Why “The Secret” Is a Scam
thou shalt not hear, see, nor speak any negative vibrations
So there’s this movie that purports to share the biggest secret of the ages, carefully hidden until now, blah blah blah. Don’t get me wrong–this is an immensely uplifting, feel good movie. It has value. And it’s also full of crap. What exactly is their “secret”? It’s not like Think and Grow Rich or The Power of Positive Thinking, or The Law of Attraction have been kept hidden by some cabal of powerful business men. None of this is new, and none of it’s a secret. In fact these are the titles of immensely popular and influential books over the last century.
So what’s the secret?
Esther Hicks found hers and teaches through the voice of Abraham. Wayne Dyer found his and he teaches the Power of Intention. Byron Katie found hers and teaches The Work. I found mine, and I teach Financial Alchemy.
But even these aren’t the secret.
Cause you can do everything “right”–the mantras, the meditations, the visioning, the vibrations, the positive thinking–and not see a change in your circumstances. You’re still waiting for that abundance and prosperity you’ve been promised. Give yourself a break. You’re not doing it wrong. You’re not less worthy. There’s nothing wrong with your vision board. You’re just where you are. Right now. We all take a turn in that dark night of the soul.
“Be a light unto yourself,” the Buddha taught. Take all these teachings in, and take them all with a grain of salt. There’s an old Irish adage that says you have to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather is. Nobody else’s law is your law, not even the Law of Attraction.
I believe in a strong Tendency of Attraction. Don’t get me wrong–I’m all about attraction. I think about something and a few days later it shows up. But a law of attraction? Like always attracts like? Not really:
Twenty four years ago, I was in rapturous love for the first time. I was getting straight A’s and awards in high school. And I had just come home from my first trip to Europe. It was a very high vibration time. Until I was hit by a car, went into a coma, and came out with a serious brain injury that destroyed my life for a few years. I had to let go of everything I knew about spirituality at that time just to survive. In this instance, at least, like did not attract like.
While I may quibble with the Law of Attraction, I choose to believe in a Law of the Highest Good: everything happens for the highest good. Everything. You just have to survive it first.
So what really is “the secret”?
Sure, there’s more and more evidence of a connection between mind and matter. There’s a connection between you and the universe itself. “As above so below” is the first law of Alchemy. How you access and express those connections is unique to you. You have to find it yourself.
What you discover will probably look A LOT like what other people have been saying for the last 10,000 years, but it’s different when it comes from you.
Other stuff will look very different and may be even more important. It’s your contribution. In fact this may be what you’re here to teach so others can discover their own secret.
Every personal discovery changes history forever.
We all have to reinvent the wheel at some level for ourselves. I cannot presume to have your answers, only suggestions. The finger the teacher points at the moon is not the moon itself. That’s the only “law” there is.
Tags: Abraham, abundance, alchemy, esther hicks, financial alchemy, Napoleon Hill, positive thinking, prosperity, the law of attraction, the secret, Think and Grow Rich
August 20th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
right on, somebody had to say it.
August 28th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Too True!!! Thanks for pointing out what we need to know…NO ONE is going to get us there, before we’re ready to BE there!!! And no amount of frustration that we’re not already there is going to get us there any faster!!!
July 10th, 2009 at 7:49 am
Hi Morgana, loved your video at the top of the page and how you described the relationship that most people have with money. I am totally with you here and if you want you can see it everywhere, just ask people if they think it is healthy to be wealthy. You are also very hot, hope you dont mind me saying this. If you are ever in the UK then please let me know so I can come see you speak and introduce myself.
All the very best, Mike
July 10th, 2009 at 11:44 pm
Thank you Mike!
July 11th, 2009 at 10:40 am
I want to “ditto” Mike’s comment…”you’re hot!” When I heard you on my friend Virato’s radio show, and you likened money to a lover, it underscored my longing for that lover that has been eluding me my entire life, as well as the money! Thanks for some new suggestions…I will begin applying what I learned from you. Rob
April 21st, 2010 at 9:32 pm
Forget about Secret. That book is not even inspirational.
Emotions are actually felt by the body not mind. Whenever you are experiencing strong emotions, observe your bodily sensations. You can manipulate these sensations using your mind. How many times you had the gut feeling of success or failure in spite of uncertainty. And how many times your gut feeling won over your thinking mind.
Law of attraction is all about manipulating this gut feeling to achieve success. The key here is “uncertainty”.
July 3rd, 2010 at 1:15 am
Hi
:I think “The secret” is the Perfect Scam! Quatum Phisics is only a theory not a law. If something positive happens in someones life it is purely coinsidental unless you make it happen by taking physical action. Sucess in life is explained in a book I read 30 years ago called “How to win friends and influence people”. If one wants something you get it from other people. Without humans there is no life, world, existence. etc. We are the secret! For instance, if you want to become a famous
actor you need to live, communicate , socialize, etc with people who are in that field.
You may have to relocate to the place they are at and find where they socialize at.
