The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
|
List Price: Our Price: $5.00 You Save: $18.95 (79%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $1.88 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Secret
Book Review: What is the cause of our reality?
Summary: 5 Stars
I am intriqued by where this information is coming from. Although the Law of Attraction is nothing new and has been advocated by sages for thousands of years as pointed out in The Secret and countless other sources, there has in the last twenty or so years come some fresh and very curious new and different material. We have (so they say) Advocates from the other side who have experienced many lives here and are now progressing spiritually in another realm that is awaiting our arrival. They are loving Advocates that are more than willing to share their greater perspective with us for our benefit. In the 70's and 80's it was Seth speaking thorough Jane Roberts who I believe most will agree ushered in the "New Age" era. Also, the famous turn of the century philosopher and author William James who dictated to Jane Roberts his fabulous book, "The Afterdeath Journal of an American Philosopher". Now it is Abraham speaking thorough Ester Hicks delivering more of the same sort of material. Also, now we have Arten & Pursah speaking thorough Gary Renard. I'm sure there are many more but I have been captivated and enthralled by those mentioned for the last few years. The thing that is most convincing to me is the fact that I can see no contradiction in any of these sources despite their diversity and they resonate with my credibility completely. Although, I must confess that I have not been as successful as yet in demonstrating the results as I would like, I nevertheless completely believe in the process. Abraham says that there is absolutely nothing that happens to us that we have not invited through our thoughts although we may very well not have done so consciously. He reminds us that when we desire something, we are immediately faced with a dual situation, that of our desire and that of our observations or what is. What is or what we are observing is what we have attracted by our conditioning so far. And the reason some of us have more difficulty in creating something different is that we are being influenced more by what we are observing and our ingrained beliefs than we are by our thoughts on what we are desiring.
It seems that most of the discussion here accepts the basic principles of LOA but is particularly non-accepting of the authors comments about fat. To say that food has nothing to do with weight gain is "out there". At least certainly an idea that the populous is not about to accept. It may very well be true from a "pure" LOA perspective but none of us are to the point yet that we are not largely influenced by our conditioning, training and daily observations. So at least for now the statement that food is not an issue is not a practical statement as it relates to our current situation. However, I don't think this in any way lessens the principle of LOA that simply says that our thoughts and beliefs tend to attract and eventually manifest matching conditions.
I think that saying LOA is not sympathetic to the needy is going off on a tangent. I don't think most anyone would view the promoters of those who produced The Secret as non-caring individuals. I believe they are simply saying that teaching new principles is more effective and helpful then any amount of sympathy. But this would in no way preclude being loving and sympathetic or sharing with them materially or physically.
The statement, if one is an LOA believer then let him jump off a building and depend on his thoughts to override gravity is absurd. No one is saying that we are capable of creating instantaneous miracles or that we can immediately overcome all ingrained beliefs.
Also, I think it unfair to those involved with The Secret to bash them as just trying to rip off the poor. I came away feeling that these people were genuinely enthused by their discovery and application of something that worked for them and that they were actually wanting to share the good news with others so that they too could benefit. Maybe I'm naïve but I wouldn't expect them to write books and etc. without compensation.
Another issue that is giving people difficulty with this idea is the fact that millions are born and die in conditions of abject poverty, squalor, aids, etc. Are we saying that these people have chosen this situation? What about the little girl or boy who is stricken with cancer? Did they choose this? Our Advocates tell us that we are part of a much larger "Self" and that we choose various lives to add color and dimision to our otherwise blissful existence because pure bliss is essentially meaningless without non-bliss for contrast. We may choose favorable or difficult lives for reasons beyond our current perspective. The question then becomes, which is the determining factor then in the remainder of this life, our life's choice or our new found knowledge of thoughts controlling our reality? Seth says that nothing is predetermined and that everything is in a state of flux and constantly changing based on our current consciousness.
If one chooses to dismiss all of this as hog-wash then one must ask what then is creating our reality? Is it simply chance, random circumstances, luck, breeding, wit, etc.? Is God blessing some more than others because of their worship habits, etc. Seth says that all events precipitate from consciousness both individually and collectively and that there are no exceptions. Since belief determines experience, whether you believe it or not you are correct.
