The movie "The Secret"

I watched the movie “The Secret” last weekend and am happy to have a clearer understanding of its main message.

Here are some of the movie’s points:

• A practitioner of The Secret starts with the question, “What do I want?”
• The practitioner must visualize that desire in their mind and hold to it.
• The universe exists to serve your desires. Like the Genie that emerged from Aladdin’s lamp, “Your wish is my command,” says the universe to each of us.
• Our thoughts call forth the resources we need from the universe to have our wants fulfilled.
• Thoughts are things, so the more pronounced the thought the more likely you get the thing you want.
• You have to remain in the spirit of joy and love to receive the positive blessings you desire. Depressing and sickly thinking brings forth depressing and sickly circumstances.
• The law of attraction brings to you what you focus on whether good or evil.
• You are the creator of your own destiny.

Jack Canfield, co-author of “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series was used as a shining example of The Secret in action. He told how he lived in a 4½ million dollar house, had a wife to die for, vacationed in all the hot spots of the world and had achieved celebrity status by putting The Secret into practice.

A young teenager was shown cutting out a picture of a bicycle he wanted, and then worshipping the pictorial image until the bicycle was manifested in his experience, showing up on his doorstep one day.

A gay man’s story about feeling condemned and picked on all the time was used to show how when he dropped his negative feelings about co-workers and neighbors, they started treating him nicer.

As I watched the movie, the words animal magnetism, which is a term used in Christian Science to signify mind with matter type thinking, came forcefully to my attention. Testifiers in the film referred to being a magnet, and having magnetic thought-waves flowing out into the universe calling forth the fruition of their desires as being part of understanding how The Secret worked.

It was refreshing to hear that depressing thoughts bring forth depressing experiences. Who could argue with that? And contrariwise, positive joyful thoughts spawn happy experiences. But through it all I felt uncomfortable with the underlying premise that life is all about getting what we want and the human mind, or brain, viewed more or less as a god. All goals surrounded self, feeding the ego, and satisfying personal desires. People become gods unto themselves.

To have all our life goals start with “What do I want?” brought other questions to my attention.

What if we wanted the wrong things? What if what we want is not in our best interest to have or in the best interest of humanity? Is a life centered on self going to benefit the greater good of the world?

In raising our children, my wife and I work hard to help them think unselfishly. We don’t start the reasoning process with the question “What do I want?” but with asking the question, “What is best? What does God want?” We explain that there are moral and spiritual imperatives that need to be learned and followed to live a decent life and contribute to the well being of the world.

If everyone on the globe started their decision-making with “What do I want?” where would that leave everyone else? I was wondering….

I’m glad I watched the film so I am more informed about all the talk surrounding The Secret. I can see how people find beneficial ideas in its message to uplift their perspective and stay out of the gutter of negativity and self-pity. But the constant barrage of “Seek what you want,” left me doubtful that what the movie’s experts claim to be “The Secret” is really the ultimate key to life and happiness in the long run.

The things of matter are temporal, fleeting, and short-lived in the big picture scheme of things. To center one’s life on finding happiness through material conditions and circumstances is not going to set one up for long run joy when the material sense inevitably gives way to the allness of Spirit.

Yes, seeking joy independent of things is a worthy pursuit, as suggested by the film, but the prevalent linking of joy to things and worldly conditions, leaves one mentally still in a universe of matter and spirit rather than in a reality of All-Spirit.

The greatest riches in the world are not material things we acquire or status we achieve, even when we think so, but is found in the truth and love of God that keep us spiritually centered and grounded in a life of genuine unselfish giving.

I'm inclined to believe that knowing and understanding God, infinite Love, is The Secret to success in life. This truth has been taught by many religious traditions for untold eons, and, interestingly, that fact is no secret at all.

More on the secret

I enjoyed reading the below excerpt on “the wonderful secret” from a Christian Science lecture by Irving Tomlinson sent in by a reader.


