The Secret

The Secret

 by Rhonda Byrne
(based on 2314 customer reviews)

The Secret (Hardcover)
Author: Rhonda Byrne
Publisher: Atria Books/Beyond Words


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Most useful review as voted by customers:
1606 out of 2015 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 12/6/06


I Preferred the DVD

"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." - From the book

Last night, my husband and I watched the DVD version of The Secret and were incredibly moved and inspired. However, I've written a separate review about The Secret DVD here at Amazon.com If you can't find my review here--it's quite buried--you can also read it at my website in the Reviews--DVDs section. THe direct URL is http://janetboyer.com/The_Secret_DVD.html.

An attractive book of 198-pages, The Secret is a deft compilation of direct quotes from the movie version, as well as some connecting thoughts provided by Ms. Byrne. The Secret, according to the author, provides the key to eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible. The Secret heralded discovery, advancement and prosperity through millennia, but was largely withheld from the public. Luminaries like Einstein, Jesus, Plato, Newton, Emerson, Lincoln, Ford--they all knew the secret and applied it accordingly.

So what's the secret? The law of attraction, which, as you probably know, is not new to anyone familiar with New Age/consciousness ideology. The Secret culls wise, practical insights from noted authors, teachers, and life-coaches that show readers how thoughts create reality. That is, what you think literally becomes your life. Every person, every disease, every relationship, every social situation--all are the result of the law of attraction. You cannot behold or experience *anything* that is not the result of your "vibration" magnetizing to a corresponding manifestation. Some of the exceptional contributors to The Secret include Michael Beckwith (founder of Agape International Spiritual Center often featured in What Is Enlightenment? Magazine), Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul series), Hale Dwoskin (The Sedona Method), John Gray (Mars and Venus), Neale Donald Walsch (Conversations With God), Fred Alan Wolf (Dr. Quantum), and many others.

Here are some compelling excerpts from The Secret:

"This is really fun. It's like having the Universe as your catalogue. You flip through it and say, `I'd like to have this experience and I'd like to have that product and I'd like to have a person like that.' It is You placing your order with the Universe. It's really that easy." - Dr. Joe Vitale

"When you visualize then you materialize. Here's an interesting thing about the mind: we took Olympic athletes and had them run their event only in their mind, and then hooked them up to sophisticated biofeedback equipment. Incredibly, the same muscles fired in the same sequence when they were running the race in their mind as when they were running it on the track. How could this be? Because the mind can't distinguish whether you're really doing it or whether it's just a practice. If you've been there in the mind, you'll go there in the body." - Dr. Dr. Denis Waitley

"There is no blackboard in the sky on which God as written your purpose, your mission in life...your purpose is what you say it is. Your mission is the mission you give yourself. Your life will be what you create it as, and no will stand in judgment of it, now or ever." - Neale Donald Walsch

Without exception, every contributor to The Secret offers transcendent yet usable wisdom for enhancing well-being. That is, except the author/editor herself. In my opinion, she basically ruined the book for me with two shallow, accusatory contributions that have no place in this incredible book. And, it's these kind of Western superficialities that have ruined law of attraction books for me in the past.

After being very "high" after watching the DVD, I decided to read the book. I was halfway through when I read this about weight loss, and received a deafening record scratch in my head:

"The most common thought that people hold, and I held it too, is that food was responsible for my weight gain. That is a belief that does not serve you, and in my mind now it is complete balderdash! Food is not responsible for putting on weight. It is your *thought* that food is responsible for putting on weight that actually has food put on weight....IF YOU SEE PEOPLE WHO ARE OVERWEIGHT, DO NOT OBSERVE THEM, BUT IMMEDIATELY SWITCH YOUR MIND TO THE PICTURE OF YOU IN YOUR PERFECT BODY AND FEEL IT" (caps mine for emphasis).

It is this kind of stupid, shallow, prejudicial comment that turns people off the law of attraction! She didn't need to include this inane section in the book, for the wisdom offered by the OTHER contributors clearly spelled out how to attract what you want, cultivate internal joy, radiate gratitude, and so on. What the author has done is what many New Agers (and religious leaders) have done: try to fault readers/disciples by throwing on some "New Age guilt" (as Joan Borysenko would say). This is not new. There were infirmed people in Jesus day and the judgmental, cruel religious leaders at the time--the Pharisees--wanted to know "Who sinned? The boy or his parents?" Jesus replied NEITHER--it was for the glory of God (because the child eventually became healed).

