One year ago, in the Autumn 2006 edition of this newsletter, I highly recommended the DVD The Secret. In late June 2006, I had heard raves about the movie from a business networking group and after seeing it once, I bought the DVD to watch over and over. I even bought copies for my family! The original version of The Secret*, which was only available until the end of September 2006, still remains one of the very best movies to show people a better way to live life: One of conscious co-creation with the Divine using positive thought and actions.
After seeing the movie, I shared it with everyone who would listen…including this newsletter list. Of course, it really hit the mainstream when Oprah had two shows about The Secret, and several After The Show programs on Oxygen. Since then, Oprah has interviewed Esther Hicks and Abraham for her radio show, as well.
What's So Secret about The Secret?
All of the concepts in the DVD have been talked about and written about, in bits and pieces, for centuries. Some people felt that was a reason to criticize the content. Notice the title wasn't The NEW Secret. The title refers to 
both a subject that has not been openly discussed as well as one that holds the key to what most people want in their lives. The reason DVD hit a nerve is that many people understood the basic idea, but nobody was talking about it in enough detail to make a difference in people's lives. Certainly, very few people were advocating the power of the mind, and if so, did it in hushed tones as side conversations. A sad state for something that has the power to positively transform human experience.
I've read many critical comments about the movie online this past year...IMHO the vast majority sound like sour grapes. Rhonda Byrne stepped up and created a huge buzz, not to mention a huge profit, and detractors all leave the impression they believe they could-have-done-that-and-made-millions-too. Uh-huh. OK. Rhonda is the one who took positive action...something critics claimed the DVD did not emphasize. I say they weren't paying attention to the movie's message. Instead of taking positive action, critics fixated on Rhonda rather than her message (this isn't the first time...humans seem to ignore the message in favor of the messenger) and fault the movie for it's infomercial-feeling opening sequence. People who have money issues found fault with the movie's financial well-being chapter, and those with relationship issues poo-poo'd the relationship segment. You can practically hear their hangups talking as they gripe about the movie.
That's too bad, because this indy movie has gotten the general public talking about something that only a few were willing to discuss—something that was not mainstream and had once been a closely held secret for thousands of years —and now millions of people are talking about applying the law of attraction to their lives. That's both amazing and wonderful!
Putting the Pieces Together
I am certainly no stranger to the concept of positive thinking, having used affirmations for the past 22+ years and started AffirmingSpirit to help others learn about affirmations. Yes, I'd experienced amazing results with affirmations, but I also had sporadic results...often they worked, and other times they did not. The reason they didn't work eluded me. If a person like myself doesn't understand fully how positive thinking works, what about the rest of society?
For me, The Secret DVD put all the pieces of the puzzle together and showed me how my feelings and emotions were further influencing my efforts with affirmations. It helped me understand that when I focused or dwelled on the results I didn’t want, or what wasn't working for me, I just brought more of that (what I didn't want) into my experience. When I unconsciously engaged in worry, frustration, anger, and irritation, I was only successful in attracting more of the same. In 89 minutes, it helped me understand, very clearly, what I had not been able to comprehend reading 22 years worth of books! Afterward, I was pumped and knew what to do. Everytime I watched the movie, I got something more out of it.
It also helped me understand my unpredictable affirmations results, and the subtle ways I had held myself back in the past. As I listened to those around me talk, I could hear in their voice the subtle ways they sabotaged themselves, too. This, I realized, is why some people had positive results, and others continually had little or no results. People may have been physically doing affirmations, but no one was monitoring their inner voice…too often, their inner negative critic.
The Student was Ready…
The movie also introduced me to Esther Hicks, of Abraham-Hicks fame. Years prior, several people had tried to introduce me to Abraham, a group of entities channeled by Esther Hicks, but I just was not interested in hearing yet-another ‘channeled’ entity. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, I had followed Ramtha and several other channels. I found some of their information interesting, but for the most part, they just created more questions than they answered. Following them was exhausting and felt like a waste of time. I was no longer interested in listening to channels when someone had given me an Abraham-Hicks intro CD. Listening to it, I just didn’t feel like it was useful information. That was more than 4 years ago.
When I saw Esther in The Secret I found her both very down-to-earth, and the words she spoke incredibly powerful. There was something about what she spoke that was both very practical and yet very profound. After realizing who she was and really feeling a resonance with the words she spoke, I dug up that Abraham-Hicks intro CD and listened to it again. This time, I was blown away!! I recognized some of the phrases and wording that were used directly in The Secret voiceovers, and this time, the words made incredible, profound sense!
Since that time, I have sought out more information from Abraham-Hicks and recommended them to others who were seeking more after watching The Secret. I have put their law of attraction suggestions to the test and found them working with amazing ease and power. Now that I regularly apply the law of attraction techniques first introduced to me in The Secret, and fine-tuned in Abraham-Hicks Law of Attraction 5-CD set, as well as several Abraham-Hicks books, I have watched my life morph in seemlingly miraculous ways. Overall, I am much happier and content, I have quadrupled my clientele, and all my relationships have deepened. I feel more jouous and connected to Divine Source now than at any other time in my life. For that, I am extremely grateful! Further more, everyone I know who is regularly applying Abraham's techniques are having similar results, proving that it isn't just one person getting results.
The Law of Attraction in Action
What I’ve experienced is not unique. I regularly connect with people who, like myself, have embraced the law of attraction and are putting it to use in their life. Whether you call this power The Law of Attraction or Divine Source or God or Allah or Buddha, it still works! The name you give to it does not change it's affectiveness. If you apply the techniques, it’s truly possible for anyone who makes the effort to experience amazing results. It's certainly a lot more fun to be around people who see joy, love, and infinite possibility for happiness all around them than to be with those who just gripe about how miserable they are.
Most people focus their attention on what’s wrong with their life. They sit around and wait for things to happen to them, then they complain that what happened to them is not what they wanted. The only way you can get what you want is to consciously request it, desire it, imagine it, feel it, and believe it is on its way to you, and then take appropriate actions. Anything less is creating by default…living with the crumbs and leftovers of others creations.
What about you? Are you a person who has embraced and put the law of attraction into action, or are you living your life by default, and then complaining about what you get?
Looking for More?
If The Secret touched a nerve in you, and you want to learn more about applying the law of attraction, I highly recommend visiting Abraham-Hick's site and listening online to their introduction CD (it's free) or you can have one mailed to you. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. If their message doesn't resonate with you, let it go. It's either not the right time for you (as was my original experience), or they are not speaking to you.
Note to Readers: The later ‘Extended Edition’ of The Secret actually removed Esther Hicks’ powerful contribution and replaced it with longer-winded, but less powerful readings of similar words by other people. In my humble opinion, it’s just not the same. If you haven’t seen the original version, and you know someone with the original version, ask to see it. You won’t be disappointed.