I have learned how to make Science a thing of life, not words, and I am going to tell you what the wonderful secret is, for it is wonderful. Now it is this: not to see or hear or repeat any kind of imperfection. It is seeing, hearing, and repeating only good at all times, under all circumstances, in spite of everything that appears to the contrary.

I make this resolution every morning when I wake up, when first I open my eyes, and I review it every hour of the day. I see perfection, a perfect cause and effect, perfect God and perfect man. And I refuse to admit the slightest imperfection in myself of my friends, and in my so-called enemies, in my affairs or in the affairs of the world. I take my radical stand every day for the perfection of God in everything and everybody He has made.

I look upon the world with God’s eyes and see it as He sees it. I refuse to see it any other way. I stop a dozen times a day to review this resolution and to make sure that I am not giving way to fear or criticism. I watch my thoughts about people – the lame, the old, the unlovely (to sense) that I meet – and stray animals. I have taken a radical stand for the perfection of all things, and I will not, absolutely will not, release the perfect standard.

The results have been marvelous. Try it, and you will forget to wear your glasses, as they will not be necessary. You will be seeing with God’s eyes. You will behold a perfect universe, since outward conditions are pictures of our inward thinking. To change the picture, we must change the thought that produces the picture….


Christian Science, as explained in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, gives us the metaphysical tools we need to “change the picture.”

Christian Science teaches that we live in a universe of perfect Mind, that all sensations of evil are unrealities of physical sense, and in as much as evil looks and feels very real to the material sense of things, that picture of evil dissipates into its native nothingness as we genuinely accept and understand the perfection and allness of God’s harmonious creation.

It takes vigorous practice and effort to overcome belief in evil with an understanding of omnipresent good, but Christ is at work within each of us ensuring we reach the goal.

Victory is certain! and that is no secret.

God's law of attraction

With all the animated discussion my blog on “The Secret” generated, I decided to explore God’s law of attraction a bit more and ask for your thoughts on the topic.

One complication the word attraction brings into metaphysical reasoning is the tendency to think of the concept in terms of distance between demand and supply.

For example, a man looking for a mate may think in terms of grooming himself to attract a woman, or an advertiser creates ads to attract customers, or a would-be millionaire visualizing wealth and business opportunities to attract lucrative business deals.

But God’s law of attraction doesn’t work through material modes and means, or subservient to mortal limitations. God works spiritually in the realm of infinite Mind where there is no time or space separating supply from its beneficiary.

In Mind, all is one. There is no division between blessed and blessing.

When we understand the purpose of prayer is to yield to the divine reality which is already in place, and not outline what we materially want, we allow God’s law to work its wonders in our life.

How the divine plan manifests itself in our experience could take any number of different forms, and in ways we never thought of. So we need to trust the unfoldment of good to the plan of divine wisdom.

When my dad and I faced a severe crash crunch on the farm one year, back when I farmed, I prayed to have my mental eyes opened to supply ever at hand. As I accepted omnipresent supply, I knew there could be no lack. Soon, a novel approach to solving our cash needs presented itself, and we were able to stay on budget with ease.

When facing lack, we do not have to inform God’s law of what we need in order to progress. God’s law of omnipresent good has already implemented the supply that satisifies our demand.

Prayer opens our view to the divine blessing already at hand, as was the case with my father and me years ago.

In spiritual reality, we never lack. The picture of deprivation is a lie. The human need is to admit God’s unending good, and as we do, the picture of lack is displaced with appropriate supply.

We can trust God’s law of order to meet our need. Like the earth stays in its orbit by the laws of gravity and doesn’t veer from its course. God’s law of order maintains balance, abundance, overflowing love, joy, and peace in the orbit of Life. As we identify with the superabundant Life God has given us to live, supply happens in whatever way works best for our circumstances.

Supply is not money flowing into our pocket. Supply is spiritual enlightenment opening thought to the eternal riches of Love. Money may come as a result, but money is never the goal.