**And just in case you don't think this kind of attitude causes guilt and suffering in others, an 18 year old girl happened to write me the day I posted this review, blaming herself for her agoraphobia because of the Law of Attraction**

But what is perhaps more disturbing is that Ms. Byrne suggests "turning away" from the overweight and implies with her other comments that "fat thoughts" make "fat people"--and that thin is the ideal. Hello?! Fat/thin is a cultural thing. Go to Mexico and you'll find that roundedness is revered. During the 16th and 17th centuries, voluptuous, curved women were seen as ideal because it represented WEALTH. (Famed painter Peter Paul Rubens created breathtaking portraits of full figured women, which is where we get the term "Rubenesque".) Ms. Byrne's ignorance is a reflection of Western pop-culture that says stick thin is ideal (she thought 143 pounds was "fat"!). One could just as easily reason "A full figured woman doesn't think FAT thoughts--she thinks thoughts of ABUNDANCE!" It's all a matter of how you look at it--and how you feel about yourself. But this kind of prejudice--the only kind that is still perfectly acceptable in Western society--has no place in this book in my opinion. One could easily argue, according to the author's logic, that heroin chic is a reflection of thoughts of depravity, scarcity, and self-hatred!

She also states that those who experience widespread calamity (tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, famine, diseases like AIDS, etc.) experience it because they are "vibrating" in exact alignment with these disasters (such as thinking they could be in the wrong place at the wrong time). I'd like to see Ms. Byrne walk amidst the AIDS suffers in Africa or those in Louisiana who survived Hurricane Katrina and say those things. Oh, wait! That's right. According to her we shouldn't OBSERVE such nasty things. PuhLEEZE! Honey, you can vibrate at a high level, with love and compassion, and NOT be "negative"--and still offer solace, encouragement and aid. Hell, even Mother Theresa and her amazing work with the lepers was featured in the film! Duh! This kind of stupidity and coldness is what turns people off to the law of attraction. Maybe THAT is why more people "don't know about it", Ms. Byrne--because The Secret has been tainted by egos like yours instead of left alone to speak for itself! Maybe The Secret has not been hidden, only ignored, because of the chilling narcissism that gets thrown in the mix--contradicting the very wisdom traditions (like the New Testament) that you conveniently hijack to prove the law of attraction!

If Ms. Byrne hadn't contributed those ten or so pages to The Secret, the book would be excellent. How she comes across in those passages--how she "vibrates"--doesn't jive with the rest of the wonderfully sage, revolutionary, and compassionate revelations offered by the other contributors. So I'd recommend--VERY HIGHLY--that you get The Secret DVD instead. It isn't marred by stupidity, and is an utterly amazing work.

However, if you saw the DVD and want a handy reminder of much of the ideas shared in the movie, the book would be a great companion.

Note: If you'd like a more scientific and compassionate take on "thoughts creating reality", try The Intention Experiment by Lynne McTaggart. If you're going through some rough times--death of a loved one, illness, emotional upheaval, etc.--I highly recommend Courageous Souls: Do We Plan Our Life Challenges Before Birth? by Robert Schwartz.

And, I've received a LOT of comments on this review, with some people misunderstanding my comments about the weight issue. In her book A Thousand Names for Joy: Living in Harmony with the Way Things Are Byron Katie writes:

"People ARE perfect just the way they are, however deeply they're suffering, but they don't realize that yet. So when I meet someone who's suffering, I don't say, 'Oh, there's no problem, everything is perfect.' Though I can see that there's never a problem, and I'm available to help him see that, telling him what I see would be unkind. That part of my body is suffering, everything is NOT perfect for him, because he believes it's not. I, too, have been trapped in the torture chamber of the mind. I hear what he thinks he needs, I hear his sadness or despair, and I'm available. That's full-blown activisim."

This, dear readers, was my point.

771 out of 954 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 12/11/06


Great DVD...Book gets a little mean spirited.

I liked the DVD much better than the book. The DVD was totally positive, but like Ms. Boyer, I found some of the books comments made my energy take a dive. Here is why:

Ms. Byrne says that those of us who suffer weather disasters have created the disaster or adversity. Like the power of certain prayers, some things happen because of energies that have been invested far longer than the span of one life. When you move into a disaster prone area you encounter "risk energy" that may have existed for hundreds of years. If Ms Byrne thinks she is stronger than this energy and can stop future storms from entering New Orleans, let me be the first to invite her to live here....Keeping one author in a swank French Quarter apartment (untouched by flood waters) has to be cheaper than the millions we are spending to rebuild the levee system. Even though I don't agree with Ms Byrne I would sooner trust her to protect the city than the government engineers who sat clueless for two weeks while my apartment slowly dissolved under 11 feet of water.