The more LOVE you give them they will give you what ever it is you desire. People need People no matter who they are. People need to give. It is a very basic need we all have. This LOVE that you give them has to be only sincere, not to just get what you want from them. The more people you Love the more Love you will receive. This abundance of love in the field you disire will fulfull all your dreams and desires.
MIKE
August 12th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
Hey, great writing.
March 24th, 2011 at 7:12 pm
I really liked your writing and logic and thought this guy is pretty smart and I think he writes well. Then I scrolled up to the top, bc I’m on a little iPhone you see, and realized you were an attractive woman. So that was pretty neat. Smart and good looking not bad lady.
May 17th, 2011 at 9:28 am
The Secret is a scam. The idea is right. If you are positive, if you go for it, you will get what you want. But still you need to work on it. But I know several people, who practice the secret. Before they started they were fine. Kind and nice people. After that they turned into jerks. They want to hear only positive things. They don’t want to hear about someone’s problem and they refuse to help others. They are like robots. I don’t want to be like that. It’s nice when your life is completely positive. But you know what? I enjoy helping other people. And can listen to their problems and help them. And there is nothing wrong with that. I would rather do this than be happy robot like them. And I trust God. He knows what I want and He will give it to me when I am ready.
I would like to say that I was looking for those people who took part in the “Secret”. Most of them sell training programms for big money. Really? That’s how secret works? I think it’s a scam. You don’t need any of them. Everything you need is a goal. And you have to use every opportunity to achieve it.
P.S. Sorry for my mistakes. English is my second language.
May 18th, 2011 at 11:38 am
Thank you for posting, Lana!
May 31st, 2011 at 6:58 am
Perfectly said! I’m so terribly sick of people using the “law of attraction” to lay blame at the feet of those suffering. Sometimes, it just is what it is.
May 31st, 2011 at 3:39 pm
Thanks Rhi.
June 25th, 2011 at 5:10 pm
OMG. I agree with Lana.
The Secret as a promotional inspirational movie or book is a scam, although its idea is not. They’ve just exaggerated it so much, that people would tend to do it, and would end up being selfish beings.
Too much positivity is not happiness at all. If this positivity doesn’t help you see the whole picture of reality, you won’t get to that goal. Learned that lesson myself.
June 27th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
Thank you Anja. It’s that exaggeration–at the sacrifice of wholeness–that causes trouble!
August 22nd, 2011 at 9:22 am
Lately, my husband and I have been getting comments by acquaintances and friends that we apparently live the life of the Secret. Never heard of the book or the DVD we purchased the DVD and watched it.
While we are not familiar with any movement associated with the Secret, one theme that has been expressed in a few of these replies we find to be so true. In taking on full accountability for your actions and your responses, we have both found that living a life of gratitude has always lead us to a much better outcome everytime.
That being said, it is with our chosen efforts that have brought our successes. This likely is because we both find that when in a positive frame of mind, which an attitude of gratitude maintains, it’s easier to figure out next steps when resolving a challenge, problem or pursuing a goal.
The Secret from the movie never appeared to be for us the magic bullet to solve all of our problems, it’s just a re-enforcement about how powerful your state of mind can impact your outcome.
Both of us remember an obvious formula that we read in Jack Canfield’s book the Success Principles:
“Event + Your Response = Outcome”. This has stuck in our head ever since. Why?
Controlling your state of mind and knowing the outcome you really want, will help steer your Response so that the outcome gets you closer to what you wanted.
All the best to everyone, and thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts!
Noriko.
September 28th, 2011 at 2:39 am
I agree it’s NOT a secret at all, I have been knowing that “your thoughts create your reality” like.. DUUUH
What seem to be so powerful about that movie isn’t even the cast.. Mostly unrelevant visionaries and self-help guros.. Go on youtube and you find plenty of them and “self-proclaimed” ones as well. I guess gullible people are infatuated with that movie because it brings up SO MANY examples of how rotten someone’s life can be.. And the examples are SO MANY, obviously there’s always someone out there in the world with that exact particular problem.. It’s like if you throw a rock out of the window and there’s a crowd downstairs you’re bound to HIT at least someone. That is their basic scheme. And also, it’s quite disturbing the way that woman tries to make you believe that “when natural catastrophies happen, that’s because people in that particular area in that particular moment weren’t thinking positive enough”. That is just preposterous… It’s like saying “the World Trade Center victims all attracted those airline jets with their negative thinking”… LIKE RIIIIIGGGHHHTT, a financial center full of business people and tycoons OBVIOUSLY must have SO MANY negative thinkers… What a joke.
October 11th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
There is a whole industry worldwide in the game of promoting positive approach to life. Many of the people involved in this are con artists, professional salespeople who use the vehicle of the internet to market an idea or a concept of the ideal world, be happy and positive at whatever cost and you will gain great abundance and have a great life??. This notion is false and unrealistic to a large degree. I would agree with one of the previous contributors, these people that make money out of preying on the vulnerable and on people’s emotions are by and large like robots, people who don’t display any real emotions and are in it for the money. These people are manipulating decent people and should be stopped.
October 11th, 2011 at 11:11 pm
I agree with you wholeheartedly Liam.