But...take a look at the technology used for this trailer: http://video.vividas.com/media/4317_theSecret/web/
I delivers full screen picture and phenomenal sound right to your computer. Very cool.
Any idea when The Secret will come out?
Is The Secret just a more modern re-framing of Napolian Hill's "secret"?
It's a pretty huge advertising campaign as I've seen it advertised on the television networks as well.
Can't say whether your guess about it being a more modern framing of Napolean Hill's secret but it looks pretty interesting so far.
Well, any clues about what TV network it will be aired on?
March 23 at 2:55 AM Central time is the release day and time. DVD's will also be available.
Oh well, I guess The Secret will only be available to those who have relatively decent internet connections.
I wonder if it has anything to do with Ken Blanchard's book with the same title. There, the "secret" was simply that great leaders were also great servants. Timeless truths so obvious that it evolves into a secret. Hmm ...
Here’s The Secret in a nutshell:
Our thoughts determine our reality, and we attract to us that which we think about most. Once we learn to harness the immense power of our thoughts, we open ourselves up to unlimited possibilities for love, happiness, wealth, and whatever else we may desire.
The really "neat" thing for me was that over the years I have read several of the authors that are on there and then within the last few months I've been connected with several of the other people on there. It was like "oh wow that is so and so" - like a coming together of sorts. For example Marie Diamond is on there - I'm not doing her program through LSC but it was a connection to LSC for me. Then I'm a member of Bob Doyle's Wealth Beyond Reason program and Centerpoint's The Internal Map of Reality Expander course.
Lisa
Right on.
I agree completely. Note the high costs of many "self-help" methods.
It's kinda funny that it's called self-help, anyway. If you go to technology forums (programming and linux forums) and it looks like you haven't done your homework, you get "RTFM," which translates to Read The F'ing Manual.
Rude, but that's real self-help right there, and it doesn't cost a dime. And if you have the gumption, you'll benefit a lot from it.
A lot of people are willing to pay to be told what to think because its comforting.
I was only a bit disappointed that the historical references highlighted in the original trailer weren't examined in the movie - just what is the Emerald Tablet anyway?
But that said, what is so great about this inexpensive DVD (it's only $20) is that you can share it with people who have no idea about such ideas. So many people are focused on the mundane experiences of what appears to be reality, that they cannot for a second believe that they have anything to do with its creation. I am lending this movie to a co-worker who complains daily about the ills of the world and this robbery and that murder...and on and on. But the reality is that these things are not happening to her - they are not her experiences. Who knows why someone creates what they do, good or bad? By reading or listening to the mass-market News you only get a report of what happened, not how or why the situation was created - not the inner reasons, and so that sort of info is useless and ultimately destructive because it just causes a vicious cycle of fear and powerlessness. What about the great things that happen to people all day, day in and day out - where are these reported? You can only understand what you are creating, not the experience of any other.
For those two who feel it's all about greed, you might want to look at how you view the world. Honestly, you can do more to help other people/animals/theplanet if you have some extra to give - time or money. Personally, I think this film, and many of the presenter's books and programs, help people, and not rip them off. If you believe everyone's out to rip you off, then yes, you're bound to get scammed or ripped off - or feel you have. You will attract the perception of it.
You might consider reading Seth Speaks, followed by The Nature of Personal Reality: A Seth Book, and Seth: The Early Sessions Vol 1, all by Jane Roberts. The Early Sessions Vol 1 is particularly complimentary with Robert Scheinfeld's excellent book The 11th Element, and if read together can greatly expand your perception of reality. In my opinion, there is no clearer entry into metaphysics than Seth. The reason I mention this is that it doesn't appear that you are looking beyond the mundane circumstances of life. The Secret is the perfect presentation for those who haven't ever questioned the mass trance that the majority of western culture lives in. The Secret is also a great reminder to those who are awakening more and more to the true nature of reality. It is really a primer on how you attract your experiences, and how important your feelings are in the whole equation. And c'mon, Esther Hicks and Joe Vitale are pretty fabulous in it.
