As an old OPRAH watcher, have you heard about "The Secret". What began as a movie http://www.thesecret.tv/ championing "The Law of Attraction", has now turned into a movement with a best-selling book. To help all of us get up to speed with this important topic, I've included several interesting pieces of information in this post: an overview article which notes, among other things, that 3.75 million copies of the book and 1.5 million copies of the DVD have been sold; quotes from and links to the work of Ester Hicks (who is largely responsible for popularizing the term "Law of Attraction"); quotes from and links to the Pathwork Lectures of Eva Pierrakos (which continues to be one of the best, most lucid and balanced sources I am aware of when it comes to addressing topics like this); and last, but not least, a contrarian view from Stuart Davis, who is deeply connected to the work and ideas of Ken Wilber (Wilber, rumor has it, plans to share his thoughts about "The Secret" http://in.integralinstitute.org/
Speaking for myself, I have been working with these ideas for years, with spotted success. How about you? Have you mastered the laws of manifestation? IT'S MIND OVER WHAT MATTERS
'THE SECRET' IS OUT: IF YOU WANT YOUR LIFE
TO BE BETTER, THINK POSITIVELY
By Denise Flaim
NewsDay
March 12, 2007
It is the quintessential suburban battleground -- the mall parking lot, high noon on a Saturday. You troll the aisles in your Honda Odyssey. Sunlight glints off the car roofs, a sea of metal. No spots, not even on the fringes. But this time is different. You have a good feeling, a subtle certainty cloaking you, that you will find something beautiful on sale. And then, as if on cue, someone ahead of you pulls out, and you glide your minivan in.
Until now, you might dismiss that as a short-lived moment of serendipity.
But those who know "The Secret" claim to know differently. With a catchy
name and tremendous word of mouth stoked by not one but two "Oprah" shows
devoted to it, "The Secret" is a New Age empire that has hit the mainstream
with all the heft of the lambada. Bookstores cannot keep the eponymous
book, written by Australian documentary-maker Rhonda Byrne, in stock, and
it currently is the bestselling title on Amazon.com, elbowing aside preorders
for the final Harry Potter tome. (With 3.75 million copies of "The Secret"
in print, Atria Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, is ordering
another 2 million.) Despite the lack of a theatrical release and no marketing
campaign, the DVD has sold 1.5 million copies at $34.95 a pop.But if you read this article you just saved yourself that sum.
This kind of success is sort of like Steig Larsson's DRAGON TATOO colliding with "The Da Vinci Code" colliding with a Deepak Chopra seminar, "The Secret" purports to reveal a time-worn but suppressed truth, known by such luminaries as Einstein, Beethoven and Lincoln: that we literally are what we think.
At its core, The Secret is a slick repackaging of the Law of Attraction, which has been kicking around the self-help community for years now. The theory borrows from quantum physics to suggest that thoughts and feelings are real, with their own vibrational frequency. And they attract those things -- or people, or circumstances -- with which they are in sync.
Buried in bills, slogging to a dead-end job? Essentially, you manifested them, to use a Secret-ism, by thinking about how tough it is to make ends meet and how much you loathe the boss' three-hour lunches and computer-Solitaire marathons.
It's simple "It really is that simple," says Hale Dwoskin of Sedona, Ariz., one of the DVD's 24 "Secret Teachers" and the man who pioneered the self-improvement Sedona Method. "If you want to know what you're holding in your mind, just look around you. What you have in your life now is the sum total of your thoughts and feelings."
Michael Losier of Victoria, British Columbia, who wrote a book on the Law of Attraction in 2003 and has taught the technique to more than 125,000 people in seminars and umpteen-city tours, says the runaway success of The Secret is certainly good for business. But he worries that some may be getting an incomplete message.
"You hear a lot about positive thoughts," says Losier, who gives a seminar called "You Get What You Vibrate." "But a positive thought can have a negative vibration."
As an example, he thinks back to a decade ago, when he weighed 300 pounds, and dutifully repeated daily "affirmations" such as "I have a happy, slender body." "How do you think I was feeling when I looked in the mirror and couldn't see my feet?" he asks rhetorically. "It's not about positive thinking. It's about how you feel about the things you say."
Further complicating this is the fact that the Law of Attraction has a bit of a tin ear. In the case of someone who obsesses about not wanting to get cancer, the cosmic search engine hears only the disease, and metes it out accordingly.
"Whenever I use the words 'don't,' 'not' and 'no,' I just brought
attention to what I don't want. The Law of Attraction doesn't have
a
conscience, it doesn't decide to attract only good things to our lives,"
says Losier, who tells his audiences to reframe their thinking: Instead
of "Don't forget," say, "Remember." Instead of "Don't slam the door,"
say, "Close the door quietly."
(In an ironic nod to negative energy, The Secret itself has been the
subject of an intense push-me-pull-you: Byrne had to edit her original
movie, which was released a year ago, after a falling-out with Esther
Hicks, a decades-long Law of Attraction advocate who claims to receive
her wisdom by channeling an amalgam of spirits named Abraham and who
was
unhappy with the way she was depicted in the film and how it was
marketed. References to Hicks were removed from the book.)
