The Secret of The Secret

How we came across The Secret
Last night JC, R and I watched a 'self-help' film called The Secret.  When I bought it in a charity shop I thought it was entertainment, but we watched it anyway.  R was sceptical before the play button was pressed, decided it was impossible, and left after 10 minutes, JC and I nearly turned it off one third of the way through, but curiosity to see how it ended made us see it through.  www.thesecret.tv/behind.html

This morning I'm of a mind to try to understand the secret of The Secret and so I draw out my favourite thinking tool, Po.  Po was invented by Edward DeBono, it is a word which means 'neither yes nor no' and allows us to respond to an idea, run with it, see where it goes, and avoid 'yes or no' before we start which prevents us from exploring it.    edwdebono.com  

This 'Secret' idea is running pretty quickly so I will have to make an effort to run pretty quickly with it.


At its simplest, The Secret is revealed as the Law of Attraction.  To be more specific, the thinking/feeling inner law of attraction, rather than an 'outer' physical sense-perception law of the world we are born into and of which we are a part.

It is a law like a physical law, such as gravity, in that it is an automatic consequence, the result of applying it, and does not rely on any being deciding on an outcome, or any preconceived judgement on whether an action is 'right or wrong'.  It is a law which allows 'inner' reality to become an 'outer' manifestation.  Unlike the law of gravity, we don't understand much about how it works,  it suffices to practice, and the law will work itself out in its own sweet way.


The Secret is;   what we give full, passionate attention to, what we think about all the time, is what we attract.  If we are careless or muddled or negative in our thinking, we attract things which make our lives muddy or unhappy, if we unthinkingly think our woes every day, we maintain a life of woe.    We can 'decide' to attract the things which make us happy, and the film contains instructions on this from a group of successful practitioners most of whom are wearing shiny clothes.

It's presented in this sort of way:

• Browse my world catalogue, decide what I want
• Decide what I really want
• Be specific about exactly what it is I want (reference no. of catalogue checked against the photo)
• Raise my consciousness in a very particular way.  Raise it to a state where I am happy and satisfied and overjoyed to be in receipt of, to be living what I want.  
• Think all this, feel it, and be grateful.
• This kind of consciousness state is one of absolute faith
• Practice this state at least once a day
• Leave to the 'Universe' to organise 
• Be attentive to the steps that lead to what you want
• Be attentive to the moment of reception
• Receive

Now, whether our understanding of the world is a purely physical matter, or whether we strive for spiritual development towards a personal and greater good (in which case we are likely to have come across this kind of idea already) is this true, possible, ok, and if so, how, and why?   

I decided to start the 'po' approach to the best possible form and understanding of this idea, to see if it would hold, to find out what it is really made of it taken to its full conclusion.

Further Analysis of Important Elements Underlying The Secret

• My catalogue at any moment is limited to what I know about the 'outer' world
• My capacity to want something is limited by the above and my knowledge of my 'inner' world, what I really want, what creates my happiness, (could be on a scale from satisfaction of need to bliss). 
• 'I'  am a human being, as such I contain a 'spark of the divine', and as such what I really want, and what makes me happy is 'divine' 
• I am of the same 'stuff' as the whole world/cosmos/universe, I am part of the world and it is part of me
• This law is 'given' to me as part of my human being nature, I did not 'create' this law, I cannot will it otherwise.
• The 'universe' is capable of realizing the law for me (its nature is not explored in any depth in the film)
• Raising my consciousness is key.  You have to know how to do it, you have to be able to do it.  Although all of us can theoretically do it, can we in practice?
• We also have to persevere with this consciousness, keep the faith, keep it raised!  We have opportunity to give up or destroy our order before it can be delivered.
• If I am not in touch with my 'true' desire, joy, faith and gratitude, I won't be able manifest my one desire in full consciousness. This conscious manifestation is a heightened version of normal life.  In casual every day consciousness, not based on true desire -  then I could still manage to manifest my true desires, on the other hand, when a 'lower' part of myself wants something, not the 'true me', my true desire won't manifest, and something quite other will.  
• If I am unable to achieve this state of joy and gratitude, presumably I do not 'really' want it or I lack faith.  I am limited by my ability to know what I want, to want, and to believe, by my ability to raise my consciousness in the required way, and to keep it raised (keep the faith) long enough for the delivery to be made.
• This 'true desire' relies on my 'knowing' or at least 'reaching' temporarily, my true self
• What I do not want and what makes me unhappy is an indication that I should change my want and end my unhappiness in order to 'be who I really am' 
• Life is abundant - there is more than enough to go round, given that we are all different, given that we practice this particular state of conscience.
• And if it's my true self it's 'good', for me, as I am good and part of the world, it is good for the world of which I am a part.