I also share Ms Boyer's dislike of Ms. Byrne's comments about turning your back on "fat" people (or anyone else). The book assumes that everyone who wants to can access good feelings at a moments notice and encourages you to shun people who don't fit your physical or emotional ideal. For many people, especially those from emotionally or financially impoverished backgrounds, feelings of abundance and self-worth can be impossible to access. A few years ago I encountered a book by the social psychologist William Swann. His studies on the affect that self-esteem has on what you attract into your life make very interesting reading that is closely related to the topics discussed here. While forgetting the past is not that hard, creating a feeling that you didn't have while growing up is nearly impossible for most people. Yes, we do hear of rags to riches stories, but they almost always involve a pivotal personal encounter.

Perhaps there is a reason that this information has been kept a secret for so long. Maybe that reason is that too many people would have used the knowledge to abandon the sick, dying, and less fortunate and spend their time generating new toys and bigger and bigger houses. Religion has often existed to remind people that they should be grateful for not having adversity. If you can wish it away, why bother with those who can't? This whole scenario reminds me of the creation story told by the psychic, Edgar Cayce, many decades ago. He said that man was an angel who created matter as a plaything and became encased in it because he forgot his divinity. I see no spiritual problem with having it all, but that can and should include kindness and compassion toward everyone.


143 out of 168 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 2/20/07


You Don't Need This Book...

You don't need this book. You already know everything you need to know to be wise and prosperous. It's already inside of you. Everyone is looking for some magic formula which will allow them to be happy and successful. We all believe that there is some "secret of life" that we need to plug into, and then our fears and angst will disappear and we will glide effortlessly through the cosmos into blissful well-being.

Well, look no further. I am going to reveal to you the Ultimate Secret, and it is not going to cost you a penny! Are you ready? Here it is: The secret of life is... that THERE IS NO SECRET!

It sounds like pablum doesn't it? But only about 5% of the people who read this are going to understand it and believe it. I challenge you to embrace this thought and analyze it. Take it to its logical conclusion, and when you can truly accept this wisdom, you will be able to shed your fears and angst. You may not reach a point where you feel that you are gliding effortlessly through the cosmos, but you will be well on the path toward that utopia. And you will resonate with a happiness you never before thought possible.

I am a firm believer in the Law of Attraction. And I am a devout believer that we are all exactly where we are supposed to be. We truly do create our own destiny. We are always at a place which has been created by the sum total of our thoughts and actions to this point in time. I will take this dictum a step further: We are all exactly where we WANT to be!

You say, "But I want to be a medical doctor, and I am not there!" I answer, "You would be there if you had taken the appropriate actions and trained your thinking to be there. You would have studied what you needed in school to prepare yourself for college and then medical school -- if you truly wanted to be a doctor."

You say, "But I wanted to be a professional basketball player!" I answer, "If you truly wanted that, you would have spent all your waking hours practicing dribbling, passing, shooting, and studying court and team dynamics."

You see, its really that simple. There is no secret other than focusing on a goal and then doing what it takes to get there. Most of us, however, find it far too easy to be lazy and then believe the excuses that we provide for ourselves.

No, you don't need this book. It's philosophy can be summed up quite robustly in one, simple, Biblical phrase: "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." This is the Law of Attraction, and it truly works. It's not magic and it's not a secret. It is a universal, irrefutable, and immutable principle. If you bequeath peace and harmony to those around you, you will recieve peace and harmony. If you disseminate good will and love, you will be blessed with good will and love. If, however, you emanate ill-will and a cynical attitude, that is what you will receive from the world.

No, you don't need this book... but I highly recommend it. You see, as simple as it is to get what we want out of life, we have to overcome all of our past conditioning, all of our negativiy, and all of the bad habits we have spent a lifetime to form. It's very simple, but it is anything but easy! This book will help you to condition your toughts to break your inertia and get rid of bad habits of thought.

Start with this book as your point of departure into a new conciousness, a new awareness, and a new philosophy of life. Then read some of the other excellent books which other reviewers have recommended. You will find that it is easier to be a benfactor than a burden. Offer the best of yourself to the world, and then prepare yourself to receive in abundance!

110 out of 147 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 4/8/07


Good but could have been better

I am absolutely stunned by the level of pure white hot hatred here for this film and accompanying book. This forum has attracted a number of fanatics who appear to have it made it their full time jobs to attack it in every thread. One has even ventured out into the blogosphere to gather allies for her jihad against this film.

