that everything is in a state of flux and constantly changing based on our current consciousness.
If one chooses to dismiss all of this as hog-wash then one must ask what then is creating our reality? Is it simply chance, random circumstances, luck, breeding, wit, etc.? Is God blessing some more than others because of their worship habits, etc. Seth says that all events precipitate from consciousness both individually and collectively and that there are no exceptions. Since belief determines experience, whether you believe it or not you are correct.
Book Review: Judgemental Optimism
Summary: 1 Stars
This is one of the worst books I have ever read. It badly written and it could probably be condensed into a pamphlet. She stretched it out by saying the same thing over and over and getting some other people to write similar things; mostly other people who have written trite feel-good books or trite self-help books on how to get rich. Rhonda and her "testimonial" cronies read like a bunch of rich, fortunate people patting themselves on the back and putting down everyone else.
Any book with a title like "The Secret" already sounds like a crock, but this book or belief system isn't even original. There are already many books about this subject, and this seems to have the least innovation and explanation.
To start out, it makes several outrageous claims. This lady claims that 1 The "secret" has been guarded and hidden for centuries, 2, famous dead people like Einstein, Edison and Shakespeare all knew "the secret" (how convenient that they're dead and can't defend themselves!) 3, Jesus was a millionaire, and last but not least, 4, The "secret" is scientifically proven. (Did anyone read the article refuting it in Scientific American? It was a great article.) Lots of people have conspiracy theories, or think alternate things about history, but most, if published, at least have some source cited (whether bogus or not)- but she simply states these things with absolutely no documentation.
The main outrageous claim of the book is of course that your thoughts determine what is going to happen in your life. If you play pretend and think that you have money, are thin, your soulmate is on the way, etc, it's going to start happening that way.
Few people will argue that positive thinking can motivate you to do something you otherwise wouldn't have the confidence to do. But sitting around and daydreaming without action is destructive and will probably frustrate you more. It borders on mental illness.
Here's what will really happen if you follow her advice: you'll lose all your money (from blowing it by believing you're already rich), you'll be one of those pathetic people who puts their life on hold until their spouse shows up (the book tells you to sleep on one side of the bed, have room in your house for them, etc, before you're there) and you'll be made fun of as you leave the house b/c you bought size 2 clothing (b/c you're supposed to believe you're already thin) even though you've been pigging out all week (because she says if you diet, you bring on more dieting)!
So why does cancer exist at all? Or weight gain? Why did people ever start thinking negative? If you read any scientific books about the actual Universe, you will see how silly this book is, even if the book doesn't deal with the same subject. This psuedoscientific book has nothing to do with science and most scientists would either laugh or be alarmed at its claim of being "scientifically proven". The funniest part is when she tries to act scientific and describes how "your thought electrically energizes you to the universe" or something like that. Looking at her picture I don't even think she can pronounce those words. Also, if the Law of Attraction is as much of a law as the Law of Gravity (which it isn't), then what if you keep visualizing something like defying grafity? What will happen then? This so-called law would actually be in violation of a lot of other scientific laws, and economically it is impossible. Not everyone can get rich. Already almost everyone envisions winning the lottery, but it still doesn't happen for most.
The downside of this "if you think positive you will get positive" belief is what I call Judgmental Optimism: telling people it is their fault that bad things happen to them b/c of how they think, and essentially blaming the victim. This book comes out and says it's your fault if a car hits you, or if any other misfortune befalls you (for instance rape, robbery, mugging) and it even says that groups of people (let's think 9/11, the Holocaust, etc) brought misfortune on themselves by believing that anything could happen. So why even bother with "be prepared"? Why even have a safety speech at the beginning of a plane ride? (Personally, I've noticed that when I go around happy, that's when something bad happens, but if I worry about something, that's when it doesn't happen.)
People aren't born thinking negatively; most kids are taught a sugarcoated "believe in yourself" generic message. When I was younger I had an open, friendly attitude, and expected people to be friendly toward me. I was out of touch with reality and pretty soon I got a lot of peer harrassment. Most people who have any distrust or negativity are the same; they got this way out of experience.
I'm not saying people shouldn't try to get past these things (although I realize how difficult it is), but Rhonda and her gang of Judgmental Optimists are just kicking people when they have fallen down and it is downright OFFENSIVE, particularly because of the gullible people who may believe this book and develop the same lack of compassion. There are a lot of people who really want to believe that life is fair or that there's some kind of organization to it, because they are too weak to accept that there is a lot of chaos. That's what makes this book go from untrue and badly written to truly offensive.