Book Review: A Very Effective Book for Introducing the Masses to Mind...
Summary: 5 Stars
The Secret has certainly created a stir; and that's one of the main reasons I give this book 5-stars. This isn't my favorite book; but it has engaged many people in the search for something spiritual. Though many people who have read this book are disappointed, my guess is that they were already disappointed and that many things in life disappoint them -- this book simply isn't the cure-all, or magic trick, they were hoping for. The Secret is a book that will make you think about things you never thought of before (unless this isn't new to you); and this book was brilliantly packaged and marketed in such a way as to introduce many people to the power of their own thoughts. There may be better voices; but this is a great song. This is the first book in a long time to come right out and say many of these things without worrying about how politically-correct it was said -- extra credit for boldly delivering a potentially controversial message. There is no doubt in my mind that the concepts in this book are useful; nonetheless, it is up to the reader to continue their own exploration.
The problems with this book seem to be that a very complex set of concepts was explored authoritatively by someone who is not really an expert. These concepts make up a lifetime of study for some people; and cannot be fully taught in such a small volume. The DVD was much more thorough, but was still only a brief introduction to only a handful of the people working in this field -- many of whom are really Entrepreneurs, and not spiritual gurus (though many have put on that mask since The Secret...).
The ideas that people bring bad experiences upon themselves with their thinking is too complex for such simple treatment -- and the people who are up in arms about this are not thinking properly either. The fact is that all is well and balanced; judgments are simply judgments. The world is much bigger than any of us can truly comprehend in a meaningful and useful way. If we are thinking about the problems of others on the other side of the world, we simply aren't using our resources effectively. We can't help those people until we learn how to think better (...not worrying about what we can't change, for instance). We can become the change we seek in the world; but not by worrying and complaining.
The Secret introduces many concepts -- maybe oversimplified -- that we all need to be thinking about. The critics who complain about "WHAT" people are, or might be, "asking for," or using The Secret to get, have missed the point, too. These are still just judgments; and the fact remains that, if The Secret were rubbish, the critics are wasting their time complaining about rubbish -- are these guides you want to follow?
The Secret shouldn't be viewed as one of the more important Spiritual works of our time; but it is undoubtedly a powerful work of consciousness to get the attention of so many people in such a short period of time -- and it should be remembered for the sheer number of people it introduced to the concept of taking more active control of your thought-life. If you didn't like The Secret, look for more practical spiritual works, such as Jeff Maziarek's "Spirituality Simplified," or "Ask and It is Given," by Esther and Jerry Hicks. There are many to choose from these days -- and The Secret is also responsible for inspiring more complete spiritual guides to fill an information gap left by this book. But that isn't a bad thing -- hunger for knowledge is what makes you hunt and consume knowledge.
I think the variety of responses to The Secret is a bit reminiscent of Goldilocks and the Three Bears: There are newcomers to the idea of a mental/spiritual Universe, who tried it and didn't like it because they didn't understand it enough to make it work; and there are "spiritual adepts" who picked the book up and found themselves casting judgments because of what the book wasn't saying, or the "bad" places it might lead readers; and then there are some for whom the book is just right -- those who know enough, but not too much, and those who simply accept it for what it is without judging it for what it is not. The Secret is as good a starting point for the spiritual path as any; but keep walking and keep looking. Your journey has only just begun... There's much more to this story than any one book can give you.
Book Review: A Good Step in The Direction of A Positive Mental Attitutde
Summary: 5 Stars
Summary:
I'm just going to tell you The Secret and you can decide if you need to buy the book. The Secret is that like attracts like. If you embrace a positive mental attitude, a good life will follow."The law of attraction is a law of nature. It is impersonal and it does not see good things or bad things. It is receiving your thoughts and reflecting back to you those thoughts as your life experience. The law of attraction simply gives you whatever it is you are thinking about." The Secret relies on such pop-new-age-feel-good icons as Jack Canfield of The Chicken Soup Series and John Gray author of the Venus and Mars books, to basically reiterate the law of attraction and provide antedotal evidence for 198 pages. The book and DVD claim that successful and rich men like John Rockefeller, Ford and Einstein have possessed The Secret.