You said:
quote:
I was only a bit disappointed that the historical references highlighted in the original trailer weren't examined in the movie - just what is the Emerald Tablet anyway?
A translation for The Emerald Tablet of Hermes can be found here. I studied with this group (B.O.T.A.) back in the 1980's for 8 years, along about the same time that I was devouring the Seth books. You'll actually find the Seth material is helpful in giving you some ideas on the more recondite meanings in the passages in the first paragraph, although to really get the proper meaning from the second paragraph, a good study of Qaballah and esoteric Tarot are in order. There is much of meaning, way beyond the few words used.
I ordered "The Secret" last week - looking forward to viewing it, and hopefully getting some of my friends and family to watch as well.
Cheers!
Unis 
quote:
Originally posted by hartreefoch:
Personally, I am less than impressed with The Secret, and similar efforts. The hyping of abundance philosophies undermines the real path to enlightenment. I'm saddened that people prey on others by appealing to their greed. The Secret is no secret at all, and why it is lining the pockets of merely clever marketers truly disturbs me.
Well said! In fact, a couple of years back, I had a "new age humor" website. The abundance pages guaranteed absolute millions for the reader. The technique? Just go to all the high-powered, well-known abundance sites on the web, jot down how much the programs and/or seminars cost, then don't buy into them. Add up all the savings.
Very tongue in cheek, and all in good fun, but I did get some hate mail.
Do "I" create my abundance - do I create my life? No - the "I" we are talking about here and which, unfortunately I think this type of commercialised approach can encourage (at least in my case) - is merely an extension of ego; a greedy, fearful, needy false "self". To be honest, if we want to really wake up to abundance and truth in our lives, we need to park our "selves" at the door and open up to the unknown - to the real abundance, which isn't owned, marketed, sold or easily packaged. I'm not affiliated to any particular religion but it's the stuff that is bigger than ourselves - the essence that is beyond us and our self-absorbed concerns - that is what creates life - and what creates abundance. And it still remains a mystery to our limited minds and concepts.
So please don't read this as a negative trashing of an evident attempt to help people to cultivate positivity in their lives. If it really works for some people, great! It's just that to "me", an ego that unfortunately responds well to the potential trappings of material wealth, this particular method or path or tool, simply reinforces the very "self" that I am trying to park by the door. Hence the suspicion on my part.
That said, this of course doesn't mean that this particular tool won't work for others. It's just not for "me". And in the end does any of this really matter anyway in the grand scheme of things? Does "me" really matter anyway?
Thank God (pardon the pun) for the Unknown...
lots of love
Ingrid :0)
As for the negativity comments--was the honest little boy being negative when he truthfully pointed out that the emperor had no clothes?
The thing about abundance--or at least for me--is that the kind of abundance that is fulfilling is best attracted through the heartfelt (meaning it comes from deep, deep within) spirit of giving, or even of sharing. It's been my experience, in hindsight, that the more I give (again, from the heart), the more the Universe opens up for me. Not just money, which is nice of course, but abundance of many categories.
Just curious because it sounds to me that you are upset that people are charging $ for programs that in some way link spirituality to money issues. If everything is energy, then money is just another form of energy exchange. I really don't think money is the issue, though. It is about having a fullfilled life. More than that it is about feeling you are in control of your life, and can do the things you want. Maybe you want more time to meditate or money to help a cause you believe in - maybe you have a great idea and need the time to write a book - honestly, whatever it is, it is the freedom to follow your path.
But the law of attraction isn't all about money. Perhaps you choose to be a caretaker, and you need to attract your next housesit in a timely manner, it's about anything, material or not. There's a great chapter in "Autobiography of a Yogi," where a youthful Yogananda goes with a friend to a city with no money for food or return fare and just knows they will be taken care of - his positive expectation is unfailing. And they are magically taken care of at every turn. Those synchronicity's happen because of belief. Just as $ is the root of all evil is a belief. The great and terrible thing about beliefs is that they will always prove to you that they are true.