So let me present my views of The Secret, both pro and con.

Most of my friends would describe me as a practical person in that I'm only interested in what works--regardless of whether or not it can be proven to work in a laboratory. Both business and life can be challenging so anything that can help me to live a fuller life is of interest to me.

I will start off with the negatives about the film:

1. The dramatic opening is about the cheesiest 3 minutes of acting ever put on film. (I always FF past it in order to avoid gagging.) I avoided seeing it for two months because of the trailer which is basically this opening sequence. Blame the film's low budget for this.

2. "Dr." Joe Vitale saying, "Do you want an extra $25K in unexpected income this month? Well then, just ask for it." Sure Joe, and I'm preparing for the Rapture too. This is the low point in the film, IMHO, and the scene which draws the most attack from critics.

3. The unbearably long scene with the Feng Shui woman giving love advice to the show biz guy. (snore) However, there is some truth in what she says about getting what you focus on--even when done subconsciously.

4. Almost all the claims beginning with "it's been scientifically proven...." should have been edited out or reworded. If something has been scientifically proven a quick search of google.scholar should pull up the paper describing the experiment.

5. Not enough emphasis on the final step: action. While there are several references to the need to take action in addition to visualizing, they aren't strong enough. This has led some people to assume that things will just happen by magic if they meditate on their sofas. They won't. Watch it again.

Now the positives in The Secret:

As mentioned above, I take a basically agnostic attitude towards life by being interested in what works. What works for me may not work for you although the things listed below work for enough people that I'm convinced that there is something to them.

1. Expressing gratitude
This is one of the best pieces of advice in the film. Being grateful for the good things you have, no matter how small, does make you happier. As silly as it seems, get yourself a gratitude rock to remind yourself to be grateful daily.

2. You do have choice in what you dwell on
You have a choice in what you let your mind dwell on. You can dwell on the negative or on the positive. Which will make you happier? I know the answer to that one. The EGS (Emotional Guidance System) is a brilliant technique for helping you focus on the positive.

3. Visualization
Visualize your goals with vivid images as if you already have them. Whenever I have used visualization it's worked for me. I have gone through periods when I stopped using it and my performance deteriorated. Who uses visualization? Well mostly people who take their lives seriously and are doing extremely well. Like pro athletes and top business people.

Here's my advice: if you are curious about trying these techniques, try them in private. You don't need to tell anybody about it especially the Negative Nellies in your life. I initially threw out the baby with the bathwater because the trailer turned me off badly. This delayed my watching The Secret by two months.

The Negative Nellies are like crabs caught in a crab pot. Whenever one crab tries to escape through the big opening in the top of the cage the others will grab its legs and pull it back in. That's why the crab pots don't need a lid.

And remember to take action!

Finally, avoid the "Ain't It Awful Club" members as much as possible. These people only want to keep you down with them. They don't want to see anyone improve their lives. To argue with them is a complete waste of time.

:o)

77 out of 96 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 12/12/06


"Common Sense" Is Not So Common

As I stare at this blank screen before me, I am aware of one thing; Infinite Possibility. To me, a blank piece of paper, or an empty canvas, or a blank computer screen are metaphors for Possibility and so as I begin to write my review, I am aware that my closest companion in any given situation is Possibility Itself. That is why I loved the movie, The Secret so much. That is why I literally gushed in my review of the movie and yet I had some comments on my review that I was a "professional advertiser", that I was getting paid for my endorsement of the movie, that I was attempting to sell a "mystical bill of goods" because I dubbed myself as a "Light Coach". I am a Light Coach...I am a Spiritual Counselor and one of the things I desire to have happen in my life is that I will be able to make it my "full-time career" instead of it just being a part-time gig.

I am excited about this movie and this book, The Secret, for one reason; because it is an idea whose time has come. Yes, this book will be dismissed just as the movie was dismissed, but out of the hundreds of people that may dismiss it, there is going to be one person that gets it. By getting it, I do not mean, a pure intellectual understanding of it. What I mean, is that this person embodies the information. One reviewer said that this was all "common sense". What I have found on my journey is that common sense is not too common. Most of us are operating on old scripts from the past. Most of us are operating on unconscious conditioning. If everybody did what they say they know, this world would not be in the situation that we are in now.

I love the line that Dr. Michael Beckwith says, "What thought has done, it can undo..." He is paraphrasing the late, great Ernest Holmes, founder of Religious Science, who probably paraphrased it from somebody else, and so on and so on. One reviewer asks, "Is there anything new under the sun?"

