James Ray has just released his latest book (actually book, video and course) called The Secret of Attracting the Life You Want. Watch the video trailer:
I’m sure many of you have seen all of the criticism concerning The Secret, both the DVD and book. The thing that really annoys me about all this is that very few critics actually do any research other than watch the movie or read the book. And yes, reviewing a movie is fair game but criticizing the participants in the movie is not unless you have done some background research.
Critics are continually going on about how all the people featured in The Secret are only into crass materialism. Even a cursory review will uncover writings or interviews with many of the participants who also felt somewhat dismayed by the focus of the film and wish that the producers had not focused so much on material gain. And very few (if any) of the participants feel that simply crating an intention is enough to manifest something. Almost all speak or write about the need for skillful action, intelligence, grappling with our shadow side and even a bit of good luck.
One particular critic got my goat. This person was lambasting the movie and showing how from an Integral perspective (a la Ken Wilber – whom I’m a great fan of) The Secret was crap. Well, this person did not even do basic research about the movie participants. He just assumed they were just a bunch of losers and fake writers and discredited scientists. Not a great place to begin a fair review.
It seems that giving The Secret a fair review is just not much fun. The thing is, I agree with a lot of the criticism but since I am familiar with the writings and teachings of many of the people featured I have a context with which to balance my criticism. Yes, the movie is superficial, yes it focuses primarily on material abundance, yes it makes it look all so easy. Does that mean then, that we are to assume that all the movie participants represent this view? Is it not possible that the director and producers of the movie edited the interviews and crafted the movie to present a particular view that does not necessarily represent the speakers?
Seems like a remote possibility to me. What do you think?
Dr. Joe Dispenza (aka Dr. Joe) is the person in the movie “What the Bleep do We Know!?” who describes creating his day. Almost everyone who has seen the movie seems to comment on this scene. I mean, what do you mean “Create your day”? Is it actually possible to have some influence on one’s day? Is this guy crazy, a new-age nut or does he know something that we don’t? In any case, it’s very intriguing. The underlying theme that I get from all these comments is, wouldn’t it be great if we did have a bit of control in our lives. Well, Dr. Joe has just published a hefty book that, in fact, provides the understanding to do just that. The book is called Evolve Your Brain: The Science of Changing Your Mind. And it is a great read.
If you are new to this you might actually wonder, is it possible to evolve your brain, is there a science to evolve your brain? Well, new understandings in the world of neuro-science have shown that in fact it is very possible to evolve your brain. What the latest finding are showing us is that the brain is not hard-wired. It can rewire it’s neuronal circuits at any time throughout our lives. We are not condemned to the status quo. The term for this ability is neuroplasticity and it is this that allows us to evolve our brain.
The book is divided into twelve chapters. The first six or so chapters describe in minute but easily understandable style how the brain functions. Although you might be tempted to skim this section so that you can get to the “create my day” stuff, don’t. The actual reading of how each section of your brain functions creates a foundation for understanding and believing the rest of the book.
The last six chapters are written from the perspective of how to use the brain, now that we have this new understanding. Chapter titles include: “Taking Control: The Frontal Lobe in Thought and in Action”, “The Art and Science of Mental Rehearsal”, “Evolving Your Being”. This is where Dr. Joe describes how you can begin to “create your day”. There is nothing magical here. This is all based on science and presented in a way that it is easy to understand and to implement.
It is only in the epilogue that Joe Dispenza moves into the controversial subject of our thoughts controlling our external reality. Almost all quantum physicists will tell us that in the tiny world of subatomic particles the observer does have an influence. However in the larger macro world of large objects then classical physics rule and we, as observer, no longer have an influence. And in this world of large objects, the idea of using our mind to manipulate our reality is considered impossible to most scientists. Dispenza says that perhaps we are just poor “observers” and with more practice we might be able to influence our reality. Perhaps the following paragraph from the book best describes where Dr. Joe is trying to take us:
We need not wait for science to give us permission to do the uncommon or go beyond what we have been told is possible. If we do, we make science another form of religion. We should be mavericks; we should practice doing the extraordinary. When we become consistent in our abilities, we are literally creating a new science. When our subjective mind has control of the objective world, we therefore are ahead of the present scientific laws and theorems. And when we repeat, over and over, the process of intentional observation by being a more evolved ideal of self, we become wired to be greater than our environment.
This book is highly recommended. It is perhaps the most complete and accessible guide to the new brain science and provides a clear roadmap and methodology for implementing new ways of thinking and being.
If you missed any of the Larry King interviews with teachers from the movie The Secret, you can now see them on James Ray’s site. The interviews tend to be quite balanced and if you’ve had questions about these teachings, you might find that the phone-in callers have asked your questions. Things like, Why does James Ray charge $997 for his weekend programs?, If two presidential candidates both use the secret who will win?, Who will drive the busses and pick up the garbage if everyone uses the secret?
Click on the banner below to go to James Ray’s site to watch the videos. Then select Free Resources then Multimedia: Audio and Video Samples
Yes, no, maybe? Well, like most things in life it depends on where you’re coming from. A lot of criticism has been appearing recently about the hit movie The Secret. This is to be expected for many reasons, the foremost being that the movie has been a huge hit and is affecting many people. Anytime there is a big cultural event such as this, people become polarized and begin lining up in opposing camps. It’s kind of sad that many of us feel it’s “this versus thatâ€, black or white, up or down. Perhaps there is a middle way?However, I do feel that some of the topics as discussed in the The Secret and elsewhere are often presented in a superficial manner. This blog will present my feelings and thoughts about many of the concepts discussed in The Secret as well as other related topics.
First of all, let me state that I don’t believe in magic. I don’t believe, for example, that you can stop global warming by just visualizing a nice, harmonious planet. If you believe you can, you are severely deluded. On the other hand, if you are walking around thinking that the environmental crisis is beyond hope and that we are all doomed to drown as the oceans rise, then you are pretty much useless in terms of taking any productive, creative action to stop global warming. This is just common sense.
What if we consider someone starving in
Victor Frankl did pretty much the same thing in the German concentration camps. He worked with his mind to not only survive but to thrive. Yes, it was grim but by working with his consciousness he was able to change his internal condition. He was then in a much better position to help himself and others. Many Tibetan Buddhist monks are still being imprisoned in Chinese jails and when released talk about how they worked with their minds to develop compassion for their Chinese jailers.
The problem with this discussion is that on the one hand we have people who have a type of thinking that I would call magical and on the other those who have a materialistic, scientific world-view. It’s pretty hard to have a discussion as both parties are very attached to their mode of thinking and are at opposite ends of the spectrum. The pro-secret people are sincere but many are probably naïve while the anti-secret people are angry that people would dare to think that there is more to the universe than a bunch of lifeless rocks and dirt. They feel they need to educate the poor-deluded masses.
Some people are claiming that the secret is dangerous. That is only true in the sense that any thought, teaching, proclamation will be interpreted according to the stage of our development. The law of attraction can be used in a manner to empower people to live hopeful, motivated, courageous lives or it can be used to create weak, apathetic, disempowered individuals.
NEXT: Does the Law of Attraction actually change the atomic structure of the universe?
