The Secret - Law of Attraction

On the science level, I'm saying that someone thought of it years ago and when they did, all of the materials to make it possible were already here. Right? All of the atoms, energy, physical laws, etc. existed at that time. Someone just had to come along to put them together. (actually many people had to come along,,, one to create the idea of metal, one for nuts and bolts, one for rocket fuel, and all the other parts and pieces.) So we weren't waiting on the materials, we were waiting for the person that knew how to make it reality. Had the person 200 years ago known how to put it all together, the raw materials would have been there for him to do so because they have always been.

No, I don't think their thought pinged around the universe for years and years until it hit the right person. (Big Ouchie!) That is, to me, where the new agers are confusing things.

Again, what I'm attempting to do is extract some truth and narrow it down to concepts people can follow that are beneficial rather than allowing The Secret to continue as some far out faddish thinking.

There are physical laws that have to be followed. The acorn will only become a mighty oak if all you want it to be is a tree. In my original example, I was pointing out that it cannot become a Mulberry. That is true. The laws of the universe, known and those we have yet to understand, exist and will be followed no matter what we think. The acorn will become an oak tree.

However, we can think we want a nice shade tree, plant an acorn and recieve a nice shade tree. Or, we can think about a beautifully crafted oak table, plant an acorn, and after time have a nice solid dining set. The original design of the acorn existed for either to be possible. That's the very very basic, bottom of the pole law of attraction that is true. What did you want the acorn to be? If you want Mulberries, you don't plant an acorn.

Applying the same concept to psychology, if you want to be rich you do not sit around thinking about how poor you are, what a piece of crap car you drive and how it probably won't even get you to your friggin' minimum wage job tomorrow. That is planting Mulberries. If you want to be rich you think about ways to achieve that goal, what interests and motivates you, what new ways can you apply skills that you have, what steps you will take. The desire sets things in motion for the results to happen. That is planting acorns.

But all that has absolutely nothing to do with quantum mechanics which is what "The Secret" is attempting to do.

The secret is nothing more than age old platitudes that have some truth to them.
"The lord helps those who help themselves."
"If you want something done right do it yourself"
"Work hard and pay taxes and everything will be okie dokie"
"work before play"
"picture yourself winning."

But reciting age old platitudes won't get you any money. Pretending that an esoteric science that isn't well understood proves them true is what they are trying to sell. They might as well be selling that its the alignment of the planets that will make your desires come true. Yes, if you work hard and concentrate and envision what you want things to be they could well come true but it has nothing to do physics or the universe reflecting anything back.

Right.

I have zilch zero understaning of quantum mechanics, and neither do most of the people pushing the secret and it's connection to such. Most are likely regurgitating what they have heard from others and trying to make a buck from it as they ride the tide.

Because I don't understand it, I can't refute it. If you can, please go ahead.

So you are just stating the obvious (or you're paraphrasing a bit of "The Secret" which states the obvious). Anything is possible, and if you want to achieve something, you should take steps towards achieving it... isn't that the most obvious thing anyone could possibly say?!

I understand that you're trying to extract the good bits from "The Secret" and discard the crap. But if the good bits are just truisms then that's another reason to criticise "The Secret". Not only is the stuff about quantum mechanics bullshit, but the bits that are true are so blindingly obvious that they're barely worth saying out loud. "The Secret" doesn't seem to have anything to offer at all.

I haven't seen the movie or read The Secret, but from what I have heard about it from other sources, I know what's it about. First off, other self-help authors have propositioned similar philosophy before. Earl Nightangle comes to mind. The description of LOA in CJ's post (the one that refers to Wikipedia) sounds like a combination of Mark Victor Hansen and Napolean Hill's theories.

I am not familiar with quantum physics, but I have a likely neuroscientific explanation for the Secret. I think it's all about perspectives.
An LOA postulate:

Focus one's thought upon the thing desired with great feeling such as enthusiasm or gratitude.

I assume this also requires verbally reciting your desires everyday. All the selp-help writers give this direction.

Here's the deal:

We are the outcomes of our experiences and thinking over the years. This focus- your-thoughts thing is just a way of rewiring the brain and getting rid of old thinking patterns and habits.

Let us suppose, a fat woman wants to lose weight. She tries out new diets and exercises. She gets all psyched up and works hard for a few days but eventually she fizzles out . She starts again after a few months but meets with similar results. The problem with this woman is that she isn't able to get rid of certain old habits and thinking patterns. In order to materialize her health goals, she needs to get rid of those habits and think patterns (which could be anything ranging from binge eating to sloth, from procrastination to low self-image etc., and stick to her fitness regimen. This lady might wonder why she is not able to physically materialize what she greatly desires. Now, shifting a bit toward psychology: She usually quits before the "desire" perpetuates to the subconscious. A lot of times people are motivated and all pepped up but all that disappears after a few days. That's because their motivation is sort of forced-- only at the conscious level. If we have to explain it neurologically, we would say that
this woman needs to form new synaptic connections concerning those goals. When you have strong connections, or psychologically speaking, your desires have perpetuated deep into your subconscious, you start feeling motivated from inside. This is the kind of wall that is not easy to break. And from thereon, taking actions becomes much easier. The solution to her problem lies in getting obsessed with her goals, that is repeating them over to her several times in a day and continuing this as long as the motivation to exercise and self-control to avoid overeating become second nature to her.