According to The Secret, then, the reason your weekly therapy sessions
spent rehashing a lousy childhood are getting you nowhere is that you
keep dredging up and lingering over negative memories, thereby inviting
in more of the same.
"What you resist, persists," says Paul G (that's all, just G) of Great
Neck, who has been a Law of Attraction coach and trainer for six years.
"That's because you give it attention, energy and focus. Rather than
pushing against things we don't want, we align ourselves with what
we
want."
A longtime spiritual seeker, "I've been through everything," G says,
"from Buddhism and Hinduism and Judaism to Tony Robbins and Marianne
Williamson." When he learned about the Law of Attraction, "all of a
sudden, all those little pieces just hooked up and made sense. It was
nothing short of an epiphany."
Before he started running Law of Attraction workshops and doing
one-on-one sessions in his Long Island home, G was involved in
real-estate finance and investment. "I did deals with Donald Trump,"
he
says. "I'm sure he has no idea about the Law of Attraction. But he
believes in himself and his products so much, he thinks everything
he
does is going to be the best and huge." Which explains why a guy with
a
bad comb-over and Queens Boulevard diction can have a
multibillion-dollar empire, along with a top-rated reality show (well,
the first two seasons, at least). "It doesn't matter whether he knows
the difference," G explains, "because he creates it through his positive
thoughts."
"Enough for everybody"
Speaking of unabashed capitalists like The Donald, The Secret DVD shows
a room of stone-faced businessmen who plot to cork their metaphysical
theory like a bottle so no one else can benefit. But modern-day robber
barons have nothing to fear, G assures.
"The Law of Attraction teaches that the universe is abundant. There
is
enough for everybody." And those who have -- the rich who get richer
--
will always have, because they expect no less. "If you took all of
Bill
Gates' money away," G says with certainty, "he would find a way of
making it back."
At first glance, The Secret seems focused on garnering material
possessions -- a bigger house, a faster car. "People in America want
things, and that's understandable," says Larry Kleinstein, who runs
"Law
of Attraction Thursdays" at Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan --
he
doesn't advertise, but people show up anyway. "But what everyone wants
is to feel good, have love in their life and to feel that life is worth
living."
The flip side of the Law of Attraction's empowerment ethos is the
twitchy idea that victimhood is self-inflicted: The poor get poorer
because they do not truly believe they can get richer. And no Law of
Attraction devotee is comfortable explaining how this cosmology of
intent explains, say, a 5-year-old incest victim.
"That's an area that people do grapple with -- there are some things
that are beyond our intellect," says G. "Children are the hardest to
understand because they've been vibrating for a short period of time.
We
teach people how to choose how they're feeling, but children often
are
very influenced by what they see, and the people around them."
Beyond individuals, the Law of Attraction can shape global relations
and
the zeitgeist, says Dwoskin, noting that the Bush administration's
focus
on terrorists -- as opposed to, say, security and prosperity -- only
attracts more of the unpredictable violence. The anti-war movement
was
probably the worst thing to happen to the Vietnam War, he adds, because
the focus on war -- not peace -- energetically extended the conflict.
If you think this all sounds too good to be true, then for you it
probably is, say those for whom the Law of Attraction has become a
way
of life -- not to mention a lucrative revenue stream.
"People are always talking about just 'putting it out there.' But
there's another step in the process, which is called allowing. In The
Secret, it's called receiving. What it really means is an absence of
doubt," Losier says. Doubt and desire cancel each other out, he
continues, pointing to people who buy lottery tickets: They want to
win,
but don't really think they will.
"The speed at which one gets what one wants is not about how big your
collage is, or how much you're visualizing," he concludes. "It's how
much doubt you have."
.............
'The Secret' Movie Website: http://www.thesecret.tv/
Wikipedia on 'The Secret':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_%282006_film%29
-------------
Abraham-Hicks Website: http://www.abraham-hicks.com/index.php
EXCERPTS:
- Law of Attraction says, "That which is like unto itself is drawn."
- Once you activate a vibration within you, Law of Attraction begins
responding to that vibration, and you're off and running -- whether
it's
something wanted or unwanted.
- Law of Attraction abounds, and when it is said to you, "Ask, and it
is
given," there is no more powerful statement that is at the basis of
what
makes things happen.
- Everything is valid and everything is truthful, because Law of
Attraction lets everything be.
- Within the seed of your desire is everything necessary for it to
blossom to fulfillment, and Law of Attraction is the engine that does
the work.
- If you will relax and allow Law of Attraction to do the organization,
the managing, then you can spend your time doing the things that please
you.