No. There most assuredly is not. What we must do is apply those things that we thought we knew. If we wish for our life to transform we must daily take the time to see our lives becoming the way we say we desire them to be. Yes, a lot of New Thought/Spiritual/Metaphysical people just get caught in the thinking that all they have to do is envision their dreams and they'll happen, and sometimes, they're right, sometimes dreams just seem to appear out of thin air...but many times we need to act on those things that we say we desire to be in our lives and the book and the movie reminds us of this constantly. Pulling no punches, I often find myself good at envisioning what I desire, but lacking in the action department. That is why I loved the movie and that is why I like the book; it reminds me constantly of those things that I need to consciously and deliberately practice. Not out of a feeling of "not being good enough", but out of a feeling, that I am good enough to be what I say I want to be, do what I say I wish to do, and have those things that I say I desire to have. What I find pretty funny is that the reviewers who say that this is all about materialism are missing one of the greatest truths of the universe and that is, we were all born to live life and to live life abundantly in EVERY SINGLE AREA of our lives.

I do not necessarily think that this book or this movie wants us to ignore the poor, the hungry, the sick, the lonely, etc. What I think the movie and the book stress is to not get "caught up" in the appearances. When we just focus on "what is" instead of "what can be" we are contributing to the continuation of whatever it is that we are looking at. Jesus the Christ was able to heal not because he focused on the disease or the appearance of the situation he was in, but by looking at the Infinite Source of Possibility, GOD!

And to me, this is what the film and the book are all about; focusing on where you want to go with your life. I could sit around and complain about how unfair life has been to me, or I could realize that today is a "blank piece of paper"...a "clean slate" in which I can decide once again what I want my life to be about. That every single moment of life has brought me to right here and right now and that is a blessing in itself.

I liked this book...not as much as the movie, but I am still not sad that I made the investment. And yes, I may have hundreds of books that may sound the same, but sometimes, just a little derivation in the way something is said can change everything. I would also like to stress that it will not be the book or the movie that will transform our lives; that job belongs to us. "Common Sense", I know, but for the most part I really don't think that the majority of people in the world today really don't think or feel that they have control over their thoughts, their feelings, and what happens in their lives. Most of us, and I have done so myself for many, many years, are on auto-pilot. But we can choose again. We can rise up from the ashes of the past and reclaim the Wholeness that is our Holiness and the Holiness that is our Wholeness.

And one last thing, to the person who thought I was in professional advertising and wrote for a living, would you like to hire me? For you see, I am currently using this "Law of Attraction stuff" to be guided and directed to a wonderful new career. I know and I feel that something great will be coming my way just like I know and feel something great is about to happen in your life, as well!

Peace and Blessings.

62 out of 78 people found the following review helpful.
Review Date: 11/27/06


A Doctor's Confession.... "The Secret" inspired me!

I am so loving, happy, and grateful that this groundbreaking movie was put together by these true champions of information! After viewing "The Secret," everything that I've researched from a scientific and spiritual perspective immediately clicked. I was instantly inspired! Actually, I've been inspired by the powerful messeges in the film ever since. After viewing the movie, it then became apparent that I needed to evaluate my current paradigms along with my conscious and subconscious way of thinking! I took massive and immediate action and assumed all responsibility for my previous, habituated way of thinking. Then, I began to remove all resistance out of my life and create empowering paradigms and relationships by using tips and powerful insight from "The Secret." For instance, when I first get up in the morning, I rattle through everything that I'm grateful for and create my day as it was intended. I speak, focus, and visualize positive things into form on a daily basis. I also listen to James Ray's "Science of Success System" in the car and everywhere I go, driving the empowering material deep into my subconscious.

I cannot even begin to tell you how fast my intentions and visualizations are manifesting presently! I was able to write my first best-selling book within two months after viewing the movie! The words and ideas for the book just kept flowing unlike anything I ever experienced before. My practice has exploded in patient volume and financial collections in the last several months as well! I'm constantly attracting powerful business partnerships at a very fast pace and now have several streams of revenue. I am continuously drawing abundance and prosperity into my life and I'm convinced that coincidence is simply attractor energy working in my favor!

I am definitely more aligned with our universal creative source, through which all life comes into being, after watching this movie. I am a very spiritual person in general but I am further enlightened after connecting with these teachers of the secret, James Ray in particular. I have never felt so much gratitude, joy, peace, and happiness as I do today! This movie is an ablolute must!.

Dr. Matthew J. Loop

- Author of "Cracking the Cancer Code"

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