Know Thyself
To know what I truly want, I would presumably need to know who I really am.   Anyone who has tried this will realise that this is a tall order.  It is for most of us at best an ongoing process, and if attempted purely on the physical plane, impossible.  However, The Secret would allow 'instants' of true self to manifest even if the whole story of the true self is not known by the person applying the law at any particular instant.

Evolution
As you evolve, the things that you used to want and made you happy may no longer do so, but then you would continually renew and revise your order from the Catalogue - perhaps this would take personal development in the right direction?

Other People
I can't use this law on another person.  I have to work on myself, and so do you.  Other people play a part in the plan and you play a part in their plans, but that's to do with the Universe, and not you. The theory is, if I'm joyous, fulfilled, overflowing with love and happiness, I'll have more to share.

Know what you want
This is the really tricky bit for me.  How do I know what I really want?  How do I want it?  How can I be so certain that I can want it enough?  I don't feel qualified.

Most of the things I really want are pretty grandiose, involve humanity or at the very least a chunk of it, and I'm not sure how to formulate that or find it in The Catalogue.  Then I started thinking asking for health improvements and went into a tailspin of hyperchondriac inventory, and then the horrible thought arose that if I asked for health I'd have to see a doctor, probably more than one.  Ugh, too horrible.
  
Then I tried to think of something small, and all I got was food items that will make me fat.  Can I ask for the food items without getting fat?  What about Lovejoy, the thinking woman's crumpet?   I want that.   Although it really isn't the same since Lady Jane Feltham left in series 4, oops, negative thought.    However, I can stream that myself from Watchseries.it.com so it's no good asking for what I already have, even though I am very grateful of course.  I have to want something I don't have.

Wearied with indecision, I plumped for the kitchen surface of my dreams.  I've been visualising it for years.   I never did want the one I've got, it was an accident caused by my neighbour who is the O'Riley of builders.  I mean, I caused it by attracting it to my life and giving it my negative attention every day since.  So, I would like a glossy, pale blue-green stone composite surface.  But then again, doesn't this scratch? Would it show the stains, have to be polished obsessively, is it very unecological?  Did people suffer in its manufacture?  How will I insure the installation is professional?  Is it right that I should want such a thing, when there is so much want in the world?  How different from the pure longing of the little boy in the film who wanted a bicycle.   Will I ever manage the clarity, joy and faith needed to achieve this thing, will I, will I?   Also why would I resort to the Secret when I could save up, source it and find someone other than the O'Riley of builders to fit it?  It would take a ridiculous chunk of money though.  Can I get it free?  Is that morally acceptable?  Do I have to want something I can't have?

True Cost
What if it a case of my mother's favourite saying;  you can have what you like - as long as you pay for it.  Do we have to suffer known or unknown, present or future 'consequences' of our demands for satisfaction of our desires?  Does the stuff we get cost us something?

Happy Practitioners
The successful practitioners did not describe any of this kind of doubt and confusion.  They claimed to have happy and wonderful lives of continuing ever increasing happiness and wonderfulness.  Is this because they have a special ability to simplify things, a propensity for faith, a gift for raising their consciousness?  They would claim that as you work on your happiness, you radiate happiness and invite abundance and that if we all did this we would all be happy.

Material goods & services = happiness on earth?
Desire comes in the form of goods and services, and happiness on earth results.  Is this all we should take into consideration?  Might there be other 'spiritual' elements to take into consideration?

Who wants?
How can we be sure who wants the stuff?  If I want it, it's ok, because I'm part of the divine, but religions and spiritual traditions do bring in, um, the other side, the baddies.    The Secret makes no mention of this.  What if the wanting process
 is somehow intercepted?  How would I know?

What next?
JC is quite keen for me to manifest a large sum of money.  He seems to believe I can do it.  'Why are you asking me to do it, why not you?'  he does not know.  'Do you somehow believe that I am the only one naive enough to blast open the heavenly safe?  He smiles.

 I'm going to sleep on it now and we'll see how I feel in the morning.  Next I'm going to look more closely into into how the money materialises, because it doesn't fall from the sky.