Opinion:
I think a positive mental attitude is important and if you need help in achieving this, you will learn something from The Secret. Even though the book and DVD make the same point over and over again, if you need help maintaining "The Secret" in your mind, then you should buy the book because I believe that eventually the message will sink in. But the book is a bit thin. Yes it's a 198 pages, but it's a 198 small-sized pages with a lot of bullet points. It's not dense text. And as an aside, the book is pretty. It's printed on shiny paper made to look like ancient parchment. It would make a nice gift. I seems like the publisher decided a good binding would make up for the lack of hard text.
On a more cynical note:
Rhonda Byrne is the creator of What's Cooking and The World's Greatest TV Commercials. She came across an old 1910 book "The Secret of Getting Rich" and decided to make it into a DVD. She sold 600,000 copies by word of mouth before the thing was even on Oprah. There really isn't anything more to The Secret than the power of positive thinking, but it's big because Byrne hints an intrigue and conspiracy along the lines of the Da Vinci code. In the beginning of the DVD she shows powerful men meeting around a table sharing the sercet with eachother, taking blood oaths and promising not to tell the plebians-the great unwashed masses. It really plays into insecurities.
There is nothing new in The Secret. It's the same message repackaged so that a great marketer can get rich-and she is. I'm sort of disappointed in Oprah. She usually supports authors that are a little more worthy. (sigh.)
My Experience with the Secret:
I was introduced to The Secret DVD over a year ago. I watched about half of it because as I said, it kept making the same point over and over again. The DVD was narrated by an Australian woman and I got the impression that it was being distributed by one of the new age religions that have a stong hold down under. Both the book and DVD seemed a bit cult-ish. And the woman who had given the DVD to my friend is involved in cults. The production seemed a bit cheesey, but I still found the message good. (A quick check of the internet proves my suspicions. Yes, Rhonda Byrne is an Australian. She used to work for nine network news. Production on The Secret began in 1994)
But in both the DVD and the book they are trying to really stretch things out to achieve a DVD and book. The same person who introduced me to the DVD bought the book and gave it to me for an afternoon. I was able to read most of it in two hours. Recently this book has been on Oprah and I suppose everyone is going to be on the Secret bandwagon for a while. It's the feel good, it's all about me, psycho fad that baby boomers latch on to. I think Anthony Robbins preaches this same sort of thing. They say that Australians are the most positive people on the planet. Maybe they all know The Secret.
Caveat:
It seems to me that like a lot of movements The Secret can be used to delude yourself and harass friends in need. I can imagine talking to some friend about a problem and getting "you're not using the secret" in response. If you buy into the Secret, use it positively.
Book Review: The Secret by Byrne
Summary: 5 Stars
The theme throughout the volume focuses on transitioning from the formulation of an idea or concept through actualization by utilizing
the power of positive thinking. Negativity only gets in the way of progress by blocking creativity and leading to depressive modes of behavior and ultimately bad outcomes. In addition, the book provides a considerable argument on how to break out of negativity through relaxation and imagination.
The author demonstrates how frequent contemplation of our goals will lead to creative strategies to reach them in an iterative process of
experimentation. The presentation covers another important aspect which impacts on whether or not we can help people. That is, we must have a positive image of ourselves. Otherwise, it will be more difficult to help others.
In many respects, this is the stuff of great thinkers, inventors and social reformers. A beauty of this book is that the author sets forth the conditions for "positivity" to grow and flourish. A weakness of the
presentation is that meritable goals require considerable effort to
guide the idea from the initial inspiration to ultimate achievement.
In some respects, the author gives an unrealistic impression ; such that,
imagining a goal leads to some instant attainment of it. Goal attainment
can be a complex process which requires time, effort and the active involvement of strategic constituencies of people. Very often, simple goals
are easily reached. More difficult goals require a higher level of
commitment described earlier.
Other books; such as, SUPERLEARNING by Ostrander teach relaxation modes
as a condition precedent to advanced learning . This work is reinforced by dozens of quotations from famous persons in various contexts throughout history. In order to reach a goal, the author states that we need to imagine ourselves doing it in an iterative process leading to a successful result. Many times, we can facilitate reaching a difficult goal by imagining it first and tracing through the myriad of steps necessary to achieve success.
