"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go."
– Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!
The rage, these days, is the new DVD/book/CD audiobook The Secret, which documents the universal law of attraction through interviews with spiritual leaders, motivational speakers and others. This project is both spiritual and motivational. It reminds us who we are as beings of energy, as creators of our reality, and as souls who are responsible for our choices.
My first reaction, upon watching the film, is that it is the birthright of every person on the planet to know how things are created in their lives. My second reaction, upon watching speakers from The Secret appear twice on both "Larry King Live" and "Oprah," is the degree to which people are attracted to this information, and how so many people are yearning to be reminded about how the universe works.
Monumental shift
This is just the beginning of a gradual, but monumental, shift that will change the way people think about themselves. Ripples from this emerging paradigm will disrupt the way people view the Church and what it has taught them about the way things are, causing them to question what they believe about faith and spirituality. Because joining the New Agers in devouring this "secret" are devout church-going people and temple-going people and mosque-going people. Word-of-mouth is quicker now in cyberspace. Everyone and their mother – and even Dad this time – are watching this touching dialogue on what it takes to create what we want in our lives.
And in the process, hearts are opening. Souls are awakening. People are opening their eyes as if for the first time. And they are not standing still with the information. They are moving forward. They are sharing their feelings and they are creating mind maps and they are watching their thoughts and taking their first steps toward becoming who they came here to be.
The focus of The Secret, the universal law of attraction, as some people are quick to note, is not new. People on the spiritual path have known about it for eons. What is new, however, is that it has become a pop phenomenon.
But will it last? Maybe. Maybe not. Will it be just one more consumer frenzy that Americans love to champion? It doesn’t matter. Clearly the more people talk about it, the more people will buy it. But unlike other fads that fade from our memory, the success of The Secret will not be determined by the number of units sold in fiscal year 2007. For this is a project with a big-picture perspective. It is one of those "if it changes one life, then it is worth it" kind of things. Because as people watch The Secret, and then work The Secret, there is a good probability that they will see that it is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It is not about seeing how many toys you can buy. It is not about showing others that you fit in, or that you are worth something, based on what you drive or where you live.
Eventually, those who understand The Secret will recognize that attracting peace of mind, and true happiness, works the exact same way as it does to attract the new job and the new sports car.
And they will know that The Secret is only the beginning.
Addicted consumers
Here in America, we live to shop. We are taught as children that our nation’s economy depends upon it. But what that has created is a country of addicted consumers who buy and buy and buy, and rarely do they value the purchase. They use it until they don’t like it anymore, then they throw it away. They tear down perfectly nice homes and rebuild something twice as large on the same property.
Spiritually, we fall into the same trap. We buy tickets to speakers and purchase week-long retreats and build a library full of bestsellers, but we forget what we hear and what we experience, and we barely glance at that wall of books whose words are read by nobody.
Let’s not be that way any more. Let’s choose our experiences wisely. Let’s go to expos and truly listen with our hearts. Let’s buy videos and books like The Secret and devour them like we’re lost on a desert island and that the only way to be rescued is by remembering our gifts and reconnecting with our souls. Let’s do the work: release judgment, offer gratitude, acknowledge our inner wisdom and use it in our daily lives. Let’s attract more than financial freedom. Let’s attract love.