I think the Secret is not unlike What the Bleep - it has the potential to wake a lot of people up to how their thoughts and beliefs are creating their reality, or their response to reality, or however you care to look at it.
Now I do find that some programs out there seem either quite flimsy or just an attempt to make money, obviously. But that doesn't mean everyone is out to do this, and I don't find the Secret, or its presenter's, to be of this ilk. Sometimes you just find one thing in a book or course that is productive or leads to something else that's uncommonly worthwhile.
As well, if I can digress from the Secret for a moment, I really don't understand this railing against the ego arguement. I do think that the inner self concious ego (inner self) and the conscious ego are too divided for most of us. Seth explains (in Early Sessions Vol 1) that there in no other species of consciousness where the physical and non-physical have been so divorced as in our reality, which is not healthy. But that doesn't mean you should despise and try to rid yourself of the ego, how could you? I think by acknowledging the inner self, and attempting to connect with it consciously, either through meditation or a practice such as the 11th Element, you do receive direction and guidance from this greater portion of who you are. This strengthens both the ego and it's connection to source.
Anyway, I hope you are having a fullfiling life and wish you the best. Be easy on yourself and others, it's a long short ride.
1. What part did I not care for? Certainly it wasn't the price, which is reasonable. I just found it, hmmm...maybe "shallow" is the right word. For the record, I thought the same about What the Bleep. It's "ok" but not a dvd I'll watch over and over.
2. Was I "upset" over people charging for their programs and seminars? Absolutely not. However, I do think that people who soak these up, one after the other, often without a lot of benefit, are missing the point. It's really a far more simple manner. YOU, in fact, touched on it in your paragraph about Autobiography of a Yogi, one of my all time favorite books by the way.
So if people want to spend lots of money and attend endless seminars and classes, that's ok. But the real "secret" is no secret at all. Mystics and seekers have known, and tried to teach it ("you can lead the seeker to water, but...") since time began.
3. Do I think everyone is out there just to grab a buck? No. Actually, I think very few are "in it" just for the money. They seem, for the most part, sincere and do know "some stuff"--it's just that, as mentioned in (2), the way to abundance is not that complicated.
4. Not sure why you brought up the ego--but since you did, I agree with you. Make friends with your ego, it's an important helpmate. But keep a balance. You might find some of the Huna teachings helpful in that regard. There's a nice Huna group on Yahoo that offers a lot of free teaching.
Hope this helps. Remember what Ingrid said: not all criticism is meant to be hurtful. The Secret is fine, especially if it encourages folks to think .
I, like Jeanne, am not focused on money concerns or a lack/abundance of it specifically - as you say money is just another form of energy.
What I suppose I've been trying to highlight is that for me, programmes which preach "abundance" (and the actual cost of them are incidentally irrelevant to the point which I'm trying to make here) but which focus on promoting the fact that abundance equals you "getting what you want" or "controlling your life" etc. are missing the point of what constitutes real abundance - in my view.
You say it's not just about money (of course I agree with you) but rather it's about fulfillment in life and attaining freedom to follow your path. I again agree with you - however I disagree with you on what that actually implies.
I really think that getting what you want (and what you "want" will of course include a desire to finally feel like you are in control of your life, possibly because it might make you feel more secure/safe etc) - athough it may seem like a good idea at the time will not actually bring you any real or long-lasting abundance or freedom.
I'm afraid I'm with the Buddhists on this one - I feel that this "what I want" approach (no matter how altruistic, charitable and righteous your wants may be, by the way) betrays a sense of attachment/desire/neediness/fear avoidance etc. which merely sows the seeds of further suffering/frustration/entrapment etc. in the long term. Every limited, ego-centric element from this arguably holistic view contains the seed of its opposite - hence the design of the Yin/Yang symbol.
By this rationale, therefore, focusing on concepts of wish fulfiliment surely means that you are merely continuing to operate on the mundane and very limited human back-and-forth level of cause/effect, attraction/repulsion, attachment/revulsion etc.. - a dualistic and conflict-inducing state. Of course we are "creating reality" on this conflict-ridden/pleasure-seeking level - it's just that the "reality" we're talking about here is just more separatist illusion.
