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Posted: March 27th, 2007 at 1:20am By: Rev. Jay Speights
If you have read any of my columns, you should know that I am always trying to find various ways of highlighting common values and bonds that religions and people share. Well, here I go again. Today I am going to use "The Secret" as an example.
"The Secret," by Rhonda Byrne, is a best-selling self-help book and DVD that offers insights or a path to a more prosperous and abundant life. The focus of this particular self-help concept is the Law of Attraction. In "The Secret" several prominent teachers, such as Rev. Michael Beckwith and Jack Canfield, talk about their experiences with the Law of Attraction, and many towering historical figures, such as Plato and Shakespeare, are cited as examples of some who have mastered it.
Simply stated, the Law of Attraction means that your mental and emotional state determines the quality of your life. If you are mired down in thoughts of fear, lack and hopelessness, then you probably will not achieve prosperity and abundance in your life. In other words, what you think about, you bring about in your life. That's what "The Secret" is about.
I like this message. It is positive and uplifting and requires that you take a mental and spiritual inventory of your thoughts and emotions and attune them to a higher level and attract those things that you want in life. Those who criticize this concept, by saying it is not spiritual, could not be more wrong. When you ask people to be more positive and to step away from a thought paradigm that is based on fear, low self-esteem and lack, you are asking them to step closer to the divine.
Most religions offer guidance and wisdom about focusing on the hope and promise that life offers. For example, in Shambhala Buddhism, you have Sunrise and Sunset People. Sunset People live in a constant state of fear and hold on to the negative experiences of the past. They think about death constantly. Sunrise People walk into the sunrise of a new day, unrestrained by fear and open to the promise that a new day offers. They are focused in the present moment and not looking back to yesterday like Sunset People.
In both the Hebrew and Greek versions of the Old Testament you will find the following quote: "Peace means prosperity in every way." In my opinion, this quote is based on the Law of Attraction. I submit that you cannot find peace if you are mired down in a state of fear and low self-worth. Abundance and prosperity will elude you until you shift your internal state.
One of my favorite stories in the Bible tells how Christ was out on a lake with his disciples when a storm with high winds and tossing waves arose; he put out his hand and said, "Peace, be still" (Mark 4:39), and the storm subsided. Now I know you are wondering what this has to do with the subject at hand. Well, it has everything to do with it.
The teachings of Christ and stories about his life are rich with metaphors. In this case, when Christ said, "Peace, be still," he was telling us that we have the power to shift our internal thoughts to a higher level or spiritual state at any time and immediately stop the storms that rage inside us and keep us in a fearful state. A state of calm and peace always follows a storm, and, as I stated above, in the Hebrew and Greek versions of the Old Testament it states, "Peace means prosperity in every way."
The other criticism that I have heard about "The Secret" is that it undermines the notion of hard work. Changing habits and years of mental conditioning is hard work. Ask anyone who has tried to overcome an addiction to drugs or alcohol. Many of us are addicted to living in fear and negativity, and they require lots of hard work to overcome. Just ask those who are spending thousands each year on mental health professionals, and they will tell you.
I always say, "Your mind does not have a mind of its own." You can control your thoughts. That is what "The Secret" is about, simply controlling your thoughts and directing them toward positive results in your life.
So to those who criticize "The Secret" by saying it is not spiritual, please stop. Anything that calls you to step into your higher self and look for the peace, hope and abundance that life offers is definitely spiritual and based on a major tenet of most religions. It's called faith.
— — —
Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York. You can learn more about his work at the United Nations at The New Seminary website or at harmoniousday.webexone.com. His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Jay Speights
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If you have read any of my columns, you should know that I am always trying to find various ways of highlighting common values and bonds that religions and people share. Well, here I go again. Today I am going to use "The Secret" as an example.
"The Secret," by Rhonda Byrne, is a best-selling self-help book and DVD that offers insights or a path to a more prosperous and abundant life. The focus of this particular self-help concept is the Law of Attraction. In "The Secret" several prominent teachers, such as Rev. Michael Beckwith and Jack Canfield, talk about their experiences with the Law of Attraction, and many towering historical figures, such as Plato and Shakespeare, are cited as examples of some who have mastered it.
Simply stated, the Law of Attraction means that your mental and emotional state determines the quality of your life. If you are mired down in thoughts of fear, lack and hopelessness, then you probably will not achieve prosperity and abundance in your life. In other words, what you think about, you bring about in your life. That's what "The Secret" is about.
I like this message. It is positive and uplifting and requires that you take a mental and spiritual inventory of your thoughts and emotions and attune them to a higher level and attract those things that you want in life. Those who criticize this concept, by saying it is not spiritual, could not be more wrong. When you ask people to be more positive and to step away from a thought paradigm that is based on fear, low self-esteem and lack, you are asking them to step closer to the divine.
Most religions offer guidance and wisdom about focusing on the hope and promise that life offers. For example, in Shambhala Buddhism, you have Sunrise and Sunset People. Sunset People live in a constant state of fear and hold on to the negative experiences of the past. They think about death constantly. Sunrise People walk into the sunrise of a new day, unrestrained by fear and open to the promise that a new day offers. They are focused in the present moment and not looking back to yesterday like Sunset People.
In both the Hebrew and Greek versions of the Old Testament you will find the following quote: "Peace means prosperity in every way." In my opinion, this quote is based on the Law of Attraction. I submit that you cannot find peace if you are mired down in a state of fear and low self-worth. Abundance and prosperity will elude you until you shift your internal state.
One of my favorite stories in the Bible tells how Christ was out on a lake with his disciples when a storm with high winds and tossing waves arose; he put out his hand and said, "Peace, be still" (Mark 4:39), and the storm subsided. Now I know you are wondering what this has to do with the subject at hand. Well, it has everything to do with it.
The teachings of Christ and stories about his life are rich with metaphors. In this case, when Christ said, "Peace, be still," he was telling us that we have the power to shift our internal thoughts to a higher level or spiritual state at any time and immediately stop the storms that rage inside us and keep us in a fearful state. A state of calm and peace always follows a storm, and, as I stated above, in the Hebrew and Greek versions of the Old Testament it states, "Peace means prosperity in every way."
The other criticism that I have heard about "The Secret" is that it undermines the notion of hard work. Changing habits and years of mental conditioning is hard work. Ask anyone who has tried to overcome an addiction to drugs or alcohol. Many of us are addicted to living in fear and negativity, and they require lots of hard work to overcome. Just ask those who are spending thousands each year on mental health professionals, and they will tell you.
I always say, "Your mind does not have a mind of its own." You can control your thoughts. That is what "The Secret" is about, simply controlling your thoughts and directing them toward positive results in your life.
So to those who criticize "The Secret" by saying it is not spiritual, please stop. Anything that calls you to step into your higher self and look for the peace, hope and abundance that life offers is definitely spiritual and based on a major tenet of most religions. It's called faith.
— — —
Rev. Jay Speights has an MA in public policy and is an interfaith minister and the main U.N. representative for The New Seminary in New York. You can learn more about his work at the United Nations at The New Seminary website or at harmoniousday.webexone.com. His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org}jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Jay Speights
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