In some respects, Mrs. Sullivan utilized these techniques in training
Helen Keller to overcome the hopelessness of her situation. This was accomplished by associating words with concrete concepts in a carefully contrived series of encounters marked by a complex interplay of rewards and punishments. For example, Helen Keller learned to associate liquid water
with rudimentary speech; such as "wah-wah". This successful association
lead to greater and greater positivity and ultimately to progressive
language acquisition. The encounters transformed Helen Keller's personality
from bouts of sporatic neurosis to a more unified and tranquil human being.
A book of this nature would be very helpful in today's world. It provides
a step-by-step roadmap on how to overcome a variety of negations in our
everyday local lives and in the greater macro-community of this world.
There is certainly much negativity to overcome in the world at large.
Few authors address the consequence of extreme negativity with specific
steps to break loose from this cycle of hopelessness and destructive
self-perpetuation/absorbtion.This work can lead to scenarios where we can articulate solutions to the most complex problems. The acquisition would be a worthy purchase for any personal library.
Let's say that you don't agree with the thrust of the book or my description of it. How can you move any considerable agenda forward without an atmosphere of positivity or formulation of potential alternatives to present to strategic constituencies for a formal critique?
Do the readers have better ideas? If so, what are they?
Book Review: Change Your Thoughts Change Your Life
Summary: 5 Stars
"When you emit the perfect frequency of what you want, the perfect people, circumstances and events will be attracted to you and delivered!" ~ pg. 163
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, except "The Secret" can be tested in your own life to see if it is valid and true. As I read this intriguing book I started to notice why I was successful in some areas of my life and not in others. What I've been thinking is truly the reality I've created for myself.
For years I've been able to manifest free books and my thoughts about receiving free books was constant until I had over 200 books to review and realized I didn't need as many. The minute I changed my thinking I had less offers and less books appeared. The only thing is, I had to write the first review.
As Bob Doyle says in this book: "Action will sometimes be required." This book almost seems to have a missing chapter, the one where the author explains the hard work most people have to do to see their dreams realized. Very few people will probably see their dreams materialize unless they take some initial action. You should not only imagine your future but also take steps in the direction of your dreams.
Can you really think your way thin? This book claims you can. I tried putting up pictures on my mirror to inspire weight loss and I did lose 25 lbs but this was mostly because I also "literally took steps" by walking one hour a day. If I had only sat around imagining that I was thinner I doubt it would have worked. It also took me over 30 years to produce a cookbook, it didn't magically appear although I thought about it every day. I still had to do the hard work of testing the recipes and writing the instructions. Some of the authors in this book claim to have great riches and neglect to tell you that they also had to do the hard work of writing their books.
I think this book works differently for each person. I have been able to manifest books, an amazing best friend (OK, I also prayed about this one), items that magically appear in the mail (answers to questions I had). So in some way "The Secret" is working in my life on a small scale. I still haven't been able to manifest my ideal house or a car.
At times this book is overly materialistic. Do you really need a new car and all the car payments that come with it? Will a car magically appear just because you wish for one? This book claims that the Universe is a "genie" and it will give you everything you want. (In my own experience, praying to God is more effective than asking the universe for what I want.)
I won't spoil the book for you by telling you the three main things you have to do to see your dreams appear in reality. They are relatively easy and it only takes a small amount of effort - mostly training your mind to think positively.
While for the most part, this book shies away from religion it does go a little far by saying we are all God in human form (A very New Age belief). According to the Bible we are created in God's image. There also is nothing about 9/11 or Katrina in this book. In fact this book claims that negative thoughts are not as powerful as positive thoughts.
So if you want to try out extreme positive thinking and you are willing to "be your own experiment" I can recommend this book to you. I've seen some of the principles work in my own life so many of the ideas are true and testable.
You may also want to read: Keys to Positive Thinking by Michael J. Ritt. This book also promotes visualization and promotes putting pictures of things you want up on the wall.
~The Rebecca Review