When you talk about beliefs I also disagree with you on a few points - first of all I don't think that synchronicity happens because of "belief," I think it happens because of a genuine openness to life - which in my mind is the complete opposite of a belief. I see a belief rather as a mindset which you have chosen or learnt or perhaps been indoctrinated into - how can you really be free if you are operating from such a limited perspective? I also don't think that limitation was ever a central component of CG Jung's theory of cosmic consciousness.
Surely "Truth" is beyond a human's limited mindset? (again I am with the Buddhists on this - is belief and ego not just more illusion - keeping us nicely trapped in the cycle of cause and effect? Isn't the well known Zen saying - "If you meet a Buddha on the road, kill him..."?)
Abundance in my view is beyond "me" (which includes my thoughts/beliefs/concepts)- it is limitless, inconceivable and ever-present. To fully realise it in my life, I need to lose or "die unto myself" so to speak - ie. step beyond the ego, or rather come to the realisation that it never existed in the first place (as the Buddhists would believe)- at least not fundamentally. Ego to me represents the root of argument, separation, conflict in the world. It is only beyond the ego that one can realise wholeness, belonging, abundance...
If we don't agree on some of these fundamental premises, that's totally fine too, of course. Perhaps we're representing two sides of another ego argument! (Yippee - as if the world didn't have enough of those already!) There's harmony out there somewhere though - or is it within?...!
Oh to be a butterfly....
lots of love
Ingrid :0)
Since this is such an interesting, deep and profound posting, I thought I would add my two cents...
Without getting into the symantics of the word, abundance, I think the context in which this word is used also needs to be taken into account. I think there are several milestones on the way to Enlightenment, which is what Jeanne and Ingrid seem to be referring to, involving the transcending of the ego. Along the path to enlightenment, one goes through various phases,as described in Siddartha by Herman Hesse. Siddartha first goes through the ascetic stage, when he tries to control his physical realm, by subjecting his body to very harsh conditions including meditating for days and months outside with very little water or food, trying to get past pain. Then he goes through the opposite phase of extreme materialism when he becomes a successful businessman, and even has mistresses to satisfy his material lusts and wants. After a few years of this life style, internally he feels dissatisfied this "good" life is still not it, and then with a more balanced philosophical outlook (having seen both the yin and the yang) he sits under the Bodhgaya tree and achieves Enlightenment.
My point is that not everyone is seeking that ultimate state of enlightenment. Buddha abandoned his family and kingdom in his quest for enlightenement. Most people are seeking happiness, comfort and security in a "normal" human life, which I think the Abundance referred to by these programs will provide.
I look at these programs as being different tools in a "toolbox" from which one can pick a certain tool or technique to solve a certain life need or situation. If one still has a longing for going further along the path, which none of these tools can satisfy, then one may have to transcend these tools and continue.
Just as an aside, most of the enlightened masters, such as J. Krishnamurthi were reputed to have miraculous powers, which they very seldom used or demonstrated since they did not want the fame or power these abilities would give them. In the spiritual plane they had reached, they had no use for these powers!
[This message has been edited by InquiringMind (edited May 14, 2006).]
I suppose at the end of the day (no matter how abstract and "idealistic" an intention), I am more interested in waking up from the dream than making sure that I have a really nice dream. Plus, I'm afraid that the nicer the dream is, the more likely it will be that I will want to stay asleep!
As you say, this is obviously not the ambition of most people (or me either for most of the time to be honest - I am only human after all and do, despite all the spiritual ideals in the world live a "normal" life like everyone else with all its trappings!)
As you say about Krishnamurti, it is ironic that when you attain enlightenment, those very things you originally thought you needed/wanted or aspired for apparently just fall away anyway!
What is it they say?: Be Still and Know.
And here's me nattering away not allowing the Stillness to even get a leg in!!
lots of love
Ingrid :0)