So it is with the Secret. I think what they really want to tell us is that you have to force your thoughts deep inside. Merely thinking about achieving doesn't bring you any closer to achieving. They employ the "speak to the universe" approach and all. It's about perspectives I guess. People have different ways to teach the same thing. Like in certain complementary-medicine therapies, centers called "chakra" are recognized. It goes something like this: there are four to five chakras in our body that are important for proper mind-body balance. Interestingly enough, the location of these chakras coincides with the location of the primary endocrine glands in the human body. Endocrine glands are responsible for secreting hormones. And do I need to say that these endocrine glands are very very important for proper body function, mind-body balance included. Functions of chakras are parallel to the functions of the endocrine glands they share positions with.

Again, it's about perspectives.

I would be interested to hear a physical explanation justifying or refuting the Secret.

from a business standpoint, the secret started as a venture between the group of people selling it and the people that came up with the idea.

when i say "came up with the idea," i mean the essence of it, not the business plan, and i'm not implying that the essence of it is a new thing.

the secret originally began with abraham-hicks, (they're on wikipedia) and short of paying 80 bucks, the first cd (which is probably all you need to hear) they offer is under a cc license of all things, and can be freely accessed on the abraham-hicks website (as mp3s.)

the abraham-hicks people eventually stopped dealing with the people selling the secret based on philosophical differences, but they parted on good terms.

of course, if you think channeling (spirits) is a lot of nonsense, as countless people do, then you're not going to think much of the original cd. it consists of recordings of "abraham" (they name they use for the spirit) being channeled by esther hicks. i actually haven't seen the secret, but i did listen to the mp3s. i try to keep my finger on the pulse of the larger newage business phenomena, but i'm really just starting out.

The real secret of attaction lies in the invisible bodily chemicals.

Imagine an invisible, undetectable force that's powerful
enough to override your sense of reason yet draws you
to someone with an almost animal passion. These aren't
Cupid's mythological arrows, but real shots of human
pheromones.

http://health.discovery.com/centers/sex/aphrodisiacs/phermones.html

Welcome to The Scent of Eros:
Mysteries of Odor in Human Sexuality -

'Scientists in Philadelphia have established for the first
time that the human body produces pheromones, special
aromatic chemical compounds discharged by one individual
that affect the sexual physiology of another'....

http://www.athenainstitute.com/discovery.html

Do pheromones work in human sexual attraction?

They may be odorless and colorless and their function may be
mysterious, but human pheromones at last have the zest of
scientific truth. Researchers at the University of Chicago
have demonstrated that compounds swabbed from the
'underarms' of young women at different times of the month
can alter the length of other women's menstrual cycles,
compressing or expanding the cycles in predictable
fashion....

http://www.ishipress.com/humanodo.htm

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9803/11/pheromones/index.html

What is the force that lights the fuse between two
complete strangers? What current pulses through their veins,
engorges their hearts, occupies their minds and numbs their
texting fingers? Ah, if only

I knew. As magic formulas go, sexual chemistry must surely
be the most valuable. It's intoxicating effects are more
pleasurable and more powerful than any drug and when it hits,
it hits hard. There are the rushes of ecstacy, the gut wrenching
anticipation, fluttering, dizziness, and the diminished
concentration that turns day-dreaming into a full-time job.
And then there are the side effects. A positively Colombian
annihilation of appetite and its confidence- boosting by-product,
weight loss. And it is free. And it is legal. It is bloody amazing.

But no one knows what "it" is. Scientists have managed to
map our genetic blueprint. They understand the subtleties
of hormones and the complexities of the emotional brain.
But the thing that makes two people click remains a mystery.
Theories abound as to what, or why. Those looking for a
magic bullet (or Cupid's arrow) tend to favour the notion
of pheromones - scents secreted by the sweat glands in the
'armpits' and pubic hair. And the relatively recent discovery
of the vomeronasal organ, a small chemo-sensory structure in
the human nose, lends the concept some weight.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20030629/ai_n12741733

Science of Love - Cupid's Chemistry:

There are, in fact, three distinct stages of love; each with
their own characteristic emotional profile and scientific explanation.

First is lust. Lust is driven by our sex hormones testosterone
and oestrogen. These hormones are what get us 'out on the pull'.
After lust comes attraction. This is the love-struck phase;
the time when we lose our appetite, can't sleep, and can't
concentrate. This is what we know as falling in love.

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/articles/article/clairemcloughlincolumn1.htm/