“There is but one real attraction, that of Spirit. The pointing of the needle to the pole symbolizes this all-embracing power or the attraction of God, divine Mind.” Mary Baker Eddy

Truth attracts thought to Spirit, and in Spirit, we find our supply. Provision displaces the lie of lack, and needs are found met.

What observations do you have to offer?

The Secret

Have you heard about the recently published book, “The Secret,” written by Rhonda Byrne?

I’ve had patients and friends ask me what I thought about the publication. I have not seen the volume, but from the reviews I’ve read, it appears to be standard New Age ideas packaged under a new cover.

Book reviewer Janet Boyer summarizes the book’s theme with these words:

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.

I agree, that from a relative point of view, there is merit to the proposal that we create the bed we lie in. Positive people generally have much better experiences then people with perpetually negative attitudes. But the belief that we can have anything we want if we think it hard enough, or get mentally “vibrating” in the right way, has its limits and eventual downfalls.

The selfish desires can get carried away.

What if vast monetary wealth, unbounded fame, and unbridled success are not in our best interest?

Does unlimited material acquisition get us to where we really want to be spiritually in the long run?

I look at the life and example of Jesus Christ who mapped the path to heaven. He never practiced a “What do I want?” strategy. His plea was always, “What does God want?”

What we want and what God wants can be vastly different at times. And what we want is not always in our best interest.

My son occasionally wants to play with his friends instead of doing his homework. And if I let him, the homework doesn't get done.

Jesus’ statement “Seek and ye shall find,” has often been twisted to mean, “Seek whatever material riches you want, and you shall receive them.” Jesus did not advocate a life of selfish material pursuit, but of avid spiritual gain. He wanted his followers to seek Truth and Love, not dollars and position. He shunned the material ideals in his own ministry.

I also have great difficulty in accepting the “law of attraction” according to Byrne when it comes to explaining tragedy.

Did a crack baby “attract” its suffering? Did all residents of New Orleans “attract” hurricane Katrina to devastate their region? Did the obedient soldier sent to serve in Iraq and later slain in the line of duty “attract” his unfortunate death?

I believe there is a more compassionate way to reconcile the misfortunes of the world.

Christian Science explains that people are not gods to themselves creating their own universe and prospering or suffering accordingly. But each of us are children of God with a spiritual life that cannot be touched, hurt or harmed by anything evil that happens in the world.

When bad does happen, the demand is to not condemn and get down on oneself, but to go higher than the challenge of the moment to the spiritual good that is always present no matter how dire the material condition appears. The more we identify with our spiritual wholeness and God’s ever-sustaining Love, the sooner we can overcome adversity and leave it behind.

Every occasion of evil that happens to us is not our fault.

I suppose “The Secret” will sell millions of copies and make the author boatloads of money, but I’m not sure it’s spreading the right message in terms of living a life that brings genuine spiritual joy and balance.

The laws of the universe do work together to bless us bountifully with unlimited good and love, but they are not designed to fulfill selfish material desires. They are designed to keep us in harmony with the one infinite Love that sustains us eternally and in perpetual peace and life.

The book’s premise, “What you think becomes your life,” goes only so far. Our ultimate life is not anything we create here on earth. Our ultimate life is found in Spirit, God, the infinite Mind that exists forever. We do not create Mind, nor do we determine Mind’s plan. That’s God’s job. As we align with Mind and let Mind’s will be done through us, our life on earth becomes more heavenly. But we are not the creators of that heavenly existence. God is the creator, and we are the manifestation.

The outward manifestation of spiritual peace and life on earth may or may not include lots of money and things in our experience, but it doesn’t really matter to the seeker, because the goal of the spiritual seeker is not riches and status. The destination is spiritual understanding, eternal peace and life. And that’s a divine birthright that is manifested through each of us as children of God. Not by virtue of anything we do, but by virtue of what God has already done on our behalf.