More Abraham "Law Of Attraction" Quotes:
http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionquotes.php
Wikipedia On Esther Hicks:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Hicks
-------------
MANIFESTATION ACCORDING TO THE PATHWORK LECTURES OF EVA PIERRAKOS
Pathwork Guide Lecture No. 194
1996 Edition
October 22, 1971
PDF Version:
http://www.pathwork.org/lectures/P194.PDF
Website Version:
http://tinyurl.com/ysbl3o
EXCERPT:
"Man constantly creates, whether he knows it or not. He creates by what
he is, by what the sum total of his feelings, his conscious and
unconscious opinions and convictions are, by his conceptions, which
determine his actions and reactions, by his goals and his attitudes.
Every thought is a creation and has its consequences. It brings about
a
specific result that expresses this thought. Since man consists of
many
conflicting thoughts, and since his thoughts and beliefs often vary
drastically from his emotional conceptions, the result, that is his
creation, must be accordingly. The mixed-up, conflicting and confusing
lives most people lead testifies to this fact."
"There is an enormous difference between those who unwittingly create,
never knowing that their unwise, erroneous thoughts, their destructive
feelings and their unchecked wishes bring about a result as surely
as if
they were to commit a conscious act; and those people who attempt to
check, test and challenge their concepts; who seek for the truth and
adjust their ideas, thought processes and aims to it; and who purify
their feelings by going through them with courage and honesty, wisdom,
and the foresight that what exists inside, no matter how painful, cannot
simply be avoided, but must be experienced. This latter attitude toward
life can then result in DELIBERATE CREATION of one's life..."
"You are living in a highly potent creative substance. You live in it,
you move in it, you have your being in it. Everything that consciousness
emanates, sends forth, expresses into this substance, must take on
form.
The word you speak or think, the emotionally charged thought, knowing
it
and pronouncing it, is the creative act... This is how creation unfolds
in its myriad ways."
"Understanding this principle, it will become obvious why one can tell
exactly what a person is, thinks, feels and believes (consciously and
unconsciously) when one sees his life, when you see where and in what
areas has this person fulfillment and abundance, and in what areas
impoverishment and want."
"It is, therefore, one of the most important aims on this path to make
all you think and know, you perceive and conceive, you believe in and
want, conscious. Only then can you see the conflicts and the
misconceptions. Only then can you begin to create meaningfully a good
life..."
..............
THE PATHWORK MANIFESTATION PROCESS:
1. Concept
Identify what we want to manifest. Our clarity and conviction; our
ability to provide a clear directive to the universe, free of all
conflicts, is what determines the success or failure of the
manifestation process. If, when attempting to bring something into
manifestation, we realize there is a conflict within us about it, then
we need to stop and find out where the block is: Either a negative
part
of ourself is blocking the process (and needs to be re-educated and
realigned), or a higher part of ourself is blocking the process (because
it knows what we seek is not in our best interest). We can easily
determine if there is a conflict within us about something we want
by
how we feel about it. The conscious and unconscious forces within us
must both be in alignment for us to feel good and bring things into
manifestation.
2. Impressing & Being Impressed:
Once we have cleared ourself of all resistance, let the idea, wish,
concept -- the thing we want to manifest -- "sink in." Allow it to
unfold in its own organic time and way, without disturbing it with
doubt, fear, or impatience. Be prepared for it to manifest in ways
that
are unforeseen, unexpected and more wonderful than anything we can
imagine. We should also be prepared to be led to other blocks
first--areas of ourselves that need to be worked on before the thing
we
are seeking can be brought into manifestation.
3. Visualization:
Imagine and feel ourself in the state we seek. If we are unable to do
this, stop and ask why? Where is the block? What is preventing me from
feeling myself in the state I wish to enter into?
4. Faith:
If the process is working, faith will be there. The thing we are seeking
to manifest will feel good, right and clear. We will be able to feel
it
coming to us.
--------------
THE SECRET: THE SPIRITUALITY OF NARCISSISM
By Stuart Davis
KenWilber
March 12, 2007
http://www.stuartdavis.com/node/1138
EXCERPT:
"What do you want to do with your Divine Power? Free all sentient
beings? Awaken every sister and brother from the Dream? Dissolve the
source of suffering? No. You want cars. And girlfriends, and boyfriends,
and a new red bike and a big new house...
"The Secret is selling tools that supposedly fulfill wishes, dreams,
desires. But WHOSE wishes? What LEVEL of desire? What DEPTH of dream?
"Well, here's what sucks about The Secret: There are many levels of
self, but only one which THINKS, and that's the Ego. Thinking, feeling,
thinking, feeling, these two conductors are the hub for all The Secret
espouses, and sadly thoughts and feelings (while important and valid)
come from an extremely shallow dimension of the self. Because of this,
the Secret deeply, sadly, entangles us further into suffering instead
of
liberating us from it. The source of suffering is delusion -- the
illusion of separateness. It gives rise to craving, longing, desire.
It's the illusion that we LACK something that sends us on the Odyssey
of
Acquisition. The Secret gives us a cure. "
Buddha tells us more about desire and suffering. http://viewonbuddhism.org/4_noble_truths.html
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